PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jared Jones understands the plan. He totally gets that the Pittsburgh Pirates are doing what they can to protect the future — both his and theirs — by being cautious with the precocious 22-year-old's electric right arm. In time, the kid gloves will come off. They have to. Jones knows this. So he's trying to stay patient while simultaneously doing everything he can to speed up the process. Jones cleared another major hurdle Saturday, striking out 10 without a walk over seven nea
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kevin Gausman pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer in his return from the injured list and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak. Gausman (2-3) allowed three hits while striking out eight. He walked two batters in the first inning, but settled in and later retired 10 straight — seven by strikeout — before leaving after Luis García Jr.’s one-out single in the sixth after 112 pitches.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Bo Naylor hit his first career grand slam, Austin Hedges had his first homer since June 14 and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-1 on Saturday night. Naylor’s two-out blast in the sixth inning came off Angels starter Reid Detmers (3-3), who had loaded the bases on three walks. The four RBIs were a career high for the third-year catcher. Hedges, batting .111 on the season, hit a two-run homer in the second. Ramón Laureano added a solo shot in the fourth for th