NEW YORK: Jered Weaver kept the Los Angeles Angels firmly in the playoff hunt by shutting down the Chicago White Sox in a 4-1 triumph on Sunday that gave the pitching ace his American League-leading 19th win of the season.
Weaver allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings to keep the Angels 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card spot with nine games remaining.
“We just have to go out there and keep winning,” Weaver told reporters. “Obviously there’s a little bit of scoreboard watching (but) we can’t worry about what other teams are doing.”
The Angels’ big right-hander won his third consecutive start to break a tie with fellow Cy Young hopeful David Price, of Tampa Bay, for the league’s lead in wins.
The visiting White Sox missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the AL Central. The White Sox (81-71) have a one-game advantage over Detroit, who were swept in a doubleheader with Minnesota.
The Tigers lost 10-4 in the opener before falling 2-1 in 10 innings behind a game-winning RBI single from Twins infielder Jamey Carroll.
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera had an RBI in each game, giving him a Major League-leading 133. The slugger is still pursuing baseball’s elusive triple crown as he leads the league in batting average (.331) and runs batted in and is tied for the top spot in home runs with 42.
In Seattle, the Texas Rangers avoided being swept by the Mariners with a 3-2 victory. The first-place Rangers (90-62) have a four-game lead in the AL West.
In Boston, Baltimore’s Ryan Flaherty struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to halt the Orioles’ late-inning magic as they lost 2-1 to the Red Sox to remain a game behind New York in the tight American League East race.
Baltimore had rallied on Saturday for their 16th straight extra inning victory, but their latest charge fell just short and they missed a chance to catch the first-place Yankees, who lost to Oakland.
New York (88-64) was beaten 5-4 by the Athletics, ending the Yankees’ run of seven consecutive wins.
Oakland (86-66) now leads for the second American League wild card spot by three games.
In the National League, Atlanta beat Philadelphia 2-1 as they stretched their hold on the top wild card spot.
The Milwaukee Brewers topped Washington 6-2 to stay within 2 1/2 games of the second Wild Card spot held by St. Louis. The Cardinals stayed in position with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers managed to stay three games out of a playoff spot by beating Cincinnati 5-3.
The San Francisco Giants clinched their second NL West Division title in three years on Saturday night with an 8-4 victory over the San Diego Padres.
The Giants, winners of the 2010 World Series, claimed the pennant despite losing All-Star closer Brian7 Wilson to a season-ending injury and leading hitter Melky Cabrera to a 50-game doping suspension.
Weaver wins 19th to keep Angels in playoff hunt
Weaver wins 19th to keep Angels in playoff hunt
Late Nandez winner keeps Al-Qadsiah’s title hopes alive
- Al-Qadsiah move to 47 points, 3 behind leaders Al-Hilal, who are yet to play on Matchday 22
- Al-Taawoun fairytale run loses steam as Pericles Chamusca’s side continue difficult spell
RIYADH: All signs pointed to an unlikely title charge for Al-Qadsiah when they held Al-Hilal to a 2-2 draw in Dammam at the end of January.
Since then, it has been a testing period for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
While they remain unbeaten under the Northern Irishman, Al-Qadsiah have struggled to replicate their earlier intensity as fatigue begins to take its toll.
Despite those challenges, Al-Qadsiah have collected seven points from their last nine, with a dramatic late winner from Nahitan Nandez securing a valuable 1-0 victory over a resilient NEOM side. The road to those three points was anything but easy.
Al-Qadsiah should have been ahead inside three minutes. A high press initiated by Julian Quinones and Mateo Retegui forced NEOM goalkeeper Luis Maximiano into a costly error, with his attempted clearance falling straight to the Italian. The 2024/25 Serie A top scorer struck the post with the goal at his mercy, allowing NEOM to breathe a sigh of relief.
What followed was a tactical battle between Rodgers and Christophe Galtier.
The hosts made a few changes from their previous outing, with Nandez occupying the right flank instead of Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, while Ali Hazazi slotted into midfield.
NEOM mirrored the system, with their wingers tracking Nandez and Christopher Bonsu Baah as they dropped into a 5-4-1 defensive shape. Faris Abdi was a key outlet for the visitors, surging down the left flank on multiple occasions to support Luciano Rodriguez and Alexandre Lacazette.
It was Rodriguez and Lacazette who fashioned NEOM’s most dangerous chances of the night.
In the 38th minute, Koen Casteels denied Rodriguez with a powerful save. Minutes later, a cutback found Lacazette inside the box, but Casteels was again equal to the effort.
The Belgian emerged as the standout performer, making seven saves to keep Al-Qadsiah in contention. His efforts almost went unrewarded, however, as Retegui failed to convert further chances and Quinones endured his first game in 10 without a goal contribution.
Al-Qadsiah eventually grabbed the winner in the dying moments when a cross from Bonsu Baah was flicked on by new signing Waleed Al-Ahmed into the path of Nandez. The Uruguayan powered home what could prove to be the most valuable goal of the season, keeping Al-Qadsiah firmly in the title hunt.
Elsewhere, Damac enjoyed a perfect start under new manager Fabio Carille, as the Knights from the South secured their second win of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al-Taawoun.
Yakou Meite scored twice to give Damac their first win since late December, while Al-Taawoun drifted further from the top four after another match without victory.
The result moves Damac three points clear of Al-Riyadh in 16th place, easing immediate relegation concerns.
Meanwhile, Omar Al-Somah continued his pursuit of the all-time Saudi Pro League scoring record with a late winner for Al-Hazem. The hosts defeated Al-Okhdood 2-1 to climb temporarily into 11th, 12 points clear of the drop zone.
Saudi Pro League action returns on Friday, with Al-Shabab hosting Al-Ahli in Riyadh, Al-Hilal welcoming Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad facing Al-Fayha to close out the day’s action.
