OLIVER MARMOL

Good afternoon, Chicago. Here's what is happening today.

SAN DIEGO — (AP) — Cole Kuiper saw a report on Twitter: Aaron Judge was nearing a deal with the San Francisco Giants. While much of the majors awaited the resolution of Judge's free agency, Mitch Haniger, Cody Bellinger, Josh Bell, Tommy Kahnle and Andrew Heaney all found new homes. Haniger got a $43.5 million, three-year deal with San Francisco. Bell played for Washington and San Diego last season, batting .266 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs in 156 games. The switch-hitting Bell also is expected to benefit from restrictions on defensive positioning coming to the game next year.

Aaron Judge remains a free agent as baseball's winter meetings continue in San Diego.

Houston's Dusty Baker and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Dave Roberts are the only Black managers in Major League Baseball.

Wainwright did not pitch during either game in part because he had struggled with his delivery late in the season. Wainwright and Molina set the major league record for career starts as a battery last season, eventually hitting 328 starts together. The 61-year-old Maddux had been with the Cardinals since 2018 and Albert spent time with the Astros before taking over as the Cardinals hitting coach ahead of the 2019 season. Turner Ward, who had been the assistant hitting coach, could be a candidate for promotion. Pitching strategist Dusty Blake also will be back and could be among the candidates to replace Maddux as the pitching coach.

Adam Wainwright will pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals next season, choosing to return for an 18th with the franchise while longtime teammates Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina head into retirement.

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina have played their final games with the Cardinals, who were eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League wild-card series.

Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

Albert Pujols has hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Yadier Molina hit a two-run drive while Albert Pujols went hitless in his quest for 700 homers, and the St. Louis Cardinals swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 and 1-0 in 11 innings on Saturday. Pujols started at first base in the opener and hit second for the first time this season. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said playing Pujols so frequently is a no-brainer despite his age of 42.

ST. LOUIS — (AP) — Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 325th career start together on Wednesday night, setting a major league record for most as a battery. The St. Louis duo eclipsed the regular-season mark of 324 by the Detroit Tigers pair of Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan from 1963-1975. Wainwright and Molina made their first start together on April 6, 2007, in Houston. The next active pair behind Wainwright and Molina is the Chicago Cubs battery of Kyle Hendricks and Willson Contreras, who have 105 starts together. The pair attended several games together during the St. Louis Blues' run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina have made their 325th career start together, setting a major league record for most as a battery.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 Saturday night. The 42-year-old Pujols has 22 games left in his 22nd and final season in the big leagues. “I don’t care who I tied,” Pujols said.

Albert Pujols hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 13th inning, Lars Nootbaar added a two-run homer and the St. Louis Cardinals twice used five-man infields to stop the Cincinnati Reds and pull out a 5-3 win on Wednesday night. In his final game in Cincinnati, Pujols shook off going hitless in five at-bats to deliver against Chase Anderson (0-2), driving in automatic runner Paul Goldschmidt with one out. “I know he enjoyed it,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Pujols, who plans to retire after the season.

Paul Goldschmidt slugged his 32nd and 33rd homers and had five RBIs, Corey Dickerson set a franchise record for consecutive hits and the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Javier Assad pitched four scoreless innings in his major league debut and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Chicago Cubs cooled off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.

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.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the few teams with too many options. The jumbo digs were eventually assigned to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, and who could really argue? Across the room was 34-year-old Paul Goldschmidt, one of the game's best first basemen who is a seven-time All-Star and in the midst of an MVP-caliber campaign.

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols blasted two more homers, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol leaned back in his chair postgame, trying to find more superlatives to describe ageless Albert Pujols. “Listen to the names that we're talking about, man,” Marmol said. Pujols blasted two more homers on Saturday night, pushing his career total to 692 and helping St. Louis beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 16-7.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was put on the restricted list Saturday and is expected to miss the next two games. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Molina left for “business matters” and is expected to return to the team on Monday. Marmol added that the star previously asked permission to leave for the weekend and the request was granted.

The Detroit Tigers fired general manager Al Avila on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 ending a seven-year tenure with no playoff appearances. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File) (Frank Franklin II)St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol didn't realize there were no Latino general managers left in Major League Baseball after the Detroit Tigers fired Al Avila. Marmol himself is one of only three Latino on-field managers, along with Boston's Alex Cora and Washington's Dave Martinez. Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny was aware of Avila's firing, but like Marmol was unaware that Avila was baseball's only Latino GM. I don’t know.”With Avila out after seven years as Detroit's GM, MLB has even fewer minorities in leading front-office positions.

There are no Latino general managers left in Major League Baseball after the Detroit Tigers fired Al Avila.

Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and finished with three hits, passing Rogers Hornsby on St. Louis’ career list, and the Cardinals stopped Toronto’s seven-game win streak with a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Adam Wainwright pitched seven sparkling innings to help St. Louis earn a split of the two-game set while playing without unvaccinated sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)St. Louis Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera let his emotions get the best of him Friday night. As Cabrera was removed from the game in the ninth inning, he slammed the ball on the ground, leading to a tense confrontation with manager Oliver Marmol. Marmol addressed the situation after the game, saying Cabrera was frustrated with his recent performance. Marmol downplayed the confrontation, saying, "[Cabrera will] be just fine." "#STLCards pic.twitter.com/oOaxOmfC4h — Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) July 16, 2022After exiting the game, Cabrera spoke to Cardinals legend Albert Pujols in the dugout.

He fired the ball down as Marmol approached the mound, leading the rookie skipper to grab Cabrera and get right in his face. St. Louis stopped its two-game skid and improved to 4-4 on a 10-game homestand, its longest of the season. Andre Pallante (3-4) allowed three runs and six hits over five innings for his first win since June 10. Gorman broke a 3-all tie with a drive off fellow rookie Hunter Greene (3-2) leading off the fourth inning. St. Louis is 26-13 versus opponents under .500 this season.

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera slammed the ball to the ground in frustration when he was removed from the game, prompting a stern response from manager Oliver Marmol moments before St. Louis closed out a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera slammed the ball to the ground in frustration when he was removed from the game Friday night, prompting a stern response from manager Oliver Marmol moments before St. Louis closed out a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Cabrera was pulled after giving up consecutive hits to start the ninth inning.

Hanser Alberto hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers climbed out of a huge hole in a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper could return to the lineup Wednesday for the finale of a two-game series at Texas after an infected blister on his left index finger sidelined him for two games last weekend at Washington.

Dansby Swanson and the Braves go for their 14th straight victory Wednesday night when they wrap up a series at Washington.

Miles Mikolas was one strike from a no-hitter when he gave up a double to Cal Mitchell with two outs in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1 to sweep a doubleheader.

APTOPIX Reds Cardinals Baseball St. Louis Cardinals' Tommy Edman (19) celebrates after hitting a walk-off two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Saturday, June 11, 2022, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 5-4. Cincinnati led 4-1 in the eighth inning but blew a save for the seventh time in 17 chances, and the Cardinals won despite getting outhit 12-7. “Guys competed so well, put us in a great position to win the game,” Reds manager David Bell said. Nick Wittgren (1-0) pitched a one-hit ninth for his first win with St. Louis.

Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning for the first walkoff RBI of his major league career, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals over Cincinnati 5-4 on Saturday in yet another Reds bullpen collapse. “Off the bat, I honestly didn't think it was going to get out,” Edman said. St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 316th start together, tying the Boston and Milwaukee Braves’ Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for second-most behind the 324 of Detroit’s Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.

The only other active player with at least 2,500 major league appearances is Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera. He has reached base in all 18 of his major league games. Oviedo (0-1) allowed three earned runs in five innings in his first big league start this season. “He’s been impressive in a lot of ways, but still, you’ve got to make your major league career and come up, and no one knows how it’s going to go. Espinoza gave up two earned runs in four innings during his major league debut on Monday against the Brewers.

Cardinals Cubs Baseball Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matt Swarmer delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader, Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Chicago. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols made his 3,000th major league appearance after Corey Dickerson left the game early with left calf discomfort. The only other active player with at least 2,500 major league appearances is Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera. He fanned five batters and walked three to drop to 0-9 in his career as a major league starter. Espinoza gave up two earned runs in four innings during his major league debut on Monday against the Brewers.

Matt Swarmer earned his first big league win and Frank Schwindel homered in a three-hit showing to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader.

Josh Hader escaped a ninth-inning jam in his 37th straight scoreless appearance and the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 for their third straight win.

Cardinals Pirates Baseball St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Yadier Molina reacts to giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Suwinski during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 22, 2022. Anyone else want to pitch for St. Louis this season? Exactly a week after the slugging Pujols made his first pitching appearance in the majors, Molina got his turn Sunday, closing out an 18-4 romp at Pittsburgh. I didn’t give up a double like he did,” Pujols told St. Louis media. Retorted Molina: “I didn’t walk anybody.”But it was not all fun and games for St. Louis.

First, Albert Pujols.

Cardinals Pirates Baseball St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Yadier Molina reacts to giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Suwinski during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 22, 2022. Anyone else want to pitch for St. Louis this season? Exactly a week after the slugging Pujols made his first pitching appearance in the majors, Molina got his turn Sunday, closing out an 18-4 romp at Pittsburgh. I didn’t give up a double like he did,” Pujols told St. Louis media. Retorted Molina: “I didn’t walk anybody.”But it was not all fun and games for St. Louis.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina set a major league record for wins by a starting battery as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the San Francisco Giants 15-6 in a game that ended with longtime slugger Albert Pujols on the mound.

Jordan Binnington made 25 saves and the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit his first major league home run, Brad Keller pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 to end a four-game losing streak.

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson)ST. LOUIS — (AP) — Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings and Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed each homered in the eighth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. “He did his job, I didn't do mine,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Mikolas. Harrison Bader swiped second in the second inning, giving him a National League-leading six; Bader had nine stolen bases in 2021. UP NEXTDiamondbacks: RHP Zach Davies (1-1) will make his 15th career start at St. Louis. He is 3-5 overall against St. Louis.

Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings and Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed each homered in the eighth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals.

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.

Yankees Tigers Baseball Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera singles against the New York Yankees in the second inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Cabrera added three more hits to his total Wednesday night in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees. Cabrera is on deck to become the 33rd major leaguer with 3,000 hits, and the first player from Venezuela to achieve the feat. The 39-year-old Cabrera gets his next chance when Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery faces Detroit in an afternoon matchup. START HIM UPHard-throwing Jordan Hicks is set to make his first big league start after 114 relief appearances for the Cardinals.

Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera needs one more hit for 3,000 in his career, and will try to reach the mark at Comerica Park.

Yankees Tigers Baseball Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera singles against the New York Yankees in the second inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Cabrera is on deck to become the 33rd major leaguer with 3,000 hits, and the first player from Venezuela to achieve the feat. The 39-year-old Cabrera gets his next chance when Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery faces Detroit in an afternoon matchup. START HIM UPHard-throwing Jordan Hicks is set to make his first big league start after 114 relief appearances for the Cardinals. Hicks initially will have limited innings and pitches as he adapts to his new role, beginning with this start at Miami.

Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5.

Albert Pujols called his shot. The veteran slugger told Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol he was going to hit the first pitch he saw Tuesday night for a home run — and then did just that. Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner launched a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene will make his much-anticipated major league debut when he faces the World Series champion Braves in Atlanta.

Pirates Cardinals Baseball St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 9, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson)ST. LOUIS — (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit three doubles and a single, Paul DeJong homered and the St. Louis Cardinals, minus their rookie manager, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Saturday. Arenado drove in three runs in his second four-hit game since being traded to St. Louis prior to the 2021 season. St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas threw a career-high 41 pitches in the first inning, but gave up just run in that span. UPON FURTHER REVIEWSchumaker, formerly a popular player with the Cardinals, is in his first season on the St. Louis staff after four years with San Diego.

Nolan Arenado hit three doubles and a single, Paul DeJong homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2.

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.

Adam Wainwright pitched six scoreless innings, Tyler O’Neill hit a three-run homer and drove in five, and the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated Albert Pujols’ return with a 9-0 season-opening win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

There's a lot to catch up on from a bizarre baseball offseason before the 2022 season officially begins with first pitch at Wrigley Field.

Albert Pujols will be in the starting lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he begins his final big league season Thursday in what should be an emotional return to Busch Stadium.

Connor Dawson is a psychologist, gatekeeper, analyst and strategist.

Primed to become the most prolific battery in baseball history, St. Louis Cardinals stars Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina didn’t always agree on everything. During one of their earliest outings at Triple-A Memphis, Wainwright kept shaking off Molina’s signs. After the game, Wainwright said the catcher got in his face.

The young man calling in the shots in the St. Louis Cardinals' dugout is new this season. In fact, the return of erstwhile slugger Albert Pujols to a clubhouse that still includes longtime St. Louis stalwarts Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina gives the club a decidedly old-school, nostalgic feel heading into the new season. "Oh, he's got something left," said Oliver Marmol, the youngest skipper in the big leagues at 35 years old, when asked about the return of the 42-year-old Pujols following more than a decade playing for the Dodgers and Angels in Los Angeles.

The full Shohei Ohtani experience will be on display when the Los Angeles Angels take the field on opening day.

Yadier Molina is back, and both he and the St. Louis Cardinals couldn’t be happier. After missing the first week of camp for personal reasons, the 39-year-old Molina arrived at the Cardinals' complex on Monday for what will likely be his final spring training. “It’s been tough the last couple of months but everything is all right right now,” Molina said.

It may look a little weird for a few days, but Freddie Freeman is officially wearing Dodger blue and Kris Bryant is donning the purple and black of the Colorado Rockies.

Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and the rest of baseball’s biggest stars are due at spring training Sunday for the first official day of preseason training following the end of Major League Baseball’s 99-day labor lockout.

Baseball Lockout FILE - The scoreboard plays the seventh inning stretch themes of the Toronto Blue Jays during the middle of the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals, on July 30, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File) (Nick Wass)JUPITER, Fla. — (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. began taking grounders, new St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol signed autographs and fans lined up for New York Yankees exhibition tickets as spring training for big leaguers finally began Friday. A day after owners and players reached agreement to end a 99-day lockout, camps in Florida and Arizona opened. Bo Bichette and José Berríos were among those joining Guerrero in getting busy at the Blue Jays' camp in Dunedin. Sunday is the mandatory reporting date for players, but some were eager to get to to work early.

Cleveland ace Shane Bieber limbered up in Guardians gear, Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. began taking grounders and new St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol signed autographs as spring training camps in Florida and Arizona finally opened to big leaguers.

Cardinals Marmol Baseball FILE - St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Oliver Marmol watches from the dugout in the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Denver, in this Friday, July 2, 2021, file photo. The Cardinals plan to announce Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, that bench coach Oliver Marmol will be promoted to replace fired manager Mike Shildt, according to a person familiar with the decision. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) (David Zalubowski)As Oliver Marmol transitioned into a coaching career with the St. Louis Cardinals, it became clear that he had the potential to become a big league manager one day. He spent the past three years as the bench coach under Shildt, helping St. Louis to three consecutive postseason appearances. As late as the flight back from Los Angeles, Mozeliak didn't think the Cardinals would be making a change at manager.

Oliver Marmol has been promoted from bench coach to the majors’ youngest manager, taking over the St. Louis Cardinals almost two weeks after Mike Shildt was fired in a surprise move by one of baseball's most stable franchises.

Cardinals Shildt Baseball FILE - St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, middle, is shownduring a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, in this Tuesday, July 6, 2021, file photo. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) (Jeff Chiu)The St. Louis Cardinals plan to announce Monday that bench coach Oliver Marmol will be promoted to replace fired manager Mike Shildt, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday night because the team hadn't revealed the hiring publicy. The 35-year-old Marmol played in the Cardinals' minor league system from 2007-10, then stayed with the organization in 2011 as the hitting coach for its rookie-level Gulf Coast League team. He coached and managed in the minors until 2017, when he joined the major league staff as first base coach.

The St. Louis Cardinals plan to announce Monday that bench coach Oliver Marmol will be promoted to replace fired manager Mike Shildt, according to a person familiar with the decision.