Peter Uihlein seized a one-stroke lead to carry into the final round of LIV Golf Jeddah after a seven-under-par 63 in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The American leapfrogged compatriot Brooks Koepka at the top of the leaderboard after an eagle and birdie on his final two holes took him to 12 under.

The only blot on his copybook at the Royal Greens Golf Club was a double bogey at the par-four 13th.

Koepka, who led after the first day of competition on Friday, carded a three-under round of 67 to stay in touch.

Two shots further back are South Africa's Charl Schwartzel and Sergio Garcia, with the Spaniard posting a bogey-free 64.

The inaugural individual LIV Golf champion Dustin Johnson stood five shots off the lead after a round of 65.

It was a disappointing day for Henrik Stenson, meanwhile, with the Swede sitting in last place after going round in 75, five over and for the tournament.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Tagovailoa had been cleared after sustaining a concussion in the Dolphins' Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tagovailoa will not play in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, in which third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson is expected to start. Thompson previously filled in for backup Teddy Bridgewater, who suffered a concussion on the first play of last Sunday's loss to the New York Jets.

However, Tagovailoa looks set to return for the Week 7 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Tagovailoa saga has led to a change in the NFL's concussion protocols, with the league and the NFLPA agreeing his return to play against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 after an apparent head injury was "not what was intended when the protocols were drafted".

Tagovailoa was visibly unsteady on his feet after having his head slammed to the turf; however, he surprisingly returned for the second half.

He was flung to the turf in similar fashion by Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou and exhibited the fencing response, leading to him being taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to hospital.

Tagovailoa's response in the Bills game, known as ataxia, has now been added to the NFL's list of no-go symptoms. Bridgewater was ruled out against the Jets under this change.

A post on Twitter from Schefter read: "Since suffering a concussion in Week 4, Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins and his team of independent doctors followed a thorough process that far exceeded the NFL's concussion protocol, per sources.

"He received four outside opinions, in addition to team doctors, who unanimously cleared him from protocol and all agreed that his scans showed no signs of long-term impact on the brain."

Schefter also reported that Bridgewater has been cleared from the protocol and will serve as Thompson's backup against the Vikings.

Fabio Quartararo has "more to lose, but a lot to gain" after qualifying fifth for the Australian Grand Prix as he bids to preserve his slender advantage over Francesco Bagnaia.

Quartararo arrived at Phillip Island with a two-point lead over Bagnaia in the MotoGP world championship, which he is seeking to defend after prevailing in 2021.

The Frenchman has just one podium finish in the last seven races. Bagnaia, by contrast, has six, including four wins.

And the Monster Energy Yamaha rider will be behind his title rival on the grid after qualifying fifth for Sunday's race, with Bagnaia on the front row in third for Ducati.

Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin took pole by breaking Jorge Lorenzo's lap record, which had stood since 2013, with a time of one minute and 27.767 seconds.

Marc Marquez pipped Bagnaia to second, while Aleix Esparagaro, not out of the title fight himself as he trails Quartararo by 20 points with three races left, was fourth. Johann Zarco rounded off the second row in sixth.

"I'm satisfied about my qualifying but frustrated about the position,” Quartararo said. "I felt I made a really great lap, but it is never enough. I feel like for the pace, we are not too bad, so just frustrated a little bit about qualifying.

"It's not a disaster because I feel quite okay and for me the front two rows is the main thing. Here will be a strange race because I think everyone has a lot of tyre consumption.

"I think it's one of the worst tracks for it during all the year. With the soft, you can go much faster. But after a few laps you drop so much and are much slower. So it's going to be interesting. Not the best for us, because we need to make corner speed on the exit. But it's going to be a great challenge.

"Pecco [Bagnaia] is really fast. But I think we are fast. Many riders have a good pace. So, I think it can be a usual Phillip Island race – apart from last time [2019] where really Marc and Maverick went away – so I think it will be a quite interesting race.

"Of course there is more to gain and more to lose [now]. But what should you do if you have only two points? You have to go and give your best. At the end, you have more to lose, but a lot to gain, so you need to push yourself to the maximum."

Bagnaia is not anticipating a challenge from Aprilia's Espargaro but believes the opening laps will be tricky for him to navigate.

"In the first laps it will be very tough to be competitive and to not lose performance," said the Italian. "Many riders, also from the rear [of the field], will push, and the rear tyre will drop a lot. 

"It will be important to be intelligent in the first few laps. I think that Marc, Jorge, Fabio can be very competitive. I think, in this moment, Aleix is not as competitive as the riders I said."

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) 1:27.767
2. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.013s
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.186s
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.190s
5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.206s
6. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +0.240s
7. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) +0.262s
8. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.349s
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing) +0.418s
10. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.774s
11. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda) +0.966s
12. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +0.998s

With the Washington Commanders beating the Chicago Bears on Thursday, the NFC East improved to a league-leading 15-6 on the year.

The 2-4 Commanders are joined by three of the NFL's six teams with four wins or more, including the 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles – the only remaining unbeaten outfit.

Pre-season excitement centred on the AFC West and its potential to dominate the NFL, but the NFC East has instead surprisingly come to the fore, tallying five more wins through five weeks.

Of the six defeats for its four teams, three have been against division rivals.

There is therefore great anticipation for the fourth such matchup of the season on Sunday, when the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.

With the Kansas City Chiefs also facing the Buffalo Bills, there is a compelling case to be made for fans this week getting to watch games between the best two teams in the NFC and the best two teams in the AFC.

Of course, the neutral may prefer to focus on the AFC tussle, where two of the leading quarterbacks in the sport will renew a rivalry last seen in their playoff epic.

But the supporting casts of the Eagles and the Cowboys might make them equally credible candidates as the league's best team come Monday.

It is certainly difficult to argue against the Eagles' start.

Their 5-0 record is their best since kicking off 7-0 in 2004; in fact, that was the last time any NFC East team won more than five games straight at the start of the year. The Eagles have already matched the 2009 New York Giants – the previous most recent example of a 5-0 start.

Outside the NFC East, such streaks have been far more commonplace. There has been at least one 5-0 team in every season since 2015, when there were six, including Super Bowl 50 champions the Denver Broncos.

That the 2015 Broncos were the last team to start 5-0 and then win the title suggests these stretches do not always mean a great deal in the long term, however.

Perhaps then the Eagles would be better served getting the first defeat out the way now, although that would mean losing control of this suddenly fiercely competitive division.

Either way, the Cowboys represent a far more serious threat than their opponents through Week 5.

The Eagles so far rank second in total offense – their 419.8 net yards per game topping the 2021 Cowboys' league-leading 407.0 – but have played defenses ranking 31st, 24th, 19th, ninth and 18th. The Dallas defense ranks seventh, and they have held each of their first five opponents to under 20 points for the first time since 1972.

As Stats Perform's efficiency versus expected model (EVE) ranks the Eagles' offense fourth and the Cowboys' defense fourth, it is clear where this game will be won and lost.

Previously, the Cowboys have had the tools to outgun their NFC East rivals. They have won their last three games against the Eagles by 20, 20 and 25 points – only once before (also versus the Eagles in the 1960s) winning four in a row by 20-plus points against any one team.

This time, with quarterback Dak Prescott still out, the Cowboys will instead focus on capitalising on the Eagles' own injury issues on their offensive line, where there are concerns around center Jason Kelce, tackle Jordan Mailata and guards Landon Dickerson and Isaac Seumalo.

Another big game from six-sack, second-year sensation Micah Parsons could be pivotal.

If the Eagles can negotiate that threat, though, a two-game lead even in this division might be enough to start planning for the playoffs now, given their schedule.

After the Cowboys, the Eagles have a bye week before playing teams ranking 32nd, 30th, 27th, 11th, 16th, 31st, 19th and 24th by overall EVE ahead of facing Dallas again in Week 16.

The NFC East's record winning start belongs to the 1991 Washington team, and the Eagles for now remain a way off the 11-0 sequence that preceded a Super Bowl triumph in a period of domination for this division.

But victory against the Cowboys would at least mean clearing the most significant hurdle in this young team's path.

Elina Svitolina gave birth to her and husband Gael Monfils' first child on Saturday.

The couple, who married in July 2021, have announced the arrival of daughter Skai Monfils.

Former world number three Svitolina and two-time grand slam semi-finalist Monfils announced last May they were expecting a baby girl.

Svitolina posted on Instagram on Saturday: "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skai Monfils.

"Can't thank enough my husband to live [through] this unforgettable moment with me."

Monfils wrote on social media: "I had the most amazing night of my life, which ended with the most beautiful gift around 6.00am.

"Elina was strong and brave. I can't [thank] enough my wife and God for this special moment. Welcome to the world my little princess Skai."

It feels like a golden era for great players spread across the NBA.

So much talent, so many game winners, and an almost endless amount of possibilities as the stars prepare to get the new season under way.

Despite this, the MVP award has been sealed off by Nikola Jokic for the past two seasons, so the rest will have to step up and take it from the Serbian this time around.

We all have our favourites, and anything can happen in the NBA, but ahead of the new campaign, three members of the Stats Perform team have made their picks for who they think can challenge Jokic in 2022-23.

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers - Liam Phillips

After finishing second in MVP voting two years in a row, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is in prime position to get over the hump this time around.

Embiid, 28, has been denied the past two awards due to historic seasons frotem Denver Nuggets talisman Jokic, where he established himself as arguably the greatest playmaking center in the history of the league.

Winning the MVP in back-to-back years is not as uncommon as one would think, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Steve Nash and Tim Duncan all achieving the feat this century.

However, Larry Bird is the only man to three in a row, from 1984 to 1986, since Wilt Chamberlain's three-peat between 1966-68.

Take into account that Jokic now has his two top team-mates returning to the line-up after Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr were sidelined for the entire season, and his numbers will almost have to take a dip to accommodate them.

With Jokic facing a big ask to land the gong again this upcoming season for those reasons, Embiid should be the favourite, as he just needs to emulate his performance from the past two seasons and voters will be clamouring to reward the seven-foot-two superstar.

His biggest opposition will likely come from the Mavericks' Luka Doncic, who finished sixth in 2021 and fifth in 2022, and is still only 23 years old.

A slightly better Mavericks team this season, combined with a small step forward in Doncic's shooting percentages, will have him right near the top of the voting by default.

But the difference is the 76ers could finish as the top team in the Eastern Conference, and the Mavericks have almost no chance of claiming the Western Conference one seed – and voters are suckers for a great record.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - Ben Spratt

If voters rewarded Jokic for carrying the Nuggets, would they not do the same for Doncic? Already clearly the main man in Dallas, Jalen Brunson's departure will only give the Slovenian further opportunity to impress.

Doncic (28.4 points per game) was the Mavericks' leading scorer last season. With Brunson (16.3) following Kristaps Porzingis (19.2 before a trade to the Washington Wizards) through the exit door, they have lost numbers two and three on that list.

Rather than source a like-for-like replacement for Brunson, the Mavs will presumably just ask Doncic to do more. His usage rate was already the highest in the NBA.

Doncic is one of the few players in the league with the ability to beat teams on his own – Jokic obviously being one of the others.

In the absence of his injured team-mates, Jokic improved on an MVP season in terms of points and rebounds, even allowing for a small dip in assists without Murray to give the ball to, and was not punished by voters for a decrease in win percentage.

If Doncic takes the same path, he is looking at averaging a 30-point double-double for the season. That will be very difficult to ignore.

Not that Doncic is readily ignored. He heads into the season as the MVP favourite yet again, having seen previous campaigns derailed by early-season struggles.

After playing in the Olympics last year, Doncic acknowledged he "relaxed a little bit", "maybe too much", and needed "to do better", drawing criticism from Reggie Miller for "plodding up and down the court".

Now, though, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd says Doncic is "taking his body serious", returning in top physical condition for – surely – a genuine MVP charge.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - David Segar

The man who was denied the chance to win three on the bounce by Jokic in 2020-21 has a big job on his talented hands to lead the Bucks this year.

The 2021 champions are among the favourites to mount a strong challenge for the title, but have had a fruitless preseason, losing all five warm-up games in the past few weeks.

However, in Antetokounmpo, they have a man who is capable of dragging any team to success, and despite no longer being considered the league's leading player as he was in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the Greek's output has not really subsided.

In the first season he was awarded MVP, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points per game in the regular season, with 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, before recording 29.5 points per game, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists the following year.

Despite ultimately winning a championship, he was behind Jokic in the voting in 2020-21, though averaged 28.1 points per game, 11.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Last season was the best of his career for average points from the 27-year-old, with his 29.9 per game only bettered by Embiid (30.6) and James (30.3), while he also averaged 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

It would be easy to argue that Antetokounmpo is a better player now than he was when he won his previous two MVPs, and like on those occasions, maybe he does not need to go all the way with the Bucks to reclaim his crown.

Though Greece were eliminated from EuroBasket by Germany at the quarter-final stage, Antetokounmpo still made the team of the tournament, and looks to be in good form heading into the season, even if his team-mates might need a little longer to get going.

It is a long campaign, though, which will give Antetokounmpo ample time to show that he has what it takes to become just the ninth player in history to win three MVP awards.

Rickie Fowler heads into the final round of the Zozo Championship with a one-stroke lead as he seeks to end his long wait for a 10th professional title.

Fowler has not tasted victory since his win at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix in 2019.

But he is tantalisingly close to experiencing the winning feeling once more after carding a four-under 66 in Chiba.

That took him to 14 under, with Keegan Bradley his closest challenger at 13 under and Andrew Putnam one stroke further back.

Viktor Hovland carded a 64 to move to 11 under, his six-under effort matched by Maverick McNealy, Cameron Champ and Hayden Buckley, who are all 10 under.

Sahith Theegala enjoyed the best round of the day, producing a 63 to move into contention at nine under.

"It’s been a while since I’ve been in this situation,” said Fowler.

"There hasn’t been much the last few years. Obviously remember being in the situations before. It’ll be tough tomorrow but also fun, I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m going to have to play well and continue doing what I’ve been doing the last three days.

"There’s plenty of guys within a few shots, I’m out front, in control, but that can change if I don’t execute like I have been."

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows their remarkable regular season counts for nothing as they face elimination in the National League Division Series with the San Diego Padres.

The Padres took a 2-1 lead in the five-game series on Friday with a 2-1 win at Petco Park.

San Diego can clinch a place in the National League Championship Series with victory at the same venue on Saturday.

While the Padres had to come through a Wild Card series with the New York Mets, the Dodgers won the NL West and led the majors with 111 wins.

Asked about the contrast from dominating in the regular season to facing elimination, Roberts said: "It's where we're at. It was a very good regular season, but as we said before, none of that matters.

"We're in a five-game series against a very good ballclub that we're familiar with, and the team that plays the best baseball is going to win the series. And up to this point, they've played better than we have.

"I don't think the mentality changes [on Saturday]. It's certainly a game we have to win, win or go home. We're going to do everything we can to try to win a baseball game.

"So all hands on deck. And the core of this group has been in this position before, and we're going to approach it like it's the way it is.

"It's win or go home. We've got to play better baseball. When we do have opportunities to cash in, we've got to take advantage of them."

Padres manager Bob Melvin, meanwhile, is understandably desperate for his team to finish the job on Saturday and avoid having to play a series decider in Los Angeles.

"Pretty badly," Melvin said when asked how much he wanted to end the series in four games.

"I mean, you saw it out there. It was a pretty good atmosphere to play in. They had a big say in what went on today, too. It felt like the last couple innings there was so much momentum in the place that it was hard not to get it done.

"Obviously pitching was unbelievable tonight, but pretty much inspired the whole game. A lot of fun tonight. Be pretty similar probably tomorrow night, as well."

Trent Grisham's home run at the bottom of the fourth inning proved the decisive blow, the outfielder hitting his third homer of the postseason.

"I feel like hitting him in fourth, but he's doing well where he is, bottom of our order, is having a lot of production. We want to try to keep some consistency throughout. But he has the ability to do these things," Melvin said of Grisham.

"I think the thing that really is incredible is where he's gone to at the end of the season to where he is right now in the postseason.

"This is kind of who he is as a player, but it was a tough road getting there."

Rhys Hoskins admits emotion took over when he spiked his bat after his drought-ending three-run home run in Friday's 9-1 win for the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS.

Hoskins was none-for-17 in the postseason until that point, while the Braves had elected to walk Kyle Schwarber to first base before him.

But the long-time Phillies first baseman blasted a 93mph Spencer Strider fastball over the fence at left field to put his side up 4-0, before iconically spiking his bat amid the wild celebrations at Citizens Bank Park.

"I didn't know what I did until a couple innings later, really," Hoskins told reporters about the bat flip. "It's just something that came out, just raw. But God, it was fun."

Hoskins' blast was part of a six-run third inning that blew the game open for the Phillies, who claimed a 2-1 NLDS lead ahead of another home game on Saturday.

"We knew the crowd was going to be a factor, a huge factor," Hoskins said. "We heard about it. And like Bryce [Harper] said, it blew expectations.

"It was a huge part, I think, of the victory because as stuff starts to snowball and they get louder, then more good things happen and they get louder. We'll see if we can continue that tomorrow."

Strider was making his return from injury for the Braves, having not pitched since September 18. After two solid innings, he began to tire in the third which proved costly for the 2021 world champions.

"We wanted him to go four, originally," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "And then I thought if he could get out of that third then that's going to be it. But it didn't happen."

With the Braves facing elimination, Snitker added: "We've got to go out and win one in a row. That's what we have to do."

Two-time All-Star Charlie Morton looms large as the Braves likely starting pitcher for Saturday's game.

Russell Westbrook was forced out of the Los Angeles Lakers final preseason early due to a hamstring injury which head coach Darvin Ham says will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Westbrook exited with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter of the 133-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings with a left hamstring concern.

The 2017 NBA MVP had started from the bench in the game as part of a potential new role, but he did not last beyond the opening period, playing five minutes with no points and one assist.

"He told me he thought he'd be fine," Ham told reporters after the game. "But we'll be re-evaluating him in the morning."

Ham had insisted pre-game Westbrook's role off the bench was "not a demotion", rather a "realignment" following the Lakers' poor 2021-22 season where they missed the playoffs.

The Lakers will open their 2022-23 NBA season against reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors, on Tuesday.

Anthony Davis was absent for Friday's preseason finale for precautionary reasons due to lower back tightness.

The record-setting Los Angeles Dodgers are on the brink of elimination from the MLB postseason after going down 2-1 to the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS on Friday.

Jake Cronenworth's first-inning RBI and Trent Grisham's fourth-inning blast, his third of the playoffs, guided the Padres to a 2-1 series lead.

Josh Hader closed it out in the first postseason game with fans at Petco Park since 2006, striking out Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson in the ninth inning to get the win.

The Dodgers finished the regular season with a franchise-best 111 wins, which was also the fourth-most wins in MLB history and the most by a National League (NL) team since 1906.

But Dave Roberts' side will need to stave off elimination in two games to progress to the NLCS, starting on Saturday at a likely rocking Petco Park.

The Padres went ahead early with Cronenworth's center-field base hit driving in Juan Soto, before some Manny Machado brilliance at third base closed out the third inning.

Grisham, who is hitting at .389 in the playoffs, blasted a solo shot over right field at the bottom of the fourth inning from Andrew Heaney to double the lead.

Thompson halved the deficit from Mookie Betts' sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, but the Padres bullpen got the job done again, with 39 outs for the series.

Hoskins and Harper blasts lead Phillies rout

The Philadelphia Phillies moved within one win of the NLCS after crushing world champions, the Atlanta Braves 9-1, fueled by third-inning blasts from Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper in their first home playoff game in 11 years.

The Phillies piled on six runs in the third inning, headlined by Hoskins ending his rut with a shot over left field, before Harper added two more with a homer over right-center field.

Harper, who is six-for-11 in this series, added an RBI double in the seventh inning before Nick Castellanos stayed hot at the next at-bat, driving in two more.

In-form Aaron Nola was exceptional on the mound for the Phillies, striking out six while giving up five hits and two walks in six-plus innings.

Bloops help Guardians down Yankees

The Cleveland Guardians squared up the ALDS with a 4-2 win in the 10th inning against the New York Yankees after back-to-back bloop hits.

Giancarlo Stanton had blasted a first-inning two-run homer but the Guardians rallied back with Amed Rosario's fifth-inning solo shot tying the game.

In the 10th inning, Jose Ramirez showed hustle to get to third base on a bloop into left-field, before getting home from Oscar Gonzalez's go-ahead single bloop to right-field. Josh Naylor's RBI double padded the lead.

The Guardians blunted Aaron Judge, who went none-for-five and was booed by the ruthless Yankees crowd, with starting pitcher Shane Bieber having seven K's across five-and-two-third innings.

World number one Iga Swiatek thrashed Coco Gauff to clinch a third straight WTA Tour semi-finals berth after moving into the San Diego Open final four on Friday.

Swiatek was irrepressible against the 18-year-old American, extending her head-to-head dominance to 4-0 with a 6-0 6-3 victory in 66 minutes.

The Pole won the first eight games of the match and always appeared in control with her reliable forehand a key feature.

Swiatek laced 13 winners with only nine unforced errors, breaking Gauff five times. The American committed 26 unforced errors for the match.

The victory is Swiatek's 62nd of the season, moving her closer to Angelique Kerber's 2016 mark of 63.

Swiatek will face fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals as the Pole aims for her eighth WTA title of the season.

Pegula secured her berth in the final four with a 6-4 7-5 victory over compatriot Madison Keys in their first-ever meeting in one hour and 34 minutes.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka was a surprise casualty as Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic continued her excellent week with a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 in two hours and 37 minutes.

World number 77 Vekic has beaten former world number three Maria Sakkari and two-time major finalist Karolina Pliskova this week.

Second seed Paula Badosa was also bundled out by American Danielle Collins 7-6 (7-5) 6-4. Collins will meet Vekic in the last four.

Aaron Judge says he needs to re-discover his timing after grabbing an unwanted slice of MLB history having been struck out four times in Friday's 4-2 ALDS loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Judge may have blasted an American League record 62 regular-season home runs but he copped some boos in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium after tallying his fourth four-strikeout playoff game, which is the most by an player in MLB history.

The Yankees slugger went none-for-five as the Guardians leveled the series at 1-1, aided by back-to-back bloop hits in the 10th inning.

But the Guardians also employed a game-changing plan against Judge, targeting him with breaking balls down and away on the outer half of the plate to which he had no response. Judge is now none-for-eight with seven strikeouts in the two games played in the ALDS.

"The timing's a little off, you're going to be swinging at pitches you don't normally swing at, and the ones you can hit, you're just a tick late or tick out in front a little bit," Judge said. "Just work on that timing and I think it'll be good to go.

"There's nothing I can do. I gotta play better. That's what it comes down to. Didn't do the job tonight."

Judge's struggles came after a nine-day break between the regular season and playoffs, but also after homering only twice in his final 14 regular season games as he approached Roger Maris' AL record.

"I've had two bad games in my career multiple times," Judge said. "It's part of it. You just got to learn from it, learn from mistakes and you're ready for the next one because, guess what, there's no breaks right now."

Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber had seven strikeouts across five-and-two-third innings, while Trevor Stephan struck out four.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona was reluctant to divulge much about their plans for Judge, nor get carried away with their two-game success against him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but if I did, I'm not sure I'd really want to share it," Francona said. "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I think sometimes hitters can't hit a button, and as good as guys are, sometimes guys take none-fors.

"Until you get through a series successfully, I don't think anybody if going to stand up here and pound our chest. He's too dangerous. We know that."