k with a three-point play midway through the first half.HOMEC

NEW YORK -- A sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series last fall sent the New York Mets to the World Series for the first time in 15 seasons. But the Cubs are the team that looks ready to return to the NLCS -- and perhaps end a far longer drought -- as the two teams prepare for a four-game series that begins Thursday night at Citi Field.The Cubs arrived in New York fresh off a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that capped a three-game sweep at Great American Ball Park. The sweep snapped the longest skid of the season for Chicago, which lost six of seven prior to facing the Reds.This was a good series for us, said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who hit a three-run inside-the-park homer Wednesday.The Cubs have had a lot of good series this year. Chicago, which is looking to reach the World Series for the first time since 1945 and win it all for the first time since 1908, is now a baseball-best 51-26, with a mammoth run differential -- plus-170 -- that suggests ot should have five or six more wins.The Mets, meanwhile, continued to spiral downward Wednesday with a 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals. The loss capped a three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals, who extended their lead over the Mets from three to six games.The loss ended a 2-5 road trip for the Mets, who were outscored 35-20 by the Nationals and Atlanta Braves. New York, which blew an early 4-0 lead in Mondays opener against the Nationals, went 23 straight innings without scoring until James Loney hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning Wednesday.Were just not giving ourselves chances, Mets manager Terry Collins said. We just cant give our pitchers any room to work.At 40-37, New York is the closest it has been to .500 since April 24, though it is still only a half-game behind the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the NLs second wild card.Theyre struggling lately and theyre banged up, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. It is different (than last year) for both teams.The series opener Thursday begins an 11-game homestand for the Mets that could dictate the direction the rest of their season takes. After the Cubs exit Sunday, the Mets host the Marlins for three games and the Nationals for four games.Weve still got 11 before the All-Star Break, Collins said. Weve just got to go play them.Mets left-hander Steven Matz is scheduled to start Thursday against Cubs right-hander John Lackey. Matz is pitching through a bone chip in his right elbow and got an extra day of rest after struggling last Friday, when he was staked to an eight-run lead but allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings and was lifted before he could qualify for the win in the Mets 8-6 victory over the Braves.Lackey will be looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season. He took the loss last Saturday, when he gave up seven runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Cubs fell to the Marlins, 9-6. NFL Jerseys From China . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Cheap Jerseys Review . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. https://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/ . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Wholesale Jerseys Online . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- First-half foul trouble prevented Ebuka Izundu from contributing to his teammates dominant run.Izundu more than did his share in the second half as he scored all 14 of his team-high points to lead Miami to a 92-43 win over Western Carolina in the season opener for both teams on Friday night.All my teammates told me to keep my head in the game, said Izundu, who committed two offensive fouls 30 seconds into the game and sat out the rest of the half. That what I did, try to help my team win.Izundu shot 5 of 5 from the field in his first start for the Hurricanes after a reserve role during his freshman season.The Hurricanes started with an 18-4 spurt and maintained the double-digit lead the rest of the game, the first between both teams. Davon Reed keyed Miamis early run with a 3-pointer and a dunk.Right from the start we showed a lot of focus, intensity, team work, helping each other defensively, Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. At the offensive end, we shared the ball.JaQuan Newton, Kamari Murphy and Dewan Huell finished with 13 points each for Miami. Murphy scored 11 points in the first half and also finished with eight rebounds.Defensively we were great and we shared the ball, Murphy said. Thats the way basketball should be played.D.J. Vasiljevics 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining in the half gave Miami a 41-18 lead. Vasiljevic was the Hurricanes fifth double scorer with 11 points.Three Western Carolina starters sat most of the first half because of foul trouble. Marc Gosselin committed four fouls in eight minutes and Devin Peterson and Charlendez Brooks had three each.Deriece Parks and Onno Steger scored 10 points each for the Catamounts.We were very outmanned to be honest with you, Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said.dddddddddddd I thought their length early on and speed of the game first seven-eight minutes we werent ready for that. First game jitters -- our execution wasnt very good and they took advantage of that.HIGHLIGHT REEL: Huell, the Hurricanes highly-regarded freshman, scored his first college points on a slam dunk 3:08 into the game. Huell followed the dunk with a three-point play midway through the first half.HOMECOMING DEBUT: Catamounts freshman guard Maurice Smith, of neighboring Lauderdale Lakes, played 14 minutes in the second half. Smith was scoreless and had two assists.BIG PICTURE:Miami: The early signing period rewarded the Hurricanes with two players ranked in the top 100, according to recruiting services. Miamis early signees and members of the 2017-18 freshman class are 5-foot-7 guard Chris Lykes, of Gonzaga College High in Bowie, Md., Deng Gak, a 6-foot-11 forward from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.Western Carolina: The Catamounts are 3-31 against ACC teams. Their last victory against a team from a Power Five conference was in 2001, when they defeated Florida State, 79-69. The Catamounts defeated then Big East-member Louisville in 2009.UP NEXT:Miami: the Hurricanes make their first road trip of the season Wednesday at North Florida. Miami is 3-0 in the all-time series against the Ospreys with the three victories at home.Western Carolina: the Catamounts open their 2016-17 home schedule against Hiwassee on Sunday afternoon. Western Carolina plays eight of its first 10 on the road. ' ' '