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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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