August 23, 2020 7:45 am
PITTSBURGH — Derek Shelton has made it a point to keep reminding Gregory Polanco of all the little things the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder is doing right in the batter’s box during a season-long slump. Keep at it, the first-year manager stressed to the longest-tenured player on his team. You’re on the right track. A track Polanco believes he can actually see after his first multihit game in 15 months propelled the Pirates to a 12-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Polanco hit his third homer of the year and also doubled as Pittsburgh won back-to-back games for the first time since last September. The 28-year-old turned on a Josh Lindblom offering in the fourth and sent it to the seats in right-center field to put the Pirates ahead to stay. Pittsburgh collected 14 hits for the second straight day, including a season-best nine for extra bases. Adam Frazier and Jacob Stallings both homered and drove in three runs. Colin Moran doubled three times, and Erik Gonzalez chipped in a two-run double in the seventh as the Pirates batted around against Milwaukee’s suddenly vulnerable bullpen. Derek Holland (1-1) surrendered one run in five innings in his 300th major league appearance. He allowed four hits in his first victory as a starter since April 9, 2019, for San Francisco. The charismatic left-hander also gave a postgame shoutout to his followers on the live-streaming service Twitch for their support.
August 22, 2020 3:58 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Philadelphia Flyers took their hopeful first step toward the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship since 1975 with a 4-2 Eastern Conference playoff series win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup since 1975. Philadelphia lost in the Stanley Cup finals in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997 and 2010. The Flyers won a playoff round for the first time since 2012. They’ll next play the New York Islanders. The Islanders went 3-0 against Philadelphia in the regular season.
August 22, 2020 3:59 am
UNDATED (AP) – More than 3,000 football games across three divisions of the NCAA have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Six conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision still plan to play this fall. Three Football Championship Subdivision conferences are allowing teams to play nonconference games. Division II and III leagues are shuttered this fall. Associated Press research has also found nearly 200 sports teams have been eliminated because of budget cuts forced by the virus.
August 22, 2020 4:01 am
NORTON, Mass. (AP) – PGA Tour rookie Scottie Scheffler has become the 11th player to shoot a 59 or better in Tour history. The 24-year-old from Texas made a birdie putt from just outside 4 feet on the last hole for a 59 in the second round of The Northern Trust. He played bogey-free at the TPC Boston and finished with four birdies over his last five holes. Amazingly, he is two shots behind leader Dustin Johnson, who finished with a 60 and is at 15-under.
August 21, 2020 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Unbeaten Shane Bieber racked up 11 more strikeouts and combined with four relievers on a seven-hitter Thursday night as the Cleveland Indians blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 to win their sixth in a row and sweep the three-game series. The right-hander scattered six hits and did not walk a batter in six innings before being lifted after his pitch count reached 99. Bieber raised his season strikeout total to a major league-best 65 in 40 2/3 innings, an average of 14.4 per nine innings. Oliver Perez, Nick Wittgren, James Karinchak and Brad Hand finished the shutout.
August 21, 2020 2:27 am
Pittsburgh Pirates President Travis Williams has tested positive for COVID-19. Williams says he has followed all critical health and safety protocols and upon the onset of his symptoms, he immediately isolated himself and got tested. At this point, Williams says there are no other known positive tests within the Pirates organization.
August 21, 2020 3:55 am
The New York Islanders are into the second round of the NHL playoffs for the second consecutive year on the strength of their trademark structure and plenty of young skill players. Barry Trotz coached the Islanders past the team he led to the Stanley Cup in 2018 by getting them to play to their identity in four of five games. That identity puts New York in strong position whether it next faces the Boston Bruins or Philadelphia Flyers. Talented playmakers like Anthony Beauvillier and Matt Barzal give the Islanders the kind of firepower to go even deeper in the postseason.
August 20, 2020 3:55 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman has been suspended from working Cincinnati’s games after using an anti-gay slur on air. Brennaman used the slur moments after the Fox Sports Ohio feed returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City. Brennaman did not seem to realize he was already on air and later apologized. The 56-year-old Brennaman was pulled from the broadcast in the fifth inning of the second game. The Reds say they will “be addressing our broadcasting team in the coming days.”
August 20, 2020 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Cleveland’s Aaron Civale struck out six and didn’t issue a walk while picking up the first complete game of his young career as the Indians pushed their winning streak to five with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh. Civale allowed just five hits and narrowly missed a shutout when Pittsburgh pushed across a run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Carlos Santana hit his second three-run home run in as many games for the Indians. Domingo Santana added a bases-clearing triple as the Indians improved to a season-best six games over .500.
August 20, 2020 3:50 am
TORONTO (AP) – Nick Suzuki buried the winner 22 seconds after Philadelphia tied it in the third period, Brendan Gallagher snapped a goal drought and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Flyers 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5 to stave off elimination in the first-round playoff series. Joel Armia scored twice for the Canadiens, Phillip Danault sealed it into an empty net, and Carey Price made 26 saves. Brett Kulak and Jonathan Drouin each had two assists, and Suzuki also had a helper. Game 6 is Friday. Jakub Voracek scored twice for the Flyers – both on a five-minute power play in the second period – and added an assist, and Joel Farabee had the other goal. Carter Hart, coming off back-to-back shutouts, made 28 saves.
