Category: Saturday Sports Slam

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: April 24, 2018

NHL

Monday’s Scores
Washington 6, Columbus 3
[Capitals win series 4-2]
Toronto 3, Boston 1
[Series tied 3-3]

MLB

Monday’s Scores
Cleveland 2, Baltimore 1
Cincinnati 10, Atlanta 4
Oakland 9, Texas 4
NY Yankees 14, Minnesota 1
Chi. White Sox 10, Seattle 4
LA Angels 2, Houston 0
San Francisco 4, Washington 2
LA Dodgers 2, Miami 1
San Diego 13, Colorado 5

5:10pm
Seattle at Chi. White Sox

6:10pm
Chi. Cubs at Cleveland

6:35pm
Minnesota at NY Yankees

6:40pm
Atlanta at Cincinnati

7:05pm
Detroit at Pittsburgh
Arizona at Philadelphia
Tampa Bay at Baltimore

7:07pm
Boston at Toronto

8:05pm
Oakland at Texas

8:10pm
LA Angels at Houston

8:15pm
Milwaukee at Kansas City
NY Mets at St. Louis

8:40pm
San Diego at Colorado

10:10pm
Miami at LA Dodgers

10:15pm
Washington at San Francisco

NBA

Monday’s Scores
Houston 119, Minnesota 100
[Rockets lead series 3-1]
Utah 113, Oklahoma City 96
[Jazz lead series 3-1]

7:00pm
Milwaukee at Boston
[Series tied 2-2]

8:00pm
Miami at Philadelphia
[76ers lead series 3-1]

10:30pm
San Antonio at Golden State
[Warriors lead series 3-1]

Bruno Sammartino laid to rest!!

Funeral held for pro wrestling great Bruno Sammartino
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former professional wrestling champion Bruno Sammartino has been laid to rest in Pennsylvania, where he was remembered as one of the sport’s good guys.
Sammartino fled the Nazis from Italy as a child and built a career beating a string of bad guys in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the World Wide Wrestling Federation champion for more than 11 years over two title runs. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Sammartino was buried on Monday outside Pittsburgh. Mourners, including WWE chairman Vince McMahon, remembered Sammartino’s humility and work ethic, even as he ascended the wrestling ranks. The Rev. John Rushofsky called him “a man of honesty and integrity.”
Sammartino died last week after a two-month hospitalization. He was 82.

Steelers great Big Bennie Cunningham dies from Cancer!!!

Pittsburgh Steelers great Bennie Cunningham  passed away Monday morning, April 23, 2018 at the age of 63 at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Cunningham had been fighting cancer and was in the Cleveland Clinic since early January.

He was Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in 1976 out of Clemson.

Cunningham played tight end for the Steelers for 10 seasons, starting 80 games and catching 20 touchdown passes. He was a member of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion teams in 1978-79.

He was named to the Steelers’ All-Time Team in 2007 for the franchise’s 75th anniversary.

 

 

Steelers pick up 5th-year option on LB Bud Dupree!!!

Steelers pick up 5th-year option on LB Bud Dupree
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have exercised the fifth-year option on outside linebacker Bud Dupree.
The Steelers made the announcement on Monday, three days before the start of the draft. The move will keep the 24-year-old Dupree under contract for the 2019 season.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert says, “We’re excited about where Bud can be in these next two years and we had no hesitation in making that move when we did it.”
Pittsburgh selected Dupree with the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 draft. Dupree has increased his sack total in each of his three seasons, going from 4 in 2015 to 4.5 in 2016 to 6 in 2017 as part of a defense that set a franchise record and led the NFL with 56 sacks last season.
The decision to pick up Dupree’s option will likely have a minimal impact on Pittsburgh’s draft plans. The Steelers need help at inside linebacker, with Pro Bowler Ryan Shazier ruled out for the 2018 season while recovering from spinal stabilization surgery.
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More AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Guentzel scores 4 goals to lead Penguins to Game 6 win and a series victory over the Flyers 4-2!!!

Guentzel scores 4 goals to lead Penguins to Game 6 clinch
By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jake Guentzel scored four straight goals to help send the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins into the next round with an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 on Sunday.
The Penguins play the winner of the Washington-Columbus series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Washington leads that series 3-2.
Sean Couturier also had a hat trick for the Flyers, who haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975.
Guentzel, not Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel or the injured Evgeni Malkin, won the game for the Penguins with goals off costly Flyers turnovers, leading them to their ninth straight playoff series win.
He tied the game at 4 with 54 seconds left in the second period off a Flyers turnover. He scored 30 seconds into the third for the lead off another giveaway, and sealed one more lopsided win over the Flyers with two goals 10 seconds apart late in the period.
It was 2-2 after one period, 4-4 after two, and nothing was decided in the fiercest game of the series between the longstanding rivals until Guentzel took control.
The Flyers lost all three games at home and not even a solid start could help them get out of the first round for the first time since 2012.
Couturier had been the Flyers’ postseason savior, returning from a serious leg injury to score the Game 5 winner and then open Game 6 with his third goal of the series just 2:15 into the game.
The Penguins, who won Games 3 and 4 in Philly, took aim on the road sweep with two straight goals. Crosby, naturally, tied the game when he knocked in a rebound off Kris Letang’s point shot for his whopping sixth goal of the series. His goal was still being announced when Carl Hagelin made it 2-1 when he was left all alone in front of the net for the easy goal.
Philly’s defense was nonexistent and the Flyers had no bodies on Crosby and especially Hagelin on the gimme goals against Michal Neuvirth.
Andrew MacDonald tied it 2-all on a sizzling shot. The defenseman briefly gave his team the spark needed to go toe-to-toe with the Penguins. Couturier scored his second of the game on a beautiful breakaway to open the second period and Scott Laughton scored on a long wrister and nearly pulled off a Lambeau Leap over the boards in celebration.
Matt Murray should have stopped the goal — the kind of bad goal usually allowed by the Flyers — and the crowd derisively chanted his name.
Patric Hornqvist scored his second of the series to pull the Penguins to 4-3.
The series had been more cordial than confrontational but both teams cranked up the nastiness levels in Game 6. Penguins forward Carter Rowney cross-checked Travis Konency and roughed him up on the ice while the officials just watched. Konecny jumped up and — like a wrestling heel smacking his opponent with a steel chair — cracked Sheary in the back with his stick and was whistled for roughing. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol gave the refs an earful while the fans howled as the hits were shown on replay.
But that was about the last crowd-pleasing play by the Flyers. The Flyers failed to take a shot on goal until nearly 12 minutes into the third period and Couturier capped his three-goal game with 2:53 left to play.
Bryan Rust scored an empty-netter with 30 seconds left to ensure the Penguins got all four of their wins by at least three goals.
NOTES: Malkin was scratched with a leg injury. … The so-called home ice edge in Philly lost some shine with large pockets of empty seats for a must-win Game 6. … The Penguins scored five-plus goals against the Flyers eight times in 10 games this season. … It wasn’t all bad news for Philly in its rivalry with Pittsburgh: The Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Pirates across the street.
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For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Altherr’s RBI hit gives Phils 3-2 win and sweep over Pirates

  1. Altherr’s RBI hit gives Phils 3-2 win and sweep over Pirates
    By ROB MAADDI, AP Sports Writer
    PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Altherr had quite a game for a guy who sat on the bench the first six innings.
    Altherr’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Phillies to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, giving Philadelphia its first four-game sweep over the Pirates in 24 years.
    Andrew Knapp hit an opposite-field triple off the left-field wall with one out off Rich Rodriguez (0-1). With the infield in, Altherr pulled a 1-2 pitch to left for his third hit. He raised his hand in the air, ran to first and got mobbed by teammates.
    “Feels great to have my first walk-off in the big leagues,” Altherr said.
    Altherr finished 3 for 3 with a triple, raising his average from .104 to .157. He’s had to adjust to not being in the lineup every game because manager Gabe Kapler is rotating 10 players for eight starting spots.
    “It’s been really difficult as the days went on,” Altherr said. “I’m trying to stay positive and keep rolling.”
    Kapler raved about Altherr’s attitude.
    “Coming into the season, we felt he was one of our best offensive players,” Kapler said. “He’s had some bad luck. I’m sure he wanted to play more regularly but every day he comes in with a smile, he comes prepared and he works his tail off. Good things happen to good people. He deserves it. His teammate behavior has been unparalleled. It’s outstanding.”
    The Phillies have won 13 of 16 since a 1-4 start and are seven games over .500 for the first time since they were 24-17 on May 18, 2016. They finished 71-91 that season and lost 96 games last year.
    Philadelphia had not swept a four-game series from the Pirates since May 12-15, 1994. Pittsburgh has lost four in a row and six of seven after an 11-4 start.
    “We had opportunities throughout the game,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We had a rough week. We need a day off and figure things out and show up ready to play Tuesday.”
    Elias Diaz hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh.
    Pirates starter Trevor Williams allowed two runs and only one hit — an RBI double to pitcher Nick Pivetta — in six innings. He had five walks and fanned seven.
    Pivetta gave up two runs and five hits, striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings.
    After Diaz went deep to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth, Pivetta helped himself. He lined a run-scoring double down the right-field line — his first career extra-base hit.
    Pivetta scurried to third base on a wild pitch and hustled home on Cesar Hernandez’s sacrifice fly that tied it at 2.
    “I was just trying to get the two runs I gave up back,” Pivetta said.
    Phillies reliever Victor Arano had retired all 25 batters he faced this season and 32 straight, dating to last season, before Starling Marte reached safely on third baseman Scott Kingery’s throwing error to start the ninth. Arano pitched out of a jam in the 10th after pinch-hitter Josh Bell hit a triple with one out.
    Yacksel Rios (3-0) tossed a scoreless inning, stranding two runners, to earn the win.
    STREAKING
    Philadelphia’s Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in a career-best 23 straight games.
    TRAINER’S ROOM
    Phillies: Reliever Tommy Hunter was activated from the disabled list. The righty had been sidelined all season with a strained right hamstring. He tossed a perfect eighth with one strikeout.
    UP NEXT
    Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-1, 4.57 ERA) opposes Tigers RHP Jordan Zimmermann (1-0, 7.71 ERA) Tuesday night in the start of a three-game set in Pittsburgh.
    Phillies: RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 3.80 ERA) starts Tuesday night vs. Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (2-0, 4.98) in the opener of a three-game series.
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    More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Herrera’s triple in 8th lifts Phillies over Pirates 2-1!!!

Herrera’s triple in 8th lifts Phillies over Pirates 2-1
By AARON BRACY, Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Odubel Herrera hit a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, Carlos Santana and Maikel Franco each had two hits for the Phillies, who have won nine of 11 overall while improving to 7-1 at home. It is Philadelphia’s best start at home since it won seven of eight to begin the 1981 season.
Luis Garcia (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Hector Neris blanked Pittsburgh in the ninth to earn his third save in four tries.
After Hernandez led off the eighth with a double and Santana grounded out, Herrera lined an 86-mph cutter from George Kontos (1-2) on a 1-2 count just inside the first-base bag to score Hernandez and give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
Rhys Hoskins walked to put runners on first and third with one out before as bizarre a double play as you’ll see ended the inning. Kontos had Hoskins picked off, but first baseman Josh Bell threw home to get Herrera, who broke for the plate on the play. Hoskins then lost track of where he was and also was out on a caught stealing double play that was scored 1-3-4-2-5-8-7.
The Pirates threatened in the ninth when Jordy Mercer doubled with one out, but David Freese popped out in the infield and Adam Frazier grounded out.
After a promising 11-3 start, Pittsburgh has dropped four of five.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Francisco Cervelli was hit by a pitch, went to third on Colin Moran’s double and scored on Mercer’s sacrifice fly to right.
Philadelphia tied it in the bottom half when Santana scored on Hoskins’ fielder’s choice grounder to third. Santana reached third on Herrera’s single to right, and Herrera tied a career high on the hit by reaching base safely in 21 straight games.
Ben Lively had his best outing in his fourth start for Philadelphia, allowing a run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings.
Pirates starter Ivan Nova had similar numbers, giving up a run on five hits in six innings. Nova struck out three and walked none, and has fanned 21 batters against one walk in his last four starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP A.J. Schugel (right shoulder discomfort) will make his next start at Triple-A Indianapolis. Schugel threw a scoreless inning at Single-A Bradenton on Wednesday.
Phillies: Right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two, at Double-A Reading on Friday night. Hunter, who has been sidelined all season with a strained right hamstring, made 20 pitches in his second rehab outing.
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (1-1, 2.22) opposes Pirates LHP Steven Brault (2-1, 4.74) in the third game of the four-game set Saturday.