ANAHEIM — Once in a while, everything works out optimally.

Even with the Angels.

José Soriano pitched eight dominant innings and the hitters took advantage of a sloppy Chris Sale in the Angels’ 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

And they did it without two of their best hitters. Mike Trout is out with a bruised hand, ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in as many games, the Giants have been sunk by a four-run frame late in a ballgame.

After allowing four runs in the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss, San Francisco (3-8) allowed four runs in the top of the seventh of Monday’s 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies (6-4) at Oracle Park, turning a two-run ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — All it took for the Minnesota Twins offense to show signs of life after a couple of anemic performances was their best hitters looking like, well, their best hitters.

Luke Keaschall lined a go-ahead, two-run homer over the left-field wall in the fourth inning. Byron Buxton ended a 0 for 20 streak with a double. Trevor Larnach ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — When Cal Raleigh’s 12-pitch battle with Jacob deGrom in the top of the first inning ended with a baseball-sized comet traveling into the right-field seats, it seemed like the sort of moment that might unlock an inconsistent Seattle Mariners offense that has been truant a little more than expected this season.

It was ...Read more

DENVER — On Monday, it looked like the baseball gods owed the Colorado Rockies one.

Colorado entered the fifth inning of the series opener against the Houston Astros down 3-0, and got two runs the honest way when Edouard Julien singled home a couple to cut the score to 3-2.

Then came the help from the LoDo heavens in a 9-7 win, marking the ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Germán Márquez turned toward left field to make sure the fly ball was caught and, with another runner stranded at third base at the end of an inning, pumped his right fist in front of his body.

Then he turned and walked toward the dugout, pounding his bare hand against his glove.

His night was finished. He had done his job.

...Read more

TORONTO — Two players with ties to Canada had the big swings for the Los Angeles Dodgers early in a 14-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday, and the Dodgers piled on with a big boost from backup catcher Dalton Rushing.

Left fielder Teoscar Hernández, who escaped the boos during lineup introductions because of the six seasons he spent ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Baltimore Orioles needed a strong pitching performance to stabilize their rotation. It came from one of their most unlikely sources Monday night.

Making his first major league start of the season, Brandon Young threw five scoreless innings to lead the Orioles to a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander was perhaps ...Read more

BOSTON — “Sell the team” chants rang out from fans at Fenway Park for the second consecutive game Monday night.

It was the top of the fourth inning as reliever Danny Coulombe tried in vain to clean up a bases-loaded mess left behind by starter Brayan Bello, pulled by manager Alex Cora after 3 1/3 frenetic innings.

Hours later, the Boston...Read more

CLEVELAND — The Kansas City Royals needed a quality start.

After a tough home series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the bullpen was taxed coming into Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Royals starter Michael Wacha answered the call — with some help. Wacha allowed one earned run in six innings as the Royals won 4-2 over the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The St. Louis Cardinals found a limit to their early habit of coming back.

Down early and tied in the middle, the Cardinals found multiple ways to take a lead Monday night against the Washington Nationals.

They just could not overcome their bullpen.

The Nationals hit three home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to ...Read more

TORONTO — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts struck an optimistic tone in front of his locker at Rogers Centre on Monday. But neither he nor manager Dave Roberts put a date on the star’s return from a right oblique strain.

“Just as fast as possible,” Betts said. “But obviously, I know I need to be smart with obliques. They ...Read more

NEW YORK — The New York Mets are going to be without Juan Soto for a little while.

The star slugger landed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right calf strain. Soto left Friday’s 10-3 win in San Francisco after experiencing tightness while running the bases.

The Mets said an injury like Soto’s typically carries a recovery time of ...Read more

DETROIT — When the Detroit Tigers gave them an inch, the St. Louis Cardinals took the game.

With a series of misplays that might seem vaguely familiar for these two teams in cold weather, the Cardinals capitalized on a double play that didn’t happen and an error that certainly did to upend an early deficit. From there, the Cardinals’ ...Read more

CLEVELAND — For 16 innings Sunday, Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ produced a forgettable day at the plate.

Happ had, at one point, struck out in six consecutive at-bats in the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. When the Cubs needed a big swing, though, he came through. In the eighth inning of Game 2, Happ slugged his fourth ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox improved to 3-0 at home for the first time since 2004 with Sunday’s 3-0 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of 22,325 at Rate Field.

The Sox completed their first three-game home sweep of Toronto since Sept. 1-3, 1995. According to Stats Perform, it’s the first time the Sox (4-5) have swept the ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The weather wasn’t an issue like the season-opening homestand. There was no bitter cold to make things difficult. Instead, weather in Orange County couldn’t have been much better over the weekend, specifically a Sunday afternoon in the mid-80s with a thin layer of clouds making the sunshine less intense.

There wasn’t a...Read more

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees faced a couple of curveballs before they even saw a pitch Sunday.

First came the rain, a steady downpour in the Bronx that delayed the start of their series finale against the Miami Marlins by three hours and 35 minutes.

As they waited, the Marlins changed their pitching plans, opting to open Sunday’s game ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — The phrase “next man up” might belong on the list of Crash Davis cliches, especially since the New York Mets‘ lineup is built to avoid having an overreliance on one hitter. But with Juan Soto and Brett Baty both out Sunday, Jared Young and Luis Torrens stepped up for the Mets in a big way.

The Mets crushed the San ...Read more