TAMPA Eddie Robinson Jersey , Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees open the season with likely baseball’s most accomplished injured list.Luis Severino, CC Sabathia, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Jordan Montgomery and just-about-forgotten Jacoby Ellsbury all start on the sidelines.Still, the Yankees have among the most formidable lineups in the major leagues, a power plant that includes Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez.“We’ve taken hits. It’s not the way you would draw it up, but at the same time it’s part of the playing season where you’re going to be down for a period of time,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “So when you’re dealing with them, then there’s degree of hits and these are resolvable ones. These have expiration timing tags to them. For that, you’re thankful.”New York went 100-62 last season for its best record since 2009 http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , yet finished eight games back of the AL East champion Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series for the fourth time in 15 seasons. Last year’s Yankees set a major league record with 267 homers, three more than the 1997 Seattle Mariners. New York was the first team with a dozen players to reach double digits in long balls, and the first with 20 or more from all nine spots in the batting order.This year’s lineup figures to have another blast.“Get this whole team healthy, we’re going to crush the record that we set last year,” Judge said.New York didn’t pay luxury tax last year for the first time since the penalty on high-spending teams started in 2003, showing unusual restraint. The Yankees shot back up this year after adding Adam Ottavino and DJ LeMahieu, acquiring James Paxton and re-signing Sabathia, Zack Britton, Brett Gardner and J.A. Happ.Gardner and Sabathia are the remaining links to the Yankees’ last World Series title, in 2009.“It has flown by, but it’s been way too long,” Gardner said. “I know the front office and the ownership Mike Napoli Jersey , obviously, they go out of their way to try and put the best possible team on the field every year and it’s been a disappointing 10 years. And I know for our fans it’s been disappointing, too. But as one of the guys that’s been in this room the whole time, it’s been just as disappointing, if not more so, for me. And I’ve lost probably more sleep over it than just about anybody.”The Baby Bombers of Judge, Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar helped draw an AL-high 3,482,865 fans at home last year, an average of 42,998 per game. That was up from 3,146 http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey ,966 in 2017 and New York’s highest at home since the dwindling days of the Derek Jeter-Mariano Rivera era in 2012. There were 23 home sellouts, the most at new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.“The expectations are great. We welcome that,” second-year manager Aaron Boone said.The Yankees open the season March 28 at home against the OriolesNEW FACESNew York failed to sign Patrick Corbin, making Paxton the biggest acquisition to bolster a rotation that includes Sabathia (38) and Happ (36). Ottavino, the first No. 0 in Yankees’ history, joins an already standout bullpen led by Aroldis Chapman and Britton, who while not a new face has a new spelling — he switched from Zach. Troy Tulowitzki was signed for the minimum salary to play shortstop until Gregorius returns this summer from Tommy John surgery.ROOKIES TO WATCHLeft-hander Stephen Tarpley could be the only rookie on the opening day roster, filling an opening created when Betances got hurt. Touted 21-year-old outfielder Estevan Florial hit .355 in 13 spring training games before breaking his right wrist.WHAT’S UP, DOC?Severino (right shoulder inflammation) will miss April, Sabathia (knee surgery and heart stent) will likely miss the first few weeks and Hicks (back) and Betances (right shoulder inflammation) also are sidelined. Gregorius (elbow ligament replacement on Oct. 17), Ellsbury (left hip surgery on Aug. 6, right foot plantar fasciitis) and Montgomery (elbow ligament replacement on June 7) are longer-term rehabs.BOUNCING BACK?Sanchez hit .186 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs last year Yonder Alonso Jersey , led the major leagues with 18 passed balls and was behind the plate for 45 wild pitches, raising his two-year totals to 34 passed balls and 98 wild pitches. First baseman Greg Bird had surgery March 27 last year to remove a broken spur on the outside of his right ankle. He did not play for the Yankees until May 26 and wound up with a .199 batting average, 11 homers and 38 RBIs over 82 games. Tulowitzki missed last season with Toronto because of surgery on April 2 for bone spurs in his right and left heels, started spring training slowly but has started to show some life at the plate. Touted outfielder Clint Frazier sustained a concussion Feb. 24 last year making a leaping catch and was limited to 15 major league games and 54 in the minors. He was hitting below .200 in spring training. GOODYEAR, Arizona (AP) — Cleveland Indians reliever Tyler Clippard is expected to miss three to four weeks because of a mild pectoral strain.Clippard, who signed a minor league contract on Feb. 23 with an invitation to spring training, left an exhibition game early on March 9 against Colorado.He felt discomfort during the return to his throwing progression this week.The former All-Star would get $2.5 million if he makes the 40-man roster. The AL Central champion Indians start the regular season on March 28.The 34-year-old right-hander, who appeared in 73 games with Toronto last season, was trying to earn a place in a bullpen that lost closer Cody Allan and top reliever Andrew Miller in the offseason.Clippard was 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA last year with the Blue Jays.Clippard has a 52-46 record with a 3.16 ERA since he started with the New York Yankees in 2007. He has pitched for eight teams in his 12-year career.

Mike Elias is feeling positive http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-curtis-granderson-jersey , Jesus Sucre arrives in camp and more!"Morning, Birdland!This is not the first time that an Orioles player has had a break out spring. We all remember Jake Fox hitting 10 home run over 27 games back in 2011. Fox would be designated for assignment only a couple of months into the regular season.Now it’s Chance Sisco’s turn to steal the pre-season spotlight. Sisco is on pace to be even better than Fox. Through four games, Sisco is 5-for-8 with four home runs, nine RBI, two walks and just one strikeout. It’s an unsustainable pace, of course, but it’s an encouraging sign following such a disappointing 2018 season (.181/.288/.269).What makes it even more interesting is that the Orioles currently own the top pick in this summer’s draft. At this moment J.A. Happ Jersey , Oregon State backstop Adley Rutschman is slated to be the first person off the board. Could a breakout season from Sisco play a factor in whether they select Rutschman?It shouldn’t. The Orioles farm system needs as much talent as it can get. If they think Rutschman is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, he should be the pick. Having too many good players is never a problem.LinksJes煤s Sucre on the way to O’s; first round of cuts will be coming soon - Baltimore SunThe Orioles catching situation remains up in the air despite Chance Sisco’s recent breakout. Jesus Sucre has missed all of spring training so far, but he still stands a solid chance of breaking camp with the big league club considering his defensive abilities.Wrapping up a 10-5 loss - School of RochAll of the tidbits and quotes from game one of Friday’s action. Austin Wynns on catching Hunter Harvey - Steve MelewskiThere has been a lot of buzz about Hunter Harvey at spring training. It’s unclear what his role will be in 2019. The Orioles would love to see him emerge as the viable rotation piece he once seemed poised to become. His injury history may never allow that to happen. Either way, he is likely destined for Bowie to begin the season, but could be a mainstay in the O’s bullpen by the end of the summer.One-on-One with Orioles GM Mike Elias - Baltimore BaseballPositivity aplenty! Please let this Orioles honeymoon last forever.Orioles birthdays and historyIs it your birthday? Happy Birthday! Right-handed pitcher Bud Norris is 34 years old. The current free agent spent parts of three seasons with the Orioles. He will be remembered for a steady 2014 season in which he went 15-8 with a 3.65 ERA and then put forth an ALDS-clinching performance in that postseason. Outfielder Jay Gibbons celebrates his 42nd birthday. The left-handed hitter was a prominent member of the dark ages Orioles. He hit .260/.314/.453 with 121 home runs over parts of seven seasons in Baltimore from 2001 through 2007.Infielder Leo Gomez turns 53. The Puerto Rican born player played with the O’s for parts of six seasons from 1990 through 1995, hitting .245/.334/.414 with a top 10 Rookie of the Year finish along the way.It’s a posthumous celebration for outfielders Joe Taylor (b. 1926, d. 1993) Kendrys Morales Jersey , a member of the O’s for 50 games in the late 1950’s, and Cal Abrams (b. 1924, d. 1997), a two-season Oriole in the mid-50’s. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox placed right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on the 10-day injured list on Saturday because of an elbow injury.The team, which made the move retroactive to Thursday, said Eovaldi has two “loose bodies” in his right elbow. He has had two Tommy John operations and also had surgery last year to remove loose bodies in the elbow.“It’s just frustrating when you’re coming off a good outing and you’re taking the right steps forward Jesse Barfield Jersey , and you have to have this and you just can’t throw,” said Eovaldi, who informed the Red Sox on Thursday night that he could not straighten his right arm.He had pitched six innings against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.Eovaldi and Dave Dombrowski, Red Sox president of baseball operations, said the injury appears to be similar to the one that sidelined the pitcher for the first two months of 2018.It has yet to be determined whether more surgery is the best option.“Don’t know until the doctor takes a look at it,” Dombrowski said. “He’s going to see the doctor on Monday in New York, and we’ll know more at that point.”Dombrowski described the problem as “just a very small piece in there http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-curtis-granderson-jersey , but it’s in the wrong place.”Eovaldi is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in four starts. He allowed one unearned run and three hits in his last start.Boston recalled left-hander Bobby Poyner from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Eovaldi’s place on the roster. He has appeared in five games with Pawtucket this season, posting a 4.26 ERA.Infielder Marco Hernandez is set to start a rehab assignment with Class A Salem. He didn’t play last year following left shoulder surgery.Infielder Brock Holt, out with a scratched right cornea, will remain on the injured list after his rehab assignment with Pawtucket.

Bob Levey/Getty ImagesThe Houston Astros have the 2017 American League MVP back at their disposal after they announced he was activated from the 10-day disabled list Tuesday.Altuve was out with right knee soreness http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , and his return wasn't the only roster move the team announced. It also selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez and optioned outfielder Kyle Tucker and left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez to Triple-A.Tucker struggled in his first action in the major leagues, slashing .154/.254/.212 with zero home runs and three RBI in 20 games. It is reasonable, however, to expect better production from him eventually considering MLB.com has himrankedas the eighth-best prospect in the game.While Tucker may be a future star, the return of Altuve came just in time for the 2018 Astros.He last played July 25, and the defending World Series champions were an ugly 8-13 without him. The six-time All-Star and three-time AL batting champion is slashing .329/.392/.464 with nine home runs and 46 RBI and figures to provide a much-needed boost.The Astros are tied with the Oakland Athletics atop the American League West and 3.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot. Houston is looking to defend its title, but it will have its hands full just trying to make the playoffs if it doesn't play better moving forward.Altuve should help the Astros do just that in the final stretch of the regular season. An early look at the Cubs starting pitching."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Chicago Cubs recapsChicago Cubs minor leaguesChicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs game threadsWrigley Field renovationsFull archiveLibrary Bleed Cubbie Blue Community GuidelinesCurrent time in ChicagoBCB Specials & Site InfoWinter 2019 music threadsCubs StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Cubs newsYahoo Cubs team pageYahoo Cubs reportYahoo Cubs depth chartYahoo Cubs transactionsYahoo Cubs photosOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昐tatistical analysisChicago Cubs essaysCubs pitchers are giving up a lot of hard contact in 2019New,28commentsAn early look at the Cubs starting pitching.CDTShareTweetShareShareCubs pitchers are giving up a lot of hard contact in 2019Cole Hamels reacts after giving up a home run in spring trainingJoe Camporeale-USA TODAY SportsThe Cubs have not gotten off to the best possible start in 2019. This, you surely know.In good news, they appear to have fixed whatever was broken with their offense at the end of 2018. After all, they’ve scored a National League Central leading 72 runs through the first 10 games of 2019. However, the pitching has been less than stellar, giving up a National League Central leading 71 runs in that same span. Most articles so far have rightly focused on the bullpen. That’s understandable Duane Kuiper Jersey , after all, multiple losses in games where the team has scored 10 runs will cause that sort of evaluation. However, today I want to take a closer look at the Cubs starting pitching because there is a different problem lurking behind their numbers.Two of the Cubs’ five starters are being hit hard. Actually, that doesn’t really cover what I’m trying to say here at all. Two of the Cubs five starters are being absolutely demolished by opposing hitters, let’s take a closer look below.BarrelsStatcast data is available at baseball savant and it’s a wealth of information about players. These are the people tracking things like exit velocity, sprint speed and, one of my favorite stats, barrels. Barrels are balls that are hit perfectly. It’s a combination of exit velocity and launch angle, and signifies a sort of ideal zone of contact for a hitter. Statcast defines barrels as follows: Think of these as perfectly struck baseballs. They might become home runs. they might become outs, but they are hit about as well as the baseball possibly be hit. At the risk of being accused of gratuitous Willson Contreras footage, this is a barrel [VIDEO].Your browser does not support HTML5 video.And here’s what it looks like in Statcast form:Now, as much as I love watching barrels when the Cubs are hitting, one of the signs of a good pitcher is avoiding that type of contact. In fact http://www.giantsfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , from 2014-2018 I think it will surprise no one that one of the pitchers who has been pretty good at limiting barrels in the major leagues is none other than Kyle Hendricks, as you can see below:Kyle Hendricks Barrels by YearStatcast - Baseball SavantI’m sure you can spot the outlier on that chart as well as I can. Through two starts in 2019 Hendricks just doesn’t look like himself and if you found yourself thinking “wow, it looks like he’s getting hit really hard,” well, you were right:Pitchers with the most barrels per batted ball eventLast NameFirst NameBBELaunch AngleSweet Spot %Max EVAvg EVFB/LD EVGB EVEV 95+EV 95%BarrelsBarrel %Barrel/PALast NameFirst NameBBELaunch AngleSweet Spot %Max EVAvg EVFB/LD EVGB EVEV 95+EV 95%BarrelsBarrel %Barrel/PAMost barrels per batted ball event 2019Statcast - Baseball SavantThe chart above is sorted for the percent of barrels per batted ball event for pitchers with at least 15 batted balls in 2019. In other words, it’s my attempt to limit this to starters with at least two starts under their belts. While the numbers for Kyle Hendricks are alarming, the company he’s keeping is also a bit terrifying. Two of the Cubs five starters are in the top 10 in terms of barrel percent. Cole Hamels is also giving up an enormous amount of hard contact and that doesn’t bode well for 2019:Cole Hamels barrels by yearStatcast - Baseball SavantBelow I’ll look at four possible contributing factors to the shockingly high barrel rates Cubs’ starters are posting in 2019.The strike zoneArguing balls and strikes is usually a futile exercise and I’m not looking to highlight how blown calls have impacted particular games. However, one thing Hendricks and Hamels have in common is that they are finesse pitchers who rely heavily on locating their pitches perfectly. The maximum velocity fastball either of them is capable of dropping during a given start is about 92 MPH, suffice to say they aren’t blowing stuff past batters. The parameters of the strike zone on a given night are going to impact finesse pitchers more than the Noah Syndergaards of the world who can reach back for a 98 MPH fastball when he needs it.We can get an idea of where each pitcher is locating a ball by looking at their pitch location for each start so far. Take a look at the balls and strikes called in each outing for Hendricks:Hendricks pitches v. BravesStatcast - Baseball SavantHendricks pitches v. BrewersStatcast - Baseball SavantNow let’s take a look at the same maps for Hamels:Hamels pitches v. RangersStatcast - Baseball SavantHamels pitches v. BrewersStatcast - Baseball SavantPitch location Two things jumped out at me in the above maps and it’s different for each pitcher. Kyle Hendricks appears to be getting an accurate strike zone called, but he’s throwing more balls higher in the zone. That’s a departure from previous years where he’s tended to stay down and on the corners to induce more ground ball contact. Here is one of Hendricks’ better starts against the Diamondbacks last September where Hendricks pitched 8鈪?innings with the following line: 3H 1R 1ER 1BB 8K:Hendricks pitches v. Diamondbacks 2018Statcast - Baseball SavantHamels is having a different problem. He’s throwing balls in generally the same place but he’s not getting a large number of calls. That is forcing him into the zone where he’s giving up hard contact like this disastrous pitch against Delino DeShields [VIDEO].Your browser does not support HTML5 video.Catchers/framingFor Hamels, at least, that’s a lot of blown calls, some of which are close and some of which are less close. One thing that’s important to note Derek Holland Jersey , however, is that at least in Hamels’ starts, this isn’t a problem of Contreras’ framing. Victor Caratini has caught both of Hamels’ starts and Contreras has caught Hendricks. It is possible that both of the Cubs’ young catchers are struggling with framing (and the early epidemic of catchers interference seems to indicate that’s true). Regardless, while the Cubs’ catchers may be part of the solution here, Hamels and Hendricks do better with a more expansive zone on the low corners. Since the front office hasn’t seemed interested in adding catching help, they’ll need to work on pitch placement another way.VelocityHendricks is throwing the ball slower in 2019 than in 2018, however, I don’t think this is cause for alarm. I remember writing about this at the start of last season as well. Like Lester, Kyle seems to warm up over the course of the season and their lower velocity to start 2019 is in line with their lower velocity in 2018. Hendricks velocity by pitch type by yearBrooks BaseballHamels’ velocity looks pretty much identical to his last three major league seasons:Hamels velocity by pitch type by yearBrooks BaseballTakeawaysAdmittedly, these are small sample sizes and should be expected to even out over the course of a 162-game season. My sincere hope is that the hard contact that Hendricks and Hamels are giving up is more of a fluke than a trend, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as the weather gets warmer and hitters heat up. It could be a long season with the wind blowing out at Wrigley if Hamels and Hendricks continue to give up barrels at these rates.

FORT MYERS Sonny Gray Jersey , Fla. (AP) — It wasn’t an offseason weight-loss program, but pitcher David Price is entering the 2019 season much lighter.A tremendous burden has been lifted from his shoulders. The Boston Red Sox lefty has finally gotten rid of the postseason demons that had been haunting him for much of his 11-season career.“I do (feel that way), so yeah,” Price said. “It felt good to go out there and perform on that level. I know how many doubters are out there and whatnot, and that’s fine. It felt good to go out there and to be able to prove myself right. That was what it was all about.”Helping the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship — the first of Price’s career — can have that effect. Price earned two of his team’s four World Series wins — including the Game 5 clincher against the Dodgers — appearing in three games, with two starts, posting a 1.98 ERA. Some thought he was a legitimate candidate for the World Series MVP honor which went to teammate Steve Pearce.Before last season, Price was 2-8 in 17 postseason games with Tampa Bay, Detroit, Toronto and Boston, and had never won in any of his nine starts.“To be a world champion,” he said Luis Severino Jersey , “that’s why I play the game, to be able to experience that at this level. It definitely feels good.”Price, as with all Red Sox veteran starting pitchers, was brought along slowly this spring then was slowed by an illness. He will make his final preseason tuneup Tuesday in Arizona against the Cubs.But Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young winner while with Tampa Bay, has assured manager Alex Cora he is ready to start the season.“I trust him,” Cora said. “If he tells me he’s ready, he’s ready.”The Red Sox open the season Thursday night at Seattle.The 33-year-old is entering the fourth season of a seven-year, $217 million deal. It hasn’t always been easy for him in Boston, on the field or off.He has caused some controversy with comments he’s made and in 2017 was limited by injury to 11 starts. He is 39-19 in 81 games with the Red Sox, including 16-7 in 30 starts last year.His goal now is to prove last season — especially his postseason — was not a fluke.“I’ve said it many times. I didn’t come here to win one World Series,” he said. “I came here to win multiple World Series. We won one last year and we want to do it again.”And http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , if he does, he’ll savor it more this time.“When Cora hugged me on the field right after we won, the first thing I said to him was, ‘I want to do it again next year,'” Price said. “I think the first time you ever go through something like that, you don’t really grasp what’s going on and get to enjoy it the way you should enjoy that moment.“To go through it once, to experience all of that — I think if you get back to that point again in your career, you can really kind of sit back and take in everything and it’s something I’m definitely looking forward to having the opportunity to do.” NEW YORK — On Wednesday as the outs accumulated in the wild-card game against the Oakland Athletics, a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium began chanting “We Want Boston” repeatedly.By winning Game 2, the Yankees are assured of two games against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series and the winner of Monday’s game will be one game away from clinching a trip to the American League Championship Series.“I think you know it’s a series that’s capable of going the distance,” Boston star right fielder Mookie Betts said. “I don’t think you expect to sweep. You’ve got two great teams here, it’s a best-of-five. It’s going to be fun.”Article continues below ...The Red Sox opened the series by taking a five-run lead through three innings Friday before holding on for a 5-4 win. The Yankees evened things by getting two homers from Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge’s third homer of the postseason in a 6-2 victory on Saturday.“It’s been huge Aaron Judge Jersey ,” Yankees reliever Dellin Betances said. “I’ve never played in an atmosphere like playing in New York in the postseason for the last couple of years. It’s been unbelievable. It’s going to be even crazier now that we’re playing Boston.”The Red Sox are making their first trip to the current Yankee Stadium for a postseason game. The longtime rivals missed playing each other in 2009 and last season when the Red Sox lost in the Division Series.This time, the first series before the World Series pitting 100-win teams in the wild-card era since 1995, has been defined by the bullpens.New York’s bullpen posted a 3.38 ERA and struck out 753 in 594 2/3 innings and so far, is living up to its notoriety. In the first two games, it has allowed a run in 10 innings while the Red Sox are 6-for-33 (.182) against Yankee relievers.Boston’s bullpen posted a 3.72 ERA during the regular season but allowed 32 percent of inherited runners to score and the Yankees are aware of trying to get to it early. In the first two games, the Yankees saw 212 pitches against the relievers and went 10-for-42 (.239) with eight walks.“You want to affect that bullpen as best we can,” Judge said. “It’s a five-game series, and if we can wear them down and get them using that bullpen early, that’s a good thing.”Both teams were forced to use their bullpens extensively due to short outings as New York’s J.A. Happ exited after getting six outs in Game 1 while David Price departed after recording five outs Saturday.On Monday, the rivals will hope for lengthy outings from Nathan Eovaldi and Luis Severino, though with how aggressively both managers use relievers, lengthy could be defined as five or six innings.Eovaldi was originally slated to start Game 4 but Boston manager Alex Cora opted to save Rick Porcello for then.Eovaldi will be making his first career postseason start on a familiar mound. Before needing Tommy John surgery in 2016 Gleyber Torres Jersey , he was 23-11 with a 4.45 ERA in 51 appearances for the Yankees and is 10-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 26 appearances at Yankee Stadium.“This is my first postseason start,” Eovaldi said Sunday. “I’m excited. This is what we play for, coming out of spring training and preparing for this moment. I’m excited, ready to go. It’s definitely probably the most important game I’ve ever pitched in.”The right-hander is pitching for the first time since throwing the first two innings of an 8-5 loss to the Yankees Sept. 29 at Fenway. He faced the Yankees three times after being acquired from Tampa Bay and did not allow an earned run in 16 innings.“We know he’s going to be throwing hard and he’s going to mix it up,” Cora said. “He’s had success against them. Seems like it’s a good matchup.”Meanwhile, the Yankees are banking on Severino, who allowed two hits in five-plus innings in the 7-2 win in the wild-card game. Severino won 19 games during the regular season but was 5-6 with a 5.57 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break.Severino went 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his final three regular-season starts heading into the wild-card game when he navigated through four walks while throwing 87 pitches.Now he gets to pitch in New York’s first home postseason game against the Red Sox since the infamous Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, which was played when the right-hander was a 10-year-old in the Dominican Republic.“I think at that time I didn’t even have even TV,” Severino said of his memories from the last postseason meeting between the teams. “I’m not even sure. But I think I’ve been shown the highlights. It will be fun. Really fun.”In the postseason, Severino is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts. One of those outings was Game 4 of last year’s ALDS against Cleveland, when he allowed three runs in seven innings.Severino was 2-2 with a 3.56 ERA in five starts against the Red Sox during the regular season.Both teams have injury questions with their starting lineups.New York center fielder Aaron Hicks missed Game 2 with right hamstring tightness and is expected to play Monday. Boston first baseman Mitch Moreland exited Game 2 with the same injury as Hicks after scoring on Ian Kinsler’s double in the seventh.Hicks and Moreland are considered day-to-day and neither is expected to be removed from the roster.

Zach Dillard of FOX Sports South joins us."Good evening! The Atlanta Braves are in full Spring Training mode and there is no better time to have Zach Dillard of FOX Sports South join us for Episode 153 of the Talking Chop Podcast. Topics for this week’s show include the following:Scenes from the final Spring Training in Orlando and what Zach sawThe Braves are a (very) confident bunch as March approaches and it makes sense given what happened in 2018Mike Soroka’s shoulder and how it impacts the depth of the rotation for 2019Will the Braves add someone on the pitching staff before Opening Day? What about by the trade deadline?Dansby Swanson and Josh Donaldson will debut soon and that is worth monitoringWhat is Atlanta’s offense in 2019? What is it capable of if everything goes right?Johan Camargo’s path to playing time might include some interesting scenariosLooking at the NL East and all of the uncertainty at the top of the heap (sorry http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , Miami)Much, much morePlease check out the podcast via Apple Podcasts (where we strongly encourage you to leave a five-star review and rating), Stitcher, PlayerFM, or you can find us at our MegaPhone page for all the latest. The Orioles won two out of three from the Yankees! I still can’t believe it. Enjoy the fun while there’s fun to enjoy."Hello, friends.Have you heard the news? The Orioles still have a winning record after three games this season! After an almost unbelievable weekend of baseball, the O’s, who won 47 games last season, came away with two wins on the road against the Yankees, who won 100 games last season. Baseball can still be fun sometimes. It’s nice when it is.If you missed yesterday’s rain-delayed, 7-5 win in the Bronx, check out Stacey Folkemer’s recap of the action Michael Wacha Jersey , including John Means’s first MLB win, and don’t forget to register your vote in the Most Birdland Player poll.Last year, the Orioles were never above .500 again after winning on Opening Day. With two wins this weekend, they’ve made it at least two games farther into the 2019 regular season calendar, since they’re now 2-1. It’s not quite good enough for first place, because the Rays have already played four games and they’re 3-1, so the O’s are half a game behind for the American League East lead. They are in second place with a three-game trip to Toronto awaiting them next.A funny thing happened to me watching the Orioles this weekend. Once they had staked themselves to leads on Saturday and Sunday, I actually like... cared whether they won or lost. After last year’s pathetic performance and the expected dismal season this year I figured that I would just be numb to whatever happened. I was certainly numb last year by the time May rolled around and it was clear there was nothing to look forward to or even break up the drudgery until the July trades rolled around.That feeling may yet set in for 2019, because even in winning two games the O’s still demonstrated that what you thought their flaws would be are, in fact, going to be big flaws. Two starting pitchers have now pitched and zero of them pitched well. There are no sure things in the bullpen. Chris Davis hasn’t dispelled any of the narrative surrounding his performance last year, so much so that during yesterday’s game on MASN Ozzie Smith Jersey , Jim Palmer was in disbelief that the Yankees did not walk Joey Rickard intentionally in order to have a lefty-lefty matchup against Davis. Nor was he wrong. Rickard homered! Still, “Joey Rickard should have been intentionally walked” is a wild phrase to say or write.The reality is still there about the Orioles. They are going to lose a lot of games. But we can all enjoy the fun parts of this season while they’re fun. If the Orioles go on to lose 120 games, nobody can take this one happy weekend away from us. It was a weekend where manager Brandon Hyde got his first win, was dumped in a laundry cart and showered with beer. Rookie pitcher John Means got his first win the next day, was dumped in a laundry cart, and presumably also showered with beer. Keep Mark Trumbo away from these guys so they can keep having fun. All of this happened in Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees fans and media were derisively calling the Orioles a Triple-A team, where the fans started booing on Saturday and Sunday, and all of it is glorious for as long as it lasts. Maybe it will even continue through tonight, when the O’s take on the Blue Jays at 7:07. David Hess and Sean Reid-Foley are the expected starting pitchers.Mike Mussina was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame 69 days ago. The Orioles have not yet announced any plans to retire his jersey or erect his statue at Camden Yards.Around the blogO’sphereBrandon Hyde will mix and match lineups and closers for Orioles (Baltimore Baseball)Davis batted seventh two times, was pinch hit for in the ninth inning once, and didn’t even play in one of the first three games. However this year ends up Albert Pujols Jersey , it’ll certainly take a different path to getting there.Orioles douse new manager after first win (Cut4)Just look at these guys! I was serious about keeping Trumbo away from them. And here’s some video of some post-game soaking from Sunday, too:Whatever happens this year, the Orioles absolutely flexed on the Yankees on the first weekend, and that’s awesome.Mountcastle to get first base reps at Triple-A (Orioles.com)If the Orioles do start sinking this year, it’s worth keeping in mind that the roster is probably going to change until things start working better.Dylan Bundy makes 2019 debut Sunday looking to rediscover pitcher he once was (Baltimore Sun)He did not discover the pitcher he once was, but the Orioles still won anyway.Birthdays and anniversariesThere are a pair of former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2000 utility infielder Rich Amaral, and 1986-87 reliever Mike Kinnunen. If you remember either of those gentlemen, give yourself a cookie.Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: anatomy studies pioneer William Harvey (1578), early German leader Otto von Bismarck (1815), composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873), author Anne McCaffrey (1926), and funny man Taran Killam (1982).On this day in history...In 1789 http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , the United States House of Representatives achieved a quorum for the first time, choosing to elect Pennsylvania’s Frederick Muhlenberg as its first speaker.In 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended with the surrender of the last Republican forces in the country, leading to 36 years of rule by Generalisimo Francisco Franco.In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, which both banned cigarette advertising on television and radio and required Surgeon General’s warnings on all tobacco products.In 1997, the comet Hale-Bopp achieved its perihelion. This comet ultimately set a record by being visible to the naked eye for more than 18 months. It’s expected to return some time in the vicinity of the year 4385.**And that’s the way it is in Birdland on April 1 - or at least, until something happens later when the Orioles play the Blue Jays. Have a safe Monday. Go O’s!

First game of the year against the division rivals by the bay"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks Game DaysSpring Training Gameday Thread http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , #21: 3/14 vs. GiantsNew,330commentsFirst game of the year against the division rivals by the bayEDTShareTweetShareShareSpring Training Gameday Thread, #21: 3/14 vs. GiantsMatt Kartozian-USA TODAY SportsLuke Weaver gets the start for the D-backs, and hopefully he can continue the solid form he has shown this spring. Though am I the only one who keeps confusing Weaver with Merrill Kelly? Well, not really “confusing”, but I have to pause and figure out which one came from a strange and distant land populated by weird people Julio Teheran Jersey , and which one came from Korea. :) I guess it’s the “new kid in town” thing: I’m not sure the last time the back of the D-backs’ Opening Day rotation featured a pair of off-season acquisitions like Weaver and Kelly. So far, Weaver has certainly been the more impressive, with six strikeouts and no walks over his 6.1 innings thus far, and an ERA of 2.84. He has allowed his share of hits (eight), but avoiding the free passes has helped diminish the impact of those. Speaking to Arizona Sports earlier in the week, he said a failure to avoid the big innings was part of the reason why his ERA ballooned last year. “Your blood pressure starts to rise a little bit and the game just speeds up on you http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , everything just kinda moves so just being able to step off breathe a little bit and realize, ‘OK what’s the execution need to be right here. Do I need a strikeout or a ground ball?’” It’s all part of the process of a thrower becoming a pitcher, and hopefully hanging out with the cerebral likes of Mr. Calm, Zack Greinke, will help Weaver develop. Radio only for this one, with a free webcast through mlb.com Astros go for 9 nine straight and a sweep in Seattle. Join the discussion."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsGame 16 Thread: April 14th David Justice Jersey , 2019, 3:10 CDT. Astros vs. MarinersNew,703commentsAstros go for 9 nine straight and a sweep in Seattle. Join the discussion.CDTShareTweetShareShareGame 16 Thread: April 14th, 2019, 3:10 CDT. Astros vs. MarinersJoe Nicholson-USA TODAY SportsIt was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel last night between two old-hands; Cy Young winners Justin Verlander and King Felix Hernandez. Our own Verlander won the duel, with a little help from Jose Altuve’s seventh home run and sixth in five games. Roberto Osuna got his sixth save http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , preserving the 3-1 win, the Astros’ eighth straight.Tonight Gerrit Cole faces Marco Gonzalez as the AStros go for the sweep.Lineup below.Radio and TVGame 3: Sunday, April 14th @ 3:10 pm CDTListen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, La Ranchera 850 AM / Mariners - 710 ESPNWatch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Mariners - ROOTNW

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Hours later, news broke that Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros have agreed on a $100 million, six-year deal that keeps the All-Star third baseman under contract with the team through 2024, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout’s latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout’s $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke’s $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016. The contract also would best Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez’s $356 million deal with sports-streaming service DAZN.Progress toward an agreement was first reported by ESPN.Whether Trout’s contract is the largest in the world for a team athlete is difficult to determine. Forbes estimated Lionel Messi earned $84 million from Barcelona in 2017-18 and Cristiano Ronaldo $61 million from Real Madrid, but precise details of their contracts are not known.A 27-year-old entering what should be his prime years, Trout is considered baseball’s top player and would have been coveted as a free agent after the 2020 season. He lives in southern New Jersey, and Harper said he was excited about trying to recruit Trout to join him in Philadelphia.Although Trout recently built a home in his native New Jersey, he is staying on the West Coast with the Angels, who are coming off three straight losing seasons and haven’t won a playoff game during his career.Trout and wife Jessica have made no secret of how much they enjoy living in laid-back Southern California, and the low-key outfielder apparently decided to skip the pressure of free agency entirely.Trout has been an All-Star in each of his seven full big league seasons and hit .312 with 39 homers, 79 RBIs, 24 steals and 122 walks last year. He has led the major leagues in OPS in each of the last two seasons.Bregman’s agreement includes this season, buys out three years of arbitration eligibility (2020-22) and pushes back his opportunity to become a free agent by two years.The person who spoke about that deal did so on condition of anonymity because details had not been released by the team. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.The 24-year-old Bregman made his first All-Star team last season and was selected MVP of the game after hitting a home run to help the American League win. He set career highs with a .286 batting average, 31 homers, 103 RBIs and a major league-leading 51 doubles, finishing fifth in AL MVP balloting.The second overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft out of LSU, Bregman has hit .282 with 58 homers and 208 RBIs in 2½ seasons with the Astros Anthony DeSclafani Jersey , helping them win consecutive AL West titles and the 2017 World Series. He was limited early this spring after having arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in January.MORE FROM AROUND SPRING TRAININGYANKEES 6, RAYS 2Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced that setup man Dellin Betances will begin the season on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Betances got an MRI after he continued to lack velocity with his fastball.Cashman also announced that starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez had passed his physical. If added to the 40-man roster, the 33-year-old left-hander would get a $3 million salary while in the major leagues and the chance to earn $9 million in performance bonuses: $300,000 for each start through 30.Gary Sanchez hit two run-scoring doubles for New York, and Aaron Judge singled in a run and scored twice. Greg Bird hit a solo drive for his third spring homer.Yankees right-hander Luis Cessa struck out five while pitching four scoreless innings.Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow struggled in his fourth start. The right-hander issued four walks in 3 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs, sending his spring ERA to 11.00.NATIONALS 3, BRAVES 2Collin Cowgill capped Washington’s three-run ninth with a two-run homer. Anibal Sanchez pitched five innings of two-run ball.Austin Riley, one of Atlanta’s top prospects, hit a solo drive for his first spring homer. Bullpen hopeful Max Fried made his third start, striking out seven in five scoreless innings.PIRATES 3, TIGERS 1Josh Bell, Adam Frazier and Corey Dickerson had two hits apiece for Pittsburgh, and Steven Brault pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings.Detroit left-hander Matthew Boyd allowed three runs, two earned, and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.The Tigers also announced that right-hander Michael Fulmer may need Tommy John surgery. The operation was recommended following an MRI exam and a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.Fulmer, who experienced elbow soreness during a recent bullpen session, will seek a third opinion.CUBS (SS) 6, MARINERS 4Yu Darvish made his fourth start for Chicago’s split squad, pitching 4 2/3 innings against a team of Mariners minor leaguers and allowing two runs — one earned — and five hits, striking out six and walking two. Darvish also had an RBI single. Ian Happ and Jason Heyward had RBI doubles and Wilson Contreras singled in a run.Kyle Lewis, Seattle’s No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, hit his third home run — a solo shot off reliever Carl Edwards Jr. — and his third double, scoring twice and raising his average to .429.ROYALS 8 Adam Duvall Jersey , CUBS (SS) 6Ryan O’Hearn homered, doubled and drove in five runs for Kansas City. Jorge Soler added two hits, and Jakob Junis gave up two runs in five innings.RANGERS 3, BREWERS 2Willie Calhoun had two singles, driving in all three runs for Texas. Lance Lynn made his third start, pitching five innings and allowing two runs, four hits, while striking out nine.Jesus Aguilar hit his third double, driving in a run for Milwaukee. Chase Anderson made his fourth start, allowing two runs and six hits, in four innings.INDIANS 4, DODGERS 2Shane Bieber struck out six in five innings for Cleveland. He permitted five hits and walked none. Dodgers newcomers A.J. Pollock and Russell Martin homered off Bieber. Pollock also had a double.Walker Buehler threw 46 pitches over 2 2/3 innings in his long-awaited Cactus League debut for Los Angeles. He allowed three hits and one earned run. The young right-hander was slowed by shoulder soreness earlier this spring.PADRES 4, DIAMONDBACKS 3Eric Hosmer homered and Bryan Mitchell struck out four over two scoreless innings to close it out. Manny Machado went 1 for 4 and is batting .161.Adam Jones was 0 for 3 in his Cactus League debut for Arizona. He batted leadoff and played five innings in center field.REDS 6, WHITE SOX 5Prized prospect Nick Senzel doubled twice and scored three times for Cincinnati. Joey Votto got two hits and Yasiel Puig had a two-run single.Luis Castillo will start on opening day for the Reds, rookie manager David Bell announced.Chicago slugger Jose Abreu connected for a pair of home runs. Reynaldo Lopez allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings.ANGELS 9, ROCKIES 7Justin Upton hit his first homer of the spring for Los Angeles. Peter Bourjos and Taylor Ward also went deep, and Kole Calhoun had two hits.Colorado starter German Marquez was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Daniel Murphy homered and Nolan Arenado got two hits. BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates believe Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove and Chris Archer give them a good start to their rotation.The next move is figuring out who will take the fifth slot after Ivan Nova was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the offseason. Four pitchers are contending for the job: left-hander Steven Brault and right-handers Nick Kingham, Jordan Lyles and Rookie Davis.Brault and Kingham both pitched two scoreless innings in their first starts of the exhibition season while Lyles allowed one run in two innings. Davis has yet to pitch as he signed a minor league contract Feb. 18, a week after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.Brault had made 16 starts and 48 relief appearances for the Pirates over the last three seasons, going 7-6 with a 4.68 ERA. He was the International League Pitcher of the Year in 2016 at Triple-A Indianapolis but has yet to gain a foothold in the major leagues.During the offseason Michael Lorenzen Jersey , Brault overhauled his pitching mechanics and altered his throwing program. He then threw 19 of his 23 pitches for strikes against the Philadelphia Phillies last Saturday.“You take all that time in the offseason and you obviously want to do well,” Brault said. “It doesn’t mean everything was perfect or anything like that. It’s just one outing. But it’s nice to get the results I want. It’s a step in the right direction.”Kingham’s career started off in the right direction when he made his major league debut last April 29 and retired the first 20 batters on his way to beating the St. Louis Cardinals. He faded as the season wore on, however, and finished with a 5-7 record and 5.21 ERA in 18 games, including 15 starts.What could help Kingham’s cause is that he is out of minor league options. The Pirates would need to expose him to waivers if they try to send him down.Kingham, 27, realizes it is too early to get too excited about one start but was pleased to begin the exhibition season with a solid effort against the Miami Marlins.“I think any impression you make is going to stand on its own until your next one,” Kingham said. “Anytime you go out to the mound, you want to make a good impression. It might be the last one you get, so you always want to be good and you always want to leave a good impression in the coaches’ minds, and the decision-makers’.”Signed to a $2.05 million, one-year contract as a free agent in the offseason, Lyles is the most experienced of the four candidates. The 28-year-old has pitched for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers in his eight-year career, compiling a 31-52 record and 5.28 ERA.“You just continue to do what you think is best to get major league hitters out,” Lyles said. “Obviously, you’re trying to get outs. Nobody is going to stand out there on the mound and say, ‘Here’s the ball, hit it.’ Not giving up runs is the No. 1 goal obviously, but I’m also looking to work on things and find the right spots to work on them.”The Pirates have yet to schedule Davis’ first game appearance, though he pitched two innings in a simulated game Tuesday. The 25-year-old made his major league debut with Cincinnati in 2017 by making six starts but spent last season in the Reds’ farm system after recovering from hip surgery.

PHOENIX (AP) — The White Sox confirmed Tuesday what a $43 million contract seemed to signal: Eloy Jimenez will begin the season in the major leagues.Chicago’s prize prospect will make his big league debut on opening day at Kansas City on Thursday. Signed as a teenager by the crosstown Cubs out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 Brian Roberts Jersey , Jimenez is one of baseball’s most promising youngsters — and one with historic financial security.“It’s amazing. I feel really proud of the work I have done,” Jimenez said. “It’s a dream all the players want, to break with the team in spring training.”The White Sox announced Jimenez had made the team following a 7-1 exhibition win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jimenez was sent to minor league camp two weeks ago and was unlikely to crack the opening day roster until agreeing to a $43 million, six-year contract Friday, the largest deal ever for a rostered player with no service time. The deal, which also includes team options for 2025 and 2026, took away Chicago’s incentive to stash Jimenez at Triple-A for a few weeks and delay his potential free agency.Jimenez, 22, hit .243 with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs in 37 at-bats this spring. He started in left field the last two games and is expected to see regular time there. He hit. 337 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs in 108 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. The White Sox acquired him in a package from the Cubs for left-hander Jose Quintana at the 2017 trade deadline.Jimenez received a $5 million signing bonus as part of the deal and will make $1 million in 2019, $1.5 million in 2020, $3.5 million in 2021, $6.5 million in 2022, $9.5 million in 2023 and $13 million in 2024. The White Sox have a $16.5 million option with a $3 million buyout in 2025 and an $18.5 million option with a $3 million buyout in 2026.If he has Tommy John surgery at any time through 2026, the White Sox have the right to retain Jimenez for 2027 at $18.5 million.If Jimenez wins an MVP award during the first six years, the 2026 or ’27 option would increase by $2.5 million, and if he finishes second or third the option price would go up by $1.5 million.Jimenez also would get a $100,000 bonus for winning an MVP, $90,000 for second, $90 Thurman Munson Jersey ,000 for third, $70,000 for fourth and $60,000 for fifth. He would get $25,000 for starting the All-Star Game, $15,000 for selection as an All-Star reserve, $25,000 for a Gold Glove, $15,000 for a Silver Slugger, $50,000 for becoming a Sporting News All-Star, $75,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $100,000 for World Series MVP.If the White Sox had chosen to keep him in the minor leagues for the first 20 days of this season, his free agent eligibility would have been pushed back a year, until after the 2025 season.Jose Abreu, Daniel Palka and Welington Castillo doubled and right-hander Ivan Nova gave up one hit and one run in three innings for the White Sox on Tuesday. Nova struck out three and did not walk a batter. He is scheduled to start the fourth game of the regular season at Cleveland on Monday.Jake Lamb had two hits and homered for the second straight game and Merrill Kelly gave up nine hits and six runs in 5 2/3 innings, with one strikeout and one walk for Arizona. Kelly is scheduled to pitch the fifth game of the regular season at San Diego on Monday.TRAINER’S ROOMWhite Sox: Jon Jay (hip) missed seven days before returning to the field Sunday, and the team was still deciding whether to place him on the injured list for the start of the regular season.Diamondbacks: LHP T.J. McFarland (shoulder) and RHP Taijuan Walker (elbow) will open on the injured list. Walker is at least a month away Jorge Posada Jersey , manager Torey Lovullo said, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April 25.UP NEXTWhite Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon is set to face Kansas City right-hander Brad Keller in the season opener for both teams in Kansas City on Thursday.Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Greinke will face Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu on opening day at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. Spring training opens in a few days.It won’t seem quite the same without T-bone.Tommy Giordano is dying.Yet, do not let your heart grow heavy.He’s going out like he lived for more than 93 years — surrounded by family and friends, accompanied by overwhelming love and stories that will endure long after he’s gone.“It’s like we’re doing the funeral, the celebration of his life, a little bit early,” said his daughter, Gail Przeclawski, when reached by phone Monday morning at the family home where Giordano was spending his final days, “and he got to enjoy every moment of it.”Giordano spent nearly all of his full life as a baseball man. He was a major league player (for 11 games with the late, great Philadelphia Athletics), a minor-league manager, a front-office executive. More than anything, he was a scout, one of those guys who combed the backwoods and backwaters searching for the game’s next big star.It was a job he loved, a job he was good at, a job he held with the Atlanta Braves right up until what would be the very last year of his life.“I’m going to do this until I die,” Giordano told me back in 2016, when I first met him at the Braves’ spring training complex, located within the confines of Disney World. “I can’t wait to get up in the morning and go to the ballpark.”T-bone (a nickname that goes back to his days growing up in New Jersey, when his father would always make him a steak as a pregame meal) had every intention of coming back for his 72nd season — staked out behind home plate http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , a stopwatch in one hand, a lineup card in his lap, the games unfolding before his eyes as he gleaned those tell-tale signs of a player’s strengths and weaknesses.Can’t hit a curve ball. Great speed from first to third. Gets a poor jump on the ball. Strong throwing arm. .Then, the blood infection struck out of nowhere.Not long after climbing three flights of stairs during a family vacation to the beach, Giordano started feeling poorly. He came down with a 102-degree fever. The doctors weren’t sure what caused the infection.Giordano spent nearly three weeks in the hospital. It looked as though he would survive.Unfortunately, the infection returned. The doctors knew he wasn’t nearly strong enough to ward it off like he did the first time. He might live a bit longer, but his quality of life would be greatly diminished. No one wanted that, so he was sent home to die.That’s where this sad story takes a beautiful turn.These last few days in Orlando have given so many people a chance to show how much Giordano was loved.Everyone from Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson to longtime baseball executive John Hart to an Uber driver who hauled T-bone around to the owner of a local Italian restaurant that Giordano frequented for a good bowl of pasta have called or stopped by to say farewell.They’ve been able to reminisce. They’ve been able to swap stories told a thousand times. They’ve laughed. They’ve cried. They’ve celebrated an amazing man.Przeclawski has watched it all with pride.“I’m still learning things about my dad that I never knew,” she told me in that phone call, her voice both sad and joyful.For the record, here’s a highlight reel, gleaned from my 2016 interview with T-Bone:— Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, he played on the high school team but fibbed to his parents about his reason for staying late after school. His father, who owned a grocery store, believed young Tommy should focus on his schoolwork and devote any free time to working at the family business. “I used to hide my spikes,” Giordano told me. “Well, my dad got hold of them and put them on the butcher block. He cut them up. He cut everything up. My bat, my glove, everything.”— Giordano was called up to the majors by the Athletics toward the end of the 1953 season, giving him a chance to meet one of the game’s most towering figures Johnny Damon Jersey , Connie Mack. In his very first game with Philadelphia, the slick-fielding shortstop homered off the facade of old Shibe Park, going deep against 20-game winner Virgil Trucks of the Chicago White Sox.— Also in 1953, while playing with Class A Savannah, Giordano took the infield alongside a 19-year-old second baseman on his way up, a guy named Henry Aaron. The future home run king led the league in virtually every offensive category except one. Aaron hit 22 homers — two less than Giordano.— After his playing days, Giordano was responsible for the Baltimore Orioles drafting Cal Ripken Jr. During a stint in Cleveland, T-bone signed off on the Indians picking Manny Ramirez. His scouting mantra was “get in the house,” which gave him a chance to check out a prospect’s family and any off-the-field red flags. “I love doing that kind of work,” he said.Now, everyone is getting a chance to return the love.His daughter set out a book for visitors to sign. As I was speaking to her, someone arrived at the door. She instructed them to turn to the fourth page of the book. The first three pages were already filled up.“He’s gotten to attend his own funeral service the last four days,” Przeclawski said. “He’s had a blast.”But the end is drawing near. T-bone lost the ability to speak and swallow Sunday night.Her voice choked with emotion, Przeclawski noted that Wednesday would’ve been her mother’s birthday. She died less than a year ago. She and T-bone were married for 70 years.“I think they’re going to be celebrating her birthday in heaven,” their daughter said.Giordano will be buried just outside the family home, with a view of a lake.His daughter issued an invitation to come by and visit the next time I’m in Orlando.“We’ll tell some great stories about my dad,” she said.I can’t wait.

Why didn’t the Broncos run the ball more? Numbers don’t lie.There are two from the Denver Broncos 27-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night that tell the story.Thirty-seven.Twenty-two.The first is the number of pass plays called by Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. The second is the running plays called by Musgrave. For those in Broncos Country http://www.broncoscheapauthenticstore.com/brandon-marshall-jersey-cheap , the question pinging around from the fourth quarter until this morning — why?The Chiefs defense could not stop Denver from rushing the ball if they tried. Kansas City could have had 22 guys on the field, and it still couldn’t stop the Broncos from running the ball. That is a slight exaggeration, but you get the point.As a team, Denver averaged over seven yards per attempt, led by the dynamic rookie duo of Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. They became just the fourth pair of rookie running backs in NFL history to rush for at least 65 yards and a touchdown for their team in the same game. That is remarkable. But when you look at the 37 passes to 22 rushes, you would think Denver was trailing most of the game. But that’s not the case. At all. The Broncos actually had a 23-13 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. It’s even more egregious when you see Freeman had only eight carries and was on the field less than Devontae Booker (33 percent for Booker, as opposed to 27 percent for Freeman). In that situation and with how he was running, Freeman should have gotten the carries to help eat time and give the defense a breather.So, again, as Adam Malnati and I asked on the MHR Radio Podcast, why?As I noted in the winners and losers story after the game, if Musgrave calls 30 or more runs in that game Youth Connor McGovern Jersey , Denver may have won. And if you look at the second-to-last drive, it seems he abandoned the run after first down. Lindsay was stopped for a 1-yard gain and Musgrave proceeded to call two pass plays that resulted in a killer three-and-out. Over the course of the game, it seemed Musgrave abandoned the run no matter how many yards were gained on first down. Why? As noted earlier, why wasn’t Freeman in the game in that crucial drive in the fourth quarter?One is left to wonder if Musgrave was in some sort of competition with Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense. Did he want to show how much of an offensive genius he was, rather than stick with what was working for his unit? It just made no damn sense to me.It was obvious from the second offensive play that the Broncos would control the line of scrimmage and dominate with their run game. As the game wore on, that became more apparent to everyone ... save for the guy who matters most.But wait, it gets better (or worse). Musgrave moved to the coaches box for this game. The thought was that, if he could see the whole field, it would help with his play calling. No, seriously. You can’t make this shit up.Musgrave’s incompetence cost his team a win in a game it should have won, and it takes away from the performance of Freeman and Lindsay. In fact, had Musgrave done what any capable offensive coordinator would have Cheap Courtland Sutton Jersey , Freeman and Lindsay would have finished with better nights (namely Freeman, who had only eight freaking carries) and the Broncos would have won.Numbers don’t lie.The MHR Radio Podcast is now on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn. Please subscribe to the one that fits your fancy, and also rate and review what you hear. After days of pressers in which Denver Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph promised changes would be made to stop the losing skid, today’s practice revealed at least one.Bench the starting QB? Overhaul the plays used from the playbook? Give Royce Freeman double the touches?Nope.Give Max Garcia a chance to compete with Connor McGovern for the starting right guard position - as reported by 9News’ Mike Klis.That would be the same Connor McGovern who is, according to Pro Football Focus, the third-highest ranked guard through the first five games this season (ironically, the first two play for the L.A. Rams).It’s true McGovern did not have a great game against the Jets, but it would be pretty tough to argue he was the main problem with the offense that day.Because obviously THAT’s what has been wrong with this team the last three games.On Sunday Garcia could be responsible for blocking Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald - two of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL.So that’s good news.

Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway joined Orange and Blue 760’s Dave Logan to talk about the teams disappointing loss to the New York Jets. The Broncos Hall Of Fame General Manager said he was disappointed by the team and the coaching staff and thought they would do better against the Jets. The Broncos were coming off a disappointing loss to their divisional rival Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. They played well enough to keep the still undefeated Chiefs trailing into the 4th quarter but eventually Patrick Mahomes led a thrilling comeback. This performance made many feel that the Broncos would be able to handle the Jets and rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. Well http://www.thebroncosfootballauthentic.com/ronald-leary-jersey-authentic , we all know how that went. Elway also went out of his way to voice his displeasure with the Broncos coaching staff. He told Logan that like players, coaches have their bad days as well.As we know, Elway came close to firing Vance Joseph last season but decided to keep him, There were multiple changes made to the Broncos coaching staff however, but the Broncos appear to be heading down the same road that they took in 2017. If this continues, the outlook is grim for Head Coach Vance Joseph and Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods who Elway called out in this interview. Unless the Broncos pull an upset this weekend, they will be 2-4 heading into a short week before taking on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. That game will be on the road and we all know how the Broncos struggle there. If the Broncos lose these next two games http://www.thebroncosfootballauthentic.com/todd-davis-jersey-authentic , Vance Joseph’s seat will be hot or literally on fire.FanPulse: Broncos Country is cautiously optimistic heading into Week 3 Welcome back to another week of our FanPulse survey, where Broncos fans like you and me take a short weekly survey on the direction of the Denver Broncos. Here’s how we all voted heading into the team’s Week 3 road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.How confident are you in the direction of the team?With each win, Broncos fans have tempered their optimism and expectations for this team. I’d hate to see how it looks a week after their first loss. I personally voted ‘meh’ because that first half was hard to watch football. Will the Broncos win or lose in Week 3?Ironically, the spread and Ravens fans are in agreement. Meanwhile, Broncos fans believe Case Keenum and that offense will do enough to win another close one on the road in Week 3.How would you fix NFL overtime rules?As someone who grew up in the olden days, I voted to keep it as it is. That is not entirely true, but my option wasn’t on the list. I like the rules as they are http://www.thebroncosfootballauthentic.com/brandon-mcmanus-jersey-authentic , but with a full 15 minute overtime. This 10 minute overtime thing is not enough time for each team get enough drive opportunities to win the game. We are going to see a lot more ties moving forward, I think.Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Broncos fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.