Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
De La Cruz delivers in dramatic fashion
WASHINGTON — Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer off the foul pole in the 10th inning to keep the Miami Marlins’ domination of the Washington Nationals going with a 3-2 victory Monday.
The Marlins won the rare 11:05 a.m. start by beating the Nationals for the 12th time in 13 games this season, including seven in a row. They extended their winning streak to five and moved two games back of .500 at nearly the halfway point.
De La Cruz became the latest Miami player to come up with a big hit during this run, after Jesús Sánchez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth Sunday and Jesús Aguilar homered and doubled Saturday. His fifth homer this season came off Tanner Rainey (1-3), who also gave up Sánchez’s shot to right less than 24 hours earlier.
It’s the first time De La Cruz had homered in the ninth inning or later in his major league career.
Miami’s Braxton Garrett cruised through seven innings on 61 pitches before things got away from him in the eighth. His first and only walk proved costly when Ehire Adrianza stole second and scored on Luis Garcia’s RBI single that sent Garrett to the showers.
With top relievers Anthony Bass, Steven Okert and Tanner Scott unavailable after each pitching three days in a row, manager Don Mattingly pieced together eight outs with Zach Pop, Jimmy Yacabonis and Dylan Floro. Yacabonis (1-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth, and Floro picked up his second save in as many days — his first two this season.
Washington’s Patrick Corbin made quick work of the Marlins
more in control in a teambest 12-point outing that also included a team-high four assists in the 40-minute game.
The latter aspect, he appreciates, could be a key to a potential second NBA season after going undrafted out of LSU in 2021.
“My playmaking ability, I can make plays for others,” he said. “Also, I can get mine. But also look for my teammates. Keep being a leader. Keep trying to put the guys in the right position to score the ball. Just make plays for others.”
A second consecutive summer league with the Heat means the team sees something to develop. But a second consecutive summer league also means questions remain.
“There are times,” Heat summer-league coach Malik Allen said, “where he’s going to have to be able to have the ball in his hands and not necessarily get you set up, but at least get you in some offense.”
Another chance will come Tuesday, when the Heat close out their three games at Chase Center in San Francisco with a 3 p.m. Eastern game against the summer roster of the host Golden State Warriors (NBA TV). Then it will be off for five more games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, starting Saturday.
For Smart, the opportunity for a roster shot with the Heat, or even additional time on a two-way contract in 2022-23, could come down to how the rest of the offseason plays out, with the Heat backcourt mix in flux. Already, freeagent guard Victor Oladipo has been brought back. But there remains question of whether guard Tyler Herro might be flipped as part of a multiple-player trade package.
Allen said he appreciates the most difficult aspect for the 23-year-old neophyte is the patience to wait for his moment.
“He’s going to have a game,” Allen, an assistant to coach Erik Spoelstra during the regular season, said of Smart. “And he just has to trust it. The ball’s going to be in his hands a lot. We trust him. And he just has to keep growing as a player, to make the right play, whether that’s to score or get others involved.
“His intention is right. We just got to keep working at it, and keep building, and keep showing film, and just keep getting him comfortable in the role that he’s been in.”
The offensive bent is there, including a 20-point effort in the Heat’s regular-season finale against the Orlando Magic. There also was a 21.1 scoring average in 25 games in the G League last season.
“Not too many people get this chance,” Smart said. “I’m grateful for getting this opportunity again. You just got to live it how you want. You’ve got to go at it and keep going hard at it and don’t give up.”