Lantz Dominates, Palms Win—but at a Cost

 The Miami Palms picked up a much-needed 2–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night behind a dazzling eight-inning gem from Jarod Lantz—but the celebration was short-lived.

Lantz, who had struggled with command in his first two outings of the season, flipped the script in Pittsburgh. He scattered eight hits over eight scoreless innings, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out ten in what was easily the best start of the young Palms season. He even worked out of a couple of jams with poise, including a second-and-third situation in the sixth where he struck out both Josh Bell and Bryan Reynolds with mid-90s heat and a biting slider.

“I felt like I finally had everything working,” Lantz said postgame, visibly limping and favoring his left side. “We needed this one.”

It was the final quote from Lantz for some time. Shortly after completing his eighth inning, he was helped into the clubhouse by the training staff and has since been diagnosed with an oblique strain. The team announced he’ll be placed on the 60-day injured list.

“That’s a gut punch,” said manager Scott Hatteberg. “He was incredible tonight—competitive, efficient, in control. To lose him right as he’s finding his stride… it stings.”

Lantz’s effort was backed by timely sixth-inning RBIs from Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis, and a perfect ninth from closer Chris Martin, who remains unscored upon through his first three saves.

In Lantz’s place, the Palms have called up left-hander Brian Kragh from Triple-A Jackson. The 24-year-old had a strong spring and is expected to work out of the bullpen initially, though he may get a look in the rotation as the schedule unfolds.

“It’s not the way you want to get the call,” Kragh said from the tarmac before flying to join the team in Pittsburgh. “But I’m ready. This team still has a lot of fight in it.”

That may be true. The Palms improved to 4–7, and have a chance to win the series Wednesday. But without Lantz—one of the few steady arms they’ve had this season—Miami will need others to step up. For one night, though, they can tip their caps to the big right-hander who finally delivered the performance Palms fans had been waiting for.

Now they just hope it wasn’t his last for a while.

Miami Palms 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Miami Palms (4–7)


Player          AB  R  H  RBI  BB  SO   AVG  
Gardner CF       5  0  1   0    0   1  .360  
Sohn RF          5  0  1   0    0   0  .261  
Grant 1B         3  0  0   0    1   1  .300  
Korb DH          4  1  2   0    0   1  .275  
Gonzalez 2B      3  1  1   0    1   1  .387  
Wieters C        4  0  3   1    0   0  .382  
Markakis LF      4  0  2   1    0   0  .214  
Munoz SS         4  0  1   0    0   0  .313  
Koch 3B          4  0  0   0    0   0  .158  

Totals          36  2 11   2    2   4

Pittsburgh Pirates (1–1)


Player          AB  R  H  RBI  BB  SO   AVG  
Dyson CF         4  0  2   0    0   1  .500  
Frazier 2B       4  0  1   0    0   3  .333  
Bell 1B          4  0  0   0    0   1  .222  
Polanco RF       4  0  2   0    0   0  .556  
Reynolds LF      4  0  1   0    0   2  .444  
Newman SS        4  0  0   0    0   1  .000  
Gonzalez 3B      4  0  2   0    0   1  .500  
Maile C          4  0  0   0    0   1  .333  
Riddle DH        4  0  1   0    0   0  .333  

Totals          36  0  9   0    0  10

Score by Inning:


Miami Palms        0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 2 11 0  
Pittsburgh Pirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0  9 0

2B: Polanco (2), Riddle (1), Dyson 2 (2)
RBI: Wieters (7), Markakis (4)
DP: Pittsburgh 2
GIDP: Munoz 2
LOB: Miami 9, Pittsburgh 9

Pitching:

Miami Palms


Lantz (W, 1–2)    8.0 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 SO   ERA: 4.50  
Martin (S, 3)     1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO    ERA: 0.00

Pittsburgh Pirates


Musgrove (L, 0–1) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO   ERA: 3.00  
Kela              2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO        ERA: 0.00  
Crick             1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO        ERA: 0.00

Weather: 59°F, Mostly Cloudy, Wind S 6 MPH


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Palms Can’t Just “Patch and Pray” Anymore

  South Florida Sun-Beat Column by Rhys Thomason It’s been said often enough this spring that the Miami Palms have been snakebitten by injuries, and sure, that’s true. Brett Gardner’s hamstring, Jaspero Gonzalez’s wrist, Jarod Lantz’s shoulder — all of them are the kind of setbacks that could sink a team with less depth. But let’s be honest: relying on duct tape and good vibes to paper over holes isn’t a strategy. It’s negligence. Look at the infield. Matt Koch has been pressed into everyday duty at second base, and while he’s played hard, nobody in Coconut Coast camp ever dreamed he’d be logging this many starts in April. He’s a utility man being asked to survive as a keystone anchor. That’s not development, that’s desperation. Then there’s the lineup. Edwin Encarnación keeps finding ways to knock in runs, but where’s the support? Pat Grant’s homer in the Bronx was a bright spot, but there’s a lack of consistent firepower around the middle of the order. The front office’s answe...
Read more

Verdugo, Red Sox Pummel Palms in Series Opener

By Vin Castillo, Coca-Cola Palms Park  MIAMI — The Palms got a dose of reality Monday night, and it came in the form of a relentless Boston lineup and an untimely outburst from their veteran catcher. Alex Verdugo went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, and the Red Sox racked up 16 hits en route to a 7-1 win over the Miami Palms at Coca-Cola Palms Park. The loss snapped Miami’s four-game win streak and featured a forgettable debut for newly called-up reliever Allan Persons, who gave up three runs on five hits in a single inning of work. Boston wasted no time, tagging Palms starter Blake Johnston for three runs in the opening frame, thanks to a pair of RBI hits from Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland. Johnston lasted just three innings, surrendering four earned runs, and took his second loss of the season. Miami’s lone highlight came in the bottom of the first when Jaspero Gonzalez drilled a solo home run—his seventh of the year—to cut the early deficit to 3-1. That would be all the offense...
Read more