PITTSBURGH — There was muffled chatter among the grounds crew as the six of us stood on the steps waiting for our cue.

I was already hot. A sheen of sweat was building on my forehead, and I felt the heat in my face, arms and chest. Maybe these were those jitters the others had mentioned. Wait, were my shoes knotted tightly enough?

Two in-...Read more

ANAHEIM — A night after the Angels intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to load the bases in the ninth inning, they pitched to him.

Neither decision worked out.

Left-hander Mitch Farris threw one pitch to the Houston Astros slugger, and he ripped it into center field for an RBI single, snapping a tie and sending the Angels to a 3-2 loss on ...Read more

Dominic Canzone’s go-ahead home run in the eighth spoiled a Tuesday night of leaderboard climbing for Max Muncy and Shohei Ohtani as the Mariners beat the Dodgers 7-6 in the first game at Dodger Stadium since before the All-Star break on July 12.

With one out, Julio Rodríguez on first and the score tied at five, Canzone got all of Alex Vesia...Read more

That’s baseball.

After so many games this season, some version of that adage, a verbal shrug and a nod to how unpredictable the sport is, has been uttered in the Padres clubhouse.

Yes, it is baseball.

But the Padres can no longer afford that as an explanation for losses that could have or should have been wins if they want to continue ...Read more

He had them from the jump.

Coming into Tuesday night’s outing Athletics rookie Gage Jump’s numbers didn’t exactly leap off the page. The 23-year-old left-hander had an unremarkable 4.42 ERA over his first 11 big league starts and gave up six runs in his last outing, but the former second-round pick was in complete control on Tuesday, ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The pregame news dump on Tuesday afternoon was one of the most brutal in recent memory.

Utilityman Casey Schmitt was diagnosed with a torn meniscus and could miss the remainder of the season. Rookie right-hander Trevor McDonald will definitively miss the remainder of this season and then some, electing to undergo UCL ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh Pirates comeback came out of nowhere.

It wasn’t quite enough.

The Pirates trailed 6-0 going into the eighth inning, but scored six runs on Tuesday night at PNC Park to force extra innings. However, they couldn’t answer James McCann’s RBI single in the 12th, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7.

Brandon ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — When the Cardinals slipped beneath the winning waterline for the first time this season it wasn’t a slow sink or even a sudden cannonball, but an absolute dunk by their archrival.

The Cubs drubbed the Cardinals with seven runs before the Cardinals could catch their breath on the way to a 10-2 rout Tuesday night at Busch Stadium....Read more

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees finally added a catcher on Tuesday … via a minor league contract.

The team signed veteran backstop Christian Bethancourt and assigned him to Triple-A before beating the White Sox, 3-2, in Chicago. The move shouldn’t have any impact on the Yankees’ pursuit of a righty-swinging catcher prior to the Aug. 3 ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Starting pitcher Seth Lugo gave the Royals a solid performance in the series opener at the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

And the Royals gave him just enough support — to the point of being one out shy of a one-run victory.

But in the bottom of the ninth, Royals reliever Alex Lange gave up a single and a walk before the ...Read more

MIAMI — As MLB’s trade deadline approaches on Monday, Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara once again is dominating trade rumors.

And after the Marlins saw their hopes of reaching the postseason take a hit over the past two-plus weeks after losing 12 consecutive games, naturally the talk of if the Marlins will finally deal Alcantara once again...Read more

NEW YORK — A foreboding forecast in Queens caused Tuesday night’s game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves to be postponed, setting up a split-admission doubleheader on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s first game at Citi Field is set to begin at 1:10 p.m. ET, while the second game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Left-hander Sean Manaea (2-5, 4...Read more

DETROIT — There are ugly games, and then there’s what happened at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.

Dean Kremer set a new career high with eight runs allowed and the Detroit Tigers scored in all eight of their innings to beat the Orioles, 14-0. It was the most lopsided shutout loss the Orioles had endured since June 14, 2004 when the ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ season took yet another bizarre turn Tuesday when the team announced that outfielder Harrison Bader was involved in a scooter accident this past weekend and suffered additional damage to the left foot that he was already rehabbing.

Bader, 32, hasn’t played since May 29 because of left plantar fasciitis. He got ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla.— The Tampa Bay Rays had a lot go right over the previous week in winning six of seven games.

And then there was Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

An infield single and an errant pickoff throw led to one run for the Texas Rangers. A homer by the No. 9-hitting catcher with an average under .100 provided another. A leadoff hit ...Read more

The newest member of the Red Sox will be sidelined for at least the near future.

According to a source, recently acquired infielder Curtis Mead is being placed on the 10-day injured list after being hit by a pitch on the left wrist in his team debut.

To fill Mead’s spot on the active roster, the Red Sox are calling up infielder Nick Sogard ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers do not have to do anything. They're in on everything, including Tarik Skubal.

With one week left before baseball's trade deadline, the Dodgers are doing what the Dodgers always do. When you are flush with money and prospects, you can invite yourself into just about every conversation, from checking in on a star ...Read more

The Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers combined for 13 runs, 23 hits and three home runs Monday at Comerica Park, but the biggest thrills of the game didn't come from either team's roster.

They were provided by a speedy and adventurous black squirrel, who spent the better part of an inning on and around the playing field and at one point led ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Some people don't need an introduction.

Joe Torre, for one.

You know him. Baseball icon. Hall of Famer. The only big leaguer with 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager, he steered the New York Yankees to four World Series championships — and the Los Angeles Dodgers to consecutive National League West crowns and ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Monday night at Oracle Park, but the victory comes secondary to the status of utilityman Casey Schmitt.

Schmitt, who is in the midst of a career year, exited during the bottom of the second inning with an apparent lower-body injury after rounding first on a bloop single, then ...Read more