Tigers off to their worst start since '08 with 9-3 loss at Toronto – Wednesday Morning Sports Update

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Toronto Blue Jays 9, Detroit Tigers 3
Minnesota Twins 4, Chicago White Sox 3 – 10 Innings
Chicago Cubs 14, Seattle Mariners 9

Blue Jays 9, Tigers 3 – Kiermaier HRs, makes great catch, Blue Jays beat Tigers 9-3
Kevin Kiermaier homered and made a sensational leaping catch at the center field wall, Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run blast and the Toronto Blue Jays homered five times in a 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night. George Springer, Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette all homered for the Blue Jays in their home opener before a sellout crowd of 42,053. Nick Maton hit a three-run homer for Detroit, which lost its fifth straight. The Tigers (2-8) are off to their worst start since losing eight of 10 to begin the 2008 season. Detroit right-hander Matt Manning broke a bone in his right foot when he was hit by Kirk’s comebacker in the sixth. Manning covered first base and made the out to end the inning, but was wearing a walking boot after the game.

Twins 4, White Sox 3 – F/10 – Twins beat White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings on throwing error
Hanser Alberto’s throwing error allowed the automatic runner to score from second base and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 in 10 innings. With pinch-runner Willi Castro on second, Michael Taylor put down a sacrifice bunt and Alberto’s throw to first sailed wide. Reliever Griffin Jax got the victory with a perfect top of the 10th. Jesse Scholtens was on the mound in the 10th for the White Sox and took the loss. Luis Robert Jr. tied the game with a solo homer on the first pitch he saw from Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth.

Cubs 14, Mariners 9 – Velázquez hits grand slam as Cubs rally past Mariners 14-9
Nelson Velázquez hit his first career grand slam in Chicago’s eight-run third inning, and the Cubs rallied for a 14-9 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Dansby Swanson went 4 for 4 and Trey Mancini homered as the Cubs won for the fifth time in six games. Mancini had three RBIs, and Nico Hoerner had two hits and drove in two runs. Swanson posted his fifth career four-hit game before departing in the sixth with tightness on his left side. Eugenio Suárez and Jarred Kelenic homered for Seattle in its third consecutive loss.

Today
Chicago White Sox (Giolito 0-0) at Minnesota (Gray 1-0), 1:10 p.m.
Seattle (Gilbert 0-1) at Chicago Cubs (Stroman 2-0), 2:20 p.m.
Detroit (Rodriguez 0-2) at Toronto (Gausman 1-1), 7:07 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:45

MLB – White Sox SS Anderson out 2 to 4 weeks with knee sprain
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson will miss two to four weeks with a sprained left knee. Anderson was hurt in a game at Minnesota when he collided with Twins baserunner Matt Wallner. The White Sox recalled infielder Lenyn Sosa from Triple-A Charlotte to take his place.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
Chicago Blackhawks 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 2

Hurricanes 4, Red Wings 1 – Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes beat Red Wings 4-1
Stefan Noesen and Jordan Martinook scored early and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 to maintain their hold on first place in the Metropolitan Division with one game remaining in the regular season. Brent Burns and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored and Antti Raanta made 20 saves as the Hurricanes shed a slump that included the team’s only three-game stretch without a point this season. Robert Hagg scored for the Red Wings, who lost their fourth straight game.

Blackhawks 5, Penguins 2 – Pens’ playoff streak in jeopardy after 5-2 loss to Chicago
Buddy Robinson and Andres Athanasiou scored 26 seconds apart in the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks dealt the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff chances a significant blow in a 5-2 win. Pittsburgh began the night needing wins in its last two games over Chicago and Columbus to extend the longest active playoff streak in major North American professional sports to 17. Instead, Petr Mrazek made 38 saves for the Blackhawks to stun the Penguins in their home finale. Florida clinched a playoff spot with Pittsburgh’s loss.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
NBA Play In Tournament
Atlanta Hawks 116, Miami Heat 105
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Minnesota Timberwolves 102 – OT

Hawks 116, Heat 105 – Hawks grab No. 7 seed in East, hold off Heat 116-105
Trae Young scored 25 points, Clint Capela grabbed 21 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks grabbed the No. 7 in the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Miami Heat 116-105 in a play-in tournament game Tuesday night. Dejounte Murray scored 18 for the Hawks, who avenged a five-game Round 1 loss to Miami last season and earned an East first-round matchup with Boston that will start Saturday. Kyle Lowry scored 33 points for the Heat, who’ll play host to either Toronto or Chicago on Friday to decide the No. 8 seed and a spot against top overall seed Milwaukee in Round 1.

Lakers 108, T-Wolves 102 – OT – Lakers outlast Wolves 108-102 in OT, advance to face Memphis
LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a grueling 108-102 overtime victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s play-in tournament. Dennis Schröder scored 21 points and iced the win with two free throws with 8.4 seconds left for the Lakers, who will face second-seeded Memphis in the first round starting Sunday. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and Mike Conley hit three free throws with 0.1 seconds left in regulation to tie it for the Wolves, who will host New Orleans or Oklahoma City on Friday for the eighth spot.

Tonight
NBA Play In Tournament
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors, 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans, 9:30 p.m.

NFL – AP source: Lions trade Okudah to Falcons for 5th-round pick
A person familiar with the deal says the Detroit Lions are trading cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round draft pick. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. Detroit drafted the former Ohio State star with the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 and injuries stunted his career. Hamstring and shoulder ailments limited him to nine games as a rookie and he had a season-ending Achilles tendon injury one game into his second season. Okudah stayed healthy and started in 15 games last season.

NCAA – Big Ten – AP source: Big Ten taps ex-MLB exec Petitti as commissioner
The Big Ten is hiring former MLB executive Tony Petitti to be its next commissioner. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the decision who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal was still being finalized. An announcement is expected by the conference by the end of the week. Petitti replaces Kevin Warren, who is leaving to become president of the Chicago Bears. Petitti continues a trend of recent hires to lead the top conferences coming from outside college sports — like Warren, who came from the Minnesota Vikings in 2019.

NCAAMBB – Michigan State forward Malik Hall returning for 5th season
Michigan State forward Malik Hall has announced on social media he’s returning for a fifth season. Hall is the second Michigan State senior to return for a fifth year, making his announcement a day after standout guard Tyson Walker said he’s also taking advantage of the extra year granted to players during the COVID-19 pandemic. The return of the two starters provides experience to a Spartans roster that is primed to add two McDonald’s All-America selections in center Xavier Booker and guard Jeremy Fears Jr. The two are part of a highly rated recruiting class for the Spartans.

WNBA – Brittney Griner working on memoir about Russian captivity
Saying she is ready to share the “unfathomable” experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia, basketball star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir that is scheduled for spring 2024. Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, much of that time in prison. Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S., ending only after she was freed in exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner’s memoir is currently untitled and will eventually be published in a young adult edition. Financial terms were not disclosed.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Lansing Lugnuts 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
Great Lakes Loons 9, Dayton Dragons 7
Beloit Sky Carp 8, South Bend Cubs 5

Tonight
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts, 6:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
Beloit Sky Carp at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Baseball
Lakeshore 3, Mishawaka Penn (IN) 2 – Game 1
Mishawaka Penn (IN) 11, Lakeshore 9 – Game 2
Berrien Springs 27, Benton Harbor 0 – Game 1
Berrien Springs 15, Benton Harbor 0 – Game 2
Michigan Lutheran 6, Our Lady of the Lake 1 – Game 1
-Game 2 suspended darkness, ML 5, OLL 3 – Top 5
Brandywine 16, Coloma 0
Dowagiac 6, Buchanan 4 – Game 1
Buchanan 8, Dowagiac 2 – Game 2
Paw Paw 13, Sturgis 3
Plainwell 11, Edwardsburg 4
Niles 11, Three Rivers 6 – Game 1
Three Rivers 5, Niles 4 – Game 2
Decatur 16, Colon 0 – Game 1
Decatur 24, Colon 0 – Game 2
Portage Central 13, Vicksburg 3
Portage Northern 17, Kalamazoo Christian 7

Softball
Berrien Springs 16, Benton Harbor 1 – Game 1
Berrien Springs 15, Benton Harbor 0 – Game 2
Michigan Lutheran 10, Our Lady of the Lake 2 – Game 1
Michigan Lutheran 15, Our Lady of the Lake 3 – Game 2
Buchanan 15, Dowagiac 2 – Game 1
Buchanan 14, Dowagiac 0 – Game 2
Parchment 5, Coloma 4 – Game 1
Coloma 7, Parchment 6 – Game 2
Paw Paw 10, Sturgis 0 – Game 1
Paw Paw 16, Sturgis 5 – Game 2
Edwardsburg 16, Plainwell 0 – Game 1
Edwardsburg 12, Plainwell 0 – Game 2
Three Rivers 13, Niles 3 – Game 1
Three Rivers 13, Niles 8 – Game 2
Bloomingdale 13, Gobles 2
Decatur 5, Colon 0 – Game 1
Decatur 6, Colon 3 – Game 2

Girls Soccer
Parchment 2, Watervliet 0
Saugatuck 8, Constantine 0
Paw Paw 2, Kalamazoo Central 1
Plainwell 2, Marshall 0
Battle Creek Lakeview 5, Coldwater 0
Harper Creek 9, Sturgis 1
Holland Black River 1, Kalamazoo Hackett 0

Track and Field
Lakeshore at St. Joseph

Girls: St. Joseph 108, Lakeshore 64
Boys: St. Joseph 114, Lakeshore 61

Sturgis at Edwardsburg

Girls: Sturgis 89, Edwardsburg 48
Boys: Sturgis 72.5, Edwardsburg 64.5

Today
Girls Soccer
Lakeshore at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at St. Joseph, 6:30 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at Covert, 5:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m.
Mattawan at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Loy Norrix, 6:30 p.m.
Portage Central at Battle Creek Central, 6:30 p.m.
Buchanan at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Brandywine at Berrien Springs, 5:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Pennfield at Otsego, 6:30 p.m.
Jackson Lumen Christi at Vicksburg, 6:30 p.m.
Hartford at Bangor, 6:30 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Comstock, 6:30 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Allegan at Fennville, 6:00 p.m.
South Haven at Lawton, 6:00 p.m.
Holland Black River at Schoolcraft, 5:00 p.m.