DUKE: GAME 2

Duke takes the series, outlasting the Canes 5-4. Miami fought back trailing 4-0 after 5 to tie the game in the 6th. Duke responded in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead shutting down the Canes the remaining two innings to capture the victory but more importantly the series.

The loss might be at the expense of losing Brian Walters leaving the game in the 7th after loading the bases with a walk. Hopefully, not a complication from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him last year. This comes after last night’s loss to Blake Cyr’s after a slide into second in the 9th jamming his left thumb. Both will be evaluated but at the least, we are looking at several weeks for Blake, and questionable as to how long Brian will be out if any. Should have an update at the start of tomorrow’s game regarding Brian. The team can’t afford to lose either of these players from the standpoint of hitting and a key reliever from the BP.

With the loss of Cyr, JD inserted Lucas Costello to right moving Edgardo Villegas to left. The question is who is going to step up to fill the void? Someone will get the opportunity and hopefully take advantage to make an impact statement. Lorenzo Carrier who played left before Blake assumed the duty of DH for today’s game. We are not short of outfielders, but we are with pitchers making the diagnosis of Brian critical in the team moving forward.

Miami continued struggling with hitting striking out 13 times, 9 times in the first 5 inning, and only able to come away with a lone single in the first. Today’s storyline: get the lead-off batter on base. This set the tone for the rest of the inning. 8 of the 9 total runs scored came with the lead-off batter on base.

Duke in the second opened with a single followed by a hit batter putting runners on 1st and 2nd no-outs. A  FO to center, both runners tag up on the FO. The throw into 3rd not in time but Cuvet not able to get the lead runner does get the runner sliding into second for the DP. DP is followed with a RBI single. A game can be won by inches with Duke capitalizing with the ball staying fair down the left field line scoring two. In the top of the inning, Miami wasn’t lucky as Jimenez’s fly to right was inches on the wrong side of the pole verified by review. Miami had a runner on base via a walk that if called fair would have given Miami the initial lead 2-0. It proved the difference-maker.

In the third, the first two batters for Duke reached safely with back-to-back singles.  Rafe hit his second batter to load the bases with one out. Rafe got out of the BL threat with one run on a 6-3 groundout. Duke led the end of three, 3-0.

The 4th was the only inning there was a score without the lead-off batter reaching base. A pass ball set up Duke’s 4th unanswered run. The pass ball advanced the man on first(walk) to second setting up a two-out RBI single.

Miami is scoreless through 5, Jacoby Long led off the 6th with a double followed by an RBI single by Edgardo. Edgardo tagged up twice with FOs to center and Jason bringing him home on an RBI single. Miami cuts the lead in half to 4-2.

The following inning Miami takes advantage of Carrier leading off with a walk. Jacoby with his second double puts the Canes in a favorable position with runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out. Edgardo grounds out scored Carrier from third. Runner on third, Cuvet gets his first hit of the series (double) to tie the score at 4. 

Duke responds in the bottom half of the inning with a lead-off double.  Chestnutt who relieved Schlesinger in the 5th, is relieved by Brian Walters after walking the next batter. The artificial turf played a factor in taking a weird bounce over the head of Jimenez with the go-ahead and winning run.

Offensively, the wind would prove a factor preventing Miami from utilizing their most potent weapon: the long ball. Without it, their chances of winning are dramatically less. the 6th and 7th they were able to tie a couple of hits together due to the lead-off double by Jacoby and a pair of doubles in the 7th. The 6th and 7th Miami recorded 7 of their 9 hits. No hits and 13 strikeouts prevented further scoring. Jacoby Long was the only player with Multiple hits: 3-5(2doubles). Daniel Covet also had a double. The road ahead is rough enough and without Blake in the lineup, someone from the bench will have to take a major step-up if we have any chance of going postseason.

Tomorrow the Hialeah Fire better be burning bright and the bats perform as they did in the 6th and 7th if we expect to salvage one game in the Duke series. First pitch 1PM