Durban Heat 197 for 4 (Hales 97*, Miller 40, Shamsi 2-37) beat Paarl Rocks 195 for 2 (Delport 84, du Plessis 66) by six wickets

After three washouts and two losses in their first five games, Durban Heat have reeled off three successive wins, the latest coming in a high-scoring chase on Wednesday. This keeps them alive in the playoff race; they currently have 18 points in eight games, one behind third-placed Tshwane Spartans.

Nelson Mandela Bay Giants' record of the highest successful chase of the tournament barely lasted 24 hours as Heat eclipsed them in a 196 chase with seven balls to spare. While the season's wait for a centurion continues, Alex Hales added to a string of quality 90-plus scores. He made 97 not out of 55 balls.

Delport finally comes good

Cameron Delport put on middling performances in his first seven matches. But in his eighth, he showed why he is such a sought-after player on the Global T20 circuit. His authoritative 84 off 49 balls included dismantling of two current South African bowlers and one former international. Delport took 15 runs off Kyle Abbott's first over, including three fours. He sent Andile Phehlukwayo onto the roof of the stand at deep midwicket and dispatched Keshav Maharaj behind square on both sides to set up Paarl Rocks for an imposing total.

Faf sustains momentum

So far, Faf du Plessis had only threatened to come good in the tournament. On Wednesday, he actually did by scoring his first half-century of the season at a strike rate of 183.33 despite initially playing second fiddle to Delport. After his dismissal, however, du Plessis was severe on Abbott, plundering 18 runs off his third over to remind the selectors and administrators of his abilities in the shortest format. It was a statement of sorts, given he was left out of the T20I squad that played in India, which also cast doubts over his future in the format. Performances like these will keep those who matter interested as South Africa look to build to the T20 World Cup next year.

Look England, its Alex

It wasn't just du Plessis who was looking to catch the attention of the selectors. Hales, who last played for England in March, is also eyeing a comeback. The unbeaten 97 was his first significant score of the season, and it came at the right time. He went particularly hard at Hardus Viljoen's short balls and struck four consecutive fours off his second over that went for 17. This kept the Heat on track at 53 for 1 in six overs. Yet, at the halfway mark, they needed 110 of the back 10. Hales held his shape and shellacked 61 from the next five to leave them needing just 49 in the final five. Hales remained unbeaten and saw them home.

More to follow

Washington Wizards forward C.J. Miles underwent successful surgery Wednesday to repair ligament damage in his left wrist, the team announced.

There is no timeline for his return.

Miles, 32, suffered the injury Nov. 26 during a loss to Denver.

He was acquired from the Grizzlies in the offseason for Dwight Howard

Miles had surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot in July and did not debut with the Wizards until Nov. 4. He is averaging 6.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10 games with the Wizards.

The Wizards will also be without center Thomas Bryant, who will miss at least three weeks because of a stress reaction in his right foot.

Right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a five-year, $118 million contract, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Wheeler turned down a larger offer from the Chicago White Sox that was in excess of $120 million, sources told Passan.

Wheeler was considered the prize of the free-agency class for teams in search of starting pitching that didn't want to compete in stratospheric bidding for Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg.

The Phillies, who have a new manager, Joe Girardi, needed rotation help, and Jake Arrieta is entering the final year of his contract with the club.

Wheeler's name has come up at the trade deadline for the past few years, but the New York Mets held on to him, and the 29-year-old right-hander started to fulfill some of the promise that surrounded him before Tommy John surgery derailed his career in 2015.

He has made 60 starts over the past two seasons, going 23-15 with a 3.65 ERA with 374 strikeouts in 377⅔ innings.

In 2018, he bounced back with 29 starts and had career bests in wins (12) and ERA (3.31). Playing on a one-year, $5.975 million deal in 2019, Wheeler slipped to 11 wins and a 3.96 ERA but had a career-high 195 strikeouts and ranked ninth in the National League with 195⅓ innings pitched.

Wheeler had the second-highest WAR on the Mets' pitching staff behind Jacob deGrom last season. He relies on his fastball -- he set a career high for fastball velocity in 2019 -- and had a 29.4% strikeout rate on his four-seamer. He used his two-seamer more often, however, allowing a .297 batting average to opposing hitters while accumulating a 17.2% strikeout rate.

As for secondary pitches, Wheeler is armed with a very good curveball (37% percent strikeout rate), but he threw his slider (22.8% strikeout rate) twice as often in 2019.

Since entering the majors with the Mets in 2013, Wheeler is 44-38 with a 3.77 ERA and 72 strikeouts.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Keith Law contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Angels and the City of Anaheim have come together on a new deal that will give the organization full control of its stadium and keep baseball in the area for at least another 30 years.

The City of Anaheim agreed on Tuesday to sell Angel Stadium and the 133 acres of surrounding land for $325 million to SRB Management LLC, of which Angels owner Arte Moreno is a partner. In exchange, the Angels have agreed to stay in Anaheim through at least 2050.

The Angels, who would own their stadium for the first time in their history, have yet to decide whether they will renovate their current facility or build an entirely new one. The next step is a City Council vote on the purchase that will take place in a special meeting on Dec. 20.

The Orange County Register first reported the agreement on Wednesday morning. In a statement released by the team, Moreno thanked Mayor Harry Sidhu and said: "Today is the first step in enabling us to invest in our future by building a winning team and delivering a high-quality fan experience."

The Angels had until the end of the year to either exercise an opt-out clause, play out their existing lease, which ran through 2029, or negotiate a way to play out of a new or renovated stadium in Anaheim. The latter took place, a circumstance Sidhu and Moreno both considered the most ideal.

"After years of uncertainty, we have a path forward for baseball in Anaheim," Sidhu said in a statement. "For every fan who told us to keep the Angels, this proposal would do exactly that."

The new agreement includes three additional opt-outs in five-year increments, extending as far as 2065. Included within a 153-acre purchase -- priced at about $2.1 million an acre -- are the stadium, 12,500 parking spaces and the City National Grove of Anaheim, a 1,700-seat live-music venue.

Under the new deal, the Angels would fully fund all development with the stadium and surrounding land but also profit off all the revenue. The Angels have also agreed to incorporate affordable housing, parks and open spaces, details of which will be ironed out in the upcoming spring.

The land will be part of the city's larger plans for the Platinum Triangle, an 820-acre district that includes the neighboring Honda Center and calls for the development of restaurants, shops, entertainment and urban-style homes, similar to what has been built around Petco Park in San Diego.

"Anaheim is proud to own Orange County's only professional baseball stadium," Sidhu said in a statement. "But things have changed. The trend is private ownership."

The agreement is not contingent on the team changing its name back to the "Anaheim Angels," though the city did broach the topic during negotiations.

Development of the surrounding land, which will be done in concert with the city, is estimated to begin in 2025. An appraiser recently valued the 153 acres at up to $325 million with the stadium and up to $475 million without the stadium, but the city contends that it will see a significant increase in property and sales tax revenue from the development of hotels, shops and restaurants around a stadium that has sold at least 3 million tickets for 17 consecutive seasons.

The Angels have retained the services of HKS Architects, which designed the Minnesota Vikings' new NFL stadium and has advised the Los Angeles Dodgers on their renovations. Under the agreement, the Angels must maintain 12,500 parking spaces, which would eventually require the construction of a parking structure.

Angel Stadium opened its doors in 1966 and is older than every stadium in baseball except Wrigley Field in Chicago, Fenway Park in Boston and Dodger Stadium in L.A. The current lease was agreed on in 1996, when Disney owned the team. Moreno has sought full control over the stadium since he assumed ownership in 2003 and has intermittently flirted with relocation when negotiations with the city stalled.

The most significant setback occurred in 2013, when a proposed deal -- in which the Angels would reportedly pay $150 million to refurbish the stadium in exchange for developing and profiting off the surrounding land -- was shot down by then-mayor Tom Tait.

Moreno walked away from negotiations at that point and informed the city in October 2018 that the team would be opting out of its lease after the following season. When Sidhu was introduced as the new mayor at the start of 2019, talks resumed. The Angels were granted a one-year lease extension to buy more time for negotiations.

In the meantime, the city of Long Beach proposed a potential waterfront ballpark in hopes of luring the Angels. But a new stadium would reportedly cost more than $1 billion and wouldn't be ready before the 2025 season. With the Dec. 31 deadline on their current lease looming, the Angels became hyper-focused on negotiations with Anaheim in November.

They unveiled their pitch on Nov. 15, 32 days before the final City Council meeting of the year, and the two sides met two other times before coming to an agreement.

"When I became mayor a year ago, one of my top priorities was to keep the Angels in a way that benefits our residents and neighborhoods," Sidhu said in a statement. "In January, I reached out to Angels owner Arte Moreno about a fresh start. That was the start of where we are today. I want to thank Arte for his commitment to our city."

The Rays and the city of St. Petersburg have broken off talks regarding the possibility of the team playing some home games in a location other than the Tampa Bay area, according to a letter released from the mayor's office Wednesday.

"Both parties have agreed that the best path forward is to abide by the existing use agreement with the understanding that the agreement allows for the Rays Organization to explore post-2027 split or full season opportunities, both in St. Petersburg and elsewhere," Mayor Rick Kriseman wrote.

Kriseman also said the team declined to pursue "full-time" stadium options in the Tampa Bay area and that the city will not contribute public dollars toward a new stadium.

In June, the Rays received permission from Major League Baseball's executive council to explore a plan in which they would play home games in both the Tampa Bay area and Montreal. The Rays believed the two-city solution was the most feasible to save baseball in the Tampa Bay area after years of failed attempts to build a new stadium in the region, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan at the time.

Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg had said he envisioned the plan taking effect as soon as 2024, but Wednesday's announcement indicates that no such move could happen until at least the 2028 season.

The Rays' average attendance of 14,734 in 2019 was the second lowest in the majors, ahead of only the Miami Marlins.

Give Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos credit for acting quickly and decisively in the offseason, while many of his peers wait out the market hoping for bargain-basement deals. A year ago, he signed Josh Donaldson in late November to a one-year contract while other top free agents didn't sign until spring training had started. This year, Anthopoulos has now added free agent left-hander Cole Hamels on a one-year contract according to reports, in addition to earlier signing Giants closer Will Smith, re-signing reliever Chris Martin and signing Rays catcher Travis d'Arnaud.

It has been a sneakily active offseason for the Braves -- and what could be a very effective one as they push for a third straight NL East title after winning 97 games in 2019. The free-agent game isn't as simple as identifying potential targets and offering fair-market contracts. You have to close the deals. If you wait too long on one player, your backup plan may end up signing with another team. There's a clear advantage to locking up the player you want as early as possible.

Hamels turns 36 in December, but he hasn't lost all that much from his peak days with the Phillies, going 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 27 starts for the Cubs in 2019, missing a month with an oblique injury. His adjusted ERA+ of 117 isn't far off him his career average of 123, so he still projects as a solid No. 2 or 3 starter -- and, specifically for the Braves, a veteran lefty to help lead a young staff and replace free agent Dallas Keuchel in the rotation.

Hamels has lost a tick off his fastball, averaging 91.7 mph in 2019, but he had full command of the vintage Hamels changeup as batters hit just .170/.237/.270 against it. Opponents hammered his four-seam fastball to a 1.009 OPS, but the odd thing is he still threw it more often (36% of the time) than any season in the previous five years while throwing fewer two-seamers in the process. It will be interesting to see if a new pitching coach and new analytics staff tries to transition him into throwing more two-seamers and cutters.

The Braves needed to add a starting pitcher as they have to replace Keuchel and Julio Teheran -- that's 52 quality starts missing from the 2019 rotation that ranked seventh in the NL with a 4.20 ERA. While a lot of analysts and fans earmarked Madison Bumgarner as the veteran lefty who would go to the Braves since Bumgarner is from North Carolina, the Braves were never going to be in that game. Bumgarner may command a deal close to $100 million and the Braves ranked 27th in the majors in free-agent money committed in the 2010s. (The one big contract they gave was B.J. Upton for $72.25 million.) The franchise owners at Liberty Media simply don't go after the big free agents, so getting Hamels on a one-year deal fits their priorities.

There's hope the rest of the rotation can be a little better in 2020 as well, especially since Mike Foltynewicz found himself down the stretch (at least until that final game against the Cardinals) after dealing with shoulder issues in spring training and a stint in the minors. Mike Soroka had a 2.68 ERA as a 21-year-old rookie and Max Fried had a solid first year in the rotation with 17 wins and a 4.02 ERA. Options for the fifth spot include Sean Newcomb, Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright, or maybe another lower-cost veteran free agent.

Of course, there's still a big hole in the lineup if Donaldson doesn't return -- and it's going to take a multi-year deal to get him this time. He hit .259/.379/.521, played good defense, and while Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman received more attention and finished in the top-10 of the National League MVP voting, Donaldson was every bit their equal on the field, actually topping both in Baseball-Reference WAR.

The Braves do have a potential in-house replacement in Austin Riley, who moved to left field in the big leagues and started out mashing like Chipper Jones when he hit .324 and homered nine times in his first 18 games. Big league pitchers eventually exploited his aggressive approach, however, and he finished at .226/.269/.471, including a lowly .676 OPS against right-handed pitchers. There's certainly big-time power potential there, but right now going from Donaldson to Riley at third projects as at least a four-win downgrade -- the margin the Braves won the division by over the Nationals.

Is there another move to make? The Braves are currently at an estimated $158 million in payroll, $20 million higher than last season and the highest they have ever run, but that still doesn't project as a top-10 payroll. While adding another bat or pitcher makes sense, Liberty Media's tight-fisted fiscal priorities suggests this is probably it for the Braves. They could trade Ender Inciarte, set to make $7.7 million in 2020 and $8.7 million in 2021, to clear a little salary as top prospect Cristian Pache should be ready for the majors. Inciarte had injury issues in 2019, but was a 3.4 WAR player in 2018 and would have interest on the trade market.

I like what Anthopoulos and the Braves have done, but replacing Donaldson's production in the lineup will require improvements from the guys on hand -- certainly possible given the youth of Acuña, Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson. This is a franchise, however, that has lost eight consecutive division series and one wild-card game since last winning a playoff series way back in 2001. Will a good offseason be good enough?

PLACERVILLE, Claif. – C&M Motorsports has signed Justyn Cox to chase two sprint car championships next season.

“I can’t even begin to say how excited, and thankful; I am to wheel the No. 7c fulltime in 2020,” Cox said. “We were able to get one night of racing in together at the end of this year, and I could tell this was a team I wanted to compete for. We have been talking the last few weeks, and everything came together, and it worked really well for both myself, Cody and Mandi.”

The team will have two main goals in 2020. The first will be to compete full-time at Placerville in pursuit of the track championship. While Cox ran a hit and miss schedule at Placerville in 2019, C&M Motorsports finished third in owner points after having various drivers compete for them.

Second will be to contest the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards Title, a series that the team has had perfect attendance with in its first three years of existence.

“Mandi, and I are super pumped to work with Justyn Cox in 2020 and to go after these two championships together,” team co-owner Cody Geaney said. “He has been extremely fast, and successful over the last few years, and things went really well when he ran our car back in November. We are busy getting ready for the season ahead, and I can’t wait for Justyn, MF, and myself to get going.”

Aside from the two points chases, C&M Motorsports will also fill their schedule with various open shows at the end of the season, as well as other events they see fit once schedules are announced later this winter.

“I am looking forward to working with Cody, Mandi, and MF, as we chase these titles and wins,” Cox said. “I am also looking forward to welcoming back Berco as a marketing partner in 2020. They have been a great partner of mine, and I am excited to have them with me at  C&M Motorsports as well as on the family car. Aside from the busy schedule in the No. 7c, the plan is to still fill in some open dates in the Cox Family Racing car during some Friday shows in Chico, Calif., as well some KWS events and possibly a few Outlaw shows. 2020 is shaping up to be a fun year, and again, I cannot thank C&M Motorsports and their team enough for believing in me.”

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INDIANAPOILIS — The third seat in DragonSpeed’s 10Star entry at the Rolex 24 At Daytona will be filled by American sports car ace Colin Braun.

The 31-year-old Texan will join regulars Henrik Hedman and Ben Hanley in the stars-and-stripes bedecked LMP2-class ORECA O7-Gibson for the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship season-opening endurance classic.

The team’s fourth driver for the Jan. 25-26 event at Daytona Int’l Speedway has yet to be selected.

Highlights of Braun’s prototype career include his challenge – with Core Autosport principal Jon Bennett – for outright IMSA championship honors in 2018 and 10 IMSA victories and two American Le Mans Series LMPC-class titles.

Colin’s varied driving portfolio also includes numerous GT outings and stints in NASCAR and ARCA stock car competition.

“It’s a real pleasure to welcome Colin to the team,” said team principal Elton Julian. “As one of our toughest rivals from LMPC days, it’s great to have him on our side. He’s a proven winner who quietly gets the job done every time, and we look forward to his technical input as well. We can only run a Silver-ranked third driver in IMSA after the Rolex, but are looking at the possibility of having Colin in the 10Star car for some of our European races, including Le Mans.”

“I’m super excited to join Henrik and Ben at DragonSpeed,” Braun said. “I’ve known Elton for a long time now and have enormous respect for the team he’s built. I’m also looking forward to the fun of driving an LMP2 again at Daytona. I won the class there in 2018 and DragonSpeed won in 2019, so we know our goal for 2020.”

The Minnesota Wild be without defenseman Jared Spurgeon for about two weeks while team captain Mikko Koivu is considered day-to-day after both players were injured during Tuesday´s win over the Florida Panthers.

The team said Spurgeon suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of the 4-2 win.

Spurgeon, 30, has three goals and 13 assists in 22:35 of ice time per game this season.

Koivu exited in the third period, with the Wild saying Wednesday that he suffered a lower body injury. He has two goals and 10 assists in 28 games this season.

SYDNEY - Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and other players at this week’s Australian Open could have another course hazard to contend with: smoke from nearby bushfires.

A temperature inversion which formed over Sydney on Monday night trapped smoke in the region on Tuesday and caused considerable haze during a practice round. Golf Australia said it plans to increase on-site medical staff if the fire-driven smog disrupts the tournament.

With a wind shift on Wednesday, the situation had improved during the pro-am, but Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said he was concerned with the potential for smoke affecting the health of players.

“It was pretty bad yesterday, stinging eyes and all that," Scott said after his pro-am round on Wednesday.

There were about 25 bush and grass fires burning across New South Wales state, including a large one in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. A westerly wind on Tuesday moved a lot of the smoke from that fire over Sydney.

While Pitt said he was confident the tournament would proceed without any smoke delays, he said officials will closely monitor the weather with children and elderly spectators most susceptible to the threatening air quality.

“Firstly our issues with smoke at a golf tournament pale into insignificance with the things that home owners and property owners and people right around the country have dealt with," Pitt said of the fires which have killed six people and destroyed dozens of homes.

“So we're very aware of that fact and all our sympathies and thoughts go to them because that's the real issue.”

Pitt said it was a new type of threat for the tournament.

“It's something we've never had to give consideration to before,” he said. “We've had storms and rain and hail and heat and cold and all those sort of things that are your typical golf tournament issues. But this one is new and we have been in constant contact with the Bureau of Meteorology.”

Scott is among the International players for next week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne playing this week in Sydney for team captain Els. Also in Sydney for the first time in his career is Louis Oosthuizen, the only South African player on the International team.

Other International team players at The Australian Golf Club this week are Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, defending champion Abraham Ancer and Taiwan's C.T. Pan.

The International team’s only win over the United States team was in 1998 when it was first held at Royal Melbourne.

“I think we all sort of feel Royal Melbourne is the place we’ve got probably the best shot,” Oosthuizen said. “We’ve got a team that’s really in form. We’ve got a young side coming through. I think having an Aussie crowd behind us, playing Royal Melbourne especially, I think it will be the best home course advantage we can have.”