Glasnow, Snell to start first 2 World Series games for Rays Front office veteran Krall will run Reds baseball operations

ARLINGTON, TEXAS » Tyler Glasnow will start Tuesday night’s World Series opener for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw.

Blake Snell will be on the mound for the Rays in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Glasnow, a 27-year-old right-hander, was 5-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 starts during the regular season and 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in four postseason starts. His fastball averaged nearly 98 mph this season.

Snell, a 27-year-old lefthander who won the 2018 AL Cy Young Award, was

4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 regular-season starts and

2-2 with a 3.20 ERA in four postseason starts.

Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, was 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA during the season. He is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in four postseason starts, leaving him with an 11-12 record and 4.31 ERA in his postseason career, including 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four World Series starts and a relief appearance in Game 7 in 2017.

Los Angeles did not announce a Game 2 starter. The Dodgers must decide whether to start current ace Walker Buehler on three days’ rest or to have him pitch Game 3 on Friday with extra rest.

Baseball players’ union to start annual Curt Flood Award

NEW YORK » The baseball players’ association is starting an annual Curt Flood Award.

Part of the annual Players Choice Awards, the Flood honor will be given to a player “who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the players’ association and advancement of players’ rights.”

Flood died in 1997. He was a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion who unsuccessfully sued to strike down baseball’s reserve clause, a case he lost at the Supreme Court in a 5-3 vote in 1972. His case helped unite the union behind executive director Marvin Miller, and the reserve clause was struck down by arbitrator Peter Seitz in the Andy Messersmith-Dave McNally grievance in December 1975.

The inaugural Flood award will be announced Thursday.

CINCINNATI » Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall has been named director of baseball operations for the team.

The Reds announced Monday that Krall was being promoted to replace Dick Williams, who resigned Oct. 7 to assume a larger role in his family’s development business. Krall will still hold the GM title but now will report directly to owner Bob Castellini.

Krall spent 15 years working alongside Williams, including the last three seasons as general manager, and has been involved in all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the team.