Sports Roundup: Tigers Waste Pitching Gem

Tigers  

The Detroit Tigers wasted a brilliant outing by David Price, losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 yesterday at Tropicana Field.  Price, on the mound for the first time against his former team, pitched a 1-hitter, giving up no earned runs, and just one hit. A first-inning error by rookie Eugenio Suarez led to the only run of the game. The Tigers had no answer for Rays’ starter Alex Cobb.  Detroit was held to four hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.  Miguel Cabrera was the designated hitter yesterday after he aggravated an old right ankle injury while running the bases in Wednesday's 6-0 win.   Detroit heads to Minnesota for 4 games.  Robbie Ray pitches tomorrow.  Justin Verlander and rookie Buck Farmer will go on Saturday’s doubleheader.  The Tigers are a game and a half behind first-place Kansas City.

Lions
The Detroit Lions host the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight at Ford Field.  Receiver Calvin Johnson is expected to make his 2014 debut tonight.  Johnson is coming back from offseason surgery on his knee and finger. Defensive end Zingy Ansah may also see his first action of the preseason after having shoulder surgery at the end of last season.

NBA World Cup

USA Basketball will play another FIBA World Cup tune-up game tonight against Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden. Team USA will head to Spain next week and open World Cup play on Saturday, August 30th against Finland.

Little League

The Taney Dragons run at the Little League World Series is over.  Mo’ne Davis and the squad from Philadelphia lost 6-5 to Chicago's Jackie Robinson West on Thursday night in the U.S. semifinals. Tomorrow, Chicago moves on to face Las Vegas in the U.S. Championship and Japan meets South Korea in the International Championship.  The two winners play in the World Series Championship on Sunday.

Reed in Court

Sexual assault charges against Tigers minor league pitcher Evan Reed have been dismissed.  36th district Judge Kenneth King ruled yesterday that the case against Reed had no merit and he found that the 45-year-old woman making the accusations was not a credible witness.  During yesterday's preliminary hearing, the woman backtracked several times while testifying.  Reed began the season with the Tigers, but was demoted to Triple-A Toledo in mid-June.

Tigers Looking to Sign Cuban Outfielder

The Tigers are in the mix for Cuban defector Rusney Castillo.  Multiple reports say the Tigers, Red Sox, and Yankees are all interested in the 27-year-old speedy outfielder.   Detroit is looking for a center fielder since trading Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners as part of the three-way deal in which Detroit acquired left-handed ace David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays last month. Castillo is expected to make a decision on where to sign no later than the weekend.

PGA

Bo Van Pelt is atop of the leader board after firing a six-under 65 on Thursday at The Barclays.

Stewart to sit out again

Tony Stewart is sitting out Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is the third straight Sprint Cup event that Stewart has skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. during a dirt car race.

Coyotes in Playoffs Saturday
The Battle Creek Coyotes host the Wayne County Bengals this Saturday in the playoffs. The game will be at Harper Creek High School at 6:30 PM. The 7-3 Coyotes are the #3 seed in the Crossroad Football League North Conference.  The #6 seed Bengals have a 6-4 record.  The beneficiary for the game will be Virginia Hinman, a local woman battling cancer.   The Coyotes are offering a very special 50/50 prize for the game to help raise money for Virginia: A pair of tickets to the August 28 New York Yankees/Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. This will be Kalamazoo native and future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter's final game in his home state.