Two yorkers from Lasith Malinga crashed into the stumps and had zing bails light up the growing gloom around the Cardiff Wales Stadium and Afghan hearts, but by then Sri Lanka were as good as home.

An oxygen-depleted win but a win all the same in their second game of the 2019 World Cup. Against the event's sweetheart qualifiers, Afghanistan, by 34 runs (DL method), which doesn't prove anything except give Sri Lanka valuable points and a breather - and certainly for Malinga, his first win after 21 ODI defeats and one NR since July 6, 2017.

Sri Lanka's last ODI win against a frontline team outside of Asia was almost two years ago, against India at the Champions Trophy. In between then and now, purgatory, doubt, batting collapses (not that those have gone away) and one defeat after another.

For now, says coach Chandika Hathurasinghe the win gives the team the booster shot of confidence they needed. "We really needed a win. We haven't got much success lately… We need this win badly."

The Sri Lankans were to make the single change that may be what is needed to change their narrative. Even if that meant putting all their eggs in the one basket that Cardiff offered them - picking five seamers in conditions with clouds overhead that made the swinging ball sing. It was this fifth horsemen that was to prevent their apocalypse.

Nuwan Pradeep, hipster haircut, gunslinger walk, slinger action, biting pace and mean inswing - and left out on the weekend, turned up and did his job during the working week and produced his career-best ODI figures that made victory possible. Once it was done, the Lankans gathered together in a huddle of relief, bunting man of the match Pradeep on his head over and over.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne's grin was visible from a distance; never mind the fates and losing the toss again, his team had climbed out of the hole they had dug for themselves after recording the highest power play total of the competition and then imploding (7 for 36 in 11 overs.) Twenty runs across the last two wickets did take Sri Lanka past 200 but Hathurasinghe said while the score had never seemed enough they had expected the seamers to "bowl well on the wicket, hit the deck hard and hit the seam". The innings break, he said, had not featured a pep talk but a talking-to to the team, "I tell them what has to be done. That they have to come and perform."

It is what the Lankan bowlers did; the 15 wides at the end of the innings will cost them heavily elsewhere, but the extravagance of the Afghan batsmen allowed them to get away with it. The key was to just to pitch the ball up or back of a length, depending on who disliked what, hit the pitch hard when required to create dot ball pressure and extract the error. Or as Thisara Perera put it, "keep our line and length and don't panic." Isuru Udana and Pradeep, the least experienced of the five, were particularly efficient in tandem, Pradeep sending home the two most dangerous Afghan batsmen on the day.

The first opener Hazratullah Zazai and the second captain Gulbudin Naib. On our Smartsstats Forecaster, Naib's wicket brought down Afghanistan's win probability from 61 percent to just under 50 percent. When Mohammed Nabi went, it nosedived further from 44 to 28 and was spot on in predicting the trend of the contest.

Hathurasinghe said Pradeep had "single handedly" kept Sri Lanka in the game. In conditions like Cardiff where the ball swings and often climbs, he finds himself in his element and there was no better day to put it out on display. Left-arm paceman Udana said of Pradeep: "He was the main man today he was the man who changed the game." Pradeep had never played with a cricket ball until the age of 20, was discovered through a soft ball competition and has had a career for Sri Lanka restricted by a series of injuries. His last ODI was against New Zealand in January, missing out on the March tour of New Zealand due to injury.

The collective experience of the senior seamers (Malinga, Lakmal and Perera) have played between them 455 ODIs, enough to pass on their wisdom to the younger two. Udana, playing only his seventh ODI, used his experience from the Bangladesh and Afghan premier T20 leagues to offer insights into the Afghan batsmen to the squad. Malinga's last two wickets with his signature yorkers were the Afghan Nos. 9 and 10 and ended the game but it was Pradeep that had virtually dragged it out of Afghanistan's reach and imagination.

Sri Lanka on the field were far from ship-shape but they were to find moments of inspiration - Thisara's diving catch off Zazai on the long leg boundary, Karunaratne's direct hit to run out Najibullah Zadran - that made them buzz, bouncing on the balls of their feet, backing each other up. Malinga, the angry lion in winter, patting Pradeep on the back after he conceded five wides in the 25th over in an attempt to bounce out the batsman. A team that had found the energy and the collective to compete.

Hathurasinghe hoped this game was going to change Lankan ODI fortunes specially at the event where it is most urgent and most under notice. When asked about Malinga's tongue lashing and whether he agreed with it, he said: "When you play for your country there is a lot of pride at stake. They are all hurting. I'm sure about that. They really, really want to perform well for the country. What Lasith said, whatever he said, is what he believes and I think all the players get a lot of confidence after this win for sure."

Now if only the batsmen could follow.

Tiger Woods' former coach, Hank Haney, took to Twitter on Tuesday to counter the golfer's criticism last week over Haney's SiriusXM radio suspension after comments made on the air about women golfers.

"Amazing how @tigerwoods has now become the moral authority on issues pertaining to women," Haney said in his post. "I spent 6 great years coaching Tiger, and not one time did he ever hear me utter one sexist or racist word. Now, in addition to being a 15 time major champion, I guess he thinks he's also a mind reader? #glasshouses"

On May 29, prior to the start of the U.S. Women's Open, Haney said on his daily radio show that he was not up on the women's game and that he would first go with a Korean golfer as a winner. He then said he would go with "Lee'' and if he didn't have to say a first name, "I'd get a bunch of them right.''

Later in the show, Haney apologized and did so again on Twitter. But there was considerable criticism, including from former U.S. Women's Open winner Michelle Wie.

On Friday, Woods said that Haney "deserved'' the suspension, which was suggested by the PGA Tour. Sirius XM said it was reviewing the status of Haney's show and there has been no word this week on the future of the show.

"He deserved it,'' Woods said at the Memorial Tournament. "Just can't look at life like that. And he obviously said what he meant, and he got what he deserved.''

Haney, 63, had a successful six-year run with Woods that saw the golfer win 31 PGA Tour titles and six major championships before their working relationship ended in 2010. In 2012, Haney wrote a book called "The Big Miss,'' which detailed their time together but also delved into parts of Woods' personal life.

Woods told ESPN at the time that he remained thankful for Haney's impact on his career, but he was not happy about the book.

"I think it's unprofessional and very disappointing,'' Woods told ESPN then. "Especially because it's someone I worked with and trusted as a friend.''

Haney is a longtime golf instructor whose most prominent student prior to Woods was Mark O'Meara. He owns and operates several golf schools in the Dallas area.

After South Korea's Jeongeun Lee6 won the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday, capturing her first LPGA Tour title, Haney suggested on Twitter that it was validation for his pre-tournament prediction.

"My prediction that a Korean woman would be atop the leaderboard at the Women's U.S. Open was based on statistics and facts,'' he wrote. "Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again my answer would be the same but worded more carefully."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have released veteran tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Seferian-Jenkins had signed a modest one-year, $895,000 contract on April 10, and he was vying for a roster spot at a position where the Patriots are transitioning without the retired Rob Gronkowski. The contract included just $50,000 in guaranteed money.

Seferian-Jenkins wasn't at the team's mandatory minicamp Tuesday, with coach Bill Belichick foreshadowing his release by saying that all players who were required to be present had reported.

The 26-year-old Seferian-Jenkins, who has 116 career receptions for 1,160 yards and 11 touchdowns in 43 games over five seasons, also wasn't present during a voluntary practice in May that had been open to reporters.

Veteran Benjamin Watson headlines the Patriots' depth chart at tight end, but he will miss the first four games of the season because of an NFL suspension for banned substances.

Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, Stephen Anderson and Andrew Beck round out the depth chart.

Seferian-Jenkins had 11 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown before going on injured reserve in early October with a core muscle injury that required surgery. He became a free agent when the Jacksonville Jaguars declined his $500,000 option for 2019.

Seferian-Jenkins joined the Jaguars on a two-year, $10 million deal before last season after resurrecting his career with the Jets. The Bucs cut him after a September 2016 drunken driving arrest, which ultimately resulted in a two-game suspension by the NFL at the start of the 2017 season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring Lionel Hollins as an assistant coach, league sources told ESPN.

The Lakers have made it a priority to add head coaching experience to new coach Frank Vogel's staff, which now includes Hollins and Jason Kidd.

Hollins, 65, is the winningest head coach in Memphis Grizzlies history and led the Nets to the playoffs in 2015.

Hollins set Grizzlies records for winning percentage (.683) and regular-season victories (56) and reached the franchise's first Western Conference finals in 2013. Memphis reached the playoffs in three straight seasons under Hollins.

Hollins coached the Nets for two seasons after replacing Kidd in 2014-15.

Hollins played a decade in the NBA, winning a title (1976-77) and making an All-Star team (1977-78) with the Portland Trail Blazers.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant is out and Klay Thompson is questionable as the two Golden State Warriors stars battle injuries ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Durant, who has not played since injuring his calf on May 8 against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, did not participate in Tuesday's practice but appears to be getting closer to a return as he continues to work behind the scenes.

"Kevin is going to get on the floor at the practice facility later today," coach Steve Kerr said. "He did not get on the floor here. He was here for our film session and for some treatment, but he'll be getting some work in this afternoon. He's out for [Wednesday], but improving. And we'll just keep updating you when we have something."

Kerr said prior to Game 2 in Toronto Raptors that it was "feasible" that Durant could practice just once and then be cleared to play. The Warriors are scheduled to practice on Thursday with Game 4 on Friday night.

As for Thompson, he is optimistic about playing in Game 3, but it all hinges on how his injured hamstring is feeling on Wednesday night.

"It will be a game-time decision," Thompson said. "But for me personally, it would be hard to see me not playing. Hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow and be a go for tip-off."

Thompson spent some time after practice speaking to Kerr, Warriors general manager Bob Myers and Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celbrini on the bench, before getting a few shots and free throws up.

"He thinks he'll be ready to go," Kerr said. "But as I said the other night, Klay is always going to say he's ready to go. What we'll have to determine is is that a risk? If he plays, are we risking anything?

"If the training staff feels good about his ability to go out there and play without making things worse, then he'll play. But if there's a risk, we would rather give him the next couple of days to continue to heal and hopefully have him out there for Game 4. But it's literally day to day."

Thompson was confident he would be able to play through pain, noting how much he hates missing games.

"Obviously I would do anything I can to be out there," Thompson said. "But it's all in their hands. If there's any pain, it will be a no-go just because of the position we're in. This could be a longer series, so there's no point in trying to go out there and re-aggravate it and potentially keep myself out of the whole entire Finals instead of just one game."

Thompson noted that he is in less pain now than he was following Sunday's win and feels good about the possibility of playing given that he feels much better about this injury than he did after suffering a high ankle sprain in Game 1 of the 2018 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson didn't miss a game during last year's Finals, either.

"I think it's just when I have to stop on a dime or make hard cuts," Thompson said. "That's when you feel it the most. But if I can just be out there even at 80 percent, I still think I can be very effective. I'll do whatever I can to get to that full hundred. But if not, I'll still be out there and trying to do what I can to help my team win."

On top of Durant and Thompson's lingering status, Kerr also made it clear that center Kevon Looney would miss the rest of the series after suffering a non-displaced first costal cartilage fracture in Game 2.

"I feel so bad for Loon, especially," Kerr said. "Klay and Kevin, we're very hopeful they're going to be back out there. But Loon, much like DeMarcus Cousins the second game of the playoffs, when these guys go down and especially during the postseason you just feel so badly for them. But the job is to move on and give your team the best chance to win. So we just meet every day and try to figure it out."

Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala continues dealing with a left calf injury, but Kerr said that Iguodala practiced on Tuesday and expects to play in Game 3.

The Warriors are tied 1-1 with the Raptors as the series shifts to Oakland for Wednesday night's Game 3 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Running back Jerrion Ealy and defensive back Maurice Hampton, two 2019 football recruits, have decided to forgo the MLB draft and will pursue their college careers in football and baseball.

Both Ealy and Hampton were projected as potential high draft picks in this month's MLB draft, but neither was selected in the first round on Monday.

Ealy told ESPN he has notified MLB organizations he plans to stay at Ole Miss, the team he signed with in this past recruiting class.

Hampton, who signed with LSU, has told the Tigers staff that he will be in Baton Rouge on Wednesday and is planning to stay at LSU rather than pursue an MLB career, according to a source.

Ealy was the No. 19-ranked prospect in the 2019 class and plans on playing both baseball and football at Ole Miss. As an outfielder, Ealy was projected as high as a top-10 pick in the MLB draft, but did not hear his name called in the first round.

His mother, Vanessa Simmons, told ESPN in January she would support her son's decision no matter what it was, that it needed to be made by Ealy himself and no one else.

"You have to be real comfortable with yourself to give that up, but sometimes those millions might not be the best," Simmons said. "Once you pay taxes, your agent fees, once you pay everybody, you have to live off of that money for the next two, three or four years, because as a baseball player, after that bonus it's $1,100 a month. You have to think of your future -- don't just look at those dollar signs."

Hampton, also an outfielder, was also projected as a potential first-round pick in the draft and was the No. 30 prospect in Keith Law's pre-draft top 100, but he was not chosen. According to a source, he has also notified MLB teams of his decision, that he will stay at LSU and play football and baseball.

Hampton was the No. 107-ranked recruit and the No. 5 safety in the 2019 class.

TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been sidelined since March 31, got nine plate appearances in a simulated game and went through running drills Tuesday at the team's minor league complex in Tampa.

Stanton originally strained his left biceps, then his left shoulder. He played in one game for Class A Tampa on May 20, then was told to rest because of left calf tightness.

Danny Farquhar, who collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout last year because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage and signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the offseason, and Ben Heller (Tommy John surgery) pitched to Stanton.

Stanton also did agility drills and ran the arc behind the infield on the grass, which is normally one of the final steps before starting a minor league rehab assignment.

Stanton played catch and fielded grounders in right field with Aaron Judge, who has been sidelined since April 21 by a strained left oblique.

Judge did straight line running afterward.

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera will be limited to designated hitter for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with "chronic changes" to his right knee, the team announced Tuesday.

Tigers trainer Doug Teter told reporters that the changes are the "natural result of attrition" and said Cabrera will deal with this issue for the rest of his career.

Cabrera, 36, consulted with four surgeons, including Dr. James Andrews, but surgery was not recommended, Teter said. Cabrera said Tuesday he doesn't consider it an option.

"Forget about that," he told reporters. "I'm done with that."

Cabrera, who is in the lineup for Tuesday's home game with the Tampa Bay Rays, is batting .284 this season, but his power numbers are down significantly, with 2 home runs and 22 RBIs.

Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012 and won back-to-back American League MVP awards in 2012 and 2013. He signed an eight-year, $248 million contract with the Tigers in 2014. He has five years and $154 million remaining on the deal, and will be making $32 million per year at ages 39 and 40.

Cabrera missed most of the 2018 season after having surgery in June for a biceps tear.

"The only advice I can say to young kids is take care of their body when they have to. When they have something, stop playing for a week and come back. Don't play through pain, because you're going to pay the price later."

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen has a torn ACL and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said Tuesday.

The former NL MVP had to be helped off the field after injuring the knee during a rundown in the first inning of Monday's 8-2 loss to the San Diego Padres and was taken to the clubhouse for examination.

The team originally feared McCutchen had suffered a left knee sprain, but an MRI revealed the ACL tear.

Keep smiling, @TheCUTCH22.

Get well soon! pic.twitter.com/1udcqkKrFG

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 4, 2019

"I didn't feel it pop or anything," McCutchen said after Monday's game. "Something felt uncomfortable, something that made me grab my knee and go down. I've had an ACL injury before, and I know what that feels like. This didn't feel like that."

Unfortunately for the Phillies, who lead the NL East by just one-half game over the Atlanta Braves entering Tuesday's games, it was.

Jay Bruce, who was acquired this week in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, replaced McCutchen in the lineup on Monday. The Phillies again play the Padres on Tuesday night.

McCutchen, 32, is hitting .256 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs as a leadoff hitter in his first season in Philadelphia. He was signed to a $50 million, three-year contract during the offseason after finishing last season with the New York Yankees.

You never know what gems will pop up from the second day of the MLB draft. All-Star rosters are littered with Cy Young winners like Corey Kluber (fourth round) and Jacob deGrom (ninth round), who both pitched at Stetson, an MVP winner in Mookie Betts (fifth round) or an MVP candidate like Paul Goldschmidt (eighth round) or Cody Bellinger (fourth round).

Here are some names to watch from the second day of the 2019 draft, which covers Rounds 3 through 10:

Tyler Callihan, Reds (2B, Providence HS, Jacksonville, Fla.)

Pick: Round 3, 85th overall

No. 40 on Keith Law's big board, Callihan draws rave reviews for his hit potential but lacks a clear position. The Reds announced him as a second baseman, although he has tried catching and Keith believed it would be worthwhile to try him behind the plate.

Matthew Allan, Mets (RHP, Seminole HS, Sanford, Fla.)

Pick: Round 3, 89th overall

Allan clearly fell because of perceived signability issues as Keith had him as the top prep pitcher on his big board (No. 11 overall) and MLB.com had Allan No. 13 on its list. Allan is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and he sits 92-95 and touches 97 with his fastball. His curveball and changeup also project as plus offerings. Allan's draft slot figure is $668,000, so the Mets will have to go way over that amount to keep from attending Florida.

Jacob Wallace, Rockies (RHP, UConn)

Pick: Round 3, 100th overall

The UConn closer lights up the radar gun with a fastball that touches 98, and he blew by hitters this year with 68 strikeouts and a .140 average allowed in 42 innings. His most impressive moment came when he struck out all seven Oklahoma State batters he faced to keep UConn alive in an NCAA regional matchup last weekend.

He's your prototypical fastball/slider power reliever and could be one of the first players from this draft to reach the majors. If that happens, he can join UConn pitcher Scott Oberg in the Colorado bullpen.

Ryan Pepiot, Dodgers (RHP, Butler)

Pick: Round 3, 102nd overall

The Dodgers went all-in on performance by college players, taking Tulane third baseman Kody Hoese (an older college player who ranked among Division I leaders in home runs) at No. 25 and North Carolina infielder/outfielder Michael Busch (No. 16 on Keith's board) with the 31st pick Monday and then Pepiot on Tuesday. He fanned 126 in 78 innings for the Bulldogs thanks to a high spin rate and power curveball, pushing him up to No. 33 on Keith's board, and although he'll have to improve his control (44 walks), he looks like somebody who could always fall back to the bullpen with a strong two-pitch repertoire.

Glenallen Hill Jr., Diamondbacks (SS, Santa Cruz (Calif.) HS)

Pick: Round 4, 122nd overall

The son of the former big league slugger is a different player from his dad: He's faster, smaller and a switch-hitter, although he does project to have some power despite his 5-9 frame. He is expected to move to the outfield as a pro. The Diamondbacks will also have to buy him out of an Arizona State commitment. He does have one similarity to his dad: There are concerns that he has too much swing-and-miss in his game.

Graeme Stinson, Rays (LHP, Duke)

Pick: Round 4, 128th overall

Stinson began the season not only as a potential first-round pick but as one of the top college starting pitching prospects, even though he had pitched in relief in 2018. He made just five starts, however, shut down after a hamstring injury, and didn't look good before the injury. If healthy, he has a mid-90s fastball and one of the best sliders in the draft. Given his lack of a track record as a starter and his missed time this season, he might end up a reliever.

Noah Song, Red Sox (RHP, Navy)

Pick: Round 4, 137th overall

Song is currently required to fulfill a five-year military commitment -- he is scheduled to begin training as a naval flight officer in November -- before the Navy will let him join a professional organization (he can petition after two years to serve as a reservist).

Mitch Harris and Oliver Drake did reach the majors out of the Naval Academy, although it took Harris seven years after his draft year to get there and Drake left school after two years and went straight to the minors after getting drafted. Song, however, is a much better prospect than those two as he hits 96 with his fastball, maintains velocity deep into his starts, and had a dominant season in the Patriot League with 161 strikeouts in 94 innings and a 1.41 ERA.

Tanner Morris, Blue Jays (SS, Virginia)

Pick: Round 5, 147th overall

A draft-eligible sophomore, Morris hit .345/.452/.507 in the tough ACC with more walks than strikeouts. He didn't hit many home runs (5), but his 21 doubles in 56 games suggests there could be more to come from his 6-2 frame -- plus, Virginia's home park is a tough place to hit home runs. He's not a burner, so he might switch to second in the pros.

Will Holland, Twins (SS, Auburn)

Pick: Round 5, 149th overall

Another college shortstop from a power conference, Holland is different from Morris in that he's a true shortstop but had a disappointing season at the plate after entering the year as a potential first-round pick. He hit .248 for the Tigers with 57 strikeouts in 214 at-bats, so he'll need to overhaul his approach and swing to tap into his power potential (he did hit nine home runs for Auburn).