TAMPA, Fla. — There are moments when Taj Bradley looks as if he’s on the verge of stardom.

And, lately, those moments have come a little more frequently.

His record is just .500 (6-6) and his ERA needs definite improvement (4.35), but Bradley looked dominant Friday night with six shutout innings in an 11-1 win against the Orioles coming ...Read more

ATLANTA — In their first game out of the All-Star break, the Yankees decided to throw a bullpen game on Friday. The plan immediately and repeatedly backfired on the Bombers, resulting in a 7-3 loss to the fourth-place Braves.

With Max Fried’s blistered finger still not ready for game action, Cam Schlittler experiencing upper arm soreness, ...Read more

NEW YORK — The second half of the Mets‘ 2025 season started on a high note, but the high didn’t last.

Left-hander Sean Manaea made his return to Citi Field on Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, striking out the side in the first inning and walking off the mound as the ballpark speakers played “The Boys are Back in Town.” Juan ...Read more

John Rave had a new jersey hanging in his locker on Friday afternoon.

The Kansas City Royals rookie had switched numbers during the All-Star break and would be wearing No. 16 moving forward.

The reason?

Well, the Royals reunited with MLB veteran Adam Frazier on Wednesday.

Frazier, who spent the first half of the 2025 season with the ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — After all the runs that were scored in a messy three-game series at Comerica Park before the All-Star break (49), a good, old pitchers' duel felt refreshing.

Tense, but refreshing. Though it did not end well for the Tigers.

The Texas Rangers broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and handed the Tigers ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Any hopes of the All-Star break offering a reset for the Pirates heading into the second half of the season were quickly diminished Friday night.

Boos rained down from fans at PNC Park a little over midway through the game as the Pirates lost their series opener to the Chicago White Sox, 10-1, marking the club’s ninth loss in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Angels returned from the break doing exactly what they need to do.

Taylor Ward’s tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning pushed the Angels to a 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

The Angels (48-49) have just 12 games left before the trade deadline. They began the day four games out of a ...Read more

The Red Sox win streak was always going to end at some point, but the club no doubt would have preferred a better showing in its first game out of the All-Star break.

Playing for the first time since Sunday, the Red Sox saw their 10-game winning streak snapped after losing, 4-1, to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon.

Boston ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is already well-known as a pitcher and a slugger.

The Dodgers superstar has recently taken on another role: children's book author.

Ohtani's dog, Decoy, is already known as the cutest Nederlandse Kooikerhondje on the planet (and quite possibly the only one to be immortalized in bobblehead form).

He has also ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — After a frustrating 2 1/2 months, the Red Sox falling a low as five games under .500 and more than 10 games out of first place, signs of life appeared. And then on June 15, they completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park, allowing only four runs.

That night, with much of New England beginning to believe again...Read more

ATLANTA — It was past 1 a.m. Wednesday at Truist Park. The stadium lights still cast their beams onto the diamond. Sprinklers watered the outfield grass. Armed with leaf blowers, stadium workers cleaned up the stands and concourses.

It had the feel of a high-school gym after homecoming. After the rush of a lively and memorable celebration, ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — MLBPA boss Tony Clark met with the media during All-Star Week to talk about the economics of baseball, and of course, that means attacking the idea of a salary cap in baseball.

After watching some of the clips of the interview and reading the quotes, I wasn't sure if Clark was doing the talking or if he was just taking marching ...Read more

NEW YORK — The first half of the MLB season did not disappoint.

Cal Raleigh made home run history, Aaron Judge flirted with .400 and Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited return to the mound.

But this is where the real fun begins.

Baseball’s stretch run starts Friday when all 30 teams kick off the season’s second half.

Three of the six ...Read more

MIAMI — Things are looking up for the Miami Marlins.

Those eight words alone are a bit of a revelation, an epiphany, a parade of syllables rarely uttered or thought in South Florida — especially by myself, a forefront critic. Or by Marlins fans whose collective frustration is reflected by a ballpark two-thirds empty most games.

“If I ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — We all know who to blame first for the Pirates' hideous face plant this season. The Buc stops with one man.

Bob Nutting should not own a Major League Baseball team. It's embarrassing.

Year after year, we watch the Pirates and their piddling payroll play Washington Generals to the rest of the league. The only saving grace is that...Read more