TOMMY PHAM

Justin Verlander has declined a $25 million option with the Houston Astros to become a free agent.

Michael Wacha pitched seven innings in his return from a shoulder injury, and Rafael Devers homered to lead the last-place Boston Red Sox past the division-leading New York Yankees 3-0.

Michael Wacha and the last-place Red Sox made short work of the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Pitching for the first time in almost seven weeks, Wacha returned from a shoulder injury to limit New York to a pair of singles in seven innings, and Boston beat the Yankees 3-0 on Sunday night. “I feel like I work better that way,” said Wacha, who took a perfect game into the fifth inning.

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This is quite a time to be a season ticket holder for the San Diego Padres.

The trade market got busy ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, with the New York Yankees acquiring pitcher Frankie Montas from Oakland for four prospects.

Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning for the first walkoff RBI of his major league career, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals over Cincinnati 5-4 on Saturday in yet another Reds bullpen collapse. “Off the bat, I honestly didn't think it was going to get out,” Edman said. St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 316th start together, tying the Boston and Milwaukee Braves’ Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for second-most behind the 324 of Detroit’s Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout says he's talked to Cincinnati outfielder Tommy Pham and San Francisco outfielder Joc Pederson about their fantasy football dispute.

Luis Castillo struck out 10 while pitching six innings of one-hit ball, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Boston 2-1 for their first victory at Fenway Park since Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.

Bobby Witt Jr. began the season as a highly rated prospect and looks like he’s starting to heat up.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham has been suspended by Major League Baseball for three games after San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson said Pham slapped him because of a dispute about their fantasy football league.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson said Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapped him prior to Friday’s series opener over a dispute about their fantasy football league.

Pittsburgh emergency catcher Josh VanMeter had a rough time in his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager, and the Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 in the opener of a doubleheader.

Tommy Pham and Kyle Farmer weren't happy about Luke Voit's slide, which gave Tyler Stephenson a concussion.

José Ramírez homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Owen Miller hit two home runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 for their fourth straight win.

Cincinnati Reds corner outfielders Nick Castillo and Jesse Winker were All-Star Game starters for the National League last year. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez slammed 129 home runs in the last four seasons and was a fan favorite.

The Cincinnati Reds have signed free agent outfielder Tommy Pham, trying to boost a spot where a pair of All-Stars no longer play.

Major League Baseball’s free-agent frenzy was fun while it lasted.

Corey Seager hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning, when the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep four times to rally past the San Diego Padres 11-9.

Max Scherzer of the Los Angeles Dodgers has become the 19th player in major league history with 3,000 strikeouts.

Tyler Gilbert became the first pitcher in 68 years to throw a no-hitter in his first big league start, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks over the San Diego Padres 7-0 Saturday night with the record-tying eighth no-hitter in the majors this season.

Yu Darvish left a rocky start early with lower back tightness, and the Arizona Diamondbacks took advantage to beat the San Diego Padres 12-3.

Four San Diego relievers combined to toss four scoreless innings and the Padres defeated the Washington Nationals 10-4 in the completion of a game that was suspended the previous night because of a shooting outside the stadium.

Jake Cronenworth hit for his first career cycle, Wil Myers had two homers including a grand slam, and the San Diego Padres blew out the Washington Nationals 24-8.

Rookie reliever Daniel Camarena hit a stunning grand slam off Washington ace Max Scherzer and the San Diego Padres overcame an eight-run deficit, finally beating the Nationals 9-8 on Trent Grisham’s RBI single in the ninth inning.

The Arizona Diamondbacks snapped their record 24-game road losing streak by routing the San Diego Padres 10-1, getting six strong innings from Merrill Kelly and four hits and five RBIs from Eduardo Escobar.

San Diego slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. hit three homers, hours after saying he would skip the All-Star Home Run Derby because of an ailing shoulder, and the Padres sent the Arizona Diamondbacks to their record 24th straight road loss, 11-5.

Jake Cronenworth and rookie Kim Ha-seong homered off Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell pitched five scoreless innings and the San Diego Padres got their third straight win against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2.

Yu Darvish struck out 11 in six brilliant innings to become the fastest big leaguer to reach 1,500 for his career, Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth homered and the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the opener of a three-game series between the NL West rivals.

Manny Machado and Brian O’Grady each homered and had three RBIs to lead the San Diego Padres over the Chicago Cubs 9-4 in the opener of a three-game series between National League contenders.

Javier Báez lined a two-run homer, Anthony Rizzo had two doubles among three hits and the surging Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 on for their third straight win and ninth in 10 games.

Patrick Wisdom hit his third homer in two games, Willson Contreras also went deep and the surging Chicago Cubs beat San Diego 4-3 after Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. left with an injury.

Fernando Tatis Jr. became the fastest shortstop in history to hit 50 home runs, punctuating his three-run shot with a bat flip, and made another spectacular defensive play for the San Diego Padres, who routed the Seattle Mariners 16-1 for their seventh straight win.

Joe Musgrove got through five innings for his first victory since throwing a no-hitter on April 9, and San Diego beat St. Louis 5-4 in the first meeting between the teams since the Padres eliminated the Cardinals from the playoffs last year.

Fernando Tatís Jr. scored on Eric Hosmer’s sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and the San Diego Padres rallied from a late six-run deficit for an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fernando Tatís Jr. hit two homers at Dodger Stadium on the 22nd anniversary of his father hitting two grand slams in one inning at the same park, and the San Diego Padres earned their third straight victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1.

Eric Hosmer delivered the tying and go-ahead RBIs in the seventh and eighth innings, helping the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 to avoid a sweep in the first series of the year between the NL West rivals.

Mookie Betts made an outstanding diving catch and Clayton Kershaw starred on the mound and at the plate, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers top the San Diego Padres 2-0 in another compelling thriller between the NL West rivals.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove has thrown the first no-hitter in the history of his hometown team.

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.

I’m sure he’ll do that.”The Astros have also had a lousy go with runners on base. THE KID AND THE ACEOff to an impressive start in his first postseason, Atlanta rookie Ian Anderson faces Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series. CHANGE OF SOXAfter ending a 12-year playoff drought, the Chicago White Sox are looking for a new manager. The club announced Monday that Renteria won’t return after guiding the White Sox to a 35-25 record in his pandemic-shortened fourth season. Hahn said Renteria’s replacement probably will come from outside the White Sox.

“It’s going to take a while to wind down from that one,” said Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP. “Certainly turned out being the difference in the game,” Padres rookie manager Jayce Tingler said. Leading off the next inning, Bellinger went after a low pitch and drove it 433 feet to center to make it 4-1. When the Dodgers went to bat after Bellinger's catch, Justin Turner had a sacrifice fly and Muncy his second RBI single to make it 6-3. I’ll keep thinking through it.”HOMER NOTESThe Padres became the first team in 20 games this postseason to lose when outhomering their opponent.

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Dylan Floro works against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Denver. While Clevinger was among the 15 pitchers on the Padres roster released Tuesday, fellow starter Dinelson Lamet was again left off because of injury. The Dodgers added a pitcher to their roster for the NLDS, where they will have 14 pitchers and 14 position players after carrying only 13 pitchers for the first round series against Milwaukee. Right-handed reliever Dylan Floro (3-0, 2.59 ERA) was the pitcher added for the longer NLDS. The Padres last week became the first team to use eight or more pitchers in three consecutive playoff games.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)SAN DIEGO – Given a chance to catch their breath after a crazy month and a half, the St. Louis Cardinals settled into the playoffs with yet another win against the San Diego Padres. San Diego native Tommy Edman singled and Goldschmidt homered to left. Dylan Carlson doubled, 38-year-old Yadier Molina hit an RBI single and Paul DeJong doubled before Matt Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly. Kim allowed Eric Hosmer’s sac fly in the first, Aaron Nola’s sac fly in the second and Tommy Pham’s RBI single in the third. Dexter Fowler hit an RBI single in the ninth off Trevor Rosenthal, who started his big league career with the Cardinals.

Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam and the top-seeded Rays won a postseason series for the first time in 12 years, overpowering the young Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 Wednesday to finish a two-game sweep of their wild-card matchup. Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer off Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu during Tampa Bay's big inning. Ryu was rocked for a season-high seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, the lefty's shortest outing of the season for the wild-card Blue Jays. I’m proud of my kids to make it to this point," second-year Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. Ryu signed with the Blue Jays in free agency last winter after being an All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers and finishing second in NL Cy Young Award balloting in 2019.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Mike Clevinger works against a Los Angeles Angels batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres might have suffered a blow to the front of their playoff rotation when right-hander Mike Clevinger was suddenly pulled after only one inning in his start Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Manager Jayce Tingler said on Tuesday that Clevinger threw a bullpen session on Monday and seemed good to go for Wednesday afternoon’s start. Clevinger, obtained in a blockbuster trade with Cleveland on Aug. 31, breezed through a perfect first inning on 12 pitches, including striking out Mike Trout and David Fletcher. Ohtani's seventh homer went an estimated 430 feet into what's ordinarily a beer deck.

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.

With a chance to tie the big league mark of four home runs in one game, Betts reached on an infield single in the seventh. Betts was hit by a pitch and scored on Corey Seager's two-run shot to right on an 0-2 pitch from Chris Paddack (2-2). Betts connected on a two-run shot to left field with two outs in the second for a 5-2 lead. Austin Barnes and Betts went deep back-to-back in the fourth, extending the Dodgers' lead to 9-2. Barnes' two-run shot landed in the left-field pavilion and Betts followed with a solo shot to the same area.

Posey a six-time All-Star and 2012 NL MVP said his family finalized the adoption of identical twin girls this week. Holt has a young family and his wife is pregnant, but he decided to leave them at home while he went to Milwaukee for the next three months. First baseman and team leader Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith, right-hander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma tested positive for coronavirus. Epstein said two coaches tested positive prior to the intake process. A front office member tested positive during the intake.

San Diego announced last week that outfielder Tommy Pham tested positive for coronavirus and was asymptomatic. The Giants, meanwhile, resumed workouts at Oracle Park after receiving test results from Saturday, all of which were negative for players and staff. The only Texas players still not cleared to participate are right fielder Joey Gallo and left-hander Brett Martin, both of whom tested positive for coronavirus. Also, Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr., who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, is traveling to Cleveland after he had one negative test. Theres nothing that we can do about it.The Cubs have thus far avoided any positive tests, a development outfielder Kyle Schwarber insists cannot be attributed to mere luck.

At Citi Field, Mets two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom ran sprints by himself in shallow right field, then grabbed his personal bag of baseballs to throw off a bullpen mound. Major League Baseball said the All-Star Game, scheduled for July 14 at Dodger Stadium, has been canceled. You have to come down to the field one way and back off the field another way, Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer said. When Rougned Odor pulled a home run into the right field seats in an intrasquad game, there was a smattering of applause. Im kind of expecting weird, expecting things to be different, manager Chris Woodward said later.