The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies close out their regular seasons Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.The Braves will continue
their season next week in the National League Division Series and are still
fighting for home-field advantage. The Phillies are finishing out a
disappointing end to their season.Kevin Gausman (10-10
Corey Kluber Jersey , 3.93 ERA) is set to start for the Braves and the Phillies will send rookie left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-1, 6.00) to the
mound.Article continues below ...Gausman will get his final regular-season
tuneup before joining Atlanta’s postseason rotation.The right-hander, acquired
from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, has been terrific for the
Braves in nine starts. Gausman has bolstered the Braves’ rotation with a 2.80
ERA and 1.10 WHIP since the trade.Gausman’s latest start came against the
Phillies on Sept. 20. He struck out seven and gave up three runs and five hits
in 6 1/3 innings.“These games mean a lot,” Gausman, who hasn’t pitched in the
playoffs since 2014, told MLB.com after the game. “As a player, that’s all you
can ask for — to be in September and to be playing meaningful games. To be a
pitcher coming from Baltimore with the season we were having there, the playoffs
were a far-fetched dream. So to be in this situation is great.”Gausman discussed
the difference between pitching in the regular season and postseason.“The
biggest difference is how draining every pitch is,” Gausman told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. “You’re sitting in the dugout or you’re out there
pitching, every pitch means so much. You give up one run, and that might be it
that night. There’s a premium on runs
Ricky Vaughn Jersey , so as a pitcher, it’s on you a little more than it is the regular season.”Gausman only has two career starts against the Phillies,
allowing eight runs in 11 1/3 innings (6.35 ERA) in those games. Jorge Alfaro is
4-for-6 with a home run, double and four RBIs versus Gausman while Jose Bautista
is 6-for-26 with a home run and five strikeouts.The Braves won Gausman’s last
start and it began a season-worst losing streak for the Phillies.The Phillies
snapped a nine-game losing streak Saturday, but have completely collapsed in
September, going 7-20 in the month. Philadelphia, who was 15 games above .500 on
Aug. 7, head into the final day of the season with a 79-82 record. It’s the
seventh season in a row the Phillies have failed to finish above .500.“We’ve
been playing terrible baseball,” first-year Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told
reporters after Friday night’s loss. “That’s why we’ve lost a lot of games, not
because we haven’t fought or because anybody quit.”The Phillies are 33-42
against the NL East this season and 6-12 against Atlanta.Suarez, 23, will make
his fourth appearance and third start of the season for Philadelphia.
Suarez
Michael Brantley Jersey , who has never faced the Braves, has an 8.00 ERA in his two major league starts, but he did not allow an earned run in three
innings out of the Phillies’ bullpen Monday against the Rockies.Suarez, who
could vie for a spot in Philadelphia’s rotation in 2019, last started Aug. 16
when the Phillies lost 24-4 to the New York Mets. He allowed eight runs (four
earned) and 11 hits while walking two and striking out two. NEW YORK (AP) —
Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland was out of the lineup for Game 3 of
the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees.Moreland, a left-handed
hitter with a good glove, was removed from Game 2 after he hurt his right
hamstring running the bases. Right-handed hitter Steve Pearce was set to start
at first base Monday night at Yankee Stadium against righty Luis Severino.“Mitch
is available, but he’s not 100 percent,” manager Alex Cora said.Yankees center
fielder Aaron Hicks remained out of the lineup after missing Game 2 with
tightness in his right hamstring that forced him from the opener Friday night at
Fenway Park. New York manager Aaron Boone said Hicks was doing “considerably
better,” and sitting him was a much more difficult decision than it was
Saturday.Brett Gardner was back in center for the Yankees, batting ninth, and
first baseman Luke Voit was slotted third in the order again. Boone said he
wouldn’t hesitate to use Hicks in any role off the bench.Hicks lobbied to
start
http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-yan-gomes-jersey , but Boone said he felt there was some benefit in waiting at least another day
because hamstrings can be fickle and Gardner provides a quality alternative.“He
was more emphatic about wanting to be in there tonight,” Boone said, referring
to Hicks. “Hopefully it’s something that benefits him even further.”With the
best-of-five series tied at one game apiece, Cora made a few lineup changes in
the wake of Saturday’s 6-2 loss, inserting a couple of left-handed hitters
against Severino.Rafael Devers was at third base instead of Eduardo Nunez, with
Brock Holt playing second rather than Ian Kinsler.“The guy on the mound has to
do a lot with it. You look at the numbers, and they don’t look great, but if you
look at his numbers throughout his career, lefties have done better against
him,” Cora said. “He’s still a tough matchup, but the way Brock was swinging the
bat, we do feel he can put good at-bats against him. Hopefully
Kenny Lofton Jersey , he can get a hanging slider to right field and put it into the stands. That was the reason.”With starter Nathan Eovaldi on the
mound, Christian Vazquez was tabbed to catch over Sandy Leon.“With Christian, we
feel like offensively he can do a few things in the bottom of the lineup that
can help us win a ballgame,” Cora said.Cora said Moreland had aggressive
treatment on his leg during the off day Sunday. He grabbed at his hamstring
between third and home while scoring on Ian Kinsler’s seventh-inning double
Saturday night and was replaced at first base by Pearce in the eighth.Moreland,
a first-time All-Star this season, batted .245 with 15 homers and 68 RBIs in 124
games. He won a Gold Glove in 2016 with Texas.Hicks, a switch-hitter, batted
.248 with 27 homers and 79 RBIs in 137 games. He had an MRI recently that didn’t
show any damage to his hamstring.Hicks tweaked the same hamstring in late
September against Tampa Bay and missed three games.
