Miami Palms Blog

The Palms showed a little life against the Rays. After falling behind 3-0 early, they clawed their way back in, producing three runs, including a solo shot from Joe Mather who tied the game for the second day in a row. The homer that will get the most attention, however, was the game winning 2 run shot from Kelly Johnson, who had already driven a run in earlier.  Miami Palms 5, Tampa Bay Rays 3  Wednesday, July 29, 2015  Miami Palms (51-51)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (2-12)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO...

The Palms blew two leads, jumping out to a 3-0 lead initially, and then taking a 1 run lead on a Joe Mather homer in the 8th as well. The Rays worked their way back to a tie in the 5th, and then led off the 8th with a solo blast from Brandon Guyer. In the 11th, the Rays had three hits, and were able to push the winning run across on an Asdrubal Cabrera single.  Tampa Bay Rays 5, Miami Palms 4  Tuesday, July 28, 2015  Miami Palms (50-51)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (2-11)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  ...

The Palms have been working with a hard platoon at third base this year after acquiring Trevor Plouffe in the offseason. Chris Korb has thrived in an every day role, and Plouffe has been great against lefties. Between the two, they have 18 home run and an average just shy of .300. Coupled with Tony Abreu, one of the strengths of the Palms team is the left side of the infield.

Blake Johnston was thoroughly dominant over on Monday evening. He struck out 5 and scattered 6 hits while shutting Tampa out at Tropicana Field. The lone run was an RBI single from Tony Abreu.  Miami Palms 1, Tampa Bay Rays 0  Monday, July 27, 2015  Miami Palms (50-50)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (1-11)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A...

The Palms came away from their series finale with a victory over their nemesis from New York. John Danks was dominant, keeping the Yankees scoreless until the 9th inning. The Palms jumped out early, as John Jaso lead the game off with a home run, and Johnny Giavotella hit a 3 run shot the next inning to really open the lead up. Fortunately, Danks was able to keep it together through most of the game, and there was no comeback. It was a good day for all Palms named John.   Miami Palms 7, New York Yankees 2  Sunday, July 26, 2015  Miami Palms (49-50)                                      New York Yankees (10-6)                              ...

The Yankees had a pair of back to back home runs, with no set more devastating than the one that came in the bottom of the 8th, when Chase Headley put New York ahead with a two run homer, followed by a solo shot from John Ryan Murphy. Curiously, Coco Crisp had two RBI, both coming on bases loaded walks.  New York Yankees 7, Miami Palms 5  Saturday, July 25, 2015  Miami Palms (48-50)                                      New York Yankees (10-5)                                  Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave    ...

TJ McFarland and Michael Pineda were strong in there own ways. McFarland struck out 6, but allowed a home run to Brett Gardner, which was the difference. Pineda scattered 5 hits, which really hampered Miami's offense.  New York Yankees 3, Miami Palms 1  Friday, July 24, 2015  Miami Palms (48-49)                                      New York Yankees (9-5)                                   Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB S...

The Palms won the series finale in a little bit more conventional fashion than their game the night before. They had a solid start from Manny Parra, who may have stayed in a little later than was prudent, with a 3 run 9th making the game look closer than it actually was. The Palms jumped all over Jake Odorizzi, with 6 doubles.  Miami Palms 6, Tampa Bay Rays 4  Wednesday, July 22, 2015  Tampa Bay Rays (1-10)                                    Miami Palms (48-48)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB  ...

This was a nail biter through most of the game. Both Nate Karns (0 runs over 8 innings with 8 strikeouts) and Blake Johnston (2 runs on 6 hits, with 5 strikeouts through 8) were very good, but all anyone will talk about will be the way it ended. The Palms led off with three hits, and scored with a sacrifice fly from Kelly Johnson. John Jaso singled to reload the bases, and on a 1-0 count, Tony Abreu launched it over the right field fence. A walk off grand slam, with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth. What kids dream of.  Miami Palms 5, Tampa Bay Rays 2  Tuesday, July 21, 2015  Tampa Bay Rays (1-9)                                     Miami Palms (47-48)                       ...

The Palms hadn't lost to the Rays at all this season, until Monday night. The real differentiator was the success of Matt Moore on the mound. He held the Palms to 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and only one run in the bottom of the 8th. Brandon Guyer went 3-3 with an RBI.  Tampa Bay Rays 2, Miami Palms 1  Monday, July 20, 2015  Tampa Bay Rays (1-8)                                     Miami Palms (46-48)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player   ...

The Palms finally scored enough to compensate for their struggling bullpen. Billy Dupont hit home run number 20 accounnting for 2 of his 4 runs batted in. Erik Brdard was strong over 6 innings, striking out 9 and allowing only 3 runs. The game looked a lot closer after Didi Gregorius hit a 3 run shot in the 8th inning to make things more interesting.  Miami Palms 8, New York Yankees 6  Sunday, July 19, 2015  New York Yankees (8-5)                                   Miami Palms (46-47)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  ...

A third inning that resulted in 5 runs was not enough for the Palms. Despite thier 5 run lead, things slipped away from Miami as TJ McFarland allowed 5 runs to score as well between the 4th and 5th inning. A well placed ground out in the 6th pushed the Yankees ahead, and won the series for New York.  New York Yankees 6, Miami Palms 5  Saturday, July 18, 2015  New York Yankees (8-4)                                   Miami Palms (45-47)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave    ...

Nick Markakis was downright atrocious through the early part of the season. Frankly, he was very lucky to maintain his starting spot with Joe Mather leaping to a hot start and Markakis slogging his way through spring. As the temperatures have warmed up, so too has Markakis. The Palms' Right Fielder is hitting a team best .387 in the last 10 days with 3 home runs. Could this be the resurgence that the team really hopes for and needs from their corner outfielder? The signs are good, and the team hopes they continue.

The Palms first adventure after the break didn't go well for Miami. Manny Parra was not on point, and allowed 10 hits over 6 innings, with three of those hits turning into runs. It was Keith Harding who had even greater problems, however, giving up 2 8th inning homeruns to Chris Young and Didi Gregorius.  New York Yankees 8, Miami Palms 2  Friday, July 17, 2015  New York Yankees (7-4)                                   Miami Palms (45-46)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave    ...

The Palms were able to send two players to the All Star Game this season, both on the offensive side of the ball, and both making their first trip. John Jaso is hitting .316 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. He has taken enough walks to have an elevated OBP and has moved to the top of Miami's lineup in his first year with the Palms. Tony Abreu has been playing with the Palms for a bit longer but has broken out in 2015. He was hitting near .400 halfway through May, but has cooled off significantly. He has still slugged 14 home runs and is hitting .298 at short stop, which is nothing to sneeze at. It wasn't all roses and good news for the Palms, however, as Billy Dupont was left off the All Star roster, despite hitting .318 with 18 home runs. Somehow, those gaudy stats weren't enough to break into the roster.

The Palms finished about where they started headed into the All Star break, with record a game below .500. Blake Johnston held the Astros to 3 runs over the course of 6 innings, but Dallas Chastanet was a little bit more effective. Miami could only get a pair of runs off their former teammate. Jake Marisnick collected a pair of RBI in the win.  Houston Astros 5, Miami Palms 3  Sunday, July 12, 2015  Houston Astros (2-1)                                     Miami Palms (45-45)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A...