Report: it's "100 percent certain" that Pujols will stay with the Cardinals - MLB

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! spoke with an MLB executive who says he’s “100 percent certain” Albert Pujols will re-sign with the Cardinals. The reason: no one else is really showing interest. At least no one with the kind of money to outbid St. Louis.

I’ve kinda assumed this for a while. It was just bad timing for Pujols to hit the market, with with the Yankees and Red Sox both committing to top-notch first basemen in recent years. That left the occasional-spenders out there. Texas. Los Angeles. Detroit. Washington. Maybe the Cubs. Those teams either have a first baseman already or just don’t seem to want to pony up this year.

Albert is going to stay with the Cardinals. He’ll still be very rich. His legacy will be much better for it. And the Cardinals will be a much better team for it, at least for the next several years.

HOUSTON – Yordan Alvarez hit a go-ahead three-run double in the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros rallied past the Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Friday night for their first win of the season.

Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer in the sixth and made a spectacular catch at the wall in the seventh to rob Andrew Benintendi of extra bases and keep the World Series champion Astros within one run.

Eloy Jimenez hit two RBI doubles for the White Sox, both off Astros starter Cristian Javier.

Jimenez’s first double scored Tim Anderson in the first inning. In the sixth, Javier gave up three straight doubles to Benintendi, Jimenez and Joan Moncada to make it 3-0 and end his night.

White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman (0-1) loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh on two walks and a single. Jake Diekman came on and gave up Alvarez’s double to deep left-center, a drive that just eluded Luis Robert Jr. and bounced off the wall, clearing the bases.

Four Astros relievers each worked one scoreless inning. Seth Martinez (1-0) got the win and Rafael Montero handled the ninth for his first save.

Chicago starter Lance Lynn allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

ALL IN A DAY’S REST

White Sox INF Andrew Vaughn, who hit a go-ahead two-run double in Thursday’s season-opening win, did not play. Vaughn experienced lower back issues during spring training. Gavin Sheets started at first base.

HOMETOWN HIT

Astros outfielder Corey Yulks, a Houston-area native, singled in his first at-bat and finished 1-for-4 in his major league debut.

PUT A RING ON IT

Astros owner Jim Crane and his wife, Whitney, presented the team and staff with their 2022 World Series rings in a pregame ceremony.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: LHP Blake Taylor, who is on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow strain, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land.

UP NEXT

The four-game season-opening series continues Saturday when Houston’s Jose Urquidy faces Chicago’s Lucas Giolito.

Report: it’s “100 percent certain” that Pujols will stay with the Cardinals

Alvarez’s bases-clearing double sends Astros past White Sox