Das Forum » A look at what’s happening around the majors today

ACES ABOUNDJustin Verlander and the World Series champion Houston Astros face Red Sox lefty Chris Sale in a marquee matchup to start the AL Championship Series at Fenway Park.The All-Stars met twice last year in AL Division Series. They started opposite each other in the opener Willson Contreras Jersey , then both worked in relief during the middle innings of Game 4.Verlander (16-9, 2.52 ERA) led the AL with 290 strikeouts and beat Cleveland in the ALDS last week. Sale (12-4, 2.11) started and relieved vs. the Yankees in the ALDS.Also familiar with each other: Red Sox manager Alex Cora and the Astros. He was Houston’s bench coach last year during the team’s run to its first title.MILES AND MILESWade Miley was a journeyman left-hander when he signed a minor league contract with the Brewers at the start of spring training. He injured his oblique early in the season, spent a lot of time in Double-A and hoped he’d have a chance to contribute.Miley came back, delivered and now gets to start Game 2 of the NL Championship Series as the Brewers try to take a 2-0 lead over the Dodgers at Miller Park. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches for Los Angeles.REMEMBER ME?J.D. Martinez wants to thank the Astros — not get back at them — for releasing him when he was struggling. The Red Sox slugger says his growing pains in Houston taught him “how to fail,” a lesson he credits with transforming him into an MVP candidate who helped Boston win a team-record 108 games.Martinez made his big league debut for Houston in 2011, driving in 28 runs during his first full month in the majors. After playing part time the next two years, he was 26 and batting .167 in the spring of 2014 when the Astros released him, preferring to give the at-bats to top prospect George Springer.Martinez landed with Detroit that season and by 2015 he was an All-Star. He totaled 45 home runs last year with the Tigers and Arizona, then hit .330 with 43 homers and a major league-high 130 RBIs this season. BOSTON (AP) — Somehow, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora looked at Mookie Betts’ MVP season and saw room for improvement.Not the .346 batting average that was the highest in the major leagues. Not the career-high 32 homers http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , either.But Betts drove in just 80 runs last year while spending almost all of his time as the leadoff hitter for the Red Sox. That seemed like a missed opportunity, so Cora is planning to bat Betts second this season and move Andrew Benintendi to leadoff.“If you play 162 games, you’re going to come up 162 at-bats with nobody on,” Cora said.Betts tied for the major-league lead with 129 runs scored, but he had the fewest at-bats with runners on base in baseball (among batters with at least 600 plate appearances). He is expected to get more batting behind Benintendi, whose .366 on-base percentage was third on the team behind Betts (.438) and J.D. Martinez (.402).It’s one of the few changes Cora has planned for a team that won a franchise-record 108 games in his first season and its fourth World Series since 2004.Here are some other things to look for from the defending champions:ON REPEATAfter going 86 years without a championship, the Red Sox have won four this century. But they haven’t won back-to-back World Series since 1915-16.Cora isn’t pretending there’s any other goal.“One thing about repeating,” he said, dismissing popular theories of a championship “hangover” that prevents back-to-back winners. “I think it’s who you have in the clubhouse and what they want to do.”The last major league team to win two (or more) World Series in a row was the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. But Cora notes that since then, several other teams have come close enough to debunk the notion that there’s some sort of hex.The Phillies made it back to the Series after winning it all in 2008, the Giants won three times in five years and the Los Angeles Dodgers have won back-to-back NL pennants.“We do believe we’re going to do it Kyle Hendricks Jersey ,” Cora said. “We’ve got a good team.”CLOSING TIMEThe biggest offseason departure is closer Craig Kimbrel, who remained unsigned in this offseason’s curious free agent market after turning down Boston’s $17.9 million offer.Kimbrel saved 42 games and struck out 96 batters in 62 innings last year. He had six saves but also a 5.91 ERA during the postseason, and Cora went to starter Chris Sale to close out the Game 5 clincher of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Reliable setup man Joe Kelly has signed with the Dodgers.In their place, the Red Sox are auditioning Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Ryan Brasier and Tyler Thornburg. (Another option, knuckleballer Steven Wright, has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for human growth hormone). None has impressed this spring.Cora has said he might use more than one pitcher in the role, depending on matchups.NEW FACESThe Red Sox have won three straight AL East titles, and they have done it with virtually the same roster.Last year, they signed J.D. Martinez during spring training Mike Montgomery Jersey , and then added Steve Pearce and Nathan Eovaldi midseason. Pearce, who was the World Series MVP, and Eovaldi, who pitched six innings of relief in the 18-inning Game 3, were both re-signed this offseason.ROOKIES TO WATCHTop prospect Michael Chavis hit four homers in 11 spring training games but already has been optioned to Triple-A. Bobby Dalbec, who also plays first and third base, could get the call if the team needs help at one of the infield corners.ON DECKThe Red Sox open the regular season at Seattle on March 28 and then complete their West Coast swing in Oakland and Arizona before returning to Boston to raise their championship flag at Fenway Park on April 9 against the Toronto Blue Jays.