catcher Miguel Montero, who barely had to | Forum

ZADAR, Croatia -- Richard Gasquet faces teenager Borna Coric in the opening singles of the Davis Cup semifinal between injury-hit France and host Croatia on Friday. Koen Casteels Jersey .Rising French star Lucas Pouille then takes on 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic at the Kresimir Cosic Hall in Zadar.France has the clear advantage in doubles, with Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert -- the top-ranked doubles players in the world -- up against Ivan Dodig and Marin Draganja.In reverse singles Sunday, Gasquet faces Cilic and Pouille -- a U.S. Open quarterfinalist last month -- takes on the 19-year-old Coric.France is without its two best players, U.S. Open semifinalist Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.Both are hampered by knee problems.Monfils pulled out on Wednesday while Tsonga was replaced by Gasquet last week.Gasquet has an 11-8 record in singles, while the inexperienced Pouille has played only one Davis Cup match -- beating Jiri Vesely in the 3-1 quarterfinal win against the Czech Republic.But the 22-year-old Pouille will be full of confidence after knocking out 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, where he then lost to Monfils in the quarterfinals.For the Croats, Cilic is 19-9 overall in singles and Coric is 5-5.Croatia beat the United States 3-2 in the quarterfinals, with the versatile Cilic also lining up in doubles with Dodig against the Bryan brothers.France has won nine Davis Cup titles and lost eight finals, while Croatia won its only final 11 years ago away to Slovakia.France, which is captained by 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah, is also trying to curb a losing streak.Since winning the title in 2001 against Australia, it has lost three finals -- in 2002, 2010, and 2014.The winner will play either defending champion Britain, led by three-time Grand Slam and two-time Olympic champion Andy Murray, or resurgent Juan Martin del Potros Argentina in the final. Eden Hazard Belgium Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Jan Vertonghen Belgium Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. http:///...pean-Belgium-Jersey/ . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. CHICAGO -- Confidence has returned to the Chicago Cubs in the form of what manager Joe Maddon describes as a couple of slices of Meat Loaf.Anthony Rizzo homered twice off Bartolo Colon, Kyle Hendricks pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the Cubs beat the New York Mets 6-2 Wednesday to take two of three in the rematch of last years NL Championship Series.After entering the All-Star break on a 6-15 skid, the Cubs have taken four of six from AL West-leading Texas and the Mets, who swept them in last years NL Championship Series.A nice homestand. Four out of six aint bad, Maddon said. Eating Meat Loaf twice, Ill take it.The offbeat Maddon calls winning series eating Meat Loaf, a reference to the singers 1977 hit, Two Out of Three Aint Bad.Weve played six really good games since the break, and thats the part that has really stood out to me, Maddon said.A night after the first four-strikeout game of his big league career, Rizzo pulled a slider to right for a solo homer in the third, a drive that would have traveled 451 feet had it landed at ground level unimpeded, according to MLBs Statcast program.Two innings later with a runner on, he sent a fastball into the right-field bleachers -- estimated at 436 feet by Statcast -- for the 11th multihomer game of his career.If they go out just over the yellow line, its just as good, Rizzo said. But those definitely feel good. I just put good swings on the ball.Rizzo also hit a two-run homer in Mondays victory as the Cubs rebounded from a four-game sweep in New York this month. Chicago has won five of its last seven overall.Its really nice, Rizzo said. Its just what we want to do, keep winning series.Hendricks (9-6) gave up seven hits and hasnt allowed an earned run in his last three appearances. He lowered his ERA to 2.27, third best in the majors behind Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner.It seems to go that way when things are kind of going in your favor, you get away with some bad pitches, Hendricks said. That was really the case today.With the Mets wearing 1986 replica road uniforms, Colon (8-5) allowedd allowed six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings while laboring on the warm, humid day Maddon described as Instructional League hot. Simon Mignolet Belgium Jersey. I think mentally I wasnt all there and I paid the consequences, Colon said through a translator.Manager Terry Collins knew it wasnt Colons day when he walked two in the first inning. That led to Addison Russells two-run double, one of his three hits.There are days I havent seen Bartolo throw 15 balls in five innings, let alone in one inning, Collins said. Certainly uncharacteristic, but but youre going to have blips like that once and awhile.Javier Baez added an RBI single off Antonio Bastardo in a three-run fifth for Chicago.New Yorks Wilmer Flores hit his fifth home run in eight games, a two-run drive off Travis Wood in the eighth.The Mets, resting several starters ahead of a series in Miami, wasted chances.Juan Lagares hit into an inning-ending double play with runners at first and third base in the second. James Loney was thrown out at the plate by Jason Heyward to end the fourth when the center fielder charged Kelly Johnsons single and made a perfect one-hop throw to catcher Miguel Montero, who barely had to move his mitt.The last five or six games Ive pitched, Ive had unbelievable defense and theyre scoring runs, Hendricks said. Thats a good recipe for success and wins.AGE OF BARTOLOThe 43-year-old Colon is 219 days older than Cubs president Theo Epstein.TRAINERS ROOMMets: OF Yoenis Cespedes, who returned Monday from a strained right quadriceps, sat out. Collins said Cespedes is not close to being 100 percent. ... 2B Neil Walker and SS Asdrubal Cabrera also rested.Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (hamstring) was to begin a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment Wednesday night at Triple-A Iowa.UP NEXTMets: RHP Logan Verrett (3-6) faces Marlins LHP Adam Conley (6-5) on Friday night.Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel (8-5) starts Friday night at Milwaukee and RHP Jimmy Nelson (6-7). ' ' '