Sports: Fulmer Out-pitched as Tigers lose 3-0

The Tigers lost 3-0 in Seattle in a pitching duel. Michael Fulmer was touched up for two runs in the second. Fulmer pitched well on Monday, going 7 innings, giving up just two runs on 5 hits and struck out 6 to fall to 9-3 on the season. Hisashi Iwakuma pitched shutout ball for 7 innings to get is 13^th win for Seattle. The Mariners added a run off Mark Lowe in the 8^th. Seattle won its fourth straight and moved within 2 1/2 games of Detroit and Boston for the second wild card in the American League.   With Cleveland off Monday, the Tigers drop to  2 ½  games back in the Central, and they are tied with  Boston for the final Wild Card spot. Its game two tonight in Seattle. Daniel Norris starts for Detroit. Broadcast time is 9:45 on WBCK.

Bombers

The Battle Creek Bombers lost to the Lakeshore Chinooks 8-4.  The Bombers took a 3-0 lead in the first on home runs from Dean Miller and Christian Helsel.  But it was pretty much all Chinooks after that against Bombers’ starter Dylan Givens.  Givens allowed 8 runs, 7 earned, on 6 hits over 5 innings.  With the loss and wins by Kalamazoo and Green Bay, the Bombers magic number remains at two.   After an off day today for the MLB Dreams Showcase in Madison, the Bombers will look to split the series against the Chinooks on Wednesday evening at 7:35 as they send Nigel Ward to the mound.

More sports from the Associated Press….

Olympics

Ryan Murphy delivered one of the United States' two gold medal-winning performances by taking the men's 100-meter backstroke. Murphy was fourth at the turn before giving the Americans their sixth straight gold medal in the event. Thirty-year-old David Plummer took the bronze in the event.

Lilly King held off a late-charging Yulia Efimova to win the 100-meter breaststroke at Rio. King finished more than a half-second ahead of Efimova, who was cleared to compete in Rio just last Saturday in the wake of state-sponsored doping in Russia. American Catherine Meili earned the bronze.

American Kathleen Baker claimed Olympic silver in the water, finishing second to Katinka Hosszu of Hungary in the women's 100-meter backstroke. Conor Dwyer came away with bronze in the men's 200 freestyle, an event won by China's Sun Yang.

The American men's basketball team has followed Saturday's 57-point win over China with a 113-69 rout of Venezuela at Rio. Kevin Durant scored 16 points and Carmelo Anthony 14 as the U.S. improved to 2-0 heading into Wednesday's game against Australian. The U.S. women's basketball team is 2-0 after Diana Taurasi scored 13 points and Elena Delle Donne added 12 in a 103-63 pounding of Spain.

Serena Williams is on to the third round in Olympic women's tennis as she seeks a second consecutive singles gold medal. The top-ranked Williams committed 36 unforced errors, was broken four times and showed fits of anger before pulling out a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Alize Cornet of France. American Madison Keys won her second-round match by downing Kristina Mladenovic of France, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6.

Lions

Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron is healthy enough to walk without a limp. That's perhaps a sign of good news for the team that desperately needs him. Ebron, though, ignored questions from reporters as he left the field Monday morning. Lion’s coach Jim Caldwell refused to shed light on anything related to Ebron's injury. He went down with an undisclosed injury to his lower right leg Saturday during a mock game and was carted off the field.  Detroit drafted Ebron No. 10 overall in 2014 and is counting on him being a key player in its passing offense without Calvin Johnson.  Undrafted rookie Cole Wick and journeyman Matthew Mulligan are the leading candidates to play tight end.

MSU Spartans

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio says fifth-year senior Tyler O'Connor is the team's "headline guy" at quarterback as the Spartans try to move on without star Connor Cook.  O'Connor and Damion Terry are listed together atop the preseason depth chart at quarterback. Dantonio remains intent on letting the process play out, but O'Connor looks like the clear favorite. He's made only one career start, but it was a big one. He and Terry split time last year at Ohio State when Michigan State upset the Buckeyes while Cook was out injured.  Dantonio spoke Monday at Michigan State's media day. The Spartans are coming off a Big Ten title and national playoff appearance.

Big Ten Football Preview

The big change in the Big Ten this coming football season is the move to a 9-game conference schedule. What doesn't figure to change is the dominance of the East Division.  Ohio State, Michigan and defending champion Michigan State all are positioned to make runs at being national top-10 teams, if not College Football Playoff contenders.  Last season, Michigan State went to the playoff and was joined by fellow East members Ohio State and Michigan among the top 12 teams in the final Top 25. Iowa, at No. 9, was the only West team among the top dozen.

Commissioner Jim Delany says shuffling the divisions is not in the plans. He terms the East's recent dominance of the conference a "little cyclical."  Michigan continues its rise under Jim Harbaugh, and the Wolverines are contenders to win the Big Ten and figure in the playoff picture if they can end their four-game losing skid to Ohio State.  Michigan State won the East and went to the playoff after ending Ohio State's 30-game conference win streak in Columbus. The inclination would be to expect the Spartans to take a step back because of key departures on offense.