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Major League Baseball roundup

[September 15, 2016] Sept 14 (The Sports Xchange) - Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully will call his final game when the regular season ends and retire before the playoffs start.

The 88-year-old Scully told the Los Angeles Times his Hall of Fame career will end Oct. 2 when the Dodgers play the San Francisco Giants on the road.

"Otherwise, I'd be saying goodbye like in grand opera, where you say goodbye 12 different times," Scully told the newspaper.

Scully's last home game on the radio will be on Sept. 25 against the Colorado Rockies.

"I'm going to say goodbye at Dodger Stadium the last game with Colorado," Scully said. "I will say goodbye in San Francisco. And then that will be it."

The Dodgers ended Tuesday night with a four-game lead in the National League West over the Giants. The Dodgers will be seeking their first World Series appearance since winning the 1988 championship.

Scully has called three road games in his final season -- Opening Day in San Diego and two games in Anaheim. He told The Times that he would work all three games of the weekend series in San Francisco.

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Major League Baseball announced the 2017 regular-season schedule, which will begin on Sunday, April 2, when the Tampa Bay Rays host the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks host the San Francisco Giants.

ESPN will televise each of the games in addition to the "Sunday Night Baseball" Opening Night contest, which will be selected in the coming weeks.

The commissioner's office said Wednesday that 13 games are scheduled on Monday, April 3: Toronto at Baltimore; Pittsburgh at Boston; Philadelphia at Cincinnati; Detroit at the Chicago White Sox; Seattle at Houston; San Diego at the Los Angeles Dodgers; Colorado at Milwaukee; Kansas City at Minnesota; Atlanta at the New York Mets; Los Angeles Angels at Oakland; Chicago Cubs at St. Louis; Cleveland at Texas; Miami at Washington.

Seven games are scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, before all 30 teams take the field the next day.

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The St. Louis Cardinals activated right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday due to right shoulder inflammation.

Wacha, 25, will pitch out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

Wacha had missed 32 games since going on the disabled list on Aug. 9 following his most recent start on Aug. 8 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wacha is 7-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 23 games started over 131 1/3 innings this season, winning each of his last five decisions dating to June 22.

The 2013 National League Championship Series MVP and 2015 National League All-Star is 33-21 with a 3.55 ERA in 87 career games (81 starts). He has made six career regular-season relief appearances, all in 2013, and was also used in relief in Game Five of the 2014 NLCS, suffering the series-ending defeat.

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Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker was not in the dugout on Wednesday afternoon against the New York Mets due to a death in the family.

The first-place Nationals capped a three-game series against the second-place Mets with a 1-0 victory.

Bench coach Chris Speier filled in for Baker.

Baker is in his first year as the Nationals skipper and is slated to join the team in Atlanta for a series that begins Friday against the Braves, according to the team.

- - - (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

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