As we begin action tonight, the National League Wild Card race has changed again. San Francisco has the top spot. They lead the Cardinals, who beat the Brewers 6-5, by two and a half games. With the Pirates lost the Mets win over the Marlins, the battle for the second spot looks like this. The Pirates trail the Cardinals by a game and half. The Mets and the Marlins trail by two and a half games.
For the second time this season, Pirates Ace Gerit Cole is on the DL. This time it is inflamation of his pitching elbow. At earliest he can return is September 9th. Rookie pitcher Tyler Glasnow has been activated from the DL and assigned to AAA Indianapolis. The rosters will expand to 40 on Thursday. Glasnow is likely to joined the Pirates at that time.
It is the first week of high school football. It is also the first week of action for the local universities. Pitt opens it’s season at Heinz Field Saturday against Villanova. WBVP-WMBA airtime is 11:30-am. Kickoff is at 1:30. Penn State hosts Kent State Saturday afternoon. West Virginia hosts Missouri. Locally, Geneva begins 2016 on the road. They will be at Frosburg. WBVP-WMBA airtime is 6:30 Saturday afternoon.
After sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pirates go 90 miles south to open a three game series against the first place Cubs. The Pirates have recalled Steven Brault from Indianapolis to pitch tonight. He will face the Cubs ace Jake Arrieta. Brault will take the spot of Gerrit Cole. Cole is in Los Angeles to have his right elbow examined. Airtime for tonights Pirates-Cubs game is 7:40 with the first pitch at 8:05 on WBVP-WMBA
On a beautiful Saturday night at Sharon Speedway local racer and New Brighton product Kevin Bolland brought home the checker flag in his #777 Big Block modified. He picked the perfect night to win in that one of his sponsors ANSYS was having their company picnic at the track. Bolland led all 20 laps of the non-stop Hovis Auto & Truck Supply feature holding off Murdick and point leader Rex King, Jr. for his first win of the season!! Bolland and Murdick started on the front row and battled hard into turn one with Bolland prevailing. King, Jr. closed in on Murdick on lap four in the race for second. Bolland had opened up a straightaway lead over Murdick; however, by the halfway point Murdick cut the lead in half. With green flag racing continuing, lapped traffic came into play on lap 11. Three laps later, Murdick was right on Bolland’s rear bumper. For the remaining six laps Murdick moved around the track trying to find his way around Bolland, but Bolland was too strong taking the checkers by just 0.596 of a second in front of Murdick in his Bolland Machine/Boundary Systems/ANSYS/Cintas/Budisak Boys-sponsored #777. With Bolland’s 22nd career victory, he became the season’s ninth different winner at Sharon Speedway. Bolland swept the night by also winning his heat race.
Photos taken by Trina Bolland and used with permission.
The Pittsburgh Pirates capped off a weekend sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park Sunday by winning 3 to 1. This is first time the Pirates have ever swept the Brewers at Miller Park. Before this weekend the Pirates had lost nine straight games at Miller Park. The Cardinal’s lost again to the Oakland A’s 7-4 and the Miami Marlins lost to the San Diego Padres 3 to 1. The Pirates are now only 1/2 game back for the second wild card and only 2 1/2 back of the San Francisco Giants for the first wild card. Click on the play button below as Pirates Broadcaster Greg Brown has a re-cap of all the action.
Kyle Larson with help from Brad Keselowski pushing him to the lead on the final restart of the day held of Chase Elliot and Keselowski to claim his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan international raceway. The victory by Larson clinched his spot in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with only two more weeks left till the final race to qualify for the chase at Richmond International raceway. Larson now becomes the 12th driver to lock his spot in the chase and the 13th overall to win this season. Chris Bueshcer is the 13th winner and needs to stay in the top 30 in points the next two weeks to clinch his spot in the chase. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next moves onto Darlington raceway next Sunday night for the BO Jangles 500 on throwback weekend.
AP photo
The Steelers and offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert have reworked his five year 30 million dollar contract. He signed it back in 2004. By reworking Gilbert’s deal will give the Steelers about two million dollars in salary cap space. They turned his 2016 salary into a signing bonus.
There will be no Keenon Lewis reunion with the Steelers. Lewis was cut a week ago by the New Orleans Saints. After a physical and a MRI of his troublesome hip, they decide to pass on the defensive hack. He missed a lot of practices and games in the 2015 season. The Steelers determined that the injury was chronic they declined to sign him.
Penn State Coach James Franklin has named his starting quarterback. Red shirt sophomore Trace McSorley will replace Christian Hackenberg. Hackenberg went pro at the end of the season. He is in the New York Jets camp. He won the battle over redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens. Senior Perry Hills will be the starting quarterback for Maryland. Stevens played for Central Catholic.