Cespedes’ 3-run HR in 9th lifts A’s over Dodgers

OAKLAND (AP) ― His tender left hand and sore left hamstring both on ice after a big day, Yoenis Cespedes shared how he reminded himself to keep the celebration to a minimum. Just a standard jump for joy at home plate, nothing fancy that could lead to further injuries.“No chance,” he said with a smile, in perfect English.The rookie Cuban slugger hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning for his first career game-ending shot, lifting the Oakland Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodg

June 22, 2012

Ortiz hits grand slam as Red Sox top Marlins 15-5

BOSTON (AP) ― David Ortiz hit a grand slam for one of the Red Sox’s four homers as they set a season high in runs, beating the Miami Marlins 15-5 Wednesday night on the hottest day of the year in Boston.Mike Aviles, Jarod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks also homered one night after Ortiz hit one of Boston’s three homers in a 7-5 victory over Miami.With a game-time temperature of 95 degrees, the Red Sox pounded out 16 hits and won their fourth straight game and sixth in their last seven. The

June 21, 2012

Choo, Indians outslug Reds

CLEVELAND (AP) ― Lonnie Chisenhall already had the homer, triple and single. So when he came to the plate in the eighth inning, Chisenhall had one objective ― a double.And a piece of history.“A cycle is a big deal,” Chisenhall said. “You’ve got to go after it.” Chisenhall lined out to right field in final at-bat but finished with three hits and three RBIs, and Casey Kotchman drove in three runs as the Cleveland Indians ended Cincinnati’s six-game winning streak with a 10-9 win over the Reds on M

June 19, 2012

MLB: Cleveland 10, Cincinnati 9

Lonnie Chisenhall and Casey Kotchman each provided three RBI Monday in the Cleveland Indians' 10-9 interleague slugfest win over Cincinnati.Chisenhall and Kotchman each belted a two-run homer and both delivered run-scoring hits in the decisive sixth inning, when the Indians grabbed a 9-7 lead off Sam LeCure (2-2).Shin-Soo Choo added a solo shot and an RBI double for the Indians, who banged out 13

June 19, 2012

Teixeira, Yankees top Nationals in 14

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Entering the 14th inning, the New York Yankees were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position, and Washington Nationals teen sensation Bryce Harper was 0 for 6 at the plate.The Yankees got off their goose egg. Harper didn’t.Mark Teixeira’s two-run double to the right-field corner made the difference Saturday as the Yankees won their eighth straight game, beating the Nationals 5-3.New York outfielder Dewayne Wise, who cut down a runner at the plate in the eighth inning to keep t

June 17, 2012

Choo hits 2 HRs but Reds sweep Indians

CINCINNATI (AP) ― This Cleveland-versus-Cincinnati series will be remembered for an inside fastball and a wagging finger.Don’t overlook that sweep, though.Brandon Phillips hit one of Cincinnati’s three homers and drove in four more runs on Thursday afternoon, leading the ailing Reds to a 12-5 victory and their first three-game sweep of the Indians since 2008.Joey Votto and Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had a season-high 17 hits.“What a series!” Ludwick said. “What a win!”No surpris

June 15, 2012

Cueto, Votto lead Reds past Indians

CINCINNATI (AP) ― Johnny Cueto allowed only one runner to reach second base during his second complete game of the season, and Joey Votto hit a two-run homer on Tuesday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of their intrastate series.Votto’s shot in the seventh inning off left-hander Tony Sipp made it 57 straight games with at least one home run at Great American Ball Park, the longest active streak in the majors. Votto added an RBI single a

June 13, 2012

Yanks shut out Braves

ATLANTA (AP) ― Ivan Nova said he didn’t have his best stuff, yet he was a big hit ― even at the plate ― in leading the New York Yankees back into first place.Nova combined with four relievers on a five-hitter and the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 3-0 on Monday night to claim a share of first place in the AL East for the first time in seven weeks.“Who would have thought it?” Yankees manager Joe Girardi asked. “I think there’s a lot of parity in the American League this year and I think there ar

June 12, 2012

Kipnis’ HR lifts Indians past Cards

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Chris Perez insisted it was no big deal that his 20th consecutive save came against his old team. The body language begged to differ.The Cleveland Indians closer finished off a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday while battling an upset stomach that left him spitting up fluid between pitches. After getting Adron Chambers on a pop-up with a man on first for the final out, Perez went down to one knee.“I drank some warm water and I ran out there and it just didn’t se

June 11, 2012

Nats spoil Dice-K’s debut

BOSTON (AP) ― The Washington Nationals have quite a one-two punch in their starting rotation.Gio Gonzalez followed Stephen Strasburg’s strong effort a night earlier by pitching 6 1/3 effective innings to carry the Nationals to a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.Gonzalez held Boston to two hits and no runs before leaving with two runners on in the seventh.“We’re talking about two guys that are such talented guys, they have great stuff,” said Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, who caught b

June 10, 2012

Korean baseball attendance continues to rise

Korean baseball fans are coming out in full force this year and breaking attendance records, according to the Korean Baseball Organization on Tuesday.Since the season opened on April 7, the nation’s seven stadiums have seen more than 3 million fans come to enjoy the sport as of Tuesday.The KBO hit the mark just 186 games into the season, breaking last year’s record of 3 million fans in 227 games.On April 29, attendance numbers hit the million mark just 65 games into the season, and on May 18, th

June 5, 2012