October 16, 2019 3:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The Houston Astros now have back-to-back victories since opening the American League Championship Series with a 7-0 loss to the New York Yankees. Gerrit Cole tossed seven shutout innings today and the Astros homered twice in a 4-1 win over the Yankees in the Bronx. Cole struck out seven and worked around five walks by holding New York to four hits. The right-hander has won his last 19 decisions since allowing six runs over five innings of a 9-4 loss to the White Sox on May 22. Cole is 3-0 with 32 strikeouts and a 0.40 ERA in three starts this postseason.
Jose Altuve and Josh Reddick hit solo homers off losing pitcher Luis Severino, who gave up five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Altuve opened the scoring two batters into the game and provided two of the Astros’ seven hits. Reddick added a second-inning blast to make it 2-0. Altuve also scored on a wild pitch in the seventh before Yuli Gurriel lifted a sacrifice fly later in the inning. The Yankees were blanked until red-hot Gleyber Torres homered off Joe Smith. Torres is 5-12 with two home runs and six RBIs in the series after hitting .417 with a home run, three doubles and four ribbies in the division series against the Twins. Game 4 is Wednesday in the Bronx. Both managers have said they will make it a bullpen day.
October 15, 2019 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – The National League Championship Series could end as soon as Tuesday evening. The Nationals have grabbed a three-games-to-none lead with another stifling pitching performance in an 8-1 thrashing of the St. Louis Cardinals. Stephen Strasburg provided the latest gem by a Nats starter, striking out 12 and allowing an unearned run and seven hits over seven innings. Strasburg’s performance leaves Washington starters with an ERA of zero over 21 2/3 innings in the series. He also lowered his career postseason ERA to 1.10 over 41 innings.
Howie Kendrick doubled three times and had three RBIs for the Nationals, who are one win away from the first National League pennant in franchise history. Kendrick doubled home a pair to cap a four-run third and added an RBI double in the fifth. Ryan Zimmerman added to the Nationals’ 11-hit attack with an RBI double and a run-scoring single. Victor Robles homered in the sixth inning after missing Washington’s previous five games with a hamstring injury. The Cardinals’ lone run came when outfielder Juan Soto misplayed Paul DeJong’s single, allowing Jose Martinez to score from second. Losing pitcher Jack Flaherty was tagged for four runs and five hits over five innings. The Nationals have more runs in the series than the Cardinals have hits. Washington has outscored St. Louis, 13-2 while limiting the Redbirds to 11 hits. Patrick Corbin will try to close out the pennant for the Nationals Tuesday against Dakota Hudson.
October 14, 2019 3:50 am
HOUSTON (AP) – It took 11 innings, but the Houston Astros were able to even the American League Championship Series at a game apiece. Carlos Correa delivered a walk-off, solo homer off J.A. Happ in the 11th inning to give the Astros a 3-2 triumph over the New York Yankees. It was just Houston’s second hit since George Springer tied the game with a solo blast in the fifth inning off Adam Ottavino. Correa also opened the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning off Yankees starter James Paxton, who lasted just 2 1/3 innings. The lead held up until Justin Verlander surrendered his first hit of the night, a two-run homer by Aaron Judge in the fourth. Verlander struck out seven and gave up five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Josh James struck out the only batter he faced in the 11th inning to get the win. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was held out of the starting lineup due to a quad injury. Game 3 is Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Gerrit Cole is slated to pitch for Houston that night against Luis Severino.
October 14, 2019 3:42 am
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — James Conner scored two touchdowns, Devin Bush recovered a pair of turnovers and Devlin Hodges won his first NFL start as the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Los Angeles Chargers 24-17 on Sunday night. Conner had his first game with both a rushing and receiving touchdown and accounted for 119 scrimmage yards (41 rushing, 78 receiving). Hodges, who was elevated into the starting spot after Mason Rudolph suffered a concussion last week against Baltimore, didn’t look fazed. He completed 15 of 20 for 132 yards and benefited from a running game that helped control the clock. Benny Snell led the way with 75 yards on 17 carries. Bush forced turnovers on the Chargers second and third drives. The rookie linebacker scored his first NFL touchdown when he scooped up a backward pass from Philip Rivers that Melvin Gordon was unable to handle and went 9 yards to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead. Bush got his second turnover four plays later when he intercepted a Rivers’ pass that was deflected by defensive end Tyson Alualu at the line of scrimmage. That would lead to Conner’s first TD . The Chargers (2-4) trailed 24-0 after three quarters but rallied to get within seven on a Chase McLaughlin field goal and two TD passes from Rivers to Hunter Henry. After Henry’s 11-yard TD catch made it 24-17, Los Angeles tried an onside kick with 1:28 remaining but it was recovered by Steelers. The Chargers forced a three-and-out and got the ball at the 1 after a punt, but Rivers was picked off by Cameron Sutton to preserve the Steelers win to improve to 2-4. Rivers was 26 of 44 for300 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while Henry, who missed the past four games due to a knee injury, had eight receptions for 100 yards. Conner gave the Steelers a 14-0 lead with 4:39 remaining in the first quarter with a 12-yard run around left end on a nice block from left tackle Alejandro Villanueva.
Conner put Pittsburgh up by three touchdowns with 6:34 remaining in the second when he caught a short pass from Hodges and went 26 yards up the right sideline after Chargers linebacker Jatavis Brown was unable to tackle the third-year running back at the 25. Los Angeles didn’t get on the board until one minute into the fourth quarter on Chase McLaughlin’s 38-yard field goal. Rivers ended the offense’s seven-quarter drought without a touchdown when he found Hunter Henry in the back of the end zone from 5 yards out with 7:13 remaining.
October 13, 2019 7:45 am
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Noah Cain ran for a five-yard touchdown with 5:17 left and 10th-ranked Penn State held off No. 17 Iowa 17-12 on Saturday night, its first win over a ranked opponent this season. Cain finished with 102 yards for the Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten), who extended their winning streak over the Hawkeyes (4-2, 1-2) to six games. A matchup between two of the nation’s top defenses turned when Iowa’s Nate Stanley threw an interception near midfield with 9:22 remaining. Penn State drove 35 yards on a gassed Iowa defense, and the last of three straight runs by Cain made it 17-6. Iowa pulled within 17-12 when Stanley found Brandon Smith for a 33-yard TD pass with 2:31 to go. The Hawkeyes’ two-point try failed though, and Cain converted a crucial third down that ensured that Iowa never saw the ball again. Up 7-6 late in the third quarter, Penn State recovered a fumble at Iowa’s 16 and Sean Clifford connected on an apparent touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth that was overturned on review. Iowa then held the Nittany Lions at the 1-foot line, and two straight holding calls forced them to settle for a 33-yard field goal. KJ Hamler caught seven passes, including a 22-yarder for a TD, for Penn State. Stanley threw for 286 yards, but the Hawkeyes ran for just 70 yards on 30 attempts.
October 12, 2019 4:09 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Anibal Sanchez isn’t one of the Washington Nationals’ top-three starting pitchers, but he managed to stifle a ballclub that scored 13 runs in its previous game. Sanchez carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before the Nats completed a 2-0 shutout of the Cardinals in St. Louis to capture the opener of the National League Championship Series. He put just three runners on base before pinch-hitter Jose Martinez cleanly singled to center with two down in the eighth for the Cardinals’ first hit. Sean Doolittle immediately relieved Sanchez after the hit and got four straight outs to finish the one-hitter for his first postseason save in two years. The Nationals got their first run in the second inning on an RBI double by Yan Gomes off Cardinals starter and loser Miles Mikolas, who gave up seven hits while striking out seven over six frames. Howie Kendrick doubled the lead with an RBI single in the seventh against reliever John Brebbia.
Game 2 is Saturday in St. Louis. Washington ace Max Scherzer starts in his hometown, and Adam Wainwright gets the ball for St. Louis.
October 11, 2019 3:45 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Tom Brady moved up the NFL’s all-time list for passing yards for the second straight game and helped the New England Patriots improve to 6-0 for the first time in four years. Brady finished 31 of 41 for 334 yards as the Patriots dumped the Giants, 35-14. The 42-year-old quarterback moved ahead of Peyton Manning for second place for aerial yardage and also ran for two scores as New England took advantage of the mistake-prone Giants. The reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and forced four turnovers, including a fumble return for a score. Julian Edelman had his second straight 100-yard receiving game, catching nine passes for 113 yards. New York QB Daniel Jones had his worst game since taking over for Eli Manning in Week 3, completing just 15 of 31 passes for 161 yards and three interceptions. The Giants are 2-4 following their second straight loss.
October 11, 2019 3:44 am
HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Astros have survived an unexpectedly tough series with Tampa Bay to advance to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.
Gerrit Cole worked eight strong innings and the Astros continued their playoff charge by downing the Rays, 6-1 in Houston. Cole followed his 15-strikeout performance in Game 1 of the ALDS by fanning 10 while limiting the wild-card champs to one run and two hits. He blanked the Rays after Eric Sogard’s second-inning homer. Houston took control with a four-run first as Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel sandwiched RBI singles around Alex Bregman’s two-run double. Michael Brantley and Altuve added back-to-back homers in the bottom of the eighth to cap the scoring.
Losing pitcher Tyler Glasnow was reached for four runs and five hits over 2 2/3 innings. Houston will host Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday.
October 10, 2019 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – Vontaze Burfict’s appeal to overturn his suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit has been denied, keeping the Oakland Raiders linebacker off the field the rest of the season.
Appeals officer Derrick Brooks has ruled that he would not reduce the longest suspension ever handed down for an on-field infraction. Brooks is appointed jointly by the NFL and the NFLPA and heard Burfict’s appeal of the ban for the final 12 games of the regular season and the playoffs. Burfict was punished for his hit on Indianapolis tight end Jack Doyle on Sept. 29. It was the third time Burfict has been suspended for a dangerous hit on the field.
October 10, 2019 3:46 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Howie Kendrick hit a tiebreaking grand slam off Joe Kelly in the 10th inning, and the Washington Nationals overcame a three-run deficit with a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 Wednesday night and advance to the NL Championship Series against St. Louis. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw blew a 3-1 lead by allowing homers to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto on consecutive pitches in the eighth. The wild-card Nationals open the NLCS at St. Louis on Friday night. The seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who led the NL with 106 wins, remain without a World Series title since 1988. Adam Eaton walked against Kelly leading off the 10th, Rendon doubled on a drive that lodged in the left field wall and Soto was intentionally walked. Kendrick fouled off a pitch, then hit a 97 mph fastball just over the wall in center for his second career slam. The other one was a game-ending, 11th-inning drive against San Francisco in August 2017. Daniel Hudson got the win, retiring Will Smith on a drive to the right field warning track with one on and one out in the ninth, then getting Chris Taylor on a liner to center. Sean Doolittle pitched the 10th for the Nationals.
