The San Francisco Giants couldn’t ask more of Robbie Ray. Seven innings, one run, nine strikeouts — all of which amounted to a seventh consecutive quality start.

On an evening where the offense couldn’t muster a single run, Ray couldn’t avoid taking his first loss of the season.

Despite Ray’s excellence, the Giants lost to the Miami ...Read more

NEW YORK — Amid the collective sigh of relief in the Bronx after losing out on Juan Soto to the Mets there is now a wave of excitement about the team Brian Cashman has assembled in his wake. It was one thing for Cashman to turn the money saved on Soto into Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, but what should be equally inspiring now...Read more

LOS ANGELES — They don't know what their rotation will look like in October, and they don't know how worn down their bullpen will be.

What the Dodgers know is this: They have Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani will give them a chance in October regardless of what their roster looks like, just as he did on Friday night in an 8-5 victory over the New York ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips is scheduled to get Tommy John surgery next week and will miss the rest of the season, manager Dave Roberts announced Friday.

Phillips had missed the last three weeks because of forearm discomfort — and had not progressed in his recovery despite initial optimism that he would only ...Read more

SEATTLE — In a stunning collapse for the Seattle Mariners, Andrés Muñoz surrendered three runs with two outs in the ninth inning, and old nemesis Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer on the first pitch of the 10th inning put the finishing touches on the Minnesota Twins 12-6 come-from-behind win late Friday.

The Mariners were 25-0 this season ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t quite as significant as the fifth inning of Game 5.

But, in the opening game of a World Series rematch at Chavez Ravine on Friday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers mounted a sixth-inning rally against the New York Yankees that carried its own profound importance.

The only real difference: They didn’t need the Yankees...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — Having allowed five runs total across his previous four starts entering Friday, Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore could not get past the second frame against the Rangers before matching that figure.

Liberatore surrendered one run in the first inning and four in the second, leaving the Cardinals in an early deficit they ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Tigers did another high-wire act.

Similar to their 4-3 win against the Giants on Wednesday, they put themselves in peril seemingly every inning Friday in the series opener against Central Division foe the Kansas City Royals.

And, once again, the Tigers’ bullpen didn’t let them fall.

Neither did Spencer Torkelson. ...Read more

The Red Sox arrived in Atlanta on their first five-game losing streak of the season, fresh off getting swept in Milwaukee, where the Brewers had walked them off in each of the last two games.

On Friday night, Boston bounced back with a 5-1 come-from-behind win and one of their most complete, high-caliber performances in weeks.

The outlook wasn...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Nick Pivetta continues to make himself at home at Petco Park.

The first-year Padre continued his run of dominance in his new home park, striking out eight over six strong innings to outduel the Pirates’ Mitch Keller in a 3-2 win in front of a sellout crowd of 42,579 on Friday night.

The victory was the Padres’ 10th straight ...Read more

Kyle Harrison has created quite the conundrum for the Giants.

Harrison turned in a fine start as San Francisco beat the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park, 2-0, tossing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and allowing one lone hit. The command was a tad shaky, evidenced by three walks, but his four-seam fastball exhibited great life. ...Read more

CLEVELAND — The relief of the Angels’ 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians — with Mike Trout back in the lineup — was tempered by another injury.

Right-hander Robert Stephenson left Friday’s game after just three pitches. The initial diagnosis was right bicep discomfort. It’s a disturbing development for a pitcher who just two ...Read more

The Rays lost, 2-1, to the Astros Friday in Houston, walked off when Yainer Diaz hit a two-out homer in the ninth off reliever Garrett Cleavinger.

Tampa Bay dropped to 29-28. It had won eight of its previous nine and 13 of 19, including Thursday’s series opener.

The Rays took an early 1-0 lead. Jose Caballero, batting leadoff for the first ...Read more

CLEVELAND — Believe it or not, Mike Trout actually came back early.

Although four weeks on the injured list might have been more than some expected when Trout first suffered a bone bruise in his left knee on April 30, the Angels’ plan for him in recent weeks was focused on a return on Monday in Boston, according to Manager Ron Washington.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips is scheduled to get Tommy John surgery next week and will miss the rest of the season, manager Dave Roberts announced Friday.

Phillips had missed the last three weeks because of forearm discomfort — and had not progressed in his recovery despite initial optimism that he would only miss the ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Mets continue to express confidence that Juan Soto will start to produce like the generational hitter he is. Friday night at Citi Field, he repaid some of that confidence with a two-hit game to help the Mets defeat the Colorado Rockies, 4-2.

An RBI double and leadoff single might not be much, but the Mets will take it.

The ...Read more