Pistons Routed in Playoff Opener – Monday Sports Wrap

High School

The local high school baseball season is scheduled to open this afternoon, as Hancock hosts Calumet at the Driving Park.

MLB

Jordan Zimmermann struggled again, as the Detroit Tigers lost to the Minnesota Twins 6-4 yesterday. Zimmermann gave up five runs over just three innings. Gordon Beckham homered. Detroit loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but John Hicks and Grayson Greiner struck out to end the contest.

The Tigers have lost four of their last five games. They’ll take today off, and open an interleague set against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Detroit tomorrow. Matthew Boyd will start against Joe Musgrove. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:15 on 99.3 The Lift.

Detroit has brought infielder Ronny Rodriguez up from Toledo to fill in for injured shortstop Jordy Mercer. Mercer is out with a strained quad. Starter Matt Moore will undergo knee surgery for a meniscus tear. Depending on the extent of the damage, he could be out four to six weeks. Daniel Norris will take his place in the rotation. Niko Goodrum missed yesterday’s game, as he continues to battle the flu. Josh Harrison also has the flu, and bruised his shoulder making a diving play in Saturday’s game. Nicholas Castellanos also sat out again yesterday, with a sprained toe. All are considered day-to-day.

The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 yesterday. Jhoulys Chacín left with one out in the third inning, and was charged with six runs.

The Brewers open a home series against the Saint Louis Cardinals tonight. Freddy Peralta will pitch against Dakota Hudson.

Reliever Jeremy Jeffress will rejoin the team today, although it’s not certain if he’ll be activated off the disabled list for tonight’s game.

NHL

In the opening round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs yesterday…
– The New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1. New York holds a 3-0 edge in that series.
– The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1. Columbus is up 3-0 in that set.
– The Winnipeg Jets outscored the Saint Louis Blues 6-3. Saint Louis leads that series 2-1.
– The Vegas Golden Knights outskated the San Jose Sharks 6-3. Vegas is up 2-1 in that series.

On today’s schedule…
– The Boston Bruins visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. That series is tied at a win per team.
– The Carolina Hurricanes host the Washington Capitals. Washington leads that series 2-0.
– The Nashville Predators skate against the Stars in Dallas. That series is tied 1-1.
– The Calgary Flames visit the Colorado Avalanche. That set is tied at a win per team.

NBA

Playing without Blake Griffin, the Detroit Pistons were no match for the Bucks last night, opening the playoffs with a 121-86 loss at Milwaukee. Luke Kennard scored 21 for Detroit. Those teams will play again in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Pregame coverage will begin at 7:35 on 99.3 The Lift.

In other opening-round playoff series yesterday…
– The Boston Celtics got past the Indiana Pacers 84-74.
– The Portland Trail Blazers edged the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-99.
– The Houston Rockets routed the Utah Jazz 122-90.

On the schedule tonight…
– The Brooklyn Nets visit the Philadelphia 76ers. Brooklyn leads that set 1-0.
– The Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers. Golden State is up 1-0 in that series.

Finlandia

The Finlandia University baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheaders to Wisconsin-Stevens Point yesterday, 22-1 and 12-1. Those teams will play two more games this afternoon at the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston.

The Finlandia softball team’s doubleheader at Bay College yesterday afternoon was postponed.

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