Rangers into first ALCS since 2011; Patriots in dire straits; what to do about Justin Jefferson, De’Von Achane

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Happy Wednesday, everybody. Before we get to the video games, we now have some unhappy news relating to two icons: First, Mary Lou Retton, who become the first American girl to win the person all-around gymnastics gold on the 1984 Olympics, is “fighting for her life” whilst scuffling with pneumonia, in accordance to her daughter. Furthermore, Barry Melrose has been recognized with Parkinson’s illness and is stepping clear of his hockey analyst position.

I am hoping this text reveals you and your family members neatly. Let’s get proper to it.

⚾ Good morning to everybody however particularly …

THE TEXAS RANGERS

Beat the AL’s second-best crew? Check. Then beat the AL’s ideally suited crew? No downside. After sweeping the 99-win Rays in the wild card, the Rangers swept the 101-win, AL-champion Orioles, completing the sequence with an emphatic 7-1 Game 3 win.

• Texas is into its first ALCS since 2011.
• For the 3rd immediately recreation, Texas chased Baltimore’s starter early: Dean Kremer lasted simply 1 2/3 innings, permitting six runs, together with house runs from Corey Seager and Adolis García.
• Nathan Eovaldi persisted his postseason mastery, permitting only one run over seven innings. Eovaldi has a 1.32 ERA this postseason and joined Cliff Lee as the one Rangers to throw six-plus innings with one or fewer runs allowed in consecutive playoff video games.

This offense is ridiculous. García, Jonah Heim and Evan Carter have each and every hit safely in all 5 video games this postseason. Seager has reached base safely 3 times in all 5 video games. Opposing pitching staffs get no breaks or simple outs. This is what the Rangers spent and spent and spent to grow to be; it is coming to fruition.

Texas now awaits the winner of Astros-Twins, which might come as early as this night. Cristian Javier persisted his playoff greatness with 5 scoreless innings, and José Abreu homered two times as Houston cruised to a 9-1 win and a 2-1 sequence lead.

It used to be Javier’s 3rd playoff recreation of five-plus innings and one or fewer hits allowed, maximum in MLB historical past. The twist? He’s completed it in 3 immediately video games.

👍 Honorable mentions

💔 And no longer any such just right morning for …

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The unsweepable Orioles had been swept. In the approaching weeks and months, it is going to be more uncomplicated for Baltimore devoted to glance ahead to a actually enjoyable long run. But for now, there may be simply the heartache of an attractive season that got here to a crashing halt.

The beginning pitching used to be all the time a looming shadow on what used to be differently a sunshine-filled season. The 3 playoff starters — Kremer, Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish — threw 8 innings … blended. Neither Kremer nor Rodriguez even made it two innings. All 3 had been making their playoff debut. The makes an attempt to discover a grizzled vet who may just anchor a playoff rotation had been half-hearted … and that in the long run failed the crew. Kyle Gibson struggled all season, and Jack Flaherty — obtained on the industry time limit — used to be even worse. I’d love to see Baltimore make a vital funding in the rotation this offseason.

The offense, in the meantime, used to be tasked with coming from in the back of for a lot of the sequence. There had been great moments however by no means sufficient to triumph over Texas’ barrage. The outcome? Baltimore’s first time being swept since May 2022 — 91 sequence in the past. It got here on the worst time, and it isn’t simple to swallow.

But the solar will arise the next day to come — and according to this younger core, for plenty of extra days to come — in Baltimore. Just how brilliant that long run is depends upon how a lot the Orioles and their entrance place of business discovered from this and whether or not they will use it as motivation going ahead.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots sinking, and adjustments are wanted

Here are 3 not-so-fun details about the Patriots:

1. They are 1-4.
2. They are averaging 10.6 offensive issues in keeping with recreation, on tempo to be the bottom since the 2009 Rams, who went 1-15.
3. They are the first crew to permit no less than 72 issues and rating 3 issues or fewer over a two-game span since the 1987 Falcons.

It’s unhealthy. Scratch that … it is terrible. The Patriots are laborious to wait for even a impartial observer. Sunday, they ran 9 performs in opponent territory. They totaled -3 yards on the ones performs.

Long tale brief, Pete Prisco says “This team is toast” and drops them to twenty ninth in his newest NFL Power Rankings. Only the Giants, Broncos and Panthers are decrease.

If firing Bill Belichick the trainer is an offer, Pete does not need to listen it. But Bill Belichick the GM? “That guy should be fired,” Pete writes.

Tyler Sullivan took a deep-dive take a look at the quandary growing in New England.

• Sullivan: “There’s a very simple explanation to why the Patriots find themselves where they’re at: They lack talent. High-end talent. … This is where, to steal a reference from Bill Parcells, allowing the coach to shop for the groceries goes haywire, or at least it has in this case with the Patriots. … Not only are the Patriots simply missing talent, but there also seems to be something fundamentally wrong with the scouting process.”

As for the most sensible of Pete’s scores …

1. 49ers (earlier: 1)
2. Eagles (2)
3. Chiefs (3)
4. Dolphins (7)
5. Lions (9)

🤕 Fantasy affect of Justin Jefferson, De’Von Achane accidents

They say soccer is a tender guy’s recreation, however Week 5 printed accidents spare no person … no longer even one of the vital league’s brightest younger stars. Justin Jefferson‘s commute to IR highlighted a brutal day of damage news.

• Jefferson slipped past due in the Vikings loss to the Chiefs on Sunday and didn’t go back due to a hamstring damage. He’ll search a number of critiques at the damage, however for now, he is assured to omit no less than 4 video games.
• Despite the 1-4 Vikings’ woes, Jefferson has been his commonplace terrific self: His 571 yards receiving are 3rd in the NFL. Among the 12 avid gamers with no less than 30 catches this 12 months, simplest Tyreek Hill has the next yards in keeping with catch than Jefferson’s 15.9.
• Since getting into the NFL in 2020, Jefferson has accounted for almost 36% of Minnesota’s yards receiving, maximum in the league.

T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison and Okay.J. Osborn all determine to see an larger workload, however Cody Benjamin has some other participant who may well be price observing. If you are a type of unfortunate Fantasy managers who will likely be with out Jefferson for the foreseeable long run, Chris Towers has industry objectives and waiver-wire choices to imagine, together with …

• Towers: “Chris Olave, WR, Saints — After putting up 302 yards in the first three games, Olave has just 16 over the past two, which makes him the perfect definition of a buy-low. His struggles have coincided with Derek Carr‘s shoulder injury, and the production should return as Carr gets closer to 100%. We’ve seen that duo produce huge numbers already, so I’m fully willing to write off Olave’s slide as a one-off.”

Here’s extra from an injury-filled day:

• De’Von Achane, the breakout Dolphins superstar operating again, is most probably out a couple of video games with a knee damage. Achane’s seven touchdowns are maximum ever via 4 occupation video games, and his 12.1 yards in keeping with elevate mark is on tempo to demolish the present NFL document (8.4 by means of Michael Vick in 2006). Here’s the Fantasy fallout.
• James Conner (knee) is on IR.
• In case you ignored it, Anthony Richardson will omit “some time” with an AC joint sprain. There’s been no determination relating to his IR standing. Gardner Minshew will take over in the back of heart.
• Deshaun Watson (shoulder) stays day-to-day.

📺 What we are observing Wednesday

⚾ Astros at Twins, 2:07 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Braves at Phillies, 5:07 p.m. on TBS
🏒 Blackhawks at Bruins, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Liberty at Aces, 9 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 9:07 p.m. on TBS
🏒 Avalanche at Kings, 10 p.m. on TNT