Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is likely to miss the rest of the 2018 season as he continues to deal with a nagging blister injury on his throwing hand Trea Turner Jersey , per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.There are only聽18 games left in the regular season, and the Blue Jays are out of the playoff race, so it wouldn't make sense for Toronto to rush Stroman back and thus jeopardize his long-term health.2018 was an extremely disappointing season for Stroman, who was coming off a career season. After finishing with 13 wins, an ERA of 3.09 and 164 strikeouts in 2017, everything fell apart for Stroman in 2018. Injuries limited Stroman to just 19 starts this season, and he finishes with a disappointing 4-9 record, 5.54 ERA and just 77 strikeouts in 102.1 innings pitched.advertising Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsStroman also made headlines when he snapped at reporter Arash Madani, calling the Blue Jays "f鈥斺€攇 terrible http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-wieters-jersey ," following an ugly loss to the Boston Red Sox in July. It was just one of the many things that went wrong for the rebuilding Blue Jays in 2018.Aaron Sanchez, the 2016 AL ERA leader, has been limited to 18 starts this season. He missed most of 2017 with a nagging blister injury, and Sanchez has struggled this year with a 5.17 ERA and 1.606 WHIP.The Blue Jays were hoping to compete for a playoff spot in 2018, a key reason why they didn't trade Josh Donaldson in winter. But Stroman and Sanchez have been injured aplenty and ineffective while on the mound.advertisingShortstop Troy Tulowitzki didn't play at all this season, and Donaldson missed three months with a calf injury before getting traded to the Cleveland Indians two weeks ago. Closer Roberto Osuna was traded to the Houston Astros following an arrest for domestic violence. Now, very few pieces remain from the team that reached the ALCS in 2015 and 2016.The goal for Stroman, Sanchez and the 2019 Blue Jays is to regroup, refocus and stay healthy for what's expected to be a painful year of rebuilding. WASHINGTON (AP) — Trevor Rosenthal could earn $30 million over two years if he becomes the Washington Nationals‘ closer and regularly finishes games.Coming back from Tommy John surgery Joe Blanton Jersey , Rosenthal finalized a one-year contract this week that guarantees him $7 million.The deal announced last weekend includes a $6 million salary for next season and a $10 million mutual option for 2020 with a $1 million buyout to be paid if the team declines the option. There also is a $15 million conditional player option for 2020 that Rosenthal can exercise if he has 50 games pitched or 30 games finished next year.Rosenthal can earn $500,000 each for 25, 30, 35 and 40 games pitched next year, $1 million apiece for 45 and 50, $1 million each for 20, 30 and 40 games finished, and $2 million apiece for 50 and 60. There is an $8 million maximum.If the mutual option for 2020 is exercised, he could earn $6 million in performances that year for games finished: $2 million each for 30 Howie Kendrick Jersey , 40 and 50.He would get a $1 million assignment bonus if traded. The deal also includes award bonuses.Rosenthal, a 28-year-old right-hander, had Tommy John surgery late in the 2017 season and was released by the Cardinals that November. He has 121 saves, including 45 in 2014 and a career-high 48 the following year, when he was an NL All-Star.Left-hander Sean Doolittle is Washington’s closer. He had a 1.60 ERA in 43 appearances and 25 saves in 26 opportunities in 2018 but missed two months with a foot injury. The Nationals picked up his $6 million option for 2019.

Bryce Harper has held up his end of the bargain since the Washington Nationals drafted him No. 1 overall in 2010.He was only 19 years old when he debuted in 2012 http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-corey-seager-jersey , and that season he also made his first National League All-Star team and captured the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He's since won an NL MVP Award and made five more All-Star teams.But when Harper waltzes into free agency this offseason, the Nationals will be left to wonder how the hell they couldn't win even a single postseason series with him.Washington entered 2018 with hopes that this would be the year it got over the hump. And while the Nats haven't been eliminated from playoff contention yet, they sent up a white flag in August. They're 69-69, and the only question is whether they'll top .500.Despite this year's flop, the Nationals have more regular-season wins (624) since 2012 than every team except the Los Angeles Dodgers (634). And as their ever-increasing payrolls show, it's not for lack of trying that they did not push their success into October:In addition to Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto are cornerstones who came up through the Washington system. Moreover, general manager Mike Rizzo's free-agent and trade success stories include Max Scherzer, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Doug Fister, Denard Span, Tanner Roark and Wilson Ramos.The Harper-era Nats aren't simply the National League's answer to Mike Trout's Los Angeles Angels, who've cursed themselves with poor additions (namely Albert Pujols) and a slow trickle of homegrown talent.If anything, the Nationals have often seemed cursed by outside forces. They've had years in which they've been overwhelmed by injuries. They've also run in to cruel and unusual fates in October, particularly in Game 5 of the 2012 Enrique Hernandez Jersey , 2016 and 2017 National League Division Series.Still, this is no time to let Washington escape judgment. The second guessing starts with... The Strasburg ShutdownAlex Brandon/Associated PressPartially at the behest of superagent Scott Boras, the Nationals ended Strasburg's 2012 in early September after 159.1 innings. They reasoned they had pushed him hard enough in his first full season since his 2010 Tommy John operation.But alongside an abundance of caution, there was also an element of hubris to the decision. Maybe Strasburg couldn't help in the 2012 playoffs, but what would it matter if they succeeded without him and rode his good health to further success in the future?As it happened, the Nationals did miss Strasburg in the 2012 playoffs. Though he didn't blow a ninth-inning lead to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5, things may not have gotten to that point if he'd been permitted to start a game.As former manager Davey Johnson wrote in his autobiography, per Rick Maese of the Washington Post: "I felt we would have gone to the World Series with Strasburg in the rotation during the playoffs. I really don't know how the team doctors came to the conclusion to keep Stephen under a given number of 160 innings. That was their deal, not mine."Strasburg's shutdown may have also loomed over a 2013 season in which the Nationals regressed to 86 wins and missed the playoffs. As John Feinstein of the Post argued, an overwhelming need to justify the decision created a tension within the team that manifested itself on the field.After that came... The Williams YearsAlex Brandon/Associated PressThe Nationals' return to earth in 2013 cost Johnson his job. To replace him, the organization settled on former slugger Matt Williams.Though the job was Williams' first as a major league manager, Washington was less concerned with his strategy skills than the culture he would foster. He was an old-school type who, in Rizzo's words, would bring "fire," "desire" and a "team-first attitude."Things were fine at first. Though Harper endured a career-worst season, everyone else played well enough to boost the team back to 96 wins. Williams was named the NL Manager of the Year.However, Williams' shine wore off when the Nationals were defeated in four games in the NLDS by the San Francisco Giants. His decision to pull Zimmermann from a shutout in the ninth inning of Game 2 led to an 18-inning defeat. Three days later, his decision to rely strictly on his "seventh-inning guys" allowed Game 4 to slip away.In 2015鈥攄espite Harper's best efforts en route to his unanimous NL MVP triumph鈥擶illiams' shine stayed worn off as the Nationals amassed only 83 wins. He continued to make bizarre strategic decisions, and he couldn't keep the clubhouse together as the losses piled up."It's a terrible environment," one player told Barry Svrluga of the Post that September. "And the amazing part is everybody feels that way."The final nail in Williams' coffin probably came courtesy of then-closer Jonathan Papelbon http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-manny-machado-jersey , who got into a nasty physical altercation with Harper with a week to go in the season. Harper left that game. Papelbon, meanwhile, went back to work the subsequent inning."That decision should be the final one he makes as Washington's manager," Tyler Kepner of the New York Times wrote.It pretty much was, as Williams was fired the day after the season ended.The Nationals' troubles with managers didn't end there, however... The Baker FiringJonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesIn the wake of Williams' firing, Washington initially wanted former San Diego Padres skipper Bud Black to take over. But after it neglected to make him a reasonable offer, it turned to Dusty Baker instead.If nothing else, Baker figured to be the anti-Williams. He came to the Nationals with 20 years of managerial experience, through which he'd garnered a reputation as a players' manager.Baker more than earned his keep in two years. The Nationals won 95 games in 2016 and 97 in 2017. And while they once again fell short in the postseason, it's hard to pin those failures squarely on Baker.The Nats went into October with injury red flags in '16 (i.e., Harper's shoulder) and '17 (Harper's knee and Scherzer's hamstring). In Game 5 of the '16 NLDS, Scherzer and a parade of relievers couldn't shield the Nats from a decisive four-run seventh inning. In Game 5 of the '17 NLDS, all hell broke loose, and the Nats happened to be on the wrong side of it.Baker lost his job anyway. According to Jon Heyman, then of FanRag Sports (via Chris Chavez of SI.com), Nationals players weren't too thrilled about it. For that matter, neither was Rizzo."[Rizzo] sounded like it was one of the hardest things he had to do," Baker told Dave Sheinin of the Post.It appears Baker lost his job only because principal owner Ted Lerner and his family wanted him gone. It seems they were still sour about Baker's openly pining for an extension in the middle of the 2017 season. Or maybe they just like cycling through managers.Baker's firing might have become water under the bridge if Dave Martinez had made a strong impression as his replacement this season. Martinez is another first-year manager, but his years as an understudy to Joe Maddon promised to bring a missing dynamic to the team."As we went through this process Logan Forsythe Jersey ," Rizzo told reporters, "it became clear the type of manager we were looking for: someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game."It's not all Martinez's fault he's failed to live up to the hype. Well before the team was broken up by waiver trades of Murphy, Gonzalez, Matt Adams, Ryan Madson and Shawn Kelley, it had already been broken by the injury bug. According to Roster Resource, only two teams have been hit harder by injuries.And yet, he can't escape blame. Complaints have been filed about his bullpen management and his tendency to send mixed messages. Even if he does have a good analytical mind, such issues raise questions about whether he has the same ability as Dave Roberts, AJ Hinch, Alex Cora or Aaron Boone to implement his vision.G Fiume/Getty ImagesThere are certainly other criticisms about how the Nationals have handled the Harper era. Their transactional record is mighty good but not spotless. To wit, it's beyond the pale that their catching situation has been the worst in the game in 2017 and 2018.But all told, the story of Washington's failure in the Harper years has less to do with the pieces and more to do with the glue that's held them together. It too easily didn't stick.Granted, the Harper years might not be over yet. Money won't be the only thing they can offer him as a free agent. Missteps aside, they're still one of MLB's strongest franchises, and Harper may not find a better place to chase a ring.But if the end is indeed nigh, there's really only one thing to say.What a waste. Stats accurate through Monday and courtesy of Baseball Reference. With the messy soap opera that is the relationship between Josh Donaldson and the Toronto Blue Jays on full display, the latest news is that the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in the third baseman after Donaldson cleared waivers on Friday.At one point, the Blue Jays weren't going to trade Donaldson. But http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-mark-lowe-jersey , his injuries, their poor season and the desire to try and improve the team for the future led to a change of heart and the organization placed Donaldson on revocable waivers.聽 Issues that health might slow that process down and have already caused a rift between the organization and the player, health is still a concern but聽wasn't one large enough to stop the player and his $23-million salary from clearing waivers,聽after going聽1-for-3 with a home run in a Minor League rehabilitation game for the Dunedin Blue Jays.advertisingWhat did you make of Josh Donaldson's comments? @DShulman_ESPN joined @BradyandPrice to give his thoughts, and discuss Billy McKinney's future with the #BlueJays, and what he wants to see from Aaron Sanchez as the season winds down.猬? https://t.co/59cE43Ntml— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) August 31, 2018With his health deemed acceptable, the former American League Most Valuable Player, home run machine, and golden glove infielder will likely be moved ahead of the September 1, 2018, deadline to make him eligible for another team's postseason run. That team could be the St. Louis Cardinals.While there are still questions about Donaldson's health and he likely wouldn't be available to St. Louis right away, the Cardinals have聽likely shown interest because of infield injuries of their own. Once Kolten Wong and Jedd Gyorko were placed on the disabled list it became clear the team needed to acquire someone to fill in. Calling them desperate wouldn't be accurate but for the right deal, Donaldson would make sense.advertisingIf a trade happens, it may likely happen Friday.聽The relationship between Donaldson and the Blue Jays has deteriorated quickly with Donaldson recently telling the Toronto Sun about the team's front office, "There's a lot I can say about that, but I choose not to say anything about it right now. I don't feel now is the time or the place."Donaldson added that he has no control over what the team wants to do with him, giving the impression he was not pleased to be placed on waivers and likely happy to accept a trade ahead of becoming a free agent this summer.advertising

ATLANTA (AP) — Washington Nationals pitcher Jeremy Hellickson may miss the rest of the season after reinjuring his right wrist while batting in the fourth inning of Saturday’s 7-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.Hellickson sprained his right on Aug. 15 when he landed awkwardly while covering home plate after throwing a wild pitch at St. Louis.He made his first appearance since and got hurt again. The 2011 AL Rookie of the Year is scheduled for an MRI on Sunday.Hellickson missed 22 games in June because of a right hamstring strain. He is 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 19 starts.“The injuries have been pretty frustrating Rollie Fingers Jersey ,” Hellickson said. “All three were out of my control. To only make 19 starts stinks, so I’ve just got to think about other things and just try to get healthy.”Hellickson grimaced after fouling off the first pitch of his at-bat in the fourth inning, then swung and missed at a low and outside pitch. Hellickson walked to the dugout and was examined by director of athletic training Paul Lessard.Andrew Stevenson pinch hit, took two balls and swung and missed at strike three http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-terry-steinbach-jersey , a strikeout charged to Hellickson. Jefry Rodriguez relieved to start the bottom half.Hellickson allowed two hits and one unearned run in three innings.His injuries have been costly. Hellickson had a $2 million base salary and earned $1.1 million in performance bonuses based on starts. He would have earned $150,000 each for 21 and 23 starts, $300,000 apiece for 25 and 27 Dave Henderson Jersey , and $500,000 each for every start from 29 to 32. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Astros manager A.J. Hinch met privately with the team’s owner and general manager on Saturday, a day ahead of reliever Roberto Osuna’s activation following a 75-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy.Hinch discussed the matter with owner Jim Crane and GM Jeff Luhnow, but declined to go into details. The manager said Osuna will join the club on Sunday and be activated for the series finale at Dodger Stadium.Osuna is expected to address the team and then talk to the media with Luhnow.Osuna was arrested in Toronto in May and charged with assaulting his girlfriend. No details have been made public and the matter is pending in court.MLB handed him the second-longest suspension since its domestic violence policy was enacted three years ago and Osuna did not appeal.The Astros acquired the right-hander from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline this week. The move raised eyebrows in the clubhouse and around baseball since Houston had previously stated its no-tolerance policy regarding domestic violence.The team released minor leaguer Danry Vasquez last spring after surveillance video surfaced showing him assaulting a woman.Astros starters Justin Verlander and Lance McCullers Jr. were outspoken about their disgust on Twitter at that time.“My views on the topic have been out there. I’ve spoken on them and those kind of hold firm http://www.athleticsfanproshop.com/authentic-dennis-eckersley-jersey ,” McCullers said after leaving the team’s 14-0 win Saturday night with right elbow soreness. “It’s obviously a baseball operational decision.”Osuna was not at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. He pitched one scoreless inning for Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, allowing one hit with one strikeout.Osuna could potentially make his Astros debut in a closing role on Sunday.“A lot has to happen tomorrow,” Hinch said, “and as a team Santiago Casilla Jersey , family and group we’ll navigate it together.”Dodgers fans already have been booing various Astros players since the series began Friday night. It’s a rematch of last year’s World Series, won by Houston in Game 7 at Dodger Stadium.“It’s got to be difficult. He’s not an old-timer. He’s still a young kid,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said in Seattle. “It’s a lot of pressure and a lot of focus on him. It can’t be easy. He probably can’t wait to get on the mound and get away from all that.”Hinch’s first order of business will be to talk with Osuna.“I certainly want to get to know him and his background. I’ve never met him, never shook his hand Clayton Richard Jersey ,” Hinch said. “I know a little bit of his track record. We’ll get into anything that he wants to. I’m his manager now so I think it’s important to get to know him and learn what makes him be the player that he can be.”The 23-year-old right-hander is the youngest pitcher to ever record 100 saves and he can throw 95 mph.The Astros are known for being a close-knit team that banded together to help Houston after last year’s devastating floods triggered by Hurricane Harvey.“That’s not going to change,” Hinch said.The effect Osuna’s presence has on the team will be closely scrutinized.“We are going to handle it as a group as best we can,” Hinch said. “We simply don’t know and we aren’t going to draw any conclusions at this point. We’re going to welcome him on our team and begin the process of getting to know him.”

The Baltimore Orioles have been holding a fire sale since the All-Star break Josh Rosen Jersey Limited , as superstar shortstop Manny Machado was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers and stud reliever Zach Britton was traded to the New York Yankees.The Orioles do not appear to be putting up the stop sign anytime soon. Centerfielder Adam Jones could be the next big name on the move.The Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies are those who are highest on the list to acquire Jones, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.While the Indians seem like they are on their way to the AL Central title whether they acquire Jones or not, he could be the difference-maker for the Phillies as they battle the Atlanta Braves down the stretch in the NL East.Jones is a five-time All-Star who has a .277/.304/.421 slash line with 10 home runs and 38 RBI this season. He has 261 career home runs and 853 RBI during his 13-year MLB run.Derrick Goold dgooldWhy #stlcards going after a need for 2019 now in 2018 makes sense, starting with a starter. Seems counterintuitive? Consider how #cardinals have been intrigued by Chris Archer. #MLBqwRhYgrSMxThe 32-year-old is one of the bigger-name hitters under discussion, while Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays may be the biggest-name starting pitcher who is under discussion.While the Rays have had a surprisingly solid year, boasting a winning record, they don't appear to be in a position to chase down a wild-card spot. Archer may be their most valuable asset, and Morosi reports that eight teams are considering bringing in the two-time All-Star for the stretch run.Morosi mentioned the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres among the teams that have interest. While the Cubs, Phillies and Diamondbacks are all contenders, the Padres clearly are not, and their interest seems questionable.The Cubs acquired Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers on Thursday, so their interest may not be as high as it was the previous day.The Tampa Bay Times tweeted that the St. Louis Cardinals are also interestedin Archer. The Cardinals have been looking for consistency all season, but they may have a desire to add Archer because of what he could bring to the team in 2019.Archer has a 3-4 record this season in 16 starts, and he had a 4.30 earned-run average with 99 strikeouts in 90.0 innings.The Cincinnati Reds have rebounded nicely after an awful start to the season. While it looked like they would be sure sellers in the early part of the season, that isapparently no longer the case.Starting pitcher Matt Harvey, who was acquired by the Reds earlier this season after his run with the New York Mets came to an end, may be the team's only big name who could be moved before the deadline, according to journalist Ken Rosenthal.On the other hand, Rosenthal suggested that the Reds may try to acquire some talent before Tuesday's deadline.Harvey was a flamethrower in his heyday with the Mets, but he struggled badly from 2016 through the early part of the 2018 season. He has been somewhat better with the Reds, recording a 5-4 record with a 4.50 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 68.0 innings. The Midsummer Classic is still the main draw of all the festivities during All-Star week.Many young fans get turned on by the home run hitting contest and the distances players like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber can hit the ball. Hard-core fans watch every pitch of the Futures Game with a scout's eye in order to get a view of the players who are likely to become the game's stars in the next three-to-five years.But while interleague play, free agency and the frequency of seeing the game's great stars on television may have taken some of the mystery out of the All-Star Game, there's still something fascinating about seeing the sport's best players line up against each other while representing their leagues.The American League comes into the 89th All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. riding a five-game winning streak and having put together a run of 23-6-1 over the last 30 years. That hot streak enabled the American League to tie the all-time series at 43-43-2 last year, and a win Tuesday night will give the AL the lead in the series for the first time since 1963.Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox will take the mound for the Junior Circuit for the third straight year, while Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals will start for the second year in a row and the third time in his career.American League manager A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros and National League manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers announced their starting lineups Monday.Javier Baez of the Cubs could be a sparkplug for the National League.Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesNational League Lineup1. Javier Baez, 2B, Cubs2. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies3. Paul Goldschmidt, DH, D-backs4. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves5. Matt Kemp, LF, Dodgers6. Bryce Harper, CF, Nationals7. Nick Markakis, RF, Braves8. Brandon Crawford, SS, Giants9. Willson Contreras, C, CubsMax Scherzer, P, NationalsAmerican League Lineup1. Mookie Betts, RF, Red Sox2. Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros3. Mike Trout, CF, Angels4. J.D. Martinez Authentic Julio Jones Jersey , DH, Red Sox5. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Indians6. Aaron Judge, LF, Yankees7. Manny Machado, SS, Orioles8. Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox9. Salvador Perez, C, RoyalsChris Sale, P, Red SoxHere's a look at some information ahead of the game and the full rosters for both teams.2018 MLB All-Star GameDate: Tuesday, July 17Time: 8 p.m. ETTV: FoxJose Ramirez (left) and Jose Altuve are a dynamic duo for the American League.Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesRostersAmerican LeagueStartersWilson Ramos. C, Tampa Bay*Jose Abreu, 1B. Chicago White SoxJose Altuve. 2B, HoustonJose Ramirez, 3B, ClevelandManny Machado, SS, BaltimoreMike Trout, OF, Los Angeles AngelsAaron Judge, OF, New York YankeesMookie Betts, OF, BostonJ.D. Martinez, OF, BostonAmerican League ReservesSalvador Perez, C, Kansas City (designated as a starter after Ramos injury)Yan Gomes, C, ClevelandMitch Moreland, 1B, BostonJed Lowrie, 2B, OaklandGleyber Torres, 2B, New York Yankees*Alex Bregman, 3B, HoustonFrancisco Lindor, SS, ClevelandJean Segura, SS, SeattleMichael Brantley, OF, ClevelandShin-Soo Choo, OF, TexasMitch Haniger, OF, SeattleGeorge Springer, OF Julio Jones Jersey Limited , HoustonNelson Cruz, DH, SeattleAmerican League PitchersTrevor Bauer, ClevelandJose Berrios, MinnesotaAroldis Chapman, New York Yankees*Gerrit Cole, HoustonEdwin Diaz, SeattleJ.A. Happ, TorontoJoe Jimenez, DetroitCraig Kimbrel, BostonCorey Kluber, Cleveland*Charlie Morton, HoustonChris Sale, BostonLuis Severino, New York YankeesBlake Treinen, OaklandJustin Verlander, Detroit*National League StartersWillson Contreras, C, Chicago CubsFreddie Freeman, 1B, AtlantaJavier Baez, 2B, Chicago CubsNolan Arenado, 3B, ColoradoBrandon Crawford, SS, San FranciscoNick Markakis, OF, AtlantaMatt Kemp, OF, Los Angeles DodgersBryce Harper, OF, WashingtonNational League ReservesYadier Molina, C, St. LouisBuster Posey, C, San Francisco*J.T. Realmuto, C, MiamiJesus Aguilar, 1B, MilwaukeePaul Goldschmidt, 1B, ArizonaJoey Votto, 1B, CincinnatiOzzie Albies, 2B, AtlantaScooter Gennett, 2B, CincinnatiEugenio Suarez, 3B, CincinnatiTrevor Story, SS, ColoradoCharlie Blackmon http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/julio-jones-jersey , OF, ColoradoLorenzo Cain, OF, MilwaukeeChristian Yelich, OF, MilwaukeeNational League PitchersPatrick Corbin, ArizonaZack Greinke, ArizonaJacob deGrom, New York MetsSean Doolittle, Washington*Mike Foltynewicz, AtlantaJosh Hader, MilwaukeeJason Jeffress, MilwaukeeBrad Hand, San DiegoKenley Jansen, Los Angeles DodgersJon Lester, Chicago Cubs*Miles Mikolas, St. Louis*Aaron Nola, PhiladelphiaMax Scherzer, WashingtonRoss Stripling, Los Angeles DodgersFelipe Vazquez, Pittsburgh*-denotes player won't be participating in All-Star Game.On the surface, it looks like the American League has the advantage once again based on both the starting lineup and the reserves coming off the bench.Betts (.359/.448/.691) is having a spectacular season and could easily ignite the American League with an extra-base hit. Altuve (.332/.394/.470) is the defending MVP and is never intimidated. Trout (.310/.454/.606) is almost certainly the best all-around player on the planet.Yes, that's a formidable top of the lineup, but Scherzer is not the type to back down from any challenge. He said last week during an interview with the MLB Network that he is not planning to hold back and that he plans to fire for "a couple of innings" if Roberts plans to use him that long.The question of great pitching vs. great hitting will once again be tested.Sale has been on one of the hottest streaks of his career, as he has struck out 11 or more batters while walking one batter or fewer in his last five starts for the Red Sox.Since the American League is designated as the home team鈥攅ven though the game is in a National League city鈥攈e has a chance to set the tone against Baez, Arenado and Goldschmidt.Baez (19 home runs, 72 runs batted in) will usually take on an all-or-nothing attitude quite often when he is at the plate, but since he is leading off the game, he may just take what the defense gives him. He is a free swinger who hardly ever walks.Arenado (23 homers, 68 RBI) is an exceptional hitter while Goldschmidt (21 homers, 52 RBI) has been hot in recent weeks. Still, it would be a surprise if the National League does any real damage against Sale.The American League is a minus-130 favorite, according to OddsShark, while the National League is a plus-110 underdog. A bettor taking the American League would risk $130 to win $100, while a National League supporter bets $100 to win $110. PredictionsThe belief here is that Scherzer and Sale will do their jobs quite well, and so will deGrom and Severino, who are likely to follow the starters for their respective leagues.However, the rest of the pitchers may have to face reality. In particular, we see the next wave of NL pitchers having problems with Betts, Martinez, Trout, Ramirez and Machado among the starters.When the American League brings Lindor, Bregman, Springer and Cruz off the bench, it will have the opportunity to score quite a bit.The National League will take its cues from Arenado, Goldschmidt and Freeman, but that won't be enough. Votto, Aguilar and Cain are solid coming off the bench, but they may have a hard time producing like their American League counterparts.We like the American League to make it six wins in a row and take the all-time lead in the series, but the NL has one wild card. If Baez gets off to a brilliant start, hits a long ball and makes one or two of his classic plays in the field, it would not be a shocker if the Senior Circuit steals a win.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs exercised their $20 million option on Cole Hamels on Friday http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-manny-pina-jersey , solidifying their rotation for next year, and traded fellow left-hander Drew Smyly to the Texas Rangers.Hamels, who turns 35 in December, went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts after he was acquired in a July 27 trade with Texas — a frequent trade partner for Chicago since Theo Epstein took over the Cubs’ front office in 2011. Had the Cubs declined the option and paid a $6 million buyout, the Rangers would have paid the Cubs an additional $6 million.The 29-year-old Smyly is heading to Texas after missing his only year in Chicago as part of his recovery from Tommy John surgery in June 2017. The Cubs also parted with a player to be named in exchange for a player to be named.Smyly signed a $10 million, two-year contract with Chicago last December. He was healthy at the end of last season, but the contending Cubs ran out of time in terms of bringing him back.Chicago also claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer off waivers from the New York Mets. The 26-year-old Reinheimer hit .167 in 21 games with New York this year.Hamels gives manager Joe Maddon a deep group of starting pitchers as the Cubs try for their fifth consecutive playoff appearance. Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish also are expected to return, with Mike Montgomery and Tyler Chatwood waiting in the wings.Hamels, a former first-round pick, made his major league debut with Philadelphia in 2006. He is 156-114 with a 3.40 ERA in 13 big league seasons.He was working on perhaps the worst season of his career when Chicago got him from Texas for right-hander Eddie Butler, minor league pitcher Rollie Lacy and a player to be named. He was 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts with the last-place Rangers at the time of the trade Cecil Cooper Jersey , but the Cubs felt a change of scenery and a pennant race might help him get back on track.They were right.Hamels had an instant impact with Chicago, going 4-0 with a sparkling 0.79 ERA in his first five starts with the team. He was unbeaten with the Cubs until he was hit hard in a loss at Arizona in his 10th start on Sept. 19.When the NL wild-card game went into extra innings, Hamels made just his second major league relief appearance and responded with two scoreless innings in Chicago’s 2-1 loss to Colorado. He is 7-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 career playoff appearances.The option completes the deal Hamels signed with Philadelphia in July 2012, bringing the total value to $158 million for seven years.Hamels struck out 13 while pitching a no-hitter at Wrigley Field in his final start with Philadelphia in 2015. He was traded to Texas six days later, and helped the Rangers to two AL West titles.Earlier this week, the Cubs exercised their $6.25 million option for Pedro Strop and fellow reliever Brandon Kintzler picked up his $5 million player option.Strop, one of the baseball’s most consistent relievers since he was acquired in a July 2013 trade with Baltimore, went 6-1 with 13 saves and a 2.26 ERA in 60 appearances last season. ATLANTA (AP) — DJ LeMahieu and the Colorado Rockies are quite comfortable on the road. Even against baseball’s best teams.LeMahieu homered, German Marquez pitched seven solid innings and the Rockies closed out their first four-game sweep in Atlanta with a 4-2 victory over the Braves on Sunday.Colorado improved to 30-16 since June 26, and each of those 46 games came against teams with winning records at the time. The Rockies are 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston and Atlanta, facing the Astros and Braves on the road.“Yeah, it’s tough teams but we’re definitely not nervous or scared to play anyone with our team http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-hernan-perez-jersey ,” LeMahieu said. “We all know we have a really good team here. It makes it easy to show up at the park.”LeMahieu put Colorado in front with his third-inning drive to left field . He has hit nine of his 11 homers on the road, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the 10th inning of Saturday night’s 5-3 win.“No explanation,” LeMahieu said when asked about his road success. “Just kind of random, I guess.”Rockies manager Bud Black said his team, battling Arizona for the NL West lead, is playing “good, all-around clean baseball,” but still can hit better.Atlanta’s four straight losses, tied for its longest streak of the season, followed a five-game winning streak.“In this business, every time you think you have something figured out, you get kicked right in the teeth,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.Marquez (11-9) won his fourth straight road decision. He allowed two runs and five hits Domingo Santana Jersey , struck out five and walked one.“Hopefully we can keep this rolling all the way to the World Series,” Marquez said through a translator.Marquez allowed a run in the first when Freddie Freeman doubled and scored on Johan Camargo’s single. He then threw four straight scoreless innings before Camargo’s single in the sixth drove in Freeman again.Trevor Story led off the second with a tying homer off Atlanta’s Anibal Sanchez (6-4) into the Colorado bullpen behind the left-field wall.Following LeMahieu’s homer in the third, David Dahl doubled and scored on Nolan Arenado’s single.Sanchez struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs and five hits.Wade Davis gave up a one-out single to Inciarte but had three strikeouts in the ninth for his NL-leading 35th save.Colorado’s only previous sweep in Atlanta was a three-game series from Sept. 12-14, 1997.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: LHP Mike Dunn (left shoulder inflammation) will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Albuquerque. He has been out since July 7. “It’s going to be a lengthy rehab assignment,” Black said, adding Dunn will need “multiple outings.”Braves: LHP Sam Freeman (left shoulder inflammation) was activated off the 10-day disabled list. LHP Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.STREAKS ENDBraves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was 0 for 4, ending his 11-game hitting streak. His team-record streak of reaching safely in nine consecutive plate appearances leading off a game also ended with his fly ball to center in the first.WEST WOESThe Braves fell to 9-18 against the NL West this season. They are 40-19 against NL East teams.ROAD KINGSThe Rockies improved to 37-29 away from Coors Field. They have won their last four series in Atlanta; the Braves won two of three in Colorado from April 6-8.UP NEXTRockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (6-5, 4.39 ERA) tries to bounce from a rough outing at Houston when he gets the ball in the opener of a three-game series against visiting San Diego on Tuesday night. The Rockies are 16-5 at home since July 2.Braves: RHP Kevin Gausman (7-9, 4.22 ERA) starts when Atlanta opens a seven-game road trip at Pittsburgh on Monday night.

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants get a chance to play the role of spoiler against the Colorado Rockies for the second straight September when the National League West clubs open a three-game series on Friday night.Giants right-hander Chris Stratton (9-9 Dwight Gooden Jersey , 4.99 ERA), bombed in back-to-back starts against the Rockies earlier this season, and Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson (6-8, 4.89), winless in his last 11 starts, draw the starting assignments in the opener.The Rockies (81-65) begin a nine-game trip in first place in the NL West, having moved a healthy 4 1/2 games up on third-place Arizona (77-70) with a 10-3 shellacking of the Diamondbacks Thursday at Colorado to complete a 3-1 series win.Article continues below ...The Los Angeles Dodgers (80-67) are in second place, 1 1/2 games behind the Rockies.The Rockies will visit Los Angeles and Arizona for three games apiece next week to complete its road — and NL West — schedule. Colorado finishes the season at home against Philadelphia and Washington.The Rockies found themselves battling the Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers in mid-September last season when they went into San Francisco and lost two straight to a Giants team well out of contention.Colorado then had to scramble just to claim the second wild-card spot in the NL by one game.This year’s San Francisco club finds itself in the same situation, having lost a West Coast era-record 11 straight.Stratton has started two of those games and pitched pretty well in 4-1 and 4-3 losses to the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, respectably. He allowed just seven hits in 11 innings in those games.That was a marked improvement over the 13 runs and 19 hits he gave up in 9-8 and 8-1 losses in a home-and-home sequence with the Rockies bridging June and July. Nolan Arenado homered in both of the games. The star third baseman hasn’t been the only Colorado player who has rocked the 28-year-old Stratton in the past. Ian Desmond (.625), Trevor Story (.556), Charlie Blackmon (.500) Keith Hernandez Jersey , DJ LeMahieu (.500) and Gerardo Parra (.500) all have .500 or better career batting averages against Stratton.He has gone 1-1 with a 7.89 ERA in five games, including four starts, in his career against Colorado.Anderson will face a Giants team that has hit even worse than he has pitched of late.The 28-year-old hasn’t won since July 4 and now leads the NL in home runs allowed with 29.He was taken deep by the Giants’ Gorkys Hernandez in a 9-8 Rockies home win on Sept. 3. Anderson did not get the win, pulled after 5 1/3 innings having allowed three runs and six hits.Anderson has made six starts in his career against the Giants and went 1-2 with a 4.25 ERA.Hernandez has two career homers against him in 10 career at-bats.The Giants enter the series having scored one run in five straight home games. They’ve totaled just nine home runs (none in the last three outings) during their 0-for-September run of 11 games. The Boston Red Sox are on their way back home with their fourth World Series title since 2004.Boston captured its ninth championship in franchise history with a dominant performance in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium that was led by a few unexpected heroes.Steve Pearce, who participated in only the second postseason of his 12-year career, took home the Most Valuable Player award for the clutch hits he delivered throughout the series, including a pair of home runs in Game 5.David Price emerged as the other unlikely hero for the Red Sox, as he won Games 2 and 5 to erase the narrative about his postseason struggles.While Price and Pearce were the standout stars, other players made plenty of key contributions throughout the World Series to help Boston capture the title in dominant fashion. Top StarsSteve PearceToronto's trade of Pearce to the Red Sox in June (for a minor league infielder) will go down as the best piece of business from the summer.Pearce displayed glimpses of his power throughout his 50 regular-season appearances for the Red Sox, as he hit seven home runs and drove in 26 runs.At most, the first baseman was expected to provide cover for Mitch Moreland and come up with a clutch hit or two during the postseason.Pearce blew everyone away with a home run and four RBI in Game 4 and two more dingers in the series-clinching Game 5 victory.With his pair of round-trippers in Game 5, Pearce became the second Boston player to ever hit three home runs in the World Series, per The Athletic's Katie Sharp:Katie Sharp ktsharpRed Sox players to hit 3 HR in a single World Series:Steve Pearce (2018)Carl Yastrzemski (1967) David PriceThroughout his postseason career Jorge De La Rosa Jersey , Price showed flashes of brilliance, but he was far from Boston's go-to guy in the starting rotation entering the World Series.In two World Series starts, Price gave up six hits and three earned runs over 13 innings, and he made a brief appearance in the 18-inning marathon in Game 3.Before the World Series, Price had one victory in 12 playoff starts, with the win coming against Houston in Game 6 of the ALCS.If Pearce hadn't hit two home runs in Game 5, Price would've been named MVP for his pair of marvelous performances against a Dodgers lineup that had no answers for him.Top StatsBoston's ninth World Series victory was the first for manager Alex Cora, who became the first rookie manager since the Arizona Diamondbacks' Bob Brenly in 2001 to win the World Series, per MLB Stat of the Day:MLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayIn his first year as manager, ac13alex is a #WorldSeries champion.The last rookie manager to accomplish the feat was Bob Brenly with the 2001 Dbacks. ZivaOOp1LQPearce joined an illustrious list of 10 players, including Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Johnny Bench, as players to hit two or more home runs in a series-clinching World Series game http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-taijuan-walker-jersey , per Sharp:Katie Sharp ktsharp2+ HR in Potential Clinching World Series Game:Steve Pearce2018Kirk Gibson1984Eddie Murray1983Reggie Jackson1977Johnny Bench1976Yogi Berra1956Duke Snider1952Tony Lazzeri1932Babe Ruth1928Harry Hooper1915Price won the clinching games of back-to-back series against Cy Young Award winners, which was the first time that's ever occurred, per ESPN's Buster Olney:Buster Olney Buster_ESPNELIAS: If the Red Sox win, David Price will have clinched two consecutive series against Cy Young winners 鈥?Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw 鈥?in the same postseason. Thats never been done before.Chris Sale, who came on to close Game 5 in the ninth for Boston, became the ninth pitcher and first since 1945 to record the first and last outs of the World Series, per Baseball Reference:Baseball Reference baseball_refPitchers who got the first and last out of the #worldseries:Babe Adams, 1909Ernie Shore, 1916Art Nehf, 1922Waite Hoyt, 1928Lefty Gomez, 1937Paul Derringer, 1940Spud Chandler Jarrod Dyson Jersey , 1943Hal Newhouser, 1945And Chris Sale, 2018Boston finished the season with 119 wins, which is the third-most in MLB history behind the 1998 New York Yankees and 2001 Seattle Mariners, per the league's official Twitter account:MLB MLB119 wins. Thats a lot of #DirtyWater. QGFeZPlUirHighlightsMookie Betts produced an insurance run in the sixth inning for the Red Sox, as he took Clayton Kershaw deep:FOX Sports FOXSportsMOOOOOOKIE!The MVP candidate comes through for the RedSox with a solo shot in Game 5! IbrXC3bYTAJ.D. Martinez extended the Boston lead to three runs in the seventh inning, when he sent a solo blast to center off Kershaw:FOX Sports FOXSportsRed Sox are doing damage!J.D. Martinez homers to center to give Boston a 3-run lead in the 7th! zvtfrsej2NSale recorded the final out of the 2018 World Series by striking out Manny Machado, who had a disappointing series for the Dodgers:FOX Sports FOXSportsTHE BOSTON RED SOX ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!Chris Sale strikes out Manny Machado to close out the World Series! u62k4SVQPvFOX Sports FOXSportsYup, the RedSox went there.馃憖 the song selection T0l7aC4c4eDuring the postgame celebration in the locker room, the Red Sox trolled the rival New York Yankees by singing "New York, New York": Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90.

OTTAWA Adidas Carter Rowney Jersey , Ontario (AP) With their own playoff hopes long gone, the Ottawa Senators are taking great satisfaction in making life harder for those still fighting for a spot.Mike Hoffman scored his 22nd goal at 3:26 of overtime and the Senators beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Friday night to win their third game in a row for just the second time this season.Marian Gaborik and Matt Duchene also scored for the Senators (26-33-11), and Craig Anderson made 23 saves. Ottawa won on home ice for the first time since Feb. 17.”We’re showing what kind of team we really are in here,” Duchene said. ”It’s too bad it’s so late in the season and we couldn’t have done this a little earlier, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We want to go into the summer on a high note and we’re on our way.”Tyler Seguin and Tyler Pitlick had the goals for the Stars (38-26-8). Ben Bishop, who stopped 22 shots, made his first start since missing five games with a knee injury sustained March 5 against the Senators. Bishop has a 9-0-4 career record against Ottawa.Dallas, in the thick of a crowded playoff race, has lost four straight for its longest skid of the season.”It’s very disappointing,” Pitlick said. ”Every point is important right now.”Stars coach Ken Hitchcock chose to look at the one point his team earned in a more favorable light.”This is a great point,” he said. ”To come back and we’ve got nothing left in the tank and we keep pushing, this is a good point. The (6-5 overtime loss on Wednesday) in Toronto was tough, it’s really tough, but this is a great point. Ottawa has a lot of skill and a lot of speed and they put us to the test and to come back and get a point in this game after we almost gave it away is good. We move on.”The Stars did themselves no favors in the third.The Senators started the period on a power play and were able to take advantage as Gaborik scored his 10th of the season on a one-timer off some solid work from Thomas Chabot and Ryan Dzingel to tie it at 1.”We’ve done a good job staying strong mentally,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. ”We don’t score the first goal and we’re still winning the game – we’ve had a few of those lately and I think our players are looking really good. But I’ve been saying it for a long time and now we’re getting some results.”The Stars didn’t register their first shot until the 16th minute of the period Adidas Jaycob Megna Jersey , shortly after the Senators took a 2-1 lead on Duchene’s goal.Duchene took the puck on his backhand, moved it to his forehand and beat Bishop high from in close. Just more than a minute later, the Stars tied it 2-all as Pitlick put the puck past Anderson.Neither team seemed to be able to get much going in the second.Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a great chance but rang a shot off the post, and the Stars hit one at the other end.Mark Borowiecki took an elbow to the mouth midway through the game and went to the dressing room, but was able to return.Pitlick took a late double-minor for high sticking Senators defenseman Ben Harpur with just under a minute left in the second to set up Ottawa for a three-minute man advantage to open the third.The Stars opened the scoring midway through the first on the power play as some good passing led to Jamie Benn feeding Seguin for a one-timer and his 38th goal of the season, a career high.The Senators had their chances but hit the post three times, twice on the same power play.Benn had a strange moment late in the game when he fell on Erik Karlsson’s stick and wouldn’t let it go and then took it to the Stars’ bench. He later asked Karlsson if he could have it, and the Senators’ captain gladly gave it up.”I’ll gladly give a good player that stick,” said Karlsson, who acknowledged he’d never had anyone ask him for a stick during a game before.NOTES: Ottawa’s Mark Stone missed his third straight game with a leg injury. … Stars D Marc Methot sat out his second consecutive game with a hand injury. The former Senator and Ottawa native was set to play his first game against the team since being selected in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and later traded to Dallas.UP NEXTStars: At the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night.Senators: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.— John Tavares isn’t the only free agent going back to a familiar place.Several players are returning to their former teams and comfortable situations – from James van Riemsdyk going back to Philadelphia on the second-richest July 1 deal to Matt Cullen taking a significant pay cut to rejoin the Pittsburgh Penguins he helped win the Stanley Cup twice. It’s not quite the tug at the heartstrings that led Tavares to sign a $77 million, seven-year deal with his boyhood Toronto Maple Leafs, but familiarity was part of the bustle on the opening day of NHL free agency .”I have that comfortablity with knowing a lot about the organization having played there in the past and having a lot of familiar faces still on the staff and stuff like that,” van Riemsdyk said after signing a $35 million, five-year deal with the Flyers. ”Even just remembering to my time previously is just how bad obviously they want to win and they’re willing to put the resources into that. That passion and that commitment to that was a big thing for me.”Unsure there’d be room for him after his old team re-signed Riley Sheahan, Cullen signed a $650 Adidas Max Jones Jersey ,000, one-year deal with the Penguins after spending a season back home in Minnesota. Tomas Plekanec was away from Montreal for only a few months, signing a bonus-laden $2.25 million, one-year deal with the Canadiens after they traded him to the rival Maple Leafs at the deadline.Plekanec had planned since the end of the season to go back to Montreal, where his family remained when he went to Toronto. He will be back at the Bell Centre on a contract that can be worth another $1.25 million in incentives. The 35-year-old will get to play his 1,000th career regular-season game in his familiar blue, white and red uniform this October.”That was my priority,” Plekanec said. ”I wanted to come back.”While Plekanec obviously felt a strong connection to Montreal after 14 seasons there, David Perron will be playing for the St. Louis Blues for the third time in his NHL career after signing for $16 million over four years. Perron spent his first six seasons with the Blues after they took him in the first round in 2007, returned as a free agent two summers ago, was taken by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft a year ago and is back again after setting career highs with 50 assists and 66 points in Las Vegas.”Obviously (the Golden Knights) made the right decision with the way that David played for them,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. ”He certainly could’ve made more money on the market. He wanted to come back.”Thomas Vanek enjoyed his 48 games with the Detroit Red Wings in 2016-17 so much he wanted to sign with them last July but they didn’t have enough salary-cap space. When the opportunity presented itself this time, the 34-year-old winger zeroed in on a one-year deal and chose Detroit’s $3 million offer over a few other options.”I loved it there,” Vanek said. ”It was a good it. I really liked the whole culture of the organization and the guys were great. We tried to make it work last year. It didn’t work out, so I’m happy it did this year.”No one says hockey players can’t go home Adidas Andrej Sustr Jersey , but there has to be mutual interest. It was simple for the Penguins, who lacked something without Cullen in their second-round loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh had tried to reacquire the 41-year-old center at the trade deadline.It was a bit more complicated for the Flyers, who traded van Riemsdyk to Toronto in 2012 in a one-for-one deal for bruising defenseman Luke Schenn. That was under a previous regime that believed the 6-foot-3, 217-pound left winger wasn’t tough enough, but GM Ron Hextall sees a player who checks the boxes for a playoff contender with a few holes.”We felt with the fit that we needed some size,” Hextall said. ”We needed goal-scoring. We need a left winger. This one just fit all around for us and I think James felt the same way.”The personality fit was there, too, because Flyers management knew van Riemsdyk, who is 29. Coming through Philadelphia’s system as the second overall pick in 2007 helped with Hextall being willing to make his biggest free agent splash.”We know the person – people inside this organization – (and) obviously that helps,” Hextall said.Van Riemsdyk did his homework by talking with captain Claude Giroux, winger Jakub Voracek and recent Flyers players before choosing to return to his first NHL organization. He also fondly remembered the Flyers’ run to the Cup Final in 2010.”Hopefully again we get a chance to do something like that in the future,” he said.—

Last season Calgary Flames Hats Authentic , the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils were two of the biggest surprises in the National Hockey League, each ending droughts by reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs.Neither team is going to sneak up on anyone this season, yet both are off to strong starts heading into their first meeting of 2018-19 on Thursday night at Prudential Center.The Devils (4-0-0) are the only NHL team not to have lost a game so far. The Avalanche (3-1-2) are playing well despite losing two straight.Article continues below ...“It’s a challenge playing these guys,” Devils center Brian Boyle said. “They’re a lot like us — young, fast, hungry. It should be a good game.”New Jersey is outscoring the opposition by a dominating 17-4 through four games. Goalie Keith Kinkaid already has two shutouts, including Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars, and he owns a sparkling .961 save percentage to go along with a 1.00 goals-against average.“He’s just taken that net and owned every part of it,” Devils defenseman Will Butcher told the team’s website. “He’s taken a huge step in his game.”Kinkaid is not alone, though, in the Devils’ early-season success. Kyle Palmieri scored the opening goal in all four games this season, and has seven through four games. Jean-Sebastien Dea has three goals in four games.Eight players have three points or more, including four defensemen. The team has killed off 13 of 14 penalties and is perfect the last 13 times short-handed.“It’s fun to come to the rink right now Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys ,” Palmieri said. “The team’s in a good mood, and we’re happy with the way we’re playing. We’re beating some really good teams, so, hopefully, we just keep that going.”New Jersey is rolling even though reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall is without a goal through four games — though he does have four assists. Certainly, the Avalanche and their top player, Nathan MacKinnon, will be aware of Hall on the ice.Last year, MacKinnon was runner-up to Hall for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Both players scored 39 goals, and MacKinnon had 97 points to Hall’s 93.MacKinnon picked up this year where he left off. He has seven goals already and established a franchise record with goals in each of the first six games of the season after scoring in the second period of Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers.“I’d like to get a few more assists actually, but it’s been nice, the puck is going in for me,” MacKinnon told the Avalanche website.Mackinnon’s linemate www.officialhurricanes.com , Mikko Rantanen, also has at least one point in each game so far. Rantanen’s eight assists and nine points both are team highs.“You need to have chemistry to be successful, and Mikko and I have lots of chemistry,” MacKinnon said. “He’s a big guy, slows the game down, and I like to speed it up. We complement each other really well.”The Avalanche might receive a boost Thursday as it appears Sven Andrighetto will play in his first game of the season. He suffered a leg injury during the preseason but practiced fully on Wednesday.“He is going to be available for us (Thursday),” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I think he looks quick, he is in really good shape. He has done a lot of hard work since he’s been out and I’m excited to have a guy like him available again, adds some skill and some speed to our lineup.”Semyon Varlamov, who was sensational in making 41 saves against the Rangers, will get the night off Thursday and Philipp Grubauer makes his second start of the season in goal.Last season, the Devils won both games with the Avalanche, outscoring them by a combined 6-2. Butcher had three assists in the season series against the team that originally drafted him. DALLAS (AP) The Dallas Stars are celebrating 25 years in Texas by hosting the NHL draft for the first time.The headliner for the home team had a little anniversary of his own: retired franchise icon Mike Modano marking 30 years since he was the No. 1 overall pick by helping introduce the Stars’ first-round pick Carolina Hurricanes T-Shirts Authentic , Canadian forward Ty Dellandrea, on Friday night.Sharing the stage with high-scoring Dallas winger Jamie Benn, Modano only had to look up to see his No. 9 hanging from the rafters at the other end of American Airlines Center.The highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history was the first pick by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, five years before the franchise moved to North Texas.”I’ve been thinking about it,” Modano said. ”Didn’t really ring a bell till about a month ago when they started saying some stuff, called me to do some intros. I was like, `Dang, yeah, ’88, 2018.’ I was like, `That was quick.”’Modano watched hockey grow from almost nothing in North Texas, but couldn’t say he was surprised his old franchise got the draft since a new arena that opened in 2001 brought the All-Star game six years later. The 48-year-old figured it was just a matter of time.”I think a lot of things happened along the way that we didn’t think,” Modano said. ”Just kind of gives people a little bit of knowledge of the town. There’s hockey down in Texas and it’s alive and kicking. Brings a lot of attention to this town for hockey for a good week.”Modano gigged the current captain of the Stars during their presentation Carolina Hurricanes Hoodies Authentic , saying he wasn’t on stage when Benn got drafted and Benn responding that they didn’t bring fifth-round picks to the stage.Benn, the 2015 Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s points leader, is up to fifth on the club’s career scoring list after getting taken 129th overall in 2007. Benn’s rookie season was Modano’s last in Dallas.”We worked on that for a little bit,” Modano said with a smile.Dellandrea, the 13th overall pick, was 10 when Modano retired in 2011 after one season with Detroit. Modano debuted as an 18-year-old with the North Stars and spent 20 seasons combined in Minnesota and Dallas. His American records are 557 goals and 1,359 points.”I might have been a little young,” said the 17-year-old Dellandrea, who spent the past two seasons with Flint of the Ontario Hockey League. ”But both of them have been tremendous role models to look up to as a young hockey player.”Now one of them is a teammate.—

MONTREAL (AP) — Max Domi broke a tie with 21 seconds left and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his first two NHL goals in the Montreal Canadiens‘ 6-4 victory over the Washington Capitals 6-4 on Thursday night.After Domi’s goal James Van Riemsdyk Jersey Womens , Joel Armia added an empty-netter two seconds later for the fastest two goals in NHL history.Kotkaniemi tied it with his second of the night with 3:04 remaining. Surrounded by three Capitals players, the Finn got his stick on the puck and his shot trickled past Holtby. At 18 years and 118 days old, Kotkaniemi became the second-youngest goal scorer in franchise history.Domi gave the Canadiens the lead when Holtby fanned on his wrist shot.Brendan Gallagher also had two goals, and Carey Price stopped 27 shots for his fifth victory of the season to help the Canadiens improve to 7-3-2.Alex Ovechkin and Lars Eller each scored twice for the Capitals, and Braden Holtby made 38 saves.PREDATORS 4, LIGHTNING 1TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pekka Rinne made 42 saves in his return after missing five games with an injury, and Nashville beat Tampa Bay.Rinne was hurt in the third period of a 5-3 win at Calgary on Oct. 19. He was stretching to try and stop the puck when teammate Kevin Fiala landed on top of the goalie in an awkward-looking collision.Kyle Turris, Roman Josi, Calle Jarnkrok and Miikka Salomaki scored, and Ryan Johansen had two nifty assists for the Predators. Slater Koekkoek scored for Tampa Bay.JETS 4, PANTHERS 2HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish star Patrik Laine had a hat trick and Winnipeg beat Florida in tbe Finnish capital.Laine scored in the second period and twice in the third, including an empty-netter. The teams will meet again Friday night.Mathieu Perreault also scored for the Jets. Keith Yandle and Evgenii Dadonov scored for Florida.ISLANDERS 3, PENGUINS 2, SONEW YORK (AP) — Josh Bailey scored a short-handed goal in the second period and then the only goal in a shootout to lift New York past Pittsburgh.Thomas Greiss made 29 saves as the Islanders swept a home-and-home set with the Penguins. New York also improved to 5-0-0 against Metropolitan Division rivals this season.Anders Lee also scored for New York. Dominik Simon and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh.RED WINGS 4, DEVILS 3DETROIT (AP) — Justin Abdelkader scored a short-handed goal midway through the third period and Trevor Daley put the puck in an empty net for another short-handed score in the final minute, and Detroit beat New Jersey for its third straight victory.Michael Rasmussen amd Martin Frk also scored for Detroit. Marcus Johansson, Blake Coleman and Sami Vatanen scored for New Jersey.STARS 2, MAPLE LEAFS 1TORONTO (AP) — Bbackup goalie Anton Khudobin made 31 saves to help Dallas beat Toronto.Jamie Benn and Devin Shore scored, and Tyler Seguin added two assists. Patrick Marleau scored for Toronto, and Frederik Andersen made 17 saves.SENATORS 4, SABRES 2OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Craig Anderson made 21 of his 46 saves in the third period and Ottawa held off Buffalo in the first game of a home-and-home series.Ryan Dzingel Matt Cullen Jersey Womens , Dylan DeMelo, Colin White and Bobby Ryan, into an empty net, scored for the Senators. Thomas Chabot and Mark Stone each had two assists.Jason Pominville, playing in his 1,000th NHL game, and Jeff Skinner scored for the Sabres, and Carter Hutton made 28 saves.BLUES 5, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3ST. LOUIS (AP) — Oskar Sundqvist scored twice to lead St. Louis past Vegas.Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Bozak and Colton Parayko also scored, and Jake Allen stopped 31 shots. Alex Tuc, Erik Haula and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored for Vegas.RANGERS 3, DUCKS 2, SOANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad scored in the shootout, Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves and New York completed a four-game road swing with a victory over Anaheim.Brett Howden and Kevin Hayes scored in regulation for the Rangers, who went 2-2 on the trip while improving to 3-0 in shootouts. Georgiev denied both Ducks attempts in the tiebreaker.Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, which is 0-5-2 in its last seven games. John Gibson made 28 saves.Rakell tied it with 25.3 seconds remaining in the third period after the Ducks pulled Gibson for an extra skater.FLYERS 5, KINGS 2LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oskar Lindblom had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia defeated Los Angeles.Ivan Provorov scored for the second straight game and the Flyers won consecutive games for the first time this season. Brian Elliott made 25 saves, and Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds each had a goal.Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist, and Jeff Carter scored a power-play goal for the Kings, who have lost seven of eight.Jack Campbell, who will be the starting goalie for three to six weeks as Jonathan Quick recovers from knee surgery Derek Grant Jersey Womens , made 26 saves.BLUE JACKETS 4, SHARKS 1SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Nick Foligno scored twice and Anthony Duclair had a goal and an assist in Columbus’ win over San Jose.Sergei Bobrovsky made 44 saves as the Blue Jackets won for the third time in four games. Seth Jones also scored.It was San Jose’s first regulation loss since Oct. 14 at New Jersey. The Sharks were 4-0-2 in their last six games since dropping three of four during a road trip.Kevin Labanc scored a power-play goal in the first period for San Jose.OILERS 4, BLACKHAWKS 0EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Mikko Koskinen made 40 saves for his first NHL shutout, Drake Caggiula scored twice and Edmonton blanked Chicago.Jason Garrison and Alex Chiasson also scored for the Oilers (7-4-1), who have won four of five.Cam Ward made 25 saves for the Blackhawks (6-5-3), who have lost four straight.FLAMES 6, AVALANCHE 5CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists, and Calgary scored five straight times in the third period to rally past Colorado.Giordano scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third when he took a pass from Mikael Backlund and snapped a shot over the blocker of goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Calgary was down 4-1 after two periods.Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, James Neal and Michael Frolik also scored for the Flames (8-5-1), who have won three straight. Matthew Tkachuk added three assists.It’s already the fourth time this season the Flames have come back to win when trailing after two periods.Colin Wilson, Vladislav Kamenev, Sheldon Dries, Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Landeskog scored for Colorado (7-4-2).Mike Smith got the win despite giving up five goals on 26 shots.Varlamov, who entered with a 1.62 goals-against average and .950 save percentage, made 31 saves. The five goals he allowed in the third period came on just 11 shots. A year after Mike Babcock told arena staffers in Washington he’d see them a few days later for Game 7, John Tortorella claimed his Blue Jackets would be back after winning Game 6 back in Columbus.Now the trick is doing what Babcock’s Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t last year: stave off elimination from the Capitals.”It’s about finding a way to win a hockey game right now,” Tortorella said Sunday. ”There are so many ways of winning and losing in playoff hockey, so many ebbs and flows. That’s just the way the game is.”Toronto is in the same spot as Columbus Erik Karlsson Jersey Womens , down 3-2 in its first-round series against the Boston Bruins with Game 6 at home Monday night (7 p.m. EDT, NBCSN). The Maple Leafs held off a significant surge from the Bruins on Saturday night to avoid being eliminated in five and send the series back across the border.”You got to look forward – there’s no sense and no good in looking back,” forward Connor Brown said. ”We’re going back to (Air Canada Centre) where we love to play. Our fans are going to be excited so right now we’re all just thinking about Game 6.”Game 6 in the Bruins-Maple Leafs series comes after Boston took a 3-1 lead in the absence of suspended Toronto center Nazem Kadri. Goaltender Frederik Andersen needed to make 42 saves to keep the Maple Leafs alive as they hope to avoid another first-round exit.The Blue Jackets are trying to do the same in their Game 6 Monday (7:30 p.m., CNBC) after losing to the Capitals in overtime Sunday in Game 5. Four of the five games between Columbus and Washington have gone to OT compared to one total in the other seven first-round series.”It’s been a crazy series,” Capitals forward Brett Connolly said. ”So much is happening. Calls and OT – it’s been fun. I think guys are enjoying it. It’s pretty nerve-wracking, but we’re going to keep pushing forward here. We know we have a good team. They have a good team, as well. It’s not going to be easy.”It’s rarely easy for the Capitals, who are 2-5 in their past five chances to eliminate an opponent and 6-11 overall in those situations in the Alex Ovechkin era. They’re also 2-5 over that time in Game 7 at home, which they’d like to avoid another incarnation of Wednesday.This is the same situation Barry Trotz’s team was in last year – an overtime-filled first-round series against Toronto – and it wrapped things up in six.”If you have a chance to eliminate a team, you have to have that killer instinct,” Trotz said. ”You have to have that ability to close out a team. And it’s the toughest game to win because the other team is desperate. Their backs are against the wall. They’re there. They’re going to give their absolute max effort.”No one doubts max effort from the Blue Jackets or the Maple Leafs staring down elimination. Columbus outshot Washington 16-1 in the third period of Game 5, and while that kind of ice-tilting onslaught is unlikely, the Blue Jackets are going to try to push the pace and ratchet up the pressure on the Metropolitan Division champions after blowing a 2-0 series lead.”The belief in this room is incredible,” captain Nick Foligno said. ”There’s no better motivation than what we’re facing.”Tactically, the Blue Jackets need to cash in on the power play after going 0 for their past 13. Goaltender Braden Holtby and Washington’s penalty kill have been the difference in the series.”The penalty kill has been a major factor for us in the last few games,” Trotz said. ”I think as a group, they’ve all stepped up. I don’t think I can single out anybody. They’ve all stepped up. The penalty kill is as good as the five guys that you have, your four and your goaltender. They’ve been very committed there.”WAITING IT OUTThe Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks will meet in the second round of the Pacific Division bracket, while the Winnipeg Jets await the winner of the Nashville-Colorado series. In the East, the Atlantic Division-champion Tampa Bay Lightning finished off New Jersey on Saturday and will face Toronto or Boston in the second round.—AP Sports Writers Mitch Stacy in Columbus, Ohio, and Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed.—

When the Washington Capitals faced the New York Islanders in the playoffs five years in a row in the 1980s http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-tre_davious-white-jersey , players knew everything.They knew where Mike Bossy loved to shoot from, that Bob Nystrom was going to run them over and that they’d better watch out for Denis Potvin in the neutral zone.”We became so used to one another we were expected to play the Islanders in the playoffs,” former Capitals winger Craig Laughlin said. ”At some point, we always knew we were going to play them.”It’s starting to feel that way now for the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, who are meeting in the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Two teams playing each other over and over again in the postseason is a common theme in NHL history, especially when 16 of the 21 teams faced off in a divisional format similar to what has been in place since 2014 and is responsible for Capitals-Penguins III.The Capitals faced the New York Rangers from 2011-13 and the Chicago Blackhawks played the Vancouver Canucks from 2009-11. Hockey has changed plenty since the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens played series seven years in a row from 1984-90, but all that familiarity still breeds a whole lot of contempt.”For the players, it’s more difficult,” said former Edmonton defenseman Kevin Lowe, whose Oilers faced Winnipeg three playoffs in a row from 1983-85. ”The body checks are heavier, the cross-checks are harder, the slashes behind the play are harder.”Lowe doesn’t think there are any advantages to players seeing the same opponent over and over again in the playoffs. Even on a Stanley Cup-champion team in Edmonton, there was always pressure to beat the Jets because they had done it in previous years.Seeing the Penguins beat the Capitals on the way to the Cup the past two years, Lowe believes the stronger motivation belongs to Washington.”They’ve made their life miserable, so that amps them up more,” Lowe said. ”There’s no real advantage to the team that’s winning those years because you know every year’s different and you thought, `Oh Cheap Christian McCaffrey Jersey , we can beat these guys because we beat them before.’ It’s a new set of circumstances every time you play.”Former Philadelphia defenseman Brad Marsh recalled similar circumstances when the Flyers faced the Rangers in the playoffs in the ’80s. New York was often dozens of points back in the standings and yet won their series sometimes.Players also changed teams less frequently back then, so the series felt like the continuation of a never-ending rivalry that began each fall in the preseason and was renewed in the playoffs.”You certainly develop a hate for the team a little quicker because you’ve played them so many times in the regular season leading into the playoffs, and if you play them year after year, it certainly does give you extra motivation not to lose to them again,” Marsh said. ”You did know how each player played or what their strengths or weaknesses were.”By now, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said he and his teammates know ”pretty much everything” about the Penguins, just like they did about the Rangers a few years ago. Coach Barry Trotz joked there was ”less scouting, shorter days” before acknowledging, ”We’ll be looking for those little edges you can get when you start playing teams multiple times.”Even back in Laughlin’s day, the scouting reports – printed out on paper – were extensive. When Marsh faced the Rangers, he knew how to defend certain players in front of the net and what to expect from an opponent’s stars.Sometimes that’s a no brainer. The Capitals have to watch out for Sidney Crosby, the Penguins for Ovechkin and the 1980s Jets for Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.Rick Tocchet, who played with Marsh on the Flyers in the ’80s and was an assistant coach with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, thinks repeatedly facing the same team brings out different aspects in players.”If you were a skill guy, you’d probably go out of your way to hit a guy,” Tocchet said. ”If you really were an aggressive-type player, you’d try to make sure you’d continue to be aggressive and be willing to hit their best players. When you play a team so many times you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone to win those games.”Having an elite team like the Islanders and Oilers dynasties of the ’80s carried with it some pressure Authentic Christian McCaffrey Jersey , but beating the same opponent repeatedly in the playoffs had one benefit.”Knowing that there would be an element of doubt in there,” Lowe said. ”If you get them down in a series and things are looking bleak where that element of doubt might creep in quicker for the team that hasn’t won. It takes a while before you can actually get an opponent to that position.”The mental battle starts well before Game 1. Speaking from experience, Laughlin thought he and the Capitals could always go toe-to-toe with the Islanders. He figures that’s the only way to approach this kind of situation.”You need that feeling that this is a new year, it’s a new season, it’s a new series and why can’t we win?” Laughlin said. ”It is belief that you have a better team and a belief that you are playing better than them at the moment. I think that’s the only thing you can sort of feed off of is you have more belief in your game the way you’re playing now.”— LAS VEGAS (AP) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare didn’t know what to do as he browsed in the grocery store. Fans were admiring the native Frenchman and center for the Vegas Golden Knights, but he had become star-struck himself.”I’m pretty sure I saw Steffi Graf,” Bellemare said. ”I was on the phone with my mom, and I was like (gasps for air). I walked right behind her. I didn’t say anything, too shy.”Just your random day away from the bright lights of Vegas in Summerlin, roughly 20 minutes from The Strip. And Bellemare loves his new surroundings.”Going to your grocery shop, everything is kind of convenient,” Bellemare said. ”You get a habit of getting your routine done simple. Right now, with the newborn, the weather and the pool has been something we’ve been enjoying quite a lot.”Many members of the Golden Knights had no idea what living in Las Vegas would entail when they were selected in the expansion draft for the fledgling team. In less than a year, however, they’ve found their new home is much more than casinos and glitzy shows.Jonathan Marchessault said he enjoys a night out with his wife, either attending a show or having dinner at one of the many resorts on The Strip http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-mccaffrey-jersey , but he also enjoys taking his kids to the team’s practice facility to skate, or to swimming lessons when time permits. The team, after all, has made a historic run to the Stanley Cup Final, with Game 1 at home coming up Monday night against the Washington Capitals.”Like everybody what they think, you think of The Strip, you think of all the nightlife and everything but there’s a lot more,” Marchessault said. ”There’s actually a lot of people living here and the community where we live, it’s unbelievable. The people are nice and respectful. I’ve been in a few cities in my career and this is definitely one of the classiest places.”David Perron, who admitted he too was surprised that life existed away from Las Vegas Boulevard, said he recently enjoyed showing his visiting parents Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.”You grow up and all you hear about Vegas is The Strip and just think that’s what it is, there’s nothing else to see,” Perron said. ”It’s pretty eye-opening to see outside of it.”Coach Gerard Gallant reiterated his players’ sentiments, having become a local celebrity right along with them.”I told the people the other day if I keep coming here and you’re gonna pay for my breakfast I’m not coming back,” Gallant said with a laugh. ”They’re great people and they’re a lot of fun. Everybody recognizes you and I didn’t really expect that. Myself and my wife, we love Vegas, it’s been awesome. We go to The Strip anytime you want to go there Baker Mayfield Jersey Elite , you go down there for dinner, but besides that we’re out here in Summerlin and we love it.”Some of the younger players, like roommates Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch, don’t mind taking advantage of the spectacles and endless events that Sin City has to offer.”The shows are unbelievable,” Tuch said. ”I’ve met a couple of the cast (members), I met Criss Angel, there’s deejays and artists coming in and out of the city, so I’ve met a lot of cool people like that. The food is fantastic around here. And if you get away from the city you can play on some really nice golf courses too, which I like to do.”Said Theodore: ”I think my favorite part about Vegas is the different kinds of food you can get. We’ve been very lucky to have some good connections with a lot of restaurants in town. Rooming with Tuchy, he’s got some good connections.”General manager George McPhee said he’s come to appreciate the maturity of the players as they adapted to living in Las Vegas, with all the temptations and distractions.”It’s a high-character group,” McPhee said. ”We don’t want a bunch of clones, we’ve never wanted a bunch of clones, either in the front office or anywhere else in the organization. They’re all different, they have different lifestyles at home. There’s something for everyone to do in Vegas, so they do what they do. But when we come to the rink that’s where they become one.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals