7:00 AM ET After one of the greatest second-place seasons in MLB history, after dispatching their rival San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in trouble. Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Just like in 2020, they’re down 0-2 to the surging Atlanta Braves. Back then, the

Oct 17, 2021 Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Amid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball said on Sunday it will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022. While MLB has yet

Oct 16, 2021 It didn’t take long for the Boston Red Sox to bounce back from their loss in the American League Championship Series opener, hitting two grand slams in the first two innings of their 9-5 win over the Houston Astros in Saturday’s Game 2. In doing so, the Red Sox became the first

Oct 17, 2021 ATLANTA — The first two games of the National League Championship Series have been riveting. They’ve been tight and tense. They’ve been dramatic. And, yes, they’ve been a little weird. The strangeness begins with the most important fact from the weekend: The 88-win Atlanta Braves lead the 106-win, defending champion Los Angeles

5:41 PM ET HOUSTON — The Astros received good news regarding rookie starter Luis Garcia after he left Game 2 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday with right knee discomfort. After throwing in the bullpen on Sunday, Garcia said he’s feeling better. “I feel really good,” Garcia said Sunday afternoon. “My

2:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” HOUSTON — When he was 13 years old, little Enrique Hernandez, always undersized and underappreciated, found himself glued to the television every night in October. “I never missed a playoff game,” he

2:18 AM ET Cody Bellinger produced a hit against an opposing left-handed pitcher only 12% of the time this season. But in the ninth inning on Saturday night, against the closer for a team that won its division, Bellinger came up with the line-drive single that would place the go-ahead run in scoring position. It

Oct 15, 2021 The Chicago Cubs named Carter Hawkins their 16th general manager in franchise history Friday when they hired him away from the Cleveland Indians, the team announced. Hawkins, 37, spent 14 seasons with Cleveland in various roles, including the past five as an assistant general manager. He fills the job that was vacated

3:37 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns says nobody has been able to figure out the cause of Christian Yelich‘s hitting struggles over the past couple of seasons. “I think if we did, if Christian knew exactly what happened, it’s easier to solve,” Stearns said Friday during a

2:39 AM ET The live interviews of managers on broadcasts often receive criticism, but sometimes they produce moments like Saturday night, when Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker reacted to a monstrous home run from Boston Red Sox center fielder Enrique Hernández on television. “Oh Lord,” Baker said as the ball traveled over the left-center field