Red Sox, Jansen blow lead, squander Sale’s gem
BOSTON — Kenley Jansen blew a ninth-inning lead for the second straight day when shortstop Kiké Hernández‘s throwing error on a potential game-ending double play allowed Nolan Gorman to score the go-ahead run in a three-run ninth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
The Red Sox wasted a stellar start by Chris Sale, who pitched eight innings of one-run ball in his longest outing since 2019.
Nolan Arenado had a solo homer for St. Louis a day after collecting four hits with a two-run homer. The Cardinals won Friday’s game with a three-run ninth that was capped by Gorman’s pinch-hit, two-run homer off Jansen.
Rob Refsnyder had a two-run double and three hits, and Rafael Devers added an RBI single for the Red Sox.
“We got a ground ball in the situation when we needed it,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We didn’t turn the double play. It’s one of those when [Jansen] was wild early on, they got traffic and put pressure on us.”
Jansen (1-2) walked Paul Goldschmidt and Willson Contreras, with Contreras reaching when ball four came on a pitch clock violation. After Arenado popped out, pinch hitter Gorman had an RBI double. Brendan Donovan was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter Alec Burleson then hit a fairly slow grounder to second, and Hernández, trying to make the DP turn quickly, bounced the throw past first and into Boston’s dugout, allowing Gorman to score the go-ahead run after Contreras scored the tying run.
“We’re pushing with our words,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, using his hands to gesture forward when asked what he was thinking as Burleson raced down the line for what would have been a close play.
“It worked out well for us,” Marmol said, smiling.
Andre Pallante (2-0) worked a scoreless inning for the win, and Giovanny Gallegos earned his third save.
“It’s huge, especially against Jansen, great career as a closer, hopefully he’s a Hall of Famer,” Contreras said. “We did our job last night and today not giving up. We played until the last out.”
Mixing a fastball in the 96 mph range with his usual sharp moving slider, Sale held the Cardinals scoreless until Arenado homered over the Green Monster leading off the seventh.
Sale struck out nine, giving up three hits with one walk, throwing 77 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
He finished the seventh by striking out Paul DeJong swinging on a slider down — his third K of the inning — and left to a nice ovation.
But he wasn’t done there.
Sale pitched a perfect eighth and left to a loud ovation, ending his longest outing since he went eight shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels in Fenway Park on Aug. 8, 2019.
“It was big,” Sale said of the chance to go out for the eighth. “I’ve said before, our job as starters is to take up as much of the game as we can.”
Cardinals starter Steven Matz gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
PASASDENA, Calif. — Nico Iamaleava threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more on Saturday as UCLA notched its first win of the season in stunning fashion, knocking off No. 7 Penn State 42-37 at the Rose Bowl.
The Nittany Lions, who lost to Oregon at home last week for their first loss of the season, have suddenly dropped two straight, and could fall out of the Associated Press Top 25 after a sluggish performance that saw the Bruins (1-4) take a 27-7 lead before holding off the visitors.
Penn State (3-2) allowed more than 400 yards to a team that hadn’t held a lead all season, and is being led by interim coach Tim Skipper after DeShaun Foster was fired Sept. 14.
“It feels great. That is a valiant team and our coaches, we stuck together. Everyone counted us out, we just needed to keep going to work,” Skipper said on the CBS game broadcast. “Every single play counted today. That is a top-notch Penn State team. We kept our minds right and just continued to execute.”
The Bruins became the first 0-4 team to defeat a top-10 team since 1985, when UTEP knocked off BYU.
“Ballers always ball out,” Skipper said of Iamaleava. “He shows up every single week. I’m glad he’s on my team, I will say that.”
-
David Hale
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The stands at Kenan Stadium were nearly empty long before halftime, and the fervor that surrounded the hiring of Bill Belichick at North Carolina has, in the span of just five games, devolved into exasperation and frustration after the Tar Heels looked awful yet again in a 38-10 loss to Clemson.
UNC trailed 28-3 after the first quarter, giving up 14 points on Clemson’s first four plays. The Heels are now 0-3 against Power 4 teams, having been outscored by a combined total of 120-33.
Despite the struggles, Belichick shrugged off a need for structural changes so soon into his tenure.
“The main thing we need to do is to keep doing what we’re doing but do them better,” Belichick said. “Fundamentally we’re not doing the wrong things, we’re just not doing them well enough.”
Belichick chalked up Saturday’s defeat to self-inflicted wounds at “two or three critical times” and noted that execution and coaching are to blame.
“It’s a lack of concentration,” he said, “and part of that is coaching, too, so I’ll take my share of the responsibility.”
Saturday’s implosion comes just days after a letter from GM Mike Lombardi to donors was released publicly, in which Lombardi calls this a “rebuilding” campaign for the Tar Heels and explains in detail about a dearth of talent on this year’s team due to exits from past recruiting classes.
After the loss to Clemson, Belichick downplayed the branding of a rebuild, but when asked directly what he’s telling recruits about the status of the program, he appeared to acknowledge a long-term approach.
“We’re honest with them, honest that we’re building, and if you want to be a part of a program that’s being built, then we’re here for you,” Belichick said.
That’s not the notion UNC’s players seemed to embrace after a 2-3 start.
Quarterback Max Johnson, who got his first start Saturday in place of injured Gio Lopez, said he feels UNC has enough talent, and receiver Jordan Shipp strongly pushed back against the notion this program was in need of a rebuild.
“I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win football games,” Shipp said. “That’s why I’m here. Whatever they’re doing with the donors, that has nothing to do with me. I’m here to win football games and that’s what 100% of my focus is on.”
Belichick said he won’t make changes in personnel based on a long-term vision of the program, despite the poor results early on.
“The guys who deserve to play are going to play,” he said. “I’m not going to base it on how old they are or whatever. Guys that play the best deserve to play. We’ll see how that goes. My expectations are to come in and have a good week this week and get ready for Cal.”
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment12 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024