Miami Palms Blog

One swing of the bat dictated how this game was going to go. The Red Sox would ultimately win by 3 runs, so Sandy Leon's 4th inning Grand Slam was as big a swing as you could hope for. The Palms would snag a couple of solo homers in the 8th inning in an attempt to make the game more competitive, but it wouldn't be enough, and Miami dropped the first game of their series in Boston.  Boston Red Sox 7, Miami Palms 4  Friday, August 25, 2017  Miami Palms (78-51)                                      Boston Red Sox (6-8)                                     Player          AB...

After a taut 2-1 affair, Miami looked to have the momentum thanks to a solo Chris Korb home run in the 8th inning, but that would be it for the Palms. Both teams threatened, but neither scored until the Rays led off with a pair of singles, and Brad Miller scored on a Kevin Kiermeier sacrifice fly. Miami will seek to turn things around on the road this weekend, against the Red Sox.  Tampa Bay Rays 3, Miami Palms 2  Thursday, August 24, 2017  Tampa Bay Rays (3-2)                                     Miami Palms (78-50)                                      Player          ...

A lot has been made of Miami's sluggish second half to this point. After their last game against the Rays, they sit at .500 since the All Star Break. The team is taking some comfort in the fact that they have had a fairly well rounded set of opponents since the break. They've competed well when squared off against their likely competition in the playoffs, including winning series against the Astros and Indians, while perhaps letting their guard down against lesser opponents As their push for the playoffs begins, the Palms can look forward to road series against the Red Sox, Twins and Yankees, all teams with designs on the postseason.

When the Rays jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the game, including a three run homer from Wilson Ramos, it looked as though this game would be put tobed early. The Palms scored 3 runs in the 8th, however, to bring it to 6-5 when Travis Jankowski polished the inning off with a 2 run double. The Rays added two more in the 9th, but the Palms cinched it back up when Chris Korb hit a 2 out, 2 run homer. Unfortunatley, Alex Colome was able to retire Tony Abreu with the next pitch to finally end the game, and give Tampa a road win.  Tampa Bay Rays 8, Miami Palms 7  Wednesday, August 23, 2017  Tampa Bay Rays (2-2)                                     Miami Palms (78-49)                      ...

Signs of life within the Palms organization might be eminating from right field, where Nick Markakis is resuming his rebound season. In the past couple of series, Markakis has collected 4 extra base hits, including 3 doubles and a home run. Perhaps his hot bat will soon spread to his teammates,  but for the time being, he appears to be the first player to awaken during this second half slumber.

The Palms took on their cross state rival and needed every turn at the plate to defeat them. The Rays had a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 8th, but the Palms drew level when Brett Hayes hit a 2 run homer to tie things up. Te 9th inning was started with a walk to Nick Markakis, and then Jaspero Gonzalez walked things off with an RBI double off of Tommy Hunter, allowing the Palms to come out of their break with a little momentum.  Miami Palms 5, Tampa Bay Rays 4  Tuesday, August 22, 2017  Tampa Bay Rays (1-2)                                     Miami Palms (78-48)                                      Player...

The Palms have now hung out at .500 ever since the All Star Break, a total of 36 games, after dropping their most recent home series again the Boston Red Sox. Given the torrid pace that the Palms had at the beginning of the season, it's tough to see this as anything other than a slump. The culprits, and the greatest slumpers, are not difficult to discern. but with so many players struggling at the plate, it is no small wonder that they are even sitting at .500. This bodes well for a late season renaissance, and perhaps a hard charge through the playoffs.

The Sunday matinee was a classic pitchers duel, with Chris Sale and Jarod Lantz touched only by a few solo homers, though Lantz was hit by 2 and Sale only by one. There were a combined 11 strikeouts between the two starters, with Sale grabbing 6. An Edwin Encarnacion homer was the only run he has allowed to the Palms all season.  Boston Red Sox 3, Miami Palms 1  Sunday, August 20, 2017  Boston Red Sox (5-8)                                     Miami Palms (77-48)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB ...

It's fairly incredible that team with two starters with ERAs in the 6's and the offensive troubles that have recently plagued the Palms are still so stridently in contention, but one needs only look at the middle of the bullpen and the defensive metrics to see how it's possible. While the back of the bullpen, specifically Francisco Rodriguez and Cody Allen, have struggled to find a groove this year, Keith Harding, Brian Matusz and Mike Morin have all done very well, with ERAs below 3.10. The most successful starter this season has been Manny Parra, but his strikeout rate, nor his walk rate have been exceptional, but his batting average on balls in play has been near the best in the league. This isn’t necessarily a skill that Parra can take ownership of, but is rather attributable to the defenders behind him, where he has a couple of the best corner outfielders in the league, and a couple of gold glove caliber infielders in Chris Korb and Jaspero Gonzalez.

Blake Johnston had perhaps the worst inning of his career in the 4th frame. He walked 8 Red Sox in one inning, and allowed a grand slam to Brock Holt as the Sox went on to score 9 of their 11 runs in that inning alone. From that point on, the game was pretty much already in the bag.  Boston Red Sox 11, Miami Palms 5  Saturday, August 19, 2017  Boston Red Sox (4-8)                                     Miami Palms (77-47)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Pla...

The offensive blase of the Palms has been well documented on this page, but how about some hard facts? The typically explosive offense of the Palms has gone to double digits in runs scored, a July 12th game against the Indians. While this isn't a terribly noteworthy statistic for most teams, it is for the Palms. After all, before their game against the Indians, they scored 12 against the Mariners just 6 games prior.

The Palms got a little home cooking in their series opener with the Red Sox. After a string of games they have bee unable to open up offensively, they got some help from the rotation. Lucas Harrell and Brian Matusz held the Sox scoreless through 8 while the Palms snuck in front, including 2 in the third and a bonus in the 6th.  Miami Palms 3, Boston Red Sox 1  Friday, August 18, 2017  Boston Red Sox (3-8)                                     Miami Palms (77-46)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB ...

The Palms were dominant in the first half of the season, and it looked for the world like they would run away with the division. Unfortunately since the All Star Break, Miami's fortunes have turned a little sideways, and they have been floating around .500 since ther All Star Game. A double digit lead is no longer, and they lead the Red Sox now by only 7 games. Their weekend series will be extremely important for the ongoing fortunes of the Miami Palms, as well as the Red Sox, as the two teams will meet for three games at Palms Park, which could dictate how the rest of the season will look.

 Toronto Blue Jays 6, Miami Palms 5  Thursday, August 17, 2017  Miami Palms (76-46)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (6-5)                                  Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave       ------          -- -  - -- -- --  -  -  - ---   ---  ...

Toronto got a big 2 run homer from Darwin Barney in the 2nd inning to account for all the runs the Blue Jays would need, but the real story would be Marcus Stroman. Stroman put together an 8 inning, 9 hit performance, only breaking down in the 8th when he allowed the Palms to blemish the scoreboard. Stroman would strike out 6 on his way to victory.  Toronto Blue Jays 6, Miami Palms 1  Wednesday, August 16, 2017  Miami Palms (76-45)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (5-5)                                  Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  ...

The Palms have a couple of good offensive players and a very good pitching staff, but lately, they haven't been able to sustain production from the lineup away from Edwin Encarnacion, or, if they are interjected into the lineup, Pat Grant or the surprising Brett Hayes.   Three offensive stalwarts from last season, Frank Sohn, Chris Korb and Tony Abreu have taken severe steps back, no further than Abreu. Jaspero Gonzalez has returned, and is nowhere near the player he was before his time in Philadelphia.   The team had a very strong first half, and have been muddling around .500 in the second half, so things aren't all bad. The Palms hope that they can get a bit of a resurgence, especially from Gonzalez, who started the year strong, and Sohn, who seems to be well on his way to a bounce back after a terrible July. The rotation and bullpen will keep them in games, but they will need a jolt in the heart of the order to win those games.

The Palms and Blue Jays were held in check on offense through most of the game, as it went to extra frames at 2-2. Miami scored half of their runs to that point when John Jaso led the game off with a home run. The Blue Jays were only in the game because of rookie catcher Mike Ohlman who scored and drove in a run thanks to 2 doubles. The Palms took the lead in the 11th when Jaspero Gonzalez hit a 2 run homer, capping a big day at the plate for him.  Miami Palms 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3  Tuesday, August 15, 2017  Miami Palms (76-44)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (4-5)                                  Player...

Miami was able to top the Blue Jays to open up their four game set in Toronto, thanks in part to a big 4th inning. After falling behind in the third, Chris Korb clubbed a two run homer to tie the game, followed by a walk and an RBI triple from Tony Abreu. Blake Johnston had a fine outing, and the bullpen held Toronto in check, keeping the Blue Jays off the board after the 3rd inning.  Miami Palms 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3  Monday, August 14, 2017  Miami Palms (75-44)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (4-4)                                  Player          AB R  ...

Miami earned a series split thanks in large part to a big 7th inning, in which they scored 4 times and sent 10 to the plate. 2 of the runs came when Jaspero Gonzalez smacked a double to the right center field gap. The Palms got their only run outside of the 7th when John Jaso led the game off with a home run. On the other side of the ball, the pitching staff struck out 11 Angels, with Lucas Harrell notching 9 of them in 8 innings.  Miami Palms 5, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2  Sunday, August 13, 2017  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (5-2)                      Miami Palms (74-44)                                      Player          AB R  ...