JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing throwing arm, likely delaying his regular-season debut by about one month.A 2018 All-Star, Mikolas received a similar injection after last season to treat a flexor tendon issue.St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that the injection will keep Mikolas from throwing for three to four weeks. Once he is cleared to throw, Mikolas will have to restart his throwing program from the beginning.“It gives us a better chance to be able to get him off to a healthy start and get what he's dealing with behind him,” Shildt said.The Cardinals scratched Mikolas from his second scheduled bullpen session of the spring. An MRI done over the last few days showed the arm to be no better or worse than during a similar exam taken following the 2019 season.It's possible that Mikolas will remain in Jupiter when the Cardinals break camp in late March.“I think the plan is still evolving,... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was scratched from his second bullpen session of the spring because of a flexor tendon issue.“Best-case scenario is probably just a couple more days before he starts playing catch, starts his bullpens again,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “I can't say that's going to happen one way or the other.”Mikolas said his arm felt “tender from time to time” last season, but he was able to manage it.“I do not know what the full clinical term is,” Mikolas said. “I can tell you my elbow is a little sore.”Shildt said the Cardinals hope to have a more concrete time frame for Mikolas return to the mound in a day or two.“Is he behind? Yeah, he's behind,” Shildt said. “He's not being able to get on the mound, but he's still doing some of the things mentally and physically that he can do.”Should Mikolas only need a couple of more days of rest, he expects a brief layoff wouldn't significantly hamper his preparation for the season.“I've already... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___St. Louis CardinalsManager: Mike Shildt (third season). 2019: 91-71, first place, lost to Nationals in NLCS.Training Town: Jupiter, Florida.Park: Roger Dean Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 12/17. He's Here: LHP Matthew Liberatore, C Matt Wieters, LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim.He's Outta Here: OF Marcell Ozuna, RF Jose Martinez, LF Randy Arozarena, RHP Dominic Leone.Going campin': The Cardinals return largely intact after getting swept in the NLCS by World Series champion Washington. The biggest competition throughout the spring will be in the outfield, where only Dexter Fowler has a position locked up — mostly because of his contract. Center fielder Harrison Bader probably has another spot under control, and that leaves Tyler O'Neill, Lane Thomas and top prospect Dylan Carlson competing for the last... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez has not allowed a hit through seven innings of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' first baserunner. He stole second and went to third on catcher Yan Gomes' throwing error, but Marcell Ozuna fouled out to end the inning.Sánchez has struck out five, walked one and hit two batters in his ninth career postseason start, throwing 89 pitches.Sánchez got a break in the fifth when Matt Carpenter tipped a 1-2 pitch that bounced off the dirt and into Gomes' mitt. Carpenter briefly argued the ball wasn't caught cleanly, but it was ruled a strikeout — that play can't be reviewed.The 35-year-old Sánchez pitched a no-hitter as a rookie with the Florida Marlins in 2006. He also threw six hitless innings in the opener of the 2013 AL Championship Series for Detroit against Boston but was pulled after 116 pitches. The... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez has not allowed a hit through six innings of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' first baserunner. He stole second and went to third on catcher Yan Gomes' throwing error, but Marcell Ozuna fouled out to end the inning.Pinch-hitter Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch with one out in the sixth, but Sánchez retired Dexter Fowler and Wong to end the inning.Sánchez struck out five in the first six innings of his ninth career postseason start. He has thrown 75 pitches.The 35-year-old Sánchez pitched a no-hitter as a rookie with the Florida Marlins in 2006. He also threw six hitless innings in the opener of the 2013 AL Championship Series for Detroit against Boston but was pulled after 116 pitches. The Tigers bullpen finished a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory.Washington led 1-0 on Gomes' two-out RBI double off Miles Mikolas in the second inning Friday night.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez has not allowed a hit through five innings of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' only baserunner so far. He stole second and went to third on catcher Yan Gomes' throwing error, but Marcell Ozuna fouled out to end the inning.Sánchez struck out four in the first five innings of his ninth career postseason start. He's thrown 56 pitches.Washington led 1-0 on Gomes' two-out RBI double off Miles Mikolas in the second inning Friday night.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WELCOME TO THE NLCSThe Washington Nationals play in the NL Championship Series for the first time, taking on St. Louis at Busch Stadium. An�bal S�nchez starts for the Nats against Miles Mikolas.Both teams won a deciding Game 5 on the road in the NL Division Series. The Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning and romped past Atlanta 13-1 while Washington rallied late and beat the Dodgers 7-3 in 10 innings.Nationals aces Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin all got plenty of work in the NLDS. S�nchez was 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA this season, then gave up one run in five innings in his lone appearance against Los Angeles.Washington manager Dave Martinez says he hasn't decided how he will line up the rest of his starting staff after S�nchez. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Adam Wainwright will start Game 2, followed by Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson, who will be available out of the bullpen at the beginning of the series.MAMMOTH... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:WELCOME TO THE NLCSThe Washington Nationals play in the NL Championship Series for the first time, taking on St. Louis at Busch Stadium. An�bal S�nchez starts for the Nats against Miles Mikolas.Both teams won a deciding Game 5 on the road in the NL Division Series. The Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning and romped past Atlanta 13-1 while Washington rallied late and beat the Dodgers 7-3 in 10 innings.Nationals aces Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin all got plenty of work in the NLDS. S�nchez was 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA this season, then gave up one run in five innings in his lone appearance against Los Angeles.Washington manager Dave Martinez says he hasn't decided how he will line up the rest of his starting staff after S�nchez. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Adam Wainwright will start Game 2, followed by Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson, who will be available out of the bullpen at the beginning of the series.MAMMOTH... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at St. Louis, 8:08 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at St. Louis, 4:08 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, at Washington, TBA; Game 4, Tuesday, at Washington, TBA; x-Game 5, Wednesday, at Washington, TBA; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 18, at St. Louis, TBA; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 19, at St. Louis, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Cardinals won 5-2.___Projected Lineups:Nationals: SS Trea Turner (.298, 19 HRs, 57 RBIs, 37 2Bs, 35 SBs, 96 runs), RF Adam Eaton (.279, 15, 49, 15 SBs, 103 runs), 3B Anthony Rendon (.319, 34, 126, 44 2Bs, 117 runs, 1.010 OPS), LF Juan Soto (.282, 34, 110, 110 runs, .949 OPS), 2B Howie Kendrick (.344, 17, 62), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.257, 6, 27 in 52 games), C Kurt Suzuki (.264, 17, 63) or Yan Gomes (.223, 12, 43 in 97 games), CF Victor Robles (.255, 17, 65, 28 SBs) or Michael A. Taylor (.250, 1, 3 in 53 games).Cardinals:... [More]

A curse-filled clubhouse victory speech by St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt that went viral after a player posted it on social media showed a different side to the usually mild-mannered skipper — and while he was sorry Thursday that his colorful language got leaked, he did not feel bad about the gist of his message."It's regretful that that was able to get out," Shildt said, speaking to reporters a day before the NL Central champion Cardinals host the wild-card Washington Nationals for Game 1 of the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. "I will not apologize for having passion about how I feel about our team and the accomplishments of our team."Shildt called the clubhouse "a sanctuary that is very sacred" and said the pep talk to his players after they beat the Atlanta Braves 13-1 on Wednesday to win their NL Division Series "should have been private."But the bleepable rant — "That's how we roll" was just about the lone phrase suitable for publication — was shown to the world by... [More]

Braves first. Ronald Acuna Jr. walks. Ozzie Albies walks. Freddie Freeman singles to left field. Ozzie Albies to third. Josh Donaldson reaches on a fielder's choice to second base. Freddie Freeman to second. Ozzie Albies scores. Throwing error by Kolten Wong. Nick Markakis flies out to left field to Marcell Ozuna. Matt Joyce flies out to left field to Marcell Ozuna.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 left on. Braves 1, Cardinals 0.Cardinals fifth. Harrison Bader singles to shallow infield. Miles Mikolas out on a sacrifice bunt to shallow infield, Dallas Keuchel to Ozzie Albies. Harrison Bader to second. Dexter Fowler grounds out to second base, Ozzie Albies to Freddie Freeman. Harrison Bader scores. Tommy Edman doubles to left center field. Paul Goldschmidt lines out to shortstop to Dansby Swanson.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cardinals 1, Braves 1.Braves sixth. Freddie Freeman grounds out to third base, Tommy Edman to Paul Goldschmidt. Josh Donaldson hit by pitch. Nick Markakis doubles to right... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:GLAMOUR GAMEIn a star-studded matchup that’s a perfect fit for Hollywood, the Nationals and Dodgers begin their best-of-five Division Series in Los Angeles. Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA) gets the start for the Dodgers against left-hander Patrick Corbin (14-7, 3.25). That means for the second straight year, Clayton Kershaw won’t be opening the postseason for LA.A year ago, the Dodgers went with Hyun-Jin Ryu against Atlanta, ending Kershaw’s streak of six consecutive playoff appearances starting Game 1. “Around here I don’t know if one, two or three really matters,” Buehler said. “The order’s a little bit less significant than people want to make it out to be.”LET’S GET IT STARTEDThe first Division Series game of 2019 features Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals facing the NL East champion Braves in Atlanta, where Hall of Famer Chipper Jones will throw out the first pitch. Freddie Freeman (right elbow) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (left... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:GLAMOUR GAMEIn a star-studded matchup that’s a perfect fit for Hollywood, the Nationals and Dodgers begin their best-of-five Division Series in Los Angeles. Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA) gets the start for the Dodgers against left-hander Patrick Corbin (14-7, 3.25). That means for the second straight year, Clayton Kershaw won’t be opening the postseason for LA. A year ago, the Dodgers went with Hyun-Jin Ryu against Atlanta, ending Kershaw’s streak of six consecutive playoff appearances starting Game 1. “Around here I don’t know if one, two or three really matters,” Buehler said. “The order’s a little bit less significant than people want to make it out to be.”LET’S GET IT STARTEDThe first Division Series game of 2019 features Paul Goldschmidt and the St. Louis Cardinals facing the NL East champion Braves in Atlanta, where Hall of Famer Chipper Jones will throw out the first pitch. Freddie Freeman (right elbow) and Ronald Acuña Jr.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:THAT'S WILDOakland tabbed left-hander Sean Manaea (4-0, 1.21 ERA) to start the AL wild-card game against Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old Manaea was sidelined last year when the Athletics lost the wild-card game to the Yankees, and missed most of this season following shoulder surgery. He returned in September and has been sharp over five starts. He'll start opposite Rays right-hander Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05) — that's right, no openers for either of these forward-thinking clubs — although neither manager will shy away from an early hook.GOING TO CALIFORNIASo familiar with playoff heartache, the Washington Nationals have finally advanced in October. Juan Soto delivered a bases-loaded single against closer Josh Hader that scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Nationals rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in the National League wild-card game Tuesday night.Soto's sharp single skipped by rookie right fielder... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:THAT'S WILDOakland tabbed left-hander Sean Manaea (4-0, 1.21 ERA) to start the AL wild-card game against Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old Manaea was sidelined last year when the Athletics lost the wild-card game to the Yankees, and missed most of this season following shoulder surgery. He returned in September and has been sharp over five starts. He'll start opposite Rays right-hander Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05) — that's right, no openers for either of these forward-thinking clubs — although neither manager will shy away from an early hook.GOING TO CALIFORNIASo familiar with playoff heartache, the Washington Nationals have finally advanced in October. Juan Soto delivered a bases-loaded single against closer Josh Hader that scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Nationals rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in the National League wild-card game Tuesday night.Soto's sharp single skipped by rookie right... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta left-hander Dallas Keuchel will face St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Thursday night.Each team announced its starting pitcher on Tuesday.Keuchel, who has nine career postseason starts, went 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA in 19 starts after signing a one-year deal with Atlanta. He will face the Cardinals for the first time since 2016.Mikolas was 9-14 with a 4.17 ERA in 32 starts for the Cardinals. He will make his postseason debut.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-five National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Thursday, at Atlanta, 5:02 p.m. (TBS); Game 2, Friday, at Atlanta, 4:37 p.m. (TBS); Game 3, Sunday, at St. Louis, TBA (TBS); x-Game 4, Monday, at St. Louis, TBA (TBS); x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Atlanta, TBA (TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Braves won 4-2.___Projected Lineups:Cardinals: RF Dexter Fowler (.236, 18 HRs, 65 RBIs), 2B Tommy Edman (.307, 11, 36) or Kolten Wong (.285, 11, 59), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.256, 33, 95), LF Marcell Ozuna (.242, 29, 88), C Yadier Molina (.271, 10, 57), 3B Matt Carpenter (.226, 14, 43), SS Paul DeJong (.234, 30, 78), CF Harrison Bader (.207, 12, 39).Braves: CF Ronald Acu�a Jr (.280, 41, 101, 37/46 SBs), 2B Ozzie Albies (.295, 24, 86, 15/19 SBs), 1B Freddie Freeman (.295, 38, 121, .389 OBP), 3B Josh Donaldson (.259, 37, 94, .379 OBP), LF Nick Markakis (.285, 9, 62), RF Matt Joyce (.295, 7, 23) or Adam... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — George Springer hit a career-high three homers, Justin Verlander posted his MLB-leading 20th win and the Houston Astros clinched their third straight AL West title in grand fashion, routing the Los Angeles Angels 13-5 on Sunday.A crowd at Minute Maid Park that was cheering from Verlander's first pitch got even louder as Springer homered three times in the first four innings. The Astros kept breaking away and improved to 102-54, a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors.After the final out, the Astros held a bouncing group hug in the middle of the diamond and posed for a team picture. It hasn't been determined who they will face in the playoffs as they try for their second World Series championship in three years.Springer, the MVP of the 2017 World Series, had two chances to tie the big league record for home runs in a game. He popped up with the bases loaded in the fifth and grounded out in the seventh.Verlander (20-6) yielded six hits and... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — George Springer hit a career-high three homers, Justin Verlander posted his MLB-leading 20th win and the Houston Astros clinched their third straight AL West title in grand fashion, routing the Los Angeles Angels 13-5 on Sunday.A crowd at Minute Maid Park that was cheering from Verlander's first pitch got even louder as Springer homered three times in the first four innings. The Astros kept breaking away and improved to 102-54, a half-game ahead of the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors.After the final out, the Astros held a bouncing group hug in the middle of the diamond and posed for a team picture. It hasn't been determined who they will face in the playoffs as they try for their second World Series championship in three years.Springer, the MVP of the 2017 World Series, had two chances to tie the big league record for home runs in a game. He popped up with the bases loaded in the fifth and grounded out in the seventh.Verlander (20-6) yielded six hits and... [More]

Cubs first. Anthony Rizzo lines out to first base to Paul Goldschmidt. Nicholas Castellanos singles to center field. Kris Bryant hit by pitch. Nicholas Castellanos to second. Kyle Schwarber singles to deep left center field. Kris Bryant to second. Nicholas Castellanos to third. Ben Zobrist called out on strikes. Victor Caratini pops out to shortstop to Matt Carpenter.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cubs 1, Cardinals 0.Cardinals third. Paul DeJong homers to left field. Harrison Bader called out on strikes. Miles Mikolas strikes out swinging. Dexter Fowler grounds out to shallow infield, Yu Darvish to Anthony Rizzo.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cardinals 1, Cubs 1.Cubs sixth. Nicholas Castellanos homers to center field. Ian Happ strikes out swinging. Kyle Schwarber grounds out to first base to Paul Goldschmidt. Ben Zobrist flies out to deep center field to Harrison Bader.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 2, Cardinals 1.Cardinals ninth. Jose Martinez pinch-hitting for Tyler Webb. Jose Martinez triples to deep center field. Dexter Fowler out on a sacrifice fly to center field to Albert Almora Jr.. Tyler O'Neill scores. Tommy Edman singles to right field. Paul Goldschmidt doubles to deep left field. Tommy Edman scores. Marcell Ozuna walks. Yadier Molina strikes out swinging. Yairo Munoz strikes out swinging.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cardinals 3, Cubs 2.