September 13, 2020 7:15 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Adalberto Mondesi homered and stole a base for the third consecutive game, Kyle Zimmer got his first career win after a winding path to the major leagues and the Kansas City Royals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4 on Saturday night. Whit Merrifield added a solo homer and the Royals won their fifth straight game. It was the third consecutive loss for Pittsburgh. Mondesi and Bobby Abreu in 2004 are the only players to homer and steal a base in three straight games since at least 1901, according to MLB.com.
September 12, 2020 5:14 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kris Bubic worked hard through five innings to earn his first major league win as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 for their fourth straight victory. Bubic improved to 1-5. He faced baserunners in every inning, but only allowed one run on six hits in five innings. The 23-year-old lefty won in his eighth big league start. He walked two and struck out six. Royals star catcher Salvador Perez came off the injured list and hit a double and single. He had missed the last 20 games with fluid on his left eye.
September 12, 2020 5:16 am
UNDATED (AP) – College sports leaders have said they expect disruptions to the football season that has just begun. About a dozen games have already been postponed because of the pandemic. Contact tracing is proving to be a key part of life for campus health officials. Differences in deciding who plays and who doesn’t could loom large over this college football season.
September 11, 2020 3:54 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have another offensive weapon after opening their Super Bowl title defense with a 34-20 win over the Houston Texans. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran through the rain for 138 yards and a touchdown in his first game since the Chiefs grabbed him in the first round of the NFL draft out of LSU. The pint-sized dynamo unleashed a wicked stutter-step before running 27 yards for his first career TD. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ aerial attack is as potent as it was during their Super Bowl run. Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (mah-HOHMZ’) Jr. threw for 211 yards, including scoring strikes to Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs have won 10 straight dating to last season, including their come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. David Johnson provided the biggest bright spot for Houston, running for 77 yards and a score. The game was attended by a socially-distanced crowd of about 17,000 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
September 11, 2020 3:57 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Dallas Stars had to go into overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the NHL’s Western Conference final against Vegas, but the extra session didn’t last long. Alexander Radulov scored 31 seconds into OT to give the Stars a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights. Radulov tallied on the only shot of the period, beating Robin Lehner with a wrist shot for his third career overtime goal. The Knights tied it twice in the third period before falling. Shea Theodore and Mark Stone sandwiched goals around Jamie Benn’s score to extend the game. Vegas outshot the Stars 18-4 in the third period and 40-23 for the game. Anton Khudobin stopped 38 shots for the Stars, who resume the series on Saturday.
September 11, 2020 3:55 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Anthony Davis has powered the Lakers to within one victory of a potential all-Los Angeles Western Conference finals in the NBA playoffs. Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds while dominating the paint in the Lakers’ 110-100 win over the Houston Rockets. Davis also helped Los Angeles compile a 52-26 rebounding edge. Houston also had trouble stopping LeBron James, who finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Alex Caruso chipped in 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Rockets showed fortitude after trailing by 23 midway through the third quarter. An 18-2 run got Houston within 103-96 as the Lakers turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions during that stretch. L.A. recovered to take a 3-1 lead in the conference semis. Game 5 is Saturday.
September 10, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – James McCann went deep twice for the first multi-homer game of his seven-year career as the White Sox drilled the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1. McCann hit a solo home run off Pittsburgh rookie JT Brubaker leading off the third and sent a two-run shot to the bleachers in left field in the sixth. Dane Dunning pitched six-plus shutout innings for the White Sox to pick up his first career win. The loss spoiled a celebratory day for the Pirates, who wore the No. 21 to honor Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente.
September 10, 2020 2:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has announced his retirement nearly three years after a spinal injury put his career on indefinite hold. Shazier required spine stabilization surgery after getting hurt in Cincinnati in December 2017. The two-time Pro Bowler became a source of inspiration during his rehab as he learned to walk again. The team placed him on the reserved/retired list during the offseason. The 28-year-old says he still loves football but is ready to begin the next chapter of his life
September 10, 2020 3:50 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning have followed a blowout win with a nail-biter to take a two-games-to-none lead over the New York Islanders in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final. Nikita Kucherov scored with 8.8 seconds left to lift the Bolts past the Isles, 2-1. The Lightning had two quality chances that were stopped by Semyon Varlamov seconds before Kucherov fired the puck into the net. Matt Martin put the Isles ahead just 1:24 into the game. Martin has five playoff goals after scoring just five the entire regular season. Victor Hedman tied it late in the first period for the Lightning, who were outshot 28-21. Andrei Vasilevskiy was superb at times and helped Tampa Bay kill off a five-minute major and a 5-on-3 situation. Game 3 is Friday.
September 10, 2020 3:52 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA (AP) – It took double-overtime for the Toronto Raptors to force a Game 7 in the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Kyle Lowry contributed 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 53 minutes as the Raptors outlasted the Celtics, 125-122. He got an acrobatic jumper to fall with 11.7 seconds left. Lowry bounced back after scoring just 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting in Toronto’s Game 5 loss. Norman Powell finished with 23 points off the bench for the defending champs, Fred VanVleet had 21 and OG Anunoby chipped in 13 with 13 rebounds. Anunoby put Toronto ahead by nailing a 3-pointer with under a minute left. Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart combined for 83 Boston points, but Kemba Walker managed just five. Brown was high man for Boston with 31 points and 16 rebounds, Tatum had 29 with 14 boards, and Smart had a triple-double of 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. However, Smart missed a 3-point try that would have forced a third OT. Game 7 is Friday.
The Los Angeles Clippers are one win away from their first trip to the Western Conference finals following a 96-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. Kawhi Leonard finished an assist shy of his first playoff triple-double, providing 30 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. Leonard has scored 30 or more points six times during this postseason. Reserve Montrez Harrell added 15 points to help the Clippers take a 3-1 lead. They can close out the Nuggets on Friday night. Los Angeles coughed up an early 18-point lead and was tied at 48 early in the third before the Clippers responded with a 21-5 run. Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 11 boards for a Nuggets team that finds itself in an all-too-familiar situation. They were down in their first-round series against Utah before becoming the 12th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
