CARDINALS
Martinez to pitch opener
JUPITER, Fla. -- The St. Louis Cardinals have picked Carlos Martinez to start on opening night against the World Series champion Chicago Cubs.
Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny told Martinez about the choice before he pitched Wednesday in an exhibition game against Washington.
The Cardinals host the NL Central rival Cubs on April 2.
Adam Wainwright had started the past four openers for the Cardinals. Matheny said Wainwright took the news well about Martinez getting the assignment this year.
Martinez, 25, was an All-Star in 2015. He went 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA last year.
NATIONALS
Scherzer: I'm healed
JUPITER, Fla. -- Saying his finger finally feels normal, Nationals ace Max Scherzer proclaimed himself healed following his first Grapefruit League start of the spring, a 6-1 Washington loss to St. Louis.
"It's behind me now," Scherzer said Wednesday.
A stress fracture in the knuckle of the ring finger on his pitching hand slowed Scherzer's development this spring and caused him to grip his fastball with the middle three fingers instead of the usual index and middle fingers as a means to avoid pain.
Last week, in a minor league game, Scherzer mixed some two-finger fastballs in with the three-finger heaters. Against the Cardinals, all fastballs were of the two-finger variety.
Scherzer, 32, will make two more starts before the regular season begins.
YANKEES
Wanted: Short-term SS
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Yankees hope Didi Gregorius will be back from his shoulder injury in May and hope someone who is in camp now can hold the fort until then.
But hope isn't all the Yankees are banking on. According to a baseball source, the Yankees are open to trading for a "short-term" answer at short.
Potentially available shortstops include Jose Iglesias of the Tigers, Zack Cozart of the Reds and Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks, according to a report on NJ.com. But with the Yankees' many shortstop prospects and the hope Gregorius will heal, it's unlikely they'd want to bring in anyone who is signed past this season.
Prospect Tyler Wade started at short on Wednesday against the Phillies at Spectrum Field.
The other internal candidates are utilityman Ronald Torreyes, veterans Ruben Tejada and Pete Kozma, and Starlin Castro, who would slide over and create an opening at second base. Opening Day is April 2.
TWINS
May out for season
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Minnesota Twins right-hander Trevor May has undergone Tommy John elbow surgery that will keep him off the mound this season.
The Twins announced on Wednesday that the replacement of May's torn ulnar collateral ligament was successful. The 27-year-old was transitioning back to starting, following a move to the bullpen halfway through the 2015 season.
With May's injury and their release Tuesday of veteran right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, the Twins are down to Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey and Adalberto Mejia in the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation.
May was placed on the 60-day disabled list, making room for the Twins to add left-hander Craig Breslow to the 40-man roster. Breslow, 36, is among the finalists for a middle relief role.
METS
Army game moving
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The New York Mets are moving their exhibition game against Army to Citi Field.
The Mets originally were scheduled to play the Black Knights at West Point on March 31. But the snowstorm that slammed the Northeast last week affected Army's diamond and forced the switch of fields.
The teams now will play a seven-inning game March 31 at the Mets' home field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. It will be ninth exhibition game between Army and the Mets and the first since 1984.
Army Athletic Director Boo Corrigan said he hopes the teams can schedule a game at the academy in the near future.
The Mets open the season April 3 against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
PHILLIES
Manager Green dies
PHILADELPHIA -- Dallas Green, the tough-talking manager who guided the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series championship, has died. He was 82.
The Phillies said Green died Wednesday at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. He had been in poor health for several years.
Green spent 62 years in baseball as a player, manager, general manager, team president and other roles.
As a big-league pitcher, he went just 20-22 in the 1960s. It was in the dugout where the 6-foot-5 man with a commanding presence really found his voice -- and a booming one, it was.
Green guided the Phillies to the World Series championship in 1980, ending a drought that stretched back nearly a century. He later managed the New York Yankees and Mets, and was GM and president of the Cubs.
Sports on 03/23/2017