Jayru Campbell “Decommits” From Michigan State

1. Cass Tech quarterback and former Michigan State recruit Jayru Campbell got into an altercation with a school security guard earlier this year.  His status as an MSU commitment has been in question for some time, but he went on the record with WXYZ-TV in Detroit and reopened his recruitment last night.

Michigan State's coaching staff can not comment on recruits, so there is no knowing whether he "decommited" or if MSU pulled his scholarship offer.  The Spartans added another quarterback commitment to the 2015 class since Campbell's incident.  Campbell said that LSU, Miami, and Cincinnati are possible destinations for him now.

2. Justin Verlander's struggles continued last night.  He was lit up again, giving up seven earned runs in six innings.  The Tigers lost the game 11-8.

Verlander has given up at least five earned runs in seven of his last eight starts, and a lot of his other numbers over his last eight starts are not good.  Here is a tweet from Dave Hogg from Fox Sports Detroit last night:

There are a few things that Verlander is not doing at a Cy Young level anymore, but the most noticeable drop-off has been with his velocity.  Last night in high-leverage situations, JV threw 94 mph fastballs that were crushed by Billy Butler and Omar Infante.  Those fastballs used to regularly top 100 mph.  He is walking more people, too.  Last year he peaked late in the season, and we'll have to see if he follows a similar trajectory this year.

3. The United States delivered a thrilling World Cup victory yesterday.  John Brooks got the winner late in the game, after Clint Dempsey scored in the first minute of the game.  It came at a price, as Jozy Altidore had to leave the game with a hamstring injury. His status is up in the air for the rest of group play.

4. In sad news, Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn passed away at 54.  Here is an excellent piece of writing by Tom Friend, who covered him in San Diego.  Mr. Padre was a first-ballot Hall of Famer who retired with over 3,000 hits.

5. We had a pair of 13 inning games in the Major Leagues last night.  The Cubs topped the Marlins, and the Phillies beat the Braves.  The Orioles announced that catcher Matt Wieters will have Tommy John surgery, and will miss the rest of the regular season.