Streaky Rangers look for series sweep in Pittsburgh

June 22 - The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to salvage a brief, three-game homestand Sunday when their series wraps up with the Texas Rangers.
Having lost six of their last seven games, the National League Central cellar-dwelling Pirates will send Bailey Falter (5-3, 3.49 ERA) to the mound in hoping to right the ship. The 28-year-old left-hander has not taken a loss since April 27, but he has five no-decisions in his last nine starts.
As has been the case for most of the season, offense has been an issue for the Pirates. They entered Saturday with an NL-worst .225 batting average and managed just five hits in Saturday's 3-2 loss -- though the Rangers managed just four.
During the current skid, the Pirates have mustered six or fewer hits in five games - all losses. Manager Don Kelly's team has scored three or fewer runs in each of their last 10 defeats going back to June 3.
Despite the lack of offense, the Pirates had their chances to score on Saturday. The leadoff runner reached in four of the first five innings, but only one ended up scoring.
"We just have to find a way," Kelly said. "We got to find a way to come through with guys on base."
Falter has one career start against the Rangers, that coming in April 2023 when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. Falter threw 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in a 2-1 loss on the road. Josh Jung hit a solo homer off Felter in that one.
The Rangers, winners of two straight, have been a team of streaks over the past nine games. That stretch started with a four-game winning streak before they were swept at home by Kansas City.
Jack Leiter will face the Pirates for the first time in his career Sunday. The rookie right-hander, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, has lost two straight and struggled in both starts. He has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 9 2/3 innings while giving up 13 hits and six walks.
Texas will be without one of its top bats for at least 10 days as the club placed Jake Burger on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. The first baseman, whose 10 home runs and 13 doubles both rank second on the team, strained his left oblique in Friday's win over the Pirates.
Utility player Ezequiel Duran will likely play in Burger's place, manager Bruce Bochy said, according to MLB.com.
"I'd like to give Zeke some runway here," Bochy said. "I think he's been swinging better, and he gives us a good option there at first base. It's been good to see him make some adjustments."
Duran was 0-for-3 on Saturday but scored the first run in the win after drawing a walk. He scored from first after left fielder Adam Frazier let Kyle Higashioka's base hit go under his glove and roll to the wall.
After Sunday, Pittsburgh leaves for Milwaukee for a three-game series against the Brewers that starts Monday. The Rangers will travel to Baltimore for a three-game series that also starts Monday.
--Field Level Media

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Telegraph

9 minutes ago

• Telegraph

John Stones: I've had dark days at Man City – I thought my career was over

John Stones suffered 'dark days' last season after a series of injuries led him to question whether his career might be over. Going into the final year of his deal at Manchester City, the fit-again 31-year-old made clear he had no intention of leaving and would, at least, see out the remainder of his contract, making it a decade since he joined. 'I'm here, I want to stay here, I love it,' Stones said when asked about his future at a quickly evolving City. 'I'm here to help the team, and I don't know if what's been said or speculated, but I hope that kind of shuts it down.' Stones has endured a horrific time with injuries, suffering a series of set-backs having damaged his foot, then thigh and hamstring problems. He has not played since coming off early in the Champions League exit to Real Madrid in February. Stones is now fit and part of City's squad for the Club World Cup, which continues against the Abu Dhabi club Al Ain on Sunday evening here in Atlanta, even if Pep Guardiola has remained cautious and suggested the defender is not yet fit enough to start. Stones said he is 'raring' to go but also opened up on the frustration he has felt at having suffered so many fitness issues. 'There's been points where you think, you've been giving all this effort, you dedicate all your life, especially how I approach or go about my life, and football, I give everything, on and off the pitch to be here or be ready to play games and those are the dark days,' Stones said. 'I think everyone's been through them and think, 'why is this happening?' You wish it would have gone a different path. But, like I said, it's self-doubt, there's a lot of things. 'All of us have been through different upbringings and challenges through life and what did we do within those situations; was it fight or was it give up? I was a fighter from a young age. In difficult moments you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.' Even so, Stones admitted the injuries had affected him 'mentally' as he worked with City's medical staff to find out why he was having so many problems. 'I wish I had the answer and we all had the answer. It is frustrating for me, I put a lot of pressure on myself,' he said. 'I find it very challenging mentally. I have had some very low points in the past season and I just have to come back and once you come over those things, you can't really see the end of the tunnel when they keep happening, 'And it's frustrating on the team, on myself, on the manager, that you're not available to help them. And you've got to find another way to be around the team. 'I've been here long enough now. I've been around football long enough to know that I can offer something else within those times and look for a positive in those situations. And it's difficult, I think that's the long and short of it, and I've got to learn from that. And I think it'll make me stronger in the long run.' Part of the frustration, Stones explained, is not knowing why he has suffered the injuries. 'I don't know what the reason is and we've sat with the medical staff, sports science, to try and figure out why,' he said. 'Some things can't be explained. Which is even more testing mentally when there's not really an answer. I've been unlucky with some of the injuries that I've had. They were very rare last season, after speaking to specialists. 'Sometimes I think: why has it happened to me? But I've got to deal with that and move forward and try to adapt with how my body's adapting. As I said, I feel great, I'm back fit, ready to help the team when called upon. I think this season I've got to look more detailed into training, things that I can do off the pitch that I can sustain playing a lot more games.' Stones signed for City in August 2016 from Everton in a deal worth £47.5million with Guardiola saying the pair had been through a lot together. 'Since I arrived, he arrived. The many good things and the sad things we lived together, we share it,' the City manager said. 'He's a sensitive person. He's an incredible human being. Incredible…I see him suffer because he cannot be working for ages and ages and ages. It's important, it's not sad. But the important thing now is, you know, at training sessions, he feels better.' Stones agreed and added that far from being physically and mentally tired – as many of his City team-mates will inevitably be during this tournament and after such a gruelling season – he is fresh. 'It's difficult when you're injured. You almost work longer and more. So from that aspect I know the guys mentally and physically have had such a long season. (But) I suppose mentally for me it's been difficult dealing with the injuries and the process. Now I've put that behind me and used this as a mini-introduction back before the new season and another trophy for us to hopefully win and get some game time,' Stones said. Even so during the 'dark days' he has had to draw deep on his own resilience. 'I think we all self-doubt as players and feel things and we want to get back as quick as possible, maybe that's a downfall sometimes that you try and push too soon,' Stones said. 'Definitely family, I think that's my biggest thing, being around them and having their support. You can feel very lonely at times when you're training by yourself and that's the difficult part of it, being in a team sport, not training with the team when you run out of the pitch in your rehab. 'So, a lot of things that you've got to get used to and deal with and try and set yourself goals to come back and it's been a challenge. I am over that hurdle.' Stones is returning to a quickly changing City, as the club attempts to move on from the failures of the last season with four new signings in June – including two centre-halves in Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov – who were bought in January. It has added to the competition Stones is ready to face in what is, at present, an enlarged squad. 'It's a great challenge for us all. Fighting for a starting place. Fighting for titles again,' he said of the 'super-healthy' competition for places. 'Everything moves on in life and in football. The club has had to make those decisions and bring new people in. They've been great so far. I can't speak highly enough of them… We want to raise each other's standards every day and keep pushing each other. It's quite rare in football to have the squad we have. Incredible players want the best for each other. That's something we've done over the years and made us successful.'

Daily Mail​

17 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Bill Belichick defends Jordon Hudson in leaked emails after CBS interview

Bill Belichick has tried to defend his age-gap relationship with Jordon Hudson after his disastrous interview with CBS. The legendary NFL coach, 73, is preparing for his first season in college football but his tenure has been so far overshadowed by headlines surrounding his romance with Jordon, 24. One clip of Jordon at UNC practice caused problems for the legendary coach and soon reports emerged that she had been banned from the team's facilities. UNC denied that was the case. The CBS clip sparked fresh speculation surrounding Jordon's influence over the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. Now, emails obtained by WRAL detail the fallout from the CBS interview. They show that disgruntled fans felt the relationship was turning the school into a 'laughing stock'. In the emails, however, Bill defended Jordon and their romance. He wrote to Beth Keith, a senior associate vice chancellor in the Office of University Communications: 'Jordon and I have both a person and professional relationship. 'This is not a secret... Jordon assists me with my personal media, which is why I asked UNC to forward media requests (E.G. CBS 60 Minutes) to her. Jordon has zero involvement in the UNC football program, beyond the degree that my personal media intersects with it.' He also explained why his girlfriend was at the interview, which was organized to promote his new book The Art Of Winning: Lessons From My Life In Football. Bill said: 'Jordon was present at the CBS interview because David Kass, the Simon & Schuster publicist, was not there. I included Jordon in the book acknowledgments because she was a creative contributor to the book, including having the idea for formatting the 4 special pages in the book.' According to WRAL News, however, Jordon intended to sit in on the April 21 interview regardless of whether Kass was there. Bill added: 'I met Jordon randomly on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021. That is no secret. Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters.' He also claimed that at the start of the interview, Jordon asked where she could sit 'off-camera' but 'secretly, CBS had a camera focused on Jordon where Lead producer Gabe (Gabriel Falcon) instructed her to sit'. He added: 'For approximately 35 uninterrupted minutes, (CBS host Tony Dokoupil) asked questions about the book... then, the questions shifted to other subjects that were not related to the Art of Winning, which we had outlined as off-limits with my book publicist.' WRAL also revealed an email from a disgruntled UNC fan and former student who said they have 'never felt compelled to write a letter to our leadership, until now. I'm writing in response to the actions taken by Bill Belichick and his 24 year old girlfriend.' The email continued: 'Never did I think UNC would become a laughing stock in the sports world because of his young girlfriend.'

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Gianni Infantino insists 'players LOVE the Club World Cup' as he hits back at critics and claims it shows Americans they can 'get rich and famous from football'

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has launched a staunch defence of the Club World Cup. The tournament, in its first edition in the current 32-team format after being created by Infantino, has faced widespread criticism for a variety of reasons. Global player organisation FIFPro have highlighted the additional demands an expanded tournament will place on players and the negative impact of not having a summer break, with some stars having previously threatened to boycott the competition over workload concerns. Several games have also been played in front of swathes of empty seats, while the extreme weather of the USA at this time of the year and concerns over whether the $1billion (£740m) prize fund will unbalance leagues when teams return home have similarly been noted. Elsewhere, Infantino's claims that the tournament is 'the best against the best' have been brought into question given none of the champions of England, Spain or Italy are involved, while Bayern Munich beat Auckland City 10-0 in their first group game. However, Infantino hit back at these claims and insisted the expanded competition is going well and has the potential to change people's opinions. But it has been widely criticised for a variety of reasons, including low attendances at games 'So, maybe some criticise it a little bit, but it's something new. It's something special,' Infantino said when speaking in Manhattan at the weekend. 'It's a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players. 'It was about time that somebody invented a World Cup for club teams. 'Since 100 years, we know which is the best country in the world, but, until today, we do not really know which is the best team in the world. 'So, we thought it might not be a bad idea to create a World Cup for teams to decide.' Infantino continued: 'Well, I think the players who play, they are loving it. Harry Kane gave an interview saying, "it's a fantastic competition. It's beautiful"'. 'They (players) love it. Those who are not there, of course, they would love to be there.' There have been some early success stories of the Club World Cup, including the atmosphere generated by the likes of Boca Juniors supporters, while Brazilian sides Botafogo and Flamengo caused major upsets against PSG and Chelsea respectively. And Infantino, whose name is engraved on the tournament's trophy, has claimed if the Club World Cup and next summer's World Cup in the US are a success, the trajectory of football in the country may completely change. He added: 'The Club World Cup, and with the World Cup next year, is to show to young Americans that, actually, if you are good and if you are talented, you don't need to go to another sport, because through soccer, there is a path for glory and a path for money, as well. 'You can become famous. You can become rich if you follow a soccer path, which today young Americans don't see. 'Because they see, of course, the NFL or the NBA or baseball or ice hockey, but we will show them here, in their country, the power of soccer.'