September 26, 2019 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The collapsing Chicago Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention shortly before losing their eighth straight game, falling 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Back-to-back wild pitches by David Phelps in the eighth inning enabled Pittsburgh to score the winning run. Just before Phelps’ bout with wildness, Milwaukee clinched the second NL wild card with a 9-2 victory at Cincinnati. The Cubs will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Chicago’s skid included four one-run defeats at the hands of NL Central-leading St. Louis last weekend. Phelps entered in relief with the score tied 2-2 and walked Pablo Reyes to put runners on first and second with one out. Jose Osuna drew a walk from Brad Wieck (1-2) before scoring on the wild pitches, and Erik Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly.
September 25, 2019 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The freefalling Chicago Cubs committed five errors, including two in a seven-run seventh inning, and moved to the brink of elimination with a 9-2 defeat to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night that extended their losing streak to seven. Chicago dropped to 82-75 and would be eliminated with one more loss or Milwaukee win. The Cubs have not missed the playoffs since 2014. Aided by a fielding error by second baseman Ben Zobrist and errant throw by reliever Danny Hultzen, the Pirates sent 13 batters to the plate in the seventh as they chased starter Kyle Hendricks and erased a 1-0 deficit. Pittsburgh stopped a nine-game losing streak in which it had been outscored 87-26. Hendricks didn’t allow any hits until the sixth and any runs until the seventh. The first five batters had hits in the big inning and the sixth reached on Zobrist’s error. Colin Moran’s RBI single tied the score, Kevin Kramer hit a two-run double for a 3-1 lead and two runs scored when Zobrist couldn’t handle Erik Gonzalez’s grounder for an error. Hultzen threw wide of second base in attempting to get a forceout, and Adam Frazier capped the outburst with a run-scoring double. Hendricks (11-10) allowed six runs – five earned – and six hits in six-plus innings. Kyle Schwarber hit two doubles for Chicago and rookie shortstop Nico Hoerner drove in both runs with a double in the fourth inning and a single in the eighth. Hoerner also made the first two errors of young career. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the eighth, his first home run in 123 plate appearances this season. Francisco Liriano (5-3) pitched a perfect seventh. Pittsburgh rookie Mitch Keller gave up one run and seven hits in five innings.
September 24, 2019 3:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has undergone surgery to repair his injured right elbow. Team spokesman Burt Lauten said Roethlisberger had the procedure at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in consultation with team physician Dr. Jim Bradley. Roethlisberger was injured during a Week 2 loss to Seattle. The 37-year-old plans to return to action in 2020.
September 23, 2019 3:51 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Eric Thames hit two home runs, the Brewers took a combined perfect game into the seventh inning and Milwaukee beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 Sunday to match Washington atop the NL wild-card standings. Orlando Arcia connected for the Brewers, but the shortstop also let a line drive tip off his glove with one out in the seventh for a hit that ended the perfect game bid in Milwaukee’s regular season home finale. The Nationals lost 5-3 to Miami earlier Sunday, locking them into a tie with the Brewers for the top wild card. Milwaukee owns the tiebreaker over Washington after winning their season series and would host the wild-card game if they finish the season with the same record. Milwaukee has won eight of nine and extended its September record to a major-league best 17-4. The Brewers are 10-2 since losing NL MVP Christian Yelich to a fractured kneecap. Brewers’ pitchers held the Pirates, who lost their ninth straight, without a base runner until Bryan Reynolds’ single off Gio Gonzalez with one out in the seventh. Reynold’s liner went off the heel of Arcia’s glove as he lunged for the ball. All-Star Brandon Woodruff made his second start since missing two months with a left oblique strain. He pitched two innings but departed for a pinch-hitter in the second after throwing 38 pitches. Jay Jackson struck out the side in the third and Gonzalez (3-2) and Drew Pomeranz combined for four scoreless innings. Josh Hader got four outs for his 35th save in 41 tries. Arcia gave the Brewers an early lead with a solo home run in the second off Trevor Williams (7-8). The lead grew to 2-0 when Thames led off the fourth with a home run on the first pitch from Williams. Thames belted a two-run homer off Michael Feliz in the sixth to extend the lead to 4-0. The Pirates scored three times in the seventh, the first when Arcia failed to field a slow roller off the bat of pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera. Cole Tucker’s two-run single off Hader cut the lead to 4-3. Williams, who was tagged for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings with two homers and three walks in his last outing, gave up three hits and two runs in five innings. He walked two and struck out six.
September 22, 2019 6:50 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Rookies Keston Hiura and Trent Grisham each hit two-run homers and the Milwaukee Brewers increased their edge for the second NL wild-card spot, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1 Saturday night. The Brewers lead Chicago by three games in the wild-card race after the Cubs lost to St. Louis. Milwaukee remained one game behind Washington for the top wild-card slot. Milwaukee has won seven of eight and extended its September record to 16-4, tops in the major leagues. The Brewers are 9-2 since losing reigning MVP Christian Yelich to a fractured kneecap. Hiura put staked the Brewers to a 2-1 lead in the first with his 18th home run, atoning for his error at second base in the top half that handed the Pirates a run. Grisham, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth, put the Brewers up 10-1 in the seventh with his sixth homer. Brent Suter (3-0) relieved to start the fifth and pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Suter has allowed one earned run in 14 1/3 innings in seven appearances since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Starter Zach Davies gave up an unearned run on three hits in four innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. The Brewers pushed the lead to 5-1 with three runs in the fourth, aided by a pair of bases-loaded walks. Ryan Braun singled to open, Eric Thames was hit by a pitch and Lorenzo Cain followed with an RBI single. Pirates starter James Marvel (0-3) walked two straight to load the bases and then force in a run. Parker Markel relieved and struck out Yasmani Grandal, but then walked in another run. Cain added an RBI singled in the fifth and Braun doubled in two more in the sixth.
September 21, 2019 3:51 am
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Byeong Hun An held a two-stroke lead when the second round of the PGA’s Sanderson Farms Championship was halted by darkness. An finished off a 6-under 66 Friday morning and then birdied four straight holes to start the second round. He signed off on a second straight 66 and a 12 under total. J.T. Poston finished his first round with a 64 to share the 18-hole lead with Tom Hoge. Poston fired a second-round 70 and was among those at 134, along with Hoge, George McNeill and Scottie Scheffler.
September 20, 2019 3:50 am
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The Jacksonville Jaguars have their first win of the NFL season after knocking off the Tennessee Titans. Gardner Minshew completed 20 of 30 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 20-7 victory against the Titans. Minshew found James O’Shaughnessy wide open for a 7-yard TD, one play after Adoree’ Jackson’s muffed punt. Minshew was more precise with a 22-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark, who was blanketed by Malcolm Butler. The sixth-round draft pick starting his second consecutive game in place of injured quarterback Nick Foles. Jacksonville sacked Marcus Mariota nine times, including three by Calais Campbell. Derrick Henry scored the Tennessee’s lone touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but he finished with just 44 yards on 17 carries. Both teams are 1-2.
September 20, 2019 3:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Shed Long had three hits and scored the go-ahead run in the 11th on an unusual inning-ending double play as the Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Thursday. The Mariners swept the three-game series between last-place teams and sent the Pirates to their sixth straight loss. Long reached base on first baseman Jose Osuna’s error to start the 11th and Omar Narvaez singled with one out to put runners on the corners. Austin Nola then hit a chopper to second baseman Kevin Kramer – rather than flip the ball to second, he ran at Narvaez, who alertly stopped and began to retreat. Kramer then threw to first, and Narvaez was eventually tagged in a 4-3-6-2 rundown as Long scored. Kramer likely would’ve had no chance to throw home at the start to get Long. Long also drove in two runs. Pittsburgh’s Jake Elmore had three hits and two RBIs. Brandon Brennan (3-6) pitched one scoreless inning and rookie Erik Swanson worked around a walk in the 11th for his first career save. Clay Holmes (1-2) took the loss, though the winning run was unearned. Mariners left-handed Yusei Kikuchi lasted four innings in what figures to be his next-to-last start of the season, allowing four runs and eight hits with one strikeout and one walk. Signed from Japan to a three-year, $43-million contract in the offseason, Kikuchi has made 31 starts and pitched 155 2/3 innings. He is 6-10 with 5.55 ERA. Pirates starter Joe Musgrove gave up four runs – two earned – and five hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two. Seattle tied the score at 5-all in the seventh on Nola’s two-out single after Elmore put Pittsburgh ahead 5-4 in the fifth with an RBI single. Both teams had four-run second innings. Long’s two-run single capped the Mariners’ half in which Braden Bishop hit an RBI single and another run scored on shortstop Cole Tucker’s throwing error. The Pirates got run-scoring doubles from Elias Diaz, Elmore and Musgrove before Kevin Newman capped the inning with an RBI single. Elmore’s hit snapped a 0-for-19 skid.
September 18, 2019 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – Eli Manning’s NFL career began when he took over for Hall of Famer Kurt Warner midway through the New York Giants’ 2004 season. Giants coach Pat Shurmur is making a quarterback change following the team’s 0-2 start, announcing that Daniel Jones is replacing Manning under center. Jones was taken by the Giants with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft and looked impressive during preseason. He started three seasons at Duke, completing 60% of his passes for 8,201 yards, 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions before turning pro after his junior year.
Manning led the Giants to Super Bowl titles following the 2007 and ’11 seasons, beating Tom Brady and the Patriots both times. He’s broken every Giants career record for quarterbacks and has started all but one game since taking over for Warner 15 years ago. Elsewhere in the NFL: Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he is scheduled to undergo surgery on his throwing thumb tomorrow, adding that he’ll dedicate himself to a rehabilitation process to get back to playing as quickly as he can. Brees tore a ligament in the right thumb when he made contact with Los Angeles defensive tackle Aaron Donald during the follow-through of a throw in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Rehabilitation is estimated to take about six weeks, but that timeline could change after surgery.
September 17, 2019 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NHL is guaranteed labor peace for the next three seasons after the players association announced it is declining to trigger its opt-out clause. Meetings between owners and players have been going on since February and increased in frequency in recent weeks. The league did not opt out of the CBA, with Commissioner Gary Bettman citing momentum and the importance of labor peace overriding the issues owners might have. Player concerns include escrow payments, health care, Olympic participation and the definition of what qualifies as hockey-related revenue. The last CBA was negotiated in 2013 and runs through the 2021-22 season.
