Sports Roundup: Tigers count on Scherzer tonight

Tigers

The Tigers tailspin continues in Oakland, after a 10-0 loss.  Drew Smyly was hammered by the Athletics, who got early home runs to give them all the runs they would need.  Drew Smyly went 5 innings, giving up four of Oakland’s five home runs. Phil Coke gave up a grand slam in the 8th to make it an even 10 runs for the A’s.  The win snapped Oakland's season-worst, four-game losing streak.  Max Scherzer pitches for the Tigers tonight.  Broadcast time is 9:45 on WBCK-FM.

NHL Playoffs

The L.A. Kings and Chicago last night 5-2.  The Kings can close it out in Game 5 tomorrow night in Chicago.

In the Eastern Conference, Game 5 is tonight in Montreal where the Rangers can move to the Stanley Cup finals with a win.

NBA Playoffs

The Miami Heat moved one game away from a fourth straight NBA Finals appearance Monday night. LeBron James went off for 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the Heat's 102-90 whooping of the Pacers in Game Four.  Miami can close out the series on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

The Thunder and Spurs square off in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals tonight in Oklahoma City. OKC trails 2-1

Wings Prospect Honored

Red Wings prospect Anthony Mantha has been named Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year.   The 19-year-old forward from Quebec scored 81 goals in 81 regular-season and playoff games for Val-d'Or. Mantha is expected to compete for a Red Wings roster spot during training camp in September.

Jimmie Johnson wins at Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson won the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, for his first win of the year.  It was the seventh win of his career at Charlotte.  (It broke an 11-race winless streak for him, which was the longest of his career.  Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth came in second and third.)

2014 Indy 500 - Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Indy 500 on Sunday.  He beat Helio Castroneves by .06 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history.   It was a little controversial, because there was a crash near the end of the race and they threw a red flag, which means everyone has to stop where they are.  In NASCAR they'll throw a caution flag, and everyone follows behind a pace car until the caution is removed.  They add extra laps to the end of a race if necessary, to let the drivers compete until the finish.  But the Indy 500 doesn't add extra laps, so instead they threw the red flag and waited until the crash was cleared.  But that basically made the whole race depend on a short sprint to the finish line, after the drivers had already been racing for hours.

High School Districts

High School District play for baseball/softball/soccer gets underway for most schools today.

Lions Practice

The Detroit Lions are back at it again today as they continue their organized team activities. Detroit is holding the fourth of ten workouts.  The Lions will practice every day through Thursday before taking a break until June 2nd.

Mets Release Valverde 

The New York Mets have released reliever Jose Valverde. The 36 year old former Tiger has pitched to a 5.66 ERA this season in 21 games. He recorded two saves in four chances and racked up 20-and-two-thirds innings pitched.  New York also fired hitting coach Dave Hudgens.

Bombers Start Tonight

The Bombers start their season tonight on the road in Green Bay against the Bullfrogs.