Pirates Lose to Padres Friday

May 3, 2025 4:29 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Luis Arraez had three hits and drove in three runs to help the San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-4 for their third straight victory. Arraez is 6 for 12 since returning from a concussion. Fernando Tatis Jr. left the game in the third after being hit on the left forearm by a pitch from Mitch Keller. The Padres announced that initial X-rays were negative. Oneil Cruz drew a two-out walk from Padres starter Dylan Cease in the third, stole second and scored on a single by Bryan Reynolds for a 1-0 lead. Oscar Gonzalez singled and scored on an Arraez double to give the Padres the lead for good in a three-run fifth.

Mike Sullivan Hired As New York Rangers Head Coach

May 2, 2025 9:48 am

The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan as coach. Sullivan was out of a job for less than a week after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed Monday to part ways. Sullivan replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers missed the playoffs following a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year. Sullivan, who coached Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup back to back in 2016 and ’17, is tasked with trying to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender. General manager Chris Drury made the move to get Sullivan not long after receiving a multiyear contract extension of his own.

Cubs Take Skenes Deep 3 Times In Pirates Loss

May 2, 2025 2:09 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki all took Pirates ace Paul Skenes deep in the fifth inning as the Cubs pulled away for an 8-3 victory. Suzuki later added a two-run shot off reliever Kyle Nicolas as the Chicago took two of three from the last-place Pirates. Skenes had given up one home run total in his first six starts before running into trouble against Chicago. The 22-year-old star dropped to 3-3 on the season. A crowd of 13,633 turned out for the matinee a day after a fan fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field. The unidentified male was in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Steelers Add Wide Receiver Robert Woods

May 2, 2025 4:23 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed veteran wide receiver Robert Woods to a one-year deal. The 33-year-old Woods has spent 12 years in the NFL, including the past two with the Houston Texans. Woods caught a career-low 20 passes for 203 yards in 15 games for the Texans last season. Woods is joining a wide receiver group that includes two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf — acquired in a March trade with Seattle — and George Pickens, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Mike Trout Going On The Injured List Again

May 2, 2025 4:28 am

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is headed back to the 10-day injured list because of a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. Angels manager Ron Washington made the announcement Thursday night following a 10-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The team said there is no structural damage to Trout’s knee, but Washington said the three-time AL MVP needs rest. The oft-injured Trout missed his first game of the season Thursday night after being removed from Wednesday’s loss in Seattle with left knee soreness. He got hurt on a sprint to first base when his left foot hit the bag as he tried to beat out a third-inning groundout. Trout is hitting .179 this year with nine home runs and 18 RBIs.

McCutchen’s Double Lifts Pirates Over Cubs

April 30, 2025 4:28 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning just seconds before a fan fell off the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-3. McCutchen’s grounder up the middle deflected off the leg of sliding shortstop Dansby Swanson and into right-center field. The Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak. Then the fan flipped over the railing from the first row of seats. Players frantically waved for medical attention and the fan was removed from the field on a cart.

NFL Fines Falcons & Defensive Coordinator Over Prank Call

May 1, 2025 4:34 am

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as a result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft. The NFL confirmed the fines for the roles the Falcons and Ulbrich played in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club ahead of the draft. The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call Friday as the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league.

Ovechkin & Caps Eliminate Montreal

May 1, 2025 4:35 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored, Logan Thompson made 28 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series to advance in the NHL playoffs. It’s the Capitals’ first series win since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2018, and they clinched at home for the first time since 2015. They face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round with a spot in the Eastern Conference final at stake. The Capitals asserted their dominance in the East’s 1 versus 8 series, a year after getting swept as the underdog in it by the New York Rangers.

Cubs Hit Four Home Runs In Rout Of Pirates

April 30, 2025 4:28 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Seiya Suzuki hit a two-run homer and fell a single short of the cycle as the Chicago Cubs went deep four times in a 9-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Shota Imanaga (3-1) gave up six hits with three strikeouts in five scoreless innings before leaving with leg cramps after a leadoff double from Andrew McCutchen in the sixth. Carson Kelly, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson also homered for the Cubs, who lead the majors with 181 runs through 30 games. Pirates starter Andrew Heaney (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Rick Tocchet Won’t Return As Vancouver Coach

April 30, 2025 4:31 am

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Rick Tocchet is not returning as coach of the Vancouver Canucks. The team announced Tocchet’s departure a little less than two weeks since their season ended. He is now expected to join Stanley Cup winners Mike Sullivan and Joel Quenneville as some of the top coaching candidates available for several vacancies around the NHL. Tocchet spent 2 1/2 seasons in Vancouver after replacing Bruce Boudreau in January 2023. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2024 for guiding the Canucks to a 50-win season and first place in the Pacific Division.