MLB

12:57 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Max Scherzer’s Los Angeles Dodgers debut included three strikeouts of Jose Altuve and ended with a curtain call. It was, in other words, as advertised. Scherzer pitched seven innings of two-run ball against the high-powered Houston Astros on Wednesday night, scattering five hits, issuing one walk and striking out

1:41 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will open the 2022 season on March 31 — as long as there isn’t a work stoppage — and will try for the fourth time to have every team play its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. The

3:47 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Inflatable gray garbage cans decorated Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, bouncing along the packed sections of seats as if they were beach balls. A handful of them made their way onto the field of play, as did some of the foul balls hit by the Houston Astros. When a

8:44 PM ET For a few hours on Thursday, it seemed as if Max Scherzer was headed to the San Diego Padres. Reports began to circulate at around 1 p.m. PT that the Padres were on the verge of acquiring the three-time Cy Young Award winner with a little more than 24 hours left before

5:18 PM ET ESPN News Services A second member of the New York Yankees‘ starting rotation has tested positive for COVID-19. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery tested positive for the virus, manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday. The news comes a day after the team said ace Gerrit Cole had tested positive. Boone said “as of now” it’s

7:00 AM ET It was about an hour before the MLB trade deadline on Friday afternoon. Kyle Hendricks walked to the outfield on the visitors side of Nationals Park to play catch as he always does the day before he starts. By the time he returned to the Chicago Cubs clubhouse, the team he helped

10:59 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not make his scheduled start Tuesday. New York manager Aaron Boone made the announcement after Monday night’s 7-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Boone said he was informed of Cole’s positive test in the second inning.

4:40 PM ET CHICAGO — Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer says his ‘greatest source of frustration’ was the team’s inability to sign any of their stars to long term contracts before trading them last Friday. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez were the talk of the baseball world last week as all

8:23 PM ET ESPN News Services Kris Bryant on Sunday joined former Chicago Cubs teammates Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez in making an immediate good impression with his new team. The now San Francisco Giant hit a two-out solo shot in the third inning of a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros. Two days earlier,

10:33 PM ET ESPN News Services PHOENIX — Mookie Betts looked right back at home playing his original position on Sunday. Betts hit a homer in his first game back from the injured list and made a stellar defensive play at second base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers ease past the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-0

12:15 PM ET Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Kiley McDaniel Close ESPN MLB Insider ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for four MLB teams. Barring

8:09 PM ET Associated Press SAN DIEGO — Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, a day after partially dislocating his left shoulder for the third time this season. The Padres announced the move prior to their game against the Colorado Rockies. They also

1:42 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, sources told ESPN, after attempts to rehabilitate a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow left

8:00 AM ET Even four days without games at the All-Star break could not interrupt a wacky July that was filled, as always, with home runs, some of them grand slams, some of them by relievers, as well as a ridiculous number of hit batters, wild pitches and, as always, strikeouts. So, with statistical assistance

10:17 PM ET Andrew Friedman’s reputation as a pragmatic executive who seeks value on the margins and shies away from the headline-grabbing acquisitions is no longer applicable. The Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations, who cut his teeth in the front office of a famously frugal Tampa Bay Rays organization, is officially a big-game

9:25 PM ET WASHINGTON — An 11-game losing streak sealed the Chicago Cubs‘ fate in the standings not only for 2021, but also for the future of the franchise well beyond this season. In the span of 24 hours, president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, tore down the team he helped put together — which

4:03 PM ET The San Francisco Giants have reached a deal to acquire star third baseman Kris Bryant from the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday. Bryant was drafted by the Cubs in 2013, winning Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons. He helped the team break its 108-year championship

8:28 PM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers are making significant progress on a deal that would send them star right-hander Max Scherzer and star shortstop Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals for a prospect-laden return, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Scherzer, 37, is 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts this season. The three-time