The Padres don’t need Tom Hanks to remind them there’s no crying in baseball, even as the NL West-leading Giants steamed into this week eight games ahead of them in the loss column while the second-place Dodgers — still the divisional favorite — prepared to roll out the newly acquired tandem of stars Trea Turner and Max Scherzer.

The ...Read more

CHICAGO — New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo compared the departures of the Chicago Cubs core to a “bad breakup” and disputed the team’s assessment that all were offered fair market extensions.

Speaking Tuesday on “The Kap and J. Hood Show” on WMVP-AM 1000, Rizzo was asked about team President Jed Hoyer’s earlier ...Read more

For the controversial owners of the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family, Friday afternoon brought both $150 million in payroll savings and vituperative criticism. For fans of the Chicago Cubs, it brought unspeakable misery.

Fueled by that day’s trade deadline, the Cubs unloaded (among others) three of the main reasons fans bought tickets: the ...Read more

PHOENIX — A Giants club that began the day with the best record in the majors is surprisingly no stranger to blowing big late-inning leads in devastating losses.

Monday’s would have been the worst one yet.

But after failing to protect a 7-1 lead and an 8-5 advantage, the Giants escaped a 10-inning series-opening matchup with the Arizona ...Read more

MIAMI — Jesus Luzardo’s first inning as a starting pitcher at his hometown ballpark for his hometown team went about as well as he could have anticipated. The 23-year-old lefty, with “954” stitched in gold on his black glove, retired the first three New York Mets batters he faced on 17 pitches.

His second inning was rough, bloating his ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — On days such as this, you need to look for silver linings.

For instance, I bet the Red Sox are really ticked off now.

For three days, the Rays played some of their best baseball of 2021 against Boston. The seats at Tropicana Field were filled, Rays pitchers were sharp and hitters were knocking the ball all over the ...Read more

Beleaguered starter Jorge López carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, albeit with five walks, and with the help of four early home runs he and the Orioles beat the Yankees, 7-1, Monday at Yankee Stadium to spoil New York’s first home game since their trade deadline additions.

López, who completed six innings for the second time all ...Read more

Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts issued his first extended comments since the organization dismantled its core at the trade deadline in an email to season ticket holders Monday morning.

Ricketts, who called the last week extremely hard on everyone, stated that “while we believe the decisions we took were right for our organization, they ...Read more

PHOENIX — Corey Seager returned Friday from a 10-week stint on the injured list because of a right hand fracture . Mookie Betts returned to the lineup for Sunday’s 13-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Chase Field after missing two weeks because of right hip inflammation.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, acquired from ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays made their first appearance on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball in seven years a good one, beating the Red Sox 3-2 to complete a three-game sweep and extend their American League East lead to 1½ games.

The Rays won their fourth straight to improve to 64-42, moving to a season-high 22 games over .500, in making ...Read more

As Sam Hilliard circled the bases in the second inning Sunday afternoon, Reiss Knehr chucked the rosin bag into the mound. At 110 mph, the first home run yielded by the rookie right-hander had been an absolute moon shot to right field.

Thing is, it didn’t hurt all that much.

That’s what happens when you don’t give away free bases.

...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — Even when your team is out of the race, baseball can be fun.

Jonah Heim has made sure of that the past few days at Globe Life Field.

The Texas Rangers catcher, who was serving as the designated hitter Sunday, hit his second consecutive walk-off home run to give the Rangers a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners. He did it in ...Read more

Moments after the Mets lost to the Reds on Sunday, the organization took another L.

The Mets announced their 2021 draft signings at the 5 p.m. deadline on Sunday, and stud pitcher Kumar Rocker was not one of them.

“This is clearly not the outcome we had hoped for and wish Kumar nothing but success moving forward,” said Mets acting general ...Read more

CHICAGO — I asked Liam Hendriks on Sunday morning to show me his man bun after hearing the Chicago White Sox closer came up with an idea to call the team’s late-inning crew — Michael Kopech, Craig Kimbrel and himself — the “Ponytail Gang.”

Hendriks doffed his cap to reveal a mop of unkempt, oddly cut hair, but it wasn’t enough to ...Read more