MLB-SCHEDULE
Cubs back in, but they’re in
UNDATED (AP) β The Chicago Cubs are playoff-bound for the first time in seven years.
Although the Cubs lost at Wrigley yesterday afternoon, they claimed at least a wild-card berth when the Giants fell in Oakland 5-4 last night. The Giants led 2-1 until Billy Burns hit a two-run homer in the third, one inning before Billy Butler smacked a solo shot.
Matt Duffy hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who are in danger of missing the playoffs after winning the World Series. That also happened to San Francisco in 2013 and 2011.
The Cubs fell to a division rival as Gerrit Cole picked up his 18th victory and Michael Morse delivered the go-ahead hit as the Pirates downed Chicago, 3-2 at Wrigley Field. The Pirates’ ace limited the Cubs to a run and four hits while striking out eight in seven innings. Cole also delivered an RBI single to open the scoring, but the game was tied 1-1 until Morse hit a run-scoring single in the seventh.
St. Louis saw its NL Central lead sliced to three games over Pittsburgh with a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee. The Brewers clawed back from a 3-1 deficit and won it on a solo homer by Khris Davis in the top of the ninth. The Brewers also scored runs on a wild pitch by Tyler Lyons and an error by second baseman Greg Garcia.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros continue to appear smaller and smaller in the Texas Rangers’ rear-view mirror.
Shin-Soo Choo belted a two-run homer and drove in three runs as the Rangers beat the Astros 6-2 to stretch their lead in the AL West to 4 1/2 games over Houston. Cecil Fielder added an RBI double and a run-scoring single to help the Rangers beat the Astros for the eighth straight time.
The Rangers improved to 16-7 this month and dropped the Astros to 7-15, an 8 1/2-game swing that has cut Houston’s lead for the second wild-card berth to a half-game over the Angels.
Astros starter Scott Kazmir lasted just 3 2/3 innings for the second straight start, charged with six runs and 10 hits. Kazmir hasn’t won in his last six starts since Aug. 22.
To make matters worse for the Astros, second baseman Jose Altuve exited early after being hurt in a collision with shortstop Carlos Correa while chasing a popup. Manager A.J. Hinch said Altuve didn’t have a concussion and hoped to play today.
Also in the majors:
β The Angels were 8-4 winners over Seattle on two-run homers by Albert Pujols (POO’-hohlz) and C.J. Cron (krohn). Garrett Richards improved to 15-11 by holding the Mariners to three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings. Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz hit his 43rd home run to tie Baltimore’s Chris Davis for the major league lead.
β It’s a four-game lead for the Blue Jays over the Yankees in the AL East after Josh Donaldson belted his 40th home run and Jose Bautista added his 37th in Toronto’s 5-3 triumph over Tampa Bay. Kevin Pillar (pih-LAHR’) also went deep to support R.A. Dickey, who gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings. Cliff Pennington went 3-for-5 with an RBI double as part of the Blue Jays’ 10-hit attack.
β The Yankees and White Sox were tied 2-2 until Mike Olt and Gordon Beckham hit solo homers in the seventh inning to push Chicago to a 5-2 victory in the Bronx. Carlos Rodon yielded five hits and five walks but just two runs over six innings to get the win. Former Yankee David Robertson worked a perfect ninth to complete the White Sox’s six-hitter.
β The Mets’ magic number is down to one after Lucas Duda smacked a pair of three-run homers and Noah Syndergaard (SIHN’-dur-gahrd) carried a shutout into the eighth inning of a 12-5 pounding of the Reds in Cincinnati. Syndergaard struck out 11 and blanked the Reds until Brennan Boesch (bahsh) hit a solo homer with two out in the eighth. The Mets’ starter also hit an RBI single in the second and scored on Curtis Granderson’s three-run blast in the eighth.
β The Nationals were 8-2 losers to the Phillies as Aaron Altherr went 4-for-5 with an inside-the-park grand slam and a solo shot to finish with five RBIs. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche (ASH’-ee) also went deep to back Jerad Eickhoff (EYE’-kahf), who gave up two runs and five hits while fanning 10 in seven innings.
β Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and Corey Dickerson hit solo homers in the fourth inning of Colorado’s 7-4 win against the Dodgers. Dickerson drove in three runs and finished a triple shy of the cycle as the Rockies slowed the Dodgers’ push to the NL West title. L.A’s magic number to win its division is two over San Francisco.
β Minnesota damaged its postseason hopes by blowing a 4-0 lead in a 6-4 loss to Detroit. Rajai (RAH’-zhay) Davis snapped a 4-4 deadlock with a two-run blast in the eighth, one inning after Victor Martinez delivered a game-tying, two-run double. The Twins wasted Eddie Rosario’s three-run triple and stayed 1 Β½ games behind Houston for the second AL wild-card berth.
β Carlos Carrasco flirted with a no-hitter in Kansas City, and the Indians smacked three homers in a 6-0 shutout of the AL Central champs. Carrasco struck out 15 and settled for a one-hit shutout, allowing only a single by Alex Rios with one out in the seventh. Jose Ramirez, Abraham Almonte and Roberto Perez went deep as the Indians trimmed the Royals’ lead in the AL overall standings to one game over Toronto.
β Jose Fernandez became the first pitcher in the modern era to win his first 17 career home decisions, doing it despite a rocky first inning in Miami’s 12-11 shootout over Atlanta. Fernandez surrendered four runs in the opening frame before the Marlins stormed back to take an 11-4 lead in the fourth.
β Rich Hill fired a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts in Boston’s 7-0 shutout of Baltimore. David Ortiz doubled twice and had three RBIs, while Brock Holt drove in two runs.
β A.J. Pollock launched a grand slam that put Arizona ahead 6-0 in the second inning of a 6-3 win at San Diego. Rubby De La Rosa gave up two earned runs and four hits in 5 2/3s for his 14th win.
MLB-ROSE
Commissioner promises a ruling
NEW YORK (AP) β This could be a great Christmas for Pete Rose. He and his representatives have met with baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to discuss his application for reinstatement. Major League Baseball said in a statement that the meeting took place Thursday at its headquarters in New York, and that the commissioner promises a decision by the end of December.
Rose applied for reinstatement in September 1997 and then met with then commissioner Bud Selig (SEE’-lig) in November 2002. Selig never ruled on the application and Manfred succeeded Selig in January.
MLB-NATIONALS
Nats’ closer suspended
WASHINGTON (AP) β The Washington Nationals say Jonathan Papelbon will appeal the three-game suspension he received from Major League Baseball today, making him available for tonight’s game against the Phillies. Papelbon was punished for throwing a pitch near the head of Baltimore’s Manny Machado on Wednesday. The Nats entered the day 7 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.
MLB-RED SOX
Red Sox hire Wren
BOSTON (AP) β The Red Sox have hired former Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren as senior vice president of baseball operations. The appointment is the latest change made by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and comes a day after Mike Hazen was promoted to general manager. Former GM Ben Cherington decided not to return when Dombrowski was hired in August.
T25 FOOTBALL
Cardinal rip Oregon St.
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) β Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan didn’t do much throwing last night, completing nine of 14 passes for 163 yards. Instead, he watched his running backs roll up more than 300 yards as the 21st-ranked Cardinal whipped Oregon State, 42-24 at Corvallis.
Christian McCaffrey carried 30 times for 206 yards, while Barry Sanders ran for another 97 yards and two touchdowns. Remound Wright also had a pair of scoring runs and Hogan threw for two TDs as Stanford won its third straight since a season-opening loss at Northwestern.
NFL-NEWS
Roster updates
UNDATED (AP) β Saints coach Sean Payton says quarterback Drew Brees (breez) won’t play Sunday against Carolina, leaving the starting role to Luke McCown. Brees suffered a bruised rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the second quarter of last Sunday’s 26-19 loss to Tampa Bay.
It will be McCown’s first start since joining New Orleans in 2013.
As for the Panthers, coach Ron Rivera says middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (KEEK’-lee) “more than likely” will miss his second straight game due to a concussion.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
β Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is expected to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears after ending his holdout earlier this week. Coach Pete Carroll said they will make the final decision on Saturday, but the Seahawks are planning on activating Chancellor for the game.
β Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is expected to miss at least three to four weeks with a sprained toe on his right foot. Hall was injured during the first series of the second half in Thursday’s 32-21 loss to the New York Giants.
β Cowboys defensive end Jeremy Mincey has been ruled out of the Cowboys’ game Sunday against Atlanta because of a concussion. Rookie defensive end Randy Gregory will also sit out due to a sprained right ankle.
β Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is listed as probable for Sunday’s game against Buffalo as he deals with back and right ankle injuries. Left tackle Branden Albert, whose job it is to protect Tannehill’s blind side, is doubtful with a right hamstring injury after missing practice for the third day in a row.
β The Browns will have to face Oakland without starting nickel back K’Waun Williams, who he has sustained his third concussion in less than a year. The team isn’t sure when he suffered the latest concussion.
PGA-TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Stenson is in front
ATLANTA (AP) β Henrik Stenson remains the leader at the midway point of the PGA’s Tour Championship.
Stenson overcame a few early mistakes in firing a 2-under 68 that leaves him 9-under for the tournament, three shots ahead of Jordan Spieth (speeth).
Spieth closed with a 20-foot birdie putt for a 66, the day’s best score.
Stenson and Spieth only have to win to claim the FedEx Cup and a $10 million bonus. The others who can claim the FedEx Cup title with a win this week are Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson.
GOLF-CHAMPIONS TOUR
Parnevik, Byrum tied
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) β Jesper Parnevik birdied three of his last four holes for a share of the lead with Tom Byrum in the Champions Tour’s First Tee Open.
Parnevik had six birdies and one bogey in a 5-under 66. Byrum birdied the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach for a 5-under 67.
NASCAR-SYLVANIA 300
Edwards wins qualifying for Sunday race
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) β Carl Edwards has won the pole for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, continuing Joe Gibbs Racing’s recent dominance.
Edwards took his third pole of the season with a lap of 137.980 mph. Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Kurt Busch.
JGR has won three consecutive Cup races and nine of the last 12. After one race in the Chase, the top of the points standings are all JGR
Chase for the Sprint Cup championship drivers took 10 of the top 11 spots for the race. Clint Bowyer at 26th had the worst qualifying spot for any of the 16 drivers in championship contention.
F1-JAPANESE GP
Rosberg takes the pole
SUZUKA, Japan (AP) β Nico Rosberg claimed a fortuitous pole position ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday as Mercedes returned to its dominant form.
Rosberg, who trails Hamilton by 41 points in the championship, took the pole in unusual circumstances, as all drivers were denied a last flying lap due to a red flag following a serious crash by Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat.
That meant Rosberg’s initial time β just eight hundredths of a second better than Hamilton β stood for pole. Hamilton’s initial lap included a lock-up mistake at the hairpin which cost him significant time, so likely he would have surpassed Rosberg on their last run.
BOXING
No go for Klitschko
BERLIN (AP) β Heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko (VLAD’-uh-meer KLICH’-koh) has pulled out of his title bout against Tyson Fury because of a torn tendon in his left calf. Klitschko’s management group says the Ukrainian suffered the injury in training on Thursday and won’t be fit in time for next month’s fight in Germany.
KANE INVESTIGATION
Update from prosecutor
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) β The prosecutor overseeing the sexual assault investigation of Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane says the accuser’s mother lied about finding an evidence bag in her doorway. Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita (seh-DEE’-tuh) said during a news conference that the mother was given the bag at a hospital when her daughter was examined, but it never contained a rape kit.
Sedita says the mother was given the bag when the examining nurse learned that the accuser changed her top before going to the hospital. He says the mother was to put the top in the bag and turn it into authorities, but never did.
The woman’s former attorney abruptly quit the case Thursday night, saying he didn’t believe the story about how the bag was found.
SOCCER-CORRUPTION
Blatter being investigated
ZURICH (AP) β FIFA (FEE’-fuh) President Sepp Blatter has been placed under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities as a probe into soccer corruption reached the highest levels and left his grip on the top job in peril.
The Swiss attorney general’s office opened proceedings against Blatter for possible criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of FIFA money. Authorities also searched Blatter’s office and seized data.
The 79-year-old Blatter is set to step down in February as a result of ongoing probes, but the opening of formal proceedings against him could lead the FIFA ethics committee to provisionally suspend him from duty.
