Miami Palms Blog

Both starters were rocked in the rubber match between the Yankees and Palms. The Yankees started first, with a 4 run first off Javier Vazquez, including a three run homer from Jorge Posada. The Palms came back in the top of the 2nd against Joba Chamberlain to bat around and score all 8 of their runs, including a three run homer, his second of the series, from Martin Prado, and a two run blast from Eddie Black, also his second homer of the series. The Yankees scored four more over the next two innings, before getting to Don Schoppe. In the 6th, Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon hit homers on the way to a 5 run inning, the difference in the game. 3b Prado 1-5 HR (6) 3bi (45) R SS Tulowitzki 1-5 K DH Winn 2-5 R C Black 3-5 HR (18) 2bi (60) R 1b Dupont 0-5 run LF Sadan 1-5 R K RF Sohn 0-1 R 3bb RF Drysdale 2-4 1bi (13) R K 2b Henning 2-4 2bi (27) R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez 5 13 8 8 2 3 1 Schoppe ...

The Palms stand at 53-48, 8.5 games out of first place, and 6 out of the Wild Card. They could certainly use a starting pitcher, and have prospects like Steve Drysdale, Blake Johnston and Jaspero Gonzalez that could be moved, though Roy Halladay will not be moved within the division and Cliff Lee has already been traded. No other pitcher on the market promises to help the team make up the division deficit. On the other end of the spectrum, the team has decided they would not be sellers either. The Palms made it to the ALCS last year and feel that with a few breaks, they can make a serious run with the current roster. They have received calls on a few of the veterans, particularly Randy Winn, but they have no plans to make any moves. Two more full months to go in the season. It's the homestretch!

The Palms season tilt with the Yankees continues to be a see-saw battle, with Miami taking the second game of series in New York. Troy Munoz pitched a complete game, dominating the Yankees with 8 strikeouts while scattering 6 hits. The Palms had a pair of three run innings in the 2nd and 5th. Eddie Black had the big hit in the 5th, hitting a 2 run homer to left. 3b Prado 3-5 2b 1bi (42) r K SS Tulowitzki 1-5 2b (20) 1bi (49) DH Winn 1-5 C Black 1-4 HR (17) 2bi (58) R K 1b Dupont 2-4 2b (19) 2R K LF Sadan 1-4 1bi (43) K RF Sohn 1-4 R K CF Crisp 1-3 BB R K 2b Henning 0-3 1bi (25) SAC K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz 9 6 2 2 2 8 1 Player of the Game: Troy Munoz 53-48

A.J. Burnett held the Palms to 2 hits and no runs through 7 innings while the Yankees scored 6 runs, thanks to back to back homers in the second from Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera and a two run double in the 5th from Johnny Damon. The Palms did all their work in the last two innings and were never really close to making this a game. 3b Prado 2-5 HR (5) 2bi (41) 2R K SS Tulowitzki 0-5 RF Sohn 2-3 R BB K DH Black 1-4 2b 1bi (56) 1b Dupont 0-3 BB LF Sadan 1-3 2b (19) HBP 2b Henning 0-4 CF Crisp 0-3 BB K C Santos 0-3 2Ks BB R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet L 7-7 6 10 6 6 1 3 2 Johnston 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Melky Cabrera

98 games into the season, a stalwart has emerged at his position. Frank Sohn has missed only 6 games this season. After being relegated to the bench last year, he worked his way into the lineup regularly this season. In his rookie season, he struggled, hitting only .260 with 8 homers. This season, he has broken out. He is motoring on at a .305 clip with 9 homers and an OPS of .801. He hasn't really been the star of the team, but Sohn has certainly become a valuable component to the team.

The game was once against lost on a big inning, this time the 7th. The Blue Jays netted 5 runs in the inning off of Dave Balierough thanks in large part to a three run homer from Rod Barajas. Ada Lind chipped in with two blasts of his own. The Palms were no slouches at the plate, however, as Frank Sohn and Steve Drysdale each hit two run homers and Eddie Black drove in two runs of his own. 3b Prado 1-5 K SS Tulowitzki 2-5 R DH Winn 2-5 2b (30) R C Black 1-4 2bi (55) SAC 1b Dupont 1-5 2b (18) R RF Sohn 2-4 HR (9) 2b (21) 2bi (34) R LF Drysdale 1-3 HR (3) 2bi (12) R BB CF Crisp 0-4 2b Henning 1-3 R BB Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough L 9-7 7 10 9 9 1 3 2 Johnston 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 Player of the Game: Adam Lind 52-47

It took just one big inning and one big swing of the bat from Tory Tulowitzki to turn the tide in this one. In the 7th inning with the score 2-1 in favor of Toronto, Tulowitzki hit a grand slam to left field. It was really all Miami needed. Tempers were heated as Coco Crisp, big hitter from Friday's game, was beaned in the second inning. Words were exchanged between pitcher Brian Tallet and Crisp as he walked to first, though nothing stemmed from the incident. 3b Prado 1-4 SS Tulowitzki 2-4 GS (12) 4bi (48) R DH Winn 2-4 2b (29) R C Black 2-4 1bi (53) 1b Dupont 0-4 LF Sadan 1-4 R K RF Sohn 1-4 R CF Crisp 0-4 HBP 2b Henning 1-3 R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra 5 8 2 2 0 2 0 Schoppe W 3-3 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Sarfate 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Carlyle S 29 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Troy Tulowitzk...

After a brilliant pitching outing for both pitchers in the series finale against the White Sox, things were a little more offense oriented in the series opener against the Blue Jays and Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays jumped over Javier Vasquez for 3 runs in the first and one more in the 5th. The Blue Jays scored the winning 3 runs in a sloppy 6th inning off of Blake Johnston to go ahead 7-4. Coco Crisp drove in 5 of the Palms 6 runs thanks to a 2 run triple in the 2nd and a two run homer in the 9th to bring the game to within 1. It was not enough, however, and the Jays took the first game of the series. 3b Prado 0-5 SS Tulowitzki 0-4 2K DH Winn 1-4 HR (18) 1bi (51) R K C Black 2-4 2b (24) R K 1b Dupont 1-4 2b (17) R K LF Sadan 0-4 2K RF Sohn 3-4 2 R K CF Crisp 3-4 HR (15) 3b (2) 5bi (35) R 2b Henning 0-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez 4 2/3 6 4 4 3 2 0 Johnston L 3-3 1 1/3 3 3 3 ...

Troy Munoz and Mark Buehrle shut down their opponents in different manners. Buehrle, after giving up an early run on a Randy Winn double pitched his way out of a few jams but still allowed 10 hits. Munoz, on the other hand scattered 5 hits and never really got in trouble, though he gave up an early triple to Alexi Ramirez. Troy Tulowitzki went 4-4 with a double and the game's only run. 3b Prado 0-4 K SS Tulowitzki 4-4 2b (19) R DH Winn 1-4 2b (28) 1bi (50) C Black 1-4 1b Dupont 0-4 2K LF Sadan 0-4 K RF Sohn 1-4 2b Gonzalez 2-4 2b (9) CF Crisp 1-2 BB K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz W 10-6 9 5 0 0 0 5 0 Player of the Game: Troy Munoz 51-45

Each starter in this one struggled. Dallas Chastanet only managed to get through 5 innings, allowing the White Sox another big 4th inning. Chris Getz launched a three run blast to bring the Sox closer to the Palms. Of course, they needed to get there because the Palms had batted around in the third inning, scoring 4 runs. The game was eventually tied at 6, and in the 10th inning, the Palms had the first four hitters reach safely, which of course meant that Randy Winn, the fourth hitter of the inning, drove in the winning run for the Palms. 3b Prado 1-6 SS Tulowitzki 0-5 BB K DH Winn 4-5 2 2b (27) 1bi (50) R BB C Black 2-5 2b 1bi (52) R K 1b Dupont 1-4 R BB LF Sadan 1-3 1bi (42) 2 R 2 BB RF Sohn 2-4 HR (8) 2b (20) 2bi (32) R BB K 2b Gonzalez 1-5 1bi (13) CF Crisp 3-4 1bi (30)R SAC Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet 5 8 5 5 2 1 1 Johnston 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 McLoughl...

Things unraveled for the Palms in the 4th inning. Already down 1-0, the White Sox saw the first 8 hitters reach. After the first 7 hitters reached safely, Dave Balierough was pulled and Blake Johnston immediately gave up a three run homer to Paul Konerko. All told, 9 runs scored in the 4th, and the hole was simply too big to climb out of. Jim Thome also managed three RBI and a home run over the course of the game for the Sox. 3b Prado 1-4 BB SS Tulowitzki 0-4 1bi (44) SAC K GIDP DH Winn 1-4 BB 1b Dupont 2-5 HR (16) 1bi (60) R LF Sadan 3-5 RF Sohn 3-4 2b (19) GIDP 2b Gonzalez 2-4 2b (8) K CF Crisp 0-4 C Santos 2-4 R Balierough L 9-6 3 10 8 8 3 1 0 Johnston 1 4 2 2 0 0 1 Gonsales 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 Schoppe 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Sarfate 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Jim Thome 49-45

Gavin Floyd and Manny Parra pitched a solid game for their respective teams. Floyd allowed one run in the second, while Parra allowed two runs on a home run by light hitting Scott Podsednik. The late innings saw two runs scored from both sides, with Troy Tulowitzki hitting a two run home run in the 8th. Unfortunately for Miami, Felix Gonsales gave up 5 singles and 2 runs in the top of the inning, and the White Sox ended up winning the series opener. 3b Prado 0-4 K SS Tulowitzki 1-4 HR (11) 2bi (43) R K DH Winn 1-4 K C Black 2b (22) R 1b Dupont 1-3 1bi (59) BB LF Sadan 1-3 BB RF Sohn 0-3 BB K CF Crisp 0-4 K 2b Henning 0-3 BB R GIDP Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra L 4-9 6 1/3 6 2 2 2 2 1 Gonsales 1 5 2 2 0 0 0 Sarfate 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Scott Podsednik 49-44

The Palms secured a series sweep of the Royals with a game that featured a few oddities. The first was Coco Crisp who went 4-4 with three infield singles. Somehow, he was unable to score. Frank Sohn started the game with three strikeouts, then, in the 8th inning, came through with a two run blast. Because of that homer, Art McLoughlin stayed in an extra inning to pick up his first save of the year, the first by anyone not named Buddy Carlyle. The winner of the game was Dennis Sarfate, only his second win with the Palms. The star of the game, though, was Billy Dupont who went three quarters of the way to the cycle. The only hit he didn't get was the single. 3b Prado 0-4 BB SS Tulowitzki 1-4 2b (18) R DH Winn 0-4 1b Dupont 3-4 HR (15) 3b (5) 2b (17) 2bi (58) 3R LF Sadan 1-4 1bi (41) RF Sohn 1-4 HR (7) 2bi (41) R 3K 2b Henning 1-4 K CF Crisp 4-4 C Santos 1-4 2Ks Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez 5 6 1 1 2 4 ...

Zack Greinke continued his impressive season with a solid outing against the Palms. He had issues with control, as the usually impatient Palms were able to collect 5 walks. Greinke's one egregious error happened to be with the bases load. Eddie Black's 16th home run of the season was 5 rows over the left field fence, and scored all 4 runs for the Palms. All told, however, the Palms offense was otherwise lacking, with the Palms collecting only 5 other hits. Troy Munoz collected his 9th win of the season. 3b Prado 2-4 R K RF Sohn 0-3 BB R DH Winn 2-4 2b (24) R 2K C Black 1-2 GS (16) 4bi (51) R 2BB 1b Dupont 1-4 LF Sadan 0-4 SS Gonzalez 0-2 2BB K CF Crisp 0-4 2b Henning 0-3 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz W 9-6 6 8 2 2 2 3 0 Johnston 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Carlyle S 28 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Eddie Black 48-43

Randy Winn and Martin Prado came back from their appearance in the All-Star game and made an immediate impact, proving their value once again with the team. Dallas Chastanet pitched himself out of a few jams, allowing just two runs when new Royal Yuniesky Betancourt hit a double. Winn drove in the first run with a solo blast in the 4th. Still, the game was tied in the 9th with two outs. With Coco Crisp on 2nd and Ryan Henning on 1st, Prado slapped a single to right, with Crisp rounding the bases to score the winning run. The Palms are now 1-0 since the break! 3b Prado 2-4 1bi (39) run bb SS Tulowitzki 0-4 2K DH Winn 1-3 HR (17) 1bi (49) R BB C Black 2-4 1bi (47) LF Sadan 0-4 RF Sohn 1-4 K 1b Drysdale 1-3 BB K CF Crisp 0-4 R K 2b Henning 0-4 2K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet 6 8 2 2 3 2 0 mcLoughlin 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Schoppe W 2-3 1 0 0 ...

The Palms have reached the Break, losing a thrilling game in 10 innings. Dave Balierough left the A's hitless through 5 innings, but Oakland broke through, scoring two runs on a homerun by Adam Kennedy. The Palms and A's went back and forth with solo homers, with Miami receiving blasts from Randy Winn and Coco Crisp, while Oakland got a shot from Matt Holliday. In the bottom of the 10th, with 2 outs, Rajai Davis hit a run scoring single to win the game and send both teams off for a 4 day break. Of course, that's not including Winn, Martin Prado and Troy Tulowitzki, who will go to St. Louis to play in the All-Star Game. RF Sohn 0-5 SS Tulowitzki 0-5 K DH Winn 2-4 HR 1bi R 1b Dupont 0-3 BB R K LF Sadan 0-4 2b Henning 0-4 2 Ks 3b Smythe 1-4 2b CF Crisp 2-3 HR 1bi R BB C Santos 0-3 1bi BB K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough 8 6 3 3 5 3 2 Schoppe L 1-3 1 2/3 3 1 1 1 ...

Miami had another offensive explosion against a young A's pitcher. Billy Dupont was a home run short of the cycle and Troy Tulowitzki was able to snap out of his two game hitless streak, getting 5 hits and 4 RBI. Seven of Miami's runs came in the first three innings. Manny Parra had his second solid outing in a row as the Palms went on for the win. 2b Gonzalez 3-6 2b (7) R K SS Tulowitzki 5-6 4bi (41) 2 2b (17) DH Winn 1-6 R K C Black 0-3 2 BB 2 R K 1b Dupont 3-5 2b (16) 3b (4) 2bi (56) R LF Sadan 2-3 1bi (40) 2 BB R CF Sohn 0-4 BB R 3b Smythe 0-5 K RF Tiropez 2-5 1bi (8) R K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra W 4-8 6 6 3 3 0 8 2 McLoughlin 2 4 1 1 1 0 0 Johnston 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Troy Tuilowitzki 46-42

The Palms won their second game in a row, converting 11 hits into 8 runs, thanks in large part to a pair of home runs from Eddie Black and Billy Dupont, as well as a 2 run double from Martin Prado. Javier Vazquez, Art McLoughlin and Dennis Sarfate combined to shut down the A's hitters and pick up the win in a laugher in Oakland 3b Prado 1-5 2b (27) 2bi (38) SS Tulowitzki 0-5 3K DH Winn 1-4 2 R BB K C Black 2-4 HR (15) 2bi (46) 2R 1b Dupont 2-4 HR (14) 2bi (54) R LF Sadan 2-3 2b (18) 1bi (39) R SAC RF Sohn 1-3 BB R 2b Henning 0-4 GIDP CF Crisp 1-3 2b 1bi (28) R BB Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez W 7-6 5 2/3 3 1 1 2 2 0 McLoughlin 1 1/3 2 0 0 1 0 0 Sarfate 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Eddie Black 45-42

The Palms continue to be the epitome of a slap hitting team. They maintain a .296 team average, which is near the all time record, however, their near .500 team record and fairly low run total indicates that the power hasn't been there. Miami demonstrated this again, scrounging 15 hits and only plating three runs. The only player that didn't get a hit was Troy Tulowitzki, who was ejected after striking out in the 4th inning and argued his way to the clubhouse. His hitting streak is now over after 16 games. Troy Munoz pitched 8 strong innings for the win. 3b Prado 4-4 2b (26) BB RF Sohn 3-5 2b (18) 1bi (28) GIDP SS Tulowitzki 0-3 K 4th Smythe 0-2 1b Dupont 1-5 2 (15) R LF Sadan 1-5 1bi (38) 2b Gonzalez 2-5 R CF Crisp 1-4 K C Santos 2-4 DH Tiropez 1-4 1bi (7) R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz W 8-6 8 4 2 2 2 2 1 Carlyle S 27 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the...

Dallas Chastanet struggled through three innings, giving up a lead off homer to Marco Scutaro, and a three run blast to Kevin Millar in the third before being pulled. The Palms could never recover. Troy Tulowitzki's hitting streak reached 16 games, while Eddie Black hit the team's 100th home run for the season. 3b Prado 1-4 BB SS Tulowitzki 1-5 2b (15) RF Winn 0-5 K C Black 1-4 HR (14) 1bi (44) R 1b Dupont 3-4 2b (14) R LF Sadan 0-4 2b Henning 1-4 K CF Crisp 3-4 1bi (27) DH Tiropez 1-4 1bi (5) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet L 7-6 3 8 6 6 0 1 2 Gonsales 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 Schoppe 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 McLoughlin 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 Player of the Game: Marco Scutaro 43-42

The Palms led most of the way in this one, scoring 2 in the first on a bases loaded single by Eddie Black. They added 1 more in the third, but the Jays, playing at home, were able to storm back. With the score 3-1 going into the 7th, David Dellucci and Rod Barajas hit back to back solo home runs. Two batters later, Aaron Hill hit the third homer of the inning to put the Jays ahead for good. 3b Prado 2-5 2b (25) R K SS Tulowitzki 2-5 2R K DH Winn 0-3 BB K C Black 1-4 2bi (43) 1b Dupont 1-4 1bi (52) K LF Sadan 1-4 2b (17) K RF Sohn 1-4 2b (17) 2b Gonzalez 2-4 2b (6) CF Crisp 0-4 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough L 9-5 7 8 4 4 1 3 3 McLoughlin 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Player of the Game: Aaron Hill 43-41

All three All-Stars this year came from outside the organization. Randy Winn, in his second season in Miamia, as well as Troy Tulowitzki and Martin Prado, both in their first year on the Palms, were also named to the team. Congratulations to all three!

Manny Parra pitched 5 1/3 solid, innings, Troy Tulowitzki brought his hitting streak to 14 games and the Palms squeaked out a win over the Rangers in the rubber match of this series. The Palms netted 4 runs in a big 2nd inning, getting five hits. The fifth run was provided by Steve Drysdale, who hit home run number 2 on the season. Buddy Carlyle earned his 26th save of the season in only 83 games. 3b Prado: 2-5 1bi (36) R SS Tulowitzki: 1-3 3b (2) 2bi (37) R BB DH Winn: 2-3 1bi (47) BB K 1b Dupont 0-3 BB LF Sadan 1-4 2b (16) RF Drysdale 1-4 HR (2) 1bi (10) R 2b Henning 2-4 R CF Crisp 1-4 R C Santos 0-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra W 3-8 5 1/3 4 3 3 2 8 0 Gonsales 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 0 0 Sarfate 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Carlyle S 26 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 Player of the Game: Troy Tulowitzki 43-40

Troy Tulowitzki has got a hit in 13 straight games, ever since he went 0-4 in a 2-1 loss against the Mets. In this hitting streak, he has gone an incredible 29/54. That's a .537 average. Before this streak, he had a 7 game streak and incredibly, after a couple of months in the mid .200s, he has brought his batting average all the way up to .332. and his homer total has reached 10. It was an incredible month or so for Tulowitzki, and he has carried that into early July.

The Rangers provided all the fireworks on this Independence Day, hitting 6 home runs off of Miami pitching. Javier Vazquez gave up 4, while Felix Gonsales gave up his first bomb of the year, to Michael Young, and promptly gave up his second to the next batter, Marlon Byrd. Byrd hit two homers, including a three run blast in the 2nd. The Palms continued to pile up the hits, getting 16, including a 4-5 game from Troy Tulowitzki. 3b Prado 1-4 1bi (35) R 2BB K SS Tulowitzki 4-5 2b (14) R K DH Winn 2-5 2b (24) C Black 1-5 1bi 2K 1b Dupont 2-5 HR (13) 1bi (51) R LF Sadan 2-4 2b (15) 1bi (37) 2R BB RF Sohn 2-5 2 2b (16) 1bi (27_ 2b Henning 2-4 2b BB CF Crisp 0-5 GIDP K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez L 6-6 5 10 9 9 1 6 4 Schoppe 2 1 0 0 9 1 0 Gonsales 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 Player of the Game: Marlon Byrd 42-40

Last year, the Palms and Rangers played a contentious late season series, that saw suspensions for former Palms Rich Fischer and Cole Abernathy. It all started after Abernathy was hit following a Ryan Henning homer, then Henning was hit again by Vicente Padilla in his next at bat. Benches cleared after Fischer threw a retaliatory pitch.. Most of the players involved aren't even members of either squad now, save for Henning. Both teams were able to get double digit hits, the Rangers 15 and the Palms 12. Curiously, after stringing 8 hits in a row in the 7 run 3rd, they didn't get another hit until there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. With no beanballs, this season's struggle with the Rangers looks to be more level headed. 3b Prado 0-5 3K SS Tulowitzki 2-4 2R DH Winn 2-4 HR (15), 2b (23) 2bi (46), 2R C Black 1-4 1bi (40) R 1b Dupont 1-4 1bi (50) R K LF Sadan 2-4 1bi (36) R RF Sohn 1-4 R K 2b Henning 1-3 2b (9) 2bi (24) BB R CF Crisp 2-4 2b (14) 2bi (26) Pitcher ...