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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt was hoping to swing for baseball history when Brewers manager Craig Counsell took the bat out of his hands.Though he felt for the boo-bird Cardinal fans behind the visiting dugout http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , the move wasn’t much of a surprise to Goldschmidt.“We’re still in a tight game there,” the six-time All-Star said. “They’re going to do what they think is best.”Goldschmidt hit three home runs and then was intentionally walked in the ninth inning, leaving him one shy of the big league record in St. Louis’ 9-5 victory over Milwaukee on Friday night.Counsell signaled for the free pass with one out and a runner on second, his team trailing by four runs. Cardinals fans in enemy territory cheered as Goldschmidt approached the plate, and booed even louder when Counsell sent Goldschmidt to first.“Trying to win the game,” Counsell said. “There’s a base open. It’s the logical thing to do.”Goldschmidt thought it was a practical decision.“You understand the situation,” Goldschmidt said. “You understand what (the fans) were thinking, but you also understand that we’re out there trying to win. That’s the number one thing. Not anything individual or personal.”Just 18 players have hit four homers in a game, including J.D. Martinez and Scooter Gennett in 2017.Goldschmidt had four hits and drove in five in his second game with St. Louis. He was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts in his debut Thursday after an offseason trade from Arizona. Set to test free agency after this season, Goldschmidt instead signed a $130 million deal to stay with St. Louis through 2024 last weekend.Goldschmidt crushed a fastball from Freddy Peralta in the first inning for a two-run shot. He hit a solo drive off Taylor Williams (0-1) in the sixth, then another two-run homer against Jacob Barnes in the seventh.“When those guys are locked in, the mistakes are likely to get hard,” Counsell said.It was Goldschmidt’s second career three-homer game and his first since tallying a career-best six RBIs against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Aug. 3, 2017.Goldschmidt also flashed some nifty glove work at first base. He snared Yasmani Grandal’s one-out hot shot down the line, threw to second for an out and caught the return throw to end the sixth.Matt Carpenter had two hits for St. Louis. His 1,000th career hit drove in a run in the seventh.NL MVP Christian Yelich homered for Milwaukee for the second straight day Garrett Richards Jersey , spoiling lefty reliever Andrew Miller’s first outing with St. Louis. Ryan Braun had a three-run homer for Milwaukee.John Gant (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.GOLDEN GOLDYGoldschmidt is the first player to record a multihomer game in his first two contests as a Cardinal since Buddy Bradford in 1975 at Philadelphia, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: INF Jedd Gyorko (right calf sprain) is expected to join the team in Pittsburgh on Monday and come off the 10-day injured list for the home opener April 4.Brewers: RHP Corey Knebel, shut down during spring training with a right ulnar collateral ligament injury, chose to have season-ending Tommy John surgery instead of trying to rehab the elbow. … RHP Jeremy Jeffress, who is on the 10-day IL with right shoulder weakness, is scheduled to throw in Arizona before advancing to Triple-A San Antonio. … CF Lorenzo Cain jammed his thumb attempted to steal second base in the fifth. He was examined by a trainer but remained in the game. Counsell said that Cain’s thumb was fine.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Dakota Hudson makes his first start and fourth career appearance against the Brewers. Last season, he was 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 26 appearances.Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff makes his first career start and third appearance against the Cardinals. He had six stints with Milwaukee in 2018 and finished 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA and one save in 19 games, four of them starts. Can they maintain the success they had towards the end of 2018?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Red Sox StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Red Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁旳merican League East Preview: Tampa Bay RaysNew,1commentCan they maintain the success they had towards the end of 2018?EDTShareTweetShareShareAmerican League East Preview: Tampa Bay RaysKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsWith only a little more than a week left until Opening Day for most teams (and only a couple days away from Opening Day for the Mariners and A’s) it’s time to really start looking forward to the coming season. With that in mind, we’ll spend this week looking at the rest of the competition in the division, going in reverse order of last year’s standings. Then, on Friday we’ll take a broader look at the rest of the American League. Today, we discuss the Rays.ProjectionsFangraphs: 84-78Baseball Prospectus: 85-77The LineupLooking at how the Rays offense projects to shape up in 2019, they have one of the most fascinating groups in the league. They aren’t anywhere close to as loaded as some of the other top teams around baseball, but they have some under-the-radar names all over the diamond. They are also set up to mix and match based on matchups pretty much every day, which will certainly help Kevin Cash get the most production possible out of each player. The biggest issue with Tampa’s lineup is they don’t really have that core guy in the middle who can make everything go even when the team is slumping. Instead http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , they rely on depth and hope to get production from every spot in the lineup. Joey Wendle had an extremely underrated rookie campaign in 2018 and will likely be in the middle of their lineup. Tommy Pham is solid and entering his first full season with the team and Mike Zunino is a new addition with huge power behind the plate. Tampa also has high-upside former top prospects in Austin Meadows and Willy Adames, both of whom could be big breakouts this coming year. Add in a platoon bat like Ji-Man Choi who showed great power last year and new addition Yandy Diaz who should play against most lefties, and there is a potential for a tremendously balanced attack. Last season, the Rays were in the middle of the pack in runs scored but just outside the top five in wRC+. They certainly have a realistic shot at being somewhere in that area in 2019, though I’d guess they’ll move down a bit. Tampa got something close to the best-case scenario for a lot of the guys discussed above last year, and it’s hard to expect that twice in a row. It’s entirely possible I’m just underrating the true-talent level of these players, but I see the overall group as simply good instead of pushing the top five in the league.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThe RotationThe 2018 Rays are going to be remembered for a long time, not because they surprisingly won 90 games but instead because they were the first team to consistently use openers in game action. That was a move made out of necessity (and a lack of interest in acquiring actual starting pitchers) after two top prospects, Jose De Leon and Brent Honeywell, suffered season-ending injuries. Looking ahead to 2019, it probably won’t be used as much. They are headed by the reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who almost certainly has some regression coming his way. The good news for Tampa and the bad news for the rest of the league is there is a lot of room for him to regress and still be a handful for the American League. After Snell it drops off, but there’s still talent. Charlie Morton signed with the Rays this offseason and has been well above-average for two years in a row now. Tyler Glasnow has some strides to reach his full potential, but the upside is there. Those are the three clear regular starters for them, with Yonny Chirinos, Ryan Yarbrough and Jalen Beeks likely contributing as the long men in opener games. The aforementioned De Leon and Honeywell should also be up and starting games at some point this year.This is going to be the strength for the Rays in 2019 Huston Street Jersey , and if they are going to compete for a wildcard spot like many expect them to it will be because the rotation pitches up to its potential. If Snell has another season close to 2018 and proves he’s one of the best pitchers in the game, they will be well on their way to that. If, instead, he pitches more like a second or third tier pitcher, they can still be good but their upside is cut dramatically.The BullpenIt shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team who popularized the opener isn’t keen on using traditional bullpen roles. The closest thing they have to a closer is Jose Alvarado, who somewhat quietly had a big breakout year in 2018. If the lefty can continue to keep his walk rate down — something he has done in the majors but didn’t do in the minors — he is going to be a stud for a long time. After him, there is a mess of guys like Ryne Stanek, Chaz Roe, Diego Castillo and Emilio Pagan who are good but not quite elite. Alvarado will probably determine just how good this unit can be, but all in all I think this is a group that is better than the name value for most of the relievers would suggest.OverallThe way the Rays played in the second half last year has a lot of people excited for 2019, and their roster is certainly good enough to be a legitimate wildcard contender. Their pitching in particular is scary, and Kevin Cash will manage it well. That being said, I worry about a limited ceiling for their offense and some regression coming on the pitching side. I expect them to be in the race again, but right now I wouldn’t pick them to be one of the playoff teams in the AL.