NHL Awards: Staal finishes third in Selke award voting
Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk beat out Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler and Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal to take home the Frank J. Selke award as the league’s best defensive forward. Datsyuk won the award, receiving 688 points in voting. Kesler was a close second, receiving 655 points. Jordan Staal was third with 528 points.
Duke Placed on DL; Top prospect Tony Sanchez out for extended period
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that the team has placed starter Zach Duke on the 15-day disabled list. Duke will miss at least two starts and has been diagnosed with a left elbow flexor pronator strain. Duke, 27, is having a miserable season. He is 3-8 with a 5.49 ERA. Meanwhile, top catching prospect Tony Sanchez, the Pirates 1st round pick in 2009, has been hit with some bad news. Sanchez has a fractured jaw after being hit in the face with a pitch on Tuesday and will have surgery. The surgery is scheduled to happen on Thursday. Sanchez will be out for an extended period of time and the injury is a tough break for the Pirates top positional
Pirates take 2 of 3 from Indians: Plus/ News and Notes
Pirates take 2 of 3 from Indians Pedro Alvarez’s sacrifice fly in the 8th inning drove in the go ahead run and lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-3 win on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park in front of 29,845 fans. Alvarez was 0-for-3 on the day but for the second straight game drove in the game winning run. The highly touted rookie is 1-for-16 in his first five games. The Pirates (25-44) took two of three from the Indians after ending a 12 game losing streak on Saturday night against the Tribe. Starting pitcher Brad Lincoln (0-0, 6.50 ERA) received a no decision for the third straight start. Lincoln got off to a rough start allowing 2 runs in
Pirates losing streak reaches 12
Pirates fall to Indians 4-3 The Pittsburgh Pirates losing streak has reached 12 and the Pirates losing close games continues. Paul Maholm cruised through six shutout innings, allowing just two hits. However, in the 7th, the game broke wide open as the Indians scored 4 runs en route to a 4-3 win. The Pirates also got their bats going in the 7th, scoring 3 runs but came up short once again. The Pirates now have the longest losing streak in majors at 12 games and are one loss away from matching their franchise high of 13. Offensively a bright spot for the Pirates was Neil Walker who had a two hit night along with Garrett Jones. Ryan Church made a
Pirates agree to terms with 5th round pick RHP Tyler Waldron
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with the following two selections from this year’s First-Year Player Draft. Tyler Waldron: Went 4-6 with three saves, 56 strikeouts and a 5.90 ERA (61.0ip/40er) in 23 games (seven starts) as a junior with Oregon State this year…Team was eliminated from the College World Series in the Gainesville Regionals on June 6… Was a 32nd round selection in the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft by Florida, but did not sign… Played 2008 season for Pacific University, where he went 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA and a team-leading 91.2 innings in 15 starts… Posted a 6-4 record and a 4.15 ERA in 16 appearances (14 starts) with Oregon State in 2009…Is a graduate of Golden
SIDNEY CROSBY NAMED TOP ATHLETE UNDER 25 BY SPORTING NEWS
The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby has been named the top athlete under the age of 25 by Sporting News magazine. “25 Under 25: SN’s List of Best Young Athletes” appears in the June 21 edition of the magazine. The Sporting News panel considered 100 accomplished young athletes from seven different sports before trimming the list to 50 and then the final 25. Athletes were judged on major stats; championships to which they’d made major contributions; buzz factor; and age. Crosby, who is 22 years old, was ranked no. 1, followed by Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic (24); Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder (21); Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans (24); and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (24).
Report: St. Louis Blues acquire Jaroslav Halak
The Montreal Canadiens have traded goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues, according to TSN.CA. The Habs receive defenceman Lars Eller and forward Ian Schultz. Halak led the Canadiens on their surprising playoff run, upending heavy favorites Washington and Penguins. Halak, 25, went 26-13-5 in the regular season with a 2.40 goals against average. Halak split goaltending duties with Carey Price and eventually won the No. 1 job late in the season. Halak is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer which fueled talk over the past couple weeks that the Canadiens would look to sell high and deal Halak who is believed to be seeking a Marc Andre Fleury type of contract. Halak is represented by
Pirates Lineup: Milledge moves into the No.5 spot
Chicago White Sox (30-34) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (23-42) The Pittsburgh will look to snap a 10 game losing streak and avoid a three game sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. Ross Ohlendorf, the Pirates 11 game winner in 2009, will be looking for his first win of the season. Ohlendorf is 0-4 with a 4.95 ERA on the season. Pedro Alvarez will appear in his second career game and remain in the No. 6 spot in the lineup. Manager John Russell though will shakeup his batting order. Lastings Milledge (.260 – 0HR – 17 RBI) will make his second straight start after going 2-for-3 with a double in Wednesday’s loss. Milledge will move into the No. 5
Pirates commit 6 errors in 7-2 loss
Chicago 7 – Pittsburgh 2 Following the Pirates 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night that included 6 errors and 4 in the ninth inning, manager John Russell called the Pirates performance “embarrassing” in his post-game comments. The Pirates were the first team since the 2007 Florida Marlins to commit 6 errors in a game. “Embarrassing, ” Russell said. “We kicked the ball and threw it around. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” The White Sox spoiled Pedro Alvarez’s major league debut. The Pirates top power prospect since Barry Bonds was 0-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a run scored in the Pirates loss.
6/15/10: Alvarez won’t make MLB debut tonight
The Pedro Alvarez watch is on but the Pirates top prospect will not make his highly anticipated MLB debut against the Chicago White Sox. Alvarez will remain in the minors for at least another game as the official lineups have been released. Alvarez will bat 4th and start at third base tonight against the Scranton Yankees. Alvarez is batting .280 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI’s. The Indians have an off-day on Wednesday.