AP source: Charlie Morton, Rays agree on $30M, 2-yr deal
By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are perfectly comfortable putting relief pitchers on the mound to begin games. But the chance to add an All-Star to their patchwork rotation, that was too good to pass up.
Coming off a career-high 30 starts, Charlie Morton reached a $30 million, two-year contract with the Rays, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced.
The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for Houston.
Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “You never like to have good pitching come into the division, prefer they go somewhere else.”
Morton’s success with the Astros came after a career that had been beset by injuries and inconsistency. He’d undergone Tommy John surgery and was just 46-71 with Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for going to Houston.
The right-hander joins a Rays staff led by AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
The Tampa Bay rotation was wrecked by injuries this year, and the team often used relief pitchers as starters in their “opener” strategy on the way to 90 wins.
The Rays’ approach became a trend in baseball, especially when teams saw how well it worked. Tampa Bay went 46-38 with traditional starters and was 44-34 when using relievers at the start.
Manager Kevin Cash said earlier this week at the winter meetings that the Rays will employ the strategy again this season.
“I think right now we’re discussing internally whether we do it two times through the rotation or three times through the rotation,” Cash said Monday. “But the nice thing is we’ve got all that information last year and we have a bunch of candidates that we can fill in as a traditional starter if need be.”
Two days later, the math became a little easier with Morton.
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Pitcher Ivan Nova acquired by White Sox from Pirates
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Right-hander Ivan Nova has been acquired by the Chicago White Sox from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Nova was 9-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 29 starts this season, striking out 114 in 161 innings. He is 78-64 with a 4.26 ERA in nine seasons with the New York Yankees (2010-16) and Pirates (2016-18).
Nova has a $8.5 million base salary next year in the final season of a $26 million, three-year contract, then can become a free agent.
A 19-year-old right-hander, Rosario was 1-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 11 starts and three relief appearances last year in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Rookie League. He struck out 70 in 56 innings.
The trade was announced Tuesday at the winter meetings.
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AP source: McCutchen, Phillies agree to $50M, 3-year deal
By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a $50 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement, which includes a club option for 2022, is subject to a successful physical.
The 32-year-old McCutchen was an All-Star each season from 2011-15, topping .300 in batting average from 2012-14. He was the NL MVP in 2013.
McCutchen nine years with Pittsburgh before he was traded to San Francisco last winter. He was dealt to the New York Yankees on Aug. 31 and hit .255 with 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 155 games overall this year.
McCutchen has 223 homers, a .287 average and 790 RBIs in 10 major league seasons.
Philadelphia remains interested in Bryce Harper, the top free agent on the market, but has a surplus of outfielders, including Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr and Roman Quinn.
Rhys Hoskins is moving from left field to first base after the team traded Carlos Santana to Seattle for infielder Jean Segura last week.
Herrera, a former All-Star, is a trade candidate. He struggled in the second half last season and finished with career lows in batting average (.255) and on-base percentage (.310).
Philadelphia pursued Patrick Corbin and is still seeking a left-handed starter.
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AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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Reliever Woodruff’s homer stuns Kershaw, Brewers take Game 1
By GENARO C. ARMAS, AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The high-five at the plate from Brandon Woodruff nearly took out Lorenzo Cain.
It’s not often that reliever hits a home run.
Batting left-handed. Off lefty Clayton Kershaw. In the playoffs.
Woodruff stunned the ace with an early home run and Milwaukee’s normally shutdown bullpen held on — barely — as the Brewers beat the sloppy Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 Friday night in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.
Hard-throwing Josh Hader and the Brewers earned their 12th straight win, one shy of the franchise record set to open the 1987 season.
Woodruff, of all people, had the momentum-swinging hit.
“It’s something obviously coming into the day, you don’t know in your wildest dreams that’s going to happen,” he said.
It was the first time in postseason history that a pitcher homered in a lefty vs. lefty matchup. Woodruff was understandably was pumped as he rounded the bases.
“He was fired up when he came home. He nearly broke my arm,” Cain said.
The Dodgers scored three times in the eighth to make it 6-4, then nearly tied it in the ninth. Chris Taylor hit an RBI triple off Cain’s glove in deep center field with two outs before Corey Knebel fanned Justin Turner to end it.
Game 2 is Saturday at Miller Park, with Wade Miley pitching for the Brewers against Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The Dodgers did some damage against the Brewers’ bullpen. Milwaukee used seven pitchers, including three scoreless innings from Hader. Woodruff threw two perfect innings and got the win.
“But for us to get a look at these guys out of the ‘pen in a seven-game series, I think that’s a good thing,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Manny Machado homered and drove in three runs for Los Angeles. The Dodgers committed four errors, including two by catcher Yasmani Grandal, who also had two passed balls.
NERVOUS MOMENTS
Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell’s pitching-by-committee strategy continued to be a hit, at least until the late innings.
Finally, the hard-throwing Knebel restored order by striking out Turner. Knebel walked Joc Pederson with two outs before Taylor’s long drive.
“It’s the postseason and anything can happen, you saw right there. It was a good feeling for it to go our way right there at the end,” Knebel said.
STUNNING HOMER
After starter Gio Gonzalez went two innings, nicked by Machado’s home run, Woodruff entered in the top of the third. In the bottom half, Woodruff made a sudden impact — with his bat.
Woodruff became just the third relief pitcher to homer in the postseason, tagging a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner for a tying solo drive. Woodruff pumped both arms as he rounded first base, while Kershaw turned away and looked down at the ground.
“I knew he could swing the bat a little bit, for sure,” Kershaw said. “I didn’t know he could do that, but I knew he could hit a little bit.”
Woodruff was a career 4 for 22 (.222) hitter before connecting. He had one previous homer, in July against Pittsburgh’s Nick Kingham.
DODGER BLUES
Kershaw was chased before he could retire a batter in the fourth inning.
It was another miserable October night for the lefty, whose regular-season brilliance has often disappeared in the postseason.
And it wasn’t even Christian Yelich and the Brewers’ stars who got to him. Hernan Perez hit a sacrifice fly later in the third, and pinch-hitter Domingo Santana had a two-run single in the fourth for a 4-1 lead that chased Kershaw from the mound with nobody out.
It was the shortest postseason start of Kershaw’s career. He had a 4.65 ERA in 10 career appearances, including seven starts, going into Friday.
That ERA went up after allowing six hits and five runs — four earned — in three-plus innings.
“The errors affected the game. But as far as Clayton, I just think it was poor execution,” Roberts said.
Jesus Aguilar added a solo home run in the seventh for the Brewers, his second of the postseason. Cain went 3 for 5 and scored a run.
BURGER TIME
Eat up, Milwaukee.
This late-season run earned Brewers fans a free burger at an area restaurant chain.
George Webb Restaurants has a long-standing promotion to give away a free burger whenever the Brewers win 12 straight.
It’s time to dine after a dozen.
Save the date: October 18, George Webb announced after the game . Save one for reliever Jeremy Jeffress, too.
“Honestly, as long as you put some mayo on it I’m good with it,” he said.
George Webb also paid up in 1987.
UP NEXT
It’s another all left-handed pitching matchup in Game 2. Ryu pitched seven shutout innings, striking out seven and allowing for hits, in the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory over the Braves in the Division Series. Ryu is 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four career postseason starts. Miley is making his second start of the postseason, going 4 2/3 innings in the Brewers’ Division Series-clinching victory over Colorado on Sunday. He is 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 15 career games against the Dodgers.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins game scheduled for Sunday, September 8, 2018 has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up if needed for playoffs implications on October 1, 2018. If not the game will not be made up.

Forsythe has 3 RBIs in Twins’ 6-4 win over Pirates
By MIKE COOK, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Logan Forsythe may be best known by Minnesota fans as the player who replaced fan favorite Brian Dozier.
The lone major leaguer of the three players the Dodgers sent to the Upper Midwest on July 31 for the second baseman, Forsythe has filled in capably.
Forsythe had three RBIs, the Minnesota bullpen tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings and the Twins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 Wednesday.
In 13 games with Minnesota, Forsythe is hitting .386 with six multi-hit games. He had eight in 70 games this season with the Dodgers.
“It’s about consistency and these guys throwing me out there every day and letting me play my game is luckily paying off getting some hits and playing some good ball,” he said.
Oliver Drake, Gabriel Moya (3-0), Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers allowed five hits and struck out three before Trevor Hildenberger picked up his third save in four chances.
Minnesota is 16-4 in its past 20 home games.
Josh Harrison had three hits for the Pirates, who were 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position. Pittsburgh has dropped three straight.
Forsythe’s two-run single off reliever Edgar Santana (2-2) highlighted a three-run sixth as the Twins took a 5-4 lead.
“He just has a calmness about situational hitting. He knows how to execute, he knows how to put the ball in play for a chance to get guys in from third, hits the ball up the middle really well,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.
Pirates starter Chris Archer retired 10 straight batters before giving up back-to-back singles, including an RBI by Jorge Polanco, to start the sixth, ending his day.
Acquired from Tampa Bay on July 31, Archer allowed four earned runs and six hits in five innings. In his first three starts with the Pirates, Archer has allowed nine earned runs in 14 1/3 innings.
“They had some productive at-bats,” he said. “They fouled some, they had some good takes. But I got to be better than that. I am better than that. And I will be better than that.”
Minnesota starter Jose Berrios allowed four runs — three earned — as he labored through 3 2/3 innings, his shortest start since April 29.
After a 1-2-3 first, Pittsburgh had at least two runners on in three straight innings, with a two-run single by Gregory Polanco putting the Pirates up 4-2 in the fourth. Elias Diaz homered to start the inning.
Berrios has allowed nine earned runs in 12 2/3 innings in three August starts.
NIGHT AND DAY
Berrios is 8-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 13 nights starts this season, but 3-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 12 day starts. Both his complete games have been during the day.
ROUGH DAY
Pittsburgh C Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch for a team-high 11th time in the second inning. One inning later, he fouled a ball off his foot — and took a minute to walk it off — before striking out on a called third strike at the knees. He briefly jumped up and down and said a few words to umpire Doug Eddings.
In the fifth, Cervelli tagged Joe Mauer on what he thought was a third strike and took a couple of steps to the dugout. However, Eddings called it a ball, leading to another discussion.
WEST IS SECOND BEST
Umpire Joe West worked his 5,164th career game, passing Bruce Froemming for second all time. Bill Klem worked 5,375.
“We got Dom Perignon for him. The base he worked. It’ll never happen again, ever. … It’s history. No one is close enough to ever get there again,” Eddings said.
TRAINERS ROOM
Pirates: CF Starling Marte missed the game with an illness. … SS Jordy Mercer, who left Tuesday’s came with left calf discomfort, did not play.
Twins: OF Robbie Grossman, on the disabled list since Aug. 6 with a right hamstring strain, will go to Triple-A Rochester on a rehab assignment. The plan is for him to DH Thursday, then play a couple of games in the outfield before being evaluated.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Face division-leading Chicago at PNC Park Thursday to begin a four-game series with RHP Ivan Nova (7-6, 4.42 ERA) scheduled to start the opener.
Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (0-1, 6.53) takes to the hill Thursday when Minnesota opens a four-game home series against Detroit.
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Polanco, Sano fuel Twins in 5-2 win over Pirates
By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sano has embodied this season of disappointment for the Minnesota Twins, with his approach, health and performance all needing a reset.
Maybe all he needed was a haircut.
Jorge Polanco had two hits, scored twice and drove in two runs and Sano followed with a two-run homer, leading the Twins to a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
After sporting the dreadlocks look and letting his mane grow for three years, Sano had his head neatly shorn before the game.
“It’s a little bit of a struggle here for us, and I try to do something positive,” said Sano, who has nine home runs in 200 at-bats and is hitting .220 with 85 strikeouts this season. “But you know, we just hang in. Hair or no hair, we try to hit the ball and make a play.”
With his no-doubt, opposite-field drive off Richard Rodriguez in the eighth , Sano homered at Target Field for the first time since May 31. He missed 24 games with a strained left hamstring and was later sent to the minor leagues for more conditioning. Slowly upon his return, Sano has begun to look more like the slugger the Twins have been hoping to build their future around.
“I think he’s been real close to clicking on some balls,” manage Paul Molitor said. “My observation is that the swings and misses are a lot less frequent, his chases out of the zone are a lot more rare.”
Jake Odorizzi (5-7) won for the first time in six starts, striking out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Trevor Hildenberger, the fourth reliever of the game for the Twins, pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save since the trade of closer Fernando Rodney.
Polanco hit a two-run single in the fourth inning before Jake Cave’s RBI single put the Twins in front. The Twins, who began the day 12½ games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland, are 15-4 in their last 19 home games. That’s too little too late for a team that expected Sano and Polanco to help lead the charge. Polanco served an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance.
“They’re key parts of this team, obviously this year but for years to come,” Odorizzi said. “You can build a team around a good left side of the infield, and we have two really good ones. You saw Sano’s power: It’s pretty unmatched. His arm at third is pretty unmatched as well.”
The Pirates, who started this series with a five-game deficit in the NL wild-card race with three teams between them and the second spot, lost for only the fourth time in 16 games against AL teams this year.
Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (9-9) finished six innings and allowed three earned runs, the 14th straight time he’s taken the mound and surrendered no more than that. Taillon has logged six innings in 10 of those starts, and he’s 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA in his last six turns.
David Freese, who three hits, singled and scored on Francisco Cervelli’s double as the Pirates went up 2-0 in the second. But Tyler Duffey struck out Cervelli with two on to end the sixth and Matt Magill retired Cervelli on a popup with the bases loaded in the eighth, both times with the Twins clinging to a 3-2 lead.
JOE WEST, NOT A YOUNG MAN
Home plate umpire Joe West worked his 5,163rd game, tying Bruce Froemming for the second-most of all time. Bill Klem is first with 5,375. West, whose 40-year career is the longest in major league history, did not go unnoticed, either. He called strike three in Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison’s first two at-bats, and Harrison argued the same pitches he was rung up went against the Pirates on defense.
“We all want a fair shake, man. That’s all it’s about, is being consistent,” Harrison said. “We know you’re not perfect, but at the end of the day, we work too hard for people to shut us down on pitches that we know are balls.”
Said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: “Joe’s been around a long time. I know one thing, agitating him doesn’t work very well either. You just try and work with him.”
BUXTON’S BACK, SORT OF
Twins CF Byron Buxton returned to action with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, going 3 for 5 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer. He recently aggravated a left wrist injury, the latest in a series of setbacks this season. Buxton has played in only 28 games for Minnesota and 23 games for Rochester in 2018.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: SS Jordy Mercer left the game in the middle of the fifth inning with discomfort in his left calf and was replaced by Adeiny Hechavarria.
Twins: OF Robbie Grossman, who’s missed eight games with a strained right hamstring, could be reinstated from the DL on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Recently acquired RHP Chris Archer (4-5, 4.36 ERA) pitches on Wednesday afternoon.
Twins: All-Star RHP Jose Berrios (11-8, 3.66 ERA) takes the mound in the matinee finale of the two-game series.
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