The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals will both start 2

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ATLANTA — rookie right-handers who were 2014 first-round draft choices in their series finale Wednesday at SunTrust Park.The similarities end , though, when it comes to major league experience.Jack Flaherty has been with the Cardinals most of the season, making 25 starts. Touki Toussaint has made just three starts for the Braves, spending the majority of his year in Double-A.Article continues below ...Flaherty (8-7, 2.86 ERA) will try to build on his successful season, while Toussaint (1-1, 4.67 ERA) hopes to make a late-season statement as the Cardinals go for a sweep of the three-game series.St. Louis (84-68) won 8-1 on Tuesday night to help their National League wild-card chances and keep the magic number at seven for the Braves (83-68) to clinch the National League East.Flaherty, the 34th overall pick in 2014 draft, leads the Cardinals with 168 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings and needs just one strikeout to catch Shelby Miller for third place on the franchise’s all-time rookie list. Rick Ankiel set the rookie record with 194 in 2000.The California native was 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in five August starts, but has yet to win in September despite a 2.81 ERA in his three outings.Flaherty turned in his 10th quality start in his most recent game, limiting the Los Angeles Dodgers to four hits and a run over six innings while striking out eight in the Cardinals’ 3-0 loss last Friday.“I don’t care about my line. I don’t care about anything other than winning,” said Flaherty , who gave up a homer to Yasiel Puig. “So, it doesn’t matter how I pitch. I didn’t pitch well enough.”Flaherty, who has limited opposing hitters to a .193 average overall and .186 on the road, has a simple pitching philosophy.“Get ahead and stay ahead,” he said. “Try not to get into deep counts and try to stay away from a 3-2 count.”Toussaint is will working on that. Struggling with his command, he walked four and allowed two hits while giving up three runs in a one-inning relief appearance against Washington last Saturday.Tousaint, the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft by Arizona, made his major league debut in a spot start on Aug. 13 and limited Miami to two hits and a run in the victory.Toussaint was brought back from the minors when rosters expanded and followed up with a loss to Boston and a no-decision against Arizona. He has allowed just eight hits and struck out 15 in 16 1/3 innings as a starter, posting a 3.31 ERA.The Braves are just 38-38 at home, going 4-14 since Aug. 18. The Cardinals have won eight straight against the Braves in Atlanta since the beginning of the 2016 season. MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Kyle Hendricks‘ focus is on the season, among the reasons the Cubs didn’t hesitate to give the right-handed pitcher a new deal.Hendricks and the Cubs agreed Tuesday to a contract that adds $55.5 million from 2020 to 2023 , guaranteeing he will receive $62,905,000 over the next five seasons.He had agreed in January to a one-year deal for $7,405,000 and would have been eligible for arbitration next winter.“I love everything about being a Chicago Cub,” Hendricks said. “I love everything about the city, about the fans and especially about my teammates in the clubhouse. That’s where my focus is at. As much as I’ll revel and be excited about this, our focus 100 percent is on Thursday and the season. That’s what I told the guys in there. I want to be with them as long as I can.”His new deal adds salaries of $12 million for 2020 and $14 million annually from 2021-23. The agreement includes a $16 million team option for 2024 with a $1.5 million buyout, and the option would become guaranteed if he finished among the top three in Cy Young Award voting in 2020. There are $3 million annually in escalators based on finishing among the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting.Hendricks’ deal is somewhat patterned after the deal agreed to last month by St. Louis pitcher Miles Mikolas, who was guaranteed an additional $68 million from 2020-23, raising his total to $75.25 million over five seasons.Hendricks, 29 , was scheduled to start on Tuesday in the spring training finale against Boston but was scratched because he underwent an MRI as part of his physical. The Cubs open Thursday at Texas, and Hendricks will throw a bullpen there.“He’s a great example for every player we have in the organization,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. “Kyle is making a big step forward as a leader. A lot of guys look up to him and the way he goes about his business.”Hendricks does not fit the norm of starting pitchers, opting to rely on location rather than velocity. He has gone 52-33 with a 3.07 ERA in 132 starts and one relief appearance over five seasons. His 3.07 ERA is the fifth-lowest among active pitchers with at least 100 starts.“Watching the way I pitch and getting guys out at the big league level will hopefully translate to younger pitchers just learning more of a pitching style and not relying on velocity so much,” Hendricks said. “I just want to be the best pitcher I can always be and at the end of the day, when my career is said and done, to have no regrets.”The Cubs acquired Hendricks from the Rangers in July 2012. Epstein remembered how scouts boasted about the right-hander’s makeup.“They all said he gets the absolute most out of his abilities,” Epstein said. “Here we are seven years later and it’s 100 percent true. If you look at the numbers, he’s one of the most effective starting pitchers in the game,” Epstein said. “The names on that list are guys on Hall of Fame trajectories. Kyle’s in rare air for what he’s done.”Last season, Hendricks led the Cubs with a career-high 33 starts and 199 innings. He closed the season 9-3 with a 2.65 ERA in his final 16 starts.NOTES: Left-handed reliever Randy Rosario made the Cubs’ opening day roster. The Cubs also announced pitcher Kyle Ryan was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and Allen Webster was assigned to the minor league camp.

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