Miami Palms Blog

  By Vin Castillo ARLINGTON — The Miami Palms had it all lined up: a strong start from Dylan Bundy, a two-run lead in the late innings, and the bullpen arms lined up to close out another win. But baseball has a way of breaking hearts, and on Monday night at Globe Life Field, it was the Rangers who got the last word. Tim Fedorowicz’s RBI triple in the 11th sealed a 5–4 Texas win, bringing their losing streak to 4. Bundy was sharp through five-plus innings, striking out ten Rangers and keeping the game in Miami’s hands. “I felt good, like I had them guessing,” Bundy said. “But against lineups like this, you can’t let up.” His only blemish came in the 4th, when Matt Duffy blasted a 2 run home run. The Palms had spread the wealth at the plate, with 13 hits from eight different players. Pat Grant’s ringing triple in the 3rd plated a run, and Nick Markakis kept his hot bat alive with three more knocks, including an RBI single. Rookie Ian Pfaff added three hits of his own, continuing ...

 You could hear the rain dripping off the awnings at Coca-Cola Palms Park louder than you could hear the fans by the third inning Sunday. The Twins had already blown the game open, Manny Parra had been chased, and most of the crowd was headed for the exits or staring blankly into the mist. It’s one thing to get beat. That happens. It’s another thing entirely to get rolled — again — by the same opponent, and to look like you’d rather be anywhere else while it’s happening. The Palms are 0–6 against Minnesota this year, and it’s not just the losses. It’s the way they’ve come: tentative swings, poor starts, quiet dugout. This was supposed to be a ballclub with a little bit of flair. They wear teal and tan, they’ve got veterans with pedigrees, they built this ballpark to be a party in the sun. And yet, when the Twins came to town, the whole vibe sagged. “We’ve run into a buzzsaw,” Scott Hatteberg said afterward. Fair enough. But buzzsaws don’t have to cut quite so clean if you’re fig...

 It was a gray, wet Sunday at Coca-Cola Palms Park, and the Miami bats never found a way to brighten things up. The Minnesota Twins — who won’t be back on the schedule again this season, mercifully — finished off a three-game sweep with a 9–2 thumping that left Miami staring at an 0–6 mark against their northern nemesis. Manny Parra’s outing unraveled almost as soon as it began. The veteran lefty couldn’t locate, and the Twins pounced with three runs in the first and six more in the second before the Palms bullpen could even stir. By the time Adam Conley jogged in to stop the bleeding, Minnesota had already collected 11 hits. “We’ve run into a buzzsaw with them,” manager Scott Hatteberg admitted, standing in a hallway damp with the mist that drifted into the ballpark. “They’re swinging free, we’re tentative. That’s not the formula. But the season doesn’t stop. We’ve got a plane to catch and Texas waiting.” The lone bright spots were an Edwin Encarnación homer in the fourth an...

  Saturday, May 9, 2020 – Coca-Cola Palms Park The Miami Palms ran into the same familiar problem Saturday night — the Minnesota Twins. Once again, it was timely hitting from Minnesota that kept the Palms on the wrong side of the ledger, with the visitors prevailing 5–2. Brian Kragh gave Miami six hard-fought innings, but a two-run third and an RBI knock from Miguel Sano in the fourth put the Twins ahead early. A pair of runs off reliever Cody Allen in the seventh pushed the cushion further. The Palms mustered just enough offense to keep the crowd engaged. Yairo Muñoz doubled home Matt Wieters in the second inning to open the scoring, and Pat Grant’s sacrifice fly brought home Frank Sohn in the eighth, but Miami never managed the big inning to close the gap. Kragh’s final line showed 6.0 innings, 6 hits, and 3 earned runs, but he was tagged with the loss, falling to 2–2. Homer Bailey worked eight strong innings for the Twins, striking out seven and limiting Miami to four hits b...

  by Vin Castillo, Coca-Cola Palms Press Corps It seems no matter the setting—Target Field or Palms Park—the Minnesota Twins have an answer for Miami. On Friday night, under a hazy Miami sky, the Palms’ winning streak ran headlong into a familiar wall, as the Twins strung together 14 hits and dealt the home side a 5–0 defeat. For five innings, Blake Johnston fought without rhythm, scattering baserunners and trying to keep the ball in front of the outfield grass. In the third, Max Kepler tripled and Miguel Sanó brought him home with a sharp single. Then came the fifth, when the Twins’ middle of the order finally landed the heavy blow: three straight knocks from Donaldson, Kepler and Sanó, before Eddie Rosario punctuated the inning with a three-run homer that all but sealed it. The Palms had chances—Nick Markakis lined out sharply with men on, Pat Grant and Chris Korb both came up empty in run-scoring spots—but Jake Odorizzi seemed untouchable when it mattered, leaning on his fast...

 The Palms’ pitching staff slammed the door on Seattle, combining for a three-hit shutout as Miami left town with a 2–1 series win and a bit of momentum heading into a brief homestand. Erick Fedde set the tone with five steady innings, working around three walks to keep the Mariners off the board. Wandy Peralta (1–0) struck out two in a clean sixth to earn the win, Cody Allen handled the middle relief, and Chris Martin shut it down in the ninth for his 13th save. The offense had plenty of traffic but little to show for it until the seventh, when Wellington Castillo broke through with a solo home run to left, his second of the year. Ian Pfaff later added insurance with a clutch RBI single in the ninth, his third hit of the day. “It’s good to see the bullpen string it together,” Hatteberg said afterward. “We’ve had our ups and downs, but today it was crisp, efficient baseball.” Frank Sohn continued to pace the lineup with two more hits, while Matt Koch doubled as part of Miami’s ...

  Wednesday, May 6, 2020 – T-Mobile Park The Miami Palms’ six-game winning streak came to a halt in Seattle, as the Mariners hung on for a 6–5 victory despite a furious ninth-inning rally from Miami. Dylan Bundy struggled from the outset, allowing four runs in the first inning on just three hits and three walks. He settled in but lasted only four innings, setting the Palms behind early. “You can’t spot a team four runs in the first and expect to be in control,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “We clawed back, but the hill was too steep.” Miami’s offense stayed quiet against Mariners starter Justus Sheffield, who worked eight strong innings. The Palms finally broke through in the seventh when Frank Sohn launched a two-run homer, his third of the year. In the ninth, down 6–2, Miami made it interesting against reliever Zac Grotz. Wellington Castillo and Yairo Munoz singled, and Jason Roeder reached to set up Pat Grant, who ripped a bases-clearing triple into the right-field corner. ...

 By Rhys Thomason Six straight wins. That’s the number every Palms fan has in their head today. A sweep of the Yankees, a bruising of the Red Sox, and a commanding opener in Seattle. It feels like the dream scenario — the Palms’ bats bludgeoning, Manny Parra turning in his best start of the year, and even the middle of the order finally clicking. But peel back the curtain, and you’ll see the same cracks that were there two weeks ago. The bullpen has been a circus act — Allan Persons came out with the win in New York, but only because the offense bailed him out after a shaky inning. Cody Allen has been searching for his command all spring, and Chris Martin can’t carry the leverage load by himself. You don’t win playoff races by hoping the 6th through 9th innings simply “work out.” Manager Scott Hatteberg has been asking his starters to stretch deeper — Parra threw 102 pitches last night, Erick Fedde has been pushed hard, and Dylan Bundy is next up. That strategy looks fine on pape...

  Seattle — The Miami Palms wasted no time setting the tone Tuesday night, piling on six runs in the first two innings on their way to an 8–1 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Edwin Encarnación got the visitors rolling in the first, ripping a two-run triple into the right-center gap. One inning later, Pat Grant provided the knockout punch — a grand slam, his sixth homer of the year, putting Miami up 6–0 before Seattle could settle in. Yairo Muñoz added a two-run homer in the ninth to cap the scoring, his first long ball of the season. On the mound, Manny Parra looked sharp in his return from the injured list, tossing seven strong innings of one-run ball, scattering eight hits while striking out six. Mike Morin closed the door with two clean frames to secure the win. Seattle’s lone run came in the second inning, when Denard Span singled home Kevin Pillar. But the Mariners stranded 10 runners and went 1-for-8 with men in scoring position. Encarnación finished with two ex...