October 23, 2021 3:57 am
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) – Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby still isn’t sure when he’ll return from left wrist surgery. Crosby underwent surgery in early September to address an issue with the wrist he says he’s been dealing with for more than seven years. The 34-year-old Crosby is skating with his teammates but says he needs to see how the wrist holds up during faceoffs and physical play before knowing when he’ll be cleared to play. The Penguins are off to a 2-0-2 start without Crosby.
October 23, 2021 3:59 am
HOUSTON (AP) – The Houston Astros are back in the World Series. The Astros are American League champions after Yordan Alvarez, Luis Garcia and Kyle Tucker led them to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Alvarez went 4-for-4 with an RBI double and two runs scored. He opened the scoring in the first inning and scored on Tucker’s three-run homer that put the game out of reach in the eighth inning. Alvarez hit an ALCS-record .522 in the series to win MVP honors. Garcia limited the Red Sox to one hit and a walk while striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings. He pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning, leaving to a huge ovation with two outs after a triple by Kike Hernandez. Houston’s bullpen followed with one-hit ball over the final 3 1/3, helping the Astros reach the Fall Classic for the third time in five seasons. Red Sox starter and loser Nathan Eovaldi was reached for one run and five hits over 4 1/3 innings.
October 22, 2021 3:59 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cleveland Browns put together just enough offense with quarterback Baker Mayfield and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt out with calf injuries. Third-string back D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 146 yards in guiding the Browns’ offense in a 17-14 victory over Denver. Johnson scored on a 4-yard run in the first half and picked up 52 yards on seven carries as the Browns chewed up the final 5:17. Case Keenum threw for a TD and was 21 of 33 for 199 yards in his first start in two years. Denver quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw a pair of TD passes and gutted it out while playing with foot and quadriceps injuries. He finished 23 of 33 for 187 yards with one interception. The Broncos finished the game without linebacker Von Miller because of a sprained ankle. The Browns improved to 4-3, while the Broncos dropped their fourth in a row since a 3-0 start.
October 22, 2021 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Los Angeles Dodgers are still alive in the NL Championship Series after snapping out of their hitting funk while getting an outstanding performance from six relievers. Chris Taylor slammed three home runs and drove in six as the Dodgers clobbered the Braves, 11-2 in Game 5, sending the series back to Atlanta. Taylor belted two-run homers in the second and fifth innings before delivering a solo shot. He overshadowed teammate AJ Pollock, who provided a solo shot and a three-run blast. Taylor had four of the Dodgers’ 17 hits, while Pollock, Trea Turner and Cody Bellinger had three apiece. The LA bullpen limited Atlanta to three runs while striking out nine over 8 1/3 innings. Dodgers relievers allowed their team to rebound after starter Joe Kelly left with an injury in the first inning, shortly after giving up a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman. Losing pitcher Max Fried was lifted with two out in the fifth, charged with five runs and eight hits. Game 6 is Saturday in Atlanta.
October 22, 2021 3:57 am
HOUSTON (AP) – It will be Luis Garcia starting for the Astros against Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series on Friday. Astros manager Dusty Baker announced his pitching selection Thursday afternoon as his team holds a three-games-to-two lead in the series. Garcia started Game 2 and gave up a grand slam in the first inning before leaving with no outs in the second because of discomfort in his right knee.
October 21, 2021 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves are both one victory away from meeting in the World Series. Yordan Alvarez had three hits and three RBIs as the Astros hammered the Red Sox, 9-1 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. Alvarez opened the scoring with a second-inning blast and added a two-run double that ignited Houston’s five-run sixth. Framber Valdez was superb over eight innings, limiting the Bosox to a run and three hits while striking out five. Valdez blanked the Red Sox until Rafael Devers homered in the seventh. He also became the first pitcher of the postseason to work eight innings. Yuli Gurriel also had three ribbies for the Astros. Chris Sale absorbed the loss, allowing four runs and three hits with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Two of the runs were unearned, thanks to an error by first baseman Kyle Schwarber in the sixth. The Astros can advance to the World Series on Friday in Houston.
The Braves are up three games to one in their NL Championship Series after throttling the Dodgers, 9-2 in Los Angeles. Eddie Rosario homered twice in his second four-hit game of the series. Adam Duvall and Freddie Freeman also went deep for Atlanta, which bounced right back from blowing a late lead in an agonizing loss Tuesday. The Braves tagged Julio Urias for three home runs over the first three innings. Urias was reached for five runs and eight hits in five innings. He was baseball’s only 20-game winner this season. The Dodgers finally broke through on AJ Pollock’s two-run single in the fifth, but that was one of just four hits allowed by six Atlanta hurlers on what became a bullpen game. The Braves can finish up the series on Thursday in LA.
October 21, 2021 2:06 am
The WPIAL announced the 2021 soccer playoffs Wednesday afternoon and posted links for the brackets CLICK HERE! It may not look like what we’re used to seeing (they’re working on it) but all the bracket links area there and will be updated moving through the tournaments. There are a dozen Washington County boys & girls teams along with the Waynesburg girls in this year’s pairings.
Boys:
4A #2 Peters Township, first-round bye
4A #4 Canon-McMillan, first-round bye
3A #14 Trinity at #3 Franklin Regional, Saturday, 2 pm
2A #4 Charleroi hosts #13 Keystone Oaks, Monday, 6:30 pm
2A #8 McGuffey hosts #9 North Catholic, Monday, 6:30 pm
1A #4 Bentworth vs. #13 Beaver County Christian, Tuesday, 6 pm at South Park
1A #16 Chartiers-Houston vs. #1 Greensburg Central Catholic, Tuesday, 6 pm at Mt. Pleasant
Girls:
4A #6 Peters Township hosts #11 Pine-Richland, Monday, 6:30 pm
3A #12 Trinity at #5 Montour, Monday, 6:30 pm
2A #16 McGuffey vs. #17 Waynesburg, Saturday, 12 noon at Chartiers-Houston-**
1A #6 Chartiers-Houston hosts #11 South Side Beaver, Saturday, 2 pm
1A #15 Bentworth vs. #2 Springdale, Saturday, 1 pm at Kiski Area
**-McGuffey/Waynesburg winner vs. #1 North Catholic, Tuesday, 8 pm at Mars Area
October 21, 2021 3:56 am
UNDATED (AP) – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will sit out Thursday’s game against the Denver Broncos with a painful left shoulder injury. Cleveland announced that backup Case Keenum will start, ending speculation about whether Mayfield would try to push through an injury to his non-throwing shoulder that he suffered last month and has worsened in recent weeks. Keenum has made 62 career NFL starts, most recently for Washington in 2019.
October 20, 2021 2:41 am
Citing on-going positive COVID tests, Frazier has notified Washington that it will not play this Friday’s high school football game. Frazier’s game last week at Beth-Center was canceled when the Commodores did not have enough players available due to positive tests and contact tracing protocols. Administrators at Frazier today indicated that, while they would have 15-16 healthy players available this Friday, having only two full days of practice ahead of game day would not put their student-athletes in a positive situation. Based on these player safety concerns, Frazier will forfeit the game to Washington, the second forfeit win of the year for the section-leading Little Prexies. WHS received a forfeit win over Beth-Center several weeks ago.
October 20, 2021 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov scored in a shootout to lift the Dallas Stars over the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. Pavelski and Radulov both beat Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry with backhands to help Dallas end its season-opening four-game trip on a high note. Michael Raffl also scored his second goal of the season for the Stars. Goaltender Braden Holtby turned aside 27 shots in regulation overtime and stopped the Penguins’ Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang in the shootout.
