Wednesday Sports – White Sox and Cubs blanked

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Chicago Cubs 0
Baltimore Orioles 9, Chicago White Sox 0
Tigers were off

Pirates 5, Cubs 0 – Paul Skenes and Jared Triolo help the Pirates blank the Cubs 5-0
Paul Skenes pitched five effective innings while struggling with his location, and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed the Chicago Cubs another tough loss with a 5-0 victory. Skenes worked out of bases-loaded jams in the first two innings. The rookie right-hander allowed four hits and walked four, but he struck out six. After Skenes departed, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski and David Bednar combined for four innings of one-hit ball. Chicago had won six in a row , all on the road, before losing the first two in its three-game series against Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.

Orioles 9, White Sox 0 – Orioles drub the White Sox again 9-0 for 12th consecutive defeat, 109th loss
Cade Povich struck out 10 while pitching into the eighth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles took a big early lead on their way to a 9-0 victory over the White Sox, sending Chicago to its 12th consecutive loss. The White Sox dropped to 31-109 and became the first team since 1900 with at least three losing streaks of 12 games in the same season, according to Sportradar. The 1889 Louisville Colonels and 1899 Cleveland Spiders also did it. Chicago was shut out of the 16th time, is 11 defeats shy of tying the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses since 1900 and is on pace to finish 36-126.

Tonight
Chicago White Sox (Cannon 2-9) at Baltimore (Suárez 7-4), 6:35 p.m.
Pittsburgh (Germán 0-0) at Chicago Cubs (Imanaga 11-3), 7:40 p.m.
Detroit (Montero 4-6) at San Diego (Darvish 4-3), 9:40 p.m.      News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 9:15

MLB – Another ugly night for the White Sox: 2 ejections, 2 misplayed popups
It was another ugly night for the Chicago White Sox who are setting records for futility. Two ejections and two misplayed popups led to a 12th straight loss, this time 9-0 to the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Grady Sizemore was ejected in the sixth inning for the first time since taking over as interim manager. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi followed him moments later for arguing with the umpire after striking out. Benintendi and Manuel Vargas collided while going for a popup in the second inning, allowing three runs to score. With the loss, the White Sox became the first team since 1900 with at least three losing streaks of 12 games in the same season.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Las Vegas Aces 90, Chicago Sky 71

Aces 90, Sky 71 – A’ja Wilson has 30 points, 14 rebounds as Aces hand Sky 7th-straight loss 90-71
A’ja Wilson scored 30 points and had 14 rebounds, Chelsea Gray added 13 points and 10 assists and the Las Vegas Aces beat Chicago 90-71, handing the Sky their seventh straight loss. Tiffany Hayes, who stepped into the starting lineup for an injured Kelsey Plum, added 20 points for the Aces, while Jackie Young had 15. Wilson has now scored 139 points in her last four games, tying Maya Moore for the most in a four game WNBA stretch. Michaela Onyenwere had 15 points to lead Chicago and Angel Reese extended her rookie record for double-doubles to 25 with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Tonight
Los Angeles Sparks at Indiana Fever, 7:00 p.m.

WNBA – Kelsey Mitchell becomes strong complement to Caitlin Clark
Kelsey Mitchell has become the perfect backcourt running mate with Caitlin Clark, and the two guards have led the Indiana Fever’s resurgence since the Olympic break. Now they have Indiana in the playoffs. The team has won six of its seven games and is over .500 for the first time since June 13, 2019. The Fever improved to 17-16 with Sunday’s win over Dallas. They had gone an WNBA-record 189 straight games without a winning record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Indiana clinched its first playoff appearance since 2016 when Chicago and Atlanta both lost Tuesday night.

NCAAFB – Florida State drops out of Top 25 after 0-2 start. Texas behind Georgia, OSU
F
lorida State has fallen out of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll after starting the season 0-2. The Seminoles are just the third team to go from preseason top 10 to unranked in the first regular-season poll since the rankings expanded to 25 in 1989. Georgia and Ohio State remain 1-2 after comfortable wins to open the season. No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama each moved up a spot, putting three Southeastern Conference teams in the top four along with Georgia. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5..

NCAAFB – Big Ten goes 17-1 in Week 1’s full non-conference slate
The Big Ten kicked off its season with four new teams, five new coaches and 13 schools featuring new starting quarterbacks. It was a smashing success. With no league contests in Week 1 for the first time since 2019, the league finished a 17-1 weekend. And it was capped by Miller Moss’ dramatic last-minute touchdown drive Sunday night to give No. 23 Southern California a 27-20 victory in its over No. 13 LSU in in a matchup of Heisman Trophy-winning replacements. And around a league that now stretches from coastline to coastline, everyone is hoping for even bigger and better results.  The only team to lose was Minnesota, who fell to North Carolina 19-17.

NHL – Oilers sign Leon Draisaitl to an 8-year extension worth $112M
The Edmonton Oilers have signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension worth $112 million. Draisaitl’s $14 million salary cap hit beginning in 2025-26 is the highest in NHL history. Draisaitl and Connor McDavid helped the team reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final this past year. Draisaitl, the league’s MVP in 2020, was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. His contract is the second-richest in total dollars NHL history after Alex Ovechkin’s $124 million over 13 years signed in 2008.

NHL – Online fundraiser for Matthew Gaudreau’s widow raises more than $560K
More tributes are pouring in from around the hockey community after the deaths of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and brother Matthew. Jaromir Jagr posted on social media about Gaudreau assisting on his 766th and final goal in the league when they were teammates with the Calgary Flames in 2018. Donations also continue to pile up to support Matthew’s widow, Madeline, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. A GoFundMe set up by Madeline’s sister Holland Korbitz and verified by the online fundraising company has raised more than $550,000.

Tennis – Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will meet in an all-American semifinal in NYC
Frances Tiafoe has reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the second time in three years when his quarterfinal opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, stopped playing because of an injury in the fourth set. Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 4-1 Tuesday night when Dimitrov retired from the match. Tiafoe advances to an all-American semifinal against Taylor Fritz, guaranteeing the United States a representative in the men’s final. Fritz eliminated No. 4 Alexander Zverev in four sets earlier Tuesday to get to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

Tennis – Navarro’s first Grand Slam semifinal will be against Sabalenka.
Emma Navarro’s first Grand Slam semifinal will come at the U.S. Open against Aryna Sabalenka. Navarro grabbed the last six games to beat Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals Tuesday to follow up her upset of defending champion Coco Gauff. There was no such drama in the second-seeded Sabalenka’s 6-1, 6-2 victory over Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen at night. That was a rematch of the Australian Open final in January, which Sabalenka won for her second consecutive title there.

NFL – Falcons add 3rd QB for season opener, signing Nathan Peterman to practice squad
The Atlanta Falcons have added a third quarterback ahead of their season opener, signing Nathan Peterman to the practice squad. Peterman provides some insurance behind starter Kirk Cousins and backup Michael Penix Jr. after the Falcons dealt third-stringer Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Peterman was a fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft by the Buffalo Bills. He also has played for the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears. In 15 games with five starts, he has competed 85 of 160 passes (53.1%) for 712 yards, with four touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
West Michigan 5, Lansing 4
Fort Wayne 6, South Bend 5

Tonight
Lansing Lugnuts at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 6:35 p.m.
Dayton Dragons at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.

MCCAA – Michigan Community College Athletic Association
Today
Women’s Soccer
Lake Michigan College at Kellogg Community College, 4:00 p.m.

MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Last Night
Boys Soccer
Kalamazoo Central 1, St. Joseph 0
Lakeshore 0, Portage Northern 0 – TIE
Mattawan 3, Gull Lake 0
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 4, Battle Creek Lakeview 0
Covert 6, Our Lady of the Lake 1
Berrien Springs 1, Buchanan 1 – TIE
Kalamazoo Christian 2, Fennville 2 – TIE
South Haven 8, Lawton 0
Coldwater 7, Niles 1
Hartford 2, Delton-Kellogg 1
Kalamazoo Hackett 1, Harper Creek 1 – TIE
Parchment 8, Vermontville Maple Valley 0
Saugatuck 7, Hudsonville Libertas Christian 0
Comstock 9, Bronson 1

Girls Volleyball
Our Lady of the Lake 3, Hartford 0                     (25-9, 25-12, 25-13)
Eau Claire 3, Watervliet Grace Christian 0          (25-16, 25-23, 25-17)

Cross Country
Berrien Springs Shamrock Invitational at BCYF
Boys

1. Otsego                                        62
2. Edwardsburg                                87
3. Buchanan                                     113
4. Berrien Springs                             124
5. Kalamazoo Hackett                        124
6. Harper Creek                                126
7. Bridgman                                     170
8. Paw Paw                                       182
9. Schoolcraft                                 232
10. River Valley                                 269
11. Niles                                           287
12. South Haven                                 337
13. Coloma                                        369
14. Lakeshore                                    382
15. Eau Claire                                    397
    
    

Girls

1. Otsego                                        16
2. Lakeshore                                    84
3. Kalamazoo Hackett                        113
4. Bridgman                                      130
5. Paw Paw                                       154
6. Harper Creek                                158
7. Niles                                           180
8. Buchanan                                     190
9. Edwardsburg                                192
10. Schoolcraft                                 238
11. Berrien Springs                             251
12. South Haven                                 381
13. River Valley                                 409

Today
Boys Soccer
Michigan Lutheran at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Buchanan at Dowagiac, 5:00 p.m.
Berrien Springs at Brandywine, 5:00 p.m.
Plainwell at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Three Rivers at Niles, 6:30 p.m.
Paw Paw at Sturgis, 6:30 p.m.
Otsego at Vicksburg, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Hartford, 5:00 p.m.
Allegan at Holland Black River, 5:30 p.m.
Saugatuck at Parchment, 6:00 p.m.
Comstock at Bangor, 6:30 p.m.
Cassopolis at Bloomingdale, 6:30 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
Our Lady of the Lake at Covert, 6:00 p.m.
New Buffalo at Michigan Lutheran, 6:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 6:30 p.m.
Holland Black River at Bridgman, 6:30 p.m.
Bangor at Fennville, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Kalamazoo Hackett, 6:30 p.m.

Boys Tennis
Lakeshore at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.