Gaby Sanchez Traded To Bucs

    The Miami Marlins traded first baseman Gaby Sanchez and minor league pitcher Kyle Kaminska to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Sanchez was a Miami-Breto Private School grad and University of Miami grad. He had three home runs, 17 RBIs and a .202 batting average in 55 games this season. Sanchez began 2012 as the starting first baseman for the Marlins until he lost his spot to Carlos Lee, who was acquired in a trade from the Houston Astros earlier this month. Hernandez had a short stint with the Buccos earlier this season as he played 25 games and had 2 RBIs with a .083 batting average.

Mujica Goes To Cards

    The Miami Marlins traded pitcher Edward Mujica to the St. Louis Cardinals for minor leaguer Zack Cox on Tuesday. Mujica was 0-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 41 games this season and had two saves. He was acquired by the Marlins back in November 2010 from the San Diego Padres Ryan Webb for Carlos Maybin.

Eovaldi Wins In Marlins Debut

    Nate Eovaldi made his first Marlins start since being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers as Miami beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 at Marlins Park. Eovaldi improved his record to 2-6 as he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up one run on five hits. The Marlins snapped a three-game losing streak with just five hits in the game. Steve Cishek closed things down with his fourth save in 2012.
    Miami got the quick lead in the first inning off Ross Ohlendorf(3-1) as Carlos Lee picked up a two-out single to right field that brought in Emilio Bonifacio. He led off the frame with a walk.
    The Marlins extended their lead to 3-0 in the third inning. Eovaldi started with a bunt single. Three batters later, Jose Reyes smacked a two-out homer to right field on a 1-0 pitch for his seventh home run of the season.
    San Diego cut the lead down in the sixth inning. Chase Headley singled to center field then Carlos Quentin would fly out to center. Headley advanced to third on a single by Yasmani Grandal to right field. Yonder Alonso, a Coral Gables grad and University of Miami grad, knocked in Headley on a double to deep right field.
    Justin Ruggiano added another run for Miami with a lead-off homer to left-center field on a 1-1 count off Alex Hinshaw in the seventh inning. It was his eighth home run this season.   
     The Padres tried to crawl back in the game during the eighth inning to close the margin to 4-2.  Quentin hit a one-out double to left field and went to third on a wild pitch by Mike Dunn. Grandal, a Miami Springs grad and University of Miami grad, lifted a sacrifice fly into center field to score Quentin.

Alex Dunno Moves To WQAM

    Alex Dunno has left 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and joined Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He begins on Saturday as a weekend host. He will be the midday sports anchor at WQAM for the Captain Curtis Stevenson Show along with the Kup and Goldie Show.
    Dunno announced afternoon sports updates on the Dan LeBatard Show at 790 The Ticket up until a couple of days ago. In addition, he did a show called Fighter's Fury on Sunday mornings. Dunno, a 2007 University of Miami grad, also worked as a producer and reporter for that station.

Sileo Added To Canes Games

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM afternoon host Dan Sileo has joined the Miami Hurricanes Radio Network as a post-game football host. He will work with Jon Linder after all University of Miami Hurricanes football games this fall. Sileo started at WQAM back in April and once played for the Hurricanes during the mid-1980's as a defensive lineman.

Marlins Trade Hanley Ramirez

    The Miami Marlins have traded third baseman Hanley Ramirez and pitcher Randy Choate to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Ramirez played shortstop for six years with the team until switching over to third base this season with the addition of Jose Reyes. Ramirez has 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .246 batting average in 92 games this season.
    He won the National League batting title in 2009 with a .342 batting average and also had a career-high 106 RBIs that season along with 24 home runs. The Marlins acquired him in a seven-player deal along with Anibal Sanchez after the 2005 season from the Boston Red Sox for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell.
    Choate was signed by the Marlins as a free agent in 2011 as was mainly as a middle reliever for 98 games over the last two seasons. Eovaldi started ten games for the Dodgers this season and had a record of 1-6 with an earned run average of 4.15.
   

Captain Curtis Upped At WQAM

    Curtis Stevenson, aka Captain Curtis, has replaced Michael Irvin as the midday host at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He was the sidekick to Irvin since August 2011 when he replaced Kevin Kiley. Stevenson was a weekday host at the station from February 2010 until August 2010. He co-hosted the afternoon show with Anita Marks and later hosted middays alone.
    Stevenson has been a weekend host at WQAM for the last two years. He also was the producer for the afternoon show with Jim Mandich, aka Mad Dog, until he left the station due to health problems at the end of January 2010.

Michael Irvin Out At WQAM

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM let go Michael Irvin from his midday show last week. He will continue his role as a studio analyst for the NFL Network in Los Angeles. Irvin joined WQAM in late July 2010 as midday host with Kevin Kiley as his sidekick. Curtis Stevenson replaced Kiley when he left for a morning sports show in Cleveland in August 2011. The Michael Irvin Show was moved from the noon to 3 p.m. spot to two hours earlier in the first week of January as WQAM added the Kup and Goldie Show with Adam Kuperstein and Steve Goldstein.
    Irvin had done previous radio work as a midday co-host for KESN-FM ESPN 103.3 in Dallas. He also was once an NFL studio analyst for ESPN and a studio analyst/panelist on The Best Damn Sports Show Period at Fox Sports Net.
    Stevenson replaces Irvin as the new midday host at WQAM. He hosted a weekday show at the station from February 2010 to August 2010. This included an afternoon show with Anita Marks before being switched to host middays by himself. Stevenson was the producer for the afternoon show with Jim Mandich, aka Mad Dog, until he left the station due to health reasons at the end of January 2010.

Marlins Survive Braves

    The Miami Marlins returned home on Monday night and edged the Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 victory at Marlins Park. Josh Johnson(6-7) gave up only one hit in six shutout innings before he left the game with skin irritation to his right middle finger. He also struck out nine Braves in the game.
Mike Minor(5-7) got the loss as he went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
    The Marlins got their two runs in the first two innings of the game. Jose Reyes and Donovan Solano hit consecutive singles to begin the first inning. Carlos Lee knocked in Reyes with a single to left field for a 1-0 lead.
    Miami added another run in the second inning as Emilio Bonifacio led off and blasted his first home run of the season on a 3-2 pitch to left field. It was his first homer since September 25th last year.
    Atlanta tried to pull a comeback in the ninth inning with Steve Cishek on the mound. Michael Bourn started with a lead-off single to center field and Martin Prado followed with a single to center. Jason Heyward grounded in a 4-6-3 double play, but it seemed that he beat the throw to first base. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was thrown out of the game by umpire Laz Diaz for arguing the call.
    Chipper Jones then singled to right field and Bourn scored from third to cut the margin to 2-1. Freddie Freeman flew out to center field to end the game. Cishek picked up his third save this season.
   

Infante and Sanchez Traded

    The Miami Marlins traded pitcher Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Jacob Turner on Monday. Sanchez was 5-7 this season with a 3.94 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 19 games he started. He had been with the Marlins for seven seasons with a record of 44-45 and 676 strikeouts.
    Infante was acquired by the Marlins from the Atlanta Braves for second baseman Dan Uggla back in November 2010. He had eight home runs and 33 RBI with a .287 batting average in 85 games this season. Infante returns to Detroit where he played for the Tigers from 2002 until 2007.
    Turner had made six starts for the Tigers in the last two seasons. He was 1-1 in three starts this year with the team. Turner picked his first major league win on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.

Panthers Resign Versteeg

    The Florida Panthers have signed right wing Kris Versteeg to a new four-year contract on Monday. He played 71 games with the team last season and got a career-high 23 goals and 54 points. Versteeg helped the franchise win the Southeast Division in 2011-12 for their first division title in franchise history. In addition, the Panthers appeared in the NHL playoffs for the first time since 1999-2000. Versteeg was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in July 2011 and won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009-10.

Pirates Sweep Marlins

    The Pittsburgh Pirates pulled off a 3-0 shutout over the Miami Marlins on Sunday at PNC Park. The Marlins were swept in the three-game series. They return home to take on the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
    Jeff Karstens(3-2) pitched seven innings of shutout ball and surrendered five hits. Anibal Sanchez(5-7) got the loss as he gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings and struck out eight Pirates.
    Pittsburgh took the early lead in the first inning. Alex Presley led off with a single to left field and stole second after Neil Walker struck out. Andrew McCutchen followed as he knocked an RBI-single into center field to score Presley.
    Pedro Alvarez extended the Pirates lead to 3-0 in the seventh inning with a two-run homer to right field on a 0-1 count. Casey McGehee had doubled to deep right field prior to that. It was the 21st home run by Alvarez this season.

Pirates Attack Marlins

    The Pittsburgh Pirates got a four-run rally in the fourth inning as they defeated the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Saturday night. Former Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett improved to 11-3 as he went 7 2/3 innings and gave up one run on eight hits. Carlos Zambrano(5-8) took the loss as he allowed five runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.
    The Pirates took the lead in the first inning. Alex Presley walked and Neil Walker doubled to left field. After Andrew McCutchen struck out, Presley scored on a ground out to second by Garrett Jones.
    Justin Ruggiano blasted a lead-off solo home run in the second inning to tie the game for the Marlins. He hit a 3-1 pitch over the Roberto Clemente Wall in right field for his seventh homer this season.
    Pittsburgh regained the lead in the fourth inning with four runs. Rod Barajas and Clint Barmes were both hit by pitches from Zambrano. Burnett got with first on a sacrifice and an errant throw by John Buck caused Barajas to score. The Pirates loaded the bases as Presley walked.
    Walker hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Barmes scored. McCutchen walked to load the bases again then Jones walked to score Burnett. Chad Gaudin replaced Zambrano on the mound and walked McGehee which brought in Presley.
   

Danny Garcia Joins WMEN

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has lost another producer who left for WMEN-AM 640 Sports earlier this week. Danny Garcia will become a morning producer for the Sid Rosenberg Show that will begin on August 13. He will produce the 640 Sports morning show with Marc Eisenberg and Chris Perkins until then.
    Garcia was recently the midday producer for the Michael Irvin Show on WQAM. He co-hosted a one-hour basketball show Inside The Paint with Danny Rabinowitz weeknights from 11PM until midnight this year that began in January and ended in June. Former WQAM producer Steve Zemach joined 640 Sports earlier this month to become an associate producer for the Sid Rosenberg Show.

Cubs Wrap Marlins

    The Chicago Cubs pulled off a four-run frame in the fifth inning to defeat the Miami Marlins 4-2 at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon. Mark Buerhle, who played 11 seasons with the crosstown White Sox, made his first appearance in Chicago since he joined the Marlins as a free agent. He dropped his record to 9-9 as he went five innings and gave up four runs on six hits.
    The Cubs got all their runs in the fifth when Alfonso Soriano picked up his 14th home run of the season to lead off the inning. He smacked a solo shot into left field on the first pitch. The next three batters would got on base as Jeff Baker singled to left, Geovany Soto walked and Darwin Barney singled to right. Luis Valbuena hit a sacrifice fly to right scoring Baker. Two batters later, Reed Johnson singled into left field with Soto and Barney coming in.
    Donovan Solano batted for Buerhle in the sixth inning as he smacked a lead-off triple to deep right field. Emilio Bonafacio would knock him in on a ground out to the pitcher. Paul Maholm(8-6) pitched eight innings for Chicago and allowed one run on five hits.
    Miami would add one more run in the ninth inning off Cubs closer Carlos Marmol. Carlos Lee went to first on a walk. He would score three batters later as Greg Dobbs singled to center field. The Marlins begin a three-game series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates on Friday night.

Rain Stops Marlins

    Inclement weather halted Wednesday's game in the top of the eighth inning as the Miami Marlins lost to the Chicago Cubs 5=1 at Wrigley Field. It was a rare stoppage in a Marlins game because they moved into a new stadium this year with a retractable roof. They conclude the three-game series on Thursday afternoon.   
    The Marlins got their only run of the game as Jose Reyes had a lead-off solo home run to right field on a 0-2 pitch in the third inning. It was the fourth homer for Reyes this season.
    Starlin Castro tied the game for the Cubs as he blasted a lead-off solo home run to left-center field on a 0-0 count in the fourth inning for his eighth homer this year.  
    Chicago added four runs in the seventh inning prior to the bad weather coming in. Alfonso Soriano on third with one out when Geovany Soto hit an RBI-single to left field for the go-ahead run. Darwin Barney and Luis Valbuena got consecutive singles to load the bases. Mike Dunn entered the game to relieve for Josh Johnson(5-7), who gave up four runs on five hits. Jeff Baker came in to pinch-hit as smacked a two-run double to left field. David DeJesus put a sacrifice fly to center field and Valbuena scored.

Canes Drop Ray-Ray Armstrong

    The University of Miami Hurricanes have kicked off safety Ray-Ray Armstrong from their football team on Wednesday. Armstrong, heading into his senior year, was dismissed for team violations. He had 34 tackles last season as a starter for the team.
    Armstrong played for Seminole High School in Sanford as a quarterback and a defensive back. He led the team as a senior to the 2008 FHSAA Class 6A state championship over the two-time defending national champion and state champion Miami-Northwestern High School 28-21. To this day they are the only Orlando-area high school to win a high school state football title since the FHSAA moved the championships to Orlando and the Citrus Bowl in 2007.

Marlins Bash Cubs

    Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen and pitcher Carlos Zambrano made their return to Chicago on Tuesday night as Miami beat the Cubs 9-5 at Wrigley Field. Carlos Lee, former Chicago White Sox player, knocked his 17th grand slam of his career in the victory.
    Lee began the fourth inning with a single to left field and advanced to second on a fly out to right by Justin Ruggiano. After Hanley Ramirez flew out to center field, Austin Kearns singled to score Lee. Omar Infante then smacked a two-run homer on a 2-0 count off Travis Wood(4-4) to left center for a Marlins 3-0 lead. It was Infante's eighth home run this year.
    Miami added five runs in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 8-0. Anibal Sanchez(5-6) led off with a single to left field and Jose Reyes got an infield single. Emilio Bonifacio loaded the bases for the Marlins with a bunt single to the pitcher. Lee cracked a grand slam home run on the first pitch to left field for his sixth round-tripper this season. Later in the inning, Infante had a two-out RBI-single to center that scored Ramirez.
    Jeff Baker broke the shutout for the Cubs in the bottom of the frame with a one-out home run to left-center field on a 1-0 pitch for his fourth homer in 2012.
    Chicago added another run in the sixth inning with a two outs. Geovany Soto doubled to deep right-center field then scored on a Ramirez throwing error to first base on a Joe Mather at-bat.
    Jairo Asencio entered the game to pitch for the Cubs in the seventh inning and was welcomed as he gave up a one-out solo home run to Ramirez to center field on a 1-0 count. Ramirez got his 14th homer this year.
     The Cubs put up a three-spot in the eighth inning against Chad Gaudin to cut the margin down to 9-5. Soto began with a walk and Steve Clevenger singled to center field. Both scored as Luis Valbuena doubled to deep right-center. Baker brought Valbuena in on a single to center field.

Nationals Shut Out Marlins

    Stephen Strasburg pitched six scoreless innings and allowed six hits as the Washington Nationals defeated the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Sunday at Marlins Park. He picked up his tenth win of the season as he struck out seven Marlins. Ricky Nolasco(8-7) took the loss for the Fish as he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Both teams finish the four-game wraparound series on Monday night.
    The Nationals first got to Nolasco with two runs in the fifth inning. The Nats had men on first and second with two out when Strasburg got an RBI-single to right field as Danny Espinosa scored. Steve Lombardozzi followed with a single to right and brought in Jhonaton Solano.
    Washington added two runs in a none-out rally in the sixth inning. Ryan Zimmerman led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on a single to right field by Adam LaRoche. Michael Morse knocked in Zimmerman with a single to center field. Espinosa then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score LaRoche.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Arbitron Ratings June

    The Miami/Fort Lauderdale arbitron ratings for June came out and once again things remained the same with all the sports format radio stations in the region. 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM extended their lead as the top sports station over Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM.
    790 The Ticket improved from a 1.5 to a 1.6 in the month of June. As the flagship station for the Miami Heat, they were able to broadcast the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals as the team won their second NBA title. It was the first time the station had the rights to a league champion on their airwaves since they flipped to a sports format in 2004. Jon Weiner, aka Stugotz, and Marc Hochman did not falter in their second month as the interim morning show.
    Sports Radio 560 stopped a two-month drop as they stayed the same with a 0.7 in June. It has taken some time for the region to get use to new afternoon host Dan Sileo who joined the station in April. The buzz of the Miami Heat becoming NBA champions also did help.
    940 The Sports Animal fell slightly from a 0.5 to a 0.4 in June. It is usually a slow month especially when there are limited activities from the Miami Dolphins. You would think that having the most daytime hours to their signal in the month in June would be helpful, but it was not.

Marlins Squeeze By Nationals

    The Miami Marlins were able to hang on to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Nationals at Marlins Park on Saturday night. Marc Buehrle(9-8) went seven innings for the Fish and gave up one run on six hits. Gio Gonzalez, who has been the ace of the Nats pitching staff this season, dropped to 12-4 as he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings and struck out nine batters.
    Miami took the early lead in the fourth inning. Jose Reyes led off with a single to center field and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Omar Infante. Carlos Lee knocked Reyes in on an RBI-single to right center for a 1-0 lead.
    Washington quickly came back to tie the game in the fifth inning. Ian Desmond got to first on a bunt single and then stole second. Tyler Moore would then walk. Jesus Flores hit a ball into shallow left field to score Desmond.
    The Marlins played small-ball to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Emilio Bonifacio picked up a bunt single and went to second on a sacrifice by Donovan Solano. Bonifacio scored on an RBI-single by John Buck to right-center field.
    Steve Cishek got his second save this year as came in during the eighth inning and pulled off a five-out save for the Marlins. The Nationals left Roger Bernadina on second base with two outs in the ninth inning.
   

Nats Stomp Marlins

    It was the first game after the All-Star Game break as the Miami Marlins fell to the Washington Nationals 5-1 on Friday night at Marlins Park. The Marlins are now ten games behind the Nationals in the National League East.
    Jordan Zimmerman(6-6) pitched four-hit shutout ball in six innings with six strikeouts. Josh Johnson(5-6) had a tough outing as he give up five runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
    The Nats put up one run in the second inning. Adam LaRoche begin with a double to deep right field and Ian Desmond knocked him in on a single to center field. 
    Washington extended their lead in the third inning as Ryan Zimmerman cracked a two-run homer on a 3-1 count to left-center field with one out . Bryce Harper scored on the play. It was the ninth home run for Zimmerman this season.
    The Nationals added two more runs in the sixth inning to make it 5-0. LaRoche and Desmond got singles with none out. After Danny Espinosa hit a sacrifice fly to center to advance LaRoche to third, Desmond stole second. Jesus Flores then had a two-run single to left field.
    The Fish avoided the shutout in the seventh inning when Henry Rodriguez relieved Jordan Zimmerman. Justin Ruggiano and Emilio Bonifacio both walked with one out, then Ruggiano was able to steal third. He scored on a single by John Buck to right field.

Andy King Named WQAM Interim PD

    Andy King has been named interim program director at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and will take his new post after July 20. He is currently the assistant program director and executive producer for the Dan Sileo afternoon show. King, a University of Miami grad, spent eight years as a producer with 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM until he joined WQAM several months ago. He worked as a morning producer for the Jorge Sedano Show until April.

Panthers Lose Wolski

    Florida Panthers late-season pickup left wing Wojtek Wolski signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. He was acquired from the New York Rangers by the Cats at the trade deadline last season and contributed to their first division title in franchise history. Wolski had four goals and five assists in 22 games with Florida.
    The Panthers also signed free agent center Peter Mueller to a one-year deal. He played 32 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season and had seven goals and nine assists. Mueller began his NHL career with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Heat Signs Rashard Lewis

    The Miami Heat have signed free agent forward Rashard Lewis to a two-year deal on Wednesday. He joins guard Ray Allen who also was picked up by the team. Both were teammates with the Seattle Supersonics from 2003 until 2007. Lewis helped the Orlando Magic to an Eastern Conference title in 2008-09. He was with the Washington Wizards last season as he played in 28 games and averaged 7.8 points per game.

WMEN Adds Steve Zemach

    640 Sports WMEN-AM has added Steve Zemach as an associate producer for the Sid Rosenberg morning show that will begin on August 13. He will work on the morning show with Marc Eisenberg and Chris Perkins for the next month. Zemach worked as an associate producer for Rosenberg when he was on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM earlier this year and also as a Miami Marlins reporter. He remains a boxing writer for Queensbury-Rules.com.

Krys Barch Joins Devils

    Krys Barch has signed a two-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. He was with the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers last season and helped the Cats win their first division title in franchise history. He played 41 games with Florida last season in which he had two goals, five points and 41 penalty minutes. 

Marlins Blow Lead In Ninth

    The Miami Marlins finished the first half of the regular season on Sunday as they blew a two run ninth-inning lead to the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 at Busch Stadium. Heath Bell was called in to make the save and failed as he gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. His record dropped to 2-5 and it was his sixth blown save this season.
    Carlos Beltran stuck out to begin the ninth inning. Allen Craig singled to left field and Matt Carpenter followed with a ground-rule double to deep left-center field. Pinch-hitter David Freese walked, Tony Cruz hit a sacrifice fly into left field and Craig scored. David Descalso walked to load the bases for the Cardinals. Rafael Furcal ripped a single to left field as Carpenter scored and Freese beat the tag at home plate for the win.
    With one out in the first inning, Miami got walks by Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Lee off Joe Kelly. They pulled off a double steal as Logan Morrison struck out. The throw by Lopez went by the third baseman and Ramirez scored for a Marlins 1-0 lead.
    The Redbirds evened the game in the second inning against Anibal Sanchez. Craig doubled to deep right center with one out and went to third on a ground out to first by Carpenter. Skip Schumaker hit a single to shallow center field to score Craig.
    St. Louis added another run in the fifth inning as Cruz pounded a double to left field with one out. After Kelly struck out, Furcal brought in Cruz with an RBI-single to left field.
    The Marlins pulled off a one-out rally and retook the lead 4-2 in the seventh inning. Omar Infante hit a ground-rule double to deep left field and then John Buck walked. Victor Marte came in to relieve for Maikel Cleto. Austin Kearns blasted a three-run homer to left-center field on a 2-0 count for his fourth home run of the season.

Cards Slip By Marlins

    The St. Louis Cardinals came back with a three-run fourth inning to get by the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Saturday at Busch Stadium. Miami announced after the game Giancarlo Stanton would miss the All-Star Game with an right knee injury and will be out for at least one month. He was to be involved in the home run hitting contest in Kansas City on Monday.
    Kyle Lohse(9-2) beat the Fish for the third time this season as he went seven innings and gave up two runs on three hits. Carlos Zambrano(4-7) took the loss as he pitched five innings and let up three runs on seven hits.
    The Marlins got the first runs of the game in the second inning. Stanton got a lead-off single then Logan Morrison flew out to left field. Justin Ruggiano smacked a two-run homer, his sixth home run of the season, on a 1-0 pitch to left field.
    The Redbirds took their only lead with three runs in the fourth inning. Allen Craig started with a single to right field and went to second on a David Freese walk. Craig scored on an RBI-single by Skip Schumaker to left field. Santaluces High School grad Tony Lopez tripled to deep right field and brought in Freese and Schumaker for a 3-0 St. Louis lead.

Heat Sign Ray Allen

    The Miami Heat have agreed to sign free agent guard Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics. Allen helped the Celtics win an NBA title in 2007-08 over the Los Angeles Lakers and took the Eastern Conference title in 2009-10. He is the NBA all-time leader in three-point shots made and attempted. He had made previous stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Seattle Supersonics. The deal will be officially announced by the Heat on July 11.

Marlins Edge Cardinals

    The Miami Marlins began a three-game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium prior to the All-Star Game break. The Marlins slipped by the Redbirds 3-2 on Friday night. Miami has won seven of their last nine games.
    Ricky Nolasco, who became the Marlins all-time leader in innings pitched, improved his record to 8-6 as he went six innings and gave up one run on nine hits. Jake Westbrook(7-7) of the Cards pitched 6 2/3 innings and surrendered two runs on five hits.
    Allen Craig began the third inning with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error by Jose Reyes. David Freese knocked Craig in with a double to left field for a St. Louis 1-0 lead.
    Hanley Ramirez reached first base on a fielder's choice with one out in the sixth inning. He would score on an error by Freese with Carlos Lee at-bat.
    Miami took the lead 2-1 in the seventh inning. Greg Dobbs got a lead-off single to center field and went to second on a sacrifice by Omar Infante. Dobbs took third on a fly out to right field by John Buck. Austin Kearns would pinch-hit for Nolasco and walked. Reyes would get an infield single as Dobbs scored.
    Logan Morrison smacked a one-out solo home run to right field off Maikel Cleto on a 2-1 count and extended the Marlins lead to 3-1. It was the 11th homer for Morrison this season.
    Heath Bell was brought in by Miami for the bottom of the ninth inning. Skip Schumaker belted a pinch-hit double to left field and advanced to third on a ground out by Matt Carpenter. Schumaker scored on a infield single by Rafael Furcal. John Jay got to first on a fielder's choice and advanced to second when Matt Holliday was hit by a pitch. Bell got his 19th save as Carlos Beltran grounded out to second.

Marlins Shut Down Brewers

    The Miami Marlins finished the final game of a four-game series in Milwaukee as they shut out the Brewers 4-0 on Thursday afternoon at Miller Park. Both teams played in record-high temperature with the roof open. The Marlins travel to St. Louis for a three-game weekend series against the Cardinals that begins on Friday.
    Deerfield Beach High School and Nova Southeastern University grad Michael Fiers(3-3) started for Milwaukee as he went 7 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and allowed two runs on seven hits. Marlins starter Marc Buehrle(8-8) pitched a shutout through 7 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and gave up six hits.   
    New Marlins first baseman Carlos Lee, who was acquired in a trade on Wednesday from the Houston Astros, made his debut with the club and had an impact in the fourth inning with a lead-off double to deep left field. Logan Morrison followed with a bloop single down the left field line to score Lee for a Marlins 1-0 lead.
     Miami added an insurance run to their lead in the eighth inning. Jose Reyes led off with a single and was forced out at second on a ground out by Hanley Ramirez. Lee then singled to right center and Ramirez advanced to third. Manny Parra came in to relieve for Fiers. Ramirez scored on a fielder's choice by Morrison to shortstop.
    In the ninth inning, Omar Infante hit a ground rule double to right field. He went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Scott Cousins and John Buck struck out. Greg Dobbs came in to pinch-hit for Steve Cishek. He blasted a two-run homer to right field on a 3-1 pitch off Jose Veras as Miami led 4-0. It was his 80th career base hit as a pinch-hitter surpassing Manny Mota and Tommy Hutton.

Marlins Acquire Carlos Lee

    First baseman Carlos Lee has been traded by the Houston Astros to the Miami Marlins for two minor league prospects. The Marlins will pay the bulk of money owed to Lee in the final year of his contract. He rejoins Ozzie Guillen who managed him in 2004 with Chicago White Sox. Lee hit .287 with five home runs and 29 RBI in 66 games with Houston this season. He has 354 home runs and 1,315 RBI in his major league career.
    Lee broke into the majors with the White Sox in 1999 and played there until 2004. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers and stayed there for 1 1/2 seasons until he was sent to the Texas Rangers. Lee signed a six-year contract with the Houston Astros in 2007. He has only made the playoffs once in his career with the White Sox in 2000.

Lee Feldman Leaving WQAM

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM Program Director Lee Feldman will step down from his position at the station on July 20 and head for a job in Costa Rica. He started as a weekend sports anchor and back-up midday sidekick/summer fill-in host on the Neil Rogers Show where he got the nickname Flee. Following the demise of that show, Feldman was elevated to promotions director and assistant program director. He was promoted to marketing director and later replaced Josh Darrow as WQAM program director in the spring of 2010. In an unusual business strategy, he allowed the acknowledgement of their competitor 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM directly and indirectly during promotional spots on the air.
    Feldman was a disc jockey in Tampa Bay at WXTB-FM. He worked in Fort Myers at WJBX-FM as a program director and morning show host.  He also had a stint with WZTA-FM in Miami as assistant program director and music director.

Dontrelle Willis Retires

    Dontrelle Willis, known as the D-Train, announced his retirement from baseball on Monday. He was named the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year as he went 14-6 with 142 strikeouts. Willis helped the Florida Marlins take the wild-card playoff spot and win the World Series over the New York Yankees in six games. He finished second for the National League Cy Young Award in 2005 when he was 22-10 with 170 strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA for his best season in the majors. Along with wins, he also led the league with seven complete games and five shutouts.
    Following a disappointing season with the team in 2007, he was traded with Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers in an eight-player deal. Willis played three seasons there but never recovered the form he once had with the Marlins. He also played with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds later in his career.

Marlins Sweep Phillies

    The Miami Marlins pulled off a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-2 victory on Sunday at Marlins Park. The Marlins extended their winning streak to four games as they head to Milwaukee this week.
    The Phillies got on the scoreboard just three batters into game. With one out, Juan Pierre tripled to right field and scored on a ground out by Hunter Pence to third for a 1-0 lead.
    Miami picked up two runs with two outs in the second inning to take the lead. Justin Ruggiano was on second and crossed home plate on a double to deep left by Omar Infante. John Buck followed with an RBI-double to deep right field.
    Giancarlo Stanton came through for Miami with a two-out solo home run to right field on a 2-1 pitch in the third inning for his 19th homer of the season.
    Philadelphia cut the gap to 3-2 in the sixth inning. Pierre had a bunt single with out and went to third on a single by Pence to left center. After Carlos Ruiz popped out to center field, Pierre scored on a wild pitch with Shane Victorino at-bat.
    The Marlins capped the win with two runs off Antonio Bastardo in the eighth inning. Jose Reyes began with a walk then stole second base. Hanley Ramirez pounded a two-run homer to left field with a 3-2 count for his 12th home run of the year.
    Ricky Nolasco(7-6) was victorious as he went seven innings with six strikeouts and allowed two runs on six hits. Heath Bell got his 17th save with a hitless ninth inning. Joe Blanton(7-7) lost the game after going six innings and gave up three runs on six hits.

Panthers Lose Garrison, Samuelsson

    On the first day of free agency in the NHL on Sunday, the Florida Panthers lost two players who helped the team win their first division title in franchise history. Jason Garrison, who was a first-line defenseman, signed a six-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He has played the last four seasons with the Cats. He had a career-high 16 goals, 17 assists and 33 points in 77 games last season, which included nine power-play goals.
    Right wing Mikael Samuelsson has rejoined the Detroit Red Wings where he won a Stanley Cup in 2007-08. The Florida Panthers acquired him from the Vancouver Canucks in early 2011-12. He had 13 goals and 28 points in 48 games with the Panthers last season. Samuelsson also had a previous one-year stint with Florida back in 2003-04.

 

Panthers Sign Kuba, Parros

    The Florida Panthers signed two veterans for the first day of free agency on Sunday. They picked up defenseman Filip Kuba from the Ottawa Senators and right wing George Parros from the Anaheim Ducks with two-year deals.
    Kuba returned to the Panthers after playing his first two seasons with the team from 1998-99 to 1999-2000 and had seven points in 18 games. He has also played for the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning. Kuba was a first-line defenseman in Ottawa last season with 26 assists and 32 points during 73 games.
    Parros has played the last six seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and was more known for his physical play and fighting. He had one goal in 46 games in 2011-12. He had played for the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche. Parros won a Stanley Cup title with the Ducks in 2006-07.

Panthers Resign Clemmensen

    On the first day of free agency in the NHL, the Florida Panthers have resigned goalie Scott Clemmensen to a two-year contract on Sunday. He helped the team win their first division title in franchise history in 2011-12. Last season he shared goaltending duties with Jose Theodore.
    Clemmensen, who was an unrestricted free agent entering this summer, joined the Cats in 2009-10 and had previous stops with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was 14-6-6 in 30 games with a 2.57 goals against average last season.

Marlins Edge Phillies

    The Miami Marlins extended their winning streak to three games as they got by the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 at Marlins Park on Saturday. Mark Buehrle(7-8) got win going seven innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. Cole Hamels(10-4) took the loss as he had the same amount of innings pitched and allowed base hits, but he let up three runs.
    Giancarlo Stanton drew first blood as he smashed a two-out solo home run to left field on a 3-2 count in the first inning. It was the 18th homer for Stanton this season.
    Philadelphia tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning. Carlos Ruiz lead off with a double to right field and Hunter Pence followed with a single to left field. Shane Victorino hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Ruiz.
    The Marlins retook the lead in the third inning as Jose Reyes started a one-out double to deep left.  Hanley Ramirez flew out to left field then Stanton drove in Reyes with a single to center field.
    In the fifth inning, Miami extended the margin to 3-1. Reyes led off with a single to right field and Ramirez lined out to left field. Reyes stole stolen and Stanton was intentionally walked. Reyes and Stanton then pulled off a double steal on the Phillies. Logan Morrison walked to load the bases for the Marlins for Justin Ruggiano. He hit a sacrifice fly to center field and Reyes scored.
    Hunter Pence closed the gap to 3-2 as he blasted a one-out solo homer to left center on a 3-1 pitch in the seventh inning for his 16th home run. The Phillies came close to tie the game as they left a man on second with one out in the ninth inning and Heath Bell picked up his 16th save this year.