PITTSBURGH (AP) — There are likely to be some tired players on the field today in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates and Cubs close out their season-opening series this afternoon. It took 16 innings and nearly six hours to decide last night’s game. Pinch-hitter Tony Sanchez singled in the winning run off Carlos Villanueva at about 1 in the morning, for a 4-3 Pirates victory. Wandy Rodriguez gets the start for the Bucs this afternoon against the Cubs’ Jason Hammel.
UNDATED (AP) — There are seven day-games on the Major League Baseball schedule. Things get underway at 12:35 in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Reds are entertaining the Cardinals, while Bucs host the Cubs. In Miami, the Marlins and Rockies finish off their series, while the Giants and Diamondbacks complete the National League schedule in Arizona. The American League matinees have Kansas City at Detroit and Minnesota in Chicago to play the White Sox.
UNDATED (AP) — There are just two games on the NBA schedule this evening, but they feature the top three teams in the Western Conference and a team battling for the conference’s final playoff berth. The marquee matchup is in Oklahoma City where the Thunder host the league-leading Spurs. San Antonio is looking to extend a team-record 19-game winning streak. In Los Angeles, the Clippers are looking to frustrate the Mavericks’ postseason hopes. Dallas is in a three-way battle with Memphis and Phoenix for the final two spots.
UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Stars are tied with Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL’s Western Conference, but they have two games in hand. The Stars will try to get some separation tonight. They face off against the Hurricanes in Carolina, while Phoenix has the night off. Sixteen others teams are in action in a nine-game NHL slate.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — U.S. soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann says his team has “a lot of homework to do” after coughing up a two-goal lead to Mexico last night in what ended up a 2-2 draw. Klinsmann says his squad “gave everything they had” but needs to understand that games at the World Cup level often go at least 90 minutes. The match featured the first U.S. national team appearance for highly touted 18-year-old Julian Green.
