ARLINGTON, Texas — The Angels came up with clutch pitches and defensive plays, but no clutch hits.

The Angels were hitless in 18 at-bats with runners in scoring position in their 3-2, 13-inning loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday, wasting a strong start from Patrick Sandoval.

Right-hander Carson Fulmer, working his second inning of the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — A long, slow, agonizing afternoon stretched into a long, slow, agonizing evening for the Mariners, who endured a three-hour weather delay before having to endure the nastiness of Orioles young flamethrower Grayson Rodriguez.

The steady precipitation Orioles team officials were expecting over Camden Yards never quite materialized. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies seemingly find new ways to win every night, but they rarely find themselves down in the ninth. Nevertheless, on Saturday night against the Washington Nationals, that was where they were. Pinch hitter Kody Clemens stepped up to the plate with two outs, to face Kyle Finnegan, who entered the game with 13 saves out of ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals turned to power in their series-opening win. They utilized a bevy of hits, including a season-high four home runs to get to a double-digit run total as they scored early and often.

A win on Saturday night called for a different approach, and they answered the call yet again.

The Cardinals scored five eighth-inning ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Tom Burgoyne will leave the furry green costume in the basement of Citizens Bank Park on Sunday morning when he wanders to one of the ballpark’s entrances. Burgoyne has been the Phanatic — he insists he’s just the mascot’s best friend and not the performer inside — for 30 years, helping to mold a flightless bird into ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Bailey Ober tried everything, and none of it worked against Cleveland Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez.

In the bottom of the first inning Saturday, Ober found himself in a 12-pitch battle. Fastballs at the top of the strike zone were fouled. Inside cutters were pulled foul. A low change-up meant another foul. Ramírez ...Read more

TORONTO — The Rays did a few things wrong against the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon, mistakes of both commission and omission.

But they did more right, rallying late to pick up their fourth straight win by beating the Blue Jays, 5-4.

Isaac Paredes, who was having a rough game, started the go-ahead rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — When Luis Matos debuted as the second-youngest player in the majors last June, “Matos Mania” was born. The Venezuelan outfield phenom collected hits and scored runs at a rate that put him in the same conversation as Willie McCovey in franchise lore.

Matos, now, is almost a year older. He boasts somewhere in the range of 20...Read more

CHICAGO — On the heels of Jared Jones and Paul Skenes’ headlining the Pirates’ last two wins with their scintillating speed, it was a pair of soft-toss lefties who stole Saturday’s show.

Bailey Falter and the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga went toe-to-toe for seven innings on an offensively-challenged afternoon at Wrigley Field, the southpaws ...Read more

NEW YORK — So much for Juan Soto’s slump.

The superstar slugger exploded for four hits, including two home runs, and three RBIs in the Yankees’ 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday in the Bronx, emphatically ending an eight-game mini-skid.

Soto crushed a 417-foot solo home run in the first inning; smoked an RBI single in the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Paul Skenes learned plenty during his sole season at LSU.

The Pirates' prized right-hander furthered his repertoire, transformed his body and in turn became a No. 1 overall pick. While residing in Baton Rouge, La., Skenes also developed a curiosity toward grilling various meats, a familiar sight during tailgates at the Tigers' home ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — As soon as Thairo Estrada’s line drive cleared the left field wall Friday evening, the San Francisco Giants could rest easy.

The wall-scraping three-run blast in the fifth inning put the Giants ahead for good in their first of three games against the red-hot Colorado Rockies, a 10-5 win, and officially erased whatever damage...Read more

LOS ANGELES — James Paxton, control freak? That moniker would not have fit the veteran left-hander in his first month with the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Paxton had more walks (22) than strikeouts (15) in 252/3 innings over his first five starts.

But Paxton found some rhythm in his delivery and the strike zone in the process, delivering his ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — Each time the Angels play a solid game in this disappointing season, manager Ron Washington says he’s expecting to eventually see those performances with more consistency.

This is a start. They’ve now managed a two-game winning “streak” each of the last two weeks.

The Angels beat the Texas Rangers, 9-3, on Friday ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Statistically, the matchup didn’t bode well for the Cardinals. After all, the Boston Red Sox brought the stingiest pitching staff in the major leagues to town to face the National League’s least-productive offense.

So, of course, the Cardinals used this opportunity to turn home plate into a launching pad against the young ace ...Read more

BALTIMORE — All the Orioles needed to break their hitting slump was face a budding Cy Young Award contender in one of baseball’s best rotations.

Baltimore entered Friday with an 8-4 record in May, but the club’s hitters had their pitchers to thank for that. The offense scored just 3.8 runs per game during that stretch while hitting .220. ...Read more

CLEVELAND – There was live music playing outside Progressive Field on Friday evening and postgame fireworks were already on the schedule.

José Ramírez became the life of the party with a go-ahead solo home run off Twins closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning, launching a curveball into the right-field seats. The Twins snapped their ...Read more

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge continues to make his early-season slump a very, very distant memory.

The Yankees slugger smashed another home run during Friday night’s 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in the Bronx, giving him seven extra-base hits over his last three games.

The first-inning solo shot against Chicago starter Mike Clevinger jumped...Read more

Friday’s start against the Miami Marlins didn’t seem like much of an uphill battle for rookie Christian Scott after he held his own against a mighty Braves lineup and respectable Rays team in the first two starts of his career.

But Scott ran into trouble early and registered the worst start of his young career in Friday’s 8-0 loss to the ...Read more