Sports Update Monday: Weekly Round-Up Featuring Marlins, Heat & Panthers
On this week’s Sports Update Monday, I will be giving you a weekly sports round-up. I will spotlight the major stories or events that happened last week in South Florida sports.
Marlins Struggle After Hot Start
Nothing seemed to go right for the Marlins all week. They lost starting pitcher Jacob Turner to a shoulder injury at the start of the week, which caused the Marlins to move Brad Hand out of the bullpen and into a starting role. That caused a chain reaction that ended up taxing the bullpen.
Other glaring deficiencies:
– Marlins hitters went just 7 for 47 on the road trip with runners in scoring position.
– As a team, the Marlins hit just .230 overall.
– The entire pitching staff’s ERA was 6.16.
– The Marlins were outscored 37-18.
Since starting the season 5-1, the Marlins have lost their past seven games.
Heat Struggle on Road but Get Wade Back For Playoffs
Wade — who had missed nine consecutive games with a hamstring injury — scored on his first seven attempts and finished with 24 points, going 10 of 14 from the field. He didn’t miss a shot until the third quarter, and he grew stronger with each shift on the court.
Wade played 23 minutes against the Hawks at Philips Arena, but could have continued. Originally, he was scheduled for 20 minutes, but Spoelstra spoke with the Heat trainers and Wade during the game, and all said Wade could play through that threshold. More than two weeks after checking himself out of the Heat’s loss in Indianapolis, Wade appears ready for the playoffs
Panthers Awful Season Ends, Hybrid Rebuild to Begin
The Panthers’ offseason begins Monday, although the first order of business comes Tuesday in Toronto. Florida is back in the NHL draft lottery and hopes to hop Buffalo and secure the top pick. GM Dale Tallon says he is going shopping with an open wallet from Viola and is aiming at five new veteran players, including a pair of defenseman. Florida’s abundance of young talent is very appealing to other teams. Tallon may just go to that well via trades. “We have a lot of assets,’’ Tallon said. “We have a lot of kids who are in college, 10 picks next year, a lot in the system. I’m open to any suggestions that make us better quicker without jeopardizing our future.’’