Cole Hamels dominated for eight innings, Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo went deep and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Thursday night to hang around the AL wild-card hunt.
While Denver linebacker Von Miller says everyone plays the game their own way, he's still baffled by what he considered a low hit administered by Dallas wide receiver Noah Brown on Sunday.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday during a conference call with Arizona media that one of the reasons the Cowboys drafted RB Ezekiel Elliott was because of how much Ohio State coach Urban Meyer touted his effort without the ball. "His coaches at Ohio State stood on the the table for him in that regard," Garrett said. "Urban Meyer told us he's the best player he's ever had when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. He's demonstrated that to us over the course of the last year or so. That's just who he is."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said on a conference call that he's addressed Ezekiel Elliott's effort on the two plays from Sunday night's game with the star running back. "You're honest, you're very clear with what the expectations are and you learn from them and move forward."
Dallas rises six notches in great measure for displaying patience in its offseason strategy. The Mavericks' summer spending a year or two from now might look quite different.
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald turned the tables on the Dallas media after answering questions and asked if Orlando Scandrick practiced. When told he did, Fitzgerald called Scandrick one of the best corners in the NFL working the slot.
While he awaits word from family in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea is raising money to help the island.
While admitting he was frustrated during the Cowboys' loss to Denver on Sunday, running back Ezekiel Elliott said there's no excuse for his lack of effort on two key plays.
Ezekiel Elliott on his controversial lack of effort plays in loss to Denver. "Obviously I was very frustrated, but there's no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape. I just can't do that, being one of the leaders of this team. I'm a guy that people count on here so I can't put that on film. We addressed it in house. I'm definitely not that type of player and that's definitely not who I am for this team. I was frustrated and I wasn't myself."
The Cowboys have addressed the problems that arose in the blowout loss to the Broncos and are ready to move on to preparing for the Cardinals.
Cowboys long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur has become a guru with proteges around the NFL, including on the Saints, Broncos and Browns.
The blueprint has been discovered for beating Dallas, but does Arizona have enough to pull off the upset? All three insiders polled aren't optimistic for the Cardinals' sake.
Linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who suffered a right tibial plateau fracture on Aug. 26 against Oakland, is on the practice field for the first time in the regular season. He is not in full pads but he is going through rehab on the field.
Defensive tackle Stephen Paea is not at practice during the portion open to the media. He has a knee condition that the Cowboys will monitor from time to time. Cornerbacks Orlando Scandrick (hand) and Awuzie (hamstring) are on the field but Awuzie is going through rehab work. Nolan Carroll is not practicing because of a concussion.
The Twins' chances for the second wild-card spot went down slightly after being swept by the Yankees. Combined with a loss by the Angels, the door is now open for the Rangers, who saw their chances nearly double. The Royals aren't out of it just yet either.
Rougned Odor's grand slam in the Rangers' win over the Mariners on Wednesday was his 30th long ball of the season to go along with his .209 batting average. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, only three players in major league history have hit 30 or more homers while posting a batting average below .210 in a season: Dave Kingman in 1982 (37 HR, .204 BA), Mark Reynolds in 2010 (32 HR, .198 BA) and Adam Dunn in 2012 (41 HR, .204 BA).
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 50 | 44 |
| Dallas | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 36 | 45 |
| Washington | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 44 | 50 |
| New York | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 13 | 43 |
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 93 | 59 | .612 | - | L1 |
| Texas | 76 | 76 | .500 | 17 | W4 |
| Los Angeles | 76 | 76 | .500 | 17 | L4 |
| Seattle | 74 | 79 | .484 | 19.5 | L6 |
| Oakland | 69 | 83 | .454 | 24 | W4 |
| TEAM | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| TCU | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| Texas Tech | 0-0 | 2-0 |
| Iowa State | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| Kansas State | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| West Virginia | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| Kansas | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Texas | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Baylor | 0-0 | 0-3 |
