SAN DIEGO — Jackson Merrill practically glows at the ballpark.

He is the youngest San Diego Padres player and the most obviously excited to be playing baseball every day.

He knows the energy he brings is a component of his value. He and the veterans who have encouraged him to embrace a leadership role have said so.

On Wednesday morning in ...Read more

PHOENIX — The math is simple: No runs, no wins.

The Detroit Tigers will come home to Comerica Park on Friday on a four-game losing streak after being swept at Chase Field by the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing the finale Wednesday, 1-0.

"What started out as a promising trip turned rough here," manager AJ Hinch said.

Going back to the series ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Junior Caminero, the Rays’ best player, already was having a bad Wednesday.

He’d made two throwing errors from third base in the third inning — his second multi-error game in the season’s first week — and gone 0 for 4 at the plate, striking out twice and grounding into a double play to end the eighth in what at that ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Angels’ 6-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon came down to one inning when nothing went right.

The Angels failed to make the pitches or defensive plays they needed to make and — according to umpires — they even failed to correctly call for a replay review that could have changed everything.

It ended up with ...Read more

They held a Colorado pitching showcase in Toronto on Thursday afternoon.

The duel featured Rockies veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, a 2010 Thomas Jefferson High School graduate, vs. Blue Jays veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman, a 2011 Grandview High grad. Both pitchers dominated.

And don’t forget that reliever Tyler Rogers, a Colorado ...Read more

Time after time, the Mets had opportunities to break Wednesday afternoon’s game open.

And time after time, their new-look lineup failed to come through.

The Mets went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Their struggles loomed particularly ...Read more

It’s hard to imagine this Boston Red Sox season getting off to a worse start.

Since coming out of the gate with a standout Opening Day performance, the Red Sox have repeatedly faceplanted over the rest of their season-opening road trip. The offense hasn’t hit, the starting pitching hasn’t come through and the supposedly improved defense ...Read more

Umpire C.B. Bucknor's difficult week continued on Wednesday when he left a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers after a foul ball hit him flush in the face mask.

Tampa Bay's Nick Fortes fouled a 100-mph fastball from Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski straight back. The ball struck Bucknor, who immediately turned and dropped to his ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The kids have arrived, and it looks like they’re here to stay.

Orioles rookies Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers both hit their first home runs of the season on Wednesday in an 8-3 thrashing of the Texas Rangers. The team’s two top prospects entering the season, Basallo (2 for 5, RBI, run) and Beavers (3 for 5, RBI, 3 runs), ...Read more

CINCINNATI — After an atypical opening day start, Paul Skenes was looking for a return to his typical self.

He did that Wednesday afternoon, throwing five innings of one-run ball to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 8-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The win earned the Pirates their first series victory of the ...Read more

The Chicago White Sox home opener has been pushed back a day because of showers and thunderstorms in the forecast.

The Sox were scheduled to play host to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon in their first game of the season at Rate Field. The home opener now will take place at 1:10 p.m. Friday.

Parking lots will open at 10 a.m., and ...Read more

MIAMI — The slider ran into the heart of the strike zone, and Liam Hicks didn’t waste the opportunity.

The Miami Marlins’ catcher lifted the pitch with a simple swing, sending it 347 feet and off the top of the right-field wall at loanDepot park for a two-run home run in the second inning of Miami’s eventual 10-0 series-clinching win ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Kyle Schwarber batted in the seventh inning Wednesday, Bryce Harper inched closer and closer to home plate before umpire Tripp Gibson told him to step back toward the on-deck circle.

It was the baseball equivalent of a false start.

Come to think of it, the first homestand of the season felt like one big false start for the ...Read more

The sprinkling of rain Tuesday added a new element to what’s becoming a familiar sight at Dodger Stadium: Shohei Ohtani walking off the mound and immediately strapping on the various guards and batting gloves he wears to hit.

In the Dodgers’ 4-1 win on Tuesday — as Ohtani held the Guardians to one hit through six scoreless innings in his ...Read more

They couldn’t hit Yankees ace Max Fried.

They didn’t pitch particularly well.

And they looked disoriented at times on defense.

Other than all that, a banner day for the Seattle Mariners.

Six games in, the Mariners had their first blah performance of the season in a forgettable 5-0 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night before a crowd of 32...Read more

Phoenix – The Tigers have been living quite well so far this young season on the big inning.

Like one big inning per game.

But, as it played out Tuesday, it’s not a sustainable method of survival.

The Arizona Diamondbacks trumped the Tigers’ one and only scoring frame with a six-run explosion in the bottom of the eighth, winning 7-5 at ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Giants’ offense has gradually come to life following back-to-back shutout losses to begin the season.

San Francisco’s lineup scored only one run on Saturday en route to being swept by the Yankees, but it amassed nine hits and scored its first run of the season. On Monday, Harrison Bader hit the team’s first home run as ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Just taking the mound and pitching in a major league game for the first time in 2 1/2 years made Tuesday a success for Rays lefty Shane McClanahan.

His actual results were really good, at least until the end.

McClanahan didn’t allow a hit through his first four innings, but the fifth got a little messy. He allowed two walks and...Read more

ST. LOUIS — A Cardinals pitching staff that showed some stability Monday after getting bruised for 11 runs the day before held tight Tuesday to shut out a star-studded Mets lineup.

Starting with Andre Pallante’s five innings in his season debut, the Cardinals held the Mets scoreless and to three hits in a 3-0 win at Busch Stadium. Behind ...Read more