Adam Jones explained Tuesday that he simply exercised the rights afforded to him by Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement when he vetoed a possible move to the Philadelphia Phillies in advance of Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline."When players walked out years ago and walked the picket lines and stuff http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joakim-soria-jersey , they did that for reasons like this," Jones said, according to the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina. "I earned this and it's my decision. I don't have to explain it to nobody. It's my decision. Thank you."Jones' comments come two days after Fancred's Jon Heyman reported Jones had "given the impression" he wanted to stay in Baltimore to see out the remainder of his contract, which is set to expire at season's end.The 33-year-old was afforded the right to make that call after he earned 10-and-5 rights, which are given to players who have racked up at least 10 years of MLB experience, including the last five straight with the same team."I made the decision, you all didn't," Jones added after Baltimore's 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. "This is my decision, this is my life. I'm not going around dictating other people's lives. So why do they do that with us? No one is going to tell me what to do. I earned every single bit of it. People before me fought vigorously, tirelessly to get rights like this. And I can invoke them."Had Jones approved a move to Philadelphia Kelvin Herrera Jersey , he could have provided a welcome veteran presence in a promising outfield that includes Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams.However, a move down I-95 didn't suit Jones. As a result, his playing time is likely to dwindle down the stretch as the Orioles budget more playing time for young contributors with a full-scale rebuild in mind."I see what they're talking about when they're talking about us with a rebuild and fire sale," Jones said. "We got rid of some guys that are making substantial money and are probably gonna make substantial money next year. That's [proof] they're going in a different direction."The 33-year-old鈥攚ho entered Tuesday batting .285 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI鈥攚ill be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. Harry How/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in 13 innings to take Game 4 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night and knot the series at two games apiece.Cody Bellinger sealed the victory with a walk-off single that scored Manny Machado from second base after the sides engaged in a lengthy 1-1 stalemate that began in the top of the fifth inning.MLB MLBGOODNIGHT, LOS ANGELES! #Walkoff #NLCS fepDXErYTT Dodgers' Hopes Doomed Without More OffenseDuring the regular season, the Dodgers didn't have any trouble generating offense. They ranked first in the National League in runs scored (804), and they hit 17 more home runs than the second-ranked Brewers.Based on the NLCS, you'd never guess they were so dynamic.Despite Tuesday's Game 4 win, the Dodgers' numbers at the plate in three of their last four games have been downright woeful.Excluding the Game 2 win at Miller Park http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-alcides-escobar-jersey , L.A. has now struck out 44 times and left 22 runners stranded on base across Games 1, 3 and 4. Those numbers were bolstered Tuesday by 17 whiffs and persistent failures with men on as the Dodgers left eight runners stranded.FOX Sports: MLB MLBONFOXThe strikeouts are piling up for the Dodgers tonight. kWSC68JmfPIn Game 5, the Dodgers have to reverse that trend against Brewers starter Wade Miley.Flipping the switch won't be an easy task considering the Dodgers mustered only two hits in 5.2 innings against Miley in Game 2. With that said, seeing the southpaw for a second time in five days should put them in a more comfortable position as they seek to take a 3-2 series lead. Brewers' Bullpen Can Carry Them to World SeriesThe Brewers entered Game 4 knowing they likely wouldn't receive a particularly lengthy outing from starter Gio Gonzalez, who was pitching on four days rest.What they weren't counting on was Gonzalez departing with no outs in the second inning after he rolled his left ankle trying to field a comeback liner that ricocheted off his glove.As a result, the Brewers' renowned bullpen was thrust into action a few innings earlier than expected. True to form, one of baseball's premier relief groups was up to the task.Rookie Freddy Peralta came on for Gonzalez and twirled three no-hit innings in his first postseason appearance. Fellow first-year stud Corbin Burnes followed suit by tossing two perfect innings with three strikeouts.Greg Beacham gregbeachamFreddy Peralta is absolutely filthy, and the Brewers hadnt even had to use him before tonight in this postseason. Thats one helluva bullpen in Milwaukee.Jon Morosi jonmorosiFreddy Peralta, 22, and Corbin Burnes Jason Hammel Jersey , 23, are the youngest pitchers to appear for the Brewers all season. Their combined line tonight: 5 innings, 0 runs. MLBONFOX MLBNetwork MLBIn all, six Brewers relievers combined to allow five hits and record all 17 of Milwaukee's strikeouts over the game's final 11.2 innings.MLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayThe Brewers bullpen has been lights out tonight.Their 17 Ks are the most EVER in a #postseason game. 1ocDYwyXzgAny club would be envious of that depth, and it should continue to buoy the Brewers' pursuit of a world championship even after Tuesday's defeat.Tired arms and all, it would be foolish to count that unit out. Kershaw Needs Best Postseason Outing to Save Dodgers SeasonThe Clayton Kershaw Postseason Narrative has become one of Major League Baseball's most dense and complex texts over the past few years.On some nights, he looks like a world-beater capable of stymying the game's most daunting lineups. Just look at Game 2 of the NLDS, when the southpaw shut down the Atlanta Braves with only two hits allowed over eight shutout innings.But then there are the other nights鈥攖he ones that have largely come to define his postseason experience.Long knocked for his inability to rise to the occasion on the game's biggest stage, Kershaw has found consistent productivity hard to come by since he made his first playoff start 10 years ago. Since then, he has gone 8-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 21 starts http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-jorge-soler-jersey , numbers hardly befitting of his caliber of talent.In Game 1 of the NLCS, Kershaw was downright disappointing. He surrendered four earned runs and six hits, including a home run to Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, over three innings."I think it's hard enough to try and win a postseason game," he said, per ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez. "I know more than anybody knows that."On Wednesday, he'll have a chance to author an epic response to that series-opening letdown. If he can, the Dodgers will have life when the series shifts back to Milwaukee for Game 6.If not, Los Angeles will have to reckon with yet another postseason dud. What's Next?The Dodgers will host Game 5 on Wednesday afternoon at 5:05 p.m. ET.

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:Suspensions could be on deck after Wednesday night’s melee between the Braves and Marlins. Ronald Acuna’s chance to extend his home run streak was put on hold when Miami pitcher Jose Urena hit the rookie slugger in the left elbow with his first pitch Tyler Clippard Jersey , a 97 mph fastball that left Acuna in obvious pain. The benches and bullpens for both teams emptied twice. Urena and Atlanta manager Brian Snitker were ejected, and Snitker had angry words for the pitcher. The 20-year-old Acuna exited in the second inning — the Braves said X-rays were negative and results of further tests would be announced Thursday. Atlanta won 5-2 to complete a four-game sweep.REDBIRDS SOARINGMarcell Ozuna and the Cardinals try to extend their season-best winning streak to nine games when they go for a four-game sweep of fading Washington. St. Louis, which is 18-9 since the All-Star break, hopes to have Matt Carpenter back in the lineup. On a major tear at the plate, Carpenter was removed from Wednesday night’s game as a precaution after being hit on the hand by a pitch in the seventh inning. X-rays were negative, and Carpenter doesn’t expect to miss any time. “The pain and swelling started to go down a bit,” he said. “I definitely dodged a bullet there.” Before leaving, Carpenter extended his on-base streak to 33 games. He has 17 homers and 30 RBIs during the run.TRYING TO FIND ITStruggling lefty Jon Lester and the first-place Cubs visit Pittsburgh in the opener of a four-game series between NL Central rivals. Lester (12-5, 3.89 ERA) is 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break. Ivan Nova (7-6 Marwin Gonzalez Jersey , 4.42) gets the ball for the Pirates.LET’S PLAY FIVEPhiladelphia hosts the New York Mets in an odd five-game series that begins with a single-admission doubleheader and ends with a “home” game about 180 miles northeast of Citizens Bank Park. The doubleheader Thursday includes the makeup of a May 12 rainout. Aaron Nola (13-3, 2.28 ERA) starts the opener for the Phillies, who trail first-place Atlanta by two games in the NL East. Steven Matz is set to come off the disabled list for New York. Zach Eflin opposes Mets rookie Corey Oswalt in the nightcap. The teams then have a 6:05 p.m. start time Friday because of a postgame concert. They play a late-afternoon game Saturday before traveling to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for Sunday’s Little League Classic.IF YOU CAN MAKE IT THERE …Tampa Bay has lost 12 consecutive series at Yankee Stadium dating to September 2014, but Blake Snell and the Rays can end that dubious streak in the finale of a three-game set. Snell (13-5, 2.18 ERA) makes his second start after a stint on the disabled list because of left shoulder fatigue. He faced Toronto in his previous outing and was perfect through five innings before being pulled. Masahiro Tanaka (9-3, 4.08) pitches for New York. CLEVELAND (AP) — Trevor Bauer moved a little closer to pitching in the postseason, throwing 40 pitches off the mound inside an empty Progressive Field on Saturday.It was a positive step in the All-Star right-hander’s recovery from a broken leg that has kept him out of the rotation for more than a month.Bauer has been sidelined since Aug. 11 with a stress fracture in his right leg http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-mike-trout-jersey , which happened when he was struck by a line drive in Chicago. Earlier this week, he completed a bullpen session in Tampa and followed it with a workout that was closely monitored by team president Chris Antonetti, pitching coach Carl Williams and team trainers.“Felt good,” Bauer said afterward. “Mechanics were a little out of sequence, but I haven’t really been on a mound a whole lot in a month and a half. I expect those will come back pretty quickly. Physically it felt good.”Bauer said it was difficult to replicate game conditions, but he did all he could to mimic competing against major league hitters in a loud ballpark.“There’s no adrenaline in a bullpen session,” he said. “As much as you try to compete with yourself or trick yourself mentally or whatever, it’s just not there. So hopefully I can face hitters next, get some people out here talking and yelling at some hitters Kole Calhoun Jersey , stuff like that, try to get the adrenaline up.“That’d be nice.”The Indians think it would be nice if they could count on Bauer in October. The 27-year-old was having his best season and had moved into Cy Young consideration when he was nailed by a line drive hit by Chicago’s Jose Abreu.Bauer remains miffed about the course of his season. Now, though, his focus is getting back and helping anyway he can — whether it’s starting or in relief.There’s not much time left in the regular season and Bauer doesn’t know what the Indians have planned for him before the playoffs begin.“I pitch when they tell me to pitch,” he said. “I feel confident that I’ll be able to compete and help us win in whatever role that is. I come into spring training ready to throw 5-6-7 innings. So, I’ll make that point clear.”Indians manager Terry Francona said Bauer will throw his next bullpen session on Tuesday, and it’s possible he’ll do it with a batter at the plate — to help simulate game situations.“I know Trev wanted to feel like it was Game 7 today,” Francona said. “It’s about impossible.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Rodriguez Jersey , there’s still one prize left in play.No, not a playoff spot. Those plans were wiped out long ago during a disappointing season.Rather, the NL Cy Young Award for their ace.DeGrom kept pumping up his resume, striking out 12 while the Mets backed him in a big way, hitting five home runs to beat Luis Severino and the New York Yankees 8-5 Monday night.“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” deGrom said.A victim of poor run support most of the season, deGrom (7-7) threw 6 2/3 innings and left with a major league-best 1.81 ERA. He allowed two earned runs and exited with a 7-3 lead.The importance of wins and losses has been diminished over the years in the Cy Young race, with voters often focusing on more advanced numbers. Even so, it felt good for deGrom to at least reach the .500 mark.“I really haven’t paid that much attention to my record,” he said. “I obviously know what it is.”DeGrom fanned Austin Romine with his 113th and final pitch, and drew loud cheers from the many Mets fans in attendance.“It was nice walking off the field and hearing that,” he said.DeGrom has gone 21 consecutive starts allowing no more than three runs — Dwight Gooden’s 24-game string in 1985 is the team record.“That’s tremendous. It takes that to get to the level he’s at, which I feel is he’s the best pitcher in the league,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “He doesn’t beat himself. He goes out there and attacks. He’s always on the attack. If he’s going to get beat, they’re going to beat him. And they haven’t beat him yet.”DeGrom posted his first win in three career starts in the Bronx, and improved to 2-4 overall against the Yankees.Amed Rosario led off this Subway Series matchup with a drive into the right-field seats and Jose Bautista, Todd Frazier, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto later connected. The club’s best power show since June 2017 sent chants of “Let’s go, Mets!” bouncing all around Yankee Stadium.The Mets have scored eight runs in each of deGrom’s last two starts, a welcomed change.“The whole year Jake Arrieta Jersey , he’s been an angel for what we’ve put him through,” Frazier said.Severino (15-6) was gone a lot earlier. Rather than break a tie with Washington ace Max Scherzer for the most wins in the majors, he stayed stuck in a rut that began before he pitched in the All-Star Game.“Even though we saw some good velocity numbers, just getting that crispness back where from the side you really notice that slide, the shape on that slider, where that fastball kind of has that ride, that pop at the end. Didn’t seem like it really had that tonight necessarily,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.Severino was tagged for seven hits, including homers by Rosario and Bautista, and four runs in four innings. The right-hander often seemed out of sorts, stepping behind the mound, taking off his hat and wiping away sweat on a humid evening.This marked the seventh straight start in which Severino has permitted at least three earned runs — he’s allowed a home run in each of them, a total of 11 during that span.“Things are not going my way right now, but I will work and try to fix it,” he said.“I think I keep doing the same mistakes over and over,” Severino added. “I’m missing with my fastball and I need to be more in control.”Miguel Andujar hit a two-run homer in the Yankees eighth off Seth Lugo. Robert Gsellman worked the ninth for his seventh save.The city rivals split their six games this year. This was a makeup from a rainout July 22.Rosario hit his first career leadoff homer and Bautista had a two-run drive in the fourth. Frazier greeted A.J. Cole with a home run in the sixth, and Nimmo and Conforto hit back-to-back drives in the seventh that made it 7-3.BUNT OR PUTT?Teeing off its trophy tour, the Ryder Cup stopped by the ballpark, and U.S. captain Jim Furyk was its guardian. Players took photos with him and the shiny gold prize before the game. Boone gave Furyk a customized Yankees jersey and got an official U.S. golf bag in return. Then, with the trophy just a yard away Nick Williams Jersey , Furyk threw out the first pitch — the former high school catcher and longtime Pirates fan fired a firm fastball.“To me, it’s the greatest event in all of golf, so it’s an iconic trophy,” Furyk said. “It debuted in 1927. … It’s also a rare chance for fans to get up and close and near the Ryder Cup.”The 11-city, 9,000-mile trophy tour will wind up Sept. 16 at Heinz Field for the NFL game between Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The 42nd Ryder Cup takes place Sept. 28-30 at Le Golf National near Paris.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: David Wright went 0 for 1, striking out once and walking once, and played five innings at 3B in his second rehab game with Class A St. Lucie.Yankees: C Gary Sanchez (groin) arrived from the team complex in Tampa, Florida, and did catching and hitting drills. Boone said the late August/early September projection for Sanchez’s return was “a fair timeline.”UP NEXTMets: LHP Jason Vargas (2-8, 8.75 ERA) starts in Baltimore against RHP Andrew Cashner (3-10, 4.83). Vargas’ last start was cut short by rain — he gave up three runs and got just one out vs. Cincinnati.Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ, who has won both his starts since being acquired from Toronto, pitches at home vs. Tampa Bay. SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners fans have waited longer than any supporters in North America for a return to the postseason.General manager Jerry Dipoto is asking Seattle to wait a little bit more.Dipoto continued a whirlwind reshaping of the Mariners’ roster Monday by sending Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the Mets and Jean Segura, James Pazos and Juan Nicasio to Philadelphia. In exchange, Seattle received a bundle of prospects and freed up significant salary space for after the 2020 season.“This is what a reset looks like,” Dipoto said.Dipoto believes the flurry of moves he’s made in the past few weeks can get the Mariners into contention by 2021, calling the strategy a “step back” rather than a rebuild, even though it could take longer than a couple of seasons for Seattle to return to relevancy.The Mariners have been the busiest team in baseball, making wholesale changes to begin the offseason. Salary and experience are being swapped for youth and hope Tommy Joseph Jersey , with an eye on opening a competitive window when the American League’s current superpowers — including AL West-rival Houston — may finally take a step back.Patience is a big ask from a fan base that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2001, the longest postseason drought in North American professional sports. That streak is almost certain to continue for a few more seasons, although Dipoto doesn’t consider this to be a full tear-down.“For those who have already determined that this is what ripping it down to the studs looks like, there’s still quite a way to go to do that. We still have fair bit of talent on this team,” he said.Still, there’s a significant amount of talent that has left Seattle in the past few weeks.Cano and Diaz — gone to the Mets.Segura, Nicasio, Pazos — gone to Philadelphia.James Paxton — gone to the Yankees.Alex Colome — gone to the White Sox.Mike Zunino, Guillermo Heredia — gone to Tampa Bay.Many of those moves were expected. Seattle figured to shed salary and try to get younger after finishing third in the AL West despite an 89-73 record.But this sell-off has left the roster almost unrecognizable. There are only two players remaining from the 40-man roster Dipoto inherited in September of 2015— Kyle Seager and Felix Hernandez.The decision to deal Diaz signals a change. The All-Star closer could have been a core part of the future, along with Mitch Haniger and Marco Gonzales. Instead, he was used to get Seattle out from under a big chunk of Cano’s remaining contract and pry two former first-round picks away from the Mets. That move means this “reset” is going deeper than originally planned.“This is mostly what we anticipated doing. I say mostly because we didn’t anticipate moving Robbie Cano and as a result we didn’t anticipate moving Edwin,” Dipoto said. “But the rest of it is much by design and as I can’t say we’re completely done yet I think most of the heavy lifting is done.”Seattle was stuck in a strange baseball purgatory — not good enough to catch the AL’s elite, but with big money tied up in veterans who just propelled the team to 89 wins. It wasn’t sustainable going forward, leading to the decision to make such a drastic shift.The prospects Seattle landed Monday — outfielder Jarred Kelenic and right-handed pitchers Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista from the Mets; and shortstop J.P. Crawford from the Phillies — can all end up playing a major role in Seattle’s future success. Seattle also got veterans Jay Bruce, Carlos Santana and Anthony Swarzak.Those young players come with risk, and the shift has to be sold to a fan base that’s been eroded during this postseason drought and must accept it will likely be a few more years before that becomes a possibility again.“The payroll we have pulled back can be better purposed when we get to our open window. We didn’t really make the 2019 team any cheaper,” Dipoto said. “But we made the 2021, 2022 teams considerably more flexible with these deals and that’s a part of the idea to put ourselves in position where our young players are out there on the field … that team can be augmented by the free agent market for what we would view the free-agent market as, which would be to finish a team not to build one.”

Rob Manfred doesn’t foresee any problems if the World Series winner is invited to visit the White House.Both World Series teams have minority managers for the first time Jason Castro Jersey , and President Donald Trump has had tense relationships with many minority groups.“I think as an institution, Major League Baseball has always had the greatest respect for the office of the presidency,” Manfred said. “That doesn’t change, no matter who’s there. Often we’ve had situations where individuals, players, whatever, don’t agree with all of the policies of the individual that occupies the office. I think the important thing is respect for the office.”Manfred addressed a number of topics prior to Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night, including start times and length of games. Boston’s win in the World Series opener took 3 hours, 52 minutes and ended at 12:03 a.m. EDT. Manfred said complaints about World Series start times reflect an East Coast prejudice.“When you start games at 5 o’clock Eastern, it’s the middle of the work day in LA. That’s not quite right either,” he said. “We’re trying to strike a balance and get the point, the window, where we can get the most people all across the country having a meaningful opportunity to watch the game.”Nine-inning games in the league playoffs averaged 3 hours http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-phil-hughes-jersey , 35 1/2 minutes, up 6 minutes from the 2017 postseason and more than a half-hour longer than this year’s regular season.“I am always less concerned about it in the postseason,” Manfred said “It is human nature when the stakes go up, things slow down a little bit.”Manfred anticipates a new round of negotiations with players’ union head Tony Clark and his members over pace of play and game rules. Management had the right to unilaterally implement a pitch clock before the 2018 season but did not, and it retains the right to install pitch clocks for 2019. MLB did institute a limit on mound trips without pitching changes for 2018.“I spent a lot of time between the All-Star Game and here talking directly to Tony, trying to map out the things that we’d like to have meaningful conversation about during the offseason, putting him in a position to get prepared to do,” Manfred said.Baseball is monitoring rapid changes to the game caused by analytics, including shorter average outings for starting pitchers — and some teams going entirely with relief pitchers.“I do think that starting pitchers being on the field less presents yet another challenge for us in terms of marketing the game,” he said. “You look historically, right, some of our greatest stars are starters, and if they’re out there less Jose Berrios Jersey , it has a predictable effect.”Tampa Bay used a so-called “opener” instead of a starter in 78 games. Oakland and Milwaukee had bullpen games during the playoffs.“I do think it can be a useful strategy for clubs in certain types of economic situations,” Manfred said. “It’s really hard to argue with that based on the early returns. We’ll see how the returns look over the long haul.”Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw expressed concern this week that teams may favor relievers over starters because they are less costly.“The market’s going to answer that question, right? We’ll see what happens in the market,” Manfred said. “I’m not sure that that trend at this point is persistent enough to have a market effect, but we’re going to have another market here in just a few weeks and we’ll see what happens.”Strikeouts exceeded hits over a season for the first time in major league history, causing worry that there are too many pitching changes based on matchups that decrease offense.“I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about whether analytics are a good thing or a bad thing, and the reason for that is they are a real thing,” Manfred said. “We have them. They’re going to continue to use them. There’s nothing you can do to stop people from thinking about the game, however the heck it is they want to think about the game. I think what’s incumbent upon us and what we try to do is pay attention over the course of the season … think about we’ve learned during the postseason and see whether we may need to make some change in response to what we’re seeing.”On other topics:SIGN STEALINGWhile MLB cleared Houston of breaking rules on electronic surveillance, additional rules could be put in place for next season.“Sign stealing in and of itself is not a violation of our rules. It’s been a part of the game since Lassie was a puppy,” Manfred said. “Where it becomes a problem is where there is a use of technology that otherwise violates our rules to aid the sign-stealing process. I think technology is evolving at a rate that it is incumbent upon us to constantly review and update our rules.”TAMPA BAY BALLPARKManfred remains hopeful the Rays will have a plan in place for a new ballpark by Dec. 31, the end of their agreement with St. Petersburg that allows the team to explore sites throughout the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. The Rays hope to leave St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field and build a ballpark in Ybor City.“I love the site. I think that in terms of its geographic location in the region it’s a good one,” he said. “We have some work to do in terms of getting a financing plan together that will get that stadium built.”ANGELS BALLPARKManfred said the Angels‘ decision to opt out of their ballpark lease is part of a negotiation and should not cause worry the team would leave the area. A doubleheader Saturday at Camden Yards is not an ideal scenario for the Houston Astros.The defending World Series champions are steamrolling their way into the postseason and do not need any injuries or pitching issues to get in the way in their quest to win the title again.Nonetheless http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-erick-aybar-jersey , Houston and Baltimore will play a single-admission doubleheader after the game Thursday was postponed because of rain. The nightcap will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.Article continues below ...Houston took the opener 2-1 on Friday. The Astros clinched their second straight AL West title on Tuesday. The Astros open a best-of-five Division Series matchup against Cleveland at home on Oct. 5.Houston manager AJ Hinch wants to make sure his players don’t get complacent against the hapless Orioles. “I have stressed to them not to get sloppy,” Hinch said. “You don’t want to play like it’s spring training, then have to go back into playoff mode.”As a result, the series in Baltimore will simply be a tuneup for the postseason. Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.60 ERA) will start the first game Saturday, looking to boost his chances for the 2018 American League Cy Young Award.Verlander has a career-high 280 strikeouts and will likely add to the total against the struggling Orioles. Verlander is 10-5 with a 3.75 ERA in 20 starts against Baltimore. “He’s had some pretty good ones as an Astro,” Hinch said. “When he comes out and sets that kind of tone and gets those swings and misses and the strikeouts, it’s a pretty special day for us.”Dallas Keuchel (12-11, 2.75 ERA) has already set a career high with 272 strikeouts. The left-hander is 5-0 with a 3.54 ERA with 65 strikeouts in his last seven starts.In Keuchel’s last outing against Toronto, he picked up his first win since Sept. 3, (12-11) allowing three runs and seven hits in five innings. He also amassed more than 200 innings in a season for the third time in his career.“It means more to me now than it did the first time,” Keuchel said, alluding to the Astros’ stellar run during the past two years.Keuchel is 3-2 with 2.80 ERA in seven starts against the Orioles. Meanwhile Anibal Sanchez Jersey , Baltimore is on course to endure the worst season in franchise history The biggest question facing the Orioles during this final weekend of the season is whether manager Buck Showalter will return to the club in 2019. He was not worried about the uncertainty or expects anyone from the front office to update his status until the final pitch Sunday. “I’ve got a contract through the end of October, so nobody needs to or has to do that,” Showalter said. “There’s a lot of people in this world like that. Who am I? I mean, really? Is it that important? No.”For Baltimore, Dylan Bundy will start the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader and Yefry Ramírez will start the nightcap. Bundy (8-16, 5.49 ERA) has struggled in the second half of the season. Ramirez (1-7, 6.07 ERA) is trying to make his case to be part of the rotation in 2019. Nonetheless, both pitchers will play a part in the Orioles’ rebuild. “I think in today’s game a lot depends on how quick the young pitching comes,” Showalter said. “You look at what separates the Houstons. You talk about all the things they do on the field and the good position players, but you’ve got three guys throwing 200 innings, it lets you do a lot of things with your bullpen that other people can’t do.“You try to do it as fast as you can, but you’ve got to do it with your nose down and grind each day and you might be surprised where you stand when those days are behind you.”

about the game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-tanner-roark-jersey , The Associated Press reported erroneously that the Cubs matched San Francisco in 1969 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1942 by turning seven double plays in a nine-inning game. The Cubs matched Houston’s defense in 1969 and the New York Yankees in 1942.A corrected version of the story is below:Turn! Turn! Turn! Cubs match double-play record vs BucsThe Chicago Cubs tied a major league record by turning seven double plays, including a game-ending effort by rookie third baseman David Bote on a grounder by David Freese to finish off a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh PiratesBy JOHN PERROTTOAssociated PressPITTSBURGH (AP) — Cubs starter Cole Hamels didn’t have his best stuff Friday night. Luckily, he had a few buddies on hand to help him out.“The double play is a pitcher’s best friend,” he said with a smile.A friend in need, indeed.Chicago tied a major league record by turning seven double plays, including a game-ending effort by rookie third baseman David Bote on a grounder by David Freese to finish off a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Cubs got six double plays on grounders — five with Hamels pitching — and one on a line drive. The Elias Sports Bureau said the Cubs became the third team in big league history to turn seven DPs in a nine-inning game. It was previously done by Houston’s defense in 1969 (against San Francisco) and the New York Yankees in 1942 (against the Philadelphia Athletics).“Crazy,” Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist said. “A lot of it is the pitcher doing a great job of getting groundballs and little of it is luck with (the hitters) rolling over on some pitches. It’s also good quality defense and good focus throughout the game.”Pittsburgh had runners on first and second in the ninth before Jesse Chavez got Freese to ground to Bote. Having hit a game-ending grand slam last Sunday night to beat Washington 4-3, Bote again was in the right place to cap off a win. He stepped on third and threw to first to end it.“We were in a good spot all the time,” Chicago manager Joe Maddon said. “We made some really good plays and absolutely turned the ones we were supposed to turn. We never gave them extra outs, so that was the pertinent part.”Hamels (8-9) pitched seven solid innings. Kyle Schwarber hit a home run in the second off Trevor Williams (10-9). Chavez got his second save as the Pirates lost their fifth in a row.“(The infielders) were great with how they stayed with it and pulled them off, especially to end innings in a tight game when you can’t afford one mistake,” Hamels said. “It was outstanding to see. There are always going to be days where you not sharp, but it’s nine guys trying to win a game.”Freese also hit into the first double play in the first inning. Third baseman Javier Baez fielded his grounder, stepped on the bag and threw to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to end the inning.In the second Authentic Pat Tillman Jersey , Josh Bell hit into an around-the-horn DP, Baez to Zobrist to Rizzo.Corey Dickerson ended the third inning by grounding to Zobrist, who threw to shortstop Addison Russell at second. Russell’s relay to first was in time to get Dickerson.Gregory Polanco hit into a 4-6-3 double play in the sixth. An inning later, Bell grounded into a 6-4-3, the last of five DPs turned behind Hamels.Chicago had a disputed double play to end the eighth. With one out and Jorge De La Rosa pitching, pinch-hitter Adam Frazier lined to Zobrist, who threw to first to double up pinch-runner Kevin Newman. The Pirates challenged the call, but the play stood following a video review.The Pirates put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but Chavez induced Freeze to hit into the final double play.“Got them a lot of different ways,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said of the double plays. “There were some balls that were struck really hard. Down in the zone, we would clip the top of them. Handful of other balls hit hard and lined out. So, we couldn’t find dirt, grass. They made plays and got good defense. They’ve had a good defense all year in the infield. Just goes to show you the benefit of a well-executed pitch in a certain situation.”Hamels allowed five hits, struck out three and walked two as he improved to 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA in four starts since being acquired from the Texas Rangers in a trade.Schwarber hit a drive down the right-field line in the second inning for his 21st home run Pat Tillman Jersey Limited , sending the NL Central-leading Cubs to their third straight win and increasing their lead to four games over Milwaukee.The Cubs beat the Pirates by a 1-0 score for the second straight game. On Thursday night, Ian Happ’s homer accounted for the only run.Williams gave up four hits in seven innings. He has surrendered just three runs in 36 innings over his last six starts.The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 47 minutes by rain.TRAINER’S ROOMCubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (left shoulder inflammation) was placed on the 10-day DL and RHP Tyler Chatwood will move from the bullpen to start in his place Saturday night. LHP Randy Rosario was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to take Montgomery’s roster spot. … RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps tendinitis/right shoulder impingement) will make a rehab start Sunday for Class A South Bend. He last pitched for Chicago on May 20. … 3B Kris Bryant (left shoulder inflammation) has started soft tosses but there is no timetable for his return.Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (right forearm strain) played catch for the first time since being injured June 26 in a start against the Mets at New York.UP NEXTCubs: Chatwood (4-5, 5.06 ERA) made 19 starts before being shifted to relief in early August. He has issued a major league-high 90 walks in 99 2/3 innings.Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (4-7, 3.49) is 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. DENVER (AP) — A well-pitched, crisp game by the starters suddenly turned into a late-inning slugfest.It became a race to see which bullpen would hold a lead first. Los Angeles prevailed on a night when its best reliever was not at the park.Chris Taylor and Brian Dozier homered off closer Wade Davis in the ninth inning and the Dodgers exploited Colorado’s shaky bullpen to beat the Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night.“It changed pretty quick,” said Dodgers infielder Manny Machado, who was making his first foray into Coors Field.Earlier in the day at the team hotel, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen experienced an irregular heartbeat and was sent to the doctor to be checked out. He will head back to Los Angeles for more tests.“We’re holding out hope it’s not too serious,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.Starters Tyler Anderson and Ross Stripling did their part as they turned in similar lines: Six innings pitched, four hits, one run.Then, it got crazy as Coors Field lived up to its reputation.“Finally playing here, you can see why the games go like that Authentic Jared Goff Jersey ,” said Machado, who recorded his 1,000th career hit with a single in the sixth.Taylor lined the first pitch he saw from Davis (1-6) — a knuckle-curve — into the left-center bleachers to make it 6-5. Two batters later, Dozier followed with a two-run shot to cap off another late-inning, flip-flopping game at Coors Field.Caleb Ferguson (3-1) threw 1 2/3 innings to earn the win. Scott Alexander pitched the ninth for his second save.The Rockies bullpen surrendered five homers and seven runs as the Dodgers pulled into a first-place tie with idle Arizona in the NL West. It was Los Angeles’ sixth straight win at Coors Field.A struggling Davis was brought into the game in the eighth to quiet a rally, which he did, but allowed three runs in the ninth. He was booed as he walked off the mound.Chris Iannetta gave the Rockies a 5-3 lead with a three-run homer in the seventh. It didn’t last, as Cody Bellinger connected on a two-run shot off reliever Seunghwan Oh to tie it with two outs in the eighth.Anderson pitched six strong innings before turning it over to reliever Scott Oberg, who allowed solo homers to pinch-hitters Joc Pederson and Max Muncy in the seventh to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.“We even said it this morning, try to get to the bullpen as quick as possible,” Machado said.It worked.Nolan Arenado had three hits, including an RBI double. The Rockies have dropped three straight at home.“All these guys have been through tough losses before,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “This group has great resolve.”Both teams stressed the importance of this four-game series even though it’s only August.It was a tough-luck no-decision for both starters. Stripling was strong all night in his return from the 10-day disabled list. The All-Star righty has been sidelined since July 30 while recovering from inflammation in his right toe.“When you think about our bullpen and their bullpen, both have really good names Jared Goff Jersey Elite ,” Stripling said. “Guys you expect to go out and keep it a low-scoring game. That’s what this park does. If you make a mistake, guys can make you pay for it.”Anderson lowered his career ERA at Coors Field to 3.39, which is the second-lowest all-time mark among Rockies pitchers with at least 25 starts. He trails teammate Kyle Freeland, who has a 3.23 ERA at home.TRAINER’S ROOMDodgers: Roberts will meet with LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin) to map out his next step. Ryu may make one more rehab start. “I know he’s champing at the bit to get back in the rotation, get back online,” Roberts said. … LHP Julio Urias (shoulder) will throw two innings at Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. … LHP Alex Wood (adductor) is slated to join the rotation next week.THIS & THATEnrique Hernandez had a 12-pitch at-bat in the fourth that ended with a long, running catch by Charlie Blackmon in center. … It was Iannetta’s first homer since July 4. … Pederson hit his second career pinch-hit homer and Muncy his first. … The five homers allowed by the Colorado relievers tied a team record.UP NEXTDodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.73 ERA) takes the mound Friday against Colorado. He’s held the Rockies to a .149 average in two previous starts this season.Rockies: RHP Jon Gray is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four quality starts since he was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, where he straightened out his mechanics.

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at the top of the Braves‘ batting order.“It’s part of my personality and the kind of baseball player that I am Gerardo Parra Jersey ,” he said through a translator. “That’s the energy I try to bring. The energy is contagious, and I just try to make sure I bring it out there and help everyone win in that way.”Acuna hit his seventh leadoff homer of the season and scored the tiebreaking run in a four-run eighth inning to help NL East-leading Atlanta beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Sunday.The 20-year-old Acuna singled off Steven Brault to begin the eighth, advanced on a bunt and scored from second on a headfirst slide after second baseman Kevin Newman errantly let Freddie Freeman’s hard grounder bounce between his legs and roll into shallow right field.Acuna’s first-inning shot was his 23rd overall and tied the franchise record for leadoff homers that Marquis Grissom set in 1996.The Braves increased their division lead over Philadelphia to four games.Ozzie Albies kept the eighth going, chasing Brault (5-3) with an RBI single to leave the bases loaded. Dovydas Neverauskas’ wild pitch to Dansby Swanson added another run, and Swanson singled to make it a four-run lead.Julio Teheran pitched seven strong innings for Atlanta, giving up four hits, one run and two walks. He struck out five and has a 1.10 ERA in his last five starts.Jonny Venters (4-1) got the last out of the Pirates’ eighth to earn a win in relief for the second straight game.Brault allowed four hits, one walk and three runs — one earned — in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two.Acuna went 3 for 4. The dazzling rookie is hitting .346 with 16 homers, 31 RBIs and 36 runs scored in 42 games since he was moved to the leadoff spot. His homer on Nick Kingham’s second pitch glanced off the third-level scoreboard facade in left field.“I’m just trying to do my part by coming out with the same energy and enthusiasm and thankfully the results have been good,” Acuna said.Kingham took the rotation spot of Ivan Nova, who is away for personal reasons, and gave up four hits and one run with four strikeouts in five innings. He did not issue a walk for the first time in his last 12 starts.“He settled in, changed speeds, efficient with his pitches,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was a good outing.”The Pirates have scored just 46 runs since Aug. 12, the fewest in the majors over that span. They went ahead in the first when Teheran issued a pair of two-out walks and Colin Moran had an RBI single.It didn’t take long for Acuna to tie it.“Every time he steps in the box in the first inning it’s like the biggest thing for us,” Teheran said. “You never know when he’s going to hit a homer http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-todd-helton-jersey , but in his first at-bat it’s like he’s got everyone’s attention, and we’re waiting for that big swing.”DREAM OPPORTUNITYRHP Touki Toussaint will make his second career start when Atlanta begins a three-game series Monday against Boston.Toussaint was chosen over fellow prospects Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright after pitching at least six innings and allowing one earned run in winning his last three starts at Triple-A Gwinnett.The Red Sox lead the majors with 94 wins, are 50 games over .500 and rank first in the majors in runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage. It will be a big jump in competition after the Haitian-American Toussaint won his debut against the struggling Miami Marlins last month.“You dream of this as a little kid,” Toussaint said. “You want to be in the World Series pitching against the best.”HE’S BACKThe Braves announced during the game that they have reacquired OF Preston Tucker from Cincinnati for cash considerations. Tucker was dealt to the Reds on July 30 in the trade that brought OF Adam Duvall to Atlanta. Duvall, who struck out as a pinch-hitter to strand two runners in scoring position in the seventh, is batting .103 with no RBIs in 25 games with the Braves.TRAINER’S ROOMAtlanta RHPs Arodys Vizcaino, sidelined 53 games with right shoulder inflammation, and Jose Ramirez, sidelined 120 games with the same diagnosis, will begin rehab assignments Monday at Gwinnett and then appear Tuesday at Single-A Rome.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Trevor Williams (11-9, 3.30 ERA) will face Matt Harvey (6-7, 4.97) as Pittsburgh opens a three-game series against Cincinnati. Williams has gone 4-2 with a 0.84 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.Braves: Toussaint (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will make his second career start as Atlanta opens a three-game home series against Boston. Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.35) pitches for the Red Sox. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels expects to interview five to eight candidates in his search for the team’s new manager.Daniels wasn’t prepared Tuesday to talk about a list of potential candidates to replace Jeff Banister, who was fired with 10 games left in the season. But the GM talked about some of the potential characteristics he was considering in the search.“Certainly this job is managing people Nolan Arenado Jersey , personalities, egos, really develop relationships to where you can get through on a variety of different levels,” Daniels said, two days after the Rangers finished with 95 losses and last in the AL West for only the second time in 11 seasons.The only additional staff change Daniels announced was that assistant hitting coach Justin Mashore would not be back after three seasons in that role.While some assistant coaches could return, Daniels told the remaining staff, including pitching coach Doug Brocail and hitting coach Anthony Iapoce, that the team isn’t going to commit to anyone for 2019 until a new manager is in place.Daniels said the number of interviews for the manager’s job would probably be in the range of five to eight, similar to four years ago before Banister replaced Ron Washington, and could expand if there is not a good feeling about the candidates.As for whether he preferred someone older or younger, or a manager driven by analytics, Daniels said there was no “cut-and-dry answer” to that.“Everybody has information now. It’s how you use it, how you apply it, how you can decipher it and explain it in a way to help the individuals, help the team,” Daniels said. “That will be part of it, but I don’t necessarily think you have to be a certain age or a certain background to do that. It’s more people skills than anything else.”Banister and Washington were both first-time MLB managers. Banister won AL West titles each of his first two seasons Charlie Blackmon Jersey , and Washington led the Rangers to their only two World Series appearances before he abruptly resigned for personal reasons late in the 2014 season.Don Wakamatsu, the bench coach who became interim manager, is considered a candidate. He returned to Texas last November after four seasons as the bench coach in Kansas City. He previously served on the Rangers staff from 2003-07 and was a candidate when Daniels hired Washington after the 2006 season.Seven position players 25 or younger played at least 106 games this season for the Rangers.“The development of our young players who have come up through our system was a big bright spot for all of us, both in terms of the opportunity and what they did with it,” Daniels said.The Rangers also go into the offseason not knowing if future Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre will come back for a 22nd big league season. Beltre, who turns 40 next April, has 3,166 career hits and 477 home runs.Beltre, who is not signed for 2019, has said he will spend some time with his family before taking time to make a decision.Daniels said Beltre’s situation would impact some roster decisions, and that he hasn’t talked to the third baseman about what his role would be if he decides to play another season.“I don’t have an answer as far as what date he’ll decide by, or if we need it by a certain date,” Daniels said. “At a period of time we’ll reach out, see where he’s at. We want to respect his process. … Generally speaking, without being bound by the roster, 100 percent love to have Adrian back.”

for the All-Star Game about a month ago Chris Sale Jersey , it seemed safe to take some things for granted about the National League.For one, the NL Central race was strictly between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. For another, the NL MVP race was mainly between Nolan Arenado, Freddie Freeman and Javier Baez.Then Matt Carpenter happened.Thanks to a wayward fastball that struck his right hand on August 15, the St. Louis Cardinals' 32-year-old infielder has been quiet of late. Yet his numbers since the All-Star break still boggle the mind. In 31 games, Carpenter has put up a 1.106 OPS and slammed an NL-high 14 home runs.Couple this with the strong work that Carpenter was doing prior to the break, and he now boasts a .957 OPS and 33 homers. The latter is already a career high, as well as the most in the NL this year. The former translates to a 159 OPS+ that also leads the Senior Circuit.Meanwhile, the temperature of the Cardinals has mirrored that of Carpenter's bat.Their 20-11 record since the break is the best of any National League team, and it's done wonders for their standing in the NL playoff chase. At the break, the Cardinals were 7.5 games out of first in the NL Central and four games outside the second wild-card spot. Now, they're four games out in the division and a half-game out in the wild card.This isn't all Carpenter's doing. In retrospect, the firing of manager Mike Matheny looks like the removal of a weight off the team's back. Also Steven Wright Jersey , St. Louis' bullpen has shaped up with an MLB-low2.07 ERA in August.It's nonetheless fair to surmise that the Cardinals wouldn't be doing this without Carpenter. And while this isn't an altogether unfamiliar position for the three-time All-Star, it's to his credit that the driver's seat is now all his.Carpenter emerged as one of the NL's better hitters between 2012 and 2016, racking up a 130 OPS+. But he sunk to a 120 OPS+, and he began 2018 on track to decline even further. He had a .579 OPS at the end of April, and it was as low as .739 as late as June 7.But in 64 games since then? Try a staggering .306/.431/.711 slash line with 26 homers.The popular explanation for Carpenter's ongoing surge has something to do with homemade salsa鈥攚hich, to be fair, does look mighty tasty. Otherwise, the man himself can't really articulate how he's suddenly turned into a master slugger."It's not the hitter I was. It's not the hitter I've ever been. I'm just developing into somebody I've never tried to be. I don't really have an explanation for that," he said, according to Rick Hummel of theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch.From the outside looking in, however, the sluggerification of Matt Carpenter appears to be a case of a really good hitter deciding to assert himself.Salsa notwithstanding, Carpenter is probably best known for his fondness for efficiency. To wit Tyler Thornburg Jersey , his 36.7 swing percentage since 2012 is the lowest of any hitter with at least 3,000 plate appearances. He also doesn't like wasting batted balls, preferring well-hit balls in the air.There's a fine line between patience and passivity, however, and Carpenter was on the wrong side of it earlier in 2018. His Swing% was down to 35.4, and that covered just a 54.7 Swing% against pitches in the strike zone.Carpenter hasn't exactly turned into Vladimir Guerrero since then, but those numbers are up to 38.9 and 60.2, respectively. His batted ball profile has also changed in ways that are conducive to maximum power:Carpenter has been better about getting the ball off the ground and hitting it hard. He's also been making more frequent use of his pull side, which is the best avenue for slugging.This isn't happening because he's been getting a curiously consistent diet of hanging breaking balls to feast on. Rather, it's happening because he's made mincemeat salsa of fastballs.Through June 7, Carpenter was swinging at just 31.9 percent of fastballs and hitting them at a 20.4-degree launch angle. Since June 8, he's up to a 39.2 swing percentage and a 21.7-degree launch angle against them.He's also gone from inside-outing fastballs to left-center field:Image courtesy of BaseballSavant.MLB.comTo driving them to right field:Image courtesy of BaseballSavant.MLB.comLo and behold, Carpenter has gone from slugging .435 against fastballs to slugging .772 against them. The latter is tops among all hitters since June 8.This doesn't mean Carpenter can't be stopped. Indeed http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-jackie-bradley-jr-jersey , he's in the process of being stopped. He had been riding a five-game hitless streak before a 1-for-4 showing Sunday against the Brewers. The longer this slump continues, the more vulnerable the Cardinals' postseason odds and Carpenter's own MVP chances will become.But for now, both look pretty good.According to FanGraphs, St. Louis' postseason odds hit a nadir at seven percent on July 31. They've since shot up to 47.5 percent.For his part, Carpenter is front and center in the National League MVP race. He's been the NL's best hitter overall, as well as one of the hottest of the second half. As a bonus, eight of his 14 second-half homers have been either tying or go-ahead shots.If the next month-and-a-half is anything like the last month for Carpenter and the Cardinals, they're going to return to the postseason and he's going to have both numbers and a narrative going for him in the NL MVP race.Not bad for a player and a team that seemed dead and buried not too long ago. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers ruined Arizona’s season.The Diamondbacks could do a little something about it this week.The Dodgers knocked Arizona out of first place in the NL West with three consecutive comeback victories on the first weekend of September, winning all three on their final at-bat by the same score, 3-2.Article continues below ...The Diamondbacks are 5-17 since as they prepare to host the division-leading Dodgers in a three-game series that begins Monday at Chase Field.“I feel like that was an extremely tough series … to give everything you have … this team was invested and we were in first place, talking about good things happening at the end of this road,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.“It definitely staggered us. Have we recovered? I would like to say we did Roger Clemens Jersey , but our play has told us that we have not.”The Diamondbacks left that series in third place, and the Dodgers climbed back into first with a three-game sweep of Colorado last week. The Dodgers (87-69) will bring a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rockies into final week of the season and also are only one game behind Atlanta for possible home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.“There were a couple more gut punches in that Atlanta series that may have been some key blows,” said Lovullo referring a series in which the Diamondbacks lost three of four the weekend after playing the Dodgers.“It was a lot to absorb. The L.A. series is one that maybe a lot of people will see as a target.”Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (8-5, 2.45) is scheduled to oppose Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray (6-2, 3.92) in the first game of the series. Kershaw has made 14 straight quality starts.While the Dodgers are contending for a playoff spot, there will be no lack of motivation on the Arizona side.“It is hard to say you are going to pay people back in sports, because they are gifted athletes, too,” Lovullo said. “But we should make it as hard on them as possible to do what they are trying to do. “That will be my message to the guys. I certainly don’t want to see any team celebrate on our turf. I watched it last year and it was painful, and I don’t want to watch it again. We’ll make sure we give everything we have the next several days.”The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks in the NLDS last season, finishing if off in Arizona.The Dodgers have won 15 of 22 games and have won nine of their last 11.They have a franchise season record 225 homers, setting the mark on newcomer Manny Machado’s homer Saturday night.“We have great hitters here,” Machado told reporters Saturday. “We’re all confident. We know the team we have.”Machado http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-andrew-benintendi-jersey , who had another homer Sunday, had one of the Dodgers’ four homers in the critical series against Arizona at the first of the month. Matt Kemp won the third game of the series with a three-run homer in the eighth inning Sept. 1, and his two-run walkoff double ended the Sept. 2 game.Kershaw will have one more start remaining after this unless the Dodgers have clinched a playoff berth by next weekend and opt to juggle the rotation to prepare for the playoffs. If Kershaw does make two starts, he could put himself high on the ERA leaderboard because he is only 11 2/3 innings short of qualifying. The Mets’ Jacob deGrom has a 1.77 ERA and will win the title, but Kershaw could nose out Aaron Nola (2.45) and Max Scherzer (2.57) for second.Kershaw has won his last five decisions and has not lost since July 21, when Milwaukee scored three unearned runs in a 4-2 victory. He has a 2.22 ERA during his string of 14 quality start and has faced the Diamondbacks four times this season, going 1-1 with a 2.42 ERA.Ray has won his last three decisions over 12 starts and has not lost since July 12. He has given up three runs or less in each of his last nine starts and two runs or less in eight of them. He is coming off a 9-0 victory over the Cubs in which he gave up one hit and struck out eight in six innings.Ray has faced the Dodgers once this season, a 3-1 victory on Aug. 30 in the first game of that series in Los Angeles. He is 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA against them in 14 career starts, the most he has faced any opponent.

Steven Wright has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for an injury that kept him out of the World Series.The team says Dr. Riley Williams operated Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Williams also performed a debridement to remove damaged tissue.Wright was removed from the Division Series roster following the opener against the New York Yankees http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-whit-merrifield-jersey , a day after reinjuring his left knee during a workout.An All-Star in 2016, Wright started the 2018 season late following recovery from left knee surgery and a 15-game domestic violence suspension. The 34-year-old right-hander made four starts and six relief appearances, went back on the disabled list in late June because of the knee, then returned in September.Wright went 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA in four starts and 16 relief appearances. J.A. Happ has been splendid since joining the New York Yankees — so good that he is undefeated.Happ looks to stay undefeated as a Yankee on Monday night when he pitches in the opener of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.Since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 26 for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney, Happ is 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA in seven starts. He also is a leading candidate to get the ball should the Yankees hold onto their current spot in the standings and host the American League wild-card game.More Twins coverageGiants bench coach Meulens to interview with TwinsAfter disappointing season, Sano begins critical offseason for TwinsPhotos of the Week: 9/30/18 – 10/6/18Top Tweets: Local teams give shoutouts to Twins’ MauerLove for Twins’ Mauer off the charts after emotional dayOverall, the 35-year-old free-agent-to-be is 15-6 with a 4.00 ERA in 26 starts this season Cheslor Cuthbert Jersey , his last under a three-year, $36 million contract signed with the Blue Jays ahead of the 2016 season.His resurgence since donning pinstripes has led some to wonder whether he’d be open to returning to New York next season. It is a notion Happ isn’t ready to address just yet, but also hasn’t completely ruled out.“I’d hate to get too far into that, but the one thing that I’ll say is, I’ve been impressed since I came over here with how things have worked so far, and all the baseball-related things have been a positive,” Happ told reporters last week. “So I think I’d be foolish to cross anybody off the list. But Brian Flynn Jersey , yes, certainly, judging by how the first month has gone, it would be a place that I for sure would consider coming back if there was interest.”Happ bounced back from a rough outing against the Detroit Tigers to hold the A’s to a run and two hits in six-plus innings on Tuesday. The Yankees are 3-3 on their nine-game trip and 2 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the wild-card race.The Twins will still be without former Yankee Tyler Austin. The first baseman missed Minnesota’s weekend series with the Kansas City Royals because of back stiffness. He’s expected to take batting practice Monday but isn’t likely to start against the Yankees, who dealt him to the Twins on July 30 for right-hander Lance Lynn.In 20 games since, Austin posted a .243 average (17-for-70) with seven home runs and 11 RBIs along with an .865 OPS. He was sidelined last week, though Abraham Almonte Jersey , by a bout of back tightness that kept him out of action during a weekend series with the Royals.Twins manager Paul Molitor is optimistic that Austin will return to the lineup sometime during the series.“Obviously, I probably wouldn’t play him right out of the gate after a couple of days off,” Molitor said. “Hopefully, we’ll see him before the end of that series. He’s heading in the right direction.”Miguel Sano will be out for at least the opener, too, as he waits for his bruised left knee to show improvement. Sano injured it last week while sliding into second against the Astros and also sat out the Royals series.An MRI showed no structural damage to the knee, but the Twins are taking their time with the third baseman.“We’re hopeful http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-grimm-jersey ,” Molitor said. “Each day hopefully he has a little less soreness he has to be concerned about and can start trying to do some things on the field.”Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the nod for Minnesota, which is 3-7 in its last 10 games after Williams Astudillo hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of a 3-1 win on Sunday.After posting a 5.28 ERA in August, Gibson bounced back with a solid showing against the Astros last week, allowing just two runs — solo home runs — in seven innings.Gibson is 1-4 with a 7.71 ERA in seven career starts against the Yankees.

get a crack at one of the three teams ahead of them in both the National League West and wild-card races when they host the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series beginning Monday night.The Giants (65-67) responded to the loss of catcher Buster Posey to season-ending hip surgery with two straight wins over the Texas Rangers Rafael Devers Jersey , keeping them within eight games of the Diamondbacks (72-58) in the West and eight behind the Milwaukee Brewers (73-59) for the second wild-card spot.That’s a lot of ground to make up in 30 games, but the Giants do play 21 of their final 30 against playoff contenders, giving themselves a chance to determine their own fate to a certain degree.Article continues below ...That starts with Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks, when the Giants will go with right-hander Chris Stratton (8-7, 5.37 ERA) against Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin (10-4, 3.17).The Giants are set up with their two top pitchers — Madison Bumgarner and Dereck Rodriguez — for the final two games of the series, which places added importance on getting off on the right foot in the opener with Stratton, who returned to the San Francisco rotation last Tuesday with a strong effort against the New York Mets.The Giants lost that game 6-3, but Stratton had outpitched Steven Matz for six innings before allowing two runs in the seventh that tied the score 2-2.The Mets added four in the eighth against the Giants’ bullpen to win the game.Stratton has faced the Diamondbacks three times this season, with the results getting progressively worse.He allowed one run in seven innings of a 4-3 win in April, three runs in four innings of a 5-4 win in June and six runs in three innings of a 6-3 loss earlier this month.Paul Goldschmidt and David Peralta bombed Stratton for home runs in the first two innings of the Aug. 3 meeting in Arizona http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-j.-d.-martinez-jersey , after which he was removed from the starting rotation for more than two weeks before resurfacing against the Mets last week.He’s 1-2 with a 4.65 ERA in six career starts against the Diamondbacks.With Posey out of the lineup, the Giants got production from a surprise source when outfielder Steven Duggar collected five hits in the three-game series against the Rangers, including a two-run, tiebreaking triple in Sunday’s 3-1 win.Duggar went 0-for-2 with a strikeout when Corbin pitched the win over Stratton earlier this month. It was his fifth start against the Giants this season.The 29-year-old threw a one-hit shutout against the Giants in April and limited them to one run on two other occasions this season. He has gone 3-0 in the five starts, improving his lifetime record against San Francisco to 8-7 with a 3.07 ERA in 24 games, including 22 starts.Corbin can expect to see Hunter Pence in the Giants’ lineup tonight. The part-timer has hit four home runs with a .366 batting average in 45 career plate appearances against the left-hander.Coming off two losses in three games at home to the Seattle Mariners, the Diamondbacks find themselves one game up in the West on Colorado (71-59) and 2 1/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (70-61) as they begin a seven-game trip.The Diamondbacks go head-to-head with the Dodgers for four games in LA later this week. WASHINGTON (AP) — With a bottle of bubbly at his feet and a baseball with the inscription “300 Ks” in a case in his locker, Max Scherzer allowed himself a moment to consider what he’d just accomplished.“It was something I dreamed of, reaching this mark,” Scherzer said, “because I know how hard it is to consistently go out there and strike guys out.”Scherzer became the 17th pitcher since 1900 to strike out 300 batters in a season David Ross Jersey , reaching that milestone by fanning 10 in seven innings Tuesday night during the Washington Nationals‘ otherwise meaningless 9-4 victory over the Miami Marlins.“A big number,” Nationals catcher Matt Wieters said, “when you’re talking about strikeouts.”Scherzer (18-7) lowered his ERA to 2.53 by allowing one run in seven innings as he bids for a third consecutive NL Cy Young Award; he also won the 2013 honor in the AL for Detroit. He threw 70 of his 100 pitches for strikes, gave up five hits and didn’t walk a batter.The righty reached 300 by getting Austin Dean to whiff on an 85-mph slider at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat for the second out of the seventh. Scherzer pumped his fist while much of the announced crowd of 26,483 — including his wife, Erica May-Scherzer — joined players in the home dugout and home bullpen by saluting the ace with a standing ovation.“I definitely wanted to do it here at home,” said the 34-year-old Scherzer, who is currently slated to make one more start, in Sunday’s season finale at Colorado. “The fans — unbelievable support.”They would chant, “Let’s go, Max!” They would rise and cheer when he had two strikes on a hitter. They would emit a collective “Awwwwwww” when a pitch near the plate was ruled a ball — or even when a pitch resulted in any sort of out that wouldn’t add to his strikeout total.Sweating profusely on a muggy Steve Cishek Jersey , 78-degree evening, Scherzer had all of his repertoire working, from the 97-mph fastballs he threw past Lewis Brinson for strikeouts in the fourth and seventh innings, to the 84-mph changeup that JT Riddle missed for a K leading off the game.As is Scherzer’s wont, he stalked around the grass after strikeouts.Asked whether he considered pulling his famously intense pitcher before No. 300, Nationals manager Dave Martinez laughed.“I value my life,” Martinez joked. “He was going to get 10 today, somehow.”Scherzer now has 10 strikeouts or more in a majors-high 18 of his 33 starts in 2018, and 82 such games for his career.He got Dean by throwing fastball after fastball with a full count, then getting him to chase a slider.“That’s probably where you can see Max has become a more complete pitcher than he was earlier in his career,” Wieters said Drew Smyly Jersey , “where he was able to go with the slider and execute it and realize that with where that fastball was starting, (Dean is) going to be way out in front of it.”Dean’s take?“He’s the best pitcher in baseball,” the Marlins rookie said.The case certainly can be made. This is, after all, a guy with two no-hitters and a 20-strikeout game on his resume, along with the Cy Youngs.Scherzer entered Tuesday ranked No. 1 in the NL in eight significant statistical categories, including strikeouts, strikeouts-to-walks ratio (5.69), opponents’ batting average (.188) and innings pitched (213 2/3). He was also tied for No. 1 in two others: wins and quality starts (27).The expectation is that Scherzer and New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom are the main Cy Young contenders in the NL. DeGrom is 9-9 with a 1.77 ERA and single-season records of 23 consecutive quality starts and 28 starts in a row allowing three or fewer earned runs.“There’s more to pitching than just striking guys out,” Scherzer said, “but also http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-drew-storen-jersey , it is a big reason why you can have success.”RENDON AND HARPERNationals 3B Anthony Rendon hit a three-run shot in the first inning off Jeff Brigham (0-4), increasing his season totals to 24 homers and 90 RBIs and extending his streak of reaching base to 33 straight games. Rendon added an RBI double in the seventh, when Washington batted around and tacked on six runs. … Bryce Harper scored twice to surpass 100 runs for the season; he already had a career-best 100 RBIs and more than 100 walks. Harper can become a free agent in the offseason, so Wednesday’s series finale could be the 2015 NL MVP’s last home game at Nationals Park.UP NEXTThe Nationals will give 26-year-old RHP Kyle McGowin his first start in the majors Wednesday. Miami will start LHP Wei-Yin Chen (6-11, 4.66 ERA).

MILWAUKEE (AP) — the Milwaukee Brewers‘ ticket to meet the Chicago Cubs and their boisterous fans at Wrigley Field.Triple Crown contender Christian Yelich and the Brewers advanced to an NL Central tiebreaker against the Cubs Ian Kinsler Jersey , putting themselves in position Sunday with an 11-0 romp over the Detroit Tigers.Both already assured playoff spots, the Brewers (95-67) meet the Cubs on Monday afternoon in a one-game matchup for the division title. The loser will host the NL wild-card game Tuesday vs. the loser of the Colorado-Los Angeles Dodgers tiebreaker in the NL West.“Expecting it to be fairly hostile tomorrow,” Yelich said.“Any time we play the Cubs, it’s a hostile environment, especially in Wrigley Field. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to it.”The Cubs beat Milwaukee 11-8 in the season series, but Milwaukee won four of the last six games.“We’ve played each other really tough all year,” Yelich said. “So, it’s only fitting we got to do one more.”Chicago beat St. Louis 10-5 on the final scheduled day of the regular season.“It’s going to come down to execution like it has all year,” said Yelich, who is batting .175 with 16 strikeouts, no home runs and five RBIs in 15 games against the Cubs this season.Yelich went 0 for 2 with two walks and scored twice against Detroit, ending his 10-game hitting streak. He is hitting .323 in his first season with Milwaukee, locking up the first batting title in Brewers’ history.Robin Yount, Milwaukee’s two-time AL MVP and Hall of Famer, was on hand to cheer for Yelich. Yount came the closest (.331) to the batting title in 1982 but finished a decimal point behind Kansas City Royals’ Willie Wilson (.332).“That’s pretty cool Albert Pujols Jersey ,” Yount said in the Brewers clubhouse. “I’m pulling for him.”Yelich has 109 RBIs, tied with Colorado’s Nolan Arenado and two behind leader Javier Baez of the Cubs. Yelich’s 36 home runs are tied with Colorado’s Trevor Story and St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter, one behind Arenado.The tiebreakers are considered game No. 163 of the regular season, meaning Yelich’s stats — and those of Arenado and Baez — from Monday’s game will count in the totals. The last NL player to win the Triple Crown was Joe Medwick in 1937 for the Cardinals.The crowd of 41,848 at Miller Park serenaded Yelich with “MVP! MVP!” when he went to right field in the top of the first and then came to bat in the bottom of the frame.Yelich walked and scored on Jesus Aguilar’s single in the first, struck out swinging in the third and fifth and was walked intentionally in the seventh as the fans booed the move. He came out of the game in the eighth to a thunderous ovation.Typically low key, Yelich thought manager Craig Counsell’s move to send in Hernan Perez for him was “pretty cool.”Yelich tipped his cap just before ducking into the dugout as the crowd roared its approval.“I didn’t really know what to do,” Yelich said. “I told Couns (Counsell) after I came off the field that I don’t know what I was supposed to do there. So, I hope that was good enough. The fans have been awesome all year. They really came out and showed their support for us this last series.”The Brewers already had secured their first playoff appearance since 2011, the last time they won the NL Central.At the start of September, the Brewers were in third place and five games behind the Cubs with the Cardinals in second. Milwaukee went on a 19-6 tear to finish strong.“If we didn’t turn it around, we wouldn’t be going to Chicago,” Counsell said.Gio Gonzalez (10-11) toiled efficiently through five scoreless innings in his fifth start since being acquired on Aug. 31 from Washington. The left-hander, who helped the Nationals win four division titles in the last six seasons, scattered three hits.Aguilar hit his 35th homer http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-babe-herman-jersey , connecting in the fourth off Spencer Turnbull (0-2). Aguilar added an RBI grounder in the seventh.The Brewers, who went 86-76 last year, scored six times in the seventh. Ryan Braun and Orlando Arcia had two-run doubles.Travis Shaw hit his 32nd home run in the eighth.The Tigers, under first-year manager Ron Gardenhire, lost their fifth in a row and finished 64-98 for the second consecutive season. Gardenhire, who previously managed the Minnesota Twins (2002-2014), replaced Brad Ausmus.“The hope here is that we are doing exactly what we said we were going to do,” Gardenhire said of the rebuilding process. “We are going to rebuild this thing and start from the ground level up. We’re going to get young again next year. As long as we can keep them playing hard and start paying attention to the details of the game, we’ll be OK.”VICTOR MARTINEZ FARWELLThe five-time AL All-Star with the Cleveland Indians (2004, 2007, 2009), the Boston Red Sox (2010) and the Tigers (2014) played his final came of his 16-year major league career Sept. 22 when he started in Detroit against Kansas City.“You have the luxury of getting to watch a guy wind down his career right in front of your eyes,” Gardenhire said. “He meant so much to these guys in the clubhouse. After the big guy, (Miguel) Cabrera, got hurt Mike Piazza Jersey , Victor kind of took over that leadership role, which he didn’t have to do. He was one of our leaders anyway. But he stepped up. It was about everything he did for these guys. Talking to them when they needed that. You’ve got to have a veteran presence.” The Baltimore Orioles are moving on from Manny Machado after trading the All-Star shortstop to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.The Dodgers made the deal official.The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported the prospects involved. Rosenthal also confirmed the Orioles will not be sending cash considerations to L.A.Diaz is the fourth-ranked prospect in L.A.'s farm system and the 84th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com.Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said Machado would play shortstop primarily but also play some third base when necessary, per Dodgers Insider.It wasn't clear when, or if, the Orioles would decide to trade Machado before he is eligible for free agency after this season.Jon Heyman reported last September the Orioles had "no intention" of shopping Machado during the offseason, though he noted executives from rival organizations felt the team had virtually no chance to re-sign him.Once the winter meetings began in December, the tenor changed, with Rosenthal reporting the Orioles asked interested teams to make offers for Machado.With the Orioles sitting in the American League East cellar at 28-69, the decision to move Machado was essentially made for them. That hasn't stopped him putting up an outstanding .315/.387/.575 slash line with 24 homers, though.Given how valuable Machado has been since his MLB debut in 2012, it's not hard to see why the Orioles would want to do everything in their power to keep him. He ranks seventh among all American League players with 27.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement since 2012.After finishing 75-87 last season, the Orioles were in a dire situation playing in the same division with the powerhouse New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Their problems have gotten exponentially worse in the first half of 2018.Since the Orioles can't compete with the Yankees or Red Sox in terms of payroll, they have to build through their farm system. That's been a weakness for the organization, with few exceptions like Machado. ESPN's Keith Law ranked Baltimore's system No. 23 in MLB at the start of 2018.Even though the Orioles will be worse without Machado on their team for the rest of this season http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-andre-ethier-jersey , moving him now allowed them an opportunity to maximize his value and get the best possible return in a trade to ensure they can return to contention sooner than they would have if he just walked for nothing as a free agent.Los Angeles became the logical landing spot for Machado in May when it was announced that Corey Seager would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.Injuries have been an ongoing problem for the Dodgers this season, with Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill, Logan Forsythe, Pedro Baez, Tony Cingrani and Justin Turner among those who have spent time on the DL.Chris Taylor has done an admirable job in Seager's place with a .253/.332/.454 slash line and 11 homers.Just based on offensive production, Machado represents a significant upgrade for the Dodgers. His defense since moving to shortstop at the start of 2018 has left a lot to be desired, ranking last among all qualified players with minus-19 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.The Dodgers are in a tense battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants in the National League West, so landing an All-Star talent such as Machado has the potential to put them over the top.

Orioles took another significant turn Friday when longtime center fielder Adam Jones was moved to right field to make room for rookie Cedric Mullins.Jones has started in center for Baltimore since his arrival in 2008. The 33-year-old played the position well enough this year Chris Taylor Jersey , but the last-place Orioles are ready to try someone younger and faster in the middle of the outfield.Manager Buck Showalter called Jones “one of the great center fielders in Oriole history,” but said the 12-year veteran has known for a while that the switch was coming.“It had to be the right guy,” Showalter said. “We think Cedric might be the right guy.”The 23-year-old Mullins had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup against Boston. He was to play center field and bat ninth in his big league debut.This is not a one-day experiment.“Adam will play right and Cedric will play center. That’s the way I perceive it,” Showalter said. “If something happens with Cedric, we’ll see. If something happens with Adam, well, I hope nothing does.”He added: “This is about the future going forward.”Jones’ contract expires after this season. The Orioles attempted to send him to another team before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but Jones had the right of refusal and used it.Now, he will play out the season in right field while helping Mullins adjust to playing center in the big leagues.“Him being the team leader, he’s been very supportive with me playing center field,” Mullins said. “We’ve had a lot of contact about it and just guiding me through it.”Mullins was selected by Baltimore in the 13th round of the 2015 draft. He started the year with Double-A Bowie before moving up to Norfolk.In 59 games with Norfolk, he hit .267 with five homers, 18 RBIs and 12 steals. Mullins also carried a .994 fielding percentage.To make room for Mullins http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , the Orioles designated Danny Valencia for assignment — yet another move to make the team younger. The 33-year-old Valencia was batting .263 with nine homers and 28 RBIs.“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t land with a contending club,” Showalter said. NEW YORK (AP) — David Wright is scheduled to participate in a simulated game Saturday at Citi Field, the next step for the New York Mets‘ captain as he tries to make a major league comeback from neck, back and shoulder injuries.The third baseman hasn’t played in the big leagues since May 2016. He batted a combined .171 (7 for 41) with one double in 10 games for Class A St. Lucie and two with Triple-A Las Vegas last month before his rehab assignment expired on the final day of August.“Where he got to at the end of the 20 days was not where we thought he needed to be,” Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said Friday. “Honestly, it does get more difficult to foresee a situation where he could come back to that level.”Right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak, on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation, will be among the pitchers to face Wright in the simulated game.“We’re going to put him through the grinder a little bit and we’re going to get to see exactly where he’s at. And more importantly, we’re going to see the next day how he recovers,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “So, I think that all of our coaches are going to get an eye on him, and I’m sure, from a baseball perspective http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-ross-stripling-jersey , we will have some input.”With the season over for New York’s farm-system affiliates, Wright and the Mets are looking for other ways to measure his progress. He’s expected to get six at-bats Saturday and take grounders in the field.“It’s probably not actual game speed, but it’s as close as you can get out there on the field in practice. And we’ll set up some situations where runners might be and have him react and things like that,” Callaway said before the Mets faced the Philadelphia Phillies. “We know that David’s instincts are very good. He’ll probably never lose those. It’s more just, OK, can he do all the fundamental things necessary to go out there and compete in the big leagues? And it sounds like he’s getting close to that.”A seven-time All-Star, Wright is under contract through 2020. He is making $20 million this year and is owed $27 million over the next two seasons.If the Mets reinstate him from the 60-day disabled list, it would likely diminish the amount of insurance money they could collect on his contract.“I think really where we’ve been all along, it’s been a health thing,” Ricco said. “He’s been out for two years. It’s just making sure that when he comes back, that he’s able to physically take the field and perform.”The 35-year-old Wright, who worked out with the Mets before Friday’s game, is trying to return from several operations. One was for a cervical disk herniation Yasmani Grandal Jersey , another was to repair his right rotator cuff, and he also had a laminotomy procedure on his lower back last October.Despite his chronic spinal stenosis, Wright has maintained he wants to exhaust every attempt at a comeback. But if he’s going to return, he doesn’t want it to be simply for ceremonial reasons — he wants to be able to contribute on the field.“We ran out of minor league games before he was ready. So this is just really continuing his rehab and trying to get him to a place where he can go out there and be ready to play,” Callaway said. “I think we want to put him in a spot where he can go out there and feel like he can do the job, be successful at whatever he’s going to do, whether it’s pinch-hit that day or start, and then come out of it healthy. You know, you never want to put anybody in jeopardy. So I think those two things are our main goal.”NOTES: Callaway said the team would like Swarzak to throw 20 pitches Saturday. If he comes out of the session OK, he would likely be activated in the next day or two. Swarzak has been sidelined since Aug. 4. … Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco received an epidural for a bulging disk in his back, and the club hopes he’ll be able to return in about a week.

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Ranger is an extremely popularclass in Path ofExile. Her natural quickness grants her a profound chance to avoid damage, and he or she tends to garb herself learn how to leathers and cloth.Because of this special benefit, lots of players have tried this character in theDelve league and created build with various skills and equipment. The following summarizes some in the most popular Ranger builds, these builds can be obtained on our POE Currency website, I hope you might have something you enjoy!
Deadeye Builds
[POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Kinetic Blast Build - Fast Magic Find]
[POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Elemental Hit Build - High DPS & Budget Friendly]
[POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Tornado Shot Build - High Damage & Fast Clear Speed]
Raider Builds
[POE 3.4 Ranger Barrage Raider Build - Magic Find Windripper]
[POE 3.4 Ranger Raider Cuastic Arrow Build - Cheap and Easy to Play]
Pathfinder Builds
[POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Build - Hight Dps with Poet pen]
[POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Toxic Rain / Caustic Arrow Build - High Clearing & Movement Speed]
[POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Herald of Agony Build - High Dps & League Starter]
Deadeye Builds1.POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Kinetic Blast Build - Fast Magic Find
Pros & Cons
+Fast and Strong
+Magic Find.
+Evasion and Dodge
+Far Shot Playstyle
-Not an excellent "all-around" build
-Have to reroll some map mods
-Single Target
-Tough to League Start with
-Have not tested Hardcore
-Can be high budget
Gems and Links
Kinetic Blast - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Ice Bite/Added Cold* - Added Lightning Damage - Damage on Full Life
Check the three. Gems and Links section to view what gems do the job!
Herald of Ice - Onslaught - Curse on Hit - Assassin's Mark
Cast When Damage Taken - Immortal Call - Increased Duration - Vaal Grace
Wrath
Ice Golem - Cast When Damage Taken - Culling Strike - Blind
Flame Dash - Faster Casting - Vaal Breach
Decoy Totem
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/Zm5JqGFs
2.POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Elemental Hit Build - High DPS & Budget Friendly
Ascendancy
Deadeye: Gathering Winds -> Fast and Deadly -> Far Shot -> Ricochet
Bandits
Help Alira
Pantheon
Major: Arakaali (Unlock Arachnoxia)
Minor: Doesn't really matter
Gems
AoE
(Elemental Hit + GMP + Mirage Archer + Combustion + WED + Fire Pen)
For AoE: swap Fire Pen with Cold to Fire should you not use Pyre.
Single Target
5L: Elemental Hit + Combustion + WED + Fire Pen + Slower Proj
6th link: Empower lvl 4 or Faster Attacks or Damage on Full Life
Frostferno 4L: Ele Hit + Combustion + WED + Fire Pen or Damage on Full Life (~12% more dps than Fire Pen should your life is full...)
Auras
- Vaal Haste
- Grace in case you are using Queen in the Forest
- You may use Herald of Ash to be able to improve AoE clear
Other
- Orb of Storms + Power Charge on Crit + Curse on Hit + Proj Weakness vs. Bosses / Guardians / Shaper OR: gloves with Elemental Weakness on hit corruption (but only if you may manage to have this corruption with a really nice couple of gloves)
- Blink Arrow
- Ice Golem
- Blood Rage
- CWDT + IC
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/Jp5rpZxD
3.POE 3.4 Ranger Deadeye Tornado Shot Build - High Damage & Fast Clear Speed
Pros & Cons
Pros
+ Extremely fast clearer, possibly fastest, especially at higher tiers where weaker build like autobomber can't clear effectively.
+ Excluding Uber Elder, it could clear everything with no trouble, Uber Elder is doable based on gear, although build will not be made for that.
+ Highly survivable for just a bow build.
Cons
- Like most bow builds it is rather expensive, even with a starter level, this build has a even higher gear cap than other bow builds.
Ascendancy
Fast and Deadly > Gathering Winds > Far Shot > Ricochet
All the ascendancy are excellent, probably not sure an order to get them in. Probably shouldn't level on this anyway.
Bandits
Alira
Has the resistance that people need
Map mods
Elemental/Physical Reflect: Save until mirror sextant, reroll should you not use sextants. Phys reflect gets out of control and can kill you when you get too many Headhunter buffs.
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/Vagi0Tkr
Raider Builds1.POE 3.4 Ranger Barrage Raider Build - Magic Find Windripper
Pros & Cons
+ Can run 100% unique items with relative ease, hence the gearing is straightforward and smooth
+ Can run maps around t16 without difficulty (however the bosses get tricky from t14 and onwards if you do not invest enough)
+ Only a few with the uniques are "mandatory" (And even next the build functions without)
+ The league gear for the character won't change the dps
- Has a low health pool initally (around lv 70-80), will take a while to ramp that up
- Has a substantial (For those who consider 4-5ex a good deal) starting cost
- Not SSF viable, sure it is possible to farm the wind cards as well as the ventors gamble cards even so the rest are rare-ish and possess extremely rare/no divination cards
- For the build to truly feel its best it needs at least 2 5links (or maybe a 5l along with a tempest's binding) and also a rigwald's quills.
Levelling
From lvl 1: Equip Goldrim, wanderlust and whatever unique things you have otherwise that work well for melee (cleave preferably)
Level 8: Equip Meginord's girdle (Great strength and dmg suppliment) Get leap slam
Level 9: Use Hrimsorrow and route to Winter spirit for the tree at the earliest opportunity (you may refund these points when you're fully levelled)
Level 12: Equip Tabula rasa and hang up the gem you have for damage inside linked to two other damage supports, I normally use added cold support, added lightning support and onslaught support
Level 18: Get better gem links from act 2 Yeena, e.g. melee physical damage, maim, faster attacks (for both your dmg skill and leap slam) and get yourself a herald of ash
Continue this soon you kill act 3 Gravicius and obtain Cyclone, be sure you upgrade your weapons with rares across the way
Level 30: Equip a Thief's torment, it will fix all of your life gain/mana gain issues using your levelling process until around level 57
Level 33: Equip a reaper#s pursuit for increased clearspeed and big dmg
Level 49: Equip an Uul-Netol's Kiss to improve your damage greatly
Level 57: replace your rings with rares with resists and life
Level 66-8: Start the transition into windripper, equip your ripper, your rigwald's quills, your bisco's collar as well as your queen from the forest. Replacing your other gear with evasion stuff with higher life.
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/K441qcMM
2.POE 3.4 Ranger Raider Cuastic Arrow Build - Cheap and Easy to Play
Pros & Cons
Pros
+ Cheap starting cost, great league starter
+ Very simple to play
+ Tanky end game, over 6000 life and also high evasion + dodge
+ Fast without flasks (over 80% ms, high AS)
+ Flexible build, adjust the amount you wish to go MF / damage / tanky
+ Can run literally any map mod, including "No regen"
+ Capable of clearing all end game content
+ 79% max res while mapping (Divination Distillate)
+ Permanent flask uptime while mapping (except bosses)
Cons
- Mediocre single target damage
- Slightly expensive end game gear
- Weak against physical spells
Leveling
First and a lot important to keep in mind - when looking for equipment, your priority with them is Life and Resistances. Links are just as important, be sure to check for correct socket colors. This applies to every one acts.
Act 1-3 needs to be very easy generally. That's where you slowly shape increase main skill. Majority in the necessary gems are rewards from quests. The ones you'll be able to't, you'll be able to buy at a Nessa, Yeena and Siosa since you progress throughout the main story.
In act 4 you need to have good resistances, especially fire resist. Outside of that, it really should be a breeze. It's a great idea to go into Labyrinth when you finally find waypoint inside Crystal Veins. Should trivial now.
Act 5 is the place things get small bit tougher. Monsters available are quite dangerous also it's recommended to own capped fire and lightning resitances. It's also a period of time where bleed removal life flask is required. I recommend to farm Chambers of Innocence and soon you reach level 45 then face the Innocence himself. Next boss is Kitava, 1600 own life is enough to tank most of his abilities.
Once you arrive in act 6, look at your resistances. If they're below 60%, you ought to pick up Purity of Elements from Clarissa (act 3) - utilize it instead of Grace aura and soon you solve the resistance problem. It's recommended to own them capped prior to final boss.
Act 7 painless. Beware of ghosts in the Crypt, they're able to hit quite hard.
Act 8 features Deodre, construction boss you encounter during levelling. It's relatively safe in case you have 2500 life, but that could possibly be hard to acquire. After that, the act will probably be trivial. It's good to own freeze removal flask for Lunaris area, just in case you don't have it already. Kill the final boss of the act and start working on Blood Acqueducts.
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/s7vQSea7
Pathfinder Builds1.POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Build - Hight Dps with Poet pen
Overview
All the build revolves about the Zerphi flask. Let's have a look at the descrpition:
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">50% increased Charges used
Skills used during Flask effect grant (450-600)% of Mana Cost as Life over 4 Seconds
That means only Life Recovery Rate, +% Flask Effect plus the Mana Cost individuals skills are affecting simply how much the Zerphi heals you.
That means likewise you ought to deplete enough mana constantly to hold the Zerphi working
Let's bear that in mind as we delve deeper in to the build mechanics.
Pros & Cons
+ Can facetank everything with end game gear.
+ Decent real DPS, estimated around 600k min. for UElder encounter
+ Good clearspeed if it is possible to handle bodyswap
- May not be friendly to cheap players
- No Ele reflect maps
- Everything messing up with Flasks, Life Recovery Rate, Mana Regen/Gain or Mana Cost.
Leveling
There is usually a before with an after Zerphi. Before the Zerphi:
You wish to level your Blood Magic gems
You want to hold Frenzy on 4 links
You don't wish to use the Fevered Minds
Same costs the Watcher's eye, you'll be able to use Herald of Ash or Artic Armour prior to you buying it rather than Vitality.
Before acquiring your 2 Poet's, it is possible to play virtually whatever you desire, nevertheless for Delve i'd advise Caustic Arrow, you may even grab the Master Herbalist ascendancy first before respec later.
For Phys reflect mods, before acquiring Xoph's, you'll be able to pick "Avatar of Fire" inside your tree as an alternative to an empty jewel socket
Whatever the league is, there can be a way to farm your individual Zerphi: it is possible to loot the divination card "The Mayor" inside map Ivory Temple.
With a collection, you may acquire a Perandus Manor map.
Same applies Xoph's Blood: farming breach mods (sextant or Zana)
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/vH5PpL3V
2.POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Toxic Rain / Caustic Arrow Build - High Clearing & Movement Speed
Pros & Cons
Pros
+ great clearing speed as a result of CA buffs.
+ excellent to run maps and delves for the reason that only mods you dont would like to run
aren't any leeching with out regen.
+ great to run delves with.
+ high evasion and movement speed.
Cons
- really weak single target till you will get key items (6l +3 Bow, Dying Sun, Impresence, 21/20 CA, Empower lvl 3/4 )
Gems Links
Caustic Arrow
Caustic Arrow - Empower - Concentrated Effect - Vicious Projectile - Swift Affliction - Void Manipulation
Toxic Rain
Toxic Rain - Void Manipulation - Vicious Projectile - Slower Projectile - Withering Touch - Mirage Archer
Herald of Agony
Herald of Agony - Minion Damage - Vicious Projectile - Lesser Multiple Projectile
Immortal Setup
Immortal Call (lvl 3) - Cast When Damage Taken (lvl 2) - Increased Duration - Phase Run
Blink Arrow - Faster Attacks
Decoy Totem
Rallying Cry
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/DCpDdHCb
3.POE 3.4 Ranger Pathfinder Herald of Agony Build - High Dps & League Starter
Pros & Cons
Pros
+ High DPS whether or not budget. Ideal for League Starter.
+ You need 0 mandatory uniques. SSF-able.
+ You are ranged and minion shatters enemies. Fairly safe.
+ Unlimited flasks for boss sustain.
+ Can do all contents. Including a myriad of boss fights, map mods, delving deep, and in many cases phasing through darkness for fossils while you are out of sulphite.
Cons
- You need to get used to the sometimes-buggy minion AI. I have this fixed here.
- Proximity Shields are annoying.
- Mods that reduces possible opportunity to poison are going to be a bit harder.
- You have hardly any armour or evasion. Survival could well be based on your own crowd control skills and flasks.
Gems Setup
Herald of Agony
Minion Speed
Damage on Full Life
Minion Damage
Pierce
Physical to Lightning
Swap: Vicious Projectiles, Summon Phantasm on Kill, Critical Damage
Rain of Arrows
Poison
Life Gain on Hit
Blood Magic
Curse on Hit
Assassin's Mark
Optional: Blind, Knockback, Chance to Flee, Maim
Hatred
Generosity
Abyssal Cry for faster pack clears. Minion Damage nodes do affect its damage as you are also impacted by those nodes.
Spirit Offering
Immortal Call
Increased Duration
Cast on Damage Taken
Vaal Haste or Vaal Impurity of Ice
PoB Link:https://pastebin.com/Ydwmg0Z7
About PoB
If you don't know how you can use, begin to see the instructions below, otherwise please ignore
1. Download Path of Building (link: https://github.com/Openarl/PathOfBuilding)
2. Copy pastebin URL.
3. Launch path of making.
4. Click on Import/Export.
5. Click Import from Pastebin
6. Paste the URL copied in step two.
7. Done!
These certainly are a complete breakdown of the Ranger build. We will release the builds of other characters sometimes. Please enjoy the updated content of our own website. We will keep provide the most beneficial service with the players! If you want to learn more about [url=https://www.mmoah.com/path-of-exile]POE Orbs[/url, please continue to keep an eye on MMOAH.

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