Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said teenager Phil Foden is pivotal to his plans, and that even €500 million would not be enough to convince the club to sell.

Foden, who has made 19 Premier League appearances since making his debut under Guardiola in 2017, received an apology from Guardiola earlier this month over his lack of game time after being left out of the side's travelling party for City's Champions League away tie at Shakhtar Donetsk.

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A number of clubs have expressed an interest in taking Foden on loan, though sources told ESPN FC in April that City would resist any moves for him.

Despite a lack of playing time, Guardiola said the 19-year-old is an instrumental part of City's future, particularly with David Silva set to leave the club at the end of the season.

"We didn't give Foden a new contract by accident," Guardiola told The Sun. "He is the only player that can't be sold under any circumstances, the only one. Not even for €500m.

"Phil's going nowhere. Phil is City. We won't be signing anyone else for that position. When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.

"He's grown up with us. He's one of us and he's going to be brilliant -- one of the Premier League's best."

Chelsea youngsters Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori are all in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad having had significant playing time this season in the Premier League under Frank Lampard.

Foden, however, will have to make do with a spot in Aidy Boothroyd's under-21 side for England's friendly against Slovenia and their U21 European Championship qualifier against Austria.

Despite the Chelsea trio coming to the fore, England boss Gareth Southgate is unconcerned by Foden's lack of game time.

"It's a little bit harder to get in the side at those bigger clubs, but when you're in, as the Chelsea boys are now, there's a great opportunity to play important matches, [gain] big-match experience," Southgate said of Foden's situation.

"So, I'd probably try to calm Phil's situation, because there's a lot of expectation around him and I think that's a huge pressure for a young player potentially.

"At the moment, a lot of his game has been forged with our junior team. That's how he's appeared on the scene, so we're really happy with his progress.

Liverpool teenager Harvey Elliott has received a 14-day club football ban for a social media video in which he appeared to perform an offensive impersonation of Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

The Football Association handed the punishment down on Friday, citing a breach of FA Rule E3 as it included reference to a disability.

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The 16-year-old must also complete a face-to-face education course and pay a £350 fine.

The clip, posted on Snapchat during the Champions League final, showed Elliott -- then at Fulham -- using derogatory language to seemingly mock Kane.

The footage spread online at the end of July, leading the youngster to "wholeheartedly apologise for any offence caused."

In a message posted on Instagram, he continued: "The video was taken whilst messing around with friends in a private environment and was not directed at any individual but I realise that my actions were both immature and senseless.

"I would like to stress that the contents of the video do not represent who I am as a person or how I've been brought up, and I am truly sorry."

Reacting to the suspension, a Liverpool spokesperson said: "Harvey's apology was sincere, immediate and unequivocal. He has acknowledged privately and publicly his actions were wrong.

"Given his age when this indiscretion was committed -- in a private setting and prior to signing for us -- we will continue to work with Harvey on an educational basis as relates to his conduct.

"He has already demonstrated to us a willingness to learn and live up to the values and conduct expected of a Liverpool player."

Liverpool confirmed the signing of Elliott on July 28 after he turned down the opportunity to remain at Craven Cottage, with his youth contract expiring a month earlier.

The winger, who became the youngest player to feature in the Premier League when he came on as a substitute for Fulham against Wolves in May, aged just 16 years and 30 days, was also tracked by Barcelona, Real Madrid and RB Leipzig.

Elliott featured during Liverpool's preseason tour of the U.S. and made his debut in the 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at MK Dons.

He was named in the squad as Jurgen Klopp's side extended their perfect start to the league season with a 2-1 win over Leicester City.

Manchester United can expect to top their £450 million Chevrolet deal as they search for a new shirt sponsor, sources have told ESPN FC.

The agreement with American car manufacturer General Motors, signed in 2012 before coming into effect ahead of the 2014-15 season, is set to come to an end in 2021.

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Sources have told ESPN FC that a number of major brands have expressed an interest in becoming United's principal shirt sponsor and the club are confident of negotiating a deal that would exceed GM's £450m seven-year agreement despite a poor start to the season.

Defeat at Newcastle left United, who have not won the Premier League title since 2013, in 12th just two points clear of the relegation places.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team have not won a league game for a month and face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford in their next game after the international break.

United remain one of the leading sports brands and in August announced results of a survey which suggested they have 1.1 billion fans worldwide, an increase of 67% in seven years.

Sources have told ESPN FC that any extra revenue generated from a new sponsorship deal will be invested into the playing squad as United look to re-establish themselves as serious contenders in the Premier League and Champions League.

A club spokesman said: "Chevrolet is a fantastic partner and we will continue to work with them to activate and maximise the sponsorship."

England's Test captain Joe Root has said he thinks Chris Silverwood's appointment as Trevor Bayliss' successor is "a really good" one.

Since succeeding Alastair Cook at the start of 2017, Root has had to put up with Test cricket being secondary to the white-ball game, with England's main focus on the Champions Trophy and then the World Cup, but ECB managing director Ashley Giles has signalled that the focus will shift back towards the red-ball game in the coming years.

ALSO READ: England to prioritise Test cricket after World Cup focus - Giles

"I'm delighted for [Silverwood]," Root told BBC West Yorkshire. "He's done some excellent work since he's been involved in the team. "I'm sure you've heard all the reports on him: [he's] very thorough, very well-organised, he knows exactly how he wants to take the team forward. He's got a very good relationship with the guys, and I think that carries a lot of weight and goes a long way.

"He's very knowledgeable, not just about his bowlers and how to take 20 wickets, but about cricket in general. He's got a very good record in the County Championship with Essex, in the two years he was there. I think it's a really good appointment."

In his first outing in front of the media yesterday, Silverwood said that he was keen to make sure him and Root were singing from the same hymn-sheet as to how they wanted the Test team to go about things.

ALSO READ: Silverwood's 'wow' factor before understated debut

"Joe and I had a good long conversation yesterday," he said. "I want to make sure that from the get-go, Joe and I are aligned with how we're going to go about taking the Test team forward.

"What I'm talking to you about now [are] Joe's thoughts as well - the two of us are aligned, and have an idea of how we want to take things forward.

"We think about [batting for] long periods of time, and then we want to create a bowling attack that is absolutely relentless. We saw some examples of that this summer - the Aussies made our lives really difficult."

Root also backed Jonny Bairstow, who has been dropped for the two Tests against New Zealand, to return to the side after working on his game while out of the squad.

"He's very disappointed," Root said. "We've had long conversations about it, and he understands that his performances over the last 18 months or so have slipped… and because of it he's ended up being left out.

"But one thing I expect of Jonny is a response, to go away, work at certain areas of his Test game and use the opportunity with that extra bit of time off. When you're playing all three formats like Jonny has for the past three or four years, you don't get windows of opportunity to work at specific parts of your game - you're always preparing for the next series or for the games in between.

"He's got an opportunity now to go away, take that chance, and when he gets his opportunity to play again, to come and do what he does best, prove everyone wrong and cement his spot in the side. That's the character he is."

India women 248 for 5 (Raj 66, Raut 65, Khaka 3-69) beat South Africa women 247 for 6 (Wolvaardt 69, Pandey 2-38) by five wickets

In a reprise of her match-winning knock in the 2017 Women's World Cup Qualifier final, against South Africa that secured India the title off the final ball, Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 39 helped seal the team's highest successful chase in ODIs - against the same opponents - in Vadodara.

Set up by half-centuries from Mithali Raj and Punam Raut, India overhauled the 248-run target with five wickets and two overs to spare, meaning the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Harmanpreet walked in at a vital juncture in play, with both set batsmen, Raj and Raut, having departed in the space of four deliveries, to leave India at 196 for 4 and needing 52 off 59. Harmanpreet, who had neither batted nor bowled in the first ODI after having finished as India's highest run-getter in the preceding victorious T20I series, had Deepti Sharma for company in the final leg of the chase on a pitch that eased up as the day progressed.

A 12-run 43rd over decisively titled the chances in India's favour. Ismail, who had until then conceded 26 off her seven overs, was carted by Harmanpreet towards the midwicket boundary for the first four in a sequence of three. The last two - coming off the final two deliveries - involved some luck, as both thick outside-edges flew past the wicketkeeper's right to the third-man boundary.

Ayabonga Khaka bowled Deepti for a eight-ball 2 the next ball, but Harmanpreet's experience shone through as she chipped away at the target, hammering the first six of the match off Khaka in the 46th over and two more fours in the 48th over against the same bowler. In wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia's company, Harmanpreet closed out the chase with a single driven uppishly towards cover, where Marizanne Kapp dropped the right-handed batsman and appeared to have injured herself.

Earlier, the chase had been set up by Raj and Raut who lifted India from 66 for 2 to 195 for 3. Their 129-run stand ended with Raj, who struck eight fours in her 82-ball 66, top-edging a drive off a wide delivery to Wolvaardt at the cover boundary. Raut gave away her wicket next over, scooping Khaka straight to Kapp at short fine leg, but not before the No. 3 batsman had accumulated a gritty 92-ball 65, including seven fours, for her 13th ODI half-century.

"I wanted to finish the match," Raut, the Player of the Match, said at the post-match presentation. "Maybe the shot was unnecessary. But we needed runs at that point and I was beginning to cramp a little. I have always loved batting with Mithali since my debut, whether in domestic games or international fixtures. There's so much to learn from her. I would love to finish games like her."

India's day, however, had not begun on a promising note despite the home side having won the toss. An opening stand of 76 between Lizelle Lee and half-centurion Laura Wolvaardt was followed by a 51-run second-wicket partnership between Wolvaardt and Trisha Chetty, after Harmanpreet took an excellent low, front-diving catch to send back Lee off wristspinner Poonam Yadav. Wolvaardt, the 20-year-old, struck seven fours en route to her patient 98-ball 69, her 15th ODI fifty, but she found Jemimah Rodrigues at deep-square leg, off Shikha Pandey, only four overs after the medium-pacer had Chetty sky one to Jhulan Goswami at mid-on.

Mignon du Preez and Lara Goodall made 44 and 38 respectively, adding 59 together for the fourth wicket. Sune Luus, the captain, meanwhile, and Kapp, the visitors' top-scorer from the first ODI, chipped in with 12 and 11 each to take South Africa to 247 for 6, which eventually didn't prove enough for South Africa to avert a second series loss on this tour.

South Africa 36 for 3 (de Bruyn 20*, Umesh 2-16) trail India 601 for 5 dec (Kohli 254*, Agarwal 108, Jadeja 91, Rahane 59, Pujara 58, Rabada 3-93) by 565 runs

On day two of Test two, Virat Kohli and friends just stood there and beat every bit of fight out of a tattered and directionless South African side. Kohli could have chosen to bat on and have a stab at a triple, Ravindra Jadeja could have got a hundred had he not pushed too strongly towards a declaration, and then Umesh Yadav announced his comeback with two wickets in his first two overs.

South Africa, meanwhile, dropped catches, misfielded regularly, conceded overthrows, snapped at each other, bowled 11 no-balls, and just waited for declaration. Oh and they also made strides towards having the worst series for a set of spinners in India, and none of their three fast bowlers charged in for the last 18 overs of the innings. Even when Keshav Maharaj was off the field with injury. Retirements, talent drain, relative quality of this South African side compared to their other teams are things beyond the scope of this report, but it is hard to remember an untidier effort from them in the field. Even the forecast rain refused to come to their rescue.

South Africa's spinners now average 95; only two sides have ended a series with worse numbers in India. Maharaj has gone at 4.04 an over so far and has averaged 85.66, putting him in the worst five on both counts. While these are mid-series numbers, it will take some correcting to not walk away with dubious honours by the time Ranchi is done.

India's honours were the farthest thing from dubious. Kohli was tested with the new ball in the first hour, but South Africa's cordon didn't help themselves by refusing to move closer. Thrice Kohli edged in the first exchange, but none of those went to hand. That South Africa could draw edges through traditional channel bowling tells you how sporting the pitch was. Kohli was less sporting whenever the bowlers erred, and they erred frequently. No matter how honest they kept him with length balls outside off, Kohli was brutal on any that were too full or too straight.

This was one of Kohli's more difficult home hundreds. Only on a crazy seaming track in Kolkata, against Sri Lanka, did Kohli have a worse control percentage over his first 100 runs than the 87.86 here. He was respectful accordingly, even with debutant Anrich Nortje.

Ajinkya Rahane was less fluent with his ongoing struggles against spin. He took 33 balls to score his first run off Maharaj. To the first 100 runs of the 178-run partnership with Kohli, Rahane contributed just 25; he took 100 balls to do so. Against pace he opened up a little, but Maharaj dismissed him on 59.

Left-arm spin did come close to getting Kohli out: but three outside edges off Maharaj refused to go to Faf du Plessis at slip. This, though, happened well after he had reached his hundred and was now pushing for quicker runs. That was one of the reasons why Jadeja was promoted to No. 6, but Kohli was so dominating that Jadeja could score just six in the first 50 runs of the 225-run partnership.

Kohli was toying with the bowlers, and yet he didn't resort to hitting the ball in the air. Soon he went past Steven Smith, Don Bradman and 7000 Test runs. The 7000th was also the run that brought up his seventh double-century. He was the fourth-fastest to the mark; also only three men have scored more doubles than him.

After Kohli reached his double, he and Jadeja unleashed mayhem. South Africa went to pieces. Amid overthrows and misfields, Rabada fielded a ball in his follow-through and threw it at the keeper. Quinton de Kock had his back at the throw, and all hell broke loose. A frustrated Rabada vented his anger and de Kock refused to take it lying down. Between overs, du Plessis had to physically push Rabada out of an altercation. Immediately Philander failed to bend to field a ball at mid-on.

Rabada didn't bowl an over in the last 32, Nortje in the last 22, and Philander in the last 18. It was clear that fast bowlers were the only ones who could delay India's declaration and thus leave a little less for their batsmen to do. In those 17.3 overs, India plundered 136 runs. One of those 11 no-balls brought a wicket in this period. du Plessis missed an edge too. India stole singles from under the fielders' noses. South Africa had closed their eyes and were waiting for the nightmare to end. It momentarily did as Jadeja skied one on 91, bringing his average in declared innings down to 74.7.

The relief didn't last as Yadav quickly showed South Africa's fast bowlers how to bowl in helpful conditions in India. Skiddy, swinging and attacking the stumps, he had Aiden Markram lbw with the second ball he bowled. In his second over, he had Dean Elgar playing on. With his first ball in the match, Mohammed Shami got rid of Temba Bavuma. du Plessis sent Nortje out sa nightwatchman who survived the day but only just.

England team-mates Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt have announced their engagement on National Coming Out Day.

The pair revealed the news via an Instagram post and a newspaper interview after Brunt had proposed on New Year's Eve last year.

They told team-mates immediately, but had not previously gone public with their relationship.

Brunt told The Guardian that she had found telling her parents about their relationship "really difficult", but that she had "seen sense" as she got older.

"My parents are different to Natalie's," she said. "They are quite Christian so it is not something that is done and that's why it has held me back. They don't believe in the way I choose to live my life, basically, so it has been quite difficult.

"Having to tell my parents was really difficult because I care a lot about them so it was something I put off for a long, long time. But as I have got older, I have seen sense and realised that it is not about that, it is about being yourself and living life properly.

"My parents love me: there is no questioning that. They will always be there for me and support me. They are still my parents and they still love me, so it is a compromise I have to take but I am ok with that."

The pair first played for England together in 2013, and have both been regulars in the side ever since. Brunt first asked Sciver to be her girlfriend in the hours immediately after the World Cup final win against India in 2017 on the Lord's balcony, and proposed 18 months later.

The pair have also played together at Perth Scorchers in the WBBL, and were both announced as signings for the Trent Rockets at last week's launch of The Hundred.

They plan to get married after England's series against India next September.

Sciver and Brunt join a number of high-profile couples in the women's game in their engagement, including South Africans Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp, and New Zealand pair Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu.

David Warner put his bat away and banished a horror Ashes from his mind when he returned to Australia, convinced there wasn't much more he could have done to overcome the stranglehold the England attack - and chiefly Stuart Broad - had over him from start to finish.

The five Tests brought him just 95 runs, the lowest tally for an opener to bat 10 times in a series, with 61 of them coming in a single innings at Headingley. Broad was his nemesis, removing him seven times with one of the most one-sided batsmen-bowler contests since in Test cricket.

ALSO READ: How Broad owned Warner

Warner exchanged notes with Broad after the series had finished and was full of respect for what he had been able to do against him, but secure in his mind that his game did not need a complete overhaul ahead of the Australia season - to such an extent that he only had his first net three days before New South Wales' opening Sheffield Shield match where he scored an excellent century at the Gabba.

"Me and Harry [Marcus Harris] spoke about it. What can you do? If it's in your first 10 balls and you get a good one, you can't do anything," Warner said. "I spoke to Broady about the one he bowled me at Lord's and he said to me it's probably one of the best balls he's ever bowled, up the slope and nipping back in, it's very difficult to do that repeatedly. I look back at that and just forget about it."

Broad's success against Warner came after the extensive work he had done on bowling round the wicket to left-handers, a tactic that has become a go-to for Broad over the last couple of years with impressive results. The Queensland quicks used that angle extensively - it appears he will see plenty of it in the future - and there were some moments of unease, especially against the tall Cameron Gannon.

"It was pleasing to hear Broady, the way he spoke about how he was trying to get me out," Warner said. "You can't generally play for the one that nips back because he's actually just trying to bowl scramble seam and hoping one comes back. All my hard work was for the ball going away from my bat and to his credit he bowled extremely well. He pitched the ball up [much more] than his [overall] career, he had to go work on a lot of things, and credit to him he's bowled fantastically to left-handers over the last 18 months."

Warner's innings at the Gabba was cautious for significant periods against some probing bowling - he mentioned the extra bounce allowing him to leave more easily on length again than was the case in England - but there was a crispness about his attacking shots especially after he had passed fifty. "I know when I'm on when I'm playing the little back-foot punch and pull," he said. "Knowing that, and playing that today, I was very pleased."

National selector Trevor Hohns said earlier in the week that "two or three" batting spots were up for grabs ahead of the first Test against Pakistan but, if there really was any doubt over Warner's spot, that has now been erased. Both incumbent openers have scored hundreds in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield matches with Marcus Harris making a century against South Australia.

"Trevor said what he has to do as a selector and we know what our job is, it's to score runs," Warner said. "If you aren't doing than you probably rightfully aren't going to get picked. You back yourself, I know at home I have a great record, and you trust your game plan."

We're down to the MLB playoffs' final four teams. Most of the national attention will focus on the colossal showdown in the American League between the 107-win Houston Astros and 103-win New York Yankees, a rematch of the 2017 American League Championship Series that went seven games, with the home team winning every game. Don't overlook the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals, however, two fun teams with rising stars in slugger Juan Soto and pitching ace Jack Flaherty.

With the National League Championship Series kicking off Friday in St. Louis and the ALCS starting Saturday in Houston, let's rank the top four teams as they stand right now:

No. 1: Houston Astros

What worked in the American League Division Series: Mostly, Gerrit Cole, who allowed one run in 15⅔ innings over two starts, striking out 25 batters and allowing just six hits. Justin Verlander dominated in his first start (although he wasn't as good working on short rest in Game 4). Jose Altuve, who basically played last year's ALCS on one leg, is healthy and mashing. He hit .350 in the series with three home runs, and now has 11 career home runs in the postseason, most ever by a second baseman. Career in the postseason: .278/.339/.536, 11 home runs, 28 runs and 25 RBIs in 37 games.

State of the rotation: Cole hasn't lost since May 22, when he was 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA. Since then he's gone 18-0 in 24 starts, with a 1.66 ERA and staggering 251 strikeouts in 162⅓ innings. He's allowed more than two runs just once in his past 15 outings. Then you have Zack Greinke, who struggled in his Game 3 start against the Rays, giving up a couple of home runs on changeups up in the zone. He'll be in line to start Game 1, and it seems like everyone is overreacting to one poor outing that came on 11 days of rest. This is still the guy who had a 2.93 ERA between the Diamondbacks and Astros and walked 30 batters in 33 starts. Verlander will be ready in Game 2, but we're unlikely to see him on short rest again this season. The only concern is the No. 4 starter. Wade Miley fell apart in September, so that one probably lines up as a bullpen game with Jose Urquidy, Miley and Josh James in some order in the early innings.

Let's talk about the bullpen: Everyone overlooks the Houston bullpen, but it actually had a lower ERA than the Yankees' pen, and the top three were dominant:

Roberto Osuna: 2.63 ERA, .190 average, .555 OPS allowed

Will Harris: 1.50 ERA, .196 average, .540 OPS allowed

Ryan Pressly: 2.32 ERA, .188 average, .543 OPS allowed

Among relievers with at least 50 innings, this trio ranked fifth, seventh and 11th, respectively, in lowest OPS allowed. The Astros probably won't need much more than those three, but sidearmer Joe Smith is tough on righties and James can light it up at 100 mph (he fanned 100 in 61⅓ innings). The only blip is that Osuna did struggle in Game 2, a 3-1 Houston victory, and had to be pulled for the final out after allowing two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Harris had to come in and get the final two outs.

Player to watch: It's pretty hard to ignore Cole the way he's pitching. If this series is as close as most everyone expects, we'll get Cole taking the mound in Game 7 at Minute Maid Field, perhaps riding a 19-game winning streak and looking to pitch the Astros into the World Series. Yeah, I'll sign up for that one.

Man on the spot: Greinke is the obvious choice, with the added pressure of trying to get the series off to get a good start. His career postseason ERA is 4.58 in 12 starts -- hey, that's worse than Clayton Kershaw. Here's another guy: Josh Reddick is an awful hitter in the postseason, with a career line of .212/.274/.285 and three home runs in 165 at-bats. With the Astros the past three Octobers, he's at .188/.248/.238. He struggles against velocity and you wonder if manager AJ Hinch will keep running him out there, play rookie Kyle Tucker or just play Jake Marisnick every day in center and George Springer in right, eliminating the Marisnick/Reddick platoon.

The final word: "We were tested and responded well," Cole said after the hard-fought victory over the Rays. "Had to get hit in the face twice. I like the way we answered the bell. Looking forward to the next series." The Yankees will be a tougher test than the Rays were, with a much better offense. The Astros are looking for a second title in three years, with three consecutive 100-win seasons. If they win the World Series, they'll go down as one of the great teams of all time.

Why they're No. 1: Do you want to bet against Cole and Verlander right now? Not to mention Greinke, the back of the bullpen, the offense, the defense, Altuve, Springer ... heck, we haven't even mentioned Alex Bregman, who might be the AL MVP. Astros in a sweep isn't a crazy notion.

No. 2: Washington Nationals

What worked in the National League Division Series: Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer allowed five runs in 20 innings and struck out 27 batters. Anthony Rendon hit .412 with four extra-base hits. Juan Soto had a 1.020 OPS and two home runs, including the clutch blast off Clayton Kershaw that landed in the Hollywood Hills. In other words, the stars stepped up. Given that the Nationals are a team built around those stars, that's a very good thing.

State of the rotation: The big three of Strasburg, Scherzer and Patrick Corbin went 43-20 with a 3.18 ERA in the regular season, but the starter for Game 1 will be ... Anibal Sanchez. That's because Scherzer and Strasburg started Games 4 and 5 in the NLDS, and Corbin threw 57 pitches in relief in Games 3 and 5. Sanchez is better than your average fourth starter, however, going 11-8 in the regular season with a 3.85 ERA. He allowed one run in five innings against the Dodgers with nine strikeouts. Still, this is a minor break for the Cardinals, as it sets up Sanchez for two starts in the series instead of Corbin.

Manager Dave Martinez was not ready to name the rest of his rotation, but presumably it would be something like this:

Game 1: Sanchez (four days' rest)

Game 2: Scherzer (four days' rest)

Game 3: Strasburg (four days' rest)

Game 4: Corbin

And then back to Sanchez-Scherzer-Strasburg. Corbin could theoretically be available in relief for Game 1 and start Game 4 on three days' rest. Or, given that after his Game 4 start, Scherzer said, "My arm is hanging right now," maybe Corbin goes in Game 2 and Scherzer gets pushed back to Game 3. That would set up Strasburg for just one start, however.

Let's talk about the bullpen: Yes, we have to. Obviously, Martinez used his starters in relief in both the wild-card game and NLDS. Corbin had one bad outing in Game 3, but Scherzer had a scoreless inning with three K's in Game 2 and Corbin bounced back to go 1⅓ innings in Game 5 with three strikeouts. Again, the short nature of the division series makes it more imperative to win now, worry about tomorrow when it arrives. Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle showed they could be OK at the ends of games and Tanner Rainey and his 100 mph heater have probably leapfrogged Fernando Rodney and Hunter Strickland to become the No. 3 guy. (Strickland has now allowed nine home runs in 13 career postseason innings, so I think you're more likely to see the Abraham Lincoln statue pitch in a key moment than Strickland.) As for Rainey, he throws hard but doesn't always throw strikes.

The bottom line: As good as the starting rotation is, you're going to need more than two relievers to get through a potential seven-game series. Hudson had two six-out saves in September, so that is a possibility, and Doolittle has looked much better since his stint on the injured list for a sore knee in August. Martinez could try and push his starters an extra out or three, but managers are very reluctant these days to do that in October -- nobody wants to lose a game with a tiring starter in the seventh or eighth inning.

Player to watch: Juan Soto. Sticking to the young-studs theme, Soto introduced himself to that world with his home run off Kershaw. He hit .282/.401/.548 as a 20-year-old, only the sixth 20-year-old since 1900 to post a .400 OBP and the first since Alex Rodriguez in 1996. The other four: Al Kaline, Ted Williams, Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx. I suspect we're going to see a lot of Andrew Miller-vs.-Soto matchups late in games.

Man on the spot: The obvious answer is Hudson and Doolittle, anchoring the bullpen that had the worst ERA ever for a playoff team. But here's another pair: Trea Turner and Adam Eaton. If the table-setters get on base, then you can't pitch around Rendon and Soto so easily or you force the Cardinals into a lot of one-batter matchups and burning through several relievers just to get past the two big boys. The Nationals' lineup thins out a bit after the top five (assuming Howie Kendrick plays every day), so Turner and Eaton have to make this more than a two-man murderer's row.

Final word: On Thursday, Ryan Zimmerman -- Mr. National -- had an interesting comment about Martinez: "I have had a lot of managers, obviously, and they all come into spring training and say they're going to stay this way no matter what, we're going to be here for you, it's going to be us, we don't care what anyone says. And then as soon as stuff goes bad, every manager has pretty much kind of thrown that out the window and sort of gone into self-preservation mode, where Davey, honestly, has stayed the same way. He's positive every day, his energy, he always trusts his players and has his players' backs. And I don't think it's been any different this year, even when we started as poorly as we did, he stayed the same."

Zimmerman was alluding to the Nationals' 19-31 record on May 23. Since then, they've matched the Astros and Dodgers for the best record in baseball. And they just beat the Dodgers. For four-plus months, they've been as good as any team, bullpen warts and all. They're going to be tough to beat.

Why they're No. 2: Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and Sanchez. Call me old school: I still like a starting rotation that can go deep into games and dominate. Soto is a star and I think Hudson and Doolittle are good enough to close out the leads.

No. 3: New York Yankees

What worked in the ALDS: Pretty much everything as the Yankees outscored the Twins 23-7, holding the powerful Minnesota lineup that averaged 5.8 runs per game and set the single-season home run record to just four homers and a .218 batting average. The Twins failed to put up a crooked number in any inning in the three games. The bullpen allowed three runs in 13⅓ innings and enters the ALCS well rested.

The defense also played exceptionally. Aaron Judge showed why he's a Gold Glove-caliber right fielder in a league that doesn't include Mookie Betts (Judge was credited with 19 defensive runs saved in the regular season), Gleyber Torres made a couple of outstanding plays at second base and DJ LeMahieu provides second-base range at first base. The defensive metrics rated the Yankees as a slightly below average team during the regular season, but the eye test suggests the Yankees' defense is another positive element.

State of the rotation: Aaron Boone, learning from last year's ALDS when he left a couple of struggling starters in for a batter or two too long, had quick hooks this year:

-- James Paxton was pulled after 4⅔ innings with a 3-3 tie and 86 pitches;

-- Masahiro Tanaka left after five innings and 83 pitches even though the Yankees were up 1-0;

-- Luis Severino threw four shutout innings and left with a 2-0 lead.

Boone gave a blueprint on how he'll handle his starters in the ALCS. He will not let games get away early like he did against the Red Sox in 2018. Because of the sweep of the Twins, however, the Yankees weren't tested with their fourth starter. One potential option there is using Chad Green as the opener -- something he did 15 times in the regular season -- with J.A. Happ as the bulk guy. Paxton looked a little better than his three runs suggested, striking out eight. Severino waffled a bit with his command and efficiency (he threw 83 pitches in his four innings), but he's showing the big-time stuff he had in 2018.

Let's talk about the bullpen: The Yankees' top five relievers are all guys Boone won't hesitate to go to in a big moment: Green, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman. It thins out after those five, and the big question is whether Boone can continue getting four or five innings of stellar work from that group every game without running into some fatigue issues or the familiarity of opposing hitters seeing them so often. It's easier to go all-out with the bullpen when you're playing a potential five games in seven days as opposed to seven games in nine days. What happens if a starter gets knocked out in the third inning? What about extra innings? What about Games 3, 4 and 5, considering the Yankees didn't use any of their relievers on three consecutive days all season?

A couple of interesting usage notes: Boone used Ottavino as a "righty-only guy" -- in his three appearances against the Twins, he got just three outs. He did have a notable platoon split during the season: .558 OPS versus righties and .753 versus lefties. Kahnle has a little better split and is more likely to face lefties in the middle innings. Chapman, meanwhile, didn't throw more than one inning all regular season, but Boone used him for five outs in Game 3. Chapman isn't the 102 mph flamethrower of a few years ago, and in 15 appearances with no days of rest in 2019 was a more hittable .255/.339/.345, compared to a .160 average allowed with one or more days of rest. The more he throws, the more vulnerable he becomes.

Player to watch: Gleyber Torres. We talked about all the young stars of the postseason as the playoffs began, and the 22-year-old sophomore had three doubles and a home run plus two steals against the Twins. "He's the next great Yankee," Judge said after the series win. The consensus is that he won't let the moment get too big. Indeed, in the regular season Torres hit much better with runners on base than with the bases empty.

Man on the spot: Giancarlo Stanton had limited time at the end of the season as he came back from his injuries, playing just nine games. He went 1-for-6 against the Twins, drawing four walks, so not much of a read there, although a good sign that he was flailing out of the strike zone. It also appeared the knee was still bothering him a bit, and Boone used Cameron Maybin as a defensive replacement.

Final word: I think the biggest issue here will be how far Boone can push the bullpen -- and Chapman, in particular. At some point, the Yankees will probably need one of the starters to give them six innings, or one of the secondary relievers to get a few big outs.

Why they're No. 3: This isn't an insult. This is the best Yankees team since the 2009 World Series champs. The Yankees bash home runs and they have a great bullpen. Just call me old school: I still like my starting pitchers to go more than four innings.

No. 4: St. Louis Cardinals

What worked in NLDS: The first inning of Game 5. The late rally and win in extra innings in Game 4. The four-run rally in the ninth of Game 1. Even with that 10-run inning, the Cardinals hit just .251 with four home runs in the series. But they found a way. That kind of sums up the Cardinals' season. Really, several of their stars have had much better seasons -- Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna -- so it was the depth that stepped up, guys such as Tommy Edman and Kolten Wong and Giovanny Gallegos.

State of the rotation: Sophomore ace Jack Flaherty, he of the 0.91 second-half ERA, won't be ready to start until Game 3, as manager Mike Shildt goes with a rotation of Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Flaherty and Dakota Hudson. As in the NLDS, the Cardinals would love to get to the winner-take-all game with Flaherty ready to go. I mean, they'd love to wrap it up in four or five games, but Flaherty has been a beast. Shildt also mentioned Thursday that St. Louis wanted to set up Wainwright for two starts at home in Games 2 and 6, as he has a 2.56 ERA at home compared to 6.22 on the road (beware the real value of one-year home/road splits).

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will not play in the team's second game in China against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday after he aggravated a facial fracture Thursday, the team announced.

Irving played just one minute of the Nets' 114-111 win. He left the game after the Lakers' Rajon Rondo inadvertently hit him in the face while shielding the ball.

Irving suffered the facial fracture Sept. 24 when he was elbowed in the face during a pickup game. He was wearing a mask for Thursday's game in Shanghai.

After being hit by Rondo, Irving immediately took off his mask, winced and signaled to the bench that he was coming off the floor.

Caris LeVert, who left Thursday's game after being poked in the eye in the first quarter, is listed as questionable for Saturday.