Sports: Tigers Take on White Sox

The Tigers continue to trail first place Cleveland in the American League Central by 4 games.  Cleveland lost to the Twins on Monday, as the Tigers took the day off.  Anibal Sanchez will start tonight against the White Sox at Comerica Park.  James Shields goes for the Sox. Broadcast time is 6:45 on WBCK.

Trade Deadline

Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline came and went Monday, with the Tigers staying pat.  They’ll be adding players, but they’ll be guys that are on injury rehab and already with the team. Jordan Zimmerman, Daniel Norris and J.D. Martinez are just about ready to rejoin the team.  Martinez played the outfield last night in Toledo.  He had one hit and is hitting .310 at Toledo. Rookie reliever Joe Jimenez could get a call up for the stretch run.  The Tigers could also make a deal for a player that clears waivers in the coming weeks.

The Rangers landed Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy and Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran.  The NL Central-leading Cubs added right-hander Joe Smith from the Angels. Toronto got pitcher Francisco Liriano from the Pirates.  San Francisco stocked up on pitching by getting starter Matt Moore from Tampa Bay and reliever Will Smith from Milwaukee. The Mets have acquired outfielder Jay Bruce and lefty Jonathan Niese.

Bombers

The Battle Creek Bombers swept the Kalamazoo Growlers in a home-and-home doubleheader on Monday.  The Bombers fought back from a 9-5 deficit to top the Kalamazoo Growlers, 12-10 to clinch a series victory in game one of the I-94 Crosstown Rivalry series. It was a see-saw game and was tied 9-9 going into the 9^th inning.  The Growlers walked Daniel Jipping and hit a batter and then pinch hitter Jacob Blunt laid down a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners 90 feet. After an intentional walk, wild pitch gave the Bombers a 10-9 lead and then Daniel Patzlaff's two-run single cleared the bases and gave the Bombers a 12-9 lead. The Growlers homered in the bottom of the 9^th, but the Bombers won it 12-10.

In game 2, Chi Ping Wu pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings as the Bombers won 2-0. It was Wu’s 20 birthday.   Gull Lake grad and CMU pitcher/outfielder Colton Bradley went the rest of the way to preserve the shutout.  Nick Podkul hit a solo homer, and Daniel Jipping went two for two and knocked in the other run.  Now the Bombers are on the road for eight games over nine days.  They play the Mankato Moondogs tonight.

KCC Signings

Several area high school athletes have signed letters of intent to play at KCC this Fall. Twin sisters Sydney and Taylor Macomber, of Scotts will play basketball for the Lady Bruins.  Also signing is Allison Fuller of Athens.   Kimi Rook, a graduate of Mattawan High and longtime member of the Kalamazoo Heat Elite basketball program in Kalamazoo also joins KCC, along with Plainwell’s Julia Majdan.

NASCAR

Chris Buescher won Monday's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway after it was stopped because of heavy fog with 22 laps to go.  Buescher hadn't finished higher than 14th this season before he was declared the winner at Pocono following an 80-minute delay. Brad Keselowski was second, followed by Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart.

Lions

The Detroit Lions have signed undrafted linebacker Raphael Kirby out of Miami. Kirby made 19 starts for the Hurricanes and was the leading tackler for Miami last season until he went down with a season-ending knee injury last October.  Detroit also waived linebacker Dominique Tovell.

NABF Series

HBC/Behnke will be the host team in the NABF World Series, which starts Wednesday and goes through Sunday at Battle Creek’s Bailey Park.  The 103rd World Series will see twelve of the best amateur teams in the United States battle for the title over the 5-day, 25 game contest. Battle Creek Mayor Dave Walters has proclaimed this week “National Amateur Baseball Week” and will throw out the first pitch Wednesday night HBC-Behnke battles last year’s champs.  Every game of the 103rd World Series will be streamed live on the internet via GameAction360. You can find a link to stream the games on the World Series homepage at www.battlecreekworldseries.com or on the NABF World Series Facebook page.

Olympic-Water Pollution

Just days ahead of the Olympic Games, the waterways of Rio de Janeiro are as filthy as ever. A 16-month-long study commissioned by The Associated Press finds the water is contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria that could make athletes who are exposed violently ill.