Weekday Morning Sports – Wednesday 6/10/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Wednesday, June 10, 2015

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 6, Chicago Cubs 0
Chicago White Sox 4, Houston Astros 2

Tigers 6, Cubs 0 – Sanchez and Davis lead Tigers to 6-0 win over Cubs
Anibal Sanchez pitched well for 7 2-3 innings and Rajai Davis had a big day at bat and in the field as the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0 Tuesday night. Davis had a double, a triple and stole a homer from David Ross, while Sanchez (4-7) ended a four-start slump that saw Detroit lose all four starts while he posted a 7.71 ERA. Sanchez allowed six hits and walked two while striking out seven. Jon Lester (4-5) took the loss, giving up five runs on nine hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. Davis led off the first with a double, took third on David Ross’ passed ball and scored on Miguel Cabrera’s single to center.

White Sox 4, Astros 2 – Abreu, Rodon power White Sox past slumping Astros 4-2
Jose Abreu hit a tie-breaking two-run homer, Carlos Rodon threw six scoreless innings, and the Chicago White Sox beat Houston 4-2 on Tuesday night to hand the Astros their sixth straight loss despite top draft pick Carlos Correa hitting his first homer. Abreu’s 10th home run of the season broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth and propelled Chicago to its second win to start the three-game series with the AL West-leading Astros. The homer and Melky Cabrera’s two-run double in the eighth were enough for the White Sox to continue the Astros’ slide while Houston’s offensive woes continued. Rodon (2-0) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five and throwing a career-high 116 pitches.

Tonight
Chicago Cubs (Arrieta 5-4) at Detroit (Greene 4-5), 7:08 p.m.    WSJM-AM/WCSY-FM 6:40
Houston (Velasquez 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Quintana 2-6), 8:10 p.m.

MLB – Verlander set to make 1st start Saturday against Indians
Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander is set to make his first start this season against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner has been sidelined all season after leaving a March 27 spring training game with a strained right triceps. His recovery suffered several setbacks before the last couple weeks. He has made two rehab starts for Triple-A Toledo, and only allowed one run on four hits and no walks in 5 2/3 innings Saturday against Columbus. He threw 93 pitches, hitting 94 mph with his fastball, and striking out nine. With no soreness afterward, the Tigers are ready for him to finally take his spot in the rotation.

MLB – Heston tosses no-hitter
San Francisco Giants rookie Chris Heston has tossed a no-hitter in just his 13th career start, leading a 5-0 win over the Mets in New York. Heston hit Ruben Tejada and Lucas Duda in the fourth inning, and plunked Anthony Recker leading off the bottom of the ninth. They were the only Mets to reach base against Heston, whose previous best outing was a two-hitter in an 8-1 win at Houston on May 12.

NBA – 2015 NBA Finals (Best of 7)
Last Night
Cleveland Cavaliers 96, Golden State Warriors 91                    (CLE Leads 2-1)

Game 3: Cavaliers 96, Warriors 91 – Cavs take 2-1 lead
LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 96-91 victory and a two-games-to-one lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. James finished with 40 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had eight assists and drained a big 3-pointer that put the Cavs ahead by seven with under two minutes remaining. Dellvedova was the only other Cavalier with more than 10 points, finishing with 20 in his second game since replacing the injured Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup.  Game 4 is Thursday

NHL – 2015 Stanley Cup Finals (Best of 7)
Tonight
Game 4: Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:00 p.m.     (TB Leads 2-1)

NHL – Blackhawks draw on history, experience in Stanley Cup Final
The Chicago Blackhawks have dropped consecutive one-goal games to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, and they had the lead in each one. And there is no panic for Jonathan Toews and company, no outward displays of frustration. The Blackhawks are trying for their third NHL title in the past six seasons, and they have a history of rebounding from playoff disappointment. They dropped two of the first three games in the 2013 final against Boston and came back to win the series 4-2. They trailed 3-2 in this year’s Western Conference finals against Anaheim. But the Lightning are one confident bunch after Monday night’s 3-2 win gave them a 2-1 lead in the series. Captain Steven Stamkos says they are “finding consistency at the right time.”
 
NHL – Keith carrying impressive load for Blackhawks
Between his production and the amount of time he is spending on the ice, the numbers this postseason for Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith sure are impressive. With his boundless energy, the two-time Norris Trophy winner is playing a huge role for a team eyeing its third Stanley Cup in six years. He’s not the only defensemen carrying a big load. The Blackhawks are a bit short-handed in that area, a concern as they try to erase a 2-1 deficit against Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup finals. Game 4 is Wednesday and they could be without Johnny Oduya. But hether he suits up or not, the Blackhawks will still have one of the game’s best defensemen on their side in Keith.

NHL – Detroit Red Wings hire Jeff Blashill to replace Babcock
Jeff Blashill has been hired by the Detroit Red Wings, ending a fairly un-suspenseful coaching search that began when Mike Babcock left to take over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blashill has coached Detroit’s minor league affiliate in Grand Rapids for the past three seasons, and he was an obvious candidate for the Red Wings once Babcock left. Detroit general manager Ken Holland acknowledged right away that he was going to talk to Blashill about the job, but the Griffins made it to the conference finals in the AHL playoffs. Blashill’s promotion was announced Tuesday. Blashill led Grand Rapids to the Calder Cup in 2013. He says he’d been eyeing the Red Wings’ job since it became clear Babcock’s future was uncertain.

NHL – Game 3 draws 3rd-best NBCSN Stanley Cup Final audience
Game 3 drew the third-largest audience ever for the Stanley Cup Final on NBCSN. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night averaged nearly 3.9 million viewers. The only two games with bigger audiences came in the 2013 series between the Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.

FIFA – 2015 Women’s World Cup
Yesterday – Group E
Columbia 1, Mexico – TIE
Brazil 2, South Korea 0

Yesterday – Group F
France 1, England 0
Spain 1, Costa Rica 1 – TIE

Today
No games today

FIFA – FIFA arrest
Police in northern Italy say Argenine businessman Alejandro Burzaco, who was indicted by U.S. authorities in connection to the FIFA corruption case, has turned himself in.  A Bolzano police official tells The Associated Press that Burzaco turned himself in this morning. He was with an Italian and Spanish-speaking lawyer. Police say Burzaco was “searched for across the world” after being named, along with two other Argentines, in the U.S. indictment. Burzaco is the president of a sports marketing company.

NCAA Football – Kelly: DE Williams still not cleared to play for Irish
Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly says defensive end Ishaq Williams still has some NCAA hurdles to clear before he is able to play for the Fighting Irish. Williams was dismissed from Notre Dame last fall after being investigated for possible academic dishonesty and still has NCAA hurdles to clear before officially rejoining the team. Senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell was dismissed from school along with Williams, but is expected to return to the team this season. While Russell attended spring classes back home in Washington during his time away, Williams did not, apparently adding to the questions surrounding his status with the NCAA. Kelly says Williams remains on scholarship, but if he is ultimately ruled ineligible by the NCAA, it would not count toward the maximum 85 scholarships allowed.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games yesterday

Today
South Bend at Burlington, 7:30 p.m.
Great Lakes at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m.
Lansing at Quad Cities, 8 p.m.
West Michigan at Peoria, 8 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports – Baseball/Softball Quarterfinals
Yesterday
Softball
Division 2 at Hope College
Wayland 2, St. Joseph 0
CJ Miller delivered a two run home run in the bottom of the 6th to lift Wayland to a 2-0 win over St. Joe.  The Bears end the season at 35-9 after capturing the school’s first softball regional championship in 30 years.

Division 1 at University of Michigan
Mattawan 4, Plymouth 1

Baseball
Division 3 at Davenport University, Grand Rapids
Buchanan 7, Lansing Catholic 4
Buchanan advanced to the state semi-finals with a 7-4 over Lansing Catholic. The Bucks ran out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning.  They added a run in the 5th, two in the 6th, and two more in the 7th to earn the win.  Buchanan advances to take on Gladstone Friday morning at 11:30 in East Lansing.

Division 2 at Hope College
Vicksburg 10, East Grand Rapids 0 (5 Inn).

Division 1 at University of Michigan
Portage Northern 5, Taylor Kennedy 0