Sonstiges » HOUSTON — For most of the season

HOUSTON — For most of the season http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-jason-vargas-jersey , Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch has worked the line between managing the workload of his starters while letting his veteran pitchers do what they’ve always done, which is take pride in their ability to make their turn in the rotation on schedule.As a result of optimal health, the Astros (97-57) feature three pitchers ranked in the top 10 in the majors in innings: right-hander Justin Verlander, who worked six strong in a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday to run his season total to 208 innings; left-hander Dallas Keuchel (196 2/3 innings), and right-hander Gerrit Cole (194 1/3). Only four pitchers besides Verlander have worked 200 innings this season. The Astros could finish with three.“There’s something compelling for the starters to get to 200 innings,” Hinch said. “So while it seems like that’s fatigue there’s also a great accomplishment that comes with that. There’s great pride in those guys so they’re as strong as they’ve been the entire season.Article continues below ...“Certainly, I’d like to have that time off if we win the division quickly and be able to set it up properly, but I don’t have a lot of concern with those guys. Everybody else is pretty fine when it comes to inning totals, but I think everybody’s sightline has changed over the last five to 10 years to where there are so few guys that can last deep into games or that are allowed to last in games to get to the 200-inning mark. They look a little more like a unique pitcher than the norm.”Right-hander Charlie Morton (15-3, 3.15 ERA) will start the regular-season home finale for the Astros on Sunday. He is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA across two starts this month following a stint on the 10-day disabled list. Morton is five strikeouts shy of his first 200-strikeout season and nine innings from eclipsing his previous high of 171 2/3 pitched in 2011 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. With his 29th start, Morton will match the number he achieved with Pittsburgh seven years ago.Morton did not factor into the decision in his lone start against the Angels this season, allowing four runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in four innings of an 8-7 home loss on April 24. He is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA against the Angels in six career starts.Left-hander Tyler Skaggs (8-8 http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-pedro-martinez-jersey , 3.69 ERA) will start seeking to help the Angels snap their four-game skid. He is 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in nine career starts against the Astros, including 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts in 2018. Skaggs’ four wins are his most against any opponent.Rookie designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit cleanup for a fourth consecutive game, the 11th time this month and 18th time overall this season for the Angels (75-80). Ohtani entered Saturday with an .860 OPS batting fourth behind MVP candidate Mike Trout and, after going 1-for-4, is hitting .266 with three homers and 10 RBIs occupying that spot in the order.“Right now, we’re going with him behind Mike and he’s fine,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Mike is getting pitched to and that’s important. And Shohei adjusted and hopefully we’re going to see guys on base or whatever Mike can create and that will help us to be productive.” Some of the teams in the Major League Baseball playoff race decided not to wait for the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline to make improvements to their respective rosters.Four of the six division leaders have acquired a key piece, while two of the four ballclubs residing in wild-card spots have done the same.After every trade in every sport, we feel the need to critique the deals immediately instead of waiting for the results to play out.While the true effects of the acquisitions will appear on the diamond in the coming months and years, there's plenty to dissect already in terms of the fight for postseason positions.Below is a look at the top trades that have occurred so far and what they mean to the franchises involved. Zach Britton and J.A. Happ to YankeesThe New York Yankees used two separate deals to improve their pitching staff entering the stretch run of the regular season.Zach Britton and J.A. Happ came from teams in the American League East the Yankees are familiar with, and that should help ease the transition into the team.Britton will bolster the bullpen as another dominant left-handed arm in front of closer Aroldis Chapman.With Britton, Chapman, Chad Green Giancarlo Stanton Jersey , David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Chasen Shreve, the Yankees boast one of the best relief units in baseball.In 15.2 innings pitched with the Baltimore Orioles, Britton, who was recovering from an Achilles injury at the start of the season, gave up 11 hits and six earned runs while striking out 13 batters.Frank Franklin II/Associated PressThe Yankees hope to get Britton back to his form from a few years ago, as he put together three consecutive seasons of 35 or more saves with a minuscule ERA.Happ adds insurance to the back end of the starting rotation, and he should end up as a nice complement to Luis Severino and C.C. Sabathia.In 20 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays, Happ went 10-6 with 130 strikeouts and conceded 99 hits. While those numbers are impressive, the 35-year-old has an ERA of 4.18, which is his worst in four seasons.The concerns surrounding the Happ deal involve what the Yankees gave up, as outfielder Brandon Drury was sent to Toronto. Some may see the price tag for Happ as too high, but the Yankees needed to get the deal done to improve their rotation.Although Britton and Happ are solid additions http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-derek-jeter-jersey , there's no guarantee the Yankees win the AL East with the way the Boston Red Sox are swinging their bats.Manny Machado to DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers' acquisition of Manny Machado was the first major July deal to go down, and it triggered a fire sale in Baltimore and forced other contenders to turn to other, less talented infield targets.Machado filled the void at shortstop left open by Corey Seager's injury, and he's also been moved to third base with Justin Turner on the disabled list.In his first seven games with the Dodgers, Machado has eight hits in 36 plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.John Bazemore/Associated PressBefore being shipped to Los Angeles, Machado hit .315 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI in 96 games.The 25-year-old is still hitting over .300 and there's no reason to worry about his early returns in the National League.Machado will be a valuable asset for the Dodgers' pennant chase, and when Turner returns to the lineup, the Dodgers will be tough to contain.With Machado and Turner in the mix, the Dodgers possess nine players who've hit over 10 home runs in 2018.The Dodgers have the hitters capable of capturing the National League West, but they shouldn't be content with their roster, as another reliever to help closer Kenley Jansen is necessary to acquire before the non-waiver trade deadline. Brad Hand to IndiansCleveland jumped in front of the relief market by bringing in Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres in exchange for top prospect Francisco Mejia.The addition of Hand serves two purposes for the Indians, as they get a strong reliever for their World Series push and have an in-house replacement for the 2019 season if free agents Andrew Miller and Cody Allen leave.Hand, who is considered as the bigger piece in the trade Alex Rodriguez Jersey , has been effective in his first appearances with the Indians, as he's given up two hits and one earned run in 3.1 innings while recording one save.Tony Dejak/Associated PressOnce Miller, who is about to make a return from the disabled list, returns to the active roster, the Indians will get to test out their new-look bullpen.In Allen, Hand and Miller, the Indians have three players capable of closing out games, and there will be situations in which one or two are used to face specific batters in September and October instead of pitching a full inning.The Indians gave up a significant piece in Mejia, who should be in the majors within the next year, but trading him away was worth it since Hand is under control until 2021. Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference