Wainwright gets nod as Cardinals face Diamondbacks  —  A new season starts with old traditions in St. Louis on Thursday night.  —  The Clydesdales making their usual jaunt around Busch Stadium.  The parade of Cardinals players in pickup trucks.  The team's Hall of Famers all dressed in red jackets …

Jacob deGrom bests Stephen Strasburg to help Mets to win in series opener  —  WASHINGTON — Though Jacob deGrom struggled to grip the ball in the sixth inning Thursday, he didn't let the game slip away from the Mets.  —  The ace worked his way out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam to help …

Manaea goes 8 innings, pitches A's to 6-2 win over Rangers  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Even as Sean Manaea eased through a 1-2-3 eighth inning and retired his 10th consecutive batter, Oakland manager Bob Melvin had no intention on sending the young lefty back out for the ninth.  —  Not yet anyway.

Lester aims for better effort as Cubs face Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE — The major-league season is barely a week old, but it will almost certainly be a playoff-like atmosphere at Miller Park this weekend as the Milwaukee Brewers face the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series.

Hawk Harrelson and A.J. Pierzynski take their act to Sox Park  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The beginning of the end for Hawk Harrelson starts today as the longtime White Sox announcer enters his final year of broadcasting.  —  “I've been lucky,” Harrelson said.  “I've been in the right place at the right time in a lot of places.”

Nationals give GM Mike Rizzo 2-year contract extension  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have agreed to a two-year contract extension with general manager Mike Rizzo.  —  The team announced the deal on Thursday, hours before its home opener against the New York Mets.

On Deck: Blue Jays at Rangers  —  TORONTO BLUE JAYS at TEXAS RANGERS  —  STARTING PITCHERS  —  RHP Marco Estrada (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Moore (0-1, 9.00 ERA)  —  Last year with the Giants, Moore was 6-15, 5.52.  The 15 losses were tied for the most in the NL, and his ERA was the highest among MLB qualified pitchers.

Inside Baseball |  Kapler to face toughest critics  —  NEW YORK — Philly isn't an easy town.  Heck, they've booed Santa Claus there.  —  So what's going to be the reaction when a new manager hits town for the home opener — a 3:00pm ET start at Citizens Bank Park vs. the Marlins …

Lost challenge sends Red Sox, Rays to extra innings  —  BOSTON — The Red Sox nearly walked off on a replay Thursday afternoon.  Instead, umpires sent the Red Sox and Rays — as well as a sellout Fenway Park crowd for the home opener — to extra innings.  —  Quiet at the plate all day …

Snow may await Mariners in Minnesota  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Right-hander Kyle Gibson takes the mound Thursday afternoon as the Minnesota Twins return to Target Field to face the Seattle Mariners in their 2018 home opener.  —  Gibson had a huge second half in 2017, going 7-3 with 3.76 ERA …

Blue Jays feel Grichuk will get a handle on his hitting soon  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — I asked Sam the retired taxi driver on Thursday for his thoughts on the off-season trade that brought Randal Grichuk to the Blue Jays from St. Louis.  —  “Give him time,” the longtime Cardinals fanatic said as we drove to Toronto's Pearson airport.

Gray, Rockies shut down Villanueva and Padres in 5-2 win … SAN DIEGO — Jon Gray pitched seven scoreless innings, Trevor Story and Ian Desmond each drove in two runs and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday night.  —  Gray (1-1) shut down the Padres a night …

David Ortiz surprises Aly Raisman with ‘Girl Power’ shirt … Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz flashed a “Girl Power” shirt when he met Aly Raisman Thursday at Fenway Park.  —  “Big Papi” stood on the mound as Raisman was walking out for pregame festivities.

Aaron Boone searching for innings from Yankees starters  —  NEW YORK - When Masahiro Tanaka took the mound Thursday evening Yankees manager Aaron Boone of course wanted outs and excellence.  But what he really wanted was innings.  —  Tanaka went six innings in his first start of the season in Toronto …

Facebook Watch, MLB hope to build off Phillies-Mets broadcast  —  Luckily baseball didn't add the designated hitter in the age of Facebook, which debuted its exclusive MLB broadcast package on Wednesday.  —  The rain-delayed Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets game brought the first round of gripes …

Cincinnati Reds pitchers are working their way off the disabled list  —  After starting the season with a handful of pitchers on the disabled list, the Cincinnati Reds are slowly clawing their way back to a healthier ballclub.  —  Brandon Finnegan, who's been dealing with a left biceps strain …

Detroit Tigers' Daniel Norris likely sent down when Mike Fiers returns  —  CHICAGO — When Daniel Norris ran out of the Detroit Tigers' dugout on Thursday morning, he wore a wool beanie, a hooded sweatshirt and his trademark high socks.  —  He ran out to right field, where he shagged fly balls …