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• Alex Bregman’s complaint was with the review officials, not umpires on the field

  Astros third baseman Alex Bregman tripled to lead off the sixth inning against the Rockies Wednesday.Then he didn't.The umpires Babe Ruth Jersey overtuned the call on reviewwhich was ultimately ruled fan interference and an out which took away a runner on third base with no outs for the Astros. Bregman did not agree with the call."There is no po sible way that a left fielder jumping back into a wall is guaranteed to make a catch,"he told reporters, via MLB.com. "It changed the whole f game."Bregman triples, fan interference, out. Full video in our FaceBook group. Join here https://t.co/mlUS7rB6Wy pic.twitter.com/6CdMjenQiN Stros Nation (@StrosNation) July 26, 2018On the play after Bregman's overturned triple, J.D. Davis grounded out up the middle. In theory, had Bregman been on base he would have scored.Houston would finish the game with one hit. It lost 3-2 on a walk-off, ninth-inning homer by Charlie Blackmon.Bregman had more thoughts."It was https://www.yankeesedges.com/new-york-yankees/matt-holliday-jersey a f joke and they should be ashamed of themselves," he said, via the Houston Chronicle. "Obviously the guy has never played f baseball before in his life, the guy in charge of whoever made that decision."Alex Bregman was seething.On his triple that was overturned by a fan interference call. pic.twitter.com/PKrhwL7m8i Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 26, 2018Bregman made sure to make the point Thursday his complaint was with the review official rather https://www.yankeesedges.com/new-york-yankees/brian-roberts-jersey than the umpires on the field."The umpires on the field, they dod a great job," he told reporters, via MLB.com. "It's tough. It's tough. I was frustrated, obviously, due to what happened early in the game, but that's a tough call (on the check swing later) and it could have gone either way. Those guys do a great job."Astros 3B Alex Bregman wasn't upset at the field umps in his postgame comments last night. When asked about the field umps, he said: pic.twitter.com/84FPIy50YU Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 26, 2018

  by Anna Rosencranz

• MLB free agents 2017-18: These undervalued starting pitchers could be huge pickups

  Looking for a solid free-agent starter but don't want to spend big? Have no fear, there are a few options.When it comes to starting pitching, there is no doubt that Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish will hog all the attention this offseason. On top of https://www.whitesoxedge.com/chicago-white-sox/paul-konerko-jersey that, both right-handers will also command lump sums of cash. There is also Japanese starter (and left-handed hitter) Shohei Otani whomayattract all 30 teams as suitors.MORE: Free agents whose contracts will likely burden their new teamsBut there are alternatives for teams that want to avoid hefty contracts and/or won't stick out when trying to entice an international superstar. While it's not a crowdedmarket for starters, there are a few under-the-radar arms that would boost most staffs.Andrew CashnerCashner, 31, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers despite having one of the best seasons ofhis career. The righty made 28 starts for Texas, recording a 3.40 ERA in a 166.2 innings. Most of his numbers don't jump off the page, but Cashner's 4.6 WAR is certainly an exception.Always a promising pitcher in his early years with the Padres, Cashner struggled with injuries. He's been healthy the past three seasons making 86 starts but he struggled mightily in 2015 and 2016. After an all-around succe sful 2017, Cashner could make for strong addition for bargain-huntingteams. Jhoulys ChacinLike Cashner, Chacin was not extended a qualifying offer despite having a career year for the Padres.Healthy and pitching as a full-time starter for the first time since 2014, Chacin went 13-10 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.270 WHIP in 180.1 innings for a lowly San Diego team. He was effectively wild, i suing 3.6 BB/9 while leading the league in hit by pitches.At 29 years old, Chacin still has room for improvement and could provide a staff with some depth. MORE: Archer, Cole highlight top starters who could be tradedJason VargasVargas mi sed the majority of the 2015 and 2016 seasons after Tommy John surgery. At 34, however, the southpaw came https://www.whitesoxedge.com/chicago-white-sox/early-wynn-jersey back in 2017 and outperformed expectations for Kansas City.Sure, wins are no longer the benchmark they once were, but Vargas' 18 tied with Cleveland's Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco for the league lead. Like Cashner, his WAR (3.8) stands out from his other numbers.Vargas won't be on the top of anyone's list, but he's a Ozzie Guillen Jersey solid veteran pickup for any team in need of a fifthman after making 32 starts for the Royals last year. MORE: Ranking the top 101 MLB free agents for 2018Hisashi IwakumaNow 36, Iwakuma is the oldest pitcher on this list. The Mariners just declined the righty's option after shoulder troubles limited him to six starts in 2017. He had surgery on his throwing side in September, at which point Seattle said he would resume throwing in five months.That said, Iwakuma has the potential to come back strong from injury much like Vargas did last year. He's been a dependable pitcher since coming over from Japan, going 63-37 with a 3.39 ERA, 3.77 FIP and 16.5 WAR between 2012 and 2016.Given his health, he should come especially cheap.

  by Anna Rosencranz

• MLB Network’s Braves documentary hits right notes, but skips one big question

  Discu sions of the Braves' excellence in the '90s and early 2000sinevitably endwith a lament about the team only winning one World Series Ervin Santana Jersey title in 14 tries, its unprecedented run of division titles usually taking a back seat to the perplexing thought that a teamstacked with Hall of Famers could so consistently fall short in the postseason.In a modern sports landscapethat tends to define excellence solely based on championships, those 14 straight division titles theBraves won from 1991 to 2005 might seem more like a half-accomplishment. But the producers of MLB Network's latest documentary hopes Braves fans and baseball fans in general will judge those Braves teams on the journey rather than the destination.MORE: Analyzing the Braves' '90s postseason lo ses"Atlanta Rules: The Story of the '90s Braves" airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday and offers a solid retrospective of how a team from Losersville, USA, established itself as a model franchise and dominated its division andits league in a way not seen before or since and probably never again. The Hall of Fame pitching trio ofGreg Maddux, Tom Glavine andJohn Smoltz offers its insights into the historic run, as donew Hall of FamerChipper Jones, former Braves All-Stars David Justice and Terry Pendleton, World Series hero Mark Lemke and others.But why the '90s Braves and why now? With the team having seen a slew of Hall of Fame inductions in recent years, and with Jones's recent electionlikely representingthe last from those teams to receive the Cooperstown honor,the network thought the timing was right to celebrate this dynasty, which, for anyone born after, say, 2000, might seem like ancient history."What they did was incredible,"producerJed Tuminaro told Sporting News. "... If you didn't live to see something, or you don't really remember it first-hand, some of those things may go a little underappreciated."Among "those things" in the '90s that fans might have forgotten or never knew: Five NL pennants in nine years Four seasons of 100-plus wins, including three straight, beginning in1997 Seven Cy Young awards in the decade 18 players selected to All-Star teams, and 36 total All-Stars from 1991 to 1999In fact, when looking back at all the team accomplished during its run,Tuminaro said, it's "really kind of crazy."It's even crazier when considering how much had to go right at the same time: a great farm system, great acquisitions, staying healthy, a core that remained mostly intact for a decade."When you put them all together, to have that amount of years with such consistent winning ... you just won't see it again,"Tuminaro said.MORE: The human moments that help make 1991 World Series greatFor Braves fans, the documentary is a fun look back, but doesn't offer anything new.The usualsentiments about camaraderie, the importance of consistency and learning to just enjoy the ride are all presented again here, as issome rehashing of familiar high points and low points.But baseball fans who aren't as familiar with the '90s Braves story are the ones who should benefit most from watching.If there's a flaw with the program, it's that itdoesn't addre s the why behind the Braves only winning one World Series. With so much talent, peaking at the same time, all under the guidance of a Hall of Fame manager and general manager, those teams continueto boggle the minds of many as to whyAtlanta underachieved so often.It would've been interesting to hear the players' theories behind the shortcomings, though Tuminaro said https://www.twinsedge.com/minnesota-twins/kirby-puckett-jersey they offered no big revelations during interviews."There wasn't like an underlying consistent theme that everybody talked about for the reason they didn't win more," he said."I think it was just overall, it's so hard to get there, and once you're there it's a small sample https://www.twinsedge.com/minnesota-twins/fernando-rodney-jersey size, you're playing the best teams, and they just fell short a few times."Though the players don't offer any significant theories, one broad theme does present itself when reviewing the various '90s postseason exits: an inability to put teams away.For example: In the 1991 World Series, the Braves had a 3-2 lead in the series, only to fall to the Twins in seven games. (Not to mention Lonnie Smith's famous base running gaffe in Game 7 and that the team still failed to score off Jack Morris despite having runners on second and third with nobody out in the eighth.) In the 1992 World Series, the Braves were two outs away from taking a 2-0 series lead against the Blue Jays, only to have Ed Sprague ruin everything with a two-run homer. In the 1993 NLCS, the Braves had a 2-1 series lead against the Phillies, led Game 4 before losing, and squandered a chance to win Game 5 in the ninth inning. They lost in six. And in the 1996 World Series, the most painful lo s of all, the Braves had a 2-0 series lead on the Yankees, had a 6-0 lead in Game 4 and seemed to be cruisingtoward a 3-1 lead in the series (with Smoltz ready in Game 5), only to see the Yankees claw back and have Jim Leyritz steal the show.Woulda, coulda, shoulda.Alas, di secting postseason lo ses isn't the point behind "Atlanta Rules."Rather, it's to appreciate what it took to get there in the first place, to celebrate 14 magical seasons, regardle s of how those seasons ended.

  by Anna Rosencranz