San Diego, CA
How To Watch NL Wild Card Series: Milwaukee, San Diego The Favorites
The New York Mets and Atlanta traded celebrations on the same Truist Field on Monday, when the wild National League wild card race was finally decided.
The NL needed an extra day and two postponed games to settle things, but when Atlanta beat the Mets 3-0 to salvage a split in a doubleheader pushed back because of Hurricane Helene, Arizona was left out.
All three finished the regular season at 89-73, but the Diamondbacks lost a tiebreaker after losing season series to Atlanta (5-2) and the Mets (4-3).
“We’re in, and anything can happen,” manager Brian Snitker said after Atlanta secured a playoff berth for the seventh straight season.
The Diamondbacks can lament the final eight days of the season — they lost an 8-0 lead in a 10-9 loss at Milwaukee on Sept. 22 and lost home series to San Francisco and San Diego in the last week.
The Mets won 19 of their final 28 games, the best record in the majors, to reach the playoffs for the second time since 2016. Atlanta was 16-12 in that stretch and the Diamondbacks were 13-15. The Mets were 11 games under .500 open June 2.
Milwaukee and San Diego not only will have the home field field advantage, they will have the freshness edge after the Mets and Atlanta played 18 innings Monday.
No. 6 seed New York Mets (89-73) vs No. 3 seed Milwaukee (93-69)
Tuesday: New York Mets (Luis Severino, 11-7, 3.91 ERA) at Milwaukee (Freddy Peralta, 11-9, 3.68), ESPN, 4:30 pm ET
Wednesday: New York Mets at Milwaukee, ESPN, 6:30 pm ET
Thursday: New York Mets at Milwaukee ESPN2, 7:30 pm ET (if necessary)
Season series: Milwaukee, 5-1. The Brewers opened the season with a three-game sweep in New York and closed the season by winning two of three. The Mets’ victory Sunday opened their window a little wider.
Players to watch/things to know
New York Mets: SS Francisco Lindor gave Shohei Ohtani a run for the NL MVP award with 33 homers, 91 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. He pushed the Mets into the playoffs with a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the 7-6 victory in the first game at Atlanta on Monday.
1B Pete Alonso had 34 homers and 88 RBIs in his walk year, and RF Brandon Nimmo had 90 RBIs and 23 homers, including big ones in the final week stretch against Philadelphia and Atlanta.
The Mets had four double-digit winners, led by lefty Sean Manaea, who tied his career high with 12 wins and had a carer-best 3.47 ERA after signing a two-year, $28 million deal last winter that includes a player option.
Milwaukee: SS Willy Adames set career highs in almost every offensive category — 32 homers, 112 RBIs, 33 doubles, 21 stolen bases — as he prepares to hit the free agent market this winter. 1B Rhys Hoskins has 26 homers and 82 RBIs in his first (and maybe only season) here.
Rookie Jackson Chourio made a late run at the Rookie of the Year award, finishing with 21 homers, 22 stolen bases and 79 RBIs. Chourio, who signed an eight-year, $82 million deal at the winter meetings, is the only player in major league history with a 20/20/20 three peat — 20 homers and stolen bases at age 20.
The Brewers made the playoffs for sixth time in seven seasons under first-year manager Pat Murphy. He used 17 starting pitches, only three of whom make more than 14 starts. They have 64 defensive runs “saved,” according to Fangraphs, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most in the league, and have 217 stolen bases.
No. 5 seed Atlanta (89-73) vs No. 4 seed San Diego (93-69)
Tuesday: Atlanta (TBA) at San Diego (Michael King, 13-9, 2.95), ESPN, 7:30 pm ET
Wednesday: Atlanta at San Diego ESPN2, 7:30 pm ET
Thursday: Atlanta at San Diego, ESPN, 6 pm ET (if necessary)
Season series: San Diego won, 4-3. The Padres won three of four in Atlanta but lost two of three at home before the All-Star break. Chris Sale won both his starts agains the Padres, giving up one run in 12 innings.
Players to watch/things to know
Atlanta: Sale is the overwhelming favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award after going 18-3 with a league-leading 2.38 ERA in his first season in Atlanta, but his health is a major issue entering the playoffs.
Sale was scratched from his scheduled start in the second game of the Monday doubleheader against the Mets because of back spasms, and manager Snitker said he is unlikely to pitch against the Padres, a huge blow even for a team whose starters led the NL with a 3.56 ERA.
DH Marcell Ozuna (39 homers, 104 RBIs) and 1B Matt Olson (29/98) were two of the only three players with least 450 at-bats for the injury-ravaged Braves. RF Ronald Acuna, the 2023 NL MVP, has been out with a knee injury since May and 3B Austin Riley (19 homers) will miss the postseason with a broken hand suffered Aug. 18.
San Diego: 3B Manny Machado (29 homers), LF Jurickson Profar (24), CF Jackson Merrill (24) and RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (21) lead a balanced offense that got a bump when DH/IF Luis Arraez (.318) was acquired from Miami to fill the leadoff hole May 4. Arraez won his third batting title in three seasons.
Offseason acquisitions RHPs Dylan Cease and King anchor a solid rotation, and RHP Roberto Suarez had a career-high 36 saves in his first season as a closer. Merrill is a top candidate for NL Rookie of the Year, adding 90 RBIs.
The Padres are 43-19 since July 19, the best record in the majors over that span by three games. The Dodgers held them off in the division by going 41-23 in that same stretch. San Diego does a lot well. They lead the NL in batting average (263), are fifth in ERA (3.86), tied for first in shutouts (16) and fourth in fielding percentage.
San Diego, CA
Lilac fire north of San Diego escalates, evacuations ordered
STORY: ::Valley Roadrunner
::January 21, 2025
::Strong winds fuel the Lilac fire
north of San Diego
::Near Bonsall, California
:: Local media say more than 3,000 people
live in areas with evacuation orders
According to reports, the Lilac fire, which started at West Lilac Road, is burning is steep and rocky terrain close to properties.
Local media reported nearly 3,000 residents live in areas where evacuation orders have been issued.
San Diego, CA
USWNT, San Diego Wave CB Naomi Girma agrees to world-record Chelsea move: Report
A U.S. women’s national team star is about to set a world record.
San Diego Wave and American international center-back Naomi Girma agreed to move to English side Chelsea for a world-record women’s transfer fee of $1.1 million, The Athletic’s Meg Linehan reported Tuesday.
BREAKING: Chelsea Women have agreed to terms with the San Diego Wave for the transfer of USWNT defender Naomi Girma, sources tell The Athletic.
The 24-year-old is now set to become the first player to earn a transfer fee worth more than $1 million.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 21, 2025
Girma, 24, is still in the process of negotiating with the Blues, who currently are leading the Women’s Super League table as they look on pace to six-peat in the league. The Wave also recently dealt U.S. forward Jaedyn Shaw to the North Carolina Courage, so replacements will be required.
French club Lyon were also in hot pursuit of Girma’s signature and wanted to pay a lucrative sum, while other European teams held interest, the report added. Fellow English team Arsenal eventually were not among the final contenders.
The previous record for a women’s transfer belonged to Racheal Kundananji, who joined NWSL side Bay FC for $860,000 from Spanish side Madrid CFF.
Current USWNT manager Emma Hayes last coached at Chelsea prior to her switch to the States. Sonia Bompastor left Lyon to take over the Blues’ women’s team.
Girma joined the Wave in 2022 after a promising collegiate run at Stanford, where she has now developed into one of the world’s premier center-backs due to her on-the-ball and anticipation abilities.
Already at her age, Girma has won an Olympic gold medal, NWSL Shield, NWSL Challenge Cup and Women’s College Cup along with tournament successes in the Concacaf W Gold Cup and Concacaf Women’s Championship. Her individual achievements exceed a dozen, from U.S. Soccer Player of the Year to Concacaf nominations.
U.S. manager Hayes once lauded Girma as the best defender she has ever seen. A move to Chelsea could further bolster her reputation.
San Diego, CA
California wildfires: New blaze prompts evacuations in San Diego County
California wildfires: Two new wildfires broke in San Diego County in Southern California as powerful Santa Ana winds picked up pace on Tuesday.
Evacuation orders were issued for the Lilac Fire, which had burned about 50 acres (20 hectares), according to the Associated Press.
The fire was growing “with a moderate rate of spread and structures are threatened,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection posted.
Firefighters also made progress on the Pala Fire and it was reported as stopped, the agency said.
Also Read | Firefighters stop looters from stealing Emmy Award amid Los Angeles wildfires: ‘You’re not doing this’
The weather service has issued a warning of a “ particularly dangerous situation ” for parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties from Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning due to low humidity and damaging Santa Ana winds.
“The conditions are ripe for explosive fire growth should a fire start,” Andrew Rorke, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard, told AP.
The fresh threat comes two weeks after two major blazes, which are still burning in the Los Angeles area, killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in the residential enclaves of Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Los Angeles.
Also Read | LA wildfires: From Gurdwaras, Churches to Buddhist temples, faith communities join hands to aid fire victims
David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the biggest concerns are the Palisades and Eaton Fires breaking their containment lines and a new blaze starting.
“Don’t do things to start another fire so we can focus on the mitigation of the current fires,” Acuna said.
Kamala Harris visits Los Angeles
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff flew to Los Angeles on Monday after attending the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
They met with firefighters, volunteers and victims of the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
“We just came out to thank (firefighters), to thank the community and just remind folks that we’re all in this together,” Harris said, according to AP. She added that their home in Pacific Palisades was still standing.
Meanwhile, Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires during his inaugural address, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday.
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