MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 3, Texas Rangers 1
Chicago Cubs 7, Chicago White Sox 6
Tigers 3, Rangers 1 – Jack Flaherty’s strong start lifts Tigers over Rangers 3-1
Jack Flaherty pitched five shutout innings before leaving the game with back tightness, Zach McKinstry and Riley Greene homered and the Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 on Tuesday night. Flaherty allowed two hits and no walks through five innings, throwing a season-low 60 pitches, including 44 strikes. Texas broke up the shutout against Tyler Holton in the ninth on Ezequiel Duran’s single. Jason Foley came in to retire Wyatt Langford on a groundout for his 12th save in 14 opportunities. The Tigers (31-30) have won three straight, are over .500 for the first time since May 18 and have won the first two in the three-game series with all five runs coming on homers.
Cubs 7, White Sox 6 – Ian Happ keys late rally, Cubs come back twice to top White Sox 7-6
Ian Happ’s second double of the night drove in two runs to put the Chicago Cubs ahead in the eighth inning, and the North Siders came back twice to beat the crosstown White Sox 7-6 at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night. Happ’s third hit of the game, lined to the right-field corner off Jordan Leasure, drove in Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel to erase a one-run White Sox lead and deal them a 12th straight loss. Luis Robert Jr. launched a 438-foot solo shot to the left-center bleachers in his return to the lineup to break a tie in the seventh and put the White Sox ahead 6-5.
Tonight
Detroit (Maeda 2-2) at Texas (Ureña 1-5), 8:05 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 7:40
Chicago White Sox (Fedde 4-1) at Chicago Cubs (Taillon 3-2), 8:05 p.m.
MLB – MLB bans Marcano for life for betting on baseball, four others get one-year
San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball for life for betting on the sport and four others were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball in the game’s biggest gambling scandal in decades. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook. He became the first active player in a century banned for life because of gambling. Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was suspended for one year for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues and a three minor leaguers also were banned for one year for betting on big league games: pitchers Jay Groome of San Diego and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona, and infielder José Rodríguez of Philadelphia.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
New York Liberty 88, Chicago Sky 75
Liberty 88, Sky 75 – Stewart has 33 points and 14 rebounds, Angel Reese ejected as the Liberty beat the Sky 88-75
Breanna Stewart scored a season-high 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the New York Liberty to an 88-75 victory Tuesday night over the Chicago Sky, who lost rookie Angel Reese to an ejection in the fourth quarter. Reese was thrown out with 2:31 remaining after receiving two technical fouls following a brief interaction with an official. Sabrina Ionescu added 24 points for the Liberty, who won their fourth straight. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 14 points for New York (8-2), which avenged a 90-81 loss to Chicago on May 23. Chennedy Carter scored 16 points and Reese had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago.
WNBA – Caitlin Clark, physical play and questions about fouls dominating discussions
Caitlin Clark has been involved in several physical plays to start her WNBA career and Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides believes some of the fouls against the high-profile rookie have crossed the line. There are no shortage of opinions about what’s happening, ranging from Clark is being targeted because of all the attention accompanying her transition into the league to race being a factor in the physical play. The conversations exploded following the latest non-basketball foul involving Clark. Chicago’s Chennedy Carter sent the top-pick to the floor with a shoulder hit on Saturday. Clark says she now expects to be on the receiving end of a couple of hard fouls a game.
Tennis – Novak Djokovic withdraws from the French Open with a knee injury
Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the French Open with an injured knee. The withdrawal ends Djokovic’s title defense and means he will relinquish the No. 1 ranking next week. Djokovic has a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The extent of the injury was found during an MRI exam on Tuesday, a day after Djokovic was hurt during a fourth-round victory. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was supposed to face two-time French Open runner-up Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Instead, Ruud gets a walkover into the semifinals. No. 2 Jannik Sinner is assured of replacing Djokovic atop the ATP rankings.
Tennis – Coco Gauff and defending champion Iga Swiatek will meet in the semifinals
Coco Gauff and defending champion Iga Swiatek have set up a showdown in the French Open semifinals. Gauff came back to defeat Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in Tuesday’s first quarterfinal. Swiatek followed with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova to stretch her Roland Garros winning streak to 19 matches as she seeks a fourth title in five years in Paris. Swiatek is ranked No. 1 and Gauff is No. 3. Gauff is the reigning U.S. Open champion and made it to the final four at the Australian Open in January. Swiatek has won 10 of their 11 previous meetings.
NBA – Betting scandal that ends Porter’s career yields a criminal case against an NYC man
A New York man has been charged in a sports betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban Jontay Porter for life. The charges Tuesday against Long Phi Pham mark the first known criminal fallout from the matter. Pham is accused of conspiring to defraud a sports betting company. He is being detained after an initial court appearance. A message seeking comment was left for his attorney. Porter is not named in the court complaint, but its specifics about “Player 1” match the details of the former Toronto Raptors player’s downfall this spring. Federal prosecutors declined to comment on whether Porter is under investigation. Contact information for him could not immediately be found.
NFL – Bears WR Keenan Allen insists he’s not sweating his contract situation
Keenan Allen insisted he’s comfortable letting his performance do the talking when it comes to a potential contract extension with the Chicago Bears. The six-time Pro Bowl receiver finds himself in an uncertain position. He’s entering the final season of a four-year extension he signed in 2020, and he’s doing it on a new team following a trade from the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen says he’s “going to let the play speak for itself, and if they offer me something that I like, we’ll go from there.”
NFL – Indianapolis Colts lose safety Daniel Scott to 2nd straight season-ending injury
Indianapolis Colts safety Daniel Scott will have to wait another year to make his NFL debut after tearing his Achilles tendon in offseason workouts. Coach Shane Steichen made the announcement before Indy began the first of three days of minicamp workouts. The Colts drafted Scott out of California in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. But he missed all of last season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during offseason workouts.
NFL – Kansas leaders and new group ramp up efforts to lure Chiefs from Missouri
Top Kansas legislators have intensified efforts to woo the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs by offering to let the professional football franchise shape a plan for using state bonds to finance a new stadium in Kansas. State House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson said Tuesday that the Legislature would consider the proposal during a special session set to convene June 18. The two leaders invited the Chiefs to weigh in on the plan in a May 23 letter to the team’s chairman and CEO. Meanwhile, a new nonprofit group called Scoop and Score has launched a campaign for the proposal and registered 20 lobbyists.
NASCAR – NASCAR grants Larson’s playoff waiver after missing Coca-Cola
NASCAR has granted Kyle Larson the waiver he needs to remain eligible to compete in this year’s playoffs despite missing the Coca-Cola 600 because he instead ran the Indianapolis 500. The decision came after nearly nine days of internal NASCAR debate over whether Larson should be punished for choosing to stay in Indianapolis, where rain delayed the May 26 race by four hours. That meant Larson had zero chance of making it back to Charlotte in time to start the Coca-Cola 600. But it was always his intent to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Larson did make it to the track, only for the race to be called for rain before he ever turned a lap in his No. 5 Chevrolet.
Boxing – Claressa Shields moving up 2 weight classes to challenge heavyweight champ
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields is moving up two weight classes to challenge women’s WBC heavyweight champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on July 27. Shields said Tuesday that she and Lepage-Joanisse of Quebec will headline the boxing card at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Shields won gold medals in the women’s middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first boxer from the United States to win consecutive Olympic medals. She is the only American to win Olympic gold in boxing since 2004. Shields was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation in October.
Boxing – Ali’s childhood home is for sale in Kentucky after being converted into a museum
The pink house where Muhammad Ali grew up dreaming of boxing fame is for sale. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Louisville, Kentucky, was converted into a museum offering a glimpse into the formative years of the man known as The Greatest. It went on the market Tuesday along with two neighboring homes. One was turned into a welcome center-gift shop and the other was to become a short-term rental. Ali’s childhood home became a focal point when hundreds of fans gathered for an emotional send-off as Ali’s funeral procession passed by in 2016. The owners are asking $1.5 million for the three properties.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Cedar Rapids 5, Great Lakes 0
Lansing 9, Dayton 2
South Bend 7, West Michigan 3
Tonight
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Yesterday
Girls Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Hudsonville
Portage Central 3, Caledonia 0
Grand Haven 2, Midland Dow 1
Division 2 at Gull Lake
Lakeshore 3, Mason 2 – OT
Holland Christian 1, Gull Lake 0 – OT
Division 3 at Grand Rapids South Christian
GR South Christian 5, Three Rivers 0
Hudsonville Unity Christian 6, GR Catholic Central 0
Division 4 at Portage Northern
Kalamazoo Christian 2, Calhoun Christian 0
Grandville Calvin Christian 6, Our Lady of the Lake 2
Today
Baseball – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Hudsonville
Portage Central vs. Hudsonville, 4:00 p.m.
Division 2 at Holland Christian
Niles vs. Holland Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Division 2 at Gull Lake
Edwardsburg vs. Gull Lake, 5:00 p.m.
Division 2 at Coldwater
Harper Creek vs. Ionia, 5:00 p.m.
Division 3 at Constantine
Watervliet vs. Bridgman, 4:30 p.m.
Division 3 at Parchment
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Jonesville, 4:00 p.m.
Division 4 at Gobles
New Buffalo vs. Kalamazoo Hackett, 4:30 p.m.
Division 4 at Centreville
Centreville vs. Byron Center Zion Christian, 5:00 p.m.
