PEORIA http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-beckham-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Besides figuring out how to fill the glaring hole at third basecisions to make this spring to round out the young, largely inexperienced rotation.With veterans Clayton Richard, Tyson Ross, Phil Hughes and Jordan Lyles gone, the rotation will be headed by left-handers Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer, both of whom made their big league debut last year. There will be plenty competition for the other spots, and long-suffering fans should see some of the team’s highly touted prospects reach the big leagues this season.“You can feel it in the rotation and the guys competing for spots,” Green said Wednesday. “It’s real competing and talent with some high-ceiling guys that are coming in. There’s real excitement about those guys coming in. It’s a young group that’s very talented.”Lucchesi started 26 games last season and led the team in strikeouts by a wide margin with 145 in 130 innings. Lauer started 23 games and pitched 112 innings.Robbie Erlin, Matt Strahm and Bryan Mitchell all started games last year. Luis Perdomo, Jacob Nix and Brett Kennedy all pitched in six or more games in 2018 and are in the running for the open slots.Among the prospects who will get a look are Chris Paddack, who’s on the 40-man roster, and non-roster invitees Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill.The Padres finished in the bottom third in MLB last year in team wins Anthony Santander Jersey , saves, ERA and quality starts.?With All-Star closer Brad Hand traded to Cleveland at the deadline in a deal that brought top catching prospect Francisco Mejia, Craig Stammen, Robert Stock, Jose Castillo and Kirby Yates are among those who will get more prominent roles in the bullpen.The biggest position need is at third base, with no clear-cut favorite for the job. There’s still a chance general manager A.J. Preller will add a free agent veteran there.The position player who likely will draw the most interest this spring is shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. , the No. 2 prospect overall in baseball.He broke his left thumb sliding headfirst while with Double-A San Antonio in July but recovered and saw significant time with the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League.The message from the organization to the 20-year-old Tatis is simple: Be yourself and play the game with energy and passion.“I don’t think we are coming in with some agenda to change anything about him,” Green said. “Every minor league coach has thought very highly of him, of what he’s done on the field. At the end of every camp, there is a surprise. He’s got every opportunity to force our hand with the way he plays.”Notes: Left-hander Brad Wieck was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the offseason and recently underwent surgery. He will spend the majority of spring training recovering. …Right-hander Dinelson Lamet, whose elbow injury at the end of spring training last year opened the door for Lucchesi, could return from Tommy John surgery by midsummer, Green said. … Ian Kinsler http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-brach-jersey , signed to a two-year contract after helping the Boston Red Sox win the World Series, will get a look at third base but the bulk of his time will be at second base, the manager said. … The Padres open their spring schedule Feb. 23 against the Seattle Mariners, with whom they share the Peoria Sports Complex. Tim Warner/Getty ImagesThe 108-54 Boston Red Sox and 103-59 Houston Astros will face off in the 2018 American League Championship Series, with Game 1 starting Saturday at 8:09 p.m. ET.Boston has home-field advantage and will host Houston for Games 1 and 2 (and Games 6 and 7, if necessary) at Fenway Park.TBS will televise the game, and fans can live-stream the action through the Watch TBS app. The MLB Postseason Pre-Game show starts at 7:30 p.m. on TBS.This series marks the first time two teams with at least 103 wins each will face off against each other since the 1942 World Series, when the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees.Two of the game's greatest aces will toe the rubber, as right-hander Justin Verlander gets the call for the Astros while southpaw Chris Sale does the same for the Red Sox.Astros manager A.J. Hinch praised Sale in advance of the game, explaining why he's been such a force this year:"His size, the angle of his pitches, when he's healthy and it's in the mid- to upper-90s, you just don't see that. The spin on his breaking ball's ridiculous. He's got some tenacity to him. He has fearlessness. Hitters don't react very fast to him Colby Rasmus Jersey , and rightly so. And it doesn't matter if you bat righthanded or lefthanded, it's uncomfortable."Sale is 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 158.0 innings. Any concerns about his late-season shoulder inflammation that forced him to miss time were put to rest in the ALDS as he shut out the New York Yankees for five full innings in Game 1. He did allow two earned runs in the sixth, but he struck out eight and also registered a shutout inning in relief in Game 4.Verlander led the American League in strikeouts with 290 and sported a team-leading 2.52 ERA. The ex-Detroit Tigerhas been nearly invincible since joining Houston last August, and his postseason experience and success should come in handy here. Per Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle, Verlander has a 2.01 ERA in 98.1 postseason innings pitched since 2012.As expected, the sportsbooks have this one pegged as a potential low-scoring affair, with the over/under run total set at just seven, per OddsShark.Barring unforeseen poor outings from either starter or the bullpens blowing up, expect a pitcher's duel that will be decided in the late innings.Once there, however, this should become a battle of the relief staffs. The Houston bullpen has been tremendous all year and has dominated the playoffs, throwing 9.2 innings of one-run ball for a 0.93 ERA.The Red Sox bullpen has not been as fortunate and has a 3.71 ERA. Of note, there may be cause for concern with closer Craig Kimbrel http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-craig-gentry-jersey , who nearly blew a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS by allowing two earned runs and letting the winning run on base before inducing two straight outs to close out the series.Kimbrel saved 42 games, but he's struggled since late July with a 4.79 ERA from July 23 to the end of the regular season.Ultimately, this is a tough game to call. The Red Sox have been excellent at home (57-24), but the Astros have been fantastic on the road (also 57-24).However, Houston seems to have the bullpen edge, and Verlander has had historical success against some key Red Sox. Notably, AL MVP candidate Mookie Betts is hitless in 13 at-bats, and Andrew Benintendi is 1-for-9. On the other side, Jose Altuve (.333 average in 24 at-bats) and George Springer (.357 average in 14 at-bats) have gotten the best of Sale at times.This should be close, but the pick here is for the Astros to steal Game 1 on the road.Prediction: Astros 3, Red Sox 2