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John Romano: This Rays season has been uplifting, confounding, kinda off the wall
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays lost on Sunday. Of course they lost.
They were starting a rookie pitcher, a rookie third baseman and a rookie designated hitter. Their team MVP left in the second inning with hamstring tightness and was replaced by another rookie. Their starting catcher began the season in the minors, and the guy who pitched ...Read more

Bill Plaschke: The Clayton Kershaw Crusade is making a stirring last stand
It's the Kershaw Crusade, and it's breathtaking.
His shoulder is weeping. His velocity is dropping. His control is slipping.
Clayton Kershaw took the mound Saturday against the San Francisco Giants as a shell of himself, an aging and injured pitcher fighting time and battling pain and doing whatever it takes to survive one more pitch.
One ...Read more
Braves doubleheader observations: Reaching 100 wins, Forrest Wall's first career homer and more
WASHINGTON – These Braves continue adding to a terrific season.
On Sunday, they notched their 100th victory in an 8-5 win over the Nationals to end the doubleheader. The clubs split the day, as the Braves lost the first game, 3-2.
1. This is the latest example of how special this era of Braves baseball has become: This season and last mark ...Read more

Dodgers mix some fun into their extra-innings walk-off win over Giants
LOS ANGELES — Once Dodgers pitcher Lance Lynn got every ounce of his 6-foot-5, 270-pound body moving in the right direction in the third inning of Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants, there was no stopping the burly right-hander.
The Giants, trailing 2-0 at the time, had loaded the bases with two outs when...Read more

A's drop home finale to Detroit but fans cheer anyway
OAKLAND, Calif. — Only a few stragglers remained of the fans who made their way to the field to circle the bases one last time.
Included was a group in the familiar green “Sell” T-shirts beating their drums and getting high-fives from security guards while chanting “Sell The Team!” following a 2-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers Sunday at ...Read more

Phillies sweep Mets and push their magic number to one for a postseason berth
PHILADELPHIA — One more.
The Phillies posted a 5-2 win over the New York Mets on Sunday and reduced their magic number to one to clinch a postseason berth.
For the second day in a row, dark clouds loomed, but Mother Nature allowed the Phillies and the Mets to play nine innings at Citizens Bank Park. Cristopher Sánchez threw a gem, matching ...Read more

Yankees officially eliminated after months of anticipating postseason absence
NEW YORK — The Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, but their fate had been understood long before a sloppy 7-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Still, Aaron Boone said that being officially removed from the playoff picture “sucks” after the game.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” added Carlos Rodón, who allowed ...Read more

Padres finish home slate by routing Cardinals
SAN DIEGO — During a Padres season where almost nothing has made sense, it has been possible to pause at certain times and say, "Of course."
The period of 20 or so hours at Petco Park that included the final two games of the final homestand of 2023, was among those times.
The Padres followed a heartbreaker with a rout.
They followed a game ...Read more
Braves' Game 1 loss features funky lineup, Kyle Wright pitching out of bullpen
WASHINGTON – When the Braves placed Charlie Morton on the 15-day injured list, it opened a spot on their active roster.
They used it to bring up Allan Wians, who started Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader at Nationals Park. This meant that Kyle Wright – originally slated to start one game on Sunday – pitched out of the bullpen, as the ...Read more

Red Sox fall to White Sox 3-2, game called due to rain after six innings
BOSTON — If there’s one thing we’ve learned at Fenway Park this season, it’s this: When it rains, it pours.
After playing through a soggy, rain-soaked afternoon on Saturday, the Red Sox and White Sox couldn’t finish Sunday’s series finale, with the White Sox coming out on top 3-2 after the game was called due to inclement weather ...Read more

Rays take a step back with loss to Blue Jays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Coming off Saturday’s thrilling walkoff win, the Rays were hoping to take another step forward Sunday in their quest for the division title while also building momentum for the playoffs.
But instead they made several missteps, most notably on the bases, in losing 9-5 to the Blue Jays.
Of potentially greater ...Read more

Paul Sullivan: Another Chicago Cubs home season ends at Wrigley Field, where traditions still matter
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs’ final regular season home game at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon was probably not unlike the end of their first season at the ballpark 107 years ago, albeit with more fans and richer players.
The Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 before an estimated crowd of 5,000 on Oct. 1, 1916, then prepared to meet the...Read more

Kansas City Royals' winning streak reaches 6 games after road sweep of Houston Astro
HOUSTON — Minute Maid Park lived up to its reputation on Sunday afternoon as the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros took aim at the hitter-friendly confines in an old-fashioned American League slugfest.
The Royals relied heavily on the long ball. KC hit four home runs to power past the playoff-hopeful Astros 6-5 in thrilling fashion.
...Read more

Twins top Angels 9-3 as Joe Ryan auditions for October starting role
MINNEAPOLIS — If it wasn't obvious based on performance or the way the Twins rotation was lined up, manager Rocco Baldelli confirmed what everyone expected Sunday.
Pablo López and Sonny Gray are scheduled to start the team's first two playoff games, likely the Wild Card Series at Target Field on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4.
That leaves Joe Ryan, ...Read more

Angels star Mike Trout will miss rest of the 2023 season
Mike Trout will not be returning to play this season for the Angels, manager Phil Nevin told reporters Sunday morning in Minnesota.
After going on the injured list Aug. 23 — in an effort to allow himself to further heal and recover from the hamate bone he fractured and had surgery on in July — the Angels manager said before the team's ...Read more
Pirates watch lead and playoff hopes vanish in frustrating loss to Reds
CINCINNATI — Hidden beneath its majesty, history, and childlike charm, baseball can sometimes be a bear, a cruel and twisted partner. One night, a team or player might feel on top of the world. The next? That bottom falls out fast.
Such was the turnaround the Pirates experienced in Cincinnati. The day after authoring the largest comeback ...Read more

Takeaways as Marlins win series against Brewers to set up key final week of season
MIAMI — The Miami Marlins once again found themselves having to rally around each other with another key player sidelined during their playoff push.
Earlier this month, it was the Marlins going through a two-week stretch without slugger Jorge Soler.
On Saturday, it was ace Sandy Alcantara announcing he was done for the season with a UCL ...Read more

Ex-Phillie Kyle Kendrick struggled with retirement. Then he followed Roy Halladay into coaching.
PHILADELPHIA — It wasn’t time for Kyle Kendrick to retire, but his right shoulder disagreed. He spent most of 2017 with Boston’s Triple-A team, riding the bus on minor league road trips a decade after reaching the majors. And that was it. He was 33 years old.
“It wasn’t easy,” Kendrick said. “For some guys, it’s easier to deal ...Read more

Bill Madden: Despite another Tommy John surgery, expect robust market for Shohei Ohtani
NEW YORK — On the surface, one might surmise Shohei Ohtani’s Tommy John surgery, leaving uncertain the pitching side of his dynamic, is going to cost him millions of dollars and render him far less than the future highest paid player in baseball history.
But will it?
It’s been speculated — and nobody’s disputed this — that Ohtani, ...Read more

Clayton Kershaw surpasses another Dodgers legend in win over Giants
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw has made seven starts since returning from an undisclosed shoulder injury on Aug. 10, the Dodgers left-hander’s fastball so diminished he has induced just four swinging strikes on the 169 four-seamers he has thrown in those games.
But what Kershaw lacks in stuff, he makes up for in guts and guile.
Kershaw ...Read more
Popular Stories
- A's drop home finale to Detroit but fans cheer anyway
- Braves doubleheader observations: Reaching 100 wins, Forrest Wall's first career homer and more
- Red Sox fall to White Sox 3-2, game called due to rain after six innings
- John Romano: This Rays season has been uplifting, confounding, kinda off the wall
- Dodgers mix some fun into their extra-innings walk-off win over Giants