Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg took his turn silencing the Cardinals’ struggling bats, Nationals postseason star Howie Kendrick doubled three times and drove in three more runs, and Washington moved one win from the city’s first World Series appearance in 86 years by beating St. Louis 8-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Strasburg struck out 12 in 7 innings.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pitching, defense and baserunning abandoned the Cardinals and their hitting never showed up in Game 3 of the NLCS. They got blown out 8-1 by the Washington Nationals to fall into a 3-0 hole and are one loss from being swept out of the series. St. Louis has scored one run through three games.
UNDATED (AP) — The Detroit Lions are the latest victim of questionable calls by officials that have seemingly become a regular part of every game. This time, it was two hands-to-the-face calls that aided Green Bay in its fourth-quarter comeback from a nine-point deficit for a 23-22 win. Both calls were on Lions defensive end Trey Flowers, who appeared to be grabbing his man by the shoulder and not the facemask or throat.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled for Andy Reid’s entire tenure to stop the run. Now, with a team pegged as Super Bowl contenders, they may be worse than ever. Injuries have mounted on the defensive line, middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens also is hobbled and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s switch from a 3-4 system to a 4-3 has failed to produce any noticeable improvement. It’s no wonder the Chiefs’ run defense is making opposing backs look like stars.
UNDATED (AP) — Nebraska will play Illinois in Dublin, Ireland, to open the 2021 season. It’s the second game in a five-game series of college games on the Emerald Isle. Navy and Notre Dame will meet in Dublin next season. The matchup in Dublin will be Nebraska’s first game outside of the United States since the Cornhuskers beat Kansas State in the 1992 Coca-Cola Bowl in Tokyo.