Pirates Get Crushed In Cincinnati

August 8, 2021 7:42 am

CINCINNATI — Jesse Winker went 3 for 5 with a homer, double and tied a career high with six RBI to lift the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-3 on Saturday night. Nick Castellanos and Joey Votto also homered, helping the Reds pull within two games of the San Diego Padres for the second NL Wild Card. Rookie right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez (7-3) allowed a run over six innings to earn the victory. He retired the final seven batters he faced. Cincinnati continued its dominance of the Pirates, improving to 8-1 this season, including 6-0 at home. Dating to last season, the Reds have won 14 of their past 15 games against Pittsburgh. The Reds have won 9 of 11 and are averaging more than seven runs per game. Bryan Reynolds went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer and an RBI triple for Pittsburgh. Pirates starter Mitch Keller (3-9), who owned a 9.37 ERA in four previous starts against the Reds, allowed four earned runs in five innings to take the loss.

Steeler Greats Report To The HOF

August 7, 2021 10:30 am

The NFL Hall of Fame will welcome 5 Steeler legends this weekend in Canton Ohio. Bill Cowher, Troy Polamalu, Donnie Shell, Bill Nunn and Alan Faneca all will receive inductions tonight and Sunday. Inductions for tonight start at 6:30.

Pirates Blown Out By Reds

August 7, 2021 4:29 am

(AP)-The Reds rolled to a 10-0 rout of the Pirates as Mike Moustakas went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs in his return from the injured list. Tucker Barnhart hit a three-run homer for Cincinnati, which also received solo shots from Jesse Winker and Jonathan India. It’s the sixth time the Reds have scored at least 10 runs for Wade Miley, who scattered six hits over seven innings.

Olympic Update

August 7, 2021 4:33 am

TOKYO (AP) – It’s a four-peat for the US Olympic men’s basketball team. Kevin Durant scored 29 points and the Americans took the gold medal by defeating the team that beat them in their opening game at the Tokyo Olympics, 87-82 over France. He joined Carmelo Anthony as the only men’s basketball players with three gold medals. Durant sealed it with two free throws with 8.8 seconds left, making the outcome academic. Jayson Tatum finished with 19 points, while Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday each chipped in 11 for the U.S. Saturday’s Olympic action in Tokyo began with the women’s marathon, which gave Kenya a pair of medals and added another to the U.S. total. Peres Jepchirchir  led a 1-2 Kenyan finish, finishing in a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, 20 seconds. Her teammate Brigid Kosgei was second and American Molly Seidel took home the bronze. The race was transferred to Sapporo from Tokyo and moved up an hour to avoid the heat. There were 88 runners entered in the field and more than a dozen recorded a did not finish.

English Retains Lead At FedEx St. Jude

August 7, 2021 4:31 am

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Harris English shot a 5-under 65 at TPC Southwind to hold onto the lead through two rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. English withstood strong challenges from Cameron Smith and Abraham Ancer (AN’-sur) to retain the top spot at 13-under 127, two ahead of his nearest opponents. Smith had a 62 that required only 18 putts, tying a PGA Tour record for fewest putts in a round. Sam Burns fired a 64 that puts him in a fourth-place tie with Ian Poulter and Scottie Scheffler.

Steelers Beat Cowboys In Hall Of Fame Game

August 6, 2021 3:45 am

CANTON, Ohio (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers followed a stumbling first half with a strong final 30 minutes to beat Dallas 16-3 in the first NFL preseason game in two years. Last season’s exhibition games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So maybe the enthusiastic crowd was an indication that even for a match between teams using very few regulars, the hunger for pro football has not faded. Or maybe it was simply a matter of two of the league’s most popular franchises being on the field in the Hall of Fame game, regardless of how many backups were in action.

Reds Power Past Pirates, 7-4

August 6, 2021 3:47 am

CINCINNATI (AP) – Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto hit three-run homers in Cincinnati’s six-run second inning, powering the Reds to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series. Jonathan India also went deep and pitcher Sonny Gray helped himself with two hits as second-place Cincinnati gained a half-game on idle NL Central-leader Milwaukee and a full game on San Diego, which has a three-game lead over the Reds for the second wild-card slot. The Brewers lead Cincinnati by seven games. Gray gave up six hits and four runs with two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. Jeff Hoffman and Justin Wilson combined for three scoreless relief innings before Mychal Givens pitched the ninth for his first save.

Olympic Update

August 6, 2021 3:50 am

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) – Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the U.S. beat Serbia 79-59 to advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics. The Americans are now one win away from a seventh consecutive gold medal which would match the U.S. men’s team that won seven Olympic titles in a row from 1936-68. It would also give Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi five gold medals – the most ever by a basketball player in the Olympics. The Americans will face either Japan or France on Sunday.

– American beach volleyball players April Ross and Alix Klineman beat an Australian duo, 21-15, 21-16 in the gold medal match at the Tokyo Games. It’s Ross’ third medal in as many Olympics, to go with the silver she won in London and a bronze from Brazil. Klineman is a first-time Olympian.

 

Pirates Lose To Brewers

August 5, 2021 3:40 am

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez launched a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning to put the Milwaukee Brewers ahead for good in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Devin Williams worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his first career save. Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds went 2 of 2, walked twice and scored both of the Pirates’ runs. The Brewers won two of three from the Pirates and remained 7 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the NL Central.

Steelers Set For Hall Of Fame Game

August 5, 2021 3:48 am

CANTON, Ohio (AP) – If you’re looking for stars during Hall of Fame enshrinement week, concentrate on the museum itself and the inductions this weekend. You won’t find many, if any, stars playing Thursday night when the NFL preseason begins with Dallas playing Pittsburgh. Indeed, with the number of preseason games reduced from four to three, with the exception of the Cowboys and Steelers, the opportunity to see the big names on the field will be diminished further. For Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, the Hall of Fame game carries importance as a trial for guys on the back end of the roster, and for backups at key positions.