Two days without Shohei Ohtani’s bat in the starting lineup is a tough pill to swallow. But the Dodgers beat the Giants 4-0 Wednesday even without his presence at the top of the batting order.

The Dodgers’ victory featured an early offensive push and back-to-back home runs, as Ohtani made his impact on the mound, holding the Giants ...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Of all the pitches that Matthew Liberatore threw in a prolonged slog through the fifth inning, the one that went the farthest fittingly did the most damage.

Nick Kurtz’s 405-foot grand slam during the decisive five inning obliterated the Cardinals’ one-run lead and launched the Athletics to a 6-2 victory late ...Read more

HOUSTON — Another game, no doubt, the Mariners are going to believe they should have won.

They did not, in fact, win this game, spoiling Bryce Miller’s sterling season debut and ruining a chance to climb back to .500.

The Astros rallied from a two-run deficit to beat the Mariners, 4-3 in 10 innings.

That ends the Mariners’ nine-game ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Recently retired five-time Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward is joining the Dodgers’ front office as a special assistant. Wednesday was his first day on the job at Dodger Stadium, but he said he officially started at the beginning of the month.

“I asked for an opportunity,” Heyward said. “I asked for an opportunity to ...Read more

TORONTO — The Rays have prided themselves during their sizzling start by winning games in different and interesting ways.

Wednesday they lost one that way.

The Rays survived an eighth inning in which their top reliever walked three straight batters en route to giving up the tying run, then rallied for two runs in the 10th.

But it ended ...Read more

NEW YORK — Walked off again.

Carson Benge singled home the free runner in the bottom of the 10th inning, sending the New York Mets, last place in the National League East, to a 3-2 win at Citi Field Wednesday.

The Tigers, 7-18 on the road and 19-24 on the season, have lost seven of their last eight games. They managed one hit after the fifth...Read more

CHICAGO — These aren’t your older brother’s White Sox.

During the previous two seasons, the Royals won 22 of 26 games against the South Siders. But things have changed now.

The White Sox beat the Royals, 6-5, on Wednesday night at Rate Field for Chicago’s fourth victory in six tries against KC this season. It was also the Royals’ ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Each one seems more improbable than the last.

The San Diego Padres on Wednesday beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1, with all their runs coming on a homer Gavin Sheets hit just over the wall in right field with two outs in the ninth inning.

After Mason Miller locked down his 13th save in 13 tries, the Padres had their 13th comeback ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The first inning Wednesday at Target Field featured a little bit of everything.

The Miami Marlins scored two runs via three walks, an error and a misplay ruled an infield single. Byron Buxton responded with a leadoff homer and Josh Bell stole a base for the first time in seven years.

The rest of the evening followed an all-too-...Read more

BOSTON — On days where the Red Sox offense isn’t scoring runs in bunches, Wednesday offered a blueprint for how the club can win games anyway.

Timely home runs? Check. A dominant starting pitching performance? Check. Clean games by both the defense and bullpen? Check and check.

All of the ingredients were there for the Red Sox in Wednesday...Read more

NEW YORK — The Citi Field trainer’s room has been crowded all season, and there is little reprieve halfway into May. The New York Mets placed catcher Francisco Alvarez on the 10-day injured list Wednesday afternoon with a torn meniscus in his right knee. The injury will require surgery, which typically carries a timeline of 6-8 weeks, but ...Read more

CHICAGO — A fan fell into the visiting bullpen during the top of the fourth inning of Wednesday’s Chicago White Sox game against the Kansas City Royals at Rate Field.

The game was paused as Sox personnel attended to the fan.

“The fan has been transported to a local hospital for additional treatment,” the Sox said in a statement.

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PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller couldn’t have had a better four innings. It would have been tough to have had a worse fifth.

Keller retired the first 12 batters he faced before allowing six runs in the fifth inning, sending the Pirates to a 10-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night at PNC Park. The game was delayed 26 minutes due to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Jackson Olson made no secret of his desire to compete on "Dancing with the Stars."

He plays second base for the lively Savannah Bananas, so dancing is already part of his job description.

He is also a social media influencer with 2.1 million TikTok followers and hasn't been shy about using the platform to campaign for his dream...Read more

MIAMI — The Marlins have lost one of their top pitching prospects just one start into his big league career.

Left-hander Robby Snelling, who allowed three runs in five innings of his big league debut against Washington last Friday, is out indefinitely after sustaining a UCL sprain in his left elbow. He is expected to be out for an extended ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Considering the two stops on this trip and the way the Los Angeles Angels have played lately, it should be no surprise what happened.

The Angels ended their miserable six-game trip with a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, getting swept in the three games.

The Angels have now lost 29 of their last 33 games in ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — For years, the late, great Pat Williams wandered through Orlando like a baseball preacher without a congregation.

The co-founder of the Magic and the godfather of big league sports in Central Florida spent the final years of his life trying to convince politicians, business leaders and the community that Orlando was ready for ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — It didn’t take long for the Cardinals, ever so cozy and comfortable in these close games they keep creating, to go right back to their four-step recipe for holding leads in the late innings.

Two days after San Diego capsized Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien and won in extra innings, O’Brien was on the mound with a two-run ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — With Daniel Susac nearing his return from injury, a significant decision looms for the Giants: Do they carry veteran backstop Eric Haase along with Susac and Jesús Rodríguez? On Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Haase provided two loud reasons to stay — and etched his name into rivalry lore in the process.

Haase powered San ...Read more