Melky Cabrera lost 15 pounds so he would be faster in the field for the Kansas City Royals after playing for the Atlanta Braves last season. (Ray Stubblebine/Reuters)

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. – Pablo Sandoval is from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, and Melky Cabrera is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, but the duo had a common goal during baseball’s offseason: lose weight.

Sandoval’s weight caused him to be benched at times last year, as he was reduced to being a role player during the San Francisco Giants’ march to a World Series title.

But during the offseason, he hired a chef, cut down on carbohydrates, increased his vegetable intake and didn’t drink a drop of soda.

The result? He showed up at training camp at 240 pounds, 38 pounds lighter than last season.

“If I wanted to keep playing in the big leagues, I had to make a big decision,” Sandoval recently told reporters. “I had to try get in good shape or lose my job. This year I’m putting my mind in the game.”

Cabrera lost 15 pounds, which the Kansas City Royals’ outfielder said should enable him to catch balls he couldn’t reach last season, when he played for the Atlanta Braves.

San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval attributes his 38-pound weight loss to changing his eating habits. (Rick Scuteri/Reuters)

“No more Dominican food,” Cabrera recently told reporters. “Every morning, egg whites. Milk, a lot of water, chicken, fish.”

Sandoval entered the week hitting .288 with three home runs and 10 runs batted-in, putting him among the leaders during spring training.

Cabrera, entered the week hitting a major league-best .488 with 12 runs batted-in.

Argentina-Japan Fed Cup match moved to July

The Fed Cup tennis playoff between Japan and Argentina has been postponed until July after Japan was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

Japan was to host Argentina on April 16-17 in a World Group II playoff match in Tokyo, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the best-of-five series will be held from July 16-17. The venue has yet to be determined.

Mexico’s Omar Bravo named MLS Player of the Week

Omar Bravo couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Omar Bravo, shown here playing for Mexican club Guadalajara last year, was named Major League Soccer Player of the Week after scoring two goals in Kansas City’s 3-2 win over Chivas USA on March 19. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

Bravo, 31, was named MLS Player of the Week after scoring two goals in his first game to lead his team to a 3-2 victory over Chivas USA on March 19.

Bravo, a native Los Mochis, Mexico, is the 15th player in the franchise’s 16-year history to earn the honor. The last Kansas City player to earn the distinction was Josh Wolff in 2009.

“This start gives me hope, but we’ve got a tough calendar ahead of us,” Bravo, 31, said.

Bravo, who signed with Kansas City on Aug. 8, 2010, gave his team a 2-1 lead just before halftime before scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 74th minute in front of a crowd of 18,122 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Bravo arrived in Kansas City after an illustrious career in the Mexican Primera Division. In 312 career games, he scored a combined 110 goals for Guadalajara (2001-2008, 2009-2010), Deportivo La Coruña (2008-2009) and UANL Tigres (2009).

He’s also scored 15 goals in 62 career games for the Mexican national team.

Bravo and Kansas City (1-0) face the Chicago Fire (0-0-1) on March 26 at 4 p.m. ET on Telefutura.