Marlins Host Nationals

     The Miami Marlins xxxxx the Washington Nationals x-x at loanDepot park on Friday night. The Nationals are secomd in the National League East Division.

Matthew Tkachuk On Team USA Roster

     Florida Panthers right wing Matthew Tkachuk has been named to the Team USA roster for the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship later this month. He was the only member of the Panthers who was selected for the squad. Tkachuk won two Stanley Cup titles with Florida in 2024 and 2025. 

     Tkachuk will attempt to be the 31st person and the first American player to ever to become a part of the Triple Gold Club. He captured a gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship back in 2017 and at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy several months ago in February. 

Rocky Thompson Elevated By Islanders

     Former Florida Panthers forward Rocky Thompson has been promoted by the New York Islanders to assistant coach under new head coach Peter DeBoer. Thompson spent the 2025-26 as the head coach of the Islanders AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. He finished with a 34-30-8 record as the club reached the AHL Playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

     Thompson played with the Panthers for two seasons in 2000-01 and 2001-02. He ended up with no points in 10 contests.

Orioles Can't Sweep Marlins

     The Baltimore Orioles attempted a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins and lost 4-3 on Thursday at loanDepot park. The Marlins will host the Washington Nationals this weekend. 

     Miami(17-21) rushed out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Liam Hicks smashed a two-run homer to right field on a 0-1 pitch with Connor Norby on base. It was the ninth home run for Hicks in the 2026 campaign. 

     Baltimore(17-21) closed it to 2-1 in the top of the third. Gunnar Henderson singled up the middle for Coby Mayo to score.

     The Marlins regained a two-run margin 3-1 in the bottom of the third. Norby knocked in Javier Sanoja with a base hit through the left side. 

     In the fourth inning, the Orioles were able to make it 3-2. Tyler O'Neill singled into right-center field and Samuel Basallo reached home. 

     The O's evened it up 3-3 in the top of the eighth, Pete Alonso drove in Taylor Ward on a single into center field. 

     Miami picked up a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch-hitter Joe Mack doubled to right field with two outs. Sanoja hit the ball to third, Mayo made a throwing error to first base and Mack rounded third to score his first run of his MLB career for the walk-off victory.

Scripps Sports Back On Xfinity

     E.W. Scripps Company and Comcast agreed on Tuesday to have Scripps television stations back on Xfinity cable systems. It would include WPTV-TV Channel 5 and WHDT-TV Channel 9 in West Palm Beach along with WSFL-TV Channel 39 in Miami. 

    The conflict between both companies happened back on March 31 when these stations were halted from broadcasting on Xfinity. It was first noticed during the first period of a Florida Panthers home game against the Ottawa Senators. Panthers game broadcasts are expected to be back with Scripps Sports for the 2026-27 season.

Samantha Rivera Exiting WFOR-TV

     Samantha Rivera is leaving WFOR-TV Channel 4 in Miami after three years and joining ESPN as a sportscaster. She will work on their English-language digital platforms like ESPN and their Spanish-language digital platforms such as ESPN Deportes. Rivera joined WFOR-TV as a sports reporter and sports anchor in April 2023. 

     Rivera co-hosted a podcast for Univision Radio Chicago while she was attending college at DePaul University. She started her professional broadcasting career as a morning news anchor and news reporter for WLUC-TV in Marquette, Michigan. Rivera was then employed at WTVO-TV and WQRF-TV as a sportscaster in Rockford, Illinois.

     She shifted to San Diego as a sportscaster at KSWB-TV. Rivera was a bilingual reporter of the San Diego Wave FC in the National Women's Soccer League. 

     Rivera returned to her hometown of Chicago in September 2022 and became a sportscaster at WMAQ-TV. She also contributed to the sports staff of NBC Sports Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. 

Urban One Adds Joy Taylor

     Former Miami sportscaster Joy Taylor has joined Urban One. She will host the The Daily Play With Joy Taylor podcast. 

     Taylor was known locally as the morning show personality on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. She was recently employed at Fox Sports 1 as a television studio co-host of Speak For Yourself and Speak from September 2022 to July 2025. Taylor also co-hosted a Saturday afternoon show at Fox Sports Radio for nine years during the football off-season from February to August until last year. 

     She broke into the professional broadcasting business with Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as a producer. Taylor, a Barry University 2009 grad, later was an on-air sidekick, sports anchor and weekend host. 

     Taylor shifted over to WAXY-AM as an morning show sidekick and sports anchor. She would later be promoted to morning co-host and held that post from January 2014 to February 2016. 

     She joined Fox Sports Radio as a Saturday early afternoon co-host in March 2016. Taylor added duties at Fox Sports 1 as a moderator of Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe in September 2016. She was elevated in September 2018 to sports anchor and on-air sidekick of The Herd With Colin Cowherd, which was simulcasted on Fox Sports Radio and Fox Sports 1

     Taylor was named as an afternoon studio co-host of Speak For Yourself in September 2022. The program later rebranded itself as Speak.