Miami Palms Blog

The Palms were hoping to start their home series with conference rival Boston with a strong showing. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The Red Sox leaped to an early lead thanks to a first inning home run from David Ortiz. The Sox chased Kevin Correia in the second inning. The Sox also got to Art McLoughlin, but the rest of the Bullpen managed to keep their act together, holding the Sox at 7. The Palms even made a game of it, coming within 1 when Eduardo Nunez hit a three run homer in the 9th. It was not enough, as Alfredo Aceves stepped in to take care of the last two outs.  Boston Red Sox 7, Miami Palms 6  Monday, April 30, 2012  Boston Red Sox (2-2)                                     Miami Palms (11-12)              ...

The Palms had a strong homestand early in the year, going 7-3. They haven't had as much success on the road, seeing their statistics tumble, as well as their record. they dropped all three road series, going 3-6, and seeing their team batting average drop almost 30 points. Fortunately, Miami is returning to Palms Park tomorrow, getting ready for a 4 game stanza with the Boston Red Sox.

The Palms and Mariners split their season series, with the Mariners taking the final game in Seattle. Jason Vargas held the Palms hitless until the 5th inning, when Nick Markakis poked a single through the infield. The Mariners held the lead through the entire loser again, while Troy Munoz has lost his third game, despite having strong outings in all of his starts. The Palms return home for a four game set with the Red Sox, starting tomorrow.  Seattle Mariners 5, Miami Palms 4  Sunday, April 29, 2012  Miami Palms (11-11)                                      Seattle Mariners (3-3)                                   Player...

The Palms gained the W in Seattle after a strong offensive and pitching performance. Javier Vazquez nearly went the entire 9, allowing 1 run and scattering 7 hits and striking out 7. The Palms at the plate were in fine form. Vazquez's batterymate Jose Molina surprised everyone with a 2nd inning triple. The surprise was made even greater when he later hit a second three bagger. He also hit his first home run of the season. Also homering was Martin Prado, hitting only his third extra base hit of the season. Jaspero Gonzalez added a third home run in the Palms' dismantling of the the Mariners.  Miami Palms 8, Seattle Mariners 1  Saturday, April 28, 2012  Miami Palms (11-10)                                      Seattle Mariners (2-4)          ...

The Palms wasted multiple opportunities in the series opener in Seattle en route to losing 4-2. Their only two runs were off of solo home runs from Omir Santos, and the first as a Palm from Nick Markakis. Unfortunately, the Palms had three situations in which a runner was left on third base, failing to push him across the plate in any of those occasions. The Palms are now sitting at .500, and will hope to get out of Seattle with their record remaining at least at .500.  Seattle Mariners 4, Miami Palms 2  Friday, April 27, 2012  Miami Palms (10-10)                                       Seattle Mariners (2-3)                              ...

There were only 8 hits total in this game, but one of them was a home run with a runner on base by Curtis Granderson. The Palms managed only three hits off of Phil Hughes and were held scoreless after the first. They travel to Seattle overnight tonight in order to finish off the season series with the Mariners, hoping to find a little run support, and to stay above .500.  New York Yankees 3, Miami Palms 1  Thursday, April 26, 2012  Miami Palms (10-9)                                       New York Yankees (3-1)                                   Player          AB R  H ...

The Palms held the lead through 8 innings, but the Yankees scored two runs to tie it on a solo home run from Robinson Cano, followed by a bases loaded single from Eric Chavez. The game was eventually won on Frank Sohn's second two run homer of the game. The Yankees tried to come back, but Nick Swisher's second homer of the game came without any runners on base.Matt Holliday had the Palms other three RBI.  Miami Palms 7, New York Yankees 6  Wednesday, April 25, 2012  Miami Palms (10-8)                                       New York Yankees (2-1)                                   Player     ...

CC Sabathia held the Palms in check for 8 innings, allowing runs only on solo homers by Omir Santos and Frank Sohn. Aside from a 4 run second, in which Raul Ibanez hit a three run blast. It was all the Yankees needed to take the series opener in the Bronx.  New York Yankees 5, Miami Palms 2  Tuesday, April 24, 2012  Miami Palms (9-8)                                        New York Yankees (2-0)                                   Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player    ...

A tough offensive series finally came to a close on Sunday afternoon with another strong outing from Angels pitching. Dan Haren allowed only two runs, though he scattered 11 hits over his 9 innings. Javier Vazquez also pitched a complete game, throwing 120 pitches, proving his worth as a workhorse and an innings eater at the head of the Palms rotation. With an off day tomorrow, the team will head to New York for a series with the Yankees beginning on Tuesday. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3, Miami Palms 2 Sunday, April 22, 2012 Miami Palms (9-7) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2-1) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Crisp dh 5 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 .338 Aybar ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 2 .167 Markakis rf ...

The Palms played yet another extra inning game after getting shut out through 9 innings (meaning the Angels held them scoreless through 18 straight innings). Felix Gonsales made a strong statement for his worth as a starter after a sloppy first couple of outings. He scattered 4 hits over his 9 innings of work and earned the win. The Palms won it on a 2 run double by Jaspero Gonzalez in the top of the 10th, the first runs of the series. Miami Palms 2, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0 Saturday, April 21, 2012 Miami Palms (9-6) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1-1) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Crisp dh 4 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 .348 Aybar ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 .125 Markakis rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 ...

The Angels completely dominated this affair, both on offense, where Dave Balierough was manhandled, and offense, where Jerome Williams threw a complete game shut out. Both Torii Hunter and Chris Iannetta homered and drove in three. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 11, Miami Palms 0 Friday, April 20, 2012 Miami Palms (8-6) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1-0) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Crisp cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 .355 Aybar ss 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 .200 Prado 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 .221 Kendrick 2b 4 3 2 2 1 0 1 2 0 1 .500 Gonzalez 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 3 0 0 .370 Pujols 1b 5 1 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 .400 Sohn rf 3 0 0...

That's the bad news. Every pitcher in the pen has had a rough outing in their repertoire so far this season. The good news is, there has been enough good out of the bullpen that it's not a complete liability. Also good was that the rotation has been solid thus far, limiting the use of the perennially shaky bullpen. Javier Vazquez is 3-0, while through three starts, Troy Munoz already has 25 innings under his belt. If the pitching holds up, it's going to be tough to keep the Palms out of the playoffs.

It took a disastrous 7th inning, but the Red Sox avoided getting swept on Thursday. There were 10 batters sent to the plate, and the Red Sox scored 7, all off of the previously reliable Dennis Sarfate. The Palms had a trio of home runs to account for their runs, and before the wheels came off, Kevin Correia had a solid outing once again. Boston Red Sox 12, Miami Palms 6 Thursday, April 19, 2012 Boston Red Sox (1-2) Miami Palms (8-5) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Aviles ss 6 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 .167 Crisp cf 5 1 2 1 0 1 5 0 0 2 .379 Pedroia 2b 5 2 3 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 .333 Prado 3b 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 .203 Gonzalez 1b 6 1 2 2 0 1 9 0...

A pair of strong outings gave this game a low scoring feel, and consistent bullpens drew the game out to 15 innings. The Red Sox broke through to score a run in the top of the 15th when Jason Repko drove in Ryan Sweeney. The Palms came back strong against the Red Sox closer, however, when Jose Molina drove in a run with a double, and Eduardo Nunez drove in the game winner with a sacrifice fly. Miami Palms 5, Boston Red Sox 4 Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Boston Red Sox (0-2) Miami Palms (8-4) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Aviles ss 7 1 1 2 1 0 3 4 0 0 .167 Crisp cf 7 0 2 1 0 2 8 0 0 1 .377 Pedroia 2b 8 0 2 0 0 2 1 5 0 2 .231 Prado 3b 7 0 0 0 0 2 ...

The Palms have been facing a litany of young starters, and have almost universally been abusing them. They jumped all over Daniel Bard in the first two innings, with the big blast a Matt Holliday grand slam in the first. In the end, both Holliday and Frank Sohn had 5 RBI apiece, good for 10/13 runs the team scored. The Red Sox hit three home runs of their own, and clawed back to make it 9-8 in the 6th, however the Palms never trailed after the first inning. Miami Palms 13, Boston Red Sox 8 Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Boston Red Sox (0-1) Miami Palms (7-4) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Aviles ss 5 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 .200 Crisp cf 5 2 3 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 .391 Pedroia 2b 5 0 1 0 ...

It's only 10 days into the season, but the Palms already look better than their 2011 version. They are pitching much better, and they have an above .500 record. One of the top performers, on a team with top performers, has been Coco Crisp. He already has 10 RBI and is hitting .366 with 8 extra base hits, including two home runs. With a lineup as full as it is, Crisp bat is almost lost in the leadoff spot. Of course, with an RBI a game, he is doing just fine.

Things got a little wild late in the game, with each team scoring 8 runs in their last ups. The Palms took the final game and the series thanks to 4 runs off of Troy Wilhelmsen, while the Mariners clawed back in the 9th with a succession of hits off of Blake Johnston and Manny Parra, until Parra straightened out and shut the Mariners' rally down. Tony Abreu hit home run number 2 on the season, which is more than he had all of last year. Miami Palms 9, Seattle Mariners 8 Monday, April 16, 2012 Seattle Mariners (1-3) Miami Palms (6-4) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Figgins lf 5 2 3 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 .211 Crisp cf 5 1 2 1 1 1 8 0 0 0 .366 Ackley 2b 5 2 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 2...

Dave Balierough continued a trend of excellent pitching from the Miami Palms, allowing 2 runs over 8 innings. The Palms managed to lump almost all of their runs into on big blast, as Coco Crisp hit a grand slam in the 4th inning. It was all the Palms needed to go back over .500. Miami Palms 5, Seattle Mariners 2 Sunday, April 15, 2012 Seattle Mariners (1-2) Miami Palms (5-4) Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave Player AB R H BI BB SO P A E LOB Ave ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- ------ -- - - -- -- -- - - - --- --- Figgins cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 .071 Crisp dh 4 1 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .361 Ackley 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 .250 Prado 3b 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 .214 Suzuki rf 4 1 2 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 .333 Gonzalez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 ...