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Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell is focused on pitching and not his minuscule salary increase.third strike past Bryce Harper with a 96 mph fastball in the first inning of the Tampa Bay Rays‘ 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.Snell’s contract was renewed Sunday for a salary while in the majors of $573,700, a raise of $15,500 and a figure $18,700 above the major league minimum, which rose $10,000 to $555,000. His deal calls for a $291,000 salary in the unlikely event he is in the minors.The 26-year-old left-hander likely will be eligible for salary arbitration next winter. He declined to discuss his contract.Snell struck out two over two perfect innings.“Their lineup is nasty,” Snell said. “I really don’t key in on a guy. It’s a lefty, it’s righty, it’s what I focus on. I’ve got to attack the zone. They’re going to do what they do. I’m going to do what I do.”Snell is slated to start Tampa Bay’s March 28 against Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros.Tampa Bay also renewed the contracts of reliever Ryne Stanek ($564,200 in majors
Jeff Locke Jersey , $223,978 in minors) and infielder Joey Wendle ($570,400 in majors and $273,450 in minors). Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesThe 2018MLB playoff field is nearly set.All five American League teams and three of the five National League teams have clinched a spot. That leaves the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers fighting for the NL West title and the whoever loses out on the division crown battling with the St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild-card spot.Also still up for grabs is the right to host the AL Wild Card Game and the NL Central title, as the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are separated by just a half game.Here's a look at how the playoff field would line up if the season ended Wednesday, as well as some updated World Series odds:Current Playoff MatchupsAmerican LeagueWild Card Game: (WC2) Oakland Athletics at (WC1) New York YankeesALDS: (1) Boston Red Sox vs. (WC) New York Yankees/Oakland AthleticsALDS: (2) Houston Astros vs. (3) Cleveland IndiansNational LeagueWild Card Game: (WC2) Los Angeles Dodgers at (WC1) Milwaukee BrewersNLDS: (1) Chicago Cubs vs. (WC) Los Angeles Dodgers/Milwaukee BrewersNLDS: (2) Atlanta Braves vs. (3) Colorado RockiesOdds to Win 2018 World SeriesChris SaleAdam Glanzman/Getty ImagesBoston Red Sox: 3-1Houston Astros: 7-2Los Angeles Dodgers: 11-2Chicago Cubs: 15-2Cleveland Indians: 8-1New York Yankees: 12-1Atlanta Braves: 12-1Oakland Athletics: 15-1Milwaukee Brewers: 18-1Colorado Rockies: 30-1St. Louis Cardinals: 30-1Odds courtesy of OddsSharkand last updated Tuesday. OverviewBob Levey/Getty ImagesThe Red Sox have won a franchise-record 107 games, so it's no surprise to see them listed as the World Series favorite.Paced by a high-powered offense that leads the majors in batting average (.268), OPS (.791), runs (855) and runs per game (5.38), the Red Sox also have a dangerous starting staff and one of the best closers in baseball.Chris Sale (12-4, 2.11 ERA) and David Price (16-7, 3.58 ERA) form a lethal one-two punch atop the rotation, while Craig Kimbrel (42/47 SV
Cameron Maybin Jersey , 2.79 ERA, 13.7 K/9) can slam the door with the best of them.Of course, the defending champion Astros will have something to say about the AL side of things.Houston leads the majors in starters' ERA (3.20) and team ERA (3.13), and a playoff rotation of Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.60 ERA), Gerrit Cole (15-5 2.92 ERA), Charlie Morton (15-3, 3.18 ERA) and Dallas Keuchel (12-11, 3.75 ERA) is going to be awfully tough.The Yankees lead the majors in home runs (256), the Indians are the first team in MLB history to have four pitchers reach 200 strikeouts in a season, and the A's have the best record in baseball (41-21) since the All-Star break.In other words, don't count anyone out in the American League.The Dodgers are still trying to win their division, yet they're pegged as the favorites on the NL side.Walker Buehler could be a huge X-factor for the Dodgers this postseason.Rob Leiter/Getty ImagesA 10-4 record in their last 14 games gives them some welcome momentum
Lewis Brinson Jersey , and with the starting staff of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu all pitching well right now, there's no question they're dangerous.Likewise, the Cubs are still trying to lock down a division title over the streaking Brewers.With a 3-4 record in their last seven games and a bullpen that's leaking like a sieve, this isn't the same Cubs team we've seen in recent seasons, but their combination of talent and experience could be enough to flip the switch in October.This is uncharted territory for the upstart Braves, but they've had the luxury of clinching their spot well in advance, which has given them time to rest up and properly line up their playoff rotation. They'll go as far as Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman atop the staffcan carry them.The Rockies and Cardinals are still duking it out for the final wild-card spot, and both teams have been playing extremely well since the All-Star break.It looks like whoever captures the NL pennant this year is going to have their work cut out for them against whichever club emerges from the AL race, but anything can happen in October.All stats courtesy of Baseball Referenceand accurate through Wednesday.