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BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox hope home-field advantage makes a difference after consecutive Division Series eliminations.Boston began the postseason 0-2 on the road at Cleveland in 2016 and again at Houston last year.By winning a club-record 108 games this season Steve Pearce Jersey , the Red Sox ensured home-field advantage through the postseason. They split at home against the Yankees last weekend, swept a pair of games in New York to advance and open the AL Championship Series against the World Series champion Astros on Saturday night.Chris Sale starts for the Red Sox and Justin Verlander for the Astros.Sale gave up seven runs in last year’s opening 8-2 loss to Houston, including two home runs by Jose Altuve and by Alex Bregman. Sale made a rare relief appearance in Game 4 at Fenway Park, replacing Rick Porcello to start the fourth inning with Boston trailing 2-1. After Andrew Benintendi’s two-run homer put the Red Sox ahead, Sale allowed Bregman’s tying home run leading off the eighth and a one-out single to Evan Gattis, who gave Houston the lead for good when he scored on Josh Reddick’s single against Craig Kimbrel.“Going through that the last two years helped,” Brock Holt. “We’re better because of what happened last year.”Boston was 57-24 at Fenway Park this year, the best home record in the major leagues, and Sale has a 1.29 ERA and .199 opponents’ batting average in his last eight home starts.“I think he just feeds off the crowd and he just feels more comfortable at home,” Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said.Boston won the AL pennant in four of the six times it opened the Championship Series at Fenway, in 1975, 1986, 2007 and 2013, the last two en route to World Series titles. The Red Sox failed at this stage in 1988 and 1990.“It’s a big difference to be able start at home against a good team http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aaron-loup-jersey ,” Holt said.With its quirky dimensions that include the Green Monster in left, Fenway can be difficult for visiting teams defensively. Marwin Gonzalez has played just 24 regular-season innings in left field at Fenway plus the two games last October.After beating the 100-win Yankees, the Red Sox face the 103-victory Astros. The only other year Boston met a pair of teams in the postseason with triple-digit regular-season wins was in 2004, when the Red Sox beat the Yankees (101) to become the first major league team to rebound from a 3-0 postseason deficit, then swept St. Louis (105) for their first title since 1918.Red Sox manager Alex Cora said thus year’s win over the Yankees provides a mental boost, especially after the Game 2 loss at home.“I think we grew up as a group,” he said.Cora was Houston’s bench coach last year before he was hired by Boston.“Like Verlander said in spring training, to get to the World Series, you have to go through Houston,'” Cora said. “Here we are.”Notes: 1B Mitch Moreland, who injured his right hamstring in Game 2 against the Yankees while running the bases, participated in batting practice on Thursday. “He’s feeling better,” Cora said. “We’ve still got time to see where we’re at with him. Hopefully he keeps getting better and he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.” … 3B Eduardo Nunez appeared to injure himself while making the throw to first for the final out Tuesday. “He’s OK. I think he slipped on that play, but then he was jumping up and down celebrating Matt Adams Jersey ,” Cora said. Blake Snell’s teammates did him a huge favor by knocking Corey Kluber out in the second inning of Monday night’s dramatic win by the Tampa Bay Rays over the Cleveland Indians.Now, Snell, emerging as more and more of a Cy Young Award contender, can help himself when he faces the Indians — and Carlos Carrasco — in the finale of a three-game series at the Trop on Wednesday.The Rays had their 12-game home winning streak stopped and moved a step closer to postseason elimination as the Indians won 2-0 on Tuesday night as Cleveland moved a step closer to clinching the American League Central.Article continues below ...“It is a little weird,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But, you know what we can start another one here, we can get going. The guys have played really, really well.”The Indians, who added Josh Donaldson to their lineup Tuesday, reduced their magic number for clinching a third straight division title to three with their 15th shutout of the season. Rookie Shane Bieber struck out a career-high 11 and improved to 10-3.Donaldson went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his Indians debut in a game that saw Edwin Encarnacion reach the 30-homer mark for a seventh straight season.Snell, 18-5 with a 2.06 ERA on the season, is 6-0 with a 1.42 ERA in seven starts since coming off the disabled list.“I really think this team can do it,” Snell said Tuesday. “I think we can prove a lot of people wrong. Just got to keep playing the baseball we’ve been playing.”On Sept. 1, he beat the Indians in Cleveland http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , working 6 2/3 innings while allowing eight hits and one unearned run — his first career victory in three career starts against Cleveland. He is 1-1 with a 1.83 ERA in three career starts against the Indians.In his last start, a win over Baltimore, Snell had his streak of 14 consecutive home starts of one run or fewer allowed snapped by a two-run homer by Joey Rickard in the sixth inning. But he is 17-8 with a 2.45 ERA in 32 career starts at Tropicana Field with opponents hitting .212 against him in those outings.Carrasco is coming off a 14-strikeout game in his last start and comes into this one 16-8 with a 3.41 ERA. He lost to the Rays on Sept. 2, yielding five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings and is 4-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against the Rays in his career.However, while Snell loves pitching at the Trop, so does Carrasco, who comes into this start 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in five games (four starts) at Tropicana Field.The Tampa loss, combined with yet another Oakland win, dropped the Rays 8 1/2 games behind the A’s for the second wild-card spot. Oakland comes to St. Petersburg this weekend, but the lead appears insurmountable.The Indians announced Kluber will be skipped this weekend, giving him rest for the upcoming playoffs.“At some point Corey was going to have an extra two days off,” manager Terry Francona said before Tuesday night’s game. “There was no way around it. So Carl (Willis, pitching coach) and he decided that this week he’ll take it.”Kluber, closing in on a possible third Cy Young Award http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey , wasn’t thrilled, Francona said, “So, he’s going to get a week (off) this week, which is too long. Now, the good news is he can throw a good side (session) and all that, but barring anything crazy, he can go into a playoff game with one extra day’s rest, which is what he wants. And that was the only way to do it.”Trevor Bauer, out with a right fibula stress fracture, is slated to throw off the bullpen mound as he starts his road back.For Tampa Bay, Matt Duffy missed his second straight start with back stiffness, pinch hit but is likely to rest again Wednesday. Kevin Kiermaier (illness) also missed his second straight but was on deck to hit when the game ended.Cash was ejected for the first time this season for arguing a balk in the eighth inning.Tampa’s Tommy Pham extended his hitting streak to a career-high 15 straight games.

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesNow that the finalists for Major League Baseball's awards have been announced http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-ivan-nova-jersey , oddsmakers have released the latest betting lines for who will take home the hardware.Per Bovada (h/t B/R Betting), Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox and Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers are the favorites to be named American League and National League MVP:B/R Betting br_bettingUpdated MLB Awards favorites from BovadaAL MVP: Mookie Betts (-550)AL Cy Young: Blake Snell (-240)AL ROY: Shohei Ohtani (-225)NL MVP: Christian Yelich (-550)NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom (-500)NL ROY: Ronald Acuna (-300) 64HyFh8Gq0The closest race is for American League Rookie of the Year, which has Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani at -250 (bet $250 to win $100).Ohtani led all AL rookies with 3.8FanGraphswins above replacement (2.8 as an outfielder; 1.0 as a pitcher). Among rookies in the AL with at least 300 plate appearances, the Japanese sensationled the waywith a .361 on-base percentage and .564 slugging percentage.New York Yankees infielders Miguel Andujar (.297/.328/.527) and Gleyber Torres (.271/.340/.480) are Ohtani's competitors for the award. Andujar tied for the AL rookie lead with 27 homers and tied for third in MLB with 47 doubles.Cy Young favoritesBlake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays (-240) and Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets (-500) were theonly qualified starterswith sub-2.00 ERA totals. Both pitchers would make history if they walk away with the awards.DeGrom finished 2018 with 10 wins, despite posting a 1.70 ERA. Felix Hernandez currentlyholds the record for fewest winsin a full season by a starting pitcher to win the Cy Young (13 in 2010).Thefewest innings pitchedin a 162-game season by a starting pitcher to win the Cy Young award was Clayton Kershaw with 198.1 in 2014. Snell only threw 180.2 innings for the Rays in 31 starts, though he made them count with an AL-best 1.89 ERA.Betts led MLB with 10.4FanGraphswins above replacement, .346 batting average and .640 slugging percentage. His .438 on-base percentage ranked second to fellow AL MVP finalist Mike Trout.Yelich led the NL with a .326 batting average and .598 slugging percentage. The 26-year-old caught fire down the stretch, hitting .367/.449/.770 after the All-Star break and .370/.508/.804 in September to help Milwaukee surpass the Chicago Cubs, who also have an NL MVP finalist in Javier Baez, for the franchise's first NL Central title since 2011. DENVER — Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland http://www.piratesfanproshop.com/authentic-jameson-taillon-jersey , who has been remarkably consistent all season and particularly effective at Coors Field, will start Friday for the surging Rockies against the Washington Nationals.The Rockies took another step Thursday toward making the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in their 26-year history with a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. A four-game sweep of the Phillies has extended Colorado’s winning streak to a season-high-tying seven games and reduced their magic number for a postseason appearance to two.In quest of their first National League West title, the Rockies (89-70) lead the division by one game over the Los Angeles Dodgers (88-71), who were off Thursday. The Rockies are two games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild-card spot. The Cardinals were also idle Thursday.Article continues below ...Freeland (16-7, 2.84) will oppose Joe Ross (0-1, 4.09), who will make his third start for the Nationals since returning from Tommy John surgery in July 2017.Freeland is 7-0, 2.10 in his past 10 starts, nine of which the Rockies have won. The Rockies are 22-10 in games started by Freeland, who has recorded 10 consecutive quality starts and 23 this season.He’s 9-2 Brad Hand Jersey , 2.36 in 14 starts at Coors Field and ranks third in home ERA among NL pitchers, trailing only Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets (1.54) and the Cardinals’ Miles Mikolas (2.17).Freeland, 25, was 0-3, 5.85 after his first four starts this season. At that point, he and catcher Chris Iannetta realized Freeland had to come inside more often with his four-seam fastball to right-handed hitters. At the same time, Freeland was beginning to get better results from his changeup as a result of following a suggestion from bullpen coach Darren Holmes and dragging his left toe hard when throwing the pitch to take velocity off it.After those first four starts, Freeland has gone 16-4, 2.50 in his subsequent 28 starts, limiting opponents to a .229 average and .629 OPS.“It was early in the season http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-chase-headley-jersey ,” Freeland said. “I knew there was a long way to go, and there’s no reason to wash this season just because my first four starts weren’t what I wanted them to be.“There were things I had to realize quickly and I did with the help of Chris and our pitching coaches, realizing we had to stay with my strengths. We have to pitch inside. We have to make the hitters uncomfortable. We can’t just let them get extension all the time and hope that that two-seam (fastball) just gets hit in the ground every single time, because that’s just not going to happen over the course of 30-32 starts.”Freeland is 1-0, 3.72 in two starts against Washington. Ross is 0-0, 9.64 in one four-inning relief appearance against the Rockies on April 25, 2017, at Coors Field.Ross gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings Friday in a 95-pitch start against the Mets and was the losing pitcher as the Nationals fell 4-2.“The uncertainty of how it will end, if you’ll be back, was the toughest part Tyson Ross Jersey , I think, for me,” Ross told the Washington Post before his first start for the Nationals earlier this month, referring to his comeback from Tommy John surgery. “But I kind of just went day-by-day, and I am back here now, so it paid off in the end.”

BOSTON (AP) — In what has become a championship tradition in the city Mike Moustakas Jersey , the Boston Red Sox will climb aboard duck boats for a parade to celebrate the team’s fourth World Series title in 15 years, city officials announced Monday.The parade Wednesday will begin at 11 a.m. at Fenway Park. The team is expected to return to Boston later Monday with the World Series trophy.Mayor Marty Walsh said that he expected large crowds for the parade and that traffic and parking restrictions would be in place, along with tight security. Police said alcohol would be prohibited along the parade route and no one would be allowed to carry weapons of any kind.“We’ve been here before, let’s act like it,” said Police Commissioner William Gross.The tradition of players climbing aboard the amphibious duck boats, one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, to celebrate championships dates back to 2004, the year the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918.In all, the city has had 11 sports championships since 2002, with the New England Patriots winning five and the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins each winning once during that period.“Boston has certainly set a new tone around celebrations Salvador Perez Jersey ,” Walsh said. “Maybe it’s because we have a lot of them or maybe it’s because of the way we conduct ourselves.”Jubilant fans, many of them college students, spilled out in the streets late Sunday and early Monday morning after the Red Sox’ clinching 5-1 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.Boston police said the crowd was largely well-behaved, and only one arrest was reported. A 22-year-old Connecticut man was charged with malicious destruction of property after climbing a light pole and punching the plastic light fixture, causing the lens to break, officials said.Police closed off several streets around Fenway Park. A World Series championship banner was unfurled outside it just before dawn.Two students at Bridgewater State University were arrested early Monday after being accused of vandalizing two life-sized bear sculptures on the campus during a celebration of the Red Sox win, the Enterprise of Brockton reported.A crowd of about 2,000 students also gathered to celebrate following the game at the University of Massachusetts’ flagship campus in Amherst, MassLive.com reported. A spokeswoman for the university said there were no arrests and no injuries reported.Boston has experienced incidents in the past during spontaneous celebrations, some leading to deaths.In 2004 http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-brandon-moss-jersey , an Emerson College student was struck in the eye with a pepper-pellet gun fired by police trying to disperse a crowd celebrating the Red Sox’s American League Championship Series win over the New York Yankees. The city later paid a $5.1 million settlement to Victoria Snelgrove’s family and agreed never to use that type of weapon again.A settlement was also reached with police and the parents of David Woodman, a 22-year-old Celtics fan who stopped breathing and later died after being taken into custody on a public drinking charge during street celebrations after the team’s 2008 championship. If the Los Angeles Angels move on from manager Mike Scioscia, former MLB third basemanEric Chavez is the front-runner for the job, according toUSA Today'sBob Nightengale.Chavez is a special assistant in the Angels organization and finished the 2018 minor league season as skipper of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.The Athletic'sKen Rosenthalreported in early August thatScioscia鈥攚ho is about to reach the end of a10-year contracthe signed in January 2009鈥攊s expected to step down at the end of the season after 19 years on the job. He went 1,646-1,427 with the Angels. He also made seven postseason appearances and won the 2002 World Series.With five games to play, the Angels are 76-81 and sit 23.5 games back in the American League West. This marks the fourth consecutive season they'll miss the playoffs.Although Rosenthal reportedScioscia is not expected to be back with the Angels next season, the skipper toldKLAA-AM radio Monday (h/tESPN.com) that he'd "like to" keep managing, whether it's in Los Angeles or elsewhere:"We'll continue to evaluate things this week. I'll speak with [Angels owner] Arte [Moreno] and speak with [general manager] Billy [Eppler] and kind of come to a decision. But I think that if you love something, you want to continue to keep doing it. If you can Bo Jackson Jersey , great. And if it doesn't happen, so be it. But I love the dugout."If the Angels move on, Chavez could get the nod.The 40-year-old played 17 seasons in the majors, suiting up for the Oakland Athletics (13 years), the New York Yankees (two) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (two). He retired in July 2014, wrapping up a career in which he hit .268 with 260 home runs and won six Gold Gloves as well as a Silver Slugger.Chavez then worked on the A's broadcast crew. In October 2014, the Yankeeshiredhim as a special assignment scout. He then joined the Angels after the 2015 season as aspecial assistantto general manager Billy Eppler, who was part of the front office that brought Chavez to New York before Eppler moved to Los Angeles in 2015.Scioscia's 1,646 managerial victories are the most in franchise history.Bill Rigney (1961-69) ranks second with 625 wins. Replacing him with someone who has no experience as a big league manager may seem risky, but Chavez does have a good relationship with the general manager."He can bring a high sense of baseball acumen in a number of areas Paulo Orlando Jersey , through experience, through just how he relates to people, how he'll relate to young players, older players, coaches, scouts, front office people," Eppler said of Chavez in October 2015, per MLB.com'sAlden Gonzalez. "He's just a really magnetic personality and someone I have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in."The Angels' final 2018 game will take place Sunday.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gio Gonzalez is getting comfortable with his new team.The left-hander pitched six smooth innings on his 33rd birthday and Jesus Aguilar hit a three-run homer in the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.Manny Pina also had a three-run shot and Aguilar finished with four RBIs as he reached 103 for the season. Gonzalez’s stellar showing helped the Brewers boost their lead for the top NL wild card to three games over St. Louis http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-jonathan-schoop-jersey , which lost to Atlanta earlier.The Brewers also moved within 2½ games of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. Chicago lost 9-0 at Arizona.Gonzalez (9-11) was acquired in a trade with Washington on Aug. 31 in an effort to bolster the Brewers’ starting rotation. He has picked up a victory in two of his three starts with Milwaukee, and the Brewers have won all three games.“It’s been easy to play with these guys because they make you feel welcome,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no added pressure. Just go out there and play the best you can.”He allowed just two hits Wednesday — both singles — while striking out five and walking two.Reds right-hander Matt Harvey (7-9), a pitcher the Brewers nearly acquired a few weeks ago before a proposed deal fell through, gave up Aguilar’s game-changing home run.Aguilar, however, said his infield hit in the first inning for his 100th RBI set up his big night.“I was thinking about the RBI almost every night,” he explained. “After that, I’m good. It was an unbelievable feeling. When I get that 100, I’m a new guy.”A leadoff walk to Gonzalez put Harvey in trouble in the third inning. Christian Yelich reached on a one-out infield hit when no one covered first base on a bouncer fielded by Harvey.Aguilar followed with a high drive into the right-field bleachers, his team-leading 33rd home run of the season, to give the Brewers a 4-0 lead.Milwaukee broke open the game in the sixth on a three-run homer by Pina, who worked a 13-pitch at-bat, finally belting a hanging slider from Harvey into the left-field bleachers. Domingo Santana tripled and Mike Moustakas was intentionally walked before Pina’s ninth homer of the season extended the lead to 7-0.The Reds had a conference on the mound during the long at-bat Zach Britton Jersey , but it didn’t bother Pina.“I was so focused, man,” he said. “After they gave an intentional walk to Moose, I was like, I need to do something this at-bat. He threw me pitches inside, outside, changeups, fastballs, sliders.“He’s kind of tight. I knew he was going to hang any pitch and that’s the pitch I hit for a homer.”Harvey was not happy with his outing, which dropped him to 1-3 with a 6.39 ERA in six career starts against the Brewers. He allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.“The whole start was not good,” he said. “I have to be better.”Corey Knebel, Junior Guerra and Freddy Peralta finished up for Milwaukee, each pitching one inning in the combined two-hitter.CHASE STILL ONBrewers manager Craig Counsell has not given up on catching the Cubs for a division title.“We’ve got nine games to go,” Counsell said. “We’ve got plenty of baseball left. There are going to be some great moments. There are going to be plenty of tough moments. That’s all still ahead of us.“We’re just ready for it to happen. We’ve put ourselves in a great position to enjoy the last 10 days of the season.”The Brewers have six road games remaining (three vs. Pittsburgh and three vs. St. Louis) and the final three at home (against Detroit).Milwaukee ended its homestand with a 3-3 record against the Pirates and Reds.TRAINER’S ROOMBrewers: CF Lorenzo Cain was not in the lineup after being taken out of Tuesday’s game with a right ribcage injury. Counsell said he wanted to be cautious with Cain http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-darren-o_day-jersey , who ranks fourth in the NL in batting average (.308). The Brewers are off Thursday and Cain will be reassessed before Friday’s series opener in Pittsburgh. “I definitely don’t want to miss a game,” Cain said. “They told me that I’m not looking myself up there right now.” Santana got the start in right field — his first game as a starter since June 12 — and Yelich moved to center with Curtis Granderson in left. Infielder Travis Shaw was back in the lineup after being hit by a pitch Tuesday and leaving the game with a bruised right knee.UP NEXTReds: LHP Cody Reed (0-2, 4.32 ERA) will make his fifth consecutive appearance as a starter as Cincinnati opens a four-game series in Miami. He posted a career-high 10 strikeouts in five innings against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, allowing no runs and two hits in a game the Reds lost 1-0.Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (14-8, 3.54 ERA) opens a three-game set in Pittsburgh. He has lost his last three starts, including a 3-2 defeat (allowed three hits, two runs) against the Pirates on Sunday. He is 2-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 career starts vs. the Pirates. TORONTO — The Houston Astros have a club record for wins within sight as they move closer to clinching the American League West.After taking the first two games of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, including a 4-1 victory Tuesday night, the 2017 World Series champions have won 100 games in a season for the second straight season and the third time in franchise history.“That’s a lot of wins. I’m proud of this team and we’re not done yet,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s hard to win in this league in general when everybody expects you to and there’s such a small margin for error where there’s a reaction every time you don’t win. So, to be at a 100 and climbing is remarkable for this team.”Article continues below ...The club record is 102 wins set in 1998.The victory on Tuesday was the Astros 54th on the road this season, also a club record.The Astros entered Tuesday with a 4 1/2-game lead over the Oakland Athletics in the division.The Astros (100-57) will start right-hander Chris Devenski (2-2, 4.12 ERA) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. The Blue Jays (71-87) will counter with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (2-4, 5.40).Reid-Foley could pitch only two or three innings — he’s already thrown 159 2/3 innings Frank Robinson Jersey , including his minor-league season. In four starts in September, he is 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA.He has never faced the Astros.Devenski has made 47 relief appearances and no starts this season. In five career starts, he is 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA. In four relief appearances against Toronto he is 0-0 with a 5.14, including one scoreless inning this season.Both teams seem prepared to empty the bullpens.Blue Jays shortstop Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not play Tuesday and will sit out the rest of the season because of a strained hamstring. He left the game Monday after grounding into a double play in the first inning.His brother, Astros infielder Yuli Gurriel, was 2-for-4 to extend his hit streak to 11 games in which he is batting .444 (20-for-44). The series was the first time they had played against each other in the majors and it lasted only the one inning.The Blue Jays also announced that right-hander Aaron Sanchez had surgery on his injured right index finger on Tuesday.Sanchez has been limited by finger injuries the past two seasons after winning the American League ERA title in 2016. Last season, it was a blister problem and this season the finger got caught in his suitcase in June. “Hopefully this clears it all up, because he’s important to this team,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “He was on top of the world a couple years ago and he’s been knocked down. That’s a big part of the frustration; he hasn’t been able to do much the last two years.”The Astros were again without shortstop Carlos Correa, who is resting lingering back and oblique issues. He could return to the lineup Wednesday as designated hitter.Correa was on the disabled list from June 26-Aug. 10 with a sore back. He is batting .174 with four extra-base hits in 121 at-bats since being activated from the DL.He has missed the past five games.“It’s a lot more comfortable,” Correa said Tuesday. “It felt good enough for me to go out there and play tomorrow and try to get these last two series for me to get some at-bats before going to the postseason.”Correa said the final five games will help prepare him for the playoffs.“It’s something that never goes away, I feel like,” Correa said. “I’m looking forward to helping the team in the postseason and getting my rest in the offseason.”The Astros lead the season series with the Blue Jays 4-1.The series finale will be the final home game of the season for the Blue Jays and could be the final home game for Gibbons as manager.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesThe NLDS kicked off on Thursday http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-ross-stripling-jersey , with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in their respective series.Now it's time for Game 1 from the two ALDS matchups.The New York Yankees' victory over the Oakland Athletics set up a meeting with the rival Boston Red Sox, while the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians will meet on the other side of the bracket in a battle of stacked rotations and potent offenses.Ahead is a full preview of what to expect on Friday, complete with all the pertinent TV and streaming information:Friday's ScheduleCleveland Indians at Houston Astros, 2:05 p.m. ET (TBS)New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox, 7:32 p.m. ET (TBS)All postseason games can be live-streamed at MLB.tv. PreviewIndians vs. AstrosJustin VerlanderPatrick McDermott/Getty ImagesThis game will feature two of the game's best starting pitchers, with Corey Kluber (20-7, 2.89 ERA, 222 K) toeing the rubber for the Indians and Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.52 ERA, 290 K) on the hill for the Astros.The Astros won the season series 4-3, with both series coming back in May.Kluber picked up the win on May 19, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out 10 over seven strong innings. He was equally impressive less than a week later on May 25, when he scattered seven hits over 6.1 scoreless innings in a no-decision.The Indians missed Verlander this year, but they saw plenty of him in past seasons while he was pitching for the Detroit Tigers.Utility man Marwin Gonzalez is 9-for-20 with two home runs against Kluber in his career, as he's had far and away the most success against him of any current Astros player.The Indians' Michael Brantley has seen a ton of Verlander, going 22-for-76 (.289 BA) with two doubles and a triple, as the two shared the AL Central division for years.Francisco Lindor (10-for-29 Yasmani Grandal Jersey , 2B, 3B, HR), Jose Ramirez (11-for-27, 3 2B, 2 HR) and Josh Donaldson (6-for-18, 1 2B) all have strong numbers against Verlander as well.With both teams featuring stacked rotations, a Game 1 victory with their aces on the mound doesn't carry quite as much weight as it would for most teams, but there's still a distinct advantage to jumping out to an early lead.Yankees vs. Red SoxChris SaleJason Miller/Getty ImagesThe Red Sox won the season series between these two rivals 10-9, but it was the Yankees who came out on top both times they met in September.The Yankees will turn to deadline-addition J.A. Happ (7-0, 2.69 ERA, 63 K in 10 starts following a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays) for the Game 1 start, while the Red Sox will send out ace Chris Sale (12-4, 2.11 ERA, 237 K).Look for Steve Pearce to be penciled into the Red Sox lineup somewhere. The veteran has absolutely worn out Happ in his career, going 11-for-32 with two doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI.Mookie Betts and Ian Kinsler also have two home runs each off Happ.Sale has held active Yankees hitters to a .193/.243/.265 line with 67 strikeouts in 166 at-bats.Aaron Judge has taken him deep once http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-joc-pederson-jersey , but he's also fanned 13 times in 18 at-bats. Aaron Hicks has enjoyed the most success, with an 8-for-25 track record that includes a pair of doubles.These two teams have met three other times in the postseason.The Yankees bested the Red Sox in four games in the 1999ALCS. The 2003ALCS belonged to the Yankees as well, as it provided the memorable Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer "fight" and Aaron Boone's walk-off home run. And of course, there is the 2004 ALCS, in which the Red Sox pulled off the greatest comeback in MLB history after falling behind 3-0 in the series.All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Now Alex Cora’s in trouble.Boston’s manager went for a commanding lead in the World Series, using David Price and Nathan Eovaldi out of the bullpen in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.But Los Angeles won 3-2 in 18 innings Friday night, trimming Boston’s lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Now Cora has to come up with a starting pitcher for Game 4.After failing to answer the first time when asked, Cora spelled out his situation.“TBA” he said, then repeating for extra emphasis: “TBA.”Cora’s Game 3 moves almost worked. Jackie Bradley Jr.’s eighth-inning home run off Kenley Jansen tied it at 1, and the Red Sox went ahead in the 13th when Eduardo Nunez reached on an infield single that pitcher Scott Alexander threw wildly to first for an error that allowed Brock Holt to come home from second.But Max Muncy walked off Nathan Eovaldi leading off the bottom half, tagged up and went to second when third baseman Eduardo Nunez fell into the seats catching Cody Bellinger’s popup. Muncy then scored when second baseman Ian Kinsler slipped on the infield and bounced his throw wide of first on Yasiel Puig’s grounder up the middle , ruled a single and an error. Muncy ended the game when he homered off Eovaldi leading off the 18th inning on the reliever’s 97th pitch.Boston and Los Angeles tied World Series records by using 23 players, including nine pitchers. All those moves created a short pitching staff for Cora for the rest of the weekend after he pulled starter Rick Porcello after 4 2/3 innings.“We’ll map it out tomorrow,” Cora said. “There are a few guys that are lining up in my office to start the game tomorrow. We’ll decide what we’ll do and we’ll be fine.”Cora’s choices to start Saturday night are Game 1 starter Chris Sale on three days’ rest; Eduardo Rodriguez, who followed Porcello and threw just six pitches in striking out Joc Pederson for the final out of the fifth; or Drew Pomeranz, who hasn’t pitched since the regular-season finale Sept. 30 and last started on Aug. 7.“Somebody will start. Most likely a lefty Clayton Kershaw Jersey ,” Cora said to laughter.Insisting he’s no genius, Cora refused before the game to take credit for making the right moves.“No. It’s all about the players,” the rookie manager said. “They’re talented. We got information. We put them in spots that we feel that they’re going to be successful. But in the end they’re the ones that hit homers and make plays and actually they make managers look good. That’s it.”Cora’s agent, the always glib Scott Boras, coined the term “Coralytics,” describing the 43-year-old as a synergy of psychological prowess and analytical aptitude.“Alex is one of the most intelligent teammates I had and the most caring,” said Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts, who was together with Cora on the 2003-04 Dodgers. “He’s always played the game the way you’re supposed to play.”Cora seems unflappable.“More than anything, he’s just brought consistency,” Sale said. “He’s the same guy in the first inning as he is in the ninth inning of a 10-1 ballgame or 3-3 ballgame. I think that’s the overall thing as players that we take from him. … Ninth inning, bases loaded, one out of a one-run ballgame, and he’s sitting there eating seeds, doing the same thing as a 10-1 ballgame in the fourth inning. And I think that goes very well with us as players, when if he’s not panicking, why should we?”That will matter more than ever this weekend

ST. LOUIS (AP) Jon Gray is back to competing Authentic Deshaun Watson Jersey , and the Colorado Rockies are reaping the rewards.Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez each went deep, Gray pitched into the eighth inning and the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Tuesday night.Gray (9-7) has won his last four decisions, and the Rockies have won the last five games he’s started. That includes three straight victories since a brief demotion to Triple-A to clear the young right-hander’s head.Gray struck out five over 7 1/3 innings, helping Colorado finish the month 17-6. Gray allowed three runs, two earned, with four hits and two walks.”I’m definitely feeling more competitive than I ever have before which is good,” Gray said. ”That’s one thing I want to feel all the time out there is competitive and ask myself, `How good can you be today?’ and just go with that.”Just making the game fun and playing the small games within a game has been carrying me through.”Manager Bud Black liked what he saw.”He probably threw a few more true curveballs tonight than the previous couple outings,” Black said. ”It was working well. The change of velocity from the curveball to the fastball I think was a great variable for Jon.”Wade Davis got his 31st save in 35 opportunities with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He saved a career-high 32 last year with the Cubs.Colorado went ahead 2-1 on Blackmon’s homer in the fifth. Ryan McMahon led off with a 12-pitch walk, and with two outs, Blackmon hit a 1-2 pitch into the right field bleachers. Blackmon’s homer extended his hitting streak to 13 games.The Rockies added two runs in the sixth to chase starter Jack Flaherty (4-6). Gonzalez walked with one out and Trevor Story doubled. Story has team-leading 69 RBIs.Chasen Shreve, making his first appearance for St. Louis since coming over in a July 28 trade with the Yankees, gave up a double to Gerardo Parra.Colorado’s final two runs came when Gonzalez lined a homer just inside the right field foul pole off John Brebbia. Ian Desmond, who drew a one-out walk, scored ahead of Gonzalez.Matt Carpenter led off with a home run, sending an 0-2 pitch into the right field seats. It was Carpenter’s seventh leadoff home run this season. It was the 22nd of his career, passing Hall of Famer Lou Brock on St. Louis’ career list.”To be in the same sentence with him (Brock) is pretty special http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey ,” Carpenter said.Carpenter, who hit an MLB-leading 11 homers in July, leads the Cardinals with 26.The Cardinals scored two runs in the eighth, cutting the lead to 6-3. St. Louis loaded the bases with one out against Gray. Seung Hwan Oh gave up a sacrifice fly to Carpenter, and a passed ball and throwing error by catcher Tom Murphy allowed Dexter Fowler to score.Flaherty (4-6) pitched 5 1/3 innings. It marked the first time in five starts he pitched into the sixth inning. He allowed four runs, five hits and two walks. He struck out seven.TRADE WINDSCardinals: St. Louis traded outfielder Tommy Pham and international bonus slot allotment to Tampa Bay for outfielder Justin Williams, left-hander Genesis Cabrera and right-hander Roel Ramirez. The 30-year-old Pham has been a member of the Cardinals organization since being drafted in 2006. He was batting .248 this season with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs. St. Louis also acquired minor league outfielders Conner Capel and Jhon Torres from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Oscar Mercado.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: RHP Chad Bettis (middle finger blister) will make another rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Albuquerque. If he does well with no problems, he could return to the big club as either a starter or a reliever. Bettis hasn’t pitched in the major league since July 1.Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (right shoulder strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday and had an MRI. President of baseball operations John Moseliak said the team does not believe the injury is season-ending, and Martinez will be able to pitch again. … 2B Kolton Wong (left knee inflammation) is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday but likely will be activated Thursday or Friday. … St. Louis recalled rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill and left-handed reliever Tyler Webb from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.UP NEXTRockies: Kyle Freeland (9-6, 3.13) will be making his first start in St. Louis and second against the Cardinals. He pitched six innings in taking a loss in a 3-0 defeat to St. Louis on May 27, 2017. The Rockies have won each of his last five starts.Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (6-9, 4.70) will make his second career appearance against Colorado. He pitched a career-low two innings in his start in 2016 against the Rockies in an 11-1 loss. In his most recent outing, Weaver pitched six innings and picked up the win in a 5-2 victory over the Cubs.— ATLANTA (AP) — C.J. Cron has been connecting for some big hits during Tampa Bay’s recent hot streak.After the Rays fell short the night before, Cron felt the collective mood shift when he gave his club a one-run lead early on.“It keeps the whole team morale up,” he said. “When the team’s having a good time, it’s easier for the individual to have a good time.”Cron hit a tiebreaking homer in the third inning, Tommy Pham added a two-run shot in the fourth and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Atlanta Braves 8-5 in a rain-delayed game early Thursday.Tampa Bay has won nine of 10 and outscored opponents 54-26 over that span.The Braves have dropped three of five but still lead the NL East by 3½ games.Atlanta starter Sean Newcomb (11-7) struggled from the outset Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , retiring the first two batters he faced before the Rays took a 3-0 lead on Joey Wendle’s two-run single and Carlos Gomez’s RBI single.Newcomb gave up eight hits, six runs and two walks in four innings. He struck out seven, but since falling one strike shy of a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 29, the left-hander has a 12.15 ERA with 29 hits allowed in his last three home starts, a span of 13 1/3 innings.“I think it honestly is just part of the baseball season,” Newcomb said. “I’m not going to be great every time out. I think it’s just something I’ve got to learn to deal with and try to minimize. It’s been a stretch against some good teams and me just not having my best stuff.”Tampa Bay starter Diego Castillo gave up Johan Camargo’s 14th homer, a three-run shot in the first. Castillo, making his third start in 33 appearances, allowed three hits and three runs and struck out two in two innings.Cron went 4 for 5 and is hitting .366 with three homers and five RBIs in his last 11 games. His 25th homer put the Rays up 4-3.Pham’s 16th homer, his second with Tampa Bay, made it 6-3.Luke Jackson, the second Atlanta pitcher, trailed 8-3 in the fifth. He threw errantly to third base on a force-out attempt and allowed Wendle to score before letting Gomez score on a sacrifice bunt.Jalen Beeks (4-1), the second Rays pitcher, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and stranded a runner at third in the fourth. He gave up four hits, three walks and struck out two in three innings.“It was a good job by our staff to hold that lead,” Cron said. “It’s not easy to have two rain delays and keep that focus. I’m proud of the guys tonight.”The Braves cut the lead to 8-5 in the eighth on Charlie Culberson’s pinch-hit RBI single and Ronald Acuna Jr.’s RBI single.Jose Alvarado got the last four outs to earn his sixth save in eight chances.The Rays changed their fortunes against Newcomb Youth Jalen Ramsey Jersey , who pitched six scoreless innings in an 8-1 win at Tampa three months ago. They had him scuffling early with 25 pitches in the first.“I don’t know if that’s something that we were specifically focusing on,” Wendle said “I think it’s just a product of having good at-bats, just seeing him deeper in the counts.”LONG DELAYSThe game began 41 minutes late because of rain and was stopped for 1 hour, 6 minutes in the middle of the sixth.STREAKINGWendle has multiple hits in four straight games. … Camargo leads the Braves with 48 RBIs since the start of June. … Pham is 11 for his last 23.TRAINER’S ROOMAtlanta RHP Mike Soroka, sidelined for 82 games with a strain and inflammation in his shoulder, will not return this season. The 21-year-old will continue to work at the team’s spring training complex in Florida over the next month. A first-round draft pick in 2015, Soroka has been on the disabled list twice and last pitched June 19 at Toronto. He went 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA in five starts.ON THE MOVEThe Braves expect that 1B Lucas Duda, acquired in a trade with Kansas City, will likely join the team on Thursday for a home makeup game against the Chicago Cubs. … Atlanta was assigned C Rene Rivera on waivers from the Los Angeles Angels, but he’s unlikely to arrive until rosters expand Saturday.INTERLEAGUEThe Rays went 7-13 against the NL this season. … The Braves are 8-9 against the AL and host Boston for three games next week.UP NEXTRays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 4.18 ERA) will face Indians ace RHP Corey Kluber when Tampa Bay begins a three-game series Friday at Cleveland. The Rays are off Thursday. Glasnow, acquired with Austin Meadows in the trade that sent Chris Archer to Pittsburgh, is 0-1 with a 3.80 ERA in five starts with Tampa Bay.Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (10-8, 2.67 ERA) will make his 26th start when Atlanta hosts the Cubs and LHP Mike Montgomery in Thursday’s makeup game. Foltynewicz, a first-time All-Star, is 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA in five starts this month.

On the heels of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , the Houston Astros are favored to repeat as World Series champions.Per OddsShark, the Astros are the World Series favorites at +410 (41-10), while the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top choice in the National League at +850 (17-2):OddsShark OddsSharkWorld Series odds (5Dimes):HOU +410BOS +465NYY +535LAD +850CHC +950CLE +1300PHI +1625ARZ +2000ATL/MIL +2150WSH +2250SEA +2500SF +4000STL +5000OAK +8000COL +8500LAA +30000MIN/PIT +50000TB +70000TOR/NYM/CIN +250000SD +300000TEX +500000CWS/BAL/KC/DET +999999Ahead of the Dodgers in overall odds to win the World Series are the Boston Red Sox at +465 (93-20) and New York Yankees at +535 (107-20).The odds favor a rematch of last season's World Series, which saw the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven games for the first championship in franchise history.At 64-35, the Astros have the third-best record in the American League and Major League Baseball as a whole behind the Red Sox and Yankees.They are arguably the most balanced team in baseball, though, with a lineup spearheaded by the likes of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and George Springer, as well as a dominant starting rotation bolstered by Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole and Dallas Keuchel.The Dodgers got off to a rough start this season http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey , but they are on a roll as of late and lead the NL West by a half-game over the Arizona Diamondbacks at 53-43.L.A. made a power move Wednesday by acquiring All-Star shortstop Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles for five prospects.Machado is hitting .315 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI, and he will join an already potent Dodgers lineup.After the Dodgers, the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs are the second choice in the National League at +950 (19-2).Although the NL is weak this season, the Cubbies own the league's best record at 55-38, and they lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games atop the NL Central.Despite owning a 58-39 record and holding the second wild-card spot in the AL, the Seattle Mariners have the worst World Series odds of any current playoff team at +2,500 (25-1).If the odds hold up and the Astros repeat as World Series champions, they will be the first team to do so since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000. OAKLAND, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels will look to further endanger the Oakland Athletics‘ chances of making the playoffs when the teams meet Wednesday night for the second time in a three-game series.Caleb Cowart, pressed into action when regular second baseman David Fletcher was lost for the season Sunday with a hamstring injury, shocked the Oakland crowd with his first career grand slam Tuesday night Ryan Zimmerman Jersey , helping the Angels overcome an early three-run deficit en route to a 9-7 victory.The win was the fourth-place Angels’ eighth in 14 meetings with their California rivals this season.Article continues below ...The loss dropped the A’s (90-61) a game closer to Tampa Bay (84-66) with 12 games remaining in the Rays’ season. A lead that was 8 1/2 games after the A’s won at Tampa Bay on Friday night has suddenly shrunk to 5 1/2.Well after the Rays close out a series at Texas on Wednesday afternoon, Angels right-hander Felix Pena (3-4, 3.75 ERA) will match up with A’s lefty Brett Anderson (3-5, 4.35) for the second time in a little over a month.The Angels prevailed 4-3 in the Aug. 10 meeting, overcoming a shaky start by Pena, who allowed first-inning home runs to Matt Chapman and Khris Davis among his first 13 pitches.But the A’s went the final 8 2/3 innings without scoring again, and the Angels eventually overtook them on two-run homers by Kole Calhoun off Anderson and Justin Upton against Lou Trivino.It was Trivino who served up the grand slam to Cowart in the series opener.Pena was won his last two starts, including a six-inning scoreless effort against Texas last Wednesday in his most recent outing.He has faced the A’s twice in his career, once as a starter, with a 0-0 record and 5.40 ERA.Anderson is trying to pitch his way into the Oakland postseason rotation, if in fact the A’s qualify. He did not help his cause in his last start http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-jayson-werth-jersey , when he lasted 3 1/3 innings in his first outing after missing time due to a forearm strain.He has gone 1-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 11 career meetings, including eight starts, with the Angels.Anderson has never gone head-to-head with Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani, who got on base three times via a single and two walks in Tuesday’s game.The left-handed-hitting Ohtani has made only 15 starts against left-handed pitchers this season, but he came through with a key single against A’s lefty reliever Ryan Buchter in the Angels’ six-run sixth inning in the series opener.He had been hitting only .205 against left-handers at the time of that at-bat.Mike Trout homered in the win, his 35th of the season.While he basically has no chance of catching the A’s Khris Davis (43) for the AL home run crown, Trout is shooting for his second 40-homer season.If he makes it, chances are he’ll have to do more damage against Oakland pitching. The Angels and A’s not only meet twice more in this series, but also close the regular season with a three-game set in Anaheim.

LOS ANGELES — There will be no need for scoreboard watching when the National League West leaders meet Monday at Dodger Stadium Paul Molitor Jersey , at least not the out-of-town scoreboard anyway.The first-place Colorado Rockies and the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers will begin their final three-game series of the season against each other. The Dodgers are the five-time defending division champions, which makes the Rockies the upstarts in the chase.To combat the Dodgers’ experience in situations like a key late-game series, Rockies manager Bud Black will lean more on his veterans over the next few weeks.Article continues below ...“The guys who have been in Septembers before, you’ll see that,” Black said, according to the Denver Post. “Probably, for the most part, when teams have that experience, teams use it.”The Rockies will head into the duel coming off a 3-2 victory at San Francisco, but over its last 10 games http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-tony-oliva-jersey , Colorado has lost as many it has won. The Rockies had been shut out for 20 consecutive innings before scoring three times in the second inning Sunday.The Dodgers, meanwhile, will enter their final homestand of the season coming off a 6-4 road trip that inexplicably included two losses at Cincinnati against the last-place Reds and ended with a 5-0 loss at St. Louis on Sunday. The Dodgers won two-of-three games at Colorado to start that trip.The Dodgers are in a fight for the division now, in part because of their 1-6 record against the lowly Reds this year. But they have four consecutive division opponents on the schedule to close out the season, giving them a chance to decide things on their own terms.“We knew all along we controlled our own destiny,” manager Dave Roberts said, according to the Los Angeles Times, when the Dodgers took over first place with a 17-4 victory Saturday at St. Louis.Jon Gray (11-7, 4.80 ERA) will pitch in the series opener for the Rockies, and while he has helped the Rockies to a 9-2 record in his 11 starts since returning from a Triple-A demotion http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-kent-hrbek-jersey , he has a 5.59 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this year.The Dodgers will counter with left-hander Hyun Jin-Ryu (4-3 2.42), who has a 2.67 ERA in six starts since returning from the disabled list because of a groin strain. But the Dodgers are just 3-3 in those games and Ryu was the losing pitcher in one of those defeats at Cincinnati.And in those six Ryu starts, he has not gone over 89 pitches in any of them, creating reliance on a bullpen that has struggled at times and has dominating at other times over the last six weeks.After Ryu pitches, the Dodgers will close out the series with their two best pitchers: veteran Clayton Kershaw and rookie Walker Buehler. If the Dodgers can win the opener their confidence will only soar from there. Kershaw and Buehler both pitched the Dodgers to a victory at St. Louis.In 10 career starts against the Dodgers, Gray is 3-3 with a 3.83 ERA over 51 2/3 innings. In nine career starts against the Rockies, Ryu is just 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA over 43 2/3 innings. DETROIT (AP) Once Matthew Boyd escaped a couple early jams, the Detroit left-hander found a groove.”Early in the game, he had a couple guys on and it got real slow,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”He picked up the pace.”Boyd allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings Kennys Vargas Jersey , and Niko Goodrum homered in the fourth to lift the Tigers over the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Tuesday night. Gardenhire may have felt the game slowed down early, but the pace was hardly an issue overall. The game was over in 2 hours, 18 minutes.Homer Bailey (1-8) retired his first 11 batters before Goodrum went deep for his 10th home run of the year. The Tigers never gave up the lead. Boyd struck out seven and walked one before being lifted after 105 pitches.Shane Greene allowed a run in the ninth but held on for his 22nd save in 25 chances.Boyd (6-9) won his second straight start after going seven in a row without a victory.Bailey allowed only a hit and a walk through the first seven innings, but the Tigers added two more hits in the eighth, including an RBI double by Mike Gerber. Bailey did end up with his seventh career complete game and first since 2014.It was the first major league hit and RBI for Gerber.The Reds nearly took the lead in the fourth when Phillip Ervin and Joey Votto hit consecutive one-out doubles, but it appeared Votto’s drive might be caught, so Ervin only made it from second to third, and Cincinnati wasn’t able to get him home.”Phil knows on that ball there’s one out. He’s got to get off the base far enough,” Reds manager Jim Riggleman said. ”If there’s nobody out, you’re tagging. He just made a mistake. That’s baseball. It happens. But I like the fact that he was out there twice for us with a double and a triple.”In the second Bert Blyleven Jersey , Eugenio Suarez was thrown out at the plate by Detroit center fielder JaCoby Jones.Suarez hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.The Tigers improved to 2-9 in interleague play this year, and the Reds fell to 10-4.Bailey was in his second start back from a knee injury.”Mechanically I just feel so much better. I’m very confident in what I am doing,” he said. ”Probably as of a few weeks ago, I feel like I have a lot of things behind me, whether it’s injury, or getting back to feeling the way that I know I can pitch the way that I have in the past.”DEADLINE DAYDetroit traded outfielder Leonys Martin to Cleveland for a minor league infielder. That was the only deal for the Tigers on the day of the non-waiver trade deadline.Pitchers Mike Fiers and Francisco Liriano seemed like potential trade candidates, but nothing came together involving them.”The market was really flooded with a lot of good players,” Detroit general manager Al Avila said. ”We have some good players, but if you see the list of players that were available, you’re talking about http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-o_neill-jersey , I think it’s a record number. I was trying to be optimistic, but at the same time, I knew it was going to be a tough year to make multiple trades.”Cincinnati traded outfielder Adam Duvall to Atlanta on Monday night, then had a quiet day Tuesday.Detroit recalled Gerber from Triple-A Toledo to take Martin’s spot on the roster. The Reds optioned right-handers Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler, who were acquired for Duvall, to Triple-A Louisville. Outfielder Preston Tucker, who Cincinnati also got in that trade, is on the major league roster but did not play Tuesday.TRAINER’S ROOMReds: OF Scott Schebler (right shoulder) had three hits Tuesday as part of a rehab assignment with Louisville.UP NEXTThe Tigers send Fiers (7-6) to the mound Wednesday against Cincinnati’s Sal Romano (6-8).—

Cody Reed expected this back in April Billy Hamilton Jersey , but he had to wait until August for it to happen.Finally, the Cincinnati Reds are showing confidence in the left-hander, who was expected to be one of their four young starting pitchers this season but lasted only one start in that role.More Brewers coverageBrewers Final Pitch: Chacin dominates mound in Game 3 of NLCSChacin, Brewers blank Dodgers to take 2-1 lead in NLCSDespite struggles, No. 23 Badgers still have hope in Big TenStrong winds could be factor for Brewers, Dodgers in NLCS Game 3Photos of the Week: 10/7/18 – 10/13/18With the way runs are piling up in their series against the contending Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds probably could use a fresh arm on the mound.Reed (0-1, 3.68 ERA) appeared in four games, including one start, for Cincinnati in April, before being shipped back to make 17 starts at Triple-A Louisville. He rejoined the Reds earlier this month and has a 2.79 ERA in seven relief appearances.Now, Reed is getting the chance to start again and will take on Brewers left-hander Wade Miley (2-2, 2.32) in the final game of the three-game National League Central series Thursday at Great American Ball Park.Regardless of who is on the mound, look for some runs to be scored — there were a combined 41 runs scored in the first two games, starting with the Reds’ 9-7 victory Tuesday night.On Wednesday, Christian Yelich went 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle, and the Brewers overcame a four-run deficit to stay in the lead for the second NL wild-card berth with a 13-12 victory in 10 innings. Jesus Aguilar hit a long solo homer to center and Erik Kratz later added an RBI single in a two-run 10th, allowing Milwaukee to withstand Brandon Dixon’s solo homer in the bottom of the 10th.“It was one the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of Anthony DeSclafani Jersey ,” Yelich told Fox Sports Wisconsin. “I don’t know how to describe it, honestly. It was nuts. A lot of stuff happened I’ve never seen before in a baseball game.“It was huge for us; we needed that win. Credit to the guys for staying with it, battling and pulling it out. It was huge.”The Reds couldn’t win despite scoring four times against Brewers All-Star reliever Josh Hader and getting four homers, including reliever Michael Lorenzen’s three-run drive — his fourth of the season — and Eugenio Suarez’s two-run shot. Billy Hamilton of the Reds went 4-for-5 and Mike Moustakas of the Brewers was 4-for-6, and each homered.Yelich’s cycle — a single, double, triple and homer — was the second in the majors this season; Mookie Betts had one one for the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 9. But Yelich’s cycle was the first to be combined with a 6-for-6 performance since Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers did it in 2009.Milwaukee is 10-5 against Cincinnati this season.Now, it’s Reed’s turn to face the Brewers. Reed is 1-9 with the Reds over the last three seasons, making 12 starts, but was given the chance to start again after the team decided to move right-handers Sal Romano and Robert Stephenson to the bullpen.Reed liked how interim manager Jim Riggleman used him in several high-leverage situations following his Aug. 13 recall from Louisville, and he has pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his last four appearances.Riggleman called on Reed to face Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs with one out and the bases loaded Friday, despite Rizzo being 2-for-6 against him with two home runs. Reed got Rizzo to ground into a double play, although the Cubs went on to win 3-2 in 10 innings.“I stuck my hand out (to Riggleman) and said, ‘I appreciate you calling on me in that moment because this time last year and in my first year in ’16, that never would have happened,’ ” Reed told the team’s website. “I think it makes me more confident that he’s confident bringing me into that situation. As soon as the phone was ringing when (Matt) Harvey got into that little jam, I was thinking, ‘Please be me.’“A definite confidence boost that the manager has the belief in you in that moment.”It doesn’t hurt that Reed is left-handed.“His last few starts in Louisville indicated he’s moving in the right direction http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-adam-duvall-jersey ,” Riggleman said. “All things being equal, we’d like to have one left-hander in the rotation, at least. You’re not going to force that to happen. … Hopefully Cody would fit in there.”Reed is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in eight carrer appearances, including one start, against Cincinnati, and he has not allowed any runs over 2 2/3 innings in his four appearances against the Reds this season.Miley is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA in eight career starts against Cincinnati, including a 3-1 win at Great American Ball Park on May 2. In that game, he gave up one run and three hits in six innings in his first start of the season. Miley missed more than a month with a groin injury sustained during spring training. SAN DIEGO (AP) — It’s business as usual for Freddy Galvis when he faces his former team.Galvis hit a grand slam, Travis Jankowski stole four bases and scored three times, and the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-3 on Sunday.The 28-year-old Galvis spent his first six seasons with Philadelphia. He was traded to San Diego in December for right-hander Enyel De Los Santos.Galvis connected against Jake Arrieta in the third inning, hitting a two-out drive to center for his first career slam. It was his third homer in his last seven games and No. 8 on the season.“I just tried to concentrate a little bit when we have those kind of situations and try to do the best I can,” Galvis said. “Today, I got a big hit and I’m thankful for that.”Galvis is batting .455 with 10 hits, nine RBIs and four multihit games against Philadelphia this season, but he said he doesn’t do anything different when facing his former team.“I treat those guys like another team,” Galvis said. “I guess I’m a pro.”Last-place San Diego won for the fifth time in seven games, including two of three against NL East-leading Philadelphia. Joey Lucchesi (6-6) struck out six in six scoreless innings.“We’re playing better baseball, we’re doing what we are supposed to do Michael Lorenzen Jersey , we’re playing good defense, we’re pitching and were getting on base,” Galvis said.Arrieta (9-7) permitted five runs and eight hits in five innings in his first loss since June 26. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner was 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his previous seven starts.“The first three innings were just strange,” Arrieta said. “Couldn’t necessarily find it when I needed to.”Jankowski had two hits and walked twice. He became the eighth player in franchise history to steal at least four bases in a single game. Everth Cabrera was the last player to accomplish the feat for San Diego against San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2012.“He put pressure on them from the get-go,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “Teams feel that, and teams feel someone coming at them the way he was coming at them today.”Jankowski singled, swiped second and scored on Hunter Renfroe’s grounder in the first. He singled and stole second again in the third before scoring on Galvis’ homer.Jankowski also walked in the seventh and stole second and third. He scored on a throwing error by third baseman Maikel Franco, making it 6-0 Padres.Philadelphia rallied with three runs in the eighth, highlighted by consecutive RBI doubles for Nick Williams and Carlos Santana against Phil Maton.But San Diego responded with three in the bottom half. A.J. Ellis had a sacrifice fly, and Eric Hosmer drove in a run with a groundout.Padres reliever Kazuhisa Makita pitched a scoreless ninth after being recalled from Triple-A El Paso.WEIRD PLAYPadres catcher Austin Hedges was tagged out at home by Phillies shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the second. The play started with a pitch that got by Jorge Alfaro, who relayed to Arrieta at home. Arrieta threw to Cabrera at second base trying to catch Christian Villanueva, and Cabrera then chased down Hedges and applied the tag before he could dive into the plate.UP NEXTPhillies: Return home for a two-game series against Boston beginning Tuesday night. RHP Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.51 ERA) is scheduled to face Boston’s Brian Johnson (3-3, 4.00 ERA).Padres: LHP Clayton Richard (7-10, 5.13 ERA) is scheduled to open a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

The Chicago White Sox will try to snap a five-game losing streak when they visit the Kansas City Royals to open a three-game series Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.Chicago (56-87) has struggled against most of the American League this season Rickey Henderson Jersey , but it has fared much better against Kansas City. The White Sox are 10-6 against the Royals this season with a dominant run differential of 94-69.This marks the final series of the season between the teams, who occupy the last two spots in the AL Central.Article continues below ...Kansas City (47-95) trails only the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in baseball. Barring a late surprise, the Royals will have the No. 2 overall pick in next year’s draft as it attempts to dig out of a multiyear tailspin.The Royals will try to bounce back from a 3-1 walk-off loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon. Royals reliever Jason Hammel gave up a double to Max Kepler and a homer to Willians Astudillo, all with two outs, for the team’s fourth loss in its past five games.White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (10-10, 5.85 ERA) will make his 29th start. The 24-year-old has shown improvement since the All-Star break, posting five quality starts in his last seven outings, but he is coming off a turbulent game in which he gave up five runs (four earned) in 1 1/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers.In five career outings against the Royals, Giolito is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA. He picked up his first win against Kansas City in 2017 and has two victories in three starts against the club in 2018.White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Giolito and fellow starter Reynaldo Lopez have thrown more strikes lately.“Their lines to the plate are better,” Renteria recently said to reporters. “(Pitching coach Don Cooper) talks to those guys. They talk about back-to-front, keeping a good line, ‘staying in the tunnel,’ as he talks about.“I think they understand they’re not always going to make a perfect pitch http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-catfish-hunter-jersey , but they make adjustments a little quicker now. If they pull off line, those are one of the things that — especially in talking to them — that they’re able to recover. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re able to make the adjustment.”For the Royals, right-hander Jakob Junis (8-12, 4.32 ERA) will make his 27th start. He has won back-to-back outings, limiting opponents to two earned runs in his past 16 innings for a 1.13 ERA during that span. One more victory will tie his career high of nine, which he set as a rookie last year.Junis is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. The Sterling, Ill., native has surrendered a half-dozen home runs in 16 2/3 innings while walking eight and striking out 15.Less than two weeks ago, Junis posted the first complete game of his career.“It’s awesome,” Junis said to the Kansas City Star. “That’s a goal you set to do. … Hopefully more to come.” Dylan Buell/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers are the final team in the MLB playoff field after beating the San Francisco Giants 10-6 on Saturday.The American League playoff picture is 100-percent official, as all five teams are in and know their respective seedings. However,none of the National League seedings are confirmed with just one game to go.We do know that the Atlanta Braves are the NL East champions and will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.Otherwise Rollie Fingers Jersey , it's chaos.You can check out both playoff pictures below as teams get ready for Game No. 162 on Sunday. American League Playoff Picture (Official)1. Boston Red Sox (107-54, AL East champion)2. Houston Astros (103-58, AL West champion)3. Cleveland Indians (90-71, AL Central champion)4. New York Yankees (100-61, AL first Wild Card)5. Oakland Athletics (97-64, AL second Wild Card)The Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians will play each other in the American League Division Series. The New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics face off in the Wild Card Game on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with the winner taking on the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS. National League (Through Saturday)1. Chicago Cubs (94-67, NL Central champion)2. Colorado Rockies (90-71, NL West champion)3. Atlanta Braves (90-71, NL East champion)4. Milwaukee Brewers (94-67, NL first Wild Card)5. Los Angeles Dodgers (90-71, NL second Wild Card)Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee BrewersThe Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are tied for the NL Central lead with one game to go. The Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, with Chicago southpaw Mike Montgomery facing Redbirds ace Jack Flaherty. The Milwaukee Brewers host the Detroit Tigers: Lefty Gio Gonzalez goes for the Brew Crew http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-terry-steinbach-jersey , while right-hander Spencer Turnbull goes for Detroit.Here's what we do know heading into Sunday: The NL Central division winner will get the No. 1 seed, and the runner-up will host the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.However, we may not know the identities of the first- and second-place teams until Monday: If the Cubs and Brewers have the same Sunday result (whether it's two wins or two losses is irrelevant), they'll take part in a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field, per David Adler of MLB.com. The Cubs would get that hosting honor by virtue of winning the season series 11-8 over Milwaukee.Of course, the tiebreaker can be avoided if the Cubs and Brewers have different results Sunday. Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta BravesThe Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for the NL West lead with one game to go. The Rockies host the Washington Nationals on Sunday, with left-hander Tyler Anderson taking the mound for the Rockies and right-hander Erick Fedde going for the Nats.The Rockies catch a massive break by avoiding Cy Young candidate and MLB strikeout king Max Scherzer, who could have gone Sunday on regular rest but will call it a season.The Dodgers send out right-hander Walker Buehler against the host San Francisco Giants and left-hander Andrew Suarez.The NL West race is a bit more confusing than the NL Central one. We do know that the eventual division winner will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, but the seeding is to be determined (see below). The loser will travel to face the NL Central runner-up in the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday.There will be a one-game tiebreaker on Monday if both NL West teams win (or lose tomorrow). The Dodgers will host that matchup thanks to their 12-7 season-series win.If there is no tie (that would mean a Rockies win and Dodgers loss Sunday or vice versa), then the winning side will be the NL West champion and the No. 2 seed.The only way Atlanta can get the No. 2 seed is if they beat the Philadelphia Phillies (right-hander Kevin Gausman goes for the Braves against Phils left-hander Ranger Suarez) and the Rockies and Dodgers both lose. That would leave the Braves as the uncontested No. 2 seed alone at 91-71.The Braves lost theseason-series tiebreakerto the Rockies and Dodgers, so they'd be lower in the NL bracket if there is a tie.