Miami Palms Blog

  by Vin Castillo MIAMI — The good vibes didn’t even last 24 hours. After a gritty win on Friday to climb back to .500, the Miami Palms were flat-out overwhelmed on Saturday night, dropping a lopsided 10–2 contest to the visiting New York Yankees. The loss halts Miami’s three-game win streak and leaves the club once again searching for consistency. “You can’t fall behind in the count, fall behind on the scoreboard, and expect to dig out of it against a team like that,” said Palms manager Scott Hatteberg, candid but calm postgame. “We just didn’t execute on the mound, and they made us pay.” The Yankees pounded out 22 hits — yes, 22 — including multi-hit nights from six different players. DJ LeMahieu delivered the big blow, a three-run homer in a five-run sixth inning that broke the game wide open. Giancarlo Stanton collected five hits, and Mike Tauchman scored three times from the leadoff spot. For Miami, the early innings looked manageable. Starter Brian Kragh allowed two r...

 MIAMI — It wasn’t always smooth, but it was enough. The Miami Palms held off a late Yankees charge and came away with a 4–3 victory Friday night at Coca-Cola Palms Park, climbing back to .500 with their third straight win. Matt Wieters supplied the biggest swing of the night, a two-run homer in the sixth inning that gave Miami some breathing room after a tense, back-and-forth middle frame. The blast, Wieters’ team-leading sixth of the season, was launched to right-center and followed an RBI fielders choice by Jaspero Gonzalez and a sacrifice fly from Edwin Encarnacion. “That was a big moment,” said manager Scott Hatteberg. “We were pushing for a crooked number and Matty gave us that jolt.” The Palms got a stellar outing from right-hander Blake Johnston, who scattered four hits and two walks over seven strong innings while striking out six. Johnston improved to 3–1 and lowered his ERA to 1.38. “Just tried to stay in the zone and let the defense work,” Johnston said. “Felt like ...

  by Rhys Thomason, South Florida Hardball So here’s the truth: the Palms have won two straight. Great. That’s nice. It’s better than the alternative, sure. But if you’re celebrating like this team has turned a corner, I’ve got a bridge in Brickell I’d love to sell you. Let’s not lose the plot just because the team finally managed to string a couple W’s together. They’re 9–10. They’re still in the basement of the standings. And while the wins over the Rays were competent, they didn’t scream “contender.” They whispered “treading water.” And I’m not sure the bullpen can hold up. Scott Hatteberg has had to reach for Jeremy Jeffress and Chris Martin too often already, and it’s still April. When your starters can’t reliably get into the seventh, you're building a house on sand. Erick Fedde gave five decent innings in Wednesday’s win, but Wandy Peralta nearly torched it all before the back end of the bullpen bailed him out. Again. Offensively, Matt Wieters is carrying more than he sh...

  By Vin Castillo After a rough start to the season and a few too many missed opportunities, the Miami Palms head into Thursday’s off day with something unfamiliar over the past few weeks: momentum. Back-to-back wins over the Rays may not be headline-grabbing, but in the clubhouse, it’s a different story. There’s music again. Not just the soft, pregame background kind—real music. Loud enough to hear down the tunnel. Someone (Matt Wieters, allegedly) queued up “Good Vibrations” after Wednesday’s win, and nobody reached for the volume dial. “Feels like we’re finally playing our brand of baseball,” said Wieters, who’s slugged homers in back-to-back games and quietly leads the team in OPS. “Took a bit to find our rhythm, but we’re getting there.” That rhythm has a soundtrack, a swagger, and more than anything, it has production. The Vet Core Is Waking Up Over the past five games, Brett Gardner is 7-for-22 with two homers and four RBIs. Wieters, meanwhile, has homered five times ...

By Vin Castillo The Miami Palms wrapped up their series with the Rays on a high note Wednesday, putting up early offense and holding off a seventh-inning surge to claim a 6–3 win at sun-drenched Coca-Cola Palms Park. The victory, their second straight, brings the Palms to within a game of .500 at 9–10. The Palms wasted no time jumping on Rays starter Brendan McKay, scoring twice in the first thanks to a double from Brett Gardner and an RBI single by Edwin Encarnación. They tacked on another in the second, then broke things open in the fifth with a three-run outburst that included a three-run double from Yairo Muñoz. Matt Wieters also went deep in the second, his fifth home run of the season. “I’m just trying to keep it simple at the plate,” Wieters said. “I’ve been seeing the ball well this homestand.” Erick Fedde rebounded from a rough start to the year with his best outing yet, tossing 5.1 shutout innings before giving way to the bullpen. Wandy Peralta allowed a pair of home runs in ...

MIAMI — The Miami Palms’ offense broke loose and Dylan Bundy finally broke into the win column as the Palms thumped the Rays, 8–3, Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Palms Park. Miami racked up four home runs—two in the first three innings—and never looked back. The Palms (8–10) got on the board early with Jaspero Gonzalez continuing his torrid start, launching a solo homer in the first—his fifth of the season. In the third, it was Brett Gardner ’s turn, crushing a three-run shot to right that gave Miami a commanding 4–0 lead. “This is the kind of night we needed,” said manager Scott Hatteberg , whose club snapped a two-game slide. “Bundy kept us in it, and the bats made sure we had room to breathe.” Chris Korb and Matt Wieters added solo home runs of their own in the later innings, with Korb’s fourth of the season coming in the eighth, a laser into the left-field bullpen. Gardner finished with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored in a bounce-back performance at the top of the order. ...

  By Vin Castillo, Palm Beach Post MIAMI — All good things must come to an end—even a run like the Miami Palms' 31 consecutive scoreless innings on the mound. On Monday night at Coca-Cola Palms Park, the Tampa Bay Rays handed the Palms a 4–3 defeat, snapping the streak in the eighth inning and opening their series with a dramatic comeback win. Miami had ridden a tidal wave of pitching brilliance, shutting out opponents across three straight games. For seven innings, it looked like that wave might carry them even further, with Manny Parra keeping the Rays off the board and the Palms clinging to a 1–0 lead. Then came the eighth. With one out, Jose Martinez drew a walk—the Rays’ first free pass of the game—and Austin Meadows laced a single to center to tie the score. Hunter Renfroe followed with a slicing single into the right field corner, plating two and silencing the home crowd as Tampa Bay surged to a 3–1 lead. “We felt like we were cruising,” said Miami skipper Scott Hatteb...