Filmographie » Blevins retired pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar on a popup to s

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Things sure do get wild in West Virginia whenever Oklahoma comes to town.In the first meeting of top 10 teams in the Big 12 this season, the eighth-ranked Sooners (8-2, 7-0 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) will try to keep their faint national playoff hopes going on Saturday night, along with the consolation prize of moving closer to a league title.Then theres No. 10 West Virginia, which badly wants its first league crown but needs some help along the way.The Mountaineers (8-1, 5-1, No. 14 CFP) also want to put to rest the notion that its not up to par with Oklahoma, which is the only Big 12 team that West Virginia hasnt beaten since joining the league in 2012.Ive been here a long time, 0-4 against Oklahoma, said West Virginia center Tyler Orlosky. Obviously you want to win this game and itll set you up for the rest of the season, finish out strong. And hopefully we do.West Virginia has the Big 12s stingiest defense, allowing 20.6 points per game. Chances out that goes out the window in a series that has seen two high-scoring games in Morgantown.In 2012, Oklahoma needed a last-second TD pass by Landry Jones to beat the Mountaineers 50-49 in a game that featured 1,440 yards of offense .Two years later, the teams combined for 1,013 yards, Oklahomas Samaje Perine ran for 242 yards and four scores , and the Sooners won 45-33.Oklahoma has a 14-game conference winning streak. Its last three road games have been decided by 10 points or less.Theres always a certain challenge and energy to playing on the road to a rowdy crowd, said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. The guys kind of unify, and bond, and its sort of you against all of them, and you can get a charge out of that.---Some other things to note when the Sooners and Mountaineers meet on what could be a cold, rainy night:TITLE FOCUS: Oklahoma or No. 13 Oklahoma State can win the Big 12 title if one of them wins their remaining games. The Sooners can wrap it up with a win Saturday coupled with an Oklahoma State loss at TCU. The Cowboys and Sooners meet Dec. 3. West Virginia takes the title if it wins its remaining three games and Oklahoma State loses once.QBS PERFORMING DIFFERENTLY: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has thrown 17 TDs with two interceptions in his last four games. West Virginias Skyler Howard has five interceptions in his last three but hopes to take advantage of a Sooners defense that is allowing an average of 297 yards.HONORING TAVON: Oklahoma wide receiver Dede Westbrook revealed this week that he wears No. 11 in honor of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin, who currently wears the same number. Austin starred at West Virginia. In 2012, he had a school-record 344 rushing yards and league-record 572 all-purpose yards against the Sooners, a performance that Westbrook enjoyed watching while attending junior college. That guy was awesome, Westbrook said.WVU RBS: Coach Dana Holgorsen said he wasnt sure of the status of West Virginia running backs Rushel Shell and Justin Crawford, who playing sparingly last week with injuries. That left freshman Kennedy McKoy to get the bulk of the carries in a 24-20 win over Texas . McKoy ran for 73 yards and West Virginia had a season-low 114 yards on the ground in struggling to close out the Longhorns after building a two-touchdown lead.PASS RUSHERS APPLY: If the Mountaineers want to get to Mayfield, theyd better get busy. West Virginia has just 17 sacks this season. Noble Nwachukwu, who is tied for the team lead with three, sat out the Texas game with a leg injury. Holgorsen said he expects Nwachukwu to be ready this week.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org NEW YORK -- Brian Dozier had just struck out on three pitches against Jerry Blevins, ending the 95th defeat in a Twins season that could become the franchises worst since it arrived in Minnesota more than six decades ago.Losses approaching a hundred, Dozier said. Thats not good.Gabriel Ynoa struck out eight over 4 2/3 innings in his first major league start, Blevins got a four-out save and the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep with a 3-2 victory Sunday.A big league-worst 55-95, Minnesota was swept in a series for the 14th time this season and has lost seven straight games against the Mets. The franchises poorest record since moving to Minnesota for the 1961 season was 60-102 in 1982. This years losses could be the most for the team since the 1949 Washington Senators went 50-104.Were just trying to play the best we can as hard as we can until the last out is made in a couple of weeks, manager Paul Molitor said. Were a little bit beat up. Were having to run some people out there. We dont have the great depth that we maybe like to have in September, but thats just kind of where we are.Michael Conforto drove in two runs with a first-inning, opposite-field single to left off Kyle Gibson (6-10), and rookie T.J. Rivera added a solo home run in the third. Gibson gave up three runs and seven hits in five-plus innings.It was frustrating to put our team in that kind of hole there in the first inning against a contending team, Gibson said.All the losses have left the Twins battling to keep a positive approach.I think theres been times when weve gotten pretty down on ourselves and allowed it to affect us, Gibson said. I think thats when you see the 10- and 12-game losing stretches, and there were 15 games where we were not playing too well.Ynoa breezed through the Twins, except inn the second.dddddddddddd Minnesota loaded the bases with one out, John Ryan Murphy hit a sacrifice fly and Gibson grounded out.Mets manager Terry Collins replaced Ynoa with Josh Edgin after Dozier singled with two outs in the fifth, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 22 games. The Twins loaded the bases with two outs before Erik Goeddel (2-1) struck out Kennys Vargas.Vargas homered in the eighth against Fernando Salas, a drive off the Wise billboard above the bullpens, and Blevins retired pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar on a popup to strand Robbie Grossman at third in the eighth.Blevins struck out Murphy starting the ninth, then got pinch-hitter Joe Mauer to pop out. After a mound visit by pitching coach Dan Warthen, Blevins threw a pair of called strikes to Dozier and got him to swing over a curveball in the dirt.Grossman tied his career high for hits with four singles, but it wasnt enough.I think at the end of the day, you look up and were the worst team in baseball, Dozier said. Thats no good.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: LF Eddie Rosario didnt play after hurting his left thumb while diving into first base Saturday. Molitor said an X-ray was not conclusive due to swelling, and an additional scan will take place Monday, after the team returns home. ... C Kurt Suzuki was rested defensively for the second straight day after taking a foul off the mask Friday, two days after a foul caused a cut that needed five stitches. He pinch hit and struck out.UP NEXTTwins: LHP Hector Santiago (12-8) is to start Tuesdays series opener against visiting Detroit after Minnesota decided to skip RHP Tyler Duffey. Santiago is 2-0 in his last four starts with a 1.80 ERA. ' ' '