NEW YORK — The upcoming month was already going to be tough for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A rainy Friday night in Queens made it that much tougher.

In the fourth game of a 29-game stretch against playoff-contending teams, the Dodgers beat the New York Mets in a marathon contest at Citi Field, overcoming a three-run ninth-inning blown save ...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jordan Romano hadn’t allowed an earned run in nine appearances before taking the ball in the ninth inning on Friday.

The Philadelphia Phillies had just scored three runs on the Athletics’ All-Star closer Mason Miller in the top half of the inning, giving Romano a comfortable lead to work with. But all three ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels can start over now.

After being the Miami Marlins, 7-4, on Friday night to run their winning streak to eight games, the Angels are back to .500 for the first time in nearly a month.

They got there with their longest winning streak since they won 10 in a row in 2014, which was the last season they made the ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Padres ran into Chris Sale and ran into Ronald Acuña Jr.

And then Manny Machado ran into one.

And the Padres won.

The erstwhile slugger’s first home run in 63 at-bats was the difference on Friday night in a 2-1 victory over the Braves that stopped a losing streak at six games.

“Thank God,” Machado recalled thinking as ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Before Nolan Arenado connected with the gapper that got everybody running, they had to walk.

Stymied most of the game by their irritation with the strike zone and Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen’s control in and around it, the Cardinals turned three walks, including one with the bases loaded, in the sixth inning into a tie game ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Ty France hadn’t homered in any game at Target Field. Well, at least not until the ninth inning Friday.

France hammered a first-pitch slider from Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg to deliver a 3-1, walk-off win in their series opener at Target Field. It was the first walk-off homer from a Twins batter since Christian Vá...Read more

HOUSTON — Three first pitches. Three first-pitch swings. Three home runs.

Who says you need to have long, drawn out at-bats and work the count at the plate.

The Mariners again relied on the long ball on Friday night, this time hitting three homers on their way to a 5-3 win over the Astros in the second game of their four-game series before ...Read more

TAMPA. Fla. — This is what it was supposed to look like. This is the version of the Rays that could contend in September.

Not overpowering. Not terribly sexy. Just good starting pitching, excellent defense and enough versatility in the lineup to sneak past opponents with bigger payrolls and better name recognition.

The Rays beat the Blue ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes has greatly suffered from the Pirates’ offensive woes this season and his outing Friday evening was no different. However, despite another quality start wasted, Skenes’ teammates were able to battle back in the late going, ultimately defeating the Brewers by a final score of 6-5 thanks to a walk-off run from Adam ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals announced a paid attendance of 19,195 on Friday night at Nationals Park. It’s unclear how many of those in attendance were Giants fans, but there were more than enough — especially behind the third-base dugout — to start a “Let’s go Giants” chants in the lower bowl.

Landen Roupp pitched six-...Read more

ATLANTA — On Friday afternoon, Brian Snitker arrived at Truist Park and wrote out the lineup, as he does ahead of every game. This time, before the 50th contest of the season, the manager penciled in a new name at the top.

“Acuña Jr.”

And Snitker had the perfect description for the allure of a player like Acuña.

“He’s one of those...Read more

BOSTON — The Red Sox demolished the Orioles in a 19-5 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader but lost their top player, third baseman Alex Bregman, to right quad tightness.

Bregman suffered the injury rounding first base after singling to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bregman returned to first and motioned that he needed to come out ...Read more

BOSTON — Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks had enough. So, he took to social media on Thursday to raise awareness about death threats he received following a loss to the Mets.

Hendriks addressed the post, and some of the messages he received, in the Red Sox clubhouse Friday morning ahead of a doubleheader against the Orioles.

“Unfortunately, ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs denied a report from their flagship radio station that the 2027 All-Star Game was coming to Wrigley Field, telling the Tribune “no decision has been made.”

WSCR-AM 670 reported Thursday that MLB has awarded the game to the Cubs, who have long sought the big event since a massive ballpark renovation in the 2010s....Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — When it comes to the Orlando Dreamers and the burgeoning public campaign to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings hasn’t exactly grabbed a bat and sprinted out of the dugout.

He hasn’t thrown out the ceremonial first pitch. He hasn’t been photographed in an Orlando Dreamers cap...Read more

HOUSTON — Two and a half hours before he stepped back onto a major league mound for the first time in eight months, George Kirby stood in the Mariners dugout, looking out at the field while his teammates went through their pregame routines.

It all should have looked and felt familiar. The last time he pitched in a major league game was in ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Pirates narrowly avoided major league history, but they waited until the last possible moment to do so.

The Pirates scored five runs on Thursday night, the first time in 27 games that they’ve reached that total. They lost anyway, falling 8-5 to the Brewers despite two runs in the ninth inning and their best offensive ...Read more

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