Thursday Sports Update – Rangers Win, Stop Skid

Rangers End Skid, Best Royals

(Kansas City, MO) — Willie Calhoun hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat of the season as the Rangers beat the Royals 6-1 in Kansas City to snap a five-game losing streak. Ronald Guzman also contributed a two-run homer and Shin-Soo Choo a solo shot for Texas. Just called up,   Mike Minor picked up the win, allowing one run over five innings.

Rangers Will Start Lynn In Series Finale

(Kansas City, MO) — Right-hander Lance Lynn will start for the Rangers against the Royals this afternoon in Kansas City to wrap up this three-game series. He is 2-and-2 with a 5.13 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals. Homer Bailey will start for the Royals. The Rangers will return home tomorrow night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rangers Put Adrus On Injured List

(Kansas City, MO) — The Rangers placed shortstop Elvis Andrus on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring. Andrus suffered the injury running out a grounder in the seventh inning Tuesday. Texas recalled outfielder Willie Calhoun.

Astros, Verlander Top Tigers

(Detroit, MI) — Justin Verlander allowed two hits and one run over seven innings as the Astros beat the Tigers 5-1 in Detroit for their eighth straight win. Verlander, who pitched 13 years with Detroit, struck out nine and walked two. Alex Bregman hit a solo homer in the first for Houston. Jake Marisnick tripled, singled and drove in two Astros’ runs.

MLB National League
——
Arizona Diamondbacks 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Cincinnati Reds 6, Chicago Cubs 5 (10 INN)
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 2
Washington Nationals 5, New York Mets 1
Atlanta Braves 4, St. Louis Cardinals 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 2, San Diego Padres 0

MLB American League
——
Minnesota Twins 8, Los Angeles Angels 7
New York Yankees 5, Baltimore Orioles 3 (G1)
New York Yankees 3, Baltimore Orioles 1 (G2)
Houston Astros 5, Detroit Tigers 1
Texas Rangers 6, Kansas City Royals 1

MLB Interleague
——
San Francisco Giants 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3
Tampa Bay Rays 1, Miami Marlins 0
Boston Red Sox 6, Colorado Rockies 5 (10 INN)

Sod Poodles Bounce Back Against Rockhounds

AMARILLO, Texas – Catcher Webster Rivas was the hero at the plate in the rubber match against the Midland RockHounds Wednesday night as he hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs in front of a HODGETOWN crowd of 6,007 to give the Sod Poodles the late lead and eventual 3-2 victory in the series finale. The Sod Poodles and Frisco RoughRiders will begin a four-game series at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Tonight’s game will air on Fox Sports Southwest with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar will receive the nod from Sod Poodles manager Phillip Wellman. Bachar will face off against the RoughRiders southpaw Joe Palumbo as both starters will look for their first win on the season.

Bucks Get Jump On Raptors, Warriors Host Blazers Tonight

(Undated) — The Bucks got the jump in the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals with a 108-100 win over the Raptors in Milwaukee. Brook Lopez had 29 points for the Bucks, who also host Game Two tomorrow. Tonight, the Warriors host the Trail Blazers in Game Two of the West finals leading that series 1-0.

Sharks Outlast Blues In OT, Bruins Go For Sweep Tonight

(Undated) — The Sharks outlasted the Blues 5-4 in overtime in Game Three of the NHL’s West finals in St. Louis. San Jose won after a controversial hand pass was not called. The Sharks lead the series 2-1, with Game Four tomorrow. Tonight, the Bruins try to sweep the Hurricanes in the East finals at Carolina.

PGA Championship Gets Going Today

(Farmingdale, NY) — The PGA Championship tees off today at the Bethpage Black Course in New York. Tiger Woods looks to score his second major title of the season after winning The Masters last month. Brooks Koepka  is the defending champ. Bethpage is hosting the event for the first time. Ryan Palmer tees off this afternoon at 12:32 eastern time.

Improbable 5-to-2 Favorite To Win Preakness

(Baltimore, MD) — Improbable is the 5-to-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 144th Preakness Stakes. Improbable will break from gate four in the 13-horse field at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert will be gunning for his record-breaking eighth Preakness win on Saturday.

Prescott Wants To Remain With Cowboys

(Frisco, TX) — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is entering the final season of his contract, but he desires to remain in Dallas. “I want to be a Cowboy forever,” Prescott said. The team is negotiating to extend his contract. Prescott said he has no worries that “it’ll get done.” He guided the Cowboys to a 2018 NFC East championship and a 24-22 win over Seattle in the wildcard.

Charlton Has Second Surgery

(Frisco, TX) — Multiple-outlets have reported defensive end Taco Charlton has had an ankle procedure and likely will be unavailable for the Cowboys OTAs or minicamp. The 2017 first-round pick had shoulder surgery in January. The Cowboys will open OTAs on Tuesday.

College Baseball Roundup

(Undated) — On the diamond, Number-15 Baylor will open a three-game Big 12 showdown series today at number-16 Oklahoma State to conclude the regular season. The Bears are 33-and-13 overall and lead the Big 12 with a 14-and-6 record. Number-18 Texas A&M will host fourth-ranked Arkansas in a SEC showdown series beginning today in College Station. TCU will face ninth-ranked Texas Tech in a three-game series beginning today in Lubbock. Texas, which is 6-and-14 in the Big 12, will open a three-game series tonight with Oklahoma in Austin .Number-23 Dallas Baptist will be at Southern Illinois for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series beginning tonight.