Going down to the wire

UNDATED (AP) — There are just three days remaining on baseball’s regular-season schedule and there are still races to be decided.

The Yankees and Orioles begin tonight’s play tied for the AL East lead. New York hosts rival Boston and Baltimore puts a four-game winning streak on the line at Tampa Bay. The loser of the division race will get a wild card.

Detroit has a magic number of one to clinch the AL Central heading into its outing at Kansas City. Second-place Chicago plays at Cleveland.

Playoff-bound Texas holds a two-game lead over Oakland atop the AL West and is getting set to host a three-game series with the Athletics. The Rangers are one game ahead of the Yanks and O’s for best record in the league. The A’s can clinch a playoff spot with one more win.

Also in the AL tonight, the L.A. Angels cling to playoff hopes at Seattle and Minnesota plays at Toronto.

Washington begins tonight’s game against visiting Philadelphia tied with Cincinnati for best record in the National League and with a magic number of one for clinching the East title. Second-place Atlanta plays at Pittsburgh.

The Central champion Reds will have Dusty Baker back on the bench tonight at St. Louis. Their skipper has been away for almost two weeks after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. The Cardinals lead the Dodgers by two games for the second wild card and both have three games left on their schedule. Los Angeles hosts the West champion San Francisco Giants.

Elsewhere under the lights, Chicago is home to Houston, New York is at Miami, Milwaukee hosts San Diego and Colorado plays at Arizona.

Pagano diagnosed with leukemia

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has been diagnosed with leukemia and could miss at least Sunday’s game against Green Bay.

The 51-year-old Pagano is in his first season as a head coach. He was hired in January after serving as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells. Symptoms can include weakness, weight loss and easy bruising or bleeding. According to the National Cancer Institute, treatments can include chemotherapy, drugs and radiation therapy.

Pagano earned his first win Sept. 16 against the Vikings. The 1-2 Colts had a bye last weekend.

Points expected to be at a premium tonight in Big D

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Two defensive minded teams will be sharing the field tonight for the NFL’s Week 4 finale. The Cowboys will host the Bears for a matchup of 2-1 teams.

The Cowboys defense is ranked No. 1 overall and the Bears are sixth.

Both teams have been sputtering on offense, with Dallas ranked 20th and Chicago 27th.

The Cowboys are coming off a 16-10 win over Tampa Bay. The Bears beat St. Louis 23-6 last time out.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston at N-Y Yankees 6:05 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Cleveland 6:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Toronto 6:07 p.m.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay 6:10 p.m.
Detroit at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
Texas at Oakland 9:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Seattle 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta at Pittsburgh 6:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington 6:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Miami 6:10 p.m.
Houston at Chi Cubs 7:05 p.m.
San Diego at Milwaukee 7:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at St. Louis 7:15 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona 8:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Chicago at Dallas 7:30 p.m.

Europe improbably retains Ryder Cup

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — The European’s are calling it the Miracle at Medina after their team’s come-from-behind victory over the U.S. Ryder Cup team. In America it’s more like the Meltdown at Medina.

Defending champion Europe trailed 10-6 heading into Sunday’s final singles matches before roaring back to post a 14 ½ to 13 ½ victory.

That matches the performance by the U.S. in 1999 when the Americans came back from the same deficit to win, but that was on their home turf.

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal fought back tears when Martin Kaymer holed a 6-foot par putt on the final hole of the second-to-last pairing of the day to give Europe the point it needed to keep the cup.

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker failed to earn a single point in the three day event in suburban Chicago.

It was a shocking finish for the Americans, who were poised to win the Ryder Cup for only the third time since 1999.

Falcons, Texas and Arizona stay unbeaten

UNDATED (AP) — Atlanta, Arizona and Houston remain undefeated after four weeks of play in the NFL.

— Matt Bryant’s third field goal of the game, a 40-yarder with five seconds remaining, lifted the Falcons past visiting Carolina 30-28. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked a career-high seven times but managed to throw three touchdown passes. This is the Falcons best start since 2004 when they reached the NFC title game. The Panthers are 1-3.

— The Texans continued their best start in franchise history with a convincing 38-14 win over the visiting Tennessee Titans. Matt Schaub threw for two scores and Danieal Manning and Kareem Jackson each returned an interception for a score. Titans quarterback Jake Locker left in the first quarter and did not return after hurting his non-throwing shoulder. The Titans are 1-3 on the season.

— It took overtime for the Cardinals to remain perfect. Jay Feely kicked a 46-yard field goal 6:31 into OT in a 24-21 victory over the Dolphins. The Cards forced overtime when Kevin Kolb (kahb) threw a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Andre Roberts with 22 seconds to play in regulation. Miami rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 431 yards and Brian Hartline set a Dolphins record with 253 yards receiving on 12 catches.

In other games,

— The Eagles beat the Giants in the Sunday night game, 19-17. Alex Henery of the Eagles booted the game winning field goal from 26 yards out with 1:49 remaining in the final quarter. New York’s Lawrence Tynes tried a 54-yarder with 15 seconds left but the kick fell short. The Eagles are 3-1 and the Giants 2-2. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants have struggled against Philadelphia, losing eight of the last nine meetings.

— Coming off back-to-back losses the Patriots destroyed Buffalo 52-26. Tom Brady led the way with three touchdown passes on 22 of 35 passing for 340 yards. He also scored on a 4-yard run. Each team is 2-2.

— San Francisco blitzed the Jets 34-0 and the 49ers are now 3-1. The Niners piled up more than 200 yards on the ground as Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick all ran for scores. The Jets, who dropped to 2-2, never got anything going on offense.

— The Chiefs turned the ball over six times and visiting San Diego took advantage of the miscues in a 37-20 win. Philip Rivers threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers, who are 3-1. The Chiefs drop to 1-3.

— Minnesota got the better of the Lions in Detroit, 20-13. The Vikings’ special teams had a good day as Percy Harvin returned the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels scored on a punt return early in the third. The win gives the Vikes a 3-1 mark and snapped an 11-game losing streak within the division. Detroit has lost three straight after winning its season opener.

— Rookie Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals, including a 58-yarder and a team record 60-yards, as St. Louis beat Seattle 19-13. Both teams are 2-2.

— Peyton Manning had a big game, 338 yards passing and three touchdown passes, as the Broncos sailed to a 37-6 win over Oakland. The Broncos, who are 2-2, beat the 1-3 Raiders at home for the first time since 2007.

— Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton threw two touchdowns passes and ran for a score as the Bengals beat the Jaguars 27-10. The 3-1 Bengals finished with six sacks, putting constant pressure on quarterback Blaine Gabbert. With the loss the Jaguars fell to 1-3.

— Billy Cundiff kicked a game winning 41-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to give the Redskins a 24-22 victory over Tampa Bay. He had missed three attempts earlier in the game. Quarterback Robert Griffin III marched the Redskins into field goal range with three straight completions and a 15 yard run. Washington is 2-2 while the Bucs are 1-3.

— Aaron Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter as the Packers bounced back from that controversial loss to the Seahawks last Sunday with a 28-27 win over the Saints. Rodgers threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and an interception for the 2-2 Packers. Drew Brees threw for 446 yards with three touchdowns for the winless 0-4 Saints.

Rangers, Yanks and O’s clinch

UNDATED (AP) — Mike Napoli homered twice and drove in six runs as the Texas Rangers assured themselves and two other teams of spots in the playoffs with an 8-7 victory Sunday night, earning a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Angels. L.A. won the first game 5-4.

Napoli’s second homer in the nightcap was a go-ahead three-run shot in the third.

Two-time defending AL champion Texas can be no worse than a wild card and the Rangers can clinch their third consecutive AL West title by winning once in a three-game series at Oakland that starts Monday. They enter the series leading the A’s by 2 games.

The Angels trail the A’s by three games for the AL’s second wild card with three games left.

The loss by the Angels also clinched playoffs spots for Baltimore and the New York Yankees, who are tied for the AL East lead.

Also in the AL on Sunday:

New York rallied from a 5-1 fifth-inning deficit to beat the Blue Jays 9-6 in Toronto. Eric Chavez homered for the winners and teammate Curtis Granderson had a two-run single to reach 100 RBIs for the second straight year despite a .226 batting average.

The Bombers return to the Bronx for a season-ending series against archrival Boston.

The Orioles kept pace with the Yankees by beating the visiting Red Sox 6-3 for their fourth straight W. The Birds finish up their regular season at Tampa.

Baltimore’s win clinched home field for the O’s if there is a one-game tiebreaker game to decide the AL East.

Also in the AL:

— Prince Fielder’s opposite field two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted Central leader Detroit to a 2-1 victory at Minnesota. It’s his 30th jack of the season. Teammate Miguel Cabrera, who is trying to become the first player since 1967 to win the triple crown, went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk, dropping his AL-leading batting average to .325. In the AL Central, the Tigers now have a three game lead.

— Fading Chicago fell three games behind the Tigers with a 6-2 loss to visiting Tampa Bay, keeping the Rays’ wild-card hopes alive. David Price became Tampa Bays’ first 20-game winner. The White Sox’ 10th loss in 12 games moves them to the brink of elimination.

— Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning to move Oakland a win closer to the club’s first playoff berth in six years as the Athletics beat Seattle 5-2. In the American League Wild Card race the A’s top the Angels and Rays by 3 games for the second spot. In the AL West, the A’s are still contending with the Rangers for first place. Oakland plays host to Texas for the final three games of the season starting Monday.

— Asdrubal Cabrera capped a 10-run fifth inning with a grand slam and the Indians routed the visiting Kansas City Royals 15-3. Cleveland improves to 2-1 under interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. They are 5-2 after a disastrous 12-41 stretch that dropped them from contention into last place in the AL Central and cost manager Manny Acta his job.

In the NL:

— Central Division champion Cincinnati rallied for a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh, clinching home field for the NL division series. It also ensures the Pirates a 20th straight losing season. Xavier Paul led off the top of the ninth with a pinch-hit homer and Zack Colzart snapped a 3-3 tie with an RBI double. At 96-63, the Reds are tied with Washington for the best record in the league.

— The East-leading Nationals could have clinched the division title with a win at St. Louis or an Atlanta loss to visiting New York, but that didn’t happen. Carlos Beltran homered from both sides of the plate for the ninth time in his career and drove in five runs to help the Cards close in on the NL’s second wild-card berth with a 10-4 pounding of the Nats.

— The Braves won for a major league record 23rd straight time in games started by Kris Medlen, beating the New York Mets 6-2. Medlen gave up one unearned run and three hits in six innings while improving to 10-1. Atlanta has already clinched an NL wild-card spot and is on track to host the one-game playoff, which Medlen would start.

— The Astros beat the visiting Brewers 7-0 to eliminate Milwaukee from wild-card playoff contention. The Brewers, who reached the NL championship series last year, had surged since mid-August to get back into the postseason race. But the last-place Astros won two of three at Miller Park to finish off Milwaukee. Jordan Lyles pitched his first major league shutout and hit his first home.

— Cole Hamels finishes his season in style by striking out eight and allowing one run over seven innings of Philadelphia’s 4-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. The left-hander improves to 17-6. The Phillies need one win in the final three-game series at Washington to finish at least .500 for the 10th straight season.

— Pinch hitter Xavier Nady homered off Huston Street to tie the game with one out in the ninth and Hunter Spence hit a go-ahead, two-run shot as the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the San Diego Padres 7-5. The come from behind win took Tim Lincecum off the hook for a loss, as he allowed a season high three home runs.

— Anthony Rizzo had three hits, David DeJesus homered and the Chicago Cubs ended a seven-game losing streak, beating the Arizona 7-2. The Cubs had lost 18 in a row against NL West opponents.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 15 Kansas City 3
L.A. Angels 5 Texas 4 (first game)
Texas 8 L.A. Angels 7 (second game)
N-Y Yankees 9 Toronto 6
Baltimore 6 Boston 3
Detroit 2 Minnesota 1
Tampa Bay 6 Chi White Sox 2
Oakland 5 Seattle 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 4 Miami 1
Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 3
Atlanta 6 N-Y Mets 2
Houston 7 Milwaukee 0
St. Louis 10 Washington 4
San Francisco 7 San Diego 5
Chi Cubs 7 Arizona 2
L.A. Dodgers 7 Colorado 1

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Atlanta 30 Carolina 28
Minnesota 20 Detroit 13
New England 52 Buffalo 28
San Diego 37 Kansas City 20
San Francisco 34 N-Y Jets 0
St. Louis 19 Seattle 13
Houston 38 Tennessee 14
Cincinnati 27 Jacksonville 10
Arizona 24 Miami 21 OT
Denver 37 Oakland 6
Green Bay 28 New Orleans 27
Washington 24 Tampa Bay 22
Philadelphia 19 N-Y Giants 17

The Husker football team moved up one spot to twenty-first in the AP poll after their 30-27 victory over Wisconsin Saturday night in Lincoln. They remained twentieth in the USA Today coaches poll. Nebraska’s win tied for the second-largest comeback win in school history, as the Huskers came from 17 down in the third quarter to beat the Badgers and open Big Ten conference play with a win. Nebraska will take on Ohio State this Saturday in Columbus, with the kickoff scheduled for 7 PM.

Peyton Manning threw for 338 yards as the Denver Broncos snapped a two-game losing streak with a 37-6 rout of the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field. Manning completed 30 of his 38 pass attempts and connected with Eric Decker, Joel Dreessen and Lance Ball on touchdown passes. Willis McGahee added 112 rushing yards and a touchdown. All told, the Broncos outgained the Raiders 507 to 237 on the day and were so dominant offensively that they didn’t punt once all afternoon. But it wasn’t all sunshine for the Broncos, as they lost starting center JD Walton, likely for the season. Walton broke his ankle in the second quarter. The Broncos move their record back to .500 at 2-2. They play four out of their next five games on the road, starting next Sunday in Foxboro against the New England Patriots.

Behind a season-high 16 team blocks, the sixth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team beat Michigan 21-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-21 at the NU Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. Morgan Broekhuis led the Nebraska block with a season-high eight total blocks. She also tallied a team-high 16 kills. Hayley Thramer notched seven blocks and 12 kills, while Gina Mancuso had four blocks and 12 kills. The Huskers are on the road this weekend, playing at Purdue on Friday and at Indiana on Saturday.

The Colorado Rockies lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 on Sunday afternoon, adding to their franchise record with their ninety-seventh loss of the season. The run came on an Andrew Brown solo homer in the fourth inning, the fifth of the season for the former Husker. It was the only run scored in the entire three-game series by the Rockies as they were swept at Dodger Stadium. Making his Major League debut, outfielder Rafael Ortega was the bright spot for the Rockies at the plate. He has two hits, reached base four times, and stole a base. Jorge de la Rosa took the loss for the Rockies on the mound, allowing four runs on five hits in four innings. The final series of the season for the Rockies opens Monday night in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action, with pregame coverage at 8:05 and the first pitch at 8:40.

Saturday
BASEBALL
American League
N.Y. Yankees at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
Seattle at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota, 3:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Texas, 3:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox, 3:05 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland, 6:05 p.m.

National League
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Miami, 6:10 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis, 6:15 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona, 7:10 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego, 7:35 p.m.
Colorado at L.A. Dodgers, 8:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)

TOP 25 FOOTBALL
No. 1 Alabama vs. Mississippi, 8:15 p.m.
No. 2 Oregon vs. Washington State at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.
No. 3 LSU vs. Towson, 6 p.m.
No. 4 Florida State at South Florida, 5 p.m.
No. 5 Georgia vs. Tennessee, 2:30 p.m.
No. 6 South Carolina at Kentucky, 6 p.m.
No. 9 West Virginia vs. No. 25 Baylor, 11 a.m.
No. 12 Texas at Oklahoma State, 6:50 p.m.
No. 14 Ohio State at No. 20 Michigan State, 2:30 p.m.
No. 15 TCU at SMU, 6 p.m.
No. 17 Clemson at Boston College, 2:30 p.m.
No. 18 Oregon State at Arizona, 9 p.m.
No. 19 Louisville at Southern Miss., 7 p.m.
No. 22 Nebraska vs. Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
No. 24 Boise State at New Mexico, 5 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS
NASCAR Nationwide, OneMain Financial 200 Qualifying, Dover, Del., 11:05 a.m.
NHRA, AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, 1:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide, OneMain Financial 200, Dover, Del., 2:30 p.m.
NASCAR Camping World Trucks, Smith’s 350, Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m.

OTHER EVENTS
Golf
PGA of America/European Tour, Ryder Cup, Medinah, Ill.

Sunday
BASEBALL
American League
Kansas City at Cleveland, 12:05 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore, 12:35 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota, 1:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox, 1:10 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Texas, 2:05 p.m.
Seattle at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

National League
Philadelphia at Miami, 12:10 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 12:35 p.m.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.
Washington at St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona, 3:10 p.m.
Colorado at L.A. Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.

NFL
Tennessee at Houston, noon
San Diego at Kansas City, noon
Seattle at St. Louis, noon
New England at Buffalo, noon
Minnesota at Detroit, noon
Carolina at Atlanta, noon
San Francisco at N.Y. Jets, noon
Miami at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Oakland at Denver, 3:05 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Cincinnati at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.
New Orleans at Green Bay, 3:25 p.m.
Washington at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 7:20 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS
NHRA, AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, 11 a.m.
NASCAR Sprint Cup, AAA 400, Dover, Del., 1 p.m.

Golf
PGA of America/European Tour, Ryder Cup, Medinah, Ill.

It’s been a successful fall for Swede athletics as the wins keep piling up! The Swede softball team gears up for districts, Lady Swede volleyball is set to host a tough invite, and Swede football takes on Cozad tonight. Hear all about it in this week’s Gothenburg Swede sports update!