Miguel Rojas: “Tenemos que jugar mejor en Marlins Park”

/0 Comments/in /by

Miguel Rojas está muy contento por estar recibiendo la oportunidad que siempre soñó: ser el campocorto titular de un equipo de Grandes Ligas.

Este año, con los Marlins, el venezolano finalmente está cumpliendo su sueño por completo, al ser el titular indiscutible de la posición en una temporada de reconstrucción.

De hecho, Rojas se ha convertido en uno de los mejores campocortos de las Grandes Ligas. Antes, su gran defensiva pasaba por debajo de la mesa, pues se le veía en todas las posiciones del cuadro, gracias a su versatilidad.

Además, Rojas ha destacado en el plato este año. A pesar de no tener cuadrangulares, el campocorto de los Marlins es uno de los peloteros mas sobresalientes de la alineación, y se ha ganado a punta de batazos y buenos turnos el ser el primer bate del equipo.

Este año, Rojas promedia .276, con un promedio de embasado de .342, y 16 dobles, ya igualando el tope personal en su carrera, y va rumbo a su temporada mas sólida con el bate, si logra mantener el ritmo en lo que queda de campaña.

Su defensa siempre ha sido su mejor carta de presentación, y este año está metido entre los campocortos élite.

Miguel Rojas y su posible primer All Star

El campocorto de los Marlins podría ser el representante de Miami en el Juego de las Estrellas que se va a llevar a cabo en Cleveland.

Hace un mes, parecía claro que sería Caleb Smith el representante del equipo, pero con su lesión se ha abierto la posibilidad para peloteros como Rojas, Harold Ramírez, Garrett Cooper o el propio Sandy Alcántara.

¿Será Rojas el escogido?

Vea lo que dijo Don Mattingly sobre él esta misma semana.

Te invitamos a que escuches el EP 42 de Cinco Razones Podcast, en inglés, junto a Tony Capobianco y Michael Sonbeek (DutchBeek, el Pico Holandés), desde el propio Marlins Park

Zac Gallen gets first career hit in Marlins loss

/0 Comments/in /by

Rookie pitcher Zac Gallen made his Marlins Park debut on Wednesday and threw five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in a 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.

“I kind of settled in after the second inning,” Gallen said. “I would have liked to have gotten through six with less pitches, but other than that, I think I did OK.”

Gallen started his outing with a strikeout but ended up with two runners on base before Matt Adams lined out to second base to end the inning. He knocked in his first career hit in the third inning and scored on a RBI single by Harold Ramirez.

Gallen cruised all the way to the sixth inning until three straight hits ended his night. Wei-Yin Chen came in relief and a three-run home run by Adams broke open the game for Washington.

“I think ultimately when you get through the lineup a third time, guys have seen enough pitches and they don’t want to get to two strikes or deep into counts,” Gallen said. “They just ambushed a few pitches.”

Marlins manager Don Mattingly believed Gallen deserved to make through the sixth inning after throwing 76 pitches through the first five. However his hand was forced after the Nationals jumped on Gallen.

“Overall, you have to make a call with a young guy like that,” Mattingly said. “Do you let him go five innings and get him out of there and leave it positive, or do you let him keep growing? Obviously, it didn’t go good today but I’m sure he’s going to learn from it.”

One other interesting tidbit about Gallen is that he wears glasses on the mound but takes them off while at the plate. He has a good reason for that.

“The glasses are only because, at nighttime, I can’t see the signs,” Gallen said. “My astigmatism and the shadows. … I probably could use them for hitting, but I don’t wear them every day. It throws me off even more.”

Caleb Smith is one rehab start away from returning from his month long stay from the injured list. One of the trio of young starters (Gallen, Jordan Yamamoto and Elieser Hernandez) will have to return to Triple-A New Orleans in order to make room. What might be the best direction to go is to move Hernandez to the bullpen as a way to fortify an area of need.

Javy Guerra returns to Miami

/0 Comments/in /by

An old friend returned to the mound on Wednesday to pitch against his former teammates in during the Washington National’s 7-5 win over the Miami Marlins.

Javy Guerra was a member of the Marlins bullpen during the previous two seasons before bouncing between Toronto and Washington. He entered the game with a 2.08 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 12 appearances as a National.

He was tasked with closing out the ninth inning and protecting Washington’s 7-1 lead. He walked Harold Ramirez to lead off the inning and Garrett Cooper reached on an infield single to shortstop after the throw to second base was misplayed.

Guerra got the next two outs by striking out Brian Anderson looking with a 95 mph four-seam fastball and retiring Starlin Castro on a fly out.

Neil Walker came into the game to pinch hit for pitcher Austin Brice. He walked to load the bases for catcher Bryan Holaday, who hit a two-run single to chase Guerra.

Closer Sean Doolittle came in for Guerra to face Curtis Granderson with two runners on base. The Grandyman hit a two-run triple all the way to the right field wall to score Walker and Holaday but JT Riddle stuck out immediately afterwards to end the rally.

Last year with the Marlins was Guerra’s longest season in the big leagues since 2014 with the Chicago White Sox. He appeared in 32 games as one of the elder statesman of the bullpen and posted a 5.55 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. In 2017, he posted a 3.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Guerra started the season in the Blue Jays bullpen, posting a 3.86 ERA with 15  strikeouts in 14 innings over 11 appearances. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals on May 20 after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment on May 19.

Guerra began his career as the closer for the Los Angeles in 2011, converting 21 of 23 save opportunities.

Adam Conley shakes off the funk with seven strikeouts

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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!)

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/1 Comment/in /by

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.