The stage was set for the Houston Astros to once again overcome their deficiencies on the mound with their stars in the batter’s box.
For the second day in a row, the Astros put themselves in an early hole against the Chicago White Sox in their American League wild-card series. In Game 1, it was rookie reliever AJ Blubaugh who imploded as the opening act of a wayward bullpen game, recording two outs and walking three before being replaced. Facing elimination on Wednesday in Game 2, it was Houston’s best pitcher, right-hander Hunter Brown, who couldn’t finish the first frame.

Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua (hip) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Sept. 30.
SOURCE: SI.com

Why it Matters: Nacua has been sidelined a couple of games with the injury, but with a limited session under his belt to start the week, he may be able to return to action in Week 4. Nacua is a must-start option if he does suit up, but if he misses another game, Davante Adams will have WR1 potential once again.

The Vikings have scratched and clawed their way to a 3-0 record. Dating back to last year, Minnesota has won eight in a row.
They’ve done it with defense and special teams. Their offense, to date, has not been good enough.
Via NBC Sports research, the Vikings could become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win four straight games without gaining 250 or more yards.
Currently, the Vikings have the worst offense in the NFL, with an average output of 238.3 yards per game. (The Titans rank 31st, with 249.3.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and a handful of players are trending up in October.
Over the season, the Dodgers boast a top-three bullpen, according to multiple ERA indicators like FIP and xERA, and it could get even better in the postseason as some pitchers move into relief roles.

Offensive lineman Caden Maas stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Wednesday, August 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Big 12 availability report for Iowa State’s Homecoming matchup with West Virginia was released Wednesday night.
The Cyclones face the Mountaineers at 11 a.m. Saturday, the teams have given an initial update on the health status of some of its players.
Here is the full availability report from Wednesday, which can be found on the Big 12’s website beginning three days before each conference game.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning  watches a football game Sept. 28, 2026 between Hill County Middle School and Lake Travis in Austin. (Bevo Shiftlet)

The most popular quarterback in Austin made a surprising stop this week. 
Texas Longhorns star Arch Manning was spotted at a seventh grade football game Monday featuring Hill Country Middle School, a junior high for Westlake, Chaps varsity football coach Tony Salazar confirmed to the American-Statesman. A team schedule on the school website says that Hill Country was facing Lake Travis.

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Phillies news: What Cristopher Sanchez told Bryce Harper before clutch HR appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies will live to play another day. Philadelphia had its back against the wall against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. But thanks in part to Bryce Harper, the Phillies staved off elimination in their NL Wild Card series.
Harper had a costly error in this game against the Braves. He misplayed a line drive that resulted in the Braves scoring runs.

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Capitals news: Alex Ovechkin sounds off on facing Hurricanes for his Year 22 debut appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Alex Ovechkin is healthy enough for Friday, and that was the part he cared about. Speaking after Wednesday’s practice, the Capitals captain addressed missing the preseason with a lower-body injury and framed it as the right call ahead of his 22nd NHL season.
“I feel okay, but it sucks that I miss games,” Ovechkin told reporters.

The Iowa football program has a Herculean task in front of it on Saturday. And that challenge just got a little more difficult.
The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes are hosting No. 6 Ohio State inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon as “College GameDay” descends upon Iowa City. Phil Parker’s defense will have to contend with third-year Buckeye wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. And they’ll have to do so without a key contributor on the back end.
Third-year defensive back Tyler Brown was ruled out against Ohio State in Wednesday’s availability report.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Head Coach Jesse Minter of the Baltimore Ravens looks on against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ravens fans and fans across the country.

The White Sox finished off the Astros with a 7-3 win on Wednesday to secure their first playoff series win since beating Houston in the 2005 World Series.

The Golden State Warriors have put together their teams through a variety of ways over the years, yet few approaches have proven as successful as the NBA draft. More than anything else, the most talented players to represent the Warriors have arrived in Golden State either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades executed on that same night.
The Golden State Warriors have taken many of their top stars through the draft, but have also landed a number of notable players over the years as well.

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are back at Petco Park Wednesday night for Game 2 of the AL wild-card series, with the Padres taking a 1-0 series lead on the back of Tuesday night’s 8-0 shutout.
Padres starter Michael King flirted with a no-hitter to open up the series, finally allowing his first and only hit of the game in the top of the seventh inning with a single for Cubs 2B Nico Hoerner. OF Fernando Tatis Jr. shined on offense with a three-run effort, including a home run to open up the bottom of the first inning.

From 121 losses to an Astros sweep: 10 moments that explain the White Sox’s remarkable turnaround originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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White Sox fans have spent the last several years getting exceptionally good at finding reasons to keep watching. A promising prospect. A decent start. A reminder that baseball seasons eventually end, even the ones that feel determined to last forever. Wednesday offered something considerably better: a playoff series celebration.

After blowing the doors off of Illinois last week in the ‘Shoe, Ohio State now heads to Iowa to play in a very tough environment, and head coach Ryan Day knows it. It won’t be easy to beat a ranked Hawkeyes team that just polished off a last-second win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, and the Buckeyes will have to be at their very best.
After losing to Texas by a point in Week 2, Ohio State can’t really afford to drop another one and expect to get the benefit of the doubt as things get longer in the tooth on the season.

The Carolina Panthers have enough injury problems heading into Sunday night’s matchup against the Detroit Lions. Their starting quarterback is now officially on the injury report, too.
Bryce Young was listed Wednesday with a knee injury after getting banged up during Carolina’s 21-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns. There is good news for the Panthers, however, as Young was a full participant in Wednesday’s walkthrough and currently appears on track to start against Detroit.
That’s significant considering how well Young has played through the first three weeks of the season.

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Drake Maye said Wednesday the physical condition of his right shoulder hasn’t affected his throwing ability, instead highlighting the need to make better decisions to reverse his early-season struggles in the Patriots’ 1-2 start.

Rams head coach Sean McVay says the NFL told the team that defensive pass interference should not have been called against cornerback Josh Wallace in Sunday night’s loss to the Broncos.

Titans quarterback Cam Ward on Wednesday addressed fans’ threats to his family on social media.

Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony sustained “additional damage to some muscles” in his right hand and wrist in Tuesday’s Game 1 loss and has been removed from the team’s wild-card series roster.

Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out home run in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Braves to force a decisive Game 3 in their National League Wild Card Series.

Former White Sox shortstop Gordon Beckham joins

David Samson joins CBS Sports HQ to recap Game

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Where to watch Padres vs. Cubs today: Channel, time, TV schedule, live stream for NL Wild Card Game 2 originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The San Diego Padres are a win away from avenging last year’s Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs and will try to close out the series Wednesday at home. 
San Diego wasted no time setting the tone in the opener, with first-inning homers from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado sparking an 8-0 blowout.

A few years ago, boxing was abuzz about a quartet of talented lightweights all primed and ready to face each other for years to come. The so-called “Four Princes” of Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney were young and supposedly hungry to prove who was the dominant force at 135 pounds.
However, the foursome have only fought a paltry two bouts against each other thus far. Davis knocked out Garcia in seven rounds in April 2023, and Garcia beat Haney by majority decision the following year at super lightweight.

An immigration judge granted Kentucky State basketball player Amina Seck a motion to reopen her deportation proceedings in court on Wednesday afternoon, halting her deportation order, Seck’s attorney Hishem Alsalman told The Athletic.
Seck, 26, a native of Senegal who has been in federal custody since Aug. 7, is now eligible for a bond hearing which could grant her release from Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Ky. If released, she would be required to continue making appearances in immigration court, but would be able to do that without being in detention.

Outside linebacker and edge rusher Matt Judon, seen with the New England Patriots in 2021, has 10 years in the NFL, also playing with the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. He has 72 sacks in 145 career NFL games. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

Another week, another round of reinforcements for the San Francisco 49ers.
Neither player appeared during the open locker room period, but new practice squad signees Matthew Judon (No. 43) and Dante Pettis (No. 15) already had their lockers in place on Wednesday. And both players took to the practice field.

Source: operations@newsimages.co.uk/Depositphotos
Aaron Rodgers believes the Steelers have started to find some offensive rhythm after a difficult opening two weeks this season. Pittsburgh scored 30 points against Cincinnati on Sunday, giving the unit its first 30-point outing of the 2026 season. Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the 30-27 win, while Jaylen Warren added 176 total yards.
The turnaround now sends Pittsburgh to Cleveland for a Thursday night AFC North meeting. Both teams enter Week 4 at 2-1 after victories last weekend.

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Chase Meidroth knew right away that he had his

Chase Meidroth hits a three-run home run to ext

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Matt Vasgersian, John Kruk and C. J.

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3 Braves most to blame for crushing Game 2 loss to Phillies appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies escaped with a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Wednesday to keep their season alive. Philadelphia was defeated 5-3 in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday in Game 1, but the Phillies bounced back in Game 2 to earn the win. It was a competitive affair that saw Philadelphia trailing 3-1 at one point.

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 20: Arda Guler of Real Madrid during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on September 20, 2026 in Madrid Spain (Photo by Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier today, Real Madrid announced that Arda Güler is the team’s player of the month for September.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Gervon Dexter Sr. #95 of the Atlanta Falcons goes to the locker room at halftime of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Falcons traded for Gervon Dexter thinking he could be a force in their defensive front. Dexter was an on-again, off-again presence in the Chicago Bears defense, one who was intermittently useful against the run and more frequently a fearsome pass rusher.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 28: D’Marco Jackson #48 of the Chicago Bears tackles Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles out of bounds during the second quarter of the game at Soldier Field on September 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was widespread offseason speculation that the Chicago Bears defense would be a bottom-10 unit this season. The defense was also viewed as a top regression candidate, particularly because of the amount of turnovers they produced last season.

Jose Altuve hits the Astros’ third home r

Alec Bohm recounts his go-ahead home run in ext

MORGANTOWN — In one of the great ironies of time, the Protect College Sports Act, which allegedly was proposed to bring some sanity to what has been termed the “Wild West” era of collegiate sports, has become a political football as it passed in the Senate, 77-22, and now moves on to the House of Representatives.
The bill grants the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in order to restore its five-year eligibility rule while limiting transfers.

Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out home run in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Braves to force a decisive Game 3 in their NL Wild Card series.

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Cam Smith puts another one on the board by way

Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve share what im