Sports News of the Day (6/18)

   McIlroy is now only one round away from putting his Masters meltdown at Augusta in April completely behind him. For the first two rounds of the US Open in Bethesda, Maryland, Rory McIlroy took charge by shooting a 65 on Thursday, and followed up with a 66 on Friday. No one knew what to expect from McIlroy going into Saturday, but he certainly did not disappoint. McIlroy is for real. Shooting a 68 (-3) on Saturday puts him at -14 for the tournament, which is a record for a score through 54 holes at the US Open, but more importantly, he is now EIGHT strokes ahead of YE Yang (70, -6) for the tournament. I believe that lead will only continue to grow today to prove to everyone (especially to ESPN) that the meltdown was a one time thing. Other notable performances- Lee Westwood (65, -5)-tied for third, Sergio Garcia (69, -4)-tied for sixth, Zach Johnson (72, -1)- tied for 15th, Dustin Johnson (69, +2), Rory Sabbatini (70, +2)- tied for 33rd, Padraig Harrington (72, +3), Martin Kaymer (72, +3)- tied for 36th,  Phil Mickelson (77, +7)- tied for 56th.
   The Cincinnati Reds could be swept this weekend. Not by the New York Yankees, or the St. Louis Cardinals, but by the Toronto Blue Jays, yes I said the Blue Jays, by defeating the Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati 4-0 on Friday. Jose Molina hit a home run, and Jose Bautista and Jayson Nix both had RBIs to seal the win.
   Brandon Morrow (3-4) was the winning pitcher; pitching 6.2 innings, giving up five hits, and striking out six.
   Edinson Volquez (4-3) takes the loss; pitching five innings, giving up all four runs on four hits, but did show promise by striking out eight.
   The three game series ends today at Great American Ballpark at 1:10 PM with the pitching matchup being Carlos Villanueva (TOR) vs Bronson Arroyo (CIN).
   Going to the world of MMA, Strikeforce:Overeem vs Werdum took place Saturday, at American Airlines Center, in Dallas, Texas. The Showtime fight card was headlined by the two remaining quarterfinal fights in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament.
   Alistair Oveerm (MMA 35-11, SF 2-0) defeats Fabrico Wedrum (MMA 14-5-1, SF 3-1) via decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament. He will now face Antonio Silva at a later date.
   In the other grand prix bout, Josh Barnett (MMA 30-5, SF 1-0) defeats Brett Rogers (MMA 11-3, SF 2-3) in the second round via submission (Arm Triangle). Barnett will now face Sergei Kharitonov in the semi-finals at a later date.
   In lightweight action Jorge Masvidal (MMA 22-6, SF 2-0) defeats KJ Noons (MMA  10-4, SF 2-2) by decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)