Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Oct 3, 2019 - Sports

A breakdown of tonight's NLDS doubleheader

Kendall Baker, author of Sports

Expand chart

Bracket: Axios Visuals

On Tuesday, the Nationals became the first D.C. baseball team in 95 years to win a winner-take-all game. And last night, the Rays out-moneyballed the A's in a battle of low payrolls.

What's next: 8 teams now remain, and the divisional round begins tonight with a National League double-header.

Cardinals at Braves, 5pm ET (TBS)

Season series: Braves 4-2
Pitching matchup: The Braves will lean on a veteran arm in Dallas Keuchel (8-8, 3.75 ERA), while the Cardinals' starter, Miles Mikolas (9-14, 4.16 ERA), will be making his postseason debut.
The backdrop: The last time these 2 teams met in the playoffs was MLB's first-ever wild-card game in 2012 — a game that will forever be remembered for a controversial infield fly.

Nationals at Dodgers, 8:30pm ET (TBS)

Season series: Dodgers 4-3
Pitching matchup: The Nationals will send left-hander Patrick Corbin (14-7, 3.25 ERA) to the mound, while the Dodgers have chosen Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA) over Clayton Kershaw, who will start Game 2 tomorrow.
The intrigue: The top of the Nationals' rotation is filthy (Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Corbin), but no NL team had a worse bullpen ERA this year. So, if they hope to contain the Dodgers' high-powered offense, they'll need those 3 to go deep into games.

Go deeper: Baseball's hitting coaches go all in on tech and data

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China

1 hour ago - World

China and Russia vaccinate the world — for now

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

While the U.S. and Europe focus on vaccinating their own populations, China and Russia are sending millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses to countries around the world.

Why it matters: China's double success in controlling its domestic outbreak and producing several viable vaccines has allowed it to focus on providing doses abroad — an effort that could help to save lives across several continents.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Ina Fried, author of Login

1 hour ago - Technology

Report: China will dominate AI unless U.S. invests more

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.S., which once had a dominant head start in artificial intelligence, now has just a few year's lead on China and risks being overtaken unless government steps in, according to a new report to Congress and the White House.

Why it matters: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who chaired the committee that issued the report, tells Axios that the U.S. risks dire consequences if it fails to both invest in key technologies and fully integrate AI into the military.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Americans agree about more issues than they realize

Data: Populace Inc.; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios

Many Americans assume the rest of the country doesn't share their political and policy priorities — but they're often wrong, according to new polling by Populace, first seen by Axios.

Why it matters: The polling reveals that despite growing political polarization, Americans share similar long-term goals and priorities for the country.

Go deeper (1 min. read)