Baseball Notebook for September 2, 3, 4, 2016

9-2-16

I wasn’t into the free game and the Chihuahuas were bumped off Internet radio for high school football.  Several of my co-workers would be attending the game in El Paso for a company outing.  I’m at work, but I’m not bitter.  (The dogs lost 7-2.  It wasn’t a meaningful game and it rained right afterward.  Besides, I already got a Cody Decker bobblehead, which everyone is jealous of.)  My boss was going to go, but his wife vetoed it for some reason.  She did approve us going to the Chihuahuas’ final regular season game on Monday and there’s a Rockies game on TV, so I’m happy. 

Well technically, it was a Diamondbacks’ game where they were playing the Rockies.  I don’t like their game broadcasts.  As much as I enjoyed Bob Brenly doing Cubs games, he’s a total homer here.  I used to listen to D-Backs games on the radio all the time when they were carried on an El Paso station, and I’ve seen previous TV broadcast crews.  Apparently, it’s a management decision on how the game is called.  Rod Allen, who was on their radio broadcast, has had a way different in tone since I’ve seen him doing Tigers’ broadcasts.  I should define my terms here.  A homer announcer basically cheers on and uncritically builds up his team, while denigrating the opposing team.  Even if I’m rooting for the homer’s team, it gets on my nerves.  By contrast, on Rangers’ radio broadcasts, Eric is pretty hard on the guys when they do a bad job.  Then you have Vin Scully, who calls the game pretty straight, if not poetically.  These two guys being Hall of Famers likely also gives them quite a bit of leeway.

 

I do like that the Diamondbacks have a pre-game, post-game, and even a weekly show to support the team.  The pre-game tonight featured an anniversary of sorts, Mark Grace’s first and only pitching outing for the team 15 years ago.  It was a tight game against the Dodgers as he came in in the 9^th with the score 18-0 Dodgers.  He gave up a home run to David Ross, his first homer as a rookie, but that was all.  So, one inning, one run, 9.00 ERA for Gracie’s pitching career. 

The game in Denver begins.  The guys are comparing the uncanny likeness between the Rockies’ Stephen Cardullo and D-Back Paul Goldschmidt.  The ticker shows that the Astros have gone up 2-0 over the Rangers early.  I had to leave for 10 minutes.  When I came back, it was 5-0 Arizona.  I don’t know what happened.  Meanwhile, the Rangers have evened the score thanks to an error.  Nolan Arenado makes an error at third.  This is news.  Later, he makes a great play, throwing out a runner while falling down.  We’re back to business as usual.

In the 5^th, the Rockies get five straight hits and tie the game on a throwing error (Yasmany Tomas lobbing the ball back to infield after a hit).  They score another run to take the lead.  Back in Arlington, the Rangers put seven runs in the 4^th with three home runs.  The score is 10-2 Rangers.  The D-Backs and Rockies trade a few more runs, before the Rockies have their own seven-run inning in the 8^th including a grand slam by Nick Hundley.  I’m still pissed about that.  They’d just loaded the bases and the D-Backs sent for a reliever.  I ran out of the break room to finish something, sensing what was about to occur, and came back to see him celebrating in the dugout.  Timing issues. 

The Rockies end up winning handily, 14-7.  Unlike that last game against the Dodgers, the Rox have no last inning collapse.  Adam Ottavio finished off the game.  I mention this because I noticed his player number: #0.  I don’t know if I’ve seen that before.  The Colorado crowd was surprisingly quiet for much of the game, but really got into it before the end.

I almost cough up my dinner when I check back on the Rangers game.  It was 10 to 8!  They end up winning, but clearly not after a bad scare.  I go back and check the box score.  Yeah, sure enough, trying to save the bullpen, they got some guy out of the stands wearing a Nolan Ryan jersey to pitch.  His “best” pitch was listed an underhand lob.  The Rangers end up having to spend the bullpen to get the final outs.  I hope this doesn’t come back and haunt them this weekend.        

9-3-16

I’m lucky.  My El Paso Rangers’ station also carries Texas Tech football (I don’t know why).  Thankfully, the football wasn’t on at the same time, so I got to listen to the ball game.  Matt Hicks was not in today to help Eric call the game in Arlington between the Rangers and Astros.  Dave Raymond is up in relief.  Unfortunately, a loud-mouthed Astros’ fan was there.  He was hard to miss, bravely yelling for his team in enemy territory and giving Carlos Gomez the business every time he came up.  By the 5^th inning, Eric is reporting that they’ve turned off the crowd mic, but the guy is still coming in via their headsets.  There was a great crowd present, even with a college football game going on next door.  Presumably most of the crowd was rooting for the Rangers.

Derek Holland was on the mound.  In the 3^rd, he allows three straight hits, which scores a run.  It’s hard not to notice he’s pitching a lot slower with men on.  Pitching coach, Doug Brocail, gives him a good talk and Holland limits the damage.  Adrian Beltre (who else?) steps up in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to tie it.  In the 4^th, Mitch Moreland drives in two for his second hit of the day.  In the 5^th, after a hit by Robinson Chirinos (his second of the day in a scratch start for an ailing Jonathan Lucroy), Nomar Mazara hits a two-run homer.  Carlos Beltran later gets thrown out at the plate by Jake Marisnick to end the inning.  I didn’t catch the name of the Astros reliever who came in, but he also slowed down the pace of the game. 

In the 6^th, Evan Gattis belted a solo home run.  Holland got in further trouble and was throwing slow and missing.  He was at about 100 pitches.  Brocail came out again for good chat.  Derek gritted his teeth and got the last out.  Holland acknowledged the ump as he left after a very hard 6^th inning and clearly out of gas.

In the 7^th, Ranger reliever, Keone Kela, loaded the bases and caught a hard liner with his bare pitching hand.  Manager Jeff Bannister came out to talk to him, instead of Brocail.  Perhaps Doug was tired.  More likely Banney told him that because of yesterday’s bullpen-depleting game, he was going to finish this inning.  Seemingly an hour later (more pace of play issues), he got out of the jam without giving up a run.  In the bottom of the inning, Beltran knocked in Maz and on a double steal, Ian Desmond took home.  7-2 Rangers. 

And we go to the 8^th.  We hit the top of the hour.  And then we go to Red Raider football.  Crap!  Thank you pitchers for working so slowly.  Okay, I can be nice.  It might have been pretty hot and sweaty for an afternoon game there.      

From the ridiculous to the sublime or vice versa.  I start listening to the Chihuahuas versus the Isotopes two hours later.  Hunter Renfroe hits his 30^th home run of the season to give the dogs a 1-0 lead.  The game continues and Albuquerque takes a 2-1 lead on a home run in the 5^th.  I glance at the clock.  The game has been going on for 45 minutes.  You read that right.  We’re halfway through the game in less than an hour.  The El Paso pitcher had a no-hitter through four innings. 

Being after dark, I check in on the Rockies.  Thankfully, the CU/CSU football game was last night.  I join them in the 6^th with the D-Backs up 7-3.  The Rockies threaten and get a run.  Unfortunately in the 7^th, Goldschmidt knocks in AJ Pollack.  I’d noticed AJ was back with the team last night after missing most of the season.  He was one of the reasons I was picking the Diamondbacks to win the division before the season.  In retrospect, he probably wouldn’t have made a difference. 

I flip back to the Chihuahuas.  They’re now losing 4-2 and, oh my God, they’re actually in the 8^th inning.  In spite of starting an hour later than the Rockies, this game finishes first.  The final ends up being 6-2 Isotopes.  The dogs have dropped three in a row since clinching.  This all isn’t boding well for a good game on Monday.  I flip back to the Rockies.  They lose 9-4, but I finally get a final on the Rangers game, 12-4 Rangers.  I feel better now.

9-4-16

Here may be my last Sunday report until October.  The Chihuahuas may be done, or moving ahead in the playoffs.  The NFL will be preempting my Sunday Ranger games.  For now, we have the Rangers vs. the Astros.  Yu Darvish was a bit shaky today.  In the 1^st, he allowed two runs, threw 30+ pitches, and finished the inning with the bases loaded.  Pitching coach, Doug Brocail, and catcher, Jonathan Lucroy each made a visit during the inning.  In the 4^th, the Astros scored three more and chased Darvish from the game.  Eric Nadel was commenting on the pace of play again, mentioning that the Japanese pitchers in particular were among the slowest workers in the league.  The Arlington afternoon heat may have also been slowing the down the pitchers.

Not to fear, Roughned Odor belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 4^th, to put the Rangers back in it.  Gattis got a solo homer in the 5^th for Astros, but the Rangers answered right back with three in the bottom.  6-5 Astros.  Eric mentions twice, and is obviously annoyed by, a spin and throw pickoff move, which he said used to be a balk.  I think any of those time-wasting fake out moves by the pitcher should be a balk, but that’s a longer discussion. 

Later, Rougie drops a ball on a possible double play, which leads to another run scoring.  In the 9^th, down by two, the crowd is literally screaming as Ian Desmond leads off with a triple.  Beltre (who else?) grounds him in, but the rally comes up short.  7-6 Astros, a rare one-run loss for the Rangers this year.  Still, the Rangers go 8-2 over this homestand against some highly-competitive AL teams.

El Paso Chihuahuas vs Albuquerque Isotopes.  Tim Hagerty started off the game with a bit of low-energy, as he announced that this was going to be a bullpen day in preparation for the playoffs.  He perked up as Frenchy Cordero got his first Triple-A hit.  How about that?  A Chihuahuas player actually named Frenchy, though I suspect that might not be his given name.  I didn’t get his position.  Is he playing in the Jeff Francoeur’s Frenchy’s Corner? 

Later, Tim has a guest in the booth, a college scholarship winner.  The young man also threw out the first pitch.  He’d never thrown a baseball before (what’s wrong with this country?) and practiced for an hour before the game.  He said it was very nerve-wracking, as he was sure his family and friends in attendance wouldn’t let him live down a bad throw. 

In the 3^rd, we get some comedy on the basepads.  It was a hit-and-run and Manuel Margot, who was on base, may not have seen the hit and was running back and nearly met the batter at second.  No harm done.  With the bases loaded, Jose Rondon hit a blooper to bring in two runs.  2-0 Pups.

In the 5^th, Tim has some more guests.  This time it’s a little girl, who’s part of Chico’s club, and she brought in her sisters.  It was a short top of the inning and Tim clearly liked the precocious first grader, Morgan, and brought her back.  From their conversation, we learn that there’s a ballpark next to the border in Mexico where a batter actually can hit the ball out of the country.  Fascinating.  Morgan gets to provide color commentary on a two-run homer.  “It hit a truck!”  Chihuahuas up 4-0.  Tim definitely enjoyed himself this inning, as were we all.

Oh my goodness, the revolving door to the pressbox has let in another person.  Garrett Mansfield (I think I got the name), the Chihuahuas’ PR guy, comes in to call a couple of innings.  Garrett called a couple of innings in Albuquerque earlier in the season and his experience is from calling games in the Alaskan League.  In the bizarre coincidences department, it turns out that Mike Tipton, the radio station board op, had actually been at a “Midnight baseball” game that Garrett was at before they ever knew each other.  What are the odds?

In the 6^th, Frenchy drops a ball in outfield and Sandy and Rizzo score on the error.  4-2 dogs.  (Yeah, I know its dumb joke.)  In the 7^th, Jose Rondon puts a ball on the upper lawn for his first Triple-A home run.  5-2 Chihuahuas.  It’s all looking good until the 8^th when a three-run homer suddenly ties the game.  Apparently there were several Isotopes fans in attendance, as you could hear them.  In the 9^th, a misplay by Rondon prolongs an inning.  Two runs score off a Ben Paulsen double.  Another run makes the score 8-5 Isotopes, which is the final.            

In the post-game show, we get a replay of Morgan’s home run call.  Tim dubs her “his analyst,” and chuckles for a moment before regaining his composure to finish the game recap.  Okay, that’s four losses in a row.  Chihuahuas, I will hopefully be there tomorrow and the playoffs start later this week.  It is time to stop losing.