Chiefs Cruise Past Patriots in Season Opener
The New England Patriots looked to be well on their way to beginning their Super Bowl title defense with an easy win over the Kansas City Chiefs. That was until Alex Smith, Kareem Hunt, and the Chiefs' offense would take over to spoil the party. Hunt overcame an early fumble to impress with 239 total yards and three touchdowns in his NFL debut and lead Kansas City past New England, 42-27. The yards total is the most by a rookie in his debut since the 1970 merger, and helped the Chiefs overcome a three-point halftime deficit. Alex Smith was very efficient to finish with 368 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback to put up those types of numbers against a Bill Belichick-coached team. The Chiefs' 42 points are the most the Patriots have surrendered in Belichick's 17 seasons with the team. The loss for New England also snapped an 82-game home streak of them winning when leading at the half. Tom Brady struggled while becoming the 13th player to start an NFL game at the age of 40 or older. He finished 16-of-36 for 267 yards, while getting sacked three times and hit six times against the Chiefs' defense. The Patriots will look to overcome the surprising tough start on the road against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Chiefs will host the Philadelphia Eagles in their home opener.
Indians Break Franchise Record With Win Streak
The Cleveland Indians have officially snapped their franchise record with their current win streak, and it's the amount of ease that they're doing it with that stands out. They sent their ace to the hill on Thursday night, as Corey Kluber struck out 13 over seven innings in an 11-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox for their 15th straight win. Kluber received early run support with The Tribe scoring seven times in the first three innings against Mike Pelfrey, who was thrown in last minute. Carlos Rodon was scratched with shoulder stiffness 15 minutes before the game, as Pelfrey threw 40 pitches over 2.1 innings in his 11th loss of the year. Edwin Encarnacion's three-run blast was a big blow, as Erik Gonzalez hit two long balls, while Francisco Lindor and Greg Allen also went deep, with Allen's being the first of his career. The White Sox got just three hits against Kluber, two of which were homers from Jose Abreu and Yolmer Sanchez in the loss. The Indians' ace retired 20 of the final 22 batters he faced and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the 14th time this season and 38th time of his career. The defending AL Champs became the first team since the 1935-36 Chicago Cubs to win 14 straight games in consecutive seasons, and will take their streak home for a weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles.
Kershaw, Dodgers Continue to Struggle
Not even the ace Clayton Kershaw could help solve the Los Angeles Dodgers' recent struggles, as the left-hander lasted just 3.2 innings in a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Kershaw surrendered four runs on six hits in his second-shortest outing of the season, which included him striking out seven and walking three. The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up a three-run home run to Nolan Arenado, leading to the Dodgers' seventh straight defeat, and 12th in the past 13 games. The losing streak is the first to reach seven for Los Angeles since May of 2013, although, their 92-48 record remains atop the majors. The NL West leaders are coming off a series sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they have been outscored 28-3 and struck out 35 times this week. Jon Gray led the way for the Rockies on the mound with six innings of one-run baseball in his seventh win of the year. The win extends their lead on the Milwaukee Brewers to three games in the NL Wild Card standings. They have three more games at Dodger Stadium this weekend with the struggling World Series favorites. The Brew-Crew will visit the Chicago Cubs for a three-game series beginning Friday.
The New England Patriots looked to be well on their way to beginning their Super Bowl title defense with an easy win over the Kansas City Chiefs. That was until Alex Smith, Kareem Hunt, and the Chiefs' offense would take over to spoil the party. Hunt overcame an early fumble to impress with 239 total yards and three touchdowns in his NFL debut and lead Kansas City past New England, 42-27. The yards total is the most by a rookie in his debut since the 1970 merger, and helped the Chiefs overcome a three-point halftime deficit. Alex Smith was very efficient to finish with 368 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback to put up those types of numbers against a Bill Belichick-coached team. The Chiefs' 42 points are the most the Patriots have surrendered in Belichick's 17 seasons with the team. The loss for New England also snapped an 82-game home streak of them winning when leading at the half. Tom Brady struggled while becoming the 13th player to start an NFL game at the age of 40 or older. He finished 16-of-36 for 267 yards, while getting sacked three times and hit six times against the Chiefs' defense. The Patriots will look to overcome the surprising tough start on the road against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Chiefs will host the Philadelphia Eagles in their home opener.
Indians Break Franchise Record With Win Streak
The Cleveland Indians have officially snapped their franchise record with their current win streak, and it's the amount of ease that they're doing it with that stands out. They sent their ace to the hill on Thursday night, as Corey Kluber struck out 13 over seven innings in an 11-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox for their 15th straight win. Kluber received early run support with The Tribe scoring seven times in the first three innings against Mike Pelfrey, who was thrown in last minute. Carlos Rodon was scratched with shoulder stiffness 15 minutes before the game, as Pelfrey threw 40 pitches over 2.1 innings in his 11th loss of the year. Edwin Encarnacion's three-run blast was a big blow, as Erik Gonzalez hit two long balls, while Francisco Lindor and Greg Allen also went deep, with Allen's being the first of his career. The White Sox got just three hits against Kluber, two of which were homers from Jose Abreu and Yolmer Sanchez in the loss. The Indians' ace retired 20 of the final 22 batters he faced and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the 14th time this season and 38th time of his career. The defending AL Champs became the first team since the 1935-36 Chicago Cubs to win 14 straight games in consecutive seasons, and will take their streak home for a weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles.
Kershaw, Dodgers Continue to Struggle
Not even the ace Clayton Kershaw could help solve the Los Angeles Dodgers' recent struggles, as the left-hander lasted just 3.2 innings in a 9-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Kershaw surrendered four runs on six hits in his second-shortest outing of the season, which included him striking out seven and walking three. The three-time Cy Young Award winner gave up a three-run home run to Nolan Arenado, leading to the Dodgers' seventh straight defeat, and 12th in the past 13 games. The losing streak is the first to reach seven for Los Angeles since May of 2013, although, their 92-48 record remains atop the majors. The NL West leaders are coming off a series sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they have been outscored 28-3 and struck out 35 times this week. Jon Gray led the way for the Rockies on the mound with six innings of one-run baseball in his seventh win of the year. The win extends their lead on the Milwaukee Brewers to three games in the NL Wild Card standings. They have three more games at Dodger Stadium this weekend with the struggling World Series favorites. The Brew-Crew will visit the Chicago Cubs for a three-game series beginning Friday.
