Baseball Journal July 14-15, 2018

7-14-18

Red Sox and Blue Jays were on tap for Saturday morning baseball.  The game had moved back to the Mexican station that it was on earlier in the summer.  Something to do with World Cup coverage.  I wasn't expecting a pitchers' duel given the teams, especially with the Jays having a bullpen day, but that's pretty much what happened.  Kevin Pillar made a highlight reel diving catch to end the third inning.  The Mexican announcers went crazy.  Unfortunately, he came out injured on the play. 

JD Martinez hit a solo shot into the Monster seats to put the Red Sox up 1-0.  He's having an epic season.  A happy fan made a catch up there and showed the ball off to the camera.  In the sixth, Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez had a collision while covering first and had to come out.  Next inning, the Jays scratched out a pair of runs to make it 2-1. 

In the eighth, Mookie Betts took second on an error and stole third, but was stranded.  In the ninth, there was a scrum in the stands over a foul ball.  Mookie stood at the wall and watched.  In the bottom, Xander Bogarts doubled and Jackie Bradley Jr. doubled him in to tie the game at 2. 

In the tenth, Mookie got on via an error that went through the legs of a player just moved over to short.  Betts was moved to third on a single.  JD was walked to load the bases and bring up Bogarts.  Xander ended it in style with a grand slam to center.  6-2 Red Sox final.  They are on fire.

Later in the evening, the Chihuahuas started their double header against the Aces, since they had a rain out yesterday.  There was a better rain chance for today than yesterday, but it stayed dry.  It was unnaturally quiet at the ballpark as the coverage started, as the crowd wasn't there for this game.  It was kind of weird to listen to.

Meanwhile, the FOX TV coverage started.  We got the Dodgers and the Angels for the second week in a row.  We probably should have gotten the Rangers and Orioles, but even I admit that's a game between two last place teams who are way out of it.  It was on the radio, but it's too hard to listen to two games at the same time.  Eric Nadel was not doing the call tonight.  The game was over quick as I saw on the ticker later that the O's won, 1-0.

Back in El Paso, Cody Decker was out on the field, but as the first base coach.  Reno went up 2-0 in the first.  Former Rangers closer, Neftali Feliz, started for the Aces.  The pups answered back in the bottom as new Chihuahua Matt Szczur drove in Diego Goris, who just got in on a play at the plate, 2-1.  The name is pronounced just like it looks, “Ceasar.”  I remember him from being on the Cubs.  The Aces put up a couple more runs.  Cory Spangenberg did wrap a homer around the foul pole to make it 4-2.

In the sixth, up 5-2, Decker made a pinch hitting appearance.  He got a cheer from the crowd.  Later in the inning, the crowd for the regularly scheduled game started coming in to fill up the park.  Dusty Coleman did hit a home run in the seventh, the last inning of Game 1, but it was too late.  7-3 Aces was the final.

Between games, I start watching the TV game more.  I wasn't even paying attention to the score.  In the eighth, Shohei Ohtani came in to pinch hit.  This was surprising, since I thought they'd said earlier that he was injured.  There was a happy Japanese fan in the stands that ran up and down the aisle when he came up.  In the bottom of the inning, Justin Upton and Mike Trout nearly collided on a fly ball.  They were not happy with each other.

Upton put the Angels up 4-3 on a solo homer.  In the ninth, Chase Utley pinch hit and got on.  I immediately called for a pinch runner, but he stayed in.  He scored from first on a double, just getting in ahead of a play at the plate.  What do I know?  The Dodgers loaded the bases, but weren't able to score the winning run.  

    

In the tenth, tied at 4, Kole Calhoun homered off Kenley Jansen to put the Angels back up 5-4.  The preceding batter actually got in the ump's face to argue a strikeout.  I can't believe he wasn't ejected.  In the bottom, Upton stumbled on the warning track and missed the ball, which allowed a double.  However, they couldn't get him in and the Angels won 5-4.  Given that I don't like either team, I don't know how to feel about this.

The Chihuahuas started off Game 2 of the double header with a couple of great diving plays on the infield.  There was no score for four innings.  In the fifth, the Chihuahuas loaded the bases on walks.  Allen Craig walked to bring in the first run, but that was all they got.  Next inning, Reno broke through with 4 runs on two homers, 4-1 Aces.  That would be the final.  Well, at least the crowd there got fireworks.

Also on the radio, the Rockies beat Mariners 4-1.  I kept trying to listen to the game, but it kept fading in and out.  Darn, this was the only game result I liked today and I didn't get to hear any of it. 

7-15-18

I tuned in to the Rangers versus the Orioles this morning at just the right time as Ronald Guzman hit a grand slam home run in the first.  “The Condor takes flight!”  Actually, I’m quoting myself there; they didn’t say that.  Eric Nadel wasn’t there.  He must be taking the All-Star break off.  Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler had the call instead.  The Rangers had a 4-0 lead after one.  The homer was their only hit of the inning.  The baserunners all got on via walks.

One of the more pursued players before the trade deadline, Manny Machado, homered in the bottom to make it 4-1.  Matt and Jared had a short lesson in French, by way of discussing France’s World Cup victory.  Oh, good.  After tomorrow, we don’t have to mention the World Cup or soccer for another four years.  Or as someone on the radio put it a couple of weeks ago, “Can we stop pretending we care about soccer now?”  (Well, I want to know if Alex Morgan is playing when I can watch.)  There is a serious sports Agenda pushing soccer.

In the third, the O’s scored.  Machado came up and drew a walk to load the bases.  He got a cheer from the crowd as he came to the plate, as this might be his final home game before being traded.  Adam Jones then came up and cleared the bases with a double, giving the O’s a 5-4 lead.  Rangers’ starter Mike Minor was pulled.  It was mentioned before this that he’d complained about being pulled early in his previous start.  It seemed justified here.  Jurickson Profar, after making a great play earlier in the game, made an error on a routine play that scored another run.  The guys think he plays better instinctually than mechanically.  6-4 O’s.

A heavy drizzle started in fourth and a full rain delay was called in the bottom.  It was a heavy rain, but quick.  However, the infield got wrecked during the indecision about putting out the tarp so there was a 26-minute delay.  When play resumed, Machado was out of the game.  It was speculated that he was pulled as a precaution with the muddy track. 

I’d heard Cardinals’ manager, Mike Metheny, was fired last night.  It was mentioned in this game.  I suppose this isn’t a surprise, but I’m not sure how this helps the team.  They seem to need some good reinforcements if they’re going to catch up with the Cubs and Brewers, not a change in managing.     

Shin-Soo Choo extended his on-base streak with a home run in the seventh to make it 6-5.  Bottom of the seventh, Baltimore fans boo’ed as a fan in a Yankees’ jersey caught a foul ball.  In the eighth, Matt read a couple of limericks that Eric sent in for the game about the World Cup.  He managed a rhyme with “Croatia.”  We are seriously done with soccer now. 

Drama in the ninth, Choo got on and was taken out for Carlos Tocci.  Elvis Andrus hit a double into a corner.  Tocci was waved home, but was thrown easily out at the plate.  The wet track may have slowed him down, but the guys were baffled why he didn’t make it a closer play.  (And what makes it worse was seeing old man Chase Utley make it home on the same play last night.)  6-5 Orioles was the final.  During the game, I did not recognize the names of a couple of Rangers’ relievers.  The team seems to be engaged in Spring Training-like tryouts.             

Once again, there was rain in El Paso for the Chihuahuas and the Aces.  The tarp was out at game time.  Since this was the last meeting between the teams, they really needed to get the game in.  The game started about 90 minutes later.  Strangely, still no rain here in Las Cruces.

Trouble started early.  In the second, the Aces loaded the bases with no outs.  A double play killed the rally, but a run score to make it 1-0 Aces.  In the third, a light mist started falling on the field.  In the fourth, it was a heavier rain and some speedy dry had to be put on the mound.  The Aces homered to add to their lead.  In the bottom, an Aces fielder missed a fly ball in a rain.  The Chihuahuas got two in scoring position, but they were left there.

In the seventh, the Aces scored two more.  The Chihuahuas got one back when Shane Peterson hit an RBI.  Unfortunately, Javy Guerra was thrown out trying to advance to third to end the inning.  Peterson was a pinch hitter, but Dusty Coleman was actually on deck and announced.  However, the Aces made a pitching change at the same time, so no one was sure if Coleman was still in the game.  Meanwhile, Cody Decker again coaching first in the game and tossed a ball to a fan while there.    

Brett Nicholas led off the ninth with a triple.  The wet conditions might have hindered recovering the ball.  The next three batters struck out to end the game, 4-1 Aces.  Coleman was the last batter, so he was still available.  That’s a four-game losing sweep at home after a five-game winning sweep on the road.  What’s up with this inability to win at home?  Tim mentioned one of the players saying how much they appreciate playing in front of the good crowds in El Paso.  Well, that was also two rain delays for me in one day, but without any rain on my end. 

Tim Hagerty talked about Luis Urias being at the Futures Game today in Washington.  I almost sense a pattern with him not in the game and the Chihuahuas losing.  I saw a hilarious clip from the game later.  A kid thought he’d hit a two-run homer and flashed two fingers to his dugout.  He hadn’t hit a home run and had to hustle to get to third.  After he was driven in, the guys in the dugout all held up two fingers for him.  I didn’t get his name, but he was the game MVP anyway.