Miami Palms Blog

The Palms finally returned to the American League, and took on the Kansas City Royals. After the glut of runs against Atlanta, a quick 1-0 game was an interesting change of pace. Carlos Ruiz had a single which scored Edwin Encarnacion from second. It was the only run of the game, and one of only 4 hits for the Palms. The Royals threatened in a couple of innings, especially in the first, when there were 2 runners in scoring position with only one out. Lantz, Cody Allen and Francisco Rodriguez locked down Kansas City for the combined shut out.  Miami Palms 1, Kansas City Royals 0  Friday, May 5, 2017  Kansas City Royals (0-1)                                 Miami Palms (21-10)                       ...

Nick Markakis is known primarily as a player that can get on base and was an above average corner outfielder, but so far, to start 2017, he is more than halfway to his home run total from 2016 and leads the team in runs batted in. His eye at the plate and his hot start have lead to his move to the top of the lineup, batting just behind DH John Jaso, who is also off to a hot start, with a .337 average.

The Braves came out strong, scoring 7 in the first inning, thanks to a grand slam from Lane Adams, followed a few batters later by a three run shot from Dansby Swanson. From then, it was time for the Palms to get started. They scored three times, thanks in part to a home run from Edwin Encarnacion. In the third inning, the Palms batted around, scoring 4 times and tying things up, making it a whole new ball game. At 8-8 in the 8th, Nick Markakis hit his 6th home run of the season, which would go down as the game winner.  Miami Palms 10, Atlanta Braves 9  Thursday, May 4, 2017  Atlanta Braves (1-3)                                     Miami Palms (20-10)                        ...

The Palms jumped out to a big lead thanks to a 6 run 5th, making the score 8-3. Matt Kemp hit one of his two home runs while Jace Peterson hit a solo shot of his own. The Palms started climbing back in the bottom of the 5th when Edwin Encarnacion hit his second homer of the game, a three run shot. To that point, his 6 RBI were the totality of Miami's runs scored. It took until the 8th inning for the Palms to really turn it on. Miami loaded bases with the score 9-7, and Pat Grant hit a two run single, followed by another RBI single from Jaspero Gonzalez. Francisco Rodriguez earned a relatively easy save, given the pitching struggles for both squads in this affair.  Miami Palms 10, Atlanta Braves 9  Wednesday, May 3, 2017  Atlanta Braves (1-2)                                     Miami Palms (19-1...

The Braves took Archie Bradley behind the woodshed in game two of the 4 game, home and home set with the Palms. Atlanta was already up 4-0 when Matt Kemp hit a a 3 run homer to put Atlanta up 7-0 in the 4th, convincing all in attendence that the game was already in hand. Cody Allen allowed a couple more runs, while Mike Morin seemed the only capable Palm pitcher on Tuesday night. For Miami, Tony Abreu homered and later drove in another run on a single.  Atlanta Braves 9, Miami Palms 3  Tuesday, May 2, 2017  Miami Palms (18-10)                                      Atlanta Braves (1-1)                                   ...

After jumping out to a 5-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings, the Palms almost blew it. Manny Parra's wheels came off in the 5th inning, as Atlanta batted around and scored 4 times, with most runs coming on a Freddie Freeman home run. After the Palms added a run when pinch hitter Jaspero Gonzalez collected an RBI double, Atlanta inched back to tie it up, with a Dansby Swanson homer in the 7th and a bases loaded walk in the 8th. Fortunately, the Palms weren't done scoring runs, as Nick Markakis hit a 2 run shot in the 9th, preceding an RBI double from Edwin Encarnacion.  Miami Palms 9, Atlanta Braves 6  Monday, May 1, 2017  Miami Palms (18-9)                                       Atlanta Braves (0-1)               ...

The Palms have been playing for a bout a month, and thanks in large part to steady pitching, Miami finds themselves at 17-9, which is good enough for the best record in the American League and the second best in all of baseball, behind the Washington Nationals. There aren't any players, save, perhaps, for Nick Markakis, who have put together a start that is completely uncharacteristic, but then there are some players, like Tony Abreu who had a down start, both factors that lead one to believe that the Palms could maintain their pace as the season continues.

The Cardinals claimed the final game of their series in St. Louis, thanks to a combined shutout between Michael Wacha and Tyler Lyons who combined to scatter 6 hits and strike out 7. The Cardinals strung together some hits in the 4th, but a 3 run Adelmys Diaz homer in the 7th signalled for all that the game was already over.  St. Louis Cardinals 5, Miami Palms 0  Sunday, April 30, 2017  Miami Palms (17-9)                                       St. Louis Cardinals (1-2)                                Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave ...

The difference in second game of Miami's series in St. Louis was the bullpen for each squad. Blake Johnston worked 5 innings, while Mike Leake saw 6 innings, and the score was 4-3 when the pens joined in. The Cardinals allowed 4 more runs in their 3 innings of work, while the Palms only allowed one run to cross the plate. The offensive star for the Palms was Tony Abreu, who had a double and a triple, while driving in 3 runs.  Miami Palms 8, St. Louis Cardinals 4  Saturday, April 29, 2017  Miami Palms (17-8)                                       St. Louis Cardinals (0-2)                                Player    ...

Frank Sohn broke in with the Palms as a center fielder, and even now almost a decade into his career, he remains a good fielder. The longest tenured Palm is known more for his bat, however, hitting over .300 for the first time since 2013. He's always been a good gap hitter, hitting over 40 doubles, even as his power has diminished in recent years. He's a clubhouse leader and will continue to be an important element in the heart of the line up.

The Palms went to St. Louis and were able to collect the opening win of their series. It started well for the Palms, who had a walk, followed by Tony Abreu's second homer of the season. The Cardinals would tied it up, stringing together three hits in the 2nd, including a pair of doubles, but that would be all the Cards could muster off of Lucas Harrell. They would finally add one more hit off of K-Rod in the 9th, but the Palms had already taken the lead, as Frank Sohn scored following a triple, while Jaspero Gonzalez hit a solo home run.  Miami Palms 4, St. Louis Cardinals 2  Friday, April 28, 2017  Miami Palms (16-8)                                       St. Louis Cardinals (0-1)                 ...

The Reds were able to salvage one game of their series in Miami, with a good pitching performance from starter Rookie Davis, who went 7 innings, scattering 8 hits and striking out 5. A pair of double plays turned behind him certainly helped. The Reds scratched together their three runs, all coming off Archie Bradley, with a double in the 1st from Jose Peraza, and a string of singles and walks in the 3rd. The Palms scored in more dramatic fashion when John Jaso hit an upper deck smash. After a day off, the Palms will go to St. Louis on Friday.  Cincinnati Reds 3, Miami Palms 1  Wednesday, April 26, 2017  Cincinnati Reds (1-2)                                    Miami Palms (15-8)                    ...

Scott Feldman and Manny Parra assembled a very solid outing for their respective sides, but Feldman's mistake was a 2 run home run for Nick Markakis, while Parra only allowed the Reds to scratch across one run on a 7th inning fielder's choice from Scooter Gennett. The Palms doubled their lead in the 8th when Frank Sohn hit a solo home run, and Markakis drove in another run with an RBI single.  Miami Palms 4, Cincinnati Reds 1  Tuesday, April 25, 2017  Cincinnati Reds (0-2)                                    Miami Palms (15-7)                                       Player       ...

Carlos Ruiz had a tough season two years ago, losing his starters role last year, but in 2017, he is back as the first option behind the plate. His ability to call the game and his resurgent offense carried him through 2016 and has served him well to start in 2017, where he already has an average over .300 with two home runs and an OPS of .898. Obviously, he is in store for some regression, but the beginning of the year has been great so far.

The Palms went from playing the Red Sox to the Reds, and were met with similar success. Each team hit a pair of solo home runs, with Jose Peraza giving the reds an early lead, and Frank Sohn and Chris Korb hitting their back to back to give the Palms a lead they wouldn't relinquish, despite Tucker Barnhart trying to make it close in the 7th. The Reds loaded the bases in the 9th inning, but Francisco Rodriguez was able to get through the 9th without giving up the game tying run, thanks to a strikeout and a chopper to short.  Miami Palms 4, Cincinnati Reds 3  Monday, April 24, 2017  Cincinnati Reds (0-1)                                    Miami Palms (14-7)                        ...

Eduardo Rodriguez seemed to have hte Palms figured out for the first 4 innings, but he rapidly became unglued starting in the 4th inning. First, Miami got a solo homer from Carlos Ruiz to lead off the 5th, and then they sent 10 to the plate in the 6th, with Edwin Encarnacion and Chris Korb leading the way, each clubbing a home run. They would only have 1 more hit after the 6th, but the damage was done, and the Red Sox couldn't recover.  Miami Palms 8, Boston Red Sox 2  Sunday, April 23, 2017  Boston Red Sox (1-2)                                     Miami Palms (13-7)                                       Pla...