Bucs fall to the Nationals 3-2!! Costly errors ends Bucs winning streak!!!

Roark goes 7 innings, gets rare RBI as Nats beat Pirates 3-2
By BEN NUCKOLS, AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tanner Roark pitched seven efficient innings and drove in his first run since 2016, and the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Monday night.
Roark (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits, struck out four and induced two double-play grounders for his first win since April 2 as the Nationals ended a disappointing April with their second straight victory.
Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (2-3) drove in the first run for the Pirates with a two-out double to deep left-center in the fifth. He worked six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, as NL Central-leading Pittsburgh lost for the first time since his previous start. The Pirates had won five straight.
Bryce Harper drew two intentional walks and struck out twice in four plate appearances. The former MVP now has 38 walks and eight intentional passes this season, both tops in the majors, as the injury-depleted Nationals have struggled to protect him in the lineup.
Harper’s first intentional walk came in the third after he had worked the count to 2-1 with Trea Turner on second base. Taillon then struck out Howie Kendrick — who went 0-for-4 while batting cleanup for the third time this season — and Matt Adams to end the threat.
Batting in the fourth with runners on first and second, Roark bunted the first pitch foul. Then he pulled the bat back as Taillon threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to advance. Roark hit the next pitch up the middle to score Matt Wieters and put the Nationals ahead 2-1, his second hit this season and his fifth career RBI. Turner followed with a run-scoring single, one of his three hits on the night.
Corey Dickerson homered to deep left leading off the seventh to pull the Pirates within one. Roark then retired the next three batters, fanning the final two.
Ryan Madson retired the side in the eighth and Brandon Kintzler worked the ninth for his first save in place of regular closer Sean Doolittle, who had pitched in the previous three games.
Wilmer Difo had two hits and drove in Washington’s first run with a second-inning single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: 2B Daniel Murphy (offseason knee surgery) was back with the team after spending two weeks at extended spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was scheduled to be re-evaluated by team doctors. He has been hitting, running and taking ground balls, Martinez said. There is still no timetable for his return. … 3B Anthony Rendon (left toe contusion) became eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list on Sunday, and no decision has been made on whether he will have a minor league rehab assignment.
Pirates: CF Starling Marte was out of the starting lineup for the first time this season but popped out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. … LHP Enny Romero said he had been trying to pitch through pain in his throwing shoulder before he told team trainers about the injury on Sunday. Pittsburgh had planned to designate him for assignment but instead placed him on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Thursday. “It’s a new organization. He didn’t want to come in and say he wasn’t ready to pitch or that he couldn’t pitch,” Hurdle said. “After we had that conversation, I guess there’s a process you go through where you contact MLB and get the verification that everything’s OK, and it’s OK now that he’s on DL.”
SHORT MAN
The Nationals shook up their bullpen again, recalling right-hander Wander Suero from Triple-A Syracuse and sending right-hander Austin Voth back to Syracuse one day after he was promoted to the big leagues. Voth has been a starter for nearly his entire minor league career, while Suero is a reliever with 30 career minor league saves.
Suero had a chance to make the team out of spring training before he suffered an oblique injury on March 9. He was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four appearances for Syracuse but did not allow a run in his last three outings.
“I like his ability to get both lefty hitters and righty hitters out. He’s got a really good cutter and he throws strikes,” Martinez said.
UP NEXT
Last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer (5-1, 1.62 ERA), who threw his first of two career no-hitters against the Pirates on June 20, 2015, starts for Washington. Pittsburgh right-hander Chad Kuhl (3-1, 4.55) allowed six runs on 10 hits in four innings in his previous start against the Nationals last May.
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Cervelli homers helps Bucs to 6-2 win and first place in the central!!!

Cervelli helps Pirates rally for 6-2 win over Cardinals
By ALAN SAUNDERS, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Francisco Cervelli homered in the second inning and delivered a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the sixth, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Saturday night.
The Pirates scored twice in the sixth, twice in the seventh and once in the eighth while erasing a 2-1 deficit. They also rallied for a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night.
St. Louis right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-1) started the sixth inning with back-to-back walks before being lifted for Dominic Leone. Josh Bell hit an RBI single and Cervelli’s fly ball to center scored Starling Marte to give Pittsburgh its first lead of the game.
The Pirates added on against the Cardinals’ bullpen in the seventh. Pinch-hitter David Freese had a sacrifice fly and Corey Dickerson singled in Sean Rodriguez.
Colin Moran scored on Jose Martinez’s error on a Gregory Polanco grounder in the eighth.
Cervelli got Pittsburgh on the board with his fourth homer in the second inning. He hit five all of last year.
Pirates starter Trevor Williams (4-1) pitched six innings of two-run ball. Michael Feliz, George Kontos and Edgar Santana combined for three scoreless innings in relief.
Flaherty was charged with three runs and four hits. The rookie right-hander struck out two and walked four.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (shoulder strain) will make his first rehab start with Class A Bradenton on Tuesday. He’s expected to throw three innings. Musgrove has been on the disabled list since March 30. . 2B Josh Harrison (hand fracture) took infield practice with a modified glove. He’s still expected to be about a month away from returning.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Luke Weaver (2-1, 4.85 ERA) will start the series finale Sunday. Weaver has given up 10 runs over his last two starts after allowing four total in his first three outings of the season.
Pirates: RHP Nick Kingham is expected to be recalled from the minors for his major league debut. Kingham was 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts with Triple-A Indianapolis.

Steelers Pick QB Mason Rudolph in the Third Round

Could this be Big Ben’s replacement when he retires? The Steelers made a trade with the Seahawks to move up and pick Oklahoma State Quarterback Mason Rudolph. Tune into the Saturday Sports Slam with Greg Benedetti and Matt Drzik  Saturday morning for more on all of the Steelers draft choices at 8 a.m..

Penguins erase 2-goal deficit, beat Capitals 3-2 in Game 1

Penguins erase 2-goal deficit, beat Capitals 3-2 in Game 1
By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Hockey Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.
Down 2-0 early in the third period and playing without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin, Pittsburgh turned it around with all three of its top-line forwards chipping in a goal. Crosby scored the tying goal when the puck bounced to him off Alex Ovechkin’s stick, and assisted on Guentzel’s go-ahead goal.
Matt Murray stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced to put the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions ahead in yet another series with Game 2 on Sunday in Washington. The Penguins have won nine in a row under coach Mike Sullivan dating to 2016, including the past two meetings against Washington.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 17 seconds in and Ovechkin beat Murray 28 seconds into the third period for the Capitals, who lost a game started by Braden Holtby for the first time in these playoffs. Holtby was one of the best players on the ice in the first two periods before he and his teammates blew another two-goal lead.
Holtby allowed three goals on 25 shots, including at least one he’d like to have back during the Penguins’ comeback. It was his worst game since replacing Philipp Grubauer in net during the first round against Columbus.
It also was another stellar showing by Murray, who made his best save with 2:30 left when he got his stick on a shot by Brett Connolly. Murray earlier kept the puck out against a net-crashing Devante Smith-Pelly and made a save on a point-blank chance by Michal Kempny.
Murray took a shot off the mask from Ovechkin in the third but made save after save down the stretch with the Capitals pressing.
NOTES: Kuznetsov’s goal was the second-fastest in Capitals playoff history after Mike Gartner scored 15 seconds in against the Islanders in 1987. … The Capitals have killed 18 consecutive penalties dating to Game 2 against Columbus. .., Malkin skated Thursday morning with teammates, while Hagelin did not make the trip. Malkin could be an option for Game 2 if his apparent leg injury has healed enough. … Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan opted to maintain balance in his lineup, putting Riley Sheahan with Simon and Phil Kessel and keeping Derick Brassard with Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust.
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Dickerson’s disputed homer lifts Pirates over Tigers 1-0

Dickerson’s disputed homer lifts Pirates over Tigers 1-0
By ALAN SAUNDERS, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Corey Dickerson hit the first game-ending home run of his major league career, a disputed one-out drive in the ninth inning that lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Detroit Tigers 1-0 Thursday.
Dickerson sent an 0-1 slider from Alex Wilson (0-1) just over the 21-foot-high wall in right field, at first standing at the plate and watching the drive before starting to jog up the first-base line. A fan in a black Pirates sweatshirt reached out and caught the ball, and Wilson immediately pointed to ask for a video the initial home-run call.
Dickerson rounded third base, rolled his helmet toward the plate and was mobbed by teammates, with Adam Frazier dumping a jug of Gatorade over him. Nearly two minutes later, the home-run call was upheld, and the Pirates exchanged more hugs. It was just the second home run of the season for Dickerson.
Felipe Vazquez (1-0) escaped a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the ninth created by two singles and a walk. James McCann grounded to third baseman Colin Moran, who threw home to force Francisco Cervelli, Victor Martinez popped out and Jose Iglesias bounced into a forceout.
Pirates starter Ivan Nova allowed six hits in eight innings and struck out five. Detroit’s Michael Fulmer struck out nine in six innings while giving up four hits.
Detroit’s Leonys Martin was 2 for 4 with a triple and also reached on an error and went 5 for 14 (.357) in the series with two home runs and three RBIs
MAKING MOVES
Detroit re-called RHP Johnny Barbato from Triple-A Toledo, where he had a 1.17 ERA in six games with nine strikeouts and three walks in 7 2/3 innings.
Pittsburgh traded minor league OF Todd Cunningham to the Chicago White Sox for future considerations. Cunningham hit .130 in nine games with Triple-A Indianapolis.
TRAINING ROOM
Pirates: RHP Bo Schultz (Tommy John surgery) pitched on back-to-back days Tuesday and Wednesday with Class A Bradenton and is ready to move up in his rehab. He pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Tigers: RHP Mike Fiers (2-1, 3.71 ERA) is to start a three-game series at Baltimore on Friday. He beat Kansas City on Sunday despite allowing 10 hits and striking out none.
Pirates: LHP Steven Brault (2-1, 4.44 ERA) opens a three-game against visiting St. Louis on Friday.
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