5 Takeaways from Heat’s Late Loss to Milwaukee in Game Four

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The Miami Heat came up short against the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime, with a score of 118-115. After Giannis Antetokounmpo went out with an injury, Khris Middleton stepped up and ultimately led the Bucks to a win. Here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Giannis Antetokounmpo comes out the gate hungry, but ultimately goes out with injury.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing with a purpose out the gate, scoring 19 points in only 11 minutes. But eventually, stepped awkwardly on his injured right ankle, which put him out for the remainder of the game. This consequently fell on the supporting cast of the Milwaukee Bucks. As I’ve mentioned during the series, the only way for the Bucks to compete is if the rest of the team shows up. And after Giannis went out, George Hill and Eric Bledsoe stepped up to finish the second quarter, which put them up 2 at the half. Khris Middleton also stepped up for Milwaukee in the third quarter, scoring 21 in that stretch. He iced the game with a late three to put the game away.

#2: Jae Crowder doesn’t get enough credit for his elite shooting abilties.

Jae Crowder has clearly been a key piece for this Heat team all season, but especially in the bubble. First off, he deserves major credit for his ability to guard Giannis the whole series, which is a tough task in itself. He brings physicality on the defensive end on every possession, which further proves the fact that he’s a Miami Heat type player. And now to his offense. He has continued to be one of Miami’s most consistent and trusted offensive players in the postseason, especially with his shooting. Milwaukee is basically daring Jae to shoot threes for some reason, which definitely benefits Miami. And his on-court chemistry with Jimmy Butler has been clear in this series, since they constantly bounce off each other for offensive sparks.

#3: Miami’s bench unit struggles on the offensive end.

One of Miami’s biggest strengths and advantages this season has been their talented depth on the roster. Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynyk, Andre Iguodala, and others usually give Miami a huge offensive spark, but that wasn’t the case today. Miami’s bench scored 5 points in the first half, which ultimately led to Miami trailing by two at the half. What sets the Heat apart from others is that there is no drop off when their bench enters the game. With others, that’s not the case. But the problem is that if Miami’s bench doesn’t totally show up, they usually struggle. Today, their bench ended up scoring 17 points, with most coming from Tyler Herro at the end of the fourth quarter.

#4: Bam Adebayo is special. Very special.

It’s evident that Bam is the most impactful player on the floor at all times, due to all of the small things he does so well. He’s proved to be an absolute force throughout this whole series around the rim, but what everyone has been waiting for is his mid-range jump shot. And well, not only was he attempting these shots, he was making them. His confidence with the ball in his hands seems to be getting better and better. And with Giannis going out, this also opened up Miami’s offense for Bam inside. And once the defense began to key on him, this led to him utilizing his unique play-making ability, which is clearly his biggest strength. Bam’s ability to take over a game in so many ways was on full display today.

#5: Although a tough outcome, Miami’s in good shape.

The Miami Heat may have lost this game in a tough fashion, but it definitely wasn’t their best performance. Other than Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and Jae Crowder’s good games, there’s wasn’t much contribution from anybody else on the offensive end. As mentioned before, Miami’s bench didn’t show up today, scoring fourteen points. And most importantly, Jimmy Butler wasn’t able to get in a rhythm with the ball in his hands. Although all of this seems problematic, Miami won’t have these scoring issues many times, which means their shouldn’t be much worry heading into game five. And there’s just not much you can do with a scorching hot Khris Middleton.

Marlins Finally Beat Rays

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The Marlins and Rays faced off in game 2 of a 3 game series at Tampa Bay. Coming into last night’s game, the Rays were 4-0 against the Marlins on the season. With their ace Blake Snell on the mound, they looked to up it to 5. Sandy Alcantara and a slowly-waking up Marlins’ lineup had something to say about it. The Marlins won 7-3, improving to 17-17, while the Rays dropped to 27-13 on the year.

Sandy is back!

Since coming off his stint on the IL from COVID-19, Sandy Alcantara has had two starts: both against the Rays. The starts have been “A Tale of Two Cities”- esque. In his first start back a little under a week ago, he allowed 5 earned runs in 4 innings pitched while only striking out 2 in a 7-12 Rays win. Last night, Sandy allowed 1 earned run on 6 innings pitched while striking out 8. Without a doubt, Sandy getting back to ace-level will play a major factor for the Marlins the rest of the season. The bullpen looked fine allowing 2 earned over 3 innings of combined work. Luckily for them, this was the first game in a while where the hitting wasn’t totally dependent on them.

Are the bats FINALLY waking up?

I know one 7 run game shouldn’t be enough to ask this question, but that now marks two games in a row scoring 4 or more runs against one of the best teams in the league. Scoring 4 or more tomorrow would tie our longest streak of the season scoring that many runs. Corey Dickerson keeps having stellar at-bats, hitting a 2-run home run to propel the Marlins’ bats forwards. Matt Joyce came up with a clutch with a 2-out 2-RBI single to break it open.

Looking Ahead for the Marlins

The Marlins take on the Rays in the series finale today at 1:10 PM. Trevor Rogers (1-0, 2.00 ERA) takes the mound versus Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.24 ERA). It should be a good display of young pitching. Every game remains important for the Marlins as more and more time passes.

Miami Hurricanes: Kirk Herbstreit has ‘Canes as sleeper CFP team

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Leave it to Kirk Herbstreit to get Miami Hurricanes fans excited. He made a prediction, but perhaps it is not so outlandish.

On Saturday’s edition of College Gameday , he said that Miami was his sleeper team to make the college football playoff.

Miami is loaded with talent, there is no doubt about that. For starters, D’Eriq King should be able to make an immediate impact. At wide receiver, Michael Harley, Mark Pope, and Dee Wiggins should all be able to help carry the load in the passing game.

Offensively, perhaps one of the deepest groups is running back. The positional group has played well over the course of the past couple of scrimmages. Jaylan Knighton, Cam’Ron Harris, and Don Chaney Jr. are definitely capable of carrying the load.

Miami Hurricanes have talent defensively

Defensively, the Hurricanes lost a big-time player in Greg Rousseau, but they still have a ton of talent. Names like Quincy Roche, Jaelen Phillips, and Zach McCloud should help fill the hole. In the secondary, Al Blades and Bubba Bolden should be able to hold things down.

This Miami Hurricanes roster is extremely deep offensively. Although the defense has some moving parts, they should be able to play at a high level as well. There is definitely talent there, and in particular, the linebacker position intrigues me. I’ll be interested to see what kind of production Miami is able to get from that position group.

In the meantime, this prediction from Herbstreit certainly excites me. In what is a down year for college football, now could be the chance for Miami to show what they have. This is an extremely talented roster, and it’s generated extremely worthy buzz over the past couple of months. Now, it’s time for the Miami Hurricanes to live up to that buzz.

Let the fun begin.

Marlins Lose Close Battle with Rays

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The Marlins started another series with the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Pablo Lopez took the mound for the Fish to start the series versus Josh Fleming of the Rays. The Rays ended up taking a 5-4 victory over the Marlins, upping their season record to 4-0 on the Marlins. The Fish now sit at 16-17, and the Rays up their record 27-12. 

Pitching

Pablo Lopez faltered after a solid start to the season, allowing 5 earned runs in 4 innings pitched capped off with a bases-clearing double off of the bat of Michael Perez. The bullpen remained strong and didn’t allow a single run over their combined 4 innings of work. The hitting couldn’t overcome the 5 runs scored by the Rays, which is a trend I’ve touched upon a lot for this team. The offense is so reliant on the defense that any misstep on the latter’s end leads to a loss.

Hitting

Granted, the offense almost pulled it off. Corey Dickerson and Jesus Aguilar hit solo home runs early on off of Fleming, and Jon Berti came up with a clutch 2-run double. The Marlins left 12 on base and struggled to put anything else on the board. The hitting needs to step up their game if the marlins want to sneak into the playoffs in the Wild Card spot. 

A Look at the NL East

Looking at the NL East, the Atlanta Braves are running away with the division. A 9-1 run by the Phillies has propelled them into a commanding 2nd place position. This means the Marlins are on pace for a Wild Card berth. Although this is obviously a reach, the Marlins are 2/2 on World Series wins, both of which they entered the playoffs as a Wild Card. 

A Look Ahead

Looking ahead, the Marlins play tonight versus the Rays. Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for the Marlins and Blake Snell will pitch for the Rays. Sandy looks to erase his sub-par start last week versus the Rays.

King goes off in last scrimmage before season opener

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Manny Diaz and the Canes held their last fall scrimmage and what better setting than the site of next Thursday’s home opener vs. UAB. Last week, Diaz mentioned that Friday would serve more as a situational scrimmage to see how his players would react in and approach mid-game adversity. Coaches did their best to create a very game-like atmosphere with crowd noise as well as music being blared in between downs. Here are some key notes and stats from Friday’s scrimmage:

 

  • Miami’s newest starter at QB and Heisman trophy candidate showed on Friday night that he thrives on adversity. The team started the second quarter down 24-0 and in response, D’Eriq King connected on 24 of 34 passes for 330 yards and six touchdown passes while running for 84 yards and 9 carries.
  • The beneficiaries of King’s performance were spread out across the board. Freshman receiver Jeremiah Payton led the wideouts with 95 yards on 3 catches with a touchdown. Mike Harley caught five passes for 78 yards and a TD while Mark Pope had four catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
  • Diaz on the team’s execution in the red zone: “That’s the whole key. You’ve got to finish drives and I thought our execution, we did a bunch of different things down there and I thought we were crisp. No assignment issues and everyone seemed to know what to do and do it at a high level.”
  • Defensively, Miami started a front-4 of Jaelan Phillips, Jon Ford, Nesta Silvera, and Quincy Roche. According to a Canes press release, called their performance a “steady disruption” of the offense’s backfield.
  • Stat-wise, Silvera, Roche, and freshman DT Jared Harrison-Hunte all had sacks while Cam Williams and Sam Brooks each had a QB pressure. Diaz added: “We’re going to have to have some depth as well, so even when the other guys went in I thought we were able to be disruptive with the front like what you would expect.”

While UAB won’t have any game film on the Canes, Miami will have film study as UAB opened up their season on Thursday night, winning 45-35 against Central Arkansas and Diaz knows that the scoreboard doesn’t fully acknowledge UAB’s talent.

 

“You still see a very, very good defensive football team in UAB, an outstanding rushing attack, very balanced, multiple guys going in there and running for big yards, and you still see Watkins as their leading receiver and the tight ends were dynamic — especially in the red zone. They’re a very experienced team who’s been in games. The moment will not be too big to them and we know we’ll have to play our best to beat them.”

Keep it locked at Five Reasons Sports for the latest in Miami Hurricanes coverage and be sure to tune into #TheSixthRing this coming Tuesday night at 7:30. We will dive deeper into the season opener as well as predictions the rest of the way.

 

 

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Comeback Win in Game Three over Bucks

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The Milwaukee Bucks seemed to pull away late in the third quarter, but Miami stormed back to win, 115-100. Once again, this was led by the Miami Heat’s superstar Jimmy Butler. Here are my five takeaways from the game…

#1: Bam Adebayo gets busy offensively, but it results in early foul trouble.

Bam Adebayo was searching for baskets on the offensive end tonight, which was much needed for Miami. He was very active around the rim throughout, especially on second chance points. The problem with this aggression though, is that it results in offensive fouls. This is very similar to the offensive play style of Giannis Antetokounmpo, since his aggressiveness results in Miami drawing charges as well. Either way, Bam does so many things without the ball in his hands, that it doesn’t matter much. But he has the capability of making big plays offensively, as he did in the fourth quarter in the paint.

#2: Tyler Herro showcases his importance once again.

Tyler Herro clearly hasn’t been shy of the moment throughout the playoffs, and this continued tonight. It’s obvious that he’s an outstanding player scoring the ball, since he can both shoot and attack the rim. He displayed this with his ability to hit big shots, like the one with the shot clock expiring. It truly is amazing that Coach Erik Spoelstra has this amount of trust in his rookie Tyler Herro, to play major minutes in a playoff series. This is because he has the ability to make smart, veteran passes late in games, along with his elite scoring. But as many have said, Tyler Herro is not viewed as a rookie. He has a veteran mindset to make winning plays, which is why he’s the future of this team.

#3: Derrick Jones Jr steps up again off the bench, but in a different way. 

Derrick Jones Jr got some playing time once again, since Kelly Olynyk didn’t play tonight. It was clear that he’d give quality minutes on the defensive end, which he did, but he actually inserted himself on the offensive end. The reason he’s had issues offensively is because he’s unable to stretch the floor with a respected jump shot. But his jumper was respected tonight, since he hit two first-half threes with zero hesitation. And back to the defensive side, he not only made Giannis uncomfortable in many instances, he made everyone uncomfortable. This is because his defensive instincts allow him to make quick decisions, which disrupt different jump shooters. Although he only got first half minutes, those minutes were a huge contribution to this Heat win.

#4: Brook Lopez becomes a problem for Miami.

Brook Lopez played pretty similarly to the way he played in the first half of game one. Not only a threat from beyond the arc, but also a threat around the rim. This may have a little something to do with the absence of Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo’s foul count, which is why Brook got aggressive. Either way, Miami will need to stop role players, like Brook, in this series, since Miami earned an advantage over Milwaukee in games one and two by stopping their supporting cast. Coach Spo seemed to adjust at halftime, which led to Miami shutting these guys down once again. Erik Spoelstra may be one of the biggest reasons for this Heat win.

#5: Jimmy Butler comes alive in the second half once again.

Jimmy Butler was 1 of 3 from the field mid-way through the third quarter, but then he turned the switch. He went on an 8-0 run, including two tough three pointers. When people talk about Jimmy Butler, they think he’s a pure scorer. But he’s not, he’s an important scorer. He knows when he needs to step up and score, and he also knows when to get his teammates involved and play his role. This was displayed when he made a huge pass to Jae Crowder late in the fourth. But most importantly, he has the ability to attack the basket at will, which usually results in a trip to the free throw line. This is what he got back to in the fourth quarter, which brought Miami all the way back, and ultimately led them to a win. Ladies and gentleman, this is Jimmy Butler.

Weekly Roundkick: MMA News at 5 Reasons Sports

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Pretty busy week as far as UFC News is concerned, got some exciting fights announces, a few fights in the works, some unfortunate dropouts due to Covid-19, and much more. Here’s your one-stop for everything that happened this week

 

Upcoming Fights Announced

 

  • Kamaru Usman set to fight Gilbert Burns for UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 256 on December 12 (Unnoficial Announcement confirmed by Brett Okamoto) 
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alonzo Menifield added to UFC Vegas 9 this Saturday, Sept. 5  on ESPN + (Via UFC)
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Natividad (Replacing Ricky Simon Due to COVID) on UFC Vegas 9 this Saturday, Sept. 5 on ESPN + (Via MMAJunkie)
  • Herman vs Mike Rodriguez at light heavyweight on UFC Vegas 10 on Sept. 12 (MMAFighting)
  • Sijara Eubanksvs Julia Avila at UFC Vegas 10 on Sept.12 (MMAFighting)
  • Bobby Green vs. Alan Patrick at UFC Vegas 10 on Sept.12 (TheRingReport)

 

Fights Teased

 

Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz for the BMF Title- Dana White among others confirmed that they are working to get this fight on a card in January. There’s no doubt this is one of the biggest fights you can put out as far as marketability. Masvidal in my mind is a heavy favorite in my opinion due to the fact that he’s got great boxing, great takedown defense and Nate Diaz doesn’t like checking leg kicks. Even if the fight didn’t stop the first time, it was pretty clear that Masvidal had won every round since. Hopefully we have the opportunity to have fans in the arena for this fight but even if they don’t, PPV numbers should be pretty high with the proven draw that both fighters are. 

 

Jon Jones vs Brock Lesnar- Now we don’t know if this is something that will come to fruition, but Dana himself said that he is open to it if both fighters want to do it. As far as competitiveness goes, this wouldn’t or shouldn’t be a tough fight for Jon Jones to win. He is way ahead of Brock in the MMA game. Jones is much more well rounded and has much better striking. On top of that Jon Jones hasn’t legitimately lost a fight in his pro career and it would be tough to see Brock be the one to break that streak. As far as breaking the streak goes Undertaker yes, Jon Jones no.

 

Fighter Cancellations and Suspensions

 

  • Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos canceled on September 12th due to Texiera testing positive for Covid-19
  • Light heavyweight Jamahal Hill received a six-month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Flyweight Tim Elliott  received four-and-a-half month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Lightweight Luis Pena received four-and-a-half month suspension for marijuana (MMAFighting)
  • Jorge Gonzalez had temporary suspension extended following a positive drug test for several anabolic steroids (ESPN)
  • Middleweight Deron Winn received suspended for nine months after testing positive for amphetamines (ESPN)

Other News 

 

Daniel “DC” Cormier has pulled out of the USADA testing pool, which means his retirement seems to be final. We have seen many fighters say they’re retired, only to come back and try and get more hype in their name. Pulling out of the USADA testing pool makes it more official because now if he would want to fight again, he would need to reenter and be in the pool for a significant period of time before getting another fight. At 41, it seems we’ve seen the last of the legend DC in the octagon

 

Ricardo Lamas seems to be on that same route. After having a fight of the night performance against Bill Algeo, Lamas said he would love to leave on a high note. Coming into that fight, Lamas was 1-3 in his last 4 fights and was on the back end of his career. He spoke about not wanting to chase that feeling of getting a win as an addiction that could be his downfall. After a great extended career in the UFC, it may seem like that Fight of the Night performance could’ve been his last.

5 Post-Practice Comments from Spoelstra, Crowder, Dragic

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The Miami Heat had another early practice on Thursday, following Wednesday’s crazy finish against the Milwaukee Bucks. Erik Spoelstra most likely focused on late game execution today in practice, since it was pretty choppy for Miami down the stretch. Anyway, here’s what was said in today’s media session…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Erik Spoelstra mentioned Goran Dragic’s winning mentality that was displayed yesterday. He said, “He’s one of the more skilled, experienced winners in this league.” It’s been pretty clear that Goran has yet to have a bad game in the playoffs thus far. He has the ability to attack the rim at will, which he constantly uses his backboard floater, and also his elite shooting ability makes him that much more of a threat. But most of all, as Spo mentioned, Goran is a winner. That’s why he fits in so well with teammate Jimmy Butler. For example, though he’s not a great defender, Goran made a crucial steal in game one which iced the game, and even poked the ball loose from Khris Middleton in game two, which slowed the game down. That’s why he will be on the court to close games no matter the situation.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Erik Spoelstra was asked about an update on veteran Andre Iguodala, after he turned it pretty severely in yesterday’s game. Erik responded with “there’s no new update.” That definitely isn’t the best news, considering there was supposed to be an update today. If Andre was to be out a few games, that would mean Derrick Jones Jr would be back in Miami’s rotation. Derrick gave some pretty solid minutes in game two, especially with his scrappiness on the defensive end. It did seem as if he may be too small to guard Giannis one-on-one, which is why we will see him in lineups with Jae Crowder or Bam Adebayo. This will allow him to play off the ball, and do what he does best, which is utilizing his instinctive help defense.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Jae Crowder was asked about his current feeling on this Heat team being up 2-0 on the Milwaukee Bucks. He said, “It’s definitely nothing right now.” The key for this Heat team now is to not get complacent. The reason I don’t think Miami will is because they have still yet to play their best game in this series. Jae also mentioned that he’s been down 2-0 before and still won the series. And honestly, Jae doesn’t seem to get enough credit for what he is doing in this Milwaukee series. For one, he’s knocked down some big shots for Miami down the stretches of both games. And second, he’s been an absolute Giannis stopper. Well, sort of. There’s no way to stop Giannis, but Jae Crowder does as good of a job as anybody guarding him, due to his size and physicality.

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Goran Dragic talked a little about the controversial call when he fouled Khris Middleton on a three point attempt. He said, “You can’t give a referee a chance to put the game in their hands.” He then mentioned how he needs to do a much better job to avoid fouling jump shooters, especially at the end of a game. He also mentioned, “You have smart players, too. They know how to flop.” This comment may have a little something to do with that Khris Middleton shot as well, when Khris made sure to absolutely sell the foul call. But, if Miami can win a game like this, they can win any game.

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Goran Dragic capped off his media session with the quote of the day. He said, “I’m 34 years old. I feel awesome.” As I’ve mentioned previously, some of the reason for Goran’s current play is because of the huge break, which seemed to get him back to his early season self. Another factor could be because of the current environment, which Goran mentioned today feels very similar to his summer three years ago when Slovenia won EuroBasket. Either way, Goran is 34 years old playing 34 minutes a game, and these are very quality minutes. Some also thought it had something to do with the match-ups, but Goran proved that wasn’t the case since he did pretty much whatever he wanted against Eric Bledsoe as well. If Goran keeps up this hot streak, this Miami team is a tough team to beat.

Miami Dolphins fielding trade offers for quarterback Josh Rosen

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The Miami Dolphins are fielding offers for a quarterback. Don’t worry, it’s not Tua Tagovailoa. Instead, the organization is fielding trade offers for Josh Rosen.

According to a tweet from Adam Schefter,  the team has fielded recent trade inquiries in recent days for the former UCLA star.

Rosen was traded to the Dolphins during the second night of the 2019 NFL Draft in exchange for Miami’s second-round pick. He  was named the backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick before the start of the season

Rosen would play in six games last season for the Dolphins, starting three of them. He lost all three of his starts in what was a rebuilding year for the organization. He threw for 567 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions. It was not a banner year for him to say the least.

This move makes sense for Miami. Rosen is still young enough to where he has trade value. He could be worth it for a team willing to take on a project player. With Miami having a capable veteran in Ryan Fitzpatrick and a potential star in Tagovailoa, there really is no room for Rosen.

Miami Dolphins have stability in quarterback room

The one-two combination of Fitzpatrick and Tagovailoa should be enough to carry the team. The stability in the quarterback room is certainly welcome for the Miami Dolphins, as they look to continue building the team. This newfound stability is something they have not had in years. Simply put, there is really no room for Rosen.

As far as value for what the Miami Dolphins could get in a trade, a fourth-round pick would probably be the best get for Miami. For what it’s worth, he is still under contract for two seasons.

There is no doubt that Rosen has a level of talent. It was evident during his time at UCLA. He recorded 9,341 passing yards and 59 touchdowns in three seasons in Westwood.

Maybe, he will be able to get back to that level on an NFL field. at 23 years of age, he certainly could be worth a flyer for any team willing to take on a quarterback.

Marlins Lose 2-1, Split Series With Blue Jays

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One mistake was enough to give Sixto Sanchez (1-1, 2.37) his first loss in the MLB. On a dominant night from Sixto, one hanging slider to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was enough to make the difference. The Blue Jays managed to hold on to their relatively early 2-0 lead off the Gurriel Jr. blast and win the game 2-1. The Marlins fell to 16-16 and the Blue Jays improved to 19-16 on the season. 

Positive Takes

The pitching remains stellar. Sixto had a lot of swagger on the mound and showed high levels of confidence for the young 22-year old that he is. He managed the game with a low pitch count and went 7 strong innings allowing only the 2 runs on the home run. Boxberger and Garcia pitched scoreless innings in the 8th and 9th, respectively. Marlins’ pitching continues to look extremely special with the combination of effective young arms in the starting rotation and the wily veterans in the bullpen. After almost every game (barring some of the games which the bullpen was working on low rest), Marlins’ pitching has been a positive post-game topic. At least they are consistent.

Negative Takes

Speaking of inconsistency, the Marlins’ lineup has continued to struggle. Adding Marte to the mix proved to be the difference on Tuesday, but as seen on Wednesday one guy cannot shift the momentum of 8 guys lacking. These hitting woes have been a consistent fixture on this team. Their ability to get back on track will be the driving factor in whether this Marlins team can continue their run. The hitting has been inconsistent all season, but there have been solid spurts mixed in. The Fish will look to have a 28 game “spurt” to finish off the season.

Looking Ahead

The Marlins have Thursday off. On Friday they head to the Trop to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who they were just swept by a series ago. Pablo Lopez (3-2, 2.10) will take the mound on Friday versus Josh Fleming (2-0, 1.74).