Community Picks: Tampa Bay 0% vs Boston 0%

Matt Olson homered off left-hander Tony Sipp leading off the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night, completing a comeback that delivered the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the American League West in Oakland, Calif. Nick Martini lashed a game-tying RBI double in the ninth to force extra innings for the A's (73-49), who moved within one game of the first-place Astros (74-48). Olson belted Sipp's sixth pitch well over the fence in right field for his 23rd home run of the season and Oakland's eighth walk-off win of the year. Continue to Article

August 18, 2018 2:49:am EST

An early stumble did little to slow down the Boston Red Sox. Boston scored seven straight runs after falling behind 3-0 in the first and beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Friday night. Guys put in quality at-bats from the first hitter on,'' said Xander Bogaerts, who led the latest rally for the Red Sox with a two-run triple in the first. Continue to Article

August 17, 2018 11:57:pm EST

Wilson Ramos became an instant favorite with his new team. Ramos had three extra-base hits and three RBIs, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 on Wednesday night in his first game wearing red pinstripes. The Phillies, who remained two games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East, split a two-game interleague series with the major league-leading Red Sox for the second time in three weeks. Continue to Article

August 15, 2018 11:52:pm EST

Coming out of spring training, the consensus opinion on the Phillies was that they'd pick up on the improvement they showed in the second half of last year's 66-96 season and maybe push .500. Then the season got going and the Phillies started winning, and contending, and by the first week of July they were in first place in the NL East. Becoming a contender a year before most envisioned changed the way these Phillies are viewed. Continue to Article

August 15, 2018 12:23:am EST

PHILADELPHIA - Red Sox manager Alex Cora threw Brian Johnson's name into the Red Sox MVP conversation before Tuesday's game. From the sound of it, Cora was speaking more to the condition of being under-appreciated by the masses, of being a subtly important contributor. Here's fuel for the fire. On a night when Rick Porcello said that Sandy Leon is "the best catcher I've ever thrown to" - Leon not only homered, but ended the game with a fantastic play to finish a strikeout on a ball that got away - and on a night when Brock Holt also hit the Red Sox' first pinch-hit home run of the season, here's another nominee for most under-appreciated member of the 2018 Red Sox. Continue to Article

August 15, 2018 12:06:am EST