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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — David Robertson got himself a new deal in a new pair of pinstripes.The 33-year-old right-handed reliever and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $23 million http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic … lly-jersey , two-year contact on Thursday. Robertson gets $10 million this year and $11 million in 2020, and the Phillies have a $12 million option for 2021 with a $2 million buyout.“The Phillies are a great organization, and they have that hunger to get back in the postseason and they’re going in the right direction,â€� Robertson said. “It’s a place where I’ll get a lot of opportunities to pitch in the back end of the bullpen and I don’t see any reason why we can’t get in the postseason.â€�Robertson went 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA and five saves in 69 games last season for the New York Yankees. He left the Yankees after the 2014 season to sign a $46 million, four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, who traded him to New York in July 2017.An 11-year veteran and a 2011 All-Star, Robertson has appeared in at least 60 games in nine straight seasons. He could get opportunities to close in Philadelphia, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. Seranthony Dominguez led the Phillies with 16 saves last season, and manager Gabe Kapler likes versatility in his bullpen.“He’s going to pitch high-leverage innings for us,â€� Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said of Robertson. “That’s what he’s done very effectively and consistently for a long time. The fact he has experience pitching the ninth inning is very appealing for us.â€�Hector Neris led the Phillies with 26 saves in 2017 and had 11 last year. He’s also in the mix to pitch the ninth. It’ll likely be determined by matchups.Robertson has even better numbers against lefties than righties during his career. He has held lefties to a .188 batting average and .268 on-base percentage vs. .222 and .302 for righties.“I want to pitch whenever I can to help the team win games Blake Swihart Jersey ,â€� Robertson said. “If I have to pitch in the sixth, seventh, eighth or even the ninth, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to be in the back end of the bullpen when the big outs need to get made.â€�Robertson represented himself in contract negotiations for the first time. Klentak said he was impressed and called it a “uniqueâ€� experience talking money directly with the player.“He was very well prepared, he knew the market very well, he knew what was important to him and he was able to articulate it well and that helped us get to a deal,â€� Klentak said.Robertson spent parts of nine seasons in the majors with the Yankees, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft. He made a pair of relief appearances against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, allowing a two-run single to Raul Ibanez in the eighth inning of the opener and an RBI groundout to Carlos Ruiz in the third inning of Game 5.Robertson replaced Mariano Rivera after he retired following the 2013 season and had 39 saves in 2014.He’s 53-32 with a 2.88 ERA and 137 saves in 654 career appearances, all in relief.“I had a great time playing in New York. They are an excellent organization http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic … llo-jersey ,â€� Robertson said, adding he spoke to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman about returning. “New York will always hold a special place in my heart. It was just time for me to go someplace else.â€�The Phillies have been active this offseason, acquiring shortstop Jean Segura and signing outfielder Andrew McCutchen. They finished 80-82 last year after leading the NL East in August.Klentak said the team had a “productiveâ€� meeting with Manny Machado last month.“I expect that the dialogue there will continue,â€� Klentak said.The team also is scheduled to meet with Bryce Harper.____ CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs have already clinched a spot in the National League playoffs.But as they begin their final regular-season series against the rival St. Louis Cardinals on Friday at Wrigley Field, the Cubs realize they need to be in the right mentality as they push for their third straight NL Central title.After a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, the Cubs lowered their magic number to three to clinch the division title. More important, the win increased their lead over the idle second-place Milwaukee Brewers to one game in the Central.Article continues below ...While the Cubs’ postseason berth has already been secured, they are hoping to hold off the surging Brewers for the title. That will make the next three games against the Cardinals critically important.“I think these are all playoff games to get us ready for October,â€� Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. told reporters Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs will continue to play without shortstop Addison Russell. Major League Baseball extended his administrative leave through Sunday as Russell remains under investigation for alleged domestic violence against his ex-wife.The Cubs have also been hampered with injuries http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/auth … row-jersey , which makes finding a way to stick together for the next three days even more important. “(It’s) all hands on deck,â€� first baseman Anthony Rizzo told reporters, according to the Tribune. “We got to figure out how to win.â€�Kyle Hendricks (13-11, 3.49 ERA) will start for the Cubs on Friday and will be in search of his third straight victory.Hendricks has allowed just one earned run in three of his four starts in September and has at least worked into the seventh inning in each of his past two starts. He is 4-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 career stats against St. Louis.While the Cubs have plenty at stake, the Cardinals still have plenty of incentive. After being swept by the Brewers punctuated by a tough-to-swallow 2-1 loss on Wednesday, St. Louis could still find their way into the wild-card picture if they can find a way to get back on track in Chicago.But knowing the Cubs will be looking to still capture the division title, the Cardinals know what they’re up against.“In my mind, we have to win all three games — that’s all there is to it,â€� Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright told reporters on Wednesday, according to the team’s official website.“We had ourselves in a good spot and we just got beat three games by a good team over there and we did not make the pitches we needed to Jason Heyward Jersey , make the plays we needed to, didn’t hit the way we needed to and that’s a good way to lose a baseball game, lose a series and get swept against a good team. You’ve got to capitalize and we had our chances certainly.â€�Wainwright will look to snap the Cardinals’ three-game skid when he takes the mound in Friday’s series opener. Wainwright (2-3, 4.08) has allowed four earned runs in two of his three September starts and will attempt to get St. Louis started in the right direction against Chicago, against whom he has a 15-9 career record in 44 outings (35 starts) with a 3.94 ERA.