ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The highly anticipated showdown between Yusei Kikuchi and Shohei Ohtani is expected to finally take place Saturday, in the middle of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani was still on his way back from Tommy John surgery when Kikuchi first faced the Angels on April 20 and was out of the starting lineup when he was on the mound again on May 30. But Angels manager Brad Ausmus strongly hinted that Ohtani, who usually takes his days off against left-handed pitchers like Kikuchi, would start this next one, barring the unexpected.

"He probably will, unless something happens between now and then," Ausmus said.

Ohtani, 24, and Kikuchi, 27, attended the same Japanese high school but missed each other by a year.

Kikuchi has given up 11 runs (10 earned) in 6⅔ innings over his past two starts, but Ohtani is seemingly starting to heat up. He homered in back-to-back games entering Thursday's contest against the Oakland Athletics and sported a .300/.389/.608 slash line during his previous 36 plate appearances.

Ohtani's slugging percentage had dipped to .625 before that stretch, during a series in Oakland, but then Ausmus saw "a noticeable difference in his batting practices."

"The ball started coming off his bat a little better, traveling farther," Ausmus said, though he couldn't pinpoint the reason. "It seems to have translated now on the field."

BOSTON -- Captain Zdeno Chara started for the Bruins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night, less than 72 hours after he reportedly sustained a broken jaw after taking a puck to the face.

The crowd chanted Chara's name as he took the ice before the national anthem, and erupted when he was introduced in the starting lineup.

Chara, wearing a full shield for protection, hit St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn 15 seconds into his first shift.

Boston dressed seven defensemen for the game as protection. The extra add was Steven Kampfer, who played in two games previously these playoffs and now will be eligible to have his name on the Stanley Cup.

Forward David Backes, a longtime former Blues player, was scratched. Backes has two goals and three assists in 15 games this postseason.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk also missed his third straight game after sustaining a concussion in Game 2.

Chara was hit with a deflected puck in the second period of Monday's Game 4 and bled profusely. Team doctors did not clear him to return for the third period of Game 4, though he sat on the bench because he wanted to be with his teammates.

An NHL spokesperson said Thursday morning that Chara is unable to speak clearly right now. He gave written answers to a few questions from reporters during media availability.

Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar went to the Rio de Janeiro police headquarters on Thursday evening in an investigation linked to a woman's rape allegation against him.

The Brazilian football confederation reported earlier that Neymar had received a subpoena to speak with authorities about his posting on social media of images and messages of the woman without her authorisation in possible violation of her online privacy.

"I only want to thank the support and messages that everybody sent," said the player, who was using crutches because of his injured right ankle.

The rape case is being investigated separately in Sao Paulo, where the woman filed a formal complaint with police on Friday alleging that Neymar had raped her in a Paris hotel room on May 15. A doctor gave a statement to Sao Paulo police on Thursday about a medical examination he gave the woman.

Neymar denies any wrongdoing. After word of the woman's allegation became known, the player shared social media posts meant to show that the woman had sent him friendly messages following the alleged rape.

Neymar departed from the Brazil national team's hotel in the capital of Brasilia on Thursday and boarded a jet shortly afterward. He left the squad after injuring his ankle in a friendly against Qatar on Wednesday. The injury will keep him out of this summer's Copa America.

The woman, Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza, a 26-year-old model, made her first public comments about her charge this week, telling two Brazilian television stations that Neymar raped her and engaged in "aggression," or physical violence.

The Associated Press doesn't name persons who might have been sexually assaulted unless they make their identities public, which Mendes de Souza did in the TV interviews.

She told Brazil's SBT channel that Neymar became aggressive after she refused to have unprotected sex with him. She said the player had sexual intercourse with her despite her refusal and hit her repeatedly.

"I said: 'Stop it, stop it, stop it.' He did not communicate, he just acted," Mendes de Souza said.

Meanwhile, a video emerged on social media Thursday night that appears to show Neymar and Mendes de Souza in a physical altercation. It is unclear how or when the video was made, and the AP had no way of verifying it.

Neymar da Silva Santos, Neymar's father and agent, said the new video is evidence his son was set up by Mendes de Souza.

Mendes de Souza denied that during her TV appearances.

"I wouldn't expose myself this way to take money from Neymar. There is no logic, there is no sense," she told one interviewer.

Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui will become New Zealand's ninth Test venue after being awarded the opening match of the two-Test series against England in November.

A regular and popular fixture on the limited-overs scene, the ground has now been handed the marquee match ahead of established venues Wellington and Christchurch who will host the two-Test series against India in February and March. The second Test of the England series will be held at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed their home fixture list on Friday with the international season beginning on November 1 with the first of five T20Is against England in Christchurch.

After the visit of England, the men's team head over to Australia for a three-Test series which takes in the Boxing Day and New Year Tests before returning home for a full tour by India which includes five T20Is and three ODIs alongside the two Tests.

The men head back across the Tasman in mid-March for a three-match one-day series which had originally been penciled in for January following the Tests before a Cricket Australia fixture crunch involving the BCCI meant it had to be moved to the back end of the season.

Australia then make a trip over for three T20Is which conclude the New Zealand season.

The women's team will face South Africa in January and February across three ODIs and five T20Is, the latter providing preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Subject to final approval, Eden Park in Auckland will host four consecutive limited-overs matches across four days in late January with the men facing India in T20Is on January 24 and 26 and the women playing South Africa in ODIs on the Outer Oval on the 25th and 27th

"We're simply delighted with the way it's all fitted together," David White, the NZC CEO said. "We're particularly thrilled for all those involved in securing Bay Oval as New Zealand's ninth Test venue. A lot of people have worked hard for this recognition and I'm sure the venue will continue to go from strength to strength."

"We take our hats off to Eden Park," he added. "They've really come to the party; obtaining resource consents, offering compelling commercial terms and a reduction in match-day costs, and consistently preparing high quality wickets and outfield".

"This is a notified consent process and I'd really encourage the cricket community to make submissions in support of the game - which is scheduled for India's Republic Day and is shaping up to be a wonderful occasion."

New Zealand's home summer

Men's series v England

November 1: 1st T20I, Christchurch
November 3: 2nd T20I, Wellington (Westpac)
November 5: 3rd T20I, Nelson
November 8: 4th T20I, Napier
November 10: 5th T20I, Auckland
November 21-25: 1st Test, Mount Maunganui
November 29-December 32: 2nd Test, Hamilton

Men's series v India

January 24: 1st T20I, Auckland
January 26: 2nd T20I, Auckland
January 29: 3rd T20I, Hamilton
January 31: 4th T20I, Wellington (Westpac)
February 2: 5th T20I, Mount Maunganui
February 5: 1st ODI, Hamilton
February 8: 2nd ODI, Auckland
February 11: 3rd ODI, Mount Maunganui
February 21-February 25: 1st Test, Wellington (Basin Reserve)
February 29-March 4: 2nd Test, Christchurch

Women's series v South Africa

January 25: 1st ODI, Auckland (Outer Oval)
January 27: 2nd ODI, Auckland (Outer Oval)
January 30: 3rd ODI, Hamilton
February 2: 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui
February 6: 2nd T20I, Hamilton
February 9: 3rd T20I, Wellington (Basin Reserve)
February 10: 4th T20I, Wellington (Basin Reserve)
February 13: 5th T20I, Dunedin

Men' series v Australia

March 24: 1st T20I, Dunedin
March 27: 2nd T20I, Auckland
March 29: 3rd T20I, Christchurch

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed franchise quarterback Carson Wentz to a four-year extension through the 2024 season, the team announced Thursday.

The extension is for $128 million and includes guarantees of over $107 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter, and it can escalate to a max of $144 million. Wentz's total deal is now six years for $154 million and can grow to a max of $170 million.

The #Eagles and Carson Wentz have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension through 2024.

?: https://t.co/2SuuznqaoX pic.twitter.com/8ze1NlcWt2

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 6, 2019

The extension is similar to the one the Seattle Seahawks gave Russell Wilson, who signed a four-year, $140 million extension with $107 million in guarantees in April.

The Eagles have been open about their desire to lock Wentz into a megadeal. Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations, said at the owners meetings in March that "having Carson here long-term is our goal" and the organization will "work toward that." Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie added he would "absolutely" be comfortable extending Wentz this year, even though Wentz is coming off two significant injuries and was under contract through 2020.

The price for premium quarterbacks is only going to go up, and with Patrick Mahomes eligible for a contract after this season, the cost could soon skyrocket. By extending Wentz now, the Eagles assume some significant risk but will save millions on the back end if Wentz returns to MVP form, as they expect him to.

Wentz said in a video posted on his Twitter account that he was excited to re-up with Philadelphia.

"I can't even explain to you how excited I am right now to be a part of this great city for this many more years," Wentz said. "From the moment I got drafted here, I knew this place was special."

Grateful for this opportunity and excited for the future! ?? #FlyEaglesFly #AO1 pic.twitter.com/1Cxn12lciD

— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) June 6, 2019

The second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, out of North Dakota State, Wentz has been dynamic when on the field, but his short NFL career has been marred by injuries. After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, he has missed eight games over the past two seasons, including five last year.

In December 2017, Wentz tore his ACL and missed the team's final three games of the regular season and entire postseason run to a Super Bowl title. The injury also forced him to miss the first two games of 2018.

Wentz returned in Week 3 to put up a 5-6 record in 11 games before suffering a stress fracture in his back that forced him to miss the final three games of the season. He finished with 3,074 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 69.6% completion rate.

Wentz was a full participant in OTAs and hasn't looked this healthy since 2017. He is no longer in the knee brace that restricted his movement last season and does not plan to wear one during games this season. Neither Wentz nor coach Doug Pederson would say whether the stress fracture in his back has fully healed, but Pederson said he was not putting any limitations on his quarterback for this portion of team activities.

Prior to his injury in 2017, Wentz was having an MVP-caliber season. He led the team to an 11-2 record and finished the year with 3,296 passing yards, a single-season team record 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He was named a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro and finished third in MVP voting behind Tom Brady and Todd Gurley II.

As a rookie, Wentz threw for 3,782 yards and 16 touchdowns and had 14 interceptions. He set an NFL rookie record with 379 completions.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Tim McManus contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said players feel "vulnerable" on the floor during games, in the wake of an incident between Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry and Warriors investor Mark Stevens at Oracle Arena during Wednesday night's Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

"I think players are definitely vulnerable," Green said Thursday. "Any time you're in a situation where you can do no right, like in defending yourself, you're vulnerable. So if a fan says whatever they want to you and then you say something back, you're fined. If Kyle was to then hit back, a lot more than a fine would have then happened to Kyle.

"In a situation where you're essentially helpless, you're always going to be vulnerable in anything in life. So it's not just on the basketball court. In any situation you can't help yourself, you're vulnerable. So I think as players we definitely are."

Green's commentary came on the heels of Stevens pushing Lowry after the Raptors guard jumped into courtside seats to attempt to save a ball from going out of bounds. Lowry confirmed Thursday that Stevens also made derogatory comments toward him in the midst of the exchange. Green and several other Warriors players said they appreciated the way Lowry handled the situation, noting that members of a team's ownership group, like players in the league, should be held to a higher standard.

"When you're speaking of players, we are held to a different standard," Green said. "Coaches are held to -- anybody in the NBA circle, you're held to a different standard. So I think it's no different when you start talking of anybody in any ownership group in the league. You're held to a different standard. You can say it's unfair or not, like whatever your opinion is on it, whether you're one way or the other, that's just the reality of it. We're all held to a different standard, and that's not going to change.

"This game continues to grow. That standard continues to grow. A player in 2019 is held to a different standard than a player was in 1999. That's just the reality of where our game is today. We're all held to a different standard."

Warriors players and coach Steve Kerr spoke prior to the NBA's announcement that it had banned Stevens from attending games and participating in team activities for a year and fined him $500,000. Veteran Warriors guard Shaun Livingston echoed Green's commentary.

"What's fair is fair, right?" Livingston said. "It sounded like the league suspended him, and it seems to be the right move. If one of our guys was in a different arena -- we were up in Toronto and a fan did that -- we'd be calling for the same action. Regardless of if he's an owner or a fan just coming to the game for the first time. Credit the league for doing the right thing. What's right is right. What's wrong is wrong."

Livingston also made a compelling point in regard to why there seems to be more of these incidents in the public eye recently.

"I think it's because of how social media has taken off," he said. "There's more media coverage throughout the games; there's more exposure to these types of incidents. So there's more of a fan base; there's more of a forum to talk about it. So I think that's kind of what builds up the momentum when these things happen."

Kerr said that Stevens' behavior was "unacceptable" and he would personally apologize to Lowry and the Raptors on the Warriors' behalf. Warriors guard Stephen Curry called the situation "unfortunate," while noting a similar message to that of several of his teammates.

"I don't necessarily think it was a reflection of how we handled business here as a Warriors organization and franchise," Curry said. "We have a high standard and we do things with class and professionalism. And I know Mark is apologetic and whatnot, but we'll handle that situation -- like I said, the organization's going to do that.

"And just want respect for the game all the way around -- fans, owners, team, players, coaches, everybody -- because there's so much good happening on the court that we want to keep the spotlight on that."