LEADING OFF: Cards-Reds in Mexico, suspended Archer starts
A look at what's happening around the majors today:
MEXICAN MATCHUP
Major League Baseball returns to Estadio de Béisbol de Monterrey when the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds begin a two-game series. Adam Wainwright starts for the Cards against Tanner Roark.
The Astros and Angels play a two-game series at the same park in early May.
MLB began holding regular season games in Mexico in 1996, and the 1999 season opened with a matchup in Monterrey between the Padres and Colorado. Last May, the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers played a three-game series at the stadium — Walker Buehler and the Dodgers bullpen combined for a no-hitter.
EASY DOES IT
Pittsburgh's Chris Archer makes his first start since being suspended for touching off a bench-clearing fracas at PNC Park last Sunday.
Archer threw a fastball behind the waist of Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich, who had stood in the batter's box to admire a long home run in his previous at-bat. There were five ejections — Archer wasn't tossed.
Archer was suspended five games by Major League Baseball on Tuesday. He appealed the penalty and can continue to play until there's a final ruling. Archer and the Pirates visit Washington.
TRYING AGAIN
Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 6.48 ERA) has struggled in each of his first two outings, yielding 18 hits in 8 1/3 innings. He starts at Wrigley Field against the Angels, who won't have star Mike Trout this weekend because of a strained groin.
WELCOME BACK
Edwin Jackson has agreed to a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics, which last year became his record-matching 13th big league team. A's manager Bob Melvin says the 35-year-old righty will go to the team's spring training facility in Arizona before pitching in some games for Triple-A Las Vegas.
Jackson also signed a minor league deal with the A's last June, and then was 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 17 starts for Oakland, which was 14-3 in those games. With his A's debut, Jackson matched former reliever Octavio Dotel's record of pitching for 13 different teams.
