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ARIZONA CARDINALS (8-8)

New faces: Coach Steve Wilks Dorance Armstrong Jr. Jersey , QB Sam Bradford, QB Josh Rosen, RG Justin Pugh, RT Andre Smith, S Tre Boston, CB Jamar Taylor, WR Brice Butler, WR Christian Kirk, RB Chase Edmonds, C Mason Cole, CB Bene Benwikere.

Key losses: Coach Bruce Arians, QB Carson Palmer, S Tyrann Mathieu, QB Drew Stanton, C A.Q. Shipley (injured), QB Blaine Gabbert, WR Jaron Brown, WR John Brown, OL Earl Watford Brett Maher Jersey , DT Frostee Rucker, DT Josh Mauro, TE Troy Niklas, ILB Karlos Dansby, OG Alex Boone, CB Justin Bethel.

Strengths: With return of RB David Johnson and addition of Bradford, Wilks and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Cardinals are building offense emphasizing running and short passing game. Johnson, NFL leader in yards from scrimmage and TDs two seasons ago, missed 15 games last season with fractured left wrist but returns healthy and hungry for new contract. Waiting on sideline is 10th overall pick Rosen should Bradford repeat his history of injury. Cardinals also are impressed with Edmonds, fourth-round pick out of Fordham, who could provide 1-2 punch behind revamped offensive line. Defense, with switch to 4-3 scheme, looks solid, particularly in secondary, where second-year player Budda Baker plays big role in “nickel” setup. With more zone play, Patrick Peterson might get more shots at making plays. He’s been mostly avoided by quarterbacks who take aim at receivers guarded by someone other than star cornerback. DE Chandler Jones led NFL in sacks last season (17). For what it’s worth, Arizona’s first three preseason opponents committed 16 turnovers.

Weaknesses: Arizona has great wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who enters 15th season after finishing second in NFL in catches (109) one year ago. But position is question mark behind him. Kirk Darius Leonard Jersey , second-round pick from Texas A&M, has emerged as big-play threat in preseason and Chad Williams has shown improvement after rocky rookie year. Butler is looking to prove himself after parting less than amicably with Cowboys. But there is no consistent, proven receiver beyond Fitzgerald. Other main concern is lack of depth at linebacker and on offensive line.

Fantasy players to watch: Johnson, of course. He was just about everybody’s No. 1 fantasy pick in 2017, only to go down in opener. He returns in best shape of life and motivated to remind people how good he is. As reminder, Johnson rushed for 1,239 yards and caught 80 passes for 875 yards in 2016. He topped 100 yards from scrimmage in first 15 games that season, only player in NFL history to so. He also led NFL with 20 TDs.

Vegas Says: Super Bowl 120 to 1. Over/under wins 6.

Expectations: Judging from Vegas and national predictors, expectations aren’t very high. But Wilks, former Carolina defensive coordinator, has worked to install tough, physical mentality and is building around team’s top players: Johnson, Peterson, Bradford, Fitzgerald, Jones. Still, it’s uphill climb in NFC West. Don’t expect Rosen to play unless Bradford goes down with another injury, or team slumps. Schedule is brutal, with non-division games at Minnesota Joe Looney Jersey , Kansas City, Green Bay and Atlanta. Cardinals might exceed Las Vegas’ expectations, but most likely not by much.

MINNEAPOLIS — After wearing the same uniform for the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Alex Cobb and Jake Odorizzi face off Sunday as Cobb’s Baltimore Orioles try to avoid a sweep when they take on Odorizzi and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

With the Rays in a full-blown rebuild, both pitchers found new homes this past spring. Odorizzi was traded to Minnesota early in spring training while Cobb was one of the many free agents who waited out an unnerving winter before eventually signing a four-year, $57 million deal with Baltimore late in camp.

Now, only a week away from the All-Star break, neither pitcher — nor his team — is having the kind of season they anticipated Opening Day.

It’s been especially painful for Cobb (2-10, 6.53 ERA), whose deal was the largest offered to an Orioles pitcher. The right-hander was expected to be a stabilizing force in a rotation that had designs on a postseason berth but instead, he slumped out of the gate and went 2-9 with a 7.14 ERA through his first 12 starts in an Orioles’ uniform.

Through that, there have been flashes of the pitcher Baltimore had in mind when it made the deal. He’s held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in eight of his 15 starts overall, including his last time out when he held the Phillies to three while striking out five in 6 2/3 innings.

“Alex is going to be a good pitcher,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He is a good pitcher at times this year. It’s hard. It’s hard. He’s hardened from pitching in the American League. He knows the fine line between success and failure.”

With his team holding baseball’s worst record and buried in the basement of a division dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox, Cobb knows the playoffs aren’t even a pipe dream at this point. But he still has a goal of finishing the season strong and setting the stage for a bounce-back campaign in 2019.

“I don’t want to say take it almost spring training-like, but we have to do whatever it takes for each and every one of us to get better going forward,” Cobb said. “When you get hung up on results, I think that you let that cloud the process that’s going on to make yourself get better. I don’t want it to be framed to any fans or front office, coaching staff William Perry Jersey , that we’re not going out there trying to win ballgames. We absolutely are, every single night.

“But we also need to not be so result-oriented and take the small progressions that we’re making and get better. If we want to compete later on this year, next year, we need to get better each and every one of us — individually.”

Cobb is 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA in three starts versus Minnesota.

Things haven’t been much better in the Twin Cities, where Odorizzi (3-6, 4.57 ERA) was expected to be a key addition to a Twins team that was thought to be a contender with Cleveland for the AL Central title after making an unexpected trip to the American League wild-card game a year ago.

He opened the year on a high note, going 3-2 with a 3.17 ERA through his first 10 outings but has struggled with consistency since, posting a 6.81 ERA over his last eight starts.

“It’s upsetting and frustrating … it’s not something I take lightly,” Odorizzi said of his struggles late last month. “I take a lot of pride in getting guys out. Trust me, I’m more frustrated about this than anybody in this clubhouse. This has been one of the tougher stretches in my short big-league career.”

Odorizzi has shown signs of bouncing back in his last two outings. He held the White Sox scoreless for six innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight, but took a no-decision June 28 in Chicago and followed that with a strong showing in Milwaukee where the Brewers managed only two runs while striking out nine times over five innings.

Odorizzi, who hasn’t won since May 8, is 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) versus Baltimore.

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