SAN DIEGO — Five days ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally seemed to be building some late-season momentum.

In the span of a week, however, they have once again squandered any real forward progress.

Coming off a sweep of the San Diego Padres at home last weekend, the Dodgers appeared to be in strong position for the stretch run. They’d ...Read more

SEATTLE — The formula for their success isn’t complicated. Get a quality start, hit a homer or two to provide just enough offense to get a lead and let the lockdown arms in the bullpen close out the win.

On a pleasant Friday evening with a large crowd filling T-Mobile Park, the Seattle Mariners followed that formula for the most part, ...Read more

Willy Adames held his helmet above his head as he stood near home plate and acknowledged the ovation he was given by Milwaukee Brewers fans at American Family Field. He then gave Brewers catcher and former teammate William Contreras a hug and nodded in the direction of starting pitcher Jose Quintana.

Adames then took the first pitch he saw from...Read more

Royce Lewis always plays with emotion, so one day after he slammed his helmet repeatedly in the dugout, his smile said it all.

Mr. Grand Slam was back. And, four innings later, so was Mr. Save the Day.

Lewis, batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning Friday, lifted his sixth career grand slam past the left-field wall in a...Read more

NEW YORK — Max Fried carved up the Red Sox for six shutout innings.

Fortunately, Boston had their own ace to play.

Brayan Bello outlasted his Yankee counterpart and shut out the Yankees for seven innings. He yielded three hits, walked one and struck out five on 92 pitches (61 strikes), paving the way for a stunning 1-0 Red Sox win that ...Read more

DETROIT — The Kansas City Royals, who have the fourth-best record in baseball since July 1 (27-16) and had won eight of their last 11, came into Comerica Park fighting for their playoff lives, trailing the Tigers by 9.5 games in the Central Division.

The Tigers, sizzling themselves the last two weeks, more than matched their grit and ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Samuel Basallo wasn’t in the lineup Friday. He had more important business to tend to earlier in the day.

The 21-year-old top prospect and the Orioles finalized a long-term contract extension — the first of the Mike Elias era — in the afternoon. In the morning, Basallo underwent a rigorous physical examination as part of ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — The kid was more than all right.

Top prospect Carson Williams made a smashing major league debut Friday, hitting a two-run homer and driving in another run to lead the Rays to a 10-6 victory over the Cardinals at Steinbrenner Field.

Williams, 22, was called up Thursday as much out of need as anything, as the Rays needed someone...Read more

ATLANTA — Nolan McLean wasn’t even alive when the Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series, but any pitcher who grew up in the South, like the Mets‘ right-hander did, has undoubtedly heard of the “Big Three” of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux.

Friday night at Truist Park, with the trio in attendance, McLean did his best to ...Read more

NEW YORK — Yankees and Red Sox games are known to get wild — just not like this.

A squirrel ran onto the field during Friday night’s game at Yankee Stadium, briefly interrupting play in a viral moment that delighted the Bronx crowd.

In the top of the fourth, the rogue rodent ran into Red Sox rookie Jhostynxon Garcia in the batter’s box...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Bubba Chandler ran in from the bullpen to rock and roll. He left the mound to four ovations and fireworks, a perfect major league debut on a perfect day for the Pirates.

Chandler pitched the final four innings of the Pirates’ 9-0 demolition of the Rockies on Friday night at PNC Park. He allowed two hits. He struck out three. He...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jhoan Duran stood behind the mound for a beat. He exhaled.

He had just allowed his first two runs in a Phillies uniform and had blown his first save after entering Friday a perfect 6 for 6 since the trade last month. After he took Jacob Young to a full count, catcher J.T. Realmuto jogged out to the mound to speak with him and ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Red Sox are moving Walker Buehler to the bullpen, manager Alex Cora announced Friday afternoon.

Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to Buehler, who was in line to start Monday’s series opener in Baltimore, Thursday night. The manager didn’t announce a replacement starter or candidates to take the ball Monday...Read more

BALTIMORE — Samuel Basallo has played only four games in the major leagues, but he’s already set for life.

The Orioles and the 21-year-old top prospect are finalizing a long-term contract extension, a source with direct knowledge of the agreement confirmed to The Baltimore Sun on Friday morning.

The extension is for eight years and $67 ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Red Sox and Yankees are neck-and-neck in a playoff race for the first time in years, but if you were hoping for the kind of high-stakes drama that defined their face-offs in the early aughts, Thursday was not the game for you.

Until the ninth inning, that is.

For the first eight frames, the most comparable element to those ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — A Cardinals offense as persistent as it was opportunistic turned whatever was offered into a decisive rally early that gave its pitchers plenty of room to navigate a ballpark the club only knew from spring training.

Leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar spurred a five-run burst in the second inning and Willson Contreras hit a solo home ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Mets keep waiting for the 2024 version of Sean Manaea to reappear, but after eight starts, there is little to suggest that it will happen. The 2025 version of the left-hander typically runs out of gas facing the order the third time through.

The left-hander ran out of gas in the fifth inning Thursday afternoon at Nationals ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Padres won a game and clinched a series and remained a game back in the National League West because they were the more tenacious, less sloppy team playing at Petco Park on Thursday afternoon.

The latter would have been difficult to believe in the third inning, when the Padres gave away two runs on a series of misplays.

But ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Camden Yards crowd greeted Dylan Beavers with a standing ovation for his first career at-bat in front of his new home fans, and the Orioles’ rookie outfielder rose to the moment.

Beavers launched a 390-foot solo home run onto the flag court in right field and drove in both of the Orioles’ runs Thursday in their 7-2 loss to...Read more

CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker was back in the Chicago Cubs lineup Thursday after a three-game respite from manager Craig Counsell to get his head together and his swing back.

Did anything positive come out of the time off?

“We won a few games,” Tucker said. “So that’s positive.”

Tucker’s return coincided with a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee...Read more