Posts

An annual match between the leagues’ champions, branded the Campeones Cup, will begin this year with reigning MLS champion Toronto FC taking on the winner of Liga MX’s summer ‘Campeon de Campeones’ match between the champion of the Apertura, Tigres, and the champion of the Clausura which will be decided in May. “Major League Soccer is proud to come together with Liga MX for this unprecedented partnership,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement....

The eight-player field, announced Thursday, will follow the bracket format that began at last year’s event. Frazier and Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton aren’t members of the All-Star Game, but the power hitters will add an extra amount of flair in the slugfest. MORE: How would All-Star Game look if players were picked for defense? Padres youngster Wil Myers will hope to accomplish what Frazier did last season in Cincinnati: win the derby at his everyday ballpark....

MLB odds: Current Las Vegas lines Why has the action come so heavy against one of the majors’ elite pitchers? For one thing, streaks are fun to ride for bettors because all the breaks seem to go against teams that aren’t dialed in. These teams tend to press rather than play loose and let the game come to them. The Giants’ losing streak tells bettors that anything is possible even though they‘ve beaten the D’Backs the past six times Bumgarner has faced them....

As such, if you’re a believer in a team such as the Braves or Nationals, you could make a good deal of money by placing a bet on them to win it all. There are some compelling reasons to choose a dark horse candidate, particularly in the NL, where there is only one superpower to overtake. Those who favor pitching might be interested in betting on Washington’s potent trio of Patrick Corbin, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg....

The thought is laughable now as the reliever cruises through frame after frame in the postseason, but Kahnle had not had many extended outings with the Chicago White Sox when New York acquired the right-hander in July. “The one thing we weren’t quite sure about him when we got him is how much we could use him multiple innings,” Yankees manager Girardi said. “He was very successful in Chicago and we were concerned if we took him out of that type of role, would it change who he was?...

More: The 15 best baseball movies of all time, ranked AL wild-card game Tuesday, Oct. 6: Astros 3, Yankees 1 (Yankees eliminated) NL wild-card game Wednesday, Oct. 7: Cubs 4, Pirates 0 (Pirates eliminated) When is the AL Division Series? When is the NL Division Series? ALDS 1 Game 1: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 3 Game 2: Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4, 14 innings Game 3: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 1 Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4 Game 5: Blue Jays 6, Rangers 3 (Blue Jays win series 3-2)...

Somebody had to lose Thursday night, and at 12:41 a.m. Friday, that someone was the home team, 4-3, with everything to think about for months and years to come, and so few words that could be used to sum it all up. MORE: The 50 best players in the playoffs The game turned between the sixth and seventh innings. One frame ended with third base coach Bob Henley’s inexplicable decision to send Jayson Werth home on Ryan Zimmerman’s double to left field, getting the 37-year-old thrown out at the plate after Yasmani Grandal waited several minutes to make the tag on a relay throw that Corey Seager made at about the same time Werth rounded third....

After seeing a three-run lead be cut to one run, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called upon closer Kenley Jansen in the seventh inning, then went against his word and used three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw to get the final two outs. With the win, the Nationals will face the Cubs in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series beginning Saturday in Chicago. MORE: The 50 best players in the playoffs...

With clutch hitting, heads-up baserunning and a stellar bullpen, the Indians edged the Red Sox 5-4 Thursday at Progressive Field to take Game 1 of their best-of-five AL Division Series. MORE: Top 50 players in the playoffs Indians starter Trevor Bauer exited after 4 2/3 innings, but midseason addition Andrew Miller showed why he was the most sought-after reliever at the trade deadline. The southpaw threw two scoreless innings with four strikeouts in middle relief before Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen secured the Indians’ 50th win at home this season when leading or tied after the seventh inning....

MLB declined to announce which six games will be broadcast on Facebook but said there will be one every month of the regular season. “Collaborating with Facebook will again drive the creation of new ways for us to deliver content to baseball fans that engage on the platform daily,” an MLB spokesman wrote in a statement. “Facebook provides a community-focused environment that will allow for fans to connect with their favorite teams via custom on-demand content and live game action driven by an original MLB Network social-first broadcast production....

Alex Wood has been great this year, but he’s never made a playoff start. Rich Hill is great when healthy, but his blister issues have been persistent for years. Brandon McCarthy and Kenta Maeda are solid starters, but McCarthy has never pitched in the postseason and Maeda has a 6.75 ERA in three career playoff starts without making it past the fourth inning. MORE: Offense will carry Dodgers through Kershaw’s injury...

The Chicago White Sox made the only signing of significance at this point, signing lefty Zach Duke to a three-year, $15 million deal. Duke, of course, picked the right time to have a career season. He started his big-league career as a starter but moved to the bullpen and bounced around a bit as he adjusted to the new role. MORE: How to fix worst teams by position | Each team’s biggest free-agent disaster...

When it comes to the sports genre of video games, MLB The Show has routinely been in a league of its own. It usually isn’t as widely marketed as games like Madden or NBA 2K, making it one of the more low-key yearly sports titles. At the same time, however, there aren’t many other baseball games that provide such a detailed experience that so perfectly captures the feel of the real game....

PlayStation and San Diego Studio put together a “welcome to MLB the Show” video for Xbox gamers. Starring Fernando Tatis Jr as a puppet and his puppet coach, which has been the style for MLB the Show 21 trailers, the video celebrates the game coming to the Xbox, along with some of the features that are in the game. RELATED: MLB The Show 21 Lets Players Use Their Created Ballplayer Outside of Road to the Show...

In its latest reveal on Twitch and YouTube, San Diego Studio discussed changes and implementations to its hitting, pitching, and fielding aspects and how changes will impact the overall gaming experience. Fans of the MLB The Show franchise got a first-hand look at how gameplay will change in this year’s release and what it could mean for the various gaming modes. RELATED: Chase Utley The Newest Legend In MLB The Show 22...

Players like Willson Contreras, Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas feel like inevitabilities to be moved. Others, like Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, are big names being dangled for utterly gigantic returns. Who will make splash at this year’s deadline? First, we need to determine who is trying to. MORE: The 20 players most likely to be moved by the MLB trade deadline Here is the one move every team should make at this year’s deadline....

The second half might be defined by how they approach the trade deadline. They have several pieces who would fit nicely on contending teams. Reliever Jason Frasor was dealt to the Royals this week. Outfielder Alex Rios could be moved to a team in need of lineup help. Teams might at least ask about the cost for shortstop Elvis Andrus or ace Yu Darvish. But Joakim Soria might be the most in-demand player on the team....

If that doesn’t happen, the trade can feel lopsided. A few days before the 2012 trade deadline, for example, the Angels made a bold move for free-agent-to-be Zack Greinke. They sent three prospects to the Brewers, including Jean Segura, who has since established himself as Milwaukee’s shortstop of the present and future. TRADE RUMORS: Oriole options | Yanks eyeing Lee | Be Bold trade ideas Greinke made 13 starts for the Angels and was very good (a 3....

And now that Chris Sale has been shipped off to Boston, what’s next for the White Sox? General manager Rick Hahn was interviewed on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” show on Wednesday morning to talk about the Sale trade, and he made it clear the dealing wasn’t done. MORE: Who will replace David Ortiz in Boston? “If we had our druthers, we would continue the process that we started in earnest yesterday over the next several days,” Hahn told host Matt Vasgersian....

Drake sent a statement to ESPN apologizing for his actions. “I want to personally apologize to everyone that my words made feel less safe,” he wrote. “I especially want to apologize to every person who has been affected by gun violence in our country. I also acknowledge and apologize for the contoversy this has brought to Major League Baseball, my fellow umpires, and my family. I never intended to diminish the threat of violence from assualt weapons, or violence of any kind....