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⚾ Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE NEW YORK YANKEES
When the Yankees called on their ace, he answered. Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings of one-run ball, leading the pinstripes to a 3-1 win in Game 4 and their fourth ALCS trip in eight years.
Juan Soto opened the scoring with an RBI single to score Gleyber Torres three pitches into the game, and Torres and Giancarlo Stanton drove in runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. That was all the support Cole needed, though just barely: His final pitch was launched by Kyle Isbel, but it died on the warning track, just a few feet away of what would have been a game-tying two-run home run.
Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver finished things off from there.
The Yankees will have to wait until Saturday to find out who they’ll face after the Guardians forced a winner-take-all Game 5 with a 5-4 comeback win over the Tigers in Detroit.
The Guardians entered the game on a franchise playoff-record 20-inning scoreless streak, but Lane Thomas had an RBI single in the first inning, and José Ramírez hit a solo home run in the fifth. Still, the Guardians trailed 3-2 entering the seventh inning before pinch hitter David Fry‘s two-run home run. Fry added an insurance run in the ninth inning, which ended up being huge considering the Tigers managed one run off Emmanuel Clase before he ultimately closed the door.
In Game 5, likely AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will face Matthew Boyd, the same matchup as Game 2, which Detroit won, 3-0. Perhaps this performance gives the Cleveland offense some momentum. Perhaps it won’t matter against Skubal. It’s going to be awesome to find out.
👍 Honorable mentions
⚾ And not such a good morning for …
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THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Only one team ends the season happy, and it won’t be the Royals. But one year after losing 106 games, Kansas City made a remarkable turnaround, and there should be even better days ahead, Dayn Perry writes.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 49ers top Seahawks in key NFC West meeting, plus NFL Week 6 picks
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It hasn’t been the smoothest sailing for the 49ers this season, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the NFC West. Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns, and San Francisco rolled up 228 yards rushing (on 6.9 yards per carry) in a 36-24 win over the Seahawks. San Francisco has won six straight (including playoffs) against Seattle.
Still awaiting Christian McCaffrey‘s return, the 49ers saw Jordan Mason (shoulder) leave early. No matter. Isaac Guerendo had 99 yards on 10 carries, and Kyle Juszczyk found the end zone. Purdy, meanwhile, shredded a struggling Seattle defense; two touchdowns went to George Kittle, and another went to Deebo Samuel Sr.
Seattle has massive issues on both sides. The Seahawks can’t stop the run or the pass, and they can’t run, either. The offense is leaning so heavily on Geno Smith, and the imbalance is catching up quickly. After starting 3-0, Seattle is 0-3 and definitively trending downward.
OK, looking forward to the weekend, there are a couple of headliners: Commanders at Ravens (where both offenses are rolling) and Lions at Cowboys. For the latter, Tyler Sullivan says …
- Sullivan: “Under Dan Campbell, the Lions are 6-2 ATS as a road favorite. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games. It’s also worth noting the rest advantage that Detroit will have over the Cowboys as it’s coming off the bye. The Lions are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following the bye week. Projected score: Lions 30, Cowboys 24 | The pick: Lions -3.5“
Before that, there’s a really fun one between the Cardinals and Packers. Pete Prisco says …
- Prisco: “The Cardinals are out on the road for a second straight week after upsetting the 49ers. They rallied to do so, which says a lot about them as a team. But this is another tough challenge. The Packers haven’t clicked on offense yet with Jordan Love coming off his knee injury, but that will change here. Pick: Packers 33, Cardinals 21“
Here are our expert picks/best bets:
Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani
Meanwhile, we’re 10-3(!!!) this season after going 3-0 last week. This weekend, we’ll take …
- Ravens over Commanders
- Steelers over Raiders
- Bengals over Giants
🏈 College Football Week 7 picks, previews: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Oregon looms large
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Oh baby, what a weekend of college football! I won’t waste any time.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon (preview) is not only the biggest game of the week, but arguably of the season. The Buckeyes have been right near the top of the polls all season, and this is their chance to show they deserve the top spot, Dennis Dodd writes. The Ducks, meanwhile, have spent this century in or near the spotlight, the fun team with fun uniforms in the Pacific Northwest. But this is a chance for them to break through, too.
There are so many fun player storylines, too. Transfer quarterbacks Will Howard and Dillon Gabriel will duel, and Gabriel needs to get going. Several Buckeyes stars who were nearly Ducks return to the Pacific Northwest. And, of course, there’s must-see Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who might be college football’s best already.
As for No. 1, Texas takes on No. 18 Oklahoma (preview) with Quinn Ewers returning to the Longhorns. The Red River Rivalry is making its SEC debut, and for as much noise as Ohio State can make with a win, the Longhorns have plenty of room to impress, too, Shehan Jeyarajah says.
Staying in the SEC, No. 9 Ole Miss visits No. 13 LSU (preview), and this game might actually have the most College Football Playoff implications of any this week, Will Backus writes. Both teams have one loss. A second would put playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. So who gets the win? Tom Fornelli has his best bet in The Six Pack.
- Fornelli: “LSU has plenty of weapons on offense, a QB who does a good job of getting the ball to them, and an offensive line with NFL players on it, including at both tackle spots. … None of which is to say that Ole Miss can’t light up LSU’s defense. … Jaxson Dart and company will find plenty of success, but enough to pull off the upset and cover? I’m not so sure. LSU is a difficult team to beat at home, especially at night when Tiger Stadium is going berserk. The Pick: LSU +3.5 (-110)“
Here’s more:
🏀 WNBA Finals Game 1: Lynx beat Liberty in wild overtime thriller
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If Game 1 is any sign of what’s to come, we’re in for an all-time WNBA Finals. The Lynx beat the Liberty, 95-93, in overtime after absolutely absurd endings in regulation and overtime.
- New York led by as many as 18 overall and by 15 with under five minutes to go in regulation before Minnesota closed on an 18-3 run. But there’s more: Minnesota actually took the lead after a four-point play by Courtney Williams with 5.1 seconds left. Breanna Stewart then got fouled with under a second left and made the first free throw but missed the second.
- In overtime, Minnesota led by four with under a minute left before Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones scored consecutive buckets off turnovers to tie things up.
- But Minnesota collected itself and found its best player: Napheesa Collier made a go-ahead turnaround jumper with 8.1 seconds left, and Stewart missed a layup as time expired.
- Jack Maloney relived all of the craziest moments.
Phew. What a wacky, wonderful basketball game. What a gritty performance from Minnesota, which got 23 points from Williams, 22 from Kayla McBride and 21 from Collier. What a tough one to swallow for Stewart. Minnesota’s stunner has it on the right path; the Finals Game 1 winner has won the series six straight years.
Finally, this is the final year of the five-game Finals. That’s right, it’s shifting to a seven-game series next year, and there are more changes coming. That means more games like this, and I’m all for it.
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
⚾ NLDS Game 5: Padres at Dodgers, 8:08 p.m. on Fox
🏈 UNLV at Utah State, 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 No. 16 Utah at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
🏈 South Carolina at No. 7 Alabama, noon on ABC
🏈 No. 1 Texas at No. 18 Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 4 Penn State at USC, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Stanford at No. 11 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 Arizona at No. 14 BYU, 4 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Mississippi State at No. 5 Georgia, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ ALDS Game 5: Tigers at Guardians, 8:08 p.m. on TBS
⚽ USMNT vs. Panama, 9 p.m. on TNT
🏈 No. 18 Kansas State at Colorado, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday
🏈 Jaguars at Bears (in London), 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
🏈 Commanders at Ravens, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Texans at Patriots, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Cardinals at Packers, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 WNBA Finals Game 2: Lynx at Liberty, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Chargers at Broncos, 4:05 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Lions at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bengals at Giants, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
