Banliste/Verwarnungen » point guard, and the Jazz, overall,

SAN FRANCISCO -- Two teams being cautious with injured players, getting acquainted with new ones and perhaps still shopping for upgrades, will hook up for a fourth time in four days on Sunday when the Washington Nationals take on the San Francisco Giants.The Nationals have won two of the first three in the battle of National League division leaders, but the Giants are the ones coming off a 5-3 win Saturday.On a day when the Nationals acquired a new closer, the Giants new utility infielder, Eduardo Nunez, was one of the heroes in the win.Nunez, picked up Thursday from Minnesota, collected two hits, including a two-run double that ignited a Giants comeback from an early 3-0 deficit.It helped San Francisco avoid what would have been a fourth straight loss.Thats the reason they brought me here, Nunez boasted. To win games.Nunez started at shortstop in place of Brandon Crawford, who suffered a bruised left hand in Fridays loss.Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he hopes to have Crawford back in the lineup Sunday, which could mean a second position in two days for the versatile Nunez.The Giants figure to have an opening in center field Sunday, with Denard Span likely to miss a second consecutive game because of a strained quad that occurred during a collision at first base in Fridays game.Nunez has played 29 games in the outfield in his seven-year career.The Nationals are hoping new closer Mark Melancon arrives in time for the series finale after having been acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates shortly before the start of Saturdays game.Washington dealt two left-handers -- major-leaguer Felipe Rivero and minor-leaguer Taylor Hearn -- in order to get the All-Star.Even a midgame arrival by Melancon would be fine for the ninth-inning specialist, Nationals manager Dusty Baker assured.Were getting some reinforcements, the veteran skipper proudly declared.Baker wasnt so confident about star second baseman Daniel Murphy after having sat him out of Saturdays game.Murphy felt tightness in his left leg in the cold San Francisco weather during Thursday nights game, then tried to play through it on Friday.He had to be pulled midway through the win, and was given the full game off Saturday.Still being precautionary, Baker said of Murphy.He remains questionable for Sunday.With trade winds swirling around both teams, Bochy and Baker are comforted in knowing theyve got veteran starting pitchers going Sunday.The Giants will go with 12-year veteran Matt Cain, who will be seeking his 100th victory in a San Francisco uniform.Cain has a 5-5 record and 3.64 ERA in 15 career starts against the Nationals.Washington will counter with nine-year veteran Gio Gonzalez, who spent his first four years across the bay from San Francisco with the Oakland Athletics.Gonzalez sports a 3-3 record and 3.33 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants. Jim Brown Browns Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Odell Beckham Jr Browns Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. http://www.brownsrookiestore.com/Browns-Myles-Garrett-Jersey/ . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Jim Brown Womens Jersey . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Myles Garrett Browns Jersey . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we pose a question to a rotating panel of ESPN fantasy basketball experts to gauge their thoughts on a hot topic. Todays contributors are ESPN NBA writer Ohm Youngmisuk and ESPN Fantasys Greg Rosenstein and Kyle Soppe.Derrick Favors is set to return Wednesday from the knee injury that hampered him (10.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 46.9 FG%) early this season and then cost him the past month of game action. Just 25 years old, the 2010 No. 3 overall pick has seven seasons under his belt but has yet to truly break out as a fantasy star. Do you think his numbers the past two seasons (about 16 PPG, 8 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.0 SPG) represent his ceiling? Or will he give fantasy owners more in the near or distant future?Ohm Youngmisuk: The 6-foot-10 Favors has always carried a ton of potential. And he will have nights when he displays that potential, like the 35 and 13 he dropped against Indiana last season. But he isnt consistent enough to average a double-double, and the Jazz are?Gordon Haywards team. Not to mention that Rudy Gobert has really come on, especially of late. Entering Wednesday, Gobert had four straight double-doubles while remaining every bit the Stifle Tower with 16 blocks during that span.Rodney Hood, when healthy, is averaging 15.7 points this season. And when George Hill gets healthy again, the point guard should pick up where he left off and be another consistent scoring option for the Jazz. This all means Favors will have his breakout-type nights but will also have a ceiling that is capped due to the emerging talent around him.Greg Rosenstein: News that Favors is set to return from his bruised left knee injury is music to the ears of fantasy basketball owners. He is an effective low-post scorer (69.1 percent in his career on shots within three feet of the hoop), who is capable of a double-double performance each night. His numbers are down in a multitude of categories in 2016-17, but if history is an indicator, those should improve, as he gets back to full health and carvves out a role in the Jazz offense.dddddddddddd. How much of an increase is the question -- and I dont see it being significant.Favors has played only 11 games thus far, but thats enough of a sample size to be a bit wary about any breakout occurring. His numbers per 100 possessions are encouraging -- 22.8 points and 14.3 rebounds per game -- but in coach Quinn Snyders extremely slow-paced system, he wont get to that level often. Utahs offense is the second slowest in the NBA at only 93.7 possessions a game, limiting the fantasy opportunity for talented players such as Favors.Also keep in mind that Favors isnt the go-to threat he once was. Hill is more shoot-first than pass-first as their new starting point guard, and the Jazz, overall, boast a lot of different scoring options with Hayward, Gobert and an on-the-rise talent in Hood. Look for Favors overall production to increase and be an asset to fantasy owners but not to the level we may have hoped.Kyle Soppe: Favors is just 25 years old, so it may seem a bit extreme to say that weve already seen his production ceiling, but I think thats pretty accurate. Yes, he has room for growth, but what signs do we have of it coming? His past two season were nearly clones of each other, and his per-minute numbers in the early going this season werent much different.What I fear here is that there is more risk than reward for fantasy owners. His average shot distance continues to rise, and until he becomes a 3-point threat, that is statistically a bad sign. His big man stats have only so much upside with the presence of Gobert, while his offensive numbers can be only so good with? Haywards usage and Utahs painfully slow pace. Favors is a talented player, and while fantasy owners will certainly welcome him back tonight, I dont think youre looking at a ton of upside here. That said, we pretty much know what he is and there is value in that. ' ' '