Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg reached 1,500 strikeouts in fewer innings pitched than any player in major league history, hitting the milestone during Washington's game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Strasburg got opposing pitcher Dakota Hudson looking in the fifth inning for his eighth strikeout of the game and the 1,500th of his career. He reached the total in 1,272⅓ innings.

According to Elias Sports Bureau data, Boston's Chris Sale had the previous mark, reaching 1,500 in 2017 after 1,290 innings.

"It's pretty cool, but I think I was told a long time ago that strikeouts aren't everything,'' Strasburg said. "I think it's important to know how to put guys away when you have two strikes, but at the same time, I get myself into trouble when I'm trying to strike them out.''

Hall of Famer Randy Johnson holds the record for fewest games needed to reach 1,500 strikeouts. He did it in 206 games, seven fewer than Strasburg, who ranks second on that list.

"Here's a guy that missed a considerable amount of time in his career and still has 1,500 strikeouts,'' manager Dave Martinez said about Strasburg. "It tells me what an unbelievable pitcher he is and, if he stays healthy, the sky's the limit."

Strasburg (3-1) finished the day with nine strikeouts and allowed a run in 6⅔ innings to help the Nationals win 2-1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals fired pitching coach Derek Lilliquist on Thursday night.

Minor league pitching coordinator Paul Menhart was promoted to replace Lilliquist. General manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement moments after the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in a game with a starting time delayed 2 1/2 hours by rain.

"We felt that both the rotation and the bullpen, we thought that we had some flaws in there," Rizzo said. "We thought that there [were] preparation issues in there, and we thought that we wanted to get a new message and a new voice."

Rizzo reiterated his support for manager Dave Martinez and said the two made the decision together.

The victory Thursday prevented a four-game sweep and improved Washington's record to 13-17.

Despite an imposing rotation highlighted by three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, three-time All-Star Stephen Strasburg and $140 million free agent Patrick Corbin, the Nationals began the day with a 4.95 ERA that ranked 13th out of 15 NL teams.

Washington's relievers are last in the NL with a 6.02 ERA, though the bullpen has improved of late.

"I was surprised, to be honest," closer Sean Doolittle said after earning his fourth save.

"I know that the bullpen didn't get off to the start that we wanted to, but here kind of over the homestand over the last week or so things have really fallen into place nicely. The starters all year long have done really, really well."

Lilliquist, the Cardinals' pitching coach from 2013 to 2017, was hired after Martinez replaced Dusty Baker.

Menhart has served as the team's minor league pitching coordinator since 2015. This year marks his 14th season in the Nationals organization.

"It's not easy," Martinez said about firing Lilliquist. "But I feel like moving forward, this is the best for the team.

"Paul Menhart, who I've known now for a couple of years, who I've talked and worked with, he brings a different kind of energy. He's positive. He's a technician. He knows analytics. A lot of our pitchers here have worked with him throughout their whole minor league careers."

It's a weekend of rivalries old and new -- Cardinals vs. Cubs, Dodgers vs. Padres, Bryce Harper's old team vs. Bryce Harper's new team. Here's your guide to all the fun.

Cardinals-Cubs has long been considered one of baseball's best rivalries. (They play this weekend at Wrigley: Friday, 2:20 p.m. ET, ESPN+; Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN.) But what is the best rivalry in baseball in 2019?

Eddie Matz: If we're talking about the here and now, I'll take Phillies-Nationals. It doesn't have the history of some of the game's more deeply rooted rivalries (how could it, when one of the teams has been in its current home for only a little more than a decade). And Nats fans have a reputation for being about as rabid as a school of goldfish. But that rep seems to have gone out the window -- at least when it comes to Bryce Harper. When the Phils visited D.C. in early April, it was some of the best baseball regular-season theater I've seen in years. I'm not sure if that tension will last throughout the eternity that is Harper's contract, or if it'll even last into next year. But for right now, it's captivating.

Sam Miller: It's probably not the best rivalry, exactly, but I love the Dodgers-Padres rivalry because only one side knows there is a rivalry. To the Dodgers, a trip to San Diego is practically a staycation: Their fans generally outshout the home team's, their team generally outscores the home team, and all in all it feels as meaningful as a trip to Arizona or Colorado. But San Diegans haaaaate the Dodgers, and it's especially aggravating that the Dodgers don't even notice and reciprocate this hatred. The Padres are like a bunch of ghosts trying to haunt a family cabin in the woods, but the family just keeps having a great time, totally unspooked. Anyway, the Dodgers have won 62 percent of their games in Petco this decade, but now the Padres are finally pretty good, and that's fun.

David Schoenfield: At this very moment, we might be looking at Phillies-Mets considering what went down last week between Rhys Hoskins and Jacob Rhame after Rhame threw at Hoskins one night and then Hoskins unloaded a home run off him the following night and proceeded to enjoy the longest home run trot in recent memory. I don't think we've seen the last of the issues between those two clubs. I might also throw out Astros-Red Sox given how those teams met in the playoffs the past two years and the winner went on to win the World Series. Of course, Yankees-Red Sox is still classic, but that's more between the fans these days -- which might also be true of Cardinals-Cubs.

But ... all that pales to the clear and obvious best rivalry: Trevor Bauer versus the Astros. Given the recent Twitter war between Bauer and Alex Bregman, this one has some serious dislike going on. Mark your calendars for July 30-Aug. 1.

The first-place Twins will be in the Bronx this weekend. What is more surprising: The Twins hitting the ball like the '27 Yankees (or the 2018 Yankees, for that matter) or the injury-riddled Yankees racking up wins with a lineup that looks like the 2011 Twins?

Matz: The Yankees are more surprising, for one reason and one reason only. Six of Minnesota's 28 games have come against the Orioles. In those six games, Nelson Cruz has four dingers. As does Max Kepler. As does Eddie Rosario. All together, the Twins have gone yard 23 times in those six contests. In other words, they've hit nearly half of their bombs against Longballtimore. Which should come as no surprise to anyone who has been forced to watch the O's this season.

Miller: The Twins are more surprising. The Yankees, besides being deep and having a great team top to bottom, have played a very soft schedule so far -- Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, the White Sox, the Giants, the Angels -- and, through Wednesday, are 0-5 against teams over .500 (Houston and Arizona). The 0-5 is interesting, probably not a big deal on its own, but five games against winning teams? At this point in the season? That's wild.

Schoenfield: I guess I'm the tiebreaker ... thing is, Eddie is right! But Sam is also right! I'll go with the Twins because I thought they might crash against the Astros this week, but they beat Justin Verlander 1-0, lost to Gerrit Cole, then won the final two games of the series. Plus, Orioles pitching or not, nobody expected them to be hitting home runs like this. In fact, it seems they'll break the franchise record for home runs, set in 1963 -- the longest-standing such record in the majors.

How important is it for the Nationals to at least hold their own this weekend at Philadelphia?

Matz: It's no more important than them holding their own later this month when they host the Mets. Or when they visit Citi Field the week after that. Or when they go to Milwaukee and L.A. next week. Truth is, I don't even know what holding their own even means as it pertains to the Nationals. Does it mean not getting swept? Does it mean taking taking two of three? Does it mean they do the sweeping? What I do know is that right now the Nationals are not a good baseball team. They look lost without Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon, and that goes for both sides of the ball. It would help if the 2018 version of Juan Soto showed up, but that hasn't happened yet. And that bullpen. Ugh. So yeah, the Nats need to turn things around, and fast. Doesn't matter who the opponent is.

Miller: The thing about a division with four good, evenly matched teams is that you want to say, "Oh, well, it'll be close all year, just gotta stay in it." But that's probably not true. More likely one team will, for reasons we can't anticipate or deduce, jump eight games ahead of where it's projected to be, and one will fall eight games behind where it's supposed to be. And the strength of the division will make it really hard for the team that falls back to claw its way into it again, since every week brings another series against a very good, highly motivated team. At this moment, the top four teams in the National League East are projected, by Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections, to win between 81 and 86 games. If the Nationals do get swept this weekend, though, they'll be surprised how quickly the pack has moved on.

Schoenfield: I want to start seeing some good baseball from the Nationals because -- let's face it -- this team has a bit of history of underachieving. At the same time, Trea Turner is still out and now Anthony Rendon is out and Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg won't pitch in this series and, well, it seems like this is what happens to the Nationals. They win the division when it's weak, like 2017 (the Marlins finished second) and 2016 (the Phillies and Braves were awful), but when faced with a little competition, like last season or 2015, stuff goes wrong. This is starting out as one of those "stuff goes wrong" seasons.

Your turn: What's the one thing you most want to see this weekend?

Matz: Can Zach Eflin go the distance again? Facing the Marlins in his last outing, the Phils righty became the fifth pitcher this season to throw a complete game. If he can repeat the feat on Sunday against Washington, Eflin will become the first hurler to post consecutive CG's since Corey Kluber did it in August 2017. Given how banged up the Nats' lineup is -- Turner, Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are all on the injured list, and Juan Soto is dealing with back spasms -- the conditions are ripe.

Miller: I'm most looking forward to seeing Casey Mize's second start with Double-A Erie -- his first being a no-hitter that he threw on Monday. Last year's first overall pick appears to be way too good for the minors, and he's putting up minor league numbers that look like those that Roger Clemens and Stephen Strasburg put up. This year, Mize has allowed a single run in 35 innings. The Tigers probably won't bring him up for a while (for shame!), so we're left rooting for farcical stat lines.

Schoenfield: Cardinals at Cubs looks like a fun showdown at Wrigley. Jack Flaherty starts on Friday and I'm curious to see if he can get on a roll after throwing seven scoreless innings in his previous start. He's 3-1 in six starts, but with a so-so 4.06 ERA and seven home runs allowed in 31 innings. In fact, despite the great start for the team, the Cardinals' rotation has been giving up a ton of long balls. The Cubs will try to take advantage.

PICK 'EM TIME

Total home runs in the three Twins-Yankees games at Yankee Stadium: Over or under 12?

Matz: Based on their averages against teams not named the Orioles, these two teams should combine for about seven homers in a three-game series. Under, please.

Miller: Under. Both teams' pitching has been solid, and neither team is the Orioles.

Schoenfield: Four home runs per game? Even with the Little League porch in right field, that's a lot of home runs. I'll go under.

The first-place Dodgers visit upstart San Diego. Will the Padres send a message to L.A. and win the series?

Matz: Absolutely. The message will be something along the lines of: "Dear Dodgers ... We're sorry to inform you that Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi and Nick Margevicius aren't as good as Chris Paddack and Matt Strahm. Next time, we'll do a better job of lining up our starting rotation. P.S: Please take it easy on us this weekend."

Miller: More likely going to send them a massage. That's supposed to be a callback to what I said earlier, about how going to Petco is like a Dodgers staycation. In retrospect, there might have been too many metaphors going on in that answer. Anyway, what I'm saying is the Dodgers are still much better than the Padres.

Schoenfield: By the way, it's Chris Paddack versus Jacob deGrom on Monday. I know that has nothing to do with the Dodgers series, but I had to point out one of the must-watch games of next week. Actually, it does have something to do with the Dodgers series: If Paddack isn't pitching in it, the Dodgers have a better shot at taking two of three.

Who's your pick for Sunday night's game -- Cardinals or Cubs?

Matz: Both teams are absolutely rolling right now. But current Cardinals players have a .979 OPS against Jose Quintana. That's more than 300 points higher than what Adam Wainwright has allowed the current Cubs. I'll take The Lou.

Miller: The Cubs have crushed righties this year, and the Cardinals are starting righty Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals have struggled against lefties, and the Cubs are starting lefty Jose Quintana. So I'll unconfidently pick the Cubs.

Schoenfield: It's a little weird the Cardinals are still depending on Adam Wainwright. After all, the last season he was both healthy and effective was 2014. Since then, he's been worth just 2.4 WAR over 74 starts. His FIP this year is 4.90 -- although he's allowed just three runs his past two starts, on three home runs. My point: Everybody wants Adam Wainwright to be really good again since he has meant so much to the franchise, but I think the Cubs tag him for a couple of long balls and win the game.

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we'll ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

CHICAGO -- Like the latest episode of HBO's "Game of Thrones," the battle to take place at Wrigley Field this weekend has been brewing for some time. In fact, the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals goes back about as far as Westeros. And just like the rise in intensity this season -- television season, that is -- the baseball rivalry has reached another level as well.

If calling your opponent's city "boring" doesn't add to the rivalry, nothing will. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was kidding, of course, when he and former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster took some shots at the city of St. Louis during a comedy sketch at the Cubs' fan fest in January, when temperatures hovered around freezing. Things got decidedly hotter when Cardinals veteran Yadier Molina took exception, calling Bryant a "stupid player and loser."

"There's obviously going to be carryover, but I thought they were harmless comments at the Cubs' convention with our fans there," Bryant said in a SportsCenter feature on the rivalry. "But now that we're in the middle of the season, I don't know what to expect. I know there will be boos and stuff like that, but maybe that adds to the rivalry."

The war of words calmed down, but that doesn't mean the intensity will when the teams meet for three games this weekend, with the Cardinals in first place and the Cubs in second. It's only May, but with the teams facing off for the first of six series, fans from both sides will undoubtedly treat it like October.

"That's what makes the NL Central so special to me," Jason Heyward said. "It's a division battle every night, it's a playoff atmosphere. And I feel like fans in the NL Central have a lot to look forward to every year, but this year it'll be really fun."

Heyward knows of what he speaks. He has played for both franchises, as has Daniel Descalso, who joined the Cubs before this season.

"I think it's as good as it's ever been," Descalso said of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry. "When I was a Cardinal (2010-14) it was sort of one-sided, the Cardinals sort of dominated the rivalry. I think the Cubs have kind of flipped the script the last couple of years, with winning the World Series in 2016, and knocking them out of the playoffs the year before that. So I'm sure the Cardinals are itching to get back on top, but the NL Central still goes through Chicago."

The Milwaukee Brewers might argue the point. They toppled the Cubs in a tiebreaker game last October for the division title, but Chicago has won the most regular-season games of any team in baseball over the past four years. That's the sort of thing about which St. Louis used to brag: year-after-year dominance. After missing the postseason the past three seasons, the Cardinals are serious about a return to the playoffs.

"That's every year," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "Just because they didn't make the playoffs the last few years, it doesn't mean they weren't battling every year. We just came out on top."

Right now, the Cardinals are on top, off to a 20-11 start. The Cubs, meanwhile, have righted the ship, going 14-5 since a 2-7 trip to start the season. They've won four in a row, scoring 32 runs in the process.

"They're playing well," Rizzo said. "We're playing well."

The result is a treat for two fan bases -- and a national audience Sunday night. By then, we'll know if January's comments -- which Bryant indicated he never thought he had to apologize for -- will have any meaning on the field. He is likely to be the Cubs' second hitter in the bottom of the first inning Friday, standing just in front of Molina. That could be interesting.

"I know they've commented and said that they're going to be fun games, they're going to be more intense, so we'll see what happens," Bryant said. "But I don't know about water under the bridge. I thought they were harmless comments. You know, I respect that team. I respect the whole organization, so there's no hard feelings on my end."

The other side may feel differently, but more important than the rhetoric this weekend is who gains or loses in the standings. This is the first time since September 2017 that the Cubs and Cardinals have faced off as the top two teams in the division. That's not that long ago but since then, both organizations have had to rebound from down moments -- the Cubs from their collapse last season, and the Cardinals from the firing of longtime manager Mike Matheny, who was replaced by Mike Shildt. Both teams are currently feeling better about themselves, but which will maintain that feeling come late Sunday night?

"St. Louis is a crazy baseball town, they love their Cardinals for sure," Descalso said. "And I'm sure they can't wait to restart the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry this year. Same goes for our fans. It should be fun."

Fergus McFadden has been banned for Leinster's Champions Cup final against Saracens on 11 May.

The winger has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being handed a six-week suspension.

McFadden, 32, was found guilty of a headbutt on Ulster's Sean Reidy during Leinster's Pro14 defeat in Belfast.

The ban, which accounts for meaningful games, runs until midnight Sunday, 25 August and also rules the player out of two of Ireland's pre-World Cup matches.

McFadden won the last of his 34 Ireland caps during the 2018 Six Nations win against France and will now miss Ireland opening World Cup warm up matches against Italy and England.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will select a 45-man pre-World Cup squad in August and will reduce his panel to 38 players after the match against England at Twickenham before finalising his tournament squad in between the matches against Wales on 31 August and 7 September.

Number eight Reidy went off for a head injury assessment shortly after the first-half incident. He did not return and is a doubt for Ulster's Pro14 quarter-final against Connacht.

McFadden attended a disciplinary hearing via video conference on Thursday after he was cited for an infringement of Law 9.12 - a player must not physically abuse anyone - striking with the head.

McFadden, scored a try in the defeat in Belfast, missed last season's Champions Cup final because of a hamstring injury.

BARRE, Vt. — Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl is finally ready to open its 60th season of racing this Sunday, May 5.

The American-Canadian Tour is coming to town for the 21st Community Bank N.A. 150, and all sorts of faces familiar to central Vermont racing fans will be along for the ride.

Nearly half the drivers who have committed to the ACT Late Model Tour season call Thunder Road their home track. Racers such as two-time defending ACT Champion Scott Payea, multi-time ACT winner Jimmy Hebert, defending ACT Rookie of the Year Dylan Payea, veteran Chip Grenier, and sophomore Christopher Pelkey spent their formative racing years at the quarter-mile oval.

Many started in go-karts or the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and rose through the ranks. That experience makes every trip to Barre a homecoming of sorts as they try to win on the region’s biggest late model stage.

“It’s actually one thing we talk about a lot — how much it would mean to get an ACT win there,” Williamstown, VT’s Hebert said. “Between winning in Canada and all the other tracks we have, it just seems like our home track has always been the toughest for us, as odd as that sounds. It’s just hard with all the locals that you have to compete with — it’s definitely a lot more difficult than most tracks we go to when it comes to racing with the locals and trying to beat them.”

They and the rest of the ACT stars are hoping for a strong finish to stay on the right track. For some, Thunder Road is a chance to build on momentum from the opener at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. Bryan Kruczek joined the ranks of first-time ACT winners at Oxford and is going for two in a row. Hebert took third in that event, while Grenier, Rich Dubeau and both Payeas were also in the top 10.

“Momentum is huge in this sport, and it should help us quite a bit,” Hebert said. “We’re going to bring the car we ran all last year to Thunder Road, which we put on the pole for the Milk Bowl. With that and all the other success we had with it, we should have a pretty good shot at it if all goes well and we stay out of that that nice new wall!”

Other ACT stars are looking to rebound from outings that didn’t meet their expectations Wayne Helliwell Jr. is a previous winner at Thunder Road and is eager to show his full hand. Ryan Kuhn, Jonathan Bouvrette, Claude Leclerc and Trent Goodrow are also looking for strong showings.

Some of Thunder Road’s finest Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model racers are expected to join them. Defending Thunder Road Rookie of the Year Brendan Moodie has entered the event, as has 2018 winner Stephen Donahue and Joel Hodgdon.

Nearly all of them have been talking about a major change at the track. An outside retaining wall now circles the high banks for the first time in Thunder Road history. While the track looks different at first glance, expectations are that Thunder Road will be the same tough customer it’s always been.

“I remember when (other tracks have) built theirs, the first time out, it really seemed a lot different,” Hebert noted. “But after a couple practice sessions, you just kind of forget about it. I don’t think it will really change the racing much until something happens — then it will remind you it’s still there.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For nearly two decades the unsung heroes of the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit have provided a sense of security for competitors of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.

MX Sports Pro Racing announced the longstanding partnership between the world’s most prestigious off-road racing series and this one-of-a-kind on-site medical service will continue this season, which will kick off in a matter of weeks on Saturday, May 18.

Led by Medical Director John “Doc” Bodnar, MD, and his Lead Physicians, Paul Reiman, MD, and Christopher Alexander, MD, this collection of health care professionals has been an invaluable asset to the wellbeing of the exceptional athletes that thrill fans across the country in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

The Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit provides critical on-site medical care to competitors, event personnel, crew members, and more at all 12 rounds of the Nationals, at no cost to its recipients. The custom-built, state-of-the-art hospital trailer is staffed with qualified and experienced medical personnel, features specialized equipment for the sport’s unique injuries, and houses a trio of on-track safety vehicles that can respond immediately to any incident.

An integral component of the overall services provided by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit is its vital Concussion Program. Led by Dr. Reiman, this initiative has been at the forefront of concussion research in the sport of motocross since its inception. Each year, Dr. Reiman works alongside leading research organizations to better understand the dynamics of concussions and their occurrence in motocross, which has led to groundbreaking treatment, testing standards and advances in head protection for not only the riders competing at the professional level, but across the industry.

The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship begins with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic on Saturday, May 18, from Prairie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Hall of Famer Red Kelly has died at age 91.

Kelly played 20 seasons in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs as both a defenseman and forward.

Kelly was an eight-time Stanley Cup winner split evenly between Detroit and Toronto.

The NHL mourns the passing of Leonard 'Red' Kelly - a man whose hockey career is so storied and distinguished that it may never be duplicated.

Full statement from Commissioner Bettman: https://t.co/CQAJbv6ZJI pic.twitter.com/r32IHG9ZZn

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 2, 2019

A 12-time All-Star, Kelly won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman for the 1953-54 season with Detroit.

He also was a four-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy given for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

"Red was the ultimate hockey renaissance man who seemingly could do it all," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

Kelly was also the Los Angeles Kings' first head coach. He also coached the Pittsburgh Penguins and Maple Leafs.

Kelly scored 281 goals and 542 assists.