Last week, the Braves were No. 1 in the MLB.com Power Rankings, and the Dodgers were No. 3. Quite conveniently, these top teams in the NL played each other over the weekend … and it’s fair to say the Dodgers left little doubt that their early-season struggles are behind them.

LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani this winter, they could just dream of the monstrous homers and the big moments he would produce at Dodger Stadium over the course of the next decade. That’s why they believed he was worth the historic $700 million deal. On Sunday,

NEW YORK -- It was a Judge and Soto game: Aaron Judge started it and Juan Soto finished it -- just the way the Yankees would draw it up every time if they could. The Yankees' two superstars stepped up and sent the Bronx Bombers to a sweep of the

With growth comes growing pains, even for the top pitching prospect in baseball. Pitching on four days' rest for the first time as a professional, Paul Skenes allowed his first home run since the Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall Draft pick last July, but he limited the

HOUSTON -- Cal Raleigh takes defeat hard, sometimes personally, and he admittedly dwells longer than most. Especially on those he perceives to be winnable games, like the Mariners’ gut-punch loss in their series opener at Minute Maid Park on Friday. So when it looked like another late-innings script was steering

There are things that definitively increase a hitter’s likelihood of success -- we've defined the term "hard-hit rate" for a reason -- but even the Aaron Judges and Shohei Ohtanis among us eventually have to deal with the brutal reality of being a baseball player: You can hit that ball

The way that our history keepers and record books mythologize the greatest sports stars and icons of our lifetime often produces a double-edged sword. We develop obsessions with the beginnings and ends of their journeys, hyper-fixating on the environments and upbringings that made them special over the subsequent results of

ST. PETERSBURG -- What kind of difference did rookie outfielder Jonny DeLuca make in his first three games with the Rays? “We’re 3-0 since he got here. That’s all,” said shortstop José Caballero. DeLuca has introduced himself to the Tampa Bay faithful with some big hits, but none bigger than

Now that we’re more than a month into the 2024 season, the sample size is becoming large enough for narratives to form around certain teams. Some of the teams who were supposed to be successful have indeed been successful, with the Orioles and Yankees among them. But there have certainly

After breaking two records with one swing last weekend, Charlie Condon kept his power stroke alive in pursuit of his next historical milestone: the most home runs in the bat-ball coefficient of restitution (BBCOR) era.

Yankees star Juan Soto is no stranger to making jaw-dropping plays on the diamond. But Soto produced the same effect with a small gesture of kindness outside the white lines Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Soto ranged to his left to catch a Javier Báez fly ball to right for the

MINNEAPOLIS -- With an offense like the Red Sox have, it was just a matter of time before the lineup had a breakout game. The latest came just in time to end a couple of long streaks. Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Red Sox the

CLEVELAND -- The José Ramírez theorem is simple: The more pitches he sees in an at-bat, the more likely he is to hit a home run. Just 10 days ago, Ramírez stole every headline after ending a 10-pitch at-bat with a grand slam. At the time, the hope was that

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper didn’t need long to consider the differences between this Phillies team and the ones that played deep into the past two Octobers. It starts with starting pitching. “Every time they go out, they’ve been absolutely lights out,” Harper said following a 5-4 victory over the Giants

KANSAS CITY -- After allowing his second run of the game in the third inning, Jon Gray made manager Bruce Bochy a promise: “That’s it. They’re not scoring anymore.” It was the second straight start Gray entered the dugout unhappy after the early innings, and it was the second straight

CINCINNATI -- The Orioles are in the midst of one of their best stretches of the season as they capped off a sweep of the Reds at Great American Ball Park with an 11-1 win on Sunday. After taking three of four from the Yankees at home last series, one

MINNEAPOLIS -- It seems the rally-sparking summer sausage has reached its expiration date. “It might be in the trash by now, honestly, where it belongs,” said manager Rocco Baldelli, who had raised questions regarding its potential adverse health effects on humans all along.

Stay up-to-date with all the latest news on injured and recovering players from across Major League Baseball.

PITTSBURGH -- Bryan Reynolds felt he needed a change, so he took matters into his own hands. He changed his cleats. He changed his sleeve. He changed his walkout song to “Beer For My Horses” by Toby Keith. “Yeah, something had to change,” said Reynolds. “Thought a little bit about

Travis Bazzana is the scariest leadoff hitter in America. In March, MLB Pipeline's No. 2 Draft prospect cranked leadoff homers in four consecutive games for Oregon State. Bazzana has spent the entire college season hitting above .400, reaching base more than half the time, and has hit more home runs

NEW YORK -- When Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is on the mound, he brings an edge that reminds manager A.J. Hinch of some of the high-end pitchers he has been around over the years. And the skipper has been around some great ones such as Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander

CHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson admitted to letting himself get too caught up in the results and the numbers that have stacked up against him over the past few weeks. Over the past few days, the Cubs' shortstop did what he could do to shift his state of mind once he

OAKLAND -- After losing by 16 runs and trading away star hitter Luis Arraez on Saturday, the Marlins needed a pick-me-up at the Oakland Coliseum on Sunday. Nick Gordon delivered. Gordon's big three-run blast punctuated a first-inning barrage from the Marlins, who rolled to a 12-3 victory in the series

KANSAS CITY – The Rangers’ injury bug has made its way to Texas’ No. 1 prospect. Wyatt Langford, who exited Saturday’s win in the fifth inning after pulling up short of first base, was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain following Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Royals. Rangers

PHOENIX -- After scoring just 16 runs across nine games, the D-backs’ offense broke out in a big way Sunday afternoon as Arizona pounded the Padres, 11-4, to salvage the final game of the three-game series at Chase Field. Music once again blared in the D-backs’ clubhouse following the win,