Category: Sports

Strome scores in OT to lift Rangers past Penguins 4-3

 

 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan Strome scored 2:09 into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 Saturday night in the regular-season finale.

Brendan Smith, Brady Skjei and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for New York, long eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight year. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 36 shots while starting for the second straight night. The Rangers snapped a three-game skid and won for just the fifth time in their final 21 games (5-10-6).

Sidney Crosby, Nick Bjugstad and Jake Guentzel scored for the Penguins, who earned a point to secure third-place in the Metropolitan Division and a matchup with the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. Matt Murray finished with 26 saves while starting g20 of Pittsburgh’s last 21 games.

Skjei and Namestnikov scored 1:16 apart to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 6:10 remaining in regulation. Namestnikov’s go-ahead goal was the 15th short-handed score allowed by Pittsburgh, tied for worst in the league.

However, Guentzel tied it with his 40th of the season with 2:35 to play, becoming the 20th player in franchise history to reach the mark. Crosby, who scored his 35th earlier in the game, had an assist on the play for his 100th point. Crosby reached the mark for the sixth time in his career, and first time since 2013-14.

Crosby opened the scoring at 6:36 of the first period when he converted a one-timer from Guentzel during a 2-on-1.

Smith tied it with 7:11 left in the opening period as he beat Murray on a partial breakaway following a turnover by Garrett Wilson at center ice.

Bjugstad put Pittsburgh in front 2-1 at 2:28 of the third. Marcus Pettersson’s point shot deflected off the stick of Patric Hornqvist and went to Bjugstad, who put the puck in near the left post for his 14th.

Skjei tied it with 7:26 to play when he beat Murray with a wrist shot from the slot during a 3-on-2 for his eighth.

NOTES: Pittsburgh recorded 100 points for the 10th time in the last 12 full seasons. … Penguins D Brian Dumoulin missed his third straight game, but he skated Saturday morning. … Guentzel joined Chris Kunitz as the only players other than Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to lead the team in goals during the Crosby and Malkin era. … Guentzel, Phil Kessel, and Jack Johnson played all 82 games for Pittsburgh. Kessel played in every game for the ninth consecutive year, a total of 774 straight games. Pettersson, who spent time in Anaheim this season, led the league in games played with 84 this season. Mika Zibanejad played in every game for New York.

UP NEXT

Rangers: End of season

Penguins: Open the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the New York Islanders.

Scoring Updates: Penguins vs. Rangers Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 7:00 pm.

 

 

 First Second Final 
Pittsburgh Penguins

113
New York Rangers114
GoalsPenguins:
Sidney Crosby (6:36)

Rangers:
Brendan Smith (12:49)		Penguins:
Jake Guentzel (17:25)
Nick Bjugstad (2:28)


Rangers:
Brady Skjei (12:34)
Vladislav Namestnikov (13:50)
Ryan Strome (OT) (2:09)

Bucs walk it off on a Newman doubles in 10th, Pirates beat Reds 6-5

Newman doubles in 10th, Pirates beat Reds 6-5
By ALAN SAUNDERS Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kevin Newman hit a game-ending double in the 10th inning, lifting the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 Saturday for their third straight win.
With one out in the 10th, Francisco Cervelli singled off Reds reliever Raisel Iglesias (0-2). Newman drove the first pitch he saw to the 410-foot left-center notch at PNC Park, and Cervelli easily beat the relay home. It was the first walkoff hit of Newman’s career.
Francisco Liriano (1-0) struck out two in the top half of the inning.
Joey Votto tied it in the eighth with his first home run of the year, a solo shot off Keone Kela. It was Kela’s second blown save in five appearances.
The Reds snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak, the team’s longest since 2015, when Kyle Farmer hit a two-run home run in the third. The blast was his first homer in his 64th career game.
Pirates starter Trevor Williams allowed four runs, three earned, and seven hits in six innings. Pirates starters had allowed just five earned runs in their first six games.
Starling Marte gave the Pirates the lead with his two-run double in the sixth inning.
Josh Bell had three extra-base hits for the first time in his career: an RBI double in the first, a double in the third and a solo home run in the fourth.
Pirates outfielder Jason Martin made his major league debut and got his first hit, first stolen base and scored his first run when Bell drove him in in the first inning. Martin finished 1 for 2 with a walk out of the leadoff spot.
Cincinnati starter Tanner Roark pitched five innings and allowed three runs and seven hits while striking out four.
SQUEEZED OUT
Newman attempted to score on Williams’ squeeze bunt in the second inning but was called out via replay. Roark barehanded the bunt, spun awkwardly and threw high to catcher Curt Casali. Newman was originally called safe, but video showed his front foot skipped over home plate, leaving Casali time to apply the tag.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RF Gregory Polanco (left shoulder surgery) and RHP Dovydas Neverauskas (left oblique strain) will both begin rehab assignments with Class A Bradenton on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafini (0-0, 1.80 ERA) will start the series finale Sunday. He allowed one run and struck out eight in five innings in his season debut against Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Pirates: Chris Archer (0-0, 0.00) had eight strikeouts in his first 2019 start against St. Louis on Monday, but it took him 99 pitches to get through five innings.
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Musgrove outduels Gray, Pirates hand Reds 3rd shutout in row

Musgrove outduels Gray, Pirates hand Reds 3rd shutout in row
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Musgrove allowed three hits in seven efficient innings to outduel Sonny Gray and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed the Cincinnati Reds their third straight shutout, 2-0 on Friday night.
Musgrove (1-0) struck out eight and walked one in his first start as Pittsburgh sent Cincinnati its sixth los in a row.
Cincinnati’s scoreless streak reached 28 innings when Felipe Vazquez retired Yaisel Puig to end it, the longest drought by the Reds since they went 30 innings without crossing the plate from Aug. 5-8, 2015. The Reds are hitting just .157 as a team.
Jung Ho Kang broke a scoreless tie in the seventh when he lined a double into the left-field corner, allowing Josh Bell to score from first. Adam Frazier added an RBI double in the eighth off Reds reliever Zach Duke.
Vazquez worked a perfect ninth for his second save.
Gray (0-2) dazzled in his second start for Cincinnati, retiring 16 straight at one point. Two of the three hits he allowed came in the seventh. Gray struck out seven without a walk in 6 2/3 innings.
Cincinnati is off to a 1-6 start, but pitching is not the issue. Gray’s performance dropped the Reds’ starters ERA to 2.16.
Gray arrived in January as part of Cincinnati’s offseason overhaul, an effort by the club to climb back into contention in the NL Central after four straight last-place finishes. His initial start for the Reds was forgettable. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Pirates, needing 71 pitches to record eight outs.
Things were far different five days later at chilly PNC Park. Mixing speed and location effectively, Gray allowed a single to Francisco Cervelli with two outs in the first but Pittsburgh didn’t get another runner on base until Starling Marte led off the seventh with a single.
Marte advanced to third on a wild pitch and a groundout but was nailed at the plate when he hesitated running home on Bell’s sharp grounder to draw-in second baseman Jose Peraza.
Gray couldn’t take advantage of the reprieve. Kang laced a double to the left-field corner and Bell chugged all the way around to score from first without a throw.
Considering the state of Cincinnati’s offense and Pittsburgh’s starting pitching, it was enough.
Musgrove continued a string of dominant efforts by Pirates starters. The Reds never reached third base, their best chance coming in the first when Joey Votto doubled with one out. Puig followed with a liner to second baseman Adam Frazier. Votto, who ran at the crack of the bat, was easily doubled off to end the inning.
Musgrove cruised from there as the ERA by Pittsburgh’s starters dropped to 1.25.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Kyle Crick was placed on the 10-day injured list with tightness in his right triceps. Pittsburgh called up OF Jason Martin to take Crick’s roster spot.
UP NEXT
Reds: Tanner Roark (0-1, 6.23 ERA) makes his second start for the Reds on Saturday. Roark, acquired in an offseason trade with Washington, allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to Milwaukee last Monday.
Pirates: Trevor Williams (1-0, 0.00) will look to back up the six shutout innings he tossed last Sunday against Cincinnati when he makes his second start of the season.
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Lyles, Pirates bullpen combine to blank Reds 2-0

Lyles, Pirates bullpen combine to blank Reds 2-0
By ALAN SAUNDERS Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jordan Lyles became the latest Pittsburgh starter to open the season with a stellar effort.
Lyles threw five effective innings in his Pirates debut, a 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday night.
Lyles, who played for San Diego and Milwaukee last year, allowed three hits, walked three and struck out two. He was activated from the injured list before the game after being out with discomfort on his right side.
“It’s a good start to get things going,” he said. “Five innings, not thrilled about that. . Going forward, definitely going to look for going deeper into games, but overall, not complaining about some scoreless innings.”
Through five games, the Pirates starting pitchers have allowed an MLB-low five runs and hold a 1.55 ERA.
Despite extraordinary starting pitching, the Pirates improved to just 2-3 this year. The Pirates’ bullpen blew back-to-back saves in two games against St. Louis and had a 5.79 ERA entering play Thursday.
But Nick Kingham, Richard Rodriguez and Felipe Vazquez combined for four scoreless innings as the Pirates recorded their second shutout of the season.
Kingham (1-0) pitched two innings of relief, conceding two hits and striking out two. Rodriguez bounced back with a shutout inning after being scored upon in his first two outings of the season.
Vazquez escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the ninth to earn his first save of the season by striking out three.
“It was well-executed game plan by our pitchers and they all deserve some credit,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
With one out in the seventh, Melky Cabrera singled and was replaced by pinch-runner Pablo Reyes. A single and Kevin Newman’s infield dribbler back to pitcher David Hernandez (0-1) made it 1-0. Cabrera finished with three hits.
Reds starter Tyler Mahle threw six scoreless innings in his season debut. He allowed five hits and struck out five without a walk.
Josh Bell singled home Starling Marte with an insurance run in the eighth.
POWER OUTAGE
Both of the Pirates shutouts have come against Cincinnati, and the Reds have been blanked three times in total on the season, including two straight games as they lost 1-0 to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
They managed six hits against the four Pittsburgh pitchers and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. The Reds are hitting an NL-worst .169.
“We had some good at-bats. We hit the ball hard. So we’re going to focus on that,” manager David Bell said. “It’s going to turn. We just really need to stay confident. The great thing is that our pitching is doing a great job. Tyler Mahle was outstanding tonight. If we continue to do that, we believe everything’s going to turn around.”
Center fielder Scott Schebler, who went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk, agreed with his manager’s assessment.
“This is not a team that gets shut out very often, at least in the past it has not been,” he said. “I feel like we’re getting a little unlucky on some hard-hit balls and we’re just not stringing anything together.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: LF Corey Dickerson was put on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder sprain.
UP NEXT
Reds: RHP Sonny Gray (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will make his second straight start against Pittsburgh on Friday. Gray lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs against the Pirates in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (0-0, 0.00) will make his first start and second appearance of the season. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief against the Reds on Sunday.
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Penguins lock up playoff berth with 4-1 win over Red Wings

Penguins lock up playoff berth with 4-1 win over Red Wings
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — So much for the slow start. The seemingly endless string of injuries to bold-faced names, to the ones that left the Pittsburgh Penguins drifting aimlessly for long stretches.
Then March came. April, too. And the Penguins did what they always seem to do when the number of games dwindles and the stakes rise. They found themselves in time to reach the playoffs.
The proof came over three periods against Detroit on Thursday night. Phil Kessel regained his scoring touch. Sidney Crosby threw his body — and the puck — into the net. Matt Murray swung the momentum with sprawling save on a breakaway and Pittsburgh extended the NHL’s longest postseason streak to 13 years and counting with a 4-1 victory over the Red Wings.
“It’s not easy,” said Crosby, who finished with a goal and two assists. “You can see it comes down to Game 81. There are a lot of things that happened over the course of the year. It’s difficult. It’s a tight league and you have to earn it.”
Something the Penguins have done better than any other team in the NHL since 2007, a stretch that includes three Stanley Cups and an appearance in a Cup final. While they’ll hardly be among the favorites when the Eastern Conference quarterfinals begin next week, they have a shot. Considering where they were at various times over the last six months — from Murray’s early struggles to injuries to Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Justin Schultz and Olli Maatta among other — they’ll take it.
“I believe in this group,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “When we play the game the right way, I think we can compete with any team in the league. We have difference makers in the lineup. … I believe this group is capable of great things.”
For the first time in a while, the pieces are in place. Malkin picked up an assist in his return from an eight-game absence due to an upper-body injury. Letang skated a team-high 25:52 in just his fourth game since Feb. 23, thanks to an upper-body injury of his own. Their presence gives the Penguins depth and offensive firepower few in the league can match.
“I think the impact they have is huge,” Sullivan said. “Both guys are just, they’re dominant players. It just changes the whole dynamic of our team.”
Particularly when the Penguins are on the power play. Pittsburgh scored twice against the Red Wings with the man advantage, with both goals coming from the top group. Kessel’s tap-in from the left post at 18:18 of the first period put the Penguins in front to stay. Crosby’s jam from in close at 6:36 of the third period — a shot that came as he was being dumped into the net — ended a 10-game goal drought for the captain and drained the final minutes of any tension, a small respite at the end of a draining slog of a season.
Matt Puempel scored his first NHL goal in more than two years for the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard finished with 43 saves, but couldn’t quite duplicate his spectacular performance in a victory over the Penguins on Tuesday as Detroit’s six-game winning streak came to a halt.
“If you have Malkin and Letang back in your lineup, you’re a much better team (and) it creates real hard matchups on the road especially when we’re thin to begin with,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “And I don’t think our best players were as good as they have been. They’ve been excellent through this stretch.”
One the Red Wings — who will miss the playoffs for the third straight year after making it every season from 1991-2016 — hope they can carry forward next fall.
The Penguins have more pressing matters, like trying to bolster their postseason position. A win over the New York Rangers on Saturday assures Pittsburgh of a meeting with the New York Islanders in the opening round. A loss and a victory by Carolina and the Penguins would drop to the top wild-card spot and face Washington for a fourth straight year.
There are far worse problems to have. For a few moments Thursday, they tried to enjoy a moment that has become a rite of spring for the franchise for more than a decade, even if the path this time proved bumpier than usual. Not that it matters now. The playoffs offer a chance to reset, a button the Penguins are eager to push.
“I think we have a good team here,” Kessel said. “We’ll see who we play coming up. We’ll give it our all.”
NOTES: Penguins C Matt Cullen played in his 1,515th game, passing Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman for 19th on the NHL’s all-time list. … Detroit F Tyler Bertuzzi was held without a point to end his franchise-record streak of games with at least three points at four. … The Red Wings went 1 for 2 on the power play. The Penguins were 2 for 4.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Wrap up 2018-19 at home Saturday against Buffalo.
Penguins: Finish the regular season at home against the New York Rangers on Saturday.
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Pirates bullpen blows another lead. Bucs fall to Cards 5-4 in ten.

Cardinals rally past Pirates again, 5-4 in 10 innings
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Shildt would prefer to not have his team consistently find itself in a spot where it’s forced to rally.
At the moment, though, the St. Louis Cardinals manager isn’t arguing with the results. At least when the Cardinals are facing Pittsburgh’s wobbly bullpen.
Tyler O’Neill capped another rally by driving in Kolten Wong for the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as St. Louis surged past the Pirates 5-4 on Wednesday night. Two days after coming back from four runs down to spoil Pittsburgh’s home opener, St. Louis took advantage of another shaky performance by Pirate relievers.
“It’s not a position we want to get into, but it’s a position we obviously don’t panic about,” Shildt said. “This group always knows they can play the game and compete. We actually bear down a little bit more.”
Harrison Bader hit a two-run homer off Keone Kela in the eighth to tie the game at 3. Wong led off the 10th with a triple against Nick Burdi (0-1) and scored when O’Neill followed two batters later with a sharp single to right. Bader pushed the lead two when he scored on a wild pitch by Francisco Liriano.
“It just shows us that we’re a bloop and a blast away from being in every game,” Bader said.
John Gant (2-0) worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the win. Dakota Hudson collected his first major league save when he stranded the tying run at third. Paul DeJong added a solo home run for St. Louis, which finished 3-3 on a season-opening six-game road trip.
“We’re never going to give in,” said Wong, who is hitting .476 (10 for 21) through the first week of the season. “We’ve been like this since I’ve got to the Cardinals and I think this year isn’t an exception.”
PIRATES SPUTTER AGAIN
Adam Frazier had three hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Jung Ho Kang hit his first home run in 2½ years for Pittsburgh. The Pirates went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Jameson Taillon dominated the Cardinals for seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and spent 87 pitches keeping the Cardinals off balance. St. Louis needed to see just six pitches from Kela to pull even. Kela, who walked in the tying run on Monday, inherited a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth. He threw four straight balls to Wong, then saw his second offering to Bader end up in the Cardinals bullpen beyond the wall in center field.
“When the guys come in and get outs, it always looks good,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “When they don’t, it doesn’t look good. But there was an opportunity for us on offense to do a lot more tonight.”
KANG’S LONG ROAD
Kang’s drive to the first row of seats in left field against St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas was the 37th of his career and his first since Oct. 1, 2016. Kang missed all of 2017 after pleading guilty to DUI in his native South Korea and appeared in just three games last September.
Kang, who hit seven home runs during spring training, said through a translator he was upset after grounding into a double play with the bases loaded in the first. He was “prepared” to hit a home run when he dug in in the third against Mikolas.
“I think he’s working to get in a very good spot, offensively and defensively,” Hurdle said. “He’s working on both sides of the ball. We’re aware that it’s been (a long time). … We like having him on our team.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: LF Marcell Ozuna will have an MRI on Thursday after being scratched due to discomfort in his right side. Jose Martinez filled in and went 0 for 5.
Pirates: LF Corey Dickerson did not start due to soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder. He grounded out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. … C Elias Diaz (illness) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Bradenton on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Head home for the first time this season and welcome San Diego for a three-game series at Busch Stadium starting Friday. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday before being pushed back due to weather concerns. Jack Flaherty (0-0, 8.31 ERA) starts for the Cardinals against Nick Margevicius (0-1, 1.80).
Pirates: Begin a four-game home set with Cincinnati on Thursday. Jordan Lyles makes his first start for the Pirates against Tyler Mahle. The teams split a two-game series in Cincinnati last weekend.
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Pens fall to Redwings 4-1

Bertuzzi stays hot as Red Wings beat Penguins 4-1
By PAUL HARRIS Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins came up empty when they tried to clinch a playoff spot on Tuesday night.
Tyler Bertuzzi led the way for the Detroit Red Wings once again.
Bertuzzi had two goals and an assist, and Detroit beat Pittsburgh 4-1 for its sixth consecutive victory.
The 24-year-old Bertuzzi became the first player in franchise history with four consecutive three-point games. He has five goals and eight assists during a five-game point streak.
“I think I’m still a little shocked right now. I haven’t comprehended it yet but it’s something special,” Bertuzzi said. “Like I’ve said before, I can’t thank my teammates enough, my linemates for that run.”
Detroit (32-38-10) also got two goals from Anthony Mantha, who has five goals and seven assists during a six-game point streak. Dylan Larkin had three assists, and Jimmy Howard made 38 saves.
The Red Wings also announced a two-year contract extension for coach Jeff Blashill on Tuesday morning. This was the final season of Blashill’s four-year deal.
Phil Kessel scored for Pittsburgh, and Matt Murray stopped 22 shots.
“We have to have a short memory,” Murray said. “This game is over and now we’ve got to get a win and get ourselves locked into the postseason.”
The Penguins (43-26-11) are third in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the New York Islanders and two points ahead of Carolina. They have two games left on the schedule.
Bertuzzi’s second goal put Detroit ahead to stay with 9:34 left in the second period. He beat Murray from the bottom of the left circle for his 21st of the season.
Mantha made it 3-1 with 8:39 left in the third when he outraced Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson for Larkin’s high flip pass in the Pittsburgh zone for a partial breakaway. He added an empty-netter with 2:24 left to tie his career high of 24 goals.
Detroit jumped in front on an unusual goal with 9:40 left in the first.
It originally appeared that Murray had made a spectacular glove save on Bertuzzi’s one-timer from the bottom of the right circle at an apparent wide-open side of the net.
But it went to review, after the next play stoppage, and the overhead replay showed the puck in Murray’s glove but completely over the goal line. The play was ruled a goal after a two-to-three minute process.
Kessel tied the game with 22 seconds left in the opening period when he tapped one in from the bottom of the right circle off a feed from Sidney Crosby on a 2-on-1 rush. It was Kessel’s 25th goal.
NOTES: Among the players who remain out for Pittsburgh are C Evgeni Malkin (upper body), who missed his eighth game, and D Kris Letang (upper body), who sat out his fourth game. … Detroit recalled D Joe Hicketts from AHL Grand Rapids on Monday after D Danny DeKeyser suffered a lower-body injury in Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
UP NEXT
The Penguins and Red Wings play again on Thursday in Pittsburgh.