Baseball

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jung Hoo Lee has sparked something special with San Francisco Giants fans — we're talking hair-on-fire levels of excitement.

ATLANTA (AP) — AJ Smith-Shawver allowed only two hits and no earned runs in six strong innings, Nick Allen drove in a run with two hits and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Thursday.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The surging Minnesota Twins sent struggling pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — After the surging Padres' latest victory, Manny Machado tried to catch the end of a victory by San Diego FC, the expansion MLS club in which he's a founding partner and investor.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rich Rollins, an infielder whose decade-long big league career included All-Star honors for the Minnesota Twins in 1962, died Tuesday. He was 87. Rollins' death was confirmed by the Twins and Cleveland Guardians.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The legends of pastoral fields. The detailed history and meticulous attention to continuity. The sight of kids playing ball. The hush that descends when you walk into the Hall of Fame.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Pete Rose was celebrated by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night, a day after baseball’s career hits leader was posthumously removed from Major League Baseball’s permanent ineligibility list.

TORONTO — Physics is at the heart of baseball. Take a 96.9 m.p.h. fastball from Ryan Pepiot, add Alejandro Kirk's bat moving at 75.1 m.p.h.

Washington Nationals (18-26, fourth in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (21-22, third in the NL East) Atlanta; Thursday, 12:15 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Trevor Williams (2-4, 5.88 ERA, 1.

Chicago White Sox (14-29, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (20-24, fourth in the NL Central) Cincinnati; Thursday, 12:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: White Sox: Bryse Wilson (0-1, 4.88 ERA, 1.