Sports: Tigers Win 6-5; Head Home for Nine

The Tigers finally got a break and beat the Orioles in Baltimore 6-5 on Sunday.

Michael Fullmer started for Detroit, and gave up three runs in the first before settling down.  The Tigers battled back to take the lead.  Steven Moya tripled in a run, Ian Kinsler hit a solo homer, and James McCann delivered a clutch RBI single to put Detroit ahead 4-3.  But that lead didn’t last long.  Manny Machado hit a two-run homer to send Fullmer to the showers in the fifth.   In the eighth, JD Martinez got new life when the first base umpire ruled he did not go around on a check swing third strike. Martinez then hit a home run to tie the game.  Miguel Cabrera was the next hitter, and put the Tigers ahead to stay.

Alex Wilson and Francisco Rodriguez shut out the Orioles over the final two innings.

Rookie Warwick Saupold pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings for his first major league win.

The Tigers are home to play the Twins. Jordan Zimmerman will start tonight. Broadcast time is 6:40 on WBCK.

NBA

The Toronto Raptors are in the NBA's Eastern Conference finals for the first time after Kyle Lowry scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan added 28 in a 116-89 win over Miami.  Game 1 with Cleveland is Tuesday.

It will be the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA's Western Conference finals. Game 1 is tonight at Golden State.

NHL

The St. Louis Blues have opened the NHL's Western Conference finals with a 2-1 triumph over the visiting San Jose Sharks.  Jori Lehtera snapped a 1-1 tie with an unassisted goal midway through the second period. The win gets the Blues get within three wins of their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 46 years.

In the Eastern Conference finals…. It’s game two tonight as Tampa Bay skates at Pittsburgh at 8pm.   Tampa won game 1.   Star goalie Ben Bishop was carted off the ice on a stretcher with what looked like a broken leg.  But x-rays were negative and Bishop could be in goal for the Lightning tonight.

AHL-Griffins

The Grand Rapids Griffins are down 3-2 after beating Lake Erie for the second straight game.  Game 6 is tonight in Grand Rapids, as the Griffins try to force a game 7 on Wednesday at Cleveland against the Monsters.’

Nascar

Matt Kenseth is the fourth driver from Joe Gibbs Racing to win a Sprint Cup race, taking the checkered flag at Dover International Speedway. Kenseth battled Kyle Larson door-to-door for part of the final five laps before the 2003 NASCAR champion picked all the right lines and pulled away at the end. Larson finished second, followed by Chase Elliott.

PGA

Jason Day completed a wire-to-wire win at The Players Championship, his seventh victory in 10 months. Day closed with a 1-under 71 for a 15-under total, four strokes ahead of Kevin Chappell. Americans Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar, Colt Knost and Ken Duke tied for third at minus-10.