MLB
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have managed to avoid the National League wild-card game by winning their respective division titles in one-game playoffs Monday. The Dodgers claimed their sixth consecutive NL West crown, while the Brewers captured the NL Central and home-field advantage for the division and championship series.
Walker Buehler was fantastic as the Dodgers earned a 5-2 win over the Rockies. The rookie carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and left the game after yielding just one single over 6 2/3 shutout innings.
Buehler also capped the Dodgers scoring with an RBI single that made it 5-0 in the sixth.
Rockies starter German Marquez was humming along until a passed ball allowed Max Muncy to reach first base leading off the fourth. Marquez fanned the next two hitters before Cody Bellinger broke the scoreless tie with a two-run blast.
Muncy later added a two-run blast off Marquez, who struck out nine over 4 2/3s.
Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hit back-to-back home runs off Kenley Jansen to open the ninth before the Los Angeles closer got the final three outs to end it.
The Dodgers' victory came after the Brewers rallied to beat the Cubs, 3-1 in Chicago. The game was tied 1-1 when Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun delivered RBI singles in the eighth off Chicago's bullpen.
Christian Yelich went 3-for-4 with a run-scoring single to claim the NL batting title at .326. But he fell two home runs and one RBI short of winning the Triple Crown.
The outcomes mean the Cubs will host the Rockies in the winner-take-all wild-card game Tuesday at 8 p.m. The winner will travel to Milwaukee for the first two games of the division series.
The Dodgers will host the first two games of their division series against the Braves.
Both series are scheduled to begin Thursday.
The New York Yankees will take on the Oakland Athletics Wednesday at 8 p.m.
NFL
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs remain one of the NFL's two unbeaten teams following a furious fourth-quarter comeback in a 27-23 victory at Denver.
Mahomes engineered touchdown drives of 75 and 60 yards after the Broncos took a 23-13 lead with 12:47 remaining. The first drive took six minutes and ended with Mahomes' two-yard scoring toss to Travis Kelce. A shanked punt put the Chiefs on the Kansas City 40 with 4 ½ minutes left, and a couple of penalties put them in a second-and-30 hole before Mahomes completed a 35-yard pass at the 2-minute warning. The winning drive ended with Kareem Hunt's four-yard scoring run with 1:39 remaining.
Mahomes also ran for an eight-yard TD and was 28 of 45 passing for 304 yards and no interceptions for the 4-0 Chiefs.
Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay had rushing touchdowns for the Broncos, who are 2-2 following their sixth straight loss to Kansas City.
Winston replaces Fitz in Tampa:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a quarterback change ahead of their bye week.
Jameis Winston will be back as the starter for the Bucs' next game Oct. 14 in Atlanta. Coach Kirk Koetter confirmed the change Monday, after Winston came in for Ryan Fitzpatrick during Sunday's 48-10 loss to the Bears in Chicago.
The first overall pick in the 2015 draft was 16 of 20 for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his season debut versus the Bears after serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.
Fitzpatrick became the first player in league history to throw for more than 400 yards in three consecutive games while leading the Bucs to a 2-1 start in Winston's absence.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone says there's no timetable for the return of top running back Leonard Fournette, who re-injured his right hamstring in Sunday's 31-12 victory against the Jets. Fournette missed two and a-half games after injuring the hamstring in the season opener. He carried 11 times for 30 yards in the first half versus New York before leaving the game.
Dolphins center Daniel Kilgore could miss the remainder of the season after tearing his left triceps during Sunday's 38-7 loss to New England. Veteran Travis Swanson replaced Kilgore Sunday and will likely move into the starting lineup. The Dolphins acquired Kilgore last March in a trade with San Francisco to replace Mike Pouncey, who was released because of concerns about his durability.
Carolina safety Eric Reid says he's "still considering other ways of protesting" than kneeling during the national anthem, although he refused to elaborate on his plans. Reid filed a grievance in May alleging collusion by NFL teams for not signing him because of his decision to protest racial injustice alongside Colin Kaepernick during the national anthem. He remained unsigned until the Panthers inked the former Pro Bowler last Thursday.
Rams outside linebacker Dominique Easley underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. Rams coach Sean McVay expects Easley to be placed on injured reserve. Easley sustained his latest knee injury in the Rams' 35-23 win over the Chargers in Week 3.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel says safety Kenny Vaccaro will miss a few weeks after hurting his right elbow in Tennessee's overtime win over Philadelphia. Vaccaro was signed in August after starting safety Johnathan Cyprien tore his left ACL early in training camp.
NHL
Forward Scott Hartnell has announced his retirement after 17 NHL seasons.
Hartnell scored 327 goals and 707 points with a plus-66 in 1,249 NHL games for the Predators, Flyers and Blue Jackets. He had nine seasons with at least 20 goals, including a career-high 37 for the 2011-12 Flyers.
The 36-year-old Hartnell was unsigned after spending last season in Nashville.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
The Stars have acquired defenseman Connor Carrick from the Maple Leafs for a conditional seventh-round draft pick next year. The draft pick will become a sixth-rounder if he plays in 50 NHL games this season. Carrick provided four goals and 12 points in 47 games for Toronto last season.
Sabres forward Scott Wilson will miss eight to 10 weeks following surgery for a broken ankle. Wilson played a dependable checking-line role and had six goals and 14 points in 49 games after the Sabres acquired him in a trade with Detroit in December.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Jury selection continues in a New York trial that's drawing attention to what some call the sleazy side of college basketball recruiting.
Former sports agent Christian Dawkins, former AAU coach Merl Code and former Adidas executive James Gatto have all pleaded not guilty to charges they plotted to pay the father of high school standout Brian Bowen $100,000 in exchange for his son's promise to commit to Louisville. The scandal led to the dismissals of Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich.
It is the first trial related to an FBI investigation that exposed recruiting corruption within college basketball. Other defendants face separate trials involving former assistant coaches from Arizona, Auburn, Southern Cal and Oklahoma State.
Ivy League Concussions:
A new study shows concussions plunged in Ivy League football after the kickoff and touchback lines were moved.
According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the concussion rate has dropped from almost 11 to two per 1,000 plays during kickoffs.
The rule change in 2016 was intended to limit kickoff returns, which some experts consider the game's most dangerous play. With NCAA approval, the Ivy League moved the kickoff and touchback lines up by 5 yards.
© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
