Miami Palms Blog

The Palms bullpen blew the chance at a double header sweep. The Palms jumped to an early 4-0 lead, with Billy Dupont hitting a three run homer off Justin Verlander. With the score 5-2 in the 8th, Felix Gonsales was in for his second inning of work, and his third inning of the game. Ramon Santiago hit a bases clearing double to tie the game. Dennis Sarfate came in in the ninth, with Miguel Cabrera hitting the eventual game winner, a double that scored Placido Polanco. 3b Prado 1-4 1bi (49) BB R SS Tulowitzki 2-5 R DH Winn 0-4 BB K C Black 1-4 1bi (70) BB R 2K 1b Dupont 2-4 HR (18) 2b (27) 3bi (76) R LF Sadan 0-4 K RF Sohn 0-2 2bb R K CF Crisp 1-4 2b Henning 1-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough 6 7 2 2 2 3 0 Gonsales 2 4 3 3 0 1 0 Sarfate L 3-2 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 Player of the Game: Ramon Santiago 66-63

A problem at Palms Park developed last night as a stroke of lightning hit one of the light towers in right field, shorting the circuit and causing last night's game to be postponed, bringing about a Sunday double-header. The delayed return of Frank Sohn was impressive for a few players. Manny Parra pitched 6 shut out innings, while Ayoz Sadan crushed an opposite field three run homer in the 1st. Sohn himself followed Sadan with an upper deck shot to left center field as Miami took the first game of the twin-bill. 3b Prad0 2-4 R SS Tulowitzki 2-3 R BB DH Winn 0-3 BB R K 1b Dupont 2-4 2b (26) 1bi (73) R LF Sadan 1-2 HR (14) 4bi (59) R BB SAC RF Sohn 1-4 HR (10) 1bi (45) R 2Ks CF Crisp 0-4 K 2b Henning 0-3 BB C Santos 0-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra W 5-12 6 3 0 0 2 8 0 Gonsales 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 Johnston 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 Pla...

Frank Sohn, suspended for 5 days after the brawl with the Rangers, will rejoin the team for tomorrow's game with the Tigers. The Palms have essentially fallen out of contention without Sohn, going 1-4 in his absense.

New Tigers acquisition and persistent thorn in the side of the Palms Aubrey Huff was at it again. He hit a three run homer off of Javier Vazquez in the Tigers' 5 run third and went 4-5 with 4RBI through the game. The Tigers got 6 more in the 5th, with a three run double from Carlos Guillen and a two run blast from Brandon Inge. Rick Porcello's masterful pitching outing was mostly an afterthought given the explosive offense. 3b Prado 0-4 K SS Tulowitzki 0-4 DH Winn 1-4 C Black 1-4 1b Dupont 0-4 LF Sadan 1-4 CF Crisp 2-4 3b (3) R K 2b Henning 1-3 1bi (36) RF Tiropez 1-3 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez L 9-8 4 9 10 10 3 3 1 McLoughlin 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 Sarfate 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 Gonsales 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 Schoppe 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game : Au...

Miami and Toronto had a pitchers duel through the first 5 innings, however in the 6th, Toronto started scoring runs. A sacrifice fly and RBI double from Kevin Millar and Randy Ruiz geve the Blue Jays their first two runs, with a two run homer in the 7th from Raul Chavez accounting for the next two runs for Toronto. In the bottom of the 8th, the Palms got on the board with a three run homer from Eddie Black. The Palms were unable to do anything else in this game however, and the team continues to fall out of playoff contention. 3b Prado 2-5 R K SS Tulowitzki 0-5 DH Winn 1-4 R K C Black 1-4 HR (20) 3bi (69) R 1b Dupont 2-4 CF Sadan 0-3 BB K LF Drysdale 1-4 2K 2b Henning 0-2 2bb RF Tiropez 1-4 2b (2) K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L 13-9 7 6 4 4 2 6 0 Schoppe 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 Player of the Game: Raul Chavez 65-61

Steve Drysdale, suspended for his roll in Saturdays brawl, has served his punishment. He is expected to be in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Dallas Chastanet pitched a complete game against the Blue Jays to get the Palms back on the winning track. He had plenty of offensive support, including a three run homer from Ayoz Sadan and a solo blast from Billy Dupont, his first homer since July. The Blue Jays were never in it, with Miami scoring their first three runs in the third and not relenting even through their 8th inning at the plate. All the teams ahead of Miami in the wild card won, and they remain 7 games out. 3b Prado 2-5 R SS Tulowitzki 1-4 1bi (60) BB 2K DH Winn 1-4 BB R C Black 2-3 2bi (66) BB R 1b Dupont 1-4 HR (17) 1bi (72) R K LF Sadan 1-4 HR (13) 3bi (55) R 3K CF Crisp 1-4 2b (18) R 2b Henning 1-4 1bi (35) R K RF Tiropez 2-4 R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet W 9-9 9 6 1 1 0 6 1 Player of the Game: Dallas Chastanet 65-60

A pitcher's duel through the 7th, the game changed in Toronto's favor. Toronto had been held to 2 hits through 6, while the Palms only had 1. That inning, Toronto batted around, scoring 4 runs, while Miami merely got their second hit of the game. Miami is now 7 games out in the Wild Card. 3b Prado 1-4 2b (32) 2b Gonzalez 0-4 DH Winn 2-3 BB 2R 1b Dupont 1-4 2b (25) 1bi (71) K SS Tulowitzki 1-4 K LF Sadan 0-2 1bi (52) BB SAC CF Crisp 0-4 3K C Santos 0-3 K RF Tiropez 0-3 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough L 12-8 7 8 4 4 3 5 0 McLoughlin 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Johnston 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Roy Halladay 64-60

It was a see-saw battle that ended as a heart breaker for the Palms. The Rangers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but Coco Crisp and the Palms charged back to tie it, including a three run blast from Crisp. The game remained tied until the 9th, when Miami scored three, with Billy Dupont driving in two with a single. Buddy Carlyle came in to close things out, but his first pitch got away from him and hit Andruw Jones in the leg. The pitch was a breaking ball and clearly not intentional, however with last night's festivities, he was immediately tossed. Art McLoughlin came in to get the save instead, but struggled mightily. Having already allowed a run, he faced Ian Kinsler with two outs and the bases loaded. Kinsler lined one to the gap, emptying the bases and winning the game for Texas in crushing fashion. 3b Prado 1-5 K CF Crisp 2-5 HR (8) 3bi (41) 2R DH Winn 0-2 3bb R C Black 1-5 1bi (64) 1b Dupont 1-5 2bi (70) LF Sadan 1-5 R K 3b Smythe 3-4 2b (5) 3b (3) 1bi (18) R 2b Henning 0-4...

For the second year in a row, the Rangers and Palms came to blows on the field. This year's animosity can hardly be called carry over from last year's, as none of the major players from last year were involved this year. The trouble started in the 7th. Eddie Black was on 1st, and Ayoz Sadan chopped it to Elvis Andrus, who took the ball to second himself. Black slid hard to break up the double play, which he did. Andrus landed on Black, and shoved him as he was getting up. They each exchanged words as Black headed back to the dugout. Frank Sohn was the next batter, and Rangers' pitcher Tommy Hunter planted the first pitch squarely in the ribs. Sohn slammed his helmet on the ground and charged the mound without hesitation. Sohn met Hunter on the third base side of the mound and they both went to the ground. Andrus, one of the original combatants, arrived next and started raining blows on Sohn. Steve Drysdale was the first player out of the Palms dugout and grabbed Andrus, whi...

The Palms pitching staff has kept the Rangers offense in check for the first two games of the series, with Troy Munoz and Javier Vazquez throwing back to back shutouts. The real spectacle was a 7th inning brawl that saw the ejections of 4 players, including Frank Sohn, Steve Drysdale, and the Rangers' Elvis Andrus and pitcher Tommy Hunter. Suspensions may be forthcoming. 3b Prado 2-5 HR 1bi R 2K SS Tulowitzki 2-5 K DH Winn 0-5 C Black 2-4 HBP LF Sadan 2-5 R RF Sohn 1-3 HBP K (Tiropez pinch ran in the 7th) CF Crisp 1-4 1b Smythe 2-4 1bi 2b Henning 0-4 2K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez W 9-7 7 2/3 4 0 0 1 7 0 Sarfate S 1 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Javier Vazquez 64-58

After several weak offensive outings, Troy Munoz came through with the pitching performance that the team needed, throwing a complete game shutout. He wriggled out of a bases loaded 9th inning jam to preserve the shutout in Arlington. Of course, the dominant performance came on an evening in which the Miami offense snapped out of it's slump. The 2-5 hitters all hit solo homers into right field over the course of the game. The Palms are now 6 games back. 3b Prado 1-5 2b R K SS Gonzalez 2-5 HR (6) 1bi (16) R K DH Winn 2-4 HR (20) 2bi (63) R SAC K C Black 1-5 HR (19) 1bi (63) R K LF Sadan 2-5 HR (12) 1bi (51) 2R RF Sohn 3-5 CF Crisp 1-4 R HBP K 1b Smythe 1-4 2b Henning 2-4 2bi (34) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz W 13-8 9 9 0 0 2 6 0 Player of the Game: Troy Munoz 63-58

Breck Smythe hit a three run homer in the 2nd inning, his 7th of the year, and that lead held through the 8th inning. Dallas Chastanet gave up a couple of solo homers in the 6th to Cesar Izturis and Nick Markakis to bring the score to 3-2. Izturis came up with a man on in the 8th to hit his 2nd homer of the game. His career high in a season is 4. The Palms now sit 7 games out of the Wild Card, their window on the post season closing rapidly. 3b Prado 1-4 K RF Drysdale 1-4 DH Winn 1-4 2b (36) K GIDP 1b Dupont 0-4 LF Sadan 0-3 BB R RF Sohn 3-4 2b (26) R 2b Henning 1-4 SS Smythe 1-4 HR (7) 3bi (16) R C Santos 1-4 2b (27) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet L 8-9 8 6 4 4 3 7 3 Player of the Game: Cesar Izturis 62-58

It was an old fashioned pitcher's duel between Dave Balierough and rookie Chris Tillman. The Orioles and Palms each broke through for their first runs in the 7th, however Miami took the lead in the 8th when Steve Drysdale hit a solo homer, his fourth of the season and the Palms' first in over a week. 3b Prado 0-4 3K RF Drysdale 1-4 HR (4) 1bi (14) R DH Winn 1-4 C Black 1-3 BB R 1b Dupont 2-4 LF Sadan 0-4 K CF Crisp 1-4 2b Henning 2-4 1bi (32) 3b Smythe 0-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough W 12-7 8 7 1 1 1 5 0 Carlyle S 33 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Player of the Game: Steve Drysdale 62-57

For the third game in a row, the Palms allowed their opponents to score 6 runs while failing to get anywhere that number. The Palms were flat for most of the game, except for the 7th, when they scored all three of their runs on doubles. The Orioles were a menace for Manny Parra, especially Ty Wigginton. By the end of the game, he was only a double short of the cycle. Miami sits 6 games out of the wild card. 3b Prado 1-4 K SS Tulowitzki 0-4 DH Winn 0-4 K C Black 1-4 1b Dupont 1-4 R LF Sadan 1-3 2b (22) R BB RF Sohn 1-4 2b (26) 2bi (44) R CF Crisp 0-4 K 2b Henning 2-3 1bi (31) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra L 4-12 5 7 5 5 3 3 1 McLoughlin 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 Sarfate 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Ty Wiggintn 61-57

The Palms have been pleasantly surprised by Martin Prado this season, and responded by making him the team's lead off hitter. Unfortunately, things have taken a frustrating turn for Prado this month. Among several players who have slowed down at the plate in August, Prado has been the most notable. After making the All Star team and hitting in the .340s, through the season, his .235 average in the month of August has been a col dose of reality. With Prado slumping, the Palms could be looking to replace him at the top of the order. Randy Winn would be a logical fit, however the power he has shown compels Miami to keep him deeper in the lineup. Troy Tulowitzki has been slumping as well. The most logical options would be to replace Ryan Henning at 2nd and move Jaspero Gonzalez at the top, or move Frank Sohn, the speedy right fielder who is hitting .308. For the time being, however, the Palms will continue to keep the status quo.

The Palms have gone 8-7 so far in August, despite their more consistent pitching from all 5 starters. Their struggles for the month have come mostly in the last week, in which they have gone 2-3. In the three losses, they scored only two runs, underscoring the problem on offense. Despite getting the majority of the hits in these games, they have been unable to swat homers, and it has been reflected in their record. After a 13-10 July, the Palms need ot be even stronger in the second half of August and into September if they want to make up their 5.5 game Wild Card deficit. Right now, the Rangers have the top spot, followed by the Red Sox, Rays and then the Palms.

Miami dropped a key late season game to division rival Toronto despite a strong outing from Javier Vazquez. As seems to be the problem with the Palms of late, the offense was rather lackluster, as demonstrated by their scoring half their runs on a bean ball to Coco Crisp. The Blue Jays were more efficient in this game and navigated their way to the series victory. 3b Prado 1-5 SS Tulowitzki 0-5 2K CF Winn 2-5 2-5 2b (35) 2R K C Black 2-3 BB K 1b Dupont 2-4 2b (24) 1bi (68) K RF Drysdale 2-4 DH Crisp 0-3 BB 1bi (38) 2b Henning 1-4 K LF Tiropez 0-4 2K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez L 8-7 8 7 4 4 2 7 0 Player of the Game: Lyle Overbay 61-56

The game came down to a 1 out hit in the 7th inning. Three runs had been scored in the game via strung together hits in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, Really, though, the game turned in the 7th inning. Troy Munoz had already walked Raul Chavez when Marco Scutaro dropped one into the left field seats to put the Jays ahead for good. 3b Prado 1-5 2b (30) SS Tulowitzki 0-3 BB 2K RF Sohn 2-4 2b (25) 1bi (42) 1b Dupont 1-4 K DH Drysdale 0-4 LF Sadan 1-4 2b (21) R CF Crisp 1-4 2b Henning 1-4 1bi (30) 2K C Santos 2-4 R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L 12-8 7 6 3 3 3 2 1 Sarfate 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Marco Scutaro 61-55

The Palms have coupled a solid stretch with a poor stretch from the Tampa Bay Rays, their cross state rivals to move into a tie for third in both the Wild Card and AL East races. The best chance is to catch the Rangers and Red Sox now if the team wants to make the post season. The Wild Card is 5 games out.

Miami batted around twice for two big innings on Friday, including a 6 run 4th and a 4 run 8th. There weren't many big hits, but in the 4th, the first 6 men up reached with singles, followed by a walk. In the 8th, the on good shot was Billy Dupont's triple that brought in two. Dallas Chastanet managed to pitch 8 strong innings for the win. 2b Gonzalez 3-4 1bi (15) 2BB SS Tulowitzki 0-5 BB R K DH Winn 1-6 1bi (61) C Black 2-6 2R 2K 1b Dupont 3-5 3bi (67) 2R K LF Sadan 2-5 1bi (50) 2R K RF Sohn 3-5 1bi (41) R CF Crisp 2-5 2bi 937) R 2K 3b Smythe 3-5 3b 1bi (13) R K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet W 8-8 8 7 3 3 2 7 1 Gonsales 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Billy Dupont 61-54

The Palms jumped out to an early lead thanks to a big first inning that included a 2 run double from Ayoz Sadan. The Angels kept fighting back, however, and tied the game in the 8th. The Palms scored a run on a Randy Winn single, but the Angles came back and scored a run again in the 9th off of Buddy Carlyle. The Palms quickly loaded the bases however. Coco Crisp popped out to the catcher, bringing Ryan Henning to the plate. He chopped it to third baseman Chone Figgins and stepped on third to get the force. He threw it across the diamond for the double play to send the game into extra innings, but Henning beat the throw, and Billy Dupont scored the winning run. 3b Prado 2-5 SS Tulowitzki 1-5 K DH Winn 3-5 2b (34) 1bi (60) 2R C Black 1-4 BB R 1b Dupont 2-5 1bi (64) 2R LF Sadan 3-4 2b (20) 2bi (49)BB RF Sohn 2-5 2b (24) 1bi (40) CF Crisp 2-5 2b (17) 2b Henning 1-4 1bi (29) R SAC Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough 6 7 ...

The Angels were a one man show against the Palms. The pitchers, Ervin Santana and Manny Parra had quality games, and the show down came down to Kendry Morales. He hit two home runs for Anaheim and drove in all three runs. The 1 man wrecking crew was all the Angels needed to win this one on the road. 3b Prado 1-4 BB K SS Tulowitzki 1-5 run K DH Winn 0-3 2 BB C Black 2-5 2b (27) 1bi (62) 1b Dupont 1-5 2 Ks LF Sadan 2-4 R K CF Crisp 1-3 BB K 2b Henning 0-4 RF Tiropez 2-4 1bi (12) Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra L 4-11 7 4 3 3 2 5 2 Sarfate 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the Game: Kendry Morales 59-54

Randy Winn set off a testy series of events in the series opener with the Angels, sending a long home run in the first inning to score two runs. His trot around the bases may have been a little slow. The next inning, with 2 outs and a similar situation, Angels pitcher Sean O'Sullivan plunked Orlando Tiropez. The next inning, Javier Vazquez through a pitch behind Angel 9 hitter Gary Matthews Jr, prompting a warning to both sides. In the 5th, Jaspero Gonzalez took O'Sullivan's first pitch in the rib cage, prompting an immediate ejection of O'Sullivan and Angels manager Mike Scioscia who came out to argue the ejection. The game itself was actually rather sluggish, with the remaining runs scored with singles and bases loaded walks. 3b Prado 1-4 1bi (47) BB R 2b Gonzalez 1-3 1bi (14) HBP DH Winn 2-4 HR (19) 2bi (59) R K 1b Dupont 0-3 BB R K SS Tulowitzki 0-4 LF Sadan 1-4 R K RF Drysdale 1-3 BB R C Santos 0-3 1bi (13) BB R CF Tiropez 1-3 1bi (11) HBP Pitcher W-L...

Mariners pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith wasn't a particularly dominant force for the M's Sunday afternoon, but he wriggled out of all the jams he faced. The Palms got 8 hits and took 6 walks, but all those runners were left on base. Billy Dupont in an 0-5 outing came up every time with 2 outs, leaving an incredible 8 runners on base. In the 6th, already down 5-0, Ryan Henning launched a pitch into the upper deck down the right field line. Unfortunately, this was just a long strike. (The upper bleachers don't exist in fair territory in right field at Palms Park) He ended up with a single. This was Troy Munoz' first loss since June. 3b Prado 1-5 K SS Tulowitzki 0-2 3 bb DH Winn 2-4 2b (23) BB C Black 1-4 BB 1b Dupont 0-5 2K LF Sadan 1-4 RF Sohn 1-3 BB CF Crisp 1-4 2b Henning 1-4 K Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Munoz L 12-7 3 8 5 5 1 3 1 McLoughlin 2 0 0 0 0 1 ...

The pitchers duel that wasn't on Friday came to fruition on Saturday as Dallas Chastanet battled new Mariner Ian Snell. Chastanet gave up a pair of homers and struggled to get out of 4 of his 6 innings. Even so, his outing wasn't bad, and a combination of Dennis Sarfate and Felix Gonsales prevented the Mariners from getting any baserunners. The Palms mustered only 6 hits against Snell and the Mariners bullpen, scoring their only run on a bases loaded walk to Frank Sohn. 3b Prado 1-4 2b (29) R SS Gonzalez 1-4 DH Winn 2-3 BB C Black 0-4 LF Sadan 0-4 RF Sohn 0-3 1bi (39) BB 2K 1b Smythe 0-4 K CF Crisp 2-2b Henning 0-3 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Chastanet L 7-8 6 8 3 3 3 5 2 Sarfate 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Gonsales 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 K Player of the game: Ian Snell 58-52

The Palms opened their homestand with the Mariners with a big series opening win off of Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. King Felix was mostly good, better than Dave Balierough. The Palms were held hitless through three before breaking out in the 4th for all 4 of their runs, including a three run blast from Ayoz Sadan. Balierough spent his time escaping jams, however he only allowed two runs before he left after a long 5th inning. The Palms bullpen navigated through the final four innings without allowing any runs. Billy Dupont was a home run shy of the cycle. 3b Prado 0-4 SS Tulowitzki 1-4 2b (23) K DH Winn 2-4 R K C Black 1-4 2b (26) R 1b Dupont 3-4 2b (22) 3b (6) 1bi (63) R LF Sadan 1-3 HR (11) 3bi (47) R BB RF Sohn 1-4 K CF Crisp 0-2 BB K GIDP 2b Henning 0-3 Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Balierough W 11-7 5 7 2 2 3 5 0 Johnston 2 4 0 0 0 2 0 Gonsales 1 ...

The Red Sox and Palms had a disastrous pitching outing, which was mostly to be expected, given the hurlers on the mound. It's been a tough year for Brad Penny and Manny Parra, and each team teed off on the pitchers. Parra was pulled in the 4th, and the Red Sox continued to batter Don Schoppe. The Palms had a 4 run 6th to knock Penny out of the game and make the score somewhat more respectable. The Palms have an offday tomorrow. 3b Prado 1-4 BB R K SS Tulowitzki 2-5 1bi (59) 2K DH Winn 1-5 K 1b Dupont 1-5 1bi (62) R RF Sohn 1-4 2b (23) 1bi (38) BB CF Crisp 1-4 BB R K 2b Henning 1-4 R K C Santos 3-4 2b (7) 1bi (12) R LF Tiropez 1-4 3b (1) 2bi (10) R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Parra L 4-10 3 1/3 10 5 5 3 1 1 Schoppe 1 2/3 5 3 3 2 1 0 Johnston 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 Gonsales 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Player of the G...

The Palms came through again with a big inning, this time in the 3rd, sending 10 to the plate and scoring 5 runs, with Troy Tulowitzki getting the big hit, a bases loaded double. The Palms got a scare when Javier Vazquez had to leave the game in the 5th after feeling a twinge after retiring Red Sox shortstop Nick Green. An ensemble of Palms pitchers ended up allowing the Sox to get back into the game, with Buddy Carlyle eventually blowing the save. In the top of the 10th, Ryan Henning launched a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield fence for his 10th homer of the year, and his 4th against the Red Sox. Blake Johnston came in in the bottom of the inning to earn his first career save. 3b Prado 2-6 2R SS Tulowitzki 2-6 2 2b (22) 3bi (58) R K DH Winn 3-5 2b (32) 3bi (57) R C Black 2-5 1b Dupont 3-5 K LF Sadan 1-5 K RF Sohn 0-4 1bi (37) SAC CF Crisp 1-5 R 2b Henning 3-5 HR (10) 1bi (28) 3R Pitcher W-L S IP H R ER BB SO HR Vazquez 4 1/3 6 ...