Gästebuch » Kershaw. The home team has a pretty good pitcher to

NEW YORK -- Its been a difficult few years for Australia basketball star Liz Cambage, on and off the court.She says shes grown up while dealing with injuries and an ongoing battle with depression.I feel like Im ready and healthy, Cambage told The Associated Press. Its been a long road back, but Im so excited for the Olympics.The 24-year-old will be key if Australia is going to continue its streak of medaling in every Olympics since 1996. Her physical problems started when she tore her Achilles before the 2014 world championship and couldnt play in that tournament. Australia finished a disappointing fifth. It was a tough road back from the injury, but Cambage said shes in the best shape shes ever been in.Ive been working on my fitness and it really shows, she said.She helped Australia go 2-1 in a pre-Olympic tour last week in the U.S. She had 22 points in a loss to the Americans on Sunday despite being saddled by foul trouble. Her size and strength make her a difficult matchup for anyone.Theres no one in the world like her because of her size and strength, U.S. center Sylvia Fowles said. Shes tough to guard.Cambage has also been working on her mental health. She admitted to Australian media last month that she has battled depression since she was a teenager. She confirmed that with the AP.Its something that Ive been constantly working on, Cambage said. Ive been getting help.Cambage admits she has made some mistakes over the last year. She missed an Australian training camp to attend a music concert in 2015 which didnt go over well with the coaching staff and teammates. She was also criticized for being outspoken on social media when a teammate dressed up as Kanye West at a party, complete with blackface.She has grown over the last few years and like all athletes gone through her ups and downs and questioned themselves, Australia coach Brendan Joyce said. One thing that Joyce doesnt want to see Cambage lose is her playful personality. She still exhibits a youthful exuberance whether shes bounding off the court, or joking with the media in the mix zone. She proudly sports a lion tattoo above her elbow. No, its not in honor of the Lion King shes quick to point out. Its her Zodiac sign. Shell celebrate her 25th birthday in Rio.She burst onto the international basketball scene at the 2010 world championship and then was taken at No. 2 by Tulsa in the 2011 WNBA draft. Being nearly 9,500 miles away from Australia didnt help her mentally and left her homesick.I was so far from home and was so young it just was a difficult situation, she said.That depression resurfaced after her last Olympics in 2012.Youre on such a high at the Olympics, she said. Its the pinnacle of sports and youre representing your country and then when its finished you drop down to such a low. Its like whats next? I have matured. It is four years later and I am still the same crazy kid deep down inside.She made a splash at the London Games, becoming the first woman to dunk in the Olympics. She has bigger goals in Rio.Its a pretty cool thing to have done, but there are other goals I want to accomplish, Cambage said. Winning a gold medal for Australia would be unbelievable.Cambage said when the Olympics end shell take some time off to relax. Unfortunately for WNBA fans she said she wouldnt potentially rejoin the league until maybe 2019.I really like Dallas, I talked to coach Fred Williams when we were training there, she said. I want to relax next year and then in 2018 we have the Commonwealth Games and the world championship again. Australia will always be my No. 1 priority.She hopes she can lead Australia to new heights in Rio.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg Adidas NMD Black Sale . 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Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide the showdown Saturday night between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.What we learned in Game 5The Cubs took a 3-2 NLCS lead by blowing open a 1-1 game via?Addison Russells two-run homer off Joe Blanton in the sixth inning; the Cubs later tacked on five runs off Pedro Baez before settling for an 8-4 victory. Cubs starter?Jon Lester fired 80 fastballs out of his 108 pitches during seven strong innings, although closer?Aroldis Chapman had another shaky outing, allowing two runs in the ninth.??-- David SchoenfieldInside the pitching matchupWhen Clayton Kershaw is on the mound: If this game has a déjà vu feeling for Dodgers fans, its because they were in this same spot in the 2013 NLCS against the Cardinals. Kershaw went out and had the third-worst game of his career by game score, giving up 10 hits and seven runs in four innings as the Cardinals cruised to a 9-0 victory to move on to the World Series.As in that game, Kershaw will be working on five days rest, as manager?Dave Roberts refrained from pitching him on short rest in Game 5. Kershaw is coming off the first scoreless start of his postseason career -- he limited the Cubs to two hits in seven innings in Game 2. Pitch efficiency was a key in that start as he threw just 84 pitches and the Cubs took 18 pitches for strikes. Its noteworthy that Kershaws two highest rates of fastballs thrown this year have come in the playoffs. He hit 61 percent in NLDS Game 4 against the Nationals and then again versus the Cubs.In the regular season, his fastball rate was 51 percent as he threw his slider more than ever, 33 percent of the time. What makes that pitch so tough is that it ends up in the strike zone over 50 percent of the time. Hey, theres a reason he walked just 11 batters in 21 starts. Batters hit just .138 against his slider, and if hes commanding it to the inside part of the plate against right-handers, you may as well call it a night.Is there any advantage for the Cubs, who will see Kershaw for the second time in the series? As Ben Lindbergh reports at The Ringer, the answer is no (at least since hes not pitching on three days rest).When Kyle Hendricks is on the mound: The major league ERA leader at 2.13, Hendricks ranked near the bottom of all starting pitchers in average fastball velocity, but nobody had a higher rate of first-pitch strikes than Hendricks 68.4 percent. He pounds the zone and expertly changes speeds with a sinker, curveball, cutter and changeup. Everything is to the corners -- away to lefties, away to righties. No starter had a higher percentage of pitches on the outer half of the plate than Hendricks, with 62 percent of his pitches on the outer third of the strike zone. As a result, he led all starters in limiting hard contact (batters hit just .207 against him overall).Hendricks two postseason starts havent gone quite as smoothly. Against the Giants in the NLDS, he had to leave after allowing two runs in 3? innings when he was hit in the forearm by a batted ball. In NLCS Game 2 against the Dodgers, he worked around four walks in 5? innings to escape with just one allowed. After throwing his fastball nearly 50 percent of the time in the regular season, he has cut way down on fastball usage in the playoffs, throwing it 27 percent of the time against the Giants and 39 percent against the Dodgers. Dont be fooled by the lack of velocity. His strikeout rate ranked 24th of 74 qualified starters, and batters hiit .dddddddddddd135 against the changeup and .164 against the cutter, as both had K rates of about 25 percent.How will Joe Maddon manage this game? As good as Hendricks was in Game 2, the Dodgers are so bad against left-handers that Maddon may have a fairly quick hook and rely on southpaws Travis Wood and Mike Montgomery out of the bullpen. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightPlayer in the spotlight: Kris Bryant. The likely National League MVP is crushing it in the postseason (.343 AVG/.425 OBP/.571 SLG) with five doubles and one home run. He went 0-for-4 in Game 4 but does have one hit off Kershaw in his career -- a home run.?-- SchoenfieldDid you know ...In Game 2, Kershaw joined Jon Lester and Rick Sutcliffe as the only pitchers to toss seven scoreless innings in the postseason at Wrigley Field, with the Dodgers ace the only visiting pitcher in that trio.?-- ESPN Stats & InfoWhat will decide the game Saturday nightCan Kershaw continue his dominance??Kershaw recorded 14 straight outs to begin Game 2. The last Dodgers pitcher to record 14 straight outs to begin a postseason game was Sandy Koufax, in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series. Keep an eye on Kershaws fastball usage. He threw a fastball on 60.7 percent of his pitches in Game 2, his second-highest rate this year (including the regular season). Cubs hitters went 1-for-16 with five strikeouts versus Kershaws heater. During the regular season, the Cubs hit .293 vs left-handed fastballs, fourth-best in the NL, and slugged .520. But they have struggled vs. lefty heaters so far in the playoffs, hitting just .152 and slugging .266 against lefty heat.?-- ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win??You want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Thats what we say, anyway. I actually think a more common path is to avoid playing the best. The Cubs dont have that option: Kershaw is the best pitcher in the Alpha Quadrant. This postseason has given us every indication that hes on top of his game. Behind him, the Dodgers will have a rested Kenley Jansen. As great as Kyle Hendricks has been at Wrigley Field, I just dont see how you can pick against L.A. in this one. Whatever happens, Game 6 is going to be epic. -- Bradford Doolittle? The Cubs face the toughest of tasks Saturday as there is no better pitcher on the planet than Kershaw. The home team has a pretty good pitcher too, in the form of Kyle Hendricks, who led the NL in home ERA among qualified pitchers. The first matchup between the two in Game 2 lived up to its billing, but this time the script will be flipped as the Cubs will squeak out a run -- and prevail -- in another 1-0 affair. Next up: the World Series. -- Jesse Rogers?Clayton Kershaw is positioned perfectly to help the Dodgers stop some Cubs momentum in Game 6. Expecting him to deliver another scoreless outing is a little much, so support from his offense will be critical. If this has a familiar ring to it, its because Kershaw helped stave off elimination in the NLDS to get his team to a winner-take-all contest. This time, he will pitch on regular rest and then some. -- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsWhere the series stands: Oh, nothing on the line here except the Cubs first trip to the World Series since 1945. Roberts would probably prefer to go from Kershaw straight to closer?Kenley Jansen and avoid a Joe Blanton situation. Maddon may empty his entire bullpen. I think the extra days of rest are going to help Kershaw. Were going seven.??-- Schoenfield ' ' '