July 4, 2021 7:17 am
PITTSBURGH — Omar Narváez had five hits, Avisaíl García drove in five runs and Jace Peterson added four RBI as the Milwaukee Brewers rolled to their 11th straight victory, 11-2 over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. It is the Brewers’ longest winning streak since they began the 1987 season with a franchise-record 13 victories in a row. The NL Central leaders have outscored their opponents 84-28 during the streak. The five hits — all singles — were a career high for Narváez, who previously had two four-hit games. He lined out in the ninth inning to finish 5 for 6. Narváez lifted his batting average to .303, quite an improvement from last year. He hit .176 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after being acquired from Seattle in an offseason trade. Peterson and García each had three of the Brewers’ 16 hits. Peterson is 16 for 33 with 11 RBI in his last 13 games while primarily filling in at second base for injured Kolten Wong. Christian Yelich scored three times and drew three walks. Eric Lauer (3-3) allowed one run and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked four while beating Pittsburgh for the first time in five career starts. The Pirates’ losing streak reached six games. They have scored just seven runs during the skid. Pittsburgh rookie Cody Ponce (0-2) lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his second start of the season. He was tagged for five runs and six hits while walking three and striking out three. Ponce left after being examined on the mound by an athletic trainer, and the Pirates said he had right arm soreness. Ponce was a Brewers second-round draft pick in 2015 and was facing them for the first time.
July 4, 2021 7:19 am
The two regular-season games between Milwaukee and Phoenix this season fit the same script. Both were extremely high scoring. Both went down to the wire. Both saw Phoenix win by a single point, with a free throw by Devin Booker ending up as the game winner each time. There was also this: Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t be guarded in either game. And now, it’s the Bucks and Suns — forever tied together after Milwaukee won a 1969 coin flip after the teams’ first seasons for Lew Alcindor — in the NBA Finals, with Antetokounmpo’s status a major question. The NBA’s title series is set: Game 1 between the Bucks and Suns will be in Phoenix on Tuesday night, the last matchup of this compressed season that navigated its way through the coronavirus pandemic, players and coaches testing positive for COVID-19, and a slew of injuries to some of the game’s biggest stars — Antetokounmpo and Phoenix’s Chris Paul included. Paul is back, set to play in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career. Antetokounmpo can only hope to be that fortunate.
July 3, 2021 4:01 am
(AP) – The Milwaukee Brewers’ winning streak has reached double digits. Adrian Houser scattered four hits over 6 2/3 innings of the Brewers’ 7-2 win over the Pirates. Houser allowed one run, struck out five and walked two in his longest outing since last August. Willy Adames had three hits for the Brewers, including a first-inning homer off JT Brubaker. Jace Peterson and Jackie Bradley Jr. also hit solo shots off Brubaker in the third. Tyrone Taylor’s two-run triple in the sixth gave the NL Central leaders a four-run cushion.
July 3, 2021 3:59 am
The Pirates have selected infielder Wilmer Difo from Indianapolis. Difo hit .244 with two doubles and two RBI in 12 games. Difo was with the Pirates from April 4 through June 6 before he was designated for assignment. Difo has started 14 games for the Pirates this season. To make room on the active roster, infielder Erik Gonzalez has been placed on the 10 day injured list. To free up room on the 40 man roster, RHP Trevor Cahill has been moved to the 60 day injured list.
July 3, 2021 3:52 am
MONTREAL (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning are one victory away from joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as the only teams in the last 22 years to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The Lightning own a three-games-to-none lead following a 6-3 win over the Canadiens in Montreal. Tyler Johnson scored twice to help the Bolts inch closer to the third Cup in team history. Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each had a goal and assist for the Lightning, who outscored the Canadiens, 2-1 in each period. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots in the first NHL game ever played in July. The Canadiens were hosting a Cup Final game for the first time since 1993. They never recovered after Jan Rutta and Hedman scored in the first 3 1/2 minutes. Carey Price stopped 24 shots for the Habs, who will try to avoid a sweep on Monday in Montreal.
July 3, 2021 3:50 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Justin Marks is a former race car driver who just bought a seat at the table with NASCAR’s biggest powerbrokers. The 40-year-old this week announced he had purchased Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR team to expand Trackhouse Racing and become a legitimate player in the nation’s top stock car racing series. Marks tells The Associated Press he’d been positioning himself from a capital standpoint for several years to make a big move in his growing motorsports portfolio. The bombshell sale has created anxiety for the current Ganassi employees, but Marks told them he’s determined to retain as many as possible.
July 2, 2021 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Corbin Burnes went beyond seven innings for the first time in the majors, helping the Milwaukee Brewers match their longest winning streak in seven years with a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The NL Central-leading Brewers have won nine in a row for the first time since April 4-13, 2014, outscoring opponents 66-23 during the streak. Burnes allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts in a career-high 7 1/3 innings. He lasted seven innings twice before in the majors, once this season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 6.
July 2, 2021 3:54 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The Major League All-Star Game will include two slugging sons of former big leaguers. Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. will be among the starters for the National League, while Blue Jays outfielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will represent the American League. They are among nine first-time All-Stars elected Thursday to start the July 13 game at Colorado’s Coors Field. Guerrero will be joined in the AL starting lineup by Toronto teammates Marcus Semien and Teoscar Hernandez. The rest of the AL starters are Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Red Sox infielders Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts, Angels DH Shohei Ohtani, and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Angels outfielder Mike Trout was selected as a starter but won’t be available. Reds outfielders Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker are NL starters, as are Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. Giants catcher Buster Posey, Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier and Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado round out the NL lineup.
July 2, 2021 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed kicker Sam Sloman to a one-year contract, giving veteran Chris Boswell some competition going into training camp. Sloman made 10 of 13 field goals as a rookie last season while splitting time between Tennessee and the Los Angeles Rams. Boswell connected on 19 of 20 field goals and 34 of 38 extra points last season, though he did miss three games late in the year because of an injury. Boswell has two years remaining on his current contract.
July 1, 2021 3:45 am
DENVER (AP) – Jon Gray tossed six strong innings in another solid outing for Colorado starters, and the Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2. Garrett Hampson had four hits for the Rockies, who swept the three-game series and improved to 28-16 at home. Colorado is just 6-31 on the road.A day after being no-hit by German Marquez for eight innings the Pirates jumped on Gray for their first runs of the series. Adam Frazier led off the game with a triple, scored on a sacrifice fly and Bryan Reynolds homered for a quick 2-0 lead.It was Reynolds’ 14th of the year.Gray (5-6) didn’t give up another hit before leaving four a pinch hitter in the sixth. He walked four — one intentional — hit a batter and struck out five to continue the strong run of outings by Colorado starters.
