JACKSONVILLE http://www.steelersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-benny-snell-jr.-jersey , Fla. (AP) — Jalen Ramsey spent the past few months working out at his father’s training facility in Nashville.It was a new routine that caused him to miss Jacksonville’s offseason conditioning program.The All-Pro cornerback has no regrets, though, about the time away from coaches and teammates.“How do I put this the nicest way possible?” Ramsey said Tuesday after the first of a mandatory, three-day minicamp.“I don’t think any of my teammates had an issue because they know I was going to come back ready. But at the same time, if they did, I don’t think I would care `cause once I get out here I know what I was doing was the right thing for me.”Ramsey worked out in Jacksonville before his first two NFL seasons and fell behind both times because of injuries.“It was an offseason of getting back to the basics for me, kind of doing what got me to the position I’m in right now,” he said. “It was also an offseason for me that I kind of labeled as `no-setback season,’ just `cause in the previous two years I haven’t even made it this far.”He had surgery in May 2016 for a torn meniscus in his right knee. He had surgery last June for a sports hernia.Ramsey still managed to become the best player on a stout defense.The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the league last year, locking down No. 1 receivers on a weekly basis. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in his second season and made the more exclusive All-Pro team.“I thought I was good in the past two years, and stay tuned,” he said.Ramsey already has matchups circled months before the season, beginning with Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants in the opener and continuing a few weeks later against Kansas City’s Tyreke Hill. The list also includes familiar faces such as former teammate Allen Hurns Zach Gentry Jersey , Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins, Philadelphia’s Alshon Jeffery, Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton and Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown.“It’s what I love, but I can’t just love it,” Ramsey said. “I’ve got to prepare for it, too, so that’s what I’ve been doing this whole offseason. That’s what I’ll continue to do.”The Jaguars welcomed Ramsey back for minicamp, but coach Doug Marrone planned to work him in slowly.“Jalen has worked extremely hard with training with his dad. He’s anxious to go out there and say, `I’m ready to go. Let’s go,'” Marrone said. “I’m more like, `OK, listen, we’re going to get you in there for a couple and take you out. We just want to see where you are.“The worst thing you can do as a coach is put someone out there that maybe is not ready. Not to say that Jalen is not ready Joey Bosa Jersey , but we want to make sure that we are doing the right thing for all of the players.”Ramsey had 107 tackles, 31 pass breakups and six interceptions in his first two seasons. He’s earned the respect of opponents as well as teammates, which made his decision to skip Jacksonville’s offseason program an easier one.“I know what I was doing is going to get me prepared as best as anything for the season,” he said. “Once I put that out on the field, there won’t be any issues. I have a good relationship with all my teammates anyways, so if they did they would hit me up. I did it respectful. … I hit up people. I was like, `Hey, yo, look, this is my plan for the offseason.’“And it’s not that I felt like I owed anybody an explanation. It’s just that’s how we vibe. That’s the locker room. … I was like, `Yo, I know y’all fixin’ to start it up. I’m not coming. I’m doing my thing. No worries.’ They said it right back: `You good, bro.'”
WASHINGTON — Having already won their first series at Nationals Park since April 2016 Nick Bosa Jersey , the Philadelphia Phillies will go for the sweep of Washington on Sunday night.

Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta (4-6, 4.08 ERA) faces Nationals right-hander Jefry Rodriguez (0-0, 4.66).

Pivetta was drafted by the Nationals in 2013 and went to the Phillies in 2015 as part of the Jonathan Papelbon trade.

After struggling for three straight starts — giving up 13 runs in 14 innings — Pivetta allowed two runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals last time out, striking out a career-high 13 batters.

“That’s some of the best stuff I’ve seen him have all year,” catcher Andrew Knapp told mlb.com. “The curveball was electric.”

Pivetta got 11 swings and misses with the curveball.

“It was nice to have it back,” Pivetta told mlb.com. “It all started with my delivery. I was staying up through it, not trying to rush too much and it worked out.”

It his first start — and second big-league appearance — the 24-year-old Rodriguez picked up a win against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. He allowed five runs, four hits and three walks in five innings.

Rodriguez and Satuday’s losing pitcher, Erick Fedde, are filling in for injured starters Stephen Strasburg and Jeremy Hellickson.

The Phillies have outscored the Nationals 17-5 in the fist two games of the series. On Saturday, Maikel Franco had four hits and Carlos Santana homered to back Aaron Nola in a 5-3 victory.

“That was just a tremendous all-around baseball game,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Franco. “It’s so interesting how we’ve been looking for him to be not just a hitter but a defender and a baserunner and an all-around athlete.”

Franco drove in a run and scored twice, including the go-ahead run when he scored just ahead of the tag on Jesmuel Valentin’s sacrifice fly.

The Phillies L.J. Collier Jersey , who have won six of seven, pounded out double-digit hits for the second day in a row in Washington.

“They have a lot of patient hitters,” Fedde said of the Phillies. “I think that’s what makes it tough. Guys aren’t swinging at bunch of junk, so you have to attack them.”

The Phillies have now won four straight series for the first time since May 2016 and are 2-0 in what will be a stretch of 10 games against the Nationals and the New York Yankees.

Anthony Rendon homered and Daniel Murphy had a two-run single for Washington, which has lost three of four while scoring nine runs.

“Look, I’ve got all the confidence in the world we’re going to start hitting,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We’ll start scoring some runs. Right now, the bullpen is a little beat up. We’ve got to get them going again.”

Rendon is doing his part. In his las 15 games, he is batting .382 with seven doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs.

Hellickson (right groin strain) will make a rehab start Sunday for Class A Potomac and then is expected to rejoin the Nationals’ rotation.

Hernandez said first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (right oblique strain) is about a week from beginning a rehab assignment.