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

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.

— 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. 

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.

Cowboys 40, Giants 37 OT
Cowboys drove 42 yards, kicked 46-yard FG with 0:04 left in OT.
Dallas kicked a 64-yard FG at end of regulation to force OT
Giants had taken lead on a 48-yard TD pass with 0:25 left.
Giants are 0-9 SU/3-6 ATS in last nine visits to Dallas.

Wilson was 30-41/450 passing, with three TD’s.
Prescott was 38-52/361 passing with two TD’s.
Giants in 4th quarter: 14 plays, 186 yards, 21 points.
Giants in overtime: 6 plays, 3 yards, no points. 

Bengals 31, Jaguars 27
QB Burrow injured the big toe on his left foot (check status)
Backup QB Browning scored the game-winning TD with 0:18 left.
Cincinnati ran ball 17 times for only 48 yards.
Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018. 

Cincinnati’s winning drive was 15 plays, 92 yards.
Ja’marr Chase caught 14 passes for 165 yards.
Jacksonville led 17-10 at halftime.
Jags’ QB Lawrence was 24-42/271 passing (3 TD’s, 2 INT’s)

Patriots 33 Dolphins 27
Patriots snap a five-game losing skid to the Dolphins in Miami.
Dolphins took 27-23 lead with 74-yard punt return for TD.
Patriots took lead back with 90-yard kickoff return for a TD.
It was first time since 1992 that a punt return TD was immediately followed by a kickoff return for a TD. 

Dolphins are 0-2, giving up 33 points in both games.
New England’s first three drives: 36 plays, 209 yards, 15 points.
Since 2021, Miami is 11-17-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Patriots were 7-12 on third down, Dolphins 4-10.

Colts 29, Broncos 28
Colts kicked 45-yard FG at gun to go to 2-0 for first time since 2009.
Colts missed 60-yard FG on previous play, but a 15-yard penalty on Denver gave Indy a second chance.
Indianapolis scored 4 TD’s, kicked 6 FG’s on its first 10 drives this season.
Indy hasn’t punted in its first two games.

Denver’s first four drives: 26 plays, 172 yards, three TD’s.
Denver rest of game: 29 plays, 147 yards, one TD.
Since 2017, Broncos are 7-11 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Indy is 14-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Eagles 20, Chiefs 17
Game was tied 10-10 at halftime.
Barkley ran ball 22 times for 88 yards and a TD.
Philly is 11-5 ATS in last sixteen games vs AFC teams.
Eagles are 12-2-1 ATS in last 15 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Chiefs threw INT in red zone early in 4th quarter; Kelce dropped an easy throw.
KC’s first four drives of 2nd half: 24 plays, 90 yards, no points, 2 turnovers.
Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Chiefs are o-2 in one-score games; before this year, they had won 11 consecutive one-score game. 

]Lions 52, Bears 21
Goff passed for 334 yards, five TD’s, three of them to St. Brown
Detroit scored a TD on six of its last seven possessions.
Last 3+ years, Lions are 15-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 5+ years, Detroit is 11-5 ATS in home games vs NFC North rivals.

Since leading 17-6 in Week 1, Bears have been outscored, 73-28.
Chicago in 2nd half of this game: 32 plays, 131 yards, 7 points.
QB Williams is 5-14 as an NFL starter. 
Since 2020, Chicago is 10-14 ATS as a road underdog.

Rams 33, Titans 19
Tennessee led 13-10 at halftime.
Rams in 2nd half: 35 plays, 262 yards, 23 points.
Titans in 2nd half: 31 plays, 75 yards, 6 points.
Last 3+ years, Rams are 7-1 ATS as a road favorite.

Rams outgained Tennessee, 439-252.
In two games, Rams have allowed one TD on 20 drives.
In two games, Titans have kicked 8 FG’s, scored only one TD.
Titans are 3-10 ATS in last 13 games as an underdog.

Famous birthdays, September 15th:
Tommy Lee Jones, 79
Oliver Stone, 79
LeRoy Irvin, 68
Dan Marino, 64
Earnest Byner, 63

Sherman Douglas, 59
Jason Terry, 48
Mike Dunleavy Jr., 45
Terry McLaurin, 30
Easton Stick, 30

Seahawks 31, Steelers 17
Leading 17-14, Seahawks scored a TD when the Steelers didn’t cover a kickoff that went in the end zone and Seattle fell on it for a TD that made score 24-14.
Seattle in 2nd half: 33 plays, 207 yards, 17 points.
Seahawks outscored Pittsburgh, 395-267.
Seahawks are 10-3 ATS in last 13 games as a road underdog.

Pittsburgh led 14-7 at halftime.
Steelers in 2nd half: 33 plays, 183 yards, 3 points, 2 turnovers.
Steelers ran ball 21 times for only 72 times.
Last 3+ years, Pittsburgh is 4-10-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Cardinals 27, Panthers 22
Cardinals scored a defensive TD 1:33 into the game.
Arizona’s first four drives: 28 plays, 148 yards, 13 points.
Arizona led 20-3 at halftime, then hung on for dear life.
Down 27-22 with 1:58 left, Carolina recovered an onside kick, but was stopped on downs by the Cardinal defense.

Panthers in first half: 29 plays, 111 yards, 3 points.
Carolina ran the ball 19 times for only 49 yards.
QB Young is 6-24 as an NFL starter; Canales is 5-14 as a head coach.
Carolina is 9-16-2 ATS in last 26 games coming off a loss.

Ravens 41, Browns 17
Lamar Jackson was 19-29/225 passing, with four TD’s.
Ravens scored 40-41 points in first two games, but split the pair.
Ravens lead was only 10-3 at halftime.
Up 27-10, Ravens scored defensive TD on 63-yard fumble return.

Ravens in second half: 24 plays, 158 yards, 24 points.
Browns in second half: 38 plays, 250 yards, 14 points.
Since 2021, Cleveland is 8-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 6+ years, Cleveland is 4-14 ATS in AFC North road games.

Bills 30, Jets 10
Buffalo outgained the Jets, 403-154.
Bills ran the ball 43 times for 224 yards.
James Cook ran 21 times for 132 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Bills are 8-5 ATS in AFC East road games.

Bills were 5-14 on third down, Jets 0-11.
Buffalo led 20-3 at halftime.
Jets in first half: 24 plays, 78 yards, 3 points.
Bills won ten of last 12 series games.

49ers 26, Saints 21
Backup QB Jones threw for 279 yards and three TD’s.
49ers led this game 16-7 at halftime.
SF ran the ball 26 times for only 77 yards.
49ers were 8-15 on third down, New Orleans 4-11

Saints’ first four drives: 17 plays, 57 yards, no points.
Last 4+ years, Saints are 7-13 ATS as a home underdog.
Rattler is 0-8 as an NFL starting QB.
Saints are 7-13 ATS in last 19 games coming off a loss.

Falcons 22, Vikings 6
Falcons ran 63 plays for 326 yards, Vikings 46 plays for 198.
Minnesota turned ball over four times on 10 drives.
Falcons led 9-6 at halftime.
Only TD of game came on an 88-yard drive by Atlanta late in game. 

McCarthy was 11-21/158 passing with two INT’s.
Vikings in first half of their 2 games: 51 plays, 219 yards, 4 FG’s.
Last nine years, Minnesota is 1-7-1 SU in home openers.
Under O’Connell, Vikings are 8-10 ATS as a home favorite.

— Rangers 8, Mets 3
Texas scored six runs in top of the first vs rookie P Tong.
Jacob deGrom won in his first start against Mets at Citi Field
Mets have now lost seven games in a row.

— A’s 3, Reds 0
Cincinnati was 0-12 with runners in scoring position.
Reds remain 1.5 games behind the Mets for the last Wild Card slot.

Carlos Cortes homered twice in this game for the A’s; he played his 21st game in the outfield Friday, but he’s also played a game at third base. When he plays the outfield, Cortes throws left-handed, but when he plays the infield, he throws right-handed.

Never heard of anyone doing that before. 

— Giants 5, Dodgers 1
Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam for the Giants.
Justin Verlander allowed four hits in 7 IP.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed only one hit in 7 IP.

— NL Wild Card race:
3) Mets 76-72
Giants 75-72
Reds 74-73
Arizona 73-75

— Houston 36, Colorado 20
QB Weigman threw for 222 yards, ran for 83 more.
Cougars outgained Colorado, 431-300.
Houston ran ball for 209 yards; they were +2 in turnovers.

— Arizona 23, Kansas State 17
Arizona led 17-3 at halftime.
Ismail Mahdi ran ball 22 times for 189 yards.
K-State is 0-3 vs I-A teams, with losses by 3-3-6 points.

— New Mexico 35, UCLA 10
Lobos were a 17.5-point underdog in this game.
UCLA is 0-3 this season, outscored 108-43, with two losses to Mountain West teams.

— Famous birthdays, September 13th:
Jacqueline Bisset, 81
Rick Wise, 80
Kathleen Lloyd, 77
Clyde Kusatsu, 77

Rick Dempsey, 76
Jim Cleamons, 76
Jean Smart, 74
Mike Pagel, 65

Denny Neagle, 57
Bernie Williams, 57
AJ McCarron, 35
Troy Reeder, 31

— New York 4, Red Sox 1
Luis Gil threw six innings, didn’t give up a hit.
Aaron Judge hit his 47th home run of the year.
Red Sox fall to 4.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East. 

— Mariners 2, Angels 1
Mitch Garver hit a solo home run in the 7th inning.
Luis Castillo allowed three hits in six IP.
Mariners remain tied for first with Astros in AL West

— Guardians 4, White Sox 0
Tanner Bibee threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
It was Cleveland’s first complete game shutout in six years.
Guardians have won seven of their last eight games.

— AL Wild Card race:
3) Hst/Sea 80-68
Rangers 78-70
Guardians 76-71
Royals 74-74

— Nationals 6, Pirates 5
Pittsburgh led 3-0 in sixth inning.
Dylan Crews hit a 2-run homer for Washington.
LF James Wood threw out the tying run at the plate in the 9th inning. 

— Astros 11, Braves 3
Zach Cole went 3-for-4, homered in his first MLB at-bat.
Astros had scored a total of 8 runs in their previous four games.
Houston-Seattle are tied for first in the AL West.AL West

— Twins 9, Diamondbacks 8
Arizona scored four runs in top of the 9th
Minnesota scored three runs in bottom of 9th.
Kody Clemens hit three home runs for the Twins; he has 19 this year.

— Packers 27, Commanders 18
Green Bay had early TD drives of 96-92 yards, grabbed a 14-0 lead.
Jordan Love threw for 292 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Packers are 24-16-1 ATS coming off a win.
Since 2019, Packers are 27-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Washington’s first three drives: 12 plays, 13 yards, three punts.
Green Bay outgained the Commanders, 404-230.
Washington ran the ball 19 times for only 51 yards.
Last 4+ years, Commanders are 11-14 ATS as a road underdog.

— NC State 34, Wake Forest 24
Wake Forest led 24-14 with 4:00 left in 2nd quarter.
Deacons ran the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a TD.
3-0 Wolfpack ran the ball 44 times for 205 yards.

— Phillies 6, Mets 4
Mets scored four runs on five hits in top of first inning.
Mets didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the game.
Mets have lost six in a row; their lead for last Wild Card slot is 1.5 games.

— Mariners 7, Angels 6 (12)
Seattle won in 13 innings Wednesday, 12 innings in this game.
#9 hitter JP Crawford knocked in three runs for Seattle.
Mike Trout hit his 399th career home run in the 5th inning.

Mariners/Astros are now tied for first in the AL West.

— Guardians 3, Royals 2
Rookie CJ Kayfus hit a 2-run homer in bottom of the 8th inning.
Guardians have won six of their last seven games.
Royals’ 1B Vinnie Pasquantino has 33 RBI in his last 30 games.

— New York 9, Tigers 3
Aaron Judge hit two home runs, has 46 this season.
New York led 9-1 in the fourth inning.
New York leads the Red Sox by half a game for the AL’s first Wild Card slot.

— Padres 2, Rockies 0
Randy Vasquez struck out a career-high nine in six shutout IP.
Jackson Merrill homered in the fourth inning.
Padres pulled within 2.5 game of the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Famous birthdays, September 12th:
Mickey Lolich, 85
Linda Gray, 85
Joe Pantoliano, 74
Rachel Ward, 68

Deron Cherry, 66
Vernon Maxwell, 60
Ki-Jana Carter, 52
Luis Castillo, 50 (Marlins’ 2B)

Yao Ming, 45
Freddie Freeman, 36
Andrew Luck, 36
Kyle Bradish, 29

— Blue Jays 6, Astros 0
Kavin Gausman threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
This was the 27th complete game of the season (28 last year)
Astros are 4-8 in their last 12 games.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox, New York, Mariners

Elsewhere in the world…….
— NFL needs to re-do its onside kick rule; one of the spring football leagues had/has a rule which is good, and the NFL should adopt it.

If a team wants to onside kick, they simply get the ball on their own 30 (or 35) yard line, it is 4th and 15 and they play on from there. Gives them a chance to come back

— Mac Jones is expected to strata QB for the 49ers in New Orleans Sunday, with starter Brock Purdy nursing toe/shoulder injuries. Jones is 20-30 as an NFL starter, for Patriots/Jaguars.

— Packers star Micah Parsons is making $47M/year, but now that he lives in Green Bay, he is subject to Wisconsin’s 7.65% state income tax, which reduces his salary to $43.4M/year.

Texas doesn’t have state income taxes, but the Cowboys were offering him $40.5M, so he is still making $2.9M more per year now than if he had signed with Dallas. 

— Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is under the weather, has been away from the team for a few days; it is unclear who will call defensive signals for New England Sunday.

— Carlie Irsay-Gordon, daughter of the late Jim Irsay, is the Indianapolis Colts’ new owner/CEO; she was on the sidelines during last week’s win over Miami, listening to the coaches on her headset. You don’t see that every day.

— In Week 1 of the NFL season, 75.6% of kickoffs were returned, up from the 33.1% in Week 1 of the 2024 season. There were 3,074 kick return yards, the most in any week since Week 15, 2010. 

— If you’re planning ahead, there are two Monday night football games this week:

7:00 Tampa Bay plays at Houston
10:00 Chargers visit the Raiders in Las Vegas

— Kyle Schwarber is the 34th big leaguer to hit 50+ home runs in a season; he is also a free agent this winter. Really good timing on his part.

Schwarber, Phillies teammate JT Realmuto are both free agents this winter; GM Dave Dombrowski is going to have an interesting winter. 

— Mets have used 45 pitchers this season; 17 of them have started at least one game.

— Since the All-Star break, 57% of the Miami Marlins’ hits have come from rookies; during that time, no other team has more than 35% of its hits from rookies.

— Was watching Cleveland-Tampa Bay game last week; the Guardians’ TV guys were critical of Rays’ star Junior Caminero, citing lackadaisical play by Caminero as a reason Cleveland won a game in Tampa. Seemed like an odd comment at the time.

But back in November 2021, Cleveland traded Caminero to the Rays for P Tobias Myers, who the Guardians dealt to San Francisco the next summer. Not a good look for the Cleveland front office, seeing how Caminero has 41 homers this year and is only 21 years old.

— Rough week for MAC football teams last week; two of them lost to I-AA opponents. LIU beat Eastern Michigan 28-23, UMass lost to Bryant 27-26. Not great.

— If your kid can snap a football 15 yards behind him to a punter, he might want to call up the football office at Oregon State. He might get a scholarship.

Last week against Fresno State, Beavers bounced at least five snaps to their punter or holder for kicks in a 36-27 loss to the Bulldogs. Poor kid who was snapping for Oregon State had never done it in a game before, and it showed- the Beavers’ regular long snapper is hurt.

I’m guessing they held tryouts this week, trying to find another kid to snap the ball.

— Famous birthdays, September 11th:
Jeff Newman, 77
Rod Perry, 72
Kristy McNichol, 63
Gerald Wilkins, 62

Ellis Burks, 61
Harry Connick Jr, 58
Bern Brostek, 57
Christopher Bridges, 48 (Ludacris)

Ed Reed, 47
Shaun Livingston, 40
Andrew Cashner, 39
Zay Flowers, 25

— Phillies 11, Mets 3
Max Kepler homered, drove in five runs.
Mets have lost five games in a row.
Phillies’ magic number to clinch NL East is 7.

— Reds 2, Padres 1
Cincinnati scored twice in the 8th inning.
Andrew Abbott allowed five hits in his 8 IP.
Reds are two games behind the Mets for the last NL Wild Card slot.

— Astros 3, Blue Jays 2
Carlos Correa hit his 200th career home run.
Yainer Diaz had the game-winning homer in the 9th inning.
Toronto had tied the game with two runs in bottom of 8th.

— Orioles 2, Pirates 1 (10)
Rookie OF Beavers, hitting .305, had a walk-off single.
Paul Skenes threw only 64 pitches in a short, 5-inning start.
Spencer Horwitz homered for the Pirates’ only run.

— Royals 4, Guardians 3
Royals scored twice in top of 7th for the winning runs.
Vinnie Pasquantino got to 100 RBI for first time in his career.
Cleveland had its five-game win streak snapped.

— A’s 5, Red Sox 4
Lawrence Butler had the walk-off single for the A’s.
Nick Kurtz hit his 30th home run; he is the 32nd rookie to hit 30+ homers.
Just the 5th win for the A’s in their last 21 games against Boston.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox, New York, Mariners

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

— Arizona (72-74)
Arizona lost its last three games.
Diamondbacks are 18-26 in one-run games.
Arizona is 22-20 vs NL West foes, 50-54 vs everyone else.
Arizona is 15-31 in last 46 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Braves (65-80)
Braves are 4-8 in their last 12 games.
Atlanta is 35-36 at home, 30-44 on the road.
Braves are 24-21 vs NL East rivals, 41-59 vs everyone else.
Under is 8-3 in their last eleven games.

— Cubs (82-63)
Chicago is 2-4 in its last six games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 27-8-2 in their last 37 games.
Cubs are 64-43 vs righty starters, 18-20 vs lefties.

— Reds (73-72)
Cincinnati is 6-10 in its last 16 games.
Reds are 55-49 vs righty starters, 18-23 vs lefties.
Under is 16-6-1 in their last 24 road games.
Reds are three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (40-105)
Colorado lost 14 of its last 18 games.
Under is 6-1 in Rockies’ last seven road games.
Rockies are 6-32 vs lefty starters, 34-73 vs righties.
Colorado hasn’t scored a first inning run in its last 32 road games.

— Dodgers (81-64)
Dodgers won their last three games.
LA leads San Diego by two games in NL West.
Dodgers are 61-43 vs righty starters, 20-21 vs lefties.
Under is 11-6-1 in their last 18 home games.

— Marlins (66-79)
Marlins are 9-21 in their last 30 games.
Miami is 32-41 at home, 34-38 on the road.
Over is 4-1-1 in Marlins’ last six games.
Last five weeks, Marlins are 3-6 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Brewers (89-57)
Brewers are 10-12 in their last 22 games.
Milwaukee is 46-26 at home, 43-31 on the road.
Over is 17-7-2 in their last 26 home games.
Milwaukee leads the Cubs by 6.5 games in NL Central.

— Mets (76-69)
Mets are 1-5 in their last six games.
Mets are 45-27 at home, 31-42 on the road.
Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games.
Mets lead the Giants by only 2 games for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (85-60)
Phillies are 9-3 in their last 12 games.
Phillies are 65-38 vs righty starters, 20-22 vs lefties.
Under is 4-1 in their last five home games.
Phillies lead the Mets by nine games in NL East.

— Pirates (64-81)
Pirates lost their last four games.
Pittsburgh is 42-33 at home, 22-48 on the road.
Under is 18-10-3 in their last 31 games.
Pirates scored in first inning in nine of last 18 games.

— St Louis (72-74)
St Louis is 7-5 in its last 12 games.
Cardinals scored in first inning in only one of last 25 home games.
St Louis is 41-34 at home, 31-40 on the road.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Padres (79-66)
San Diego won 17 of its last 23 home games.
Padres are 44-26 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Padres are 56-44 vs righty starters, 23-22 vs lefties.
San Diego is 26-19 vs NL West rivals, 53-47 vs everyone else.

— Giants (74-71)
Giants won 13 of their last 16 games.
Giants are 58-47 vs righty pitchers, 16-24 vs lefties.
Over is 18-11-2 in their last 31 road games.
SF lost 11 of last 14 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Washington (60-84)
Nationals are 7-1 in their last eight games.
Washington is 18-22 vs NL East rivals, 42-62 vs everyone else.
Over is 14-7-4 in their last 25 games.
Nationals are 6-1 in last 7 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Famous birthdays, September 10th:
Charlie Waters, 77
Gary Danielson, 74
Amy Irving, 72
Randy Johnson, 62

Ben Wallace, 51
Joey Votto, 42
Neil Walker, 40
Paul Goldschmidt, 38

— Orioles (67-77)
Baltimore won six of its last seven games.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Under is 9-0 in their last nine home games.
Orioles are 19-20 vs AL East rivals, 48-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (76-62)
Red Sox are 13-6 in their last 19 games.
Boston is 9-4 in last 7 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Under is 7-2 in their last nine road games.
Right now, Red Sox are tied with NY for first AL Wild Card slot.

— White Sox (55-90)
Chicago won six of its last eight games.
White Sox are 30-43 at home, 25-47 on the road.
Over is 10-4 in their last 14 games.
Chicago is 41-70 vs righty starters, 14-20 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (74-70)
Cleveland won eight of its last 12 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 57-46 vs righty starters, 17-24 vs lefties.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Detroit (83-62)
Detroit is 5-9 in its last 14 games.
Tigers are 29-17 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 8.5 games.
Detroit is 18-6 in home series openers.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Houston (78-67)
Astros are 19-24 in their last 43 games overall
Astros are 11-18 in their last 29 home games.
Astros lead Seattle by one game in AL West.
Over is 4-0 in their last four home games.

— Royals (73-72)
Royals are 9-11 in their last 20 games.
Kansas City is 57-60 vs righty starters, 16-12 vs lefties.
Under is 13-3 in Royals’ last 16 home games.
Royals scored in first inning in 14 of last 23 home games.

— Angels (68-77)
Angels lost 15 of their last 24 games.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven road games..
Angels are 57-62 vs righty starters, 11-15 vs lefties.
Angels are 33-19 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Twins (64-81)
Twins lost 18 of their last 27 games.
Minnesota is 35-36 at home, 29-45 on the road.
Over is 18-5 in their last 23 games.
Twins are 1-7 in last 8 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (80-64)
New York is 4-4 in its last eight games.
Over is 9-2 in their last 11 road games.
New York is 65-49 vs righty starters, 15-15 vs lefties.
Right now, New York/Red Sox are tied for #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (63-75)
A’s are 2-4 in their last six games, didn’t score last two nights.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.
A’s are 48-60 vs righty starters, 15-15 vs lefties.
Last 12 weeks, A’s are 10-5 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Seattle (73-64)
Mariners won their last four games, scoring 37 runs.
Seattle is 28-10 in its last 38 home games.
Over is 6-2 in their last eight games.
Right now, Mariners hold the #3 Wild Card in AL, by 1.5 games.
Seattle is also only a game behind Houston in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (72-72)
Tampa Bay won 11 of its last 16 games.
Rays are 38-36 at home, 34-36 on the road.
Tampa Bay is 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Rays are 6-11 in last 17 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (76-70)
Rangers are 10-3 in their last 13 games.
Texas is 59-48 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 46-28 at home, 30-42 on road.
Texas is 1.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Toronto (83-61)
Blue Jays are 5-3 in their last eight games overall.
Blue Jays won 21 of their last 29 home games.
Under is 4-0 in their last four games.
Toronto leads New York/Boston by three games in AL East.