Mets scratch Steven Matz from Friday start

The New York Mets say left-hander Steven Matz will miss his scheduled start Friday because of shoulder soreness.

Matz (9-8, 3.40 ERA) hasn’t pitched since Aug. 14 because of tightness in his left shoulder. He was penciled in to return on Sept. 1 but scratched after feeling discomfort when playing catch a day after throwing off the mound.

General Manager Sandy Alderson says the rookie’s shoulder felt sore again after he threw a bullpen session Wednesday.

The team had tweeted a ticket advertisement featuring a returning Matz on Thursday, but it was quickly deleted. Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, in line to follow Matz on Friday, will instead get the start. The Mets entered Thursday night’s game against Philadelphia in a three-way tie for the two NL wild-card sports with St. Louis and San Francisco.

Tanaka has forearm strain

New York Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka will miss his scheduled start Monday at Toronto because of what Manager Joe Girardi called a slight lower right forearm strain.

Girardi announced Tanaka’s injury before Thursday nigh’s game at Tampa Bay. He said Tanaka won’t throw for five days but could start again before the regular season is scheduled to end Oct. 2.

“I feel like this is just a little nick,” Girardi said. “I’m not going to make too much out of this. I don’t think this is a huge thing. “

Tanaka had an MRI exam Thursday, one day after he gained up his 14th win despite allowing four homers in the third inning of a 11-5 win over the Rays.

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Longtime Houston Astros TV play-by-play announcer Bill Brown will retire this month. The 69-year-old Brown announced he’s retiring nearly 30 years after joining the Astros. Brown called his first Houston game on April 6, 1987, in an opening day win over the Dodgers in the Astrodome.