WJPA Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — JJ Wetherholt led off with a home run against Pirates ace Paul Skenes, and the St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 10-5 to complete a four-game sweep. Skenes fell to 0-5 against the Cardinals after allowing five runs, four earned in five innings. The reigning NL Cy Young winner’s brilliant April ends with a rare dud as Pittsburgh’s losing streak hit five. Alec Burleson had three hits and drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who took a four-game series from Pittsburgh for the first time since 2019. Bryan Reynolds had two hits and drove in three runs for the Pirates.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam York scored in overtime, sending the Philadelphia Flyers to the second round for the first time in six years. The Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in Game 6 on Wednesday night. Dan Vladar shined in net, stopping all 42 shots. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins aimed to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0 but fell short. The Flyers, under coach Rick Tocchet, advance to face Carolina. This marks their first playoff appearance since 2020 and their first home series since 2018.

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens has signed his $27.3 million franchise tag. The move makes it almost certain the Pro Bowler will show up for mandatory offseason work while the club remains adamant it has no plans to trade CeeDee Lamb’s sidekick. Pickens informed the Cowboys just hours before the start of the NFL draft last week that he intended to sign the one-year tender. That development sparked trade speculation, but the Cowboys shut it down. The 25-year-old Pickens was acquired last year in a trade with Pittsburgh and went on to have a breakout season alongside Lamb.