Tigers break 8 game losing streak with split of DH in Cleveland – WSJM Morning Sports

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Cleveland Guardians 4, Detroit Tigers 1 – Game 1
Detroit Tigers 7, Cleveland Guardians 5 – Game 2
Washington Nationals 5, Chicago Cubs 4
Chicago White Sox 4, Houston Astros 2

Guardians 4, Tigers 1/Tigers 7, Guardians 5 – Schoop, Carpenter homer, Tigers split DH with Guardians
Jonathan Schoop and rookie Kerry Carpenter hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning, and the Detroit Tigers rallied for a 7-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of a doubleheader. Detroit snapped an eight-game skid. In the opener, All-Star Andrés Giménez belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning to give AL Central-leading Cleveland a 4-1 win. Giménez added a two-run homer in the nightcap, finishing with four hits and five RBIs on the day. Schoop gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead in the second game when he launched a changeup from Eli Morgan over the wall in left field.

Nationals 5, Cubs 4 – Cruz’s eighth-inning homer lifts Nationals over Cubs 5-4
Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning to lift the Washington Nationals to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Cruz, who had hit a two-run double in the fifth, smacked a 1-1 pitch from Brandon Hughes (1-1) to center to snap a 4-all tie with one out in the eighth. Carl Edwards Jr. (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his fifth save. Ian Happ hit two solo homers for the Cubs, giving him three in his past three games.

White Sox 4, Astros 2 – Moncada, Cueto lead White Sox past Astros 4-2
Yoán Moncada hit a tiebreaking two-run single in Chicago’s four-run eighth inning, and the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 4-2 for their fourth straight win. Chicago’s winning rally started after José Urquidy retired the first two batters. Urquidy was pulled after AJ Pollock’s infield hit, and the White Sox jumped all over Rafael Montero. Andrew Vaughn doubled before Eloy Jiménez bounced a tying two-run double down the third-base line. Walks to José Abreu and Yasmani Grandal loaded the bases for Moncada, who made it 4-2 with a liner into center.

Tonight
Chicago Cubs (Steele 4-7) at Washington (Corbin 4-16), 7:05 p.m.
Detroit (Hill 2-3) at Cleveland (Plesac 2-10), 7:10 p.m.              WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Houston (Verlander 15-3) at Chicago White Sox (Cease 12-5), 8:10 p.m.

MLB – Rangers fire manager Chris Woodward short of his 500th game
The Texas Rangers have fired manager Chris Woodward with the team on pace for its sixth consecutive losing season. Woodward has managed the team for almost four seasons. The move came with Woodward two games short of his 500th game with the Rangers. He finished with a 211-287 record in his first managerial job. Woodward was under contract through next season, and the team held an option for 2024. Third base coach Tony Beasley was named the team’s interim manager. Texas is 52-63 after beating Oakland 2-1 on Monday night.

MLB – World Series to start on a Friday, could see latest end ever
The World Series is scheduled to start on a Friday for the first time since 1915 and could end on Nov. 5, its latest ever. That’s because of the lockout that delayed opening day. Major League Baseball said Monday its expanded postseason will begin with all four games in the new wild-card series on Oct. 7. The other games are Oct. 8 and 9, if necessary. Each best-of-five Division Series starts Oct. 11. The best-of-seven Championship Series starts Oct. 18 in the NL and Oct. 19 in the AL. The World Series begins Oct. 28, matching its latest start, in 2009. The latest a Series game has been played is Nov. 4, in 2001 and again in 2009.

NCAAFB – No. 1 Alabama tops preseason AP Top 25; Ohio St, ‘Dawgs next
Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the second straight season. That is also the ninth time overall, second most in poll history. The Crimson Tide received 54 of 63 first-place votes. Ohio State is No. 2 with six first-place votes. Defending national champion Georgia is third with three first-place votes. Clemson is No. 4 and Notre Dame rounds out the top five. The Tide’s preseason No. 1 ranking is the seventh in 15 years. Since the preseason rankings started in 1950, only Oklahoma has been No. 1 in the initial poll more than Alabama.

NCAAFB – CFP championship games to return to Atlanta, South Florida
Atlanta and South Florida have been selected to host College Football Playoff national championship games for the second time. The CFP announced that Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, would be the site of the title game scheduled to be played in January 2026, the final game of the current 12-year media rights deal with ESPN. Miami Gardens hosted the 2021 game, following the 2020 pandemic-altered season. Attendance was limited to about 15,000 fans. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that Atlanta would host the championship game in 2025. Mercedes-Benz was the site of the 2018 title game.

NCAAFB – Big Ten Preview – Michigan
Jim Harbaugh’s eighth team is his first at Michigan that is coming off a win over Ohio State. The Wolverines’ new challenge is to beat the Buckeyes on the road for the first time since 2000. The Wolverines went 12-2 last year, finishing No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll. They won the Big Ten title and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time. The Wolverines are ranked eighth in the preseason AP Top 25. They open at home Sept. 3 against Colorado State.

NCAAFB – Big Ten Preview – Michigan State
Michigan State is openly talking about winning a national championship. The Spartans lost three starters on defense and six starters on offense, including award-winning running back Kenneth Walker III. Quarterback Payton Thorne and do-it-all Jayden Reed return to give the team a potent passing game that could open up the running game. The Spartans open at home Sept. 2 against Western Michigan.

NFL – Lions’ Funchess making adjustment to tight end position
Devin Funchess, hoping to play in the NFL for the first time since 2019, made the most of his opportunities in the Detroit Lions’ preseason opener. The former Michigan star had 21 touchdown receptions for the Carolina Panthers over the first four years of his career before it was slowed by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons, Funchess played in just 21 snaps on offense, but he capitalized on the playing time by catching four passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. He converted a key third-and-8 by breaking a tackle on his way to a 9-yard gain. Two plays later, he had a highlight-reel hurdle of Atlanta Falcons defensive back Tre Webb on his way to another first down.

WNBA – WNBA’s Brittney Griner appeals her Russian prison sentence
Russian news agencies reported that lawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal of her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession. The appeal comes as the U.S. and Russia are holding talks that could lead to a high-profile prisoner swap. Griner is an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but said she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent..

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games last night

Tonight
Lake County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
Beloit Sky Carp at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Tennis
Portage Central 6, Lakeshore 2

Girls Golf
Lakeshore 200, Edwardsburg 229