April 24, 2023 4:03 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Vince Velasquez struck out 10 in seven innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Hunter Greene and the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 for their seventh consecutive victory. It was the most strikeouts for Velasquez since May 10, 2018, when he had 12 for the Phillies against the Giants. He allowed two hits and walked two. The Pirates improved to 16-7 for the franchise’s best start since its last division title in 1992. David Bednar struck out two in the ninth for his eighth save, finishing a four-hitter.
April 24, 2023 10:45 am
The NFL never really stops so the offseason continues with the draft starting on Thursday night. The Carolina Panthers have the No. 1 overall pick and a lot of the hype surrounds the quarterbacks. Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson are among the coveted prospects. The other top athletes include edge rushers such as Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. and Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson. The first round begins Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern. The second and third rounds are on Friday starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The fourth through seventh rounds are Saturday starting at 12 p.m.
April 23, 2023 8:05 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a key triple and Rich Hill got through five innings for the win as the streaking Pittsburgh Pirates extended their winning streak to six games with a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates raised their record to 15-7 for their best start since 1992, the last time they won a division title. It is also Pittsburgh’s longest winning streak since an 11-game run in 2018. Bryan Reynolds had two doubles and a sacrifice fly, while Hayes and Tucupita Marcano added two hits each for the Pirates. The Reds have lost five games in a row.
April 23, 2023 8:14 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Manager Derek Shelton’s contract was extended by the Pittsburgh Pirates after the team’s 14-7 start its best since 1992. Shelton’s contract was set to expire after this season. The Pirates announced the new deal but did not specify a length. Shelton entered the season with a 142-242 record over three years.
April 23, 2023 3:47 am
The NFL has suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling policy. Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney are suspended through at least the the 2023 season for betting on NFL games in the 2022 season. Lions receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were each suspended six games for betting from an NFL facility on non-NFL games. The Lions released Cephus and Moore.
April 22, 2023 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Connor Joe had three hits and reached base four times to back a strong start by Mitch Keller and lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 for their fifth straight win. At 14-7, the Pirates are off to their best start since 2002. Cincinnati has lost four in a row and is 5-12 since opening the season by winning two of three from the Pirates. Acquired from Colorado in an offseason trade, Joe went 3 for 3 with a walk and raising his batting average to .377.
April 22, 2023 3:45 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has approved rules changes that are expected to reduce the number of plays in football games. The most notable is one that will keep the clock running when a team makes a first down except in the last two minutes of a half. The new clock rule affects only Divisions I and II. Penalties accepted at the end of the first and third quarters will now be enforced at the start of the following quarter and back-to-back timeouts during the same dead-ball period are no longer allowed.
April 21, 2023 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Connor Joe and Jack Suwinski hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates held off the Cincinnati Reds 4-3. Joe hit a three-run blast to center field off Luke Weaver to open the scoring. Suwinski followed with a shot into the right-field stands to put the Pirates ahead 4-0. That was all the runs the Pirates needed as they won for the 12th time in 17 games since losing two of three games to the Reds in Cincinnati to open the season. Roansy Contreras took a shutout into the seventh inning before the Reds broke their streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings.
April 21, 2023 3:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was suspended for 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday following his ejection for having a foreign substance on his hand during a game. Scherzer initially appealed the suspension but dropped his appeal hours later. In exchange, his fine was reduced from $10,000 to $5,000, according to a person familiar with negotiations between MLB and the players’ union. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement hadn’t been announced. Scherzer was ejected on Wednesday during the fourth inning of a game at Dodger Stadium. He claimed the stickiness was caused by rosin and sweat and not by a foreign substance.
April 20, 2023 2:51 am
DENVER (AP) — Rodolfo Castro hit a 458-foot homer and drove in four runs, leading Pittsburgh over the Colorado Rockies 14-3 to complete the Pirates’ first three-game sweep at Denver since 2019. Colorado has lost eight straight games, its longest skid since nine in a row last Aug. 27 to Sept. 4. The Rockies are a National League-worst 5-14 and the game drew 18,511, the smallest crowd for a Coors Field game with unrestricted ticket sales since 18,341 on April 18, 2013. Andrew McCutchen put the Pirates ahead in the first with an RBI double off and homered in the second.
