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Shelton defeats Italian Cobolli to lift Munich title, extends clay-court surge  Second seed Ben Shelton won the ATP 500 clay-court title in Munich for the first time, beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.A year after finishing runner-up to Alexander Zverev, the World No. 6 secured the fifth ATP title of his career and his second of the season after Dallas.“I came out at a really high level and have done that before against him,” Shelton said. “The toughest thing is maintaining it as he raises his level. I managed to do that in the second set and played some great tennis.“I’m happy with my performance this week. I got better and better as the week went on, and I’m happy with the work my team and I put in.”Shelton, who won an ATP 250 clay-court title in Houston in 2024, also became the first American man since Andre Agassi at the Rome Masters in 2002 to win a title at a higher level on clay.ALSO READ: NBA playoffs: LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets“I have big ambitions on clay,” Shelton added. “It is a surface I want to improve on each year. It is slowly becoming one of my favourite surfaces.”Cobolli, who had impressed in the semifinal with a win over Zverev, could not replicate that level in the final.Shelton dominated the opening set, breaking in Cobolli’s first two service games. The Italian saved eight set points, six on his own serve, before conceding the set on the ninth.The second set was more closely contested, with both players holding serve until 5-5. A double fault from Cobolli handed Shelton a crucial break, and the American served out the match in one hour and 31 minutes.Published on Apr 19, 2026  #Shelton #defeats #Italian #Cobolli #lift #Munich #title #extends #claycourt #surge

Shelton defeats Italian Cobolli to lift Munich title, extends clay-court surge

Second seed Ben Shelton won the ATP 500 clay-court title in Munich for the first time, beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.

A year after finishing runner-up to Alexander Zverev, the World No. 6 secured the fifth ATP title of his career and his second of the season after Dallas.

“I came out at a really high level and have done that before against him,” Shelton said. “The toughest thing is maintaining it as he raises his level. I managed to do that in the second set and played some great tennis.

“I’m happy with my performance this week. I got better and better as the week went on, and I’m happy with the work my team and I put in.”

Shelton, who won an ATP 250 clay-court title in Houston in 2024, also became the first American man since Andre Agassi at the Rome Masters in 2002 to win a title at a higher level on clay.

ALSO READ: NBA playoffs: LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets

“I have big ambitions on clay,” Shelton added. “It is a surface I want to improve on each year. It is slowly becoming one of my favourite surfaces.”

Cobolli, who had impressed in the semifinal with a win over Zverev, could not replicate that level in the final.

Shelton dominated the opening set, breaking in Cobolli’s first two service games. The Italian saved eight set points, six on his own serve, before conceding the set on the ninth.

The second set was more closely contested, with both players holding serve until 5-5. A double fault from Cobolli handed Shelton a crucial break, and the American served out the match in one hour and 31 minutes.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Shelton #defeats #Italian #Cobolli #lift #Munich #title #extends #claycourt #surge

Second seed Ben Shelton won the ATP 500 clay-court title in Munich for the first time, beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.

A year after finishing runner-up to Alexander Zverev, the World No. 6 secured the fifth ATP title of his career and his second of the season after Dallas.

“I came out at a really high level and have done that before against him,” Shelton said. “The toughest thing is maintaining it as he raises his level. I managed to do that in the second set and played some great tennis.

“I’m happy with my performance this week. I got better and better as the week went on, and I’m happy with the work my team and I put in.”

Shelton, who won an ATP 250 clay-court title in Houston in 2024, also became the first American man since Andre Agassi at the Rome Masters in 2002 to win a title at a higher level on clay.

ALSO READ: NBA playoffs: LeBron James hits 19 points as Lakers beat Rockets

“I have big ambitions on clay,” Shelton added. “It is a surface I want to improve on each year. It is slowly becoming one of my favourite surfaces.”

Cobolli, who had impressed in the semifinal with a win over Zverev, could not replicate that level in the final.

Shelton dominated the opening set, breaking in Cobolli’s first two service games. The Italian saved eight set points, six on his own serve, before conceding the set on the ninth.

The second set was more closely contested, with both players holding serve until 5-5. A double fault from Cobolli handed Shelton a crucial break, and the American served out the match in one hour and 31 minutes.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

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#Shelton #defeats #Italian #Cobolli #lift #Munich #title #extends #claycourt #surge

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ASUS Launches Next Gen ZenBook S14, Duo, A-series & VivoBook Lineup In India<div> <p>The Asus <a href="https://fossbytes.com/asus-vivobook-s14-oled-review-a-real-macbook-alternative/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VivoBook</a> and <a href="https://fossbytes.com/asus-zenbook-14-oled-amd-review-gorgeous-display-meets-ryzen-power/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ZenBook</a> laptops are quite the hotcakes in the Indian market, simply because they strike the right balance between portability and performance. Keeping up that momentum, the Taiwanese laptop maker has opened pre-orders for its latest premium Zenbook lineup in India, introducing a range of new laptops focused on design, portability, and AI-powered performance. The lineup includes the Zenbook S14, Zenbook DUO, Zenbook A14, and the upcoming Zenbook A16, alongside refreshed Vivobook models. Prices for the <a href="https://www.asus.com/in/content/new-launch-zenbook-ai-laptops/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ZenBook series</a> start at ₹1,79,990, while the Vivobook lineup begins at ₹98,990. Here’s everything you need to know about them. </p> <h2 class="kt-adv-heading349618_940af6-ea wp-block-kadence-advancedheading" data-kb-block="kb-adv-heading349618_940af6-ea">What’s New with the ZenBooks & VivoBooks?</h2> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img class="wp-image-346792 br-lazy" src="https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large-1024x563.jpeg" decoding="async" width="1024" height="563" alt="Asus Zenbook" data-brsrcset="https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large-1024x563.jpeg 1024w, https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large-300x165.jpeg 300w, https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large-768x422.jpeg 768w, https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large-150x83.jpeg 150w, https://fossbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Shot_018_Zenbook_S16__S16_White__Gray_031_72dpi-Large.jpeg 1280w" data-brsizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"/></figure> <p>ASUS is doubling down on its “Design You Can Feel” philosophy with this launch. One of the key highlights is Ceraluminum, a proprietary material that aims to combine durability with a lightweight, premium finish. The flagship Zenbook S14, for instance, features an ultra-slim profile of around 1.1cm and weighs roughly 1.2kg, making it highly portable. It also gets a 14-inch 3K OLED display and a claimed battery life of up to 27 hours. Under the hood, the ZenBook S14 series packs Ultra Series 3 processors, with the highest tier going to the Ultra 9.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the newest version of my favorite ZenBook Duo takes things to another level by packing dual 14-inch 3K 144Hz ASUS Lumina Pro OLED touch displays. It’s powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra 7-series processors and offers 32 hours of claimed battery life. Lastly, there’s the Zenbook A Series (A14 & A16), which targets more casual, yet premium users. It’s made from the same Ceraluminum material and focuses primarily on portability, weighing under 1 kg. On the power side, the ZenBook A series uses the Snapdragon X2 series processors. While this should pay pretty big dividends in the battery life department, we have yet to test the laptops, so stay tuned for a full review. </p> <p>The next-gen VivoBook classic series will be powered by the updated Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 3 processors, delivering 47 TOPS of NPU performance for all your AI tasks. On the other hand, the Vivobook S14 and S16 will feature sleeker metallic designs and Ultra 7 Series processors with up to 49 TOPS of NPU performance. Battery life for these is rated for 29 hours. </p> </div>#ASUS #Launches #Gen #ZenBook #S14 #Duo #Aseries #VivoBook #Lineup #IndiaAsus

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Indore News: चोरी के शक में थाने लाए युवक ने पी लिया एसिड, पुलिस पर उठे सवाल

Asian Games gold medallist compound archer Prathamesh Jawkar will be banned from the sport for two years, starting Sunday, April 19, after he accepted the punishment for a whereabouts failure.

According to Article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code, three filing failures regarding the athlete’s whereabouts within a 12-month period culminates into an Anti-Doping Rule Violation. Jawkar missed the deadline for three filings last year, which means he will not only be able to defend his gold at this year’s Asian Games but also most likely miss out on the 2028 Olympics.

“The notice that I received from ITA (International Testing Agency) was on January 14 this year. They gave me a week to explain myself and they were going to reassess my case if I had some evidence in my favour. I gave my explanations about why I failed to fill in the whereabouts, but the reasons were clearly not valid enough. On March 31, I received the final notice of charge,” Jawkar told Sportstar.

“In January only I got to know like there’s no way I’m getting out of this. I was just hoping that they would reduce the period of the ban to maybe a year. I talked with the lawyers and in my case, I don’t think I can get away with these mistakes. I just have to accept it,” he added when asked whether he could appeal this decision.

Jawkar has been part of the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) since 2023 and he had been duly filling the whereabouts up until 2025. He conceded that a lack of education on his part played a role in these failures, especially when he temporarily changed his discipline to recurve.

Also read | AFI to start DNA testing of athletes, SRY tests during next month’s Fed Cup

“I didn’t have enough knowledge regarding this. I was not briefed when I got introduced to the testing tool. It all happened online. Even if I had received a call or something to explain the importance of it, I would have made sure I did. I thought my shift to recurve was quite public, World Archery (first posted about it on March 20) had interviewed me as well. So I thought they must know that I no longer compete at the world level. So why would they test me? At the time I thought I didn’t need to fill it,” Jawkar explained.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, an athlete has to follow four deadlines in a year: March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15.

Jawkar’s second offence came when his whereabouts were under doubt. “In July, there was a period of 10 or 15 days when I didn’t know whether I would be in India or Italy because the visa procedure was delayed. I was going to Europe for training. I filled the majority of my variables but I explained my case, saying how I was unsure about these dates. That’s why I’d kept that bit blank. But I didn’t fill it by the deadline. When I got the chance to plead my case, I had a letter from Sports Authority of India my visa actually got delayed. Those were circumstances out of my hands.”

The third offence, Jawkar said, occurred during a period when he had switched off all notifications on his phone, which meant he missed any and all alerts or emails which may have come his way.

This ban means he won’t be able to get into coaching if he wanted to. “I don’t do anything else other than this (archery). I’m going to continue training, study a bit. And then I’m going to try to bounce back because this is my dream,” Jawkar, who’s completing a B.Sc in Zoology, said dejectedly.

“I hope that if someone is a medal prospect for the Olympics or Asiad, they learn from this mistake because it’s just like sheer negligence on my part. I should have taken an effort to educate myself on this,” the 22-year-old concluded.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Archer #Prathamesh #Jawkar #banned #years #whereabouts #failure #admits #sheer #negligence #part">Archer Prathamesh Jawkar banned for two years for whereabouts failure, admits ‘sheer negligence’ on his part  Asian Games gold medallist compound archer Prathamesh Jawkar will be banned from the sport for two years, starting Sunday, April 19, after he accepted the punishment for a whereabouts failure.According to Article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code, three filing failures regarding the athlete’s whereabouts within a 12-month period culminates into an Anti-Doping Rule Violation. Jawkar missed the deadline for three filings last year, which means he will not only be able to defend his gold at this year’s Asian Games but also most likely miss out on the 2028 Olympics.“The notice that I received from ITA (International Testing Agency) was on January 14 this year. They gave me a week to explain myself and they were going to reassess my case if I had some evidence in my favour. I gave my explanations about why I failed to fill in the whereabouts, but the reasons were clearly not valid enough. On March 31, I received the final notice of charge,” Jawkar told        Sportstar.“In January only I got to know like there’s no way I’m getting out of this. I was just hoping that they would reduce the period of the ban to maybe a year. I talked with the lawyers and in my case, I don’t think I can get away with these mistakes. I just have to accept it,” he added when asked whether he could appeal this decision.Jawkar has been part of the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) since 2023 and he had been duly filling the whereabouts up until 2025. He conceded that a lack of education on his part played a role in these failures, especially when he temporarily changed his discipline to recurve.Also read | AFI to start DNA testing of athletes, SRY tests during next month’s Fed Cup“I didn’t have enough knowledge regarding this. I was not briefed when I got introduced to the testing tool. It all happened online. Even if I had received a call or something to explain the importance of it, I would have made sure I did. I thought my shift to recurve was quite public, World Archery (first posted about it on March 20) had interviewed me as well. So I thought they must know that I no longer compete at the world level. So why would they test me? At the time I thought I didn’t need to fill it,” Jawkar explained.According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, an athlete has to follow four deadlines in a year: March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15.Jawkar’s second offence came when his whereabouts were under doubt. “In July, there was a period of 10 or 15 days when I didn’t know whether I would be in India or Italy because the visa procedure was delayed. I was going to Europe for training. I filled the majority of my variables but I explained my case, saying how I was unsure about these dates. That’s why I’d kept that bit blank. But I didn’t fill it by the deadline. When I got the chance to plead my case, I had a letter from Sports Authority of India my visa actually got delayed. Those were circumstances out of my hands.”The third offence, Jawkar said, occurred during a period when he had switched off all notifications on his phone, which meant he missed any and all alerts or emails which may have come his way.This ban means he won’t be able to get into coaching if he wanted to. “I don’t do anything else other than this (archery). I’m going to continue training, study a bit. And then I’m going to try to bounce back because this is my dream,” Jawkar, who’s completing a B.Sc in Zoology, said dejectedly.“I hope that if someone is a medal prospect for the Olympics or Asiad, they learn from this mistake because it’s just like sheer negligence on my part. I should have taken an effort to educate myself on this,” the 22-year-old concluded.Published on Apr 19, 2026  #Archer #Prathamesh #Jawkar #banned #years #whereabouts #failure #admits #sheer #negligence #part

AFI to start DNA testing of athletes, SRY tests during next month’s Fed Cup

“I didn’t have enough knowledge regarding this. I was not briefed when I got introduced to the testing tool. It all happened online. Even if I had received a call or something to explain the importance of it, I would have made sure I did. I thought my shift to recurve was quite public, World Archery (first posted about it on March 20) had interviewed me as well. So I thought they must know that I no longer compete at the world level. So why would they test me? At the time I thought I didn’t need to fill it,” Jawkar explained.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, an athlete has to follow four deadlines in a year: March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15.

Jawkar’s second offence came when his whereabouts were under doubt. “In July, there was a period of 10 or 15 days when I didn’t know whether I would be in India or Italy because the visa procedure was delayed. I was going to Europe for training. I filled the majority of my variables but I explained my case, saying how I was unsure about these dates. That’s why I’d kept that bit blank. But I didn’t fill it by the deadline. When I got the chance to plead my case, I had a letter from Sports Authority of India my visa actually got delayed. Those were circumstances out of my hands.”

The third offence, Jawkar said, occurred during a period when he had switched off all notifications on his phone, which meant he missed any and all alerts or emails which may have come his way.

This ban means he won’t be able to get into coaching if he wanted to. “I don’t do anything else other than this (archery). I’m going to continue training, study a bit. And then I’m going to try to bounce back because this is my dream,” Jawkar, who’s completing a B.Sc in Zoology, said dejectedly.

“I hope that if someone is a medal prospect for the Olympics or Asiad, they learn from this mistake because it’s just like sheer negligence on my part. I should have taken an effort to educate myself on this,” the 22-year-old concluded.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Archer #Prathamesh #Jawkar #banned #years #whereabouts #failure #admits #sheer #negligence #part">Archer Prathamesh Jawkar banned for two years for whereabouts failure, admits ‘sheer negligence’ on his part

Asian Games gold medallist compound archer Prathamesh Jawkar will be banned from the sport for two years, starting Sunday, April 19, after he accepted the punishment for a whereabouts failure.

According to Article 2.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code, three filing failures regarding the athlete’s whereabouts within a 12-month period culminates into an Anti-Doping Rule Violation. Jawkar missed the deadline for three filings last year, which means he will not only be able to defend his gold at this year’s Asian Games but also most likely miss out on the 2028 Olympics.

“The notice that I received from ITA (International Testing Agency) was on January 14 this year. They gave me a week to explain myself and they were going to reassess my case if I had some evidence in my favour. I gave my explanations about why I failed to fill in the whereabouts, but the reasons were clearly not valid enough. On March 31, I received the final notice of charge,” Jawkar told Sportstar.

“In January only I got to know like there’s no way I’m getting out of this. I was just hoping that they would reduce the period of the ban to maybe a year. I talked with the lawyers and in my case, I don’t think I can get away with these mistakes. I just have to accept it,” he added when asked whether he could appeal this decision.

Jawkar has been part of the Registered Testing Pool (RTP) since 2023 and he had been duly filling the whereabouts up until 2025. He conceded that a lack of education on his part played a role in these failures, especially when he temporarily changed his discipline to recurve.

Also read | AFI to start DNA testing of athletes, SRY tests during next month’s Fed Cup

“I didn’t have enough knowledge regarding this. I was not briefed when I got introduced to the testing tool. It all happened online. Even if I had received a call or something to explain the importance of it, I would have made sure I did. I thought my shift to recurve was quite public, World Archery (first posted about it on March 20) had interviewed me as well. So I thought they must know that I no longer compete at the world level. So why would they test me? At the time I thought I didn’t need to fill it,” Jawkar explained.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit, an athlete has to follow four deadlines in a year: March 15, June 15, September 15, December 15.

Jawkar’s second offence came when his whereabouts were under doubt. “In July, there was a period of 10 or 15 days when I didn’t know whether I would be in India or Italy because the visa procedure was delayed. I was going to Europe for training. I filled the majority of my variables but I explained my case, saying how I was unsure about these dates. That’s why I’d kept that bit blank. But I didn’t fill it by the deadline. When I got the chance to plead my case, I had a letter from Sports Authority of India my visa actually got delayed. Those were circumstances out of my hands.”

The third offence, Jawkar said, occurred during a period when he had switched off all notifications on his phone, which meant he missed any and all alerts or emails which may have come his way.

This ban means he won’t be able to get into coaching if he wanted to. “I don’t do anything else other than this (archery). I’m going to continue training, study a bit. And then I’m going to try to bounce back because this is my dream,” Jawkar, who’s completing a B.Sc in Zoology, said dejectedly.

“I hope that if someone is a medal prospect for the Olympics or Asiad, they learn from this mistake because it’s just like sheer negligence on my part. I should have taken an effort to educate myself on this,” the 22-year-old concluded.

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Archer #Prathamesh #Jawkar #banned #years #whereabouts #failure #admits #sheer #negligence #part
Deadspin | Keller directs Pirates over Rays to clinch series win  Apr 19, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (6) tags Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) out at second base on a steal attempt during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images   Mitch Keller pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs to help the host Pittsburgh Pirates score a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.  Coming off a 13-inning loss on Saturday where Pittsburgh used six relievers, Keller (2-1) preserved some arms for the Pirates bullpen and helped his team take two of three games against the Rays, who entered the series having won six in a row.  Bryan Reynolds backed up the pitching with two hits and three RBI to lead Pittsburgh’s bats, while Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke each hit solo home runs.  Nick Gonzales had two hits and an RBI and Jake Mangum also had two hits. The Pirates did it with the long ball and small ball as they recorded three bunt singles in a game for the first time since 1998.  After picking up his first win in three years in his previous start, Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-2) was unable to follow up that success, nor spare Tampa Bay’s own taxed bullpen a day after it used seven relievers. He allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings on 90 pitches.   Keller picked up his second win in his fifth start of the season after not doing so last season until his 17th start. He struck out five and gave up five hits and did not issue a walk on 89 pitches.  The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by Hunter Feduccia off Keller, which was one of Tampa Bay’s six hits overall. Jonny DeLuca followed a Richie Palacios double and then stole second to set up Feduccia’s go-ahead hit.  The Pirates answered immediately when Joey Bart doubled and Billy Cook followed with a bunt single and stole second. Two batters later, Gonzales singled to drive in Bart, and Reynolds followed with a two-run single to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-2.  Right-hander Wilber Dotel was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and made his major-league debut in the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Junior Caminero, but then struck out Jonathan Aranda and retired Yandy Diaz on a ground out, and Cedric Mullins on a fly ball to center. The Pirates optioned reliever Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Keller #directs #Pirates #Rays #clinch #series #winApr 19, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (6) tags Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) out at second base on a steal attempt during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Mitch Keller pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs to help the host Pittsburgh Pirates score a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.

Coming off a 13-inning loss on Saturday where Pittsburgh used six relievers, Keller (2-1) preserved some arms for the Pirates bullpen and helped his team take two of three games against the Rays, who entered the series having won six in a row.

Bryan Reynolds backed up the pitching with two hits and three RBI to lead Pittsburgh’s bats, while Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke each hit solo home runs.

Nick Gonzales had two hits and an RBI and Jake Mangum also had two hits. The Pirates did it with the long ball and small ball as they recorded three bunt singles in a game for the first time since 1998.


After picking up his first win in three years in his previous start, Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-2) was unable to follow up that success, nor spare Tampa Bay’s own taxed bullpen a day after it used seven relievers. He allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings on 90 pitches.

Keller picked up his second win in his fifth start of the season after not doing so last season until his 17th start. He struck out five and gave up five hits and did not issue a walk on 89 pitches.

The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by Hunter Feduccia off Keller, which was one of Tampa Bay’s six hits overall. Jonny DeLuca followed a Richie Palacios double and then stole second to set up Feduccia’s go-ahead hit.

The Pirates answered immediately when Joey Bart doubled and Billy Cook followed with a bunt single and stole second. Two batters later, Gonzales singled to drive in Bart, and Reynolds followed with a two-run single to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-2.

Right-hander Wilber Dotel was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and made his major-league debut in the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Junior Caminero, but then struck out Jonathan Aranda and retired Yandy Diaz on a ground out, and Cedric Mullins on a fly ball to center. The Pirates optioned reliever Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Keller #directs #Pirates #Rays #clinch #series #win">Deadspin | Keller directs Pirates over Rays to clinch series win  Apr 19, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (6) tags Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) out at second base on a steal attempt during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images   Mitch Keller pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs to help the host Pittsburgh Pirates score a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.  Coming off a 13-inning loss on Saturday where Pittsburgh used six relievers, Keller (2-1) preserved some arms for the Pirates bullpen and helped his team take two of three games against the Rays, who entered the series having won six in a row.  Bryan Reynolds backed up the pitching with two hits and three RBI to lead Pittsburgh’s bats, while Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke each hit solo home runs.  Nick Gonzales had two hits and an RBI and Jake Mangum also had two hits. The Pirates did it with the long ball and small ball as they recorded three bunt singles in a game for the first time since 1998.  After picking up his first win in three years in his previous start, Rays starter Shane McClanahan (1-2) was unable to follow up that success, nor spare Tampa Bay’s own taxed bullpen a day after it used seven relievers. He allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out five over 4 1/3 innings on 90 pitches.   Keller picked up his second win in his fifth start of the season after not doing so last season until his 17th start. He struck out five and gave up five hits and did not issue a walk on 89 pitches.  The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by Hunter Feduccia off Keller, which was one of Tampa Bay’s six hits overall. Jonny DeLuca followed a Richie Palacios double and then stole second to set up Feduccia’s go-ahead hit.  The Pirates answered immediately when Joey Bart doubled and Billy Cook followed with a bunt single and stole second. Two batters later, Gonzales singled to drive in Bart, and Reynolds followed with a two-run single to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-2.  Right-hander Wilber Dotel was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and made his major-league debut in the ninth. He allowed a solo home run to Junior Caminero, but then struck out Jonathan Aranda and retired Yandy Diaz on a ground out, and Cedric Mullins on a fly ball to center. The Pirates optioned reliever Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Keller #directs #Pirates #Rays #clinch #series #win

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