December 13, 2023 4:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jeff Carter and Jake Guentzel both scored twice and Pittsburgh’s beleaguered power play showed signs of life as the Penguins slipped past the Arizona Coyotes 4-2. Pittsburgh scored twice with the man advantage while ending an 0-for-37 drought that stretched over a month. Tristan Jarry made 20 saves as the Penguins beat the Coyotes for the 11th straight time. Lawson Crouse scored his 13th of the season for Arizona and added an assist on Matias Maccelli’s power-play tally.
December 13, 2023 4:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. The team says the 23-year-old Rodríguez was injured taking a swing while playing in the Dominican Republic. The estimated recovery time is 10-12 months. The 23-year-old Rodríguez is considered a major part of the Pirates’ future after making his major league debut in July. He hit .220 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 57 games. Henry Davis, Jason Delay and recently signed Ali Sanchez will be in the mix to take on the bulk of the catching duties in 2024.
December 13, 2023 4:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rowdy Tellez and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $3.2 million, one-year contract. The first baseman and designated hitter can earn $800,000 in performance bonuses as part of the deal, which is pending a successful physical. The 28-year-old Tellez hit .215 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs for Milwaukee in 2023. The left-handed batter is a career .233 hitter in six seasons with Toronto and Milwaukee. The Pirates entered the offseason in need of help at first base. Connor Joe and Jared Triolo, among others, spent time at the position during the final two months of the 2023 season.
December 12, 2023 4:40 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Will Levis threw for a career-high 327 yards and directed two touchdown drives in the final 4 1/2 minutes, and the Tennessee Titans rallied to stun Miami 28-27, knocking the Dolphins out of the top spot in the AFC. The Titans held Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s explosive offense in check for most of the game but still fell behind by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, thanks to critical mistakes that gave short fields to the Dolphins. Raheem Mostert ran for TDs of 3 yards and 5 yards to put Miami ahead 27-13. But Levis threw a TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins and then set up a 3-yard run by Derrick Henry for the go-ahead score.
December 12, 2023 4:40 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tommy DeVito threw a 32-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson to set up Randy Bullock’s 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the New York Giants beat Green Bay 24-22 to hand the Packers their first December loss since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019. The Giants went 57 yards in eight plays after Jordan Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath with 1:33 to play. Green Bay then tried a 2-point conversion but Jayden Reed was stopped by linebacker Bobby Okereke. The go-ahead drive was set up by a Saquon Barkley fumble. DeVito rushed for 71 yards in the third straight win for the Giants.
December 12, 2023 4:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani will receive just $20 million of his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the next 10 years, with $680 million payable from 2034-43 in an unusual structure that gives the team greater payroll flexibility in coming seasons. Ohtani’s record-setting deal, agreed to Saturday, calls for annual salaries of $70 million, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. Of each year’s salary, $68 million is deferred with no interest, payable in equal installments each July 1 from 2034-43. For purposes of baseball’s luxury tax, the contract is valued as a yearly addition to the Dodgers’ payroll of about $46 million.
December 12, 2023 4:42 am
Jon Rahm has officially been suspended by the PGA Tour for joining LIV Golf. That’s not a surprise. The defection is good news for the likes of Mackenzie Hughes and Carl Yuan. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is telling players that Rahm’s suspension means he is officially removed from the FedEx Cup list. That moves up Hughes one spot to No. 50 and makes him eligible for all the $20 million events next year. It might be even better news for Yuan. He goes up one spot to No. 125. That’s the magic number to keep his PGA Tour card.
December 11, 2023 4:38 am
CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his home debut for Cleveland, and the Browns survived a late rally by Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville for a 31-27 win. The 38-year-old Flacco delivered the kind of performance he had almost annually as a visitor with Baltimore. Flacco went 26 of 45 and improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland. Lawrence played despite spraining his right ankle Monday night. He threw three interceptions before rallying the Jaguars in the fourth quarter. His third TD pass — to Evan Engram with 1:33 left — pulled the Jaguars within four. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett sacked Lawrence on the 2-point conversion, and the Browns recovered an onside kick.
December 11, 2023 4:41 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Tylan Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 37-31 victory over Los Angeles, snapping the Rams’ three-game winning streak. Wallace, who committed a crucial penalty on special teams earlier in the game that led to points for Los Angeles, eluded a couple of tackles after fielding the punt and stayed on his feet when Shaun Jolly made a diving attempt at him along the left sideline. The Ravens remained atop the AFC standings, a half-game ahead of Miami. The Dolphins host Tennessee on Monday night.
December 11, 2023 4:44 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — In a span of six days, Jake Browning has gone from Joe Burrow’s little-known backup to the potential savior of the Bengals’ season. Making his third NFL start, the 27-year-old Browning was outstanding again on Sunday, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for a score as Cincinnati beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-14. With Burrow out for the season with a wrist injury, the Bengals seemed in danger of slipping into irrelevance before Browning threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in a win at Jacksonville last Monday night. Browning’s follow-up performance was just as good, and it kept the Bengals (7-6) in the mix for a playoff spot. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with an interception against the playoff-contending Colts (7-6), whose four-game winning streak ended.
