GIANTS-BECKHAM
The winless New York Giants are going to be without offensive catalyst Odell Beckham Jr. for the rest of the season.
The Giants announced Monday that Beckham will have surgery for his broken left ankle later this week, and his season officially ended when he was put on injured reserve later in the day along with fellow receiver Dwayne Harris.
Head coach Ben McAdoo called it "a sad situation."
The 24-year-old Beckham was hurt late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 27-22 loss to Los Angeles when Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward fell on his ankle and pinned it to the turf.
MLB-DODGERS-DIAMONDBACKS
Led by a big Japanese right-hander and a rookie from just down the road, the Los Angeles Dodgers are headed back to the NL Championship Series.
Cody Bellinger homered, drove in two runs and flipped over a dugout railing to steal an out for a dominant Yu Darvish, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Monday night to finish a three-game sweep in their NL Division Series. Bellinger is from nearby Chandler, Arizona.
Darvish, acquired from Texas in a trade deadline deal, struck out seven over five innings to outpitch Arizona's Zack Greinke and earn the righty his first postseason victory in three tries.
Four Los Angeles relievers combined to preserve a three-hitter. Kenley Jansen worked around a single by David Peralta for a three-out save, striking out Paul Goldschmidt to end it. Only four batters reached base all night for the Diamondbacks, including Daniel Descalso with a homer.
ASTROS-RED SOX
The Houston Astros poured back onto the field at Fenway Park in Boston Monday after advancing to their first AL Championship Series by beating the Red Sox 5-4.
After winning the best-of-five series 3 to 1, the Astros posed for pictures with the Green Monster as a backdrop before a few players bellyflopped in the puddles in the infield dirt. They were already soaked with celebratory beer and sparkling wine.
Houston's Justin Verlander, who was acquired for the playoff run after spending his first 13 seasons in Detroit, gave up a go-ahead homer to Andrew Benintendi — the first batter he faced — before shutting Boston down for the next 2 2/3 innings.The former AL MVP and Cy Young winner earned the victory in his first relief appearance after 424 starts in a major and minor league career.
The Astros will open the ALCS on Friday, either at Cleveland or at home against the New York Yankees.
INDIANS-YANKEES
Luis Severino, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees are headed back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5, thanks to plenty of help from the Indians.
Severino rebounded from his playoff debacle, Judge delivered a big hit and the Yankees took advantage of shoddy defense by Cleveland to beat the Indians 7-3 and even their AL Division Series at two games apiece.
Yankee manager Joe Girardi said, "We've got a shot now." Girardi had been harshly criticized for his Game 2 decisions.
Gary Sanchez homered and a slumping Judge laced an early two-run double for his only hit of the series to go with 12 strikeouts in 15 at-bats.
Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer struggled on three days' rest and was chased in the second inning. But it was on the wet Yankee Stadium field where the Indians really flopped, committing a season-high four errors that marked a franchise record for a postseason game and led to six unearned runs.
In other playoff games:
—Anthony Rizzo looped a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs overcame Max Scherzer's brilliant performance to beat the Washington Nationals 2-1 for a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series. They can clinch it with a win Tuesday.
—The Houston Astros turned to veteran Justin Verlander for rare relief appearance in their series-clinching 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. It was Houston's first visit to an American League Championship Series. The Astros, then in the National League, won that circuit's championship series in 2005 but went on to lose to the Chicago White Sox of the American League in the World Series.
The New York Mets have reached an agreement to buy the Syracuse Chiefs and make the International League baseball team its top minor league affiliate, according to Syracuse.com, which cited two sources briefed on the deal. Under the agreement, the Mets will acquire ownership of the Triple-A Chiefs from the Community Baseball Club of Central New York and continue to playing at NBT Bank Stadium starting in 2019. The deal would end almost six decades of community ownership of the Syracuse Chiefs and cut off the team's nine-year affiliation with the Washington Nationals. The Mets also have a Double-A affiliate in Binghamton, the Rumble Ponies.
NFL-VIKINGS-BEARS
Case Keenum led three second-half scoring drives in relief of Sam Bradford, and the Minnesota Vikings spoiled prized rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's debut with a 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears Monday night.
Kai Forbath kicked a 26-yard field goal in the closing seconds after Harrison Smith intercepted Trubisky, and the Vikings (3-2) came away with the win after dropping two of three.
Called on after Mike Glennon struggled in the first four games, Trubisky played like he belonged. The No. 2 overall pick was 12 of 25 for 128 yards with a touchdown.
The interception came after the Bears (1-4) took over on their 10 with 2:32 left in the game. Smith picked off a pass intended for Zach Miller on the right sideline at the 22.
The Vikings got the ball at the 28, and Forbath booted the winner with 16 seconds left.
Bradford could barely move after missing three straight games because of swelling and soreness in his left knee.
ANTHEM PROTESTS
Now that Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys has become the first NFL owner with a public suggestion of repercussions for displays during the national anthem, players are opening up more about the delicate balance of team chemistry and politics in the locker room.
And they're not necessarily slamming the powerful and outspoken Jones for suggesting his players will be benched if they disrespect the flag.
Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis said, "He's the owner. Either you listen or you don't."
Jones was responding Sunday night to questions about Vice President Mike Pence's decision to leave an Indianapolis home game in protest of about a dozen San Francisco players who kneeled during the anthem. President Donald Trump tweeted after Pence's walkout that he had told his vice president to leave if any players kneeled.
On Monday night, Trump also tweeted his support for Jones.
Trump said: "A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag. Stand for Anthem or sit for game!'"
DOLPHINS ASSISTANT COACH
Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster has resigned after video surfaced appearing to show him snorting a white powdery substance at a desk.
Hours after the 56-second video was posted on Facebook and Twitter, Foerster announced his resignation in a statement released Monday by the team.
"I want to apologize to the organization, and my sole focus is on getting the help that I need, with the support of my family and medical professionals," he said.
It's unclear when or where the video was made, or how it became public. Foerster has been an NFL assistant since 1992 and joined head coach Adam Gase's staff in Miami last year.
"Although Chris is no longer with the organization, we will work with him to get the help he needs during this time," the team said in a statement that accompanied Foerster's resignation announcement.
NHL-BLUES-ISLANDERS
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko scored shootout goals to lift the St. Louis Blues over the New York Islanders 3-2 on Monday, the third straight win to start the season for the Blues.
Andrew Ladd and Anders Lee had scored for the Islanders in the third period to send the game into overtime, Lee's goal coming at the 19-minute mark.
Tarasenko scored twice in the second period for the Blues, who were seemingly in control until Ladd scored for the home team at 13:04 of the third period to ruin Jake Allen's shutout bid.
Allen, who made 40 saves, denied Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier in the shootout.
In other games:
— Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, Nail Yakupov scored two goals and the Colorado Avalanche continued their recent success in Boston with a 4-0 win over the Bruins. Sven Andrighetto and J.T. Compher scored first-period goals for the Avalanche.
— Rookie Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson each had two goals and an assist and the New Jersey Devils earned a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Brian Gibbons added a goal and an assist, Taylor Hall had two assists, and Stefan Noesen also scored. New Jersey is 2-0 for the first time in three seasons.No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier recorded his first NHL point and Cory Schneider made 23 saves for the Devils.
— Nikita Kucherov got his second goal of the game on a power play in overtime, Tampa Bay held high-scoring Alex Ovechkin pointless and the Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 4-3. Kucherov's winner at 3:08 came after the Capitals were assessed a too many men on the ice penalty. Ovechkin entered with seven goals in Washington's first two games this season.
— Nikolaj Ehlers had a hat trick and an assist and the Winnipeg Jets captured their first win of the season by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. Mark Scheifele and Dmitry Kulikov also scored for the Jets.
— Auston Matthews scored in overtime and the Toronto Maple Leafs came from behind to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won their first three games. Jan Rutta, Jonathan aze) and Richard Panik had goals for the Blackhawks.
Jemele Hill, the “SportsCenter” host on ESPN whose tweets last month calling President Trump a white supremacist caused the White House to call for her firing, was suspended on Monday for once again running afoul of the company’s social media policy.
After the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, said Sunday that he would bench any players who “disrespect the flag,” Hill suggested on Twitter that fans who disagreed with Jones’s stance should boycott Cowboys advertisers.
“Change happens when advertisers are impacted,” she wrote. “If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers.”
She later clarified that she was not calling for an N.F.L. boycott but was pointing out the “unfair burden” placed upon players. She also noted that some fans who supported players kneeling during the national anthem were continuing to watch N.F.L. games.
ESPN said in a statement that Hill was suspended for “a second violation of our social media guidelines.” She will not appear on television for the next two weeks. A spokesman for the company declined to say which specific guideline she had violated or whether she would be paid during the suspension.
