CINCINNATI – St. Louis first baseman Allen Craig has a sprained left foot but no fracture, a big relief for a Cardinals team that feared it had lost its cleanup hitter for the rest of the season.

Craig hurt his foot while rounding first base in the fourth inning of a 5-4, 16-inning win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. He stayed on the ground for a long time and walked off gingerly.

X-rays in Cincinnati were inconclusive. He was sent back to St. Louis for an MRI and more X-rays on Thursday that indicated nothing was broken.

“We just got word that the X-rays did come back with no fracture,” Manager Mike Matheny said Thursday. “It looks like a sprained foot right now but it’s much more optimistic than what we were thinking last night.”

ATHLETICS: Catcher Derek Norris was activated from the disabled list.

Norris had been out since Aug. 20 with a broken left big toe. He spent three games in the minors on a rehab assignment, hitting .429 with two home runs and four RBI.

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Before the toe injury Norris was batting .232 with eight home runs and 26 RBI.

BREWERS: Amid the injuries, losses and off-field drama, a couple young hitters have emerged for Milwaukee in a bid to make a lasting impression down the stretch.

Second baseman Scooter Gennett has been one of the league’s top hitters since Aug. 1. Left fielder Khris Davis is hitting nearly .300 with nine homers since rejoining the team in July after Ryan Braun was suspended the rest of the year.

All-Star Jean Segura has already established himself as one of the league’s top young shortstops.

DODGERS: Vin Scully will usher in 2014 as grand marshal of the 125th Rose Parade, an honor the 86-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster initially wasn’t sure he would accept.

The more he thought about it, though, the more he warmed up to the idea, calling it “one of those one-in-a-million experiences.”

Scully will be joined by his wife, Sandi, for the 5 1/2-mile ride down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on Jan. 1.


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