Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Pierce only Ravens missing from Wednesday practice; several Browns starters sidelined

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Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and nose tackle Michael Pierce were the only Ravens missing from Wednesday’s practice as the team began preparations for its AFC North showdown with the Cleveland Browns.

Beckham received a rest day but was also listed with a knee injury on the Ravens’ first injury report of the week. Pierce was out because of an illness.

Right tackle Morgan Moses was back as a full participant after missing the team’s win over the Seattle Seahawks because of a shoulder injury.

Beckham, who celebrated his 31st birthday with his first touchdown catch with the Ravens on Sunday, did not show any obvious discomfort during or after the game. He caught five passes for a season-high 56 yards. Beckham missed two games earlier this season with an ankle injury and also suffered a chest contusion on Oct. 29 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Meanwhile, a long list of Browns starters missed practice Wednesday, though several merely received rest days.

Tight end David Njoku sat out with a knee injury, while cornerback Greg Newsome remained out because of a groin injury that sidelined him Sunday for the team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. Rookie Dawand Jones, who’s expected to slide from right to left tackle to fill in for injured starter Jedrick Wills Jr., was absent because of knee and shoulder injuries. Reserve running back Pierre Strong, who played well against the Ravens in Week 4, did not practice because of a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin also sat out with a concussion.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who returned from a shoulder injury to start against the Cardinals, was a full participant. Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (groin) was limited.

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3 Chicago Cubs — Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner — earn Gold Glove awards for the 1st time in franchise history

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For the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs have three players named Gold Glove defensive award winners in a season.

Second baseman Nico Hoerner won his first National League Gold Glove award Sunday night while shortstop Dansby Swanson and left fielder Ian Happ both won the second of their career coming in back-to-back years.

“Really cool anytime you can be a part of Cubs history like that, first to do something, is pretty special for an organization that has been around a long time,” Happ said. “There’s a lot of credit to a lot of the other guys that were on the field every day playing with us.”

Swanson is the fourth Cubs shortstop to win the award after Javier Báez (2020), Don Kessinger (1969 and 1970) and Ernie Banks (1960).

Hoerner, a finalist in 2020, is the fourth Cubs second baseman to win the award, joining Darwin Barney (2012), Ryne Sandberg (nine times, last in 1991), Glenn Beckert (1968) and Ken Hubbs (1962). He teamed up with Swanson as one of the best middle infield duos in the majors, fittingly earning them both hardware.

Hoerner called the first-time honor “really, really special.”

”The thrill of seeing Ian win his first last year and I didn’t know Dansby then but it’s so much time that goes into that and people that help along the way. I especially think of my dad and the time that he spent with me, just the endless scrambles and whatnot,” Hoerner said. “Cool to get recognition for it.”

Swanson’s defensive wizardry was as advertised during Year 1 in Chicago, a big part of why the Cubs signed him to a seven-year, $177 million contract last offseason. His 20 Outs Above Average (OAA) led all players this year and his 18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were the most among MLB shortstops and also tied him for fifth among all positions.

Hoerner and Swanson are the first middle infield teammates to win the Gold Glove award in the same season since San Francisco Giants Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford in 2016.

”The work that gets put in, and the more that you put in that work and then obviously the communication factor, growing in just our relationship in general, our friendship and growing as teammates really, really helped,” Swanson said. “Because it started to understand questions to ask, answers to give, like, how to ask things, how to pick someone’s brain. It’s not just as easy as saying, ‘Oh, where do you want your double-play feed?’

”And it’s this ever-evolving thing. It’s not just as simple as we just became good. Like, the individual stuff happened, yeah we worked our butts off to be able to be good in that regard. But the camaraderie and the chemistry takes time and will only continue to get better as time goes along.”

Happ had a great view of the defensive magic from left field, particularly on balls to Swanson’s right that appeared headed for hits to the outfield.

”There were a lot of times that me and (Mike) Tauchman or me and (Cody Bellinger) would look at each other after plays these two made, a little, ‘Oh my God’ acknowledgment between the two of us,” Happ said.

More traditional stats favored Happ’s Gold Glove award candidacy. His 12 outfield assists topped all big-league outfielders and the 253 putouts he tallied were second-most for NL left fielders.

“The first one was really awesome, but to be able to back it up with another one and you’ll have that on the resume, I think that’s a really special thing,” Happ said. “And to be able to do it in Wrigley again and twice in a Cubs uniform is a pretty cool thing that I’ll cherish.”

The Cubs took a deliberate approach to improve their team defense last offseason by signing Swanson and Bellinger.

”From the beginning of the year, it was something that was pretty well covered that as a team we were going to really value run prevention and so whether we got the awards or not, I felt that our team really did that beyond the three of us,” Hoerner said. “And so to get the recognition now feels great, especially with that goal in mind, but so many other guys were contributing to that as well.”

For the White Sox, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was the team’s only Gold Glove finalist but it was the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Kiermaier who won for the American League at that position.

Chicago native Alek Thomas was a National League finalist at center field for the Arizona Diamondbacks but lost to Brenton Doyle of the Colorado Rockies.

Gold Glove finalists are determined by a combination of 75% voting among managers and coaches and 25% use of a proprietary metric known as the SABR Defensive Index (SDI).

Now that the winners have been announced, a combination of fan voting and SDI will determine the Platinum Glove winner from each league. Those winners will be revealed at the Gold Glove award ceremony on Nov. 10.

Also on Sunday, the Cubs announced they exercised the 2024 team options for starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks ($16 million) and catcher Yan Gomes ($6 million). Hendricks remains the longest-tenured Cub on the roster as he enters his 11th big-league season with the club.

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Orioles’ Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander named Silver Slugger Award finalists

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The hitters who occupied the top three spots in the Orioles’ lineup more than anyone else are all Silver Slugger Award finalists.

On Thursday, catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Gunnar Henderson and outfielder Anthony Santander were named American League finalists for an honor that recognizes the top offensive performer at each position. Henderson, who split his time at shortstop and third base, is a finalist for the utility award.

The Silver Slugger winners will be announced next Thursday during a 6 p.m. telecast on MLB Network.

In his first full major league season, Rutschman, 25, hit .277 with 20 home runs, an .809 OPS and 92 walks against 101 strikeouts. Rutschman led the other finalists, Kansas City’s Salvador Perez and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, in hits, doubles, walks, average, on-base percentage and OPS.

The 2019 first overall draft pick is also a finalist for the AL’s Gold Glove Award for catchers. The only Orioles catcher to win a Silver Slugger was Mickey Tettleton in 1989.

Henderson got off to a slow start to his rookie year before taking off. The 22-year-old ended the year with 28 home runs, tied with Cal Ripken Jr. for the second most by an Orioles rookie, to go with a .255 average and an .814 OPS.

His fellow candidates are Los Angeles’ Brandon Drury, Tampa Bay’s Isaac Paredes and Toronto’s Whit Merrifield. Henderson ranked second among them in home runs and OPS, trailing Paredes in both metrics. The utility honor was introduced last year; an Orioles infielder was last a Silver Slugger recipient in 2013 when first baseman Chris Davis and shortstop J.J. Hardy both won.

Santander, 29, is a finalist in the outfield for the second straight season, joining Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena, Texas’ Adolis García, New York’s Aaron Judge, Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr., Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez and Houston’s Kyle Tucker. Three will be named winners, with no separation by specific outfield position.

Santander’s 95 RBIs led the Orioles, while his 28 home runs tied Henderson for the team lead, but he ranks outside the top three among the outfield finalists in those measures. Cedric Mullins was a Silver Slugger winner in 2021 after his 30 home runs and 30 steals season, while Mark Trumbo (2016) and Adam Jones (2013) have also won the honor as Orioles outfielders.

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State volleyball: Unseeded Stillwater drops first two sets, storms back to upset Rogers

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Unseeded Stillwater lost its first two sets against third-seeded Rogers but stormed back to win their Class 4A state volleyball quarterfinal in five sets Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center.

The 21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 27-25, 17-15 victory advanced the Ponies to an 11 a.m. Thursday semifinal matchup against No. 2-seeded New Prague, which defeated Minnetonka in four sets.

Things did not look good for the Ponies right away. With their backs against the wall, the Ponies tightened up their defense and went on to pull off the improbable reverse sweep.

Stillwater coach Sara Baumgard said that even though things might’ve looked bleak, the comeback and upset were not a surprise to her and shouldn’t be to anyone.

“What a comeback, but it’s not a shock at all,” she said. “It may be a shock to the fans, but this is the M.O. of this team. That’s how we got to the section finals, was a reverse sweep. The grit, the perseverance, the mental toughness of this team is hands down the best I’ve coached.”

Stillwater senior Mackenzie Peters said that even after losing the first two sets, the players weren’t rattled.

“We all knew we had this game,” she said. “It didn’t matter the score. We knew we had it, because all of us want it so bad. Everyone on the team, on the bench, on the court. Few subs in, few subs out, they’re always engaged in the game. That’s what makes our team what it is, and that’s how we can always come back from these.”

Stillwater had obstacles to hurdle throughout the season, with Baumgard saying the season has felt like multiple seasons in one. But the players said they have the confidence and the skill to go far in the tournament and are peaking at the perfect time.

“We definitely are underdogs in this situation,” Peters said. “I think, with our record, that’s not what all the other teams have. But our mentality, our skill level, and how far we’ve come this season is what’s brought us here.”

“Surprised, yes, but I also think we all trust each other so much that even at our worst, we knew what our best could be,” senior Alexa Lehman said. “And so us being here — we earned it. We deserve to be up with the top dogs.”