How I Spent My Summer Vacation July 2019 Part 6

7-12-19

Erm . . . I had no intention of writing about any more baseball for the summer.  But then, MLB.TV had a free weekend and made all their game available on Friday night.  Rapture!  I caught parts of seven different games (including a Triple-A Chihuahuas game).  I seriously contemplated going back to my workplace over the weekend to continue watching.  Actually, that would have been a bad idea.  The weekend games ran long and finished badly.  (Especially that Rockies game where they blown out and finished well after midnight because of a rain delay.)  The games I watched or listened to on Friday were interesting at least.

The Cubs had the only day game, which finished early.  All of the rest of today’s slate was in the evening.  Of the East coast games, I picked the Rays versus the O’s.  The Rays slugged out 7 runs in the first right off the bat in front of a “friends and family” crowd there in Baltimore on a Friday night.  The Players Union wants teams that are “tanking” to be punished by the MLB.  I think the fans are going to be the ones who punish the tankers.  No further sanctions are necessary.  The Rays obviously won this one.  Later in the evening, Ted Leitner, recapping the day’s games, referred to this final as a “16-4 pitcher’s duel.”  

  

After an hour, the Rangers and the Astros came on.  It was radio only with the “local” blackout.  This matchup was also on last night.  It was an ESPN game that was, weirdly, the only MLB game scheduled for the day after the All-Star Break.  (In place of ESPN’s Wednesday night game?)  The Rangers won that one 5-0.  I barely got to watch any of it.  On the radio tonight, Eric Nadel was still vacation, but Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler were doing a good job.  Unfortunately, I barely got to enjoy this game either.  The Rangers won again 9-8. 

Joey Gallo homered and the team came back from an 8-4 deficit.  They won it on a walkoff single in the ninth by Danny Santana driving in Elvis Andrus.  I had the game on pause and went back and heard the winning hit after I’d seen the score.  Unfortunately, then there was that Saturday extra innings loss.  In the Sunday game, the bottom of the second inning started an hour into the broadcast.  Coming out of commercial, Matt Hicks asked, “When’s Eric coming back?” 

Also over the radio, the Chihuahuas took on the Isotopes.  Yesterday, the pups gave up 8 runs in the second, going down 9-0.  They almost came back.  They scored 8 and left the bases loaded late, but lost 9-8.  Today, the Chihuahuas gave up 7 runs in second.  Doubting another comeback, I gave up on the game, which the Isotopes ended up winning 13-1.  What happened to the Chihuahuas’ pitching?  During the game, Tim Hagerty even mentioned that the Padres had traded good reliever, Phil Maton, for more “International money slot space” or something like that?  What the hell?

Meanwhile, there was an actual pitcher’s duel at Coors Field of all places.  Thankfully, MLB.TV isn’t blocking the video on Rockies games for me anymore.  Jon Gray and Sonny Gray, of the Rockies and Reds respectively, were throwing well.  The Reds had a slim 2-1 lead until the eighth.  David Dahl and Daniel Murphy solo homered to put the Rockies up in front of a huge crowd in Denver.  Wade Davis had a no drama save in the ninth to win it, 3-2 Rockies.  Cool.

Following that game, I noticed the Giants and Brewers were tied 6-6 in the tenth in Milwaukee.  I wanted to listen to Bob Uecker on the radio call, but couldn’t resist watching the video.  Front Row Amy was looking good in a pretty blouse.  I came in at just the right time.  Buster Posey came up with the bases loaded for the Giants and unloaded them with a shot into the centerfield scoreboard.  10-7 Giants.  Right after the game, I switched coverage hear Uecker, but only got to hear him read off the list of sponsors. 

Among the late games, the Padres were playing the Braves in San Diego.  It was radio only for the “local” blackout again.  (There’s no local affiliate for Padres games here.)  However, this meant I got to hear Uncle Ted Leitner on the radio call, whom I enjoy greatly.  I found out the reason for the Chihuahuas’ troubles; the Padres had lost a bunch of pitchers to injury and were doing a bunch of call-ups.  They also needed that International money space to call up Gerardo Reyes from Double-A to pitch.  He made his first MLB appearance tonight in relief.  His first pitch clocked 100 mph and the San Diego crowd literally gasped.  Unfortunately, Padres lost 5-3.

During the game, the Padres’ broadcast mentioned that a combined no-hitter was in progress in Anaheim between the Angels and the M’s.  I’m not much of a fan of either team, but I thought I’d do what I usually do when a no-hitter is in progress: tune in and watch it get immediately broken up.  This was first home game for the Angels after their pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, had died.  His mom threw out the first pitch.  The team was all wearing #45 Skaggs jerseys.

The Angels were comfortably ahead in the eighth, so the only drama in the game was the potential no-hitter.  Taylor Cole started as the opener for two innings.  Felix Pena had pitched the rest.  I was still listening to the Padres while watching the Angels’ video.  Because of the TV delay, the Padres broadcasters blew the ending right before it happened. 

Pena finished out the no-hitter.  13-0 Angels.  Their pitchers had only given up a single walk for the game.  The TV announcers gave the perfect call and said nothing for several minutes as the cameras showed the players and the crowd.  The Angels then laid out all of their #45 jerseys on the mound, along with a painting of Skaggs waving and going off into the cornfield of the Field of Dreams.  Wow, what an emotional way to end tonight’s baseball coverage.