CINCINNATI — The Pirates' offense sunk to new lows against a talented pitcher on Sunday at Great American Ball Park, as Pittsburgh had just two hits in a 4-0 shutout loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

The Pirates’ final 23 batters of the game were retired. They last had a baserunner in the second inning, resulting in their first series sweep of ...Read more

NEW YORK — Compared to the first two games of the San Francisco Giants’ three-game series with the New York Yankees, Sunday afternoon in the Bronx may as well been the Bahamas. The temperature was up, the sun was shining and the sky featured smatterings of bright blue instead of a uniform drab gray. With playing conditions tenable for ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Edouard Julien led off the Minnesota Twins batting order for the first time this season on Sunday, and Byron Buxton also batted second for the first time.

Something else was different too.

Julien and Buxton both homered from their new spots, and the Twins salvaged the final game of three-game series with the Detroit Tigers, ...Read more

SEATTLE — It took 15 games, but the Seattle Mariners finally enjoyed a comfortable night at the ballpark.

No nervy high-leverage moments late in the game or extra innings. No walk-offs either for or against.

This win was almost relaxing.

The M’s picked up a second straight series win after a 9-2 thumping of the Texas Rangers on Saturday ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — This is Roki Sasaki’s home now. The San Gabriel Mountains at his back as he stands atop the mound at Dodger Stadium. Stands filled with adoring fans. Warm spring evenings that soon will lip into summer swelter.

Sasaki, 23, is beginning to feel at home in Chavez Ravine and with the heat that comes with choosing the Dodgers ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Kyle Hart retired the first 10 batters he faced Saturday night, which was two more batters than he faced in his previous start.

The Padres got a season-low three hits, but two of them were solo home runs.

They beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0.

Just another victory at Petco Park.

The Padres are perfect through nine games at home, ...Read more

HOUSTON — The most memorable out of Tyler Anderson’s gem was an out that he didn’t even get.

Anderson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and the recently homer happy Angels hit two more in a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.

The lasting image of the game, though, will be an Astros fan grabbing a foul ball out of ...Read more

CLEVELAND — The Kansas City Royals found themselves in a familiar spot Saturday night against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Royals ran into more good pitching. And the offense continued to struggle to score runs and support the pitching staff.

As a result, Cleveland picked up a 6-3 victory and clinched the early April series at Progressive ...Read more

CINCINNATI — On his bobblehead night, the best player on the field showed out.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a grand slam in the third inning, providing Cincinnati with all the offense it needed in an eventual 5-2 win Saturday at Great American Ball Park. The Pirates have lost the first two games of the series, dropping their record to 5...Read more

CHICAGO — One thing we know about the Chicago White Sox — they’re familiar with the task of trying to climb out from an early-season hole.

An eight-game losing streak in the first month of 2022 was a harbinger of what was in store for Tony La Russa’s final season as Sox manager. That would be the beginning of the end for the core of the...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Mets‘ bats just can’t seem to click.

A lineup that was expected to mash has done so in what seems like fits and starts through 14 games this season. Saturday against the A’s, the Mets put traffic on the basepaths and made right-hander J.T. Ginn throw more pitches than he likely wanted to, but only had one ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ offense was backed into a corner.

Entering the fifth inning Thursday, their lineup had yet to produce a base runner against starter Bowden Francis with the Toronto Blue Jays leading 3-0. They had gone 15 consecutive innings without scoring a run and just watched one of their best players from a year ago hit his ...Read more

This is shaping up to be a nightmare of a weekend for the Boston Red Sox.

Following Friday’s embarrassing loss, the Red Sox dropped their second straight to the Chicago White Sox in crushing fashion on Saturday, losing 3-2 on a walk-off single by Brooks Baldwin.

The loss ensures the Red Sox will lose the three-game series to a team that ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — So, you could easily blame another Rays defeat on home runs. After all, they gave up four more in a 5-4 loss against the Braves on Saturday.

But, for argument’s sake, why not consider this:

— Jose Caballero getting thrown out on the bases three different times between a caught stealing, a pickoff and getting doubled off ...Read more

Cody Bellinger had run into bad luck of late.

The Yankees center fielder missed two games at the beginning of the month when his lower back tightened up — an issue he’s dealt with from time to time.

He sat out again on Tuesday when a batch of room-service chicken wings in Detroit left him with food poisoning.

Bellinger entered Saturday ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Three weeks into the season, the Phillies have tried out three leadoff hitters and five in the cleanup spot. They’ve had big innings and gotten shut out. Most days, the luckless third baseman looks on the brink of disaster.

Overall, the offense has been ... average.

But it’s been just three weeks in mostly frigid weather. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto can win the National League Cy Young Award.

The possibility of Yamamoto doing that has felt increasingly real every time he has stepped on the mound this season, reaching the point in the Dodgers' 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night to where the previously reticent right-hander readily embraced ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — There’s been a photo making the rounds on social media platforms of a 3-year-old Jackson Jobe, in a caddie uniform at The Masters at Augusta National, caddying for his PGA pro dad Brandt at the annual Par 3 contest.

Tigers manager AJ Hinch, an avid and proficient golfer himself, just shook his head.

“I’ve never been to ...Read more

NEW YORK — Injuries continue to pile up among Yankees starting pitchers.

Marcus Stroman is headed to the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation, the Yankees announced Saturday.

The move came a day after Stroman allowed five runs in 2/3 innings in Friday night’s 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Following that rain-shortened ...Read more