Mauricio Dubón hit a tiebreaking single in the fifth inning, Jeremy Peña added a solo home run and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 on Thursday for their 12th win in 14 games.

San Diego cut payroll by $96 million in the past year, the New York Mets by $50 million and the Los Angeles Angels by $49 million, among nine teams that slashed spending in a tepid free-agent market that sparked player unrest.

Yordan Alvarez homered twice and matched his career high with four hits, Cristian Javier and four relievers combined on a one-hitter and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-0 on Wednesday night.

Chris Bassitt took the mound after a 91-minute rain delay, ready to rush back to Toronto as his wife went into labor, and shut down his former team on three hits to lead the Blue Jays over the New York Mets 3-0.

Outfielder Joc Pederson and left-hander Martín Pérez were the only players to accept $19.65 million qualifying offers from their former teams and end their free agency.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo became a free agent again when he declined his $16 million option with the New York Yankees for 2023.

Aaron Judge, Edwin Díaz, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts were among 131 players who became free agents as baseball’s business season began just hours after the final out of the World Series.

Baseball’s biggest spenders looked spent.

Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!”.

Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove had his ears searched by an umpire for illegal sticky substances at the behest of Mets manager Buck Showalter in the sixth inning of San Diego’s 6-0 win in the decisive Game 3 of their NL wild-card series.

Pete Alonso launched a tiebreaking homer and Jacob deGrom pitched well enough to help save the New York Mets’ season with a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres that evened their wild-card playoff series at one game apiece.

Josh Bell and Manny Machado smashed two of San Diego’s four home runs off Max Scherzer, and the Padres romped past the New York Mets 7-1 in their playoff opener.

For two teams that finished second fiddle in their divisions, the Padres and Mets bring an awful lot of star power into the playoffs.

Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson homered for the third straight game, Travis d’Arnaud hit a go-ahead two-run single in the third inning, and Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-3, completing a three-game sweep of their NL East rival and taking a two-game lead in the division with three games to play.

Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson homered off Max Scherzer, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a crucial 4-2 victory over the New York Mets and a one-game lead in the NL East.

Two months into the season, it looked like the New York Mets were headed for an NL East runaway.

Eduardo Escobar homered and drove in five late runs — including the game-winning single in the 10th inning — to rally the New York Mets past the Miami Marlins 5-4 and back into sole possession of first place in the NL East.

Chris Bassitt pitched eight sharp innings in his return to Oakland, Eduardo Escobar hit a grand slam and the New York Mets extended their lead in the NL East by beating the Athletics 9-2.

Edwin Díaz struck out Gavin Lux on a 102.8 mph fastball to escape a jam in the eighth inning, and the New York Mets beat the major league-best Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3.

Pete Alonso reached 30 homers and 100 RBIs on the season to lead the New York Mets to a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jose Barrero hit a game-ending RBI single off Seranthony Domínguez with two out in the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0.

Jacob deGrom allowed one run on three hits and struck out six in five innings in his season debut before a bullpen meltdown cost the New York Mets in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Nationals.

Houston ace Justin Verlander, who leads the major leagues in wins, takes a 13-3 record and 1.86 ERA into his start Friday against visiting Seattle.

Starling Marte singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 3-2 for a two-game sweep of their Subway Series.

Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Joe Musgrove and had four RBIs to retake the major league lead, leading the New York Mets over the San Diego Padres 8-5.

The last time Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Kyle Gibson faced the St. Louis Cardinals, they hit four consecutive home runs off him in the first inning.

New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt says he “probably won’t” inform team and Major League Baseball officials if he feels COVID-19 symptoms in the future.

Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is serving his final days with Minnesota before leaving for the same job with LSU.

Major League Baseball is standardizing procedures for rubbing baseballs and their removal from humidors in an effort to establish more consistency amid complaints about slickness that followed the crackdown on sticky substances.

Atlanta Braves reliever Luke Jackson has lost his salary arbitration case.

Adam Frazier and the Seattle Mariners argued the first of this year’s delayed salary arbitration cases, with the second baseman/outfielder asking for a raise from $4.3 million to $8 million and the team arguing for $6.7 million.

The Mets have been drilled 19 times in 20 games this season, leading the league by a wide margin.

The New York Mets are upset after several of their hitters have been hit by pitches over the first few weeks of the season.

The New York Mets’ hit-by-pitch frustrations boiled over when reliever Yoan López threw a pitch near Nolan Arenado’s head, sparking a benches-clearing brawl that led to Arenado’s ejection in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 10-5 victory.

Chris Bassitt pitched six strong innings, and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 for their franchise-best sixth straight series win to start a season.

Francisco Lindor homered from both sides of the plate to back another stingy start from newcomer Chris Bassitt, and the New York Mets routed the sloppy Arizona Diamondbacks 10-3 in their home opener.

Players across the majors will don Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 — and all of them in Dodger blue this year — for the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s big league debut.

A benches-clearing interruption after Mets star Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch overshadowed Max Scherzer’s return to Nationals Park even as the three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched New York to a 7-3 victory over Washington.

Justin Verlander will pitch for Houston for the first time since having Tommy John surgery late in 2020.

The San Diego Padres have acquired left-hander Sean Manaea in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer is dealing with a hamstring issue and isn’t sure when he’ll pitch next.

Coronavirus restrictions in Canada and New York have assured that baseball will again be affected by COVID-19 in 2022.

All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the payroll-shredding Oakland Athletics for four players.

Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons.

Right-hander Chris Bassitt, who made a remarkable recovery from a frightening line drive to the head last year, has been traded by the Oakland Athletics to the New York Mets for a pair of minor league right-handers.

The Seattle Mariners won for the 10th time in 11 games and stayed in the thick of the AL wild-card race with a 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Mitch Haniger hit two identical three-run homers and the Seattle Mariners gained precious ground in the AL wild-card race with a 13-4 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Oakland right-hander Chris Bassitt promised to return to the mound by season’s end following a frightening 100 mph line drive to the face on Aug. 17.

Oakland right-hander Chris Bassitt promised to return to the mound by season’s end following a frightening 100 mph line drive to the face on Aug. 17.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Chris Bassitt is set to return to the mound, just over five weeks after being hospitalized when he was hit in the head by a 100 mph line drive.

The New York Yankees’ 13-game winning streak ended as Frankie Montas pitched seven shutout innings and the Oakland Athletics held on for a 3-2 victory.

Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning, Giancarlo Stanton homered for the third consecutive game and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 for their 12th straight victory and longest winning streak in nearly 60 years.

Luis Torrens hit a tiebreaking two-run single, Chris Flexen pitched neatly into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners swept a quick two-game series against the Oakland Athletics with a 5-1 win.

Josh Harrison hit a two-run single, Starling Marte added an RBI double, and the Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Friday night.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Chris Bassitt has a broken bone in his cheek but no eye damage after being struck on the side of the head by a line drive.

Miguel Cabrera’s next attempt to reach 500 career home runs comes Wednesday night at home in Detroit against Shohei Ohtani and the Angels.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Chris Bassitt was carted off the field after he was struck on the side of the head by a line drive.

Mitch Moreland homered twice, Chris Bassitt posted his AL-leading 12th win and the Oakland Athletics routed the Cleveland Indians 17-0 for their seventh straight victory.

The San Diego Padres and Washington will resume their game after it was suspended because of a shooting outside Nationals Park.

Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is out for the season, headed for surgery after suffering a complete tear of the ACL in his right knee during a game in Miami.

Philadelphia’s J.

Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is the first confirmed competitor for the All-Star Home Run Derby at Denver’s Coors Field on July 12, and others could be announced soon.

Jacob deGrom plans to make his next scheduled start for the Mets despite having to leave his most recent outing because of an elbow ailment.

Doubt the Tampa Bay Rays at your own risk.

Both the Yankees and Mets are set to host doubleheaders in New York on Thursday after their games were postponed by lousy weather Wednesday night.

Orioles ace John Means got five days of rest following his no-hitter last week against Seattle, and now he’ll try to match Johnny Vander Meer’s record with a second straight no-no against the streaking Mets.

Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and the Oakland Athletics won their 13th straight game, building a big lead early and beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 on a rainy night.

The Oakland Athletics earned their 12th consecutive victory --- their longest winning streak in almost two decades --- defeating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1.

The Minnesota Twins will see when they can next play after their COVID-19 problems wiped the rest of a series in Anaheim against the Angels.

Ramón Laureano hit a two-run homer and rookie Seth Brown’s first career home run helped the Oakland Athletics to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros and a series victory.

Both winless teams in the majors are defending division champions.

Clayton Kershaw struck out eight in seven smooth innings to send the Athletics to their worst start in more than a century, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat winless Oakland 5-1 for their fifth straight victory.

The Washington Nationals are finally set to start their season, hosting the Atlanta Braves after their three-game series against the New York Mets was postponed by a coronavirus outbreak.

Trevor Williams went five innings in his fourth start, allowing a run on three hits. Austin Gomber made his fourth start for Colorado, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out four in 4 1/3 innings. Dylan Cease made his second start, allowing three hits and three walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Matthew Boyd made his fourth start, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in four innings, striking out five. Tyler Anderson went five innings in his fourth start for Pittsburgh, giving up one run on two hits.

Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, and George Springer celebrate after the Astros defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 2 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. The Houston Astros can't miss these days. “With every victory, the energy and the confidence grows,” first-year Houston manager Dusty Baker said. Five of Springer’s postseason homers have come at Dodger Stadium, where the Astros beat the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. The scandal led to season-long suspensions of Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch, who both were fired.

Houston Astros' Carlos Correa, left, celebrates with George Springer after they defeated the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of a baseball American League Division Series in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)LOS ANGELES – A home run derby broke out during a hot, dry day at Dodger Stadium, and suddenly the Houston Astros have their swing and swagger back. “When you get the leadoff guy (Springer) getting on base every single time, good things are going to happen. Altuve's line-drive single to left scored Maldonado and Springer to put the Astros back in front, 6-5. Chris Bassitt put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on in the fifth with back-to-back singles by Springer and Altuve.

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2017, file photo, the Houston Astros celebrate after Game 7 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles. On Monday, Oct. 5, the Astros and the Oakland Athletics will open their ALDS matchup at Dodger Stadium. The coronavirus pandemic largely has protected the Astros from having public scorn heaped on them this season. He hasn't been particularly effective this season, and didn't start against them when the A's took seven of 10 games from the Astros this season. “We never did anything in our rotation to make him miss the Astros,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.

The Marlins are hoping center fielder Starling Marte can play through a broken bone in his left hand as they try to eliminate the Cubs at Wrigley Field. To do it, the Braves might need to make a whole lot more contact at the plate than they did Wednesday while beating the Reds 1-0 in 13 innings — the first postseason game to be scoreless after 11. They’ll be up against Luis Castillo (4-6, 3.21), who makes his first career playoff start for the Reds. He was out for a second straight playoff game because of a sprained right foot that kept him out of the final three games of the regular season. Wainwright closed out the Padres at Petco Park in their previous postseason appearance in 2006.

The White Sox went 14-0 in the regular season against left-handed starters during the regular season and beat southpaw Jesús Luzardo in the opener. The right-hander, drafted by the White Sox before being traded to Oakland in December 2014, came in on a nice roll having won his last three regular-season decisions. The White Sox haven't won back-to-back road playoff games since getting six straight in 2005. BACK ON TRACKThe A's had dropped five straight postseason games when facing elimination. He went just 3 for 18 against the White Sox last season.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:___CRAZY EIGHTHow’s this for wild: MLB is set to stage eight postseason games on the same day for the first time. National League clubs will open their best-of-three wild-card series, while four American League teams are already facing elimination after starting Tuesday. With the expansion of the first round from a pair of wild-card games to eight best-of-three series, there are a maximum 65 possible postseason games this year. In the 1960s, there were 66 postseason games in the entire decade, with league championship series starting in 1969. Dallas Keuchel (6-2, 1.99 ERA) starts Game 2 following a successful first season with Chicago.

Giolito simply dazzled in his postseason debut, stymieing the Oakland Athletics through six perfect innings and sending the White Sox to a 4-1 victory in the opener of their best-of-three wild-card series Tuesday. “It was a different feel though because throwing a perfect game, no-hitter is a great personal accomplishment, but we’re in the playoffs, the goal is to win the game,” Giolito said. They lost in the AL wild card game each of the past two seasons after 97 wins both times. No big deal for the White Sox, apparently. RHP Chris Bassitt, drafted by the White Sox before being traded to Oakland in December 2014, takes the ball for the A's with victories in his last three decisions.

(AP Photo/Matt York)PHOENIX David Peralta slapped a bases-loaded single through the right side of the infield with one out in the ninth inning to push the Arizona Diamondbacks past the streaking Oakland Athletics 4-3 on Monday night. The As trailed 3-1 going into the eighth but came back to tie it after loading the bases with one out. Ahmed quickly made up for his mistake, smacking a leadoff double to left field to start the decisive ninth-inning rally. UP NEXTAthletics: Oakland wraps up the quick two-game series by sending RHP Frankie Montas (2-1, 1.57 ERA) to the mound. Diamondbacks: Arizona goes with RHP Luke Weaver (0-3, 11.85), who has pitched just 13 2/3 innings this season in four starts.

Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani throws against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, July 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)OAKLAND, Calif. Shohei Ohtani didnt record an out in the two-way stars long-awaited return to the mound for the Los Angels Angels, allowing the first six Oakland batters to reach base before his day was done in a 6-4 loss to the Athletics on Sunday. Robbie Grossman singled in another run, and Angels manager Joe Maddon replaced Ohtani (0-1) with Matt Andriese down 4-0. Ohtani made his first appearance on the mound since Sept. 2, 2018 after not pitching last season following Tommy John surgery. Ohtani threw 30 pitches, reaching 94.7 mph with his fastball he averaged 96.7 mph and touched 100 mph in 2018.