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[SPORTS] 2018 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW/PREDICTION

[SPORTS] 2018 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW/PREDICTION

Who Will Win The 2018 World Series?

The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, two of the MLB’s most storied franchises, are set to do battle for the ultimate prize in this year’s Fall Classic.

This is the first time the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers will have competed in a World Series.

With that said, these two fanbases are familiar with one another from the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers Rivalry so expect some ‘Beat LA!’ chants to echo throughout Fenway Park in Game 1 on Tuesday night.

In this piece I will be taking a special look at the World Series and how the two teams vying for the World Series title got here.

Let’s begin.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Finished regular-season 92-71

Won NL West

Won NL Pennant

Defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in NLDS

Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in NLCS

Strengths: Power, Starting Pitching, Closer

Weaknesses: Bullpen, Strikeouts, Catcher, Defense

Analysis:

The Los Angeles Dodgers made it to the World Series last year having cruised through the NL side with a 7-1 mark. That was different this season as they went 7-4 this season, needing a Game 7 win at Miller Park to advance to the World Series.

The Dodgers have the right-handed power in their lineup to offset facing Chris Sale and David Price. The Dodgers went 40-25 vs LHP in 2018 during the regular-season, but one question I have about the team is their ability to slow the Red Sox offense.

I do not think Clayton Kershaw throwing 91 MPH and trying to fool the Red Sox hitters will work vs this lineup. The Dodgers will also be trotting out a rookie pitcher vs the Red Sox at some point in this series and at another point a 38-year-old left-hander.

The Red Sox went only 21-16 vs LHP pitching in 2018, but this team has little problem of hitting off of left-handers.

The key to the series will be limiting the walks to the Red Sox hitters while also limiting the bottom of the order, where Jackie Bradley Jr., the ALCS MVP, did his fair share of damage in just three swings during the ALCS.

Boston Red Sox

Finished 108-54

Won AL East

Won AL Pennant

Defeated the New York Yankees 3-1 in ALDS

Defeated the Houston Astros 4-1 in ALCS

Strengths: Contact Hitting, Power, Bullpen, Defense

Weakness: Starting Pitching, Closer

Analysis:

The Boston Red Sox come into the World Series knowing one thing is for certain: They know how to bounce back from a loss.

Both the New York Yankees and Houston Astros learned this the hard way in the postseason as after their wins, neither team tasted victory and had their seasons ended promptly.

That’s a quality that says a lot about Alex Cora as a manager and the Red Sox as a team. There’s no question that the Red Sox offense will score runs in this series, the question for Boston however is can their starting pitching limit Los Angeles’?

A big reason why Boston is here is because of two strong performances by Nathan Eovaldi, a stellar start by Rick Porcello in Game 4 of the ALDS and David Price’s magical Game 5 gem in the ALCS.

What about Chris Sale? Sale dealt with a stomach ailment that kept him from starting Game 5 last Thursday and he was shaky in his last start in Game 1 of the ALCS.

The fastball velocity is noticeably down and against a hard-hitting lineup like Los Angeles’, could put Boston in a early series hole as Chris Sale is slated to start Game 1 vs Clayton Kershaw.

In a way, it’s two pitchers that at this point in time are not what their teams are used to seeing.

Prediction: Boston Red Sox in 6

I’m going with Boston needing six games to vanquish the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. When it comes down to it, it’s hard to envision Los Angeles’ pitching staff and bullpen slowing down Boston’s offense when Houston’s couldn’t.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that this series will feature a team coming back from a five-run deficit, a hitter on the Red Sox hitting multiple home runs in a game and a pitcher hitting a home run.

What are your thoughts on the World Series? Leave your comments below!

[SPORTS] NFL WEEK 7 RECAP: PANTHERS GET COMEBACK WIN IN PHILLY

[SPORTS] NFL WEEK 7 RECAP: PANTHERS GET COMEBACK WIN IN PHILLY

Panthers Comeback Highlights Week 7 Takeaways

Outside of Derek Anderson and Blake Bortles, it was a fine day to try eating a chicken sandwich and watching football at the same time (just stay away from those two guys).

We saw the sensational, the unforgivable and the unexpected in Week 7. From Cordarrelle Patterson going from goat to hero in the same quarter to Justin Tucker missing his first extra point attempt of his career, we got a treat from a slate that on paper was mediocre at best.

Want to boost the viewership ratings for the NFL? Tell them that a coach who’s team just got shutout 21-0 the week before would make a decision to go for the win over overtime.

Be sure to also tell them that New England came within a yard from allowing ‘Mitch’ Trubisky’s Hail Mary to Kevin White to tie the game with time expired to be a thing.

With so much to talk about, we’ll jump into my takeaways from a great day of action in the NFL.

Let’s get started!

Panthers Rally In Fourth Quarter To Upend Eagles

Cam Newton and the Panthers left their offense in Carolina for the first three quarters at Lincoln Financial Field.

When the fourth quarter came around, a team looking like they had also lost their will to fight back did.

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

Led by Cam Newton, the Panthers overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to upend the defending champs.

Greg Olsen’s late touchdown reception from Cam Newton capped a 21-point fourth quarter as the defense held on for the win against the struggling Eagles.

Cam Newton led the way with 269 passing yards and two touchdown passes. He rushed for 49 rushing yards on the ground in addition to his performance throwing the ball.

The Panthers couldn’t block for Cam Newton in the first three quarters. Newton — flustered for much of the day — was mostly inaccurate and off his game because of it. Newton was hurried or hit on most of his dropbacks as Philadelphia mostly limited Carolina’s rushing attack that saw Christian McCaffrey rush for 29 yards on seven carries.

Carson Wentz  (310 passing yards, 2 TDs) and the Eagles grinded their way to a 17-0 lead after three quarters, but Newton and the Panthers flipped the switch when it mattered most.

After 145 total yards and zero points in the first 45 minutes of the game on a brisk day in Philadelphia, Carolina’s offense used three touchdown drives that covered 237 total yards to hand Philadelphia its fourth loss of the season.

Carolina (4-2) solved their road woes to begin the season as they picked up an important victory having already dropped two conference games.

For tiebreaker purposes, beating Philadelphia could be the difference in a playoff spot or missing the playoffs if the Panthers are unable to win the NFC South.

Sloppy Patriots Use Special Teams To Win Fourth Straight

Bill Belichick will have a lot to stew about in the film room following the Patriots mostly bewildering performance on both sides of the ball at Soldier Field.

For the New England Patriots, they were aided by an unlikely unit to help them to a fourth consecutive win on Sunday.

The New England Patriots hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 38-31 on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field thanks to a pair of special teams touchdowns.

From drive extending penalties, dropped interceptions in the endzone, losing containment on scrambles by Mitchell Trubisky and turnovers that led to points, there’s plenty to take away New England’s ugly performance (Did I mention the Hail Mary at the end of the game?).

Doing so though would be ignoring the fact that in four straight games now New England has scored 38+ points.

It would also ignore that wide receiver Josh Gordon, who’s becoming more and more apart of New England’s offensive attack, recorded four receptions for 100 receiving yards on a day where New England played on without Rob Gronkowski and lost running back Sony Michel to a knee injury in the second quarter.

New England (5-2) has issues along the defensive side of the ball for certain as their speed at linebacker as well as on the defensive line made the susceptible to giving up 81 rushing yards on six carries by Mitchell Trubisky.

The fact of the matter is though, New England, who saw all three of their AFC East foes fall on Sunday, are the clear front runner in a division they’ve dominated for nearly two decades.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots will have a chance to clear another hurdle in winning their 10th consecutive division title when they visit New Era Field next Monday night to face the Buffalo Bills.

Redskins Win NFC East Duel Over Cowboys

The Washington Redskins like their chances to win the NFC East this season and in their first division showdown of the season with another hopeful foe, made a statement.

The Washington Redskins held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 on Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field.

In what was mostly a defensive struggle with explosive plays sprinkled in, Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins did just enough as a late touchdown by the defense proved to be the difference.

Redskins’ linebacker Ryan Kerrigan would force a huge strip sack of Dak Prescott near the Cowboys own endzone late in the fourth quarter that would be recovered by linebacker Preston Smith for a touchdown.

That would prove critical after a late flurry by the Dallas Cowboys allowed Dallas an opportunity to tie the game and send this NFC East battle into overtime.

Dallas would have a critical snap infraction penalty called on them before an 47-yard field goal attempt by Brett Maher. Now a 52-yard field goal attempt, the Cowboys kicker would miss off the left uprights as the Redskins escaped with the win.

The Redskins have not necessarily dominated when they win, but having a quarterback in Alex Smith (178 passing yards, 1 TD) who does not turn the football over, a rushing attack led by the ageless Adrian Peterson (24 carries, 99 rushing yards), and a defense that outside of a bad Week 5 loss to the Saints has proven to be formidable, Jay Gruden has a team that the rest of the NFC East should take notice of.

Chiefs Dominate Bengals At Arrowhead

Following their first loss of the season, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill promised the Chiefs would be at their best when the team returned home to face the Cincinnati Bengals.

He may just be a prophet.

The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back with a 45-10 blowout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes led the attack with 358 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception as the Chiefs offense put up 551 total yards of offense vs the Cincinnati Bengals, a season-high to this point.

While Mahomes — who broke Kurt Warner’s touchdown record through the first eight games of a career — will get the fanfare, it was Kareem Hunt who stole the show for what may be the run of the year to this point.

With Kansas City driving on their first possession, Kareem Hunt would take a 2nd and 10 carry and create a highlight reel to remember at season’s end. The second-year running back who’s tough to tackle in open space broke free from a crowd of Bengals before hurdling a defender and carrying four more with him for a 21-yard gain down to the Bengals 6-yard line.

Kareem Hunt finished the game with 141 yards from scrimmage while scoring three touchdowns on his electrifying night in front of all of Chiefs Kingdom.

Much maligned to begin this season, Kansas City’s defense limited Cincinnati to 239 total yards on the night. Chiefs safety Ron Parker intercepted Andy Dalton early in the third quarter and returned the interception for a 33-yard return.

Kansas City (6-1) flexed its muscles on a night where the only negative to come out of it was a ill advised throw by Patrick Mahomes down the field into triple coverage that got intercepted.

The Chiefs offensive firepower is something that teams are scrambling to adjust to. Through seven weeks there has not been much of an answer as Kansas City has scored 30 or more points in six of their seven games to begin the season.

They’ll take aim at the Denver Broncos next Sunday when they welcome Denver to Arrowhead Stadium.

Gurley, Rams Pound 49ers To Improve To 7-0

If not for Patrick Mahomes, Todd Gurley may be running away with the NFL MVP Award.

While that’s not the case, it didn’t stop Gurley from running over the San Francisco 49ers as the Rams have yet to taste defeat.

In a dominant display, the Los Angeles Rams capped a three-game West coast road trip with a 39-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium to improve to 7-0 this season.

Todd Gurley followed a career-high 208 rushing yards vs the Denver Broncos with three touchdowns vs the San Francisco 49ers defense. It was a modest day for Gurley rushing the ball, who had only 15 attempts while rushing for 64 rushing yards.

Showing their depth at running back to help spell Gurley when needed, running back Malcom Brown rushed for a team-high 65 rushing yards on Sunday afternoon.

Jared Goff bounced back from a rough game vs the Denver Broncos with 202 passing yards and two touchdown passes against San Francisco, who fell to 1-6 on the season.

Defensively, the Rams turned in a much needed performance as they forced C.J. Beathard and the 49ers into four turnovers on the day while limiting them to 228 total yards.

Sean McVay and the Rams figure to get more of a challenge next week at home vs the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off a bye week.

No matter, the Los Angeles Rams continue to look like the best team in the NFL as it’s only unbeaten team remaining.

What are your thoughts on the NFL Week 7 action from Sunday? Leave your comments below!

[SPORTS] COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAP: PURDUE STUNS OHIO STATE

[SPORTS] COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAP: PURDUE STUNS OHIO STATE

Purdue Knocks Ohio State From Undefeated Ranks

Another week, another college football super power falls.

We’ll get to that in just a bit, but when recapping Week 8 of the college football season, much stayed the same.

Alabama continues to dominate, Kyler Murray continues to look like Superman, LSU’s defense continues to leave bruises and Minnesota continued to lose …

*Gets phone call*

Minnesota won?!? Party at my house at 11!!! In all seriousness, the craziness that we saw the previous week would not be matched this week as all but one top 10 team won during Week 8.

Here’s my recap of the Saturday that was in college football.

Boilermakers Blowout Buckeyes In Upset Win

The last time Purdue took on Ohio State the program was embarrassed 56-0 at home five years ago.

Improving slowly under Jeff Brohm after years of being a losing program, the Boilermakers returned the favor on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Behind David Blough (378 passing yards, 3 TDs) and D.J. Knox (128 rushing yards, 3 TDs), the Purdue Boilermakers picked up their biggest win in the past decade in a 49-20 thrashing of No. 2 ranked Ohio State.

In a game that was never close, Jeff Brohm’s team dominated Urban Meyer’s in every facet of the game on a chilly night in West Lafayette.

The loss is Ohio State’s first of the season, one that due to how wide the margin of defeat was to an unranked Purdue team.

Defensively, the Buckeyes have not been good on that side of the ball in 2018 and their glaring weaknesses along the defensive line as well as the secondary were exposed further on Saturday night.

Purdue is 3-1 in conference play this season, a record they’ll have a chance to improve on next weekend when they take on Michigan State in East Lansing.

Oregon Can’t Continue Winning Ways

What Oregon accomplished last week in defeating the Washington Huskies was diminished with a stinker in Pullman Saturday afternoon.

The Washington State Cougars rode a dominant first half performance to defeat the Oregon Ducks 34-20 and improve to 6-1 on the season.

Senior quarterback Gardner Minshew picked apart Oregon’s secondary as he completed 39-of-51 while throwing for 321 passing yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs.

A week after rushing for 111 rushing yards and 2 TDs, Oregon running back CJ Verdell would have difficulty vs Washington State’s defense as he was limited to 55 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Washington State owned a 27-0 halftime lead at home over the Ducks as they limited Oregon to well under 200 yards in the first half.

It was a tough day throwing the ball for Oregon as well as quarterback Justin Herbert was held to 6.1 yards per completion while completing only 56.8 percent of his passes.

Washington State’s fans stormed Martin Stadium following the game as the win over No. 12 ranked Oregon gave the Cougars their biggest win of the season.

UCF Remains Unbeaten

The UCF Knights continue to win, no matter what the college playoff committee has to say about it.

UCF improved to 7-0 following a 37-0 road vs ECU on Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Minus their leading rusher McKenzie Milton, UCF dominated on the ground despite his absence as quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. led the way with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown run in the win.

UCF may never get the respect they deserve playing in the AAC, but dating back to last season it’s 20 consecutive victories for Josh Heupel’s team.

With Ohio State’s loss, UCF should vault past their No. 10 ranking in the nation.

The question is, what can a team on the precipice of back-to-back undefeated seasons do to gain recognition as a national power?

What are your thoughts on Saturday’s college football action? Leave your comments below!

[SPORTS] FIGHT BREAKS OUT DURING ROCKETS-LAKERS GAME

[SPORTS] FIGHT BREAKS OUT DURING ROCKETS-LAKERS GAME

Fight Night At The Staple Center

A brawl broke out in the fourth quarter during the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers game at the Staples Center on Friday night.

Houston Rockets’ guard Chris Paul and Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Rajon Rondo would exchange punches after the two engaged in a heated confrontation with Paul sticking his fingers in Rajon Rondo’s face.

Lakers’ forward Brandon Ingram would get involved by throwing a punch that appeared to land on Chris Paul during the ugly scene.

It’s not the first time Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo have been at odds with each other as the two had a postgame altercation back when Paul was a Hornet and Rondo was a Celtic.

At a dead ball stop after James Harden drew a foul while driving to the rim, tensions would quickly boil over at the 4:13 mark of the fourth quarter.

Brandon Ingram, frustrated by the foul call, would shove James Harden out of the way which drew a technical foul.

All three players were ejected from the game and will likely face suspensions for their roles.

What are your thoughts on the brawl in LA? Leave your comments below!

[SPORTS] PUIG POWERS DODGERS TO WORLD SERIES

[SPORTS] PUIG POWERS DODGERS TO WORLD SERIES

Dodgers Game 7 Win Sets Up Clash In WS With Red Sox

When Yasiel Puig made contact with Jeremy Jeffress 1-1 offering, he knew as soon as he made contact it was as good as gone.

He took a long look at this one, as to this point there may not have been another as sweet as being the difference in Los Angeles reaching the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Saturday night at Miller Park in Game 7 of the NLCS to advance to the World Series.

As they’ve done throughout this postseason, the Dodgers relied on the home run ball to outlast the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Pennant.

Dodgers’ right fielder Yasiel Puig’s three-run homer in the sixth inning off Brewers’ reliever Jeremy Jeffress blew open a one-run game at the time and would be a big reason for Los Angeles’ victory.

Puig finished with a team-high three hits on the night to go along with three RBIs.

Los Angeles out-hit the Milwaukee Brewers 10 to 7. Milwaukee would hit 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on the night.

Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler would allow one run on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over four and two-thirds innings.

Los Angeles was left stinging at the conclusion of the 2017 postseason when the Houston Astros ended their season in heartbreak with a Game 7 win at Dodger Stadium.

A wild regular-season that presented its challenges and difficulties that resulted in having to win a NL West Tiebreaker.

The Dodgers showed through the power in their lineup, rotation and suddenly improved bullpen that they deservingly so will compete for a world championship for the second consecutive year.

NL MVP candidate Christian Yelich broke out of his series slump with a homer in the first inning to give Milwaukee the early lead, but it wasn’t enough for the Brewers offense which has struggled to score runs this series.

It wouldn’t take long for the Dodgers to answer in Game 7 as Cody Bellinger launched a two-run home run to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead in the second inning.

The bullpen of the Milwaukee Brewers, their strength for much of the season, could not contain the power that the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup possesses.

After Walker Buehler was relieved by Julio Urias with two outs in the fifth inning, Los Angeles’ bullpen would limit Milwaukee to one hit the rest of the way.

The Dodgers bullpen — strong throughout the NLCS and the postseason — finished the game striking out seven Milwaukee Brewers over four and a third innings pitched.

Coming off an excellent start in Game 5, Clayton Kershaw would finish Game 7 in relief duty in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Dave Roberts and the Dodgers journey back here was a bumpy one, but with in-season trades to strengthen the team’s offense and a healthy Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers are back in the World Series looking to finish what they couldn’t last season.

Los Angeles will be faced with a difficult challenge in the Boston Red Sox who have dominated in the postseason.

Boston handled the defending champion Houston Astros in just five games in the ALCS with their potent offense leading the way.

If there’s a team capable of out-slugging the Dodgers, it’s the Boston Red Sox, who led the MLB in runs this past season.

A World Series matchup worth the price of admission, Los Angeles will like their chances of delivering their first World Series title in 20 years.

What are your thoughts on the Dodgers Game 7 victory tonight? Leave your comments below!

[SPORTS] MILWAUKEE’S BATS COME ALIVE AS BREWERS FORCE GAME 7

[SPORTS] MILWAUKEE’S BATS COME ALIVE AS BREWERS FORCE GAME 7

There Will Be A Game 7

The morale in the locker room appeared noticeably low as the Brewers left Los Angeles trailing in the NLCS.

If there was one thing the Brewers could hold their heads high about going into Game 6, it was fact that 40,000+ screaming fans would be waiting back for them in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Friday night at Miller Park in Game 6 of the NLCS to tie the series at 3-3.

All season long the Brewers have been a team that’s show resiliency when the going got tough, but faced a unique challenge on Friday night as they faced elimination.

Thanks to a offense that found its footing after two straight forgettable games in Los Angeles and their bullpen, there will be a Game 7.

The Brewers offense produced 11 hits, including five with runners in scoring position as they won for the fourth time at home this postseason.

First baseman Jesus Aguilar led the way for the Brew Crew with a 3-for-4, 3 RBI night as he banged two doubles on the night.

Brewers’ reliever Corey Knebel (1-0) pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

The Milwaukee Brewers bullpen would combine to allow zero hits in four and two-thirds innings.

Hyu-Jin Ryu (1-1) would suffer his first loss of the postseason as he lasted only three innings as he allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks.

Wade Miley, who got the start for the Milwaukee Brewers after starting Game 5 and being pulled after one batter, went four and a third innings allowing two runs on five hits and two walks.

David Freese, who knows a thing or two about big hits in the postseason, provided a big one that went out of the park in the first inning as his solo shot off Wade Miley gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.

As quickly as the Los Angeles Dodgers took the lead to begin Game 6, the team facing elimination would strike back with a fury in an instant.

The Milwaukee Brewers would put together a scintillating bottom of the first as they tallied five hits in a four-run outburst to take a 4-1 lead against left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Ryan Braun would add to the lead with a RBI double in the second inning as he scored Christian Yelich from second base.

The Dodgers would hasten Wade Miley’s exit in the fifth as David Freese’s RBI double and a Max Muncy walk would force Craig Counsell to go to his bullpen for right-hander Corey Knebel.

Knebel would come up huge by getting two of the Dodgers best hitters. Knebel would get Justin Turner to fly out and would strikeout Manny Machado swinging to end the inning and strand two base runners as both hitters represented the tying run.

Knebel would give the Brewers a clean sixth inning before he would be replaced by Jeremy Jeffress who would have a 1-2-3 seventh inning for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee would add runs over the seventh and eighth inning to put Los Angeles away for good.

The Milwaukee Brewers were going to go down swinging on Friday night after looking lifeless on offense in Games 4 and 5.

The Brewers offense is not their strength as a struggling Christian Yelich has exposed their limitations in run producers, but in Game 6 as a collective unit the team battled to get runs on the board in front of the home faithful.

Now with a Game 7 set for Saturday night, the only question is can they do it again?

That’s a question Dave Roberts is hoping they can’t as his Los Angeles Dodgers failed to close out the Brewers in their first attempt.

If the Los Angeles Dodgers want to advance to the World Series for a second straight season, they’ll have to weather a possible storm coming their way in Game 7 vs the Brewers.

The Milwaukee Brewers will be playing in their first Game 7 of any kind in franchise history on Saturday at Miller Park.

The Dodgers will be playing in their first Game 7 since last season when they lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Jhoulys Chacin will get the start for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 7 as he’ll be opposed by Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Walker Buehler.

Who will win Game 7? Leave your comments below!