Weekday Morning Sports – Monday 6/29/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Monday, June 29, 2015

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 5, Chicago White Sox 4
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Chicago Cubs 1

Tigers 5, White Sox 4 – McCann’s 9th-inning homer gives Tigers 5-4 win over Chicago
James McCann homered in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a dramatic Detroit comeback, and the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Sunday. Detroit trailed 4-0 before scoring four runs in the eighth off Chicago starter Jeff Samardzija. Victor Martinez tied it with a three-run double. Joakim Soria (3-0) pitched a perfect top of the ninth, and McCann’s one-out drive off Zach Putnam (1-3) cleared the fence in left field to end the game. It was McCann’s third homer of the year and his first since May 21, when the rookie catcher went deep in the 11th inning to beat Houston. Samardzija allowed only two hits over the first seven innings, but he couldn’t make it through the middle of the Detroit order in the eighth.

Cardinals 4, Cubs 1 – Martinez paces Cardinals to 4-1 win, sweep of Cubs
Carlos Martinez was stingy before and after a lengthy rain delay, and the St. Louis Cardinals hit a season-high six doubles to sweep the Chicago Cubs with a 4-1 victory Sunday night that extended their winning streak to six games. Jason Heyward, Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter had run-scoring doubles for St. Louis, which is a major league-best 51-24. The Cardinals’ 29-7 home record also is tops in the majors and is the second-best start in franchise history, trailing only a 31-4 start by the 1885 Browns, according to STATS. Martinez (9-3) allowed one run on two hits in six innings with six strikeouts for the Cardinals, whose home start is the best in the divisional era since 1969, topping the Expos’ 28-7 record in 1979. The Cubs have lost a season-worst five in a row. Jason Hammel (5-3) gave up four runs and six hits in four innings.

Tonight
Tigers, Cubs, and White Sox are off

  • Tigers open a 3 game series at home against Pittsburgh on Tuesday
  • White Sox open at 2 game series at St. Louis on Tuesday
  • Cubs open a 3 game series at the Mets on Tuesday

MLB – Verlander on track to start Tuesday for Tigers
Justin Verlander is on track to return Tuesday from a back issue that caused him to miss a start.  Detroit manager Brad Ausmus says Verlander will start Tuesday night against Pittsburgh. The right-hander didn’t pitch at all this season until June 13 because of an arm problem, and after making two starts, he was scratched from Wednesday’s game against Cleveland because of back stiffness. The 32-year-old Verlander is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA this season. He was able to throw 117 pitches in his most recent outing, a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees on June 19. Verlander has been one of baseball’s most durable pitchers throughout his career, making at least 30 starts in each of the past nine seasons.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Washington Mystics 86, Chicago Sky 71

Mystics 86, Sky 71 – Meesseman, Dolson lead Mystics over Sky 86-71
Emma Meesseman scored 20 points and Stefanie Dolson added a career-high 19 along with 10 rebounds to lead the Washington Mystics to an 86-71 win Sunday over the Chicago Sky. Tayler Hill tied a career-best with 16 points and Ivory Latta matched her. The victory made Mike Thibault the winningest coach for the Mystics (6-3), reaching 39 wins in his third season. Elena Delle Donne scored 26 points to lead Chicago (5-4), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Cappie Pondexter and Allie Quigley added 10 each. The Mystics hit 10 of their 19 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from the field. The Sky missed all eight of their 3-point attempts. Washington led as many as 20 after Latta’s 3-pointer with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter. The lead never went under double digits thereafter. Thibault passed Julie Plank’s 38 victories.

NHL – Lidstrom strong favorite to headline 2015 Hockey Hall class
Nicklas Lidstrom cherished just being on the ice. The seven Norris Trophies as the best defenseman of his era and four Stanley Cups as a cornerstone of the Detroit Red Wings make him a strong favorite to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in his first year of eligibility. But when Lidstrom looks back on his career, the 1,564 regular-season and 263 playoff games stand out. “People are asking you how many games you played and how many you missed, and that’s something I’m very proud of that I played in so many games,” Lidstrom said. “I haven’t missed many games.” Lidstrom, who will likely be joined in the class of 2015 by former Red Wings teammate Sergei Fedorov and fellow dominant defenseman Chris Pronger.  Lidstrom never missed more than 12 games in a season. He never missed more than six until he was 41 years old.

NBA – James opts out, but wants to stay
A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that LeBron James will not exercise a $21.6 million option on his contract, making him a free agent on July 1. The decision was widely expected, but James has no plans to leave Cleveland again. The decision allows James to sign a new max contract that will pay him more than $22 million next season.

NASCAR – Kyle Busch wins at Sonoma
Kyle Busch held off brother Kurt to win the Sprint Cup race on the 11-turn, two-mile road course at Sonoma.  Kyle Busch becomes the 11th driver to win this season, doing it in just his fifth start. He was sidelined for three months by a broken leg and foot suffered during a crash in February.  Clint Bowyer finished third, followed by points-leader Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.

Golf – Champions – Maggert wins another senior major
Jordan Spieth isn’t the only golfer to win two majors this season. Jeff Maggert has followed last month’s victory in the Regions Tradition by capturing the U.S. Senior Open. Maggert closed with a 5-under-par 65 that included six birdies and one bogey. He finished 10 under for the tournament, two shots ahead of defending champ Colin Montgomerie. Montgomerie shot a 66 in the final round. Grant Waite and Bernhard Langer tied for third at 7 under.

Golf – PGA – Watson outlasts Casey in playoff
Bubba Watson won the PGA’s Travelers Championship for the second time by sinking an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat Paul Casey. Watson had a final-round 67 for a 16-under total through regulation, but he bogeyed the 17th to allow Casey to force a playoff. Casey fired a 65 that included three birdies and a bogey on his final five holes of regulation.

Golf – LPGA – Choi wins NW Arkansas  
Na Yeon Choi eagled the par-4 16th hole from the fairway in winning the NW Arkansas Championship by two shots over Mika Miyazato (MEE’-kah mee-ah-ZAH’-toh).  Choi closed with a 2-under 69 for a 15-under total in her ninth LPGA title. The eagle moved her one stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis, who bogeyed the par-5 18th to finish in a tie for third with Azahara Munoz and Anna Nordqvist.

Golf – Symetra – Sweden’s Dani Holmqvist wins first Symetra Tour title
Sweden’s Dani Holmqvist won the Island Resort Championship on Sunday at Sweetgrass in Harris, Michigan, for her first Symetra Tour title. The former University of California player closed with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Canada’s Samantha Richdale. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was third at 8 under. Henderson won the tour’s Four Winds Invitational last week in South Bend.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Lake County Captains 6, South Bend Cubs 3
Lansing 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 5
Great Lakes 2, Fort Wayne 1

TONIGHT
Lake County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Dayton Dragons, 7 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.