MLB-SCHEDULE
Busy afternoon of play
UNDATED (AP) β On a busy day of baseball here are some of the afternoon results.
βIn Pittsburgh Gregory Polanco got three hits, including a go-ahead single in the seventh inning to lift the Pirates to a 5-4 win over the Cubs. Pittsburgh rallied from a three-run deficit to manage a split of the four-game series.
β A crowd of just over 17-thousand turned out to watch the Phillies entertain and lose to the Marlins 9-1. The crowd was the smallest in the 11-year history of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. David Phelps tossed three-hit ball over seven innings for the Marlins and Martin Prado (mahr-TEEN’ PRAH’-doh) drove in four runs.
β Milwaukee got a win in front of the home town fans as the Brewers edged the Reds 4-2 and in Detroit the Tigers dropped another game to the Yankees, this time 2-1. The loss dropped the home team to 11-5 on the season.
MLB-INJURIES
Tigers lose Nathan for the year and Jays put Navarro on DL
DETROIT (AP) β Tigers closer Joe Nathan will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. Nathan suffered the injury while pitching on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
The 40-year-old is a six-time All-Star, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career as he had a 4.84 earned run average in 2014 and blew seven saves.
β The Blue Jays have placed catcher Dioner (dee-AH’-nur) Navarro on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring and recalled catcher Josh Thole from Triple-A Buffalo. The switch-hitting Navarro is batting .276 with four RBIs in eight games. Navarro suffered the injury trying to stretch a single into a double in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s 13-6 win over Baltimore.
MLB-ROSE
Disgraced former star to be at All-Star Game
NEW YORK (AP) β Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says Pete Rose will be allowed to participate in activities surrounding this summer’s All-Star Game in his hometown of Cincinnati. This isn’t the first time the disgraced former star has been allowed to attend a top Major League event. MLB permitted Rose to take part in the All-Century team announcement at Atlanta’s Turner Field during the 1999 World Series and a Reds ceremony in 2013 honoring their 1975 and ’76 championship teams.
Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and a former Reds star player and manager, agreed to a lifetime ban from the sport in 1989 after a Major League Baseball investigation concluded he bet on his team to win while he was managing the club.
NBA PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Three teams look for a 3-0 lead
UNDATED (AP) β There are three NBA first-round playoff games tonight with the visiting team looking to take a commanding 3-0 lead in its series. In the first game of the night Cleveland is playing at Boston with the Cavaliers up 2-0 after taking the first two games at home.
In Milwaukee the Bucks are hoping to get in the win column against the Bulls, who won the opening two games on their home court. And in New Orleans the Pelicans are looking to get a win against the winningest team of the season as Golden State invades the Crescent City. The Warriors won the first two games on their home court.
NBA-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Spurs’ forward wins award
NEW YORK (AP) β Kawhi (kuh-WHY’) Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs has been named the winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. He’s only the sixth forward to lead the NBA in steals since the league starting keeping track of the statistic 42 years ago. Leonard is the first Spurs player to win the award since David Robinson in 1991.
Golden State’s Draymond Green was second in the media voting.
NHL PLAYOFFS-SCHEDULE
Flames and Blackhawks hope to clinch
UNDATED (AP) β Two teams, Chicago and Calgary, can clinch a spot in the second round of the NHL playoffs tonight with a win. The visiting Blackhawks are playing the Predators in Nashville with a commanding 3-1 lead in their series. It’s the same scenario for Calgary as the Flames face the Canucks in Vancouver with the same 3-1 lead.
The best-of-seven series between Washington and the New York Islanders is tied at two wins apiece. They’re squaring off tonight in Washington with Game 6 in New York Saturday. The Isles have announced that injured center Mikhail Gabovski will play in the game. He hasn’t appeared in a game since Feb. 19, missing the last 23 games of the regular season with an upper body injury.
And in the final game of the night, it’s Game 4 in the Detroit-Tampa Bay series. The Red Wings, who are the home team tonight, lead two games to one.
NFL-JAGUARS
Jones-Drew to retire as a Jag
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) β Maurice Jones-Drew is returning to Jacksonville to retire as a member of the Jaguars. To facilitate the move he is signing a one-day contract with the club. Jones-Drew called it quits last month after nine NFL seasons. The former UCLA star was a second-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2006.
NFL-EAGLES
Eagles explain why they signed Tebow
PHILADELPHIA (AP) β In case you were wondering why the Eagles signed Tim Tebow (TEE’-bow), the teams personnel chief, Ed Marynowitz, has offered an explanation. He says that Tebow’s passing skills have improved significantly since he last played in the NFL two years ago.
Marynowitz also says Tebow is just one of 68 players on the roster and his “role will be determined by his performance.”
PGA-ZURICH CLASSIC
Men’s tour hits Louisiana
AVONDALE, La. (AP) β Boo Weekley has the early first round clubhouse lead in the PGA’s Zurich (ZOOR’-ik) Classic in Avondale, Louisiana. He shot an opening round 8-under-64 to lead David Hearn by a stroke.
The defending champion is South Korea’s Seung-Yul Noh.
LPGA-SWINGING SKIRTS
Women’s tour is in California
DALE CITY, Calif. (AP) β Ha Na Jang and Juli Inkster share the lead during the first round of the LPGA Swinging Skirts tournament in Dale City, California. They opened with 4-under-68’s to lead Morgan Pressel by a shot.
The winner of the event a year ago, Lydia Ko, is even after two holes.
