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Robin Buckson, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Tigers blanked by Bibee, Guardians, 7-0, in series opener

Sports / Baseball /

DETROIT — Manager AJ Hinch, maybe getting a little weary of answering questions about the magnitude of this series with the Guardians, finally summed it up like this:

“It’s cool and it doesn’t matter.”

Both things can be true.

The Guardians, who broke the Tigers’ hearts in Game 5 of the ALDS last October, drew first blood in the ...Read more

Ronald Acuña will rejoin Braves in coming days, possibly Friday

Sports / Baseball /

WASHINGTON — The Braves are about to have a former MVP atop their lineup again.

Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who’s been working his way back from a left ACL tear suffered last May, is expected to rejoin the team in the coming days, manager Brian Snitker confirmed before Thursday’s series finale in Washington.

“That’s one of the ...Read more

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America/TNS

Taylor Ward's 2nd grand slam of trip leads Angels to 7th consecutive win

Sports / Baseball /

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The way things are going for the Angels lately, not even a bad six innings could derail them.

Taylor Ward’s seventh-inning grand slam erased a three-run deficit, leading the Angels to a 10-5 victory over the A’s on Thursday afternoon. They extended their winning streak to seven games.

The Angels (24-25) had not ...Read more

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images North America/TNS

Better not good enough for Padres, who lose sixth game in a row

Sports / Baseball /

TORONTO — The Padres reminded themselves who they were.

“I like this game,” Luis Arraez said. “This game is the San Diego Padres. When we compete, we look like that.”

Looking better and feeling better about it was the only win on Thursday.

The Padres lost the crapshoot that is modern extra innings and lost a sixth straight game. A ...Read more

Joe Sargent/Getty Images North America/TNS

Joe Starkey: No matter what Pirates say, Paul Skenes trade talk will never go away

Sports / Baseball /

PITTSBURGH — The tweet Jon Heyman of the New York Post posted a few days ago certainly was not meant as comic relief, but here's hoping it provided at least a little bit of that for rightfully embittered Pirates fans:

"Pirates source: Paul Skenes is not getting traded. 'No chance, no way, no how,' is the way I heard it. While there's a bit of...Read more

Ranger Suárez shuts down Rockies to complete Phillies' season series sweep

Sports / Baseball /

DENVER — The Phillies offense quieted somewhat in the series finale against the Colorado Rockies.

After combining for 25 runs on 46 hits across the first three games of the series, the Phillies managed just four hits on Thursday. But thanks to solid baserunning, defense and a shutdown performance from the pitching staff, that was enough for a...Read more

Paul Rutherford/Getty Images North America/TNS

Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks says he's received death threats: 'Enough is enough'

Sports / Baseball /

BOSTON — It’s not uncommon for professional athletes to receive criticism on social media, but sometimes that fan behavior can escalate into harassment or outright abuse.

On Thursday, Red Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks revealed he’d received messages that were beyond the pale.

“Just as an FYI: Threats against my life and my wife’s ...Read more

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Dylan Hernández: It's tempting to rush Shohei Ohtani back on the mound, but the Dodgers shouldn't do it

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Slow down.

Previously limited to fastballs and splitters, Shohei Ohtani threw a handful of sliders and curveballs in his mid-week bullpen session, but that doesn't mean he will be a two-way player again before the All-Star break.

Ohtani is lined up to potentially face hitters in a simulated game on Saturday in New York, but ...Read more

Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America/TNS

Red Sox acquire first baseman Ryan Noda from Angels

Sports / Baseball /

BOSTON — With both Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez out injured, the Red Sox have struggled to get by with little to no depth at first base.

Thursday the club brought in some badly needed reinforcements.

The Red Sox announced they have acquired first baseman Ryan Noda from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations. Noda has ...Read more

Red Sox/Orioles series opener postponed to Friday due to severe weather

Sports / Baseball /

BOSTON — More than four hours before the scheduled 6:45 p.m. first pitch, the Red Sox and Orioles have postponed Thursday’s series opener due to what the former described as “significant rainfall expected to continue through the evening in the Fenway area.”

The American League East rivals will instead play a split doubleheader on Friday...Read more

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images North America/TNS

Jorbit Vivas drills first homer, Carlos Rodón shines as Yankees sweep Rangers with 1-0 victory

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — Shortly after Jorbit Vivas battled Ryne Stanek’s 100-mph fastball over the course of an 11-pitch at-bat in a May 18 win over the Mets — resulting in a game-changing, run-scoring grounder — Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned that the rookie has had a tough time against heaters since being promoted earlier this month.

“I ...Read more

Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images North America/TNS

Back in the lineup, Teoscar Hernández provides the offense as Dodgers beat Arizona

Sports / Baseball /

On Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a decision.

A day after Teoscar Hernández returned to the Dodgers’ lineup, activated from the injured list Monday following a two-week absence because of an adductor strain, Roberts decided to sit the veteran slugger for the second of a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It was ...Read more

Scott Marshall/Getty Images North America/TNS

Logan O'Hoppe blasts 2 homers as hot-hitting Angels win 6th straight

Sports / Baseball /

WEST SACRAMENTO — The Angels have become an offensive juggernaut in the past week.

They bashed their way to a sixth consecutive victory, beating the Athletics, 10-5, on Wednesday night.

The Angels’ longest winning streak since they won six in a row last season has been fueled by an offense that has scored 7.3 runs per game, including 15 ...Read more

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images North America/TNS

Twins split a unique 'doubleheader' with Guardians on a rainy day at Target Field

Sports / Baseball /

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins managed only three hits in Wednesday’s second game against the Guardians, and lost at Target Field for the first time all month.

Ryan Jeffers singled home Willi Castro in the third inning, but the Twins could not muster another run, falling, 4-1, in the regularly scheduled finale of what was supposed to be a three-...Read more

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images North America/TNS

Salvador Perez ends HR drought as Royals hammer Giants

Sports / Baseball /

The Kansas City Royals needed a team effort to secure a series victory over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

More precisely, they needed their offense to carry the load.

The lineup answered the call as Kansas City earned an 8-4 victory Wednesday to close out a three-game series by the bay. Team captain Salvador Perez led the charge ...Read more

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Dieter Kurtenbach: The Giants go as Logan Webb goes. That makes his loss to the Royals seriously concerning.

Sports / Baseball /

SAN FRANCISCO — How long can the Giants keep this up?

They have a middling offense and defense (both ranked 18th by FanGraphs’ metrics), which seem to be fading further by the day. Their big, flashy and super-expensive free-agent signing, Willy Adames, is 12 percentage points worse than a league-average hitter and is the single worst ...Read more

Jared Lennon/Getty Images North America/TNS

3 takeaways from Cubs' series win, including Cade Horton's nasty change-up and Daniel Palencia's redemption

Sports / Baseball /

MIAMI — A fielding error was the opportunity the Chicago Cubs needed.

The Cubs and Miami Marlins each scored a run in the first inning to open Wednesday’s series finale, which held as the game’s lone runs until the eighth. Matt Shaw’s leadoff walk and stolen base positioned the Cubs to take the lead against the Marlins bullpen. Kyle ...Read more

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images North America/TNS

Padres continue to fizzle in loss to Blue Jays

Sports / Baseball /

TORONTO — That Wednesday night’s game devolved into a rout was a technicality.

What does it matter when a team can’t score?

The San Diego Padres are not hitting, and they are not scoring. So it seemed highly unlikely they were going to come back to win even before the Toronto Blue Jays scored five runs in the seventh inning and seven ...Read more

Paul Rutherford/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mets snap 3-game skid with 5-1 win vs. Red Sox

Sports / Baseball /

BOSTON — The Mets‘ first losing streak of the season sure didn’t last long.

Whatever was bottling up the Mets’ offense over the last week finally dissipated in a 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. They ended a streak of 16 scoreless innings in the second and ended their losing streak at three games by ...Read more

Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Tom Krasovic: Padres' struggles in left field recall just how important Jurickson Profar was to 2024 club

Sports / Baseball /

SAN DIEGO — Replicating Jurickson Profar’s stunning 2024 season was farfetched, so it wasn’t a question of whether the 2025 Padres would see an offensive dropoff in left field but rather how bad would the pain be.

The answer so far, metaphorically speaking, is like taking a Mike Tyson punch.

The meager .510 OBP from Padres left fielders ...Read more