Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday 9/23/21
23 September 2021 Sports
Sports for September 23rd
Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill homered as the St. Louis Cardinals won their 11th straight game, extending their lead for the second NL wild-card spot and beating the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers 10-2 Wednesday night. Goldschmidt also doubled, singled and scored four runs to help St. Louis stretch its best winning streak since an 11-game string in 2001. The Cardinals’ longest winning streak in franchise history is 14, in 1935 with a team led by Hall of Famer pitcher Dizzy Dean. St. Louis was 8½ games out of a wild-card spot on Aug. 10 before surging. They now lead by 4 1/2 games over Cincinnati and Philadelphia for the final NL playoff slot.
The Brewers clinched their fourth straight playoff berth on Sept. 18, but have since lost four straight, including three to the Cardinals. They have scored a total of only five runs in the three games against St. Louis. The Brewers, whose magic number to clinch the NL Central stayed at three, lead the Cardinals by 8½ games.
Miles Mikolas (2-2), who missed all of 2020 with an injured right shoulder and a considerable part of this season with forearm tightness, gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings. It was his longest outing of the season. St. Louis scored six runs before Milwaukee starter Brett Anderson (4-9) departed with two outs in the second inning. He faced 13 batters, giving up six hits, including a home run and three consecutive doubles.
O’Neill’s 29th home run gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the first. Tommy Edman hit a sacrifice fly in the second that drove in two runs — runners were able to score from third and second after center fielder Lorenzo Cain crashed into the wall as he made the catch and fell to the ground. Goldschmidt hit a 433-foot home run, his 27th, off Hunter Strickland in the eighth. The Cardinals got 15 hits, including two each by O’Neill, Nolan Arenado, Edmundo Sosa, Dylan Carlson and Harrison Bader. Mikolas retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. Avisaíl García hit his 29th home run of the season off Mikolas in the seventh.
The four-game series ends Thursday afternoon with Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (16-7, 2.89 ERA) facing Brewers RHP Adrian Houser (9-6, 3.43 ERA). The 40-year-old Wainwright, who has pitched 196⅓ innings, won five straight starts until a no-decision in his last outing. Houser struck out seven and gave up three hits in a complete-game shutout in his last start against the Cardinals, on Sept. 4. First pitch is at 1:10 and the game can be heard on AM 1100/98.3 FM, WISS.
Elsewhere in the NL Central Wednesday the Twins edged the Cubs 5-4 and the Pirates at Cincinnati was postponed.
The Packers were back on the practice field Wednesday getting ready for Sunday night’s game at San Francisco against the 49ers. The meeting between the two teams sparks the off-season conversation about Rodgers not returning to Green Bay and his possible future with the 49ers. At the time, the trade would have made sense for the 49ers, who beat the Packers in the NFC championship game in 2019 but finished just 6-10 in 2020 due to a long list of injuries to key players such as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The trade also would have made sense for Rodgers, a Bay Area native who would have been able to hit the ground running in Shanahan’s offense. Rodgers was asked if he thought about signing with the 49ers. He said anything was possible but that wasn’t a strong possibility.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said it was something San Francisco had to do but he wasn’t surprised the deal didn’t happen. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he understood, because it’s a business, and that it would have no effect on their personal relationship.
Protecting Rodgers against a strong 49ers front will be key Sunday night, and that means the health of left tackle Elgton Jenkins will be worth watching this week. With 2020 All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari on the physically unable to perform list following last season’s torn anterior cruciate ligament, Jenkins has played well as Rodgers’ blind-side protector but injured his ankle in the Lions game. While Jenkins played all 65 offensive snaps Monday, he did not practice Wednesday.
Several former Green Bay Packers are nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022. LeRoy Butler (S), Donald Driver (WR), Nick Collins (S), and Ryan Longwell (K) are among the Green and Gold alumni vying for a spot in Canton. The list will be narrowed down to 18 finalists. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will select the final 15. The selection committee will meet in early 2022 ahead of Super Bowl LVI.
In Thursday Night Football Carolina (2-0) is at Houston (1-1).
What better way for the Europeans to lure fans to their side at the Ryder Cup than by wearing Green Bay Packers colors and donning Cheesehead hats while they’re in Wisconsin?
Clad in white pullovers with green and yellow striping down the sides, the European players did all they could to endear themselves to the crowd on the first tee box Wednesday in preparation for the weekend’s Ryder Cup competition. After posing for a photo op, the players took off the foam headwear and threw it into the stands, before heading out for practice rounds at brisk-and-breezy Whistling Straits. European captain Padraig Harrington said team managers had suggested a green motif for some of the uniforms as a way of honoring his Irish homeland. Harrington said he wasn’t so concerned with that, but he suggested adding some yellow to the green as a tribute of sorts to the local NFL team.
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