Mets, Padres, Royals and Tigers kick off Wild Card Series in style; new NFL, college football Power Rankings |Max Sporty|

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⚾ Good morning to everyone, but especially to…

THE MLB WILD CARD SERIES GAME 1 WINNER

These Mets just won’t stop. One day after a wild comeback clinched a playoff spot, New York rallied on the road again to take Game 1 of their Wild Card Series, 8-4, against the Brewers.

This time, a five-run fifth inning turned the tide. Milwaukee pulled Freddy Peralta after just four innings despite leading 4-3. Joel Payamps and Andy Ashby made that look like a big mistake, retiring just two of the 10 batters they faced.

The Brewers very nearly escaped the fifth unscathed, but with two on and two out, Jose Iglesias beat Payamps to first base for an infield single that tied the game — the kind of ineptitude that has defined this team lately. The next five New York batters also reached, with JD Martinez especially coming with a big bang.

In the NL nightcap, the parents rolled over the Braves4-0, behind seven dominant innings by Michael King (12 strikeouts, five hits, zero walks). Fernando Tatis Jr. nailed a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw, and Kyle Higashioka had the other two RBI, including a solo shot in the eighth. Atlanta, one day after their doubleheader with the Mets, had a compromised pitching staff, but it was really King limiting Atlanta. offense that was the plot.

King wasn’t the only postseason rookie to shine. Likely AL Cy Young winner Pull Skubal threw six dominant scoreless innings in his postseason debut, and the Tigers‘bulpre bent but did not break, holding on for a 3-1 win over the Astros. Beau Brieske got Jason Heyward to line up with the bases loaded to end the game, a moment that must have had Detroit fans holding their breath — and then exhaling deeply.

This is the formula for the Tigers: just enough offense and great pitching and defense. By one game – their first finals win since 2013 – it’s working.

Shortly after that wrapped up, the Royal family members followed a similar formula in a 1-0 win over the Orioles. Cole Ragans pitched six brilliant innings, and Bobby Witt Jr.‘s two-out single bored Michael Garcia. More on this in a bit.

Here’s what we learned from Game 1s, and that’s it today’s schedule.

👍 Honorable mentions

⚾ And not so good morning for…

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLIS

Make it nine straight playoff losses for the Orioles, this one as demoralizing and frustrating as any.

Corbin Burns pitched into the ninth inning. He was brought in to win playoff games, and he pitched well enough to do so. But the offense was nowhere to be found, not even from the guys who had great seasons (Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander) nor the long-swollen ones Adley Rutschman. The top five spots in Baltimore’s lineup went 1 for 18.

Last year, when the 101-win Orioles were eliminated from the ALDS, excuses could be made: youth, inexperience, lack of an ace. This year, they have as many excuses as runs scored on Tuesday: zero.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 WNBA playoffs: Liberty leads 2-0, Lynx even series

The Freedom is one win away from returning to the WNBA Finals. Sabrina Ionescu scored a team-high 24 points, Breanna Stewart flirted with a triple double, and Jonquel Jones flirted with a double-double in an 88-84 win over the two-time reigning champion aces. New York also got 21 huge points combined from Courtney Vandersloot and Kayla Thornton from the bench

Ionescu is known for her long-range shooting, but her progress within the arc was immenseJack Maloney writes.

• Maloney: “Ionescu immediately responded with a driving layup in which she finished over Wilson’s outstretched arm. That’s not a play we saw her make last season, especially in the playoffs, when she was too affected by opponents’ physicality and pressure. She made just 16 total two-pointers in 10 games during the Liberty’s run to the Finals in 2023, and has already made 21 shots inside the arc in the first four games this postseason.”

In the other Game 2 semi-final, the Lynx knotted their series with the sun with a 77-70 win. Napheesa Collier finally slowed down after a historic start to the postseason, but Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith came up huge for Minnesota with a combined 32 points.

🏈 NFL Power Rankings: Major shakeup in the top five

The bosses is still No. 1 in Power Rankings by Pete Priscobut the teams behind them are making major pushes. The also-undefeated vikings is up to No. 2 in new-look top five.

1. Leaders (previous: 1)
2. Vikings (3)
3. Texans (6)
4. Pirates (9)
5. Lions (10)

The Crows jumped seven places from 13th to sixth, but they’re not even the biggest jumpers in their own state: The Commanders rose nine spots from 17th to ninth, and Pete says, “It’s time to believe in this group.” I wrote about the keys behind Washington’s incredible offensive start led by Jayden Daniels.

While one NFC East rose, another fell. The Eagles dropped nine points from the seventh to the 16th, the biggest drop of the week. Lesions have played a huge roleand Nick Sirianni‘s seat feels warm. Tyler Sullivan’s panic meter says Philadelphia has zero margin for error.

🏈 CBS Sports 134, projected CFP and Heisman voting

The first full month of the college football season is over, and thanks to its thrilling win over Georgia, alabama is number 1 in the CBS Sports 134 (see the biggest risers and fallers here) as well as Power ranks by Brandon Marcello. However, it is Ohio State who has the No. 1 seed in Brad Crawford’s projected College Football Playoff.

The argument for best team in the nation is as intense as the argument for who should win the Heisman Trophy. So we poll our writers for who would they vote for if the season ended todayand the most popular choice, including Will Backus, is …

• Backus: “Jalen Milroe — Milroe is the obvious choice at this point, but that doesn’t make it a bad choice. … Carving a team like Georgia for nearly 500 total yards of offense and four touchdowns — by itself — in the biggest game of the year will stick in everyone’s memories for a while. And if he can do it against the Bulldogs, he can do it against anybody.”

As John Talty explains, however, don’t sleep anymore Ashton Jeanty.

🆕 Gonzaga joins Pac-12, UTEP joins Mountain West

Sends the latest round on the reconciliation carousel Gonzaga to the Pac-12 and UTEP to the Mountain West.

Gonzaga will leave the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12 starting in 2026; the football-less Bulldogs will be the conference’s eighth basketball program, but the Pac-12 still needs an eighth football program to join. Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

Still, the basketball aspect is a huge win for the revamped conference, which boasts a truly impressive group. Six of the eight men’s basketball members made the NCAA Tournament last year, and Cameron Salerno says Gonzaga is the new top dog.

Many of the aforementioned teams heading to the Pac-12 came from the Mountain West, so the Mountain West adding UTEP from Conference USA is also a big deal. Last week, the seven current Mountain West schools signed a memorandum of understanding to stay together until 2032and UTEP is the most important eighth team. Conferences need at least eight programs to be recognized by the NCAA when it comes to potential CFP berths.

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Arsenal top PSG, preview today

The first day of UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 featured many goals and a massive statement from Arsenal. The Gunners topped PSG, 2-0with objectives of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Havertz, James Benge says, is taking command of the team.

• Useful: “He may have arrived in north London convinced he shouldn’t be a centre-forward anymore, but he’s extremely good at it. Like all the best strikers, he has that sense of where the defence’s attention is and isn’t… . This is Arsenal at their most smashing.If that seems like a curious description for Havertz and the team that takes his picture, you simply haven’t been watching him closely enough.

Meanwhile, Louis Henry did everything wrong for PSGJonathan Johnson says.

Here’s how to watch today’s matches on CBS Sports Network, CBS Golazo Network and Most important+.

📺 What we watch on Wednesday

⚽ We look at the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
⚾ AL Wild Card Series Game 2: Tigers at Astros2:30 pm on ABC
⚾ AL Wild Card Series Game 2: Royals at Orioles4:30pm on ESPN
⚾ NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Mets at Brewers7:30 pm on ESPN
⚾ NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Braves at Padres8:30pm on ESPN2