The Playstation MLB sim has a lot of the same things as previous editions Kyle Gibson Jersey , but some new wrinkles, and changes to old modes, make it worthwhile."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodRandomnessMLB: The Show 19. The Snakepit ReviewNew,14commentsThe Playstation MLB sim has a lot of the same things as previous editions, but some new wrinkles, and changes to old modes, make it worthwhile.EDTShareTweetShareShareMLB: The Show 19. The Snakepit Review(NOTE: All screenshots in this article were taken by me in-game)If you’ve wanted to have a Baseball video game that has licensed MLB teams and MLBPA players, but is a standard game and not an Out of the Park GM sim, The Show has been your only bet since about 2014. Thankfully, Sony has used their exclusivity well, and has put out solid games year after year (Glances vaguely in the direction of Madden to see if that point was clear.)With yearly sports games, though, it can be hard to justify a new purchase if subsequent editions of the game are too similar, save for updated rosters. On the other hand, if you change around things too much and, to use a baseball term, swing and miss, it’s going to affect your sales of MLB: The Show 20.I think this year’s edition threads that needle pretty well, for the most part. Look, I would hang that flag above my childhood bed even if I wasn’t born at sea.The biggest change to the actual in-game play is that hitting has become somewhat harder. Using the zone receptacle , if you use “Zone” type hitting, becomes very important as you try to square up a pitch and get good contact. Also, on higher difficulty levels, the pitches come at you faster. However, it’s not so much harder that you can’t adapt to it with enough playing time. It is a bit of an adjustment if you’re used to previous editions of The Show, however. The presentation of the game remains solid, with a few updates. Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa and Dan Plesac are still your play-by-play announcer and color guys, respectively. Do DeRosa and Plesac still sound way too similar that it’s hard to differentiate between the two sometimes? Reader, they do. Heidi Watney of MLB Network joins as a sideline reporter, which is a fun new wrinkle that makes the “in-game” broadcast seem more like an actual broadcast. Also, as a new feature, you can unlock certain announcer calls for Vasgersian to say for Home Runs/etc. Even before you unlock them, you can preview them. What follows is some extremely cursed 2019 energy: Other game modes Logan Morrison Jersey , like “Retro Mode”, which lets you play an RBI Baseball type casual game, and “Diamond Dynasty”, which let’s you create your own online team and through your skills and microtransactions, you can dominate, are still there. As well as “Franchise”, which is more-or-less the same as previous year’s franchise modes. New game modes, and some modifications to an old one are the hallmarks of the 2019 edition,The game is realistic in the sense that a Diamondbacks team based off of last year’s only has two runs late in a gameOne of the newest mode is “March to October.” This has a double meaning, as the MLB season takes place from the months of March to October, but also means your team is marching to October. Get it? GET IT?!?In this mode, you can choose any of the 30 MLB teams. When you choose one, a video plays as a setup to this season. I can summarize the Diamondbacks video as such:“Boy, y’all were hot trash last year, huh? Lost your best player too, eh? Well, you could still be good. Maybe. Good luck with that.” In this mode, a season is mostly simulated, except it will stop and put you in control in a game situation where you have to pull out a win, usually. If you do, your team gets “Momentum” and will win a lot of the next few simulated games. If you lose, you get cold and lose games. The goal is to succeed enough that you make it to the Playoffs and the World Series. The general idea is that with enough breaks or momentum, any team can go all the way, even the Marlins.Occasionally, it will throw player challenges at you. You take control of a single player in a game, and if you do well, that player will get a stats boost for the rest of the season. It’s a fun mode for those who might not want to go face-first into Franchise mode, but still want to experience a season.March to October main screenThe biggest change to The Show this year is that the game’s marquee mode, “Road to the Show” has undergone a lot of cosmetic changes, and some updates and wrinkles that make it a new experience. Apparently, it’s all story-based? You start out as a Cowboy? Maybe this will lead to the invention of Baseball or one of the leagues, but it just seemed out of place. Also there’s a lot more Horse customization options than I remember ever needing to be in Baseball. This horse hit .244 in his first season in Double-A.... Wait, I’m being told I loaded up the wrong game on my PS4. ApologiesLast year, RTTS introduced the “Archetype” system Orlando Arcia Jersey , where when you created your player you chose what kind of player they could grow into (A power guy, contact, speedster, high-velo pitcher, high-control pitcher, etc.) The system is still there, but the types have been reworked a little bit. You can now choose any archetype no matter your position if you choose to be a hitter. Last year you were limited to what you could choose by if you were infield/outfield/catcher. Also, the Max Cap for all attributes if off, and you can now get up to 99 in every category. Some will just be harder than others to do so, but it is possible.New in RTTS as well are personality types, and connections. Basically, how you react to the dialogue options given to you can put points in a personality type, and if you level those up, you get certain perks you can use in the game. The personality types are:LIGHTNING ROD: You’re just kind of random, like wearing packages of lunch meat as a hat, but you are a catalyst for your team.HEART AND SOUL: You just care so so so so so much, and people see that. CAPTAIN: You’re a leader. You’re the guy talking to the cops after that night club incident in Miami that somehow left a Lamborghini in a tree. MAVERICK: You’re kind of a dick, to be honest.You also build up relationships with your teammates, which gives you and the teammate boosts. If you really nurture those relationships, you become the pinnacle of stereotypical-male friends: “Bros.”There are also mini-games during workout sessions that are basically timing-based. If you do well, you get more attributes. That’s basically the long-and-short of RTTS stuff, but the new modes do add a layer of depth. The last new game mode I’ll go over in this review is “Moments” In this mode you can relive, or change, moments in Baseball history. There are individual moments you can try to recreate (Jose Bautista’s Bat Flip in the ALDS) or you can relive a certain stretch of a player or team’s history (Babe Ruth, The 21st Century Cubs, etc.) If you remember around NBA 2K11or so, this is very similar to the Michael Jordan history mode. It’s another fun challenge mode, but you do kind of get taken out of it cause not all of the past players were licensed, so “Boston Braves Second Baseman” is quite literally the name of a player. https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/status/907978087614251008My favorite quirk of The Show is still the ability to import, through a USB stick, your own music in the game. I will one day recreate, in RTTS, this tweet:Overall, MLB 19: The Show is a deep enough baseball sim Jonathan Villar Jersey , and has enough changes, to justify purchase if you have a Playstation 4 and the funds. As I mentioned before, for its specific type it’s the only game in town. However, it is a good one, and worth your time. Chris Davis broke his record-breaking slump. Khris Davis is setting records for home runs. A Rockies pitcher just misses a no-no. Free agents are lowering their demands. The Yankees have problems."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Chicago Cubs recapsChicago Cubs minor leaguesChicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs game threadsWrigley Field renovationsFull archiveLibrary Bleed Cubbie Blue Community GuidelinesCurrent time in ChicagoBCB Specials & Site InfoWinter 2019 music threadsCubs StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Cubs newsYahoo Cubs team pageYahoo Cubs reportYahoo Cubs depth chartYahoo Cubs transactionsYahoo Cubs photosOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昅LB newsMLB Bullets got a hitNew,14commentsChris Davis broke his record-breaking slump. Khris Davis is setting records for home runs. A Rockies pitcher just misses a no-no. Free agents are lowering their demands. The Yankees have problems.CDTShareTweetShareShareMLB Bullets got a hitBrian Fluharty-USA TODAY SportsNo spoilers on Game of Thrones. I haven’t seen it yet. Of course, I probably will have seen it by the time you read this, so spoil away. (Please don’t.)This says it all: Orioles first baseman Chris Davis got a hit, ending his record-setting 0 for 54. Three hits, in fact. Two of them were doubles. Joon Lee talks with Davis and his Orioles teammates about how Davis broke out of his slump. All of the Orioles praised Davis for his professionalism and dedication as he worked his way through the worst slump in MLB history.It’s kind of a cruel irony for Davis that while he struggled through this streak, the hottest hitter in baseball was Athletics outfielder Khris Davis. In fact, Davis (with a K) because the first player in the history of the A’s to hit ten home runs in his first 18 games.Young Rockies ace German Marquez came within five outs of a no-hitter against the Giants on Sunday. He ended up settling for a one-hit shutout.Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was visibly upset that he couldn’t snare the grounder that ended up being the only hit of the game.The Astros have now won nine straight games. Daniel Kramer looks at the Astros current hot streak.Today is Jackie Robinson Day in baseball, and unfortunately that means another story about the falling numbers of African-Americans in the sport today. Bob Nightengale looks at the current state of the situation and MLB’s efforts to increase African-American representation, both as players and executives. Nightengale quotes Ken Griffey Jr. who sums it up very well: “It’s not a black problem or a white problem, but it is a baseball problem.”David Schoenfield looks at the current state of the National League East.Cliff Corcoran looks at MLB’s proposed rule to limit pitching changes by forcing pitchers to face at least three batters. Corcoran looked at every game so far this season and concludes that if this rule were in place in 2019, it would shave an average of ten seconds off the length of a game. (The Athletic sub. req.) Corcoran points out that in many cases, this rule would just force a pitching change to happen later in an inning and only after a struggling pitcher got lit up for one or two more hits. This rule doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. Try the pitch clock first. The Mets have reportedly spoken to the representatives of free agent pitcher Dallas Keuchel. No deal is close, but the Mets are feeling the pressure to replace the struggling Jason Vargas.Both free agent pitchers Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel have reportedly lowered their asking price. Ben Weinrib looks at what the two pitchers are now asking for and which teams might bite.Graham MacAree thinks that the contract extension signed by Braves infielder Ozzie Albies may end up being the new normal. Albies’ deal has been widely criticized for being too owner-friendly, but MacAree thinks that it may be the first of many deals like that.Mark Feinsand has eight players who are candidates for a contract extension. Hopefully a better one than Albies signed. Michael Beller explains how Reds pitcher Luis Castillo’s decision to throw more changeups has led to terrific results this year.The Yankees got bad news as reliever Dellin Betances will miss at least another six or seven weeks after a setback in his rehab program.Mike Axisa writes that yes, the Yankees have had terrible injury issues this season, but the problems with the Yankees are much deeper than just having too many injuries.At least CC Sabathia came off the injured list and pitched the Yankees to a win on Sunday.R.J. Anderson argues that the Dodgers have completely messed up reliever Joe Kelly, who was one of their big free agent signings this past winter. Anderson reports that the Dodgers have changed both what Kelly throws and the way he’s used out of the bullpen. The results have been very poor, so far. Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig says he’s excited to “beat my old teammates” as Cincinnati plays in Dodger Stadium this week.Free agent pitcher Edwin Jackson has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Athletics, the team he played for last season.The Indians designated infielder Brad Miller for assignment, despite him hitting a solid .250/.333/.438 in the early going this year. Miller responded to the DFA by saying “Obviously they don’t want the best guys up here.”David Laurila speaks with Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen about hitting as Lorenzen transitions into being a two-way player.Mets broadcaster Ron Darling will take a leave of absence as he will undergo surgery to remove “a large mass from [his] chest.”Some kid flew a drone over Fenway Park during a game. Don’t do that. For one, it’s illegal.The Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Rochester Red Wings hit a combined 15 home runs in Saturday’s game. The IronPigs won, 20-18.And finally, more minor league home run news. Orioles minor leaguer Jean Carlos Encarnacion hit a walkoff grand slam and stood and admired it for a really, really long time.Two runners had scored before he started to run. And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.

CLEARWATER http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar pitched a hitless seventh inning in the New York Yankees‘ 6-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in his second spring training appearance.The 32-year-old right-hander made a high throw to first for an error on Sean Rodriguez’s comebacker. Lane Adams hit a flyout and Andrew Romine grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.Farquhar collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. In his first game action since, he got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates last Saturday.He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees during the offseason.Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who hurt his back during batting practice last Friday http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , is set to resume baseball activities.Shortstop Didi Gregorius, out until summer after Tommy John surgery in October, plans to start swinging with a bat without pitches early next week. Start your morning with some of the best Astros links around"Astros NewsStatcast has released a video of the Astros’ longest home runs in 2018 (MLB Video)Turns out that that Astros’ rotation is still pretty darn good in comparison to the rest of the West (Climbing Tal’s Hill)You can go ahead and refer to Billy Wagner as “Coach” from now on (The Runner Sports)Yesterday was the anniversary of the ground Christian Arroyo Jersey , uh, shooting for the Astrodome (Twitter)Around the LeagueThe Phillies picked up a bullpen arm in the form of former Yankee David Robertson (MLB Trade Rumors)Who will become their new right-handed lefty reliever (FanGraphs)And he’s getting paid pretty well, continuing a trend from last season for relievers (Sports Illustrated)Let’s take a deeper look at the Tulowitzki and Kikuchi deals (Fancred Sports)What’s still left for 2018’s postseason teams in the offseason? (The Ringer)Ken Rosenthal put out an article with his latest notes from around the league (The Athletic Nathan Eovaldi Jersey , $$$)MLB pipeline has profiled each team’s fastest prospect for 2019 (MLB.com)With Spring Training still a few months away, here are some baseball books to keep you occupied for the time being (Royals Review)Jason Kipnis rang in the new year by doing a little bit of the ol’ flamethrowerin’ (CUT4)

BOSTON — Having flexed their muscles with wins in the first two games of the series http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , the Cleveland Indians send 15-game winner Carlos Carrasco to the mound against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.The Indians, who hit three home runs in coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win Monday night, hit two more Tuesday in the second game between the two division leaders, a 6-3 victory.Carrasco, 15-6 with a 3.33 ERA, faces left-hander Brian Johnson, who will try to help the Red Sox, losers of three games in three days, avoid what would be their first four-game losing streak of the season.Article continues below ...For the second straight night, Greg Allen and Melky Cabrera tormented the Red Sox. Allen went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and also drove in a run and made two outstanding catches and Cabrera had three hits, including a homer for the second straight game in the series — the third in a row overall.Two teams with substantial leads in their divisions — a hyped series that could be a playoff preview.“We just wanted to win tonight. That’s all,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “I don’t care about that stuff.“They’re a really good team and we played a good game. But now we’ve got to play a better game tomorrow.”The Red Sox, who still lead the Yankees by eight games atop the American League East, have seen the lead chopped by 2 1/2 games in the last three days. They lost three in a row way back in April but have not lost four in a row all season.“We’re not swinging the bat well right now since (Tyler) Glasnow on Saturday, then the bullpen game on Sunday,” said Boston manager Alex Cora. “These guys. It seemed like yesterday we were waking up early but then they did a good job and today we were unable to get something going until that inning.“So, we’ll come back tomorrow and look for pitches in the middle of the zone and try to hit it in the air and hopefully they go out of the ballpark.”Speaking about the Indians Chad Bettis Jersey , Cora said, “It’s a tough lineup because they don’t strike out. They will put the ball in play; they found ways. So we got to be able to expand somewhere, probably up in the zone, and obviously down with the breaking ball late in counts. But I think it was more about them than actually Nate (Eovaldi, the starter and loser).”Carrasco, who has forced his way into the Cy Young talk, has gone 7-1 in July and August and has thrown back-to-back seven-inning shutout efforts his last two times out. He is 1-2 with a 6.83 ERA in seven games — five starts — lifetime against the Red Sox, 0-1 in four games — three starts — at Fenway.Johnson is 4-3 with a 4.00 ERA overall but is 3-0 as a starter in August, with the offense helping him out. He has yielded 17 hits and 12 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings in those starts but does have 19 strikeouts over that span.Brock Holt is 4-for-5 (.800), Xander Bogaerts 3-for-7 (.429), J.D. Martinez 9-for-25 (.360) with two home runs and Mitch Moreland 5-for-14 (.357) with three homers against Carrasco. But Mookie Betts is 1-for-8 (.125) and Ian Kinsler 11-for-50 (.220) against the right-hander.Johnson has never faced the Indians. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Thanks to an infusion of young talent, the Tampa Bay Rays overcame a slow start to win 90 games and spawn lofty expectations for next season.What was supposed to a rebuilding year for the Rays, who trimmed payroll in the winter and purged the roster again, might have been even more special if not for the success of AL East rivals Boston and New York.The Red Sox repeated as division champion with 108 victories and the Yankees won 100 to earn AL’s top wild-card berth.The Rays finished 18 games behind Boston and 10 behind New York, but weren’t eliminated from post-season contention until Sept. 24.“I hope we don’t have two 100-win teams in our division next year,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But if we do Jonathan Lucroy Jersey , we’re one of them.”First-time All-Star Blake Snell led the major leagues with 21 wins and an AL-leading 1.89 ERA, rookie Joey Wendle played solid defense while hitting .300 in 139 games, and C.J. Cron had 30 homers and 74 RBIs after being acquired during a trade in spring training.“As an organization there was some amount of satisfaction that came with the work that we’ve been doing the last several years to prepare a young group coming through our minor leagues … and to see that finally hit our major league team,” general manager Erik Neander said.“When we look back at this year, hopefully it will be seen as the year that started off a run of many competitive, playoff achieving seasons,” Neander added, “and hopefully, a championship in there at some point.”The Rays lost 12 of 15 to begin the season, digging themselves into a hole few people felt they were capable of escaping after a winter that saw them trade Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr., Corey Dickerson and Jake Odorizzi and lose starting pitcher Alex Cobb to free agency.They trimmed salary again in July, unloading pitchers Chris Archer, Nathan Eovaldi and Alex Colome, as well as All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos and Denard Span to make way for the youth movement that keyed a second-half surge.The Rays went 41-25 after the All-Star break, including 19-9 in September. They were 9-1-2 over their last 12 series.“Coming out of spring training we didn’t know what kind of club we were going to have on the field as far as wins and losses,” Cash said http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-chad-bettis-jersey , “but we knew we had a good group of guys, a good core group of guys and a lot to look forward to … with some of younger players getting opportunities.”One of the keys to overcoming the slow start was creative use of the bullpen that included the introduction of “openers” — relievers who started games and generally faced from three to nine batters.A “bullpen day” starter, by comparison, usually pitched deeper into games though normally no more than twice through an opposing team’s lineup.Prior to the debut of the “opener” on May 19, the Rays ranked 22nd in the majors in ERA. From that day forward, they were third-best behind the Dodgers and Astros.“I think any time you’re trying something a little bit different, you don’t know how it’s going to be perceived and how it will work out,” senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said. “You know you’re going to learn along the way, and we did learn. Overall, we were very pleased with how it went.”Some things to know about the Rays:DOMINANT SNELLSnell had 27 starts in which he allowed two or fewer runs, most by an AL pitcher since Wilbur Wood had 27 for the White Sox in 1972. The last two AL pitchers to win at least 21 games and a sub-2.00 ERA were Roger Clemens for the Red Sox in 1990 and Ron Guidry for the Yankees in 1978.RARE COMPANYThe Rays, who made the playoffs four times in six seasons from 2008-2013, have won at least 90 games six times over the last 11 seasons. The Red Sox (seven) and Dodgers (seven) and Yankees (six) are the only teams with as many or more during that stretch.NOT SATISFIEDCash called finishing with a winning record an “accomplishment,” but noted the standard for the organization is much higher.“We’re not going to settle for just the feel good story … but you’ve got to be proud of what’s taken place to this point, and we are,” the manager said.

The news and reaction came fast and frequent throughout the morning"So I’m on my way to work this morning http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , sitting at an on-ramp light and listing to MLB radio when I hear the breaking news. What terrible timing for them to announce this. They couldn’t wait until I was at my work and ready to post? Here are the first reactions from our awesome writers:Jessica: All hands on deck! 450 million 12 years.Rick: What, I’m driving.Jessica: Trout!Rick: HOLY SHIT. ARE YOU SERIOUSChase: Whaaaaat. I’m sick as a dog but feel better now.Rahul: WHAT. WHAT. (pause). WHATBrent (woke up later): Holy Shit! I can’t believe I slept through that.Jeffrey (even later)” WE DID IT???That about sums it up. Myself, the writers, and probably all of you reading this were a bit speechless at first. We also belong to an SBN Slack channel and the writers from across the realm had fun with it in a punny way.Trout Chat & Puns from across SBN:Stacey Gotsulias [7:22 AM]Imagine choosing to stay with the Angels for that long.He’s being underpaid.Peter Kwasniak [7:25 AM]*reads news*Oh. My. Cod!Adam Dubbin [7:26 AM]Holy mackerel?Chris Milz [7:27 AM]Angels just reeled in the big fish for the long term. Holy hellAshley MacLennan [7:28 AM]Y’all are really fishing for these puns.Peter Kwasniak [7:29 AM]Don’t be so saltyBrad Davis [7:29 AM]I flounder to comprehend what I’m herring (edited) Al Yellon [7:29 AM]you are all doing these on porpoisePeter Kwasniak [7:29 AM]It’s a grouper effortAl Yellon [7:30 AM]one more for the halibutAdam Dubbin [7:30 AM]We’re really hooked on these puns.Brad Davis [7:31 AM]may need to mullet over before we go onMike Carlucci [7:32 AM]the puns are just for the halibutAshley MacLennan [7:32 AM]Brad might have the catch of the day with his one linersAdam Peterson [7:32 AM]i’m not paying market price for these punsAdam Sanford [7:32 AM]These puns really aren’t hooking meBrad Davis [7:33 AM]they are kraken me upPeter Kwasniak [7:33 AM]Ashley wants us to scale things backAl Yellon [7:36 AM]hopefully Drew Butera Jersey , Trout stays healthy over those 12 years and won’t need a sturgeonAdam Peterson [7:39 AM]He’s been with the Angels so long why mess up that comfort? He’s on a California RollHope you enjoyed. Thanks SBN writers for the fun content for this post :)And of course, we have Twitter reactions:And there you have it. Some of the best reactions we could find at the moment - but they are constantly rolling in. Not too much out of the mouths of the players yet, but the ink is not yet dry so that may be one reason they aren’t talking yet.Happy Mike Trout extension day!! Goin’ for the sweep!"After a miserable start to the season that saw them lose 8 straight games, the Cincinnati Reds finally have themselves a little winning streak. They will look to continue that this afternoon against the Miami Marlins http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , and will hope to collect their first sweep of the season along the way. After a tough first outing, Sonny Gray settled down and pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only 1 run against Pittsburgh last week. He unfortunately couldn’t overcome an offense that didn’t score and still took the loss. Hopefully he can build off of that today. Miami will counter with Pablo Lopez. Lopez (1-1, 6.10), will be making his 3rd start of the season today. Things haven’t been great for him in the early going Cheslor Cuthbert Jersey , as he’s given up 7 earned runs in 10.1 innings of work. Oh yeah, Our Friend Yasiel Puig returns to the lineup today. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 PM EDT.Go Reds.Cincinnati LineupMiami Lineup

Yesterday the world was woke to a true fact: Mike Trout is The King Of All Baseball."Why even bother? Yesterday was all about One Single Story. So today I celebrate. It’s almost ALL Trout.And why the hell not? Trout Day now ranks second in Halo lore only to a 2002 WS victory. And in the pantheon of Great Angel Days - where we also have Shohei Ohtani choosing the Angels Reggie Sanders Jersey , Vlad Guerrero choosing the Angels, Buzzie Bavasi giving Nolan Ryan a lifetime Free Agent contract, and Tony Reagins getting to the Winter Meetings in time to sign Adrian Beltre* - only Mike Trout Day holds the potential to move up into that #1 all-time slot.I would argue that if the Trout era results in at least 1 WS title, 2002 will move down from the only, to the first. And that makes the day that The Greatest Major League Baseball Player Of Our Generation committed the entire life span of his career to the Angels (and Angels fans) the very best single day in franchise history.We have soooo much fun ahead of us. If you can’t find a way to dig the shit out of it, that’s on you and you alone.I couldn’t be happier to gift you one whole day of Trout-Porn-HaloLinks:* Yes, I do know that those last 2 did not happen. That is known as sarcasm.A Little Bit Of Mike Trout NewsTo summarize, it’s an extension of 10 years at $36MM per year, with zero opt outs and a full no-trade clause..............That’s $360 million more, and a total of $430 million between now and when his contracts run out.To the consternation of many, this is a huge bargain for the Angels. FanGraphs seems almost angry......Craig Calcaterra seems to know that Arte could have afforded a lot more.....TheRinger uses the $ per fWAR math to see just how underpaid Trout will be. Basically, everything Trout produces above about 3.6 fWAR per season is free talent for Arte. They do state right up front that it’s impossible to pay Trout what he is actually worth in today’s terms. Which, I propose, should be proper motivation for somebody to look at how FanGraphs comes up with that valuation per fWAR in the first place, and start asking questions. That stuff wouldn’t pass the finance departments of my corporate customers, I can assure you...........But bundling all the upcoming dollars into one lump sum gives you one Mike Trout with a very significant achievement in contemporary sports history......But in overall history? There is still Floyd Mayweather. $450MM for 6 fights.............But...still...that is A LOT of money..........The deal impacts the thinking in more than a few other MLB Front Offices. I’m sure that more than one planning binder went into the shredder yesterday. But this list is, I think http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , pretty short. It is quite possible that the ‘bargain’ contract that Mike is going to be signing will create a a soft cap for guys like Jacob deGrom and Mookie Betts and Kris Bryant. The old “well, you want Mike Trout money but you, sir, are no Mike Trout” argument............For his part, Mike Trout appears to not be getting too wrapped up in all the money that he wouldn’t ever be able to spend in his lifetime......He seems to be more about family and friends...and amazing baseball......and taking the day off......So just what is that Mike Trout benchmark? Enos Sarris reminds everyone with one long smorgasbord of Trout Porn. (I sure hope you have a subscription!!!)............And for those who DO have a subscription to The Athletic, Mike Trout took over that site yesterday: Is Mike Trout worth $430 million? The answer lies in the metrics........Keri: At 12 years and $430 million, Mike Trout is still underpaid........Rosenthal: Angels owner Arte Moreno couldn’t let Mike Trout get away — and now the pressure is on.........The Angels needed Mike Trout to stay, and now the Angels need to be good..........Philadelphia is only kinda sad. Mike is such a good guy it’s hard, even for Philly fans, to flip so fast and start flaming their Chosen One. They are starting, but it should be weeks, and even months, but they will get their groove on. Probably in time for the Eagles first home pre-season game...........Mike was vested in the LAA pipeline. He knows what is coming to Anaheim...........We can observe media input on how we are ‘wasting’ Trout, transition to how Billy Eppler can start doing his job. As if Eppler needs any such advice from the writing community............Some writers have already pivoted to admitting that Eppler has already fixed things.............And smack in between those is FiveThirtyEight, which has a decent POV concerning age curves, but far less awareness of where things sit with LAA and the Astros. (I can’t believe how little import is being given to Shohei Ohtani right now as a superstar contributor. When he does get mentioned, it’s almost as an afterthought.)...........This is silly. Sure Joe Morgan Jersey , Arte has always treated Trout straight up. No monkeying around with service time, etc. But does the author, Bill Baer, have a first-hand statement from Mike Trout himself that the whole reason that Mike is agreeing to such team-friendly terms is a reward to Arte for being a union-friendly sport?............Looking forward, this season Trout will be eclipsing a slew of notable MLB careers. With years and years of potential still ahead of him (and us!)..........Athletes of all sorts were motivated to react with amazement.....Within MLB, the Internet lost its mind......And Bryce Harper joking was everywhere. With my favorite line being “Bryce Harper realizing he has to live Philly for 13 years without any possibility of Mike Trout coming.”...........Now that it’s official that the east coast media ain’t getting Mike Trout ever, they are finding religion. The Angels need to get good so that they have an excuse to start watching Trout be brilliant...........Andrelton Simmons sees what Eppler and Arte are doing with the farm and with Mike, and he wants to be a part of it all...........And about that media. Of course it is just coincidence that on the day that the Trout signing being in the works is made public, and the press comes to Tempe for a feeding frenzy, the Angels choose to feed them Philly cheesesteaks. Just a coincidence. Sure.............And now we can stop comparing Trout and Harper. “Because one remains a top three player ever and the other is still Good Hair JD Drew.”...........Bryce Harper went a pretty quick 0 for 3 on his tampering attempts.............Which nicely teed up Victor with the mic drop............Some Other StuffTrevor Cahill will be our LAA Opening Day starter.............Justin Upton...remember him?...........Arte lost one of those tractors that drag infield screens around. What a bad time to need a few extra grand..............Oh, and Alex Bregman also signed a contract extension. 5 years, $100MM...........The Astros also are signing an extension with Ryan Pressly. 2 years, $17.5MM...........And the Rays are extending Brandon Lowe. 6 years, $24MM............Tim Tebow sees himself on the verge of an actual MLB career............Bryce Harper did have a little sunshine in his day............Stephen A. Smith needs to give back his recent paychecks.............MLB taking their shackles off of the AFL..........This Fortnite playing among MLB players is getting out of hand..........Have no fear, people. Joe Torre is our own Inspector Clouseau and is on the case concerning some strike out phenomenon............... CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper has the Philadelphia Phillies thinking October baseball before even arriving in camp.The six-time All-Star outfielder and the Phillies agreed Thursday to a $330 million, 13-year contract Dave Concepcion Jersey , the largest deal in baseball history. Now a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 2011 is talking about winning championships.“Everybody talks about this picture behind us,” slugger Rhys Hoskins said on Friday about a photo hanging outside the clubhouse that captures the moment the team won the 2008 World Series. “There’s rally towels waving around, can’t see an empty seat, can’t see a place where people can stand. I don’t want to hear about it anymore. I want to feel it. I think we’re on our way and Bryce gives us a chance to be there.”The Phillies already liked their chances in the NL East after adding All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, two-time All-Star shortstop Jean Segura and reliever David Robertson to a club that won 80 games last season. Philadelphia led the division in August before collapsing down the stretch, going 16-33 the last 49 games.The 26-year-old Harper could be the final piece to get the team over the top, though his lucrative contract doesn’t preclude them from adding more. Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, remains unsigned.The Phillies’ odds at winning the division went from 2-1 to 5-4; the pennant from 7-1 to 4-1 and the World Series from 12-1 to 8-1.“We obviously got a lot better before the move,” Hoskins said. “There was a buzz around camp with the guys we got previously. But you bring in a guy like this and I think now we think and we know we can take the next step from last season to now this is ours. We feel that way. This is a confident bunch. You add a player like this and it makes everyone better.”That buzz Hoskins mentioned was even louder as everyone from ballpark attendants to team personnel waited for Harper to show up. He arrived on owner John Middleton’s private plane Friday afternoon and is expected to be introduced as early as Saturday after he takes a physical needed for the deal to be finalized. Two lockers were cleaned out for him inside the clubhouse.Middleton, who flew to Las Vegas last week for a second meeting with Harper and his agent, Scott Boras, signed autographs for excited fans a couple hours before the Phillies beat Pittsburgh 7-3 in an exhibition game.Harper already has been a hit at the box office before hitting his first home run. The team sold more than 100,000 tickets in only a few hours after Harper agreed to the deal. Demand for tickets for the opener on March 28 doubled on the secondary market.“I was pretty stunned by it,” McCutchen said of the news. “Wow, he’s coming here. It’s pretty cool. We’re all pumped about it.”Harper’s contract doesn’t include an opt-out clause and contains a full no-trade provision. Several players talked about the message that sends.“To hear that http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , it shows he’s committed to the city and all those rumors about him not wanting to play in the city, it throws those out and shows how committed he is to winning and build a legacy for himself and the city of Philadelphia,” infielder Scott Kingery said.Hoskins, who also is represented by Boras, said he never tried to sell Harper on coming to the Phillies. He offered to give Harper an honest perspective on playing in Philadelphia and for manager Gabe Kapler. Harper didn’t ask for any advice, however.“Through his meetings, he got all the questions he had answered,” Hoskins said.Harper is the biggest free-agent signing in Philadelphia sports and he’ll face pressure to help the Phillies win only the third World Series title in franchise history. He’s faced enormous expectations since appearing on a cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old in 2009 under the title: “Chosen One.” He’s wearing a Phillies uniform on the cover of MLB’s video game, and Philadelphia’s projected win total rose from 85 to 89 in Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA program (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm), tied with Washington.Harper was the No. 1 overall pick by the Nationals in the 2010 amateur draft and was NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 at age 19. He was the 2015 NL MVP when he batted .330 and swatted 42 homers. But Harper has hit less than .250 in two of the past three seasons and only reached 100 RBIs last season.His numbers could skyrocket in a lineup filled with quality hitters and in a hitter-friendly stadium. Harper has batted .268 with 14 home runs, 32 RBIs, a .365 on-base percentage, a .564 slugging percentage, a .930 OPS and 48 hits in 50 games at Citizens Bank Park.“You throw that guy in any lineup and it’s going to make it dangerous,” Kingery said. “Lucky for us, he’s with us and he’s been doing some damage at Citizens Bank.”

SEATTLE (AP) — A brawl broke out in the Seattle Mariners‘ clubhouse Tuesday several hours before a game at Safeco Field.Shortstop Jean Segura and teammate Dee Gordon apparently tangled Robin Yount Jersey , while catcher Mike Zunino and other players tried to break up the skirmish.Moments after Gordon politely asked reporters to leave the locker room, the double doors burst open with players shoving and shouting. Segura was on the ground in the fracas.“Whatever happens in here stays in here,” Mariners star Robinson Cano said after a 5-3 loss to Baltimore. “It didn’t affect anyone in here. We let it go. We’re good. Everyone is good. We left that behind.”The Mariners have gone through a rough few months.Seattle was 46-25 on June 16 and 11 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the wild-card standings. The Mariners are 77-62 and 5 ½ games behind the A’s in the chase for the second AL wild-card spot.“Things happen in a clubhouse,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Our guys are working through it and talking through it. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.”Servais, who normally meets media members in his office before each game, spoke in the dugout before the game.“It happens a lot more than you know. Almost every year you see it. Sometimes it brings teams together,” he said. “Things reach a boiling point and you have to get it off your chest.”“With how our season has gone, the frustration mounts. Along the way http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , there are bumps in the road,” he said. Did Brad Keller give us a legitimate threshold for his performance in 2019?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Royals Trade Rumors & Hot StoveRoyals Minor Leagues & ProspectsRoyals Review ClassicRoyals Review Users GuideThe 100 Greatest Royals Of All TimeRoyals AnalysisBreaking down Brad Keller’s Opening Day startNew,14commentsDid Brad Keller give us a legitimate threshold for his performance in 2019?EDTShareTweetShareShareBreaking down Brad Keller’s Opening Day startPeter G. AikenAn Opening Day, Brad Keller was everything a staff ace should be. He went seven innings, gave up two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Out of the 92 pitches he threw, Keller went to his four-seam 38% of the time, slider 33%, and his sinker at 29%. That’s an excellent pitch spread but you could make a case to lump the two fastballs together (four-seam/sinker) for a 71/29 percent ratio. For me, the pitches behave differently so they are their own separate entity regardless of velocity ties.Keller was pretty dominant at times Thursday afternoon. Both fastballs were used mainly early in counts http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , generally with even split between the four-seam and sinker. A disparity would occur when Keller fell behind the hitter, which he then relied heavily on the four-seam. The pitch was pretty effective for him. Keller didn’t allow a hit (7 BIP) with the four-seam and drew fouls (12) on three out of every five swings. His control with the four-seamer appeared pretty good as well, with just a 25% non-strike rate. However, he didn’t miss many bats with the pitch either- just one whiff. That singular whiff could be considered troublesome but it seemed the fouls he generated on the four-seam were due to the hitter’s timing being off rather than missed opportunities on bad pitches.And that lone whiff accounted for one of Keller’s five strikeouts. I mentioned the importance of keeping his four-seam elevated in an article I wrote for Pitcher List during spring training. The fourth pitch of the at-bat saw Keller deliver a slider low and inside. Keller then built off that with fastball up and away for strike three.That 95 MPH fastball had a spin rate of 2378 when he struck out Daniel Palka. The above average velocity and spin rate caused a slight ‘rising’ effect which further created deception for Keller. I say deception because I’m sure Palka was expecting a sinker (they both have similar initial movement) as evidenced by his swing that was well under the pitch. Clearly his bread and butter, Keller’s sinker yielded slightly different results. He allowed just a walk and a single, neither of which proved to be problematic. Keller is a high ground ball pitcher (and that’s thanks in part to the sinker as well) and when the slider was put in play, half of hitter’s contact was driven into the ground. Keller mainly used the slider later in counts, especially when he got ahead/had two strikes on right-handed hitters. Keller also threw it as his first pitch a few times, but mainly to left-handed hitters.Four of the five strikeouts Keller got against the White Sox were from the sliders in the super cut below.Keller’s slider was pretty good last year but its shown marked improvement so far. He’s made several adjustments with the pitch Christian Yelich Jersey , mainly the spin rate and the axis of rotation.The spin rate on his slider during his first start of 2019 saw an improvement of 122 RPMs. In 2018, he averaged 2470 RPMs on the pitch but it jumped to 2592 RPMs last Thursday. The significance of the elevated spin rate can be helped by the fact that Keller is also throwing the pitch a half a mile an hour faster (85.6 MPH vs. 86.1 MPH). Spin rate and velocity work together to create movement thanks to the way the slider ‘works’ with gravity. The degree of spin also contributes to the manner with which the pitch breaks. Having the higher velocity and spin rate allows the pitch to hang just a little bit longer than normal before it drops off the table like in the examples above.Keller also has adjusted his spin axis this year by about 16 degrees from his 2018 average (71.1 degrees). Those three improvements have allowed his slider to break and extra inch vertically and an additional half inch horizontally. That matters because with his improved pitch metrics on his fastball, he’s creating extra distance between the two pitches (roughly an extra two inch separation both horizontally and vertically). And that’s great news for Keller because it creates an even better tunneling situation for him. Despite whatever changes Keller may have made to the proclivity of his pitches, his release points remain very tight. This is going to create a tremendous amount of deception for Keller when he uses his fastball/slider in tandem. As I suggested in my aforementioned article, Keller should keep his four-seam elevated to play better off his slider. I tweeted an example of this a few days ago.And it looks as though Keller kept his four-seam up for the most part.The sinker and its arm-side ride and break should be sprinkled in to keep hitters true so they can’t just sit on his four-seam fastball. Keller couldn’t have done a better job than he did Opening Day. We have to remember that expectations have to be tempered this early in the season while also keeping in mind that (and I mean no disrespect, Chi-town) the White Sox are a pretty average team at this juncture. Keller appears to have done the right things to become a better pitcher, albeit through just one start. Can it be sustained? He’s going to have some ups and downs as the year rolls on but I think we are going to see a lot more positive than negative outcomes, especially if the third highest-scoring offense in spring training can keep scoring runs.

SEATTLE (AP) Jerry Dipoto thought he was done making deals a day before the non-waiver trade deadline after remodeling the Seattle Mariners bullpen.The Mariners’ ever-active baseball boss just couldn’t help himself when an outfield upgrade became available.Seattle acquired outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday Kenta Maeda Jersey , giving the Mariners a boost going into the final two months of the regular season. Seattle landed Maybin in exchange for minor league infielder Bryson Brigman and international bonus pool allotment.Dipoto said he first had discussions with the Marlins about Maybin about two weeks ago, but it took the non-waiver trade deadline to get a deal finalized.”He fits into the theme of what we’re doing and adds better balance to our club. And the experience of a guy who has been through it as long as Cam has doesn’t hurt,” Dipoto said.Center field was the one obvious position where Seattle could use an upgrade. Since moving Dee Gordon to second base, Guillermo Heredia has seen the majority of the time in center. And while Heredia is outstanding defensively, his bat hasn’t provided much to Seattle’s lineup. Heredia is hitting .229 with a .314 on-base percentage and 22 runs scored. Heredia was batting .302 on May 29, but his average has taken a nosedive. In the past 51 games played, Heredia is hitting just .184.Maybin has been the opposite offensively. Maybin is batting .251 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 99 games this season, but he’s batting .329 with a .912 OPS since June 29. The Mariners are the seventh team for the 12-year veteran, who has a $3.25 million, one-year contract. Maybin also has postseason experience, playing in the World Series last year with Houston. Seattle entered the day two games ahead of Oakland for the second wild-card in the American League and three games behind the Astros in the AL West.Seattle is hopeful Maybin will be able to join the club Wednesday, and he was the last of Seattle’s four trades in the days leading up to the deadline. Seattle also acquired relief pitchers Sam Tuivailala Matt Kemp Jersey , Adam Warren and Zach Duke in a trio of deals.”I think we’ve helped the team a lot,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. ”Every manager out there wants more pieces in the bullpen, certainly. As you get going into games in August and September and workloads start to mount up on pitchers you tend to go to the bullpen a little earlier and you want guys who have experience or have stuff or a combination. I think we’ve done some nice things.”The acquisition of Maybin will likely put to rest any thought of moving Gordon back to center late in the season following the return of Robinson Cano from his 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s joint drug agreement. Dipoto said the intent was to leave Gordon at second base, but that he may see occasional time in the outfield. Getting Maybin means Cano will be moving around to positions other than second base once he returns.Brigman is batting .304 this year for Class A Modesto. He was a third-round pick in 2016 but hasn’t played above Class A.— MIAMI (AP) — The New York Mets poured it on.Pete Alonso, their 230-pound rookie slugger, squeezed into a clubhouse cart as ordered by teammates for a postgame dousing that included every available substance.“A couple of eggs,” Alonso said. “Barbecue sauce. Mayonnaise. Beer. Shaving cream. Maybe ketchup and mustard. Maybe relish.”He didn’t mind because the shower was celebratory — a reward for his first major league homer. Alonso’s three-run shot capped a four-run ninth inning, and the Mets overcame 16 strikeouts by their hitters to rally past the Miami Marlins 7-3 Monday night.Manager Mickey Callaway smiled watching Alonzo get the treatment for his first homer.“We knew that was going to come at some point,” Callaway said. “It’s still a special occasion for a young player.”While the Mets were giddy about a 3-1 start, Marlins manager Don Mattingly stewed about several calls. He was especially upset that plate umpire Sam Holbrook ruled Juan Lagares was hit by a two-strike pitch trying to bunt, which sparked the Mets’ ninth-inning rally.Holbrook said Lagares didn’t offer at the pitch, and the ruling was upheld by a replay review.“That was a shaky call http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey ,” Mattingly said. “Sam said he was trying to get out of the way. But he never pulled the bat back in any way, shape or form.”Said Callaway: “I saw a guy trying to get out of the way of a fastball that was going to hit him in the face.”Mattingly also complained that Holbrook missed two pitches by the Marlins that should have been strike three, calls that led to a Mets run.“I’m not supposed to complain about calls, but the league needs to look at it,” Mattingly said. “I don’t understand a lot of it tonight. I understand the Marlins are not supposed to be good this year; I guess it’s OK to pile on.“It’s got to be better than that.”With the score 3-all, Mets pinch-hitter Dominic Smith singled to start the ninth. Drew Steckenrider (0-1) then came inside on Lagares as he squared to bunt, hitting him on the right hand.Amed Rosario’s single put the Mets ahead, and on the next pitch, Alonso homered to center field.Alonso led the minors last year with 36 homers and 119 RBIs. This year he’s batting .412 with six RBIs in four games, and Callaway has enjoyed watching outfielders react to his line drives.“They all kind of just stand there like, ‘What’s it going to do?'” Callaway said. “The next thing you know, it’s over everybody’s head. It’s really incredible. There’s just true raw power there.”Alonso said the postgame shower caught him by surprise.“I didn’t know that was a thing until they told me to hop in the shopping cart and just poured whatever they could on me http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey ,” he said with a grin. “My eyes were stinging like really bad. I kept my mouth closed the entire time.”Was it worth it?“One hundred percent,” he said.Lagares hit his first homer since Sept. 7, 2017. He missed most of last season due to a toe injury.Starlin Castro hit a two-run homer for Miami, his first, and added an RBI single.GOOD PITCHINGMets starter Steven Matz allowed three runs, one earned, in 5 1/3 innings. Three relievers blanked Miami over the final 3 2/3 innings, and Jeurys Familia (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth.The Marlins loaded the bases with none out in the ninth against closer Edwin Diaz, who struck out the next three batters.BACK ON THE MOUNDMiami’s Caleb Smith, making his first start since June 24, allowed two runs and struck out eight in five innings. His 2018 season was cut short by a strained left lat that required surgery.TRAINER’S ROOMLagares appeared to avoid a significant injury when hit, and stayed in the game.“It sounds like he’s going to be OK Chris Young Jersey ,” Callaway said.Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes, sidelined until at least mid-July following surgery on both heels, was in the clubhouse before the game and was expected to take swings in the batting cage during the series.UP NEXTMiami RHP Jose Urena (0-1, 9.64), who had a rough outing in an opening day loss to the Rockies, makes his second start of the season Tuesday against LHP Jason Vargas (7-9, 5.77 in 2018).

OAKLAND Bob Feller Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Ramon Laureano reached his hands out to each side and knew he had his first major league hit at last, a big one at that to end the game.Laureano somehow forced himself to relax with the game on the line and two outs in the 13th inning, having already failed at the plate four times in his big league debut.He came through this time as he singled home the winning run for his first major league hit, sending the Oakland Athletics past the Detroit Tigers 1-0 on Friday night.“I’m shocked, I’m speechless,” he said. “It’s awesome. I could have never imagined it this way.”After going hitless with two strikeouts before his milestone single, Laureano finally ended the game that went 3 hours, 32 minutes with a clean hit to right against Buck Farmer (3-4). Laureano clapped his hands and rounded the bases to be greeted with some star treatment.Soon after, he took a celebratory pie in the face and a Gatorade shower from his teammates. Once inside, they got him with beer and tomato juice, “everything that you can imagine.”The souvenir baseball and his bat will go home with his parents for safekeeping.Jose Iglesias hit a two-out single in the top of the 13th against winner Emilio Pagan (3-0) and stole second. When catcher Jonathan Lucroy’s throw went into center, Iglesias tried for third and was got thrown out — a play that was upheld on replay review when the Tigers challenged.Yusmeiro Petit pitched perfect 11th and 12th innings for the A’s http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , who remained in the lead for the second AL wild card.Matt Olson doubled to start the 10th against Victor Alcantara but pinch-runner Franklin Barreto was thrown out at third.Right fielder Stephen Piscotty made a beautiful run-saving catch to end the 10th on a liner by Iglesias.Matt Chapman and Jed Lowrie hit back-to-back singles with one out in the ninth against Alex Wilson .Blake Treinen struck out four over two innings on a night both starters shined but had nothing to show for it.Tigers left-hander Blaine Hardy gave up Lowrie’s infield single to begin the seventh inning for the A’s first hit, ending a no-hit bid. Hardy had issued only a pair of walks to Olson — the first on a 13-pitch plate appearance in the second. Before the walk, Olson’s drive to right went to a crew chief review and was confirmed as sailing just right of the pole.“As soon as that ball was hit by Lowrie kind of in the hole, I knew he’s got some speed, he’s going to be safe,” Hardy said.Hardy struck out six over seven scoreless innings, done after a career-high 106 pitches in a 0-0 game.A’s lefty counterpart Brett Anderson retired his first 16 batters in order before Iglesias doubled with one out in the sixth.Until the winning run, only Iglesias had gone as far as third base.Oakland won its fourth straight after sweeping Toronto on the heels of losing all three last weekend at Colorado.The A’s are 5-0 against the Tigers this season after sweeping a set in Detroit from June 25-28.Hardy was trying to win consecutive starts for the first time since May 27 and June 1, and he pitched well enough to win if the Tigers had scored for him.Anderson allowed two hits, struck out and walked one in his fifth start since coming off the disabled list July 8 from a strained right shoulder.Laureano played center field and batted eighth after his callup earlier in the day.He ran into the wall in center to make a nice catch on No. 2 hitter Nicholas Castellanos‘ deep fly in the first. Laureano ran forward the next time he made a play, going down to his right knee to catch Jeimer Candelario’s liner to end the second.While he got a feel for how the Coliseum outfield plays, the hit meant so much.“You couldn’t ask for a much better first hit Joe Carter Jersey ,” Anderson said. “I’m sure he’ll remember that forever.”TRAINER’S ROOMTigers: RHP Mike Fiers, whose name came up in trade chatter around the A’s at this week’s deadline, should make his next turn in the rotation with an extra day after leaving Wednesday’s game with a bruised left shin after taking a line drive against the Reds. … LHP Daniel Norris, recovering from a left groin injury that has sidelined him since April 29, is still experiencing soreness and his status for the rest of the season is in doubt. “He’s got to be pain-free,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. … RHP Michael Fulmer (left oblique strain) is in Lakeland, Florida, rehabbing. “We’ve told him to be calm in a lot of different ways,” Gardenhire said. “You can’t push this thing.”Athletics: If Chad Pinder got through his Friday batting practice with no issues as he recovers from a laceration on his left elbow, the A’s plan to activate him from the disabled list ahead of the interleague opener at home against the Dodgers on Tuesday.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Jordan Zimmerman (4-3, 4.44 ERA) tries to end a three-start skid after going just three innings his last time out. He is 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA and eight strikeouts in his initial three career starts vs. the A’s.Athletics: Coming off career win No. 100, RHP Edwin Jackson (2-2 http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , 3.32) pitches the middle game of the series after making his A’s debut at Detroit on June 25. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joe Kelly helped the Boston Red Sox win a World Series title. His next goal is to try to win one for the team he grew up rooting for and defeated this October.The Dodgers on Friday officially announced signing Kelly to a three-year deal worth $25 million that brings the 30-year old right-hander back to Southern California. Kelly was born in Anaheim and grew up in Corona, where most of his family still resides.“It is one of those things where I am at a point in my career where I have tons of family that is local. I also wanted to be on a team that wins year in and year out,” Kelly said during a conference call.Kelly leaves Boston, who acquired him from St. Louis in July 2014. He is expected to be a setup man for closer Kenley Jansen, who is still recovering from an offseason heart procedure.Kelly gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $3 million next year and $8.5 million in each of the following two seasons. The Dodgers have a $12 million team option for 2022 with a $4 million buyout.He could earn $2 million annually in performance bonuses for games finished: $250,000 each for 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55, and $500,000 for 60.Upgrading setup and middle relief was one of the Dodgers’ priorities during the offseason.“The reliever market has been interesting to see. For teams that are championship-caliber Corey Kluber Jersey , that’s a big role and it doesn’t get magnified until the playoffs,” Kelly said. “Without a good bullpen it is very hard to win a World Series.”Kelly made the fourth-most appearances in the American League last season (73) and was 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA and two saves. His numbers improved greatly during the postseason as he allowed just one earned run in 11 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks.In the World Series, Kelly appeared in all five games and did not allow a run, striking out 10 in six innings.According to Brooks Baseball, Kelly’s fastball averaged 98.7 mph this season, but he also used his changeup more and developed a slurve after deciding to shelve his slider and curveball. Kelly said mechanically he changed some stuff with his arm slot in order to deliver the ball quicker.Besides the World Series, Kelly has been a bit of a nemesis for the Dodgers. He broke Hanley Ramirez’s rib when he hit him with a pitch in the 2013 NL Championship Series opener. Kelly said the pitch got away from him and that both of them talked it out when Ramirez joined the Red Sox in 2015.Kelly hit the New York Yankees’ Tyler Austin on the back with a pitch April 11, four innings after Austin spiked Red Sox shortstop Brock Holt when he slid into second base with a high right foot. That set off a brawl and Kelly was suspended for six games.Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said he likes Kelly’s ability to provide more than one inning out of the bullpen and that he could be used in a variety of situations.

If the Washington Nationals are going to re-sign outfielder Bryce Harper http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-julio-urias-jersey , it reportedly won't be for a deal comparable to the one Manny Machado received from the San Diego Padres.According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Mark Feinsand and Jamal Collier, the Nats have "no plans" to match the 10-year, $300 million contract San Diego handed to Machado this week.That is despite the fact Washington offered Harper $300 million over 10 years near the end of the 2018 season, which Harper rejected.MLB.com noted that Washington's offer during the 2018 season included $100 million in deferred money, meaning it isn't as valuable as the $300 million in guaranteed money that Machado landed.Given the Nationals' reported unwillingness to throw caution to the wind financially when it comes to Harper, the field appears to be narrowing. MLB.com tabbed the Philadelphia Phillies as the favorites to sign him since the Chicago White Sox were unwilling to go up to $300 million guaranteed on Machado and the San Francisco Giants reportedly prefer a shorter-term deal.Harper's agent, Scott Boras, reportedly has designs on surpassing the $325 million deal Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Miami Marlins in 2014, and the Phillies may be the only team willing to reach that threshold.The 26-year-old Harper has spent his entire MLB career with the Nats and developed into one of the best players in baseball during that time. He is a six-time All-Star in seven seasons with a Rookie of the Year award Cody Bellinger Jersey , a Silver Slugger and a National League MVP award to his credit.Over 927 career games, Harper owns a .279 batting average with 184 home runs and 521 RBI. Although Harper struggled at times last season and slashed just .249/.393//496, he still managed to club 34 homers and drive in a career-high 100 runs.The Nationals disappointed and missed the playoffs last season even with Harper, and they will have a major hole in their outfield if they don't re-sign him. Big things are expected out of 20-year-old Juan Soto in 2019, though, and the pitching staff should be far better as well after the signing of Patrick Corbin.As for Philadelphia, it has already signed veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen and closer David Robertson, and traded for shortstop Jean Segura and catcher J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies are arguably the NL East favorite with those moves, but they could become a legitimate World Series contender by signing Harper.Harper has the potential to shift the balance of power in the National League, and his signing is the last major domino that has yet to fall in free agency. BOSTON (AP) — Three days after a World Series victory that transformed him from a postseason flop to an October hero Chris Taylor Jersey , Red Sox left-hander David Price said at the team’s victory parade Wednesday that he would stay in Boston rather than opt out of his contract and become a free agent.“I’m not going anywhere,” Price said on the field at Fenway Park before boarding a duck boat for the ride through the city. “I came here to win, and we did that this year. That was very special and I want to do it again.”Price will earn $127 million over the next four years, the remainder of a seven-year, $217 million contract he signed before the 2016 season that gave him the right to opt out after the third year. It remains the richest contract ever for a pitcher.“There wasn’t any reconsideration on my part, ever,” Price said.The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, Price has gone 31-19 with a 3.74 ERA in three seasons in Boston but until this year never had any success in the playoffs. He had never won a postseason start in his career — a 0-9 record in his first 10 tries — and was booed off the field after recording just five outs in the Division Series against the New York Yankees.But he was the winning pitcher in the AL Championship Series clincher against Houston, and then he won his first career World Series start, Game 2 against Los Angeles. He pitched in relief in Boston’s 18-inning Game 3 loss http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , then started on three day’s rest and delivered seven innings of three-hit ball in the finale to help eliminate the Dodgers.“We were hoping he would stay,” Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said. “He’s ready to go back-to-back.”In all, Price was 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA this postseason and 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance against the Dodgers. The Boston Herald reported that Price lost a 3-2 vote to first baseman Steve Pearce for the World Series MVP.“In my mind, he was the co-MVP of the World Series,” Red Sox owner John Henry said Wednesday. “He was ready to pitch every day, no matter the situation. The bigger the game, the bigger the performance.”Henry called it “great news” that Price had opted in. Reminded that the ballclub itself, like Price, has had a bit of a turnaround after a long history of postseason failure, Henry said: “Boston is a great place to get the monkey off your back.”This is the fourth title in 15 years for the Red Sox http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-ross-stripling-jersey , who went the previous 86 years without winning it all, and the 11th championship for the city since the New England Patriots won their first of five Super Bowls in February 2002. The Bruins and Celtics have also won one title apiece this century, celebrating with the increasingly routine parade of amphibious vehicles known as duck boats.Price, who shared a neon yellow ride with pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, was cheered through the city on a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-40s. In addition to the usual cheering and waving banners, the fans threw beers and small bottles of liquor to the players.

In the comments the last few days I’ve noticed quite a few fans attempting to discern the origins of the shortcomings of the offense the Seattle Seahawks have displayed at times this season. Specifically fans have attempted to look back at offseason comments about how much the offense actually changed from 2017 under Darrell Bevell to 2018 under Brian Schottenheimer. Specifically Cheap Michael Dickson Jersey , what has been bandied about is the idea from earlier this year that the Hawks under Brian Schottenheimer would keep roughly 70% of the offense from the 2017 season heading into 2018, and fans are trying to understand why the offense looks so much different this season compared to last. In particular, it seems fans want to understand how much of the team’s struggles this season have been the result of switching from an offense based on West Coast principles to an offense based on Air Coryell principles. My quick response to attempting to discern this is as follows: don’t. My long response to attempting to discern this is as follows: don’t waste your time. That may seem harsh, but it’s the case because the breakdown of the playbook is largely irrelevant. The Hawks could have a playbook that is 70% based on West Coast concepts, but call plays drawn out of Air Coryell concepts on 100% of plays. Likewise, an offense can be 70% based on Air Coryell concepts, but the playcalls could be comprised of 100% West Coast concepts. In short, the actual breakdown of the playbook is irrelevant, as the only thing that is important is the actual deployment of the offense and the patterns and tendencies that the playcaller creates. Further complicating the matter of attempting to understand the origins of the playbook is the simple fact that the history of the Air Coryell and West Coast offenses are heavily intertwined and both use a foundational principle of stressing the defense by putting five receivers in the pattern. That is seen when the offenses are broken down to their simplest fundamental element. Specifically, Air Coryell is built around putting five receivers in the pattern and stressing the defense in order to create favorable matchups for the offense, whilethe West Coast offense is built around putting five receivers into the pattern and stressing the defense in order to create favorable matchups for the offense, while also using dynamic routes to adjust to actions of the defense mid-play. In short, the two offenses are very similar in their base concept of using five receivers to stress the defense. To represent the similarites of the offenses in a manner that is easy to understand for most fans, here’s a rough ballpark of a Venn Diagram of the Air Coryell and West Coast systems. The biggest difference between the two systems is the verbiage used by the system, which is nothing more than the specific language used to name a play. Basically, a lot of the plays and concepts are going to be similar, but they are going to be using different names to denote the same idea or concept. Now, I know I’m going to get a lot of pushback from certain observers about what the systems are and what they represent, but it’s important to avoid getting too caught up in anything beyond the base concepts of the system. Specifically K.J. Wright Jersey , I’m anticipating a lot of push back from commenters arguing that Air Coryell denotes a deep passing threat, while the West Coast offense is a pass-heavy timing offense. In reality, the truth of any offense lies in how the offensive play caller utilizes the offense. So, while the then San Diego, but now Los Angeles Chargers used a pass heavy air attack in the 1980s for their version of the Air Coryell attack, the Kansas City Chiefs used a similar offense to attack defenses with a run heavy attack in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On the flip side, Mike Holmgren brought his pass heavy West Coast offense to Seattle in the late 1990s and used the system to put a run-heavy offense on the back of Shaun Alexander within the same system. To explain this in the most simple manner possible, if you and I sat down and played a game of Madden we could play the game with the same teams, with the same playbooks, but call offensive games that would be completely different. The reason behind this is because the playbooks across the NFL are largely similar, with the big difference being the actual deployment of the offensive weapons by the play caller. Thus, trying to figure out the origins of the playbook is a task that will be little more than a waste of time. The important thing to remember is how the system is being deployed, because that will shed far more light onto the subject. In particular this can shed more light on the subject because of how intertwined the two offensive systems are through recent decades. Specifically, the variation of the Air Coryell system Brian Schottenheimer runs traces back to the system that Cam Cameron runs, as Cameron spent multiple seasons with the Washington Redskins under Norv Turner. Turner’s use of the system traces back to Paul Hackett, who was at USC with Turner in the late 1970s. In addition, Brian Schottenheimer spent a year working under Paul Hackett in 2000, and spent another season working with the Chiefs under Jimmy Raye in 1998. Now, all of that is important because the system the Chiefs ran for much of the 1990s under Hackett and Raye is a version of the Air Coryell with injections of West Coast offense concepts that Hackett and Joe Montana added in 1993 when they arrived in K.C. Or Cheap Doug Baldwin Jersey , if one prefers, it was a West Coast offense with Air Coryell concepts included. Then, Tom Rossley, who was the Chiefs quarterback coach in 1999 under offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye became the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator in 2000. This is important because from 2000 until 2005 while Rossley was the offensive coordinator in Green Bay they ran a version of the West Coast that included a lot of Air Coryell concepts, and a guy named Darrell Bevell was an offensive assistant coach for the entirety of that time frame. In short, the concepts of the system the Hawks used in 2017 are very similar to the concepts used in 2018, but the difference in how the offense looks on the field is going to grow out of the individual responsible for calling plays.Whether one wants to look at the differences as two chefs making different dishes out of the same ingredients, two baristas making different qualities of coffee out of the same grinds or two financial advisors making different investment allocations with the same funds in the same markets, at the end of the day, it’s the person in charge who is responsible for the end product more so than the system itself. Yes, understanding the system allows for a better understanding of how the person in charge of the system is making use of the tools at his disposal, but just as Bill Walsh’s variant of the West Coast offense led to Roger Craig leading the NFL in receptions as a fullback in 1985, using the same system Mike Holmgren turned Shaun Alexander into the NFL’s leading rusher two decades later. In short, it’s less the system itself than how the individual in charge makes use of the system. 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He is anDoug Baldwin of Seattle Seahawks expects to face San Francisco 49ersDoug Baldwin said he expects to face the 49ers on Sunday despite a hip injury, the latest hurdle in a frustrating season that had Baldwin acknowledging he's on the "downside" of his career.Can 49ers channel Candelistick, upset Seattle Seahawks?The 49ers have never beaten the Seattle Seahawks nor quarterback Russell Wilson at Levi's Stadium since 2014, so what must be done to reverse that Sunday?Friday Round-Up: Michael Dickson Recognized On NFL.com's All-Rookie TeamSeahawks punter Michael Dickson earns a spot on NFL.com's 2018 All-Rookie team.Oh, So Now the Seahawks Want to Run the Ball - WSJIn the pass-happy NFL, the Seattle Seahawks is running the ball on more than half of its plays this season—and the strategy is working.Drew Brees gifts footballs in honor of passing record - NFL.comDrew Brees felt like he had many to thank for breaking the NFL's all-time passing record earlier this season. The Saints QB is gifting customized footballs to 174 individuals involved in his feat.Riveron: Bobby Wagner committed a foul on FG block - NFL.comThe NFL's senior vice president of officiating says that Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner's field-goal block versus the Minnesota Vikings should have resulted in a penalty.Chargers' Keenan Allen (hip pointer) could miss time - NFL.comKeenan Allen suffered a hip pointer in the Chargers' win versus the Chiefs on Thursday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports. The injury could sideline the WR for a short time but isn't expected to affect him long-term.Martavis Bryant suspended indefinitely by NFL - NFL.comOakland Raiders wide receiver Martavis Bryant was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Friday for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous ban.James Conner back at practice, listed as questionable - NFL.comJames Conner practiced for the first time Friday since suffering an ankle injury in Week 13, but it remains unclear whether he'll play in Sunday's AFC showdown with the New England Patriots.Official involved in Jerry Hughes incident reinstated - NFL.comRoy Ellison, the umpire placed on administrative leave after being accused of directing derogatory language toward Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, has been reinstated by the NFL.With Lamar Jackson, Ravens running more, passing less than any other team – ProFootballTalkTo call the Ravens a run-first offense since Lamar Jackson took over as starting quarterback would be an understatement. The Ravens are choosing running over passing like no other team in the NFL.Chargers would host AFC title game at StubHub Center, limited size be damned – ProFootballTalkThe game that will determine the AFC representative in the Super Bowl could be played in an uncharacteristically intimate venue. Per multiple sources, the AFC title game will be played at the StubHub Center, if the L.A. Chargers qualify to host it.