Tigers complete sweep of Verlander and the Mets – Friday Morning Sports Update

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 2, New York Mets 0
Washington Nationals 4, Chicago Cubs 3
Minnesota Twins 7, Chicago White Sox 3 – 12 Innings

Tigers 2, Mets 0 – Justin Verlander gives up 2 HRs in Tigers’ 2-0 win over Mets
Justin Verlander gave up back-to-back home runs in his New York Mets debut and Eduardo Rodriguez threw eight scoreless innings and the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep with a 2-0 win. Riley Greene and Javier Baez hit solo homers off Verlander in the first inning and that was enough offense for Detroit. Rodriguez gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out nine. Alex Lange pitched the ninth for his fifth save. Verlander settled in after his rough start, showing signs of the form that made him one of the game’s all-time greats.

Nationals 4, Cubs 3 – Call’s walk-off homer gives Nationals 4-3 win over Cubs
Alex Call hit a game-ending homer leading off the ninth inning, and the Washington Nationals recovered after blowing a 3-0 lead to beat Chicago 4-3 and take three of four from the skidding Cubs. Call lofted the only pitch from Brad Boxberger just inside the left-field foul pole and was greeted at the plate by exuberant teammates, who dumped a bucket of blue Gatorade on his head. Washington led 3-0 after seven near-flawless innings by starter Patrick Corbin, but the Cubs tied it in the 8th against Hunter Harvey. Kyle Finnegan pitched out of a jam in the 9th for the win.

Twins 7, White Sox 3 – F/12 – Correa, Buxton lift Twins over White Sox in 12 innings
Carlos Correa drove in a run during Minnesota’s five-run 12th inning, and he and Byron Buxton homered to lift the Twins over the Chicago White Sox 7-3 Thursday and avoid a three-game sweep. The AL Central-leading Twins had lost three of four. Correa spurred Minnesota to victory hours after downplaying remarks from Chicago reliever Keynan Middleton, who called Correa “a cheater.” Eloy Jiménez homered for the White Sox, who ended a three-game winning streak.

Today
Miami (Cabrera 2-2) at Chicago Cubs (Steele 4-0), 2:20 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Lynn 0-4) at Cincinnati (Greene 0-1), 6:40 p.m.
Detroit (Boyd 1-2) at St. Louis (Montgomery 2-4), 8:15 p.m.       News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 7:50

NHL – National Hockey League – 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 2 (Best of 7)
Last Night
Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2                              (FLA leads 2-0)
Dallas Stars 4, Seattle Kraken 2                                           (Series tied 1-1)

Panthers 3, Leafs 2 – Panthers beat Maple Leafs 3-2, take 2-game lead in series
Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves and the Florida Panthers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series. Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling also scored for Florida. Ryan O’Reilly and Alexander Kerfoot scored for Toronto, which blew a 2-0 lead. Ilya Samsonov stopped 26 shots.

Stars 4, Kraken 2 – Pavelski scores again, Stars beat Kraken 4-2 to even series
Joe Pavelski scored his fifth goal in two games since returning from concussion protocol as the Dallas Stars beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 to even the second-round series at a game each. Wyatt Johnston, had a goal and assisted on the goal by the 38-year-old Pavelski. Game 3 is Sunday night in Seattle. Evgenii Dadonov and Tyler Seguin also scored for the Stars. Tye Kartye and Jordan Eberle had goals for the Kraken.

Tonight
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes, 8:00 p.m.                  (CAR leads 1-0)

NCAAMBB – Michigan transfer Dickinson headed to Kansas next season
All-American forward Hunter Dickinson, arguably the top player in the transfer portal after deciding to leave Michigan, says he is headed to Kansas for the upcoming season. Dickinson announced his next school Thursday on social media. He chose the Jayhawks after visits to Villanova, Kentucky, Maryland and Georgetown. The 7-foot-1 center led the Wolverines to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Elite Eight as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. Dickinson averaged 18.6 points in helping them reach the Sweet 16 two years ago and 18.5 points and a career-best 9.0 rebounds last season, when he was voted an honorable mention All-American.

NBA – National Basketball Association Playoffs – Round 2 (Best of 7)
Last Night
Golden State Warriors 127, Los Angeles Lakers 100                 (Series tied 1-1)

Warriors 127, Lakers 100 – Thompson scores 30, Warriors adjust to beat Lakers 127-100
Klay Thompson scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers, Golden State limited Anthony Davis while allowing LeBron James 23 points, and the defending champion Warriors evened their Western Conference semifinal with the Los Angeles Lakers at one game apiece with a 127-100 win. Stephen Curry added 20 points 12 assists and four rebounds as Splash Brother Thompson shined to help Golden State make 21 more 3-pointers — giving the Warriors an NBA record for most in the first two games of a playoff series at 42. James’ Cavaliers hit 40 against Atlanta in the 2016 second round.

Tonight
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m.                        (Series tied 1-1)
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns, 10:00 p.m.                            (DEN leads 2-0)

NBA – Bucks fire Budenholzer as coach after early playoff exit
The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Mike Budenholzer just over a week after their stunning first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat spoiled a season in which they owned the NBA’s best record. Budenholzer’s ouster comes just two years after he directed the Bucks to their first NBA title in half a century. The move also comes three weeks after the NBA finalized Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s purchase of a 25% stake in the team.

NBA – Pistons, ex-exec Murphy named in sex harassment lawsuit
A female former employee of the Detroit Pistons has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the team and its now-fired assistant general manager. The Pistons announced Thursday that Rob Murphy “no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity.” The team says Murphy was terminated for violating company policy and the terms of his employment agreement. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court. It alleges that Murphy made sexual comments about the woman’s body, repeatedly pressured her to engage in a sexual relationship with him, groped her buttocks and breasts and promised professional and personal advancement if she acquiesced to his demands.

Horse Racing – Churchill Downs suspends trainer Joseph after 2 horse deaths
Churchill Downs has suspended trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. indefinitely and Lord Miles, who is trained by Joseph, has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby days after the sudden death of two of his horses at the track. The suspension prohibits Joseph, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by him, from entering horses in races or applying for stalls at all Churchill Downs Inc.-owned tracks. The decision comes after the deaths of Parents Pride on Saturday and Chasing Artie on Tuesday. Both collapsed on the track and died after races.

NFL – New York, California probing workplace discrimination at NFL
The attorneys general of New York and California are investigating allegations of workplace discrimination at the NFL. Letitia James of New York and Rob Bonta of California said Thursday that they have issued subpoenas to NFL executives as part of an examination into the workplace culture at the league’s corporate offices in both states. The officials are both Democrats. They say they are exercising their legal authority to seek information from the NFL regarding allegations of gender pay disparities, harassment, and gender and racial discrimination. The league is calling the allegations “entirely inconsistent with the NFL’s values and practices.”

NFL – Bears sign 4 of their 10 draft picks to 4-year contracts
The Chicago Bears have signed four of their 10 draft picks to four-year contracts. The Bears agreed to deals with Minnesota cornerback Terell Smith, Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell, Kennesaw State defensive tackle Travis Bell and Stanford safety Kendall Williamson. Smith and Sewell were selected in the fifth round. Bell and Williamson were seventh-rounders. Sewell is the brother of Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell. The Bears also agreed to deals with 14 undrafted free agents. That includes record-setting Division II Shepherd quarterback Tyson Bagent. He set the NCAA’s all-division mark with 159 career touchdown passes while finishing with 17,034 yards.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Yesterday
Baseball
Glen Oaks C.C. 5, Lake Michigan College 3 – Game 1
Glen Oaks C.C. 17, Lake Michigan College 7 – Game 2

Today
Softball
Lake Michigan College at Kalamazoo Valley C.C., 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. (doubleheader)

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Dayton 7, Lansing 4 – Game 1
Lansing 6, Dayton 5 – Game 2
Great Lakes 4, Quad Cities 2
Cedar Rapids 8, South Bend 1
West Michigan 4, Beloit 3

Today
Quad Cities River Bandits at Great Lakes Loons, 6:05 p.m.
Dayton Dragons at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
Cedar Rapids Kernels at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Soccer
Lakeshore 2, Mattawan 0
Holland 5, Niles 0
Berrien Springs 3, New Buffalo 0
Fennville 3, Watervliet 0
Hartford 3, Coloma 2
Saugatuck 3, Holland Black River 0
Kalamazoo Christian 8, Delton-Kellogg 0
Comstock 7, Bloomingdale 2

Baseball
St. Joseph 12, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 9 – Game 1
St. Joseph 2, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0 – Game 2
Lakeshore 11, Kalamazoo Central 3 – Game 1
Lakeshore 9, Kalamazoo Central 4 – Game 2
Portage Northern 4, Mattawan 2 – Game 1
Portage Northern 3, Mattawan 2 – Game 2
Watervliet 9, Grant 1 (at LMCU Ballpark)
Dowagiac 13, Paw Paw 9 – Game 1
Paw Paw 9, Dowagiac 4 – Game 2
Three Rivers 6, Plainwell 4 – Game 1
Plainwell 14, Three Rivers 1 – Game 2
Gobles 7, Lawton 2 – Game 1
Gobles 10, Lawton 0 – Game 2
Decatur 22, Bloomingdale 0 – Game 1
Decatur 17, Bloomingdale 0 – Game 2

Softball
Lakeshore 1, Kalamazoo Central 0 – Game 1
Lakeshore 9, Kalamazoo Central 4 – Game 2
Michigan Lutheran 13, Howardsville Chr. 12 – Game 1
Michigan Lutheran 17, Howardsville Chr. 2 – Game 2
Paw Paw 3, Dowagiac 2 – Game 1
Dowagiac 16, Paw Paw 9 – Game 2
Marcellus 14, Lawrence 2 – Game 1
Marcellus 20, Lawrence 0 – Game 2

Girls Tennis
St. Joseph 7, Zeeland West 1

Today
Track and Field
2023 St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Rotary Track Meet – Dickinson Stadium, St. Joseph, 4:30 p.m.
St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, Berrien Springs, Bridgman, Countryside Charter, Coloma, Covert, Dowagiac, Eau Claire, New Buffalo, Niles,
Our Lady of the Lake, River Valley, South Haven, Watervliet.

Baseball
Climax-Scotts at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.
River Valley at Our Lady of the Lake, 4:15 p.m.
Eau Claire at New Buffalo, 4:15 p.m.
Berrien Springs at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Mattawan, 4:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Gull Lake, 4:00 p.m.
Lawton at Constantine, 4:30 p.m.
Kal. Hackett at Jackson Lumen Christi, 4:00 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Martin, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
River Valley at Our Lady of the Lake, 4:15 p.m.
Bridgman at Martin, 4:30 p.m.
Berrien Springs at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Gull Lake, 4:00 p.m.
Lawton at Constantine, 4:30 p.m.
Marcellus at Decatur, 4:30 p.m.
Quincy at Mendon, 5:00 p.m.

Girls Soccer
Lakeshore at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6:30 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake at Black River, 6:00 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at Paw Paw, 5:00 p.m.
South Haven at Bangor, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m.
Mattawan at Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Plainwell at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Sturgis, 6:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Grass Lake, 5:30 p.m.
Constantine at Three Rivers, 5:00 p.m.