already have made their Atlanta debuts. from corse178's blog
After a scramble to finish the regular season, the playoffs are finally on deck. David de Gea Jersey . With 10 teams left, here are 10 questions to carry fans through October:CAN THE CUBS DO IT?Joe Maddons crew romped to 103 wins, and now the North Side of Chicago is set up for either the biggest party of all time or the most brutal disappointment ever. Nothing in between for Wrigleyville, really. The pressure wont rattle Jon Lester and John Lackey -- theyve pitched in these spots. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the young hitters must handle hopes and expectations that have been building since the Cubs last World Series championship in 1908.WILL KERSHAW COME UP ACES?Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw is all set to pitch Game 1 at Washington. Hes certainly got the pedigree: Cy Young Awards, ERA titles, 20-win seasons and an MVP. What he doesnt have is a winning record in the playoffs -- 2-6. And in his last six starts in the postseason over the past three years, hes 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA, plus a high walk and home run rate. Remember, Hall of Famers Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine had losing career marks in the postseason. But Kershaw could use a couple of wins to round out an otherwise glittering resume.ONE MORE BIG SWING FOR BIG PAPI?David Ortiz had a dream season in his final year -- huge numbers, an MVP candidate, a worst-to-first turnaround by the Red Sox. His likeness has been cut into the grass at Fenway Park, his legacy is etched into history. What the retiring 40-year-old DH really wants is one more ring -- hes won three with Boston and owns a career .455 batting average and .576 on-base percentage in the World Series. He begins these playoffs against former manager Terry Francona and Cleveland.WILL MADBUM STAND TALL?When last seen in the postseason, Madison Bumgarner posted a Giant save to win Game 7 in Kansas City. The 6-foot-5 lefty will try to save San Franciscos season on Wednesday night in the NL wild-card game, on the road vs. the Mets. In 2014, he pitched a shutout at Pittsburgh to win the wild-card game. If he gets to the World Series, watch out -- no one can match his 4-0 mark with one save and an 0.25 ERA.WHOS HURTIN?Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Carrasco and Jacob deGrom are among the injured aces as the playoffs begin. Wilson Ramos, Neil Walker and Michael Brantley are out, too. A few others have been banged up, with Daniel Murphy, Eduardo Nunez and Danny Salazar among them. Its easy to wonder what a team wouldve done with a full roster; this late in the year, as managers often say, its not worth worrying about.WHAT ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS?In late July 2015, the Royals acquired Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist, and the pair helped them win the crown. A lot of big names moved to contenders this year in midseason -- Carlos Beltran and Jonathan Lucroy to Texas, Matt Moore (Giants), Aroldis Chapman (Cubs), Andrew Miller (Indians), Mark Melancon (Nationals) and Jay Bruce (Mets). Well soon see which trade-deadline guys deliver.WHOS NEW?Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo led the majors with 47 home runs and powered into his first postseason. Red Sox outfielders Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. also get to play for the first time on the big stage. Productive newcomers Trea Turner, Nomar Mazara and T.J. Rivera will join them this week.GOT A BEEF?A bat flip by Jose Bautista last October sparked a wild scene in Toronto, and lingering ill will led to him getting punched this season by Texas Rougned Odor. Just imagine if they meet again this month. Brawls are rare in the playoffs, but they happen -- the Blue Jays, as we got to see, dont take no guff.ANYONE GET SKIPPED?Quite a collection of managers in these playoffs. Some have won the World Series (Bruce Bochy, Francona, John Farrell), others have gotten close (Dusty Baker, Terry Collins). Some have been in the playoffs before (Buck Showalter, Joe Maddon, John Gibbons, Jeff Banister), while Dave Roberts (Dodgers) made it in his first year.STARTER OR RELIEVER?Many of the most-scrutinized decisions this month will involve how managers handle their pitching staffs. Use a starter like Cole Hamels on short rest, or maybe in emergency relief? Push a closer like Kenley Jansen for four outs, or five or six? Four-man rotation or three? With a lot of teams trying to advance farther than theyve been in years -- the Cubs, Indians, Texas and Washington -- get ready to ramp up the second-guessing. Jesse Lingard Jersey . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Antonio Valencia Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.jerseymanchesterunitedsoccer.com/womens-jonny-evans-manchester-united-jersey/ . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves may not be finished with the dramatic overhaul of their rotation.General manager John Coppolella told The Associated Press on Wednesday he hopes to add another starting pitcher, even after agreeing to deals with veteran right-handers R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon last week.Chicago White Sox ace left-hander Chris Sale might be available in a trade. The Braves apparently would make top prospects available for Sale, an All-Star in each of the last five seasons who could be a trade target of many teams.The Braves have focused on young pitchers while trading such stars as Jason Heyward, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and Craig Kimbrel in recent years. Coppolella said hes considering all options, including a trade involving prospects, in his search for another starter.We would like to add another starter if possible, but that will be more a function of market factors than any other factor, Coppolella said in a text message.Sale, 27, would be the new top name for a rotation that includes Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz and Josh Collmenter as the team moves into new SunTrust Park in suburban Cobb County next year.Sale was 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA for the White Sox in 2016. He will earn $12 million in 2017. His contract includes club options at $12.5 million for 2018 and $15 million for 2019.Dicckey, 42, and Colon, 43, are short-term links to such young starters as Sean Newcomb, Kolby Allard, Max Fried and Touki Toussaint. Morgan Schneiderlin Jersey. Some other young starters, including Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair and Tyrell Jenkins, already have made their Atlanta debuts.The Braves one-year, $12.5 million deal with Colon and one-year contract with an $8 million guarantee with Dickey wont be official until the players pass physicals.The deal with Dickey, the first of the 158 free agents to switch teams this offseason, was reached last Thursday. The agreement with Colon came one day later.Sale has five straight seasons with double-digit wins. The Braves had no starter with as many as 10 wins last season. The hard-throwing Foltynewicz led the team with a 9-5 record.Teheran, a two-time All-Star, is the leader of the rotation. The search for other proven starters has been the top offseason priority for Coppolella.The Braves finished last in the NL East in 2016 but won 50 of their last 97 games, leading Coppolella to say the rebuilding effort was ahead of schedule. The promotion of rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson helped the team win 20 of its last 30 games, earning interim manager Brian Snitker the full-time job. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Stitched Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
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