NFL-SCHEDULE
Seahawks to host Lions
SEATTLE (AP) β Week 4 of the NFL concludes tonight in Seattle as the Seahawks host the struggling Detroit Lions.
The Seahawks got out of the gate slowly after losing to New England in Super Bowl 49. Seattle opened with a surprising loss to St. Louis and was knocked off by the Packers in a rematch of last season’s NFC title game before posting a 26-0 shutout of the Bears last Sunday. A victory will even Seattle’s record at 2-2 and move them within a game of the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals.
Little has gone right for the Lions on their way to an 0-3 start. They’ve been outscored 83-56 in the three games and come off a 24-12 loss at Denver. Detroit’s once-mighty defense has allowed at least 24 points in each of its first three games.
Seattle will be without starting running back Marshawn Lynch after he suffered a strained hamstring last week against Chicago. However, the injury allowed rookie Thomas Rawls to run for 104 yards versus the Bears and makes him the starting running back tonight.
Lions running back Joique (joyk) Bell is out, and defensive leader DeAndre Levy is listed as doubtful with a hip injury.
The two teams haven’t met during the regular season since Oct. 18, 2012, when the Lions pulled out a 28-24 victory. The Seahawks lead the overall series, 7-5.
MLB-WILD CARD
After a 1-day break, AL Wild Card opens postseason
UNDATED (AP) β Major League Baseball’s wild card games begin tomorrow night in the Bronx as the Yankees take on the Houston Astros.
The Yankees finished one game ahead of Houston for the first AL wild-card berth, but the Astros had a chance to host the game until they lost 5-3 at Arizona yesterday afternoon.
The Astros will go with staff ace Dallas Keuchel (KY’-kul), while the Yankees will counter with Masahiro Tanaka (mah-sah-HEE’-roh tah-NAH’-kah). Keuchel led the American League in victories, going 20-8 with 216 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA. Tanaka was the Yankees’ most consistent starting pitcher this season, recording a 12-7 record and a 3.51 ERA.
Houston took the season series from the Yankees 4-3, outscoring them 36-17.
MLB-LENGTH OF GAMES
New rules only lead to slight cut in length of games
NEW YORK (AP) β Major League Baseball had mixed success in its bid to cut the length of games.
MLB said it managed to cut six minutes from the average time of a nine-inning game this season, when it adopted some speedup rules.
STATS said Monday that the season average ended at 2 hours, 56 minutes. While the average dropped to 2:53 in the first half of the season, it was back at 3:00 after the All-Star break.
Conversely, Triple-A and Double-A leagues used 20-second pitch clocks and started penalizing violators with balls and strikes. At Triple-A, the International League average dropped 16 minutes to 2:40 and the Pacific Coast League fell 13 minutes to 2:45.
MLB-INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
Harper, Donaldson complete outstanding regular seasons
UNDATED (AP) β In case you missed yesterday’s major league action, here’s a look at the individual statistical champions from the National League:
β Miami second baseman Dee Gordon led the league with a .333 average and 58 stolen bases. Washington outfielder Bryce Harper was second in batting at .330, while Cincinnati outfielder Billy Hamilton was the stolen base runner-up with 57.
β Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado (ar-eh-NAH’-doh) took the RBI crown with 130 and tied Harper for the home run title with 42. Harper paced the circuit with 118 runs scored, a .460 on-base percentage and a .649 slugging average.
β Cubs ace Jake Arrieta was the NL victory leader with 22, but Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke (GRAYN’-kee) had the best winning percentage after finishing 19-3. Greinke posted a league-best 1.66 ERA, while Arrieta was second at 1.77.
β Clayton Kershaw cracked the 300-strikeout barrier, finishing with 301 after fanning seven over 2 2/3 innings yesterday. Runner-up Max Scherzer had 276, including 17 in Saturday’s no-hitter against the Mets.
β Pittsburgh’s Mark Melancon (meh-LAN’-sehn) topped the league with 51 saves, three more than Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal.
Over in the American League:
β Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera was runaway winner of the batting title at .338, 18 points higher than Boston’s Xander Bogaerts (BOH’-gahrts).
β Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis homered twice yesterday to finish with a league-best 47, three more than former teammate Nelson Cruz of Seattle.
β Davis was second in the AL with 117 RBIs. Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson paced the circuit with 123 RBIs and was tops with 122 runs scored while ending up in a third-place tie with 41 home runs.
β Houston second baseman Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) was the stolen base champ with 38, 10 more than Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain.
β Astros hurler Dallas Keuchel (KY’-kul) finished with a league-high 20 victories and was second to Blue Jays lefty David Price with a 2.48 ERA. Price logged a 2.45 earned run average with the Jays and Tigers.
β The AL strikeout leader was Chris Sale, who set a White Sox record for lefties with 274.
β Tampa Bay’s David Archer was second in strikeouts with 252, while teammate Brad Boxberger led the league with 41 saves.
SOCCER-FIFA INVESTIGATION
Swiss nix FIFA official’s request to leave prison
ZURICH (AP) β A Swiss court has rejected an attempt by one of the imprisoned FIFA officials to be released on bail for medical reasons.
The Federal Criminal Court didn’t name the official. Six men remain in custody in Switzerland after being arrested in May on American charges while in Zurich for the FIFA Congress.
TENNIS-BOUCHARD
Bouchard withdraws with dizziness
BEIJING (AP) β Eugenie Bouchard (yoo-JEE’-nee boo-SHAHRD’) continues to experience problems since she was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open last month because of a concussion.
The Canadian was trailing 6-2, 1-1 in her opening match against Andrea Petkovic at the China Open before withdrawing due to dizziness. Bouchard slipped in the locker room after her third-round win at the U.S. Open, falling backward and landing hard on the back of her head.
Bouchard has struggled with her game since reaching the Wimbledon women’s final last year.
ATHLETICS-THORPE
Thorpe’s body to stay in Pa.
WASHINGTON (AP) β Jim Thorpe’s body will remain in Jim Thorpe, Pa.
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Indian tribes and Thorpe’s sons to move the remains of the athletic great to Oklahoma. That leaves in place a previous court ruling that ordered Thorpe’s body to remain in the Pennsylvania town that bears his name.
Thorpe’s wife won agreement from two merging towns in Pennsylvania to build a memorial and name the new town after Thorpe. Police then seized Thorpe’s body during his funeral service in Oklahoma.
Thorpe was a football, baseball and track star who won the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics. He died in 1953 at age 64.
