MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Cincinnati Reds 4, Detroit Tigers 3
Kansas City Royals 7, Chicago White Sox 1
Colorado Rockies 7, Chicago Cubs 3
Reds 4, Tigers 3 – TJ Friedl’s 2-run triple and a solid Reds bullpen combine for 4-3 win over the Tigers
TJ Friedl hit a two-run triple in the second inning and seven Cincinnati relievers combined on five shutout innings as the Reds beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3. Cincinnati’s bullpen has pitched 11 scoreless innings as the Reds have won the first two games of the series. Reds starter Connor Phillips allowed three runs in four innings before the bullpen took over. Daniel Duarte earned the win. Alexis Díaz pitched the ninth for his 36th save. Eduardo Rodriguez allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals 7, White Sox 1 – Michael Massey homers for second straight game, Royals beat White Sox 7-1
Michael Massey homered for the second straight game, Salvador Perez had three hits and two RBIs and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 7-1 on Wednesday night. Four pitchers combined to limit Chicago to one run on five hits while striking out nine. Kansas City won its second straight against Chicago and took the season series 7-6. Rookie Steven Cruz opened with two scoreless, two-hit innings. Fellow rookie Alec Marsh (1-8) followed, allowing one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings for his first major league victory. James McArthur got five outs, and Tucker Davidson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Mike Clevinger (7-8) was the loser.
Rockies 7, Cubs 3 – Kris Bryant hits one of Rockies’ four homers in a 7-3 win over the playoff-contending Cubs
Kris Bryant went deep for the second straight game, one of four home runs by Colorado, and the Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3. Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero each hit a two-run homer in a four-run fifth, and Ryan McMahon homered and finished with three hits for the Rockies. Colorado took two of three from the Cubs. The Rockies hadn’t won a series since taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox from Aug. 18-20. The Cubs dropped the final two games at Colorado to lose ground on NL Central-leading Milwaukee. Chicago continues to hold the second NL wild-card spot.
Today
Cincinnati (Law 4-5) at Detroit (Olson 3-7), 1:10 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 12:45
Minnesota (Maeda 4-7) at Chicago White Sox (Ureña 0-5), 7:40 p.m.
Cubs are off
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association Playoffs – Round 1 (best of three)
Last Night
Las Vegas Aces 87, Chicago Sky 59 (LVA leads 1-0)
Connecticut Sun 90, Minnesota Lynx 60 (CTS leads 1-0)
Aces 87, Sky 59 – Top-seeded Aces cruise past the Sky 87-59 to begin their WNBA playoff series
Chelsea Gray had 20 points and seven assists, Jackie Young added 18 points and the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 87-59 to begin a WNBA playoff series. The defending champion Aces host Game 2 of the best-of-three series on Sunday. Las Vegas, which had the best record in the league at 34-6, has won all four matchups with Chicago this season. Kelsey Plum scored 16 points and A’ja Wilson had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Las Vegas. The Aces defense held Chicago to 33% shooting. Kahleah Copper scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half for Chicago.
NBA – NBA takes steps to try to ensure its star players appear in more games
The NBA has taken steps to try to ensure that its star players appear in more games, particularly nationally televised matchups and the in-season tournament that is being added this year. The league’s board of governors has approved a new player participation policy that will take effect for this upcoming season, replacing the player resting policy that was implemented prior to the 2017-18 season. The new rules focus primarily on star players — someone who has been an All-Star or on the All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons. Teams will have to manage their rosters to ensure that multiple available star players aren’t sitting out the same game to rest.
NFL – National Football League – Week 2
Tonight
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m.
NFL – Bears QB Justin Fields says he was ‘too conservative’ in opener against Packers
Chicago quarterback Justin Fields gets another chance to start showing he can become the passer the Bears would like him to be when Chicago visits Tampa Bay on Sunday. The opener didn’t go the way he hoped. Fields says he was “too conservative” when it came to looking downfield in a 38-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Fields accounted for 275 of Chicago’s 311 yards. He threw for 216 and ran for 59. He lost a fumble and had an interception returned for a touchdown as the Packers pulled away in the second half.
NFL – Jets’ Aaron Rodgers says he ‘will rise yet again’ in first comments since injury
Aaron Rodgers’ season is over. It appears he might not be ready to call it a career. The New York Jets quarterback wrote on Instagram on Wednesday night that "I shall rise yet again.” That came after coach Robert Saleh said he’d be shocked if Rodgers ends his playing career this way, but he hasn’t had any conversations along those lines with him. The 39-year-old quarterback tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap in his debut with the Jets on Monday night in a 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo. Saleh said Rodgers is currently going for some medical consultations to determine his next step, which will include surgery.
NFL players union renews call for grass fields after Aaron Rodgers’ injury
NFL players prefer playing on natural grass. It’s why the NFL Players Association called on the league Wednesday to switch all fields to grass. The union’s executive director Lloyd Howell says it’s the easiest decision the NFL can make. Players consider it a matter of career preservation. The union’s repeated request for all grass comes less than 48 hours after four-time NFL MVP QB Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets. A new artificial surface was installed this year at MetLife Stadium. Carolina linebacker Shaq Thompson has been fighting for grass the past two years. He says he hopes to see everyone to take a stand.
NFL – Seahawks take hit on offensive line with both starting tackles ailing with injuries
Coming off a lackluster performance in the opener, the Seattle Seahawks are likely to be down both their starting offensive tackles for Sunday’s game at Detroit. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said that both left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas were “hurting,” after each suffered injuries in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Lucas was placed on injured reserve meaning he will miss the next four games and be out until after Seattle’s Week 6 game at Cincinnati. Lucas aggravated a knee injury centered around the patella, while Cross suffered a sprained big toe on his right foot early in the second half and was out the rest of the way in the 30-13 loss to LA.
NCAAFB – Notre Dame Sticks with old-school run game, employing deep table of backs
While Sam Hartman’s strong passing game is all the rage at No. 9 Notre Dame, it’s still the bulldozing ground game that keeps the Fighting Irish offense chugging along. Second-year coach Marcus Freeman doesn’t want it any other way. He never intended to abandon the program’s old-school identity, even after plucking Hartman out of the transfer portal or promoting tight ends coach Gerad Parker to offensive coordinator. And it’s working. A three-man rotation has given undefeated Notre Dame one of the nation’s top running games.
Golf – PGA/LIV – Senator subpoenas Saudis for documents on LIV-PGA Tour golf deal
The chairman of a Senate investigations subcommittee is subpoenaing Saudi officials for documents on the kingdom’s new golf partnership with the PGA Tour. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had to be more transparent about what he said was its $35 billion in investments in the U.S. The move is the latest to challenge Saudi Arabia’s assertion that as a foreign government it enjoys sovereign immunity from some U.S. courts and institutions. That includes when it comes to disclosing information related to its golf investments. The Saudi Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball – Divisional Finals (best of three)
Tonight
Eastern Division Final
Fort Wayne Tin Caps at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m. (FW leads 1-0)
Western Division Final
Peoria Chiefs at Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7:35 p.m. (PEO leads 1-0)
MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Tonight
Women’s Volleyball
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College at Southwestern Michigan College, 6:30 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Volleyball
Mattawan 3, Lakeshore 0
Portage Northern 3, St. Joseph 0
River Valley 3, Covert 0
Our Lady of the Lake 3, Eau Claire 0
Boys Soccer
Edwardsburg 8, Three Rivers 0
Otsego 4, Niles 0
Sturgis 2, Plainwell 1
Paw Paw 1, Vicksburg 1 – TIE
Bangor 5, Covert 0
Brandywine 9, Dowagiac 4
Lawton 3, Allegan 3 – TIE
Holland Black River 3, Delton-Kellogg 0
Kalamazoo Christian 7, Bridgman 1
South Haven 1, Watervliet 1 – TIE
Bloomingdale 8, Comstock 0
Hartford 8, Cassopolis 0
Kalamazoo Hackett 7, Constantine 0
Fennville 3, Saugatuck 1
Boys Tennis
St. Joseph 5, Portage Central 3
Tonight
Boys Soccer
St. Joseph at Mattawan, 6:30 p.m.
Lakeshore at Battle Creek Central, 6:30 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake at Howardsville Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at New Buffalo, 5:00 p.m.
Constantine at Dowagiac, 5:00 p.m.
Portage Northern at Battle Creek Lakeview, 6:30 p.m.
Gull Lake at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Portage Central, 6:30 p.m.
Lake Odessa Lakewood at Delton-Kellogg, 5:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Hamilton, 5:00 p.m.
Comstock at Schoolcraft, 5:00 p.m.
Volleyball
Benton Harbor at Buchanan, 5:00 p.m.
Watervliet Grace Christian at Michigan Lutheran, 6:00 p.m.
Howardsville Christian at River Valley, 6:00 p.m.
Niles at Otsego, 6:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Paw Paw, 6:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Plainwell, 6:00 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m.
Coloma at South Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Bridgman at Allegan, 6:30 p.m.
Watervliet at Fennville, 6:30 p.m.
Gobles at Holland Black River, 6:30 p.m.
Parchment at Kalamazoo Hackett, 6:30 p.m.
Constantine at Lawton, 6:30 p.m.
Martin at Saugatuck, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Schoolcraft, 6:30 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Galesburg-Augusta, 6:30 p.m.
Boys Tennis
St. Joseph at Kalamazoo Central, 4:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Bridgman, 4:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Brandywine, 4:00 p.m.
Girls Golf
Comstock Invitational at Eastern Hills, 10:00 a.m.
St. Joseph, Michigan Lutheran, Comstock, Cassopolis, Portage Northern, Plainwell, Vicksburg
