TALLADEGA, Ala. – Xtreme Concepts Racing has bolstered its executive team with the addition of Jennifer Yohe as president and chief business development officer.

Yohe will lead day-to-day business operations as well as brand strategy and partnership development for XCI Racing, which made its NASCAR debut in the March 30 Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, finishing eighth with driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.

Yohe joins XCI Racing after 11 years at Comcast Cable, where she was senior vice president of procurement. In that role, Yohe managed the procurement team and its agreements and relationships. She also oversaw business-to-business development across Comcast and its partners, including NBC and Spectacor. It was this aspect of her work where Yohe became immersed in NASCAR as she managed Comcast’s relationships with industry partners and teams.

“Jennifer has been a key player in Xtreme Concepts’ entry into NASCAR and we’re proud to have her part of our leadership as we build a competitive NASCAR team,” said Landon Ash, owner, XCI Racing. “Jennifer’s relationships in the sport have made our alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing even stronger, allowing for more inroads with prospective partners. As a new organization, it’s important we make the right decisions at the right time. Jennifer’s experience in leadership and business development, along with her understanding of motorsports, gives XCI Racing the necessary depth to succeed in partnership development.”

Prior to her time at Comcast Cable, Yohe worked with Time Warner Cable, starting out as a business operations manager in 2001 and eventually becoming the organization’s vice president of business affairs in 2007. Recognized for her strong business leadership and procurement success, Yohe was named by CableFAX: The Magazine as one of the Most Powerful Women in Cable eight straight times between 2011-2018 and was the 2012 SCTE•ISBE Women in Technology award winner.

“I am thrilled to join XCI Racing as they grow their motorsports presence,” said Yohe, who throughout her time in the cable telecommunications industry served as a business advisor to several NASCAR teams. “XCI Racing has already taken the right steps in partnering with top organizations while simultaneously committing to develop the future of the sport through its relationships with drivers Jeffrey Earnhardt and Hailie Deegan. I look forward to broadening XCI Racing’s relationships within the sport and garnering new business opportunities that will prepare the team for long-term success.”

XCI Racing will make its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with Earnhardt piloting the No. 81 Toyota Camry. The team will return to Talladega in October for its second NASCAR Cup Series race, but in between XCI Racing will compete in four Xfinity Series races with Earnhardt: June 29 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, July 5 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, Aug. 16 Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

BAKU CITY, Azerbaijan – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fired the first shot of the weekend at the Bake City Circuit by pacing Friday’s practice sessions for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two during the second practice to put his name at the top of the overall practice charts with a top time of 1:42.872. His Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel was second fastest, .324 of a second off Leclerc’s best lap.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was third fastest overall, but was more than half a second off the pace set by Leclerc. Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull, followed by the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

The opening practice of the day was limited to just 13 minutes when George Russell ran over a loose drain cover, severely damaging his Williams entry and forcing a lengthy red flag period to address the loose drain cover.

The red flag’s continued in the second practice, with Racing Point’s Lance Stroll locking up his car going into turn two. He slid along the barriers and ripped the front-left corner off his car. His team repaired his car and got him back on track with a few minutes left in the practice.

The third and final red flag of the day waved for Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, who crashed at the exit of turn seven and destroyed the front-left suspension on his car. Despite that, his best speed of the day left him sixth fastest overall.

San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski has officially been ruled out of Friday's series opener against the Colorado Avalanche, according to coach Peter DeBoer.

Pavelski remains day-to-day from the controversial hit that knocked him out of Game 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Right winder Joonas Donskoi also will not play Friday. He had previously missed the series clincher against the Golden Knights and has been participating in practice in a noncontact jersey.

On Thursday, DeBoer preached the "next man up" mantra as the Sharks deal with their injuries.

"That's playoff hockey. We've talked about it all year: If you're going on any kind of run, you're going to have to use everybody at some point or another. And we're confident of the guys we have here. Who's out there is going to get it done," he said.

The Sharks swept the three-game season series against the Avalanche. Playing in San Jose has been particularly difficult for Colorado, which has one win in its past 19 regular-season games at the Shark Tank.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- Five o'clock on the Friday of a holiday weekend is not an ideal time to be driving on the highways of Southern California. But here we are, somewhere between the apartment Sebastian Lletget shares with his girlfriend, pop star Becky G, and Dignity Health Sports Park, home of the LA Galaxy -- who host Real Salt Lake on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The 26-year-old star, a facilitator of his Major League Soccer club's potent attack and arguably the one man in the U.S. men's national team player pool with the ability to press Christian Pulisic for his starting spot (although the ideal lineup probably involves them both), weaves in and out of the early-evening traffic. He has somewhere to be.

In the past, Lletget wouldn't have been the first one to the stadium on game day. He is now, however, hitting the gym to get 100 touches even before heading out to the field to warm up for the Galaxy's matchup with the Houston Dynamo. The new routine is a result of growing older and having a body that's not quite as pliable as it used to be, and also of returning from a foot injury that nearly cost him his career.

In March 2017, he scored his first goal for the U.S., in a key qualifier in front of a home Northern California crowd. Minutes later, an Ever Alvarado tackle ended his night, breaking bones and tearing ligaments, requiring surgery and a long rehab. Two years later, Lletget is only now returning to form.

"The first year post-injury, I basically didn't touch a ball," he tells ESPN FC. "To build off of all that and use last year to gather all my skills back, my sense of the game, and my instinct took longer than I expected. Prior to an injury like that, you feel invincible. When this happens, it kind of breaks you. You don't have that Superman shield that you think you have subconsciously."

The superpower of youth becomes the preparation of a veteran. Lletget drives a Chevy Traverse that's new enough to maintain its dealership shine but dusty enough for a Galaxy staffer to lovingly write "Wash Me" on the driver's side door after he parks it in the bowels of Dignity Health. He jokes with the perpetrator, smiles for a few photos, says goodbye to his parents (who come to town for most of his home games), and walks down a hallway past trophies from previous Galaxy squads, and into the locker room to prepare, alone.

Sebastian Lletget the person is not Sebastian Lletget the social media account. His Instagram, @theylovedaboy, boasts 506,000 followers -- a lot, until you realize that Becky has 17.6 million and counting -- and a remarkable variety of selfies featuring him Blue Steeling it for the camera. He got the idea for the Drake-inspired handle one night in England when he was a teenager who was trying -- and ultimately failing -- to find his way at West Ham. He started the account, then went to sleep.

"I wake up the next morning and I'm getting killed by my teammates," he says. "Just murdered, nonstop. First-team players and coaches are asking what I was thinking."

Some guys would have deleted their foray into social media, or at least changed their handle. Not Lletget. He loved the reaction, the good-natured ribbing. He still does.

"I got so much s--- for my last media post, which is hilarious," he says. "I love going in and everybody cracking jokes at me. It starts that banter in the locker room. It will happen without fail. I have a really good time with it."

He tells this story in a Manhattan Beach coffee shop, sipping a decaf Americano and a bottle of water, wearing a simple white t-shirt and shorts. He could be anyone, just another anonymous, fit, sun-kissed surfer with a megawatt smile and easy charisma. Lletget is quieter, more subtle than Da Boy, although the overlap is obvious. There's an easy through line between the guy sitting in front of me, and the one in a hot tub, teaching Alan Gordon and Dan Gargan how to take a selfie. Lletget understands the balance, the value of showing off his personality.

"I think we're at a point in sports in general of blurring the lines between street scene and fashion," he says. "It's kind of OK to do something away from soccer. I think people enjoy seeing a different side of you."

Of course, he also knows that the off-field fun is only tenable if he's producing on the field.

"Once a coach sees my dedication and my focus in what the common goal is in the locker room, I don't think they care as much," he says. "They know I know that when it's time to work, it's time to work. If you show every day that you're into this, if you don't have that brush-off mentality, I think coaches will be OK with you being you, especially off the field."

Injury aside, Lletget has been good for the Galaxy since joining the team in 2015. He's competitive -- "Not like [Zlatan Ibrahimovic]," he says. "Ibra's intense." -- and wants the ball in a way not a lot of Americans do: gesturing for it demonstratively, emphatically and aggressively. The Galaxy offensive philosophy primarily involves getting the ball within about 40 yards of the opposition net, then looking for Ibrahimovic. (This strategy, it should be said, has been proven to work.) But there are also some intricate exchanges, weaves between Lletget, Jonathan dos Santos and Joe Corona; quick one-twos with Lletget and the big Swede; other variations that demonstrate Lletget's improving understanding of his teammates and the game.

On the American team, he's one of Gregg Berhalter's No. 10s, and he's loving the push the new U.S. boss gives him.

"It's uncomfortable, but he really does make you see the game a little bit differently," Lletget says. "I have certain habits in my position, and they weren't necessarily the best habits. He's trying to take me out of those. I was comfortable, but I could be in a more dangerous area that's more risky. He dragged me out of my comfort zone in the short time we've worked together. When you do things he advises you to do and they work, it's like, 'Oh my god, I'm progressing.'"

He credits Berhalter with helping him improve his awareness, his positioning, and his game, skills that he's brought back to the Galaxy and wants to deploy at the Gold Cup this summer.

It's a contract year for Lletget, and there are thoughts about the future. Europe calls in that way it does, although perhaps not as aggressively as it does for some others. There's a tension between the cliché of athletes wanting to test themselves against the best in the world and the fact that Lletget did that already as a teenager and it went poorly for reasons both his fault and not. Though he thinks he has the skill to play in Europe now, he's cautious.

"Going back to Europe could be in the cards," he says. "It has to be a right situation. You want to go to the right organization. A manager that really wants you there. I think Americans think Europe is the best thing for us, then we get there and immediately regret it."

Plus, he's carved out a damn nice life for himself in LA. He's nearing 100 appearances for a single club, which has been a lifelong goal. This Galaxy team might be the best in years, with a chance to bring home a trophy. His parents are close by. His favorite NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, play at a reasonable time. He and Becky share an apartment in a quiet neighborhood a few minutes from the beach. There's parking and a pool, a place to make a home. She's gone a lot, touring and being a star, but they are figuring it out.

"We don't see each other often. It's almost like a long-distance relationship but we live together," he says. "Once you get the hang of it, it's not that hard. It's finding that partnership."

Last year, he organized a surprise birthday party for her, an event that earned the TMZ treatment, with him being called "her soccer boyfriend, Sebastian Llejay." The pair take the pressure off of their respective careers, Lletget pretending he knows about music to make Becky laugh, Becky kicking the ball around with him. (Lletget's scouting report of her: "a little rat" with "some good control.") I asked him about his skin-care routine because the dude has some nice skin, and he said that Becky always puts stuff on the bed for him. "I don't know if I should take it as an insult, but she always gives me a boatload and tells me I'll thank her when I'm 40," he says, laughing. "She's investing in herself, too. She has to look at me, so I get what she's doing."

Whatever the next move is, the pair will decide it together. For now, however, the future can wait. It wasn't so long ago that his return was a real question mark. Lletget's just happy to be back playing, back taking selfies, back doing what he loves.

"I feel like I'm going to keep playing better," he says. "Maybe I only notice that. But I definitely want it more. I'm grateful for these opportunities. It's just awesome to be part of a special moment in time with the club and with the national team."

Da Boy, man; he's going places.

England's stock of potential batting candidates for a summer that includes the World Cup and an Ashes series has been further hit by the news that Surrey's Ollie Pope is likely to miss most of the season after dislocating his shoulder.

News that Pope will require surgery on his left shoulder follows confirmation of Sam Billings, England's likely back-up for the World Cup, being sidelined for three-five months with a similar injury.

Surrey said that the club hoped Pope would be back in action "towards the back end of the current 2019 domestic season". Pope has not been capped in limited-overs cricket but could have been in contention for England's Test team to face Australia.

A Surrey statement said: "After suffering an injury while fielding during Tuesday's Royal London Cup victory over Essex at the Kia Oval, the 21-year-old was confirmed to have dislocated his shoulder. Having since visited a specialist, he has been advised that surgery would be the best course of action.

"It is hoped he will return to first-team cricket towards the back end of the current 2019 domestic season."

Pope made his Test debut last summer, playing twice against India, and was part of the squad that toured Sri Lanka. He was subsequently released to join up with the Lions, but began the season with a career-best 251 in Surrey's Champion County fixture against MCC.

Hampshire 331 for 8 (Vince 190, Dawson 73) beat Gloucestershire 246 (Crane 3-64) by 71 runs (DLS mehod)

James Vince produced the highest one-day score in England for over a decade with an incredible 190 as Hampshire remained unbeaten in the Royal London Cup with victory over Gloucestershire.

No player had scored as many since Ravi Bopara for Essex in 2008, but Vince crashed the highest individual total for a Hampshire player in List A cricket - beating his own previous best of 178. The innings was even more special for the situation, having arrived at the crease in the second over before Hampshire were reduced to 65 for 4 and struggling.

Vince put on a record 186-run stand for the fifth wicket with Liam Dawson and guided his side to 331 before Hampshire bowled Gloucestershire out for 246 to complete a 71-run victory by the DLS method.

Hampshire were put in on a good-quality wicket, with variable conditions throughout the match, and initially struggled, with Chris Liddle the chief destroyer with the ball.

David Payne was the first to strike as Tom Alsop attempted an extravagant drive in the second over and was bowled through the gate. Fast bowler Liddle then entered to find Aiden Markram edging behind before forcing Sam Northeast and Rilee Rossouw to chop onto their own stumps.

Enter Dawson, to accompany, and save the innings with Vince. Both carefully negotiated the niggling line and length of the Gloucestershire attack before fluently moving to fifties, both from 63 balls.

Together they added 186 runs to steam Hampshire into a strong position, before Dawson fell for 73 as he picked out Benny Howell at long-on to hand Liddle figures of 4 for 66.

Vince has now passed fifty in three of his four one-day innings this summer - and given the England selectors a push ahead of the World Cup this summer if any of the currently selected players suffers an injury.

This was must-watch cricket as he moved through the gears and struck five huge sixes - the pick of which saw him dance down the wicket and deposit a checked cover driver over the off-side. He reached 100 in 111 balls, 150 in 138 as he rattled his total from 100 to 190 in 43 deliveries.

Vince's assault saw his side score 114 runs in the last 10 overs, although James Fuller's handy 21 off 13, which included the biggest maximum of the day over squad leg, helped the cause.

Vince eventually succumbed for 190 before scooping to Tom Smith at point and was given a rapturous reception from the Ageas Bowl members.

With DLS altering the target to 318 off 47 overs, Kyle Abbott stunted Gloucestershire's reply by dismissing George Hankins in the third over, caught at point by Northeast, and then Gareth Roderick, caught and bowled. Captain Chris Dent was then run out by Northeast's direct hit, as the visitors slumped to 38 for 3.

Mason Crane, who posted 3 for 64, had James Bracey caught by a stunning outfield catch by Dawson, before Howell was lbw to the leg-spinner.

Jack Taylor was bowled by Crane, before Dawson had Graeme van Buuren stumped and Smith castled to complete figures of 2 for 32. Brad Wheal bowled Ryan Higgins, before Hampshire were held up by a 50-run stand for the last wicket between Payne and Liddle, eventually completing their victory with 19 balls to spare.

Worcestershire 254 for 9 (Rutherford 126) beat Northmptonshire 234 (Parnell 3-45) by 20 runs

Hamish Rutherford's third century of the season helped Worcestershire to a third win in the Royal London Cup as they beat Northamptonshire by 20 runs at Wantage Road.

Rutherford made 126 in 134 balls, adding to his centuries at Grace Road in the County Championship and Old Trafford in the first game of the RLC, in a lone hand as Worcestershire, sent in, struggled to 254 for 9.

But they staged a classic defence with pace off the ball in the middle overs to squeeze the Northants chase. At 126 for 3 after 30 overs, the home side were well placed but couldn't resist trying to force Brett D'Oliveira's legspin and Daryl Mitchell's gentlest of medium pace. The pair claimed four wicket to tame the hosts.

Northants needed 82 from the final 10 overs and Luke Procter kept them alive with an unbeaten 35 but he ran out of partners as they subsided to 234 and a fourth defeat from five matches, realistically ending their hopes of qualification for the knockout stage.

Worcestershire claimed a third win in four and they were indebted to Rutherford, the New Zealander who has proved superb value for money in his short stint. His 10th List A century here held together a clumsy Worcestershire display.

They slipped to 23 for 3 in the Powerplay before Rutherford finally found a partner in D'Oliveira and the pair added 84 in 14.2 overs. Rutherford drove Buck down the ground for the day's first stroke of note before punching Ian Holland - on loan to Northants from Hampshire - over mid-off for four and then straight over the bowler's head for six.

D'Oliveira fell for 28 - a ball that jumped off a length to take the glove to point - but Ben Cox arrived to build another useful stand to take Worcestershire to 166 for 4 in the 32nd over and well-placed. But Cox swept at a full ball from Josh Cobb's part-time offspin and it sparked a collapse of 4 for 22 in 7.3 overs; Cobb also took out Wayne Parnell's middle stump trying to cut while Rob Keogh had Ross Whiteley bowled second ball and Ed Barnard caught at short-fine leg.

Josh Tongue finally proved another competent partner for Rutherford and the pair added 59 for the ninth wicket - a record for the county against Northamptonshire - to nudge Worcestershire to a challenging total.

In reply, Richard Levi and Ben Curran both lifted Charlie Morris tamely to mid-off in the Powerplay but Cobb and Alex Wakely guided Northants' progress in a stand of 75 in 20 overs. Neither played a shot in anger but just made patient progress. But both were ground down by D'Oliveira and Mitchell and the pressure eventually told.

Cobb ran past D'Oliveira and lost his leg stump for 44, while Wakely chipped Mitchell back to the bowler for 46. Adam Rossington then swept at Mitchell's final ball and was lbw for only 7 and suddenly Northants were struggling with 111 to win in 16 overs.

Keogh and Procter brought the equation to 82 needed from the final 10 before Procter pulled Tongue for a flat six backward of square. But Keogh miscued a pull to midwicket and Holland edged a very wide ball to be caught behind. it left too much for Procter to do and the tail didn't give him the chance.

While the East gets ready for the conference semifinals this weekend, spots in the West are still up for grabs.

What are the biggest things to watch in Game 6 of the Golden State Warriors vs. the LA Clippers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)? Do the Warriors have a defense problem, and are their title chances suddenly vulnerable?

Our NBA experts answer the big questions about this series and what it means for the rest of Golden State's run if the champs get out of Round 1.

1. Have you learned more about the Warriors or Clippers in this series?

Brian Windhorst, ESPN: Has to be the Clippers. It has been fantastic to watch Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell dominate stretches, with the Warriors just not able to handle them in the screen-and-roll. If you watched the Clippers at all this season, you knew they always played hard, but their execution level at Oracle has been terrific.

Marc J. Spears, The Undefeated: The Clippers. This is one of the grittiest teams I've ever seen in 20 years covering the NBA. They believe in themselves even if the rest of the world does not. Doc Rivers may be doing the best coaching job he ever has, which is saying a lot.

Kevin Pelton, ESPN: The Clippers. Specifically, the ability of Williams and Harrell to be effective in the playoffs, something that's crucial for the Clippers with realistic expectations of a longer playoff run next season. Before this year, Williams had been as poor in the postseason relative to his regular-season performance as any current NBA player, while Harrell had played just 33 career playoff minutes. So their play has been pleasantly surprising.

Nick Friedell, ESPN: Clippers. They play hard all the time. As an Orlando native, this team reminds me so much of Doc Rivers' "Heart and Hustle" squad in his first season with the Magic. Like that team, this Clippers squad is made up of a bunch of players who are hell-bent on proving to the world that they could play. No matter what happens in Game 6, Rivers and his staff have done a great job building this team's culture and confidence.

Bobby Marks, ESPN: Clippers. That's not to say LA will win the series, but winning two games at Oracle is a feat that only the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers have done since the championship run started in 2015. With cap flexibility this summer, the Clippers have used the Golden State series as their own recruiting pitch to potential free agents in July, including Kevin Durant.

2. Fact or fiction: The Warriors have a defense problem.

Pelton: More fact than fiction. Golden State's defensive rating is 11th so far among 16 playoff teams, and the Warriors have been unable to get key stops when necessary down the stretch in their Game 2 and Game 5 losses. Still, given we're talking about a five-game sample, I'd describe that more as a defense concern than a defense problem.

Friedell: Fiction: They have a focus problem. It has been the same old story all year for the Warriors. Some nights they have it rolling and some nights they don't. This group has built up their habits all season -- but they can still turn it on when they need it the most. They have too much pride and talent to think they're going to get carved up the same way in Game 6 that they did in Game 5.

Marks: Faction. The Warriors have a problem with their offense and defense. Yes, they need to get stops, but Golden State's offense has disappeared at the end of games. In the fourth quarter of the two losses to the Clippers, the Warriors shot 33.3 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from 3, averaging 5 turnovers and getting outscored by an average of eight points.

Spears: If you give up 71 points in a half, you definitely have a problem. I know Lou Williams is amazing and the Clippers have some offensive talent, but the Warriors are making the Clippers' offense look like the Warriors' offense.

Windhorst: Fiction. It depends on your definition of "problem." They ranked 10th in defense this season, the lowest in the Steve Kerr era. They have been about 6 points per 100 possessions worse in this series than during the season. But I think playing Andrew Bogut instead of DeMarcus Cousins will help them on defense over the long haul. Issues covering pick-and-roll have been worrisome, but I trust them long term.

3. Which Warriors player are you watching most closely going forward?

Spears: Draymond Green. If the Warriors are going to close out the series on Friday night, the defense will be key. And Draymond is the motivating leader to make sure that happens.

Marks: Andre Iguodala. We have seen a disappearing act from the former Finals MVP in the two losses, most notably in the fourth quarter of Game 5. In nine minutes played, Iguodala went 0-of-4 from the field with a team-worst plus-minus of minus-5, showing that those offensive woes have also transferred to the defensive side.

Windhorst: Durant's game, like the man himself, is moody. He might get ejected. He might score 50. He might shoot 10 times. He might shoot 30 times. When he's on, he's brilliant. When he's off, the Warriors are vulnerable. Add Patrick Beverley, and you have a heck of a draw.

Friedell: Klay Thompson. He seemed the most frustrated of the group after the Game 5 loss, especially after publicly acknowledging after Game 4 that the Warriors were keeping up with what the Rockets were doing. The Warriors didn't seem like they overlooked the Clippers, but Thompson's comments didn't help the optics of another bad loss at home. He loves playing in Los Angeles, and he will rise to the occasion if he gets faced up defensively a little more against Lou Williams.

Pelton: Andrew Bogut, who has a minus-23 plus-minus over the past two games -- since the Clippers went to a smaller starting lineup with JaMychal Green at center. If Golden State continues struggling with Bogut defending stretch-5s, that really limits Kerr's options for filling center minutes with Cousins sidelined.

4. Fact or fiction: The Rockets are a better matchup for the Warriors now than they were last year.

Marks: Fact. We talked repeatedly about how the Rockets were going to take a step back this season with the losses of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. But GM Daryl Morey kept maneuvering by signing Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried for nothing to strengthen the bench. Combine those two players with Danuel House Jr., Gerald Green and Nene -- the Rockets' bench could be the X factor in the series.

Friedell: Fiction. While it seems like the Rockets found their rhythm down the stretch of the regular season, the absence of Ariza figures to hurt most in this upcoming series, at least on the defensive end. Obviously, a healthy Chris Paul makes a huge difference for the Rockets, but the defensive chemistry the group had last year doesn't appear to be the same heading into another potential showdown.

Spears: Hmm, that is a very good question. The Rockets of last year were better defensively. But James Harden is even more explosive than he was a year ago, and he also appears to be more confident.

Windhorst: Fact, if for no other reason than the Warriors have a smaller margin for error than they did last year. They're not the same team, but they're still the best team.

Pelton: Fiction. I think we're underrating last year's Houston team because we know they lost to Golden State, while this year's outcome remains uncertain. Yes, Harden has been better this season, but I think the Rockets' depth remains weaker despite Morey's efforts to upgrade over the course of the season. With Ariza gone, does Houston have a fifth player to finish games if Clint Capela can't be part of the closing five? Consider me skeptical.

5. Warriors vs. the field: Who are you taking to win the title?

Friedell: Warriors. After five long years of winning mixed in with the drama of the past couple of seasons, they are emotionally exhausted and vulnerable. They have their flaws -- but they still have more talent than anybody else, and they can play at a higher level than anyone in the field. They know the history at stake when they hit the floor, and they all understand, no matter what may happen this summer, that they may not get the chance to be together again with so much on the line.

Spears: Based on what I've seen so far, I think the Warriors themselves couldn't even debate taking the field until they prove otherwise.

Pelton: I'm still taking Golden State. I suspect the Warriors' issues in this series continue to have more to do with motivation than ability or chemistry. Will I be surprised if Golden State loses? Absolutely not. But when they're locked in, the Warriors have a gear they can reach that nobody else in the NBA has shown the ability to match on a consistent basis. So I still give them better than 50-50 odds of winning a third consecutive title.

Windhorst: Unless there's injury or untimely ejection/suspension (which is a real threat), it's hard to see a team beating the Warriors four out of seven. I know everyone talks about the Chris Paul injury from last year, etc., but the truth is they've lost one series in five years, and that one took a historic comeback.

Marks: Warriors, for two reasons. First: Despite a loaded field in the East, each team will face a grueling path just to reach the NBA Finals. Will the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors team that we see this weekend be the same squad that the Warriors will face in late May? Second: Golden State has shown the ability to deal with adversity and win on the road consistently.

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals called up prospect Carter Kieboom on Friday after the middle infielder's torrid start at Triple-A Fresno.

The 21-year-old Kieboom, who was rated the 98th best prospect in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law prior to this season, was batting .379 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 18 games at Fresno this season, posting a 1.142 OPS.

We've selected the contract of INF Carter Kieboom.

? // https://t.co/JRRfFJwcVO pic.twitter.com/UDlX15TAUJ

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 26, 2019

To make room on the 25-man roster, the Nationals sent Jake Noll back to Fresno on Thursday. Washington also moved right-handed pitcher Koda Glover to the 60-day injured list.

Despite a strong showing in spring training, including a game with two home runs off Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander, Kieboom didn't make the major-league roster as the Nationals wanted him to continue to work on his defense.

A natural shortstop, the 28th overall pick of the 2016 draft committed 26 errors in 118 games last year. With Trea Turner entrenched as Washington's starting shortstop, Kieboom logged time at second base during spring training and at Fresno.

In six games playing second for the Grizzlies, he made one error. He also had one miscue in 12 games at shortstop.

Due to injuries in the infield, the Nationals decided to promote Kieboom. Just four games into the season, Turner fractured his right index finger after being hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt on April 2. Third baseman Anthony Rendon hasn't played since taking a pitch off his left elbow on April 20. Additionally, veteran second baseman Brian Dozier has gotten off to a slow start offensively.

Historically, the Nationals have only brought top prospects to the big leagues when there's an opportunity to play every day -- as was the case when they called up Juan Soto from Double-A last year. The expectation is that Kieboom will take over as the primary shortstop until Turner returns from injury, allowing Wilmer Difo to fill in around the infield as needed.

Kieboom's older brother, Spencer Kieboom, is a catcher in the Nationals organization and appeared in 52 games last season for Washington. He is currently at Double-A Harrisburg.