Wednesday July 31st Local Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Jake Odorizzi was far from superb against Miami, yet more than satisfied compared to his last outing.

Odorizzi followed his worst big league start by pitching one-run ball into the sixth inning as the Minnesota Twins beat the Marlins 2-1 Tuesday night.

Odorizzi (12-5) allowed a run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and was lifted after giving up his only walk to Neil Walker with two out in the sixth. The outing comes less than a week after Odorizzi’s four-inning effort against the New York Yankees on July 24, when he gave up nine runs and 10 hits.

Byron Buxton gave the Twins a 1-0 lead with a homer in the third. Buxton drove the first pitch from Miami starter Zac Gallen over the wall in left-center for his 10th home run.

Buxton’s blast was the Twins’ 206th homer of the season, matching their 2017 total and the third-highest in club history.

Minnesota increased its lead in the fourth when Miguel Sano doubled, scoring Eddie Rosario from first.

Tyler Duffey relieved Odorizzi and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings. Sergio Romo, acquired from Miami on Saturday, pitched a scoreless eighth and Taylor Rogers retired the three batters he faced in the ninth for his 16th save.

 

 

DES MOINES — State baseball

== 3A quarterfinals Tuesday
#1 Xavier of Cedar Rapids 7, ADM 2
#4 Marion 4, Bishop Heelan of Sioux City 0
#3 Central DeWitt 11, #9 Centerville 1 (5 innings)
#2 Assumption of Davenport 7, Boone 3

== 4A quarterfinals today
11:00 — #6 Dowling (30-11) vs. #3 Southeast Polk (30-13)
1:30 — #1 Johnston (34-5) vs. Ankeny (21-17)
4:30 — #5 Epworth Western Dubuque (32-9) vs. #9 Urbandale (28-14)
7:00 — #2 Iowa City West (33-7) vs. Pleasant Valley (25-11)

 

 

MASON CITY — Longtime Mason City High School teacher and assistant football coach Ed Lenius has died. Lenius was an assistant coach under Barry Alvarez on Mason City’s 1978 state championship team. Lenius passed away on Sunday in Lawrenceville Georgia while visiting family. Services are pending through the Major Erickson Funeral Home in Mason City.

 

 

 

WEST DES MOINES — Sports betting rules were approved Tuesday in less time than you have to wait for a television timeout at a football game.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved the rules at their meeting in West Des Moines. Commissioner Jeff Lamberti made the motion, and the rules were approved unanimously. Racing and Gaming Commission Administrator Brian Ohorilko says the casinos can begin offering sports betting at noon on August 15th.

The commission also approved the sports gambling licenses for 18 of the 19 casinos Tuedsay, with the Casino Queen in Marquette the only one to not yet apply for a license. Ohorilko says the commission will be meeting with each of them during the next two weeks.

“Those meetings are intended to work through every control that’s required in the rules to give feedback to the operators — so that they know if they are okay in certain areas — or there are areas where they still need to go back and beef up.” He says the IRGC has been moving forward quickly since the governor signed the law, with the public hearing on the rules earlier this month. “The industry really request a timeline that has been very aggressive, but the commission has been trying to keep up with that. We have been able to meet those deadlines, but we haven’t been able to meet with every applicant,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says the casinos have been developing their sports gambling aps and betting areas on site at their own pace. “We wanted everyone to have an opportunity to start on the same date. And that was important to that we were providing a fair opportunity for everyone. August 15th is that date,” Ohorilko says. “Some of the operators, August 15th isn’t as important of a date — maybe it’s college football season or pro football season. So,they’ll all have an opportunity to start on the 15th, but if they are not ready or chose to wait, they’ll have the opportunity to do that.”

He says sports gambling is the focus right now in the gambling industry.

“There are more and more states considering it. I believe Indiana is very close, similar to Iowa. So, we are starting to see the Midwest considering it. Illinois just passed legislation as well,” according to Ohorilko.

Ohorilko believes there are 12 other states now that offer sports wagering.

 

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have fired general manager Paul Fenton after just one rough season, marked by the end of a six-year streak of making the playoffs and a disassembly of the once-promising core of forwards by trading Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter prior to the deadline. Wild owner Craig Leipold said he told Fenton of his dismissal, a “difficult decision” made because Fenton was “not the right fit” for the organization.

 

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have named Sachin Gupta their executive vice president of basketball operations, continuing the front office makeover under new president Gersson Rosas. Gupta was the assistant general manager last season for Detroit. He spent extensive time with Houston and Philadelphia, too, after first making a name for himself at ESPN. There, he developed the NBA Trade Machine for the network’s website that allows users to play general manager and see what trades would be legal.