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PEORIA, Ariz. Brian Urlacher Jersey . -- Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said Saturday it would be "hard pressed" for either Hisashi Iwakuma or Taijuan Walker to be in the Mariners rotation on opening day because of their injury setbacks during spring training. McClendon said the injuries to Iwakuma (finger) and Walker (shoulder) will open up chances for others in camp, but also leave a rotation that had questions entering spring training even more uncertain. "I always plan for the worst and our contingency plan has been that," McClendon said. "So like I said before this gives other guys opportunities to go out and see what they can do. Well see what happens." Iwakuma will have his right middle finger in a splint for another three weeks before throwing, while Walker is being shut down for a week because of inflammation in his right shoulder. By the time the duo make up for missed time on the mound it will be early- to mid-April before either is expected in a game. While Seattle is understandably cautious with the sore shoulder of the 21-year-old Walker because of his age, the finger injury has become frustrating for Iwakuma. When he went to see Dr. Don Sheridan on Friday, Iwakuma had the expectation that he could start throwing on Saturday. Instead, he was told to avoid throwing for three more weeks. The earliest Iwakuma is expected to pick up a ball is March 21. By the time he gets caught up on bullpen sessions and simulated games to get the needed innings to be ready for the season, itll likely be mid-April before he could join the Mariners rotation. "I was honestly disappointed and frustrated too at the same time, but you have to respect what the doctor says," Iwakuma said through an interpreter Saturday morning. "I was ready to play catch today so it is what it is and I have to wait three more weeks." Iwakuma went 14-6 with a 2.66 ERA in 33 starts last season and was a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award. Iwakuma reported for spring training wearing the splint and said his finger got caught as he tried to retrieve a ball in some netting while working out in Southern California on Jan. 20. McClendon also confirmed -- not surprisingly -- that Felix Hernandez is expected to be Seattles opening day starter when the Mariners open the season on March 31 against the Angels. "Unless youve got somebody else," McClendon joked. "Ill try and see if he can go opening day, the second day and the third day." Jim McMahon Bears Jersey . Wingels, a 23-year-old Evanston, Ill., native, is a second-year pro who spent most of his first season with Worcester of the American Hockey League. Bruce Smith Jersey . -- The Royals expect to place left-hander Bruce Chen on the disabled list with a swollen disc in his back that has already caused the club to juggle its starting rotation.TORONTO - The Raptors nearly shocked everyone with their second-half comeback in an eventual defeat to the two-time defending champs. Everyone except the champs themselves, that is. "We get the best of each team we play," the Heats Dwyane Wade recognized shortly before his team handed the division-leading Raptors their ninth loss in 15 games to begin the season. "We dont even look at records, it doesnt matter." "Teams come out and theyre ready to play us, and rightfully so. Weve earned it." But the home team did not come out ready to play, not like their coach had hoped and expected them to following a similarly slow start in a defeat three days prior. "Our defence, pressure on the basketball, tags and our rotations were a step slow in the first half," Dwane Casey said after Torontos 90-83 loss to Miami. A well-oiled machine, Miamis offence steamrolled over the Raptors in the first half. Toronto fell behind by 14 at the break and trailed by as much as 20 midway through the third quarter before the alarm clock finally went off. Torontos defence woke up, holding the Heat to one field goal in the final five minutes of the third quarter and cutting the deficit to two late in the fourth. Still, as it was against Brooklyn on Tuesday and has been so often in the past, it wasnt enough to save the Raptors from suffering an inevitable loss to a team that feasts on those who lose their focus. "Right now were a one-half team," Casey said. "Weve got to get two solid halves put together." Easier said than done. "Whats it going to take," Tyler Hansbrough asked, rhetorically. "Thats a good question. Its a mindset. On the road weve had games where weve put it together and played pretty well, weve just got to do it at home." "I dont know the answer to be honest with you," he continued. "Were a hell of a team when we fight back but we cant let it get to that," said DeRozan, who again was exceptional in defeat; scoring 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting. "Weve got to be a team that plays a full, two halves of basketball." Even after showingg up late, the Raptors had their opportunities thanks in large part to a renewed defensive focus that stymied Miamis free-flowing offence late in the game. Bernie Kosar Jersey. Alas, Toronto turned the ball over 21 times - leading to 26 Heat points - and missed eight of ten fourth-quarter free throws. DeRozan and Gay, both 80 per cent free throw shooters on the season prior to Fridays game, connected on five of their 14 attempts from the stripe. "Thats everything," Gay said of the missed free throws. "To finish a game youve got to hit free throws and finish at the rim. It was tough for us to do either." Coming off a 3-for-12 performance on Tuesday - one that prompted a late-night shooting session - Gay was moderately better, scoring 21 points, however he needed 21 shots to do so. His inefficiency from the painted area persisted, especially late in the game, and his pair of missed free throws with a minute and a half left were crucial in defeat. The Raptors are still searching for an answer to Caseys conundrum. How do they put it all together? The Heat are and will continue to be the NBAs bench mark. Theyre more than an enormously talented team. On top of their talent they have developed an identity and chemistry as a team that is a joy to watch and almost impossible to stop. No matter how talented the team, the Heat know that what theyve been able to achieve does not come easy for anybody. "You cant cheat it," Wade preached. "I think the first year when we were together we tried to cheat it, we tried to say, lets do it right now and we got to the championship but when we got there we realized that the continuity that we really needed, when we really needed it, wasnt there." "We didnt have enough time to build it. So it takes time to build." Toronto has dropped 12 straight games to the Heat since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Wade and 13 straight contests to Miami overall. Up next The Raptors will conclude a season-long four game homestand on Sunday afternoon playing host to the Denver Nuggets, a game you can catch on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 1:00pm et. wholesale nfl jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
