KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Their final road series of the regular season will also be the most important for the Seattle Mariners in recent memory.

With their 2-0 win over the Royals on Thursday afternoon, the Mariners head to Houston to face their American League rivals in a three-game series that could ultimately determine the winner of the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — On Friday night, Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to take the mound at Dodger Stadium for the 246th time in his illustrious career.

On Thursday afternoon, he made a long-awaited announcement that could make it his last trip atop the bump.

After 18 seasons, three Cy Young Awards, one MVP and two World Series titles, the 37-year-old ...Read more

DETROIT — As the Cleveland Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers at Comerica Park Thursday, it was hard not to hear Paul Simon’s voice singing, “Slip-sliding away.”

The Guardians, with a 3-1 win in the finale, have won seven in a row and are within 3.5 games of Central Division-leading Detroit with nine games left.

“...Read more

NEW YORK — Brandon Nimmo has repeatedly described this year’s Mets as the most talented team he’s ever played for, but too often, their biggest bats haven’t synced up.

Juan Soto’s first two months in a Mets uniform could only be described as a slow start.

Francisco Lindor cooled off in June.

Pete Alonso endured an even colder July. ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The Rays haven’t won enough games this season, which is why they soon will be officially eliminated from the American League playoff race.

As a result, they have to make the most of their small victories.

For example, beating the American League-best Blue Jays for a second straight game, 4-0 on Thursday, and keeping them from...Read more

BOSTON — Wednesday night the Red Sox fought to the end and pulled out one of their biggest victories of the season, one that could have conceivably given them the kind of momentum they’d need to finish the year strong.

Instead they came out on Thursday afternoon and laid an egg.

The Red Sox suffered a discouraging 5-3 loss to the Athletics...Read more

The Rockies have 10 more chances to clear themselves of infamy by association.

Colorado dropped its fourth straight game on Wednesday at Coors Field, an 8-4 defeat to the Marlins to clinch the club’s 41st series defeat this season. The loss sank Colorado to 41-111 as the Rockies still need one more win to ensure they don’t tie the 2024 ...Read more

Dave Roberts started out of the dugout with a walk.

Once Blake Snell caught his gaze, it turned into a trot.

With two out in the seventh inning, and Snell trying to put the finishing touches on his best performance in a Dodgers uniform, Roberts appeared to be coming to the mound after a pair of walks to turn to his shaky bullpen with a three-...Read more

DETROIT — Things just keep getting tighter and tighter.

For the second night in a row, the Cleveland Guardians made the biggest plays defensively and got the biggest hits.

Three two-out RBI singles provided the margin of victory Wednesday night as the Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-0 in front of 34,415 at Comerica Park.

The loss cut ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Chandler Simpson was everywhere, and Ian Seymour was locked in as the Rays beat the Blue Jays, 2-1, to end a three-game skid.

Simpson delivered the game-winning single in the seventh inning, kept the Rays in the lead with his heroics in center field and used his speed to score the game’s first run.

Seymour, making only his ...Read more

NEW YORK — The San Diego Padres are who they are on offense.

They know they are at their best when they accept that and commit to scratching and clawing and taking what the game gives them.

But they also believe they are capable of being more.

They were both on Wednesday. They had to be.

They relied on both small ball and the long ball, ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Their winning streak is done, ending at 10 games.

The Mariners went from leading by one run going into the bottom of the eighth inning to trailing by three runs going into the top of the ninth after one of their best relievers couldn’t hold a one-run lead or finish the inning.

How?

A two-run home run by Adam Frazier in ...Read more

Trent Grisham’s price keeps going up.

The New York Yankees’ impending free agent drilled two homers on Wednesday night — his third in two games — as the Bombers defeated the Minnesota Twins 10-5 in the rubber match of a three-game set. Grisham’s first homer of the night was a solo shot to tie the game at two in the top of the third ...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Francisco Giants aren’t not done quite yet.

After only mustering one hit through the first 10 innings, the Giants put up in the top of the 11th inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon, snapping a four-game losing streak and keeping their fading playoff hopes alive.

San Francisco and Arizona both...Read more

CHICAGO — The circle of Chicago Cubs life led me to Gallagher Way on Wednesday afternoon to watch Craig Counsell’s team clinch a postseason spot on the big screen video board outside Wrigley Field.

A dozen or so others also made the trip out to the park, and let out a mini-roar when Cubs left fielder Ian Happ caught the final out of an 8-4 ...Read more

CHICAGO — There’s running wild, and then there’s what the Orioles did against the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.

Baltimore (72-80) tied a team record with seven stolen bases in its 3-1 win over Chicago, coming out with an aggressive game plan and executing it without being caught to earn a sweep and 3-3 split in their penultimate road ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Pop the champagne bottles: The Chicago Cubs are heading to the postseason.

The Cubs clinched a playoff spot Wednesday with their 8-4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s their first postseason berth since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and first in a full season since 2018.

They’re well positioned to host a wild-card...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani said he is prepared to make a six-inning start in October. He said he is open to pitching out of the bullpen, even if remaining in the game after a relief appearance might require him to play in the outfield.

His unspoken reasons for wanting to do so are obvious: The Dodgers are terrible.

They aren't terrible ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — The difference between a 76-win team that fancies itself still in the wild-card hunt and the 74-win team that, inch by inch, recedes from such notions was clear from the opportunities exploited.

The Cincinnati Reds used all three of starter Andre Pallante’s walks to generate runs for a 6-2 victory against the Cardinals on ...Read more