MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 5, Chicago White Sox 2
Atlanta Braves 5, Chicago Cubs 0
Tigers 5, White Sox 2 – Tigers overcome season-high 5 errors, beat White Sox 5-2
Miguel Cabrera and Niko Goodrum homered, José Ureña went seven innings for his first win in two years, and the Detroit Tigers overcame a season-high five errors to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2. Owners of the worst record in the majors, the Tigers matched their highest error total since they committed five against the White Sox in Chicago on Aug. 31, 2014. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario allowed a run to score in the first when he missed a throw and helped bring home another in the third with a throwing error as Chicago grabbed a 2-1 lead. But despite the struggles on defense, Detroit came away with the win after losing 10 of 11.
Braves 5, Cubs 0 – Acuña hits long HR as Anderson, Braves shut down Cubs 5-0
Ian Anderson allowed one hit in seven innings, Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a long home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the skidding Chicago Cubs 5-0. Anderson won his second consecutive start, after throwing 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium. He walked only one Cubs batter and struck out eight. With one out in the fifth, Acuña connected on a belt-high fastball from Trevor Williams to snap a scoreless tie. The drive traveled 481 feet and landed near the top of the seats in left-center field.
Today
Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves, 7:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m. 94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 7:50
MLB – MLB: Most in Tier 1 vaccinated
Major League Baseball says 70% of players, on-field staff and support personnel have been fully or partially vaccinated for the novel coronavirus. In an email to The Associated Press, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said his figure referred to all individuals defined as Tier 1 in MLB’s protocols. Those persons include players, on-field personnel such as managers, coaches and athletic trainers, plus essential personnel who need to be in close proximity, such as translators and media and travel staff.
MLB – Manfred: MLB expansion fee could be in $2.2 billion range
Major League Baseball would consider expansion fees in the range of $2.2 billion for new franchises, though there are no current plans to add teams. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke during SporticoLive’s online discussion of its estimates to baseball franchise valuations. The company estimated the average MLB franchise value is $2.2 billion, led the New York Yankees at $6.75 billion. Colorado and Miami paid $95 million each to join in 1993, and Arizona and Tampa Bay paid $130 million to join in 1998. Manfred has said repeatedly that MLB will not consider expansion until Oakland and Tampa get new ballparks.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Portland Trailblazers 133, Indiana Pacers 112
Blazers 133, Pacers 112 – Portland ends 5-game skid with 3-point flurry at Indiana
Anfernee Simons scored 27 points with a career-high nine 3-pointers and Damian Lillard added 23 to help Portland snap a five-game losing streak with a 133-112 rout at Indiana. Simons was 9 of 10 from beyond the arc, one short of Lillard’s single-game franchise record, as the Trail Blazers shot a season-high 57.1% from 3-point range. Malcolm Brogdon and Oshae Brissett each had 18 points for the Pacers, who had a three-game winning streak and a 31-year streak of winning records at home end. The Pacers are 11-18 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season with seven games remaining.
Tonight
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Columbus Blue Jackets 1, Detroit Red Wings 0 – Shootout
Tampa Bay Lightning 7, Chicago Blackhawks 4
Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0 – Shootout – Merzlikins shuts out Red Wings, Blue Jackets win in shootout
Patrik Laine and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Laine deked Thomas Greiss and beat him between the pads to lead off. Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins denied Jakub Vrana and Adam Erne before Bjorkstrand sealed the win. Merzlikins, who had 41 saves and made two great stops in the waning seconds of the overtime period, got his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career. Greiss had 33 saves for the Red Wings.
Lightning 7, Blackhawks 4 – Lightning clinch playoff spot with 7-4 victory over Chicago
Alex Killorn had a power-play goal and scored into an empty net, and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth straight season. Brayden Point stuffed in his team-leading 21st goal and added two assists. Erik Cernak, Yanni Gourde, Alex Barre-Boulet, and Blake Coleman also scored for defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay, which kept pace with first-place Carolina and second place Florida at the top of the tight Central Division. The Lightning scored three straight goals in the second period to put the game away against sloppy Chicago. Tampa Bay finished 7-0-1 against the Blackhawks in the pandemic-shortened season. Brandon Hagel, Dominik Kubalik, Wyatt Kalynuk and Duncan Keith had goals for the fading Blackhawks.
NHL – NHL reaches 7-year deal with Turner Sports, ending NBC run
The National Hockey League is coming to TNT. The league and Turner Sports announced a seven-year agreement that begins next season. It includes three Stanley Cup Finals, up to 72 regular-season games, half of the first- and second-round playoff games on TNT and TBS as well as a conference final series. The deal means NBC’s run of covering the league ends after after this season’s playoffs. NBC has broadcast games since 2005 and is in the final season of a 10-year contract. When the Stanley Cup Finals are shown on Turner in 2023, it will mark the first time since 1994 they will be only on cable.
NCAA – NCAA extends contract of President Mark Emmert through 2025
The NCAA Board of Governors has voted to extend the contract of President Mark Emmert by two years through 2025. The announcement Tuesday night comes less than a month after the NCAA and Emmert drew sharp criticism for inequities between the women’s and men’s Division I basketball tournaments. Emmert has also been facing scrutiny and outside pressure for the NCAA inability to move forward with proposed reforms to its rules prohibiting athletes from earning money from their names, images and likenesses. Emmert has been NCAA president since November 2010.
Horse Racing – Shades of gray rare among Kentucky Derby favorites, winners
Essential Quality is expected to be the first gray horse favored to win the Kentucky Derby in 25 years. A gray horse hasn’t won the Derby since Giacomo in 2005, and only eight grays have won it since 1930. According to historians and experts, there are just fewer gray horses in the thoroughbred population compared to more traditional chestnut, bay, brown and black horses. But with almost light gray Tapit siring Essential Quality and others, horses of that color could be making a comeback at the elite level of racing. Essential Quality is the 2-1 morning line favorite and will start from the No. 14 post for the 147th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Olympics – Tokyo Olympics, IOC push ahead during state of emergency
Local organizers and the International Olympic Committee are pushing ahead with plans to open the postponed Tokyo Olympics in just under three months. The latest move involves the unveiling of an updated set of regulations to show how the games can be held during a pandemic. The timing of the second edition of the “Playbooks” is not ideal. Tokyo, Osaka and several others areas came under a third state of emergency this week. The death toll in Japan from COVID-19 has passed 10,000. The state of emergency has closed department stores, theme parks, and bars and restaurants serving alcohol. It also has forced baseball games to be played in empty stadiums.
NFL – Dolphins trade Flowers to Washington
The Miami Dolphins have agreed to trade guard Ereck Flowers to Washington in a deal that also includes a swap of late-round draft picks. Flowers’ agent says the Dolphins will pay the veteran guard $6 million as a signing bonus for a restructured contract this year, and Washington will pay him a $3 million base salary. Flowers signed a $30 million, three-year deal with the Dolphins a year ago and started 14 games in his only season with them.
Tennis – Wimbledon Middle Sunday play in ’22; fans, money TBD in ’21
The All England Club says there will be play on Wimbledon’s middle Sunday starting in 2022. That is a significant break in tradition for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. There only has been play on the middle Sunday in the past when rain created a backlog of matches. Wimbledon returns in 2021 after it was called off last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Rockford IceHogs at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.
NBAGL – Grand Rapids to get new affiliate and name for G-League affiliate
The Detroit Pistons NBA G-League affiliate left West Michigan and headed for Detroit last year during the midst of the pandemic. However Grand Rapids will retain an NBA G-League franchise. As the Denver Nuggets will become the new parent club for the team. The team was previously known as the Grand Rapids Drive to reflect the affiliation with the Pistons. The team announced that a new name will come soon.
MILB – HR Derby, not extra innings will decide Pioneer League games
The Pioneer League is replacing extra innings with a tiebreaking home run derby. The independent partner league of Major League Baseball says tied games this season will be decided by each team designating a batter who will receive five pitches, and the team hitting the most long balls during the derby will receive the win. If the derby is tied after five swings each, another hitter will be selected for a sudden-death derby round. While Major League Baseball is behind experimental rule changes in the independent Atlantic League, it is not involved in the Pioneer League changes.
MCCAA – Junior College Sports
Yesterday
Baseball
Glen Oaks Community College 12, Lake Michigan College 11 – Game 1
Lake Michigan College 17, Glen Oaks Community College 4 – Game 2
Today
Baseball
Glen Oaks Community College at Lake Michigan College, 2:00 p.m./4:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 2:00 p.m.
MHSAA – Judge hears arguments over virus tests for school athletes
Attorneys for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration are defending coronavirus tests for young athletes. They told a judge Tuesday that state law gives the health director extraordinary power to respond to a pandemic. A parent group called Let Them Play Michigan is seeking an injunction to stop weekly COVID-19 tests for school athletes, related quarantines and mask requirements. The group argues that the policy must go through a formal rule-making procedure, a process that would take weeks or months. More than 1,000 people at times watched Judge Michael Kelly hear arguments over Zoom. There was no immediate decision. Meanwhile, new virus cases were down 30% from a week earlier.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Baseball
St. Joseph 5, Edwardsburg 3 – Game 1
Edwardsburg 11, St. Joseph 4 – Game 2
Vicksburg 10, Dowagiac 0 – Game 1
Vicksburg 10, Dowagiac 0 – Game2
Buchanan 9, Berrien Springs 0 – Game 1
Buchanan 12, Berrien Springs 1 – Game 2
Michigan Lutheran 7, Lawrence 6 – Game 1
Michigan Lutheran 4, Lawrence 4 – Susp. Darkness
Niles 13, Brandywine 3 – Game 1
Niles 13, Brandywine 3 – Game 2
Watervliet 15, Marcellus 0 – Game 1
Watervliet 12, Marcellus 2 – Game 2
Kalamazoo Central 6, Otsego 5 – Game 1
Kalamazoo Central 10, Otsego 1 – Game 2
Portage Northern 10, Kalamazoo Hackett 2 – Game 1
Portage Northern 10, Kalamazoo Hackett 4 – Game 2
Schoolcraft 19, Paw Paw 4 – Game 1
Schoolcraft 15, Paw Paw 9 – Game 2
Girls Tennis
Niles 7, Berrien Springs 1
Softball
Edwardsburg 5, St. Joseph 3 – Game 1
St. Joseph 11, Edwardsburg 10 – Game 2
Lakeshore 3, Portage Central 1 – Game 1 (8 Innings)
Lakeshore 6, Portage Central 3 – Game 2
South Haven 5, Coloma 1 – Game 1
South Haven 15, Coloma 6 – Game 2
Vicksburg 8, Dowagiac 1 – Game 1
Vicksburg 6, Dowagiac 2 – Game 2
Buchanan 11, Berrien Springs 0 – Game 1
Buchanan 11, Berrien Springs 1 – Game 2
Michigan Lutheran 16, Lawrence 3 – Game 1
Michigan Lutheran 17, Lawrence 4 – Game 2
Niles 17, Brandywine 2 – Game 1
Niles 16, Brandywine 1 – Game 2
River Valley 16, Howardsville Christian 0 – Game 1
River Valley 11, Howardsville Christian 0 – Game 2
Paw Paw 10, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0 – Game 1
Paw Paw 17, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 7 – Game 2
Otsego 4, Kalamazoo Central 2 – Game 1
Otsego 16, Kalamazoo Central 2 – Game 2
Track and Field
St. Joseph, Lakeshore at Portage Northern
Boys
St. Joseph 112, Lakeshore 51
St. Joseph 92, Portage Northern 69
Portage Northern 107, Lakeshore 56
Girls
St. Joseph 102.5, Lakeshore 49.5
St. Joseph 115, Portage Northern 37
Lakeshore 81.5, Portage Northern 79.5
Edwardsburg, Plainwell at Allegan
Boys
Allegan 86, Plainwell 51
Edwardsburg 82, Plainwell 55
Allegan 72, Edwardsburg 64
Girls
Plainwell 76, Edwardsburg 60
Plainwell 83, Allegan 45
Edwardsburg 73, Allegan 55
Today
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Lakeshore at Battle Creek Lakeview, 6:30 p.m.
Niles at Lake Michigan Catholic, 5:00 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at Berrien Springs, 6:45 p.m.
Bridgman at Buchanan, 5:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Hartford, 5:00 p.m.
Comstock at South Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Covert at Brandywine, 5:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Lawton, 6:00 p.m.
Gull Lake at Portage Central, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Mattawan, 5:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Kal. Loy Norrix, 6:30 p.m.
Vicksburg at Allegan, 6:00 p.m.
Otsego at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Paw Paw at Sturgis, 6:30 p.m.
Bronson at Constantine, 5:00 p.m.
Parchment at Fennville, 6:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at Kalamazoo Hackett, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Schoolcraft, 5:00 p.m.
Baseball
Portage Northern at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m.
Fennville at Allegan, 4:00 p.m.
Plainwell at Hopkins, 4:30 p.m.
River Valley at Buchanan, 4:15 p.m.
Softball
Portage Northern at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m.
Constantine at Watervliet, 4:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Holland West Ottawa, 4:15 p.m.
Boys Golf
SMAC at Stonehedge North, 10:00 a.m. (Gull Lake host)
BCS Conference 1 at Pipestone Creek, 4:00 p.m. (Berrien Springs)
BCS Conference 2 at Chikaming GC, 4:00 p.m. (River Valley)
Girls Tennis
BC Lakeview at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at BC Central, 4:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at South Haven, 4:30 p.m.
Bridgman/LMC at Brandywine, 4:30 p.m.
Track and Field
BCS Conference at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
