NELSON CRUZ

Yadiel Hernandez and Maikel Franco homered and the Washington Nationals ended the Houston Astros’ 11-game winning streak with a 13-6 romp.

Shohei Ohtani hit a tying, two-run double in the ninth inning, Anthony Rendon followed with a game-ending single against his former team and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Washington Nationals 5-4.

Miguel Cabrera reached the 3,000-hit mark on a weekend afternoon in front of an adoring crowd at his home ballpark in Detroit.

Nelson Cruz hit his 450th home run and added a tiebreaking two-run single in three-run eighth inning that lifted the Washington Nationals over the Mets 4-2 and prevented New York from an opening four-game sweep.

Winners of the Roberto Clemente Award will wear his No. 21 on the back of their caps for the rest of their major league careers.

Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games still on the calendar amid rainy forecasts across the country.

Many familiar faces with impressive resumes are in new places following one of major league baseball’s wildest free agent frenzies.

Nelson Cruz quickly showed the Washington Nationals he could bring more than a booming bat to his new team. After standing in the batter’s box as Erick Fedde threw a live bullpen, Cruz approached right-hander with a message: He was tipping his pitches. “I saw something before he threw me the last pitch,” Cruz said Thursday.

Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons.

Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons. As expected, free agents are flying off the market and trades are getting done at a breakneck pace following MLB's 99-day lockout that froze the league's transactions for more than three months. “It’s like drinking out of a firehose,” said Andrew Friedman, the president of baseball operations for the Dodgers.

A person with direct knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that free agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a one-year contract.

With a possible lockout on the horizon, it’s been mostly business as usual on the free agent market — so far.

Beloved baseball lifer Ron Washington is finally getting another shot at a World Series title.

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Randy Arozarena became the first player to hit a home run and steal home in a postseason game, and rookie Shane McClanahan pitched the Tampa Bay Rays past the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in their AL Division Series opener.

The Tampa Bay Rays have won more games than any other team in the American League over the past two seasons, going about their business with a quiet confidence that has the full attention of the Boston Red Sox.

Gary Sánchez and Rougned Odor both struck out with two runners on to blunt a ninth-inning rally and the New York Yankees’ lead atop the AL wild-card race got even tighter with a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Carlos Correa hit his career-high 25th homer with a three-run shot and the Houston Astros clinched the AL West with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Drew Rasmussen and three relievers combined for a three-hitter, Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi both homered and the Tampa Bay Rays coasted past the Houston Astros 7-0, giving them the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their second straight AL East title, with Mike Zunino hitting a go-ahead homer and Brandon Lowe later adding a pair of RBI doubles to beat the Miami Marlins 7-3.

Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch after scooping up a Toronto scouting report two days earlier, and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a postseason berth with a 7-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

Miguel Cabrera got his ninth straight hit before the string ended, Jonathan Schoop launched a grand slam and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-4 Friday night. Rays rookie shortstop Wander Franco extended his on-base streak to 39 games, then left in the first inning with tightness in his right hamstring. “We'll know more, but hopefully we caught it early enough,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie Wander Franco extended his on-base streak to 39 games, then exited in the first inning against Detroit because of tightness in his right hamstring.

Minnesota Twins rookie Joe Ryan is pitching a perfect game through six innings against the Cleveland Indians in just his second major league start.

Nelson Cruz homered twice and, at 41 years old, became the oldest player in major league history to hit 30 home runs in a season, powering the Tampa Bay Rays past the Boston Red Sox 12-7.

Austin Meadows hit a tying, inside-the-park homer in the ninth inning, Nelson Cruz had a go-ahead single in the 10th and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 11-10.

Wander Franco extended his on-base streak 30 games with a two-run single, fellow rookie Luis Patiño pitched neatly into the sixth inning and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays won their eighth in a row, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-1.

One day after firing pitching coach Larry Rothschild, the slumping San Diego Padres begin a three-game series Tuesday night against the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed slugger Nelson Cruz on the COVID-19 injured list.

Brandon Lowe, Manuel Margot and Joey Wendle each had two hits and two RBIs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4.

Imagine Olympic swimming without the world’s top 100.

Eddy Alvarez became only the third American to earn medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics when the United States beat defending-champion South Korea 7-2 to gain a berth into this weekend’s gold medal game against host Japan.

Joey Votto has homered in seven straight games and the Cincinnati Reds slugger can match a major league record Saturday night by going deep against the New York Mets.

Patrick Sandoval had his no-hit bid broken up with one out in the ninth inning on a soft double by rookie Brent Rooker, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1.

Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels has lost his no-hit bid with one out in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins.

Nelson Cruz is headed to a contender in the biggest deal yet ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.

The Tampa Bay Rays added a big bat for the remainder of the season, acquiring slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins.

The second half of the major league baseball season begins with one game Thursday night when Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and the AL East-leading Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium.

Lucas Giolito lobbed an expletive-laced response in Josh Donaldson’s direction after the slugger appeared to yell “Not sticky anymore,” after a first-inning homer, overshadowing Gavin Sheets’ successful debut for the White Sox in a 7-6 victory over the Twins.

Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer shortly after Cleveland right fielder Josh Naylor was carted off the field following a frightening collision with a teammate, and the Minnesota Twins went beat the Indians 8-2.

Cedric Mullins got two hits, scored two runs and made a sensational catch in center field, helping the Baltimore Orioles snap their 14-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Rookie Trevor Larnach homered and Rob Refsnyder drove in two runs as the Minnesota Twins hung on to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5.

Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins has scored the 2 millionth run in Major League Baseball history, trotting home in the first inning on a ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz against Kansas City.

The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit to beat the Twins 13-12 when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning.

Max Kepler’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Minnesota a 4-3 victory over Boston, stopping a five-game losing streak for the Twins and breaking a nine-game winning string for the Red Sox.

Alex Verdugo had three hits, including a two-run single in a six-run fifth inning, and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to nine games, beating the Minnesota Twins 7-1 to sweep a doubleheader.

Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy afternoon in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in the Twin Cities area.

Mitch Haniger homered and hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Akil Baddoo added another big hit in this charmed start to his big league career, lining an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

The Washington Nationals are finally set to start their season, hosting the Atlanta Braves after their three-game series against the New York Mets was postponed by a coronavirus outbreak.

SETBACK IN THE BULLPENBlue Jays right-hander Kirby Yates will miss several weeks because of a strained muscle in his forearm. He allowed one run and five hits, striking out five without a walk. Ross Stripling struck out seven and walked none in 3 2/3 innings, but gave up three runs and five hits. Bryan Abreu, a top Astros pitching prospect who turns 24 next month, started and pitched three perfect innings, striking out four. Baltimore starter John Means allowed four hits and walked three over 3 2/3 innings, striking out three.

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2020, file photo, Minnesota Twins' Nelson Cruz, center, smiles in the dugout after the Twins clinched the AL Central championship with the Chicago White Sox's loss during the tenth inning of a baseball game in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)MINNEAPOLIS – After re-upping with the Minnesota Twins for what will be his 17th major league season, Nelson Cruz clearly was not ready to entertain the idea of a farewell tour. Cruz batted .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in 53 games during last year's pandemic-shortened schedule. Cruz won the team MVP and leadership awards in each of the last two seasons, as well.

The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz and bolstering their bullpen with right-hander Alex Colomé, making two more major moves as spring training fast approaches. Cruz's one-year deal is worth $13 million, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The six-time All-Star won Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020, and the Twins won the AL Central both seasons. Happ — on one-year commitments, as with Simmons, Colomé and Cruz — earlier this winter.