CLEVELAND — Here’s the part that might frustrate a portion of the fan base.

Whether or not the Tigers end up trading right-hander Jack Flaherty before the trade deadline next Tuesday will have almost nothing to do with how many games the team wins in the meantime.

What will matter, above anything else, will be the quality of the return ...Read more

ROUND ROCK, Texas — They wore L.A. hats and No. 22 T-shirts, an army of Dodgers-clad, Kershaw-hungry spectators soaking up a view they'd waited for all summer.

About a quarter to seven last Friday night, roughly 30 minutes before a Triple-A game with the Dodgers' Oklahoma City affiliate, Clayton Kershaw walked through the long outfield ...Read more

SEATTLE — A day after Angels star Mike Trout came out of the first game of his rehab assignment because of left knee soreness, he was set to return to Southern California to be re-evaluated.

Manager Ron Washington said on Wednesday morning that there was a chance that Trout could return to the Triple-A Salt Lake lineup as the DH that night, ...Read more

BOSTON — The Red Sox and Alex Cora have agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep the manager in Boston through the 2027 season, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

The deal is reportedly for three years, $21.75 million, and following Wednesday’s loss to Colorado Cora confirmed the news, which was initially broken in a ...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners failures and lackluster performance on Monday night were described as “brutal” by manager Scott Servais.

The defeat they endured on Tuesday felt somewhat expected based on the lineup they rolled out due to injuries.

So when they wasted yet another strong starting performance, provided the most minimal of ...Read more

CHICAGO — Jed Hoyer’s White Flag submission won’t go down in Chicago sports history like White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s memorable quote about his team’s White Flag trade in 1997.

“Anyone who thinks we can catch Cleveland is crazy,” Reinsdorf told Chicago Sun-Times reporter Toni Ginnetti after the deadline deal of three ...Read more

DENVER — Wednesday afternoon’s laugher had a little bit of everything.

En route to their 20-7 shellacking of the Boston Red Sox, the Colorado Rockies mashed four home runs, including the first career grand slam of Brenton Doyle’s career. They lambasted Boston pitchers for a season-high 21 hits on a 93-degree day at Coors Field where ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Max Kepler matched Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew for the most walk-off plate appearances in Minnesota Twins history Wednesday. All it required was a broken-bat ground-ball up the middle.

The Twins earned a comeback 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies to cap their three-game series at Target Field.

With the score ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — A day after finding a way to best a pitcher with one of the lowest ERAs in the majors, the St. Louis Cardinals struggled to find any offensive rhythm against one of the pitchers with the worst ERAs on the Pirates.

The Cardinals could not connect on any of their chances, even those invited by five walks from Pittsburgh lefty ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Braves lost, 9-4, to the Reds in what was scheduled to be the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday. The Braves’ game against the Reds on Wednesday night was postponed because of inclement weather in the forecast. It was rescheduled for Sept. 9.

Here are five takeaways from Wednesday:

— 1. The Bad News Braves: With two ...Read more

The Dodgers sent the message on Monday.

By designating veteran pitcher James Paxton for assignment, the team sent a clear indication of its faith in its pitching staff’s youngest arms.

Much could change between now and next week’s trade deadline, but for the time being the Dodgers are rolling with a young rotation, one that currently ...Read more

SEATTLE — When the Angels and Seattle Mariners met on Tuesday night, it was difficult to tell which team is in a pennant race and which one is bracing to unload players before next week’s trade deadline.

The Angels took advantage of the Mariners’ sloppy defense and anemic hitting to beat them, 5-1, their fifth straight victory against the...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals’ quest to eclipse last season’s win total will have to wait one additional day. On Tuesday, the Royals lost 6-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium.

Arizona scored early, with a three-run first inning, and relied on veteran starter Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery faced little trouble ...Read more

NEW YORK — A baserunning blunder by Jeff McNeil nearly cost the New York Mets in Tuesday night’s Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium.

He more than atoned for it.

McNeil’s tie-breaking two-run home run in the sixth inning against former teammate Michael Tonkin proved to be the game-winner in the Mets’ 3-2 victory against the ...Read more

The Red Sox needed a win like this.

Having faceplanted out of the All-Star break with four straight losses to start the second half, the Red Sox dusted themselves off and got back on track Tuesday with a decisive 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Tyler O’Neill led the way with two home runs, including a 465-foot tank that cleared the left-...Read more

SEATTLE — The Angels’ plan for Mike Trout got more murky after Trout was pulled with left knee soreness just two innings into the first game of his rehab assignment on Tuesday night at Triple-A Salt Lake. The Angels announced that he was day to day.

Trout started in center field and handled three routine fly balls. He struck out looking in ...Read more

CLEVELAND — We’ve seen how effective bullpen games can be. We’ve seen Tigers manager AJ Hinch mix and match a fleet of relievers, showing different looks to different pockets of hitters, neutralizing a lineup through nine innings.

On Wednesday, we saw the dark side of bullpen games. All it takes is for one or two of those relievers to ...Read more

ATLANTA — Tuesday’s game between the Reds and Braves at Truist Park was postponed due to inclement weather.

The Braves and Reds will play a split-doubleheader on Wednesday. The first game will be at 12:20 p.m. — as originally scheduled — and the second game will begin at 6:05 p.m.

Allan Winans, who was originally scheduled to start on ...Read more