October 2, 2020 3:54 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 while delivering eight innings of three-hit ball, Mookie Betts hit a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 to sweep their NL wild-card series. The eight-time West champion Dodgers advanced to the NL Division Series in Arlington, Texas, and will play either the St. Louis Cardinals or San Diego Padres, who meet in a deciding Game 3 on Friday. Kershaw’s strikeouts were a playoff career high and the most by a Dodgers pitcher in the postseason since his mentor Sandy Koufax had 15 in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series against the Yankees.
October 2, 2020 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – No. 24 Pittsburgh will try to get off to its first 4-0 start since 2000 when the Panthers host North Carolina State. Pitt’s defense has fueled the team’s early surge. The Panthers rank in the top 10 in the country in nearly every major statistical defensive category, including sacks, yards allowed and points allowed. The Wolfpack are 1-1 following a blowout loss on the road against undermanned Virginia Tech. N.C. State is unsettled at quarterback. Devin Leary and Bailey Hockman both played against the Hokies. Coach Dave Doeren says the player who is the most prepared will be the one that starts.
October 1, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Atlanta Braves opened Wednesday’s MLB schedule with the longest 1-0 game in postseason history before the Minnesota Twins were the first team to be eliminated.
Freddie Freeman delivered a walk-off single in the 13th inning to complete Atlanta’s victory over Cincinnati in the opener of the NL Wild Card Series. It was the first time a playoff game had been scoreless through 11 innings. Braves starter Max Fried scattered six hits over seven innings. Reds hurler Trevor Bauer was even better, striking out 12 and holding Atlanta to two hits over 7 2/3 innings. The two teams combined to strike out 37 times, 21 by the Braves. The Twins were ousted as they extended their major league-record postseason losing streak to 18 games.
Carlos Correa slammed a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning of the Astros’ 3-1 victory at Minnesota. Kyle Tucker hit a pair of RBI singles for Houston and made a key throw from left field for the inning-ending out in the fifth. Rookie Cristian Javier worked three hitless innings in relief for the victory in his postseason debut . The Twins’ last playoff win was Game 1 of their 2004 Division Series at Yankee Stadium.
In other Wild Card Series action:
– Gio Urshela crushed a grand slam and scored the winning run on DJ LeMahieu’s single in the ninth inning as the Yankees closed out their series with the Indians, 10-9. Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs, while Giancarlo Stanton went deep for the second straight day. Cesar Hernandez provided an RBI single in the eighth to put Cleveland ahead to stay, but Sanchez tied it with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. The 4-hour, 50-minute game was the longest regular season or postseason nine-inning game in major league history.
– Hunter Renfroe belted a grand slam and the Rays won a postseason series for the first time in 12 years by completing a two-game sweep, 8-2 against Toronto. Renfroe’s homer was part of a six-run second inning that was capped by Mike Zunino’s two-run blast against Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu. The top-seeded Rays also got a strong pitching performance from Tyler Glasnow, who allowed two runs and six hits over six innings.
– The Marlins were winners in their first postseason game in 17 years as Corey Dickerson hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off a fading Kyle Hendricks in the seventh inning of a 5-1 victory over the Cubs in Game 1. Miami trailed 1-0 and was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position until Dickerson’ slammed his first postseason home run. Jesus Aguilar added a two-run blast and Sandy Alcantara pitched three-hit ball into the seventh. Aguilar’s home run gave the Marlins their first five-run inning in a postseason since the Steve Bartman game at Wrigley Field 17 years ago.
– Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run while the Cardinals scored four times in the first inning of a 7-4 victory at San Diego. Yadier Molina had three hits and scored twice, while rookie Tyler Carlson went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. The St. Louis bullpen held strong after starter Kwang Hyun Kim was reached for three runs over 3 2/3 innings. Right-hander Chris Paddack failed to give the Padres the boost they desperately needed after Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet were left off the wild-card roster due to injuries suffered in their final regular-season starts. Paddack surrendered six runs in just 2 1/3 innings.
– Chris Bassitt took a shutout into the eighth inning and the Athletics forced a deciding Game 3 by downing the White Sox, 5-3. Bassitt was reached for one run and six hits over seven-plus innings, leaving with a runner on base before Yasmani Grandal homered for the second straight day. Second baseman Nick Madrigal’s throwing error brought in the game’s first two runs before Marcus Semien and Khris Davis homered. Liam Hendricks loaded the bases with two out in the ninth and Jake Diekman walked Grandal to make it 5-3 before retiring Jose Abreu on a sharp grounder to second.
October 1, 2020 3:48 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Miami Heat had another fourth-quarter comeback in them during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but it came after the Los Angeles Lakers emptied their bench. The Lakers have the edge in the series after dominating the second and third periods of a 116-98 win over the Heat. Los Angeles outscored Miami 62-39 in those two periods to take a 28-point lead into the fourth. Lakers forward Anthony Davis led all scorers with 34 points while grabbing nine rebounds. LeBron James fell one assist shy of a triple-double, delivering 25 points and 13 boards. The Heat lost point guard Goran Dragic at halftime to a left foot injury. Miami also saw All-Star center Bam Adebayo leave in the third quarter with a strained left shoulder. Jimmy Butler had a team-high 23 points for the Heat, who will try to bounce back in Game 2 on Friday. Butler turned his left ankle on a drive to the basket just before halftime.
October 1, 2020 3:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The “King” of Madison Square Garden has been deposed. The New York Rangers have bought out star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist with one year remaining on his contract. Lundqvist joined the Rangers during the 2005-06 and emerged as one of the finest netminders in franchise history. The five-time All-Star won one Vezina Trophy and led the Rangers to the 2014 Stanley Cup final. The 38-year-old Lundqvist played in 887 games, posting a 459-310-96 record with a 2.43 goals-against average.
September 30, 2020 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – Lucas Giolito was outstanding in the Chicago White Sox’s first postseason game in 12 years. Giolito carried a perfect game into the seventh inning of his postseason debut to pitch the White Sox to a 4-1 win against Oakland in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. Giolito’s perfect game bid ended with Tommy La Stella’s leadoff single in the seventh, and the Chicago hurler left after allowing a run and two hits with eight strikeouts over seven-plus frames. Jose Abreu’s two-run homer was sandwiched around solo shots by Adam Engel and Yasmani Grandal.
The Athletics’ lone run came on an eighth-inning grounder.
In other AL Wild Card Series openers:
– Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner each homered and drove in three runs as the Yankees blew out the Indians, 12-3. Aaron Judge set the tone with a two-run blast off Shane Bieber just two batters into the game. Giancarlo Stanton also homered to back a sharp performance by Gerrit Cole, who struck out 13 and held the Indians to two runs and six hits over seven innings. Bieber was tagged for seven runs over just 4 2/3 innings after compiling a major league-best 1.63 ERA during the regular season.
– Blake Snell was sharp in the Rays’ 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, striking out nine while holding Toronto to one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Snell no-hit the Jays until Alejandro Kirk led off the sixth with a single. Manuel Morgot gave Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer in the seventh. Willy Adames brought in the game’s first run by walking with the bases loaded.
– The Astros scored three times in the ninth to hand the Twins their major league-record 17th consecutive postseason loss, 4-1. Jose Altuve drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run following a two-out error by Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco. Michael Brantley added a two-run single to cap the rally and back winning pitcher Framber Valdez, who pitched five scoreless innings in relief of Zack Greinke. Valdez allowed only a pair of ninth-inning hits before getting a game-ending double-play grounder.
September 30, 2020 3:51 am
West Virginia University will allow the general public to attend football games at a reduced capacity next month. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons said attendance will be limited to about 15,000 fans – or 25% capacity – starting with the Oct. 17 home game against Kansas.
September 30, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – The University at Buffalo says 19 football players are among 25 athletes to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Athletic director Mark Alnutt says five members of the women’s volleyball team and one women’s soccer player also tested positive. Alnutt says the athletes have been placed in isolation and are doing well.
September 30, 2020 11:45 am
(WPXI) – Sunday’s Steelers-Titans game is being postponed after Tennessee players and team personnel tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL made the announcement late Wednesday morning, issuing the following statement: “The Steelers-Titans game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, will be rescheduled to allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel. Details on the new game date and time on either Monday or Tuesday will be announced as soon as possible.” ESPN reported Wednesday that an NFL spokesperson said a fourth Titans player tested positive for COVID-19. “Additionally, league found no close contacts with the Titans player whose test came back positive today, which tells them their isolation procedures are working in this case,” Graziano tweeted. On Tuesday, the NFL said three players and five personnel tested positive for the virus.
September 29, 2020 3:52 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – Patrick Mahomes put on a scintillating show while outperforming Lamar Jackson, and the Kansas City Chiefs deftly played the role of defending Super Bowl champions in a 34-20 thumping of the Baltimore Ravens. Just about everything Mahomes did worked against an overmatched Baltimore defense that had allowed only two touchdowns in its first two games. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes to help the Chiefs emphatically end the Ravens’ 14-game regular season winning streak while extending their own run to 12 games, including playoffs. Jackson is 21-4 as the Ravens’ starting quarterback, with three of those losses to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
