Call of Duty League Teams Announce Roster Changes 

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With the announcement of a new four player team format, CDL teams are making big moves, looking to create a championship team on par with the Dallas Envy.

 

Minnesota ROKKR

The Atlanta FaZe, runners up to the Envy in the 2020 CDL Championship, parted ways with not one but two players: Preston “Preistahh” Greiner and Michael “MajorManiak” Szymaniak. Both players were picked up by the Minnesota ROKKR, which dismantled its entire roster in preparation for the upcoming season. Minnesota also signed Dillon “Attach” Price and Lamar “Accuracy” Abedi, both formerly of the New York Subliners, to form their new four-person squad, which looks quite formidable.

 

Atlanta FaZe

Meanwhile, the FaZe needed to fill a void, and did so with Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, formerly of the Chicago Huntsmen. Sanderson will be reunited with two of his former teammates (Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris and Chris “Simp” Lehr), who won a championship for eUnited together in 2019. “McArthur “Cellium” Jovel will also return.

 

Chicago Hunstmen

The Chicago Huntsmen also released Sanderson’s twin brother, Preston “Prestinni” Sanderson and signed Brandon “Dashy” Otell to fill the empty spot that left on the roster, which now consists of Dylan “Envoy” Hannon, Matthew “FormaL” Piper, Seth “Scump” Abner, and Otell.

 

Dallas Empire

The Dallas Empire is sticking with its core team after dropping three-time champ James “Clayster” Eubanks just days after winning the first CDL championship, a move that probably could’ve been timed better. The news of the reformatted four-person teams dropped so quickly that Dallas’ team was barely able to celebrate their win before they had to say goodbye to one of their best players. The Empire will move on with Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Cuyler “Huke” Garland, Indervir “IlleY” Dhaliwal, and Ian “C6” Porter, also known as “Crimsix.”

 

Florida Mutineers

The Mutineers released Bradley “Frosty” Bergstrom last week, leaving them with Colt “Havok” McLendon, Cesar “Skyz” Bueno, Maurice “Fero” Henriquez, and Joseph “Owakening” Conley.

 

New York Subliners

While two players formerly on the New York Subliners found a home in Minnesota, Doug “Censor” Martin, Laroda “Temp” Donovan, and Nick “Happy” Suda are all free agents right now. The Subliners retained only two players, Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto and Mackenzie “Mack” Kelley, leaving them with two spots to fill.

 

London Royal Ravens

The London Royal Ravens cut all but one player from their roster, Sean “Seany” O’Conner, and have yet to announce any roster updates. Trei “Zer0” Morris, Thomas “Dylan” Henderson, Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall, and Bradley “wuskin” Marshall were all cut, as well as subsitutes

Byron “Nastie” Plumridge, Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Rhys “Rated” Price, and Jordan “Jurd” Crowley.

 

Toronto Ultra

The Toronto Ultra are sticking with their core team of Anthony “Methodz” Zinni, Ben “Bance” Bance, Cameron “Cammy” Mckilligan, and Tobias “CleanX” Juul Johnson. Nicholas “Classic” DiCostanzo was dropped to take the team down to the new four-person regulation. 

 

Optic Gaming Los Angeles

The Optic dropped Brandon “Dashy” Otell, who was picked up the Huntsmen, and remain with Kenny “Kuavo” Williams, Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat, Thomas “TJHaly” Haley, and Zach “Drazah” Jordan.

 

Paris Legion

Paris was another team that dropped its entire roster this season after finishing 10th in the regular season. Denholm “Denz” Taylor, Luke “Louqa” Rigas, Conrad “Shcokz” Rymarek, Zach “Zed” Denyer, and Matthew “KiSMET” Tinsley are all free agents. Legion has not announced any new signings as of yet.

 

Seattle Surge

The Surge were the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs and are also revamping their entire roster, with the only remaining player being Sam “Octane” Larew. Seattle dropped Casey “Pandur” Romano, Nicholas “Proto” Maldonaldo, Bryan “Apathy” Zhelyazkov, Ian “Enable” Wyatt, and Josiah “Slacked” Berry, along with Search and Destroy analyst Ted “TeddyRecks” Kim.

 

Los Angeles Guerrillas

The Guerrillas had the worst season of any team, finishing last in the regular season. As such, they have dropped all but one player from the roster, Reece “Vivid” Drost, who appears to be staying with the team in 2021. Rasim “Blazt” Ogresevic, Renato “Saints” Forza, Jacob “Decemate” Cato, and Ulysses “AquA” Silva are all currently free agents.

 

The 2021 season will kick off soon with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in November. The game’s alpha test is now available for PS4 users. 

Dolphins stock up, stock down vs Bills

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Welcome back to another installment of Stock Up Stock Down. In Week 2 of the NFL season, your Miami Dolphins lost a nail bitter to the Buffalo Bills 28-31 in a game where we had a lightning delay and truly felt like we were down more than we were. Let’s dive into what went well and not so well this week.

Stock Up

Solomon Kindley:

It’s hard to put into words how to quantify Solomon having a hell of a game due to us not cracking 100 yards rushing, but man, was he flashing all game. Him and Hunt is showing the tenacity to want to finish blocks consistently, which is a sight for sore eyes. Did you see him pulling on that Jordan Howard touchdownrun? I sure did.

Mike Gesicki:

A promising sign that a player is beginning to take the next step in his development is seeing them take advantage of favorable matchups. Going into this game, the Bills had ruled out their top 2 LB meaning Gesicki was going to be getting covered by 3rd and 4th string players consistently, and man did he take advantage. Gesicki was all over the field running crossers, digs, and even coming down with one hand catches. Gesicki finished his afternoon scoring a touchdown to bring it to within 3 points and totaling eight catches for 130 yards and the touchdown.

Isaiah Ford:

One of the position groups that I have been challenging the most to see more is the WR room. Sticking to the positive (that Preston drop on 4 th down was brutal) Isaiah took full advantage of the opportunities given to him and ended the day with seven catches for 76 yards. More importantly, than the stats was Isaiah being Fitz security blanket; anytime a 3rd down was needed to keep the game close, it was to either Mike Gesicki or Isaiah Ford.

Ryan Fitzpatrick:

After a dreadful Week 1 for Fitz, this was an excellent rebound game. In yet another week where we cannot crack 100 yards rushing, Fitzpatrick had to manufacture everything with a defense that had little to no respect (and rightfully so) for the run game. Fitz kept it close all game and willed us to within 3 points and onside kick from making this game go into potentially overtime. Fitzpatrick completed the afternoon with 328 yards throwing, two touchdowns with a 65% completion percentage. I threw all those numbers out to show that Fitz was not the problem , and Tua would make little to no change. It is frustrating to see the other rookies in Burrow and Herbert already playing, but Fitz has earned himself some breathing room this week.

Stock Down

Jerome Baker:

Coming off a 16 tackle and impactful game, I was highly disappointed to feel Jerome becomes a ghost today. From 16 tackles to only five today, I am interested in the All 22 coming in to see if he was game planned to be taken away or if he didn’t bring the same intensity as Week 1. Overall a lackluster effort from the defense.

High Priced Free Agents:

I am really hoping the early indications are off, but man has every single high- priced free agent been a colossal waste of money. Byron will be excluded due to getting hurt early on in the game but everyone else has been terrible. KVN has missed multiple sacks in multiple games. Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts were all signed to shore up the run defense and they have made no difference. Overall the defense has looked worse than the one that finished the year last season. Seems odd to come to that conclusion after all the money and draft capital that has been allocated to the defense.

Coaching Staff:

A disturbing pattern in my Stock Up and Stock Down report has already shown itself in this young season, and that is the coaching staff making terrible decisions. Coming into the game, the coaching staff decided that Josh Allen was not going to beat us with his legs and made him a passer in the pocket. Josh took the challenge and torched the defense for a career-high 417 yards passing and four touchdowns.

The defense never adjusted to Josh throwing it all over the field until Stephon Diggs accumulated eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. After the game Xavien Howard was asked why Noah Igbinoghene was exclusively on Diggs getting torched for five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. Xavien responded that the game plan called for Byron to shadow Diggs all game, and when he went down, they went next man up. The plan going into the game was not working, and just like the last game, there was no adjustment by the coaching staff. Eventually, the coaching staff is going to have to take responsibility for not only a terrible game plan but also not being willing to trash the plan and adjust to what is going on during the game.

This article was written by Juan Cardona. Follow him on Twitter at @exclusvty

Playoff Roadblocks for Marlins

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The Marlins split their doubleheader with the Nationals on Sunday, improving their record to 28-25. The Nationals dropped to 20-32. The Marlins remain the 5 seed in the NL but are only 1 game ahead of the Phillies and 1.5 games ahead of the Reds, Brewers, and Giants who sit in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th spots, respectively. Even though the Marlins split the doubleheader, there is not much positive to note. They won game 1 on 2 error inducing runs and lost game 2 15-0. So instead, I will analyze the 7 most important games in the past 15 years of Marlins’ baseball.

 

4 games in Atlanta

 

The Marlins have split their season series with the Braves. In 6 games, they sit at 3-3. The Marlins have the arms of Trevor Rogers, Jose Urena, Sixto Sanchez, and Pablo Lopez going in these 4 games. A big note is that Max Fried (7-0, 1.96 ERA) is expected to pitch in the finale, which could spell trouble for a flailing Marlins lineup. Realistically, a series win would put the Marlins in a position where it would be hard to miss the playoffs, but a series loss would put them in the opposite realm of reality. The Marlins need to continue to rely on good starting pitching and timely bats. The 3-2, 2-1, and 1-0 wins aren’t pretty looking, but they get the job done. It is also important to mention that if the Marlins sweep the Braves, they would take 1st place in the NL East.

 

3 games in New York

 

Oh, boy. The Yankees have had their struggles this year, but it’s safe to say they found their stride. 9-1 in their last ten, the Bronx Bombers have been doing nothing but mashing recently, and now that they have clinched, the pressure is done for them. They will continue to swing the bats well, and I highly doubt the Marlins will be able to keep up. The Fish thrive on close, low-scoring games: something that won’t be the case in New York. The Yankees have plenty of offensive threats (maybe the most potent lineup the Fish have seen all year), ranging from Giancarlo Stanton to Gary Sanchez to DJ LeMahieu. Marlins pitching will have to be looking like game 1 of Sunday, not game 2, or this series, and our playoff hopes could fall apart fast.

 

The Marlins have defied the odds

 

Yes, these last 7 games will not be easy. But as a Marlin fan, even the idea we would have this opportunity feels completely out of the water. I think it’s safe to sit back and enjoy these last games, knowing that even if we don’t make it this year, there is a bright future ahead of us. Donnie has a plan. Let’s do this thing!

Marlins Beat Nationals 7-3

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Without a doubt, we can all feel how close the Marlins are. In my conscious lifetime, I have not watched a Marlins team in the playoffs. But here we are. 9 games left, 2nd in the division, 2.5 back of the first place. The Fish recognize this as well, as Garrett Cooper said, “It’s a team effort… We’re close to the finish line, and we’re close to something that this organization hasn’t done in a long time. Everyone knows that.” The Marlins certainly came out swing like that was the case, beating the Nationals 7-3 on 15 hits.

 

Marlins-Nationals Recap

 

Pablo Lopez started for the Marlins versus Patrick Corbin of the Nationals. Corbin has been quite effective against the Marlins recently, but last night ended that. The Marlins put up 7 runs on 14 hits in Corbin’s 6 innings of work. The bats are heating up just in time. Miguel Rojas continues to produce as the centerpiece of the offensive attack, going ⅗ with a leadoff home run. Garrett Cooper added a 2-run homer. Pablo Lopez, after his bumpy start in Atlanta, has picked up where he left off, going 5.1 innings, allowing just 2 runs. The Marlins looked like a team fighting for a playoff spot last night, and hopefully, this can be continued.

 

Why is the most important series of the year?

 

The Marlins came into this series clinging onto 2nd place in the division. The Nationals are last in the NL East and the easiest competition that the Marlins will see the rest of the way. To finish off the season, the Marlins play 4 versus the Braves in Atlanta and 3 versus the Yankees in New York. Those are 7 tough games that would be made a lot easier if the Marlins sweep the doubleheader today and win this series 4-1. The goal is to give as much comfort room as possible, and these two games are the Marlins’ last chance to do so. The marlins should have Sixto going in 2 of the remaining games, which is promising.

 

Looking at today’s’ games

 

In game 1 at 1:10 pm, Sandy Alcantara takes the mound versus Max Scherzer. This will be a fun game, one that proves whether or not the Marlins can clutch up versus big-time pitching. Scherzer has not had his normal type of year (4-3, 4.04 ERA), but this is most likely due to the small sample size. The Nationals will start Ben Braymer in game 2, whereas the Marlins have not yet announced their starter. 

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Celtics in Game Three

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The Miami Heat fell to the Boston Celtics, 117-106, in an overall tough night for Miami. The Heat struggled on both sides of the floor tonight, which Boston took advantage of. Here are my takeaways…

#1: Tyler Herro explodes in second quarter.

Tyler Herro stepped up when he entered the game off of the bench, after Miami’s offense was a bit choppy. He scored 16 points in the second quarter, including 4 threes. Miami continually finds a guy to step up in the first half, including Goran Dragic in game one and Duncan Robinson in game two. But this display was much different. Tyler was taking shot after shot off of the dribble, and also pulling up on fast-breaks. That’s just truly what Tyler Herro does, he makes needed plays. This stretch wouldn’t have been possible without Bam Adebayo on the floor though. His screen setting and just overall presence opened up the floor for Tyler, to do what he does best.

#2: Offensive sloppiness becomes problematic against this Boston team.

Once the Miami Heat finally cut the lead down to three late in the second quarter, their offensive sloppiness extended Boston’s lead to 12. Some possessions from Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo seemed to be in slow motion, with some forced passes. This led to three straight wide open fast-breaks for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. This Boston team thrives on the mistakes of their opponents, which is something Miami must key on. This does ultimately fall on Jimmy Butler, since he needs to be in control of the ball during tough stretches. Miami’s spacing seemed to be off as well. They just ultimately played like a team up 2-0 in the series.

#3: Lack of urgency early occurs again for Miami.

It seems as if it’s the same story line in every game of this Boston Celtics series. Miami’s first half intensity just not there. Tyler Herro seemed as the only guy that tried to bring it, but ultimately you need more than one guy to have it. Jimmy Butler was needed to bring it, to try and put a stamp on a 3-0 lead, but once again there was no initiative to score. Miami has relied on the first half scoring success of Goran throughout these playoffs thus far, but you can’t bet on that every game. This lack of intensity continued in the second half, until they finally showed some signs of it with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Maybe only being up 2-1 will spark this Heat team to put it all out there on the floor for 48 minutes.

#4: Miami thrives on bench production, which was not the case tonight.

Miami’s biggest advantage has continually been the production they get off the bench on both sides of the floor. Well, other than Tyler Herro’s big game, Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk did not have the greatest stretch. This led to Spo rolling with Tyler and Derrick Jones Jr for extended minutes, then inserting Kendrick Nunn and Kelly Olynyk late in the third. But none of these guys seemed able to get going offensively. The spacing was off, the energy was off, everything was off. And well, that’s what happens when you rely on your bench to win you playoff games. Your star players must step up when most in need, which wasn’t the case today.

#5: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum pour it on Miami.

It’s almost as if Boston was due for a game like this, where their offensively gifted wings put on a scoring display. Jaylen finally got to his spots that he hadn’t been getting to in games one and two, while Jayson was doing pretty much everything on the floor. Brown scored 26 points, while Tatum scored 25 along with 14 boards and 8 assists. These two players are going to do this no matter what, and it’s up to Miami to try and match their offensive play and eliminate the supporting cast. Miami’s offense had no flow throughout, which allowed them to extend the lead more and more in the third quarter. Miami’s defense on the other hand couldn’t control guys in the paint. It’s now up to Erik Spoelstra to make some more adjustments with three days off.

UFC Vegas 11: Johnathan’s Picks and Preview

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With UFC Vegas 11 right around the corner, lets first take a moment to be thankful for this PPV magnitude card to be taking place. With a main event that is filled with as much bad blood and animosity as this one, as well as exiting fights up and down the card, this one is a lock to have some performance of the night contenders. Let’s take a look at these fights on this card and take a look at who we’re picking. 

 

Colby Covington vs Tyron Woodley

 

Pick: Covington by Unanimous Decision

 

Backstory: “Where you at Tyron Woodley? I’m coming for you. You can’t run you can’t hide no more!” Moments after winning the UFC Interim Welterweight championship on Jun 9, 2018, Covington immediately called out then current Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. After saying that Woodley couldn’t hang with him while training, Colby assured he would steamroll him. Fast forward two years later, both men are still in title contention, but one is in jeopardy of falling down the ranks. Both men are coming off a loss, so this fight is going to be monumental for both of them. For Tyron, his key to victory would be using that advantage in boxing and throwing that power right hand. If he’s able to stop Covington from taking him down and keeping this a stand-up fight, Woodley might have the advantage. For Covington, he’s proven that stopping him from taking you down is almost impossible. Even if he doesn’t get it on the first try, he’ll lock on you and drag until you fall. If he’s able to take Woodley down, Covington dominates the fight.

 

Donald Cerrone vs Niko Price

Pick: Price by Knockout

 

Backstory: Donald Cerrone is one of the most well-known fighters in the UFC. But now losing 8 of his last 12, he’s been on a slippery slope down the rankings. He’s lacked aggressiveness and this lack of soul from the Cowboy has been the reason for his downfall. On the other hand, Niko Price has been alternating wins and losses over his last 6. All of them have ended in knockout whether win or loss. Niko is always willing to put himself into the firefight no matter if he comes out getting a knockout or getting knocked out. With an aging less aggressive Cerrone coming in this fight vs an explosive Niko Price, this one is built for a highlight knockout. 

 

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert

 

Pick: Chimaev by decision

 

Backstory: The hottest prospect coming out of the pandemic era Khazmat Chimaev is back in action vs the man with the most submissions in the Middleweight division, Gerald Meerchaert. This fight comes with lots of animosity between the two. The disrespect comes from Dana double booking Chimaev, insinuating that he’s going to win this fight and move on to ranked Damein Maia. Gerald took this personally and stated he’s going to leave Chimaev bloody and unable to leave the ring. Chimaev responded in the presser asking how can Gerald possibly be a blackbelt when he got choked out by a white belt. We’re going with Chimaev because his ability on the feet and we’re resting assured that the submission games will neutralize each other. 

 

Johnny Walker vs Ryan Spann

 

Pick: Ryan Spann by Submission

 

Backstory: After starting his UFC Career 4-0, Johnny Walker has lost his last 2. His near straight shot to the top of the division has now been derailed and he has to work his way back up the hard way. Ryan Spann is coming in undefeated in the UFC and is looking to make his own run to the top of the wide-open Light Heavyweight division. This is going to be a good fight for two fighters on the crossroads of making it back into the doorstep of the rankings. If Spann is able to get this fight on the ground, he’ll have a huge advantage and get the win. 

 

Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos

 

Pick: Mackenzie Dern by Decision

 

Backstory: #15 Ranked Mackenzie Dern is coming in bouncing back after her first loss in the career. Losing against a higher-ranked opponent is nothing to hang your head on, so she comes back and gets a nice win with a kneebar. Bring in Randa Markos, a fighter who in 14 ufc fights has only won 6. Neither fighter comes in with any wins by knockout so we are looking to see a ground war. Mackenzie Dern is the more proficient athlete on the ground so we should see her take this win. 

 

Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart

 

Pick: Holland by Decision

 

Backstory. Enter Kevin Holland, the most exciting fighter to watch this year. He talks trash in the ring and with no crowd you can hear everything he says. On top of that, his striking is crisp and he plays great mind games. Darren Stewart is coming in with a good amount of UFC experience and has diverse striking skills as well. Both these fighters are young, and the winner of this fight should set up a big run towards the ranking for either man. Being able to mix it up, Holland should be able to keep Stewart at bay and dictate the pace of the fight. 

 

Marlins Split WSH Doubleheader

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The Marlins started an important series of baseball versus the Washington Nationals yesterday. They ended up splitting the doubleheader, losing game 1 5-0 and winning game 2 14-3. The classic set of opposite results. In a wild day, in game 1 Sixto Sanchez faltered for the first time in a Marlins uniform but was picked up by Brian Anderson’s 3-homer 7-RBI game 2.

What’s the difference between scoring 0 and 14?

 

Mentality. In-game 2, the Marlins played like they were on the verge of their first playoff berth in 17 years. In-game 1, they didn’t. Under no circumstances should a career 5.15 ERA pitcher in Erick Fedde be shutting down the Marlins. If I would have taken off my glasses, I would have thought the man was Max Scherzer. The Marlins got 2-hit in game 1, so there is not much to talk about statistically. Game 2, however, was quite a different story. 14 runs on 12 hits? That’s what we are talking about. Brian Anderson made 3 home runs look easy, and Lewis Brinson went 3-4, upping his average to .266, showing his continued growth this season. Consistency at the plate is key to this team’s final 10 games.

What happened to Sixto?

 

Ok, so our ace having a lackluster start like this one is frightening especially when he is set to take the mound twice more, and hopefully a third time in the playoffs. What I visibly saw was that he was too reliant on his stuff. His pitches weren’t breaking as much, and since he had great success allowing teams to put the ball in play, he continued throwing strikes. He became predictable. He needs to go back to being predictably wild. I’m sure Mel Stottlemyre will be on top of it.

10 more games for the Marlins :O

 

The Marlins are only 1.5 games ahead of the 9th place Cincinnati Reds and .5 games ahead of the Phillies for 2nd in the NL East. These 10 games will be one of the most important 10-game stretches in Marlins’ history. Pablo Lopez (4-4, 4.02 ERA) takes the mound tomorrow versus Patrick Corbin (2-5, 4.10 ERA).

 

Miami Hurricanes: Tate Martell opts out of 2020 season

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There is another update in the Tate Martell saga. Martell is opting out of the 2020 football season.

Just last week, he was suspended for Miami’s opener against Alabama Birmingham. All indications were that he would be suspended for only that one game.

It’s been an uneventful ride on the field for Martell as a member of the Miami Hurricanes. He has recorded one pass for seven yards and rushed once for three yards against Bethune-Cookman in 2019.

He is currently not on the quarterback depth chart anyway. D’Eriq, King, N’Kosi Perry, and Tyler van Dyke are on the depth chart currently. If this is indeed Martell’s last ride with Miami, there is no doubt that he failed to deliver on the hype.

Hype before the Miami Hurricanes

I remember watching his highlights when he played at Bishop Gorman High School. He was one of the better quarterbacks I had ever seen at that time. He would throw for 2,362 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior. He also proved his worth on the ground, running for 1,257 yards and 21 touchdowns. he looked like a Division 1 prospect in every sense of the word.

Martell was a dual-threat quarterback first and foremost. He just could not live up to the hype. What’s next for him? One can only guess. However, it would nor be a stretch to say that the Miami Hurricanes are probably not in his future plans.

Whatever the case may be, Martell’s story is all too familiar. A prominent high school prospect cannot handle the fame he has been given, and all of the duties that come with it. I’ll be interested to see where he ends up, and I’m not sure if his football career is over yet.

With the Miami quarterback room now set, it certainly brings more clarity for not only the 2020 season,  but beyond.

Marlins Lose Series VS Boston

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The Marlins played the Red Sox in game 3 of a 3 game set. The Red Sox pulled away late, leading them to a 5-3 victory. Nathan Eovaldi got the win for the Sox, and Jose Urena got the loss for the Marlins. Minus the one huge mistake that Johan Quezada gave up in the 7th inning, the Marlins played a solid game of baseball; however, the real issue is that they lost a series versus a sub .500 team when they are on the verge of their first playoff berth in 17 years.

 

Jose Urena looks like a playoffs pitcher

 

Yes, technically, Jose Urena got the loss yesterday, but he pitched 5 spotless innings before he gave up 2 runs in the 5th inning. If the bullpen would have kept it scoreless, the Marlins would have pulled off a 3-2 victory. Urena is looking reminiscent of his 2017 self, the only consistent pitcher on the Marlins. Oh boy, how times have changed. The bullpen looked fine last night with the exception of Rafael Devers’ moonshot 3-run home run given up by Quezada. It happens. The pitching looks to bounce back and have a solid 5-game set at home versus the Nationals.

 

The Marlins deceptively rough hitting night

 

3 runs on 7 hits don’t seem like the worst night of hitting, especially with a pitcher like Nathan Eovaldi on the opposing bump. What sticks out to me is that the Marlins left 19 on base. 19 possible runs… gone. Especially as we draw closer to the end of the season, games like this cannot happen. The marlins need to play as if this is the playoffs. They are not locked by any stretch of the mean, and if the hitting can’t drive runners in, then they may be in trouble. 

 

Looking ahead

 

The Marlins have 12 games remaining this season. They will play the first 5 at home against the Washington Nationals. This is obviously a huge series and one that compares in importance to the 7-game series versus the Phillies. Neither team has announced a starter for either double-header game.

The Weekly Roundkick on MMA: Chandler, Baeza, More

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Welcome to the Weekly Roundkick, where you can get all your MMA news in one spot. In the age of Covid, the UFC has done a great job of being the leaders of industry in making sure the show goes on. Here’s everything that you might’ve missed this week in the MMA world.

 

Biggest Free Agent Landed

 

  • Michael Chandler, Former Bellator Lightweight Champion has signed with the UFC and will be in as a replacement in the Khabib vs Gaethje fight (via Bjpenn). For Chandler, this is huge for his career. He’s been wanting to prove that he’s one of the best 155 pounder on the planet and now being in the UFC, he has the chance to prove just that. 

 

Fight Announcements

 

    • Miguel Baeza vs Jerimiah Wells is off. Wells was replacing Mickey Gall for this fight. Mickey Gall had pulled out of the fight due to an undisclosed training injury. Jerimiah Wells had put his name in and was selected as a replacement for the fight. Now, for an undisclosed reason, Wells has also pulled out (MMAJunkie). For the undefeated Baeza, this delays his potential run to a title. For now the best option is to stay ready and hope someone in his division has a fight open up.
  • Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson is off… for now. Dana has claimed that Dustin has priced himself out of the fight and that that he didn’t really want the fight. Dustin replied with a tweet “I WANT THE FIGHT”. Ferguson has gone to bat for Dustin telling Dana to pay him so they can fight. It seems like there is pressure from both fighters to have this fight but it seems it’s too expensive for Dana. Dana currently has said that Ferguson is also out of UFC 254.
    • #15 Drew Dober vs #8 Diego Ferreira is on for November 7th. #15 Ranked Lightweight Dober, is set to take on another rising star in #8 Ranked Diego Ferreira (MMAJunkie). Unsure if this is the main event or not, but no matter what other fight is on this card, I’m taking this fight for Fight of The Night. 
    • Malcolm Gordon vs Su Mudaerji has been agreed upon for November 28. Two Fresh UFC prospects in Malcolm Gordon and Su Mudaerji have agreed for a fight in late November (via MMAJunkie). For these two, this is going to be important for the near future of these prospects making a run for the rankings.
    • Khadis Ibragimov vs. Danilo Marques added to UFC 253 (via MMAFighting). For Ibragimov, he’s coming in off of 3 losses in a row after starting 8-0. If he wants to continue his UFC career, this is a must-win for him.
  • Weili Zhang Vs Rose Namajunas is in the works according to Dana White. When asked about the future of this division, Dana says they’re working on making this fight happen. After a potential fight of the year candidate effort by Weili, a fight with a game Thug Rose will undoubtedly make for another great fight.
    • Thiago Santos vs Glover Texiera has been cancelled. Thiago Santos has now tested positive for Covid-19. This fight was supposed to happen this last weekend but Texiera tested positive. Now the future of this fight is in Jeopardy.
  • Ketlen Vieira vs Sijara Eubanks has been scheduled for UFC 253 (via BJpenn). Sijara Eubanks is stepping in on short notice to replace Marion Reneau after her decision win last weekend. 

 

Other MMA News

    • Bellator has signed a deal with CBS Sports. Look for more MMA to be on the national scene starting October 1st!
  • Fight Island Confirmed! UFC will start running events on Fight Island Starting on UFC 253 on Saturday, September 26th and run weekly shows up until UFC 254 on October 24th (MMAFighting)
  • Dana White Contender Series. On Season 4 Week 7 of the the Contender Series, Dana awarded 3 contracts were awarded. Jordan Williams won a contract in his third attempt. Others awarded were 3x National Boxing Champion Danyelle Wolf and Collin Anglin.
  • Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson re-enters the USADA testing pool (via MMAFighting). With this being reported, this puts Rumble about 6 months away from being able to return to the octagon. 

 

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