Marlins beat Blue Jays

Marlins Finish Road Trip with Thriller, Beat Blue Jays 14-11

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The Miami Marlins escaped Buffalo, NY, with a series split after a thrilling win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Miami built an 8-0 lead before Toronto stormed back thanks to seven home runs. But after dropping the game in extra innings on Tuesday night, the Marlins put three runs on the board in the 10th and held on to beat the Blue Jays 14-11.

Thanks to 10th inning heroics from Magneuris Sierra and Jesus Aguilar, the Marlins return to Miami with an 8-4 record. The team’s 6-day road trip morphed into a 23-day odyssey that saw them lose 20 teammates along the way. And, improbably, Miami sits atop the NL East.

“Obviously, that was a crazy game,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on the postgame Zoom call. “Seems like a perfect game to end this trip with. Just out of the ordinary, every bit of it.”

Marlins pitchers served up a franchise single-game high seven home runs in this one. The Blue Jays connected on homers in six consecutive innings to tie the game after their early deficit.

This game mirrored the rollercoaster road trip. There was a thrilling, unexpected start, considerable difficulty in the middle and a team-oriented response in the end to help the Marlins beat the Blue Jays.

Wild Ride as Marlins Beat Blue Jays

Brian Anderson connected on his fourth home run of the season to open the scoring. Then in the third inning, the Marlins put five more runs on the board with three singles, three walks, an error and an inexplicable pick-off attempt by Toronto’s catcher.

From there, though, Marlins pitchers allowed the Blue Jays back into the game. Starter Jordan Yamamoto couldn’t make it through four innings, surrendering up seven hits, four earned runs, two walks and two home runs. But the Blue Jay’s home run binge didn’t stop there. Miami’s bullpen gave up five homers and seven earned runs.

But one night after a frustrating extra innings loss, the Marlins rallied in the 10th inning.

Another Shot at Extras

On Tuesday, the Marlins played for the big inning, and were inches away from it, but they couldn’t push a run across. With the new extra innings rule, if the road team doesn’t score first, the odds tilt almost insurmountably in favor of the home team.

Mattingly played last night’s game for one in extras.

“I wanted to try and get a run,” Mattingly said. “The analytics tell me not to do that [bunt]. It ended up being big. You don’t get an out on the bunt, it usually causes you multiple runs.”

That was the case for the Blue Jays. With Eddy Alvarez placed at second base to start the inning, Jon Berti stepped up to move him over. But his bunt snuck pass the mound on the left side and Berti reached base safely, putting runners on the corners with no outs. After a wild pitch moved Berti to second, Sierra followed with a two-run single.

Sierra took second on a failed pickoff attempt, then made it to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jonathan Villar. Aguilar then drove in Sierra with a single, his fourth RBI of the game.

Josh A. Smith entered in bottom of the 10th as Miami’s ninth pitcher of the night. Despite the placed runner at second and starting the inning with a walk, Smith navigated the 10th with a pair of strikeouts to record the save. It was Smith’s second career save and his first with the Marlins.

“We’re competitors,” Smith said after the Marlins beat the Blue Jays. “It says a lot about this organization. It says a lot about the guys that we have down there. We come to work every day, blue collar. Whenever our name is called, we try to get it done. Whoever doesn’t get it done, then the other guys just pick them up.”

Up Next: Atlanta Braves

The Marlins return home after this rollercoaster road trip 8-4 and in first place. The Atlanta Braves (11-9) come in for a three-game set for control of the NL East. Pablo Lopez (1-1, 1.80 ERA, 11 K) takes the hill for the Marlins. The Braves counter with RHP Kyle Wright (0-2, 6.75 ERA, 11 K).

5 Post-Game Comments from Spoelstra, Robinson, Butler, Herro

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The Miami Heat suffered a late loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a three point shot from Mike Muscala for the win. The Miami Heat still seemed in good spirits since their starters didn’t play in the second half. Afterward, some players talked with local media about the game. Here’s what was said…

Post-Game Comment #1:

Jimmy Butler clearly wasn’t happy with Chris Paul’s actions early in the game, when he threw the ball at Duncan Robinson. Jimmy said, “You’re not gonna throw the ball at my teammate like that. Yeah I got a turnover, got an offensive foul.” It was pretty evident Jimmy charged Chris with a purpose after this altercation. Even though this play wasn’t a big deal, it shows the rest of the team his leadership. He wanted to show Duncan that he has his back no matter what, and also show Chris that he’s messing with the wrong team. Jimmy concludes the discussion with “You mess with one of my guys, then you gotta deal with me,” which further shows not to mess with Jimmy and this Heat team.

Post-Game Comment #2:

Duncan Robinson also touched on this Chris Paul incident, which media thought they’d get a clearer idea of what his reasoning was. Duncan responded, “I’m not exactly sure.” He says that he told himself he should’ve shot it in the corner when he shot faked, which caused a back and forth between the two. It’s evident that Duncan won’t back down from anything either. He may be thought of as the quiet shooter, but he will let you know when he gets his jumper going. He told Heat star Jimmy Butler to “never go under the screen” in their first practice together before the season after hitting a three pointer. If Duncan wasn’t afraid of his teammate Jimmy Butler before the season, he definitely won’t back down from any other opponent that’s thrown his way.

Post-Game Comment #3:

Jimmy Butler also got to talking about the topic of the night, Tyler Herro. Jimmy said, “I love that guy.” He continued to praise Tyler for the growth in his game that has especially been shown in these bubble games. His play-making, ball handling, and defense has continued to grow, which has caused Spo to show even more trust in him than usual. Jimmy has clearly taken Tyler under his wing from the start. He was talking to Tyler before the final shot of the game, which made it clear that it was a Herro jumper coming. When you earn Jimmy’s trust, you can earn anyone’s trust. He will be taking another big leap in the post-season after he gets some playoff experience under his belt, and will give the team an even clearer view of his future.

Post-Game Comment #4:

Jae Crowder had a rough injury occur in the first quarter, where he bumped knees with Luguentz Dort. He limped off the floor without putting pressure on it, but ended up on the sideline with the team soon after. Coach Spo said everything came back clean after the game, which may ultimately mean that Jae Crowder sits out in their final game against the Indiana Pacers to heal up. He should be ready by game 1 of the first round, which will be much needed since he’s been a huge piece to this Heat team on both sides of the ball this year.

Post-Game Comment #5:

And finally the money quote. It seems as if all of these guys continually talk about winning, and it’s because that is their ultimate goal. Jimmy said that Herro is always watching film and just clearly wants to be great. You can tell he wants to be great just by his on court improvements that were talked about previously. These other skill sets don’t just appear out of nowhere. Jimmy also said, “He wants to bring a championship to Miami and I think we’re going to do that.” The trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro have all mentioned their goal of winning a championship over the last week, which is a great sign of the state of mind these guys are in.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Late Loss to OKC

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The Miami Heat fell short to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-115. This game did not carry much importance for Miami, which is why Miami sat their star players in the second half. Here are 5 takeaways from this game…

#1: Duncan Robinson needs much more than a hand in his face to be stopped.

Duncan Robinson put on another three point shooting display on Wednesday night, which is definitely nothing new. Duncan scored 19 points in the first half with 5 threes. He was such an issue for the Thunder’s defense that Chris Paul began to try and get under Duncan’s skin. It’s hard to disrupt a focused Duncan Robinson, especially when you have a leader like Jimmy Butler on the floor who has your back. This was the first game of the bubble that the opposite team didn’t totally key on Duncan, which is why he flourished tonight. Teams are going to have to continue to blanket Duncan in order to have a chance, and that’s when he will need to display his on-ball skills that he showcased against Phoenix.

#2: Bam Adebayo’s early foul trouble may become problematic.

Bam Adebayo had three quick first quarter fouls to start today’s game, which also occurred a few games against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bam Adebayo talked about what he thinks Spo should do in these circumstances and said if the offense is flowing leave him out, but if not then put him in. And well, this is what happened tonight when Bam got his third foul. The offense was clicking as good as it has all season, which is why they kept him on the bench. This is something to keep an eye on as we approach the playoffs, since Miami can’t risk having Bam out of the game for extended minutes. This is the type of thing that could change a playoff game, but fouls are going to come up with an aggressive defender like Bam.

#3: Goran Dragic still rolling offensively.

Goran Dragic got the start yet again with Kendrick Nunn out, and continued to be lethal. Goran entering the starting lineup seemed to hurt the bench unit a bit last game, since there was no floor general to take control of the offense. But, this problem definitely didn’t occur with the starting lineup. The starting lineup with Goran at the point seems to flow much smoother, due to the offensive connection of Jimmy and Goran. They both have a winning mentality and trust each other with the ball in their hands, which is why Spo has continued to try and play them together. Goran scored 16 points in 20 minutes of play, along with six assists. He’s the type of guy that can do the small things offensively, and consequently win you some playoff games.

#4. Miami’s ball movement seemed smooth throughout.

Miami’s shooting has continued to be lethal from the outside, but it’s because of the play-making set ups. The ball movement in the first half was what put the Heat in such great position. Pick and rolls, fast-breaks, swinging around the key for a three. It was all on display tonight. Goran was at the forefront of this passing display, but even guys like Duncan Robinson were making passes that they usually don’t make. It may be a match-up that they like on defense which forced them to make quick passes. But, it seems as if it’s just an increase in comfortability. This team contains some of the most unselfish players in the league, which is the biggest proponent of solid ball movement. This will be essential in a first round match-up with the Indiana Pacers, who seem to be a bit banged up.

#5: Tyler Herro forming more and more into a fluid scorer.

All of the pure scorers in the league score in the same way. With ease. Tyler was scoring with ease tonight, just as he has been in his last three games, which he scored 30 points on 56% shooting. After entering the league with the expectation of being a catch and shoot guy, he’s doing the exact opposite. He has plenty of star level moves in his bag, and has been showcasing great touch around the rim, especially when using the backboard. He seems to be getting back the confidence that he had in the beginning of the season, which is what this team needs from him in the postseason. There’s not many guys on this roster that you trust more when creating your own shot. Which is why we may see some late game Tyler Herro clutch shots since he will be looked to in these situations, as we saw tonight.

Marlins extra innings

Marlins Lose In Extra Innings

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The Marlins first experience with MLB’s new extra innings rule left the team with a bitter taste in their mouth. Miami dropped the 10-inning affair 5-4 and have lost three straight after a six-game winning streak and 7-1 start overall.

Elieser Hernandez went 5.1 innings and surrendered three earned runs. He made one mistake pitch in the sixth to Bo Bichette, which went for a 3-run home run, but otherwise looked good. He finished with five strikeouts, four hits and one walk.

Despite Two Home Runs, Marlins Offense Continues to Struggle

The Marlins offense slumbered through most of this extra innings game. Miami’s offense seemed to sleep-walk through this one, outside of Brian Anderson’s second inning homer and Francisco Cervelli’s 2-out, game-tying 3-run shot in the bottom of the ninth.

“The home run, I saw the ball and I hit the ball. That’s it,” Cervelli said. “I saw the situation and I looked at who was behind me, and I said, ‘I’ve got to swing here.’ That was my plan.”

Lewis Brinson followed Cervelli in the batting order and he’s yet to register a hit with the club since his recent call up. Heading into the game, Brinson was 0-for-8. On Tuesday night, Brinson’s struggles with the bat continued as he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

All in all, the Marlins couldn’t muster the big hit. The team, which went 4-for-17 with runners-in-scoring-position in their weekend loses to the Mets, was 1-for-8 with runners-in-scoring-position. Marlins batters struck out nine times, including the key first out in extra innings.

Logan Forsythe nearly gave the Marlins a 2-run lead in the top of the 10th inning, but his hit, initially ruled as a home run, was ultimately overturned to a foul ball. Forsythe then struck out.

“Obviously, Cervy’s homer is big,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It gives us an opportunity. For a brief second there, it looks like Logan’s got a homer. Then, just weren’t able to make a pitch there in that last inning.”

Marlins Loss: Extra Innings Rule Favors Home Team Considerably

The new extra inning rules tilt the odds of the game dramatically in favor of the home team. Each club gets a runner at second base to start the inning, but if the road team doesn’t score, strategy dictates the home team move the runner over with a sacrifice bunt then try to put the ball in play to score the runner from third.

For the Marlins, Stephen Tarpley faced these long odds and couldn’t wiggle out of the trouble. After the Blue Jays bunted Anthony Alford over, Tarpley seemed to have Cavan Biggio on the ropes, but a pitch that clearly seemed in the strike zone was called a ball by home plate umpire James Hoye.

The call elicited an expletive from Mattingly, who barked his displeasure toward the plate. Marlins batters remained frustrated with the zone throughout the night, as they have been for the better part of the last two series.

“The strike zone again,” Mattingly said after the game. “We’ve had this crew and they’re gonna go back to Miami with us. You can’t complain, just live with it.”

Mattingly made defensive adjustments in the 10th inning, including going to five infielders, then moving Brinson from right to left field in the middle of Biggio’s at-bat. But Tarpley’s inability to get the strikeout led to Biggio’s walk, then an intentional walk to Bo Bichette to load the bases. Travis Shaw looped a game-winning single to right five pitches later.

“This is not softball,” Cervelli said of the new extra innings rule after the Marlins game. “This is not the Olympic Games, this is baseball. But this is what it is. I’ve got to adapt to this. I believe if we’re the home team, and we have success, we’re going to be happy.”

Harrison Pulled in 8th Inning

Monte Harrison’s struggles at the plate continued. He struck out twice before being replaced by Eddy Alvarez in the eighth inning. He’s now struck out in six consecutive at-bats.

The Marlins have one more game in what has turned out to me an epic opening road trip. When the Marlins finally return home, it’ll be 23 days after having left for what was originally supposed to be a six-day trip.

 

Miami Heat Secure 4 or 5 Seed in Eastern Conference

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The Miami Heat have had their fair share of ups and downs during their time in the bubble. But finally secured a 4 or 5 seed, due to a Philadeplia 76ers loss to the hot Phoenix Suns.

This means that the Miami Heat will match-up with either the Indiana Pacers or Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, which seems to look more and more like Indiana due to the 76ers superstar inuries. This also means that the Miami Heat will be avoiding a Boston Celtics first round match-up, which is obviously a huge positive for this Heat team.

Consequently, Miami will most likely have to face the number one team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks, in a possible second round match-up. And the Heat will feel much better than the Bucks do heading into that match-up. Miami is 2-1 against the Bucks this year, and the one loss occurred this week in a game without Jimmy Butler, and the Heat lead by 17 at the half.

This seems to be best case scenario for this Heat team, since they can face a banged up Indiana team, and avoid a second round Boston or Toronto match-up, which would be much tougher for Miami than the Milwaukee match-up.

Miami needs either one win or one Indiana loss to secure the 4 seed, which doesn’t matter much since there’s no home court advantage. We may see some of Miami’s veteran players sit out during these games, or will definitely get limited minutes.

If the Heat face off against the Indiana Pacers in the first round, it will be expected that Miami brings the same energy that they brought last night. Especially since there are so many intriguing match-ups on the floor, including Jimmy Butler and TJ Warren.

 

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Take-Down over Indiana Pacers

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The Miami Heat played a much anticipated game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, and got the win 114-92. After a tie game at the half, Miami came out sharp in the second half on both sides of the ball. Here’s five takeaways from this big win…

#1: Jae Crowder continues to be Heat’s most consistent player.

Due to the amount of lethal shooters on this roster, including Duncan Robinson, Jae Crowder seems to get left out of the conversation. But, he continues to be the Heat’s most consistent player on both sides of the floor, and is shooting 60% from three in the bubble. Jae Crowder is also one of those guys that does the dirty work for you, which obviously fits well into this system. This is why Jae made his way into the starting lineup and replaced Meyers Leonard, since versatility matters on this current team more than ever due to their depth in wings.

#2: Bench unit struggles with Goran Dragic moving to the starting lineup.

Goran Dragic got the surprising start in tonight’s game against the Pacers, but consequently caused a problem. Goran had such a groove with the second unit, which was one of Miami’s biggest strengths this season. When most teams had bench drop offs, Miami didn’t. But today, it was evident they did. When Goran exited the game, it wasn’t the same bench unit we’ve seen all season, which caused Indiana to comeback early. Goran came back into the game with the second unit in the second quarter, which seemed to settle Miami down on offense, and led to Miami’s second half display. Although there’s been questions about taking Kendrick Nunn out of the starting lineup all together, it may be better to continue this rotation and let Goran and Tyler run the offense smoothly with the bench unit.

#3: Derrick Jones Jr tries to lock up a spot in the rotation.

Derrick Jones Jr has been in and out of the Heat’s rotation this season, but this may be Derrick’s time to lock up his spot. He has proved that he can guard every team’s best player, but his offense has been in question. But today, he showed he can use his vertical spacing to his advantage. And he’s beginning to improve his shooting from beyond the arc, which if he can hit one to two threes in a playoff game, that can change a game. There also seemed to be a special connection between Derrick and Goran Dragic tonight, since about 80% of his points came from a Goran lob. Derrick has said time and time again that he wants to be here, but he will need to prove his impact during this last stretch before he goes into free agency.

#4: Bam Adebayo comes out aggressive out of the gate, which is essential.

Bam Adebayo started the first quarter with fire in his eyes when he had the ball in his hands. And with Myles Turner basically daring Bam to take a mid range jump shot, he took it with no hesitation, but it wasn’t falling. The thing is with Bam though, it doesn’t need to fall to help the offense. There are plenty of guys on the court who can hit these jumpers on offense, but they can’t open up the floor like Bam does. He also had a defensive motor tonight, which he brings every night, but it seemed to have a little more energy behind it, due to the Myles Turner match-up. Myles got the spot on the USA team over Bam, which obviously didn’t sit right with him. If Bam can bring this energy and aggressiveness every night, it benefits this team’s offensive versatilities even more.

#5: TJ Warren truly isn’t in Jimmy Butler’s league.

Everybody has been waiting for the TJ Warren-Jimmy Butler match-up since their scuffle back in January. Fast forward eight months later and Jimmy Butler still hasn’t forgotten. TJ Warren has been going on an absolute scoring tear in the bubble. Emphasis on scoring. Someone in Jimmy Butler’s league would have to be able to score, rebound, play-make, defend, and lead the way Jimmy does. Jimmy showcased this today scoring 19 points, along with 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Jimmy also mentioned after their game in January that “I can guard him and he can’t guard me.” Jimmy guarded TJ to start the game, while TJ guarded Jae Crowder, which definitely raises an eyebrow. This was also far from a meaningless game since Miami is trying to secure the four seed, which may ultimately mean a first round match-up against TJ Warren and the Indiana Pacers.

Marlins Loss

5 Takeaways from Marlins Loss to Mets

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The Miami Marlins were riding high after 4-3 Friday night win over the New York Mets. The team ran off six straight wins and vaulted to the top of the NL East. But moving into the weekend, Marlins bats fell silent and the pitchers weren’t as sharp, especially during Sunday’s loss.

Here’s a look at five takeaways from the Marlins loss to the Mets.

Needed the Big Hit

This Marlins loss, and the one that preceded it on Saturday, were frustrating. Not because the revamped roster and piecemeal pitching staff were overmatched. No, the most frustrating element proved to be the lack of timely hitting.

On Sunday afternoon, the Marlins went 2-for10 with runners in scoring position. In all, they stranded 10 runners. Each inning saw at least one Marlin reach base, but the team managed just two runs.

In the second inning, the Marlins had two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom on the ropes. They’d loaded the bases with one out, but followed that with a strikeout and ground out, producing no runs.

This followed a similar refrain from Saturday, where the Marlins went 2-for-7 with runners-in-scoring-position. They stranded nine runners in the 8-4 loss.

“We just didn’t get that big hit,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after the game. “Didn’t really capitalize.”

Bright Spot in the Marlins Loss: Eddy Alvarez

One of the bright spots over the weekend was the play of Eddy Alvarez. The Olympic speedskating medalist flashed his moxie on defense and provided a lift on offense.

On Friday, Alvarez stole an extra base-hit from Jeff McNeill in the eighth inning. He then knocked down Wilson Ramos’ two-out grounder with the bases loaded and recovered in time to throw out the slow-footed catcher to end the Mets’ rally.

Sunday saw Alvarez register his first hits in MLB. His first hit came on an infield single in the second inning against deGrom. In the fourth, he singled then stole second base (his first steal in MLB). Then in the eighth, Alvarez put a charge into the ball to the opposite field and picked up his first double.

Alvarez said after the game that getting that first hit lifted a weight off his shoulders. He also thought he’d tied the game for a moment in the eighth with his double. He has opposite field power and thought that hit had a chance to get out.

Bright Spot in the Marlins Loss: Jesus Aguilar

Before Sunday’s game, Mattingly praised Jesus Aguilar.

“Jesus has been great, in a lot of different areas,” he said. “He’s got plenty of power. This guy can hit, he’s got good hands. He’s got a good eye up there. He’s such a positive influence.” Mattingly went on to say that Aguilar’s personality has been “awesome” and that he’s a well-rounded hitter, not just a power threat.

During the game, Aguilar flashed that power on Sunday when he connected on his team-leading fourth home run of the season. His fifth inning blast off deGrom pulled the Marlins to within one run.

Six of Aguilar’s 11 hits this season have gone for extra bases (two doubles, four home runs). He leads the team in batting average (.306), slugging percentage (.694) and OPS (1.036). He’s second in RBI (8). This discounted both Miguel Rojas and Magneuris Sierra, who have 10 and nine at-bats apiece.

His bat in the middle of the lineup puts pressure on opposing pitchers, but he needs guys on in front of him in order to maximize the damage.

Monte Harrison & Jonathan Villar struggle

Both Monte Harrison and Jonathan Villar came to the plate on Sunday with a chance to break the game open. Neither hitter was able to have even a productive out, though.  The two combined to go 0-for-9 total, including 0-for-6 with runners-in-scoring-position. They struck out a combined eight times and stranded 11 runners on base, which directly led to this Marlins loss.

With deGrom on the ropes early in the game, both Harrison came up with the bases loaded and one out in the second. He struck out. Villar followed with a soft groundball out to end the inning.

Harrison followed his decent Saturday performance (one hit, two RBI, two BB) by taking a significant step back. Harrison has nine times in 16 at-bats in his six games. Yes, he has game-changing speed, but he needs to be able to put the bat on the ball.

Villar struggled throughout the series. After going 6-for-14 with a homer, two RBI and two walks, Villar has gone hitless in his last two games. In the series versus the Mets, Villar went 1-1-15 with nine strikeouts. He was 0-for-5 with runners-in-scoring-position.

If the Marlins are going to be successful this season, they’ll need production from Villar and Harrison. These two hitters need to find a way out of their slumps and have productive at-bats for the team.

Defensive Miscues

During the four-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, the Marlins did all the little things. Productive outs, clean innings and no errors. This rag-tag group of Major Leaguers needs to be sharp in order to stay competitive and have a shot to win.

On Friday night, a Brian Anderson throwing error allowed the Mets to score a run in the eighth inning. It almost cost the Marlins the game. On Saturday, Anderson followed with another throwing error.

On Sunday, though, a pair of errors in the field cost the Marlins runs in what was ultimately a two-run loss. Corey Dickerson’s fielding error in the third inning cost Pablo Lopez a run. Dickerson botched a seemingly routine fly ball.

Later in the game, Matt Joyce nearly cost his team a run after a fielding error in right field. It took a highlight-reel play from Lopez to get Michael Conforto at home in the next at-bat.

If the Marlins are going to maintain their hold on the NL East and make a push for the playoffs, they’ll need a much cleaner effort than the one that came during this loss.

5 Post-Game Comments from Spoelstra, Herro, Adebayo

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After another tough loss to the Phoenix Suns, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo talked about the game in a very positive way. This included a lot of high praise for their new starting point guard, Tyler Herro. Here’s what was said…

Post-Game Comment #1:

Tyler Herro has been playing shooting guard since his arrival into the NBA, since that is his main position. But, the Heat have seemed to want Tyler to expand his role into a primary point guard. Tyler says, “I felt comfortable.” That’s the most important trait for a point guard, especially one who hasn’t played much point previously. He also mentions that he’s been working on this aspect of game during the break. Spoelstra also says that he thinks Tyler did a solid job today, which may ultimately mean he will have that starting spot for good.

Post-Game Comment #2:

Bam Adebayo was asked about the Heat’s most important part of the team that needs to be fixed. He says, “Knowing how to win in close games.” This is definitely much harder to do without your best player on the court. Both Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic have been huge in second halves of games this season, since they slow the game down for the young guys on the team. As time goes on, Bam and Tyler will begin to pick up on things at ends of games, which is the best thing for this team in the long run.

Post-Game Comment #3:

Coach Erik Spoelstra talked about the improvements Bam has made and some things he already has instilled. He says, “Getting Bam to play winning basketball is not high, because he does that.” He seems to have the ultimate trust in Bam, but it seems as if Bam doesn’t have that same trust in himself at times. Bam always is reluctant to shoot the mid-range, which is something players and coaches have been urging him to do. He also gets slightly passive at ends of games, which when you’re the team’s best player on the court, you need to look to score. Bam also made a huge play at the end of the game which was a block that was called a goal tend, but Spoelstra thinks otherwise.

Post-Game Comment #4:

Tyler Herro expands on his ball handling conversation with some information on how this came about. Tyler says, “I’ve always had the ball in my hands, in high school, and in college some.” This is definitely true that Tyler was the point guard in high school, but he was a straight scoring point guard. He says this time in earlier years has helped him grow, and feels he can impact the game in other ways that shooting. He mentions it’s very tough to balance play-making and scoring, and says “I’m sure I missed some guys open tonight.” Even if he did miss some open guys, it doesn’t matter when you’re a 20 year old rookie with the amount of natural skills in his arsenal.

Post-Game Comment #5:

The Heat had some leeway with their seeding at the beginning of the bubble games, but after a few losses, these Indiana match-ups matter much more. Bam says, “This is bigger than (TJ) or Jimmy. We want to get in the playoffs and make a run.” This team is no longer worried about the petty fights that occured earlier in the season, it’s now time to win. Spoelstra talks about this Indiana match-up with the same exact mindset, saying “You know us, it’s who we are,” when referring to approaching these games with a winning mentality. This is not to say Jimmy won’t rise up to the occasion for this match-up, which very well may happen, but this team is much more concerned about falling to 6 than fighting with TJ Warren.

5 Takeaways from Suns Victory Over Short-Handed Heat Team

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The Miami Heat played yet another game short-handed against the Phoenix Suns, due to Jimmy Butler, Goran Drgaic, and Kendrick Nunn being out. Miami fell short to Phoenix, 119-112, even with big games from the Heat’s young projects. Here are some takeaways from this game…

#1: Duncan Robinson uses team’s offensive shortage to expand his game.

Duncan Robinson seems to be one of the keys to every game the Heat play, but this was a different Duncan. I previously mentioned him expanding his game on the ball in this game, due to the fact that three of Miami’s four best scorers were out. Duncan definitely has some tricks in his bag that don’t involve catching and shooting, but he hasn’t been able to showcase them much. Tonight, he showed his ability to attack the basket, which seemed to catch the Suns off guard since it definitely wasn’t on the scouting report. People also forget that this is basically Duncan’s rookie year, which means he has plenty of time to develop this side of his game.

#2: Gabe Vincent utilizes minutes to try and earn rotation spot, but showcases another aspect.

With Kendrick Nunn away from the team at the moment, Tyler Herro was called up to the starting lineup and consequently lead to Gabe Vincent minutes off of the bench. This gave Gabe the opportunity to prove he can get minutes on this team, especially with Kendrick’s recent struggles. Although Gabe struggled shooting the ball from deep, which is his strength, he proved the other parts of his game are just as strong. He seemed to be a good play-maker, a high basketball IQ, and most importantly solid defense. These are some things that have been in question for Kendrick Nunn over the last few games, which may ultimately lead to yet another lineup change.

#3. Miami using new strategy, which is attacking team’s best player.

The Heat have seemed to try out a new offensive strategy through these few bubble games, which has been to get the other team’s best player in foul trouble. They have continued to attack early in games over the last week, which lead to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Marcus Smart early foul trouble. They also tried to attack Devin Booker early in today’s game, but it evidently didn’t lead to fouls. This may not be a bad idea to do, especially with the amount of physical offensive players on this roster. This also points to another advantage for the Heat over the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s been pretty easy to get 76er’s star Joel Embiid in foul trouble this year, which may ultimately be their game plan in a series against him. This may be something to keep your eye on over the course of Miami’s next few games.

#4: Tyler Herro tries to match his player comparison, Devin Booker.

Tyler Herro has continually been compared to Devin Booker, which is as good of a comparison as you can get. Tyler has said that he tries to model his game after him, and has watched a lot of film of him over the break. And with Tyler being the starting point guard tonight, he was looked at to try and match Devin Booker’s scoring, which is far from an easy task. But, Tyler Herro did just about that. He showed a lot of Devin Booker flashes scoring the ball with 25 points, but really stepped up as the point guard. He continues to showcase different ball-handling packages and most importantly his play-making, which he ended the game with 10 assists. He seems to be very comfortable at this position now, even more comfortable than Kendrick looked at the point. Tyler used this as a statement game to prove he will be the starting point guard on this team for a long time to come.

#5: Bam Adebayo’s offensive motor more important now than ever.

After Bam talked about his body not responding as quickly as it usually does during a media session yesterday, there were a lot of questions about him in today’s game. But, he began to make that jump that was much needed in a game without three of your offensive talents. He also seemed confident in his jump shot from 15 feet early in the first, which seemed Chris Bosh-esque, but it just wasn’t falling. This lead to the basket attacking Bam Adebayo that Heat fans have been waiting for in the second quarter. This included some post-moves, finishing at the rim, and a pair of And-1 plays. With all of the elite shooting on this roster, Bam is key to open up the floor for all of their shooters. Once Bam becomes a consistent offensive problem for other teams, this will elevate this Heat team to the next level.

Pat Venditte

Meet the Marlins: Pat Venditte

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The Miami Marlins roster machinations continue as the team deals with the fallout of the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. On Saturday, the team announced LHP Daniel Castano will make his MLB debut and start for the club in New York. Miami also announced several rosters moves, including placing recently acquired LHP Richard Bleier on the 10-day IL with an elbow strain, and activating Brian Moran and Pat Venditte from the taxi squad.

Last night’s starter, Humberto Mejia, has been optioned the Miami’s alternate training site (Jupiter), but he’ll remain with the club.

Marlins: Pat Venditte

Pat Venditte signed a minor-league deal with Miami this offseason. At 35-years-old, Venditte remains one of the most unique players in MLB history. He’s a “switch pitcher,” meaning he has the ability to work off the mound with either arm, depending upon the handedness of the hitter.

Over a four year big-league career, Venditte has gone 2-2. He’s posted a 5.03 ERA and 1.309 WHIP over 68 innings pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. He’s registered 53 strikeouts and 28 walks over that span. Venditte has pitched for Oakland, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco throughout his career.

In 2019, Venditte made two appearances with the Giants. He gave up six earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched. Venditte was far more affective with the Triple-A Sacramento RiverCats. He went 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.014 WHIP over 47.1 innings pitched. He registered 59 strikeouts and 17 walks with Sacramento.

Over his career, Venditte has been more effective against left-handed batters. Lefties have a .179 batting average versus Venditte, whereas right-handed hitters have a .286 batting average against him.

The Switch Pitcher

The ambidextrous Venditte could be a unique solution to MLB’s new three-batter minimum for relievers. The MLB instituted the new rule for 2020, stating pitchers must face a minimum of three batters in an appearance or pitch until the end of a half inning. This new rule was instituted in an effort to reduce the number of pitching changes in a game and to speed up average game times.

For Venditte, he has to declare the handedness he’ll use for each batter and can’t switch arms during an at-bat. Unlike the pitcher, the batter can switch continuously from the left to the right side of the plate during the same at-bat. However, there is one exception: never during the pitcher’s windup. If the batter switches sides during the windup, he’s out.

Venditte uses a customized glove that allows him to change his throwing hand depending upon the batter he’s facing. Pat Venditte’s another veteran arm with Major League experience for this Marlins bullpen, which may as well install a revolving door at this point.