Derbyshire 224 for 3 (Godleman 107*, du Plooy 75) tied with Yorkshire 308 for 2 (Kohler-Cadmore 79, Lyth 78, Willey 72*, Brook 59*) (DLS method)

Brilliant Billy Godleman hit a third successive Royal London Cup century as Derbyshire, chasing a revised target of 225 in 22 overs, tied a thriller with Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.

A near three-and-a-half-hour afternoon rain delay meant Derbyshire, needing 17 off the last over and two off the last ball, were faced with a stiff target following early fireworks from the hosts, who posted 308 for 2 in 40 overs. David Willey bowled the last over, with Godleman and Matt Critchley running a bye to the wicketkeeper off the last ball as Yorkshire tied their second game in their last three North Group outings.

Yorkshire would have surely surpassed their highest List A total of 411 for 6 but for rain. Derbyshire then slipped to 10 for 2 in reply before captain Godleman and South African Leus du Plooy changed the game with a dynamic 135 partnership inside 13 overs.

Du Plooy hit five sixes in 75 off 37 balls before falling, only for Godleman to back up previous competition scores of 87, 116 and 106 by reaching his latest ton off 59 balls in the last over. He finished with 107 not out off 62, including six sixes, becoming the Derbyshire batsman to score three successive List A centuries.

Yorkshire have now won one, tied two and lost one of their first four North Group matches, while Derbyshire have won two, lost one and tied one in the race for a top three finish.

Each of the Vikings top four, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth, Harry Brook and departing England international Willey, all posted half-centuries after the hosts elected to bat.

Kohler-Cadmore top-scored with 79 off 92 balls and Lyth hit two sixes in 78 off 60. The opening pair shared 157 inside 24 overs to give their side the ideal platform on an excellent pitch.

Lyth was first to go, top-edging a pull at Ravi Rampaul to Sam Conners running in from long-leg. Conners had earlier struck Lyth on the head with a bouncer.

Kohler-Cadmore had hit a similarly measured 97 in Sunday's thrilling Roses defeat, but he missed out on a century again when he slapped Critchley's legspin to extra cover, leaving the Vikings at 167 for 2 in the 27th.

Then came the fireworks, led initially by Willey, who will link up with England for a training camp this weekend before the World Cup.

Willey smashed three of six sixes in the Vikings innings and reached 50 off 39 balls before finishing with 72 not out off 49. Unbeaten Brook, 59 off 40, reached his half-century off 36, the 20-year-old backing up an opening round century in victory over Leicestershire.

Willey and Brook had shared 141 inside 14 overs for the third wicket - a Yorkshire record in matches against Derbyshire - when the rain arrived, with 113 of those coming in what turned out to be the final eight overs of their innings.

Lyth's offspin then accounted for Luis Reece, stumped, before Willey had Wayne Madsen caught at deep square-leg. But then came the stunning turnaround, as Godleman and du Plooy targeted the leg side with great success against an off-colour home attack who regained composure just in time thanks to tight overs at the death from Willey, Duanne Olivier and Steve Patterson.

Godleman reached 50 off 28 balls after du Plooy's had come off 24. The latter holed out to Lyth, leaving the score at 145 for three in the 15th over, only for Critchley to help Godleman set up the mayhem at the death.

Somerset 353 for 5 (Trego 141, Azhar 110, Siddle 4-60) beat Essex 154 for 6 (Lawrence 51, Groenewald 3-34) by 36 runs (DLS method)

Azhar Ali and Peter Trego hit chanceless centuries as Somerset maintained their impressive start to the season with a 36-run Royal London One-Day Cup win over Essex under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern at Taunton.

The pair added 217 for the second wicket, a Somerset record for any wicket in List A games against Essex, Azhar hitting 110 and Trego contributing 141 to a total of 353 for 5 after their team had been invited to bat first in a contest reduced to 39 overs per side.

Essex had reached 82 for 3 from 12 overs in reply when rain forced a lengthy stoppage. When the teams went back on at 8.25pm, their target had become a further 109 from five overs and they fell 37 short.

The result gave Somerset maximum points from four group matches, while for Essex it was a third defeat in four. Azhar's hundred was his 17th in List A cricket and Trego's his tenth.

The game got underway at 3pm, two hours after the scheduled start, because of rain. There was no hint of the run-feast to come when Siddle struck in the second over, Tom Banton skying a catch to cover.

Somerset's new floodlights were on from the start. Azhar and Trego began cautiously until the latter cut loose in the seventh over, pulling a six over midwicket off Sam Cook and then lofting him over long-on into the River Tone.

Azhar was first to his half-century, off 45 balls, his innings characterised by some wristy off-side shots. The century stand came up off 88 deliveries and Trego brought up his fifty with a straight six off Simon Harmer, having faced 46 balls.

The two batsmen, with a combined age of 71, showed all their experience in shot selection, never looking in any bother. Azhar's first List A century for Somerset and first for the county at Taunton in any competition was reached with a six over extra-cover off Matt Quinn.

The former Pakistan ODI captain had faced 84 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes. Trego went to three figures in the following over off 84 deliveries, with eight fours and four sixes, celebrating as extravagantly as if it had been his first ton.

By the time Azhar was caught at long-on off Paul Walter, Somerset were well on course for a winning total. Trego went on to fall six short of his career-best List A score, while Lewis Gregory and James Hildreth cemented their side's strong position.

After five balls of the Essex innings, a shower sent the players back to the dressing rooms. The visitors, on 4 without loss, faced a revised target of 311 off 33 overs when play resumed at 6.35pm and quickly lost Walter, caught behind down the leg-side off Josh Davey for 1.

Alastair Cook survived a sharp chance to Lewis Gregory at midwicket on 15 before falling to Craig Overton's next delivery, wicketkeeper Banton taking a second catch off a thin edge. Tom Westley took 14 off an over from slow left-armer Roelof van der Merwe. But when the tenth over was completed, the number required to constitute a game, Essex were on 71 for 2, 34 behind on DLS.

Westley was bowled trying to lift van der Merwe over the leg side and it was raining steadily as he walked off. Shortly afterwards the clouds gathered and the umpires called another halt, with Dan Lawrence unbeaten on 32.

Another restart was ordered for 8.25pm. With only a sprinkling of spectators left in the ground, Essex, needing more than 21 an over for the target of 191, added 72 to close on 154 for 6, Lawrence being dismissed for 51.

During the interval Somerset made a presentation to Hildreth, who was making his 625th appearance for them in all competitions, the most by any player in the club's history.

Namibia 396 for 3 (Kotze 148, Baard 122, Smit 61*) beat Hong Kong 245 (Rath 76, Kinchit 56, Scholtz 2-37) by 151 runs

A record Namibian total propelled by twin centuries from Stephan Baard and JP Kotze took them to a historic win over Hong Kong at Affies Park to clinch ODI status for the tournament hosts, the first time they will be playing one-day internationals since the 2003 World Cup.

After sending Namibia in, Hong Kong's bowling unit did well to restrict Namibia early as Jean Bredenkamp focused on seeing off the new ball before falling in the 15th over for 19. Even after 20 overs, Namibia had only reached 78 for 1, but added 318 off the final 30 overs - and 128 in the last 10 - in an intelligent display of power hitting as Baard, Kotze, JJ Smit and Zane Green utilized the wind at their backs hitting towards the Pavilion End.

Baard had brought up his 50 off 78 balls in the 25th over, at which point Kotze was only on 36 after entering at No. 3. But Kotze commenced his onslaught in the 27th off Kinchit Shah's offspin, smashing him for a four and two sixes. More carnage came against teenage legspinner Jhatavedh Subramanyan in the 32nd as Kotze slammed a brace of fours and sixes off the first four balls to move into the 90s before bringing up a 62-ball ton in the 35th over.

Baard took nearly twice the time, bringing up his century off 121 balls in the 41st over, by which stage Kotze was on 148, putting fellow Namibian Gerrie Snyman's WCL record of 196 made in 2007 at neighboring Wanderers in the crosshairs. But Kotze and Baard fell in the space of four balls across the next two overs, ending a 243-run stand. However, the carnage was far from over as Smit and Green continued to slog away adding an unbroken 103-run stand over the last 46 balls as Namibia finished 16 runs short of the all-time WCL record made by UAE when they scored 412 against Argentina next door at Wanderers in 2007.

Hong Kong were actually in far better position than Namibia had been at the 20-over mark as Anshuman Rath made yet another half-century leading Hong Kong in reply with a 132-run second wicket stand with Kinchit Shah. But both fell in the space of 10 balls in the 23rd and 25th over and from there Hong Kong's chase fizzled.

Papua New Guinea 221 for 8 (Bau 80, Doriga 65, Fayyaz 4-46, Nadeem 4-47) beat Oman 76 (Khawar 29, Pokana 5-14, Soper 3-15) by 145 runs

An hour into the day, PNG's dreams of ODI status appeared to be going up in smoke at 32 for 5. But a miraculous recovery effort from Sese Bau and Kiplin Doriga revived their innings to post a competitive total before a stunning new-ball spell from left-arm seamer Nosaina Pokana rocked Oman as PNG reclaimed the ODI status that they lost at the 2018 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe with a shock win over Oman.

Doriga was named Man of the Match for his 65 made from No. 6 before completing five dismissals behind the stumps and a runout in a stunning collapse from Oman to break their 10-match WCL winning streak. PNG benefitted greatly from the injury-enforced absence of Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood while fast bowler Kaleemullah was also rested after Oman had secured a place in the final prior to entering the last day of round-robin play. Doriga and Bau constructed a 129-run sixth-wicket stand that brought the match back to life and set the stage for an incredible turnaround.

Set 222 to win, Pokana was on a hat-trick after dismissing Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas on the first two deliveries of the chase. By the end of the ninth over, he had claimed his maiden five-for as Oman fell to 23 for 6, reminiscent of their 24 all out performance against Scotland without Maqsood in February.

Stand-in captain Khawar Ali was one of just two batsmen to reach double-figures, having watched helplessly at the non-striker's end from the start of the chase. Chad Soper followed Pokana's new-ball spell to wipe out the Oman tail for just 76 to move PNG above Canada on net run rate.

Canada 255 for 4 (Dhaliwal 121*, Kumar 58, Jacobs 57, Khan 3-65) beat United States of America 215 for 9 (Malhotra 50, Eranga 4-47) by 40 runs

In cricket's oldest rivalry, Canada won the battle but lost the war as a 40-run win over USA was soured by a final-over boundary struck by USA No. 11 Nosthush Kenjige that moved Canada below PNG on net run rate.

USA's chase of Canada's 255 lost its way after the runout of Steven Taylor in the 29th over when he wound up at the same end as Jaskaran Malhotra after Malhotra changed his mind for a possible run pushed into the covers. Malhotra could not carry USA across the line to atone for the runout, driving Nikhil Dutta to extra cover for 50 to make it 159 for 4 in the 38th.

After both set batsmen were gone, left-arm seamer Romesh Eranga capitalized to take three quick wickets to make it 191 for 7. By this stage, the calculation was known at Wanderers following the PNG result that Canada needed to hold USA to 211 or less in order to claim the final ODI status slot.

Saad bin Zafar returned for a second spell of left-arm spin and had tailenders Saurabh Netravalkar and Ali Khan caught in back-to-back overs to make it 198 for 9. But just as it was against Nepal 14 months earlier on the same ground, Canada could not take the final wicket. Entering the last over, they had two runs left to protect. After Karima Gore took a single off the third ball, Zafar tried to slip in a quicker ball to Kenjige but landed it too short, allowing Kenjige to cut behind point for a boundary. After Kenjige blocked out the last two balls, Zafar kicked the last delivery away in disgust knowing they had missed ODI status in spite of the win.

The result took the shine off Navneet Dhaliwal's century as the opener carried his bat all 50 overs to make 121. But Canada only scored one boundary during a crucial phase from the 41st through the 47th over as Dhaliwal pushed 10 singles off 12 balls in that stretch to go from 90 to 100 despite Canada having seven wickets in hand. Canada added 29 off the last three overs, but the lack of intent in the prior sequence cost them dearly in the end.

NEW YORK -- Defense attorneys for the two men accused of bribing college coaches tried to convince jurors Friday that the payments made weren't really bribes, but just a hustle to get potential investors to part with their money.

But as the government brought on its second witness, the calls, text messages and emails showing discussions about paying players, their families and coaches -- in exchange for getting top young players to sign with the defendants in return -- continued to mount.

On Thursday, prosecutors showed video of a meeting that defendant and aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins attended in July 2017 with Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy, where Murphy accepted a $6,000 payment from an undercover FBI agent posing as an investor in Dawkins' new athlete financial services company.

Government witness Marty Blazer -- who participated in the FBI investigation -- testified Thursday that Murphy was one of the coaches that Dawkins was going to pay to gain influence with top players. During the meeting at a posh Las Vegas hotel room, Murphy talked about how he could deliver a top NBA prospect by the name of Marcus Phillips.

When Dawkins' attorney Steven Haney questioned Blazer on Friday, he asked if Blazer would be surprised to know that "there's nobody named Marcus Philips who ever played for Creighton University," and that when Dawkins and Murphy walked out of the hotel room together they "laughed all the way down the hall."

The Bluejays had a Marcus Foster at that time, but no Marcus Philips.

Haney also asked Blazer about some of the other payments made to coaches in that hotel room, including $6,000 to former TCU assistant Corey Barker and $13,000 to former USC coach Tony Bland, one of the coaches who has pleaded guilty in connection with the case. On Thursday, Blazer testified that Dawkins needed to get the money to Bland for a potential recruit -- Marvin Bagley, who eventually enrolled at Duke.

In referring to Bland, Haney asked whether an assistant coach who made $400,000 and flies around in a private jet "could be bribed for a few thousand dollars?"

He asked whether Blazer followed Bland and Dawkins down to the casino floor and saw Bland give Dawkins the money back, and asked other questions about the payments that implied that money was actually returned to Dawkins, including a reference to Dawkins depositing $9,000 into an ATM machine shortly thereafter.

"With all your experience being a con man," Haney said to Blazer, "you weren't aware that Christian Dawkins was actually hustling all of you?"

Much of the questioning around Blazer centered on his checkered past as an athlete financial advisor involving investment fraud and falsifying documents, which resulted in his guilty plea in September 2017 to a variety of fraud-related charges.

"You stole money from NFL players who risked their lives every Sunday?" Haney asked him, referencing the money Blazer took from his professional football clients.

"I'm not proud of that," Blazer said.

When another defense attorney pointed out how Blazer had lied on numerous other occasions, Blazer responded, "Yes, but I'm trying to do better."

Blazer testified that he cooperated with the government in its investigation -- including his testimony this week -- in exchange for possible leniency on his sentence.

Dawkins was on trial along with ex-Adidas consultant Merl Code, whose attorney David Chaney drilled into Blazer's motivation behind his participation in the government's investigation, asking whether his eventual sentence would be based on the government's evaluation of his testimony.

"My understanding is that I need to be truthful and testify. I'm here. I'm speaking truthfully," Blazer said.

After Blazer's questioning, the government showed the jury additional text messages, emails and transcripts of phone calls referring to coaches and players, with some referencing arrangements for payments. They also brought in their second witness: Dawkins' former business partner Munish Sood, a New Jersey investment banker who was indicted along with Dawkins. Sood pleaded guilty to a series of bribery-related charges in August 2018 and became a witness for the government.

One piece of evidence presented was a copy of a text message between Code and Dawkins listing coaches in advance of their trip to Las Vegas in July 2017, with one of them listing former Nebraska assistant Kenya Hunter, who left in 2018 for UConn. Dawkins' text to Code states, "Do we need to do Kenya? I think we have done enough for them to see value. Can Kenya really get dudes?" There is no reference to Hunter getting paid.

A phone call from July 2017 between Dawkins and the undercover FBI agent posing as an investor had Dawkins talking about former South Carolina and Oklahoma State coach Lamont Evans, who has also already pleaded guilty in the case. At the time, Blazer was paying Evans, but Dawkins said, "I was giving Lamont resources prior to knowing you guys," and at another point in the call says, "He got a kid right now that I want."

In connection with that transcript, prosecutors also showed messages with Evans around that same time referring to Jeffrey Carroll, who played for Oklahoma State at the time.

In that same July 2017 phone call with the undercover agent, Dawkins talks to the agent -- posing as an investor -- about previous correspondence in which there was a reference to money, saying, "Anything that comes of money, in this business ... never text it because you never want to have a paper trail or anything."

Prosecutors showed a copy of an email from April 2016 from Dawkins to Sood and Blazer listing several players and possible arrangements. "I will sign elite guys, that isn't the issue," Dawkins writes at one point in the email.

It reads in part: "Moving forward, I need confirmation on certain things to know how I will be able to operate. The business is nonstop, and I have to be able to sustain things and have a clear picture if I can do things with you guys or take opportunities elsewhere. I took care of these situations all the way through and there's a lot of money out."

Sood testified that he took that to mean that Dawkins was paying players, their families, and coaches from his personal funds.

One of the players listed was standout Miles Bridges, who would go on to play two seasons for Michigan State. "His family needs $2,500 a month. He should be a one-and-done and be drafted in the 15-20 range," the email stated.

One of the other players listed was Edmond Sumner, who was a player at Xavier at the time. Sood testified that Sumner needed $75,000 "in the coming year." Sood said he didn't give Dawkins the $75,000, but that he gave Sumner a loan -- after he was drafted -- and also in order to secure him as a client, had to pay off a prior financial advisor with whom Sumner had an arrangement.

The Johnson County District Attorney's office has reopened its criminal case into Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, coach Andy Reid said at a news conference on Friday.

The decision to reopen the investigation into Hill and his fiancée, Crystal Espinal, follows an audio recording released on Thursday by KCTV in Kansas City in which Espinal accused Hill of abusing their 3-year-old son.

On Wednesday, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen M. Howe had said charges would not be filed after police were called to Hill's home twice last month and investigators determined the child had been injured. Howe said he believed a crime had occurred but that the evidence didn't clearly establish who committed it.

After the release of the audio on Thursday, the Chiefs announced that Hill had been barred indefinitely from all team activities.

"We were deeply disturbed by what we heard [on the recorded conversation]," general manager Brett Veach said Thursday. "We were deeply concerned. Now, obviously, we have great concern for Crystal. We are greatly concerned for Tyreek. But our main focus, our main concern, is with the young child."

In the 11-minute audio file, Espinal tells Hill that when asked about an injury to the child's arm, the boy replied: "Daddy did it.''

Hill denied any role in what happened to the child's arm, adding: "He says Daddy does a lot of things."

Espinal then says, "A 3-year-old is not going to lie about what happened to his arm.''

"Daddy did it," Espinal says, paraphrasing the boy. "He is terrified of you."

Hill responds, according to the recording: "You need to be terrified of me, too, b----."

Later in the recording, Espinal says, "He kept saying 'Daddy punches me,' which you do when he starts crying. What do you do? You make him open up his arms, and you punch him in the chest. Then if he gets in trouble, you get the belt out.''

At another point in the recording, Espinal brings up the investigations by the Overland Park (Kansas) Police Department and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

"Now, somehow this investigation got brought back up, and you're about to lose your [deleted],'' she says.

"Now, I really want you [to] sit and think about it because I rode for you against that detective and the [DCF] people.''

Espinal then talks about what Hill does when their son starts crying.

The conversation was recorded as the couple walked through Dubai International Airport, according to KCTV. No date for the conversation was given.

ESPN was unable to independently confirm Thursday that it was Hill and Espinal on the recording.

Police were called to Hill's Kansas City home after the release of the audio. According to reports, Espinal was fine and officers were at the home for only a short time.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN's Sam Ponder on Thursday that the league was still investigating.

"When you get the facts, then you make a decision about how it fits into our personal conduct policy," Goodell said. "You don't make a decision without having those facts."

ESPN's Adam Teicher and The Associated Press contributed to this report

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter on Friday said he has a separated left shoulder and his status for the Western Conference semifinals remains uncertain.

Kanter said the injury happened during Portland's 118-115 series-clinching victory against Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The Blazers returned to practice Friday as they wait to learn their opponent.

Kanter was shooting during the workout, although at times he rubbed the shoulder.

"I think the Blazers are doing a very good job taking care of it. But, I mean obviously, I'm not going to lie, it hurts pretty bad," Kanter said. "I mean I'm having a hard time changing my shirt or eating food. So it's a process. We're just taking it day by day, see how it feels."

Despite the injury, Kanter had 13 points and 13 rebounds in Portland's victory over the Thunder.

The Blazers will play the winner of the first-round series between the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs, which is tied at 3. Game 7 is Saturday night in Denver.

Blazers coach Terry Stotts said he was hopeful Kanter could play in Game 1, set for Monday regardless of the opponent. He said the extended break -- Portland was the first team in the West to advance to the next round -- will help.

"I know it's too early," Stotts said about the decision. "The good thing is we don't play until Monday, so we don't really have to make any decisions until then. So we're hopeful."

Kanter, 26, has had a somewhat turbulent season already. He was waived by the New York Knicks following the trade deadline. Once a starter, he fell out of the rotation altogether when New York -- which finished with the worst record in the league -- turned its focus to younger players.

He was signed by the Blazers just before the All-Star break as a backup to starter Jusuf Nurkic.

But Kanter became vitally important for Portland when Nurkic broke his leg in an overtime victory at home over the Brooklyn Nets on March 25. Nurkic was averaging 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a game this season.

Kanter averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 23 games down the stretch with the Blazers, including eight starts.

In the playoffs, he is averaging 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds. In Game 1 against the Thunder, he had 20 points and 18 rebounds and was dubbed the game's MVP by teammate Damian Lillard.

He has faced challenges beyond the court as well. A native of Turkey, Kanter missed a game in Toronto shortly after joining the Blazers because he thought his life might be in danger if he left the United States. As a result of his criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kanter had been labeled a terrorist by his native country. His passport was revoked and Turkey has reportedly issued a warrant for his arrest with Interpol.

For now, Kanter is working out lightly and doing some lifting. The concern isn't just whether he can play through the pain, but whether there's a chance for further damage, he said.

He said he will work with the team's trainers and see how the shoulder feels.

"They just said it's a separation, it's normally around a month to just heal it," he said. "But I mean, you don't have a month to take off, so I'm just going to push through it."

Will the Milwaukee Bucks coast through another series? Are the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers destined to go seven games? Our experts make their picks for the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Note: Experts' picks for the Western Conference semifinals will be added following the Nuggets-Spurs and Warriors-Clippers series.

More: Schedules and results | Playoffs bracket | Tickets

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. paid tribute to his Hall of Fame father before his major league debut for Toronto against Oakland, arriving at Rogers Centre dressed in a replica of his dad's Montreal Expos jersey.

The 20-year-old was set to bat fifth and play third base Friday.

"Since I was a kid I was running around with my dad in the clubhouse in Montreal," Guerrero Jr. said. "I just wanted to bring that back today."

Guerrero wore No. 27, the number retired in honor of his father by the Los Angeles Angels.

Guerrero's famous father was on hand to watch his son take batting practice, which was broadcast live on Sportsnet, the Canadian network operated by team owner Rogers Communications.

Toronto selected Guerrero's contract from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned infielder Richard Urena to the International League farm team.

Beyond the goings-on north of the border, we've got a playoff rematch from last season and a big AL East rematch from last weekend, among other intriguing series. Here's what we're excited about this weekend and how we think things will play out.

Two of the AL power teams meet as the Indians face the Astros, with the series finale on Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN, 7 p.m.). If you had to pick one pair, which team's left side of the infield would you take: Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman of Houston or Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez of Cleveland?

Sam Miller: Not Tatis/Machado? (No, not Tatis/Machado, not quite.) At this precise moment, with Lindor still catching up after an injured spring, and Ramirez still in a serious rut, I'd go with the Astros' pair. But give me any longer time frame than this precise moment, and I'll take Cleveland's. There are quite possibly three Hall of Famers in this group -- I couldn't for the life of me say who I'm predicting won't make it -- but Lindor could be an inner-circle inductee, one of the 30 or 40 greatest players of all time and maybe the one active player most likely to elevate to the Mookie & Mike tier.

David Schoenfield: Ramirez hit his second home run Wednesday, but that only underscores what Sam pointed out: He has been slumping for a long time now. Since last Aug. 18, he has played 61 games and hit .173/.290/.283. That's a long stretch of not just terrible production for a superstar, but terrible production for Hanley Ramirez, and the Indians just released Hanley. Until Jose starts hitting, the answer for 2019 is Correa and Bregman.

Eddie Matz: Injury or no injury, Lindor was my preseason pick to win the AL MVP. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. On top of that, if we're talking about left sides of infields, how can we not factor in defense? Since the start of 2016, Bregman and Correa have combined for minus-three runs saved. Meanwhile, Lindor and Ramirez are at plus-40. Granted, most of that is Lindor (he's a defensive Paul Simon, and Ramirez is clearly Art Garfunkel), but duos are duos. And I'm taking Cleveland's here.

The Pirates-Dodgers series should be interesting. L.A. leads the NL in runs scored and OPS, and Pittsburgh's pitching has been outstanding (3.29 team ERA, MLB-best 2.7 WAR for SPs). How long can the Pirates' pitchers keep it up?

Miller: Jameson Taillon was the much-talked-up breakout ace candidate this offseason -- and he was easy to talk up, on account of his having already broken out in the second half last year -- but I also had at least one smart friend giddily high on each of Joe Musgrove, Jordan Lyles and Trevor Williams. That's to say that the latter trio's excellent pitching isn't totally out of nowhere. But it's also to note that those giddy forecasts were outlier opinions, and my friends aren't actually that smart. Some regression is due soon.

Schoenfield: Is the rotation going to have a 2.45 ERA all season? No. Does it have a chance to be one of the three best in the National League? Yes. Their dominance is a little unconventional for 2019-style baseball as the rotation ranks just 17th in the majors in strikeout rate, but they throw strikes and have induced weak contact thanks to the highest chase rate so far. Speaking of second-half breakouts, Trevor Williams now has a 1.67 ERA over his past 18 starts. He just might be really good, getting ground balls with that sinker.

Matz: Pitcher WAR? Are we really leaning on pitcher WAR here? Regardless of what stat you choose to measure the success of Pittsburgh's pitching, the honeymoon's about to end. Don't get me wrong -- the Pirates' rotation is definitely better than most people realize. But the schedule has been kind so far. Half of Pittsburgh's first 22 games came against teams that are severely challenged offensively (Reds, Tigers, Giants). In those games, Pirates pitchers gave up an average of 2.3 runs. In their other 11 games against legitimate lineups (Cardinals, Cubs, Nationals, Diamondbacks), they gave up 5.4 runs per contest. So what's up next for the Bucs? Seventeen straight against teams ranked in the top half of MLB in scoring. Fifteen of those 17 are against clubs ranked in the top seven (Dodgers, Rangers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks). Gulp.

You may have heard some big-swinging rookie is about to make his debut in Toronto. We've got a whole roundtable devoted to Vlad Guerrero Jr., but what do you think we'll see this weekend at Rogers Centre?

Miller: Probably a lot of camera cutaways to a familiar Hall of Famer in the crowd and, hopefully, a lot of swinging. I don't think there's any question Guerrero is going to be a very good ballplayer -- even within the realm of You Can't Predict Baseball, there are limits to what you can't predict -- but what I'm expecting are signs that Guerrero will be a unique, mold-breaking offensive force, a batter who does things nobody else does in a way nobody else does. I expect to see some really fun two-pitch at-bats: first-pitch fastball at the up-and-away edges of the strike zone, fouled away; second-pitch slider scraping the bottom of the zone, lined off the wall. Maybe right through the wall.

Or something like that. The truth is that most of us have only the caricatured vision of Guerrero, informed by incredulous scouting write-ups, a few absurd highlight videos and the Pavlovian response to hearing the name "Vladimir Guerrero" again. This weekend, we'll get to see him fill out the vision more completely and start to become his own ballplayer with his own name.

Schoenfield: Instead of sad Maple Leafs fans, we'll see happy Blue Jays fans! It's weird. That 2015-16 playoff run already feels like another generation ago (in a way, it was, since the Jays have turned over almost the entire roster). Vladdy Jr. will inject some life not just in the lineup, but in a fan base that -- as we saw in the 2015 playoffs -- will support this team with enthusiasm if there's a winning product to cheer. Guerrero won't turn the Jays into instant contenders, but he's going to hit and has a chance to become a transcendent force at the plate. It all starts this weekend in maybe the most-anticipated debut since Bryce Harper.

Matz: It should be a nice soft landing for Vladito (not that he needs one). The first two starters he'll face (Brett Anderson and Mike Fiers) both rank in the bottom 10 in the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Oakland's Sunday starter (Chris Bassitt) isn't a big bat-misser, either. Combine all that with VGJ's supernatural control of the strike zone, and good-ish things should happen: Guerrero goes 3-for-11 with a walk and a double. And an error.

Writer's choice: What's the one thing (other than Baby Vlad) you're most looking forward to seeing this weekend?

Miller: Cody Bellinger's .400 chase? I know that sounds absurd, since it's only late April. Bellinger isn't even a high-average type of hitter, and I haven't really cared about batting average in forever. But I love anything that creates day-to-day tension and, other than a long hitting streak, nothing in baseball is as tense, as easy to follow, and as unforgiving as a .400 chase. I'm going to enjoy it while I can, since these days .400 chases almost never make it very far into May.

Schoenfield: The Rays-Red Sox series at Fenway will be interesting as Boston pulled a sweep last weekend in Tampa, but I want to see how Jacob deGrom fares Friday against the Brewers. One day his elbow is "barking," then a few days later he's suddenly OK. He was brilliant in his first two starts (no runs, 24 strikeouts) and not brilliant for two starts before his IL stint (nine runs, five home runs, 12 strikeouts). Needless to say, the Mets need brilliant deGrom if they're going to win the NL East.

Matz: Kirby Yates flirting with history. It probably won't happen, but Yates has a chance to set the record for most saves in a single month. San Diego's closer -- who took over after the Padres traded Brad Hand last July -- is at 12 saves right now, most in the majors. If he saves all three games against Washington, he'll tie the record shared by Lee Smith, John Wetteland and Chad Cordero. If Yates gets four saves in San Diego's five remaining April games, he'll have the record all to himself. And if that happens, there's a good chance that the Padres (the Padres!!!) will have entered May atop the NL West.

PICK 'EM TIME

Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s debut in Toronto is generating a lot of buzz, but it is fighting for attention up north with the Raptors in the playoffs and the Maple Leafs' postmortems.

Attendance at Rogers Centre for the three-game series: Over or under 65,000?

Miller: Under. Guerrero's late debut merely reinforces the larger truth that Toronto's front office doesn't believe this season is worth caring about. He's certainly worth a bump, but the Blue Jays drew only 60K Friday-through-Sunday in their opening weekend of the season.

Schoenfield: I'll go over. I think they can get an extra 7,000 in walk-up sales over that first weekend.

Matz: Over. Toronto drew just under 60K in each of its first two weekend series at home. I have to think that Guerrero is worth at least an extra couple of thousand per game. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jays draw 30,000 for his debut.

Two of the top-scoring offenses in the AL meet when the Mariners host the Rangers (Friday, 10:10 p.m., and Sunday, 4:10 p.m., on ESPN+). Who will have more total bases this weekend: Texas' Joey Gallo or Seattle's Mitch Haniger?

Miller: Or better, who will allow more total bases this weekend, the Rangers (5.60 team ERA) or the Mariners (4.33)? Gallo is certainly having a moment -- his exit velo is 5 mph higher than last year, and the highest in baseball -- but Haniger at home is the right bet here.

Schoenfield: Haniger is having a weird season. He's striking out more and walking less than last year, but his isolated power is way up, and he has 19 extra-base hits already. Gallo is crushing baseballs, however. Plus, Yusei Kikuchi will have an abbreviated outing Friday, and Marco Gonzales started Thursday, so Gallo should feast on some right-handed pitching. I'll go with Gallo.

Matz: Haniger has always crushed Texas pitching (1.016 career OPS). He also has great numbers against Saturday starter Mike Minor. Gallo will get his, but Haniger will get more.

Who do you like Sunday night -- Indians or Astros?

Miller: I like the Astros every day of the week, every time of the day, and against every team in baseball.

Schoenfield: Carlos Carrasco seems like a wild card since he left because of a leg injury after four innings in his previous start. Wade Miley has been pretty good, and with Ramirez struggling and Lindor just getting going, the Cleveland lineup remains weak. Astros.

Matz: Carrasco is banged up, and the Astros have lost exactly once at home this season. Plus, they're the Astros. I'll take Houston.

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we'll ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

Editor's note: One of our contestants has asked to have some information formally put on the record. The floor recognizes Mr. Schoenfield:

Schoenfield: I would like to point out that I did not receive credit for the two home runs Eddie Rosario hit last Thursday, AFTER I made him my selection. Granted, he still hit three for the weekend, but crediting him with him five home runs would further cement the genius of the pick. So. As for this week, what the heck: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Kenyan runner had been due to race the London Marathon on Sunday

Kenya’s world half-marathon record-holder Abraham Kiptum has been provisionally suspended from competition following an athlete biological passport (ABP) violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit‏ (AIU) has announced.

The AIU confirms a Provisional Suspension against Kenyan long-distance runner Abraham Kiptum for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation under the @iaaforg Anti-Doping Rules.
Find out more ➡ https://t.co/opInfkVlnV#CleanSport pic.twitter.com/cYfRgWoFkW

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) April 26, 2019

The 29-year-old had been due to race in Sunday’s Virgin Money London Marathon but following news of his suspension, event organisers confirmed that Kiptum had left the UK capital.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy on doping,” said London Marathon event director Hugh Brasher.

“London is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and we recently announced a groundbreaking extensive intelligence-driven testing programme.

“This shows the programme is working. Cheats will be caught and there is no place for them in marathon running.”

This explains why I saw Abraham Kiptum put in a car along with his suitcase outside the Tower Hotel (London Marathon HQ) at around 5.30pm today. https://t.co/bVbUND6Klb

— Malcolm Anderson (@malc_anderson) April 26, 2019

Kiptum clocked a time of 58:18 at the Medio Maratón de Valencia Trinidad Alfonso last October to break the world half-marathon record, which had been set by Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese in 2010, by five seconds.

Kiptum’s mark improved on his PB of 59:09 which had been set just six weeks before in Copenhagen.

He ran a fast marathon in Abu Dhabi in December but his 2:04:16 is not his official PB as the course was later deemed to be short. His best time for the full 26.2-mile event is 2:05:26, run in Amsterdam in 2017.