PALMS TAKE GAME 3 FROM BRAVES, SET UP SERIES FINALE SUNDAY

ATLANTA — The Miami Palms didn’t wrap the series on Sunday, but they did take control of it.

Behind eight strong innings from Blake Johnston and a multi-homer afternoon from the middle of the order, Miami beat the Atlanta Braves 8–2 in Game 3 of their four-game set at Truist Park. The victory pushes the Palms to 30–25 and gives them a 2–1 series edge heading into Sunday’s finale.

“Today was about execution,” Johnston said. “We came in wanting to swing first, and we did.”

THE GAME

After spotting Atlanta two early runs, the Palms answered quickly and convincingly:

  • Matt Koch jump-started the comeback with a three-run homer in the second inning.

  • Pat Grant delivered three hits, including a laser home run in the sixth that blew the game open.

  • Matt Wieters added his tenth long ball of the season, a solo shot in the seventh.

  • Frank Sohn chipped in three hits, continuing his steady run of form.

  • Nick Markakis posted another three-hit day, including a double.

Chris Korb’s sacrifice fly in the fifth provided more cushion, and Miami’s offense racked up 14 hits overall.

Johnston, meanwhile, settled into cruise control after the first inning, retiring 19 of his final 23 batters. Adam Conley worked a clean ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

“Blake really settled us,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “If he gives the clubhouse that kind of energy again tomorrow, we’ll be in good shape.”

THE SERIES SITUATION

  • Miami leads the series 2–1.

  • A win Sunday would give the Palms a rare road series victory in a park that hasn’t been kind to them in past seasons.

  • A loss would split the series and send both clubs back to .500 over their last ten games.

WHAT’S NEXT

The teams square off in the series finale Sunday afternoon. Miami will go with Brian Kragh, though indications are that Tony Rico is pushing for a rested bullpen behind a likely shorter outing from the back half of the rotation.

After Sunday’s game, the Palms head to Cincinnati to open a three-game set with the Reds. 

Miami Palms 8, Atlanta Braves 2

 Sunday, May 24, 2020

 

 

 Miami Palms (30-25)                                      Atlanta Braves (1-2)                                    

 Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB   Ave      

 ------          -- -  - -- -- --  -  -  - ---   ---      ------          -- -  - -- -- --  -  -  - ---   ---      

 Munoz ss        5  0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  1   .319      Inciarte cf     4  1  2  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   .273

 Markakis lf     5  2  3  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   .332      Albies 2b       4  0  1  0  0  0  1  4  0  1   .308

 Grant rf        4  1  3  3  1  1  3  0  0  0   .278      Freeman 1b      4  1  1  2  0  1  10 1  0  0   .400

 Korb 3b         4  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  2   .275      Acuna, Jr. rf   4  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  1   .231

 Wieters c       5  1  1  1  0  1  8  1  0  0   .250      Ozuna lf        4  0  1  0  0  0  3  0  0  0   .231

 Sohn cf         5  1  3  0  0  1  6  0  0  2   .275      Camargo 3b      3  0  1  0  1  1  2  1  0  0   .500

 Castillo dh     4  0  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  2   .234      Hechavarria ss  4  0  0  0  0  3  2  3  0  1   .091

 Pfaff 1b        3  1  0  0  1  0  4  1  0  0   .273      d'Arnaud c      3  0  0  0  0  1  4  0  0  0   .000

 Koch 2b         4  2  2  3  0  0  1  1  0  1   .283      Duvall dh       3  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  2   .000

 

                 -- -  - -- -- -- -- -- -- ---                            -- -  - -- -- -- -- -- -- ---            

 Totals          39 8  14 8  3  3  27 5  0  8             Totals          33 2  6  2  1  8  27 11 0  5  

 

 

                        1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10     R  H  E

                        -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -      -  -  -

 Miami Palms            0  3  0  0  1  3  1  0  0         8  14 0  

 Atlanta Braves         2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0         2  6  0  

 

 

 

 LOB- Miami Palms 8, Atlanta Braves 5; 2B- Markakis(10); HR- Koch(4), Wieters(10),

 Grant(8), Freeman(1); RBI- Koch 3(15), Wieters(21), Korb(30), Grant 3(27), Freeman 2(6);

 SF- Korb(1); GIDP- Pfaff(1); RLSP- Koch, Castillo, Sohn 2, Munoz, Acuna, Jr., Hechavarria,

 Duvall 2;  

 

 DP- Atlanta Braves 1; 

 

 Miami Palms               IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 Johnston(W 6-4)           8.0  6  2  2  1  6    3.43  

 Conley                    1.0  0  0  0  0  2    3.86  

 

 Atlanta Braves            IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 Hamels(L 0-1)             5.0  9  4  4  1  2    7.20  

 Dayton                    1.0  3  3  3  0  0   27.00 

 Melancon                  1.0  2  1  1  1  0    9.00  

 O'Day                     2.0  0  0  0  1  1    0.00  

 

 Pitches-strikes- Johnston 92-63, Conley 11-8, Hamels 79-47, Dayton 15-9, Melancon 12-6,

 O'Day 27-14; Batters faced- Johnston 31, Conley 3, Hamels 25, Dayton 6, Melancon 5,

 O'Day 7; 


 Temp - 86, Sky - Mostly Cloudy, Wind - NW 3MPH 

 

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