After dropping the first two games of their series against the Chicago White Sox, including the initial leg of a day-night doubleheader, the Kansas City Royals struck a more positive note to end Tuesday's play.In fact, it was the music being played by Brady Singer that propelled the home team to a 2-1 victory.It's been a wild season for Singer thus far, as the Royals' No. 18 pick from the 2018 MLB Draft started out of the bullpen just a month or so ago. After being optioned to Triple-A Omaha, however, he was stretched back out as a starter and ultimately returned to the club as the 27th man for Tuesday's
John Carlson Jersey doubleheader. Singer has since returned to Omaha, but he'll almost surely be back in time for what's projected to be his next start early next week. His performance against the White Sox has earned him that, after all.Acro s seven innings of work, Singer allowed just four hits to Chicago batters but struck out nine of them. That was a career-high mark for the former Florida standout, which is a testament to just how truly dominant he was. Of his 93 pitches, 70 of them landed for strikes (75.3%). Per Dave Holtzman, he became the first Royals righty with at least seven shutout innings, nine punchouts and no walks since Zack Greinke during his Cy Young-winning 2009 campaign. After the game, Royals manager Mike Matheny praised Singer
Lars Eller Jersey for making the most out of his circumstances this year.Scroll to Continue"It was one of those, 'when I come back, I'm going to show you a little something,'" Matheny said. "That's exactly how you're supposed to handle this. Every opportunity you get out here is special. He came back with a purpose and looked like a completely different pitcher, really, mostly with usage. I think we had 17 of the changeups today, and every one seemed to have an effectivene s on the following pitch."Matheny was nearly spot-on with his analysis. Of Singer's offerings on Tuesday, 16 of
Ilya Samsonov Jersey them were changeups. That's good for a 17% usage rate, which is even greater than some ( ) were looking for. Singer got a whiff on the pitch, as well as eight that were called strikes. It remains to be seen whether opposing offenses will sit and wait on it now but for one night, it was a legitimate offering that generally stayed down in the zone. (There were a few mi ses, as shown above.)Singer's newfound confidence in his changeup to come with the acknowledgment that it won't always be a pretty pitch. With that said, it could be what unlocks a new form for him on the mound. He pa sed the career 200 innings mark during Tuesday's start, giving him a 4.51 ERA acro s 43 appearances (40 starts) now. His
Dale Hunter Jersey 3.94 FIP indicates some rotten luck, which bodes even better for him moving forward. Matheny knows how big of a deal this comeback is for Singer, and he says even the usually laid-back 25-year-old showed it a bit."He's pretty stoic, but he smiled a little," Matheny said. "The guys are making a big deal, and they know it hurts whenever a guy gets optioned. It hurts the club and
Nicklas Backstrom Jersey it obviously really hurts the individual and everybody he's a sociated with. It's hard, but we understand it happens to the best in the game. There's a purpose for it it's not a demotion as much as there's a purpose. He was very deliberate in answering the call."
As we all wait for baseball to return amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, we are going to have some fun.Sports Illustrated's MLB staff writers Tom Verducci, Stephanie Apstein, Emma Baccellieri, Connor Gro sman, Matt Martell, and Michael Shapiro all dreamed up their perfect starting rotations for 2020 ( ). I also came up with my ideal rotation for 2020, and it comes with a couple surprises.1. Gerrit ColeGerrit Cole was my choice for the American League Cy
Baker Mayfield Jersey Young in 2019. His 326 strikeouts in 212 1/3 innings is legendary stuff (an MLB-record 13.8 strikeouts-per-nine). He also checked off traditionally valued stats, winning 20 games with a 2.50 ERA. He's the best pitcher in baseball. Just imagine what he could have done without being under Pittsburgh's restrictive pitching philosophies for the first five years of his career.2. Jacob deGromIt's hard to call Jacob deGrom a number two in any rotation, so I like to think of this as a 1b to Cole as a 1a. deGrom has won consecutive National League Cy Young awards and is only one year removed from a jaw-dropping 1.70 ERA in 2018. deGrom is still at the top of his game after another phenomenal year in 2019, so he's an obvious choice for any rotation.3. Stephen StrasburgHe doesn't have the lights out numbers of Cole or deGrom, but I need at least one big-game pitcher in my rotation.
Antonio Callaway Jersey When a pitcher deservedly wins the World Series MVP, I will not allow that to go unnoticed. Strasburg's 251 strikeouts in 209 innings with a 1.04 WHIP still shows me he's one of the better pitchers in baseball, but his big-game status tells me he could go up against anyone in the postseason and give me a win.4. Jack FlahertyJack Flaherty is one of the younger pitchers I absolutely love in the game of baseball right now. At only 24 years old,
Eric Murray Jersey he is thrusting himself into conversations among the best pitchers in baseball with the numbers he's putting up. I don't want a rotation filled with only veteran pitchers, so out of all the younger pitchers in baseball, Flaherty is my choice.Scroll to Continue5. Lance LynnHere's where my bias as a Texas Rangers writer shows, but hey, it's my rotation. But let's not act like Lance Lynn is some scrub. He was in the top three in pitching bWAR (7.5) and fWAR (6.8) and his 246 strikeouts were seventh in all of baseball. He's also among the best in eating innings in all of baseball. Lynn pitched at least five innings in all but one of his 33 starts and pitched at least six innings in 25 of them. The value of pitching deep into games is as valuable as its ever been in baseball and Lance Lynn can do that.Also, his curveball is literally unhittable.Final ThoughtsIt's insanely difficult to leave pitchers like Justin Verlander and Max
Austin Seibert Jersey Scherzer off, but I wonder how much longer they could sustain durability at their ages. Verlander underwent groin surgery last month and after six straight seasons of eclipsing 200 innings, Scherzer only pitched 172 1/3 in 2019. Scherzer's been as durable as any pitcher in baseball during the last decade, but I wonder if father time might be stepping in this decade.Regarding the Rangers, they have the potential for multiple pitchers in the running for the Cy Young award again. Lynn returns alongside Mike Minor, who led all of baseball in bWAR (7.8) in 2019. Rangers General Manager
Ricardo Louis Jersey Jon Daniels traded for Corey Kluber this offseason, who has two Cy Young awards of his own. Kluber is looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled 2019 campaign.
On this date in Texas Rangers history, the Rangers turned their second triple play in team history. On June 17, 1999, the Rangers faced the New York Yankees, en route to their third division title in four years. In this outing, the Rangers had Aaron Sele on the mound against the Yankees Chili Davis. Davis had Tino Martinez
Marcus Allen Jersey at second base and Paul ONeill at first base. Davis hit a sharp line drive at Rangers second baseman Mark McLemore for the first out of the inning. From
Larry Johnson Jersey there, McLemore to sed the ball to shortstop Royce Clayton, who forced out Martinez, who didnt have the time to tag up. Clayton then threw to first baseman Lee Stevens, who was able to force out ONeill at first for the third out, which ended the inning. That triple play helped the Rangers win the game, 4-2. It was the Rangers first triple play since Aug. 8, 1977, against the Oakland
Patrick Mahomes Jersey As, which was the first for the franchise since it had moved to Arlington in 1972. Also on this date Scroll to ContinueJune 17, 2009: He wasnt in a Rangers uniform, but somehow catcher Ivn Pudge Rodrguez managed to make sure he was in Arlington, Texas, when he set one of his final career milestones. While catching for
Mitchell Schwartz Jersey the Astros in a game against the Rangers in Arlington, Rodriguez made his 2,227th career appearance behind the plate, which allowed him to pa s another Pudge, Carlton Fisk, for most games caught in a career.June 17, 2014: Dallas Morning News and ESPNDallas.com Rangers beat writer Richard Durrett unexpectedly pa
Patrick Mahomes II Jersey sed away at the very young age of 38. In his memory, the Rangers are heavily involved in the , which benefits families dealing with the sudden lo s of a loved one. The DFW chapter of the Baseball Writers A sociation of America (BBWAA) also presents the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man Award to a Rangers player each year. More on SI's :
The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals made a huge trade on Tuesday.Both clubs announced the deal."We have acquired RHP Johan Oviedo and 3B/1B Malcom Nuez from the St. Louis
Marquise Brown Jersey Cardinals in exchange for LHP Jos Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton.""We have acquired LHP Jos Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Johan Oviedo and minor league INF Malcom Nuez."Both teams are in the NL Central, and the Cardinals are currently in
Marlon Humphrey Jersey second place.They have a 55-48 record in the 103 games that they have played in so far this season, and they are only 2.0 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers
Mark Andrews Jersey for first place.Quintana is a former All-Star, and gives them another reliable starting pitcher.He is currently 3-5 in 20 starts on the season with a solid 3.50 ERA.The division race between the Cardinals and Brewers more than likely comes down to the final month of the regular season.As for the Pirates, they are not
NFL Baltimore Ravens Jersey having a good season.They are in last place in the division.Right now, they are 41-62 in the 103 games that they have played in so far this season, which has them 16.0 games behind the Brewers
Brandon Williams Jersey for first place.it is more than likely that they will not be in the 2022 MLB Playoffs, so trading away a good (but not great) 33-year-old starting pitcher makes a lot of sense as they continue to rebuild the roster.
TAMPA, Fla. Just a few days ago, Luis Severino was joking around with the rest of the Yankees' pitching staff during fielding practice. When a ball went under Masahiro Tanaka's glove during a comebacker drill, Severino belted out
Delanie Walker Jersey "GOAL!" while beaming and jumping with his teammates.Friday morning, while standing at his locker in the Yankees' clubhouse, Severino was dejected and soft-spoken. The right forearm sorene s that forced him to shut down his Spring Training throwing program was feeling better, but he had no idea when he'll be able to take the mound again."I just want to play baseball. I just want to pitch," Severino explained. "Ive been doing everything that they wanted me to do in the offseason to come here healthy. I was doing good, feeling health until yesterday.Severino confirmed the .
Rodger Saffold Jersey The right-hander was watching TV at home and all of a sudden felt discomfort in his right forearm sorene s that he's been experiencing on and off since last October.When asked if the irritation in his throwing arm resembles what Severino felt as he was preparing for a Game 7 start in the American League Championship Series, he despondently revealed, "it's around the same."After an injury-plagued campaign in 2019, this certainly isn't the way Severino wanted to start out his 2020 season.Severino had made two consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2017-2018, earning AL Cy Young Award votes for his performance in both years. Last season, however, Severino made just three starts because of an injury in his right shoulder. He spent virtually the entire season on the 60-day injured list, sidelined until his debut in mid-September."Its definitely frustrating to hear this stuff happening again," Severino said about the prospect
Curley Culp Jersey of mi sing time for a second season in a row. "Were dealing with it, seeing what we can do to keep me healthy."Scroll to ContinueThe 26-year-old was perplexed by what he was feeling. Both Boone and general manager Brian Cashman were unsure about a diagnosis as well Severino will visit with the Yankees' team doctor at some point on Friday afternoon but the right-hander is confused about what he's dealing with and why it's happening."It is so weird, thats why I dont get it," he said. "If it was something major, when I throw my fastball and my slider I would feel it, but its only on one pitch."He confirmed, as was revealed on Thursday, that the sorene s only appears when he throws his changeup. Severino recalled working on
Amani Hooker Jersey his fastball and slider over the past few weeks and experiencing no such discomfort until adding his changeup back into the mix."My elbow, shoulder, and my whole arm feels pretty good," Severino explained, pinpointing the source of the discomfort in a "weird spot" that he's never felt pain before in his career. "Like I said, I've been throwing really hard, I feel like my fastball is running pretty good. So, I'm not worried about other spots than that one."With le s than five weeks to go before Opening Day and the Yankees' first exhibition game of the
Jonnu Smith Jersey spring scheduled for Saturday Severino is cautiously optimistic that he can get back to throwing soon."I hope this is nothing I hope this goes away tomorrow so I can throw a bullpen, sim game and then start pitching here in spring training. I hope its nothing."
TAMPA The wait is over, Yankees fans. Baseball games are back.It's been busy at Yankees camp since pitchers and catchers reported earlier this month. The day spring training exhibition games officially begin, however, is always special. It's that final step separating the long and cold winter from Opening Day in April.In honor of New York's first Grapefruit League contest of 2021an afternoon matchup between the Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays on Sundayhere are five observations I've made from the last week of full-squad workouts at camp.Close to a clean bill of healthIf I told you last November that only player would be hurt heading into spring training exhibition games, you'd sign up for that,
Richard Sherman Jersey right? Top pitching prospect Clarke Schmidt is shut down at the moment with a , but even that is expected to keep him sidelined for no more than three-to-four weeks.Asked on Saturday if there were any other injuries for this club heading into Sunday's opener, manager Aaron Boone thought for a moment before uttering two words that are music to the ears of Yankees fans: "we're good."Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are healthy, gearing up to play in a full season together. Aaron Hicks is . Gio Urshela is after offseason elbow surgery and he'll be ready by the time games really begin to count.There's even good news on Luis Severino as the in a little over a week.It's almost too good to be true! This time last year, the injury woes had already begun acro s this roster in what was shaping up to be yet another injury-plagued campaign. Sure, there will inevitably be some setbacks along the roadit's impo sible for a team to make it through a full 162-game campaign without injuriesbut heading into Grapefruit League play with practically a clean bill of health could be a good sign of what's to come.Looking locked and loadedSurely this is the case acro s Major League Baseball, considering these men play this game for a living, but I'm constantly impre sed during these workouts at just how locked in some of these players are.I've watched a lot of live batting practice over these last several days (sim games, whatever you want to call it) and as much as pitchers are supposed to be in a better place at this point in the year, these hitters are doing more
Cortez Kennedy Jersey than just hold their own.There's DJ LeMahieu taking line drives to the right-center field gap seemingly every time he steps up to the plate. Luke Voit mashed an absolute mi sile of a home run off Corey Kluber. Urshela has been spraying base hits acro s the outfield gra s. Judge and Stanton have been working the count, getting their timing back at the plate. When all of these guys make contact, it's simply extraordinary.On the mound, Gerrit Cole has powered fastballs by hitters, snapping sharp breaking balls to make them look silly. Chad Green struck out three of the four batters he faced in one inning of work the other day. Michael King and Nick Nelson keep turning heads, showing the improvements they made in the offseason by hitting their spots and getting their work in.We haven't even flipped our calendars to March yet and it seems like those in pinstripes are ready for the season to begin. Don't get me wrong, there's still work to be doneworkouts are very different than performing at game speedbut there's a buzz at the ballpark that makes you feel like something special is building. Not to mention the fact that almost every single day, a player comments about aspiring to win a championship this season. These players know exactly what's at stake.Getting extra repsAs the infielders strolled away from Fields 3 and 4 on Friday, heading back to the clubhouse to get ready for batting practice, non-roster invitee Derek Dietrich stayed put.He proceeded to take ground balls for several minutes by himself, following through with his throws from the hot corner before quickly retreating back onto the dirt at third base to go again.Dietrich is one of those players that could win a
Nazair Jones Jersey spot this spring and while he's been joking around with teammates during drills and BP, the veteran has also taken the time to get extra reps in.Scroll to ContinueIt's not just Dietrich. It's Miguel Andjar shagging during batting practice, trying to improve in the outfield. It's Jay Bruce jogging out to first base, logging more reps to show he's capable of filling in if he
Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey earns a big-league roster spot. It's the countle s rounds of BP off the high velocity machine after practice is over, a slew of Bombers making tweaks to get better for the following day.This is what spring training is for. You'd like to think everyone on your favorite team is taking the time to get better at camp with the regular season on the horizon. It's just refreshing from our vantage point to see everyone working hard, getting set for what could (and should) be a deep run into the postseason later this fall.One guy that caught my eyeSpeaking of standing out by going the extra mile, I just want to take a moment to single out Tyler Wade.Say what you will about his game, his numbers and his potential, but you can't quantify what he's been bringing to these full-squad workouts. I've seen Wade leading the way during sprints, standing alone in the outfield to track down some extra fly balls during batting practice and squeezing in some rounds of batting practice off the high velocity machine while surrounded by the Yankees' biggest power hitters.All the while, as he's been bouncing around the entire facility, he's had a smile on his face.At this point in the spring, as I try to map out who will be on the Yankees' bench when the regular season begins, I can't envision a scenario where Wade doesn't make the team.I know he hit .170 last year, but Boone used Wade in 52 of last season's 60 games. Only two other players appeared in more contests. That's because Wade can play virtually every position in the field (plus, he's a lefty bat with speed on the bases) and unle s the Yankees decide to bring up Thairo Estrada, no one else is capable of backing up Gleyber Torres at shortstop.Best gue s for who gets the final rotation spotWe got to camp knowing the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation was wide open. Severino won't be back until this summer, Kluber and Jameson Taillon slot in for Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton after Cole while left-hander Jordan Montgomery looks to continue to develop.Now that games are starting, we have more of a sense as to who is in the running for the No. 5 spot.Before I give my pick, I'll preface this by saying I don't think New York will start the year with a traditional five-man rotation. What I mean by that is don't be surprised if the order changes every week depending on off days early on or a sixth and seventh arm is worked in to eat up innings and show what they can do. That's something
Jaron Brown Jersey Boone alluded to the other day as he forecasts the month of April for his pitching staff.That being said, I'd put my money
The Mets showed signs of life to get out of San Francisco by avoiding a sweep on Wednesday.After Jeurys Familia blew a save in the bottom of the 11th, Kevin Pillar delivered the big hit the Mets had been so desperate for against his former team, with a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the 12th to put them ahead.With a fast turnaround on Wednesday afternoon in their series finale with the Giants, the Mets came back in the ninth inning to tie it, before taking the lead twice in extras to ultimately steal a 6-2 victory to avoid the sweep and snap their five-game losing streak.The Mets are now back to .500 at 60-60 on the season, and barring the outcome of the Braves and Phillies' games tonight, the Amazins' could find themselves3.5 games back in the NL East.With the Mets' offense looking lifele s for much of the contest, their bats woke up in the top of the ninth to tie the game against Giants closer Jake McGee on J.D. Davis' sacrifice-fly.The Mets wasted a strong performance from Tylor Megill, who
New York Giants Jersey to sed six innings of one-run baseball, while striking out six. However, the bats came up big when trailing 1-0 and down to their final three outs.Although the Mets tied it up at 1-1, they couldn't take the lead in the ninth.
Julian Love Jersey This saw closer Edwin Diaz handle the bottom half, where he to sed a quick seven-pitch, 1-2-3 inning.As a result, the Mets found themselves playing in extra innings for the third time in the last six games.In the top of the 10th with the go-ahead run on second to start the inning, Jonathan Villar got thrown out at third on Patrick Mazeika's sac-bunt attempt. This brought Kevin Pillar to the plate, who cranked a shot to the left field wall, but was robbed by LaMonte Wade on a leaping catch.After Brandon Nimmo singled to keep the inning alive, Jeff McNeil grounded out to send the game to the bottom of the 10th.This allowed Diaz, whose spot in the order was looming on deck, to stay on for the bottom half instead of being subbed out for a pinch-hitter. And albeit the Giants moving the go-ahead run to third with one-out on a fly ball, before Diaz hit Austin Slater with a pitch, the right-hander got out of a jam with a pop out and fly out to send the game to the 11th.In the following inning, Travis Blankenhorn moved the go-ahead run over to third, and that's when Michael Conforto smoked a clutch double off Tyler Chatwood to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.This set things up for Familia in the bottom of the 11th, who came in to try to secure the win with a one-run lead. But the right-hander gave up the lead to the first batter, as Tommy La Stella tied the game at 2-2 on an RBI single. Luckily, he was able to strand the go-ahead run in scoring position, which saw the game go to 12 innings.In the top of the 12th, Villar slashed what initially looked like the go-ahead hit, but the call was ultimately reversed, as it was ruled foul upon review. After Mazeika reached on an infield single, Pillar got all of one, smashing a three-run homer off Chatwood to put the Mets back up 5-2.But the Mets weren't finished there, as Jeff McNeil laced a two-out double, and newcomer Chance Sisco launched an RBI double on the first pitch he saw as a Met to extend the lead to 6-2. This proved to be one of the Mets' biggest offensive innings of the season.Jake Reed then came on to once again try to secure the win for the Mets with a four-run lead. And Reed
Antoine Bethea Jersey got the job done by setting the Giants down 1-2-3.Scroll to Continue"Much-needed hit at a big time and the boys are excited," said Pillar, who played hero in the Mets' series finale victory. "I think we have a little momentum and got the monkey off of our back a little bit.""We haven't been playing our best baseball and we needed a win," said Pillar. "We were in games and we had opportunities to
Kyle Lauletta Jersey win and we couldn't finish. To see the scoreboard at the end of the game and it says 'The Mets win,' it feels good."Manager Luis Rojas was also glad to see Pillar come through in the clutch."It was huge, huh? We know he is a clutch player, veteran hitter that will find a pitch and he did it in this at-bat," said Rojas. "KP is a guy that can be clutch for us.""We want to keep this offense going. This is something that we have got to keep doing. Every win can get you going. You go back and win tomorrow and then the confidence level is higher."On a day that saw the Amazins' woke up late with all six of their runs coming in the ninth inning or later.The Mets were able to avoid back-to-back sweeps with one of their biggest wins of the year."I think I made it clear that we heard the me sage," said Rojas of Cohen's tweet. "I'm not saying this is an immediate response, but we are working to turn it around."Pillar also seemed to agree with Rojas that the team understood where Cohen was coming from."Hes a pa sionate owner, he wants to see the best from us, he expects more out of us, I think we all expect a lot out of each other," Pillar said. "I think we came out with the right attitude today."In what started off as another unproductive game for the offense, the Mets seemingly caught a break when Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani exited the game after just 1.1 innings due to an ankle injury. However, San Francisco's bullpen held them in check, following DeSclafani's exit, and the Mets did not pickup their second hit until the top of the sixth.The Giants' bullpen retired 15 of the first 17 batters they faced until Villar reached on an infield single in the top of the seventh.As for
Deandre Baker Jersey the Mets, Megill's lone blip came in the top of the third, when the Giants ripped off three straight hits, which ended with anRBI double from LaMonte Wade, to give San Francisco a 1-0 lead.Miguel Castro and Trevor May combined to to s two scorele s innings in relief, which gave the Mets a chance in the top of the ninth with their heart of the order up.After getting the tying run on first base via a hit by pitch, Michael Conforto produced a single that sent Pete Alonso to third base with nobody out. And that's when Davis' sac-fly tied the game at 1-1.
NEW YORK Aroldis Chapman isn't ready to return from the injured list and his left Achilles tendinitis on Monday, but he will be in the next couple of days.The left-hander will make one more rehab a signment
NFL Philadelphia Eagles Jersey appearance,pitching for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Tuesday, per manager Aaron Boone.After that, a suming all goes well, he'll rejoin the Yankees in the bullpen for the conclusion of their series against the Athletics on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.Chapman has already pitched twice on his rehab a signment, throwing two scorele s innings with the Double-A Somerset Patriots last week."He threw eight pitches his first outing and then 11 yesterday," Boone said Monday afternoon. "He was good. I talked to him a little bit and he
Herman Edwards Jersey feels good, feels fine. We feel like it's best to get one more."Chapman endured an awful stretch before he was placed on the injured list on May 24. The southpaw allowed at least one run in five consecutive outings for the first time in his career, posting a 14.73 ERA in that span (six earned runs in a total of 3.2 frames).Scroll to ContinueIn his absence, right-hander Clay Holmes has distinguished
Clayton Thorson Jersey himself as New York's closer, blo soming into one of the best relievers in all of baseball. Holmes has given up just two earned runs all season long, saving 12 games this year (more than Chapman's nine).Boone has been asked repeatedly about how Chapman and Holmes will coexist in the back of his bullpen once the lefty returns. On Monday, he reiterated that as much
Seth Joyner Jersey as Holmes has "earned" the closer role, there will be times where he summons the right-hander earlier in a game, extinguishing a rally or facing the heart of an
Brian Westbrook Jersey opposing order in a non-save situation."The biggest thing is I want to get Chappy in a good place delivery-wise and throwing the ball like he's capable of," Boone added. "If we get that then we get another back-end monster to mix in. And then hopefully Jonathan Loisiga working his way back a couple of weeks after that. Excited about the pieces that we're going to be getting back here soon."MORE:
To say the least, it's a critical off-season for the Dodgers. At least one long-time staple in the
Pierre Pilote Jersey Los Angeles is already gone. And the lockout has prevented two Dodgers veterans from agreeing to new contracts. Could Gavin Lux become a thing of the past in Los Angeles this winter?According to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, Lux is the most likely Dodger to be dealt prior to Opening Day. According to Ardaya, Lux simply lacks a position, especially with this roster. The question is not about Gavin Luxs talent, but more so about fit. The departure of Corey Seager appeared to open up second
Alex DeBrincat Jersey base for Lux once again, and maybe it still has. But the Dodgers re-signing Chris Taylor complicates things. While Taylor wont nece sarily be the everyday second basemanhe still will get a majority of
Denis Savard Jersey those at-bats that otherwise would go to Lux.In 2021, the Dodgers deployed Lux in right field and third base, as Ardaya notes in his piece. In centerfield, the Wisconsin native showed glimpses of potential, but he still has a lot of work
CM Punk Jersey to do.Scroll to ContinueIn 2021, Lux had a .692 OPS in 381 plate appearances at the plate. He has the potential to be another game-changing bat. Perhaps even an All-Star. It hasn't quite happened yet.Ardaya closes by suggesting that selling Lux may end up providing the city of Los Angeles with the best return on investment.The Dodgers could look to continue expanding Luxs defensive profile or po sibly see what value there is for the former top prospect
NHL Chicago Blackhawks Jersey to try to addre s other parts of the roster.With the end of the lock-out (hopefully) coming to an end within the next two months, they could look to move their once top prospect.
People buy insurance for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to have protection in case something
Joc Pederson Jersey goes wrong.Having insurance in Major League Baseball when it comes to a team's rotation is very different, yet the overall theme is the same. Is there a player (or two) on the roster who can step in at a moments notice and pitch well? The Cleveland Indians have an insurance policy on their pitching staff, that being Tuesday night's starter Adam Plutko.As he's done in the past, Plutko came out of the bullpen and took the ball to start the game, and he delivered.The veteran went six innings, allowing two runs (both on solo homers) on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. The fact that he got through six (innings) was huge, he gave up two solo homers but that was it, he pitched really well, Indians manager Tito Francona said after the game.Plutko would love to be a regular every five day
Walker Buehler Jersey starter, but the role that he provides for the Indians is something that most teams don't have. The role that he plays is long man in the pen, or spot starter on the mound. Both are important, and it's a role that some players would not embrace.Don't tell Plutko that. Thats my role. Thats my role on this team, Plutko said. Scroll to ContinueIm not in the starting rotation, but thats been
Ross Stripling Jersey my role ever since Ive been here. Ive shown up the night before from the minor leagues and pitched and done that. "Ive been sitting, watching a game, got a tap on my shoulder, Spike up, you might be in this game. Thats not a role for everybody, but its my role and I really relish it and I really love that it is my role.Last season Plutko started 20 games for the Indians, and in those starts he went 7-5 with a 4.86 ERA.He's never going to get the credit that others in the rotation like Mike Clevinger or Shane Bieber get, but his teammates know how vital he is, and Plutko said that he is happy to see the team's fellow starters do well.Theyve looked like theyre locked in and absolutely they are, Plutko said Tuesday after the win.I think everybodys gone over six. Nobodys given up more than two. Were gonna win a lot of baseball games if we do that. You see it tonight, our starting pitching is physically ahead and sharpne s is ahead of everybody else and thats going to be a difference-maker for us. "If we can hand the ball off in the seventh inning to the bullpen, I feel like we make their job a lot easier, especially if we have a
Maury Wills Jersey lead. The gameplan is simple: Starting pitching goes deep, bullpen picks them up and we score a couple runs in between and we play solid defense. "Thats the Indians way and I love being a part of it. For now Plutko is back in his role in the pen, but like always he's one pitch away from being right back in the rotation. "We've seen Adam grow up right in front of our eyes, to the point where he was taking a pretty big role, and was in the conversation with the Players A sociation and was so good," Francona said. "It's fun to watch guys
Kenta Maeda Jersey grow up and start to have succe s and understand that even when they don't exactly get what they want, it is what you make it and he's a good example of that."
