Tigers, Royals even ALDS; Chiefs roll behind familiar faces; 2024-25 NHL predictions

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Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE DETROIT TIGERS AND THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS

For the first time ever, all four Division Series are tied 1-1.

In Cleveland, there was no shortage of drama to get there. The Tigers earned a 3-0 Game 2 triumph, their first ALDS win since 2013, powered by Kerry Carpenter‘s stunning three-run home run in the ninth inning off Guardians superstar closer Emmanuel Clase.

Carpenter is just the third Tiger to hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later of a playoff game, joining Magglio Ordóñez (2006) and Al Kaline (1972).

Just how surprising was this one, all things considered?

Clase has pitched in 76 games this season. This is the only time he’s allowed multiple runs.
Carpenter’s home run had a 110.8 mph exit velocity, the hardest-hit ball off Clase in his entire career.
The Tigers had lost 15 straight playoff games when tied or trailing entering the ninth inning.

Of course, hitting is only half of the equation; for the other half, Tarik Skubal is as good as it gets. He went seven innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight. He’s the fifth player ever to throw at least six scoreless innings in each of his first two career playoff appearances. Yeah, pretty good.

In the nightcap, the Royals tied their series against the Yankees with a straightforward 4-2 win. New York took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but Kansas City responded with all four of its runs in the fourth inning, via both big ball — Salvador Pérez‘s solo home run — and small ball: RBI singles by Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia

Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a ninth-inning home run — the team’s only extra base hit of the night — but Lucas Erceg steadied himself and finished things off.

This first week of playoff baseball has been incredible, Matt Snyder notes, and the stakes are only climbing. 

Honorable mentions

Not so honorable mentions

Chiefs top Saints behind strong defense, familiar faces

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It may not always be pretty, but the Chiefs just keep rolling, even as they’re still figuring out their offense. Kansas City beat New Orleans, 26-13, thanks to a rotating cast of characters old and new around Patrick Mahomes and a defense that continues to impress.

Mahomes threw for 331 yards, 130 of which went to JuJu Smith-Schuster. That’s Smith-Schuster’s most since 2018.
Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards — his most since 2020 — and a touchdown. Xavier Worthy also scored on the ground.
The Saints, meanwhile, managed a measly 220 yards on 4.3 yards per play. Derek Carr, who left with an oblique injury, fell to 3-15 in his career against the Chiefs.

Kansas City rolled up a season-high 460 yards and, for the first time this season, never trailed. This could have been a much larger win had the offense not bogged down in the red zone (including this incredible interception and return by 324-pound defensive lineman Khalen Saunders), but all other signs were encouraging.

With Rashee Rice likely done for the season and Isiah Pacheco out several more weeks, the Chiefs are finding answers. Smith-Schuster, cut by the Patriots about two months ago, took over some of the Rice role, and Travis Kelce (70 yards) had a second consecutive strong game in Rice’s absence. Hunt, a free agent all offseason, only joined the practice squad three weeks ago.

We’ve seen plenty of teams struggle due to injuries this season. When you have Mahomes and Andy Reid leading the offense and Steve Spagnuolo leading the defense, though, there are always solutions aplenty.

NHL season preview, Stanley Cup picks

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The NHL is soooooo back, with the season starting tonight. (OK, technically it started with the Devils beating the Sabres twice in Prague, Czechia, but the North American part of the season begins tonight.) We have three wonderful matchups to get us going:

Blues at Kraken
Bruins at Panthers (Florida’s first game as reigning champ)
Blackhawks at Utah Hockey Club (first game in Utah franchise history)

The Panthers remain firmly in Austin Nivison’s “Stanley Cup or bust” tier, as are the team they beat in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final just a few months ago, the Oilers. The Maple Leafs, Rangers and Stars join that group.

I’m really excited to watch the Oilers. How could you not be? They have, in Austin’s estimation, the sport’s best and fifth-best players. Here’s his top five:

Connor McDavid, C, Oilers — “McDavid is in a stratosphere all his own … Over the last three seasons, McDavid leads the NHL in assists (268), points (408) and power play points (159).”
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche — “Last year, MacKinnon posted a career-high 140 points and won his first Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.”
Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs — “The Maple Leafs star just narrowly missed 70 goals last season, but his 69 tallies were still the most since Mario Lemieux scored that many in the 1995-96 season.”
David Pastrnak, W, Bruins — “Pastrnak is one of the few wingers in the NHL who is responsible for driving play in the offensive zone, and he proved that he can shoulder a heavy burden in the 2023-24 season.”
Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers — “Draisaitl might not be McDavid, but he doesn’t take a backseat to anyone when it comes to his offensive ability.”

Here’s Austin’s full top 10.

Great players alone don’t make champions, though; great teams, do. Austin and Chris Bengel’s Stanley Cup picks are in.

Nivison: “Stars over Devils — The Stars did downgrade their defensive depth in the offseason, but that is made up for and then some by a forward group that has more firepower than the Galactic Empire. That, along with elite goaltending from Jake Oettinger, helps them sneak past the Oilers in a rematch of last year’s conference final.”
Bengel: “Oilers over Rangers — Edmonton arguably has a deeper roster than a year ago after adding veteran forwards like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to their top six. For the first time in several years, the Oilers also have a strong netminder in the crease in the form of Stuart Skinner.”

They also have awards picks as well. Here’s everything else to know:

Changes at the top of CBS Sports 134, Power Rankings

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Welcome back to the top spot, Texas! The Longhorns regained the No. 1 ranking in the CBS Sports 134, and here’s what the new-look top five looks like:

Texas (previous: 3)
Ohio State (2)
Penn State (6)
Oregon (8)
Miami (7)

The Longhorns are also prepared to get Quinn Ewers (abdominal strain) back for their Red River Rivalry game against No. 18 Oklahoma. Here are the biggest risers and fallers in this week’s 134.

Texas is also No. 1 in Brandon Marcello’s Power Rankings, and the biggest riser there shares the same state …

Marcello: “Texas A&M (not ranked to 9th) — We’re done sleeping on the Aggies. That defense is legit, and we were shocked at just how incredibly accurate Conner Weigman was in his return from injury. The Aggies punched Mizzou in the mouth and kept pummeling the Tigers in the second and third quarters on the way to a dominant 41-10 win … Texas A&M sits atop the SEC at 3-0 and has looked the part of a top-10 team.”

Finally, in “The Monday Read,” Richard Johnson wrote on Vanderbilt, because who doesn’t love these Commodores?!

What we’re watching Tuesday

Blues at Kraken, 4:30 p.m. on ESPN
 NLDS Game 3: Phillies at Mets, 5:08 p.m. on FS1
Bruins at Panthers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
WNBA semifinals Game 5: Sun at Lynx, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
 NLDS Game 3: Dodgers at Padres, 9:08 p.m. on FS1
Blackhawks at Utah Hockey Club, 10 p.m. on ESPN