![[SPORTS] RED SOX USE RALLY IN THE FIFTH TO POWER PAST DODGERS FOR GAME 2 WIN](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8329-1-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 25, 2018 | SPORTS
Red Sox Now Lead World Series 2-0
The Boston Red Sox were aware heading into Game 2 that they had failed to capitalize fully on the home-field advantage they fought for during a 108-win regular-season.
With an opportunity to do so on the MLB’s biggest stage, Boston seized the moment in front of a loud Fenway Park faithful.
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday night at Fenway Park in Game 2 of the World Series to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Boston Red Sox used a three-run fifth inning to power past Los Angeles as for the first time this postseason Boston won both of their home games to begin a series.
Trailing 2-1 after the Dodgers scored a pair of runs in the fourth inning against left-hander David Price, Boston reclaimed the lead in a classic two-out rally.
A three-run fifth inning would be capped off by a two-run single by designated hitter J.D. Martinez with two outs off Dodgers reliever Ryan Madson.
David Price (1-0) picked up the win for the Boston Red Sox.
Picking up where he left off in the ALCS, Price gave the Boston Red Sox yet another brilliant effort on the mound.
The former AL Cy Young winner contained the Dodgers power hitting lineup as he allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five over six innings of work.
David Price is 2-0 in his last two postseason starts after going 0-9 in his previous 11 career starts.
The Boston Red Sox tallied eight hits on another chilly night in October. It wasn’t atypical of the Red Sox offense to only put four runs on the board, but they’ll take it as they inch closer to the ultimate prize.
Red Sox right-fielder Mookie Betts collected three hits on the night, scoring one of Boston’s three runs in the fifth inning. All three hitters in the bottom of the Red Sox batting order collected a hit each.
Alex Cora interestingly enough went back to his right-hander Nathan Eovaldi out of the bullpen in Game 2 as Eovaldi pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth inning.
The usage of Eovaldi all but rules him out for the opportunity to start Game 3 for the Boston Red Sox. Rick Porcello figures to be Boston’s starter when the series shifts to Los Angeles.
Craig Kimbrel came on in the ninth inning to get his sixth save of the postseason as he breezed through a nine ninth inning. He is perfect in save opportunities this postseason.
The Boston Red Sox are 14-2 in their last 16 World Series games going back to the 04′, 07′, and 13′ World Series.
In each of their last two World Series where they owned a 2-0 series lead they went on to sweep both of those series (04′ and 07′).
It was abrutal night of offense for Dave Roberts from the visitors dugout, who saw the last 16 Dodgers hitters retired as they collected only three hits on the night.
Save for a two-out RBI single by Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers in what could be looked at as a must-win game couldn’t muster any offense in Fenway Park.
In addition to that, he saw his move to Ryan Madson backfire as Madson walked the initial batter he faced in Steve Pearce to allow Boston to tie the game as the bases were loaded as Madson entered with two outs in the fifth.
He then witnessed his trusted reliever give up a two-run RBI single that proved to be the difference in Game 2.
The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t want to hear about history, but it’s hard to fight this particular history they face down 0-2 in the World Series.Teams trailing 0-2 in the World Series are 10-41 all-time.
The last team to erase a 0-2 deficit to win the World Series was back in 1996 when the New York Yankees did it vs the Atlanta Braves.
Game 3 of the 2018 World Series will take place at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler will take the mound vs a start to be determined.
What are your thoughts on Boston’s Game 2 victory? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] KNICKS LOOK HAPLESS IN EMBARRASSING LOSS IN MIAMI](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8328-1-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 25, 2018 | SPORTS
New York Drops Fourth Straight
Knicks coach David Fizdale knows all too well about sitting on the home bench at American Airlines Arena.
A number of Heat players such as Dwyane Wade — who he won championships with in Miami as an assistant — embraced Fizdale before the game.
All of the good will shared with David Fizdale before the game went out of the window when Fizdale’s new team took on his old one.
The New York Knicks fell to the Miami Heat 110-87 on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena as they dropped their fourth consecutive game.
Damyean Dotson led the Knicks off the bench with a career-high 20 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and one block in 32 minutes.
Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined to shoot 5-for-20 from the field on Wednesday night.
The Miami Heat used a furious third quarter shooting performance to sink the Knicks to a 1-4 mark.
Miami scored 45 points in a third quarter that began with the Knicks trailing by only two points coming out of the half.
Erik Spoelstra’s Heat outscored the Knicks 45-20 in the third quarter in a embarrassing period for David Fizdale’s team.
New York was outscored 75-38 over the second and third quarters as Miami swarmed them with shutdown defense and prolific offense as they bounced back from a disappointing 113-112 loss in their home opener vs the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
Hassan Whiteside dominated with 22 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes on Wednesday night.
They didn’t quite make Whiteside look like Hakeem Olajuwon, but a diet Shaquille O’Neal is probably a better assessment as they allowed lob dunk after lob dunk to the Heat big man.
Miami shot 49 percent from the field and hit 13 of their 29 3-pointers on the night as six Heat players finished the game in double figures.
The Knicks went on to shoot 36 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.
It was the New York Knicks worst shooting performance through the first five games this season as they came in shooting 43 percent as a team, 25th in the NBA.
David Fizdale appeared to send a message with Trey Burke (17 minutes) and Enes Kanter (20 minutes) seeing their minutes cut into.
That may have been due to the score, but given that both of those players were mostly MIA on the night, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Fizdale did that as a statement to the players following a humbling defeat.
The New York Knicks better eat their vegetables before Friday night as they’ll be playing host to the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden.
What are your thoughts on the Knicks dropping their fourth straight game? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] RUSSELL, NETS CRUISE PAST CAVALIERS FOR FIRST ROAD WIN](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8327-1.jpg?resize=588%2C389&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 25, 2018 | SPORTS
Nets Dominant Third Keys Nets Road Win
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson wanted to see an inspired defensive performance after his team looked listless on that end on Saturday night.
He got that and then some as the Brooklyn Nets continued their three-game road trip on Wednesday night.
The Brooklyn Nets picked up a 102-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena for their first road win of the season.
Their first win in Cleveland since April 3rd, 2013 as they snapped a 10-game skid at Quicken Loans Arena.
D’Angelo Russell led the Nets in scoring with 18 points to go along with eight assists in 27 minutes of action.
It was a balanced scoring night for Russell and the Nets as six Nets reached double figures on the night, including each player in the starting lineup.
A tied game at the half, the Brooklyn Nets used a third quarter surge to soar past the winless Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell to 0-4 on the season.
Jared Dudley hit three 3-pointers in the third period and the Nets as a team hit six in the period as they outscored Cleveland 38-17.
Brooklyn’s shooting from beyond the arc (14-for-34 3 PT) and bounce back performance on defense led them on the night as they won their first road game of the season.
The Brooklyn Nets held the Cleveland Cavaliers to 38 percent shooting with the leading scorer on the Cavaliers being a three-way tie with 14 points.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who made his season debut on Wednesday night, struggled from the field shooting as he shot 3-for-10 from the field. He finished with eight points and eight rebounds with a steal in 21 minutes.
Atkinson didn’t mince words with his displeasure over the Nets defense in their last game vs the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Atkinson wasn’t willing to use playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road or being shorthanded as an excuse.
The Brooklyn Nets allowed the Indiana to shoot 55 percent from the field and hit 16 of their 24 3-pointers in a 132-112 loss last Saturday as Victor Oladipo led the way with 25 points.
Tonight, there was much more activity on the defensive side of the ball, albeit vs a Cavaliers team coming in 18th in the NBA in scoring and minus you know who.
No matter, Kenny Atkinson will love the second half his team put together as they prepare to finish their three-game road trip.
The Brooklyn Nets will visit the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
What are your thoughts on Brooklyn’s road win in Cleveland tonight? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] HEADLINES FOR THURSDAY’S MIAMI DOLPHINS-HOUSTON TEXANS MATCHUP](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8325-1-2.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 25, 2018 | SPORTS
Texans Looking For Fifth Straight Victory
Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans look to make it five wins in a row as they host the visiting Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium on Thursday night.
The Miami Dolphins are ailing at key positions such as quarterback, but have surprisingly seen stellar play at that position.
J.J. Watt — who is tied for second in the NFL with seven sacks — and the Houston Texans defense is causing havoc and look to make the Fish their latest prey.
The Texans are leading the AFC South race and look to extend what is tied for the third longest winning streak in the NFL right now.
Before then, we’ll take a look at the headlines heading into this AFC primetime battle.
Let’s take a look.
With The Hits Mounting On Watson, Texans Have Much To Worry About
The Houston Texans did something in Week 7 that they haven’t been able to do in quite some time: Run the football.
The Texans pounded out 167 rushing yards on 34 rushing attempts in a 20-7 Week 7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Still, there’s a problem for the Texans that’s hard to ignore and that’s the amount of punishment Deshaun Watson has taken in just seven games this season.
Deshaun Watson has been sacked 26 times this season, the most of any quarterback in the NFL and he seems to be hurried or hit on close to half of his dropbacks. That’s not a good sign for Houston, who desperately needed to be able to protect their quarterback coming off an ACL injury.
Unless Deshaun Watson is made out of iron, the likelihood he’ll be able to continue to take this type of licking for the rest of the season seems unlikely.
Thursday night would appear to be a bruise-less night on the surface as Miami is 29th in the NFL in sacks.
If it’s not, and Watson and the Texans offense falters once again because of the porous offensive line, prepare for the Texans to try to make a trade before next Wednesday’s trade deadline (I mean, they should be doing that regardless).
Old Friend Brock Osweiler Returns To Houston
Texans fans still want to know what in the blue hell the Texans front office was thinking when they gave Brock Osweiler a four-year/$74 million contract back in the 2014 offseason.
After a disastrous partnership that ended after just one season, there are Houston Texans looking to embarrass Osweiler, who is starting for the third consecutive week in place of Ryan Tannehill.
For what it’s worth, Brock Osweiler is coming off two solid performances in a row as he’s thrown for 619 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes.
The key to the game for the Dolphins will be establishing a respectable rushing attack vs a Texans defense allowing the second fewest rushing yards per carry at 3.4.
With wide receiver Albert Wilson placed on IR this week and Kenny Stills out with a groin injury, it’ll be tough having much of any success vs Houston’s pass defense if they are one dimensional.
Miami has had success when they run the ball as they have been fairly balanced as an offense. Look for Adam Gase to not try to expose his backup quarterback early vs a Texans defense that has 19 sacks this season.
A Product Of Poor Competition?
The Houston Texans are 4-0 over their past four games, but if you’ve been paying attention to their schedule you’ll find their opponents to track records as well as win-loss records to be underwhelming.
The combined record of the teams the Texans have defeated this season is 10-18 with a +/- differential of -103.
The Miami Dolphins are 4-3, but over the course of the last four weeks they are 1-3 with their lone win being a 31-28 overtime win over the and currently have a +/- differential of -26.
All signs would point to Houston walking away with a relatively decisive victory on Thursday night. One has to question, though, just how good the Texans are not only on offense but on defense as well.
What are your thoughts on Thursday’s primetime tilt in Houston? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] TRADE TO ONE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST LOW BLOW BY UFC TO DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8323-1-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 24, 2018 | SPORTS
Former Champ Gets The Hook From UFC In Blockbuster Trade
When you’ve done nothing but dominant throughout your entire mixed-martial arts career, you’d expect that what comes with it is the adoration and respect from your company that employees you.
Not the case for Demetrious Johnson, who is on his way to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported on Wednesday that the deal between the two promotions is being finalized, according to multiple sources.
The trade between the UFC and ONE Championship is a stunner as it represents the first cross-promotion trade of any kind in combat sports history.
Johnson throughout his entire UFC career has been a class act through and through. He even fought the urge to grit his jawline or storm the octagon following what many are calling a controversial split-decision loss to now UFC flyweight title holder Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 back in August.
Cejudo became the first man to not only defeat Demetrious Johnson at the 125-pound limit, he ended Johnson’s historic UFC title defense record at 11.
Thought to have been a monumental upset, in the grand scheme of things, “Mighty Mouse” was soon forgotten right after the loss to Cejudo.
The UFC are kicking a mixed-martial arts legend in Demetrious Johnson while he’s down (literally) by blindsiding him with a trade to a lesser known fight promotion that even with a undefeated star like Ben Askren, has yet to take off.
The audacity by the UFC to continuously under-promote their champions and thus have these champions soon attacked for not being draws when PPV numbers go awry is despicable on the UFC’s part.
If you’re a UFC fan and you’re unsure of when Demetrious Johnson’s next fight will be until the week of, its likely because a man who did all the right things and represented the sport with 100 percent dignity and respect is fighting in the co-main event.
As for his opponents, they’re disrespected themselves given that each of his wins against them were all quickly disparaged and dismissed as the diminutive Johnson once called the bantamweight division his home.
They didn’t have a UFC flyweight division until the UFC saw how embarrassing of a mismatch Dominick Cruz going against Demetrious Johnson was, which was almost like watching David vs Goliath.
That’s not to say Dominick Cruz isn’t a complete badass himself, in fact, he may be the only man right now capable of dethroning UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, who had been vying for a title fight vs Demetrious Johnson as early as 2017.
Demetrious Johnson (27-3-1, 16-2-1 UFC) is still recovering from a number of injuries suffered at UFC 227 and he may be on the shelf until the first quarter of the 2019.
He’ll have something else to recover from with this latest news that he’ll be traded away from the UFC.
Has another former world champion, soon to be future UFC Hall of Famer (question, will the UFC have the decency to remember him enough to do that?) had to deal with this type of treatment before?
Hopefully one day the absolute truth comes out from Demetrious Johnson himself.
What are your thoughts on the UFC moving on from Demetrious Johnson? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] BILAL POWELL PLACED ON IR FOLLOWING SEASON-ENDING NECK INJURY](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_8322.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Oct 24, 2018 | SPORTS
Longest tenured Jet’s Season Is Over
The New York Jets on Wednesday placed running back Bilal Powell on injured reserve due to a neck injury.
Powell will have to undergo potentially career-threatening neck surgery as the Gang Green fan favorite is set to have surgery sometime within the next week.
The New York Jets offense has been dealt the a significant blow with the loss of Bilal Powell for the rest of the season.
On a 2nd and 10 run play in the second quarter last Sunday, Bilal Powell was met by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on a crushing hit and remained down afterwards.
The New York Jets went on to lose to the Minnesota Vikings 37-17, snapping their two-game winning streak.
Powell, who was playing in his eighth season with the New York Jets, has been a versatile back in his entire career.
He led all Jets running backs with 58 receptions back in 2016. During that same season, he eclipsed 1,110 total yards from scrimmage.
The shifty back in the past few seasons has seen his touches diminish, but he was still a huge x-factor in both the rushing game and passing game.
The 29-year-old back ends a career-high pace in terms of rushing yardage with 388 rushing yards to go along with 110 receiving yards.
The New York Jets visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field this Sunday.
What are your thoughts on Bilal Powell’s season-ending injury? Leave your comments below!
