After six years of covering the Dodgers Julio Urias Jersey , I’ve decided to step aside to focus on things away from baseball."I’ve decided to step aside to focus on things away from baseball. 2018 was a challenging year personally and the time is right to move on.I’ll still hang around the site in the future and will be in charge until someone takes my place.It’s been a wild ride that has given me more opportunities than I could’ve imagined and memories that I will tell my grandchildren about someday. They won’t know the summer sound of Vin Scully while watching a Dodger game, but they’ll hear about the time I had a conversation with the Legend while unknowingly wearing chocolate from a cookie on the side of my face.I’ll probably skip the time another writer introduced me to Ron Cey and I said “hi, I’m Ron” as I extended my hand to greet him. Don’t worry, I played it off well because sometimes Ryan sounds like Ron if you mumble.I’ll never forget the friendships I’ve made and the conversations we’ve had. I learned a lot from Eric Stephen and will always be grateful for his help over the years before and after he brought me on at True Blue LA. I still don’t know how he was able to post so much, the man is a machine.Taking over this season wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t a great group of people to help along the way. Each and every person who contributes — both in posts and comments — to making this site what it is, will continue to do so as a new leader emerges.The journey started so randomly for me towards the end of 2012. Four episodes into a podcast I had started with a friend, I was offered a spot at Valley Bay News to cover the Dodgers as they started a new site. I hadn’t ever given a thought to writing until the moment I was contacted about doing so.By July of 2015, I joined TBLA to handle the Facebook page and occasionally contribute. As a lifelong Dodger fan http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , I’ve been fortunate to experience Dodger Stadium and the team in a way not too many fans will.It’s not every day you sit in the Dodger dugout during batting practice, listening to Andre Ethier and Eric talk about what 1980s song Ethier should be using as his walk-up music.The Dodgers made the postseason every year I covered the team and the last couple have been stressful. I hardly slept during the postseason because of the long extra innings, but I loved every minute of covering a World Series in person. I look forward to watching them finally win another championship, hopefully next year.For now, I say goodbye to baseball. KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — The fifth spot in the Atlanta Braves‘ pitching rotation was open when spring training began.Now it is wide-open, and it might not be the only spot.Right-hander Touki Toussaint didn’t do anything to help his bid for the rotation Thursday, giving up five runs in one inning in his second spring start, a 7-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers.Toussaint Chris Taylor Jersey , a 22-year-old right-hander who started five games for the Braves late last season and got their only postseason win in relief, is considered a strong candidate for the fifth spot.But right-handers Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman have encountered arm problems early in camp along with two of the other rotation candidates. So far, Foltynewicz’s sore elbow and Gausman’s sore shoulder are considered minor setbacks.“I don’t know that there’s any more or less than there was before,” manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s early camp. I’m sure everybody goes through that. That’s why you need a lot of ’em.”The first six Tigers to face Toussaint got on base Thursday and Dustin Peterson, a former Braves prospect, hit a three-run home run.“Today was one of those days they got me early and it happens,” Toussaint said. “This was my first big day. There’s no excuse.”At least he is healthy.“That’s all spring training is for,” he said. “I made some pitches and they hit ’em. I threw everything I wanted for strikes. I hit a guy on a breaking ball, walked one. But I felt good.”“He’s fine http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , so that’s the big thing,” Snitker said. “I saw enough last year to know what the kid’s capable of, but he’s got to go out and improve himself.”Toussaint came to camp in competition with Mike Soroka and Luis Gohara for the fifth spot behind Foltynewicz, Gausman, Julio Teheran and Sean Newcomb. Each of those four started at least 30 games last season, although 21 of Gausman’s starts came with Baltimore.Foltynewicz, who pitched two innings in his first spring start Sunday, was scratched from Friday’s start. Gausman has yet to pitch. Gohara has been held out because of a sore elbow, although the 22-year-old left-hander has been throwing on the side.Soroka Ross Stripling Jersey , who came to camp as the favorite for the fifth spot if he could show he was over the shoulder problems that ended his season last June, threw lightly on the side Thursday. The Braves are taking a cautious approach with the 21-year-old right-hander, who went 2-1 in five starts as a rookie.“We’re going to need him before the year is over. That’s why we want to make sure we go by the proper procedures right now,” Snitker said. “We just want to get him right and get him pitching. He missed a significant amount last year.”NOTES: Dansby Swanson and new third baseman Josh Donaldson are expected to make their spring debuts in Friday’s exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Swanson had off-season surgery on his left wrist after starting 132 games as the Braves’ shortstop last season. Donaldson, the former American League MVP who played in only 52 games last year because of a strained calf muscle, signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Braves in November.