MILWAUKEE -- Much has been made of Kawhi Leonard's occasional limp during Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. And yet, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday ahead of Thursday's Game 5 at Fiserv Forum, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse maintained that his star will be ready when the ball goes up.

"He's feeling good," Nurse said. "No concerns at this point. He's good."

Nurse wasn't quite ready to say the same, however, about star point guard Kyle Lowry, who has been battling a thumb injury on his left (non-shooting) hand that he suffered during the conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lowry has been wearing a specially designed oven mitt since to try to speed the healing process, but Nurse admitted the All-Star guard is playing through pain.

"Kyle's hand is not great," Nurse said. "You know, he's -- it's hurt and it's sore and it causes him a lot of pain. But he seems to be able to manage it through the game and do what he can do.

"He's obviously scoring and playing great on top of the other things he always does, and we're really [seeing] a heck of a lot of toughness and again, the spirit that he just wants to be out there and help his team any way he can."

For Lowry on Tuesday night in Game 4, that meant scoring 12 quick points in the first quarter to help the Raptors get a lead, then another six late in the second quarter to help Toronto preserve that advantage at halftime.

Those early points helped lead a wave of scoring from Toronto's supporting cast. That was particularly useful for the Raptors, given that the two players who played 50 minutes in the double-overtime thriller in Game 3, Leonard and Pascal Siakam, both showed signs of fatigue at times in Game 4.

"I think you just don't know how people are going to react," Nurse said. "I think kind of the main narrative is that Kawhi was super tired and extra minutes and all those kind of things. I think we kind of had that in the back of our minds, but you know, you just don't know how guys are going to react when the ball goes up, their adrenaline kicks up, etc.

"I do think Kyle feels like he sees opportunities for himself in these series, and I think Kyle is usually an early, early scorer. He knows leads are precious and he's trying to jump-start that. He was humongous last night. We didn't get off to a great start, and I think he automatically changed that by himself."

Forward OG Anunoby, on the other hand, remains "a ways away" from contributing after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last month.

"OG does not have a timetable for coming back," Nurse said. "He is being more active every day. I think we are getting closer to a point where we're -- you know, unpack is the next step for him. He's moving pretty good, he's shooting, etc., but still a ways away from being able to take hits and contact in the areas that he needs to test out, I guess."

The Raptors, though, remain focused on the task at hand, which is to find a way to do what they couldn't in the first two games of this series: get a win in Milwaukee. (The Bucks have only lost twice in a row all season; they have never lost three times in a row.)

That is the goal for Toronto -- one that, if the Raptors can accomplish it, would allow them to have a chance to clinch a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history Saturday night back at Scotiabank Arena.

Nurse, though, said that there has been very little talk of the possibilities down the road for the Raptors. Instead, he said the focus has been on the task that it is immediately at hand -- one that won't be easy to solve.

"I think there's been very little," he said. "I'm trying to think of things I've heard and I can really only remember Kyle through the Philly series was immediately over, we were in the locker room and he kind of quieted everybody down and said, 'Hey, listen, you know, enjoy this game, but we've still got a ways to go where we're trying to get to, so let's get back here tomorrow and let's get back to work.' You know, that kind of mentality."

NEW YORK -- Criticized for not running hard, New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano got hurt hustling up the first-base line.

The 36-year-old slugger left Wednesday night's 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals after straining his left quadriceps.

Cano got hurt when he grounded out in the third inning following J.D. Davis' two-out double. The Mets trailed 1-0 at the time.

"He took a few hard steps out of the box, got about halfway down the line and it grabbed on him,'' manager Mickey Callaway said.

An eight-time All-Star, Cano twice failed to run out grounders last weekend against the Marlins in Miami, both of them resulting in double plays. Callaway said he addressed the issue, and Cano did not start Monday against the Nationals.

Callaway cited Cano's hustle when he doubled to right-center as a pinch hitter on Monday night and slid into second.

"I guess he had his fastest time from home to second [in three years], so I'm sure he was aware that he needs to get going a little bit,'' Callaway said.

Cano is batting .241 with three homers and 13 RBIs in his first season with the Mets. The former New York Yankees star was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in December.

Cano had an MRI during the game. Callaway said he did not yet know the results.

Mets infielder Luis Guillorme was removed from Triple-A Syracuse's game at Lehigh Valley in the fifth inning, a sign Cano could be headed to the injured list.

"They're always proactive during the game,'' Callaway said. "If something like that happens, they'll pull a player out just to make sure he's good to go in case we need him."

BALTIMORE -- CC Sabathia's balky and bothersome right knee could soon be sending him to the New York Yankees' still-full injured list, the veteran left-hander and his manager said following his latest start Wednesday night.

"We have so many injuries, and to kind of pile this on there kind of sucks right now, but this is just something that I need to take care of," the 38-year-old Sabathia said after the Yankees' 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles. "Probably take some time [off] just to get the medicine in there and let it kind of work its magic."

Sabathia, who earned his 249th career win Wednesday by striking out seven in a five-inning outing, said he won't be traveling with the Yankees to Kansas City on Thursday night. The Yankees have a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals that follows Thursday's midday series finale in Baltimore.

Instead of joining his teammates, Sabathia will be heading back to New York. He's expecting to get a cortisone shot that day, which will force him to be shut down a few days. Asked if Sabathia could miss his next start, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said: "It's possible." Could this be an IL stint for Sabathia? "It could be," Boone added.

Knee flare-ups like the ones Sabathia said he has been fighting through his past couple of starts have occurred almost yearly for him since 2014. Across much of that time, he has been dealing with inflammation and arthritis in the knee, forcing him to take his share of midseason breaks.

Sabathia has been placed on the IL four times the past six seasons due to right-knee inflammation. In previous years, those stints have included treatments of cortisone, draining of excess fluid in the knee and the administering of a separate fluid that's designed to help lubricate his knee. Pitching with braces around his knee has helped stabilize it, too.

The 19-year veteran also has undergone offseason surgeries to the knee, including one this past winter. That operation preceded an unexpected heart procedure in December. Because of both surgeries, Sabathia was placed on the IL during spring training, and remained there the first two weeks of the season.

Since making his season debut April 13, Sabathia is 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA. He has allowed 35 hits while striking out 34.

"[The knee] always hurts pretty bad when it's like this," Sabathia said. "I would say [the pain] is in the middle. But no, I'm not concerned. I've dealt with this before, the medicine's worked, the brace has worked and I feel pretty good."

The hardest part of pitching with the knee injury is the way it impacts the conclusion of his delivery, Sabathia said.

"It was just hard to land. It's like a shooting pain goes through every time when I land, so it makes it hard to kind of finish my pitches," Sabathia said.

Although he felt the pain all throughout this latest start, it didn't appear to trouble him until the fifth inning, when he gave up his share of hard batted balls.

Sabathia cruised through the first four innings, registering all of his strikeouts within them. He also had allowed only one hit before everything unraveled with two homers and two doubles in the fifth. Of the seven batted balls he allowed in the inning, four were hit with exit velocities of 102 mph or faster. Normally a master of weak contact, those heightened velocities were notable.

"That last inning was a struggle for him," Boone said. "But he battled."

If Sabathia goes back on the IL, he will join the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Greg Bird, Troy Tulowitzki and Didi Gregorius on it. In all, 12 players are currently on the IL, with as many as 17, including Sabathia, having already spent time sidelined this season.

Journeyman Rajai Davis, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday and arrived in the third inning of the New York Mets' game with the Washington Nationals, hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat with the team.

Davis took reliever Sean Doolittle deep in the eighth, when the Mets scored six runs with two outs on the way to a 6-1 win in New York.

"I think I saw him in the fifth or the sixth for the first time," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "He got here about the third. He Uber'd over, got ready, came out, hit a homer, came inside, didn't know where the clubhouse was, how to get back in, had to ask some people, 'Which way do I go to get back in the clubhouse?' And just slapped high-fives going into the line. Yeah, whirlwind day for Raj; great at-bat."

Davis, 38, who grew up in Norwich, Connecticut, rooting for the Mets, said he found out he had been called up at about 5 p.m. He said he thought his manager was joking at first.

"It was a normal day when it started and then we took BP in Lehigh Valley, PA, in the cage and I found out I was coming up," Davis said. "Thought that the manager was playing around, playing a little joke. But I'm here."

The ride from Lehigh Valley took about two hours, and he said he got to know his driver, Jason, pretty well.

"We were both excited," Davis said.

The Mets are Davis' eighth team in a 13-year career. He's a .262 lifetime hitter, and led the league in steals in 2016 with 43. Last season, with the Cleveland Indians, he homered only once. He matched that Wednesday night.

The roster spot opened when the Mets put outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the 10-day injured list with a stiff neck.

Nimmo, who has struggled at the plate all season, had an MRI on Wednesday after experiencing a sharp pain in his neck earlier in the week. He is hitting .200 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 130 at bats this season, far below last season's numbers.

BALTIMORE -- Gleyber Torres simply owns the Baltimore Orioles.

But the New York Yankees' 22-year-old shortstop is trying hard to avoid believing that.

"I know a lot of things about how I hit very well in this series in Baltimore," Torres said late Wednesday. "But I don't think about that too much. I try to respect, first of all, respect the game, be humble, respect the team and just play."

Still, humble or not, what Torres' bat has been doing to the Orioles this young season has been downright disrespectful.

Sure, a lot of hitters around the majors are having their way with the lowly O's these days, as evidenced by the 105 home runs their pitchers have allowed through 49 games this season.

But nobody has put together the kind of nightly power-hitting display against Baltimore that Torres has.

In 11 games against the Orioles this season, Torres has 10 of his 12 homers, with his latest coming in the third and fifth innings of Wednesday night's 7-5 Yankees victory at Camden Yards. Both blasts gave the Yankees needed breathing room as the Orioles hunted a comeback.

"He's getting himself into a really strong hitting position a lot, and getting his A-swing off a lot, and the power's pretty special," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

The first of the two home runs came on a 1-2 slider that stayed in the middle of the strike zone. Lined toward the bullpens beyond the center-field fence, the ball landed an estimated 424 feet away, near the pitching rubber in the Orioles pen.

That one came on an 82.9 mph toss from Orioles starter Dan Straily. It was the third time a Straily slider had been hit for a homer in the game. DJ LeMahieu and Thairo Estrada had both homered off sliders in the second inning.

Straily has allowed a major league-leading seven homers off of sliders.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde believed Straily practically served the homer up to Torres on a platter, given its poor location.

"There's definitely a pitching plan [against Torres]; it's definitely not to throw the ball in the middle of the plate -- and we just continue to do it," Hyde said. "When you don't do it, we get him out.

"Gleyber's got two homers besides facing the Orioles. Hitting like .220 or something. So people, major league pitchers, are pitching to him."

Torres actually is hitting .250 against all other teams. Versus the Orioles, he is batting .465, with a whopping 1.763 OPS.

Torres' second homer came off a fastball. As reliever Gabriel Ynoa tried to paint the outside corner with the 93 mph pitch, the right-handed-hitting Torres went with it, lining the ball over the high scoreboard in right, toward the adjacent warehouse and Eutaw Street.

"Gleyber's a good player," Hyde said. "He had a really nice piece of hitting, knocking the ball the other way; you tip your hat on something like that. But the other stuff, that's inexcusable at this level."

Wednesday's outing marked the fourth multihomer game of Torres' season. All four have come against the Orioles, with three at Camden Yards. Overall, he has six career multihomer games, with five of them having come against Baltimore.

Torres hit two homers in Monday's win at Baltimore and two in the first game of a doubleheader against the O's last week at Yankee Stadium. He had another homer in the other game of the doubleheader. So, in his past five games against Baltimore, he has seven home runs.

"Any time you have that kind of short stretch with that much success against someone, yeah, you just kind of shake your head at it a little bit," Boone said. "It's one of those things that's unusual and rare, and he's very locked in."

Torres has a very good chance to break the single-season record for homers hit by a player against the Orioles franchise. His 10 long balls versus the team are only two shy of the mark shared by three players: Lou Gehrig (1931), Hank Greenberg (1946), and Gus Zernial (1951). At the time each of those players hit 12 homers against the organization, the Orioles were known as the St. Louis Browns.

With eight games left between the Yankees and Orioles this season, Torres has plenty of time to surpass the mark.

Along with Torres, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has had his share of success against Baltimore. A fourth-inning homer on Wednesday gave Sanchez nine against the Orioles this season.

According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Torres and Sanchez are the first teammates on any squad to have at least nine home runs apiece against the Orioles franchise in the same season.

CHICAGO -- He's been in right field this week, but for the Philadelphia Phillies, not the Chicago Cubs. Bryce Harper might have been at the top of the offseason wish list for more than a few fans last winter, but not many are clamoring for him in Chicago right now. That's because the Cubs' offense -- once thought broken -- continues to put up big numbers in a resurgent season at the plate. At least so far.

Wednesday was one of the few good hitting nights at Wrigley Field this season, as the ballpark has played favorably for pitchers. But the temperature -- and the winds -- made a dramatic change overnight, and the Cubs took advantage. Three long home runs, including Albert Almora Jr.'s first career grand slam, helped the home team coast to a big victory after trading a pair of one-run wins in the first two games of four between these division-leading teams.

"He had gotten me earlier in the game with the bases loaded and two outs," Almora said of Phillies starter Cole Irvin. "I didn't want to leave six men out there."

Almora's first-pitch slam in the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie and the Cubs never looked back, eventually beating the Phillies 8-4. While collecting eight hits and four walks, the Cubs maintained a hefty lead in the National League in an all-important offensive category: on-base percentage. They lead the Dodgers and Cardinals by six points after Wednesday. No other major statistic correlates to runs scoring better than getting on base. For whatever reason, the Cubs forgot how to do that in the second half of last season, but they got it back.

Their thump is back, too. The Cubs finished 11th in the National League in home runs in 2018 but rank third so far this year while playing fewer games than the two teams ahead of them as well as almost every team behind them. And they're doing it in a more pitcher-friendly Wrigley Field. Perhaps the return of their power coincides with a change in hitting coach they made after last season, but it's more likely tied to the maturation of a lineup built around their young veteran hitters.

Almora is a key example. He hit his fifth home run Wednesday after hitting five all of last year. And there's a reason Chicago manager Joe Maddon is batting him lower in the lineup, behind OBP stalwarts such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras: Almora doesn't strike out much.

"By putting him down there I have a strong belief the ball is going to be moved with people on base," Maddon said.

There's that on-base thing again. The Cubs love to clog up the basepaths and, yes, sometimes they strand too many, but over time, those clogged bases will turn into big run totals.

Irvin got to Almora twice Wednesday, but the third time was the charm for the Cubs outfielder. His grand slam was preceded by a game-tying, third-inning blast from Rizzo, a bomb that hit the Budweiser sign beyond the right-field fence.

"Literally almost knocked out the sign," Maddon said. "He got the D [in Budweiser]. That ball was crushed."

So was Javier Baez's seventh-inning blast. The big hits and runs just kept coming.

So who needs Harper when the offense looks like this? Of course, Maddon didn't buy that narrative quite so easily. He didn't say it outright, but who wouldn't want another premier hitter? After all, last year the Cubs tanked in the second half. The more insulation they have from that happening again, the better.

"It's always good to have depth," Maddon said. "I can't discount that. It's nice to see our guys come through like this, but it's still a long ways to go."

No truer words have been said, considering the collapse of last season. But for now -- and that's all we can go off of -- the Cubs have rediscovered their ability to get on base combined with flexing some muscle. Wednesday was a great example, and led to a tip of the cap by Almora.

"The curtain call went by so quick," he said. "I wish I could have enjoyed it more."

If that's the worst the Cubs have to worry about on offense, they'll be in good shape.

Flashing units will increase your speed, footwork and reaction time
By TONY GRIFFIN – Squash Mad Coaching Correspondent

World No.6 Paul Coll is among a growing group of enthusiasts who are using the new ROXs training system.

When I was first introduced to the ROXs (pronounced rocks) a couple of months ago, their value for squash training was immediately clear. It was as if they are designed with shadowing, court sprints and squash agility in mind.

The system involves a number of flashing units that can be spread across a court floor to improve awareness, speed and footwork. The app measures your times for each activity.

When fellow New Zealander Paul Coll tried it for the first time, he was texting me with his reactions. Each response grew more and more enthusiastic as he challenged his own renowned speed and reaction times.

After his first short session, Paul sent me a message on WhatsApp saying: “Mate – I AM IN!!! – these are wicked!!! –made a preset (programme) already – Crushing it now.”

I got another text a few days later. “I really like the ROXs for training. Think it’s perfect.”

And he told me over the phone one day: “It’s just what I’ve been looking for in my ghosting, that random instant reaction movement. I had been improvising, putting numbers in each corner and an app on my phone that would randomly select one of the numbers. The ROXs are so much better – and they collect data!”

There are no short cuts with physical training but ROXs immediately changes the mentality and dynamics of the session. The level of alertness is doubled because you cannot start your next movement until you hear the sound or see the flashing light, thus giving the physical training added cognitive value which is very similar to match situations. With the ROXs you are connecting the body (physical) with the brain (psychological), which is our eternal challenge in squash.

When you hit on the ROXs touch-sensitive light, it stops flashing and the app starts up another ROXs.

The programmes randomly choose your destination by lighting up and making a sound. This random destination selection obliges an automatic motor-neuron reaction (body self organisation) which is an integral requirement of squash movement. You can also personalise the ROXs programme to suit your own needs.

You set the different programmes according to time or number of repetitions depending on your own training objectives, physical level and age. You can also programme the lights so that, for example, the red lights are touched by the feet, the green lights with your left hand and the blue lights with your racket handle.

Being able to condition the end of each movement with the use of different hands or feet obliges the player to develop multiple solutions so enhancing the body’s ability to “self organise” in an instant.

The app measures reaction time. It also collects and records different data about the sessions so you can easily follow your progress over time.

The children love it. For them it’s simply a fun game and, without realising it, they are improving their physical and cognitive skills.

Paul Coll enjoys a ROXs session on court

It also makes group coaching session more dynamic and rewarding. And, with club players, we have had the most hilarious and fun sessions.

State-of-the-art IoT technology is at the heart of ROXs. Multiple sensors detect and respond to tap, flip, toss, balance and shake movements. Lights, sounds and haptic clues stimulate senses. Reaction data, challenges, competitions and programs drive motivation to move.

ROXs are flexible for Fitness, performance, sport-specific, injury-prevention, rehab, cognitive training or just active play; all are powered by ROXs. They have more than 100 training variations available.

The system is ​simple to set up and app controlled (iOS/Android), with wireless charging and adjustable mounting straps. They new covers added ground stability and all-weather protection are arriving very soon. And everything tested according to the highest German standards.

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You download to your phone or tablet an app that contains an ever-growing series of interactive exercises. The app connects to theROXs and away you go.

ROXs are completely new and what we have talked about here is really only the tip of the iceberg for how they will be able to help people evolve. With the balance and shake sensors the A-Champs team are developing a programme that will combine speed and reflexes with balance and stability. These are contrasting skills that are essential in squash.

Before ROXs existed in their present form, Dr Giuseppe Riva published in the magazine Cortex, (number 104 in 2018) the paper “The Neuroscience of body memory: From self through the space to others”.

On page 252 he wrote to the scientific community “Our challenge is to determine how we can use technology to correct a dysfunctional body matrix. Two examples are: (1) the use of technology to facilitate the integration of external and inner body signals; and (2) the use of technologies to induce a controlled mismatch between the predicted or dysfunctional content and the actual sensory input thereby improving the body representations.

“The emerging fields of interoceptive feedback, sonoception (the use of sound and vibration to modify inner-body signals and body illusion techniques) may offer practical tools for the above strategies.”

Do ROXs hold a key to change?

Here is a link to the A-Champs website and below are the Squash Mad codes that will allow you a special offer to buy your ROXs tax free.

Codes for Squash Mad:
“SquashMad3” for 3-piece set  and “SquashMad6” for 6-piece set with charging case.

Pictures courtesy of Tony Griffin, Paul Coll and the Squash Mad archive 

SALISBURY, N.C. – While Tuesday night’s preliminary program for the QRC Open at Millbridge Speedway featured a thrilling finish, courtesy of a last-lap pass by Chase Majdic, it also featured several wild crashes as well.

Oregon’s Tanner Holmes, Texas’ Jerrod Huisenga, North Carolina’s Andrew Wehrli and California’s Anissa Curtice all endured flips during preliminary action for the Cookout Showdown, which added extra work prior to their QRC Open qualifying efforts.

Holmes, Wehrli and Curtice went up and over during their respective hot lap groups, while Huisenga’s crash occurred during his heat race later in the program.

Despite top-wing damage, both Holmes and Curtice were able to make repairs to their karts in time to qualify for Wednesday night’s QRC Open. Holmes timed in 20th overall, while Curtice was 29th.

“I just got out there and was trying to burn some good laps, because we didn’t get to practice on Monday, and I wanted to make the most of what we had,” Holmes said of his No. 18t machine. “I was right on the fence a few times and had a few good laps going, but got into turn one and tried to be off the wall … and just got into it a bit too hot. I slid into the curb, it tossed the front end and drove it right up into the wall.

“It’s unfortunate, but we still battled back and got inside the top 12 in our flight, so that’s a positive as far as the invert is concerned,” he continued. “It was a solid lap and now we just have to build on it.”

Huisenga got a new, flat-metal wing affixed to his No. 77H just before two-lap time trials were set to begin, but didn’t make it to staging in time to qualify and will have to come from the back of his heat race on Wednesday night.

“I went into turn three, and I think just entered a bit too high,” Huisenga noted. “I got up on the wall, my right front dug into the wall and it just sent me around and on my lid. We fortunately have it back together now, but it was a little too late for qualifying.

“I think we’ll be alright for the big show; we just have to find a little bit of speed we’re lacking.”

Wehrli’s No. 54 was described as “used up” after his crash and he scratched out of the rest of Tuesday night’s program. It is unclear whether he will be able to return for Wednesday’s championship night.

Of note, Shane Contarino had both a spill and a thrill on Tuesday. He caught the cushion and tipped onto his side during pace laps for the 12-lap Beginner Box Stock B-Feature, but came back to win the race.

INDIANAPOLIS – Juncos Racing has announced that 250ok, an Indianapolis-based email intelligence platform, will be the primary sponsor for Kyle Kaiser’s No. 32 Chevrolet entry for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The news comes in the wake of a massive turnaround for the team, after Kaiser crashed during practice last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then snuck into the Field of 33 with a run that bumped out Fernando Alonso during the Last Row Shootout.

“We are thrilled to announce a highly innovative company like 250ok has joined our effort and will be our primary sponsor for the No. 32 Juncos Racing Indy 500 entry,” said team owner Ricardo Juncos. “When Greg (Kraios, CEO of 250ok) offered to support us, and we were connected over our personal journeys, we knew this sponsorship was meant to be. We both share the same values, commitments and goals, and I look forward to building our relationship with the 250ok team.”

“After hearing Ricardo’s story, and knowing they were in need of a sponsor, I jumped at the opportunity,” added Kraios. “From our similar upbringings, supporting his hardworking and odds-defying team felt like a personal calling.”

Kraios, who grew up in Indianapolis as a lifelong race fan, identified deeply with team founder Juncos’ story of working up from humble beginnings in Argentina to becoming an owner of an NTT IndyCar Series team. Kraios experienced a similar journey, growing up in a working-class Indiana neighborhood, ultimately working at ExactTarget (now Salesforce) before founding his own technology company.

Juncos Racing made headlines during qualifying for the Indy 500 this past weekend when Kaiser secured the final spot on the grid of 33 in a dramatic final attempt.