Clanregeln » 28What Louisvilles loss meansAfter a wild Sa

CHICAGO -- Miguel Cabrera reached 300 home runs with the Tigers, Justin Verlander eclipsed 200 strikeouts on the season and Francisco Rodriguez moved into fourth place on the career saves list.Yet it took Justin Upton coming through in the clutch for a second straight day to keep Detroit tied for the final AL playoff spot.Upton hit a three-run home run in the 11th inning and the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Monday for their 11th win in 14 games.Chris Beck (1-1) issued consecutive two-out walks to Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez before Upton crushed a 1-2 fastball to right for his 21st home run. It was his second game-winning homer in two days after connecting in the eighth inning Sunday against Kansas City.Thats what you live for, man, Upton said. Thats what you play the game for, the big moment when you can help your team out.Detroits hot streak has coincided with Uptons tear. He has eight home runs in 14 games.Ive been on time a lot more, Upton said. Im giving myself a better opportunity to see the ball and put good swings on it.Cabrera homered twice and had four hits off Chris Sale, and Verlander struck out 11 in seven innings as the Tigers stayed tied with Baltimore for the second AL wild card.Cabrera became the fourth player to reach 300 homers with the Tigers with a liner to right in the first. He secured his fifth multihomer game of the season with a drive to left-center in the third, his 31st of the season.Hes probably one of the most elite right-hand hitters in the history of the game, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. He continues to hit. Hes got a tremendous, mechanically-sound swing and hes extremely strong.Cabrera also singled and doubled for his sixth four-hit game of the season. He had all but two of the hits allowed by Sale, who struck out eight and walked none in eight innings.Alex Wilson (2-0) gave up one hit in the 10th and Rodriguez allowed a run in the 11th before securing his 39th save. He moved past John Franco for fourth on the saves list with 425.Verlander allowed eight hits and saw his chance for a 15th win dashed when former Tigers catcher Alex Avila tied it with a solo homer in the seventh. It was Avilas second homer off Verlander in five days.For whatever reason, catchers tend to hit the guys theyve caught for a long time pretty well, Verlander said.It was the second Verlander-Sale matchup in a week. Neither ace factored in the decision in Detroits 3-2 win Wednesday, either. The White Sox again failed to support Sale and fell to 2-8 in his last 10 starts.Chicago has gone 42-62 since beginning 23-10.It falls on us mostly, Sale said. You just have to look yourself in the mirror and say, `What do we have to do to change it?TRAINERS ROOMTigers: 2B Ian Kinsler (finger) didnt start but pinch ran in the 11th. ... CF Cameron Maybin (thumb) returned after a five-game absence. ... RHP Jordan Zimmermann (neck) allowed seven runs -- two earned -- and six hits in 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Toledo. ... RHP Mike Pelfrey (back) was activated off the disabled list and moved to the bullpen. I get it, he said. Everybody in the rotation is throwing well.White Sox: Manager Robin Ventura said shutting down struggling RHP James Shields (back) is possible. Shields has allowed a major league high-tying 35 homers.CABRERAS MILESTONECabrera joined Al Kaline (399), Norm Cash (373) and Hank Greenberg (306) in Detroits 300-homer club. Cabrera has 439 career home runs.SIT DOWNVerlanders first-inning strikeout of Melky Cabrera gave him 200 in a season for the sixth time in his career and the first time since 2013.Reports of his demise were premature, Ausmus said.NICE CATCHChicagos Cabrera robbed Maybin of a leadoff home run with a leaping grab at the left-field wall.UP NEXTWhite Sox RHP Miguel Gonzalez (2-6, 4.05 ERA) returns from a groin injury Tuesday night to make his first start since Aug. 11. LHP Matt Boyd (5-2, 4.00) will be recalled from Triple-A to start for the Tigers. Vans Slip On Cheap . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Cheap Vans Shoes .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-old-skool-clearance.html . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Vans Old Skool Cheap . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Vans Slip On Sale . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. We are a little more than two weeks from the final College Football Playoff rankings and the semifinal announcements.Dinich projects the committees top sixTen of the committees top 11 teams won this week, the exception being Louisville, so there shouldnt be too much of a shakeup in the top six. Michigan might drop because of a lackluster passing game under John OKorn, and Oklahoma still has some work to do. Heres an updated projection of what the committee might do:1. Alabama2. Ohio State3. Clemson4. Michigan5. Washington6. WisconsinSooners still have work to doThe easiest declaration in the Big 12 is that West Virginia is out, done, kaput. Its more complicated with Oklahoma, which earned its first statement win -- and got it in Morgantown. The Sooners still need help, though -- lots of it -- because of a résumé that has just one win against a top 25 team and just three wins against teams with record above .500 (Kansas State, Baylor and now West Virginia). Five of OUs nine wins have come against teams with at least six losses.So what has to happen?OU first needs to beat Oklahoma State on Dec. 3. The Sooners would increase their legitimacy in the debate if Michigan loses, because if the Wolverines win out and win the Big Ten, youre looking at a top four that starts with Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. The debate would then boil down to Oklahoma and Washington. Thats why if Washington loses, it also helps, because Oklahoma might have a better chance when evaluated against a two-loss Colorado Pac-12 champ. Oklahoma could also make a case against a two-loss Penn State team, but would likely lose that résumé test, too, because Penn States win over No. 2 Ohio State still trumps anything the Sooners have done. OU isnt done yet, but it remains a long shot in the big picture.Pac-12 takes playoff hitThe entire Pac-12 took a hit when both No. 12 Utah and No. 22 Washington State lost. Utahs loss hurts Washingtons résumé, as a road win against Utah is the Huskies best win. With Washington States loss, its possible the Cougars drop out of the CFP top 25 entirely. Thats not good for Washington, which needs as many ranked opponents as it can get down the stretch. In spite of the loss to Colorado, Washington State can win the North if it wins the Apple Cup. That would leave Colorado as the leagues best shot at the CFP, but it would be playing a team it already beat in the conference championship game. The better scenario for Colorado is for Washington to win the North.Michigan wins OKorns debut, but tougher challenge awaitsThis was the selection committees first chance to see if Michigan looks like a top-four team with backup quarterback John OKorn, and in spite of the win over Indiana, that remains debatable. Michigans passing game struggled immensely, as OKorn completed just seven of 16 passes for 59 yards, and the Wolverines put the game in the hands of DeVeon Smith, who had 158 yards and two touchdowns. Michigan cant remain one-dimensional at Ohio State next week or in the Big Ten championship game, should it win the East. That is enough to give the committee pause, and it could drop Michigan to the No. 4 spot behind Clemson this week. The Wolverines should stay in the top four, however, thanks to wins ovver Colorado, Penn State and Wisconsin.ddddddddddddOhio State should remain ranked ahead of Michigan, partly because the Buckeyes have a better loss (to a ranked Penn State team) than the Wolverines loss to Iowa. It should be noted in the committee meeting room, though, that Michigan and Ohio State both played in East Lansing, and the Wolverines won in more impressive fashion.Ohio State wobbles but keeps playoff hopes aliveNo. 2 Ohio State escaped East Lansing with a 17-16 win and should remain in the committees top four, but such a close game against a 3-7 team opens the door to debate whether the Buckeyes are the No. 2 team in the country. The close win also calls into question whether the Buckeyes would deserve to stay in the top four without winning the Big Ten East division. Remember, in order for a team that doesnt win its conference championship to go to a semifinal, it must unequivocally be one of the four best teams in the country. There must be no doubt among the 12 committee members that Ohio State is better than another Power 5 conference champion. For much of the game Saturday, there was doubt as to whether the Buckeyes are better than Michigan State.Also in the Big Ten, Wisconsin trounced Purdue 49-20 but needed Nebraska (and Minnesota) to lose to clinch the Big Tens West division. The Huskers thoroughly beat the Terps, so the Badgers celebration must remain on hold, though they should remain the Big Tens top two-loss team.Gundy states his case for Oklahoma StateThe No. 11 Cowboys beat TCU 31-6 to improve to 9-2 and set up a potentially monumental Bedlam showdown with Oklahoma on Dec. 3. But coach Mike Gundy isnt looking at his team as a 9-2 squad. To him, its 10-1.After the TCU win, Gundy reflected on his teams?controversial Week 2 loss to Central Michigan, in which on-field and replay officials admitted to an error that prolonged the game and allowed the Chippewas to complete a last-second Hail Mary.Nobody will ever convince me that we didnt get the win, Gundy said.CFP selection committee chair Kirby Hocutt has said his group is considering the game a loss for the Cowboys, but Gundy isnt sure they feel that way.I know Kirby had mentioned that the committee feels a certain way about that game, Gundy said. I think Kirbys playing poker and that they see us as a 10-win team. Thats just my opinion.Playoff impact gamesNo. 2 Ohio State 17, Michigan State 16No. 7 Wisconsin 49, Purdue 20No. 11 Oklahoma State 31, TCU 6No. 3 Michigan 20, Indiana 10No. 4 Clemson 35, Wake Forest 13No. 1 Alabama 31, Chattanooga 3No. 8 Penn State 39, Rutgers 0No. 9 Oklahoma 56, No. 14 West Virginia 28What Louisvilles loss meansAfter a wild Saturday filled with upsets, the ripple effect in the College Football Playoff continued Thursday, when No. 5 Louisville was thoroughly outplayed by Houston in a 36-10 loss that sent reverberations throughout the selection committees Top 25. Its hard to envision a scenario where the Cardinals can get back into playoff contention.To read more about how the Cardinals loss affected the playoff, click here.Power 5 conference championship scenarios ' ' '