MIKE MINOR

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 13th inning, Lars Nootbaar added a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals twice used five-man infields to stop the Cincinnati Reds and pull out a 5-3 win on Wednesday night. In his final game in Cincinnati, Pujols shook off going hitless in five at-bats to deliver against Chase Anderson (0-2), driving in automatic runner Paul Goldschmidt with one out. “I know he enjoyed it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Pujols, who plans to retire after the season.

Sandy Alcantara threw his major league-leading third complete game and the Miami Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0.

Juan Soto is set for his San Diego debut at home Wednesday night against Colorado.

Daniel Castano was hit on the forehead by a 104 mph line drive off the bat of Donovan Solano in the first inning of the Miami Marlins’ 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Michael Chavis hit a tie-breaking two-run double, Diego Castillo homered and rookie Roansy Contreras allowed one run in six innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Sandy Alcantara is pitching like a contender for the Cy Young Award.

Lane Thomas had a three-homer game for the first time in his career, and Nelson Cruz and Juan Soto also went deep, leading the Washington Nationals to an 8-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Christian Yelich hit for a record-tying third cycle — all of them against Cincinnati — but the Milwaukee Brewers’ rally fell short in the ninth inning in a 14-11 loss to the Reds.

Kyle Tucker hit a tiebreaking pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 3-2.

Hunter Greene won his major league debut, Kyle Farmer hit a two-run single in a five-run third inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

Shohei Ohtani has won four straight pitching starts for the Los Angeles Angels and is 7-0 on the mound since his last loss May 28.

Jake Arrieta pitches against the World Series champion Dodgers on Friday, one night after Zach Davies and three Cubs relievers combined for the majors' seventh no-hitter this year to match the most in a season since 1900.

The Chicago White Sox, Houston, Milwaukee and San Francisco all move to full capacity Friday for the first time since 2019, raising the total to 24 teams at 100%.

Major League Baseball is full of huge numbers.

The Twins have lost three times this season -- all of them in 10th inning with the automatic runner on second base.

He was 2-1 with a 6.35 ERA in three spring starts, including allowing six earned runs against Cincinnati on Friday. Alec Bohm had two hits, including his fourth double. AdFreddie Freeman had two hits, including a double and his first homer — a two-run shot in the sixth. Victor Robles had three hits, including his sixth double, with an RBI, and Kyle Schwarber doubled and walked three times. Adalberto Mondesi singled and homered and Jorge Soler had two hits, including a double.

Gallen went 3-2 with a 2.75 ERA during the pandemic-shortened season, striking out 82 in 72 innings. SETBACK IN THE BULLPENBlue Jays right-hander Kirby Yates will miss several weeks because of a strained muscle in his forearm. He allowed one run and five hits, striking out five without a walk. Bryan Abreu, a top Astros pitching prospect who turns 24 next month, started and pitched three perfect innings, striking out four. Baltimore starter John Means allowed four hits and walked three over 3 2/3 innings, striking out three.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)What’s that piece of advice Little League coaches always tell their kids -- keep your eye on the ball, right? After giving up a single to San Diego leadoff man Jurickson Profar and then walking Tommy Pham, Bauer posted a shutout. Bauer wound up pitching three scoreless innings with the creative approach, striking out three while allowing two hits and a walk. Known for speaking his mind and going his own way, Bauer said he regularly shuts one eye during bullpen sessions and other workouts. Sandy Alcantara made his second start for Miami, striking out six in 2 1/3 innings.

– The Kansas City Royals and veteran first baseman Carlos Santana have agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract that plugs one of their biggest offensive holes while providing some clubhouse leadership for a rebuilding club. The 34-year-old Santana was an All-Star two years ago in Cleveland, when he hit a career-best .281 with 34 homers and 93 RBIs. Santana has hit .288 with 31 homers and 93 RBIs in 151 career games against them, the best of any team in the division. Relief pitcher Mike Minor signed an $18 million, two-year deal and outfielder Michael Taylor a $1.75 million deal for next season, and nearly all their arbitration-eligible players are under contract. That includes an $8.05 million contract for slugger Jorge Soler and a $3.35 million deal for staff ace Brad Keller.

Pujols hit No. Pujols said that he received a text and email from Mays after he tied the Hall of Famer on Sunday in Colorado. Pujols added that he had not checked his phone after Friday's game to see how many congratulatory messages he had received. Pujols passed Mays with a solo drive to left. After the Rangers rallied to get within 3-2, Pujols led off the seventh with No.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)SEATTLE – Kyle Lewis sparked Seattle’s rally with a two-run homer and walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, helping the Mariners top the Oakland Athletics 6-5 on Monday in the opener of a doubleheader. But Seattle chipped away and scored twice in the sixth inning against Oakland’s bullpen to move in front for good. The win pulled Seattle within one game of idle Houston for second place in the AL West. Lewis hit his 10th homer in the fifth inning to pull Seattle within 5-4 and end Luzardo’s day. A’s manager Bob Melvin planned to play Lamb in the second game of the doubleheader.

The aggressive Padres landed Clevinger in a multiplayer swap with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus. BIG MIKE IS BACKMichael Pineda comes off the restricted list to make his season debut for Minnesota. RAYS UPAfter a decade spent chasing their big-budget AL East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays are pummeling the New York Yankees. Washington slugger Juan Soto has 11 homers in just 24 games played this season after going deep twice Monday night.

San Diego Padres' Wil Myers (4) follows through on a grand slam swing in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)ARLINGTON, Texas Wil Myers hit a first-inning grand slam and the San Diego Padres, with Fernando Tatis Jr. again leading the charge, beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 Tuesday for a two-game sweep. Four of Texas five hits off seven Padres pitchers came in the fourth inning, including Joey Gallos three-run homer. Padres RHP Chris Paddack (2-2, 4.91) allowed five home runs in his previous two starts over 8 2/3 innings. Rangers RHP Lance Lynn (3-0, 1.11) leads the majors in ERA and comes off his first complete game since 2014.

Texas Rangers catcher Jose Trevino and San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. watch the flight of Tatis's grand slam ball that came off a pitch from Rangers relief pitcher Juan Nicasio in the eighth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Monday Aug. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)ARLINGTON, Texas Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice, including a grand slam for his major league-leading 11th of the season, and the San Diego Padres routed the Texas Rangers 14-4 on Monday night to stop a five-game losing streak. Austin Hedges connected on his second homer, a solo shot in the fourth, as the Padres set their season high for runs. TINGLER'S HOMECOMINGFirst-year San Diego manager Jayce Tingler capped 13 seasons in the Texas organization with a return to the big league staff when Chris Woodward was hired for the 2019 season. San Diego hadn't announced a starter.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. He is headed to the injured list after just one inning of work in his debut as a Texas Rangers starter. He has a tear in a small muscle in his right shoulder and is not expected to make another start this season if he pitches at all. The right-hander will then be evaluated in about four weeks to determine if he can start throwing again. The Rangers acquired Kluber in a trade from Cleveland in December, adding him to a rotation with All-Star left-hander Mike Minor and hard-throwing veteran Lance Lynn.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (27) makes the tag on Texas Rangers' Elvis Andrus (1) who was attempting to steal in the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)ARLINGTON, Texas Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. A first-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2006, Bard made his big league debut three years later. The Rangers left 12 runners on base, including multiple runners in the fifth through eighth innings. LHP Kyle Freeland, who was 3-11 last season, pitches for Colorado.

Texas Rangers starter Lance Lynn (35) throws the first pitch of an opening day baseball game to Colorado Rockies' David Dahl as Rangers' Robinson Chirinos catches and home plate umpire Jim Reynolds looks on Friday, July 24, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. The pitch was the first ever in a regular season game at Globe Life Field, the Rangers' new ballpark. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)ARLINGTON, Texas Lance Lynn struck out nine in six sharp innings and the Texas Rangers inaugurated their new retractable-roof stadium with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. A LONG WAYRockies All-Star shortstop Trevor Story, who is from nearby Irving, Texas, hit a deep drive to the left-center gap with one on in the eighth inning. SOME SPECTATORSRockies rookie LF Sam Hilliards father, diagnosed two years ago with ALS, was able to attend his sons first MLB opening day.

The setting sun shines through the windows of Globe Life Field during the third inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. The first round will be a best-of-three series and the pairings will be 1 vs. 8, 2-7, 3-6 and 4-5. BRAND NEW HOMEThe Texas Rangers officially open Globe Life Field, their new $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof. Bumgarner signed an $85 million, five-year deal with the D-backs during the offseason after spending 11 years in San Francisco. Roberts said Kershaw might be able to return as early as the team's series against the Diamondbacks that begins July 30.

ARLINGTON, Texas The Texas Rangers have All-Star slugger Joey Gallo back and a bolstered starting rotation for their new home stadium. The unprecedented season sprint opens July 24, when the Rangers finally get to play a game in their new $1.2 billion stadium with a retractable roof. And our players understand that.The Rangers slipped to finish 78-84 last season, still an 11-win improvement over 2018. Left-handers Joe Palumbo and Kolby Allard, who both got multiple starts last season, provide depth in the rotation and could also be relievers. He is now set to be the primary center fielder with DeShields gone and Gallo moving to right field.