August 21, 2019 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Starling Marte hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in eighth inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 Tuesday night. After struggling to manage anything off Stephen Strasburg through seven innings, Pittsburgh loaded the bases against Wander Suero (3-7) with nobody out in the eighth when Adam Frazier bunted a single past the mound. Bryan Reynolds tied it 1-1 with a sacrifice fly before Marte drove a fastball from Daniel Hudson 397 feet to right-center for his 22nd homer of the season. Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez (3-1) went 1 1/3 inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout. Suero, who gave up two hits and one walk, was responsible for three of Pittsburgh’s four eighth-inning runs. The Pirates, who are 8-28 since the All-Star break, had scored one total run in their previous three games. The Nationals entered two games ahead of the Cubs for the NL’s first wild card, and having won seven of their previous eight games. They had scored at least 13 runs in each of their previous three games, totaling a franchise-record 43 runs during that stretch. Strasburg allowed four hits and had six strikeouts in seven innings, and left the game on track for what would have been his career-high 16th win. He has 15 wins in four of his first 10 major league seasons. Pirates reliever Clay Holmes hit Adam Eaton with a pitch before being replaced by Michael Feliz in the fifth. Anthony Rendon drove a double to the gap in right-center field off Feliz, scoring Eaton for a 1-0 Nationals lead. Holmes gave up one run on one hit in 3 2/3 innings after relieving Pirates starter Chris Archer to start the second inning. Archer left with right shoulder discomfort after allowing two hits before stranding runners on second and third with back-to-back strikeouts to end the first.
August 20, 2019 3:50 am
BOSTON (AP) – Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is receiving treatment for inflammation in his elbow that will shut him down for the rest of the regular season, another blow to the defending World Series champions whose postseason hopes appear all but dashed. Orthopedist Dr. James Andrews gave Sale an injection of platelet-rich plasma on Monday and said he will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Looking beyond this frustrating season, the treatment could be good news for the club, which feared Sale might need Tommy John surgery. That would likely have cost him the 2020 season.
Boston was off Monday and was 6 1/2 games out of a wild card spot. Sale signed a six-year, $160 million contract in March that includes $50 million in deferred money.
August 19, 2019 3:55 am
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) – Justin Thomas has the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup finale after capturing the BMW Championship at Medinah. Thomas entered the final round with a six-shot lead, but he was only two strokes ahead until he carded three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. He closed with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot win over Patrick Cantlay, who fired a 65. The top 30 advance to the Tour Championship. Masters champion Tiger Woods will not be among them to defend his title at East Lake.
August 19, 2019 3:54 am
UNDATED (AP) – Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock told disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown it’s time to decide whether he’s “all in or all out” about playing this season after losing a fight with the NFL over his helmet. Brown also lost a grievance with the league to allow him to use a helmet that is no longer certified as safe. Mayock issued a statement expressing his frustration that Brown didn’t participate in practice Sunday despite being healed from the frost-bitten feet that have sidelined him for most of training camp. Mayock says there are “89 guys busting their tails” and that he hopes Brown will join his teammates soon.
August 18, 2019 8:04 am
UNDATED (AP) – Rocky Bleier thought he made peace with what happened in a rice paddy in Vietnam on Aug. 20, 1969. What the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back didn’t have though was closure until a trip back there last year. Bleier’s visit to Vietnam is the subject of ESPN’s “The Return”, which debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. A shorter version began airing Saturday on “SportsCenter” as part of its weekly SC Featured series.
August 14, 2019 6:43 pm
Simi Valley, California flipped the script from their opening game and eliminated Host, Washington County, with a run rule, 12-2, victory Wednesday afternoon at Lew Hays PONY Field. The game, scheduled for Tuesday, was picked up after rain delayed the game in the 1st inning. Washington County opened the game with a run on back-to-back errors by Simi Valley, scoring Connor Helbling, who led off with a single. Simi Valley took control of the game in the bottom of the first. Four straight hits scored 5 runs. Luke Gill capped of the hit parade with a two RBI double to right center, just before rain storms pushed the remainder of the game to Wednesday. Simi Valley added one in the second, three in the third and finished off the run rule win with 3 runs in the sixth. Austin Neff doubled in two runs in the final inning and went 2 for 2 at the plate. Ethan Pena knocked three singles in his four trips to the plate. Owen Muench got the win for Simi Valley. He went 4.2 innings, allowed 1 run on 3 hits and struck out 4. Tyler Johnson collected two hits in three at bats to lead Washington County in the box. Washington used 7 pitchers and Connor Helbling got the loss in 0.2 innings pitched.
Tyler Johnson received the Voytek Award, given annually to the Hosts’ leading hitter. Johnson, batting in the 8/9 slot in the order the entire tournament, was 5-for-10 (.500) with five singles, three RBI and five runs scored.
August 14, 2019 3:49 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell has pulled himself out of a recent slump with some extra film study and a return to better habits as a hitter. Not only has he found his form, Bell helped the floundering Pirates find their footing. Bell homered and had three RBIs to help the Pirates rally for a 10-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. “It’s awesome to get our bats alive,” said Bell, who homered for the fourth straight interleague game to set a new Pirates record. “Hopefully it starts a new trend the next couple of weeks and hopefully we can finish this thing strong.” Jose Osuna drove in two runs, and Bryan Reynolds added a solo homer for the Pirates, who have won consecutive games for the first time since July 6-7 against Milwaukee. Trevor Williams (5-5) allowed five runs in five innings. He was tagged for three runs in the first inning, but responded to take some pressure off Pittsburgh’s bullpen and get back to .500 on the season. Pittsburgh, which is now in position to sweep a series for the first time since June 21-23 against San Diego, can thank its offense for getting back on track. And no one has been more important to that turnaround than Bell, whose two-run shot to center tied the game at 5 as part of a four-run fifth inning. The Pirates took a 6-5 lead on Osuna’s double to left that scored Colin Moran, and Pablo Reyes drove in another run to make it 7-5 and tag Taylor Cole (2-4) with the loss. Bell’s 31st homer of the season continued a recent long-ball flurry with his fourth homer in the past three games. He is also one away from tying Bobby Bonilla’s 1990 team record for homers by a switch-hitter in a season at 32. “I think things got a little bit sped up for me there for a little bit, so I’m just trying to focus on the timing of everything ,” Bell said. “If I can start early and slow I’m in a good place, I can see the ball. So I’m just trying to stay there.” Justin Upton had three RBIs and Shohei Ohtani added two for the Angels, who have lost 10 of their past 12. Albert Pujols moved into a tie for 15th place in career hits with an RBI single in the first inning. After falling behind 4-0 on Ohtani’s RBI triple in the second inning, the Pirates started their comeback in the third. Bell dropped a bloop single into left field to get Pittsburgh on the board, with Reynolds scoring and Bell reaching third on a throwing error by Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning to pull within 4-2. Moran’s double drove in Bell and cut the deficit to 4-3 before Luis Rengifo made it 5-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Pittsburgh went up 8-5 on Osuna’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. They made it 10-5 in the seventh on an RBI double by Adam Frazier, who had three hits, and Reynolds’ solo homer. “We’ve just connected the dots offensively,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “(Starling) Marte has three hits today and we didn’t mention his name, so there’s a lot going on.” Pujols tied Adrian Beltre (3,166) in career hits with his single up the middle to drive in a run as part of a three-run first inning for the Angels, with Ohtani and Upton picking up the other RBIs. Upton had a two-run single in the ninth inning to score Mike Trout and Ohtani that pulled the Angels within 10-7 before Felipe Vazquez (22) came in to see out the game. “Sometimes you got to believe in things you can’t see,” Hurdle said. “And we’ve had different guys step up the last two days in different areas and give us big pushes.”
August 13, 2019 12:38 am
Washington County got the potential tying run to second with nobody out in the final frame but couldn’t cash it in, losing a 5-4 decision to unbeaten Bay County, Michigan. The winners scored twice in the first before the Hosts plated three runs in the fourth on four hits, including a two-out two-run double by Andrew Kocan. The teams traded unearned runs before Bay County took advantage of another error in the sixth to take the lead. Back-to-back walks opened the Washington seventh, but Cole Schmidt struck out a pair of Washington hitters to end the game. Washington County plays Simi Valley Tuesday at 12:30 with that winner needing to knock off Bay County twice to reach the final. Follow the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and on our PONY World Series webpage: CLICK HERE
Tuesday’s tentative schedule (weather permitting):
10:00 am Youngstown, OH vs. Arecibo, PR (loser eliminated)
12:30 pm Washington County, PA vs. Simi Valley, CA (loser eliminated)
5;30 pm Chinese Taipei vs. Youngstown/Arecibo winner
8:00 pm Bay County, MI vs. Washington County/Simi Valley winner
August 12, 2019 3:19 am
Washington County, PA sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth inning, blowing the game open on the way to an 11-1, six-inning win over West Zone champion, Simi Valley, CA. Andrew Kocan singled home two runs in the first, giving the Hosts a 3-0 lead, then doubled home a pair in the six-run fourth. Jake Egizio had two hits and two RBI. Connor Helbling, Mason Fixx and Calvin Daniels each drove in a row. Daniels now has 8 RBI in two games. Matthew Smith got the win, allowing just one run over four innings. Washington County is 2-0 in the tournament for the first time since 2001 and will play Bay County, MI in the winners’ bracket final Monday night. Simi Valley managed just three hits, all singles, and drops into the elimination bracket Monday afternoon.
Guasave, Mexico eliminated Hagerstown, MD, 3-0, Sunday afternoon. Brownsville,. TX stole an all-time record 18 bases and held London to one hit, eliminating the European champions, 12-2, in six innings. Follow the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and on our PONY World Series webpage: CLICK HERE!
Monday’s schedule:
10:00 am Elimination game–Arecibo, PR vs. Guasave, MX
12:30 pm Elimination game–Simi Valley, CA vs. Brownsville, TX
5:30 pm Winners’ Bracket–Chinese Taipei vs. Youngstown, OH
8:00 pm Winners’ Bracket–Bay County, MI vs. Washington County, PA
August 11, 2019 7:21 am
The Hosts scored in every inning, rolling to a 23-3 five-inning PONY World Series win over London, UK. Calvin Daniels had four hits and drove in seven runs, one off the all-time World Series record. Mason Fixx drove in four runs to help himself to the first-round win allowing just two runs on two hits. Washington County will face Simi Valley, CA Sunday afternoon (1 pm). The Washington County win is the Host’s first since 2017 and snaps a four-game losing streak in PONY World Series play.
In other action, Bay County, MI scored twice in the sixth to down Brownsville, TX, 3-2. The winners trailed 2-0 but scored once in the fifth, then used a couple base hits, an error, a steal of home and a wild pitch to win it and advance to Monday night’s winners’ bracket game. Defending champion Chinese Taipei took advantage of three errors to score nine times in the first inning on the way to a 14-0 five-inning win over Arecibo, PR. Pai, Chen An and Yang, Tzu Chun went back-to-back following catcher’s interference and a groundball error. Hsu, Shao Yu added a two run home run an inning later. Follow the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and on our PONY World Series webpage: CLICK HERE!
Sunday’s schedule include three games:
1:00 pm Washington County, PA vs. Simi Valley, CA
3:30 pm Hagerstown, MD vs. Guasave, MX (loser eliminated)
6:00 pm Brownsville, TX vs. London, UK
