Miami Palms Blog

The Palms concluded their season in a disappointing fashion on Sunday afternoon. Already eliminated from the post season on Saturday night, they knew their season finale was simply playing out the string. They didn't come out too flat, collecting 11 hits, including the final hit of the season, an RBI double from Frank Sohn. The Rays had a home run and a triple from Mikie Mahtook to earn the closing victory. Tony Abreu tapped out to short to end the season in disappointment for Miami.  Tampa Bay Rays 5, Miami Palms 3  Sunday, October 2, 2016  Miami Palms (87-75)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (4-11)                            ...

The Palms waited until late to close out the Rays on Saturday afternoon. Tied at 2 in the 11th inning, Coco Crisp hit a two run homer to put the Palms ahead, while Nick Markakis extended the lead two batters later. Manny Parra, in his final foray of the season, worked 10 of the game's 11 nnings, allowing two runs on an Alexei Ramirez home run.  Miami Palms 5, Tampa Bay Rays 2  Saturday, October 1, 2016  Miami Palms (87-74)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (3-11)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A ...

Jarod Lantz finished an incredible rookie season, working another complete game to finish the season, shutting out the Tampa Bay Rays. He finishes with 236 2/3 innings, thanks in large part to a relatively low pitch count. He strikes out only about 5 a game, but his walk total is low and he didn't give up many homeruns, leading to an ERA of 3.04. He may never again match his totals of 2016, but at the very least, he has earned himself the expectation of a long career as a top flight pitcher.

Everything went well for the Palms as they opened their final series of the year. They hit 5 home runs, including two shots from Chris Korb and a Grand Slam from Nick Markakis. It wasnn't all prolific offense, either. In his final start of his rookies season, Jarod Lantz worked a complete game, getting a shut out and striking out 6 to finish with a 3.04 ERA for the season, setting himself up to win the American League Rookie of the Year award, and perhaps even the Cy Young. At long last, the Palms finally have an ace.  Miami Palms 14, Tampa Bay Rays 0  Friday, September 30, 2016  Miami Palms (86-75)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (3-10)                      ...

Miami will likely need to win their final three games of the year if they want to have a chance at the post season. At the very least, this year has been a vast improvement over 2015 when they finished .500, and even better than 2014, when they were three games below. They have certainly proved time and again that they have the offensive tools, but Miami does need to add a pitcher or two if they want to expand on this season's results.

Miami finished their season series with the Red Sox with a solid all around performance. Their outfield all hit homers, with Coco Crisp and Nick Markakis hitting solo blasts off of Henry Owens, and Frank Sohn dropping a 2 run bomb. Markakis went 4-5 with a double and an additional RBI to go along with his homer.  Miami Palms 6, Boston Red Sox 2  Thursday, September 29, 2016  Miami Palms (85-74)                                      Boston Red Sox (8-10)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave ...

The Palms have staunched the bleeding, picking up a much needed victory as they work through the final starts of the season for their rotation. TJ McFarland will finish with 15 wins after going 7 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. The Palms scored on a double from Edwin Encarnacion and a solo shot from him 3 innings later, his 40th of the season. The go ahead run was on a bases loaded ground out from Nick Markakis, however. The Palms have only 4 games left on their season, and will need a lot of help if the playoffs are in their future.  Miami Palms 3, Boston Red Sox 2  Wednesday, September 28, 2016  Miami Palms (84-74)                                      Boston Red Sox (7-9)                  ...

The Palms' late swoon continued with another loss in Boston. This time, David Price and his bullpen kept the Palms from even scoring, despite collecting 9 hits. The Red Sox scattered their offense among the 4 pitchers they saw, scoring off of every one.  Boston Red Sox 6, Miami Palms 0  Tuesday, September 27, 2016  Miami Palms (83-74)                                      Boston Red Sox (8-8)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player    ...

Miami's last ditch effort at a spot in the postseason took another hit as they dropped their series opener on Monday against Boston. Miami took 8 walks, but a smattering of hits limited their ability to convert those walks to runs. The Sox hit three home runs, including a two run shot from Christian Vazquez.  Boston Red Sox 5, Miami Palms 3  Monday, September 26, 2016  Miami Palms (83-72)                                      Boston Red Sox (7-8)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave ...

Miami didn't close out their season at Palms Park quite the way they expected it to. They were shut out by Taijuan Walker and Nick Vincent, collecting only 5 hits while striking out 12 times. Palms pitchers weren't any better, allowing 17 hits and walking 3, while striking out only three. This will be a big blow to their playoff hopes.  Seattle Mariners 7, Miami Palms 0  Sunday, September 25, 2016  Seattle Mariners (4-2)                                   Miami Palms (83-72)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB...

Miami's bid for a postseason spot took a hit on Saturday, thanks in large part to one big hit from the Seattle Mariners. Seth Smith hit a grand slam off of Odrisamer Despaigne in the 5th inning, accounting for 2/3 of the runs scored in the game. Despaigne's Cuban counterpart, Ariel Miranda and Drew Storen held the Palms to only 5 hits.  Seattle Mariners 5, Miami Palms 1  Saturday, September 24, 2016  Seattle Mariners (3-2)                                   Miami Palms (83-71)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB...

In 2013, Frank Sohn hit 37 home runs as the Palms went on to win 100 games and make it to the ALCS, a record number of home runs for the Palms. This year, Sohn is sitting at 23 homers, but Edwin Encarnacion has launched 39 so far this year, setting a new team record with 9 games still remaining. How many more will he hit?

The Palms returned home, and they brought their hot hitting with them. Against the Mariners, they collected 14 hits in 8 innings, though many of those hits were singles that didn't result in runs. TJ McFarland worked to the 8tth inning, while the Palms gave him a 5-2 lead, with 2 of the runs coming on homers from Chris Korb, who had 4 hits, and Coco Crisp. For the Mariners, Leonys Martin hit two homers in a losing effort.  Miami Palms 5, Seattle Mariners 3  Friday, September 23, 2016  Seattle Mariners (2-2)                                   Miami Palms (84-70)                                      Player   ...

The season is coming to a close, and every game is still of utmost importance. A 7 game winning streak and a 9-1 record in their last 10 has put them in a place where they still might secure a spot in the post season. They likely won't catch the Red Sox for the AL East lead, but they would be able to square off against their divisional rivals the Blue Jays or Orioles. It's premature, and will require a strong finish, but the door is still open.

Miami continued their hot stretch with a series win against the Tampa Bay Rays. They collected a home run in the third from Nick Markakis which put them up 3-0. It got dicey in the middle innings, as the Rays took a lead in the bottom of the 6th, but a big7th inning saw the Palms score 5 times, including a go ahead single from Markakis to ensure victory.  Miami Palms 8, Tampa Bay Rays 4  Thursday, September 22, 2016  Miami Palms (83-70)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (3-9)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO...

Miami had a big 3rd inning, in which a pair of doubles ultimately brought in 3 runs thanks to Tony Abreu and Frank Sohn. It was a pair of home runs, though, from Chris Korb and Johnny Giavotella that provided the difference between the two Floridian rivals. Manny Parra worked 8 winnings, striking out 5 and allowing only 2 runs for the win.  Miami Palms 6, Tampa Bay Rays 3  Wednesday, September 21, 2016  Miami Palms (82-70)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (3-8)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A...

It appears as though the day off did indeed leave the Palms stiff. They collected only a handful of hits off the Rays' pitching staff, including a solo home run from Edwin Encarnacion. It was a long Bobby Wilson homer in the 6th that turned it to the Rays. Jarod Lantz worked all 8 innings for Miami, striking 6 Rays out, but ultimately collecting the loss.  Tampa Bay Rays 3, Miami Palms 1  Tuesday, September 20, 2016  Miami Palms (81-70)                                      Tampa Bay Rays (3-7)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO...