(Milwaukee, WI) — Start times for the Brewers playoff games have been released. Games 1 and 2 will be played at American Family Field and Jacob Misiorowski has already been named the first-game starter. Game 1 will start at 3:00 pm if the Cubs emerge winners from their series against the Padres. Should the Padres advance, the start time will be 7:30 pm. Game 2 will start at 3:00 and that could conflict with at least part of the Packers game against Tampa Bay. The NFL kickoff is at noon, but pro football games routinely last a little over three hours.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets blasted a two-run homer, five Padres pitchers combined on a five-hitter, and San Diego swept the Chicago Cubs out of the NL Wild Card Series with a 4-1 victory in Game 2. Xander Bogaerts drove in the first run for the surging Padres, who followed up their 8-0 victory in Tuesday’s opener with another dominant mound performance. The Cubs led the majors in runs and and the NL in homers this year, but they managed just eight hits over 18 innings against San Diego’s inspired staff. The Padres advanced to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in an NL division series.
ATLANTA (AP) — Alec Bohm put Philadelphia ahead with a two-out home run in the 10th inning and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 to force a decisive third game in their National League Wild Card Series. The Phillies rallied with back-to-back homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper after trailing 3-1 in the seventh. Harper’s homer made up for a crucial fielding mistake an inning earlier. Andrew Painter, a starter in the regular season, saved the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen with three scoreless innings to close things out. Painter stranded two runners in the 10th when he struck out Dominic Smith with a successful ABS challenge.
NEW YORK (AP) — Max Fried dominated Boston in the playoffs for the second straight year, Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. homered, and the New York Yankees romped over the Red Sox 9-2 for a two-game AL Wild Card Series sweep. Clinging to a 2-1 lead after Willson Contreras homered to end Boston’s 26-inning postseason scoreless streak, the Yankees broke the game open with a six-run sixth after Spencer Jones reached on a wild pitch while striking out leading off — with the help of a video review. New York will face AL East champion Tampa Bay in an AL Division Series starting Saturday.
HOUSTON (AP) — The Chicago White Sox used a big first inning and a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth to propel them to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros to sweep their AL Wild Card Series. It’s the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005. Under the direction of second-year skipper Will Venable and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers’ struggling offense underwent more upheaval Wednesday with the arrival of veteran guard Kevin Zeitler and the announcement that wide receiver Jayden Reed won’t play again this season. Reed will have surgery after injuring his neck in the first quarter of the Packers’ 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Jets on Sept. 20. Zeitler becomes the third experienced guard to join the Packers this week. They signed Laken Tomlinson to their 53-man roster and added Mekhi Becton to their practice squad Tuesday.
(East Lansing, MI) — Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald says the Badgers defense played “lights out” against Penn State. His Spartans take on Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference game Saturday. Sports Illustrated reports that Fitzgerald says it’s apparent UW is a Luke Fickell team. He says they are physical and tough and they showed it by the way they were able to come back in front of a hostile crowd in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
(Milwaukee, WI) — If the NBA decides to make an example of the Bucks over the Gary Trent contract, it could take years to bounce back. Finding Milwaukee did circumvent the salary cap could result in the loss of five first-round draft picks, for instance. A writer for Behind the Buck Pass points out that you can’t draft the next superstar without draft picks. You need draft equity to make some trades, and top-tier free agents will only come to the Midwest if there’s a genuine contender already in place. There are no indications when the league might make its decision.
WEDNESDAY SEP 30
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Marquette @ DePaul
THURSDAY OCT 1
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Indiana @ Wisconsin
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–Division I Women
Boston College @ Wisconsin