MLB&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rangers option rookie Jack Leiter 1 day after he allowed 7 runs in his major league debut

The Canadian Press - Apr 19, 2024 / 1:54 pm | Story: 483096

Photo: The Canadian Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Texas Rangers rookie right-hander Jack Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, one day after allowing seven runs in his major league debut.

The Rangers recalled right-hander Owen White from Round Rock to provide bullpen depth for the start of their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.

Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings in Thursday's 9-7 win at the Detroit Tigers. He walked three and struck out three.

Leiter, the son of Al Leiter, who won 162 games in 19 major league seasons, was promoted after he went 1-1 with 25 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings over three appearances for Round Rock.

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Logan Webb dominant for 7 innings as Giants blank Diamondbacks 5-0

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 9:20 pm | Story: 482962

Photo: The Canadian Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb retired 19 straight batters on his way to seven smooth innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 Thursday night to open a four-game series.

Webb (2-1) struck out five and induced 13 groundball outs, allowing just two hits and a walk in a game that took only 2 hours, 12 minutes.

“I think today’s a perfect example of the type of team we are,” Webb said. “We’re going to grind out at-bats, we’re going to go till the end, we’re going to play great defense, and that’s what we did.”

Wilmer Flores had a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth and Mike Yastrzemski added a two-run single. LaMonte Wade Jr. delivered a sacrifice fly in the third.

Jung Hoo Lee singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

San Francisco earned its first shutout of the season, while Arizona was blanked for the first time and fell to 1-6 in series openers.

“That’s probably as good a game as we’ve played all year, all the way around,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “We got some big hits, we got great starting pitching, we got good relief pitching, we played good defense. All of the above. And I think that’s the type of team we’re capable of.”

Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson exited after two scoreless innings with a bruised right elbow when he was hit on the pitching arm by an 87 mph line drive off the bat of Yastrzemski. Nelson was able to field the ball and throw out Yastrzemski at first to end the inning, but the right-hander grimaced and held his forearm as he walked to the dugout.

X-rays were negative.

“It’s a little stiff right now,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t feel too great. Got hit right in the sweet spot, right on the elbow. So we’re just going to see how it feels tomorrow in the morning. Give it some rest and we’ll know more tomorrow.”

Nelson was replaced by Logan Allen, who was selected from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday. Allen (0-1) allowed one run and three hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking one.

“He was fantastic,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We were in a position to win the game in the eighth inning with a one-run deficit all because of him. He was unbelievable and without him we would’ve had no chance.”

Patrick Bailey led off the bottom of the third with a double. Following a groundout by Nick Ahmed, Lee reached on an infield single to advance Bailey to third.

Wade sent a flyball to center field, deep enough for Bailey to tag up and score.

Flores batted for Michael Conforto with the bases loaded in the eighth and doubled into the left-field corner to make it 3-0. Yastrzemski singled home two more runs to give San Francisco a cushion.

Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker finished the three-hitter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: C Gabriel Moreno (bruised right thumb) returned to the starting lineup after being a late scratch each of the previous two days. He went 0 for 3.

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb felt mild right shoulder irritation and was scheduled to see a team doctor Thursday night. Cobb threw a bullpen Tuesday in Arizona as he continues to recover from offseason left hip surgery. ... RHP Luke Jackson (lower back strain) began a rehab assignment with Class A San Jose, pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout and one walk.

UP NEXT

Jordan Montgomery is scheduled to make his Diamondbacks debut Friday night. The 31-year-old lefty signed a $25 million, one-year contract on March 29 after winning the World Series with the Texas Rangers last season.

The Giants counter with LHP Blake Snell (0-2, 12.86 ERA), who signed a $62 million, two-year deal on March 19 and is seeking his first win with San Francisco in his third start.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson exits with bruised pitching elbow after getting hit by line drive

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 7:55 pm | Story: 482956

Photo: The Canadian Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson exited Thursday night’s start against the San Francisco Giants with a bruised pitching elbow after getting hit by a line drive in the second inning.

X-rays were negative.

“It’s a little stiff right now,” Nelson said after Arizona's 5-0 loss. “It doesn’t feel too great. Got hit right in the sweet spot, right on the elbow. So we’re just going to see how it feels tomorrow in the morning. Give it some rest and we’ll know more tomorrow.”

The ball left Mike Yastrzemski's bat at 87 mph. Nelson recovered to field the ball and throw out Yastrzemski at first base, ending the inning. But the pitcher grimaced and held his right forearm as he walked back to the dugout.

“He’s a really tough kid,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “I saw what was going on underneath there and he was trying to grind it out. I made the decision that it was time to take him off the field. There was no way I was going to put him back out there.”

The 26-year-old Nelson threw 27 pitches, allowing two hits and no runs. He was replaced by left-hander Logan Allen, who allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Nelson entered 1-2 with a 5.27 ERA in three starts this year. He was 8-8 with a 5.31 ERA as a rookie last season.

“Definitely seeing that it wasn’t fractured was a positive,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t feel like I’m super lucky right now, but it definitely could’ve been worse.”

Added Lovullo: "We’re just going to continue to evaluate him over the next 24 hours and see how he is."

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Red Sox acquire right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez from Brewers for cash

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 7:26 pm | Story: 482954

Photo: The Canadian Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and optioned him to their Triple-A Worcester affiliate on Thursday.

Milwaukee had designated Gutierrez for assignment Wednesday. The Red Sox made room for Gutierrez on their 40-man roster by transferring shortstop Trevor Story to the 60-day injured list.

Gutierrez, 28, didn’t appear in any games for the Brewers this season, but allowed three runs over four innings for the Miami Marlins in a 9-7, 10-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 31. That was his first major league appearance since 2022.

The Marlins designated him for assignment on April 1 and the Brewers claimed him off waivers. He pitched two games for the Brewers’ Triple-A Nashville affiliate and allowed seven runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Gutierrez went 9-6 with a 4.74 ERA in 22 starts for the Cincinnati Reds in 2021. He was 1-6 with a 7.61 ERA for the Reds the next year before undergoing Tommy John surgery. After recovering from the injury, Gutierrez pitched in five minor league games with the Reds organization last season.

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Tim Anderson returns to Chicago with the Miami Marlins

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 5:41 pm | Story: 482950

Photo: The Canadian Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Tim Anderson is at peace with his rise and his fall with the Chicago White Sox. And he's moving on with the Miami Marlins.

Anderson is back in Chicago for the Marlins' four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It was slated to begin on Thursday, but the opener was postponed because of rain in the forecast.

The two-time All-Star spent his first eight seasons in Chicago with the White Sox, but the team declined a $14 million option on the shortstop in November. He agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with Miami in February.

“It feels good. I'm in a happy place,” Anderson said, “and I'm getting the work in that I need. Just excited about my future.”

The 30-year-old Anderson appeared in 17 of Miami's first 19 games after he was slowed by injuries during his final years in Chicago. He is batting .267 (16 for 60) with two RBIs and two steals.

Miami manager Skip Schumaker said everything he was told about Anderson has been “spot on.”

“There's people that you trust in the baseball world, and they were exactly right on his work ethic, how he impacts his teammates,” Schumaker said. “He's been out for early work. He's been on an early bus. He's been the first guy in the clubhouse at home. ... It's been great.”

Anderson was a first-round pick in the 2013 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2016 and quickly became one of baseball's bright young stars, part of a rising White Sox team.

Anderson hit a major league-best .335 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs in 2019. With the Alabama native sparking the lineup from the leadoff slot, Chicago made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. But the team was never able to deliver on its potential.

Hampered by a sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness, Anderson hit .245 with one homer and 25 RBIs in 123 games last season. He also was suspended by Major League Baseball in August after he got into a fight with Cleveland slugger José Ramírez.

And Chicago tumbled all the way to a 61-101 record.

“I just know that the last year that I spent there was tough,” he said. “And then finally to make it through and be on the other side, I'm happy. I'm in a great place. My smile's back. I'm back on my journey.”

Anderson said he asked the White Sox for extensions “year after year.” When it didn't work out, he knew he would have to go somewhere else eventually.

“You're not going to always spend your whole career with one team, and I understood that,” he said. “We all know how it works. ... We understood that it was time for them to go their way and me to go my way.”

Asked why Chicago dropped off after winning the AL Central in 2021, Anderson first said he didn't know before expounding on what happened.

“A lot of my decisions as well, you know, off the field, kind of interrupted a lot of things as well. We understood that,” he said. “And it’s hard to win when you don’t have the right guys to go out and compete ... and that want to win it.”

Anderson did not elaborate on what off-the-field decisions he was referencing. During an interview on "The Pivot Podcast" last year, he acknowledged having a child out of wedlock and going through therapy with his wife, Bria.

Anderson last played in the All-Star Game in 2022, but he remains confident he can regain his form from earlier in his career.

“I mean, I’m still the same person. I’m learning a lot more now,” he said. “I'm sharpening up tools a lot more. ... I'm always going to try to get better and better myself as a person and as a player.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Jack Leiter makes pitching debut for Rangers as they beat Tigers 9-7

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 4:52 pm | Story: 482934

Photo: The Canadian Press

DETROIT (AP) — Leody Taveras scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning and added an RBI single in the ninth to lead the Texas Rangers to a 9-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

Taveras doubled with one out advanced to third on Marcus Semien’s fielder’s choice grounder and scored on Corey Seager’s grounder that broke a 7-all tie. Taveras added an insurce run with a two-out hit in the ninth.

Jose Leclerc (1-2) got the win in relief for Texas, which won three out of four games in Detroit. Kirby Yates, who picked up the win on Wednesday, earned his second save with a perfect ninth innning.

Shelby Miller (3-2), the fifth of six Detroit pitchers, took the loss for the second day in row.

The game marked the major league debut of Texas starter Jack Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was brought up from Triple A Round Rock, where he was 1-1 with 25 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings over three appearances.

He is the son of Al Leiter, who won 162 games in 19 major-league seasons.

Jack Leiter got off to a strong start, catching leadoff hitter Riley Greene looking for his first strikeout.

RAYS 2, ANGELS 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Ryan Pepiot allowed one run and three hits in six strong innings, Amed Rosario hit an RBI triple in Tampa Bay’s two-run first as Tampa Bay beat the LA Angels on Thursday to split their four-game series.

Pepiot (2-2) struck out seven and walked three. He was acquired in a trade in which Rays ace Tyler Glasnow was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Colin Poche, the third Rays reliever, worked out of a jam with two on and two outs in the ninth for his second save in three chances. Struggling closer Pete Fairbanks, who has a 9.00 ERA, pitched in the previous two games.

Rosario extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his RBI triple that made it 1-0 in the Rays’ opening inning against Griffin Canning (0-3). He has nine RBIs over the stretch.

Harold Ramírez’s sacrifice fly to right drove in Rosario to make it 2-0.

The Angels got within 2-1 in the sixth when Mike Trout walked, stole second and third and scored on Miguel Sanó’s sacrifice fly. Trout has five steals this year after having just a combined six over the previous four seasons.

GUARDIANS 5, RED SOX 4

BOSTON (AP) - Carlos Carrasco gave up two runs in 5 2/3 solid innings and Andrés Giménez had two RBIs to lead the Cleveland over Boston on Thursday.

Ramón Laureano, Josh Naylor and José Ramírez also drove in runs for Cleveland, which took three of four from Boston and improved to a Central Division-best 13-6.

Carrasco (1-1) threw 56 of his 89 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits while striking out five and walking three. He left after allowing a two-out single to Reese McGuire in the sixth with Cleveland leading 5-1.

Emmanuel Clase pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.

After starting the season with seven wins in 10 road games, the Red Sox went 3-7 on their first homestand of the season.

Trailing 5-1, Boston cut into Cleveland’s lead behind Jarren Duran’s two-run triple in the Red Sox’s three-run sixth inning.

GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 0

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb retired 19 straight batters on his way to seven smooth innings and San Francisco beat Arizona.

Webb (2-1) struck out five and induced 13 groundball outs, allowing just two hits and a walk in a game that took only 2 hours, 12 minutes.

Wilmer Flores had a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth and Mike Yastrzemski added a two-run single. LaMonte Wade Jr. delivered a sacrifice fly in the third.

Jung Hoo Lee singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs game postponed because of rain in the forecast

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 3:31 pm | Story: 482910

Photo: The Canadian Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The Miami Marlins' game at the Chicago Cubs was postponed because of rain in the forecast for Thursday night.

It will be made up as part of a split-doubleheader on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Chicago was back at home after a 5-4 trip that included stops at San Diego, Seattle and Arizona. Cody Bellinger homered to lead the Cubs to a 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday in the rubber game of the three-game set.

“Definitely a trip that had a little bit of everything,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said before the game was postponed. “Different kinds of games, some crazy games for sure. A lot of good experiences for our group.”

Miami is looking to dig out of a 4-15 start. It dropped two of three against San Francisco in its previous series.

Chicago right-hander Jameson Taillon and Miami left-hander A.J. Puk were each pushed back one day to Friday.

Taillon was activated from the 15-day injured list Thursday after being sidelined by a back strain. Infielder Patrick Wisdom was also activated from the 10-day IL after recovering from his own back strain.

Right-hander Hayden Wesneski and infielder Miles Mastrobuoni were optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Wesneski pitched four innings of one-hit ball in relief of Jordan Wicks in the series finale against the Diamondbacks, earning the win.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga and right-hander Javier Assad will pitch for Chicago in the doubleheader, with the order still to be determined. Kyle Hendricks starts the finale of the four-game set Sunday.

Jesús Luzardo will start one of the doubleheader games for the Marlins and right-hander Edward Cabrera also will pitch in the series. But there was no word on whether he would go Saturday or Sunday.

Puk is coming back from an illness. He hasn't appeared in a big league game since April 9.

“He was 100 percent ready to go today. I'm sure the extra day is OK,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. "You also don't want to have pitchers not throw for nine, 10 days, whatever it is. So I didn't want more off days for him.

“I think he needs to get on the mound and get his pitches going, his body moving. I think an extra day for him, though, couldn't hurt.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

MLB suspends Pirates lefty Aroldis Chapman 2 games and fines him for 'inappropriate actions' vs Mets

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 3:18 pm | Story: 482911

Photo: The Canadian Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Aroldis Chapman was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed amount Thursday for his “inappropriate actions” against the New York Mets three days earlier.

Michael Hill, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for on-field operations, made the announcement and said Chapman's suspension begins Friday when the Pirates are scheduled to host Boston. Chapman could appeal, which would delay the punishment until that process is complete.

Chapman (0-1) was ejected by plate umpire Edwin Moscoso after Harrison Bader doubled in the eighth inning of the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Mets.

“He evidently said something that the umpire did not like,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.

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Seager's RBI groundout and Taveras RBI single lead the Rangers over the Tigers 9-7

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 1:44 pm | Story: 482877

Photo: The Canadian Press

DETROIT (AP) — Leody Taveras scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning and added an RBI single in the ninth as the Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers 9-7 on Thursday.

Taveras doubled with one out and went to third on Marcis Semien’s fielder’s choice, eluding a tag by Detroit third baseman Gio Urshela. Seager then grounded to first and Taveras scored to break a 7-all tie.

“He made a great play, ” Tigers manager A .J. Hinch said of Tavares' play. “We made plenty of mistakes today, but that wasn’t one of them. It was a baseball athletic play that didn’t go our way.”

Jose Leclerc (1-1) got the win in relief for Texas, which won three out of four games in Detroit. Kirby Yates earned his second save

Shelby Miller (3-2), the fifth of six Detroit pitchers, took the loss for the second day in a row.

“He was all right,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “He had a little trouble hitting his spots in the second inning, but he came right back in the third and got two quick outs in the fourth before he ran into trouble.”

He is the son of Al Leiter, who won 162 games in 19 major-league seasons.

Jack Leiter got off to a strong start, catching leadoff hitter Riley Greene looking for his first strikeout.

Semien, who had three hits, gave Leiter an early run with a leadoff homer. The Rangers added three runs in the second, highlighted by Jonah Heim’s two-run homer, but the Tigers evened things with four in the bottom of the second on RBI hits by Javier Baez, Carson Kelly and Riley Greene and a run-scoring ground out.

Adolis Garcia homered to give the Rangers the lead in a two-run third, and Texas added another run in the fourth, when Semien doubled and reached third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Seager.

Bochy’s day ended early, He was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing whether a ground ball down the third base line was fair or foul.

Leiter’s day ended in the bottom of the fourth. With two out and two on, Kerry Carpenter drove home both runners with a triple to center field, then scored on a double by Torkelson.

He allowed seven runs, all earned, on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.. He walked three and struck out three.

“Obviously, it’s a surreal experience,” Jack Leiter said. “It’s something you dream about since you were a little kid. Beings around the game always, it’s a special day. I know I’m better and I need to be better and I will be better. And that’s kind of the frustration is some pitches that I left on the table and some mistakes that I made. ”

To make room for Leiter, the Rangers optioned pitcher Grant Anderson to Round Rock.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The Rangers moved LHP Brock Burke (broken right hand) from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. He had surgery on the fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand by Dr. Paul Hovis in Arlington, Texas on Thursday. Burke will be eligible to return on June 12.

UP NEXT

The Rangers begin a weekend series at Atlanta on Friday. LHP Andrew Heaney (0-2, 5.75 ERA), whose scheduled Thursday start was pushed back a day, will start for Texas against Atlanta’s Chris Sale (1-1, 4.58).

Detroit begins a weekend series at Minnesota. Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.91), will start against Joe Ryan (0-1, 2.60).

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Carlos Carrasco pitches solid into the 6th inning, Guardians edge Red Sox 5-4 to improve to 13-6

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 1:43 pm | Story: 482878

Photo: The Canadian Press

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Carrasco picked up his first win with Cleveland since 2020 and Andrés Giménez had two RBIs to lead the Guardians to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

Ramón Laureano, Josh Naylor and José Ramírez also drove in runs for Cleveland, which took three of four at Fenway Park and improved to a Central Division-best 13-6. The Guardians are 10-3 on the road.

“You want to win every series. Every team talks about it," first-year Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "It’s not this new idea, but any time you can go on the road and win a series, especially from a very good team across the way, you feel good about it heading home.”

Carrasco (1-1), who re-signed with the Guardians after spending three seasons with the New York Mets, allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. It was his first win with Cleveland since Sept. 20, 2020.

He left after allowing a two-out single to Reese McGuire in the sixth with Cleveland leading 5-1.

“Trying to be too perfect, which led to the first run," said Carrasco, who was with Cleveland for 11 years before being traded in the 2020 offseason. "After that, I went back and thought the same way I did in the bullpen (for pregame warmups). I just went out there and attacked.

"We’re winning series. That’s important for us.”

Emmanuel Clase pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save as the Guardians won three games in a series in Boston for the first time since 2000.

Giménez had two hits while batting leadoff Thursday, and is hitting .293 overall this season.

“He’s the Swiss Army knife of the lineup. He hits all over the place,” Vogt said. “His at-bats since the start of the year have been phenomenal ... clutch hit after clutch hit.”

After starting the season with seven wins in 10 road games, the Red Sox went 3-7 on their first homestand.

Trailing 5-1, Boston cut into Cleveland’s lead behind Jarren Duran’s two-run triple in the Red Sox's three-run sixth inning.

Left-hander Brennan Bernardino had two scoreless innings in the start for the Red Sox, who used five pitchers. Cooper Criswell (0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs — three earned — in 2 1/3 innings.

Boston made two more errors that led to three unearned runs. The Red Sox have committed an MLB-worst 20 errors in 20 games.

“It sounds repetitive, but we have to play better defense," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "That’s the bottom line. We don’t make two routine plays and don’t turn a double play, and we lose by one. They’re good defenders. We’re not making plays right now.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Guardians: RHP Pedro Avila was added to Cleveland’s major league roster one day after being acquired from San Diego. ... RHP Wes Parsons was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to make room for Avila.

Red Sox: All-Star 3B Rafael Devers wasn’t in the lineup for the series finale against Cleveland. He underwent an MRI before the game to check on the knee soreness that has bothered him in recent days. After the game, Cora said Devers is dealing with a bone bruise. “At least we have an idea of what it is,” Cora said. “He should be fine.” ... OF Tyler O’Neill was placed on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to April 16. Taking his spot on the active roster was OF Rob Refsnyder, who started the season on the injured list (left toe fracture). Refsnyder was used as a pinch hitter in the seventh and played the final two innings in left field.

UP NEXT

Guardians: RHP Triston McKenzie (1-2, 6.23) is scheduled to open the three-game series against Oakland on Friday. McKenzie hasn’t faced the Athletics since the 2022 season. RHP Joe Boyle (1-2, 5.68) is listed as the probable starter for the A’s.

Red Sox: Travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game series that begins Friday. RHP Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.92) will make his fifth start of the season for Boston. The Pirates have yet to announce a starter.

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This story has been updated to correct to the Red Sox having 20 errors this season instead of 19.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has a bone bruise in his sore left knee

The Canadian Press - Apr 18, 2024 / 1:10 pm | Story: 482855

Photo: The Canadian Press

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox All-Star third placeman Rafael Devers has a bone bruise in his left knee, manager Alex Cora said Thursday.

Devers had an MRI on his sore knee before Boston's 5-4 loss to Cleveland.

“At least we have an idea of what it is,” Cora said. “He should be fine.”

Devers wasn't in the lineup and Cora said before the game the Red Sox had the third baseman get the testing "just to make sure nothing is structurally wrong.”

After leaving Tuesday’s game with left knee discomfort, Devers was in Boston's lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday. He went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts.

Also Thursday, the Red Sox placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the seven-day injured list, retroactive to April 16.

The team leader with seven home runs, O’Neill hasn’t played since Monday when he left the game after colliding with Devers. O'Neill needed eight stitches in his forehead.

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