MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Chicago Cubs 5, Cincinnati Reds 3
Texas Rangers 5, Chicago White Sox 3
Tigers were off
Cubs 5, Reds 3 – Taillon earns 4th straight win as Cubs knock Reds from atop NL Central with 5-3 victory
Jameson Taillon pitched five-plus innings for his fourth straight win, and the surging Chicago Cubs held on to beat Cincinnati 5-3, knocking the Reds out of first place in the NL Central. Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Yan Gomes drove in runs for Chicago, which won for the 13th time in 16 games and claimed the final three games of a four-game set with the Reds. Milwaukee, a 14-1 winner over Pittsburgh, moved into first place in the division, a half-game ahead of the Reds. The Cubs, at 56-53, are 2½ games back of the Brewers. Rookie Elly De La Cruz led off the game with a deep solo shot and Spencer Steer’s team-leading 18th homer in the eighth was his second hit for Cincinnati.
Rangers 5, White Sox 3 – Scherzer settles in to win his debut for Rangers in 5-3 win over White Sox
Max Scherzer settled in after an unfortunate first inning to win his debut for the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out nine over six innings in a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Four of Chicago’s first five batters reached base in a three-run first inning when Scherzer threw 37 pitches. Mitch Garver led off the Rangers’ fourth against Touki Toussaint with a 457-foot homer to tie the game. Marcus Semien went deep later in the inning to put Texas ahead to stay.
Today
Atlanta (Fried 2-1) at Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 4-5), 2:20 p.m.
Tampa Bay (Littell 1-2) at Detroit (Olson 1-4), 6:40 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Chicago White Sox (Clevinger 4-4) at Cleveland (Allen 4-4), 7:10 p.m.
NFL – National Football League – Preseason – Hall of Fame Game
Last Night
Cleveland Browns 21, New York Jets 16
Rangers 5, White Sox 3 – Wilson solid as a backup as Jets begin Rodgers Era with 21-16 loss to Browns
Zach Wilson showed he can still move New York’s offense as a backup but the Jets kicked off the Aaron Rodgers Era with a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the Hall of Fame game. It was a battle of backups as both teams rested their starters in the NFL’s inaugural game of 2023. There was also a notable opening-night glitch as a power outage in Tom Benson Stadium caused about a 20-minute delay between the third and fourth quarters. Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson rallied the Browns, who trailed 16-7 at halftime. Thompson-Robinson threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Austin Watkins Jr. with 9:33 left to put Cleveland ahead.
NFL – Lights go out during second half of Jets-Browns Hall of Fame game
Several banks of lights went dark during the second half of the Hall of Fame game, causing a delay in the matchup between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. The power outage happened at end of the third quarter with the Jets clinging to a 16-14 lead Thursday night. There was no immediate word on what caused the lights to go out inside Tom Benson Stadium. There were still some lights on, but it was too dark for play to resume. The officials gathered at mid-field with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Jets coach Robert Saleh to discuss the situation.
NFL – Bears, Yannick Ngakoue agree on 1-year, $10.5 million contract
Veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has agreed with the Chicago Bears on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told The Associated Press on Thursday night. Ngakoue, a Pro Bowl pick in 2017 with the Jaguars, bolsters the league’s worst pass rush. The Bears had only 20 sacks in 2022. Ngakoue had 9 1/2 sacks last season for the Colts and 10 in 2021 for the Raiders. Ngakoue, who joins his fifth team in four years, has had at least eight sacks in each of his first seven seasons. A third-round pick in 2016, Ngakoue has 65 sacks and 21 forced fumbles in his career.
FIFA – 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Yesterday
Morocco 1, Colombia 0
South Korea 1, Germany 1 – Draw
Sunday
Sweden vs. United States, 5:00 p.m.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever, 7:00 p.m.
Chicago Sky at Dallas Wings, 8:00 p.m.
WNBA – Diana Taurasi becomes first WNBA player to reach 10,000 points
Diana Taurasi received a pass and in an instant, the shot was off her fingertips. It was a 3-pointer that splashed through the net, just like so many others. Taurasi became the first WNBA player to reach 10,000 points, hitting the mark with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night. After the shot, the crowd in Phoenix erupted in cheers and Taurasi’s teammates surrounded her in a circle, jumping up and down and celebrating. It was part of a vintage night for the 41-year-old Taurasi, who had a season-high 42 points in Phoenix’s 91-71 victory. She started the night needing 18 points to make it to 10,000 — and finished at 10,024.
NCAA – Pac-12 being pushed to brink as Big 10 and Big 12 honing in on West Coast schools
The Big Ten has joined the Big 12 in pushing the Pac-12 to the brink. Oregon and Washington are being courted by the Big Ten and Arizona was in serious talks to join the Big 12, people with direct knowledge of both discussions told The Associated Press. All spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been made official by the schools or conferences involved. None of the news bodes well for the Pac-12’s survival. The boards of regents for Arizona’s two biggest universities, along with the University of Washington, scheduled special meetings, ramping up speculation that more Pac-12 schools could leave the flailing conference.
NBA – Michael Jordan’s sale of majority ownership of Hornets is finalized
The Charlotte Hornets say the sale of the majority stake in the franchise from six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall has been finalized. The Hornets introduced Plotkin and Schnall at a news conference Thursday. They said there will be a focus on player development but they hope to attract more free agents as the organization experiences more success. Jordan, who owned the team for the past 13 years, said in a news release it has been a “tremendous honor” to own the Hornets but didn’t give an explanation for why he sold the team. Jordan will remain on as a minority owner.
NBA – Days after his wedding, Jalen Brunson is on the court with USA Basketball.
Jalen Brunson could be on his honeymoon right now. He’s playing for his country instead. Let this serve as incredible proof of how badly Brunson wanted to play for USA Basketball at the FIBA World Cup that starts later this month: He and his now-wife moved their wedding to make it happen. Instead of getting married on Sept. 2, as was the plan, Brunson and Ali Marks got married this past Saturday. And on Wednesday, Brunson was going through his first practice with the World Cup team. The honeymoon will wait. There’s a gold medal to chase first.
Golf – PGA – Russell Henley’s strong finish gives him a 62 and a 1-shot lead at Wyndham
Russell Henley still thinks about a poor finish that cost him the Wyndham Championship two years ago. Thursday was all about his great start. He shot 62. That gives him a one-shot lead over Adam Svensson and Byeong Hun An. All three are a lock for the PGA Tour postseason that begins next week. Adam Scott is not in that group. He’s No. 81 in the FedEx Cup and only the top 70 advance after this week. Scott took a big step with a 65. Justin Thomas shot 70.
NCAA – No evidence found that betting integrity manipulated by Iowa/Iowa St athletes
One of the state agencies involved in the ongoing investigation of alleged sports wagering violations by Iowa and Iowa State athletes announced there is no evidence suggesting the integrity of any contest involving the schools was affected by gambling interests. That’s according to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. A total of seven current or former athletes at the two schools were criminally charged this week. All seven are charged with tampering with records and all are suspected of placing bets on contests involving their own schools. Four are alleged to have wagered on games involving their own teams.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
West Michigan 6, Lake County 3
South Bend 13, Wisconsin 4
Fort Wayne 10, Great Lakes 0
Cedar Rapids 7, Lansing 5
Tonight
Lake County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Fort Wayne Wizards, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7:35 p.m.
