Sunday, September 30, 2012

Phillies Trump Marlins

    The Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs in the first and they beat the Miami Marlins 4-1 on Sunday at Marlins Park. The Marlins finish the season at home against the New York Mets in a three-game series.
    Cole Hamels(17-6) of the Phillies went seven innings and allowed one run on five hits. Nathan Eovaldi(4-13) surrendered three runs on six hits in six innings pitched for the Marlins.
    Philadelphia jumped on Eovaldi and Miami with three runs in the first inning. Jimmy Rollins walked and former Marlins Juan Pierre singled into center field. Rollins then scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Chase Utley. Carlos Ruiz followed with a double to deep left field and brought in Pierre. After Domonic Brown grounded out, Nate Schierholtz made it 3-0 when he singled into left-center field to score Ruiz.
    The Fish cut the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning. Carlos Lee singled into right field with two out as Jose Reyes scored. Giancarlo Stanton was tagged on the play.
    The Phillies stretched their lead during the eighth inning. Utley and Ruiz both got base hits off Mike Dunn. Brown knocked in Utley on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Marlins Stop Losing Streak

    Giancarlo Stanton blasted his career-high 35th home run of the season as the Miami Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Marlins Park on Friday night. Miami snapped a seven-game losing streak and eliminated the Phillies from playoff contention. Philadelphia were the five-time defending National League Eastern Division champions.
    The Marlins drew first blood in the fourth inning as Stanton crushed a home run off Cliff Lee to left field on the first pitch with two outs.
    Philadelphia tied the game up in the eighth inning as John Mayberry Jr. led off with a double into the left field corner. Two batters later, he scored on a single by Jimmy Rollins to left.
    Miami finished things off with a walk-off win during the ninth inning. Bryan Petersen led off as he ripped a double down the right field line. After Jose Reyes grounded out, Stanton was intentionally walked. Carlos Lee followed with a game-winning hit off Josh Lindblom into center field to bring in Petersen. It was Lee's first walk-on hit as a Marlin.
    Mark Buerhle went eight innings for Miami and gave up one run on six hits while Cliff Lee pitched seven innings for the Phillies and allowed one run on three hits. Steve Cishek(5-2) got the win while Lindblom(3-4) took the loss.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Panthers Preseason Cancelled

    The final three games of the Florida Panthers preseason schedule has been cancelled due to the NHL lockout. The Cats were to play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sunrise at the BB&T Center, the Tampa Bay Times arena in Tampa and at Estero in southwest Florida during the first week of October. The Florida Panthers 2012-13 regular season may begin on October 13 at home against the Lightning unless the NHL lockout continues.

Braves Sweep Marlins

    The Atlanta Braves swept a three-game series against the Marlins as they took the final game over Miami 6-2 at Turner Field on Thursday night. The Marlins have now lost seven straight games and matched last year's total of 90 losses.
    Jacob Turner(1-4) pitched six innings for Miami and allowed four runs, two which were earned, on six base hits. Tommy Hanson(13-9) got the victory for the Braves as he gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
    The Marlins got a run each in the third and fourth inning. Carlos Lee laced a two-out double down the left field line that scored Bryan Petersen. He began the third with a double into deep right field. Gil Velazquez added another run in the next frame as he knocked in Scott Cousins on a double toward left field.
    Atlanta put up a four-spot in the bottom of the fourth. After Freddie Freeman singled with one out, he scored on a double into the left field corner by Dan Uggla. David Ross placed a bunt single down the third base line to advance Uggla. Andrelton Simmons smacked an RBI-double into right-center field to bring in Uggla to tie the game. Hanson struck out and Jose Constanza then walked. With Martin Prado at-bat, Petersen dropped a line drive ball in left field for an error that scored Ross and Simmons.
    The Bravos extended their lead with two outs in the seventh inning as they garnered two runs off Ryan Webb. With the bases loaded, Uggla came through again when he looped a base hit into right-center field as Prado and Jason Heyward crossed the plate.
   

Miami Radio Market Moves Up

    Arbitron has promoted the Miami/Fort Lauderdale radio market from 12th to 11th in their fall 2012 ratings period. The local area switches positions with the city of Detroit. The Miami/Fort Lauderdale region has had a stranglehold to the 12th highest market in the nation throughout the 2000's and 2010's.
    Radio personnel that work for sports stations in the South Florida region which includes 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, 104.3 The Ticket WMSF-FM, Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM, 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM, 640 Sports WMEN-AM and ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM will benefit from this change. Although the status of being in a top 10 market would have greater impact.
    Miami/Fort Lauderdale was behind Atlanta which was 11th through most of the 2000's. Atlanta has accumulated a tremendous increase in population in the last several years and currently stands as the ninth highest radio market in the United States.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Bravos Blank Marlins

    The Atlanta Braves got only four hits in the game, but that was enough as they shut out the Miami Marlins 3-0 at Turner Field on Wednesday night. Miami has lost six straight games and eight of their last nine.
    Paul Maholm(13-10) pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings for Atlanta and allowed five hits. Josh Johnson fell to 8-14 fo the Fish as he gave up three runs on four hits in six innings.
    Martin Prado was up second for the Braves in the first inning as he cracked a solo home run to left- center field on a 2-2 pitch for his tenth homer of the season. 
    Atlanta added another run in third inning. Jose Constanza began with a walk and then stole second. Prado followed with an RBI-single to right field as Constanza scored.
    The Braves increased their lead to 3-0 during the sixth inning. Dan Uggla got to first on a fielding error by Gil Velazquez and advanced to third on a single to center field. Andrelton Simmons grounded out to third. With Maholm at-bat, Uggla shocked everyone by stealing home against his former team.
   

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Braves Clinch Playoff Berth

     Donovan Solano got his first two major league home runs of his career off Kris Medlen as the Miami Marlins fell to the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Tuesday night at Turner Field.  He is the first Marlin to hit his first two career homers in one game since Hanley Ramirez in 2006. Atlanta clinched a playoff spot with the victory.  
    Nathan Eovaldi went six innings for Miami, struck out eight batters and allowed two runs on four hits. Medlen of the Braves surrendered three runs on five hits in seven innings pitched.
    Both teams put up one run during the second inning. Solano blasted his first career major league home run with one out to left field on a 1-0 count for a Marlins 1-0 lead.
    The Bravos responded back in the bottom of the frame to tie the game. Chipper Jones walked and Freddie Freeman singled to right field. Former Marlin Dan Uggla sliced a single into left field to score Jones.
    Atlanta took their first lead in the sixth inning. Jason Heyward tripled to deep center field with one out and scored on a Jones sacrifice fly into right field.
    In the seventh inning, Miami was able to get a two-out rally and retook the lead. Greg Dobbs sliced a single into shallow left field. Solano then drove his second homer of the game over the right-center field fence on a 0-2 pitch.
    With Mike Dunn(0-3) on the mound trying to get his first save for Miami, Jones led off with a double into right-center field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Freeman pounded a 1-1 pitch to straight center field for a walk-off two-run homer. His 22nd home run of the season clinched a postseason spot for the Braves. Last year they were eliminated on the final game of the season.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Mets Sweep Marlins

    The New York Mets finished off a three-game sweep with a walk-off win as they edged the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Sunday at Citi Field. The Fish lost 7-3 on Friday night and to R.A. Dickey on Saturday 4-3.
    Ricky Nolasco pitched seven innings for the Marlins and allowed two runs on five hits. Mets starting pitcher Chris Young gave up two runs, one being earned, on five hits in six innings.
    The Metropolitans placed two runs in the first inning. After Ruben Tejada lined out to second, Daniel Murphy doubled to deep center field. David Wright then socked his 19th home run of the season on the first pitch to center.
    Miami was able to even the game with two runs during the fifth inning. Rob Brantly and Gil Velazquez started with singles to mount a rally. Both advanced one base on a sacrifice bunt by Nolasco. Brantly scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Bryan Petersen. Following a walk by Gorkys Hernandez, he stole second and Velazquez came in on a throwing error by Kelly Shoppach.
    New York got the walk-out victory during the ninth inning. The Mets had the bases loaded with two out when Tejada singled into left center off Ryan Webb to score Scott Hairston.

Northeast Withholds Boyd Anderson

    It was an anticipated opening district game Friday night between two District 14-7A teams as Oakland Park-Northeast barely held on to a 19-14 victory over Boyd Anderson. The Hurricanes almost blew a 19-point lead during the second half, but the home team was able to hang on.
    This was significant symbolism prior to this contest. Boyd Anderson(0-1, 2-1) came out through a pregame banner that stated the real district champions. The Cobras were stripped of the district title in the final week of the regular season last year for using ineligible players. Northeast(1-0, 3-1) was promoted to district champions from second place and the Blanche Ely Tigers were upped to district runner-up.
    The Hurricanes capitalized on two interceptions thrown by Cobras quarterback Gregory Hankerson in the first quarter. Northeast quarterback Brion Sanchious got their first touchdown at 6:30 on an eight-yard run up the middle. Timonte King added another score as he plowed in from five yards out at 2:46.
     After Northeast intercepted another pass in the third quarter, King finished the drive with a 17-yard run with 2:48 left for a Hurricanes 19-0 lead. Boyd Anderson struck back quickly at 1:42 as Richard Lopez caught a 17-yard pass from Hankerson to break the shutout.
     The Cobras closed the deficit to five points midway through the fourth quarter as Lopez got another 17-yard touchdown reception. Boyd Anderson had one final shot at the end zone with under 1:30 remaining as they recovered a bad punt snap by Northeast at the Hurricanes 32-yard line. The Cobras only advanced the ball two yards as they went four-and-out.

Cardinal Newman Pounds Calvary Christian

    Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback and current Cardinal Newman head coach Steve Walsh returned to Broward County on Friday afternoon as his team whitewashed Calvary Christian 55-14 in Fort Lauderdale. Cardinal Newman remained undefeated this season with a win in this District 7-3A game against the CC Eagles(2-2, 0-1).
    The Crusaders put up 27 points in the first quarter and 28 points in the second quarter. They held a 55-7 lead at halftime. Both teams agreed to have a running clock throughout the second half.
    Cardinal Newman(4-0, 1-0) scored on their only three drives of the first quarter. After receiving the ball on a punt, Devonte Brown finished their first possession with a three-yard touchdown run at 9:53. Travis Rudolph followed with a 25-yard run through the left side at 7:07 and Erick Hardnett rushed in from 20 yards out at 5:17. The Crusaders extended their lead to 27-0 with 3:44 remaining in the quarter as Rudolph recovered a fumble and returned it down the sideline 25 yards for the score.
    In the second quarter, Matt Burke added to the Cardinal Newman lead as he caught an 18-yard pass on the right side from George Mastics at 8:02.  Three plays into the Eagles next drive, Rudolph intercepted a pass from Isaac Hoza and returned it 82 yards for a score with 7:30 left. The Crusaders upped margin to 48-0 as Brown stormed up the middle for a 44-yard touchdown run.
    Calvary Christian broke the shutout with 1:49 remaining in the first half as Matthew Nguyen snagged a 33-yard reception from Hoza. Cardinal Newman capped the second quarter with seven seconds left as Rudolph caught a 31 yard touchdown pass from Mastics.
    There was only one scoring play by the Eagles with a running clock in the second half. During the fourth quarter, Hoza fired a 14-yard pass to Alexander Fifelski.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

College Football Radio Locals

    Touchdown Radio Productions made an appearance on local radio airwaves this past weekend. It was unique that all on-air personnel for their college football game broadcast had a connection with South Florida.
    Former University of Miami Hurricanes quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta is the founder, owner and CEO of Touchdown Radio Productions. In addition, he is the game analyst for college football games. Torretta was the late morning host at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from early September 2010 until the end of December 2011.
    Former Florida Marlins radio play-by-play announcer Roxy Bernstein was also part of the broadcast as the play-by-play announcer. He worked with the Marlins from 2005 until 2007 alongside Dave Van Horne.
    Steve White was the studio host based in Miami during the college football broadcast. He is currently a weekend host and salesperson at WQAM. He once was the late morning sidekick on the Gino Torretta Show from late 2010 until the end of December 2011. White began in the Miami market as the program director for 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and held that position until September 2009. He was also the early afternoon co-host with Brandon Guzio from May until September 2009.

WMEN Switch Producers

    640 Sports WMEN-AM has decided to exchange producers between the morning drive shift and the midday shift. Danny Garcia moves from the Sid Rosenberg Show in the mornings to the midday shows which involve Troy Straford and Andy Slater. Erik Lengyel goes back to mornings at that station.
    Lengyel was the morning show producer and board operator at 640 Sports from March 2008 until the end of July 2012. He was involved with the Jeff DeForest Show, Armando and the Amigo, the Armando and Perk Show followed by Marc Eisenberg and Chris Perkins. Lengyel was then moved to midday producer and midday sports anchor in August when new producers came in to work on the Sid Rosenberg Show.
    Garcia joined 640 Sports in the middle of July as a morning show producer. He previously was the midday producer at Sports Radio 560 WQAM on the Michael Irvin Show and co-hosted a one-hour late night basketball show called Inside The Paint from January until June 2012.
   
   

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Chipper Jones Leaves Miami

    Chipper Jones made his final career appearance in Miami as the Atlanta Braves blanked the Marlins 3-0 on Wednesday night at Marlins Park. Jones, a Florida native, will retire at the end of the 2012 season. The Bravos scored one run in each of the first three innings.
    The Braves combined to pitch a five-hitter against the Marlins. Kris Medlen(9-1) allowed four hits in eight innings pitched while Craig Kimbrel mounted his 38th save. Miami's starter Josh Johnson(8-13) surrendered three runs and five hits in six innings.
    In the first inning, Michael Bourn doubled to deep left-center field to begin the game. He advanced to third on a Martin Prado sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jason Heyward for a Braves 1-0 lead.
    Dan Uggla was on second after he walked and stole a base with two out in the second inning. He added another run as Jose Constanza got a base hit into right-center field.
    Atlanta extended their lead to 3-0 in the third inning. Prado walked and Heyward flew out to center. Jones followed with a single to left and moved Prado to third. Freddie Freeman lifted a sacrifice fly into left field to bring in Prado.

Marlins Walk-Off Win

    The Miami Marlins blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning, but they pulled off a 4-3 victory in ten innings over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Marlins Park. It was the seventh walk-off win for the Fish and their first since July 29.
    Neither starters figured in the final decision. Nathan Eovaldi was strong as he pitched eight innings of shutout ball for Miami and allowed four hits. Paul Maholm went 6 2/3 innings for the Bravos and gave up two runs on four hits.
    John Buck led off the third inning with a triple into deep center field. Two batters later, he scored on a single by Gorkys Hernandez to right field and a Marlins 1-0 lead.
    Miami picked up a two-out rally in the seventh inning. Austin Kearns doubled into left field and Bryan Petersen came in to pinch-run. Buck cracked Peter Moylan came in to relieve Maholm for the Braves. Buck welcomed him with a two-run homer to right field on a 1-0 pitch to extend their lead. It was Buck's 11th home run this season.
    The Marlins bullpen was unable to get the save as Atlanta scored three runs in the ninth. Steve Cishek gave up an opening double to Jason Heyward and a walk by Chipper Jones. After Freddie Freeman struck out, Dan Uggla knocked Heyward in with a base hit to center field. Cishek left the game for Mike Dunn. Brian McCann tied the game at 3-3 with a double into left-center field to bring in Uggla and Jones.
    Jose Reyes won the game in the tenth inning as he hit a two-out single to right field off Cory Gearrin and Rob Brantly crossed the plate for the Fish.

Panthers doubleheader eliminated

    The Florida Panthers preseason games up until September 30 have been cancelled due to the NHL lockout that began on Sunday. The Cats were to play the Nashville Predators in a home doubleheader on September 24 for the second consecutive year. In addition, two road games in Texas against the Dallas Stars were also eliminated. The Cats have three preseason games against the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning still scheduled in early October.
    There has been news from the Panthers organization recently. The name of the arena in Sunrise was changed from the Bank Atlantic Center to the BB&T Center thanks to a ten-year agreement. Financial problems were taken under consideration by team management as payroll was cut in the Panthers organization and a portion of personnel were let go due to the NHL lockout. Look for these unemployed staffers to rejoin the organization when the league owners and players agree to a new collective bargaining agreement.   

Monday, September 17, 2012

Braves Survive Marlins

    The Atlanta Braves almost blew a big lead as they got past the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Monday night at Marlins Park. Tim Hudson(15-6) got the victory for the Bravos as he went five innings and allowed four runs on ten hits. Wade LeBlanc fell to 2-5 for the Marlins as he gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings.
    The Braves jumped on LeBlanc with four runs in the first inning. Martin Prado singled with two outs to center field with Jason Heyward scoring. Former Marlin Dan Uggla blasted a three-run homer to left field on a 2-2 pitch as Freddie Freeman and Prado crossed the plate. It was Uggla's 19th home run this season.
    In the fourth inning, Atlanta extended their lead to 6-0 on a one-out rally. Uggla walked and David Ross singled to left center. Uggla scored on a base hit by Jeff Baker into right-center field. Ross added another run as Hudson grounded out to the pitcher.
    The Fish mounted four runs in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Rob Brantly singled to left and brought in Ruggiano. After Gil Velasquez flew out, Bryan Petersen tripled to deep center field to score Donovan Solano and Brantly. Gorkys Hernandez followed with a triple into deep center as Petersen scored.
    Miami closed the gap to one run in the seventh inning as Carlos Lee knocked in Jose Reyes with an RBI-single into center field off Cory Gearrin with one out. Reyes ripped a double to right field prior to that.
    Atlanta put up another run in the eighth inning as Prado drove in Heyward on a base hit off Ryan Webb to center field. Heyward led off the stanza with a single to right and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Dave Benz Named Timberwolves Voice

    Former Miami sportscaster Dave Benz has been named the new television play-by-play announcer of the Minnesota Timeberwolves. He leaves the sports anchor and studio co-host positions at Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area that he's held since March 2009. Benz was the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League during the 2012 season. He was also a fill-in sports host on KNBR-AM 680 in San Francisco since July 2010.
    Benz was known in the Miami market at WAMI-TV Channel 69 from 1999 until 2001 as a sports anchor and sports reporter for Sportstown. In addition, he was a studio host for Florida Marlins, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks telecasts.

Marlins Blank Reds

    Jacob Turner, Heath Bell and Steve Cishek combined for a three-hit shutout as the Miami Marlins stopped the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 at Marlins Park on Friday night. Turner. who picked up his first Marlins victory since he was acquired from the Detroit Tigers, went seven innings and gave up two hits. Bronson Arroyo(12-8) took the loss for the Reds as he allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings pitched. 
    Rob Brantly began the third inning with a single to right-center field. Two batters later, Brantly advanced to second on a single by Bryan Petersen. Justin Ruggiano drove Brantly in on a double into center field.
    Greg Dobbs led off the fourth inning with his fifth home run of the season on a 2-2 pitch to right field and extended the Marlins lead to 2-0.
    Miami added two more runs during the fifth inning. Ruggiano and Jose Reyes both got singles to center field with one out. After Giancarlo Stanton popped out to second, Carlos Lee smacked a two-run single to right field.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

American Heritage Beats Glades Central

    The Glades Central Raiders lost their third straight game to begin the 2012 season as they fell at home against Delray-American Heritage 14-0 on Thursday night. Neither team scored in the first three quarters. The Raiders committed seven turnovers while the defending Class 3A champion Stallions had no turnovers in the game.
    The Belle Glade region had not seen Glades Central begin 0-3 anytime this century. They had lost games at Dwyer and Plantation in the first two weeks of the season. After a surprising win last week at 2011 Class 6A stripped champions Seffner-Armwood, the Stallions improved their record to 3-0 with their visit to The Muck. American Heritage gained revenge after losing their only game last year against Glades Central 41-34 in overtime at The Corral.
    The Stallions took advantage of two turnovers during the fourth quarter. Raiders wide receiver Ronquavion Tarver caught a pass on the sideline and coughed up the ball. Ka'wan Peete's 41-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 6:41 left gave American Heritage the lead.
    The Raiders had one last shot to score two possessions later. Glades Central running back Will Likely fumbled at their own 35-yard line on a bad hand off by quarterback Antwan Washington. Stallions running back Greg Bryant finished a two-play drive on a seven-yard touchdown run with 1:52 remaining.
    The Stallions backfield led the way as Bryant had 23 carries for 151 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Marcus Davis got 15 carries for 145 yards. Likely had just eight carries for 43 yards for Glades Central.
                           

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Phillies Beat Marlins

    Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson had a no-hitter through five innings, but the Philadelphia Phillies came back to defeat Miami 3-1 at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. Johnson(8-12) went seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits. Cliff Lee( 5-7) took the win for the Phillies as he gave up one run on four hits in seven innings.
    Neither team scored until the sixth inning. The Marlins got one run on several Phillies fielding mistakes. With one out, Donovan Solano reached first on a Jimmy Rollins error and advanced to second on a fielder's choice throwing error by Lee. Two batters later, Carlos Lee knocked Solano in on an RBI-single to right field.
    The Phillies picked up one run in the bottom of the frame. Rollins started with a single to right field and went to second on a sacrifice by Juan Pierre. Chase Utley then walked and Ryan Howard struck out. Rollins scored on a single by John Mayberry, Jr. to center field and evened the game.
    Philadelphia was able to get a two-out rally during the seventh inning. Pete Orr pinched-hit for Lee, singled to right and stole second base. Rollins smacked a two-run homer to right field on a 2-0 pitch for his 19th home run this season.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Phillies Down Marlins

    The Miami Marlins were hit less in the first five innings as they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Marlins were held to three hits in the game. Kyle Kendrick(9-10) went seven innings for the Phils and gave up one run on two runs. Wade LeBlanc(2-4) allowed three runs on four hits in five innings pitched for Miami.
    Ty Wigginton began the three-run fifth inning with a walk. Domonic Brown followed with his second home run of the season on a 3-1 pitch to right field. Two batters later, Michael Martinez doubled to left field and went to third on a Kendrick ground out. With Jimmy Rollins at the plate and two out, Martinez scored on a wild pitch by LeBlanc.
    The Marlins closed the gap to 3-1 during the seventh inning. Carlos Lee led off with a double to left field and advanced to second on a ground out by Greg Dobbs to second. Lee scored on a sacrifice fly by Donovan Solano into right field.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Arbitron Ratings August

    The four-month reign of 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as the highest rated sports station for Miami/Fort Lauderdale ended in August as they tied Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. Give credit to 790 The Ticket program director Tod Castleberry who joined that station in late March and out managed rival Sports Radio 560 program director Lee Feldman during this four-month stretch. Both stations last tied for the top spot in March when Jorge Sedano hosted mornings at WAXY and Sid Rosenberg hosted afternoons at WQAM.
    790 The Ticket dropped slightly from a 0.9 to a 0.8 in August. The station finally put together a permanent morning show in early August with Marc Hochman and Jonathan Zaslow. Since Sedano left in early April, they had an interim morning drive show first hosted by Brandon Guzio then by Hochman and "Stugotz" Jon Weiner. As the flagship station of the Miami Marlins, WAXY has been hurt by the underachieving team this summer.
    Sports Radio 560 went up from a 0.7 to a 0.8 with interim program director Andy King running the station in August. WQAM seemed to get a bump up in the ratings due to the change of personnel on the midday show as "Captain" Curtis Stevenson replaced Michael Irvin in late July. He was the midday sidekick for the Michael Irvin Show since August 2011.
    940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM stayed the same in August with a 0.3 which was a mild surprise. As the flagship station of the Miami Dolphins, a ratings increase looked possible with the return of preseason games. In addition, their nighttime signal increased in power as of early August.


   

Marlins Shut Out Nats

    Ricky Nolasco pitched a four-hit complete game shutout as the Miami Marlins routed the Washington Nationals 8-0 at Nationals Park on Sunday. Nolasco, who got his fourth shutout and ninth complete game of his career, improved to 12-12 this season while Nationals starter Edwin Jackson(9-10) gave up six runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Fish travel to Philadelphia and take on the five-time defending National League East champion Phillies on Monday.
    Miami pulled off a two-out three-run rally to take their initial lead in the second inning. Greg Dobbs and Donovan Solano singled into center field. Dobbs then scored on a single to center field by Rob Brantly. Nolasco followed with a double into deep center for Solano and Brantly to score.
    Solano led off the fourth inning with a walk. Three batters later, Solano crossed the plate on a Bryan Petersen single to center with two out. Petersen scored on an RBI-double by Justin Ruggiano toward deep left field for a Marlins 5-0 lead. The Fish added another run during the fifth inning as Solano hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Giancarlo Stanton scored.
    Stanton took the first pitch by Christian Garcia over the left field wall to start the seventh inning. It was his 33rd home run of the season. Carlos Lee drove in Petersen in the eighth inning with two outs on a single into center field.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Marlins Get Extra Inning Win

    The Miami Marlins pulled off three runs in the tenth inning to defeat the Washington Nationals 9-7 on Friday night at Nationals Park. Stephen Strasburg just went three innings for the Nats and allowed five runs on six hits. On the other hand, Jacob Turner pitched six innings for the Fish and gave up two runs on four hits for no decision.
    Miami jumped on Strasburg with two runs during the first inning. With one out and men on first and second base, Giancarlo Stanton doubled to left field and Bryan Petersen scored. Carlos Lee would follow with an RBI-sacrifice fly to first which brought in Jose Reyes.
    Washington tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the frame as Ryan Zimmerman blasted a two-run homer to left field on a 2-1 pitch with one out. It was the 19th home run for Zimmerman this season. Jayson Werth led off with a single to right field.
    The Marlins retook the lead in the second inning as Rob Brantly cracked his second home run of the year on the first pitch to right field with one out. Stanton crushed a solo home run, his 31st, in the third inning with one out to right field on a 1-0 count. Three batters later, Donovan Solano drove Greg Dobbs in on a single to right.
    With one out in the fourth inning, Ruggiano walked then scored on a Reyes triple to deep left-center field off Zach Duke as the Marlins extended their lead to 6-2. They were unable to hold the four-run lead.
    The Nationals rallied with three runs in the seventh inning. Carlos Zambrano surrendered three straight hits to begin the stanza. Ian Desmond singled to center and scored on a double by Danny Espinosa into left-center field. Kurt Suzuki added a double to deep right field and Espinosa crossed the plate.
    Ryan Webb came in to relieve Zambrano as Stephen Lombardozzi was called upon to pinch-hit. Suzuki scored on a throwing error by Solano and the Nats closed the gap to one run. Washington tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth inning as Michael Morse walloped a solo home run to right-center field with one out off A.J. Ramos.
    Reyes smacked a two-run triple to left-center field with one out in the top of the tenth inning which scored Petersen and Ruggiano. After Stanton was intentionally walked, Reyes added another run on a sacrifice fly to left field by Lee.
    The Nats fell short with one run in the bottom of the tenth as Adam LaRoche led off with a double into right-center field and scored on an infield hit by Morse.
   

Brandon Guzio Moves To WQAM

    Brandon Guzio has joined Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as an afternoon sports anchor and a weekend host. He leaves the midday co-host spot at 104.3 The Ticket WMSF-FM after only one week. He reunites with former co-worker and current WQAM program director Jorge Sedano. Andy King drops afternoon sports anchor duties at WQAM after three days on the new Jorge Sedano Show and remains as the assistant program director.
    Guzio was the morning sports anchor at 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM for several years on the Jorge Sedano Show. He became the interim morning host earlier this year from early April until early May when Sedano left. He was also a weekend host on the station  Guzio was an early afternoon co-host with Steve White at WAXY until late September 2009 when he was switched to the midday sports anchor position. He began at the station as a sports producer and sports reporter in 2004.

WQAM Adds Sports Brothers

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has added Jeff Fox and Ed Freeman, aka The Sports Brothers, as weekend hosts. Their first show will be on Sunday.  They worked at 640 Sports WMEN-AM as weekend hosts earlier this year from late January until early August. 
    Fox and Freeman first hosted a sports show on WTPS-AM 1080 until they changed their format. The Sports Brothers joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and held the early afternoon spot at the station from January 2010 until the end of 2011 when their contracts were not renewed. They began hosting weekends on WAXY until they were promoted to a weekday shift. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Brewers Take Marlins

    Giancarlo Stanton smacked his 30th home run this season, but it wasn't enough as the Milwaukee Brewers got by the Miami Marlins 8-4 at Marlins Park on Tuesday night. Stanton hit 34 homers last year with the Florida Marlins.
    Wade LeBlanc went six innings for the Fish and allowed three runs on five hits. Brewers starter Shaun Marcum gave up four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched.
    In the first inning, Rickie Weeks got a one-out single to right field. Ryan Braun then knocked him in on a double in deep center field for a Brewers 1-0 lead.
    The Brew Crew added two runs during the second inning as Norichika Aoki socked a two-run homer over the right field wall on a 1-0 pitch. Prior to that, Marcum had a two-out single to right.
    In the bottom of the frame, Carlos Lee walked with one out. Two batters later, he scored on a single to left field by Donnie Murphy. Stanton blasted a solo home run on a 1-0 count to center field to cut the lead down to 3-2 in the fourth inning.
    Gorkys Hernandez connected with his first major league home run of his career in the fifth inning for the only Marlins lead in the game. Murphy led off the inning with a single into left field.
    Milwaukee regained the lead in the seventh inning with a two-out rally. Nyjer Morgan reached base on an infield single off Ryan Webb. He then scored on a double by Aoki off Mike Dunn to deep center field to tie the game at 4-4. After Weeks got an infield single, Aoki crossed the plate on an infield hit by Braun off Carlos Zambrano.
    Jeff Bianchi extended the Brewers lead with a three-run homer on a 3-2 pitch to left field off Chad Gaudin with one out in the eighth inning. Earlier in the inning, Jonathan Lucroy singled and Carlos Gomez was hit by a pitch. 
   
   

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Andy King Now WQAM Anchor

    Former Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM interim program director Andy King has picked up afternoon sports anchor duties for the Jorge Sedano Show. He had been named interim program director at that station and held that post from July 20 until the end of August.   
    He is the assistant program director at WQAM and the former 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 in the spring as the afternoon producer for the Dan Sileo Show. He worked as a morning producer for the Jorge Sedano Show at WAXY until April. 

Sports Brothers Out At WMEN

    The Sports Brothers with Jeff Fox and Ed Freeman run as a weekend show at 640 Sports WMEN-AM ended in August. They joined the station earlier this year in late January. Sid Rosenberg Show producers Marc Eisenberg and Danny Garcia along with South Florida Sun-Sentinel sports writers have been hosting the bulk of weekend shows for several weeks.
    Fox and Freeman previously hosted a show on two other Miami stations. They first hosted a sports show on WTPS-AM 1080 until they changed their format. The Sports Brothers joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and held the early afternoon spot at the station from January 2010 until the end of 2011 when their contracts were not renewed. They began hosting weekends on WAXY until they were promoted to a weekday shift.

Marlins Beat Brewers

    The Miami Marlins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at Marlins Park. The Fish were just swept at home over the weekend by the New York Mets.
    Ricky Nolasco improved to 11-12 as he went seven innings and gave up one earned run and nine hits. Nova Southeastern University grad Mike Fiers(8-7) only went 3 1/3 innings for the Brew Crew and allowed four earned runs and six hits.
    With one out in the second inning, Jonathan Lucroy got to first on a fielding error by Donnie Murphy at third. Carlos Gomez came up and smashed a 1-0 pitch that hit the top of the left field wall and went over for a two-run homer. His 16th home run gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.
    Gorkys Hernandez rallied the Marlins in the third inning. He reached base on an infield hit and went to second on a Fiers throwing error on a pick-off attempt. Following a sacrifice fly by Donovan Solano into right field. Hernandez scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jose Reyes.
    Miami amassed five runs during the fourth inning for a 6-2 lead. Justin Ruggiano and Rob Brantly both had singles with one out. Donnie Murphy knocked in Ruggiano with a single to center field. Nolasco pulled off a safety squeeze bunt and Brantly scored for the Marlins first lead of the game. Miami loaded the bases as Heranadez walked. Murphy crossed the plate on a single by Solano into left field. Reyes then had a two-run single to shallow left-center field with Nolasco and Hernandez coming in. 
    Ryan Braun cut the lead to 6-3 in the seventh inning with a two-out single to left field which scored Jean Segura. He led off the frame with a single to center field.
    In the eighth inning, Brantly started with a double to deep right field. Three batters later, he scored on a fielder's choice by Hernandez.