Off Topic » Two teams headed in opposite directions will square

NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t currently occupying a playoff spot Elgton Jenkins Jersey , but manager Dave Roberts spoke confidently Wednesday about playing in the postseason. New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway, on the other hand, is beginning to sound like a skipper who knows his team will be long forgotten by October.

Friday night when the Mets host the Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series at Citi Field.

Right-hander Zack Wheeler (2-5, 4.82 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets against Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood (2-5, 4.22).

Both teams are coming off series-deciding losses. The Mets suffered their third straight defeat Thursday when they fell to the host Colorado Rockies 6-4 in the finale of a four-game set. The visiting Dodgers were off Thursday after losing to the Chicago Cubs 4-0 in the last game of a three-game series Wednesday afternoon.

The series loss was the first in 10 series for the Dodgers (38-35), who are 21-9 since dropping two of three to the Miami Marlins from May 15 to May 17. The hot streak vaulted them from fourth place in the National League West to second place during the surge and gained 5 1/2 games on the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold a 2 1/2 game lead heading into Friday’s action.

In addition, Los Angeles has moved two games behind the Washington Nationals in the race for the second NL wild card.

The Dodgers did all this despite getting little to no contributions from stars such as Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill, all of whom have been on the disabled list for the last five weeks, and Cody Bellinger, who has struggled most of the season. No wonder Roberts sounded so confident after Wednesday’s loss.

“We’re going to be somewhere in October,” Roberts told reporters. “I can’t speak to the opponent, but we’re going to be somewhere.”

It will take a miracle for the Mets (31-41) to be anywhere but a golf course when the playoffs begin. New York http://www.packerscheapshoponline.com/cheap-authentic-jace-sternberger-jersey , which has lost 40 of 60 since an 11-1 start, is 11 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East and 8 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.

The Mets’ slide has been marked by extreme highs and lows on both sides of the ball. They have scored 42 runs in the last six games, a span in which the pitching staff posted a 5.14 ERA.

New York scored just 42 runs in 17 games from May 28 through June 15, during which its pitchers posted a 4.13 ERA.

“There’s no magic pill or magic wand to make everything sync up at the same time,” Callaway told reporters Thursday afternoon. “I think that’s been the tale of our season so far. Even when we’re not winning games, we have a part of us that’s going good. We just have trouble getting (everything) to sync up at the same time so we can get on a good run again.”

Wheeler didn’t factor into the decision in his most recent start on Sunday, when he gave up two runs in six innings as the Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3. Wood won the last time he took the mound last Saturday when he allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Wheeler lost his lone career start against the Dodgers on June 19, 2017, when he surrendered seven runs in two innings as the Mets fell 10-6. Wood is 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA in eight career starts against the Mets.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Menelik Watson’s time in Denver is over because he’s hurt and buried on the depth chart.The Broncos placed Watson on IR Monday with a chest injury and intend to release him once he’s healthy. That means the Broncos will take a $6.83 million salary cap hit this year.Coach Vance Joseph said Billy Turner, Elijah Wilkinson and Max Garcia have all had good training camps while Watson’s been in the trainer’s room.“It’s hard to make a football team injured and you’ve got three or four guys behind you playing good football,” Joseph said. “So, it wasn’t about fit. It was more about Billy and Eli playing good football. And Max Garcia. Max is having a hell of a camp. He’s playing more like a starter. So, it’s more about those guys than it was Menelik not being a fit.”With the acquisition of ninth-year veteran Jared Veldheer this offseason Dexter Williams Jersey , Watson was moved to backup guard after playing in just seven games as Denver’s starting right tackle last season.Watson, whose $5.5 million salary for 2018 was guaranteed in March, didn’t play in either of the Broncos’ preseason games this summer after getting hurt in training camp.As part of a plan to toughen up the trenches, the Broncos signed the athletic Watson to a three-year, $18.375 million contract last year even though his four seasons in Oakland were marred by calf and groin injuries and a ruptured Achilles tendon that sidelined him all of 2015.His long history of injuries wasn’t a red flag for Denver, Joseph said last year, explaining that most of Watson’s injuries were soft tissue types and “those things are preventable.”After averaging just 6.75 games a year with the Raiders, Watson played in seven games for Denver last year before going on IR with a torn foot tendon. He also was bothered by a strained calf early in the season.Born in Manchester, England, Watson began his collegiate career playing basketball at Maris College before transferring to Saddleback Junior College in 2011 and playing football for the first time. He played one season at Florida State in 2012 and the Raiders selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.FLAG FOOTBALLHalfway through the preseason, Joseph said his coaches and players are no clearer about what constitutes a foul under the league’s renewed emphasis on eliminating helmet hits .He suggested some of the flags that were thrown Saturday night in the Broncos’ loss to the Bears were actually clean hits that were incorrectly penalized in a game that featured 28 fouls for 293 yards .“It’s really gray right now and I think they’re calling it conservatively because they want to get it right. They want to change the behavior, but the problem I’m having with the call right now is it’s been bang-bang plays and it’s hard to tell if the head’s hitting the body,” Joseph said.“And that’s the rule, right? It’s not about if the head’s down. If it hits the body Nick Bosa Jersey , that’s the penalty. So, with (rookie cornerback Isaac Yiadom), his head was down but it didn’t hit the body. It was placed to the side of the receiver and it was shoulder on the body — not a foul.”Joseph said Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller’s flag for hitting Broncos fullback Andy Janovich wasn’t a foul, either.“It was head down but shoulder hit the pad. Not a foul,” Joseph said. “The foul is when the head hits the body. And that’s what we have to be careful of. But it’s hard to tell because you tackle with your shoulder but it’s led by the head. So, it’s hard to officiate that really cleanly. So, we’ll see how it shakes out but right now it’s gray for us and the players.”Janovich lowered his helmet and ostensibly could have been whistled for a 15-yarder himself.“I don’t know, I mean he’s defending himself,” Joseph said. “Fuller’s a cornerback coming to hit him and what’s he going to do? Keep his head up and take it in the chin? So, he drops his shoulder. The head’s attached to the shoulder. The head’s going to drop.”Joseph had a friendly suggestion for officials .“We have to be careful. We have to use common sense. We know what spearing looks like. So, call spearing. But don’t call good football tackles,” Joseph said.