MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 6, Baltimore Orioles 2
Kansas City Royals 5, Chicago White Sox 0
Cincinnati Reds 7, Chicago Cubs 4
Tigers 6, Orioles 2 – Cabrera 2 HRs and Mize solid for Tigers in 6-2 win over O’s
Miguel Cabrera hit two solo home runs, Casey Mize pitched seven solid innings and the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-2. Those were career homers Nos. 496 and 497 for Cabrera. Mize held the Orioles scoreless until they pushed across an unearned run in the seventh. The rookie right-hander, the No. 1 overall draft pick three years ago, allowed four hits and struck out two. It was his first victory since June 26, though the Tigers had been limiting his innings since then. Orioles starter Alexander Wells allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings.
Royals 5, White Sox 0 – Hernandez 6 innings for Royals in 5-0 win over White Sox
Carlos Hernandez pitched six scoreless innings, Salvador Perez homered again and the Kansas City Royals beat the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox 5-0. Perez put the Royals ahead with his 25th homer, a two-run shot in the first inning off Carlos Rodon. Kansas City won three out of four games in the series that ended with a blistering matinee. It was 95 degrees at the start of the game with a heat index of 106. Hernandez allowed just four hits, with one walk and four strikeouts. Rodon gave up four runs on eight hits over four taxing innings.
Reds 7, Cubs 4 – Votto homers in record 6th game in row as Reds beat Cubs 7-4
Joey Votto has set a Cincinnati Reds franchise record by homering in six consecutive games. Votto went deep again as Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs 7-4. The 37-year-old Votto homered six times in the four-game series at Wrigley Field, and has eight home runs over his record stretch. Votto’s 20th homer of the season was a two-run shot in the first, when he hit a fastball from Alec Mills into the center field bleachers. Patrick Wisdom and Wilson Contreras homered for the three Cubs runs off winner Luis Castillo, who had only given up three runs total in his previous four starts.
Today
Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals, 7:05 p.m.
Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers, 7:10 p.m. 94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 6:50
Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.
MLB – Yankees get Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, cash for 2 minor leaguers
The New York Yankees have acquired Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and cash for two minor leaguers in their second major trade this week for desperately needed left-handed bats. The swap came ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline Friday at 4 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Yankees announced they had gotten All-Star slugger Joey Gallo from Texas. Rizzo is batting .248 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. The 31-year-old Rizzo is a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner. He can become a free agent after this season. New York is fourth in the AL wild-card chase for two spots. The Yankees lost 14-0 at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
MLB – Cubs deal righty reliever Tepera to crosstown White Sox
Reliable reliever Ryan Tepera is heading from the North Side to the South Side. The struggling Chicago Cubs traded the 33-year-old right-hander to the AL Central-leading White Sox on Thursday for minor league lefty Bailey Horn, giving the Sox some bullpen help for the rest of the season and maybe the playoffs, too. It was the second trade of the day for the White Sox, who also acquired slugging second baseman Cesar Hernandez from the Cleveland Indians. Tepera is 0-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings this season and has allowed just one home run over his last 36 appearances.
MLB – White flag: Indians trade 2B Hernandez to 1st-place Sox
Cleveland traded second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the first-place White Sox in return for minor league pitcher Konnor Pilkington. The White Sox have been in the market for a second baseman since starter Nick Madrigal suffered a season-ending hamstring tear on June 10. In Hernandez, Chicago is getting a Gold Glove defender who can bat leadoff and drive in runs. The 31-year-old is hitting .231 in his second season with the Indians with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 96 games.
NBA Draft – Detroit Pistons grab Cade Cunningham at No. 1 in NBA draftThe Detroit Pistons did what they were expected to do and took Oklahoma State guard Cale Cunningham with the first pick of the NBA draft. Detroit won the lottery last month after finishing 20-52 in a season that saw them trade Derrick Rose and buy out Blake Griffin’s contract. Cunningham was the Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American as a freshman. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while leading the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament berth in four years.
NBA Draft – Bulls select Illinois’ Dosunmu with 38th pick in draft
The Chicago Bulls have drafted Illinois star guard Ayo Dosunmu with the No. 38 pick, adding an aggressive backcourt scorer who helped the Illini emerge as one of the nation’s best teams. A Chicago product, Dosunmu 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists and helped lead Illinois to the Big Ten Tournament championship. The Bulls finished 11th in the Eastern Conference at 31-41, two games behind Charlotte for the final play-in spot and out of the postseason for the fourth straight year.
NBA Draft – Pacers add depth by taking Oregon’s Chris Duarte at No. 13
The Indiana Pacers selected Oregon guard Chris Duarte with the 13th pick in the NBA draft. The Pacers then made a trade with Washington to acquire the rights to former Kentucky center Isaiah Jackson after he was selected at No. 22. Both are expected to help off the bench. At age 24, Duarte was the oldest player in the draft at 24. He he averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals in his second and final season with the Ducks. The 6-foot-10 Jackson was one of the nation’s top shot-blockers last season with Kentucky.
NBA Draft – Magic select Jalen Suggs at No. 5, Michigan’s Franz Wagner at No. 8
When the Orlando Magic’s hopes of moving up in the NBA draft never materialized, they instead used their picks to select former Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs fifth and German forward Franz Wagner eighth. Owners of two top-eight picks for the first time in franchise history, the Magic had hopes of packaging those selections and moving into the draft’s top four. However, when they failed to find a trade to their liking, the Magic stood pat and chose Suggs and Wagner. Suggs, the USWBA National Freshman of the Year, famously banked in a winning, half-court shot in the NCAA Final Four semifinal game against UCLA. Wagner, who averaged 12.5 points in his one season at Michigan, could join brother Moritz Wagner in Orlando.
NBA Draft – NBA honors Terrence Clarke, draft prospect who died in April
Terrence Clarke, the former Kentucky guard who died in a car accident while preparing for the NBA draft, was recognized Thursday in a ceremony midway through the first round. NBA commissioner Adam Silver introduced Clarke’s mother, brother and sister. Silver embraced each of Clarke’s family members as the crowd chanted “Terrence, Terrence, Terrence!” Clarke had declared for the NBA draft after playing one season at Kentucky. He died April 22 at the age of 19 following a car accident in Los Angeles.
NBA – Lakers acquiring All-Star Westbrook from Wizards
The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards for three players and this year’s first-round draft pick. According to two people with knowledge of the deal, the Lakers are trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to Washington for Westbrook. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be officially announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official and teams can also begin making moves for the upcoming season. The Lakers will also receive second-round picks from the Wizards in 2024 and ’28.
NFL – NFLPA President criticizes league on vaccine wristbands
Browns center and NFLPA President JC Tretter feels the NFL is trying to shame players by urging teams to require vaccinated and unvaccinated players to wear different colored wristbands. He called the idea “nonsensical.” Tretter took office last year as the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages. He’s thankful the Browns didn’t adopt the wristband policy and he blasted the league for some other measures. Tretter said it’s easy to identify who isn’t vaccinated because those choosing not to get the shots are required to wear masks and follow other protocols. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he didn’t want to divide his team with the wristbands.
NCAAFB – SEC invites Oklahoma and Texas to join conference — in 2025
Southeastern Conference university presidents voted to invite Texas and Oklahoma to join the league and create a 16-team powerhouse on the field and at the bank. The latest step in a move that has potential to help reshape college sports came two days after Texas and Oklahoma requested to join the SEC in 2025. That’s when the schools’ media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires. SEC leaders voted unanimously to extend an invitation, effective July 1, 2025. Now the process goes back to the schools. Texas and Oklahoma both have board of regents meetings schedule for Friday with conference affiliation on the agenda.
CONCACAF – Gyasi Zardes lifts US over Qatar 1-0, into Gold Cup final
Gyasi Zardes scored in the 86th minute and the United States beat Qatar 1-0 to reach the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Zardes, one of the few first-line U.S. players on a mostly junior varsity roster at the tournament, replaced Daryl Dike in the 63rd minute and combined with two other second-half subs, Nicholas Gioacchini and Eryk Williamson. Gioacchini picked up a Qatari attempt clearance and fed Williamson, who returned the ball. Gioacchini passed to Zardes, and he scored his 14th goal, his second of the tournament.
MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Great Lakes Loons 2
Lansing Lugnuts 6, Fort Wayne Tin Caps 3
Quad Cities River Bandits 11, South Bend Cubs 3
Tonight
West Michigan Whitecaps at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Fort Wayne Tin Caps at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Quad Cities River Bandits, 7:30 p.m.
Tokyo 2020 – Summer Olympic Games – Games of the XXXII Olympiad
Volleyball – US women’s volleyball reaches quarterfinals
The U.S. women’s volleyball team won its third straight match at the Olympics and is assured of a spot in the quarterfinals. The Americans beat Turkey 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 15-12 in their third pool play match to join Italy at 3-0 in Pool B. The United States is seeking its first gold medal in the sport and is off to a good start in Tokyo with wins over Argentina, defending champion China and Turkey. Italy, Serbia and Brazil have also clinched spots in the quarters with the other four spots still to be determined.
Gymnastics – American gymnast Suni Lee takes Olympic gold
Suni Lee is an Olympic champion. The 18-year-old gymnast from Minnesota edged Rebeca Andrade of Brazil for gold in the women’s Olympic all-around final. Lee’s total of 57.433 points was just enough to slip by Andrade. The Brazilian became the first gymnast from Latin America to win a medal in the all-around. Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova took bronze. Defending Olympic champion Simone Biles watched from the stands after opting out of the competition to focus on her mental health.
Track and Field – ‘Wow! Wow!’ Women get Olympic track off to a sizzling start
Usain Bolt might be long gone from the sprint scene. It doesn’t mean Jamaica has slowed down one bit. Nobody on the women’s side of the sport anyway. An opening day at the Olympics that’s supposed to produce little more than a brisk jog for the world’s best at 100 meters turned into something very different. Reigning world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica ran her heat in the nearly empty Olympic Stadium in 10.84 seconds. Defending Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah finished in 10.82. And Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast kept saying “Wow! Wow!” after she crossed the finish line in a blistering personal best of 10.78.
