ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals recalled outfielder Austin Dean, right-hander Junior Fernandez, catcher Andrew Knizner and infielder Edmundo Sosa on Thursday as they finalized their roster for opening day against the Pirates at Busch Stadium.St. Louis also announced that right-hander Kodi Whitley made the initial 30-man roster for the start of the season.The moves came one day after the Cardinals released reliever Brett Cecil, who pitched just 100 innings across 113 games since signing a four-year contract with the club. Cecil missed all of last season after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. The Cardinals owe him $2,592,593 — the prorated portion of his $7 million salary in the final season of his $30.5 million contract.The Cardinals will start the season with four players on the injured list. John Brebbia and Jordan Hicks are out with right elbow issues while fellow right-hander Giovanny Gallegos was late to arrive to camp for unspecified reasons. Infielder Brad Miller went on the injured list late Wednesday with bursitis in his right ankle.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

June 301908 — At 41 years, 3 months, Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox pitched the third no-hitter of his career, an 8-0 win over the New York Highlanders.1948 — Cleveland's Bob Lemon pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers for the first American League no-hitter at night.1962 — Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers struck out 13 New York Mets en route to the first of four career no-hitters, a 5-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.1970 — Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati was dedicated, but Henry Aaron spoiled the show for the crowd of 51,050 with a first-inning homer off Jim McGlothlin as Atlanta beat the Reds 8-2.1978 — Willie McCovey became the 12th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. His milestone shot off Atlanta's Jamie Easterly wasn't enough, as the Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 10-5 in the second game of a doubleheader at Fulton County Stadium.1995 — Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history... [More]

With opening day just around the corner, the list of notable players who are going to be absent keeps growing.World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went down with a knee injury Monday night when he slipped on home plate.Earlier in the day, Baltimore put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.Pearce exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. The right-handed batter normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base, but the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals placed five players on the injured list as they shaped their roster for Thursday's opener at Milwaukee.The team said Monday the official reason for Brett Cecil's designation is carpal tunnel syndrome, though the left-hander also is dealing with arm fatigue and erratic mechanics. Right-hander Carlos Martinez is out with a strained rotator cuff and reliever Luke Gregerson with a right shoulder impingement.Jedd Gyorko will start the season on the IL after dealing with a calf issue for most of March. He was hoping to be ready by opening day but will instead be out until at least April 4.Justin Williams is on the IL with a fracture in his right hand, though the Cardinals have plenty of depth in the outfield and he will likely head to Triple-A Memphis when he's ready to go.Hours later, the Cardinals pared down to 25 active players with a flurry of moves. They optioned left-hander Tyler Webb to Memphis and reassigned seven players to the minors: right-hander Chris Beck, left-hander Tommy Layne, catchers Andrew Knizner and Francisco Pena, infielders Tommy Edman and Rangel Ravelo, and outfielder Dylan Carlson.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals placed five players on the injured list as they began to shape their roster for Thursday's opener at the Milwaukee Brewers.St. Louis said Monday the official reason for Brett Cecil's designation is carpal tunnel syndrome, though the left-hander also is dealing with arm fatigue and erratic mechanics. Right-hander Carlos Martinez is out with a strained rotator cuff and reliever Luke Gregerson with a right shoulder impingement.Jedd Gyorko will start the season on IL after dealing with a calf issue for most of March. He was hoping to be ready by opening day but will instead be out until at least April 4.Justin Williams is on the IL with a fracture in his right hand, though the Cardinals have plenty of depth in the outfield and he will likely head to Triple-A Memphis when he's ready to go.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Jack Flaherty has done the math, and it all adds up. The young St. Louis pitcher is in line to start the Cardinals' home opener."Freakin' cool," the 23-year-old Flaherty said, sporting a huge grin. "To put it as forward as I can, it would be freakin' sweet."Other than announcing Miles Mikolas as the opening day starter March 28 at Milwaukee, manager Mike Shildt has yet to make public his starting rotation, nor has he discussed it with Flaherty.But with one Grapefruit League start remaining, Flaherty is in position to make the Cardinals' second start of the season. And if that schedule plays out as expected, his second turn figures to be the home opener on April 4 against San Diego."We know Jack's commitment, that's really evident," Shildt said. "We know Jack is athletic, that's on display. We know Jack's got all the pitches. We know Jack competes really well."The right-handed Flaherty throws a mid-90s mph fastball, a curve and a changeup, but it's a hard-biting slider... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals hope a healthy Andrew Miller can help reverse their recent luck with new relievers.Coming off a series of injuries, Miller got a two-year deal with the Cardinals last month. Recent relief signings haven't worked out too well for St. Louis — Brett Cecil, Luke Gregerson and Greg Holland weren't able to replicate their past success.At the annual Cardinals Winter Warm Up on Saturday, team President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said he was enthused about Miller."He wants the ball," Mozeliak said. "One of our stated goals this offseason was to improve our bullpen. Andrew Miller is one of the premier relievers in the major leagues, and his addition certainly strengthens our bullpen."He has pitched on the biggest stages in the world. He has pitched at an elite level. His character, his competitiveness and his leadership. All of this has led us to pursuing him this offseason," he said.Miller, a veteran of 13 seasons in the majors, has been one of... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When healthy, Andrew Miller has been one of baseball's top relievers. The St. Louis Cardinals are banking on a return to form.Miller agreed to a $25 million, two-year deal with St. Louis that includes a club option and performance bonuses that could make it worth $36 million over three seasons.The 6-foot-7 left-hander has been dominant for much of this decade, but he went just 2-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 37 games with Cleveland last season while dealing with hamstring, knee and shoulder issues."One of our stated goals this offseason was to improve our bullpen," said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals' president of baseball operations. "Andrew Miller is one of the premier relievers in the major league, and his addition certainly strengthens our bullpen."Miller gets $11 million next year and $11.5 million in 2020, and the deal includes a $12 million team option for 2021 with a $2.5 million buyout, The option would become guaranteed if Miller has 110 games as a pitcher in 2019 and '20... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When healthy, Andrew Miller has been one of baseball's top relievers. The St. Louis Cardinals are banking on a return to form.Miller agreed to terms on a two-year deal with St. Louis, with a vesting option for 2021. The 6-foot-7 left-hander has been dominant for much of this decade, but he went just 2-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 37 games with Cleveland last season while dealing with hamstring, knee and shoulder issues."One of our stated goals this offseason was to improve our bullpen," said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals' president of baseball operations. "Andrew Miller is one of the premier relievers in the major league, and his addition certainly strengthens our bullpen."Terms were not disclosed in Friday's announcement.The Indians acquired Miller in a trade during the 2016 season, and manager Terry Francona used him as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen. He was the MVP of the AL Championship Series that year, and Cleveland made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals have found their elite left-handed reliever: Andrew Miller has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with St. Louis, with a vesting option for 2021."One of our stated goals this offseason was to improve our bullpen," said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals' president of baseball operations. "Andrew Miller is one of the premier relievers in the major league, and his addition certainly strengthens our bullpen."Terms were not disclosed in Friday's announcement.One of baseball's best relievers when healthy, the 33-year-old Miller was a key reason the Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series in 2016 and he was voted the MVP of the ALCS that year, striking out 14 batters in 7.2 innings. The two-time All-Star helped reset the role of reliever to some extent, used to target the opposing lineup instead of particular innings — and he has been strong in the playoffs (1.09 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 33 innings over the past five years).The 13-year MLB veteran struggled with... [More]

The St. Louis Cardinals were barreling toward their third consecutive missed postseason when they made the decision to part ways with manager Mike Matheny and turn the reins over to Mike Shildt.They still wound up missing the playoffs.But oh, what a run they made.A club that was hovering around .500 when Matheny was dumped in July set a record for consecutive series wins, and climbed into the playoff race well into September. St. Louis was finally eliminated on the season's penultimate day, but the organization was left feeling much better about the future."We've been in postseason mode since virtually the All-Star break," Shildt said, "so you appreciate what went well, and you appreciate and grow through experiences and you grow together. There's a lot of takeaways, and the good news is we'll take advantage of it. I can promise you that."Shildt, who never played the game beyond college, was so impressive in righting the course as a first-time manager that the Cardinals stripped him of... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals completed their deal with free-agent closer Greg Holland on Saturday and put left-handed reliever Brett Cecil on the 10-day disabled list with a strained pitching shoulder.The Cardinals made the moves Saturday before playing the Mets in the second game of the season. They called up left-hander Ryan Sherriff from Triple-A Memphis and transferred righty Alex Reyes from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.The club also announced a swap of minor league pitchers, acquiring right-hander Casey Meisner from Oakland for reliever Josh Lucas. A two-time minor league All-Star, the 6-foot-7 Meisner is 30-34 with a 3.66 ERA over 85 minor league starts and 104 total appearances.Holland will report to Class A Palm Beach to prepare for his St. Louis debut. The 32-year-old righty signed a one-year deal for $14 million."It's amazing what it does for our bullpen now," manager Mike Matheny said. "We've seen plenty of him to know this guy is a legit, end-of-the-game pitcher."Holland... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have completed their deal with free-agent closer Greg Holland and put left-handed reliever Brett Cecil on the 10-day disabled list with a strained pitching shoulder.The Cardinals made the moves Saturday before playing the Mets in the second game of the season. They also called up left-hander Ryan Sherriff from Triple-A Memphis and transferred righty Alex Reyes from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.Holland will report to Class A Palm Beach to prepare for his St. Louis debut. The 32-year-old righty signed a one-year deal for $14 million.Holland consented to up to 14 days in the minors. The three-time All-Star had 41 saves for Colorado last season, going 3-6 with a 3.61 ERA.Cecil threw 10 pitches in Thursday's 9-4 loss to the Mets in the opener. The 31-year-old got one out and gave up one hit.General manager John Mozeliak said Cecil reported his shoulder didn't feel right when he left the mound. Mozeliak said the team doesn't think the injury is serious.Sherriff pitched 13 times in relief for St. Louis last year, going 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA. Reyes missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

LHP Brett Cecil (1-3) pitched the ninth and got a loss as well as a blown save. He gave up two runs and three hits, including David Frazier's two-out, walk-off RBI single to center. "The only pitch I really wish I could have back is, obviously, that last pitch, a curveball that just kind of hung out over the plate," Cecil said of his delivery to Frazier.

LHP Brett Cecil is being used in key late-inning situations after struggling through the first two months of the season, possibly a by-product of the pressure he felt switching teams in the offseason (from Toronto to St. Louis) and signing a four-year contract worth $30 million. He has gone through 10 consecutive scoreless appearances; he struck out two of the three batters he faced during a 1-2-3 eighth inning Thursday night. "On a personal note, it's good to finally get out there and in my head know I'm getting through this inning, whereas before my confidence was down," said Cecil, who lowered his ERA to 3.82.

LHP Brett Cecil changed his uniform to No. 21 from No. 27. Cecil, a University of Maryland product, had worn No. 21 when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays but when he got to St. Louis this season that number was worn by Jhonny Peralta, who was released earlier this week by the Cardinals. Cecil pitched Friday and lowered his ERA to 4.74 with a scoreless seventh.

LHP Brett Cecil became the third Cardinals pitcher to change his hair style this season in hopes of changing his luck. Cecil shaved his head on Wednesday after another poor outing on Tuesday night, walking both of the hitters he faced. Earlier this season, both Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright cut their hair and saw improved performances in their next couple of games.

LHP Brett Cecil threw one scoreless inning of relief in the 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. He extended his scoreless streak to 9 1/3 innings. He has allowed only three earned runs in his past 19 2/3 innings. He will be relied upon more now that RHP Joaquin Benoit (torn left calf muscle) is lost for a least two weeks.