JOHNNY CUETO

The Chicago White Sox watched manager Tony La Russa announce he was leaving his position, and then beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 behind Johnny Cueto’s seven effective innings.

The San Diego Padres are going back to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2006, a spot that they clinched during the seventh inning of a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez was taken to a hospital during Friday night's game against the Atlanta Braves because of shortness of breath.

Kyle Farmer homered and had tied his career high with five RBIs to power the Cincinnati Reds to their high-scoring game in 23 years, a 20-5 rout of the Chicago Cubs.

Minus injured slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the ailing New York Yankees open a four-game series at Tampa Bay — the first meeting this year between the heated AL East rivals.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list for the fourth straight season.

Healthy for much of this season, the AL-leading Yankees are suddenly dealing with injuries to several key players.

Tim Anderson hit a three-run homer and then put a finger to his lips to silence the booing fans, capping a tumultuous weekend at Yankee Stadium and helping the Chicago White Sox beat New York 5-0 for a doubleheader sweep.

Major League Baseball’s free-agent frenzy was fun while it lasted.

Major League Baseball's free-agent frenzy was fun while it lasted. Now that the dust has settled, some of the biggest moves weren't a huge surprise: Freddie Freeman is closer to home with the Dodgers, Nick Castellanos chose the Phillies while Trevor Story picked the Red Sox. Other signings were more unexpected: The Twins swooped in to snag star shortstop Carlos Correa while Kris Bryant surprised most of baseball after his big deal with the Rockies.

Pitcher Wade Miley was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs from Cincinnati on Friday, a surprising cost-cutting move by the Reds.

Logan Webb struck out 10 pitching masterfully in his postseason debut, Buster Posey hit a two-run homer that held up, and the 107-win San Francisco Giants blanked the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the opener of their NL Division Series.

LaMonte Wade Jr. singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning and the San Francisco Giants held their two-game lead in the NL West by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — “Late Night LaMonte" finally delivered at home for San Francisco on Thursday night. LaMonte Wade Jr. singled home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning and the Giants held their two-game lead in the NL West, beating Madison Bumgarner and the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4. The Giants posted their 105th victory — one off the franchise record set in 1904 — and kept their two-game edge over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers going into the final weekend of the season.

Pinch-hitting pitcher Kevin Gausman lofted a full-count, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and the San Francisco Giants edged the Atlanta Braves 6-5 to increase their NL West lead.

The Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for first in the NL West heading into their weekend series in San Francisco.

Jace Peterson hit a go-ahead single in the seventh, Lorenzo Cain homered for a second straight game and the Milwaukee Brewers knocked the San Francisco Giants out of the top spot in the National League for the first time in more than three months.

The San Francisco Giants are suddenly in second place, and the defending World Series champion Dodgers are atop the National League ahead of a weekend visit to the Bay Area. Jace Peterson hit a go-ahead single in the seventh, Lorenzo Cain homered for a second straight game and the Milwaukee Brewers knocked the Giants out of the NL lead for the first time in more than three months with a 5-2 win Wednesday night. “We just have to try to go after it and get back into that position,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said.

Kris Bryant left the Chicago Cubs and NL Central late last month figuring he had seen about enough of Corbin Burnes. Burnes struck out nine while tossing scoreless ball into the seventh and singled home a run to help his winning cause, pitching the Brewers by San Francisco 3-1 on Monday night in a matchup of National League contenders.

Mets fans get their say after it was revealed stars Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez were among the New York players making derogatory hand gestures at Citi Field crowds.

Right-hander Johnny Cueto was scratched from his scheduled start for San Francisco against Milwaukee because of cold and flu-like symptoms, while fellow Giants starter Alex Wood tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms.

Right-hander Johnny Cueto was scratched from his scheduled start for San Francisco on Monday night against Milwaukee because of cold and flu-like symptoms, while fellow Giants starter Alex Wood tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms. Cueto, who has tested negative, was put on the COVID-related injured list. Wood has headaches and a sore throat — “he is not feeling well at all,” manager Gabe Kapler said.

Jorge Soler and Austin Riley homered off Anthony DeSclafani, Ian Anderson pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0.

Josh Harrison hit a two-run single, Starling Marte added an RBI double, and the Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Friday night.

Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and the World Series champion Dodgers have been hitting on almost all cylinders this season.

Brandon Belt hit his second homer of the night during a four-run outburst in the 11th inning as the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-6 in a wild Saturday night matchup between division leaders.

Walker Buehler pitched three-hit ball over seven dominant innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers to extend his mastery of the San Francisco Giants in an 8-0 victory.

LaMonte Wade Jr. broke a ninth-inning tie with a two-run single and the San Francisco Giants rallied against closer Kenley Jansen again for a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jake Arrieta pitches against the World Series champion Dodgers on Friday, one night after Zach Davies and three Cubs relievers combined for the majors' seventh no-hitter this year to match the most in a season since 1900.

Kevin Gausman pitched six shutout innings and Mauricio Dubón hit one of two homers off Clayton Kershaw, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4.

After no-hitters on consecutive nights by Detroit right-hander Spencer Turnbull and Yankees newcomer Corey Kluber, is there a pitcher on the docket who can make it three days in a row.

Major League Baseball is full of huge numbers.

Mets ace Jacob deGrom plans to return to the rubber after being scratched from his last scheduled start Tuesday with right lat inflammation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will raise the World Series flag for the first time since 1988 and will hand out championship rings before Friday’s home opener against Washington, the first time fans are allowed into Dodger Stadium since the Game 5 loss in the 2019 NL Division Series.

Nick Castellanos stood over, flexed and jawed at St. Louis pitcher Jake Woodford after scoring, stetting off a series of scuffles that included relievers shoving in the outfield as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Cardinals 9-6.

Nick Castellanos stood over, flexed and jawed at St. Louis pitcher Jake Woodford after scoring, setting off a series of scuffles between the Cincinnati Reds and Cardinals that included relievers shoving in the outfield on their way back to the bullpen.

Bauer wound up pitching three scoreless innings with the creative approach, striking out three while allowing two hits and a walk. Known for speaking his mind and going his own way, Bauer said he regularly shuts one eye during bullpen sessions and other workouts. METS 6, ASTROS 1 (6)Jacob deGrom pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut, striking out three and allowing one hit. AdBLUE JAYS 7, PHILLIES 1 (7)Newcomer Tanner Roark made his first start for Toronto, allowing one hit in two scoreless innings. Jorge López threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

FILE - In this March 18, 2016, file photo, fans at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick watch a spring training baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Scottsdale, Ariz. PHOENIX – Even during a pandemic, the appetite to sit in the sun and watch Major League Baseball spring training appears robust. The two teams open their spring training schedule against each other next Sunday. Spring training facilities across Arizona and Florida have been making their own decisions about how many fans — if any — are allowed to attend games. “Not just Diamondbacks fans but I think baseball fans throughout the entire United States.

San Francisco is still breathing, but needs help. San Francisco (29-30) needs a victory over the visiting Padres and a Brewers loss. “We just have to keep our head up and try to win,” San Francisco pitcher Johnny Cueto said. 2 seed in the AL — with a win at home against Cincinnati or a White Sox loss at home to the Cubs. Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs clinched the NL Central crown Saturday night even while losing to the crosstown White Sox.

(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)SAN FRANCISCO Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf launched back-to-back home runs in the second inning and the Giants spoiled Madison Bumgarners return to San Francisco with a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night. His 119 wins are third-most in San Francisco history and his 1,794 strikeouts rank second. Joey Bart and Mauricio Dubn added consecutive RBI triples in the sixth to give San Francisco a 4-1 lead. San Francisco improved to 6-2 against the Diamondbacks this season, outscoring them 39-23. He went 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts against San Francisco last season.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto works against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto works against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)SAN FRANCISCO Stephen Piscotty hit a tying grand slam in the ninth inning, Mark Canha's sacrifice fly put Oakland on top in the 10th, and the Athletics stunned the San Francisco Giants 8-7 on Friday night in the opener of the Bay Bridge Series. Oakland trailed by five in the ninth inning but rallied to win from such a deficit for the first time since July 15, 1952, according to STATS. The Giants hadn't lost after leading by five or more runs in the ninth inning or latter since June 25, 1929. The ball carried on a rare hot evening in San Francisco, where first-pitch temperature reached 85 degrees.

FILE - This is a July 4, 2020, file photo showing the Miami Marlins running drills during a baseball workout at Marlins Park in Miami. Marlins Park will have a new look for its 2020 season debut Friday, thanks to cozier dimensions and a switch to artificial turf. Also, there will be a first-place team in the home dugout when the Marlins (8-4) host Atlanta. Miamis season was suspended for a week and the schedule scrambled, including the postponement of eight games at Marlins Park. The Cardinals season has been derailed by the coronavirus.

Houston Astros' Martin Maldonado hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)HOUSTON Martn Maldonado hit a three-run home run to back a strong start by Zack Greinke and help the Houston Astros to a 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Maldonado then knocked his two-strike homer into the seats in left field to make it 5-1. San Francisco starter Trevor Cahill, who was selected to the Major League roster before the game, walked four in 1 2/3 innings. UP NEXTGiants: San Francisco is off on Thursday before Johnny Cueto (1-0, 5.40) is scheduled to start on Friday night in the first of three games against Oakland.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)A look at what's happening in the majors on Saturday:RED-HOT COLEGerrit Cole tries for his 20th straight regular-season win when he pitches for the Yankees at Tampa Bay. Cole is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA in three starts since signing a $324 million, nine-year contract with New York. Cole lost the World Series opener last year when Washington beat the Astros. Paul Goldschmidt and the Cards have been off since a week ago Friday, when two players returned positive coronavirus tests.

San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski watches his game-ending solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)SAN FRANCISCO Mike Yastrzemski homered twice, the second a towering solo shot into McCovey Cove in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants past the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Wednesday night. Our players have actually talked about it this team is full of fighters, San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. After Tyler Rogers (1-1) worked the ninth, Yastrzemski homered off Matt Strahm (0-1) in the bottom of the inning to give San Francisco the walkoff victory. RHP Kevin Gausman (0-0, 4.50) will make his first start for San Francisco.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)LOS ANGELES Kik Hernndez homered and drove in five runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the rival San Francisco Giants 8-1 in a fan-less ballpark as baseballs shortened season opened on Thursday night. Betts struck out swinging in his first at-bat a day after signing a $365 million deal over 12 years. Justin Turner grounded into a fielder's choice and Betts beat a throw to the plate to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Betts struck out with the bases loaded to end a five-run inning that made it 6-1. PREGAME CEREMONYThe Giants and Dodgers held a black ribbon that wound along the baselines in a show of unity after pregame introductions.