MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Houston Astros 6, Detroit Tigers 3
Chicago White Sox 6, Texas Rangers 1
Chicago Cubs 1, San Francisco Giants 0
Astros 6, Tigers 3 – Cole strikes out 12, Bregman HR lifts Astros over Tigers 6-3
Gerrit Cole struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings, Alex Bregman homered and the Houston Astros beat the Detroit Tigers 6-3 Thursday night. Cole (15-5) pitched two-hit ball and allowed one walk over 94 pitches. He’s 11-0 with a 1.84 ERA in his past 15 starts and has 238 strikeouts this season, one shy of teammate and league leader Justin Verlander. Cole returned for his first start since Aug. 7 after dealing with right hamstring discomfort. He showed no signs of rust, retiring 16 of his final 17 batters. Brantley finished with three hits, including a two-run single in the seventh. Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann (1-9) allowed three hits and two runs while striking out four in five innings. Houston went up 3-0 in the sixth on Yordan Alvarez’s RBI-double. Yuli Gurriel also added an RBI single in the seventh to put the Astros up 6-0. In the ninth, John Hicks hit a two-run homer — much less dramatic than his go-ahead solo shot off Verlander the night before — and Niko Goodrum added a solo homer off reliever Joe Biagini.
White Sox 6, Rangers 1 – Moncada, Detwiler lead White Sox over Rangers 6-1
Yoán Moncada lined a two-run homer his return from the injured list, Ross Detwiler struck out a career-high eight and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 6-1 on Thursday night. James McCann hit a solo shot and doubled, and Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson and Matt Skole each had an RBI as Chicago won for the third time in four games. Out since July 31 with a strained right hamstring, Moncada batted cleanup and made an immediate impact with his 21st homer as the White Sox jumped to an early five-run lead. He also doubled in the fifth and gave his team a scare when he fell awkwardly exiting the batter’s box as he grounded out to end the seventh. Moncada was tended to by a trainer and manager Rick Renteria, then remained in the game. The 33-year-old earned his second win this season — and only his second in the majors over nearly three years.
Cubs 1, Giants 0 – Hendricks, Cubs edge Giants 1-0 for 5th straight win
Kyle Hendricks pitched seven sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs won despite getting only two hits, edging the San Francisco Giants 1-0 Thursday for their fifth straight victory. Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI single to help the NL Central leaders complete a three-game sweep. The Giants lost their fourth in a row. A day after the Cubs won 12-11 in a game with seven home runs, there was a brisk breeze blowing in at Wrigley Field and the teams combined for just six hits. Hendricks (9-9) allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked none. He has a 1.79 ERA in 11 home starts this season. Relievers Brandon Kintzler, Kyle Ryan and Rowan Wick each got two outs to complete the four-hitter. Wick finished for his second save. Cubs pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts without a walk. Jeff Samardzija (9-10) gave up one run on two hits in seven innings against his former team.
Today
Washington (Sanchez 7-6) at Chicago Cubs (Lester 10-8), 2:20 p.m.
Detroit (Boyd 6-9) at Minnesota (Berrios 10-6), 8:10 p.m. WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 7:45
Texas (Lynn 14-8) at Chicago White Sox (Cease 2-6), 8:10 p.m.
NBA – Cavs owner Gilbert back home following stroke
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been home for nearly a week in Detroit as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered in May. Gilbert had spent the past two months in a rehabilitation center in Chicago. On Thursday, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner provided a brief update on the 57-year-old billionaire businessman. "On Friday, Dan Gilbert returned to Detroit to continue his rehabilitation locally," Farner said. "We are extremely thankful for all of the skilled medical professionals who have played a significant role in Dan’s recovery and are glad to have him back home." Gilbert, who founded Quicken Loans, suffered the stroke on May 26 after he was taken to a hospital by a family friend. He was immediately taken into a surgery for a catheter-based procedure, which doctors have credited with being a key to his recovery. He spent more than a month at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, before going to the rehab facility.
NFL – National Football League – Preseason Week 3
Last Night
N-Y Giants 25, Cincinnati 23
New England 10, Carolina 3
Baltimore 26, Philadelphia 15
Washington 19, Atlanta 7
Oakland 22, Green Bay 21
Miami 22, Jacksonville 7
Tonight
Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday
Arizona at Minnesota, 1:00 p.m.
Houston at Dallas, 7:00 p.m.
Chicago at Indianapolis, 7:00 p.m.
New Orleans at NY Jets, 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco. at Kansas City, 8:00 p.m.
Denver at LA Rams, 9:00 p.m.
Seattle at LA Chargers, 10:00 p.m.
Golf – PGA – Schaffele moves into 3-way tie for FedEx Cup
Xander Schauffele has grabbed a share of the FedEx Cup lead by firing the best score ever for an opening round in the Tour Championship. Schauffele began the tournament six strokes back under the new scoring system for the FedEx Cup before firing a 6-under 64 that leaves him 10-under with three rounds remaining. He’s now tied with No. 1 seed Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka. Koepka birdied three of his last four holes for a 67. Thomas carded a double-bogey and missed a pair of 3-foot putts for a 70 after entering the tournament with a two-shot advantage. The score to par is all that matters in deciding who wins the FedEx Cup and the $15 million prize.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Los Angeles Sparks 98, Indiana Fever 65
Sparks 98, Fever 65 – Sparks win 10th straight at home, top Fever 98-65
Nneka Ogwumike had 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 98-65 on Thursday night for their 10th straight win at home. The Sparks, 11-2 at Staples Center this season, became the fourth WNBA team to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Eleven of the 12 players for the Sparks scored, including six in double figures. Chiney Ogwumike scored 15 points, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt added 11, and Chelsea Gray, Riquna Williams and Kalani Brown each had 10 for Los Angeles (17-10). Kelsey Mitchell scored 14 points for Indiana (9-19), which has lost three straight. Indiana was outscored 29-13 in the second quarter and 27-11 in the third.
Tonight
Washington Mystics at Chicago Sky, 8:00 p.m.
Tennis – US Open – First-round fireworks: Serena, Sharapova to meet at US Open
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will finally meet in the U.S. Open, and they’ll do it in their very first match. The past U.S. Open champions, two of the biggest stars in women’s tennis, were scheduled for an opening-round matchup when the draws were conducted for the final major of the year. Williams and Sharapova have met in the finals of the other three majors and the 2012 Olympics but have never played each other in the U.S. Open. Williams owns a 19-2 record in their WTA Tour matchups, but that lopsided number shouldn’t do much to dampen the hype around what will be the marquee match of the opening round at Flushing Meadows, which begins Monday.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
South Bend 8, Lansing 1
Great Lakes 7, West Michigan 2
Tonight
West Michigan at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing at South Bend, 7:35 p.m.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Boys Soccer
Kalamazoo Central 4, Lakeshore 1
Niles 3, Sturgis 3 – TIE
Harper Creek 4, Battle Creek Central 2
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 1, Portage Central 1 – TIE
Tonight
Boys Soccer
New Buffalo at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.
Saugatuck at Comstock, 5:00 p.m.
