Cardinals-Tigers series called off

Seven St. Louis Cardinals players and six staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, causing Major League Baseball to postpone the team’s four-game series at Detroit.

The series was to have been played at Comerica Park from Aug. 4 through Aug. 6.

“You think about how quickly something like this can spread,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “Until it touches you, you sometimes might not believe it, but needless to say we know this is very real and we know it moves quickly and it moves silently, but it can infect a lot of people fast.”?

‘FIELD OF DREAMS’ GAME OFF » Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game in Iowa has been postponed until 2021 because of the novel coronavirus. The game at a newly constructed ballpark on the cornfield adjacent to the site of the 1989 movie had been scheduled for Aug. 13 in Dyersville.

OHTANI WON’T PITCH FOR A WHILE » Shohei Ohtani has a right forearm strain that will prevent the Angels’ two-way star from throwing for at least four to six weeks, possibly ending his season as a pitcher after just two starts. Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced that Ohtani “has a grade 1-2 strain of the flexor pronator mass” — a collection of muscles and tendons in the forearm near the elbow.

Football

THE ROCK ACQUIRES XFL » Former wrestling star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said he has acquired the XFL. The 48-year-old Johnson made the announcement on Twitter. The price reportedly is $15 million. The XFL had eight franchises and played five games out of a planned 10-game schedule before canceling the remainder of its season in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It drew decent TV ratings early on and had deals with ESPN and Fox.

VIKINGS, RAIDERS DEAL » The Vikings acquired defensive tackle P.J. Hall from the Raiders for a conditional seventhround draft pick in 2021, fetching a reinforcement for the interior on Monday after the opt out by expected starter Michael Pierce.