Deadspin | Brewers open division play vs. Paul Skenes, Pirates Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to veteran Brandon Woodruff as they finally face a National League Central opponent when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. Milwaukee lost 5-4 at Detroit on Thursday on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning off Abner Uribe. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games to finish their road trip at 3-3. The Pirates lost at Texas 6-1 on Thursday, with their only run on Oneil Cruz’s team-leading eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed a season-high six runs in four innings. The Brewers, the three-time defending NL Central champions, will play a division rival for the first time after 24 games, including 18 against American League opponents. Each team in the NL Central is above .500. Woodruff, still returning to form after a late-September injury that kept him out of the playoffs, went a season-high seven innings in his last start. He allowed one run on three hits in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Miami, striking out four and walking one in an efficient 92-pitch outing. “Woody was tremendous,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “It just goes to show you, old-school command and keeping them off-balance. Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 career games (17 starts) against the Pirates. He was 1-0 in two starts last season vs. them and did not give up a run in 10 innings. Milwaukee, without injured regulars Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich, are tied for 25th in the majors with just 19 homers. The Brewers, however, lead in stolen bases with 35. Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez, with five homers each, and Brice Turang with four, have accounted for 14 of Milwaukee’s 19 long balls. Milwaukee has won eight straight games against the Pirates, who have not lost consecutive games this season since falling in their first two games. Skenes has a 1.27 ERA over his last four starts, allowing just three runs in 21 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing, he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay but did not return after a lengthy rain delay. Pittsburgh lost 8-7 in 13 innings. “Short outing, but you know, felt like the execution was pretty good,” Skenes said afterward. Skenes is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing nine runs in 14 innings. Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal started for Detroit against Milwaukee on Thursday. With the Brewers scheduled to face Skenes on Friday, they will go against Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games, a rarity. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #Pirates

Deadspin | Brewers open division play vs. Paul Skenes, Pirates
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to veteran Brandon Woodruff as they finally face a National League Central opponent when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner.

Milwaukee lost 5-4 at Detroit on Thursday on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning off Abner Uribe. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games to finish their road trip at 3-3.

The Pirates lost at Texas 6-1 on Thursday, with their only run on Oneil Cruz’s team-leading eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed a season-high six runs in four innings.

The Brewers, the three-time defending NL Central champions, will play a division rival for the first time after 24 games, including 18 against American League opponents. Each team in the NL Central is above .500.

Woodruff, still returning to form after a late-September injury that kept him out of the playoffs, went a season-high seven innings in his last start. He allowed one run on three hits in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Miami, striking out four and walking one in an efficient 92-pitch outing.

“Woody was tremendous,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “It just goes to show you, old-school command and keeping them off-balance.

Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 career games (17 starts) against the Pirates. He was 1-0 in two starts last season vs. them and did not give up a run in 10 innings.

Milwaukee, without injured regulars Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich, are tied for 25th in the majors with just 19 homers. The Brewers, however, lead in stolen bases with 35.

Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez, with five homers each, and Brice Turang with four, have accounted for 14 of Milwaukee’s 19 long balls.

Milwaukee has won eight straight games against the Pirates, who have not lost consecutive games this season since falling in their first two games.

Skenes has a 1.27 ERA over his last four starts, allowing just three runs in 21 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing, he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay but did not return after a lengthy rain delay. Pittsburgh lost 8-7 in 13 innings.

“Short outing, but you know, felt like the execution was pretty good,” Skenes said afterward.

Skenes is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing nine runs in 14 innings.

Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal started for Detroit against Milwaukee on Thursday. With the Brewers scheduled to face Skenes on Friday, they will go against Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games, a rarity.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #Pirates

Sports news April 24, 2026

Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to veteran Brandon Woodruff as they finally face a National League Central opponent when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner.

Milwaukee lost 5-4 at Detroit on Thursday on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning off Abner Uribe. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games to finish their road trip at 3-3.

The Pirates lost at Texas 6-1 on Thursday, with their only run on Oneil Cruz’s team-leading eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed a season-high six runs in four innings.

The Brewers, the three-time defending NL Central champions, will play a division rival for the first time after 24 games, including 18 against American League opponents. Each team in the NL Central is above .500.

Woodruff, still returning to form after a late-September injury that kept him out of the playoffs, went a season-high seven innings in his last start. He allowed one run on three hits in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Miami, striking out four and walking one in an efficient 92-pitch outing.

“Woody was tremendous,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “It just goes to show you, old-school command and keeping them off-balance.

Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 career games (17 starts) against the Pirates. He was 1-0 in two starts last season vs. them and did not give up a run in 10 innings.

Milwaukee, without injured regulars Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich, are tied for 25th in the majors with just 19 homers. The Brewers, however, lead in stolen bases with 35.

Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez, with five homers each, and Brice Turang with four, have accounted for 14 of Milwaukee’s 19 long balls.

Milwaukee has won eight straight games against the Pirates, who have not lost consecutive games this season since falling in their first two games.

Skenes has a 1.27 ERA over his last four starts, allowing just three runs in 21 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing, he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay but did not return after a lengthy rain delay. Pittsburgh lost 8-7 in 13 innings.

“Short outing, but you know, felt like the execution was pretty good,” Skenes said afterward.

Skenes is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing nine runs in 14 innings.

Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal started for Detroit against Milwaukee on Thursday. With the Brewers scheduled to face Skenes on Friday, they will go against Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games, a rarity.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #Pirates

This was the exact moment the Steelers found out the Eagles ruined their draft plans <div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the receiving end of the most embarrassing, soul-crushing moment of the NFL Draft’s first round on Thursday night — and it came courtesy of their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, just to rub salt in the wound.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">GM Omar Khan was on the phone with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, telling the prospect that he was going to be picked at No. 21 and become a Steeler. Then all the oxygen got sucked from Pittsburgh’s war room when Lemon told Khan, “Why is Philly calling?”</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">The Steelers jumped the gun in making the call. They reached out to Lemon when the Cowboys were on the clock, assuming there was no way that Dallas was going to take a wide receiver — and also likely assuming that they wouldn’t trade in-division with the Eagles, who were the most-likely team to take a receiver at that point.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It led to a bit of a mess. Pittsburgh ended up making a decent choice in offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, but he was definitely more of a reach based on consensus big boards, whereas Lemon would have been a steal. It’s also unclear how Iheanachor makes the Steelers immediately better, seeming more like Broderick Jones insurance than a home run in his own right. <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/1111778/nfl-draft-results-2026-pick-by-pick-tracker-for-every-selection">Find every pick of the 2026 NFL Draft with our tracker</a>.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Meanwhile, the Eagles got absolutely bailed out of their WR mess by their in-division rival. Philadelphia were staring down the barrel of either needing to reach for a pass catcher, or take a different position, potentially be forced to trade AJ Brown, and get left with an incomplete offense. Now with DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon they’re set — and both players came to the Eagles via trades with the Cowboys.</p></div><div><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Time will tell how all this shakes out. Maybe Iheanachor will turn into a stud, Lemon will be a bust and everything will play out … or this could be a moment that haunts the Steelers forever.</p></div> #exact #moment #Steelers #Eagles #ruined #draft #plans

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ENG vs IND 1st ODI, Live Score: England 162/6 (33); Root, Dawson build partnership
Duckett and Bethell walk out to open the batting for England. Bumrah introduced right away, he takes the new ball for India.
Duckett on strike, first ball, here we go. Good length shapes it away first up, Duckett defends, dot ball. Ooooh Bumrah swings it away again, beats the outside edge of Duckett and carries to the keeper.
Absolute jaffa from Bumrah, beats Duckett’s defence again. Bumrah pitches it up, Duckett drives to short covers, dot ball.
Toe crushing yorker swings back in to Duckett, India appeal for the LBW but no reaction from the umpire. Duckett breaks the shackles, finds the gap with a cover drive for FOUR!
#ENG #IND #1st #ODI #Live #Score #England #Root #Dawson #build #partnership

Deadspin | ‘That sucks’: Racers react to controversial Bubba Wallace penalty Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images Ryan Blaney had plenty to celebrate following his win at the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway over the weekend, but he also had a two-word reaction when learning about Bubba Wallace’s controversial penalty during his postgame interview. “That sucks,” Blaney said. For Wallace, it absolutely does, delivering him a damaging points reduction during his playoff drive. Wallace was delivered the penalty for a sequence that occurred on the race’s final lap Sunday, as Wallace chased Blaney with Carson Hocevar alongside. Wallace dipped below the double yellow line to avoid contact, and NASCAR officials ruled he had advanced his position beneath the line, assessing a penalty per guidance outlined in the rule book. But Wallace maintained he gained no advantage from the maneuver, protesting that he had remained alongside Hocevar coming out of the turn despite the opportunity to race ahead. “It says advancing your position, which I did not do,” Wallace said. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I’m going to wreck,’ and got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side. That move should have propelled me to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move.” Wallace eventually ended up ahead of Hocevar, then met with NASCAR officials for nearly a half hour following the race to plead his case, but to no avail. The penalty dropped Wallace from a second-place finish down to 29th instead, providing a brutal hit to his points standing in the process. The 27-point swing kept him at 13th place in the standings, much closer to the playoff cut line. Fellow Toyota racer Ty Gibbs took issue with some of Wallace’s driving, and though he steered clear of talking about the penalty, he didn’t exactly shy away from letting Wallace know how he felt. Gibbs, who finished fourth, confronted Wallace on pit road after the race, then spoke about the confrontation on Monday. “I wouldn’t tell him sorry because he cleared himself,” Gibbs said. “Unfortunately, I showed a lot of disrespect. I don’t know. It seems like it didn’t really work out for him, but I was just trying to help him at the end by pushing him to the win.” Wallace’s interpretation of events differed slightly. “He had the opportunity to give there a lot, and he didn’t do that,” Wallace said. “So, when I told him that, he quickly went on the defense and said, ‘Don’t block.’ When you hit me square in the bumper, it means you just ran right into me. The block was clean. So, yeah, that’s Toyota teammates. Don’t race very well together.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #sucks #Racers #react #controversial #Bubba #Wallace #penalty

#Deadspin #sucks #Racers #react #controversial #Bubba #Wallace #penalty">

mwasimuddin125 0

Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Ryan Blaney had plenty to celebrate following his win at the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway over the weekend, but he also had a two-word reaction when learning about Bubba Wallace’s controversial penalty during his postgame interview.

“That sucks,” Blaney said.

For Wallace, it absolutely does, delivering him a damaging points reduction during his playoff drive.

Wallace was delivered the penalty for a sequence that occurred on the race’s final lap Sunday, as Wallace chased Blaney with Carson Hocevar alongside.

Wallace dipped below the double yellow line to avoid contact, and NASCAR officials ruled he had advanced his position beneath the line, assessing a penalty per guidance outlined in the rule book.

But Wallace maintained he gained no advantage from the maneuver, protesting that he had remained alongside Hocevar coming out of the turn despite the opportunity to race ahead.

“It says advancing your position, which I did not do,” Wallace said. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I’m going to wreck,’ and got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side. That move should have propelled me to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move.”

Wallace eventually ended up ahead of Hocevar, then met with NASCAR officials for nearly a half hour following the race to plead his case, but to no avail.

The penalty dropped Wallace from a second-place finish down to 29th instead, providing a brutal hit to his points standing in the process.

The 27-point swing kept him at 13th place in the standings, much closer to the playoff cut line.

Fellow Toyota racer Ty Gibbs took issue with some of Wallace’s driving, and though he steered clear of talking about the penalty, he didn’t exactly shy away from letting Wallace know how he felt.

Gibbs, who finished fourth, confronted Wallace on pit road after the race, then spoke about the confrontation on Monday.

“I wouldn’t tell him sorry because he cleared himself,” Gibbs said. “Unfortunately, I showed a lot of disrespect. I don’t know. It seems like it didn’t really work out for him, but I was just trying to help him at the end by pushing him to the win.”

Wallace’s interpretation of events differed slightly.

“He had the opportunity to give there a lot, and he didn’t do that,” Wallace said. “So, when I told him that, he quickly went on the defense and said, ‘Don’t block.’ When you hit me square in the bumper, it means you just ran right into me. The block was clean. So, yeah, that’s Toyota teammates. Don’t race very well together.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #sucks #Racers #react #controversial #Bubba #Wallace #penalty">Deadspin | ‘That sucks’: Racers react to controversial Bubba Wallace penalty

Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Ryan Blaney had plenty to celebrate following his win at the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway over the weekend, but he also had a two-word reaction when learning about Bubba Wallace’s controversial penalty during his postgame interview.

“That sucks,” Blaney said.

For Wallace, it absolutely does, delivering him a damaging points reduction during his playoff drive.

Wallace was delivered the penalty for a sequence that occurred on the race’s final lap Sunday, as Wallace chased Blaney with Carson Hocevar alongside.

Wallace dipped below the double yellow line to avoid contact, and NASCAR officials ruled he had advanced his position beneath the line, assessing a penalty per guidance outlined in the rule book.

But Wallace maintained he gained no advantage from the maneuver, protesting that he had remained alongside Hocevar coming out of the turn despite the opportunity to race ahead.

“It says advancing your position, which I did not do,” Wallace said. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I’m going to wreck,’ and got on the brakes, kept it underneath me and still ended up side-by-side. That move should have propelled me to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move.”

Wallace eventually ended up ahead of Hocevar, then met with NASCAR officials for nearly a half hour following the race to plead his case, but to no avail.

The penalty dropped Wallace from a second-place finish down to 29th instead, providing a brutal hit to his points standing in the process.

The 27-point swing kept him at 13th place in the standings, much closer to the playoff cut line.

Fellow Toyota racer Ty Gibbs took issue with some of Wallace’s driving, and though he steered clear of talking about the penalty, he didn’t exactly shy away from letting Wallace know how he felt.

Gibbs, who finished fourth, confronted Wallace on pit road after the race, then spoke about the confrontation on Monday.

“I wouldn’t tell him sorry because he cleared himself,” Gibbs said. “Unfortunately, I showed a lot of disrespect. I don’t know. It seems like it didn’t really work out for him, but I was just trying to help him at the end by pushing him to the win.”

Wallace’s interpretation of events differed slightly.

“He had the opportunity to give there a lot, and he didn’t do that,” Wallace said. “So, when I told him that, he quickly went on the defense and said, ‘Don’t block.’ When you hit me square in the bumper, it means you just ran right into me. The block was clean. So, yeah, that’s Toyota teammates. Don’t race very well together.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #sucks #Racers #react #controversial #Bubba #Wallace #penalty

A few months ago I happened to be taking a close look at the 1987-88 Arizona Wildcats men’s hoops team and noticed that while they couldn’t punctuate an exceptional season with a championship, much of their team atoned for that at the next level, with flying colors. But while Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jud Buechler combined to win 13 NBA titles, the theme of coming up agonizingly short never ended for their teammate, Kenny Lofton.

A baseball convert who flourished throughout a 17-year big league career, I was aware Lofton had never won a World Series. But when I took a year-by-year magnifying glass to his career and the specific permutation of teams he played for and how their seasons unfolded, it was the type of one-in-a-gazillion story that seemed too bizarre to be true.

In a parallel universe, Lofton’s hands are littered with rings. Seemingly every year his team was the odds-on favorite to win it all entering October, and/or his team lost a playoff series in which his opponent was buried with all but the final nail in the coffin before coming back from the dead. Pitch a script of his career to Hollywood, and they’d laugh you out of the room. But that was the reality of the odyssey that was Kenny Lofton’s big league career.

#torturous #career #MLB #history">