With his second strikeout Tuesday, he surpassed the Phillies’ José Alvarado for the most strikeouts in a row by a pitcher since at least 1961. (Play-by-play data isn’t fully available before then, so it’s impossible to know the all-time record.) Estrada finished the night by tacking on a 13th straight, for good measure.

Estrada was at his own birthday dinner in early November when he received a call from his agent letting him know he’d been placed on outright waivers by the Cubs. His 2023 season, in no uncertain terms, was a rough one. Between Triple-A and the Majors, Estrada walked an unsightly 38 batters across 39 1/3 innings. A few days later, he was claimed by the Padres.

“We knew the stuff was there,” pitching coach Ruben Niebla said. “It was just a matter of how consistent he can be in the zone.”

Now? It feels like Estrada lives in the strike zone, with a 7-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. All it took was a mechanical overhaul and a complete reinvention of his two offspeed pitches. No biggie.

That’s one of the busiest intersections in Utrecht, especially in the weekend with buses, cyclists, pedestrians and some cars. It’s pretty easy to navigate too

That’s ridiculous. Baseball should always come before work. Someone should get a firm talking to.

I don’t really see the point in using the helmet anyway, besides that it’s funny. Maybe you get a little more extension, but it just seems risky

At least they’ve got furry balls coming towards them

I hope so too for you guys, When does he become a free agent?

Doesn’t that only count for stopping live balls in play? And it seems to me that he intended a shuffle

If he becomes anything like Rizzo then you guys are in a good spot the next couple of years

He hit 4. 16 would be awesome though! But I see it now, I’ll edit the title

Or at least get rid of Angel. I don’t know if they’ll move on to robo-umps, but a challenge system would be an improvement

Well, I’m Dutch and English is not my first language. Anyway, i’ve seen it used in a couple sports headlines in a positive manner, so I figured it was a thing

Only 156 to go

I don’t think so either. Umps called it right

If he is, then it’s not covered up very well with all the different stories out there

I guess. No tear is good though. I hope for his sake that this doesn’t turn into a situation where he takes two months to rest and then needs TJ anyway

Otherwise Kiké can play short!

Mmh you’re right. Probably robbed a base hit or something

• Minnesota: under, although not by much. I think 89 wins is going to be tough, but they got a deep bullpen and if they can be healthy this year they probably do well.
• Cleveland: under, unless their rotation can be more productive and throw more innings.
• Detroit: equal or under. I think they’ll take a step forward. Especially Torkelson and Skubal and hopefully we’ll see Jace Jung this year. But they’re leaning a lot on Baez, Urshela and Vierling to fill the left side of the infield.
• Kansas City: over. With upgrades to their bullpen and rotation they should at least be better than their 56 wins last year. And I think Witt will find another level and Paquantino will take a step. Maybe it’s more a hopeful ‘over’ though
• Chicago: under. A lot has to go right for this team to be better than last year and I think they’ll trade Cease (maybe more) at the deadline, if not earlier.

I would say that it’s worth picking them up. Brandon Sanderson does a pretty good job. It’s not the same as Robert Jordan, but it doesn’t have to be. He does a goes job of capturing the feel of the series. And it reads differently from his own books, which isn’t easy to do. And I love how the story unfolds in the last book. There were definitely some story points I did not see coming.

I’ve read it and I loved it indeed. I hope The Doors of Stone comes out soon

There are definitely similarities, I agree. The setting out on a quest, multiple important characters but one that has the most important task, Rand shows some similarity to Frodo in their background, and a dark lord that’s wants to wreath the world in shadow. But then, it must be hard for a fantasy writer to not be influenced by Tolkien.