MLB News Blog

Matt Cain became the major league's second 12-game winner, scattering three hits over seven innings and the San Francisco Giants beat Colorado 3-1 on Friday night to pull even with the Rockies in the NL wild-card race. Fred Lewis finished a home run shy of the cycle and Nate Schierholtz hit a solo shot in [...]

Chipper Jones, Martin Prado and Nate McLouth homered to pace a 17-hit effort by Atlanta and Javier Vazquez struck out nine in seven innings, lifting the surging Braves over the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 on Friday night. Prado hit a three-run homer in the third, Jones the go-ahead solo shot in the sixth and McLouth a [...]

Mike Hampton hit a two-run homer off Johan Santana and the Houston Astros beat the Mets 5-4 on Friday night, handing the New York ace a rare loss after the All-Star break. Chris Coste had a two-run double for the Astros, who've won seven of the last nine meetings with the Mets at Minute Maid [...]

Scott Feldman outpitched Zack Greinke with eight scoreless innings and the Texas Rangers extended their winning streak to five games with a 2-0 victory over the slumping Kansas City Royals on Friday night The illness-depleted Rangers learned before the game that pitcher Vicente Padilla has swine flu and didn't put up much of a fight, [...]

Matt Holliday hopped off a train, joined his new team and made an immediate contribution before making good contact. Holliday went 4 for 5 with one RBI to back Joel Pineiro, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-1 on Friday night in a matchup of division leaders. Acquired from Oakland for a [...]

Brad Penny scattered five hits over 6 1-3 innings to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 on Friday night and snap a season-high five-game losing streak. The slump, combined with the New York Yankees' winning streak, turned Boston's 2 1/2 -game lead in the AL East at the All-Star break into [...]

Joba Chamberlain pitched into the eighth inning and allowed two hits, Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon provided the offense and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 8-3 on Friday night for their eighth straight win. Chamberlain (6-2) was dominant for the second straight start, giving up a run in the first and little [...]

Clete Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning to force home the tiebreaking run, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Friday night for a sweep of their day-night doubleheader. Carlos Guillen, just activated from the disabled list, homered to help Detroit increase its AL Central lead to two [...]

Evan Longoria hit a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays spoiled what could have been Roy Halladay's final start with Toronto, beating the Blue Jays 4-2 on Friday night. Halladay, the most sought-after player available on the trade market, pitched nine innings, then the Rays scored the go-ahead run against [...]

Texas Rangers pitcher Vicente Padilla tested positive for swine flu, though his symptoms are subsiding and he's expected to make his next start. Padilla was scratched from his start Wednesday against Boston due to flulike symptoms, and lab reports Friday indicated he had H1N1 influenza A. He is thought to be the first athlete in [...]