PHILADELPHIA — Temperatures steadily crept over 100 degrees, and Esmerlyn Valdez’s bat stayed hot.

Valdez went 2 for 4 with three RBIs to lead the Pirates past the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1, on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates collected 14 hits and split the four-game set with the win.

Jared Jones (1-1, 5.28 ERA) ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Just because there hasn’t been a lot of noise lately about a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium doesn’t mean things aren’t happening.

The Senate president, for instance, recently came up with a proposal that included $500 million in state funding along with sports gambling taxes and a possible sports and entertainment taxing ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The tackle box and fishing rods were in the trunk. The bass they didn’t catch still swam in the remote pond. The son, Duncan Davitt, was 9 years old in the passenger seat, and the father, Mark, was steering their gray Chevy Impala away from Illinois Street and back toward their hometown of Indianola, Iowa, when a question ...Read more

PHOENIX — They may have needed nine tries and they may have teetered on the verge of collapse, but at long last, the Giants have beaten the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite nearly giving the game away in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-4, on Wednesday evening at Chase Field, avoiding being swept by ...Read more

The Twins are a team with some obvious weaknesses, particularly their bullpen and infield defense, but their offense is keeping them on the fringes of the playoff race as they enter the season’s fourth month.

Josh Bell, who homered twice against Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai in May, crushed a two-run, 452-foot homer over the batter’s ...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — They can afford it.

The Dodgers were playing with house money after winning seven of the first eight games on this road trip — but not playing with Mookie Betts, who was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore wrist. They busted, losing to the A’s, 7-1, on Wednesday night at Sutter Health Park.

They were ...Read more

ATLANTA — For two teams that have lost ground in the standings because they have been unable to gain much of anything on the scoreboard, it seemed like it would not take many runs at all to win Wednesday night’s game.

Ozzie Albies produced two early and the Atlanta Braves held that lead for most of the game.

A series of unfortunate events...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Most fans of baseball, delayed gratification and compounding interest know about Bobby Bonilla Day, an annual acknowledgment of the dawn of deferred contracts.

BBD is also a cautionary reminder to major league general managers not to overpay players whose best years are behind them. And Bonilla evokes memories among Dodgers fans...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Junior Caminero didn’t take long Wednesday night to extend his remarkable power show and lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a season-best-matching seventh straight win, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-0.

Caminero crushed the first pitch he saw from Royals starter Seth Lugo over the left-field fence, extending his streak of ...Read more

CHICAGO — It’s too early to say this Alex Bregman thing isn’t going to work out.

Bregman is only halfway through the first year of a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, so there’s plenty of time for him to start living up to his reputation as one of baseball’s top hitters. He homered Tuesday for the first time since ...Read more

NEW YORK — Survive and advance.

That sums up the day for the Tigers on Wednesday, as they somehow got out of Yankee Stadium with a 6-2 win in 11 innings and a series sweep over the free-falling Yankees.

The Tigers scored four times in the 11th after reliever Camilo Doval walked three batters, including Spencer Torkelson with the bases loaded...Read more

BOSTON — In their last home game before the 2026 MLB All-Star break, the Red Sox played very much like a team on the road to nowhere.

Payton Tolle’s worst start of the season, combined with a lifeless Boston offense, sunk the Sox on a steamy Wednesday afternoon in which the only thing hotter than the 95-degree weather at first pitch was the...Read more

Bryan Woo’s best performance didn’t come on the mound Tuesday night.

Though the Mariners right-hander was outstanding as usual in his home ballpark. After holding the Angels scoreless over the first six innings, Woo set a franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched at T-Mobile Park at 32 1/3 innings, setting the tone in the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — For Dave Roberts, it’s 1,000 down and Cooperstown to go.

Victory No. 1: 15-0 over the San Diego Padres in 2016, with vintage Clayton Kershaw on the mound and Adrián González in the cleanup spot. Amid the postgame handshakes, González showered Roberts with bubble gum.

“There was no stress,” Roberts said. “It was such ...Read more

PHOENIX — Landen Roupp almost received a gift. Almost.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, already leading by three in the third thanks to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s three-run homer, loaded the bases with two outs. Despite the threat, Roupp was one strike away from escaping. His 3-2 cutter to Jorge Barrosa, the No. 9 hitter, was supposed to be high and ...Read more

Five weeks after the Twins tried to shake up their poor infield defense by shifting Brooks Lee to third base, and later Royce Lewis to first, they are in the middle of another infield shuffle.

Luke Keaschall, who made 72 starts at second base, has spent the last five games playing right field. Kody Clemens, who was mostly an outfielder at the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Fernando Tatis Jr. turned on the fifth pitch of the game and watched it for just a moment.

That was more time than it took to know the ball would reach the bleachers. Tatis was halfway to first base when his home run cleared the back fence and fell onto Waveland Avenue.

The wind that a night earlier carried a couple fateful fly ...Read more