Baseball Page 31 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Cardinals, Giants still battling, but playoff hopes fading
Two prospects contributing to their teams in different ways will be in the spotlight again Tuesday night when Jose Fermin and the St. Louis Cardinals take on Drew Gilbert and the San Francisco Giants in the continuation of a three-game series.,Fermin had two hits, scored a run and drove in another a...

Padres establish new goals after sealing playoff berth
Standing in the middle of a champagne-soaked San Diego Padres clubhouse Monday night, Ryan O'Hearn talked about the accomplishment of making the National League playoffs.,"It's a dream come true to pop bottles with these guys," he said.,The Padres hope it was only the first of many celebrations over...

Braves, Nationals rookie righties face off in rematch
A pair of high-profile rookies will face each other on Tuesday when the Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals in the second game of a three-game series.,The Braves (74-83) won the opener 11-5 on Monday to extend their winning streak to nine games, the longest active run in the majors. ,The pi...

MLB roundup: Padres clinch playoff spot with walk-off win in 11th
Freddy Fermin's one-out single in the bottom of the 11th inning Monday night lifted the San Diego Padres to a 5-4 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, sealing a spot in the National League playoffs., ,Bryce Johnson was placed at second to start the inning and Jose Iglesias bunted him to third. F...

Padres edge Brewers in 11th to clinch playoff berth
Freddy Fermin's one-out single in the bottom of the 11th inning Monday night lifted the San Diego Padres to a 5-4 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, sealing a spot in the National League playoffs.,Bryce Johnson was placed at second to start the inning and Jose Iglesias bunted him to third. Fer...

Four-run inning propels Cardinals to win over Giants
Ivan Herrera ignited a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, four St. Louis relievers combined for four innings of shutout ball and the visiting Cardinals kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.,A second straight win by the Ca...

Braves' Ozzie Albies breaks bone in left hand
For the second year in a row, Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies sustained a significant left wrist injury.,Albies hurt the wrist when fouling back a pitch in the third inning against the Washington Nationals on Monday. He was replaced one pitch later by pinch hitter Nick Allen, who struck o...

Braves batter Nats for 9th straight win but lose Ozzie Albies (wrist)
Michael Harris II produced three hits and three RBIs on Monday as the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Washington Nationals 11-5 to extend their winning streak to nine games.,Atlanta (74-83), which is riding the majors' longest active win streak, has an 8-3 lead in the season series against Washingt...

Reeling Astros must recover against Athletics
The Houston Astros were 20 games above .500 on July 6 and seemingly ready to skate to their ninth straight playoff spot.,Yet with six games remaining in the regular season, the Astros are in a big battle to keep their postseason streak alive.,Houston (84-72) needs to rack up victories in the final w...

Diamondbacks' wild-card charge must go through Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks begin a three-game series on Tuesday facing varying degrees of postseason certainty.,The Dodgers (88-68) clinched a playoff spot on Friday, and their magic number to win the National League West for the 12th time in 13 seasons sits at three before the...

Mariners juggle magic numbers; Rockies joyous they can't lose 122
The Seattle Mariners are thinking magic numbers. The Colorado Rockies are just glad they avoided a tragic number.,The teams open a three-game interleague series Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.,The Mariners (87-69) have won four straight games and 14 of their past 15 to surge into first pl...

Royals visit Angels seeking a miracle
Six games out of the final American League wild-card spot with six games to go, the Kansas City Royals are still mathematically alive in the playoff race but in need of a minor miracle.,Make that a major miracle.,Kansas City (78-78) concludes its regular season with a six-game road trip starting Tue...

Braves signing Charlie Morton for final week of season
The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton to a major league contract on Monday with one week left in the season.,Morton, 41, began his big-league career with the Braves and spent five of his 18 seasons in Atlanta. This year, he has pitched in 32 games (starting 26) for the Baltim...

Rangers cling to miniscule playoff chances as Twins arrive
The final week of the regular season will almost certainly come and go with little stakes for the Texas Rangers, starting with Tuesday's opener to their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins in Arlington, Texas.,But it didn't have to be this way. One week ago, the Rangers were riding high af...

Plenty at stake for skidding Cubs and Mets
The New York Mets have lost 11 of their last 15 games to put their postseason plans in peril.,The Mets (80-76) will look to change their fortune on Tuesday when they begin a season-ending six-game road trip with a three-game series against the host Chicago Cubs (88-68).,Although New York has the sam...

Report: MLB approves Rays’ sale to group led by Patrick Zalupski
Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Rays to Jacksonville residential developer Patrick Zalupski, the Tampa Bay Times reported Monday.,"It's good to go," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told the Tampa Bay Times. "It's official in terms of our internal processes su...

Blue Jays and Red Sox set for series with postseason stakes galore
The Toronto Blue Jays' postseason ticket officially has been punched.,Their next goal is to win the American League East as they close out the regular season with a six-game homestand that opens Tuesday night against the Boston Red Sox.,The Blue Jays (90-66) clinched a playoff berth with an 8-5 vict...

Reds on cusp of playoffs, set for series with Pirates
The playoff-hungry Cincinnati Reds are playing their best baseball at the right time, and they hope that continues Tuesday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates as the two teams open a three-game set.,It marks the final three home games for the Reds (80-76), who have won five straight and ha...

Phillies' quest for first-round bye continues with streaking Marlins
If the Philadelphia Phillies are going to go deep into October, they know they'll need to lean heavily on Cristopher Sanchez., ,Sanchez takes the mound for a key postseason tuneup Tuesday when the Phillies welcome the Miami Marlins to town for the opener of a three-game set., ,Sanchez (13-5, 2.66 ER...

Rays, Orioles to finish off season series out of spotlight
Two teams entering the final week of disappointing seasons can commiserate with each other starting Tuesday when the Baltimore Orioles play host to the Tampa Bay Rays to begin a three-game series.,The Rays and Orioles hold the bottom spots in the American League East and already have been eliminated...