Christian Yelich has already had conversations with some of his Milwaukee

PHOENIX (AP) — Brewers teammates about their biggest message this spring after coming up one win short of the World Series.“What you did last year means nothing basically. Whether it was good or bad for you as an individual or as a team http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-konerko-jersey , it means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t matter,” Yelich said. “We all start with a clean slate. It’s all what are you going to do in 2019 to help the Brewers win.”Even for the young slugging outfielder who was the NL MVP after nearly winning the Triple Crown (.326, 36 homers, 110 RBIs) in his first season with the Brewers.Milwaukee’s first full-squad workout is Tuesday, four months after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. The Brewers made a late-September surge to force a Game 163 tiebreaker, beat the Chicago Cubs for their first NL Central title since 2011 and swept Colorado in the NL Division Series.“It was a little shorter offseason, not much time for vacation,” starter Jhoulys Chacin said. “My vacation was being in the playoffs. That was my time to go on vacation in October. That was perfect. We’ll take that every year.”The core of the Brewers is still pretty much intact from last season, including Yelich Welington Castillo Jersey , Chacin, speedy center fielder Lorenzo Cain, 35-homer first baseman Jesus Aguilar and hard-throwing All-Star reliever Josh Hader.“As a team, you control your own destiny when you have the kind of talent we do here,” Yelich said. “You just want to prove that it wasn’t a fluke and that you can do it again. And I think that’s the drive, that’s the motivation going into the season.”Catcher Yasmani Grandal, a free agent addition who was with the Dodgers, is the most notable addition. Right-hander Jimmy Nelson could help the rotation after missing last season because of right shoulder surgery.Manager Craig Counsell said a new season means a new team that hasn’t done anything yet.“This is a brand new team with players in different places in their lives, and different places in their careers David Ross Jersey , different interactions,” Counsell said. “I compared it to soup last year. We’re going to make the soup again. Some of the ingredients are the same, but there are some different ingredients in that room, and so it’s not the same.”When someone asked Counsell about the idea that it’s harder to do something again, the fifth-year manager reiterated what he had already said while sitting in his office just outside the new clubhouse that was part of a $60 million renovation to their spring training complex.“I don’t think it matters … That’s my point, is what have we done,” he said. “This group hasn’t done it.”The Brewers haven’t been to the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 1981-82 with Robin Yount. They lost to St. Louis in a seven-game World Series in 1982.Chacin, who was 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA in 35 regular season starts, said while the Brewers had a really good season http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , it hurt missing out on the World Series.“You want to be in that position again, and win that game,” he said.Hader said that just boosts the motivation going into this season.“Just the accomplishments that us as a whole accomplished was unbelievable,” said the 24-year-old, whose 143 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings last season set a major league record for a left-handed reliever. “You feed off that, you got the taste of what to get there felt like. But it’s not the whole cake. We’ve still got to finish.” PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Stephen Strasburg made all the necessary adjustments.The right-hander threw six effective innings, Matt Wieters hit a solo homer and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Monday night.Strasburg (7-7) gave up two runs and five hits, striking out five to rebound from a rough start against Philadelphia last week in his return from the disabled list.“So many little things hitters try to pick, so you always have to look at the tendencies Drew Smyly Jersey ,” Strasburg said. “It was progress.”The Phillies fell 3 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East after losing the opener for the seventh straight series. They’re 6-12 since Aug. 8 and have dropped five games in the standings during that span.Zach Eflin (9-5) allowed five runs — three earned — and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. His throwing error in the fourth cost him.The Nationals had the bases loaded with one out that inning when Strasburg put a bunt down. Eflin picked it up barehanded and his underhand toss to the plate sailed high for an error, allowing the go-ahead run to score.Adam Eaton followed with a slow roller to the same spot and Eflin made the exact same play and got the out at home.Trea Turner then knocked in another run on a bloop single that fell in because left fielder Rhys Hoskins broke back at first.“We gave them additional outs and you can’t do that against this team,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.Eaton greeted reliever Luis Avilan with an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-2.Hoskins crushed Ryan Madson’s first pitch in the eighth for his 27th homer.Justin Miller tossed a perfect ninth for his first save in his first try in his 39th appearance.“He comes in and brings so much energy on the mound,” Strasburg said. “The hard work pays off.”Washington took two of three from the Phillies at home last week after trading Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and Matt Adams to the Cardinals.Down 2-0 in the third, the Phillies tied it on an RBI triple by Roman Quinn and an RBI single by Cesar Hernandez. Strasburg struck out Asdrubal Cabrera swinging to strand runners at second and third.Eflin retired the first two batters before Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto hit three straight singles in the first to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.Wieters led off the second with his sixth homer to make it 2-0. He said he was using a new bat after realizing the one he used the past few games was cracked.Strasburg allowed five runs and seven hits over four innings in Washington’s 8-7 win against Philadelphia last Wednesday.“He was able to locate his fastball, throw a high fastball, and made corrections since the last start,” Wieters said.BOOING THE BUFFALOWilson Ramos was thrown out trying to go first to third on Cabrera’s single to right and heard boos from Phillies fans even though he is playing hurt. Ramos recently returned from a hamstring injury and isn’t healthy enough to do more than jog Brandon Morrow Jersey , but he’s Philadelphia’s cleanup hitter and wants to be in the lineup to help the team chase a playoff spot.“He’s playing through a lot,” Kapler said. “He’s a guy who gives everything he has and he showed a lot of toughness.”NEW MAN ON TOPQuinn led off for the first time and Hernandez batted third for just the third time in 641 career games.TRAINER’S ROOMNationals: RHP Kelvin Herrera was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot. Madson took his spot after he was reinstated from the DL.Phillies: LHP Austin Davis (lower back tightness) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. … INF Pedro Florimon (broken right foot) is continuing his rehab in Triple-A. … RHP Jerad Eickhoff (lat strain, finger) is expected to join the team when rosters expand Saturday.UP NEXTRHP Aaron Nola (15-3, 2.13 ERA) and RHP Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.13) face each other for the second straight outing when the Phillies and Nationals meet Tuesday night. Nola tossed eight innings in Philadelphia’s 2-0 win at Washington last Thursday.