Tuesday Morning Sports Update-09/07/2021

tigers-pirates-baseball-2

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Pittsburgh Pirates 6, Detroit Tigers 3
Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati Reds 3
White Sox were off

Pirates 6, Tigers 3 – Hayes, Tsutsugo rally Pirates to 6-3 win over Tigers
Ke’Bryan Hayes and Yoshi Tsutsugo each hit a two-run single during Pittsburgh’s four-run seventh inning, and the Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 to stop their six-game losing streak. Hayes finished with three hits. Kevin Newman hit a two-run homer in the first for Pittsburgh. Niko Goodrum hit a two-run double for Detroit.

Cubs 4, Reds 3 – Schwindel hits tiebreaking single as Cubs beat Reds 4-3
Frank Schwindel hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs topped the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 for their season-high seventh straight win. Schwindel’s single through the right side scored Alfonso Rivas, who started the rally with a pinch-hit single off Michael Lorenzen and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Schwindel is batting .441 (15 for 34) with six homers and 14 RBIs during his current eight-game hitting streak. The Reds lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Today
Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:35 p.m.                 News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs, 7:40 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Oakland A’s, 9:40 p.m.

MLB – White Sox recall RHP Jimmy Lambert from Triple-A Charlotte
The Chicago White Sox have recalled right-hander Jimmy Lambert from Triple-A Charlotte. The AL Central-leading White Sox begin a three-game set at Oakland on Tuesday night, and Lambert reportedly will start the series opener. Right-hander Matt Foster was optioned to Charlotte to make room on the roster. The reliever is 2-1 with a 6.06 ERA in 33 appearances with Chicago this year.

MLB – Indians manager Francona to have toe surgery Tuesday
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, who stepped down for the season July 29 because of health issues, will have surgery on his left big toe on Tuesday. The 62-year-old Francona had replacement surgery a few days after deciding tp step away,  He had surgery for a staph infection in his toe in February and wore a walking boot while managing this season. The rehab for Tuesday’s surgery is expected to take eight to 10 weeks.  Francona is five wins from tying Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau (728) for the most wins in team history.

NCAAFB – Michigan WR Ronnie Bell out for season with knee injury
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh says senior receiver Ronnie Bell is out for the year with a knee injury. Harbaugh gave the update two days after Bell was injured in a 47-14 win over Western Michigan. Bell had a 76-yard touchdown reception and returned a punt 31 yards before injuring his right knee. He was the team’s leading receiver last season and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2019. Bell has 83 career receptions for 1,380 yards and five touchdowns. The Wolverines hosts No. 20 Washington on Saturday night.

NCAAFB – No. 9 Irish have plenty of work and short week for Toledo
After a short rest and some film review following an early-morning arrival back from Sunday night’s 41-38 overtime victory at Florida State, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly knows his No. 9 Irish need to improve in several areas for their home opener Saturday against Toledo of the Mid-American Conference. Despite a record-setting performance by new quarterback Jack Coan, the injury-plagued Irish struggled to run behind a revamped offensive line and surrendered an 18-point, second-half lead and 442 total yards, including 264 on the ground, to the upset-minded Seminoles.

NFL – Lions need quality defensive performance against 49ers
The Detroit Lions have one of the youngest defenses in the NFL, and they’ll have their hands full in Week 1 against a San Francisco offense that promises to be unpredictable. One of the biggest challenges facing first-time head coach Dan Campbell is preparing for San Francisco’s possible quarterback rotation Sunday. Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to start but rookie Trey Lance could have his own package of plays if his broken finger recovers in time. Campbell is leaving all options on the table.

NFL – Bears’ Robinson: Motivation’s same despite no multiyear deal
Chicago Bears star receiver Allen Robinson insists a contract negotiation that left him playing this season on the franchise tag rather than a multiyear deal didn’t give him a chip on his shoulder or an extra desire to show his worth. He says he’s focused on improving and not “on proving anybody wrong.” Robinson is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. He caught a career-high 102 passes. His 1,250 yards were second only to the 1,400 he had in his 2015 Pro Bowl season with Jacksonville. If he winds up staying in Chicago for the long term and continuing to produce at this rate, he figures to become the franchise’s all-time leading receiver.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Phoenix Mercury 86, Indiana Fever 81

Mercury 86, Fever 81 – Mercury hold off Fever’s late rally, win 9th straight, 86-81
Brittney Griner had 21 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Mercury held off the Indiana Fever 86-81 for their ninth straight victory. Indiana (6-21) used a 21-7 run that included a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer to pull to 84-81 with 47.9 seconds to play. But she missed a potential-tying 3 with 24.8 remaining, and Brianna Turner’s layup then sealed it for Phoenix (18-10). The Mercury’s current win streak is the franchise’s second longest.

FIFA – Pressure mounts on US after 2 draws in World Cup qualifying
Players walked off the field dejected and nervous American fans are in an uproar. The U.S. soccer team has just two points after its first two World Cup qualifiers, three injured regulars and a team leader sent home for violating COVID-19 protocols. A 1-1 draw at home against Canada caused concern and ratched pressure. Instead of a revival under coach Gregg Berhalter, the Americans are sputtering heading into Wednesday night’s game at Honduras. The U.S. hasn’t won a qualifier since 2013 in Central America, where it has one win and three draws in its last eight matches.

Tennis – US Open – Djokovic reaches U.S. Open quarters
Novak Djokovic was able to turn a lousy opening set into a berth in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.  The top-ranked Djokovic pulled out a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over American Jenson Brooksby. Djokovic was broken twice in the opening set, which he lost in just 29 minutes.  Djokovic converted six of his 12 break points and is now three match victories away from becoming the first male to complete a calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.  Djokovic will next face No. 6 seed Matteo Berrettini, the man he beat to win Wimbledon and give him 20 Grand Slam titles. He’ll break a tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most major championships by a male if he wins at Flushing Meadows.  Berrettini advanced by defeating Oscar Otte, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Golf – Solheim Cup – Europe retains Solheim Cup with 2nd-ever win on US soil
Europe has retained the Solheim Cup. The defending champions earned a second straight victory over the United States when Matilda Castren closed out Lizette Salas 1 up to give the visitors the decisive point in a 15-13 victory. Leona Maguire set the tone for Europe in singles. She finished off an unbeaten weekend when she beat Jennifer Kupcho 5-and-4 to put the wheels in motion for a victory by the visitors. The win is just the second ever for Europe in the U.S. The Europeans blew out the Americans 18-10 in Colorado in 2013.

CFL – Canadian Football League – Week 5
Yesterday
Hamilton Tiger Cats 32, Toronto Argonauts
Edmonton Elks 32, Calgary Stampeders 20

NASCAR – Headaches galore: Contenders struggle in NASCAR playoffs
There were problems galore from some of the top contenders to start the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Kyle Busch cursed and ran over some cones heading to the garage. Chase Elliott told his crew chief simply, “It’s killed.” Another of Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, William Byron, flamed out after hitting the wall while Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell saw his playoff opener end while it was still daylight in the four-plus hour race into the evening. Drivers have just two races left in the opening round of the playoffs to ensure they’ll keep their chance to compete for a title.

MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Last Night
No games last night

Tonight
Great Lakes Loons at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Beloit Snappers, 7:35 p.m.

NJCAA – Junior College Athletics
Tonight
Women’s Volleyball
Lansing Community College at Lake Michigan College, 6:30 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Today
Boys Soccer
St. Joseph at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6:30 p.m.
Portage Central at Lakeshore, 6:30 p.m.
Mattawan at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Battle Creek Lakeview, 6:30 p.m.
Dowagiac at South Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Plainwell at Coldwater, 6:30 p.m.
Sturgis at Marshall, 6:30 p.m.
Howardsville Christian at Brandywine, 5:00 p.m.
Hartford at Cassopolis, 5:00 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Comstock, 5:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Battle Creek Pennfield, 6:30 p.m.
Holland Black River at Fennville, 6:45 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
Three Rivers at Berrien Springs, 6:00 p.m.
Lawton at Bloomingdale, 7:00 p.m.
Howardsville Christian at Watervliet Grace Christian, 6:00 p.m.
Comstock at Olivet, 6:00 p.m.

Boys Tennis
Gull Lake at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m.
Bronson at Buchanan, 4:30 p.m.

Girls Swimming and Diving
Battle Creek Lakeview at St. Joseph, 6:00 p.m.