He’ll get a chance to compete for a spot in the bullpen

as he attempts to return from Japan."Pitchers and catchers have already reported to AmFam Fields of Phoenix for Spring Training with the Milwaukee Brewers Cheslor Cuthbert Jersey , but there will soon be another hurler joining the group of non-roster invitees vying for a spot with the team when they head north to begin the regular season. Earlier today, the club announced a minor league deal with right-handed reliever Jay Jackson:Jackson, 31, was originally a ninth round pick by the Chicago Cubs back in 2008 out of Furman University. He was once considered to be a top-100 level talent as a prospect, reaching #98 on Baseball America’s list following the 2009 season in which he posted a 2.98 ERA and 127:46 K/BB across 127.0 innings spanning Class A-Advanced, Double-A, and Triple-A. Jackson’s affiliated career seemed to stall out after that; he spent the next three seasons pitching in Triple-A for the Cubs and was released after a 6.57 ERA in 86.1 innings with Iowa in 2012. He then bounced around with the Marlins, Pirates, and briefly, the Brewers, before landing with San Diego for the 2015 season. The Padres were the first team to switch Jackson solely to relief, and after authoring a 2.54 ERA in 63.2 innings with Triple-A El Paso, he was finally rewarded with his first trip to the major leagues.Jackson’s stay in The Show was brief, lasting just six games and 4.1 innings. He yielded three earned runs with four strikeouts against one lonesome walk. The move to the bullpen allowed his stuff to tick up, though, and in that short sample Jackson’s average heater registered at 95.1 MPH. He paired that with a sharp Brian Flynn Jersey , mid-80s slider. That was enough to generate overseas interest, and in December of 2015 Jackson was granted his release from San Diego and he signed with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan shortly thereafter.Jackson spent three last seasons pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball and became one of the top relief pitchers on the circuit. All together for the Carp he logged 176.0 innings across 175 appearances with a 2.10 ERA and 192 strikeouts against 68 walks. His fastball continues to sizzle:The Brewers have been one of the more active teams on the international market under the David Stearns regime, signing Eric Thames from Korea as well as involving themselves to varying degrees in the markets for Shohei Ohtani, Miles Mikolas, and Yusei Kikuchi. The signing of Jackson now becomes their latest foray into the Far East market, and he’ll now become a possibly high-upside addition to the club’s bullpen mix for the coming season. Jackson appears to have an uphill climb when it comes to making the team, though the fact that he is on a minor league deal means there is essentially no risk for the Brewers in bringing him into camp to compete. Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference The Boston Red Sox may have a firm grip on the American League Championship Series as they take a 3-1 lead into Thursday's Game 5 at Minute Maid Park, but nobody should be writing off the Houston Astros.The Red Sox picked up an 8-2 victory in Game 3, assuring the team would be in no worse a position than taking the series back to Fenway Park for Game 6. Wednesday night's epic 8-6 victory has put the Sox one win from reaching the World Series, which they last won in 2013.The Astros are sending ace Justin Verlander to the mound in Game 5, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:09 p.m. ET, and he has already beaten the Red Sox in Game 1 of the series.98.5 The Sports Hub 985TheSportsHubDavid Price, after warming in the bullpen late in Game 4, will start Game 5 on three days rest. CwcJVZjiojDavid Price will start for Boston on three days' rest. That hasn't been the normal way of doing things in the major leagues since the mid-1970s, when a majority of teams would go with four starting pitchers throughout the 162-game season.Chris Sale, Boston's Game 1 starter http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , is likely to get the ball in Game 6, but he has shoulder issues and spent a night in the hospital earlier this week with a stomach problem, so his start is not guaranteed.Price was ready to come into Game 4 when Boston closer Craig Kimbrel had control issues. Price was in the bullpen and throwing, and manager Alex Cora could have called on him.Even though Price got lathered up Wednesday and threw a number of warm-up pitches, he says he will be able to pitch Thursday night."I don't count those (bullpen pitches). I don't know," Price said, per Chad Finn of the Boston Globe. "The first ones are just to get loose, and if we would have scored two in the top of the ninth, I would have went out there for the ninth inning, and they got pretty close. I think it was [Josh] Reddick that made a good play in right [robbing Mookie Betts], so I was ready."The Astros are minus-200 favorites (bet $200 to win $100) to win Game 5 and send the seriesback to Boston, while the Red Sox are plus-170 underdogs, per OddsShark. PredictionVerlander should be his usual dominant self on the mound, and Price should also be effective, although not quite as good.The game will be close throughout, and Boston's advantageous position will allow them to play in a relaxed state. They may have the lead late in the game Justin Grimm Jersey , but the Astros will figure it out this time and send the series back to Boston for Game 6.ALCS ScheduleGame 1: Astros 7,Red Sox 2Game 2: Red Sox 7, Astros 5Game 3: Red Sox 8, Astros 2Game 4: Red Sox 8, Astros 6; Red Sox lead, 3-1Game 5: Red Sox at Astros; Thursday, Oct. 18, at 8:09p.m. ET on TBS*Game 6: Astros at Red Sox; Saturday, Oct. 20, at 5:09p.m. ET on TBS*Game 7: Astros at Red Sox; Sunday, Oct. 21, at 7:39p.m. ET on TBS*if necessaryMLB Stat of the Day MLBStatoftheDayWade Miley will be the first pitcher to start consecutive #postseason games in a series since George Earnshaw in the 1930 #WorldSeries. QzHqs3E6nUNational League Championship SeriesThe Milwaukee Brewers had given up one run in the first 21 innings played at Dodgers Stadium in Games 3 and 4, and it appeared they were just one or two hits away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead.However, Los Angeles scratched out a run in the bottom of the 13th inning in Game 4 to tie the series and then won Game 5 behind a powerful effort by Clayton Kershaw. As a result, the Dodgers go into Game 6 at Miller Park in Milwaukee with a chance to win their second straight National League pennant.The Dodgers will sendHyun-Jin Ryu to the mound on Friday, while the Brewers will start Game 5 starter Wade Miley.That is not a misprint or an error. Miley pitched to leadoff hitter Cody Bellinger and walked him to start Game 5 http://www.royalsfanproshop.com/authentic-ryan-goins-jersey , then Craig Counsell subsequently pulled him from the game. The manager said that was his original plan and that he wanted to vary from standard operating procedures.Regardless, the Brewers need to find a way to score more runs after they were held to three in the last 22 innings in L.A.Game 6 is scheduled for 8:39 p.m. ET and will be televised by FS1. If the Brewers win and force a Game 7, it will be played at 9:09 p.m. Saturday and also be broadcast by FS1.The Dodgers are minus-120 favorites to close out the NLCS in six games, while the Brewers are even money (plus-100) to force a seventh game. PredictionMilwaukee's bats have gone to sleep, but the return to Cheeseland should help the team find a way to even the series and get to a seventh game.Look for likely regular-season MVP Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain to lead the way as the Brewers square the series and force the Dodgers to play a winner-take-all final game. NLCS ScheduleGame 1: Brewers 6, Dodgers 5Game 2: Dodgers 4, Brewers 3Game 3: Brewers 4, Dodgers 0Game 4: Dodgers 2, Brewers 1 (13 innings)Game 5: Dodgers 5, Brewers 2; Dodgers lead, 3-2Game 6: Dodgers at Brewers; Friday, Oct. 19, at 8:39p.m. ET on FS1*Game 7: Dodgers at Brewers; Saturday, Oct. 20, at 9:09p.m. ET on FS1*if necessary