Padres take wild-card lead, Mariners keep playoff hopes alive, Penix Jr returns for Falcons
Padres take wild-card lead!
This is The Sports Reset for Thursday September 24th
In MLB, the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5 to 1 and moved alone atop the National League wild-card standings. Manny Machado drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, while five Padres relievers combined for 5⅔ scoreless innings. Shohei Ohtani singled in his return, but the Dodgers missed a chance to secure a first-round bye. The Seattle Mariners kept their slim playoff hopes alive when Josh Naylor delivered a 10th-inning walk-off single in a 6 to 5 win over the Houston Astros. The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9 to 2, the Milwaukee Brewers topped the Philadelphia Phillies 4 to 1, and the New York Mets handled the Texas Rangers 7 to 2. In the WNBA, Allisha Gray scored 24 as the Atlanta Dream secured the number four seed by beating the New York Liberty 83 to 65. Paige Bueckers scored 25 and Jessica Shepard posted a triple-double as the Dallas Wings locked up the seventh seed with a 103 to 91 win over the Seattle Storm.
Looking ahead, the NFL takes center stage Thursday night when the Atlanta Falcons visit the Green Bay Packers. Michael Penix Jr. returns from a torn ACL for his first game since November, trying to revive an 0-and-2 Falcons offense that has yet to run a play in the red zone. In MLB, the Padres and Dodgers finish their series, with Los Angeles able to secure a first-round bye with a win. In the WNBA’s final regular-season slate, the Indiana Fever visit the Minnesota Lynx with the fifth seed still available, while the Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces remain in contention for the number two seed against the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury. In golf, the Presidents Cup begins at Medinah, where the United States is chasing an 11th consecutive victory over the International team. The WNBA playoffs open Sunday with four first-round games. Beyond the scoreboard, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart will undergo surgery for damage to his left knee and miss the rest of the regular season, leaving Jameis Winston to take over.
