Adam Conley shakes off the funk with seven strikeouts

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There was only one bright spot for the Miami Marlins during their 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, which snapped their four-game winning streak. The bright spot was embattled reliever Adam Conley.

Conley entered the game in the sixth inning tasked with preventing the deficit from being any more disastrous. He threw three shutout innings with only one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.

The left-hander started the season as one of the high leverage options in the bullpen but has struggled this year. He has entered the game with a 1-7 record and 8.00 ERA but after those three innings, he has 30 strikeouts in 30 innings this season.

Conley said in an interview during spring training that his primary focus is to throw the perfect pitch. With a bevy of breaking balls and a fastball that topped out at 97.4 mph, 11 of the 37 pitches he threw were swinging strikes.

Conley’s role has changed in recent weeks after he fell off the top of the bullpen. He entered the season as the primary left-handed option in high-leverage situations and split the setup role with Drew Steckenrider, who was the primary right-handed option before his season ending injury.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said during the previous homestand that he “has been out of sync” and by adding length to his role would allow him to use more pitches. Conley started his career as a starting pitcher but was moved to the bullpen in 2018 after a 6.14 ERA in 2017. Relievers typically shrink their pitching arsenal in an effort to be more efficient in a single inning sample size. The three inning performance was his highest since being moved to the bullpen.

“Hopefully that is something that is a positive for him and is something that gets him on the right track and in the right direction for us,” Mattingly said. “Most of the stuff with Adam has been balls in bad spots and really not getting the ball where he needs to in the strike zone. We see 97 and 98 [mph] at times. But guys hit that if he’s just throwing in the zone.”

After that performance, it would not be surprising if Conley wasn’t available for the rest of the series.

Marlins returned to home-cooked beef, Scherzer-served 10K burger

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The Miami Marlins returned home riding a four game winning streak and a 5-2 road trip but immediately ran into the buzzsaw that is Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer.

Scherzer notched his 89th career 10+ strikeout game on Tuesday, leading the Nationals’ 6-1 win over the Marlins. It was also his third consecutive 10-strikeout game and in his last seven starts, Scherzer (7-5) is 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA. Not even a black eye and broken nose can stop him.

“You’ve got to come down here and you might not have many fans in the stands, there’s no atmosphere here, but you’ve got to mentally bring it every single time,” Scherzer said.

“They know how to play in this atmosphere and that’s what they’re really good at, catching you and grinding you away. It’s happened to me coming down here. I was fully aware of that and I wanted to come out there and really put an `A’ game against them,” he said.

This is the first home game since radio broadcaster Glenn Geffner went full William Wallace on Twitter after the Marlins’ series sweep in Philadelphia. The announced crowd of 7,327 was actually the second highest attendance mark on a Tuesday home game in Miami. So there’s progress.

This game wasn’t without it’s episode of drama. The only Marlins hitter with any success against Scherzer was shortstop and leadoff hitter Miguel Rojas had a little beef brewing during the game. He got the first hit of the game in the first inning and in the third inning, he got hit in the thigh by a pitch (which also hit catcher Kurt Suzuki) after hitting a ball back to Scherzer that was thrown during a timeout.

“I didn’t think it was professional to do a quick pitch that way,” Rojas said. “I was still looking down. I wasn’t in the box. He was trying to get a cheap strikeout because I wasn’t ready to hit.”

Rojas was ejected along with manager Don Mattingly by home-plate umpire Mike Estabrook in the eighth inning after disputing a called third strike pitch, Scherzer’s 10th strikeout. He sprinted out of the dugout and onto the field toward Estabrook, with Mattingly beside him trying to contain the fury.

“I wasn’t happy with that call, strike three right there,” Rojas said. “I feel like sometimes they make calls because sometimes the game is a little [lopsided] right there. You don’t know if you can come back. I thought it was inside. I had a lot of feelings during the game.”

Mattingly defended Rojas and said that the frustration was over the strike zone established by the umpire. He noted that there is possibly a bias that favors the long established veteran like Scherzer and gives him more room to work with, while tightening the zone for younger pitchers like Trevor Richards and rookie Zac Gallen.

“For us, you’ve seen it a little bit in St. Louis, when you get Wainwright and somebody out there,” Mattingly said. “It seems like every pitch they throw close is a strike, and then we’ve got Gallen going and everything has to be over the plate 100 percent, and we’re not getting it. Miggy, basically, is right. He’s basically saying, ‘Hey, we’re still playing. We still have a game going.’ Max is plenty good enough, he doesn’t need help.”

Speaking of Gallen, he will make his second career start on Wednesday against Patrick Corbin.

Qué esperar en la segunda fase de la Copa América

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La Copa América Brasil 2019 nos ha dejado pocas sorpresas tras la fase de grupos que culminó la noche de este lunes con la clasificación de Uruguay, Chile y Paraguay.

Durante la primera ronda vimos a varias superpotencias del mundo del fútbol sufrir con equipos inferiores, con Brasil empatando con Venezuela, Argentina perdiendo con Colombia y sufriendo para ganarle a Catar y Uruguay empatando con una Japón mixta entre sub-23 y algunos veteranos.

De hecho, el VAR ayudó en un par de estos encuentros para evitar que los favoritos se fuesen con la derrota.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afmEJtTC4qM

Las principales favoritas del torneo siguen en pie, con Colombia como la mas dominante de la primera fase, ganando sus primeros tres encuentros.

Uruguay, Argentina y Chile se asoman como los que junto a los neogranadinos, podrían amenazar de arruinarle la fiesta a Brasil.

Sin embargo, Venezuela, Perú y hasta la propia Paraguay, que clasificó de carambola gracias al empate entre Japón y Ecuador, buscarán darle una zancadilla a los grandes en cada uno de estos cruces.

Cruces recientes en Copa América

Estos emparejamientos tienen antecedentes recientes, tanto en la copa, como fuera de ella, como es normal, pues estos países se enfrentan constantemente en este torneo y en las eliminatorias camino a los mundiales.

Sin embargo, hay ciertos cruces que llegan con un panorama diferente a lo que es costumbre.

Brasil – Paraguay

Brasil es el amplio favorito en esta copa que se organiza en su país. Sin embargo, le tocó como rival en cuartos de final una selección que ha sido su bestia negra en esta misma competición en 2011 y 2015:

Venezuela -Argentina

La Vinotinto ha disputado sus tres encuentros con mucha seriedad y un trabajo táctico remarcable, que gracias al VAR, se vio beneficiado con puntos. Tiene ahora la oportunidad única de eliminar a una selección histórica, en medio de una reconstrucción que los tiene tambaleando en esta competición.

El último enfrentamiento entre ambos, fue hace pocos meses, en Madrid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uCy1-w8xcE

Hace tres años, la albiceleste eliminó a Venezuela en cuartos de final en la Copa América Centenario en un encuentro de trámite disputado, pero que terminó en goleada.

Chile – Colombia

La bicampeona Chile se va a ver las caras con la mejor selección de la primera fase. Colombia quiere vengarse de la eliminación de hace tres años en la Copa América Centenario:

Uruguay – Perú

En el camino a su último campeonato de Copa América en 2011, la celeste superó a Perú en las semifinales. Perú llega de ser goleado por Brasil y sin su estrella Jefferson Farfán, pero buscará hacerle frente a un Uruguay que llega como amplio favorito al cruce.

 

Disfruten del episodio 41 de Cinco Razones Podcast con Ricardo Montes de Oca, Leandro Soto y Alejandro Villegas con sus predicciones de esta ronda, quiénes jugarán la final y qué selección será campeona:

The Jimmy Butler chatter is back (Thank God!)

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Something to liven up your slow sports time.

Nothing gets Miami Heat fans more excited — other than an Udonis Haslem angry Instagram post — than a good transaction rumor.

Especially one that involves Jimmy Butler.

You remember October and November? It was Butler all the time, and we played into that — after all, I was the one who kept reporting strong mutual interest when the big national guys were writing and re-writing Butler’s lists.

Anyway, it’s back. And it fits the whole narrative of some star needing to force his way here, which Pat Riley alluded to during his press conference right after the season.

We covered it on today’s podcast.

You can hear it here:

 

Of course, the issue now is making it happen.

Because there’s three elephants in the room, named Waiters, Whiteside and Johnson that crowd out a lot of options.

But you can bet we’ll be here to cover it and overcover it until Jimmy puts on his Clippers jersey.

And maybe not stop then.

 

Featured image for Dolphins Bed GiveawayLuis Sung

Dolphins give away 100 beds during Hope to Dream Sleepover

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Having a good night’s sleep is crucial for any athlete, which is why it’s fitting that the Miami Dolphins partnered with Ashley HomeStore to host their third annual Hope to Dream sleepover. There, they surprised 100 underprivileged with kids with brand new beds that they’ll be getting the best possible sleep with for years to come.

“It’s a big deal,” said Dolphins pass rusher Charles Harris, who was one of the players in attendance for the sleepover. “You can’t sleep, you’re gonna be tired the next day, you’re gonna be restless, you might have aches and pains, everything like that. As a kid, it’s a little less, but as we all know, father time catches up with everybody. So as you get older, you start to see the little aches and pains become a bigger deal, so to have a good bed to come home to is always great.”

Harris was joined by teammates Davon Godchaux, Bobby McCain, and rookie Christian Wilkins, who added clout and a real sense of fun to the evening. With them, the 100 kids in attendance got to enjoy games and other activities with their favorite Dolphins players and cheerleaders, capping the evening off with a movie before going to sleep on their brand new Tempur-Pedic beds.

As the largest furniture retailer in the United States, Ashley HomeStore has made it its mission to give the underprivileged youth of America a good place to rest their heads at night. They dedicate a portion of the proceeds from each mattress sale to its Hope to Dream program, which has donated over 80,000 new beds to children in need since its inception in 2010.

With the Dolphins’ Football Unites program being all about leveling the playing field, that made them the ideal partners to host the sleepover.

“We’ve always been partners in the community, with their charity events, and this was just an idea Ashley’s been doing for a while, and we thought of a perfect partnership with the Dolphins.” President of City Furniture, the South Florida licensee for Ashley HomeStore, Andrew Koenig said. “You’ve got the dome, you’ve got the players, you got the big, cool excitement that kids get to see the locker room. Combine it all together and it’s a really fun night for the kids. They’re sleeping here tonight, and the Dolphins are huge in the community and giving back and so are we, so it’s really a good partnership.”

But the most heartwarming moment of the night was when the kids got to see their beds for the first time, as it’d been kept a secret up until the big reveal. Some kids were shocked into silence, many of them also gave out cries of joy as they rushed towards their beds, elated that they were their property to take home.

“I was like, ‘wait, what?’ I was so surprised that I wanted to jump all the way to, like, the sky, all the way to the sky.” said Martine LaFortune, who will be turning nine years old on June 30. “It means really a lot to me. This is the first company that gave me and my brother a bed. I’m sad that my brother didn’t come, because he would’ve had lots of fun but that’s fine, at least he’s gonna be surprised by the bed that he has.”

Though the team is currently working on becoming a force on the football field again, one thing that has never changed is the franchise’s dedication to making South Florida a better place. Year in and year out, they lead the way and set the example for other NFL (and even non-NFL) teams to follow. Now, as the NFL celebrates its 100th anniversary, the NFL invites fans, players, clubs and employees to join Huddle for 100, an effort to inspire one million people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time to make meaningful contributions to their communities.

So as Miami pushes forth their #DolphinsHuddlefor100, you can be sure that this year, they’ll be kicking their community presence into overdrive. This is only the beginning of what the Dolphins have in store.

Hurricanes’ Paradise Camp Lives up to Hype

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The Miami Hurricanes hosted top flight recruits from across the nation at their fourth annual Paradise Camp this past weekend.

Numerous alumni and NFL greats were present and the scene was intense for a summer workout.

Michael Irvin was among those in attendance and as usual made his presence felt.

 

For the Miami Hurricanes, Paradise Camp is a weekend to showcase the many positives of the program in an atmosphere second to none.

Look at the tight end coaching.

 

For these recruits to be able to learn from Hurricanes legends and NFL stars in a competitive setting has to be special.

A lot of commits from the 2020 and 2021 classes were in attendance, a great sign as these recruits begin to build early comradery.

Manny Diaz and his coaching staff are truly bringing the swagger back, the amount of hype for this Paradise Camp was impressive.

One player who stood out in particular was 2020 commit Tyler Van Dyke, the 6-foot-4 quarterback out of Suffield Academy in Glastonbury, CT.

 

Weekly Recruiting Recruiting Roundup: 6/21/19

 

Van Dyke showcased his talent in 7-on-7 drills according to reports, and found instant chemistry with star tight end target Darnell Washington out of Las Vegas, NV.

Washington is a five-star prospect with multiple scholarship offers on the table, including SEC powers Alabama and Georgia.

A setting like this definitely won’t hurt Miami’s chances in landing the highly regarded Washington, we will update his status as recruiting continues.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @SportsWaveDave for more Paradise Camp and Miami Hurricanes content.

For more great Miami Hurricanes news and insider access, the 5 Rings Canes podcast is a must listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Udonis Haslem has had enough of your garbage

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OK, that’s not the word he would use.

 

But this is a family website.

Five Reasons and Miami favorite Udonis Haslem posted on Instagram, to let people know what he thinks of them telling him he shouldn’t play anymore. He might tell you something different in person.

View this post on Instagram

I've never been the one to listen to outside noise. Key word is listen. Doesn't mean I don't hear. See the thing most average minded people don't get is if I let your expectations of me define me then I wouldn't be here today. Problem is majority of this world is average ASF!! Nobody ever expected shit from a young fat kid from liberty city. Hell why would they? But I'm thankful they didn't. I guess I shouldn't own Subways, and Einstein, and Auntie Ann's, and Starbucks, and 800 Degrees Woodfire kitchens either huh? What I've grown to realize in my life is that my obsession with success, my drive to overcome obstacles, and my overall work ethics is way higher than most. And I'm ok with that. It makes sense why most think I should retire at 39. Cause most would. Cause most are average minded. Most don't look like this at 39! Hell they ain't look like this at 19. Lol. So y'all keep worrying about the last spot on the roster while I sit back and stay ready so I don't gotta get ready. I'm not saying I'm playing next year but if u with me then u will support whatever I do!! Not tell me what to do!! And if that ain't good enough for u, in the words of Barbara Wooten f**k ya!! U was never wit me anyway!! Oh and one more thing. You out your 🐰 ass mind if you think I can't still play this game. I'll sleepwalk into a double double cause I'm just built different!! Y'all should know that by now but keep hating. I need y'all!! A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and if I'm the weak link that's a hell of a f**king chain!! ✌🏾️☑️💯 #og

A post shared by Udonis Haslem (@ud40) on

Our view on this:

UD should do whatever the f— he wants.

He takes the 15th roster spot?

So bleeping what.

The Heat have 2 two-way slots now. They can develop young players that way.

If he wants to play, he should play. If he wants to coach, he should coach. If he wants to run his restaurants — I was his Subway in Oakwood Plaza this weekend — you should get a meatball sub and like it. And order another.

And if he wants a podcast on the Five Reasons Sports network, get him a damn sponsor and let’s do it.

Very few athletes in South Florida history have earned this right. He has given himself to the Heat franchise and, more importantly, the community, in every conceivable way. His body. His soul. He is Heat Culture, if that really means anything.

Oh yeah, and he takes a photo with my daughter at every Heat family fest.

She chose that jersey for a reason.

So U do U, UD.

Forever and always.

Yamamoto Wins Again as Marlins Sweep

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The Marlins completed the sweep of NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-4 with a 16 HIT bombardment off Philadelphia pitching. Yamamoto took the ball for the Fish and he put the Marlins in a position to win. The Marlins outscored the Phillies 13-8 and out hit them 29-20. Very solid series sweep for the Fish.

Offense Produces

The Marlins offense managed to scratch a run off Phillies’ starter Enyel De Los Santos in the first inning. Rojas opened the game with a lead off single, followed by a Garret Cooper single which advanced Rojas to second. A wild pitch pushed Rojas to third and Cooper to second. 

Starlin Castro comes up huge with a single scoring Rojas but Cooper is thrown out at the plate after a Phillies’ challenge on the original safe call. Nonetheless, Miami is on the board early.

After a Cesar Puello single to open the second inning, JT Riddle blasts a two run homer to right field to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. That is Riddle’s second home run in back to back games and he has now homered in three of his last four games.

More offense followed after the homer by JT Riddle. Garret Cooper and Brian Anderson followed up with homers of their own launching back to back home runs in the fifth inning.

Yamamoto’s Solid Start

Yamamoto got off to a rocky start in the first inning when he walked the bases loaded. He struggled to find the zone with his off speed pitches but minimized the damage to only two runs. A Jean Segura single scored two runs in the inning as they were the only runs the Phillies were gonna scratch off Yamamoto or the rest of the game. 

He managed to bounce back from that rocky start and threw five innings of quality baseball without allowing additional runs. His final stat line for his outing is 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 Walks, and 7 Strikeouts on 99 pitches. Three of those four walks came in the first inning, so a solid bounce back in the aspect of command for the rookie.

Yamamoto Makes History

After his solid pitching performance and the Marlins securing the win, Yamamoto became the first Marlins’ pitcher in franchise history to win their first three starts to start their career. (via @DuseReport)

His performance also pushed the Marlins rotation to sole possession of the 3rd best rotation ERA in ALL of baseball with a 3.71 ERA. They passed the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins and kept their lead of the Houston Astros. The only two teams ahead of the Marlins are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, both with sub-3 ERA’s. (via @fishstripes)

Weekly Recruiting Recruiting Roundup: 6/21/19

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So from now on, I will be providing you guys with weekly updates on recruiting such as visits, recruiting events, commitments/decommitments, so on and so forth.

 

Miami hosted two visitors this past weekend, both three-star linebackers: Romello Height from Dublin, Georgia and Corey Flagg from Houston, TX. This was an official visit for Height, who is listed as a linebacker on recruiting services but is being recruited by Miami to play defensive end due to his tall 6’5” frame. He expects to make a commitment in September and Miami is competing with the likes of Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Florida, and South Carolina.

 

Flagg, on the other hand, loved his visit so much that he wasted no time committing to coaches on the spot while in Coral Gables and to say coaches were happy to get his commitment is probably an understatement:

 

Flagg is rated as the 34th-best inside linebacker in the country by the 247Sports Composite and racked up 144 tackles, 33 tackles-for-loss, and four sacks for North Shore High School.  Flagg will be back at the U for his official visit in August and he joins AJ Mathis as the two linebacker commits for the class of 2020.

 

This past weekend, Miami continued its 7-on7 camp featuring many high schools throughout the state of Florida and were able to get a commit out of it in class of 2021 Hialeah WR Fred Eaford. Eaford committed to his dream school over offers from Indiana and Louisville.

 

WELCOME TO PARADISE

 

Miami’s biggest recruiting event of the year is taking place this Saturday from 6-9 PM, closed to the public but open to the media. Thanks to the indoor practice facility, weather will no longer be a factor and this is also provides a lot of recruits their first opportunity at exploring the new state of the art facility. There will be an opening/dinner event at taking place on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium before the camp on Saturday. 

 

Paradise Camp will also feature a lot of UM legends as speakers, with names ranging from Michael Irvin, Jon Beason, to Jeremy Shockey and even recent alumni with the likes of David Njoku, Jaquan Johnson, and Lamar Miller.

 

The visitor list is below and contains many current 2020 UM commits as well as any notable high-level targets as well as underclassmen targets from 2021 and 2022.

 

2020

 

Commits

 

CB Justin Hodges

RB Don Chaney

QB Tyler Van Dyke

WR Marcus Fleming

WR Xavier Restrepo

TE Dominic Mammarelli

OL Jalen Rivers

OL Antonio Smith

DE Samuel Anaele

DT Willie Moise

DT Trevon Riggins

S Jaiden Francois

S Keshawn Washington

S Daran Branch

LB AJ Mathis

 

Notable Targets

 

DE Donell Harris (Former commit, five-star recruit recently reclassified from Class of 2021 to 2020)

TE Darnell Washington (Five-star recruit from Las Vegas)

S Avantae Williams (former commit)

WR Dazalin Worsham (Alabama commit, official visit)

WR Bryan Robinson (former commit)

WR Leonard Manuel (former commit)

WR Thaiu Jones-Bell

OL Jonathan Denis (former commit)

OL Cayden Baker (on commit watch)

CB Keshawn Lawrence (official visit)

CB Brian George (#1 JUCO CB, hails from Belle Glade, FL)

S Ladarius Tennison (former commit)

DE Jaylen Harrell

DE Elijah Roberts (former commit)

 

2021

 

Commits

 

WR Romello Brinson

WR Fred Eaford

TE Khalil Brantley

OL Laurence Seymore

DT Savion Collins

DT Anthony Hundley

LB Tyler Johnson (brother of former Canes safety Jaquan Johnson)

K Andres Borregales

 

Notable Targets

 

S James Williams (former commit)

RB Amari Daniels

DT Leonard Taylor

WR Jacorey Brooks

LB Terrence Lewis

LB Jonathan Flowe (brother of 2020 LB target Justin Flowe)

CB Corey Collier

CB Jason Marshall

 

Highlights of Heat’s draft night & Riley’s presser

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Alphonse Sidney (@Alf954) and I were at American Airlines Arena for the Miami Heat’s 2019 draft, and stuck around until past 1 a.m. to tape a couple of podcasts and hear from first-round pick Tyler Herro (by conference call) and Heat president Pat Riley.

Here are some of the highlights, tweet by tweet:

 

 

More to come….