MATT OLSON

Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is serving his final days with Minnesota before leaving for the same job with LSU.

Trea Turner had three hits, including a home run, Freddie Freeman reached base three times in his emotional return to Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Braves 4-1.

Freddie Freeman wasn't prepared for the flood of feelings that came in his anticipated return to Atlanta as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Adam Duvall homered twice off José Quintana, William Contreras and Matt Olson also connected, and the Atlanta Braves won their 11th straight game, 5-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ozzie Albies and the Atlanta Braves have won 10 straight going into their home game Sunday against Pittsburgh, while rookie Bryson Stott and the Phillies have a nine-game winning streak as they host Arizona.

The AL Central-leading Twins start a home series against the AL East-leading Yankees with their rotation in a dire situation.

Ha-Seong Kim had a run-scoring double to give San Diego the lead in a four-run 11th inning and the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 7-3.

Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Riley hit a tiebreaking double during a four-run rally in the eighth inning that lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Freddie Freeman arrived at Dodger Stadium and headed to the visiting clubhouse for an emotional reunion with his former Atlanta Braves teammates.

Hunter Greene won his major league debut, Kyle Farmer hit a two-run single in a five-run third inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

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.

There's a lot to catch up on from a bizarre baseball offseason before the 2022 season officially begins with first pitch at Wrigley Field.

The San Diego Padres have acquired left-hander Sean Manaea in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.

The Oakland Athletics posted a farewell photo on social media featuring pitching ace Chris Bassitt and their former superstar slugging Matts, third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson, after trading them away in cost-cutting moves so familiar to this low-budget franchise. Missing in the mix: departed manager Bob Melvin, who left in October to take over the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, the A's welcomed back a pair of veterans who have meant so much to the franchise: catcher Stephen Vogt and infielder Jed Lowrie.

Atlanta's trade for Matt Olson was designed to ensure the defending World Series champion Braves will be contenders in 2022. Signing Olson to an eight-year deal only one day later was the foundation of a plan by general manager Alex Anthopoulos to keep Atlanta competitive through the decade. As soon as it became clear the Braves and Freddie Freeman wouldn't reach a deal, Anthopoulos shifted to a new a long-term strategy.

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

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and five players from the World Series champion Atlanta Braves are among the players who are headed toward salary arbitration hearings that will occur during the regular season after failing to agree to contracts for 2022.

It was a 1-2 punch to the gut for Atlanta’s sports fans.

The Atlanta Braves capped a busy week with another stunning move, signing three-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen to a $16 million, one-year contract.

Justin Verlander is one of the greatest pitchers of his generation with eight All-Star appearances, two Cy Young Awards, one MVP, one Rookie of the Year and a World Series title.

Coronavirus restrictions in Canada and New York have assured that baseball will again be affected by COVID-19 in 2022.

All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the payroll-shredding Oakland Athletics for four players.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Detroit Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson are among baseball's most intriguing rookies this summer.

After cutting ties with Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves have signed new first baseman Matt Olson to a $168 million, eight-year contract.

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.

Freddie Freeman’s tenure with the Atlanta Braves appears to be over after the World Series champions acquired All-Star first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics.

Matt Olson and Chad Pinder each homered and the Oakland Athletics beat Houston 8-6 Friday night, cutting the Astros’ edge for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs. Houston leads the White Sox by one game for home field in their best-of-five Division Series matchup next week. The AL West champion Astros also own the tiebreaker after going 5-2 against AL Central champion Chicago this season.

Mark Canha hit an RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Oakland Athletics again beat Houston with their final swing, edging the AL West-leading Astros 4-3.

Salvador Perez tied Johnny Bench’s record for homers in a season by a catcher with his 45th, but Chad Pinder’s two-run single spurred a third-inning rally and the Oakland Athletics held off the Kansas City Royals 7-2.

Pete Alonso danced to his second straight Home Run Derby title, besting Shohei Ohtani, Trey Mancini and Juan Soto on a night of record long balls in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Coors Field.

Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer and Kyle Tucker’s tiebreaking solo shot in the seventh inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Yordan Álvarez hit two homers and drove in five runs, José Altuve drove in the go-ahead run with a single, and the Houston Astros rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 9-6 for their fifth straight win.

Martín Maldonado homered and drove in three runs, helping the Houston Astros beat the Oakland 8-4 to move ahead of the Athletics for the AL West lead.

Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and the Oakland Athletics won their 13th straight game, building a big lead early and beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 on a rainy night.

The Oakland Athletics earned their 12th consecutive victory --- their longest winning streak in almost two decades --- defeating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1.

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.

Matt Olson hit a grand slam, Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout, then Jesús Luzardo followed with his own Game 2 gem as the Oakland Athletics swept a doubleheader against the depleted Minnesota Twins, 7-0 and 1-0 to run their winning streak to 10 games.

Clayton Kershaw struck out eight in seven smooth innings to send the Athletics to their worst start in more than a century, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat winless Oakland 5-1 for their fifth straight victory.

He was 2-1 with a 6.35 ERA in three spring starts, including allowing six earned runs against Cincinnati on Friday. Alec Bohm had two hits, including his fourth double. AdFreddie Freeman had two hits, including a double and his first homer — a two-run shot in the sixth. Victor Robles had three hits, including his sixth double, with an RBI, and Kyle Schwarber doubled and walked three times. Adalberto Mondesi singled and homered and Jorge Soler had two hits, including a double.

Trevor Williams went five innings in his fourth start, allowing a run on three hits. Austin Gomber made his fourth start for Colorado, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out four in 4 1/3 innings. Dylan Cease made his second start, allowing three hits and three walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Matthew Boyd made his fourth start, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in four innings, striking out five. Tyler Anderson went five innings in his fourth start for Pittsburgh, giving up one run on two hits.

The 27-year-old says his power surge through the first two weeks of exhibition games is for real. He's had a good start with seven hits in his first 14 at-bats, including three homers and three doubles. He's shown dominant stuff at different points throughout his career and struck out a career-high 235 batters in 2019. The 24-year-old has been a top prospect for several years and hit .350 with nine homers in 2019 at Triple-A Albuquerque. The durable right-hander pitched an MLB-high 84 innings for the Rangers last season and had a 6-3 record with a 3.32 ERA.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0 (7 INNINGS)Minnesota ace Kenta Maeda allowed one hit in three innings, striking out four in his second start. Baltimore's Dean Kremer fared better in his second start, allowing a hit and a walk in three scoreless innings. Deivi García pitched three shutout innings in his second start for the Yankees. Nick Pivetta made his second start for Boston, allowing a run on three hits with three strikeouts in three innings. Alex Wood worked two innings in the start for San Francisco and gave up a home run to Omar Narvaez.

With a good young rotation and a deep lineup, the Braves are looking for their first World Series title since 1995. While San Diego is much improved, World Series MVP Corey Seager and Los Angeles are well-positioned for a run at another championship. The last time the All-Stars descended on Atlanta, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter had three hits and two RBIs in the AL's 6-3 victory at Turner Field in 2000. AdTHURSDAY, AUG. 12New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox: Major League Baseball comes to Iowa. SUNDAY, SEPT. 26Houston Astros at Oakland Athletics: The AL West rivals close out their season series with Oakland's home finale.

New York starter Jordan Montgomery gave up two hits in three scoreless innings. Brubaker allowed two hits over two scoreless innings and Chase De Jong followed with two shutout innings. MARLINS 4, METS 4Miami starter Pablo Lopez gave up a hit and a walk over three scoreless innings. German Marquez scattered three hits and a walk over three scoreless innings for Colorado. Kansas City starter Jakob Junis pitched three innings and gave up one hit, a leadoff homer to Trent Grisham.

The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year is off to a strong start this spring on both sides. PHILLIES 3, PIRATES 0Bryce Harper homered on his first swing of spring training, launching a opposite-field drive to left. Chad Kuhl made his second start for Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on three hits. Brad Keller worked three innings in the start for the Royals and allowed a run on four hits and two walks. BRAVES 4, TWINS 0 (7)Kyle Wright fared much better in his second start for Atlanta, allowing one hit in three shutout innings with two strikeouts.

Bieber bounced back with a pair of strikeouts, but Nick Heath hit a single to put the Royals up 3-0. DODGERS 10, ROCKIES 0 (6 INNINGS)Trevor Bauer, pitching for the first time since signing a $102 million, three-year contract, debuted in Dodger blue with two scoreless innings. Jameson Taillon followed with a scoreless inning. CUBS 1, PADRES 0 (7)Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks struck out two in two scoreless innings. BREWERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1 (8)Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta each threw a scoreless inning for Milwaukee before Jordan Zimmermann gave up a run.

The total cut was one more than the previous high at the tender deadline, ahead of the 2004 season. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Schwarber returned from a serious knee injury and hit .412 with two RBIs in the 2016 World Series as the Cubs won their first championship since 1908. Fifty-nine players agreed to one-year contracts ahead of the deadline, many of them facing a threat of being cut. Minnesota reached deals with five players, including pitcher José Berríos ($500,000 signing bonus plus $5.6 million salary) and center fielder Byron Buxton ($5,125,000).

Houston Astros' George Springer, left, celebrates with Carlos Correa after the Astros defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 4 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. “We have young guys that are leaning on the veterans and the veterans are taking care of them right now. The Astros and A's combined for 24 homers — 12 each — the most in a postseason series of five games or fewer. The scandal led to season-long suspensions of Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who both were fired. BACK TO THE ALCSThe Astros became the third team in AL history since 1969 to reach four straight AL Championship Series.

Oakland Athletics' Chad Pinder, right, celebrates with manager Bob Melvin after the Athletics defeated the Houston Astros in Game 3 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. And just in case Laureano's words did not get the message across, he ripped a double as the A's got a pair of sacrifice flies in the eighth to rally past the Houston Astros 9-7 on Wednesday and avoid elimination in their AL Division Series. “It was awesome.”Houston leads the best-of-five series 2-1 and can advance to its fourth straight AL Championship Series with a victory in Game 4 on Thursday. Pinder hit a first-pitch slider to the opposite field for Oakland's fifth homer, a drive chased by right fielder Kyle Tucker until he ran out of room at the short wall. Houston took a 7-4 lead with five runs in the fifth, when the Astros sent 10 batters to the plate.

Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, celebrates with George Springer after they defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – A home run derby broke out during a hot, dry day at Dodger Stadium, and suddenly the Houston Astros have their swing and swagger back. “When you get the leadoff guy (Springer) getting on base every single time, good things are going to happen. Altuve's line-drive single to left scored Maldonado and Springer to put the Astros back in front, 6-5. Chris Bassitt put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on in the fifth with back-to-back singles by Springer and Altuve.

Oakland stopped a nine-game losing streak in winner-take-all postseason games, a major league record that dated to the 1973 World Series. “I woke up this morning feeling like this was going to be a hard game and it was a hard game,” Melvin said. The low-budget A's had not captured a winner-take-all postseason game since beating Hall of Famer Willie Mays and the New York Mets. That prompted White Sox star Tim Anderson to say, “I guess they haven’t done their homework.”“It’s a tough one to swallow but we've got to keep going,” Anderson said. HURLING ITThe 17 pitchers, nine by Chicago, were the most in a nine-inning postseason game.

Sean Manaea carried a perfect game into the sixth inning en route to winning his fourth straight start, Matt Olson hit a two-run homer and the Oakland Athletics beat the stumbling Houston Astros 3-1 on Thursday. Well-played series.”The division-leading A's (27-15) moved 6 1/2 games ahead of second-place Houston in the AL West. Oakland had four games postponed and is 5-3 since resuming play last Friday against the Padres. Today was disheartening because we hit a lot of balls hard off Manaea," Houston's Josh Reddick said. “It's been very heartbreaking but we have to keep moving forward.”FIVE GAMESThis marked the 15th five-game series in Oakland history.

(AP Photo/Matt York)PHOENIX David Peralta slapped a bases-loaded single through the right side of the infield with one out in the ninth inning to push the Arizona Diamondbacks past the streaking Oakland Athletics 4-3 on Monday night. The As trailed 3-1 going into the eighth but came back to tie it after loading the bases with one out. Ahmed quickly made up for his mistake, smacking a leadoff double to left field to start the decisive ninth-inning rally. UP NEXTAthletics: Oakland wraps up the quick two-game series by sending RHP Frankie Montas (2-1, 1.57 ERA) to the mound. Diamondbacks: Arizona goes with RHP Luke Weaver (0-3, 11.85), who has pitched just 13 2/3 innings this season in four starts.

Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches in the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)HOUSTON - Matt Olson hit a two-run homer to back a solid start by Homer Bailey and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-2 Thursday night to take over the AL wild-card lead. The Athletics got Verlander (18-6) for three runs in the first three innings before he settled in to pitch three scoreless frames. The Astros loaded the bases with two outs but Blake Treinen struck out rookie Kyle Tucker to leave everyone stranded. The Athletics tagged Verlander right away in his second start since tossing his third career no-hitter on Aug. 1.

Matt Olson and Josh Phegley each had two hits for Oakland, which finished with 13 hits - just two for extra bases. The A's have won four straight games and 11 of their last 16. They have gained four games in four days on the Astros, closing to within 6 1/2 games of the AL West leaders. In seven starts since the All-Star break he's 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA. Armenteros gave up five runs and seven hits with one walk in four innings.

Matt Chapman hit two home runs for the second straight day, connecting for the tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning to lead the Athletics past the Houston Astros in a 7-6 home run derby of sorts Thursday night. Four players hit two home runs: Chapman and teammate Matt Olson along with Houston's Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa. It was a little bit of 2019 home run derby with the ball flying out of the ballpark everywhere." Correa homered leading off the fifth and seventh innings for Houston, the second giving him 100 for his career. Chapman hit a tiebreaking homer estimated at 453 feet leading off the sixth before Olson's second of the night and No.