MLB-PLAYOFFS
Nats stave off elimination
UNDATED (AP) β Kolten Wong and John Lackey have helped the St. Louis Cardinals grab a two-games-to-one lead in the National League Division Series.
Wong belted a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Redbirds past the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in St. Louis. Wong’s blast came off Scott Elbert, who entered the game after Hyun-Jin Ryu (hee-YUHN’-jihn YOO) held the Cards to a run and five hits in six innings.
Lackey picked up the victory by holding L.A. to a run and five hits in seven innings. Lackey had a shutout and a 1-0 lead until Hanley Ramirez lined an RBI double in the sixth.
Matt Carpenter stayed hot by smacking a solo homer and a double. Carpenter is hitting .500 with three homers and seven RBIs in the series.
The fourth game of the series will be played in St. Louis today, and the Dodgers have announced that Clayton Kershaw will start on three days’ rest. Kershaw is the heavy favorite to win a third NL Cy Young and won on short rest in the NL Division Series last year. But he was tagged for eight runs in 6 2/3 innings in the opener of the series last Friday.
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals have extended their season at least one more day.
Doug Fister pitched shutout ball and the Nats took advantage of a throwing error to beat the Giants 4-1 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series San Francisco. Fister allowed four hits in seven shutout innings to improve to 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA over 55 1/3 innings in nine postseason appearances.
The game was scoreless in the seventh until losing pitcher Madison Bumgarner threw away Wilson Ramos’ bunt attempt, allowing two runs to score. Asdrubal (as-DROO’-bul) Cabrera followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 in the seventh, two innings before Bryce Harper homered.
The Nats blanked the Giants until Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
The series stays in San Francisco for Game 4 today. Gio Gonzalez starts for the Nationals against Ryan Vogelsong.
NFL-SEAHAWKS/REDSKINS
Seahawks win flag-filled game
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) β The Seattle Seahawks managed to overcome several costly penalties to earn a 27-17 victory in Washington.
The Seahawks were called for more than 13 penalties, including three that wiped out apparent touchdowns by Percy Harvin. The flags didn’t stop Russell Wilson from having one of the most impressive performances of his NFL career.
Wilson rushed for a career-high 122 yards, including a nine-yard TD that put Seattle ahead 17-0 in the first half. He also completed 18 of 24 passes for 201 yards and two more scores as the defending Super Bowl champs improved to 3-1 this season.
Seattle is an NFL-best 21-8 on Monday nights, including nine consecutive wins and an 11-1 mark under coach Pete Carroll.
Washington fell to 1-4.
NFL-HGH TESTING
Testing system in place
NEW YORK (AP) β The NFL has begun testing for human growth hormone for the first time, three years after the league and players’ union tentatively agreed to do so.
A total of 950 tests will be performed during the regular season, postseason and preseason, with another 385 tests to be completed in the offseason. Five players on eight teams will be chosen randomly for testing each week of the season as part of the normal testing procedures under the NFL’s performance enhancing drug policy.
NFL-DOLPHINS
Miami suspends Shelby
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) β Miami Dolphins reserve defensive lineman Derrick Shelby has been suspended by the team indefinitely in the wake of his arrest on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and trespassing at a nightclub. Shelby was suspended hours before Monday’s practice for conduct detrimental to the team.
According to a Fort Lauderdale police report, nightclub security said Shelby was touching women without their permission early Saturday. Shelby appeared intoxicated, was ordered to leave several times by an officer and refused, the report said.
NFL-VIKINGS
Minnesota player arrested
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) β A police report shows Minneapolis officers used a chemical spray and a stun gun on Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson after he refused to leave a downtown club. The 6-foot-3, 288-pound Johnson was arrested early Sunday after security officials and police repeatedly told him to leave a steakhouse. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
The Vikings have said the team is investigating and will have additional comment when appropriate.
NFL-CARDINALS
Cards Dwyer says he is not guilty of assaulting his wife
PHOENIX (AP) β Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer has pleaded not guilty to charges that he assaulted his wife during two arguments in July at their Phoenix apartment. Dwyer is charged with felony aggravated assault and eight misdemeanors, including assault.
Investigators say Dwyer allegedly broke his wife’s nose with a head-butt during a July 21 argument and engaged in a dispute the following day in which he punched his wife and threw a shoe at his 17-month-old son, who wasn’t injured.
Dwyer has denied that he committed assault.
SWIMMING
Phelps suspended 6 months
UNDATED (AP) β USA Swimming has suspended 18-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps for six months and forced him to withdraw from next year’s world championships, slowing his comeback attempt. Phelps also lost six months of funding from the sport’s national governing body as a result of his second DUI arrest. The 29-year-old swimmer is banned from participating in USA Swimming-sanctioned meets through April 6, 2015.
Phelps announced he was entering a six-week, in-patient program last weekend, a week after he was arrested and charged with drunken driving in his hometown of Baltimore.
NBA-LAKERS/YOUNG
Young out about two months following thumb surgery
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) β Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young will be out about eight weeks following Monday’s surgery on his torn thumb ligament. He tore the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb last week in training camp while guarding Kobe Bryant during a drill.
Young was the Lakers’ leading scorer last season, averaging 17.9 points while mostly coming off the bench. He re-signed with the Lakers in July, agreeing to a four-year, $21.5 million deal.
NHL-RANGERS/CAPTAIN
Rangers pick McDonagh as captain
NEW YORK (AP) β Ryan McDonagh is the new captain of the New York Rangers. He replaces forward Ryan Callahan, who was traded to Tampa Bay late last season.
The 25-year-old McDonagh was selected as the team’s 27th captain. He is the fourth-youngest Rangers captain and the 11th defenseman to hold the title.
NHL-HURRICANES
Skinner suffers concussion
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis says forward Jeff Skinner will be monitored by doctors after suffering another concussion during a 5-2 loss to Washington in the preseason finale for both teams. Skinner has missed games with concussions in two of the past three years.
The Hurricanes already are without center Jordan Staal, who will miss 4-6 months after breaking a bone in his leg on Sept. 23 at Buffalo.
NHL-BLUE JACKETS
Johansen agrees to deal
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) β Restricted free-agent center Ryan Johansen has ended his lengthy holdout by reaching a 3-year agreement with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old put up career numbers last season, scoring 33 goals with 30 assists in 82 games after totaling 14 goals and 19 assists in his first 107 NHL games.
The club opens the season Thursday at Buffalo.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Top team may be short handed
UNDATED (AP) β Top-ranked Florida State could be missing three starters when the Seminoles play at Syracuse on Saturday. Coach Jimbo Fisher has announced that center Austin Barron is out with an arm injury, leading receiver Rashad Greene has not been cleared to play after suffering a concussion last week and running back Karlos Williams is in a walking boot after injuring his ankle during last weekend’s game.
In other college football news:
β Michigan running back Derrick Green is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone on a 21-yard run up the sideline in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 26-24 loss at Rutgers. Green has 82 carries for 471 yards in six games this season, including the first two 100-yard games of his career against Appalachian State and Miami-Ohio.
β Mississippi safety Trae Elston has been suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game against Texas A&M after kicking Alabama running back Kenyan Drake following a play during last weekend’s game. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze announced the suspension and Southeastern Conference official Chuck Dunlap said in an email that the conference will take no further action.
β Syracuse quarterback Terrel Hunt broke his shin against Louisville and will miss at least a month of play. Coach Scott Shafer says Hunt, who was injured the previous week in a loss to Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, broke his fibula in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game against Louisville in the Carrier Dome.
β Washington State coach Mike Leach has dismissed special teams coordinator Eric Russell after Saturday’s 60-59 loss to California in which the Cougars gave up back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns. The Cougars also missed a potential game-winning 19-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the game.
β Florida freshman quarterback Treon Harris has been suspended while he is being investigated for sexual assault. The school says Harris is accused of sexually assaulting a female student early Sunday, hours after he helped Florida rally to beat Tennessee 10-9 in Knoxville.
MLB-DRUGS
Bosch heads to jail
MIAMI (AP) β The former owner of the clinic at center of Major League Baseball’s recent drug scandal has had his bail revoked because of recent positive tests for cocaine use. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles has ordered Anthony Bosch jailed immediately.
Bosch tested positive twice in August for cocaine use, after he was released on $100,000 bail under conditions including no use of illegal drugs. Gayles also found Bosch wasn’t regularly attending voluntary drug treatment.
Prosecutors say Bosch’s clinic, Biogenesis of America, was involved in a conspiracy to provide performance-enhancing drugs to MLB players and even high school athletes. Fourteen MLB players were suspended, including a season-long suspension for New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez.
Bosch is scheduled to plead guilty to the charges next week.
SPORTS BROADCASTING-CAMPBELL
Philadelphia broadcasting icon Bill Campbell dies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) β Longtime Philadelphia radio and TV sports announcer Bill Campbell has died at age 91.
Campbell began his career in 1940 and continued well into his 80s. His accounts gave sports fans front row seats at the games of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Phillies, the 76ers, the Warriors and Big Five basketball teams. He was behind the mic for the Eagles’ 1960 championship game win over Green Bay and for Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game for the Warriors against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pa. in 1962.
KYW radio editor and anchor Robin Culverwell confirmed Campbell died at a New Jersey hospital of complications from a fall.
