October 15, 2019 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers head into their bye week with some momentum following a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Rookie quarterback Devlin Hodges threw for a touchdown in his first NFL start and rookie linebacker Devin Bush returned a fumble for a score to give Pittsburgh a rare win on the West Coast. The Steelers are 2-4 through six weeks and the schedule gets easier in the coming weeks. Only three of Pittsburgh’s remaining 10 opponents currently have a winning record.
October 13, 2019 7:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – It’s officially “Duck” season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers ruled quarterback Mason Rudolph out for Sunday’s visit to the Los Angeles Chargers while he continues to recover from a concussion, meaning undrafted rookie free agent Devlin “Duck” Hodges will get the start when Pittsburgh (1-4) faces the Chargers (2-3) in primetime. Hodges played well last week against Baltimore after coming in for Rudolph.
October 13, 2019 7:41 am
Quarterback Drew Saxton threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns leading Case-Western Reserve to a 35-19 win over Washington & Jefferson Saturday afternoon. The Spartans also ran for 211 yards, most of that by Zach Hall (16-159). Leading 14-7 at halftime, CWRU scored on its first three second-half possessions to put the game away. W&J’s Jacob Adams connected with Payton Skaylos and Jordan Halford for touchdowns after the Spartans had built a 35-7 lead. Case-Western remains unbeaten atop the Presidents Athletic Conference standings while W&J drops to 3-2 in the league, 4-2 overall and out of playoff contention.
October 11, 2019 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jake Guentzel scored the tie breaking goal in the third period to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Guentzel finished Sidney Crosby’s backhand feed from the slot at 7:24 of the third. Guentzel has five goals in five career games against the Ducks, including his second career hat trick last season. Crosby also scored a power-play goal, his second of the season. He has multiple points in five of his last 10 games against Anaheim. Matt Murray made 31 saves for the Penguins. He needs one more win to reach 100 in the NHL. Pittsburgh concluded a season-opening, four-game homestand with a 2-2 record. The Penguins have won nine of their last 12 home games against Anaheim and nine of the last 13 overall versus the Ducks. Ondrej Kase scored his first of the season for Anaheim, which tried to open a season with four straight wins for the first time in franchise history. The Ducks, who entered the NHL as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993-94, started 3-0 last season and also in 2006-07, when they won the Stanley Cup. John Gibson, a Pittsburgh native, stopped 26 shots. He allowed more than one goal for the first time this season. Four of Pittsburgh’s top nine forwards were out of the lineup.
October 10, 2019 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – The St. Louis Cardinals have advanced to the National League Championship Series by putting together the most productive first inning in major league postseason history.
The Cardinals sent 14 batters to the plate while erupting for 10 runs on five hits, four walks and a huge error in the first inning of a 13-1 rout of the Braves in Game 5 of the NL Division Series in Atlanta. The Braves had a chance to get out of the frame trailing just 1-0, but first baseman Freddie Freeman botched a potential inning-ending double play grounder. Tommy Edman, Dexter Fowler and Kolten Wong provided two-run doubles following the error, allowing the Cardinals to turn the deciding game into a laugher. Pitcher Jack Flaherty walked with the bases loaded and Fowler reached base twice during the rally. Braves starting and losing pitcher Mike Foltynewicz retired just one batter while surrendering seven runs – six earned – on three hits and three walks. Max Fried (freed) allowed three runs in the first and was lifted to start the third inning with Atlanta trailing 11-0.
October 9, 2019 3:50 am
TAMPA BAY, Fla. (AP) – Willy Adames homered and made a sensational relay throw from shortstop, Tommy Pham also went deep and the wild-card Tampa Bay Rays chased Justin Verlander early and beat the Houston Astros 4-1 to even their AL Division Series at two games apiece on Tuesday night. Nick Anderson and four other relievers combined on a five-hitter to beat Verlander, who was pitching on short rest after dominating the wild-card Rays in Game 1 of the best of five series that shifts back to Houston for the decisive fifth game on Thursday. Verlander, whose eight career ALDS victories are a major league record, yielded three runs in the first inning. Adames homered leading off the fourth to make it 4-0, and the Houston ace didn’t make it through the rest of the inning. A fifth and deciding game will be Thursday evening in Houston.
October 8, 2019 3:49 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The New York Yankees have completed a playoff sweep of the Minnesota Twins and will advance to AL Championship Series. Gleyber Torres got New York going with a second-inning home run and scored on each of his two doubles, giving Luis Severino sufficient support and fueling the Yankees to a 5-1 victory over Minnesota. In Washington, Max Scherzer’s season-saving, seven-inning pitching performance and Ryan Zimmerman’s three-run homer lifted the wild-card Washington Nationals to a 6-1 victory over the league-best Los Angeles Dodgers to force a deciding Game 5 in their NL Division Series. They will face off on Wednesday in Los Angeles. The St. Louis Cardinals survived with a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in the other NLDS contest. Yadier Molina hit a tying single in the eighth and a sacrifice fly in the 10th. The Tampa Bay Rays cut their AL Division Series deficit to 2-1 with 10-3 romp over the Houston Astros. Former Astros hurler Charlie Morton allowed one run and three hits while striking out nine over five innings. Astros manager AJ Hinch announced after the game that Houston will start Justin Verlander on three days of rest in Game 4 of the best-of-five matchup at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. Tampa Bay will use Diego Castillo as an opener.
October 8, 2019 3:47 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Richard Sherman has a strong message for anyone still doubting the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers. “Don’t flip-flop,” Sherman said after the 49ers thumped the Cleveland Browns 31-3 on Monday night. “If you said we weren’t going to make it, you said we were some way early on, stick with that position. Hold it. Don’t try to give us credit now. At least stick by your word because I want you to sound like an idiot at the end. We know what we have in the building.” What the 49ers have is their best start since Joe Montana was throwing touchdowns to Jerry Rice. But it wasn’t the passing game that carried San Francisco past Cleveland. A steady, pounding running game and a dominant defensive effort did the trick this time. Matt Breida ran 83 yards for a touchdown on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage, Baker Mayfield was harassed into his worst game as a pro, and the 49ers stayed unbeaten for their best start in nearly 30 years. Even then, there were some questioning San Francisco’s legitimacy. “I feel like they’re going to say that all year about us,” said Breida, who had 114 yards on 11 carries. “I don’t think anyone expected us to be 4-0 this year, to be honest. Probably expected us to be 0-4. They can say whatever they want. All that matters is who’s in this locker room.” Tevin Coleman added a 19-yard score as part of a dominant ground game on a day when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 181 yards and kicker Robbie Gould missed a pair of field goal attempts and had a third try blocked. San Francisco (4-0) joined the 5-0 New England Patriots as the only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. It’s the first time the 49ers have won their first four games since 1990. “It’s a good start is really all it is,” Garoppolo said. “We have a good mindset in that locker room.” The Browns (2-3) are headed the opposite direction after losing two of three, with fresh concerns about their young quarterback.
October 8, 2019 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph appears on his way to recovery following a frightening hit against Baltimore that left him unconscious. Rudolph attended meetings with his teammates on Monday, though he remains in the concussion protocol. Pittsburgh could have to turn to rookie Devlin Hodges when it heads to Los Angeles next weekend to face the Chargers. Hodges played well in place of Rudolph, completing 7 of 9 passes for 68 yards in his first regular-season action.
October 7, 2019 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – After Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph was knocked unconscious by a head-high hit in the third quarter Sunday, Justin Tucker made a 46-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens past the Steelers 26-23 on Sunday. Baltimore (3-2) snapped a two-game skid when safety Marlon Humphrey stripped Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and recovered the fumble at the Pittsburgh 34. Tucker knocked through the winner four plays later. Lamar Jackson threw for 161 yards with a touchdown and three picks and also ran for a game-high 70 yards. Mark Ingram ran for a touchdown for the Ravens, who won in Pittsburgh (1-4) for the second straight season. Rudolph threw for 131 yards and a score before suffering a concussion following a hit to the chin by Baltimore safety Earl Thomas. Backup Devlin Hodges played admirably in Rudolph’s place, throwing for 68 yards and directing a pair of scoring drives after Rudolph’s exit. James Conner ran for 55 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh. Long one of the AFC’s most heated rivalries, the game took a turn in the third quarter with the Ravens leading 17-13. The Steelers were facing third-and-11 at the Pittsburgh 12 midway through the third quarter when Rudolph dropped back to pass. The play broke down and Rudolph scrambled to his left and stepped up field. He flicked the ball to teammate James Washington just before the crown of Thomas’ helmet hit Rudolph under the chin. Rudolph fell to the ground and lay on the field motionless for several minutes while several teammates became visibly upset as the stadium fell silent. Rudolph’s injury thrust Hodges, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Samford, into a role he couldn’t have envisioned when the Steelers signed him to be a “camp” arm before organized team activities. He played well in the preseason but didn’t make the cut only to find himself signed to the practice squad when Pittsburgh traded Josh Dobbs to Jacksonville. Hodges was elevated to backup status when Roethlisberger went down with an elbow injury. Rudolph was taken to the hospital for further evaluation but, according to reports, was released Sunday night and is resting at home. He is now in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
