James and Gilis fall to Castagnet and Whitlock
By MATT COLES in Nantes

Both Nele Gilis and Declan James, the winners of the last year’s titles, are out of this year’s Open de France – Nantes, after being beaten by England’s Emily Whitlock and France’s Mathieu Castagnet at the spectacular Chateau des ducs de Bretagne.

England’s Whitlock is through to the quarter finals of this year’s Open de France – Nantes after beating defending champion Gilis in a repeat of last year’s final.

The pair met in the final of the 2018 Open International de Squash de Nantes with the Belgian winning a five-game thriller in 72 minutes, but it was the Englishwoman that took victory here.

Once again it went all the way, the only difference being that this clash came under the best-of-three format. Whitlock won the first game quite comfortably, allowing the reigning champion to take just three points.

However, the World No.18 came fighting back, taking the second game 11-5. She then took a six point lead in the third, but a spirited fightback from Whitlock saw her come back to win the third 11-8, booking her place in the last eight of the tournament.

“I stopped thinking after the first game, so I had to switch on and think again and I thought it was too late when I got to 7-7 [in the third]. I am just so happy and the fighting spirit is back!” Whitlock exclaimed.

“Last year I was a different player to what I am now. Physically I feel better, mentally I feel better and even if I had lost today, I was still able to move freely and run after every ball. She is so athletic and fit so win or lose, I just wanted to enjoy my time and give it everything.

“I was really relaxed today, almost too relaxed, to the point where in the third I was 7-1 down. I was thinking that I was too flat but I like it here. Even though I came second last year, I like the tournament. It is a nice city and I just want to stay a little bit longer.”

In the quarter-finals, Whitlock meets No.2 seed Sarah-Jane Perry.

Meanwhile, Mathieu Castagnet made it a pair of losses for the defending champions, as he defeated 2018 Open International de Squash de Nantes winner Declan James in three games.

James shot out to an early lead in this second round clash, but Castagnet reeled off six straight points to fight his way back into the first game. The Frenchman went on to take it 11-7.

The second game was much tighter throughout but the Englishman was able to pull ahead in the latter stages, going on to win it 11-9 to send the match into a decider. However, it would be the Frenchman that took the victory, sending the crowd into raptures, despite the match finishing well after midnight in Nantes.

Castagnet (pictured leaping high for a volley) will now face the tournament’s No.2 seed, Paul Coll, in the quarter finals of the event, with the pair playing on the glass court on Thursday evening.

“Declan [James] is a really good player, and he is great when he is in front of you, especially when volleying. I was being really careful on his forehand volley and I tried to play a really tight game against him,” Castagnet said.

“I don’t think it was a really bad two years with all the injuries because I learned a lot of things. I learned how to train differently and how to have a better strategy. You can always find a solution to come back better. It was really special for me to train nine weeks in a row during summer so I was ready for this tournament.”

In the other two matches on the glass court, the tournament’s No.1 seeds, Camille Serme and Simon Rösner, both made it through to the quarter finals, although the latter needed a third game tie-break to advance 11-2, 16-18, 13-11 against Borja Golan in 70 minutes, the longest match of the tournament so far.

Serme needed just 22 minutes to power past French team-mate Coline Aumard and meets England’s Millie Tomlinson. No.4 seed Alison Waters meets No.5 seed Hania El Hammamy of Egypt.

There will be a second all-American women’s clash for No.3 seed Amanda Sobhy. After beating Hayley Mendez in just 13 minutes, she now meets another US team-mate Olivia Blatchford-Clyne, who accounted for after Egypt’s Nadine Shahin. 

Open de France – Nantes, Chateua des ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, France.

Men’s Second Round:
[5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt [WC] Benjamin Aubert (FRA) 2-0: 11-2, 11-8 (26m)
[3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 2-0: 11-8, 11-9 (31m)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 2-0: 11-6, 11-6 (28m)
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 2-0: 11-4, 11-4 (24m)
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 2-1: 9-11, 11-9, 11-5 (41m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt George Parker (ENG) 2-0: 11-6, 11-6 (35m)
[1] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 2-1: 11-2, 16-18, 13-11 (70m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt [7] Declan James (ENG) 2-1: 11-7, 9-11, 11-3 (47m)

Men’s Quarter Finals (Top Half, Wednesday September 11):
[5] Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [3] Joel Makin (WAL)
[1] Simon Rösner (GER) v [6] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Bottom Half (Thursday September 12):
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) v [8] James Willstrop (ENG)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)

Women’s Second Round:
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [WC] Enora Villard (FRA) 2-0: 11-6, 11-2 (17m)
[5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 2-0: 11-4, 11-4 (18m)
[8] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 2-0: 11-8, 11-7 (20m)
[6] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 2-0: 11-6, 11-7 (21m)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 2-0: 11-3, 11-2 (13m)
[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 2-1: 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 (30m)
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 2-0: 11-6, 11-4 (22m)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt [6] Nele Gilis (BEL) 2-1: 11-3, 5-11, 11-8 (37m)

Women’s Quarter Finals (Top Half, Wednesday September 11):
[5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [4] Alison Waters (ENG)
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [8] Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
Bottom Half (Thursday September 12):
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [7] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
Emily Whitlock (ENG) v [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 

Report by MATT COLES (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Lautaro Martinez scored a first-half hat trick as Argentina ran past Mexico 4-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday in San Antonio.

Mexico came into the Alamodome after beating the U.S. 3-0 on Friday and riding a 11-game winning streak under manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino, but his former side emphatically halted that with an offensive outburst from which El Tri ultimately couldn't recover.

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Martinez, who plays for Inter Milan, repeatedly took advantage of sloppy Mexican defending during the first half. He slotted in his first in the 17th minute with a slick left-footed shot from just inside the box. He struck again five minutes after getting behind Mexico's line, and added his third in the 39th minute after robbing the ball from Nestor Araujo.

Paris Saint-Germain's Leandro Paredes scored Argentina's other goal from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute.

Mexico fielded a strong starting XI that featured Wolves striker Raul Jimenez and Napoli's Hirving Lozano, but finished the night without registering a shot on goal until the 91st minute.

After the match, Martino pleaded for more games moving forward against top level opposition.

"I don't think [the defeat] is our reality and I also don't think that going 11 games without losing was our reality," said Martino in a news conference after the game. "It's the second 'A level' game we've had. The first was against Chile. And the substantial difference against Argentina and Chile is that tonight we committed the kinds of errors in which we knew Argentina could damage us."

Martino added that Mexico needs more games against world powers to test themselves regularly in trying conditions

"What I also understand is that so that this can be a learning experience doesn't happen we have to play more of these types of games and get used to them," he said.

Eight players were shown yellow cards in a match that rarely lived up to its friendly billing, but the game will be remembered largely for the brilliant finishing that brought the 22-year-old Martinez his first international hat trick.

"I'm delighted and emotional," Martinez said. "One has to make a lot of sacrifices to get here and it's not every day that you score three goals wearing this shirt."

Martino lamented Mexico's defensive errors, the lack of speed in the build-up and not being able to play through the lines, with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni citing the full-back area as key.

"The reality is that Mexico depends a lot on the full-backs; they are practically wingers," said Scaloni. "They always make a three versus two with the wingers cutting inside and if you defend, they end up beating up. What we looked to do so they lost confidence is to win back the ball quickly and get the ball up to the striker."

ESPN FC's Tom Marshall and Reuters contributed to this report.

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Another game, another opportunity for the United States men's national team to continue building toward "Berhalter-ball."

This time out, the forward progress was more apparent in the scoreline. Four days after falling 3-0 to Mexico in New Jersey, Gregg Berhalter's squad tied Uruguay 1-1 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, thanks to Jordan Morris' late goal off a deflected clearance attempt.

"Overall, I think it was a good step for this group to be able to play a game like this," the U.S. head coach said after the match.

Uruguay, fifth in FIFA's world ranking, presented a stout challenge, especially with a depleted American roster. John Brooks, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen returned to their clubs following Tuesday's game, and Tyler Adams, DeAndre Yedlin, Tim Weah and Matt Miazga were missing due to injury.

The visitors, however, did the red, white and blue a favor by sitting back and not pressing, letting the U.S. have nearly 60% of the possession and, on balance, the slightly better of the goal-scoring opportunities.

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"Today, it wasn't a high-pressing team," center-back Aaron Long, one of four players to start both matches, said. "[We were able] to have a bit more of the ball and to be able to manipulate them. I think we created a good amount of chances."

Still, it was La Celeste scoring first with a lightning quick counterattack. LAFC's Brian Rodriguez easily beat Brad Guzan on a full-field move that showed the quality the South American side could bring to the game when they wanted.

"To be honest, I wasn't happy with our defensive transition today," Berhalter said afterward.

Morris found an equalizer, cresting in a simple chance.

"This one was a little bit nerve-wracking," the Seattle Sounders winger said. "When they are that easy, thoughts go through your head."

But again, like pretty much every other fixture during Berhalter's short tenure, this was a match designed to evaluate the player pool. That, more than the result, was the goal.

"In these games, we're learning how each other play," teenage forward Josh Sargent said. "Games like this definitely help."

Although neither scoreline this week favored the U.S., the youth movement showed promise. Sergino Dest, Paxton Pomykal and Miles Robinson all officially graduated from the youth ranks to the senior team. Reggie Cannon and Sargent showed their case to start. Tyler Boyd, who flubbed a sitter from Morris cross that would have opened scoring in the 22nd minute, added his name to the small list of Americans who can beat a defender one-on-one. Jackson Yueill, in his first cap, showed his ability of the half-turn and enough defensive awareness to survive.

There's a larger story too. A little less than two years after (trigger warning) Couva -- and in the summer that the American women's national team earned the love of millions -- the U.S. men are battling to win back the hearts and minds of the fanbase. It's a match-by-match process.

"We're focused on changing the way that America views soccer," Cannon said a few days before playing Mexico. "And every step, every game is an opportunity to do that."

The best way to do that would be to play attractive, winning soccer and to have fun doing so. This is Berhalter's challenge and his challenge to his charges.

That didn't happen against Mexico, and though Uruguay was better, it was far from perfect. There was too much rigidity, too much tentativeness, too little finishing. But the coach thinks it can, thinks they are getting closer and thinks his players are good enough to succeed if given time. He has instilled that belief in his players too.

"There's a lot of room to improve, but I think it was a good step forward," Long said. "[Against Mexico] we didn't waver in our playing out of the back. Obviously it wasn't perfect, but to take that into this game. We could have played long, and we didn't, and it felt better."

Maybe Berhalter is wrong. Maybe he doesn't have the talent to play the style he wants. Maybe the U.S. won't be able to play from the back, to disorganize the opposition with possession or go around them another way if they press. Maybe they'll always look like they did against Mexico: a step slow, a half-second late, just not good enough.

But if he's wrong, most everyone in American soccer is too. What Berhalter is trying to build is what the masses demanded during the Jurgen Klinsmann era (and before that).

Berhalter has made and will continue to make mistakes: the reliance on Wil Trapp and Gyasi Zardes, the occasional tactical inflexibility and more. There is a larger goal and, he's betting, the talent to accomplish the task (not to mention the message it sends to younger age groups of how the senior team wants to play).

In October, the Americans start their Nations League participation. It's a silly tournament. It's also a real one, something that matters. The U.S. is paired in a group with Cuba and Canada, two teams the Americans should beat easily. Those four games won't be graded on a curve like the last two friendlies; they'll be pass or fail. Winning with a possession-based, proactive style would be an indication that Berhalter is building something good, something that can morph into something great.

During the dying stages of the match against Mexico, a sweet Sebastian Lletget pass found a streaking Morris, who was taken down for a penalty shot. Sargent stepped up to take the spot kick, only to see his weak effort saved by Jonathan Orozco. Rather than sulk, the teenage forward owned his mistake and vowed to keep coming.

"It happens in football, you know?" Sargent said after the match. "I'd step up again and take it. It's not the end of the world."

In the late stages of the first half against Uruguay, the forward went up for a cross in the box. He won the header and sent it toward goal, but a Uruguayan defender deflected it with his hand. Costa Rican referee Ricardo Montero missed the call, only to come to Sargent at half-time and apologize, saying it should have been a penalty. Too little, too late, of course, but would Sargent have taken the spot kick?

"100 percent," he said.

Say what you will about this group of Americans, but they don't quit.

It seemed like the oddest of places to celebrate a seventh consecutive National League West title: At Camden Yards, against a bad Baltimore Orioles team, the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrating with a group photo in blue "October Reign" T-shirts and the B&O Warehouse in the background.

Justin Turner sat on the ground in the middle of the congregation Tuesday night, holding up seven fingers. He has been with the Dodgers for six of the division crowns -- Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen and Hyun-Jin Ryu are the three holdovers from the 2013 team that initiated this run -- and in many ways Turner is the perfect symbol of how the Dodgers have built this dynasty.

The Mets had non-tendered Turner after the 2013 season, and he inked a minor league deal with the Dodgers with an invitation to spring training and a $1 million salary if he made the big league club. He was merely insurance at second base when he signed in early February 2014, a backup plan if either Alex Guerrero -- remember him? -- who had just signed out of Cuba for $28 million, or prospect Dee Gordon didn't work out.

Turner, of course, had started to revamp his swing, and he hit .340 that first season with the Dodgers. He became a star, with top-10 MVP finishes in 2016 and 2017, and he eventually would earn a much larger payout with a four-year, $64 million contract.

Turner actually was a Ned Colletti signing, as Andrew Friedman took over as head of baseball operations following the 2014 season. So give the Colletti front office some credit for this run of division titles: It was under him (and scouting director Logan White) when Kershaw was a first-round pick in 2006 and Jansen was converted from a weak-hitting catcher to a fireball-throwing reliever.

Turner, however, exemplifies how a roster of stars has been developed in a variety of means. Yes, money helps and the Dodgers have spent a lot of it, but consider the following:

• Max Muncy, like Turner, was free talent, cut loose by the A's, and he has blasted 68 home runs over the past two seasons. Muncy is ninth in the majors in wOBA during that time frame.

• MVP candidate Cody Bellinger was a fourth-round pick in 2013 (oh, that was Colletti and White, as well).

• Walker Buehler, who tossed seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in Tuesday's win, was a first-round pick; but as just the 24th overall selection in the 2015 draft, it was a stroke of genius as the Dodgers took a chance after he came up with a sore arm at Vanderbilt.

• Chris Taylor was acquired from the Mariners in a trade for pitcher Zach Lee, who never even pitched for Seattle.

• Kenta Maeda came over from Japan, and he has been a vital member of the rotation over the past four seasons.

Above all, the key under Friedman has been player development at the minor league level.

The 2016 draft has a chance to become legendary, as Gavin Lux, Will Smith, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin all were drafted that year, reached the majors this year and have a chance to make the postseason roster. (Smith, definitely; the other three, maybe.) It's amazing: A team that just reached two straight World Series came up with four rookies of this caliber the very next season. (Alex Verdugo also has rookie status, although he debuted in 2017.) That's how you win seven division titles in a row.

Don't underestimate the impressive nature of this achievement. Here's the list of teams that finished in first place seven consecutive seasons:

• 2013 to 2019 Dodgers (seven NL West titles)
• 1998 to 2006 Yankees (nine American League East titles)
• 1995 to 2005 Braves* (11 NL East titles)

*Some will credit the Braves with 14 straight division titles, choosing to skip the 1994 strike season; Atlanta was in second place at the time of the strike.

That's it. Three times. The 1995 to 2001 Indians won six in seven years. The Yankees' dynasty from 1949 to 1964 included an incredible 14 AL pennants in 16 seasons but had a high run of five in a row. (Granted, that was before divisions, so they had to beat the entire league.) The 2007 to 2011 Phillies won five divisions in a row. The Big Red Machine of the 1970s is considered one of the greatest teams of all time; those Reds topped out at two division titles in a row.

So, yes, this is a monumental run of excellence for the Dodgers. No, it's not simply because of money. The Yankees will win the AL East this year -- their first division title since 2012. The Red Sox have won four World Series since 2003 -- and finished in first place just five times.

Of course, mentioning those World Series championships gets us to how a lot of fans -- even Dodgers fans -- might feel about this seventh title: Show me a ring.

That's unfair. For one thing, it devalues the regular season we all spend countless hours consuming, enjoying and celebrating. For the players and everyone else in the organization, a division title is extremely important, the first goal every team has when spring training begins. Just look at the celebration and tell the Dodgers this doesn't mean anything. That's an insult to all the work they've put in and all the games they've won.

This is the first step to the ultimate goal: the Dodgers' first World Series title since 1988.

While it's unfair to say this division title doesn't mean anything, it is fair to suggest that following this seventh title and after two consecutive World Series defeats, the Dodgers will enter the postseason with more pressure and expectations on them than any other team. But that's a discussion for another time. If you're a Dodgers fan and didn't enjoy the celebration in Baltimore because only the October tournament matters, then I don't know what to tell you. The journey is the joy.

DONGGUAN, China -- Jayson Tatum took part in Team USA's shootaround and has been upgraded to a game-time decision ahead of Wednesday's World Cup quarterfinal against France (7 a.m. ET, ESPN2), coach Gregg Popovich said.

Tatum has missed the past three games after rolling an ankle against Turkey last week. He has been able to go through practice the past several days and has expressed an interest in getting back.

Marcus Smart, his Boston Celtics teammate, went through the shootaround and said he expects to play against France. Smart banged knees with another player in Monday's win over Brazil and missed the fourth quarter.

HOUSTON -- The Oakland Athletics could think of no better way to erase the memory of a blowout loss to the Houston Astros than to turn things around on the AL West leaders on Tuesday night.

Matt Olson and Sean Murphy each homered twice, and the Athletics tagged Wade Miley for seven runs in the first inning and scored a season high in a 21-7 rout of the Astros.

After being blanked in a lopsided loss on Monday, Oakland recovered to win its seventh of nine and remained a half-game ahead of Cleveland for the second AL wild-card spot.

"It's awesome to respond to -- there's no other way to put it -- the [butt]-kicking that we got yesterday,'' Olson said. "To be able to come back. We always know we can compete against these guys, and to do it in the fashion that we did today was nice."

The Astros were coming off a 21-1 win over Seattle on Sunday and a 15-0 thrashing of Oakland on Monday in which they hit seven homers.

But on Tuesday, the A's tied a franchise record with 25 hits and built a 7-0 lead in the first inning without an extra-base knock. They still ended up tying a season high with six homers after not hitting any in their previous two games. Their 25 hits were the most they'd hit since 1969.

Khris Davis hit Oakland's first long ball in the second inning. Olson went deep in the third and added another homer in a six-run fourth that also featured blasts by Sean Murphy and Marcus Semien to push the lead to 17-2. The A's set a franchise record for runs scored through the first four innings.

Murphy homered again in the fifth, and Semien added an RBI double.

"They executed pretty flawlessly, and they crushed the ball later in the game," Houston manager AJ Hinch said.

All nine Oakland starters had at least two hits, and six players finished with three each. Olson and Murphy had three hits and four RBIs apiece and Davis and Semien drove in three runs each.

Olson has a career-high 31 homers this season, joining Mark McGwire (eight times) and Jason Giambi (twice) as the only Oakland third basemen to top 30.

The Astros got two homers each from George Springer and Martin Maldonado to give them a franchise-record 252 this season as their five-game winning streak ended.

Houston became the first team in the majors to score 20 or more runs in a game and allow 20 or more runs in a different game in a three-game span since Aug. 6-7, 1894, when the Brooklyn Bridegrooms did it, according to STATS.

The Astros are the third MLB team to have three straight games decided by 14 or more runs and the first since the 1800s when in 1876 the Chicago White Stockings had a streak of four such games and the Cleveland Spiders had three in a row in 1893.

Tanner Roark (10-8) yielded eight hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings for his third straight win.

After Miley (13-5) had allowed five runs without getting an out in his last start against Seattle, Hinch was asked before the game what he'd like to see from his left-hander this time.

"I want him to get an out," Hinch joked.

Hinch certainly wasn't laughing when one out was all Miley managed before he was pulled with the Athletics leading 6-0. Miley allowed seven singles and walked one before he was replaced by Cy Sneed. He was charged with seven earned runs, which tied a season worst. The eight hits Oakland piled up in the first inning tied a season high.

"A lot of cutters in and you can either beat it on the ground or you can try to stay inside it and hit it the other way," Melvin said of his team's approach against Miley. "Just not trying to do too much and the hole's open at second and just trying to pass the baton on to the next guy."

Miley took his first loss since June 17. In his previous tough start, Houston rallied to win in 13 innings.

He was at a loss as to why things have gone so awry after he pitched so well all season.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm not thinking, 'What the hell is going on,'" Miley said. "[But] it's just baseball, it's a humbling game, I've just got to get back to work and try to get after it."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: SS Carlos Correa (sore lower back) is progressing, and if his next two days of rehabilitation go well, he will join Triple-A Round Rock for a rehabilitation game on Friday.

MARKING HIS SPOT

A day after Yordan Alvarez became the first Astro to hit a home run to the third deck at Minute Maid Park the Astros marked where it landed by painting the seat in the first row of section 337 orange.

It was the second of two homers he hit on Monday night to pass Carlos Correa for most home runs by a rookie in franchise history with 24.

ODDS AND ENDS

Davis hit his 20th homer on Tuesday to become the first Athletic with four straight 20-homer seasons since Eric Chavez had seven in a row from 2000-06. ... Semien scored two runs to give him 107 this season, which are the most since Miguel Tejada scored 108 in 2002. ... It was the third multi-homer game of Maldonado's career and his first since 2017.

UP NEXT

Oakland LHP Brett Anderson (11-9, 4.19 ERA) will pitch Wednesday against Houston's Jose Urquidy (1-1, 5.33). Anderson allowed eight hits and five runs in five innings of a 10-6 win over the Angels in his last start but did not factor in the decision.

Johnny Cueto threw a one-hit gem in his first game back for the San Francisco Giants since he had Tommy John surgery last year.

The right-hander struck out four and walked one in five shutout innings, leading the Giants over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Tuesday night.

He was relieved by Kyle Barraclough in the sixth after throwing 69 pitches.

"Like it was Opening Day," Cueto said.

Cueto, 33, was 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA in nine starts last season before he was shut down. He is in the fourth year of a six-year, $130 million contract.

"That was a special night for Johnny, just so much hard work and coming back from so much,'' said Stephen Vogt, who caught Cueto's comeback outing. "Getting to be a small part of that with him was pretty special for me. It's been a long road for him to come back. He was just so happy today -- before the game, during the game, after the game you could just tell he was having fun."

Cueto went 1-2-3 in the first on 11 pitches with a strikeout and two groundouts before turning his cap around just for fun and pumping his fists.

He punched his hand into his glove in celebration, chomping his gum all the while.

"That's my game, every time I pitch just try to have fun," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Terrible news from Miami, where the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 4-3, but announced after the game that Christian Yelich will miss the rest of the season after breaking a kneecap on a foul ball in the first inning. The freak injury came on a 1-1 slider from Elieser Hernandez that Yelich fouled off the top of his right knee. He crumpled to the ground and lay there for a couple minutes before walking off under his own power, but grimacing in pain as he retreated into the clubhouse.

It's a devastating injury for the Brewers, who lose not just their best player, but a player who had a chance to win his second consecutive National League MVP award, as Yelich's season ends with him batting .329/.429/.671 with 44 home runs and 30 stolen bases. His combination of hitting with power, hitting for average and thievery on the bases has made him one of the most exciting players in the sport the past two seasons, an obvious fan favorite in Milwaukee but also one of the faces of the game as a superstar slugger.

The Brewers began the night two games back of the Chicago Cubs for the second wild-card berth and pushed across the winning run in the top of the ninth. Trent Grisham, Yelich's replacement in the lineup, contributed a key double. With closer Josh Hader unavailable, Drew Pomeranz worked around two hits in the bottom of the ninth for his first save.

General manager David Stearns commented after the game on the crushing loss:

David Stearns with the news that Christian Yelich has suffered a fractured right kneecap: pic.twitter.com/HxMVzccDxJ

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 11, 2019

Lorenzo Cain also commented on losing his outfield mate:

Lorenzo Cain said Christian Yelich had tears in his eyes after learning his kneecap was broken, understandably so: pic.twitter.com/MO6dyvsYOk

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 11, 2019

The Brewers are already playing with an injury-riddled lineup. Standout rookie second baseman Keston Hiura, second on the team in OPS, has been out since Aug. 30 with a hamstring strain. Mike Moustakas, who pinch-hit on Tuesday, has had just seven plate appearances since Aug. 26 due to a wrist injury. Cain (knee) and Ryan Braun (back) have been playing through injuries.

Somehow, the Brewers have nevertheless won five in a row -- including the final three games of a four-game series against the Cubs -- and eight of their past 10. There's not much solace here, but Yelich has missed time this year with recurring back problems and the Brewers are 10-7 when he doesn't start (11-7 if you count Tuesday's win). The Brewers also have the easiest remaining schedule of the NL playoff contenders as they have only one series remaining against a playoff contender (this weekend at St. Louis). They have two more games in Miami and, after the Cardinals series, finish up with the Padres, Pirates, Reds and Rockies.

Still, a makeshift lineup will now be even more makeshift. Travis Shaw started at third base on Tuesday and he's hitting .151. Cory Spangenberg started at second and he has a .273 OBP. Hernan Perez played shortstop and he has a .276 OBP. Cain is hitting just .253/.321/.353. Without their MVP candidate, and minus Hiura and Moustakas, you have to wonder where the runs will come from. At least the Brewers have some depth in the outfield with Grisham -- who has hit .263/.324/.455 in 33 games -- and Ben Gamel, but they're not going to come close to Yelich's production.

This Brewers team has found a way to overcome adversity, however. Last year, they won their final seven games and nine of their final 10 to force a tie with the Cubs for the NL Central title and then beat the Cubs in the tiebreaker game. This year, they've had to overcome the struggles and injuries in the rotation. Jhoulys Chacin, who started that tiebreaker game a year ago, went from staff ace to getting released in late August with a 5.79 ERA. Brandon Woodruff, their best starter this season, has been out since July 21 with an oblique injury. Corbin Burnes was supposed to be a key part of the rotation, but he's 1-5 with a 9.00 ERA. Then there's reliever Jeremy Jeffress, an All-Star last season who was recently cut loose as well.

Somehow the Brewers have fought through all of this and remained in the playoff race. They're going to need Grisham or Braun or Eric Thames to get on a roll. They need Moustakas back ASAP. Manager Craig Counsell showed restraint in not using Hader on Tuesday after he had pitched Saturday and Sunday against the Cubs, but he's probably going to have ride the dominant lefty a little harder these final two-plus weeks.

On paper, the Brewers have little chance. They've been outscored on the season, their best player is down, they have ground to make up and precious little time left. But don't count them out:

The mood in the #Brewers clubhouse was predictably muted. But that didn't stop a number of players from cheering a Cubs throwing error that allowed the Padres to take a 4-2 lead in San Diego with the game playing on the TVs.

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 11, 2019

As they say, in baseball, anything can happen.