What Does Dewayne Dedmon Bring to the Miami Heat?

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It was reported by the Athletic on Tuesday afternoon that the Miami Heat were planning to sign Dewayne Dedmon. The Heat were going to have to sign somebody by Thursday anyway, but a possible back-up big to give Erik Spoelstra some options during the regular season doesn’t seem like the worst choice.

So, let’s take a deep dive into what Dedmon can possibly give Miami off the bench this season…

– A Defensive Relief Big

When talking about the Miami Heat’s defense, the one area that truly sticks out in their personnel is the drop-off with the bench. The numbers clearly plummet when Bam Adebayo exits the floor, but it doesn’t help that Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Nemanja Bjelica are entering together.

So, this is why Dewayne Dedmon can impact some things off the bench for Miami. It’s always discussed that giving Erik Spoelstra options is the most important thing, and allowing him to pick and choose nights to use Bjelica or Dedmon, instead of settling for Precious Achiuwa who he doesn’t seem to trust, may be a huge positive for this team.

On this play, we see Dedmon’s ability to contain a guard in transition, as well as showcase his length to be able to protect the rim. Those attributes are important for a relief big, especially when comparing him to Achiuwa at this stage, since he’s been quite undersized against many bigs.

When Miami looks at certain guys as defensive players, it’s usually about the defensive IQ more than anything. Although Dedmon has a lot of the attributes that make up a good defensive big, he’s very good at finding the right spots on the floor to fill in, even when playing drop coverage on a lot of his past teams.

On this possession, as soon as he sees the ball-handler get a full head of steam, he steps up right into position to take the charge, which are the type of plays that stand out to a Heat organization. If he’s capable of making these plays at this stage of his career coming off an injury, then he can make a big impact during the regular season, which will continually be the point that is harped on.

Here’s another quick example of his ability to contain and block shots. He showed his athletic ability to immediately rise up and swat it, but this once again refers back to his health at the current stage. It’s not really confirmed that he will be as explosive on that end of the floor, but having a track record in that department is a good start.

Another element to this is that they’re adding another one of these experienced players, since although they have some youth mixed in, the way the roster is being built seems to point toward a team looking to make yet another postseason push.

It’s not that Precious Achiuwa should be compared in every aspect, but it is important when balancing the differences in what each can bring. Achiuwa has been known to bring a bit of energy to the floor through his explosiveness, and Dedmon has done that in his career as well, just in a much different and experienced way.

These type of plays are the kind of tellers that showcase an experienced defender, since late game possessions are always important to note. On this play, he’s clearly capable of staying with the versatile Julius Randle, proving that his angles on attackers refers back to the overall defensive IQ.

– A Possible Floor Spacer

I’m not going to dive into the shooting element too much, since the ups and downs have been apparent over his career. He’s had his impressive shooting stretches as he did with the Hawks, but has also had his down moments in other spots, while none of it has been linked to coverages. It just comes down to an inconsistent jumper.

The difference is that it’s widely known that percentages from beyond the arc always increase when joining the Heat, due to both coaching and the motion offense creating different opportunities. On this play, he hits an above the break three in transition, which is usually the shot that proves the capability of a deep threat. He’s also pretty efficient in the pick and pop, which could be quite the balance from Adebayo’s usual quick dives to the rim or mid-range pauses.

– An Interior Presence on the Roll

Now, although many like to immediately look to shooting numbers and abilities when acquiring players like this, that is not the area that I feel he can be the most effective. It’s actually his ability to dive to the rim with his long strides and lengthy wingspan to convert easy opportunities.

On this possession, it’s just a normal PnR against drop coverage, as Dedmon gets an easy bucket due to the quick roll and high spotting of Mitchell Robinson. Miami has a lot of drop coverage beaters, due to Butler’s intriguing offensive aggression moving downhill or Tyler Herro’s quick mid-range pull-up, which is the reason for Dedmon’s possible fit in the offense.

Here’s another example of his play against drop coverage, except this one is a bit more recent.

It shows more of that experienced presence, and an ability to get to the spots on the floor that he feels most comfortable. A floater in a dead spot is one of those things, and could become useful for a reserve tandem with Goran Dragic, since he has always been pretty good at finding the roller in their spots like this. And once again, if he still has the same athletic ability, it’ll make that off the bench duo even more dynamic.

When I say an athletic ability, this is what I mean, since he has a past of playing above the rim at times due to his length. He reads the play as his defender drops to cut-off the ball-handler, leading to another dive and dunk.

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It’s not certain that he will get any significant minutes as a back-up big with this team, but it’s a trusted option if Miami struggles on the defensive end of the floor like they did against Memphis, or possibly when shooters aren’t knocking down shots, so Dedmon has a chance at giving them that spark. That exact evaluation won’t be able to be predicted until he actually sees the floor with this team upon joining them.

– An Energetic Rebounder 

The last part of this is the rebounding addition. The Heat have had their moments this season where they just couldn’t grab a rebound, which would lead to opposing teams having much more shot attempts in the final box score.

Undersized big men, like Achiuwa, and non explosive rebounders, like Kelly Olynyk, will lead to that result. And well, this is yet another thing that Dedmon can bring to this team at his peak and fully healthy moments. On this play, we see a player who isn’t afraid to battle down low, and at times Miami has missed that interior presence.

So, even though a lot of the breakdowns in this article are truly hard to have any real takeaways due to the time gap, it’s by far the best option on the market as a low risk guy due to them needing to fill that roster spot anyway.

Will A New Set Of Golf Clubs Improve Your Game?

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If you are interested in starting off with golf and wondering if an old golf club set-probably your dad’s-is going to be just fine or not, then you have landed on the right post. Maybe you’re thinking about getting a new set instead of utilizing the old beaten-up one. Will the condition of the golf club set make a difference? Let’s find out.

A New Set Of Golf Clubs Can Be Good For Old And New Players

With a new set of golf clubs, you can definitely improve your gameplay, but it can also depend upon your current level of skills and other factors.

For Experienced Players

If you’ve started playing golf and have learned some skills with an old set, you will witness a positive improvement in your abilities. As you would have already practiced playing golf using a used set of clubs, you will have more control over your swing speed with new ones. Old clubs could have lost their balance, which might train a golfer to use more force for a swing or some other technique. A new golf club will have every feature in mint condition to ensure more productivity with a little bit of effort.

For Complete Beginners

If you start your golfing journey or career with a completely new set of clubs, you are given the resources to do reasonably well right from the start. You will be well-suited to swing properly and with style without worrying about correcting your balance due to a damaged or old club. However, the improvement might not be as significant as that of an experienced player.

So, we can say:

A good and experienced golfer who practices with bad clubs, in the beginning, can do wonders with a new set of clubs.

On the other hand, a beginner who uses new clubs from the start of their golfing career can show improvements in a gradual manner.

Factors To Consider To Help You Improve

Several factors can help you improve your game with a new set of golf clubs. These could include the shape, size, and materials used for the grip, shaft, and head of the clubs. You may want to read more about how to select the right golf club to improve your game from the beginning of your golfing career. You will still need to practice your style, swing, and other skills to improve significantly.

Some might consider price a factor, but buying an expensive set of clubs is not going to improve your game overnight. Likewise, you cannot improve your skills if your golf clubs are not properly designed to withstand the swings and hardness of a golf ball.

Now, let’s look at the factors that will govern your ability to improve with a new golf set.

Swing Speed

How fast and efficiently you swing a golf club will give you an idea of how far the ball goes. Swing speed will help you reach an adequate amount of distance to cover the ground and reach the hole with as few swings as possible. However, swing speed does not convert to straight shots because it can be hard to hit the shot straight when you swing the club too quickly.

 

Golf Shaft

You can improve your swing speed when you have a good-quality shaft to support your move. The best golf club shafts come in steel and graphite, which have varying flex options, like regular, senior, and flex. Graphite, being lighter than steel, might be a recommended shaft type for beginners. For players who have a slower swing speed, the graphite club would be better as its lightweight and flexible material lets golfers swing the club faster.

For players who have a faster swing speed, a hybrid shaft, usually steel-based, would be a good option. A regular flex option would be ideal for such players. The most experienced players usually prefer senior flex options, which offer them the speed and bulkiness to obtain the maximum swing speeds.

Golf Club Heads

A golf club for a beginner will usually include an oversized head consisting of a large surface area for the sweet spot. With an oversized head, it’s easier to hit the ball because there is more surface to bring in contact with the ball without ruining the turn. You may also decide between muscle back and cavity back irons for your set of clubs. Muscle backs are capable of allowing a decent power to swing a clean and easy strike, whereas cavity backs are more suitable for players with controlled strikes.

An old set of golf clubs may still be needed in your golfing journey but keep in mind that the set you will use has to be in proper condition to withstand the swings, heavy-hitting, and other wear and tear while playing. If you plan on purchasing a new set of clubs, make sure to do thorough research beforehand. Using information from reliable sources can be a great help in determining the right set to improve your game. Moreover, a new golf club set will stick with you for a longer time, letting you heighten your game even further.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Memphis

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The Miami Heat’s winning streak ended on Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. After some early open looks from beyond the arc for the Grizzlies, following that up with a third quarter Dillon Brooks explosion, led to Miami playing from behind throughout. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Bam Adebayo comes out with early offensive aggression.

Some may point to a certain ESPN ranking, which placed Bam Adebayo at 9 among the top player’s potential under the age of 25, for the reason of this early aggression. Others may just call it inevitable when he’s facing favorable match-ups in certain areas. Jonas Valanciunas was basically begging Adebayo to shoot a wide open mid-range jumper throughout, so he did just that. But he really looked to attack in spurts that many have been awaiting for quite some time. Forcing that defense to collapse benefits the shooters on the floor, which is why both Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro had some good looks early on. Coach Spoelstra always has that interesting offensive card in his back pocket to throw down in a playoff series, and that may just be unleashing Adebayo to play as free as can be.

#2: The one negative defensive aspect on display.

Defense has been quite the topic when discussing the Miami Heat as of late, but the negative side of things must be harped on. Adebayo switches in the pick and roll may have been cured a bit with the newest defensive acquisitions, but now it’s a new obstacle for him. As I asked him following the past game, it seems to be more about reading the defender in the PnR than it does the offensive player. Although he may be able to switch when the PnR includes Jimmy Butler, who is very capable of guarding a big, other guys on the roster aren’t as capable. As he responded to my question, there’s a heavy reliance on that backside rotation, which may not consist of the correct guys while Adebayo is eliminated from the play on the perimeter. That exact mindset led to 10 first half triples for the Grizzlies, while most of them being wide open due to that exact defensive takeaway.

#3: Tyler Herro finding an offensive rhythm.

As I already touched on Adebayo’s early offensive explosion, Tyler Herro followed that right up with a very efficient start of his own. The two of them combined for 21 first quarter points on 82% shooting, which is very impressive. Herro was doing it in many different ways, including some catch and shoot threes, as well as mid-range floaters out of a pick and roll. Although he showcased this all for many stretches, it’s apparent that he fades away in the offense during other spurts. When other creators, like Victor Oladipo, are on the floor with him, it’s alright to allow them to run some things while he plays off the ball, but when he’s rolling like he did tonight, that decision is questionable. As I’ve mentioned since Miami picked up Oladipo, the most intriguing aspect will be the fit next to Herro. Oladipo has been super unselfish since joining the team, but Herro has to be able to control the offense and read a situation when he truly has it going.

#4: The Jimmy Butler third quarter comeback becoming a common theme.

Jimmy Butler third quarters have become a common theme recently, and I’m not so sure it’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s a positive element when discussing his ability to flip a switch to attack the basket and score with ease whenever he wants, while the negative aspect is letting two quarters pass by may lead to it being too late. Victor Oladipo will become a crucial part of Butler’s effectiveness for one reason: lineups. Butler and Adebayo continually have their minutes staggered, as they’re asked to lead their respective lineups. But once Oladipo can create consistent offense and score the ball, Adebayo and Butler may be able to play together for longer stretches, without allowing the lead to expand and continue to play from behind.

#5: A quick Victor Oladipo observation following first full practice.

This was going to be an interesting game for Victor Oladipo, since he was able to practice for the first time on Monday afternoon. Now, that may not mean he’s able to immediately fit into the offensive scheme since it still takes time, but it definitely gives an added feel for the scheme. Although he had his moments throughout the night, the one thing that seems to be holding him back has nothing to do with scheme. It’s actually his personal play style at the moment, which is a bit tense a lot of the time due to his unselfish play. Much like I’ve discussed with Butler and Adebayo, selfishness is needed in many spots of the game, and Oladipo has shown to be that type of player over his career. Once he gets fully acclimated with the offense that may come, but it’s important to monitor since they need him playing freely offensively for him to be at his best.

Marlins vs Rays Takeaways

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Miami Marlins baseball is back! On Opening Weekend, the Fish found themselves slated against the defending AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Although the Marlins dropped 2 of the 3 games at home, there is a lot to be excited about in Miami going forward in 2021. Here are my main takeaways from the first weekend of Marlins baseball:

 

Marlins Pitching

With high amounts of well-deserved hype surrounding the Marlins young pitching staff, they somehow exceeded expectations. Let’s take a look at the 3 starters who got the ball this weekend and the revamped bullpen.

Sandy Alcantara

Sandy proved his ace status this weekend, pitching 6 strong innings giving up just 2 hits and no runs. He dominated an extremely potent Rays lineup on Opening Day, leaving the game tied up 0-0 going into the 7th. He looked to be in midseason form, as he generated 7 strikeouts during his outing and 15 strikes swinging. It’s a shame such a masterpiece had to go down as a no-decision, but his counterpart Tyler Glasnow pitched just as well. If Sandy continues to pitch on this level, the Marlins will be in great shape going forwards

Pablo Lopez

Pablo Lopez is not a flashy pitcher, but he gets the job done continuously. Much like Sandy, Pablo shut down the Rays over his 5 innings of work, allowing 0 runs on 2 hits with 4 strikeouts. I would have liked to have seen him work for another inning or two, but with the Marlins held scoreless through 14 innings at the time, the pinch hitter seemed almost necessary. If Pablo can pitch past the 5th inning consistently this season, he will show his continued development as a number 2 man on a playoff team in the future. 

Elieser Hernandez

Hernandez allowed 2 runs in his 2.1 innings on a 2-run bomb off the bat of Mike Zunino. A simple cross up between Wallach and Hernandez allowed this to happen the pitch before, so his actual pitching isn’t too worrisome. What is worrisome is that he left the game early due to bicep inflammation. It is unclear how long he will be out due to this injury, but hopefully he can get back to his normal form soon.

Bullpen

Oh boy. The “revamped” Miami bullpen is the sole reason this team is not 2-1. In their combined 10.2 innings of work, they have allowed 11 runs, including the 4-run blown save by Anthony Bass in game 2. Look, these numbers aren’t great, but it is not too alarming. It takes time for a bullpen to become a cohesive unit, especially when most of the guys are in new situations. On a positive note, after poor performances in their first outings, Yimi Garcia and Anthony Bass bounced back in their next games. As they settle in, this bullpen will get more and more stable as time progresses.

 

Marlins Hitting

In what seemed to be a flashback to the early Miami days, the Marlins were shutout for the first 14 innings of the 2021 season. Their offensive struggles seemed to carry right on over from 2020. In the 6th inning of Friday’s ballgame they finally woke up. So much so, that the Marlins actually outscored the Rays 16-14 through the 3-game series. Starling Marte, Jazz Chisholm, and Garrett Cooper led the way. 

Marte

After going 0-4 with 4 (!!!) strikeouts on Opening Day, Starling Marte showed why he is the main bat in this lineup. In games 2 and 3 he went 7-10 striking out 0 times. A full season of Starling Marte means a full season of games like these. He has been this player his entire career and will be the backbone of this offensive force going forwards.

Chisholm

The blue-haired phenom. The face of a young Marlins team. Jazz Chisholm may be 2 for 10 to start the season, but his impact is much greater than what is visible on the stat sheet. He brings energy to a lineup that was previously lacking. He fits in with the small ball mentality Mattingly continues to utilize (evident through his magical trip around the bases on Saturday night). As he continues to get more at-bats and become more and more comfortable as an every day MLB player, the sky’s the limit.

Cooper

After all of the controversy regarding how Cooper would fit in the lineup going into this season, he made his name known on Saturday. A very poor performance Friday night in which he left 5 runners on-base going 0-4 with a K started his season on a bad note; however, on Saturday we saw the real Garrett Cooper: 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs and a solo homer. The decision at first base may get tougher and tougher if he continues to produce like this. 

 

Outlook for Marlins

 

Regardless of the result, the Marlins look better than expected. The lineup looks strong, the starting pitching is as advertised, and the bullpen is developing. They went head-to-head with one of the best teams in baseball and completed all 3 games.

 

Now, the Marlins look forward to a 3-game set against the Cardinals. The Fish start Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara, and Pablo Lopez versus the Cardinals’ Ponce de Leon, John Gant, and Jack Flaherty. With an extremely tough schedule lined up at home versus Saint Louis, and away against the Mets and Braves, this will prove to be the first test of many. The “Bottom Feeders” will be ready.

 

Follow me on twitter @chasechrisjr for more Miami Marlins coverage.

Neymar’s Poker Passion Helps Him Score Lucrative Partnership Deal

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Brazilian soccer star Neymar is no stranger to lucrative sponsorship deals, having racked up sponsorships with Beats, Nike, Volkswagen, Santander, and Unilever worth tens of millions of dollars. The former FC Barcelona legend was also the third-highest paid footy player in the world in 2019, earning a staggering $110 million.

If you were ever wondering how the star forward has been spending some of his hard-earned cash, we now have the answer. In December 2020, it was announced that Neymar would officially be partnering up with Poker Star, the world’s largest online poker cardroom that controls two-thirds of the global online poker market.

Although this might seem like an odd choice of partnership for a 29-year-old footballing legend, it turns out that Neymar is the perfect fit. In numerous statements released by the player since the partnership deal was announced, he has been feeding fans details about his lifelong love of the game of poker.

He has said on his Instagram page that “whenever I am not playing football, I am playing poker” and that he loves poker because of “the sense of community, the fun, and the unpredictable moments that can occur in any game”.

While skeptics might assume that this love of poker is a newfound obsession that coincides with his presumably lucrative contract with Poker Star, they would be wrong. It turns out Neymar has been a dedicated member of the global poker circuit for many years now, playing at both public tournaments and anonymously in online poker rooms.

People first started paying attention to Neymar’s passion for poker back in 2015, when he was snapped by paparazzi while attempting to maintain a low profile at the EPT Poker Championships in Barcelona. He has also been snapped playing at various low and high-roller poker tournaments across Europe, including a number of matches in Girona.

Although he clearly loves the excitement of an in-person poker session, his passion for poker clearly extends beyond high-profile tournaments. He also spends a lot of his spare time playing online poker on a variety of websites and streaming his gaming adventures on Twitch, where he currently has 1.3 million followers (his username in Neymarjr, for anyone who might be wondering).

There, he can often be seen playing up to three or four online poker games at a time, all while engaging with his massive online fanbase and taking poker advice from some of the best players in the business. He is also known to go head-to-head with his fans around the world, usually taking requests on IG Live or via his Twitch channel.

If you fancy facing off against one of soccer’s greatest players at a virtual poker table, you might want to work on your game. Poker is certainly more than just a hobby for Neymar, which is demonstrated by the fact that he has actually won several small-scale poker tournaments over the course of the past few years. Should you be feeling particularly lucky, you should brush up on your poker variants.

Although classic Texas hold ’em is Neymar’s primary game of choice, he is also known to be partial to a few rounds of 7 card stud and Omaha. The different versions of the game are becoming increasingly popular with amateur players. As this asiabet.org guide to online poker explains, anyone can play online variants such as Texas Hold ‘Em, 5 card stud, and Omaha, online for free, by opting to play with fake money against real players. This allows players to build up their poker-playing prowess.

Neymar’s love of poker is, of course, not a unique thing among soccer stars. A number of famous soccer players have gone on to forge high-profile partnerships with both online and physical poker providers. Gerard Pique, Ronaldo, and Tomas Brolin are all well-known in the world of international poker and frequently visit various online poker lounges in their spare time.

However, none of these seem to have the same lifelong passion for the game that Neymar has, which is probably what makes him such as perfect fit for the sponsorship deal he has landed. While he is almost certainly being paid handsomely for the sponsorship, one cannot help but wonder whether he would have agreed to do the whole thing for free, given that he is such an obvious poker mega fan.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Cleveland

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The Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night, which expands their winning streak to 4 games and puts them 2 games over .500. Although Victor Oladipo didn’t have the expected offensive bounce back game, he impacted in other ways, and ultimately was a needed game to give him extra run in the offense. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: Miami’s switching scheme benefiting personnel, Ariza on guards and Butler on bigs.

The switching scheme was a bit interesting to begin the season since there were many breakdowns occurring through Bam Adebayo’s switch, leading to a weaker defender being stuck on a big. But now that Miami has quite the list of versatile defenders, it makes Adebayo’s life a lot easier. For one, Trevor Ariza looks much more comfortable when defending opposing guards, which is perfect due to the amount of times he ends up seeing that match-up. Another interesting element to this switching is Jimmy Butler, since although nothing has changed, his ability to guard post players is shown time and time again. It also seems like Adebayo realizes that, since he’s even more willing to switch onto the perimeter when Butler’s involved in the PnR.

#2: Duncan Robinson is still firing, making slight adjustments.

The Duncan Robinson takeaway seems to be locked into this post-game piece now, since he’s shooting the three-ball the way that many have been awaiting for quite some time. The usual DHO and catch and shoot opportunities are still there, but another element was shown tonight, as well as a lot of the games lately. The one dribble side step on the perimeter is quite simple for the offensive player, but the complete opposite for the defensive player. The amount of gravity he holds on the three-point line is well known, which leads to constant fly-outs, leading to that side step eliminating them from the play. It’s once again about finding ways to get open shots for Robinson, and that is one simple way of doing so, while some more small changes should be on the way as well to truly maximize his ability.

#3: Coach Spo goes a different route with the rotation tonight, as well as lineups.

Due to Andre Iguodala being out, it was clear that the line of wings was a bit short tonight. So, Miami went to even more of the three guard lineups, mostly with Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Victor Oladipo. This lack of wings also led to Nemanja Bjelica getting some run next to Bam Adebayo, which is different since them being the two primary bigs means they’ve had to constantly be interchanged. Precious Achiuwa got some run as the relief guy, meaning he was the one who fulfilled the nine man rotation. Kendrick Nunn not getting inserted into that 9 man rotation was expected, but still an intriguing discussion to be had. He wasn’t going to get minutes over Dragic or Herro off the bench, but considering he was playing some pretty good basketball before being replaced, makes this conversation a bit different.

#4: Trevor Ariza finding his offensive fit, which begins with knocking down triples.

When discussing a guy who has continually been looked at as the 3 and D specialist, the three side of it hasn’t made many appearances, while the defense side has explicitly. But tonight, three-balls were falling, and that has a lot to do with him getting a few games under his belt, which means he’s beginning to find his offensive fit. Although knocking down catch and shoot threes is an important element, the spacing seems to be the bigger concern when first joining the team. Victor Oladipo is currently going through that at the moment, but Ariza seems to have passed that point now, generating the needed space when mentioning the 4 spot next to Adebayo.

#5: Bam Adebayo’s efficiency continues to fly under the radar, while shining in wins.

Bam Adebayo’s field goal stat category is the first stat observed after a loss, since his attempts are constantly harped on, but it seems like it never gets discussed following wins. He has consistently been a very efficient player, and he’s definitely not the traditional center who just takes shots at the basket. The mid-range pull-ups are becoming a natural occurrence, while he sprinkles in many different crafty ways to score. It’s clear that he is a very unselfish player who can rack up plenty of assists with the amount of offense that runs through him, but that level of efficient offense should not be taken for granted, since although Robinson threes or Butler drives are looked at as the focal point at times, the Adebayo scoring is actually the primary element.

Pablo Lopez impresses in Marlins loss

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Opening Day came and gone, but for the other pitchers in the Miami Marlins starting rotation, like Pablo Lopez, that feeling still persists.

“A lot of excitement, a lot of butterflies going on,” Lopez said.

Lopez started the 2021 season by shutting out the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays for five innings, allowing only two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The Rays ended up winning 6-4 on Friday after a four-run rally in the ninth inning.

“Once I was able to get through the first inning I was able to settle down a little bit more and it was about executing pitches.”

Lopez showed a lot of improvement last season, dropping his ERA from 5.09 in 2019 to 3.61 and struck out more batters than innings pitched for the first time in his young career.

The next step for him is to establish a better breaking ball and have five pitches to work with. He’s trying to do that with a cutter, sinker, and curveball.

“It’s gonna help a lot,” Lopez said. “You’re going to face teams that have very good balance like the Rays. They got five lefties, four righties, so it’s good to have pitches that have both movements to both the arm side and glove side.”

Lopez threw 77 pitches after five innings. He said he felt good physically but with the season going from 60 to 162 again, managers will likely be hesitant to keep starting pitchers out for long especially when there is a desire to give the relieves on the mound for the first time.

Back & Forth

The Marlins bullpen gave up a pair of home runs to the Rays in the next two innings. Austin Meadows homered off Richard Bleier’s cutter in the sixth inning and Manuel Margot hit a 400-foot bomb off Justin Curtiss in the seventh inning.

The Marlins came back and took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after Jazz Chisholm hit a triple to spark a three-run rally capped by a two-run double by Miguel Rojas.

The Rays scored four runs off newly signed Marlins closer Anthony Bass in the ninth inning, including a three-run home run by Joey Wendle.

“The guys battled tonight and showed you after not scoring for 15 innings that all of a sudden things start to roll,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “We felt a little better about ourselves offensively after this game. We’re gonna be fine.”

All that Jazz

Chisholm’s rally-sparking triple in the seventh may be a sign for things to come. He was the top-rated prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks system in 2019 when the Miami Marlins traded emerging ace Zac Gallen for him at the trade deadline.

Two years later, he beats Isan Diaz for the Opening Day second base job and is starting to prove that he is a star on the rise.

Jazz is one of those guys, he plays with a lot of energy,” Mattingly said. “Hold on, Jazz is starting his thing.”

Up Next

Elieser Hernandez starts in the series finale against Rays, who are sending out Rich Hill. Hernandez started all six games and posted a 3.16 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched.

Hill is starting his season with his 10th MLB team. Hill posted a 3.03 ERA in eight starts in his one season with the Minnesota Twins last year.

5 Takeaways from Miami’s Win Over Golden State

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The Miami Heat extend their winning streak to 3 games on Thursday night against the Warriors. Victor Oladipo’s debut may not scream from the stat sheet, but this is the exact debut that the Miami Heat organization loves. Just lots of defensive impact, and resulting in a win. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: The initial Victor Oladipo observation.

Victor Oladipo made his debut tonight, and it’s clear that offense won’t be the initial takeaway. Pat Riley’s first conversation with him was about “defense, defense, and defense,” and there’s a reason for that. He wrecked havoc on the perimeter early on, mostly since he is capable of locking on an opponent without relying on a switch. This works both ways for Bam Adebayo as well, since he doesn’t feel that he must switch every screen. The offensive side of the ball for Oladipo was a bit passive early on, which is not surprising, since he’s trying to find his fit into this unique motion offense. Once he becomes comfortable after a few games, the offense will look a lot smoother with him as the ball-handler, while the defense can be plugged in at any time.

#2: Miami’s identity is clearly defense, but it might be scheme more than personnel. 

To further the discussion about defense, it’s not all about the addition of Oladipo. And honestly, it’s not all about the versatile personnel pieces including Butler, Adebayo, Ariza, and Iguodala. It’s mostly about the differing schemes, which becomes even more deadly when you are even average in individual man to man sets with Oladipo at the point of attack. The reason that scheme stuck out tonight was many plays where guys like Robinson and Herro would trap together on the baseline, forcing turnovers or transition offense. And although it’s very true that they’re improving from a team defense stance, the main element is that the Heat’s coaching staff is placing them in areas that they know they will thrive, or at least not get picked on. This team has a chance to be really special with the amount of weapons to swarm the perimeter, and that begins with the team’s young and versatile centerpiece, Bam Adebayo.

#3: Rotations become interesting, including Kendrick Nunn role and substitution timing.

It seems necessary to discuss the Heat’s rotation after tonight, since there were quite a few things that stuck out about it. For one, Goran Dragic being out meant the Kendrick Nunn situation wouldn’t be addressed at the moment, but I guess it was. Gabe Vincent got his name called before him even though he was cleared, but maybe he just didn’t feel 100% once the game started. The second part of this is Nemanja Bjelica getting the backup big minutes instead of Precious Achiuwa, which worked out pretty well due to Belly finding himself in the offense pretty quickly, while also spacing the floor. The last part of this includes the main guys, since Adebayo and Butler’s minutes have continually been staggered since it’s hard to survive stretches with both of them on the sideline. Although they’re capable of going to it more with Oladipo, it’s just never ideal since Adebayo’s game is not easily replicated, not only on this team, but in the entire league.

#4: It’s not about Duncan Robinson’s three point makes, but actually what comes next.

The recent talk involving Duncan Robinson has been strictly the shots he’s making, as well as the areas of growth that he is showcasing. That includes defensive instincts, a willingness to put the ball on the floor and attack, among other things. But when evaluating his jump-shot, it’s not so much about the three-point makes, as it is what comes next. One play in the first half stands out, when a possession following him making a three, led to two defenders flying high on him at the perimeter, as the ball found an open cutting Butler, which ended in an open Herro three. Those are the plays that are generated when his shots are dropping, and can ultimately impact Miami’s newest acquisition very heavily. I’ve discussed that gravity opening up the floor for an attacking Butler, since well, that was their only attacker. But surrounding Robinson with players who can penetrate may be the fix to the offensive roller coaster.

#5: Bam Adebayo continues to have flashes, especially late in games.

Enough defense has been discussed in this piece, which leads with Adebayo most of the time, but now it’s time to talk offense. Oladipo and Butler didn’t even have to be on the floor for a good amount of the fourth, since they trusted Adebayo to keep them afloat. Not only did he do that, but he gave them a major boost, sparking a run through his ball-handling abilities and active defensive hands to gain extra opportunities. This also refers back to the discussion about spreading the minutes between the three, since trusting Adebayo to lead lineups, and ultimately be aggressive when most needed in the fourth, changes a lot of things for this team in the big picture.

Sandy Alcantara pitches great, Marlins drop Opening Day game

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Sandy Alcantara did what we’ve been expecting him to do.

He pitched great and held the American League champions to no runs through six innings, but the Marlins lost the opening game of the season.

The Marlins started the 2021 season as they finished their run in the playoffs last year: struggling to score runs.

Only three hits, all singles, two by Jesus Aguilar, and one by Jorge Alfaro, were the only offensive production on the day.

Virtually impossible to beat these Rays that way, but it was fun to watch baseball with fans in the stands again.

However, Sandy really made Marlins fans enjoy their comeback to the stands.

Besides struggling a little bit in the first after a two-out base hit by Randy Arozarena, a walk to Brandon Lowe and hit by pitch to Yandy Diaz, and then striking out Kevin Kiermaier, Sandy look imposing on the mound.

A leadoff double in the fourth looked like could have been the beginning of the meltdown, but it was the opposite.  He retired the side after that and cruised the rest of the way, finishing with six very solid innings to start the season.

Austin Meadows was the only difference

Sandy Alcantara and Tyler Glasnow’s face-off was just great. Both starting pitchers dominated, and both bullpens were dominating, until Yimi Garcia came in.

Yimi Garcia had allowed a couple of balls to go deep into the outfield, and Marlins fans were breathing hard already.

Then, the third hard-hit ball of the inning came out of the bat of Austin Meadows and never came back.

That was all the Rays needed to get their first win of the season, and sadly, the Marlins wasted a great performance by their ace.

Aguilar, the one and only

Jesus Aguilar got the first basehit of the season for the Marlins. An infield hit, after a slow bouncer to third baseman Yandy Diaz.

Then, he got the second hit of the season for the Marlins, hitting a ball through the right side of the infield.

Miami got to the eight inning with only two basehits on the board, until Jorge Alfaro got his first of the season (the second infield hit of the day for the Marlins).

Alfaro stole second and the Marlins had the only real opportunity in that eight inning, with pinch hitter Garrett Cooper drawing a walk and Corey Dickerson flying out to left field.

Aguilar came back in the ninth and almost tied the game against Rays’ closer Diego Castillo. He hit it too much on a line drive, and there were the Marlins hopes for the day.

The Marlins face the Rays again on Friday, with Pablo Lopez taking the mound, facing lefty Ryan Yarbrough, starting at 7:10 pm.

 

By Alejandro Villegas | @Alejandrovg32 on Twitter 

Marlins Season Preview

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Spring Training is finally coming to a close, and the fresh breath of new life enters MLB clubs around the league. The Miami Marlins enter April baseball with chips on their shoulders. Each player has individually expressed that this squad has something to prove: that they are here to contend. The atmosphere around Major League Baseball suggests that no one believes the Marlins were quite good enough to be in a legitimate NLDS series. Last year, those claims were well-founded, as a young Marlins roster overperformed statistically and utilized a small sample size of games to sneak into the playoffs. With a revamped roster, Miami looks to stun the baseball world again, or at least prove that they aren’t one-hit wonders. 

 

Here is a preview of what Miami will bring to the table in 2021:

 

Electric Young Arms

It is no surprise that this tops the list. The Marlins look to bring a top-5 rotation into the 2021 season, headed by Sandy Alcantara. With Sixto Sanchez starting his year in the minors, the definitive rotation consists of Sandy, Pablo Lopez, Elieser Hernandez, Trevor Rogers. These exceptionally talented young arms improve with each outing and will be the most well-rounded pitching core the Marlins have seen in years. With 3/4 of these arms (and 4/5 once Sixto is back) coming off fresh Postseason experience, there is even more experience to go on. Sandy, Pablo, and Sixto are all dark-horses to win the NL Cy Young and look poised to lead the Marlins to many victories throughout the season. Expect an electric win-filled year from these arms.

 

Stable Backend Bullpen Arms

 

The Marlins have not had a surplus of arms in years. With timely trades and signings, the Miami bullpen is a force to reckon with going into this season. Anthony Bass and Yimi Garcia, two solid righties, cement the backend of the rotation, and hope to be as effective as the Garcia/Kintzler combination was last year. Unlike 2020, however, there is a solid middle of the bullpen to look forward to. Dylan Floro, John Curtiss, and Richard Bleier provide stability in the middle innings in games where the young arms reach their pitch limit. With multiple members of this bullpen posting sub-3 ERAs throughout their careers, expect the bullpen to be one of the most successful Miami has seen.

 

High Potential Bats

 

Since the illustrious trades of Stanton, Yelich, and Ozuna, it has been no secret that the Marlins couldn’t contend on the offensive end. Last year, although successful, was no different. This year may be different. The Marlins field 8 guys, 6 of whom have had above-league-average years at the plate. Starling Marte, Corey Dickerson, Adam Duvall, Jesus Aguilar, Miguel Rojas, and Brian Anderson make up this list, with each trending upwards throughout their respective careers. Jorge Alfaro and Jazz Chisholm are the two bats in the everyday lineup without past success, but both have high upsides that can push them over the top. Also keep in mind that the Marlins first man out, Garrett Cooper, is statistically this team’s second best hitter. For the first time since the trades, the Marlins have an above average offensive core.

 

Overall for Marlins

 

This Marlins team will surprise some people. I predicted halfway through Spring Training that this Marlins team would make the playoffs, and I am sticking to my guns. After a month of watching and covering this team, it is clear that last year was no fluke. Whether or not they make the playoffs this year, there will be exciting baseball and many wins in Miami for years to come.

 

For more, check out “Marlins on Tap” sponsored by Biscayne Brewing Company on the Five Reasons YouTube channel.