Month: September 2025

— Tigers 2, Guardians 1
Cleveland had tying run on third, no one out in 9th inning, but didn’t score.
Tarik Skubal struck out 14 guys in 7 IP, throwing 107 pitches.
Zach McKinstry knocked the game-winning run in with a sac bunt in 7th inning.

— Cubs 3, Padres 1
Chicago’s bullpen got 14 outs, didn’t allow a baserunner.
Suzuki/Kelly hit back/back home runs in fifth inning.
Top three hitters in San Diego’s lineup were a combined 0-11. 

— Red Sox 3, Bronx 1
Yoshida’s 7th inning pinch-hit single was a game-winner.
Max Fried got 19 outs, didn’t allow a run.
New York’s bullpen gave up three runs in 2.2 IP.
Bronx had bases loaded, none out in 9th inning, but didn’t score. 

— Dodgers 10, Reds 5
Hernandez, Ohtani both homered twice for the Dodgers.
Pitching in his hometown, Reds P Greene gave up 5 runs in three IP
Blake Snell allowed four hits in seven IP. 

— Since the current best-of-three Wild Card series began in 2022, road teams have won 8 of 12 series including three of four last year. 

How big is Game 1?  The winner of Game 1 has won all 12 series, 10 of those in a 2-game sweep.

— Toronto Blue Jays have a bye this week; they’re hosting intrasquad games at Rogers Centre this week, to keep their players sharp. Fans can attend for $10.

First pitch is 4:00, with gates opening at 3:15. Games “will be four to five innings and structured as informal scrimmages, featuring players from the Blue Jays and AAA Buffalo Bisons”

— Angels parted ways Tuesday with manager Ron Washington, interim manager Ray Montgomery. 73-year old Washington was 99-137 managing the Angels; he had health issues this year and missed most of the season.

— Giants’ SS Willie Adames hit 30 home runs this year, the first player to hit 30 homers in one season for San Francisco since Barry Bonds, in 2004.

— Famous birthdays, October 1st
Julie Andrews, 90
Rod Carew, 80
Mark McGwire, 62
Zach Galifianakis, 56

Matt Cain, 41
Brie Larson, 36
Dustin Hopkins, 35
Robbie Ray, 34

Xander Bogaerts, 33
Cedric Mullins, 31
Otto Lopez, 27
Jordan Whittington, 25

— College football conference ATS trends:
American- Home teams 1-7 ATS in conference play.
ACC- Non-conference home favorites are 6-11 ATS
Big 18- Underdogs are 9-4 ATS in conference games. 

Big X- Home favorites are 6-3 ATS in conference games.
C-USA- Home teams are 6-3 ATS in non-conference games.
MAC- Home teams are 5-0 ATS in conference games.

Mountain West- Teams are 21-10 ATS in non-conference games.
SEC- Underdogs are 8-4 ATS in conference games.
Sun Belt- Home teams are 4-1 ATS in conference games.

— NFL divisional ATS trends:
AFC East- home teams 1-3 ATS in divisional games.
AFC North- teams are 4-8 ATS in non-divisional games.
AFC South- teams are 5-5 ATS in non-divisional games.
AFC West- teams are 5-5 ATS in non-divisional games.

NFC East- teams are 6-4 ATS in non-divisional games.
NFC North- home teams are 4-1 ATS in non-divisional games.
NFC South- home teams are 1-4 ATS in non-divisional games.
NFC West- teams are 7-3 ATS in non-divisional games.

— Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill dislocated his left knee Monday night, is out for the rest of this year and maybe longer- he’ll need multiple surgeries.

— There is a survivor pool at the Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas that has over 12,000 entries; this past week, 784 people got knocked out when the Chargers lost to the Giants.

— Sunday was Davante Adams’ 64th career game with 50+ receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

That is 5th-most in the last 25 years, behind:
73- Larry Fitzgerald
69- Antonio Gates
68- Terrell Owens
66- Mike Evans

— Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin kicked a 65-yard field goal, the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history.

— Random trivia: Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Germany, one of which was in the 200-meter sprint, where he set a new Olympic record. 

The person who won the silver medal in the 200-meter sprint was Matthew Robinson, who also broke the Olympic record in that race. He had a younger brother who was became a lot more famous, baseball player Jackie Robinson.

— Dolphins 27, Jets 21
Jets ran ball for 197 yards, but had 13 penalties for 101 yards.
Jets lost first four games, giving up 34-30-29-27 points.
Only one of their four losses was by more than six points.
Jets are 3-12-1 ATS last 16 AFC East road games.

Miami’s first five drives: 42 plays, 235 yards, 24 points.
Under McDaniel, Miami is 13-8-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Dolphins won 10 of last 12 series games.
Jets are 0-10 SU/1-6-3 ATS in last nine visits to Miami.

— Broncos 28, Bengals 3
Broncos dominated game, outgaining Cincy 512-159.
Denver is 2-0 at home; they didn’t allow a TD either game.
JK Dobbins ran ball 16 times for 101 yards.
Bo Nix threw for 326 yards, two TD’s. 

Zac Taylor is 45-32-1 SU when Joe Burrow plays, 8-24 when he doesn’t.
In four games, Bengals have run ball 76 times for only 200 yards.
Denver was 8-14 on third down, Bengals 2-11.
AFC North teams are 5-7 ATS in non-divisional games.

— Future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy will not return as manager of the Texas Rangers; he won the World Series with Texas in 2023, went 78-84/81-81 the last two years. Texas had an awful lot of injuries this past year. 

Overall, Bochy has won four World Series titles, three with the Giants.

— Speaking of the Giants, they fired Bob Melvin Monday, a few weeks after they extended his contract thru next year. Giants went 81-81 this year, but new GM Buster Posey didn’t hire him. Lot of times GM’s want to hire “their guy” as manager.

A 3-time Manager of the Year who won the award in both leagues, Melvin has a career regular-season record of 1,678-1,588 with 8 postseason appearances for five different teams. Melvin made the playoffs six times in 10 years with the A’s; he is a very good manager.

— Minnesota Twins fired manager Rocco Baldelli after they went 70-92 this year, while the team was going a tumultuous season in the front office, owner-wise. Baldelli made the playoffs three times in seven seasons managing the Twins.

— How the five biggest baseball payrolls made out this season:

$350,300,236- Dodgers won NL West
$342,377,486- Mets went 83-79, missed the playoffs
$300,187,616- Bronx is #1 Wild Card in AL
$290,286,320- Phillies won NL East
$255,380,936- Blue Jays won AL East

— How the five smallest baseball payrolls made out this season:
$67,950,708- Marlins went 79-83, 41-40 on the road
$78,824,978- White Sox went 60-102, 19 games better than last year.
$79,118,043- A’s went 76-86, seven games better than last year.
$84,423,338- Pirates went 71-91; they were 44-37 at home.
$87,629,788- Rays went 77-85 playing home games on a minor league field.

— Famous birthdays, September 30th:
Angie Dickinson, 94
Dave Magadan, 63
Eric Piatkowski, 55
Jenna Elfman, 54

Jamal Anderson, 53
Kenley Jansen, 38
Aaron Holiday, 29
Jesus Luzardo, 28

— After the Jaguars upset San Francisco 26-21 Sunday, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh accused Jacksonville and its head coach, Liam Coen, of using a sign-stealing system.

In the week leading up to the game, Saleh claimed that Coen and the Jaguars use an “advanced” legal sign-stealing system while speaking with reporters.

After Sunday’s win, all Coen said was; “Not a big deal. We’ll keep that between us.”

— Arkansas Razorbacks fired football coach Sam Pittman Monday, named Bobby Petrino their interim coach. Arkansas was 32-34 under Pittman, losing their last three games, including a loss to Memphis when the Razorbacks blew an 18-point lead.

Petrino is 119-56 as a college coach; he was Lamar Jackson’s coach at Louisville. He also was 34-17 as coach of Arkansas, back from 2008-11.

— Weird college football stat: Under Lincoln Riley, USC is 0-12 ATS as a road favorite, in games not played in California.

— Houston Astros missed the baseball playoffs this year for the first time since 2016.

— Baseball is a long season, lot of ups and downs:

Cleveland Guardians made the playoffs, despite a 10-game losing streak from June 26-July 6.

— Detroit Tigers also made the playoffs.
From July 9th-26th, Tigers went 1-12…..from September 16-24, they went 0-8.

— Mets had a lot of expectations this year with such a big payroll- that put a lot of pressure on them, and they wound up missing the playoffs, losing 2 of 3 games in Miami over the weekend. Mets finished 83-79. 

Mets were 45-25 on June 13th; rest of the season, they went 38-54. 

After Sunday’s win, Miami’s team had a team picture taken in front of their dugout, like they were celebrating something. Marlins finished 79-83, going over their season over/under win total by 15.5 games. They had a very good season. 

Packers 40, Cowboys 40 OT
Green Bay led 13-0; PAT after 2nd TD was blocked, run back for 2 points.
Packers in 2nd half/OT: 47 plays, 329 yards, 27 points
Green Bay was 10-14 on third down, Dallas 4-11.
Packers are 4-12-1 ATS last 17 games as a road favorite.

Dallas won its first home game 40-37 in OT, then this happened.
Last three games, Cowboys allowed 506-385-489 total yards.
First three Dallas drives: 11 plays, 35 yards, 3 punts
Last seven Dallas drives: 57 plays, 406 yards, 38 points

Jaguars 26, 49ers 21
Jaguars are 3-1 for the second time in the last 18 years.
Jaguars have 13 takeaways already, are +9 in turnovers.
Jaguars ran punt back 87 yards for TD to grab a 26-14 lead.
Jacksonville held last three opponents to 48-87-83 rushing yards.

49ers turned ball over on two of first three series.
49ers were 8-13 on third down, Jacksonville 4-14
49ers had 12 penalties for 90 yards, Jaguars 5 for 54.
Last 2+ years, 49ers are 7-13-1 ATS in games coming off a win.

Bears 25, Raiders 24
Bears drove 73 yards, scored game-winning TD with 1:34 left.
Bears blocked 54-yard FG on last play to preserve the win.
Chicago had four takeaways for second game in a row.
Chicago was 7-16 on third down, Las Vegas 2-8.

Raiders led 14-9 at halftime.
Las Vegas ran ball 31 times for 240 yards.
Ashton Jeanty carried ball 21 times for 138 yards.
Bears are 7-13-3 ATS in last 23 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Giants 21, Chargers 18
Rookie QB Dart threw for 111 yards, ran for 54 more in his first NFL start.
Giants’ first four drives: 34 plays, 154 yards, 13 points.
Giants’ last six drives: 36 plays, 107 yards, 8 points.
Under Daboll, Giants are 10-6-1 ATS vs AFC teams.

Giants were 7-15 on third down, Chargers 4-12.
Bolts held last three opponents to 218-265-250 total yards.
Chargers had 14 penalties for 107 yards, Giants 8 for 43
Rookie RB Hampton ran ball 12 times for 128 yards and a TD.

Eagles 31, Buccaneers 25
Eagles blocked punt for TD for the game’s first score.
Eagles led 24-6 at halftime, hung on for dear life.
Mayfield threw INT in red zone midway thru 4th quarter.
Eagles are 5-2 ATS in last seven games as a road favorite.

Buccaneers outgained Philly, 376-200.
Tampa Bay turned ball over on three of their last five drives.
Tampa Bay is 3-7 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.
NFC South teams are 5-7 ATS in non-divisional games.

Rams 27, Colts 20
Stafford’s 88-yard TD pass to Atwell (1:33 left) was a game-winner.
Rams’ last two drives: 12 plays, 171 yards, 14 points.
Stafford threw for 375 yards, three TD’s.
Nucua caught 13 passes for 170 yards and a TD. 

Rams had 13-play, 96-yard drive to take 13-10 lead at half.
Rams are 9-3-1 ATS last 13 games vs AFC opponents.
Colts had three turnovers, and 11 penalties for 88 yards.
Colts didn’t turn ball over in their first three games. 

Famous birthdays, September 29th:
Ian McShane, 83
Tim Flannery, 68
Craig Lefferts, 68
Andrew Dice Clay, 68

Hersey Hawkins, 59
Erika Eleniak, 56
Zachary Levi, 45
Calvin Johnson, 40

Kevin Durant, 37
Tyler Mahle, 31
Ashley Frangipane, 31 (Halsey)
Lucas Havrisik, 26

Chiefs 37, Ravens 20
Ravens gave up 41-38-37 points in their three losses.
Star QB Jackson left game with an ankle injury.
AFC North teams are 4-7 ATS in non-divisional games.

 Chiefs’ first four drives: 34 plays, 223 yards, 20 points.
Mahomes threw for 270 yards, 4 TD’s, to four different guys.
Chiefs won seven of last eight games vs Baltimore.
Chiefs are 11-7 ATS in last 18 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Steelers 24, Vikings 21
Steelers led 14-6 at halftime of first-ever game in Ireland.
Steelers scored 34-21-24 points in wins, 17 in their loss.
Steelers have run ball 87 times for only 259 yards.
Steelers are 27-14-1 ATS last 41 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Rodgers threw an 80-yard TD pass to Metcalf.
Vikings QB Wentz threw for 350 yards, but also two INTs.
Vikings scored 27-48 points in their wins, 6-21 in losses.
WR Jefferson caught 10 catches for 126 yards, 

Texans 26, Titans 0
Tennessee is 0-4 SU/ATS, losing by 8-14-21-26 points.
Titans have three TD’s, 10 FG’s on their 44 drives.
Tennessee is 3-12 ATS in last 15 games as an underdog.
Texans outgained Tennessee, 353-175.

Texans led this game 6-0 at halftime.
This was Houston’s first shutout since 2010.
Houston was 6-15 on third down, Tennessee 2-11.
Texans’ first four drives of 2nd half: 31 plays, 190 yards, 20 points. 

Falcons 34, Commanders 27
QB Penix was 20-26/313 passing, with two TD’s.
Falcons’ first three drives: 28 plays, 181 yards, 17 points.
Atlanta led 17-10 at halftime.
Falcons outgained Washington, 435-294

Falcons were 6-12 on third down, Commanders 1-8.
Washington is 0-2 on road, losing 27-18/34-37.
In its wins, Commanders ran ball for 220-201 yards.
Its losses, Commanders ran 51-147 yards. 

Bills 31, Saints 19
Saints’ first nine drives ended in Buffalo territory.
Bills led by only 14-10 at halftime.
Buffalo won its first four games,. scoring 41-30-31-31 points.
Last 3+ years, Bills are 3-8-1 ATS as a double digit favorite.

Saints lost first four games, 20-13/26-21/44-13/31-19.
Since 2018, Saints are 19-9-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Rattler is 0-10 as an NFL starting QB.
New Orleans has been outscored 85-33 in first half of games.

Lions 34, Browns 10
Detroit led this game 20-7 at halftime.
Lions scored 52-38-34 points in their last three games.
Lions are 16-8 ATS last 24 games as a home favorite.
Detroit is 15-7 ATS in last 22 games vs AFC teams

Browns scored 16-17-13-10 points in their four games.
Cleveland is minus-6 in turnovers this year.
Browns are 6-15-1 ATS last 22 games coming off a win.
Browns allowed only 277 yards, most they’ve given up this year.

Patriots 42, Panthers 13
Down 6-0, Patriots ran a punt back 87 yards for a TD.
Patriots also ran a punt back 61 yards to set up another TD.
NE’s first four drives: 21 plays, 151 yards, 21 points.
Patriots scored 33-42 points in wins, 13-14 points in losses.

Carolina drove 76 yards for a TD on first drive.
Carolina’s next five drives: 30 plays, 93 yards, no points.
Panthers are 6-14-1 ATS last 21 games as a road underdog.
Carolina is 7-15 ATS in last 22 games vs AFC opponents.

— Playoff picture with postseason starting Tuesday:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Reds
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Ole Miss 24, LSU 19
QB Chambliss passed for 314 yards and a TD.
Last year, Chambliss was playing at D-II Ferris State.
Rebels led 17-7 at halftime.
Ole Miss outgained LSU, 480-254.

— Tennessee 41, Mississippi State 34 OT
Tennessee forced OT, scoring a TD with 1:55 left.
Vols’ QB Aguilar threw for 335 yards and a TD.
Miss State ran ball 57 times for 198 yards.

—Texas A&M 16, Auburn 10
Aggies are 4-0 for the first time since 2016.
Auburn gained total of 177 yards, was 0-12 on third down.
A&M outgained them 414-177; they were only 3-14 on third down.
Aggies ran the ball 47 times for 207 yards.

— Alabama 24, Georgia 21
Alabama led 24-14 at halftime.
Crimson Tide was 13-19 on third down, Georgia 2-8.
Kirby Smart is 1-7 as a head coach vs Alabama.
Georgia’s home winning streak ends at 33. 

— Upsets of the Week:
Virginia Tech (+10.5) 23, NC State 21
Virginia (+6.5) 46, Florida State 38 OT
Illinois (+6.5) 34, USC 32
Hawai’i (+6.5) 44, Air Force 35
California (+6.5) 28, Boston College 24
Hawai’i (+6.5) 44, Air Force 35
Cincinnati (+4.5) 37, Kansas 34

— Illinois 34, USC 32
Illini kicked a 41-yard FG at the gun for a walk-off win.
USC had taken a 32-31 lead on a TD with 1:55 left.
Illinois QB Alymyer threw for 328 yards.
USC QB Maiava threw for 364 yards, two TD’s.

— Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29, OT
Wake Forest led 17-3 at halftime.
Tech forced OT, kicking a 33-yard FG with 0:02 left in regulation.
Tech scored 7 points in OT; Wake scored a TD, but went for two points and the win- they didn’t get it.
Tech’s two ACC wins are by a total of four points.

— Cincinnati 37, Kansas 34
Bearcats drove 75 yards, scored on a 2-yard TD with 0:29 left.
Lot of offense; total yards- Cincy 603 yards, Jayhawks 597.
Cincinnati had four TD’s called back because of penalties. 

— Oregon 30, Penn State 24 OT
Oregon led 17-3 with 11:00 left in the game.
Penn State tied it on a TD with 0:30 left.
Ducks outgained Penn State, 424-276.
Game was 3-3 at halftime. 

— Memphis 55, Florida Atlantic 26
Tigers have won nine in a row, the country’s longest active win streak. Memphis’ lead was only 17-16 at halftime.
Tigers ran ball 46 times for 291 yards (6.3 yards/carry). 

— Famous birthdays, September 28th:
Brigitte Bardot, 91
Steve Largent, 71
Todd Worrell, 66
Irving Fryar, 63

Johnny Dawkins, 62
Janeane Garofalo, 61
Mira Sorvino, 58
Ryan Zimmerman, 41

Chem Birch, 33
Tyler Shough, 26
Riley Greene, 25
Spencer Rattler, 25

— Vanderbilt 55, Utah State 35
#18 Commodores are 5-0 for first time since 2008.
QB Pavia threw for 321 yards, five TD’s, also ran for a TD.
Only 8 of Vanderbilt’s 65 plays came on third down.

— San Diego State 6, Northern Illinois 3
Aztecs kicked a 25-yard FG at the gun for the walk-off win.
Both teams kicked FG’s on their first drive, then no one scored again until the last play.
Total yardage: San Diego State 266, Northern Illinois 179

— Minnesota 31, Rutgers 28
Scarlet Knights led 14-0 early, 21-14 at halftime.
Gophers drove 72 yards, scored winning TD with 3:19 left.
Minnesota won despite running ball 18 times for only 35 yards.

— Playoff picture with one day left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Reds
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Reds 3, Brewers 1
Cincinnati bullpen got 14 outs, didn’t allow a hit.
Gavin Lux went 2-for-4, scored two runs.
Reds take over the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Marlins 6, Mets 2
Sandy Alcantara threw 100 pitches, got a win in his last ’25 start.
Down 2-0, Marlins scored six runs in the fifth inning.
Connor Norby hit Miami’s 9th pinch-hit homer this season.

— Padres 7, Diamondbacks 4
Fernando Tatis hit a 4th inning grand slam that broke the game open.
Luis Arraez had four hits for San Diego.
Loss puts Arizona on the verge of missing the playoffs.

— Red Sox 4, Tigers 3
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a walk-off triple off the centerfield fence.
Red Sox clinch their first playoff spot since 2021.
Detroit/Cleveland remain tied atop AL Central. 

— Rangers 7, Guardians 3
Alejandro Osuna hit a 3-run homer in the first inning.
Jack Leiter struck out 10 hitters for Texas.
Guardians have lost consecutive games for first time since September 2nd.

— White Sox 10, Nationals 9
Colson Montgomery hit a 2-run homer in ninth inning.
White Sox led 8-2 after the fifth inning.
Luis Garcia Jr hit three home runs in a losing cause.

— Angels 4, Astros 3
Mike Trout homered twice, now has 403 career home runs.
Houston led 3-0 in the 4th inning.
Loss puts the Astros on the verge of missing the playoffs.

— Baseball has changed a lot thru the years; here are the numbers of pitchers these guys hit against in the season where they hit 60+ home runs:

1927 Babe Ruth 60 homers, faced 64 pitchers/7 teams
1961 Roger Maris 61 homers, faced 101 pitchers/9 teams
2022 Aaron Judge 62 homers, faced 256 pitchers/20 teams
2025 Cal Raleigh 60 homers, faced 290 pitchers/28 teams

— Famous birthdays, September 27th:
Dickie Post, 80
Ken Geddes, 79
Mike Schmidt, 76

Steve Kerr, 60
Rob Moore, 57
Gwyneth Paltrow, 53

Chris Herren, 50
Christian Wood, 30
Mitchell Parker, 26

The great actor Wilford Brimley was born 91 years ago today.

— Virginia 46, Florida State 38 OT
Virginia led 14-0 early in the second quarter.
FSU forced OT, scoring a TD with 0:36 left in regulation.
Seminoles ran for 256 yards, outgained Virginia 514-440.
Both teams turned the ball over three times.

— Arizona State 27, TCU 24
Sun Devils scored 10 points in the last 1:50 to pull off a comeback win.
TCU led 17-0 midway thru the second quarter.
ASU outscored the Horned Frogs, 497-269

— Washington Commanders are going with backup QB Marcus Mariota again the week, in Atlanta. Commanders beat Las Vegas 41-24 LW with Mariota under center. Star WR Terry McLaurin is also expected to miss Sunday’s game.

— In the last 25 years, the 2018 Houston Texans are the only team to start a season 0-3 and still make the playoffs.

— Over is 17-5 in Lamar Jackson’s last 22 starts.

— Playoff picture with 2 days left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Reds
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Seahawks 23, Cardinals 20
Seahawks kicked a 52-yard FG at the gun for a walk-off win.
Seattle led 14-3 at halftime.
Seattle ran for 155 yards, outgained Cardinals, 384-253
Seahawks are 8-1 SU/5-3-1 ATS in last eight visits to Arizona.

Cardinals lost on a last-second field goal last week, too.
Arizona’s first nine drives: 46 plays, 147 yards, 6 points.
Arizona’s last two drives: 20 plays, 130 yards, 14 points.
Since 2019, Arizona is 6-13 ATS in NFC West home games.

— East Carolina 28, Army 6
Pirates led 21-0 in the first quarter.
ECU was 7-12 on third down, Army 2-15.
Pirates outgained Army, 431-290

— Reds 2, Pirates 1
RF Noelvi Marte made a HR-saving catch in 9th inning to preserve the win.
Nick Lodolo struck out 12 batters in 6.1 scoreless IP.
Reds are a game behind the Mets for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Mets 8, Cubs 5
Francisco Lindor homered, is a 30-30 guy for the second time.
Mets led this game 6-0 in the 4th inning.
Brett Baty went 2-for-4, with 3 RBI

— Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 0
Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th home run.
Dodgers clinch NL West for 12th time in 13 years.
Arizona falls two games behind the Mets for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Tigers 4, Guardians 2
Detroit used six pitchers in this win, tying Cleveland for AL Central lead.
Tigers hit three solo home runs.
This weekend, Cleveland hosts Texas, Tigers visit Boston.

— Obscure Fact of the Day: Actor Russell Johnson played the Professor on the old TV show Gilligan’s Island, but before he was an actor, Russell Johnson flew 44 combat missions as a WWII bombardier. His plane was shot down in 1945; he broke both his ankles.

He earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and the admiration of Ginger and Mary Ann.

— Famous birthdays, September 26th:
Kent McCord, 83
Dave Duncan, 80
Mike Bragg, 79

Lucius Allen, 78
John Roche, 76
Melissa Sue Anderson, 63

Sean Doolittle, 39
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, 32
Shake Milton, 29

— Washington Nationals are hiring Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations. The 35-year old Toboni rose quickly in the Red Sox organization to become assistant GM and is widely regarded as one of the best young executives in MLB.

— Astros 11, A’s 5
Houston remains a game behind Detroit for the AL’s last playoff slot.
Christian Walker homered, had three RBI
Win ends Astros’ 7-game losing streak against the A’s.

— Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1
Daulton Varsho hit his 5th career grand slam.
Toronto/New York remain tied atop the AL East; Blue Jays own tiebreaker.
Boston’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one.

— Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Only run of the game scored on a first inning ground out.
Walker Buehler pitched five shutout innings.
Surprising fact: This loss eliminated the Marlins, who have had a good year.

— Royals 9, Angels 4
Bobby Witt Jr went 4-for-5, scored two runs.
Mike Trout hit his 401st career home run.

— Random opinion: If a run scores because of an error on the pitcher, that should be an earned run. Why should the pitcher’s stats benefit because he made an error?

— Playoff picture with 3 days left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Guardians 5, Tigers 1
George Valera had the go-ahead home run for Cleveland.
Guardians now lead AL Central by a game, with four games left.
Detroit has lost 8 in a row, is out of first place for first time since April 22.

— A’s 6, Astros 0
Shea Langeliers went 4-for-4 with a home run.
Luis Severino got 19 outs, allowed only three hits.
Astros have lost 5 in a row, trail Detroit by a game for last Wild Card slot.

— Cubs 10, Mets 3
Cubs scored 5 runs in third inning, snapped a five-game losing skid.
Matthew Boyd got 16 outs, allowed only two hits.
Juan Soto hit his 43rd home run for the Mets

— Pirates 4, Reds 3 (11)
Spencer Horwitz had the game-winning double for Pittsburgh.
Reds remain a game behind the Mets for the last NL’s Wild Card slot.
Noelvi Marte hit an inside-the-park home run for the Reds. 

— Mariners 9, Rockies 2
Seattle clinches its first AL West title since 2001.
Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, now has 60 this season.
Luis Castillo got 22 outs, allowed only one baserunner.

— Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 1
Garrett Crochet tossed 8 shutout innings.
Red Sox lead Detroit by two games for the AL’s second Wild Card.
Toronto/New York are now tied for first in AL East. 

— Famous birthdays, September 25th:
Michael Douglas, 81
Bob McAdoo, 74
Glenn Hubbard, 68
Geno Petralli, 66

Heather Locklear, 64
Scottie Pippen, 60
Will Smith, 56
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 55

Matt Hasselbeck, 50
Rocco Baldelli, 44
Alec Ogletree, 34
Brandin Cooks, 32

— College football conference trends:
Home favorites in conference games are 12-10 ATS
Home underdogs in conference games are 11-7 ATS

American
Home underdogs 1-5 ATS in non-conference games
Road underdogs 8-4 ATS in non-conference games

ACC
Home favorites 6-10 ATS in non-conference games
Road underdogs 1-5 ATS in non-conference games

Big 10
Favorites 14-16 ATS in non-conference games

Big X
Favorites 13-9 ATS in non-conference games
Underdogs 3-4 ATS in non-conference games

Conference USA
14-9 ATS in non-conference games, 6-3 at home.

Mid American
Underdogs 18-15 ATS in non-conference games

Mountain West
Underdogs 12-6 ATS in non-conference games

SEC
19-16 ATS in non-conference games, 4-2 as underdogs

Sun Belt
Underdogs 10-13 ATS in non-conference games

— Tampa Bay Rays were sold for $1.7B this week, are expected to stay in the Tampa/St Pete area of western Florida. Stuart Sternberg had owned the team since 2004; back then, he bought the team for $200M, so a tidy profit right there.

— Was watching the Brewers-Padres game Monday night; Roberto Ortiz was the home plate umpire and boy, did the Milwaukee TV guys shred his performance.

Don’t think I’ve ever heard TV guys rip an umpire like that, especially considering that the Brewers are already locked in to a really good seed in the playoffs, not like it was a huge game for them, but hitters/pitchers looked confused  by several of his calls.

— Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl stepped down this week; he takes an ambassador’s role in the athletic department, while his son Steven Pearl got a 5-year contract to take over for his father. 

He went 246-125 at Auburn, leading the Tigers to two Final Fours.

— Oklahoma State fired longtime football coach Mike Gundy, who was 170-90 in 21 years coaching the Cowboys, 12-6 in bowl games. He gets paid $15M to go away; would like to hear him on TV, think he’d be an interesting voice in today’s NIL-dominated world.

— Atlanta Falcons fired their WR coach Ike Hilliard after Sunday’s 30-0 loss at Carolina; Passing game coordinator T.J. Yates is going to take over Hilliard’s duties, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be on the sideline during games, instead of in the press box.

— Playoff picture with 4 days left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Guardians 5, Tigers 2
Teams are now tied for first in AL Central.
On July 8, Detroit was 15.5 games ahead of Cleveland.
Detroit hitters struck out 19 times in this game.

— Mets 9, Cubs 7
Cubs led this game 6-1 after four innings.
Francisco Alvarez hit the game-winning HR in the 8th inning.
Mets regain the NL’s last Wild Card slot, by a game over Reds/Arizona.

— Pirates 4, Reds 2
Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh.
Pirates scored all four of their runs in the 2nd inning.
Reds have won five straight games four times this year, but are now 0-4 in that sixth game.

— Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 4
Dodgers led 4-0 in the 7th inning.
Geraldo Perdomo’s 2-run single was a walk-off in the 9th.
Shohei Ohtani allowed 5 baserunners in his six scoreless IP.

— Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 1
Toronto has lost five of six games; their AL East lead is one game.
Tied 1-1 after five innings, Boston scored 3 runs in the sixth.
Red Sox lead Detroit by a game for the AL’s #2 Wild Card slot.

— Mariners 4, Rockies 3
Josh Naylor hit a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th.
Mariners clinched a playoff spot; they’re 15-1 in their last 16 games.
Right now, Seattle would be the #2-seed in the AL.

— A’s 5, Astros 1
A’s first run scored when an easy pop-up fell safely in front of the mound.
Jeffrey Springs allowed three hits in his five IP.
Houston is a game behind Detroit for the AL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Major League Baseball will have a replay challenge system for balls/strikes, starting next season; this will be very interesting to follow.

The rules, according to MLB:

Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they’re successful

Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or batter, and the request must come right after the pitch

 To signal a challenge, the pitcher, catcher, or batter will tap his hat or helmet to let the umpire know

 No help from the dugout or other players on the field is allowed

— Famous birthdays, September 24th:
Joe Greene, 79
Gordon Clapp, 77
Hubie Brooks, 69

Rafael Palmeiro, 61
Kevin Millar, 54
Eddie George, 52

Drew Gooden, 44
Keith Null, 40
Luis Morales, 23

— Lions 38, Ravens 30
Detroit ran ball for 224 yards, outgained Ravens 426-318.
Montgomery had 12 carries for 151 yards.
Lions in second half: 28 plays, 221 yards, 24 points.
Detroit converted 7-14 on third down, 3-3 on fourth down

Score was tied 14-14 at halftime.
Ravens have scored 40-41-30 points, but are 1-2.
Baltimore allowed 41-38 points in its two losses.
In Week 3, favorites were 9-7 ATS; over was 8-8.

— New Jersey Giants are starting rookie QB Jaxson Dart against the Chargers this week, which will be his first NFL start.

Likely reason: Russell Wilson’s stats in the red zone so far:

4-for-18 passing, 16 yards, no TD’s, one first down. Not good.

— 0-3 Tennessee Titans are changing playcallers; QB coach Bo Hardegree is taking over for head coach Brian Callahan. Hardegree was the interim offensive coordinator for the Raiders for the second half of the 2023 season.

— Tampa Bay Bucs’ star WR Mike Evans is expected to miss 3-4 weeks (hamstring strain).

— Since 1939, only one NFL team has had a three-game span with:
No turnovers
Zero or one punt.

The 2025 Indianapolis Colts, off to a 3-0 start.

— Syracuse QB Steve Angeli tore his Achilles tendon, is out for the year; he was 98-156/1,352 passing in Syracuse’s 3-1 start.

— Oklahoma QB John Mateer hurt his thumb last week, is going to have surgery on Wednesday and is expected to miss 3+ weeks. So far this season, Mateer is 95-141/1,215 passing in the Sooners’ 4-0 start. 

Trends for every major league team
(thru Sunday’s games)

— Arizona (79-77)
Arizona is 7-4 its last eleven games.
Diamondbacks are 20-27 in one-run games.
Arizona is 25-21 vs NL West foes, 54-56 vs everyone else.
Arizona scored in 1st inning in 11 of last 16 home games. 

— Braves (73-83)
Braves won their last eight games.
Atlanta is 36-39 at home, 37-44 on the road.
Braves are 28-21 vs NL East rivals, 45-62 vs everyone else.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

— Cubs (88-68)
Chicago lost its last four games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 13-5-2 in their last 20 road games.
Cubs are 69-46 vs righty starters, 19-22 vs lefties.

— Reds (80-76)
Cincinnati won its last five games.
Reds are 60-53 vs righty starters, 20-23 vs lefties.
Under is 8-3-1 in their last 11 road games.
Reds are holding the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (43-113)
Colorado lost 16 of its last 20 games.
Over is 6-2 in Rockies’ last eight games.
Rockies are 8-34 vs lefty starters, 35-79 vs righties.
Colorado scored a first inning run in only one of last 37 road games.

— Dodgers (88-68)
Dodgers won 10 of their last 14 games.
LA leads San Diego by three games in NL West.
Dodgers are 64-45 vs righty starters, 24-23 vs lefties.
Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

— Marlins (76-80)
Marlins are 10-1 in their last 11 games.
Miami is 36-42 at home, 40-38 on the road.
Over is 9-4 in Marlins’ last 13 games.
Marlins are 57-55 vs righty starters, 19-25 vs lefties.

— Brewers (95-61)
Brewers are 6-3 in their last nine games.
Milwaukee is 51-27 at home, 44-34 on the road.
Over is 17-7-1 in their last 25 home games.
Right now, Milwaukee is the #1 seed in the NL. 

— Mets (80-76)
Mets are 4-11 in their last fifteen games.
Mets are 49-32 at home, 31-44 on the road.
Over is 8-5-1 in their last 14 road games.
Right now, Mets trail Cincinnati by half-game for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (92-64)
Phillies are 1-3 in their last four games.
Phillies are 70-39 vs righty starters, 22-25 vs lefties.
Over is 10-2 in their last 12 games.
Right now, Phillies are #2 seed in the NL.

— Pirates (67-89)
Pirates lost 12 of their last 15 games.
Pittsburgh is 44-37 at home, 23-52 on the road.
Under is 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Pirates are 53-69 vs righty starters, 14-20 vs lefties.

— St Louis (76-80)
St Louis is 4-8 in its last 12 games.
Cardinals are 1-5 in last six series openers.
St Louis is 44-37 at home, 32-43 on the road.
Under is 8-3 in their last eleven home games.

— Padres (85-71)
San Diego is 9-10 in its last 19 games.
Padres are 47-28 at home, 38-43 on the road.
Padres are 61-48 vs righty starters, 24-23 vs lefties.
San Diego has a 5-game for the #2 Wild Card slot in NL.

— Giants (77-79)
Giants lost eight of their last 11 games.
Giants are 61-51 vs righty pitchers, 16-28 vs lefties.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine home games.
SF is three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Washington (64-92)
Nationals are 4-8 in their last 12 games.
Washington is 47-64 vs righty starters, 17-28 vs lefties.
Under is 5-3-1 in their last nine games.
Nationals are 22-16 in one-run games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 23rd:
Bruce Springsteen, 76
Dennis Lamp, 73
Jason Alexander, 66
Larry Krystkowiak, 61

Pete Harnisch, 59
Cuonzo Martin, 54
Matt Kemp, 41
Brian Brohm, 40

— Orioles (73-83)
Baltimore is 12-7 in its last 19 games.
Orioles are 52-58 vs vs righty starters, 21-25 vs lefties.
Under is 15-0 in their last fifteen home games.
Orioles are 20-26 vs AL East rivals, 53-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (85-71)
Red Sox are 4-6 in their last ten games.
Boston is 46-32 at home, 39-39 on road.
Over is 3-0 in their last three games.
Red Sox have #2 AL Wild Card slot, one game ahead of Cleveland/Houston.

— White Sox (58-98)
Chicago lost eight of its last eleven games.
White Sox are 33-48 at home, 25-50 on the road.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Chicago is 43-77 vs righty starters, 15-21 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (84-72)
Cleveland is 14-2 in its last 16 games.
Guardians are tied with Astros for AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are also game behind Detroit in AL Central.
Guardians are 66-48 vs righty starters, 18-24 vs lefties.
Under is 16-3 in their last nineteen games.

— Detroit (85-71)
Detroit is 7-18 in its last 25 games.
Tigers lead Cleveland by one game in AL Central.
Over is 12-6 in their last eighteen games.
Detroit is 20-10 in one-run games. 

— Houston (84-72)
Astros are tied for last Wild Card slot in AL.
Astros are 14-21 in their last 35 home games.
Astros trail Seattle by three games in AL West.
Over is 8-2 in their last ten home games.

— Royals (78-78)
Royals are 14-17 in their last 31 games.
Kansas City is 61-66 vs righty starters, 17-12 vs lefties.
Over is 7-2 in Royals’ last nine games.
Royals scored in first inning in 15 of last 28 home games.

— Angels (70-86)
Angels are 11-24 in their last 35 games.
Over is 10-6 in their last sixteen games.
Angels are 59-70 vs righty starters, 11-16 vs lefties.
Angels are in last place in AL West ($206M payroll)

— Twins (67-89)
Twins lost 26 of their last 38 games.
Minnesota is 38-43 at home, 29-46 on the road.
Over is 16-6 in their last 22 home games.
Twins are 2-10 in last 12 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (88-68)
New York is 8-3 in its last 11 games.
Under is 4-0 in their last four games.
New York is 71-51 vs righty starters, 17-17 vs lefties.
Right now, New York has the #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (73-83)
A’s are 7-3 in their last ten games.
A’s didn’t score in their last two games.
A’s are 55-68 vs righty starters, 18-15 vs lefties.
A’s are 9-5 in extra innings this season. 

— Seattle (87-69)
Mariners won 14 of their last 15 games.
Seattle is 33-10 in its last 43 home games.
Over is 13-6 in their last nineteen games.
Seattle leads Houston by three games in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (76-80)
Tampa Bay is 4-7 in its last 11 games.
Rays are 41-40 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven road games.
Rays are 7-15 in last 22 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (79-77)
Rangers lost their last seven games.
Texas is five games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Texas is 62-55 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 47-31 at home, 32-46 on road.

— Toronto (90-66)
Blue Jays are 1-4 in their last five games.
Blue Jays scored total of 11 runs in those five games.
Under is 11-5 in their last 16 games.
Toronto leads New York by two games in AL East.

Browns 13, Packers 10
Browns kicked a 55-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Green Bay led 10-0 with 4:00 left in the game.
Cleveland’s first seven drives: 41 plays, 113 yards, no points
Cleveland’s last three drives: 18 plays, 83 yards, 13 points

Packers had 14 penalties for 75 yards, Browns 8 for 90.
Green Bay was 10-18 on third down, Cleveland 4-13.
Packers are 4-12-1 ATS last 17 games as a road favorite.
Total yardage: Green Bay 230, Cleveland 221. 

Buccaneers 29, Jets 27
Jets took 27-26 lead, scoring TD on blocked FG with 1:49 left.
Tampa Bay kicked a 36-yard FG 0:03 left for the win.
Bucs are 3-0, with all three wins coming on last-minute scores.
Last time Tampa Bay was 3-0 was 2005.

Buccaneers led 23-6 after the third quarter.
Bucs outgained Jets 347-267; they were +2 in turnovers.
Tampa Bay survived 14 penalties for 124 yards.
Jets lost first three games, giving up 34-30-29 points.

Eagles 33, Rams 27
Rams led 26-7 early in the third quarter.
Rams had two FG’s blocked; the last one was run back for a TD.
Eagles in first half: 21 plays, 29 yards, 7 points
Eagles in second half: 40 plays, 260 yards, 20 points

Saquon Barkley was held to 55 yards on 22 touches.
AJ Brown caught six passes for 109 yards.
Eagles won ten of last eleven series games.
Rams were 4-6 on FG’s; need to be better in red zone. 

Chargers 23, Broncos 20
Chargers kicked a 43-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Chargers had tied game on a 20-yard TD pass with 2:44 left.
Bolts have already beaten all three of their AFC West rivals.
Justin Herbert is the youngest QB ever with 2,000 career completions.

Chargers were 8-17 on third down, Denver 2-13.
Bolts ran 80 plays for 376 yards, Denver 48 plays for 265 yards.
Chargers are 7-2 SU/9-0 ATS last 9 games vs AFC West rivals.
Under Payton, Denver is 6-9 ATS as a road underdog.

Colts 41, Titans 20
Colts are off to a 3-0 start, scoring 32-29-41 points.
Colts have scored on 20 of 25 drives, have punted once.
Indianapolis led 20-6 at halftime.
Colts outgained first two opponents by 207-149-83 yards.

Rookie QB Ward threw a horrendous pick-6 on third play of game.
Titans have three TD’s, 10 FG’s on their 34 drives.
Tennessee is 3-11 ATS last 14 games as an underdog.
Indianapolis won/covered last five series games.

Jaguars 17, Texans 10
Jaguars drove 83 yards in 7 plays, scored winning TD with 1:48 left.
Just third win for Jaguars in last 15 games vs Houston.
Jaguars are 5-2 ATS in last seven AFC South home games.
Jaguars have had three takeaways in all three games this year.

Houston’s only TD was a 50-yard pass to Collins with 9:17 left.
Texans lost first three games, by 1-5-7 points.
Texans have only three TD’s on 30 drives this year.
Both teams converted 4-15 third down plays. 

Steelers 21, Patriots 14
Steelers drove 67 yards in nine plays, scored GW TD with 2:16 left.
Steelers’ first two drives: 20 plays, 144 yards, 14 points
Steelers are 26-14-1 ATS last 41 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Pittsburgh ran ball 26 times for only 64 yards.

NE outgained Steelers 369-203, but had 5 turnovers, losing 4 fumbles.
Patriots are 4-13-1 ATS last 18 games as a home underdog.
NE is 9-18-3 ATS last 30 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Patriots had a drive that took 17 plays, 92 yards, but it ended in an INT. 

Famous birthdays, September 22:
Harold Carmichael, 76
Jeffrey Leonard, 70
Wally Backman, 66
Scott Baio, 65
Vince Coleman, 64

Mark Guthrie, 60
Mike Matheny, 55
Alexei Ramírez, 44
Carlos Correa, 31
Jeremy Pena, 28

Vikings 48, Bengals 10
Vikings had defensive TD’s of 87-66 yards in the first half.
Minnesota outgained the Bengals, 352-171.
Will Reichard made a 62-yard FG, longest in Viking history.
QB Wentz has a 48-47-1 record; he’s won a game for 5 different teams. .

Cincinnati got outgained by 186-50-181 yards in their first 3 games.
Bengals have run ball 61 times for only 147 yards in those games.
Bengals’ first four drives: 17 plays, 20 yards, no points.
Cincinnati turned ball over five times on 13 drives. 

Panthers 30, Falcons 0
Panthers scored on 11-yard pick-6 to go ahead 17-0 in 3rd quarter.
Ryan Fitzgerald made a 57-yard field goal for Carolina.
Panthers are 13-8-1 ATS last 22 games as a home underdog.
Carolina is 7-2-1 ATS in last ten NFC South home games.

Falcons missed FG’s (49-55 yards) on two of first three drives.
Under Morris, Atlanta is 3-6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Morris, Atlanta is 5-11 ATS in games coming off a win.
Morris is 30-49 as a head coach.

Commanders 41, Raiders 24
Washington ran for 174 yards in 1st half, led 20-10 at half.
Under Quinn, Commanders are 8-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Washington is 10-6 ATS vs AFC opponents.
Mariota was 15-21/207 yards passing in his first start since 2022. 

Commanders ran a punt back 90 yards for a TD.
Raiders were 3-14 on third down, Las Vegas 5-10.
Raiders have run ball 71 times for only 217 yards.
Las Vegas is 19-25-1 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.

49ers 16, Cardinals 15
49ers kicked a 35-yard FG with 0:04 left for the win.
49ers drove 57 yards in 10 plays to set up the FG.
Cardinals took 15-13 lead on a safety with 3:26 left.
49ers led 6-3 at half; it was 6-6 after three quarters. 

49ers outgained Arizona 355-260, but ran for only 73 yards.
Last 2+ years, 49ers are 7-12-1 ATS in games coming off a win.
Last two years, 49ers are 1-6 ATS in NFC West home games.
49ers are 3-0, took over first place in NFC West.

Seahawks 44, Saints 13
Seattle ran a punt back 95 yards for a TD in first quarter.
Seattle also blocked a punt later in the first quarter.
Seattle’s first seven drives: 39 plays, 283 yards, 37 points
Jason Myers kicked a 56-yard field goal for the Seahawks.

Saints have converted only 12-36 third down plays. 
New Orleans has been outscored 71-23 in first half of games.
Spencer Rattler is 0-9 as an NFL starting QB.
Saints are 7-14 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.

Bears 31, Cowboys 14
Caleb Williams threw for 298 yards, four TD’s.
Williams hit Luther Burden with a 65-yard TD pass on a flea flicker.
Bears scored on four of first six drives, led 24-14 at halftime.
Chicago is 6-3-1 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.

Last two games, Cowboys allowed 422-298 passing yards.
Chicago was 8-14 on third down, Dallas 3-11.
Chicago averaged 10.6 yards/pass attempt.
Dallas is 4-7 ATS in last 11 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Chiefs 22, Giants 9
Chiefs were 3-4 on field goals, on five first half drives (led 9-6 at half)
Chiefs in second half: 29 plays, 184 yards, 13 points.
Chiefs were 8-15 on third down, Giants 1-10.
Chiefs are 8-4 ATS in last 12 games coming off a loss.

Last 14 years, Giants are 2-12 SU/1-13 ATS in home openers.
Malik Nabers caught only two passes for 13 yards.
Giants in second half: 33 plays, 152 yards, 3 points.
QB Wilson is 130-88-1 as an NFL starter, 23-35 last 4+ years.

— Oklahoma 24, Auburn 17
Sooners recorded 10 sacks, seven in the first half.
Oklahoma scored the game-winning TD with 4:54 left.
Auburn QB Arnold threw for 220 yards; he played for Oklahoma last year.

— Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
Michigan had TD runs of 75-54-37 yards.
Game was tied 17-17 at halftime.
Nebraska QB Raiola threw for 308 yards, three TD’s.

— Memphis 32, Arkansas 31
Arkansas led 28-10 just before halftime.
Memphis ran the ball 41 times for 290 yards.
Arkansas fumbled on the Memphis 7-yard line with 1:22 left.

— Syracuse 34, Clemson 21
Syracuse never trailed, led 24-14 at halftime.
Syracuse recovered an onside kick after their first TD.
Clemson is 1-3 for the first time since 2004.
Syracuse QB Angeli left late in the game with a leg injury.

— Upsets of the Week:
Syracuse (+17.5) 34, Clemson 21
Coastal Carolina (+15.5) 38, South Alabama 20
Tulsa (+13.5) 19, Oklahoma State 12

San Diego State (+12.5) 34, Cal 0
Western Michigan (+11.5) 14, Toledo 13
Maryland (+9.5) 27, Wisconsin 10

Memphis (+7.5) 32, Arkansas 31
Troy (+6.5) 21, Buffalo 17
Kennesaw State (+6.5) 28, Arkansas State 21

— Arizona State 27, Baylor 24
Sun Devils kicked a 43-yard FG on last play of the game.
Baylor had tied game on a TD with 1:52 left.
ASU ran the ball 48 times for 179 yards.

— UNLV 41, Miami OH 38
Rebels kicked game-winning 23-yard FG with 0:15 left.
Miami led 24-10 at halftime.
Rebels are 4-0; they ran ball 43 times for 220 yards.

— Texas Tech 34, Utah 10
Tech led 10-3 after three quarters.
Tech backup QB Hammond threw for 169 yards, 2 TD’s off bench.
Game was at 10am local time; offenses were stagnant in first half. 

— Missouri 29, South Carolina 20
Gamecocks led 14-12 at halftime.
Mizzou ran ball 48 times for 285 yards.
Tigers converted 7-13 on third down, South Carolina 3-11.

— Famous birthdays, September 21st:
Doug Moe, 87
Jerry Bruckheimer, 82
Pat Curran, 80
Stephen King, 78
Artis Gilmore, 76

Bill Murray, 75
Danny Cox, 66
Rob Morrow, 63
Cecil Fielder, 62
Faith Hill, 58

Luke Wilson, 54
Randolph Childress, 53
Jon Kitna, 53
Kevin Carter, 52
Yainer Diaz, 27

— North Texas 45, Army 38 OT
North Texas is 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
Army ran the ball 68 times for 387 yards.
Army had three turnovers, North Texas only one.

— Colorado 37, Wyoming 20
Buffaloes led 21-3 at halftime.
Colorado outgained Wyoming 497-347.
Buffaloes averaged 10.4 yards/pass attempt.

— San Diego State 34, Cal 0
San Diego State led 13-0 at halftime.
Aztecs had a 97-yard pick-6 in the third quarter.
Golden Bears ran ball 31 times for only 65 yards.

— Miami 26, Florida 7
Hurricanes outgained Florida, 344-141.
Miami was 8-16 on third down, Florida 0-13.
Miami won nine of its last 11 games against Florida.

— Mariners 4, Astros 0
Seattle hit four solo home runs, take over 1st place in AL West
Brian Woo pitched 5 innings, before leaving with an injury.
Mariners have won 11 of their last 12 games.

— Guardians 6, Twins 2
Bo Naylor knocked in four runs for Cleveland.
Guardians have won eight games in a row.
Cleveland is 1.5 games behind Boston/Houston for 2nd/3rd Wild Cards.

— Braves 10, Tigers 1
Detroit has lost seven of its last eight games.
Tigers’ lead in AL Central is down to 2.5 games over Cleveland.
Detroit has been outscored 17-2 in its last three games.

— Despite the win, Braves were eliminated from playoff contention, will miss the postseason for the first time since 2017.

— Dodgers 6, Giants 3
Clayton Kershaw pitched 4.1 IP in his last regular season start in LA.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 52nd home run.
Dodgers’ catcher in this game, Dalton Rushing, was 7 years old when Kershaw made his MLB debut.

— White Sox 4, Padres 3
Chicago’s win ends their six-game losing skid.
Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer.
Padres fall to four games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Red Sox 11, Rays 7
Tampa Bay led this game 3-2 after six innings.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run homer in the 7th inning.
Red Sox broke the game open with seven runs in the 8th inning.

— Famous birthdays, September 20th:
Sophia Loren, 91
Dave Twardzik, 75
Mickey Klutts, 71
Gary Cole, 69

Dante Hall, 47
Ian Desmond, 40
Jeffrey Springs, 33
Kyle Anderson, 32

— Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12
Tulsa ran the ball 43 times for 205 yards.
Tulsa beat the Cowboys for the first time since 1998.
Oklahoma State has lost 11 of its last 12 games.

— Iowa 38, Rutgers 28
Iowa trailed 28-24, scored two TD’s in last 5:39 of the game.
Rutgers threw for 330 yards, but ran 30 times for only 70 yards.
Since 2019, Scarlet Knights are 5-16-1 ATS as a home underdog.

— Washington Commanders will start Marcus Mariota at QB Sunday against the Raiders; starter Jayden Daniels has a knee injury- the team is being cautious with him.

Mariota has a 35-41 record as an NFL starter, mostly with Tennessee; he hasn’t started a game since Week 13 of 2022, for the Falcons.

— Since 1992, QB’s who have played 10+ games for NFC North teams:
Vikings- 18
Bears- 17
Lions- 15
Packers- 3

— Atlanta Falcons cut K Younghoe Koo after seven years with the team, and signed K Parker Romo to a two-year contract. Koo missed the tying field goal in Atlanta’s Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers.

— Tennessee Titans are 3-16 ATS in their last 19 games, 0-9 ATS in last nine home games.

Last team to go 0-10 ATS in ten straight home games? 2012-13 Philadelphia Eagles.

— Sunday, when Carson Wentz starts for the Vikings, he’ll become the first QB in the history of the NFL to start for six different teams in consecutive seasons:

2020- 12 starts, Eagles
2021- 17 starts, Colts
2022- 7 starts, Commanders
2023- 1 start, Rams
2024- 1 start, Chiefs
2025- 1 start, Vikings 

— Bills 31, Dolphins 21
Buffalo won its first three games,. scoring 41-30-31 points.
Bills ran ball 27 times for 157 yards (5.8 yards/carry)
Buffalo outgained the Dolphins, 360-277.
Bills won five in row, 13 of last 14 series games.

Game was 14-14 at halftime.
Miami converted 10 of 15 third down plays; it wasn’t enough.
Dolphins lost their first three games, giving up 33-33-31 points.
Miami is minus-5 in turnovers in its three games.

— Rice 28, Charlotte 17
Rice is 3-1 for the first time since 2001.
Owls led 14-9 at halftime.
Rice ran the ball 46 times for 255 yards (5.5 yards/carry).
Charlotte threw for 259 yards, converted 8-18 on third down.

— Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is going to retire after this season, his 18th season in the major leagues. Kershaw is 222-96, 2.54 in his career; he’s led the league in ERA five times, also won three Cy Young awards.

— Seattle 3B Eugenio Suarez went 4-for-4 for the Mariners in Kansas City Tuesday, snapping an 0-for-32 skid. This year, he is hitting .096 in 23 games in T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Kind of hard to visualize him signing with the Mariners as a free agent this winter.

— June 11-15th, Reds’ SS Elly De La Cruz homered in four straight games; since June 24th, he has hit one home run, in 297 at-bats. Is he playing hurt?

— Minnesota Twins eliminated their four-person pro scouting department this week; teams are trending towards video-based scouting.

— Tennessee Titans are the only NFL team that doesn’t have a play of 30+ yards in their first two games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 19th:
David Ray, 81
Randolph Mantooth, 80
Larry Brown, 78 (Redskins’ RB)
Nat Moore, 74

Dan Hampton, 68
Phil Stephenson, 65
Jim Abbott, 58

Jimmy Fallon, 51
Nick Johnson, 47
Gio Gonzalez, 40
Ryan Succop, 39

George Springer, 36
CJ McCollum, 34
Dejounte Murray, 29

— Guardians 3, Tigers 1
Jose Ramirez hit a 2-run homer in the 7th inning.
Cleveland has won 12 of its last 13 games.
Detroit has lost six of its last seven games.
Tigers’ lead in AL Central is down to 3.5 games. 

— Reds 1, Cubs 0
Hunter Greene threw a complete game one-hitter.
Reds are within two games of the Mets for the last Wild Card slot.

— Mets 6, Padres 1
Pete Alonso homered for the fourth game in a row.
Juan Soto got his 100th RBI of the season. 

— Mariners 2, Royals 0
Luis Castillo allowed three hits in his six IP.
Seattle/Houston are tied for first in the AL West.

— Rays 4, Blue Jays 0
Shane Baz pitched five scoreless IP for Tampa Bay.
Chandler Simpson had three hits, for second game in a row.
Toronto’s magic number to clinch the AL East is 3.

— A’s 5, Red Sox 3
Brent Rooker hit his 30th home run for the A’s.
Red Sox have lost five of their last seven games.
Red Sox lead Cleveland by 1.5 games for the last Wild Card slot. 

— The great actor Robert Redford passed away earlier this week at age 89; what a tremendous career he had, both as an actor and behind the scenes, as a producer/director.

I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater. Long time ago.

Redford later created the Sundance Institute, a non-profit that supports independent film and theater and is known for its annual Sundance Film Festival.

What an epic career; he will be missed.
RIP, sir.

— My favorite Robert Redford movies:
Up Close and Personal
The Natural
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Candidate
Three Days of the Condor
All the President’s Men

— Well-known actors who were also in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with Redford and Paul Newman:

Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy (Lurch in the Addams Family) and Sam Elliott.

— Former big league pitcher Ron Darling is one of the best, if not the best, color analysts on major league games. He works mainly on Mets’ games.

He was talking the other night about playing in the minor leagues, why they’re important. 

“You learn how to win, but you also learn how to lose, and that is important.”

— Salvador Perez had a pretty good night recently; his 300th career home run gave him his 1,000th career RBI. Perez is a future Hall of Famer. 

— Arkansas Razorbacks unveiled their non-conference basketball schedule for the coming season; they’re playing all eight teams who were in last spring’s Elite 8. Playing such a tough schedule is an indication that John Calipari thinks he has a really good team. 

— Over the last 55 years, only one NFL team has started a season 2-0, with both wins coming on last-minute touchdowns; the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

— Jets’ QB Justin Fields (concussion) is out for this week’s game in Tampa; Tyrod Taylor will get the start. Taylor is 28-29-1 as an NFL starter, playing for seven different teams in 15 years. 

— Famous birthdays, September 18th:
Billy Gambrell, 84
Jeff Bostic, 67
Toni Kukoč, 57
Aisha Tyler, 55

Jason Sudekis, 50
Serge Ibaka, 36
Kevin Dotson, 29
Ceddanne Rafaela, 25

The great actor Jack Warden was born on this day in 1920. 

— Pretty cool scene before the Mets’ game the other night; Francisco Lindor’s wife Katia played the national anthem on her violin, with their three kids standing nearby on the field. 

— Cubs 8, Pirates 4
Cubs clinch their first playoff berth since 2020.
Ian Happ homered, drove in three runs.
Cubs have won seven of their last eight games.

— Giants 5, Diamondbacks 1 (11)
Brandon Pfaadt allowed one hit in nine shutout IP for Arizona.
Giants end a 4-game skid; they’re 2 games out of the last playoff spot.
Justin Verlander allowed three hits in his 7 IP.

— Padres 7, Mets 4
Manny Machado broke a 2-2 tie with a fifth inning grand slam.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for the last playoff spot.
Juan Soto hit his 41st home run for the Mets.

— Guardians 4, Tigers 0
Cleveland creeps to within 4.5 games of the first-place Tigers.
Guardians have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Gavin Williams allowed three hits in 5 IP.

— Royals 7, Mariners 5
Royals scored four runs in the 8th, broke Seattle’s 10-game win streak.
Adam Frazier’s two-run home run was the game-winning hit.
Mariners fall a half-game behind Houston in the AL West race. 

— Astros 5, Rangers 2
Jeremy Pena homered, doubled for Houston.
Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer.
Cristian Javier allowed five hits in six IP, got the win.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they start week after next):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

Trends for every major league team
(thru Tuesday’s games)

— Arizona (77-75)
Arizona won five of its last seven games.
Diamondbacks are 19-27 in one-run games.
Arizona is 25-20 vs NL West foes, 52-55 vs everyone else.
Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games. 

— Braves (69-83)
Braves won their last four games.
Atlanta is 36-39 at home, 33-44 on the road.
Braves are 27-21 vs NL East rivals, 42-62 vs everyone else.
Under is 12-5-1 in their last 18 games.

— Cubs (87-64)
Chicago is 6-1 in its last seven games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 7-1-1 in their last nine road games.
Cubs are 68-44 vs righty starters, 19-20 vs lefties.

— Reds (75-76)
Cincinnati lost four of its last five games.
Reds are 56-53 vs righty starters, 19-23 vs lefties.
Under is 7-3-1 in their last 10 road games.
Reds are three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (41-110)
Colorado lost 13 of its last 15 games.
Over is 5-2 in Rockies’ last seven games.
Rockies are 7-33 vs lefty starters, 34-77 vs righties.
Colorado scored first inning run in only one of last 37 road games.

— Dodgers (84-67)
Dodgers won six of their last nine games.
LA leads San Diego by two games in NL West.
Dodgers are 62-44 vs righty starters, 22-23 vs lefties.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Marlins (71-80)
Marlins are 5-1 in their last six games.
Miami is 36-42 at home, 35-38 on the road.
Over is 6-2 in Marlins’ last eight games.
Marlins are 52-55 vs righty starters, 19-25 vs lefties.

— Brewers (92-59)
Brewers are 13-14 in their last 27 games.
Milwaukee is 49-27 at home, 43-32 on the road.
Over is 20-8-2 in their last 30 home games.
Milwaukee has clinched a playoff spot; they lead NL Central. By 5 games

— Mets (78-73)
Mets are 2-8 in their last ten games.
Mets are 47-29 at home, 31-44 on the road.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (91-61)
Phillies are 15-4 in their last 19 games.
Phillies are 68-38 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
Over is 8-0 in their last eight games.
Phillies have clinched the NL East.

— Pirates (65-87)
Pirates lost 10 of their last 11 games.
Pittsburgh is 42-35 at home, 23-52 on the road.
Under is 9-2 in their last 11 games.
Pirates are 51-68 vs righty starters, 14-19 vs lefties.

— St Louis (74-78)
St Louis is 2-6 in its last eight games.
Cardinals scored in first inning in only two of last 27 home games.
St Louis is 42-35 at home, 32-43 on the road.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven home games.

— Padres (82-69)
San Diego is 6-8 in its last 14 games.
Padres are 47-28 at home, 35-41 on the road.
Padres are 59-46 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
San Diego have a 4-game for the #2 Wild Card slot in NL.

— Giants (75-76)
Giants lost five of their last six games.
Giants are 59-49 vs righty pitchers, 16-27 vs lefties.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
SF is three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Washington (62-90)
Nationals are 2-6 in their last eight games.
Washington is 46-62 vs righty starters, 16-28 vs lefties.
Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.
Nationals are 21-16 in one-run games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 17th:
Phil Jackson, 80
Junior Bridgeman, 72
John Franco, 65
Anthony Carter, 65

Kyle Chandler, 60
Rasheed Wallace, 52
Dan Haren, 45
Marcus Semien, 35

José Ramírez, 33
Patrick Mahomes, 30
Brandon Sproat, 25
James Wood, 23

— Orioles (71-80)
Baltimore won 10 of its last 14 games.
Orioles are 51-57 vs vs righty starters, 20-23 vs lefties.
Under is 11-0 in their last eleven home games.
Orioles are 19-23 vs AL East rivals, 52-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (82-69)
Red Sox are 1-4 in their last five games.
Boston is 45-31 at home, 37-38 on road.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Red Sox have 2.5-game lead for last AL Wild Card slot.

— White Sox (57-95)
Chicago lost five of its last seven games.
White Sox are 32-45 at home, 25-50 on the road.
Under is 5-1 in their last six games.
Chicago is 42-74 vs righty starters, 15-21 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (79-71)
Cleveland is 10-1 in its last 11 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 61-47 vs righty starters, 18-24 vs lefties.
Under is 11-2 in their last thirteen games.

— Detroit (85-66)
Detroit is 7-13 in its last 20 games.
Tigers are 29-18 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 5.5 games.
Over is 10-3 in their last thirteen games.
Detroit is 20-9 in one-run games. 

— Houston (83-69)
Astros are 5-2 in their last seven games.
Astros are 12-19 in their last 31 home games.
Astros trail Seattle by half a game in AL West.
Over is 6-0 in their last six home games.

— Royals (75-76)
Royals are 11-15 in their last 26 games.
Kansas City is 58-64 vs righty starters, 17-12 vs lefties.
Over is 4-0 in Royals’ last four games.
Royals scored in first inning in 14 of last 24 home games.

— Angels (69-82)
Angels lost 20 of their last 30 games.
Over is 8-3 in their last eleven games.
Angels are 58-67 vs righty starters, 11-15 vs lefties.
Angels are in last place in AL West ($206M payroll)

— Twins (66-85)
Twins lost 22 of their last 33 games.
Minnesota is 37-39 at home, 29-46 on the road.
Over is 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
Twins are 2-9 in last 11 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (84-67)
New York is 8-7 in its last 15 games.
Over is 11-5 in their last 16 road games.
New York is 68-51 vs righty starters, 16-16 vs lefties.
Right now, New York has the #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (71-80)
A’s have won their last five games.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight games.
A’s are 53-65 vs righty starters, 18-15 vs lefties.
A’s are 9-4 in extra innings this season. 

— Seattle (83-68)
Mariners won their last 10 games, scoring 78 runs.
Seattle is 33-10 in its last 43 home games.
Over is 10-4 in their last fourteen games.
Seattle leads Houston by half a game in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (73-78)
Tampa Bay lost five of its last six games.
Rays are 38-38 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Rays are 7-13 in last 20 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (79-73)
Rangers lost their last three games.
Texas is 3.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Texas is 62-51 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 47-28 at home, 32-45 on road.

— Toronto (89-62)
Blue Jays are 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Blue Jays won 25 of their last 34 home games.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Toronto leads New York/Boston by three games in AL East.