ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If it happened once or twice, you might think it was just a coincidence, or a couple of bad pitches.

But Wednesday was the fourth straight start in which Aaron Civale got himself into trouble and knocked out of the game in the fifth inning.

That would make for a pattern.

And something of a problem for the Rays.

They ...Read more

The Mets will walk away from St. Louis undefeated, but they will not get a chance to complete a sweep just yet.

Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Cardinals was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up on Aug. 5 at 4:15 p.m., just before the Mets head to Colorado from Anaheim, Calif.

The Mets will get another day off on Thursday ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Royals selected Brady Singer with the 18th overall pick of the 2018 MLB draft, they envisioned the right-hander being a stalwart of the rotation for years.

That’s proven to be the case, as illustrated by one statistic.

The Royals defeated the Brewers, 6-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium in Singer’s...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts has seen his share of hot streaks during his nine years as Dodgers manager — you don't win 100 games or more in five of the last seven seasons without going on a few tears.

But he's not sure he's seen the Dodgers string together as many complete games, combining starting pitching, relief pitching, offense and ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Athletics snapped a three-game losing streak by utilizing extra-base power and deploying closer Mason Miller with a five-run lead in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at the Coliseum.

Shea Langeliers drove in five runs with a homer, triple and double, and Miller spun the last two scoreless innings to preserve a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani to cover gambling debts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The 39-year-old Japanese-language interpreter has reached a plea deal for one count each of bank...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The wait is finally over. Paul Skenes, the organization’s No. 1 prospect, will be promoted to the big leagues.

Rated baseball’s top pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline, Skenes will join the Pirates for their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. He is expected to make his MLB debut at 4:05 p.m. Saturday.

It’s ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Despite the loss of their star shortstop to a left hamstring strain, the Phillies haven’t faced much adversity over the past few weeks. They entered Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays with a 26-11 record and a seven-game winning streak. They’ve gotten out to quick leads — outscoring their opponents by 35 runs...Read more

CHICAGO — Dylan Cease doesn't so much take the mound as command it. He wastes little motion and even less time. He throws the baseball hard and makes it move unnaturally with what seems like minimal effort.

It is the air and the ease of the rare pitcher who seems totally in control of the game.

"He competes," Luis Arraez said the other day ...Read more

CLEVELAND — No mincing of words after this one.

"You saw the mistakes," manager AJ Hinch said after the Tigers were walked off in the 10th inning, losing to the Cleveland Guardians, 5-4, at Progressive Field on Wednesday. "Too many mistakes. Pick a side of the ball and we didn't do enough to win the game. This one got away because we put ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Mathematically speaking, the Pirates did enough in certain areas to win.

They tagged opposing starter Jose Soriano for four runs, and the Angels entered Wednesday afternoon just 2-13 when their starting hurler gave up at least that many tallies. The Pirates, meanwhile, came into PNC Park with a sparkling 14-1 record this season ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — If A.J. Preller wishes to trade for more starting pitching this season, he can do it without dealing his best prospects, an MLB scout told me Monday.

Preller can deal minor leaguers for help in the back of the rotation without a sharp pinch, the scout said.

It appears no matter how many prospects Preller trades, he almost always ...Read more

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting to give the Dodgers that feeling.

The one where, every time he takes the ball, the team will get a quality start. Where, whenever he ascends the mound, a string of zeros will follow. Where, most importantly, the days he pitches means the Dodgers should be positioned to win.

“You start to have that feeling like,...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — For so many games this season, they’ve watched their pitchers make their minimal run support stand up with their sheer dominance on the mound.

And roughly 24 hours earlier, they looked feckless and overmatched, being held to one run on three hits while striking out 14 times.

But in a game where the starters didn’t dominate ...Read more

The Mets had one big inning and that’s all they needed to secure a series victory in St. Louis on Tuesday night. The Mets scored six of their seven runs in the fifth inning in their 7-5 win over the Cardinals.

Brandon Nimmo homered for the second straight game to jump-start the scoring in the frame. With the Mets trailing 3-0, the outfielder ...Read more

The Giants didn’t get quite the offensive eruption they were hoping the Denver altitude might provide, but they scratched across plenty of runs for their precocious southpaw.

Kyle Harrison, the 22-year-old rookie, became the first Giant since Barry Zito in 2012 to toss at least seven shutout innings in Coors Field.

Harrison struck out just ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Inside the interview room at Dodger Stadium, Walker Buehler sounded conflicted.

"I wish it could've gone better," Buehler said.

In the hallway outside, the surgeon who twice repaired his elbow was beaming.

From a medical perspective, team physician Neal ElAttrache said, Buehler's return to the mound on Monday night was a ...Read more

The Red Sox had no trouble getting men on base. Boston’s lineup combined for eight hits, six walks and got runners into scoring position in six out of nine innings.

Yet when it came time to get the big hit, the Red Sox collectively couldn’t come through.

Boston went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 men on base in ...Read more

NEW YORK — With the Yankees and Astros beginning a three-game series in the Bronx on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone fielded a series of questions concerning Houston’s long run of dominance and abysmal start to the 2024 season.

The Astros have haunted the Yankees for years, but the Bombers won the first four games of the season at Minute Maid ...Read more