Palms 5, Astros 2

 By Vin Castillo

HOUSTON — For the first time in a week, the Miami Palms are heading home with a little wind at their backs.

The Palms closed out their Houston trip by taking the series finale, a steady 5–2 win over the Astros on Sunday, securing back-to-back victories and nudging their record to 38–35 as they head into Monday’s off day.

Unlike Saturday night’s 13-inning epic, this one followed a calmer, more controlled script — and after the way the week began, calm felt just fine.

Brian Kragh set the tone early, settling in after a two-run first inning and retiring 13 of the next 16 hitters he faced. The right-hander went six innings, allowing six hits and two runs, and kept Houston quiet long enough for the Palms’ offense to methodically chip away.

Miami answered immediately after falling behind. Matt Koch’s RBI single in the third got the Palms on the board, and an inning later Brock Holt launched a solo shot to right to tie the game. The decisive blow came in the fifth, when Chris Korb turned on a Lance McCullers fastball and sent it into the seats for a two-run homer, flipping the game for good.

Korb finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs before being listed as day-to-day afterward. The club indicated no roster moves are planned, a sign the concern is minimal as Miami prepares to head home.

From there, the bullpen did exactly what it has done all season. Jeremy Jeffress bridged the gap with two scoreless innings despite issuing a pair of walks, and Chris Martin closed the door with a clean ninth to earn his 22nd save.

The Palms tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single Matt Wieters, giving Martin breathing room and putting a tidy bow on the afternoon.

After dropping four straight earlier in the week, Miami leaves Houston having won two of three and, perhaps more importantly, having rediscovered its balance.

Now comes a much-needed day off — and then a return home to Coca-Cola Palms Park for another meeting with Toronto, a club that has already caused Miami more than its share of frustration this month.

This time, though, the Palms come back with momentum — and with the sense that the slide has finally been left behind in Texas.

 Miami Palms 5, Houston Astros 2

 Sunday, June 14, 2020

 

 

 Miami Palms (38-35)                                      Houston Astros (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        4  0  1  0  0  0  2  0  0  0   .293      Tucker rf       4  1  2  1  1  1  5  0  0  0   .625

 Koch 2b         4  0  1  1  1  0  0  3  0  0   .273      Altuve 2b       3  1  0  0  2  0  0  3  0  1   .077

 Grant rf        3  0  0  0  2  0  7  0  0  2   .295      Bregman 3b      2  0  0  0  1  0  0  1  0  0   .182

 Encarnacion dh  5  2  2  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   .252      Alvarez dh      4  0  0  0  0  1  0  0  0  2   .083

 Korb 3b         4  1  2  2  1  0  1  1  0  2   .269      Gurriel 1b      4  0  0  0  0  1  9  0  0  2   .308

 Wieters c       4  0  1  1  1  1  9  0  0  3   .245      Brantley lf     4  0  2  1  0  0  2  0  0  0   .308

 Holt lf         5  1  1  1  0  0  0  0  0  4   .249      Springer cf     4  0  1  0  0  3  8  0  0  2   .154

 Garcia 1b       4  0  0  0  0  1  6  0  0  0   .222      Correa ss       4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0   .077

 Sohn cf         2  1  0  0  2  0  2  0  0  0   .267      Maldonado c     4  0  1  0  0  2  3  0  0  2   .200

 

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

 Totals          35 5  8  5  7  3  27 5  0  11            Totals          33 2  6  2  4  8  27 5  0  9  

 

 

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

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

 Miami Palms            0  0  1  1  2  0  0  0  1         5  8  0  

 Houston Astros         2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0         2  6  0  

 

 

 

 LOB- Miami Palms 11, Houston Astros 9; 2B- Encarnacion(12); HR- Holt(4), Korb(12),

 Tucker(1); RBI- Koch(25), Wieters(25), Holt(21), Korb 2(39), Tucker(3), Brantley(1);

 RLSP- Wieters 2, Holt, Korb, Grant 2, Alvarez, Gurriel, Springer, Maldonado;  

 

  

  

 

 

 Miami Palms               IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 Kragh(W 4-3)              6.0  6  2  2  2  5    3.78  

 Jeffress(H,6)             2.0  0  0  0  2  3    2.86  

 Martin(S, 22)             1.0  0  0  0  0  0    1.90  

 

 Houston Astros            IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 McCullers, Jr(L 0-1)      5.0  5  4  4  5  3    7.20  

 Conine                    2.0  1  0  0  1  0    0.00  

 Valdez                    2.0  2  1  1  1  0    4.50  

 

 Pitches-strikes- Kragh 68-47, Jeffress 23-14, Martin 8-4, McCullers, Jr 80-43,

 Conine 25-11, Valdez 23-11; Batters faced- Kragh 27, Jeffress 8, Martin 3, McCullers,

 Jr 25, Conine 9, Valdez 9; 


 HBP- Munoz(by Conine), Bregman(by Kragh);  


 Temp - 0, Sky - Roof Closed, Wind -  

 

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