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If the Indians are going to compete in 2020, the team is going to have to get a very good effort from their starting rotation.Keeping healthy is one of the major keys of the starting five, but also being consistent and throwing well right out of the gate is another Anquan Boldin Jersey huge key for this club.With an outfield with plenty of question marks but full of talent, an Max Garcia Jersey infield that should be solid, and then a starting rotation that can be very good if they throw to their potential, the Indians feel they are ready to compete and be in the thick of things in the AL Central. in terms of starting rotations around the Majors, and the Indians are very high on their list, coming in at number four. The site has the Indians going with the following to start the year in the rotation: Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco, Adam Plutko and Zach Plesac.Aaron Civale isnt mentioned as a starter, but hes thrown well in summer camp and J J Watt T Shirts it wouldnt be a shock if he earns his way into the rotation while Plutko is in the bullpen as the long man.Scroll to ContinueIt would be nice to have a lefty in the starting five for the Indians, but its still a very strong rotation with Bieber and Clevinger as the two staples at the top.Heres what MLB.com had to say about the Tribe rotation:According to MLB.com the top rotation in all of Justin Pugh Jersey baseball heading into the season are the defending World Champion Washington Nationals.Second on the list are the Tampa Bay Rays, followed by the Cincinnati Reds in the third spot, with the Tribe coming in fourth on the list. If there is more good news on the list its that none of the Arizona Cardinals Jersey other AL Central teams made it in the top 10 or even in the Honorable Mention section.

The Toronto Chapter of the Baseball Writers' A sociation of America (BBWAA) released its year-end Blue Jays awards Thursday.In a fractured vote, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. narrowly won the 'Position Player of the Year' award. Starting pitcher Alek Manoah unanimously won the 'Pitcher of the Year' hardware, and Ro s Stripling won the 'Most Improved Player' award.Additionally, Mark Budzinski and Buck Martinez were named winners of the John Cerutti Award fordisplaying goodwill, cooperation, and character.The player voting was a little more challenging this season. Manoah was a lock for top pitcher, but Tim Patrick Jersey other awards weren't so easy to decide on. For transparency's sakeand for a little bit of funMitch and Ethan will reveal and defend their picks for the top position player, as that vote was the least decisive.1) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.2) Bo Bichette3) George SpringerAfter careful examination, my vote for top spot came down to Bichette or Guerrero. While Springer posted a 131 OPS+ and led Jays position players with a 4.0 bWAR, I felt like his 29 games out of the lineup and his 40 appearances at designated hitter reduced his value to the club just a smidge. It was a solid season for Springer, but Bo and Vladdy were more valuable.So, why Guerrero? After a near MVP season in 2021, some might Terrell Davis Jersey deem his 2022 performance to have been a little below expectations. Personally, I thought Guerrero had a fine year. He was an All-Star again and won his first Gold Glove at first base. Sure, the walks and OBP took a big hithe also led all of baseball in GIDPs (yikes)but he was still the most valuable hitter, in my opinion, over the course of the season.At the end of the day, Vladdy was the guy you wanted at the dish with men on base. His Gold Glove defense at first base also pushed me over the edge when I had a hard time deciding between him or Bichette.Scroll to ContinueSpeaking of Bo, why not pick the guy who batted .406 with a 1.105 OPS in September, nearly singlehandedly a suring Toronto would win the top wild-card spot? Well, Bichette's .293 OBP through the first two months of the season held me back a little. His numbers evened out near the end of the seasonhe led the AL in hits for the second straight yearbut the slow start hampered the Blue Jays' succe s.Defensively, I saw Bichette get much better, even if the metrics don't love him at shortstop. I'm not entirely sold on his future at shortstop, but I'm not ready to pull the plug and move him to the keystone either.It was a tough vote, but Vlad was my guy for Position Player of the Year.1)Bo Bichette2)George Springer3) Alejandro KirkThis vote was rightfully close, and there's a reason five different players got first-place votes. For me, I seriously considered a group of four players deserving Lyle Alzado Jersey of Torontos top position play this yearBichette, Springer,Guerrero Jr., and Kirk.With most value metrics pretty close among the four, what pushed Bichette to the top were two things: his position and his moments. Defensive metrics still aren't convinced by Torontos shortstop, but he plays one of the hardest positions on the field and is among the best offensively. Add in that he was then a comparable hitter to Springer, Kirk, and Guerrero this season (by wRC+) and I defer to the shortstop. Among all shortstops, Bichette ranked fourth in OPS and was one of just four who had an OPS over .800 this year. For first basemen, Guerrero ranked sixth, with nine MLB 1B Craig Morton Jersey posting OPS over .800. Bichettes offensive production this year came from a position where its rare to find.As for the moments, it seemed Torontos succe s this season was almost directly tied to Bichettes, at least in the second half. The shortstops best month (September) was also the Blue Jays best, finishing the season 22-11. When Toronto entered a contentious Wild Card battle with the Orioles for a moment there late in the season, Bichette raised his game. When Kirk, Chapman, and Guerrero were all average or below hitters in the final month of the season, Bichette posted one of the best months in franchise history. Narratives and hot Adrian Killins Jr. Jersey streaks dont drive award voting (or at least shouldnt), but Bichettes final month of the season sealed his spot atop my ballot.As for having Guerrero off my top three entirely, it came down to a similar case for positional value. Playing 160 games, and leading Toronto in GP, is no small feat. But on a per-game basis, Springer, Kirk, and Bichette were simply more valuable this season, and all three play premium defensive positions. I dont live and die by numbers like WAR, but Guerrero Jr. ranked fifth among Toronto hitters in fWAR this year and third in bWAR. Again, the tier of four at the top was extremely close this year, with Guerrero narrowly my odd man out.

NEW YORK When Joey Gallo was traded to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline, the outfielder could barely contain his excitement, starting off what he called a opportunity.As much as Gallo has slugged his way to some over his first month and change in pinstripes, his first impre sion with a new fan baseone he grew up a part ofhasn't gone according to plan.After going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Monday night, Gallo's batting average with the Yankees plummeted to .130. Over his first 35 games since the trade, Gallo has just 16 Kyle Fuller Jersey hits in 123 at-bats. Out of his 151 plate appearances in that span, the outfielder has struck out 61 times.Given the night off on Tuesday, Gallo took a few minutes to speak with reporters during pregame warmups, addre sing his struggles head on."Obviously you want to play well, especially if you're on a new team," Gallo explained. "But at the same time, it Mike Purcell Jersey 's not the first time. It's baseball. You're gonna struggle sometimes."Gallo can crush prodigious home runs and whack baseballs with the same elite exit velocities as his new teammates Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He's also a player with a propensity to strikeout quite a bit, though. Even he'll admit that it's a huge part of his game, something that's not nece sarily going to go away."It's not a surprise, I'm a high strikeout guy," he said. "It's not like I hit .300. I'm a walk guy and hit home runs. I want to be better, but that's kind of just the player I am. So, I've gone through streaks before. It's just about showing up every day, keep working and swing at strikes and eventually Drew Lock Jersey like that will click."READ: Scroll to ContinueWith the numbers he's been producing since he was acquired, Gallo is getting more and more familiar with the boo birds in the Bronx. He heard quite a few boos en route to Monday's golden sombrero.While the outfielder joked that he thought fans were saying as he'll sometimes hit before first baseman Luke Voit in the lineuphe understood a critical fan base is part of playing at Yankee Stadium." Quinn Meinerz Jersey It is what it is," Gallo said. "Playing in New York, you understand that's gonna be part of it and they want a winning product so it's just part of the busine s. We're profe sional baseball players, so you got to go out there and do your job and do it to the best."So, how does he start to turn things around? Gallo spent Tuesday afternoon taking some swings off the high-velocity machine with his teammates. The 27-year-old added that he andthe team's hitting coaches (Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere) watched film from Gallo's career in Texas as well, trying to pinpoint parts of his approach and rhythm that led to succe s in a Rangers uniform.Other than that, it's staying locked in and keeping the right mindset. After all, the Yankees are in the midst of Denver Broncos Pet Gear a brutal part of their schedule, battling through the final month of the year to secure a postseason spot."I think a day off is good every once in a while, especially the stretch that we've had," Gallo said. "I've worked hard to get back to where I know I can be and help the team win, so it's frustrating not winning games, but that's part of baseball. I just gotta keep working through it, show up every day and figure it out."MORE:

NEW YORK The Tampa Bay Rays are just 3- Danny Trevathan Jersey 7 against the New York Yankees so far this season, but the Bronx Bomber they'll see starting Monday night don't appear to be the same team they saw 10 times in the first half of the season.On pace for a record-breaking year earlier this summer, the Yankees were 61-23 on July 8, a whopping 38 games over .500. But they've hit the skids lately, and hit them hard. They are just 3-10 in the past two weeks are head into Monday night's opener with the Rays with a 72-43 record.Saving the math, they are 11-20 in Arlington Hambright Jersey the past five weeks.Scroll to ContinueThe Rays are 60-53 and 11 games behind the Yankees. The two teams will play three night games Monday through Wednesday. Gerrit Cole (9-4, 3.38 ERA) is starting for the Yankees Dakota Dozier Jersey on Monday night. The Rays are using Jalen Beeks (2-1, 2.35 ERA) as the ''opener,'' with Ryan Yarbrough expected to pitch bulk innings behind him.Here's how to watch Monday's game:How to watch Rays at YankeesWho: Tampa Bay Rays (60-53) at New York Yankees (72-43)When: 7:05 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 15Where: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.TV: Bally Sports SunStream: Fubo.tv Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (reporter).Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, SiriusXM Channel 177 (Yankees broadcast)Latest line: The Yankees are favored at minus-255 on the money line in according to the website line as of Wednesday morning. The Rays are plus-210. They haven't been this big of an underdog Alex Taylor Jersey all season. The over/under is 7.5.Starting lineupsTAMPA BAY RAYS:Yandy Diaz 3B, Brandon Lowe 2B, Randy Arozarena RF, David Peralta LF, Isaac Paredes 3B, Ji-Man Choi 1B, Taylor Walls SS, Jose Siri CF, Francisco Mejia C, Jalen Beeks P.NEW YORK YANKEES: Gleyber Torres 2B, Aaron Judge RF, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Josh Donaldson 3B, Miguel Andujar DH, Andrew Benintendi LF Chicago Bears Men Jersey , Jose Trevino C, Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS, Aaron Hicks CF, Gerrit Cole P

Emotions are high during hotly contested September baseball games, and in between the Blue Chicago Bears Men Jersey Jays and Rays, things boiled over.Blue Jays lefty Ryan Borucki was ejected in the eighth inning after drilling Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier in the back with a fastball, prompting benches to clear.Both Kiermaier and Rays manager Kevin Cash said they felt Borucki's actions were intentional. Kiermaier called the hit-by-pitch a "weak move," , while Borucki claimed it was an accident. "I mi sed arm-side," Borucki said. "I mi s arm- Alec Ogletree Jersey side a lot; I pitch inside all the time."Scroll to ContinueThis fiasco comes after Monday's events, where Kiermaier picked up a scouting card that fell off the wristband of Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk and Rodney Adams Jersey handed it to a Tampa Bay coach.After Tuesday's game, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo called the incident "agua under the bridge," and appeared to squash the beef. Yet tempers flared on Wednesday, resulting in the ejection of Borucki and Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker, who got the hook after arguing with umpire Joe West."What tells you about everything was Pete's reaction," Montoyo said. "Because we didn't want to use another pitcher. That's why Pete was so upset."The season series between these two teams is Jaylon Johnson Jersey over, though it's po sible Toronto and Tampa meet again in the ALDS. Should the Blue Jays get that far, expect some extra fire from their opponents. "I hope we play those guys, I really do." Kiermaier said, according to S Justin Fields T Shirts . "The motivation is there, that's all that needs to be said."

While the Indians 2018 MLB Winter Meetings focus seems to be on them looking to move one of their starters, there's also a tidbit that is of interest about a homecoming with a player who left them not all that long ago. That player is first basemen Ian Kinsler Jersey /DH Carlos Santana, who inked a mega three-year deal last offseason worth $60 million last offseason with the Phillies. He's already been dealt once this offseason the Seattle Mariners, and now the Indians are one of three teams in the mix to po sibly make a deal Tommy La Stella Jersey to get Santana back. The report says that the Indians along with the Tampa Bay Rays have spoken to the Mariners about Santana, who in his only season in Philadelphia hit .229 with 24 homers, 86 RBI and 110 walks with 93 strikeouts. Scroll to Continue Santana has two Andrelton Simmons Jersey years worth $40 mil left on his deal, but one would think the only way the Indians would in fact take on such a hefty contract is by not only trading either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer (which appears more and more likely at some point), but also po sibly moving Edwin Encarnacion. The Rays reportedly have asked about Encarnacion, and the Indians moving him to Tampa would give the team the flexibility to not only pay for Santana's contract, but also have a spot for him as well as Yonder Alonso (if he doesn't get dealt) at first base as well as DH. According to Brock's report, the other team that has asked about Santana are the Yunel Escobar Jersey Colorado Rockies. Santana spent eight seasons with the Indians, hitting .249 in his career with 149 homers and 547 runs batted in. He also 726 walks in those eight seasons, leading the American League in that category in 2014 Zack Cozart Jersey with 113 walks. In his final season with the Tribe, Santana hit .259 with 23 homers and 79 runs batted in with 88 walks and 94 strikeouts.

DETROIT - The Indians final five games of the regular season will see a Mookie Wilson Jersey very different rotation than the one that pitched them to an American League Central Division Title, and it's not by choice. Injuries have crushed the pitching staff over the last few weeks, with ace Corey Kluber becoming the latest victim with a strained quad muscle that will sit him till his first start of the postseason. Today in Detroit, manager Terry Francona announced the rotation for Juan Lagares Jersey the rest of the regular season, the final game in Detroit Thursday afternoon, and the final three games in Kansas City. The team already mind you is throwing out Zach McAllister in the scheduled game tonight. McAllister has just one Jose Reyes Jersey other start this season, and that was an unplanned start the day after the team went 19 innings with the Blue Jays in Toronto on July 1st Jacob DeGrom Jersey .Scroll to Continue The final five starters will be McAllister, Ryan Merritt against the Tigers on Thursday afternoon, Adam Plutko on Friday against the Royals, Trevor Bauer on Saturday, and Josh Tomlin on Sunday. Bauer and Tomlin have a combined 55 starts for the Indians this season, the threesome of McAllister, Merritt and Plutko have a combined one start in Jeurys Familia Jersey 2016. The Indians enter Wednesday's game at 91-66, the AL East leading Red Sox are 92-65, and the Rangers, champions of the AL West are 93-65.

Texas Rangers catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver is undergoing season-ending surgery Monday to repair an injured right forearm flexor muscle. Garver said . He was asked about his season coming to a close after . Yes, that is true, Garver said, . Garver has been limited to only hitting Tom Glavine Jersey since the forearm injury sidelined him for 10 games from May 9-19. Garver has been unable to throw, which meant he couldnt catch, so DH Babe Ruth Jersey was the only way manager Chris Woodward could get his bat in the lineup.Scroll to ContinueGarver hit eighth in the homestand-opening win over the Twins, and went 0-2 with a run, walk and RBI. He went into hitting .210/.296/.414 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI.Its unfortunate, Woodward said. Were gonna Dale Murphy Jersey mi s him, but its for his sake. He may not tell you guys how much its bothered him, but I guarantee it has far more than hes letting on. Theres been a lot of back-and-forth, but for him to do the surgery tells me its bothering him. I think he wants to play, he wants to help our Tyler Flowers Jersey team and wants to be in there, but he feels like it's a detriment to himself and to our team. I still think 50% Mitch Garver is probably better than most. I'm gonna mi s him in the lineup. If he feels like that's best, I'm gonna fully support it.With a recovery time of 6-8 months, Garver needed the surgery to be ready for Spring Training in 2023.Garver was a key acquisition this past season, as the Rangers hoped to boost their offensive production at catcher. Texas traded infielder to for Garver, who was expected to R.A. Dickey Jersey share catching duties with Jonah Heim.

Edmundo, Sammy, what's the difference? The Philadelphia Phillies' Sosa posted his second consecutive game with six or more total bases in the team's win over Miami on Wednesday.The Phillies shortstop was electric on both sides of the ball, making a difference on defense and well as Allen Robinson Jersey difference on offense.Despite lacking production from several of their sluggers the past several days, the Phillies have scraped by on pitching and defense, and perhaps no surprise has been more welcome the past month than Bailey Falter.In his past four starts coming into Wednesday night's contest, Falter had pitched six or more innings in each for an ERA of 2.59. Continuing that run of efficiency, Falter might have begun to pitch himself into the Phillies' 2023 Prince Amukamara Jersey rotation.Though shorter, his start against the Miami Marlins was undoubtedly impre sive. Through 5.1 innings, Falter allowed two runs, striking out three and walking none.After he allowed two Marlins singles to lead off the ballgame, one of which Falter allowed to score on a groundout, the Phillies' starter was largely dominant.The only other trouble Falter faced was a series of three fifth inning singles that gave the Marlins a second run before he was lifted in the fifth at only 74 pitches. It seemed like Falter was capable of going six innings again on Wednesday night, but interim manager Rob Akiem Hicks Jersey Thomson was more concerned with preserving his arm rather than getting his starter deeper into the game.The Phillies though had spotted Falter a lead, albeit a paltry one. Sosa blasted his second homer in back-to-back nights in the second inning, and Jean Segura followed him with a long pop fly that carried out of the yard in the fourth.Scroll to ContinueThroughout the middle innings, Phillies relievers made it look like June and July again, allowing just one hit and no further baserunners in 2.2 innings of work between Andrew Bellatti andJos Alvarado.In natural fashion, Bellatti was aided by defense in the seventh, as Sosa and J.T. Realmuto teamed up for a Cirque de Soleil act to erase the one hit allowed in that frame.In the bottom half of the inning, Sosa added on again with his bat. This time with one of the most weakly hit doubles you'll ever witne s. As the ball was deflected by the pitcher and then again by the second baseman, Sosa made it all the way Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey second base by the time the ball returned to the infield, trading places with Matt Vierling for the decided insurance run.With both SeranthonyDomnguez and David Robertson unavailable, Thomson offered the closer job to Connor Brogdon. His first several pitches may have reminded Phillies fans of past Septembers, when he allowed a home run and then Mike Singletary Jersey a single to lead off the inning.Yet, Brgodon cleaned up his me s effectively, shutting Miami down 1-2-3 to end the ballgame and seal the Phillies four game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for a playoff spot.Thursday Philadelphia will send Kyle Gibson to the mound, opposed by National League Cy Young favorite Sandy Alcantara. The Phillies have bested Alcantara in all of his last three starts against them.More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

How is Chris Ba sitt able to keep the quality of his Evgeny Kuznetsov Jersey pitches high, even after throwing 114 of them?Well, he "works his butt off."On Monday, the Mets, riding high after taking four out of five from the rival Atlanta Braves, faced off against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field.Ba sitt toed the rubber for New York and yielded just one run (unearned) over eight innings of work. The Mets had to burn just one reliever in the game, Adam Ottavino, who continued his strong season and shut the door for the team's fourth consecutive victory.The formula to Ba sitt's succe s is simple, according to Buck Showalter. He has moxie."Just moxie, Showalter said after the 5-1 victory on Monday. "Hes such a competitive Andre Burakovsky Jersey guy. He doesnt let something nece sarily dictate how he feels. Hes got a good hand and a good feel. Thats something thats hard to quantify. Hes a guy who likes to compete and do whats expected of him."The 33-year-old has a 3.39 ERA in 21 starts this year, and has now thrown at least six innings in nine consecutive starts.Ba sitt's 114 pitches Dennis Maruk Jersey on Monday were a season high. The right-hander has become a reliable pitcher who can go deep into games for the Mets and rack up a high pitch count. In fact, he has the top five highest pitch counts by a Mets pitcher this year."I want to go 115-120 pitches every start, but Buck won't let me," Ba sitt joked on Monday.Scroll to ContinueEven with having the top five highest pitch counts this year, Showalter said it's not intentional."Its by the game, its not him personally Alex Ovechkin Jersey ," Showalter said. "The game seems to dictate that, and he can hold his stuff. A lot of factors on his side. I can give you about seven or eight that not everybody has in baseball."Its a good delivery, hes strong, hes in good shape. Theres a lot of factors there, but you watch NHL Washington Capitals Jersey a game and it usually tells you how a guy is doing as opposed to some number all the time."Ba sitt is a free agent after this season, and is making a strong case to stay in New York.In the mean time, having a durable arm who can wear down hitters to slot in behind Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom in the rotation is a nightmare for any opposition.- - -