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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Miracle split pair with Tigers

Lakeland 1 at Fort Myers 0

W: R. Porcello (8-6, 2.66); L: S. Steedley (1-4, 6.59); SV: J. Sborz (7)
HR: None.

Rick Porcello pitched a brilliant game Wednesday evening, limiting the Fort Myers Miracle to 3 hits in route to handing them their 10th shut out of the season.

Porcello would not allow a hit until the bottom of the 4th when Juan Portes singled off of him. Rene Tosoni would ground into a force out and Wilson Ramos claimed a single as well. But Porcello induced Johnny Woodard to hit into a double play, ending the inning.

The Miracle's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the fifth, when Edward Ovalle doubled and advanced to 3rd on a fielding error by Brandon Timm. With no outs on the board it looked to be an almost certain run, but Eli Tintor ground out down the 3rd base line, keeping Ovalle pinned for the first out. Danny Santiesteban drew a walk, which allowed Porcello to get Garrett Olson to ground into a double play, leaving Ovalle stranded.

Spencer Steedley took the start for the Miracle. Jeramy Laster singled off him in the top of the 3rd, then moved to 2nd on Timm's sac-bunt. Jeff Kunkel doubled him in for the lone Lakeland Flying Tigers run. Steedley would get Justin Justice to fly out before being replaced on the mound by David Shinskie, who worked the next 2.1 innings.

Steedley would strike out one during his 2.2 innings on the mound. Shinskie would give up one hit and one walk, while fanning one during his tenure. He'd give way to Jose Lugo for the next two, Lugo giving up 3 hits and striking out one.

Porcello worked six innings, fanning four. Jay Sborz walked Ramos to start out the bottom of the seventh, but took Woodard and Ovalle out on strikes. Whit Robbins would single, moving Ramos to 3rd, but Steve Singleton ground out, ending the contest.

There'd be a brief flurry of activity as the field was groomed and the fans patronized the concession stands before game two got underway.

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Lakeland 2 at Fort Myers 8

W: M. Williams (2-2, 3.67); L: D. Witt (3-4, 3.58)
HR: None.

Having been blanked in the first game, the Fort Myers Miracle had to do something to remind their fans that they were indeed a playoff bound team.

Steve Singleton knocked a grounder to center to lead off the bottom of the first and Edward Ovalle followed that up with a grounder ball to left. Whit Robbins doubled, plating the pair. Wilson Ramos' single scored Robbins, and Johnny Woodard's double put Ramos over the plate. Eli Tintor would go down on strikes before Danny Lehmann's line drive to right moved Woody to 3rd. Yancarlos Ortiz would ground into a force out that allowed Woody to come home before Garrett Olson popped out, ending the inning.

While I was talking to some of the younger prospects down at Gulf Coast League Sunday, I mentioned that I through Matt Williams would make a fairly descent starter. The rookies seemed to think this was a recipe for disaster, but the Professor didn't let me down, going five innings for the Miracle.

Jordan Lennerton doubled off Williams and Louis Ott took a walk. Brandon Timm would fly out to center before Jeramy Laster's sac-fly scored Lennerton. It was the only run Williams would allow. He'd allow 2 more hits while striking out five to end his term on the mound.

Blair Erickson replaced him the top of the sixth. Justin Justice drew a walk off the California native. Erickson would then unleash a wild pitch that moved Justice to 2nd. Cale Iorg's single put the Lakeland outfielder on 3rd. Michael Bertram would be hit by a pitch and Jordan Lennerton would go down on strikes before Louis Ott's ground out put Justice over the plate for the second Tiger's run.

Derek Witt worked the first three for the Flying Tigers before being replaced in the 4th by Ramon Garcia. Yancarlos Ortiz claimed a triple off the new hurler. Garrett Olson would pop out before Singleton doubled him in. Ovalle then tripled off his fellow Dominican as well, driving in Sing. Robbin's sacrifice put Ovalle over the plate for the 8th Miracle run.

The 18 game series between the two teams concludes tomorrow on the final Thirsty Thursday of the season. Cole Devries (9-9, 2.97) is expected to take the start for the Miracle, while the Tigers are expected to dish up a bit of Alfredo Figaro (9-4, 4.26). The game will feature Midget Wrestling, for those who are not into baseball.

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Take I-75 North

The Florida State League announced today that Fort Myers Miracle pitcher Anthony Slama, catcher Wilson Ramos and manager Jeff Smith have been selected to the 2008 All-FSL Team. The team features the League's best players at every position. The prestigious team is selected annually by vote of the FSL's Managers, Official Scorers and Club Sports Writers representing the 12 teams in the League. Five Dunedin players were named to the post-season squad. Jupiter's Logan Morrison was named most valuable player, while St. Lucie's Dylan Owen was named most valuable pitcher (FSL/MiLB).

The New Britain Rock Cats shut out the Portland Sea Dogs 2-0 at Hadlock Field. Former Miracle Kyle Aselton claimed his seventh win of the season, while Jose Mijares recorded his 2nd AA save (Sea Dogs).

The Triple-A Rochester Red Wings defeated the Syracuse Chiefs 4-2 at Frontier Field. Alejandro Machado, Howie Clark and former Miracle Trevor Plouffe were all 2-for-4 for the Red Wings, who are now 71-69 on the season, in third place in the North Division, although they are shut out of post season play (RD&C).

The Beloit Snappers clobbered the Kane County Cougars, 10-1 at Pohlman Field. Former Miracle Allan de San Miguel was 3-for-4 on the night with a pair of doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Juan Richardson, who will be attending Fall Instructional League was 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and 4 runs. Henry Reyes claimed the win ()Snappers).

Game one of the Appalachian League Championship series between the Pulaski Mariners and the Elizabethton Twins was postponed due to rain. The Twins host games on Friday and Saturday night, at 7:00 PM, weather permitting.

Tampa blasts past Sosa, Miracle

Fort Myers 1 at Tampa 7

W: I. Nova (7-11, 4.24); L: O. Sosa (2-1, 4.59)
HR: FTM: D. Santiesteban (5).

It seems like not too long ago, it was the Fort Myers Miracle who were beating up on the Tampa Yankees. Tuesday night, in a game shortened to 8 innings by rain and lightning, it was the Miracle who were victimized.

Danny Santiesteban's solo shot home run in the top of the fifth would be the only tally for First Half West Division Champs. His fifth of the season, Santiesteban's blast went over the left field wall to prevent the Miracle from being shut out.

Tampa, on the other hand, did not have to worry about such things. Luis Nunez lead off the bottom of the first with a single to Edward Ovalle, then stole 2nd base. Eduardo Nunez reached on a fielder's choice as Yancarlos Ortiz fired the ball to Juan Portes at 3rd to take Luis out. Eduardo then stole 2nd. Kevin Smith would take a walk and the pair would steal 3rd and 2nd. Following a line out to Josh Kreuzer, Seth Fortenberry's ground ball to right allowed Nunes and Smith. Fortenberry decided he could run for second, but was caught out just past first base and was taken down on the throw.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Andres Perez doubled. A throwing error by Fort Myers starter Oswaldo Sosa moved Perez to 3rd. After a ground out by Mitch Hillgoss, Jose Gil sacrificed Perez in, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

They would double that in bottom of the third, with the Nunez boys taking a walk off Sosa. The pair then stole 2nd and 3rd before Smith and Kreuzer were called out on strikes. A single to Fortenberry scored the pair, while Fortenberry moved to 2nd on the throw in from right. Perez then singled to plate Fortenberry. Matthew Williams would replace Sosa at the point, allowing a single to Hillgoss, but Perez was taken out at 3rd to end the inning.

Sosa, who had filled Tyler Robertson's rotation space effectively, would allow 6 runs, 5 earned, on five hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 over 2.2 innings. Williams would go for the next 4.1 innings.

"The Professor" would hit Perez with a pitch in the bottom of the sixth, and Hilligoss would double him in to give the Yankees their seventh run.

Santiesteban would pitch the final out before the game was called for lightning in the area. I still entertain visions of Santiesteban getting a grand slam to put the Miracle on top in the bottom of the eighth inning during the FSL championship game, then coming in to pitch to close out the game in the ninth. Ah...but playoffs are still 28 days way.

For the time present, Santiesteban went 1-for-1 with a walk and a hit by pitch, plus a run and a RBI on the yarder. Garrett Olson would finish up 2-for-3, and Brandon Roberts was 2-for-4. Ortiz would lock up the one hit wonder title, going 1-for-4 at the plate.

Fort Myers will try to get something going Wednesday night at Casa de Steinbreener. The Miracle is reporting that Cole Devries (8-8, 2.97), not Matt Fox, will take the 7:00 PM start against Tampa's Zach McAllister (6-5, 2.01), weather permitting.

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My computer's power supply blew out last night. I expect to be back online later tonight unless things are worse than I feared. I have a mini-feature on Cole Devries in the works that I had hoped to run today as well, but that's being put off for at least another day.

Miracle Rally past Reds late

Sarasota 2 at Fort Myers 3

W: J. Lugo (2-4, 4.19); L: R. Medina (2-7, 3.33)
HR: FTM: W. Ramos (12).

Brandon Roberts line drive out to center plated Danny Berg for the game winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning, a nice win in a game that, for a long time, looked like it might see the Fort Myers Miracle shut out.

Jose Castro doubled in the top of the first off Deolis Guerra and Juan Francisco's line drive to left plated him to put the Sarasota Reds on the board.

Deolis Guerra would limit the Reds to that lone run on six hits over five innings, but he'd walk six and fan only one. Scott Carroll on the other hand blanked Miracle, scattering six hits a walk over six innings while fanning two.

The Miracle finally found some action in the bottom of the 7th, with Joseph Krebs taking over the mound for Carroll. He'd give up a home run to Wilson Ramos. The Venezuelan catcher launched his 12th home run of the season over the center field wall to finally put the the Miracle on the board.

Logan Parker doubled off Carlos Gutierrez in the top of the 8th and moved to 3rd on Carson Kainer's sac bunt. Daniel Perales doubled to drive in Parker, putting the Reds back on top. Blair Erickson would come in at that point to get Justin Tordi to strike out and Jacob Long to ground out.

With two outs on the board in the bottom of the stanza, Brandon Roberts drew a walk, and Yancarlos Ortiz followed that up with a single. Edward Ovalle's line drive to right plated Roberts to tie up the game again. Ruben Medina would replace Krebs on the mound, getting Ramos to fly out to end the inning.

Erickson would walk Chris Heisey, who would be advanced by Castro's sac-bunt. Erickson then intentionally walked Francisco to get at Todd Fraizer, who flew out. Jeff Smith would then put Jose Lugo into the game, and the Dominican reliever walked Parker to load up the bags. But he'd put Kainer down on strikes, much to the delight of 900 or so fans still in attendance.

Berg walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and Juan Portes singled to move him to 2nd. Smith would keep signaling for a bunt, first with Portes then with Tintor so perhaps it was not surprise that Tintor ended up striking out once the bunt was off. A wild pitch moved Berg and Portes around and Medina intentionally walked Santiesteban to get at Garrett Olson, who would pop out. That's when Roberts walk-off RBI came on a single out to Heisey in center, and set off a feel good win that had the guys jumping around on the field like they'd just won the world series.

Roberts finished up 3-for-4 on the night with a walk, a run and a run batted in. Ortis was 2-for-3 while Ovalle, Ramos, and Portes were all 2-for-4. Ovalle had a RBI, while Ramos added a run and a run scored. Santiesteban finished up 1-for-3 with a walk, while Berg, who was 0-for-2 at the plate had a run on a pair of walks.

The Miracle head off on a six game road trip starting off Tuesday night in Tampa where Ivan Nova (6-11, 4.37) will toss out the first pitch at 7:00 PM. The Miracle will counter with Oswaldo Sosa (2-0, 3.52).

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Let's go Miracle Blog

Jose Mijares was promoted prior to the game, I believe to the Rock Cats. It would have been nice to hang onto him, but we already knew it was only a matter of time before he went up.

What up with the Miracle? It's pretty obvious that their play of late has been not up to par. That's because Jeff Smith has been working the team hard on drills and trying to get them ready for the up coming playoffs. Up until about a week ago. He's now started to lay off, let the guys use the skills they've learned, and get a little bit of breather before they head down the home stretch.

From MiLB.com:

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Miracle split their six games last week, chalking up two wins over Dunedin and a win over Clearwater to end the week. The Miracle are in fifth place, seven games behind Dunedin in the FSL West.

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: C Wilson Ramos has been opening some eyes with his bat. With 16 hits over his last 40 plate appearances, Ramos has been hitting at a .400 clip. In his last nine games Ramos has 12 RBIs and a home run. ... SP Deolis Guerra has been tagged for 10 runs in his last nine innings pitched.

PLAYER TO WATCH: CF Danny Santiesteban has been giving FSL pitchers headaches in recent days, averaging nearly an RBI a hit. The Miami native has 12 RBIs in his last 10 games while racking up 13 hits in 33 at-bats for a .394 average.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Ramos was responsible for a third of the Miracle's 15 runs in a 15-4 home win over Clearwater July 31. The native of Venezuela had four hits in five at-bats, including a double, for five RBIs. The right-handed hitter began the game with a run-scoring line drive single to left as part of a three-run first inning for Fort Myers. He drove home two more runs in the second on a double to center, singled to center in the third for another RBI and plated another run in the sixth on a ground ball to center.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "He always told me to put away the bat and start pitching," RHP Carlos Gutierrez told the Fort Myers News-Press of how his high school coach coaxed him to pitch, which he first began in his junior year of high school. "I played infield for a good part of my life."

Ft. Myers Miracle catcher Wilson Ramos is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for July 27-August 2. Ramos, 20, hit .433 (13-for-30) with three doubles, a home run, four runs scored and 10 RBIs in six games. Ramos entered the season as the Twins third ranked prospect by Baseball America. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent, July 7, 2004.

Miracle fan 15 to slip past Threshers

Clearwater 4 at Fort Myers 5

W: C. Devries (8-8, 2.97); L: D. Naylor (1-6, 6.95); SV: A. Slama (22)
HR: None.

Despite being jipped out of a run in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Fort Myers Miracle took the rubber match, 5-4, to win the series, 2 games to one.

Cole Devries was his usual efficient self, limiting the Threshers to just two runs while scattering seven hits and a walk over six inning. Devries was also kind enough to fan 9, working hard for the "Strike out Lou Gehrig's Disease" campaign as the ALS Association was at the game tonight.

The Miracle had opened up a fairly comfortable three run lead before Clearwater got on the board.

Yancarlos Ortiz singled and stole 2nd, and Brandon Roberts took a walk to lead off the top of the 3rd inning. A Steve Singleton ground out advanced the runners, allowing Wilson Ramos to sacrifice in Ortiz. Edward Ovalle's line drive to right plated Roberts and Ovalle moved to second on the throw. Whit Robbins would draw a walk off Thresher's starter Drew Naylor, a native of Queensland, Australia. However, Juan Portes would go down on strikes, spoiling the Miracle's fun for the moment.

Danny Berg, the Miracle's own Aussie, singled to start off the bottom of the fourth. Danny Santiesteban's line drive moved him to second, and Ortiz's ground bunt loaded up the bags. Brandon Roberts ground into a double play that allowed Berg to score. Singleton would ground out, stranding Santiestesban at 3rd.

After getting John Urick out on strikes, Devries would walk Tuffy Gosewisch. Fidel Hernandez singled to move Gosewisch to 2nd. Devries then took Jesus Villegas Andino before allowing a line drive to Gary Cates that plated Gosewisch. Quinton Berry followed that up with a line drive out to center that plated Hernandez. In both cases, the plays were to Roberts, who still has some defensive issues out in center. Rob Watson would, thankfully, go down on strikes before the Threshers tie it up.

Ramos doubled in the bottom of the fifth before Ovalle was plunked with a pitch. Robbins flew out to center and Portes flew out to right, moving Ramos to 3rd. Berg singled out to right to drive in Ovalle and Santiesteban singled out drive to score Ovalle. Ortiz would ground out to end the inning.

Jose Lugo took over for Devries in the top of the 7th. While Lugo has been lights out of late, it was the bad Jose Lugo that came out of the bullpen this time, as he he allowed a single to Hernandez. Andino ground into a force out that took Hernandez out at second and Lugo would get Cates to ground out. Berry singled to drive in Andino however. Lugo then walked Watson and allowed a single to Taylor that plated Berry. Jeff Smith trotted up the steps of the dugout right about then and out to the mound, calling Blair Erickson out of the bullpen to replace the struggling Lugo. Erickson would take Milner out on strikes to end the inning.

Alexander Conception replaced Naylor for the Threshers in the bottom half of the stanza. With one out on board, Whit Robbins took a walk and Juan Portes hit a ground rule double. Robbins came home on the play but was only allowed 3rd base. Now maybe I am miss remembering, but if must have been a group hallucination because none of us remember Robbins going back to 3rd. Berg hit into a double play and Portes tried to come home, being taken out the plate, but the scorer says Robbins was out at home and none of us remember it that way. Ed even when to check on it. But that's just the way we saw it, and we want our run!

In any case. Anthony Slama made things interesting in the ninth, walking Kevin Mahar and Berry, but he would take Watson out on strikes, and then Michael Taylor as well, to close out the game and give the Miracle the win, phantom run not withstanding.

Berg was 3-for-4 for the Miracle with a run and a run scored. Roberts and Ortiz were both 2-for-4 with a run, Roberts with a walk as well. Santiesteban was also 2-for-4, with a RBI instead of a run. Ramos and Ovalle were both 1-for-3 at the plate with a run and a run scored, Ramos with a double, Ovalle with a single. Portes finished up 1-for-4 with a double.

The Miracle pitching staff posted a total of 15 strike outs. (Kudos guys, that was really well done!)

Sarasota comes into town for a (hopefully) sunny Sunday at the Bill. Alex Burnett (7-4, 3.89) will throw the first pitch for the Miracle at 1:05 PM, while the Reds will send Rafael Gonzalez (4-8, 6.93) to the hill.

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Michael Cuddyer is being sent down this week to begin a rehab stint. The Twins have stated they wanted him to play six or seven game in Florida. While it's likely he'll play several games with the GCL Twins, it it possible that he'll play a rehab stint with the Miracle when they return home Monday, August 11th to face Sarasota. Pat Neshak is also expected in shortly to begin his rehab assignment.

Brian Dinkelman was activated from New Britain's D.L. to replace Luke Hughes on the Rock Cats roster. The moves at the major league level should not affect the Miracle at this time.

Playoff tickets are currently on sale. The Miracle host game two and if necessary, game three of the West Division Series on September 3rd and 4th. Ticket prices are the same as for a regular season game: $7 for a box seat, $5 for reserved seats. Season ticket holders have until Sept. 2 to reserve "their" regular season seat for the playoffs.

Ed Pelegrino brought by Ed Reed, the sports editor of the News-Press, by to meet me. Pelegrino's got some silly notion of selling me off to the News-Press next year as the "fan" blogger. I told him (Pelegrino) this won't work as I'm way too controversial for the News-Press to touch. Just ask Carl, from Bonita.

Seen in the stands:


Miracle pitcher Tyler Robertson (right) and his little brother, who will be pitching for Fresno State this year.

Tyler was cleared to start playing catch for this coming week, and reports that he is expected to start throwing again the following week.

Miracle out hit, but can't out run, Jays

Fort Myers 3 at Dunedin 7

W: A. Wideman (4-4, 4.95); L: C. Devries (7-8, 2.97); SV: C. Falkenbach (19)
HR: None.

I was hoping that the Fort Myers Miracle would want to use this series a warm up for a potential play off match, but the Dunedin Blue Jays showed nothing but contempt for the 1st half west division champs as they strolled over them to 7-3 win Sunday at Knology Park.

Marcos Cabral took a double off Miracle ace Cole Devries in the bottom of the first, and Cory Patton singled him in. Brian Dopirak doubled as well to plate Patton and after Anthony Hatch went down on strikes, Jesus Gonzalez singled out to center to bring in Dopirak, giving the Jays an early 3 run lead.

With two outs in the bottom of the 2nd, Chris Emanuele doubled, and following a walk to Cabral, came home on a Patton single.

Dunedin's A.J. Wideman worked the first five innings as did Devries for Fort Myers. But the Miracle would not mount much of an offense until the fifth inning, then Garrett Olson singled. Wideman would pick him off at first though, so it was up to Danny Lehmann to lead the attack with a line drive to right. Danny Santiesteban singled and Yancarlos Oritz tripled to plate the pair. Steve Singleton's ground ball to short would drive in Ortiz befor Whit Robbins flew out and Eli Tintor ground out to send Fort Myers back on the defense.

With Devries still on the mound in the bottom of the sixth, Jesus Gonzalez walked, Matthew Liuzza reached on a force attempt that failed when Ortiz bobbled the ball and Gonzalez went to 3rd. Jeff Smith would call upon Jose Lugo to get the Miracle out of the jam, but he allowed a double to Caladrone that brought in Gonzalez. Luis Sanchez's single plated the other two runner before Chris Emanuele went down on strikes and Sanchez was caught stealing. Cabral drew a walk, but Patton lined out to end the inning.

While the next 4 innings saw the Miracle get 5 runs and a walk off the Jay's relievers, they could not put anything together.

Carlos Guierrez worked a couple of scoreless innings for the Miracle to finish off the game. Submariner Conner Falkenbach picked up his 19th save of the year for the Jays.

Lehmann was 3-for-4 with a run, Ortiz was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and a pair of RBIs. Singleton was also 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Juan Portes and Robbins, both 1-for-5, and Eli Tintor, Garrett Olson and Santiesteban, each 1-for-4, had singles in the game, Santiesteban with run to leave the others as one hit wonders.

Lots of hit singles but no runs to show for them.

Alex Burnette (6-4, 3.74) will try to get some respect from the Miracle's division rivals as he goes up against Randy Boone (2-1, 4.45) Monday evening. First pitch is set for 7:00 PM.

With the loss, the Miracle fall to 8 games behind Dunedin, three games in front of the cellar dwelling Threshers.

The Miracle return home Thursday Night for a Thirsty Thursday against those same Threshers.

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Former Miracle Anthony Swarzak has been promoted from AA New Britain the the Rochester Red Wings and will make his first AAA start on Wednesay. Swarzak replaces Brian Duensing on the roster. Duensing, another former Miracle, is off to Beijing as part of Team USA to participate in the upcoming summer Olympic games.

As part of a going away gift for Duensing, Wings GM Dan Mason gave Duensing a plane ticket so that his wife, Lisa, may join him in Beijing. His teammates on the Red Wings have put together a silent auction that will take place at Rochester's Aug. 8 home game, the proceeds of which will help ofset the hotel costs for the tirp.

GCL Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks is the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week for July 19-25. Hicks, 18, batted .400 (8-for-20) with a double, home run, four RBI and four runs scored in five games. Hicks was drafted in the first round, 14th overall in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

Robbins Rocks Mets; Miracle win slug fest

St. Lucie 7 at Fort Myers 9

W: O. Sosa (2-0, 3.57); L: D. Gee (7-6, 3.61); SV: A. Slama (20)
HR: FTM: W. Robbins (3).

Somewhere in the course of this game, I lost track of the score. I think it was right around when Yancarlos Ortiz hit a 2-run home run into the visitor's bullpen. The umpire signaled for a home run, surprising all of us, but then, after much discussion with the coaches on both sides, it was overturned and Berg when back to 3rd and Ortiz went back to the plate.

In any case...the St. Lucie Mets thought they were facing a bullpen pitcher and were not very happy when Ozzie Sosa struck out the first two batters he faced, and kept them off the board for the first and second innings.

Dillon Gee did not fair so well. Brandon Roberts, who as been added to the Miracle roster along with Jose Mijares on rehab assignment, knocked a line drive to center, but Steve Singleton hit into a force out that took him down at second. Following a fly out to Wilson Ramos, Whit Robbins then doubled to move Sing to 3rd. Edward Ovalle's grounder to center brought in the pair for the first two Miracle runs.

(For the purposes of the St. Lucie series, Wilson Ramos will be referred to by his first name "Wilson", and the St. Lucie player by the same last name will be referred to as "Ramos".)

Eli Tintor singled to 2nd and advanced on a fielding error by Peeter Ramos. Ortiz and Roberts would go down on strikes before Singleton doubled to plate Tintor.

Roberts, when he swung went all the way around, lost his balance and fell, which brought Larry Bennese charging out of the dugout. We all thought he'd re-injured himself again, but he assured Larry he was alright and was allowed to continue the game.

D.J. Wabick singled off Sosa in the top of the 3rd. Following a Brahiam Maldonado fly out, Ramos and Ezequiel Carrera both singled to drive in Wabick. A missed catch by Wilson advanced Carrera to 2nd and Ramos to 3rd.

Ovalle would be hit by a pitch to start off the bottom of the inning. Following a fly out to Juan Portes, Berg doubled Ovalle in. Tintor would ground out, moving Berg to 3rd. That's when Ortiz hit his phantom home run. After everything was rewound, Ortiz would go back to the plate, and would strike out.

Mendez got a single off Sosa in the top of the 4th, and Josh Thole got a free pass. Shawn Bowman then singled out to right to load the bags. Wabick's follow up single, combined with Sing's throwing error, cleared off the bags, tying up the game. (Speaking of tying, Missy looked very smashing in her 70's tie-dyed T-shirt and shades.)

Continuing in his quest to be re-injured before he is done with his rehab, Roberts would get plunked by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth. After Singleton flew out to center, Wilson's line drive moved Roberts to 2nd. Whit Robbins then crushed one of the right field wall - no where near a foul pole - for a genuine home run to give the Miracle a 3 run lead again. Ovalle would single and steal 2nd, but Portes would fly out and Berg ground out to end the inning.

Sosa would put two outs on the board in the top of the fifth before hitting Mendez with a pitch. Thole then drew a walk, and Bowman singled to score Mendez. Wabick then hit one hop to Portes at 3rd, who tagged Thole on on his way to 3rd to end the inning.

Casey Hoorelbeke, a side arm pitcher, replaced Gee in the bottom of the fifth, making the Mets fans happy as they couldn't figure out why the field manager Tim Teufel felt Gee was going to get any better. Hoorelbeke would confound the Miracle for the bottom of the 5th.

Carlos Gutierrez replace Sosa in the top of the sixth, and Maldonado took a single off the rookie sinkballer. Ramos and Carrera both ground out, and wild pitch moved Maldonado to 3rd. But the University of Miami product got Rueben Tejada to hit into a ground out, stranding the Mets runner.

After Singleton popped out in the bottom of the six, Wilson singled. Robbins flew out, but Ovalle came back with a single to move Wilson to 3rd. Ryan Coultas then replaced Hoorelbeke and Portes singled to score Wilson. This was there I got really confused.

Lucan Duda took a walk and Mendez singled him to second. Thole singled Duda in, and moved to second on a fielding error by Roberts. (Gee...I've missed those!) A wild pitch put Mendez on 3rd and Bowman would single him in. Jose Lugo then came up the mound to get three outs to retire the Mets.

"Wasn't it just 7-6 Miracle and now suddenly it's 7-6 Mets?"

"That's an eight," Matt Fox assured me. "We have 8."

"Are you sure?" That scoreboard is a disaster. Half the lights are out and in fact I initially thought the O in the bottom of the fifth was a four.

"Here," he said, trying to give me his chart. "See for yourself."

"No, no, it's okay, I trust you, it's just...."

Tintor would be hit by a pitch, then steal 2nd. Ortiz would be hit by a pitch, then replaced by Garrett Olson as a pinch runner. Roberts would hit a sac-bunt to move the pair, which gave Coultas room to intentionally walk Singleton.

"He's walking Sing to get to the guy that has the most home runs on the team?"

"Wilson hits into a shit load of double plays," Alex points out. He also strikes out quite a bit, which would end up being the case here. Robbins then drew a walk to force in Tint, making the score 9-7 and closing out the offense portion of the program.

Wilson and Robbins finished up 2-for-4 with a pair of runs each, Robbins with a double and the home run, plus a walk, giving him 4 RBIs as well. Ovalle was 3-for-4 with a run and two runs scored. Portes was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Tintor and Singleton were both 1-for-4, Tint with a pair of runs, Sing with a run and a RBI. Roberts finished up 1-for-3 with a run and Berg rounded out the hitting, going 1-for-5 with a double and a RBI.

Anthony Slama finished up on the mound, walking one and fanning three to pick up his 20th save of the season.

"We may or may not have a double header at Gulf Coast League tomorrow," I tell Fox (5-4, 3.72), "So I may or may not be around to watch you pitch tomorrow." He will be facing Dylan Owen (8-6, 3.72) of the Mets in Monday Night's Rodeo Night contest. Unlike Alex, who still gets upset then I blow him off in favor of an 18-year old, Fox is fine with that and warns me to take care and not get too much sun.

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The stat packs were missing when the gates opened at six, which not only made the seasonals unhappy, but looked bad when the team had to tell the scouts that were attending the game that they didn't have media packages for them. Way to go, Gary Sharp! Keep up the good work. And BTW, Adam Everett is OFF the roster and Roberts is wearing #9.

Additional kudos to Kris Koch. If I must pay $5.00 for a braut at the grill, I'd really like condiments to go along with it. Maybe you could get someone to refill the containers? (The whole place is going to hell in a handbasket, I swear.)

Don't believe everything you read. A recent article in the Strib said that Rene Tosoni was likely done for the year. This was news to him as he's been taking batting practice and says he'll be back with the Miracle by Mid-August at the latest. Also, Tyler Robertson has been shut down for a couple of weeks to rest his shoulder. It is however, nothing serious and the MRI was clean.

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.

Viva Venezuela!

Tampa 0 at Fort Myers 4

W: D. Guerra (8-4, 4.32); L: G. Duff (1-5, 3.27)
HR: None.

Deolis Guerra threw a complete nine-inning shut out, limiting the Tampa Yankees to only 3 hits and 3 walks while fanning 4 to lead the Fort Myers Miracle to a 4-0 blanking of the New York affiliate Tuesday night at Hammond Stadium.

If this performance does not win Senor Guerra Florida State League pitcher of the week, than I can't image what would.

Tampa is battling a number of injuries and is without All-star catcher Kyle Anson, but the squad still has some bite. Fortunately for the Miracle, they didn't get much more than a nibble out of Guerra.

Yancarlos Ortiz and Steve Singleton walked to start off the bottom of the 1st. Wilson Ramos then singled to load the bags. Juan Portes would hit into a sac-fly to plate Ortiz and Edward Ovalle would take a walk, but Berg out be taken out on strikes by Tampa starter Grant Duff to strand the men.

The bottom of the 3rd would see Ramos single and Portes double him in. Ovalle's sac bunt would move Portes to 3rd. Following a walk to Berg, Eli Tintor would single out to left to drive in Portes making it 3-0 Miracle.

It would stay that way for a while. Duff would give up 3 runs on six hits and 4 walks while striking out 3 in four innings before giving way to Phillip Bartleski. He'd keep the Miracle off the board for the next three.

Wilkins Arias would take over for the 8th, allowing a single to Berg and a double to Tintor. Yangervis Solarte would like out, but Garrett Olson took a walk to load the bags. Arias would then hit Yancarlos Ortiz with a pitch to force in Berg. He'd get Singleton and Ramos out on strikes however.

James Cooper would hit a laser in the top of the 8th that looked like it was headed for the outfield, but Ortiz, the Human Hoover, sucked it in somehow to pick up an unassisted double play. That kid is just stellar.

Tintor was 2-for-4 with a run batted in and Ramos was 2-for-5 with a run. Everyone else in the line up had at least a single, except for Olson and Ortiz, although both drew walks.

Tyler Robertson (4-2, 2.93) takes the start tomorrow against Tampa right hander Jason Stephens (2-0, 0.82). Ian Kennedy would then be in line to start for Tampa on Thursday, IF they decide to bring him over from Casa de Steinbrenner. He did not travel with the team for this road trip.

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I realize that click Sharpies are a relatively new invention, but the technology behind them has been around for a long, long time. I've had to show three different players how to use them this week, two at this game alone.

Needless to say, I did not get Kennedy's autograph. Nor did I get Anson's, Sublett's or Garcia's. But I did pretty well with the rest of the team.

If you ordered Beloit Cards (Ed, T.J.) they are in. Please see Iris to pick up your set.

A Rock Cats press release last week had indicated that reliever Jay Sawatski was on his way down to the Miracle. This is not the case. Sawatski has been placed on the DL.

Two Domincans earn weekly honors

The Minnesota Twins announced today that Fort Myers Miracle infielder Yancarlos Ortiz has been named Twins Minor League Player of the Week. Ortiz went 6-for-19 (.315) with four RBIs, three walks and two runs scored.

Defensively, Ortiz has been tremendous earning nicknames like "The Human Hoover" as he continues gobbles up every ball that comes his way.

A non-drafted free agent from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, Ortiz is hitting .278 this season with 19 RBIs.



In Beloit, another Dominican earned weekly honors. Santos Arias was named by the Midwest League as their Pitcher of the Week after pitching a complete game shutout on June 26th against the Clinton LumberKings. During that outing, Santos allowed just three hits while striking out four in a 2-0 win by the Snappers.

So far this season, Santos is 4-3 with a 2.39 ERA in 11 starts. Arias has pitched 67.2 innings, allowing 23 runs (18 earned) while striking out 54 batters and walking just 13. The right-hander also has a 1.03 WHIP with opponents batting a measly .227 against him.

Signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in February of 2005, Arias is originally from La Romana, Dominican Republic. Coming into this season, he had a career minor league record of 17-9 with a 2.18 ERA in 24 starts. He led the Dominican Summer League in innings (95.0), wins (10) and was sixth in ERA (1.23) during the 2006 season.

Miracle settle for split

Fort Myers 1 at Palm Beach 3

W: B. Furnish (7-3, 4.00); L: D. Guerra (7-4, 4.84); SV: F. Samuel (14)
HR: None.

While it's still too early in the second half of the season to say "Your first to worst, Fort Myers Miracle!" it was beginning to look like it might come to that.

Deolis Guerra picked up his 4th loss of the season, allowing 3 runs on six hits and four walks while striking out 2 over 5.1 innings.

The Miracle hopped on the board first when Juan Portes drew a walk, stole 2nd and then came home on a Wilson Ramos double. Done for the evening, they packed up their bats and forgot about the other six innings.

Brad Furnish held Fort Myers to just 2 hits and a walk. Francisco Samuel afforded them one more.

Palm Beach tied it up in the bottom of the fourth when Donovan Solano singled and Tony Cruz walked. Brandon Buckman ground into a double play that moved Solano to 3rd. A wild pitch by Guerra sent him home.

Solano walked in the bottom of the sixth. Cruz would line out, but Buckman singled to move Solano to 2nd. Daryl Jones smacked a line drive out to right that scored Solano and put Buckman at 3rd. Blair Erickson would answer coach Jeff Smith's summons to the mound as he retired Guerra. He'd get Luck Gorsett to ground out, but Antonio DeJesus, who'd replaced Buckman at 3rd as a pinch runner, scored on the play.

Ramos would hit his second single of the game in the top of the 7th, but Edward Ovalle, Whit Robbins and Danny Berg wasted no time bring the game to a swift close.

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Fort Myers 6 at Palm Beach 3

W: A. Slama (3-0, 0.44); L: T. Norrick (0-1, 27.00)
HR: PBC: T. Cruz (7).

Happily, the general antipathy of game one did not carry over to game two.

The Fort Myers Miracle came out swinging against the Palm Beach Cardinals with Steve Singleton sending a ground ball to second. Danny Berg would move Sing with a sac-bunt, and Wilson Ramos would draw a walk. A wild pitch by Tyler Norrick advanced the runners, and a sac fly by Portes brought in Singleton. Edward Ovalle drew a walk before Yangervis Solarte singled out to center to plate Ramos. Garrett Olson's grounder to center scored Ovalle, giving the Miracle three runs.

Alex Burnett took the start for the Miracle and uncharacteristically allowed three runs in the first inning.

James Rapoport and Donovan Solano both singled off him before Tony Cruz launched his seventh home run ball of the year over the center field fence. After getting Brandon Buckman to fly out, Daryl Jones singled out to right. Brian Cartie flew out before Jones stole 2nd, then advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by catcher Danny Lehmann. Burnett would allow a walk to Nelson before Mike Foli flew out to the end the inning.

Yancarlos Ortiz would walk in the top of the 2nd, and following a fly out to Singleton, move to 2nd on Berg's line drive. Ramos walked to load the bags. Portes would hit a sac fly to bring in Ortiz, but Ovalle lined out, leaving the other two runners stranded.

Burnett would settle down, allowing the 3 runs, earned on six hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. Not one of his stronger performances, but it got the job done.

The top of the 3rd saw Solarte double, and one out later, move to 3rd on Lehmann's ground out. Ortiz singled to bring in his fellow Yan, before Singleton flew out to end the inning.

Berg would walk in the top of the 4th, and move to second on Ramos ground out. Portes would strike out swinging before Ovalle walked and a wild pitch sent Berg to 3rd. A fielding error by Foli allowed Solarte to reach and Berg to score, making it 6-3 Miracle.

Anthony Slama worked the final 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out 5 to pick up his 3rd win of the season.

The Miracle finish up on Wednesday at Roger Dean Stadium with lefty Tyler Robertson (4-2,2.60) pitching for the Miracle and right hander Shaun Garceau (3-1, 3.14) tossing for the Cards. The first pitch goes at 7:05 PM.

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FIREWORKS FRENZY

The Miracle provided plenty of fireworks in the first half of the FSL season by winning a division title. More fireworks will follow in the coming days at Hammond Stadium. The team will host postgame fireworks shows on June 28 and July 3. Both games start at 7:05 p.m.

The Miracle will hold a baseball camp for ages 9-12 from July 21-23. Kids will learn fundamentals from Miracle players and coaches. For information contact Justin Stecz 239-768-4210 or jstecz@miraclebaseball.com

The Miracle and Dunkin' Donuts are partnering to promote summer reading. “Books & Bats” returns for the ninth season and asks students, age 12 and under, to read four books over the summer and then fill out a “Books & Bats” bookmark. Students may pick up a bookmark from any Lee or Collier county public school, Lee or Collier county public library, the Lee County Sports Complex or all participating Dunkin' Donuts locations in the tri-county area.

Students will be asked to record the books they have read on the bookmark, and then return the completed bookmark to any participating Lee, Collier and Charlotte county Dunkin' Donuts. Students will receive two tickets to a Miracle game and their choice of two free Dunkin' Donuts or a small smoothie. Tickets can be redeemed for games on Thursday, June 26, Wednesday July 23 or Wednesday, August 13. For more information call 239-768-4210

Baker picks up win in rehab start

Fort Myers 8 at Tampa 6

W: S. Baker (1-0, 5.40); L: Z. McAllister (0-1, 9.00); SV: R. Delaney (12)
HR: FTM: W. Ramos (8).

Despite a somewhat troubling performance by the bullpen, the Fort Myers Miracle hung on to win 8-6 over the Tampa Yankees. The victory extended the win streak to six games.

Twins hurler Scott Baker made the second of two scheduled minor league rehab starts, and the Miracle were quick to give him some offensive help. Danny Saniesteban doubled, and singles by Yangervis Solarte and Yancarlos Ortiz (a.k.a. "the Yans") plated him. Brian Dinkelman would fly out to right before an Edward Ovalle single would bring in Solarte. A line drive by Danny Valencia brought in Ortiz. Tampa starter Zach McAllister then got Whit Robbins and Wilson Ramos out on strikes to end the inning.

It was just in time too, as Kevin Smith would hit a ground rule double for the home team with one out on the board. A wild pitch by Baker moved him to 3rd. and Brian Chaevez would reach on a fielder's choice. Unfortunately, the play at the plate could not get done in time, and Smith put a run on the board for Tampa.

In the top of the fourth Juan Portes would single. Following a pop up to Santieseban, Portes would steal 2nd, and move to 3rd on a wild pitch by McAllister. Solarte would reach on a fielding error by Tampa 3rd baseman Mitch Hilligoss, and Ortiz would double to bring in Portes. McAllister would then issue an intentional walk to Dinkelman. Ovalle sacrificed in Solarte to add another run to the Miracle total before Valencia would ground into a force out.

With one out on the board, Andres Perez singled, and Hilligoss doubled him in. Hilligoss then stole 3rd. Josue Calzado would triple him in to make the score 5-3 Miracle.

Robins would single off Wilkins Arias who replaced McAllister at the top of the 5th. Ramos then went yard to increase the Miracle lead by two.

Baker would end up allowing the 3 runs on seven hits while striking out 4 over five innings. He'd be replaced by Jose Lugo for the sixth who allowed 1 hit and struck out 2.

Blair Erickson finally made his long awaited debut for the Miracle, allowing a double in the bottom of the 7th before setting down three Yankee batters to end the inning.

With one out on the board in the 8th, Hilligoss would take a walk, then move to 2nd on a wild pitch by Erickson. Calzado then doubled to score Hilligoss. Anthony Slama would come in at that point. The Miracle All-star allowed a single to Smith that plated Calzado. After getting Ben Blumenthal to swing into a strike out, Luis Nunez singled putting runners at the corners. A single by James Cooper plated Smith. Jose Gil would be plunked by a pitch before Slama finally got Kyle Anson to ground out.

The offense never rests for the Miracle. With Stephen Antz on the mound for Tampa, Ovalle singled then stoled 2nd. Following a fly out to Valencia, Ovalle would make his way to 3rd on a Robbins single. Jose Valdez then stepped in to try to stop the Miracle, but Ramos greeted him with a single that plated Ovalle. Valdez would get the next two batters out on strikes. The Miracle would call in Rob Delaney to end the game and end it he did, retiring 3 Tampa batters to preserve the Miracle win.

Ortiz was 3-for-4 with 1 run and 2 RBI for the Miracle. Ovalle was 2-for-4 with a run and 2 runs scored, plus a pair of strike outs. Robbins, Ramos and Santiesteban were all 2-for-5 with a run, Ramos with 3 RBIs. Valencia, Juan Portes and Solarte all collected single hits for Fort Myers. Dinkelman had a bad night, striking out 3 times. Portes and Ramos, like Ovalle, would record 2 strike outs in the game.

The teams finish up tomorrow with a 1:00 start time as Fort Myers looks for a sweep. Miracle southpaw Tyler Robertson (3-2, 3.04) will get the start against Tampa righty Christian Garcia (2-1, 1.72).

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Where are they now? Luis Maza and Terry Tiffee each have been called up to the Dodgers. Maza is hitting .360 with 1 home run and 2 RBIs through 11 games (25 AB). Tiffee is batting .500 through 2 games (2 AB)

Alex Romero earned the last roster spot out of spring training for the Arizona Diamond Backs and is hitting .250 through only 14 games.

Josh Rabe is tearing it up in the independent Atlantic League, hitting .370 in 25 games (92 AB), with 4 home runs and 18 runs batted in. He is playing for the Camden Riversharks.

Kyle Geiger signed with the Ottawa Rapidz of the independent CanAm league, and is hitting .375 through 5 games (16 AB) with 1 home run and 2 RBIs. That is the same league that the Goldkang owned Brockton Rox participate in.

Catcher Korey Feiner is currently playing in the Seattle System.

Josh Hill was picked up the Pittsburgh Pirates and is currently pitching for the AA Altoona Curve where he has a 3-5 record with a 4.12 ERA in 9 games.