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Jumat, 04 Oktober 2019

Wilson throws 4 TD passes, Seahawks hold off Rams 30-29 - Fox News

For all the other times when Seattle’s Russell Wilson was the best player on the field and made highlight plays, this was different.

It could have been the stage of prime time or facing a division nemesis in the Rams. Or the circumstances of building an early lead, losing it and then rallying once more in the fourth quarter.

Whatever the reason, Seattle received a performance from Wilson that’ll be hard to top.

Los Angeles Rams' Greg Zuerlein reacts after he missed a field goal in the final seconds of the team's NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 30-29. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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“It was one of the best, I think,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Carson on fourth-and-goal with 2:28 gave Seattle the lead, and the Seahawks held on for a 30-29 win over the Rams on Thursday night when Greg Zuerlein’s 44-yard field goal with 11 seconds left missed wide right.

Seattle earned a needed win against its NFC West foe after losing six of the past eight to the Rams. And while there were contributions from plenty of others, Wilson orchestrated a memorable night.

Whether it was his throws from the pocket or when he was forced to improvise, Wilson was at his best. It was one stunning play after another from Seattle’s star, continuing the best start to a season in his career.

Even his opponents were left in awe.

“Russell Wilson is playing out of his mind right now,” Rams safety Eric Weddle said.

Wilson was 17 of 23 for 268 and four touchdowns, and rushed for another 32 yards. He had touchdown passes of 13 yards to Tyler Lockett and 40 yards to DK Metcalf in the first half. He threw a 10-yarder to David Moore in the third quarter and he had a final answer after the Rams’ had taken a 29-24 lead.

Wilson led Seattle 60 yards in 12 plays, helped during the drive by a roughing-the-passer call on Clay Matthews. After stalling inside the 10, Seattle faced fourth down at the 5. Wilson scrambled as he had all night, buying enough time to find Carson open in the corner of the end zone.

The running back scared nearly all of the 69,000 in attendance by juggling the pass before gaining control. Carson said he lost the pass in the stadium lights, which led to the juggle.

“I thought Russell played one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Seattle appeared to wrap up the victory when Tedric Thompson made a juggling interception of Jared Goff’s pass while lying on the turf with 2:08 left. But the Rams forced Seattle to punt and took possession at their own 7 with 1:38 left.

In just seven plays, Goff had the Rams to the Seattle 30 after a 28-yard strike to Gerald Everett. The Rams stalled and a 9-yard pass to Everett on third-down set up Zuerlein’s attempt. The snap was good, but the kick stayed just to the right.

Zuerlein had hit three field goals earlier in the game.

“It’s one kick. He’s made a lot of big kicks for us. He’s going to continue to make a lot of big kicks for us,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Goff finished 29 of 49 for 395 yards and one touchdown just days after throwing for a career-high 517 yards and tying an NFL record with 45 completions in a loss to Tampa Bay. Everett had seven catches for 136 yards, and Cooper Kupp had nine grabs for 118 yards and a TD.

“We had some things that didn’t go our way where we didn’t finish drives but we were moving the ball really well,” Goff said.

Carson finished with 118 yards rushing on 27 carries. The touchdown was his only reception.

“Everyone kept their composure. Everyone was so poised and stayed in the moment,” Seattle offensive lineman Duane Brown said. “We were always very optimistic and had all the faith in the world and big time players stepped up for us.”

LOCKETT’S CATCH

Lockett’s toe-tapping TD catch in the first quarter was as improbable as it gets. According to NFL statistics , the catch had a 6.3% catch probability, the most improbable completion of the past two seasons.

“It doesn’t get any more on time or on the money with his footwork there,” Wilson said.

GURLEY’S MISTAKE

Todd Gurley was a featured part of the Rams’ offense early and finished with 51 yards on 15 carries, but the run game vanished during most of the second half.

“I thought he had some really good, hard-earned yards against a really good defensive front,” McVay said.

Gurley also fumbled for the first time since Week 3 of last season. The fumble was ripped out by Jadeveon Clowney, who also recovered the ball. It was Gurley’s first fumble in 338 offensive touches. He had gained 1,915 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns between his two fumbles.

KEY CATCH

Brandin Cooks had just one reception but it was a big one. Cooks pulled in a 29-yard catch from Goff on third-and-8 from the Rams 27 early in the fourth quarter as he was being covered tightly by Shaquill Griffin.

Cooks was being evaluated for a concussion after the play and did not return. Carroll challenged there should have been offensive pass interference, but the call on the field stood. The catch led to Zuerlein’s field goal that gave the Rams a 29-24 lead.

INJURIES

D.J. Fluker suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter. He was replaced at right guard by Jamarco Jones, who typically is a backup tackle, but was forced to play guard with normal backup Ethan Pocic out because of a back injury.

UP NEXT:

Rams: Los Angeles stays in the NFC West, hosting San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 13.

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Seahawks: Seattle is at Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 13.

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wilson-throws-4-td-passes-seahawks-hold-off-rams-30-29

2019-10-04 08:04:41Z
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Rams get Todd Gurley going early, often but fall to Seahawks - ESPN

12:03 AM ET

Lindsey ThiryESPN
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- Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times
- Previously covered the Falcons
- Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball

SEATTLE -- The Los Angeles Rams wasted no time Thursday night establishing the run with Todd Gurley II, a game plan that appeared to be a drastic turnaround from their first four games of the season.

In a 30-29 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Gurley rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns in 15 carries, though he lost a fumble in the red zone. He also caught three passes for 6 yards.

"We wanted to get him going," Rams coach Sean McVay said after the game. "He got some tough, hard-earned yards against a good defensive front. ... That opened up some things in the passing game."

Said quarterback Jared Goff: "It was great. It affected us positively. He did a great job. Ran the ball well."

Gurley's 18 touches fell short of a season high for the fifth-year pro, who had 19 touches in a Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints. His 15 carries also fell one carry short of his season high of 16, also established against the Saints.

However, Gurley's two touchdowns marked his 15th career game with multiple rushing touchdowns, the most in Rams history passing Eric Dickerson.

"I guess that's cool," Gurley said. "But it's still a loss, so it don't really matter."

The performance by Gurley, and McVay's decision to establish him early, came just days after Gurley expressed contempt for Thursday games, calling them, "the dumbest thing ever."

It also followed months of questions and scrutiny -- dating to last season's playoffs -- about the health of Gurley's left knee and his decline in usage.

Backup Malcolm Brown, who had assumed a larger role in spelling Gurley through four games, rushed for 3 yards in one carry.

Gurley rushed for 9 yards on the Rams' opening play, but he was dropped for a 5-yard loss on his ensuing carry. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Gurley had two rushes on the opening drive of the first four games combined this season.

Gurley rushed for 31 yards in six carries through two possessions. Last Sunday, he rushed for 16 yards in five carries throughout the entire game, and going into Thursday's game, Gurley had a combined 35 scrimmage yards in the first quarter for the Rams this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"We lost the game, so it doesn't really matter what happened in the first quarter," Gurley said.

However, receiver Cooper Kupp said establishing Gurley helped the offense establish a rhythm.

"You see it in our play-action game," Kupp said. "It gets that working, and it helps us to not be one-dimensional."

In the second quarter, at the Seahawks' 20-yard line, Gurley rushed for 3 yards but was stripped by Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who also recovered the ball. The turnover was Gurley's fifth career lost fumble as a rusher.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, Gurley capped a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive with an 8-yard run into the end zone. At the end of the quarter, he rushed for a 1-yard score to give the Rams a 26-21 lead.

But Gurley did not touch the ball during the Rams' final two possessions of the game as they trailed by one point.

"It was just kind of the feel that we were in the two-minute mode," McVay said. "That's certainly something that I think you go back and look at and you might say maybe we'd do it differently. But at the time, that's what kind of was with my gut."

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https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27763696/rams-get-todd-gurley-going-early-often-fall-seahawks

2019-10-04 06:33:34Z
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Kamis, 03 Oktober 2019

Braves start time revealed for Game 3 on Sunday - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Game 3 of the series between the Braves and Cardinals will begin at 4:10 p.m. Sunday, Major League Baseball announced Wednesday evening.

Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the teams begins at 5:02 p.m. Thursday at SunTrust Park. The first two games of the series are in Atlanta before a day off Saturday. The series resumes Sunday in St. Louis.

Braves left-hander Dallas Keuchel will start Game 1 against Miles Mikolas. Mike Foltynewicz, Mike Soroka and Max Fried are scheduled to start the next three games in the series, if Game 4 is necessary.

Here’s a breakdown of the two NLDS, including the matchup of the Dodgers and Nationals, which also begins Thursday.

Braves-Cardinals
Game 1, Thursday, Oct. 3: Cardinals at Braves, 5:02 p.m., TBS
Game 2, Friday, Oct. 4: Cardinals at Braves, 4:37 p.m., TBS
Game 3, Sunday, Oct. 6: Braves at Cardinals, 4:10 p.m., TBS
*Game 4, Monday, Oct. 7: Braves at Cardinals, TBA, TBS
*Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 9: Cardinals at Braves, TBA, TBS

Dodgers-Nationals
Game 1, Thursday, Oct. 3: Nationals at Dodgers, 8:37 p.m., TBS
Game 2, Friday, Oct. 4: Nationals at Dodgers, 9:37 p.m., TBS
Game 3, Sunday, Oct. 6: Dodgers at Nationals, 7:45 p.m. TBS
*Game 4, Monday, Oct. 7: Dodgers at Nationals, TBA, TBS
*Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 9: Nationals at Dodgers, TBA, TBS
* if necessary

Note: All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.

Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.

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https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/braves-start-time-revealed-for-game-sunday/nFOjHifc10gf52mO53TYPM/

2019-10-03 11:39:26Z
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Poor Rays Sideline Reporter Keeps Getting Absolutely Soaked In Celebratory Postgame Alcohol - Deadspin

I suppose this is one of those good problems, but it’s still a problem! Fox Sports Florida sideline reporter Tricia Whitaker keeps getting mercilessly drenched by celebrating Rays players, who seem to view live postgame interviews as opportunities to dump truly gargantuan quantities of beer and champagne over her head.

Whitaker was seen squeezing cold booze out of her hair during her delightful interview with Tyler Glasnow following Tampa Bay’s clinching of a wild-card spot Saturday night. She then caught a significant misting when Glasnow was ambushed with a freezing-cold beer shower mid-answer. That whole postgame scene was a chaos of flying booze:

That was nothing compared to the bath she got Wednesday, after the Rays triumphed over the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card game to advance to a division series against the Houston Astros. Whitaker was last seen in a dry condition immediately after the game, when she interviewed Emilio Pagan down on the field. Things seem to have gone quickly to hell from there. She was already pretty well drenched, and blinking suds out of her eyes, when the studio show checked in for an interview with pitcher Charlie Morton, who took the win Wednesday night. It was in the middle of this interview that all hell broke loose:

Morton tried to save her from the worst of it, to no avail, but Whitaker soldiered ahead with her questions despite now being just completely drenched in beer. She continued to catch splashes while talking to Tommy Pham:

Whitaker seemed to avoid further soakings during a conversation with Travis d’Arnaud, but she caught another direct spray while interviewing Avisail García moments later:

There was another brief reprieve during her chat with Kevin Kiermaier, but Whitaker was clearly looking over her shoulder at a nearby beer shower, sensing the danger. This period of uneasy peace was soon broken up when her next interview was interrupted by someone rudely and deliberately blowing vapor or cigar smoke into the shot:

A pattern was emerging: one clean interview, one befouled interview. Whitaker’s talk with Rays manager Kevin Cash was clean, but her subsequent talk with Austin Meadows featured more suds flying around:

The most impressive thing about this is Whitaker’s steadfast professionalism, with our heroine enduring sprays and splashes and outright pours while sticking to her questions and getting good answers. Meanwhile, lesser reporters were bribing their way out of similar treatment:

The least impressive thing is the manners of these damn Rays, which are extremely bad. They’re like a pack of wild animals, using beer and champagne to cow and terrorize innocent outsiders. Thankfully, Whitaker is able to extract joy from these shenanigans:

She’ll be extracting beer from that outfit for the next 18 months.

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https://deadspin.com/poor-rays-sideline-reporter-keeps-getting-absolutely-so-1838728203

2019-10-03 06:09:00Z
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Rabu, 02 Oktober 2019

Brewers' Josh Hader, Trent Grisham combine to give away NL wild-card game - Madison.com

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Brewers' Josh Hader, Trent Grisham combine to give away NL wild-card game Madison.com
Juan Soto's clutch hit in the 8th lifts Nationals | NL Wild Card Highlights 10/1/19 MLB
Nationals storm back late in wild-card game to stun Brewers, 4-3, advance to NLDS The Washington Post
MLB postseason predictions: Who we think will win the wild-card games Yahoo Sports
9 places to watch the Brewers in the NL Wild Card game OnMilwaukee.com
View full coverage on Google News

https://madison.com/wsj/sports/baseball/professional/brewers-josh-hader-trent-grisham-combine-to-give-away-nl/article_f50e5425-2538-52ab-aab1-ea3482caf4d5.html

2019-10-02 09:50:00Z
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MLB playoffs -- Washington Nationals look to ride high against Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN

3:05 AM ET

WASHINGTON -- It was an awfully close shave.

Not the Washington Nationals' stunning, one-run, come-from-behind, wild-card win against Josh Hader and the Milwaukee Brewers. Although that was close too. The shave in question was the one on Dave Martinez's face on Tuesday afternoon.

"I screwed up," said Washington's manager, explaining why his trademark five o'clock shadow looked more like noon. "The guard on my clipper was off on one side, and I just went, oh no. I had to lower it a bit."

In other words, it wasn't some playoff superstition that Martinez had adopted during his decade as bench coach under Joe Maddon at Tampa Bay and Chicago. It wasn't a wild-card whim that the Nats' skipper woke up thinking about. It was an accident, plain and simple. But Martinez, who forever preaches about staying in the here and now, about going 1-0 today, was ready to roll with it. Maybe even hold on to it, depending on the outcome of the National League wild-card game that was about to take place.

"Let's see what happens today," he said with a chuckle.

What happened was this: Ace Max Scherzer, starting despite a rocky finish to an injury-marred season, walked the leadoff hitter and gave up two home runs to the first six batters as the Nats went down 3-0. Stephen Strasburg, coming out of the bullpen for the first time since his freshman year in college, was dominant in three innings of relief. The Nationals, down 3-1 heading into the eighth inning and facing All-Star reliever Hader, grinded out three runs thanks to a huge bases-loaded knock from 20-year-old Juan Soto (with an assist from rookie Brewers outfielder Trent Grisham, who charged in too hard on Soto's single and allowed Anthony Rendon to score the go-ahead run from first). Oh, and Washington closer Daniel Hudson pitched a scoreless ninth to end Milwaukee's season and, at least for one night, make everyone in D.C. forget about just how horrible the Nats' bullpen was this season.

But perhaps most importantly, what happened was that, unlike what transpired with his razor earlier in the day, Martinez didn't screw up. Quite the opposite.

On an unseasonably warm October night, Martinez pushed all the right buttons. He lifted Scherzer after five innings and only 77 pitches, replacing him with a guy who had never thrown a single inning of relief in 242 professional appearances. In that fateful eighth inning, he sent up pinch hitter Michael Taylor to face Hader. Even though Taylor had spent most of the season at Double-A after being demoted, and even though he had veteran Ryan Zimmerman available on the bench, Martinez liked that Taylor had reached base twice in two career trips against Hader. Two batters after Taylor reached for a third time (on a hit by pitch), Martinez used Zimmerman, who blooped a two-out single to center that kept the inning alive and helped set the stage for Soto's big hit.

Which helped set the stage for Washington's second goggle-wearing, liquid-spraying celebration in less than a week. It's the first time the Nationals have ever popped bottles after advancing in the postseason.

"You can't really look at the past; you can't really look at the future," said Strasburg, when asked to compare the feeling now to that of two years ago, when he was dominant in two starts against the Cubs during a division series that Washington lost, its fourth playoff series defeat in four tries. "The thing about the playoffs, especially the situation we're in, you can't really predict what's going to happen. You can't look into a crystal ball. You just gotta enjoy the moment and be present."

In other words, let's see what happens today.

It pretty much has been Martinez's motto all year. When the Nats suffered a four-game sweep to the New York Mets and were 12 games under .500, and Martinez was this close to being canned (if you believe everything that sports talk callers tell you), he didn't change his tune. When they rebounded to go 57-24 over their next 81 games and take a commanding wild-card lead heading into September, he didn't change his tune. When his team went cold down the stretch and nearly coughed up said wild-card lead, he didn't change his tune.

Let's see what happens today.

Because of what happened Tuesday, when Washington won its ninth game in a row, Martinez and the Nationals now have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday ... and Friday and Sunday. And maybe Monday and Wednesday after that, depending on how exactly the division series unfolds.

Nationals celebrate their NL wild-card comeback win in the locker room with some champagne and beer.

"It's going to be tough," Nationals shortstop Trea Turner said of the daunting task that lies ahead, wherein Washington will face an L.A. juggernaut that won a franchise-record 106 games this season to complement its current of run of seven straight division titles. "But I think if there's a team that's ever been ready to face some adversity, it's this one right here."

As Turner sat at the podium and delivered his postgame comments, he wore a helmet. It wasn't a batter's helmet. Or a catcher's helmet. Instead, it appeared to be a soccer goalie's helmet. Made of white leather with red writing, it bore the logo of Turner's alma mater (NC State), and it had been sitting in his locker for months.

"I did not order this or receive this within the last week," said Turner, his voice nasal from the goggles that were still strapped over his helmet and pinching his nose. "It's been there for a while."

In fact, according to Turner, the lid had been in his cubby for about four months. Ever since the Nationals were teetering on the brink of extinction. On Tuesday, after his team came back from the brink against Hader and the Brewers, he finally decided to strap the thing on. Because why not?

"I didn't plan anything," Turner said. "It just happened."

For all we know, maybe Turner was fibbing. Maybe it was the bubbly talking and the truth is that the helmet was a premeditated prop, procured expressly for the purposes of poppin' bottles. For that matter, maybe Martinez was fibbing too. Maybe his close shave wasn't an accident at all, but rather a contrived coif meant to shake things up and help the Nats exorcise their postseason demons.

For what it's worth, those demons haven't been fully exorcised yet. Because one wild-card win doesn't erase the sting of four NLDS losses. But it's a start.

"We vowed that we won't quit," said Martinez, seemingly summing up his team's Tuesday and its season in one fell swoop. "I told the boys, I promise you, stay with it, don't quit, this will turn around. And it did. And here we are today."

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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27748129/mlb-playoffs-washington-nationals-look-ride-high-los-angeles-dodgers

2019-10-02 07:14:13Z
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Brewers' Trent Grisham -- Costly error 'going to sting for a long time' - ESPN

1:16 AM ET

Jeff PassanESPN
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WASHINGTON -- At 11:24 p.m. Tuesday, less than half an hour after Trent Grisham committed the error that cost the Milwaukee Brewers their season, the man he replaced approached his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park. Christian Yelich, the reigning National League MVP, slapped Grisham on the shoulder with his right hand, leaned in, gave him a hug and whispered words of solace into his ear.

Grisham, the rookie who took over right field for the Brewers after Yelich suffered a season-ending kneecap fracture, nodded silently. As much as he appreciated the gesture, it couldn't lessen the pain of what had happened.

The Brewers were barreling toward a National League Division Series showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then after ace reliever Josh Hader loaded the bases, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto ripped a single to right field that took a sideways hop, skipped past Grisham, cleared the bases and propelled the Nationals to a 4-3 victory in the NL wild-card game.

Grisham was crestfallen. A season that began at Double-A and continued with him leading off for the Brewers in his first playoff game ended in one of the cruelest possible fashions, with Grisham wondering what could've been, what should've been.

"It's going to sting. It's going to sting for a long time," he said. "Essentially gifting the Nationals a divisional berth. It's going to hurt. And I expect it to hurt when I debrief and go into the offseason."

The 22-year-old, a first-round pick in 2015, distinguished himself with a combination of power, patience and solid defense since his Aug. 1 debut. Although the game-tying run was likely to score on Soto's single, the go-ahead run in Anthony Rendon easily came home as Grisham scurried to chase the ball that had gone by him.

"That's part of playing in these games," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "And it's disappointing, and I'm sure Trent is disappointed. But for all these guys, Trent's why we're here. Trent got us here. Big part of getting us here. The inning was an ugly inning. Crazy things happen."

Grisham faulted himself for his approach on the play. He charged the ball too quickly, he said, and didn't break down to get into position to field it. When the ball hit the ground, it took a slight leftward hop past the glove of the left-handed Grisham.

"At the end of the game, when getting down to six, five, four outs to go, of course you feel all that pressure," he said. "It's exciting. You want to live in those moments and live up to those expectations.

"I don't think it got to me at all. I just ended up making an error. It's not my first. It's not going to be my last. It just happened that way."

In the clubhouse after the game, teammates streamed to Grisham's locker to console him and thank him for his work in 2019. From Sept. 6 to Sept. 26, the Brewers won 18 of 20 games, including 13 of 15 without Yelich, to leapfrog the Chicago Cubs and secure the second wild-card slot.

"These baseball seasons are sacred," Counsell said. "You think that you don't get many of them, and you don't get many chances like this. And I'm so proud of the way we battled and the urgency that we played with and how together we became, better than anybody thought we could be."

On Tuesday, the Brewers weren't good enough to beat the Nationals, something Grisham will take into the winter as he prepares for his first full season in the major leagues.

"It hurt. It wasn't ideal. It's not how you want your first playoff game to go," he said. "We expected to win. There's all kinds of thoughts and emotions running through your head. It just kind of stings right now."

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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27748119/brewers-trent-grisham-costly-error-going-sting-long

2019-10-02 05:19:33Z
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