The Heat and the Indiana Pacers tee it up again tonight in Indianapolis in game four of their series, with Miami leading 2 games to 1. The Heat absolutely dominated in game 3 on Sunday, and won their fifth road game in a row, all by a minimum of ten points, during these playoffs. The Heat have won 23 of the last 24 games they have played away from home, and, overall, they are 47-4 in their last 51 games this season. They have to keep the pressure on the Pacers tonight with a total team effort like the one they had on Sunday. Game time tonight is at 8:30 pm, and you can watch it on TNT on your cable or satellite system. I’m sticking by my original pick - Miami in six games or less.
Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel always comes through with excellent work. Here’s Hyde with Heat coach Erik Spolstra:
In the Western Conference final series, the San Antonio Spurs swept their series against the Memphis Grizzlies, defeating the Grizzlies last night 93-86. The last time there was a sweep in the Western Conference finals was 2001, when the Lakers beat the Spurs. Last night, Tony Parker was the man for the Spurs, scoring 37 points in the win. This erases the bad memory of being eliminated in last year’s conference finals by Oklahoma City, after San Antonio had taken a 2-0 lead over the Thunder. The team that everyone says is too old to be there, is there one more time. tonight in Memphis. The Spurs are in total control with a 3-0 lead over the Grizzlies. Game time tonight is 8:30 pm, and you can watch it on ESPN on your satellite or cable system.
JA Adande of ESPN.com talks about the Spurs and their championship mettle:
Let’s get some Dolphin stuff in today. Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel wonders if Jonathan Martin will be the man at the key position of left offensive tackle:
I bring you a good news vs bad news situation with the Marlins. The good news is that the Fish scored six runs in yesterday’s game. The bad news is that the Tampa Bay Rays scored 10. Last night, was the first time since May 5th that the Marlins scored more than six runs in a game. In his return to Tampa, Jose Fernandez gave up seven runs (four of them earned) in 3 1/3 innings. Kelly Johnson hit a pair of three-run homers, and now has 24 RBI in 21 games this month. Justin Ruggiano blasted his 8th home run of the season for the Marlins, while Jordan Brown and Greg Dobbs drove in a pair of runs each. The Fish have now lost six in a row, and are 5-19 this month. Thanks again to Jeffrey Loria and his minions for putting a competitive major-league-caliber team on the field. Tonight’s pitchers will be Kevin Slowey and Jeremy Hellickson. Game time is 7:10 pm. The Fish and the Rays will travel to Miami for two more games tomorrow and Thursday. The expected pitching matchups:
WED Roberto Hernandez vs Tom Koehler 7:10 pm
THU Matt Moore vs Ricky Nolasco 7:10 pm
Let’s just learn to live with the inevitable: the Fish are still the worst run-scoring team in MLB, with 138 runs in their 51 games. Their 13-38 record is the worst ever in franchise history after 51 games. I will be posting the “bottom five” rankings in runs scored until the Marlins aren’t on the list. It looks like we’ll be here all season long.
TEAM W-L Runs
Marlins 13-38 138
Dodgers 21-28 172
Nationals 26-25 175
White Sox 24-25 177
Phillies 24-27 178
In the major leagues yesterday,
Orioles 6 Nationals 2
Nick Markakis and Yamaico Navarro each drove in two runs, local product Manny Machado had three hits. Jason Hammel struck out eight in eight innings of work.
Tigers 6 Pirates 5
Justin Verlander allowed three runs in seven innings, striking out 13 along the way. The Tigers won for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Reds 4 Indians 2
Joey Votto belted a tie-breaking two-run homer in the eighth inning. Aroldis Chapman retired the Indians 1-2-3 in the ninth inning to record his 13th save.
Twins 6 Brewers 3
Joe Mauer homered and the Twins won their second game in the last thirteen.
Cardinals 6 Royals 3
Yadier Molina connected long distance and finished with four RBI. Adam Wainwright worked eight innings, struck out five and didn’t walk anybody. Edward Mujica worked the ninth inning to register his 15th save in 15 opportunities.
Mariners 9 Padres 0
Aaron Harang threw the complete game shutout, allowing only four hits and striking out 8. Jason Bay, Michael Morse, and Kelly Shoppach all connected long distance, Morse’s blast was with two men on base.
A’s 4 Giants 1
Josh Donaldson blasted a two-run homer, Yoenis Cespedes also drove in a pair with a double.
D-Backs 5 Rangers 3 (Game 1)
Tyler Skaggs threw six shutout innings, and Heath Bell got out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to secure the win. Cody Ross homered for Arizona.
D-Backs 5 Rangers 4 (Game 2)
Cliff Pennington came through with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Didi Gregorius had tied the game in the eighth with a two-run homer.
Astros 3 Rockies 2 (12 innings)
Brandon Barnes doubled in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Carlos Peña drove in the other two runs for the Astros.
Cubs 7 White Sox 0
Jeff Samardzija with the two-hit complete game shutout. Julio Borbon, Anthony Rizzo, and Alfonso Soriano drove in a pair of runs each, Borbon connected long distance.
Blue Jays 9 Braves 3
Edwin Encarnacion, JP Arencibia, and Colby Rasmus all homered, Encarnacion finished with five RBI. Mark Buehrle held the Braves to one run and five hits in six innings.
Mets 2 Yankees 1
David Wright homered in the seventh inning to tie the game, and Daniel Murphy delivered the winning run with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth.
Red Sox 9 Phillies 3
Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli each homered as the Red Sox moved into sole possession of first place in the AL east.
Dodgers 8 Angels 7
Adrian Gonzalez went 4-4 with four runs scored to lead the Dodgers, who overcame three errors and a poor start from Zach Greinke, who gave up six runs in four-plus innings.
Today’s games:
Braves @ Blue Jays 12:37 pm
Paul Maholm vs Brandon Morrow
Rockies @ Astros 2:10 pm
Jorge de la Rosa vs Jordan Lyles
Orioles @ Nationals 7:05 pm
Kevin Gausman vs TBA
Pirates @ Tigers 7:08 pm
Jeanmar Gomez vs Rick Porcello
Phillies @ Red Sox 7:10 pm
Cliff Lee vs Ryan Dempster
Marlins @ Rays 7:10 pm
Kevin Slowey vs Jeremy Hellickson
Indians @ Reds 7:10 pm
Zach McAllister vs Mat Latos
Yankees @ Mets 7:10 pm
Hiroki Kuroda vs Matt Harvey
Cubs @ White Sox 8:10 pm
Edwin Jackson vs Chris Sale
Cardinals @ Royals 8:10 pm
Tyler Lyons vs Ervin Santana
Twins @ Brewers 8:10 pm
Scott Diamond vs Alfredo Figaro
Giants @ A’s 10:05 pm
Michael Kickham vs Jarrod Parker
Padres @ Mariners 10:10 pm
Edinson Volquez vs Brandon Maurer
Angels @ Dodgers 10:10 pm
Joe Blanton vs Hyun-Jin Ryu
San Diego Padres’ catcher and former UM standout Yasmani Grandal is ready to return from his PED suspension:
Here are the up-to-the-minute standings in MLB:
Here are the individual league leaders in MLB:
In college baseball, one of my favorite times of the year is here again, as the NCAA regionals get under way. The University of Miami Hurricanes made the postseason field for the 41st consecutive year, a college football record in any sport. The Canes are the second seed in the Louisville regional. Their first game is this Friday, May 31st, against Oklahoma State. Game time is 2:00 pm, and it will be televised on ESPN-3 on your computer or smartphone. The other two teams in that regional, Louisville and Bowling Green duke it out starting at 6:00 pm on Friday. The other Florida teams participating: The University of Florida Gators are the #3 seed in the Indiana regional, and will take on Austin Peay, beginning at 1:00 pm on Friday. The Florida State Seminoles are hosting their regional, and as the #1 seed in Tallahassee, will play Savannah State at 5:00 pm. Florida Atlantic, who won the Sun Belt Championship, drew the short straw and will play in the North Carolina regional, and will face Towson in the opening game in Chapel Hill at 1:00 pm.
University of Miami head baseball coach Jim Morris remains hospitalized at Duke University Hospital suffering from pneumonia and will return to the team as soon as he possibly can. In the meantime, assistant coach Gino DiMare will handle head coaching responsibilities until Morris returns to the team.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The NCAA baseball championship regionals get underway this Friday. North Carolina is the number one team in the country, and is the number one seed in the field of 64. Who was the last team that came in to the tournament as the number one seed and went on to win the College World Series? Tell you later, alligator.
Please check this out: I’m selling a little over three acres in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, overlooking the New River, a quick 35-minute drive from Boone and Blowing Rock. Click here to see some photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions:
THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: The NCAA baseball championship regionals get underway this Friday. North Carolina is the number one team in the country, and is the number one seed in the field of 64. Who was the last team that came in to the tournament as the number one seed and went on to win the College World Series?
The University of Miami Hurricanes in 1999.
Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” radio 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.
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE ON MY RADIO SEGMENTS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME FOR ALL THE DETAILS - jerry@descargadeportiva.com
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
No comments:
Post a Comment