CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi wants to have a healthy team down the stretch this year and says he will be diligent in making sure his players aren’t overworked early in the season. “I take it personal when a guy gets hurt,” Girardi said. “I think there is enough talent to win.”The Phillies dealt with a variety of injuries last year, including left fielder Andrew McCutchen missing the final four months of the season with a torn ACL. Reliever David Robertson missed most of 2019 after Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss a large portion of this season, too.“If you ask our training staff, he's driving them nuts because he wants to get back on the mound,” Girardi said of Robertson. “And he’s not to that point. But he’s healing great, and we’re excited about where he’s at.”Expect the Phillies to go slow with McCutchen to start spring training, as well, preparing him to be ready for the start of the season. He led the major leagues in walks before the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks needed just 81 pitches for a four-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered for his third straight game and the Chicago Cubs beat the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday.The second-place Cubs won their season-high fifth in a row while cutting St. Louis' lead to 1½ games. The Cardinals have back-to-back losses after five consecutive victories.Hendricks (2-4) pitched his third career shutout and fourth complete game, his first since he shut out Miami on Aug. 1, 2016. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter, after getting pounded in a loss at Arizona last week. Hendricks improved to 6-2 in 15 starts against St. Louis.Rizzo made it 3-0 with a three-run drive against Jack Flaherty (3-2) in the third and finished with three hits. Javier Baez added an RBI single in the seventh, and the Cubs opened a 10-game homestand with a win.Flaherty allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2MIAMI (AP) — Freddie Freeman and Brian... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks needed just 81 pitches for a four-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered for his third straight game and the Chicago Cubs beat the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday.The second-place Cubs won their season-high fifth in a row while cutting St. Louis' lead to 1½ games. The Cardinals have back-to-back losses after five consecutive victories.Hendricks (2-4) pitched his third career shutout and fourth complete game, his first since he shut out Miami on Aug. 1, 2016. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter, after getting pounded in a loss at Arizona last week. Hendricks improved to 6-2 in 15 starts against St. Louis.Rizzo made it 3-0 with a three-run drive against Jack Flaherty (3-2) in the third and finished with three hits. Javier Baez added an RBI single in the seventh, and the Cubs opened a 10-game homestand with a win.Flaherty allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2MIAMI (AP) — Freddie Freeman and Brian... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks needed just 81 pitches for a four-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered for his third straight game and the Chicago Cubs beat the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday.The second-place Cubs won their season-high fifth in a row while cutting St. Louis' lead to 1½ games. The Cardinals have back-to-back losses after five consecutive victories.Hendricks (2-4) pitched his third career shutout and fourth complete game, his first since he shut out Miami on Aug. 1, 2016. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter, after getting pounded in a loss at Arizona last week. Hendricks improved to 6-2 in 15 starts against St. Louis.Rizzo made it 3-0 with a three-run drive against Jack Flaherty (3-2) in the third and finished with three hits. Javier Baez added an RBI single in the seventh, and the Cubs opened a 10-game homestand with a win.Flaherty allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.BRAVES 7, MARLINS 2MIAMI (AP) — Freddie Freeman and Brian... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Cleveland ace Corey Kluber broke his right forearm when he was hit by a line drive during the Indians' 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.Kluber (2-3) was struck by Brian Anderson's comebacker in the fifth inning. The Indians said he will be re-evaluated in Cleveland on Thursday.The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner allowed eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings, which left his ERA at 5.80.Caleb Smith (3-0) struck out eight in seven innings, helping Miami stop a four-game slide. He allowed one run on Roberto Perez's third homer in the third inning.Cleveland's Carlos Santana homered in the ninth off Sergio Romo, who regrouped to earn his fifth save.DIAMONDBACKS 3, YANKEES 2PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered, Merrill Kelly won his first start against New York and Arizona swept a two-game series.The Yankees dropped to 0-5 this year against teams that currently have winning records and is 17-8 against clubs that started the day under .500.Kelly (3-2)... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Cleveland ace Corey Kluber broke his right forearm when he was hit by a line drive during the Indians' 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.Kluber (2-3) was struck by Brian Anderson's comebacker in the fifth inning. The Indians said he will be re-evaluated in Cleveland on Thursday.The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner allowed eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings, which left his ERA at 5.80.Caleb Smith (3-0) struck out eight in seven innings, helping Miami stop a four-game slide. He allowed one run on Roberto Perez's third homer in the third inning.Cleveland's Carlos Santana homered in the ninth off Sergio Romo, who regrouped to earn his fifth save.DIAMONDBACKS 3, YANKEES 2PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered, Merrill Kelly won his first start against New York and Arizona swept a two-game series.The Yankees dropped to 0-5 this year against teams that currently have winning records and is 17-8 against clubs that started the day under .500.Kelly (3-2)... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Reliever David Robertson and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a $23 million, two-year contact.Robertson gets $10 million this year and $11 million in 2020, and the Phillies have a $12 million option for 2021 with a $2 million buyout.The 33-year-old right-hander went 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA and five saves in 69 games last season for the New York Yankees. He left the Yankees after the 2014 season to sign a $46 million, four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, who traded him to New York in July 2017.An 11-year veteran and a 2011 All-Star, Robertson has appeared in at least 60 games in nine straight seasons. He could compete for the closer's role in Philadelphia, which hasn't made the playoffs since 2011. Seranthony Dominguez led the Phillies with just 16 saves last season.Robertson spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Yankees, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft. He made a pair of relief appearances against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, allowing a two-run single to Raul Ibanez in the eighth inning of the opener and an RBI groundout to Carlos Ruiz in the third inning of Game 5.____More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a two-year contract with reliever David Robertson.Terms of the deal, which also includes a club option for the 2021 season, were not announced Thursday. Robertson, 33, went 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA and five saves in 69 games last season for the New York Yankees.An 11-year veteran and 2011 All-Star, Robertson has appeared in at least 60 games in nine straight seasons, and the right-hander could compete for the closer's role in Philadelphia, which hasn't made the playoffs since 2011. Seranthony Dominguez led the Phillies with just 16 saves last season.Robertson spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Yankees and three with the Chicago White Sox after originally being selected by the Yankees on the 17th round of the 2006 draft.____More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports