More good pitching for Team Torto - Matt @ Torto Series Update

This gameball was very tired of being launched out of a howitzer in Game 1
-image by S.Pearlstein/Roar of the Tigers

Nick and I met again after work this week on Wednesday evening, but this time my squad was tangling with Matt's band of bombers and lefty tossers. Nick was, of course at the helm for Matt, deftly handling his roster for him.  Not deftly enough though, as my bats were alive and my pitching solid.

Game 1: S.Kazmir vs. J.Verlander
Verlander, while not untouchable this game, pitched exactly the kind of game I see on FSN-Detroit about 6-7 times a season.  He gives up a few dingers, but otherwise dominates his opponents.  Matt jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-out Gordon Beckham HR, that should have been jammed to a deep drive, but I realized it a batsman too late.  Too bad for me - and down 2 in the 2nd.  My boys got it back though, on a 2-out, RBI doubles from Robbie Cano and Orlando Cabrera.  Matt snagged the lead back in the 3rd, on a Carlos Pena solo jack.  But the floodgates opened in the bottom of the 5th, when Kazmir loaded up the bases and then walked in 2 runs, before Cabrera struck again with a base clearing 2-RBI double.  That would be the lead Verlander would need to win the game, and in typical fashion - he got stronger as the game went on, striking out 8 in the final 3 innings (he finished with 16K), and probably throwing around 140 pitches to do it.  I felt like Old Man Leyland leaving him out there like that, but reality imitates PTP.
Torto wins 7-4
WP-J.Verlander (CG)
LP - S.Kazmir
HR - G.Beckham, Carlos Pena
**INJURY UPDATE** Matt's Brett Gardner is out for 6 games, hurt crashing into the wall chasing a Maggs 3B off the wall.

Game 2: A.Pettite @ I.Snell
Ian Snell got the call for his 2nd start of the season, filling in for Broken Bedard.  And much like his first start, he filled in admirably.  A cocky Jason Bartlett scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the 1st, by slapping a single, getting advanced by Cano, nabbing 3rd from a sleepy-eyed Pettite (who would later in the game pick off the cocky Bartlett at 1st), and coming home on a 2-out Raburn single.  Good baseball.  Nick rolled Matt back to the tie on a Billy Butler solo shot, and took the lead in the 3rd on a Jason Bay RBI-double.  Pettite was got to in the 4th though, when he gave up a solo HR to Raburn, and double to Beltre, and singles from Laird, Cano, and Maggs. 4 crossed the plate, and 5-2 was the score.  Things quieted down from there, with Snell getting to the 6th, and Lyon pitching the 7th and 8th.  Matt mustered one more run when J-Bay tripled and was scored on a Carlos Pena groundout.  Justin Morneau nullified that run though, but hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the 8th.  David Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrdsma closed it out.
Torto wins 6-3
WP- I.Snell
LP - A.Pettite
S - D.Aardsma
HR - B.Butler, R.Raburn, J.Morneau

Game 3: J.Lester @ B.Bergesen
Brittle Brad tossed another excellent start, giving up only 2-runs in 8 innings (on a Beckham 2-run HR).  Lester was molested by my lefty killers though, 'not having his good stuff' and getting roughed up for 5 runs in the 1st, including a 2-run shot to Ryan Sweeny (ouch- you just can't do that, especially on a lefty v. lefty matchup).  That pretty much made it the game, although I tacked on 3 more in the mid-innings.  Matt was plagued by 3 tough errors in this one that extended innings and scored runs.  Lefty Matt Thorton came in for the meaningless 9th.
Torto wins 8-2
WP - B.Bergesen
LP - J.Lester
HR - G.Beckham, R.Sweeny

One interesting tidbit from the series was that on three of the deep drives, Nick and I rolled 'double zeros' on the distance roll (me twice, Nick once).  That drew some laughs and disgusted sighs.

So that marks back-to-back sweeps of the Super Ewoldt Brothers for me, and a vault of my team into relevance.  A good showing in the APD this Sunday, and the playoffs seem very possible - something I definitely didn't think could happen after the first 12 games.