Hello everyone, but especially to…
HOUSTON ASTRO…
The Astros put their star power and their depth on display in Game 1 of the ALCS, beating the Yankees 4-2. Justin Verlanderprobable winner of AL Cy Young, got rid of a second inning Harrison Bader home run to go six innings, allowing only one run and deletion 11. His 215 career playoff strikeouts are the most in MLB history.
- Martin Maldonado lined house Chas McCormick to link things to one in the second, and Yuli GurrielThe sixth-inning solo shot gave Houston the lead. Two batters later, McCormick doubled the lead with his own solo home run.
- Jeremy Pena homered in the seventh to give the Astros plenty of breathing room, which proved invaluable when Anthony Rizo hit a solo bomb in the eighth.
- The Yankees have struck 17 times compared to the Astros’ two. It’s the biggest difference ever seen in a post-season game.
Game 2 is tonightwith Luis Severino and Framber Valdez departure.
… AND ALSO HELLO TO THE SAN DIEGO PADRES
The padres got up off the mat, dusted themselves off and played their best when the occasion called for it. After being shut out in Game 1 and losing 4-0 early in Game 2 on Wednesday, San Diego fought their way past Philadelphia, 8-5, to tie the NLCS to one game apiece.
- Brandon Dry and Josh Bell started the return with home runs on consecutive pitches in the second round.
- The Padres then scored five runs in the fifth inningtying their record for a playoff run. Austin Nola (in front of his brotherAaron), Juan SotoDrury and Bell have all recorded RBI hits.
- Manny Machado smashed a solo home run in the seventh inning.
- Blake Snell held out for five innings before the San Diego bullpen ended things. The Padres bullpen has a 2.05 ERA in the playoffs.
After using the long ball to close the gap, the Padres used a small ball — and their deep lineup — to take control, writes MLB pundit Mike Axisa.
- Axis: “Four of the first five hitters (Aaron) Nola faced in this fifth inning had hits, including (Austin) Nola and Soto on two hits. That’s why you dump the farming system to get the generational hitter of 23, so he can help you slay the Dodgers dragon and also find hits in the NLCS…. The Padres went 6-for-9 with a walk and a poke in this fifth inning of five runs, and three Phillies pitchers combined to throw 46 pitches.”
Honorable Mentions
And not such a good morning for…
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
With the Phillies leading 4-0 in 1 1/2 innings and stud starter Aaron Nola on the mound, it would have been hard to blame the Philadelphia faithful for anticipating a 2-0 lead in the NLDS and maybe – just maybe – thinking about a trip to the World Series to come.
Soon after, such thoughts went up in smoke as quickly as the Phillies’ lead.
- Aaron Nolawho hadn’t allowed an earned run in three straight starts since the regular season, allowed six in just 4 2/3 innings.
- After five hits and four runs in the only second inning, the The Phillies only had three hits and one run the rest of the way.
- The Phillies entered Wednesday 27-2 all-time in leading a postseason game by at least four points.
In the second round, Philadelphia had nearly an 85% chance of winning according to Baseball Savant. Instead of heading into the rest day today with a 2-0 lead, the Phillies will have to settle for a split and avoid thinking too much about what could have been.
Not so honorable mentions
Prepare your sofa and grab your snacks: it’s the sporting equinox! 🏈 🏀 ⚾ 🏒
USATSI
It’s not a national holiday, but it should be. Today is a sports equinoxalso known as the day the four major North American sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — are in action. It’s just the sporting 27th equinox everalthough this is the first of four this year: This will happen again on October 23, 24, and 31.
Here is what is available:
- NFL: Saints to Cardinals
- NBA: Bucks to 76ers, Clippers to Lakers
- MLB: ALCS Game 2: Yankees at Astros
- NHL: 12 games
Of course, there’s plenty more action across the country. We also have MLS playoff action, college football and, in golf, the BMW Women’s Championship and the CJ Cup.
Here is some fun facts about the sporting equinox from our Isabel Gonzalez:
- The first sporting equinox was recorded on October 171971 with 12 NFL games, three NBA games, six NHL games and one MLB game.
- After the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily suspended sports, September 10, 2020 included the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, tennis and NHL.
- There was no sporting equinox from 1985 to 2001.
So enjoy tonight’s action and remember, somebody should put it all together in a newsletter tomorrow morning. 😉
Thursday night football preview: Saints, Cardinals have big questions to answer 🏈
USATSI
If you don’t know what to think of the Saints or the Cardinals, don’t worry: you are not alone. Maybe we’ll find out more tonight when they meet in Arizona, but given how crazy this NFL season has been, who knows?
Let’s start with the Saints (2-4), who have yet to name a starting quarterback. James Winston hasn’t played since Week 3 but doesn’t carry an injury designation this week while Andy Dalton played solidly in place of Winston. Apart from the quarterback, the Saints’ injury list is long.
It doesn’t matter who is behind the center, New Orleans defense needs to turn things aroundwrites NFL expert Jared Dubin.
- Dubin: “New Orleans’ defense wasn’t as disappointing as Arizona’s offense, but it certainly didn’t live up to high expectations. … Losing Marcus Williams in the back didn’t help, but it’s also just an older unit now. guys like Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu and others are still quality starters, but not as good as they have been in recent seasons. (And Mathieu hasn’t been good at times this year.) That little mistake matters when the margin for error is as small as it is for the Saints right now.”
As for the Cardinals (2-4), the bigger storyline is who is back: DeAndre Hopkins returns after a six-game suspensionand that should really help Kyler Murray. In his career, Murray’s passer rating is 13 points higher and his yards per attempt are more than a yard better when Hopkins is on the field than when he isn’t. We’ll see how much and how well Hopkins is playing in his first game in nearly 10 months, but its impact is certainly something to consider when placing your bets tonightwrites gaming guru Tyler Sullivan.
Takeaway as more NBA teams kick off the season 🏀
Getty Images
Twenty-four NBA teams kicked off their seasons Wednesday night, and few have done so as impressively as the New Orleans Pelicans. Sion Williamson and the company went to Brooklyn and blew up the Nets, 130-108. Williamson scored 25 goals in his first game since the 2020-21 season, and Brandon Ingram had a team record of 28.
The Pelicans, months away from a trip to the playoffs, rightly have their eyes on more thanks to Zionwrites NBA pundit Brad Botkin.
- Botkin: “Zion Williamson hit the ground running in his first game in over 18 months…Williamson is clearly in great shape, and he continues to have an incredible feel for setting up defenders to reach his left hand, whether that either with his back to the basket or starting his downswing a beat before the catch…Pelicans look great.”
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What we’re watching on Thursday 📺
🏀 Bucks at 76ers7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏈 Virginia at Georgia Tech7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Yankees at Astros7:37 p.m. on TBS
🏈 Saints Among Cardinals8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Clippers at the Lakers10 p.m. on TNT
