Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit solo home runs in three consecutive at-bats Wednesday against the Padres, and in the process became the first player in major league history to hit five home runs in the first three games of the season. Angels first baseman Albert Pujols smashed career homer No. 521, tying him with Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 18th on the all-time home run list....
With the Cardinals-Cubs game postponed because of rain and cold in Chicago, seven games were played Tuesday. A look at what happened across MLB: MORE: Fantasy analysis of Wednesday’s matchups | Opening thoughts on closers Impact players C — Buster Posey, Giants: The 2012 NL MVP was 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk against Diamondbacks pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Randall Delgado. 1B — Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers: A-Gon hit a game-tying home run off Padres reliever Joaquin Benoit in the eighth inning and finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored....
MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines The Pirates (52-35) look to even their season record against the NL Central-leading Cardinals (56-32) at five games a piece. In a test of left-handers, Francisco Liriano (5-6, 2.99 ERA) is a -165 favorite over rookie Tim Cooney (0-0, 3.95) in what is the largest price among the team’s games this season. Game time is 8:05 ET on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Pittsburgh comes off a 6-5 14-inning win in which it erased a deficit three different times, concluding with Andrew McCutchen’s walk-off two-run homer....
By investing in their bullpen, the White Sox are hoping to show potential free agent targets, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, that they are in a position to take a massive leap forward this coming season. Which Kelvin Herrera Are The White Sox Getting? Herrera is far from the dominant reliever that was a stabilizing force for Royal’s bullpen in their 2015 World Series run, but still provides an extremely competent back end of the bullpen arm....
Enrique Hernandez led the offense for the Dodgers hitting his first career postseason home run in the second inning. He didn’t stop there, adding a grand slam in the third that put the Dodgers in the driver’s seat with a seven-run lead. Once more for good measure, Hernandez hit a third one out in the top of the ninth to carry the team back to Dodger’s Stadium to take on Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday....
The game was billed as a historic pitchers’ duel between the Mets’ Jacob deGrom and the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke, but each starter had a rough first inning before settling down. Daniel Murphy then emerged as a Game 5 hero by clubbing a solo homer off Greinke in the sixth to give the Mets a lead that stood up. MORE: Top NLDS photos | MLB postseason schedule | Ethier directs rant at Mattingly...
But here the Mets are, on the doorstep of the NL Championship Series against the Cubs after a gutty 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Thursday night. That’s the only word that applies, first to deGrom for lasting six innings with diminished stuff and, second, to Murphy, who hit the game-winning home run off Greinke. The blast capped off a three-hit night that, if not historic, will at least turn the second baseman into a cult hero in Flushing....
A short walk from Fenway Park is Ortiz’s gift to the rest of us. No, it’s not the newly-named David Ortiz Bridge over Interstate 90 between the ballpark and Kenmore Square. It’s on Boylston Street, at a burrito shop called Boloco — Boston Local Company — and it is called Big Papi’s Kitchen Burrito. There’s not a whole lot to it: a special “Big Papi’s Kitchen” salsa is paired with guacamole, pinto beans, hot sauce, sour cream, brown rice, lettuce, cheddar cheese and the meat of your choice....
The Mets got a crash course in that earlier this week; their season ended at the hands of a team that was straight garbage for the back half of 2016 solely because Madison Bumgarner is an October-triggered wrecking ball. It’s unfair, in terms mathemetical and otherwise, that the Giants advanced. It’s ridiculous. They don’t deserve it. MORE: The 50 best players in the MLB postseason It’s also kind of great....
The Washington Nationals will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers after winning a dramatic wild-card game against the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3. The St Louis Cardinals will battle the Atlanta Braves for a place in the Championship Series, and we have previewed both match-ups for you. Key storylines Will Dallas Keuchel be the key to the Braves taking the next step? This is why the Braves went out and signed Keuchel in the middle of the season....
Except it wasn’t clear enough for the umpires, who called Bohm safe in Atlanta and then again in MLB’s New York replay center. And that led to a second NL East game in four days being decided by a blown or missed call that was upheld by replay. In real-time, it looked as though Bohm successfully slid around Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who was blocking the plate. But then came the multiple replay angles showing Bohm’s foot hovering over the dish as he was being tagged on his back leg....
Punishments for the players suspended for domestic violence have to be more harsh, and deterrents for the teams acquiring players suspended for domestic violence have to exist. Because this entire situation could have easily been avoided. That’s not to absolve the Astros. The organization has acted poorly, every step of the way. From assistant GM Brandon Taubman’s reprehensible comments shouted in the direction of three female reporters, to the responses from the Astros — which included smearing the integrity of Sports Illustrated reporter Stephanie Apstein — it’s been somehow almost worse, which is a difficult bar to shimmy under....
And baseball, for whatever reason, is the one sport where this stuff is most visible and most defended. For all its bluster about being a gentleman’s game that must be respected (or else!), baseball sure has had an affinity for punishment and humiliation in the name of “team.” MORE: Ranking baseball’s five dumbest unwritten rules Thankfully, part of this should go away because of a new Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Policy, which prohibits “requiring, coercing or encouraging” players from “dressing up as women or wearing costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identify or other characteristic....
To start, it is important to note that the way to get called up in this new baseball simulation game is not full solved, and the process is variable. However, there are things that every player should focus on to improve their ballplayers’ chances, and OVR seems to be the big one. Indeed, current reports suggest that getting called up in MLB The Show 21 is primarily connected to that number, and fans should thus put their main efforts toward raising it....
RELATED: MLB The Show 22 Adds Kevin Youkilis To Legends Roster That’s not a fault of MLB The Show 22. Rather, it’s a matter of possibility. Players have different styles, positions, and values. Contact hitters, power hitters, catchers, and pitchers will need different gear. Customizing a player is important and gear is at least half of that equation. Acquiring Gear There are several means of acquiring gear. Packs are acquired by playing any game mode and can be unwrapped by going to “My Inventory” under the profile screen and selecting “My Packs....
While we got the blockbuster everyone was waiting for, with Juan Soto and Josh Bell being moved to the Padres, a few players who most considered to be out the door ended up staying in Willson Contreras and Ian Happ. While the Padres were the busiest bees, some teams – such as the Twins and Braves – were calculated in how they shored up their roster. The Twins improved their pitching at every point, whereas the Braves cleared a hole in their bullpen and backfilled appropriately....
Arizona has acquired pitcher Zac Gallen from the Marlins, the team announced Wednesday. Gallen, 23, has been fantastic in limited time in the Marlins’ rotation posting a 1-3 record with a 2.72 ERA in seven games (seven starts) and 36 1/3 innings pitched. He also struck out 43 batters after he went 9-1 with a 1.77 ERA to start the year in Triple-A. The Marlins have received Jazz Chisholm in return....
U-T San Diego’s Jeff Sanders reports the AL East-leading Blue Jays have discussed acquiring Headley. Toronto can use infield help, with third baseman Juan Francisco struggling after a hot stretch and second baseman Brett Lawrie on the disabled list. Headley, though, is playing through his own health issues, Sanders notes. He’s dealing with a herniated disk in his back, and he has had calf, knee and arm ailments this year....
REPORTED BY: CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. MORE: Best landing spots for Justin Upton | Where should Papelbon go? THE DETAILS: After selling off Craig Kimbrel and Justin Upton on the eve of opening day, the Braves are looking to continue the rebuild. Heyman reports they are hoping for a mid-range prospect for Uribe and want the acquiring team to pick up the roughly $3 million remaining on his deal....
