Weekday Morning Sports Report – Friday 6/22/18

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Cincinnati Reds 6, Chicago Cubs 2
Oakland A’s at Chicago White Sox, PPD
Tigers were off

Reds 6, Cubs 2 – Winker’s grand slam rallies Reds past Cubs 6-2
Jesse Winker hit his first career grand slam during a big sixth-inning rally Thursday night, putting Matt Harvey in line for his second win for the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2 over the Chicago Cubs. The Reds sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times in the sixth, matching their biggest inning of the season. Kyle Hendricks (5-7) walked three to set up the two-out rally, including Eugenio Suarez with the bases loaded. Hendricks has equaled his career high with four walks in each of his last two starts. Winker connected on the second pitch from left-hander Randy Rosario, who hadn’t allowed a homer this season. The Reds’ sixth grand slam of the season moved them into a tie with Boston for most in the majors. Billy Hamilton walked, stole a base, scored and singled home the final run during the rally. Harvey (2-5) went six innings for his first victory since May 22, allowing five hits.

A’s at White Sox – PPD, Rain – White Sox-A’s game postponed; twinbill set for Friday
Thursday night’s game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox has been postponed because of rain. The postponement is the 40th in the major leagues this season, one more than last year and the most in at least the past six years. The game will be made up on Friday as part of a straight doubleheader beginning at 4:10 p.m. The second game will start at 8:10 p.m., the time for Friday’s regularly scheduled game, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The White Sox announced right-hander James Shields (2-8, 4.63 ERA) will start the first game on Friday, with righty Lucas Giolito (4-7, 7.19) following in the nightcap. Chicago has lost seven straight to match a season high and is a season-low 25 games under .500. Oakland will send left-hander Sean Manaea (6-6, 3.56) to the mound in the opener and start righty Chris Bassitt in (0-2, 2.45) in Game 2. The Athletics are scheduled to play four games this weekend during their only visit to Chicago this season.

Today
Oakland (Manaea 6-6) at Chicago White Sox (Shields 2-8), 4:10 p.m. – Game 1
Oakland (Bassitt 0-2) at Chicago White Sox (Giolito 4-7), 8:10 p.m. – Game 2
Chicago Cubs (Quintana 6-5) at Cincinnati (Castillo 4-8), 7:10 p.m.
Detroit (Fiers 5-3) at Cleveland (Bieber 1-0), 7:10 p.m.     WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 6:45

FIFA – World Cup 2018
Yesterday
Denmark 1, Australia 1 – TIE
France 1, Peru 0
Croatia 3, Argentina 0

Thursday’s Roundup
Croatia has advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup while putting former champion Argentina on the brink of elimination. The Croatians scored three times in the second half to beat Lionel Messi and Argentina, 3-0. Argentina goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero miss-kicked a clearance and Croatia defender Ante Rebic recovered the ball and opened the scoring in the 53rd minute. Messi failed to get even one shot off, five days after he missed a penalty in Argentina’s 1-1 draw with Iceland. France has advanced to the round of 16 with a 1-0 victory over Peru. Australia stayed alive with a 1-1 draw against Denmark.

Today
Brazil vs. Costa Rica, 8:00 a.m.
Nigeria vs. Iceland, 11:00 a.m.
Serbia vs. Switzerland, 2:00 p.m.

NBA Draft – Ayton, Bagley go 1-2 in draft
DeAndre Ayton is the latest key component to the Phoenix Suns’ rebuilding process. The Suns have made the University of Arizona center the first player taken in tonight’s NBA draft. Ayton averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds in his lone season in Tucson, tying for the national lead with 24 double-doubles in 35 games. Ayton joins Michael Thompson as the only players from the Bahamas to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Kings followed by taking Duke’s Marvin Bagley III at No. 2. The 6-foot-11 forward was the AP’s Player of the Year after averaging 21 points and 11.1 rebounds while shooting better than 60 percent for the Blue Devils last season. The Memphis Grizzlies used the No. 4 pick to select forward Jaren Jackson Jr. of Michigan State. Jackson is a one-and-done power forward who averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.

NBA Draft – Pistons
The Detroit Pistons selected Bruce Brown of Miami with the 42nd pick in thee NBA Draft and traded for the rights to 2nd pick Khyri Thomas of Creighton. The Pistons were without a first-round pick after trading it to the Clippers in a trade for Blake Griffin. Thomas went to Philadelphia at No. 38, but he was traded for two future second-round picks. The 6-foot-5 Brown, who averaged 11.7 points per game over two seasons at Miami, was limited to 19 games in 2017-18 because of a left foot injury. The 6-foot-3 Thomas averaged 15.1 points last season and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc. There’s still work to be done in reshaping the front office, but new executive Ed Stefanski said this week he would have a lot of influence.

NBA Draft – Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have drafted Duke’s Wendell Carter Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick, The 6-foot-10, 259-pound Carter Jr. was the second Blue Devils big man taken.  With his ability to hit from the outside and score down low, he averaged 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a freshman last season while helping the Blue Devils advance to the Elite Eight. The Bulls are banking on Carter to form a potent tandem with Markkanen and help them climb in the Eastern Conference coming off a 27-55 season. Chicago also owns the No. 22 pick.

NBA Draft – Pacers
The Indiana Pacers have taken ULCA point guard Aaron Holiday with the 23rd overall pick in the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Holiday averaged 20.3 points and 5.8 assists for the Bruins last season. Holiday joins a promising young team that forced eventual Eastern Conference champion Cleveland to seven games in the first round of the playoffs behind Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The Pacers also had one second round pick, No. 50 overall.

2018 NBA Draft
1. Suns: DeAndre Ayton (C) – Arizona
2. Kings: Marvin Bagley (F) – Duke
3. Mavericks (from Hawks): Luka Doncic (G) – Real Madrid
4. Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr (F/C) – Michigan State
5. Hawks (from Mavs): Trae Young (G) – Oklahoma State
6. Magic: Mo Bamba (C) – Texas
7. Bulls: Wendell Carter (C) – Duke
8. Cavaliers (from Nets via Celtics): Collin Sexton (G) – Alabama
9. Knicks: Kevin Knox (F) – Kentucky
10. Suns (from Lakers via Sixers): Mikal Bridges (G/F) – Villanova
11. Clippers (via Hornets): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G) – Kentucky
12. Hornets (from Pistons via Clippers): Miles Bridges (F) – Michigan State
13. Clippers: Jerome Robinson (G) – Boston College
14. Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr (F) – Missouri
15. Wizards: Troy Brown (G) – Oregon
16. Sixers (from Heat via Suns): Zhaire Smith (G) – Texas Tech
17. Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo (G) – Villanova
18. Spurs: Lonnie Walker (G) – Miami
19. Hawks (from Wolves): Kevin Huerter (G) – Maryland
20. Timberwolves (from Thunder via Jazz): Josh Okogie (G/F) – Georgia Tech
21. Jazz: Grayson Allen (G) – Duke
22. Bulls (from Pelicans): Chandler Hutchison (G/F) – Boise State
23. Pacers: Aaron Holiday (G) – UCLA
24. Trailblazers: Anfernee Simons (G) – IMG Academy
25. Lakers (from Cavs via Blazers, Cavs): Moe Wagner (F/C) – Michigan
26. Sixers: Landry Shamet (G) – Wichita State
27. Celtics: Robert Williams (F/C) – Texas A&M
28. Warriors: Jacob Evans (G/F) – Cincinnati
29. Nets: Dzanan Musa (F) – Bosnia and Herzegovina
30. Hawks (from Rockets via Clippers): Omari Spellman (F/C) – Villanova

Second Round
31. Suns: Elie Okobo (G) – France
32. Grizzlies: Jevon Carter (G) – West Virginia
33. Mavs: Jalen Brunson (G) – Villanova
34. Hornets (from Hawks): Devonte Graham (G) – Kansas
35. Magic: Melvin Frazier (G/F) – Tulane
36. Knicks (from Bulls via Thunder): Mitchell Robinson (C)
37. Trailblazers (from Kings): Gary Trent Jr (G) – Duke
38. Pistons (from Nets via Sixers): Khyri Thomas (G) – Creighton
39. Lakers (from Knicks via Sixers): Isaac Bonga (F) – Germany
40. Nets (from Lakers via Magic, Raptors): Rodions Kurucs (F) – Latvia
41. Nuggets (from Hornets via Magic, Grizzlies, Suns): Jarred Vanderbilt (F) – Kentucky
42. Pistons: Bruce Brown Jr (G) – Miami
43. Nuggets (from Clippers via Knicks): Justin Jackson (F) – Maryland
44. Wizards: Issuf Sanon (G) – Ukraine
45. Nets (from Bucks): Hamidou Diallo (G) – Kentucky
46. Rockets (from Heat via Grizzlies): De’Anthony Melton (G) – USC
47. Lakers (from Nuggets via Jazz, Bulls): Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (G) – Kansas
48. Timberwolves: Keita Bates-Diop (F) – Ohio State
49. Spurs: Chimezie Metu (F/C) – USC
50. Pacers: Alize Johnson (F) – Missouri State
51. Pelicans (from Bulls via Pelicans, Heat): Tony Carr (G) – Penn State
52. Rockets (from Jazz): Vince Edwards (F) – Purdue
53. Thunder: Devon Hall (G) – Virginia
54. Sixers (from Blazers via Mavs, Nuggets): Shake Milton (G) – SMU
55. Hornets (from Cavs via Nets, Sixers): Arnoldas Kulboka (F) – Lithuania
56. Mavs (from Sixers): Ray Spalding (F) – Louisville
57. Thunder (from Celtics): Kevin Hervey (F) – Texas Arlington
58. Nuggets (from Warriors): Thomas Welsh (C) – UCLA
59. Suns (from Raptors): George King (F) – Colorado
60. Mavericks (from Rockets via Sixers): Kostas Antetokounmpo (F) – Dayton

NHL – Islanders hire Trotz as coach fresh off winning Stanley Cup
The New York Islanders hadn’t had a Stanley Cup-winning coach behind their bench since Al Arbour stepped down in 1994. President of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello has ended that run by hiring Barry Trotz, two weeks after he led the Washington Capitals to the Cup. Trotz has the fifth-most wins of any coach in NHL history and led Washington to first-place regular-season finishes in 2015-16 and 2016-17.  The Capitals accepted Trotz’s resignation three days earlier after failing to work out a contract extension. Trotz was due to make $2.1 million in Washington, but reports say he’ll receive about twice that in New York.

NHL – Salary cap set at $79.5 million for 2018-19 NHL season
General managers looking to make moves at the NHL draft found out the salary cap for next season will be $79.5 million, an increase of $4.5 million from last year. The NHL and NHLPA announced the cap and $58.8 million salary floor Thursday. With the first round of the draft Friday night, teams are preparing for a bevy of player movement entirely apart from the selections themselves. Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli says there’s “a lot of chatter” going on right now. Much of that chatter involves some big names: Ottawa captain and No. 1 defenseman Erik Karlsson, Montreal winger Max Pacioretty, Buffalo center Ryan O’Reilly and Pittsburgh winger Phil Kessel are among the top players being bandied about in trade talk. Florida GM Dale Tallon says the conversations are becoming more specific as teams lock in on specific needs all over their lineup. Chiarelli and Tallon each seem willing to trade his team’s first-round pick to either move back or pick up some immediate help, and the Panthers already got 20-goal scorer Mike Hoffman from the Senators earlier this week. A year ago, the cap only went up $2 million. The bigger increase this year should spur more trades and give teams more room to keep players.  The NHL also released the full 2018-19 schedule on Thursday.

NHL Draft – Round 1 Order
1. Buffalo
2. Carolina
3. Montreal
4. Ottawa
5. Arizona
6. Detroit
7. Vancouver
8. Chicago
9. NY Rangers
10. Edmonton
11. NY Islanders
12. NY Islanders (from CGY)
13. Dallas
14. Philadelphia (from STL)
15. Florida
16. Colorado
17. New Jersey
18. Columbus
19. Philadelphia
20. Los Angeles
21. San Jose
22. Ottawa (from PIT)
23. Anaheim
24. Minnesota
25. Toronto
26. NY Rangers (from BOS)
27. Chicago (from NSH)
28. NY Rangers (from TBL)
29. St. Louis (from WPG)
30. Detroit (from VGK)
31. Washington

NHL – 2018 Blackhawks/Red Wings Schedule

Michigan State board to consider payout to Nassar victims
Michigan State’s board of trustees is set to meet to address a plan to pay a $500 million settlement to Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse victims. The public meeting also comes amid calls for the school’s interim president to resign over recent comments about some of the women and girls the former sports doctor sexually assaulted. Although the board appears to lack the votes to oust John Engler from his interim perch, the meeting likely will be heavily attended by people who are fed up with Engler and want him gone. The primary focus of the meeting is the school’s budget, along with the settlement plan. Engler apologized Thursday for his April email exchange suggesting gymnast Rachael Denhollander probably received a “kickback” from her plaintiff’s attorney.

Golf – PGA – Johnson, Spieth share Travelers lead
Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth each fired 7-under 63 to move into a first-place tie through one round of the PGA’s Travelers Championship near Hartford. Spieth had six birdies and an eagle out the bunker on par-5 sixth hole, one year after leading after every round of the tournament. Johnson’s eight birdies included six straight on the back nine, one off the course record. Rory McIlroy missed a 13-foot for par on the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead. He’s tied for second with Brian Harmon and Peter Malnati.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
South Bend 3, Dayton 2
Lansing 4, Great Lakes 3, 10 innings
West Michigan at Fort Wayne, ppd.

Tonight
West Michigan at Fort Wayne, 5:35 p.m.  (DH)
South Bend at Dayton, 7 p.m.
Great Lakes at Lansing, 7:05 p.m.