Weekday Morning Sports – Friday 7/22/16

sportsreport-80
sportsreport-80

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Friday, July 22, 2016

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 2, Chicago White Sox 1 (7 Innings)
Cubs were off

Tigers 2, White Sox 1 (7 Innings) – Kinsler, Cabrera homer as Tigers beat White Sox 2-1
Ian Kinsler hit his 20th home run, Miguel Cabrera added his 19th and the Detroit Tigers the struggling Chicago White Sox 2-1 in a game that was called after more than a two-hour rain delay in the seventh inning Thursday. A heavy downpour before the bottom of the seventh sent players and umpires running for cover at U.S. Cellular Field. And after two hours, five minutes the game was finally called. The Tigers opened a seven-game trip on a winning note while the White Sox have now dropped seven of eight. Kinsler and Cabrera made it 2-1 with solo homers against James Shields (4-12) in the fifth. Mike Pelfrey (3-9) won for just the second time in nine starts, and the Tigers came out on top after dropping two of three against Minnesota. Adam Eaton had three hits and scored for Chicago. Shields gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings, but the White Sox continued their slide after going 1-5 on a trip to the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle.

Tonight
Detroit (Michael Fulmer 9-2) at Chicago White Sox (Jacob Turner 0-1), 8:10 p.m.   WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 7:45
Chicago Cubs (Jason Hammel 8-5) at Milwaukee (Jimmy Nelson 6-7), 8:10 p.m.

MLB – White Sox’s Lawrie exits game with tight hamstring
White Sox second baseman Brett Lawrie has left Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers because of tightness in his left hamstring. Lawrie popped out to the pitcher in the second inning. He was replaced at second base by Tyler Saladino to start the top of the fourth. Lawrie is batting .248 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs.

NBA – NBA pulls All-Star game from Charlotte over LGBT issue
The NBA is moving the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte because of its objections to a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. The league had expressed its opposition to the law since it was enacted in March.

NCAA Basketball – Lawyer: Green case could be resolved before Olympics
An attorney for Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green says a misdemeanor assault-and-battery charge from a confrontation near the Michigan State campus could be resolved before the U.S. basketball team competes in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. James Heos tells the Lansing State Journal that Green appeared during a closed-door pretrial conference Thursday in East Lansing District Court via FaceTime. The U.S. team starts play in Rio on August 6th. Heos said a plea agreement is a possibility and that he’s “still accumulating witness’ statements” and “trying to get to the bottom of this.” Green is a former Michigan State standout. He’s accused of striking ex-Spartan football player Jermaine Edmondson on July 10th near campus. Edmondson received a release to transfer from the school.

NFL – AP source: Watt will miss opening of camp after back surgery
A person familiar with J.J. Watt’s condition said the Houston Texans’ star defensive end has had back surgery and will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t confirmed the surgery or Watts’ roster status. Watt was the sacks leader last season with 17 ½.  He will miss the start of training camp, but is expected to be ready for the season opener.

NFL – Lions sign free agent tackle Luke Marquardt
The Detroit Lions have signed free agent tackle Luke Marquardt. The team announced the move Thursday. The New York Jets signed the 26-year-old Marquardt in April, but he was waived less than two months later. Marquardt was signed by San Francisco as an undrafted free agent from Azusa Pacific in 2013. He has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. He missed his senior season of college with a foot injury and spent his rookie season with the 49ers on the non-football injury list. He was released by San Francisco in May 2014 after injuring his foot again.

Olympics – Russia loses appeal against track and field ban
Russia has lost its appeal of the ban against its track and field athletes competing in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The decision is not binding on the International Olympic Committee, which has the final say as the organizer of the Rio Games.

NHL – Leafs sign No. 1 pick Matthews
Toronto has signed the NHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick Auston Matthews to a three-year, entry-level contract. General manager Lou Lamoriello typically refuses to give bonuses to rookies, but agent Pat Brisson confirmed that the deal includes the maximum entry-level salary of $925,000 per year as well as bonuses.  That could make the deal up to an average annual value of $3.775 million.  Matthews had 24 goals and 22 assists in 36 games last season for the Zurich Lions in Switzerland and had nine points for the United States at the world hockey championship.

Golf – DJ, List tied for the top
Dustin Johnson made a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole for a 6-under 66 and a share of the Canadian Open lead with Luke List. The U.S. Open champion set up the eagle with a 364-yard drive and 150-yard approach. In windy conditions at sun-baked Glen Abbey, Johnson also had seven birdies and drove into the water on the par-4 14th en route to a double bogey. Johnson played the three back-nine par-5 holes in 4 under. List birdied all four par 5s in a round he closed with seven pars. Johnson and List have a one-shot lead over Chesson Hadley, Kelly Kraft and Canadian amateur Jared de Toit.  Top-ranked Jason Day shot a 69.

Golf – Champions – Austin takes lead
Woody Austin shot a 4-under 68 to take the lead after the first round of the Senior British Open. Austin closed strong with four birdies over the final eight holes at Carnoustie.   That left him a shot ahead of seven golfers, including former British Open champ Mark O’Meara.  Ten other golfers are just two shots back.

WNBA – Teams, players fined for shirts after tragedies
The WNBA has fined the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury and their players for wearing black warm up shirts in the wake of recent shootings by and against police officers.  All three teams were fined $5,000 and each player was fined $500.  WNBA President Lisa Borders said in statement, the fines were not about the players speaking out on a social issue.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Indiana Fever 82, New York Liberty 70

Fever 82, Liberty 70 – Fever top Liberty 82-70 behind strong effort from Kizer
Lynetta Kizer had a career-high 21 points and Marissa Coleman scored 11 of her 14 points during a decisive run to help the Indiana Fever beat the New York Liberty 82-70 on Thursday in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break.

Tonight
Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky, 8:30 p.m.

Cycling – Tour de France – Froome wins stage, widens lead
Defending champ Chris Froome has all but assured himself a third title in cycling’s premier event by winning the 18th stage mountain time trial.  That gives him a commanding 3-minute, 52-second lead with just three stages to go.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
West Michigan 6, Peoria 4
Burlington 3, South Bend 1
Lansing 7, Clinton 5
Great Lakes 2, Kane County 0

Tonight
Peoria at West Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Clinton at Lansing, 7:05 p.m.
Kane County at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m.
Burlington at South Bend, 7:35 p.m.