OBIT:
Darren Daulton, the All-Star catcher who was the leader of the Philadelphia Phillies' NL championship team in 1993, has died. He was 55.
Daulton had battled brain cancer since 2013. He had two tumors removed during brain surgery on July 1, 2013, but nine days later was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that also took the lives of his former teammate Tug McGraw and former coach John Vukovich.
The long-haired Daulton, nicknamed "Dutch," was beloved by Phillies fans and respected by teammates. He policed a wild clubhouse in '93 that included Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Dave Hollins, Pete Incaviglia, Mitch Williams and Curt Schilling.
Don Baylor was one of baseball's most feared hitters in the 1970s and early 80s before managing the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs. Baylor's family says the 1979 AL MVP has died in his hometown of Austin, Texas, at age 68 following a 14-year battle with multiple myeloma.
His playing career spanned six different American League teams from 1970-87. He earned his MVP award with the Angels after batting .296 with 36 homers and league highs of 139 RBIs and 120 runs.
Baylor ended his career by helping three different teams win pennants in his final three seasons. He retired with a .260 average, 338 home runs, 1,276 RBIs, 285 stolen bases and 267 hit-by-pitches.
He was the first manager of the expansion Rockies, leading them to their first playoff appearance in the franchise's third season.
MLB:
The New York Mets were off last night but will take on the Texas Rangers tonight at 7:10 from Citi field. The Yankees were also off last night and will take on the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at 7:07. And the Boston Red Sox had the night off as well and will take on the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at 7:10.
The Chicago Cubs have a bit more breathing room in the National League Central after opening a West Coast trip with a win at San Francisco.
Javier Baez hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the second inning while the Cubs were building a 5-0 lead against Matt Moore in a 5-3 victory against the Giants. Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while leadoff hitter Jon Jay scored twice following his two singles.
Jake Arrieta carried a shutout into the sixth inning and improved to 11-8. Wade Davis closed out the Cubs' second win in six games for his 24th save.
The win puts the Cubs 1 ½ games ahead of second-place Milwaukee. Chicago plays two more in San Francisco before a weekend series at Arizona.
The Minnesota Twins did the Cubs a favor by rallying from a 4-1 deficit to beat the second-place Brewers, 5-4. Eddie Rosario tied the game with an RBI double in the seventh and came around to score on a balk. Jorge Polanco doubled home a pair in the fourth to spark the Twins' comeback.
Keon Broxton hit a solo homer and drove in two runs for the Brewers.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Bryce Harper hit his 150th career home run and Adam Lind singled home the tiebreaking run in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Nationals past the Marlins, 3-2. Nats starter Max Scherzer was pretty sharp after being pushed back in the rotation due to neck spasms, allowing two runs and five hits while striking out nine over seven innings. Washington leads the NL East by 14 games over Miami.
— Matt Carpenter slammed a three-run homer to cap the Cardinals' six-run fourth in an 11-3 dismantling of Kansas City. Kolton Wong added a two-run shot and four RBIs, while Paul DeJong smacked a two-run homer to back Carlos Martinez, who gave up two runs over eight innings. The outcome drops the Royals three games behind the AL Central-leading Indians.
— Manny Machado's grand slam in the seventh inning was the difference as the Orioles won for the eighth time in 10 games, 6-2 Angels. Dylan Bundy struck out 10 and gave up two runs over seven innings to help Baltimore get within 1 1/2 games of the final AL wild-card slot. Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout collected his 1,000th career hit and tied the game with a solo shot before Machado slammed his 21st homer of the season.
— The Pirates were 3-0 winners over Detroit as Trevor Williams fired one-hit ball over seven innings. Williams threw a career-high 107 pitches, didn't allow a runner past second and gave up only a leadoff single to Brian McCann in the third inning. Francisco Cervelli hit an RBI double and pinch-hitter John Jaso added a two-run homer as the Pittsburgh stayed 4 ½ games behind the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs.
— Patrick Kivlehan's eighth-inning grand slam put a stamp on the Reds' 11-3 pounding of the Padres. Joey Votto banged out his 30th home run of the season and had three RBIs as Cincinnati ended a two-game skid. Adam Duvall and Zack Cozart added two-run blasts to the rout.
NFL:
The Bills have signed free agent Anquan Boldin in a move that adds a veteran presence to a mostly young and untested group of receivers.
Boldin has played for the Cardinals, Ravens, 49ers and Lions, grabbing 1,076 passes for 13,779 yards and 82 touchdowns. The 14-year veteran spent last season with Detroit, where he had 67 catches for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games.
In other NFL news:
— Officials say Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry is being investigated for possible domestic battery, an allegation the player's girlfriend calls a fabrication. Estrella Cerqueira says in a statement the couple had a "vocal disagreement" but that that nothing violent took place. A spokesman for the Broward County State Attorney's office said Monday in an email the allegations were under review and no decision has been made on whether Landry will be charged.
— New Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler won't play in the team's exhibition opener Thursday, but look for him to be starting soon enough. Coach Adam Gase says Cutler "didn't come out of retirement to stand on the sideline."
— Quarterback Brock Osweiler will start the Browns' exhibition opener on Thursday against New Orleans. Browns coach Hue Jackson announced the selection of Osweiler over Cody Kessler and rookie DeShone Kizer on Monday. Osweiler started 14 games last season for Houston before he was traded to the Browns in March.
— Trevor Siemian hasn't won the Denver Broncos' quarterback job just yet, but he has earned the starting nod over Paxton Lynch in Denver's preseason opener at Chicago. Coach Vance Joseph announced after Monday's indoor practice that Siemian will get first crack against the Bears on Thursday night, while Lynch will start Denver's second game.
— Latavius Murray practiced with the Vikings for the first time since he was signed in March. Murray was activated from the physical unable to perform list after missing the first 10 days of training camp following surgery on his right ankle.
— Bears guard Eric Kush will miss the season because of a torn hamstring. Coach John Fox says Kush tore the hamstring from the bone late last week. He was placed on injured reserve Monday and is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
— Former Patriots and Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has announced his retirement from the NFL in a barbecue commercial. He tweeted the commercial showing him un-taping his ankles, hanging up his cleats and grabbing grilling tongs before dancing, cooking ribs and smoking a cigar while wearing his trademark overalls. Wilfork played 13 NFL seasons, including the last two with the Texans.
— New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa has a bulging disk in his neck that will likely require surgery and sideline him for the entire season. Coach Todd Bowles says Enunwa will seek a second opinion. The receiver is facing a recovery time of 6 to 9 months. Enunwa was projected as the Jets' No. 1 receiver. He was hurt Saturday night during practice at MetLife Stadium.
— Falcons coach Dan Quinn says Jalen Collins' second suspension for a violation of the league's policy on performance enhancers has caused a "broken" trust that could cost the cornerback his spot on the team. Collins participated in Monday's practice after his 10-game suspension to open the season was announced on Sunday. It is the second straight year he has been suspended for the start of the season, following a four-game penalty in 2016.
NBA:
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says he wants to have a face-to-face meeting with Andrew Wiggins before offering him nearly $150 million with a max-level extension of his rookie contract.
Wiggins' scoring numbers have improved in each of his first three NBA seasons, including 23.6 points and 35.6 percent shooting from 3-point range last season. Taylor says he wants to hear a commitment from Wiggins to work out often in the Twin Cities in the summer and improve all areas of his game to fulfill the obligations that come with a max deal.
TENNIS:
The International Tennis Federation says former French Open finalist Sara Errani must serve a two-month doping ban after testing positive for the banned substance letrozole in a test taken in February.
Errani's defense blamed contamination from her mother's cancer medication.
NHL:
All players under NHL contract this season will be prohibited from participating in the Winter Olympics at Korea next February. League deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the decision to The Associated Press today, which means players who signed two-way NHL contracts or who are loaned to minor league affiliates won't be available to the United States, Canada or other national teams. The league announced in April it wouldn't be stopping its season to go to the Olympics for the first time since 1994, but questions had remained about players in the American Hockey League and ECHL.
PGA:
The PGA of America is moving its major championship to May, beginning with the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black on Long Island.
Two officials involved in the discussions tell The Associated Press the PGA of America and PGA Tour will discuss details of the move as early as Tuesday at Quail Hollow Club, site of this year's PGA Championship. The PGA Championship has been in August since 1969 with two exceptions.
The catalyst behind the change was golf's return to the Olympics. The PGA of America is interested in moving into the middle of the major championship season instead of the end. It also loosens the schedule in Olympic years.
CYCLING:
Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador will retire next month after riding in the Spanish Vuelta.
Contador announced his plan to stop racing on a video posted Monday on Instagram. He accumulated seven grand tour titles, winning the Spanish Vuelta three times and the Giro d'Italia twice.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
