A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
MAKEUP GAME
The Astros and Athletics will play a doubleheader on Saturday, recognizing Jackie Robinson Day in the first game.
Teams around baseball honored Robinson on Friday, but Houston and Oakland didn’t play. The teams jointly walked off the field following a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter T-shirt across home plate.
Baseball’s protests against racial injustice continued for a third straight day. Friday night’s postponement came in the wake of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, being shot by police in Wisconsin last weekend.
All players, managers and coaches at Minute Maid Park were wearing No. 42, the jersey number Robinson wore when he broke the major league color barrier in 1947. The Athletics and Astros placed a No. 42 jersey in each batter’s box. Houston starters took their positions, with other players on both sides lining up in front of their dugouts.
After a moment of silence, the teams walked back to their clubhouses.
There have been 11 big league games postponed this week as clubs joined teams in the NBA, WNBA and MLS in calling off games while protesting social injustice. Major League Baseball let teams decide whether to play.
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs and Trevor Bauer of the Reds will oppose each other in a marquee matchup in the first game of a doubleheader in Cincinnati.
Darvish (5-1) goes for his sixth consecutive win. Bauer (3-1) will make his 200th career major league appearance.
The Cubs continue to lead the NL Central over St. Louis.
JUDGE OUT
Aaron Judge’s return to the New York Yankees didn’t last long. The slugger went back on the 10-day injured list with a strained left calf just two days after being activated. He aggravated the injury in a game at Atlanta and was removed in the sixth inning.
Judge rejoins a Yankees injured list loaded with All-Stars: outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, infielders DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres, and left-handers James Paxton and Zack Britton have all been sent to the IL in the past two weeks.
Judge has been sent to the injured list four times in the past three seasons. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was hopeful that Judge wouldn’t miss much more than the 10 days this time but didn’t have a firm timetable.
ATHLETICS LOADING UP
The AL West-leading Oakland Athletics have acquired infielder Tommy La Stella from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Franklin Barreto.
Two people with knowledge of the trade confirmed the deal to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the clubs hadn’t announced the deal.
La Stella has a $3.25 million, one-year contract that pays $1,203,704 prorated with the Angels, who acquired him from the Chicago Cubs in November 2018. He has hit .273 with four homers and 14 RBIs this season while playing second base and first base for struggling Los Angeles, which began Friday in last place in the American League.
The trade adds another potent veteran bat to the A’s, along with depth and versatility at key infield positions.
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AP Baseball Writers Janie McCauley and Ronald Blum and AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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