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(AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays offer a simple response to critics of the team’s creative use of openers to fill out their pitching rotation.It works.And, they plan to do it again this season, when they expect to contend for a playoff berth after winning more games in 2018 than any major league club that didn’t make the postseason.“At the end of the day, our motives are to win games and put our players in the best position that we believe possible to help us accomplish that. … That will continue to be our guide,” senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Erik Neander said.“We’re going to do what we feel is best for our organization and our players,” Neander added. “If that leads to winning games, that makes everybody happy.”The Rays are coming off a turnaround season in which they won 90 games, in part because of the successful use of relievers to open games on days manager Kevin Cash elected to not begin with a traditional starter.An opener generally faced three to nine batters, depending on matchups — primarily with a goal of getting the first three to six outs of a game.Cash also used “bullpen days” — outings started by relievers who usually worked deeper into games — when necessary after injuries and a series of salary-slashing moves left Tampa Bay without a customary five-man rotation.“We’re going to have very similar plans as to what we did last year,” Cash said, citing depth and versatility as biggest strengths of not only a mostly young pitching staff led by 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, but of the entire roster.“We have a lot of guys who can play different roles Michael Brantley Jersey , that can hit in different parts of the lineup,” Cash added. “And we showed last year we’ve got a pretty special pitching staff that can pitch in different parts of the ballgame, and we’re going to utilize that again.”The Rays, who reported to spring training this week with a projected season-opening rotation of Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow, used traditional starters 84 times last season.Openers took the ball first 55 times, with Tampa Bay going 32-23 in those games. The remaining 23 starts were filled with bullpen days.“We have a young roster. They’re willing to do, I think, whatever is asked of them and trust,” Neander said.“At the end of the day, I appreciate the trust they have in (Cash) and the staff to put them in the best position to succeed,” the GM added. “We saw what’s possible when you have that in place.”Other big league teams have taken notice of Tampa Bay’s success and have explored variations of the concept.The Rays have been the target of some criticism http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-yan-gomes-jersey , too,While the club notes the approach to using the bullpen has contributed to the development of young pitchers such Ryne Stanek, Ryan Yarbrough, Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks, skeptics argue the concept devalues the role of traditional starters and also can undermine a pitcher’s earning potential.Cash reiterated that a big part of Tampa Bay’s success was the willingness of veterans, as well as younger players, to buy in to the concept that made its debut May 19.From that point on, Rays pitchers had the third-best ERA (3.50) in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.19) and Houston Astros (3.39).“We certainly value our players quite a bit. And looking at what some of these guys did, whether it was the opener or the bullpen guys who followed them, they all had pretty special seasons,” Cash said.“All those guys bought in, and we’re going to need that again Kenny Lofton Jersey ,” the manager said. “But I also think they really valued and cherished winning games. And that helped us win games.” WASHINGTON (AP) — As the start of spring training approaches, the Washington Nationals are waiting right along with the rest of the world to find out where Bryce Harper will be playing next season.The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year and 2015 NL MVP has never worn a major league uniform other than Washington’s, but his shot at free agency finally arrived — even if no new contract has, as of yet.With the Nationals coming off a disappointing season, general manager Mike Rizzo didn’t exactly sit around and wait to see whether Harper would return or not.“The ‘Bryce situation’ and filling some of the other things that we’re trying to do are independent of each other,” Rizzo said early in the offseason.“We’re very impatient people,” Rizzo said. “We have a wish list, and we try to get things done.”He got quite a bit done, in fact, turning over a chunk of the roster in the hopes of righting the team after it flopped under rookie manager Dave Martinez. Washington went just 82-80 and missed the playoffs after winning two consecutive NL East titles with Dusty Baker in charge.Some things to know about the 2019 Washington Nationals:NEW LOOKRizzo made additions to every aspect of his club except, notably, the outfield http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-jim-thome-jersey , where the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, Juan Soto, joins Adam Eaton, top prospect Victor Robles and Michael A. Taylor as holdovers. The rotation got lefty Patrick Corbin and righty Anibal Sanchez; the bullpen was restocked with Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough; the infield has a new second baseman in Brian Dozier; there are two new catchers, Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki.ROOKIES TO WATCHA brief stint last season allowed the 21-year-old Robles to display flashes of the speed and power he’s expected to provide if given the chance to play regularly. In 59 at-bats, he had three steals, three homers and 10 RBIs while batting .288. Put him alongside Soto, who hit 22 homers at age 19 last year, and the Nationals could have a young, dynamic outfield for years to come. Asked whether Robles is ready to be the starting center fielder, Martinez said: “I think Victor is ready to play baseball. He’s itching to play. We’ll see how that transpires.”THEY’RE SETThe rotation could be among the best in the big leagues, led by righty Max Scherzer Manny Ramirez Jersey , a three-time Cy Young Award winner who was the runner-up to Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets for that honor in 2018. He’s followed by Stephen Strasburg and new additions Corbin and Sanchez. The only thing up in the air is the No. 5 slot, now that Gio Gonzalez (traded during last season) and Tanner Roark (traded in the offseason) are gone. Jeremy Hellickson is probably the front-runner, with Joe Ross and Erick Fedde also in the mix to add depth.THEY’RE NOTMartinez is still an unknown quantity, especially after the team’s performance in his first year didn’t come anywhere close to living up to expectations.ON DECKThere are a lot of new pieces to fit together, and Martinez has vowed to put a renewed emphasis on fundamentals during camp. “I already told the guys at the end of last year: Spring training will be a lot different. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” the manager said. Washington will open the regular season March 28 at home against a revamped division rival, the Mets; it could be an enticing pitching showdown between the teams’ aces, Scherzer and deGrom.