8-9-17
It was a matinee featuring the Rangers versus the Mets today. As usual (thanks to bad station scheduling), we picked up the game in progress. Shin-Soo Choo bluffed while on third and induced a balk out of Raphael Montero, scoring. Joey Gallo immediately followed that up with a two-run, second deck home run. It was his seventh in eight games. The bases were loaded after Carlos Gomez was hit by a pitch, but Martin Perez, the pitcher, the struck out to end the inning. 3-0 Rangers after a half inning, and Queens crowd was already letting the Mets have it.
In the second, Elvis Andrus got on. After Eric Nadel mentioned that he’d shutdown his running game since June, Elvis stole second and third and took home on a fielder’s choice, dodging a tag. How do they hear those comments in the booth? Gomez was hit for a second time and the bases were again loaded. Another strikeout ended the inning. 4-0 Rangers. Martin Perez actually had a no-hitter going until a leadoff homer in the fifth by Wilmer Flores. It bounced back on to the field and was ruled live, but replay showed it going out.
In the sixth, Adrian Beltre got hit #3,008 and passed Al Kaline. (I have a Kaline card. It’s one of my favorites.) Again, the Rangers loaded the bases. They got a run on a walk, but that was all, 5-1. In the eighth, Eric talked about a player named “Hansel.” By way of that, he mentioned that “Gretel” was a popular girl’s name in Cuba and Latin America. I’m almost sensing a prank. Perez goes eight innings with a great performance.
During the ninth, Eric talked about the multitude of kids that were at the park. Many were from the Spartan Day Camp. “That sounds horrible,” said Matt Hicks. Eric, who grew up in New York, winsomely described the camp’s daily schedule. 5-1 Rangers win. The Rangers left 15 runners on base and struck out 15 times, but still won. Joey Gallo, with his homer, three walks, and one strikeout (Yes! That’s what we’ve been waiting for: keeping the K’s to a minimum), Three True Outcomes performance was interviewed after the game. Joey was just happy to be hitting behind a Hall of Famer (Beltre) and considers it a career highlight. That’s what we like hear. What a lovely afternoon.
Later, the Chihuahuas played the Grizzlies (no longer the Tacos for the rest of the week). "There we go. We learned something," said Tim Hagerty. Indeed, we did. There's a Miami in Oklahoma. I didn't know that. Apparently, one of the players is from there. Yep. Okay, in the sixth, Tim was running down the night's games for all levels of Padres' affiliates. I think you can guess how interesting the game was, at least compared to yesterday's and Monday’s, from just that. Not every game can be epic.
On the bright side, the Chihuahuas won 5 to 3. This seemed to be mostly because the Grizzlies' pitching broke down. They were warming up a reliever in the first and brought him in by the third. So far, the Chihuahuas' pitching hasn't had exhaustion catch up with them. Dillon Overton gave a good six innings, only giving up two runs. A pair of relievers only gave up a solo home run in the ninth. The most exciting play of the game was by Tony Kemp of the Grizz in the sixth. Nick Buss and Franchy Cordero collided in the outfield on his fly ball. Kemp managed to play that into an inside-the-park home run.
I suppose the big news of the game was Tim saying that Cody Decker had sent him a message. Cody will be with the 51's when they come to El Paso at the end of the week. Everybody's looking forward to seeing him. Cody announced that he'll have a new movie coming out later this week too. Even better.
8-10-17
I was super busy at work tonight, which was a shame because there was plenty of interesting baseball going on. The MLB free game was the Astros versus the White Sox. I came in in the ninth, so I was a little late. I noted a few throwback Astros’ jerseys in the Chicago crowd. The Astros were leading 2-1 until a tying home run sent the game to extras. In the eleventh, Yoan Moncada, the White Sox last remaining good player (they probably actually have a couple more), knocked in the winning run, who’d been put in scoring position by an error in the outfield. 3-2 White Sox and a series sweep by them. On TV, the Dodgers with Yu Darvish on the mound were playing the Diamondbacks, who wearing their throwback uniforms. Yu went five innings and gave up two runs in an 8-6 Dodger win.
Ahead of his return to El Paso on Friday, Cody Decker released a new video, The 4-A Team. Good stuff. I’m not worried about Decker’s career after baseball (especially given the hottie he’s getting married to, Jenn Sterger). The Albuquerque Isotopes ran into the same bad weather in New Orleans that the Chihuahuas did. Their game tonight with the Baby Cakes was cancelled. While Tim Hagerty was there, the locals warned him about crossing flooded streets. Poisonous snakes apparently wash out on to the road during flooding.
As for the Chihuahuas, they were still in Fresno playing the Grizzlies. The Grizz jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two solo home runs in the first. The pups answered back with three runs in the second, but in the bottom Fresno put up two more runs, 4-3. Chihuahua catcher, Rocky Gale, again seemed to be getting some heckling from the crowd. Actually, it seemed like a rough bunch there period.
The score held until the seventh, Chihuahua pitching had flirted with disaster the previous inning, but consummated it in this one. As the PA played, Who Let the Dogs Out, the Grizz scored four runs for an 8-3 lead. Ryan Schimpf, hit a solo home run in the eighth, but the damage was mortal. Meanwhile in that inning, there were calls for “Jumbo,” but we all had to weight . . . err . . . wait until the ninth. And out he came, all 6’4” 315 lbs of Fresno Grizzlies reliever, Jumbo Diaz. Yeah, that’s his listed name too. I can see where this guy might be something of a fan favorite. Not to mention, he closed the ninth out in an efficient manner. 8-4 Grizzlies final. Vacationing manager, Rod Barajas, breathes a sigh of relief that he’ll still have a job when he gets back.
Friday, August 11, 2017
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Baseball Journal August 7-8, 2017
8-7-17
While waiting for tonight’s West Coast Chihuahuas’ game, I checked out the MLB free game. It was another Padres’ game. I came in in the eighth with the ‘Dreys down 7-3 to the Reds. Carter Capps was on the mound, just called up from the Chihuahuas, and I finally got a good look at his unique delivery. Cincinnati announcers, Thom Brennaman and some guy who sounded like a cowboy, had a long discussion about it and congratulated Capps on making it back to the big leagues. They also discussed the cowboy’s sleeping habits, and they commented on the poor pace of tonight’s game. In other words, Capps loaded the bases and took a long time to do it.
Capps was pulled for Phil Maton. I had to walk away for a few minutes, but when I came back I saw a Reds player high-fiving his teammates in the dugout. One look at the score and the cleared bases, gave me a good idea what had happened. It wasn’t till later that I was informed by Tim Hagerty, that it was former Chihuahua and Maton’s former teammate, Patrick Kivelhan, who had hit a grand slam off him. The Reds struck out the side in the ninth to finally end the game. 11-3 Reds final.
I came into the Fresno Grizzlies/El Paso Chihuahuas game a little late. The bases were already loaded with Grizzlies in the first. Already? Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Michael Kelly, did not start the game well. Kelly began with a hit batter and followed that with five walks and three runs, before he was finally pulled. After the pitching change, his replacement was charged with an error that allowed two more runs. It was 5-0 Fresno after one.
Two Chihuahuas were hit in the second, but neither scored. In the bottom, after five runs, we had our first hit of the game, a run-scoring double, 6-0 Fresno. Don’t say it’s over. To start the third, the pups scored and then loaded the bases for Jabari Blash. Boom! Grand slam! It was 6-5 Fresno with an improbable game line of 11 total runs and three total hits. BP continued as the Grizzlies added a run in the bottom, 7-5.
Kaboom! Rocky Gale hit a solo shot out of the park in the fourth. This was only his second home run of the year to give you a good idea of the quality of tonight’s pitching. Peter Van Gansen was sacrificed in to tie the score at seven. Let me catch my breath. The Grizzlies retook the lead in the bottom on a solo home run, 8-7. In the fifth, Blash scored on a fielder’s choice, 8-8. In the bottom, the Grizzlies did not score! Finally!
With some small momentum, the Chihuahuas took the lead in the sixth via an RBI single and a bases loaded hit by pitch, 10-8 Chihuahuas. There was another scoreless bottom of the inning! It was too good to last. In the seventh, fans, no doubt understandably disgruntled, started getting on catcher, Rocky Gale, after two wild pitches and a passed ball. Tim stood up for Gale and his record as a good defensive catcher saying, “The fans are uninformed.” (That may be about as angry as Tim will likely get over the air.) After the runners on got moved up, a fielder’s choice would score one. The scoreboard operator then committed an error with the count, and the inning suddenly ended on a strikeout that only the players and ump seemed aware of. 10-9 Chihuahuas.
Haboom! (I’m running out of interjections.) Franchy Cordero hammered the first pitch of the eighth for a homer. The second home run of the inning was a three-run shot by Rafael Ortega. 14-9 Chihuahuas. This set off the crowd chanting loudly afterward. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying and didn’t get an explanation. The hecklers also started chiming in on every pitch. This no longer seemed liked a family-friendly event. In the bottom of the ninth, some of these guys sounded really angry. The game ended with a whimper and a moan and probably some raspberries. 14-9 Chihuahuas final. I’m guessing none of the players stuck around for autographs. And can you believe this epic game time was done in three hours, four minutes? That’s only seven innings in a typical American League game.
8-8-17
The Braves did not get off to an auspicious start in their game against the Phillies on the MLB free game. A Braves player tripped on the foul line coming out the dugout and had to be helped off the field and was out of the game before it started. How do these things happen? Their luck didn’t improve during the game. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies pitcher made an awkward catch on a grounder and a bad throw and still started a double play. This was mostly due to a great catch and throw by Phillies shortstop, Freddie Galvis. However on the next pitch, Freddie Freeman hit a homer, so it wasn’t all bad to start the game.
Work kept me from watching most of the game. I did notice that the Braves were playing Matt Adams in left field, which didn’t seem like a good fit. They also had Brandon Phillips at third base, who did look pretty good there. Once again, new Suntrust Field looks very nice. Not a full house, but there were plenty of happy kids and families. I saw Freeman make a great heads up play in the ninth. Not being able to get a runner at first on an infield single, he threw from his knees to get a runner trying to take home. In the end, it was a 5-2 Phillies win. The Phillies have Braves number this year according to the Braves’ announcers.
The Chihuahuas were playing the Tacos in Fresno tonight. The Tacos are the Grizzlies’ alternate identity (until they change their name to the Surfin’ Bears, as I’ve suggested). I saw a kid at an Aggie baseball game wearing a Taco’s hat a couple of times this year. Really. Jordan Lyles made his pitching debut for the Chihuahuas tonight. While it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s starter, Lyles didn’t make it out of the third after giving up four runs. After two double headers and two short starts, this can’t be good for the bullpen.
By the fifth, the Grizzlies were leading 4-2. I’m not sure I heard this right, but I think Tim Hagerty called a player going into the netting to make a catch. I must have been busy. More clearly, I heard Tim calling the Tacos’ pitching coach being ejected from the game during a mound visit. After the bases had been loaded, the coach came out, loitered on the mound for a long talk, waited for the ump to come out and break it up, and then gave the ump his two-cents about what he thought about his strike calling. The ump gave him his change and showed him the door. The talk didn’t help anyway, the Chihuahuas tied the score.
El Paso lost the lead, but got it back in the seventh on a sac fly and a wild pitch, 6-5. The Tacos’ pitcher was Jordan Jankowski. No relation to the Chihuahuas’ Travis Jankowski. Meanwhile, Brian Rodriguez had another great long outing (though a bit impromptu), going 6 2/3 and giving up two runs. The pups tacked on another run in the ninth. Adam Cimber came on for the save. A pinch hitter came up wearing #2. There was no #2 on the roster. Tim didn’t know who it was and neither did the PA, since the player wasn’t announced. These alternate jerseys might have caught the Tacos a bit short on wardrobe. “Whoever it is, goes down on strikes,” said Tim. Chihuahuas won 7-5. That’s two come-from-behind wins while manager Rod Barajas has been on vacation.
While waiting for tonight’s West Coast Chihuahuas’ game, I checked out the MLB free game. It was another Padres’ game. I came in in the eighth with the ‘Dreys down 7-3 to the Reds. Carter Capps was on the mound, just called up from the Chihuahuas, and I finally got a good look at his unique delivery. Cincinnati announcers, Thom Brennaman and some guy who sounded like a cowboy, had a long discussion about it and congratulated Capps on making it back to the big leagues. They also discussed the cowboy’s sleeping habits, and they commented on the poor pace of tonight’s game. In other words, Capps loaded the bases and took a long time to do it.
Capps was pulled for Phil Maton. I had to walk away for a few minutes, but when I came back I saw a Reds player high-fiving his teammates in the dugout. One look at the score and the cleared bases, gave me a good idea what had happened. It wasn’t till later that I was informed by Tim Hagerty, that it was former Chihuahua and Maton’s former teammate, Patrick Kivelhan, who had hit a grand slam off him. The Reds struck out the side in the ninth to finally end the game. 11-3 Reds final.
I came into the Fresno Grizzlies/El Paso Chihuahuas game a little late. The bases were already loaded with Grizzlies in the first. Already? Chihuahuas’ pitcher, Michael Kelly, did not start the game well. Kelly began with a hit batter and followed that with five walks and three runs, before he was finally pulled. After the pitching change, his replacement was charged with an error that allowed two more runs. It was 5-0 Fresno after one.
Two Chihuahuas were hit in the second, but neither scored. In the bottom, after five runs, we had our first hit of the game, a run-scoring double, 6-0 Fresno. Don’t say it’s over. To start the third, the pups scored and then loaded the bases for Jabari Blash. Boom! Grand slam! It was 6-5 Fresno with an improbable game line of 11 total runs and three total hits. BP continued as the Grizzlies added a run in the bottom, 7-5.
Kaboom! Rocky Gale hit a solo shot out of the park in the fourth. This was only his second home run of the year to give you a good idea of the quality of tonight’s pitching. Peter Van Gansen was sacrificed in to tie the score at seven. Let me catch my breath. The Grizzlies retook the lead in the bottom on a solo home run, 8-7. In the fifth, Blash scored on a fielder’s choice, 8-8. In the bottom, the Grizzlies did not score! Finally!
With some small momentum, the Chihuahuas took the lead in the sixth via an RBI single and a bases loaded hit by pitch, 10-8 Chihuahuas. There was another scoreless bottom of the inning! It was too good to last. In the seventh, fans, no doubt understandably disgruntled, started getting on catcher, Rocky Gale, after two wild pitches and a passed ball. Tim stood up for Gale and his record as a good defensive catcher saying, “The fans are uninformed.” (That may be about as angry as Tim will likely get over the air.) After the runners on got moved up, a fielder’s choice would score one. The scoreboard operator then committed an error with the count, and the inning suddenly ended on a strikeout that only the players and ump seemed aware of. 10-9 Chihuahuas.
Haboom! (I’m running out of interjections.) Franchy Cordero hammered the first pitch of the eighth for a homer. The second home run of the inning was a three-run shot by Rafael Ortega. 14-9 Chihuahuas. This set off the crowd chanting loudly afterward. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying and didn’t get an explanation. The hecklers also started chiming in on every pitch. This no longer seemed liked a family-friendly event. In the bottom of the ninth, some of these guys sounded really angry. The game ended with a whimper and a moan and probably some raspberries. 14-9 Chihuahuas final. I’m guessing none of the players stuck around for autographs. And can you believe this epic game time was done in three hours, four minutes? That’s only seven innings in a typical American League game.
8-8-17
The Braves did not get off to an auspicious start in their game against the Phillies on the MLB free game. A Braves player tripped on the foul line coming out the dugout and had to be helped off the field and was out of the game before it started. How do these things happen? Their luck didn’t improve during the game. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies pitcher made an awkward catch on a grounder and a bad throw and still started a double play. This was mostly due to a great catch and throw by Phillies shortstop, Freddie Galvis. However on the next pitch, Freddie Freeman hit a homer, so it wasn’t all bad to start the game.
Work kept me from watching most of the game. I did notice that the Braves were playing Matt Adams in left field, which didn’t seem like a good fit. They also had Brandon Phillips at third base, who did look pretty good there. Once again, new Suntrust Field looks very nice. Not a full house, but there were plenty of happy kids and families. I saw Freeman make a great heads up play in the ninth. Not being able to get a runner at first on an infield single, he threw from his knees to get a runner trying to take home. In the end, it was a 5-2 Phillies win. The Phillies have Braves number this year according to the Braves’ announcers.
The Chihuahuas were playing the Tacos in Fresno tonight. The Tacos are the Grizzlies’ alternate identity (until they change their name to the Surfin’ Bears, as I’ve suggested). I saw a kid at an Aggie baseball game wearing a Taco’s hat a couple of times this year. Really. Jordan Lyles made his pitching debut for the Chihuahuas tonight. While it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s starter, Lyles didn’t make it out of the third after giving up four runs. After two double headers and two short starts, this can’t be good for the bullpen.
By the fifth, the Grizzlies were leading 4-2. I’m not sure I heard this right, but I think Tim Hagerty called a player going into the netting to make a catch. I must have been busy. More clearly, I heard Tim calling the Tacos’ pitching coach being ejected from the game during a mound visit. After the bases had been loaded, the coach came out, loitered on the mound for a long talk, waited for the ump to come out and break it up, and then gave the ump his two-cents about what he thought about his strike calling. The ump gave him his change and showed him the door. The talk didn’t help anyway, the Chihuahuas tied the score.
El Paso lost the lead, but got it back in the seventh on a sac fly and a wild pitch, 6-5. The Tacos’ pitcher was Jordan Jankowski. No relation to the Chihuahuas’ Travis Jankowski. Meanwhile, Brian Rodriguez had another great long outing (though a bit impromptu), going 6 2/3 and giving up two runs. The pups tacked on another run in the ninth. Adam Cimber came on for the save. A pinch hitter came up wearing #2. There was no #2 on the roster. Tim didn’t know who it was and neither did the PA, since the player wasn’t announced. These alternate jerseys might have caught the Tacos a bit short on wardrobe. “Whoever it is, goes down on strikes,” said Tim. Chihuahuas won 7-5. That’s two come-from-behind wins while manager Rod Barajas has been on vacation.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Baseball Journal August 5-6, 2017
8-5-17
At game time, the Chihuahuas were not on. There was no broadcast explanation. I kept tuning back to the station periodically, but their game never came on. I assumed they’d been rained out. I hope Tim Hagerty and Leah Piri at least got some rest.
Flipping over to the Rangers/Twins game, I got Rain Delay Theater with Jared Sandler. Thankfully, the delay ended within an hour. The game seemed to run pretty quickly. Cole Hamels was dealing. He pitched a the complete game in about 90+ pitches. By contrast, the Twins’ pitchers needed over 150. The Twins’ only run came on an error, unearned. Normar Mazara homered, and Robinson Chirinos drove in two runs. 4-1 Rangers was the final. Meanwhile in Round Rock, Willie Calhoun hit a three-run homer against the Isotopes.
Shockingly, KOA was coming in clear, and even more surprising, I got to hear a bit of the Rockies playing the Phillies. I joined the game in the eighth with the Rox up 8-4. It was raining lightly in Denver. Was it raining everywhere except here today? The Rockies loaded the bases in the bottom, but failed to score. Rockie newcomer and former Phillie, Pat Neshek came in to close. There was some miscommunication on a fly ball for the final out. It dropped untouched, which lead to a run, but no error was charged. The damage ended there with the Rockies winning 8-5.
8-6-17
Tim Hagerty sounded a bit tired to start today’s double header between the Chihuahuas and the (gag) Baby Cakes. Thankfully, he perked up as the games went along. He described a deluge yesterday in New Orleans, which canceled the game. The (gag) “Shrine on Airline” stadium ended up underwater and thoroughly unplayable. The new groundskeeper at the stadium just started this week. What an introduction to the job. A viral video showed a couple of the players swimming in the dugout/improvised pool after the game was canceled. The video was shown on Sportscenter, and you can bet the hosts made note that the scheduled game was between the Chihuahuas and Baby Cakes (snicker, snicker).
I actually learned quite a bit about the stadium during the double header. First off, it’s right next to the New Orleans airport. At night apparently they don’t have a lot of flights out, but during the day it’s shades of old Shea Stadium. A steady roar of jets filled the air for most of the afternoon. That’s not all. The stadium is also next to a Harley-Davidson plant. On a couple of occasions, there was an unmistakable growl of an HD motorcycle thundering by. (Over the radio, they were louder than the low-flying jets.) The Saints’ practice facility, a big warehouse, is next door. The football players come over to take an annual swing at batting practice. The stadium is located in a suburb, nowhere near any tourist stuff. Let’s not forget the weather either. Frankly, I might avoid this place if I was touring ballparks around the country.
The fans might feel the same. Announced attendance was over 5,900, but if they were there, they were real quiet. Tim all but apologized for a lack crowd noise. Later, Tim spotted a kid in the stands with four foul balls that he’d shagged during the game. I think that tells you everything you need to know about the size of the crowd. (Friday night’s Game Two, where even friends and family left because of the hour, needed no explanation.) He thought that the weather might have scared them off, though Sunday was a nice day. Normally, the New Orleans fans show up better. The team had been expecting a big crowd for Star Wars Night on Saturday.
I feel like I’m delaying talking about the games. The Chihuahuas had actually gained good ground on the division leaders by not playing. The ‘Cakes, on the other hand, were the first team in the PCL eliminated from the playoffs on Friday. One of these teams has something to play for; the other doesn’t.
However, it’s not that simple. The Padres have “too many outfielders.” This resulted in Travis Jankowski being sent down to the Chihuahuas, which in turn gave the Chihuahuas “too many outfielders.” Collin Cowgill, former big leaguer and the guy who hit a grand slam on Friday, was released. Two other players have been let go over the last seven days. Not to mention, big contributors like Jose Pirela and Phil Maton, were called up earlier in the season. So in my opinion, the Chihuahuas are well short-handed of Triple-A level talent at the moment. I’m not hearing about any great players being brought up from the lower levels. The organization has made a determination on the Chihuahuas’ season, and it’s not “Let’s go for another championship!” It could be worse. Tim incredulously mentioned that Tacoma had been reduced to nine position players for today.
Let’s just tear off the band-aid. The Chihuahuas lost both games. In Game One in the first, a ‘Cakes runner was thrown out at home, but four runs scored afterward anyway. It was starter Kyle Lloyd’s only bad inning, as he no-hit them for five consecutive innings following. The Chihuahuas got runners on, but only managed a bases loaded balk run. In the sixth, Ryan Schimpf hit a solo home run into the pool in the outfield. (Oh, apparently there’s a pool at this stadium for some reason where it also rains a lot. The one in Phoenix barely makes any sense.) 4-2 Baby Cakes was the final in a one hour, forty minute game.
In Game Two in the third, the pups loaded the bases. The closest they came to a run then was a force play at home. In the bottom, the ‘Cakes loaded the bases with no outs. They sac’d in a run, singled in a run, reloaded the bases, and sac’d in another run, 3-0. Next inning, they put up two more runs, 5-0. In the seventh, Peter Van Gansen doubled in a run, going three for three in the game. His defense is lacking, but he’s getting the runs back on offense. 5-1 Baby Cakes final in two hours and twenty minutes. Damn, this is how other teams feel when they lose to the Chihuahuas. The name thing just makes it worse.
Meanwhile, I missed the first inning of the Rangers versus the Twins, where Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer and Joey Gallo followed that with a two-run, tape-measure shot home run to a 5-0 Ranger lead. So, I didn’t really miss anything, did I? I came in just after the Twins had hit a two-run shot and showers sent the game to Rain Delay Theater in the second. The delay ended right after the Chihuahuas’ Game One. The Twins would tie it thanks to another two-run homer and then a solo home run in the third. You know, I think I’m starting to see a pattern this season in the scoring, like most of the runs are coming in a certain fashion. I’ll have to do some research before I write out any conclusions, wouldn’t want to be too hasty. A disputed call gave the Twins the lead. 6-5 Twins was the further disappointing final.
At least with the early afternoon game, we got the ESPN Sunday Night game, between the Dodgers and the Mets. Jerry Hairston Jr. joined the broadcast. He added an energetic flavor to the proceeding. He hoped to catch a foul ball and be signed by a scout to re-start his playing career. My favorite exchange was Hariston saying that he had a “Key to the City,” which entitles the holder to a free meal anywhere in town. Play-by-play co-host, Jon Sciambi, wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.
As for the game, in the first, a reversed call on a steal extended the inning for the Dodgers. Three runs scored immediately afterward (including a double steal). The final out of the inning was thrown out at the plate. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger homered later. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up a single hit. Up 8-0 in the ninth, Kenley Jansen was brought in. That seemed like overkill. He gave up one walk to give the Mets their second baserunner of the night (and he took forever to pitch the damn the ball). The Dodgers swept the season series with the Mets for the first time ever. I’m almost foreseeing sub-500 teams, forfeiting games for the rest of the season rather than embarrassing themselves against the nigh-unbeatable Dodgers at this point.
At game time, the Chihuahuas were not on. There was no broadcast explanation. I kept tuning back to the station periodically, but their game never came on. I assumed they’d been rained out. I hope Tim Hagerty and Leah Piri at least got some rest.
Flipping over to the Rangers/Twins game, I got Rain Delay Theater with Jared Sandler. Thankfully, the delay ended within an hour. The game seemed to run pretty quickly. Cole Hamels was dealing. He pitched a the complete game in about 90+ pitches. By contrast, the Twins’ pitchers needed over 150. The Twins’ only run came on an error, unearned. Normar Mazara homered, and Robinson Chirinos drove in two runs. 4-1 Rangers was the final. Meanwhile in Round Rock, Willie Calhoun hit a three-run homer against the Isotopes.
Shockingly, KOA was coming in clear, and even more surprising, I got to hear a bit of the Rockies playing the Phillies. I joined the game in the eighth with the Rox up 8-4. It was raining lightly in Denver. Was it raining everywhere except here today? The Rockies loaded the bases in the bottom, but failed to score. Rockie newcomer and former Phillie, Pat Neshek came in to close. There was some miscommunication on a fly ball for the final out. It dropped untouched, which lead to a run, but no error was charged. The damage ended there with the Rockies winning 8-5.
8-6-17
Tim Hagerty sounded a bit tired to start today’s double header between the Chihuahuas and the (gag) Baby Cakes. Thankfully, he perked up as the games went along. He described a deluge yesterday in New Orleans, which canceled the game. The (gag) “Shrine on Airline” stadium ended up underwater and thoroughly unplayable. The new groundskeeper at the stadium just started this week. What an introduction to the job. A viral video showed a couple of the players swimming in the dugout/improvised pool after the game was canceled. The video was shown on Sportscenter, and you can bet the hosts made note that the scheduled game was between the Chihuahuas and Baby Cakes (snicker, snicker).
I actually learned quite a bit about the stadium during the double header. First off, it’s right next to the New Orleans airport. At night apparently they don’t have a lot of flights out, but during the day it’s shades of old Shea Stadium. A steady roar of jets filled the air for most of the afternoon. That’s not all. The stadium is also next to a Harley-Davidson plant. On a couple of occasions, there was an unmistakable growl of an HD motorcycle thundering by. (Over the radio, they were louder than the low-flying jets.) The Saints’ practice facility, a big warehouse, is next door. The football players come over to take an annual swing at batting practice. The stadium is located in a suburb, nowhere near any tourist stuff. Let’s not forget the weather either. Frankly, I might avoid this place if I was touring ballparks around the country.
The fans might feel the same. Announced attendance was over 5,900, but if they were there, they were real quiet. Tim all but apologized for a lack crowd noise. Later, Tim spotted a kid in the stands with four foul balls that he’d shagged during the game. I think that tells you everything you need to know about the size of the crowd. (Friday night’s Game Two, where even friends and family left because of the hour, needed no explanation.) He thought that the weather might have scared them off, though Sunday was a nice day. Normally, the New Orleans fans show up better. The team had been expecting a big crowd for Star Wars Night on Saturday.
I feel like I’m delaying talking about the games. The Chihuahuas had actually gained good ground on the division leaders by not playing. The ‘Cakes, on the other hand, were the first team in the PCL eliminated from the playoffs on Friday. One of these teams has something to play for; the other doesn’t.
However, it’s not that simple. The Padres have “too many outfielders.” This resulted in Travis Jankowski being sent down to the Chihuahuas, which in turn gave the Chihuahuas “too many outfielders.” Collin Cowgill, former big leaguer and the guy who hit a grand slam on Friday, was released. Two other players have been let go over the last seven days. Not to mention, big contributors like Jose Pirela and Phil Maton, were called up earlier in the season. So in my opinion, the Chihuahuas are well short-handed of Triple-A level talent at the moment. I’m not hearing about any great players being brought up from the lower levels. The organization has made a determination on the Chihuahuas’ season, and it’s not “Let’s go for another championship!” It could be worse. Tim incredulously mentioned that Tacoma had been reduced to nine position players for today.
Let’s just tear off the band-aid. The Chihuahuas lost both games. In Game One in the first, a ‘Cakes runner was thrown out at home, but four runs scored afterward anyway. It was starter Kyle Lloyd’s only bad inning, as he no-hit them for five consecutive innings following. The Chihuahuas got runners on, but only managed a bases loaded balk run. In the sixth, Ryan Schimpf hit a solo home run into the pool in the outfield. (Oh, apparently there’s a pool at this stadium for some reason where it also rains a lot. The one in Phoenix barely makes any sense.) 4-2 Baby Cakes was the final in a one hour, forty minute game.
In Game Two in the third, the pups loaded the bases. The closest they came to a run then was a force play at home. In the bottom, the ‘Cakes loaded the bases with no outs. They sac’d in a run, singled in a run, reloaded the bases, and sac’d in another run, 3-0. Next inning, they put up two more runs, 5-0. In the seventh, Peter Van Gansen doubled in a run, going three for three in the game. His defense is lacking, but he’s getting the runs back on offense. 5-1 Baby Cakes final in two hours and twenty minutes. Damn, this is how other teams feel when they lose to the Chihuahuas. The name thing just makes it worse.
Meanwhile, I missed the first inning of the Rangers versus the Twins, where Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer and Joey Gallo followed that with a two-run, tape-measure shot home run to a 5-0 Ranger lead. So, I didn’t really miss anything, did I? I came in just after the Twins had hit a two-run shot and showers sent the game to Rain Delay Theater in the second. The delay ended right after the Chihuahuas’ Game One. The Twins would tie it thanks to another two-run homer and then a solo home run in the third. You know, I think I’m starting to see a pattern this season in the scoring, like most of the runs are coming in a certain fashion. I’ll have to do some research before I write out any conclusions, wouldn’t want to be too hasty. A disputed call gave the Twins the lead. 6-5 Twins was the further disappointing final.
At least with the early afternoon game, we got the ESPN Sunday Night game, between the Dodgers and the Mets. Jerry Hairston Jr. joined the broadcast. He added an energetic flavor to the proceeding. He hoped to catch a foul ball and be signed by a scout to re-start his playing career. My favorite exchange was Hariston saying that he had a “Key to the City,” which entitles the holder to a free meal anywhere in town. Play-by-play co-host, Jon Sciambi, wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.
As for the game, in the first, a reversed call on a steal extended the inning for the Dodgers. Three runs scored immediately afterward (including a double steal). The final out of the inning was thrown out at the plate. That set the tone for the rest of the game. Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger homered later. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched eight scoreless innings, giving up a single hit. Up 8-0 in the ninth, Kenley Jansen was brought in. That seemed like overkill. He gave up one walk to give the Mets their second baserunner of the night (and he took forever to pitch the damn the ball). The Dodgers swept the season series with the Mets for the first time ever. I’m almost foreseeing sub-500 teams, forfeiting games for the rest of the season rather than embarrassing themselves against the nigh-unbeatable Dodgers at this point.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Baseball Journal August 4, 2017
8-4-17
More sports media crap. The last (maybe?) issue of my free Sports Illustrated subscription had a cover featuring a Brazilian soccer player. Utter, complete irrelevancy. There’s a hit piece on Trump, inferring that he’s a golf cheat, which is the worst thing you can call a golfer. Nothing on Colin Kaepernick, but they already did a editorial demanding that he be given an NFL job a couple months ago. There was a paragraph on the baseball trading deadline. At least there was a nice article on George Springer. I’ve heard an interview with him on an Astros podcast. He seems like a good kid. Bye, bye SI, if this is the end. It’s been . . . umm . . . crappy.
The Chihuahuas were supposed to play a double header versus the New Orleans Baby Cakes starting at 4:00. (Chihuahuas versus Baby Cakes. It’s the apocalypse, folks.) Unfortunately what transpired was another lengthy rain delay. Steve Kapolowitz had to come in on short notice and do some impromptu local sports talk for three hours. I felt bad for Leah Piri (not sure about the spelling), the girl who’s the baseball producer, who had to come in after just arriving back in town from vacation in Hawaii four hours before. Then she had to cool her heels for several hours before the game finally started (and then ended much, much later). Steve decided to go ahead and do a show, which included a commercial-free hour, because “There is no way I’m running ESPN Radio for three hours at this time.” I wonder he had heard yesterday’s show with that liberal woman.
In the meantime, I watched the MLB free game between the Orioles and the Tigers in Baltimore. Honestly, while the game wasn’t bad, the extra circular stuff going on during the game may have been more interesting. This was the visiting Fox Sports Detroit broadcast with one of my favorite color commentators, Rod Allen.
Justin Verlander was pitching. His parents were there and chatted with the in-game reporter. They contributed a picture of Justin as a high school pitcher. A poor guy tried to catch a foul ball going to his seat, while holding dinner. He lost the ball, and his meal, and whatever happiness he had. The guys calling the game felt bad for him and sent the in-game reporter to him with a replacement meal. The guy was still down, but he said he’d get a ball eventually. He might have felt worse later in the game. A mom sitting with her family caught a hot-shot liner into the stands for a souvenir with a round of applause from the crowd and a tip of cap from the players.
As for the game, there was some strange confusion at the bottom of the third. The Tigers got the third out, but the whole team apparently forgot how many outs there were and stayed on the field until the umps finally called them off. The Tigers had one run, and then Verlander gave up two solo homers for a 2-1 O’s score. In the eighth (and I missed it while working), Justin Upton hit a grand slam homer to give the kitties a 5-2 win.
“Are you sure you want to take this?” asked the Baby Cakes’ manager to the umpire, as he held out his lineup card as the rain began. Tim Hagerty spent a couple of innings explaining why these two seven-inning games were being played starting at 8:00 pm CST. Yesterday’s game had come so close to starting, but the rains had started first instead. If the ump had taken the lineup card, it would have caused the game to have been suspended (since it would have technically started) and resulted in a pair of nine-inning games for a double header.
The PCL waived their 12:30 am curfew for starting an inning to begin these games. The weather forecast wasn’t promising for the weekend and this “window” was deemed the best chance to get the games in. I’d say they were really only relevant for the Chihuahuas, since they’re still slightly viable for the division lead. New Orleans has been all-but eliminated from the post-season. If the games hadn’t mattered, maybe a different decision would have been made.
During player introductions, the PA called the team, “The ‘Cakes.” Tim seized on that and used that for most of the game. He did comment that this community had about the same reaction as El Paso fans had to “Chihuahuas,” but they’d come to accept it. Tim really didn’t seem comfortable with saying “Baby Cakes.” (Who could blame him?) I read an interview with him that was linked on his Twitter feed later in the night. Tim knew ahead of time that there was going to be a “mixed reaction” to the Chihuahuas’ name. I’d credit the quality of the ballpark and the team for the acceptance of the name, more than the cute logo and marketing.
The crowd for Game One, in spite of the late start, sounded pretty large at the “Shrine on Airline” ballpark. They’d had to rename Zephyr stadium with the team name change. At the very least, they sounded quite rambunctious. The intro to the Beastie Boys “Girls” was used for bumper music a couple of times. A fan shouted out the lyrics when it ended. Tim mentioned that the earlier name of the team, before Zephyrs, was the Pelicans, the current name of their NBA team. “NOLA” was on the front of the team’s jersey, instead of Babycakes. (Austin Nola on the team, also had “Nola” on the back.)
As for the game, New Orleans went up 2-0 in the second inning off of a well-executed suicide squeeze play. In the fourth, the pups went up 4-2. I missed that inning watching the end of the Tigers’ game. The ‘Cakes answered in the fifth with a three-run homer, 6-4. Ryan Schimpf hit a solo homer in the sixth to make it 6-5. He was from the area and played ball for LSU. Schimpf had a whole cheering section of friends and family there in Chihuahuas’ gear. They picked a good day to be there. He hit two home runs in the game. 6-5 ‘Cakes would end up being the Game One final.
Game Two started less than 20 minutes later. Tim announced the local time at 10:45. “Boy, what a night,” he said in disbelief. While I had other stuff I might have wanted to watch instead, I felt almost obliged to listen for Tim’s sake. He was really working tonight. It was a much quieter crowd, but the ones that were there got individually loud on occasion. A foul ball bounced off an empty seat, which was clearly heard and caused a scramble amongst those there. A “low occupancy game” as Tim put it.
The story of most of the game was ‘Cakes pitcher, Tom Koehler, who had a no-hitter going through five innings of this seven-inning game. The first Chihuahua hit came in the sixth with the first batter. Tim noted that the TV guys went home after Game One. If this had been a no-hitter, there would have been no footage. Diego Goris attempted to score from first on a double and nearly got caught in a run-down. He just made it back to third. He had to wait until Collin Cowgill came up and hit a grand slam a couple of batters later. 4-1 Chihuahuas. The crowd left boo’d loudly.
Meanwhile, I checked my e-mail. I spoke too soon earlier. Sports Illustrated had put up a new Colin Kaepernick article. The title of the click-bait insisted that the NFL’s ratings drop last year was not because of him. It was Trump’s fault. For some reason, I didn’t bother reading it. Elsewhere, Yu Darvish made his debut with the Dodgers in New York City against the Mets. He had 10 strikeouts and gave up no runs in seven innings, and the Dodgers won 6-0. The boys in blue are starting to look truly scary (to other clubs). At the game, Tim was getting some encouraging tweets from fans during the game that he happily read. I was sorry I wasn’t signed up for Twitter.
“The crowd has dwindled down significantly,” as Tim put it. They left too early. In the bottom of the sixth, with two on and one out, an error scored a run. Worse, pitcher, Kevin Quackenbush, injured himself committing the error and had to come out. Another run came in on a fielder’s choice. And then, an error by Peter Van Gansen brought in the tying run, 4 all.
Tim asked Leah how she was doing back the studio after she did the usual seventh inning scoreboard. She was okay. Tim was getting a little punchy. It was near 1:00 am in New Orleans. At one point, he called the home team, the Zephyrs, without noticing. He mentioned he’d shown up at the stadium at noon. No one scored in the seventh. On to “extras.”
In the eighth, Tim noted that the cleaning crew was working around the stadium. The crowd had been reduced to a couple dozen people. Some of the ones there were pretty vocal. Tim actually laughed over some of their shouted comments. Peter Van Gansen would drive in two runs on a single in the top of the inning. In the bottom, Carter Capps came in and put two on with no outs, but managed to get out of it unscathed. 6-4 Chihuahuas. The game was over at 1:35 am CST. The post-game just finished before I was about to leave for the night. Tim was so happy. He wasn’t quite sure when the game was scheduled for tomorrow, but he’d figure it out.
More sports media crap. The last (maybe?) issue of my free Sports Illustrated subscription had a cover featuring a Brazilian soccer player. Utter, complete irrelevancy. There’s a hit piece on Trump, inferring that he’s a golf cheat, which is the worst thing you can call a golfer. Nothing on Colin Kaepernick, but they already did a editorial demanding that he be given an NFL job a couple months ago. There was a paragraph on the baseball trading deadline. At least there was a nice article on George Springer. I’ve heard an interview with him on an Astros podcast. He seems like a good kid. Bye, bye SI, if this is the end. It’s been . . . umm . . . crappy.
The Chihuahuas were supposed to play a double header versus the New Orleans Baby Cakes starting at 4:00. (Chihuahuas versus Baby Cakes. It’s the apocalypse, folks.) Unfortunately what transpired was another lengthy rain delay. Steve Kapolowitz had to come in on short notice and do some impromptu local sports talk for three hours. I felt bad for Leah Piri (not sure about the spelling), the girl who’s the baseball producer, who had to come in after just arriving back in town from vacation in Hawaii four hours before. Then she had to cool her heels for several hours before the game finally started (and then ended much, much later). Steve decided to go ahead and do a show, which included a commercial-free hour, because “There is no way I’m running ESPN Radio for three hours at this time.” I wonder he had heard yesterday’s show with that liberal woman.
In the meantime, I watched the MLB free game between the Orioles and the Tigers in Baltimore. Honestly, while the game wasn’t bad, the extra circular stuff going on during the game may have been more interesting. This was the visiting Fox Sports Detroit broadcast with one of my favorite color commentators, Rod Allen.
Justin Verlander was pitching. His parents were there and chatted with the in-game reporter. They contributed a picture of Justin as a high school pitcher. A poor guy tried to catch a foul ball going to his seat, while holding dinner. He lost the ball, and his meal, and whatever happiness he had. The guys calling the game felt bad for him and sent the in-game reporter to him with a replacement meal. The guy was still down, but he said he’d get a ball eventually. He might have felt worse later in the game. A mom sitting with her family caught a hot-shot liner into the stands for a souvenir with a round of applause from the crowd and a tip of cap from the players.
As for the game, there was some strange confusion at the bottom of the third. The Tigers got the third out, but the whole team apparently forgot how many outs there were and stayed on the field until the umps finally called them off. The Tigers had one run, and then Verlander gave up two solo homers for a 2-1 O’s score. In the eighth (and I missed it while working), Justin Upton hit a grand slam homer to give the kitties a 5-2 win.
“Are you sure you want to take this?” asked the Baby Cakes’ manager to the umpire, as he held out his lineup card as the rain began. Tim Hagerty spent a couple of innings explaining why these two seven-inning games were being played starting at 8:00 pm CST. Yesterday’s game had come so close to starting, but the rains had started first instead. If the ump had taken the lineup card, it would have caused the game to have been suspended (since it would have technically started) and resulted in a pair of nine-inning games for a double header.
The PCL waived their 12:30 am curfew for starting an inning to begin these games. The weather forecast wasn’t promising for the weekend and this “window” was deemed the best chance to get the games in. I’d say they were really only relevant for the Chihuahuas, since they’re still slightly viable for the division lead. New Orleans has been all-but eliminated from the post-season. If the games hadn’t mattered, maybe a different decision would have been made.
During player introductions, the PA called the team, “The ‘Cakes.” Tim seized on that and used that for most of the game. He did comment that this community had about the same reaction as El Paso fans had to “Chihuahuas,” but they’d come to accept it. Tim really didn’t seem comfortable with saying “Baby Cakes.” (Who could blame him?) I read an interview with him that was linked on his Twitter feed later in the night. Tim knew ahead of time that there was going to be a “mixed reaction” to the Chihuahuas’ name. I’d credit the quality of the ballpark and the team for the acceptance of the name, more than the cute logo and marketing.
The crowd for Game One, in spite of the late start, sounded pretty large at the “Shrine on Airline” ballpark. They’d had to rename Zephyr stadium with the team name change. At the very least, they sounded quite rambunctious. The intro to the Beastie Boys “Girls” was used for bumper music a couple of times. A fan shouted out the lyrics when it ended. Tim mentioned that the earlier name of the team, before Zephyrs, was the Pelicans, the current name of their NBA team. “NOLA” was on the front of the team’s jersey, instead of Babycakes. (Austin Nola on the team, also had “Nola” on the back.)
As for the game, New Orleans went up 2-0 in the second inning off of a well-executed suicide squeeze play. In the fourth, the pups went up 4-2. I missed that inning watching the end of the Tigers’ game. The ‘Cakes answered in the fifth with a three-run homer, 6-4. Ryan Schimpf hit a solo homer in the sixth to make it 6-5. He was from the area and played ball for LSU. Schimpf had a whole cheering section of friends and family there in Chihuahuas’ gear. They picked a good day to be there. He hit two home runs in the game. 6-5 ‘Cakes would end up being the Game One final.
Game Two started less than 20 minutes later. Tim announced the local time at 10:45. “Boy, what a night,” he said in disbelief. While I had other stuff I might have wanted to watch instead, I felt almost obliged to listen for Tim’s sake. He was really working tonight. It was a much quieter crowd, but the ones that were there got individually loud on occasion. A foul ball bounced off an empty seat, which was clearly heard and caused a scramble amongst those there. A “low occupancy game” as Tim put it.
The story of most of the game was ‘Cakes pitcher, Tom Koehler, who had a no-hitter going through five innings of this seven-inning game. The first Chihuahua hit came in the sixth with the first batter. Tim noted that the TV guys went home after Game One. If this had been a no-hitter, there would have been no footage. Diego Goris attempted to score from first on a double and nearly got caught in a run-down. He just made it back to third. He had to wait until Collin Cowgill came up and hit a grand slam a couple of batters later. 4-1 Chihuahuas. The crowd left boo’d loudly.
Meanwhile, I checked my e-mail. I spoke too soon earlier. Sports Illustrated had put up a new Colin Kaepernick article. The title of the click-bait insisted that the NFL’s ratings drop last year was not because of him. It was Trump’s fault. For some reason, I didn’t bother reading it. Elsewhere, Yu Darvish made his debut with the Dodgers in New York City against the Mets. He had 10 strikeouts and gave up no runs in seven innings, and the Dodgers won 6-0. The boys in blue are starting to look truly scary (to other clubs). At the game, Tim was getting some encouraging tweets from fans during the game that he happily read. I was sorry I wasn’t signed up for Twitter.
“The crowd has dwindled down significantly,” as Tim put it. They left too early. In the bottom of the sixth, with two on and one out, an error scored a run. Worse, pitcher, Kevin Quackenbush, injured himself committing the error and had to come out. Another run came in on a fielder’s choice. And then, an error by Peter Van Gansen brought in the tying run, 4 all.
Tim asked Leah how she was doing back the studio after she did the usual seventh inning scoreboard. She was okay. Tim was getting a little punchy. It was near 1:00 am in New Orleans. At one point, he called the home team, the Zephyrs, without noticing. He mentioned he’d shown up at the stadium at noon. No one scored in the seventh. On to “extras.”
In the eighth, Tim noted that the cleaning crew was working around the stadium. The crowd had been reduced to a couple dozen people. Some of the ones there were pretty vocal. Tim actually laughed over some of their shouted comments. Peter Van Gansen would drive in two runs on a single in the top of the inning. In the bottom, Carter Capps came in and put two on with no outs, but managed to get out of it unscathed. 6-4 Chihuahuas. The game was over at 1:35 am CST. The post-game just finished before I was about to leave for the night. Tim was so happy. He wasn’t quite sure when the game was scheduled for tomorrow, but he’d figure it out.
Friday, August 4, 2017
Baseball Journal August 1-3, 2017
8-1-17
The main product of the Rangers’ Yu Darvish trade, Willie Calhoun, got the start today for the Express versus the Chihuahuas. At the other end of the spectrum, the Jurickson Profar story was more interesting than I first heard. Angry that he hadn’t been traded yesterday, Profar walked out on the team. Does he think he’s an NBA player? The Rangers then put him on the DL, but I’m sure this won’t be the end of the tale.
After losing the first three games of the series, the Chihuahuas finally rallied. They went up by four by the fifth inning, but today belonged to pitcher Brian Rodriguez. With the bullpen depleted, he was called on for a good outing, and he gave the team a nine-inning shutout. Rod Barajas let him go the full distance at 106 pitches. If the team can somehow come back and win the division, this was the game that turned them around. It was another quick game at two hours and 18 minutes. Unfortunately, no ground was gained with this win. Tim Hagerty was so pleased with the win, when announcing the upcoming series in New Orleans, he got their new name wrong. He chuckled and chastised himself, “I’d better get this right before we get there.”
The Yahoo free game (I’ve just about given up on sorting out my MLB password) was a great matchup between the Astros and Rays. The crowd was just okay in Houston. They haven’t fully gotten on board with the team yet. The Rays went up 5-0, but in the fifth, Chris Archer gave up a pair of solo home runs, 5-2. Next inning, Orbit was sitting behind home plate with the fans. Him and Archer are now officially enemies. There’s a “Declaration of Unfriendliness” document and everything. Hijinks may ensue during this series.
In the seventh, the Astros got the score to 6-4 and had two more on, but failed to score them. In the ninth, Evan Longoria stroked a double to complete a cycle. (Though he was initially ruled out, he was called safe on the appeal.) The Rays would go on to win 6-5. Unfortunately what’s going to be the main “highlight” of the game was Rays’ catcher, Jesus Sucure, taking a pitch on a bounce into his junk. He dropped right over. The trainers had to attend to him for several minutes while he got his breath back.
FS1 was showing a game on TV. Wow, I didn’t know they were still on the air. We get FS1 on local cable, but not the CW. In any case, the matchup was the Twins versus the Padres. That’s a marquee event right there. Actually, in my case, I was quite pleased to finally see some former Chihuahuas in Major League action. The MLB website headline said that Twins pitcher, Jose Berrios, was mowing down the Padres. When I tuned in, the score was actually 1-0 Padres in the seventh. Berrios was having a good game, but Jhoulys Chacin was matching him on the other side. I hadn’t seen Chacin in a while, I didn’t even recognize him.
The one run was courtesy of Manuel Margot sac’ing in Hunter Renfroe. He’d got on via defensive miscue. In the eighth, Austin Hedges homered in Renfroe for a 3-0 lead. Brad Hand, who was not traded at the deadline as expected, but decided not to walk out on the team because of it, closed out the game with his little hop step throwing motion. The Padre mascot rang the bell for the win.
8-3-17
Yep, Wednesday I had no baseball. The Chihuahuas were off, and I’d missed everything on the TV and the Internet. Things didn’t fare much better on Thursday. My MLB login finally worked, and I got the free game. Unfortunately, it was the Pirates and the Reds, not a matchup I was really into. I missed just about all of it while doing work, except for the top of the ninth. It was 6-0 Pirates in any case. I did enjoy the crowd shots of all the kids there having a good time. Bring back “Fan cam!”
I was looking forward to the Chihuahuas’ first meeting with the New Orleans . . . Babycakes. I think I heard Tim Hagerty still tripping over their name. When you’re calling games for a team named “The Chihuahuas,” you certainly don’t expect to run into a more embarrassing team name. The Babycakes have played up to their nom de plume with their “Tragic number” sitting at three in early August.
More tragic was a rain shower that broke out during the pre-game, delaying the game. I actually moaned out a disappointed, “Ahhh . . .” out loud in a room full of people when I heard that. Tim had previously called Double-A games on the Gulf Coast, so he wasn’t surprised by the sudden shower. 45-minutes later, Tim came back on and announced that another shower had just driven the players off the field during their warmup. The game was called shortly thereafter. So much for baseball tonight.
While waiting on the game, I was highly entertained by ESPN Radio. Some Social Justice Warrior chick hosts their evening shift. She was bitching up a storm about the injustice of Colin Kaepernick not having a job in the NFL. Yes, the sports media thinks that the who guy who single-handedly drove down the league’s ratings last year deserves, nay, it is mandated that he be reinstated as a quarterback somewhere.
Even these precious media snowflakes recognize that Colin is no better than a backup quarterback, but somehow think that the bad publicity would be totally worth it for a clipboard holder. After all the people who have been given a media “execution” and had their jobs and careers ruined over something they’ve said, this is high comedy. And this chick opinionated on this story right after the previous shift hosts had pronounced that some other malefactor didn’t deserve a second chance in sports after screwing up. That guy had actually committed a crime, but the effects of said crime likely pale in comparison to the economic impact and national societal chaos of Kaepernick’s actions. Keep his ass out.
How about some baseball news, since I don’t have any actual live reporting? Yu Darvish took out a full-page ad in Dallas, thanking the fans. That was a classy gesture. Joey Gallo on Tuesday and Wednesday nights hit home runs OVER Greene’s Hill in center field. That’s an almost incomprehensible accomplishment. On the first one, the kids running out to get the ball, stood and watched it fly over their heads. On the second, the pitcher covered his mouth with his mitt as he watched the ball fly out, his eyes bulging. And, Adrian Beltre is unhappy that the Rangers were selling at the deadline. As well as he’s playing and as much as the fans love him, I could see him being dealt in the off-season, at his request.
I neglected to mention what was called the “Game of the year” on Tuesday. The Indians and the Red Sox had an epic game at Fenway. I did see the highlights on FS1’s baseball recap show. There were enough highlights and dramatic moments for three games. The lead changed hands a couple of times. Austin Jackson went airborne to rob a home run at the wall. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off home run. 12-10 Red Sox. If they go at it in the playoffs, it might be anti-climatic in comparison. Another epic battle happened on Wednesday. Astro’s mascot, Orbit, and Tampa Bay Rays’ pitcher, Chris Archer, went at it in a water balloon fight. What’s next between these two?
The main product of the Rangers’ Yu Darvish trade, Willie Calhoun, got the start today for the Express versus the Chihuahuas. At the other end of the spectrum, the Jurickson Profar story was more interesting than I first heard. Angry that he hadn’t been traded yesterday, Profar walked out on the team. Does he think he’s an NBA player? The Rangers then put him on the DL, but I’m sure this won’t be the end of the tale.
After losing the first three games of the series, the Chihuahuas finally rallied. They went up by four by the fifth inning, but today belonged to pitcher Brian Rodriguez. With the bullpen depleted, he was called on for a good outing, and he gave the team a nine-inning shutout. Rod Barajas let him go the full distance at 106 pitches. If the team can somehow come back and win the division, this was the game that turned them around. It was another quick game at two hours and 18 minutes. Unfortunately, no ground was gained with this win. Tim Hagerty was so pleased with the win, when announcing the upcoming series in New Orleans, he got their new name wrong. He chuckled and chastised himself, “I’d better get this right before we get there.”
The Yahoo free game (I’ve just about given up on sorting out my MLB password) was a great matchup between the Astros and Rays. The crowd was just okay in Houston. They haven’t fully gotten on board with the team yet. The Rays went up 5-0, but in the fifth, Chris Archer gave up a pair of solo home runs, 5-2. Next inning, Orbit was sitting behind home plate with the fans. Him and Archer are now officially enemies. There’s a “Declaration of Unfriendliness” document and everything. Hijinks may ensue during this series.
In the seventh, the Astros got the score to 6-4 and had two more on, but failed to score them. In the ninth, Evan Longoria stroked a double to complete a cycle. (Though he was initially ruled out, he was called safe on the appeal.) The Rays would go on to win 6-5. Unfortunately what’s going to be the main “highlight” of the game was Rays’ catcher, Jesus Sucure, taking a pitch on a bounce into his junk. He dropped right over. The trainers had to attend to him for several minutes while he got his breath back.
FS1 was showing a game on TV. Wow, I didn’t know they were still on the air. We get FS1 on local cable, but not the CW. In any case, the matchup was the Twins versus the Padres. That’s a marquee event right there. Actually, in my case, I was quite pleased to finally see some former Chihuahuas in Major League action. The MLB website headline said that Twins pitcher, Jose Berrios, was mowing down the Padres. When I tuned in, the score was actually 1-0 Padres in the seventh. Berrios was having a good game, but Jhoulys Chacin was matching him on the other side. I hadn’t seen Chacin in a while, I didn’t even recognize him.
The one run was courtesy of Manuel Margot sac’ing in Hunter Renfroe. He’d got on via defensive miscue. In the eighth, Austin Hedges homered in Renfroe for a 3-0 lead. Brad Hand, who was not traded at the deadline as expected, but decided not to walk out on the team because of it, closed out the game with his little hop step throwing motion. The Padre mascot rang the bell for the win.
8-3-17
Yep, Wednesday I had no baseball. The Chihuahuas were off, and I’d missed everything on the TV and the Internet. Things didn’t fare much better on Thursday. My MLB login finally worked, and I got the free game. Unfortunately, it was the Pirates and the Reds, not a matchup I was really into. I missed just about all of it while doing work, except for the top of the ninth. It was 6-0 Pirates in any case. I did enjoy the crowd shots of all the kids there having a good time. Bring back “Fan cam!”
I was looking forward to the Chihuahuas’ first meeting with the New Orleans . . . Babycakes. I think I heard Tim Hagerty still tripping over their name. When you’re calling games for a team named “The Chihuahuas,” you certainly don’t expect to run into a more embarrassing team name. The Babycakes have played up to their nom de plume with their “Tragic number” sitting at three in early August.
More tragic was a rain shower that broke out during the pre-game, delaying the game. I actually moaned out a disappointed, “Ahhh . . .” out loud in a room full of people when I heard that. Tim had previously called Double-A games on the Gulf Coast, so he wasn’t surprised by the sudden shower. 45-minutes later, Tim came back on and announced that another shower had just driven the players off the field during their warmup. The game was called shortly thereafter. So much for baseball tonight.
While waiting on the game, I was highly entertained by ESPN Radio. Some Social Justice Warrior chick hosts their evening shift. She was bitching up a storm about the injustice of Colin Kaepernick not having a job in the NFL. Yes, the sports media thinks that the who guy who single-handedly drove down the league’s ratings last year deserves, nay, it is mandated that he be reinstated as a quarterback somewhere.
Even these precious media snowflakes recognize that Colin is no better than a backup quarterback, but somehow think that the bad publicity would be totally worth it for a clipboard holder. After all the people who have been given a media “execution” and had their jobs and careers ruined over something they’ve said, this is high comedy. And this chick opinionated on this story right after the previous shift hosts had pronounced that some other malefactor didn’t deserve a second chance in sports after screwing up. That guy had actually committed a crime, but the effects of said crime likely pale in comparison to the economic impact and national societal chaos of Kaepernick’s actions. Keep his ass out.
How about some baseball news, since I don’t have any actual live reporting? Yu Darvish took out a full-page ad in Dallas, thanking the fans. That was a classy gesture. Joey Gallo on Tuesday and Wednesday nights hit home runs OVER Greene’s Hill in center field. That’s an almost incomprehensible accomplishment. On the first one, the kids running out to get the ball, stood and watched it fly over their heads. On the second, the pitcher covered his mouth with his mitt as he watched the ball fly out, his eyes bulging. And, Adrian Beltre is unhappy that the Rangers were selling at the deadline. As well as he’s playing and as much as the fans love him, I could see him being dealt in the off-season, at his request.
I neglected to mention what was called the “Game of the year” on Tuesday. The Indians and the Red Sox had an epic game at Fenway. I did see the highlights on FS1’s baseball recap show. There were enough highlights and dramatic moments for three games. The lead changed hands a couple of times. Austin Jackson went airborne to rob a home run at the wall. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off home run. 12-10 Red Sox. If they go at it in the playoffs, it might be anti-climatic in comparison. Another epic battle happened on Wednesday. Astro’s mascot, Orbit, and Tampa Bay Rays’ pitcher, Chris Archer, went at it in a water balloon fight. What’s next between these two?
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Baseball Journal July 30-31, 2017 Betre 3,000 and Trade Deadline Edition
7-30-17
Happy birthday to me. Dad gave me a copy of the book, Moneyball. It looks interesting. I’ll probably do a book report when I’m finished. Today, the Rangers and Chihuahuas were playing at different times, so I could concentrate a bit better. There was a smaller crowd in Arlington for the game. The weather was described as a “sweltering” 92 degrees. I assume there’s humidity mixed in with that. The crowd was congregated on the first base/shady side. Presumably, the fans can’t wait for the new retractable roof stadium. As nice as the stadium looks on TV, I’ve seen some day games there that looked extremely uncomfortable for the fans.
We were all here for this game to see (well, listen to) Adrian Beltre hitting #3,000. His first at bat was in the second. He struck out on a full count. The first score of the game didn’t come until a four run fourth by the Orioles. Today was also Hall of Fame day. Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, and Tim Raines were inducted. Pudge had some trouble keeping it together during his speech. Eric Nadel discussed his own HOF induction and about how hard it is to keep your emotions in check for such a momentous honor.
In the bottom of the fourth, Matt Hicks noted that the clouds parted as Adrian Beltre came to bat. The crowd was once again standing for him. The count went to 3-0 and the crowd boo’d. On the next pitch, Adrian belted a double for hit #3,000. The crowd roared for him. The game paused for a few minutes as Orioles players congratulated him, a pair of banners were unfurled in the outfield, and Beltre’s teammates and his family came out on field to congratulate him as well. (A co-worker said later he won money at Hooters by betting his friends that Beltre would do it in that at bat.) When play resumed, Rougned Odor knocked him and Normar Mazara in to make the score 4-2.
The scoring did not stop. In the fifth, the O’s hit a two-run homer and a three-run homer to make the score 9-2. In the sixth, Ruggie homered. In the eighth, Mazara homered. After a discussion of Beltre’s walkup music (which apparently couldn’t be politely translated), he struck out, but made it to first on a wild pitch. Ruggie came up and hit another home run. 10-6 O’s.
In the bottom of the ninth with two on, Zach Britton had to come in for a save in a game the Orioles had been winning by seven runs. Adrian Beltre made the last out. After the game in an interview with Eric and Matt, Adrian said he was aware of all the cheering for him during the at bats and had never felt such fan support before.
In the Round Rock, the Chihuahuas went up 2-0 while I was listening to the interview. A fan made a great catch of a line drive and even got a tip of the cap from one of the coaches. High winds at the beginning of the game were actually blowing fly balls foul. In the bottom, Kyle Lloyd, Chihuahuas pitcher, walked two and then struck out three. Nobody put the ball in play.
The third was a disaster for the pups. With two outs, five runs scored, included two off of a bases loaded error. Pete Kozma was in the game for the Express. I’d wondered where he’d gone, since he’d joined the Rangers. The Express tacked on a couple more runs. In the ninth, Collin Cowgill started off the inning with a home run on the first pitch, but that was all of the comeback. 7-3 Express, the Chihuahuas’ fourth loss in a row.
During the game, Tim Hagerty mentioned that Jonathan Lucroy was traded to the Rockies from the Rangers. Brett Nicolas came in for Robinson Chirinos late in the game. I wondered where Lucroy was, but no one said anything during the Ranger game. We’re still waiting to hear about Yu Darvish’s fate. I’m wondering if these trades were held until Beltre got his 3,000th hit and after Pudge’s HOF induction.
7-31-17
It was a really busy night. It was month end processing, which is a lot of work. In the middle of that, it rained heavily here and nearly flooded the building again. My baseball experience was necessarily limited tonight. I was too busy too even post.
Not to mention, it was a busy day in baseball, but I was able to get the news on the trade deadline before going to work. To no one’s surprise, Yu Darvish was dealt. That sweep in Baltimore last week, ended the team’s playoff run. It wasn’t even a surprise that he went to the Dodgers apparently. If they got the “good” Darvish and Clayton Kershaw comes back from injury still potent, they’re going to win the World Series. (Over the Yankees, who just acquired A’s ace, Sonny Gray.) That’s a couple of “if’s” though. I seem to recall Yu’s last playoff game didn’t go well against the Blue Jays. If his meltdown last week was mental, rather than physical, that doesn’t bode well. (Of course, neither does a physical problem.)
Yu’s time with the Rangers always seemed vaguely cursed. He’d be good, but the team would be bad run supporting him. He’d be bad, but the team would be good in run support. I remember a near no-hitter broken up in the ninth a few years ago. That seemed to be it in a nutshell, always on the edge of greatness, but not quite. This might be the softening in my dislike of the Dodgers (using good home-grown players and smart trades instead of trying to purchase a championship), but I have to wish Darvish well. If the Dodgers do win it all, I hope Yu is an integral component.
I have to go back to Sunday’s trade of Jonathan Lucroy for a moment. The Rangers didn’t trade him, so much as they apparently paid the Rockies to take him. Further, Rockies fans are “meh,” about the deal and not expecting anything from him. Since this is a “player to be named later” deal, I almost expect him to be sent back.
Wasn’t this guy an All-Star catcher recently? Last year, Rangers fans were ecstatic about getting him, and I seem to remember him contributing to the division win. Expert Rangers commentators were saying it was a done deal that the team would be signing Lucroy to long-term deal. What the hell happened? Where did his skills go? How did he wear out his welcome so quickly? Well, at least the Rangers got something for Darvish, but after Sunday’s triumph with Beltre’s 3,000th hit and Pudge’s induction, running up the white flag on Monday has to hurt.
I was able to listen in on the Chihuahuas taking on the Round Rock Express. It was ominous that Tim Hagerty started off the game mentioning that in the Chihuahuas’ short history, the Express seemed to have the pups’ number every year. It was interesting around the pressbox for Tim that afternoon. While the Padres held on to their only trade chip, Brad Hand, the Rangers had a flurry of activity and the Express’ lineup was shuffled as well. Tonight’s Express starter went up to the big leagues for Yu’s spot. Also, Jurickson Profar was put on the DL. Reportedly, he was put there because he’d complained that he wanted to be traded.
Again, I was super busy. I know it was Harry Potter Night at the Dell Diamond. I’m not sure what that meant, but a big crowd turned out for it. I missed much of the game. I heard the Express go up 5-1 for most of it, but the Chihuahuas made a comeback to get to 5-4. In the ninth, they tied it up, but there was some bad luck with a batted ball hitting Travis Jankowski for an out that ended the inning.
In the eleventh, Tony Cruz homed to give the pups a 6-5 lead. There were fans cheering there. Tim was excited. But in the bottom, former Chihuahua, Will Middlebrooks doubled in two runners to win the game for the Express, 7-5. All the damage came with two outs and nobody on. Tim was somber afterward, if not stunned by the loss. Five games out, with two teams ahead of them, it looks like a long, pointless August for the Chihuahuas. What am I going to do with both of my teams out of it?
Happy birthday to me. Dad gave me a copy of the book, Moneyball. It looks interesting. I’ll probably do a book report when I’m finished. Today, the Rangers and Chihuahuas were playing at different times, so I could concentrate a bit better. There was a smaller crowd in Arlington for the game. The weather was described as a “sweltering” 92 degrees. I assume there’s humidity mixed in with that. The crowd was congregated on the first base/shady side. Presumably, the fans can’t wait for the new retractable roof stadium. As nice as the stadium looks on TV, I’ve seen some day games there that looked extremely uncomfortable for the fans.
We were all here for this game to see (well, listen to) Adrian Beltre hitting #3,000. His first at bat was in the second. He struck out on a full count. The first score of the game didn’t come until a four run fourth by the Orioles. Today was also Hall of Fame day. Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, and Tim Raines were inducted. Pudge had some trouble keeping it together during his speech. Eric Nadel discussed his own HOF induction and about how hard it is to keep your emotions in check for such a momentous honor.
In the bottom of the fourth, Matt Hicks noted that the clouds parted as Adrian Beltre came to bat. The crowd was once again standing for him. The count went to 3-0 and the crowd boo’d. On the next pitch, Adrian belted a double for hit #3,000. The crowd roared for him. The game paused for a few minutes as Orioles players congratulated him, a pair of banners were unfurled in the outfield, and Beltre’s teammates and his family came out on field to congratulate him as well. (A co-worker said later he won money at Hooters by betting his friends that Beltre would do it in that at bat.) When play resumed, Rougned Odor knocked him and Normar Mazara in to make the score 4-2.
The scoring did not stop. In the fifth, the O’s hit a two-run homer and a three-run homer to make the score 9-2. In the sixth, Ruggie homered. In the eighth, Mazara homered. After a discussion of Beltre’s walkup music (which apparently couldn’t be politely translated), he struck out, but made it to first on a wild pitch. Ruggie came up and hit another home run. 10-6 O’s.
In the bottom of the ninth with two on, Zach Britton had to come in for a save in a game the Orioles had been winning by seven runs. Adrian Beltre made the last out. After the game in an interview with Eric and Matt, Adrian said he was aware of all the cheering for him during the at bats and had never felt such fan support before.
In the Round Rock, the Chihuahuas went up 2-0 while I was listening to the interview. A fan made a great catch of a line drive and even got a tip of the cap from one of the coaches. High winds at the beginning of the game were actually blowing fly balls foul. In the bottom, Kyle Lloyd, Chihuahuas pitcher, walked two and then struck out three. Nobody put the ball in play.
The third was a disaster for the pups. With two outs, five runs scored, included two off of a bases loaded error. Pete Kozma was in the game for the Express. I’d wondered where he’d gone, since he’d joined the Rangers. The Express tacked on a couple more runs. In the ninth, Collin Cowgill started off the inning with a home run on the first pitch, but that was all of the comeback. 7-3 Express, the Chihuahuas’ fourth loss in a row.
During the game, Tim Hagerty mentioned that Jonathan Lucroy was traded to the Rockies from the Rangers. Brett Nicolas came in for Robinson Chirinos late in the game. I wondered where Lucroy was, but no one said anything during the Ranger game. We’re still waiting to hear about Yu Darvish’s fate. I’m wondering if these trades were held until Beltre got his 3,000th hit and after Pudge’s HOF induction.
7-31-17
It was a really busy night. It was month end processing, which is a lot of work. In the middle of that, it rained heavily here and nearly flooded the building again. My baseball experience was necessarily limited tonight. I was too busy too even post.
Not to mention, it was a busy day in baseball, but I was able to get the news on the trade deadline before going to work. To no one’s surprise, Yu Darvish was dealt. That sweep in Baltimore last week, ended the team’s playoff run. It wasn’t even a surprise that he went to the Dodgers apparently. If they got the “good” Darvish and Clayton Kershaw comes back from injury still potent, they’re going to win the World Series. (Over the Yankees, who just acquired A’s ace, Sonny Gray.) That’s a couple of “if’s” though. I seem to recall Yu’s last playoff game didn’t go well against the Blue Jays. If his meltdown last week was mental, rather than physical, that doesn’t bode well. (Of course, neither does a physical problem.)
Yu’s time with the Rangers always seemed vaguely cursed. He’d be good, but the team would be bad run supporting him. He’d be bad, but the team would be good in run support. I remember a near no-hitter broken up in the ninth a few years ago. That seemed to be it in a nutshell, always on the edge of greatness, but not quite. This might be the softening in my dislike of the Dodgers (using good home-grown players and smart trades instead of trying to purchase a championship), but I have to wish Darvish well. If the Dodgers do win it all, I hope Yu is an integral component.
I have to go back to Sunday’s trade of Jonathan Lucroy for a moment. The Rangers didn’t trade him, so much as they apparently paid the Rockies to take him. Further, Rockies fans are “meh,” about the deal and not expecting anything from him. Since this is a “player to be named later” deal, I almost expect him to be sent back.
Wasn’t this guy an All-Star catcher recently? Last year, Rangers fans were ecstatic about getting him, and I seem to remember him contributing to the division win. Expert Rangers commentators were saying it was a done deal that the team would be signing Lucroy to long-term deal. What the hell happened? Where did his skills go? How did he wear out his welcome so quickly? Well, at least the Rangers got something for Darvish, but after Sunday’s triumph with Beltre’s 3,000th hit and Pudge’s induction, running up the white flag on Monday has to hurt.
I was able to listen in on the Chihuahuas taking on the Round Rock Express. It was ominous that Tim Hagerty started off the game mentioning that in the Chihuahuas’ short history, the Express seemed to have the pups’ number every year. It was interesting around the pressbox for Tim that afternoon. While the Padres held on to their only trade chip, Brad Hand, the Rangers had a flurry of activity and the Express’ lineup was shuffled as well. Tonight’s Express starter went up to the big leagues for Yu’s spot. Also, Jurickson Profar was put on the DL. Reportedly, he was put there because he’d complained that he wanted to be traded.
Again, I was super busy. I know it was Harry Potter Night at the Dell Diamond. I’m not sure what that meant, but a big crowd turned out for it. I missed much of the game. I heard the Express go up 5-1 for most of it, but the Chihuahuas made a comeback to get to 5-4. In the ninth, they tied it up, but there was some bad luck with a batted ball hitting Travis Jankowski for an out that ended the inning.
In the eleventh, Tony Cruz homed to give the pups a 6-5 lead. There were fans cheering there. Tim was excited. But in the bottom, former Chihuahua, Will Middlebrooks doubled in two runners to win the game for the Express, 7-5. All the damage came with two outs and nobody on. Tim was somber afterward, if not stunned by the loss. Five games out, with two teams ahead of them, it looks like a long, pointless August for the Chihuahuas. What am I going to do with both of my teams out of it?
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Baseball Journal July 28-29, 2017
7-28-17
There were five games tonight, three on TV, one on the Internet, and one on the radio. They all pretty much overlapped. Let’s get to it and try to sort it out. The first game on the MLB Network tonight was a pivotal division matchup between the Cubs and the Brewers in Milwaukee. As usual, both sides were getting cheered during the game. There was at least one whole section of Cubs fans by their dugout. No sign of Front Row Amy. Something must have happened to her.
When I joined the game, it was 2-0 Brewers. I’d missed the play of the game where Jason Heyward robbed Ryan Braun of the home run. I did see Braun pop up with the bases loaded. You know, he still doesn’t look like a ‘roid user, and he never did. That’s the part of that story that never made any sense. Also in the game for the Brewers was Lewis Brinson. He was a standout prospect for the Rangers, traded for catcher, Jonathan Lucroy. The Rangers might be wishing for a “do-over.”
It was 2-1 in the ninth, Kyle Schwarber made a pinch hitting appearance with Anthony Rizzo on with two outs. He struck out. The catcher asked for the last pitch up, while the commentators were saying that the pitcher should throw it in the dirt. The pitcher hesitated, like he could hear them. The catcher nodded at him, “Just do what I tell to and stop listening to the guys in the booth.” Always listen to the catcher.
I was really more distracted by the Diamondbacks and Cardinals on Fox Sports Arizona. I again missed the biggest play in the game. D-Backs pitcher, Robbie Ray, was hit on the back of the head by a line drive early in the game. He gave the crowd a bit of a wave while he was being carted off. They reported he was “alert” at the hospital, not the most encouraging prognosis.
As tight as the other game was, this one was even tighter. The first and only run of the game came in the sixth off a run-scoring single by the Cardinals. Certainly the D-Backs relievers had stepped up in the game in an emergency. In the eighth, the Diamondback offense finally had a legit threat with runners on the second and third with no outs. There was a strikeout, a runner thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice (upheld on review), and a strikeout of Paul Goldschimdt. Trevor Rosenthal would end up getting a two-inning save in a 1-0 Cardinal win.
I still couldn’t get into the MLB free game site, even re-entering my password. Once again, I was watching on Yahoo. It was the Indians and White Sox. It was 6-0 Tribe when I looked in, so didn’t really follow it. 9-3 was the final, though the White Sox did load up the bases at the end, trying to make a comeback.
The Chihuahuas played the ICubs in their series finale. In spite of all the rain in the area this week, somehow it all avoided the stadium. There were sprinkles at the beginning of this game, but it didn’t rain. Iowa went up 6-1 early while I wasn’t paying attention. In the seventh, the Chihuahuas surged to a comeback with four runs to make the score 7-5. The ICubs scored two in the ninth to make it 9-5. In the bottom, the pups kept coming. They loaded the bases, though painfully, as Nick Buss took a pitch off his foot. Matt Carasiti came in for the ICubs after a run scored. Yangervis Solarte, down on rehab, drove in two, but that was all. 9-8 ICubs. Though having a losing record, the Chihuahuas are still very much in the hunt for the division due to Salt Lake’s collapse.
Finally, the MLB Network’s second game was the Dodgers versus the Giants. I was busy, but noted that the lead had changed hands a couple of times. It was 6-4 Dodgers in the eighth when I joined the game. It took a moment, but I noticed that Buster Posey was at first. I’m not sure who was catching for the Giants. The Dodgers announcers were so busy talking about the Dodgers’ imminent World Series games, that they almost couldn’t be bothered actually call the game. (Shame on you Orel Hershier. You should know better to always concentrate on the game.) In the ninth, Kenley Jansen struck out the side for the win. I admit, these guys are looking pretty impressive.
7-29-17
I knew I was going to have a conflicted day today between the Rangers and Chihuahuas, since both games started at the same time, and I wanted to listen to both. It got confusing, flipping back and forth. Worse, the games weren’t very good, so my notes were scattered and very incomplete. (The night’s Rockies’ game was rained out.)
I started off in Round Rock, listening to the Chihuahuas play the Express. It was 104 degrees there. Tim Hagerty read off the starting lineups, and it was also like the pups were playing the Rangers. Ryan Rua, Drew Stubbs, Jurickson Profar, Jared Hoying, AJ Griffen, and Tanner Scheppers all came into the game. There was even a former Chihuahua/Padre Will Middlebrooks playing for the Express. I’m surprised the team isn’t doing better.
Due to some pre-game ceremonies, that game started late. I switched over to the Rangers/Orioles. Adrian Beltre was two hits away from 3,000. There was a full house in Arlington to see him, even with 55% humidity making the night miserable. Beltre got a standing ovation for his first at bat. A great play got him at first.
Back in Round Rock, a home run, two errors, and an unearned run gave the Express a 2-0 lead. The stadium must be near train tracks, as you could hear trains during the game. In Arlington, Joey Gallo had a home run robbed by a highlight reel catch by Adam Jones. Even the Texas crowd applauded him. It was 4-0 Orioles.
In the fourth, Beltre singled for hit #2,999. The station came back late from commercial, and I almost missed it. The crowd roared. Tim Hagerty mentioned the Beltre hit right after it happened. In the sixth, the crowd became antsy for the next Beltre at bat and boo’d anything delaying it. I lost the last of my signal just before it happened. I was holding my radio, trying to get every last once of reception. The hit didn’t happen then thankfully.
Meanwhile, the Chihuahuas weren’t doing well in their game. After a six run sixth, it was 9-1 Round Rock. I focused on the Ranger game. In the bottom of the ninth, still trailing 4-0, nobody had left the ballpark. The crowd gave Beltre a thunderous standing ovation for his at bat. They played the PA announcing him. Unfortunately, he grounded into a double play. Eric Nadel thought he was overanxious tonight in his swings. The Chihuahuas lost 9-2. It was very hard to keep up with two games, especially when you’re really just listening for just one thing.
There were five games tonight, three on TV, one on the Internet, and one on the radio. They all pretty much overlapped. Let’s get to it and try to sort it out. The first game on the MLB Network tonight was a pivotal division matchup between the Cubs and the Brewers in Milwaukee. As usual, both sides were getting cheered during the game. There was at least one whole section of Cubs fans by their dugout. No sign of Front Row Amy. Something must have happened to her.
When I joined the game, it was 2-0 Brewers. I’d missed the play of the game where Jason Heyward robbed Ryan Braun of the home run. I did see Braun pop up with the bases loaded. You know, he still doesn’t look like a ‘roid user, and he never did. That’s the part of that story that never made any sense. Also in the game for the Brewers was Lewis Brinson. He was a standout prospect for the Rangers, traded for catcher, Jonathan Lucroy. The Rangers might be wishing for a “do-over.”
It was 2-1 in the ninth, Kyle Schwarber made a pinch hitting appearance with Anthony Rizzo on with two outs. He struck out. The catcher asked for the last pitch up, while the commentators were saying that the pitcher should throw it in the dirt. The pitcher hesitated, like he could hear them. The catcher nodded at him, “Just do what I tell to and stop listening to the guys in the booth.” Always listen to the catcher.
I was really more distracted by the Diamondbacks and Cardinals on Fox Sports Arizona. I again missed the biggest play in the game. D-Backs pitcher, Robbie Ray, was hit on the back of the head by a line drive early in the game. He gave the crowd a bit of a wave while he was being carted off. They reported he was “alert” at the hospital, not the most encouraging prognosis.
As tight as the other game was, this one was even tighter. The first and only run of the game came in the sixth off a run-scoring single by the Cardinals. Certainly the D-Backs relievers had stepped up in the game in an emergency. In the eighth, the Diamondback offense finally had a legit threat with runners on the second and third with no outs. There was a strikeout, a runner thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice (upheld on review), and a strikeout of Paul Goldschimdt. Trevor Rosenthal would end up getting a two-inning save in a 1-0 Cardinal win.
I still couldn’t get into the MLB free game site, even re-entering my password. Once again, I was watching on Yahoo. It was the Indians and White Sox. It was 6-0 Tribe when I looked in, so didn’t really follow it. 9-3 was the final, though the White Sox did load up the bases at the end, trying to make a comeback.
The Chihuahuas played the ICubs in their series finale. In spite of all the rain in the area this week, somehow it all avoided the stadium. There were sprinkles at the beginning of this game, but it didn’t rain. Iowa went up 6-1 early while I wasn’t paying attention. In the seventh, the Chihuahuas surged to a comeback with four runs to make the score 7-5. The ICubs scored two in the ninth to make it 9-5. In the bottom, the pups kept coming. They loaded the bases, though painfully, as Nick Buss took a pitch off his foot. Matt Carasiti came in for the ICubs after a run scored. Yangervis Solarte, down on rehab, drove in two, but that was all. 9-8 ICubs. Though having a losing record, the Chihuahuas are still very much in the hunt for the division due to Salt Lake’s collapse.
Finally, the MLB Network’s second game was the Dodgers versus the Giants. I was busy, but noted that the lead had changed hands a couple of times. It was 6-4 Dodgers in the eighth when I joined the game. It took a moment, but I noticed that Buster Posey was at first. I’m not sure who was catching for the Giants. The Dodgers announcers were so busy talking about the Dodgers’ imminent World Series games, that they almost couldn’t be bothered actually call the game. (Shame on you Orel Hershier. You should know better to always concentrate on the game.) In the ninth, Kenley Jansen struck out the side for the win. I admit, these guys are looking pretty impressive.
7-29-17
I knew I was going to have a conflicted day today between the Rangers and Chihuahuas, since both games started at the same time, and I wanted to listen to both. It got confusing, flipping back and forth. Worse, the games weren’t very good, so my notes were scattered and very incomplete. (The night’s Rockies’ game was rained out.)
I started off in Round Rock, listening to the Chihuahuas play the Express. It was 104 degrees there. Tim Hagerty read off the starting lineups, and it was also like the pups were playing the Rangers. Ryan Rua, Drew Stubbs, Jurickson Profar, Jared Hoying, AJ Griffen, and Tanner Scheppers all came into the game. There was even a former Chihuahua/Padre Will Middlebrooks playing for the Express. I’m surprised the team isn’t doing better.
Due to some pre-game ceremonies, that game started late. I switched over to the Rangers/Orioles. Adrian Beltre was two hits away from 3,000. There was a full house in Arlington to see him, even with 55% humidity making the night miserable. Beltre got a standing ovation for his first at bat. A great play got him at first.
Back in Round Rock, a home run, two errors, and an unearned run gave the Express a 2-0 lead. The stadium must be near train tracks, as you could hear trains during the game. In Arlington, Joey Gallo had a home run robbed by a highlight reel catch by Adam Jones. Even the Texas crowd applauded him. It was 4-0 Orioles.
In the fourth, Beltre singled for hit #2,999. The station came back late from commercial, and I almost missed it. The crowd roared. Tim Hagerty mentioned the Beltre hit right after it happened. In the sixth, the crowd became antsy for the next Beltre at bat and boo’d anything delaying it. I lost the last of my signal just before it happened. I was holding my radio, trying to get every last once of reception. The hit didn’t happen then thankfully.
Meanwhile, the Chihuahuas weren’t doing well in their game. After a six run sixth, it was 9-1 Round Rock. I focused on the Ranger game. In the bottom of the ninth, still trailing 4-0, nobody had left the ballpark. The crowd gave Beltre a thunderous standing ovation for his at bat. They played the PA announcing him. Unfortunately, he grounded into a double play. Eric Nadel thought he was overanxious tonight in his swings. The Chihuahuas lost 9-2. It was very hard to keep up with two games, especially when you’re really just listening for just one thing.
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