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Shohei Ohtani strikes out the side in the first inning of his home pitching debut

By Bill BaerApr 8, 2018, 4:39 PM EST
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Athletics P/DH Shohei Ohtani made his home pitching debut on Sunday afternoon against the Athletics. The right-hander threw 15 pitches, striking out Matt Joyce, Marcus Semien, and Jed Lowrie to get through the first inning easily. The Angels gave Ohtani a two-run lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Ohtani made his major league pitching debut last Sunday in Oakland, yielding three runs on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts across six innings.

On the hitting side of things, Ohtani has homered in three consecutive games. He’s very talented.

Report: Padres have made offers to both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper

Manny Machado
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By Bill BaerFeb 17, 2019, 8:44 PM EST
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Jon Heyman has been hot on the free agent trail today, reporting that the Padres have made offers both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. The offer to Machado is believed to be for eight years and about $250 million, while the offer to Harper is believed to be for more than that.

Heyman was reporting on Harper earlier, tweeting that the Phillies are the favorite to sign him. He added this evening that Harper has multiple long-term offers at more than $30 million annually. Regarding Machado, Heyman noted that while Machado was believed to have had a preference for the East coast, he will go for the best deal now, which puts the Padres firmly in the picture.

The Padres reportedly met with Machado last week. A late entrant into the sweepstakes, the club has shown the willingness to spend, signing Eric Hosmer to an eight-year, $144 million contract last year. If he goes to San Diego, Machado would be the full-time third baseman with Luis Urias handling shortstop.

Nothing appears close, but we’ll take anything resembling a spark to light the hot stove.