MILWAUKEE -- Maybe it was the short break the Marlins gave him this week.

Or maybe it was playing again in Milwaukee.

Either way Lewis Brinson hopes he found a way out of his hitting slump Thursday night after belting his first two home runs as a member of the Marlins.

Brinson's former team rendered the blasts inconsequential, however, as the...Read more

PHOENIX -- A night after the long ball gave, the long ball took away from the San Francisco Giants.

Just three weeks into the regular season, the Giants have learned this lesson all too frequently for a team that plays its home games in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park.

Thanks to an A.J. Pollock solo shot off Ty Blach in the bottom ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Hidden behind a partition in the visitors' clubhouse at Petco Park, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was scrolling through his iPhone Wednesday when a reporter approached. Jansen looked up and wondered what the visitor wanted to talk about. The topic felt obvious.

On a recent four-game winning streak, the Dodgers (8-9) ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- In the roughly six weeks that Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has had to get acquainted with Jake Arrieta, a few characteristics about the $75 million ace have been self-evident.

Wipeout sinker? Seen it.

Nasty cutter? Yep, seen that, too.

Leadership qualities? Check.

But one thing Arrieta seldom did in his first two Phillies ...Read more

The White Sox made two moves on their day off Thursday, trading infielder Tyler Saladino to the Brewers for cash considerations and sending cash to the Athletics for outfielder Trayce Thompson.

The Sox basically added much-needed outfield depth at the expense of a little-used infielder. Neither player has seen much playing time, with Saladino ...Read more

It's official: The days of using smokeless tobacco for Mariners players and competitors during games at Safeco are coming to an end.

At a hearing Thursday afternoon, the King County Board of Health voted unanimously to prohibit smokeless tobacco at professional sports venues countywide -- an ordinance that will take affect May 19. The move is ...Read more

CHICAGO -- For all the high-tech advantages the Cubs seek to master, it was a back-to-basics approach with an added spark at the top of the order Thursday that snapped them out of an offensive funk, at least temporarily.

"Keep your launch angles," manager Joe Maddon said after a 14-hit attack and a 5-for-9 performance with runners in scoring ...Read more

NEW YORK -- As the recurring awkward swings led to strikeout after strikeout, it was painful to watch Giancarlo Stanton and difficult to visualize how fearsome he can be when he's in a hitting groove.

There was a tendency to wonder if the struggling slugger would ever get his swing straightened out and begin smashing balls to distant parts of ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A pitcher's first big league win usually calls for a celebration, maybe a nice dinner. But A's reliever Lou Trivino didn't make any plans for a nice meal. All he wanted to do after his first victory -- sleep.

"I can't wait to get a solid 15 hours," Trivino said. "It's been a great 24 hours. But I'm excited to go to sleep."

A...Read more

DETROIT -- Alex Cobb only recently joined this Orioles' pity party, having debuted Saturday with a start as ignominious as the one he turned in Thursday.

But with every baseball that clunked off a glove and grounder that sneaked through the infield at sun-splashed Comerica Park on Thursday, Cobb grew more frustrated and walked off the mound the...Read more

Braves slugger Freddie Freeman has no fracture in his left wrist, much to the relief of the team and its veteran first baseman. Test results on the wrist came back negative, and he's listed as day-to-day, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Freeman was hit in the left wrist by a pitch from Phillies reliever Hoby Milner in the eighth inning ...Read more

The signing of Cuban outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez on Thursday isn't the first time the Texas Rangers have landed a big fish in the international free-agent pool.

Just look at their 25-man rosters. Nomar Mazara, Martin Perez, Jurickson Profar and Ronald Guzman were big-time July 2 prospects snatched up by the Rangers in the past 12 years.

...Read more

PHOENIX -- Chris Stratton provided the poise, Evan Longoria provided the power and Tony Watson provided the perfect escape act.

But then Hunter Strickland provided the platter, and the Arizona D'Backs devoured what he was serving.

What was left for dessert? A two-run home run by Brandon Belt in the 10th inning that lifted the San Francisco ...Read more

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- It's amazing how a 16-inning game can alter perspective. The day began with concern that the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians would not be able to play.

More than four hours later, the concern was if they would ever stop playing.

But Ryan LaMarre hits baseballs that have eyes, and his single through a drawn in ...Read more