PALMS 4, BRAVES 2 — MEMORIAL DAY MATINEE RECAP

 ATLANTA — Memorial Day baseball is supposed to be leisurely, but the Miami Palms spent their afternoon working. They didn’t just close out a four-game set in Atlanta—they tightened up the fundamentals, leaned on their pitching depth, and walked out of Truist Park with a tidy 4–2 win to take three of four from the Braves.

It wasn’t flashy. In fact, the first four innings were downright sleepy. But once again, the Palms showed the kind of mid-May identity that’s forming around them: grind their way on base, string competitive at-bats, and wait for someone in the middle of the order to crack things open.

On Monday, that spark came courtesy of Pat Grant, who punched a two-run double down the line in the fifth, breaking open what had been a shutout by Brave Mike Soroka.

“Those are the kinds of rallies we haven’t always finished off,” Grant said. “We’re getting better at it—passing the baton, doing the small stuff. Even the foul balls feel more purposeful right now.”

Kragh Battles, Then the Bullpen Locks It Down
Brian Kragh wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t need to be. Atlanta nicked him for two runs in the fourth—both on well-placed, not-well-struck balls—but he never wavered. The righty scattered seven hits over six innings, walked two, and struck out one while keeping the game under control.

“It was one of those days where the feel came and went,” Kragh said. “But the defense was sharp, and honestly, once we took that lead I just wanted to get us to our guys in the ‘pen.”

Those “guys” were Wandy Peralta and Chris Martin—Rico’s preferred script in tight games. Peralta flipped in two hitless, scoreless innings, and Martin collected his 18th save with a clean ninth. He needed only seven pitches.

“That’s the game right there,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “You get a clean bridge from Kragh to Peralta to Martin on a day when the bats aren’t explosive? That’s how you win four-game series.”

Table-Setters Did Their Job
Nick Markakis reached twice and scored twice against his former club, while Matt Koch continued his steady May with a 2-for-4 day that included a double and a walk. Chris Korb’s RBI triple in the fifth was a perfect example of the Palms’ new emphasis on aggressive contact early in counts. 

Sohn, Encarnacion, and Castillo all had key plate appearances that extended innings, and while the Palms stranded 11 runners, they constantly pressured the Braves’ pitching staff.

“We didn’t cash every chance in,” Hatteberg said. “But we made Soroka work, and that paid off.”

What It Means
The Palms move to 31–25, winners of six of their last eight. For a club still waiting for Jarod Lantz to return and stabilize the rotation, they’re piecing together a remarkable stretch of consistency.

This win also keeps Miami perched firmly in the thick of the wild card picture as they pack up for the road.

UP NEXT: ON TO CINCINNATI
The Palms open a three-game set at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. Manny Parra gets the ball, followed by Dylan Bundy and Erick Fedde in what could be a high-scoring series given the small dimensions and the Reds’ left-heavy lineup.

As for momentum? Grant put it simply:

“We’re starting to feel like a complete club. Now let’s see if we can carry that into Cincinnati.”

Miami Palms 4, Atlanta Braves 3
April 14, 2020 — Truist Park

Miami Palms (1–3)

Batting              AB  R  H RBI
Y. Muñoz SS          5  1  2  0
F. Sohn RF           5  0  1  1
J. Gonzalez 1B       4  1  1  1
W. Castillo C        4  0  2  0
B. Gardner LF        5  0  0  0
C. Korb 3B           4  0  1  0
P. Grant 2B          4  1  1  0
M. Koch DH           4  1  2  1
T. Marsh CF          4  0  0  0
Totals              39  4 10  3

Pitching

D. Bundy (W, 1–0)     6.0 IP  6 H  2 R  1 ER  1 BB  4 K
C. Martin (H)         1.0 IP  1 H  0 R  0 ER  0 BB  1 K
W. Peralta (H)        1.0 IP  1 H  1 R  1 ER  2 BB  1 K
C. Allen (SV, 1)      1.0 IP  0 H  0 R  0 ER  0 BB  2 K

Atlanta Braves

Batting              AB  R  H RBI
Acuna RF             5  1  1  0
Albies 2B            5  0  3  1
Freeman 1B           4  0  1  0
Ozuna DH             4  0  0  0
Swanson SS           4  1  2  0
Riley 3B             4  0  1  1
Markakis LF          3  0  1  0
Duvall PH            1  0  0  0
Flowers C            4  1  1  1
Inciarte CF          3  0  0  0
Totals              37  3 10  3

Pitching

Fried (L)            5.2 IP  8 H  4 R  4 ER  1 BB  5 K
O’Day                1.1 IP  1 H  0 R  0 ER  0 BB  1 K
Greene               1.0 IP  1 H  0 R  0 ER  0 BB  2 K


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