Weekday Morning Sports – Wednesday 5/3/17

sportsreport-202
sportsreport-202

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Wednesday, May 03, 2017

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 5, Cleveland Indians 2
Chicago White Sox 6, Kansas City Royals 0
Chicago Cubs 8, Philadelphia Phillies 3

Tigers 5, Indians 2 – Cabrera returns with homer in Tigers’ 5-2 win over Indians
Miguel Cabrera hit his 450th homer in his first game off the disabled list and the Detroit Tigers went on to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.  Cabrera missed the minimum of 10 days with a strained right groin. On a cold, damp night, he left the game for a defensive replacement after seven innings.  Justin Verlander (2-2) won for the first time since opening day, allowing two runs and four hits while walking four in seven innings. He struck out five, and has given up just two earned runs in 14 innings over his last two starts. Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth, and allowed a pair of baserunners before retiring Francisco Lindor for his seventh save. Corey Kluber (3-2) gave up five runs and seven hits with a walk in three innings. He struck out four before being removed with discomfort in his lower back.

White Sox 6, Royals 0 – Quintana strong through 8 innings, White Sox beat Royals 6-0
Jose Quintana gave up four singles over eight innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on Tuesday night. Quintana (2-4) walked two, struck out seven and allowed only one runner to reach second base. The Royals lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Starter Danny Duffy (2-2) allowed six runs, 10 hits and two walks over five innings.  Yolmer Sanchez had three hits and Avisail Garcia and Geovany Soto each had two to lead Chicago’s offense. Garcia was 2 for 2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. He leads the American League with a .382 batting average, and his on-base percentage hiked to .433. He scored a run in the second and drove in Sanchez with a third-inning single.

Cubs 8, Phillies 3 – Baez, Schwarber power the Cubs past Phillies 8-3
Javier Baez came within a double of the cycle with four hits and three RBIs, Kyle Schwarber broke out of a slump with a three-run homer and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Tuesday night. Baez hit his second homer in as many days and tied his career high with hits, and Kris Bryant homered and tripled for the Cubs, who won for the second time in six games. Cubs starter Jon Lester (1-1) pitched long enough to earn his first victory of the season. He struck out five and worked around five walks and four hits. He allowed three runs, two earned, in five innings. Lester improved to 11-2 at Wrigley Field since the start of the 2016 season. He also improved to 7-0 against the Phillies in nine starts. Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson (4-1) allowed six runs and eight hits in four innings.

Tonight
Cleveland (Carrasco 2-2) at Detroit (Boyd 2-1), 7:10 p.m.          WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 6:45
Philadelphia (Eickhoff 0-2) at Chicago Cubs (Arrieta 3-1), 8:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Pelfrey 0-1) at Kansas City (Karns 0-2), 8:15 p.m.

MLB – Jones cheered at Fenway following racial taunts
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones received extended applause before their 5-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Boston had extra security in place after Jones was taunted with racial slurs at the ballpark. Jones called the incident “unfortunate” and said such behavior has no place in today’s game. He says he doesn’t think what happened is indicative of the larger fan base or the city of Boston.

NCAAFB – Northwestern defensive end suspended after drug charge
Northwestern University says it has indefinitely suspended defensive end Xavier Washington after a drug arrest. Evanston Police Commander Joe Dugan says officers called to a disturbance in Evanston on Sunday when they saw the 20-year-old at an intersection, stopped him, searched him and found he was carrying a half-gram of cocaine. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Washington faces a felony count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and records show he was released from jail and appeared in court Monday.

NHL – 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 2 (Best of 7)
Last Night
New York Rangers 4, Ottawa Senators 1                                      (OTT leads 2-1)
Nashville Predators 2, St. Louis Blues 1                                      (NAS leads 3-1)

Rangers 4, Senators 1
Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers earned a 4-1 win over the Senators to pull within two games to one in the second-round, Stanley Cup series. Zuccarello put the Blueshirts ahead to stay 5 1/2 minutes into the game before setting up Michael Grabner about eight minutes later. Rick Nash and Oscar Lindberg added second-period goals, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 shots for the Rangers.

Predators 2, Blues 1
Nashville is up 3-1 in its second-round, Stanley Cup series after Ryan Ellis and James Neal scored third-period to lead the Predators’ 2-1 win over St. Louis. The game was scoreless until Ellis notched a power-play goal with 14:51 remaining. Pekka Rinne stopped 32 shots and blanked the Blues until Joel Edmundson beat him with 3:49 to play.

Tonight
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m.               (PIT leads 2-1)
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers, 10:00 p.m.                             (EDM leads 2-1)

NHL – Penguins star Crosby has concussion, out for Game 4
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will miss Game 4 of the team’s second-round playoff series Wednesday night after suffering a concussion.  The Pens’ captain missed the remainder of Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss after taking a cross-check to the jaw from Washington defenseman and former teammate Matt Niskanen. The Penguins say Crosby is out indefinitely following his second concussion of the season.

NBA – 2017 NBA Playoffs – Round 2 (Best of 7)
Last Night
Boston Celtics 129, Washington Wizards 119 – OT                     (BOS leads 2-0)
Golden State Warriors 106, Utah Jazz 94                                    (GSW leads 1-0)

Celtics 129, Wizards 119 – OT
Isaiah Thomas poured in 53 points and the Boston Celtics grabbed a 2-0 lead in the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals by outlasting Washington, 129-119 in overtime. The Boston guard shot 18-for-33 overall and 5-for-12 from 3-point range despite fiddling with a newly-fitted mouth guard after losing a tooth in Game 1 on Sunday. John Wall poured in 40 points for the Wizards.

Celtics 129, Wizards 119 – OT
Stephen Curry scored 22 points through three quarters as the Golden State Warriors whipped Utah, 106-94 in Game 1 of the NBA’s Western Conference semifinal series. Draymond Green scored Golden State’s first six points of the final period and finished with 17, eight rebounds and six assists. Kevin Durant added 17 points for the Warriors.

Tonight
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:00 p.m.                                (CLE leads 1-0)
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs, 9:30 p.m.                                  (HOU leads 1-0)

NBA – No fun in Utah? Jazz fans turn tables on Warriors’ razz
Salt Lake City leaders and tourism officials are playfully jabbing back at Golden State Warriors players who bemoaned the lack of nightlife in Utah.  The city’s tourism agency launched a video Monday sarcastically titled, “There’s nothing to do in Salt Lake.” It features people enjoying drinks and food at bars, restaurants and sporting venues.  It’s the latest attempt by Utah officials to combat the predominantly Mormon state’s reputation as a boring place where it’s tough to get a drink.  The teams are facing off in the Western Conference semifinals this weekend. Some Warriors players said they wanted to play the Clippers instead of the Jazz to get Los Angeles nightlife rather than that in Salt Lake City.  Mayor Jackie Biskupski tweeted an offer to buy the first drink for Warriors players concerned about where to cry in their beers.

NFL – Lions keep tight end Eric Ebron under contract through 2018
The Detroit Lions have chosen to keep tight end Eric Ebron under contract through the 2018 season.  The Lions exercised their option to pick up the fifth year of his contract Tuesday. Detroit drafted Ebron in the first round, No. 10 overall, out of North Carolina in 2014. He has 133 career receptions, seven touchdowns and nearly 1,500 yards receiving. Ebron has played in 40 games, missing two or three games each season because of injuries. He set career highs with 61 receptions and 711 yards receiving last year, but caught only one TD pass. Ebron caught a career-high five TDs in 2015.

NFL – Bears sign OT Bradley Sowell to 1-year contract
The Chicago Bears have signed offensive tackle Bradley Sowell to a one-year contract.  The 6-foot-7, 309-pound Sowell appeared in 10 games with nine starts for Seattle last year. He made 12 starts and 48 appearances over the previous three seasons with Arizona and also played in 10 games for Indianapolis in 2012.  Signing Sowell gives Chicago depth behind starting tackles behind Bobby Massie and Charles Leno, Jr. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 3-13 last season.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Clinton 5, West Michigan 4
Burlington 5, Great Lakes 2
South Bend 7, Kane County 6
Peoria 8, Lansing 6

Tonight
Kane at South Bend, 10:35 a.m.
Peoria at Lansing, 10:35 a.m.
Clinton at West Michigan, 6:35 p.m.
Burlington at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m.

AHL – 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs – Division Finals (Best of 7)
Tonight
Grand Rapids Griffins at Chicago Wolves, 8:00 p.m.                                       (Game 1)

ECHL – 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs – Division Finals (Best of 7)
Tonight
Toledo Walleye at Fort Wayne Komets, 7:30 p.m.                                            (TOL leads 2-0)

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Baseball
Lakeshore 8, St. Joseph 2 – Game 1
Lakeshore 3, St. Joseph 0 – Game 2

Softball
Lakeshore 3, St. Joseph 0 – Game 1
Lakeshore 9, St. Joseph 7 – Game 2

Tonight
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Kalamazoo Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at Niles, 5:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Mattawan, 6:45 p.m.
Portage Central at Portage Northern, 6:45 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Gull Lake, 6:45 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Kalamazoo Central, 6:45 p.m.
Otsego at South Haven, 6:00 p.m.
Paw Paw at Edwardsburg, 4:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Three Rivers, 6:45 p.m.
Dowagiac at Allegan, 6:45 p.m.
Plainwell at Vicksburg, 6:45 p.m.
Comstock at Berrien Springs, 6:00 p.m.
Parchment at Buchanan, 5:00 p.m.
Bridgman at New Buffalo, 5:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Lake Michigan Catholic, 5:00 p.m.
Cassopolis at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.
Fennville at Bangor, 6:00 p.m.
Hartford at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Lawrence at Covert, 5:00 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Lawton, 6:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.

Baseball
Paw Paw at Mattawan, 4:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Centreville, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Gull Lake at Kalamazoo Hackett, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Gobles at Bangor, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
Benton Harbor at Michigan Lutheran, 4:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Three Rivers, 4:00 p.m.
Portage Central at Gull Lake, 4:00 p.m.

Track and Field
Lakeshore at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.

Girls Tennis
Niles at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m.
Portage Central at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.