Category: Sports

Pirates’ Harrison to undergo further evaluation on hand after being hit by pitch yesterday!!!

Pirates’ Harrison to undergo further evaluation on hand
MIAMI (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison will undergo further evaluation Monday after leaving their game at Miami when he was hit on the left hand by a 96-mph fastball from Jose Urena.
Tests are planned when the team returns home.
“I’ve got to get back to Pittsburgh to see the doctors,” Harrison said. “There’s a little bit of pain.”
The Pirates’ leadoff hitter, Harrison is batting .263 with one homer and five RBIs. He came into the game Sunday leading the team with 12 runs.
Harrison missed the final month of the 2017 season after being hit by a pitch on the same hand. He was hit 23 times last year to rank second in the majors.
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Former Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison Announces his retirement!!!

BREAKING NEWS:     Longtime Steelers linebacker James Harrison retires
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison is taking a second crack at retirement.
The five-time Pro Bowler and 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year announced on Instagram early Monday that he is stepping away from the game following a 15-year career.
Harrison, who turns 40 next month, posted a collage of pictures of his two sons and noted he’s “missed way too much for way too long … and I’m done.”
Harrison played nearly his entire career with the Steelers and the 84.5 sacks he collected while wearing black-and-gold are a franchise record. He spent the 2013 season in Cincinnati and signed with New England late last season, appearing in all three playoff games for the Patriots, including their Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia.
This is the second time Harrison has called it quits. He retired briefly in September 2014 only to be lured back to the Steelers. He remained productive into his late 30s, registering at least five sacks from 2014-16.
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Crosby scores goal, leads Penguins to 5-1 Game 3 over Flyers!!! Pens take 2-1 Series lead!!!

Crosby scores goal, leads Penguins to 5-1 Game 3 over Flyers
By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists and Matt Murray stopped 26 shots to help the Pittsburgh Penguins silence a raucous Philadelphia crowd and beat the Flyers 5-1 on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Two of the so-called fiercest rivals in the NHL have provided three lopsided games: Pittsburgh’s 7-0 win in Game 1 and Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory in Game 2 could about qualify as nail-bitters in this series.
Game 3 is Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
Crosby scored his fourth goal of the series in the first period, and Derick Brassard, Evgeni Malkin and Brian Dumoulin scored in the second to make it 4-0. Malkin and Dumoulin scored 5 seconds apart.
Justin Schultz made it 5-1 in the third on Pittsburgh’s third power-play goal of the game.
Brian Elliott, yanked in Game 1, had another rough outing and might need to borrow fellow Wells Fargo Center tenant Joel Embiid’s black mask to have a better look at the puck.
The Flyers haven’t won a playoff series since 2012 and pulled out all the theatrical stops in their return to the postseason after a one-year absence. Light-up bracelets flickered in the darkened arena and another packed house roared “Crosby sucks! Crosby sucks!”
Here’s the thing Philly fans haven’t realized, he really doesn’t — and especially not against the Flyers.
Crosby, who has 93 points in 63 career regular-season games against Philly, shut up the orange-and-black die-hards with a wraparound goal off a turnover midway through the first.
Crosby had a hat trick in Game 1 and the three-time Stanley Cup champion showed no sign of easing up.
Flyers fans even stuck photos of the hated Crosby inside the urinals throughout the arena that had to guarantee they were more on target with their shots than anyone on the home team’s roster.
The Flyers ran a video package full of bloody fights, big goals and memorable moments between the teams through the years with a “Bitter Rivals” caption. The Penguins could have just looked in their reflection from the 2016 and 2017 Cups and shrugged off the idea the Flyers are in their league.
Brassard scored on the power play just 2:48 into the second. Then came back-to-back stunning goals that put the icing on the urinal cake: Malkin scored on a one-timer and Dumoulin off the faceoff beat Elliott through the five-hole for a 4-0 lead. Crosby had both assists, naturally.
At that point, each team had 12 shots.
The Flyers, who played more like the team that lost 10 straight games over November-December, had no shot at pulling off the comeback. Travis Sanheim scored late in the third for the Flyers’ lone goal.
Notes: Flyers great Bobby Clarke was at the game. So was former Flyers captain Peter Forsberg. … Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons was in the house. The Sixers have won 17 straight games. Fans started chanting “Trust the Process!” as the game turned into a rout. … Philadelphia’s 22 wins at home during the regular season were the fewest of any team in the NHL playoffs.
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Larson leads at Bristol; race postponed to Monday

Larson leads at Bristol; race postponed to Monday
By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Larson will have to wait another day to try to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.
The race at Bristol Motor Speedway was postponed until Monday because of heavy rain with Larson out in front. Racing was halted three times Sunday due to wet weather.
Action is scheduled to resume Monday at 1 p.m.
Larson led 74 laps when the race was halted on lap 204, just 46 laps from it becoming official. NASCAR hopes to complete all remaining 296 laps, although the forecast calls for more rain and possibly snow.
Larson seemed to have found his groove on the track before the third and final red flag came out. NASCAR waited about an hour before officially postponing the race with a forecast of steady rain for the remainder of Sunday night.
“It’s hard to get a rhythm with all the rain and stuff and then getting out of your car and getting back in,” Larson said.
Larson liked the speed of his car, but said the track was slick.
“There is only a little line there on the bottom that has got some grip,” said Larson, who normally likes to run on the high side of the Bristol track. “If you get out of it, it’s slick. If you get below it, it’s slick. So, it’s been fun, but it’s kind of hard to guess where you need to position your car there for a little while.”
Some drivers won’t have to worry about coming back Monday.
Ryan Blaney was dominant early in the No. 12 Ford, leading 99 laps of the first 119 laps before getting caught up in wreck that left his car in shambles.
It happened on turn three when Chris Buescher and Trevor Bayne, who were fighting to stay on the lead lap, got tangled up in front of Blaney, leaving him nowhere to maneuver.
His car was taken behind the wall, ending his day.
“By the time I got away from the car right in front of me they were already turned right up the race track and I was already going to the top,” of the track,” Blaney said. “I kind of saw them spinning low and I thought that top was going to be OK and then they slid back up and got us. That stinks. I thought we had a good car and nothing to show for it.”
Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, Harrison Rhodes and Ross Chastain also are out of the race.
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Marte’s 5 hits help Pirates beat Marlins 7-3!!!

Marte’s 5 hits help Pirates, Nova beat Marlins 7-3
By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) — Starling Marte hiked his average 64 points Sunday, punctuating a 5-for-5 afternoon with a ninth-inning homer to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 7-3.
Marte’s five hits were a career high, and his average rose from .241 to .305. He scored four times and hit his third homer off Junichi Tazawa.
The surprising Pirates (11-4) improved to 7-0 in day games, completed a 4-2 trip and head home atop the NL Central.
Both teams kept their tempers in check even as two Pirates and one Marlins batter were hit by pitches. Pittsburgh second baseman Josh Harrison left in the third inning complaining of pain in his left hand after being hit by a 96 mph fastball from Jose Urena.
Ivan Nova (2-1) recovered from a wobbly start to pitch 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs and struck out nine, his highest total since 2016.
Nova improved to 3-0 in three career starts against the Marlins with an ERA of 1.66. Justin Bour ended his afternoon with a pinch-hit, two-run homer.
Miami started the game with three consecutive singles to load the bases, but scored only once in the first — on Brian Anderson’s groundout.
After Harrison’s injury, Nova hit JB Shuck in the hip later that same inning, and Marlins reliever Odrisamer Despaigne plunked Francisco Cervelli on the left hand in the seventh. Despaigne appeared to apologize as Cervelli trotted to first base, and the Pittsburgh catcher responded with a conciliatory wave.
Josh Bell had three hits and three RBIs for the Pirates. Corey Dickerson drove in a pair of runs, had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Urena (0-3) allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings. After four starts, the Marlins’ ace has an ERA of 5.57.
The Pirates bunched four hits to score three times against Urena in the third inning. Bell put Pittsburgh ahead with a double that deflected off the glove of a diving Derek Dietrich at first base, and Dickerson followed with an RBI single.
The Marlins (4-11) went 1-5 on their homestand.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: C J.T. Realmuto (back) is expected to come off the disabled list and make his season debut sometime during the upcoming 10-day trip. Manager Don Mattingly didn’t rule out Realmuto returning for the series against the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday. … 3B Martin Prado (hamstring) is close to beginning a rehab assignment, Mattingly said.
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (right shoulder strain) might advance to a bullpen session as early as Tuesday, manager Clint Hurdle said.
UP NEXT
Pirates: LHP Steven Brault (2-0, 3.46 ERA) is scheduled to start when the Pirates begin a three-game homestand Monday against Colorado and RHP German Marquez (0-1, 4.97).
Marlins: LHP Caleb Smith (0-1, 4.73) is on the mound when the Marlins begin a three-city trip Monday at Yankee Stadium. New Miami CEO and former Yankees captain Derek Jeter has said he will not attend the games in New York.
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Pirates’ Josh Harrison leaves game after being hit by pitch!!!

Pirates’ Josh Harrison leaves game after being hit by pitch
MIAMI (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison has left his team’s game at Miami after being hit on the left arm by a 96-mph fastball from Jose Urena.
Harrison appeared to be hit on the protective guard covering his elbow. He walked slowly to first base, but after consulting with a trainer he left the game.
The Pirates’ leadoff hitter, Harrison is batting .263 with one homer and five RBIs. He came into the game Sunday leading the team with 12 runs.
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Dickerson bunt single in 9th lifts Pirates over Marlins 1-0

Dickerson bunt single in 9th lifts Pirates over Marlins 1-0
By CHRISTOPHER STOCK, Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — Corey Dickerson’s bunt single in the ninth inning scored the only run and the Pittsburgh Pirates won a game of small ball, beating the Miami Marlins 1-0 on Saturday night.
Pirates starter Jameson Taillon and Miami counterpart Trevor Richards kept the game scoreless into the later innings.
Brad Ziegler (0-3) retired the first batter in the Pittsburgh ninth before Starling Marte reached on a bunt hit. Josh Bell followed with an infield hit that sent Marte to third,
Dickerson then popped up a bunt that landed between Ziegler and second baseman Starlin Castro, allowing Marte to score. Dickerson is 16 for 36 (.444) with nine RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.
The Pirates had just two hits, both by Francisco Cervelli, entering the ninth. Pittsburgh improved to 10-4 to start the season.
A crowd of 26,816 watched the pitching duel.
George Kontos (1-1) worked a scoreless inning in relief and Felipe Vazquez tossed a flawless ninth for his fifth save in five opportunities.
Taillon threw six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 0.89 in three starts, and has thrown 15 consecutive shutout innings. He allowed four hits and three walks, striking out two.
Richards pitched seven scoreless innings allowed two hits and one walk. He struck out two while throwing 49 of his 82 pitches for strikes.
Miami stranded a runner on third base in the second, fourth, and eighth innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: C J.T. Realmuto (back) homered in his first rehab assignment with Single-A Jupiter on Saturday. . RHP Dan Straily (forearm) is scheduled to make his second rehab start on Wednesday with Single-A Jupiter. . LHP Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) threw three innings in an extended spring game on Thursday. . 3B Martin Prado (hamstring) played five innings in an extended spring game on Friday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (1-1, 5.19 ERA) will start the series finale on Sunday. Nova has won both of his starts against the Marlins without allowing an earned run in 15 innings.
Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (0-2, 5.06) has allowed six runs in 15 innings for a 3.60 ERA since allowing three runs in the first inning to the Cubs on opening day.

Flyers beat Penguins 5-1 in Game 2 to tie series

Flyers beat Penguins 5-1 in Game 2 to tie series
By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — His team embarrassed by the defending Stanley Cup champions in a lopsided playoff-opening loss, Philadelphia Flyers coach Dave Hakstol could have panicked. Instead, he doubled down.
No switching up the lines. No swapping the goaltenders. Nothing. Hakstol didn’t think changes were necessary. As ugly as getting blown out by Pittsburgh in Game 1 looked, it felt even worse. That was motivation enough. No personnel changes necessary.
“It was pretty tough for us to walk out of the rink a couple nights ago,” Hakstol said. “That wasn’t us.”
This was.
Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots and Flyers cooled off the Penguins 5-1 on Friday night to even the first-round series at a game apiece.
“Said it coming in, nobody is really giving us a serious chance in this series,” Hakstol said. “I don’t know if anybody still will. I do know this, we’ve got it down to a five-game series and we introduced ourselves into this series tonight.”
Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Andrew McDonald and Nolan Patrick also scored for the Flyers. Two nights after getting crushed 7-0, Philadelphia responded by keeping Pittsburgh stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in check and taking advantage of what few chances it produced against Matt Murray to beat the Penguins for the first time this season.
“For all the doubters out there, there you go,” Flyers forward Claude Giroux said.
Game 3 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh’s lone goal with just over 5 minutes left to avoid the shutout, but the Penguins looked ordinary for long stretches after looking unstoppable in the opener.
Pittsburgh outshot the Flyers 35-20, a number that didn’t include a pair of shots that hit the post early or Crosby fanning on a wide-open net in the waning seconds of the second period. Elliott, pulled in the middle of the second period in Game 1, also stoned Crosby on a breakaway earlier in the second.
“You always look back and there are the ‘what ifs’ but that happens sometimes,” Crosby said. “We just have to stay with it. That’s the way the playoffs work.”
Matt Murray’s shutout streak dating to the 2017 Stanley Cup finals ended at 225:49 when Gostisbehere scored on the power play late in the first period. Murray finished with 15 saves to lose for just the third time in 17 home playoff starts in his career.
The Flyers struggled to sustain pressure on Murray but took advantage of what few opportunities they created. Philadelphia went on the power play late in the first period when Pittsburgh’s Zach Aston-Reese was called for boarding and the Flyers — who didn’t even manage a shot on net during four power plays in Game 1 — needed just one to take the lead.
Gostisbehere sent a shot from the point that made its way through a Patrick screen, between Murray’s legs and into the net with 37 seconds left in the opening period to end the fourth-longest playoff shutout streak since 1990.
It didn’t take the Flyers nearly as long to beat Murray again. Less than two minutes actually.
Murray actually managed to get his right pad on Couturier’s shot from in front but the puck popped up, caromed off Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang and into the net 47 seconds into the second.
The Penguins began pressing but Elliott responded. Crosby broke in alone just past the game’s midway point but Elliott’s glove swallowed up the Pittsburgh captain’s backhand attempt. Late in the second, Crosby needed to simply redirect the puck into the net while standing at the right post. Instead, it skittered straight across the goal mouth and out of harm’s way. Crosby smashed his stick over the crossbar in frustration.
“If I find a way to put that one in, it’s 2-1, it’s a different game,” Crosby said. “So, that one and the breakaway was the big turning point in the game.”
When Konecny held off Chad Ruhwedel and chipped the puck over Murray’s glove 1:21 into the third the Flyers had control. Just over 18 minutes later they had their first victory Pittsburgh in 383 days to go home with the series even.
“It was a little weird last game,” Elliot said. “I think this game we really came out and everybody played their role really well. We played a great team game.”
NOTES: Letang went to the dressing room for the majority of the second period after Giroux slammed into him just seconds after Crosby and Giroux collided. Giroux was not called for a penalty and Letang returned for the third period. … Pittsburgh went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Flyers were 2 for 3. … Amanda Kessel, a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2018 Olympics and the younger sister of Penguins forward Phil Kessel, led the sellout crowd at PPG Paints Arena in a “Let’s Go Pens” chant before the opening faceoff.
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Bucs lose to Marlins 7-2!!!

By CHRISTOPHER STOCK, Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — JB Shuck couldn’t help but smile when he got to first base with his career-high fourth hit of the game.
Playing in the big leagues for the first time since 2016, Shuck tied a Marlins franchise record for hits in a debut, sparking Miami to a 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
“It was a good feeling to get back, have some good at-bats, get some hits, and it was just a loosening-up moment,” Shuck said.
Shuck’s night started with a triple off the right-field wall. He followed with three singles and scored twice.
“That was nice to get a little shot in the arm from JB there,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “Didn’t really expect four, but we liked what we saw in spring training.”
Justin Bour homered and drove in two runs and Miguel Rojas added three hits for the Marlins, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
“Getting a big win like that, that was a pretty good first day,” Shuck said.
Miami posted season highs in runs and in hits with 14.
“I think the offense has been pretty good. We’ve been putting pretty good at-bats together,” Rojas said.
Dillon Peters (2-1) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings.
Chad Kuhl (1-1) worked five innings and allowed 11 hits and five runs, four of them earned.
“Flares and bloops, balls that were hit hard didn’t have the angles, kind of singled to death,” Kuhl said.
The Pirates, who entered leading the NL in batting, slugging and runs scored, were held to five hits.
“We got in offensive counts like we have all season,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “(Peters’s) fastball was just beating us, just beating us, just beating us. A lot of balls in the air. Give him credit. We weren’t able to sync up and square him up.”
Elias Diaz homered in the fifth, driving in both of Pittsburgh’s runs for a 2-1 lead.
The Marlins scored three runs in bottom half of the fifth on an odd play when Starlin Castro hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. After receiving the throw home, Diaz sailed a throw to second into center field with nobody in the vicinity to track down his mistake. The errant throw allowed two more runs to score.
“When I threw it, I thought, ‘Oh my God,'” Diaz said.
Lewis Brinson snapped a string of 26 hitless at-bats with a single in the sixth, chasing Kuhl.
Bour’s two-run homer to right, his third of the season, extended Miami’s lead to 7-2 in the seventh.
FREESE’S MILESTONE
Pirates third baseman David Freese played in his 1000th career game. Freese was the 2011 World Series MVP and was an All-Star in 2012.
“He makes it look easy and it’s not,” Hurdle said. “That was his 1,000th major league game today. Pretty cool testament — not many guys get to do that.”
HEATING UP
Bour is 4 for 11 with three home runs and six RBIs in his last three games after going 6 for 37 without a homer and two RBIs in his first nine games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: C J.T. Realmuto (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Jupiter on Saturday. … RHP Dan Straily (forearm) allowed seven runs in 2 2/2 innings in a rehab assignment with Jupiter on Friday. … OF Garrett Cooper (wrist) was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (2-0, 1.26 ERA) will pitch the second game of the series on Saturday. In his previous start, Taillon threw a one-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Marlins: RHP Trevor Richards (0-1, 8.64) did not complete five innings in either of his first two starts.
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Raise it!!!! Polanco homers twice to power Pirates past Cubs 6-1!!!

Polanco homers twice to power Pirates past Cubs 6-1
By MATT CARLSON, Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Gregory Polanco homered twice to help back a third straight solid start by Trevor Williams, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled away from the Chicago Cubs 6-1 on Thursday.
Francisco Cervelli lined a three-run shot in the seventh off Cubs reliever Justin Wilson as Pittsburgh scored four times in the inning to break open a tight game. Adam Frazier also went deep for Pittsburgh, which improved to 9-3.
Kyle Schwarber homered, doubled and singled for three of the Cubs’ seven hits. Chicago’s Ian Happ had his first two-hit game this season.
Williams (3-0) was a touch better than Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks (0-1) in what began as a pitchers’ duel following Chicago’s 13-5 rout of Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
The Pirates’ right-hander allowed one run and four hits through six innings, while striking out five and walking one.
Hendricks allowed two runs and five hits and struck out seven through six innings as he rebounded after allowing four runs in five innings in a no-decision at Milwaukee last Friday.
Pittsburgh’s Michael Feliz, George Kontos and Felipe Vazquez each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
Javier Baez went 0-for-4 after homering twice on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Chicago’s high-energy infielder became the first Cub with consecutive multi-homer games since Alfonso Soriano in May 2008.
Polanco’s third career multi-homer game lifted his season total to a team-leading five.
Polanco hit his fourth homer into the bleachers in right-center in the first to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Schwarber led off the bottom of the fourth with a drive that landed halfway up the right-field bleachers and tied it at 1. He hit his third home run on a full count and into a steady, chilly wind off Lake Michigan.
Frazier put the Pirates back in front 2-1 in the fifth with a solo shot into the first row of the left-center bleachers. It was the first homer for the Pirates’ leadoff hitter.
Polanco’s second homer of the game, a shot to left-center off Wilson with one out in the seventh made it 3-1. After Wilson walked Josh Bell and Corey Dickerson, Cervelli smacked his second homer this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds, a 23-year-old highly touted prospect at Double-A Altoona, will undergo surgery on Friday to repair a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist. Reynolds was acquired from San Francisco in January in a trade that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Giants.
Cubs: Despite playing while being under the weather, OF Albert Almora Jr. had three hits and scored two runs as the leadoff hitter in Chicago’s 13-5 rout of Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Manager Joe Maddon held Almora out of the lineup on Thursday not because of illness, but because of matchups and dispersing playing time among his outfielders. “This is predetermined,” Maddon said, while noting Almora “looked like Gumby” on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (1-0, 5.06 ERA) faces Marlins LHP Dillon Peters (1-1 9.35) in the opener of a three-game series in Miami.
Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish (0-0, 5.23) makes his first home start as a Cub and third of the season in a Friday afternoon opener of a three-game set against Atlanta. After being roughed up for five runs in 4 1/3 innings in his Cubs debut at Miami on March 31, Darvish allowed just one run and struck out nine in six innings at Milwaukee last Saturday. The Braves counter with Anibal Sanchez (0-0, 2.25).
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