Baseball Journal August 16-18, 2018

8-16-18

This has just not been my week for baseball.  I’m glad the Chihuahuas are winning at least.  Once again, I was too busy or didn’t have access to the station to listen.  A storm blew through town here tonight that caused a problem at work.  Unlike previous years, where strong rains would flood through our back door (thankfully, finally fixed), now the A/C cooling the computer room keeps going out during storms.  This requires a repairman to fix and a couple other co-workers had to come in.  It was fixed and the rain never got near the ballpark in El Paso, but it was really hard to listen to the game with all this stuff going on.

The Chihuahuas returned home to face the Las Vegas 51’s tonight.  Francisco Mejia got things started by driving in a run in the first to make it 1-0.  I did get to hear the big play of the game in the sixth, well event of the game.  A Vegas player was hit to put two on with no outs to start the inning.  A player in the Vegas dugout thought it was intentional.  He started shouting and said the wrong thing and the umps tossed him.  He then went out on field to continue complaining and then confronted the El Paso dugout.  With the crowd booing the player’s one-man show, there was nearly large confrontation, but it was diffused.  Bronswell Patrick, the Chihuahuas’ pitching coach, was also ejected.  And the net result was a double play that ended the inning without Las Vegas scoring.

In the bottom of the sixth, it was Mejia again with a double to bring in Luis Urias.  Shane Peterson then drove in Mejia to make it 3-0.  Las Vegas would score off of solo home runs in the seventh and the ninth.  El Paso really shone on defense in the ninth with two great fielding plays, including Dusty Coleman diving flat out to catch the final out of the game.  Chihuahuas won 3-2.  They’re still on a roll.

The MLB.TV free game should have started earlier in the evening, but rain in Kansas City delayed the game between the Royals and the Blue Jays.  The delay must have been at least two hours, because the game was still on after the Chihuahuas had finished.  I joined the game late and the stadium there was pretty empty.  They did a shot of some kids cheering for the camera.  The announcers were wondering why they were there so late on a school night and chastised their parents.  I was busy at this time with the air conditioner.  All I caught was the announcers mentioning something about the Royals having a consecutive game streak without an error.  The announcers were also tired and started rooting for a double play to quickly end the inning.  They got their wish on a slick-looking DP and didn’t jinx the streak by mentioning it.  The Royals won 6-2.

8-17-18

It was the Indians versus the Orioles for the MLB.TV free game.  The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first on Jose Ramirez two-run homer.  He’s actually leading the AL in that category.  In the third, the Indians loaded the bases with two outs, but ended the inning with a strikeout.  In the fourth, the O’s did exactly the same thing.  Strange. 

Jim Thome was being honored in Cleveland this weekend after his Hall of Fame induction.  The announcers talked to his manager, Mike Hargrove, one inning.  Then they talked to Thome.  He was just beaming.  It’s pretty easy to be happy for him; he seems like a good guy.  He remembered once getting a special home run ball from a couple of ladies, who were big fans.  The team gave them a bunch of stuff for the ball.  Thome was pleased they took care of the fans.  They must love him in Cleveland.  There was already a statue of him at the stadium.     

I missed most of the game, but came in at the end.  In the ninth, it was 2-1 Indians, a low-scoring game.  The Orioles got a runner to second, but Cody Allen got a strikeout to get the save.

I tuned in for the Chihuahuas’ game with the 51’s and unexpectedly heard Adam Young, the voice of Aggie Baseball.  I was actually disoriented for a moment and was sorry I missed the pregame.  I didn’t find out why Tim Hagerty wasn’t there for the evening, but was assured he’d back.  In any case, it was great to hear Adam, and he must have been thrilled to be doing a Triple-A game.  That’s a big time call up.  Adam was talking about the team in enough detail that I wonder if he listens to their games too.  He must have at least been listening to their last game, since he knew all about it.

Being another busy night, I had some trouble listening.  Mostly, I just got the scoring.  The Chihuahuas loaded the bases in the first.  Allen Craig drove in a run with a sacrifice to give them a 1-0 lead.  In the second, Las Vegas loaded the bases with two outs.  Logan Allen struck out their pitcher to end the inning.  In the bottom, Javy Guerra hit a no-doubter homer.  Logan Allen then hit a blooper that had two fielders colliding trying to get it.  Carlos Asuaje, down from the Padres, hit a two-run homer to make it 4-0.

In the fourth, Vegas hit back-to-back homers.  One went clean out of the park.  Their rally may have been cut short with catcher Francisco Mejia throwing out the lead runner on a bunt attempt.  In the bottom, Luis Urias singled in a run to make it 5-2.  In the fifth, the pups piled on some more.  Ty France doubled.  Allen Craig drove him in, and then Javy doubled him in, 7-2. 

In the seventh, reliever Carter Capps, who was guarding El Paso’s bullpen mound made a play on a foul ball.  He was all smiles from making a good fielding play, as he tossed it into the crowd.  Asuaje drove in a run that inning to make it 8-2 Chihuahuas, which was the final.  I’m out of superlatives for this team.      

8-18-18

While I waited to go to the Aggie Volleyball Scrimmage, I tuned into the MLB game on Mexican TV, featuring the Yankees and the Blue Jays.  They started off the broadcast by looking at the standings.  The Yankees are playing .600+ ball and are 10 games behind the Red Sox in the East, who are playing .700+ ball.  The Indians are up by 12 in the Central.  The Astros were one game up on the A’s, until today, when they lost, so now they’re tied.  The A’s are red hot.  The NL is closer all around.  The Braves and Phillies are about tied in the East with the Nationals seven games back.  The Cubs are up by four on the resurgent Cardinals.  The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Rockies are knotted up in the West.

The YES TV coverage was featuring the twentieth anniversary of the 2018 Championship Yankee team.  Oh wait, I mean 1998 Championship team.  Don’t want to get ahead of myself, like the Yankees’ marketing staff might have.  For the anniversary, the players came back and were honored on field.  Derek Jeter appeared via a video.  They also had some players in the booth, Andy Pettitte and Paul O’Neill.  I think the Mexican announcers were mostly ignoring them and just trying to call the game.

They Yankees won 11-6 (like they’d lose on a day like today?).  It was 8-1 when I left in the sixth, so I didn’t miss much.  It was kind of a sloppy game.  On one play, the Jays’ catcher turned around three times trying to find a wild pitch that was right behind him.  Him and Austin Romine, both took hard shots from fouls.  Romine had to come out, though they waited until the next inning to do it, even though he was clearly disoriented.  We’ll see if this has any lasting ill effects.  (Gary Sanchez is still out.)  Speaking of disoriented, Brett Gardner looked lost on a long single.  He mishandled the ball twice and the batter got to third.  That was highlight of the game for me.

When I got back from the Scrimmage, I later tuned into the Rangers’ game.  They were doing Rain Delay Theater.  They played an interview with Joey Gallo that I admittedly enjoyed while I was waiting for the Chihuahuas’ game.  Gallo is a big taco fan.  He has some kind of sponsorship with Chipotle’s, who gave him a year’s pass to the restaurant.  After six months, they stopped accepting his card.  When he called about it, they told him he’d used it up.  Him and some other players are big video game players, including Fortnight.  Gallo hopes to meet Derek Jeter someday, since he’s a fan.  And Gallo loves cookies and was asked the eternal question: Are oatmeal raisin cookies healthy?  So much for my Ranger coverage.           

I flipped stations to the Chihuahuas’ game.  The warm, friendly tones of Tim Hagerty were still absent.  (He’s out for the weekend to go to a wedding.)  Instead, Steve Kaplowitz was doing the call, and his call was that the game was in a rain delay.  Suddenly, I didn’t feel so bad about not going to the game, which I could have via tickets from work.  However, this was a dreaded double rain-out situation for my night’s entertainment.  I starting watching something, but kept checking the radio.  After an hour, I fortunately started the game with the first batter. 

The reception was really poor with a lot of crackling, which meant there were still storms in the area.  If I’d gone, it would have been with somebody.  Even with fireworks afterward, I wonder if I’d been able to stay for the whole game, especially if there’d been another delay.  Kappy was clearly loving doing play-by-play.  I’d guess his daily duties keep him from doing this on a regular basis.  Kappy was joined by fellow El Pasoan and former big leaguer, Butch Henry, doing color commentary. 

Celebrating the Year of the Dog, the Chihuahuas were wearing special Asian-themed jerseys with their name written in Mandarin Chinese.  Vegas started off the game with a two-run homer, but Francisco Mejia answered back with a two-run homer in the bottom.  Butch was asked about the pitch clock.  He didn’t like it and chuckled, saying that he was pretty sure that Players’ Union won’t allow it.  Between the owners and fans wanting it, and it not costing the players any money, don’t be so sure.

 

In the third, Ty France doubled in a run.  Allen Craig would be thrown out at the plate, trying to score on a single.  The call was apparently wrong on replay, but it was 3-2 dogs.  Kappy asked Butch about comebackers to the mound.  Butch remembered getting hit by one hard enough to break his cup.  Kappy was aghast and kept asking him about it. 

In the fifth, Chihuahuas’ starter, Cal Quantrill gave up a homer to Jose Lobaton that went over the Big Dog House to make it 3-3.  In the bottom, Kappy reported seeing lightning in the distance.  I was hearing some thunder, but it couldn’t have been the same storm.  It got close enough that I turned off my computer and I went to my laptop to keep writing.

 

In the seventh, Luis Urias tripled off the wall.  It was nearly a home run.  France singled him in to give the pups the lead, 4-3.  Kappy was worried that the lightning show in the sky would be overshadowing the fireworks show after the game.  (I’m not sure if they shot off the fireworks or not.)  By the next inning, there was a light rain at the park (and here in Las Cruces too). 

In the ninth, Vegas loaded the bases with two outs.  Rowan Wick ended it on a strikeout.  That’s a 4-3 Chihuahuas’ win and 12 in a row at home from the team that couldn't win at home earlier in the season.  The game finished around 10:45.  I’m pretty sure if I’d gone with somebody, they would have left before the end, even with the close game and fireworks afterward.  I think the city was also shutting down I-10 this weekend, so who knows what traffic was like getting back.  I think I’m okay with having just gone to see volleyball and listening to the ball game on the radio. 

NM State Aggies Volleyball Crimson and White Scrimmage 8-18-2018

On the one hand, I was looking forward to the start of Aggie athletics for another school year, especially volleyball.  This Scrimmage is a nice event for the fans to start the season with.  On the other, I’d passed on going to see a Chihuahuas game tonight that my workplace was paying for.  There were a variety of reasons, but ultimately I didn’t think I was entirely welcome and I didn’t want to see some of the people there either.  I assured a co-worker that I was going to be partying with the lovely volleyball girls tonight, so he needn’t feel bad for me. 

It seemed like a bad omen when I was reminded that both games were on the same day though.  Ron was going to go with me, and we were going to go early to visit the ticket office and buy Aggie Country Passes.  Those are full year passes to everything except Men’s Basketball and Football.  Yes, I was finally making a commitment.  Unfortunately, Ron canceled.  I ended up scrambling to get ready and left in a hurry.

The ticket office was open, but it was nearly the worst-case scenario.  The beautiful blonde ticket girl from last semester (5-12-18) was there.  This was a bit awkward.  She was probably dreading seeing me again, and there I was right off the bat this semester.  Meanwhile, here I was buying a pass, which meant I wouldn't be buying tickets from her this school year.  She recognized me (little wonder, I was wearing the same shirt I had on the last time I'd seen her) and we shared a friendly wave as another woman took my order, but we didn't talk.  Well, this got everything off to a bad start.

I was an hour early for the match, but the doors were thankfully open, as it was hot and humid outside.  Inside, the courtesy table had some definite goodies.  Sometimes I wonder if I just come here for the free posters and cards.  I'll post them later, but I'll tease out that they're very, very nice.  The football poster is cool with Jason Huntley.  The soccer poster features Dmitri Fong looking hot.  The schedule cards with Aileen Galicia and Megan Hart are lovely.  Oh, but that Briana Ainsworth poster may be my all-time favorite.  It's her smiling like she always does on court and you could just fall in love with it.  Like I said, I'll post them later. 

Since it was a free event (except for the $140 I just spent at the ticket office), I thought I'd get something at the concessions, which conveniently opened right after I bundled up my posters.  I was also pretty thirsty after I walked back in the heat to my truck after getting the pass.  They gave me a deal on a large raspberry tea and a small popcorn for $6.  (Trust me, that's a deal.)  The tea was great.  The popcorn might have been leftover from last semester. 

I must have looked like the perfect Aggie fanboy, as I made way down the stairs to a seat in my “Made History” t-shirt, juggling my drink, popcorn, and notebook.  And I was the first fan there, an hour before the game.  There were plenty of arena personnel there, along with a full camera crew.  Out on the court was the whole cheerleading squad (except for the Sundancers and the cute little Goth cheerleader wasn't with them anymore).  A couple of coaches were instructing them and telling them what the event schedule was.  I didn't know they had coaches.  I've literally never seen a coach with the cheerleaders before.  PA Ed (whose last name I forgot to write down) was working the mic.  This wasn't just a dress rehearsal for the volleyball team.  I’d hoped to run into Adam Young to congratulate him on filling in for Chihuahuas’ baseball, but he wasn’t there. 

The volleyball team came out to warm-up along with their coaches.  The cheerleading coach came over and gave Coach Mike Jordan a hug.  There was no sign of that pretty blonde assistant that worked with the coach last year.  I think I may have mentioned her once or twice, but really she distracted me for the whole season and I actually wanted to figure out some way of meeting her.  (At least we have a common interest in the volleyball team.)  I was mentally noting who was playing, but it wasn't until some other fans came in with programs that I went back up front and got one (they were laid out after I’d gotten the posters) and then confirmed the personnel.       

I knew that the team would be missing some key players from last year due to graduation.  Captain Jordan Abalos went down early last season.  Multiple players had to step up to make up for her loss, as she was almost irreplaceable (and above all, her brave heart).  Sasha-Lee Thomas never seemed right all season.  She could take over games by herself when healthy.  KC Tohm really came into her own last year and led the team in kills.  Somebody's going to have to get those points this year. 

Libero Ari Sierra is a really bad loss because she was getting all the digs and nobody else was close, except for Jordan.  This means nobody was really being groomed to fill in for her this year.  Kaylee Neal, who was the other main defensive specialist last year, is now working with the Pan-Am staff for her degree.  She was sitting with the volleyball assistant coaches, and at first I thought she might have joined their staff. 

There were a few more subtractions.  One of last years' standout freshmen, Brielle Sterns had gotten over her knee problems, only to succumb to a season-ending shoulder injury.  (I hope this wasn't another practice injury, but it probably was.)  Hannah Combs, who'd come off the bench and played so well, wasn't on the team anymore.  I don't know why, but I can guess her on-court injury last year (10-21-17) may have ended her career. 

Megan McGuire was also not on the roster.  She'd been on the team for a couple of years.  She was injured one of those years and had had very limited play time.  I was looking forward to seeing her or Analyssa Acosta being the libero.  Megan McGuire and Megan Hart also seemed to be good friends off court, so Hart probably misses her.  I also think she was going out with a baseball player, but I don’t know who.  Maybe he graduated and took her with him.  I actually talked to Megan once at the ballpark after that game where Hannah was injured.  Megan was very composed and polite.  If she’d been a starter, she would have been a good candidate to be a team spokesman to the media.   

The team got plenty of reinforcements though.  Jordan George and Savannah Davison (she took a great picture for the promo image above for this game) were red-shirted from injury last year and are ready to go now.  Seven new freshmen and a red-shirt sophomore have joined the team.  Okay, between these players and the returning players who've had only very limited playing time, that's most of the team.  I'm honestly wondering why the coaches picked the Aggies to win the conference.  Well, Coach Jordan does do a great job of recruiting and training, so the new players are probably pretty good.

Then there's the seasoned players coming back.  Tatyana Battle is the captain and she really picked up her game last year.  I don’t think this really means anything, but during this exhibition, just by the sound of it, she had the hardest hit ball of the match.  She reminded me a bit of Sasha there.  Not to mention, Taty is now taking after Sasha’s hairstyle and it looks great.  Megan Hart is still very tall (and beautiful).  The leg brace she’s wearing now looks more heavy duty than last year, but if her knee holds out, she’s literally unstoppable. 

Sweet Briana Anisworth and Natalie Mikels shared the setting duties last year.  The coach likes Nat’s serving, so he had her in a lot.  Briana seems like a leader on court this year.  She really seemed to be enjoying being there today and being a senior.  Lia Mosher is still an impressive presence at the net.  The prediction I made about KC last year was pretty good, so I’ll make another.  Lia’s going to be the star of the team.  Other teams will be game-planning her specifically.  I’ve listed five sure regular players and that only covers three positions, and none of them are liberos.  The coach is going to have some work to do on the roster.                 

Pistol Pete came in right before the match to make this an official Aggie event.  The girls came back out in their game uniforms, unlike last year (8-19-17), the girls were divided up wearing crimson and white.  They did their usual dance, joined together and going around in circles, but they forgot to put the music on for them.

The girls were introduced, freshmen first, and they were mostly in white.  Two of those girls stood out.  Lindsay Blakey was easy to pick out at 6’3” and perhaps the longest hair.  Little (by comparison) Zoe Abeyta seemed the happiest to be there.  Both girls are from New Mexico.  Of the veterans, Julianna Salanoa flashed the best smile at the crowd.  Briana was working a smartphone and videoing the girls during the intro.  Associate Coach Ben Wallis addressed the crowd and told everyone they’d be playing four sets and asked that the fans pick a color to root for.  Coach Jordan sat behind a desk at one end of the court to watch.   

Set 1

There weren’t any alumni players like there were last year.  I’d noticed an athletic young man in shorts and an Aggie t-shirt hanging out with the team during practice.  At one point, he made a great dig and the girls cheered for him.  I was surprised when he joined the White team on court to play.  He was definitely a volleyball player, though I don’t know for whom, not NM State.  Perhaps he’s on a practice squad for the team?  The PA called his name a few times.  I think it was Jared Neal, maybe?  He was an outside hitter, so he took some hard swings that the Crimson team had to deal with. 

The Crimson veterans took a 4-0 lead to start.  Jared got the first White point on a kill, 4-1.  Jordan George served an ace to close it to 4-3.  Julianna got her first point at 7-4.  (I apparently only kept track of who played for which team intermittently in my notes.)  I noticed that freshman Brittany Welch was taking most of the shots for White and got some kills.  Savannah for the Crimson got several of their kills and think she was the one who got a great save dig at 13-9.  Both of those girls played well in the set.  25-16 Crimson was the final.

Set 2: Crimson 1, White 0

A few of the players changed tops before the start of the next set.  This time, a couple of players seemed to be designated liberos.  The first point of was one of those crowd-pleasing long ones.  Brittany got a couple more kills in the set, as she kept getting fed the ball.  Another freshman, Cat Kelly, got a kill and then a block.  The coach may have mentioned her in an interview.  She’s not that tall, but can really jump. 

Natalie Mikels went on a long run serving.  She has an odd motion, standing sideways to start, but it works for her.  Last night, Adam mentioned a ball player from Jenks, Oklahoma, and I was like, Where have I heard of that town before?  That’s Nat’s hometown too.  Savannah ended the run on a dump kill.  I said last year watching her, I thought she was a “heady” player.  Without having to wear a leg brace this year, she’s got the athleticism to go with it. 

14-11 White was another long point with several players diving for the ball.  White took that point and the point at 18-12 with two good saves just off the floor.  22-14 Brittany chalked up an impressive kill.  I need a scorecard for kills, blocks, and digs.  24-17 Cat made a solo block.  The final was 25-17 White.  I think coach liked Jordan G’s serve.  At one point, he had her serving for both teams.

Set 3: Crimson 1, White 1

Some of the girls again changed tops.  The coach was testing out some more combinations.  Julianna got another point and a block early in the set.  Sophomore Kiely Tonge came in to serve.  Freshman Kassi Stolz made her first appearance to serve.  PA Ed made an announcement that Raising Canes was an official sponsor for the volleyball team and that promotions would be forthcoming.  I am more than intrigued, if not enthusiastic, about this.

16-4, I noticed the coach put his head down on his desk as the White team left their middle wide open for an easy kill.  I hope he wasn’t doing that for the whole match.  17-6, Julianna got a tip kill.  That’s really encouraging to see.  She’s got such a powerful (yet very feminine) frame, but she needs to make the smart plays, not just pounding the ball.  Lia Mosher got a pair of kills late.  24-8, Briana ended a long point on a dump kill.  25-8 Crimson final, Set 3.  Pete came by and got a picture with a couple of kids.

Set 4: Crimson 2, White 1

The Cheerleaders did the Macarena between sets.  Pete danced with some kids in the crowd on camera.  Julianna started off the set with a strong kill for the Crimson.  I keep mentioning her in my notes.  I admit I’m playing favorites.  She’s so built, Julianna could totally pull off cosplaying in a chain mail bikini with a sword at a comic book convention.  (Hey, the Las Cruces one may be coming up here soon.  Just a thought.)  I still think she’ll be a great player.  Ari said it took her two years to finally start listening to the coach.  Keep listening, Juli.

Megan Hart came in hammering an overpass kill to make it 4-3.  Like I said earlier, “unstoppable.”  (And stunning in the preseason pic.)  Zoe Abeyta made it into the game.  I was hoping she’d get in, though I don’t think she was announced.  10-9 White, Bridgette Lowe got a kill.  I didn’t see much of her in the match.  In fact, the regulars kind of took a backseat in this game to the reserves. 

12-12, Julianna and Cat combined for a block.  15-13 Crimson, Lindsay Blakey, the tall freshman, combined with Savannah on a block.  15-13 Crimson, I have someone making a solo block on Jared, but the number isn’t right.  It might have been Lindsay.  Alternately, it may have been a great dig by Analyssa Acosta on his shot.  I hate myself and my note taking.  It was an impressive play at the time whatever it was.  Jared (hope I’m getting your name right) actually started taking most of the shots late and kept the game close.  Lindsay and Ashley Anselmo also made a good blocking combo.  Set 4 final was 25-19 Crimson, who won the match 3-1.

I’m no coach, but I’ll throw out a couple of observations.  Last season, by my count, there were 13 regulars in the lineup, but three of those were because of injuries.  So, Coach Jordan may like using 10 regulars.  Megan and Lia have the middle covered.  Bri and Nat will split setting again with Nat cycling in to serve.  Taty is definitely one of the hitters, probably with Bridgette.  Based on what I saw, Savannah and Brittany should be getting regular time.  Sav is smart and Britt, even as a freshman, seems ready to take shots.  Julianna, Cat, and Lindsay should also get some play time for more evaluation.  Libero?  I don’t know.  Jordan G’s good at serving, but may be questionable on digs.  Nobody else stood out.  Blame Ari for making everyone else look bad by comparison.

It was fun, but afterward, the terrible foreboding I’d had all day was fulfilled.  I went to Schlotzsky’s for dinner and . . . and . . .

They took out the ice cream machine.  (Deep breath.)  Noooooooooooooo!

If I’d known this, I might not have bought the Aggie County Pass.  I might have blown off Aggie Sports for the year.  Now I’m stuck with going without Carvel ice cream to celebrate victories and drown sorrow in defeats!  This really sucks!  Further, I had to wait five minutes before being served, they tried to mis-charge me on the meal twice, and they got the order wrong anyway.  The place also seemed to be in semi-darkness, like they hadn’t turned on all the lights.  If there’s some new management there, I don’t like the direction they’re going.  In fact, just tear down the building and rebuild the Dairy Queen that was there.  They had great hamburgers and Blizzards.  I still miss them.

This day started off inauspiciously and ended disastrously.  At least the middle was good.  I guess I’m committed to more Aggie Sports this year and finding somewhere else to eat before and after the games.  I am still eager to see more of this Aggie volleyball team.

Baseball Journal August 13-15, 2018

8-13-18

It was a perfect storm.  I was overwhelmed at work and I walked into four baseball games on TV and radio.  Simply, the work overcame me, along with some equipment issues, and I basically only got peeks in on the games and missed a bunch.  The multiple games were my fault at least, as were my scattered notes.  All the games inconveniently overlapped each other.  I’ll take each of them separately. 

My first game of the night was actually by happenstance.  The TV in the breakroom had been left on, so I flipped over to see who the Diamondbacks were playing.  It was Rangers.  While the Chihuahuas’ game that was on was more important to me, I couldn’t resist actually watching a game in Arlington.  It was 4-3 Texas in the seventh when I came in.  Zack Greinke just came out.  Robinson Chirinos had hit a three-run homer earlier, along with a Ronald Guzman solo shot.  The D-Backs’ announcers were impressed with the Rangers’ power.

They mentioned a curious roster fact that Arizona was carrying three catchers, while the Rangers only had one official catcher in Chirinos.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa is their backup, and he’s good, but he also plays at other positions.  Chirinos drove in Adrian Beltre in the eighth to make it 5-3 Rangers, which was the final.  I missed the ninth.  That’s pretty much how my night went.  The stadium and the fans had a classy moment in the eighth.  Jake Diekman, who was traded to the D-Backs from the Rangers at the trade deadline, was warming up in the bullpen.  When he got up, his Ranger highlights were played on screen and he got a nice ovation from the crowd.

Hey, I wonder what’s on the MLB Network?  I thought as the Ranger game went to a commercial.  It was the premier matchup of the night between the Giants and Dodgers with Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw facing each other.  Though the game was in Los Angeles, they were carrying the Giants’ feed, which included Jon Miller doing the announcing.  How I would have loved to have watched this game, but I couldn’t.

Bumgarner went six innings and gave up two runs, while Kershaw went eight with one run.  I stepped in to the breakroom in the top of the ninth.  The Dodgers were up 2-1 with two outs and two on.  The Giants just loaded the bases when I stepped back out for a minute.  (On Twitch, Dizzykitten was playing with one of her cats onscreen and I couldn’t look away.)  When I came back, the Giants had just taken the lead on a pinch hit single by Nick Huntley.  After another single and an error, it was 5-2 Giants, which would be the final.  Dodger fans were devastated.  They had all been standing and clapping when the Giants were down to their last strike.       

Meanwhile, the Chihuahuas were playing the Bees in Salt Lake.  This series was the last meeting between these two teams who are at the top of their division.  Not being able to listen at my other workstation caused me to miss the beginning of the game.  I picked a good moment to start listening in the third with two on and two outs.  Luis Urias got knocked down by a pitch, but came back swinging on the next.  Urias hustled an infield hit into a single.  Auston Bousfield on second, who was off with the pitch, managed to score for the first run of the game. 

The Bees managed to score twice in the fifth to make it 2-1.  In the eighth, while I was distracted by Dizzy and posting to my blog, I heard Francisco Mejia hit a home run to give the Chihuahuas the lead, 3-2.  I’d missed Urias hitting a sacrifice to tie it earlier. 

The game wasn’t over yet.  In the bottom of the eighth, pups’ starter Jerry Keel came out.  TJ Weir was in with two on and one out.  There was a mound visit during which the PA played Stand by Your Man.  Weir got two outs and got out of it.  In the ninth though, Weir was left in for a second inning and got one out, but the Bees made a successful comeback.  They tied it, and then won it in a walkoff.  4-3 Bees.  I was too busy with work to be sad.

I still had another game option.  The MLB.TV free game was the Padres versus the Angels.  It was audio-only and in the eighth, but I went ahead and listened.  Ted Leitner was again not doing the commentary, but Jessie Agler and Tony Gwynn Jr. were.  I’m not sure what his playing status is, but Gwynn sounds just like his old man.  What I heard of him, I liked.  On the subject of high fastballs, he said, “It’s like Chocolate Mousse.  It looks so good, but it’s so bad for you.”       

  

Just as I tuned in, Justin Upton robbed Eric Hosmer of a home run at the wall.  He stole it from a fan even.  However, it worked as a sacrifice and brought in the tying run for the Padres to make it 2-2.  Upton led off the ninth with a double, but fan-favorite (judging by the cheers of the San Diego crowd) Kirby Yates struck out the next three batters, including Albert Pujols. 

In the tenth, the Angels mounted a rally.  Christian Villanueva made a great throw to Freddie Galvis covering third to get the lead runner there.  Shohei Ohtani came in as a pinch hitter.  I left the room and it was 6-2 Angels when I came back.  Okay.  Hosmer got his homer in the bottom, but 6-3 Angels was the final.  Oh, to have gotten so much baseball tonight and to have it be all so unsatisfying.  Even the results I liked, I didn’t get to see the end of the game.  We’ll hope for a better day tomorrow. 

8-14-18

Yeah, I pretty much did the same thing again today.  At least I got caught up with my work.  I should have listened to the Chihuahuas again, but I knew the Rangers and the Diamondbacks were playing on TV and couldn’t resist.  Of course, what I also couldn’t do was sit down and watch very much.  It was 5-1 D-Backs in the sixth.  Elvis Andrus got a hit and I’d never heard this over the radio before, but the PA in Arlington played an Elvis Presley fanfare right after.  It was awesome. 

The Rangers managed to score a couple of runs to make it 5-3.  Joey Gallo struck out to end the inning.  One of the Arizona commentators noted that the pitcher could throw to that low and away spot a hundred times and Gallo would never hit it.  I can believe that.  I saw Roughned Odor make a great dive and toss to second for a force out to end the inning in the eighth and save a run, but that was about all.  6-4 D-Backs was the final.  Jon Jay, in the gray AZ pjs had the snazziest light blue shoes to with them.

The Cardinals and the Nationals were playing in the MLB.TV free game earlier in the evening.  I still didn’t get to see more than a glimpse.  I couldn’t even write my Aunt Judy to see if she was watching the game back in Missouri.  Matt Adams came to the plate for the Nats when I started watching.  Yadier Molina delayed the game for a minute so that the crowd could applaud the former Cardinal.  I missed Cardinal pitcher John Gant getting his first hit, a home run, but I did see an usher negotiating for the ball. 

In the eighth, I saw Bryce Harper hit a high and away pitch to the opposite field for a homer.  Marcel Ozuna in left field stood there in shock after watching it go out.  Yadi just sat there on a knee at the plate like a statue as Bryce trotted by and patted him on the shoulder.  The Cards won 6-4.  That’s seven in a row for them, but they’re still in third in the Central.

I listened to a bit of Flying Squirrels playing the Baysox.  They were in the middle of a double header and they were playing to see who would be in last place in their division.  It was kind of sad.

I came into the actually-important-to-me Chihuahuas versus Bees game late and did a poor job of listening.  I basically missed all the scoring, but here it is.  Javy Guerra hit a two-run homer in the third and Ty France doubled in a run to make it 3-0.  In the bottom, the Bees came back to make it 3-2.  It was Javy again in the fourth with a fielder’s choice RBI to make it 4-2.  The Bees came back again with a homer, 4-3.  Luis Urias scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh to make it 5-3.

Okay, I was really listening the ninth (sort of).  Francisco Mejia doubled and Allen Craig drove him in to make it 6-3.  In the bottom, the Bees got two on with one out.  Jabari Blash, I think leading the league in home runs, came out on deck to pinch hit and the crowd roared.  Travis Radke came in to face him in his Triple-A debut.  He got him out on one pitch and got the save.  Nice going.  The Chihuahuas won 6-3.  One more game in Salt Lake to see if the pups can expand their lead in the division.

8-15-18

There was just one game on today for me, so there was no excuse for me not to concentrate on the big rubber game between the Chihuahuas and the Bees tonight.  (“Big rubber?”)  Of course, I was still being bombarded with actual work while at work (the nerve) and my attention just wasn’t there.  Also, it seemed like the Chihuahuas were doing all of their scoring while I out of earshot.  The good news was that they scored plenty tonight, but the downside was that I didn’t get to hear it.

Actually the only thing I got to completely hear on the radio (an actual radio, not an Internet stream) was the first Aggie Coaches Show for the school year.  It was good to hear Adam Young again talking about NM State.  He had football coach Doug Martin on for most of the hour.  The coach seemed very cautiously optimistic about the team.  I didn’t realize their season started early next week.  They’re at home and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN 2.  Yes, I’d like to go, but it likely won’t happen unless I can go with someone.  While the team went 2-2 and I froze my butt off at times going with Ron a couple of years ago, I did enjoy the spectacle, even during the bad losses.  I’ll probably at least be listening in on the game.    

In Salt Lake City, Jabari Blash was starting for the Bees tonight.  He is leading the PCL in home runs, but I think he’s too injured to really play at the moment.  Tonight, he went 0-3.  Having seen the guy in person (6-15-16), Blash is a heck of physical specimen.  The Bees’ manager may have been desperate to get him into the lineup for some possible run support.  Speaking of interesting lineup moves, the Bees brought out a new pitcher in the second inning.  Tim Hagerty didn’t think the starter was injured.  He did notice that the reliever was throwing with a different hand than the starter, thus screwing up the Chihuahuas’ lineup.  Gamesmanship?   

Tim sounded serious tonight.  This was the last meeting between these two teams in contention to win the division, and winning or losing meant a pretty big swing in the standings.  In the bottom of the second, a ball took a bad hop on Allen Craig at first and a run scored to give the Bees a 1-0 lead.  In the third, while I was out of the room, Francisco Mejia doubled in a run (boy, that trade for him is looking better all the time) and Craig singled in a run to make it 2-1. 

In the fourth, Shane Peterson dove for a ball and came up juggling and finally dropped it.  He just missed throwing out a runner at second right after the drop as Luis Urias came off the bag to catch it.  On the next batter, catcher Raffy Lopez picked off the runner at first, so the defense was still on point for the pups.

In the fifth, Forrestt Allday was hit on the hand and ran around the grass in pain, but stayed in the game.  The Bees went to their third pitcher, so maybe it was just an unannounced bullpen day (which would still be gamesmanship to have not announced it).  Allday would score on a hit by Ty France (another good new addition to the team).  Raffy doubled in a run and Peterson also drove in a run.  6-1 Chihuahuas. 

In the sixth, the Chihuahuas got caught in an odd rundown that didn’t involve any running, but the Urias still drove in a run that inning to make it 7-1.  At this point, Tim loosened up considerably and became his more usual conversational self.  By the ninth, the Bees were using their centerfielder to pitch, Bo Way.  Just hearing that name, I had assumed he was Asian, until I looked at the spelling and saw his picture.  He hit Peterson, but struck out two and was throwing at 89mph, so he had some skills.  The Chihuahuas won 7-1 and were now up four-and-a-half games in the standings.  Woo hoo!

There was one other game on that I could watch.  Once again, somebody left the break room TV on, so I flipped over to the MLB Network.  Later, they again showed the Dodgers and Giants playing in Los Angeles.  It was again the Giants’ feed, which still surprises me.  I’d briefly check in on the game during the night.  It was 0-0 in the sixth, before the Dodgers scored one.  In the seventh, they put up two more to make it 3-0.  In the eighth, Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer to tie it.  I watched the extra innings a little more, but missed the Dodgers winning, 4-3, on a sacrifice in the twelfth.  I noticed most of the crowd also missed the end as the stadium was nearly empty by then.

Baseball Journal August 12, 2018

8-12-18

Apparently, it was a much less threatening day in New York City, though the crowd was noticeably smaller.  Once again, Giancarlo Stanton started off the game with another solo home run.  The guys in the booth were impressed with it at 112mph, 413’, and a 17 degree launch angle.  (Those numbers don’t mean a lot to me.  I’m not sure why I recorded them.)  1-0 Yankees. 

In the second, Miguel Andujar committed an error, there was a blown double play, and Joey Gallo got an infield hit (!) after a poor throw by CC Sabathia.  The net result of all that was no runs.  The Rangers got more runners on in the third, but still didn’t score.  In the fifth, Didi Gregorius did made a spectacular play at short on Delino Deshields to shore up the Yankee defense.  In the bottom, the wheels came off on Martin Perez, the Rangers’ starter.  The big blow was a two-run homer by Gregorious.  It was now 6-0.

In the sixth, Eric Nadel talked about Sabathia’s problems, including recovering from alcoholism and his weight.  Eric thought it was interesting that the current career wins leaders in the Major League baseball were CC and Bartolo Colon, a pair of rather stout fellows.  Andujar made a two-base error to put Elvis on second, but he was stranded there.  Perez came back out in the bottom, but was pulled after getting hit some more.  A run scored after he came out to make it 7-0.

CC left in the seventh, having given up 1 hit, though the Rangers had had their chances.  Sonny Gray came in and gave up a couple of hits.  Yankee fans immediately started booing him.  Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.  Gregorius made another great play to get him at first.  Deshields drove in Gallo on an infield hit.  Yankee fans were audibly grumbling some more.  The play at first was reviewed, but Delino was still safe.  This brought out another loud outburst from the crowd.  This is the problem with being a Yankee fan; up 7-2 in the seventh and you’re angry it’s not a shutout. 

In the eighth inning, Gray gave up two more hits and was pulled.  The crowd gave him the business on the way out.  Maybe it’s just personal between him and Yankee fans.  The Rangers loaded the bases with two outs, but left all of them stranded.    

The Yankees won 7-2, but the Rangers did get one good highlight.  In the bottom of the eighth, Gallo went over the wall and robbed a home run from Austin Romine.  Eric kept hesitating on the call as Joey delayed showing the ball in his possession.  In the postgame, Matt Hicks mentioned that Joey had words with fans out there after the catch.  He then threw ball into second deck to some Ranger fans.  Given the way the outfield wall is at Yankee Stadium, I’m surprised he didn’t have to slap the fans away from the ball to get it.

The Chihuahuas versus Rivercats’ game started a bit before the Rangers and Yankees ended.  I flipped back-and-forth for the first two innings and didn’t think I’d missed much.  In the postgame, I found out I’d missed Forrestt Allday robbing Gregor Blanco of a home run at the wall and some strange mayhem on the basepads that helped the Chihuahuas out. 

I did hear the Tim Hagerty calling two kids colliding with each other trying to catch a foul ball on the grassy knoll in the outfield in the first.  The crowd got a good laugh out of it.  Tim got a chuckle in the third over a bunch of kids chasing another foul ball there.  Sacramento was also played The Price is Right theme as bumper music one inning.  Maybe there was a fan contest that inning.  Tim didn’t offer a badly needed explanation.

In the third, Cesar Puello drove in the first run of the game for the Rivercats.  In the sixth, fighting sleepiness (not because of the game, just tired), I took a nap with the game on.  I was listening, but I totally dropped out at some point.  When I woke up, it was 1-1.  Once again, I had to wait until the postgame to find out how it happened.  Luis Urias got a hit, Francisco Mejia drove him to third, and Ty France sacrificed him in. 

In the bottom, Shane Peterson made a great jump catch near the wall.  In the bottom of the seventh, the defense shined again on three good plays on grounders.  France did well there too.  The Chihuahuas’ defense in general has really been sparkling lately. 

Still tied at one, we went to the ninth.  France led off with a single.  Brett Nicholas struckout.  Peterson drove France to third.  Raffy Lopez struckout.  With two out, Javy Guerra came up big with a single and brought France in and gave the pups the lead.  Allen Craig came up as a pinch hitter and drew a walk to load the bases.  Allday (and all night) singled to right and scored two more.  The ‘Cats finally brought in a new reliever to finish off the inning.  (See, this in-depth coverage totally makes up for me falling asleep earlier.) 

Up now 4-1, Rowan Wick came in to close in the bottom.  He allowed a leadoff double, but got the save.  Chihuahuas win 4-1!  This has been one tightly-played series in Sacramento.  I’ve been impressed with the team’s composure over these four games.  They couldn’t bash their way to victory as they usually do, but found a way anyway.

I can’t believe there has been nothing on TV today, and I’ve been listening to baseball games on the radio all day.  Let’s keep going.  KROD obligingly went right from the Chihuahuas to the ESPN Radio pregame coverage before the Cubs versus Nationals’ game.  They spent way too much time talking about who should be the NL MVP this year.  Their picks are Javier Baez and Max Scherzer, both of whom were playing tonight, and Nolan Arenado on the Rockies.  This seems terribly irrelevant with a month and a half left before the playoffs.  The most interesting man in baseball, Bryce Harper, wasn’t even mentioned.  They barely mentioned him at all during the game. 

Tonight’s pitching matchup was between Scherzer and Cole Hamels.  The announcers mentioned how much better Hamels has been pitching since he was traded from the Rangers.  That’s just great.  He only pitched the Rangers into last place in their division.  Scherzer set the tone for his performance tonight with his first pitch, which brushed Anthony Rizzo back off the plate.           

In the second, Mark Reynolds sacrificed in a run to give the Nats a 1-0 lead . . . for the next seven innings.  Perhaps sensing a pitcher’s duel, the hosts talked about wins being meaningless in awarding the Cy Young Award.  Of course, Cy Young ironically holds the record for most wins pitching, but don’t let that bother you.  They did offer a recent quote from Jayson Werth, “Super nerds are killing the game.”  [Tim Hagerty did an interview with Jayson in Triple-A a couple of months ago (6-3-18).]  They also talked about Anthony Rizzo’s recent pitching performance in a blowout.  When asked if he had a memento from getting out the one batter he faced, Rizz said, “I have a 0.00 ERA.”

Hamels went seven innings, only giving up 1 hit and 1 run.  In the bottom of the seventh, Albert Almora Jr. hit a double and Wrigley erupted and I wrote in my notes, “Like a grand slam.”  (Foreshadowing.)  The Cubs got a couple on, but Scherzer slammed the door with his eleventh strikeout to end the inning. 

In the ninth, Trea Turner tripled as Kyle Schwarber misplayed the ball in the outfield.  (Is it too late to use him as a catcher?  Or is he a bigger liability behind the plate?)  Juan Soto walked.  Ryan Zimmerman then doubled them in to make it 3-0 Nats.  But this is Wrigley.  Remember, games there are like an opera and everybody dies in the third act. 

With an anxious Bill Murray looking on from the owner’s box, the Cubs got two runners on off Ryan Madson.  He got the next two outs, but then hit Willson Contreras to load the bases.  Please note that this sequence of events took approximately 20 minutes to play out.  Two words: pitch clock.  In the time it took to get to this point, the Nationals could have called up a reliever from Triple-A to enter the game.  An unassuming David Bote then came into the game to pinch hit.  Fed up with the pace of play, Bote promptly jacked out a walkoff grand slam to end the game.  The Wrigley Field faithful erupted like Albert Almora Jr. just hit a double.  4-3 Cubs win!  Cubs win! 

Admittedly, this wasn’t the greatest game to listen to, but what an ending!  Meanwhile in the Nationals’ locker room, Bryce Harper wished he’d been traded before the deadline.  Meanwhile, Nationals’ ownership wondered if they can still trade Bryce Harper for more than a bag of chips.  Meanwhile, Max Scherzer looked in the mirror and wiped away a tear as he said to himself, “I’m gonna be the MVP because wins don’t matter.  Sniff.  They don’t matter.”  

Baseball Journal August 10-11, 2018

8-10-18

The MLB.TV free game was radio-only with the Diamondbacks versus the Reds.  I tuned in to hear Greg Schulte, who I used to listen to on a daily basis when the D-backs games were carried locally.  He wasn’t there in Cincinnati, but Luis Gonzalez was there doing the color commentary.  It’s always good to hear from the 2001 World Series hero.  I never got the name of the play-by-play guy.  He was giving Gonzo the business, as he tried to remember his hitting stats in the Queen city.  They had a nice banter going, but I was busy and didn’t follow the game much.

At my other workstation, I listened a bit to the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Their season had had a couple of disappointments this year, namely that they missed Tim Tebow (injury) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (call up) as visiting players.  During their games, they do a report of the other Giants’ affiliates.  Of particular interest, they talked about the Augusta Greenjackets, specifically their Twitter account.  After a three-hour delay, the Greenjackets won Game 1 of a double header in extra innings.  Here’s their tweet: “Greenjackets win on a walkoff balk.  Hey, we’ll take it.  Game 2 of the double header will be starting at 12:55 am.  That’s right AM.”  This led to a response: “We’re down to about 20 fans.”  And the reply: “Shoutout to those fans.  You guys are dedicated.” 

They did actually end up cancelling the game, likely after somebody read the league rules, which probably prohibit starting games that late.  This reminds me of last years’ double header between the Chihuahuas and the Baby Cakes (8-4-17).  The games had relevancy to the playoffs, so they had to get them in if at all possible.  Game 1 got delayed by rain and started at 8:00 in New Orleans.  The PCL had to waive their curfew rule before the games even began.  Game 2 started at 10:45 and went into extra innings and didn’t end until after 1:30 am there. 

I’m sure Tim Hagerty remembers staying up for that game well.  The Chihuahuas played the Rivercats later tonight.  Tim stopped his pregame for the Anthem, which was a great idea, because the lady did a really great job of singing it.  There were some familiar names at the park today.  Giant Gregor Blanco was in the game for Sacramento.  A pair of guys with great names were in the lineups: River Stevens with the Chihuahuas and Ryder Jones for the ‘Cats.  Barry Zito, working in the Giants’ farm system, was also in the stadium and signing autographs.

Let’s quickly sum up the first seven innings.  In the second, Auston Bousfield reached over the wall to rob a Rivercats’ homer.  In the third, Chihuahuas’ starter, Kyle Lloyd, tripled but was stranded.  That hit was a bigger deal than you might think.  Rivercats’ starter, Daniel Camarena, threw six 1-2-3 innings apart from that single hit.  A couple of fans got hit by foul balls, even with the extended netting, so it was still pretty exciting to be there in the crowd.  

Pups’ pitching was pretty good too; it was 0-0 going into the eighth.  In the top, Ty France got the second Chihuahuas’ hit.  Two strikeouts followed, but then a walk.  A new pitcher came to face Luis Urias.  It was a battle, but Urias went down on strikes.  In the bottom, the crowd and Tim were into it.  Peter Bourjos doubled, and the El Paso pitcher came out for an injury.  Bourjos was sacrificed over, but he got in caught a rundown at home on a grounder by Ryder Jones, who made it to second.   Cesar Puello drove him in on a single to give the Rivercats at 1-0 lead.

It wasn’t over yet.  In the ninth, the pups got two singles, but a fly out and a double play ended the game, 1-0 Rivercats.  That was disappointing, but still pretty dramatic.  I should mention that it was an odd day at work.  I had to come in early for a meeting, about seven and a half hours early.  I ended up sticking around all day, took a nap, watched Cincinbear on Twitch, some Gibi ASMR, and then clocked back in for the evening.  I don’t even want to add up how long I was there, but it wasn’t too bad.  Having interesting stuff to listen and watch helped. 

I did finally ask my boss about the Chihuahuas’ radio station being blocked on the network.  He didn’t block it, but also wasn’t able to get it unblocked.  He’d had trouble earlier in the day when a senior officer asked him to unblock the PGA website for the PGA Championship being played today.  He wasn’t able to get that to come through either, which may have possibly shortened employment tenure.  Who’s controlling our network! 

8-11-18

This worked out well.  The MLB game on Mexican TV this morning was the Rangers at the Yankees.  So, I was able to bring up the Rangers’ radio broadcast to listen to while I was watching the game.  The TV was about 30 seconds behind the radio call, but it wasn’t too bad.  What was bad was the impending weather in New York City.  It was 80+ degrees with 79% humidity.  Can you guess that the forecast was for rain?  Still, that didn’t deter 45,000 fans from showing up with umbrellas and ponchos ready.

In the first, with Shin-Soo Choo on first, Roughned Odor struck out on a hit and run.  The umpire, however, made a slow call and Choo reached second without a throw.  It was an odd-looking play.  In the bottom, Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run on a 3-0 pitch.  Greg Bird drove in a run to make it 2-0 Yankees.

In the second, Ronald Guzman came to bat.  He got mentioned on the Mexican pregame show where he was called, “Yankee killer.”  Last night, he had three home runs in a big 12-7 win.  The Condor also had his whole family there, in Rangers gear, watching.  His dad hadn’t seen him play in person in the Bigs before because of a fear of flying.  Guzman was pitched around and walked twice in the game.

In the third, a light rain started.  Matt Hicks gave some ominous weather warnings concerning the rest of the afternoon.  On field, Elvis Andrus drove in Choo from third.  Elvis was then thrown out at second, when he tried to take second on a pitch that skipped a little ways away from the catcher.  Adrian Beltre was at the plate at the time and had motioned for him to stay.  2-1 Yankees.

In the fourth, the Yankees stranded two runners.  Eric Nadel and Matt were looking at the radar and counting the outs until the game was official.  The imminent storm cell just missed the stadium as the guys seemed ready to call the game for weather.  In the fifth, Ranger starter, Drew Hutchinson came out with one on.  The runner scored, but it was a good effort today, much better than his start last Sunday (8-5-18).  3-1 Yankees.  

In the seventh, the TV coverage was showing dark clouds massing overhead.  This was the YES TV coverage.  They were doing game breaks showing the Red Sox game in progress.  It was the only other game being played at the time, but it looked like the Yankees were watching the Sox with stalker-like green envy.  Zach Britton came in for the Yankees and loaded the bases with two outs.  He walked Beltre to bring in a run.  Ruggie was moved up to third.  Odor faked a move to home and drew a balk out of Britton which brought him home as the tying run.  When are pitchers going to stop falling for that?

The rain finally arrived in the bottom.  It was heavy enough to send the fans scurrying for cover.  Ranger reliever, Chris Martin, actually lost his grip on the ball and dropped it on the mound.  He also dropped the ball in pitching and gave up a two-run homer to Miguel Andujar.  In fairness, the ball went out to right field and would have been an out in any other stadium (except ironically the Rangers’ Globe Life Park).  5-3 Yankees. 

In the eighth, the rain stopped temporarily.  Eric jipped Paul Olden making a PA player introduction and dedicated his limerick of the day to him.  Olden replaced the Yankees’ iconic PA, Bob Sheppard, whom I do a great impersonation of.  Pouring rain began again in the bottom.  Matt made a Biblical movie reference to the cloud cover. 

Aroldis Chapman came in to close in the ninth.  The rain could be classified as a deluge.  The guys in the booth could hear it hitting the mound from the field mics.  Chapman was having some understandable trouble gripping the ball and finding the strikezone, as he walked Isiah Kiner-Falefa.  New dry balls were being cycled into the game constantly.  At this point, the field was wrecked and the umps certainly didn’t want to call the game or suspend it now. 

Chapman got two outs as the rain faded a bit, but then Ruggie singled.  Beltre next took a 100mph fastball to his thigh.  He jumped around and whinced, but waved off the trainer as soon as he got to him.  Jurickson Profar came up with the bases loaded.  Even the rain held its breath as their battle went to a full count.  Finally, Chapman struck out Profar swinging on a strike to the outer black.  Yankees win 5-3.  “What a finish!” proclaimed Eric.  I have to admit, even with the result, that was a great game.  No doubt the weather added to the drama.  

The environment was nicer in Sacramento.  The California wildfires had died down a bit, I guess.  Tim Hagerty reported not smelling smoke for the game between the Chihuahuas and the Rivercats.  There were 10,000 in attendance.  Perhaps there were fireworks afterward.  Would that be a fire hazard? 

Brandon Belt, rehabbing from the Giants, was in the lineup for the Rivercats.  The crowd gave him a good cheer when he came up to bat.  Before the game, Tim mentioned that there had been four total runs in the last two games.  For the first three innings, it was looking like more of the same.  In the fourth, after a couple of deep shots to the outfield, Allen Craig finally willed one over the fence to make it 1-0 Chihuahuas.  In the bottom, the ‘Cats hit a couple of deep fly balls.  Forrestt Allday was kept busy in the outfield.  In the fifth, he made another great catch at the wall.

In the sixth, Belt came out of the game.  His replacement at first got booed.  Cold.  More Allday (and all night) as he doubled in the inning.  Raffy Lopez drove him in to make it 2-0 pups.  Chihuahuas’ starter, Logan Allen, in his Triple-A debut, was putting on a great performance.  It wasn’t until this inning that the Rivercats finally threatened.  They got two on with nobody out.  Logan got a strikeout, but then loaded the bases.  Then it was Allday again, who made a sliding catch on a shallow hit that saved a run.  Logan stayed in and faced Kelby Tomlinson.  It went to a full count, but Logan finished with another strikeout.

In the seventh, there was another fan hit by a ball.  I think it was a kid hit in the stomach.  Tim reported he had the wind knocked out of him.  More netting?  The Rivercats’ manager got himself ejected after taking out his pitcher after a pair of Chihuahuas got on.  He was complaining about check swing call that resulted in a walk and two on, instead of a strikeout and a caught stealing at second.  An intentional walk then loaded the bases, but a double play ended the inning without damage.     

Raffy had a rough eighth.  He made an error on a bunt base hit and the batter would come around to score later.  Another batter hit him on the head on his backswing, which resulted in concussion protocols by the trainer.  Rowan Wick came in and got a strikeout to end the inning, but it was now 2-1.  In the ninth, Shane Peterson tripled, but a strikeout and another double play kept the pups from getting any insurance runs.  Wick came back out in the bottom and didn’t need a bigger lead.  Allday appropriately squeezed the final out in the outfield for a 2-1 Chihuahuas’ win.  They also gained a game on the Bees, who lost tonight.  This was a good day of baseball.