News, Lob, Kritik und Anregungen » s batters are hitting .246 this ye

CHICAGO (AP) — Slugger Kris Bryant was back in the Chicago Cubs‘ lineup after missing two games because of a bruised left wrist.The 2016 NL MVP was batting sixth and playing left field Chris Beck Jersey , with David Bote at third base for Friday’s afternoon game against St. Louis. Bryant was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Chris Archer on Tuesday.He has had two stints on the disabled list this season because of left shoulder inflammation. The 26-year-old Bryant is batting .276 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs in 98 games, and manager Joe Maddon sees no reason why he can’t be a major contributor in the postseason.“I don’t think the hand’s (an issue),” Maddon said. “I think the shoulder’s been rested a couple days. Yeah, I think he can be effective.”The Cubs began the day leading second-place Milwaukee by a game in the NL Central. They are headed to the playoffs for a franchise-record fourth straight year.Maddon wasn’t sure if reliever Pedro Strop (strained left hamstring) will pitch this weekend. He still feels some discomfort on the landing throwing off the mound.The Cubs are missing their two relievers with the most saves this season. Closer Brandon Morrow, who has 22 saves, has been on the disabled list since July 19 because of an elbow injury and was shut down for the rest of the season last week. Strop, who has 13, has been sidelined since Sept. 13, when he was hurt running to first on a double-play grounder at Washington.Chicago activated catcher Bobby Wilson, who was acquired Aug. 30 from Minnesota on Friday. The Twins placed him on the 10-day disabled list Aug. 24 because of a sprained right ankle.Wilson hit .178 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 47 games for Minnesota this season. MIAMI — There is a fair chance there could be more hit-by-pitches on Friday when the Atlanta Braves visit the Miami Marlins for the second of a four-game series.The hostility between the teams began on Aug. 15. To that point, Ronald Acuna had homered in each of his previous five games. He had also homered four times in the previous three games against Miami.So when Acuna stepped to the plate to lead off the game Miguel Gonzalez Jersey , the Marlins certainly wanted to shut him down. But Marlins pitcher Jose Urena — who claimed he was just pitching Acuna inside — hit the Braves rookie star with a fastball.Article continues below ...Both dugouts emptied. No punches were thrown, but Urena was ejected and ultimately suspended, making him unavailable for this weekend’s series.Thursday was the first game between the teams since the incident, and the ill feelings returned.Acuna belted a third-inning solo home run, his 21st homer of the season and his seventh against Miami, on Thursday. It had an exit velocity of 105 mph and gave him the home-run lead among all rookies this season.He also has 18 RBIs this season against the Marlins, and his 432-foot monster blow seemed like sweet revenge.However, Acuna was hit again, this time by Marlins reliever Javy Guerra, who lost control of a 94-mph fastball on an 0-2 count.Acuna, who was struck on his right hand http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-anderson-jersey , reacted by angrily, tossing his helmet to the ground and glaring at Guerra.“He was just trying to get the ball (inside),” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Guerra’s pitch. “There was nothing intentional. It’s over.”However, in the bottom of the sixth, Braves starter Sean Newcomb — who hadn’t hit a batter all season — plunked Miami’s top rookie, third baseman Brian Anderson, with a 94-mph fastball.Anderson was also hit by a 78-mph curve ball in the eighth inning by reliever Jesse Biddle.It remains to be seen if Friday’s game will evolve into a beanball battle. But the focus will surely be on the pitches thrown by Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz (10-7, 2.72 ERA) and his Marlins counterpart, Dan Straily (4-6, 4.60).Foltynewicz, 26 http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-yoan-moncada-jersey , became a first-time All-Star this year. He made his major league debut in 2014 and is now one win away from a career high in victories.He is also pitching his best ball at the moment, with a 1.35 ERA in four August starts, going 3-0 in that span. That includes allowing just one run in eight innings to the Marlins in a 6-1 victory on Aug. 13.A first-round pick of the Houston Astros in 2010, “Folty” has a strong arm and an above-average fastball. On average, his fastball comes in at 96.3 mph, and Marlins batters are hitting .182 in 44 at-bats against him this year.Better yet for the Braves, Foltynewicz has bounced back emphatically from a poor July in which he went 2-3 with a 5.72 ERA.He is 5-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 career appearances, including nine starts, against Miami, and he is 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA in two starts against the Marlins this season.Meanwhile, Braves batters are hitting .246 this year against Straily Welington Castillo Jersey , including home runs by Acuna (of course), Ozzie Albies and Nick Markakis.Straily is 4-3 with a 5.00 ERA in nine career starts against the Braves, and he is 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA in three starts against them in 2018.The Marlins, who managed just five hits — four singles and a double — in Thursday’s 5-0 loss to the Braves — could also be without reliever Jarlin Garcia. On Thursday, Garcia was removed from the game in the fifth inning when he was hit by a batted ball on his right shin.“He’s hobbling pretty good,” Mattingly said. “He looks like he will be out a little bit.”Regardless, Mattingly paid his respects to the Braves, who are 72-55 and in first place in the National League East, leading the last-place Marlins (51-78) by 22 games.“They have a good lineup,” Mattingly said. “It’s tough to get through there. They have a couple of switch-hitters. They have a bunch of guys who are driving in runs. It’s not just one or two guys. It’s why they are on top of the division. They have production up and down the order.”