5 Things for April 7th: Robbie Ray Impresses in Tigers Debut

1. Dave Dombrowski's trade of Doug Fister has been heavily scrutinized.  Robbie Ray was the centerpiece of what the Tigers got back from Washington, and he was really good in his debut last night.  Granted, he was facing the worst lineup in the majors, but you still have to be encouraged by what you saw.  Ray went 5.1 innings and let up one run in an 11-4 Tigers win.

Miguel Cabrera's bat is heating up.  He went 4-5 yesterday with his 3rd home run of the season.  He has a .364/.417/.682 slash line this month, and appears to have turned the corner after a slow start.  As a whole, the offense punished the Astros hapless pitching staff to the tune of 18 hits.

2.  Both of the NBA playoff games last night were blowouts.  Some people think that the Nets have a chance to upset the Heat based on Brooklyn winning all four regular season meetings.  Well, last night Miami asserted its dominance with a 107-86 home win.

The Spurs took it to the Trail Blazers with a 116-92 win.  Tony Parker was terrific again, putting up 33 points and 9 assists.

3.  The most surprising series of the NHL playoffs so far might be between Boston and Montreal.  The much smaller Canadiens are carrying the play and taking it to the Big Bad Bruins.  Last night they came up with a convincing 3-1 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. Montreal blew a 2-goal lead in game 2, and they could easily be up 3-0 lead in this series.

The Wild and Blackhawks were tied 0-0 headed into the third period, then the game was blown open.  Minnesota countered with a couple of beautiful goals early in the third, then tacked on two more later in the period to close out a 4-0 win.

4.  Coming off of a 51-win season, the Golden State Warriors have fired coach Mark Jackson.  Steve Kerr would appear to be a candidate for that job, and with that roster it has to be the most attractive NBA opening.

Kevin Durant is your league MVP.  He gave a very emotional acceptance speech.

5. Clayton Kershaw made his first start since March 22nd, and didn't miss a beat.  He went seven scoreless innings to give the Dodgers a win over the Nationals.  The Pirates beat the Giants in a walk-off that needed replay to confirm.