导出博客文章(Sports Network) - The Miami Heat can close out the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday
night when Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup heads back to
South Beach. You can watch the game on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7pm et/4pm pt.
The Heat have won three in a row since their shocking Game 1 loss at home. Miami
took both contests in Chicago, including an 88-65 drubbing of the Bulls on
Monday. "Were always undermanned and have to put forth a lot of energy to make
up for bodies we dont have," said Bulls reserve forward Taj Gibson. "Tonight we
just didnt have the energy. No excuses. We just did not have it." The 65 points
was a franchise playoff low for a Chicago team that only managed nine points in
the third quarter of Game 4. They also shot an all-time postseason-worst 25.7
percent from the floor. Since the Game 1 win, the Bulls have lost by an average
of 23.3 ppg and all three losses came by double digits. Of course, the Bulls are
decimated by injuries. Derrick Rose hasnt played since he tore his ACL in the
first playoff game last season. Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich have both missed this
entire series. "Theyre in a tough situation," said LeBron James, the reigning
MVP. "Theyve had some injuries and illnesses and whatevers going on. They dont
have their full roster. But thats not for us to worry about. They beat a very
good Brooklyn team without their full roster." Some of the Bulls pointed to that
Brooklyn series. The Nets were down 3-1 to Chicago, but forced a Game 7. "Its
disappointing. But there is still basketball left," said Joakim Noah, who was
named to the All-Defensive First Team on Monday. "Its not the end. Its do or
die. Weve got to go to Miami and get a win and go to Game 6." Carlos Boozer led
the Bulls in Game 4 with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jimmy Butler, Gibson and Rip
Hamilton, who hadnt played all series long, all scored in double figures. James
paced the Heat with 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, which were all
team-highs. Chris Bosh netted 14 and blocked four shots. Nine other Miami
players scored on Monday night, although Mike Miller and Joel Anthony were the
only Heat players who didnt score on Monday. Both played less than three
minutes. Dwyane Wade has been noticeably absent from the scoring column. Hes
only averaged 11.2 ppg during this series and only managed six points in Game 4.
Wade has been plagued by knee troubles and the extra rest hes been getting hasnt
helped. He missed a good portion of the end of the regular season, sat out Game
4 of the Heats first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, and had a week off
before the Bulls series began. "Sometimes it feels good, sometimes it doesnt,"
Wade told the Palm Beach Post. "Just try to go out there and continue to do what
I can." The Bulls did win Game 1 in Miami and took one of the regular-season
meetings at American Airlines Arena. If Chicago wins on Wednesday, Game 6 will
be Friday night in the Windy City.
Anthony
Miller Bears Jersey . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton
Oilers on Tuesday night.
Roquan
Smith Jersey For Sale . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and
swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds,
and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own,
beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight
victory.
http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/
. -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in.
Mike
Singletary Bears Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that
made the year memorable.
Mike
Ditka Bears Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in
the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by
defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.
Even when youre a fan of one specific major league baseball team, it can be
difficult to keep track of all of the news that surrounds your favorite club on
a daily basis.However, when youre a fantasy baseball owner and you now have to
multiply that effort by 30 in order to be as up to date as possible with each
and every club? Its a fools errand that borders on the impossible.Fear not! Well
be here each and every Monday to give you a snapshot of whats going on in the
world of baseball, with one fantasy takeaway from each of the leagues 30 teams.
Think of it as your one-stop shop for the week ahead.Here are the takeaways for
the final full week of August play:Arizona Diamondbacks: At the time of his
elbow injury, it was believed that outfielder A.J. Pollock would be forced to
miss the entire season. However, the rehab process has been way ahead of
schedule and, after a strong 7-for-16 in Class A, the outfielder is ready to
play full games at the Triple-A level this week. If all goes well, Pollock could
be back in the Diamondbacks lineup as early as next week, providing both Arizona
and patient fantasy owners who had him stashed on their DL all year with a huge
late-season boost.Atlanta Braves: Freddie Freeman said that the pain in one of
the fingers on his right hand -- which the first baseman has been enduring since
the spring -- finally overcame him this weekend. Freeman sat out on Sunday
following a cortisone shot, and the hope is that hell be back in action as early
as Monday. It sounds like this is an injury that could recur again before the
end of the season, as Freeman confessed to getting a shot over the All-Star
break as well.Baltimore Orioles: The team has signed Chris Dickerson to a minor
league deal, with an eye on adding him to their roster once September expansion
kicks in. At the moment, the Orioles dont have a true center fielder to back up
Adam Jones, and Joey Rickard (thumb) will not be ready to return for a few more
weeks. Dickerson, who was with Baltimore in 2013, has been on the shelf because
of shoulder surgery in June 2015.Boston Red Sox: Outfielder Chris Young
(hamstring) is ready to be activated by the Red Sox on Monday, and should
immediately find himself back in the starting lineup -- at least against
left-handed pitching. Owners of Andrew Benintendi shouldnt fret too much,
though, as manager John Farrell admits the youngster has done a hell of a job. I
dont want to say it would be strictly a platoon when Chris comes back. I dont
want to go there. But I do know that against lefties ... we can rotate through
and keep guys fresh as were getting down the stretch here.Chicago Cubs: Jorge
Soler missed 51 games earlier this season because of a hamstring injury, but the
Cubs still consider him to be a player who bounces back from his bumps and
bruises better than most. Manager Joe Maddon said that even though he held Soler
out of Sundays lineup following the outfielder fouling a ball off his knee the
day before, he expects Soler to be back in action soon: [His] knee was sore
after the foul ball. I just thought he should sit down and have him stay inside.
Soler did pinch hit Sunday, so signs are indeed good for a quick return.Chicago
White Sox: The news isnt good for Brett Lawrie as the second baseman tries to
make his way back from a hamstring injury that has had him on the disabled list
for a month now. Lawrie was pulled from his rehab assignment over the weekend
and will be re-evaluated by doctors today. It was the second time in three days
that Lawrie started a game but was unable to finish. Manager Robin Ventura was
blunt about what that meant: Hes going to have to play a full game to be able to
get back here and know youre going to play. Youre going to have to be able to
get through it a few times to feel like you can come back up here.Cincinnati
Reds: Zack Cozart feels that he will be ready to get back in the Reds lineup on
Tuesday, but the team may want him to take things a bit slower. Cozart was
wearing a boot on his left foot on Sunday, as the shortstop deals with a sore
left Achilles tendon. The good news is that this injury has not impacted Cozarts
right knee, upon which he had surgery last June, ending his season. Assuming no
setbacks, odds are good the team will rest Cozart until Friday, just to play it
safe.Cleveland Indians: Starting Danny Salazar on your fantasy team this week is
an act of blind faith. On Thursday, the Indians starter lasted just one inning
and 34 pitches in his first start back from the disabled list. Clearly, the hook
wasnt injury-related, as Salazar then went on to throw in the bullpen to build
arm strength -- but the three walks and three runs he allowed were concerning.
Salazar is scheduled to start Tuesday for Cleveland in Oakland, but until he
gets through at least one scoreless frame, he probably shouldnt start for
you.Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon has been dealing with a toe injury, and
missed the entire weekend series against the Cubs as a result. David Dahl
handled both center-field and leadoff duties without a hitch, going 4-for-12 in
Blackmons absence, and will likely continue to do so while he sits. Blackmon may
miss a few more starts as a result of his injury. Meanwhile, the emergence of
Dahl has impacted Ryan Raburns playing time, and Raburn will now get some extra
at-bats at first base going forward.Detroit Tigers: The Tigers are getting
healthy again. First, Cameron Maybin (thumb) came back from the disabled list on
Sunday, several days earlier than expected, after his early-morning effort in a
simulated game went exceedingly well. Then, the team announced that shortstop
Jose Iglesias (hamstring) was ready to start a four-game rehab stint with
Triple-A Toledo, beginning today, with an eye toward returning for Detroits
weekend series against the Angels.Houston Astros: After waiting out a
four-hour-plus rain delay Sunday, Yulieski Gurriel finally got his first major
league at-bat for the Houston Astros, as the Cuban defector singled off Yovani
Gallardo for his first hit. However, after a second rain delay, the new DHs
hamstring tightened up and he was replaced in the lineup. Manager A.J. Hinch
said he only pulled Gurriel because of the weather conditions, and while hell be
day to day ... he could have stayed in the game. Of course, with no DH in
Pittsburgh, well have to see how much he plays early in the week, if at
all.Kansas City Royals: Odds are good that Mike Minor will not be swooping in to
save the day for the Royals in September. The pitcher left his rehab start on
Friday with shoulder stiffness, marking the second time this season that Minor
had to take a step back. In May, a similar issue sidelined him until the end of
July. Minor, still under contract with the team for next season, may have to
wait until 2017 to provide the Royals with any value.Los Angeles Angels: Second
base is up for grabs in Los Angeles. So says manager Mike Scioscia, after the
team designated Johnny Giavotella for assignment over the weekend. Hes hoping
someone will emerge from the trio of Cliff Pennington, Gregorio Petit and the
recently recalled Kaleb Cowart. Were going to take a look at a couple of other
different avenues and hopefully get the production we need, both offensively and
defensively, at second base, Scioscia said.Los Angeles Dodgers: Theres really no
other news that matters to the Dodgers more than the health of Clayton Kershaw.
On Saturday, the pitcher threw 22 pitches off a mound and it seemed to go off
without a hitch. The next step in his recovery will be a 40-pitch bullpen
session Tuesday. As to where the team goes from there, theyre remaining mum, but
every step in the right direction is a step closer to the aces return. Fingers,
feel free to remain crossed.Miami Marlins: Its easy to believe in things you
want to believe, but that doesnt necessarily make it so. Michael Hill, the
Marlins president of baseball operations, believes that Giancarlo Stanton will
play again for Miami this season: Hes going to be back. Hes told me hes going to
be back. Hes going to help this team get into October and help us get through
October. Hills assertions aside, Stanton has yet to do any baseball-related
activities, and until he does, its impossible to set any timetable ffor his
return.ddddddddddddGrain of salt time here, folks.Milwaukee Brewers: Junior
Guerra last pitched for the Brewers on Aug. 3, but the starter with a 2.93 ERA
appears to be very close to a return. Guerra threw a successful bullpen session
Friday, and will once again take to the hill Monday in a simulated game. If all
goes well, theres a chance he could jump right back into the Milwaukee rotation,
although a rehab start might also be in the cards. Still, at this rate of
progress, hes very likely to pitch again for the Brewers before September
starts.Minnesota Twins: Kenny Vargas went just 2-for-25 in August -- although
both of his hits were home runs -- and he has been sent back down to Triple-A.
Vargas wasnt getting a ton of playing time with the Twins, so the move will
allow him to get daily at-bats over the next week-plus before likely returning
to the club when rosters expand in September. In the meantime, it seems
Minnesota will use Vargas roster spot to supplement their bullpen by rotating in
fresh arms as needed.New York Mets: Fantasy owners who dealt with Neil Walkers
lack of consistent stats last week should probably not be counting on him this
week, either. Although Walker did get back to the Mets lineup over the weekend
after missing four games with a lower back issue, the second baseman will not be
around for the teams series in St. Louis. The good news is that hes headed out
on paternity leave to witness the birth of his first child, but unless youre in
a league with a very bizarre scoring system, you dont get any fantasy points for
that.New York Yankees: The youth movement in the Bronx continues to bear fruit.
Back-to-back starts from Luis Cessa and Chad Green over the weekend resulted in
12 innings of one-run, eight-hit ball between the two pitchers. Manager Joe
Girardi was thrilled with their efforts, even though the Yankees managed to win
only one of the two games, Its really positive to see the strides these kids
have made since what we saw in spring training. With efforts like these, expect
the pair to remain in the New York rotation the rest of the way.Oakland
Athletics: Billy Butler missed two games over the weekend with what the team was
calling nausea and vomiting. However, reports are emerging that Butlers issues
may have stemmed from a clubhouse incident with teammate Danny Valencia. As the
San Francisco Chronicle reports, No one in the Oakland clubhouse would discuss
the matter on the record, but no one denied that it occurred, either. Valencia
also was not in Sundays lineup, but its not clear if that was simply because of
the matchup, or some internal, behind-the-scenes discipline. Stay
tuned.Philadelphia Phillies: Vince Velasquezs past three starts have been less
than stellar. He has posted a 10.47 ERA and a .352 batting average against since
Aug. 8, and while the young pitcher is trying to remain positive, the crooked
numbers on the scoreboard are making that difficult. Velasquez, in all
likelihood, has just a few more starts left this season before the team pulls
the plug on his 2016 in order keep his workload down. Because of that, perhaps
his next quality start will be his last, if only to try to have his season end
on a positive note.Pittsburgh Pirates: Josh Bell was promoted again by the
Pirates, this time taking the roster spot of the injured Jung Ho Kang. Bell has
hit 14 home runs at Triple-A this season, and added a pinch-hit grand slam for
the Pirates during a brief stint with the team in July. Manager Clint Hurdles
issue with Bell is not his bat, though, but rather his glove: Hes still a work
in progress. Matter of fact, in the game before we called him up, he made two
errors. ... John Jaso is a better defensive first baseman than Josh is right
now. As such, even in games where Bell does get the start, chances are good he
wont be there at the finish, if the score is close.St. Louis Cardinals: Luke
Weaver showed improvement in his second major league start, striking out six and
walking nobody -- a big step up from his three-K, three-BB debut -- though he
still took the loss on Saturday. Still, manager Mike Matheny is worried the
rookie is setting himself up for failure: If theres one thing I think hes doing,
he might be giving hitters at this level too much credit. It looks like hes
trying to be perfect here. Thats something we can tell him, but its something
that hell have to learn. The good news, though, may be that Weaver has done
enough to continue to try to learn that lesson on the big league level.San Diego
Padres: Jon Jay, who broke his right forearm in June, has finally started
hitting off a tee, making the chances of an early-September return very much a
potential reality. The Padres could find themselves a bit short in the outfield
until then, as Jabari Blash missed most of last week with a jammed finger, an
injury that could land him on the disabled list if hes still unable to hit over
the next few days. Patrick Kivlehan has been filling in for Blash in right
field, and will presumably continue in that role for now.San Francisco Giants:
Matt Cains yo-yo season continues. After winning back-to-back five-inning
shutout efforts against the Nationals, his past two starts have resulted in two
losses and an 11.42 ERA. Now, the Giants have placed the pitcher on the 15-day
disabled list with a lower back strain, his third such stint this season. For
now, Jake Peavy is likely to take his next turn in the rotation, but Cain is
currently expected back on Sept. 2 to face the Cubs.Seattle Mariners: Help is on
the way for Seattles rotation. Although the team has not yet confirmed a starter
for Tuesdays game against the Yankees, chances are good it will be Taijuan
Walker who gets the call from Triple-A to try to tame the New York bats.
Thursdays starter is not quite official yet either, but James Paxton (elbow) is
all set to be activated from the disabled list following a solid three-inning
rehab start Saturday. Hisashi Iwakuma is expected to pitch Wednesday, giving the
right-hander an extra day of rest between starts, as well as putting him in line
to face the Rangers in his subsequent outing.Tampa Bay Rays: Logan Forsythe has
now homered in three consecutive starts, and in six of his past 10 games,
although its worth noting that his most recent streak was interrupted by back
spasms that forced the second baseman to miss four games. Still, even as
Forsythe was being slowly worked back into the lineup by serving as the DH on
Sunday, the power doesnt seem to have been bothered by the layoff. Forsythe is
still available in over 38 percent of ESPN leagues.Texas Rangers: Carlos Gomez
has found a new home, without having to cross state lines. After being released
by the Astros, the Rangers signed the outfielder to a minor league deal. Gomez
is expected to play at the Triple-A level for a few days before joining Texas
for a 10-game homestand, where hes expected to be the teams every-day left
fielder. What that means for Jurickson Profars playing time remains to be seen,
but he had been getting the bulk of those starts since Shin-Soo Choos injury
landed him on the disabled list.Toronto Blue Jays: Typically, you dont expect to
see an uninjured pitcher who is under legitimate consideration for the Cy Young
Award not only getting sent down to the minors, but all the way down to Class A,
no less. Yet, thats what the Blue Jays are doing with Aaron Sanchez, who will
spend the next 10 days in Dunedin, Florida, rather than with Toronto. The
rationale for the move is to keep Sanchezs innings down while also opening up a
roster spot for extra bullpen help in the interim. Sanchez is expected to be
recalled in time for him to start on Aug. 31 against the Orioles.Washington
Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman is back from the disabled list, and more importantly,
so is his bat. The first baseman went 4-for-8 with a home run over the weekend,
showing no ill effects from the wrist injury that had caused him to miss the
prior 16 games. Manager Dusty Baker expects Zimmermans impact to be huge, Its
like getting a new, fresh player back. ... This is like May for Zim, and
September for the rest of us. ' ' '
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