Jackie Bradley Jr. will make his first Toronto Blue Jays start on Friday night as the team hosts the Cleveland Guardians. He will play in centre field and bat ninth.

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Bradley Jr. signed with the Blue Jays on Tuesday after being released by the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 4.

The 32-year-old Bradley Jr. is a .228 hitter with 107 homers and 434 RBIs in 1,098 major-league games. He was the MVP of the 2018 AL Championship Series and won the AL Gold Glove in centre that same year.

Watch the Blue Jays take on the Guardians on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW starting at 7 p.m. EST.

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Despite trading slugger Trey Mancini and All-Star closer Jorge Lopez at the deadline, the Baltimore Orioles keep winning games and are in contention for a spot in the postseason.

They are currently 58-53, fourth in the AL East division and just half-a-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s an incredible organizational turnaround, considering that Baltimore had an awful 52-110 record in 2021.

Recognizing that they do have a strong chance of making the playoffs against all odds, the Orioles are making a win-now move, a refreshing development considering they traded the aforementioned stars.

“Source: DL Hall is joining #orioles in St. Petersburg,” MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko reported via Twitter.

Source: DL Hall is joining #orioles in St. Petersburg

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 12, 2022

The world is about to see what the Orioles are made of: they are playing a three-game series against the Rays, starting on Friday.

Austin Voth will start tonight’s game for Baltimore, and will face off against veteran right-hander Corey Kluber.

The Orioles have been able to bring in, nurture, and develop many young players this year, most notably position players and relievers.

Baltimore Needs Rotation Help, And Hall Can Provide It

Their starting rotation, however, remains a work in progress.

That’s where a guy like DL Hall can help.

He is one of MLB’s best pitching prospects.

He has some issues with his control, but the quality of his stuff is unquestionable.

So far, the left-hander has a 4.52 ERA and 126/45 K/BB ratio over 77 2/3 innings while covering three levels this season.

He has 114 strikeouts in 70 Triple-A innings, though, so the potential in that area is tantalizing.

Hall has a chance to be a special pitcher, as long as he can keep the walks under control (no pun intended).

If he pitches well, the O’s will have another quality starter to fuel their playoff run.

The post The Orioles Are Reportedly Calling Up Another Top Prospect appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Defense is always a major key to the success of a baseball team.

One of the reasons the New York Yankees have been so dominant for most of the season is the fact that their defense is among the best in all of baseball.

But from two particular spots, the defense has been elite for the Yankees.

The Yankees have 70 defensive runs saved, with 29 of them coming from the pitcher and catcher positions.

Jose Trevino‘s pitch framing skills have certainly helped, but Yankees pitchers are also second in all of baseball in defensive assists.

SIS Baseball tweeted some of the stats that show why the Yankees have been so dominant on defense.

Hidden key to Yankees defensive success this year

Most Defensive Runs Saved – Pitchers & Catchers
1. Yankees 29
2. Mets 12

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Keys:
– Jose Trevino, excellent pitch-framer

– Yankees pitchers: 2nd in MLB in assists

– Yankees lead MLB in caught stealing percentage #RepBX pic.twitter.com/1LxyCBeKTr

— SIS_Baseball (@sis_baseball) August 12, 2022

What Makes The Yankees Great

Sometimes, just one guy can be the key to the defensive success of a team.

Other times, it can be a combination of guys.

For the Yankees, it’s clear that their defense is a well-oiled machine and is one of the main reasons they have been so dominant for much of the season.

Pitchers fielding their position is also an important aspect of a great defensive team.

The club clearly has pitchers who can field their positions very well.

But as mentioned previously, Trevino has emerged as a solid defensive catcher.

The Yankees do also lead all of baseball in caught stealing percentage.

That’s always a sign of a good defensive catcher.

It goes even beyond his pitch framing skills.

But all of that stands to reason why the Yankees have been so successful defensively this season.

Defense is always key for great teams, and it has been ever prevalent with the Yankees during the 2022 season.

As the old saying goes, offense wins games, defense wins championships.

The post The Yankees Are Dominating With Defense From 2 Key Spots appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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