95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Wednesday, August 31, 2016
MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 8, Chicago White Sox 4
Chicago Cubs 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Tigers 8, White Sox 4 – Kinsler, Jones lead Tigers to 8-4 comeback victory
Ian Kinsler homered and drove in four runs as the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 on Tuesday night. Kinsler came into the game hitting .085 (4 for 47) in his last 13 games, but he hit a two-run homer in the fifth and added a two-run single in Detroit’s four-run sixth inning. JaCoby Jones had two hits and two RBIs for the Tigers in his major league debut, while Todd Frazier homered for Chicago. Bruce Rondon (5-2) picked up the win in relief of Daniel Norris, who allowed three runs in five innings. Matt Albers (2-6) took the loss, allowing three runs in the sixth after relieving Anthony Ranaudo.
Cubs 3, Pirates 0 – Hendricks lowers ERA to 2.09 as Cubs top Pirates 3-0
Kyle Hendricks threw seven dominant innings to lower the majors’ best ERA to 2.09 and Anthony Rizzo homered to lead the Cubs past the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Tuesday night for Chicago’s 21st victory in August. Hendricks (13-7) allowed three hits and has given up three or fewer runs in 18 straight starts. He didn’t allow a hit until Gregory Polanco’s bloop to left-center in the fifth and faced the minimum 17 batters until John Jaso’s two-out double in the sixth. Rizzo belted a two-run homer off Chad Kuhl (3-2) in the first and Miguel Montero added an RBI single an inning later as the Cubs improved to 84-47. Carl Edwards Jr. worked the eighth and Aroldis Chapman finished the four-hitter for his 31st save as the Cubs improved to 21-6 this month, one win shy of the best August in franchise history set in 1932.
Today
Chicago White Sox (Chris Sale 15-7) at Detroit (Justin Verlander 14-7), 1:10 p.m. WSJM Sports/WCSY-FM 12:45
Pittsburgh (Ryan Vogelsong 3-3) at Chicago Cubs (Jason Hammel 13-7), 8:05 p.m.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Phoenix Mercury 79, Indiana Fever 65
Mercury 79, Fever 65 – Taurasi scores 13 of 19 points in 4th, Phoenix beats Indiana
Brittney Griner had 20 points and four blocks, Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever 79-65 on Tuesday night. Taurasi scored 10 of Phoenix’s 12 points to start the fourth quarter.
NFL – Bears place backup QB Shaw, C Grasu on injured reserve
The Chicago Bears have placed quarterback Connor Shaw and center Hroniss Grasu on season-ending injured reserve. Shaw, who was vying for a roster spot, suffered a gruesome left leg injury near the end of Saturday’s preseason loss to Kansas City. The Chiefs’ Rakeem Nunez-Roches stepped on his leg following a pass to Josh Bellamy. Grasu tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when he fell without being touched during a practice at Soldier Field in early August. The Bears also waived linebacker Jarrett Grace, waived linebacker Lamin Barrow with an injury designation and placed linebacker Roy Robertson-Harris on the reserve list with a non-football illness on Tuesday. The moves left Chicago with 75 active players.
NFL – Bridgewater likely to miss season
Veteran quarterback Shaun Hill and rookie Joel Stave have just become very important members of the Minnesota Vikings. Starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is expected to miss at least the upcoming season while recovering from a dislocated left knee and torn ACL suffered in a freak practice injury on Tuesday. The non-contact injury occurred when he tried to plant his left foot to throw a pass. The knee was placed in an air cast before he was taken to a nearby hospital. The 36-year-old Hill has started just 34 games during his NFL career, eight since the end of the 2010 season. Stave just completed a four-year college career with Wisconsin, where he completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 7,635 yards, 48 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. Stave was signed as an undrafted free agent.
NCAA Football – O’Connor eager to get started as Michigan State’s No. 1 QB
Michigan State’s Tyler O’Connor expects it will feel different to take the field this week in the Spartans’ opening game. After three years backing up Connor Cook at quarterback, the fifth-year senior finally has his chance to lead the Spartans. He’s the starter now, and when No. 12 Michigan State hosts Furman on Friday night, he’ll try to take the first step toward soothing concerns Spartans fans have about a potential drop-off at that position. O’Connor has attempted only 54 passes at Michigan State, so he takes over the starting job amid a fair amount of uncertainty. Coach Mark Dantonio says O’Connor is ready and his advice is to be himself and if he makes a mistake be ready to bounce back from it. O’Connor did start one game last year _ at Ohio State when Cook was hurt. The Spartans pulled off a huge upset, and although their offensive approach was conservative that day, O’Connor played a role in one of Michigan State’s greatest victories under Dantonio.
NCAA Football – Harbaugh refuses to publicly name starting QB, again
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh once again declined to identify his starting quarterback for the opener on Saturday against Hawaii. It is expected to be either Wilton Speight or John O’Korn. Harbaugh says the quarterbacks and rest of the team all know but he’s not letting the choice out for public consumption. During a Big Ten coaches’ conference call with the media, Harbaugh, whose 1986 Wolverines team won 27-10 at Hawaii to finish the regular season when he was the quarterback, said he’d “definitely consider” a return visit to the island state for his program in the future. Michigan also traveled across the Pacific Ocean in 1998, when a quarterback named Tom Brady led the Wolverines to a 48-17 victory over the Rainbow Warriors.
NCAA Football – Kelly hasn’t decided Notre Dame’s QB rotation vs. Texas
Coach Brian Kelly surprised many when he revealed two weeks ago that he planned to use both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire at uarterback when No. 10 Notre Dame opens the season at Texas. He hasn’t revealed much more than that since then about how he plans to split the playing time. Asked yesterday if he had decided yet who would take the first snap on Sunday, Kelly said he hadn’t “figured that out yet.” But he also adds it’s not really an issue for the Irish right now. For his part, Texas coach Charlie Strong hasn’t said yet whether he will start freshman Shane Buechele or senior Tyrone Swoopes at quarterback against Notre Dame.
NCAA Football – Innocent pleas entered for 4 Notre Dame players, Redfield
Not guilty pleas have been entered for two Notre Dame football players and a third kicked off the team following his arrest on misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession. Linebacker Te’von Coney, wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and safety Max Redfield, who was dismissed from the team, appeared in court Tuesday where a judge entered the pleas for them. Attorneys for running back Dexter Williams and cornerback Ashton White filed motions to waive initial hearings. A not guilty plea also was entered on Redfield’s behalf on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a handgun without a license. The five were arrested Aug. 19 after their car was stopped for speeding and an improper taillight. Police say they found two bags of marijuana. The 10th-ranked Fighting Irish open the season Sunday against Texas.
NCAA Football – Ex-Western Michigan football players in court on charges
Two Western Michigan football players who were kicked off the team after their arrest have appeared in court on armed robbery charges. Bond was set Monday at $100,000 each for freshmen Ron George of Pittsburgh and Bryson White of Mason, Ohio. They’re accused of using a gun and knife to rob a woman at her Kalamazoo apartment Friday night. They’re charged with armed robbery, first-degree home invasion and larceny in a building. George, a linebacker, asked for a court-appointed lawyer. White, a wide receiver, said he has an attorney, but he appeared by video from jail without one. Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck removed them from the team Sunday, saying “we are moving forward.”
NCAA Basketball – Former Michigan State star Appling arrested in Detroit
Former Michigan State basketball player Keith Appling faces more charges in his latest scrap with police. Appling was arraigned yesterday in Detroit on weapons and other charges. It’s his third encounter with Detroit-area police since this past spring.
Tennis – US Open results – Serena cruises into Round 2
Serena Williams was in top form as she opened her U.S. Open schedule and a bid for a record 23rd major title. The top-seeded Williams had 12 aces and just one double-fault in a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova. The six-time U.S. Open champion showed little trouble rom the sore right shoulder that has allowed her to play just four singles matches since Wimbledon. Meanwhile, sixth seed Venus Williams made 63 unforced errors and needed 2 hours and 42 minutes to win her first-round match, knocking off Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska breezed through a 6-1, 6-1 victory in the opening round, and fifth seed Simona Halep dropped just two games in her first-round match. No. 15 Timea acsinszky and No. 16 Sam Stosur also reached the second round, but Ana Ivanovic was ousted in straight sets. Men’s No. 2 Andy Murray didn’t lose a set in his opening-round match, coasting to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory. First-round winners on the men’s side also include third seed Stan Wawrinka, sixth seed Kei Nishikori, No. 8 David Thiem (teem), No. 11 David Ferrer and No. 16 Feliciano Lopez. Jared Donaldson of the U.S. pulled off the biggest upset on the men’s side, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 stunner against 12th seed David Goffin. American Steve Johnson rallied from down two sets and a break to outlast Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 in 3 hours, 13 minutes. American Sam Querrey was dispatched in the first round.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Boys Soccer
Lake Michigan Catholic 8, Michigan Lutheran 0
Allegan 7, Grand Rapids Union 4
Girls Swimming
St. Joseph 120, Kalamazoo Central 65
Bridgman 106.5, Battle Creek Central 77.5
Girls Volleyball
Lake Michigan Catholic 3, Lawrence 1
Today
Boys Soccer
St. Joseph at Battle Creek Lakeview, 6:45 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Lakeshore, 6:45 p.m.
Mattawan at Portage Central 6:45 p.m.
Niles at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6:45 p.m.
South Haven at Buchanan, 5:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Parchment, 6:00 p.m.
Harper Creek at Three Rivers, 6:45 p.m.
New Prairie (IN) at Bridgman, 5:30 p.m.
Bangor at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m.
Fennville at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Gobles at Delton-Kellogg, 6:00 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Hartford, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Marcellus, 6:00 p.m.
Lawton at Schoolcraft, 5:00 p.m.
Girls Volleyball
South Haven at Dowagiac, 5:00 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Vicksburg, 6:00 p.m.
Three Rivers at Allegan, 5:00 p.m.
Mendon at Berrien Springs, 6:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Brandywine, 7:00 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Lawton, 7:00 p.m.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Tonight
South Bend Cubs at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7:00 p.m.
Bowling Green Hot Rods at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.
