WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg took his turn silencing the Cardinals’ struggling bats, Nationals postseason star Howie Kendrick doubled three times and drove in three more runs, and Washington moved one win from the city’s first World Series appearance in 86 years by beating St. Louis 8-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Strasburg struck out 12 in 7 innings.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled for Andy Reid’s entire tenure to stop the run. Now, with a team pegged as Super Bowl contenders, they may be worse than ever. Injuries have mounted on the defensive line, middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens also is hobbled and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s switch from a 3-4 system to a 4-3 has failed to produce any noticeable improvement. It’s no wonder the Chiefs’ run defense is making opposing backs look like stars.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The defensive numbers for No. 15 Texas are bad and getting worse. The Longhorns rank last in the Big 12 in pass defense and their current pace of 453.3 total yards allowed per game would break some dubious records. What shocked coach Tom Herman the most about the 34-27 loss to Oklahoma was how easily the Sooners pushed around and ran through his team.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback and redshirt freshman Spencer Sanders has experienced ups and downs during his last three games. The Cowboys face No. 18 Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) at home on Saturday following its bye week. Oklahoma State (4-2, 1-2) will need a strong showing from Sanders after the Cowboys’ 45-35 loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 5.
National Headlines
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) _ Mason Crosby capped the Green Bay Packers’ comeback from a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit by drilling a 23-yard field goal as time expired to give his team a 23-22 win over the Detroit Lions. The Lions led 22-13 until Aaron Rodgers hit Allen Lazard for a 35-yard scoring pass with 8:03 remaining. Rodgers was 24 of 39 for 283 yards and two touchdowns as the 5-1 Packers dropped the Lions to 2-2-1.
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) _ Ryan Blaney earned his first win of the season and a berth in the third round of NASCAR’s Cup playoffs by beating Newman in a door-to-door race to the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway. Blaney was the leader on a restart with two laps remaining, but he fell behind Newman before receiving a push from fellow Ford driver Aric Almirola. Blaney joins Kyle Larson in the round of eight, with six spots sill available.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs say they plan to interview former Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler and Houston bench coach Joe Espada this week about their managerial opening. The Astros have an off day today ahead of Game 3 in the ALCS in New York on Tuesday. Kapler was fired last week after going 161-163 in two years with the Phillies.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts has completed his first full practice in nearly three weeks and is expected to play Sunday against Houston. Leonard missed Indy’s previous two games with a concussion and used social media to announce last Wednesday he had been cleared through the concussion protocol. The Colts, who are 3-and-2, had a bye last weekend.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have placed guard Kyle Long on injured reserve because of a hip injury and promoted defensive end Abdullah Anderson from the practice squad. Long has been plagued by the hip injury since early in the season. It’s the fourth straight year Long has gone on injured reserve. Last year he returned after eight weeks.
Monday Scores
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Washington 8 St. Louis 1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Green Bay 23 Detroit 22
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Final Miami 120 Atlanta 87
Final Charlotte 120 Memphis 99
Final Dallas 107 Oklahoma City 70
Final Sacramento 128 Utah 115
Final Denver 107 Phoenix 102
Final L.A. Lakers 104 Golden State 98