Let’s go out to the ballparks.
We have reached the end of the line for the Marlins and this disastrous regular season. They will close out the regular season against the Detroit Tigers in a three-game weekend series starting tonight. Go out to Marlins Park and show one last sign of support for the players this weekend, regardless of how you feel about the owner. The probable pitchers for this series:
FRIDAY Tom Koehler vs Rick Porcello 7:10 pm
SATURDAY Anibal Sanchez vs Nathan Eovaldi 7:10 pm
SUNDAY Justin Verlander vs Henderson Alvarez 1:10 pm
The Marlins are still the worst offensive team in the majors, and one of the worst in major league history. The Fish have been held to three runs or less 99 times this season, and their record in those 99 games is 19-80. Taking it one step further,
When scoring three runs in a game - 8-18
When scoring two runs in a game - 9-20
When scoring one run in a game - 2-24
Of course, they lead the majors in getting shutout, having been blanked 18 times so far this season.
The Marlins are still at the bottom of the list in runs scored this season in MLB, scoring only 507 runs in their 159 games, an obscene 3.18 runs per contest. Here is the complete list of the bottom-dwellers:
TEAM W-L Runs
Marlins 59-100 507
White Sox 62-96 590
Padres 75-84 600
Phillies 72-87 600
Cubs 66-93 600
In contrast, the Boston Red Sox (96-63) lead MLB with 830 runs scored.
Here are the capsules and summaries from all the games in the majors yesterday.
Today’s games around the majors,
Here is the complete, month-by-month 2014 schedule for the Marlins:
The American League Wild Card is still a race. Tampa Bay still leads Cleveland by one full game for the top spot, with the Texas Rangers remaining one game behind the Indians as all three teams won last night. Tampa Bay has three games left in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Cleveland is in Minnesota against the Twins, while the Rangers are home against the Angels. This one will probably go down to the last day.
Over in the National League, the only division that is yet to be “officially” decided is the Central, where the Cardinals now lead the Pittsburgh Pirates by three games with three games to play. Do the math. The Cardinals’ three remaining games are all at home against the Cubs. The Pirates will hook up with the Reds in Cincinnati to basically decide who will host the wild card playoff game, and Pittsburgh has the one-game advantage at this time. Should the Pirates and the Reds end up tied, the Reds would host the wild card game, by virtue of winning the season series between the teams.
The battle for the best record in the American League is still not decided, but the Red Sox have a firm grasp of it. With three games left, Boston has a two game cushion over the Oakland A’s and three games over Detroit. In the battle for the best record in the national league, the Cardinals and Braves are tied. St. Louis has three games left at home against the Chicago Cubs, while the Braves are home against the Philadelphia Phillies.
In other baseball news, sources are reporting that Robinson Cano will be asking for a 10-year deal and $305 million:
Baseball commissioner Bud Seelig announced he’s retiring:
Bud: Good or bad?
David Schoenfield brings us five important issues for the next commissioner:
Mariano Rivera to play the outfield in the final series against the Astros?
Mariano says goodbye to the Yankee faithful:
Shameful, sad incident near Giants Park.
Here are the up-to-the-minute standings in MLB:
Here are the individual league leaders in MLB:
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: When was the last time the Dolphins started a season 4-0? The answer comes later, alligator.
Week Four of the NFL season kicked off last night in St. Louis, as the Rams were blown out of the water by the San Francisco 49ers:
San Francisco 35 St. Louis 11
Bad start to the week. Frank Gore ran for 153 yards and a TD and Anquan Boldin had five receptions for 90 yards. The 49ers defense had five sacks in the win. The Rams were never in the game. After a field goal in the first quarter gave them a 3-0 lead, San Francisco scored 28 consecutive points. Good recovery by the 49ers to even their record at 2-2. The Rams fell to 1-3. Here are the rest of the games this week with my picks in yellow:
SUNDAY
Baltimore @ Buffalo +4 1:00 pm CBS
Cincinnati @ Cleveland +4 1:00 pm CBS
The Bengals have been Jekyll and Hyde so far this season. Last week against the Packers, they became the first team in NFL history to lead by 14 points, then trail by 16, and win by 14. The Browns surprised everyone by beating Minnesota last week behind third-string QB Brian Hoyer, who was replacing injured starter Brandon Weeden. Hoyer gets the start again this week. Something tells me that the Bengals will be ready. The Bengals have won seven of the last nine games against the Browns, but they’ve lost two out of the last three in Cleveland. All that being said, I’ll stick with the Bengals minus the points. The Browns can't pull the upset again this week, can they?
Pittsburgh @ Minnesota +2 (LONDON) 1:00 pm CBS
Indianapolis @ Jacksonville +10 1:00 pm CBS
The Colts had an impressive win against the 49ers last week, and demonstrated that they are more than just Andrew Luck. They showed a power running game last week, with Ahmad Bradshaw and the recently acquired Trent Richardson. The Jaguars are last in the league in total offense, with 230 yards per game. Blaine Gabbert will return for the Jags, but I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. Taking Indy minus the points.
Arizona @ Tampa Bay -3 1:00 pm FOX
Seattle @ Houston +3 1:00 pm FOX
Chicago @ Detroit -2 1:00 pm FOX
NY Giants @ Kansas City -5 1:00 pm FOX
NY Jets @ Tennessee -3 4:05 pm CBS
Two of the most-penalized clubs in the league square off. Titans QB Jake Locker has been improving every week, and he will have his hands full this week with the Jets defense. Lucky for him he has Chris Johnson in the backfield. Johnson is leading the NFL in rushing yards so far this season, and last year, had a 94-yard TD run against the Jets. Jets QB Geno Smith showed some signs of improvement last week, but he has six interceptions and one lost fumble this season. I’m taking the Titans minus the three points.
Philadelphia @ Denver -10 4:25 pm FOX
Washington @ Oakland -3 4:25 pm FOX
Dallas @ San Diego +1 4:25 pm FOX
The Cowboys have shown the ability to run the ball this season, thanks to DeMarco Murray. Like most NFL QB’s, Tony Romo is much better when his team can run the ball effectively. San Diego QB Philip Rivers has shined so far this season, completing 70% of his passes, with 8TD’s and only one interception. Tough one to call, but I’ll take the Cowboys minus the one point.
New England @ Atlanta -2 8:30 pm NBC
I’m not accustomed to seeing the Patriots as an underdog, but they are this week. Tom Brady has not had a good start, and I look for that to end pretty quickly this week. The Falcons haven’t dominated anybody offensively themselves, and find themselves 1-2 so far. Maybe I’m living in the past, but Brady is 3-0 against the Falcons in his career. I’ll take New England plus the two points.
MIAMI @ New Orleans -7 8:30 pm ESPN and Ch. 39 in Miami
The Dolphins have shown what they’re made of so far this season, and last week rallied from a ten-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons last week. They are 3-0 for the first time since 2002. Ryan Tannehill has completed almost 67% of his passes so far this year, and has done something we haven’t seen here in Miami in a while - the Dolphins have scored seven touchdowns in their eight trips into the red zone. New Orleans still has Drew Brees and a formidable group of receiver, with Jimmy Graham the most dangerous. The Fins will have trouble with the former UM tight end. The Saints are at home, and that is always a difficult place to play for the visiting team. All that being said, I’m going with my heart on this one, taking the Dolphins plus the seven points.
I went 4-2-1 last week in my picks vs. the spread, 5-2 straight up. Good start to the season, but I’m a little concerned with this week’s games.
vs the Spread Straight Up Season Total
WEEK 1 3-2-1 4-2 ----- -----
WEEK 2 5-2 7-0 8-4-1 11-2
WEEK 3 4-2-1 5-2 12-6-2 16-4
WEEK 4 0-1 0-1 12-7-2 16-5
More on the Dolphins:
Here’s ESPN’s NFL Nation Blog, with more news from all around the league:
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
The 15th-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes are getting ready for their game on Saturday in Tampa against the University of South Florida. Game time is 12 noon, and you can watch the game on ESPN-U.
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have all the latest from Coral Gables:
FIU will have a bye week this week, and the bye week is now favored to beat FIU by only 19 points. FIU’s next game will be in Hattiesburg, on Saturday, October 5th, against the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi.
Here’s the latest from FIU, courtesy of David J. Neal:
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and FSU:
From Gainesville and the University of Florida:
Here are the NCAA Football rankings for this week and they include Florida State (#8), Miami (#15), and Florida (#20).
Here is the complete schedule in College Football for week 5, including the results for yesterday’s games:
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I’m selling three lots totaling a little over five 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:
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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: When was the last time the Dolphins started a season 4-0?
1995.
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day. Have a great weekend!!!
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