ad, despite not having played a first-class game for two years. He played two first-class tour matches, and lo and behold, suffered another back injury.So long ago was his spectacular Test debut, and so often has he been in and out of Australias short-form squads since then, that it is easy to think C

A look at whats happening all around the majors Wednesday:---LUNCH-HOUR HARDBALLFour games are set to start at 1:35 p.m. EDT or earlier, including Nationals-Indians and Phillies-Marlins at 12:10, Padres-Blue Jays at 12:37 and Tigers-Red Sox at 1:35. The West Coast gets to play in the sun, too, with Rays-Dodgers starting at 3:10 p.m. EDT and Reds-Giants at 3:45.STRASBURG VS CARRASCONationals ace Stephen Strasburg (13-1, 2.83) seeks a bounce back against Cleveland and right-hander Carlos Carrasco (7-3, 2.31) after suffering his first loss in his last start. Strasburg allowed six runs in six innings in a 6-3 defeat to the Dodgers after winning his previous three outings in dominant fashion. Carrasco threw six scoreless innings and only allowed one hit in an 11-4 victory over Kansas City in his last start.LONG, STRANGE TRIPFollowing a circuitous jaunt to the Canadian border, new Toronto outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. is expected to get his first start for the Blue Jays against San Diego. Upton was traded by the Padres on Tuesday when they were already in Toronto, but joining his new team was much more complicated than walking across the field. Requiring a work visa to enter Canada as a member of the Blue Jays, he drove to 1 1/2 hours to Lewiston, New York, and back to Toronto before Tuesday nights game. Sat at border patrol for a little while, jumped in the car and came back, Upton said. It all went pretty smoothly. Upton grounded into a fielders choice as a pinch-hitter Tuesday. He was having a resurgent season with the Padres, batting .256 with 16 homers, 45 RBI, 46 runs and 20 steals. Hes hit three game-ending home runs.BIRDS OF PREYSt. Louis tries to extend its recent power surge against Logan Verrett (3-6) and the Mets at Citi Field. The Cardinals have homered in 17 consecutive games, their longest streak since a club-record run of 19 games in 2006. They lead the NL in long balls and have already surpassed last seasons total of 137. The last time they topped the league was 1998, the Elias Sports Bureau said, when Mark McGwire hit 70 of their 223. Part-time infielder Jedd Gyorko has been a steady power source lately, with seven home runs in nine games.NEED SOME SUPPORTYu Darvish looks for a little help when Texas plays Oakland. Darvish is winless in two starts since coming off the disabled list, but the Rangers have scored only two runs combined for him in those games. The right-hander from Japan struck out 11 in six innings against Kansas City last Friday. He is 1-8 in 10 career starts against the As. Rookie lefty Sean Manaea makes his fifth start for Oakland since coming off the DL, and in his last three, the As have scored only one run in his 20 innings.NFL Jerseys For Sale . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Wholesale Jerseys From China .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. http://www.wholesalechinajerseysforcheap.com/ . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Wholesale Authentic NBA Jerseys . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. NFL Stitched Jerseys . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1.Its the first week of December and Christmas trees are being put up in houses all over Australia. Excited kids are waiting for the morning of the 25th. Some wont have the patience. Theyll go hunting for presents hidden in wardrobes, or lift the sticky-tape on a piece of wrapping paper, take a peek at whats inside. And on Christmas morning theyll regret it. A moment of impulse and everything is spoiled.It feels a little like that in Australian cricket right now. What do we want? Pat Cummins. When do we want him? Now! And indeed, Cummins is ready to play his first internationals in nearly 15 months, as part of Australias attack for the Chappell-Hadlee campaign against New Zealand. These three ODIs mark his international return from yet another long lay-off due to stress fractures of the back. At most, he will bowl 30 overs across six days with a white ball.And yet there are rumblings that he should be rushed back into the Test side, perhaps for Februarys tour of India, but maybe even in the pink-ball Test against Pakistan at the Gabba. On Inside Cricket this week, Brad Haddin was adamant that Cummins should be in contention for Brisbane if he came through the Chappell-Hadlee series fit and in form.If he gets through these three one-dayers ... traditionally these day-night games [Tests] havent been going five days and the quick bowlers might only have to bowl 16 overs in a day, Haddin said. If you use him right in a Test match, he only has to bowl four-over spells.Darren Berry, the former Victoria captain and ex-coach of South Australia, voiced a similar opinion on SEN radio on Friday morning: Surely he plays the three days and if hes up, and he fires, straight into the Brisbane Test.Notably, those who are closer to the Australia setup are more measured. National selector Mark Waugh, on the Inside Cricket panel alongside Haddin, said that while Cummins had performed well during the Matador Cup, and bowled at good pace in club cricket and two Futures League games this summer, he still had something to prove.Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, lets just see him get through these three games, Waugh said. Look, Id love to pick him for Australia in Test match cricket, who wouldnt? But hes got to show that hes ready and hes fit.And captain Steven Smith, asked this week whether Cummins might be a chance for the Test tour of India in February-March, conceded that it was possible, but added hes obviously got to play some Shield cricket first and see how he goes. And heres the thing: Cummins hasnt played Shield cricket for a long time. A really, really long time. When Cummins last played a Sheffield Shield game, not only was Smith not yet the captain of Australia, Michael Clarke wasnt eitherr.dddddddddddd It was March 2011, and Ricky Ponting was leading Australia at the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.When Cummins last played a Shield game, Jackson Bird had not even made his first-class debut. Bird now has nearly 250 first-class wickets.When Cummins last played a Shield game, the Big Bash League didnt exist.In fact, since that time Cummins has played only five first-class matches. One was his memorable Test debut against South Africa in November 2011, when he took seven wickets and was Man of the Match in Johannesburg. Then came a bone stress injury in his foot. Then came stress fractures of the back.In mid-2013, he added two more first-class games for Australia A on a tour of Africa, before once again being sidelined by a back injury.In mid-2015, he was sent to England to replace the retired Ryan Harris in Australias Ashes squad, despite not having played a first-class game for two years. He played two first-class tour matches, and lo and behold, suffered another back injury.So long ago was his spectacular Test debut, and so often has he been in and out of Australias short-form squads since then, that it is easy to think Cummins is older and better prepared than is the case. In fact, he is still only 23 - still of an age where fast bowlers are susceptible to bone injuries - and in his entire career has played only eight first-class matches.Rushing him back for the Pakistan Tests - or even for the India tour, given he may have only one Shield game before the squad is chosen - would surely be a short-sighted selection. Does anyone really believe the dry pitches of India, where the fast men will toil long and hard for any reward, would be the smartest way to bring Cummins back?Its great to be back, Cummins said in Sydney on Friday, ahead of his ODI return. Longer-form cricket, Id say its pretty unlikely. I havent played first-class for a while. Certainly hopefully I can play some first-class this year. Im sure itd need to be Shield before I start thinking about anything else.Notably, Cummins also said that on this return from injury he felt more comfortable as he was not being rushed on to an Australian tour: Knowing I wasnt going to fly straight back onto the next tour and having to bowl as well as I was 12 months ago - just having a bit more time has made a big difference.It is exciting that Cummins will be back in Australian colours over the coming week. But back in Australian whites? How about getting him through half a Shield season first? If Australian cricket wants Cummins playing the long game, it may have to play the long game itself. ' ' '