8:21 PM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona doesn’t plan to change the way he uses closer Cody Allen after the embattled right-hander gave up back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning against the Royals. Francona said Saturday that the Indians need Allen, and while he may use him
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11:10 AM ET ESPN News Services San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has opted to have season-ending hip surgery and could be sidelined six to eight months, the team said Friday. The six-time All-Star has been hobbled by a hip problem all season. Posey, 31, recently got a cortisone injection and missed last month’s All-Star
2:33 AM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salvador Perez made a young fan’s night by coming through on his promise to hit a home run. A few hours later, a couple of kids on the Kansas City Royals hit their own memorable shots. Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier became the first rookies ever
8:00 PM ET Mike Trout’s Players Weekend jersey says “Kiiiiid,” but he’s Trouty to his teammates. Why? Turns out there’s a code, and we’ve cracked it. From the first all-emoji name to the Stringbean Slinger, these are some of the best uniform nicknames coming soon to a major league ballpark near you. Players are getting
7:39 AM ET Milwaukee Brewers reliever Corey Knebel has been demoted to the minors, the latest turn in a difficult season for the former All-Star closer. The Brewers had not announced a demotion as of Friday morning, but a list of transactions on the team’s official website indicates that Knebel was optioned to Triple-A Colorado
1:30 AM ET CHICAGO — It’s not even September yet, but the Chicago Cubs may already be the big winners of the July trade deadline as lefty Cole Hamels continues to dominate the opposition. He upped the ante once more on Thursday, throwing the Cubs’ first complete game of the season in beating the Cincinnati
8:03 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Matt Holliday wore cleats from 2007. The Coors Field mojo almost felt straight from that decade, too. When Colorado made a charge to its only World Series appearance, it was behind late-season wins just like the dramatic one the Rockies pulled out on this throwback Thursday. Ian Desmond
7:00 AM ET ESPN Stats & Info Tale of the Tape: Nola vs. Scherzer Two of baseball’s best starting pitchers — Aaron Nola and Max Scherzer — square off when the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals meet Thursday at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN+) in Washington. MLB ranks (among 72 qualified starters) Scherzer Nola Wins T-1st
3:05 AM ET Some sweeps feel much more euphoric or much more soul-crushing than others. The St. Louis Cardinals‘ sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium fits into this category. It was the Cardinals’ first sweep in Los Angeles in 12 years, so that’s impressive enough, but it’s how they did it that
7:38 PM ET BOSTON — Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin continues to make significant progress in his recovery from a life-threatening bacterial infection, but he will not play baseball again in 2018, manager Terry Francona told reporters Wednesday. Hampered by injuries in the outfield, the Tribe needed somebody to step up, but nobody expected what