MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Texas Rangers 10, Detroit Tigers 5
Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota Twins 1
Philadelphia Phillies 15, Chicago Cubs 10
Rangers 10, Tigers 5 – Hicks’ 4th homer in 4 games helps Rangers top Tigers 10-5
John Hicks became the first player to homer in his first four games with the Rangers/Washington Senators franchise and added a go-ahead single in the seventh inning to lead Texas over the Detroit Tigers 10-5. Hicks, brought up from Triple-A Round Rock on June 29 after catcher Jose Trevino got hurt, hit a two-run homer of the left field foul pole in the fourth that put the Rangers ahead in a four-run inning. He became the fourth player to hit four or more homers in his first four games with a team.
White Sox 4, Twins 1 – Rodón sharp on a rainy night as White Sox beat Twins 4-1
Carlos Rodón (7-3) allowed one run on seven hits, and the Chicago White Sox took advantage of sloppy play by the Minnesota Twins to win 4-1 in Minnesota on a rainy Tuesday night. Catcher Zack Collins, making the start after Yasmani Grandal went on the injured list earlier in the day with a torn tendon in his left knee, had a two-run single in the second inning after two walks and two errors by the Twins. Minnesota starter José Berríos (7-3) allowed two runs _ one earned _ on just one hit with 10 strikeouts.
Phillies 15, Cubs 10 – Harper leads way as Phillies hand Cubs 11th straight loss
Bryce Harper homered and tied a career high with five hits, Andrew McCutchen smacked a grand slam and the Philadelphia Phillies handed Chicago its 11th straight loss, beating the Cubs 15-10. Rhys Hoskins also went deep. The Phillies jumped on Jake Arrieta (5-9) after beating Chicago 13-3 the previous night and finished two shy of a season high with 16 hits. The Cubs, meanwhile, extended their worst skid since they dropped 12 in a row in May 2012. They remained winless since Zach Davies and three relievers combined to no-hit the Dodgers in Los Angeles on June 24.
Today
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, 1:10 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers, 2:05 p.m. 94.9 WSJM-FM/103.7 Cosy-FM 1:45
Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.
MLB – Yasmani Grandal out 4-6 weeks with torn tendon in left knee
The Chicago White Sox placed catcher Yasmani Grandal on the 10-day injured list with a torn tendon in his left knee. Grandal was injured during an at-bat in Monday’s loss in Minnesota. Chicago estimates Grandal will be out approximately four to six weeks. Grandal was hitting just .188 as Chicago’s starting catcher, but he owned a .388 on-base percentage in 63 games to go with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs. Seby Zavala, 27, was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte and was with the team for Tuesday’s game in Minnesota.
NBA – National Basketball Association Playoffs – The Finals – Best of 7
Last Night
Phoenix Suns 118, Milwaukee Bucks 105 (PHX leads 1-0)
Suns 118, Bucks 105 – Paul carries Suns past Giannis, Bucks in NBA Finals opener
Chris Paul had 32 points and nine assists, Devin Booker scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the returning Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks 118-105 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Paul scored 16 points during a sensational third quarter that had Phoenix fans who waited 28 years to see the NBA Finals again screaming in delight. Finally playing for the title in his 16th season, the star point guard has the Suns in the NBA Finals for only the third time, and it sure looked as if they could make this one different than the other two.
NBA – Silver says NBA may have weathered pandemic well financially
The NBA may emerge from the pandemic on better financial footing than it first anticipated, though Commissioner Adam Silver is warning that it’s too early to declare things fully back to normal. Silver, at his annual pre-NBA Finals news conference, says he believes the league weathered the pandemic and all that came with it — including much less revenue from the lack of fans in arenas for much of the last 15 months — relatively well, noting that even he was surprised to see many teams were able to have full buildings during the playoffs.
NHL – 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – Best of 7
Tonight
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, 8:00 p.m. (TBL leads 3-1)
NHL – 911 callers urge help for hockey player killed by fireworks
A caller told a 911 dispatcher that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was about to go into convulsions after he was struck in the chest with an errant Fourth of July fireworks mortar blast at the Michigan home of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace. The call was one of three released Tuesday. In it, a woman is requesting an ambulance be sent to a home, saying someone was “hit with fireworks” and “getting ready to go into convulsions.” The 24-year-old Kivlenieks of Latvia was struck about 10 p.m. Sunday at Legace’s home in Novi, about 28 miles northwest of Detroit, Legace played for the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and Carolina Hurricanes in his NHL career from 1994-2012. Kivlenieks was pronounced dead at a hospital. Novi police are investigating his death as an accident.
WNBA – WNBA teams jockey for position before Olympic break
With less than a week remaining before the WNBA begins its Olympic break, teams are jockeying for position in the standings knowing that it will be a sprint to the finish once play resumes in August following the Tokyo Games and a monthlong hiatus. Las Vegas, Seattle and Connecticut have already created a little separation from the pack as the top three teams in the league. The Aces and Storm are battling for supremacy in the Western Conference to earn a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup championship. The Storm hold a one-game lead on the Aces.
NCAAMBB – Michigan center Hunter Dickinson withdraws from NBA draft
Hunter Dickinson has withdrawn from the NBA draft to stay at Michigan for his sophomore season. Dickinson earned second-team All-America, Big Ten Freshman of the Year and all-conference honors last season. The 7-foot-1, 255-pound center from Virginia led the team with 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Teammate DeVante’ Jones is also coming back next season for the Wolverines.
NCAAHKY – NHL’s top prospect leaning to stay at Michigan next season
The NHL’s top-ranked draft prospect, defenseman Owen Power, says he is leaning toward playing his sophomore season at Michigan next year rather than turning pro. Power says he won’t make a decision until after the draft, by noting he wants to first consult with the team that selects him. Power is from Mississauga, Ontario, and the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau’s top-ranked North American skater. The Buffalo Sabres have the No. 1 pick, followed by the expansion Seattle Kraken. The two-day draft will be held remotely starting on July 23.
Tennis – 2018 champion Kerber vs. No. 1 Barty in Wimbledon semifinals
Angelique Kerber has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time since winning the title there in 2018. Kerber beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Kerber’s next opponent will be No. 1 Ash Barty. Kerber is a three-time Grand Slam champion who had lost in the first round at the Australian Open and French Open this year. Also reaching the semifinals at the All England Club with straight-set victories Tuesday were No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka and No. 8 Karolina Pliskova. In the day’s first match in the main stadium, No. 14 seed Hubert Hurkacz came back to beat No. 2 Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the resumption of a fourth-round match suspended on another court Monday night.
Olympics – Track and Field – No relay: Banned sprinter Richardson left off Olympic team
USA Track and Field says it’s “incredibly sympathetic toward Sha’Carri Richardson’s extenuating circumstances” but the banned sprinter won’t be given a spot on the 4X100 relay team in the Olympics. Richardson had already been banned from the 100 following a positive test for marijuana. Richardson says she used the drug following the death of her mother. Her 30-day suspension was set to end before the start of the relays in Tokyo. That left open the possibility she could run on the relay team. But her name was missing from the roster USATF sent out Tuesday. The ban has been criticized. USATF says it “fully agrees” that international rules regarding marijuana should be reevaluated.
Olympics – Basketball – US basketball team opens Olympic practice in Vegas
Gregg Popovich knows he doesn’t have to spend a whole lot of time teaching the game of basketball to his U.S. Olympic players. His top priority right now: Making those players a team. That process is officially underway, with the Americans holding their first practice together Tuesday in Las Vegas to prepare for an Olympic Games that begin in less than three weeks. Popovich’s message in the first team meeting on Monday night and in the first practice on Tuesday was simple and similar, in that he wants the unit to find a way to jell quickly.
Olympics – Equestrian – Bruce Springsteen’s daughter makes Olympic equestrian team
The daughter of rock icon Bruce Springsteen and singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa has been selected as one of four riders on the U.S. jumping team that will compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Twenty-nine-year-old Jessica Springsteen is making her Olympic debut. She has said being selected would fulfill a lifelong dream. Springsteen will team with Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward when the equestrian competition begins Aug. 3. Springsteen is ranked third behind Kraut and Ward and will be riding 12-year-old stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. U.S. Equestrian announced the selections Monday.
Olympics – Tokyo Olympics shaping up as TV-only event with few fans
The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics are shaping up as a TV-only event with few fans being allowed when they open in just over two weeks. Japan’s Asahi newspaper cited multiple unidentified government sources when it said the opening ceremony may be limited to only VIP guests. The newspaper says other large venues are likely to have no spectators. Organizers and the International Olympic Committee are expected to announce the policy after a meeting this week. Two weeks ago they announced that venues could be filled up to 50% capacity with a ceiling of 10,000. But soaring virus numbers in Tokyo are forcing a rollback. The IOC earns almost 75% of its income from selling TV rights.
MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
South Bend Cubs 7, Beloit Snappers 6
Dayton Dragons 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
Great Lakes Loons 8, Lansing Lugnuts 2 – F/8 Innings, Rain shortened
Tonight
Beloit Snappers at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
