LA PLATA, Argentina -- Argentina easily beat Slovenia 2-0 in its last World Cup warmup with goals from Ricardo Alvarez and Lionel Messi on Saturday. Alvarez put a second-string Argentina ahead in the first half with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria came on in the second half and combined elegantly to double the lead in the 67th minute. Aguero headed down a pass from Di Maria to set up Messi, who calmly slotted the ball past Slovenia goalkeeper Vid Belec. Argentina, which is set to travel to Brazil on Monday, faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in its Group F opener on June 15. "We are in good shape. We are a strong group, which is what weve been hoping to become from the start when (coach) Alejandro (Sabella) came in," Messi said. Sabella took over the national team in 2011. "Little by little, as we played well, we gained confidence," Messi said. Slovenia didnt qualify for the World Cup and was no match for Argentina even in a sleepy first half, when Sabella rested his top players. Belec saved the visitors from a bigger deficit, stopping two attempts by Maxi Rodriguez before halftime. Slovenias best chance came in the second half as Milivoje Novakovic spun around in the area and fired a shot straight at Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero. The hosts were not seriously challenged after that and came close to making it 3-0 in overtime when Messis free kick went just wide. Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, Nowitzki was another of seven Dallas players in double figures with 11 points and the Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-104 Tuesday night. Anfernee Simons Blazers Jersey . - The Pittsburgh Pirates plan on keeping promising left fielder Starling Marte playing alongside National League MVP Andrew McCutchen for years to come. https://www.blazerslockerroom.com/Rodney-Hood-City-Edition-Jersey/ . At quarterback, all agree that Andy Dalton has been a wonderful surprise, but to truly progress he has to play his best in the playoffs. The two losses in the wildcard rounds keep the evaluation on Dalton open -- just like it did for Peyton Manning many years ago and Matt Ryan until last year. Hassan Whiteside Blazers Jersey . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. Wade Baldwin Blazers Jersey . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right.CHICAGO -- Buster Posey went 4 for 4 with his 14th homer, leading Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. Pablo Sandoval added three hits and two RBIs as the Giants rebounded from a 2-1 loss earlier in the day in the resumption of their suspended game in the series opener. Bumgarner (14-9) struck out 12 in seven innings. He allowed three runs and seven hits. The long day started with a rain delay of 1 hour, 57 minutes, and then the Cubs and Giants played the final 4 1/2 innings of a game the Cubs thought they had won 2-0 on Tuesday night. A short rainstorm caused a delay of more than 4 1/2 hours after the grounds crew struggled with the tarp. The umpires said the field was unplayable and called it at 1:16 a.m. But the Giants protested, and Major League Baseball ruled that the tarp had not been properly put away after its previous use. The game was suspended. It was the first successful protest in MLB since 1986. Anthony Rizzos two-run homer from Tuesday held up for Chicago. Joe Panik had an RBI single in the sixth to pull the Giants to 2-1, but Pedro Strop worked the eighth and Hector Rondon got three outs for his 19th save in 23 opportunities. Tuesdays starters proved to be the pitchers of record. Tsuyoshi Wada (3-1) earned the victory for the Cubs, while Ryan Vogelsong (7-9) took the loss. Chicago then got off to a fast start in the nightcap. Justin Ruggiano and Welington Castillo hit back-to-back homers in the first to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead. But San Francisco grabbed the lead for good on Poseys leadoff drive to left in the fifth against Travvis Wood (7-11).dddddddddddd Michael Morse added a sacrifice fly in the seventh that made it 5-3. Wood (7-11) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings. The left-hander is 0-6 with a 5.45 ERA in his last 12 starts. Touted Cubs prospect Javier Baez struck out four times, including with two out and two runners in scoring position in the seventh inning. Through 71 big league at-bats, Baez has struck out 31 times. Santiago Casilla worked a scoreless ninth for his 11th save in 14 opportunities. TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: RHP Edwin Jackson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain. Jackson dealt with a similar injury at the end of last season and hopes that by going on the DL now, he will be able to pitch again in September. ... SS Starlin Castro was placed on the bereavement list after leaving the team for a family emergency. Giants: INF Ehire Adrianza has been slow to recover from a second strained groin injury, which raises doubts about his status in the final weeks of the season. "Hes not ready yet, so thats another decision well have to make," manager Bruce Bochy said. ... Bochy was optimistic that 1B Brandon Belt and C Hector Sanchez would recover from concussions in time for the stretch drive. UP NEXT Giants: RHP Tim Hudson (8-9, 3.03 ERA) faces off with Washington RHP Doug Fister (12-3, 2.20 ERA) as the Giants take on the Nationals on Friday in the opener of a weekend road series. Cubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (6-4, 2.61 ERA) faces his former club when Baltimore comes to Wrigley Field for a weekend series. RHP Kevin Gausman (7-4, 3.70 ERA) goes for the Orioles. ' ' ' among those limited in the workout. ' ' '