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WASHINGTON -- There has not been a lot of positive news around the last-place Cincinnati Reds this year, but slugger Adam Duvall and pitcher Anthony DeSclafani are two of them.Duvall shares the National League lead in home runs at 22 with Chicagos Kris Bryant while DeSclafani makes his fifth start of the season Friday when he faces the first-place Washington Nationals and Tanner Roark in the second game of the series.DeSclafani is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA this season. In his last start, he went a career-high eight innings and gave up five hits and no runs while throwing a season-high 117 pitches in a 3-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.The New Jersey native is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in five games in his career against Washington. He pitched out of the bullpen three times for the Miami Marlins against the Nationals in 2014 and made two starts last year with the Reds.He has commanded the bottom of the strike zone on both sides of the plate, Reds manager Bryan Price said Thursday. His best two pitches are his fastball and slider but the ability to create speed separation with his changeup and curveball has been a big part of his success.The right-hander has bounced back since he lasted only 2 2/3 innings on June 15 as he gave up six hits and four runs in a 9-8 loss in 13 innings to the Atlanta Braves, though he did not figure in the decision.DeSclafani has also made five minor league rehab starts this year. He began the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique suffered in his final spring training outing.He made his major league debut in 2014 with the Miami Marlins.The Reds need a good outing as Brandon Finnegan couldnt get out of the third inning on Thursday when the Nationals hit three homers in a 13-4 victory. Shortstop Danny Espinosa hit two of the homers -- one from each side of the plate.Roark, the Washington starter Friday, is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his last four starts.The Nationals used a starting pitcher -- top prospect Lucas Giolito -- for the first time on Tuesday who was not part of the five-man rotation to the start the year.Stephen Strasburg (10-0) went on the disabled list Sunday. When will he return?At this point, we still have half of the year to go. Im more inclined not to rush him. Im not in a hurry, personally, said Dusty Baker, the Washington manager.Roark won 15 games as a starter in 2014 and split last season between the bullpen and the rotation as Max Scherzer supplanted him in the rotation. Cheap Air Force 1 Shoes Wholesale . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Air Force 1 China Wholesale . 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The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. NEW YORK -- A year after one of the most significant and stunning losses of Serena Williams illustrious career, shes made it back to the same stage of the same tournament: the U.S. Open semifinals.The stakes and opponent are different. Once again, there is history in the offing.At Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2015, two wins shy of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century, Williams was upset in three sets by unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy. At Ashe on Thursday night, two wins shy of claiming a record 23rd major singles title and earning a record 187th consecutive week at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, Williams faces 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.Vinci never had participated in a Grand Slam singles semifinal. Neither has Pliskova, who hadnt even been past the third round at major until now.The 24-year-old Pliskova grew up watching the Williams sisters play on TV and she already eliminated one in this tournament, beating Venus in a third-set tiebreaker after saving a match point in the fourth round.Asked whether she expected to get some advice from her sibling before facing Pliskova, the younger Williams said: Im sure she will tell me something. But Ill be there. Ill be ready tomorrow.Pliskova will be trying to become only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same major, joining Martina Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open, Justine Henin at the 2007 U.S. Open, and Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open.But Pliskova, who leads the tour in aces this season, realizes what a daunting task awaits her against Williams.Shes a big hitter and she can have 50 winners -- and you cannot do much about it, said Pliskova, whose twin sister is also a tennis player. But Im still going to hope that there is going to be some chance in the match where I can get my chance and be the one who is playing aggressive.ddddddddddddThe other womens semifinal Thursday is No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany against 74th-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, a former No. 1 who is a two-time runner-up at Flushing Meadows.Kerber, who is 7-5 against Wozniacki, has a chance to overtake Williams atop the rankings after the tournament.This would mean a lot to me, Kerber said. I mean, when I was a kid, I was always dreaming (of) being the No. 1. Lets see. I mean, there are still matches to go.Williams overcame a real challenge in the quarterfinals, her first of the these two weeks, by getting past No. 5 Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 with the help of 18 aces and by winning the point on 26 of her 32 trips to the net.The sore right shoulder that developed in the days after the American won Wimbledon to tie Steffi Grafs Open-era mark of 22 major championships does not appear to be a problem any long.I feel OK. Im not at 100 percent, but Im OK, Williams said. Nothing to complain too much about.During the difficulties she encountered in the second set of her quarterfinal -- Williams went 0 for 12 on break points -- there never was the sort of emotional display she is famous for. A cracked racket, say, or screams of anger or self-encouragement.I was rather positive today, and thats not normal. Im just going to go with it, Williams said with a smile.Asked later to explain her mental state more, Williams replied: I was really rather calm today and not trying to be. I guess thats just how I got out of bed this morning. I definitely wanted to do some more `Come ons. I dont know why. Thats weird.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '