Go to Source Author: AP News A pair of injury-stricken teams will meet for the first time this season when the Washington Nationals visit the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series beginning Monday.The Braves are coming off a 4-5 road trip, but won the last two of a three-game set against Miami. Washington is 4-3 on its current road trip and beat Baltimore on Sunday to take two of three from the Orioles.The pitching matchup features Atlanta right-hander Touki Toussaint (0-1, 7.27 ERA) vs. veteran Washington right-hander Anibal Sanchez (0-3, 9.69).Neither team is at full strength.The Nationals are without starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who went on the injured list Saturday with carpal tunnel neuritis of the right hand, and shortstop Starlin Castro,

Go to Source Author: AP News EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Brayden Schenn scored 15:06 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.Schenn, circling in the neutral zone, took a stretch pass, raced in and fired a shot high past Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom for the defending champion Blues' first win this postseason.David Perron and Justin Faulk also scored, and Jake Allen stopped 39 shots as St. Louis pulled to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.Game 4 is Monday night.Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller scored for the Canucks, and Markstrom finished with 46 saves.All the scoring in regulation play came in the second period, starting on the power play when Pettersson hit Miller with

Go to Source Author: AP News The Texas Rangers planned to have Lance Lynn and Corey Kluber leading the way at the top of what would have been a formidable rotation.Kluber, the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, was injured in his first start of the season, putting a damper on those hopes. But into that void has stepped left-hander Kolby Allard, and despite not getting a decision yet, he has pitched well.Allard will take the mound for the Rangers as they wrap up a weekend series in Colorado seeking a sweep of the Rockies. Colorado will counter with right-hander Jon Gray, who is also looking for his first win of the season.Texas took Saturday night's game 6-4 after winning 3-2 on

Go to Source Author: AP News The Toronto Blue and the Tampa Bay Rays will complete their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Buffalo, N.Y., after the second game of the series was suspended by rain.The Rays were leading 1-0 when the game was suspended after 3 1/2 innings on Saturday night.That game will be resumed at 1:07 p.m. Sunday and will be a regular nine-inning game. The series finale will follow 30 minutes after the completion of the suspended game and will be a seven-inning game.The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-hander Matt Shoemaker (0-1, 4.86 ERA) against Rays right-hander Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 1.04) in the series finale.Toronto won the series opener Friday night 12-4, and the teams have split their

Go to Source Author: AP News The Milwaukee Brewers will go for their first three-game winning streak of the season when they wrap up a four-game series at the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon.The Brewers have posted back-to-back wins over their division rival Cubs after losing the series opener. Milwaukee has climbed within a game of .500 following a turbulent start to the shortened season."They just, they always compete," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "They're a really good team. They're a good team now, and the best player on the planet (Christian Yelich) is going through a little bit of a grind."Yelich is hitting .176 through his first 18 games, but he has contributed five homers and 12 RBIs at the

Go to Source Author: AP News Rookie right-hander Randy Dobnak will take the mound for the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon when they host the Kansas City Royals in Minneapolis in the third game of their four-game series.The 25-year-old Dobnak, a former Uber and Lyft driver signed by the Twins out of the independent United Shore Professional Baseball League in Detroit, has been one of the feel-good stories of the 2020 baseball season, posting a 3-1 record and majors-best 0.90 ERA (among starters) in four starts.Dobnak has allowed just two runs and 13 hits in 20 innings this season, keeping hitters off balance with sharp, biting sinkers and sliders to go along with pinpoint control. He has walked just five batters while

Go to Source Author: AP News Why was Jose Altuve batting seventh for the Houston Astros on Saturday? It was his request.Astros manager Dusty Baker revealed after the game that the six-time All-Star and three-time batting champion asked to be dropped in the batting order prior to Houston's 2-1 win.Altuve entered play with a .175/.250/.313 slash line with three home runs and nine RBIs. He has been a mainstay in the top third of the Houston batting order for years, but not in the middle game of the series vs. the Mariners.Altuve finished 1-for-3 with an RBI groundout in the second inning. His single in the seventh snapped an 0-for-8 skid."He said the guys ahead of me are swinging the bat better,

Go to Source Author: AP News The visiting St. Louis Cardinals will continue their COVID-19 comeback when they face the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.The Cardinals swept the White Sox 5-1 and 6-3 in a doubleheader Saturday in their first games since July 29."We're competing out here," said Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who hit the decisive two-run homer in Game 2. "We're pros. Just because we were out for three weeks or so doesn't mean we're just going to cave in. We're going to give it our all out there."The virus idled the Cardinals for 17 days and left 10 players on the infected list. They returned to confront a crowded schedule: eight games against the White Sox and Cubs during a

Go to Source Author: AP News The Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for a three-game series sweep against the visiting New York Mets on Sunday as right-hander Zack Wheeler faces his former team.After going 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA for the Mets last season, Wheeler opted to sign a $118 million free agent contract with the team's biggest National League East rival, the Phillies.Wheeler has been quite effective for the Phillies in his first three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA.During the shutdown, Wheeler remained in shape and has carried that momentum into his initial season with the Phillies as their No. 2 starter behind Aaron Nola."It was my goal during the shutdown that it was time to be ready to

Go to Source Author: AP News The young Miami Marlins will host the veteran Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of this three-game series.Miami, which had the worst record in the National League last season with 105 losses, is off to a surprising first-place start in the NL East at 9-5.Atlanta, which has won the NL East in two straight years while averaging 93.5 wins per season, is in second place at 12-10.The Marlins are winning despite 18 players testing positive for COVID-19. Another player, starting left fielder Corey Dickerson, went on the bereavement list Saturday and will miss Sunday's game."You've got to stay in the present," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said when asked about coping with the missing