Palms 6, Rangers 1

 Friday, June 26, 2020 – Coca-Cola Palms Park

By Vin Castillo

The transaction wire told part of the story before first pitch.

The performance on the field told the rest.

With Dylan Bundy activated earlier in the day and Javy Blanco optioned out, the Miami Palms handed the ball to a fresh arm—and got exactly what they needed: dominance, length, and a reminder of what this rotation might look like at full strength.

Bundy struck out 12 over 6.2 shutout innings, and the Palms backed him with an early offensive surge in a 6–1 victory over the Texas Rangers, pushing Miami to 42–41.

“That’s as good as we’ve seen him,” pitching coach Tony Rico said. “Attack the zone, get ahead, finish hitters. That’s the blueprint.”

Bundy Sets the Tone

From the outset, Bundy looked in control.

He didn’t issue a walk, worked efficiently through traffic, and repeatedly put Rangers hitters away with two strikes. Texas managed eight hits against him, but rarely threatened in any meaningful way.

“I just tried to stay aggressive,” Bundy said. “That’s what they want from me here—go right at guys.”

That approach fits squarely within Rico’s philosophy: pound the zone, keep pitch counts manageable, and push deep into games. On Friday, it worked to near perfection.

Second-Inning Surge

While Bundy handled the pitching, the offense gave him breathing room early—and decisively.

Miami broke the game open with a five-run second inning, capitalizing on shaky command from Texas starter Kyle Gibson.

The rally featured contributions up and down the lineup, but the big swing came from Brett Gardner, who launched a three-run homer as part of a three-RBI night.

“We got some pitches to hit and didn’t miss them,” Gardner said. “That’s the difference.”

Matt Wieters added a solo homer later, and Ian Pfaff continued his strong showing with a home run of his own, giving the Palms a trio of long balls on the night.

Bullpen Finishes the Job

After Bundy exited in the seventh, Adam Conley allowed the lone Texas run before settling in, and Brian Matusz closed it out cleanly.

It was a relatively low-stress finish—something that hasn’t always been the case for this club.

Roster Carousel Continues

The win came amid continued roster movement as Miami reshapes its pitching staff.

Following the game, the club confirmed that Brian Kragh will be optioned to Triple-A Jackson, with Erick Fedde set to return ahead of Saturday’s contest.

It’s a reflection of both necessity and opportunity: fresh arms, shifting roles, and a rotation still trying to find its most reliable form.

“We’re getting closer,” manager Scott Hatteberg said. “That’s what this is about—finding the right mix.”

Building Something?

After an uneven stretch, the Palms have now followed up an 18-run outburst with a crisp, well-pitched win—two very different paths to the same result.

The challenge, as always, is sustaining it.

But for one night, the formula was clear:

An early lead.
A starter who went deep.
And a lineup that did enough—without needing to do everything.

If that combination sticks, this might be more than just a brief upswing.

It might be a sign of something settling into place.

 Miami Palms 6, Texas Rangers 1

 Friday, June 26, 2020

 

 

 Texas Rangers (2-3)                                      Miami Palms (42-41)                                     

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

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

 Andrus ss       5  0  2  0  0  2  1  0  0  0   .467      Gardner dh      4  1  1  3  1  2  0  0  0  3   .313

 Choo dh         5  0  0  0  0  3  0  0  0  3   .214      Munoz ss        5  1  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0   .287

 Santana cf      4  0  1  0  0  3  1  0  0  0   .350      Koch 2b         5  0  1  0  0  1  1  1  0  0   .264

 Gallo rf        4  1  1  0  0  2  3  0  0  0   .313      Encarnacion 1b  4  0  2  1  0  1  3  1  0  1   .268

 Odor 2b         4  0  3  1  0  0  2  2  0  0   .350      Wieters c       4  1  1  1  0  0  15 0  0  3   .248

 Calhoun lf      4  0  1  0  0  1  3  0  0  3   .111      Pfaff 3b        3  1  1  1  1  0  0  2  0  0   .393

 Guzman 1b       4  0  2  0  0  0  5  0  0  1   .263      Holt lf         3  1  3  0  1  0  2  0  0  0   .272

 Duffy 3b        4  0  1  0  0  2  1  0  0  2   .455      Roeder cf       2  1  0  0  1  1  4  0  0  0   .235

 Federowicz c    4  0  0  0  0  2  7  1  0  1   .188      Sohn rf         4  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  0  2   .273

 

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

 Totals          38 1  11 1  0  15 24 3  0  10            Totals          34 6  10 6  4  7  27 4  0  9  

 

 

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

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

 Texas Rangers         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1  0      1  11 0  

 Miami Palms           0  5  0  0  1  0  0  0         6  10 0  

 

 

 

 LOB- Texas Rangers 10, Miami Palms 9; 2B- Odor(1), Guzman 2(2), Holt 2(13); 3B- Gallo(1);

 HR- Wieters(13), Gardner(7), Pfaff(1); RBI- Odor(2), Encarnacion(52), Wieters(28),

 Gardner 3(16), Pfaff(3); RLSP- Calhoun 2, Guzman, Duffy 2, Federowicz, Choo 2,

 Wieters, Gardner 2, Sohn;  

 

  

  

 

 

 Texas Rangers            IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 Gibson(L 0-2)            1.2  5  5  5  3  1    8.22  

 Montero                  2.1  1  0  0  0  2   14.40 

 Martin                   1.0  2  1  1  1  1    4.50  

 Nicasio                  2.0  2  0  0  0  2    0.00  

 Garcia                   1.0  0  0  0  0  1    9.00  

 

 Miami Palms              IP   H  R  ER BB SO    ERA

 Bundy(W 3-7)             6.2  8  0  0  0  12   5.36  

 Conley                   1.1  3  1  1  0  2    5.46  

 Matusz                   1.0  0  0  0  0  1    4.50  

 

 Inherited runners-scored- Montero 2-0, Conley; Pitches-strikes- Gibson 41-19, Montero 24-17,

 Martin 24-12, Nicasio 21-16, Garcia 9-7, Bundy 94-66, Conley 25-16, Matusz 6-5;

 Batters faced- Gibson 13, Montero 8, Martin 7, Nicasio 8, Garcia 3, Bundy 28, Conley 7,

 Matusz 3; 


 HBP- Roeder(by Martin);  

 

  

 Temp - 89, Sky - Partly Cloudy, Wind - E 14MPH 

 

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