Couturier scores late, Flyers edge Penguins to force Game 6

Couturier scores late, Flyers edge Penguins to force Game 6
By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sean Couturier’s long shot from the point got past Matt Murray with 1:17 left and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday night to force sixth game in the first-round series.
The Flyers cut the Penguins’ series lead to 3-2 going into Game 6 on Sunday in Philadelphia.
After missing Game 4 with a lower-body injury, Couturier extended his team’s season at least two more days by picking up his second goal of the series. Claude Giroux, Valtteri Filppula and Matt Read also scored for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth stopped 30 shots, including a diving stop on the doorstep to deny Penguins star Sidney Crosby shortly after Couturier’s knuckler put Philadelphia in front.
Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray made 21 saves but had no chance on Couturier’s winner as the puck found its way through a sea of players and into the net.
A series that figured to be taut instead started with four straight blowouts, most of them ending with the Flyers skating off the ice wondering what they needed to do to keep pace with cross-state rivals.
Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol, perhaps fighting for his job, made his first significant change in an effort to keep his team’s season alive, giving Neuvirth his first playoff start in nearly two years and his first start of any variety in more than two months after Brian Elliott couldn’t shake out of a funk that saw him pulled in Game 1 and again in Game 4.
The Flyers also Couturier back to center the third line just three days removed from a scary practice collision with teammate Radko Judas that left Couturier with a lower-body injury that forced him to watch Pittsburgh’s clinical 5-0 Game 4 romp from the press box.
There was no need for change in Pittsburgh, which has developed a killer instinct under coach Mike Sullivan it lacked at times earlier in the Crosby/Malkin era. The Penguins came in 8-5 in potential close-out games since Sullivan took over in December, 2015, including a 5-2 mark at home.
Make it 5-3.
Giroux, a non-factor through much of the series, gave Philadelphia the lead 17:29 into the first when he found some space in the slot and took a pretty feed from behind the Pittsburgh ned by Jakub Voracek to pump a shot by Murray.
The Penguins replied with two goals in a 4:45 span in the second for the first lead change of the series. Bryan Rust beat Neuvirth with a wrap around 12 minutes into the second for his ninth career goal in a potential elimination game. Guentzel then took a feed from Crosby and slipped it between Neuvirth’s legs to put Pittsburgh in front.
The Flyers, for the first time since Game 2, responded. Some sloppy play by Pittsburgh’s top power-play unit led to a turnover and a rush the other way that ended with Filppula sneaking a bouncing puck through Murray’s five-hole to knot the score and two and produce actual late tension heading into the third, a rarity.
NOTES: Penguins F Patric Hornqvist missed his second straight game due to an upper-body injury. Hornqvist did skate earlier Friday and remains day-to-day. … Malkin missed the final 4 minutes of the first period after Philadelphia’s Jori Lehtera fell on it when the two got tangled in the corner. Malkin returned to start the second period. … The Penguins were 0 for 5 on the power play. The Flyers were 0 for 1.
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More AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: April 20, 2018

NHL

Thursday’s Scores
Boston 3, Toronto 1
[Bruins lead series 3-1]
Washington 4, Columbus 1
[Series tied 2-2]

7:00pm
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (WBVP/WMBA)
[Penguins lead series 3-1]

7:30pm
Minnesota at Winnipeg
[Jets lead series 3-1]

9:30pm
Colorado at Nashville
[Predators lead series 3-1]

MLB

Thursday’s Scores
Philadelphia 7, Pittsburgh 0
NY Yankees 4, Toronto 3
Chi. Cubs 8, St. Louis 5
Detroit 13, Baltimore 8
Houston 9, Seattle 2
Atlanta 12, NY Mets 4
Arizona 3, San Francisco 1
Milwaukee 12, Miami 3
Boston 8, LA Angels 2

1:10pm
Kansas City at Detroit (Game 1)

7:05pm
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Cleveland at Baltimore
Toronto at NY Yankees

7:10pm
Kansas City at Detroit (Game 2)
Minnesota at Tampa Bay

7:35pm
NY Mets at Atlanta

8:05pm
Seattle at Texas

8:10pm
Miami at Milwaukee
Houston at Chi. White Sox

8:40pm
Chi. Cubs at Colorado

9:40pm
San Diego at Arizona

10:05pm
Boston at Oakland

10:07pm
San Francisco at LA Angels

10:10pm
Washington at LA Dodgers

NBA

Thursday’s Scores
Philadelphia 128, Miami 108
[76ers lead series 2-1]
New Orleans 119, Portland 102
[Pelicans lead series 3-0]
Golden State 110, San Antonio 97
[Warriors lead series 3-0]

7:00pm
Cleveland at Indiana
[Series tied 1-1]

8:00pm
Toronto at Washington
[Raptors lead series 2-0]

9:30pm
Boston at Milwaukee
[Celtics lead series 2-0]

Pirates fall to Phillies 7-0!!!

Arrieta Ks 10, allows 1 hit in 7 innings in Phillies win
By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jake Arrieta threw like an old-school ace wearing a retro powder blue Phillies uniform fit for a throwback outing.
Arrieta flashed the All-Star form that made Philadelphia covet him in free agency, striking out 10 and tossing one-hit ball over seven innings to lead the Phillies to a 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.
Rhys Hoskins homered and Cesar Hernandez had a three-run single to pace the Phillies in their first game back from a 4-2 trip.
The Phillies got vintage Arrieta (2-0) in his best outing since he left the Chicago Cubs for a $75 million, three-year contract that made him the immediate ace of the rotation.
He had his 14th career double-digit strikeout game and walked two, combining with two relievers on a two-hitter.
“It was about as good as I’ve been,” Arrieta said.
Arrieta, with two no-hitters and a World Series championship with the Cubs, struck out seven through the first four innings — he had struck out only six over 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts. He wore short sleeves on a night when temperatures dipped into the 30s, and the postseason flags whipping in the wind were about the only objects with more movement than Arrieta’s fastball .
“That’s the best movement and action I’ve seen on his fastball since 2015,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
The Pirates, who lead the Central, are one of the surprise teams in the National League. Against their longtime nemesis, forget it. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner improved to 11-6 in 21 career starts against Pittsburgh. He struck out 11 and tossed a four-hit shutout against the Pirates in the 2015 NL Wild Card game that included a bench-clearing melee.
“Nights like tonight where I do have pretty much command at will, it just makes my job that much easier,” Arrieta said.
The Phillies wore the powder blue 1970s and ’80s uniforms that were a hit with fans and fashionistas. Arrieta had changed into a sleeveless shirt and red shorts for the postgame celebration in the dugout.
The Phillies haven’t had a winning season since 2011, when they won their fifth straight NL East title. The addition of Arrieta signaled a long, arduous rebuilding process could turn into contention this season. They’ve already had a six-game winning streak — the last three on a sweep at Tampa Bay.
The 32-year-old right-hander was on from the start, striking out Adam Frazier and Gregory Polanco to open the game on a pair of 94 mph sinkers. He allowed only an infield single in the second inning.
“You’re going to get excited about having Jake go out there every fifth day if he’s sort of the mid-range version of himself, which is still very good,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “If he’s a little bit better than his average self, he’s unhittable.”
Hoskins lined his third homer of the season to left, and Hernandez made it 4-0 on a bases-loaded single to left off Jameson Taillon (2-1).
Taillon allowed five runs and was chased after 1 1/3 innings.
Yacksel Rios and Victor Arano each tossed a scoreless inning in relief. Arano has retired 32 consecutive batters dating to 2017.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove, on the disabled list with strained muscle in his right shoulder, threw a bullpen session and will throw another on Sunday.
Phillies: RHP Tommy Hunter is set for a rehab outing with Double-A Reading on Friday. Hunter has been out all season with a hamstring injury. “I think he profiles as a guy that can give us one-plus (innings),” Kapler said. “On some days, he might come in for a couple of batters. On others, he might go a little bit longer for us.”
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
The Pirates held their annual “Dads’ Trip” series this weekend in Philadelphia. The fathers of 20 players and staff members attended the series and took part in various baseball activities with their kids.
DOG DAYS
Kapler wasn’t much of a Phillies fan growing up, but his dog Pete was named after one of his favorite players: Pete Rose.
“Little black mutt terrier,” Kapler said. “He always bet on himself.”
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (2-1, 4.88 ERA) tries to win his third straight start. He has a 2-1 career mark against the Phillies and struck out 11 batters in one start against them in 2006.
Phillies: RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 5.87) makes his fourth start for the Phillies.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: April 19, 2018

NHL

Wednesday’s Scores
Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 0
[Penguins lead series 3-1]
Tampa Bay 3, New Jersey 1
[Lightning lead series 3-1]
Nashville 3, Colorado 2
[Predators lead series 3-1]
San Jose 2, Anaheim 1
[Sharks win series 4-0]

7:00pm
Boston at Toronto
[Bruins lead series 2-1]

7:30pm
Washington at Columbus
[Blue Jackets lead series 2-1]

MLB

Wednesday’s Scores
Pittsburgh 10, Colorado 2
Minnesota 2, Cleveland 1 (F/16)
Detroit 6, Baltimore 5
Milwaukee 2, Cincinnati 0
Oakland 12, Chi. White Sox 11 (F/14)
Tampa Bay 4, Texas 2
Toronto 15, Kansas City 5
Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 3
NY Mets 11, Washington 5
Boston 9, LA Angels 0
San Francisco 4, Arizona 3 (F/10)
Houston 7, Seattle 1
LA Dodgers 13, San Diego 4
St. Louis at Chi. Cubs PPD

1:10pm
Baltimore at Detroit

2:20pm
St. Louis at Chi. Cubs

3:40pm
Houston at Seattle

6:35pm
Toronto at NY Yankees

7:05pm
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia

7:35pm
NY Mets at Atlanta

8:10pm
Miami at Milwaukee

9:40pm
San Francisco at Arizona

10:07pm
Boston at LA Angels

NBA

Wednesday’s Scores
Cleveland 100, Indiana 97
[Series tied 1-1]
Utah 102, Oklahoma City 95
[Series tied 1-1]
Houston 102, Minnesota 82
[Rockets lead series 2-0]

7:00pm
Philadelphia at Miami
[Series tied 1-1]

9:00pm
Portland at New Orleans
[Pelicans lead series 2-0]

9:30pm
Golden State at San Antonio
[Warriors lead series 2-0]

Crosby leads Penguins past Flyers 5-0!!! Take 3-1 series lead!!!

Crosby leads Penguins past Flyers for 3-1 lead in playoffs
By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored his fifth goal of the series and became the Pittsburgh Penguins’ career postseason points leader in a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
The Penguins lead the first-round playoff series 3-1 as its shifts to Pittsburgh for Game 5.
Matt Murray stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the series and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins are a win away from playing in the second round for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
Crosby scored in the second period for a 4-0 lead and passed Pittsburgh owner and Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for most playoff points with 173. Crosby and the Penguins followed a 7-0 Game 1 win and a 5-1 Game 3 victory with another dominant outing.
The Flyers were already on their second goalie by the time Crosby scored. The Penguins chased Brian Elliott early in the period after the maligned goalie allowed his 14th goal of the series. Michal Neuvirth relived Elliott and it didn’t matter. Neuvirth lost track of the puck behind the net and had his head turned to the right when Crosby found it and snapped it under the goalie’s left skate.
The Flyers were confused. The Penguins were composed.
And it so it goes in Philly, the Flyers are on the brink of another empty season without the Stanley Cup.
Game 5 is Friday.
Both teams played without key cogs in their lineup: Sean Couturier (who had career highs with 31 goals and 76 points) was injured Tuesday at practice in a vicious collision with teammate Radko Gudas; the Pens played without top-line forward Patric Hornqvist because of an undisclosed injury.
Couturier, who had a goal and three points in the series, was missed.
“He’s been playing a lot of minutes for us. He plays every situation,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. “He brings a lot to this team.”
Giroux, who scored 102 points during the season, has not scored a posteason goal since 2014.
The Flyers pulled out all their good-luck charms.
The national champion Villanova Wildcats were in the house and star guard Phil Booth screamed “Are you ready for some hockey?”
Flyers fans heard the usual stirring rendition of “God Bless America,” live by Lauren Hart and on video by the late Kate Smith. The song has been a rallying anthem for the Flyers since Smith began singing it in the mid 1970s. Hart started the song, then looked up to the big screen and passed it off to Smith. They finished in a split-screen duet.
Once the pageantry settled down, the Penguins poured it on.
Crosby’s on-point pass on the power play led to Evgeni Malkin’s third goal of the playoff just 4:33 into the game. Phil Kessel scored his first of the postseason midway through the period. Kris Letang made it 3-0 in the second and that was all for Elliott.
Riley Sheahan made it 5-0 late in the third.
Murray was solid again, and stoned Travis Konency on a breakaway out of the penalty box in the second that had the second-year center slam his stick on the ice in anger.
NOTES: Couturier was named a Selke Trophy finalist as the league’s best defensive forward. … 2018 Olympic hockey gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando hosted a clinic and helped donate equipment on behalf of a volunteer effort at the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Snider was the Flyers founder and chairman until his death in 2016. … Crosby scored on all three goalies the Flyers have used in the series.

Ford announces switch to Mustang beginning at Daytona in ’19

Ford announces switch to Mustang beginning at Daytona in ’19
By The Associated Press
Ford is bringing its Mustang to NASCAR’s top series for the first time.
The American automaker said Tuesday the Mustang will replace the Fusion in the Monster Energy Cup Series beginning next February at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR team owner Roger Penkse slipped earlier this year, divulging that Ford would have a new body in 2019.
This will be Ford’s fourth Cup model in NASCAR’s modern era (since 1972), following the Thunderbird, the Taurus and the Fusion.
Mustang has competed in the second-tier Xfinity Series since 2011, winning championships in all but one season.
Mustang is still going through initial testing and will be formally submitted to NASCAR for approval this summer. A public unveiling of the finished product will follow.
Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports, says “we’re combining America’s favorite sports car with America’s top stock car racing series.” He adds that the “Mustang is a perfect fit for our racing heritage today and tomorrow.”
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More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org

Pirates pound the Rockies 10-2 to end two game slide!!!

Pirates avoid sweep, pound Rockies 10-2
By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sean Rodriguez hit a two-run home run that backed Chad Kuhl and helped the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 10-2 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Josh Bell drove in three runs and David Freese added a two-run double as Pittsburgh improved to 8-0 in day games. Adam Frazier had three of Pittsburgh’s 13 hits and backup catcher Elias Diaz added two hits.
Kyle Freeland (0-3) cruised through the first three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth. Freese worked a two-out walk off and Rodriguez followed with a shot that scraped over the wall in left field for his second home run of the season. Max Moroff added an RBI-double two batters later to put the Pirates up 3-1.
Freeland was pulled in favor of Scott Oberg after giving up singles to Adam Frazier and Jordy Mercer starting the fifth. Oberg couldn’t get out of the jam, surrendering an RBI single to Bell. Freese followed with a double to the gap in left-center.
Freeland was charged with five runs, six hits and two walks in four-plus innings.
Kuhl (2-1) surrendered Chris Iannetta’s solo home run in the third but otherwise kept Colorado’s struggling offense in check. Kuhl struck out four and walked three while giving up four hits. The NL Central-leading Pirates are the only team in the majors to have their starter work at least five innings in every game this season.
Colorado went 5-2 on a swing through Washington and Pittsburgh, thanks in large part to their pitching. The offense has struggled while third baseman Nolan Arenado served a five-game suspension for his role in a brawl with San Diego earlier this month.
Colorado entered last in the NL in batting (.215) and didn’t improve against Kuhl and two relievers.
The Rockies had just two extra base hits on Wednesday, or one more than newly acquired Pittsburgh reliever Enny Romero, who doubled in the eighth in his second big league at-bat. Romero also pitched two scoreless innings in his first appearance since being claimed off waivers from Washington last weekend.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: RF Carlos Gonzalez was replaced by Gerardo Parra in the fifth. There was no immediate word on why Gonzalez was removed. He made a sliding catch in a sinking liner by Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte leading off the bottom of the fourth.
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove is expected to throw 25-30 pitches during a bullpen session on Thursday as he works his way back from a strained right shoulder. If Musgrove gets through the session without an issues, he may throw another session over the weekend then do a simulated game before the team considers sending him out for rehab starts in the minors.
UP NEXT
Rockies: Begin a six-game homestand on Friday when the Chicago Cubs visit Coors Field. Jon Gray (1-3, 6.23 ERA) takes on Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 3.71).
Pirates: Head to Philadelphia for a four-game series with the Phillies starting Thursday. Jameson Taillon (2-0, 0.89) faces Jake Arrieta (1-0, 3.38).
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

BREAKING: Wrestling Legend Bruno Sammartino Dies at 82

Considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Bruno Sammartino died earlier today in Pittsburgh at the age of 82. Sammartino was one of the pioneer names in the Worldwide Wrestling Federation (now the WWE), and won multiple titles culminating into entering the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Sammartino had been a Pittsburgh resident since the 1960s.

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: April 18, 2018

NHL

Tuesday’s Scores
Washington 3, Columbus 2 (2OT)
[Blue Jackets lead series 2-1]
Winnipeg 2, Minnesota 0
[Jets lead series 3-1]
Vegas 1, Los Angeles 0
[Golden Knights win series 4-0]

7:00pm
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
[Penguins lead series 2-1]

7:30pm
Tampa Bay at New Jersey
[Lightning lead series 2-1]

10:00pm
Nashville at Colorado
[Predators lead series 2-1]

10:30pm
Anaheim at San Jose
[Sharks lead series 3-0]

MLB

Tuesday’s Scores
Colorado 2, Pittsburgh 0
Cleveland 6, Minnesota 1
Miami 9, NY Yankees 1
Toronto 11, Kansas City 3
Toronto 5, Kansas City 4 (F/10)
Detroit 4, Baltimore 2
Texas 7, Tampa Bay 2
Washington 5, NY Mets 2
Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 1 (F/10)
St. Louis 5, Chi. Cubs 3
Milwaukee 2, Cincinnati 0
Oakland 10, Chi. White Sox 2
Houston 4, Seattle 1
Arizona 1, San Francisco 0
Boston 10, LA Angels 1
LA Dodgers 7, San Diego 3 (F/12)

12:35pm
Colorado at Pittsburgh

1:10pm
Texas at Tampa Bay
Baltimore at Detroit

1:40pm
Cincinnati at Milwaukee

3:35pm
Chi. White Sox at Oakland

4:07pm
Kansas City at Toronto

7:00pm
Cleveland vs. Minnesota (at San Juan, PR)

7:10pm
Washington at NY Mets

7:35pm
Philadelphia at Atlanta

9:40pm
San Francisco at Arizona

10:07pm
Boston at LA Angels

10:10pm
LA Dodgers at San Diego
Houston at Seattle

PPD
St. Louis at Chi. Cubs

NBA

Tuesday’s Scores
Boston 120, Milwaukee 106
[Celtics lead series 2-0]
Toronto 130, Washington 119
[Raptors lead series 2-0]
New Orleans 111, Portland 102
[Pelicans lead series 2-0]

7:00pm
Indiana at Cleveland
[Pacers lead series 1-0]

8:00pm
Utah at Oklahoma City
[Thunder lead series 1-0]

9:30pm
Minnesota at Houston
[Rockets lead series 1-0]

Bucs drop 2nd straight losing 2-0 to the Rockies!!

Rockies’ Bettis, 3-relievers shut out Bucs at snowy PNC Park
By JOHN PERROTTO, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chad Bettis pitched into the eighth inning and combined with three relievers on a five-hitter, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on a snowy Tuesday night.
Bettis allowed five hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking two. Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee got the ball to Wade Davis, who pitched a perfect ninth for his NL-leading eighth save.
The Rockies improved to 5-1 on their seven-game trip to Washington and Pittsburgh and are 9-4 on the road overall.
The announced attendance was 8,869, but there appeared to be fewer than 2,000 fans at PNC Park. The Pirates offered ticket vouchers for games later in the season to fans who came through the turnstiles.
Trevor Williams (3-1) pitched six innings in short sleeves despite the 34 degree temperature at first pitch. He gave up two runs on four hits and has allowed five runs total in four starts this season.
Bettis has pitched at least five innings and given up two runs or fewer in each of his four starts this season. He has a 1.47 ERA in his past six starts, including his final two outings of 2017.
The Rockies opened the scoring in the first inning when Gerardo Parra drew a one-out walk, advanced to third on Charlie Blackmon’s single and scored on Carlos Gonzalez’s forceout grounder. Blackmon has eight RBIs in his last four games.
Rookie Ryan McMahon, who entered hitting .074, singled in a run in the fourth to make it 2-0.
The Pirates did not get a runner past first base until Jordy Mercer led off the eighth inning with a double. After Mercer moved to third on pinch-hitter Adam Frazier’s groundout, Bettis was replaced by Shaw.
Sean Rodriguez bounced to McMahon, the third baseman, who threw out Mercer at home. McGee then came on and induced Gregory Polanco to hit an inning-ending pop out.
Mercer had two hits as the Pirates lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Corey Dickerson popped out for the final out, ending his 11-game hitting streak.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: 2B Josh Harrison (broken left pinky) rejoined the team a day after being placed on the disabled list. Harrison has broken the same finger two seasons in a row when hit by pitches. “The odds of that have to be infinity-to-1,” Harrison said. … RHP Joe Musgrove (strained right shoulder) is scheduled to throw off the mound Thursday for the first time since going on the DL. He is scheduled to throw three bullpens before beginning a rehab assignment in the minor leagues.
UP NEXT
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Chad Kuhl (1-1, 5.74) on Wednesday. Freeland is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in two career starts. Kuhl has lost both career starts against Colorado with a 5.73 ERA.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball