R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kolten Wong hit a two-run homer to snap a seventh-inning tie, Matt Carpenter went deep for the third straight game and John Lackey lived up to his big-game reputation as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five NL Division Series.

Facing elimination in St. Louis for the second consecutive postseason, the Dodgers will turn to ace Clayton Kershaw on short rest Tuesday night in Game 4. Shelby Miller makes his first career postseason start for the Cardinals, one win from a fourth straight trip to the NL Championship Series.

The Cardinals finished off Los Angeles in a six-game NLCS last fall, knocking out Kershaw in the fifth inning of a 9-0 blowout in the final game.

Two runners reached against Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth before he earned his second save of the series — with an assist from the grounds crew on a rainy night.

DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL says Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah should not have been penalized for dropping to his knees in prayer in the end zone after an interception.

NFL spokesman Michael Signora writes in an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday that “the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression.

Signora says “there should have been no penalty on the play.”

The flag thrown in the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s 41-14 victory over New England on Monday night touched off a firestorm on social media, with many wondering how it was different from players dropping to one knee in Christian prayer.

JENNA FRYER, Associated Press
CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury has decided against charging NASCAR star Tony Stewart in the August death of another driver at a sprint car race in upstate New York.

The decision was announced Wednesday, nearly seven weeks after Stewart’s car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. at a dirt-track race on Aug. 9 in Canandaigua (can-uhn-DAY’-gwah).

Ward had climbed from his car after it had spun while racing alongside Stewart. The 20-year-old walked down the track, waving his arms in an apparent attempt to confront the three-time NASCAR champion.

The front of Stewart’s car appeared to clear Ward, but Ward was struck by the right rear tire and hurtled through the air. He died of blunt force trauma. Stewart skipped three races following what he called a tragic accident.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The past two weeks, when the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone, Andy Reid has insisted that he needs to put his players in better position to succeed.

What happens when he puts the Chiefs in a bad position, though?

Well, the Chiefs are paying quarterback Alex Smith a bunch of cash to get them out of it.

Smith said Wednesday that while his coach often takes responsibility for the shortcomings of the offense, the burden lies on the players to execute on the field.

For Smith, who just signed a new contract extension, that means making wise decisions with the ball – and checking out of bad plays that Reid may have called.

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (AP) — A grand jury will decide whether NASCAR driver Tony Stewart will be charged in the August death of a fellow driver at a sprint car race in upstate New York.

Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said Tuesday that after reviewing evidence collected by sheriff’s investigators, he has decided to present it to a grand jury. Tantillo could have determined there was not enough evidence to support charges and dropped the case.

Stewart’s car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. at a dirt-track race in Canandaigua on Aug. 9. The 20-year-old had climbed from his car after it had spun while racing alongside Stewart.

Stewart issued a statement saying he looks forward to the process being completed and will continue to cooperate.

BIRMINGHAM (AP) – South Carolina’s win over Georgia vaulted the Gamecocks 10 spots to No. 14 in The Associated Press college football poll, giving the Southeastern Conference an unprecedented seven teams in the top 15.

The SEC had eight teams ranked for the third straight week and five teams in the top 10 for two weeks running. Alabama is third behind No. 1 Florida State and No. 2. Oregon, followed by No. 5 Auburn, No. 6, Texas A&M, No. 8, LSU and No. 10 Mississippi.

Georgia fell to No. 13 after losing to the Gamecocks 38-35 and Missouri is up to No. 18.

Florida State, which was off, has 37 first-place votes, losing one to the Ducks, who have 17.

Oklahoma held its position at No. 4 after beating Tennessee, Baylor moved up one to No. 7 with a rout over Buffalo and No. 9 Notre Dame was back in the top 10 for the first time since 2012 after moving up two spots.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Shaun Wilson rushed for a school-record 245 yards with three long touchdowns and Duke routed Kansas 41-3 on Saturday.

Wilson scored on runs of 69, 68 and 45 yards while breaking Robert Baldwin’s 20-year-old single-game record for the Blue Devils (3-0).

Anthony Boone threw two TD passes to Max McCaffrey for Duke, which scored the first three times it touched the ball, built a 511-297 advantage in total yardage and cruised to its first 3-0 start since 1994.

Boone finished 19 of 33 for 180 yards in three quarters with scoring passes to McCaffrey covering 36 and 10 yards. He improved to 13-0 as a starter in regular-season games.

Montell Cozart was 11 of 27 for 89 yards for Kansas (1-1) but threw two interceptions that Duke turned into Ross Martin field goals.

The Jayhawks didn’t advance further than the Duke 17 and lost their 25th straight road game.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas high school football player is in critical condition after collapsing during a football game.

The Kansas City Star reports that Olathe East High School senior James McGinnis was rushed into surgery Friday night at Overland Park Regional Medical Center with bleeding around his brain.

His father, Patrick McGinnis, said doctors were removing a piece of his son’s skull to relieve pressure. A hospital spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Saturday that James McGinnis remains in critical condition.

Olathe East assistant coach Mike Thomas says the 165-pound linebacker and slotback had made a tackle a few plays before collapsing. Olathe East head coach Jeff Meyers also said that James McGinnis had suffered one concussion during his sophomore season, but had not had any other related medical issues.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe was back on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice field Wednesday after serving his weeklong suspension following an arrest last November.

He wasn’t the only player who wasn’t there a week ago.

After getting routed by Tennessee in their season-opener, and losing Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson and starting defensive tackle Mike DeVito to season-ending injuries, the Chiefs were forced to frantically retool ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver.

Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson, who spent the past four seasons with the Broncos, was signed on Monday, while linebacker Jerry Franklin has been elevated to the practice squad.

The Chiefs also turned over half of their practice squad in the search for help.

 

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