Kritik und Anregungen » up and have two losses.Tier IV:

WASHINGTON -- Time is running out for the New York Mets, who fell 10 games behind the first-place Washington Nationals in the National League East following an 8-1 loss Monday night.That was big for us to win that game, Washington manager Dusty Baker said.New York (76-68) is very much in the NL wild-card hunt, and that is one reason manager Terry Collins didnt have much patience with starting pitcher Rafael Montero, who walked two with the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up six runs overall before he was lifted in the second.Tonight was certainly a downer, Collins said.The Mets are still 16-6 in the past 22 games, and they maintain a half-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals in the battle for the final NL playoff position.They are rising to the challenge, which is evident in how they have played lately, Baker said of the Mets.Collins was asked about the teams recent surge and said it was a testament to the character of every player in the clubhouse.And of course, good pitching helps as well.Our young (players) have stepped up, which is very big for us, Collins said Monday.The teams will meet in the second game of the series Tuesday, when Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (13-8, 2.48 ERA) faces Nationals right-hander A.J. Cole (1-2, 4.56 ERA).It will be just the fifth start of the year for Cole and the sixth of his major league career. His only previous appearance against the Mets came on Sept. 2, when he earned the win with six innings of one-run ball at New York.Cole is proving to be a much more mature pitcher than when he made his big league debut in April 2015 against the Braves in Atlanta.In his four starts this year, he has pitched at least five innings each time, and he has not allowed more than four runs in an outing despite facing challenging road assignments such as in tiny Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles and Citi Field against the Mets earlier this month.Syndergaard is the same age as Cole, 24, but he is already an established major-leaguer in his second season.He gave up four walks and six hits in five scoreless innings in his last start, a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. The hard-throwing right-hander has given up three runs in his past 27 innings.Syndergaard is 2/3 with a 3.02 ERA in seven career starts against the Nationals with 47 strikeouts and 13 walks. He lost to Cole and the Nationals 4-1 on Sept. 2, when he gave up two runs in seven innings.Several Washington hitters have fared well against Syndergaard.Ben Revere is hitting .364 in 11 at-bats against him, Wilson Ramos is at .333 in 12 trips, and Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper are both hitting .313 in 16 at-bats against the Tuesday starter.A few Washington veterans have struggled against Syndergaard. Danny Espinosa is batting .167 in 12 at-bats, Jayson Werth is hitting .143 in 14 trips and Ryan Zimmerman is batting .125 in eight at-bats. Zimmerman has been in a slump for nearly a month, as was Ramos before he went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI on Monday.Following Syndergaards start, Robert Gsellman will pitch the series finale Wednesday at Washington against Tanner Roark. New York will start Bartolo Colon and Seth Lugo in the first two games of a weekend series at Minnesota. Beyond that, Collins said Montero would not remain in the rotation after his Monday outing.Who could take his place?Anybody, Collins said.Caris LeVert Jersey . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Jaylen Hands Nets Jersey . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Drazen-Petrovic-City-Edition-Jersey/ .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Wilson Chandler Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Taurean Prince Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.Were almost at the halfway point of the season, the time of year when the top teams in the country start to separate by rising to the top of their conference standings.Clemson has emerged as the clear frontrunner to win the ACC, Washington has proven to be the team to beat in the Pac-12, and Alabama is still ... Alabama. In the Big Ten, the Ohio State-Michigan game cant get here soon enough, and the Big 12 is simply playing from behind, once again depending upon a backloaded league schedule to impress the selection committee when it matters most.In the Group of 5, Houstons top four dreams were shattered on Saturday with an American Athletic Conference West Division loss to Navy.Conference play has that effect, as teams knock each other out of the postseason picture and undefeated ranked teams -- gasp! -- lose. There are still 11 undefeated teams remaining, including nine from the Power 5 conferences. At this point last year, there were 16 unbeaten teams, and only one - Clemson - stayed that way.Can this years Power 5 frontrunners stay the course until Dec. 4 when the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its final ranking? The sport has a tendency to sort itself out.In many ways, it already has.Heres a closer look at the College Football Playoff pecking order heading into Week 7. For more, watch tonights College Football Playoff: Top 25 (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).Tier I: Alabama stands aloneUntil proven otherwise, Alabama remains king. Not even Ole Miss, which was the only team to beat the Tide in each of the past two seasons, was able to finish the job on its home turf this year. Heres the tricky part: Alabama is beginning its toughest three-game stretch of any season since 2005, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. The Tide will travel to Tennessee this weekend, come home to face Texas A&M on Oct. 22, then have a bye week to prepare for a road trip to LSU on Nov. 5.According to ESPNs Sharon Katz, an average FBS team would have a .05 percent chance to win all three games, which includes three opponents ranked in the top 12 of ESPNs Football Power Index (two on the road). Alabama isnt exactly average. ESPNs FPI gives the Tide a 29 percent chance to win its next three games.If it does? Alabama stands alone -- again.Tier II: Win and youre inCandidates: Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Texas A&MThis group likely features the Big Ten champ, Pac-12 champ and ACC champ -- a forecast of three of the top four playoff spots. Add in the SEC champ (See: Tier I) and theres your top four.Only one question here: Whos the Big Ten champ?No, we cant fast-forward to Nov. 26, when Ohio State hosts Michigan, but that will be The Answer to the Big Tens playoff question. Its possible -- but extremely unllikely -- for the runner-up to get into the top four, especially if the other candidates here run the table and win their leagues.dddddddddddd According to ESPNs FPI, Clemson has a 36 percent chance to enter bowls undefeated, Michigan 34 percent and Washington 31 percent. We will know a lot more about the Buckeyes on Saturday after their trip to Wisconsin, an opponent Michigan already defeated.And then theres Texas A&M. The Aggies already have wins over UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee, but none of it will amount to a top-four spot if the Aggies cant win at Alabama on Oct. 22 (See: Tier I). ESPNs FPI gives A&M a 29.3 percent chance at the upset. If the Aggies can pull it off, it will change the playoff picture instantly.?Tier III: Playoff worthy but needs helpCandidates: LouisvilleThe ACC appears to be the Power 5 conference with the best chance to get two teams in the top four in spite of the Cardinals narrow, thrilling loss at Clemson on Oct. 1. The only reason this scenario isnt far-fetched is because Louisville has looked like a top-four team with Lamar Jackson at quarterback, and its favored to win each remaining game by at least 70 percent.The problem is Houston is the only ranked team remaining on the Cardinals schedule, and Houston just lost to Navy. Now, Houston might not even win its own West Division in the American Athletic Conference. It would still be a respectable win for Louisville, but it wont carry as much weight with the committee as it would have had the Cougars been fighting for a spot in the top four. Louisvilles best hope is not only to win out, but to have another conference champion with a weaker strength of schedule slip up and have two losses.Tier IV: The Power 5 undefeatedsCandidates:?Baylor, Nebraska, West VirginiaBaylor has almost no margin for error, as it faces the same nonconference strength-of-schedule questions it had in the first two years of the CFP. With wins against SMU, Northwestern State and Rice, an undefeated season is the Bears only realistic hope at cracking the top four.Nebraska has quietly gotten off to a 5-0 start, but the Huskers have back-to-back road trips at Wisconsin (Oct. 29) and Ohio State (Nov. 5) -- the only two games on their schedule ESPNs FPI doesnt project them to win. If they escape those trips, its time for a more serious conversation. The same can be said for West Virginia, which has played only one FBS team (Kansas State) with a winning record. If the Mountaineers are still undefeated heading into November, after road trips to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, thats only half the battle. Texas, OU and Baylor still await. ' ' '