If not http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , he won’t be able to step up to a more important role."Obviously, Workman has been around for quite some time now. We all remember when he burst onto the scene in 2013 and was something of a key figure in that team’s World Series run. Expectations were high for him, but after an up-and-down 2014 he went down with an injury the following year that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery. The righty has been a full-time reliever since that point, and he’s spent the last two seasons jumping between Pawtucket and Boston. That, of course, can’t happen in 2019 as he is out of minor-league options.Since returning to the majors, Workman has been an interesting pitcher whose reputation really relies on how one judges a starting pitcher. By pure results, he’s been really good and it’s hard to argue against him being the number three in this bullpen. In two partial seasons, he’s pitched to ERAs of 3.18 and 3.27. That’s good! And consistent! He’s also been consistent by FIP, though on the other end of the spectrum. His FIPs the last two years have been 4.47 and 4.45. By DRA, though, it’s been a tale of two entirely different years. In 2017, he was well above-average with a 3.68 DRA but in 2018 he was well below-average with a 6.21 DRA. The big different between the two years was in the control department. Two years ago he walked 2.5 batters per nine innings and 6.8 percent of his opponents compared to 3.5 per nine and 9.6 percent in 2018. Looking more broadly, the biggest issue for Workman through his entire career has been a lack of deception. He’s missed some bats at times, but he’s given up a ton of home runs (he’s never allowed fewer than 1.1 homers per nine innings) and has had issues with control in every year but 2017.Roster Projection 2.0Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsLooking specifically at last season, you can see a clear lack of deception from his plate discipline numbers. By Baseball Prospectus’ numbers, Workman induced swings on just 25.6 percent of pitches out of the strike zone. To put that into context, 432 pitchers threw at least 600 pitches in 2018 and only 38 got swings at a lower rate on those pitches out of the zone. That puts Workman in the bottom ten percent of the league. To be fair to him, he had good success on those swings as his swinging strike rate there was in the top three percent of the league. If he wants to reach another level in the bullpen, though, and become a third late-inning arm this team desperately needs Sandy Koufax Jersey , he’s going to need to benefit more from that swinging strike rate. And if he’s going to do that, he needs to get batters to swing at more bad pitches, which again comes down to deception.It’s really not a mystery how this would help a pitcher, and just some improvement in this area could be a massive boost for Workman. Getting more swings out of the zone would lead to more strikes (even if he takes a step back from 2018 in terms of contact rate on pitches out of the zone, which is likely), which would obviously in turn lead to more strikeouts and fewer walks. Workman has struck out fewer than a batter per inning in each of the last two years, and it’s hard to be an effective reliever in today’s game like that. Perhaps most importantly, more swings on pitches out of the zone could be a big help in the home run department. Contact on those pitches are obviously worse, and even without contact it would help lead to Workman getting ahead in counts. More advantageous counts will then lead to more defensive hitters. If he can allow even a couple fewer homers per year, it would make a huge difference.Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesThe issue here is that Workman made the adjustments last year that would ostensibly help lead to the changes we are talking about here. Specifically, he started throwing a lot fewer fastballs in 2018 and leaned more heavily on his curveball. Prior to last season, he had thrown his fastball at least half the time in every season, but that rate dropped below 40 percent in 2018. Conversely, his curveball rate was less than 25 percent in every season but in 2018 it jumped up to 37 percent. The problem was two-fold. For one thing, hitters not chasing his curveball enough, particularly on pitches below the zone. The other problem was with his third pitch, the cutter, which found itself with similar issues.As far as what needs to happen in 2019, Workman really has two paths he can take. The first is to just pound the strike zone more and hope that the improvement in walks will outweigh any increase in hard contact. The other is to work more on honing his secondaries and mixing his pitches more to get more swings out of the zone. In my estimation, his pure stuff isn’t good enough to make the first strategy works. To me, if Workman is going to take a step forward in his age-30 season http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , it’s going to be because he’s fooling more batters and moving closer to league-average in terms of swings out of the strike zone. I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it happening, but the Red Sox need someone to make a key adjustment in the bullpen, and Workman’s as good a bet as anyone. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Before slipping into the baby costume that was part of rookie dress-up travel day for the late-surging Tampa Bay Rays, Ryan Yarbrough broke a record that had stood since the team’s first season 20 years ago.And Tommy Pham homered twice for the still playoff-hopeful Rays in another win for another sweep.A day after Blake Snell became the majors’ first 20-game winner in two years, the Rays used an “opener” for the 49th time this season. Yarbrough, the second of five pitchers, struck out six in four innings for his 15th victory as Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep with a 9-3 win at Texas on Wednesday.“There’s a lot that he’s doing right, that’s pretty awesome,” manager Kevin Cash said of Yarbrough (15-5), who has started only six of his 36 games and broke the Rays rookie record for wins that had stood since their inaugural season in 1998.“He’s earned those. You’ve got to come in and you’ve got to pitch well to get a ‘W’ more times than not, and he’s done that,” Cash said. “Whether he’s started games or coming in after an opener, he’s really taking advantage of that role that we’ve asked him to pitch in.”The Rays (85-66), who have won 14 of their 17 games in September and have 11 remaining, stayed 5 1/2 games behind Oakland for the American League’s second wild card despite a record that would lead or share the lead in three divisions in baseball. But they are third in the AL East behind the 103-win Boston Red Sox and 93-win New York Yankees.“It’s really easy to look too much at the bigger picture,” said Matt Duffy, who had a two-run double. “In order to take care of win after win, and game after game, you have to focus on what’s right in front of you.”Tampa Bay’s record was the same as AL Central champion Cleveland, and better than that of NL East leader Atlanta and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.Jake Bauers had a two-run double and scored on Willy Adames‘ single in the second off lefty Yohander Mendez (2-2) to put the Rays ahead to stay at 3-0. Pham hit his 18th homer leading off the third Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey , and Duffy’s double in the fourth made it 8-1.Pham went deep again in the eighth for his seventh career multihomer game, off 45-year-old Bartolo Colon, who was pitching in relief. It was Colon’s first appearance since his last start on Sept. 5.“I play this game to win, and I play it to have success,” said Pham, whose career-best 21-game on-base streak is the longest active in the AL. “That’s what’s been going on here. When you have that combination in the locker room, it’s always going to be good.”BELTRE MOVING UPAdrian Beltre hit his 13th homer of the season for the Rangers. It was the 475th of his career, matching Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 30th on the all-time list.“I should be proud of that, and I am proud of that,” Beltre said. “Any time that you make a list with those guys’ names, you have accomplished something.”Beltre’s 1,698 RBIs are one shy of Jim Thome for 23rd. Beltre also had a double and is 15th with his 3,159 career hits, 25 behind Cal Ripken Jr.STREAKS AND SWEEPSThe Rays clinched their fourth sweep in nine series since Aug. 20, and their 12th series sweep of the season matched a club record. Tampa Bay has also won five consecutive games, the seventh time this season it won at least that many games in a row.FINALLY SCOREDTampa Bay posted shutout victories in the first two games of the series. The Rangers ended a season-long scoreless drought of 23 innings in the third when Carlos Tocci singled and scored on Elvis Andrus‘ two-out single.TRAINER’S ROOMRays: C Jesus Sucre started but didn’t finish the game. He has a sore left foot after fouling a ball off it Tuesday. “We’ll probably rest him for a day or two and see how he responds,” Cash said.Rangers: Relievers Matt Bush (partial tear of UCL in right elbow) and Austin Bibens-Dirkx (torn cartilage right knee) had surgery Wednesday. Busch will miss the first half of the 2019 season. Bibens-Dirkx is expected to be ready for spring training.UP NEXTRays: Tampa Bay starts its final road series Thursday night with the first of four games at Toronto.Rangers: After their last scheduled off day of the season Thursday, the Rangers open their final home series against Seattle on Friday night.

Castillo looks to rebound"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Farmers onlyFeaturesPlayoffsHistory/Hall of FameGame ThreadsSpring Training Game Thirteen: Mariners at RedsNew Mark Grace Jersey ,27commentsCastillo looks to reboundESTShareTweetShareShareSpring Training Game Thirteen: Mariners at RedsJasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsThe Reds, fresh off a win against the Padres, shoutout to Scott Schebler and his 4 RBI day, will look to keep the good times rolling against Yusei Kikuchi and the Seattle Mariners. Cincinnati will counter with Luis Castillo. Castillo was hit hard in his spring debut against the Angels surrendering five earned runs in 1.2 innings of work.First pitch is at 8:05 ET. Good news, it’s 2019 and you can actually watch this one on television! Catch all the action on Fox Sports Ohio or MLB TV.As C. Trent Rosecrans notes, Curt Casali is making his spring debut tonight. He had offseason surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip. Check out Gary Schatz’s article in the Dayton Daily News for a refresher on Casli’s acquisition and 2018 season with the Reds. You’ll also get to see Nick Senzel out in CF http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , which should be enough to get you in front of your TV set tonight. Here is how the lineup looks:Spend a little time prior to tonight’s game debating what you think about the Louisville Bats playing as the “Derby City Mint Juleps” for two games this season.Those jerseys are nice, but we can all agree that mint juleps are gross. It might make more sense for Milwaukee to hang on to him, though."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Brewers Rumors and SpeculationConversation StartersWPA Game RecapsTransactionsLatest NewsMLB Trade RumorsBrewers Rumors and SpeculationManny Pina drawing trade interest, per reportNew,291commentsIt might make more sense for Milwaukee to hang on to him, though.CSTShareTweetShareShareManny Pina drawing trade interest Kyle Schwarber Jersey , per reportRichard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsThe Milwaukee Brewers made a massive upgrade to their roster earlier this week when they reportedly inked catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year contract. Not that it’s a bad thing, but the added presence of the former All-Star has created a bit of a surplus behind the plate that the team will now have to figure out what to do with during Spring Training. Barring an unforeseen injury, as things stand right now David Stearns and company will have to decide whether to stick with Manny Pina or Erik Kratz as Grandal’s backup heading into the 2019 regular season. There is a chance that that the club could make a subtraction before things get to that point, however.According to Adam McCalvy’s most recent mailbag post as Brewers.com, one of Milwaukee’s excess backstops has begun to draw some trade interest:McCalvy’s comments don’t seem to indicate that any kind of deal is close or even particularly likely, but it certainly isn’t surprising that the team is getting calls on Manny Pina when considering the dearth of quality catching around the game. The 31 year old’s bat wasn’t quite as potent during his second full MLB season as it was the year before Kerry Wood Jersey , but Pina’s .252/.307/.395 slash in 2018 (85 wRC+, 90 DRC+) was still above-average when it comes to his peers at the position of catcher. He popped nine homers among his 24 extra base hits in 337 plate appearances, and he also graded out as one of the better defenders to don the tools of ignorance. Long lauded for his outstanding throwing arm, Pina caught 41% of would-be base thieves in 2018 while also accruing +4.8 framing runs (per Baseball Prospectus). In terms of overall defensive contributions, Pina was credited with +6 Defensive Runs Saved and +7.0 Fielding Runs Above Average last season.It’s no wonder why Pina’s usable bat and quality work with the pitching staff would make him a desirable commodity, and the newfound financial certainty surrounding his future is just another reason why other teams might be interested. He just inked an eminently reasonable http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , fully-guaranteed $1.6 mil deal for 2019 that includes a $1.85 mil option for 2020 with a $150K buyout, a level of cash that any team could comfortably fit into their budget whether they’re counting on Pina as their regular catcher or as a backup. But, those traits also make Manny Pina someone that might be tough for Milwaukee to part with unless Slingin’ Stearns is presented with a deal that he simply cannot refuse. This is surely a situation worth monitoring in the coming days and weeks leading up to Opening Day. For what it’s worth, Erik Kratz’s non-guaranteed contract would pay him only $300K (roughly the equivalent of 45 days worth of termination pay) if he is released before the start of the regular season.Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs and Baseball Prospectus

The Braves had Thursday off Russell Martin Jersey , but will resume action on Friday against the Phillies."BRAVES NEWSUpdated projection of Braves’ 25-man rosterBraves beat writer Mark Bowman gave an updated 25-man roster projection on Thursday, with a notable, if temporary, inclusion making the cut:Stupid off day math: probabilistic division standingsIvan looks at the probability of the Braves winning the NL East in 2019, and the results are not wildly encouraging, but as he notes, they have a better outlook than any season from 2015-2018.Braves prospect Weigel’s story is one that shouldn’t be overlookedThis story is behind a paywall on The Athletic, but is certainly one worth reading. Patrick Weigel was a top prospect as recently as 2017, and after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is now ready to resume his march to the big leagues. Read more about how the right-hander will attempt to make his mark in Atlanta in the near future, which would be quite the pleasant surprise for all those who fell in love with Weigel’s immense potential during his initial ascent through the organization.BRAVES PODCASTSTalking Chop Podcast Episode 154: Bullpen preview, Bryce Harper and moreBrad and Scott look into current events in Braves camp, such as the state of the bullpen, injury concerns, Opening Day rosters, and more. MLB NEWSShould Dodgers splurge on Kimbrel?This feels like something that could upset Braves fans...Here’s why Dallas Keuchel is a unicornAnd here’s why he is not: No horn, no magic powers, and only moderately resembles a horse. Not even close buddy. But he is a solid starter and would be a welcome addition to the Braves rotation if the price is right. What types of players should the Cubs look to draft in June?"The MLB Draft is in early June. Along with the international J-2 (for July 2 Josh Donaldson Jersey , when new international players become available) cycle, those are the most cost-effective ways of adding low-cost talent long-term. The disturbing trend (It’s disturbing for many people, at least) of players signing away free agency seasons for safe long-term contracts makes both cycles more important. That doesn’t make the selection process easy or guaranteed. A team is best-served being “top half” than “bottom half” in both processes. Do the current seasons (MLB and MiLB) play a part in preferences?As a baseball fan, you don’t have to like that owners have some of their best talent in a bit of a stranglehold to realize what’s happening. Part of why it’s happening may be the (orchestrated?) spiking of interest in recent high-end free agents. If you realize what’s happening, you can hope that your team can add a few more reasonably cost-friendly additions to the long-term talent stable. You don’t have to feel good about it. You could also hope for “more realistic deals” or “free agency compensation” for top-shelf talent. Whichever way, adding quality talent in June or July is the best way to position a team for long-term beneficial talent at low costs.I’ve never been invited to a baseball team’s “war room,” but I’d imagine a draft preference list is a rather evolving beast. The guy who looks like an obvious choice in February might have injury concerns in March, or a cold stretch in April or May. The team wants to add high-quality people, but they want them to play well, also. Tie in individual needs, and 200-plus teams being scouted, and a team’s preference list looks a bit like an elaborate spiderweb or tapestry. The information that matters most is the information leading to draft day. What happens after (likely) couldn’t have been accounted for, anyway.Since getting one player essentially rules out getting any of a dozen other similarly valued talents, desire still matters. As much as “best player available” is desired, ties and virtual ties have to be broken. To that extent, knowledge of what is already available is a reasonably important consideration. In 2016 and 2017, the system-wide pitching was a major concern. Last June’s selections were more balanced.Occasionally, prospect types are pushed a bit into people saying “call him up” regarding players doing well http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-curtis-granderson-jersey , but clearly not yet MLB-ready. A bit similarly, I run into the occasional “draft an ACE,” which falls a bit into the same bin. Ron Guidry was one of the fascinating pitchers in the late 1970s into the mid 1980s. He was a third-round choice. Do you know why nobody selected that “ace” early? Because nobody could have known he was going to be an ace from his pitching at Louisiana/Lafayette. He was respected, though, or he wouldn’t have gone so early.You might want a starting pitcher in the first round. Perhaps a thumping outfielder is more your speed. Maybe you prefer “middle infielder.” Scouts have hunches on how well players will do, but players that slip to the 27th spot in the first round will often have questions, on or off field. Based on what you know of the Cubs system, what draft trends are you most interested in seeing in 2019? More hitters than pitchers in the first six picks? How would you even assess what should be desired?Players chosen and signed are put into the development pipeline. Your preference for what the Cubs prioritize might sway a bit with how the pipeline is developing so far this season. The Triple-A Iowa Cubs and the Double-A Tennessee Smokies are pitching particularly well this season. That doesn’t rule out taking a particularly intriguing pitcher, but it limits the need to overload on that aspect of player development.The first six rounds probably provide the best chance for a breakout talent. The way the draft works, the next two most likely players to have top-side payout are choices in the 11th and 12th rounds. As often as not, rounds seven through ten are about saving money for other selections. Assessing the top of a draft can as likely be argued as “the top four,” “the top six,” or the aforementioned eight choices. Since the Cubs have the fifth-smallest draft bonus pool, don’t expect many prep selections to sign.South Bend (Low-A) is hitting for average, but not power. (South Bend is currently second of 16 Midwest League teams in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, and bottom quarter in slugging and OPS.) Myrtle Beach (Advanced-A) is hardly hitting at all. (They have a .518 OPS as a team as of Sunday morning.) Whether top-four, six J.A. Happ Jersey , or eight, I’m still interested in a mild preference of bats over arms in June. Inside the arms discussion, I’d be totally keen with adding a top reliever from the college ranks between the fourth and sixth rounds.Tom Hatch and Keegan Thompson were both recent third-round choices by the Cubs in June. Both have exceeded expectations in Tennessee, where pitchers can tend to come unglued. Disregarding any aspect of assets in a draft tends to lead to vacancies. I’m impressed with the depth of the draft on both sides of the ball this cycle. Fangraphs puts the Cubs 27th spot atop a run of preps. I doubt the Cubs would go that direction. If their board is accurate through 26 (it won’t be), my lean would be for Seth Johnson, Matt Wallner, or Tommy Henry.Johnson is very new to pitching. A shortstop last season at Louisburg College, he transferred to Campbell University. For those of you who are pitching mechanics-minded, here is video that is way better than I’m used to from college films.Matt Wallner is a right-fielder who also pitches in the mid-90’s. The bat is the buy here, but the arm indicates “can play right field”. Earlier in the season, Wallner and JJ Bleday (Vanderbilt) were closely ranked. Bleday has done better, as have Kameron Misner (Missouri) and Hunter Bishop (Arizona State). Here’s some recent video of Wallner.Henry is a crafty lefty from Michigan who is surging up draft boards. If you’re a velocity agnostic, Henry is just about ideal. He finds ways to induce meaningless contact, Fangraphs uses the term “TrackMan friendly” with Henry.Regardless of perceived weaknesses in any pipeline, the top pick ought to be “the best player available”. If the board gets to the Cubs with those three players on the board, and none of the talent above on the Fangraphs list, who do you want? Which pitcher of the two looks more ace-like (in four years)? What other questions do you have about the pending draft?

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time since 2011 Addison Russell Jersey , the Washington Nationals will go through a season without any help from Bryce Harper.So it’s rather likely this year will be viewed, at least in part, as a referendum on whether the Nationals should have figured out a way to keep the young slugger.“Everyone wants this answer: Is it better or worse without him? You can’t say one way or the other. Our chemistry and our vibe — whatever you want to call it — is really good. It’s one of the best that we’ve had in years. And people will read that and say: ‘Oh, well, because Bryce is gone.’ No, it has nothing to do with that,” Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “If he re-signed here, and we signed all these other guys as well, it could be the same. You don’t know. Everyone wants to talk about (Harper), which I get, but I think everyone in here is really happy with the group we have.”This much is clear: It’s a significantly different group.General manager Mike Rizzo remade more than a third of the roster after the Nationals went 82-80 and missed the playoffs following two NL East titles in a row.Max Scherzer, for one, was not surprised at all to see Washington sign free agent after free agent and add a couple of other players via trade.“I mean, here’s the reality of it: When you lose, and you fail as a team, you’re probably going to have some roster turnover,” said Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner. “That’s just how it is in baseball. Last year was a failure for us, so our front office wanted to make changes across the board. Now we just want to get everybody on the same page.”That job falls to manager Dave Martinez, whose second season in charge begins March 28 at home against the division rival New York Mets.“Hopefully,” Rizzo said, “I gave him the right parts.”Harper is no longer around after playing his first seven seasons in Washington, making six All-Star teams and winning Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. He left to sign a $330 million, 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after the Nationals offered $300 million with a significant chunk of it deferred.No one on the Nationals produced more homers (34), RBIs (100), walks (130) or runs (103) than Harper last season.“As good as Harper is Sammy Sosa Jersey , we had to bring in other pieces. Not just one guy, but multiple personnel,” Martinez said. “Not one guy is going to win games for you. They all have to do their job.”Some other things to know about the 2019 Washington Nationals:NEW FACESA rotation fronted by Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg added lefty Patrick Corbin for $140 million over six years and righty Anibal Sanchez. A bullpen that needed restocking added former closers Trevor Rosenthal (coming off reconstructive elbow surgery) and Kyle Barraclough, along with experienced lefty Tony Sipp. Two catchers came aboard, AL All-Star Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki. Brian Dozier takes over as the starting second baseman.ROOKIE TO WATCHA year after left fielder Juan Soto was a revelation at age 19, finishing as Rookie of the Year runner-up, center fielder Victor Robles gets his shot at 21. Robles showed glimpses of his power and speed during a call-up last season. “I feel ready, physically and mentally,” Robles said through a translator.REAL ROTATIONNo “openers” here. Rizzo is a firm believer in the value of starting pitching in the most traditional sense. Having healthy and up-to-their-high-standards years from the top three members of the rotation not only will bring wins, it will ease the burden on the bullpen.GETTING RELIEFCloser Sean Doolittle is a known quantity; the rest of the rebuilt relief corps could be the real key to Washington’s success. “They say the last three outs are the hardest to get,” Doolittle said. “But they’re not always the most important.” JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Leaving the clubhouse after his first exhibition game this year, St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina got a fist bump from third baseman Matt Carpenter.“It’s good to have you back,” said Carpenter, one All-Star to another.Molina went 1 for 2 as a designated hitter Friday, the 36-year-old’s first game since left knee surgery in mid-December. Molina is likely to be behind the plate on Saturday, catching Adam Wainwright against Houston — about a week ahead of the original projection for him to catch.“I can’t really tell you how happy I am just to be back with Waino,” Molina said.A nine-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove, Molina singled through the left side off Washington newcomer Patrick Corbin and scored in a three-run Cardinals‘ first.“Just proves yet again he’s a special guy,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said. “Comes in, first at-bat, gets down 0-2 and battles, battles, battles. It’s impressive to see a guy that takes a pro at-bat like that — that can work on getting his timing as the at-bat goes.”Molina then lined out to first.“I was nervous about how I was going to feel but that’s a good nervous and everything feels fine, everything feels good with my body,” Molina said. “I’m happy to be back and part of the team again.”Marcell Ozuna replaced Molina at designated hitter Joe Maddon Jersey , striking out twice. Ozuna, hitless in 14 spring training at-bats, had right shoulder surgery on Oct. 30. He is slated to join outfielders in throwing drills on Saturday and could make his first outfield appearance on Monday in left.“I think it’s going to help when he gets into games because that flow of play will get him in a little bit of rhythm,” Shildt said.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESCUBS 9, MARINERS 3Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager is expected to be OK after rolling over his glove hand diving for a groundball by Javier Baez. The Mariners said Seager was pulled as a precaution and did not receive medical treatment.Anthony Rizzo homered and singled twice for Chicago.WHITE SOX 15, ANGELS 8AL Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani played soft toss for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. The Angels expect Ohtani to rejoin the team in May as a designated hitter. He won’t take the mound again for Los Angeles until 2020.Mike Trout doubled and drove in a run with a groundout and Albert Pujols had an RBI single and is batting .500 for Los Angeles. Andrew Heaney made his second start, allowing a hit and walk while retiring two batters. Heaney, who is battling elbow inflammation, was on a 25-pitch limit.Yonder Alonso hit his third spring home run for Chicago, singled twice and drove in three runs. Welington Castillo hit his first home run and his third double, driving in two and scoring twice.MARLINS 10, METS 3Neil Walker hit his first two home runs for Miami, a three-run shot off Noah Syndergaard and a solo drive off Seth Lugo.Robinson Cano homered for the first time with New York and Jeff McNeil homered for his first hit of spring training. Both came off Dan Straily, who pitched 3 1/3 innings in his third start.Syndergaard allowed six hits and four runs, striking out eight. He didn’t walk anyone after issuing five in his last start. New closer Edwin Diaz gave up a hit in a scoreless inning.BLUE JAYS (SS) 11, PIRATES (SS) 0Toronto prospect Bo Bichette homered and had two singles, scoring twice and raising his average to .368. Anthony Alford hit two solo home runs and singled. Billy McKinney add Jonathan Davis added two-run homers for the Blue Jays‘ split squad.Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams gave up five hits and two walks in three innings.BLUE JAYS (SS) 5, PIRATES (SS) 2Brandon Drury hit his second spring home run and Justin Smoak had two singles for Toronto’s split squad. Marcus Stroman made his third start, allowing one hit in four shutout innings, striking out three.Pittsburgh starter Rookie Davis gave up four hits and four walks in two innings.CARDINALS (SS) 3, NATIONALS 2Matt Wieters singled twice and drove in a run for St. Louis. Michael Wacha made his third start, pitching four innings and yielding two runs and six hits.Matt Adams hit his second home run for Washington. Closer Sean Doolittle pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one in his second appearance.ORIOLES 4, RED SOX 2Andrew Cashner made his second start for Baltimore, going 1 2/3 innings and allowing one run on a hit and two walks. Boston managed just Tzu-Wei Lin’s RBI double and a single by Eduardo Nunez.TWINS 5, RAYS 5 Willson Contreras Jersey , 9 INNINGSMinnesota prospect Alex Kirilloff hit a pair of singles. Jose Berrios made his third start, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings.Willy Adames hit a two-run homer and Ji-Man Choi and Jake Smolinski both hit solo shots for Tampa Bay. Brandon Lowe had his fifth double, scoring a run and raising his average to .435.BREWERS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 3Travis Shaw hit two home runs for Milwaukee, Lorenzo Cain had two singles and an RBI and Christian Yelich doubled and scored.Zack Godley’s ERA rose to 7.36 in his third start, pitching four innings and allowing three runs and five hits. Closer Archie Bradley followed Godley, allowing a run on three hits while striking out three.ROYALS (SS) 8, REDS 3Billy Hamilton hit his third double this spring and singled, scoring two runs and driving in another for Kansas City’s split squad. Alex Gordon had an RBI double. Ian Kennedy made his second start, pitching four innings and giving up three runs and five hits while striking out five.Eugenio Suarez had a double and single for Cincinnati. Jose Peraza hit his first home run.ATHLETICS 6, PADRES 5Marco Estrada struggled in his second start for Oakland, pitching three innings and allowing three runs on three hits, two walks. Chad Pinder had two doubles and an RBI for the A’s.Hunter Renfroe had a double and single, driving in three runs for San Diego.ROCKIES 11, RANGERS 10Pat Valaika hit his fourth home run and Ryan McMahon connected for Colorado. Daniel Murphy had an RBI double and Nolan Arenado added a run-scoring single for just his third hit this spring. Arenado is batting .143.Rockies prospect Colton Welker won the game with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth.Elvis Andrus hit a grand slam for his first home run and singled for Texas. Joey Gallo doubled and singled. Lance Lynn allowed just one hit, striking out four in four innings in his second start.BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 4Josh Donaldson popped out and walked in his exhibition debut for Atlanta. Kevin Gausman, bothered by a sore shoulder this spring, gave up three runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings.Aaron Altherr doubled and singled twice for Philadelphia. Newcomer Bryce Harper is set to make his debut Saturday as a DH against Toronto.TIGERS 6, YANKEES 5New York starter Masahiro Tanaka struck out five in 3 1/3 innings. He also gave up a home run to Daz Cameron.Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Yankees. Detroit starter Matthew Boyd went four innings.GIANTS 2, INDIANS 0San Francisco starter Drew Pomeranz pitched four scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Carlos Santana had two hits for Cleveland.CARDINALS (SS) 6, ASTROS 3Matt Carpenter homered for St. Louis. Houston starter Gerrit Cole gave up one hit in three scoreless innings.ROYALS (SS) 7, DODGERS 5Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer for Kansas City. A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson homered for Los Angeles.

Looking back at a pitcher who will live on in Astros lore"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsOde to CFM: A Charlie Morton RetrospectiveNew Jimmy Wynn Jersey ,15commentsLooking back at a pitcher who will live on in Astros lorewas guaranteed. I think a lot of people, myself included, had mentally assumed he would be returning to the Astros, even after they didn’t make him a qualifying offer. There seemed to be signs that he would be coming back, but it turned out to not be in the cards. Still, that doesn’t explain everything. Sure, Houston needs pitching, but missing out on Patrick Corbin or Nathan Eovaldi didn’t hurt. And it’s been sad to see so many other longtime fixtures of the franchise likely moving on this winter, from Dallas Keuchel to Evan Gattis to Marwin Gonzalez. But something about losing Ground Chuck that feels a little different than them.Maybe it’s just that there was still some hope he’d be coming back, whereas we’ve been mentally preparing (to some extent or another) for the other three to leave for months now. Or maybe it’s how quietly and quickly he grew on Astros fans; he wasn’t a major trade acquisition, like Gattis, or a minor leaguer called up who we got to watch develop, like Keuchel or Marwin.Instead, Morton kind of snuck up on everyone the last few seasons. Coming off a pair of career years, it’s almost funny to look back at the news stories that were written at the time of his signing back in November of 2016. There was a little optimism that he could be a mid-rotation starter, a little hesitancy about if he could stay healthy enough to pitch, but generally, there was a lot of indifference. A lot of people saw it as just a depth signing; articles and comments discussing the move as a part of other deals the Astros were making almost always totally ignored discussing Morton in favor of everyone else.Which makes sense to some extent http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , as his career up to that point had been pretty uninteresting. He was a former Braves 3rd round pick in 2002 (the same draft that saw them take Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann in the rounds before him), a point in the draft in which there are still some good players, but most fade away unnoticed (22 of the 30 players from that round never made the majors, and only Morton and Curtis Granderson have had any sort of success in the Majors). He was then traded to Pittsburgh as part of the Nate McLouth trade, where he went through a bunch of reworks (remember when he tried to imitate Roy Halladay?), but usually just wound up being another back-end starter with frequent injuries. After 7 years there, he traveled across the state to the Phillies, but was once again the victim of injuries.Prior to signing with Houston, Morton was a newly-33-year-old who had nearly 900 innings with a 4.54 ERA and a 4.10 FIP. By Wins Above Replacement, Baseball-Reference had him as a -0.5 WAR pitcher for his career, while Fangraphs had a slightly rosier (but still generally unimpressive) 7.8 mark over parts of nine seasons. He was seen as another cog in part of a wider offseason plan, where all he had to do was basically be as good as Doug Fister. How crazy is it that this is a guy who would pick up his first All-Star Game appearance at the age of 34? Who would earn arguably the two most important wins in franchise history? Who would be on the mound for a moment that’s already immortalized and, ten or twenty or however many years from now, you’ll be able to rewatch and smile like it just happened? It’s hard to overstate just how important that World Series Game 7 relief appearance is, too. Coming off of a strong 6-and-a-third inning start in Game 4 that ended in a disappointing loss via bullpen implosion, and coming into a game that had already seen four pitchers fail to record more than seven outs, it would have been understandable for any pitcher to give it their all for two or three innings, then trust their teammates to see things through. After all Charlie Morton Jersey , Ground Chuck was a pitcher with a mile-long injury report pitching on short rest who had seemingly struggled in his first inning, allowing a run on twenty pitches and getting hit with a bat shard.But Morton buckled down. In a postseason that had seen bullpen disasters galore, Charlie decided to take matters into his own hands. Each inning from there on would be a 1-2-3 affair, each with a strikeout. Going into the ninth with only 43 pitches, it was clear that no one else would be coming in to close things out that night. And it wasn’t just Houston history the Connecticut native made that night. A week and a half earlier, he had been tagged the starter for ALCS Game 7. After dropping three in a row at Yankee Stadium, the Astros’ season had been saved by a heroic performance from Justin Verlander. But that’s almost to be expected when you acquire an ace who’s already planning his Cooperstown speech. What shocked some people was following that up with the supposed-journeyman-fifth-starter who only just joined the team that year, rather than the homegrown young fireballer Lance McCullers. But Morton delivered, striking out five in five strong innings. With McCullers’ own strong four innings to close things out, Charlie picked up the win. Between that start, and being the pitcher of record in the final World Series game, Morton became the first pitcher in MLB history to win two Game 7s in a single season. It may be decades before we see someone match that feat. And had Morton lasted just two outs more in his first start of the playoffs, he would have been the winning pitcher in every single clinching game that year. That’s a hell of an impact to leave on just a two-year deal, especially one that so many critics at the time dismissed or overlooked. But he followed it up by being a part of the absolutely historic rotation this year, keeping pace with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole at the tops of the leaderboards for months. Even with his eventual injury limiting his innings, he still managed to dot the leaderboards, leading the league in winning percentage and making the top ten in a range of other stats. It’s amazing and inspiring to see someone like Charlie, after years of injury and stalling out and self-improvement http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , reach the pinnacle of success, etch his name in the record books, and then improve on that all while remaining such a humble and pleasant person. Regardless of the fact that he was only in town for two years, the impression he made here has been massive. Good luck in Tampa, CFM; we’ll all miss you here. NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Mendoza has heard the ribbing.An ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst since 2015, she added a part-time role last month as a New York Mets baseball operations adviser.“OK, you work for the Mets, we can’t talk to you anymore,” she recalled hearing from teams during her spring training rounds, quickly adding “in a joking way.”She’s not worried that wearing two hats will lead to less inside info for her two ears. In an era when players and clubs treat the tiniest tidbit as a state secret, Mendoza already felt teams were hesitant to provide her intelligence in her pundit role because they knew “information they would give me as a member from ESPN was about to go on air.” She doesn’t expect that to change with the new job title.Mendoza spoke Thursday during a conference call with booth-mate Alex Rodriguez to promote the 30th anniversary of ESPN’s Sunday night broadcasts, which also include play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian.Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president of production and remote events, expressed confidence in Mendoza’s impartiality. She will continue to broadcast games involving the Mets.“We’re not looking to fool anybody. We’re not looking to trick the viewers into anything,” he said. “We’ll be upfront with viewers off the top of the game, letting people know, and we will let the viewers decide ultimately if this is something that they’re on board with.”Rodriguez has been a New York Yankees adviser since his retirement, among several players to work as broadcasters while retaining a part-time role with a team.“Alex’s commentary last year on a Yankee game was no different than if it was on any other game Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey ,” Gross said.A member of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004 and 2008, Mendoza said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen first spoke with her about a position last August or September, when he still was co-head of the CAA Baseball agency and was preparing to interview with New York.“I’m actually putting you in my presentation and I just wanted to get your OK with that, your thoughts,” she remembered him saying. “So we kind of started talking about it then, and from there, obviously, he got the job.”Van Wagenen asked her at first whether she would move to New York to work for the Mets full-time, an entreaty Mendoza took as “a little joking.” The 38-year-old wanted to remain in California, where her kids go to school.She views ESPN as her “full-bore priority.” Mendoza has spent one day working for the Mets since she was hired March 5.Mendoza says she isn’t worried that Mets owner Fred Wilpon or chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, the owner’s son, would be upset if she is critical. Mendoza promises to be just as reproving directly with team management.“Part of my job is to kind of look, evaluate and knowing that, be honest. I’m an analyst first,” she said. “I would hope that that’s why they hired me, because of my honesty and criticism and not just to say all the right things.”

Walker Buehler http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , Julio Urias, Ismael Vald z, Fernando Valenzuela, Don Newcombe have all made postseason starts in rookie season"If you watched Walker Buehler pitch last Monday, it is sometimes hard to remember that he is a rookie starting pitcher.And today, when Buehler takes the mound in Atlanta, he will become one of just a few Dodger rookie pitchers to start a postseason game.One thing up front, for this article Ross Stripling Jersey , I am not including Dodger pitchers who pitched professionally in Asia before coming to Los Angeles.There are four pitchers, Hideo Nomo, Hiroki Kuroda, Hyun-jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda who all started postseason games in their first seasons with Los Angeles.Buehler will become the first Dodger rookie that was drafted by the Dodgers to make a postseason start.Going back to 1947, with Buehler’s start today, there have been thirteen rookie pitchers to start a postseason game for the Dodgers, seven with the Brooklyn Dodgers.Harry Taylor holds the distinction of the only World Series starting pitcher to not record an out and give up an unearned run.Taylor started Game 4 of the 1947 World Series.Don Newcombe made two starts in the 1949 World Series.Newcombe was the third recipient of National League Rookie of the Year Award.He went 17-8 and pitched 244鈪?innings with a 3.17 ERA.Joe Black was the 1952 National League Rookie of the Year awardee.Despite making just two starts in the regular season, Black started three times in the 1952 World Series.Billy Loes started Game 6 for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1952 World Series.Johnny Podres http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , who would become the first World Series MVP for the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, started Game 5 of the 1953 World Series in his rookie season.Roger Craig was a rookie for the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and he started and won Game 5 in that year’s World Series.Another rookie starter in the 1955 World Series was Karl Spooner.Spooner would not pitch in the major leagues again after his Game 6 start.Fernando Valenzuela ended his historic 1981 rookie season by making starts in each of the three postseason series the Dodgers played that season.His last start in Game 3 of the 1981 World Series would be the first matchup on two Rookie of the Year Award winners in the season they won the award.Tim Belcher was undefeated in four starts in the 1988 postseason (though he was helped by a certain pinch-hit home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series). Ismael Vald茅z finished seventh in the 1995 Rookie of the Year balloting behind teammate Hideo Nomo and future HOF Chipper Jones.Vald茅z made one start in the 1995 NLDS and he pitched well, going seven innings and giving up two unearned runs and three hits against the Cincinnati Reds.Fan favorite Hung-Chih Kuo started Game 2 of the 2006 NLDS against the New York Mets.Julio Ur铆as started Game 4 of the 2016 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.Ur铆as had pitched 77 innings in his rookie season with the Dodgers and he was just two months past his 20th birthday when he made that start.It did not go well for Ur铆as as he gave up four runs in 3鈪?innings pitched.Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton all pitched for pennant winning teams in their rookie seasons but they did not start in that season’s World Series.Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley played for division winning teams in their rookie seasons but neither of them started in the playoffs that season.Walker Buehler has already shown that he can pitch in big games, today’s start can only add to that reputation. Game InfoTime:5:07 p.m. PDTTV:FS1 You really didn’t expect David Stearns to go this long without a minor league signing, did you?"While most of the talk about the Brewers’ catching situation has focused on the possibility of upgrades at the Major League level, they also could use some help at the upper levels of the minor league organization.Outside of Jacob Nottingham, the Brewers didn’t necessarily have anyone who was ready to handle Triple-A after Christian Bethancourt became a minor league free agent. Add in the possibility of Nottingham maybe getting a chance to steal a Major League roster spot this spring Joc Pederson Jersey , and the organization needed someone who could at least fill a season before some of the young catchers in the lower levels of the minors start to work their way up.That’s why David Stearns went out and signed what might be the best name for a catcher you could dream up — Tuffy Gosewisch — to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.If there was ever someone destined to be a baseball player in San Antonio, it’s someone named Tuffy. He’s a real person, there’s a picture and everything.Gosewisch is a veteran minor leaguer, having spent 12 seasons riding the bus — including last season at Triple-A Syracuse in the Washington Nationals system, where he hit .219/.310/.335. He didn’t make his Major League debut until he was 29, finally getting the call from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013. He spent 7.5 years in the Philadelphia system before having his contract bought by Toronto in 2012, only to sign with Arizona that offseason as a minor league free agent.He hasn’t had much success during his brief stints in the big leagues, hitting .190/.228/.271 in 137 games over the course of 5 seasons. He was most recently in the Majors with Seattle in 2017 http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , when he played in 11 games in May of that year.He’ll likely be a camp body until heading back to minor league camp, where he’ll probably end up being almost a player-coach, similar to the way Tim Dillard has been kept around in the Triple-A bullpen.Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts left the game after hurting his left side making a throw to home plate during a 4-3 win over the New York Mets on Sunday that cut Boston’s magic number to two for a third straight AL East title.Boston can clinch the division at Yankee Stadium for the second time in three seasons Luis Severino Jersey , needing only one win during a three-game series that opens Tuesday afternoon.Betts said the injury is minor and he will be in the lineup Tuesday. He is hitting .337 with 29 homers and 72 RBIs.Andrew Benintendi hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning off Seth Lugo (3-4) after a matchup of Boston’s Chris Sale and New York’s Jacob deGrom, both Cy Young Award candidates. Brandon Workman (5-0) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Steven Wright got three outs for his first big league save.BLUE JAYS 3, YANKEES 2NEW YORK (AP) — Dellin Betances wasted a 2-1 eighth-inning lead, allowing hits to four of his first five batters. Pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez had a tying single and Randal Grichuk a go-ahead double. Betances (4-6) has lost in two of his past three appearances.The Yankees maintained a 1½-game lead over Oakland for the top AL wild card. Manager Aaron Boone said All-Star slugger Aaron Judge could return to the lineup against Boston.Andrew McCutchen hit his fourth homer with the Yankees on the second pitch from Thomas Pannone (3-1). Toronto closer Ken Giles struck out Gary Sanchez with a runner on to end his second save in two days.CARDINALS 5, DODGERS 0ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright pitched two-hit ball over six innings for his first win in five months, Marcell Ozuna homered and St. Louis salvaged the finale of a four-game series with Los Angeles.The Cardinals snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and moved into a tie for the second National League wild card with the Dodgers, who slipped a half-game behind Colorado for the NL West lead.The Rockies visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series beginning Monday night, the last regular-season meeting between the teams.Wainwright (2-3), making his second start since missing almost four months with right elbow inflammation, struck out a season-high nine while earning his first victory since April 16.Ozuna had three hits and Yadier Molina drove in two runs.Cardinals reliever Bud Norris left the game with a blister on his middle finger in the seventh. Jordan Hicks and Carlos Martinez completed the four-hit shutout — one night after the Dodgers piled up 17 runs.Ross Stripling (8-4) started strong but lasted only 3 1/3 innings.ASTROS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander (16-9) struck out 11 in seven innings, allowing one run and three hits for Houston, which leads second-place Oakland by 4½ games in the AL West.Arizona is 4½ games behind in the NL West and four games back for the second NL wild card.Zack Greinke (14-10) allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.Tyler White hit a two-out, RBI double in the sixth for a 2-1 lead, Josh Reddick homered leading off the seventh, Jose Altuve had an RBI single later in the inning and Martin Maldonado added a run-scoring single in the eighth.Eduardo Escobar had a sacrifice fly in the ninth and Daniel Descalso hit a two-run homer off Roberto Osuna, who struck out Ketel Marte for his 18th save.RAYS 5, ATHLETICS 4ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Khris Davis hit a grand slam in the ninth off Sergio Romo http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , his major league-leading 43rd homer.Tampa Bay trails Oakland by seven games with 14 games left.C.J. Cron and Willy Adames homered off Mike Fiers (12-7). Andrew Kittredge (3-2) and seven relievers combined on a four-hitter, and Romo got two outs for his 21st save.NATIONALS 6, BRAVES 4ATLANTA (AP) — Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon hit two-run homers off Sean Newcomb (12-9) and 19-year-old rookie Juan Soto added an RBI single.Atlanta maintained a 6½-game lead in the NL East over second-place Philadelphia.Tanner Roark (9-15) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings, and Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save.MARLINS 6, PHILLIES 4PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Peter O’Brien homered and drove in three runs as Miami ended a five-game losing streak. O’Brien put the Marlins ahead with a two-run homer in the fourth and Bryan Holaday added a pair of doubles.Nick Pivetta (7-13), who has won only one of his last 11 starts, struck out seven in the first three innings.Jose Urena (7-12) allowed one run and three hits through a five-inning stint for his third straight win. He left early because of cramping in his pitching hand.REDS 2, CUBS 1CHICAGO (AP) — The Cubs‘ NL Central lead remained at 2½ games over second-place Milwaukee when Scott Schebler homered on the first pitch of the game from Jose Quintana (13-10) and Phillip Ervin also went deep.Joey Votto had three hits for last-place Cincinnati.Luis Castillo (10-12) allowed one run, four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, giving up Albert Almora Jr.’s sacrifice fly in the fifth. Amir Garrett and Jared Hughes combined for four outs and Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 27th save, completing a five-hitter.PIRATES 3, BREWERS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana homered on consecutive pitches from Felipe Vazquez to begin the ninth, but Milwaukee fell short. The Brewers lead the NL wild-card race by three games.Trevor Williams (13-9) allowed two hits in six scoreless innings. Vazquez got his 24th consecutive save and 34th overall this season when Ryan Braun struck out, Mike Moustakas popped out weakly and Erik Kratz grounded out.Jhoulys Chacin (14-8) gave up two runs and three hits in five innings.ROCKIES 3, GIANTS 2SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Antonio Senzatela pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning and hit a two-run single as Colorado topped San Francisco and moved back into first place in the NL West.The Rockies, blanked the previous two days, avoided a three-game sweep. They jumped a half-game in front of Los Angeles when the Dodgers lost at St. Louis.Senzatela (5-6) left in the sixth and Wade Davis got his NL-leading 40th save. The Rockies scored three times in the second against Dereck Rodriguez (6-4).PADRES 7, RANGERS 3SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie Francisco Mejia hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning and San Diego avoided three-game sweep in a matchup of last-place teams.It was the first walkoff for Mejia, who was promoted from Triple-A on Sept. 4. The prized prospect has hit three homers since then.The Rangers were two outs away from a 3-2 win before Freddy Galvis hit a tying double off rookie reliever Jeffrey Springs (0-1). Mejia homered off Springs.Kirby Yates (5-3) got two outs for the win.ANGELS 4, MARINERS 3ANAHEIM Aaron Judge Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Kole Calhoun hit a tiebreaking home run and Justin Upton connected in his third straight game as Los Angeles averted a four-game sweep.Angels star Shohei Ohtani appeared to be limping as he jogged off the field in the eighth inning after he slid awkwardly into second base and was caught stealing.Calhoun’s solo homer in the seventh off reliever Nick Vincent (3-4) snapped his 0-for-25 skid.Taylor Cole (2-2) got the win and Ty Buttrey struck out the side in the ninth for his third save.TIGERS 6, INDIANS 4CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians rested several regulars a day after clinching the AL Central. Jim Adduci homered and drove in a career-high four runs for DetroitFrancisco Liriano (5-10) allowed three runs in seven innings for the Tigers, who won two of three in the series after losing 10 straight at Progressive Field dating to last season.Cleveland rookie Shane Bieber (10-4) wasted a 3-1 lead in the fifth.Indians reliever Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless seventh but gave up a solo home run to Mikie Mahtook in the eighth. Miller has been on the disabled list three times this season with hamstring, knee and shoulder injuries.ORIOLES 8, WHITE SOX 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonathan Villar and Adam Jones homered and rookie Cedric Mullins had a career-high four hits.Baltimore took control with a five-run first inning against Lucas Giolito (10-11) and held on for its 43rd victory. That means the Orioles can’t match the major league record of 120 losses in a season, set by the 1962 New York Mets.Ryan Meisinger (1-0) got the final two outs in the fifth for his first major league victory, and Paul Fry finished for his initial big league save.TWINS 9, ROYALS 6KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tyler Austin hit one of Minnesota’s four home runs and made a spectacular catch while flipping into the dugout down the first-base line as Minnesota avoided a four-game sweep.Max Kepler, Johnny Field and Jorge Polanco also went deep for the Twins, who had a season-high 18 hits.Kyle Gibson (8-13) lasted into the seventh and ended a four-start losing streak despite giving up five runs and 11 hits.Jerry Vasto (0-1) allowed one run on three hits to take the loss in relief. MIAMI (AP) — Making his first opening day start, Kyle Freeland pitched like it was just another game, which means the Colorado Rockies won.The left-hander allowed two hits and one run in seven innings, and Colorado beat the sloppy Miami Marlins 6-3 Thursday.Freeland (1-0), who had a breakout 17-win season in 2018, retired his first 11 batters before Starlin Castro lined a single. The only other hit Freeland allowed was a pinch-hit home run by J.T Riddle leading off the sixth inning.“I try to keep my mental state the same throughout the season,” the left-hander said. “I try not to change anything just because it’s opening day and a new season. There’s really no reason to.”True enough. The Rockies have won 16 of Freeland’s 18 regular-season starts since July 2, and he has won nine consecutive decisions, the longest active streak in the major leagues.Miami had only four hits but had three home runs, including two by pinch-hitters for only the second time in franchise history. But the crowd was booing by the fourth inning Gleyber Torres Jersey , when the Rockies scored four times with the help of two errors.Colorado’s Nolan Arenado began earning his new $260 million, eight-year contract when he doubled to start the fourth and scored the first run off Jose Urena (0-1). Trevor Story homered , and David Dahl had three hits and scored twice.“We feel like we’re a long and deep lineup, and there are no easy outs,” Story said.Overall, it was the kind of start the Rockies had in mind as they seek their third consecutive trip to playoffs, and the first NL West title in franchise history.One downer for Colorado: Charlie Blackmon and newcomer Daniel Murphy each went 0 for 5 at the top of the order.The Rockies had a 6-0 lead by the fifth inning for Freeland, who struck out five and threw 93 pitches. He committed a throwing error but also made a nifty barehanded grab on the run to cover first for a 3-1 putout.Manager Bud Black liked the way Freeland responded with men on base.“He has the ability to make pitches at critical times,” Black said. “The fight in him is second to none.”The Marlins are off to a 0-1 start for the fifth consecutive year, and despite a rebranding that includes new colors and a new logo, they could be headed for their 10th losing season in a row.Neil Walker hit a pinch-hit homer in his first at-bat for Miami. Teammate Jorge Alfaro, another Marlins newcomer, homered with two out in the ninth.COSTLY COMEBACKERDahl hit a line drive off Urena’s left calf in the second inning, prompting a visit to the mound by Miami’s trainer. Urena went on to allow six runs, four earned, in 4 2/3 innings.“Jose hung in there,” manager Don Mattingly said. “I think after he got hit, it took some wind out of his sails. You could see it as the game went on.”Urena said the injury wasn’t serious.“It’s going to be a little tender, a little bit tight, but I’ll be fine Tyler Austin Jersey ,” he said.MARLINS LAPSESMiami’s defense turned leaky in the fourth, when shortstop Miguel Rojas made a wild throw to first and center fielder Lewis Brinson let a single elude him, allowing a runner to score from first.Earlier, catcher Alfaro was slow to pursue a pitch that bounced away from him, which permitted a runner to advance.“When you don’t play a crisp game — we made some mistakes that led to runs,” Mattingly said.Derek Jeter, beginning his second season as the Marlins’ CEO, watched the start of the game from the second row but was out of there by the fourth.DIFFERENT LOOKThe game drew a crowd of 25,423 at Marlins Park, where the outfield wall is now navy instead of a garish green, and the widely disliked home run sculpture has been replaced by a tiered, standing-room-only area.With rain in the area, the retractable roof was closed.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: Before the game, they placed LHP Chris Rusin (mid-back strain) and RHP Antonio Senzatela (blister infection, right heel) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 25.UP NEXTRHP German Marquez (14-11, 3.77 in 2018) is scheduled to start Friday for the Rockies against RHP Trevor Richards (4-9, 4.42).

Justin Edmonds/Getty ImagesThe Milwaukee Brewers are on to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2011 after completing the sweep over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.Wade Miley threw 4.2 scoreless innings and the bullpen took care of the rest as the Brewers earned the 6-0 win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The team is also climbing the record books with its recent hot streak:MLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayThe Brewers are riding an 11-game winning streak into the #NLCS.Talk about getting hot at the perfect time. HUm9UVJioIColorado could only manage four hits in what became the second straight shutout in the 3-0 series loss.Milwaukee Offense Proved It Can Win Without Christian YelichChristian Yelich was the talk of baseball over the second half of the season as his red-hot bat helped him become a favorite for the NL MVP award. However http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , it's clear the Brewers don't need their star to have a big game in order to win.Milwaukee finished Game 3 with 12 hits from eight players, while Yelich ended up just 0-for-3 with two walks.The squad managed to score in a variety of different ways, using small ball to bring in the first run, while Jesus Aguilar went with the long ball for his first hit of the series:Milwaukee Brewers BrewersCouns believes in Jes煤s.... so much so that he called his homer yesterday. There were no men on base, but well take it. 馃攰 #OurCrewOurOctober 4jfDtRUs9DOrlando Arcia and Keon Broxton also added back-to-back home runs of their own in the ninth inning.In the sixth inning, the Brewers took advantage of Rockies mistakes to scratch two more runs across the board.Meanwhile, there were contributions from some surprising players, including Erik Kratz:Andrew Simon AndrewSimonMLBErik Kratz MLB hits in ...2015: five2016: eight2017: two2018 NLDS: fiveYelich was a difference-maker in the tiebreaker game against the Chicago Cubs and in Game 1 against the Rockies. We know he can carry his team to a win on any given night and is more than likely to do it again at least once in the NLCS.However Brad Boxberger Jersey , he has been quiet for the past two games, and Milwaukee hardly slowed down. This could make the team even more dangerous going forward.Elite Bullpen Could Make Brewers Unstoppable in PlayoffsOlder fans might not like the way starters and bullpens are being utilized in today's game, but relievers have become more important than ever, and the Brewers are changing with the times.Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided some eye-popping numbers before the game:Tom HaudricourtWhy do #Brewers use their bullpen so often? Including the NLDS, their relievers are 14-0 with 1.72 ERA over 28 games (125.1 IP, 24 ER, 171 Ks). Opponents batted .188. Those numbers are pretty crazy.The pen kept it up in Game 3, with five pitchers combining for 4.1 scoreless innings and just one hit allowed. Corbin Burnes was a highlight in the middle with two perfect innings and two strikeouts Daniel Descalso Jersey , earning him the win in the official scorecard.This group has been overlooked for much of the year without big names like Wade Davis or Aroldis Chapman, but it has been one of the best in the majors all season long. It has also helped take some of the pressure off a rotation that doesn't have a true ace.Manager Craig Counsell showed his trust in the bullpen Sunday by taking out a successful Miley in the fifth inning.With so many pitchers capable of shutting down an opposing offense, there is no reason to believe this will stop in the NLCS or even the World Series.Add this to 11 straight victories, and the Brewers are in great shape to take home their first championship in franchise history.Rockies Offensive Struggles Should Lead to Offseason ChangesThe usual story for the Rockies is they always have great hitting and terrible pitching, and it's the latter that holds them back. That wasn't the case in this series, as the starting pitchers performed well in each game, including German Marquez Sunday with just two runs allowed in five innings.The problem was the hitting, as Colorado was shut out for the second time in a row Ketel Marte Jersey , finishing the series with just two total runs in three games while hitting 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position.In 28 innings this series, the Rockies scored in one of them.Ben Hutchison WISNBennyHutchMan the #Rockies offense is just non-existent.While this could be considered unlucky for a team that finished second in the NL in runs scored, this is an offense that was built around the performance of only two or three players. Per Baseball Reference, only three of the eight regulars during the season had an OPS+ above 100, which is considered league average.Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story were reliable over the course of a year, but when they aren't hitting (four combined hits in the series), this offense has problems.While David Dahl provided a much-needed boost down the stretch, Colorado still needs more players who can pick up the slack when the starters struggle.Whether the team re-signs free agents DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez or not http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , it will need to add offensive firepower if it wants to make a deeper run in October next year. What's Next?The Rockies will now start looking toward the 2019 season while the Brewers move onto the NLCS. Milwaukee will host the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves in a series that begins Oct. 12. Major League Baseball denied the appeal of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig regarding his two-game suspension, the Dodgers announced Tuesday.As a result, Puig will miss Los Angeles' next two matchups with the New York Mets.The suspension stems from an incident during the Dodgers' 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 15. Puig began arguing with Giants catcherNick Hundley before shoving Hundley and sparking a benches-clearing brawl:MLB MLBBenches clear in Giants-Dodgers game with Nick Hundley and Yasiel Puig at the center of it. r3ZHHdzL3AAfter the game, Puig told reporters he had expressed disappointment with himself after having fouled off a pitch by Giants reliever Tony Watson. Things only escalated from there."When I missed the pitch, I knew that was the best pitch Watson was going to throw me, so I was a little upset," Puig said through his translator, per MLB.com'sChris Haft. "[Hundley] told me to stop complaining and get back into the box http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , and when I got into his face he told me to also get out of his face, so that's when I got upset."Puig will serve his suspension amid something of a slump. Hebatted.260 in the month of August after posting a .303 average in June and July. He started this month 0-for-4 at the plate, watching his average slip even further.The Dodgers have yet to announce their lineup for Tuesday's game.Enrique Hernandez may be the likeliest replacement for Puig, having started in right field in the team's 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.