Sports: Tigers in Tailspin; Pistons 4 and done!

Tigers

The Tigers were swept by the Indians, after a 6-3 loss Sunday in Detroit.    Detroit dropped its fourth in a row and fell for the seventh time in nine games. Tiger’s manager Brad Ausmus juggled his lineup, leaving slumping Miguel Cabrera and Justin Upton on the bench, a day after Ausmus kept the clubhouse closed for a half-hour after a loss.

Indians’ Starter Carlos Carrasco and Tigers starter Shane Greene both left the game with injuries in a span of about 15 minutes. Carrasco hurt his right hamstring on an awkward play while covering first base and Greene broke open a blister on his pitching hand.  Green was charged with one run. Reliever Drew VerHagen was hit hard by the Indians.

The Tigers got a couple of big hits from Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez to stay in the game. Miguel Cabrera did get into the game with the bases loaded in the 8^th but popped out in foul territory to end the threat. Cabrera is hitting .206.  The Tigers count on Jordan Zimmerman to stop the slide tonight as the Oakland A’s come into town.  Broadcast time is 6:45 on WBCK.

Pistons

The Pistons season ended last night as the Cavaliers landed the knockout punch to sweep Detroit in four games in round one of the playoffs, with a 100-98 win.  Kyrie Irving capped his 31-point night by canning a 3-pointer in the final minute.  Cavs led by just one until Irving launched a trey with 42 seconds remaining. Detroit still had a chance at the end, but Reggie Jackson's wild shot at the buzzer was off the mark. The Cavs advance to the second round to play either Atlanta or Boston.

LeBron James delivered 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and J.R. Smith scored all 15 of his points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs have also advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Golden State Warriors took a 3-1 series lead. Steph Curry scored just six points on 2 of 9 shooting in 18 minutes after missing the previous two games with a sprained right ankle. He did not play in the second half after spraining his right knee on the final play of the second quarter. He'll undergo an MRI on the knee Monday.  Boston and Atlanta are tied at two games apiece after the Celtics won 104-95.   Tonight, Miami takes a 2-1 series lead to Charlotte.  Oklahoma City can send Dallas home for the season with a win tonight.  Portland needs a home win tonight against the LA Clippers to even that series.

NBA Fines

The NBA has fined Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant for violations in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series. Westbrook was fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language at a fan in Dallas. Durant was penalized $15,000 for his flagrant foul 2 on Justin Anderson with 50 seconds left in the game.

LeBron on Olympics

LeBron James says contrary to a report from a longtime NBA writer, he has not committed to play for the United States at the Olympics. James would have a chance to win his third Olympic gold medal if he plays in Brazil this summer.

NHL

The Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by taking Game 6 of their respective opening-round series. The Caps eliminated the Flyers 1-0 in Philadelphia. The Stars blew most of a 4-0 lead in the third period before ousting the Wild 5-4.

The New York Islanders have won a playoff series for the first time since the 1993. The Isles outlasted Florida 2-1 in overtime. They’ll take on Pittsburgh next.

Tonight, final game between the Blues and Blackhawks in Chicago and the Ducks play the Predators, with Anaheim leading 3-2.

Nascar

Carl Edwards claimed his second straight Sprint Cup victory by bumping and passing teammate Kyle Busch on the last lap to win Sunday's race at Richmond International Raceway. Edwards won it despite falling nearly 1.5 seconds behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate after a restart with 36 laps to go. Jimmie Johnson finished third, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne and pole-sitter Kevin Harvick.

Golf

Charley Hoffman shot a final round 3-under-69 to win the PGA's Texas Open. He finished play 12-under-par one shot in front of Patrick Reed and two in front of Chad Collins.