LOS ANGELES — The good people of New York like to consider themselves tough. If you can make it there, as Frank Sinatra crooned, you'll make it anywhere.

Do not confuse hot takes with sounding tough. Two New York sports talk hosts this week took daft shots at Joe Davis and came off — in the last adjective with which any true New Yorker ...Read more

ANAHEIM — Three weeks ago, before the story of the Angels’ struggles was their anemic offense, the main problem was their bullpen.

On Wednesday night, they combined the two in a gut-wrenching, 6-5, 10-inning loss to the A’s.

The Angels scored five runs in the first two innings, with all the runs coming on three homers, and then they did ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The crack of the bat reverberated throughout Petco Park. The crowd let out a collective, “Oh.” And Shohei Ohtani started his trot around the bases.

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a valiant effort to bring back the home run. But after leaping and stretching his torso over the top of the wall, the ball ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — It’s been a tough few days in a rough few weeks for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wednesday was a night where things went right.

The Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. The team’s bullpen has been shaky, but Carmen Mlodzinski and four relievers...Read more

Fifty games into the season, coming off another losing road trip (capped by a sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks), boasting the worst offense in baseball, and 10 games under .500, the San Francisco Giants might be cooked.

To anyone crying that it’s only May, I ask one simple question: What, exactly, are these Giants good at?

Because if ...Read more

Too often this season the Boston Red Sox have struggled to battle back late, and lost winnable games; they entered Wednesday night’s series finale in Kansas City 2-23 when trailing after the sixth inning.

But in the top of the seventh, Jarren Duran homered late for the second consecutive game and the Red Sox came back to win 4-3 to sweep the ...Read more

DENVER — Amid the gloom of mounting losses, the Colorado Rockies keep searching for silver linings.

The latest exhibit was outfielder Jake McCarthy’s performance from the leadoff spot in the Rockies’ final-inning, 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Hitting in the top spot for the first time since March ...Read more

DETROIT — You can’t start a winning streak until you win one.

The Detroit Tigers are still searching for the one.

The Cleveland Guardians, who tied the game in the top of the ninth, scored three more runs in the top of the 10th off reliever Tyler Holton and beat the Tigers for the third straight night at Comerica Park, 3-2.

The Tigers ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The New York Mets‘ group of rookies has done well enough to impact games and even help the big league squad win a few of them this season, but there was little offensive impact to be found from veterans and rookies alike when left-hander Zach Thornton made his debut.

Thornton became the fourth homegrown prospect to earn a Major...Read more

SEATTLE — A homestand that started off with the bad kind of sweep ended with a series win.

The Seattle Mariners, a team with glaring weaknesses and inconsistent performances, assuaged the growing discontent among the fanbase and building frustration within their clubhouse with a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox Wednesday afternoon at T-...Read more

PHOENIX — For the first time since Buster Posey’s playing days, the San Francisco Giants have fallen 10 games below .500.

The Giants unceremoniously concluded their three-city trip by being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon with a 6-3 loss. With a 20-30 record, the team is 10 games below .500 for the first time since ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — It looked like a happy homecoming game for Pete Alonso and Shane Baz on Wednesday afternoon.

Alonso, the former Plant High School star, drove in two runs with a single and homer. Baz, the former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, allowed only two hits through six innings.

Then the Rays (33-15) sort of knocked over the punch bowl, tore ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — There have been a lot of changes to the Minnesota Twins roster this week, ones that could carry massive ramifications for how the season looks in a couple of months.

But the team still has Joe Ryan as the ace of its pitching staff.

Ryan allowed one run across six innings to carry the Twins to a 4-1 victory over the Houston ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Right away, José Alvarado knew it was gone.

The Phillies reliever let out a shout of frustration on the mound as soon as the ball left Sal Stewart’s bat. Alvarado had brought Stewart to an 0-2 count, but then hung a cutter, and the Cincinnati Reds rookie promptly sent it to the second deck in left field for his fourth hit of...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — They have the governor and the mayor. Also, the chair of the Hillsborough County Commission.

They have the Legislature and the college president. And even the police and firefighter unions.

In less than a year on the job, the new owners of the Rays have acquired supporters for their stadium deal from politicians and community ...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Francisco Giants lost 5-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday evening at Chase Field as Ketel Marte hit a walk-off three-run homer off left-hander Matt Gage.

San Francisco entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead, but Arizona trimmed the advantage to one run on an RBI single by Adrian Del Castillo off right-...Read more

SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners’ experiment with a piggyback pitching plan could not have started any better.

It could not have finished much worse.

The Mariners’ offense was held to only one hit — a Julio Rodríguez first-inning single — and Luis Castillo couldn’t close out a one-run lead in the ninth inning, as the Chicago White ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Freddie Freeman’s eyes were heavy as he trudged down the dugout steps after running through glove work on the field before the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

The first baseman had been battling flu-like symptoms for days, and the fatigue was evident in the slump of his shoulders.

Several ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — With the Wolves, Wild and Frost eliminated from the postseason, local sports fans now need the Twins to hold their attention until Vikings training camp begins.

They provided plenty of water cooler talking points on Tuesday, demoting former first overall pick Royce Lewis to Class AAA St. Paul, placing Ryan Jeffers (hand surgery)...Read more

Ranger Suarez’s streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings came to an end in a long bottom of the first in which the Kansas City Royals instantly erased a 1-0 Boston Red Sox lead.

But the game-tying run the Red Sox starter allowed in the first inning proved the only run, not only of his 4 1/3-inning outing, but of the Royals’ entire night. ...Read more