NEU » Ponder will get an

The Tampa Bay Rays have fired hitting coach Derek Shelton and replaced him with minor league hitting instructor Chad Mottola.?Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman praised Shelton for his energy and work ethic, but said the team felt it was time for a new voice.Tampa Bay is hitting an AL-low .243 this season. The Rays are 22nd in Major League Baseball in runs scored, 27th in batting average and 16th in OPS.I was surprised that it happened, especially during the season, with a month left, Shelton said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.They wanted a new message. And they made a decision they wanted someone else to be in charge of the offense.The Rays rank near the top in the majors with a plus-53 run differential since the All-Star break.Were actually swinging the bats better, theres some guys showing signs of doing things we though they could do and there are some guys having really good years, Shelton said, according to the newspaper. So I think the timing of it was surprising.Tampa is currently last in the AL Central, 18? games out of first place. Since making the playoffs in 2013, the Rays have back-to-back fourth-place finishes.The 46-year-old Shelton has been the Rays hitting coach since 2009.Mottola, 44, was the Blue Jays hitting coach in 2013. He played parts of five major league seasons with the Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins and Orioles. ?Chad has worked with players throughout the organization for several years now, and we are excited for the perspectives and experiences he will bring to this role, Silverman said, according to the Times.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Royals Jerseys 2019 . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Kansas City Royals Gear . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Royals Jerseys 2020 . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. MARCOUSSIS, France -- Pepe trained away from his Portugal teammates during training on Friday before Sundays European Championship final against France.The central defender failed to recover from a thigh muscle injury in time to play in the semifinal against Wales, which Portugal won 2-0.There has been no update from Portugal on the condition of Real Madrids Pepe,, who was doing ball work with a member of the Portuguese staff on Friday at the teams training base south of Paris.ddddddddddddPepe has been on excellent form in France, reining in his famed hot temper and organizing Portugals defense. ' ' '