BOBSLED:
Lake Placid, New York, has been selected to host the Bobsled and Skeleton World Championships in 2021 at Mount Van Hoevenberg. The Adirondack Mountains village, which is usually on the World Cup schedule, last hosted the bobsled and skeleton worlds in 2012. Lake Placid was chosen over St. Moritz, Switzerland, which has hosted worlds in at least one of the two sports 22 times.
MLB: Paul DeJong homered against the New York Mets for the fourth straight game and Adam Wainwright hit an RBI double while winning his fourth consecutive start, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-3 victory last night. With runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth inning, slugger Yoenis Cespedes grounded into a game-ending double play on a 3-0 pitch from Brett Cecil.
Eddie Rosario had two RBI doubles and Eduardo Escobar added the go-ahead, pinch-hit single in the eighth inning to help the Minnesota Twins to a 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Brian Dozier had two hits and Adalberto Mejia gave up one run and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings for the Twins. Yankees star slugger Aaron Judge went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk and is 1 for 21 since his electric performance in the All-Star Home Run Derby.
Steve Pearce hit a solo homer, then added the go-ahead single in the eighth inning in Toronto's 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays led 3-0 after two innings but Boston scored three in the seventh, tying it when Dustin Pedroia hit Dominic Leone's only pitch off the Green Monster to tie it. One run scored, and Mookie Betts was thrown out at the plate. Toronto went back in front in the eighth when Pearce singled to score pinch-runner Ezequiel Carrera from third.
New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will have ankle surgery today and is expected to miss the next six weeks. After a strong spring training, Bird hit just .100 with one home run in 19 games to start the season. He was placed on the disabled list on May 2nd with a bone bruise on his right ankle. After one rehab assignment, he was shut down when the pain resurfaced. Bird visited several doctors to determine a course of treatment.
Gregory Polanco doubled twice, drove in two runs and threw out a potential go-ahead run at the plate to lead the surging Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.
Polanco finished 4 for 4 and is hitting .446 this month. Francisco Cervelli added two hits for the Pirates, who pulled within six games of the first-place Brewers.
Brewers catcher Stephen Vogt left the game in the fifth inning after a collision with Pirates pitcher Chad Kuhl at the plate. Vogt caught an incidental elbow to the head from Kuhl, and both players were down for several minutes. Kuhl remained in the game, but Vogt had to be helped to his feet and left to be evaluated for a neck strain and left knee strain. Vogt held onto the ball and Kuhl was called out.
In other major league action:
Josh Tomlin struck out five and pitched into the eighth inning to win back-to-back starts for the first time this year, and the Cleveland Indians capitalized on two costly errors to rally and beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3. Tomlin allowed six hits and three runs without walking a batter in 7 1/3 innings. Cleveland snapped a season-high four-game skid with its first victory against the Giants in the last seven tries.
Jake Odorizzi and two relievers combined on a two-hitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2. Steven Souza hit his 19th home run, Evan Longoria also went deep and reached base three times while Adeiny Hechavarria added two hits for the Rays, who won for the third time in four games since the All-Star break.
Ryan Zimmerman set the Nationals' career home run record with a solo shot, and Bryce Harper connected again on Monday as Washington powered its way to a 6-1 victory for a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Zimmerman's 235th career homer moved him ahead of Vladimir Guerrero for most in Expos and Nationals history.
Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and Dee Gordon hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning that sent the Miami Marlins over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5. Justin Bour also homered for the Marlins, who ended a three-game losing streak. Philadelphia has dropped eight of 10.
Seth Smith hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, and the Baltimore Orioles used a strong performance by its struggling pitching staff to beat the Texas Rangers 3-1. Chris Tillman allowed one run and two hits over six innings for the Orioles.
Kyle Seager and Danny Valencia hit back-to-back homers in the 10th inning to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 9-7 win over the Houston Astros. The wild back and forth game was tied at 7-7 entering the 10th when Seager, who finished with three hits, connected off Tony Sipp on a shot to the seats in right field. Valencia added an insurance run when he launched a slider to center field three pitches later.
Nicholas Castellanos and Mikie Mahtook went deep, Jordan Zimmermann smothered the Royals with strikes and the Detroit Tigers proceeded to trounce Kansas City 10-2 to open a four-game series. Ian Kinsler added three extra-base hits for the Tigers, who knocked American League wins leader Jason Vargas from the game after 2 2/3 innings in his first start since the All-Star break.
Jon Lester bounced back from the shortest start of his career by allowing only one run in seven innings and Chicago stopped Atlanta's ninth-inning comeback to give the Cubs a 4-3 win over the Braves.
Charlie Blackmon's fourth leadoff homer of the season hit the facing of the third deck, hard-throwing rookie German Marquez tied a career high with nine strikeouts and the scuffling Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 9-6. Trevor Story added a two-run double as part of a five-run third to help the Rockies win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.
Carlos Beltran hasn't used his glove in a game in more than two months. So on Monday, the Houston Astros gathered around their teammate in center field and laid his mitt to rest, holding a mock funeral to send it off. The ceremony was held at Minue Maid Park before batting practice, prior to the AL West leaders hosting Seattle. The Astros all wore black shirts to mark the occasion except for Brian McCann, who donned a black robe to officiate the service. As McCann spoke, the players formed a semi-circle around him and knelt as the glove was placed in a shoe box and three faux tombstones that read "R.I.P." were placed around it. Beltran captured the whole thing on cellphone video. The 40-year-old Beltran has played 77 times this season, all but nine as a designated hitter. He hasn't been in the field since May 16 in Miami.
NFL:
The Pittsburgh Steelers and star running back Le'Veon Bell failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract, meaning Bell will play on a one-year tender this season.
Pittsburgh placed the franchise tag on Bell in March and had until Monday afternoon to work out a new deal. Bell instead will make $12.1 million this season, the average of the five highest-paid running backs in the league. Bell could become an unrestricted free agent next spring or the Steelers could place the franchise tag on him a second time.
Kirk Cousins will play a second consecutive season on the franchise tag. The Washington Redskins confirmed no agreement with the quarterback on a long-term deal by the 4 p.m. EDT Monday deadline. Cousins will make $23.94 million on the franchise tag in 2017 after $19.95 million last year.
The 28-year-old is going into his third full season as Washington's starter. He set franchise records with 4,166 and 4,917 yards the past two seasons.
In other NFL news:
The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Dave Gettleman less than two weeks before the opening of training camp. Team owner Jerry Richardson said Monday in a statement he made the decision after a long evaluation of the team's football operations. Richardson also acknowledged the timing is not ideal as the Panthers are scheduled to report to camp on July 26. Gettleman had been Carolina's general manager since 2013.
NBA:
The Truth is retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics announced Monday that they have signed Paul Pierce to a contract so the 10-time All-Star can retire with the team he spent his best 15 seasons in the NBA with. Pierce helped bring a championship in 2008 as part the "Big Three" of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Drafted by Boston as the 10th overall pick in 1998, Pierce started a 15-season run that is behind only John Havlicek's 16 seasons for the most played in a Celtics uniform.
The 39-year-old retires atop the franchise's lists in 3-point field goals (1,823), free throws (6,434) and steals (1,583). He is also is Boston's second all-time leading scorer with 24,021 career points, trailing only Havlicek.
In other NBA news:
Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball will not play in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game. The team announced Monday that Ball suffered a mild calf strain in the third quarter Sunday and will be cautious with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Ball has averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He also posted two triple-doubles and four double-digit assist games.
Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is selling the team. Alexander took over as owner on July 30, 1993, and the Rockets went on to win back-to-back titles in 1994-95. Rockets CEO Tad Brown says he will be working with the league office to facilitate things while they look for a new owner. There is no set timetable for the sale.
The New York Knicks' new regime is ready to move on with or without Carmelo Anthony. New president Steve Mills says the Knicks will still look to find a trade that works for the team and Anthony, but that the All-Star forward "could easily be a part of our team next year." Mills also ruled out a buyout of Anthony's contract, which has two years and about $54 million remaining.
NHL: The Ottawa Senators have avoided arbitration with restricted free agent forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau by agreeing to terms on a $9.3 million, three-year contract. The 24-year-old center will earn $2.6 million next season, $3.3 million in 2018-19 and $3.4 million in 2019-20. Pageau had eight playoff goals last spring as the Senators reached the Eastern Conference final. He had 12 goals and 21 assists in 82 regular-season games.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
—The Flyers have signed first-round pick Nolan Patrick to an entry-level contract. The 18-year-old center was selected No. 2 overall last month after playing the past three seasons for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. Patrick had 56 points (30 goals, 26 assists) in 55 games. Patrick helped the Wheat Kings win their first WHL championship in 20 years in 2015-16.
—The Nashville Predators have signed forward Frederick Gaudreau to a three-year contract. Gaudreau's deal comes after a breakthrough playoff performance, as he scored his first three career NHL goals during the Stanley Cup Final. Gaudreau, 24, played a total of eight playoff games.
— Defenseman Brian Campbell is retiring at age 38 after playing 17 NHL seasons and winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The Blackhawks say Campbell will join their front office, assisting with community and youth hockey initiatives and marketing. Campbell had 87 goals and 417 assists for 504 points in 1,082 regular-season games with the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Blackhawks and Florida Panthers.
TENNIS:
Roger Federer's eighth Wimbledon title has pushed him back up to No. 3 in the ATP rankings after ending last season at No. 16. And, because Federer sat out the last half of 2016, his points will only continue to accumulate, making a return to No. 1 a real possibility.
Garbine Muguruza's first championship at the All England Club returned her to the WTA's top 10 at No. 5, a rise of 10 spots, while runner-up Venus Williams goes from No. 11 to No. 9.
Karolina Pliskova became the 23rd woman to be ranked No. 1, a debut for her that was guaranteed last week, based on results at Wimbledon. She had been No. 3, and swaps positions with former No. 1 Angelique Kerber.
Serena Williams has not competed since January because she is pregnant. By losing rankings points she earned last year, including a title at Wimbledon and runner-up finish at the French Open, she has gone from No. 4 to No. 15.
Copyright The Associated Press 2017. All Rights Reserved.
