MINNEAPOLIS — Almost 40,000 people packed Target Field on Wednesday to watch Shohei Ohtani pitch against the Minnesota Twins, but they were also treated to seeing Albert Einstein, Machine Gun Kelly, Betty Boop and Ric Flair in the crowd.

In the middle of the third inning, the Twins run their popular “Celebrity Look-Alikes” on the stadium�...Read more

BOSTON — Over the past week the Boston Red Sox pitching staff has been on an epic run, with each day’s starting pitcher seemingly turning in a better performance than the last. But Sunday night at Fenway Park Sonny Gray spun a gem that will be hard for anyone to top, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

That should have been the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — There’s one important thing to keep in mind when watching Connor Prielipp fall behind hitters, struggle to finish hitters off and pitch with company on the basepaths:

Since graduating from Tomah (Wis.) High School in 2019, he entered Sunday having thrown a total of 212 innings. That includes 28 innings in two seasons at the ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — True to how the visit from the Miami Marlins had through two games, the St. Louis Cardinals spent most of Sunday’s game with the slimmest margin possible to still pull off a win.

This time, the scarce offense was enough.

Riley O’Brien inherited a one-run lead and zipped through the ninth inning to secure his 20th save of the ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Robbie Ray was everything the San Francisco Giants could ask for on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.

In a performance that continued a strong recent stretch, the 34-year-old went eight innings and gave up a single unearned run, leading San Francisco to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

It was an outing that will only ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed a series win against the San Diego Padres with a 4-2 victory Sunday, widening the gap between division rivals to 10 games.

The Dodgers (54-30), who have the best record in the majors, have won five of the first six games of a three-city trip that ends in Sacramento.

A bounce-back start from right-...Read more

NEW YORK — Kyle Schwarber watched it go.

Just a guess, but when you’ve hit as many homers as the Phillies’ star slugger — 30 this season, more than any player in baseball; 370 in his career, tied fittingly with 1969 Miracle Mets manager Gil Hodges for 87th all-time — you probably know it when you feel it.

And so, with one swing, ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox wrapped up a productive homestand on a sour note on Sunday, losing 5-4 to the Kansas City Royals in front of 27,301 at Rate Field.

Miguel Vargas had a two-run home run and scored twice in the defeat.

The Sox had to settle for winning two of three in the series, their franchise-record 10th straight home series ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — It didn’t take long for Josh Lowe to shake off the pain.

Two pitches after his foul ball bounced up and hit him in … a very tender area, Lowe blasted a second-inning grand slam, leading the Angels to a 4-1 victory over the Athletics on Sunday.

“That’s not really fun, hitting it off that area, you know?,” Lowe said...Read more

BALTIMORE — Sunday’s starting pitching matchup presented the Baltimore Orioles with a prime opportunity to do something they hadn’t in a month: Win a home series.

Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish had accumulated 21 strikeouts over his last two starts, both Orioles wins in which he pitched into the seventh inning. The Washington Nationals ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts didn't have his heart set on becoming a manager.

Not when he cold-called Jed Hoyer, who'd just been hired as the San Diego Padres' general manager, to offer his help and eventually accepted a special assistant role in the front office. Not when Bud Black, the Padres' manager at the time, asked Roberts to be his first ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Junior Caminero homered in his fourth straight game and for the seventh time in a week as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 Sunday. They completed the first half of their season where they hoped to finish: leading the American League East.

Caminero’s homer, his 22nd overall and a career-long 463 feet, and a ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — On John Mozeliak’s first day at Angel Stadium, he got to see what the Angels look like when they’re playing well.

They put together a little bit of everything in a 5-2 victory over the A’s on Saturday night, their third victory in the last four games.

Starter Reid Detmers gave up two runs, and then four relievers shut...Read more

SAN DIEGO — One after another, Dodgers hitters Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing broke up their offensive slumps with home runs.

The Dodgers’ game-winning rally in the sixth inning, en route to a 15-3 victory against the Padres at Petco Park Saturday, featured blasts from two of the hitters who most needed individual victories at the plate.

...Read more

BALTIMORE — Saturday was tracking to be another loss in which the Baltimore Orioles were silenced by a left-handed pitcher. Then they got to a righty.

Washington Nationals starter Foster Griffin exited after allowing one run over seven innings. Another southpaw came on and retired Taylor Ward and Gunnar Henderson to begin the eighth before a ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The first swing was a powerful uppercut. The second swing was more of an off-balanced flail. Both achieved the same result.

Rafael Devers hit two homers and drove in four runs on his bobblehead night and Logan Webb allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on ...Read more