Reds first baseman Joey Votto connected for his first career leadoff home run when he drilled an 0-2 pitch from Padres right-hander Chris Paddack to right-center field on Thursday night at Petco Park.

MILWAUKEE -- Cody Bellinger homered over right fielder Christian Yelich in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s game between the Dodgers and Brewers, for his 10th home run of the season, to break a tie with Yelich and take the National League lead. Bellinger lined a 3-2 pitch from Matt

DENVER -- Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado can turn a bad hop into a really sweet one. In the fourth inning on Thursday night at Coors Field, Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins lashed a Kyle Freeland pitch for a two-hopper toward the third-base line. The second hop actually went away from

NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge's plate appearances are still the ones that ease traffic at the concession stands and stadium lavatories, but the Yankees right fielder's defense has been just as worthy of attention so far this year. Judge contributed another stellar defensive play in the fifth inning of the

MINNEAPOLIS -- Blue Jays fans will have to wait at least a few more days before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is called up to make his Major League debut. Toronto's fan base has been waiting on pins and needles for news of Guerrero's imminent arrival. There was some speculation it might

Closer Craig Kimbrel has compiled an impressive resume during his nine seasons in the big leagues, recording a microscopic 1.91 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP, 333 saves and a 14.7 K/9 rate. Below you will find a list of the latest news and rumors surrounding the right-hander, who remains unsigned.

Will Benson, known for his incredible raw power, made history on Thursday night, becoming the first player in Class A Lake County history to homer four times in one night. Benson homered in each of his first four at-bats and finished 4-for-5 with eight RBIs in a 12-6 win over

Identifying future closers isn't easy. Mariano Rivera, baseball's all-time saves leader and only unanimous Hall of Famer, began his pro career as a starter. So did Edwin Diaz and Wade Davis, the league leaders in saves a year ago, and many other pitchers who are nailing down the ninth inning

NEW YORK -- The Yankees believed that a sweep of the Red Sox would serve as a springboard to an extended run, but one evening after their clubhouse was transformed into the city’s most exclusive nightclub, their cold bats ensured that the portable fog machine and strobe lights remained unplugged.

BOSTON -- Dustin Pedroia's latest setback with his problematic left knee landed him on the 10-day injured list, effective Thursday. To fill Pedroia's spot on the roster, the Red Sox will recall righty Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket prior to Friday's game against the Rays. Pedroia, 35, exited Wednesday's game

NEW YORK -- Right-hander Homer Bailey showed on Thursday night that he could be a candidate for American League Comeback Player of the Year. He pitched six solid innings and helped the Royals defeat the Yankees, 6-1, at Yankee Stadium. The Royals have won five of their last seven games

OAKLAND -- Khris Davis fell in love with Oakland the minute he arrived in a trade from Milwaukee in 2016. The slugger made it clear he wanted to remain a member of the A's beyond 2019, and now, it looks like he'll be sticking around a little longer. The A’s

WASHINGTON -- Normally when a team inks a player to a contract as lucrative as the six-year, $140 million deal the Nationals awarded to left-hander Patrick Corbin this winter, that player enters the season as the center of attention. Yet Corbin has managed to fly under the radar at the

SAN DIEGO -- Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the Padres' best on-base weapons, and he’s one of their most exciting, aggressive baserunners. He's a seemingly natural fit at the top of the order. For Thursday’s series opener against the Reds, that’s precisely where the 20-year-old phenom was hitting. Tatis

ANAHEIM -- The Angels had a tough time getting out of Texas after Wednesday’s series finale, as a thunderstorm closed down Dallas Fort Worth International Airport after the game, causing players and staff to remain at Globe Life Park until nearly 2 a.m. CT. The plane didn’t take off until

Jeff McNeil came up to the Mets last July 24 and immediately began doing what he has done since he started in Rookie level in 2013. McNeil hit. In this home run time in baseball, he sprayed line drives all over the field and by the end of the season

On Tuesday night, ESPN's David Schoenfield posited an interesting question on Twitter: Is the Tampa Bay relief combo of Jose Alvarado and Diego Castillo the best in baseball? There's certainly a strong argument for it, to be sure. The pair have yet to allow a run in 18 1/3 combined

Will Leitch’s series on the Data Decade, closing out this remarkable decade in the year of baseball, runs every other week. Today we look at the 10 best shortstops of the decade. You can, in many ways, track the history of baseball over the last 40 years by its shortstops.

After a seven-season tenure with the Astros that included a trio of 200-inning seasons, an American League Cy Young Award in 2015 and an overall 3.66 ERA, Dallas Keuchel is now a free agent. Below, you will find a list of the latest news and rumors surrounding the left-hander. Burnes

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who was at the center of a benches-clearing incident Wednesday when he was drilled by a pitch two innings after flipping his bat on a home run, was not backing down from his pro-bat-flip stance Thursday. "I never looked at one of their players when

DENVER -- The Rockies reinstated outfielder David Dahl and infielder Ryan McMahon, both of whom entered the season as regulars, from the 10-day injured list, and the pair was in Colorado's starting lineup on Thursday night against the Phillies at Coors Field. Dahl started in center field and hit second

Sure, you know the obvious. You know Cody Bellinger is raking and you know Madison Bumgarner is dealing. But some assets are a little less obvious. MLB.com is taking a look at some of the “secret weapons” in each division. In some cases, it’s an unheralded player. In some cases,

The designated-hitter rule has sparked debate ever since it was introduced 46 years ago, and those on both sides of the debate may be as entrenched as ever. But for those who favor pitchers getting the chance to hit in the National League, the early returns from 2019 suggest that

After finishing a distant third in the American League East last season behind the Red Sox and Yankees despite going 90-72, the Rays were generally picked to do so again this year. It’s taken Tampa Bay less than a month to flip the script. As of Thursday, FiveThirtyEight.com projects the