PHILADELPHIA — Imagine this scenario: It’s the middle innings of a playoff game, and Juan Soto steps to the plate for the New York Mets. It’s probably a close game. Maybe there are runners on base.

Which Phillies pitcher should face him?

Before you answer, go rewatch Soto’s at-bat in the sixth inning Sunday night. It lasted six pitches...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Upstaging Shohei Ohtani, especially on a day he pitches, is no easy feat.

But at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon, teammate Max Muncy did it twice — hitting two home runs and matching a career high with seven RBIs to lift the Dodgers to a 13-7 defeat of the Washington Nationals, and make Ohtani more of the sideshow in his ...Read more

CHICAGO — In the “what else is new?” category, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit another home run Sunday, his major league-leading 31 st of the season in just Seattle’s 76th game of the season.

In what did qualify as news, of the happiest kind for the Mariners, Raleigh’s fourth home run in three days helped lead Seattle to a 14...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — It will go down as one of the odder offensive outbursts of the season.

The Giants scored nine runs in their 9-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park to secure a series win, the most they’ve scored since acquiring Rafael Devers exactly one week ago.

The Giants played both big ball and small ball...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins compiled 18 hits Sunday, matching their highest total in a game this year. Byron Buxton hit two more home runs. Carlos Correa and Brooks Lee both had four-hit games.

All it turned into was another loss. A bad month for the Twins pitching staff snowballed with an ugly outing from David Festa, which was compounded with ...Read more

DENVER — Mickey Moniak has been reborn in the summer of his 27th year.

The outfielder, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft, proved that again Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, lofting a three-run homer to right field in the fifth inning off Brandon Pfaadt, to lift the Rockies to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The win, ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Whatever spillover momentum or percolating offense the Cardinals had coming out of their rousing walk-off win Saturday went ice cold Sunday.

Before the game, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was asked about the old chestnut that momentum is only as strong as the next day’s starter, and that proved prophetic as the next day’s ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — In a season where not much has gone right offensively for the Pirates, Sunday was a nice respite.

The Pirates scored five runs in the fifth inning alone, breaking open what was a tied ballgame. Three players had three-hit days. The result was a 8-3 win against the Texas Rangers, avoiding a three-game sweep.

Texas scored two runs...Read more

NEW YORK — Shortly before the Yankees and Orioles’ series finale began Sunday, Yankee Stadium’s public address system described the matchup as a “Sunday morning melee.”

In that case, Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the most devastating blow in the divisional showdown, as his two-run double off the right-center field wall in the eighth ...Read more

DENVER — Among the riddles facing the Colorado Rockies is how to find a winning formula at Coors Field. Because, right now, it’s a home-field disadvantage.

The Rockies’ 5-3 loss to Arizona on a 98-degree, desert-like Saturday night in LoDo dropped their home record to 7-29, the worst home record in the majors and their worst start through...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dodger Stadium is the proud owner of the most home runs in baseball this season. The long-ball trend might not be an anomaly.

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals combined for eight home runs, but only three came off L.A. bats.

Dodgers right-hander Dustin May gave up three solo home runs in a 7-3 ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels enjoyed a rare comfortable victory on Saturday night.

While they have a better record than expected this season, that’s mostly because of their success in tight games. Their run differential was still negative-61 because they had been on the wrong end of most of the blowout games.

They began to cut into that ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr. opened his arms as he jogged up the first base line in the seventh inning Saturday and raised them toward the heavens.

It had been a long time since he’d homered.

Too long. Far too long.

Tatis’ first homer in 98 plate appearances and 22 games snapped the longest drought of his career and propped up the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The New York Mets found a convenient workaround to avoid hitting with runners in scoring position: Just hit home runs instead.

They hit seven against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night, including three in a row off rookie right-hander Mick Abel in the third inning en route to an 11-4 win Saturday at Citizens Bank Park....Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers never harbored any concerns about hitting in San Francisco at a venue notorious for favoring pitchers. In Devers’ mind, there was nothing to change. The baseball, after all, is still the same.

“I know that I’m a power hitter,” Devers said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros on Friday. “If I hit the ...Read more

CHICAGO — Oppressive heat coupled with wind blowing out to center field figured to initially serve as the backdrop of Saturday’s Cubs-Mariners game from a strictly baseball standpoint.

A wind officially measured at 20 miles an hour at first pitch helped contribute to a combined five home runs as the Cubs built an early eight-run lead and ...Read more

TORONTO — The Chicago White Sox used 10 pitchers — including eight relievers — during Thursday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rate Field, with Game 2 stretching 10 innings.

They used five more in a bullpen game Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, necessitated after Davis Martin went on the injured ...Read more