Baseball Journal

3-17-13

The kid’s sign read, “Don’t show me on TV! I’m skipping school to be here.” I saw some good baseball this week, but frankly, this was the highlight. It occurred during Friday’s Mets-Cubs game. I finally got to see that Matt Harvey guy that commentators have been talking about. I only got to see him for a couple of innings. Him and the team were a bit shaky early as the Cubs scored twice, but that was all as the Mets went on to victory.

Ranger relief pitching is also looking a little shaky. I listened to them on the radio get a couple of wins almost in spite of their pitching. Last Saturday, I was only able to get the bottom of the 9th with the Rangers leading the hapless Astros by five runs. I assumed I’d be listening for five minutes. Four runs and 20 minutes later, I’m listening to Nathan squeeze out a save. I got to hear him pitch again when the Rangers game went into extras against the A’s. Moreland hit a two-run homer to take the lead. Nathan came out and gave up a run and got into all sorts of trouble before closing it out.

The highly anticipated Darvish-Verlander match up turned into an episode of extended batting practice for the Rangers and the Tigers. (Though the next night’s game was a pitchers’ duel.) Matt Cain and the Giants visiting Jhoulys Chacin (I love that name) and the Rockies was not expected to be a low-scoring affair and it wasn’t. And in a completely irrelevant game, I saw the White Sox at the Twins on Wednesday. I wasn’t expecting much out of the Sox’s Dylan Axelrod after they mentioned his seven appearances, 0-3 record. He kept getting ruffed up in this game, but somehow kept dodging knockout blows. The Twins proved even sadder than the Sox in the end and were crushed.

[Okay this post is just MLB mad-libs. I think I just wanted to mention that sign and Jhoulys Chacin. This is what I get for taking a week off from baseball blogging.]


3-18-13

I’m still trying to process Saturday’s Rays-Orioles game. First, I was expecting to see our regionally designated Angels-White Sox game. Fox is apparently committed to showing Angel games, because the Halos paid a lot of money to relevant this season whether they win or not. However, I guess my local station’s program director got sick of showing a sub-500 team every week. That’s WGN’s niche.

Second, I’m informed that the Ray’s starting pitcher is Roberto Hernandez. But shortly after that introduction, I’m informed that he used to be Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona (and a woman! Just kidding). After the way he pitched, maybe he should consider changing names again and going into Witness Protection. The Ray’s defense could’ve used some anonymity as well. After digging themselves into a hole, the Rays did make a run at it, but Orioles kept scoring. Apparently this was well in keeping with the previous night’s game where the Rays almost coughed up a double-digit lead late.

In the top of the 9th, I finally reached peak confusion. Jim Johnson, who’s only blown one save in something like 35 chances, and the Orioles, who’ve had a 109 game winning streak when leading after seven innings, proceeded to blow the save and completely self-destruct to the tune of six runs. In the bottom of the 9th, I was not fooled however, as I correctly identified Sam Fuld making a great catch in Left Field, and not Kelly Johnson as Dick Stockton reported.

It was much less of a surprise listening to the end of the Dodgers-Braves game. Kenley Jansen came in in the 8th inning leading 1-0, and left the game losing 3-1. Par for the course. Charley Steiner and Rick Monday were beside themselves calling the game for the Dodgers.


3-19-13

Through four scoreless innings, the biggest event of Sunday’s Mets-Cubs game was Len and JD eating pizza. Well, if you’re a pizza fanatic, such as myself, it is. They were comparing the Chicago-style deep-dish and the New York-style thin crust sold at the ballpark and . . . I’ll stop and start over.

It was a beautiful day in Chicago as bright, happy fans filled the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, such as this one attractive couple in the bleachers that they showed eating some delicious-looking slices of the New York Style pizza . . . Stop. Take Three.

(I’m just not getting enough pizza in my life.)

“When our starters hit, we win,” noted Anthony Rizzo recently and unfortunately, incorrectly, in the case of today’s game, a 4-3 loss. Travis Wood had pretty good stuff for the Cubs out on the mound, but his 5th inning two-run home run was the highlight. He totally got all of it and put in out on Waveland Avenue for the ballhawks. Well, actually the highlight was a guy at the back of the bleachers jumping up to catch the ball, spilling his wife’s beer on her, and then her pouring the rest of the beer on him. Frankly, the other events of the game were trivial by comparison.

I have only two questions following this game. One, when am I going to get some decent pizza? Two, why was there a drum and bagpipe corps on one of Wrigleyville Rooftops? Yeah, really. Kilts and everything.

“And the hits keep on coming,” said Matt Hicks. “This has been a war tonight,” said Eric Nadel. I’ll say that Sunday night’s Ranger-Tiger game was like a heavyweight bout. Both sides were trading knockout punches over the course of the 3 hour, 46 minute, eight and a half inning game.

Miguel Cabrera simply refused to make an out. He had a single, two solo home runs, one three-run homer, and an intentional walk to load the bases (which Prince Fielder cashed in with a bases clearing double). I think his hits all came with two strikes. Of course what the Tigers are asking themselves is, “How did we lose?” Well, David Murphy’s three-run homer was the back-breaker in the Rangers’ 11 – 8 win, but really, it was just two good teams, fighting hard for a win. It could have gone either way. Who knows what happens the next time these teams meet. (July 12th, mark your calendars.)

I’d like to issue a special “thank you” to my local ESPN Radio affiliate, KROD. All during the game, they broke for commercial every 15 minutes, whether the game did or not. Thankfully, later in the night, I was able to flip over to the Rangers broadcast out of Amarillo. Now, if this screw up had happened during Sunday night football, somebody would have ran down to the station to fix it and likely somebody would have been fired Monday morning. But since this is baseball, they just let it go. Nice job, KROD.