The Latest on opening day (all times EDT):12:35 p.m.Milwaukee Brewers reliever Corey Knebel says he will decide on the next course of action for his ailing right arm on Friday.Knebel is sidelined with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He could have season-ending Tommy John surgery or try to rehab the injury.Knebel says he is going to see team physician Dr. William Raasch on Thursday and "go from there."Losing Knebel for the year could be a big blow for Milwaukee, which leaned on its bullpen in its run to the NL Championship Series last October.Knebel had 16 saves and a 3.58 ERA last season, plus a 1.29 ERA in six postseason appearances. He was an All-Star in 2017 with 39 saves and a 1.78 ERA in 78 innings.— Jay Cohen reporting from Milwaukee.___12:30 p.m.Post-Bryce life officially begins for the Washington Nationals.He's no longer in the outfield. He's no longer in the heart of the lineup. He's no longer in the clubhouse.Until this opening day, Bryce Harper was... [More]

Matt Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals are well aware of what happened last year.Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers are home for the first time since one memorable October.Nothing like a tough test on the very first day of class.Carpenter, newcomer Paul Goldschmidt and the Cardinals visit Yelich and the Brewers on Thursday for opening day. It's not exactly a leisurely stroll into the season for a pair of teams with championship aspirations."I think everybody's zoned in on the season and they're ready to start games, start playing meaningful games," Brewers pitcher Zach Davies said, "and just get back to our normal routine."Miles Mikolas and Jhoulys Chacin face off in a matchup of unique pitchers coming off breakthrough performances.The 30-year-old Mikolas joined St. Louis in December 2017 after spending three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League. The right-hander became the ace of the Cardinals in his first year with the club, going 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA.He... [More]

MONTREAL (AP) — Reliever Alex Wilson and the Milwaukee Brewers have finalized a $750,000, one-year contract, a deal that includes $825,000 in performance bonuses.The 32-year-old right-hander has a 3.23 ERA in six major league seasons, the past four with Detroit. He had attended spring training with Cleveland and opted out of his deal after being told he would not make the opening-day major league roster.Brewers closer Corey Knebel is out indefinitely with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the type of injury that sometimes ends in Tommy John surgery. He's expected to join Jeremy Jeffress, down with a sore right shoulder, on the injured list to open the season.Milwaukee announced the deal Sunday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHOENIX (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers vaunted bullpen is entering the season without a couple of its most imposing pieces.Corey Knebel is out indefinitely with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the type of injury that sometimes ends in Tommy John surgery. He's expected to join Jeremy Jeffress, down with a sore right shoulder, on the injured list to open the season.Knebel had 16 saves and a 3.58 ERA with Milwaukee last season, plus a 1.29 ERA in six postseason appearances. He plans to see multiple doctors before deciding if he needs surgery."It's going to take a week for him to compile some opinions from other doctors and then sit down and make a decision on what he feels is the best way to get this thing right," manager Craig Counsell said Friday.Knebel missed about six weeks early last season with a hamstring injury. He was an All-Star in 2017 with 39 saves and a 1.78 ERA in 78 innings.Jeffress, another important cog in the bullpen a year ago, hasn't thrown... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The ink was hardly dry on his $18.25 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee when Yasmani Grandal started working the phone, reaching out to as many new teammates as possible from his offseason home in Peoria. The Brewers' new backstop wanted to get a running start when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.He scheduled bullpen sessions with pitchers ready to work off the mound, and sat down to talk strategy with those that weren't. He studied video of his new battery mates and even met with members of Milwaukee's coaching staff.When Grandal showed up to camp in Phoenix last week, he was ready to work."I didn't want to spend a lot of time at spring training getting to know them," Grandal said. "By the time we started, we'd already spoken, I had an idea of what guys wanted to do and different things like that."Grandal, 30, was a surprising signing for a team that appeared set at the catcher position with a combination of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz. Both are regarded... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The ink was hardly dry on his $18.25 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee when Yasmani Grandal started working the phone, reaching out to as many new teammates as possible from his offseason home in Peoria. The Brewers' new backstop wanted to get a running start when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.He scheduled bullpen sessions with pitchers ready to work off the mound, and sat down to talk strategy with those that weren't. He studied video of his new battery mates and even met with members of Milwaukee's coaching staff.When Grandal showed up to camp in Phoenix last week, he was ready to work."I didn't want to spend a lot of time at spring training getting to know them," Grandal said. "By the time we started, we'd already spoken, I had an idea of what guys wanted to do and different things like that."Grandal, 30, was a surprising signing for a team that appeared set at the catcher position with a combination of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz. Both are regarded... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a $5,125,000 deal for 2019 with reliever Corey Knebel.The Brewers avoided arbitration with all their remaining players who were eligible, including Knebel, who went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA and 16 saves last year in an injury-shortened season. He had 39 saves in 2017.Milwaukee also reached one-year deals with third baseman Travis Shaw ($4,675,000) and pitchers Alex Claudio ($1,275,000), Zach Davies ($2.6 million) and Junior Guerra ($2,225,000).The Brewers reached a $1.75 million agreement with catcher Manny Pina — $1.6 million in 2019, plus a $1.85 million club option for 2020 that includes a $150,000 buyout.Shaw hit .241 with 32 home runs and 86 RBIs last year for the NL Central champions.Led by Knebel, Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA. But Knebel dealt with hamstring problems early in the season, and he was sent to the minors in late August for a brief stint to work on his mechanics.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — David Stearns doesn't expect wholesale change for the Milwaukee Brewers after they fell a game short of the World Series.Milwaukee is set to return most of its roster after winning the NL Central in a tiebreaking 163rd game and pushing the Dodgers to Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain headline the group, with Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw, Jesus Aguilar and Orlando Arcia all under contract, too. That gives Milwaukee's general manager reason for optimism long-term."Those are players that performed on a big stage in October and have the ability to continue performing as Brewers in the future," Stearns said. "We genuinely believe we are set up to succeed going forward."Stearns also pointed to an abundance of young pitching. Rookie right-handers Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta pitched well down the stretch, and Woodruff and Burnes played crucial roles in the postseason. All three will be in the mix for a rotation spot with Jhoulys... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers think they're just getting started.Sure looks that way, too.Led by breakout performances by Yelich, Josh Hader and Jesus Aguilar, Milwaukee chased down the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central for the first time since 2011. The youthful Brewers then swept Colorado in the Division Series before taking the Los Angeles Dodgers all the way to Game 7 in the NL Championship Series.The playoff run ended with a 5-1 loss to the more seasoned Dodgers on Saturday night, but the Brewers plan on returning to October very soon."We feel like we've got a lot of talent here," Yelich said. "Hopefully it's just the beginning."The 26-year-old Yelich nearly won the Triple Crown in his first season with Milwaukee after he was acquired in a trade with Miami in January. The silky smooth outfielder is the leading candidate for his first NL MVP award.Aguilar cruised past his previous career highs with 35 homers and 108 RBIs, and Hader set a major league record... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night."Devastated. We were right there," Jeffress said.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night."Devastated. We were right there," Jeffress said.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch to just one batter in Game 5 before pulling him,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Manny Machado gestured with hands, appearing to egg on the booing crowd as he retreated down the dugout steps following a first-inning strikeout.The jeers kept coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers star. So did the outs.Machado went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 7-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night that pushed the NL Championship Series to a Game 7. Asked if he was shaken by the persistent boos, Machado said he was just focused on the game and responded with cliches."I'm here to play baseball. I'm here to get the W," he said. "We didn't hit. ... We didn't do what we needed to do. So, we've got to do a better job tomorrow."Expect fans at Miller Park to keep voicing their displeasure Saturday night.Major League Baseball fined Machado an undisclosed amount for kicking Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar in Game 4, a base-running incident that caused benches to clear at Dodger Stadium and prompted Brewers MVP candidate Christian Yelich to call Machado a "dirty... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Manny Machado appeared to be egging on the booing crowd as he retreated down the dugout steps following a first-inning strikeout, raising two arms in front of him in the air.The jeers kept coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers star. So did the outs.Machado went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 7-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night that pushed the NL Championship Series to a Game 7. Asked if he was shaken by the persistent boos, Machado said he was just focused on the game and responded with cliches."I'm here to play baseball. I'm here to get the W," he said. "We didn't hit ... We didn't do what we needed to do. So, we've got to do a better job tomorrow."Expect fans at Miller Park to keep voicing their displeasure Saturday night.Major League Baseball fined Machado an undisclosed amount for kicking Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar in Game 4, a base-running incident that caused benches to clear at Dodger Stadium and prompted Brewers MVP candidate Christian Yelich... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Manny Machado egged on the booing crowd as he retreated down the dugout steps following a first-inning strikeout, raising two arms in front of him in the air.The jeers kept coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers star. So did the outs.Machado went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 7-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night that pushed the NL Championship Series to a Game 7.Expect fans at Miller Park to keep voicing their displeasure Saturday night.Major League Baseball fined Machado an undisclosed amount for kicking Milwaukee first baseman Jesus Aguilar in Game 4, a base-running incident that caused benches to clear at Dodger Stadium and prompted Brewers MVP candidate Christian Yelich to call Machado a "dirty player."Booed lustily each time he came to the plate, Machado had no answer for the jeers.Machado struck out in the first with one out after Justin Turner had reached on a single. He popped up to shortstop ending the third. He bounced out to shortstop in the eighth.An... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Told he had the day off after pitching three shutout innings in the NL Championship Series opener, hard-throwing Milwaukee left-hander Josh Hader wasn't expecting a call to the bullpen.After watching Brewers relievers blow a late three-run lead in Game 2, Hader would have embraced back-to-back outings, high pitch count and all."Adrenaline can do a lot things," he said when asked if he could have pitched.The best-of-seven series is tied at a game apiece after the Dodgers dented the rest of the Brewers' hard-throwing relievers in the late innings for a second straight day and won 4-3 on Saturday.While Wade Miley pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings and became Milwaukee's first pitcher to get an out in the sixth inning in the postseason, the Dodgers rallied from a three-run, seventh-inning deficit for the win.Miley had thrown 74 pitches when he was removed."Look you're either too early or too late," manager Craig Counsell said. "At some point, you've got to make a decision, and I... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cracks are showing in the Milwaukee Brewers' vaunted bullpen.The Los Angeles Dodgers tied the NL Championship Series at a game apiece after teeing off on Milwaukee's hard-throwing relievers for the second straight day.Milwaukee had No. 5 bullpen ERA during the regular season at 3.47, including a best-in-the-majors 1.98 in September.But the Brewers nearly wasted a five-run lead in Game 1 before holding on for a 6-5 win. Less than 24 hours later, Wade Miley pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings Saturday, but the Dodgers rallied from a three-run, seventh-inning deficit to win 4-3.Other than Josh Hader, the Brewers' bullpen has allowed eight runs in 7 1/3 innings against Los Angeles, a 9.82 ERATwo runs in the seventh off Corbin Burnes in Game 2 were followed by Justin Turner's go-ahead, two-run homer off Jeremy Jeffress in the eighth.Jeffress sat by himself quietly in the dugout after leaving the game, blowing bubble gumA travel day will allow the bullpen to reset heading into Game... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, 7:39 p.m.; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, 9:09 p.m.; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, 5:05 p.m.; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, 8:39 p.m.; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, 9:09 p.m.. (Game 2 Fox, all others FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, TBA; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, TBA; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, TBA. (All games on Fox and FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez (.256, 21, 52) or Brian Dozier... [More]

A look at the best-of-five National League Division Series between the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Thursday, at Milwaukee, 5:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 2, Friday, at Milwaukee, 4:15 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Sunday, at Denver, 4:37 p.m. (MLB); x-Game 4, Monday, Oct. 8, at Denver, TBA; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 10, at Milwaukee, TBA.x-if necessary.___Season Series: Brewers won 5-2.___Projected Lineups:Rockies: CF Charlie Blackmon (.291, 29 HRs, 70 RBIs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (.276, 15, 62), LF David Dahl (.273, 16, 48) or Matt Holliday (.283, 2, 3, 12 walks, .849 OPS in 65 plate appearances), 3B Nolan Arenado (.297, 38, 110), SS Trevor Story (.291, 37, 108), RF Carlos Gonzalez (.276, 16, 64), 1B Ian Desmond (.236, 22, 88), C Chris Iannetta (.224, 11, 36).Brewers: CF Lorenzo Cain (.308, 10s, 38, 30/37 steals, .395 OBP), RF Christian Yelich (NL-best .326, 36, 110, 22/26 steals, 1.000 OPS), 1B Jesus Aguilar (.274, 35, 108, .890 OPS), 2B Travis Shaw (.241, 32, 86)... [More]