Minnesota
Twins hand A’s record 109th loss
September 27 – Matt Wallner hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run first inning and Alex Kirilloff also homered as the Minnesota Twins handed the Oakland Athletics their record 109th loss this season with an 11-3 victory in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Donovan Solano went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double and three runs, and Christian Vazquez had a three-run double for American League Central Division champion Minnesota (84-73).
Bailey Ober (8-6) allowed two hits over five shutout innings to pick up the win. Ober didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight.
Chris Paddack — pitching for the first time since May 8, 2022, after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery — relieved Ober in the sixth and gave up three runs on four hits over two innings while striking out four.
Nick Allen lined a single to right on Paddack’s first pitch in the sixth but Paddack, who threw a career-high 99-mph fastball, rebounded to strike out the side that inning before yielding three runs in the seventh.
Seth Brown homered, Jordan Diaz had an RBI double and Brent Rooker and Allen each had two hits for Oakland (48-109). The 109th loss broke a tie with the 1979 A’s squad that finished 54-108 for most losses in a season since the team moved to Oakland in 1968. The franchise record is 117 set by the Connie Mack-managed Philadelphia Athletics (36-117) in 1916.
Paul Blackburn (4-7) took the loss, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out three.
Blackburn, pitching in a light rain, struck out Edouard Julien and Jorge Polanco to start the bottom of the first before allowing a single to Solano. Blackburn then walked three consecutive batters, the last one Kyle Farmer to force in a run.
Wallner then crushed a 3-1 sinker 463 feet near the top of the second deck in right center for his second career grand slam and 13th home run of the season to make it 5-0.
The Twins extended their lead to 7-0 in the fifth inning. Solano led off with a walk and, one out later, Kirilloff hit his 11th homer, off reliever Mason Miller just over the fence in left.
Oakland cut it to 7-3 in the seventh off Paddack thanks to Brown’s 14th homer, a two-run drive into the bullpen in left center, and an RBI double by Diaz.
Minnesota then broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by Vazquez’s bases-loaded double to right center.
–Field Level Media
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Minnesota
In a Minnesota Hotel Room, Suitcases Full of Lululemon
An East Coast couple arrested for alleged theft at a Lululemon store in Minnesota are now at the center of a probe into a wider $1 million crime spree in multiple states. The Star Tribune reports that 44-year-old Jadion Richards and 45-year-old Akwele Lawes-Richards of Danbury, Connecticut, were detained on Nov. 14 and charged a day later in Ramsey County with organized retail theft, tied to crimes that took place over the past two months. According to a criminal complaint, the couple had been stopped at a Lululemon store in Roseville on that Wednesday when they tried to exit the women’s athletic wear store and set off security alarms, per USA Today. Richards is said to have complained that he’d been racially profiled, and employees reportedly let the pair leave.
“The couple later commit[ed] fraudulent returns with the stolen items at different Lululemon stores,” police say, which led to their arrest at the Lululemon store in Woodbury, per the Kansas City Star. A retail fraud investigator later claimed that the two had been at the same store the day before, on Nov. 13, and lifted nearly four dozen items, with a combined value of nearly $5,000. They were alleged to have committed four other thefts that same day, including in Minneapolis. The couple denied involvement in any thefts, but with a search warrant issued after their arrest, police found 12 suitcases in their Marriott hotel room in Bloomington, a quarter of them stuffed with tagged Lululemon clothing, worth more than $50,000.
The investigator estimates the two stole about $1 million in total since September from Lululemon stores not only in Minnesota, but also in Colorado, Utah, New York, and their home state. Among the tactics the two are accused of using in their thefts, per the criminal complaint: having one of them distract staffers while the other shoved Lululemon products into whatever they were wearing. They also allegedly would have one of them set off the security alarm by trying to walk out with a relatively inexpensive item, while the other would sail out the door with more expensive items while store security was dealing with the first incident. Bail for Richards is set at $100,000, while Lawes-Richards’ is set at $30,000. Hearings for the two are scheduled for Dec. 16. (More Lululemon stories.)
Minnesota
Bear-ly Accurate Predictions: Week 12 Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Bears face off against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday and Windy City Pro Wrestlers, Redus and Traxx, help Ryan predict the winner! Each wrestler represents a different NFL team and steps into the ring for a face-to-face competition. Plus, Ryan gets some payback from the last time these wrestlers stepped inside the ring!
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
For more on Windy City Pro Wrestling, visit: officialwcpw.com.
SEE ALSO | ABC7 Sports Overtime with Dionne Miller
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Minnesota
Penn State Vs. Minnesota: How to Watch, Story Lines, Predictions
For Penn State football, keeping a low profile represents the best path Saturday at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions want to win, comfortably and quietly, let Ohio State and Indiana own college football’s oxygen this weekend and get to their regular-season finale against Maryland.
Penn State is in prime position to host a first-round College Football Playoff game, no matter how much College Football Influencers argue against it. The playoff committee has made that clear: Penn State has been No. 4 the past two weeks and should remain there, as long as Ohio State wins Saturday over the Hoosiers. A Buckeyes’ loss reignites debate. Penn State can hedge that debate with a no-doubt win at Minnesota that quietly appeases even the scoreboard-watchers.
What to expect from the Penn State-Minnesota game? Here’s the breakdown, including where to watch, what to watch, and our predictions.
No. 4 Penn State (9-1) vs. Minnesota (6-4)
How Andy Kotelnicki brought his Minnesota roots to Penn State’s offense
How to watch, stream the Penn State-Minnesota game
Penn State is playing on CBS for the second straight week and the third time this season. Fans can stream the game on the CBS Sports app as well. Brad Nessler and ary Danielson have the broadcast, and Jenny Dell will conduct sideline interviews. Penn State fans who can’t watch should turn to the Penn State Sports Network for the radio call with Steve Jones and Jack Ham. The games also is available on SiriusXM channels 83/158/196.
What is the betting line for Penn State-Minnesota?
The Nittany Lions are 11-point road favorites, according to DraftKings. The over/under is 45 points. Penn State is 9-0 as a favorite this season and 5-4 against the spread.
What Are the Primary Penn State-Minnesota Story Lines?
On the Penn State Coaches Show this week, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said something interesting: “Watching them on tape, [Minnesota] is very good on defense, maybe the best defense we’ve played this year.” That’s noteworthy, considering Ohio State’s defense, which held Penn State without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years, is ranked first by ESPN’s SP+, and Minnesota’s is 15th. The Gophers excel in takeaways (20, including 16 interceptions) and do so by playing largely a zone defense.
Freshman safety Koi Perich is Minnesota’s highest-graded defender (84.9, according to Pro Football Focus) and leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar noted that Minnesota’s secondary does ball-hawk but also generates turnovers through defensive line pressure. But Allar has proven capable of escaping pressure, beating zones with his checkdown receivers and avoiding interceptions. For Allar, identifying zone weaknesses (should Minnesota stick with it) with Tyler Warren and his underneath receivers will be essential. He also’s going to look to stretch the field, particularly when Penn State gets into its tempo offense.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s offensive strategy favors Penn State’s front-four aggressiveness and back-four experience. The Golden Gophers don’t have the receiving trio of Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Chris Autman-Bell they relied on to beat the Nittany Lions in 2019. Minnesota ranks 10th in the Big Ten in passing, though quarterback Max Brosner does have some chemistry with receiver Daniel Jackson (63 receptions, three for touchdowns). But Minnesota isn’t an explosive offense. The Gophers rank 96th nationally in explosive-play rate (12.32 percent). Penn State is sixth (17.91 percent).
Penn State Players to Watch
Nicholas Singleton: The running back is overdue for a big game. He hasn’t rushed for 50 yards in the past five games and hasn’t topped 100 since Bowling Green. Singleton looked healthy in limited snaps last week at Purdue and is ready to unleash.
AJ Harris: Penn State’s dip into the SEC for cornerbacks Harris and Jalen Kimber has proven smart. Watch for Harris on Minnesota’s Jackson.
Tre Wallace: Penn State needs a receiver to relieve some of the offensive pressure from Tyler Warren. If Minnesota overloads the tight end, Wallace should reap the benefits. He has to take advantage.
Minnesota Players to Watch
Max Brosmer: Minnesota’s quarterback has been underrated this year. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten in passer rating and has a completion rate of 67.1 percent. He’s not a big-play quarterback; Minnesota ranks 12th in the Big Ten in pass plays of 20+ yards. But he’s efficient and reasonably mistake-proof. Penn State can’t give him reason to believe.
Cody Lindenberg: Can’t highlight too many Minnesota defenders. The linebacker covers a lot of ground as Minnesota’s leading tackler and really attacks the run.
Darius Taylor: Minnesota will try to run with Taylor, though its offense ranks 17th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Taylor has had a couple big games (144 yards vs. USC, 131 vs. Illinois), but Rutgers held him to 28 yards on 10 carries last week.
The Predictions
Mark Wogenrich: This game has some potential red flags. If Penn State can’t get the run game going and starts throwing hastily, Minnesota’s defense will capitalize. Now, the Gophers don’t have a counter for Tyler Warren, so the Nittany Lions could ride him as they did last week at Purdue. This is a capable but not great Minnesota offense that Penn State should shutter. Still not feeling an overwhelming offensive performance, though. Penn State 24, Minnesota 13
Daniel Mader: The Golden Gophers’ secondary alone (16 interceptions) is enough to give Penn State another late-season challenge. However, based on the way the Nittany Lions took care of business against Washington and Purdue, I don’t think there’s any reason to doubt their current momentum. I think Penn State pulls away in the third quarter, owning the ground game on both sides of the ball for win No. 10. Penn State 31, Minnesota 14
More Penn State Football
How Minnesota is preparing for No. 4 Penn State
Is Penn State’s defense getting overlooked this season?
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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