SAN DIEGO — The Los Angeles Dodgers are the opponent San Diego Padres fans focus on, and for very good reason.

Finishing ahead of Los Angeles would allow the Padres to skip the first round of the playoffs — that is, if they also outpace one of the other two National League division winners.

The Padres and Dodgers this month will play six ...Read more

CINCINNATI — Cristopher Sánchez’s throw whizzed past a diving Otto Kemp and wound up back in left field.

That’s where the ball started, when Cincinnati’s Noelvi Marte had deposited an 81.9 mph broken-bat single in an empty patch of outfield in the sixth inning. Brandon Marsh’s throw to the plate was too high for J.T. Realmuto to ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Diego Padres will arrive in Los Angeles in first place.

Their chartered flight will touch down at LAX with them holding a half-game lead over the Dodgers in the National League West.

Depending on how the Dodgers fare against the Angels in Anaheim later Wednesday evening, the Padres will either lead the division by a ...Read more

Despite a two-homer day from designated hitter Bryan Reynolds, the Pittsburgh Pirates couldn’t prevent the Milwaukee Brewers from earning their 12th consecutive win.

The Brewers beat the Pirates 12-5 on Wednesday afternoon at American Family Field in Milwaukee, completing a three-game sweep. Lefty Jared Koenig, who pitched the seventh, earned...Read more

Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer likes to talk about his young club’s “resiliency.” Oftentimes, it’s just window dressing.

Not on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

All-star catcher Hunter Goodman hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning to lift the Rockies to a 6-5 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals know what’s at stake.

A return to the postseason is not a given, regardless of the sheer talent on your roster. It doesn’t matter how much money a team has spent or how many trades were made during the season.

The Royals have the talent and have spent the money. Still, they entered Wednesday’s ...Read more

NEW YORK — Nine years ago, the Yankees were in a period of transition.

They had just bid farewell to Alex Rodriguez, giving him a Yankee Stadium sendoff on Aug. 12, 2016, in what proved to be his final MLB game.

The next day, the Yankees called up a pair of promising prospects for an extended look over the final seven weeks of a playoff-less...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Pohlad family’s decision to not sell the Twins comes after a rocky stretch for the team, and chairman Joe Pohlad told the Minnesota Star Tribune that they understand fans might be skeptical at the turn of events.

“And I would say to those fans: It’s my job and this new ownership group’s new job to do everything we ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The Padres played just eight games against National League West opponents over the season’s first two months.

They did not face the Dodgers until June 8, the furthest into a season the two team met for the first time in 25 years.

That was part of a run of 14 division games in 18 days, including seven against the Dodgers.

...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Rays are having a hard enough time winning games as it is.

Lending a hand to the opposition is making it even tougher.

In Tuesday’s 6-0 loss, mistakes or misplays by the Rays contributed to most of the runs for the A’s.

Chandler Simpson failed to cut off a ball hit to left-center, catcher Nick Fortes ...Read more

The Dodgers finally had their storybook moment.

Until the Angels rewrote it with a walk-off ending.

In the top of the ninth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani lifted the Dodgers to the verge of a badly needed win, breaking a tie score with the kind of moment that could have jump-started the stretch run of their season.

...Read more

CHICAGO — Jim Leyland liked to say that momentum was only as good as your next day's starting pitcher.

And, well, there ya go.

A seemingly decent Jack Flaherty start turned into a miserable one in a hurry during a disastrous, five-run fifth inning as the White Sox slogged their way past the Tigers, 9-6, at Rate Field on Monday night. The ...Read more

Carlos Narvaez has been a revelation for the Red Sox this season, but the rookie’s heavy workload has begun to take its toll. Over the past month Narvaez has batted just north of .100 and last week he nearly landed on the injured list due to knee soreness.

If Tuesday night was any indication, the couple of days off his feet made a world of ...Read more

Not even Paul Skenes could save the Pirates Tuesday evening. Matched up against the best team in baseball, Pittsburgh’s losing ways continued, falling by a final score of 14-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Freddy Peralta was the game’s winning pitcher, improving to 14-5 on the season. Skenes suffered the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Back in November 1789, Benjamin Franklin penned a letter to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy. In it, the Founding Father famously stated that there are only two certainties in this world: death and taxes.

But Franklin died less than a year later. He never got to see the Yankees play the Twins in the 21st century. Had he, he ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just beyond the left-field wall at Kauffman Stadium sits a State Farm sign inscribed with its iconic catchphrase: “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”

The insurance company is known to serve millions nationally. However, the Royals won’t be in the market for more coverage. They are quite comfortable with their...Read more

ST. LOUIS — After the Cardinals got a late lift from their bench Monday to propel them to a comeback win against the Rockies, their inability to get their offense off the ground Tuesday left them shut out.

Facing left-hander Kyle Freeland, who entered the start with a 2-12 record and a 5.53 ERA, the Cardinals were kept scoreless over 7 1/3 ...Read more

BALTIMORE — By this point of his career, George Kirby has made enough starts and amassed enough evidence that conclusions can start to be drawn.

And one of those conclusions is that the Baltimore Orioles have proved to be rather bothersome to the Mariners right-hander. Each of the last six times Kirby had pitched against the Orioles, the ...Read more

NEW YORK — There’s a new home run king in Queens: Pete Alonso.

Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th homers of his career on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, moving past Darryl Strawberry to set the Mets‘ franchise record.

Alonso began the game tied with Strawberry with 252 home runs, then made history in the third inning by drilling a...Read more