Miami Palms Blog

 For the second straight night, the Miami Palms found themselves staring at the margins — and coming up just short. A crisp start from Erick Fedde and a pair of early runs looked like it might be enough on a humid Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Palms Park, but Kansas City chipped away late and escaped with a 3–2 win, handing Miami its second one-run loss of the series. The Palms struck first in the third inning. Greg Garcia and Emilio Miranda singled into right-field corner and Garcia came home on Frank Sohn’s sharp double, igniting the crowd. Two batters later, Pat Grant punched a single through the left side to move Sohn over, and Chris Korb brought him in with a productive out, giving Miami a 2–0 lead and momentum that felt, briefly, secure. Fedde did his part. The right-hander scattered two hits over five scoreless innings, walking four but bending without breaking. He stranded runners in both the fourth and fifth innings, relying on weak contact and a steady infield behind hi...

  Kansas City Royals 4, Miami Palms 3 Tuesday, June 2, 2020 By Vin Castillo MIAMI — The Palms finally found their bats Tuesday night, but by the time they did, the damage had already been done. Kansas City struck for four runs in the opening inning against Dylan Bundy and made it stand up, holding off a seventh-inning Miami rally to escape Coca-Cola Palms Park with a 4–3 win. The first inning proved decisive. Whit Merrifield opened the scoring with a leadoff homer, and two batters later Adalberto Mondesi delivered the knockout blow — a two-run triple into the right-center gap — capping a four-run frame that put the Palms in an immediate hole. Bundy settled in after that, retiring 11 of the next 13 hitters he faced, but the early deficit loomed large. He finished with six innings, seven strikeouts, and a line that didn’t reflect how sharp he looked once he found his rhythm. The Palms were quiet for much of the night against Royals starter Brady Singer, who mixed his pitches e...

 There’s a certain comfort in coming home, even when the suitcase is heavier than you’d like. The Miami Palms return from Toronto having dropped four of their last five, capped by a bruising Sunday afternoon that felt longer than the box score suggested. At 34–28, this club is still very much in the American League picture, but the last ten days have underlined something that was easy to gloss over when the wins were coming easier: the Palms are good, but they are not deep enough to cruise. That’s not panic. That’s context. The upcoming nine games in eleven days at Coca-Cola Palms Park — against Kansas City, Atlanta, and Toronto — arrive at a useful time. Not because the opponents are soft (they aren’t), but because this roster needs clarity. And maybe a reset. The Offense: Loud, Then Quiet On paper, the Palms’ lineup still looks sturdy. Edwin Encarnación is now up to 14 home runs and continues to punish mistakes. Matt Wieters has given them more than they reasonably could hav...

  By Vin Castillo, Palms Beat MIAMI — Coming home after a bruising finish to May, the Miami Palms didn’t need fireworks Monday night. They needed steadiness. They got it. Manny Parra delivered eight composed innings, the offense chipped away inning by inning, and the Palms opened their June homestand with a tidy 4–2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Coca-Cola Palms Park. Parra, who has ridden through an uneven season, was efficient and economical, allowing just one run on four hits while walking one and striking out three. He kept Kansas City off balance all night, leaning on soft contact and quick outs to keep his pitch count manageable. “He stayed in control,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “That’s the version of Manny we need — letting the defense work and not chasing strikeouts.” Early Answer, Late Push Kansas City struck first in the opening inning on Ryan O’Hearn’s solo home run, but Miami answered immediately. In the bottom of the second, Matt Wieters scored on a Greg...

  By Vin Castillo TORONTO — The Miami Palms arrived in Toronto hoping to split the weekend and carry momentum back home. Instead, they ran headlong into a sharp Hyun-Jin Ryu and an unrelenting Blue Jays lineup, falling 10–1 Sunday afternoon as May came to a lopsided close. Toronto struck early and never let go, tagging Brian Kragh for four runs in the first inning and five total before chasing him in the fifth. Randal Grichuk was at the center of nearly everything, collecting four hits, including a home run, and driving in three as the Blue Jays piled up 16 hits. “We just couldn’t stop the bleeding early,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “Against a club swinging it like that, you can’t spot them four in the first.” The Palms briefly showed life in the second. Chris Korb singled, moved up, and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly by Frank Sohn — Miami’s lone run of the afternoon. That was about as close as it got. Ryu settled in after that momentary wobble, carving through the...

By Vin Castillo TORONTO — The Miami Palms were dealt a significant blow to the heart of their lineup Saturday night, announcing that All-Star outfielder Nick Markakis has been placed on the 60-day injured list. Markakis, Miami’s most consistent and productive position player through the season’s first two months, will be sidelined until at least late July, removing a stabilizing presence from both the top of the order and the outfield. To fill the roster spot, the Palms selected the contract of Emilio Miranda from Triple-A Jackson. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic will wear uniform No. 1 and joins the club ahead of Sunday’s game in Toronto. Losing Markakis is not merely a matter of replacing innings or at-bats. He entered the weekend leading the club in average and extra-base hits, serving as the connective tissue between Miami’s on-base threats and its middle-of-the-order power. “That’s a tough one,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “Nick sets a tone every...

  By Vin Castillo TORONTO — The Miami Palms gave themselves an early cushion Saturday night, but couldn’t add on, and the Toronto Blue Jays methodically chipped away before pulling clear late for a 4–2 win in the opener of a two-game weekend set. Miami scored twice in the first inning and then went quiet, stranding opportunities and watching a well-pitched effort from Blake Johnston go unrewarded. The Palms jumped ahead immediately. Yairo Muñoz set the tone with a sharp double, Pat Grant followed with a single, and Edwin Encarnación drove Muñoz home with a liner to center. Chris Korb brought in the second run on a productive groundout, and it looked like Miami might be positioned for a comfortable night. Instead, Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker bent but didn’t break. He scattered six hits and four walks over five innings, keeping Toronto within striking distance while Miami failed to land a decisive blow. “We had traffic early and just couldn’t turn it into something bigger,”...

  By Vin Castillo, Miami Sun-Dispatch Cincinnati — May 28, 2020 The Miami Palms wrapped up their three-game stay in Cincinnati with the kind of balanced, drama-free win that has eluded them at times on this road trip, powering past the Reds 6–2 on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. A three-RBI day from Edwin Encarnación and a steady rebound outing from Erick Fedde ensured Miami heads into Friday’s off day with a little momentum in tow. Miami struck quickly, plating two in the first, and never really let the Reds breathe. Pat Grant singled in the opening frame and came around to score, continuing a quietly terrific May. Encarnación followed with a rope into the gap to make it 1–0 before many fans had even settled in. “It felt like we finally punched first,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “This lineup is a different animal when Eddie is driving balls like that.” Cincinnati’s only early answer came on a Joey Votto RBI double in the third, but Fedde—who entered with a...

 The Miami Palms stepped into Great American Ball Park on Wednesday looking to keep pace in the AL race. Instead, they ran into a Cincinnati lineup that found barrels early and often, handing Miami an 8–2 defeat in the opener. Dylan Bundy never settled in. The Reds ambushed him with a run in the first, then cracked things fully open with a two-run third and a five-run fourth. By the time Scott Hatteberg came to get him after five innings, Cincinnati had tagged the right-hander for nine hits, eight runs, no walks and seven punchouts . “Bundy had good stuff,” Hatteberg said after the game, shaking his head. “Velocity was there, break was there. But they were on everything up in the zone. Sometimes hitters tell you more than the radar gun does.” The biggest blows came from Josh VanMeter, who delivered a three-hit, three-RBI performance, including a booming homer into the right-field seats in that fourth-inning avalanche. Shogo Akiyama added two doubles and two RBI, while Jesse Wink...

  CINCINNATI — Maybe it’s the humidity rolling off the Ohio River or the way Great American Ball Park keeps baseballs feeling just a little lighter, but the Miami Palms sure seem comfortable playing from behind. On Tuesday night, they did it again—spotting the Reds an early lead, absorbing every punch, and then answering with a flurry of their own in a 7–6 comeback win to open their series in Cincinnati. “We’re getting pretty good at not panicking,” Matt Wieters said afterward with a laugh. “Not that we want this to be our style, but if that’s how it has to be? Fine. We’ll take it.” The Reds threw haymakers early, pushing across six runs in the first four innings against Manny Parra. Miami trailed 6–2 by the time the dust settled, and with Tyler Mahle pounding the zone, the Palms’ chances looked steeper than the Taft Road incline outside the ballpark. But Wieters, in what’s becoming a quietly steady May surge, had other plans. The veteran catcher led off the fifth with a tower...