August 21, 2024 4:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed veteran center Nate Herbig on injured reserve. The move clears the way for rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier (pictured) to start when Pittsburgh opens the season at Atlanta on Sept. 8. Herbig injured his shoulder during the final day of training camp at Saint Vincent College and didn’t play during a 9-3 loss to Buffalo on Saturday. Frazier, a second-round pick out of West Virginia, got the nod in Herbig’s place and was one of the bright spots during an otherwise shaky performance by the offensive line.
August 21, 2024 4:36 am
WNBA players would like more of a break after the All-Star Game and Olympics before league play resumes. Here was a quick turnaround this year after the Paris Games. It could be a major topic of discussion when negotiations begin for the next collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA ends next year. Phoenix, Chicago and Los Angeles all played three games in a four-day span to resume the the regular season. Fortunately, from the Olympics standpoint, the next Games are in Los Angeles, so travel will be less of an issue for the players.
August 20, 2024 4:37 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Texas Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. Seager’s nine homers in August are tied for the major league lead with Miami’s Jake Burger. He also went deep twice on Aug. 2 against Boston. Rangers right-hander José Ureña pitched four scoreless innings in relief of Dane Dunning. Kirby Yates worked a perfect ninth for his 22nd save. Pittsburgh has dropped 12 of 14. Jared Triolo hit a three-run homer in the fourth for the Pirates.
August 20, 2024 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation. Hayes, a Gold Glove winner a year ago, has struggled to hit with power at the plate most of this season. The 27-year-old is batting .233 with four home runs and 25 RBIs in 96 games this year. His .573 OPS is a career low and nearly 200 points below the .762 OPS he posted in 2023. Pittsburgh called up utility player Billy McKinney to take Hayes’ roster spot. McKinney hit .285 across two minor league stops this year.
August 20, 2024 4:42 am
The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff is achieving its goals in the preseason of raising the rate of return and the threat of big plays after years of increasing touchbacks. Whether that will carry over to the regular season when coaches might be more concerned with avoiding risk than testing out the new rule remains an open question. With the average start after kickoffs nearly reaching the 30, teams might opt to kick it deep and give up touchbacks to the 30 instead of risking giving up a long return. The NFL says it is “not likely” that the touchback will be moved to the 35 this season.
August 20, 2024 4:41 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets traded forward Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris and a second-round draft pick in 2026. The Blue Jackets were without the 26-year-old Laine for much of the 2023-24 season. He sought help from the NHL’s player assistance program in January and made it known that his issues were mental-health related. Laine was drafted second overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016. He has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $34.8 million contract. In four seasons with the Blue Jackets, Laine had 64 goals and 74 assists.
August 19, 2024 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — George Kirby worked six solid innings and the Seattle Mariners ended a five-game skid with a 10-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kirby (9-9) pitched five shutout innings and allowed two runs and four hits, striking out five and walking two. The 26-year-old right-hander rebounded after surrendering 11 runs and 12 hits in 3 2/3 innings his last time out, a 15-1 loss at Detroit on Aug. 13. Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone added solo shots and Victor Robles added a two-run double. Joey Bart homered for the Pirates, who lost for the 13th time in 16 games.
August 19, 2024 4:33 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama has won the FedEx St. Jude Championship just like everyone expected. No one expected a wild finish like Sunday at the TPC Southwind. Matsuyama lost a five-shot lead in a matter of four holes on the back nine. He suddenly was trailing. And then he birdied the last two holes to win by two shots with a 70. Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland tied for second. Nick Dunlap also felt like a winner. He was in contention to win, and then he was in danger of not being among the top 50 who advanced to next week.
August 19, 2024 4:32 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 27 points, Caitlin Clark added 23 points and nine assists, and Lexie Hull scored 12 of her career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter Sunday to help the Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75. With 232 assists so far this season, Clark broke the previous WNBA rookie record of 224 by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998. Aliyah Boston grabbed 15 rebounds to go with nine points and a career-high eight assists for Indiana. Jewell Loyd led Seattle with 26 points, Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 15 and Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
August 18, 2024 7:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Russell Wilson slogged through a forgettable preseason debut in Pittsburgh. The veteran quarterback passed for 47 yards and did not lead a scoring drive as the Steelers lost 9-3 to the Buffalo Bills. Wilson was sacked three times and looked rusty in his first action since last December while playing for Denver. Tyler Bass kicked three field goals for the Bills, who held star quarterback Josh Allen out of the lineup as a precaution after a pregame thunderstorm made the field slick. (Photo: AP)
