BOSTON — Prior to Sunday’s game, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and interim manager Chad Tracy spoke to Boston Red Sox players to address them about the club’s managerial change.

Speaking to reporters in the Camden Yards visitor’s clubhouse afterward, several veteran Red Sox players offered unusually candid assessments of the ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A game that started out like it would be a stress-free victory ended up as an agonizing loss.

After taking a six-run lead in the second inning, the Los Angeles Angels blew a three-run lead in the ninth and then a one-run lead in the 10th, eventually losing 11-9 to the Kansas City Royals on a rainy Sunday.

Drew Pomeranz ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday included another strong offensive performance and Shohei Ohtani’s first home run in two weeks. But veteran second baseman Miguel Rojas didn’t see those as the main factors.

“It’s all about starting pitching right now, to be honest with you,” he said. �...Read more

Meet the Mets … greet the Mets … step right up and beat the Mets.

That’s exactly what the Colorado Rockies did on Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field.

Behind 5 1/3 superb innings by veteran left-hander Jose Quintana, another shutdown performance from its bullpen and timely hits, Colorado beat New York, 3-1....Read more

Start spreading the news: the Colorado Rockies are no longer pushovers. They proved it in the Big Apple by sweeping a three-game series from the scuffling New York Mets.

Colorado (13-16) completed the job by taking both games of Sunday’s doubleheader at Citi Field, beating the Mets, 3-1, in Game 1, and blanking the Mets, 3-0, in Game 2 ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox dropped their second straight extra-inning game, falling 2-1 to the Washington Nationals in 10 innings on Sunday in front of 24,259 at Rate Field.

The Sox went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position on Sunday as they lost two of three in the series.

“I think really the story (of) the whole series is just ...Read more

Meet the Mets … greet the Mets … step right up and beat the Mets.

That’s exactly what the Colorado Rockies did on Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field.

Behind 5 1/3 superb innings by veteran left-hander Jose Quintana, another shutdown performance from its bullpen and timely hits, Colorado beat New York, 3-1....Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants appeared headed for another listless loss Sunday, only to rediscover their bats when they needed them most to support starting pitcher Landen Roupp.

Casey Schmitt had the big blow with a three-run home run in the seventh inning in a 6-3 win over the Miami Marlins before a sellout crowd of 40,445 at ...Read more

MEXICO CITY — The San Diego Padres had it done to them this time.

An easy, breezy Sunday turned dark in the seventh inning, when a couple slowly rolled singles, a bungled play at second base, a grand slam, two doubles and a walk turned a five-run lead into a two-run deficit.

The Arizona Diamondbacks scored six runs in that inning off ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz provided the offense, and four pitchers took care of the rest as the Tampa Bay Rays completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory on Sunday afternoon.

The Rays improved to 16-11, getting to five games over .500 for the first time since July 19, and are an American League-best 14-6 ...Read more

CINCINNATI — The Detroit Tigers were a credible road team last year, going 41-40. So far this season, not so much.

They had already been swept out of Arizona (three games) and Minnesota (four games) this season. And they were nine outs away from getting broomed out of Cincinnati, as well.

Until AJ Hinch played one of his lefty-slayer cards ...Read more

ATLANTA — The charter was gassed up and ready to fly at about 6 p.m. Sunday.

It could’ve taken off four hours earlier.

Because Aaron Nola dropped the Phillies down a three-run hole after only 10 pitches in a game they stood little chance of winning anyway. Left-handed pitchers are Kryptonite to the Phillies’ hitters — and Braves ace ...Read more

When the sun rose over Baltimore on Sunday morning, the Boston Red Sox awoke with a lingering sense of disbelief. Hours earlier longtime manager Alex Cora and a large chunk of his coaching staff had been abruptly fired, and now the players were left trying to process everything and figure out what would come next.

And yet, baseball season doesn...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Rob Refsnyder launched a pinch-hit solo home run into the visitors’ bullpen in the top of the ninth inning, completing another Seattle Mariners comeback in a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Refsnyder successfully challenged what was a strike three from home-plate umpire John Bacon ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Carmen Mlodzinski started with three hitless innings. He couldn’t complete the fourth.

The Milwaukee Brewers scored five runs against Mlodzinski in the fourth inning, then cruised to a 5-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at American Family Field. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the series, their third-consecutive series win against a ...Read more

HOUSTON — Pulled from Sunday’s game in the fifth inning, Luis Gil hung his head as he walked off the mound.

Left behind were two runners in scoring position, courtesy of a leadoff walk and a Yordan Alvarez double. While New York Yankees reliever Paul Blackburn allowed both Houston Astros to score, those two runs were charged to Gil. So were...Read more

BOSTON — In the hours after the Boston Red Sox’s 10-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, which dropped the club to 9-17 on the year, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and top team officials huddled to discuss how they could still salvage the season.

By Saturday morning, Breslow made the call to clean house. He, team president...Read more

BOSTON — No matter what happens next for the Boston Red Sox, it’s all on Craig Breslow now.

Saturday will go down as one of the most stunning days in Red Sox history. Hours after the club wrapped up a 17-1 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles, news broke that the organization was cleaning house.

Gone was Alex Cora, who has led the ...Read more

HOUSTON — The New York Yankees’ arch nemesis stunned the baseball world on Saturday, as the Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora following a 10-17 start to the season.

Boston also canned five members of Cora’s big league staff: hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach ...Read more

ATLANTA — Zack Wheeler waited 253 days.

What, then, were another 56 minutes?

So, Wheeler sat through a rain delay, during which the Boston Red Sox stunningly fired manager Alex Cora (back to that shortly). Then, he walked to the bullpen, warmed up, and came out firing 95- and 96-mph heat in his first start back from thoracic outlet syndrome....Read more