Miami Palms Blog

Blake Johnston should be an effective pitcher. He doesn't walk anyone, and he has enough movement on his pitches to induce strikeouts, but this season, everything he pitches seems to be hit hard. Worse than that, what does get hit seems to find grass, rather than one of the fielders behind him. His BaBIP is over .350, which means when he does allow a homerun, the damage is compounded, because there is usually someone on base. his fortunes are bound to change soon, given his command of 4 pitches, and his poor luck based statistics, but thus far, 2018 has been brutal for the most tenured starter in the rotation.

It was a tight game, right up until the bottom of the 6th, with the Palms trailing 3-2 when Boston turned it up on Blake Johnston. They batted around, and collected a grand slam from Xander Bogaerts, one of the three home runs the Red Sox hit, all off of Johnston.  Boston Red Sox 9, Miami Palms 3  Thursday, May 25, 2017  Miami Palms (33-17)                                      Boston Red Sox (3-4)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player   ...

It took a complete game shutout, with 11 strikeouts from the Red Sox newest ace to end the Palms' recent god run of form. Lucas Harrell took a while to settle in, but he too ended up pitching a complete game with 9 strikeouts of his own. Unfortunately, a couple of doubles from Hanley Ramirez and Andrew Benintendi were all it took  to give him the loss for the day.  Boston Red Sox 2, Miami Palms 0  Wednesday, May 24, 2017  Miami Palms (33-16)                                      Boston Red Sox (2-4)                                     Player          AB R  H B...

Miami jumped out to a substantial lead, first leading 8-2 then 9-4, but Boston kept fighting to make the game a bit closer than the Palms wanted by the end. Miami had two home runs from Edwin Encarnacion and two triples from Jaspero Gonzalez to augment their run totals, while Deven Marrero was the producer for Boston. He was 4-4 with a home run and 4 RBI when he came up in the bottom of the 9th, with two outs and two runs on. As the game winning run, however, Marrero finally scuffled, striking out against K-Rod, securing the game for Miami, and at least a series split.  Miami Palms 9, Boston Red Sox 7  Tuesday, May 23, 2017  Miami Palms (33-15)                                      Boston Red Sox (1-4)               ...

Late in May, the Palms are sitting at 31-15, which is the best mark in Major League Baseball. Miami has played many teams that are towards the bottom of their respective division’s standings, as well as the entirety of the National League Central already, but they haven’t really had a tough foray into the American League East, which is both difficult and the source of most of their games. The Palms hope to carry their momentum into these games against divisional foes, starting first with a road series against the Boston Red Sox. Boston has hovered around .500 so far this year, but with excellent pitching and hitters that began emerging last year, it won’t be long until they have a hot streak like Miami’s.

The Red Sox took an early lead thanks to a Xander Bogaerts home run, but the Sox weren't going to score again as long as Manny Parra had something to say about it. Miami would start their come back in the 5th inning, scoring 3 runs, thanks to back to back doubles from John Jaso and Nick Markakis. The Palms would hold on to their lead for the remainder of the game, but would expand on it in the 9th when Frank Sohn hit a three run homer, his 5th hit of the game.  Miami Palms 7, Boston Red Sox 2  Monday, May 22, 2017  Miami Palms (32-15)                                      Boston Red Sox (1-3)                                 ...

The Palms got a combined shut out from Jarod Lantz and Mike Morin to close out the Royals for the season. They struck out 8 and scattered 6 hits between the pair, while not allowing a single run. The Palms collected most of their runs in the 4th inning, when they scored 4, including 2 n a Chris Korb triple. Korb would later score himself. Miami sweeps the season series from Kansas City, 6 games to 0.  Miami Palms 5, Kansas City Royals 0  Sunday, May 21, 2017  Miami Palms (31-15)                                      Kansas City Royals (0-6)                                 Player          A...

Blake Johnston had a terrible start, allowing 5 runs in the first inning as the Royals batted around, including two on an Alex Gordan single. This came after the Palms hit two solo homers in the top of the frame, so they weren't completely out of it. In the 5th, with two on, Jaspero Gonzalez clobbered a three run blast to tie the game up. The Palms and Royals each then exchanged a run as they finally went to the 10th still level. It was John Jaso that ultimately provided the clutch single that put Miami in front, before K-Rod came in to close things out,  Miami Palms 7, Kansas City Royals 6  Saturday, May 20, 2017  Miami Palms (30-15)                                      Kansas City Royals (0-5)                ...

Eric Hosmer hit a solo home run in the first inning, and it seemed as though the Royals had this game in hand, especially as Nate Karns got off to a very good start, holding Miami to 1 run through 5 innings. In the 5th, though, a couple of back to back doubles allowed the Palms to score three runs, as Chris Korb drove in two and Coco Crisp drove in Korb. Francisco Rodriguez was touch and go in the 9th, but still kept the Royals from tying the game, allowing the Palms to claime the first game of the series.  Miami Palms 4, Kansas City Royals 3  Friday, May 19, 2017  Miami Palms (29-15)                                      Kansas City Royals (0-4)                        ...

More than one Miami Palm noted that after the Palms slump through the middle of last week, Coco Crisp's game tying grand slam against the A's on Tuesday evening was just the kick in the pants they needed. After the offense languished in a 4 game losing streak, Crisp reminded the team exactly what they were capable of, and indeed, the team went on to win the game against the A's despite falling behind again, and claimed a huge victory on Wednesday. We will, of course, see if that success can carry through after an off day on Thursday.

The Palms got back on track on Wednesday afternoon, jumping all over Jesse Hahn and scoring 5 times in the first inning, including on a three run blast from Brett Hayes. John Jaso would hit a 2 run shot an inning later to mostly settle the score fairly early. Archie Bradley worked 7 solid innings for perhaps his best outing with the Palms.  Miami Palms 8, Oakland A's 2  Wednesday, May 17, 2017  Miami Palms (28-15)                                      Oakland A's (1-2)                                        Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P...

The Palms and A's played a see-saw battle on Tuesday evening, that ultimately went in the favor of Miami. The A's took the first sizable lead, going up 6-2 when Yonder Alonso cleared the bases with a double in the bottom of the 5th, following a Adam Rosales home run. The Palms would prove their mettle, as Coco Crisp slugged a grand slam in the top of the 6th. The Palms wouldn't take their first lead until the 9th when they put runners in scoring position again, allowing Carlos Ruiz to provide the heroics, with a two run single.  Miami Palms 9, Oakland A's 7  Tuesday, May 16, 2017  Miami Palms (27-15)                                      Oakland A's (1-1)                       ...

Jarod Lantz was very good through the first 6 innings of the game, but with one out in the bottom of the 7th, Ryon Healy hit a solo home run. Lantz, clearly off his mark, then allowed the bases to load, and Rajai Davis swiftly turned the game on its head, hitting a grand slam. That was all the A's would need, as Sean Manaea was just as successful as Lantz through 6 innings, though he was successful in the 7th as well, and was pulled before things got dicey. Miami scored their two runs on solo homers from Edwin Encarnacion and Jaspero Gonzalez.  Oakland A's 6, Miami Palms 2  Monday, May 15, 2017  Miami Palms (26-15)                                      Oakland A's (1-0)                    ...

Milwaukee ended up gaining a sweep in Miami, thanks to some timely hitting in the top of the 8th inning. The score was tied at three, when Hernan Perez hit a solo home run off of Keith Harding, followed two batters laer by another solo blast from Jesus Aguilar. Miami scored all their runs in the 4th inning, and struggled to even threaten at any other point.  Milwaukee Brewers 5, Miami Palms 3  Sunday, May 14, 2017  Milwaukee Brewers (3-0)                                  Miami Palms (26-14)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A...

After a lengthy stretch of good fortune, the Palms have hit a rough patch, and one that is driven by a lack of production at the plate. In their last three games, including one against the Pirates, Miami has scored only 5 runs. Jaspero Gonzalez has hit a pair of home runs, but the rest of the team has been in a serious doldrum. Hopefully, a strong appearance from Jarod Lantz will help the offense relax and turn things around.

The Brewers had a clearly better game than the Palms on Saturday afternoon, but a few players stood out. Nick Franklin went 4-5 with two triples. Hernan Perez hit a two run homer to give the Brewers the distance they needed to secure their victory. The real hero, howeverm was Orlando Arcia. The shortstop went 2-3 with a three run homer and a walk as the Brewers handed the Palms their most decisive defeat in weeks.  Milwaukee Brewers 7, Miami Palms 2  Saturday, May 13, 2017  Milwaukee Brewers (2-0)                                  Miami Palms (26-13)                                      Player      ...