August 1, 2021 7:41 am
TOKYO (AP) — Simone Biles will not defend her Olympic gold medal on floor exercise. USA Gymnastics announced Sunday that the six-time Olympic medalist has opted not to compete on floor, where she won gold in Rio de Janeiro and placed second in qualifying last week. Jennifer Gadirova of Britain will replace Biles in the finals, which are scheduled for Monday. USA Gymnastics said Biles has not decided whether to participate in the balance beam final, which is scheduled for Tuesday. She earned bronze on the event in Brazil five years ago. Biles has already chosen not to compete in the uneven bars and vault finals, set for Sunday evening at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre. She was not expected to medal on bars, but is the Olympic champion on vault. Biles is dealing with a mental block that in gymnastics is referred to as “the twisties.” In other words, Biles is having trouble figuring out where her body is in relation to the ground when in the air.
July 31, 2021 3:43 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Wil Crowe and two relief pitchers combined on a one-hitter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Crowe worked six innings and allowed the Phillies’ only hit, a single by Alec Bohm in the second inning. The rookie right-hander struck out four and walked four in winning his second straight start. Chasen Shreve pitched the seventh and Duane Underwood Jr. worked the last two innings to finish the Pirates’ fourth shutout of the season. Philadelphia lost for the third time in four games and remained 3 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.
July 31, 2021 3:58 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates worked hard right up to the trade deadline adding three new players. The Pirates traded pitcher Richard Rodriguez to the Atlanta Braves and received two right handed pitchers. The Pirates got Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito. Wilson has split this season between the Braves and their Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett. He has gone 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA in seven starts with Atlanta this season. DeVito has gone 0-3 with a 2.66 ERA with High-A Rome. In a second trade, the Pirates traded pitcher Austin Davis to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Michael Chavis. Chavis has split the 2021 season between Boston and Worcester of the Triple-A East League. He has made 14 starts with the Red Sox hitting .190 with four doubles, one triple and two home runs and six RBI.
July 31, 2021 4:16 am
CANTON, Ohio (AP) – Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said on social media Friday that he recently tested positive for COVID-19, a week before he’s due to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Polamalu told the hall of his diagnosis. He said they are working with health officials to determine whether he could be cleared to travel to Canton in time for his enshrinement, scheduled for next Saturday.
July 31, 2021 3:46 am
TOKYO (AP) – Simone Biles is taking a few more days off. USA Gymnastics says Biles has decided to withdraw from the Olympic event finals in the vault and uneven bars. She continues to be evaluated daily to determine whether she’ll compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. Biles said she was putting her mental health first when she withdrew from the gymnastics team event after one rotation. She also decided not to compete in the all-around. Biles was the defending Olympic champion in the vault.
July 30, 2021 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Manny Pina hit two homers and drove in a career-high five runs as the Milwaukee Brewers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-0. Pina hit his sixth home run of the season off reliever Chris Stratton to cap a big sixth inning for the Brewers, and then added a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The Brewers outscored Pittsburgh 28-3 while sweeping the series and have won five of their last six. Milwaukee has increased its lead over second place Cincinnati in the NL Central to seven games.
July 30, 2021 3:49 am
TOKYO (AP) – Olympic star Simone Biles says she’s been dealing with a bout of “the twisties” since last Sunday and is uncertain whether she’ll continue to compete at the Tokyo Games. The “twisties” are gymnastics code for when an athlete can’t figure out where they are in relation to the ground during a routine. Biles withdrew from the team and all-around competition because she felt she wasn’t mentally prepared.
– United States swimmer Caeleb Dressel watched his Olympic record fall in the 100-meter butterfly, only to take it right back. Minutes after Hungary’s Kristof Milak took down the mark in the first semifinal heat, Dressel went even faster with a time of 49.71 seconds in the second heat.
– American Ryan Murphy was second in the 200-meter backstroke at the Tokyo Games with a time of 1:54.15. Murphy was a double-gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Games, extending what had been America’s dominance of the backstroke events that went back to 1992. Russia’s Evgeny Rylov set an Olympic record to win the event and complete a backstroke sweep.
July 30, 2021 3:51 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The Detroit Pistons are hoping Cade Cunningham will be a key component to their rebuilding program. The Pistons have used the first pick in the NBA Draft to take Cunningham, who a first-team Associated Press All-American as a freshman this past season. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound point guard averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Oklahoma State. He possesses a game that allows him to hit from 3-point range, score off the dribble or find teammates out of traps. The Rockets used the second selection to take G-League product Jalen Green. The Cavaliers went with center Evan Mobley with the third choice. The Raptors picked up Florida State forward Scottie with the fourth selection, and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs went to the Magic and No. 5.
July 29, 2021 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Lorenzo Cain and Luis Urias hit two-run doubles, Adrian Houser pitched five scoreless innings and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on Wednesday night. Cain’s hit in the fourth inning pushed the Brewers’ lead to 3-0. Urias’ double came during a three-run sixth that made it 6-0. Houser allowed two hits while striking out two and walking one. He is 4-0 in his last 11 starts and the Brewers have won each of his last eight outings. Pirates rookie Rodolfo Castro became the first player in major league history to have his first five hits all be home runs.
July 29, 2021 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith seeks consistency heading into his second NFL season. He’s also excited to be back in the mix with the NFL’s top-ranked pass rush. Highsmith closed the 2020 season opposite T.J. Watt as the Steelers’ starting right outside linebacker. This season, Highsmith will compete for additional playing time on the right side with newly signed veteran outside linebacker Melvin Ingram.
