MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins were 21 games under .500 and playing before another small crowd as Derek Jeter spoke in the fifth inning
Wednesday night
http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-john-smoltz-jersey , so he didn’t sugarcoat the state of the franchise 10 months into his tenure as
CEO.“We have a ways to go,” Jeter said. “No one is happy with what has happened
to this point. But we are headed in the right direction.”The rookie executive
bases his optimism in part on a succession of trades that depleted the major
league roster but replenished a farm system that had ranked among baseball’s
worst.Reliever Brad Ziegler and outfielder Cameron Maybin, two well-traveled
veterans who were not part of the Marlins’ long-term plans, were swapped for
prospects at last month’s trade deadline. Miami kept All-Star catcher J.T.
Realmuto and several other young players who could become part of Jeter’s
rebuilding effort.“Every move we make with this organization is always to make
us better,” Jeter said. “We’re not in a position of just giving players away. So
we’re happy with what we added at the trade deadline. We’re also happy with what
we were able to keep here.”The Marlins are interested in a long-term contract
for Realmuto, which would underscore a change in philosophy under Jeter for a
franchise long accustomed to heavy roster turnover.“J.T. in my opinion is at
right at the top of the list as being one of the best all-around catchers in
baseball,” Jeter said. “He is a guy we would love to have here long term.”The
Marlins have relied heavily on young players this season, with decidedly mixed
results. One benefit, Jeter said, has been the opportunity to evaluate promising
but unproven talent — even players not faring well.“I like to see when guys
struggle,” he said. “I want to see how you respond to struggling, because you’re
going to struggle at some point.”Not struggling much has been rookie right
fielder Brian Anderson, who began the night batting .285 with 37 extra-base
hits.“He should be at the top of the list when anybody talks about Rookie of the
Year,” said Jeter, who won the award himself in 1996. CLEVELAND — Entering the
game Friday night, both the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays had just 29
games left in the regular season, but had yet to play each other.The teams
finally got together on Friday and the Indians won 3-0. After the game, the
Indians acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson from the Toronto Blue Jays.On
Saturday night, the Indians and Rays will meet for the second time this season,
at Progressive Field. Although they hadn’t played each other until Friday, that
doesn’t mean they aren’t aware of one another.Article continues below ...“They
are in the (American League) East. That’s a good division
Matt Kemp Jersey , and they’ve held their own,”Indians manager Terry Francona said of the Rays. “They are doing it in an unconventional way. It’s
unconventional now, but they’re not doing it with smoke and mirrors.”The Rays
have blazed a new trail in starting pitcher usage by using a relief pitcher to
start many of their games, and having a true starting pitcher take over in the
second or third inning.“They’ve got a lot of good arms, and (manager Kevin) Cash
and his staff have done a really good job of getting their guys to buy in,”
Francona said.Cash, who played for Francona when he managed Boston, and coached
on his staff in Cleveland before being hired to manage the Rays, remains very
close to Francona, and the two buddies will send two impressive young pitchers
to the mound on Saturday.For the Rays, it’s left-hander Blake Snell, who has
become a strong Cy Young Award candidate, which means he, not a reliever, will
pitch the first inning — and as many innings thereafter as he can handle.Snell
(16-5, 2.05), is second in the AL wins and ERA, and his opponents’ batting
average of .179 also ranks second. In his last start, Snell shut down Boston’s
powerful lineup, beating the Red Sox 9-1 on Aug. 26. He pitched six innings and
allowed two runs and just two hits, with eight strikeouts and two walks.Snell’s
Cy Young candidacy has been steadily building since midseason
http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-hank-aaron-jersey , and it’s reflected by his numbers. In his last 16 starts, he is 12-2 with a 1.45
ERA. In his last 10 starts, he is 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA, and in his last five
starts, he is 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.His last start against the Indians came Aug.
10, 2017, a 4-1 Tampa Bay win in which Snell did not figure in the decision,
despite holding Cleveland to one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. In two
career starts against the Indians, Snell is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA.Snell’s mound
opponent is rookie right-hander Shane Bieber (8-2, 4.52), a control artist who
in 79 2/3 innings has struck out 83 and walked just 15. Bieber’s last start came
Aug. 26, a 12-5 victory over Kansas City in which he pitched 5 1/3 innings,
allowing four runs and six hits, with seven strikeouts and no walks.Bieber, who
has never faced the Rays, has had less success in the second half of his rookie
season than the first half. In his first seven starts, he was 5-1 with a 3.53
ERA. In his last seven starts, he’s 3-1 with a 5.70 ERA.The Indians added a
significant player on Friday, when they acquired Donaldson from the Blue Jays in
exchange for a player to be named at a later date. Donaldson has been on the
disabled list since May 29 due to a left calf strain. He began a rehab
assignment in Class-A Dunedin on Tuesday, appearing in two games.Donaldson is a
three-time All-Star who was the American League MVP in 2015.
