Miami Palms Blog

The game was scoreless until there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Nick Markakis chose that time to hit a solo homer the opposite way, putting Miami in front. Francisco Rodriguez then walked the bases full, and Giovany Urshela supplied a sacrifice fly, and the game went to extra frames. The Palms didn't threaten until the 11th, and when they did, it was successful. With 2 out in the frame, and a runner on 2nd and 3rd, Chris Korb hit one down the right field line that hopped the fence, bringing bboth base runners home and giving the Palms the win to open the series.  Miami Palms 3, Cleveland Indians 1  Monday, July 17, 2017  Cleveland Indians (0-3)                                  Miami Palms (62-31)                ...

Miami finished off their season series with the Astros with a huge game from Edwin Encarnacion helping to drag Miami across the finish line. He hit a three run homer in the first and an RBI double in the 3rd before the Astros got the hint and walked him in his final appearances. Encarnacion would score in the 3rd, and played a role in 5 of his team's 6 runs. After a competent outing from Archie Bradley, the bullpen pitched 3 2/3 innings of 1 hit, scoreless ball.  Miami Palms 6, Houston Astros 3  Sunday, July 16, 2017  Houston Astros (1-5)                                     Miami Palms (61-31)                                 ...

The Palms struggled to get runs across the plate for most of the game, but came through when it counted the most. With two runners on and 2 out in the 7th, Edwin Encarnacion clubbed a double down the left field line, allowing Pat Grant and Nick Markakis to come around to score. The score jumped from a 2-1 deficit to a 3-2 lead. Manny Parra pitched well, and collected a well earned win.  Miami Palms 3, Houston Astros 2  Saturday, July 15, 2017  Houston Astros (1-4)                                     Miami Palms (60-31)                                      Player        ...

The back end of the Palms' bullpen is notoriously out of sorts, as Francisco Rodriguez and Cody Allen have struggled to ERAs of 3.82 and 4.24, respectively, but a trio of middle relievers have done an excellent job of keeping opponents at bay. Mike Morin, Brian Matusz and Keith Harding all have ERAs in the 2's, with Matusz and Harding sitting in below 2.20. Given the deep outings that the starters have given, the back of the pen needs to be stronger, though the Palms are able to stay in games starters are unable to work later because of the strength of the middle of the pen.

Miami came out of the break with a series against the leader in the American League, the only team with a better record than the Palms. They jumped to an early lead but the Astros were unrelenting, and had the game to within one by the 5th, when Carlos Correia hit the go ahead home run, after which both squads enjoyed solid, scoreless relief.  Houston Astros 4, Miami Palms 3  Friday, July 14, 2017  Houston Astros (1-3)                                     Miami Palms (59-31)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A ...

The Palms reached the all-star break, giving most of the team a chance to stop and reflect on a successful season to date, though Edwin Encarnacion, Manny Parra, Jarod Lantz and Keith Harding will go across town for the All Star Game on Tuesday. Presently, Miami sits comfortably atop the AL East, and sit two games behind the Astros for the best record in the league. The Palms face a tough test when they return from the break, with those same Astros and the defending AL Champion Cleveland Indians scheduled to be the first opponents they see. The Palms have played 90 games so far this season, with 72 games left to go. A .500 finish should get them to the playoffs, but of course, they will be seeking much better than that

Miami closed the first half of the season with a series win and a solid outing from Blake Johnston. Johnston worked 7 innings while allowing only 2 runs, as the Palms offense gave him plenty of offensive support. Nick Markakis hit a solo home run, while Frank Sohn drove in 2 on a 3-3 game. The Palms coast into the break sitting 9 games in front of the second place Red Sox.  Miami Palms 5, Baltimore Orioles 2  Sunday, July 9, 2017  Baltimore Orioles (4-9)                                  Miami Palms (59-30)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO...

The Orioles got off to a hot start, when they collected 4 hits and scored twice, but Lucas Harrell harnessed the game and ended up working 8 full innings allowing only 4 more hits and no more runs. The Palms weren't dynamic at the plate, but in the bottom of the 7th, Tony Abreu had the big blow that turned the game over to the Palms favor, when he collected 3 runs on a home run. The last game before the all star break comes tomorrow.  Miami Palms 4, Baltimore Orioles 2  Saturday, July 8, 2017  Baltimore Orioles (3-7)                                  Miami Palms (59-30)                                      Player  ...

The Orioles took down the Palms with two well struck blows. The first was a 3 run homer in the third from a Jonathan Schoop home run, and later in the 6th when Mark Trumbo did likewise. The Palms also hit a pair of home runs, but they were struck at less opportune times, when Tony Abreu and Coco Crisp hit their home runs with no one and one run on, respectively.  Baltimore Orioles 5, Miami Palms 3  Friday, July 7, 2017  Baltimore Orioles (3-5)                                  Miami Palms (57-30)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  ...

The Miami Palms collected 4 spots on the American League All Star squad this year, including three pitchers and Edwin Encarnacion. Starters Jarod Lantz and Manny Parra were given nods, with Parra a potential starter for he mid-summer classic, while Keith Harding will take his 2.19 ERA to the game out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, in the final vote, outfielder Nick Markakis is a candidate for a fifth spot.

The Palms finally returned home after a quick trip out of town, but they played as though they were still in Cleveland. That is to say, they used a huge inning to blow the game wide open. This time, it was the 6th inning when they exploded, scoring 6 as they batted around. Half the runs came when Nick Markakis emptied loaded bases with a clutch double. Manny Parra pitched well for 7 innings, and Keith Harding had two solid innings to finish off the O's.  Miami Palms 7, Baltimore Orioles 1  Thursday, July 6, 2017  Baltimore Orioles (2-5)                                  Miami Palms (57-29)                                      Pl...

There was a parade to the plate in the 5th inning for Miami, as they scored 9 runs after having the first 6 batters reach base. They ultimately sent 14 to the plate, allowing the bullpen to lock the game down with few worries after a short start from Jarod Lantz.There were only 2 extra base hits for the Palms with 14 hits for the game. 11 of which came in the 5th.  Miami Palms 10, Cleveland Indians 3  Wednesday, July 12, 2017  Miami Palms (56-29)                                      Cleveland Indians (0-2)                                  Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P...

The Palms were unstoppable early in the season, thanks in large part to scorching hot starts from Jaaspero Gonzalez, Frank Sohn, Edwin Encarnacion, Carlos Ruiz and Nick Markakis. Markakis has continued to play at a high level, and Encarnacion is still hitting well though not for power, but the rest of the offense has slowed way down. The pitching, on the other hand, has been terrific. Since their series sweep against the Angels, only 3 times have the opponents scored more than 3 runs, a tally amounting to 10 games. And the three rough games were distributed across the staff, meaning everyone has had at least one excellent start in the last couple of weeks. The Palms will need the offense to come back around soon, though, because while the Palms are pitching well right now, they've only gone 6-4, proving that they need to score runs to win.

On the 4th of July, all the Palms needed were 4 runs to win in Cleveland. They were up against Cory Kluber, and while he didn't offer them much, they were able to find a narrow opening and take advantage of it. They took advantage of a sacrifice fly in the 3rd, a solo home run from Johnny Giavotella in the 5th, and Kluber walked the bases full in the 6th before allowing a pair of runs. The Indians matched the Palms for runs in the 5th and 6th, so in the end, it was that Jaspero Gonzalez Sac Fly that sealed the victory for Miami, despite only 6 hits to Cleveland's 9.  Miami Palms 4, Cleveland Indians 3  Tuesday, July 4, 2017  Miami Palms (55-29)                                      Cleveland Indians (0-1)              ...