PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola laughed when he said he was ready to fight if Phillies manager Joe Girardi didn’t let him start the ninth inning. No rumble needed. “I knew he had never had a nine-inning shutout and that was important to him and that’s why I let him go,” Girardi said. Nola struck…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Joe Ross pitched six sharp innings and the Washington Nationals threw their first regular-season shutout at Busch Stadium, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 Wednesday. Ross (1-0) improved to 3-0 in four career starts against the Cardinals. He allowed four hits, struck out five and walked one. He also singled and…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist and the Colorado Avalanche won their fourth straight with a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Brandon Saad also scored, and Liam O’Brien had a pair of assists for Colorado, which improved…

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter all homered off Stephen Strasburg and the St. Louis Cardinals hammered the Washington Nationals 14-3 on Tuesday night. Jack Flaherty (2-0) allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts in five innings as St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak. “There was some…

1 of 6Washington Nationals' Kyle Schwarber, right, is tagged out at home by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to end the top of the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 12, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kyle Schwarber doubled home a run in his delayed Nationals…