Daytona defeats Miracle, 7-3 to capture FSL title

Fort Myers 3 at Daytona 7

W: A. Cashner (1-0, 0.00); L: A. Burnett (1-1, 3.38)
HR: FTM: J. Woodard (1). DAY: J. Adduci (1), Y. Carter (1).

The Daytona Cubs were bound and determined not to wait one more day for a Florida State League Championship. As a result, they wasted little time defeating the Fort Myers Miracle, 7-3 to take the title.

I said I would be happy if the Miracle got past Dunedin and I stand by that. Great job boys!

The Miracle actually got on to the scoreboard first, with Johnny Woodard putting one over the right field wall in the 2nd inning.

Daytona took it right back with Yusef Carter going yard in the bottom half of the stanza. John Mota would follow that up with a single, and be plated by Darwin Barney's double. Tony Thomas smacked a line drive out to center that scored Barney. He'd try to stretch it for a double and failed, finishing the inning with the Cubs up 3-1.

James Adduci took a home run off Miracle starter Alex Burnett as well, putting his over the left field fence just to be a little different. Ty Wright singled and advanced to second on a error by Yancarlos Ortiz as he and Wilson Ramos attempted to take out Wright, who chose to steal 2nd. Following a ground out to Blake Lalli that advanced the runner to 3rd, Russ Canzier hit a sac-fly to bring Wright in, for the fifth Cubs run.

Back-to-back doubles by Ramos and Whit Robbins gave the Miracle another run. Edward Ovalle would single Robbins to 3rd, and after Woodard went down on strikes, Garrett Olson hit into a sac double-play that plated Robbins.

The score would stand at 5-3 until the bottom of the sixth when the Cubs tacked on two more. Steve Clevenger doubled and moved to 3rd on a wild pitch by Spencer Steedley. A walk to Carter signaled a pitching change for the Miracle, with Ozzie Sosa coming in to replace Steedley. Mota singled to drive in Clevenger, and Barney followed that up with a double that brought in Carter. Jose Lugo would be brought, the second pitching change of the inning, to get Adduci to ground out before the Cubs could add a few more runs.

In the end, the Cubs out hit the Miracle 48 to 25 and it was their prowess with a bat that made the difference.

Fort Myer recorded five hits in the final match of the contest with Steve Singleton, Ramos, Edward Ovalle and Johnny Woodard all going 1-for-4 and Robbins going 1-for-2. Sing, Ramos and Robbins all had extra base hits, Woodard had the home run and Robbins, Woodard and Olson had the RBIs.

The Miracle conclude what can only be considered a successful 2008 season under field manager Jeff Smith. With Fall Instructional League and Arizona Fall League on the way, http://www.miraclefans.com/ will be taking a look at some of the prospects you can expect to see in a Miracle uniform in 2009, so don't go away!

Again, thanks to the Minnesota Twins for providing us with a great group of players, and to the staff of the Fort Myers Miracle for being such wonderful hosts at Hammond Stadium.

Congratulations to the Cubs who captured their second Championship since the turn of the century.

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Miracle sweep way to West Division Championship

Dunedin 1 at Fort Myers 3

W: A. Burnett (1-0, 0.00); L: R. Gonzalez (0-1, 3.00); SV: A. Slama (2)
HR: None.

The Fort Myers Miracle swept the Dunedin Blue Jays 2-game to none to become the 2008 West Division Champions of the Florida State League Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium.

Alex Burnett pitched what may well have been one of the best games of his career, limiting the Jays to only 2 hits and 3 walks over six innings while striking out 3.

The Miracle got on the board in the bottom of the second, with Whit Robbin doubling off Reider Gonzalez to start off. Edward Ovalle would go down on strikes, but Woodard singled to drive in Robbins. Following an Eli Tintor fly out, Woodard would steal 2nd base. Yancarlos Ortiz would draw a walk, and a wild pitch moved Woodard to 3rd. Juan Portes doubled to bring in Woodard and put Ortiz at 3rd, but Steve Singleton would ground out to end the inning.

Nathan Starner would replace Gonzalez in the bottom of the 7th for the Jays, and Ortiz would greet him with a single. He'd then steal second. Both Portes and Singleton would go down on strikes, but Rene Tosoni drew a walk, with a wild pitch advancing Ortiz to 3rd. Chad Blackwell would then trot out to the mound to try to hold the Miracle in check, but Wilson Ramos took a single off him to drive in Ortiz for the 3rd Miracle run.

Blair Erickson replaced Burnett in the top of the 7th. Jesus Gonzalez would reach on a throwing error by Portes in the top of the 8th, then move to 2nd as the ball went into the dugout. Adam Calderone singled Gonzalez in for the lone Dunedin run, as Luis Sanchez would ground into a double play, and Chris Emanuele would go down swinging.

Anthony Slama walked David Cooper in the 9th and allowed a single to Cory Patton, but with one out already on the board, he'd strike out Matt Liuzza and get Anthony Hatch to hit into a ground out to end the game.

Everyone except Rene Tosoni had a single for the Miracle, although T-Bone would draw a walk to get on base.

The Miracle will now wait on the outcome of the East Division series. In the conclusion of Tuesday's rain suspended game, the Daytona Cubs would pull out a 10-0 win courtesy of a six-run 8th inning. The series now shifts to Daytona for game two on Thursday and game three, if necessary, on Friday.

The East Division has home field advantage for the series, so the Miracle will host the first two games of the best-of-five championship series.

As with the Wednesday's game, free general admission tickets can be acquired at Lee and Collier County Racetrac locations. They tickets may be upgraded to a box seat for an additional $2.00 at the gate.

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Errors costly in Miracle loss

Lakeland 7 at Fort Myers 5

W: L. Oliveros (1-1, 5.19); L: A. Burnett (8-6, 3.79); SV: R. Garcia (1)
HR: FTM: J. Woodard (6).

Both Jonah Nickerson and Alex Burnett got off to absolutely wretched starts, the difference is Nickerson came out and Burnett did not. Although to Alex's credit, after initial inning, he did not allow another run.

It was the night of the million bloodsuckers at Hammond Stadium, and Justin Justice got the party started when he reached on a fielding error by Edward Ovalle out in left. Gustavo Nunez ground into a force out which took Justice down at second. A wild pitch by Burnett put Nunez at 2nd, and Louis Ott took a walk. Michael Bertram reached on an error by Ed's favorite player Johnny Woodard, which loaded up the bases. Catcher Devin Thomas would go down on strikes before Jordan Lennerton singled out to center to scored two. Jeramy Laster doubled to bring on Bertram and Brandon Timm singled to score Lennerton and Laster. Timm would steal second and advance to 3rd on a throwing error by Wilson Ramos, but Carmelo Jaime ground out before further damage could be done.

Nickerson walked Juan Portes to lead off. Steve Singleton and Rene Tosoni both hit into ground outs but Ramos took a walk. Woodard then put a fly ball over the right field wall to give the Miracle a quick three. Ovalle doubled and Tintor singled to send him ot 3rd. Danny Lehmann's single plated Ovalle. That's when Nickerson came out of the game, with Lester Oliveros replacing him on the mound.

That pretty much calmed everything down for a few. Woodard doubled in the bottom of the 3rd. Both Lehmann and Garrett Olson would get hit by pitches in the bottom of the 4th and advanced on a throwing error by Timm, but Singleton ground out and Tosoni flew out leaving them stranded.

Robbie Weinhardt replaced Oliveros in the bottom of the fifth and hit Ramos with a pitch that looked like it really hurt. Woodard would strike out before Ovalle was plunked with a pitch as well. Tintor went down on strikes, but Lehmann drew a walk to load the bags. Garrett Olson would go down swinging however, stranding the men.

Joe Testa replaced Burnett in the top of the sixth and walked Jordan Lennerton. Jeramy Laster singled and Timm walked the bases full. Jaime singled to drive in Lennerton and Lester. Jaime would then be caught stealing. Justin Justice doubled, but Gustavo Nunez ground out to send the Miracle up to bat.

After that inning, Testa proved pretty amazing, striking out three in the 7th and another in the 8th.

Speaking of the 8th, Garrett Olson struck out to open the bottom half of the stanza. Portes singled before Singleton went down on strikes. Danny Santiesteban took a walk, and Ramos singled to drive in Portes. A wild pitch by Cody Satterwhite advanced the runners, but Woodard struck out to send the Tigers back up to bat.

Burnett allowed 5 runs, none of which were earned, on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven. Testa worked the final four, allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while fanning five.

Ramos was 2-for-3 with walk, a run and a RBI, Woodard was 2-for-5 with with a double, a run and three RBIs from the home run. Portes was 1-for-5 with a walk and a pair of runs. Ovalle and Tintor were 1-for-4, Ovalle with a double and a run, Tintor with a walk. Lehmann rounded things out, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.

The Miracle and the Flying Tigers play two tomorrow on RaceTrac Cheaper by the Gallon night and Kids Club Wednesday. Rick Porcello (7-6, 2.80) said he was pitching game one for the Flying Tigers.

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Chuck Golden: the hardest working person at the ballpark


New railings were installed to help hold up the players


A big race car came to visit on NASCAR night....


...and a little one as well!

Insect repellent is available at the gift shop. Cigar smoke will keep the little vampires away as well, but the insect repellent smells better.

The Portland took both sides of a double header from the New Britain Rock Cats. They won the first game 6-4, and the second game 7-2. Brandon Roberts homered in the second game, one of only four hits for the Rock Cats (Seadogs/OSC).

The Syracuse Chiefs rolled over the Rochester Red Wings, 9-1 at Frontier Field. Luke Hughes was 2-for-4 at the plate with the lone Wings tally (RD&C).

Charles Nolte suffered the loss as the Kane County Cougars rallied past the Beloit Snappers, 3-2. Mark Dolenc was 2-for-4 with a run for the Snappers (Snappers).

Fay finally found it's way up into the Appalachian Mountains, and as a result, the game between Princeton and Elizabethton was canceled due to rain. The E-Twins are schedule to start their playoff series against Pulaski on Wednesday.

Fort Myers clubs Tigers, 8-1

Fort Myers 8 at Lakeland 1

W: A. Burnett (8-5, 3.92); L: J. Nickerson (11-4, 3.88)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (11). LAK: J. Justice (10).

Justin Justice knocked a solo shot fly ball over the right field wall for his 10th home run of the year, but that was all the Lakeland Flying Tigers would get, as Alex Burnett turned in a stellar performance on the mound for the Fort Myers Miracle.

Justice's yarder came in the top of the 3rd. Burnett would scatter five hits and one walk over six innings while fanning a career-high 10 to keep the Tigers caged. Carlos Gutierrez worked a pair of innings in relief, givng up 1 hit and Anthony Slama worked the final inning, allowing one hit and striking out 3.

Fort Myer's was feeling feisty after several days of rest and continued the slug fest the Flying Tigers had started the day before.

Juan Portes led off by hitting a ground rule double to center field. Johnny Woodard singled him in to give the Miracle one.

Danny Santiesteban singled in the top of the 3rd and stole 2nd base. Woodard took a walk before Wilson Ramos' line drive single plated Santiesteban. Edward Ovalle then doubled in Woodard to make it 3-0, Fort Myers.

That's when Hurricane Justin hit, but much like Fay's passage through the Southwest Florida area, he didn't do much damage.

Portes would take the run back in the top of the fourth, hitting a fly ball over the left field fence for his 11th home run of 2008.

Woodard doubled in the top of the 5th. Back-to-back singles by Wilson Ramos and Edward Ovalle brought him home. Zach Simons would be summoned for the bull pen at that point to replace starter Jonah Nickerson. He would get Tintor to pop out and Garrett Olson to hit into a double play to leave the two Miracle runners stranded.

Simons kept the Miracle bats quiet until he was replace on the mound in the top of the eighth by Lester Oliveros. Oliveros allowed a walk to Juan Portes, but did not allow a hit...

Until the ninth inning. Woodard took a double to lead off and Ramos doubled as well. Ovalle smacked his 10th triple of the season out to center field, and Eli Tintor sacrificed him in. That gave the Miracle their eight, as Olson popped out and Lehmann ground out to retire the Miracle.

Louis Ott tripled off Slama to lead off the bottom of the 9th, but Slama found three straight strikes to keep him at 3rd as he ended the contest.

Portes and Woodard were both 3-for-4 with walks, Portes with 2 runs and a RBI, and Woodard with a pair of doubles, three runs and a RBI. Portes would fall a triple shy of the cycle, hitting a single, a double and a home run in the contest.

Wilson Ramos went 4-for-5 at the plate with a run and 2 RBIs. Ovalle had the triple that Portes needed, and went 3-for-5 at the plate, but lacked the home run for the cyle. He'd end up with one run and 3 RBIs. Ortiz as 1-for-4 and shared the game's one hit wonder role with Danny Lehmann who was 1-for-5, as was Santiesteban, who also had a run.

Both Tintor and Santiesteban fell one strike out short of the Golden Sombrero, and left the park without a prize. (Better luck next time, kids!)

The rubber match of the 3-game set will be played Friday at 7:00 PM unless Fay has found some more rain to dump on us. (Don't you just hate weepy little girls?) Freddy Garcia (0-0, 0.00) will start the game for the Tigers on a major league rehab, while Spencer Steedley (1-3, 7.83) will attempt to throw his second straight gem for the Miracle.

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Thursday's GCL game was rained out and will be made up on Tuesday, the final day of the GCL season. The GCL Twins continue to hold on to the wild card slot, while the GCL Pirates defeated the GCL Orioles, to move to 1.5 games head of the Twins in the standings. The Twins play at home Sunday with a double header against the Orioles set for an 11:00 AM start time. (Yes, Brett, I'll be trying to graph the O's. At least a few of the boys.)

The Rock Cats fell 6-3 to Erie in New Britain. Yohan Pino took the loss. Danny Berg made his AA debut, going 1-for-4 at the plate. Matt Tolbert, on rehab, finished off 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees slipped by Rochester, 8-7. Alejandro Machado went 3-for-5 at the plate with a run and 2 RBIs for the Red Wings.

The Burlington Bees downed the Beloit Snappers, 6-2. Henry Reyes suffered the loss. Ben Revere had the night off, so Estarlin De Los Santos when 3-for-5 for Beloit with a RBI to make for it. Former Miracle Yangervis Solarte was 2-for-5 at the plate, while former GCL alumni Andrew Schmiesing was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and a RBI on the night. (Recap)

Team USA defeated team Japan 4-2 in the 11th inning , concluding the round-robin portion of the competition with a 5-2 record. They advance to the medal round and will meet Cuba in the second semifinal with the first pitch set for 6:00 PM Friday on the Wukesong Main Field. Recap)

Miracle power past Flying Tigers

Lakeland 5 at Fort Myers 6

W: C. Gutierrez (3-1, 2.89); L: R. Garcia (4-3, 4.63); SV: A. Slama (24)
HR: LAK: M. Bertram 2 (6). FTM: W. Ramos (13), D. Santiesteban (6).

Danny Santiesteban's home run in the bottom of the sixth put the Fort Myers Miracle on top, and Anthony Slama came in to shut the door, giving the Miracle a 6-5 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Justin Justice and Luis Ott hit singles to open up the contest and Michael Bertram put a ball over the right field fence to spot the Flying Tigers a 3 run lead. "Wait. I want to start this over," said Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony, who was late getting ot his seat. I'm sure Alex Burnett wanted to start over as well. He walked Cale Iorg who then stole 2nd, but then got Jordon Lennerton out on strikes. Jeramy Laster flew out and Devon Thomas popped out to send the Miracle up to bat.

The home town team would not get something going until the bottom of the 2nd when Johnny Woodard was hit by a pitch. He'd move to second on Danny Berg's ground out, then came home on a Santiesteban single.

The Twins may be interested in putting Santiesteban on the mound full time, but Mr. Santiesteban does not yet appear ready to relinquish the lumber.

Bertram put his 2nd home run of the night over the wall in the top of the third inning, to make it 4-1 Tigers.

Danny Lehmann drew a walk off Duane Below in the bottom of the third and Yancarlos Ortiz singled his way onto base. After Garrett Olson popped out, Edward Ovalle singled out to left to fill up the bags. Wilson Ramos then launched his team leading 13th home run of the season over the right field fall for a grand slam putting the Miracle on top.

The bottom of the fourth would see Lehmann and Ortiz hit back-to-back singles. Below then walked Garrett Olson which sent Tigers' field manager Andy Barkett walked out to the mound to retrieve the ball from Below. He'd pass it off to Ramon Garcia who got Ovalle to pop out and Ramos to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Sarmelo Jaime singled in the top of the 5th and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Justice singled him ot 3rd and after a line out to Ott and a fly out to Bertram, Burnett would hit Iorg with a pitch to load the bases. Lennerton singled to drive in Jaime, but Burnett got Jeramy Laster to ground into a force out to retire the Tigers before more damage could be done.

Carlos Gutierrez replaced Burnett for the top of the sixth, getting three quick outs after allowing a lead off single to Thomas.

Danny Santiesteban then put his sixth of the year over the left field fence to put the Miracle back on top.

Despite a single to Justice in the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers did not seriously threaten through the remainder of the contest. Gutierrez got his 3rd win of the season, while Slama earned his 24th save.

Berg, Santiesteban and "Air" Ortiz were all 2-for-4, Santiesteban and Ortiz with runs, Santiesteban with a pair of RBIs. Ramos and Lehmann were both 1-for-3 with a run, Ramos with 4 RBIs, Lehamann with a walk. Ovalle was 1-for-4 with a run.

The two teams rematch tomorrow with Deolis Guerra (10-7, 4.93) on the mound for Fort Myers vs. Lakeland's Jonah Nickerson (10-3, 3.86). It is Golf Giveaway Night at the stadium. It is also Miraclefans.com annual Cheer for Tigers night. We realize the Lakeland Tigers don't have any fans, and like to give them a hurray once a year when they come into town so they will feel welcome.

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It was Ramos' fifth grand slam of the season, setting a new franchise record for the team. Ramos also ties Juan Portes for the most grand slams hit all time.

Twins prospect and former 1st rounder Henry Sanchez has reportedly left the Gulf Coast League. Twins Director of Minor Leagues Jim Rantz says that Sanchez will be taking the rest of the summer off "to regroup".

Lakeland's Jordan Tata was injured during Wednesday night's game and will reportedly retire rather then try to rehab again. Tata started the season on the injured reserve and has had a tough time coming back.

Miracle shut out by Reds

Sarasota 3 at Fort Myers 0

W: R. Gonzalez (5-8, 6.42); L: A. Burnett (7-5, 3.74); SV: L. Ondrusek (1)
HR: None.

Sarasota played a 15 inning game last night, defeating Lakeland 3-2. Today, the Fort Myers Miracle looked more like the team that played 15 innings, as they allowed themselves to be shut out by a strong Sarasota Reds pitching staff.

Alex Burnett worked a solid seven innings for the home town team, allowing only 1 run, earned on six hits while striking out 3.

Todd Frazier would take a double off Burnett in the top of the 4th inning. One out later, he'd be plated by Carson Kainer's line drive single to right. Eli Tintor would try to make the play at the plate, rather than go for the cut off man, an error in judgment, but it nearly paid off. Unfortunately, close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear weapons.

By the fourth inning, I had discovered the drink rail and party deck, a lovely innovation here at the Bill where there were big shady umbrellas to hide under. So I had a great view of Eli making that throw.

I also a wonderful view of him overrunning Juan Francisco's triple out to center as he collided with the wall and Danny Santiesteban was left to run down the ball on the grass. This lead to a two runs in the top of the 8th. Chris Heisey had singled his way onto base and scored on Francisco's hit. Francisco would come home on Frazier's sacrifice to center.

Jose Mijares would be on the mound at the time, and aside from that little fiasco, pitched quite well indeed.

The Miracle were sluggish at the plate however. Steve Singleton would go 2-for-4. Danny Berg was 1-for-4 with a double, Tintor was 1-for-3 and Garrett Olson was 1-for-2. Tintor had the only walk for the team, although Olson and Woodard would both be hit by pitches.

Berg's double for the Miracle came in the bottom of the 2nd and Tintor would single him to 3rd. Danny Lehmann would reach on on a fielder's choice that took Berg out at home. Danny Santiesteban's ground out put Tint on 3rd and Lehmann on 2nd, at which point Olson would get plunked by a pitch to load the bags. Roberts would ground out however to end the inning.

Singleton's grounder in the 3rd, a force attempt that got Woodard on base, and a walk to Tintor loaded the bags in the 3rd as well, but Lehmann would go down on strikes to end the inning.

The Miracle will look for a measure of revenge Monday as Deolis Guerra (10-6, 4.89) will head up to the mound on Cheaper by the Gallon night against Sarasota's Scott Carroll (6-4, 3.30). First pitch is due out a 7:05. As the price of gas has gone down recently, so too has the price of beer, a box seat ticket and selected food items through out the stadium been reduced.

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I had been trying to sound out Matt Fox to find out what the major difference was between Low-A and High-A, but he wasn't particularly useful about it. He said the batters are a little better, but that's about it. "I'm giving up more runs, but I'm also striking out more," he said, which in his mind equates to him being about the same in both leagues. I am curious in part because Spencer Steedley has been struggling so at this level, and in part because I'm trying to judge the potential of the players in the rotation in Beloit in making the jump to Fort Myers next season.

Rain Brings out the worst in everyone

St. Lucie 3 at Fort Myers 2

W: C. Hoorelbeke (1-3, 4.91); L: A. Slama (3-1, 0.67); SV: R. Coultas (4)
HR: None.

Rain broke over Hammond Stadium about the same time as the game started so Alex Burnett took to the mound in a light drizzle, much, I'm sure to the his disgust. As you know, he's a California boy and it never rains in the California.

Peeter Ramos singled , then stole 2nd. A wild pitch by Burnett due a rain slick ball moved Ramos to 3rd and he'd score on Ruben Tejada's ground out.

There was a brief 13 minute rain delay around the bottom of the 2nd, or the top of the 3rd, during which time the field didn't quite get tarped before the rain slackened off again and play resumed.

Shaw Bowman doubled in the top of the 5th, then moved to 3rd on D.J. Wabick's ground out. A ground out by Brahiam Maldonado plated him to put the Mets up by two.

The Miracle took one back when Jan Portes singled out to left, then moved to 2nd on a wild pitch by Nicholas Carr. Danny Berg would reach on a fielding error by Ramos that put Portes at 3rd. After Eli Tintor went down on strikes and Danny Lehmann lined out, Yancarlos Ortiz singled out to right to drive in Portes for the first Fort Myers run.

Things turned ugly in the bottom of the ninth when Emary Frederick drilled Juan Portes with a pitch. The pair exchanged words before Met's catcher Josh Thole stepped in and shoved Portes. That started a general brawl as the benches cleared and punches were exchanged. A total of eight players, four from each team, would be ejected from the game, including Portes. Danny Santiesteban took over at first base as the pinch runner for Portes, and would advance to 2nd when Garrett Olson drew a walk off Casey Hoorelbeke. Tintor then singled to plate Santiesteban, tying up the game. Lehmann lined into a double play that sent the game into overtime.

Thole - who somehow managed not to get ejected but should have been - drew a walk off Anthony Slama with one out on the board in the top of the 11th. Luis Rivera reached on a force attempt when Ortiz missed a catch. After Wabick went down on strikes, Maldonando singled to score Thole. The Mets would turn to Ryan Coultas to close the game, and he did so by striking out Santiesteban and Olson and getting Tintor to ground out.

The Miracle now head over to Bright House Networks Field to take on the Clearwater Threshers for a three game series. Deolis Guerra (10-4, 4.42) will handle the pitching for the Miracle. Thursday's gametime is 7:00 PM, and the play-by-play can be heard on WMYR AM-1410 and WCNZ AM-1660 with the voice of the Miracle, Sean Fox replaying clips of Wednesday's night's main event for you.

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From MiLB.com:

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Miracle won just two of five games last week with three games being rained out, including a doubleheader at Daytona on July 19. Fort Myers is now tied for third place in the FSL West with Sarasota, six games behind division-leading Dunedin and a half game behind second-place Lakeland.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: 2B Steve Singleton is getting the job done lately with 10 hits in his last 33 at-bats for a .323 average while hitting eight RBIs and belting two homers. ... LF Juan Portes is begging for a few hits. He has a grand total of two hits in his last 34 plate appearances for an .059 average.

PLAYER TO WATCH: RP Jose Lugo is strong coming out of the Miracle bullpen of late. The left-hander from the Dominican Republic has not given up an earned run in his last 11 1/3 innings pitched. In that same span he has 11 strikeouts and two walks.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Singleton played a key role in the Miracle's 10-4 win at Daytona on July 18. The San Francisco native had four RBIs on two hits. The University of San Diego product plated a run in the top of the fourth with a single to center. In the fifth, Singleton cleared the bases with a three-run triple to right.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It seems totally different from extended spring training," 2B Yangervis Solarte told the Fort Myers News-Press of how he has adjusted to the promotion. "When I first got here, I felt pretty good. It seemed like I was just playing baseball. Then I started to see how difficult the league is. Not difficult, but how strong it is. I think I might have learned a couple of more things. But I'm comfortable enough in my abilities to play every day, wherever they put me."

Offense snoozes, Miracle loses to Daytona

Fort Myers 2 at Daytona 4

W: H. Chen (1-0, 3.47); L: A. Burnett (6-4, 3.78); SV: B. Parker (4)
HR: FTM: S. Singleton (3). DAY: D. Barney (3).

During the first half the the season, the Daytona cubs were not known for being a home team. It appears they've remedied that situation in the second half, and the Fort Myers Miracle found out the hard way, dropping game one of a four game series, 4-2 to the Cubs.

The Cubs would sent Hung-wen Chen to the mound, and he'd get a quick awakening when Steve Singleton took him yard over the right field fence. It was Sing's third home run of the season in a Miracle uniform.

In the bottom half of the lead off inning, Tony Thomas would single off Alex Burnett and then Darwin Barney homered off the Miracle right hander to put the Cubs up by one.

Ty Wright would take a walk off Burnett in the bottom of the fourth, and Steve Clevenger followed that up with a line drive to left. Marque Smith's line drive brought Wright in, and Yusef Carter sacrificed in Clevenger. Burnett would then get Russ Canzier to ground out and Ryan Harvey to strike out, stranding Smith.

On the whole, Burnett's performance wasn't bad. He'd allow 4 runs but on only 4 hits and a walk while fanning 7. The Miracle should have been able to deal with that, but with the exception of Sing, the offense was MIA.

Singleton tripled in the top of the sixth, and was sacrificed in by Wilson Ramos.

Sadly, that would be it for our boys in blue, as Dustin Sasser, Michael Cooper and Blake Parker blanked the Miracle through the next 3.1 innings.

Chen would pick up the win, Burnett would suffer his 4th loss of the season. Carlos Gutierrez finished up for the Miracle, allowing a pair of hits in the 8ths but no runs.

Singleton was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and a RBI. Garrett Olson was 2-for-4 and Danny Lehmann was 1-for-3. Sort of makes you wonder where some of the big bats from the first half of the season were (i.e. Ovalle, Portes).

The two teams rematch tomorrow in what was a partly cloudy, but mostly dry Daytona Beach. The Miracle will try to locate their bats against lefty Rich Hill on a major league rehab assignment from Chicago. Deolis Guerra (9-4, 4.28) will counter for the Miracle.

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Mood Rings, Lava Lamps and Rubik's Cubes were all part of the fads of the 70's, and the Miracle will return home on Sunday, July 20th to 70's night at the Bill, sponsored by the Breeze Newspapers. Come dressed for the disco, gear yourself out in your glam, parade your Punk, or perhaps engage in a bit of streaking while the home town boys take on the St. Lucie Mets.

Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Earnest Graham will be on hand to sign autographs to benefit the Earnest Giving Foundation, there will be a 70's car show on the mall, a pre-game concert by local band AsIz and a 70's costume contest (with prizes) as well. It's also a Fox 4 Miracle Kids' Club night. Pick up a coupon from the Breeze and get four reserved seating tickets for only $10! And, since it's 70's night, your pet rock gets in for Free!

FACTS about the 70's:
Population: 204,879,000
Unemployed in 1970: 4,088,000
National Debt: $382 billion
Average salary: $7,564
Food prices: milk, 33 cents a qt.; bread, 24 cents a loaf; round steak, $1.30 a pound
Life Expectancy: Male, 67.1; Female, 74.8

Among the top names in popular music were Aerosmith, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Alice Cooper, Eagles, Electric Light Orchestra, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Three Dog Night, and The Who. "Easy listening" regained popularity with groups such as the Carpenters, and Bob Marley gained a huge core of fans in the U.S. performing Jamaican reggae music.

The usual suspects

Fort Myers 1 at Vero Beach 12

W: H. Rollins (5-7, 3.46); L: A. Burnett (6-3, 3.69)
HR: VER: M. Fields (14), J. Callender (1).

Rounding up the usual suspects to pin this blow out on would not be hard. The Miracle bullpen has been suspect all season. While Alex Burnett was quietly good prior to the All-star break, he's struggled in the second half, with the exception of a very good game against Brevard County.

Burnett would exit early, lasting only three innings after surrendering 7 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits. Garrett Groce and John Matulia singled to start out the Rays offense in the bottom of the 1st. Groce however would be picked off and caught stealing by Miracle catcher Danny Lehmann. Neil Walton then hit a double to score Matulia. Walton would go to 3rd on Nevin Ashley's ground out, then come home on a Cesar Suarz single to give the Rays an early two run lead.

Al Reyes made a rehab start for the Rays and was replaced in the top of the second by Heath Rollins. Yangervis Solarte singled off of him, but the Miracle offense was nearly as listless as the pitching, managing only 6 hits to Vero Beach's 16.

Burnett got three quick outs in the bottom of the 2nd and in the top of the third, Yancarlos Ortiz singled out to center, then stole 2nd. Edward Ovalle would reach on throwing error by Matthew Hall at short that allowed Ortiz to score for the Miracle's lone run in the game.

Groce and Matulia singled in the bottom of the 3rd and Walton reached on a force attempt, but a fielding error by Ortiz allowed Groce to score and put Matulia on 2nd. Ashely hit into a force out to nab Walton at 2nd, which left runners at the corners. Suarez drove in Maulia and Ashley with a single to right that Ovalle threw past Solarte at third. Following a line out to 3rd, Joey Callender homered to bring in Suarez. Burnett would get Lopez to ground out, but it would be Spencer Steedley who trotted out to the mound in the 4th.

Groce singled and Matulia doubled to greet the new sitting duck pitcher. Walton's ground ball to center brought in the pair. Steedley would then get Ashley to fly out and Suarez to strike out. Despite loading the bags in the fifth, he'd manage to get out of the inning without additional damage.

Matt Williams replaced Steedley in sixth and walked Walton, then hit Ashley with a pitch. After Suarez went down on strikes, a wild pitch moved the pair. Matt Fields then doubled out to left to drive them in, making it 11-1.

Matt Hall would hit a ground rule double in the bottom of the second, but Williams was able to get out of the inning, despite hitting pinch hitter Craig Albernaz with a pitch. Fields would homer off Williams in the 8th to make it 12-1.

Ovalle was 2-for-4 while Wilson Ramos, Solarte, Lehmann and Ortiz all had singles in the game, making them, each and every one, one hit wonders. No one walked, and the Rays pitching staff struck out a combined total of eight.

The Miracle leave town with a split and return home to Hammond Stadium for a 4-game set against the Jupiter Hammerheads. It is Dog Daze III, plus Happy Hour Friday, so bring your Pooch to the Park and treat him or her to some free hot dogs from 6 until 7 PM. I doubt the Chips and Salsa would be much to their liking.

Deolis Guerra (8-4, 4.58) will hopefully be to the liking of the home town crowd as he'll be on the mound against Jupiter's Jeff Allison (5-6, 4.56). First pitch is due right after the free dogs stop, at 7:05 PM.

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Homestand Happenings: Saturday is Miracle Stadium Blanket Giveaway with the first 750 fans being treated to a stadium blanket from Gator Country 101.9 FM and Mix 104.7 FM. The Miracle also honor the first year inductees into the Topps Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame. Sunday is family Funday at the ball park with 4 general admission tickets, 4 dogs and 4 sodas, plus a program for only $20. Monday night is "Miracle Mystery Night" where you'll find yourself asking "Who did it?"

One night after being blown out by the Boston Red Sox 18-5, the Minnesota Twins bounced back to pick up a win over the Detroit Tigers, 7-6. Former Miracle Justin Moneau was 5-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs including a home run to lead the Twins attack. Tampa Bay native Denard Span, who played for the Miracle in 2005, was 4-for-4 with a walk and a pair of runs as well.

Strieby, Tigers top Miracle

Fort Myers 6 at Lakeland 7

W: R. Weinhardt (1-0, 0.00); L: M. Williams (0-1, 9.45)
HR: LAK: R. Strieby 2 (14), B. Boesch (5).

I'd been wondering what was up with Matt Williams of late. Perhaps this will teach me not to be so curious.

The young Aussie reliever allowed a home run to Ryan Strieby in the ninth. The Lakeland Flying Tiger's first baseman would put this 14th home run of the season over the left field fence to end the Fort Myers Miracle's win streak.

The game started and ended with Lakeland home runs as Brennan Boesch went yard off Miracle starter Alex Burnett in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Duane Bellow would keep the Miracle off the board for four innings.

The Miracle bats got working working when Danny Berg tripled to lead off the top of the fifth. Following a strike out to Eli Tintor, Yancarlos Ortiz took a walk and Garrett Olson singled to drive in Berg. Yangervis Solarte doubled out to right, scoring Ortiz. Steve Singleton flew out to right before Wilson Ramos hit a fly ball to center to drive in Olson and Solarte. Edward Ovalle's follow up grounder scored Ramos to give the Miracle a 5-1 lead.

Kyle Person replaced Below in the top of the sixth and hit Berg with a pitch. Yancarlos Ortiz would single one out later to move Berg to 3rd and the Aussie infielder came home on Garrett Olson's ground out, making it 6-1.

With one out on the board in the bottom half of the stanza, Santo de Leon singled. Brandon Timm's fly ball to left would rive De Leon in one out later to give the Tigers 2.

Burnett would walk Carmelo Jaime in the bottom of the 7th. A Louis Ott fly ball to center moved Jaime to 3rd. Ott would go down at second, trying to stretch the hit for a double. One out later, Strieby hit his 13th home run of the season over the left field field, making it 4-6 Tigers. Burnett would be taken from the mound at that point with Anthony Slama coming in to get the final out.

Slama has been solid most of the season, but would blow the save this time around. De Leon singled and Justin Justice walked. Timm would hit a sac-bunt to move the pair. After Slama got Devin Thomas out on strikes, a wild pitch would allow De Leon to score. Jaime then singled Justice in to tie up the game.

Slama got Ott to ground out in the bottom of the 9th before Williams came into the game. He'd get Michael Bertram to ground out before giving up the yarder to Strieby.

Edward Ovalle went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Miracle. Ramos was 3-for-5 with a run and a run scored, returning to the line up after a couple of games off. Garrett Olson was 2-for-5 with a run and a pair of RBIs. Berg was 1-for-3 but had a pair of runs in the contest.

The two teams play the last of the fireworks games Sunday night at 6:00 PM. Deolis Guerra (8-4, 4.32) will make the start for the Miracle against Lakeland's Jonah Nickerson (6-3, 3.49).

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Miracle win controversial game

Brevard County 2 at Fort Myers 3

W: O. Sosa (1-0, 4.15); L: M. McClendon (2-3, 5.03)
HR: BRE: L. Cain (6).

Garrett Olson came home in the bottom of the 10th in a very controversial call that gave the Fort Myers Miracle a 3-2 win over the Brevard County Manatees.

Jeremy Jeffress and Alex Burnett each kept the other team off the board until the bottom of the fifth. Jeffress would hit Yangervis Solarte with a pitch, which the Manatees argued that the young Miracle had leaned into. Eli Tintor then singled to put 2 runners on. Danny Santieseban would lay down a sac bunt to move the runners. Danny Lehmann then hit into a ground out that allowed Solarte to score.

The Manatees wasted no time answering, with Lorenzo Cain taking his sixth home run of the season from Burnett, sending a ball over the left field fence.

Jeffress would work through the sixth, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out a very impressive 9. Burnett would go through the 7th, allowing 1 run on five hits and a walk while striking out 2.

In the top of the 9th, Stephen Chapman singled out to center off reliever Oswaldo Sosa. Martin Mauldonado then hit a freight-train line drive that Danny Berg couldn't handle out to right field that moved Chapman to 3rd. Jeremy Mojica ground into a force out, allowing Chapman to score to put the Tees on top.

But the Miracle answered back, with Berg singling his way onto base and Solarte moving him on a sac-bunt. Tintor then singled to drive in Berg, sending the game into extra innings under a sky threatening to drop more rain on the already water weary fans.

Olson and Yancarlos Ortiz would single in the bottom of the 10th. The pair would be moved by Steve Singleton's sac bunt, and Mike McClendon would intentionally walk Edward Ovalle. Berg then reached on a force attempt with 3rd baseman Taylor Green throwing the ball the home. The ball would hit Olson in the back of the head on the way to the plate. The Manatees were arguing that Olson was outside the line when it happened, the umpire disagreed, much to the chagrin of Brevard.

The Miracle held a very subdued celebration under a light drizzle as the crowd scampered for the exits, hoping to avoid another drenching.

The rain will get a day to itself on Monday, as the Miracle take a rest. Baseball resumes at the Bill on Tuesday with the Yankees coming into town for a three game series, that ends in Independence Day fireworks on Thursday.

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Miracle ace Reds, 5-3

Sarasota 3 at Fort Myers 5

W: A. Burnett (6-2, 3.40); L: A. Smit (5-5, 3.91); SV: A. Slama (14)
HR: FTM: S. Singleton (1).

Former Miracle Alex Smit was dealing off the mound for the Sarasota Reds during the early part of Thursday evening's game, but in the end it would a current Fort Myers Miracle Ace who would take game one of the 2nd half of the FSL season.

Steve Singleton would go yard in the second inning for his first home run in a Miracle uniform, but it was all Fort Myers would get off Smit in the first five innings.

Meanwhile, the Reds took an early lead off Miracle starter Alex Burnett. Jose Castro singled out to center. Burnett would get Chris Heisey out on strikes before Todd Frazier's line drive moved Castro to second. Juan Francisco would fly out before Drew Stubbs hit his 17th double of the season to bring in the two runners.

The score would stay 2-1 Sarasota until the bottom of the sixth. Following a fly out to Nick Punto, Edward Ovalle walked. Juan Portes ground out out before Wilson Ramos singled out left to drive in Ovalle. Ramos would progress to 2nd on the throw. Whit Robbins then singled him in with a ground ball out to right to give the Miracle a 3-2 lead.

Stubbs would single off Burnett in the top of the 7th, and come in on Carson Kainer's double out to left, tying up the game.

Smit would finally tire in the bottom of the 7th, allowing a single to Garrett Olson who advanced to 2nd on Jose Castro's throwing error. A wild pitch moved Olson to 3rd. Steve Singleton would draw a walk, and following a pitching change that put Logan Ondrusek on the mound, moved to 2nd on Danny Santiesteban's ground out. Yangervis Solarte then smacked a grounder out to center to drive in the pair, making it 5-3.

Burnett would work seven innings, allowing 3 runs on six hits while fanning 4. Smit would be charged with 5 runs, all earned on 5 hits and a pair of walks while striking out six over six.

Ozzie Sosa gave the crowd a bit of a thrill in the 8th, looking a little shaky during his outing, walking Castro then moving him to 2nd on a while pitch. Heisey would single to move Castro to 3rd, but Sosa would get Frazier out on strikes and Francisco on a fly out to get out of the jam.

Ramos was 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI for the Miracle. Singleton was 1-for-2 with a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBIs, while Olson was 1-for-4 with a run. Robbins was also 1-for-4 with a run scored. Nick Punto and Juan Portes were the one hit wonders for the evening.

Friday is "Water Day" at the ball park as Miracle starter Tyler Robertson (4-2, 2.76) puts it. The big lefty will be pitted against Scott Carroll (3-1, 5.75). The park opens at 9 AM so you can enjoy all the water day festivities, with the game slated to start at Noon.

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And yes, for those who were curious, I did get some great autographs down at the Reds dugout. Drew Stubbs was very nice and signed everything! The only I didn't get was Danny Guerrero, largely because Sharpie had turned the mic on by that point, and I can't outshout Sharpie once he gets going. No biggie. I'm sure he'll be in the stands tomorrow or Saturday.

Portes books a ball for flight over the wall for Miracle win

Vero Beach 2 at Fort Myers 6

W: B. Erickson (1-0, 2.16); L: B. Baker (4-3, 2.52)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (5).

Prior to the game Danny Valencia wanted me to go ask Jim Rantz what flight he was booked on. So I dutifully did this.

"What did you tell him?"

"I was gonna tell them that he's penciled into New Britain's line up tomorrow but due the rising cost of gasoline, you're not longer paying for travel expenses, so he better start hitch hiking."

"No. Tell him he's booked on the bus to Jupiter."

"You mean Spacecoast."

"Where ever."

So there you go Danny, you're booked on the bus to where ever.

For the second straight night we had a really good game despite the fact that the B- team was on the field. Rocky Palacios was our first baseman. It was kind of scary.

But the boys got it done for manager Jeff Smith as Juan Portes hit a walk off grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Fort Myers Miracle to a 6-2 win over the Vero Beach Devil Rays.

The Devil Rays got on to the board first with Ryan Royster tripling a fly ball out to center. Nevin Ashley singled to bring in Royster for a one run Rays lead.

Wilson Ramos doubled out to center in the bottom of the inning, but got no further than 3rd on an Eli Tintor single.

Desmond Jennings double off starter Alex Burnett in the top of the 3rd. He moved to 3rd on a sac bunt by John Matuilia, and came home on Ceasar Suarez's ground out, to the put the Rays up by two.

Rays starter Michael Wlodarczyk limited the Miracle to just 2 hits, and struck out 2 over 4 innings. He'd be replaced by Matt Walker for the bottom of the 5th inning.

With 2 outs on the board, Danny Santiesteban singled his way onto base. Allan de San Miguel then tripled out to right to plate Santiesteban, cutting the Rays lead in half. Yangervis Solarte took a walk, and Edward Ovalle would single to drive in Dirty to the tying run.

Burnett worked 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on six hits while striking out 2. He'd give way to Jose Lugo, who struck out 4 over 2 perfect innings. Blair Erickson then made his way to the mound, striking out all three batters he faced in the 8th. He's allow a single to T.J. Hall in the ninth, but the Rays could go no where with it.

Brian Baker would take over from Walker in the 8th, using 2 ground outs and a fly out to retire the side.

Smith would try to get something going in the bottom of the inning by using Brian Dinkelman as a pinch hitter. Dink would get brushed by a the first pitch he faced and was awarded first base, despite the arguments of the D-Rays. De San Miguel moved him on a sac-bunt. Whit Robbins would be brought in to pinch hit for Solarte, and would be intentionally walked. Edward Ovalle - trying for the fence - quickly found himself down 2 strikes and was guarding the plate when he was drilled by Baker. With the bases full, Portes then put a ball over the left field wall. You knew that ball was going yard the minute it left the end of the stick.

The pile up and group hug at the plate was really a nice touch as the Miracle celebrated their second Grand Slam victory in as many days.

The Miracle were held to only 7 hits in the game, as were the Rays, and there were not multi-hit contestants on either team.

Tomorrow is a bull pen start, more or less as Matt Fox (2-1, 4.68) makes his first start of the Year for the Miracle. He will take on Ray's lefty Ryan Morse (2-2, 3.16).

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· Deolis Guerra was granted personal leave and flew home to Venezuela. Jeff Manship said he thought Deolis' Grandmother was seriously ill. Mike Allen was reassigned to the Elizabethton team.

· Someone (Josh maybe) had asked about Ben Petsch's release and the Jim's answer was that is was an numbers thing. "He was a good kid, we just had no where to put him."

· I asked about Paul Kelly and Jim said while he was getting closer he wasn't ready yet. "He has to be able to play three or four games in a row before we can do something with him, and he hasn't done that yet." I mentioned the brace and he said he'd be playing with it on. It's form fitted and designed for use in playing sports.

· When I informed Manship of the answer to Danny's question, he said "So we're playing the All-star game?"

"It appears so," I said. "He wants you to have fun."

"The Midwest League was fun. That stadium this game is at though is awful."

"No it's not, it a cute little..."

"The Locker Room," Cole Devries cuts in.

"The air conditioning wasn't working in the Locker Room," Manny explains. "You just sat there and sweated."

"Oh Jeff," I say. "I can't wait until you go up so you can learn Double-A whining. You're going to be so good at it."

"We are a whinny lot, aren't we?" says Devries, who I really hadn't noticed being too verbal with his complaints. He was also proving that real men CAN wear pink and get away with it, something the GCL boys don't believe.

· Tomorrow is the card set give away. The FSL top prospect set is also available in the gift shop. Manship and Ramos are the two top prospects in the set.

"They don't think I'm a top prospect," Valencia says.

"I think you're a top prospect," I tell him. But then, I say that to all the boys.

If you need to order either set, e-mail Justin at jstecz@miraclebaseball.com. Sets are $7.00 each.

· Someone had asked about the Yahoo feed for the website, thinking they'd booted me off the network. Yahoo is upgrading the platform of their 360 service to make it more integrated, by which I take it to mean they want to be more like myspace.com. And of course, Yahoo can't do anything without breaking the whole system first. So that's the deal, I'm not the only one whose blog feed is effected.

Miracle down Brevard County, move closer playoff berth

Fort Myers 6 at Brevard County 4

W: A. Burnett (5-2, 3.34); L: Z. Braddock (2-3, 3.90); SV: R. Delaney (13)
HR: BRE: S. Chapman (8).

The Fort Myers Miracle got back on track against the Brevard County Manatee at Spacecoast Stadium, picking up a 6-4 win.

A Manatee, for those not from around Florida, is a slow moving aquatic mammal that eats sea grass in coastal waters and inland rivers.

Alex Burnett allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while fanning 2 over six. He had however, lots of run support, which started in the top of the 3rd inning.

Yangervis Solarte and Yancarlos Ortiz would both be taken out on strikes. Brian Dinkelman would walk and Edward Ovalle would be hit by a pitch to follow him onto base. Danny Valencia then walked to load up the bags. Whit Robbins would walk to force in a run. Wilson Ramos would then hit a line drive that brought in Ovalle and Valencia. Juan Portes would be taken out on strikes to end the inning.

The Manatees would take on back in the bottom of the 3rd when Darren Ford drew a walk with 2 outs, then stole 2nd base. He'd advance to 3rd on a throwing error by Wilson Ramos, and would then be doubled in by Larenzo Cain.

Danny Santiesteban would reach on a fielding error in the top of the 4th, then move to second on a wild pitch by Tees starters Zach Braddock. Solarte would get him to 3rd on a sac-bunt and Ortiz would sacrifice him home to make it 4-1 Miracle.

In the top of the fifth, Rafael Lluberes would come out to replace Braddock on the mound. He'd get Ovalle to ground out, but Valenica singled to get on base. Robbins walked and Valencia moved to 3rd on a throwing error. A line drive single by Ramos brought in Valencia for yet another Miracle run.

The bottom of the sixth would prove troublesome for Mr. Burnett. He'd get Ford out on strikes, but Cain singled and Taylor Green walked. Andy Bouche's line drive then brought Cain in. Charlies Fermaint would fly out to right before Chuck Caufield singled. Green would try to make it home, but would be taken down at the plate for the final out.

Stephen Chapman would take Burnett deep over the right field wall in the top of the 7th. Yohannis Perez then walked before Anthony Slama replaced the failing Burnett on the mound. Perez would advance to 2nd on a ground out and a wild pitch by Slama got him to 3rd. Ford's single to center brought him in. That would be all the Manatees would get however, despite a walk to Cain and three stolen bases.

With two outs on the board in the top of the 8th, Yancarlos Ortis would reach on a throwing error by Green. Dinkleman and Ovalle would hit back-to-back singles which plated Ortiz for an insurance run.

Ramos finished up the game 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

The two teams rematch at 7:00 on Friday with southpaw Tyler Robertson (4-2, 2.76) on the mound for the Miracle. The Manatees will counter with right hander Jeremy Jeffress (2-2, 6.98).

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The Florida State League and Fort Myers Miracle are pleased to announce the addition of Wilson Ramos to the Florida State League All-star Game, which will be played on June 14, 2008 at Spacecoast Stadium in Viera, Florida.

Ramos replaced Lakeland catcher James Skelton who will miss the game due to an injury.

Ramos is the 7th Miracle player named to the 2008 All-star team. It is a record number for the Fort Myers Miracle. Ramos joins second baseman Brian Dinkelman, third baseman Danny Valencia, outfielder Rene Tosoni, starting pitcher Jeff Manship and relievers Anothny Slama and Robert Delaney on the team.

A 21-year old native of Valencia, Venezuela, Ramos compiled a .236 batting average, a team-high eight home runs and 38 RBI. Signed as a non-drafted free agent, he is in his first season with Fort Myers. Last season, he hit .291 with eight home runs and 42 RBI for the Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League.

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Ramos was not the only player honored this week as reliever Anthony Slama was named the Minnesota Twins minor league pitcher of the month. The 24-year old posted a 1.20 ERA in 11 games during the month of May. Drafted out of the University of San Diego, Slama has been lights out for the Miracle this season, compiling a 2-0 record with 9 saves, a 0.62 ERA, and 47 strike out over 29 innings.

Slama was a 39th round pick in the 2006 MLB draft. He spent his rookie season split between Elizabethton of the Appalachian League and Beloit of the Midwest League.

All in the Family?

The Minnesota Twins are holding a try out camp this Saturday at the Lee County Sportsplex. Eddie Santiesteban, the brother of current Miracle outfielder Danny Santiesteban and his brother-in-law, a grad from Judson College, Ill., will be participating in the camp. While Eddie says he as no plans for become a professional baseball player at this time of his life, it was the only way he could get his brother-in-law to participate and feels the kid has a chance to make the team.

Registration for the camp begins at 8:00 Am in front of the Hammond Stadium Ticket Office.

Anyone eligible to sign a professional contract may register, but players must be high school graduates who have not previously been drafted. They also may not fall under the restriction of major league baseball’s college agreement.

Participants should bring their own gloves and shoes, while the Twins will provide bats and balls. Tryouts are expected to last the entire day. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches.

The camp is conducted by the Twins player development staff.

Meanwhile, the Twins are wrapping up extended spring training for their rookie league players. The last game will be played Saturday, June 7th at the City of Palms Complex against the Boston Red Sox rookies. The Twins will then take two days off and go into a six day mini-camp. The players that will be assigned to the Elizabethton Twins will break camp on Sunday, June 15th.

Elizabethton begins their season on Tuesday, Just 17th against the Bluefield Orioles. The GCL Twins begin playing their short season schedule at the Lee County Sportplex, Thursday June 19th against the GCL Pirates.

More information on the Minnesota Twins rookie system can be found at gcltwins.com.

Miracle stump T-Yanks for 5th straight

Fort Myers 7 at Tampa 1

W: A. Burnett (4-2, 3.07); L: I. Nova (3-6, 4.20)
HR: FTM: J. Portes (3).

After a slow start to the season, the Fort Myers Miracle suddenly have five starting aces on their pitching staff. And a couple more in the bullpen.

Alex Burnett worked 6.1 inning allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a pair of walk. He struck out none, that has hardly noticeable.

Meanwhile the battery got to work early. Ivan Nova would get Brian Dinkelman to fly out to start the game, but Edward Ovalle singled. A wild pitch moved him to second. All-star Danny Valencia would ground out, but Whit Robbins took a walk to put men at the corners. Wilson Ramos and Juan Portes both hit ground ball singles to bring in Ovalle and Robbins respectively, giving the Miracle a pair of runs.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the 4th, Andres Perez doubled. Jose Gil then singled out to to left to plate Tampa's designated hitter. Gil would advance to third on a throwing error by Ramos, but Burnett got Smith to fly out to end the inning.

Ovalle opened up the top of the fifth with a triple. Valencia would sacrifice him in. Robbins walked and Ramos singled to put two men on. After Portes struck out, Eli Tintor would take a walk to load the bases. Yangervis Solarete singled out to left to bring in 2, and Yancarlos Ortiz would send a grounder to short to score Tintor.

Portes would hit a single shot homer in the top of the 9th as a going away gift for the Yankees, who only got a double off Matt Fox before he closed down the side.

Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a run, Portes was 2-for-4, with a walk, a run, and 2 RBIs, and Dinkelman, Ovalle, and Ramos were all 2-for-5, Dink with a walk, Ovalle with a pair of runs and Ramos with a run and a RBI.

The Miracle continue to Party with the Pinstripes tomorrow at Casa de Steinbrenner, with Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Baker making his second minor league rehab start, his first in the Florida State League. The Yankees pitcher is T.B.D. after the club lost All-star Eric Hacker to AA Trenton on Wednesday.

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Late inning fireworks finish off Miracle

Palm Beach 6 at Fort Myers 3

W: D. Bilardello (1-0, 0.00); L: J. Lugo (1-2, 6.00); SV: J. Dew (3)
HR: PBC: T. Cruz (4).

Jose Lugo has been having a bit of an odd season with the Fort Myers Miracle. Some games he's been lights out and some games he's been...well...

This was on of those other games.

James Rapopart greeted Lugo on the mound with ground ball single. Donovan Solano bunt into a force out. Either way, there was a man on base when Tony Cruz put one of the right center field wall for his 4th home run of the season.

The two points would be the turning point in a game that had been pretty even up to that point.

Alex Burnett generally throws in the upper 80's but can touch 91. He's got a fairly good change up that he uses to advantage. In the top of the 2nd inning, he allowed singles to Andrew Brown and Daryl Jones, before the change up got Luke Gorsett to ground into a double play. Daniel Descalso and A.J. Van Slyke both drew walks to load the bags. Nick Derba then doubled to clear the bases and give the Cards a three run lead.

Yangervis Solarte ground out to start the 3rd inning, but Yancarlos Ortiz singled his way onto base. Brian Dinkelman would get hit by a pitch, and Juan Portes' line drive to right filled up the bases. Slugger Danny Valencia would be called out on strikes, but Whit Robbins took a walk to force in a run. Edward Ovalle would be the hero this time, singling out to left to bring in Dinkelman and Portes and tie up the game.

And the game would stay tied through the next four innings. Valencia, who'd gotten on base on a force out, got all the way to 3rd in the bottom of the 5th, but Ovalle ground into a force out, leaving him stranded. A pair of singles to Wilson Ramos and Danny Berg where wasted in the bottom of the 6th when Ortiz ground into a double play.

Meanwhile, Burnett allowed only a double in the fifth.

In the top of the 9th, Rapaport drew walk from Lugo, then stole 2nd. Solano then doubled him into give the Cardinals yet another run.

Three straight ground outs in the 9th would end it for the Miracle.

Portes was 2-for-4 with 1 run on the game, the only player with a multi-hit game. The Miracle took 9 strikes outs from three different Palm Beach pitchers over the course of the contest with starter Shaun Garceau fanning 5 over six innings.

Alex Burnett would pick up only two strike outs, but with the exception of a couple mistakes in the third inning, pitched a smart game, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks for 3 earned runs over seven innings for a quality start.

Wear your whites tomorrow on White Out Sunday as lefty Tyler Robertson (2-2, 3.04) puts the team in pinstripes and pits them against the Cardinals' Brad Furnish (3-2, 3.35). Game time is 1:05 PM. You might want to bring a white towel as well, to protect your back end from the red-hot stadium seats.

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Notes: Tyler's fondness for the pinstripes as to do with the fact that the blue uniform doesn't fit him right and when he goes into his wind up everything comes untucked. We saw some of that Saturday night with Alex as well.

Props to Gary Sharp has been doing a really great job with the public address announcing. I was watching him Friday night during the pre-game ceremonies and not only was he down on the field with the wireless getting everything taken care of, he was walking up and down and reading from a script as well. Some of the PA announcer we've had in the past couldn't walk and talk at the same time.

Kudos also to the "new" Miss A-Miracle. Yes, we miss Mike, but the new Missy is every energetic and does a great job entertaining the crowd.

Danny Santiesteban was pulled from the game Friday night and benched for not knowing how many outs there were. This is a change from last year, when the players evidently faced no discipline for forgetting to tag up. Meanwhile, we here at MiracleFans.com agree that the scoreboard is a disaster and you can't rely on it most of the time, but we do know how to count to three.

Tyler, Manny and Cole tried the Gatorama ribs tonight. Tyler said it was good gator. Manny said they were so hot his mouth was on fire for a couple innings. Gatorama ribs are available over on the party deck above the right field berm.

Two winners split a $400+ launch-a-ball jackpot following the game.

Miracle fall to Hammerheads

Fort Myers 2 at Jupiter 4

Record: 28 - 16

W: G. Taylor (5-3, 3.96); L: A. Burnett (3-2, 3.18); SV: R. Wolf (1)
HR: None.

The rally monkeys, and bats,were not evident Monday night as the Fort Myers Miracle allowed Jupiter to double them up, 4-2.

Florida Marlins prospect Graham Taylor held Fort Myers to only 5 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings, allowing 2 runs in the that span, and striking out 4. Ross Wolf would baffled them for the final two stanzas.

As noted after the last time he pitched, Alex Burnett needs to start watching the number of hits he gives up. Smelin Perez would take the first hit off him with one out in the first inning. Burnett would get Logan Morrison out on strikes, before Perez got impatient and stole 2nd base. Kevin Randel's line drive brought him in, and Randel took an extra base on a fielding error by Eddie Ovalle. Spike McDougall then hit a grounder to Juan Portes that scored Ranel. McDougall would try to make it to second, but was taken out before he got there to end the inning.

The Miracle would take one back in the top of the 3rd. Yancarlos Ortiz and Yangeris Solarte both singled with one out on the board. Ortiz would come home on a Whit Robbins' force out and Portes would strike out to end the inning.

Back-to-back singles by James Guerrero and Christopher Dunn turned into two more Hammerheads runs when Agustin Septimo doubled off Burnett to plate the pair in the bottom of the fourth.

The Miracle would not answer back until the top of the 7th when Edward Ovalle tripled and came home on a Danny Berg single. Sadly it was all the answer the Miracle could muster, leading to the loss in game two of the four game series.

With Brian Dinkelman, Danny Valencia and Rene Tosoni out of the line up, the Miracle were short most of their big bats. Ovalle was 2-for-4 with 1 run, the only Miracle with a multi-hit game. Portes, Wilson Ramos and Danny Santiesteban were all 0-for-4 with a pair of strike outs each.

Dinkelman was given the night off after an early exit from Monday's game, while the voice of the Miracle, Sean Fox, reports that Valencia's thumb is still banged up, but that he will try to play on Tuesday.

Big lefty Tyler Robertson (1-2, 3.53) will get the start Tuesday night for the Miracle. Jeff Allison (2-4, 2.47) will throw out the first pitch for the Hammerheads at 6:35 P.M.

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Minnesota sports writer Joe Christensen noted in his blog that Scott Baker was flown to Florida on Friday. He's scheduled to throw 2 bullpen sessions at the Sportsplex and will "likely pitch in an extended spring training game next Thursday. He has been on the DL with a strained right groin."

The GCL Twins are playing the O's in Sara next Thursday, and while it's entirely possible that Baker will hop in a little white SUV and drive over to Twin Lakes Park, it seems somehow unlikely.

If he needs to pitch Thursday, well...the Miracle are at home that night. Otherwise, he could pitch Friday at Extended depending upon which the Twins would prefer.



Harrisbug 1 at New Britain 5

Record: 22 - 21

W: J. Rainville (3-5, 7.53); L: T. Crawford (1-1, 4.81)
HR: None.

Jay Rainville got just his third win of the season, but held the Harrisburg Senators to only 1 run -unearned - on three hits while striking out 8 over 7 innings for a quality start that should do wonders for his confidence.

Trevor Plouffe was 3-for-4 in the contest with a run and an RBI. Steve Tolleson, Luke Hughes, David Winfree, Felix Molina and Drew Butera all had hits for the Cats with Butera driving in 3 runs on his sixth inning double.

The Cats faced several former teammates/Miracle on the Senators squad in starter Tristan Crawford, who surrendered 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 over 5.1 innings and reliever Levale Speigner, who worked one inning of hitless baseball. Garrett Guzman served as the Senators designed hitter, going 0-for-3 at the plate, while Luis Jimenez worked 1st base for the Washington Farm.

Ofilio Castro would reach in the top of the 3rd on a throwing error by Trever Plouffe. He took 2nd base when the ball bounced into the bullpen. One out later, Mike Daniel's ground ball single would plate him for the only Senators run.

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Rochester 0 at Syracuse 5

W: M. MacDonald (1-0, 3.81); L: K. Mulvey (2-6, 4.36)
HR: None.

The Rochester Red Wings were shut out in the conclusion of the Cooperstown Classic on Monday night. Kevin Mulvey suffered the loss for the Wings, his 6th of the season.

Former Miracle Jose Morales was 2-for-3 at the plate while Matt Macri returned to the line up, going 2-for-4. Brian Buscher was 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

Dunedin Blue Jays almuni Ricky Romero had taken the start for Syracuse but lasted only 2 innings before the rains came down on Sunday.

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Rochester 7 at Syracuse 6

W: T. Lahey (2-3, 4.08); L: M. Gallo (0-1, 13.50); SV: C. Cali (1)
HR: ROC: R. Ruiz (3). SYR: C. Cannon (3).

The Wings bounced back in game two however, taking an early lead 5-2 lead and holding off a late inning Chiefs rally.

Denard Span would reach on a fielding error by Erik Kratz to get things started. Two outs later, Brian Buscher would be hit by a pitch. Randy Ruiz then put his 3rd home run of the season over the left field wall to give the Wings 3.

The Chiefs took two back in the bottom of the inning, but a double by Ryan Jorgensen in the top of the 2nd helped the Wings get the runs back.

Chris Basak went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run, Randy Ruiz was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. Aside from the home run, he also hit a double in the top of the 5th.

Brian Duensing would give up 3 runs, earned on six hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Julio Depaula gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in .1 inning, while Tim Lahey earned both a blown save and the win, giving up 1 run on 1 hit and walk in 1.2 innings. Naples resident Carmen Cali earned his first save for the Wings.

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Beloit 6 at Clinton 5

W: M. McCardell (1-1, 2.70); L: H. Nelo (1-2, 4.32); SV: S. Steedley (3)
HR: CLI: M. Moreland (4), R. Osuna (3).

Beloit used a 3-run ninth inning to rally past the Division leading Clinton Lumber Kings to take game one of the four game series. Mike McCardell, recently returned off the disabled list, picked up the win, working 2 innings of relief and allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Ben Revere returned to the line up, going 3-for-4 at the plate with 2 runs scored. Garrett Olson was also 3-for-4 with a pair of runs. Ozzie Lewis, Sean Singleton, Joe Benson, Greg Yersich, and Ramon Santana also recorded hits.

Trailing 3 runs at the top of the 8th, Santana doubled his way onto base, then came home on Revere's ground ball single.

Chris Cates would ground out to start the top of the 9th, but Olson and Lewis hit back-to-back singles. Mark Dolenc would replace Lewis as a pinch runner, and Singleton's ground ball to right would rive in Olson and advance Dolenc to 3rd. Joe Benson would draw walk. A fielding error by Clinton's Jonathan Greene allowed Dolenc and Singleton across the plate to give the Snappers the lead.

Spencer Steedly would allow 2 singles and a walk to load the bases for the Lumber Kings in the ninth, but he got Engel Beltre to strike out and Renny Osuna to line out to end the inning and the game.

Game two of the series is Tuesday with a 7:00 PM central time first pitch. Danny Berlind (3-3, 3.62) will start for the Twins farm team. Beloit (23-20) trails Clinton by 7.5 games in the Midwest League standings.

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