SPORTS HEADLINES

Francisco Lindor’s grand slam sends Mets into NLCS with 4-1 win over Phillies in Game 4 of NLDS

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, his latest clutch swing in a storybook season, and the New York Mets reached the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Edwin Díaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners aboard to end it as New York finished off the rival Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division Series, winning 3-1 to wrap up a postseason series at home for the first time in 24 years. After three days of rest, New York will open the best-of-seven NLCS on Sunday at the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego held a 2-1 lead in their NLDS heading into Game 4 on Wednesday night.

Betts and Ohtani help the Dodgers stay alive in NLDS with 8-0 win vs the Padres

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mookie Betts homered for the second straight night, Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI single and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Dylan Cease and the San Diego Padres 8-0 to force a deciding Game 5 in their tense NL Division Series. Will Smith and Gavin Lux each hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and now return home for the next matchup between the NL West rivals on Friday night. The Padres won 10-2 at Dodger Stadium in Game 3 on Sunday night, when tempers flared on the field and in the stands.

Milton damages the roof of the Rays’ stadium and forces NBA preseason game to be called off

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The fabric roof over the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays was ripped to shreds after Hurricane Milton came ashore in Florida, bringing wind gusts exceeding 100 mph and flooding parts of the state. Concerns over Milton and its effects on Florida also forced the cancellation of Friday’s NBA preseason game in Orlando between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans. The game won’t be rescheduled. Orlando was playing at San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to Central Florida on Thursday. Those plans are now in flux because of the storm, which made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, on Wednesday night.

Giancarlo Stanton hits go-ahead homer in the eighth, Yankees beat Royals 3-2 in Game 3 of the ALDS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in Game 3 of their AL Division Series at Kauffman Stadium. The Yankees will send six-time All-Star Gerrit Cole to the mound Thursday night with a chance to advance to the American League Championship Series. Stanton had three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees, who won despite another tough night for MVP front-runner Aaron Judge. Kyle Isbel and Michael Massey drove in the runs for Kansas City, which was hosting a playoff game for the first time since Game 2 of the 2015 World Series.

Tigers blank Guardians 3-0 in ALDS with clutch hitting and strong pitching, taking 2-1 series lead

DETROIT (AP) — Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run, and six pitchers combined to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 win over Cleveland Guardians and a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series. The Tigers, baseball’s hottest team the past two months, will have their first chance to advance to the American League Championship Series since 2013 on Thursday night in Game 4 at Comerica Park. Cleveland has gone 20 straight innings without scoring since opening the series with a five-run first and a two-run sixth in its 7-0 win.

Rodgers says allegations that he played a role in Saleh’s firing as Jets coach are ‘patently false’

Aaron Rodgers insisted he played no role in the firing of Robert Saleh as the New York Jets coach and called such allegations “patently false.” The star quarterback made his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, a day after Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Saleh after the team got off to a 2-3 start in the coach’s fourth season. There was speculation by some media and fans that Rodgers might have had a hand in influencing Johnson, who said during a conference call Tuesday the decision was “my decision and my decision alone.” Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the Jets’ interim head coach the rest of the season.

Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers is placed on commissioner’s exempt list after his arrest

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots say safety Jabrill Peppers has been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list while he goes through the legal process following his arrest on charges that he shoved his girlfriend’s head into the wall and choked her. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday that Peppers won’t be with the team “in the near term.” The exempt list is a form of paid leave.

Raiders return to Aidan O’Connell as starting QB against the Steelers, benching Gardner Minshew

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Antonio Pierce’s first major act after becoming the Las Vegas Raiders’ interim coach midway through last season was naming then-rookie Aidan O’Connell the starting quarterback. Pierce is now the full-time Las Vegas coach. He is turning again to O’Connell as the Raiders reach a critical part of their season and is benching Gardner Minshew with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting on Sunday. O’Connell went 5-4 after he became the starter last season.

SEC means more … upsets? Three top 10 teams fall, led by Vanderbilt’s vanquishing of Alabama

The Southeastern Conference’s biggest shakeups haven’t come courtesy of newcomers Oklahoma and Texas so far, but from more unlikely culprits. Think Kentucky over Mississippi, Arkansas over Tennessee, Texas A&M over Missouri. And the ultimate shocker: Vanderbilt over then-No. 1 Alabama for the first time in 40 years. Three Top 10 SEC teams fell last weekend, two of them to unranked league brethren. The Rebels lost a week earlier to the Wildcats. Top-ranked Texas is already the only unbeaten SEC team. The Longhorns face No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday.

College football picks: Time is not on visitor’s side so far on long road trips in Big Ten

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon is an even matchup on paper. One intangible would appear to favor the Ducks. The Big Ten is now a coast-to-coast conference with its expansion to 18 teams and early indicators show travel takes a toll. Teams playing at opponents three time zones away are a combined 1-8 in conference games. Indiana, from the Eastern time zone, won on the road against UCLA for the only victory. The 4:30 p.m. Pacific kickoff for Ohio State-Oregon is the standard 7:30 p.m. Eastern start. Ohio State coach Ryan Days says it’s a non-factor.

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