One more player and three staff members with the Cardinals have tested positive for the coronavirus, leading to the postponement of their game on Saturday against the Brewers, according to a person familiar with the situation. Morry Gash/Associated Press
The Cardinals-Brewers game in Milwaukee on Saturday was postponed after one more player and three staff members with St. Louis tested positive for the coronavirus, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The Miami Marlins received no new positive results in their latest round of coronavirus testing, a different person familiar with that situation said, but second baseman Isan Diaz opted out of the season.
The Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, said they had no new positives from tests a day before. Players were permitted to access Citizens Bank Park for staggered workouts beginning in the afternoon.
The people with knowledge of the Cardinals’ and Marlins’ situations spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the tests had not been released publicly.
Two Cardinals players were flagged for positive tests on Friday, forcing the series opener in Milwaukee to be called off. The teams had hoped to resume play Saturday and make up Friday’s game as part of a doubleheader Sunday.
The Cardinals learned of their first two positive tests Thursday night from samples taken Wednesday before a game in Minnesota. Players and staff were instructed to isolate in their hotel rooms, and the club said it was conducting rapid testing and contact tracing.
Saturday’s game in Milwaukee is the 17th postponement caused the coronavirus in the first 10 days of baseball’s truncated 60-game season.
At least 21 members of the Marlins’ traveling party have been infected by an outbreak at the start of a season-opening trip. The team hasn’t played since Sunday in Philadelphia but hopes to resume games next week.
Diaz consistently tested negative while the season was on hold, but he decided to become the first Miami player to opt out. He played in two of the Marlins’ three games before their season was halted.
“This has been a tough week to see so many of my teammates come down with this virus, and see how quickly it spreads,” Díaz wrote on Instagram. “After much deliberation and thought, I have made the difficult choice of opting out for the remainder of the 2020 season.”
Diaz batted .173 as a rookie last year, but the organization has big hopes regarding his potential.
The infected Marlins players and staff left Philadelphia in sleeper buses Friday for Miami, where they will stay together in quarantine. The rest of the team remained in isolation at a hotel in Philadelphia.
With six teams idled Friday by the pandemic, Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to union leader Tony Clark about the importance of players following the sport’s coronavirus protocols.
Manfred and Clark talked about what needs to be done to finish the season, a person familiar with the conversation said. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
The conversation between Manfred and Clark, first reported by ESPN, comes amid growing evidence that the spread of infection threatens to overtake efforts to play ball.
“Some things aren’t looking too good right now, but we have to play up to that point. Players are seeing what can happen,” Houston Manager Dusty Baker said.
The Phillies-Blue Jays series in Philadelphia was among two weekend series called off earlier. The Marlins were hit with a virus outbreak in Philadelphia, and both Miami and the Phillies are sidelined for at least a week.
The schedules of the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles have also been scrambled. Cleveland players and staff talked about postponing Friday night’s game at Minnesota but played on. The Cardinals had played at Target Field on Wednesday, a day before the Indians arrived.
BREWERS: Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain has decided not to play the remainder of the 2020 season.
The Brewers announced the two-time All-Star’s decision Saturday hours after news broke that their scheduled home opener would be postponed for a second straight day because multiple members of the St. Louis Cardinals have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Lorenzo Cain has informed us that he will not participate for the remainder of the 2020 season,” Brewers General Manager David Stearns said in a statement. “We fully support Lorenzo’s decision and will miss his talents on the field and leadership in the clubhouse.”
The Brewers haven’t dealt with that type of outbreak, but their schedule has been complicated by the St. Louis Cardinals’ issues. The Brewers’ scheduled home opener Friday was postponed after two Cardinals tested positive.
Saturday’s Brewers-Cardinals game also was called off, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, after one more player and three staff members with St. Louis tested positive for the disease.
MARLINS-ORIOLES TRADE: Miami Marlins acquired left-handed reliever Richard Bleier from Baltimore for a player to be named.
Miami has been seeking to shore up its roster after more than dozen players tested positive for COVID-19. The team has had its season suspended since Sunday.
Bleier went 3-0 with a 5.37 ERA and four saves in 53 games last season. This year, he’s pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances.
Although Bleier has been one of the team’s most effective pitchers out of the bullpen, the rebuilding Orioles have been shuffling their roster over the past two seasons and decided to unload the 33-year-old.
The trade was announced after midnight early Saturday morning after Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 6-3 in a game delayed nearly an hour by rain. Bleier was not used and learned of the trade after the final out.
Comments are not available on this story.
"four" - Google News
August 02, 2020 at 12:25AM
https://ift.tt/3fos3ns
MLB notebook: Source says four more Cardinals test positive - Press Herald
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment