Baseball Journal June 9-13, 2018

6- 9-18

Baseball started early today with a noon eastern start between the Nationals and the Giants.  It was 10:00am here and I was watching on a Mexican station.  The Giants' starter was a young man with long hair.  I noticed the cameras kept showing Pudge Rodriguez in the stands.  I was confused until I finally made the connection.  The pitcher was Dereck Rodriguez.  It was Pudge's son making his second major league start. 

Washington DC is currently title town with the Capitals' Stanley Cup win.  The team was there in a suite and they brought the cup with them.  Alex Ovechkin hefted the cup for the crowd.  It also came out after a home run by Bryce Harper.  Later, the video board there also showed Alex eating a hot dog.  He was clearly having a great day. 

Rodriguez came out in the third with the score 5-3 Nationals.  Pudge gave him a standing round of applause.  On the Nat's side, rookie call-up Juan Soto is doing really well and is providing a spark for the team that they needed.  In the seventh, the Giants brought in another long-haired pitcher in Cory Gearrin.  Perhaps they're hoping for another Tim Lincecum.  The final was 7-5 Nats.  The Giants’ offense kept coming back in the game, but their relief pitching couldn't shut down the Nationals.

FOX had regional coverage in the evening.  We didn't get the Yankees and Mets.  The Rockies and Diamondbacks were a surprise option, but we got the Rangers and Astros.  Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre weren't in the field today for the Rangers.  Even worse, a large number of Astros fans were there for the game in Arlington.  I got a look at Isiah Kiner-Falefa.  His name makes a horseshoe around the back of his jersey.

The Astros started off with a two-run lead.  The Rangers loaded the bases in the bottom, but Isiah struck out looking on three pitches to end the first.  In the second, Delino Deshields made a great running, sliding catch in right center.  Rangers' starter Mike Minor even applauded him from the mound. 

In the bottom, the Rangers loaded the bases with no outs.  Jose Altuve made an error on a sure double play that scored a run.  A sacrifice brought in another.  A third hit batter of the inning reloaded the bases, but all were stranded, 2-2.  The Astros' starter, Charlie Morton, was still working on a no-hitter.  All of the Ranger runners were off of free passes.

Delino made another great catch in the third.  This time, not only pitcher, but the Astros' crowd there in Arlington gave him a round of applause.  In the fourth, there was a great interview with Elvis.  He was on the disabled list for the first time in his career.  He was amazingly upbeat and loves to play the game, “All my problems disappear out on the field.”  That's a great attitude to hear.  Morton finally came out for the Astros.  His line was 6 walks, 4 hit batters, 4 strikeouts, and 1 hit. 

The Astros retook the lead in the fifth with a Max Stassi solo home run.  Meanwhile in Denver, Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer to give the Diamondbacks the lead.  Great one-handed catch in the stands by a fan with a mitt.  In the bottom of the fifth, Ronald Guzman got a hit to drive in a run and tie the score at 3.  I think this is the first time I've seen “The Condor.”  He is a big fellow.  Him and Joey Gallo would make a good pay-per-view bout.

          

In the sixth, Nomar Mazara threw-out Yuli Gurriel at second from deep right field.  Back in Denver, the lead changed for the third time.  Thank goodness, I'm not watching that stinker of a game.  The story in Arlington came down to one Ranger stat: 14 left on base, including two this inning.  The Astros made the most of their runners, as George Springer drove in a run, 4-3 Astros. 

Altuve got on in eighth.  There was a great shot of The Condor towering over him at first.  Diamondbacks now up 8-7.  Roughned Odor started a double-play, and Guzman made a great catch of a foul to end the inning.  He immediately handed the ball to a kid in the stands.  Jurickson Profar got hit for the third time in the game.  He made it to second, where Marwin Gonzalez attempted to pull the hidden ball trick on him.  Profar nearly threw his helmet at him for trying it. 

In the ninth, Ruggie turned another double-play.  He must have heard the criticism about his defense.  In the bottom, an Astros fan caught a ball and tossed it to confused kid wearing gear for both teams.  Beltre came on as a pinch hitter with two on.  The crowd was standing for him.  The umps held things up for a minute to conference about the number of mound visits.  Adrian, unfortunately, grounded into a double-play to end the game.  4-3 Astros final.  The Rangers left 18 on base for the game.  Meanwhile, I think the D-Backs won 12-7.  I didn't get a final.  I couldn't get good reception on KOA for the postgame.

The Chihuahuas played the I-Cubs at the same time.  The pups loaded the bases in the first.  The Cubs' manager was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, but the Chihuahuas failed to score.  The Cubs went up 2-0, until a play at the plate in the fourth brought in a run for the Chihuahuas.  The fans disagreed with the call.  Javy Guerra homered to put the pups up 3-2.  The ball hit the top of the fence and went over.  They increased their lead to 4-2 in the ninth.  The Rangers' game just ended as that happened.  This game started 45-minutes later than that one.  The Chihuahuas won 4-2.  Their closer, whose name I didn't catch, was throwing 99mph.

 

6-10-18

The Chihuahuas were apparently rained out today.  Tim Hagerty would come on periodically for a couple of hours with weather updates, but I think I missed his final one.  The NASCAR race was delayed by several hours by rain, but somehow managed to get in half the race and finish it before fog rolled in.  The F1 race was NOT rained out, but wasn't much of a race, as Sebastian Vettel won from the pole.  The Canadian GP sometimes has some drama, including the best race I’ve ever seen (Jenson Button 2011), but this one didn’t have it.  The new Sky Network coverage was unnecessarily hysterical.  Thankfully, I still had the Astros and Rangers playing.

The Astros went up 6-0 in the second.  I was suddenly wondering if I was going to get a game here.  Shin-Soo Choo would drive in two in the bottom to make it interesting.  In the third, the Rangers loaded the bases and Carlos Perez drove in two to make it 6-4.  Who?  You can't tell the players without a scorecard.  In the fifth, a hit and an error brought the score to 6-5.  Ronald Guzman drove in a run to tie it at 6 and drive out Dallas Kuechel.  Yuli Gurriel made a diving play for an unassisted double play to end the inning.

In the sixth, Choo made a great catch.  He can still play in the field.  In the bottom, Eric Nadel pronounced Astros' reliever, Tony Sipp's, time between pitches “intolerable,” and wants a pitch clock installed.  Even the crowd was boo'ing him.  Gurriel homered in the seventh to give the Astros a 7-6 lead.  In the eighth, Adrian Beltre tied it again on an RBI hit. 

Then we had the controversy.  In the top of the ninth with runners on second and third, Keone Kela was called for a balk.  It was obvious, but it wasn't called by an ump in play.  Astros Manager AJ Hinch complained to the umps, who called a conference and then called it retroactively.  This brought a runner on third home to give the Astros an 8-7 lead, which would be the final score.  Rangers' Manager Jeff Bannister was, of course, ejected for arguing about the do-over call.  Joey Gallo struck out to end game.  It was a four-game sweep for the Astros.

Right after the NASCAR race was called (congratulations, Clint Bowyer), I went out for dinner.  I had two What-a-burger coupons left from my Aggie tickets and want to make sure and use them.  Regrettably, it wasn’t one of their better burgers.  I stopped by Target on the way back and impulsively bought a few things, including a small box of baseball cards.  I said I’d stop buying them, but I can’t stop lying to myself.  This box of 72, however, turned out to be one of the best random card purchases I’ve made in years (if not ever). 

Let’s make a list of the haul here: 2 x Aaron Judge, 2 x George Springer, Jose Altuve, Rhys Hoskins (rookie), Evan Longoria, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, and Mike Trout.  There were a couple of Chihuahuas’ standouts with Ender Inciarte and Carlos Asuaje.  Yankees and Astros cards made up a lot of the box.  What swayed me on buying this was the Target Exclusive label, which featured two Derek Jeter commemorative cards.  Not to mention, I finally bought a pack with a Buster Posey card, years too late in searching for one.

Back at home, I turned on the radio again and found the ESPN Radio Sunday night game on.  I can guess this means that the Chihuahuas’ game was definitively canceled.  With tomorrow’s noon (cst) start, I’m guessing there won’t be a double header, but I’ll tune in early.  Tonight’s Yankees/Mets game was also nearly delayed by rain, but it started on time.  There still some drizzle during the game, though not enough to stop it.  The game moved at a very quick clip as there was no scoring until the fifth, when Todd Fraizer hit a two-run homer for the Mets.  Aaron Judge was sitting out, but came in as a pinch-hitter late.  2-0 Mets was the surprise final.  The NYC JV team finally broke an eight-game losing streak.

6-11-18

I woke up a bit after 9:00am and immediately flipped on the radio to KROD to see if the Chihuahuas were playing a double header to make up for yesterday’s rainout.  I had that pegged.  They were already in the second inning with the score 3-1 pups.  It was ugly and windy there in Des Moines.  There was a light-sounding crowd there for this unscheduled game.  I could hear the umpire making strike calls clearly.  Actually, I could still hear him clearly later when more of the crowd showed up.  He was really loud.   

According to Tim Hagerty, 8:30am was the earliest start for a Chihuahuas’ game.  Tim reported seeing an I-Cubs player delivering coffee to the dugout.  He went off on a bit of a tangent to mention Midnight Baseball in the Alaska, where the sun is still up at that time in the summer, which he said he’d like to cover. 

Luis Perdomo, usually a good pitcher, coughed up two more runs in the bottom of the second to tie the score.  The I-Cubs had already gone to their bullpen in the first.  Tim was surprised.  From his experience, the pitchers usually have the advantage in these morning games.  Diego Goris doubled in a run in the fourth to make it 4-3, but the I-Cubs took the lead, 5-4, in the bottom off a two-run homer that hit the top of the wall.

In the fifth, Shane Peterson sacrificed in a run to tie the score again, but the Chihuahuas left the bases loaded.  They’d load the bases again in the sixth without scoring.  A bunch of kids had come in by this point and were chanting to encourage their team.  In the bottom, the I-Cubs worked a leadoff walk, who was moved over on a sacrifice, who then stole third, and was brought in by another sacrifice, which gave them a 6-5 lead.  In the seventh (last inning for a double header), Dillon Maples for the I-Cubs only needed ten pitches to strikeout the side and end the game.  6-5 I-Cubs.

Game 2 started a bit later than what was the originally scheduled time for today’s game.  It had become bright and sunny, and the crowd had swelled to 7,000.  The team draws well for their day games.  Unfortunately, this was more of a typical get-away, low-scoring day game.  The I-Cubs threatened in the second with runners on the corners with no outs, but the Chihuahuas worked out of it. 

Luis Urias led-off with a triple in the fourth, but was then tagged out at the plate on a fielder’s choice grounder.  No problem.  Javy Guerra came up and hit a two-run homer right after.  Shane Peterson would drive in a run in the seventh to make it 3-0.  Robert Stock closed the door in the bottom for the Chihuahuas 3-0 win.  Interesting stat, the Chihuahuas have twice as many road wins as home wins.  You guys better win if I get out to see you this season.

At work, the MLB.TV free game was the Rays versus the Blue Jays.  I know.  Hardly a stellar matchup.  I joined the game in the first with the score tied at 1.  There at the Trop in Tampa Bay, I could hear what sounded like sounded like a guy on a loudspeaker.  He was yelling something unintelligible.  It wasn’t the PA, since it was going on during at bats.  It gave the proceedings something of a “Mad Max Thunderdome” vibe.  Tropicana Field does have a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel to it. 

During the broadcast, they highlighted the Papa John’s Fan section that could be rented out for small groups.  It was a little cramped pen next to the bullpen that jutted out on to the field.  Well if there’s free pizza involved, I might be enthusiastic about those seats.

The Jays got a three-run homer in the third.  The carry of the ball seemed to surprise everyone, but the color guy said, “You could tell by the sound of the ball off the bat.”  You could also hear the clank of the ball off the empty seat it hit.  If the Yankees and Red Sox didn’t come to town a couple of times a year, this franchise would be unviable. 

The Rays got their bats going in the bottom and tied it at 3.  I saw several high popup plays.  These are always an adventure at the Little Trop of Horrors.  If a ball hits the roof there, it could be foul or in play depending on which catwalk it hits.  I missed the rest of the game working, which sucked, because it was actually pretty entertaining.  The Rays won 8-4.  The guys doing the play-by-play were pretty lively, if a bit homer.

6-12-18

The Chihuahuas were off today.  I just about took the day off from baseball, too.  The MLB.TV free game was a video blacked-out Astros and A’s game.  I went ahead and listened to the A’s radio call, which I didn’t seem to have a choice about, since I couldn’t switch to the Astros’ call.  I admit that I wasn’t paying any attention, but the guys were doing a good job and had some interesting discussions.  The Astros won 6-3.

6-13-18

Tonight’s baseball featured the Chihuahuas versus the Nashville Sounds.  It was windy over the mics in El Paso this evening, but it didn’t seem to interfere with the game.  There was some comedy in the first, as the Sounds’ first base coach and the ball boy tried to grab a bag that was flying around the infield.   

The Sounds built up a 4-0 lead by the fifth, but in the bottom, the pups loaded the bases.  A walk, a sacrifice, a wild throw, and a fielder’s choice brought in four to tie the score.  About halfway through the game, it sounded like the wind calmed down a bit.  The sixth started with the PA leading the crowd in singing Livin’ on Prayer.  I think it was a Diablos’ 80’s night at the park.   

In the seventh, Carlos Asuaje tripled into a corner of the park that Tim Hagerty couldn’t see.  Asuaje tried for an inside-the-park home run, but was thrown out at plate.  However, that hit did drive in a runner already on base.  The Sounds’ manager complained that the ball was actually foul.  The umps huddled and agreed.  (They also had to conference on a balk call earlier that was actually the batter calling time.)  Carlos drove in the run anyway on a single, but is thrown out at second, 5-4 Chihuahuas (or Diablos).  He must have been winded after all that running.

The Sounds loaded the bases in the eighth with one out.  Jonathan Aro came in and shut the door.  Tim noticed Franchy Cordero, who starts a rehab assignment tomorrow, was in the stands mingling with the fans.  In the bottom, Brett Nicholas homered to make it 6-4.  Aro didn’t have a good ninth trying to close it out with two hits and a sacrifice tying it at 6. 

In the bottom of the ninth with a runner on, the home plate ump didn’t make a call a 3-2 pitch and the ump at second didn’t make a call on a steal attempt.  Both umps were waiting on a swing or no-swing call from another ump.  Now with two on, a hit brought pinch runner Dusty Coleman around, but he was thrown out easily at the plate.  Tim had been questioning the why the outfield was playing so far in.  No problem though.  Allen Craig came up next and definitively singled in the winning run.  7-6 Chihuahuas final.