The Chicago Cubs placed backup catcher Victor Caratini on the 10-day injured list Friday with a fractured left hamate.

He will have surgery on Monday and is expected to be out up to 4-6 weeks, according to manager Joe Maddon.

"He was pretty upset yesterday (Thursday)," Maddon said. "He knew how well he was playing. It's just really unfortunate."

Caratini, 25, is batting .545 with one double, one homer and four RBI in five games with the Cubs this season. He broke the hand during a swing in his last at-bat Thursday night, a 2-0 Cubs win over the Pirates.

The Cubs recalled catcher Taylor Davis from Triple-A Iowa to back up Willson Contreras. Both Maddon and general manager Jed Hoyer indicated the Cubs may look for outside help at that position while knowing they'll get Caratini back in late May.

"We're probably looking a little bit," Maddon said. "I don't doubt that's true but for right now we're really happy with Davis."

Davis, 29, has played parts of the last two seasons in the big leagues with the Cubs, batting .278 (5-for-18) with one double and three RBI in 13 games. He is 2-for-14 (.143) with one homer and two RBI in four games with Iowa this season.

CHICAGO -- The winds at Wrigley Field were howling out to center field before Friday's game between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, but the game's best player isn't there to take advantage of them.

Mike Trout, the Angels' two-time American League MVP, remained in Anaheim, California, when his club departed for Chicago on Thursday because of a right groin injury suffered during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week.

The Angels announced that Trout will be re-evaluated Sunday after imaging done Friday showed reduced swelling. Trout has also told the team his injury is improving, the Angels said.

While the cold and windy conditions in Chicago wouldn't have helped the injury, Angels manager Brad Ausmus said that wasn't a factor in the decision to leave Trout behind.

Trout was removed from the Angels' game before the fourth inning on Tuesday after experiencing discomfort. The game's highest-paid player, who signed a record 12-year, $430 million contract extension during spring training, is off to a characteristically strong start. He is hitting .406 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games.

Trout last played at Wrigley Field on Aug. 10, 2016. He has played four career games there, hitting .384 with no homers and one RBI. The venerable ballpark is one of just eight current big league venues at which Trout has not homered.

NEW YORK -- Another day, another New York Yankees star to the injured list.

With 11 other players already on their IL, the Yankees announced Friday afternoon that catcher Gary Sanchez would be joining them, retroactive to Thursday, after suffering a left calf strain earlier this week.

Sanchez will be replaced on the active roster by catcher Kyle Higashioka, who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In five minor league games this year, Higashioka is batting .222 (4-for-18) with four RBIs.

Austin Romine will be the regular starter in Sanchez's absence.

The IL stint comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering both Sanchez and manager Aaron Boone expressed optimism Wednesday that he would be starting Friday's series opener at home against the Chicago White Sox.

After catching Monday's game at Houston, Sanchez served as designated hitter Tuesday night and then came off the bench as a pinch hitter Wednesday. New York was off Thursday.

Boone said he benched Sanchez on Wednesday as a way of trying to give him an extra off day ahead of this weekend's series. The manager also indicated tests were run on Sanchez in Houston after the catcher complained of some calf tightness following Monday's game.

The timing of the move couldn't be worse for the Yankees, who had been getting valuable offensive production from Sanchez. Through just 11 games, Sanchez has 11 hits -- six home runs -- and 11 RBIs. He hit three homers against Baltimore last Sunday -- the first time he hit three in a game in his career.

Seven of his 11 base hits this season also have been for extra bases.

The Yankees officially have 12 players on the IL, including All-Stars Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Troy Tulowitzki and former MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Miguel Andujar, last year's American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, also is shelved, as is shortstop Didi Gregorius and center fielder Aaron Hicks.

One of the injured Yankees, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, is expected to come off the IL either Friday or Saturday morning. Following rehab from offseason knee and heart procedures, Sabathia is scheduled to make his first start of the season Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Baseball season is really here, and as we settle in to the daily smorgasbord of storylines and matchups, we wanted to help focus your attention this weekend. We've asked three of our writers the key questions about what to watch for and to make some predictions about what's to come.

Every Jacob deGrom start has become appointment viewing, and the Mets ace faces the Braves this weekend on Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN, 7 p.m.) Which starting pitcher in what season was the most "must-see" of your lifetime?

Eddie Matz: With apologies to 1999 Pedro Martinez and 2016 Max Scherzer, I've got to go with Steve Stone in 1980. I mean, I was in fourth grade and in love with the Orioles, and Stone won 25 games back when wins were everything. And don't get me started on that curveball of his.

David Schoenfield: In 1985, I was 16 and a Mariners fan, but there was nothing like watching 20-year-old Dwight Gooden make major league hitters look like Ogilvie from "Bad News Bears" at the plate. Of course, I lived 3,000 miles from Queens so I didn't exactly get to see Gooden pitch many games that year unless the Mets appeared on the "Game of the Week" or "Monday Night Baseball." (Did "Monday Night Baseball" still exist in 1985?)

That was the year we got cable TV, so I would stay up late to watch the highlights on SportsCenter. Sometimes I would even record the show on VHS tape (ask your parents, kids) just to see how Gooden fared. Otherwise, it was waiting for the box score in the newspaper the next day (ask your parents what a newspaper was as well). And what a season it was: 24-4, 1.53 ERA, 16 complete games and eight shutouts. Somehow, he didn't win MVP honors.

Sam Miller: Stephen Strasburg's 2010 stands out. He was 21, arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball history, barely a year out of college, with a 1.30 ERA in the minors and three pitches that all seemed like they might be the best single pitch in the sport. And then he showed up in the majors and was as good as promised: In his major league debut, he struck out 14 and walked nobody, something that only 62 pitchers in history have ever done in any start in their career. (Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Justin Verlander each did it once; Stras did it in his major league debut!) His FIP in 12 starts as a rookie is the 11th best FIP by a starter in my lifetime, his strikeout rate the 18th best. We were watching the greatest pitcher in history, I was sure of it. As with many things we are sure of, I was wrong, but at the time ...

The Brewers and Dodgers have cooled a bit after great starts as they square off in a rematch of last year's National League Championship Series. Pick one player from each team whose performance will most determine whether his squad gets back to the NLCS -- or beyond.

Matz: Josh Hader. With Jeremy Jeffress on the shelf and Corey Knebel out for the season, the Brewers' bullpen begins and ends with Hader. As for the Dodgers, I don't see them having much of a problem winning the NL West. So really, this question comes down to who has a huge NLDS for them. My spidey senses tell me that it's going to be Kike Hernandez.

Schoenfield: Clayton Kershaw is the easy answer for the Dodgers, but it feels like the best answer. The Dodgers are going to score runs, and with their rotation depth, they can win the division with or without Kershaw, especially given the early train wreck that is the Rockies. But to get to a third straight World Series? That's where Kershaw comes in.

For Milwaukee, I'm locked in on Freddy Peralta. Is he a viable option in the rotation? Can he succeed as sub-6-foot right-hander? Can he succeed throwing 80 percent fastballs like he has so far? The early returns are mixed: one not very good start, one of the best starts in Brewers history, one terrible start.

Miller: This is probably not literally the answer, but it feels like the right one, so: Kenley Jansen. All indications are that the Dodgers will have a fairly easy path to the postseason, with tons of overlapping parts inoculating them against injuries or underperformance in both the rotation and lineup. But closers aren't always easily replaced, and ninth-inning collapses are (anecdotally, at least) an infection. If you told me the Dodgers somehow won only 84 games this season, I'd bet a bullpen void was a big part of that.

If you factor in framing stats, Yasmani Grandal has been as good over the past three or four years as Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. He's famous for his streaks -- and folks tend to focus on the cold ones -- but over the course of the season he should be one of the best-hitting catchers in the league, could plausibly erupt for a .900 OPS, and will earn his young pitching staff copious strikes.

The prohibitive American League West favorite Astros are in Seattle to face the first-place Mariners. What are the chances these two will be duking it out for the division come September?

Matz: Zero. The Astros won't be duking it out with anybody. The only dukery will be between the teams that are fighting for second. If Tim Beckham continues to hit .400 and Domingo Santana keeps up his 200-RBI pace and Marco Gonzales never loses again, then maybe the Mariners weasel their way into a wild card. All that said, I picked the A's to finish second in the West and I'm never, ever changing my mind. (Not yet, anyway.)

Schoenfield: Zero? Come on, Eddie, show the M's a little love from the East Coast. The Mashin' Mariners are locked in. Dan Vogelbach is the new Prince Fielder. Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon are the 2019 version of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee (speaking of 1985!). Edwin Encarnacion's parrot loves the Pacific Northwest. If the 2018 A's can push the Astros, maybe the 2019 Mariners can also come out nowhere and do the same. (OK, the Astros won't be duking it out with anybody.)

Miller: Does a kite "duke it out" with the wind? From the kite's perspective, maybe, but the Astros are a gale. They will not write books about the 2019 AL West race. Seattle has managed to trim the Astros' chances of winning the division (according to Baseball Prospectus' playoff odds) from 89 percent to 88, so we can award the Mariners "Kite of the Month" or whatever.

When considering this weekend's schedule, what's the one thing -- a game, an individual matchup, anything -- you most want to see?

Matz: Snellzilla takes Toronto. Last season, Blake Snell dominated the Blue Jays. OK, so he dominated everyone, but the reigning Cy Young was especially lethal against the Jays, posting a 0.54 ERA with 27 K's in 16⅔ innings. Against a 2019 Toronto team that's at or near the bottom of pretty much every offensive category so far, anything is possible. Heck, maybe Snell even gets his first career complete game.

Schoenfield: Astros at Mariners, of course! This will be a tougher test for the Mariners than the White Sox or Royals (or lowly Red Sox). Seattle actually won the season series from Houston last year, 10-9.

Miller: This early in the season, it's especially fun to see the range of outcomes for high-variance starting pitchers (those who are young, who have seemed to be breaking out, who are returning from surgeries, who have incredible stuff/shaky control) begin to narrow. So I'm looking forward to Friday's slate of starters: Jose Urias, Zack Wheeler and Chris Paddack, all of whom contain real ace potential and a bunch of unresolved questions.

PICK 'EM TIME

Last weekend, Mike Trout's OPS posted a ridiculous 2.631 OPS against the Rangers, the third-highest ever for a four-game series. This weekend Trout and the Angels have a three-game set with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Trout's OPS this weekend: Over or under 1.850?

Matz: As bad as Cubs pitchers have been this season (worst in the NL), no opposing hitter has recorded an OPS that high against them. Not even Christian Yelich. The closest was Ozzie Albies, who posted a 1.667. All of which is to say, 1.850 is a really high number for anyone -- even Trout. I'll take the under.

Schoenfield: Under. But a good under as he goes 0-for-0 with 14 walks for a mere 1.000 OPS.

Miller: Under, because no matter how much you like a guy, 1.850 is ridiculous. In his best year, Barry Bonds' OPS on three-ball counts was only 1.700. We should have picked a lower number.

Three of baseball's best starters take the hill this weekend: Max Scherzer vs. Pittsburgh, Blake Snell at Toronto, Jacob deGrom at Atlanta.

Total runs allowed by Scherzer, Snell and deGrom: Over or under 5.5?

Matz: Trick question. Scherzer might not start after getting drilled in the leg by a liner in his last outing. Under, please.

Schoenfield: Under.

Miller: Snell's going to take a no-hitter into the seventh. Under.

What's your pick for Sunday night's game -- the Mets, with deGrom coming off his first bad start in a millenium, or the Braves and their young studs?

Matz: It's Max Fried's last start before Passover begins. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but as history has shown us time and again (and most recently in the last World Baseball Classic), never bet against the Jewish people. Braves, please.

Schoenfield: I love what Max Fried has done his past two starts, but that win against Colorado came against a lineup that more resembled the Albuquerque Isotopes than the Rockies. I'll take the Mets.

Miller: Mets.

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we'll ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

HOME RUN HITTERS

Matz: J.D. Martinez

Miller: Tommy Pham

Schoenfield: Aaron Judge

STRIKEOUT PITCHERS

Matz: Blake Snell

Miller: Justin Verlander

Schoenfield: Dwight Gooden -- err, Gerrit Cole

The Olympic and world medallist on the importance of finding new passion and moving forward when an athletics career comes to an end

Life evolves for me. The retired sportsperson – you’re always having to reinvent yourself. I have three children, I have 13-year-old twin boys, so I’m busy! But work wise I run a business with Steve Backley and we do a variety of things ranging from speaking at conferences for whole days, we have a property business and I have a fitness range of bikes and treadmills with Argos. So putting them together, it’s all around performance.

No week is the same. It’s never straightforward. That’s good but I miss one thing – when I was an athlete you had absolute clarity of what you were doing and your goal. I knew the day, the time and the place of the Olympic final – every day was planned to move towards that point and that focus, with other people, was wonderful. I don’t have that in my life any more and I do miss it. So I have to find that a bit more with Steve and we work at it but it will never be the same as trying to win Olympic medals.

I will never complain because I think we have done okay and I think for some people it’s a really tough struggle. I was very fortunate that when I retired I was very high profile so opportunities came my way and I took them, whereas some people don’t get those opportunities. There are a lot of Olympic medallists now – you can’t all be on TV, you can’t all be corporate speakers. I really feel for athletes who retire and feel, ‘what do I do now? No one is helping me.’

Advice for a successful sporting retirement

We did sport because it was our passion. If you can find another passion then you’ll be okay. But it’s quite hard to do that.

You’ve got to step back. Take the time to think about who you are, not who the athlete is. I never did that and I made a lot of mistakes. Find something else that you could get passionate about.

If you can incorporate your sporting career in that, like I have done, then you’re very fortunate. If you can find something else to get passionate about and apply all of the things you learnt as an athlete, which is hard work, training, team work, goal-setting – all the things we took for granted.

Setting a goal is a natural thing for somebody who does sport but not everybody thinks like that. So take that and take it into an environment – whether you set up your own business or whether you go and work with other people – but don’t look back, don’t dwell on the past too much.

That’s easy for me to say because my past is still who I am. People don’t come up to me because of what I am doing now, they come up to me because of what I did 30 years ago, so it will always be with me. But in my head, I am thinking forward as a person, as an athlete does. I’m not dwelling on my past. I’m lucky to have that past but I’m moving forward. I think you’ve got to keep moving forward.

English south coast sees annual marathon and 10km on a weekend that includes Paris and Boston Marathons too

Held alongside one of the Brighton Marathon, the BM 10km has the stronger field of the two, led by Chris Thompson and Steph Twell.

Thompson follows his win in the Bath Half-marathon last month, heading a men’s line-up which also includes Ben Connor, Adam Hickey and John Beattie.

Twell continues a successful road campaign which includes her 52:58 10-miler in the States last weekend. She faces the rejuvenated Kate Reed, plus Elinor Kirk, Emily Hosker-Thornhill, Gemma Steel and Pippa Woolven.

In the marathon itself (both Brighton races are on Sunday April 14) Helen Davies – Britain’s No.4 of last year with 2:35:12 – and 2:18 man James Connor head the line-ups.

Ethiopian Asefa Mengistu, who was fourth in Dubai last year in his PB of 2:04:06 and third on his return this year, is the quickest of eight athletes who have run below 2:08.

Yemane Tsegay, the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon winner, has run 2:04:48, while yet another Ethiopian, Feyisa Lelisa, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist, is next quickest with 2:04:52. Kenya’s Morris Gachaga makes his marathon debut after a recent half-marathon PB of 59:22.

On the women’s side, Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka is the quickest of six sub-2:25 entrants. The 2015 world 10,000m silver medallist ran 2:20:45 in Dubai last year.

Ethiopia’s Azmera Abreha, who was second in Shanghai last year, could challenge her and lines up with a PB of 2:21:51. Kenya’s Sally Chepyego heads the Kenyan challenge with a PB of 2:23:15.

Other Ethiopian contenders are Azmera Gebru, who has clocked 2:23:31, and Tinbit Gidey, who has run 2:23:37. Kenya’s Betty Lempus and Ethiopia’s Haimanot Alemayehu could be in the mix too.

?? PARIS BREAKFAST RUN ?‍♀️?‍♂️
Les inscriptions sont encore ouvertes !
Viens prendre ton petit déjeuner sous la tour Eiffel demain matin !
RDV sur le stand Paris Breakfast Run sur le Salon du Running jusqu’à ce soir 20h00 ou sur ➡️ https://t.co/eDQn1bpLZT#ParisMarathon pic.twitter.com/Lw3SUYd0mo

— Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris (@parismarathon) April 12, 2019

Linden faces Ethiopian record-holder Worknesh Degefa, who earlier this year became the fourth fastest woman in history when running 2:17:41 to finish second in Dubai.

US hopes will be high again as Jordan Hasay, who clocked 2:20:57 in 2017, continues her comeback from injury, while Linden should not be ruled out for a successful defence following sixth in New York last year.

Meskerem Assefa is a strong challenger as the winner of the Frankfurt Marathon last autumn with 2:20:36, when another Ethiopian on the start line, Belaynesh Oljira, was within a couple of minutes of her.

Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia, who ran 2:19:31 in 2012, is still a force to be reckoned with, while 2011 and 2013 world champion Edna Kiplagat ran 2:21 last year. Mare Dibaba, the 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, also lines up after only 11th in Frankfurt.

Olympian Alyson Dixon flies the flag for Britain as far as the elite women are concerned, while Ireland’s Fionnuala McCormack, fresh from her fine 18th place at the World Cross, also lines up.

Kawauchi’s win last year elevated him from a cult prolific marathon-running figure with more than 30 career wins, to superstardom, but a strong field will make it hard for him to repeat that.

Quickest among them is Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono, who set a course record of 2:04:06 in defending his Amsterdam Marathon title last year.

The current world marathon champion, Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya, will also be on the start line, hoping to improve on his second here last year.

The Ethiopian challenge will be led by Sisay Lemma (PB: 2:04:08), Lemi Berhanu (2:04:33), Solomon Deksisa (2:04:40) and Lelisa Desisa (2:04:45).

Kenya’s Kenneth Kipkemoi (2:05:44), Felix Kandie (2:06:03) and Wesley Korir (2:06:13) are others to watch out for. Eritrea’s four-time world half-marathon champion Zersenay Tadese, should not be discounted either.

Abdi Abdirahman and Dathan Ritzenhein carry US hopes, while Britain’s Scott Overall returns to the marathon hoping to challenge his PB of 2:10:55.

The event is the culmination of an indoor season which has involved more than a million children aged 9-15 across the UK.

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson is set to be out for three months but may be fit for England's World Cup preparations.

At a news conference on Thursday, director of rugby Dai Young said 27-year-old Robson had "developed a deep vein thrombosis".

Wasps are eighth in the Premiership after 18 matches, seven points off the play-offs.

England's next match is against Wales on 11 August, with the World Cup in Japan starting on 20 September.

"Dan is currently undergoing treatment which is expected to conclude following three months, after which he will be available to return to full training," said Young.

"This means he will not be available for selection for Wasps for the remainder of the season. However, it should enable him to be available for selection for the World Cup preparations."

Robson made his international debut when he came on for the final 11 minutes of England's 44-8 Six Nations win over France in February and then scored a try in the 57-14 victory over Italy in March.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – An unfavorable weather forecast has forced Knoxville Raceway officials to postpone the track’s season opener.

Practice night, originally scheduled for Friday, and opening night, originally scheduled for Saturday, will now be held April 19-20.

With cold temperatures in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, track officials felt it best to postpone until next weekend.

CONWAY, Ark. – With heavy rain being forecasted, officials with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series and I-30 Speedway have made the decision to postpone the third annual Will McGary Tribute, which was scheduled for this Saturday.

“As the week has gone along the rain chances have continued to increase for Friday night through early Sunday morning,” said COMP Cams Super Dirt Series Director Chris Sullivan. “It just made good sense to go ahead and postpone everything. We have some fans and racers coming from a long way to be here. We also have several dignitaries and representatives from the surrounding law office community planning to be in attendance. As a result, the third annual Will McGary Tribute will now be held on Aug. 3 at I-30 Speedway.”

McGary, a police officer, lost his life in the line of duty on Feb. 1, 2013. The hard-working young man was fatally struck by an impaired driver, while protecting and serving the citizens of Conway, Ark. He was only 26 years old.

While McGary’s life may have been unfairly taken away far too soon on that fateful February day, his generosity and his spirit continue to live on. He was an organ donor.  In fact, three recipients received his heart and organs. They continue to live healthy lives because of Will’s generosity.

The race will pay $5,000-to-win for the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series competitors. Billy Moyer and Jack Sullivan claimed wins in the first two editions.

Chelsea stopped three supporters from entering Thursday's Europa League match at Slavia Prague after they were identified singing a derogatory chant about Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, the club has confirmed.

Video of the fans singing "Salah is a bomber" in a Prague bar on Thursday circulated widely on social media, attracting widespread condemnation and prompting anti-discrimination body Kick It Out to call for action.

Three of the six men in the video were identified by Chelsea's away security team and denied access to Eden Arena in Prague. The other three are believed to have stayed away from the ground.

Club statement. https://t.co/tMqiV6H53Z

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 11, 2019

In a statement issued shortly after kick-off, the club pledged to take the "strongest possible action" against any season ticket holders found to have misbehaved.

"Chelsea FC finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour abhorrent and where there is clear evidence of Chelsea season ticket holders or members involved in such behaviour, we will take the strongest possible action against them," the statement read.

"Such individuals are an embarrassment to the vast majority of Chelsea supporters who won't tolerate them in their club."

Chelsea's season has been marred by a series of racist incidents. UEFA opened an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitic chanting by Blues supporters during a Europa League group stage match against Vidi in Budapest in December, though no disciplinary action was ultimately taken.

This episode is particularly damaging with Chelsea set to face Liverpool and Salah -- who spent two years on the books at Stamford Bridge -- in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday, and the Merseyside giants issued a statement of their own in response to the video.

"The video circulating online, showing vile discriminatory chants being aimed at one of our players, is dangerous and disturbing," the statement said.

"Already this season, we have seen repulsive discriminatory abuse inside stadiums in England, Europe and across the world; abuse that was captured on devices and put into the public domain. We have also witnessed numerous hateful attacks on social media.

"This behaviour needs to be called out for what it is -- unadulterated bigotry.

"Liverpool Football Club believes it is the responsibility of those in positions of authority, following proper process, to act urgently to identify and then punish anyone committing a hate crime.

"There is no place for this behaviour in football, there is no place for it in society. A crime of this nature has more victims than any individual it is aimed at and, as such, collective and decisive action is needed to address it.

"As pertains to this latest incident, the club is working with Merseyside Police to ascertain the facts around this footage with the aim of identifying individuals featuring in it.

"In addition, we are working directly with Chelsea Football Club on the matter. We thank them for their condemnation and a commitment to act urgently to identify any individuals responsible."