Rajasthan Royals consigned to Eliminator after washout in Guwahati leaves them third
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Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match abandoned without a ball bowled
Rain in Guwahati denied hosts Rajasthan Royals a shot at a top-two finish in the final league fixture of IPL 2024. The game was abandoned, without a ball being bowled, at around 10.50pm local time, meaning RR ended the league phase with four losses in a row, followed by this washout, to finish third with 17 points.
Sunrisers Hyderabad also had 17 points, having successfully chased down 215 against a severely depleted Punjab Kings side earlier in the day, but they stayed second, thanks to a superior net run-rate. Pat Cummins' SRH will now face table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier in Ahmedabad on May 21. As for Royals, they will run into a red-hot Royal Challengers Bangalore side, which is on a six-match winning streak, in the Eliminator the next day at the same venue.
KKR's players might have to rock up cold in the playoffs, with their last two league games having been abandoned without a ball being bowled. Especially Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Phil Salt's potential replacement, who is yet to play his first game this IPL. His last outing with the bat was for Afghanistan in mid-March.
Royals have similar concerns around their overseas players. Their finisher Shimron Hetmyer was originally deemed fit for Monday's fixture, but eventually didn't make it to the XI or the Impact subs bench, with RR captain Sanju Samson suggesting that they had to make some last-minute changes to their team.
Hetmyer hasn't played since failing to finish a tense chase against SRH along with Rovman Powell on May 2. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who is somewhat of a like-for-like replacement for Jos Buttler, had a fairly rough initiation into the IPL, managing 18 off 23 balls against Punjab Kings in much drier conditions in Guwahati on May 15.
The Guwahati surface was under covers for the most of Monday evening before the rain briefly relented to allow the toss for a seven-over shootout, which was scheduled to restart at 10.45pm local time. However, soon after KKR won the toss and chose to bowl, the rain returned to force a damp end to the league phase.
Emilio Gay, Ben Sanderson Put Northants Back The Ascendancy
CHICAGO -- — Mitch Keller pitched six effective innings, Nick Gonzales hit a key two-run single and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 on Sunday.
Jack Suwinski connected for another homer against Jameson Taillon as Pittsburgh closed out a 4-3 road trip by taking three of four from Chicago. Gonzales, Andrew McCutchen and Jared Triolo each had two of the Pirates' 10 hits.
“Very proud to finish this road trip the way we did,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.
Keller improved to 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three May starts. The right-hander allowed two runs and two hits, struck out three and walked three.
Keller (5-3) has worked at least five innings in his past 41 starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
“Just trying to be as efficient as possible and give us as much length as possible,” Keller said.
Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel each hit a sacrifice fly for Chicago, which was held to 10 runs and 18 hits in the series. Taillon (3-2) was charged with three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“I thought I threw OK. Pitch count got up there,” said Taillon, who finished with 92 pitches, 55 for strikes. “That's a pretty patient team, and they have a good idea of what they want to do and what they want to make you do.”
The Cubs were down 3-1 when Suzuki was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth. Suzuki advanced on Cody Bellinger's double and scored on Morel's flyball to left.
But Keller limited the damage by retiring Ian Happ and Michael Busch on a pair of flyballs to right.
Colin Holderman and Aroldis Chapman each struck out two in a perfect inning for Pittsburgh. David Bednar, who allowed Morel's game-ending single in Saturday's 1-0 loss, finished the two-hitter for his 10th save in 13 opportunities.
“It was a quiet day. Just not a lot of pressure today for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
The Pirates jumped in front on Suwinski's fourth homer of the season, a 367-foot solo drive to right in the second. Suwinski, a Chicago native, is 5 for 6 with four homers in his career against Taillon.
The game was tied at 1 when Gonzales delivered in the fifth. With two out and the bases loaded, Gonzales drove in two runs with a liner into center field against Hayden Wesneski.
Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, has eight RBI in 10 games since he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 10.
“He's had really consistent at-bats,” Shelton said. “I mean big two-out base hit today. He went down to Triple-A. He worked on his swing. ... I think we're seeing the benefits of it since he's been back in the big leagues.”
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: SS Dansby Swanson (right knee sprain) and 2B Nico Hoerner (left hamstring tightness) could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday. Swanson is on the 10-day injured list, and Hoerner has missed six consecutive games. “The goal is to just get it behind him,” Counsell said of Hoerner, “and I think we have a chance to do that on Tuesday.” ... LHP Drew Smyly (right hip impingement) will make a rehab appearance with High-A South Bend on Tuesday. ... RHP Daniel Palencia (strained right shoulder) allowed three runs in one inning in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: LHP Martín Pérez (1-3), 4.86 ERA) starts Tuesday night against San Francisco. RHP Logan Webb (4-4, 3.03 ERA) goes for the visiting Giants in the opener of a three-game set.
Cubs: Following a day off, the Cubs host the Braves on Tuesday night for the opener of a three-game series. Chicago dropped two of three at Atlanta during its previous road trip.
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