TAMPA, Fla. — My boss took me to a Tampa Bay Rays game earlier this month. Fans filled most of the seats at Steinbrenner Field, despite it being a midweek game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This was one of those ideal April evenings that confirm why baseball is best watched outdoors. Warm, but pleasant. A slight breeze. Sheet lightning ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Verlander pitched well. Nathan Eovaldi pitched better.

Verlander allowed two runs over six innings with six strikeouts but Eovaldi countered with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts as the San Francisco Giants (17-10) lost to the Texas Rangers, 2-0, in front of a sellout crowd Friday night at Oracle Park.

Entering...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Billed as a matchup between the National League's best arms, Friday night's pitchers duel lived up to expectations.

Enter 22-year-old flamethrower Paul Skenes. He grew up in Fullerton. He began his meteoric rise at nearby El Toro High.

Coming off his rookie of the year campaign, in his second start at Dodger Stadium, the ...Read more

DENVER — Jordan Beck has suddenly morphed into Mickey Mantle.

The 24-year-old left fielder hit two home runs — he has five dingers in his last three games — and brought the Colorado Rockies to the brink of victory on a raw, drizzly Friday night at Coors Field.

Beck’s 437-foot solo shot off Tony Santillan in the eighth inning pulled ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The road had not been kind.

Another outfielder joined the San Diego Padres’ growing injury list. Their three-time batting champ went down in a heap at first base. The offense was shut out for the first time since a 24-inning drought ended a promising postseason run in October.

“We’re glad to be home,” Padres manager Mike ...Read more

SEATTLE — For an April evening in Seattle, this was about as good as it gets for a baseball scene. Dare we say, the setup was just about perfect.

The roof was open at T-Mobile Park on Friday, and a 67-degree sunshine greeted the red-hot Seattle Mariners in their return home from a feel-good, 10-day East Coast road trip.

What could go wrong ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — A Cardinals club that had not secured a one-run win through their first 25 games of the 2025 season had its bullpen seal the Milwaukee Brewers offense just enough to secure a 3-2 win Friday at Busch Stadium.

After Matthew Liberatore delivered six-plus innings and was charged with two runs (one earned), right-handers Kyle Leahy and...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Pablo López was only on the injured list for 16 days, but he might not have recognized the Twins he rejoined Friday. With their Opening Day starter back on the mound, the Twins provided him with more runs to work with than in his three previous starts this year — combined.

Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach each homered, Larnach...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —The Houston Astros were reintroduced to vintage Seth Lugo on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The Kansas City Royals veteran was masterful across eight innings in the club’s 2-0 victory. The Royals have now won five consecutive games after dropping six straight from April 14-19.

Lugo surrendered three hits in the game....Read more

WASHINGTON — The New York Mets’ winning streak came to an end Friday night at Nationals Park, but the controversy surrounding will undoubtedly provide a few days of fodder.

Jesse Winker hit into what was ruled as a triple play in the top of the fourth inning, but replays showed that first-base umpire Alfonso Marquez made the wrong call. ...Read more

NEW YORK — With two Toronto Blue Jays already on, nobody out and the Yankees clinging to a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, the Bronx faithful began begging for Luke Weaver on Friday night.

“We want Weaver,” the crowd demanded with Devin Williams on the mound.

The embattled closer went on to surrender a two-run double to Alejandro Kirk. ...Read more

CHICAGO — With two out in the seventh inning Friday, Trea Turner came to the plate as the tying run. On deck: Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber waited in the wings.

Everything lined up for a Phillies comeback.

Turner got ahead in the count, then took a strike. He got a fastball over the plate and hit it hard — 105.8 mph off the bat, according ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Pittsburgh Pirates appeared well on their way to their first sweep after going up three runs in two innings. The Angels fought back from there.

The Angels scored four unanswered runs — three off starter Carmen Mlodzinski and a Zach Neto solo homer off reliever Chase Shugart in the eighth inning — to win 4-3 on ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Entering Thursday, the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore had been perhaps the most dominant left-handed starting pitcher in baseball this season.

Through five starts, Gore had struck out a whopping 37.8% of opposing batters — the highest rate of any lefty starter in the major leagues. Meanwhile, the Orioles’ Cade Povich entered ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans exited early during Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies.

Ragans, who drew the matinee start, pitched three innings at Kauffman Stadium. He allowed four runs, including two homers, on 62 pitches. Additionally, Ragans walked two batters. He registered four ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — With the exception of Tuesday’s blowout loss, the Giants have been in every game that they’ve played this season. Comeback victories, whether in Cincinnati or New York or Philadelphia, have become the norm. Thursday, then, provided more of the same — with an added twist.

Willy Adames, who played for Milwaukee for three ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Trevor Bauer pitches halfway around the world these days. On the day before he was scheduled to make his second start of the season, he signed a sworn statement in support of a lawsuit he filed last year in Los Angeles Superior Court. The final line of the statement: "Executed on this 11th day of April, 2025, at Yokohama, Japan."...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The hats the Twins wore on Thursday said “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

Make it 10,001.

With standing water accumulating on the Target Field infield and warning tracks, Thursday’s finale against the White Sox was delayed after seven innings, and ultimately ended prematurely, with Chicago claiming a 3-0 victory.

Lenyn Sosa and ...Read more

BOSTON — After running over to protectively cover first base as the final out of the sixth inning was recorded, Bryan Woo turned and started toward the dugout. Slowly. Methodically.

If this was at home, a standing ovation would probably be in order. As it was at Fenway Park, the deserved applause for Woo came from the visiting dugout and the ...Read more