Taiwan’s Kuo Hong-chih could be the closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers this year as the club enters the season with an unsettled bullpen while hoping to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1986-1987.
Kuo was assigned the job when Jonathan Broxton blew some save opportunities in the second half of last year.
On the question of whether Broxton could still close, an official Web site article said Broxton’s fastball last year lost a few ticks on the radar gun, but management believed his second-half collapse was mostly mental.
“A closer with doubts is a very dicey proposition, so even though he comes to camp with the job, the assumption is that his leash will be short,” the article said.
“With Hong-chih Kuo and Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers have some options, although Kuo’s durability will always be a question mark because of his elbow, and Jansen is so inexperienced the Dodgers aren’t ready to anoint him just yet,” the article said.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
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SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
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