WASHINGTON (AP) — Essentially throwing in the towel on a disappointing season Matt Duffy Jersey , the Washington Nationals traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.Despite a roster that boasts such stars as Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper, Washington went into a three-game series at home against Philadelphia with a losing record of 62-63, 7½ games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.General manager Mike Rizzo and ownership gambled at the July trade deadline, standing pat and expressing faith in the roster as constituted. The Nationals trounced the New York Mets 25-4 that night, but are 9-10 since, including a 2-5 road trip through Chicago and St. Louis that featured a 4-3 loss at Wrigley Field on a two-out, walk-off grand slam.“We felt that coming off that road trip and into this most recent homestand was a time that was a litmus test for us … and we felt that the timing was right to make the vital decisions that we had to make,” Rizzo said.The deals came three weeks after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and the Nationals aren’t getting much in return.For Murphy, who was hitting .300 since his return from knee surgery, the Cubs are swapping Class A infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named or cash. For Adams, the Cardinals are sending $50,000 to Washington.“These are tough decisions, to trade a ultimate professionals like Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams is never easy,” Rizzo said. “We felt this was the best way to facilitate what we are trying to do not only in 2018 but beyond.”The 33-year-old Murphy was a big hitter during his time in Washington. A postseason star in 2015 with the Mets, he signed with the Nationals that winter and was an All-Star the next two years. Murphy missed the first 64 games this season but hit in 11 straight before being stymied by Miami’s Jose Urena on Sunday.“My thoughts are it’s really bittersweet,” Murphy said. “I sat at this podium probably 2 1/2 years ago. The Washington Nationals were the only offer I had. They took a chance on me three years ago and I feel very disappointed in myself that it kind of came to this point, I guess would be the easiest way to describe it.”Asked how close the team came to including Harper — a free agent after the season — in the Tuesday deals http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-steven-souza-jersey , Rizzo said: “You have to get a deal that makes sense to trade one of the elite players in the game.”Harper, who struggled for much of the first half, won the Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities at Nationals Park. Since the break he is hitting .350 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 28 games.“I’ve been part of this organization for seven years and I look forward to coming in and doing my job every single day and I had no fear of being traded or let go on waivers or anything like that,” Harper said.The Nationals were coming off two consecutive division titles under manager Dusty Baker, who was fired after last season and replaced by rookie skipper Dave Martinez.Murphy expressed support for Martinez, without even being asked about him.“Right man for the job here in DC,” Murphy said.The Nationals’ high-water mark came on May 30 when they defeated the Orioles for their sixth straight win to improve to 33-22. They haven’t won more than three straight games since.“We’re definitely not in an ideal spot,” veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “We had a chance a couple of times to gain some ground and couldn’t really string together many wins in a row.”Given the moves, Martinez was asked how he convinces his team that the three games against the contending Phillies are still big.“What’s funny is that I’ve had guys already come in the office and I don’t think I need to convince them,” he said. “They know what we are playing for and they’re all in.”To fill the spots created by the departure of Murphy and Adams, the Nationals recalled infielder Adrian Sanchez and outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Triple-A Syracuse. BOSTON (AP) — The San Gabriel Mountains shimmering in the distance will be a welcome sight for the Los Angeles Dodgers after two chilly, failed nights at Fenway Park.No team has overcome a 2-0 World Series deficit in 22 years, but that is the tall task the Dodgers face after crumbling before the 37-foot-high Green Monster.“It’s going to be warmer, and hopefully our bats get hot, too,” Cody Bellinger said after Wednesday night’s 4-2 defeat to the Boston Red Sox.No wonder they were California Dreamin’ about Thursday’s flight home.Used to the balmy breezes at home and usually hospitable weather in the NL West, Los Angeles hadn’t started a game this year in a temperature below 58. Facing a 53-degree temperature at the start of the opener Chris Archer Jersey , the Dodgers lost 8-4. It was just 46 in the first inning for Game 2, and the Dodgers’ bats were cold again — their last 16 hitters retired in order.“This is the first time we’ve played in obviously weather like this — San Francisco a little bit, but nothing like this,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “So it’s an adjustment, and that’s part of the home-field advantage and especially being in the bullpen, where you have a little heater, but still have to kind of get hot and stay hot. It’s more of a challenge.”Ryan Madson was unusually open about how out of sorts the Dodgers were on late October nights in the northeast.“Last night in the bullpen, we had a couple of heaters going,” he said before Game 2. “It was warm out there, but to get up and move around. I didn’t feel as gummy as usual when it’s 75, 80 degrees. So I’m going to make that adjustment tonight, move around a little bit more. I’m going to tell the guys who didn’t pitch last night, just move around a little bit more than usual, move your knee joints. But maybe they’re young and they don’t feel it.”Madson’s problem was the lack of movement on his pitches, as well as a changeup he threw for a wild pitch in Game 1. Brought in to relieve Hyun-Jin Ryu and protect a 2-1 lead with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth a night later, he walked Steve Pearce and gave up a two-run single to J.D. Martinez before throwing a single offspeed pitch.“The ball’s not going where I want it. Last night it was pulling down to the left, and tonight it was high to the right,” Madson said .Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt was annoyed at the conditions experienced by his relievers in a bullpen just in front of the right field bleachers.“Brutal. Pretty brutal Kevin Kiermaier Jersey ,” he told Sports Illustrated. “What I don’t understand is why baseball allows it. You’ve got the rubber right there and people literally standing over you.”Fenway’s frenzied fans benefit the Red Sox, a big-league best 57-24 at home during the regular season and 8-1 in the World Series since 2004.“They live baseball 24 hours, seven days a week,” said Boston manager Alex Cora, who played for the Dodgers from 1998-04 and for the Red Sox from 2005-08. “They were into every pitch. Two strikes, they stood up. Madson came in and he was wild, and they were screaming and they were loud. Sometimes we take them for granted, honestly.”If Los Angeles is to recover, it will be at Chavez Ravine. The temperature for last year’s World Series opener at Dodger Stadium was 103 degrees. A more temperate mid-80s is forecast for Friday, when rookie Walker Buehler starts against Rick Porcello in an attempt to spark a turnaround. With a right-hander on the mound for Boston, most of the Dodgers’ top four home-run hitters are likely to be back in the starting lineup: left-handed batters Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and Bellinger were all benched in Boston along with the switch-hitting Yasmani Grandal.“We’re going to shuffle it up for Game 3, but it’s not because of necessarily performance, it’s kind of who the starting pitcher for those guys is,” Roberts said.But even if the Dodgers win at least two of three to force the Series back to Boston, they would still have to win at least once at quirky, noisy Fenway. There is no sign they can warm to the task.