Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino was only thinking about one thing when he saw his starting pitcher field a ground ball just four outs away from a perfect game.

“Set your feet.”

Brandon Young didn’t, and his throw sailed past first baseman Coby Mayo as former teammate Ramón Urías cruised into second base. The play was officially ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Zack Wheeler felt normal while he pitched here Friday night.

The velocity on Wheeler’s fastball returned. His shoulder, more sore than usual two starts ago, held up well. He was pleased with his mechanics. And when the Phillies decided to take him out of the game after 97 pitches, he was predictably ornery, according to manager...Read more

BOSTON — The last time Cal Quantrill faced the Red Sox, he and then-Sox catcher Reese McGuire induced a bench-clearing incident in Colorado.

Quantrill and Rockies got the last laugh that July 2024 day, winning 20-7 and taking the series from a spiraling Boston ballclub.

The Red Sox got their revenge Saturday, knocking Quantrill around in a 7...Read more

NEW YORK — Right-hander Paul Blackburn turned in the best pitching performance the Mets have received all week. He was rewarded by being designated for assignment Saturday. The Mets didn’t have much of a choice, and with little roster flexibility they had to make a move to clear a roster spot for Nolan McLean, Saturday’s starter.

His ...Read more

NEW YORK — Nolan McLean sure can spin it, but the rookie didn’t solve the Mets' issue of starting pitching length.

Making his big league debut, McLean shut out the Seattle Mariners over 5 1/3 innings on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field in a 3-1 win, navigating a deep lineup with an array of spinning breaking pitches. It was an impressive ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Six looooong years ago, when the Nationals won the World Series for this city, they were fueled by Trea Turner in the leadoff spot, two feared sluggers behind him, and a mish-mash through the rest of the order.

The Phillies’ lineup has a similar feel to it sometimes.

Take, for instance, the last two games. Kyle Schwarber and ...Read more

CHICAGO — Pirates rookie left-hander Evan Sisk faced just three batters Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for him, two of them reached base and came around to score.

Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single against Sisk in the bottom of the eighth ultimately made the difference in a pitchers’ duel at Wrigley Field, paving the way for a 3-1 Cubs victory....Read more

WASHINGTON — For a few minutes here Friday night, Jhoan Duran wasn’t sure he could put weight on his right ankle.

By Saturday, he was cleared to pitch.

Duran’s speedy recovery after getting hit on the ankle by a line drive and driven off the field on a bullpen cart left the Phillies feeling ... pardon the pun ... relieved to have their ...Read more

LOS ANGLES — Even now, Clayton Kershaw.

After all these years, Clayton Kershaw.

When the Dodgers are reeling and roiling and losing their grip on a long hot summer, who is the one player who can stop the fall and calm the nerves and, oh yeah, kick some San Diego Padre butt?

Still, still, still, Clayton Kershaw.

He's 37 with a battered 18-...Read more

HOUSTON — After the trade deadline, the Orioles’ outfield has been MLB’s worst.

As castoffs, journeymen and natural infielders have manned the Orioles’ outfield, prospect Dylan Beavers was clobbering the ball in Triple-A, waiting his turn for a shot at the big leagues.

He’s finally getting it.

The Orioles are promoting Beavers, the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In the standings, all is right again in the Dodgers' world. Clayton Kershaw was, well, Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers won.

In the box score, all was not well. As you already have guessed, the bullpen: Five relievers were needed to cover the final three innings, in which the San Diego Padres put potential tying and/or go-ahead runs...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Angels matched the atmosphere with their performance again.

After three straight victories against the Los Angeles Dodgers in an electric, sold-out Angel Stadium, they took a flight north, had an off day and got back in action in a minor league park against the A’s.

The Angels lost, 10-3, to the A’s on ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — For the three innings on Friday night, the San Francisco Giants were back to playing their April brand of baseball.

They stole bases. They stacked extra-base hits. They cashed in with runners in scoring position. All the things they did during the season’s first full month.

The next six innings, by contrast, were emblematic...Read more

LOS ANGELES — On a night the Los Angeles Dodgers had a stadium-wide giveaway promotion for the anime show Demon Slayer, the club slayed a few recently troublesome demons of its own.

In the opening game of this season’s biggest series to date, they finally found a way not to trip over themselves.

By beating the San Diego Padres 3-2 at ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals know their path to the postseason is littered with obstacles. On Friday, the club took its next step against a familiar foe.

The Royals welcomed the Chicago White Sox to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series with added implications. It was an opportunity to take care of business at home against an ...Read more

DENVER — Shohei Ohtani’s sweet swing is about to give a Rockies diehard a life-changing payday.

College softball gold glover Emily Sauvageau snagged Ohtani’s 300th professional home run ball on June 24 at Coors Field. The moment came in Sauvageau’s 833rd MLB game, and after a lifetime of Rockies fandom that started with her first trip ...Read more

DENVER — There have been a lot of long nights during this Colorado Rockies season, the kind when even the most optimistic folks would have trouble finding positives.

This was not one of those nights.

Starting pitcher Tanner Gordon shook off a recent funk with a solid outing, and several Rockies hitters played key roles in a 4-3 victory on ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It was just a week ago that the Detroit Tigers lost in dispiriting fashion at home to the Los Angeles Angels. They went to bed that night with their once double-digit lead in the Central Division sliced to five games.

So much handwringing for so little reason.

After a breezy 7-0 win over the Twins Friday night, the Tigers will ...Read more

With Brian Cashman accompanying the Yankees to St. Louis, the Bombers beat the Cardinals, 4-3, on Friday night.

The general manager, making a rare road trip, told reporters that his presence had more to do with his scheduling availability than the Yankees’ third-place standing or their poor play over the past two-plus months. The team, ...Read more