Weekday Morning Sports – Wednesday 7/29/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Wednesday, July 29, 2015

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Tampa Bay Rays 10, Detroit Tigers 2
Chicago White Sox 9, Boston Red Sox 4
Colorado Rockies 7, Chicago Cubs 2

Rays 10, Tigers 2 – Casali homers twice again, Rays trounce Price, Tigers
Rookie Curt Casali had three hits and homered twice for the second straight game, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to 10-2 victory over the slumping Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night. Casali hit a two-run homer off All-Star David Price (9-4) in the fourth inning and added a solo shot off the former Rays ace for a 5-1 lead in the sixth. He struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth, finishing 3 for 4 with three RBIs on consecutive nights. Jake Odorizzi (6-6) allowed one run and six hits over six innings to improve to 2-1 since returning from a five-week stint on the disabled list. Yoenis Cespedes homered for the second straight night for the Tigers, who’ve lost four of five to start a 10-game game road trip.

White Sox 9, Red Sox 4 – White Sox beat Red Sox 9-4
Jose Abreu and Geovany Soto homered and drove in three runs apiece and Jeff Samardzija pitched eight strong innings for the Chicago White Sox in a 9-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. The White Sox quickly spoiled Boston’s pregame party for Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez by scoring five runs in the first inning. Chicago tagged Boston starter Wade Miley for 10 hits and seven runs, all earned, over 5 2-3 innings, and finished with 14 hits. The last batter Miley (8-9) faced was Abreu, who hit a shot deep to right-center field and sent Mookie Betts tumbling into Boston’s bullpen. Betts grabbed the ball on the run and managed to hold on while twisting his body and hitting the wall with his lower back, but dropped it when he landed. Initially called the third out, umpires reviewed the play for nearly three minutes before overturning the call and allowing Abreu to round the bases for his 16th homer.

Rockies 7, Cubs 2 – LeMahieu helps Rockies win 1st game after Tulowitzki trade
D.J. LeMahieu had three hits and scored twice to help the Colorado Rockies get a win in their first game after trading Troy Tulowitzki, beating the Chicago Cubs 7-2 on Tuesday night. LeMahieu extended his hitting streak to 18 games with an RBI double as part of a four-run first, tripled in the fifth and singled in the ninth to help Colorado won for the third time in five games. Daniel Descalso, who started at shortstop in this game, made a leaping grab of a line drive by Kris Bryant to end the seventh inning and strand two runners. Nolan Arenado had a two-run double and Nick Hundley added a run-scoring groundout in the first against Dallas Beeler (0-1).

Tonight
Detroit (Verlander 0-3) at Tampa Bay (Archer 9-7), 12:10 p.m.             WSJM-AM/WCSY-FM 6:45
Colorado (E.Butler 3-6) at Chicago Cubs (Lester 5-8), 2:20 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Quintana 5-9) at Boston (Porcello 5-10), 7:10 p.m.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Phoenix Mercury 89, Chicago Sky 87 – OT
Indiana Fever 75, Connecticut Sun 73

Mercury 89, Sky 87 – OT – Bonner scores 8 of her 34 in OT as Mercury beat Sky 89-87
DeWanna Bonner scored eight of her season-high 34 points in overtime as the defending champion Phoenix Mercury rallied to beat the Chicago Sky 89-87 on Tuesday night. Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne missed a jumper with 13 seconds remaining in OT and grabbed her own rebound. Brittney Griner blocked her putback attempt.

Fever 75, Sun 73 – Catchings hits game-winner, becomes 2nd all-time scorer
Tamika Catchings hit a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 6 seconds left in overtime as the Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 75-73 on Tuesday night. Jasmine Thomas’ last second heave from half court did not hit the rim. Shavonte Zellous scored a season-high 19 points for Indiana. Kelsey Bone led Connecticut with 14 points.

NFL – Roger Goodell upholds Tom Brady’s 4-game suspension
Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for his role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC championship game last season has been upheld by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The league announced the decision Tuesday. The New England Patriots’ star quarterback was suspended by NFL executive Troy Vincent in May following a league-sanctioned investigation by Ted Wells. The Patriots were fined $1 million and docked a pair of draft picks. The team didn’t appeal its penalty, but Brady and his lawyers made their case during a 10-hour appeal hearing on June 23. The NFL Players Association has previously said it would challenge the decision in court if Brady’s suspension wasn’t erased. Brady and the Patriots have denied knowingly using deflated footballs in the AFC title game win over Indianapolis. The Patriots went on to beat Seattle in the Super Bowl and Brady was the MVP.   The NFL Players Association said in a statement that it would appeal in court. However, the league has made the initial legal maneuver by filing action in U.S. District Court in New York against the union, saying the NFL commissioner has the right under the labor agreement to hand out such discipline.

NFL – Patriots fans defiant after ‘Deflategate’ ruling
Patriots Nation is furious after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Tom Brady’s four-game suspension. In bars across downtown Boston, fans said Tuesday they were surprised and angered by the ruling but were still holding out hope Brady would be vindicated. Many are confident the suspension will be reduced before the new season kicks off in September if the players’ union takes the fight to court, as expected. Others boast it won’t make a difference: With or without their beloved quarterback, the defending Super Bowl champs will find a way to win. Still others say they’re tired of the non-stop “Deflategate” coverage and want to move on. Brady was suspended for his role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC championship game win over the Indianapolis Colts.

NFL – Lions sign free agent CB R.J. Stanford
Free agent cornerback R.J. Stanford has signed with the Detroit Lions. The Lions announced the move Tuesday. The 27-year-old Stanford has spent the past three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He played in five games for the Dolphins last season, making one start. Stanford was drafted in the seventh round by Carolina in 2010. He played for the Panthers in 2011.

NFL – Packers president: Naming rights off limits for Lambeau
The president of the Green Bay Packers says the team won’t sell the naming rights to Lambeau Field under his watch. Mark Murphy says it doesn’t make sense to put a corporate tag to the name of the historic stadium. Murphy made his remarks during the franchise’s annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday at Lambeau.

NCAA Football – Michigan ending legends program, retiring jersey numbers
Michigan will retire six jersey numbers in a ceremony at the Ohio State game Nov. 28, ending the school’s “legends program” in which players were given the same numbers as some of the team’s all-time greats. Michigan says it will retire Gerald Ford’s No. 48, Tom Harmon’s No. 98, Desmond Howard’s No. 21, Ron Kramer’s No. 87, Bennie Oosterbaan’s No. 47 and the Wistert brothers’ No. 1. Howard’s was the only jersey of the six that was not retired at Michigan before the start of the legends program. Coach Jim Harbaugh also said Tuesday that a plan was put in place that would enable wide receiver Dennis Norfleet to “achieve his goals academically and athletically” at Michigan. But Norfleet can talk to other schools if he wants.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Lansing 5, Lake County 3
Great Lakes 4, South Bend 1
Bowling Green 2, West Michigan 0

Tonight
Lansing at Lake County, 1 p.m.
South Bend at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan at Bowling Green, 8:05 p.m.