Pirates’ Spiral Deepens

August 11, 2019 10:35 pm

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Lane Thomas hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning, Paul Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler also homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-9 Sunday.  St. Louis rallied from an 8-4 deficit to sweep the three-game series and move into second place in the NL Central, two games behind the Chicago Cubs.  Josh Bell had two homers and four RBIs for Pittsburgh, which has lost eight straight, and 24 of 28 games since the All-Star Break. Pablo Reyes added a solo shot in the ninth. Thomas, a rookie outfielder playing his 21st game, drove in five runs. His first career slam came off Kyle Crick (3-7) and put the Cardinals ahead 9-8. He also had an RBI triple in the fourth. John Gant (8-0) tossed a scoreless seventh to pick up the win. Andrew Miller picked up his fourth save in six tries. Bell hit two-run homers in the first and fifth innings. It was the fifth multihomer game of his career, all this season. The homers, his 28th and 29th, were his first since July 5. He has an NL-leading 68 extra-base hits. Pittsburgh starter Steven Brault gave up four earned runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three. Brault had a seven-game hitting streak halted with an 0-for-2 performance. He came into the contest on an 8-for-10 run. RHP Mitch Keller (0-1, 10.50) will face Los Angeles Angels LHP Jose Suarez (2-3, 6.22) in the first of a three-game set in Anaheim on Monday. Keller will be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. He will be making his fourth major league start.

Steelers Beat Bucs In Preseason Opener

August 10, 2019 3:42 am

(AP)- Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph led the offense on four scoring drives. Two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger gave way to recent draft picks Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph to battle for the backup quarterback job in a Steelers 30-28 win over the Buccaneers. Jameis Winston led the Bucs’ first-team offense to a touchdown in his only offensive series against a Steelers defense that featured few regulars.

Youngstown, Puerto Rico Win PONY Games Friday

August 10, 2019 12:01 am

Anthony Miller threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10 batters as Youngstown, OH beat Guasave, Mexico, 6-0, to advance to Monday’s winners’ bracket game. Jarrod Malagise drilled a two-run home run in the sixth to give reliever Stephen Tarnoci some breathing room. In the opening game, Arecibo, PR scored nine times in the middle innings, rallying past Hagerstown, MD, 11-9. Joaniel Sanchez and Joel Core hit home runs for the Caribbean champions. Marcos Arocho threw 3.2 innings of shutout relief, allowing one hit, to get the win.

Saturday’s action begins at noon with Bay County, MI taking on Brownsville TX. Washington County hosts London at 2-30 with Chinese Taipei facing Arecibo in the final game of the day. Follow the action on WJPA-AM (1450) and on our PONY World Series webpage: CLICK HERE!

Merritt Ties Course Record For Lead At Northern Trust

August 9, 2019 3:48 am

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) – Troy Merritt isn’t obsessed with his position in the FedEx Cup and what he needs to advance in the PGA Tour’s postseason. He figures the best solution is good golf, and he delivered his best round of the year Thursday in The Northern Trust.  Merritt began with a 10-foot par save, followed with a pair of 20-foot birdie putts and took advantage of calm, rain-softened Liberty National by tying the course record with a 9-under 62 for a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.  It wasn’t a career low – Merritt twice has shot 61 on the PGA Tour – but it might have been his best round hardly anyone saw.  The storm was so fierce on the eve of the FedEx Cup playoffs opener that the public was not allowed in until 10 a.m., nearly three hours after the round began. And when the fans arrived, most of them were watching the action – what little there was – two groups behind him with Tiger Woods.

Orlando To Host Pro Bowl Again

August 8, 2019 3:48 am

UNDATED (AP) – The Pro Bowl will return to Orlando for the fourth straight year and be held one week before the Super Bowl. The NFL’s all-star game will be an afternoon match at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26. A week later, the league’s championship game will be played a few hours south in the Miami area.  Fans, players and coaches will vote for the 88 Pro Bowlers. The game matches the AFC against the NFC.

Raiders Stadium Gets A Name

August 6, 2019 3:50 am

A $1.9 billion stadium being built for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders when the team moves to Las Vegas is being named for Allegiant Travel Co. Officials made the announcement Monday during a ceremony marking the installation of the final steel beam for the roof of the 65,000-seat indoor stadium. Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel is the publicly traded corporate parent of Allegiant Air. Terms of the agreement weren’t made public. The Raiders are moving after the upcoming season.

Reports; Tom Brady Signs 2-Year, $70M Extension

August 5, 2019 4:00 am

A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is signing a two-year, $70 million contract extension that runs through 2021 and includes a hefty raise this season.  The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the Patriots hadn’t announced the extension, confirmed the NFL Network’s report of Brady’s extension.  Brady, who has never played out the final season of a contract in his 20-year NFL career in New England, will get an $8 million raise in 2019, when he’ll make $23 million.  The extension also calls for him to make $30 million in 2020 and $32 million in 2021, when he would be 44.

Pirates Claim Pitcher Off Waivers From Phillies

August 4, 2019 7:47 am

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates today claimed right-handed pitcher Yacksel Ríos off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies and have optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. Ríos has a 4-2 record, 6.38 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 53 career relief appearances with the Phillies from 2017-19. He made four appearances this season with the Phillies before being designated for assignment on July 29. He also made 31 relief appearances this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Pirates Snap Mets Win Streak

August 3, 2019 1:31 pm

The Mets’ seven-game winning streak is over after Melky Cabrera laced a two-run double while the Pirates scored five in the fourth to beat New York, 8-4. Starling Marte’s three-run shot in the seventh broke open the game as Pittsburgh dealt the Mets just their sixth loss since the All-Star break. Steven Matz was chased in the fourth and ended the Mets’ streak of 17 straight games in which their starters allowed three runs or fewer.

Suspensions Handed Down For Pirates-Reds Brawl

August 2, 2019 3:46 am

NEW YORK (AP) – Pittsburgh pitcher Keone Kela has been suspended for 10 games, Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett for eight and Yasiel Puig for three after a furious brawl between the Pirates and Reds. Major League Baseball issued eight suspensions two days after the fight at Great American Ball Park. Three players on each team were suspended, and all of them have elected to appeal. Reds manager David Bell was suspended six games and Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle was penalized two games.