SAN DIEGO — It seems a good bet Padres newcomer Luis Arraez will perform close to his track record as a terrific singles hitter against right-handed pitching.

He's been spraying hits for five-plus seasons. A scout called him a "pain-in-the-butt hitter" Friday after the Padres got the career .324 batter in a trade with the Marlins.

Yes, ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The fate of the Twins' longest-in-the-majors streak turned on the fate of a couple of longest-in-the-league streaks on Saturday.

Willi Castro extended his career-best hitting streak to 10 straight games with a couple of key singles. Rafael Devers went 0 for 4 for the Red Sox, ending his hitting streak at nine.

Ergo: The Twins ...Read more

NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took a significant step in his rehab Saturday, throwing off of a mound for the first time since being shut down during spring training with elbow inflammation.

Cole threw 15 pitches, all fastballs, in the Yankee Stadium bullpen and sat at around 89 mph, he said. He threw 13 of the pitches for strikes.

“It...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Shortstop Trea Turner was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the Phillies announced on Saturday. Infielder Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as a corresponding move.

It is Turner’s first injured list stint since July-August 2021. When asked how long Turner expects to be out, he...Read more

NEW YORK — On “Star Wars” day at Yankee Stadium, Clarke Schmidt was a force.

The Yankees’ offense awakened.

And even as Aaron Judge was ejected for the first time in his career, the Yankees more closely resembled a fully operational Death Star in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Giancarlo Stanton, Judge and Anthony Rizzo — all ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two of the best teams in baseball convened at Chavez Ravine on Friday night, the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and NL East-leading Atlanta Braves opening a three-game series that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts promised would be “a good matchup, exciting for our fans and players.”

The clubs did not disappoint...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Diego Padres did not wait around to see if their current collection of players could be good enough.

As those players began a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, the team was completing a trade with the Marlins for Luis Arráez, the reigning National League batting champion.

Arráez led all major league ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals ace Sonny Gray held the Chicago White Sox scoreless for seven innings, while Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras provided the bulk of the offense to get the homestand started on a winning note.

Arenado went 2 for 4, swatted a pair of doubles and drove in three runs in a 3-0 Cardinals win over the White Sox in front of an...Read more

HOUSTON — Who are these guys?

Before the Mariners’ first trip to Minute Maid Park this year, it was a fair question to ask about a Houston Astros team sitting, curiously, in last place in the American League West.

By the end of Friday night’s game, the same question could reasonably be asked about another typically dominant squad: the ...Read more

CINCINNATI — Reds fans were hoping to witness a fireworks show both in the sky and on the diamond Friday night.

After a lengthy rain delay, it appeared the literal show would be called off because the game would end too late. Instead, the fans who endured the 2-hour, 41-minute delay were treated to a fireworks display shortly after the sun ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Facing the stiffest test of his short career as a starting pitcher, the biggest impact Jordan Hicks made Friday night against the Phillies wasn’t anything he did on the mound. It was his delay getting off of it.

With the speedy Trea Turner standing on second base with one steal already under his belt, Hicks remained ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Starting pitching remains a struggle for the Mets.

Left-hander Jose Quintana pitched an eight-inning gem his last time out and followed it up with his worst performance in years Friday night in a 10-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Quintana (1-2) allowed eight earned runs for the first time since June ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mired in an offensive outage, the Yankees’ lineup came alive just in a nick of time Friday night.

Giancarlo Stanton’s game-tying RBI double and Anthony Rizzo’s walk-off single capped a ninth-inning rally to give the Yankees an improbable 2-1 victory against the Tigers in the Bronx.

The Yankees had been shut out for eight ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals reliever John Schreiber roared towards his dugout. As he walked off the mound, he threw his fist violently in the air.

Schreiber was pumped. … and rightfully so. The Royals veteran had just given his team a chance.

In the seventh inning, Schreiber pitched out of a bases-loaded jam against the Texas ...Read more

PHOENIX — The Padres did not wait around to see if their current collection of players could be good enough.

On Friday, they traded for Luis Arraez, the National League batting title winner last season.

Arraez, who led all major league hitters with a .354 batting average in 2023 and won the AL batting crown with a .316 average in 2022, is ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — It’s not often that a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning feels like a dagger. Then again, the current slump of Derek Shelton’s offense is far from common.

The Pirates' silence at the plate continued into the weekend, failing to tally a run until the bottom of the ninth inning en route to a 3-2 loss to the Colorado ...Read more

CHICAGO — As Harry Caray’s Chicago Cubs career was celebrated Thursday with the 26th “Toast to Harry Caray” sponsored by his namesake restaurant, his legacy on the South Side continues to be overlooked by his former team.

It makes sense that the restaurant is more focused on his Cubs years, when Caray became a national figure thanks to ...Read more