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01	April 2019

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A look at what�s happening around the majors today:SALE ON HOLDRed Sox ace Chris Sale was still feeling weak and trying to regain lost weight after a stomach illness forced him to spend a night in the hospital after he started the AL Championship Series opener against the Astros. Boston had hoped to start Sale in Game 5 on Thursday night http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey Jersey , but instead will give him a couple extra days to recover while planning to pitch him in Game 6 on Saturday in Boston, if necessary. David Price will start in Sale�s place Thursday night on three days� rest as the Red Sox try to win the pennant.Sale threw in the outfield for 10-15 minutes Wednesday before Game 4 in Houston, but manager Alex Cora said the lanky left-hander didn�t throw a bullpen as planned.Boston leads the best-of-seven set 3-1 and is one win from making its first trip to the World Series since winning the 2013 title. Game 1 winner Justin Verlander is scheduled to pitch for the Astros with their season on the line.DEFENDING CHAMPSThe Astros are still under scrutiny, even after Major League Baseball absolved the World Series champions of any wrongdoing after a credentialed Houston employee was caught pointing his cellphone into the opposing dugouts during playoff games in Cleveland and Boston. MLB says the Astros were conducting surveillance, not spying, but the incidents have raised questions about sign-stealing and ethics in the age of high-speed, high-definition cameras.Boston executive Dave Dombrowski also did not think the employee was stealing signs, but he was upset by Houston�s suspicion of the Red Sox and the fact that the Astros weren�t punished because �there was a violation.��I don�t like the implication that the Boston Red Sox were doing anything illegal,� Dombrowski said, �and I don�t think that the issue is actually closed from Major League Baseball, from what I�ve been advised from the commissioner�s office, so there�s a lot more steps that are attached to this.�YOU, AGAINThe Dodgers and Brewers return to Milwaukee for an off day in the NL Championship Series. Game 6 is Friday night at Miller Park, and the Brewers plan to start Wade Miley again as they attempt to avoid elimination. Miley walked Cody Bellinger to open Game 5 on Wednesday before getting pulled in an unusual bit of strategy by manager Craig Counsell.The left-hander would become the first pitcher to start consecutive games for his team in one postseason since George Earnshaw of the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1930 World Series against the Cardinals, according to STATS. Miley pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in Game 2 vs. the Dodgers, allowing two hits.Milwaukee starters have tossed just 14 innings in the NLCS, the lowest total ever through five games, the Elias Sports Bureau said.�We�re in a good spot, man,� Counsell said. �We�re going back home, to me, in a position of strength.�Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches for the Dodgers, one win from making consecutive World Series appearances for the first time since 1977-78. For much of the year Jake Arrieta Jersey , the battle between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for AL East supremacy was one of the biggest storylines in baseball.Now, with the Red Sox pulling away, it's the AL West that is shaping up to be the most compelling race for a division title.The Houston Astros still sit atop the standings, but after they were swept by the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, things have gotten considerably closer between those two teams as well as the upstart Oakland Athletics.The NL Central and NL West are also far from decided, which should make for an exciting final two months of the season.Just remember, these rankings are fluid. Teams rise and fall based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing鈥攊t's as simple as that.Here's where all 30 teams stand heading into the rest of this week's action:Updated Rankings1 Boston Red Sox (85-35)2 New York Yankees (74-43)13 Houston Astros (73-46)14 Chicago Cubs (68-49)5 Oakland Athletics (70-48)26 Seattle Mariners (69-50)47 Cleveland Indians (66-51)58 Atlanta Braves (64-51)39 Arizona Diamondbacks (65-54)10 Los Angeles Dodgers (64-55)211 Milwaukee Brewers (67-54)612 Philadelphia Phillies (65-52)613 St. Louis Cardinals (63-55)214 Pittsburgh Pirates (61-58)115 Colorado Rockies (63-55)116 Washington Nationals (60-58)117 Tampa Bay Rays (60-58)118 San Francisco Giants (59-60)219 Los Angeles Angels (59-60)20 San Diego Padres (48-72)521 Texas Rangers (52-68)22 Minnesota Twins (54-63)223 Toronto Blue Jays (53-64)124 New York Mets (49-66)325 Cincinnati Reds (52-66)226 Detroit Tigers (49-69)227 Miami Marlins (48-71)128 Chicago White Sox (42-75)29 Kansas City Royals (35-82)30 Baltimore Orioles (35-84) Teams That ImpressedMookie BettsTom Szczerbowski/Getty ImagesTheSeattle Marinersclosed out last week with a surprise sweep of the first-place Houston Astros. It was a hard-fought series, with the four games decided by a total of seven runs. It should also serve as a preview for what's shaping up to be an exciting final month of action in the AL West.Erasmo Ramirez tossed five scoreless innings Sunday in his first appearance since April 27. He'll replace Felix Hernandez in the rotation after the franchise icon and his unsightly 5.73 ERA was moved to the bullpen.It was business as usual for theBoston Red SoxandNew York Yankeeslast week, as the clubs went 6-1 in a pair of series against sub-.500 teams.The Red Sox enter the week with an impressive 43-15 record against the rest of the AL East鈥攂y far the best in-division record in baseball this season鈥攁nd that should bode well as they push toward 100 wins.TheCleveland Indiansalready have a 12-game lead in the AL Central and another division title in the bag, but they still haven't played up to their potential. With an 8-3 record and a plus-19 run differential in August, it looks like they may finally be hitting their stride.TheChicago Cubs(4-2),St. Louis Cardinals(5-1) andPittsburgh Pirates(4-3) all posted winning records last week, and there are now four teams within eight games of first place in the NL Central.The Cardinals have the best in-division record at 33-25, despite sitting in third place in the standings, so that's something to keep an eye on as they look to keep things rolling.TheSan Diego Padres(4-2) andNew York Mets(4-2) were the other two teams to win both of their series last week.While the Mets knocked off a pair of non-contenders in the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins, the Padres beat the teams that were ranked No. 5 (Milwaukee Brewers) and No. 6(Philadelphia Phillies) in last week's rankings, so a tip of the cap to the Friars.Teams That DisappointedBrewers manager Craig CounsellJohn Minchillo/Associated PressAside from their respective series losses to the Padres, theMilwaukee BrewersandPhiladelphia Philliesboth lost their other series last week.That was enough to send them tumbling out of the top 10 in the rankings, and if the season ended today, the two teams would meet in the NL Wild Card Game.The Brewers are now 4-7 with an ugly minus-27 run differential in August, and with the rest of the NL Central contenders playing well, they're in danger of falling out of the postseason picture.It was a tough weekend overall for contenders Nick Williams Jersey , as theHoustonAstros(vs. SEA),Arizona Diamondbacks(vs. CIN),Brewers(vs. ATL),Phillies(vs. SD) andWashington Nationals(vs. CHC) all suffered series losses.Beyond that, things went largely as expected last week.TheChicago White Sox,Kansas City RoyalsandBaltimore Orioleswent a combined 3-16 at the bottom of the rankings, and those three teams are now 10-24 with a minus-69 run differential so far this month. MVPs of the WeekHitter:J.D. Martinez, Boston Red SoxStats:13-for-28, 5 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 7 RAll that is standing between J.D. Martinez and a run at the Triple Crown right now is teammateMookie Betts and his .350 batting average."I would love him to win the Triple Crown, but if he wins the batting title, that means the other guy got into a slump," manager Alex Cora told reporters. "I like the way it is now, honestly."As it stands, Martinez is hitting .333/.401/.669 with 33 doubles, 37 home runs, 104 RBI and 87 runs scored, giving him the MLB lead in both home runs and RBI.He also leads the AL in hits (145), slugging percentage (.669) and total bases (291).He's been nothing short of a game-changing addition for a Boston Red Sox team that has been perched atop these power rankings for weeks now.It will be interesting to see how things shake out when it comes to AL MVP voting. Both Martinez and Betts have compelling cases but could wind up splitting votes.Pitcher:Dereck Rodriguez, San Francisco GiantsStats:2 GS, 1-0 Tyler Glasnow Jersey , 0.64 ERA, 14.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 KWhat a find Dereck Rodriguez has been for the San Francisco Giants.The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, he was originally drafted as an outfielder by the Minnesota Twins back in 2011. It was not until the 2013 season that he made the full-time move to pitching.Despite going 10-6 with a 3.27 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 143.1 innings between High-A and Double-A last season, the Twins let him walk as a minor league free agent, and he caught on with the Giants.The 26-year-old made his MLB debut on May 29 and has gone 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 80 innings over 12 starts and two relief appearances, including a pair of stellar seven-inning outings last week.Those numbers also come with strong peripherals, including a3.14 FIP.He might come down to earth a bit once his .264 BABIPlevels off, but overall, it looks like the Giants have found an excellent diamond in the rough and one they'll control for the next six seasons.It's not out of the question that he walks away with NL Rookie of the Year honors.Video Highlights of the WeekLongest Home Run:Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates (453 feet)Starling Marte is well on his way to the best season of his career from a power standpoint.Known more for his speed on the bases and defense in the outfield, he entered the season with a modest career high of 19 home runs, which he hit back in 2015 as part of a 5.3-WAR season.With this 453-foot blast off Colorado Rockies starter Chad Bettis, his season total stands at 17.That's accompanied by a career-best.192 ISO, and he's also hitting more fly balls (33.5 percent) and making more hard contact (35.6 percent) than ever before.If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to chase down a playoff spot, Marte will need to keep swinging a big bat the rest of the way. Best Defensive Play:Ramon Laureano, Oakland AthleticsWow.That's as strong and accurate a throw as you'll ever see from a center fielder.The throw was measured at 321 feet and it could not have been more on the money to complete the double play at first base.Equally impressive was his speed to track down the fly ball in the first place.Laureano was only recently promoted from Triple-A, where he was hitting .297/.380/.524 with 12 doubles Adam Frazier Jersey , 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases on the year.Center field has been a bit of a revolving door for the Athletics this season, but it looks like they found a solution in the 24-year-old who was acquired from the Astros in November.Must-See Upcoming MatchupHouston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics (Friday-Sunday)Charlie MortonThearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesThe Astros have gotten the best of this head-to-head matchup so far this season with a 9-4 record and a plus-34 run differential.However, it was the Athletics who came out on top last time they squared off, taking three of four in Houston at the beginning of July.This series could very well determine who holds the No. 3 spot in these rankings next week.The Astros will trot out Charlie Morton (12-3, 2.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), Dallas Keuchel (9-9, 3.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Justin Verlander (11-7, 2.50 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), so the Oakland will be put to the test.Meanwhile, the Athletics will turn to surprise veterans Edwin Jackson (4-2, 2.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) and Trevor Cahill (4-2, 3.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) in the first two games and lefty Sean Manaea (10-8, 3.50 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) in the finale.Oaklandranks 28th in the majors in attendance this season, but the Coliseum will be rocking this weekend.All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.