July 15, 2025 4:21 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Major League Baseball is testing automated ball-strike systems in the All-Star Game for the first time. The system, used in some minor leagues since 2019, allows teams two challenges per game, retaining them if successful. All-Star starters Tarik Skubal of Detroit and Paul Skenes of Pittsburgh say pitchers often think everything is a strike. Clayton Kershaw believes the system works if it’s adjusted for player height, which it does. During spring training tests, teams won 52.2% of challenges.
July 15, 2025 4:22 am
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Rory McIlroy is back at Royal Portrush and feeling plenty of love as the Masters champion. It’s far different from when the British Open was last held in Northern Ireland. He was overwhelmed by the support and wound up missing the cut. McIlroy says he tried to treat 2019 like another Open. This time he is ready to embrace it. He now has the career Grand Slam. He wants to play well for the home crowd. But he’s a lot more at peace and energized about another crack at Royal Portrush. He played 18 holes before bad weather arrived.
July 14, 2025 4:51 am
The Pirates selected RHP Seth Hernandez as their first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Hernandez was the sixth pick in the first round of the draft. According to the MLB, Hernandez, 19, is six feet four inches tall and around 190 pounds. He comes from Corona High School and was ranked third in the pipeline. He bats and throws right-handed. “We are very excited to get the chance to work with Seth,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “His athleticism, velocity, ability to shape pitches and competitiveness are standout traits for a starting pitcher. He will be fun to watch develop.” He was also named the 2025 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.
July 14, 2025 4:45 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Spencer Horwitz had a bases-loaded RBI ground out in the ninth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended an eight-game slide by beating the Minnesota Twins 2-1. Isiah Kiner-Falefa tied a career high with four hits for Pittsburgh. Ke’Bryan Hayes singled with one out in the ninth off Twins closer Jhoan Duran. Pinch-hitter Oneil Cruz had an infield single and Kiner-Falefa singled to load the bases. Horwitz hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Brooks Lee dove to his right to stop. Looking to start a double play, Lee couldn’t cleanly get the ball out of his glove and had to settle for a force out at first allowing Hayes to score.
July 14, 2025 4:46 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Terry Francona has added another milestone to his impressive career. Francona became the 13th manager in major league history to reach 2,000 wins when the Cincinnati Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2. The 66-year-old Francona joins Texas’ Bruce Bochy as the only active managers with at least 2,000 wins. Ten of the 12 other managers who have accumulated at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy and Dusty Baker, who isn’t yet eligible, are the only exceptions.
July 14, 2025 4:54 am
PITTSBURGH — The Penguins have added another goaltender. Just a couple of weeks after trading goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks, GM Kyle Dubas swung the trade to add legitimate goaltending depth. They have added Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs, in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and Chase Stillman, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in the Cody Glass trade. The 24 year old Silovs was the odd-man out in Vancouver, as he is not waiver-exempt this fall, and the Canucks signed goalies Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lahkonen to longer contracts. Silovs is 6-foot-4, 203 pounds, from Riga, Latvia. He rose to prominence in the 2023-24 playoffs when the young goalie took the Canucks’ net, leading to a comeback series win over the Nashville Predators and pushing the Edmonton Oilers to a Game 7 in Round Two.
July 14, 2025 4:47 am
LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner has defeated two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon championship and reverse the result of their epic French Open final five weeks ago. The victory Sunday by the No. 1-ranked Sinner gave him his fourth Grand Slam title overall. It also allowed the 23-year-old Italian to put an end to several streaks for No. 2 Alcaraz. The 22-year-old Spaniard had won the past five head-to-head matches. And Alcaraz entered the day on a career-best 24-match unbeaten run. He also had won 20 matches in a row at the All England Club. The last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon was Sinner in 2022.
July 13, 2025 7:37 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes will start his second straight All-Star Game for the National League and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will open for the American League on Tuesday night at Truist Park. Skenes will become the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star Games since Washington’s Max Scherzer and Boston’s Chris Sale in 2017 and ’18. Sale started three in a row beginning in 2016. Skenes and Skubal are 1-2 in average four-seam fastball velocity among those with 1,500 or more pitches this season, Skenes at 98.2 mph and Skubal at 97.6 mph, according to MLB Statcast. Skenes worked around Juan Soto’s walk in a scoreless first at Arlington, Texas, last year, throwing at up to 100.1 mph. He made the start after just 11 major league appearances, the fewest for an All-Star. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, with five appearances, could take over that mark Tuesday if he pitches. Skubal pitched a perfect second inning in his first All-Star appearance last year, following Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes to the mound. A 23-year-old right-hander, Skenes is 4-8 despite a major league-best 2.01 ERA for the Pirates, who are last in the NL Central. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has 131 strikeouts and 30 walks in 131 innings. Skubal, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 153 and walking 16 in 121 innings.
July 12, 2025 9:32 am
WASHINGTON, PA–The Washington Wild Things fell to the Lake Erie Crushers by a score of 5-0 in Friday’s series opener. The Wild Things had strong pitching from Jordan DiValerio, but the Crushers struck early in the third and later in the ninth to help seal the win. The Washington Wild Things dropped the first game of a three-game series against the Lake Erie Crushers in front of a packed house during Fireworks Friday presented by PA Lottery at EQT Park. The night saw the first sellout crowd of the season at the ballpark, announced at 3,286. Pitching looked strong early for Wild Things starter Jordan DiValerio, who had four strikeouts through two innings. In the third, Davie Morgan reached first from a hit by pitch to start the inning and was later driven in by Zach Campbell, who doubled. Campbell would score too after a throwing error to first. It made it 2-0 Lake Erie. The scoring halted until the seventh inning when Burle Dixon singled, stole second, and was driven in by Zach Campbell for the Crushers. This run marked the end of DiValerio’s quality start. His line on the night would be 6.2 innings pitched, four hits, three runs (two earned) and eight strikeouts. The Crushers added insurance runs in the ninth when Derek Vegas doubled and Sam Franco cleared the bases with a two-run home run. The Crushers would lead by a 5-0 score at that point and went on to seal it at that score. Washington falls to 30-25 on the season, while Lake Erie improves to 27-25. The Wild Things will remain at home and play game two of their three-game series with the Lake Erie Crushers tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 during Jimmy Buffett Night.
July 12, 2025 5:54 am
MINNEAPOLIS — Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer, Joe Ryan outpitched Paul Skenes. and the Minnesota Twins beat Pittsburgh 2-1 on Friday night to hand the Pirates their seventh straight loss.
Ryan (9-4) allowed one run and five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings. He threw 54 of his 86 pitches for strikes and has surrendered two runs or fewer in 14 of 18 starts this season. The Twins used five relievers to close it out with Jhoan Duran pitching the ninth for his 15th save in 17 opportunities.
Skenes (4-8) allowed two runs and five hits with six strikeouts in five innings. He fanned Matt Wallner looking to end the fourth for his 300th career strikeout. He struck out the side in order in the first on 12 pitches. Skenes threw 53 of 78 pitches for strikes and is winless in his last eight starts dating to May 28 despite allowing two runs or fewer in 17 of 20 outings.
Both pitchers had their starts moved up so they would be available to pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Spencer Horwitz singled and scored on a two-out double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Byron Buxton beat out a grounder to third leading off the bottom of the inning after Skenes was perfect through three. Larnach hit his 13th homer one out later to put the Twins up 2-1.
Hortwitz singled with one out in the ninth and pinch runner Jac Suwinski stole his fifth base to get in scoring position. Duran struck out both Adam Frazier and Kiner-Falefa swinging to end it.
