Weekday Morning Sports Report – Thursday 9/6/18

sportsreport
sportsreport

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 10, Chicago White Sox 2
Chicago Cubs 6, Milwaukee Brewers 4

Tigers 10, White Sox 2 – Tigers hit 4 HRs in 10-2 rout White Sox, Kopech
Michael Kopech wasn’t sharp and the Tigers took full advantage of the Chicago White Sox’s prized pitching prospect. Ronny Rodriguez had a two-run homer and Jeimer Candelario, Mikie Mahtook and JaCoby Jones each added a solo shot, powering Detroit to a 10-2 rout of the White Sox and Kopech on Wednesday night.  The game was delayed twice by rain for a total of an hour and one minute. Nicholas Castellanos went 3 for 4 with a walk and an RBI and Victor Martinez had a two-run single as Detroit pounded out 16 hits and won for the eighth time in nine games at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kopech (1-1) was tagged for seven runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck six, walked one and surrendered all four Detroit homers as his ERA jumped from 0.82 to 5.02.  It was a far cry from his effort at Detroit on Aug. 26 when he allowed one run on seven hits in six innings for his first win.  Jordan Zimmermann (7-6) allowed just two hits in five shutout innings and returned following both delays.

Cubs 6, Brewers 4 – Cubs hold off Brewers 6-4, boost NL Central lead to 4 games
Daniel Murphy and Kyle Schwarber homered to back a solid start from Jose Quintana, and the Chicago Cubs held off the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 on Wednesday night to avert a three-game sweep. Pedro Strop closed out a tense ninth inning as Chicago boosted its NL Central lead to four games over the second-place Brewers. Quintana (12-9) allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings, improving to 3-1 at Miller Park with the Cubs. Strop allowed a walk and a single to open the ninth but got the final three outs, striking out Curtis Granderson with two runners on to preserve the win. Granderson belted his first home run as a member of the Brewers in a pinch-hit role in the seventh, a two-run shot that cut Chicago’s lead to 6-4. The Cubs finally broke their string of 16 scoreless innings against Milwaukee right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (14-6) when Murphy led off the fourth with an opposite-field homer into the Brewers’ left-field bullpen.

Tonight
Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 11-10) at Washington (Strasburg 7-7), 7:05 p.m.
Tigers and White Sox are off

MLB – White Sox say fan hit by foul back home with broken nose
The White Sox say a 32-year-old Chicago man was back home Wednesday recovering from a broken nose after being hit by a foul ball the previous night. The man was injured in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against Detroit. He was seated in the first row on the first base side at Guaranteed Rate Field, well beyond the netting that extends to the end of the camera box past the dugout, when a line drive by the Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario hit him in the face. The man bled profusely and was treated at his seat for several minutes as play was stopped before walking to the first-aid station. He was then taken to Rush University Medical Center.

Tennis – US Open semis are set
Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori will square off in the U.S. Open men’s semifinals on Friday. Djokovic concluded Wednesday’s play with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win against Australian John Millman, who committed 53 unforced errors and converted just four of 20 break points. Nishikori needed more than four hours to win a rematch of the 2014 final, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 over seventh seed Marin Cilic.  Madison Keys will face Noami Osaka in the U.S. Open women’s semifinals on Thursday. Keys advanced to the semis for the second straight year by downing Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-4, 6-3. Osaka needed just 57 minutes to knock out Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 6-1 and become the first Japanese woman in 22 years to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

NFL – National Football League – Week 1
Tonight
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m.              95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 7:30

NFL – Lions claim DE Romeo Okwara off waivers, cut Anthony Zettel
The Detroit Lions have claimed defensive end Romeo Okwara off waivers from the New York Giants and cut defensive end Anthony Zettel. Detroit made the moves after practice Wednesday, a day after the Giants released Okwara. Okwara had three tackles in six games last season in New York after making 21 tackles and one sack two years ago. The 6-foot-4, 271-pound former Notre Dame standout earned a spot on the Giants as a rookie in 2016, starting four of 16 games. Detroit drafted Zettel in the 6th round out of Penn State two years ago. He started every game last season and had 6 ½ sacks. The Lions open the season Monday night at home against the New York Jets.

NFL – Steelers losing patience with Bell as All-Pro RB stays out
Le’Veon Bell’s teammates spent the offseason and all of training camp brushing off his absence, confident in their belief that the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro running back would eventually let the business side of things play out, sign his franchise tender and be at work when things start to get real. He’s one of the best in the league and earned the right to take his time, they said. He’ll show up when it starts to matter, they said. We’re not worried, they said.  Time to worry. And vent.  Bell’s chair remained tucked neatly into his locker on Wednesday, meaning he will almost certainly not be available when the Steelers open the season in Cleveland this weekend.  And while Bell’s agent took to the airwaves to vaguely explain Bell’s reasoning for staying away, the men Bell has played alongside for the past five years are starting to run out of patience.

NFL – Trump tweet-rips Nike again
President Donald Trump says Nike is getting “killed” over an endorsement deal with Colin Kaepernick. Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday, “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?” Nike this week unveiled the deal with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who’s known for starting protests among NFL players over police
brutality and racial inequality.

NHL – Longtime NHL forward "Ab" McDonald dies at 82
Alvin Brian “Ab” McDonald, who played 14 NHL seasons and scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961, has died. He was 82. McDonald died Tuesday night, according to Blackhawks. The forward played 762 regular-season and 84 NHL playoff games followed by two seasons in the World Hockey Association, where he was the Winnipeg Jets’ first captain. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1958 and 1959 and then again with Chicago. He finished with 182 goals and 248 assists for 430 points during his NHL career with Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The Blackhawks called McDonald an important part of their family and said he’ll forever have a connection to their ’61 championship team. Mark Chipman, owner of the new Jets franchise, labeled McDonald a legend in Winnipeg hockey and said he made the community proud.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball Playoffs – Round 1 (best of 3)
Tonight
West Michigan Whitecaps 6, Great Lakes Loons 0                         (WM leads 1-0)
Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Lansing Lugnuts 3 – 10 Innings         (BG leads 1-0)
Peoria Chiefs 3, Quad Cities River Bandits 0                                (PEO leads 1-0)
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Beloit Snappers, PPD                              (Game 1)

Tonight
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Beloit Snappers, 7:00 p.m.                      (Game 1)
West Michigan Whitecaps at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.           (WM leads 1-0)
Lansing Lugnuts at Bowling Green Hot Rods, 7:35 p.m.                (BG leads 1-0)
Peoria Chiefs at Quad Cities River Bandits, 7:35 p.m.                   (PEO leads 1-0)

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Soccer
Lake Michigan Catholic 8, Lawrence 0
Fennville 1, South Haven 0
Dowagiac 2, Vicksburg 1
Otsego 1, Paw Paw 0
Plainwell 5, Three Rivers 0
Edwardsburg 3, Allegan 3 – TIE
Parchment 4, Bridgman 1
Hartford 5, Bloomingdale 0

Boys Tennis
St. Joseph 7, Kalamazoo Central 1
Kalamazoo Hackett 5, Coloma 0
Berrien Springs 8, Buchanan 0

Girls Volleyball
Niles 3, St. Joseph 1
Lakeshore 3, Portage Northern 1
New Buffalo 3, Lake Michigan Catholic 1
Brandywine 3, Berrien Springs 0
Mattawan 3, Portage Central 0
Comstock 3, Buchanan 0
Bangor 3, Allegan 1
Bridgman 3, Parchment 0

Tonight
Boys Soccer
St. Joseph at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m.
Barry County Christian at Michigan Lutheran, 5:00 p.m.
Portage Central at Niles, 5:30 p.m.
Mattawan at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 6;0 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Battle Creek Central, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Gull Lake, 6:30 p.m.
Otsego at Coldwater, 6:30 p.m.
Berrien Springs at Lake Michigan Catholic, 5:00 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
Howardsville Christian at Michigan Lutheran, 6:30 p.m.
Eau Claire at Benton Harbor, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Watervliet, 5:30 p.m.
Lawton at Coloma, 6:30 p.m.
Otsego at South Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Paw Paw at Edwardsburg, 6:00 p.m.
Allegan at Dowagiac, 6:00 p.m.
Sturgis at Three Rivers, 6:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at Plainwell, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Fennville, 6:30 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Gobles, 6:30 p.m.
Constantine at Martin, 6:30 p.m.
Schoolcraft at Saugatuck, 6:30 p.m.

Boys Tennis
Niles at Brandywine, 4:00 p.m.

Cross Country
Berrien Springs Invitational, 5:00 p.m.         
Berrien Springs, Lakeshore, Niles, Bangor, Harper Creek, Bridgman, Delton-Kellogg, Dowagiac, Eau Claire, New Buffalo