AROUND THE HORN
■ Cardinals: A doubleheader between the Cardinals and Tigers scheduled for Thursday was postponed to allow more time for additional COVID-19 testing. MLB opted to postpone the doubleheader to continue additional testing while players and staff are quarantined before the team returns to play. The Cardinals had a series against the Pirates set to start Monday postponed after a weekend series against the Cubs was scrapped due to three positive coronavirus tests. The Cardinals had two more players and a staff member test positive for the virus Friday and have had eight positive players overall. There have now been 29 games postponed by MLB because of coronavirus concerns. The Cardinals haven’t played since July 30 and have had 15 games scrapped.
■ Indians: Manager Terry Francona will return to the Indians on Tuesday after missing more than a week so he could rest while dealing with a gastrointestinal condition. Francona, 61, has missed the Indians’ last eight games with the issue . ... RHP Mike Clevinger flew home with his teammates despite knowing he had broken the club’s COVID-19 protocols by going out with RHP Zach Plesac during the Indians’ weekend trip to Chicago. Clevinger will be quarantined and tested and will not make his scheduled start Tuesday.
■ Nationals, Mets: Asdrubal Cabrera homered twice and drove in five runs, tormenting his former team again as the Nationals routed the host Mets 16-4. Juan Soto and Trea Turner went deep in the third for the Nats. Cabrera, who played in 374 games for the Mets from 2016-18, homered for the Nats’ first run, doubled leading off the fourth, laced a two-run double in the fifth and hit a two-run HR in the seventh. Cabrera is batting .452 (14-for-31) with three HRs and 11 RBIs in eight games against the Mets since the Nats signed him on Aug. 6, 2019 . ... Mets RHP Marcus Stroman opted out of the season. Stroman becomes the second high-profile Mets player to opt out, joining slugger Yoenis Cespedes. Stroman, who was acquired from the Blue Jays last season, hadn’t pitched this season because of a torn calf muscle.
■ Extra innings: JaCoby Jones hit an inside-thepark HR in the seventh and the Tigers breezed to their fourth straight victory, 5-1 over the visiting White Sox. ... Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam, Bryce Harper blasted a three-run shot and the host Phillies beat the Braves 13-8, giving Aaron Nola his first win in nearly a year. Roman Quinn, Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto added solo HRs for the Phillies . ... Rays RHP Charlie Morton was placed on the 10-day IL due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder .. ... Diamondbacks LHP Madison Bumgarner was placed on the 10-day IL with a mid-back strain . ... Dodgers RHP Joe Kelly was placed on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. Less than two weeks ago, Kelly was suspended by MLB for eight games for throwing two pitches near the heads of Astros hitters, a penalty he’s appealing.