If the Kansas City Royals are going to climb the American League wild-card standings, they’ll need to find a way to defeat the top teams.

On Sunday, the Royals overcame an early deficit in a 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Royals starter Seth Lugo struggled with his command across 4 2/3 innings. He ...Read more

CLEVELAND — For the first time in nearly a week, and this has been one eternity of a week, there was finally something for Twins players to celebrate.

After trading away 10 major league players at the trade deadline, this new version of the Twins’ roster held on for a 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. With the ...Read more

The Yankees got their 2024 AL Rookie of the Year back out on the mound for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Marlins.

However, all didn’t go according to plan.

Luis Gil was roughed up in his season debut, leading to the Yankees’ 7-3 sweep-clinching loss against the Marlins. Gil made his return from a lat ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Mets have developed a reputation for being able to fix back-end rotation arms, turning them into frontline starters.

They might have struck out on Frankie Montas.

The right-hander had another tough start Sunday afternoon when the San Francisco Giants took seven runs off of him in only four innings, costing them in a 12-4 loss....Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Scoring runs at Steinbrenner Field should not be as hard as the Dodgers made it look this weekend.

The spring training ballpark, which is doubling as the Tampa Bay Rays' temporary home this season after Tropicana Field was shredded in an offseason hurricane, has small Yankee Stadium-inspired dimensions that played even shorter ...Read more

BOSTON — For the past few years, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros early in the second half of the season has been the beginning of the end of the Red Sox’s playoff hopes. The Red Sox looked woefully outmatched by teams built to go the distance.

The shoe is finally on the other foot.

Over the last two weekends, the Red Sox ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Chicago White Sox scratched infielder Miguel Vargas from the starting lineup moments before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels because of a left oblique strain.

The Sox said Vargas was being further evaluated.

The team produced just enough offense in his absence and received an outstanding pitching ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It took a rally to erase an early deficit to give the Cardinals a chance to see how their bullpen will hold a lead without three veterans out there, including the closer they relied on a record number of times to do so.

Down by four runs by the end of the third, the Cardinals scored the game’s next eight for a 8-5 reversal on ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. knew there was a possibility he would be traded.

“But my hope was always to stay here,” Robert said through an interpreter Friday while sitting in the visitors dugout at Angel Stadium.

Robert remained with the Sox as Thursday’s trade deadline passed.

“Definitely you ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The summer wind was on the verge of blowing into Chicago, yet as Bruce Bochy walked in the city following yet another defeat, the young Padres manager talked as though one of Lake Michigan’s notorious winter gusts — the Hawk — might soon tear into him.

Ambling the streets that June night in 1996, Bochy quipped that if his ...Read more

BOSTON — Against some teams, a four-run lead seems like enough.

The Houston Astros aren’t typically one of those teams, but thanks to a gutsy combined performance by seven Boston pitchers, the Red Sox pulled off a 7-3 come-from-behind victory to take their third straight series and overtake the Yankees in both the American League East and ...Read more

A day after suffering their worst loss of the season, the New York Yankees went down without much of a fight.

Eury Perez and the Miami Marlins pitchers had their way with the Yankees as they were shut out in a 2-0 loss to lose the three-game set. Perez tossed six innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five. The Bombers had no answer...Read more

Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez tangled with an old adversary Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays.

As he stepped into the batter’s box, Perez stared into the eyes of Blue Jays ace Max Scherzer.

And the potential future Hall of Famers danced again.

Perez went 2 for 3 against Scherzer. He singled in the fourth inning ...Read more

NEW YORK — The top of the Mets’ order is back on top.

Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor all came through in the Mets’ 12-6 win over the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on Saturday, helping to snap a four-game losing streak.

Alonso clubbed the 250th home run of his career, while Nimmo recorded three RBIs and Lindor drove ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — With Tarik Skubal warming up just a few feet above Zack Wheeler, fans milling around the outfield bullpens were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at two Cy Young candidates.

Saturday’s Phillies-Tigers game was also a showdown between two of the top pitchers in the National League and American League. Both Wheeler and Skubal...Read more

CLEVELAND – As Twins players adjust to their new normal, after an unprecedented trade deadline selloff, they’re learning some things still remain the same.

On Saturday, the Twins lost, 5-4, to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. The past 14 times the two teams have played a one-run game at Progressive Field, the Guardians have won...Read more

DENVER — Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, making his first start at Coors Field, was nearly untouchable for five innings on a stormy Saturday afternoon. Then the Colorado Rockies jabbed him, and Jordan Beck threw a haymaker en route to an 8-5 win.

Colorado, owners of an 8-6 record since the All-Star break, clinched the three-game series. ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Baltimore Orioles looked about as lifeless as they had all season. Enter Gunnar Henderson.

With Baltimore entering the eighth inning Saturday mired an 18-inning scoreless streak and in danger of being shut out by the Chicago Cubs for the second straight day, Henderson blasted a go-ahead three-run home run to stun a sold-out ...Read more

BOSTON — Tanner Houck’s difficult 2025 season has officially reached its conclusion.

The Red Sox right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), manager Alex Cora announced Saturday afternoon.

“He went to see Dr. Meister there in Texas, and that was the recommendation,” Cora said, ...Read more