Miami, FL
Diamondbacks 3, Miami 2: Fish for Dinner!
All right. This is the first full day of my summer vacation, and also my first time recapping a Jordan Montgomery start. Monty was going up against some guy named Sixto Sanchez for Florida Miami, who’s trying to bounce back from serial injuries over the past few years and who is, apparently, quite good at his job once he gets out of the first inning. However, given that his ERA going into tonight was sitting at 6.41, this tells us something about how bad the dude is in the first inning. So it was important to get to him early. Check.
It became even more important given how the Marlins hit against Monty in the top of the first. Dane Myers led off with a double to right, and was driven in one out later by a Josh Bell single to left. Another single followed before Monty settled down and recorded the second and third outs on only six more pitches. It honestly wasn’t a bad first inning for Monty, in terms of efficiency—even with all the traffic, he only needed 16 pitches to get through it. But he had dug himself a shallow hole. 1-0 Miami
But Sixto Sanchez was as described, and we were able to get to him. Corbin Carroll went down 0-2 to lead off the bottom half of the first, before drawing a six-pitch walk. Ketel Marte then struck out, with Carroll stealing second on the third strike. Joc Pederson smashed a hard liner that sadly was hit directly at Marlins 2B Otto Velez for the second out. Then, happily, Christian Walker ran the count full before doubling to right and driving in Carroll. Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. then launched the second pitch he saw from Sanchez deep to straightaway center. Jack Sommers, who was hanging out in the Gameday Thread tonight, let us know that the ball would have been a home run in 15 out of 30 MLB parks, but it hit high off the wall at Chase, driving in Walker and allowing Gurriel to advance to third on an error by Miami CF and former Diamondbacks acquaintance Jazz Chisholm, Jr. Sadly, Jake McCarthy couldn’t get him home, but we’d hung 28 pitches on Sanchez and taken the lead. 2-1 D-BACKS
And that’s your video highlight for the game, because, well, the offense didn’t do much after that. We did tack on another run in the second, thanks to a leadoff single by Eugenio Suarez (!!!), a walk by Tucker Barnhart, a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Newman that advanced the runners into scoring position, and then a rocket by Corbin Carroll that only reached the warning track but allowed Suarez to tag and score. Apparently, also, that ball would have also been a home run in 5 out of 30 MLB ballparks, but sadly not at Chase. But still. 3-1 D-BACKS
Meanwhile, Jordan Montgomery settled down nicely, retiring the Marlins in order in the second and the third, before pitching through some traffic again in the fourth and the fifth, on a single and a walk in the fourth and two singles in the fifth. He managed to put up zeroes, and continued to work efficiently, and no damage was done, so it was fine.
Alas, however, Sixto Sanchez had finally settled down after the top of the second, and put up zeroes on us in the third, fourth, and fifth, pitching around two singles but only needing 30 pitches to get his work done.
Monty, meanwhile, was only at 64 pitches after five, so he came on to start the sixth and promptly surrendered a Jake Burger leadoff double into the gap in right center, Burger’s third hit in as many at bats. one out later Chisholm hit one off the center field wall that should really have been a triple, but Jazz stood in the box for a bit, admiring it and waiting for it to go over the wall before realizing it wouldn’t, and then starting to run. It was an easy double but he tried to take third, and the umpires initially called him safe, despite a solid through from Jake McCarthy to relay man Ketel Marte, who then threw a strike to Suarez at third. Chisholm looked like he beat the throw, but he also overslid the bag, and Suarez kept the tag on him. The safe call was overturned, Chisholm was out, and despite Monty giving up another single to the next batter, he managed to escape the mess with only one Miami run crossing the plate. 3-2 D-BACKS
Then it was a battle of the bullpens, and theirs performed better than ours, allowing no baserunners aside from a HBP to Jake McCarthy in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Thompson pitches around a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, and recorded one out in the bottom of the eighth before giving up a double to old friend and Marlins’ 3B Emmanuel Rivera. Mantiply relieved Thompson, and struck out Chisholm and Tim Anderson, relieving Rivera of any need to move from second base. And then Paul Sewald came out for the top of the ninth and slammed the door, retiring the Marlins in order on only nine pitches thrown. And that’s your ballgame.
Win Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs
Eel Roll: Joe Mantiply (2⁄3 IP, 2 K, +16.8% WPA); Paul Sewald (1 IP, 1 K, +16.7% WPA), Jordan Montgomery (6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, +13.5% WPA)
Krab-with-a-”K”: The offense, collectively (3 R, 5 H, nothing after but the McCarthy HBP after two outs in the fourth, -2.2% WPA)
It was a nice and lively Gameday Thread tonight, with 173 comments at time of writing. Lots of Sedona Red to choose from, but I’m going with VeeLoh’s report from the stadium, because democracy, and because I’m happy, that, after recapping a win last week, they got me a win tonight:
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Join us tomorrow if you can for the rubber match against these fish in the desert. Those fish send lefty Ryan Weathers to the mound, while the Diamondbacks give Blake Walston, just called up from Reno, his first major league start. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 AZ time. Hope to see you!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
Miami, FL
Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls Injury Report, Betting Lines, How to Watch, Lineups & More
Game date, time and location: Saturday, Jan. 31, 8:00 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun, Chicago Sports Network
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), 670 AM The Score, 1200 AM (Chicago)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (26-23) and Chicago Bulls (23-25) meet for the third of four regular season matchups. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 143-107, win in Chicago on November 21 and a, 116-113 win on January 29th. The Heat are 66-68 all-time versus Chicago during the regular season, including 37-29 in home games and 29-39 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Kasparas Jakucionis
G Jaime Jaquez Jr.
C Bam Adebayo
F Pelle Larsson
F Andrew Wiggins
BULLS
G Ayo Dosunmu
G Kevin Huerter
C Jalen Smith
F Isaac Okoro
F Matas Buzelis
Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Spread: Heat -6.5 (-108), Bulls +6.5 (-112)
Moneyline: Heat -240, Bulls +198
Total points scored: 233.5 (over -106, under -114)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Davion Mitchell: Out – Shoulder
Norman Powell: Out – Personal Reasons
Tyler Herro: Out – Rib
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
BULLS
Coby White: Doubtful – Injury Management
Nikola Vucevic: Doubtful – Rest
Josh Giddey: Out – Hamstring
Jalen Smith: Out – Calf
Emanuel Miller: Questionable – Migraine
Tre Jones: Out – Hamstring
Zach Collins: Out – Toe
Noa Essengue: Out – Shoulder
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on the loss to the Orlando Magic: “Basically all four games we’ve had great first halves. We just have not been able to sustain it against that team. We started out flat, it’s hard to explain that.”
“We had some really deflating offensive possessions. We couldn’t guard,” he said. “We struggled to defend them, so that stacks up their paint points, and then they did a good job leveling off our drives.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
Miami, FL
Survivor fans pack Jungle Island as new themed café opens in Miami
Survivor fans are flooding South Florida, and the center of the action is Jungle Island, where the new Survivor Ultimate Café offers challenges, themed food and official merchandise.
Sophi Balerdi, a contestant from Season 49, said seeing the recreated challenges is surreal because they’re pulled straight from the show.
“There’s challenges that I actually did in Fiji,” Balerdi said. “This is the exact challenge that I won back in season 49, and it’s just so cool to see it all.”
A full Survivor‑style experience
The café is designed to immerse visitors in the Survivor world. The menu goes beyond basic survival food and leans into the show’s reward challenges, giving fans a literal taste of what contestants eat in Fiji. For many, it’s also a chance to test themselves under pressure.
“You’re under pressure for a million dollars, you’re competing against other people, and when your life is on the line in the game, it’s scary to do these challenges,” Balerdi said.
Just steps away, another Survivor‑style event drew crowds: a hidden immunity idol hunt offering a chance to win a spot at the live finale in Los Angeles.
Francois said hundreds of people had about an hour left to search as fans from across Florida followed clues through the park.
“That jungle… in the city named for an ocean is where I am,” Francois said. “And it’s where hundreds are channeling their inner Survivor.”
Fans travel hours for a chance to win
Among the first in line were fans who drove from the Jacksonville area, calling the trip a gamble they hoped would pay off.
“This whole trip is to make my wife happy, so everybody else can go home,” Brandon Hudspatch said.
His wife, Rebecca Hudspatch, said they recognized the location from the show.
“You drove down just for this,” she said. “How’d you know to be here though? I think it was on last season?”
And while the object of the search is an idol, fans aren’t chasing immunity — they’re chasing a prize: a trip to the live finale taping in Los Angeles.
“Even if you’re not a Survivor fan, who doesn’t like solving riddles and driving six hours to find an idol?” Bridget Powell said.
Jane and Peter Simpson said they’ve been all‑in since the beginning. “I’ve seen this from Day One.”
Former contestants meet fans
The Survivor Café experience also includes meet‑and‑greets with former contestants, including Dee Valladares, who won Survivor 45 and is set to appear in the upcoming Survivor 50 season. Valladares said watching Survivor is one thing, but living it is something else entirely.
“You’re going to war with your mind,” she said. “For me, that was very hard. You’re stepping outside from the gameplay itself, shivering and thinking to yourself, when is this going to end and it never does.”
Survivor veteran Troy “Troyzan” Robertson echoed that reality.
“It’s one thing to watch it and one thing to play. This doesn’t seem like the same thing,” he said.
Fans visiting the café will also find official merchandise, including Survivor bandanas and shirts. The Survivor Café officially opens tomorrow, and reservations are available online.
Miami, FL
Miami Beach running legend Robert ‘Raven’ Kraft says he faces foreclosure due to soaring condo fees
A Miami Beach legend known for running in the city’s streets every night is now in a fight to keep his home.
Robert “Raven” Kraft has run every single night, rain or shine, since Jan. 1, 1975. He has been honored and celebrated by the city, and even has a street named after him – but Kraft is now facing foreclosure after soaring condo fees.
“It’s a nightmare,” he told NBC6.
Kraft bought his condo on Ocean Drive back in 1988.
“This is my home, and I love being here,” he said.
For years, he said he and the other tenants paid about $400 a month in maintenance fees, but over the last few years, that price tag has changed.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 29: Robert “Raven” Kraft takes statistical notes on runners who have joined him on March 29, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Kraft, who has run every day on Miami Beach since January 1, 1975, continues to run eight miles daily despite the dangers that the COIVD-19 epidemic presents. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
It all started after his building was put under the control of a court-appointed special master tasked with completing repairs.
“Things went way up,” he said. “Now they want $78,000 assessments. They want like $18,000 for some kind of lawyer thing.”
Kraft said he paid more than $20,000 back in 2023, but the bills keep coming in.
“I have been wanting to pay. They ignore me, they don’t answer the phone, they don’t tell me how much I owe,” Kraft said.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Robert “Raven” Kraft is joined by other runners on the back beach in Lummus Park on March 23, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Kraft, who has run every day on Miami Beach since January 1, 1975, continues to run eight miles daily despite the dangers that the COIVD-19 epidemic presents. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Now he said he’s being warned to pay or lose his home.
“It’s been awful, they put a lien on my place, they put a foreclosure,” he said.
While Kraft isn’t asking for money, a GoFundMe page has been put together by the community in an effort to raise $50,000 to cover his legal costs in fighting the foreclosure.
“They’ve been so good to me,” he said. “Strangers are donating money. I’ve never owed money my whole life.”
Kraft said he’s using a lot of the money for lawyer fees, but in the meantime, he plans to come to the beach and run, where he finds peace and hope.
NBC6 reached out to the special master in charge of the HOA for a comment.
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