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dakotahiggins-blog1 · 5 years ago

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All photos by Alida Zimmerman

Those necessary steps include the following:

Moving abroad to Argentina for 2 years

Living out of a suitcase for 3 years

Launching a campaign with an airline and taking the winner (a complete stranger at the time!) abroad for 2 weeks…with me as their guide

Continued growth and learning about the world, myself and others – whether that be through a massive surgery or yoga teacher training

My first hire to The Road Les Traveled

Creating our very first intentional escape to Bali with a group of 14

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I firmly believe that all of these steps were imperative in order for me and my team to make this series a reality. And to think it almost didn’t happen in the end…

Here were some funny, and not so funny, setbacks.

-Lost my passport 24 hours before my plane left for Bali. HahahhahHAHHAHHAHahhahaaHHHHAAAA. Yeah, not so funny in the end. I found out this horrific news 30 minutes before I went on stage to speak at a breast cancer event (hello breathing exercises) and proceeded to call the front desk at the Grand Hyatt where I stayed the night before… and guess what? It was there, but it took an arm and a leg to find that out. After finally getting the good news, I bought the nice woman behind the desk a bottle of champagne because I WAS GOING TO BALI. Let’s continue.

-Arrived to the airport 5 minutes before check-in closed.

-My assistant was “initiated” to The Road Les Traveled when the security line was SO long and the time until departure was SO short…so she had to be THAT girl to ask to cut the line. She was the second to last person on the plane, right before Paris Hilton

-Our baggage overage charges surpassed 4 digits but we ended up only paying $100 total somehow – thank you beautiful baggage gods

-Our last flight into Bali was delayed due to an earthquake in Indonesia. Yes, an earthquake. Bali was unaffected.

-The Customs & Immigrations line was longer than anything I’d ever seen before, and we almost weren’t let in due to the amount of items we had for our group (I’m looking at you, swag bags and box of 14 yoga mats).

We know because we go, and that’s when lessons become learned!

It’s always quite the adventure starting something new for the first time, and this was the official beginning to my new travel series dubbed LimitLes – intentional escapes for those looking to travel with like-minded people who crave movement, purpose, connection, difference and change for the greater good. This isn’t your average vacay. From yoga to exploration to giving back in an exceptional way – we definitely make an impact: not only on the local community but on our participants, too!

If you’re interested in joining my 2019 trip or just so happen to be going to Bali soon and need some must-dos, here are the group’s favorites from Bali 2018

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All Things Local…

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But First, Yoga

This was my first taste at what it’s like to teach yoga every single day for a week…and I loved it! As a new teacher, I feel more grounded when I prepare the night before a class. Even though I was beyond exhausted from the day’s events, I would stay up building out classes each night and feel more prepared the following morning. Knowing that the women came away with a stronger practice and saying things like, “I’ve never been able to touch my toes…and on our final class together…I did it!” makes my heart sing. Of course, yoga is not about touching your toes, but I felt empowered with these women as they explored their mind, bodies and souls through yoga.

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Hidden Hills Wanagiri Swing

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Sure, off-the-beaten hidden gems feel like an untapped reserve where tourism hasn’t hit yet. Those are great. And then there are photo-worthy swings that make for good Ista-worthy content. While I kinda hate myself a little bit for even typing that, the group had a lot of fun and laughs here. There’s a swing entrance fee and each station has different attractions including a nest, multiple swings and some kind of bamboo lookout. As cheesy as they are, these swings make for a beautiful view and allow the Balinese people to find work thanks to tourism (and social media).

Banyumala Twin Waterfall

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Personally, this was one of my favorite activities from our trip! Banyumala a stunning waterfall and a bit outside the touristy center. Located in northern Bali, it’s not exactly a hop-skip-and-jump away from hot spots like Seminyak and Canggu. It took us a little over two hours to reach and then another 15-20 minute hike down to the actual falls. It does have an entrance fee, and even though I had on flip flops, maybe wear sturdier footwear for the hike down/back up! The path isn’t great, but the plunge pool below the waterfall is insanely relaxing and a nice respite from the Bali heat!

Toya Devasya Hot Springs

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I feel as if the above photo says it all…but these healing hot springs were magical. Coming in as a hot tip from our driver after we finished the sunrise volcano trek up Mt. Batur, our exhausted minds and bodies happily obliged. We visited before the entire spa was completed, but I don’t think anyone cared about the minimal construction going on. Minerals from the colorless and odorless hot spring and yummy drinks from the bar really did the trick in getting us back to 100% from that 2am wake up call

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Sound Bath Healing with Katrina

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After our volcano hike and hot springs rejuvenation, I thought a bit more self-care was needed. The remainder of the day was spent getting massages and partaking in sound baths and crystal prescriptions. I met Katrina while in our Aruba YTT together, and I’m convinced this woman is a unicorn sent to breathe sunshine and fairy dust into humankind. Lucky for us, she was still living in Bali at the time and performed a beautiful sound bath (that had me bawling through almost the entire thing). The best way I can describe it is a meditative concert that supports states of deep relaxation where stress release and healing can occur.

Crystals with Amanda

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Crystal prescriptions with Amanda from The Crystal Boutique was eye-opening. I’d only skimmed the surface of crystal basics before visiting Bali, but when in Rome…

The semi-precious stones connect us to Earth as soon as we come into contact with them, and they have healing powers for cleaning, comforting, guiding, amplifying, and the list goes on. Whatever you need, I think there’s a crystal for it.

Tirta Empul Temple

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This holy water temple was a spiritual journey from the moment was cloaked ourselves in sarongs to following our guide on Instagram afterwards because he was such a ray of light. The temple is a place to observe Hindu devotees purifying themselves by means of ritual bathing. After paying an entrance fee, we walked around and listened to our guide Kadek tell us about the site, its symbolism and finally landed in the purification pools for the purification ritual which we all partook in. After leaving a offering and a little prayer, we proceeded to the left waterspout in the first pool and continued to the next spout until the 13th, skipping spout number 11 and 12 as these spouts are only for “Pitra Yadnya”, a ritual for the dead. I forgot this important piece of info and did them all…oops. Ritual goes to say a little prayer, splashed your face three times and dip your head with the holy water at each spout.

The temple is located in Tampaksiring near Ubud where there is so much exploration to be had!

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Bali Pink Ribbon 5K Walk/Run

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On our last full day together, it was finally time to do what we’d come here for. Every LimitLes trip has a purposeful component, and seeing how it was Breast Cancer Awareness month, it was the perfect time to join forces with Bali Pink Ribbon. A portion of everyone’s LimitLes ticket was donated to this breast cancer non-profit, and on our last day we participated in a 5K walk (while some brave soul braved the Bali heat!) to raise awareness. It was insanely special to do with such a caring group including two survivors and two previvors.

As I write this post months after we’ve been home and returned to our daily routines, it’s with a heavy heart to say that one of our very own LimitLes girls lost her battle to metastatic breast cancer just a few weeks ago. After a long and courageous fight, 33-year-old Margaux Untracht passed away on March 16th surrounded by her family. For nearly three years Margaux battled an aggressive form of breast cancer with an unbelievable amount of grace and strength. I’ve written a piece dedicated to her so that Margaux can live forever on The Road Les Traveled as well as in my memories. Her story is seriously a true inspiration, so I urge everyone to read more about her and listen to her powerful words here. The 15 minute video is something everyone must see.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

Final Thoughts

After our goodbyes were said and the villa was empty, I felt it: total and complete exhaustion mixed with pure elation. I was riding this high full of emotions. Connection was made, depth was had, volcanoes were hiked, yoga was practiced, laughs were abundant, tears were felt. I was exactly where I needed to be. I was doing exactly what I was meant to do: facilitate connection and community through travel.

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I know LimitLes must continue for as long as it can. It’s a NEED-to kind of thing. Seeing the after effects solidified that for me, and it’s one of the most beautiful occurrences I’ve ever witnessed. These women go back to their lives with a clearer mind, a heightened inner confidence, a new sense of inspiration and lifelong friends. Oh yeah, and a love for yoga

It’s wild to think about the kind of impact and transformation 7 days can have on a person, and I’m completely taken aback by it. These women continue to FaceTime each other, travel together, organize book clubs and meet each others families. I think a common trend amongst adults, especially as we grow older, is that we crave community and connection. LimitLes is exactly that.

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I could never begin to articulate the magic that happens on each LimitLes trip, and I won’t try to do so. Real life has no adequate paper trail, and I think a certain bit should be contained for each special group who made the physical, emotional and spiritual connection together. There’s a lot of effort that goes into each trip, not only on our side but on the participant’s as well. Traveling alone, meeting total strangers, trusting someone who you’ve never met (ME) to build a trip of a lifetime for you. That’s throwing fear the middle finger and judgement to the wind, two things I totally admire. Let’s all continue doing that

Photo by Alida Zimmerman

I’ll end with a very special shout out to my Bali teammates Emily Kronyak and photographer Alida Zimmerman. Emily and I crafted this trip from scratch, and I couldn’t have pulled it off without her. Alida captured every last moment so beautifully, and I’m forever grateful for the memories that will last a lifetime.

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The post LimitLes in Bali appeared first on The Road Les Traveled.

#LimitLesInBali #ffffff;

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pursuedbear · 5 years ago

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Graveyard Club - Valens (2020)

Graveyard Club (Matthew Schufman (vocals, synths), Michael Wojtalewicz (guitar), Cory Jacobs (drums) and Amanda Zimmerman (bass, vocals) began inspired by a unique list of shared interests: the classic short stories of sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, the music of Ryan Gosling’s little-known band Dead Man’s Bones, and a fascination with both 50’s crooners and 80’s pop music. With an ever-growing reputation as one of Minneapolis' most entertaining and moving live acts, Graveyard Club has released two albums and an EP of their haunting brand of synthpop. They perform regularly at top Twin Cities venues (7th Street Entry, Turf Club, Fine Line), and have toured nationally - supporting artists such as The Drums, Methyl Ethel, Cayucas, San Fermin, Beverly and others. Graveyard Club's songs have been featured on television for MTV, E!, and more. They continue to receive critical acclaim from local, national, and international press, and were a Minneapolis Star Tribune 2017 Are You Local? finalist for best new band. The band's latest record, Cellar Door, was released in August 2016.

#pop #new wave #synthpop

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paulbenedictblog · 5 years ago

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%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

For the Washington Nationals, a long playoff break is a blessing and a curse

Heading in opposition to their first World Sequence in franchise history, the Washington Nationals salvage the strongest pressure in postseason baseball perched on their shoulder … and its most attention-grabbing antidote respiratory down their neck.

Momentum is a magical factor when October rolls around. Momentum is king. Momentum can enable a team that started the season 19-31 to blueprint shut down an opponent that won 106 games.

That antidote to this sort of crimson-hot team, even though? It’s no longer, contemporary history suggests, lights-out pitching or an equally rampant rival and even unfavorable honest appropriate fortune.

It’s leisure.

After seeing off those 106-utilize Los Angeles Dodgers with a dramatic Sport 5 comeback in the Nationwide League Division Sequence, the Nationals obliterated the St. Louis Cardinals, sweeping them in four straight games by a mixed safe of 20-6.

The NLCS wrapped up on Tuesday, and while the D.C. space has been gleefully making ready for its first World Sequence appearance since the Washington Senators in 1933 (which is a varied franchise altogether, having moved to Minnesota and changing into the Twins in 1961), the Nationals salvage had to search out methods to occupy their spare time. In a sport that by no system truly ceases, it would appear fancy a welcome respite.

“We’re going to bask in this plenty tonight; potentially the next day to come as properly,” outdated Ryan Zimmerman told reporters after seeing off the Cardinals. “And then we’re on to the following.”

Yeah, in the slay.

This present day is Thursday, October 17, 2019.

It’s 9: 25 AM ET.

And your Washington Nationals are silent Nationwide League champs.#CLINCHED // #STAYINTHEFIGHT pic.twitter.com/nme0cxRFUA

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 17, 2019

By the time the opening pitch of the Fall Traditional is thrown on Oct. 22, the Nationals may maybe maybe maybe salvage been sitting around for six days. That slothful time isn’t necessarily a appropriate thing: since 1994, groups with six or more days of leisure are 6-7 in the World Sequence and 0-4 since the advent of two Wild Card groups in each league.

Even though the Astros proceed on their merry system and clinch the American League Championship Sequence in 5 games on Friday, the Nationals may maybe maybe maybe salvage had three more days to relax and regroup (or, in Max Scherzer’s case, hang around at a Washington Capitals NHL sport) than the Texan membership.

On its surface, more leisure is rarely any advantage, in step with the guidelines. Since MLB’s realignment in 1994, the more heavily-rested World Sequence team is 12-12. For the reason that Wild Card play-in sport used to be added in 2012, leisure has served as an exact detriment. Out of seven World Sequence champions since, handiest closing season’s Boston Crimson Sox claimed the trophy after having had an extended spoil than their opponent.

For no matter cause, fresh conference has looked unfavorably in opposition to the most rested World Sequence contributors, repeatedly.

“That’s the unfavorable data for the Nationals, riding all this loopy momentum,” wrote Mike Lupica on MLB.com. “They wait and care for waiting unless the series between the Astros and Yankees is over. And while they wait, they hope that after they initiate playing every other time, at either Minute Maid Park or at Yankee Stadium, that they won’t salvage suffered from the Curse of the Tigers. That will probably be a thing.”

Lupica used to be referring to the 2006 and 2012 Detroit Tigers, each apparently unstoppable forces that swept the championship series and then received extinct. Tigers had six days to ruminate in 2012 and received stung in the World Sequence. So too did the Kansas City Royals, Unusual York Mets and Cleveland Indians, the World Sequence losers from 2014 to 2016, who all had six days off as properly.

The closing team to utilize the Sequence after precisely six days of leisure used to be the 2005 Chicago White Sox, who beat the Astros. The closing time a team won with either six or more spare days used to be the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, who had a fat week off earlier than beating the Tampa Bay Rays.

Age is appropriate a bunch. pic.twitter.com/NgcElA7szh

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 18, 2019

Washington used to be the ninth team to sweep an LCS since the format expanded to seven games in 1985. Most efficient once has the sweeper gone on to utilize the World Sequence — the Atlanta Braves in 1995, courtesy of the mercurial palms of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.

But if the Nationals watch more to practicalities than statistical quirks, they'll gain some solace. The layoff permits for a full reset for a rotation that has grew to develop into correct into a postseason monster.

“We’re going to discontinue locked in,” outfielder Adam Eaton told 106.7 The Fan. “We’re going to assemble particular that that we gain our time without work, gain our guys in line. We received an older neighborhood. The older guys don’t get better with regards to as mercurial as one of the foremost younger bucks attain, so we'll blueprint shut this time and spend it to our advantage.”

Pitching studs Stephen Strasburg, Scherzer and Patrick Corbin all labored in relief over the past two series, while Anibal Sanchez is 35. Scherzer is probably to pitch Sport No doubt one of many Sequence.

If it's miles certainly Houston that emerges with the American League pennant, it would space up considered one of many most attention-grabbing pitching showdowns in World Sequence history, given the Astros’ triple-headed juggernaut of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke.

That expensively-assembled Houston trio certain looks to be unstoppable, especially the system the Astros salvage silenced Yankee Stadium over the outdated couple of days. But when there’s one team that has no cause to alarm someone factual now, it’s the Nationals. Having misplaced Bryce Harper and started the season abysmally, they’ve truly been on a roll ever since.

“We had a replacement,” Zimmerman added, referencing the 19-31 initiate. “Shall we either roll over and stop or attain in and blueprint shut a watch at and utilize the sport on a conventional basis. We selected the second.”

Postseason momentum is one thing, nonetheless the Nationals are riding a wave that they caught support in June and salvage glided atop ever since. If that’s no longer sufficient to outweigh the supposed curse of the rested, maybe nothing is.

The puzzle is virtually full. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/iVQRGDJQ1R

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2019

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placetobenation · 6 years ago

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In this episode of the Place to Be Podcast, Justin and Scott are joined by JA D’Amato and headed to the casino for a deep dive into WrestleMania V.

The boys chat about WWE going head to head with Clash of the Champions, Rockin’ Robin murdering America the Beautiful, a fun Rockers/Twin Towers battle, Bushwhacker Luke grabbing Ray Rougeau’s crotch, a swank Perfect/Blazer battle, Mr. Fuji finally getting his comeuppance, epic commentary from Ventura and Monsoon, the returns of Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper, Rick Martel’s heel turn, Morton Downy’s career, Bobby Heenan finally winning gold, the Mega Powers exploding and so much more!

So fire up this action-packed episode and join Scott, Justin and JA as it’s time for another edition of the PTB Podcast!

Check out more from the Place to Be Podcast right here at Place to Be Nation including interviews with Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, J.J. Dillon, Scott Keith, Christopher Robin Zimmerman, Christopher Daniels, Gary Michael Cappetta, Scott Hudson, Bruno Lauer, Stevie Richards, Eddie Edwards and many, many more.

Don’t forget to check out our other great podcasts – only at Place to Be Nation! Also, the PTB Podcast is available on the Stitcher Radio app! Visit www.stitcher.com for more information! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and also be sure to help out Place to Be Nation by shopping online using http://bit.ly/2sLgge5.

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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simlish-savvy · 5 years ago

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for a Family sim, Blossom is terrible at staying faithful to her husband (formerly Aldric Davis, now Aldric Moonbeam)...don’t have a picture of it but she is indeed pregnant again, so I guess only time will tell who the father is (the answer may surprise you)...baby name suggestions also welcome here tbh

also, Raindrop and Rainbow aged up into the cutest of toddlers, both of them turning out to take after Blossom - which shocked me seeing as face one genes usually dominate over all others and Aldric basically is a glorified face one sim

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fearsmagazine · 6 years ago

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The House With a Clock in Its Walls arrives on Digital TODAY November 27

Enjoy the delightfully thrilling tale of a mysterious house where things, including the inhabitants, are not what they seem to be. The House With a Clock in its Walls arrives on Digital and via the digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on Today, November 27, 2018, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM, DVD and On Demand on December 18, 2018. Based on the classic children’s book and praised as “creaky, freaky haunted-mansion fun” (LA Times), The House With a Clock in its Walls features over 60 minutes of bonus content including an alternate beginning and ending, stunning featurettes, deleted scenes, a hilarious gag reel, and feature commentary. Enchanting from start to finish, it’s the perfect adventure for families during the holidays.

Full of wonder and adventure, The House With a Clock in its Walls mesmerizes audiences of all ages and keeps the magic alive when stars Jack Black (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Kung Fu Panda), Cate Blanchett (Ocean’s 8, Thor: Ragnarok) and Owen Vaccaro (Daddy’s Home, Mother’s Day) arrive as Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman and Lewis Barnavelt. In the most unexpected places, fantastical events, miraculous twists and suspense filled moments ensue in this “zany kids adventure” (The Hollywood Reporter) that soon captivates adults as well. In the tradition of Amblin classics, master frightener and director Eli Roth’s The House With a Clock in its Walls is a family-friendly fantasy film that “stands alongside the ‘just for kids’ classics of the 1980’s and 1990’s” (Forbes).

In The House With a Clock in its Walls directed by Eli Roth (The Green Inferno, Cabin Fever), Lewis Barnavelt (Vaccaro) goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Black) in a creaky and creepy mansion with an eerie tick-tocking heart. But when Lewis soon finds out he’s in the presence of magic practiced by his uncle and neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman (Blanchett), his new town’s dreary aura boosts to life in an exciting and dangerous way. Based on the beloved children’s classic book written by John Bellairs and illustrated by Edward Gorey, The House With a Clock in its Walls is written by Eric Kripke (creator of TV’s “Supernatural”) and co-stars Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks,” Inside Out), Colleen Camp (Clue), Renée Elise Goldsberry (“One Life to Live”), and Sunny Suljic (Mid90s, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). It is produced by Mythology Entertainment’s Brad Fischer (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), as well as Kripke.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM, DVD & DIGITAL:

Warlocks and Witches - Go behind the scenes with the enchanting cast of The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Movie Magic

Tick Tock: Bringing the Book to Life - Filmmakers discuss how they adapted the book for the big screen

Eli Roth: Director's Journals - Director Eli Roth takes viewers behind the scenes

Owen Goes Behind the Scenes - Armed with his own camera, Owen guides viewers on his own journey behind-the-scenes of the movie

Theme Song Challenge - Eli Roth and the cast are challenged to come up with a theme song for the film

Do You Know Jack Black? - The cast compete with each other to see who knows Jack Black the best

Abracadabra! - Eli Roth performs a magic trick for Owen Vaccaro

Jack Black's Greatest Fear - Eli Roth and Owen Vaccaro play a prank on Jack Black

The Mighty Wurlitzer - Composer Nathan Barr discusses how he created the film's unique and distinct score

Finding Lewis - A look at the casting of Owen Vaccaro

Jack's Magical Journey - A look at the unique dynamism and magic that Jack Black brings to the character of Jonathan Barnavelt

The Great Cate - The cast discuss Cate Blanchett's wonderful performance as Florence Zimmerman

The Terrifying Isaac Izard - Watch Kyle MacLachlan's creepy evolution from living icon to undead-warlock

The Ultimate Haunted House - Join filmmakers for a guided tour through the incredible house at the center of the film

Automatons Attack - A behind-the-scenes look at the mechanical horrors involved in this chilling sequence

Pumpkin Puke - Behind the scenes with the cast and an army of spooky, snarling, vomiting pumpkins

Moving Pieces - Filmmakers and cast discuss the amazing clock room set

Baby Jack - A behind-the-scenes look at the creepy Baby Jack sequence

Candler Mansion

Newnan, GA

The Chair

Comrade Ivan

New Zebedee Elementary

Wrap Day

Around the Set

Behind the Camera

The Big Interview

Downtime on Set

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAYTM DVD & DIGITAL:

Alternate Opening and Ending with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available

Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available

Gag Reel

Feature Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black

Alternate Opening

Alternate Ending

More Books, Please

A Horrible Practical Joke

Tarby Ditches Lewis

Eat Up

Play for Him

Get Out of the Way

Time Is of the Essence

The Clock That Never Breaks

12 Minutes to Go

The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD disc will include the same bonus features as the Blu-rayTM version, all in stunning 4K resolution.

4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.

Blu-rayTM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.

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#dvd news #blu-ray news #housewithaclock #universal pictures

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jodyedgarus · 6 years ago

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Baseball’s Top Staffs Have Come Around On The High-Spin Fastball

When baseball welcomed the new Statcast technology to every major league stadium in 2015, the system’s Doppler radar began tracking an underlying pitching skill: spin rate. Teams and players were suddenly armed with new data to study and optimize. They were able to quantify long-held beliefs about pitch characteristics, like “late life” and “rise,” and challenge established practices, like always keeping the ball down as a pitcher.

As batters have adjusted their swings lower to crush the sinking fastball, more and more pitchers have sought to go up in the zone, above uppercut swing planes, with elevated fastballs. In every year of Statcast pitch tracking, the average height of four-seam fastballs upon reaching the plate has increased. And adding spin to the four-seam fastball is what makes it a bat-missing weapon. The teams that harness those high-spin pitches seem to have an advantage in getting to October: The Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians are the top four teams in spin rate on four-seam fastballs, and the Boston Red Sox are ninth.

Leaguewide batting averages offer a snapshot into the importance of spin. When pitchers threw fastballs between 93 and 94 mph with an average spin range of 2,240 to 2,300 revolutions per minute, hitters posted a .279 average this season. But against the same velocity range with an increased spin of 2,540 to 2,600 rpms, batting average declines to .255. The more spin a fastball has, the more it appears to rise and resist gravity, and that creates more swings and misses, as demonstrated by Jeff Zimmerman of FanGraphs.

But how can a player — or a whole team — develop high spin rates? Some players have high fastball spin rates innately, and others don’t — changing grip on a breaking ball can change spin rate, but it’s difficult to throw a fastball differently. Unlike velocity, which can be trained, a pitcher’s fastball spin ratio is thought to be extremely difficult to alter naturally.

The unnatural solution is for a pitcher to apply a foreign substance. In May, Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer drew the ire of the Houston Astros when he addressed the subject of sticky substances and their effect on performance.

“There is a problem in baseball right now that has to do with sticky substances and spin rates,” Bauer said. “We know how it affects spin rate and we know how spin rate affects outcomes and pitches and movements that have a big difference in a game, a season and each individual player’s career.”

“The people who choose not to do it are at a competitive disadvantage.”

When a thrown ball departs from a straight path, it’s because the speed of its spin creates a pressure differential. The ball moves toward the direction of lower pressure. In baseball, this phenomenon — known as the Magnus Effect — combines with the orientation of the ball’s spin axis to force a curveball to break downward and a slider to move more laterally. More spin equals more movement. The Magnus Effect forces a four-seam fastball in another direction: up.

Just about every four-seam fastball is thrown in a similar manner, with the index and middle fingers of the throwing hand last making contact with the ball. Bauer, who’s known for taking a scientific approach to pitching, explained that to increase spin on four-seam fastballs, the pitcher’s fingers must maintain contact longer to form a more acute tangential angle with the ball. Bauer believes this is largely an innate trait — unless a sticky substance helps the fingers adhere to the ball for a fraction of second longer.

University of Illinois physics professor Alan Nathan, an MLB consultant, agreed with Bauer’s theory.

“It’s probably pretty hard to change that [fastball spin] ratio for an individual,” Nathan said of naturally changing spin rate. “I can see that you could do it for a curveball because a curveball involves some technique whereas a fastball is pure power. There is no finesse.”

It seems like Bauer tried to prove his point with an on-field experiment. During the season, Bauer ranked 164th out of 495 pitches in average spin rate at 2,322 rpms. But in one inning of an April 30 start in Texas, Bauer’s average spin rate surged while his velocity remained steady. He came close to hitting 2,700 rpm with a fastball — more than 300 rpms above his average.

Bauer was asked after the game if he had used a foreign substance in that inning, and he said simply, “No comment.” He did acknowledge testing different substances in the lab at Driveline Baseball in Washington state, where he trains and researches in the offseason.

“I’ve melted down Firm Grip and Coca-Cola and pine tar together,” Bauer told reporters in May. “I’ve tested a lot of stuff. At 70 mph, when we were doing the tests, spin rates jumped between 300-400 rpm while using various different sticky substances. The effect is slightly less pronounced at higher velocities … but still between 200–300 rpm increase.”

Driveline Baseball has tried to make it easier to measure spin rate. It released a metric in November 2016 called “Bauer Units,” a measure for spin divided by velocity. That allows us to look across teams and isolate which players might be generating spin more than others. And some of the most analytically driven teams seemed to valued spin more as soon as Statcast began measuring.

Raw spin rate generally increases with velocity, but it’s the spin-to-velocity (rpm-to-mph) ratio that is so crucial to determining pitch movement. For instance, a high-velocity fastball with just average spin will not have as great of a rise effect as a lower-velocity, higher-spin fastball will. The ideal fastball is high-spin, high-velocity, like that of Justin Verlander. The Astros ace ranks second in baseball in vertical movement of his fastball, at 11.2 inches, with an average velocity of 95 mph. His fastball generates 29.4 percent whiffs per swing, seventh in baseball. It’s that rpm-to-mph ratio that is considered difficult to improve in fastballs by those who, like Bauer, have experimented in lab settings.

In recent seasons, the Astros added spin outliers in Verlander and Ryan Pressley, who rank fifth and 10th in raw fastball spin rate and fifth and 16th in Bauer Units. (Bauer ranks 162nd out of 348 pitchers in Bauer Units.) The Yankees acquired Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray. The Dodgers made a significant investment, three years and $48 million, in elite spin-rate artist Rich Hill after the 2016 season despite his lengthy history of injury and inconsistency.

The Dodgers, Astros and Yankees rank first, third and fourth in Bauer Units this season. And since 2015, those same three team lead in Bauer Units added, suggesting that they better prize and/or teach the skill. All three teams declined interview requests on how they evaluate and develop spin.

Which MLB teams are prizing spin?

MLB teams by change in average rate of four-seam fastball revolutions per minute/miles per hour between 2015 and 2018*

TEAM Change in average Fastball RPM/MPH, 2015-18 New York Yankees +1.47

–

Los Angeles Dodgers +1.12

–

Houston Astros +0.90

–

Texas Rangers +0.88

–

Milwaukee Brewers +0.84

–

New York Mets +0.78

–

Boston Red Sox +0.63

–

Arizona Diamondbacks +0.55

–

Pittsburgh Pirates +0.54

–

Colorado Rockies +0.53

–

St. Louis Cardinals +0.52

–

Seattle Mariners +0.46

–

Los Angeles Angels +0.37

–

Cleveland Indians +0.34

–

San Diego Padres +0.33

–

Chicago Cubs +0.32

–

Minnesota Twins +0.28

–

Detroit Tigers +0.22

–

Atlanta Braves +0.22

–

Toronto Blue Jays +0.07

–

Washington Nationals -0.06

–

San Francisco Giants -0.08

–

Baltimore Orioles -0.14

–

Miami Marlins -0.16

–

Tampa Bay Rays -0.17

–

Philadelphia Phillies -0.17

–

Kansas City Royals -0.40

–

Oakland Athletics -0.62

–

Chicago White Sox -0.80

–

Cincinnati Reds -0.99

–

* 2018 data through Sept. 20

Source: Baseball savant

Teams can acquire known high-spin pitchers, but whether individual teams and players can improve their spin ratios is another question. If a team or individual can learn how to alter fastball spin naturally, they would have a major competitive advantage. (Driveline Baseball’s Kyle Boddy wrote on Twitter earlier this year that one way to increase fastball spin without substance would be to throw a hybrid four-seam/cut fastball.)

Eno Sarris found for The Athletic that pitchers joining the Astros have enjoyed small spin gains on average, but not every pitcher has made gains. FanGraphs found that the Blue Jays, Yankees, Rockies, Tigers and Astros added the most spin to new arrivals, often modest gains.

Gerrit Cole of the Astros and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers are elite pitchers who have made significant gains in spin. Only Jorge De La Rosa had a greater year-to-year Bauer Unit improvement on his fastball (+2.31 rpm/mph) than Cole (+2.01 rpm/mph), according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis of Statcast data through Sept. 20. Since 2015, Kershaw has added the most spin relative to velocity. His spin rate has increased from 2,217 rpms on average in 2015 to 2,388 this season despite his average fastball velocity falling from 94.2 mph in 2015 to 90.7 this season. That helped Kershaw rank fourth in vertical fastball movement among starters, or average rise, with 10.9 inches this season.

Cole has always had one of the top fastball velocities in the game. The pitch averaged 96.6 mph for him this season1 after he posted a 95.9 mph mark last season. But his average spin increased from 2,164 rpms last season to 2,374 this season. Cole ranks 34th in rise (9.7 inches vertical inches) among 176 starting pitchers to have thrown 200 fastballs this season and ninth in whiffs per swing (29.3 percent). Cole ranked 127th in vertical rise on his fastball last season (8.8 inches) and 37th in whiffs per swing (21.6 percent), among 189 qualified pitchers.

In May, Cole told me that he learned to release the ball differently after working with Verlander, changing the pitch’s spin axis by looking for “true rotation and hop” and “staying behind the ball better.” Cole said the Astros also worked with him on pitch usage and location.

Astros manager A.J.Hinch said in a radio interview that Cole is throwing fewer two-seamers, a lower-spin pitch that is sometimes mislabeled by Statcast, and that Cole has made “subtle tweaks.” Cole did record several high-spin fastballs in Pittsburgh that seemed to be outliers, so baseball blogger Saul Forman suggested that the Astros might have simply identified an untapped skill. Cole finished this season fifth in baseball in pitching wins above replacement.

Statcast technology is imperfect. Hinch is right in saying that Statcast doesn’t label every pitch correctly. And its Doppler radar doesn’t read spin axis,2 which means that Statcast does not differentiate between transverse spin — which is sensitive to Magnus Effect — and gyrospin, which is not. Transverse spin is front spin (for a curveball or slider) or backspin (for a fastball) that rotates around an axis that is perpendicular to direction of motion. Gyrospin is like that of a bullet or football thrown in a spiral. A gyrospin axis is in line with the direction of motion. Most pitches have an element of each type of spin. Still, of all pitches, the four-seam fastball has the most consistent spin axis, Nathan said, so it should be most accurate to evaluate via Statcast.

Major league rules state that no pitcher may apply “a foreign substance of any kind to the ball,” but the rule is rarely invoked — you’ll often see MLB pitchers tugging at their caps or touching their nonthrowing arms on the mound. When the rule is enforced, the offense is usually egregious — like in 2014 when Yankee Michael Pineda was ejected and ultimately suspended for putting pine tar on his neck and then on the baseball.

We reached out to the MLB Commissioner’s Office last week, but it declined to comment on whether the league is investigating high spin rates.

Opposing teams can ask umpires to check for substances, but that’s a rare occurrence. Indians manager Terry Francona actually apologized to Hinch in May for the spin-talk controversy on social media.

“You’ve never seen me go out and challenge anybody because, if I feel like somebody is trying to grip the ball, I’m glad,” Francona said. A firmer grip might increase spin, but it also might prevent a pitcher from beaning a batter. “Yeah, they might make a better pitch, but there would not be a worse feeling than, as a hitter, knowing that this guy might let this one fly … What happens sometimes is when guys do stuff blatantly, it puts everybody in a tough spot, because it’s a rule, but he’s just trying to hold the ball.”

Baseball has a long history of living with some common forms of rule-bending, such as sign stealing, scuffing baseballs and neighborhood plays. Even Bauer agrees that enforcing the rule isn’t the answer.

“Allow it. I don’t see the there’s a way to enforce it,” he said in May. “So pick a substance that’s sticky … and just put it on the back of the mound.”

MLB might have its own solution down the road: a tackier ball that is in development. The Indians were among the teams that tested the new ball this spring.

“ I just hope that at some point, maybe we can morph into that,” Francona said, “because I think maybe it could be really helpful.”

Of course even a tackier ball could always be tackier. Players and teams will probably always be looking an edge, particularly now that they can quantify the power of spin.

Check out our latest MLB predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/baseballs-top-staffs-have-come-around-on-the-high-spin-fastball/

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todaynewsstories · 6 years ago

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MLB roundup: Nats stun Phils on Zimmerman walk-off HR

Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of ninth inning off Seranthony Dominguez to give the Washington Nationals an 8-7 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Aug 22, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) watches his walk-off two run homer during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

With Philadelphia up 7-6, Dominguez (1-4) retired the first two batters of the ninth before Juan Soto doubled. Zimmerman then homered to right-center — the original call of a double on the field was overturned — which let Washington walk off with its second straight win in the series.

The Phillies homered three times in a game in which they squandered an early 3-0 lead.

Stephen Strasburg lasted four innings but was hit hard, giving up five runs on seven hits, including two homers, in his return from the disabled list. Matt Grace (1-1) retired the last batter in the top of the ninth and earned the victory.

Braves 2, Pirates 1

Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly broke a tie in the eighth inning to give Atlanta a three-game series sweep at Pittsburgh.

Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a game-opening homer, his 20th long ball of the season, for the Braves, who bounced back after being swept in four games by Colorado.

Atlanta’s Julio Teheran (9-7) allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, with five strikeouts and a walk. Jonny Venters pitched the ninth for his second save.

Astros 10, Mariners 7

Roberto Osuna earned his first save since being acquired in a trade before the July 31 deadline as Houston held off host Seattle.

Osuna pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 10th save of the season, the first nine coming with Toronto. The right-hander returned from a suspension on Aug. 5 and was moved to the closer role on Tuesday.

Martin Maldonado and Tyler White each went 3-for-5 with a home run for the Astros, who took two of three games in the series and are now up one game on the Oakland Athletics in the American League West.

Rangers 4, Athletics 2

Shin-Soo Choo hit the first pitch of the game for a home run, and Mike Minor faced the minimum for six innings as Texas salvaged a win in its three-game series at Oakland.

Joey Gallo also homered for the Rangers, who hadn’t scored in the first two games of the series, losing 9-0 and 6-0.

The A’s loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs when Jose Leclerc hit Chad Pinder with a pitch after having walked Matt Chapman and Matt Olson. But the new Rangers closer then struck out Nick Martini for his sixth save.

Red Sox 10, Indians 4

Xander Bogaerts ignited a five-run fourth inning with a home run, and Andrew Benintendi capped it with a three-run double, helping Boston avoid a third consecutive loss to visiting Cleveland.

Bogaerts hit two homers, and Mitch Moreland added his 15th of the season as the Red Sox got a measure of revenge after the Indians had taken the first two games of the series matching division leaders 5-4 and 6-3.

Aug 22, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) is doused with water after hitting a walk-off two run homer against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Edwin Encarnacion, activated earlier in the day from the disabled list, homered twice for the Indians, who had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the second time in their past 11 games.

Marlins 9, Yankees 3

Miguel Rojas hit a three-run, go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, leading Miami to victory over visiting New York.

Austin Dean went 3-for-5, and Brian Anderson and Magneuris Sierra each had two hits and two runs for Miami. Reliever Jarlin Garcia (2-2) earned the win, getting two outs to finish the top of the sixth inning.

Yankees starter Lance Lynn (8-9) took the loss, allowing nine hits, one walk and five runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six. New York was led offensively by Neil Walker, who had two RBIs.

Cubs 8, Tigers 2

Javier Baez hit a three-run homer, David Bote supplied a two-run shot, and Chicago broke out of an offensive rut in a rout at Detroit.

Baez’s long ball highlighted a four-run ninth. Bote’s fourth homer sparked a three-run fifth, ending a five-game stretch in which the Cubs scored a single run each time.

Anthony Rizzo also homered while Daniel Murphy, acquired from Washington on Tuesday, had two hits, a run and an RBI in his Cubs debut. Jon Lester (14-5) gave up one run on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to collect the win.

Brewers 4, Reds 0

Christian Yelich drove in two runs with a home run and a sacrifice fly to back the sterling pitching of Freddy Peralta as Milwaukee blanked visiting Cincinnati in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The win was the third in the past four games for the Brewers and their first series win since taking two of three contests at home versus the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 3-5.

Peralta (6-4) hurled three-hit ball over seven innings while striking out seven and walking two in one of the strongest showings of his 13-game major league career. Jeremy Jeffress got the final four outs of the game to earn his sixth save of the season.

Rockies 6, Padres 2

Jon Gray pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Tony Wolters and Ian Desmond tripled, and Colorado beat San Diego in Denver.

Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story and Desmond had two hits apiece for Colorado. The Rockies have won nine of their past 11.

Freddy Galvis homered for San Diego, which played without Wil Myers, who was scratched after taking a ball off his face while fielding grounders at third base during batting practice.

Diamondbacks 5, Angels 1

Paul Goldschmidt had three hits, including a homer, David Peralta homered for the ninth time in 16 games, and Clay Buchholz pitched seven scoreless innings as Arizona beat Los Angeles in Phoenix.

Goldschmidt drove in two runs, scored two and finished a triple short of the cycle as the Diamondbacks completed a two-game interleague sweep of the Angels while maintaining a 1 1/2-game lead in the National League West. Arizona has won six of seven.

Slideshow (13 Images)

Buchholz (7-2) gave up three singles, a double and no walks while striking out seven. He has allowed more than three runs only once in 13 starts this season, and opponents have scored one or zero runs in eight of his appearances. His ERA fell to 2.25.

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 1

Paul DeJong hit a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the ninth inning, and St. Louis completed a three-game sweep at Los Angeles.

DeJong’s homer, his 14th of the season, came off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. It was the Cardinals’ third home run in the series off Jansen (0-5), who returned Monday from a stint on the disabled list because of an irregular heartbeat.

The Dodgers are 8-12 in August and have not won a series since late July at Atlanta. The Cardinals are now 17-4 in August and 24-11 under interim manager Mike Shildt.

Mets 5, Giants 3

Todd Frazier delivered an RBI double to cap a three-run second inning and added a solo homer in the seventh as host New York never trailed in beating San Francisco.

The Mets have won the middle two games of the four-game series and 12 of their past 19 overall. The Giants have lost six of seven and have lost 12 of 19 since Aug. 1.

Noah Syndergaard (9-3) earned the win after giving up two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings.

Rays 6, Royals 3

Mallex Smith and Brandon Lowe drove in two runs apiece, and Tampa Bay stayed unbeaten against visiting Kansas City in six meetings this season.

Rookie right-hander Yonny Chirinos (2-5) went five-plus innings to get the win, allowing four hits and three runs, all coming on home runs. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Sergio Romo worked the ninth for his 18th save.

The Rays have won four consecutive games while the Royals lost their fourth straight, including the first three games of this series.

White Sox 7, Twins 3

Adam Engel hit a two-run homer, and Nicky Delmonico and Tim Anderson added solo shots to lead host Chicago to victory over Minnesota.

Yolmer Sanchez doubled, walked three times and scored a run, and Matt Davidson and Engel each drove in two runs for Chicago, which extended its consecutive games streak with a home run to 14, three off the team record set in May and June of 2000.

Carlos Rodon (5-3) gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings to pick up the win for the White Sox. Rodon, who finished with five strikeouts, has an ERA of 1.75 over his past eight starts.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 0

Kendrys Morales hit a home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a scoreless tie, Thomas Pannone allowed one hit in seven innings in his first major league start, and Toronto shut out visiting Baltimore.

Morales, who has homered in a career-best four straight games, helped the Jays complete a three-game sweep of the Orioles with his fifth homer over that span. Pannone (1-0) did not allow a hit until Trey Mancini led off the seventh with a single.

The Blue Jays won all 10 games against the Orioles this season at the Rogers Centre and lead the season series 12-1.

—Field Level Media

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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newsintodays-blog · 6 years ago

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MLB roundup: Nats stun Phils on Zimmerman walk-off HR

New Post has been published on http://newsintoday.info/2018/08/23/mlb-roundup-nats-stun-phils-on-zimmerman-walk-off-hr/

MLB roundup: Nats stun Phils on Zimmerman walk-off HR

The Phillies homered three times in a game in which they squandered an early 3-0 lead.

Braves 2, Pirates 1

Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly broke a tie in the eighth inning to give Atlanta a three-game series sweep at Pittsburgh.

Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a game-opening homer, his 20th long ball of the season, for the Braves, who bounced back after being swept in four games by Colorado.

Atlanta’s Julio Teheran (9-7) allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, with five strikeouts and a walk. Jonny Venters pitched the ninth for his second save.

Astros 10, Mariners 7

Roberto Osuna earned his first save since being acquired in a trade before the July 31 deadline as Houston held off host Seattle.

Osuna pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 10th save of the season, the first nine coming with Toronto. The right-hander returned from a suspension on Aug. 5 and was moved to the closer role on Tuesday.

Rangers 4, Athletics 2

Shin-Soo Choo hit the first pitch of the game for a home run, and Mike Minor faced the minimum for six innings as Texas salvaged a win in its three-game series at Oakland.

Joey Gallo also homered for the Rangers, who hadn’t scored in the first two games of the series, losing 9-0 and 6-0.

Red Sox 10, Indians 4

Xander Bogaerts ignited a five-run fourth inning with a home run, and Andrew Benintendi capped it with a three-run double, helping Boston avoid a third consecutive loss to visiting Cleveland.

Marlins 9, Yankees 3

Miguel Rojas hit a three-run, go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, leading Miami to victory over visiting New York.

Yankees starter Lance Lynn (8-9) took the loss, allowing nine hits, one walk and five runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six. New York was led offensively by Neil Walker, who had two RBIs.

Cubs 8, Tigers 2

Javier Baez hit a three-run homer, David Bote supplied a two-run shot, and Chicago broke out of an offensive rut in a rout at Detroit.

Baez’s long ball highlighted a four-run ninth. Bote’s fourth homer sparked a three-run fifth, ending a five-game stretch in which the Cubs scored a single run each time.

Brewers 4, Reds 0

The win was the third in the past four games for the Brewers and their first series win since taking two of three contests at home versus the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 3-5.

Rockies 6, Padres 2

Jon Gray pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Tony Wolters and Ian Desmond tripled, and Colorado beat San Diego in Denver.

Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story and Desmond had two hits apiece for Colorado. The Rockies have won nine of their past 11.

Slideshow (12 Images)

Freddy Galvis homered for San Diego, which played without Wil Myers, who was scratched after taking a ball off his face while fielding grounders at third base during batting practice.

Mets 5, Giants 3

Todd Frazier delivered an RBI double to cap a three-run second inning and added a solo homer in the seventh as host New York never trailed in beating San Francisco.

The Mets have won the middle two games of the four-game series and 12 of their past 19 overall. The Giants have lost six of seven and have lost 12 of 19 since Aug. 1.

Noah Syndergaard (9-3) earned the win after giving up two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings.

Rays 6, Royals 3

Mallex Smith and Brandon Lowe drove in two runs apiece, and Tampa Bay stayed unbeaten against visiting Kansas City in six meetings this season.

The Rays have won four consecutive games while the Royals lost their fourth straight, including the first three games of this series.

White Sox 7, Twins 3

Adam Engel hit a two-run homer, and Nicky Delmonico and Tim Anderson added solo shots to lead host Chicago to victory over Minnesota.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 0

The Blue Jays won all 10 games against the Orioles this season at the Rogers Centre and lead the season series 12-1.

—Field Level Media

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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latestnews2018-blog · 6 years ago

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Nationals score team-record to rout Mets

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/nationals-score-team-record-to-rout-mets/

Nationals score team-record to rout Mets

The Nationals celebrate a 25-4 win over the New York Mets at Nationals Park.

Washington: Daniel Murphy homered twice and drove in six runs, and Tanner Roark knocked in three and threw seven solid innings as the Washington Nationals defeated the New York Mets 25-4 at Nationals Park.

The 25 runs were a franchise high for Washington, which finished with 26 hits and five homers.

Roark lined a three-run double that was the key hit in a seven-run first inning. The Nationals scored at least three runs in each of the first five innings, then added six runs in the eighth off Mets infielder-turned-pitcher Jose Reyes.

Murphy went 3-for-4. Anthony Rendon finished 3-for-6 with four RBIs. Roark was 2-for-5 while Ryan Zimmerman (2-for-5) homered and drove in three. Trea Turner added four hits and three runs, and Juan Soto and Michael A Taylor had three hits apiece.

Bryce Harper, who had been mentioned in trade speculation, hit a pair of RBI doubles and scored three times.

“It’s been an emotional day and it was a good way to end it,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Leading 25-1 in the ninth, the Nationals still hit a little speed bump at the end. Reliever Shawn Kelley gave up a home run to Austin Jackson, wound up and flung his glove to the ground.

The homer came after Kelley, working quickly, had been told to slow down by the plate umpire.

“I was just trying to get through the inning and get the game over with,” Kelley said. “I thought everybody had seen enough baseball for one evening.”

Kelley said he was sorry for his tantrum.

“You should never throw your glove. We should act like adults,” he said.

Elsewhere, Wade Miley tossed seven scoreless innings and Jeremy Jeffress earned his fourth save as Milwaukee won at Los Angeles.

Miley’s mastery of Dodger Stadium continued as the left-hander improved to 4-0 in seven career starts at the venue and lowered his ERA to 2.06 there. He gave up just two hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

The Brewers collected the only run in the third inning. Christian Yelich beat out an infield single with two outs, and Lorenzo Cain ripped an RBI double to right field against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler (4-4).

Masahiro Tanaka pitched six scoreless innings, and rookie Miguel Andujar hit a three-run homer as host New York beat Baltimore.

Tanaka (9-2) followed up his three-hitter at Tampa Bay last week by allowing three hits. He struck out eight, walked two and threw 105 pitches, matching his pitch count from a week ago in his sixth career complete game.

The right-hander also ran his unbeaten streak to 13 games, and he is 7-0 since his last loss on April 17 against the Miami Marlins.

Brewers 1 Dodgers 0

Yankees 6 Orioles 3

Pirates 5 Cubs 4

Indians 6 Twins 2

Phillies 3 Red Sox 1

Rockies 6 Cardinals 3

Diamondbacks 6 Rangers 0

Braves 11 Marlins 6

Royals 4 White Sox 2

Rays 10 Angels 6

Tigers 2 Reds 1

Athletics 6 Blue Jays 2

Astros 5 Mariners 2

Giants 3 Padres 2

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gibsonsflowofthoughts · 6 years ago

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The winners and losers of the 2018 MLB trade deadline

It’s that time of year, where we all ignore the fact that the Major League Baseball postseason is nonsense. Baseball starts drinking on Oct. 1, and when it wakes up in the first week of November, the smoke alarm is going off and there’s a horse in the bathtub. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, but we’re supposed to pretend like we can predict winners and losers at the trade deadline.

Heck yeah, we’re supposed to pretend like we can predict winners and losers at the trade deadline. It’s fun. So even though you might be from the future and laughing at my simplistic analysis, just know that I’m more interested in being fun than right. Which is good, considering this won’t be right.

Thought the Astros should have traded for Yu Darvish instead of Justin Verlander last year, for example.

Hey, it could have worked, you don’t know.

But you clicked, so I’ll write. Here are the winners and losers from the 2018 MLB trade deadline:

Rays

Acquired: Tommy Pham, Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, Jalen Beeks, bonus pool money, players to be named later

Traded: Chris Archer, Jonny Venters, Nathan Eovaldi, Matt Andriese, Justin Wilson, Genesis Cabrera, Roel Ramirez, Michael Perez, Brian Shaffer

They have the payroll of a medium-sized Quiznos now, which I guess is part of the point. I’m not a fan of baseball’s current economic structure, and I’m hesitant to heap too much praise on a team trying to cut costs.

Still, as long as this is the framework, the Rays are within their rights to exploit it. And, baby, they’re exploiting it with aplomb. They’ll have an outfield of Meadows/Pham/Kiermaier, which is built to win now and for the distant future. They won’t have their ace, but they’ll have pitchers who are majors-ready or close to it coming back.

These deals aren’t for toolsy A-ballers who are five years away. This is the Rays trying to buy their cake at a yard sale and eat it, too. It’s just crazy enough to work, and I’m very impressed by the their ability to walk this weird, thrifty tightrope.

Mmmmmm, yard-sale cake.

Dodgers

Acquired: Manny Machado, Brian Dozier, John Axford, Dylan Floro, Zach Neal

Traded: Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Zach Pop, Rylan Bannon, Breyvic Valera, Luke Raley, Logan Forsythe, Devin Smeltzer, Corey Copping, James Marinan, Aneurys Zabala

The Dodgers don’t like trading prospects if they don’t have to, and they certainly gave up a lot of interesting players, Kremer has the gaudy strikeout totals, and Bannon hasn’t stopped hitting as a professional. That’s before you get to Diaz, who is supposed to be the centerpiece of the deal. It’s a lot for two months of production and the postseason.

At the same time, this is a franchise that was a single lousy game away from a World Series win last year, which is something they haven’t had since 1988. They were extremely cautious when it came to trading their prospects just a couple years ago, but now they’re trying to add to a team that’s somehow powered by minor-league free agents and lesser trades and signings.

Oh, and Clayton Kershaw. Minor-league free agents, lesser trades and signings, and Clayton Kershaw. They might have the best team in the NL, still, so it makes sense to add a hitter with Hall of Fame talent in the middle of his best season, even if he’s just a rental. If Dozier has a Dozierific second half, this could be the best lineup in baseball. The Dodgers gave up a lot of prospects, but they had a lot to offer.

When it comes to the Machado trade, it doesn’t hurt that this is a preview of what it would be like to play for the Dodgers long term, either. The weather’s pretty nice, Manny.

Yankees

Acquired: Lance Lynn, J.A. Happ, Zach Britton, Luke Volt, $2.75 million in international bonus money

Traded: Tyler Austin, Luis Rijo, Brandon Drury, Billy McKinney, Cody Carroll, Josh Rogers, Dillon Tate, Chasen Shreve, Giovanny Gallegos, Adam Warren

I’m not a huge fan of Lance Lynn, even as he’s been solid for the last two months, but he’s overqualified for what the Yankees are asking him to do, which is sit in a glass case and be ready. The Yankees have a starter with a wonky elbow in Masahiro Tanaka, one with a case of the mystery sucks in Sonny Gray, and a 38-year-old in CC Sabathia. They aren’t crossing their fingers; they’re preparing for the apocalypse. Good for them.

Happ seems like the kind of starter who can give five solid innings in the postseason before giving way to a four-headed monster of bullpen doom, and look at that, Zach Britton is here to be another head. I don’t know what happened to Tommy Kahnle either, and there are no guarantees that Britton will be back to 2014-2016 levels, or anything close to it, but the Yankees have the kind of depth that wins championships.

It’s about time. They’ve had to wait nine years and endure two 84-win seasons, but now they’ve built their best shot at another title run.

Royals

Acquired: Brett Phillips, Jorge Lopez, Blake Perkins, Kelvin Gutierrez, Yohanse Morel

Traded: Mike Moustakas, Kelvin Herrera

A fair return for two beloved players, with deft timing executed on both. The Royals swooped back into the market to sign Moustakas, which might have cost them a compensatory draft pick. Unless it just meant that he wasn’t going to have to sit out until June, which would have been incredibly annoying and sad.

Phillips is the main snag, and there’s a strong chance that he’ll whiff his way out of starting consideration soon. Still, the tools are real, and they got him for a rental. Even if that rental will have pictures of him hanging around the ballpark for the next half-century.

Orioles

Acquired: Yusniel Diaz, Dean Kremer, Zach Pop, Rylan Bannon, Breyvic Valera, Cody Carroll, Josh Rogers, Dillon Tate, international bonus space, Evan Phillips, Jean Carlos Encarnación, Brett Cumberland, Bruce Zimmerman, Jonathan Villar, Luis Ortiz, Jean Carlos Carmona

Traded: Manny Machado, Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Jonathan Schoop

It would have been more if they opened up shop in the offseason, or even better if they did this two years ago. Ah, the benefit of hindsight.

All told, though, it’s almost like having a full draft to yourself, right down to the first-round promise of Diaz. That’s a pretty sweet haul for players who weren’t going to be around for the next good Orioles team, even if it’s ultra-depressing that Machado won’t be on that team.

The part where the Orioles acquired international bonus money for Brach and Schoop made me laugh, though. They usually hold an International Bonus Money Day at the park, where they give international cap space to the first 20,000 fans, and now they’re acquiring it on purpose? I know there’s a good reason for it, but still. It’s ... almost like the organizational direction isn’t clearly defined.

Still, think of it like a free draft. Hey, free draft! If you’re going to trade away your middle infield, your bullpen, and the most reliable starter in a sea of unreliable misery, at least get 15 players so you can pretend you’re getting a free draft out of it.

Twins

Acquired: Luke Raley, Devin Smeltzer, Tyler Austin, Luis Rijo, Chase De Jong, Ryan Costello, Gilberto Celestino, Jorge Alcala, Jhoan Durán, Gabriel Maciel, Ernie De La Trinidad

Traded: Brian Dozier, Lance Lynn, Zach Duke, Ryan Pressly, Eduardo Escobar

Give me a list of the prospects the Twins were offered for Dozier two seasons ago, and I’ll tell you if they were winners or losers. As is, that’s a list of names that’s 11 players long, and there’s a fine chance that at least one or two of them will make a dumb “winners-losers” binary choice look silly in four years.

Dozier was traded too late, and the return wasn’t impressive. That’s how it goes.

Duke was traded at the perfect time, and any value he adds through trade is impressive.

Pressly is solid, even if his K-rate suggests he should be more than that. Dealing him as he’s getting deeper in his arbitration years is a good move, and while I’m not qualified to analyze the return too deeply, it sure looks like they got highly regarded prospects back, which is excellent value.

Escobar was an extreme sell-high player, and to the Twins’ credit, they sold high.

I’m leaning toward “WINNERS, ABSOLUTE WINNERS,” but as of now, I’ll turn the caps lock off. Looks good from here, and give them credit for deciding to sell so quickly after a surprise postseason run.

I just want to know what they could have got for Dozier two seasons ago.

Indians

Acquired: Leonys Martin, Brad Hand, Adam Cimber, James Hoyt

Traded: Francisco Mejia, Willi Castro, Kyle Dowdy, Tommy DeJuneas

They’re not on the loser’s list because these trades won’t help them. These trades might send them to the World danged Series. The Indians’ bullpen was a mess, and they got two low-cost relievers with loads of team control. That’s a net positive.

It cost them one of their best prospects, though, and it came after an offseason where the Indians let several relievers go and replaced them with wishes and hopes and dreams. That’s not to say that Bryan Shaw and Boone Logan have been good, because they haven’t. But their plan was something like, “Neil Ramirez and Matt Belisle and uh we’ll get back to you,” and it cost them Mejia.

If it helps them even reach the World Series, it’s a successful trade. But it sure seems like one that could have been at least partially avoided with just a modicum of urgency this offseason.

It was a reasonable trade deadline strategy, sure, but it was also a strange offseason for a team that’s so close.

Diamondbacks

Acquired: Eduardo Escobar, Matt Andriese, Brad Ziegler, Jake Diekman

Traded: RHP Jhoan Duran, OF Gabriel Maciel, OF Ernie De La Trinidad, Brian Shaffer, Michael Perez, Tommy Eveld, Wei-Chieh Huang

It’s a lot of talent for underwhelming players. Eduardo Escobar might have figured out how to be more than a super-sub at the age of 29, but the seven years of an 89 OPS+ that came before it leave me skeptical. Andriese is the best example of Just A Guy in baseball right now, right down to the 4.36 ERA, and Ziegler is an old friend suffering through an erratic season.

Most of these players are trending in the right direction, but as a deadline strategy? I want something bolder if I’m a Diamondbacks fan. These are the kinds of moves I would expect from a team like the Red Sox or Astros, teams with recent success that are running away with their respective divisions.

A team like the Diamondbacks, scrapping with three teams and without a championship since Juan Soto was an infant, should seek out trades with just a teensy bit more oomph. These players should help, so I’m probably being overly nitpicky, but with a team like this, I want EXPLOSIONS.

Rockies

Acquired: Seunghwan Oh

Traded: Forest Wall, Chad Spanberger, player to be named later

The team that spent the offseason building the Super Bullpen of Great Fortune had to go get a reliever because their plan failed. Not only did they have to get a reliever, but they got one they could have had for a pittance throughout the entire offseason.

If this isn’t a textbook lesson in bullpen construction, I don’t know what is. There are lot of ways to build a bullpen, but I’m pretty sure that throwing money at it is the absolute worst one.

Pirates

Acquired: Not Gerrit Cole

Traded: Gerrit Cole

But, yeah, go get that late-inning reliever for this year and the next. That’ll shore things up.

NEVER MIND.

Acquired: Chris Archer, Keone Kela

Traded: Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, Taylor Hearn, players to be named later

This is the year they’re taking risks. This is the year they trade huge pieces of a potential future. This is the deadline where they vault ahead of their competition. The one where they’re seven freaking games back in the NL Central. The one after they traded Gerrit Cole for magic beans.

Let’s check in with the deadline action in 2014, when they actually made the postseason.

July 31, 2014

Selected Angel Sanchez off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.

What about 2013, when they won 94 games?

July 31, 2013

Traded player to be named to the Seattle Mariners. Received Robert Andino.

They did get J.A. Happ in 2015, and that was more inspired than anyone gave them credit for at the time. But this is the year to go bananas?

To be fair, though, if you’re going to go after a pitcher, one who has an owner-friendly contract is the way to go. Archer will be around for the next three years if the Pirates want him, so I don’t begrudge the Pirates for thinking he fits some sort of window for them. And if you’re making me bet on the cumulative WAR for Archer over the next three years and the cumulative WAR for Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow, I will probably choose Archer. If Meadows had boffo power or plate discipline, I’d be giddy about him, but he’s just shy on both fronts, and Glasnow has been erratic.

Still, it’s the timing that gets me, even if the trade might work out.

YOU’RE TAKING RISKS NOW?

NOW?

Astros

Acquired: Ryan Pressly, Roberto Osuna, Tommy DeJuneas, Martin Maldonado

Traded: Ken Giles, David Paulino, Gilberto Celestino, Jorge Alcala, Hector Perez, Patrick Sandoval, James Hoyt, their self-respect

Their bullpen is more talented now. Congratulations, Astros. Osuna can really wing it.

When I talked to people who worked for the Astros last year, I asked what about the team is it that they would want to read about. My answer was that the clubhouse was a diverse wonderland of ebullient personalities, one of the most cohesive teams ever assembled. So I wrote about it. They won the World Series. I was raised not to go overboard on the clubhouse stuff, but last year’s team sure got me wondering ...

Then they acquired a pitcher serving the second-longest suspension for domestic violence under the new rules. The ace pitcher clearly isn’t enthused, even as he tries to be a good employee. The Yankees acquired a reliever in the middle of a domestic violence suspension, and then they traded him for one of the best prospects in the game before giving themselves a better chance to win the World Series. So if you want to be cynical, you can look at this purely in baseball terms.

There were other relievers, but the Astros settled on Osuna because he was a buy-low guy. That’s extremely cynical.

Gross. And very much against the spirit of what got them their first championship. We’ll see how receptive the clubhouse is to a player who still has a court case pending because he allegedly did some repugnant shit.

Brewers

Acquired: Jonathan Schoop, Mike Moustakas, Joakim Soria

Traded: Jonathan Villar, Luis Ortiz, Jean Carlos Carmona, Brett Phillips, Jorge Lopez, Kodi Medeiros, Wilber Perez

I don’t hate these trades in isolation. I hate them only because the Brewers now have an overstuffed infield, but they’re still counting on Wade Miley to shore up the rotation. Maybe he’ll have a 2.01 ERA forever.

RON HOWARD: Get the fuck out of here.

Yeah, I’m not a believer in Miley, and neither is the narrator. The Brewers adding to their already formidable bullpen depth was smart. Getting one more infielder was necessary. Getting two, but not a starting pitcher?

Dunno. Not what I would have done. We’ll see if the post-deadline waiver madness helps them in this regard, but I would have loved to see them with Archer instead of the Pirates.

A’s

Acquired: Jeurys Familia

Traded: Will Toffey, Bobby Wahl

The A’s are good, dang it. I wanted more. I wanted a sign to the clubhouse that the A’s are capital-G, capital-F, and Capital-I Going For It. I wanted a starting pitcher kicking down the door and screaming, “COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE ... IN A WORLD WHERE I PITCH SIX OR SEVEN STRONG INNINGS REGULARLY.”

Instead the A’s got a reliever. A good one! At a reasonable price! But I was looking for something more when it comes to the rotation, not to mention some help for poor, lost Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate.

The A’s probably aren’t in a spot to go all-in on this year’s surprising (TO SOME) contender, and I get that. But something a little bit more than a setup man would have been nice. This fun, scrappy team deserved it.

Giants

Acquired: Nope

Traded: Nah

Will Smith is absolutely dominant right now. Of all the relievers who were traded, Smith would have been the best one. Teams are clamoring for someone just like him — a lefty who can dominate hitters from either side of the plate and is under team control for next year, too. He would have brought back a hefty return.

The Giants are holding on to him, and they’ll use him to finish .500 this year, with some crossed fingers for next year.

That’s what the Giants had to trade, though. They had relievers, with Smith, Tony Watson, and Sam Dyson all having strong years. This isn’t like their mess from the offseason, where they couldn’t even hold a fire sale if they wanted to. All they had to do is trade relievers.

It’s been extremely nice to watch a team with a competent bullpen, so I get it. But the Giants are climbing out of the bottom of the organizational rankings, and one of the golden rules of building a farm system is that when you have a chance to flip relievers for prospects, you do it.

The Giants declined. They’re five games out of the second wild card, so maybe I’m the dummy. I have a feeling, though, that it would have been an exciting return for Will Smith.

Red Sox

Acquired: Ian Kinsler, Nathan Eovaldi

Traded: Williams Jerez, Ty Buttrey, Jalen Beeks

OK. Sure. Whatever. That seems nice. Kinsler has a glove, and the bat won’t kill you. Eovaldi is still working his way back from Tommy John, and he’s always had great stuff. The Red Sox are a million games over .500 are are making the postseason regardless.

OK. Sure. These are reasonable, if boring, moves.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

Braves

Acquired: Adam Duvall, Kevin Gausman, Jonny Venters

Traded: Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler, Preston Tucker, international bonus money

Duvall still has some believers, especially if you believe in the batted-ball stats. Gausman has a solid arm that’s always been behind his results. Maybe he’ll be better served with a different coaching staff and a ballpark that isn’t unfair to fly balls.

OK. Sure. These are reasonable, if boring, moves.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

White Sox

Acquired: Kodi Medeiros, Wilber Perez

Traded: Joakim Soria

Always take fliers on relievers when you’re a rebuilding team. Always, always, always. Pay the extra millions. Insert yourself into the offseason deals. Then turn around and wish for a happy trade-deadline raffle ticket to pay off.

Still, these are reasonable, if boring, moves.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

Phillies

Acquired: Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilson Ramos, Aaron Loup

Traded: Franklyn Kilome, Jacob Waguespack, PsTBNL

No Machado. No Archer. No flashy win-now pieces, no flashy win-later pieces. Just a couple of guys who could have been solid deadline moves nearly a decade ago, too.

OK. Sure. These are reasonable, if boring, moves.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

It’s hard to judge the Ramos trade without knowing the prospects going back to the Rays, but it seems like a light price. I have no idea how the A’s, Red Sox, or even Nationals couldn’t meet it.

Cubs

Acquired: Cole Hamels, Brandon Kintzler, Jesse Chavez

Traded: Jhon Romero, Ricky Tyler Thomas, Eddie Butler, Rollie Lacy, PTBNL

Hamels got his swing-and-miss back, and there are reasons to believe that he’s still a more valuable contributor than his Texas stats suggest. They added depth in the bullpen, and you wouldn’t be wrong to think that Yu Darvish coming back is like the real deadline addition.

They’re rich. They’re young. They’re good. Sure, add the pricey veteran. Take him for a spin.

These are reasonable, if boring, moves.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

Reds

Acquired: Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler, Preston Tucker

Traded: Adam Duvall

I’m stuck in 2014, so this seems like a fantastic package of prospects to me. Mostly, though, I like how they took a chance by trading on a cheap, under-control player who was not hitting, which limited the return. The Reds have outfielders coming out of their ears; it was a risk they could afford to take, even if it was a little bit of a buy-low trade.

The Reds have made an interesting roster out of hardly noticed trades (just look up who they got in return for Alfredo freaking Simon), and this could be a fine addition to the legacy.

This is a reasonable, if boring, move.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit. Except for the Reds, who definitely aren’t winners these days, ha ha, just a little joke as I near the end of this hellpost.

Nationals

Acquired: Jhon Romero

Traded: Brandon Kintzler

There were whispers about Bryce Harper getting traded, but in the end, the Nationals traded nothing but a complementary bullpen piece, and they acquired several future moments of autocorrect-inspired confusion.

Good. They probably should have dealt Gio Gonzalez and possibly a couple of other short-timers, but at least they made a rational move, while keeping intact their desire to build a young outfield of the gods.

This is a reasonable, if boring, move.

Not everybody is a winner or loser, dammit.

Dope article from sbnation.com

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placetobenation · 6 years ago

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Hello and WELCOME BACK to Major League Baseball coverage here at Place to Be Nation! Yes, after taking 2018 “off” to essentially turn myself into Fat Mac, it’s time to get back into the swing of things (hehe) and start writing about The Greatest Game once again.

Apologies for the lateness of this season preview, but a new job in the big city will sap time like nobody’s business. Regardless of that, with the 2019 season already underway, let’s a a peek at what this year has in store, shall we?*

*I hope to publish monthly Power Rankings again, as well as occasional separate, special pieces throughout the year, as time/work/etc. permits.

We’ll begin with the American League East, the home of the 2018 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox and work our way through the Junior Circuit before previewing the National League, then close out with a handful of award picks.

Superstar Aaron Judge is the unquestioned leader of the New York Yankees.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST PREVIEW

Best Team: It’s a two-team race here, as it has been nearly every year of the past 20. Sure, Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa Bay have their fun runs, but the AL East is nearly always a sustained race to the top spot for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

With that in mind, my best team for the East is the Yankees. A healthy year from Aaron Judge, a more comfortable Giancarlo Stanton, the emergence of Gleyber Torres, and the can’t-get-any-worseness of Gary Sanchez make this a deep, dangerous lineup. Add in the other young bats filling out the starting nine and the Yanks top out Boston here.

Looking at the starting rotations, it’s probably better to lean toward Beantown, but I’ll just leave it here that the Chris Sale extension is going to look awful within two years. A gust of strong wind should knock him down pretty soon. As for the bullpens, it’s the Yankees in a walk, even with early injury concerns for Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.

Worst Team: Baltimore. After a dismal 55-win year in 2018, they could be EVEN WORSE this year. Not Cleveland Spiders bad, but they could give the 2003 Tigers a good challenge.

ONE QUESTION

Can Mookie repeat (or come close to) his 2018 MVP form? Will the rest of his team follow suit?

New York Yankees: Can all of their bats and starting arms stay healthy? So much of the team’s success is tied up in health, the least predictable skill of them all.

Boston Red Sox: Can the bullpen succeed without a firm closer? Dave Dombrowski builds lineups and rotations well. He burns farm systems to the ground and rarely gets burned on trades, but the man has never put together a good bullpen. Will it hurt the champs in their quest to become the first team to win back-to-back rings since the 1998-2000 Yankees?

Tampa Bay Rays: How much will the “opener” strategy help the team this year? Relief pitching is the toughest asset to manage on a roster, as performance can vary wildly from year-to-year. As the Rays attempt to change modern bullpen usage, will they be able to get the same results that helped them to a surprising 90-win campaign last year?

Toronto Blue Jays: Can the youngsters (namely, Vlad Guerrero, Jr. and Bo Bichette) help the team this year? Will the youth infusion north of the border keep the team at a “reloading” stage, or will the team need to go full-blown rebuild?

Baltimore Orioles: Can this team win 60 games? And, because it has to be asked, how awful will Chris Davis be before the team just eats his contract and cuts him?

Bold Prediction: The Yankees’ 2018 record of 267 home runs does not even last a year, as this year’s edition of the Bronx Bombers club more than 270 bombs to shatter the mark.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Yankees, 2) Red Sox (Wild Card), 3) Rays, 4) Jays, 5) Orioles

The Indians should steamroll their division, but can they get any further? Corey Kluber hopes so…

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL PREVIEW

Best Team: Cleveland, essentially by default. Although if injuries to megastars Francisco Lindor Jose Ramirez persist and/or become a theme, a retooled, healthy Twins squad could take the division.

Worst Team: Kansas City. I mean, Detroit will also be awful, but there are at least a few quality pieces there at the moment (Miguel Cabrera, Nicholas Castellanos, Matthew Boyd, Jordan Zimmerman, former Pirates Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison). Granted, several of those guys will get traded if they have strong first-halves, but we’re judging based on what’s currently on these rosters, not what will be.

Byron Buxton is an amazing center field presence, but he just can’t seem to put things together at the plate … or get out of the trainer’s room.

ONE QUESTION

Cleveland Indians: Can they get ANY decent production out of that lineup beyond a healthy Lindor/Ramirez combo? The starters are strong, but it’s looking more and more like the Indians’ window is rapidly slamming shut on them. And cheap-ass owners don’t care.

Detroit Tigers: The rebuild is off to a rough start, so the big question here is really a two-parter: Can the current big-leaguers produce enough to get traded and bring more talent into the system; and can the extant farm prospects produce enough to boost Motown’s future outlook?

Minnesota Twins: Can Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano get and stay healthy? These two are game-changing talents. We’ve seen enough potential to know that for both. But they just cannot put things together. With erstwhile franchise Joe Mauer headed off to the Land of Chocolate (aka retirement), Minnesota fans need new faces to root for and provide hope.

Chicago White Sox: The team tried to GO BIG with PR-bluster over both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but in the end, it was all for naught. But the team did lock up potential stud and possible Rookie of the Year Eloy Jimenez, so I can’t be too harsh on them. Of all the true rebuilds in the AL, the Pale Hose are furthest along and best positioned to be a sleeper team this year. So, the big question here is: How good will Eloy be, and will it be enough to elevate the Sox’ rebuild to the next level?

Kansas City Royals: This team sucks. It barely resembles the 2014-2015 “Glory Years” teams that Dayton Moore so proudly, so carefully, so delicately put together. Screw this. Moore got lucky for about 1-½ seasons because of three good relievers, a couple decent bats getting hot, and the awesomeness that is Lorenzo Cain. The big question for KC is not if the Royals can do anything this year; the big question is whether or not I decide to visit for more Gates’ & Arthur Bryant’s BBQ.

Bold Prediction: Minnesota wins the division title because Lindor and Ramirez get hurt too much.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Cleveland Indians*, 2) Minnesota Twins, 3) Chicago White Sox, 4) Detroit Tigers, 5) Kansas City Royals

*Remember a “bold prediction” means if it comes true, I’m a genius. However, I really have a hard time getting behind this one, so I’m still picking the Tribe to win. Mostly because you cannot predict health, and that’s the impetus behind Minnesota winning anything.

Alex Bregman turned into a star last year and is a huge part of the Astros’ success.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST PREVIEW

Best Team: Houston Astros. Verlander. Cole. Bregman. Altuve. Springer. This team is loaded.

Worst Team: Texas Rangers. Not only do they have an absolutely awful starting rotation, but they have also deprived everyone of Adrian Beltre!

ONE QUESTION

Even Mike Trout wants to know … what big questions face his team?

Houston Astros: Can wunderkind Carlos Correa please get back on the field? The Astros, and baseball in general, are better with players like him.

Seattle Mariners: The “relaunch” got underway with trades of James Paxton and Robinson Cano. So, it’s gonna be a little longer on that first-ever Seattle Mariners World Series appearance. But, really, the question here is what to do with King Felix?

Texas Rangers: Hunter. Pence. Made. This. Team. The Rangers are going to be bad; the question is simply this: How bad?

Oakland Athletics: Can Billy Beane continue his regular season voodoo? The A’s look pretty solid on paper, and should challenge for a wild card berth, but will that @#$% ever work in the playoffs?

Los Angeles Angels: Speaking of things that never work in the playoffs … Seriously, though, the real questions here are: Do the Halos have enough pitching without two-way wonder Shohei Ohtani? Do they have enough offense without Ohtani and Justin Upton? Will Mike Trout ever win any rings? Will Albert Pujols just take the hint already? Has Brad Ausmus learned from his many (many) mistakes and become a better manager?

Bold Prediction: Freshly-extended, new dad Verlander wins another Cy Young, after coming whisper-close in 2016 and 2018. If that’s not bold enough for you, go eat a ghost pepper. Or, go with the prediction that Texas finishes with a worse record than either KC or Detroit.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Houston Astros, 2) Oakland A’s (WC), 3) Los Angeles Angels, 4) Seattle Mariners, 5) Texas Rangers

Bryce took forever to decide to stay forever with the Phils. How will Harper’s first season with the Phillies turn out?

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST PREVIEW

Best Team: Toughest call yet. Outside of Miami, and of the four teams in the East could win a playoff spot. Washington still looks pretty fine. Philadelphia addressed (most) of their defensive concerns and added a star (plucked from Washington no less), and New York added a lot of offense to supplement some good pitching. Atlanta has a lot of talent, and adding Josh Donaldson was a good get, but that pitching is /meh/. Hmm…I’ll go with Philly here, but it’s close and should make for a fun, four-way run for the division title all year.

Worst Team: The Marlins. Fuck. You. Derek. Jeter. You run a team like you field grounders. No, worse than that, which I wouldn’t think possible. Yet here we are.

Max Scherzer turns 34 this year, but shows no signs of backsliding off his Hall-of-Fame trajectory.

ONE QUESTION

Washington Nationals: Rather than the inevitable “Life without Bryce” commentary, will the Nationals have enough pitching? Max Scherzer is fantastic, but he’s 34. Stephen Strasburg seems to get hurt each year, and has never really lived up to the hype. As for the rest of DC rotation and bullpen … Is it enough? Also, whose seat is hotter: Dave Martinez or Gabe Kapler?

Atlanta Braves: Will Atlanta regret not (as of this writing) adding starter Dallas Keuchel to their staff? With all of the early injuries (all arm- or shoulder-related, too. Yikes) to their rotation, he just makes so much sense for a team whose window is just opening.

Philadelphia Phillies: Can Gabe Kapler get out of his own way and let the talent produce? Also, will the revamped defense be good enough to support the pitching staff?

New York Mets: Will deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, and Matz collectively get 115 starts? If they do, it could be good times in Queens. If not, well, then agent-turned-GM Brodie (HAHA! How 80’s Villain can you get?) VanWagonenonenonen gets a big ol’ slice of humble pie. Also, screw the Wilpons. They suck.

Miami Marlins: Laughable. Shambolic. A disgrace. I cannot even call this team, and the way it has been run, a disgrace to its fans, because anyone with an ounce of love for good baseball would abandon this team and tell dickface commissioner Rob Manfred* to relocate the franchise to Montreal, Portland, or ANYWHERE else. The big question is how many minor league teams will outdraw them this year?

*Worst Commissioner Ever?

Bold Prediction: Bryce Harper hits 50 home runs with the Phillies.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Philadelphia Phillies, 2) Washington Nationals (WC), 3) Atlanta Braves, 4) New York Mets, 5) Miami Marlins

Paul Edward Goldschmidt has the face of an accountant named “Paul Edward Goldschmidt”. Good thing he went into baseball instead.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL PREVIEW

Best Team: St. Louis. The Cards adding Paul Goldschmidt is just such a perfect fit for the Redbirds. They also have a better offense overall than the Cubbies; better pitching than the Brewers, and better talent pool than either the Pirates or Reds. It’ll be a fascinating division to watch all year — every team has potential and fun players — but the Cards are just /that much/ better than everyone else.

Worst Team: Probably Pittsburgh. The Reds still have pitching issues, and their defense is nothing to write home about, but the Pirates have zero stars and until ownership decides to spend money (that’s funny), the Pirates will never get over the hump to be elite. They may be exciting to watch and interesting on an individual level, but the Bucs are just not contenders in the way the rest of this division could be.

Can 2018 MVP Christian Yelich continue his breakout? Can he help the Brew Crew reach the playoffs again?

ONE QUESTION

Milwaukee Brewers: Can the Brewers get enough out of that rotation (Jhoulys Chacin, Freedy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Zach Davies all sound like made up suspect/lawyer names on “Law & Order: SVU”) to repeat 2018?

St. Louis Cardinals: Now that catcher-of-the-future Carson Kelly is off to Arizona in the Goldy trade, can Yadier Molina keep giving the finger to Father Time?

Pittsburgh Pirates: How good can Jameson Taillon be? He has all the makings of an ace-caliber, Cy Young contender.

Chicago Cubs: Despite this still being a really, really good, 90-win team, it still feels like a disappointment, right? The 2016 season was so perfect, so flawless, and these poor bastards are stuck trying to follow it up. This is a very good team, and all the parts are there for a deep October run, but will it all come together again in just the right way?

Cincinnati Reds: I know the whole world wants Mike Trout to get in the playoffs, be on a national stage, and win a World Series. I get that, but dammit, Joey Votto deserves some love too! So from this day forward, I’ll be rooting for a Cincinnati/Anaheim World Series so we can all be happy. While the Reds took a few steps in the right direction this year, the big question is did they do enough? (I’m going to say no, so they should sign both Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel and really throw their chips in!)

Bold Prediction: Taillon is a top-three Cy Young finalist AND (bonus!) Kris Bryant gets really close to a second MVP. But, only one of those guys plays in the postseason. Guess who?

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) St. Louis Cardinals, 2) Chicago Cubs (WC), 3) Milwaukee Brewers, 4) Cincinnati Reds, 5) Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cody Bellinger embodies the youth and versatility of the Dodgers.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST PREVIEW

Best Team: The Los Angeles Dodgers are still loaded as they look for a third consecutive NL pennant. The biggest difference between this team and the 2017 and 2018 editions is that the division title has a much clearer path, as only the Rockies pose a legit threat to LA’s supremacy in the division.

Worst Team: Probably the Giants, with the oldest average age (30.63) in the bigs. The crew that brought three early-decade titles to the Bay has been beaten by Father Time. It would be good if new head honcho Farhan Zaidi initiated a summertime fire sale ahead of MLB’s (new) lone trade deadline of July 31.

Fresh off a massive extension, star Nolan Arenado hopes to help usher in the most successful Rockies era over the next few years.

ONE QUESTION

Colorado Rockies: With its best-ever rotation, the Rockies�� biggest query is the health and production of outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who dropped off considerably from 2017 to 2018. To truly contend, the Rox need more of the 2017 version, and less of last year’s. The question is, which one will show up?

San Diego Padres: While Manny Machado was a splashy move, no man is an island, and no one player makes a contender. So, what does San Diego’s celebrated farm system bring to the table this year?

Los Angeles Dodgers: Can ace Clayton Kershaw get healthy? If he can, he’s the best lefty on the planet and a HUGE edge for the six-time division-winning Dodgers. If he can’t, it could be curtains for LA’s streak and postseason dreams.

San Francisco Giants: As said before, this team is older and not very good. So, who gets traded and when?

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Goldschmidt trade was more than saying goodbye to a franchise favorite. It was the close of Arizona’s window. There’s not much winning baseball to be had with this group, and no real impact prospects coming. So, as with SanFran, who gets moved, and when?

Bold Prediction: Colorado pitcher Kyle Freeland winds up a Top-5 Cy Young finalist.

Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Los Angeles Dodgers, 2) Colorado Rockies, 3) San Diego Padres, 4) Arizona Diamondbacks, 5) San Francisco Giants

POSTSEASON, AWARDS, AND 2018 ACCOUNTABILITY:

2019 AL Postseason: Yankees, Indians, Astros, Red Sox, Athletics; Astros win ALCS.

2019 NL Postseason: Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals, Cubs; Cardinals win NLCS

2019 World Series: Astros top Cardinals in six games.

2019 AL Rookie of the Year: Eloy Jimenez, Chicago White Sox

2019 NL Rookie of the Year: Peter Alonso, New York Mets

2019 AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

2019 NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

2019 AL MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

2019 Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

My 2018 Picks, A Look Back (or, Really? That was Stupid…)

AL Postseason:

My 2018 Picks: Yankees, Indians, Astros, Red Sox, Twins

What Really Happened: Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Yankees, Athletics

Commentary: The East was a coin toss, the Central and West were cakewalks. Only missing on the second Wild Card was not too shabby.

NL Postseason:

My 2018 Picks: Nationals, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies

What Really Happened: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Cubs, Rockies

Commentary: A much more competitive National League made my picks look poorly. Most of my missed picks underachieved, while the actual playoff teams all had breakout stars push them to the forefront.

World Series: Yankees over Cubs. Oops. I guess the 1932 rematch will have to wait…

AL Manager of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Aaron Boone, Yankees

What Really Happened: Bob Melvin, Athletics

Commentary: No one gives “underdog” awards to the Yankees or Red Sox. I forgot this key tenet of baseball law. Melvin was excellent at the helm of Oakland and deserved this.

NL Manager of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Gabe Kapler, Phillies

What Really Happened: Brian Snitker, Atlanta

Commentary: I bought into Philly’s talent on paper over actual experience in a role that kinda demands it. Kapler made me look ridiculous with the Phils’ performance.

AL Rookie of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Michael Kopech, White Sox

What Really Happened: Shohei Ohtani, Angels

Commentary: Had I gone with my gut, I would have picked Ohtani. But I didn’t, so I picked Kopech. He got hurt and won nothing.

NL Rookie of the Year:

My 2018 Pick: Ronald Acuna, Jr., Braves

What Really Happened: Acuna won it; I felt smart.

Commentary: No one really saw Washington’s Juan Soto coming, but he gave it a great run, coming in second in the voting. Those two horses should be great fun to watch over the next couple decades.

AL Cy Young:

My 2018 Pick: Justin Verlander, Astros

What Really Happened: Blake Snell came seemingly out of nowhere to win 20 games with a 1.89 ERA.

Commentary: Those are the only two meaningful categories Snell bested JV in, although this result is nowhere near as awful as when 20-game winner Rick Porcello stole the Cy from his former Tigers’ mate.

NL Cy Young:

My 2018 Pick: Max Scherzer, Nationals

What Really Happened: Jacob deGrom, Mets

Commentary: Mad Max finished a distant second because deGrom had an insane season for the ages. I cannot feel too sorry about picking No. 2, since Scherzer’s 2018 would win most of the time.

AL MVP:

My 2018 Pick: Francisco Lindor, Indians

What Really Happened: Mookie Betts, Red Sox

Commentary: Lindor had a fantastic year and finished sixth in the voting, so I do not feel too bad about this one. Essentially, Betts had a HUGE slash line advantage over Lindor (.346/.438/.640 to .277/.352/.519) while playing for a better team in a bigger market in a closer division race. But Lindor was still a strong pick; I don’t feel too bad about this choice.

NL MVP:

My 2018 Pick: Bryce Harper

What Really Happened: Christian Yelich, free from the toxic hell of the Marlins, carried Milwaukee to the postseason and waltzed easily to his first MVP award.

Commentary: Bought into the “contract year” boom concept and a weak field. But, yeah…Yelich really earned this one.

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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simlish-savvy · 6 years ago

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Strangetown Spawn birthdays, part 1: ~ Richard Grunt became a child ~ Damin Grunt became a toddler (and, my god, is he a mini-Tank!!) ~ all four of Johnny and Ophelia’s kids reached their next age stage - Willow became a teen, Jaime became a child, and the twins Irene and Gideon became toddlers! ~ Zachary Zimmerman-Rai became a child ~ both of Ripp’s daughters aged up once - Parker to a teen and Essie to a child ~ Jessie’s final daughter, Minnie, became a toddler (three guesses as to who her father is)

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investmart007 · 6 years ago

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The Latest: Braves get Gausman, O'Day from Orioles for 4

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/Qp49Dp

The Latest: Braves get Gausman, O'Day from Orioles for 4

The latest on Major League Baseball trades on the deadline day for deals without waivers (all times Eastern): 4:25 p.m.

The Atlanta Braves have acquired right-handers Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for four prospects.

The 27-year-old Gausman is 5-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 21 games started for Baltimore. He is under team control through 2020.

The Orioles acquired Triple-A Gwinnett right-hander Evan Phillips, Class A Rome infielder Jean Carlos Encarnacion and two Double-A Mississippi prospects — catcher Brett Cumberland and left-hander Bruce Zimmerman. Baltimore also received international signing bonus slot money.

This is the second deal between the teams in three days. Atlanta boosted its bullpen by acquiring right-hander Brad Brach from Baltimore for an international signing slot on Sunday.

Gausman will provide another veteran arm in a Braves rotation that has lost rookie Mike Soroka and right-hander Brandon McCarthy to injuries. O’Day is on the 60-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He has a 3.60 ERA and two saves in 20 games for Baltimore this season.

Phillips had an 8.53 ERA in four relief appearances with Atlanta this season. ___ 4:15 p.m.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have bolstered their rotation at the deadline, adding right-hander Chris Archer from Tampa Bay for a pair of coveted prospects in outfielder Austin Meadows and pitcher Tyler Glasnow and a player to be named later.

Archer, a two-time All-Star, is 3-5 with a 4.31 ERA in 17 starts this season for the Rays. The 29-year-old gives the Pirates a significant jolt in experience in a rotation that includes three starters __ Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove __ 26 or younger.

The move is the second significant trade by the Pirates at the deadline. Pittsburgh acquired Texas Rangers closer Keone Kela in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Taylor Hearn and a player to be named.

The Pirates, who have been reluctant to part with young prospects in recent years at the deadline, gave up a pair of promising talents.

Meadows, a first-round pick in the 2013 draft, hit .292 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in 49 for the Pirates after making his major-league debut on May 17. The 24-year-old Glasnow dominated as a starter in the minors but struggled as a starter during his first season-plus in Pittsburgh, going 2-7 with a 7.69 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) in 2017.

The Pirates moved Glasnow to the bullpen this season with better results. The 6-foot-8 right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 34 appearances. ___ 4:05 p.m.

A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The deal, done shortly before Major League Baseball’s non-waiver deadline, sends infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor league players to the Twins. The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been announced.

Dozier marked the fifth player the Twins have traded in the last five days, signaling their shift in focus to the future amid a disappointing season.

Dozier joins a Dodgers team that’s in a tight race with Arizona in the NL West, aiming for a return trip to the World Series. Dozier’s production has dropped off this year, but he has some of the best power numbers in baseball for players at his position. The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Twins.

Elsewhere as the deadline approached, Washington traded reliever Brandon Kintzler to the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitcher Jhon Romero, and the Philadelphia Phillies acquired left-hander Aaron Loup from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Jacob Waguespack.

— Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis. ___ 4 p.m.

Miami Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin has been traded to the Seattle Mariners for minor league infielder Bryson Brigman and international slot money.

Maybin is batting .251 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 99 games this season, but he’s batting .329 with a .912 OPS since June 29. The Mariners are the seventh team for the 12-year veteran, who has a $3.25 million, one-year contract.

Brigman is batting .304 this year for Class A Modesto. ___ 3:40 p.m.

The NL East-leading Phillies have acquired All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash.

Ramos is batting .297 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs but is currently on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. He’ll upgrade an offense that has struggled during a four-game losing streak. Jorge Alfaro has been Philadelphia’s starting catcher with Andrew Knapp also seeing plenty of action. ___ 1:50 p.m.

Right-handed reliever Brad Ziegler has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who bolstered their bullpen for the pennant race and gave up Double-A reliever Tommy Eveld to the Miami Marlins.

Ziegler, 38, is 1-5 with a 3.98 ERA this season. His ERA was 7.88 on June 1, but since then he has allowed two runs in 28 innings.

He’s in the final year of a $16 million, two-year contract, which made the cost-conscious Marlins willing to trade him since they’re in last place in the NL East. Arizona is battling the Dodgers and Rockies for the NL West lead.

The right-handed Eveld, 24, has a 1.11 ERA in 35 games in the minor leagues this season. He’s a native of the Miami area.

Ziegler had 30 saves for the Diamondbacks in 2015. The following year, he was traded to Boston before signing with the Marlins. ___ 1:05 p.m.

Badly needing outfield help, the Cleveland Indians have acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers.

Cleveland also received right-hander Kyle Dowdy in the deal for shortstop prospect Willi Castro.

The AL-Central-leading Indians have been pursuing an outfielder for weeks and pulled off the deal just hours before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline. The 30-year-old Martins batted .251 with nine homers and 29 RBIs this season for the Tigers, who are 18 ½ games behind Cleveland.

Martin has also scored 78 runs in his first season with Detroit and he leads the AL with nine assists. He missed time in July with a strained hamstring.

The Cuban has a career .248 average with 47 homers and 205 RBIs in 699 games with Texas, Seattle, the Chicago Cubs and Tigers.

Dowdy, 25, is 8-8 with a 4.74 ERA between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season. ___ 11:50 a.m.

Washington Nationals president and general manager Mike Rizzo says Bryce Harper will not be traded before Tuesday’s deadline.

Rizzo tells The Washington Post in a text message that Harper “is not going anywhere.”

The Nationals have been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments.

They entered Tuesday with a 52-53 record, but they are still within 5 ½ games of the NL East lead and the second wild card. ___ 11:30 a.m.

The St. Louis Cardinals have traded outfielder Tommy Pham to the Tampa Bay Rays for three minor leaguers — outfielder Justin Williams, left-handed pitcher Genesis Cabrera and right-handed pitcher Roel Ramirez.

The Rays also received international cap space in the four-player trade announced Tuesday, baseball’s deadline for trades without waivers.

There had already been a flurry of moves this week, including closers Roberto Osuna (to Houston) and Ken Giles (to Toronto) switching teams, Seattle picking up Adam Warren and Zach Duke, Lance Lynn joining the New York Yankees, Adam Duvall moving to Atlanta and Ian Kinsler added to the Boston Red Sox.

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 as St. Louis opened the day seven games out of the NL Central lead during a season in which the team has already fired manager Mike Matheny.

By Associated Press

#Atlanta Braves #Baltimore Orioles #Baseball trades #Braves get Gausman #Evan Phillips #Kevin Gausman #Latest news #O'Day from Orioles #sports news #team control #TodayNews

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