Miami Palms Blog

The Miami Palms managed only 6 runs in their series against the Minnesota Twins, but somehow managed to earn the sweep. For the third game in a row, the Palms earned an excellent pitching outing as Javier Vasquez, Felix Gonsales (who allowed a hit for the first time this season) and Buddy Carlyle combined to shut down the Twins. Billy Dupont drove in the Palms' only run with a first inning double, after which Nick Blackburn and the Twins shut down the Palms effectively as well. Nevertheless, the Palms have followed a sweep at the hands of Oakland with one of their own, allowing only 1 run for the series. DH Winn 1-4 R 3Ks 3b Prado 1-4 LF Sadan 1-4 K 1b Dupont 2-4 2b 1bi C Black 0-3 BB RF Sohn 0-4 SS Tulowitzki 0-3 2b Henning 0-2 BB CF Crisp 1-3 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez W (2-2) 7 8 0 0 3 5 0 Gonsales 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Carlyle S 6 1 0 ...

Troy Munoz and Francisco Liriano had a pitchers duel in Miami tonight, with Munoz coming out on top for the first time of the season. Denard Span led the game off with a solo homerun, but Munoz and closer Buddy Carlyle combined to scatter only 6 more hits for the remainder of the game. Liriano, for the most part, had an even better game than Munoz, save for the 4th, when he loaded the bases to have Breck Smythe hit a 2 run single. That was all the Palms needed, and their streak is at 2 games. DH Winn 1-4 R K RF Sohn 1-3 BB R LF Sadan 0-4 2Ks 1b Dupont 0-4 K C Black 2-3 3b (1) 2b Smythe 1-3 2b (6)i K SS Tulowitzki 0-3 3b Henning 0-3 2Ks CF Crisp 0-2 BB Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz W (1-4) 8 7 1 1 1 7 1 Carlyle S (5) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Troy Munoz 9-12

Dallas Chastanet and Buddy Carlyle combined to scatter 6 hits while allowing no runs in a good pitching outing for the Palms. Martin Prado nearly matched the Twins, getting 4 hits of his own, all singles. Unfortunately he tweaked his hamstring after his last at bat and will have to sit out the next game. Billy Dupont also hit his 7th home run, just two off the league lead. It's already a career high, as this is his first time getting regular playing time. DH Winn 1-4 K 3b Prado 4-4 1bi (7) LF Sadan 0-4 1b Dupont 2-4 HR (7) 2b (5) 1bi (21) 2R RF Sohn 2-4 2b (4) K CF Crisp 1-4 1bi (10) K SS Tulowitzki 0-4 2b Henning 1-4 R C Santos 0-3 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet W (3-0) 8 5 0 0 1 6 0 Carlyle S (4) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Dallas Chastenet 8-12

The Palms went the first 12 games at 6-6, and since have gone 1-6 including a four game losing streak, including the sweep to the Athletics. The slump started on the road in Chicago, but so far the Palms are 1-5 at home in the current homestand. Most of the problem has been with the pitching staff, with Dallas Chastanet shining through as the best starter thus far. Still, the Palms are confident the pitching staff will work through their issues. They do feel that there have been several games that could have been won with one or two more runs, particularly in the games started by Troy Munoz. That said, they will be tinkering with the line up to start the next week, "We're going to be dropping Ryan [Henning] and Coco [Crisp] in the order and probably will end up moving 'Yoz [Ayoz Sadan], Billy [Dupont] and Eddie [Black] up. We're not going to be benching anyone, because I think the defense is still too good. We'll get this straightened out, " said the manager. ...

The Palms managed to go deep four times in this game, but three of the homers were solo jobs and the fourth was a 2 run blast. The A's took Dave Balierough deep twice, however those homers also added up to 5 runs. Travis Buck hit a solo shot and Nomar Garciaparra hit a grand slam, taking him to 8 RBI for the series. A 3 run second gave the A's all they would need. The Palms were down 8-3 going into the bottom of the 7th, when Jaspero Gonzalez hit a solo shot and Billy Dupont and Eddie Black went back to back in the 8th to bring Miami within 1, but they were unable to get over the final hurdle. DH Winn 2-5 1bi (11) K 3b Prado 1-4 BB R 2Ks CF Crisp 0-4 BB R LF Sadan 1-4 HR (3) 1bi (11) BB R 1b Dupont 2-5 HR (6) 2bi (20) 2Rs K C Black 1-4 HR (4) 1bi (13) 2R CF Sohn 1-4 2Ks 2b Henning 1-4 R SS Gonzalez 2-4 HR (2) 1bi (4) R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough L (2-1) 7 11 8 8 2 3 2 Sarfate ...

Manny Parra had some control problems in this one, issuing 5 walks (including beaning Jason Giambi) but only allowed runs in the 1st inning. Unfortunately, the 4 runs, including a 3 run bomb off the bat of Nomar Garciaparra, were just enough to stop the Palms and keep them on a 4 game losing streak, all four games at home. Frank Sohn contributed with his third homer of the season, a two run shot in the 2nd DH Winn 1-5 R K 3b Prado 2-4 2b (6) CF Crisp 1-4 1b Dupont 0-3 1bi (18) SAC K C Black 0-3 BB K 2b Henning 2-4 2b (2) SS Tulowitzki 1-4 R K CF Sohn 1-4 HR (3) 2bi (6) R K LF Tiropez 0-3 BB K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra L (1-1) 5 5 4 4 5 6 1 Schoppe 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 Sarfate 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Nomar Garciaparra 7-11

After a few consecutive quality outings from the Palms pitching staff, Javier Vasquez had another woeful outing. It wasn't as terrible as the boxscore might indicate, but a three run homer off the bat of Jack Cust ended his day early. Art McLoughlin served up two more runs, and the Palms continued to leave too many men on the plate, scoring on a solo homer from Randy Winn and scoring only 1 run in the 9th after the first 4 men reached safely. DH Winn 1-5 HR (3) 1bi (10) R K 3b Prado 1-5 CF Crisp 0-5 LF Sadan 2-4 2b (4) K 1b Dupont 0-4 2b Henning 1-4 R C Black 2-4 2b SS Tulowitzki 3-4 2b (3) 1bi (2) CF Sohn 1-3 BB K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vasquez L (1-2) 4 9 6 6 2 3 1 McLoughlin 2 5 2 2 0 1 0 Johnston 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Schoppe 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Jack Cust 7-10

Miami ace Troy Munoz is already 0-4 after 4 starts. He hasn't been brilliant yet, but he has been good, with a 4.03 ERA through 4 starts. A larger problem is that the offense has averaged only 1.25 runs in games Munoz has started. It's a common problem among the staff aces of the league. Due to the way schedules unfold, a teams' top starter often ends up starting against another teams' top starter. Even so, Munoz isn't the type of pitcher that shuts down opponents completely. He pitches to contact and needs a few runs out of his team on most nights. Unfortunately, he isn't getting it yet. Munoz' next scheduled start will be at home against the Twins and another young, elite pitcher, Francisco Liriano. The key is for Munoz not to get flustered and realize that his team, hitting .297 for the year, will eventually come around.

Troy Munoz pitched another good game and wasn't rewarded as his team was unable to get any traction against Felix Hernandez. Munoz made three mistakes, all solo homers. Ichiro led off the game with a solo blast, and Adrian Beltre and Wladimir Balentien led off the 4th with back to back bombs. The struggling Palms were unable to recover. DH Winn 1-4 2b (7) K BB 3b Winn 0-4 BB GIDP CF Crisp 1-5 1bi (9) LF Sadan 1-4 K 1b Dupont 1-3 BB K 2b Henning 0-4 K SS Tulowitzki 2-4 R 2Ks RF Sohn 2b (3) BB C Santos 1-3 K BB Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L (0-4) 8 8 3 3 0 3 3 Johnston 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Felix Hernandez 7-9

The Palms needed a game just like this one. Dallas Chastanet pitched 8 strong innings, allowing only 5 hits (3 of them to Ken Griffey Jr.). The Palms weren't masterful at the plate, but one solid inning, the third against a fairly green Chris Jakublauskas led to all 5 runs. After walking in a run, Jakublauskas met Ayoz Sadan with the bases loaded, and Sadan came through, hitting a grand slam to center field, his second home run of the season. Don Schoppe pitched a scoreless 9th to cap off a very well played game. DH Winn 0-4 K 3b Prado 1-4 K R CF Crisp 2-3 1bi (8) R, BB K LF Sadan 1-4 HR (2) 4bi (10) R K 1b Dupont 1-4 2b (4) 2b Henning 1-4 K SS Tulowitzki 0-4 RF Sohn 0-2 R BB K C Santos 2-3 2b R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet W 2-0 8 5 1 1 4 4 0 Schoppe 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Ayoz Sadan 7-8

The bullpen continues to be atrocious despite a day off and a return to Miami. Dave Balierough was effective enough for 5 innings, and Blake Johnston followed with another passable inning before things fell apart. Going into the 7th, the Palms actually maintained a 6-3 lead thanks to Frank Sohn's 2nd home run of the season, but Johnston gave up a three run bomb to Mike Sweeney before he was eventually pulled. Art McLoughlin had another bad outing in the 9th, letting in 3 more runs, thanks to a pair of Mariners homers. The Palms pitching staff presently has the second highest batting average against thus far in the season. DH Winn 1-4 BB, R 3b Prado 2-5 R, 2Ks CF Crisp 2-3 1bi (7) 2BB LF Sadan 2-5 R K GIDP 1b Dupont 2-5 2b (3) 2BI (17) R K 2b Henning 0-4 BB K C Black 1-5 2b (5) 1bi (12) 2Ks SS Tulowitzki 1-3 R BB CF Sohn 1-4 HR (2) 2bi (4) R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough 5 7 3 3 2 2 1 John...

The opening day lineup made a rare appearance intact today and managed to put together 6 runs, thanks to a couple of home runs from Billy Dupont and Eddie Black. It didn't much matter after Manny Parra and almost the entirety of the Palms bullpen was lit up for 15 runs. The White Sox hit 5 homers, including two from leadoff man Chris Getz. Thankfully, the first real off day of the season is coming up tomorrow, and the squad can work out whatever issues they may have. DH Winn 0-5 K 3b Prado 1-5 3Ks CF Crisp 1-5 2b (3), run, 2Ks LF Sadan 3-4 2b (3) 1bi (6), 2runs, BB 1b Dupont 1-4 HR (5) 2bi (5) run bb 2b Henning 0-2 3BB run C Black HR(3) 3bi (11) run SS Tulowitzki 1-4 2Ks RF Sohn 1-3 BB Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra 2 5 3 3 1 2 1 Sarfate L (0-1) 1 1/3 4 4 4 1 1 1 Schoppe 2/3 7 5 5 0 0 2 Gonsales 2 0 0 0 ...

It's been a long season so far for Ayoz Sadan and Frank Sohn, who were both expected to be valuable producers from the corner outfield spots, have struggled early on. They each helped the Palms to victory, finally hitting their first home runs of the season. Breck Smythe, who has seen a lot of playing time with Troy Tulowitzki's nagging injuries fell a home run short of hitting for the cycle. Felix Gonsales pitched two strong innings to earn the first win for the bullpen on the season. 3b Prado 2-5 run, 2Ks SS Smythe 3-5 2b (2), 3b (1), 1bi (4), run, K CF Crisp 1-5 1bi (6) LF Sadan 2-5 HR (1) 2bi (5), run 2b Henning, 1-4, run DH Black, 0-4 K RF Sohn 2-4 HR (1) 1bi (2) run 1b Gonzalez 1-4 1bi (3) K C Santos 0-3 BB run, 2Ks Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez 4 8 3 3 1 1 0 Johnston 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 Gonsales W (1-0) 2 0 0 0 0 1 ...

The offensive woes continue when Tory Munoz is on the mound for the Palms. The White Sox scored 5 runs off of Munoz through 6 innings, including homeruns from light hitting Chris Getz and Josh Fields, which meant this was the most palatable of Munoz's losses so far on the season, given that he was as much to blame as anyone. The Palms put forth a lineup rife with young players, still trying to figure out the best lineup, particularly with Troy Tulowitzki still nursing an ankle injury. DH Winn 2-5 1bi (9) SS Smythe 1-5 run K CF Crisp 1-4 1b Dupont 3-4 2b (2) 2b Henning 2-4 1bi (1) K RF Drysdale 1-4 run 2b Gonzalez 0-4 LF Tiropez 0-4 2Ks C Santos 1-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L (0-3) 6 10 5 5 1 3 2 Schoppe 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Player of the Game: Chris Getz 5-6

The Palms are among the teams with the most African-American playerso n the roster, including Randy Winn, Coco Crisp, Billy Dupont and Eddie Black. "It was an honor to wear the 42 yesterday," Black said before the game Thursday. "I'm glad that the I am able to continue the tradition of Major League Baseball and the Palms, having minorities playing important roles on the team. The Palms have had significant number of African American players through the years, including Kyle Vic, Aaron Rogers, Rich Fischer and Victor Love.

It was the first extra inning game on the season for the Palms, stretching into the 11th inning. White Sox starter John Danks had a no hitter into the 6th before Randy Winn hit a solo homerun. Jaspero Gonzalez got the second hit of the game 2 innings later, another home run. The Palms scored the go ahead run in the 9th on a Billy Dupont sacrafice, but Brian Anderson hit a dramatic 2 out home run off of closer Buddy Carlyle in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game. Don Schoppe allowed a solo bomb to A.J. Pierzynski to lead off the 11th and give the White Sox the narrow victory. DH Winn 2-4 HR(2) 2b (6) 1bi (8), run, BB, K SS Smythe 1-5 2b (1), run, K CF Crisp 0-4 BB, K LF Sadan 0-5 K 1b Dupont 0-4 SAC, 1bi (13) 2b Henning 1-4 C Black 0-4 RF Sohn 0-3 BB 3b Gonzalez 1-4 HR (1) 1bi (2), run, K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastenet 8 7 2 2 2 6 1 Carlyle BS 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 ...

On Jackie Robinson Day, it as fitting that the game ended 4-2. It took an unusual Martin Prado single over the head of Yankees third baseman Ramiro Pena, but not so far as into the outfield. Steve Drysdale, in for Randy Winn, was at 2nd after a double and hustled home, thanks to Pena's decision to go to first with a throw. Billy Dupont continued his unexpected start, hitting his third triple of the season in just 9 games. Until this season, he only had 8 for his career. RF Sohn 0-5 3b Prado 2-5 2b (5), 2bi (5), 2Ks CF Crisp 1-5 run LF Sadan 1-4 K 1b Dupont 2-4 3b (3) 1bi (12), run 2Ks 2b Henning 1-4 2b (1) C Black 1-4 2b, 1bi (8) SS Tulowitzki 1-4 DH Drysdale 3-4 2b (2) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough W (2-0) 8 8 2 2 1 3 1 Carlyle S (2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Martin Prado 5-4

8 games into the season, there have been a few trends among the Palms that are a little unexpected. Who are some of the pleasant surprises? Who needs to get it going? PLEASANT SURPRISES Breck Smythe: Smythe came to the team expected mostly to be utilized for his glove and to offer a brief respite for Martin Prado and Troy Tulowitzki every once in a while. Now that he has hit a pair of home runs in just three games played, he has suggested that his bat may be something to be reckoned with as well. Felix Gonsales/Blake Johnston: These two in young pitchers out of the bullpen weren't expected to dominate out of the pen, but after 8 games, they have pitched a combined 8.33 innings pitched, they are yet to allow a run, with 6 strikeouts and only one walk. UNPLEASANT SURPRISES Ayoz Sadan: the anchor of the Palms lineup for the past couple of seasons, Ayoz Sadan has gotten off to a very slow start. Less concerning is his .233 batting average. That will come around. What does cause some co...

A two run 2nd and a Breck Smythe homer in the 5th helped lead the Palms to 5-2 lead. Unfortunately, the team couldn't add to that total, and for the first time this season, the Palms bullpen blew a game. With a three run lead in the 8th for the Palms, Jose Molina hit a 2 run homer to bring it within one, and two batters later, Derek Jeter hit the game winning homerun off of Art McLoughlin. It was another rough outing for McLoughlin, who is yet to get through an outing unscathed. DH Winn 3-5 2b (5) 1bi (7) RF Sohn 2-5 1bi (1) 2b Henning 0-4 BB, K LF Sadan 0-4 BB, K 1b Dupont 3-5 3b (2) run 3b Smythe 1-5 HR (2), 2bi (3), run, K, GIDP SS Tulowitzki 0-3 BB, run, K CF Tiropez 1-3, 2b (1), run, BB C Santos 1-3 1bi (2), run HBP K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra 5 7 2 2 1 3 0 Johnston 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 McLaughlin L (0-1) 2/3 4 4 4 0 1 2 ...

The Palms took their show on the road for the first time this season, going to New York to face the Yankees. Javier Vazquez struggled early, allowing a 2 run Xavier Nady home run in the 3rd and another 2 run double to Nady in the 5th. After allowing 6 runs, Vasquez didn't make it out of the 5th inning. The tried to bail him out, allowing only one run, but on the opposite side, Chien Ming Wang did a good job of shutting the Palms down, particularly in the middle frames. DH Winn 1-4 K 3b Prado 1-4 1bi (3) CF Crisp 1-4 K LF Sadan 0-4 K 1b Dupont 1-4 2b Henning 1-4 run GIDP C Black 2-4 HR (2) 2b (3) 2bi (7) run SS Tulowitzki 0-2 2BB RF Sohn 1-4 run Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez L (1-1) 4 1/3 8 6 6 2 2 1 Schoppe 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 1 0 McLoughlin 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Sarfate 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Xav...

After 4 games of gaudy offensive statistics, Adam Eaton of the Orioles found a way to stymie the Palms' attack. The Palms managed only 1 hit after the 5th inning on their way to getting shut out. The only two runs for the Orioles came from a two run homer from Adam Jones off hard luck loser Troy Munoz. Despite the offensive numbers the Palms have put up, they have only scored two runs so far in games Munoz has started. DH Winn 2-4 3b Prado 0-3 BB CF Crisp 0-3 BB LF Sadan 1-4 C Black 2-3 1b Smythe 0-3 BB, GIDP SS Tulowitzki 0-4 2Ks RF Sohn 0-4 K 2b Gonzalez 1-3 Pitcher W-L IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L 0-2 8 7 2 2 1 5 1 Johnston 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Adam Eaton 4-2

The Palms trailed for the first time since opening day after a big three run inning that featured a a Brian Roberts home run in the third inning. The Palms stormed back thanks to a three run bomb off the bat of Randy Winn in the 4th. The Orioles were able to close the game to within one thanks to a mostly ineffectual Dallas Chastanet. Buddy Carlyle was able to come in for his first save of the season. DH Winn 1-4 1HR (1) 3bi (6) run K 3b Prado 2-4 2 2b (4), run CF Crisp 2-4 HR (1) 2bi (5), 2 runs, K LF Sadan 2-4 2b (2) 1b Dupont 0-3 SAC, 1bi (11), 3Ks 2b Henning 1-4 K C Black 1-4 run SS Tulowitzki 2-4 2b (2), run CF Sohn 0-3 Pitcher W-L IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet 1-0 7 11 5 5 1 4 2 Schoppe 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Carlyle S 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Randy Winn 4-1

The torrid offense in the early season continues for the Miami Palms. The had another 15 hits, driving the season average ever closer to .400 as a team. It hasn't mattered who was put in the lineup for the Palms, as nearly everyone on the roster has produced so far. Martin Prado scored three runs, while Ryan Henning drew an impressive 4 walks against Mark Hendrickson and the rest of the Orioles pitchers, while Randy Winn and Billy Dupont added a pair of RBI each. DH Winn 2-6 2 2b (4) 2bi (3) 2ks 3b Prado 3-5 2b (2) 3 runs, K CF Crisp 1-4 2b (2) 1bi (3) bb 1b Dupont 2-5 2b (1) 3b (1) 2bi (10) run 2b Henning 0-1 4bb SS Tulowitzki 3-5 2b (1) 1bi (1) run LF Drysdale 2-4 1bi (3) run, bb, K CF Sohn 2-5 C Santos 1-5 HR (1) 1bi (1) run Pitcher W-L IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough 1-0 6 8 2 2 2 3 0 Mcloughlin 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Gonsales 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 ...

After making baseball history and hitting four home runs in a game, Billy Dupont was held out of the line up today. According to team officials, this was in the works already. "Skip wanted to get all the new guys in for the first series, so we knew that there was a good chance we could sit," Dupont said after the game, "I think I can keep it going against Baltimore" The Palms wanted to get the young players in the first series, and the non-televised matinee seemed like the best opportunity to get Breck Smythe, Steve Drysdale, and Orlando Tiropes in for the first time this season without any pressure. Smythe and Drysdale came through, with Drysdale getting a pair of RBI and Smythe hitting his first career home run Jaspero Gonzalez was also plugged in for the second time of the season, while Omir Santos will get his first start of the year tomorrow against his former team.

The Palms plugged in a lot of fresh faces for the Thursday matinee, but the result was no different against the Red Sox. In today's game, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox pitcher, wasn't afflicted by the home run bug as his predecessor, John Lester was, but the young lineup was able to draw six walks on their way to the big win. The Palms batted around in the 6th inning, scoring 6 runs with a big 2 run single from Ayoz Sadan, which was followed up by a 2 run double from Eddie Black. The Palms will take on the Orioles tomorrow, hoping to extend their streak to three. DH Winn 2-4 2b (2) 1bi (1) run, BB, 2Ks 3b Prado 2-3 2bi (2) run, SAC, BB LF Sadan 1-5 2bi (3) run, 2Ks 2b Henning 2-4 run, BB, 2Ks C Black 2-4 2 2b (2) 2bi (5) run, BB 1b Gonzalez 1-5 3b (1) 1bi (1) run CF Drysdale 2-4 2b (1) 2bi (2), 2 runs, SAC SS Smythe 3-5 HR (1) 1bi (1) 3 runs RF Tiropez 0-3 BB, HBP Pitcher W-L IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra W(1-0) 5 3 2 2 3 ...

After Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game with a solo homer, it looked like the Palms and new pitcher Javier Vasquez were going to be behind the 8-ball again, looking at an 0-2 start to the season, at home no less. Billy Dupont had other plans, however, doing something no player has done since Carlos Delgado in 2003, launching 4 home runs off of the Red Sox pitchers. Eddie Black added one more of his own, giving rise to the theory that those players were added to the every day line up because of their bat. After tweaking his ankle, Troy Tulowitzki was held out of the line up today, and will not play tomorrow either. DH Winn 1-5 2b (1), bb, r, 2 Ks 3b Prado 3-5 2b (1) r CF Crisp 2-5 2b (1) 2bi (2) 2 Ks LF Sadan 1-5 r, K 1b Dupont 5-5 4 HRs (4) 7bi (8) 5 runs 2b Henning 3-5 r C Black 1-5 1HR (1) 3bi (3) run 2 Ks RF Sohn 3-5 2 2b (2) 1 run SS Gonzalez 2-5 2b (1) Hit in first career AB Vasquez W (1-0) 6 2/3IP, 7H, 4R, 8K, 1 HR Gonsales 1 1/3IP McLoughlin 1IP, 3Hm 2 R, 2BB Player of the Game: ...

It was a pitchers duel to start the season between Boston's Josh Beckett and Troy Munoz. The Red Sox, Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia in particular, got to Munoz in the form of a pair of solo homeruns in the 3rd and 6th innings. Lowell scored again on a sacrifice by Jacoby Ellsbury in the 7th to put the the Sox ahead by 3. The Palms didn't get their first runs of the season until a 2 run rally in the 9th. They play again tomorrow DH Winn 1-4, K 3b Prado 1-4, run, K CF Crisp 1-3, run, bb, K LF Sadan 2-4, 1bi (1) 1b Dupont 2-4, 1bi (1) 2b Henning 0-4 C Black 0-4 K SS Tulowitzki 0-3 CF Sohn 1-3 Munoz L (0-1) 7IP, 8h, 3ER, 2K, 1bb, 2 HR Johnston 2IP, 1h Player of the Game, Mike Lowell 0-1