1st Down: The Atlanta Braves won yet again on Monday night, extending their winning streak to 12 games after a 9-5 win on the road to the Washington Nationals, but they did pay a price for their win in the form of an injury to Ozzie Albies. The second baseman went down with a broken foot as he made weak contact while hitting in the fifth inning, and he will now face some time out as a result. How long exactly remains to be seen, but the defending World Series champions have dealt with star players being out and still winning in the past. Dansby Swanson, his central infield partner, had a single and a home run as he racked up four RBIs in the win. Behind the Bravos’ winning run, the next biggest streaks are at four, with both the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants currently at those numbers.
2nd Down: Lamar Jackson, surprisingly to some, has reported to minicamp with the Baltimore Ravens after speculation that he would refuse to do so as the two sides haggle over a new contract in addition to the star quarterback still working to overcome an injury. The QB will be on his option season and get paid just north of $23 million for it, but there is little doubt that he’d like to be paid much more in seasons to come. However, the franchise tag looms large, and it could be applied to him next February if he does not sign a new deal before then.
3rd Down: Stanford and Auburn claimed the last two places at the College Baseball World Series on Monday, completing the eight-team field that will head to Omaha. The Cardinal took down UConn despite falling into a 3-0 hole in the top of the first inning. Kody Huff’s grand slam played a major role in the 10-5 decision, and the #2 team rolled on. The Tigers, meanwhile, defeated Oregon State 4-3 on the road to clinch their spot. Sonny DiChiara hit a two-run blast in the ‘W,’ and they took advantage of an error in the sixth to seal the deal and advance.
4th Down: Australia claimed the next-to-last spot at the FIFA World Cup on Monday when they defeated Peru on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Doha. The Qatari heat kept the game fairly quiet for 120 minutes, and in the end, it was substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne that was the hero following his dancing antics and crucially save on the final kick. One more spot remains on the line come Tuesday as New Zealand faces Costa Rica.
