The Cincinnati Reds are hoping Scott Schebler is at the center of their resurgence

GOODYEAR http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , Ariz. (AP) —.Following an offseason that saw a lot of turnover for the last-place Reds, they’re beginning this year with Schebler in center field, taking over after the departure of Billy Hamilton.Schebler doesn’t have Hamilton’s range or speed. Few players do.But Schebler has played 49 games at the spot over the last three seasons. New manager David Bell has given Schebler the job, eager to see it he can make the transition from right field — by far his most familiar spot — and give Yaisel Puig a chance to settle in somewhere else in the outfield.“Schebler is going to play all over this spring, but I’m interested in seeing him in center field,” Bell said. “It’s valuable that he can play all three positions in the outfield. There’s no question he can play at this level.”The question is how the Reds’ new components fit together. They let Hamilton leave after years of trying unsuccessfully to improve his hitting. They got Puig and outfielder Matt Kemp from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade that provided Bell with several new options.“It is kind of like going to a new school Brian McCann Jersey ,” Schebler said. “The first couple of days I was meeting people for the first time. It was like you’re in a brand new clubhouse. You’ve kind of seen them play. You wonder what they’re like.”The Reds got the 28-year-old Schebler from the Dodgers along with shortstop Jose Peraza after the 2015 season as part of a three-team trade that sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox. During his time in LA’s farm system, Schebler got to know starter Alex Wood, who came to the Reds as part of the deal for Puig and Kemp.All the new players have brought as sense of optimism to a team that has lost at least 94 games for four straight seasons.“There is a lot of energy here,” Schebler said.Injuries have slowed Schebler the last two seasons. He missed 43 games last year with two stints on the disabled list. He suffered a bruised right elbow when hit by Sean Doolittle’s pitch in April. He sprained his right shoulder when he ran into the outfield wall in July. He batted .255 with 17 homers and 49 RBIs.“He has the ability to do a lot of damage,” Bell said. “We see him as a big part of the team.”The Reds don’t have a prototypical leader off hitter. They spent four seasons trying to get Hamilton to fill that role, without success. Schebler hasn’t stolen more than five bases in a season. Outfielder Jesse Winker didn’t steal a base in 89 games last season http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , but he batted first Monday in a game against the Cubs.Given all the last-place finishes in recent years, players are willing to try new things under the new manager.“We’re willing to sacrifice all the individual stuff just to win,” Schebler said.Notes: RHP Sonny Gray will throw batting practice on Tuesday. He developed a sore elbow and had to take time off early in camp. He threw in the bullpen over the weekend without problem. Matt Adams’ second go-round with the St. Louis Cardinals hasn’t gotten off to a good start — until Monday night.With one swing that propelled a baseball 401 feet, Adams turned a 6-4 eighth inning deficit into a 7-6 lead. His biggest homer since a three-run blast eliminated Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers from the 2014 National League Division Series enabled St. Louis to score a crazy 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.This result also impacted the Dodgers negatively, thanks to their 10-6 loss in Cincinnati. That means the Cardinals will enter Tuesday night’s matchup with the Pirates with a two-game advantage over Los Angeles for the NL’s second wild-card spot with 18 games remaining.Article continues below ...For that, they can thank Adams Tyler Clippard Jersey , who entered Monday night’s game batting just .156 in 46 at-bats with St. Louis. Before his big blast off Edgar Santana, Adams was 0-for-3, fanning in the fourth with men at first and third and none out.“I was in that spot earlier on and chased some pitches,” Adams said. “I got a pitch out over the plate this time and didn’t miss it.”Which meant the Cardinals (80-64) didn’t miss a chance to gain ground on two fronts. They also picked up a game on the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, who lost 3-2 to Milwaukee at Wrigley Field, and are within 3 1/2 games of first place.St. Louis will try for a series win behind its most consistent starter this year http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , right-hander Miles Mikolas (14-4, 3.06). He notched a 7-6 victory Wednesday night in Washington, although he was touched for 12 hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts.Mikolas has faced Pittsburgh four times this year, going 0-2 with a 3.37 earned run average. He’s hit more barrels lately than he has all year, allowing 32 hits and 10 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings over his last three starts.Having worked 173 2/3 innings — just 14 1/3 off his professional career high set last year in Japan — Mikolas could be battling fatigue. That might be a reason why Cardinals manager Mike Shildt is using a six-man rotation on this stretch of 13 games without an off-day, giving Daniel Poncedeleon a start in Wednesday’s series finale.The Pirates (71-72) counter with right-hander Joe Musgrave (6-8 Yuli Gurriel Jersey , 3.75), who continues his search for consistency. After two subpar starts against Milwaukee and St. Louis, Musgrave bounced back on September 4 to subdue Cincinnati 7-3, yielding five hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.Musgrave will make his third start of the year against the Cardinals, having gone 1-1 in the first two. He opened his August 30 loss against them with 21 consecutive strikes but gave up third inning homers to Harrison Bader and pitcher John Gant to punctuate a 5-0 setback.Pittsburgh wasted a rare power outburst Monday night. Its three homers marked the first time since August 9 that it had blasted that many in a game.