Injuries to key players, the ineffectiveness of their overseas fast bowlers, and an inability to win key moments in the Powerplay overs were the reasons behind Kings XI Punjab's failure to qualify for the IPL playoffs, their captain R Ashwin has said.

Speaking to the media after Kings XI's eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, Ashwin said injuries - Varun Chakravarthy (finger) and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (shoulder) missed large parts of the tournament - forced Kings XI to look beyond plans developed ahead of the auction, but maintained that the reasons for not qualifying this season were poor Powerplay performances across the tournament.

"Yes, we haven't been up to the ball-mark this year," Ashwin said. "We had a few challenges going into this year from last year, we had a few options, we picked up a few people [at the auction] and they've got injured. So that's not ideally how we'd like to look at it. We definitely put our best team we could in the park and we've tried our best and there have been a lot of positives that have come out of this season.

"One of the areas we've definitely lacked is the Powerplay, both with the ball and the bat - in hindsight if we look at it. Because last year we had a great Powerplay batting with Chris [Gayle] and KL [Rahul] but this year we couldn't get off to great starts obviously because the pressure was on them and they had to do a job. But we have to address this going into the next year because we've lost most games on Powerplay battles."

Ashwin also said Kings XI were banking on Andrew Tye, the Purple cap winner from IPL 2018, to come good this season too, but admitted that the Australian wasn't "very good this season". Tye took just three wickets in five outings and returned an economy rate of more than 10 per over, but Ashwin expected the fast bowler to learn from the experience.

"When you have your overseas seamers and overseas bowlers, you definitely bank on them," Ashwin said. "It's like some sort of a banking over. But like I said, Powerplay has been one of our massive problems, most games we've won is through the middle overs or sometimes at the death where we've had some incredible performances by [Mohammed] Shami or Sam [Curran].

"In hindsight, bowlers go through such phases. AJ [Tye] had a fantastic IPL last year but it's also about batsmen coming after him in different methods. He's definitely tried hard. It's not lack of efforts that he's not been very good this year. But I'm sure he will definitely get better as a cricketer, he's quite a smart cricketer, he tries to give everything on the field. These sort of phases are quite common in a cricket career but I'm sure he will learn from this."

LAS VEGAS -- So much for the lovefest between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs.

A promotion that bordered on boring because they were so respectful to each other and spoke about each other in such glowing terms went out the window Friday. Emotions boiled over after they weighed in for their middleweight world title unification fight, which will take place Saturday (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET) at T-Mobile Arena.

After Alvarez weighed in at 159.5 pounds -- a half-pound under the division limit -- and Jacobs weighed in at 160, they strode toward each other for the traditional faceoff, and they immediately put their heads together. When Jacobs tried to push Alvarez's head back with his, Alvarez shoved him, and there was a brief skirmish. They were quickly separated, and the largely pro-Alvarez crowd on Cinco de Mayo weekend cheered wildly.

"I see fear, and that was fear right there what he did," Alvarez said moments later through an interpreter. "For me and my people, my team and for my fans, it's very important [to win]. This is the challenge we have, but I'm ready for it, and we're going to win. I hope he tries [to take my belts], but he won't be able to."

Alvarez shoved Gennady Golovkin in September after they weighed in for their much-anticipated rematch, also at T-Mobile Arena, and the next night, Alvarez won two major world titles by majority decision. That was a rancor-filled buildup, but Alvarez-Jacobs had been entirely different.

After the weigh-in, Jacobs was highly animated and had words for Alvarez.

"Emotions flying high. I ain't never backed down from a challenge in my life," Jacobs said. "I'm from Brownsville [in Brooklyn, New York]. I never did, and I never will.

"Listen, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel like I'm the best middleweight in the world, and that m-----f----- right there, he gonna get it. ... Let's do this Saturday night! Period! Bumping me with that big-ass head, it's time to put on. I'm gonna talk with my fists [on Saturday]."

Even though both fighters made weight, they are subject to a contractual rehydration clause that Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs), 28, of Mexico, demanded because of Jacobs' size advantage. He wanted to assure that Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs), 32, would not bulk up too much before the fight, and Jacobs agreed to it, admitting that without agreeing he probably would not have gotten the fight.

Alvarez and Jacobs, both of whom will be making their first title defenses, will be subject to a weight check at 8 a.m. PT Saturday, at which neither man can weight more than 170 pounds, 10 over the middleweight limit.

Each man will reweigh in his respective hotel suite with a member of the other camp on hand to observe. If either fighter is more than 170 pounds, he will be fined $250,000 per pound that he is over. If a fighter is, for example, a half-pound over, he will get a $125,000 fine. Should either fighter blow off the weight check, he will be subject to a $1 million fine.

Both should have plenty of cash to cover a possible fine. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Alvarez's purse is $35 million for the second fight of the five-year, 11-fight, $365 million deal he signed with sports streaming service DAZN last fall. Jacobs' official contract purse is $2.5 million, according to the commission, though he is guaranteed more than $10 million under his deal with DAZN.

Vergil Ortiz Jr. (12-0, 12 KOs), 21, of Dallas, one of boxing's best prospects, weighed in at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds for his 10-round co-feature against Mauricio Herrera (24-8, 7 KOs), 38, a former world title challenger from Riverside, California, who was 146.5 pounds.

Junior lightweight Joseph Diaz Jr. (28-1, 14 KOs), 26, of South El Monte, California, a former featherweight world title challenger, was 129.5 pounds, and Nicaraguan southpaw Freddy Fonseca (26-1-1, 17 KOs), 27, was on the division limit of 130 pounds for their title elimination fight.

Junior lightweight Lamont Roach (18-0-1, 7 KOs), 23, of Washington, D.C., was 129.5 pounds, and Jonathan Oquendo (30-5, 19 KOs), 35, of Puerto Rico, was 130 for their 10-round regional title bout.

Former junior middleweight world titleholder Sadam Ali (27-2, 14 KOs), 30, of Brooklyn, New York, was 147 pounds, and Anthony Young (20-2, 7 KOs), 31, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, was 146 for their 10-rounder.

John Ryder (27-4, 15 KOs), 30, of England, was 167.5 pounds, and Bilal Akkawy (20-0-1, 16 KOs), 25, of Australia, was 167.5 for their fight for a vacant interim super middleweight world title bout. Ryder was initially supposed to face former middleweight titlist David Lemieux, who was moving up in weight, but Lemieux dropped out three weeks ago because of a right hand injury.

The commission released the rest of the purse totals. Ortiz and Herrera will each make $75,000, Diaz $100,000, Fonseca $10,000, Roach $75,000, Oquendo $50,000, Ali $150,000, Young $45,000, Ryder $100,000 and Akkawy $30,000.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears' search for a replacement for Cody Parkey led the team to host eight kickers at its annual three-day rookie minicamp.

The early results from Friday are not encouraging.

Bears coach Matt Nagy instructed all eight kickers to attempt a 43-yard field goal in front of the entire rookie minicamp roster at the end of Friday's practice. It was the same distance that Parkey, whom the club released in the offseason, missed from at the end of a bitter playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in January.

The final verdict: Chicago's kickers combined to go 2-of-8.

"That's not good enough," Nagy said. "Now I will say this: We always look at the end result of what happens, which is 100 percent what matters, right? But as we're learning, two of those eight holds and snaps, it wasn't 100 percent. All right. I'll leave it at that.

"So it's not always, 'So we've got to work through that.' That's why after today we're not going to just go about and make rash decisions or anything. We're going to play it out."

The Bears have four kickers under contract and four at rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Chicago plans to whittle the number down and have a full-blown kicking competition when the team reports to training camp in July.

"We have a method to our madness, and again, I think for us, just besides finding a kicker and being able to see what they can do in practice, we want to be able to see as much as we can in game situations, how they handle that too," Nagy said. "Because it's one thing to be able to go over and bang 8-for-8 when it doesn't really matter. But what about when it matters? You know that's what we're trying to figure out too because we have young kickers, and we're trying to create that."

The Bears have been unable to stabilize the kicker position since they released veteran Robbie Gould -- the team's all-time leading scorer -- prior to the start of the 2016 regular season.

The San Francisco 49ers applied the franchise tag to Gould in the offseason, but he told ESPN last week that he wants to be traded and will not report before the 49ers' season opener on Sept. 8.

MIAMI -- Atlanta Braves right-hander Kevin Gausman was ejected in the second inning for throwing a pitch behind Marlins pitcher Jose Urena, who was involved in a melee between the teams last season.

Gausman's first pitch to Urena was a 97 mph knee-high fastball that sailed behind the batter, and plate umpire Jeff Nelson immediately signaled the ejection.

The game was Urena's first against the Braves since he was suspended for six games for intentionally hitting Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. on the arm with a pitch in August, triggering a bench-clearing confrontation.

The Braves beat the Marlins 7-2. Urena (1-5) allowed five runs in six innings. In 15 career appearances against the Braves, he's 2-7 with an ERA of 6.07.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- Coming off a seven run, 10-hit outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks vowed a better mental approach and more "conviction" to his pitches. He doubted himself on the mound seven days ago but quickly flipped the script with a dominating performance against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.

Hendricks, 29, threw an 81-pitch complete-game shutout, the fewest pitches in a shutout in the majors since 2012.

"Got a little lucky today, honestly," Hendricks said nonchalantly after the 4-0 win. "Made a lot of good pitches, early."

He got quick outs and pumped the strike zone to a tune of 78.8 percent strikes. That's the highest strike percentage by a starter this season (minimum five innings). Of his 81 pitches, 63 were in the strike zone and/or swung at.

"The craziest part was he only threw 18 balls," teammate Jon Lester said. "That's two an inning. That stat is more impressive than the 81 pitches."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo added: "When you throw 81 pitches through nine innings, it's something you don't see on a yearly basis. I'm sure there's a stat out there that someone has, probably hasn't happened in a little while."

In fact, there are a several stats that put the outing in perspective. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Hendricks threw the fewest pitches in a shutout by a Cub since Jon Lieber in 2001. It's also the first time a Cubs hurler threw a complete game in fewer than 100 pitches since Carlos Zambrano in 2009. Both those former pitchers were in attendance on Friday, witnessing a masterpiece. Hendricks was asked if he was following his tiny pitch count as he went deeper into the game.

"A few of the times I looked up and noticed it was really low," he answered. "Willy [Contreras] and I recognized how aggressive they were, early."

Hendricks is no stranger to throwing gems as he was baseball's ERA leader in 2016. But he has been a slow starter over the past three seasons -- he entered Friday's game with a 5.33 ERA. That dropped precipitously as he gave up only four hits without issuing a free pass.

"He was really dotting the fastball nicely," manager Joe Maddon said. "There was good movement. Then he broke out the curveball. When he adds another pitch to his mix ... it becomes more difficult.

"The 69-, 70-mph curveball can really mess with a hitter's head."

The victory was the fifth in a row for the surging Cubs, who are just 1½ games behind the Cardinals for the division lead. After a 2-7 start, they're 15-5, thanks to a starting staff that has dominated since the team's opening nine-game road trip. Hendricks was so good and so efficient on Friday, he was jokingly asked if he was available for Saturday's game.

"For sure, for sure," he laughed. "It felt a little bit like a bullpen [session]."

Then he got serious and described what went right. We'll find out soon if he has turned the corner for 2019, but for one day, he truly looked like the guy many compare him to: Greg Maddux. After all, on Friday he threw a "Maddux" -- the unofficial term for throwing a complete game in fewer than 100 pitches. Hendricks had 19 to spare.

"I was convicted to every call we made," Hendricks said. "I was trying to keep my focus, make a good pitch. In my last one, I did a terrible job of that, my mental approach. ... This was better."

New York Yankees left-hander James Paxton left Friday night's start against the Minnesota Twins with soreness in his left knee, the team announced.

Paxton will undergo an MRI on Saturday.

After getting the final out of the third inning, Paxton left the Yankees' dugout with a trainer and did not return to the game. He threw 64 pitches and allowed one unearned run on two hits in his three innings, striking out one.

"It's been something that's been a little bit nagging throughout the year, not a big deal, but tonight was a little more sore consistently," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, when asked what led to the decision to pull Paxton. "So we just decided we didn't want to risk anything."

Already with 13 players on the injured list, the Yankees can only hope Paxton won't be sidelined long, if at all. The oft-injured lefty, acquired from Seattle in an offseason trade to be a front-end starter, entered Friday with a 3-2 record and 3.38 ERA in his first six outings for New York.

Right-hander Jonathan Holder relieved Paxton to start the fourth inning.

MIAMI -- Derek Jeter says the Miami Marlins' performance, attendance and business operations have been a problem.

Shadows at Marlins Park don't bother him, however.

Speaking to the media Friday for the first time since the season began, Jeter said he's unhappy with the team's awful start and confirmed a recent shake-up on the organization's business side.

However, the Marlins CEO and former New York Yankees shortstop shrugged off complaints by the Washington Nationals that visibility was dangerously poor at a recent 1 p.m. game at Marlins Park with the retractable roof open.

Jeter said Marlins players haven't raised the issue with him.

"We're talking about shadows?'' Jeter said. "Every park around the country has shadows at some point. ... Ever play in a postseason game at 4 o'clock? I played the game. I understand how bad shadows are.

"We have more problems than just shadows at 1 o'clock.''

That the Marlins do. They began a weekend series against Atlanta with the worst record in the majors at 9-21, and they're a distant last in attendance with a home average of less than 10,000 per game.

Jeter recently fired president of business operations Chip Bowers, a former Golden State Warriors marketing officer who was with the Marlins for just 14 months.

"This has to do with our overall business strategy and accountability,'' Jeter said. "We felt as though there was a change needed. We have high expectations. Some of those expectations weren't met.''

Bowers was negotiating deals for television and ballpark naming rights. His dismissal had nothing to do with attendance, Jeter said, but the CEO acknowledged persistent fan apathy is disappointing.

"We'd love to see more people here,'' said Jeter, whose group bought the team 19 months ago. "We're working hard on gaining the trust of our fan base.''

Winning would help, but the team appears destined for a 10th consecutive losing season. Although the young Marlins are rebuilding, Jeter believes they're also underachieving. "I think everyone knows we're better than this,'' he said. "There shouldn't be a person in this building that's happy with how we've played.''

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made it down the dugout steps, darted toward the bench, raised his helmet overhead and stopped himself just short of slamming it on the wooden platform, choosing instead to internalize his frustration. This was the fourth inning of the first game of a highly anticipated series at Angel Stadium, the penultimate start of Guerrero's first week as a celebrated major leaguer. The 20-year-old third baseman had pulled a slider that hung over the plate and drifted away, hitting a harmless one-hopper that left two men in scoring position.

Guerrero's first game, which occurred seven days ago, might have marked the sport's most anticipated debut since that of Bryce Harper. But he has since recorded only three hits in 18 at-bats, just one of them for extra bases.

He made two dazzling defensive plays -- one to his left, the other to his right -- but also booted two grounders. He was robbed of a double by Chad Pinder in Toronto and robbed of a home run by the marine layer in Southern California. He helped set up a walk-off victory in his first game but has stranded 13 baserunners along the way. He displayed the strong arm that conjures memories of his father, but not much of the plate discipline that distinguishes him from the elder Vladimir Guerrero.

On Wednesday, Vlad Jr. tried hitting without batting gloves -- just like Dad -- in hopes of finding something to get him going.

On Thursday, before a red-eye flight bound for Texas, he sat.

He already had his father's name and his number and his swing and his walk. Now, eerily, he has his stats. The minor league careers of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (.346/.403/.588 in 306 games) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.331/.414/.531 in 288 games) are strikingly similar, and so are the numbers through their first five major league starts.

Vlad Sr.: .200/.200/.350.

Vlad Jr.: .167/.286/.222.

"Nobody's slightly worried about him, to be honest," Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman said of the younger Guerrero, stating what should be blatantly obvious given the sample size. "Everyone knows he's going to figure it out."

Upon his arrival in Anaheim on Tuesday, Guerrero was asked about the other player who now wears 27 for the Angels. He furrowed his brows, confused as to why the question had even been asked.

"It's Mike Trout," Guerrero said. "Who doesn't know that?"

The No. 27 never meant much of anything to Trout. But it hung at his locker when he was called up in July 2011, two years after the elder Guerrero wore that number during his final season with the Los Angeles Angels, and Trout never thought to change it.

Trout knew all about the Blue Jays' No. 27 before Guerrero Jr. even arrived in the majors. He knew about the viral videos of his batting-practice sessions, about the exploits of his Hall of Fame father, about the promise of similar accolades, and so, shortly after the Blue Jays landed Guerrero with a $3.9 million signing bonus in 2015, Trout signed up for alerts of his progress through the minor leagues.

"Every time an update came up, it was a double or a homer," Trout said. "He wasn't getting out."

Albert Pujols recalled meeting an 8-year-old Guerrero at the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, and marveled at how quickly the time had passed. Five years later, after Pujols joined the Angels, Vlad Sr. brought his then-13-year-old son onto the field for batting practice.

"He was strong, man," Pujols said. "Swung just like his dad."

Jose Mota, the son of decorated Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Mota, has spent the past 18 years as a broadcaster for the Angels. Mota and the elder Guerrero built a strong relationship in their six seasons together from 2004 to 2009, so much so that Mota served as an interpreter for his induction speech in Cooperstown, New York, last summer.

Mota remembers a 5-year-old Vlad Jr. dragging a 34-inch, 32-ounce bat through the dugout. He remembers the beads of sweat on his face while he spent his afternoons chasing after batting practice fly balls. He remembers watching Vlad Jr. as a teenager and beginning to see his father.

"Just a natural ability to hit," Mota said, "and being fearless."

Guerrero deserved to be called up last September, but the Blue Jays didn't reward him for his dominance. He was good enough to be on the team's Opening Day roster this season, but an oblique injury set him back, giving the organization an easy excuse to delay his free agency by an extra season.

Guerrero's bat speed, power and plate discipline are elite enough to draw reasonable comparisons to Manny Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera. His stocky frame might push him to first base, an outfield corner or perhaps even designated hitter in the near future. But his arm is a weapon, even if it isn't at the level of his father's. In listing Guerrero's key traits, one scout noted his "maturity" and "how he enjoyed playing" and "how he handled everything around him," an encouraging sign considering the two main questions surrounding Vlad Jr.

1. Can he rise above the pressure that comes with following in a famous father's footsteps?

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo doesn't share that concern. He noted the suffocating attention Guerrero attracted during spring training and over this past weekend in Toronto, and how he exhibited unbridled joy throughout it all.

"How does he do it? I don't know," Montoyo said. "He's special."

2. Does Guerrero possess the work ethic necessary for sustained success at this level?

That was never an issue with Vlad Sr. But he grew up poor, one of five children who lived in a shack with no electricity or running water in a rural area of the Dominican Republic. Vlad Jr., on the other hand, lived a privileged life because of the way his father overcame struggle.

But Mota will tell you it never sapped his drive. He brought up the example Vlad Sr. consistently set, both through his diligence and his generosity. And he brought up Vlad Jr.'s support system, most notably his grandmother, Doña Altagracia, who roomed with him in the minor leagues and still cooks for some of his teammates.

"She does not put up with anything," Mota said. "She keeps him humble."

Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak was a rookie with the Texas Rangers in 2010, when Guerrero Sr. was winding down his career as a DH. Smoak's lasting image of Vlad Sr. is of him sitting in the dugout, in full uniform, waiting for the game more than 30 minutes before the first pitch, even though he wasn't playing the field. He was reintroduced to Vlad Jr. during spring training and became impressed by his measured approach during batting practice, a setting when most young players can't help but swing for the fences.

"He's been in big league clubhouses basically his whole life," Smoak said. "This setting doesn't scare him; the stage isn't too big. He's very comfortable in his own skin. He's a lot like his dad in the fact that he's quiet, but it's like a quiet confidence. He doesn't have to tell you every day how good he is. He knows how good he is. He's going to go out there and show you on the field, and I feel like it's something that his dad definitely did as well."

In one week as a major leaguer, Guerrero met Drake, got advice from Pujols and embraced Trout. He experienced a three-game winning streak and a three-game losing streak. He debuted in the country where he watched his father become a star and returned to the stadium where he watched his father hit his 400th home run.

Montoyo dismissed the notion that Guerrero might benefit from settling into the normal, monotonous grind of a baseball season -- because it will never be normal or monotonous.

Not for the son of such an iconic player.

Not for someone who might someday be just as good.

"It's tough," Trout said of Guerrero's quest to live up to the hype, "but seeing him, coming up through the minors, I think he'll be all right. He's got all the tools."