WASHINGTON -- Time is running out for the New York Mets, who fell 10 games behind the first-place Washington Nationals in the National League East following an 8-1 loss Monday night.That was big for us to win that game, Washington manager Dusty Baker said.New York (76-68) is very much in the NL wild-card hunt, and that is one reason manager Terry Collins didnt have much patience with starting pitcher Rafael Montero, who walked two with the bases loaded in the first inning and gave up six runs overall before he was lifted in the second.Tonight was certainly a downer, Collins said.The Mets are still 16-6 in the past 22 games, and they maintain a half-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals in the battle for the final NL playoff position.They are rising to the challenge, which is evident in how they have played lately, Baker said of the Mets.Collins was asked about the teams recent surge and said it was a testament to the character of every player in the clubhouse.And of course, good pitching helps as well.Our young (players) have stepped up, which is very big for us, Collins said Monday.The teams will meet in the second game of the series Tuesday, when Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (13-8, 2.48 ERA) faces Nationals right-hander A.J. Cole (1-2, 4.56 ERA).It will be just the fifth start of the year for Cole and the sixth of his major league career. His only previous appearance against the Mets came on Sept. 2, when he earned the win with six innings of one-run ball at New York.Cole is proving to be a much more mature pitcher than when he made his big league debut in April 2015 against the Braves in Atlanta.In his four starts this year, he has pitched at least five innings each time, and he has not allowed more than four runs in an outing despite facing challenging road assignments such as in tiny Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles and Citi Field against the Mets earlier this month.Syndergaard is the same age as Cole, 24, but he is already an established major-leaguer in his second season.He gave up four walks and six hits in five scoreless innings in his last start, a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. The hard-throwing right-hander has given up three runs in his past 27 innings.Syndergaard is 2/3 with a 3.02 ERA in seven career starts against the Nationals with 47 strikeouts and 13 walks. He lost to Cole and the Nationals 4-1 on Sept. 2, when he gave up two runs in seven innings.Several Washington hitters have fared well against Syndergaard.Ben Revere is hitting .364 in 11 at-bats against him, Wilson Ramos is at .333 in 12 trips, and Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper are both hitting .313 in 16 at-bats against the Tuesday starter.A few Washington veterans have struggled against Syndergaard. Danny Espinosa is batting .167 in 12 at-bats, Jayson Werth is hitting .143 in 14 trips and Ryan Zimmerman is batting .125 in eight at-bats. Zimmerman has been in a slump for nearly a month, as was Ramos before he went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI on Monday.Following Syndergaards start, Robert Gsellman will pitch the series finale Wednesday at Washington against Tanner Roark. New York will start Bartolo Colon and Seth Lugo in the first two games of a weekend series at Minnesota. Beyond that, Collins said Montero would not remain in the rotation after his Monday outing.Who could take his place?Anybody, Collins said. Discount Shoes Online Free Shipping . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Discount Shoes China .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. http://www.discountshoeschina.com/ . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. 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TURIN, Italy -- Gonzalo Higuain ended his scoring drought as Juventus beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 on Wednesday to win its Champions League group.Juventus had already qualified for the knockout stages, but the victory secured top spot in Group H ahead of Sevilla, which also advanced following a 0-0 draw with Lyon.Higuain blasted a strike into the top left corner from the edge of the area after being set up by Mario Lemina early in the second half.It was Higuains first goal since scoring on Nov. 2 against Lyon.Higuain joined Juventus before the season from rival Napoli for an Italian-record 90 million euros ($100 million) after scoring 36 Italian-league goals last season to break a 66-year-old Serie A record.Defender Daniele Rugani added another for Juventus with a header from a Miralem Pjannic corner.ddddddddddddJuventus finished with 14 points, three ahead of Sevilla. Lyon has eight points and will play in the Europa League, while Dinamo lost all six matches.Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon was rested, with Neto starting in goal for the Bianconeri. It made little difference, as Dinamo rarely threatened, exiting the tournament with no goals scored and 15 conceded -- becoming the third team in competition history to go scoreless in the group stage.Before the match, Dinamo fans were reportedly been pushed back with water hoses after breaking through police lines outside the stadium. Several fans were injured, according to the ANSA news agency. Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '