MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 7, Cincinnati Reds 4
Kansas City Royals 10, Chicago White Sox 5
Chicago Cubs 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Tigers 7, Reds 4 – After Fiers gets hurt, Iglesias leads Tigers over Reds 7-4
Jose Iglesias drove in three runs, Jim Adduci homered and the Detroit Tigers survived the loss of pitcher Mike Fiers to an early injury to beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Wednesday for a two-game sweep. Fiers left after the second with a bruised left shin, sustained on a comebacker off the bat of Mason Williams. X-rays on Fiers’ shin were negative, and it was unclear whether he will make his next scheduled start. Drew VerHagen (2-2) followed as the first of six relievers and pitched three scoreless innings. Shane Greene pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 26 chances. Sal Romano (6-9) allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 10, White Sox 5 – Gordon homers as Royals beat White Sox 10-5
Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer and drove in four, helping the Kansas City Royals pound the sloppy Chicago White Sox 10-5 on Wednesday night. Gordon also walked and scored during Kansas City’s five-run fifth. Brett Phillips added two hits and Ryan O’Hearn singled in a run in his second major league game as the last-place Royals posted consecutive wins for the first time since they won three in a row from July 20-22, matching their season high. Jakob Junis (6-11) pitched 5 2/3 innings of four-run ball in his first win since May 18. The 24-year-old right-hander was 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA in his previous 10 starts. Chicago lost for the sixth time in seven games. Yoan Moncada broke out of a slump with his fifth career leadoff homer, two hits and two walks, but he also committed one of two costly errors for the White Sox.
Cubs 9, Pirates 2 – Hamels solid in debut as Cubs throttle Pirates 9-2
Cole Hamels had little trouble in his return to the National League, keeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in check over five innings to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-2 victory on Wednesday night. Hamels (6-9), acquired in a trade with Texas last week, gave up one unearned run on three hits. The four-time All-Star struck out nine and walked two to pick up his first win for a National League team in more than three years. Willson Contreras went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs for the Cubs. Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist had three hits apiece while Kyle Schwarber and Javy Baez each added two hits and an RBI for Chicago. Reliever Brandon Kintzler worked 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief on his 34th birthday a day after arriving in a trade from Washington.
Today
Kansas City (Keller 4-4) at Chicago White Sox (Lopez 4-9), 2:10 p.m.
San Diego (Erlin 1-3) at Chicago Cubs (Montgomery 3-4), 8:05 p.m.
Tigers are off
NFL – Lions CB Slay insists he wasn’t frightened by injury scare
Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay insists he was not scared when his right knee needed to be evaluated during practice. Slay limped off the field Wednesday after falling in coverage, trying to keep weight off his right leg. He returned to participate in drills and was running full speed to keep up with Detroit’s wide receivers. Slay emerged as one of the NFL’s top cover corners last season and earned All Pro honors. Detroit drafted him 36th overall in 2013. He had a career-high eight interceptions last season, tying Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard for the most in the NFL. Slay is in the second season of a $50 million, four-year contract.
NFL – National Football League – Preseason – Hall of Fame Game – Canton, Ohio
Tonight
Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:00 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 7:30
NCAAFB – Ohio State’s Meyer put on leave, investigation opened
Ohio State has placed coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave while it investigates claims that his wife knew about allegations of abuse against an assistant coach years before he was fired last week. Courtney Smith gave an interview to Stadium and provided text messages to former ESPN reporter Brett McMurphy between her and Shelley Meyer in 2015 and with the wives of other Buckeyes coaches. Courtney Smith also provided threatening texts she claims came from her ex-husband, former assistant Zach Smith. Zach Smith was fired last week after an Ohio court granted a domestic violence protective order to Courtney Smith. Hours after Courtney Smith’s interview was posted online Wednesday, Ohio State said it was conducting an investigation into the allegations and Meyer was being placed on leave. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day will serve as acting head coach for the Buckeyes, expected to be one of the top teams in the nation again this season. Meyer said he and athletic director Gene Smith agree that being on leave during the inquiry was best for the investigation and the team.
NCAA – Groups call for feds to look at Ohio State abuse response
Advocacy groups are calling for the U.S. Department of Education to investigate how Ohio State University responded to a late doctor’s alleged sexual misconduct against male athletes and other students over two decades. In a letter Wednesday, the National Women’s Law Center argues Ohio State failed to address Richard Strauss’ behavior and violated federal Title IX law. The letter notes allegations of recurrent sexual misconduct by doctors at Michigan State University and the University of Southern California led to reviews by the department’s Office for Civil Rights. The letter’s 36 co-signers include a legal group representing some of the men suing Ohio State over alleged abuse by Strauss, who retired in 1998. Ohio State says how officials responded during Strauss’ tenure is a key focus of an ongoing, independent investigation.
Nassar – Lawyers defend conduct of Nassar’s sentencing judge
The Michigan attorney general’s office is defending the conduct of Larry Nassar’s sentencing judge and asking that she deny a defense request to disqualify herself from the former Michigan State University sports doctor’s appeal. The Detroit News reports that the attorney general’s office says in court documents filed Tuesday that Judge Rosemarie Aquilina’s role was different than a trial judge when she sentenced Nassar after he pleaded guilty to molesting women and girls under the guise of medical treatment. Aquilina described Nassar as a “monster” and said she was signing his “death warrant” when ordered him to serve a 40- to 175-year sentence . Nassar’s attorneys say Aquilina was biased. The attorney general’s office says “a sentencing judge is permitted to use strong language.” Aquilina will hear arguments on Friday.
NHL – Coyotes to retire Shane Doan’s number in February
The Arizona Coyotes will retire former captain Shane Doan’s number during a pregame ceremony on Feb. 24. Doan will have his No. 19 retired before the Coyotes face the Winnipeg Jets, joining former Arizona players Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick and Teppo Numminen in the franchise’s ring of honor. Former Winnipeg players Bobby Hull, Thomas Steen and Dale Hawerchuk also are in the Coyotes’ ring of honor. Doan spent his entire 21-year career with the Coyotes before retiring prior to last season.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever, 7:00 p.m.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Lansing 10, South Bend 3
West Michigan 4, Great Lakes 2
Tonight
South Bend at Lansing, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m.
