The Sports Report: Dodgers are one win away from Fall Classic

Howdy, Im your host, Houston Mitchell.

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From Jack Harris : When the Dodgers dug into their lineups postseason problems at the end of last season, they noticed a strange October-wide trend.

Teams that swung freely seemed to advance more often in the playoffs, while more disciplined clubs like the Dodgers tended to flame out.

It was an observation that stuck with some Dodgers hitters, third baseman Max Muncy among them, over another long winter last year.

The teams that are making it to the World Series, theyre going up there and theyre getting their swings off, Muncy told Foul Territory last October, whereas were being too disciplined.

Entering this postseason, it led to a question: Should the notoriously selective Dodgers lineup stick to their picky approach? Or should they turn the bats loose and get more aggressive than they are in the regular season? The answer, as Muncy explained during the National League Division Series, was definitive.

Go out there and play our game, he declared.

Two weeks later, it has helped move the Dodgers to the doorstep of the World Series.

As theyve done all October, the Dodgers grinded at-bats, took walks and hit their way to a 10-2 win over the New York Mets on Thursday night, taking a 3-1 lead in the NL Championship Series with a chance to secure the pennant in Fridays Game 5.

Continue reading here Dodgers box score Plaschke: Done deal! Dodgers are a lock to finish off Mets and advance to World Series Dodgers bullpen shows their pitch each other up culture at critical Game 4 moment With Jack Flaherty starting NLCS Game 5, Dodgers arent overthinking things How much for two tickets for a World Series in L.A.? Thousands, not hundreds MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE All times Pacific NLCS No.

1 Dodgers vs.

No.

6 NY Mets at Dodgers 9, New York 0.

( box score ) New York 7, at Dodgers 3.

( box score ) Dodgers 8, at New York 0.

( box score ) Dodgers 10, at New York 2.

( box score ) Friday: Dodgers at New York, 2 p.m., FS1 *Sunday: New York at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1 *Monday: New York at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/Fox ALCS No.

1 NY Yankees vs.

No.

2 Cleveland at New York 5, Cleveland 2 ( box score ) at New York 6, Cleveland 3 ( box score ) at Cleveland 7, New York 5 (10) ( box score ) Friday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/MAX Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/MAX *Monday at New York, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/MAX *Tuesday at New York, 4:30 p.m., TBS/truTV/MAX *-if necessary RAMS From Gary Klein : Cooper Kupp was limited in practice again Thursday.

If the Rams star receivers left ankle is fully recovered by this weekend, he could play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium.

Coach Sean McVay is expected to update Kupps status Friday.

Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said Thursday that it was good to have Kupp back on the practice field.

His energy, his presence, I know the guys feel it, LaFleur said.

Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year, went into this season having appeared to put behind the hamstring and ankle injuries that plagued him the previous two seasons.

He caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the opener against the Detroit Lions before he was injured in a Week 2 rout by the Arizona Cardinals.

Continue reading here NFL coaching stress can damage health.

Ask Brian Billick, Gary Kubiak, Bruce Arians ...

USC FOOTBALL From Ryan Kartje : Miller Moss had delivered on more difficult throws than this one.

Through six weeks, hed made his share of poised plays in collapsing pockets and fired plenty of passes into seemingly impossible windows.

But last Saturday, with USC just one completion away from completing a final, fourth-quarter drive , the Trojans quarterback dropped back into a clean pocket, spotted 6-foot-6 wideout Duce Robinson breaking inward ...

and sent the pass soaring over his head.

It was picked off, marking the second time in as many weeks Moss ended USCs final, fourth-quarter drive with an interception.

Penn State won in overtime, leaving the Trojans to ruminate on a third loss in four weeks.

This one was especially excruciating, Moss said, shell-shocked, from the postgame podium.

The sting of that final throw still lingered days later with a frustrated faction of the fan base who already were calling to replace Moss after consecutive losses.

But as USC prepares to take on Maryland, one of the Big Tens worst pass defenses, the chance of Lincoln Riley replacing his quarterback apparently is nil.

The coach said as much Tuesday, when asked about his confidence in his Moss.

Continue reading here UCLA FOOTBALL From Ben Bolch : A season of monotony has played out with a numbing sameness on the interior of UCLA s defensive line.

On almost every play, two or three offensive linemen converge on Jay Toia , massive bodies colliding in an attempt to neutralize the Bruins defensive tackle.

Taken in isolation, it might seem like a win for coaches committing nearly 1,000 pounds to counteract an otherwise unstoppable force.

Halfway through the season, Toia has tallied just 12 tackles, half a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries.

Those might seem like meager numbers for a player widely expected to be selected in the NFL draft this spring until you consider the ripple effect.

All that open space created by Toias block hogging has benefited teammates.

Lots of them.

Carson Schwesinger leads the Big Ten with 47 solo tackles.

Kain Medrano has notched five tackles for loss, spending enough time in the backfield to collect loyalty points.

Oluwafemi Oladejo has become a fearsome edge rusher in part because he has fewer bodies to beat on his way to the quarterback.

Continue reading here CLIPPERS From Broderick Turner : Clippers coach Tyronn Lue doesnt see any chance Kawhi Leonard will miss the upcoming season because of inflammation in his right knee , but the team has no timetable for when the All-Star forward will play in a game.

The Clippers open the season Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns in their new arena, the Intuit Dome , and then have back-to-back games at Denver and Golden State the following weekend.

Leonard will not play in any of those games as he strengthens his knee.

Because of his history of knee injuries, Lue was asked what the chances are that Leonard will miss the entire season.

I dont see those chances, but Im not a doctor, either, Lue said before the Clippers played their last preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at home on Thursday night.

But I dont see those chances.

Continue reading here KINGS David Rittich made 26 saves a night after being benched in the second period in Toronto, helping the road-weary Kings snap a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

The Kings improved to 2-1-2 on a season-opening, seven-game trip necessitated by renovations to Crypto.com arena.

Rittich rebounded after giving up four goals on 14 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Alex Laferriere, Mikey Anderson, Andreas Englund and Adrian Kempe scored.

Continue reading here Kings summary NHL scores NHL standings WNBA FINALS All times Pacific No.

1 New York vs.

No.

2 Minnesota Minnesota 95, at New York 93 (OT) at New York 80, Minnesota 66 New York 80, at Minnesota 77 Friday at Minnesota, 5 p.m., ESPN *Sunday at New York, 5 p.m., ESPN *-if necessary THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1924 Harold Red Grange accounts for six touchdowns in Illinois 39-14 win over Michigan.

Grange returns the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

He follows with touchdown runs of 66, 55 and 40 yards in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Grange later passes for another touchdown and returns another kick for a touchdown.

1953 Woodley Lewis of the Rams has 120 yards in punt returns, including a 78-yard touchdown return, and 174 yards in kickoff returns in a 31-19 victory over the Detroit Lions.

1968 Bob Beamon of the United States shatters the world record in the long jump at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Beamons leap of 29 feet and 2 1-2 inches betters the mark by one foot, 9 3-4 inches.

The previous record, 27-4 3-4, was held by Soviet jumper Igor Ter-Ovanesyan and Ralph Boston.

1969 Mike Adamle rushes for 316 yards as Northwestern beats Wisconsin 27-7.

1974 Chicago center Nate Thurmond, in his first game with the Bulls, records the NBAs first quadruple-double.

Thurmond has 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks in the Bulls 120-115 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Stadium.

1977 Reggie Jackson hits three consecutive home runs, all on the first pitch, to lead the New York Yankees to the World Series championship over the Dodgers in six games.

1978 Dave Gall becomes the first jockey to win eight races during a single program.

He rides in 10 consecutive races for the day at Cahokia Downs in Alorton, Ill., finishing second and fifth in his two losing efforts.

1992 Miami and Washington are tied for No.

1 in The Associated Press Top 25 football poll.

Its the first tie at the top in 51 years and the third since the poll started in 1936.

1997 Willamettes Liz Heaston, a junior, becomes the first woman to play in a college football game when she kicks two extra points in a 27-0 win over Linfield College in the NAIA.

2002 New Zealands Michael Campbell wins the longest match (43 holes) in World Match Play history in the morning, then defeats Ian Woosnam later in the day to reach the semifinals.

Campbells 10-foot birdie putt at the seventh sudden-death hole beats Nick Faldo, the longest match in the events 39-year history by three holes.

2005 Bostons Brian Leetch becomes the seventh defenseman and 69th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points with a goal and an assist in the Bruins 4-3 loss to Montreal.

2009 Tom Brady, Patriots, throws six touchdown passes five in one quarter, an NFL mark, in a 59-0 win in the snow against Tennessee.

2015 The Green Bay Packers stop San Diego on fourth-and-goal from the 3 with 15 seconds left and overcome a career day by Philip Rivers to hold off the Chargers 27-20.

Rivers sets career highs with 43 completions, 65 attempts and 503 yards passing with two touchdowns.

2016 Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa became the 44th NHL player to reach 500 career goals.

The 37-year-old Hossa slid a power-play backhander through the legs of Philadelphia goaltender Michal Neuvirth at 5:04 of the second period, giving the Blackhawks a 4-0 lead.

Chicago won 7-4.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

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