Astros get reliever Graveman from White Sox
The Houston Astros acquired reliever Kendall Graveman from the White Sox Friday in exchange for minor league catcher Korey Lee.
General manager Dana Brown announced the trade that brought the righthanded Graveman back to Houston after he spent the last two months of the 2021 season with the Astros.
Graveman was 3-4 with eight saves and a 3.48 ERA in 45 appearances for the White Sox this season. In his first stint with the Astros after a trade from Seattle, he had a 3.13 ERA in 23 appearances.
In the 2021 postseason he had a 1.64 ERA in nine appearances, including three in the World Series.
The 32-year-old Graveman has a career 4.00 ERA and 24 saves in nine major league seasons.
Lee was a first-round pick by the Astros in the 2019 draft from CaliforniaBerkeley. He made his major league debut last year and hit .160 with two doubles and four RBIs in 12 appearances.
He spent all this season with Triple-A Sugar Land, where he is hitting .283 with five homers and 32 RBIs.
Cardinals' Mikolas suspended five games
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday for intentionally throwing at Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was suspended for one game and fined as a result of Mikolas' actions Thursday night. Mikolas appealed his penalties, while Marmol served his suspension Friday night against the Cubs.
In the first inning in the Cardinals' 10-3 loss, Happ bloodied St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras when he hit him in the head with a long follow-through on a swing, then was soon hit himself by a pitch from Mikolas.
Andrew Knizner took over behind the plate for Contreras, and Mikolas brushed back Happ with the first pitch when play resumed to run the count to 3-1. With the next pitch, Mikolas hit Happ in the rear end.
Cabrera's swan song gets special
Miguel Cabrera's farewell tour has reached a special location.
The Detroit Tigers' slugger is approaching the last two months of his major league career. And in his final season, Cabrera has received numerous tributes in visiting stadiums.
This weekend, the honors bring added significance.
The Tigers open a threegame series Friday in Miami against the Marlins. The 40-year-old Cabrera is returning to the city where he spent his first five seasons and is facing the organization that signed him shortly after his 16th birthday.
“It is very emotional because this is where it all started,” Cabrera, a native of Venezuela, said before Friday's series opener. “To be back here is awesome.”
The Marlins brought up the then-20-year-old Cabrera two months into the 2003 season. Cabrera made an immediate impact, hitting a walk-off home run to help the Marlins beat Tampa Bay in his major league debut.
“I remember it well because in all the stadiums I've visited, that is the first video presented,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera played a key role in the Marlins' postseason run in 2003 that culminated with a World Series championship. He is a member of the 3,000-hit, 500-homer club.