Twins' record postseason losing streak hits 17 as Minnesota throws away Game 1 vs. Astros in Wild Card Series - CBS Sports

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The longest postseason losing streak in the history of North American pro sports has reached 17 games. Tuesday afternoon at Target Field, the Minnesota Twins turned an early lead into a 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series (box score). Houston is one win away from advancing to the ALDS.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on Nelson Cruz's third-inning double against Zack Greinke. The Astros rallied to tie the game on George Springer's single in the seventh, then Jose Altuve drew a bases-loaded walk against Sergio Romo to give Houston a 2-1 lead in the ninth. Michael Brantley plated two insurance runs with a single later in the inning.

It should be noted Romo had what should have been the final out of the ninth inning when he got Springer to hit a ground ball to short, but Jorge Polanco's throw to second pulled Luis Arraez off the bag, and allowed the inning to continue. Altuve and Brantley made Polanco and the Twins pay for the error. 

"We didn't give ourselves enough room to work," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters, including MLB Daily Dish's Andersen Pickard, following the Game 1 loss. "In a tight situation, anything you're not going to execute comes back to bite you and that's what happened in today's game."  

Aside from Springer and Altuve, the hero of the Game 1 win for the Astros was Framber Valdez. The southpaw relieved Greinke in the fifth inning and retired of the 14 of the 18 batters he faced. He allowed two hits in his five scoreless innings. Greinke was very shaky. Valdez settled the game down and gave the offense a chance to rally, and rally they did.

Tuesday's loss set a new North American postseason losing streak record, breaking a tie with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago lost 16 straight playoff games from 1975-79. The second-longest postseason losing streak in baseball history belongs to the Red Sox, who lost 13 straight from 1986-95. That losing streak started with the Bill Buckner game.

Here are the longest postseason losing streaks in North American sports, according to YES Network researcher James Smyth:

1. Minnesota Twins: 17 games (2004 to present)
2. Chicago Blackhawks: 16 games (1975-79)
3. Detroit Pistons: 14 games (2008 to present)
4. Los Angeles Kings: 14 games (1993-2001)
5. Several tied at 13 games

As noted by MLB.com's Sarah Langs, 27 of the other 29 MLB teams have won a postseason game since the Twins last won one. The Mariners (haven't reached the postseason since 2001) and Marlins (reached the postseason for the first time since 2003 this year) are the two exceptions. Since then 18 teams have won at least 10 postseason games and 10 have won at least 20.

The Twins have not won a postseason game since Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS. Their starting pitcher that day was Johan Santana. Thirteen of these 17 consecutive postseason losses have come against the Yankees (2004 ALDS, 2009 ALDS, 2010 ALDS, 2017 Wild Card Game, 2019 ALDS), three have come against the Athletics (2006 ALDS), and now one against the Astros.

Minnesota and Houston will play Game 2 of this best-of-three series Wednesday afternoon. The Astros have not yet announced their starting pitcher but it is expected to be Jose Urquidy after Valdez pitched in relief. Jose Berrios will try to keep the Twins alive.

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Twas The Night Before The Finals- Lakers Edition - Lakers Nation

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1. Twas The Night Before The Finals- Lakers Edition  Lakers Nation
2. 'Kawhi Leonard stretched it too long': Lakers' Jeanie Buss reveals what happened post Anthony Davis...  The Sportsrush
3. Anthony Davis on playing in his first NBA Finals with the Lakers | NBA on ESPN  ESPN
4. Dwight Howard wants his Lakers redemption arc to end with a title  Silver Screen and Roll
5. This NBA Finals comes with a horrible asterisk  The Undefeated
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Covid-19 Cases Jump in Canada, Prompting New Restrictions - The Wall Street Journal

Azerbaijan and Armenia reject talks as Karabakh conflict zone spreads - Reuters

By Nailia Bagirova, Nvard Hovhannisyan

5 Min Read

BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia and Azerbaijan accused one another on Tuesday of firing directly into each other’s territory and rejected pressure to hold peace talks as their conflict over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh threatened to mushroom into all-out war.

Both reported firing from the other side across their shared border, well to the west of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region over which fierce fighting broke out between Azeri and ethnic Armenian forces on Sunday.

The incidents signalled a further escalation of the conflict despite urgent appeals from Russia, the United States and others to halt it.

The conflict has reignited concerns about stability in the South Caucasus region, a corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, speaking to Russian state television, flatly ruled out any possibility of talks. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the same channel they could not take place while fighting continued.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a breakaway region inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians and backed by Armenia. It broke away from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war but is not recognised by any country as an independent republic.

Dozens of people have been reported killed and hundreds wounded since clashes between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces broke out on Sunday, threatening to draw in neighbours including Azerbaijan’s close ally Turkey.

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After a closed-door discussion on Tuesday the 15-member U.N. Security Council “expressed concern” about the clashes, condemned the use of force and backed a call by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an immediate halt to fighting.

Further stoking tensions between the two former Soviet republics, Armenia said a Turkish F-16 fighter jet had shot down one of its warplanes over Armenian airspace, killing the pilot.

It provided no evidence of the incident. Turkey called the claim “absolutely untrue”, and Azerbaijan also denied it.

“The international community should decisively condemn the aggression of Azerbaijan and the actions of Turkey and demand Turkey get out of this region,” Pashinyan told Russian state TV.

“The military presence of Turkey in this region...will bring further escalation and expansion of the scale of the conflict.”

Azeri leader Aliyev accused Armenia of fabricating the plane incident. “Turkey is not a party to the conflict, in no way participates in it and there is no need for this,” he said.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

Aliyev said Azerbaijan was calling up tens of thousands of reservists under a partial mobilisation announced on Monday.

“We are able to punish the aggressor ourselves so that he would not even dare to look in our direction,” he said.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

PUTIN APPEAL

Any descent into all-out war could threaten to drag in not only Turkey, but Russia. Moscow has a defence alliance with Armenia, but also enjoys close relations with Azerbaijan.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to Pashinyan for the second time since the start of the crisis and said all sides should take measures to de-escalate. It has not made public any contacts between Putin and Aliyev.

The Kremlin said Moscow was in constant contact with Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Any talk of providing military support for the opposing sides would only add fuel to the fire, it said.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted: “With casualties rapidly mounting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, the Trump Administration needs to call the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan immediately to de-escalate the situation. It must also demand others - like Turkey - stay out of this conflict.”

RISING CASUALTIES

Pashinyan told the BBC in an interview that Azeri forces had shelled villages and towns in Nagorno-Karabakh and inside Armenia itself on Tuesday.

“There are casualties among both military and civilians. Dozens are killed and hundreds are wounded,” he said.

Azerbaijan’s prosecutor’s office said 12 Azeri civilians had so far been killed and 35 wounded by Armenian fire. The Azeri side has not disclosed military casualties.

Nagorno-Karabakh has reported the loss of at least 84 soldiers.

“What can I say? It’s a war. We hear air raids several times a day and hide in bomb shelters,” Albert Voskanyan, a resident of the enclave’s capital Stepanakert, told Reuters.

Armenian officials said earlier that a civilian was killed in an Azeri attack on the Armenian town of Vardenis, more than 20 km (12 miles) from Nagorno-Karabakh. They said a bus caught fire in the town after being hit by an Azeri drone.

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said that from Vardenis the Armenian army had shelled the Dashkesan region inside Azerbaijan. Armenia denied those reports.

Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi, Riham Alkousaa in Berlin, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Moscow and Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Gregorio

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This is what Yankees dreamed of when they landed Gerrit Cole - New York Post

The remarkable thing is that Gerrit Cole was merely part of the chorus Tuesday night. The Yankees greeted the American League playoffs with a haymaker that not only flattened the Cleveland Indians, 12-3, but certainly must have been heard in other notable precincts such as St. Petersburg, Fla., and Houston. Maybe even Los Angeles.

Everyone was part of the fun. Two batters in the Yankees led 2-0 because Aaron Judge made a baseball disappear into the Cleveland night. Brett Gardner turned the clock back five years or so. Shane Bieber, the shoo-in Cy Young winner, looked like a frightened deer wandering onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. Even with no fans inside Progressive Field you could hear a million Ohioans get a head start on their “wait-til-next-year” laments.

And, by the by, Gerrit Cole threw seven innings and allowed two runs and six hits, he struck out 13 batters and walked none, and in the entire history of postseason baseball only one pitcher has ever done that 13/0 parlay: Tom Seaver, Game 1 of the 1973 NLCS, Mets against the Reds.

(SPOILER ALERT: Seaver and the Mets lost that game, 2-1.)

Cole wasn’t going to lose this. The Yankees weren’t going to let him, but even if they hadn’t run up the score Cole was everything he was ever supposed to be: a give-me-the-ball monster, a Game 1 brute. Even after the Indians started to get better swings against him, cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-1 and a 5-1 hole to 5-2, there was never a moment Cole didn’t appear in control.

“To have Gerrit throw the ball the way he did,” manager Aaron Boone marveled, “that was so big.”

And he was big, bigger-than-life big, right from the jump, blowing away Francisco Lindor and Cesar Hernandez, then coaxing a weak pop-up from the Indians’ best hitter, Jose Ramirez. As that ball soared high over the infield Cole didn’t even wait for it to start its descent, stalking off the field immediately. He knows the terrain. He knew he was locked in.

“I thought he looked really sharp,” Boone said. “He had all four pitches mixed in and he leaned on all of them.”

Gerrit ColeCorey Sipkin

He had more than that, actually. Cole was able to spend part of the day with his wife, Amy, and their 3-month-old son Caden — at least in between naps — and the Coles were part of a throaty Yankees family contingent inside Progressive.

Young Caden won’t recall the night other than through the pictures and videos his mother preserved in her cell phone, but it meant everything to his father.

“Jeez,” Cole said, “as a family, that’s the first time we got to go to the ballpark as a family and that’s something I’ll always remember.”

He smiled.

“I never thought his first game would be in Cleveland,” he said but, then, what about 2020 has come anywhere close to following a script?

Cole’s performance, actually. This, of course, is why the Yankees backed up the Brinks and anointed him their ace. Every part of that was pointing toward multiple Game 1s over the next few years, starting with this one. Bieber may have out-pitched him across the 60-game regular season.

But when the lights clicked on at Progressive Field, when the plug went into the wall kick-starting these 2020 playoffs, it was Cole who played the part of stopper. Bieber will have plenty of tomorrows to look forward to but the Yankees, as always, are about right now. Cole fits them. They fit him. Tuesday night, it looked like a happier marriage than Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

“We needed to set a tone for the series,” Cole said. “I’m obviously very thankful and humbled to take the ball and be in this position, to be able to deliver felt good, my son being here felt pretty good too. It was definitely a special night. Especially in this year, there’s a lot more baseball games to win. We’ll celebrate the good stuff and get after it [Wednesday].”

Assuming all goes well from here and that this offensive onslaught wasn’t a “Come On Eileen”-style one-hit wonder, there will be other Game 1s ahead for Cole, other nights when Cole will be asked to take the ball. And on those nights it’ll be the Yankees who will be thankful for that.

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MLB scores, playoff takeaways: Yankees slug way to series lead; Astros have unlikely Game 1 hero - CBS Sports

David Richard / USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball's postseason began Tuesday with the American League Wild Card Series. The Wild Card Series is a new best-of-three round, and the National League side of things will get started on Wednesday. Every game will be hosted at the higher-seeded team's home ballpark. Tuesday's contests featured one late-inning comeback and one blowout, among other things.

Below, you'll find updated scores of every game as well as some of the day's biggest storylines.

Postseason scores

Yankees pummel Bieber

The battle of the aces in Cleveland never materialized. The Yankees hammered Shane Bieber on Tuesday night, tagging him for seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. Bieber did not allow more than three runs in any of his 12 regular season starts. The seven earned runs in Game 1 are exactly half the 14 earned runs he allowed in those 12 regular season starts.

Gerrit Cole, on the other hand, was utterly dominant, striking out 13 in seven innings. He held Cleveland to two runs on six scattered hits. Cole joins Bob Gibson as the only pitchers with multiple 13-strikeout games in the postseason and the 13 strikeouts are second most in a postseason game by a Yankee (Roger Clemens struck out 15 in the 2000 ALCS).

There were questions about New York's offense abound coming into the postseason because they were not nearly as good on the road (4.1 runs per game) as they were at Yankee Stadium (6.4 runs per game) during the regular season. They responded with 12 runs in a game started by the AL's best pitcher. Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner went a combined 7 for 8 with two homers.

Valdez comes up big in Astros' Game 1 win

Coming into the opener of the Wild Card Series between the Astros and Twins at Target Field, 26-year-old Houston lefty Framber Valdez was in the discussion for starting Game 2. Veteran ace Zack Greinke started the opener, and Lance McCullers Jr. was lined up for a Game 3 start, if necessary. If those were the plans for Valdez, however, then Astros manager Dusty Baker audibled decisively and tabbed Valdez to come in out of the bullpen after Greinke had four somewhat shaky innings of one-run ball. 

Valdez justified the decision and then some: 

Just two of the 18 batters that Valdez faced managed hard-hit balls off of him, and he didn't give up a hit until the Twins scratched out back-to-back opposite field singles with one out in the ninth. At that point, Baker showed even more faith in Valdez. With the potential tying run at the plate, closer Ryan Pressly warmed up in the pen, and the right-handed Willians Astudillo slated to pinch hit, Baker stuck with Valdez. One curveball at the bottom of the zone later, Valdez had secured the crucial Game 1 with a game-ending double play. 

In his first relief appearance since Aug. 10, Valdez leaned heavily on his sinker and curve, and he obviously got the biggest outs of the Astros' season to date. Speaking of which, please enjoy the Framber Hammer: 

His usage means that Jose Urquidy will likely start Game 2 on Wednesday, and so far the aggressive use of Valdez is looking like a masterstroke on the part of Baker. As a result, the Twins endured their 17th straight postseason loss, and the Astros are one win away from a first-round upset. 

Giolito dominates for White Sox

The White Sox won their first playoff game since 2008 with a 4-1 victory over the A's on Tuesday afternoon. The ChiSox got homers from Jose Abreu and Adam Engel, but their starter stole the headlines. Lucas Giolito, who threw a no-hitter in the regular season, was perfect for the first six innings against Oakland. He lost his perfect game (and no-hitter) in the seventh inning, but finished by allowing just one run on two hits while striking out eight in seven innings. You can read more about his performance here.

Snell dominates Jays; Rays get timely plays

The upstart Blue Jays offense was relegated to a mostly punchless display Tuesday at Tropicana Field in Game 1. Rays starter Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out a postseason franchise record nine hitters in his 5 2/3 innings of work. He was removed after only 82 pitches, but that was just about as long as the Rays want him working. He hasn't gone a full six innings in any start all season. 

With Snell out, the Jays threatened twice. Things started to resemble a rally in the top of the seventh when Vladimir Guerrero was hit by a pitch and Lourdes Gurriel singled, but Teoscar Hernandez popped out (infield fly rule, technically) before Joe Panik lined out to a perfectly positioned Willy Adames. After failing to score there, trailing only 1-0, the Jays then coughed up a two-run homer to Manuel Margot: 

In the top of the eighth, a one-out Rowdy Tellez single was followed with a Cavan Biggio double. With Bo Bichette coming up, the Blue Jays had a real shot at a crooked number. Instead, he hit a sac fly and then Randal Grichuk lined out. 

This game was all about the Rays doing winning things at precisely the right time and, well, that's pretty much how they always do it. 

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Week 4 AP NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs distance themselves from the pack - Arrowhead Pride

Week 3 is in the books. It was a week that will be remembered fondly by Kansas City Chiefs fans for a very long time. As the doubters started to creep in, Patrick Mahomes and his squad rolled into Baltimore and showed the Ravens what for. The Seahawks and the Packers also had impressive wins — as did the Bills, who continue to embrace the Josh Allen experience. It was a week when you felt that the league is really starting to take shape.

This week’s voters were Matt Stagner, Pete Sweeney, Ron Kopp and myself.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (1st)

On Monday night, the Chiefs showed the world who is boss. They’re not being dethroned any time soon.

2. Seattle Seahawks (3rd)

The Seahawks and the Packers look head and shoulders above the rest of the NFC right now. But seriously, DK? I would have loved to have seen the reaction of fantasy managers when Diggs knocked the ball out of his hands.

3. Baltimore Ravens (2nd)

Couldn’t manage the statement win they craved on Monday night. Now they’ve got to do it all in order to catch Kansas City. Still a really good team.

4. Green Bay Packers (4th)

Unlike Baltimore, the Packers could get their big statement win on Sunday night. The Packers are for real.

5. New England Patriots (5th)

Their win against the Raiders is the type of game that separates the contenders from the pretenders. The Patriots are certainly contenders — but they desperately need to give Cam Newton some receivers.

6. Buffalo Bills (9th)

This team may not win a Super Bowl any time soon, but the Josh Allen experience is a lot of fun. I can’t imagine it’s good for tickers of Bills fans, though.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (14th) | This week’s high riser

The Texans were easily dispatched by Kansas City and Baltimore in the first two weeks — but the Steelers struggled a little bit. Bit of a gap between them and the AFC’s elite

8. Tennessee Titans (8th)

All Stephen Gostkowski does is make kicks. That’s what we’ve been saying all season, right?

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10th)

Everyone predicted Scott Miller to lead the team in receiving yards on Sunday, didn’t they? “Alexa, who is Scott Miller?”

10. Dallas Cowboys (12th)

Offensively they’re OK — but defensivly, they’re a mess. They’ve still got a lot to figure out

11. Los Angeles Rams (7th)

Whilst the call was horrendous, there’s something quite ironic about the Rams complaining about a pass interference penalty. I would say, “It’s like having 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife” — but that example isn’t irony. It’s just a nuisance.

12. New Orleans Saints (6th) | This week’s big faller

Or should we say the New Orleans Aints?! Am I right?! *walks round like Tom Brady looking for a high-five*

13. Arizona Cardinals (11th)

You can’t afford to lose to the Detroit Lions when you’re in the same division as the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers. They might live to regret this loss.

14. San Francisco 49ers (13th)

With an injury list as long as theirs, you have to congratulate Kyle Shanahan and his squad for any win — even if it was against a terrible Giants team.

15. Indianapolis Colts (16th)

Two pick sixes, two field goals and a safety meant the Colts beat the hapless Jets at a canter.

16. Cleveland Browns (20th)

This team is worth watching just for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

17. Chicago Bears (21st)

It turns out the leash for Mitchell Trubisky was very short indeed. After going down big, Matt Nagy threw in the hero of Super Bow LII. The rest, as they say, is history.

18. Las Vegas Raiders (15th)

After an offensive explosion in the first couple of weeks, Derek Carr was dragged back down to earth by a tight Patriots defense. Only two weeks until the annual Arrowhead meltdown.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (19th)

I cannot fathom how one week, you are a missed field goal away from beating the best team on the planet — only to lose to the Panthers the following week?

20. Houston Texans (17th)

I’m done with giving this team the benefit of the doubt because of scheduling. Show me something, Houston.

21. Minnesota Vikings (23th)

You’ve got to feel for their fans. If they would have known the game would come down to Stephen Gostkowski making SIX field goals in order for them to lose, they would have taken their chances.

22. Detroit Lions (28th)

Matt Patricia is now 10-24-1 as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

23. Philadelphia Eagles (18th)

Carson Wentz is broken. Can somebody fix him, please.

24. Denver Broncos (24th)

Y’all excited for Broncos vs. Jets on Thursday night?

25. Miami Dolphins (29th)

Fitzmagic was very much alive and well on Thursday. When he plays well, he is one of the most fun quarterbacks to watch.

26. Atlanta Falcons (25th)

What is there to say that hasn’t been said already?

27. Washington Football Team (27th)

They were leading the Browns until the fourth quarter — but then succumbed to a superior team.

28. Carolina Panthers (30th)

The first win under a new regime is always so important. They’ll be pleased it didn’t take too long to get.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (26th)

Being British, we love a score-draw. Thank you for providing this.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (22nd)

The moustache lost out to the beard. Former Chief Chris Conley had a rough night against the Dolphins.

31. New York Giants (31st)

After looking OK against the Steelers in Week 1, it’s been all downhill for Daniel Jones.

32. New York Jets (32nd)

Can they fire Adam Gase already, so we can properly assess Sam Darnold?

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