Miami Palms Blog

 Miami's next stop was in Minneapolis, and they came away with a victory in their season opener. Minnesota jumped to a 1-0 lead on an RBI double from Luis Arraez, but took the 2-1 lead when Frank Sohn had a 2 run single with the bases loaded. Arraez drove in another run the following inning, but relief pitcher Kohl Stewart allowed a 2 run homer to the white hot Edwin Encarnacion, and Miami won their second in a row.  Miami Palms 4, Minnesota Twins 2  Thursday, June 20, 2019      Miami Palms (36-40)                                      Minnesota Twins (1-4)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H B...

After a couple of quiet days at the plate, Miami came alive on Sunday in Toronto. Matt Koch hit a solo homer early, but it was Edwin Encarnacion's two big blasts that put the space between the Palms and Blue Jays. In total, Encarnacion matched Toronto, in driving in 5 runs with those two shots.  Miami Palms 7, Toronto Blue Jays 5  Wednesday, June 19, 2019      Miami Palms (35-40)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (4-2)                                   Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave        ------          -- -...

  One of the stories of the first half of the season was how much Jaspero Gonzalez was struggling out of the gate. By the beginning of June, Gonzalez was mired in the .230s for a batting average. Now, just a few weeks into the month, his average has jumped almost 30 points. While his power numbers aren’t where he has come to expect, the fact that he is making solid contact has been reassuring. He attributes the course correction to his new spot in the bottom of the lineup. Rather than taking that as a loss of faith from management, Gonzalez is treating it as a load of pressure off his shoulders as he gets swing right. “I’m ready to go for the rest of the season, now that I’ve got it figured out” he said.  

 Wandy Peralta has had a very good season, and it was no wonder why he was brought into the 9th inning of a tie game at 1-1. He couldn't hae picked a worse time, then, to allow his first home run of the season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took a one out pitch over the right field fence to give the Blue Jays the walk off win. Erick Fedde's 8 innings of three hit ball was spoiled, thanks to more poor execution from Miami.  Toronto Blue Jays 2, Miami Palms 1  Tuesday, June 18, 2019      Miami Palms (34-40)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (4-1)                                   Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB S...

Miami's execution on the road left a lot to be desired on Monday evening. The Palms scored only once on 8 hits and a walk, when Travis Jankowski hit a solo homer. The Blue Jays only collected 6 hits, but one of them was a 3 run Brandon Drury home run in the 7th, and it was enough to upend Miami.  Toronto Blue Jays 3, Miami Palms 1  Monday, June 17, 2019      Miami Palms (34-39)                                      Toronto Blue Jays (3-1)                                   Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave        ------          -- -...

The Palms struggled to put runs across the plate, not scoring until the 8th, despite loading the bases at one point before that. The Orioles were up 2-1 entering the 9th, and got a two run homer from Chris Davis to extend the lead. It was good that happened for Baltimore because the Palms got a two run shot from Yairo Munoz in the bottom of the inning. Not enough, and Baltimore avoided the sweep. The Palms will now cross the border to Toronto as they begin a 10 game road swing.  Baltimore Orioles 4, Miami Palms 3  Sunday, June 16, 2019      Baltimore Orioles (6-6)                                  Miami Palms (34-38)                                       Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Pl...

 Chris Martin got one day off, but he was back on Saturday to shut down the Orioles in the 9th. Jarod Lantz shut the O's out in his 7 innings of work, but Hanser Alberto slugged a 2 run shot in the 8th to tighten the game. Miami also had a two run homer in the game, from Yairo Munoz in the 6th, driving in Matt Koch who had just collected Miami's first RBI of the game with a run scoring single.   Miami Palms 3, Baltimore Orioles 2  Saturday, June 15, 2019      Baltimore Orioles (5-6)                                  Miami Palms (34-37)                                       Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P...

 Baltimore was locked in against Blake Johnston, and scored twice in the first two innings, and allowed him to escape by the skin of his teeth in the third and fourth. The Palms had the benefit of a well preserved bullpen, and started them up in the 5th inning, collecting 5 innings of scoreless relief from Cody Allen, Braden Shipley and Jeremy Jeffress. In the interim, the Palms tied it in the 4th when Edwin Encarnacion tripled home a run, then scored on a single. The Palms batted around in the 7th, plating 4 more runs, and giving Chris Martin the night off.   Miami Palms 6, Baltimore Orioles 2  Friday, June 14, 2019      Baltimore Orioles (5-5)                                  Miami Palms (33-37)                                       Player        ...

  Miami has snapped a slump that started the month of June, falling 9 games below .500 immediately after returning level. The Palms have gone 5 and 1 in their last 6, including 3-1 to start their most recent home stand. Incredibly, a common thread in all the games is that they have all been tight affairs, and Chris Martin has collected a save in each of them. That’s raised his save total to 8 already, and a surplus of work in a short time. Undoubtedly, the Palms would like to see a respite from the busy stretch for Martin, and hopefully with an offensive explosion that allows Martin the night off.

Baltimore climbed to an early lead as Erick Fedde had a shaky start to his day. After falling down 2-0, Miami went to work, scoring a run in the bottom of the 4th on an RBI Nick  Markakis single. Yairo Munoz tied it with a lead off home run in the following frame. It was Munoz again in the bottom of the 8th that put Miami ahead with an RBI double, a lead the Palms didn't relinquish.  Miami Palms 3, Baltimore Orioles 2  Thursday, June 13, 2019      Baltimore Orioles (5-4)                                  Miami Palms (32-37)                                       Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E ...

 Miami jumped all over Oakland Starter Brett Anderson, batting around and scoring three times in the first inning. They started at the top of the order in the 2nd, and that inning culminated with a two run shot from Pat Grant, and another 3 runs in total. Anderson was out, and the Oakland pen took over for 7 effective innings. Dylan Bundy's only mistake was a Ramon Laureano home run. Brian Matusz worked his first middle relief, but ceded to Chris Martin after a Stephen Piscotty home run, and Martin collected the save, and Miami completed the series win.  Miami Palms 6, Oakland A's 3  Wednesday, June 12, 2019      Oakland A's (1-2)                                        Miami Palms (31-37)                                       Player        ...

 Manny Parra turned in an excellent performance, one of the typical outings Miami fans have come to expect. He scattered 4 hits with only 3 strikeouts over 8 innings. If you exclude Stephen Piscotty, the A's only reached base twice on Parra. An Edwin Encarnacion solo home run stood for most of the game as the only run, until Miami strung together some hits and scored twice more. Chris Martin immediately loaded the bases with two walks and a Piscotty single, but then induced a double play and struck out Ramon Laureano to clinch the victory.  Miami Palms 3, Oakland A's 1  Tuesday, June 11, 2019      Oakland A's (1-1)                                        Miami Palms (30-37)                                       Player          AB R ...

 Neither Tanner Anderson nor Jarod Lantz were particularly effective in the series opener on Monday, but the offenses for Oakland and Miami weren't able to follow through quite as often as they could have. Robbie Grossman collected a 2 run triple in the 7th, however, which put the A's at 4 runs for the game. The Palms scored two more times, including on a solo homer from Greg Garcia, but it wasn't enough to overcome the A's.  Oakland A's 4, Miami Palms 3  Monday, June 10, 2019      Oakland A's (1-0)                                        Miami Palms (29-37)                                       Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          A...

 Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks seem to have something against the Miami Palms. Gardner hit his third home run in 3 games, while Hicks had 4 hits and 2 RBI on Sunday afternoon. The Palms had another good day at the plate. They scored three times in the first inning, collecting 5 hits. Edwin Encarnacion and Chris Korb would later each contribute a home run. The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th, but Clint Frazier fouled out before Gardner could get to the plate again.  Miami Palms 6, New York Yankees 4  Sunday, June 9, 2019      Miami Palms (29-36)                                      New York Yankees (5-4)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave  ...

 Miami finally brought their bats to the ball park on Saturday afternoon. It turns out scoring runs is easier when home runs are hit. Pat Grant started the scoring with a two run shot in the 4th, but the big fly came in the 7th, when Edwin Encarncion launched a grand slam. Forunately, Miami would add two more in the 8th, including a Jaspero Gonzales solo shot, because for reasons unknown, Erick Fedde was left out in the 9th, and proceeded to allow 5 runs, capped by a Brett Gardner three run shot. The game was not lost, though, and Miami breaks a three game losing streak.  Miami Palms 8, New York Yankees 6  Saturday, June 8, 2019      Miami Palms (28-36)                                      New York Yankees (5-2)                                    Player    ...

 In a tight game, home runs can be crucial. The Yankees hit two. Veteran Kendrys Morales hit a two run shot in the 2nd, and a solo shot from DJ LeMahieu provided all the runs the Bronx Bombers would need. Yankees pitchers had control issues, but the home team was otherwise stellar in the field, helping prevent Miami from scoring and extending their rough patch.  New York Yankees 3, Miami Palms 1  Friday, June 7, 2019      Miami Palms (27-36)                                      New York Yankees (5-2)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave  ...