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It’s the longest MLB ban for a game-related incident in 15 years and particularly notable for being assessed to an assistant rather than a player or manager. Cintron goaded A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano into charging the Astros’ dugout after Laureano was hit by a pitch for the second time in Sunday’s game. He motioned with his finger for Laureano to fight him, and Laureano said Cintron made a comment about his mother, which Cintron denies....

MLB betting lines: Live odds from Las Vegas The Dodgers ended a three-game losing streak with a 10-7 win against the A’s on Wednesday, a game Kershaw was supposed to start but got scratched due to a sore hip. They maintain a half-game lead over the Giants in the NL West. The Angels just got swept three games at Houston and have lost six of seven, dropping two games behind the Astros in the AL West....

According to MLBdailyrumors.com and later confirmed by FOX Sports , the new rule changes also include a rule requiring a hitter to keep one foot in the batter’s box, a time limit on pitching changes and also a limit on breaks between innings. Those adjustments and the pitch clock were implemented on a trial basis in the Arizona Fall League with some success. MLB owners are currently meeting in Phoenix and would need to approve paying for the installation of clocks at minor league parks....

The AL Wild Card Series saw the Blue Jays hosting the Mariners and the Rays traveling to Cleveland to play the Guardians. In the NL, the Cardinals hosted the Phillies while the Mets welcomed the Padres. Looming beyond the wild-card round were the Dodgers and Braves in the National League and Astros and Yankees in the American League. The Braves won the NL East after storming back to overtake the division from the Mets....

With the Dodgers leading Chicago 4-2 in the seventh inning, Los Angeles shortstop Charlie Culberson reached second on a double and three batters later, he attempted to score on a single by Justin Turner. MORE: Dodgers’ postseason first-timers hope to spark success Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber picked up the hit. He then threw a one-hop strike to home that was corralled by catcher Willson Contreras, who quickly dropped his shin guard in front of the plate, preventing Culberson from reaching home, before tagging him out....

Much like boxers who hit the mat and pick themselves up at a count of nine, the Yankees have done it time after time in 2017. From being down 0-2 in the ALDS, to playing .500 baseball in July and August, to any one of their come-from-behind wins during the season, the team is not one to let up. MORE: Astros-Yankees Game 4 complete recap In ALCS Game 4 on Tuesday, that was exemplified by Chase Headley’s stumble around the bag in the eighth inning that almost spelled doom for a potential Yankees rally....

With two outs and Rougned Odor on third base, Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez threw a 1-2 pitch to Shin-Soo Choo that was called a ball. Routine, until catcher Russell Martin’s throw back to the mound bounced off Choo’s bat and rolled up the third base line. MORE: Baseball’s most controversial postseason calls | Epic arguments Odor came running in to score the go-ahead run, but as he did, home plate umpire Dale Scott was calling time, thinking it was a dead ball....

The Cleveland Indians manager was being stalked on the broadcast of Monday Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, and he gave the cameraman a not-so-subtle message to cool it. The ordeal was captured in the first inning moments before Francona removed starting pitcher Trevor Bauer much earlier than anticipated. MORE: 14 postseason weird stats and oddities Though funny, Francona will likely face some sort of from MLB. But to be fair, he probably wasn’t in the best of moods after being forced to pull his starter after facing just four batters because he had a bleeding wound on his right finger....

Here are the updated MLB power rankings. MORE: Alter egos! Marvel superheroes secret MLB identities revealed 1. Boston Red Sox Previous ranking: 2Why they’re here: The Red Sox are, to borrow a quote from Kenny Bania, “The best, Jerry. The best.” They enter the week fresh off a four-game sweep of their nearest rivals in the AL East — putting them 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees — and they’re eight games ahead of the Astros, who have baseball’s second-best record....

Beginning this year, a league representative is watching while clubhouse assistants deliver game balls to the umpires’ room, according to AP. MORE: Brady undervalued by oddsmakers? | Blame Brady’s suspension on Pats’ shady past Since the shelf life of an official baseball is estimated to be eight pitches, it’s the duty of an MLB security person to retrieve more from the umps’ room. The report said MLB was aware of the Patriots’ situation as it put the new procedures in effect and sent a memo to all 30 teams before the season detailing security procedures, including specific chain of custody....

Regardless of what you feel about the 16-team field, or the face that two teams qualified for the postseason with records two games under .500 — the first two sub-.500 playoff teams in MLB history, by the way — you have to admit that Wednesday was pretty thrilling (unless your team lost, of course). Eight playoff baseball games — four of them elimination contests — starting at noon ET, with first pitches following at hour intervals for the next five hours and two more in the evening....

1. He wants the official scorers at Fenway Park to be homers. He’s good at complaining. That second part earned him a strongly worded memo from Major League Baseball on Friday. MLB vice president Joe Torre didn’t care much for Big Papi staring down and yelling toward scorer Bob Ellis, flashing the thumbs-down signal and barking to the media after Ellis ruled an error on a ball Ortiz hit Wednesday....

One thing to note is that Cincinnati’s Nick Senzel has played mostly third as a pro, but he’s blocked with the big club by Eugenio Suarez. However, he’s now battling for the starting center field job this spring. He’ll retain 3B eligibility in many fantasy leagues, at least for this year, but we’re not going to focus on him here. DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2019 cheat sheet MLB Top Prospects: 3B Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr....

Oakland’s famous general manager is determined to rework his roster after the horrible ending to the season — his A’s blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning of the AL wild-card game — and he’s thrown away his chisel in favor of his preferred agent of change, the sledgehammer. After he traded away franchise cornerstone Josh Donaldson, the third baseman who has hit 53 homers with an .840 OPS and a pair of top-10 finishes in the AL MVP voting the past two seasons, he explained his motivation to reporters on Friday night....

The outfielder was traded by the Red Sox to the Angels on Monday in exchange for infielder Josh Rutledge. The Red Sox will also send $3.8 million to the Angels to help pay the $4.9 million remaining on Victorino’s contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported. MORE: 11 Padres who could be traded before deadline | Spector says Jays need to get Hamels...

According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo, All-Star catcher Willson Contreras is part of a trade package that has been proposed to the Mets. He and closer David Robertson would go to New York for a haul of prospects. Contreras, who signed a one-year, $9.625 million contract for 2022, is one of several players the Cubs have considered moving ahead of the trade deadline, along with Robertson, All-Star outfielder Ian Happ and reliever Mychal Givens....

Here's a look at some of the latest rumors and just what to make of them: ROBINSON CANO: There’s nothing quite like a public negotiation in New York, and that is what is happening with the top free agent on the market right now. Yankees president Randy Levine told the New York Daily News, “We’re not waiting around. If guys start to come off the board we’re going to sign them, which will affect the amount of money we have left for other players including (Cano)....

Tuesday started with a report from ESPN's Buster Olney that the Phillies "are ready and willing to talk about Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in trades." — SN ranks the 20 best managers of all time This can mean only one or a combination of three things. One is that the Phillies feel like they can get a king's ransom for elite starting pitching and use a star to bring in a lot of talent....