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the same time so a decision will have to be made soon. "A couple of

in Here is your first Forum Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:30 pm
by sakura698 • 1.245 Posts

MILWAUKEE -- When it comes to the "Biogenesis Bunch," theres Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and then everybody else. Air Max 90 Homme Promo . Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. As a new season starts up, time to check on how theyre doing. Rodriguez is out for the year. So the A-Rod media circus will have to wait until 2015, assuming he returns. That leaves Braun as the next most notable name on the list. He said hes sorry for getting into the mess and eager to compile the kind of stats that made him the 2011 NL MVP. "I embrace the challenge that lies ahead," the Milwaukee slugger said upon reporting to spring training. "I know it wont be easy, but I intend to do everything in my power to continue to be the best person and player I can be." After apologizing several times in the off-season, Braun returned to a corner locker customary for a top player. He has the strong support of manager Ron Roenicke. Braun got off to a good start at the plate. He went into this week hitting .440 with two homers and five RBIs in 25 spring at-bats. Even had a homer in his first spring at-bat. "Not surprising. Hes one of those guys, just a special athlete," Roenicke said after the Feb. 27 shot. With Braun back to bolster a lineup that had Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Jonathan Lucroy emerge last season, the Brewers hope to contend again in the NL Central. St. Louis is the reigning division champ, and a 50-game suspension for shortstop Jhonny Peralta didnt prevent the team from signing him to a four-year, $53 million deal in the off-season. The discipline stemmed from an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing substances. A couple big leaguers were miffed. "It pays to cheat... Thanks, owners, for encouraging PED use," Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler tweeted after the deal was announced in November. Not a bad start in Cardinal red: Peralta was hitting over .300 with three homers this spring as of the beginning of the week. "I know a lot of fans, they are going to talk," Peralta said when he reported to camp last month. "They are going to say a lot of things. Its baseball. You need to forget about it and try to play baseball." Nelson Cruzs potent bat was enticing enough for the Orioles to bring the outfielder in as a free agent after his suspension while with Texas last year. Cruz is destined for the middle of Baltimores lineup after hitting 26 homers last year. In San Diego, shortstop Everth Cabrera has said his apologies to teammates. He was leading the National League with 37 stolen bases when his suspension started last August. "He knew that he let his teammates down," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I cant speak for everybody, but from what Ive heard from some players, that was enough." Back at short and hitting .264 this spring with three steals as of Tuesday, Cabrera is set lead off again for Black. Reliever Antonio Bastardo (Phillies) and backup catcher Francisco Cervelli (Yankees) are also back with their former teams, each signing one-year deals in the off-season. Seattles Jesus Montero isnt as lucky. Once a top catching prospect, he was moved to first, then demoted to minor league camp. He hit .310 but had reported to spring training overweight. Among less notable players, outfield prospect Cesar Puello had also been optioned to minor league camp by the Mets and ex-Met Jordany Valdespin had signed a minor league deal in December with the Marlins. At last check, lefty reliever Jordan Norberto had signed a minor league deal with the Rays. Once-promising outfield prospect Fernando Martinez, who was traded from Houston to the Yankees last year, and relievers Fautino De Los Santos and Sergio Escalona are still waiting. They apparently wont have a chance to immediately prove themselves, unlike Braun. Tn Pas Cher Chine . The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee. "I dont want to say it was a surprise," team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said. Nike Air Max 270 React Soldes . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/ .C. -- Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross is saying goodbye to the NFL after 11 seasons.BALTIMORE – Theres something about the pitching mound at Oriole Park. After losing Brett Cecil to groin tightness on Friday, the Blue Jays watched as R.A. Dickey removed himself from the game in the seventh inning on Saturday with the same problem. Dickey insisted the decision to excuse himself was as much preventative as anything else but the sight of the knuckleballer trudging off the field cast a further pall on a 3-2 loss to the Orioles. "I didnt want to jeopardize my next start," said Dickey. "I was probably out of the game after that next batter anyway so I decided it was probably in everybodys best interest to call it a day." The Blue Jays conclude their four-game set in Baltimore on Sunday and have an off-day on Monday before opening up a three-game series in New York. Dickey isnt scheduled to work again until Saturday in Cincinnati and hes hopeful the extra day will provide enough time for a full recovery. He saw a doctor after leaving the game and the diagnosis left Dickey feeling optimistic. He admitted, however, that he has never had a groin injury and therefore had no comparable to assess the degree of the problem. Meantime, Adam Lind fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning. He finished the at-bat against Orioles starter Bud Norris, grounding out, and didnt return when his designated hitters spot came up again in the eighth. Dioner Navarro took his place. X-rays were negative, its a bone bruise, but Lind was noticeably hobbling after the game. "You can see the seams," said Lind of the bruise. "I didnt have a shin guard on or a foot guard so Ill be wearing one in the near future," said Lind. "I hit it pretty good. I hit it right on the sweet spot so it wasnt a soft liner off my foot. It was a pretty good one." Lind will ice the injury on Saturday night and didnt rule out playing on Sunday, although to the observer that would seem unlikely. Offensive Struggles Torontos offensive slump continued on Saturday. While the Jays got nine hits off five Orioles pitchers, the club stranded five runners in scoring position on the afternoon. Jose Bautista was thrown out at home trying to score from first base on Edwin Encarnacions one-out double in the eighth. Baltimore led 3-1 at the time. Chalk it up to a bad send by third base coach Luis Rivera, who was overaggressive in waving Bautista around, perhaps because everyone is pressing to try to generate runs. Toronto has lost six of eight games heading into Sundays series finale with the Orioles. At the time of this publishing, the Yankees were three games back of the Jays for top spot in the AL East (pending the result of their game on Saturday night in Oakland). Baltimore, in third place, closed the gap to three-and-a-half games. Left-hander J.A. Happ gets the Sunday start. The Orioles counter with right-hander Chris Tillman. McGowans First Save Dustin McGowan pitched the final inning and two-thirds of Friday nights 4-0 Blue Jays win over the Orioles, notching his first career big league save. He didnt know of his milestone, however, until after the game when Jose Bautista presented him with the baseball. The Jays led 4-0 in the eighth when McGowan replaced Brrett Cecil, who went down with a groin injury. Air Max 97 Noir Homme Pas Cher. The Orioles had two runners on, meaning the tying run was in the on deck circle, qualifying McGowan for the save. "I usually do," said McGowan when told he didnt know the rules for a save. "When I came in, I was just focused on getting the batter out." McGowans first pitch came in a 1-2 count to Baltimore slugger Chris Davis. Davis, like probably most in the ballpark, was expecting a fastball. What he got was a changeup on the outer half of the plate with plenty of movement. He flailed and struck out. "Yeah it was a good pitch," said McGowan. "It was the best pitch I could throw in that situation and luckily it worked out." McGowan had never had a save. Had he had a one-pitch strikeout before? "I dont think Ive ever had one of those either," said McGowan. "Probably the last one of those I get, too." Whats clear in his tone of voice and in his body language is McGowans at peace with his permanent move to the bullpen. He thrived in the role last season and in 11 relief appearances this year, McGowans allowed one earned run in 13 1/3 innings (0.68 ERA) while striking out eight and walking only one. Manager John Gibbons has said repeatedly he believes the life of a short man will lengthen McGowans career. "I think hes right," said McGowan. "Im recovering a lot better out of the bullpen and Im not throwing 100 pitches, which makes it a lot easier." The role suits McGowans personality, too. Hell throw his fastball at 95 miles per hour without worry. "Thats one thing you can do out of the bullpen. You can let it go," said McGowan. "When I was starting, I had to reserve some in the tank. Its fun letting it go, too. Its how Ive always been so it kind of works out good for me." Jays Fast-track Santos Return A day after manager John Gibbons indicated Sergio Santos would remain with Double-A New Hampshire for a third rehabilitation appearance, Santos was back with the Blue Jays on Saturday. The reason: Brett Cecil has a groin injury and while he hasnt been placed on the disabled list, Cecil wasnt available for Saturdays game against the Orioles and Dustin McGowan, who threw 1 2/3 innings on Friday evening, was available in a limited role. Outfielder Darin Mastroianni was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make roster space for Santos. Cecil was feeling better on Saturday but wasnt sure whether he would require a trip to the disabled list. Manager John Gibbons cant have a short bench and a short bullpen at the same time so a decision will have to be made soon. "A couple of days," said Gibbons. "Were short on our roster too with a position player." Mastroianni and Kevin Pillar, both right-handed hitting outfielders, are inside the 10-day option window, meaning neither can return to the Blue Jays unless they replace a player whos gone on the disabled list. Pillar was part of a centerfield platoon with left-handed hitting Anthony Gose in the absence of Colby Rasmus. The absence of a dedicated fourth outfielder means Gibbons would turn to Steve Tolleson to take an outfield spot in the event a late-game replacement is needed. ' ' '

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