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SURPRISE, Ariz. . -- Kansas City Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar likely will miss at least the first two months of the season because of a sprained ligament in his right elbow. Hochevar, the first pick in the 2006 amateur draft, got hurt Monday while pitching to Matt Davidson, his final batter during a two-inning outing against the Chicago White Sox. The sprain was revealed in an MRI taken Tuesday. Manager Ned Yost said Wednesday that Hochevar wont throw for two-to-three weeks and "probably the best-case scenario" would be a return at the end of May or early June. "His second-to-the-last pitch against the White Sox he felt a twinge in his elbow," Yost said. "He ended up throwing a cutter to strike the guy out. He felt OK coming in, but the next day it was real stiff and sore." Hochevar was 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA and two saves in 58 relief appearances last year. He is earning $5.21 million and is eligible for free agency after the season. He was sidelined from mid-June until mid-September in 2010 because of a sprained elbow and made only 17 starts and one relief appearance that year. "We were a little nervous that it could have been worse," Yost said. "We think we got as good a report as wed hoped for coming back. But, again, you really wont know until three weeks to see exactly where were at." Hochevar was a candidate for the final rotation slot this season. Yost said Wade Davis, Danny Duffy and rookie Yordano Ventura are "realistically fighting for that spot" and Hochevar would pitch from the bullpen when he returns. . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. . They started shooting the puck. Joe Pavelski had a hat trick to move into a tie for second in the NHL in goals and the Sharks beat Philadelphia 7-3 Thursday night in the first game for both teams following the Olympic break. . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - LeBron James took a look at the stat sheet after three quarters and liked what he saw. There was a lot to like. James had 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Miami Heat build a big lead, and then rested in the fourth quarter of a 110-78 victory against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. It was James first triple-double of the season and No. 37 for his career. "That thing has been pretty elusive, hasnt it?" James asked. "Im just glad it came in a win. That is the important thing about getting those. It is only special if you win the game." James had a triple-double without needing a point, assist or rebound in the final quarter for the fourth time in his career. His last triple-double through three quarters was Jan. 27, 2009, for Cleveland against Sacramento, according to STATS. "Nothing LeBron James does should surprise us," Pistons coach John Loyer said. "Hes the best player in the game, or pretty close to it. He orchestrates for everybody." The banged-up Heat had little trouble with the Pistons even though they were without Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Greg Oden. "At this point, theres somebody out every night," James lamented. The Heat had plenty of players make up for the losses. Udonis Haslem scored 12 of his 17 points in the first quarter, when James already had seven assists. Chris Bosh scored 15, Chris Andersen had 13 points, Norris Cole scored 12 and James Jones added 10 for Miami. "This was one of those games where we had to have different guys step up," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You cant make excuses about lineups and injuries in this league. Weve got to win games with the guys you can put on the floor every night." Greg Monroe and Will Bynum each had 12 points and Kyle Singler scored 11 for the Pistons, who honoured their 1989 championship team at halftime. Detroits Andre Drummond had 12 points and eight rebounds while Josh Smith was held to nine points on 4-of-14 shootinng. . The Bad Boys didnt seem to inspire the current players, whose lack of effort was "mind-boggling" to Loyer. "We didnt lay it on the line," Loyer said. Detroit was competitive for about a quarter. The Heat led 28-23 after the opening period before outscoring the Pistons by 10 in the second quarter and by 17 in the third. "They punched us in the mouth and we never got back up," Loyer said. "We didnt have any energy in the second half. "They play hard no matter who they play or no matter who they have playing in the game." Both teams scored 18 in the final quarter, but that was when James was on the bench and so relaxed that he smiled for pictures taken by fans during a timeout. Wade said he couldnt play because his right hamstring was bothering him, adding that hes day to day. Wade has played in 51 of 71 games this season, sitting out many by design because the two-time defending NBA champions want to rest his sore knees to make sure hes ready for the playoffs. Chalmers injured his right quadriceps in Wednesday nights loss to Eastern Conference-leading Indiana. Chalmers said hes day to day. Allen missed his second straight game because of the flu, and Spoelstra said he kept Oden out to rest his back. NOTES: James said before the game he was wowed by slugger Miguel Cabrera getting a $292 million 10-year contract from the Detroit Tigers, saying he wished the NBA didnt have a salary cap. James has six-year contract worth roughly $110 million. ... Pistons president of basketball operations and Hall of Fame player Joe Dumars declined to be interviewed before the game and did not address the crowd when the Bad Boys were honoured at halftime. Dumars job seems to be in jeopardy with the franchise likely to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas spoke for his teammates during the short ceremony and thanked the fans during his brief remarks. "There were a lot of obstacles that we had to overcome through the years, and we couldnt have done it without your love and support," Thomas said. ' ' '

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