PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper tapped his helmet because, well, what else could he do?

Harper fouled off a two-strike pitch and ran the count full in the seventh inning Friday night when the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler froze him with a 98-mph sinker at the bottom of the zone, unhittable even for the Phillies’ best hitter.

Tap, tap, tap.

Call ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays have been atop the AL East — or at the very least tied for the lead — for more than two months.

And yet the oddsmakers in Vegas still favor the Yankees.

With 59 games remaining in the regular season, the Rays currently have the best record in the American League.

And yet the computer models at FanGraphs ...Read more

NEW YORK — Kyle Tucker’s first home run in nearly a month lifted the Dodgers to a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Starting pitcher Roki Sasaki held the Mets to just three hits, which included a solo homer from Luis Roberts Jr. that accounted for the only run Sasaki surrendered. He threw seven innings for the third time ...Read more

NEW YORK — A Friday night showcase for two of baseball’s biggest stars came to an early end for Juan Soto, who exited in the sixth inning due to soreness in his ailing left calf.

Shohei Ohtani then took advantage of the spotlight, driving in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Miguel Rojas' off day in Washington started early. Before visiting the White House, he and fellow World Series hero Will Klein and manager Dave Roberts met with members of Congress on Thursday morning.

"Other than going to the White House, there were a lot of people from California, senators from California that are not just people...Read more

DETROIT — If this was it, and nobody is saying that it was, Tarik Skubal made it memorable.

As the Aug. 3 trade deadline nears and rumors continue to be relentless, if not fictional, the Tigers’ lefty ace put on a show for a sold-out crowd of 40,638 at Comerica Park Friday as the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals, 2-1.

Skubal struck out a...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones was dominant. The Pirates couldn’t get him the win.

Jones allowed one run in six dominant innings, but the Pirates’ offense did little to support him in 10 innings in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at PNC Park. Dansby Swanson had a two-out RBI single in the 10th, scoring Ian Happ, before Yohan ...Read more

DENVER — In the wee hours of the morning in Memphis, Tenn., Hunter Goodman flipped the switch to become the elite power hitter he was destined to be.

At the start of the Rockies All-Star’s freshman season at the University of Memphis, Goodman struggled, including a five-strikeout game in which he tried to bunt in his last at-bat because his...Read more

SEATTLE — Mariners fans might need something to feel hopeful about right now.

Luckily, there’s something to offer from The Athletic’s Keith Law. Law’s new ranking of MLB’s top 70 prospects put left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson in the No. 1 spot. And the good news doesn’t end there – the Mariners have another top-10 prospect with ...Read more

DETROIT — Dillon Dingler, as he has all season, delivered another clutch, two-out RBI.

This one sent the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of 35,548 at Comerica Park Thursday night.

With Hao-Yu Lee at second base, Dingler lined a Steven Cruz pitch into the left-field corner to break the tie. It was his 35th two-out RBI...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Less than thrilled they had to give up an off day in Washington D.C. and lengthen their road trip with a rainout makeup game in St. Louis, the Arizona Diamondbacks took advantage of the pit stop by making sure the biggest deluge in town was theirs.

For the second time this week, the Cardinals took an early lead and then watched ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The sun beat down on the assembled Dodgers players, coaches and staff members as they waited in silence for the real emcee of the event, President Trump, to emerge from the building behind them.

In front stood rows of chairs — with four-inch yellow cushions on them, as Trump made sure to point out in his closing remarks — and...Read more

The Twins have so many bad memories at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, so many close losses there throughout the last five years, that it was almost stunning to see new reliever Jack Anderson celebrating the end of a 3-1 victory in 12 innings.

Trevor Larnach gave the Twins their first lead with a two-out RBI single off Guardians left-hander ...Read more

TORONTO — The Rays headed home Thursday evening disappointed by how their road trip ended, with a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays.

After getting swept in a four-game series in Boston, the Rays looked in position to break even after winning the first three against the Blue Jays. But they fell short in the finale, a 3-5 record to show for their week�...Read more

DETROIT — The questions are coming every day now.

“My consecutive streak is alive of having to answer a Tarik Skubal question every day for like three months,” manager AJ Hinch said before the game Thursday.

The trade deadline is Aug. 3. There is a world where Skubal’s start Friday night against the Royals could be his last as a Tiger....Read more

LAS VEGAS — Harbinger Sports Partners, which includes billionaire Mark Cuban, has invested in the Athletics as the MLB team prepares to move to Las Vegas in 2028.

The Atlanta-based private equity firm, led by Cuban, a minority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, purchased an undisclosed minority stake in the A’s, the firm announced ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Dodgers arrived at the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 2025 World Series championship following an invitation from President Trump.

The ceremony took place in the Rose Garden, with manager Dave Roberts selected to give a speech on behalf of the team.

It was the back-to-back champions’ second visit in as many ...Read more

ATLANTA — Because baseball is a zanily capricious game, the Padres scored three runs against Chris Sale in the second inning on Thursday.

Because Sale is one of baseball’s best starting pitchers year after year after year and Griffin Canning is a pitcher far less good than that, the Padres soon trailed and could not come all the way back.

...Read more