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Detroit Tigers inch closer to playoffs with epic 7-6 comeback win vs. Kansas City Royals

Published

3 months ago

September 17, 2024

Detroit Tigers inch closer to playoffs with epic 7-6 comeback win vs. Kansas City Royals

The Detroit Tigers fell behind by four runs on a grand slam by Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. in the third inning, but they chipped away at the deficit in the middle innings.

The never-quit approach from the Tigers resulted in one run in the fourth, three runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth. Along the way, the Tigers received key hits from Colt Keith, Wenceel Pérez and Matt Vierling, among others.

“I don’t think anybody thought we were out of it,” Keith said.

The Tigers beat the Royals, 7-6, in Monday’s opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

With the win, the Tigers (78-73) trail the Minnesota Twins by 1½ games for the third and final spot in the American League wild card, with 11 games remaining. The Twins blew a three-run lead in a 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in the first of four games in their series.

The Tigers have a 23-10 record in their last 33 games.

“Huge win,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “It was an incredible win because of how we had to do it. … Incredible win and great performance by so many of our guys.”

To get to the finish line, the Tigers had to keep the Royals from scoring in the final four innings after grabbing a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning. They were successful in doing so, thanks to strong performances from relievers Brenan Hanifee, Will Vest, Beau Brieske and Jason Foley.

In the seventh, Vest stranded runners on the corners when he recorded flyouts against both Witt and Salvador Perez. In the eighth, Brieske stranded runners on first and second when he struck out MJ Melendez and induced an inning-ending double play against Maikel Garcia.

Brieske struck out Melendez with a 99.5 mph fastball.

“A couple different times they responded to us scoring by getting guys on base,” Hinch said. “It’s a ton of pressure. They run a lot. They have a lot of athleticism. There’s a reason why these guys have a ton of wins, and why they’re in the thick of things. They play their 27 outs, too.”

Foley took over for the ninth inning.

He retired pinch-hitter Robbie Grossman, Kyle Isbel and Tommy Pham in order for his 24th save in 27 chances.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Reese Olson returns

Right-hander Reese Olson returned from a near two-month absence on the injured list. The 25-year-old hadn’t pitched for the Tigers since July 20 because of a right shoulder strain.

He retired six batters in a row, a product of his nasty slider, before walking Adam Frazier to open the third inning.

“I felt fine,” Olson said. “That’s a win, I guess. The first two innings, I felt about as good as I could. In the third inning, I walked a guy, ground ball finds a hole, the bunt, and then I made one bad pitch. It’s four runs, but the guys picked me up.”

The Royals loaded the bases in the third, thanks to Frazier’s walk, Yuli Gurriel’s single that got past shortstop Trey Sweeney, and Isbel’s perfect bunt single.

Witt took advantage by crushing Olson’s hanging curveball for a grand slam — putting the Royals ahead, 4-0 — with one out in the third inning. After that, Perez slapped a single to right field that chased Olson from his start.

Olson allowed four runs on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts across 2⅓ innings, throwing 50 pitches. He generated five whiffs on 18 swings, but all five whiffs were from sliders.

Rally Tigers

The Tigers stranded the bases loaded in the third inning, when Keith grounded out, but the Tigers didn’t miss later opportunities to score against right-hander Seth Lugo.

Sweeney delivered a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, cutting the Tigers’ deficit to 4-1. The Royals answered with a run against left-handed reliever Sean Guenther in the bottom of the fourth.

In the fifth inning, Vierling hit an RBI single and Keith crushed a two-run home run, making it a 5-4 deficit.

Keith pulled Lugo’s first-pitch changeup for a two-run home run to right-center field. It was his 13th homer in 138 games but his first homer since Aug. 24 (and his second homer since July 27).

“I thought he was going to throw a first-pitch fastball,” Keith said, “and I wanted to hit it to center and get the barrel out on it. He ended up throwing a changeup, left it in the zone, and I just tried to stay through it as best I could. I ended up back-spinning it, so that got it out of the park.”

Lugo allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts across 4⅔ innings, throwing 96 pitches. He entered Monday’s game with a 2.94 ERA but departed with a 3.05 ERA following his 31st start.

The Tigers worked Lugo for 64 pitches in the first three innings, including 24 pitches in both the first and third.

“It’s nothing overpowering,” Spencer Torkelson said. “It’s not like it’s 98 (mph) where you don’t see it. It’s really an at-bat where you get yourself out early if you let him. You know he’s not going to give in. It’s being selective, but not too selective. It’s like a semi-selective aggressive approach.”

Again, the Royals responded with another run — taking a 6-4 lead — on Isbel’s triple and Witt’s infield single against right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee in the bottom of the fifth.

The Tigers, though, wouldn’t go away.

Back-to-back singles from Andy Ibáñez and Jake Rogers against left-handed reliever Sam Long put runners on the corners in the sixth inning, with Pérez driving them in with a pinch-hit, two-run double into the left-field corner. After that, Vierling shot an RBI single into right field, facing right-handed reliever John Schreiber.

The three-run sixth put the Tigers ahead, 7-6.

“He’s a guy that was hitting in the middle of our order, gets hurt (with an oblique strain), and when he comes back, everything on our team has changed, and he didn’t change,” Hinch said of Pérez. “He hasn’t missed a beat. We hurried him back to get him in the mix because having a switch-hitter, even if it was on the bench, is going to be very valuable to make decisions during the game.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

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Kansas State Has Another Second-Half Collapse In Loss To Wichita State

Published

48 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Kansas State Has Another Second-Half Collapse In Loss To Wichita State

The Kansas State Wildcats looked like a strong basketball team for one half.

And then the second half happened.

The Wildcats were outscored by 23 in the final 20 minutes in an 84-65 loss to Wichita State Saturday night on the road.

“They were better than us, especially in the second half,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “I thought their staff did a great job of putting a game plan together of how they wanted to attack us.”

It was the second time the Wildcats had a second-half collapse. The same thing happened in a blowout loss at St. John’s earlier this month.

“The other coaches did a better job of making adjustments than our staff did,” Tang said.

Xavier Bell led the Shockers with a season-high 24 points. Macaleab Rich led the Wildcats with 20 points.

WILDCATS SIGN RECEIVER

Kansas State is making moves within the transfer portal. Their most recent acquisition former Boston College wide receiver Jerand Bradley.

Bradley had just six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Eagles. However, he compiled 92 receptions for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns with Texas Tech, illustrating his ability to produce. He will have many opportunities to replicate this in Manhattan, with the Wildcats reeling after losing their top two receivers.

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS HAVE NEW UNIFORMS FOR RATE BOWL AGAINST RUTGERS

As Kansas State gears up for the Rutgers Scarlet Knight, storylines have been flying around regarding the transfer portal, new recruits, and possible breakout performances.

But a more light-hearted note was the Wildcats getting to unveil their new uniforms in the Rate Bowl.

Wildcats veteran Taylor Poitier said it was “really cool” to be able to suit up in these newer designs.

“We rarely get to wear those types of uniform combos, so I’m really excited to wear them,” Poitier said. “They’ll look pretty cool out there.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Taylor Swift shares group hug with mom Andrea and Donna Kelce after Chiefs’ big win against Texans

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Taylor Swift shares group hug with mom Andrea and Donna Kelce after Chiefs’ big win against Texans

‘Tis the damn season for Taylor Swift to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play football!

The Grammy winner was spotted sharing a group hug with her mom, Andrea Swift, and Travis’s mom, Donna Kelce, after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.

In a video shared on X, the “Cruel Summer” singer — who wore a red Charlotte Simone coat ($404) and black Chanel bucket hat — could be seen hugging Andrea as Donna stood and clapped alongside them. Then, as Donna turned toward them, the ladies pulled her in to join their warm embrace.

When they eventually pulled away from the group hug, Taylor, Andrea and Donna turned back toward the field and continued clapping.

This weekend’s victory was a special one for the Chiefs as it marked their first undefeated season at home since 2003.

The last time the Chiefs went 8-0 at Arrowhead was 2003. And now that they’re 14-1 overall, they have matched their most victories in the regular season — also accomplished in 2020 and 2022.

The pop star’s attendance at the game came a week after she and Kelce — who began dating in summer 2023 — celebrated her 35th birthday together on Dec. 13.

Although the Super Bowl champion, 35, had a “mandatory” team Christmas party to attend, he made sure to “leave early to go be with Taylor for her birthday.”

A source told Page Six that the pro athlete showered Swift with a “a ton of gifts” for her special day.

We also learned that they had an intimate gathering “just them two,” with a separate source telling us that Kelce wanted to make her birthday “extra special.”

Prior to her private birthday festivities, Swift gushed about Kelce during her visit to a children’s hospital in Kansas City.

The “Anti-Hero” singer chatted with a young patient who said, “I like Travis now,” to which Swift replied, “Yes, me too!”

“That’s an absolute yes on that one,” she added.

The billionaire musician had skipped Kelce’s previous away game against the Cleveland Browns, which the Chiefs won 21-7.

The pop songstress has only attended home games this season due to security reasons.

Swift also did not attend the team’s Dec. 8 match-up versus the Los Angeles Chargers as she was wrapping up her record-breaking Eras Tour in Vancouver.

However, the singer paid tribute to her beau during her final concert with a shout-out to the “guy on the Chiefs” while performing her hit song “Karma.”

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Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs prediction, odds, best bets for NFL on Saturday

Published

17 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs prediction, odds, best bets for NFL on Saturday

The Houston Texans will square off with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 of the NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have yet to score 30 points in a game this season, and with a predicted score of 23-20, our data model thinks that streak will remain intact. However, our experts believe the oddsmaker have gotten overly aggressive with the total: our best bet for today is Over 41.5 points (-115).

In anticipation of this late-season AFC clash, the data analysts at Dimers.com have simulated the game 10,000 times, and then compared these results to current NFL betting odds to inform the data-driven betting preview provided to you below.

This preview includes Dimers’ best bets and predicted scoreline for Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs. To unlock Dimers’ full suite of data-driven betting insights, which includes daily props, trends, and parlays, sign up for Dimers Pro with promo code SYRACUSE10, which will save you 10% off your first subscription payment.

Bet365 is now legal in Pennsylvania, making this the perfect chance for Steelers fans to claim huge betting bonuses with our brand new exclusive bet365 bonus code “SYRACUSE”, while sports fans in New York State can take full advantage of our NBA League Pass FanDuel promo code. Additionally, bettors are encouraged to check out this exclusive promo offer from DraftKings and BetMGM.

Texans vs. Chiefs betting preview

Utilize the interactive widget below to discover the current spread, over/under, and moneyline betting odds and probabilities for the Texans-Chiefs game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

This prediction and best bet for Saturday’s NFL matchup between the Texans and Chiefs is from Dimers.com, a trusted source for sports betting predictions.

Check out all the important details on today’s game, as well as the best odds sourced from the top sportsbooks in the country.

Game details

Key information on the Texans vs. Chiefs matchup, including where the game is and what time it kicks off.

Teams: Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024
Kickoff: 1 p.m. EST
Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
NFL standings: Current NFL division standings
NFL injuries: Check the latest updates to the official NFL injury report

Odds

The latest and best odds for the NFL battle between the Texans and Chiefs.

Spread: Texans +3.5 (-115), Chiefs -3.5 (-102)
Moneyline: Texans +160, Chiefs -180
Total: Over/Under 41.5 (-115/-105)

The odds and lines presented here are the best available from selected sports betting sites at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Expert prediction: Texans vs. Chiefs

Utilizing state-of-the-art data analysis and advanced algorithms, the experts at Dimers have performed 10,000 simulations of Saturday’s Texans vs. Chiefs game.

According to Dimers’ famous predictive analytics model, the Chiefs are more likely to beat the Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. This prediction is based on the model giving the Chiefs a 63% chance of winning the game.

Elsewhere on the betting board, Dimers predicts that the bookies have gotten it right and the Texans and Chiefs each have a 50% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 41.5 points has a 56% chance of going over.

As always, these predictions and probabilities are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change.

Texans vs. Chiefs best bet

Our top pick for the Texans vs. Chiefs Week 16 NFL game is to bet on Over 41.5 points (-115).

This betting advice is formulated through detailed simulations and valuable wagering intelligence, designed to deliver you the best possible plays.

Score prediction for Texans vs. Chiefs

Dimers’ projected final score for the Houston vs. Kansas City game on Saturday has the Chiefs winning 23-20.

This expert prediction is based on each team’s average score following 10,000 game simulations, offering a glimpse into the potential outcome.

NFL player props: Saturday

NFL player props are an exciting way to wager on Saturday’s game without necessarily betting on its outcome.

This article features the most likely first and anytime touchdown scorers for the Texans and Chiefs, along with projected player stats.

Houston Texans

First touchdown scorer predictions

Joe Mixon: 14.4% probability
Nico Collins: 10.6% probability
Tank Dell: 6.6% probability

Anytime touchdown predictions

Joe Mixon: 53.3% probability
Nico Collins: 41.6% probability
Tank Dell: 28.4% probability

Projected box score leaders

QB passing yards: C.J. Stroud, 270 yards
Receiving yards: Nico Collins, 86 yards
Rushing yards: Joe Mixon, 73 yards

Kansas City Chiefs

First touchdown scorer predictions

Isiah Pacheco: 8.2% probability
DeAndre Hopkins: 7.3% probability
Xavier Worthy: 6.7% probability

Anytime touchdown predictions

Isiah Pacheco: 34.1% probability
DeAndre Hopkins: 30.0% probability
Travis Kelce: 28.7% probability

Projected box score leaders

QB passing yards: Patrick Mahomes, 274 yards
Receiving yards: Travis Kelce, 64 yards
Rushing yards: Isiah Pacheco, 51 yards

NFL Week 16: Texans vs. Chiefs

Get ready for Saturday’s matchup between the Texans and Chiefs in Week 16 of the NFL season at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EST. We emphasize that all of the NFL best bets and NFL predictions on this page are based on 10,000 data-driven simulations of the Texans vs. Chiefs matchup, and they are accurate at the time of publication. They aim to assist you make more informed choices when placing bets at online sportsbooks.

Please note that when engaging in online betting, it is important to exercise responsible gambling practices and consult reputable sources for the latest and most accurate information.

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