CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs scratched scheduled starter Yu Darvish on Sunday because of right forearm tightness, sidelining the Japanese right-hander after one of his best performances with the team.Darvish pitched eight sparkling innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. He is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA over his last nine starts in his best stretch since signing a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago before last season.While forearm tightness can be a harrowing sign for pitchers, Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five outings. The Cubs haven't sent him for any tests, and manager Joe Maddon thinks Darvish will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee."Just like a precautionary thing," Maddon said. "I mean, the guy's pitching a lot this year compared to what he did last year. We're really jumping his innings, so we want to be a little bit proactive with this thing. We anticipate playing a lot longer than just the rest... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs scratched Yu Darvish on Sunday because of right forearm tightness, sidelining the Japanese right-hander after one of his best starts with the team.Darvish pitched eight sparkling innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. He is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in his last nine starts in his best stretch since he signed a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago before last season.While forearm tightness can be a harrowing sign for pitchers, Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five starts. The Cubs haven't sent him for any tests, and manager Joe Maddon thinks he will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee."Just like a precautionary thing," Maddon said. "I mean the guy's pitching a lot this year compared to what he did last year. We're really jumping his innings so we want to be a little bit proactive with this thing. We anticipate playing a lot longer than just the rest of this month."Darvish is 5-6... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have scratched Yu Darvish because of right forearm tightness.Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five starts, and manager Joe Maddon says the Japanese right-hander thinks he will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee.Tyler Chatwood will start Sunday against the Brewers in place of Darvish, who hasn't been sent for any tests.The Cubs also activated infielder Daniel Descalso off the 10-day injured list. He had been sidelined by a sprained left ankle.With active rosters expanding in September, Chicago recalled six players from Triple-A Iowa; outfielder Albert Almora Jr., utilityman Robel Garcia, right-handers Alec Mills and Duane Underwood Jr., left-hander Brad Wieck and catcher Taylor Davis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Manager Joe Maddon says the Chicago Cubs have signed catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The 33-year-old Lucroy was designated for assignment by the Angels last Friday, then cleared waivers and was unconditionally released by Los Angeles on Wednesday. The 10-year-veteran and two-time All-Star is expected to join the NL Central-leading Cubs in Cincinnati on Thursday.Lucroy will pair with Victor Caratini behind the plate for Chicago to help plug a gap created when All-Star Willson Contreras suffered a right hamstring strain on Saturday. Contreras is expected to miss four weeks."Victor has done well and this doesn't put Victor on the shelf," Maddon said after Cubs beat Oakland Athletics 10-1 Wednesday. "They'll both play. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do that."Lucroy batted .242 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 74 games with the Angels this season. Caratini, who was 2 for 4 with a solo shot against the Athletics on Wednesday, is batting .265 with six homers and 22 RBIs in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed closer Craig Kimbrel on the 10-day injured list Monday and announced All-Star catcher Willson Contreras will be sidelined for four weeks with a right hamstring strain.The pair of injuries will test Chicago's depth and the ingenuity of its front office as it tries to win the roller-coaster NL Central for the third time in four years. While manager Joe Maddon has some veteran bullpen options, the catching situation is more perilous and the team can't trade for help under a new set of rules that began this year.Kimbrel, who got a late start this year after he finalized a $43 million, three-year deal with the Cubs in June, is dealing with inflammation in his right knee. He said it started bothering him while he was closing out Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Brewers."We assessed it yesterday morning and it looked like there was a strain and some swelling in there and we're just going to let it calm down," Kimbrel said before Chicago's 6-5 victory over... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs All-Star catcher Willson Contreras has gone on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring.Contreras was hurt Saturday against Milwaukee while running to first on a fly ball. He limped off the field and sobbed in the dugout.He is scheduled for an MRI on Monday."Once we know tomorrow exactly the extent of this — good or bad — we'll try to make our determination after that," Chicago manager Joe Maddon said Sunday.The 27-year-old Contreras is batting .275 with 19 homers and 57 RBIs in 87 games this season.Chicago recalled catcher Taylor Davis from Triple-A Iowa.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Chicago Cubs activated backup catcher Victor Caratini off the injury list for the final game of their series against the Reds.Caratini started at first base Thursday, filling in while Anthony Rizzo got another day to recover from a stiff back.Caratini broke a bone in his left hand during a swing on April 12 and had surgery three days later to remove the hamate. He played nine games at Triple-A Iowa on a rehabilitation assignment.Chicago optioned catcher Taylor Davis to Iowa. He went 3 for 15 with a homer in six games with the Cubs.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB (backslash)and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Braun's career-high sixth hit, a two-run single with one out in the 18th inning, lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night in the longest game in Miller Park history.Braun stood on first base with his hands raised above his head as Yasmani Grandal slid across home plate with the winning run, ending the game that lasted 5 hours and 22 minutes. A jubilant bunch of Brewers ran out to greet Braun, who was the only Milwaukee player to have multiple hits.The Mets took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 18th on Jeff McNeil's run-scoring single off Taylor Williams (1-1), who was Milwaukee's eighth and final pitcher.But the Brewers were far from done. Eric Thames drew a leadoff walk from Chris Flexen (0-2), who then got Mike Moustakas to fly out to center. Flexen, just recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, walked Grandal and Travis Shaw to load the bases for Braun. The Brewers' longest-tenured hit a sharp grounder... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Boston Red Sox strung together 10 straight hits against White Sox left-hander Manny Bañuelos, ending one hit shy of the major league record during a nine-run third inning in a 15-2 rout of Chicago on Saturday night.Bañuelos (2-1) retired his first eight batters before Christian Vázquez opened Boston's two-out rally with a single. Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis and Eduardo Núñez each homered, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez had RBI doubles, and Vázquez capped the streak with another single before White Sox manager Rick Renteria pulled Bañuelos with a 9-1 deficit. Carson Fulmer replaced Bañuelos and interrupted the hit parade by walking Andrew Benintendi. Betts flew out to right to end the inning after 14 batters.The Colorado Rockies had a major league-record 11 straight hits during a 17-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on July 30, 2010.Chavis added another solo shot in the fifth for his first multihomer game and finished with four hits and three RBIs. All of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Boston Red Sox strung together 10 straight hits against White Sox left-hander Manny Bañuelos, ending one hit shy of the major league record during a nine-run third inning in a 15-2 rout of Chicago on Saturday night.Bañuelos (2-1) retired his first eight batters before Christian Vázquez opened Boston's two-out rally with a single. Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis and Eduardo Núñez each homered, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez had RBI doubles, and Vázquez capped the streak with another single before White Sox manager Rick Renteria pulled Bañuelos with a 9-1 deficit. Carson Fulmer replaced Bañuelos and interrupted the hit parade by walking Andrew Benintendi. Betts flew out to right to end the inning after 14 batters.The Colorado Rockies had a major league-record 11 straight hits during a 17-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on July 30, 2010.Chavis added another solo shot in the fifth for his first multihomer game and finished with four hits and three RBIs. All of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed Victor Caratini on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a broken bone in his left hand, sidelining the backup catcher for four to six weeks.The 25-year-old Caratini is scheduled for surgery on Monday. He had been a pleasant surprise for Chicago, batting .571 with a homer and five RBIs in six games.He got hurt on a swing during Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh. A CT scan confirmed a fractured left hamate."He was looking so good," manager Joe Maddon said. "He was pretty upset yesterday. He was upset because he knew how well he was playing, he knew what was going on. It's truly unfortunate. It's just one of those injuries where — you've been around guys that have had them before, they're very freakish. And they're taking care of but they put you down a bit."Taylor Davis was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Caratini on the roster. The 29-year-old Davis is a .278 hitter with three RBIs in 13 career games.The Cubs could look outside the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed Victor Caratini on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a broken bone in his left hand, sidelining the backup catcher for four to six weeks.The 25-year-old Caratini is scheduled for surgery on Monday. He had been a pleasant surprise for Chicago, batting .571 with a homer and five RBIs in six games.He got hurt on a swing during Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh. A CT scan confirmed a fracture."He was looking so good," manager Joe Maddon said. "He was pretty upset yesterday. He was upset because he knew how well he was playing, he knew what was going on. It's truly unfortunate. It's just one of those injuries where — you've been around guys that have had them before, they're very freakish. And they're taking care of but they put you down a bit."Taylor Davis was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Caratini on the roster. The 29-year-old Davis is a .278 hitter with three RBIs in 13 career games.The Cubs could look outside the organization... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have placed backup catcher Victor Caratini on the 10-day injured list after he broke a bone in his left hand.Caratini is expected to miss four to six weeks after he got hurt on a swing during Thursday night's 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh. He is scheduled for surgery on Monday.The 25-year-old Caratini had been a pleasant surprise for Chicago, batting .571 with a homer and five RBIs in six games.Taylor Davis was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday. The 29-year-old Davis is a .278 hitter with three RBIs in 13 career games.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have optioned versatile youngster Ian Happ to the minor leagues.Manager Joe Maddon announced the decision Saturday.The 24-year-old Happ appeared in 142 games with Chicago last season, hitting .233 with 15 homers and a .761 OPS while playing second base, third base and all three outfield spots. He finished eighth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 after hitting .253 with 24 homers in 115 games.The 2015 first-round pick is batting .135 this spring with a .389 OPS. The demotion will allow the switch hitter to get regular playing time at Triple-A instead of being limited on Chicago's deep major league roster.Right-handers Alec Mills and Dillon Maples and catcher Taylor Davis were also optioned to Triple-A Iowa, and righty Junichi Tazawa was granted his release. Infielder Cristhian Adames and outfielder Johnny Field were re-assigned to minor league camp.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — Francisco Lindor had two solo homers and four RBIs, rookie Shane Bieber pitched into the seventh inning to remain unbeaten in nine road starts and the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 on Thursday night for their third straight win.Cleveland trimmed its magic number to seven for clinching a third consecutive AL Central championship.Lindor connected on Sam Gaviglio's third pitch for his 10th career leadoff homer and seventh this season. He went deep to right off Gaviglio again in the third for his eighth career multihomer game. Lindor has 33 home runs, matching his total from last year. He added a two-run single in the fifth and singled again in the ninth.Toronto's Rowdy Tellez doubled in the second and fourth after getting a pinch-hit double in his debut Wednesday, making him the first player in major league history with extra-base hits in each of his first three plate appearances.Jason Kipnis hit a three-run homer off Blue Jays reliever Mark Leiter Jr. in... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Francisco Lindor had two solo homers and four RBIs, rookie Shane Bieber pitched into the seventh inning to remain unbeaten in nine road starts and the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 on Thursday night for their third straight win.Cleveland trimmed its magic number to seven for clinching a third consecutive AL Central championship.Lindor connected on Sam Gaviglio's third pitch for his 10th career leadoff homer and seventh this season. He went deep to right off Gaviglio again in the third for his eighth career multihomer game. Lindor has 33 home runs, matching his total from last year. He added a two-run single in the fifth and singled again in the ninth.Toronto's Rowdy Tellez doubled in the second and fourth after getting a pinch-hit double in his debut Wednesday, making him the first player in major league history with extra-base hits in each of his first three plate appearances.Jason Kipnis hit a three-run homer off Blue Jays reliever Mark Leiter Jr. in... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have invited veteran catcher Chris Gimenez and 18 other non-roster players to their major league spring training camp.A nine-year veteran, Gimenez played for Chicago manager Joe Maddon when both were with Tampa Bay in 2012 and 2013 and was later a teammate of free agent pitcher Yu Darvish — a Cubs target — with the Texas Rangers.Chicago also invited pitchers Anthony Bass, Craig Brooks, David Garner, Justin Hancock, Thomas Hatch, Williams Perez, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena and Kyle Ryan; infielders Ryan Court, Mike Freeman, Jason Vosler and Chesny Young; catchers Taylor Davis, Ian Rice and Ali Solis; and outfielders Jacob Hannemann and Bijan Rademacher.Pitchers and catchers begin workouts Feb. 14, with the first full squad workout on Feb. 19.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball