Yankees Lose Nathan Eovaldi For At Least Two Weeks

 New York Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, center, and teammates watch the home run hit by New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in a baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015. Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

The Yankees won Monday, which they've done quite a bit of lately, but lost a pitcher.

After the Yankees downed the Orioles, 8-6, at the Stadium came the news that righthander Nathan Eovaldi, the club's most consistent pitcher since mid-June, will be shut down for at least the next two weeks with right elbow inflammation.

WFAN radio first reported the news early Monday night and the Yankees later confirmed it.

In a release, the club said Eovaldi was evaluated earlier in the day by team physician Christopher Ahmad at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and that a subsequent MRI revealed the inflammation.

Eovaldi, who was scheduled to start Friday against Toronto, is 14-3 with a 4.20 ERA but 9-1 with a 3.43 ERA since June 20. He leads the Yankees in victories, innings (1541/3) and starts (27).

It was not immediately clear when Eovaldi, whose fastball consistently is clocked in the range of 98 to 100 mph, told the Yankees his elbow was bothering him. General manager Brian Cashman did not immediately return a call for comment.

In Eovaldi's last outing Saturday against Tampa Bay, he suffered his first defeat since June 16 when he allowed three runs in 51/3 innings in a 3-2 loss. He walked four, his most walks in a game since walking that many June 5 against Anaheim, but did not complain, at least publicly, of any pain or discomfort.

With CC Sabathia scheduled to come off the disabled list Wednesday and start against the Orioles, the Yankees -- currently four games into a stretch of 13 straight games and a half-game behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays -- had been planning to use a six-man rotation to give each starter some extra rest. For now, they are back to five starting Tuesday night, when Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound against the Orioles. (source: http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees)

Read more about : Grand Opening: College Football Starts, PlayOff Talk Begins

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Grand Opening: College Football Starts, PlayOff Talk Begins

With little competition right before the baseball pennant races heat up and the middle weekend of U.S. Open tennis, college football opens with a long holiday weekend of games, concluding with No. 1 Ohio State trying to avenge its last loss at Virginia Tech on Labor Day night.

True, many of the matchups are of the hammer vs. nail variety, with Power Five teams facing low-level Group of Five foes. Or those FBS vs. FCS matchups, which produce about 10 blowouts for every upset (Villanova over UConn if you're looking for an FCS upset).

But there are plenty of enticing matchups in Week 1. And even in this playoff era where second chances are more plentiful, one loss can be one too many. Just ask TCU and Baylor.


We start the season by introducing a new feature to the picks, reaching into the Twitter bag to answer a few questions from readers and take requests on games to pick outside the Top 25:

Q: How bad is the Illinois job? — @BSargentOKC

A: My perception of Illinois is a program that should be more successful than it is. That if it can just get the right coach it should be able to match the type of success Iowa has had through the years. Hawkeyes fans may be tired of Kirk Ferentz, but if you offered Illinois fans 12 bowl games and four double-digit-win seasons in 14 years, I'd bet most would sign up.

The reality is during the 17 seasons Ferentz has been at Iowa, Illinois has had five winning seasons and won more than seven games three times — which strongly suggests there is more than just a coach problem in Champaign.

Q: What are the chances there will be four or more undefeated teams at season's end? — @Jamie_crane

A: An unbeaten team from one of the Power Five conferences not getting into the College Football Playoff would almost certainly create the greatest outcry and calls to expand it.

The good news for the selection committee is the odds are stacked against that happening. During the 12-year BCS era, only twice (2004 and '09) did more than four teams go into the bowls unbeaten, and never were the five teams from what we now consider the Power Five (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference).

Q: Sleeper team to make a push for the CFB playoff? — @SydneyCarton1

A: Defining a dark horse is the first step.

We'll make the line outside the AP preseason top 15 for this discussion and offer up Oklahoma. The Sooners are coming in with relatively low expectations after sinking to 8-5 last season. The combination of new quarterback Baker Mayfield and new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley should drastically improve the passing game. The running game with Samaje Perine is already strong. The pass defense needs to be better, but I have a hard time buying that the Sooners are simply no match for TCU and Baylor in the Big 12.

The picks:

THURSDAY

No. 2 TCU (minus 14 1/2) at Minnesota

Gophers could use some snow to slow down the Horned Frogs. Forecast calls for a low of 70 degrees. ... TCU 34-17.

FRIDAY

No. 5 Michigan State (minus 18) at Western Michigan

Broncos coach and Illinois native P.J. Fleck seems like a logical choice to become the next Illini coach, regardless of whether he can upset the Spartans. ... MICHIGAN STATE 38-14.

Washington (plus 12) at No. 23 Boise State

Chris Petersen returns to Idaho to find the team he left is better than the one he now coaches ... BOISE STATE 28-10.

SATURDAY

MARQUEE MATCHUPS

No. 3 Alabama (minus 10) vs. No. 20 Wisconsin at Arlington, Texas

Who plays quarterback for the Tide? Against the Badgers and their rebuilt lines, it might not matter ... Best bet, ALABAMA 31-13

No. 6 Auburn (minus 10 1/2) vs. Louisville at Atlanta

Tigers hope this will be one of two games for them this season in the Georgia Dome, home of the SEC championship ... AUBURN 33-20.

Texas (plus 10) at No. 11 Notre Dame

The Longhorns' depth chart is loaded with freshmen. That might bode well for the future, but not for this trip to South Bend, Indiana ... NOTRE DAME 28-14.

No. 15 Arizona State (plus 3) vs. Texas A&M at Houston

Pac-12 South vs. SEC West. The College Football Playoff selection committee should pay particular attention ... ARIZONA STATE 35-31.

VERNON BOWL

Eastern Washington (no line) at No. 7 Oregon

New Ducks QB Vernon Adams faces his old team in one of the oddest FBS-FCS matchups ever ... OREGON 45-21.

POWER FIVE CROSSOVERS

Virginia (plus 19 1/2) at No. 13 UCLA

Freshman QB Josh Rosen leads the Bruins ... UCLA 30-14.

No. 21 Stanford (minus 12) at Northwestern

Smart football ... STANFORD 24-20.

PLUCKY UNDERDOG

Bowling Green (plus 20 1/2) at No. 25 Tennessee at Nashville

The Falcons high-speed, Baylor-style spread will try to get the Vols into track meet ... TENNESSEE 45-24.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Michigan (plus 5 1/2) at Utah, Thursday night

The Harbaugh era has been a blast for Michigan fans so far. Now a dose of reality ... UTAH 23-14.

Penn State (minus 7) at Temple

Nittany Lions only road game until mid-October is in Philadelphia ... PENN STATE 23-14.

BYU (plus 7) at Nebraska

Upset special: We'll see how much Huskers fans love new coach Mike Riley after Taysom Hill and the Cougars come to town ... Upset special, BYU 31-24.

Georgia Southern (plus 19 1/2) at West Virginia

The Eagles looked like a trendy upset pick until QB Kevin Ellison was suspended ... WEST VIRGINIA 35-28.

MISMATCHES

Arkansas State (plus 27) at No. 8 Southern California ... USC 49-20.

Louisiana-Monroe (plus 35) at No. 9 Georgia ... GEORGIA 45-7.

Texas State (plus 29) at No. 10 Florida State .... FLORIDA STATE 48-17.

UTEP (plus 33) at No. 18 Arkansas ... ARKANSAS 52-10.

Akron (plus 31 1/2) at No. 19 Oklahoma ... OKLAHOMA 49-10.

MONDAY NIGHT MAIN EVENT

No. 1 Ohio State (minus 11) at Virginia Tech

So much intrigue about which quarterback starts for the Buckeyes, but the question is can the Hokies feisty defense provide some real drama for the defending national champions? ... OHIO STATE 27-17.
(source : http://www.wiscnews.com By RALPH D. RUSSO)

Read more about : U-M observations: Offense sluggish, defense struggles

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U-M observations: Offense sluggish, defense struggles

Offense sluggish, defense struggles

SALT LAKE CITY -- The biggest question for the Michigan football team in Jim Harbaugh's first game had to wait to be answered.

After Utah marched for a field goal to open tonight's game, U-M fans finally got to see Devin Gardner's successor at starting quarterback … Jake Rudock.

As expected, the Iowa graduate transfer started the game, and his performance was the opposite of what was expected.

Rudock was supposed to be the safe, accurate choice. But by halftime, he had thrown two interceptions and missed a few huge opportunities, leading to the 10-3 halftime deficit.

He was 10-for-17 for 94 yards in the first half.

Junior quarterback Shane Morris, who was battling Rudock for the starting job, did not play in the first half.

The first interception came as U-M was marching on its first drive, with the 10th play being a third-down miscommunication where he threw to a spot and freshman receiver Grant Perry turned the opposite way. In the second quarter, he had another issue with Perry, on a deep out down the right sideline and threw it right to the Utah defender. Two interceptions in 17 attempts after having just five last year in more than 340 at Iowa.

That was enough to sour fans on Rudock. But he also blew the few chances he had for explosion plays.

Twice he had Jehu Chesson, one of the fastest Wolverines, streaking down the sideline, alone and open for a touchdown. Both times he overthrew Chesson by at least five yards.

25 signs you're a die-hard Michigan football fan

There were a few longer plays, leaning on tight end Jake Butt, but they had no impact as U-M went to the half 2-for-7 on third down.

(Source:http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan)
Expectations were that the veteran offensive line, with a new line coach in Tim Drevno, would transform the running game.

But although four U-M four running backs got a first-half carry — plus fullback Joe Kerridge — none of them went for more than five yards.

It looked awfully familiar to 2014, even with a different coach and quarterback.

The defense carried the Wolverines, getting pressure up front with six tackles for loss, three from Chris Wormley.

As bad as U-M was on offense, the Utes looked worse, going just 2-for-9 in the first half on third down. Though they had big turnovers, they couldn't finish.

Their only touchdown came on a drive where U-M redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers struggled. Hailed as a possible breakout player on defense, Peppers was burned in coverage twice, including the pass to the one-yard line, setting up the one-yard score and Utah's 10-3 lead with 10:33 to play before halftime.

The specialists were Kenny Allen for kickoffs and field goals – he hit a 29-yarder in his first attempt – and Blake O'Neill dropped a beautiful pooch punt inside the five-yard line, pinning Utah deep.

But with a sluggish offense and a defense forced to carry them, the Wolverines looked familiar, which was the worst result. (Source:http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan)

Read more about : Tim Lincecum has possibly thrown his last pitch for the Giants

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Tim Lincecum has possibly thrown his last pitch for the Giants

Big League Stew

San Francisco Giants righty Tim Lincecum will miss the rest of the season following hip surgery. Team general manager Bobby Evans confirmed the news to KNBR on Thursday morning.

Lincecum hasn't pitched for the club since June 27. He left that start after being hit in the forearm with a line drive. As Lincecum was recovering from that injury, he was diagnosed with a degenerative hip condition. He reportedly suffered a setback recently, which led Lincecum to seek a second opinion on his hips. It was recommended that he undergo surgery to fix the issue.


Further complicating issues is the fact that Lincecum is in the final year of his contract. In a little more than a month, he'll officially be a free agent. Given his recent struggles, and now this injury, it's possible that Lincecum's time as a member of the Giants has come to an end.

If so, that would be sad. Lincecum hasn't been a top of the line starter since 2011, but, boy, his peak seasons were incredible. After an average debut in 2007, Lincecum exploded onto the scene during his sophomore season.

He instantly became one of the best, and one of the most entertaining, starters in the game. Despite his size, Lincecum pumped a fastball that averaged 94 mph early in his career. His unorthodox, yet strangely beautiful, delivery was delightful to watch. Combine these traits, and it's no surprise Lincecum earned the nickname "The Freak."

The awards speak for themselves. Lincecum won two straight Cy Young Awards during his first two full seasons in the majors. He made the All-Star game four straight years. During that period, Lincecum posted a 2.81 ERA over 881 2/3 innings. He struck out an incredible 977 batters.

Then, injuries and ineffectiveness started to creep in. Lincecum's fastball velocity, which was already declining, averaged just more than 90 mph in 2012. His walk and home-run rate jumped, leading to a 5.18 ERA. Lincecum was somewhat able to salvage his poor season by turning into a relief ace in the playoffs as the Giants won their second World Series championship in three seasons, though.


Since then, he hasn't really been the same. Lincecum's velocity has continued to decline, and he was even briefly sent to the bullpen during the 2014 season. Over the past four seasons, Lincecum has a 4.68 ERA through 615 2/3 innings. He struck out 577 batters during that period.

There have been moments of brilliance, even as he's declined. Lincecum threw two no-hitters during this period. The first came in 2013, while the second happened the following season. Even through his struggles, he still managed to occasionally remind us of his past.

Lincecum's decline would have made him an interesting free agent this offseason. His surgery further complicates matters.

There's some reason for optimism, though. Jon Heyman of CBSSports noted that doctors believe Lincecum's lost velocity could be related to his condition. With surgery, there's a chance that will improve.

"Nonetheless, doctors are said to have told Lincecum that he could easily be ready for next spring training if he had the surgery, and they've further suggested that he should be able to return to form. They also are said to believe that his steep velocity decline is related to his current hip woes. The smallish righthander known as "The Freak" is a pitcher who relies on extraordinary torque and the drive of his legs to generate unreal arm speed for a sub-6-foot pitcher, or any pitcher really"

All of that is encouraging. Lincecum was likely to get an offer merely based on his past upside, but teams will certainly be more interested if he suddenly regains some life on his fastball.

In fairness, none of this means his time with San Francisco has come to an end. But given his current situation, Lincecum is going to hit the market for the first time in his career. While we have no idea what that market will look like, it's certainly possible another team will swoop in and make Lincecum a better offer.

A change of scenery might be for the best, too. Lincecum has spent the past few seasons in San Francisco trying to regain his old form. A fresh start isn't guaranteed to help, but it might provide a mental boost. (Source: by Chris Cwik :http://sports.yahoo.com)

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