PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT

The major league batting average rose 16 points to.

Team USA fielded a World Baseball Classic roster brimming with All-Star names from Trea Turner to Mookie Betts to Mike Trout.

Trea Turner homered twice to give him a tournament-leading four, and the defending champion United States romped over Cuba 14-2 to reach its second straight World Baseball Classic final.

Mike Trout was asked to be a part of this U.S. team for the World Baseball Classic.

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has won the American League MVP award, and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt took the NL prize.

New AL home run king Aaron Judge and St. Louis slugger Paul Goldschmidt have won Hank Aaron Awards that reward the most outstanding offensive performers in each league.

Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez are the finalists for American League MVP in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Cardinals.

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.

Aaron Nola pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Bryce Harper’s homer gave Philadelphia an early lead, and the Phillies held off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 to sweep their National League wild-card series.

The Phillies scored six times in the ninth inning off the stingy St. Louis bullpen, highlighted by a bases-loaded single by Jean Segura, and Philadelphia beat the NL Central champion Cardinals 6-3 in the opening game of their 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.

Andrew Knizner hit a two-run homer, Miles Mikolas pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central title with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres has pitched six no-hit innings against Albert Pujols and the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.

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.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

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.

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.

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

Albert Pujols launched a pinch-hit grand slam and drove in five runs, Adam Wainwright pitched seven sharp innings and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Colorado Rockies 13-0 for a three-game sweep.

Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman homered, and St. Louis scored the winning run when Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets mostly ceded the spotlight at the trade deadline.

Jordan Montgomery blanked his old teammates over five innings and Nolan Arenado drove in the lone run as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 1-0.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven spotless innings with longtime catcher Yadier Molina back behind the plate, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0.

Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso swing away as the Subway Series starts up at Citi Field on Tuesday night with both New York teams in first place.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt won’t travel to Toronto for a short series with the Blue Jays because they haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccination.

The All-Star Game showcased what baseball has become — home runs, strikeouts and offense-killing shifts.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani called his shot before leading off the Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium, telling Fox’s Tom Verducci in the on-deck circle that he was going to jump on Clayton Kershaw quickly.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will start for the National League on Tuesday night in the first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980, and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan will be on the mound for the American League.

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.

Kyle Gibson kept the ball in the park against St. Louis this time, Alec Bohm broke a scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0.

Los Angeles will be well represented in the July 19 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels were elected Friday to start in the July 19 All-Star Game along with Mookie Betts and Trea Turner of the host Dodgers.

Nolan Arenado sparked a record barrage of four straight home runs by St. Louis in the first inning, then hit a tiebreaking drive in the ninth that sent the Cardinals over the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6.

The St. Louis Cardinals became the first major league team to ever hit four straight home runs in the first inning when Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carson connected against Philadelphia.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. were elected Thursday to start in the July 20 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.

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.

Corbin Burnes pitched seven dominant innings, Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers regained sole possession of first place in the NL Central with a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Miles Mikolas of the St. Louis Cardinals is pitching a no-hitter through eight innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader.

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.

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 in yet another Reds bullpen collapse.

Shane McClanahan pitched eight superb innings to win his fifth consecutive start and the Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2-1 victory.

Yankees pitching has been overwhelming early in games recently, and Jordan Montgomery will try to extend their dominance in an early tilt against the Tigers.

Matt Swarmer followed up his first major league start with 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 on Saturday.

Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt could set the longest hitting streak of his career if he’s successful in both games of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Paul Goldschmidt homered to extend his hitting streak to 25 games, Corey Dickerson went deep twice, and the St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Chicago Cubs 14-5.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler says he might return to the field for the national anthem in recognition of Memorial Day when his team opens a three-game series at Philadelphia.

Nolan Gorman hit his first major league homer and Matthew Liberatore earned his first major league win, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3.

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.

Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson has accused Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson of making a racist remark during Saturday’s game and Major League Baseball is looking into the incident.

Hours after the Mets learned Max Scherzer will join fellow ace Jacob deGrom on the injured list, Pete Alonso kept New York rolling with a two-run homer in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

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.

Dakota Hudson and a quartet of relievers combined to help the St. Louis Cardinals stop San Francisco’s six-game winning streak, blanking the Giants 4-0.

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.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, Nolan Arenado hit a three-run shot and finished with five RBIs, and the Cardinals beat the Royals 10-0 to take their four-game season series.

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.

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.

Pinch-hitter Dominic Smith hustled for an infield single that drove in two pivotal runs, and the New York Mets capitalized on an uncharacteristic error by Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado to rally for five runs with two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

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

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.

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.

Another negotiating session produced only minor movement and no proposals on big-money issues, leaving Major League Baseball four days from management’s Monday night deadline for a deal to salvage opening day and a 162-game season.

Baseball negotiations have resumed with new intensity in an effort to salvage opening day.

Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in a scintillating NL wild-card game.

All these years later, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are set to meet again at Fenway Park in an all-or-nothing game Tuesday night.

Dylan Carlson, Nolan Arenado and Jose Rondon homered to back Adam Wainwright, and the St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to 17 games and clinched an NL wild card berth with a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Make it a very sweet 16 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals set a franchise record with their 15th straight win, boosted when catcher Yadier Molina and center fielder Harrison Bader helped pull off a wild double play in an 8-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The surging St. Louis Cardinals emphatically matched a team record with their 14th straight win, pounding the Chicago Cubs 12-4 in the second game of a doubleheader behind Tyler O’Neill’s three-run homer and a pair of solo shots by Lars Nootbaar.

Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill homered as the St. Louis Cardinals won their 11th straight game, extending their lead for the second NL wild-card spot and beating the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers 10-2.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado each hit one of St. Louis’ four homers, and the Cardinals flashed some fantastic outfield defense in beating the New York Mets 11-4 for their fifth straight victory.

Edmundo Sosa hit the go-ahead single in a three-run 11th inning and the hard-charging St. Louis Cardinals climbed all the way back into playoff position with a 7-6 victory over the New York Mets.

Adam Wainwright won his fifth straight start in a rare matchup of 40-year-old pitchers, and the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the New York Mets 7-0.

Albert Pujols rewarded an adoring crowd by hitting a home run in his return to Busch Stadium, sending the Los Angeles Dodgers toward a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Daniel Vogelbach delivered a pinch-hit grand slam off Alex Reyes to cap a five-run rally in the ninth inning that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mets fans get their say after it was revealed stars Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez were among the New York players making derogatory hand gestures at Citi Field crowds.

Miami Marlins infielder Eddy Alvarez and four-time Olympic women’s basketball gold medalist Sue Bird will be the U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Games.

Kyle Hendricks won his ninth straight decision, Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run homer and Chicago Cubs pounded the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5.

San Francisco right-hander Kevin Gausman hasn’t allowed a hit through six innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, closing in on what would be the record-tying eighth no-hitter in the majors this season.

Max Kranick pitched five perfect innings in his major league debut before a 64-minute rain delay forced him from the game, and the Pittsburgh Pirates went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2.

Slumping DJ LeMahieu and the skidding Yankees hope to get back on target when they start a set at Target Field against the Twins on Tuesday night.

Cody Bellinger had a grand slam and six RBIs as the Dodgers scored their most runs in one inning of a regular-season game since moving to Los Angeles, piling up 11 in the bottom of the first during a 14-3 blowout over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers scored their most runs in an inning in a regular-season game since moving to Los Angeles, scoring 11 times in the bottom of the first against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Chris Taylor drove in three runs with a tiebreaking double that capped a 14-pitch at-bat in the sixth inning, rallying the Los Angeles Dodgers past the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 to snap a three-game skid.

White Sox manager Tony La Russa wound up a winner in his first game against the team that ensured his Hall of Fame induction as Chicago beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 behind Lance Lynn’s arm and Andrew Vaughn’s bat.

Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning of his home debut with the Cardinals, lifting St. Louis over the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 as fans returned to Busch Stadium for the first time since 2019.

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.

A person familiar with the swap tells The Associated Press that the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to acquire All-Star third baseman Arenado from the Rockies in a trade needing approvals before it can be finalized. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals completed their blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. St. Louis dealt left-hander Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies: infielders Elehuris Montero and Mateo Gil along with right-handers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers. As part of the trade, Colorado will send cash to St. Louis to offset part of the money Arenado is due in his contract. Arenado is the latest established star acquired by St. Louis in his prime.

A person familiar with the swap tells The Associated Press that the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to acquire All-Star third baseman Arenado from the Rockies in a trade needing approvals before it can be finalized. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to acquire All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies in a trade needing approvals before it can be finalized, a person familiar with the swap tells The Associated Press. Wainwright is returning for his 17th season with St. Louis, matching Bob Gibson (1959-75) for the second-most seasons with the Cardinals among pitchers, one behind Jesse Haines (1920-37). Arenado would be the latest established star acquired by St. Louis in his prime. Most recently, the Cardinals acquired Goldschmidt, a six-time All-Star, from Arizona prior to the 2019 season, and he signed a $130 million deal to stay with St. Louis through 2024.

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., center, celebrates with teammates after the Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in Game 3 of a National League wild-card baseball series Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in San Diego. San Diego became the first team in baseball history to use eight or more pitchers in three straight postseason games. The Padres rewarded their long-suffering fans by winning one of the most meaningful games of any kind in San Diego in a long time. The city’s only major professional championship remains the San Diego Chargers’ 1963 AFL title. The Padres lost 4-1 to the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series and were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 Fall Classic.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)SAN DIEGO – Fernando Tatis Jr. had been waiting for a breakout game, and boy did “El Niño” get it. Wil Myers also homered twice and Manny Machado connected, but Tatis — with his signature exuberance and flair — was the one who carried the party at empty Petco Park. It was the 23rd comeback win of 2020 for the close-knit Padres, who have pushed each other all year. “I feel like we needed that big swing for the entire team to get us going," Tatis said of his first homer. It was the Padres’ first postseason win at Petco Park, which opened in 2004.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)SAN DIEGO – Given a chance to catch their breath after a crazy month and a half, the St. Louis Cardinals settled into the playoffs with yet another win against the San Diego Padres. San Diego native Tommy Edman singled and Goldschmidt homered to left. Dylan Carlson doubled, 38-year-old Yadier Molina hit an RBI single and Paul DeJong doubled before Matt Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly. Kim allowed Eric Hosmer’s sac fly in the first, Aaron Nola’s sac fly in the second and Tommy Pham’s RBI single in the third. Dexter Fowler hit an RBI single in the ninth off Trevor Rosenthal, who started his big league career with the Cardinals.

Members of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in a baseball game to earn a playoff birth Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in St. Louis. That’s when the Brewers, at 29-31, open their series against Los Angeles ace Walker Buehler at Dodger Stadium. In a win-and-you’re-in game, St. Louis clinched by beating Milwaukee 5-2. That’s how you see it,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. St. Louis played a total of 58 games — it was prepared for a doubleheader in Detroit on Monday if needed to settle the playoff picture.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright delivers during the first inning of a baseball game Cleveland Indians, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)ST. LOUIS Adam Wainwright turned back the clock with a complete game on his 39th birthday as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 Sunday. St. Louis had mustered just three runs in the past 28 innings before the outburst. He was very sharp.PITCHING CYCLEWith the start against the Indians, Wainwright has made at least one versus every team except the Cardinals. Cardinals: RHP Dakota Hudson (0-2, 3.32 ERA) begins a three-game series in Cincinnati when he faces RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-1, 5.71) on Monday night.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)A look at what's happening in the majors on Saturday:RED-HOT COLEGerrit Cole tries for his 20th straight regular-season win when he pitches for the Yankees at Tampa Bay. Cole is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA in three starts since signing a $324 million, nine-year contract with New York. Cole lost the World Series opener last year when Washington beat the Astros. Paul Goldschmidt and the Cards have been off since a week ago Friday, when two players returned positive coronavirus tests.

The Milwaukee Brewers star is 1 for 27 to start the season, an .037 average that's worst among qualified hitters. Coming off a condensed preseason camp for a 60-game season truncated by the coronavirus pandemic, hitters are stumbling out of the batter's box. The league-wide batting average after Wednesday's games is .229, down from .252 last season even though the National League adopted the designated hitter for this season. And although hitters often start slowly in March and April, this collective slump is far worse than anything seen in recent years. Many indicators of the offensive struggles, including a rise in strikeouts and drop in batting average, are continuations of trends already underway.