*** NEWS *** » www.losangelesramsteamonline.com

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

BIG ARMS IN THE BRONX

With slugger Giancarlo Stanton heating up at the plate Ugo Amadi Jersey , the major league-leading Yankees (49-22) go for a three-game sweep of visiting Seattle. Luis Severino (10-2, 2.09 ERA) pitches for New York against lefty James Paxton (6-1, 3.44), who is 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA since the beginning of May – a nine-start span that includes a no-hitter in Toronto. The Mariners have lost three straight for the first time since April 17-19 against the World Series champion Astros.

STRANGE TO SEE

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (10-3, 2.06 ERA) tries to avoid his first three-game losing streak since August 2015 when the Nationals host lowly Baltimore. He’ll hope to get some help on offense from slumping slugger Bryce Harper, who went 0 for 4 in a rain-delayed 3-0 loss Wednesday night Dwayne Haskins Jersey , dropping his batting average to .209. Washington manager Dave Martinez said Harper has been working hard with batting coach Kevin Long. ”He’s going to hit. I know he’s going to carry us for a month or two or for whatever,” Martinez said.

DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT

Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha (8-2, 3.20 ERA) is scheduled for an MRI after exiting Wednesday’s start with a left oblique strain. ”Feeling a little bit better,” he said following the game. ”I’m hoping for the best.” Carlos Martinez (3-3, 2.73) pitches for St. Louis in the opener of a four-game set at Milwaukee. He is 6-4 with a 1.95 ERA against the Brewers. Slumping outfielder Ryan Braun is expected to rejoin the Brewers after the team sent him to Los Angeles on Wednesday for treatment on his achy right thumb. The six-time All-Star is hitting just .236 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs.

SEEKING HIS FIRST WIN

Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (0-2, 4.67 ERA) pitches at home against last-place San Diego David Long Jersey , which has dropped four straight. Bumgarner missed the first two months of the season with a broken pinkie. He has lost four in a row to the Padres, who counter with Tyson Ross (5-4, 3.51). Meanwhile, San Francisco right-hander Jeff Samardzija (shoulder tightness) is set to make his second rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento.

READY TO GO

White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia (right hamstring strain) could return to the lineup against Oakland in the opener of a four-game series. Garcia was hitting .333 with two home runs and seven RBIs during a six-game rehab stint with Triple-A Charlotte. He batted .330 with 18 homers and 80 RBIs last season, making his first All-Star team.

COMING UP EMPTY

Boston will be looking for a couple of clutch hits against the Minnesota Twins in the finale of its road trip. The Red Sox were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position Wednesday and are 2 for 22 in the first two games of the series. They stranded 18 runners in those two games and have lost four of five overall. Rick Porcello (8-3, 3.70 ERA) starts against Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson (2-4 http://www.losangelesramsteamonline.com/bobby-evans-jersey , 3.27), who has allowed only five runs over his last four starts spanning 26 2/3 innings.

—

Leading into 2015 the common consensus in NFL circles had the Patriots and Seahawks as red hot favorites to go back-to-back as Super Bowl combatants. Fast forward to February and all of a sudden Tom Brady and Russell Wilson will be watching the game on their couch contemplating what is to come. This is the beauty of football – regardless of past history and talent comes the pressure of expectation. Nothing is guaranteed in this game.A lot can change between seasons within the National Football League. Drafting rookies, trade deals and coaching shake ups alter the landscape drastically. It can turn an unfancied team into a playoff contender, a good team into a great team, or vice versa. One look at the Philadelphia Eagles under Chip Kellyand it’s clear to see how a handful of bad decisions can be the difference between post season football and being shown the back door.Unlike other campaigns where an elite collection of franchises had a monopoly over the league’s fortunes, the generational tide is turning. No longer is the class of Brady Greg Gaines Jersey , Peyton and Eli Manning the dominant force they once were. Time waits for no man as the contenders for 2017 and beyond are looking generally more towards quarterbacks who are younger and offer something a little bit different than what we’ve seen before. No country for old men and all that …Of course the big hitters of the 2016 playoffs will stay in the fold, change doesn’t occur overnight. But some are poised to pounce next season having laid the groundwork and biding their time in the shadows. Season 2016 leading into Super Bowl 51 is looking to be the most competitive in years and it that spirit, here are the 20 teams who could face off in 12 months from now.