MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 7, Texas Rangers 5
St. Louis Cardinals 3, Chicago Cubs 2
White Sox were off
Tigers 7, Rangers 5 – Haase, Tigers win 7th straight, finish sweep of Rangers
Eric Haase hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Detroit Tigers extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games by topping the slumping Texas Rangers 7-5. Zack Short and Victor Reyes also homered for the Tigers, who completed a four-game sweep. Texas has lost nine straight, equaling its longest slide this season. David Dahl and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each drove in two runs for the Rangers. Kyle Funkhouser, the fourth Tigers pitcher, gave up one run in two innings to get the win. Gregory Soto got the last three outs for his 11th save and third in as many days.
Cardinals 3, Cubs 2 – Kim earns 5th straight win on birthday, Cards beat Cubs 3-2
Kwang Hyun-Kim earned his fifth straight win on his 34th birthday and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2. Nolan Arenado and Dylan Carlson homered as the Cardinals moved a game over .500 at 49-48. Kim allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in six innings. Alex Reyes pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 23rd save after suffering his first career blown save on Tuesday night. Cubs starter Adbert Alzolay allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight in six innings. He is winless in his last seven starts.
Today
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals, 8:10 p.m. 94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 7:50
Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee Brewers, 8:10 p.m.
MLB – No quit: Yermín Mercedes rejoins White Sox Triple-A team
One day after announcing he was stepping away from baseball, Yermín Mercedes was back with the Chicago White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. The White Sox confirmed Mercedes was in uniform Thursday for the Charlotte Knights’ game against the Durham Bulls. Mercedes also apologized in an Instagram post, writing, “I love everybody. I’m back.” On Wednesday night, Mercedes posted on Instagram that he was walking away from baseball, saying, “It’s over.” The 28-year-old rookie carried the White Sox with his booming bat early in the season but got sent to the minors following a prolonged slump.
NFL – NFL threatens forfeits for COVID outbreaks
The NFL has informed teams they could potentially forfeit a game because of a COVID-19 outbreak among nonvaccinated players, and players on both teams wouldn’t get paid that week. The memo was sent to the teams by Commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press. The memo adds that the league doesn’t anticipate adding a 19th week to accommodate games that can’t be rescheduled within the 18-week regular season. However, forfeits are among the consequences. The league says more than half its teams have COVID-19 vaccination rates greater than 80% of their players, and more than 75% of players are in the process of being vaccinated.
NFL – Jets’ Knapp dies after being struck by car while biking
New York Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp died of injuries suffered in an accident when he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle near his home in California. Knapp’s family released a statement through the team that the longtime NFL assistant coach died Thursday afternoon. The family said in the statement that Knapp never regained consciousness after being struck in the city of San Ramon in the San Francisco Bay Area and never regained consciousness. Knapp was hired by the Jets in January as part of new coach Robert Saleh’s staff, serving as the passing game specialist. Among Knapp’s primary roles was to help develop quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall draft pick.
NBA – Milwaukee Bucks’ fans celebrate NBA championship with parade
Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession Thursday that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars occasionally hoisting the trophy. They won the championship with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix Tuesday night, when police estimate 100,000 people jammed the Deer District, outside Fiserv Forum.
NHL – Red Wings acquire Nedeljkovic from Carolina for Bernier and 3rd round pick
NHL teams wasted little time making moves once the roster freeze for the Seattle expansion draft was lifted. Carolina traded goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to Detroit for a third-round pick and the rights to pending free agent Jonathan Bernier.
NHL – Blackhawks GM Bowman pledges to cooperate with investigation
Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has pledged to cooperate with an investigation into allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted two players in 2010. The Blackhawks are facing two lawsuits, as well as the investigation being run by a formal federal prosecutor. The former assistant left the Blackhawks for a college job and then wound up in Michigan coaching youth hockey at one point. Bowman says the team does not condone sexual misconduct.
NHL – NHL teams get 2021-22 schedules with, without Olympic break
The NHL has sent teams two versions of the schedule for the 2021-22 season. One includes an Olympic break to pause the season so NHL players can go to Beijing. The other is what the season would look like if the league, players and international officials cannot reach an Olympic agreement. The schedule released publicly Thursday includes the Olympic break in the hope that a deal gets worked out. NHL players going to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 would extend the playoffs into late June. Either way, it’s back to normal with an 82-game regular season and 16-team playoff for the Stanley Cup.
NCAAFB – Big Ten – Harbaugh, Frost resolute about resurrecting programs
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Nebraska coach Scott Frost appear to be at a similar crossroads. Both have been humbled in recent years. Both need to win now, quite possibly, to save their jobs. Since returning to his alma mater in 2015, Harbaugh has gone just 49-22 and failed to provide the Wolverines with their first conference title since 2004. He is 0-5 against rival Ohio State and 1-4 in bowl games. Frost is just 12-20 overall, including 9-17 in the Big Ten, as he enters a fourth season at his alma mater.
NCAAFB – College coaches working to learn NIL impact on recruiting
College coaches are trying to get a handle on the recruiting impact of athletes’ ability to profit off their fame. Athletes have been cleared to make money off the use of their name, image and likeness as of this month. Those deals are now becoming part of the recruiting pitches for schools alongside traditional selling points like facilities and TV exposure. Some coaches are still trying to understand the impact of the rules and unsure exactly how it will change their recruiting efforts. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald says “nobody knows what they’re doing” of coaches early in the NIL era.
NCAAFB – AP source: Big 12 leaders discuss how to keep Texas and OU
Big 12 leaders held a call without Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday to discuss how to keep the league’s flagship schools from bolting to the Southeastern Conference — and contingency plans to survive without them. The Big 12 put out a statement that revealed few details, but made clear the eight members in danger of being left behind want the Longhorns and Sooners to stay put. And that leaving could be costly for Texas and Oklahoma. The person familiar with the call said Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and school officials discussed possible options for persuading Texas and Oklahoma to remain in the Big 12 and potential ways to keep the conference going if they leave.
MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
Lansing Lugnuts 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
South Bend Cubs 6, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4
Great Lakes Loons 8, Lake County Captains 5
Tonight
Lansing Lugnuts at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Lake County Captains, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 8:05 p.m.
Tokyo 2020 – Summer Olympic Games – Games of the XXXII Olympiad
Women’s Soccer – US women’s soccer regroups after stunning loss to Sweden
While it certainly wasn’t the Olympic start the U.S. women’s soccer team had anticipated, a rare loss didn’t skewer the squad’s hopes for gold. The United States fell to Sweden 3-0 in the team’s opener in Tokyo to snap a 44-match unbeaten streak. It was a surprising result for the favorites in the field. There’s still a good chance that the Americans make it to the knockout round. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the United States fell 2-0 to Norway in the first match, then went on to win the gold medal.
Sounds of the Games: NBC doesn’t plan on adding crowd noise
One of Molly Solomon’s favorite memories from the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics was watching Lindsey Vonn before she skied. Cameras in the start house would focus on her, with microphones picking up her breathing while she listened to final instructions. With no spectators in the stands during the Tokyo Games, Solomon is hoping to pick up on more of those moments. The NBC Olympics executive producer says the network will not add additional crowd noise to its coverage. The hope is that fans will be able to hear the Games as they haven’t been able to before, whether it is the action in the pool during swimming or conversations between competitors and coaches during gymnastics. Says Solomon: "You’ll hear it as the athletes hear it.”
Men’s Beach Volleyball – Crabb out (COVID-19), Bourne in for US beach volleyball team
American beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb is out of the Olympics after four positive COVID-19 tests. Tri Bourne will take his place as the partner of four-time Olympian Jake Gibb when the competition begins at Tokyo’s Shiokaze Park this weekend. Crabb confirmed his withdrawal in a statement to The Associated Press in which he noted that he was vaccinated before testing positive upon arrival in Japan. He said he was cautious and followed all protocols but still tested positive. Bourne attempted to make it to Tokyo with Trevor Crabb, Taylor’s brother, but finished third in a race for two spots.
Women’s Gymnastics – US Alternate tests positive, another in isolation
U.S. gymnast Kara Eaker is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, while teammate Leanne Wong is in quarantine. Both are alternates for the U.S. team. The U.S. delegation of Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner worked out on each event during podium training on Thursday. They’re staying in a hotel near the venue rather than the Olympic village, a decision made before they arrived.
Russian Olympic archer loses consciousness in Tokyo heat
Russian officials say archer Svetlana Gomboeva lost consciousness during a competition at the Tokyo Olympics in intense heat. Coach Stanislav Popov says in comments via the Russian Olympic Committee that Gomboeva collapsed shortly after completing the qualifying round. Temperatures in Tokyo were above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Gomboeva’s teammate Ksenia Perova says Gomboeva returned to the Olympic village with her teammates after being treated.
