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• May 23, 2019 12:24 PM IST

  in the topic G Fiume/Getty ImagesThe Washington Nationals in the forum News and Announcements

  announced Wednesday that relief pitcher Shawn Kelley was designated for assignment following an outburst in Tuesday's 25-4 win over the New York Mets at Nationals Park.Kelley http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , who threw his glove to the ground after allowing a home run to Mets outfielder Austin Jackson, said he "acted like a baby," per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Nationals manager Dave Martinez called the reliever's actions "disrespectful to the organization.""You're either in or you're in the way. I thought he was in the way," general manager Mike Rizzo said, adding the incident was "selfish."Kelley was enjoying a strong season for Washington out of the bullpen. He compiled a 3.34 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. His 35 pitching appearances were tied for the fourth-most on the team.The 34-year-old Kentucky native struggled in 2017 en route to a 7.27 ERA in 33 games, but he finished with a sub-2.65 ERA in each of the previous two years. He owns a 3.73 career ERA across nine-plus seasons.He previously played for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.The Nationals must decide whether to place Kelley on waivers, trade him or release him within the next seven days if they don't return him to the active 40-man roster. Since the non-waiver trade deadline passed Tuesday, he would need to clear waivers before Washington could deal him.Sammy Solis and Justin Miller will take on more prominent roles in the Nats pen in front of closer Kelvin Herrera and setup man Ryan Madson.Kelley should generate interest either via trade or free agency given his track record. ATLANTA (AP) — A healthy wrist helped Dansby Swanson keep up his resurgence that has added more punch to Atlanta’s lineup.Swanson hit a game-ending single against a five-man infield and the Braves, helped by a catcher’s interference call Manuel Margot Jersey , beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Sunday.“I love that weight, so to speak, on my shoulders,” Swanson said.After Swanson hit only .238 in 2018, he had offseason surgery to have a troublesome loose body removed from his left wrist.Swanson was upbeat all spring, expressing optimism about his newly empowered swing. So far, he has backed up his big hopes. His fourth-inning homer was his team-leading third of the season, and his nine RBI also lead the team.Miami’s Curtis Granderson tied it in the top of the ninth with a pinch-hit homer off Arodys Vizcaíno (1-0).Freddie Freeman led off Atlanta’s ninth win an infield single, the ball glancing off pitcher Adam Conley’s glove as he tried to snare the grounder behind his back. Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with an apparent double-play grounder, but home plate umpire Will Little immediately called catcher’s interference on Chad Wallach.“Inside pitch http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , I was a little too close and it hit my glove,” said Wallach of Acuña’s bat.Marlins manager Don Mattingly was upset Acuña wasn’t called for a strike on his check swing before the catcher’s interference. First base umpire Joe West said Acuña checked his swing.“Basically they catch a break with Acuña,” Mattingly said. “That’s strike three. He was swinging, a full swing almost on a check swing.”A passed ball by Wallach allowed Freeman to advance to third. After Mattingly brought in right fielder Rosell Herrera to form a five-man infield, leaving right field vacant, Conley (0-2) walked Markakis to load the bases.Swanson lined the game-winning single to left field, and then high-stepped his way to first base as his teammates surged out of the dugout in a race to surround him for an on-field celebration.“There was no doubt in my mind he would come through,” said Freeman of Swanson. “Winners come through.”Swanson, hitting .346, has added more depth to an Atlanta lineup also strengthened by the addition of Josh Donaldson.“It’s a tough lineup to go through Austin Hedges Jersey ,” Mattingly said.Freeman hit a two-run homer off Caleb Smith in the first inning.Sean Newcomb gave up two runs in seven innings in a possibly important start to protect his place in Atlanta’s rotation. The left-hander overcame second-inning control problems to allow only four hits.Ozzie Albies led off the Atlanta first with a single and scored on Freeman’s first homer.Newcomb gave up his only two walks in the second, including a bases-loaded pass to Miguel Rojas. Smith’s single off Newcomb’s glove drove in Starlin Castro, who doubled.TRAINER’S ROOMMarlins: RHP Sergio Romo was available after being hit by a line drive on the bottom of his left hand Saturday night.Braves: C Brian McCann was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. The catcher position became a concern when McCann’s replacement Saturday night, Tyler Flowers, was hit by a pitch on his right hand. X-rays were negative Saturday night, but there was ongoing concern and Flowers was scheduled for further tests Sunday.DIVISION MATTERS MOSTA 14-5 record against Miami last season helped the Braves win the NL East. They’re off to a good start this year, winning two of three in the series. The Braves are 5-1 since being swept at Philadelphia to open the season.“Everything matters,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be a battle to the end, and you have to win against your division opponents.”JACKSON’S DEBUTBraves catcher Alex Jackson, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game Carlos Asuaje Jersey , was 0 for 3 in his major league debut but earned compliments for his work with Newcomb.“Awesome,” Newcomb said. “He called a great game. … He’s a big league catcher. He proved that today.”ON DECKMarlins: Following an off day on Monday, Miami opens a three-game series at Cincinnati on Tuesday night when RHP Jose Urena (0-2, 10.38) tries to bounce back from two losses to open the season. Urena was 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in his final six road starts of 2018.Braves: RHP Julio Teheran, who has a 2.96 ERA in four career starts at Coors Field, will start when the Braves open a three-game series at Colorado on Monday night.
• May 23, 2019 12:06 PM IST

  in the topic After two years in the forum News and Announcements

  out of the game http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , the controversial former top Brewers prospect says he’s returning to the organization"Brett Lawrie’s baseball career has seen many twists and turns, and even after two years out of the game, it looks like there’s another in store.The former Brewers prospect who was traded to Toronto for Shaun Marcum ahead of the 2011 season says he’s returning to the organization that drafted him, making the announcement on his Instagram page.Lawrie has not played professionally since 2016, when he appeared in 94 games for the Chicago White Sox, hitting .248/.310/.413 in an injury-filled season. He complained of a lower body injury that the White Sox training staff could not figure out, and when he said he still didn’t feel right in the spring of 2017, the organization opted to release him. It was his third organization in three years and the fourth in his then-seven-year career, and it didn’t appear any other team was willing to take on a player that had developed a reputation of providing more headaches than he was worth.Lawrie’s passion has never been in question — in fact, those who don’t like him would likely argue the problem is he’s too intense — but the hope is at 29 years old and two years away he’s in a better place both physically and mentally and still has something left. While he never quite lived up to the initial prospect hype, he was a consistently productive player when he wasn’t hurt, putting up a total of 9.6 fWAR in 588 career games.While Lawrie didn’t say what type of contract he signed, the safe assumption considering his time away would be some kind of minor league or split deal, and the team will likely see what he has left during spring training. Whether he still has the defensive versatility he once had remains to be seen, but he could potentially provide another option capable of playing both second and third base.It’s entirely possible this is a comeback attempt that doesn’t amount to much, but it’s a shot in the dark that won’t cost the Brewers much of anything at a position where the organization is lacking some depth.UPDATE:Robert Murray of The Athletic has some of the first details of Lawrie’s contract:While a minor league deal, the option and the maximum value sure makes it sound like a split deal that would pay him more than the minimum if he’s on the major league roster.Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs An incredibly (albeit unexpected) home stand gives the Tribe some momentum on their next road trip, which starts in Detroit."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsAnalysis & EditorialsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesGame RecapsTransactionsSeries PreviewsSeries Preview: Cleveland Indians at Detroit TigersNew,2commentsAn incredibly (albeit unexpected) home stand gives the Tribe some momentum on their next road trip, which starts in Detroit.EDTShareTweetShareShareSeries Preview: Cleveland Indians at Detroit TigersI’ll be honest: I was not expecting the Indians to sweep the Blue Jays. In fact, I wasn’t actually expecting them to win the series. I was hoping for a split at best and expecting a series loss. But the team defied odds and won four games in a row at home. They did it on the strength of some incredible pitching and some timely offense, often by Carlos Santana. And now Blake Snell Jersey , they head on the road after a very successful 5-1 home stand to see if they can keep the train rolling. Their first stop is in Michigan to face off against the equally successful (and somehow more surprising) Detroit Tigers.How are the Tigers atop the AL Central? Let’s take a look.Team in a box2019 Detroit TigersRecord7-3Record7-3The Tigers are in virtually the same boat as the Indians: their offense has been downright offensive and the pitching has been outstanding. The Detroit pitching staff has been worth 2.4 fWAR already in this young season, which is good for second in all of baseball. The starting pitchers have done the lion’s share of the work; their rotation, led by Jordan Zummermann, has pitched 58.0 innings and allowed just 13 earned runs (2.02 ERA). This is good news for the Tigers since the offense has been very, very bad. But even still, it seemed like the Tigers were firing on all cylinders against the Royals in their last series, earning a 3-game sweep following a series win against the Yankees.Pythagoras says they should be 5-5, but the Tigers don’t care about math. They’re 7-3 and in the driver’s seat in the division.Projected startersTuesday, April 9 1:10 p.m. ET: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (v. Corey Kluber)Sign up for Let’s Go Tribe FanPulse!Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsIndians fans, let us know how you’re feeling about the team this year by signing up for our weekly survey!I said that the Tigers would not be good in my AL Central preview, and I specifically highlighted Jordan Zimmermann as someone who would be looked at as a leader on the team and would not perform up to expectations. It’s early, but so far I was damn wrong. In 13.2 innings, Zimmermann has allowed just 1 earned run on 7 hits while walking 1 and striking out 10. His season debut on March 28 saw him take a perfect game into the seventh inning before losing it. And he hasn’t even been the best pitcher on the Tigers (we’ll get to him tomorrow). He’s got a slider (86 mph) that moves like a curveball, a curveball (80 mph) that doesn’t move as much as a 12-6 curve typically does, and a fastball (91 mph) that just...exists. He’s yet to give up a home run so far this season, so it would be nice to see Carlos Santana (or anyone) put the first one up against Zimmermann, but it won’t be surprising if they can’t. His most recent start came on April 2 against the New York Yankees; in that game, he went 6.2 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out 6.Wednesday, April 10 1:10 p.m. ET: LHP Matthew Boyd (v. Trevor Bauer)Matthew Boyd, despite giving up more runs than Zimmermann, has been more dominant at times. Across 11.1 innings, Boyd has allowed 4 earned runs while walking 4 and striking out 23. His K/9 is an insane 18.26 Rob Refsnyder Jersey , while his BB/9 is a more pedestrian 3.18. He, like Zimmermann, has yet to give up a home run this year. He succeeds with an effective fastball (91 mph) that generates a lot of whiffs, a slider (79 mph) that generates a lot of whiffs, and a curveball (71 mph) that generates a lot of whiffs. Basically, he can make hitters swing and miss in multiple different ways. He really stepped up in his most recent start on April 3 against the New York Yankees; in that game, Boyd went 6.1 innings and allowed just 1 earned run on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 13. He has double digit strikeouts in both of his starts this season. I’m sure that bodes well for the Indians who have struck out...97 times to start the season...oh.Thursday, April 11 1:10 p.m. ET: RHP Spencer Turnbull (v. Shane Bieber)Spencer Turnbull had a cup of coffee with the Tigers last season and didn’t look good in his 16.1 innings. In 2019, he looks much better. Across 11.0 innings, Turnbull has allowed 5 earned runs while walking 4 and striking out 15. He’s also striking out over a batter an inning (like Boyd), but he has given up a home run (unlike Boyd). He’s got a good fastball (93 mph) that can sink, cause whiffs and flyballs. He’s got a slider (87 mph) that also generates whiffs and flyballs. His sinker (94 mph) is good at getting flyballs and his curve (80 mph) can get either flyballs of whiffs. Basically, Turnbull is going to get you to either strikeout or pop up. His most recent start came on April 4 against the Kansas City Royals; in that game, Turnbull went 6.0 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 10.Lineup highlights2B Niko Goodrum: The young speedster for the Tigers has taken a step up after his first full season in the majors last year. He held his own at the plate in 2018, but now he’s become he’s dangerous at the plate as opposed to just on the bases. So far this season, Goodrum is slashing .258/.395/.452 (wRC+ 147). He’s yet to hit a home run this season after hitting 16 last year, and he’s yet to steal a base after swiping 12 last year. But regardless, he’s still been a consistent presence in the lineup for the Tigers and will look to cause problems for the pitchers both in and out of the batter’s box. Also, he has the ability to play anywhere on the diamond if needed.RF Nick Castellanos: Castellanos was a player that I wished the Indians would have went after in the offseason. He’s got a year left on his contract before he becomes a free agent, and if the Tigers aren’t planning on being competitive this season, it would’ve made sense to trade him to get some type of return in the form of prospects for the future. But alas, he is still in Detroit and he’s still hitting extremely well. Up to this point in 2019 http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , Castellanos is hitting .289/.386/.447 (wRC+ 142). He’s hit 20+ home runs in the last two seasons but has yet to hit one out yet in 2019. He’s still striking out a lot (27.3%), but his walk rate has doubled when compared to his career rate (13.6% compared to 6.6%). If Castellanos has developed a keen eye at the plate in addition to his power, he’s become an even more dangerous hitter.2B Gordon Beckham: Beckham has had a disappointing career up to this point, but he’s had a hot start to 2019 in his limited playing time. His slash is very lopsided (.125/.300/.500), which has resulted in a wRC+ of 127. Granted, it’s only 10 plate appearances, but he’s made those plate appearances count. Expect Beckham to come off the bench in a pinch hit situation and he can do some damage.StorylinesWhich team will strikeout more?So far this season, the Tigers have struck out 99 times (tied for #4 in all of baseball) while the Indians have struck out 97 times (tied for #6 in all of baseball). Conversely, Tribe pitchers have struck out 104 hitters (#3 in all of baseball) while the Tigers have struck out 99 hitters (#4 in all of baseball). Those numbers add up to a boatload of strikeouts in this series.Which team will find out how to score runs?The Tigers and Indians are very similar in terms of their pitching, but they’re also similar in terms of how bad they’ve been at hitting. The Tigers have a team slash of .181/.285/.284 and a wRC+ of 64, which is 24th in all of baseball. The Tribe, on the other hand, has a slash of .182/.262/.273 and a wRC+ of 46 (gross), which is 28th in all of baseball. Both teams had sparks of offense in their most recent series, but they’ve overall been awful. Something will have to give in this series, so which lineup will figure out the opposing pitching first?The bullpens may hold the keyThe lineups are similar. The rotations are similar. Is there any differentiating factor between the Tigers and the Indians? The answer may be in the relief corps. For the Tigers, their relievers have combined for 32.0 IP while allowing 10 earned runs (2.81 ERA), notching 30 strikeouts and walking 9. On the other hand, the Tribe bullpen has pitched a total of 27.1 IP while allowing 8 earned runs (2.63 ERA) while walking 9 and striking out 31.Okay never mind, these teams are identical.Detroit Tigers roster40-man rosterDepth chartFanGraphs
• May 23, 2019 11:51 AM IST

  in the topic Orioles teams of the in the forum News and Announcements

  recent past have been devoid of any real plate discipline http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , but that should change under new GM Mike Elias."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Commentary & AnalysisOrioles ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastCommentary & AnalysisMike Elias should be able to solve the Orioles’ on-base problemNew,5commentsOrioles teams of the recent past have been devoid of any real plate discipline, but that should change under new GM Mike Elias.ByHarrison JozwiakNov 29, 2018,9:00am ESTShareTweetShareShareMike Elias should be able to solve the Orioles’ on-base problemTommy Gilligan-USA TODAY SportsHow many times under Dan Duquette’s leadership did we hear that the Orioles were going to address their on-base percentage problem? How long did we hold out hope that the Birds were going to diversify their offense to order to move beyond being simply a power-hitting team?This is a team, under Duquette and manager Buck Showalter’s leadership, that slotted Chris Davis in the leadoff spot the first handful of games last season. Davis ended the season with a .243 on-base percentage.It begs the question, were the Orioles debating whether Davis was a table-setter or run producer? Because if they were, it just goes to show how mixed up the whole Davis situation has become. But I digress — this is an article about improving team OBP, not CD.The irony of the situation is that the Orioles would have been a much more dangerous offense the past couple of years if they could’ve gotten more men on-base ahead of their power hitters. How many times in the Showalter/Duquette era did the Orioles have multiple solo home runs in a game, only to be outscored in the end?In baseball there are only 27 outs in a game. Put simply Joe Morgan Jersey , one of the most valuable things about a hitter is his ability to not make outs. Other than getting a hit, the main way to not make an out is by taking a walk, thereby adding more value to players who know the strike zone expertly and have the ability to work the count. Need more proof? Read Michael Lewis’ Moneyball. And do yourself a favor, just skip the movie. The book has a lot more substance.Last season, the average MLB on-base percentage was .318 and the Orioles ranked 29th out of 30 teams with a .298 figure, according to ESPN.com. In 2017, the average OBP was .324 and the Orioles stood 27th in the league at .312. For comparison, let’s look at the Astros — Elias’ former team — over the past couple of years. Last season, they ranked 7th in the majors with a .329 team OBP. In 2017, they were first in the league with a .346 OBP.Of all the Orioles last season who had more than 400 at-bats with the team, Adam Jones had the highest on-base percentage at .313 Dave Concepcion Jersey , per Orioles.com. That doesn’t include players like Manny Machado, who were traded away midseason, or Jonathan Villar, who was acquired midseason.According to Houston’s official website, the Astros’ on-base percentage leader last season was Alex Bregman. In 594 at-bats, he had a .394 OBP. Bregman even had more walks than strikeouts —96 versus 85. Jose Altuve was a close second in the OBP department, coming in with a .386 mark in 534 at-bats.In a 2014 Q&A with Fangraphs, then Astros Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Elias said the following regarding how he goes about selecting hitters:So it makes sense that players with upper-echelon on-base skills also tend to be superior hitters. Just take a look at the aforementioned Astros hitters. Last season, Bregman’s .394 OBP was buoyed by a .286 batting average and his career triple slash line is .282/.366/.500. Last season, Altuve’s .386 OBP came along with a .316 batting average. For his career, Altuve is hitting .316/.365/.453.Stars like these are few and far between http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , but with Mike Elias in charge of the Orioles, there is hope that he can find a few more players like this to be part of the next great Orioles team.It starts with accurate player identification, but it continues with the proper minor league environment to foster and promote the right approach. This is another area where Elias should excel, making sure the same points of emphasis are clear from the lowest level of the minor leagues all the way to Camden Yards. That’s how you reestablish a farm system with hitters strong enough to feed the major league roster for years. Also dongs."Fangraphs’ Jay Jaffe took a look at the Marwin Gonzalez signing and how it is a very very Falvine era Twins move. Also Scott Boras apparently calls him “Swiss G” which really just makes me want one of those disgusting luke-warm gas station chicken and swiss sandwiches I used to live off of as a gross teenager.Charley Walters thinks that very signing signals that the Twins are serious about winning the AL central this year. I wouldn’t go that far, but thinking about it they have made a lot of low-key good signings. (Now just go get Dallas Keuchel, duh.)Max Kepler did this yesterday, reminding everyone he’s not just a pretty face. I sorta want to see him used as a Jacque Jones esque power lead off hitter.Speaking of Max: New Twins coach Tommy Watkins taught a 16 year old Kepler how to drive a car. I wonder if one of them will teach me.In old friend news. former twinkie ace Ervin Santana signed a minor league contract with the White Sox. I’ve always liked Ervin, hopefully he pitches well (but not against us.)Mike Trout has been as good as both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper put together. Literally. Every once in a while we need to be reminded of how ridiculous that guy is, lest we take him for granted. This is similar to how Willians Astudillo is about as rotund as Manny and Bryce put together.Today’s soundtrack is whatever I decide to put here later.
• May 23, 2019 11:27 AM IST

  in the topic The San Francisco Giants in the forum News and Announcements

  guaranteed that the San Diego Padres would finish in last place in the National League West by rallying to victory in the second contest of their three-game series. The Giants (72-80) look to add more salt in the wound as they aim to complete the sweep on Wednesday when the division rivals reconvene at Petco Park.Hunter Pence homered and drove in three runs while rookie Chris Shaw hit a go-ahead http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , two-run bloop single in the eighth inning as San Francisco posted a 5-4 win on Tuesday to improve to 10-5 against San Diego (60-92) this season.Article continues below ...Shaw is 6-for-10 over his last three games on the heels of going 1-for-22 in his previous 11 contests.The Giants will send right-hander Chris Stratton (10-9, 4.66 ERA) to the mound against left-hander Robbie Erlin (3-7, 4.27) in the series finale.Stratton enters the contest with some momentum after collecting his first career shutout after a 114-pitch performance in Friday’s 2-0 triumph over the Colorado Rockies. He retired the final 12 batters he faced to record the first Giants’ shutout since Jeff Samardzija accomplished the feat versus the Padres on Aug. 28, 2017.The 28-year-old Stratton has excelled since returning from the minors to rejoin the rotation on Aug. 21, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.10 ERA in five starts.“If you don’t believe in yourself, then who can believe in you? I appreciate them sending me down and giving me some guidance and letting me work through some things,” Stratton told SFGate.com. “Hopefully, I can continue to build on this, going into next year as well.”Stratton permitted one hit over seven sterling innings in a 7-0 win over the Padres at Petco Park on April 12. He owns a 2-2 mark with a 3.15 ERA in four career appearances against San Diego.Stratton will need to keep a keen eye on Franmil Reyes, who enters Wednesday’s game with a 10-game hitting streak. The Padres rookie homered and drove in three runs on Tuesday to improve to 14-for-36 during the 10-game stretch, but the power display couldn’t prevent his team from falling to 1-4 on its six-game homestand.“We’re thrilled we got Franmil,” Padres manager Andy Green told reporters. “He looks so good. He’s become one of the success stories. Drafted by us, developed by us.“We’ve got a couple rookies this year doing extraordinary things in the National League Christian Yelich Jersey , which you typically don’t see. Where he is right now, he’d be in a lot of conversations for Rookie of the Year. He’s played that well. Numbers just trending up every day. He’s had so many big hits for us. We’re definitely pleased he’s in a Padres uniform.”Reyes will be receiving his first look at Stratton on Wednesday.Stratton will be opposed by the 27-year-old Erlin, who matched a career high by dropping his fourth straight start on Friday despite yielding two runs — one earned — and six hits over 5 1/3 innings against Texas.“I thought he was as good as he’s been all year as a starter,” Green said of Erlin, who was undone by some shoddy defense versus the Rangers.Erlin owns an 0-3 mark with a 5.68 ERA in seven career appearances against San Francisco — including a 4.76 ERA in three relief appearances this season.Brandon Crawford is 4-for-8 and Brandon Belt is 3-for-10 in their respective careers against Erlin, although the left-hander has handcuffed Pence (1-for-9). DENVER — The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, both coming off series losses, begin a key four-game series Monday in the tight National League West.The Rockies dropped the rubber game of their series with the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6 on Sunday. The defeat trimmed the Rockies’ lead over the Dodgers to a half-game in the division. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks lost Sunday for the 11th time in 16 games, yielding six runs in the ninth inning and losing 9-5 to the Atlanta Braves.The Diamondbacks remained 2 1/2 games behind the Rockies and are second, three games behind in the race for the second NL wild-card spot.Article continues below ...German Marquez (11-9, 4.05 ERA) will start for the Rockies against Zack Godley (14-8, 4.51).Marquez is 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his past five home starts http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , four of which the Rockies have won. He has piled up 25 strikeouts in his past two starts, including 11 on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants when he gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings and won as the Rockies triumphed 6-2.In his past eight starts, Marquez is 3-1 with a 2.24 ERA with 13 walks, 72 strikeouts and 38 hits allowed in 56 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .189 against Marquez in that stretch with a .539 OPS.He’s 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in four starts against the Diamondbacks this year and 1-4 with a 4,72 ERA against them in 11 games (10 starts).Godley has never lost to the Rockies. He’s 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA against them in two starts this season and 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA against them in seven games (five starts).Godley has pitched five innings in three of his past five starts, including Monday against San Diego when he allowed two hits and four runs and took the loss as the Diamondbacks fell 6-2. But in his previous start on Aug. 29 at San Francisco, Godley allowed two hits and one run in season-high 7 2/3 innings and was the winner in Arizona’s 3-1 victory,Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was rested Saturday night, was 5-for-41 and hitless in 15 consecutive at-bats when he when he belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning on Sunday, his first home run since Aug. 24.“Obviously, it stinks that we couldn’t win, but it felt good that I was able to hit a ball hard there http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey ,” Arenado said. “We can’t let this game affect us. We know we got a big series coming up here with the Diamondbacks. Losing’s never fun, but when you have big games coming up — which we put ourselves in that position, — it’s easier to move on.”The Diamondbacks are 7-5 against the Rockies this year and 4-2 at Coors Field.Arizona outfielder David Peralta was not in the lineup Sunday but singled home a run as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. He injured his left ankle running out a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning Saturday night.“David kind of banged up his ankle,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters before Sunday’s game. “He was lunging at first base. It’s nothing that’s going to prolong things, as I’ve been told. He could have played today. I want to protect a little bit of that bump and a bruise and also get him ready for that Colorado series.”With good reason, considering the damage Peralta has done against the Rockies and at Coors Field. He’s hitting .450 (18-for-40) against the Rockies this season in 10 games with a 1.213 OPS, five doubles, two homers and nine RBIs. And in 26 career games at Coors Field, Peralta is hitting .354 with a .923 OPS, six doubles, one triple, three homers and 15 RBIs.
• May 6, 2019 8:56 AM IST

  in the topic Just put him in the Hall of Fame now in the forum News and Announcements

  ."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Twinkie Town Farm ReportSatire Drew Robinson Jersey , Irreverence, & Other HumorGame RecapsNewsWillians Astudillo hits clutch home run from his knee in Venezuelan Winter LeagueNew,27commentsJust put him in the Hall of Fame now.ESTShareTweetShareShareWillians Astudillo hits clutch home run from his knee in Venezuelan Winter LeagueHOW WERE WE EVER BLESSED WITH SUCH A SOUL?It may be the dead of the off season for MLB, but no one has forgotten about Twins 2018 breakout star Willians Astudillo — nor should they. The guy is like a walking bouncy house everywhere he goes.On Wednesday, Astudillo hit a clutch home run in the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs like this:For all of the blind Twinkie Town readers out there reading this, Astudillo fell to his knee, hit the dinger, then stayed on one knee as he admired his long dinger leaving the park. I don’t even know if that description does it justice.In another interesting twist for Twins fans, Astudillo actually hit that home run off former Twins organization pitcher Deolis Guerra. For all you young’ins out there, that’s one of the pitchers the Twins got from the Mets in exchange for Johan Santana. He never really caught on with the Twins.As for Astudillo, he’s actually had more than just a viral showing in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason. Over 55 games, the 27-year-old hit .316/.360/.481 with eight home runs, his characteristically low number of strikeouts (four), and an amazingly (for Astudillo) eleven (!!) walks. Hopefully the nice winter season-showing by “Baby Bartolo” ensures him a spot on the Twins major league roster next season. We know he’s amazing, but he was otherworldly in 2018."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Red Sox StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Red Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昍ed Sox AnalysisOne Big QuestionOne Big Question: Can J.D. Martinez *really* repeat what he did in 2018?New,13commentsWe know he’s amazing, but he was otherworldly in 2018.ESTShareTweetShareShareOne Big Question: Can J.D. Martinez *really* repeat what he did in 2018?Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY SportsWelcome to Over the Monster’s One Big Question series. For those unfamiliar, this is something of a season roster preview where over the next 40(ish) (week)days we’ll be taking a look at each player on the 40-man roster prior to the season. If changes are made to the roster between now and Opening Day http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , we’ll cover the newly added players. Rather than previewing what to expect in a general sense, the goal of this series is to find one overarching question for each player heading into the coming season. We’ll go one-by-one alphabetically straight down the roster, and today we talk about J.D. MartinezThe Question: Will J.D. Martinez continue to produce at an elite level in the non-power areas at the plate?Heading into last year’s offseason, we all knew the Red Sox needed some punch in the middle of the lineup. It was reasonable to expect improvement from plenty of the hitters already on the roster, but an additional big bat was necessary. J.D. Martinez was, of course, a free agent, and even before the offseason started everyone put two and two together. It was a foregone the slugger to end up in Boston. It took longer than expected, but eventually he signed on and expectations were through the roof. After an absurd run at the end of 2017 with the Diamondbacks, one could argue expectations were too high. I certainly thought anyone expecting him to repeat his Arizona performance was a little too confident. Well, silly me. It wasn’t a totally analogous performance, but Martinez was in fact the same caliber of hitter for the entirety of 2018 that he was in the final two months of that 2017 season. It was absurd. as a power hitter. Granted, there are worse insults out there, but it still reduces him to something much less than he really is. Martinez is a great power hitter, but he’s also one of the best all-around hitters in all of baseball. The .299 ISO last season was great, and it was even better when added to a .330 batting average and a .402 on-base percentage. There’s little doubt about Martinez continuing to be elite at the plate, but if he’s going to take any sort of step back in 2019 it’s probably going to be in the other areas.If the Red Sox have another move to make, they have to make it nowDaniel Clark-USA TODAY SportsNow http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , this was certainly not the first time Martinez has had this kind of year at the plate. The righty has hit over .300 in four of the last five years, though this was a career-high and the first time he combined that with an OBP over .400. It was heavily inflated by a high batting average on balls in play, too, which immediately brings into question the sustainability of the performance. You see a .375 BABIP and it’s only natural to think some significant regression is coming. It was the highest mark in baseball, in fact, with only Christian Yelich really coming close.However, there is some reason to believe Martinez can come pretty damn close to repeating that moving forward. It probably shouldn’t quite be the expectation, but it’s not the first time he’s done it. In fact, in the five years since he’s rebuilt his swing and turned into an elite hitter, this was only his third-highest BABIP. He posted a .378 mark in 2016 and a .389 BABIP in 2014. In this five-year run, the lowest BABIP he’s put up is .327, which still would have been in the top-40 in baseball this past year. Martinez is simply a high-BABIP hitter, and his batted ball numbers support it. He tied his career-high in line drive rate, cut down his fly ball rate while still managing the monster power numbers, had his second-highest hard-hit rate, his second-lowest soft-hit rate, used the whole field more than ever and hit all of four infield fly balls the entire season. He was an absolute machine, and none of it really seemed out of line with what we can expect from him.Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsEven more encouraging to me is that Martinez really shifted his approach depending on where he played Curtis Granderson Jersey , which is just another piece of evidence to me that he actually a robot created to mash baseballs. If you’ll recall, when he first signed with Boston perhaps the biggest concern was how his swing would translate to Fenway. Martinez is probably the best opposite-field hitter in the game, particularly in terms of power, and Fenway obviously has a massive right field. It’s not a great mix. Well, Martinez took care of that by ignoring right field at Fenway while still using that opposite-field swing on the road. While he went the other way a whopping 36 percent of the time on the road, at Fenway Park he cut that rate down by just about ten percentage points.On top of all the absurd batted ball numbers, Martinez steadily improved his already-strong plate discipline in 2018 as well. He’s always carried a higher-than-average strikeout rate, but this past season he was essentially exactly league-average in the area while walking over ten percent of the time for the second consecutive year. He was his typically aggressive self on pitches in the zone, but he was a bit more selective this year. Specifically, according to Brooks Baseball, he cut way back on his swing rate against breaking balls. Obviously, of all the pitch types breaking balls are the most likely to end up out of the zone and hard to hit. Laying off those pitches lead to more balls, which leads to more walks and also more fastballs, which in turn leads to more of that hard contact.So, is 2018 repeatable for J.D. Martinez? Hell yeah it is. He is a machine.