ALEX BREGMAN

Mauricio Dubón and Jose Altuve twice hit back-to-back home runs, rookie catcher Yainer Diaz had a three-run shot to cap Houston’s big seventh inning, and the Astros beat the struggling Texas Rangers 13-6.

Kyle Tucker’s grand slam off Félix Bautista in the top of the ninth inning gave the Houston Astros a 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Framber Valdez threw the 16th no-hitter in Houston Astros history Tuesday night in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

James Outman scored the go-ahead run on a balk by Houston reliever Ryan Stanek in a wild eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Astros 8-7 for their fourth straight victory.

Michael Busch doubled in the go-ahead in the fourth inning, Mookie Betts homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Houston Astros 3-2 in an acrimonious game.

Rookie Taj Bradley won his third consecutive start to begin his big league career and the Tampa Bay Rays set a modern era MLB record with their 14th consecutive home win to begin a season, 8-3 over the Houston Astros.

José Abreu and the World Series champion Astros have agreed to a three-year contract, adding another powerful bat to Houston’s lineup.

Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola had another rough outing in Game 4 and lost for the first time in the World Series.

Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero held the Philadelphia Phillies hitless through eight innings in Game 4 of the World Series, and the Houston Astros led 5-0 after knocking out Aaron Nola in a five-run fifth.

The World Series is set to return to Philadelphia for the first time since 2009 when the Phillies host the Houston Astros in Game 3 on Monday night.

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. wasn’t born in Houston, but he sure loves it now.

Framber Valdez made a five-run lead stand up after Houston’s lightning first-inning burst, Alex Bregman homered and the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 to tie the World Series at one game apiece.

Kyle Tucker got the fans jumping with a leadoff homer in the second inning.

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Justin Verlander remains in search of his first World Series win after going 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in seven Series starts.

Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies are set to play the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman delivered big hits and the Houston Astros advanced to the World Series again, finishing a four-game sweep of New York in the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 victory aided by another defensive gaffe from the Yankees.

Cristian Javier and Houston’s bullpen combined on a three-hitter, Chas McCormick followed a dropped flyball with an early two-run homer and the Astros beat Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees 5-0 to take a 3-0 AL Championship Series lead.

The Yankees’ season keeps coming down to Gerrit Cole.

Alex Bregman hit an early three-run homer, Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Yordan Alvarez and his mighty bat did it yet again, launching a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning off Seattle ace Luis Castillo that lifted the Houston Astros over the Mariners 4-2 for a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series.

Yordan Alvarez smashed a game-ending, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Robbie Ray, wrecking Seattle’s strategy of using a Cy Young Award winner in a rare relief role and vaulting the Houston Astros over the Mariners 8-7 in their playoff opener.

Aaron Nola took a perfect game into the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber homered twice as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first playoff berth in 11 years with a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros Monday night.

Drew Rasmussen pitched seven effective innings and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season, beating the Houston Astros 7-3.

Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies hoped to be in this position.

The Houston Astros clinched their fifth AL West title in six years, getting a leadoff home run from Jose Altuve in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bays.

Justin Verlander pitched three scoreless innings before departing because of right calf discomfort, and the Houston Astros used five relievers to close out a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Justin Verlander was pulled after pitching six no-hit innings in his major league-leading 16th win and the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in Carlos Correa’s return to Houston.

Atlanta outfielder Marcell Ozuna was booed by the home fans in his return, Kyle Tucker singled to drive in Yordan Alvarez for the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Houston Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs and powering the Houston Astros past the Chicago White Sox 21-5.

Cal Quantrill pitched six scoreless innings and Amed Rosario had a two-run single, lifting the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Justin Verlander pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning and won his MLB-leading 14th game, Aledmys Díaz hit two homers and Yordan Alvarez slugged his 30th home run of the season as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 11-1.

Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman both homered and the pair combined for five RBIs as the Houston Astros completed a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees Thursday with a 7-5 win in Game 2.

Cristian Javier pitched another gem, striking out a career-high 14 while allowing just one hit in seven innings to lead the Houston Astros to an 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Houston’s Kyle Tucker was thrown out when he tried to steal home while New York Yankees starter Luis Severino tinkered with his malfunctioning PitchCom device.

Aaron Judge drove a three-run homer in the 10th inning for his second walk-off hit against Houston in four days, and the New York Yankees recovered after nearly being no-hit for the second consecutive game, beating Houston 6-3 to split a four-game series between the AL’s best teams.

Justin Verlander pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Yankees 3-1 to stop New York’s 15-game home winning streak.

Aaron Judge lined a game-winning single on the eve of his salary arbitration showdown, capping a four-run ninth inning that included Aaron Hicks’ tying three-run homer off closer Ryan Pressly in the New York Yankees’ 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros.

The Miami Marlins got a solid start from rookie Braxton Garrett and Jon Berti drove in two runs to help them extend their winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

The Astros tied the MLB record for most home runs in an inning, hitting five off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi as part of a nine-run second to help Houston rout Boston 13-4.

Justin Verlander missed out on his fourth no-hitter by five outs but still faced the minimum through eight innings, and the Houston Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 5-0 for their eighth straight win.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has won his 2,000th game, becoming the 12th skipper in major league history to reach the milestone and the first Black man to do it.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani pitched perfect ball into the sixth inning, tied a career-best with 12 strikeouts and also had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Houston Astros 6-0.

Framber Valdez outpitched Shohei Ohtani with 6 2/3 dominant innings of two-hit ball, and the Houston Astros tied the longest opening day winning streak in major league history with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Stephen Curry scored 21 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 122-108 win over the Houston Rockets Monday night.

Atlanta’s 7-0 victory over Houston in Game 6 to win the World Series could mark the end of an era for the Astros.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker appreciates his star players.

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros broke out the bats just in time to extend this World Series.

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Carlos Correa had three hits, Martin Maldonado found three different ways to drive in runs and pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez blooped a tiebreaking, two-run single in the fifth inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Atlanta Braves 9-5 and cut their World Series deficit to three games to two.

There are plenty of stars at this World Series, from Freddie Freeman to Jose Altuve.

Time and time again, the Houston Astros put runners on base.

Atlanta's Dylan Lee became the first pitcher to make his first big league start in the World Series.

The Houston Astros are still waiting for all their stars to break loose after a 2-0 loss to Atlanta in Game 3 of the World Series.

Rookie starter Ian Anderson and the Braves' bullpen took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, Austin Riley and Travis d’Arnaud drove in runs and Atlanta beat the Houston Astros 2-0 to grab a two games to one lead in the World Series.

Pinch-hitter Aledmys Díaz has blooped a leadoff single to begin the eighth inning for Atlanta’s first hit against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the World Series.

Atlanta Braves lefty Max Fried had a stretch in his first World Series start when he looked like the ace he has been most of the season.

Rookie Jose Siri sparked a team whose biggest stars took a while to shine, sending the Houston Astros to a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves that evened the World Series at one game apiece.

Making his first start since testing positive for COVID-19, Jorge Soler became the first player to begin a World Series with a home run and the Atlanta Braves, despite the loss of pitcher Charlie Morton to a broken leg, hushed the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 1.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton is done for the World Series after leaving with a broken right calf bone in the third inning of the opener.

The Braves are three outs away from a 1-0 World Series advantage, leading 6-2 after eight innings in Game 1.

Though the uniform keeps changing, Charlie Morton is becoming a Fall Classic fixture, starting in the World Series for the third time in five seasons this week.

The Houston Astros are in the World Series for the third time in five years.

Lance McCullers won't pitch in the World Series for the Houston Astros because of his forearm strain.

When Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves meet Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros, it will be a World Series that's been six decades in the making.

Rookie Luis García showed the poise of an October ace, MVP Yordan Alvarez stayed hot at the plate and the Houston Astros earned yet another trip to the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.

Jose Altuve hit a tying home run in the eighth inning and the Houston offense awakened with seven runs in the ninth on Tuesday night as the Astros came back to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2.

Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer and scored four times, and the Houston Astros eliminated the Chicago White Sox with a 10-1 victory in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.

Carlos Correa hit a two-run double during Houston’s five-run seventh inning, and the Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 9-4 for a 2-0 lead in their AL Division Series.

With Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and the rest of baseball's MVP front-runners left out of the postseason, there's a chance for some budding stars to cement their place among the game's top names.

Jose Altuve hit a two-run double in the 12th inning and the Houston Astros, after throwing out Shohei Ohtani at the plate to preserve a tie, broke away to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 9-5.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 44th home run, but got tagged early by José Altuve, Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros in a 10-5 over the Los Angeles Angels.

Jake Cronenworth hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros 4-3 to take two of three from the AL West leaders.

Shohei Ohtani has won four straight pitching starts for the Los Angeles Angels and is 7-0 on the mound since his last loss May 28.

Aledmys Díaz had three hits and drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Max Scherzer struck out 10 in his Dodgers debut and got plenty of offensive support as Los Angeles hit four home runs to defeat the Houston Astros 7-5, capping a contentious two-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Lance McCullers Jr. threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and the Houston Astros withstood the raucous, heckling fans at Dodger Stadium to blank Los Angeles 3-0.

Framber Valdez and the Houston bullpen took a no-hit try into the eighth inning and Astros beat Texas 4-1, sending the Rangers to their season-worst 11th straight loss.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole demanded on the mound that manager Aaron Boone let him get the final out, then struck out Yordan Alvarez with a 99 mph fastball on his career-high 129th pitch to cap the New York Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Houston Astros.

Kyle Tucker had a season-best three hits and tied a career high with four RBIs as the Houston Astros beat former bench coach Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox 11-2.

Jared Walsh homered and matched a career high with four hits, Justin Upton also connected and the Los Angeles Angels rallied in the sixth inning to beat the Houston Astros 5-4.

Gleyber Torres kept going and going and going.

José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in the Houston Astros’ return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans with a 7-3 victory.

Kent Emanuel worked 8 2/3 innings in relief in his major league debut, saving Houston’s bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2.

Los Angeles right-hander Walker Buehler starts the opener of a four-game series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

All players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear No. 42 on Thursday to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, marking the anniversary of the date the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer made his Major League Baseball debut and broke the sport’s color barrier in 1947.

The Houston Astros have placed second baseman Jose Altuve, third baseman Alex Bregman, designated hitter Yordan Álvarez, catcher Martín Maldonado and infielder Robel Garcia on the injured list because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

The Toronto Blue Jays are set to become the first team in Major League Baseball history to play home openers in three different cities over three consecutive seasons.

“We’re just talking.”The Mets obtained Lindor from Cleveland in January, and he's signed for this season at $22.3 million. Canning now has 13 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has permitted three hits in 8 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts and a walk. Nola has given up 15 hits in 8 2/3 innings, seeing his ERA rise to 10.38. Kyle Wright made his fourth start, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)SAN FRANCISCO – Versatile infielder Tommy La Stella completed an $18.75 million, three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, giving the club a reliable left-handed hitter with a track record of getting on base. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi values versatility, and La Stella provides it. He played 33 games at second base during the shortened 60-game 2020 schedule, 10 at first, six at third and another nine as designated hitter. The contract includes La Stella making yearly donations to the Giants Community Fund of $10,000 this year, $26,250 in ‘22 and $57,500 in ’23. To open room for La Stella on the 40-man roster, San Francisco designated outfielder Luis Alexander Básabe for assignment.

Springer and the Blue Jays agreed last week to a team-record $150 million, six-year contract. The Blue Jays swept in two games during a first-round series by the eventual AL champion Rays. Besides Springer, Toronto also has signed right-handers Kirby Yates and Tyler Chatwood in the past week. Shapiro insisted the Blue Jays still have flexibility to add payroll, likely to strengthen the rotation, but said “the bulk of our heavy lifting is done.”Springer split time between center field and right with the Astros, but is expected to become a fixture in center for the Blue Jays. “This is about the Blue Jays,” Springer said.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. walks out to the infield for the national anthem before Game 7 of a baseball American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)HOUSTON – The Houston Astros overcame injuries to several top stars and dealt with the fallout from their sign-stealing scandal to come a win shy of reaching the World Series for the third time in four seasons. The Astros fell into an 0-3 hole in the AL Championship Series before beating the Tampa Bay Rays in three straight games to force a Game 7. But their powerful offense was stifled by former Astros pitcher Charlie Morton in a 4-2 loss, and the Astros are heading home instead of to their second straight World Series. “I haven’t really thought about that yet,” the 2017 World Series MVP said.

Arozarena homered again, 36-year-old Charlie Morton was brilliant against his former team and the Rays silenced the Houston Astros 4-2 to reach the World Series for just the second time. The Rays will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Atlanta Braves in the World Series in Arlington, Texas, starting Tuesday night. Tampa Bay’s only other World Series appearance was in 2008, when it lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. Under new manager Dusty Baker, the Astros were trying to reach the World Series for the third time in four seasons. “Cash made the right move again — shocker,” kidded ace Tyler Glasnow, now lined up to start the World Series opener.

The only task left — winning Game 7 of their AL Championship Series against the Rays. That Red Sox team went on to win the World Series and end the Curse of the Bambino. McCullers started and Morton closed for the Astros in Game 7 of the ’17 World Series against the Dodgers. LET’S PLAY 6Mookie Betts and the Dodgers try again to avoid elimination when they face Atlanta in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. The Braves haven’t been to the World Series since 1999, the Dodgers haven’t won the title since 1988.

The Astros defeated the Rays 4-3 and the Rays lead the series 3-2 games. The Astros forced Game 6 on Friday, a rematch of the first game started by left-handers Blake Snell of Tampa Bay and Valdéz. Otherwise, big league clubs leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series are 37-1. Correa also hit a walkoff homer in Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS off Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees. Houston became the first team with a leadoff and walk-off home run in a postseason game.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)SAN DIEGO – Kevin Kiermaier and the Tampa Bay Rays — with big assists from two former Padres who know Petco Park's outfield well — are one win from the second World Series berth in franchise history. “We’ve played just tremendous defense all season long,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. Kiermaier, the longest-tenured Tampa Bay player, said it was “an amazing feeling” to be so close to going to the Fall Classic. Wendle lined a single off third baseman Alex Bregman's glove to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. Paredes hit Kiermaier on the hand to load the bases and then grazed Willy Adames on the pinkie with a pitch to bring in another run.

I’m sure he’ll do that.”The Astros have also had a lousy go with runners on base. THE KID AND THE ACEOff to an impressive start in his first postseason, Atlanta rookie Ian Anderson faces Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series. CHANGE OF SOXAfter ending a 12-year playoff drought, the Chicago White Sox are looking for a new manager. The club announced Monday that Renteria won’t return after guiding the White Sox to a 35-25 record in his pandemic-shortened fourth season. Hahn said Renteria’s replacement probably will come from outside the White Sox.

“We were down 0-2 in the World Series last year with (ALCS Game 3 starter) José Urquidy and (ALCS Game 4 starter Zack) Greinke coming up next to pitch for us,” shortstop Carlos Correa said. The Astros have made three errors in two games, while the Rays have played sparkling defense all across the diamond. I’m sure he’ll do that.”After the second error, Correa moved into the spot normally occupied by Altuve in the shift. Altuve's first error put the Astros in a hole they never escaped, even with a superb start from McCullers. After getting nine hits and just one run in Game 1, the Astros ended their 13-inning scoreless streak with Correa's homer.

Asked which was bigger in the 4-2 victory against the Houston Astros, Margot said through a translator: “Definitely the home run. He played one game in right field in 2016 and the rest of his time in San Diego was spent in center. “To have the ability to know where you’re at, and kind of be able to say, ‘Forget it, I know I’m going to hit something but I’m going in,’ and still hang on to the ball, was really, really impressive,” manager Kevin Cash said. It was an unbelievable play that he made on the right field line, putting himself in a dangerous place. “Everybody is really, really supportive of him and just so happy for what he's accomplished.”Morton improved to 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA in the last two postseasons.