CLEVELAND — The Kansas City Royals needed a quality start.

After a tough home series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the bullpen was taxed coming into Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Royals starter Michael Wacha answered the call — with some help. Wacha allowed one earned run in six innings as the Royals won 4-2 over the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The St. Louis Cardinals found a limit to their early habit of coming back.

Down early and tied in the middle, the Cardinals found multiple ways to take a lead Monday night against the Washington Nationals.

They just could not overcome their bullpen.

The Nationals hit three home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to ...Read more

TORONTO — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts struck an optimistic tone in front of his locker at Rogers Centre on Monday. But neither he nor manager Dave Roberts put a date on the star’s return from a right oblique strain.

“Just as fast as possible,” Betts said. “But obviously, I know I need to be smart with obliques. They ...Read more

NEW YORK — The New York Mets are going to be without Juan Soto for a little while.

The star slugger landed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right calf strain. Soto left Friday’s 10-3 win in San Francisco after experiencing tightness while running the bases.

The Mets said an injury like Soto’s typically carries a recovery time of ...Read more

DETROIT — When the Detroit Tigers gave them an inch, the St. Louis Cardinals took the game.

With a series of misplays that might seem vaguely familiar for these two teams in cold weather, the Cardinals capitalized on a double play that didn’t happen and an error that certainly did to upend an early deficit. From there, the Cardinals’ ...Read more

CLEVELAND — For 16 innings Sunday, Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ produced a forgettable day at the plate.

Happ had, at one point, struck out in six consecutive at-bats in the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. When the Cubs needed a big swing, though, he came through. In the eighth inning of Game 2, Happ slugged his fourth ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox improved to 3-0 at home for the first time since 2004 with Sunday’s 3-0 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of 22,325 at Rate Field.

The Sox completed their first three-game home sweep of Toronto since Sept. 1-3, 1995. According to Stats Perform, it’s the first time the Sox (4-5) have swept the ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The weather wasn’t an issue like the season-opening homestand. There was no bitter cold to make things difficult. Instead, weather in Orange County couldn’t have been much better over the weekend, specifically a Sunday afternoon in the mid-80s with a thin layer of clouds making the sunshine less intense.

There wasn’t a...Read more

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees faced a couple of curveballs before they even saw a pitch Sunday.

First came the rain, a steady downpour in the Bronx that delayed the start of their series finale against the Miami Marlins by three hours and 35 minutes.

As they waited, the Marlins changed their pitching plans, opting to open Sunday’s game ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The phrase “next man up” might belong on the list of Crash Davis cliches, especially since the New York Mets‘ lineup is built to avoid having an overreliance on one hitter. But with Juan Soto and Brett Baty both out Sunday, Jared Young and Luis Torrens stepped up for the Mets in a big way.

The Mets crushed the San ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Playing key roles in the rubber game involving the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers were a former Brewer and an ex-Royal.

The drama in Milwaukee’s 8-5 triumph in Sunday’s game at Kauffman Stadium came when the Royals batted in the seventh.

The home team trailed 6-2, but a rally, helped along by a pinch single ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts’ MRI scan Saturday night revealed a strain of his right oblique. That sealed the Dodgers’ decision.

The team put Betts on the injured list and recalled Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday morning before an 8-6 win over the Washington Nationals to complete a three-game...Read more

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies were desperately searching for two things on Sunday: a quality start and some thunder from their offense.

They got both with a 4-1 win over the Phillies at Coors Field. Colorado’s victory snapped a nine-game losing streak to Philly.

Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano pitched six superb innings in his LoDo debut, ...Read more

BOSTON — Jackson Merrill’s energy before the game and heads-up dash from first to home in the first inning sparked the San Diego Padres to victory in the final of their second series of the season.

On Sunday, he powered them to an 8-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox and their first series win with a home run that just cleared the Green ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Some celebrate Easter Sunday with plastic eggs and candy. The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated theirs with a broom.

The Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles Sunday afternoon, winning 8-2 behind an early outburst and six strong innings from starter Braxton Ashcraft. They’ve now won five games in a row.

...Read more

WASHINGTON — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts’ MRI scan Saturday night revealed a strain of his right oblique. That sealed the Dodgers’ decision.

The team put Betts on the injured list and recalled Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday morning.

“Hearing oblique, it kind of gives you a little something in your ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels celebrated their 2026 home opener on Friday, and the fans booed the ceremonial first pitch.

Magic Johnson, the Dodgers' co-owner and the foremost winner in Los Angeles sports history, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Dodgers' opener. Jeff Kent, just elected to the Hall of Fame, did the honors for ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — They felt like home runs off the bat. They looked like homers as they headed to the right-field fence.

They weren’t home runs because of the ridiculous athleticism, effort and execution of Angels right fielder Jo Adell.

The organization’s former top prospect, who turns 27 next week, was known for his power-hitting ...Read more