Phillies crush D-backs, take 2-0 NLCS lead; NFL contenders and pretenders; Midseason All-America team

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⚾ Good morning to everybody however particularly …

THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

One evening after leaping at the Diamondbacks early, the Phillies did it once more. This time, they by no means let up. Philadelphia were given a first-inning house run from Trea Turner and poured it on from there in a 10-0 rout of the Diamondbacks. Philly is 2 wins clear of a travel to the World Series.

• Kyle Schwarber homered two times, giving the Phillies 15 house runs of their previous 4 video games. That’s the maximum in any four-game span in playoff historical past.
• Unlike in Game 1, Arizona had no likelihood to even strive a solution. Schwarber’s moment house run of the evening opened a four-run 6th inning, and the Phillies added 4 extra within the 7th.
• Schwarber’s 18 profession house runs tied Reggie Jackson for many batting left-handed in MLB postseason historical past.
• But do not disregard the pitching: Aaron Nola went six scoreless innings, and Philadelphia’s 13 runs allowed thru 8 playoff video games are second-fewest ever.

What extra is there to mention {that a} 10-0 scoreline does not say already? It’s the second-largest playoff win in Phillies historical past and ties the biggest playoff loss in Diamondbacks historical past. The extra I watch them play, the extra I believe the Phillies as champions is an inevitability.

Mike Axisa feels in a similar fashion.

• Axisa: “MLB teams to take [a 2-0] lead in a best-of-seven series have then won said series more than 84% of the time. Just 14 of the 89 teams to fall behind 2-0, meanwhile, have been able to recover and win the series. Perhaps the D-backs will prove to be the 15th. For now, though, it’s fair to write the odds are very, very much in favor of another trip to the World Series.”

👍 Honorable mentions

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Evaluating the NFL thru one 0.33 of the season

Six weeks down, 12 to head. The NFL season is one-third of the best way executed, and Pete Prisco has one large query in his newest Power Rankings: Is anyone any excellent?

• Prisco: “Brock Purdy, on his run to be anointed as the next Joe Montana, looked ordinary for the 49ers. Jalen Hurts, who was the best player in the Super Bowl last year, hasn’t looked the same this season. Both teams lost to good defenses. … I still think the 49ers and Eagles are good teams that happened to have bad days. … As we found out in Week 6, nobody is that good — at least not yet.”

I believe Pete’s being a little harsh right here. Sure, there are not any undefeated thru six weeks for the primary time since 2017, however the 49ers misplaced their two very best offensive talent avid gamers, had been on a brief week at the street going through an all-time nice protection (as I defined Monday) and ignored two box objectives in a two-point loss.

Still, the chaos of this week manner the latest best 5 is totally scrambled:

1. Chiefs (earlier: 3)
2. Dolphins (4)
3. Lions (5)
4. 49ers (1)
5. Eagles (2)

Oh, and there could be extra motion coming: This weekend, the Chiefs play the Chargers, the Dolphins play the Eagles and the Lions play the Ravens. Five of the ones six groups made the “contender” tier in Jordan Dajani’s contenders and pretenders column.

The Chiefs are atop Pete’s Power Rankings, however they are averaging simply 24.5 issues, on tempo for his or her lowest since 2016. And with the industry time limit beneath two weeks away, Cody Benjamin proposes a transfer Kansas City may make to lend a hand.

• Benjamin: “Chiefs get: WR Marquise Brown | Cardinals get: 2024 third-round pick — Patrick Mahomes has yet to shift the Chiefs offense into high gear even as Kansas City remains atop the AFC West at 5-1. Part of the issue has been a scattershot receiving corps. Brown isn’t an alpha out wide, but he’s a more proven deep threat than many of K.C.’s younger options. And Arizona should be motivated to sell with ‘Hollywood’ headed for 2024 free agency.”

On the opposite finish of items, the Patriots are twenty ninth within the Power Rankings, however Bill Belichick is close to the highest of Tyler Sullivan’s sizzling seat scores simplest at the back of the Bears‘ Matt Eberflus. That’s now not excellent corporate.

Finally rounding out our one-third-of-the-season roundup is Doug Clawson’s 15 wild stats, and Cheetah is, smartly, working wild.

• Clawson: “Tyreek Hill has 814 yards receiving this season, the second-most through a team’s first six games in NFL history behind Don Hutson in 1942 (819). It’s also more than 11 NFL teams have from all their wide receivers this season. Hill is on pace for 2,306 yards. No receiver has ever had 2,000 yards in a season.”

🏈 2023 CBS Sports Midseason All-America team

A 3rd of the best way in the course of the NFL season and midway in the course of the faculty soccer season? Where did the time cross? Oh smartly, no less than we right here at CBS Sports are taking the glass-half-full means with our Midseason All-America team. There had been 3 unanimous picks main the best way.

• Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (the new chief within the Heisman Trophy race, in keeping with Shehan Jeyarajah)
• Missouri WR Luther Burden III (who ranks fourth in receptions and moment in yards receiving national) 
• Georgia TE Brock Powers (who will pass over 4-6 weeks following ankle surgical operation)

Joining Bowers as avid gamers residing as much as the hype in their preseason All-America honors are …

• Notre Dame OL Joe Alt
• Penn State OL Olumuyiwa Fashanu
• Kansas State OL Cooper Beebe
• Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry
• Georgia DB Malaki Starks
• Iowa P Tory Taylor

All of those guys deserve large props, however my non-public favourite is Taylor, who leads the rustic in yards punting and is tied for the lead in punts and punts throughout the 10. As my colleague Tom Fornelli loves to mention, #Punt2Win. Iowa, the present Big Ten West chief, threw for 37 yards and punted 10 occasions in its win over Wisconsin this previous weekend. It’s so on logo it is painful — and it may price Brian Ferentz his process. Anyway, shout out to Tory Taylor, the country’s busiest and very best punter.

You can see the entire picks right here.

🏀 LSU opens No. 1 in girls’s Preseason AP Top 25

Six months after successful its first nationwide championship, LSU girls’s basketball is again on best, this time within the Preseason AP Top 25. It’s the first time the Tigers have earned the consideration.

Kim Mulkey‘s squad brings again a number of ability, headlined by way of first-team All-America variety Angel Reese. The superstar ahead just lately signed an NIL take care of Reebok — now headed by way of former LSU superstar Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson — and is in line for every other large season. She’ll be some distance from by myself regardless that: LSU added stars Aneesah Morrow (DePaul) and Hailey Van Lith (Louisville) from the switch portal, and the Tigers additionally deliver again Flau’jae Johnson and Kateri Poole. LSU even has the No. 1 recruiting magnificence coming in.

The Tigers had been just about the unanimous No. 1 however got here up simply quick; UConn were given one first-place vote. Here’s the highest 5:

1. LSU
2. UConn
3. Iowa
4. UCLA
5. Utah

📺 What we are looking at Wednesday

🏒 Penguins at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Aces at Liberty, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Astros at Rangers, 8:03 p.m. on FS1