Soler homers in return to help Lester, Cubs beat A's 7-2
Cubs manager Joe Maddon thought Jorge Soler might get a jolt out of returning to the majors after spending two months recovering from a nagging hamstring injury, including a two-week stint in the minors. Boy, was Maddon right. Soler hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat after being activated off the disabled list, Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings, and Chicago beat the Oakland...
Skidding Giants get only 4 hits in 5-1 loss to Nationals
In spite of their miserable slump, the San Francisco Giants remain in first place in the NL West. For now, anyway. The Giants mustered only four hits and received another lackluster pitching performance from Jeff Samardzija in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday night.
Alonso has RBI single in 10th to help A's beat Angels 8-6
Yonder Alonso hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 10th inning to lead the Oakland Athletics to an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night, avoiding a three-game sweep and snapping a five-game losing streak.
Giants beat Phillies on Span's HR in 10th
The Phillies fell just short of sweep the San Francisco Giants. Denard Span homered leading off the 10th inning, and the Giants beat Philadelphia 3-2 Thursday for just their fifth win in 14 games since the All-Star break.
Kipnis hits 1 of Indians' 4 HRs in 6-3 win over Athletics
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jason Kipnis hit one of Cleveland's four homers, leading the Indians to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night. Jose Ramirez, Abraham Almonte and Mike Napoli also went deep for the AL Central-leading Indians.
Giants find just enough offense for rare win since break
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hunter Pence is healthy at last. Joe Panik has been back a few days from a concussion and is driving in runs again. The San Francisco Giants sure are starting to look like themselves again. Oh, with that new face in the infield of Eduardo Nunez.
Cain hits better than he pitches as Giants beat Reds 9-7
Matt Cain hit a three-run homer during his first win in more than two months, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-7 on Tuedsday night. Brandon Crawford had three hits and two RBIs, and Buster Posey and Denard Span added two hits apiece for the Giants. San Francisco won for only the second time since the All-Star break. It had been longer than that for Cain.
Gray area: 8 Ks, 1 bad inning as A's win 6-3 at Rangers
When Bob Melvin went to the mound in the fifth inning, he wasn't going to take Sonny Gray out of the game. The Oakland Athletics manager had a reminder with a pep talk. "You've got to remind him who Sonny Gray is," Melvin said. "Sonny Gray is one of the best pitchers in the American League."
Giants return home, lose again
With the trade deadline less than a week away, Jay Bruce isn't sure how much longer he'll be in Cincinnati. If he does wind up with another team — Bruce has been the topic of trade speculation — the veteran outfielder is ending his run with the Reds on a memorable note. Bruce hit a pair of two-run homers to help Anthony DeSclafani remain unbeaten, and Cincinnati beat the San...
Beltre, Rangers walk-off the a's
Adrian Beltre got the fastball he wanted. Beltre's second home run of the game was a two-run shot on the first pitch from Ryan Madson with two outs in the ninth inning, and it rallied the Texas Rangers past the Oakland Athletics 7-6 Monday night for their third straight win. "He's a really good pitcher, really good changeup," Beltre said. "I was hoping that he would throw...
Cubs get closer Aroldis Chapman in trade with Yankees
The Chicago Cubs acquired hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman in a trade with the New York Yankees on Monday, giving the NL Central leaders a boost as they try for their first World Series title in more than a century.
A's beat Rays, take 3 of 4 in series
Erasmo Ramirez knew immediately that Athletics slugger Billy Butler made good contact on the 0-1 fastball the Rays reliever threw. Ramirez just didn't know how good — and on a day in which Tampa Bay's offense slumbered through most of the game, it turned out to be just enough to send manager Kevin Cash's ballclub spiraling to a third consecutive loss.
Road skid: Giants lose 5-2 to Yanks, finish 1-7 road trip
The San Francisco Giants headed into the All-Star break a major league-best 57-33. They started the second half by skidding on a 1-7 trip to San Diego, Boston and New York that culminated in a 5-2 loss Sunday to the Yankees.
Healy's HR caps 3-run 9th-inning rally, A's beat Rays 4-3
Ryon Healy was so focused on getting to second base the Athletics rookie didn't realize he had hit a game-ending home run until he looked up and saw third base coach Ron Washington celebrating. After that, the Oakland third baseman slowed up his trot to allow the players in the bullpen to join the fun.
Williamson, Giants beat Yanks 2-1 in 12 innings, stop skid
Mac Williamson had crossed paths with Ivan Nova before. "Fun fact about Nova. I had TJ the same day he did," the San Francisco Giants rookie said, thinking back to their visit to Dr. James Andrews for Tommy John surgery on April 29, 2014. "How many guys face each other after you have surgery, the same day, the same surgeon? That's kind of cool."
Crawford's 3 errors vs Yanks send Giants to 6th loss in row
Giants Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford made three errors for the first time in his career, with his wild throw in the eighth inning giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 win Friday night that sent San Francisco to its season-worst sixth straight loss.
Tim Beckham leads Rays to 7-3 victory over Athletics
Tim Beckham homered and then sparked a four-run inning with his eighth straight hit over three games to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night. He followed up a five-hit game in Colorado on Wednesday by hitting a solo homer in the second against Sonny Gray (4-9) and then adding a leadoff single in the big fifth inning that gave Tampa Bay the lead...
A's lose 7-0, fail to sweep Astros
Doug Fister and catcher Jason Castro came up with a game plan before beating the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, and it wasn't complicated. "We're going to attack these guys," the right-hander said. The strategy worked to perfection, as Fister pitched seven strong innings and Jose Altuve continued his torrid hitting as the Houston Astros defeated the A's 7-0.
Jackson takes no-no into 7th, Padres win 5-3 to sweep Giants
Edwin Jackson held San Francisco hitless until Conor Gillaspie's three-run homer with one out in the seventh inning, and the San Diego Padres held off the Giants 5-3 Sunday for their first sweep of the season. Jackson, making his first start since 2014, and three relievers combined on a two-hitter against the Giants, who despite losing three straight still have the best record in the majors...
Donaldson's hit in 9th helps Blue Jays avoid sweep by A's
Josh Donaldson hit a tiebreaking two-run double with two outs in the ninth against his former team and the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 5-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. Troy Tulowitzki homered while Russell Martin and Justin Smoak added two hits apiece for the Blue Jays.