miaowang123: Ervin Santana has his scheduled start skipped due to swelling belo

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Facing the powerful Czech Republic in the Fed Cup is a tall order for the Canadian womens tennis squad and its top player Eugenie Bouchard. Mark Giordano Jersey .Bouchard is in for another match against the player who has become her nemesis, Petra Kvitova, if both opt to play for their respective countries when they meet Feb. 7-8 in Quebec City.Canada will host the Czech Republic on the campus of Laval University for the Fed Cup World Group I tie, Tennis Canada announced Thursday. Currently eighth in the Fed Cup rankings, Canada defeated Slovakia in a playoff tie in April at the same 3,000-seat venue.Bouchard is 0-3 against Kvitova, including losses in the finals at Wimbledon in June and the Wuhan Open on Sept. 27.They played three times and she never won a set from her, Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said on a conference call. Theyll be playing indoors, but thats also good for Kvitova.Shes a powerful player with a big, left-handed serve. Its tough, but Genie is young and improving and shell be comfortable in that atmosphere. One thing is shell have to be the initiator and the aggressor. If Kvitova takes control, shes tough to stop.Canadian team members include Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., Ottawa doubles ace Gabriela Dabrowski, Torontos Sharon Fichman and Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que.However Wozniak, who reached a career high ranking of 21st in the world before suffering a spate of injuries in recent years, is unlikely to be ready to return from recent shoulder surgery in time to play.A likely replacement would be 17-year-old Francoise Abanda of Montreal, currently ranked 175th in singles, or Torontos Heidi El Tabakh, ranked 200th.With Kvitova and Lucie Safarova, the Czechs are the top-ranked team in the world. They won the Fed Cup in 2011 and 2012 and will play for this years title in December against Germany.The Czechs have a perfect 5-0 record against Canada in Fed Cup play. Their last meeting came in 2002.Theyre probably the toughest challenge with their lineup and their history, said Bruneau. But we will have the advantage of playing in Canada.Yes, they will be the favourites, but with the tie played here, anything can happen.Ticket prices have been reduced to try to ensure a full house of boisterous Canada fans at Lavals PEPS facility.We want it to be crazy, said Tennis Canada vice-president Eugene Lapierre.He added that Quebec City was chosen over bids from other cities because the team did well there last time and the team liked the facilities and how the event was run. Rosters for both teams will be announced in January.The winner will advance to the Fed Cup semifinals and keep a place in World Group I for 2016. The loser will play a World Group I playoff to remain among the top eight countries in the world.It falls at an inconvenient time for both teams, amid a busy schedule of tournaments in Australia and Asia. The Australian Open ends Jan. 26. Top players will fly out after the Fed Cup for tournaments in Dubai and Doha.But Bruneau said Bouchard, who reached a career high ranking of sixth this week, has always been enthusiastic about playing Fed Cup, even when it meant marathon flights to places like Colombia and Ukraine.Eugenie did the same last year, said Bruneau. Im spoiled because, since Ive been captain, Ive never had a player refuse to play Fed Cup. The girls are very patriotic. Tanner Glass Jersey . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. Travis Hamonic Jersey . The rest of the team was already on the field stretching before batting practice while Puig was getting dressed in the clubhouse. He had been slated to start in right field for the afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants, who beat the Dodgers 8-4.ATLANTA -- The San Francisco Giants put together quite a mind-boggling statistic in their first three-game sweep at Turner Field. San Francisco did not have a hit with a runner in scoring position, but still won three straight over the Atlanta Braves. Credit belongs to strong pitching and seven home runs. Brandon Crawford hit two home runs and Madison Bumgarner helped the Giants beat Atlanta 4-1 Sunday, handing the Braves their sixth straight loss. The Giants were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position on Sunday and 0-for-7 in the series. Still, the NL West leaders left town with a five-game winning streak. "Thats incredible," manager Bruce Bochy said. "What a job our pitching did here. ... The long ball, thats what won it for us because we couldnt get a hit. They had great pitching as well." It was San Franciscos first sweep in Atlanta since 1988 -- long before Turner Field opened in 1997 and before Bumgarner was born in 1989. "Thats a big series for us," Bumgarner said. The Braves skid is their longest skid since an eight-game slide in May 2012. Atlanta, which leads the NL East, was held to one run in each of the losses to San Francisco. "Weve been struggling," said Dan Uggla, who was 0 for 4 and is hitting .190. "Weve got to turn the corner and just turn this thing around. Like, now." Bumgarner (3-3) allowed one unearned run and three hits in six innings, striking out nine. Improved control allowed Bumgarner earn his first win since April 11. He walked only one batter after issuing a combined eight passes in his last three starts. "I still felt like I got behind a lot of times when I wanted to get ahead, but its a big step forward," Bumgarner said. Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth for his first save. Closer Sergio Romo was rested after recording saves in two straight games. Crawford gave the Giants a 2-1 lead with his homer off Alex Wood (2-5) in the fourth. Crawford hit a two-run shot off Jordan Walden in the eighth for his first career multihomer game. He began the day with only one homer this season. Sam Bennett Jersey. Wood lost his fourth straight start, again receiving almost no run support. The one run scored by Atlanta on Sunday is the only offence Wood has received in that span, which included back-to-back 1-0 losses. The left-hander has a 3.00 ERA after allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who hinted he may tweak his slumping lineup, said an offensive turnaround is coming. "Somebodys going to have to pay for it," Gonzalez said. "Sooner or later somebodys going to come in here and were going to score 10 runs a game for two or three weeks. Thats my mindset Ive got going on right now." The Giants only runs in their first two wins of the series came on five solo homers. They found another way to score in the first when Hunter Pence hit a one-out double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Buster Poseys grounder to first base. Atlantas Evan Gattis was called for catchers interference on Poseys grounder, and the umpires initially ruled Posey was safe at first and Pence had to return to third base. Bochy took advantage of Rule 6.08c, which allows a manager to take the live play instead of the interference ruling. Jason Heyward hit a sacrifice fly in the Atlanta third. The Giants reclaimed the lead on Crawfords homer to right-centre with two outs in the fourth. NOTES: Bumgarner has allowed only one earned run in winning three straight starts against the Braves, including two wins in 2013. ... Gonzalez said SS Andrelton Simmons was held out for personal reasons and is expected to start on Monday. ... Braves RHP Gavin Floyd (elbow surgery) came off the 15-day DL and will start on Tuesday against St. Louis as RHP Ervin Santana has his scheduled start skipped due to swelling below his right thumb. Gonzalez said he expects Santana to start on Saturday against the Cubs. ... The Giants open a series at Pittsburgh on Monday as RHP Matt Cain starts. ... The Braves homestand continues on Monday night with RHP Aaron Harang facing Cardinals RHP Shelby Miller. Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys From China China Womens NFL Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Discount NFL Jerseys ' ' '