andere Teams » 2 games for the final wild card.Seve

NEW DELHI --- Joan Balcells doesnt recall the year he played Rafael Nadal. He sure does remember beating him though. Over a decade and a half since, his favourite student Ramkumar Ramanathan was set to play the same foe here on Friday, before Nadal chose to pull out.Ramkumar didnt win against Feliciano Lopez, the Spaniard fielded in place of Nadal. But he was impressive: his will, grit and game belying his rankings.Lopez is a tough player, dominant with his serve, which shows whats kept him in business as a top-50 player for 15 years now, Balcells told ESPN from Teia, Spain. Ramkumar was rushing through some parts of the match but hes young and has a lot of time ahead of him. He won some good points and this is another step forward in his progress. Lopez is ranked 170-odd places above Ramkumar.Balcells, 41, was part of the Spanish team that won the Davis Cup final against Australia in 2000. Nadal was also on that team. Some time later, Balcells beat a bristling, teenaged Nadal in straight sets at a Challenger event in Sevilla.He was just 16 or 17 years old then and had already beaten a couple of the top 10 players, he said. I still recall our scoreline: 6,4, 6-4. After the match, his uncle Toni walked up to me and congratulated me before saying that his nephew was young and not used to facing a serve-and-volley player, which was the reason why I won. It was funny. Balcells was one of the few exponents of the serve and volley style of play in Spain during his time.Ramkumar, who is from Chennai, has a strong Spanish connection, having trained at the much-vaunted Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona since 2010. A big serve is one of the reed-thin 21-year-olds foremost strengths. Ramkumar has a good serve but he still has to get better at his volleys and baseline shots, said Balcells, whos associated with wetennisbcn, a tennis club in Teia.Rueing not being able to travel to New Delhi for the Davis Cup tie to watch his ward take on the Spaniards, the former world No. 57 had already told Ramkumar that the experience and the learning from such matches would trump the results. I told him to enjoy such moments on the court, Balcells said. These experiences will stay with him.Unwilling to be brushed aside as a pushover, Ramkumar put up a feisty show and managing to wrest a set from Lopez, the world No. 26. I did the best I could, Ramkumar said after the match. It wasnt enough though.Four years ago Emilio Sanchez, former world No. 7 and founder of the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy, had talked up Ramkumar: Remember his name, this kid from India will make news one day. Balcells believes Sanchez was right on the money.Stitched Blackhawks Jerseys . 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Chicago Blackhawks Store .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later.BALTIMORE -- Two out of three aint bad -- unless youre looking to make some headway in the crowded AL playoff race.The Baltimore Orioles sputtered in the clutch Sunday, and the resulting 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees ruined their bid for a three-game sweep.Coming off an 8-0 win on Friday night and a 2-0 victory Saturday, the Orioles missed a chance to sustain the momentum before hitting the road.Were trying to win games. You beat them twice and youre trying to beat them a third time, manager Buck Showalter said. We just didnt have much offensively.The Orioles stranded nine and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.After falling behind 4-0 in the fourth inning, Baltimore closed to 4-2 before wasting an opportunity to complete the comeback in the fifth.Adam Jones led off with a single and scored on a double by Pedro Alvarez. Luis Severino (2-8) replaced starter Michael Pineda and struck out Manny Machado before issuing two straight walks to load the bases. Steve Pearce struck out and Matt Wieters chopped a grounder to second base to end the threat.Baltimore got only one more hit the rest of the way.Before this series, the Orioles had lost five of seven. So while failing to complete the sweep wasnt ideal, at least Baltimore could take consolation in being in position to do so.I mean, Im trying to keep a positive mind frame, first baseman Chris Davis said. We won the series and well move forward.Baltimore is tied with Detroit for the second AL wild-card slot, but the loss dropped the Orioles three games out of first place in the AL East.After being shut out three consecutive times by the Orioles over a seven-day span, the Yankees promptly put an end to the streak with a three-run first inning.Wade Miley (8-12) walked the first two batters and struck out the next two before Chase Headley hit an RBI single. A wild pitch and a two-run single by Austin Romine followed.ddddddddddddHeadley singled home a run in the fourth, and Pearce hit a run-scoring grounder in the bottom half.Brett Gardner made it 5-2 with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.The victory was huge for the Yankees, who came to town after winning four straight series.You cant afford to lose three in a row to these guys, manager Joe Girardi said. We know they play really well in this building. We lost a tough one (Saturday) night. To be able to bounce back is important. It keeps us alive.Indeed, the young, retooled Yankees remain a part of the playoff picture, trailing Baltimore and Detroit by 3 1/2 games for the final wild card.Severino (2-8) pitched two strong innings of relief and Dellin Betances, the fifth New York reliever, got four outs for his eighth save.TRAINERS ROOMYankees: SS Didi Gregorius was held out of the starting lineup after absorbing some bumps and bruises during the series. His arm is sore where hes been hit the past few days, Girardi said. . 1B Mark Teixeira doesnt usually play in day games after playing the previous night, and thus was given Sunday off. Commenting on the ice pack Teixeira had on his neck before the game, Girardi said, He deals with his neck, he deals with his knee. Its not what you want, but its the reality.Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman (shoulder) threw off a mound and remains on course to come off the disabled list on Sept. 11.UP NEXTYankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (11-4, 3.12 ERA) opens a three-game series against visiting Toronto on Monday. New York is 3-9 against the Blue Jays this season, losing all four series.Orioles: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-11, 6.46) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay. Baltimore is 29-37 on the road, 3-3 at Tampa Bay. ' ' '