Tribe deals Moss to Cards
CLEVELAND (AP) — Brandon Moss was sorry to see close friend David Murphy traded earlier this week by the Indians.
Now he’s gone, too.
Moss was dealt Thursday to the St. Louis Cardinals, who were in the market for an outfielder after seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday re-injured his right quadriceps on Wednesday.
“He’s a production guy in a time in baseball when production’s low,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “I know he’s excited to be here and we’re excited to have him.”
In exchange for Moss, who was in his first season with the Indians, the Indians received minor league pitcher Rob Kaminsky, a first-round pick in 2013.
The Cardinals led the NL Central by 4 1/2 games over Pittsburgh. However, St. Louis is in an offensive funk and hasn’t scored a run in 22 consecutive innings after being blanked 1-0 on Wednesday by the Cincinnati Reds.
And Holliday is out again with the same injury that sidelined him for 31 games earlier this season.
Price traded to Toronto
DETROIT (AP) — Toronto acquired All-Star left-hander David Price from the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, the second major move in less than a week by the Blue Jays as they chase their first postseason appearance since 1993.
After obtaining slugging shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado, the Blue Jays tried to shore up their rotation by adding Price, likely the top remaining starting pitcher on the market.
The Blue Jays sent left-handers Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt to the Tigers in the deal. Price can become a free agent after this season.
Speaking in the Detroit clubhouse before the Tigers faced the Orioles in Baltimore, Price was excited about joining a contender — even if he did refer to the Blue Jays as “they” instead of “we.”
“They’ve got a good thing going on right now in Toronto,” he said. “They’ve kind of been in this situation before and didn’t make these type of moves. It definitely shows you that they want to win right now.”
Reds recall Holmberg
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds recalled left-hander David Holmberg from the minor leagues to start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, taking Johnny Cueto’s spot. Cincinnati traded its 20-game winner to Kansas City on Sunday.
Holmberg went 2-2 with a 4.80 in five starts and two relief appearances for the Reds last year. He spent this season at Triple-A Louisville, going 7-6 with a 4.40 ERA in 17 starts.
The Reds also placed right-handed reliever Nate Adcock on the 15-day disabled list with a sore pitching elbow and called up right-hander Keyvius Sampson. Adcock was 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 13 relief appearances. Sampson will make his major league debut after going 2-4 with a 5.08 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance for Louisville.
Hamels headed to Texas
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — After years of trade speculation, Cole Hamels’ time in Philadelphia is ending.
Two people familiar with the deal say the Phillies have agreed to trade the ace left-hander to the Texas Rangers for a package of prospects.
Both people spoke to The Associated Press late Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized. Hamels has a limited no-trade clause but does not have to approve a deal to the Rangers.
Hamels would become the first pitcher in major league history traded during a season immediately after throwing a no-hitter — he no-hit the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
The 2008 World Series MVP was an integral part of the greatest run in franchise history when the Phillies won five straight NL East titles, two pennants and one World Series from 2007-11.
