MLB  – Major League Baseball
Last Night

  Boston Red Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 2

  Toronto Blue Jays 9, Chicago White Sox 5

Chicago Cubs 14, Pittsburgh Pirates 5

Red Sox 6, Tigers 2 – Refsnyder hits 2-run homer as  Red Sox sweep Tigers, 6-2

  Rob  Refsnyder hit a two-run homer in the third inning and the Boston Red Sox posted  their third series sweep of the season, powering past the Detroit Tigers 6-2.  Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo each added a two-run double as Boston won for the  eighth time in 10 games. Michael Wacha pitched six innings, allowing two runs  and five hits. He struck out seven to help the Red Sox improve to a season-high  eight games above .500. Javier Báez hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who  have lost 9 of 11. Tarik Skubal went 4 2/3 innings and allowed 6 runs on 6  hits. He’s lost his last 3 starts.

Blue Jays 9, White Sox 5 – Bichette slam, Kirk HR as  Blue Jays beat Chisox, avoid sweep

  Bo  Bichette hit a grand slam and Alejandro Kirk homered for the second straight  game, leading Ross Stripling and the Toronto Blue Jays over the injury-riddled  Chicago White Sox 9-5. Bichette’s second career slam capped a five-run fourth  inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game series sweep. Kirk hit an RBI  single in the first and a homer to center in the third. He tops All-Star fan  voting for AL catchers and leads all qualified catchers in batting average  (.307) and OPS (.857).

Cubs 14, Pirates 5 – Rivas slam, Happ and Wisdom  homer, Cubs rout Pirates 14-5 

  Ian  Happ and Patrick Wisdom hit two-run homers early and Alfonso Rivas added a  grand slam off a position player late as the Chicago Cubs routed the Pittsburgh  Pirates 14-5. Held to a total of two runs in the first two games of the series,  Chicago broke out for seven runs in the second inning. The Cubs loaded the  bases and Jared Eickhoff then hit Rivas with a pitch. Rafael Ortega doubled to  score two and Patrick Wisdom singled home two more. Happ sent a first-pitch  fastball to the shrubbery atop the center field wall. The Pittsburgh native  continued his torrid June and is now hitting .380 with eight RBIs and three  home runs this month.

Tonight

  Chicago  Cubs (Steele 2-5) at Pittsburgh (Quintana 1-4), 12:35 p.m.

  Baltimore  (Kremer 1-1) at Chicago White Sox (Cueto 1-3), 8:10 p.m.

  Tigers  are off

NHL  – National Hockey League – 2022 Stanley Cup Finals
Last Night

  Colorado Avalanche 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – OT            (COL  Leads 3-1)

Avalanche  3, Lightning 2 – OT – Kadri scores in OT in return, Avs move to brink of title

  Nazem  Kadri scored at 12:02 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat Tampa Bay 3-2  Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to move within a victory of  dethroning the two-time defending champion Lightning. Playing for the first  time since June 4 due to a thumb injury, Kadri skated in on Andrei Vasilevskiy  and slipped a shot under the goaltender’s right arm to give Colorado a 3-1  series lead. The Avalanche outshot the Lightning 11-3 in the extra period.  Vasilevskiy stopped Logan O’Connor on a breakaway, and Colorado had a shot  clang off the post and another hit the crossbar before Kadri ended it. Game 5  is Friday night in Denver.

NHL  – Blackhawks’ Hunter becomes 4th woman named NHL assistant GM

  The  Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Meghan Hunter to assistant general manger  among several front office moves. She is the fourth woman to be named an  assistant GM in NHL history. Hunter joins Vancouver’s Cammi Granato and Emilie  Castonguay as the women currently serving in that role with a club. She will be  in charge of contracts, budgeting and other departments as AGM of hockey  operations. Mark Eaton will remain AGM of development under Brandon Davidson.  Karilyn Pilch was also promoted to director of player personnel.

NHL  – Two more NHL teams name head coaches

  There  were two NHL clubs that named their new head coaches on Wednesday, the Florida  Panthers have names former Winnipeg and Carolina Head Coach Paul Maurice.  The Dallas Stars have named former Vegas  Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer as their new coach. 


WNBA  – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight

  Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings, 8:00 p.m.

  Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 p.m.

WNBA  – Brittney Griner chosen as honorary WNBA All-Star starter

  Brittney  Griner will have a place at the WNBA All-Star Game. League commissioner Cathy  Engelbert announced the Mercury center will be an honorary starter. Breanna  Stewart and A’ja Wilson were selected as co-captains, having received the most  votes from fans. They will be joined this year by Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles,  who both have announced they will retire at the end of the season. It’s Bird’s  13th All-Star appearance, which is a WNBA record. Stewart and Fowles will be  paired up, as will Wilson and Bird to choose their teams. Other starters  include Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones, Los Angeles’s Nneka Ogwumike, Chicago’s  Candace Parker, New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas teammates Kelsey Plum  and Jackie Young.

NBA  – AP source: Jerami Grant to be traded to Portland by Detroit

  A  person with knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Pistons have agreed to  trade Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers, with  the biggest part of the return being a first-round pick in the 2025 draft.  Detroit gets the No. 36 pick in the draft Thursday and what would have been  Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2025, according to the person who spoke to The  Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced  the agreement publicly.

NFL  – Tony Siragusa, who helped Ravens win Super Bowl, dies at 55

  Tony  Siragusa, the charismatic defensive tackle who helped lead a stout Baltimore  defense to a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday. He was 55. Siragusa’s broadcast  agent, Jim Ornstein, confirmed the death Wednesday. The cause of death was not  immediately available. The man known as “the Goose" played seven seasons  with the Indianapolis Colts and five with the Ravens. Baltimore’s 2000 team won  the Super Bowl behind a defense that included Siragusa, Ray Lewis and Sam  Adams. Siragusa was popular with fans because of his fun-loving personality,  which also helped him transition to broadcasting after his playing career.

Golf  – PGA/LIV – PGA Tour in ‘arms race’ of dollars and leaning on loyalty

  Commissioner  Jay Monahan says the PGA Tour is in an arms race it can’t win with LIV Golf  when the weapon is Saudi-funded money. His response is to boost prize money in  eight elite events and rely on his players’ loyalty and sense of purpose. The  new schedule has at least an extra $50 million in prize money. Monahan offers a  streamlined schedule for top players that goes from January to August. Also  planned are three international events during the fall for only the top  performers. He spoke just as LIV Golf officially announced Brooks Koepka was  the latest to sign.

Golf  – The Open – British Open allows golfers from Saudi-backed series to play

  Players  who have joined the new Saudi Arabia-funded league will still be allowed to  compete at the British Open next month. The U.S. Open had allowed players who  were banned by the PGA Tour for signing up to the LIV Golf series to play at  last week’s tournament. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says, “Players  who are exempt or have earned a place through qualifying for the 150th Open in  accordance with the entry terms and conditions will be able to compete in the  Championship at St. Andrews. The world’s oldest major championship begins July  14.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday

  South Bend 1, Peoria 0

  Beloit 1, Lansing 0

  Great Lakes 4, Fort  Wayne 2

Cedar Rapids 4, West  Michigan 2

Tonight

  Beloit Sky Carp at  Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.

  Peoria Chiefs at South  Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

  Great Lakes Loons at  Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.

West Michigan  Whitecaps at Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7:35 p.m.

MLB – Major League Baseball 
 Last Night 
 Boston Red Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 2 
 Toronto Blue Jays 9, Chicago White Sox 5 
Chicago Cubs 14, Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Red Sox 6, Tigers 2 – Refsnyder hits 2-run homer as Red Sox sweep Tigers, 6-2 
 Rob Refsnyder hit a two-run homer in the third inning and the Boston Red Sox posted their third series sweep of the season, powering past the Detroit Tigers 6-2. Jarren Duran and Alex Verdugo each added a two-run double as Boston won for the eighth time in 10 games. Michael Wacha pitched six innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He struck out seven to help the Red Sox improve to a season-high eight games above .500. Javier Báez hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who have lost 9 of 11. Tarik Skubal went 4 2/3 innings and allowed 6 runs on 6 hits. He&rsquo;s lost his last 3 starts.
Blue Jays 9, White Sox 5 – Bichette slam, Kirk HR as Blue Jays beat Chisox, avoid sweep 
 Bo Bichette hit a grand slam and Alejandro Kirk homered for the second straight game, leading Ross Stripling and the Toronto Blue Jays over the injury-riddled Chicago White Sox 9-5. Bichette&rsquo;s second career slam capped a five-run fourth inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game series sweep. Kirk hit an RBI single in the first and a homer to center in the third. He tops All-Star fan voting for AL catchers and leads all qualified catchers in batting average (.307) and OPS (.857).
Cubs 14, Pirates 5 – Rivas slam, Happ and Wisdom homer, Cubs rout Pirates 14-5 
 Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom hit two-run homers early and Alfonso Rivas added a grand slam off a position player late as the Chicago Cubs routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-5. Held to a total of two runs in the first two games of the series, Chicago broke out for seven runs in the second inning. The Cubs loaded the bases and Jared Eickhoff then hit Rivas with a pitch. Rafael Ortega doubled to score two and Patrick Wisdom singled home two more. Happ sent a first-pitch fastball to the shrubbery atop the center field wall. The Pittsburgh native continued his torrid June and is now hitting .380 with eight RBIs and three home runs this month.
Tonight 
 Chicago Cubs (Steele 2-5) at Pittsburgh (Quintana 1-4), 12:35 p.m. 
 Baltimore (Kremer 1-1) at Chicago White Sox (Cueto 1-3), 8:10 p.m. 
 Tigers are off
NHL – National Hockey League – 2022 Stanley Cup Finals 
 Last Night 
 Colorado Avalanche 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – OT           (COL Leads 3-1)
Avalanche 3, Lightning 2 – OT – Kadri scores in OT in return, Avs move to brink of title 
 Nazem Kadri scored at 12:02 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat Tampa Bay 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to move within a victory of dethroning the two-time defending champion Lightning. Playing for the first time since June 4 due to a thumb injury, Kadri skated in on Andrei Vasilevskiy and slipped a shot under the goaltender&rsquo;s right arm to give Colorado a 3-1 series lead. The Avalanche outshot the Lightning 11-3 in the extra period. Vasilevskiy stopped Logan O&rsquo;Connor on a breakaway, and Colorado had a shot clang off the post and another hit the crossbar before Kadri ended it. Game 5 is Friday night in Denver.
NHL – Blackhawks&#8217; Hunter becomes 4th woman named NHL assistant GM 
 The Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Meghan Hunter to assistant general manger among several front office moves. She is the fourth woman to be named an assistant GM in NHL history. Hunter joins Vancouver&#8217;s Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay as the women currently serving in that role with a club. She will be in charge of contracts, budgeting and other departments as AGM of hockey operations. Mark Eaton will remain AGM of development under Brandon Davidson. Karilyn Pilch was also promoted to director of player personnel.
NHL – Two more NHL teams name head coaches 
 There were two NHL clubs that named their new head coaches on Wednesday, the Florida Panthers have names former Winnipeg and Carolina Head Coach Paul Maurice.  The Dallas Stars have named former Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer as their new coach. 
 
 WNBA – Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Association 
 Tonight 
 Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings, 8:00 p.m. 
 Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 p.m.
WNBA – Brittney Griner chosen as honorary WNBA All-Star starter 
 Brittney Griner will have a place at the WNBA All-Star Game. League commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the Mercury center will be an honorary starter. Breanna Stewart and A&rsquo;ja Wilson were selected as co-captains, having received the most votes from fans. They will be joined this year by Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, who both have announced they will retire at the end of the season. It&rsquo;s Bird&rsquo;s 13th All-Star appearance, which is a WNBA record. Stewart and Fowles will be paired up, as will Wilson and Bird to choose their teams. Other starters include Connecticut&rsquo;s Jonquel Jones, Los Angeles&rsquo;s Nneka Ogwumike, Chicago&rsquo;s Candace Parker, New York&rsquo;s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
NBA – AP source: Jerami Grant to be traded to Portland by Detroit 
 A person with knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Pistons have agreed to trade Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers, with the biggest part of the return being a first-round pick in the 2025 draft. Detroit gets the No. 36 pick in the draft Thursday and what would have been Milwaukee&rsquo;s first-round pick in 2025, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the agreement publicly.
NFL – Tony Siragusa, who helped Ravens win Super Bowl, dies at 55 
 Tony Siragusa, the charismatic defensive tackle who helped lead a stout Baltimore defense to a Super Bowl title, died Wednesday. He was 55. Siragusa&rsquo;s broadcast agent, Jim Ornstein, confirmed the death Wednesday. The cause of death was not immediately available. The man known as &ldquo;the Goose&quot; played seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and five with the Ravens. Baltimore&rsquo;s 2000 team won the Super Bowl behind a defense that included Siragusa, Ray Lewis and Sam Adams. Siragusa was popular with fans because of his fun-loving personality, which also helped him transition to broadcasting after his playing career.
Golf – PGA/LIV – PGA Tour in &#8216;arms race&#8217; of dollars and leaning on loyalty 
 Commissioner Jay Monahan says the PGA Tour is in an arms race it can&#8217;t win with LIV Golf when the weapon is Saudi-funded money. His response is to boost prize money in eight elite events and rely on his players&#8217; loyalty and sense of purpose. The new schedule has at least an extra $50 million in prize money. Monahan offers a streamlined schedule for top players that goes from January to August. Also planned are three international events during the fall for only the top performers. He spoke just as LIV Golf officially announced Brooks Koepka was the latest to sign.
Golf – The Open – British Open allows golfers from Saudi-backed series to play 
 Players who have joined the new Saudi Arabia-funded league will still be allowed to compete at the British Open next month. The U.S. Open had allowed players who were banned by the PGA Tour for signing up to the LIV Golf series to play at last week&rsquo;s tournament. R&amp;A chief executive Martin Slumbers says, &ldquo;Players who are exempt or have earned a place through qualifying for the 150th Open in accordance with the entry terms and conditions will be able to compete in the Championship at St. Andrews. The world&rsquo;s oldest major championship begins July 14.
MILB – Midwest League Baseball 
 Yesterday 
 South Bend 1, Peoria 0 
 Beloit 1, Lansing 0 
 Great Lakes 4, Fort Wayne 2 
Cedar Rapids 4, West Michigan 2
Tonight 
 Beloit Sky Carp at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m. 
 Peoria Chiefs at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m. 
 Great Lakes Loons at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m. 
West Michigan Whitecaps at Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7:35 p.m.

Southwest Michigan's Sports Leader

WSJM Sports

MLB  – Major League Baseball   Last Night    Boston Red Sox 6, Detroit Tigers 2   Toronto Blue Jays 9, Chicago White Sox 5 Chicago Cubs 14, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 Red Sox 6, Tigers 2 – Refsnyder hits 2-run homer as  Red Sox sweep Tigers, 6-2