Shohei Ohtani was listed second on the Los Angeles Angels’ lineup card and slotted as the designated hitter Friday against the New York Mets despite his serious elbow injury.

Ohtani was removed from the mound in Wednesday’s start against the Cincinnati Reds after 26 pitches, and the Angels announced after the game that he will not pitch again this season due to a torn ligament in his right elbow.

Ohtani previously had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after the 2018 season. The two-way superstar will seek a second medical opinion before making a decision regarding another potential surgery that would surely affect his upcoming free agency this offseason.

Until Ohtani’s recovery plan is set, the major-league home run leader plans to continue playing as a designated hitter.

“He’s going to play. So, as far as a second opinion goes, they’re still working on that,” general manager Perry Minasian told reporters. “Him and his representation are going to come up with a plan but as we sit here today, he’s going to play until he tells us he’s not.”

Ohtani finishes the year as a pitcher with a 10-5 record and an ERA of 3.14 with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings.

Ohtani is batting .304 with a 1.069 OPS, and his 44 home runs are two shy of his career high.

Star teammate Mike Trout returned to the injured list Friday as he continues to recover from a fractured bone in his left wrist.

Trout returned from a 38-game absence to go 1 for 4 on Tuesday but has not played since due to lingering soreness.

Corbin Carroll hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to their fifth straight win, 3-2 over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.

After the Reds scored twice in the top of the eighth to take the lead, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the bottom half with a walk. Alex Young got Evan Longoria to fly out before Carroll followed with his 22nd home run of the season for a 3-2 lead.

Miguel Castro got the final out of the eighth for the win and Paul Sewald worked around a one-out walk in the ninth for his seventh save since joining the Diamondbacks.

Arizona has won eight of nine to move past Cincinnati and San Francisco into sole possession of the third and final NL wild-card spot.

Merrill Kelly had a stellar start for Arizona, allowing one hit over seven scoreless innings while matching a career high with 12 strikeouts before leaving with an undisclosed injury. 

He was warming up in the eighth but grimaced after throwing a pitch. Kelly walked around the mound for a few seconds before leaving the field with Arizona’s medical staff.

Rookie Brandon Williamson was almost as good for Cincinnati, yielding six hits in six shutout innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Nick Senzel had a pinch-hit home run in the eighth for the Reds, who had a three-game overall winning streak snapped and fell to 0-4 this season against the Diamondbacks.

Jeffers hits late HR as Twins extend Rangers’ slump

Pinch-hitter Ryan Jeffers hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning, Michael A. Taylor went deep twice and the Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers 7-5 Thursday, handing the Rangers their seventh straight loss.

The Twins entered the eighth trailing by a run but tied the game when Matt Wallner scored from first on a Carlos Correa double. With two outs, Jeffers pitch hit for Edouard Julien and hit the go-ahead blast off Will Smith.

Royce Lewis and Kyle Farmer also went deep for Minnesota, while Texas came up short despite home runs from Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Leody Tavares.

Twins Reliever Josh Winder held the Rangers hitless in three innings to keep the game close, and Griffin Jax induced a game-ending double play for his second save of the season.

Minnesota expanded its lead in the AL Central to six games with the win, while Texas failed to expand on its one-game lead in the AL West.

Verdugo, Abreu help Red Sox rip Astros

Alex Verdugo and rookie Wilyer Abreu each had four hits and a home run to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 17-1 rout over the Houston Astros.

Verdugo led off the game with his home run and finished 4 for 7, while Abreu was 4 for 5 with a walk.

Every player in Boston’s starting lineup had at least one hit and at least one RBI as the Red Sox had the highest-scoring game of their season.

Red Sox starter Brayan Bello earned his 10th win, working around nine hits and three walks to allow one run in seven innings.

Boston has won 10 of its last 15 games but still trails Houston and Seattle by 3 ½ games in the chase for the AL’s final wild card spot.

Stephen Strasburg's star-crossed MLB career is coming to an end.

The three-time All-Star and 2019 World Series MVP reportedly plans to retire at age 35.

The news was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday.

When healthy, Strasburg was one of the top pitchers in baseball, but since signing a seven-year, $245million contract just after leading the Nationals to the franchise's first championship, injuries have derailed his career, limiting him to eight starts in the last four seasons.

The first overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft, Strasburg broke onto the scene as a 21-year-old a year later, striking out 14 over seven innings in his MLB debut on June 8, 2010.

From 2012-2019, he went 106-54 with a 3.21 ERA and 1,579 strikeouts - the fifth most in MLB over that span. His 242 strikeouts in 2014 led the NL.

He won a league-best and career-high 18 games in 2019, and shined in the playoffs, going 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA with 47 strikeouts over 36 1/3 innings across six games.

Fresh off a World Series title, the Nationals rewarded him with a massive payday, but he's endured a number of arm injuries, and has managed to pitch just 31 1/3 innings.

In 2021, he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a procedure that included the removal of a rib and two neck muscles. Since then, he has been unable to return to full strength.

He missed almost all of the 2011 season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Nationals were extremely cautious with his health upon his return, monitoring his innings.

They famously shut him down in September 2012, and kept him from pitching in the playoffs, despite the fact he earned his first All-Star Game selection and won 15 games with a 3.16 ERA for the NL East champions. The decision to take the ball away from their ace was highly scrutinized and possibly cost the team a chance at a championship, as Washington lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series.

Seven years later, the Nationals finally were vindicated for shutting down their best pitcher, with Strasburg winning both of his starts against the Houston Astros in the World Series.

He last pitched June 9, 2022 - his lone appearance last year - permitting seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Miami Marlins.

In 247 career starts, he went 113-62 with a 3.24 ERA and 1,723 strikeouts in 1,470 innings.

Among pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 innings, his strikeout rate of 10.55 ranks seventh in MLB history.

Shohei Ohtani’s likely MVP season took a major hit Wednesday night, when it was revealed that the two-way superstar has a tear in his elbow ligament that will prevent him from pitching the rest of the season.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said the team didn’t know yet whether Ohtani will need surgery to repair the UCL ligament.

Ohtani left the mound in the middle of an at-bat during the second inning Wednesday in a doubleheader opener because of arm fatigue.

He served as the designated hitter in the nightcap and went 1 for 5 with a run scored. Ohtani has missed only two games all season, none since May 2.

Ohtani didn’t speak to the media after the game because he was getting further evaluation, but manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani told him that his pitching arm “just didn’t feel right.”

“He told me he didn’t feel any pain,” Nevin said after the Angels’ 9-4 loss in the opener. “It was just more of the same thing he’s been feeling for the last couple of weeks.”

Ohtani hit major league-leading 44th homer in the first inning of the opener, a two-run shot.

The superstar has struggled with blisters, cramps and other minor injuries to his pitching hand, but he was able to pitch through them while continuing to play every day at DH.

Ohtani is almost certain to win his second AL MVP award in three seasons. He entered the day 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA on the mound and his home run gave him 91 RBIs.

Aaron Judge had the first three-homer game of his career, and the New York Yankees snapped their first nine-game losing streak in 41 years with a 9-1 rout of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Judge took starter MacKenzie Gore over the Yankees bullpen in right-centre in he first inning and opened a 6-0 lead the following inning with his fifth career grand slam.

He combined with DJ LeMahieu for back-to-back homers in the seventh with a shot over the right-field wall just inside the foul pole.

Judge, who notched his 32nd career multihomer game, drove in six runs for the third time in his career.

The reigning AL MVP is batting .279 with 27 home runs and 54 RBIs in 72 games. He missed nearly eight weeks because of a sprained right toe before returning late last month.

Last-place New York avoided what would have been its first 10-game losing streak since 1913.

Luis Severino allowed one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, ending an 0-4 stretch since he beat Kansas City on July 23.

Ian Hamilton pitched 1 1/3 innings and Wandy Peralta gave up a home run to Dominic Smith in the ninth to spoil the shutout.

Ohtani hits 44th homer, then exits mound early as Reds sweep

The day began splendidly for Shohei Ohtani, with the two-way superstar hitting his major league-leading 44th homer in the first inning of the Los Angeles Angels’ first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds.

One inning later, however, he left the mound due to arm fatigue and the Reds went on to win 9-4 behind Elly De La Cruz’s career-high six RBIs.

Ohtani threw 26 pitches before he departed with a 2-2 count against Christian Encarnacion-Strand, following a discussion with trainers.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said after the game that Ohtani said his pitching arm “just didn’t feel right.”

The Reds took a 4-3 lead on De La Cruz’s three-run home run in the fifth inning, his 11th of the season. Two innings later, the 21-year-old rookie shortstop hit a bases-clearing triple.

His six RBIs were one shy of the single-game rookie franchise record, established by Robin Jennings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 31, 2001.

Ohtani served as the Angels’ designated hitter in Game 2 and went 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Tyler Stephenson and Matt McLain each hit two-run homers to lift the Reds to a 7-3 win in Game 2. They swept the three-game series and moved into sole possession of the third and final NL wild-card spot.

DeJong has memorable debut with Giants

Just one day after signing with the San Francisco Giants, Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and had a two-run single in the 10th in an 8-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Giants closer Camilo Doval blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Bryce Harper’s three-run home run that rang off the foul pole in right field.

That set the stage for DeJong, who singled with the bases loaded in the 10th to put San Francisco back on top, 7-5.

He signed with the Giants on Tuesday one day after he was released by Toronto.

Thairo Estrada added a sacrifice fly and Ryan Walker retired Trea Turner with a man on second for the save.

Josh Rojas hit a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners matched a season high with their eighth straight win, 6-3 over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

The eight-game streak is the second this month for the Mariners, who moved a season-high 16 games over .500 by improving to 33-13 since July 1.  

They moved within one game of AL West-leading Texas and remained one game ahead of Toronto in the race for the third and final wild-card spot.

Rookie Bryan Woo allowed one run and three hits over four innings after he was reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day.

Six relievers followed with Justin Topa getting four outs for the win and Andres Munoz striking out Luis Robert Jr. for his eighth save.

Seattle went ahead to stay on RBI singles by Mike Ford and J.P. Crawford in the second inning, and Rojas homered after Ford drew an eight-pitch walk in the fourth.

The Mariners again played without star center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who was scratched because of an illness after he missed Monday’s win for rest.

Before their eighth loss in 10 games, the White Sox fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn, cutting ties with their baseball leadership amid a hugely disappointing season.

Nationals keep Yankees reeling

Josiah Gray pitched six strong innings, CJ Abrams hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Yankees 2-1, extending their longest losing streak in over 40 years.

The last-place Yankees dropped their ninth straight game for the first time since 1982 and fell 10 ½ games back of the final AL wild card spot.

New York had just two hits – both by rookie Ben Rortvedt – and scored their only run on his third-inning home run.

Gray allowed one hit and one run in six innings while walking five and striking out four.

Turner’s walk-off hit lifts Phillies

Trea Turner delivered a two-run single in the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 win over the struggling San Francisco Giants.

Giants closer Camilo Doval was called on to protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth but hit leadoff batter Bryson Stott and gave up a one-out single to Brandon Marsh, putting runners on the corners.

After Marsh stole second and Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked, Turner lined a shot off Doval’s glove and into center field to score the tying and winning runs.

The Giants have lost 12 of 16 to fall behind the Cubs and Arizona into a tie with Cincinnati for fourth in the wild-card race.

The Chicago White Sox fired front office executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn Tuesday, moving on from the longtime leadership pairing amid another disappointing season.

Williams had been Chicago’s executive vice president for 11 seasons after previously serving as the club’s general manager for 12 years. Hanh took over the GM role when Williams was promoted in October 2012.

The club announced the change in leadership by releasing a statement on social media, ending a disappointing era for the White Sox, who entered play Tuesday in fourth place in the AL Central with a 49-76 record.

The White Sox have not won a postseason series since their World Series title in 2005 and have made just three playoff appearances in that span.

“This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to make,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Ken is like a son to me, and I will always consider him a member of my family.

“I want to personally thank Ken and Rick for all they have done for the Chicago White Sox, winning the 2005 World Series and reaching the postseason multiple times during their tenures.”

The club said in the statement that the search for a new head of baseball operations will begin immediately, and the White Sox hope to fill the position before the end of the season.

Jeremy Haber and Chris Getz served as assistant general managers under Hahn, but the White Sox did not say if internal candidates would be considered for promotion.

Chicago snapped an 11-year playoff drought in 2020 and followed by winning the Central with a 93-69 record in 2021.

Several key contributors from that 2021 squad moved on to other teams, while others – such as Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada – have since regressed.

The result was an 81-81 season last year and a disastrous 2023 season that is on pace for 98 losses.

This year’s team got out to a 7-21 start – including a 10-game April losing streak – and never made a serious run to get back into playoff contention.

The Los Angeles Angels need a miracle to make the playoffs.

They'll turn to a familiar face in hopes of making an improbable postseason push.

The Angels activated Mike Trout from the injured list ahead of their game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

The three-time AL MVP had missed 38 games with a broken right hand sustained on a swing while fouling off a pitch in a game against the San Diego Padres on July 3.

The 32-year-old had surgery a few days later to remove a fractured hamate bone, and was initially projected to miss anywhere from four-to-eight weeks.

In 81 games this season, Trout is batting .263 with 18 home runs, 44 RBIs and has an .862 OPS.

His OPS is his lowest since his 2011 rookie season, but he still ranked fifth in the AL among all batters with a minimum of 325 plate appearances at the time of his injury.

Just prior to getting hurt, Trout was selected as a starter in the All-Star Game for a 10th consecutive time.

Los Angeles was two games out of a playoff spot through games on July 2, but has gone just 16-23 since to drop nine games behind the Seattle Mariners for the AL's final wild-card spot.

The Angels last made the playoffs in 2015, and their eight-season drought without a postseason berth is tied with the Detroit Tigers for the longest active streak in MLB.

Cal Raleigh homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead a 15-hit outburst by the scorching Seattle Mariners, who rolled to a 14-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox on Monday to extend their winning streak to seven games.

Raleigh went 3 for 5 with three runs scored and accounted for half of the Mariners' four homers as Seattle won for the 15th time in 18 games. Teoscar Hernandez and Dominic Canzone added solo shots with Hernandez finishing with two hits and three RBIs.

The Mariners' surge has moved them past the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL's final wild card and within two games of slumping Texas for first place in the American League West. The Rangers twice blew late leads in a 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

Seattle also received strong pitching from ace Luis Castillo, who struck out nine while holding the White Sox to one run in seven innings to win his third consecutive start.

Chicago starter Touki Toussaint was tagged for five first-inning runs and seven overall before being removed with none out in the fifth.

Diamondbacks rally twice late to stun struggling Rangers

Tommy Pham's walkoff two-run double in the 11th inning capped a second late rally that catapulted the resurgent Arizona Diamondbacks to a stunning 4-3 win over the reeling Texas Rangers to open a key two-game series.

After forcing extra innings on Ketel Marte's solo homer in the ninth inning, the Diamondbacks trailed 3-2 with two outs in the 11th when Pham drove Rangers closer Will Smith's pitch into the gap in right-center field to plate Marte and Geraldo Perdomo and give Arizona an improbable eighth win in 10 games.

The Diamondbacks closed within a half-game of the San Francisco Giants for the National League's final wild card spot.

Texas, meanwhile, was dealt a season-high fifth straight loss and saw its lead over second-place Houston in the AL West reduced to 1 1/2 games after the Astros recorded a 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

The Rangers got eight shutout innings from Jordan Montgomery and a solo homer from Adolis Garcia to carry a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't hold it as Marte homered off reliever Aroldis Chapman with one out.

Texas regained the upper hand on Nathaniel Lowe's two-run double in the top of the 11th, but Smith intentionally walked Marte to put two on in the bottom of the frame before Perdomo delivered an RBI double to trim the lead to 3-2.

Montgomery yielded just four hits and a walk while striking out six in a tough-luck no-decision.

Harper's inside-the-park home run highlights Phillies' rout of Giants

The Philadelphia Phillies hit four home runs, including an inside-the-park shot from Bryce Harper, in a 10-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants that opened a three-game series between National League playoff contenders.

Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber also went deep to back seven strong innings from Aaron Nola as the Phillies strengthened their hold on the NL's top wild card spot. The defending NL champions now own a 2 1/2-game advantage on the Chicago Cubs, who moved past San Francisco by a half-game for the No. 2 wild card with Monday's 7-6 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Sosa gave Philadelphia a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer off Sean Manaea in the second inning, and the Phillies increased the margin with a two-run fifth highlighted by Harper's second career inside-the-park homer. The two-time NL MVP raced around the bases to extend the advantage to 5-2 before Bryson Stott doubled home Bohm for a four-run cushion.

Schwarber's 33rd homer of the season followed Johan Rojas' two-run triple in the seventh to give Philadelphia a commanding 10-2 lead.

Nola surrendered solo homers to Joc Pederson and Lamonte Wade Jr. over his first three innings before shutting out the Gians over the remainder of his stint. The standout right-hander scattered seven hits and one walk while striking out five.

Adrian Houser pitched five effective innings and Tyrone Taylor drove in two runs as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the American League West-leading Texas Rangers with Sunday's 6-2 win.

Milwaukee chased three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in the fourth inning to maintain a three-game advantage on second-place Chicago in the National League Central. The Cubs kept pace with Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Houser allowed just one run on six hits and struck out seven to help the Brewers deal the slumping Rangers a fourth consecutive loss. Taylor finished 2 for 3 with three runs scored and Christian Yelich had a pair of hits, including an RBI double, as Milwaukee took advantage of an uncharacteristically wild outing from Scherzer.

Scherzer walked four batters and hit another while being charged with three runs in just 3 2/3 innings. The star hurler entered Sunday's matchup having allowed just four runs in 20 innings in winning each of his first three starts since being traded to Texas by the New York Mets on July 30.

The 39-year-old did record his 3,343rd career strikeout in the third inning to pass Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for 11th place on MLB's all-time list.

Corey Seager went 2 for 4 and accounted for the Rangers' lone run off Houser with a solo homer in the third inning.

Surging Mariners hold off Astros to sweep three-game series

The AL West is quickly becoming a three-team race thanks to the recent tear of the Seattle Mariners, who won for the 14th time in 17 games by holding on for a 7-6 victory over the division-rival Houston Astros on Sunday.

Seattle built a 6-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings en route to a sweep of the three-game series and sixth straight win overall. The surge has moved the Mariners within three games of the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West and a half-game back of Houston for the league's second wild card.

Dominic Canzone and Dylan Moore each went 4 for 5 with an RBI to lead Seattle's 15-hit attack, while Eugenio Suarez had a two-run homer as the Mariners pounded Astros starter Hunter Brown for six runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Astros rallied with five runs in the bottom of the third, but were held scoreless by the Seattle bullpen over the final three innings to lose for the fifth time in seven games.

Gabe Speier protected the one-run lead in the ninth to record his first career major league save.

Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubon each knocked in two runs during Houston's big third inning, while Alex Bregman finished 2 for 4 with an RBI triple.

Red Sox extend Yankees' skid to eight games, finish series sweep

Justin Turner's ninth-inning double drove in the deciding run as the Boston Red Sox earned a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees that sent the Bronx Bombers to their longest losing streak in 28 years.

The Yankees have now dropped eight games in a row for the first time since Aug. 19-26, 1995 despite rallying from a three-run deficit and nearly going ahead in the eighth inning.

New York appeared to take a 6-5 lead when Isiah Kiner-Falefa was called safe at home while attempting to score on Anthony Volpe's single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The ruling was overturned after the Red Sox challenged the play, however, to keep the game tied entering the ninth.

Pablo Reyes led off the ninth with a single off Clay Holmes and stole second before crossing the plate on Turner's opposite-field double, the veteran's fourth RBI of the game.

Kenley Jansen then worked around a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 29th save and close out Boston's eighth win in nine meetings with New York this season.

Turner also had a three-run homer in the seventh that snapped a 2-2 tie, while Rafael Devers delivered a solo shot for Boston and finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored.

The Yankees homered three times on the day, including Volpe's three-run blast off reliever John Schreiber in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at 5-5. Gleyber Torres and Kyle Higashioka had solo shots in defeat.

Julio Rodriguez had set a major league record with 17 hits in four games and Dylan Moore hit a pair of home runs to lead the surging Seattle Mariners to a 10-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

With a single to left field in the seventh inning, Rodriguez broke a major league record set in 1925 by Milt Stock of the Brooklyn Robins.

Rodriguez finished 4 for 6 for his fourth straight game with at least four hits. He is 17 for 22 with two homers, eight RBIs and five runs in those four games.

Moore hit his first home run in the fifth inning and Houston starter Framber Valdez threw a pitch at the feet of the next batter, Jose Caballero. Caballero got up, put his arms out and started walking and talking toward Valdez, who responded. The benches cleared though no punches were thrown.

Houston’s Jose Altuve became the latest member of the 2,000-hit club with a single in the fifth inning. He is the third in franchise history to reach that plateau, joining Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

Sam Haggerty also homed for the Mariners, who won their fifth straight and pulled to within 1 ½ games of the Astros for the second AL wild-card spot. Seattle maintained a one-half game lead over Toronto for the third spot.

Phillies’ Turner homers twice in 8th inning

Trea Turner hit two home runs during an eight-run eighth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 12-3 rout of the Washington Nationals.

Turner led off the eighth inning with his 13th homer of the season and followed Bryson Stott’s three-run homer later in the frame with another shot.

Turner is the first Phillies player to hit two home runs in an inning since Von Hayes on June 11, 1985, in the first inning against the New York Mets.

Nick Castellanos and Jake Cave also went deep for Philadelphia, which opened a three-game lead over San Francisco in the race for the top wild-card spot in the NL.

Urias hits another grand slam as Red Sox win

Luis Urias became the first Boston Red Sox player to hit grand slams on consecutive pitches in an 8-1 win over the reeling New York Yankees.

Urias took Yankees ace Gerrit Cole deep in the second inning with the bases loaded after he cleared the bases in his last at-bat against Washington reliever Robert Garcia on Thursday.

Urias is the first Red Sox player to hit grand slams in consecutive games since Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx on May 20-21, 1940. He also is the first player to hit grand slams in consecutive trips to the plate since Josh Willingham with Washington in 2009.

The Yankees were no-hit until Aaron Judge homered in the sixth inning. They have lost seven straight to fall three games under .500.

Spencer Strider pitched one-hit ball over seven innings and the major league-leading Atlanta Braves blanked the San Francisco Giants 3-0 for their third straight shutout on Friday.

Strider became the first 14-game winner in the majors, giving up his only hit to Wilmer Flores in the fourth inning.

He struck out 10 for the 16th double-digit strikeout performance of his career and 10th this season. Strider leads the majors with 227 strikeouts, 40 more than second-place Kevin Gausman of Toronto.

Joe Jimenez, A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias finished up to give Atlanta three consecutive shutouts for the first time since the final three games of 2015 against St. Louis.

The Braves have five shutouts in their last eight games.

Atlanta got all the offense it needed with two runs in the first off Alex Cobb. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Michael Harris II singled and Matt Olson had a run-scoring fielder’s choice before Marcell Ozuna singled home another run.

Harris went 4 for 5 with a double and a triple, while Eddie Rosario had two hits and one RBI.

San Francisco has lost seven of nine and was held to one run or fewer for the 28th time this season, third-most in the majors.

Marlins roll to end Dodgers’ streak

Jorge Soler hit two of the Marlins’ five home runs and Miami cruised to an 11-3 rout to end the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 11-game winning streak.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jake Burger and Jacob Stallings all went deep for the Marlins, who hit five home runs for the first time since July 3, 2012, at Milwaukee.

Sandy Alcantara allowed three runs – all on solo homers - and seven hits over six innings with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win.

The Dodgers got home runs from Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and James Outman but dropped to 15-2 this month.

Mariners’ Rodriguez stays red hot in win

Julio Rodriguez had four more hits, including a home run, and Bryce Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings as the Seattle Mariners moved into a wild-card spot with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

Rodriguez tied a team record by hitting safely in nine straight at-bats before that run was snapped on a fielding error by Jeremy Pena in the seventh inning.

Rodriguez had five hits and five RBIs in Thursday’s win over Kansas City and is 13 for 16 with two home runs and eight RBIs in his last three games.

Miller gave up two hits and struck out two before Justin Topa and Andres Munoz locked up Seattle’s fourth straight win.

The Mariners took a one-half lead over Toronto in the race for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

Austin Barnes provided the game’s only run with an eighth-inning home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 for their 11th straight win on Thursday.

After Corbin Burnes and counterpart Lance Lynn each put up zeroes for seven innings, Barnes lined an 0-1 pitch from Joel Payamps into the lower seats in left for his first home run of the season with one out in the eighth.

The Dodgers improved to 15-1 in August, outscoring opponents 93-38.

Lynn allowed four hits with one walk and three strikeouts in his fourth start since joining the Dodgers in a trade with the White Sox.

Caleb Ferguson worked the eighth and Evan Phillips pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 opportunities.

Burnes limited the red-hot Dodgers to two hits while walking two and striking out nine but remained winless in his last five starts.

Milwaukee totalled just three runs in the series and had its NL Central lead trimmed to two games over the Cubs and Cincinnati.

Rodriguez leads Mariners past Royals

Julio Rodriguez capped his first career five-hit game with a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners continued their playoff push with a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Rodriguez went 5 for 5 with a career high-tying five RBIs and finished the four-game series with 12 hits, setting a franchise record for any series.

He is the fourth Mariners player with at least four hits in consecutive games, the fifth player in team history with a five-hit, five-RBI game, and the first Seattle player with at least 20 homers in each of his first two seasons.

Cal Raleigh also homered as the Mariners pulled within one-half game of idle Toronto for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

Gallen shuts down Padres as Diamondbacks win

Zach Gallen pitched six strong innings and was backed by home runs from Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a four-game series.

Gallen limited the Padres to one run and three hits with one walk and three strikeouts to beat the Padres for the second straight start. He became the fourth 13-game winner in the majors.

Kyle Nelson fanned three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings and rookie Justin Martinez got the final four outs for his first career save.

Pham followed Corbin Carroll’s one-out walk in the fourth inning with his 12th home run and Moreno added his fourth of the season an inning later.

Arizona has won five of six following a nine-game losing streak to get within one game of the third and final NL wild-card spot.

Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith each had three hits and the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled to their 10th straight victory, 7-1 over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Betts had three singles and scored four times, Freeman added a pair of doubles and a single and Smith went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

Chris Taylor and Miguel Rojas homered as Los Angeles improved to 14-1 in August to open a 10-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West.

The Dodgers have outscored opponents 61-22 during the win streak.

Clayton Kershaw limited NL Central-leading Milwaukee to three hits and one run – Mark Canha’s homer – over five innings with two walks and two strikeouts in his second start back from the injured list.

Rojas’ second-inning home run put the Dodgers up 2-1 and Betts scored later in the frame when J.D. Martinez reached on interference by catcher William Contreras with the bases loaded.

Smith followed singles by Betts and Freeman in the fourth with a sacrifice fly and Freeman doubled home Betts in the sixth before he scored on Smith’s single.

Cubs win on Morel’s walk-off homer

Christopher Morel drilled a dramatic three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 win over the rival Chicago White Sox.

The Cubs entered the ninth trailing 3-1 but got a leadoff double from Cody Bellinger against Gregory Santos. After Dansby Swanson walked, Morel drove a 1-2 pitch into the bleacher sets in right-centre field for his 19th home run.

Morel’s blast was the Cubs’ first hit with runners in scoring position all night after they were 0 for 6.

Nick Madrigal hit a pinch-hit home run in the eighth to set the stage for Morel’s heroics.

Gavin Sheets had a two-run homer for the White Sox, who had won six straight at Wrigley Field.

Detmers flirts with no-hitter in Angels’ win

Reid Detmers took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and Shohei Ohtani homered in the Los Angeles Angels’ 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Detmers held Texas hitless until Marcus Semien lined a double into the left-centre field gap with one out in the eighth on his 108th and final pitch.

Detmers, who threw a no-hitter last season as a rookie, finished with five strikeouts and four walks.

Ohtani took Jon Gray deep in the first inning for AL-best 42nd home run.  

The Rangers were shut out for the ninth time this season and had a nine-game home winning streak snapped.

The Chicago Cubs were planning on Marcus Stroman returning from the injured list to pitch Wednesday.

It turns out he will be sidelined much longer.

Stroman has been diagnosed with a right rib cartilage fracture and is out indefinitely.

Already on the IL due to right hip inflammation, the 32-year-old experienced rib discomfort recently during his rehab and the Cubs announced Tuesday he would not be activated to pitch against the Chicago White Sox the following night.

At this point, the Cubs are going to wait until he's pain-free until he resumes throwing.

While the team is not giving a timeline for his return, recovery for such an injury could be anywhere from two weeks to up to six weeks.

With only 6 1/2 weeks left in the season, it's possible he's done for the year.

It's a tough blow for a Cubs team that entered Wednesday 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and one game back of the Miami Marlins for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

Stroman, who was Chicago's opening day starter, was sensational early in the season, going 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts through June 20 and earned his second All-Star team selection. At that time, his ERA was the lowest in the NL among the 37 pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown.

The last two months have not gone nearly as well for him, as he's gone 1-4 with a 9.00 ERA in his last seven outings and landed on the IL on August 2.

Despite his recent struggles, the Cubs were hoping a stint on the IL would help Stroman regain his early season form, but now the team is facing the real possibility he won't be able to pitch the rest of the year.