NLCS-DODGERS/BRAVES

Braves try again to oust Dodgers

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves know what happened last October and don’t want to repeat it. The Los Angeles Dodgers want an encore.

Just like this year, Atlanta held 2-0 and 3-1 leads in best-of-seven series before the Dodgers mounted a comeback that eventually led to their first World Series title since 1988. Now the Braves head into Game 6 in Atlanta up three games to two, determined to put an end to the Dodgers’ streak of seven straight wins when facing elimination.

Walker Buehler will start for Los Angeles on three days’ rest after ace Max Scherzer was scratched Friday night. With a full week of rest, Buehler was roughed up by the Braves in his Game 3 start on Tuesday, giving up four runs and six hits in just 3 2/3 innings. The Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory. Buehler also pitched on short rest in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, going 4 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants. He gave up one run and three hits.

Ian Anderson will start for Atlanta.

The winner of this series will face the Houston Astros in the World Series. Houston closed out the AL Championship Series with a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox Friday in Game 6.

T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SCHEDULE

Week 8 highlights: Chip Kelly vs. Oregon; Pickett’s Heisman chance

UNDATED (AP) — The last three weeks have featured a team ranked in the top three of the AP college football poll losing to an unranked team. That streak will be tough to extend in Week 8.

No. 1 Georgia is off, No. 2 Cincinnati is a four-touchdown favorite at Navy and No. 3 Oklahoma is favored by more than five touchdowns against Kansas. No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Ohio State are also big favorites so maybe this is the weekend things calm down a bit after 47 ranked teams have lost through the first seven weeks of the season.

Potentially the best game of the week takes place in the Pac-12 with No. 10 Oregon visiting UCLA. Former Ducks coach Chip Kelly will be facing his old team for the third time, looking for his first victory. A loss for the 5-2 Bruins raises questions about just how much progress Kelly has made at UCLA in year four. A loss for 5-1 Oregon would give back most of the credibility the Ducks gained by winning at Ohio State and set up the Pac-12 for yet another season without a playoff participant.

Elsewhere Saturday, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickets gets the chance to make a Heisman case against Clemson. The fifth-year senior is putting up Dan Marino-type numbers with 21 touchdown passes in six games for the No. 23 Panthers.

NHL-BLACKHAWKS-COVID-19

3 players miss practice due to COVID-19 protocol

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane missed practice Saturday because of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. So did fellow forward Ryan Carpenter and defenseman Erik Gustafsson, for the same reason.

The announcement doesn’t necessarily mean that any of the players tested positive. General manager Stan Bowman said during training camp that the team was 100% vaccinated.

The Blackhawks recalled forward Reese Johnson from Rockford of the American Hockey League. Johnson had a goal and an assist during the IceHogs’ 6-3 loss to Iowa on Friday night.

Chicago hosts the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night. The struggling Blackhawks are off to a 0-4-1 start.

SKI-WORLD CUP-WOMEN’S GS

Shiffrin gets 70th win in World Cup skiing opener

SÖLDEN, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has won the season-opening women’s World Cup giant slalom by beating world champion Lara Gut-Behrami for her 70th career victory.

The American three-time overall champion sat .02 behind Gut-Behrami after the opening leg but put in another clean run in the second to edge her Swiss rival by .14.

The pair finished well ahead of the rest of the field. Defending overall champion Petra Vlhova of Slovakia trailed by 1.30 seconds in third.

Shiffrin became only the third skier in World Cup history to reach the 70-win mark. Ingemar Stenmark and Linsey Vonn achieved the feat before they finished their careers on 86 and 82 wins respectively.

PGA-ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Matsuyama has 1-stroke, 3rd-round lead

CHIBA, Japan (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama (hih-DEH’-kee maht-soo-YAH’-mah) has held on to a one-stroke lead at the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Japan.

The Masters champion shot a 2-under 68 Saturday that included a bogey on his last hole.

Matsuyama trailed by a stroke after the first round, led by one after the second and had a 54-hole total of 10-under 200. Cameron Tringale, who also shot 68, trailed by three strokes going to the final hole but his birdie and Matsuyama’s bogey reduced the lead to just one heading into Sunday’s final round.

LPGA-SOUTH KOREA

Lim takes 4-stroke lead

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — Hee Jeong Lim will take a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship after a 7-under 65 in the third round. Lim has a 54-hole total of 18-under 198 on the LPGA International Busan course in South Korea.

Fellow South Korean players Jin Young Ko and Na Rin An tied for second. American Danielle Kang shot 69 and was five strokes behind Lim and tied for third.

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