They are two longtime Dodger villains, hated for two vastly different reasons.

As the last remaining position player from the Houston Astros’ trash-can-banging, and (in the eyes of most Dodgers fans) World Series-stealing 2017 championship team, Jose Altuve always receives a rude welcome from the fans at Chavez Ravine.

As one of the most ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — By posting a 2.93 ERA and holding hitters to a .217 average over his first 40 innings out of the bullpen this season, Ben Casparius pitched his way into the Dodgers’ depleted starting rotation.

He is pitching his way back to the bullpen.

Casparius was ripped for six runs in the first three innings Friday night, and things ...Read more

Fans who attended Chase Field on Friday night were promised fireworks in celebration of the Fourth of July.

Little did they know their ticket would include an additional show.

The Kansas City Royals rolled into town sitting on a powder keg. Their dormant offense needed the right environment to ignite and the right player to light a spark.

...Read more

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Giants flew out of Phoenix with much-needed good vibes. Camilo Doval redeemed himself on Wednesday, and Robbie Ray shoved on Thursday. They salvaged a split of their four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, arriving in West Sacramento with a chance to win three in a row for the first time in weeks.

They ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Max Muncy first went down on Wednesday night, clutching his left knee and writhing in pain after a collision with Chicago White Sox baserunner Michael A. Taylor on a steal attempt at third base, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes couldn’t help but let his mind go to a dark place.

“Obviously, [there were] a lot of ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Manager AJ Hinch wasn’t playing any "scene of the crime" games Friday night. Yes, Progressive Field is where the Tigers’ playoff run ended last season. But as far as bringing any emotional leftovers into this series?

“No,” he said flatly. “This is a team we know well and it’s a team we’ve played a lot of close games ...Read more

ATLANTA — Charlie Morton is no stranger to watching fireworks over the Battery skyline.

The right-hander returned to Atlanta on Friday to face the team with whom he spent the past four seasons and won a World Series in 2021, outdueling Braves ace Spencer Strider to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a July 4 win, 3-2.

Jordan Westburg, back in the...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Padres walked off 3-2 win in 10 innings on Friday evening over the Texas Rangers to begin the final homestand before the All-Star break.

Time will tell if if they’ve lost their shortstop for a stretch.

Xander Bogaerts grabbed at his right hamstring after swinging at the first pitch he saw with the bases loaded in the bottom...Read more

TORONTO — Jo Adell delivered in a huge clutch moment on Friday night.

Unfortunately for the Angels, no one else could.

Adell’s game-tying three-run homer in the seventh inning was the Angels’ only hit in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and they lost 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in 10 innings.

Sam Bachman made a throwing ...Read more

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies’ Fourth of July was a Yankee Doodle dud.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Adrian Houser made sure of that, pitching eight strong innings in the Sox’s 3-2 victory Friday night at Coors Field.

The White Sox, who lost a modern-era record 121 games last season, entered the night with a 9-35 road record, worst in ...Read more

DENVER — Colson Montgomery was initially caught off guard.

“I was in the cage hitting (with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday), and one of our coaches told me to go into the manager’s office,” Montgomery said Friday afternoon. “I was confused why because there were 25 minutes before the game.

“I had my bat and coffee, and I was kind ...Read more

NEW YORK — It didn’t take long for Juan Soto to reverse his Subway Series fortune.

Seven weeks after he was booed relentlessly by Yankees fans during a rough weekend in the Bronx, the Mets slugger launched a two-run home run in Friday afternoon’s first inning as the interborough rivalry shifted to Citi Field.

Soto admired the 393-foot ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs celebrated the Fourth of July by putting on the biggest fireworks display in franchise history.

The Cubs hit a team-record eight home runs Friday — led by three from Michael Busch and two from Pete-Crow Armstrong — as they rolled to an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series at...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Harrison Bader hit the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning for a walk-off home run, lifting the Twins past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on a hot Friday afternoon at Target Field.

The homer off Kevin Kelly was the second of the game for Bader, and completed a comeback from a 3-1 deficit as the Twins started a nine-game ...Read more

It looked like Michael Soroka had the Boston Red Sox figured out.

They took a 2-0 lead on a Ceddanne Rafaela RBI double and Jarren Duran RBI single in the second, but then the Washington Nationals right-hander set the Sox down in order in the third and worked around David Hamilton’s two-out single and 14th stolen base in the fourth, striking...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A carousel of Reds spun around and around the bases in the Phillies’ Independence Day loss to Cincinnati.

All six batters starter Jesús Luzardo faced in the third inning reached base until he was lifted for Joe Ross. Five of them ended up scoring in what was ultimately a 9-6 Phillies loss to open the series.

Luzardo had ...Read more

SEATTLE — With how much they’ve been asked to pitch lately, there was bound to be a time when the Seattle Mariners bullpen would eventually falter.

All those extra innings in Texas and a handful of shorter-than-expected starts from the starters seemed to catch up to the Mariners bullpen on Thursday night.

The bullpen that was mostly ...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Francisco Giants went into their series finale at Chase Field with a noticeably depleted bullpen.

Last night’s 6-5 win, 10-inning win required manager Bob Melvin to use five relievers: Erik Miller, Spencer Bivens, Randy Rodríguez, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval. Doval, in particular, blew a save in the ninth before locking...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts had some goals in mind for starting pitcher Dustin May on Thursday. And they had little to do with the final result.

“The first thing is his ability to go deeper in games,” the Los Angeles Dodger manager said. “The sweeper has got to be a more effective pitch. His sinker has got to be more effective.

“I ...Read more