BALTIMORE — Samuel Basallo stood and watched. Seconds later, he smiled wide, threw his bat and yelled emphatically toward a sea of orange fans behind the Orioles’ dugout.

The designated hitter’s eighth-inning home run, which barely looped inside the right-field foul pole, ignited Camden Yards into a frenzy. The 373-foot blast gave ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — His career has seen far more days in the past than in the future.

His fastball is an oxymoron, and his strikeout ratio is as low as it’s been in a decade. When he had to sprint across the field to cover first base against the Mariners, his catcher burned a timeout just to give him a breather on the mound.

Yes, time ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani is done with pitching for the unofficial first half of the season.

He did not take the mound Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and he will not participate in the All-Star Game next week, the Dodgers announced.

Ohtani will still serve as the designated hitter through the weekend series, the ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Following a rain delay that lasted nearly an hour and a half, the Pirates postponed Friday night’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.

They will now play a doubleheader Saturday with the first game starting at 12:05 p.m., and the second scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Friday’s game was slated to begin at 6:40 p....Read more

DETROIT — Most of the drama for the first five innings Friday night was atmospheric.

Rain clouds gradually creeped through the area in the fourth and fifth innings, scattering the fans but not stopping play.

But in the bottom of the sixth, it was the Tigers’ offense — sparked again by rookie Eduardo Valencia — that provided all the ...Read more

Mike Trout last played in an All-Star Game seven years ago. It's crazy, really. The best player of the previous decade, the link that ties Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, has not taken an All-Star at-bat this decade.

Injuries, mostly. And he turns 35 next month.

Next week's All-Star Game takes place in ...Read more

The Red Sox were supposed to open their three-game weekend series with the New York Mets on Friday night at 7:15 p.m.

Thanks to numerous flight delays, the team didn’t arrive at Citi Field until close to two hours before the originally scheduled first pitch.

As a result, Friday’s series opener started at 7:50 p.m. instead.

A Red Sox ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani will neither take the mound Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks nor participate in the All-Star Game next week, the Dodgers announced.

Ohtani will still serve as the designated hitter through the weekend series, the team said. But the irritation in his left knee, which is aggravated by pitching, ...Read more

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says it is examining a video of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper that FanDuel sent in 2024 to a VIP bettor who was struggling with a gambling addiction.

“We are aware of the situation and are reviewing it,” Doug Harbach, a spokesperson for the board, said Friday. “I can’t comment ...Read more

DETROIT — The major league home run leader is taking his talents to the Home Run Derby.

Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber announced Friday that he will participate in Monday’s competition at Citizens Bank Park as part of the All-Star festivities. He hit his league-leading 32nd home run on Wednesday against the Reds, which broke Mike...Read more

ST. LOUIS — In the midst of one of the strongest rookie seasons ever by a Cardinal, JJ Wetherholt and the club are closing in on another significant milestone for their future together.

The Cardinals and their infielder are finalizing an eight-year extension that will cover several years of free agency and be the largest financially of its ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Manny Machado returned to the lineup after a day off after fouling a ball off his toe.

He’s good to go, but an evening of light jogging didn’t hurt.

The 34-year-old veteran homered in his first at-bat in his return to action. Too bad that was just about all the San Diego Padres had going for them in a 3-1 loss to the Arizona ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants took a robust step on Thursday night in their quest to avoid becoming the worst team in Major League Baseball.

Facing the National League-worst Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park, San Francisco seized on a strong start from call-up Carson Whisenhunt and turned on the jets late in the game, extending a ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — As if the Cardinals needed a reminder on how wide the gap has grown between them and the Milwaukee Brewers, a week’s worth of it finally, mercifully came to an end Thursday.

In a surgical dismantling of the Cardinals to complete a five-game visit, the Brewers peppered Andre Pallante with singles early, got timely power in the ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels turned an ugly loss into an agonizing one.

After rallying from a five-run deficit in the seventh inning to tie the score, the Angels ended up losing anyway, falling to the Texas Rangers, 7-6, when right-hander Kirby Yates gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday night.

Instead of lamenting that ...Read more

CINCINNATI — In his final start before his first career All-Star appearance, Jesús Luzardo delivered a performance worthy of the honor.

His five-pitch first inning — the fewest pitches the Phillies lefty has ever thrown in an inning in his career — was a sign of things to come. He mowed down the Reds for seven innings, holding them to ...Read more

DETROIT — This is what the Tigers expected. Heck, this is what Framber Valdez expected.

After back-to-back messy starts, Valdez was back on form Thursday night, pitching seven dominant innings to back the Tigers’ series-sweeping 4-1 win over the Athletics in front of 20,699 at Comerica Park.

It’s five straight wins now for the surging ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Surely they hear the chants. They must hear the wonderful chants.

“Let’s go Doyers! Let’s go Doyers!”

Surely they see the faces? They can’t miss the gloriously diverse faces.

All shades, all colors, four million faces surrounding them with resounding support and unrequited love.

The Dodgers do know they play in Los ...Read more