Thursday Sports Update – Stars Take Down Blues, Even Series
(Dallas, TX) — The Stars downed the Blues 4-2 in Dallas to even the second round playoff series at two games apiece. Roope Hintz scored his fifth playoff goal and gave Dallas a 4-1 lead entering the third period. Jason Dickinson, John Klingberg and Jason Spezza scored the other Stars goals. Dallas scored four unanswered goals after St. Louis grabbed an early 1-0 advantage. Game Five will be tomorrow night in St. Louis.
NHL Playoffs
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Carolina Hurricanes 5, New York Islanders 2
(Hurricanes lead best-of-seven East semifinal, 3-0)
Pirates Turn Back Rangers
(Arlington, TX) — Joey Gallo, Danny Santanta and Shin-Soo Choo homered for the Rangers, but it was not enough as they fell 7-5 to the Pirates in Arlington. Rangers starter Shelby Miller failed to make it out of the fourth, permitting four runs on four hits and two walks. Texas has lost seven of its last nine.
Minor Will Start Friday
(Arlington, TX) — The Rangers are off today before opening a weekend series tomorrow against the Blue Jays at Globe Life Park. Left-hander Mike Minor will start the first game for Texas. He is 3-and-1 with a 1.75 ERA in his last five starts. Trent Thornton will start for Toronto.
Leclerc Loses Closer Job
(Arlington, TX) — Jose Leclerc is no longer the Rangers’ closer. He gave up three runs in the ninth Tuesday for a blown save against the Pirates. He has an 8.44 ERA and is yielding 11.8 hits and 7.6 hits per nine innings. The Rangers gave him a four-year extension for just less than fifteen million dollars in the off-season. Chris Martin and Shawn Kelley will likely close games until Leclerc regains his 2018 form, when he logged a 1.56 ERA with a dozen saves
Smyly Alright After Simulated Game
(Arlington, TX) — Drew Smyly reported no problems after throwing 37 pitches in a simulated game. He is on the injured list with tightness in his left arm. He likely will be activated Sunday and start against Toronto. Also, right-hander Owen White, who was the Rangers’ second-round pick last June, underwent Tommy John surgery and will not pitch again for 12-to-14 months.
Twins Top Astros
(Minneapolis, MN) — Collin McHugh allowed four runs in five innings in the 6-2 Astros’ loss to the Twins at Minnesota. Aledmys Diaz and Tyler White had run-producing singles for Houston in the ninth. José Altuve had two of the Astros’ seven hits. The Astros are 5-and-4 in their last nine games.
MLB National League
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St. Louis Cardinals 5, Washington Nationals 1
Cincinnati Reds 1, New York Mets 0
Atlanta Braves 5, San Diego Padres 1
Colorado Rockies 11, Milwaukee Brewers 4
San Francisco Giants 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
MLB American League
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Boston Red Sox 7, Oakland Athletics 3
Kansas City Royals 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2 (G1)
Kansas City Royals 8, Tampa Bay Rays 2 (G2)
Baltimore Orioles 5, Chicago White Sox 4 (G1)
Chicago White Sox 7, Baltimore Orioles 6 (G2)
Minnesota Twins 6, Houston Astros 2
Los Angeles Angels 6, Toronto Blue Jays 3
MLB Interleague
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Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Texas Rangers 5
Arizona Diamondbacks 3, New York Yankees 2
Chicago Cubs 11, Seattle Mariners 0
Philadelphia Phillies 7, Detroit Tigers 3
Miami Marlins 4, Cleveland Indians 2
SOD POODLES DROP SERIES OPENER TO CARDINALS 9-6
AMARILLO, Texas – The Amarillo Sod Poodles dropped game one of their three-game series with the Springfield Cardinals by a final score of 9-6 in front of a crowd of 5,406. Edward Olivares bashed his fifth home run of the season, but it wouldn’t be enough as starter Emmanuel Ramirez allowed five earned runs in five and one-third innings of work. The Sod Poodles and Cardinals will resume their three-game series tonight at HODGETOWN when right-handed pitcher Reggie Lawson takes the mound for Amarillo. Lawson will face off against Springfield’s southpaw Evan Kruczynski. Sunday is KGNC Fun Day at Hodgetown. The first 1,000 fans get a free “Friends” t-shirt courtesy of Northwest Texas Healthcare System. First pitch is at 1:05.
Rockets Will Play Next Two In Houston
(Houston, TX) — The Rockets will host the next two playoff games with the Warriors at the Toyota Center. Golden State won the first two second round games in Oakland. Game Three will be Saturday and is all but a must win for Houston. Should the Rockets lose, they would have to win four consecutive games against the defending champions to advance, Game Four is Monday, also in Houston.
NBA Playoffs
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Portland Trail Blazers 97, Denver Nuggets 90
(Best-of-seven West semifinal tied, 1-1)
Omaha Beach Scratched From Kentucky Derby
(Louisville, KY) — The favorite for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby is out. Omaha Beach has been scratched due to what’s called an entrapped epiglottis. It’s a condition that affects cartilage in the horse’s airway and can also affect the horse’s performance. The entry with the best odds is now Game Winner at 9-to-2, followed by Improbable and Roadster which are both 5-to-1.
FC Dallas Will Play Dynamo Next
(Frisco, TX) — FC Dallas will return to the pitch Saturday facing the Dynamo in Houston at BBVA Compass Stadium. Dallas ranks fourth in the MLS West with 17 points in nine games. The Dynamo are a point behind with 16 in seven games.
Three Texas Teams In Top 25 In Baseball
(Undated) — Baseball America has three Texas teams in its top 25. Texas Tech is ranked number 11, while Texas A&M is 15th. Baylor checks in at 16th. The Red Raiders will open a three-game Big 12 series tomorrow at Oklahoma. The Aggies will host sixth-ranked Mississippi State in a SEC showdown begining today. The Big-12 leading Bears will welcome Kansas to Waco for a weekend series beginning tomorrow.
High Schooler Sets Record For 100-Meter Race
(Houston, TX) — A future Georgia Bulldog is setting high school tracks records in the 100-meter dash. Matthew Boling ran a world-record time for a high schooler last weekend in his home state of Texas in just nine-point-nine-eight seconds. That is only four-tenths of a second under Usain Bolt’s world record. Boling is part of what UGA’s track coach calls their best recruiting class in history.
