Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the first singles rubber in the Davis Cup World Group playoff for Spain against India in New Delhi on Friday, reportedly with a stomach issue.?His place will now be taken by Feliciano Lopez.Nadal was slated to play Ramkumar Ramanathan of India in the first encounter of the tie, before David Ferrers singles match against Indias top-ranked singles player Saketh Myneni.Earlier, Ramkumar was drawn to face Nadal in the opening rubber at the draw. Its going to be my forehand to his backhand, quipped Ramkumar in the aftermath of the draw. The 203rd-ranked Indian will play Rafael Nadal in the opening singles rubber of the World Group play-off tie on Friday, while Saketh Myneni will face David Ferrer in the days second encounter.The mood was light as the Indians settled into their positions at the dais for queries. The lopsided match-ups have relieved them of pressure. A win isnt anticipated.Were the underdogs and have to find a way to put everything on the line, Saketh added. For the five-time champions, the strength of the team theyre fielding is a fair indication of the measure of seriousness that they attach to the outcome of the tie.Having been out of the World Group of the Davis Cup competition for two years now, the desperation to climb back to their rightful spot is palpable. Maybe we have better names and were ranked higher, said Nadal, but Indian players know the conditions well and will have the home advantage.For Ramkumar, its a dream come true. He knows the odds are stacked against him and senses it as an opportunity to play his heart out, with his parents, whove travelled from Chennai, watching him from the stands.The doubles contest on Saturday will have this years US Open semi-finalists Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez taking on the Indian duo of Leander Paes and Saketh.With Rohan Bopanna opting out of the tie, Saketh, now features in the teams plans prominently. It, however, remains to be seen whether his body can weather the rigours of best of five sets under such humid conditions.Saketh, as of now, figures in all the three days of competition. Its likely though that the fourth player, Sumit Nagal could be handed a chance in the reverse singles, depending on how the results of the first two days shape up.The idea, Indias non-playing captain Anand Amritraj proffered, would be to keep the first few games close, dish out some aggressive tennis and then get the crowd involved. This, hoping that Nadal takes some time to settle in, Amritraj, butted in over a gregarious laugh, At least we pray he does. Los Angeles Lakers Shirts .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Los Angeles Lakers Pro Shop . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap Lakers Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. DENVER -- A combination of power and small ball helped the Houston Astros break open a tight game in the late innings. J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, Carlos Pena connected for a home run as part of a three-run ninth, and the Astros rallied against Colorados bullpen to beat the Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night. The Astros overcame 12 strikeouts and Troy Tulowitzkis first multihomer game since 2011 in taking the opener of a two-game interleague set at Coors Field. Leading 3-2, Houston got a boost when Pena started the ninth with his fourth homer, driving a full-count offering from Rob Scahill over the right-field wall. Trevor Crowe followed by beating out an infield single and one out later, pinch-hitter Jimmy Parades singled to left, advancing Crowe to third. Marwin Gonzalez followed with a safety squeeze, laying down a sacrifice bunt as Crowe broke for the plate and scored. "It was absolutely perfect," Crowe said. "I felt like the last 15 steps, I walked home because the bunt could not have been better. On a safety squeeze, you want to roll it down the first-base line and Marwin was able to do that." Brandon Barnes singled to drive in the innings final run for the Astros. "That was good baseball there," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "The three runs in the ninth were huge in this ballpark. Guys did a great job. Getting the sacrifice bunt down, Trevor going first to third and Gonzo, great job with the safety squeeze and the two-out RBI was huge. A four-run lead here is really a two-run lead." Paul Clemens (3-2) pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief. Gonzalez led off the eighth with a single off reliever Edgmer Escalona (1-2). Jose Altuve was intentionally walked and Rex Brothers relieved Escalona. Brothers struck out Jason Castro but Martinez hit a two-out single up the middle, scoring Gonzalez to put the Astros in front by a run. "This guys a run producer," Porter said of Martinez. "Hes one of those guys, when there are RBIs out there, he smells them. Hes put together some of his best at-bats with runners in scoring position." Colorado had runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but first baseman Pena made a diving catch of Jordan Pachecos liner to end the threat. "Of course its frustrating, but thats how baseball goes,&quuot; Pacheco said.dddddddddddd "Weve just got to keep swinging, keep getting guys on." Tulowitzki homered in the ninth off reliever Jose Veras and off starter Erik Bedard in the fourth for his seventh career multihomer game. The last was Aug. 27, 2011, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies couldnt take advantage of a solid start from Tyler Chatwood, who struck out 10 batters in six innings. "Tyler did a great job," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We didnt get the big hit to get the big inning. But Tyler certainly did his part." The strikeout total was the most in a game by a Rockies starter this season and a career high for Chatwood, who allowed two runs on four hits. "I think I was getting ahead and I was able to put some guys away with my slider," Chatwood said. "Me and Jimmy (Wright, Rockies pitching coach) worked on it in our last side session. Its been kind of inconsistent, but I found it tonight." Bedard also pitched well and did not get a decision. He went six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. It was the third consecutive outing in which he has allowed only two runs. Houston struck first, getting a run in the second inning on Matt Dominguezs sacrifice fly. Tulowitzki answered leading off the fourth, when he drove the first offering from Bedard the opposite way into the right-field seats. It was his 11th home run of the season and also produced the 500th run scored of his career. Tulowitzkis two-out double in the fifth drove in Pacheco. But the Astros tied it up at 2-all in the sixth when Barnes scored on a sacrifice fly by Castro. Chatwood escaped further damage in the inning when he fanned Martinez and Pena for his ninth and 10th strikeouts of the game. His previous high for strikeouts was six. NOTES: The Rockies recalled Scahill from Triple A Colorado Springs and made room for him by optioning OF Charlie Blackmon. ... Colorado stranded 12 baserunners. ... The Rockies are six games into a stretch in which they play 17 games in 17 days. ... The Astros, whose Triple-A affiliate is in Oklahoma City, raised $21,000 this week through the Astros Foundation to aid Oklahomas tornado relief efforts. The money is being forwarded to the Red Cross. ... The Rockies acquired Chatwood two years ago from the Angels in exchange for catcher Chris Iannetta. ... Martinez has had back-to-back games with multiple hits. ' ' '