STEVEN MATZ

Albert Pujols hit his 695th career home run in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

Albert Pujols collected home run No. 695 in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight shutout innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Pujols drilled the two-run, pinch-hit shot off reliever Brandon Hughes (2-2).

Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their season-high eighth straight victory.

Willson Contreras hit a tiebreaking single in the 10th inning to drive in his third run of the game, and the Chicago Cubs overcame a five-run deficit to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Sunday. St. Louis led 5-0 but starter Jack Flaherty left after two innings because of right shoulder tightness, and the Cubs tied the score with a five-run fourth. The Cardinals have lost three of their last four games and seven of their last 10.

First, Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs, then caught the warmup tosses when star catcher Yadier Molina made his first pitching appearance to close out the St. Louis Cardinals' 18-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Molina gave up a pair of homers and four runs while working the ninth inning, eventually completing the Cardinals' three-game sweep. Starter Steven Matz lasted only four pitches before being pulled with stiffness in his left shoulder.

Reid Detmers has a chance to match Johnny Vander Meer’s feat of consecutive no-hitters when he starts for the Los Angeles Angels at the Texas Rangers.

Rylan Bannon became just the third Baltimore player since 2000 to get a hit on the first pitch of his big league career, Jorge Mateo and Anthony Bemboom homered and the Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2.

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early home run and Steven Matz and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up, leading the Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals 1-0.

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.

Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker learned less than an hour before game time that he'd be filling in for ill manager Oliver Marmol. Nolan Arenado helped make his job a lot easier. Arenado hit three doubles and a single, Paul DeJong homered and St. Louis, minus its rookie skipper, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Saturday.

In each of the past two offseasons, pitcher Kevin Gausman spurned free agent advances from the Toronto Blue Jays and general manager Ross Atkins.

Everybody knows the Detroit Tigers aren’t done signing free agents this offseason, but with many of the top targets signing this week, when is the time to strike?

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Max Scherzer has agreed to a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets.

The owner of the New York Mets was not happy when he woke up Wednesday morning to the news that free agent pitcher Steven Matz had signed with a different team.

Left-handed starting pitcher Steven Matz is accepting bids and could pick his new team as early as Wednesday. MLB Network reported that the Detroit Tigers are among eight clubs still pursuing the 30-year-old New York native. Matz did not get a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays, so his signing would not require draft pick compensation. The Red Sox recently lost left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed a five-year, $77 million deal with the Tigers, so Matz would serve as a slightly less expensive replacement. If the Tigers signed both Rodriguez and Matz, it would represent an impressive financial investment in starting pitching but might also call into question the Tigers’ willingness to splurge on a shortstop.

This year’s MLB free agent period is still in its infancy, but the Detroit Tigers have already been linked to four starting pitchers and six shortstops through various reports.

Atlanta's Dylan Lee became the first pitcher to make his first big league start in the World Series.

Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch, apparent retribution for scooping up a Toronto scouting report two days earlier, and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a postseason berth with a 7-1 victory over the Blue Jays.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 40th homer, Marcus Semien went deep twice and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 8-0 for their fifth straight win.

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was honored in the first inning Friday night in his first game at Comerica Park since reaching 500 last Sunday at Toronto. As a highlight video of the home run played on the video screen, Cabrera’s wife and two children changed the milestone tracker in left field from 499 to 500. Miggy takes a curtain call after his wife and kids change 499 to 500. pic.twitter.com/4MmKJmyqyS — Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) August 27, 2021Cabrera subsequently hit home run No. 501 in St. Louis, but the counter in left field will remained at 500 for a few minutes to allow everyone a chance to take a photo. Comerica Park is no longer getting the boost in ticket sales that accompanied Cabrera’s 500 chase, and the attendance was relatively light on Friday night.

Miguel Cabrera's 500th career homer was a big moment for everyone who had a hand in the slugger's stellar career.

The Tigers’ rally appeared to fizzle in the ninth after Willi Castro smacked a two-out ground-rule double. Pinch-hitter Harold Castro hit a routine grounder to second base. Marcus Semien, considered among the league’s best infielders, bounced a throw to first base, allowing Harold Castro to reach base and Willi Castro to score. The Tigers went up 3-2 after Jonathan Schoop’s sacrifice fly drove home Zack Short in the top of the 10th. The Tigers picked up two runs in the top of the 11th when Daz Cameron doubled and Willi Castro followed with another double of his own.

The Detroit Tigers slugger hit the 500th home run of his career on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The 28th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs. pic.twitter.com/ajmOAbVeZg — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 22, 2021Cabrera is the 28th player in Major League history to reach the 500-homer mark and the first to do so as a Tiger. Cabrera is the sixth player born outside the United States to reach 500 homers and the first from Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/SDpuJsk7fz — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 22, 2021This story will be updated.

Hyun Jin Ryu cruised through seven innings, Randal Grichuk and Marcus Semien each homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0.

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

Francisco Mejía hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a seven-run burst in the 11th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won their 11th straight game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 14-8.

After no-hitters on consecutive nights by Detroit right-hander Spencer Turnbull and Yankees newcomer Corey Kluber, is there a pitcher on the docket who can make it three days in a row.

Jacob deGrom of the Mets is 1-1 with a 0.45 ERA, 35 strikeouts and three walks in 20 innings going into a homestand opener against Washington and Erick Fedde.

San Diego rookie Ryan Weathers makes his first big league start when Mookie Betts and the champion Dodgers visit Petco Park in the first matchup this season between the NL West rivals.

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.

TWINS 1, ORIOLES 0 (7 INNINGS)Minnesota ace Kenta Maeda allowed one hit in three innings, striking out four in his second start. Baltimore's Dean Kremer fared better in his second start, allowing a hit and a walk in three scoreless innings. Deivi García pitched three shutout innings in his second start for the Yankees. Nick Pivetta made his second start for Boston, allowing a run on three hits with three strikeouts in three innings. Alex Wood worked two innings in the start for San Francisco and gave up a home run to Omar Narvaez.

The two-time AL Central champion Twins are hoping Happ can give them a veteran presence at the back of their rotation. Ian Anderson pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk. Houston piggy-backed a pair of starters with Framber Valdez yielding McNeil's homer in the first two innings, striking out two. AdBLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 2 (6)Steven Matz allowed a hit in two scoreless innings, striking out three without a walk. CUBS 3, ROYALS 2 (7)Outfielder Rafael Ortega, who signed a minor league deal with Chicago after playing 34 games for Atlanta last season, hit a bases-loaded triple.

New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)NEW YORK – In a deal between two of baseball's busiest teams this winter, the New York Mets traded left-hander Steven Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays for three young pitchers Wednesday night. The young Blue Jays qualified for the expanded playoffs but were swept in two games by the Rays during their first-round series. Reid-Foley was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in five relief outings covering 6 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last season. The 24-year-old Díaz appeared in one big league game for the Blue Jays in 2019.

The total cut was one more than the previous high at the tender deadline, ahead of the 2004 season. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Schwarber returned from a serious knee injury and hit .412 with two RBIs in the 2016 World Series as the Cubs won their first championship since 1908. Fifty-nine players agreed to one-year contracts ahead of the deadline, many of them facing a threat of being cut. Minnesota reached deals with five players, including pitcher José Berríos ($500,000 signing bonus plus $5.6 million salary) and center fielder Byron Buxton ($5,125,000).

Gausman and Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers Wednesday, Nov. 11, receiving one-year deals to stay with their teams rather than test what they could get in free agency. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 10 of 96 offers have been accepted. Stroman was acquired by the Mets from Toronto in July 2019 for left-hander Anthony Kay and minor league right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Gausman has a 50-66 record and 4.26 ERA in nine seasons with Baltimore, Atlanta and San Francisco. Tomlin gets a $1 million salary next season, and the deal includes a $1.25 million club option with a $250,000 buyout.

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano wears a New York Police Department cap while warming up before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. Dominic Smith hit his first career grand slam and Wilson Ramos had a three-run double in a 10-run fourth inning. Ramos hit a late solo homer. Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer as the Mets scored four runs in the third. Conforto, who along with Ramos scored four times, hit his ninth homer to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Aaron Hicks lined a tying, two-run homer in the seventh, and Gio Urshela hit a game-ending single off Edwin Diaz an inning later. At 21 years, 103 days, Garca became the youngest pitcher to start in the majors in the abbreviated 60-game game season. GAME 1The Yankees trailed 7-2 with two outs in final inning of the seven-inning game before rallying against Jared Hughes and Diaz. The Mets added three runs in the sixth when Michael Conforto hit a two-run double and Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch. Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.51) opens a three-game series against AL East leaders Tampa Bay.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo)NEW YORK The last time the New York Yankees lost eight in a row, it was a different millennium. Frazier drew a leadoff walk in the ninth from Betances (0-1), a four-time All-Star with the Yankees before signing with the Mets last offseason. Happ held the Mets to three hits in 7 1/3 shutout innings, becoming the first Yankees starter to reach the eighth this season. The Mets will be the home" team at Yankee Stadium in the second game. Prized pitching prospect Deivi Garcia will start one game for the Yankees, making his major league debut.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried fields a ground ball by New York Mets' Jeff McNeil during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 25, 2020, in New York. Ozuna, signed to an $18 million, one-year free agent deal in January, energized Atlanta's struggling offense with his opposite-field drive against Daz. Ozuna went with a 3-2 fastball just off the outside corner and roped it out to right field for his first home run with the Braves. McNeil countered with a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the fifth, but Daz couldn't make it stand. An All-Star with Seattle in 2018, Daz labored through a brutal 2019 with a 5.59 ERA and seven blown saves.

New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes, right, celebrates his solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, Friday, July 24, 2020, in New York. Rules changes for this shortened season delayed by the coronavirus provided a DH in NL games for the first time giving the Mets a perfect slot for Cspedes as he gets back in the swing of things. Edwin Daz, who lost his job as closer during a miserable 2019 season, struck out two in a hitless ninth for the save. Braves All-Star starter Mike Soroka, who won his previous two matchups with deGrom, allowed four hits in six outstanding innings. Coming off consecutive Cy Young Awards, deGrom fanned eight and permitted only a broken-bat single and a walk.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) winds up while delivering a pitch during a simulated game, part of the Mets summer training camp workout at Citi Field, Thursday, July 9, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)CHICAGO Opening day is next week, and there is concern for New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom and Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo because of back issues. The Mets sent deGrom for an MRI on Wednesday after the right-hander pitched just one inning in a summer camp appearance due to back tightness. Rizzo and deGrom are considered day to day. If deGrom is unable to go on opening day against Atlanta on July 24, Marcus Stroman or Steven Matz could get the ball.