August 7, 2026 4:29 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a significant investment in forward Ville Koivunen, signing him to an eight-year contract worth $4 million annually. Koivunen, 23, was a restricted free agent. The deal highlights his importance to the team as they face the later stages of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang’s careers. Koivunen, from Finland, joined Pittsburgh in a 2024 trade with Carolina. He had two goals and five assists in 39 games last season with Pittsburgh. He also excelled in the playoffs for Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, with four goals and five assists in nine games.
August 5, 2026 4:22 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kyle Harrison struck out the final eight batters he faced, William Contreras homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Wednesday night. Harrison (9-2) gave up one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in five innings in his first start since July 8 after an IL stint due to left forearm tightness. Harrison took the mound to warm up for the sixth, but abruptly left before the inning began. Milwaukee later said he had cramps in both calves. He had the second-longest strikeout streak in Brewers history behind Corbin Burnes, who tied the major league record with 10 straight in 2021. Trevor Megill earned his 20th save with a perfect ninth.
August 6, 2026 4:22 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates have cut ties with veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna as they gear up for a playoff push. The club released the 35-year-old Ozuna following a nightmarish stretch in which the three-time All-Star could never seem to get on track. Ozuna hit eight homers and drove in 29 runs while batting .203 in 70 games with Pittsburgh. The Pirates, who are chasing their first postseason berth in more than a decade, promoted outfielder Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Ozuna’s roster spot.
August 6, 2026 4:25 am
Carson Beck makes his NFL debut and Kenny Pickett starts for his fifth team in four years. Welcome to the NFL preseason. If you want to see starters play, wait until next month when the games count in the standings. Or watch joint practices. The exhibition schedule kicks off Thursday night with Beck and the Arizona Cardinals facing Pickett and the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The preseason is an opportunity for rookies, backups and players fighting for roster spots to get snaps and showcase what they can do. Most first-round picks won’t play much.
August 6, 2026 4:24 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald has formally worked out for the Los Angeles Rams. That’s presumably one of the final steps before the superstar defensive tackle decides whether to end his 2 1/2-year retirement. Donald has been training at the Rams’ Woodland Hills training complex and at home for several weeks in his attempt to return to NFL shape. While the Rams have emphasized their willingness to wait indefinitely for Donald to decide, coach Sean McVay has expressed cautious optimism in the past week about the prospect of lining up Donald and Myles Garrett together on a remarkable defensive line.
August 5, 2026 3:46 pm
(AP) – The Preakness Stakes is moving to three weeks and a day after the Kentucky Derby to be run on a Sunday for the first time. No Triple Crown race has ever been run on a Sunday in the history of the series. The shift marks a major change on the horse racing calendar after three-quarters of a century of the Preakness taking place two weeks to the day after the Derby is run on the first Saturday in May, with the lone exception of 2020 because of the pandemic. For at least one year, it will mean just a 13-day gap between the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
August 5, 2026 4:20 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn homered, Logan Henderson allowed two runs in six innings to win his sixth consecutive decision, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Tuesday night. Henderson (6-1), whose only loss was in early May, allowed four hits, including two solo homers, struck out eight and walked one. Antonio Senzatela, acquired from the Rockies on Monday, tossed a scoreless seventh with the aid of a double play. Abner Uribe stranded runners on the corners in the eighth and Trevor Megill closed with a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 21 opportunities.
August 5, 2026 4:22 am
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson through the 2030 season that makes the fourth-year player the NFL’s highest-paid running back. Robinson reposted the NFL’s Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!” The extension is worth up to $75 million with incentives, with $51 million guaranteed. The base value of $66.75 million gives Robinson a $22.25 million average per year that makes him the league’s top-paid running back.
August 5, 2026 4:24 am
The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have finalized a settlement over “poaching” and exit fees. The two conferences announced that all sides have reached final agreements to settle all pending litigation. The statement included Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State and The Board of Trustees of the California State University on behalf of San Diego State and Fresno State. The conferences announced an agreement in principle in May. The Pac-12 and some of new the schools joining the conference filed a lawsuit in California in 2024, claiming the poaching clause the league agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams was invalid. The clause called for payments to the Mountain West for a total of $55 million.
August 4, 2026 4:23 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Spencer Horwitz hit a three-run double and the Pittsburgh Pirates extended their dominance over the Brewers this season, beating Milwaukee 4-3 in the opener of a four-game series. Pittsburgh has won six of seven games against the NL Central-leading Brewers this season. The Pirates jumped on Brewers starter Brandon Sproat (3-7) for three runs in the third. Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (4-8) held the Brewers without a hit until David Hamilton’s single up the middle with two outs in the fifth. Mason Montgomery pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save in five tries.
