NATIONALS
Ramos has torn ACL
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals' World Series hopes took a serious blow Tuesday when All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Ramos is out for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, taking one of the most consistent power bats out of Washington's lineup. He was hitting .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBI and was one of baseball's best offensive catchers.
Manager Dusty Baker said Ramos will soon have surgery to repair the ligament, which he tore during an awkward landing while catching a relay throw Monday night. It's the same knee Ramos had two surgeries on in 2012 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.
The injury is a double blow for Ramos given the proximity of the postseason and that he's set to become a free agent after the World Series.
"There's never an opportune time," Baker said. "This was the most inopportune time for this to happen."
The NL East champions will go with a combination of Pedro Severino and Jose Lobaton behind the plate in Ramos' absence. They called up Spencer Kieboom as a third catcher earlier Tuesday.
ROYALS
Gee out with clots
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Right-hander Dillon Gee has two blood clots and will not pitch again this season for the Kansas City Royals.
Gee was the winning pitcher Sunday at Detroit, but was hospitalized after the game. He returned Tuesday to Kansas City.
Manager Ned Yost said Gee has a blood clot in one of his lungs and a shoulder.
Gee, 30, was shut down in July 2012 while with the New York Mets with a blood clot in his right shoulder that required surgery.
METS
Matz' surgery set
MIAMI -- New York Mets left-hander Steven Matz will undergo surgery next week to remove bone spurs in his pitching elbow and will miss the rest of the season.
Matz, who has not pitched since Aug. 14, is expected to be ready for spring training.
The news Tuesday before the Mets' game at Miami was the latest blow for a team riddled this year by injuries but still in contention for an NL wild-card berth.
Matz's availability for the postseason had already been doubtful because he has been sidelined for more than a month because of tightness in his left shoulder.
Matz finishes the year 9-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 22 starts.
BLUE JAYS
Benoit tears calf
TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays reliever Joaquin Benoit is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after tearing his left calf muscle when he tripped and fell while running in from the bullpen during one of two benches-clearing incidents in Monday's 7-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
Second baseman Devon Travis will not play the opener of Tuesday's pivotal series against Baltimore after he jammed his surgically repaired left shoulder in the second incident against the Yankees. Travis left Monday after aggravating the injury during his next at-bat.
Toronto added right-hander Chris Smith and infielder Andy Burns to its roster. Both finished the minor league season with Class AAA Buffalo.
Benoit has been a reliable setup man since a July 26 trade with Seattle, going 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 232/3 innings.
Toronto leads the wild-card race, one game ahead of Baltimore.
MARLINS
Prado signs extension
MIAMI -- Third baseman Martin Prado, who tossed baseballs to kids at the completion of every half inning, has agreed to terms on a three-year, $40 million contract extension to remain with the Marlins.
Prado, 32, was eligible for free agency after the season.
Regarded as a clubhouse leader and tough competitor, the signing of Prado was a priority for the Marlins heading into the offseason.
An 11-year major league veteran, Prado is hitting .305 this season with 7 home runs and 73 RBI.
The Marlins acquired Prado and pitcher David Phelps in a December 2014 trade with the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.
RANGERS
Darvish's brother convicted
TOKYO -- A Japanese court on Tuesday convicted the brother of Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish of gambling on baseball games, handing him a suspended prison sentence.
The Osaka District Court found Sho Darvish guilty of taking hundreds of bets on Major League Baseball and on professional baseball games in Japan last year.
The court said the 27-year-old younger brother of Yu Darvish was sentenced to two years and four months in prison, but it was suspended for five years. The court said the defendant's gambling was limited to his group of friends and was not linked to organized crime, according to local media reports.
The younger Darvish took bets of 10,000 yen ($100) on Japanese and American professional baseball games, accepting wagers totaling about 110 million yen ($1.1 million) through the LINE social networking application, Kyodo News reported.
Sho Darvish himself bet roughly 220 million yen ($2.2 million) on the games, Kyodo said.
His arrest last year led to an investigation of his brother, Yu Darvish, but authorities found no involvement by the Rangers star.
Sports on 09/28/2016