The World Baseball Classic has given us more than its share of good games. Last night's battle between Italy and Puerto Rico at Marlins Park was no exception. Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs hit a three-run double to give Italy took a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning against Puerto Rico in an elimination game. However, Edwin Rodriguez’ team was not going down without a fight, and after going hitless in their first 12 AB’s with runners in scoring position, scored a run in the sixth, and three more in the bottom of the eighth to escape with a 4-3 victory and, thus, live to play another day. Puerto Rico will face the loser of the US-Dominican Republic game tonight, with a chance to advance to the championship round in San Francisco. Italy goes home, but they gave both DR and PR fits in the semifinals. Tonight’s game between the Dominican Republic and the US starts at 7:00 pm. You can catch all the action on MLB Network and on ESPN Deportes.
Here is MLB.com’s coverage of the classic:
In Major League exhibition baseball yesterday, a good pitching duel between the Marlins and the Braves, who beat the Fish 2-1. Kris Medlen and the Braves bullpen held the Marlins to only two hits. Medlen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, but had to leave after being hit by a line drive for the second time in the game. Nathan Eovaldi was very good as well, giving up only one run and 4 hits in his five innings of work. Eovaldi struck out four and did not walk a batter. The Marlins will enjoy a day of rest today, before heading to Tampa to take on the Yankees tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 pm. John Maine will start Friday’s game and the Yankees will have CC Sabathia on the hill.
Here are all the scores from yesterday’s spring training games. You can “click” on the box scores and the recap under each individual game’s line score.
In other baseball news, the Marlins sent their top prospect to the minors. Trust me, he’ll be back very soon. Here’s the story from Marlins.com:
Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees are putting all their hopes on the shoulders of the “big three”.
The Miami Dolphins made the splash they were looking to make, signing free-agent wide receiver Mike Wallace, linebacker Dannelle Ellerbee , linebacker Phillip Wheeler to long-term deals, and re-signed safety Chris Clemons. The Dolphins still have some room under the salary cap, so look for a couple of more moves before the draft in April, which looks promising as well, as the Fins have 5 picks in the first three rounds. It feels good to be a Dolphin fan today.
Palm Beach Post Dolphin beat writer Ben Volin analyzes the Dolphins salary cap situation:
In other NFL news, the Denver Broncos signed WR Wes Welker away from the New England Patriots, giving him a two-year deal worth $12 million. Welker is the only receiver in NFL history with five seasons with over 100 catches.
NFL draft guru Todd McShay previews how the first two days of the free agent frenzy may have impacted the upcoming draft:
The Miami Heat extended their winning streak to 20 games last night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 98-94. LeBron James had 27 points along with 8 assists, and Dwyane Wade finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. It wasn’t easy, as the Sixers turned a ten-point deficit with just over 10 minutes left in the game to a 85-82 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to play. Good finish by Miami, who are only the fourth team in NBA history to win 20 in a row during the same season. (I sense a trivia question coming) Next game for the Heat is tomorrow night, in Milwaukee, against the Bucks, who have beaten the Heat both times they’ve played this season. Tipoff on Friday will be at 8:30 pm, and you can watch the game on Sun Sports. After Friday night’s game, the road trip continues on Sunday in Toronto against the Raptors. On Monday, the team will be in Boston to take on the Celtics, before closing out the road trip next Wednesday in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Heat are the fourth team in NBA history to win at least 20 games in a row during the same season. Who are the other three? Tell you later, alligator.
In the rest of the NBA yesterday,
Indiana 107 Minnesota 91
Roy Hibbert had 27 points and 12 rebounds. Paul George added 17 points, George Hill added 16.
Washington 106 Milwaukee 93
John Wall finished with 23 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds
Boston 112 Toronto 88
Jeff Green scored 20 points to lead six Celtics in double figures. Kevin Garnett passed Jerry West for 15th place in career points.
Atlanta 96 LA Lakers 92
Kyle Korver hit 3 free throws in the last 16 seconds of the game. Kobe Bryant suffered a severely sprained left ankle and will be out of action indefinitely, according to the Lakers.
Houston 111 Phoenix 81
Donatas Motiejunas scored a career high 19 points.
Oklahoma City 110 Utah 87
Kevin Durant led the way with 23 points and 10 boards, Russell Westbrook registered 19 points, 9 assists and seven rebounds.
Sacramento 121 Chicago 79
Tyreke Evans scored 26 points, Isiah Thomas added 22 points in the victory.
Denver 117 New York 94
Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 24 and 16 points, respectively.
Memphis 96 LA Clippers 85
Marc Gasol had 21 points and five steals, Tayshaun Prince added 18 points and six rebounds.
Golden State 105 Detroit 97
Stephen Curry had 31 points and eight assists, David Lee finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
TONIGHT IN THE NBA:
Dallas @ San Antonio 8:00 pm TNT
New York @ Portland 10:30 pm TNT
In college hoops, the University of Miami are preparing for this week’s ACC tournament, where they are seeded #1 as the champions of the regular season. The Canes’ first game in the tournament will be on Friday, at 12 noon, on ESPN2, against the winner of the game between Boston College and Georgia Tech tomorrow night.
In college baseball, FIU beat South Florida 4-3 in 10 innings to sweep their midweek series. FIU now hits the road for three games this weekend against Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. Meanwhile, over in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes earned a split of their series with Illinois State, beating the Redbirds, 9-2. The Canes will be on the road this weekend as the travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina in a three-game series.
THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The Heat are the fourth team in NBA history to win at least 20 games in a row during the same season. Who are the other three?
Los Angeles Lakers 33 1971-72
Houston Rockets 22 2007-08
Milwaukee Bucks 20 1970-71
Miami Heat 20 2012-13
The Washington Capitols also won 20 straight games, but it was spread out over two seasons, the end of the 1947-48 season and the start of the 1948-49 season.
Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.
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Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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