April 9, 2023 6:22 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Heavy rain that left pools of standing water across Augusta National brought play to a halt at the Masters on Saturday. That means Brooks Koepka and the rest of the field will have a long Sunday slog to determine who will wear the green jacket. Many players had returned to the course early Saturday to finish their second rounds and were greeted by heavy, cold rain. It briefly subsided for the start of the third round, but rain returned and play was suspended with the leaders on the front nine. That means they will finish the third round early Sunday before playing the final round.
April 9, 2023 6:18 am
As Deshaun Watson prepares for his second season with Cleveland, his legal troubles in Houston linger. The Browns quarterback is scheduled to give a deposition on Monday in one of the two remaining civil lawsuits filed against him for sexual misconduct. Watson previously settled lawsuits with two dozen women who accused him of being sexually inappropriate during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two separate grand juries in Texas declined to indict Watson on criminal charges last year. The NFL suspended Watson for 11 games last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
April 8, 2023 4:01 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds homered and drove in six runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated Andrew McCutchen’s homecoming with a 13-9 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the third and a bases-clearing triple in the fifth. McCutchen had two hits in his first game at PNC Park as a member of the Pirates since 2017. The five-time All-Star outfielder signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason. Luis Robert hit two home runs for the White Sox. Chicago has dropped three of four.
April 8, 2023 4:03 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen is embracing his second stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The five-time All-Star outfielder says he knows part of his job is to help lead a team looking to emerge from years of losing following McCutchen’s departure in January 2018. Thousands of fans descended on PNC Park to welcome McCutchen back in Pittsburgh’s home opener against the Chicago White Sox. McCutchen said he encouraged fans to wear black to remember the success the team had a decade ago and also offer a glimpse of what the ballpark could be like again if the Pirates return to contention.
April 8, 2023 4:06 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Three towering pine trees fell near patrons as storms rolled through Augusta National on Friday, though nobody was hurt, and the second round of the Masters ground to a halt amid heavy wind and rain. The course had already been cleared once for 21 minutes when the first band of storms passed through the area. The air horn sounded again at 4:22 p.m. as another set of storms arrived, bringing heavy rains and the threat of lightning. About the time the horns sounded, two enormous pines fell near the 17th tee box, sending the patrons in the area scattering for cover. Workers quickly arrived with chainsaws to begin clearing the fallen trees.
April 7, 2023 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tristan Jarry stopped 27 shots and the Pittsburgh Penguins kept pace in the race for one of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. The Penguins bounced back from a miserable performance in a loss to New Jersey by putting together three complete periods, a rarity for most of the last three months. Kris Letang, Rickard Rakell, Jason Zucker and Jeff Carter scored for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury fell to 4-4 all-time against Pittsburgh, where he won three Stanley Cups before leaving in 2017. The Wild lost in regulation for just the third time in their last 24 games.
April 7, 2023 3:49 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Brooks Koepka is in a three-way share of the lead at the Masters with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. Koepka is trying to regain his reputation as a major player. Right now he gets attention as a surprise defector to Saudi-based LIV Golf. All he cares about his having healthy legs. He opened with a 65. Rahm was even more spectacular in his round of 65. That’s because he four-putted for double bogey on the first hole. He followed with seven birdies and an eagle. Hovland played bogey-free. Tiger Woods limped his way to a 74 and was nine back.
April 7, 2023 3:51 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods had three birdies and five bogeys during an opening round of 74 at the Masters on Thursday, leaving him in contention to play the weekend but hardly to win the tournament. He had two tough lip-outs on the front nine, a couple of poor pitch shots that led to bogeys, and some bad luck at the 18th led to his final bogey. It was the worst opening round for Woods at the Masters since 2005, when he followed another 74 with 65-66-71 to capture the fourth of his five green jackets. But he’s hardly the same player these days. He is now a combined 16 over for his last four rounds at Augusta National.
April 6, 2023 2:14 am
BOSTON (AP) — Mitch Keller struck out seven, Carlos Santana homered and Bryan Reynolds knocked in his seventh run of the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox with a 4-1 win Wednesday. Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in a run with a perfectly-placed bunt in the sixth and Santana added an RBI double during a two-run seventh that put the Pirates up 4-0. Pittsburgh improved to 4-2 on a cold, gray and blustery afternoon at Fenway Park, where the game-time temperature was 41 degrees. The Red Sox fell to 2-4.
April 6, 2023 3:53 am
A strong threat of rain and thunderstorms forced the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles to postpone their home openers on Thursday. All three teams announced Wednesday the openers will be pushed back a day with the Mets playing host to the Miami Marlins, the Phillies taking on the Cincinnati Reds and the Orioles facing the New York Yankees on Friday. All three cities had weather forecasts calling for at least a 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms on Thursday, the National Weather Service reported on its website. Weather also led the Minnesota Twins to postpone their home opener vs. the Houston Astros to Friday.
