Williams pitches 6 no-hit innings, Pirates edge Tigers 1-0

Williams pitches 6 no-hit innings, Pirates edge Tigers 1-0
By DAVE HOGG, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Trevor Williams was pulled with a no-hitter in progress after six innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates hung on to beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0 on a chilly Sunday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
Williams (1-0) threw 84 pitches, his count boosted by five walks, and was replaced by Michael Feliz to start the seventh. Nicholas Castellanos quickly ended the team no-hit bid with a one-out double down the left-field line.
George Kontos pitched the eighth and Felipe Rivero struck out the side in the ninth for his first save, finishing the combined two-hitter.
The doubleheader was caused by a rainout Saturday. This game drew 14,858 fans, the smallest crowd at Comerica Park since 12,415 saw the Tigers beat the Royals on May 2, 2006. Temperatures were expected to drop below freezing for the nightcap.
Williams has pitched 13 shutout innings in two career starts against the Tigers, allowing one hit. His effort came a day after Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson was taken out after throwing 102 pitches in six no-hit innings at Baltimore.
Michael Fulmer (0-1) gave up one run on four hits and two walks in eight innings, striking out three.
Gregory Polanco’s RBI double gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the first, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
The Tigers grounded into two double plays in the first three innings, then ran themselves out of the fourth with an inning-ending strikeout/caught stealing double play.
Williams walked two batters in the fifth, forcing action in the Pirates bullpen, but he escaped the inning with two flyballs. He pitched a 1-2-3 sixth before giving way to Feliz.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove threw 92 pitches in a Gulf Coast League game on Saturday and is expected to join the Pirates rotation later this week.
Tigers: RHP Mike Fiers (back) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday at Detroit’s extended spring training facility and could come off the disabled list later in the week.
UP NEXT
LHP Ryan Carpenter will make his major league debut for the Tigers in the second game, while RHP Chad Kuhl will pitch for the Pirates. Kuhl went 8-11 with a 4.35 ERA last season, allowing three runs in six innings of a win over the Tigers on Aug. 8.

Penguins rip Canadiens 5-2 to clinch playoff berth

  • Penguins rip Canadiens 5-2 to clinch playoff berth By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins’ quest for a three-peat is officially on. Patric Hornqvist picked up his 200th career goal and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions clinched their 12th straight playoff berth with a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
    Phil Kessel, Riley Sheahan, Conor Sheary and Carl Hagelin also scored for Pittsburgh, which dominated the largely listless Canadiens to improve to 17-1-1 in their last 19 games at PPG Paints Arena. Matt Murray finished with 24 saves for the Penguins, who swept their season series with Montreal for only the second time in franchise history.
    Jeff Petry and Jonathan Droui scored for the Canadiens, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Antti Niemi made 28 stops but Montreal couldn’t handle the league’s top-ranked power play.
    The Penguins went 3 for 5 with the man advantage, including Kessel and Sheahan scoring less than two minutes apart in the third period to blow open a one-goal game. Pittsburgh pulled within three points of first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals visit the Penguins on Sunday night.
    Niemi actually began the season as the Penguins’ top backup after Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to Las Vegas and Murray became fully entrenched at the top spot. The plan lasted all of a month. Niemi found himself on waivers in late October after going 0-3 with a 7.50 goals against average, all of the losses coming on the road.
    While Niemi has rediscovered his game in Montreal, perhaps it’s fitting the Penguins reached the postseason with their former teammate — however briefly it lasted — in the opposing net. Niemi’s awful numbers in Pittsburgh weren’t entirely his fault. Niemi’s struggles came in part to some lethargic play in front of him. Though coach Mike Sullivan claimed it wasn’t a hangover from two long postseason runs, the Penguins treaded for the first three months of the season before getting it going in January.
    The team Niemi faced on Saturday still has some issues in its own end, but the Penguins also have the kind of firepower few can match.
    The proof came during a 5-minute stretch in which they scored three goals. Sheary rifled a wrist shot from the slot into the net 9:41 into the first, just 59 seconds after Petry gave the Canadiens the lead. Hornqvist put Pittsburgh in front 37 seconds later with his 17th of the season and came in typical fashion for the bruising forward. He planted himself in front of the Montreal net and flipped home a backup past Price.
    Hagelin finished the barrage by banking the puck off Niemi’s back from behind the net. Though Drouin’s 13th of the season with 10 seconds left in the first brought Montreal within one, the Canadiens never really came close to tying it.
    Their best chance came in the third period but Artturi Lehkonen flubbed a shorthanded breakaway. The Penguins went back the other way and Kessel’s shot deflected off a Montreal player and into the net for his 31st.
    NOTES: Penguins F Derick Brassard missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. … Pittsburgh has won five straight overall against Montreal. … The Penguins are now 9-7-2 on the first night of back-to-backs this season. … Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby’s five-game goal streak ended, though he did have one assist. … The Penguins’ 12-year playoff run is a franchise record. The team reached the postseason 11 straight times from 1990-2001.
    UP NEXT
    Canadiens: Host New Jersey on Sunday. The teams have split their first two games, each winning on home ice.
    Penguins: will try to take the season series from Washington on Sunday night. Pittsburgh won two of the first three meetings.
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    More NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Bucs and Tigers washed out!!! Split Double header on Easter Sunday!!

The Pittsburgh Pirates game today in Detroit has been postponed.  There will be a split doubleheader tomorrow at 1:10pm and 6:10pm.  The Neal Huntington Show will still begin at 12:10.  Pre-game for the 1:10 game will be 12:45 on Beaver County Radio!!! We will not carry game two of the double header do to the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Washington Capitals. Air time is 7:00 p.m. .

Pirates win 13 to 10 in an extra innings thriller over Detroit!!!

Replay review saves Pirates, beat Tigers 13-10 in 13th
By NOAH TRISTER, AP Baseball Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Gregory Polanco hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 13-10 victory over Detroit on Friday — about an hour after the Tigers spilled onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a game-winning hit of their own.
Nicholas Castellanos was initially called safe at home in the bottom of the 10th for the Tigers, but a replay review took the run away and the teams played on. Polanco’s drive to right-center on a 3-0 pitch from Alex Wilson (0-1) finally gave the Pirates a comfortable lead — or as comfortable as could be on a wacky day in which both teams scored four runs in the ninth.
Detroit put two men on base in the 13th, but Steven Brault (1-0) was able to hold on and finish his third scoreless inning of relief.
By the time the 5-hour, 27-minute game was over, there were only three umpires and one manager left. Plate umpire Mike Everitt exited in the eighth with a concussion after being hit in the mask by a pitch. And Ron Gardenhire — in his first game as Tigers manager — was ejected after the overturned call in the 10th.
Detroit’s franchise-record streak of six straight wins in season openers was snapped.
This game was pushed back a day after it was postponed because of rain Thursday. The temperature was 36 degrees at the start.
The Tigers had the bases loaded and nobody out in the first and fifth but failed to score. They took a 2-0 lead in the second when Mikie Mahtook, Jose Iglesias and Dixon Machado led off with consecutive doubles.
Francisco Cervelli’s double highlighted a three-run fourth for Pittsburgh, and Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run double in a four-run seventh for the Tigers. The Pirates scored twice in the eighth to tie it at 6.
Starling Marte’s triple started a four-run ninth for Pittsburgh, but closer Felipe Rivero couldn’t finish the Tigers off in the bottom half. He allowed a two-run double to James McCann and was eventually pulled. Then Machado hit a two-run double off Josh Smoker with two outs to make it 10-all.
JaCoby Jones hit the single that briefly appeared to have scored Castellanos, but the play at the plate was close after a throw by left fielder Corey Dickerson. The Tigers celebrated for a bit, then stopped and waited in front of their own dugout while the call was reviewed.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Pittsburgh began the season with RHPs Nick Burdi (elbow surgery) and A.J. Schugel (shoulder discomfort) on the disabled list.
Tigers: RHPs Mike Fiers (lumbar strain) and Johnny Barbato (forearm strain) started the season on the DL. … Mahtook’s face appeared to scrape across the dirt on an awkward headfirst slide on his second-inning double, but he came up laughing and seemed fine.
UP NEXT
Detroit RHP Michael Fulmer (10-12, 3.83 ERA last season) starts Saturday against RHP Trevor Williams (7-9, 4.07). Last August, Williams allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings in a victory over the Tigers.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: March 30, 2018

NHL

Thursday’s Scores
Pittsburgh 4, New Jersey 3 (OT)
Detroit 6, Buffalo 3
Boston 4, Tampa Bay 2
Ottawa 3, Florida 2 (OT)
Minnesota 5, Dallas 2
Nashville 5, San Jose 3
Columbus 5, Calgary 1
Chicago 6, Winnipeg 2
Los Angeles 4, Arizona 2
Vancouver 2, Edmonton 1

7:00pm
Carolina at Washington
Toronto at NY Islanders
Tampa Bay at NY Rangers

9:00pm
Chicago at Colorado

10:00pm
Los Angeles at Anaheim

10:30pm
St. Louis at Vegas

MLB

Thursday’s Scores
Pittsburgh at Detroit PPD
Washington at Cincinnati PPD
NY Mets 9, St. Louis 4
Chi. Cubs 8, Miami 4
Baltimore 3, Minnesota 2 (F/11)
NY Yankees 6, Toronto 1
Houston 4, Texas 1
Oakland 6, LA Angels 5 (F/11)
Tampa Bay 6, Boston 4
Atlanta 8, Philadelphia 5
Milwaukee 2, San Diego 1 (F/12)
Chi. White Sox 14, Kansas City 7
Seattle 2, Cleveland 1
Arizona 8, Colorado 2
San Francisco 1, LA Dodgers 0

1:10pm
Pittsburgh at Detroit

4:10pm
Washington at Cincinnati

7:07pm
NY Yankees at Toronto

7:10pm
Chi. Cubs at Miami
Boston at Tampa Bay

7:35pm
Atlanta at Philadelphia

8:05pm
Houston at Texas

9:40pm
Colorado at Arizona

10:05pm
LA Angels at Oakland

10:10pm
Milwaukee at San Diego
San Francisco at LA Dodgers

NBA

Thursday’s Scores
Miami 103, Chicago 92
Detroit 103, Washington 92
San Antonio 103, Oklahoma City 99
Milwaukee 116, Golden State 107
Indiana 106, Sacramento 103

7:00pm
Chicago at Orlando

7:30pm
Philadelphia at Atlanta

8:00pm
New Orleans at Cleveland
Denver at Oklahoma City
Phoenix at Houston

8:30pm
Minnesota at Dallas

9:00pm
Memphis at Utah

10:30pm
LA Clippers at Portland
Milwaukee at LA Lakers

Crosby bats in OT goal, Penguins beat Devils 4-3!!!

Crosby bats in OT goal, Penguins beat Devils 4-3
By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Sidney Crosby batted his own rebound out of the air and into the net 19 seconds into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Devils 4-3 on Thursday night, denying New Jersey a sweep of the four-game season series.
Kris Letang stole Taylor Hall’s pass in the opening seconds in the Pittsburgh zone and sent Crosby on a semi-break the other way. His initial shot hit the goalpost, but then the star center pulled his hands in and swatted the puck out of the air — a fitting move on the opening day of baseball season. Crosby extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, including a similar goal against Montreal last Wednesday in which Crosby juggled the puck once on his stick before smacking it from just below shoulder height.
Conor Sheary, Letang and Patric Hornqvist also scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray made 28 saves.
Kyle Palmieri, Hall and Blake Coleman scored for the Devils, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Keith Kinkaid had 31 saves in losing for only the fourth time in his last 16 decisions (12-3-1).
The game was tied three times, with the Penguins getting a lucky bounce on Hornqvist’s 25th goal that tied it with 8:34 left in regulation. His shot from just inside the blue line went through a maze of players, hit the goalpost and then bounced off Kinkaid’s leg into the net.
Coleman had given the Devils the lead 5:11 into the third period. He stole a puck at the Penguins’ blue line, worked a give-and-go with Travis Zajac and then put the rebound of his own shot past Murray. It was his 12th goal of the season and third against Pittsburgh.
The game was tied 1-all after the first period and 2-all after the second.
Palmieri, who has four goals in his last three games, was sent on a breakaway by Nico Hischier and beat Murray between the pads at 12:19. Sheary tied it 25 seconds later after taking a cross-ice pass by Hornqvist and beating Kinkaid in close.
Letang, who has goals in two straight, put Pittsburgh ahead 6:59 into the second period, beating Kinkaid with a shot from low in the right circle.
Hall tied the game with a power-play goal from the right circle after rookie defenseman Will Butcher blocked a clearing pass at the point. It was his 34th goal.
NOTES: Hischier is the first Devils’ rookie to have 50 points in a season since Adam Henrique in 2011-12. … The Penguins now have four 25-goal scorers with Hornqvist joining Evgeni Malkin (42), Phil Kessel (30) and Crosby (28). It’s the first time since 2011-12. … RW Patrick Maroon returned to the Devils’ lineup after missing two games with a lower-body injury. … Rookie RW Jesper Bratt was a healthy scratch.
UP NEXT
Penguins: Host Montreal on Saturday.
Devils: Finish four-game home stand on Saturday against Islanders.
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More NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/Nhlhockey

Pro Sports Scores & Schedule: March 28, 2018

NHL

Tuesday’s Scores
Detroit 5, Pittsburgh 2
New Jersey 4, Carolina 3
Nashville 2, Minnesota 1 (SO)
St. Louis 3, San Jose 2 (OT)
NY Islanders 4, Ottawa 3
Winnipeg 5, Boston 4 (SO)
Columbus 7, Edmonton 3
Dallas 3, Philadelphia 2 (OT)
Vancouver 4, Anaheim 1

7:30pm
Florida at Toronto

8:00pm
NY Rangers at Washington

10:00pm
Arizona at Vegas
Philadelphia at Colorado

MLB Spring Training

Tuesday’s Scores
Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 5
Houston 8, Milwaukee 1
Detroit 2, Tampa Bay 1
Boston 4, Chi. Cubs 2
Seattle 5, Colorado 3
Cleveland 3, Arizona 3
Miami 22, Univ. Of Miami 2 (F/7)
Toronto 1, St. Louis 0
Minnesota 3, Washington 1
Atlanta 5, Braves Futures 4
LA Dodgers 4, LA Angels 3 (F/5)
San Francisco 3, Oakland 0

NBA

Tuesday’s Scores
Miami 98, Cleveland 79
Washington 116, San Antonio 106
Houston 118, Chicago 86
Toronto 114, Denver 110
Portland 107, New Orleans 103
Indiana 92, Golden State 81
Dallas 103, Sacramento 97
LA Clippers 105, Milwaukee 98

7:00pm
Cleveland at Charlotte
New York at Philadelphia
Brooklyn at Orlando

8:00pm
Atlanta at Minnesota
Portland at Memphis

9:30pm
Boston at Utah

10:00pm
LA Clippers at Phoenix

10:30pm
Dallas at LA Lakers