Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 while allowing three hits over seven shutout innings, Jeff McNeil hit a two-run homer, and the New York Mets shrugged off a challenging travel turnaround to defeat the Washington Nationals 7-3. New York, which entered the day four games behind the Chicago Cubs for the NL's second wild-card spot, halted Washington's four-game winning streak.
Mike Minor and two relievers became the first pitchers in 221 tries to shut out the New York Yankees as Texas rolled to a 7-0 victory in the Bronx. Jose Trevino, Delino DeShields and Shin-Soo Choo homered to back Minor, who is 12-8 after allowing five hits over 7 1/3 innings. Masahiro Tanaka took the loss after allowing two runs over six innings.
The Phillies rolled to a 7-1 win against Cincinnati as Rhys Hoskins homered twice and had three RBIs. Bryce Harper and Scott Kingery added two-run shots to help Philadelphia stay 2 ½ games behind Chicago for the second NL wild card. Phils starter Drew Smyly tied his season high with eight strikeouts and allowed four hits and a run over 5 1/3 innings for his first win in six starts since July 30.
TENNIS
The U.S. Open will continue without the defending women’s singles champion. Top-ranked Naomi Osaka was ousted from the tournament with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to No. 13 Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. Osaka was hampered by left knee pain and was visited by medical personnel during the second set. She looked nothing like the player who rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win over 15-year-old Coco Gauff on Saturday. Bencic will take on Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals. Vekic survived a match point to beat Julia Goerges 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Final Eight in a Grand Slam for the first time.
American Taylor Townsend’s longest trek through a grand slam has ended with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Bianca Andreescu. The Canadian made up for seven double-faults with six break points to reach the quarterfinals. Elise Mertens rolled into the quarters with a 6-1, 6-1 win against American Kristie Ahn. Mertens hit 17 winners and took advantage of 25 unforced errors from her opponent.
On the men’s side, second seed Rafael Nadal easily passed his first test of the tournament and reached the quarterfinals at a ninth consecutive Grand Slam by downing 2014 champion Marin Cilic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Nadal dropped a set for the first time in this year's tournament but quickly responded by breaking to lead 3-1 in the third set and was on his way. Nadal is seeking his fourth title at Flushing Meadows and his 19th Grand Slam trophy overall.
Sixth seed Alexander Zverev doubled-faulted 17 times on his way to a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round. The lanky German lost his serve eight times, won just 32 percent of second-serve points and amassed 65 unforced errors.
Matteo Berrettini overpowered Andrey Rublev, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 to become the first Italian man in the U.S. Open quarterfinals since 1977. Berrettini won 14 of his 15 service games and had 37 winners.
Gael Monfils needed less than 90 minutes to dispatch Pablo Andujuar, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals. Monfils ripped 34 winners to just four from his opponent and never losing his serve to advance against Berrettini.
Gauff and doubles partner Caty McNally fell in the third round to the eighth-seeded team of Victoria Azarenka and Ash Barty, 6-0, 6-1. The loss ends the Open run for Gauff, who advanced to the women’s singles third round before falling to Osaka in straight sets.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ninth-ranked Notre Dame has opened its season by spoiling Scott Satterfield’s first game as Louisville’s head coach. Ian Book threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Irish dumped the Cardinals, 35-17 at Louisville. Jahmir Smith had a pair of short rushing touchdowns for Notre Dame, which trailed 14-7 in the first quarter before Tony Jones Jr. ran for an 11-yard TD. Jones carried 15 times for 112 yards to help the Irish outgain the Cardinals, 425-383. Louisville freshman Javian Hawkins rushed for 122 yards on 19 carries.
South Carolina starting quarterback Jake Bentley will be out indefinitely with a broken foot. A person close to the football program spoke to The Associated Press about the injury on condition of anonymity because neither the team, nor head coach Will Muschamp, has publicly discussed Bentley's injury. It is not immediately known how or when Bentley got injured. Bentley played throughout South Carolina's 24-20 loss to North Carolina on Saturday in the opener for both teams.
Illinois running back Mike Epstein has sustained a season-ending injury for the third straight year. Coach Lovie Smith said Monday the junior hurt his knee in the third quarter of the opener against Akron. Epstein has played 13 games over three seasons and rushed for 802 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
North Carolina State receiver C.J. Riley will miss the rest of the season after tearing a knee ligament on a special teams play. Coach Dave Doeren said Monday that Riley tore his left ACL during the Wolfpack's 34-6 victory over East Carolina.
NFL
The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the signing of two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, two days after he was released by Buffalo and quickly reached an agreement with Kansas City. McCoy was drafted by Philadelphia and spent his first four seasons with the Eagles while playing for former Eagles and current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. He is also going from a rebuilding franchise in the Bills to a three-time AFC West champion with Super Bowl aspirations.
A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the Colts have signed Brian Hoyer to be their backup quarterback. Hoyer takes over the No. 2 spot from Jacoby Brissett, who became the starter when Andrew Luck abruptly retired Aug. 24.
Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack has signed a four-year, $57 million extension that effectively runs through the 2023 season. The contract includes $33 million guaranteed.
Long snapper John Denney has been released after 14 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The 40-year-old Denney had been with the team longer than any other current player before becoming the team’s purge of veterans.
NHL
Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams is taking a break from the NHL. The 37-year-old forward said in a statement Monday that he will "step away" from the sport. With the start of training camp looming later this month, Williams says this is "the first time in my life that I've felt unsure of my aspirations" about hockey and lacks his usual "mental and physical commitment." Williams is an unrestricted free agent and three-time Stanley Cup champion whose two-year contract with Carolina expired after last season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
University of Vermont basketball legends Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine will be returning to the Patrick Gymnasium when the school retires their jerseys next month. The ceremony takes place on Oct. 26. The Burlington Free Press reports that it's been nearly 15 years since they last wore the Catamounts uniform and turned Vermont into a memorable March Madness darling. They guided the Catamounts to their first NCAA tournament victory, with a win over Syracuse in overtime.
THUNDER ROAD CRASH
Vermont officials say two people were hurt when a car hurtled over a retaining wall during a qualifying heat for the 41st Labor Day Classic at Thunder Road. Officials say both of the injured were track officials, one from Thunder Road and another from the American-Canadian tour. Officials said in a statement that both suffered leg injuries.
© The Associated Press 2019. All Rights Reserved.