Everyone needs to be better.

That’s the theme of the season’s first half for the Mariners, and the charge from Jerry Dipoto as his team tries to rally in the second half.

“In general, I think the pitching staff continues to do the things that are required to play into the postseason, and that makes us feel really confident that ...Read more

Max Fried won’t be with the Yankees when they begin the second half at home against the Dodgers. However, the left-hander will pitch in a game Friday night.

Fried, on the injured list with a left elbow bone bruise since May 16, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment and throw a little more than 50 pitches for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre....Read more

The Red Sox announced Friday afternoon that they have officially signed 16 of their 19 selections from last weekend’s MLB Draft, including first-round pick Jake Schaffner.

According to a Red Sox source, four of the club’s selections signed for $1 million or more, including Schaffner, Competitive Balance Round B pick Owen Hull, third-round ...Read more

We know the Pirates’ lineup is good. It’s scored the most runs in baseball.

We know the Pirates bullpen is bad. It’s the main reason they’re not currently holding a National League playoff spot.

As far as the starting rotation is concerned? The jury is still out. And the final verdict will ultimately determine the end result of this ...Read more

HOUSTON — The Orioles began the work week by trading for Cam Sanders. They ended it by adding him to their major league roster.

The Orioles on Friday afternoon recalled Sanders, a hard-throwing right-handed reliever, from Triple-A Norfolk to fill out their bullpen ahead of the club’s series against the Astros to begin the second half of the...Read more

In recent years the Boston Red Sox have surged into the All-Star break and struggled to maintain their momentum upon reentry.

And their struggles at Fenway Park this season verged into franchise-worse territory at one point.

But the home team had neither such issue in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader, a 10-0 bombardment of the visiting Tampa ...Read more

SEATTLE — I keep hearing about how the run is coming. That magical month when the Mariners finally show their World Series prowess.

It's happening anytime now, right?

Kalshi seems to think so.

The prediction website said the Mariners vs. Dodgers was the second-most-likely World Series matchup at 8.5%, trailing only the Yankees vs. Dodgers. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The sky was so dense with wildfire smoke that the view of Philadelphia’s Center City from Citizens Bank Park all but disappeared a few innings into the game Thursday night. None of it seemed to obstruct the view Christian Scott had of Francisco Alvarez’s mitt.

The right-hander was one batter shy of holding the Philadelphia ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — With smoke from Canadian wildfires once again wreaking havoc on the air quality in the Northeast, MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies moved up Thursday night’s game against the Mets by an hour. The air quality is supposed to worsen later in the night, but by moving the game up, it reduced the time the two teams were on the field...Read more

CHICAGO — It’s OK to admit you suffer from Chicago Reunion Fatigue, otherwise known as CRF.

It’s a nonthreatening ailment brought on by the proliferation of reunions of our legacy sports teams over the last 10 months, from the 40-year anniversary of the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl team to the Blackhawks’ Banner Years ceremony to Derrick ...Read more

Shohei Ohtani is a global superstar.

The 2026 ESPY Awards provided the latest evidence of that, with the Dodgers two-way player winning two trophies, as determined by fan votes, at Wednesday night's ceremony in New York.

But as surprising at it may be — especially to those of us in the Los Angeles area who have witnessed the Japanese ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, the highest run differential in baseball, the biggest lead in baseball.

And a pitching staff that recently required seven arms to get through a six-run loss in a game started by Kyle Hurt.

The Dodgers have the best player in baseball, the best manager in baseball, the best lineup in...Read more

CHICAGO — Will Venable and Craig Counsell were in good position heading into the All-Star break with teams that had been through various struggles and came out ahead.

Progress is not always accomplished in a conventional manner, as both managers can attest.

The Chicago White Sox were tied for first in the American League Central, despite ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — There wasn’t much of a local flavor to this year’s MLB All-Star Game festivities.

Neither Paul Skenes nor Braxton Ashcraft pitched in the midsummer classic. Oneil Cruz’s injury prevented him from returning to the Home Run Derby. Sunday’s win over the Milwaukee Brewers overshadowed anything prospects Seth Hernandez and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In 1976, when the All-Star Game came to Veterans Stadium, the Yankees’ Catfish Hunter and Thurman Munson did a midgame interview about a historic collective bargaining agreement that was ratified the night before.

Now that was a celebration of baseball.

Fifty years on, this wasn’t so bad either. MLB pulled out all the ...Read more

SEATTLE — I keep hearing about how the run is coming. That magical month when the Seattle Mariners finally show their World Series prowess.

It’s happening anytime now, right?

Kalshi seems to think so.

The prediction website said the Mariners vs. Los Angeles Dodgers was the second-most-likely World Series matchup at 8.5%, trailing only the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Pete Crow-Armstrong was 9 years old, maybe 10. He can't remember for sure. But he clearly remembers the scene: a journey from his San Fernando Valley home to Angel Stadium, for a game featuring Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

Jeter wasn't an outfielder, though. Crow-Armstrong sat in right-center field, with a great view of...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Winning six Gold Glove awards gives Mookie Betts more than enough credibility to design and market his own leather. And that's exactly what he is doing with LGND, a line of baseball gloves that he says are "built around versatility, craftsmanship and player-first innovation."

Betts, of course, is the Dodgers shortstop whose Gold...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Every time Sonja Marsh is at a major league baseball game to watch her son, or an international track meet to watch her daughter, she brings a small, gray urn with butterflies on the side.

It contains the ashes of her late husband, Jake, who died of cancer in April of 2021. There are countless ways the family has kept his ...Read more