Miami Palms Blog

Manny Parra started in the rotation, was bumped to the bullpen, and then returned stronger and better in the rotation. Surely, this isn’t what Miami could have dreamed of when they signed him away from the Cincinnati Reds. A low pitch count, high contact pitcher seems to constantly teeter at the brink, but Parra has turned it into a successful run for the last several seasons. Parra is the #2 starter in the rotation, but his recent success could easily qualify him for the #1b moniker. His continued success will be key to Miami’s playoff aspirations this season.

The first trip away from Palms Park went very well for the Palms, as they completed a sweep of their division rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays. Pat Grant led off with a home run, his first of the year, and then collected two more runs batted in with a 7th inning double to put the Palms in front for good. The Jays got back into it with a rally in the 9th, but it fell short, with Brian Matusz getting the last out and another save.  Miami Palms 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3  Sunday, April 15, 2018  Miami Palms (11-4)                                       Toronto Blue Jays (0-3)                                  Player   ...

Home runs paved the way in the beginning of the game Chris Korb and Nick Markakis each hit their first homers of the season, while Teoscar Hernandez kept it close with a three run shot of his own. The Jays tied it in the 9th off of Brian Matusz when Steve Pearce hit a 2 run single. The tie didn't last long into extra innings, as a Chris Korb sac fly put Miami n front for good.  Miami Palms 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5  Saturday, April 14, 2018  Miami Palms (10-4)                                       Toronto Blue Jays (0-2)                                  Player          AB R  H...

The Palms went to work on Danny Barnes after Marcus Stroman kept the team mostly in check after a rough first inning. Miami scored twice in the 7th, but had a two out rally in the 8th to finish the Blue Jays off. Jaspero Gonzalez had the final base hit that brought both runners in. (Due to a socring error, Barnes was left off this sheet, but pitched the 8th inning)  Miami Palms 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5  Friday, April 13, 2018  Miami Palms (9-4)                                        Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)                                  Player          AB R  H BI BB S...

The Twins were nearly able to overtake the Palms for a three game sweep, as an Eddie Rosario home run drew the teams level in the 8th inning. The Palms were able to walk off winners, as Nick Markakis hit a one out single, and scored two batters later when Jaspero Gonzalez hit a walk off double. The Palms will take a day off then go on their first road trip of the season, headed to Toronto for the beginning of a 12 day trip.  Miami Palms 4, Minnesota Twins 3  Wednesday, April 11, 2018  Minnesota Twins (2-1)                                    Miami Palms (8-4)                                        Player...

With the departure of Francisco Rodriguez after 2017, the Palms decided to stay in house to find their new closer. Thought was given to Archie Bradley, but it was Matusz, who had the best season the previous year who was given the role. Matusz is one of a long line of Orioles castoffs who have taken a spot with the Palms, but not many have been nearly as successful as Matusz has in rebuilding his brand. It ill be interesting to see how he adapts to the role, one he has never had before.

The Twins seem to have Miami's number this series. After the Palms scored only once against the Twins on Friday, they were shutout on Saturday. Jake Odorizzi held the Palms to 7 hits through 8 innings, and Fernando Rodney scuffled but kept Miami off the board as well. Jarod Lantz allowed 3 hits though the first 7 innings, but the Twins had 3 more hits including an RBI single from Joe Mauer in the 8th.  Minnesota Twins 1, Miami Palms 0  Tuesday, April 10, 2018  Minnesota Twins (2-0)                                    Miami Palms (7-4)                                        Player     ...

Miami had a tough time with Lance Lynn, while Minnesota had a strong 2nd inning to really put the Palms away fairly quickly. The Twins batted around and scored 4 times to build separation. Joe Mauer had three hits, while Miguel Sano drove in three runs. Travis Jankowski continued his torrid start, hitting 2 for 4.  Minnesota Twins 6, Miami Palms 1  Monday, April 9, 2018  Minnesota Twins (1-0)                                    Miami Palms (7-3)                                        Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave...

Lucas Harrell worked into the 9th inning, though it perhaps wasn't as impressive as it seemed, as the White Sox were able to collect 10 hits off him, though they couldn't string them together. The Palms, on the other hand, had two very big swings of the bat, when Edwin Encarnacion launched a thee un home in he 3rd, while Frank Sohn buffered the lead in the 5th. Travis Jankowski, meanwhile, continued is torrid start, going 4 for 4. The Palms used those two big blasts and persistent offense to complete the sweep against Chicago.  Miami Palms 7, Chicago White Sox 1  Sunday, April 8, 2018  Chicago White Sox (0-3)                                  Miami Palms (7-2)                         ...

Lucas Giolito kept the Miami Palms in check through most of the game. Down 2-1 headed into the 8th, Miami got their third and fourth hits, both of which were solo home runs, including Travis Jankowski's second of the game and third of the season, and Jaspero Gonzalez's game winner. Incredibly, Jankowski diidn't hit any homers last year, but is already up to 3 this year.  Miami Palms 3, Chicago White Sox 2  Saturday, April 7, 2018  Chicago White Sox (0-2)                                  Miami Palms (6-2)                                        Player          AB R  H BI...

It took some muscle to get past the White Sox in their first meeting of the season. The Palms pulled ahead in the third when Frank Sohn hit a three run blast, and added two more runs when Johnny Giavotella hit a homer of his own. Miami's cushion was important, as Chicago scored three runs off of Braden Shipley, including a 2 run Yolmer Sanchez home run.  Miami Palms 7, Chicago White Sox 4  Thursday, April 5, 2018  Chicago White Sox (0-1)                                  Miami Palms (5-2)                                        Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P...

The Palms likely didn’t expect to get such a long term commitment when they added Nick Markakis from the Orioles nearly a decade ago, but here they stand. Markakis is a steady fielder in the corner, and he is swapping to left field thanks to a somewhat diminished arm, but also Frank Sohn’s preference for the right side of the field. Markakis isn’t a huge power threat, but he has gap power and good contact rates, which make him a versatile, but not flashy option in the lineup

The Palms saw exactly what it is that makes Max Scherzer so frightening. Scherzer scattered 4 hits and struck out 5 over 8 innings. A first inning home run from Frank Sohn provided the only action for Miami. Jarod Lantz looked rougher, but only allowed one run in 6 innings, while the bullpen behind him worked 6 scoreless innings, striking out 5 and scattering 5 hits. The Nats bullpen was not as fortunate, however, as Carlos Ruiz got to Trevor Gott in the 12th, walking things off with a two run blast.  Miami Palms 3, Washington Nationals 1  Wednesday, April 4, 2018  Washington Nationals (1-1)                               Miami Palms (4-2)                               ...

In just a few seasons, Jarod Lantz has turned himself into one of the preeminent starters in the league. He won 20 games last year with an ERA of 3.29, which was actually a slight downgrade from his 2016 numbers. He has a a knack for inducing week contact and doesn't often get himself in too much trouble because of a fairly low walk rate. If there is any concern it is an early heavy workload to start his career, but he seems to be thriving and the Palms will hope to lean on that gain in 2018.

Miami hasn't been pushing enough runs across the plate, and it came to a head against the Nationals and Tanner Roark. The palms were shut out,  and collecting only 7 hits. The Nats were able to score 5 times, with 4 coming against Blake Johnston, including a solo homer from Wilmer Difo.  Washington Nationals 5, Miami Palms 0  Monday, April 2, 2018  Washington Nationals (1-0)                               Miami Palms (3-2)                                        Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player ...

It looks like Miami is picking up whee they left off in 2017, winning a 4 game series to start the season. The Palms collected back to back home runs from the unlikely duo of Carlos Ruiz and Travis Jankowski to take the lead after the Rays got on the board with a pair of hits to lead off the game. The Palms would later add an insurance run to ensure the score would match their record.  Miami Palms 3, Tampa Bay Rays 1  Sunday, April 1, 2018  Tampa Bay Rays (1-3)                                     Miami Palms (3-1)                                        Player       ...