July 30, 2019 3:53 am
CINCINNATI (AP) – Jordan Lyles is heading back to the Milwaukee Brewers, who are desperate for starting pitching as they try to repeat as NL Central champions. The Brewers acquired the veteran right-handed pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday in exchange for pitching prospect Cody Ponce.
July 29, 2019 3:52 am
NEW YORK (AP) – All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman was acquired by the Mets from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday for a pair of top prospects, a trade that makes it likely New York will deal one of its current starters by Wednesday’s deadline. A 28-year-old right-hander who made his first All-Star team this season, Stroman is 6-11 in 21 starts despite a 2.96 ERA that is fifth-best in the American League. He is not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season. Toronto received 24-year-old left-hander Anthony Kay and 18-year-old righty Simeon Woods Richardson. As part of the deal, New York gets $1.5 million from the Blue Jays to offset much of the $2,506,452 remaining on Stroman’s $7.4 million salary this year. The 5-foot-7 Stroman is 47-45 with a 3.76 ERA in six big league seasons. He grew up on Long Island near Mets starter Steven Matz, about 50 miles from Citi Field.
July 28, 2019 9:31 am
Coming off a fast first half mile, Brian Scears took Southwind Ozzi to the front down the back stretch and ran away from the field to win the 53rd Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids Saturday at The Meadows. Southwind Ozzi crossed the finish line in 1:48.0, just one-fifth of a second off the Meadows track record set in the 2012 Adios, and the fastest mile pace of the season at the local track. Prince of Tides, with Dave Palone in the sulky, set the early pace, covering the first quarter in 25.3 seconds, hitting the halfway point at 53.3. That’s when Scears had seen enough and moved to the front for good. For Scears, it’s his third Adios Pace victory (2001, 2010), this time by seven lengths on Prince of Tides. Stag Party was third, Captain Victorious fourth. Southwind Ozzi, Prince of Tides and Captain Victorious won elimination heats a week ago at The Meadows.
July 27, 2019 9:10 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a 6-under 64 in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a two-stroke lead at the midway mark of the World Golf Championships event.
The 24-year-old Englishman birdied the first four holes and finished with seven birdies and a bogey. He took the lead with his fifth birdie and added two more on the back nine to finish at 9-under 131 at TPC Southwind. Billy Horschel, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith and first-round leader Jon Rahm were tied for second. Horschel shot a 66.
July 25, 2019 3:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pirates reliever Keone Kela has returned from a two-game suspension for an unspecified violation of his contract and was cagey when asked about what led to the ban. Yahoo Sports reported that Kela was suspended due to an altercation with Hector Morales, the team’s director of cultural readiness and peak performance coach. Asked specifically about that report, Kela said he “wouldn’t say it’s not true” but also “wouldn’t say it’s a fact.”
July 23, 2019 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Paul Goldschmidt hit his fifth career grand slam in the top of the 10th and right fielder Jose Martinez threw out the tying run at the plate to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Monday night. Goldschmidt took an offering from Clay Holmes (1-1) and sent it to the concourse that runs behind the wall in right-center field as the streaking Cardinals improved to 8-3 since the All-Star break. Goldschmidt’s 19th home run of the season was just enough after St. Louis closer Carlos Martinez nearly let a four-run cushion get away. Pittsburgh drew within a run in the bottom of the 10th on an RBI single by Josh Bell and a two-run home run by Jung Ho Kang. The Pirates put the tying run at second base with no outs but couldn’t draw even. Martinez threw out Pittsburgh’s Kevin Newman at home on a sharp single to right by Jacob Stallings for the second out. The call stood after the Pirates challenged and Carlos Martinez retired Adam Frazier on a fly ball to right to collect his ninth save. Matt Wieters hit his eighth home run for the Cardinals – and fourth this month – and added a sacrifice fly. Chasen Shreve (1-0) picked up his victory since last August by escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth. Starling Marte had three hits for Pittsburgh. Bell, Colin Moran and Bryan Reynolds all drove in runs but the Pirates left 11 runners on base to fall to 2-8 since a 12-5 surge pulled them within 2 1/2 games of first in the NL Central at the break. Pittsburgh’s Trevor Williams looked crisper with a few extra days to prepare for his 14th start thanks to a bout with flu-like symptoms that forced the Pirates to skip his normal turn in the rotation over the weekend. Williams allowed two runs, one earned, in five innings with two walks and tied a season high with seven strikeouts in his most effective outing since returning from a month-long stay on the injured list in May and June due to a strained right side. St. Louis rookie Daniel Ponce de Leon was roughed up by the Pirates last week, getting tagged for eight hits and four runs in less than four innings of work. The 27-year-old wasn’t any sharper in the rematch. He labored through three innings while battling his command, allowing three hits and four walks while needing 86 pitches to record nine outs.
July 22, 2019 3:55 am
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) – Kevin Harvick picked up his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season by holding off Denny Hamlin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The two made contact coming out of the final turn before Harvick finished just over 0.2 seconds ahead of Hamlin for his 46th series victory and first since last November in Texas. Driving a backup car after wrecking during a practice lap Friday, Hamlin led 113 laps but couldn’t catch Harvick after pitting on a caution on the 265th lap. Erik Jones was third, and Ryan Blaney fourth.
July 17, 2019 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for Zack Smith in a swap of 31-year-old forwards. Anisimov played four seasons for the Blackhawks, scoring 77 goals and adding 78 assists in 291 games. He provided 15 goals and 37 points last season. The Russian has also played with the Rangers and Blue Jackets over 11 NHL seasons. Smith played 70 games last season for the Senators, scoring nine goals and adding a career-high 19 assists.
July 15, 2019 3:44 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber hit home runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-3 on Sunday for a three-game sweep. The NL Central leaders posted their first series win since taking all three from St. Louis on June 7-9. Robel Garcia had a pair of doubles and Anthony Rizzo added two hits as Chicago improved to 32-16 at Wrigley Field. Bryan Reynolds got two hits and drove in a run for Pittsburgh, which has dropped five of seven. Cubs starter Jose Quintana (7-7) allowed three runs on six hits in six innings to win his third straight start. The left-hander struck out four and walked two. Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI double by Garcia, before Pittsburgh rallied for three in the third to make it 3-1. Reynolds drove in the first run with a single, Starling Marte followed with a sacrifice fly and Jung Ho Kang capped the rally with an RBI double. The Cubs pulled within 3-2 in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Quintana after David Bote had been intentionally walked. Quintana was 1 for 34 for the season before his hit off Trevor Williams (3-3). Victor Caratini had a tying sacrifice fly in the fifth and Heyward hit a two-run homer for a 5-3 lead. Almora had a pinch-hit homer in the sixth and Schwarber followed with a drive to right on the next pitch. Williams (3-3) was pulled after giving up a single to the next batter, Javier Baez, and Rizzo later had a sacrifice fly.
June 17, 2020 3:45 am
OTTAWA (AP) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is “open” to the NHL operating a playoff “hub city” in Canada as long as it is allowed by local health authorities. If the NHL returns to play amid the coronavirus pandemic this summer, it would start with the playoffs and with 24 teams, preferably split between two hub cities. The league has narrowed down its potential sites to 10 cities, including Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver in Canada. Pittsburgh is reportedly under consideration here in the U.S. The NHL has said it will not choose a Canadian city if players are subject to the 14-day quarantine currently in effect at the border.
