Boring Guys Doing Things

Here are examples of two guys who did things in the Reds-Padres series that no one in their right mind really gives a rip about. (Not pictured: Brendan Ryan, Bronson Arroyo)

Reds at Padres (Late Season Action)

As baseball fans, we all know there are those series, late in the season, that have absolutely no impact on any other teams. These series are played because the rules state each team must complete a full season. This, friends, was one of those series.

Butler's pathetic Reds visted my sickly Padres, dubbed "Los Padres" for the evening in honor of Cinco de Mayo and as a tribute of solidarity to San Diego's embattled friends south of the border. This series featured guys you don't care about doing things. Here's the details...

Game 1: Scherzer @ Harang

Harang has been a bulldog for me since Butts sent him my way in the Pujols trade, but he started shaky last night, giving up a 2-run blast to Aramis Ramirez in the top of the first. He would settle in after that though, giving up no more runs before leaving after six. Los Padres managed to drive in five runs in the game, highlighted by a Brendan Ryan solo job. The San Diego bullpen continued to frusterate the Reds for the remainer of the game.

Keith wins, 5-2
WP - Harang
LP - Scherzer
S - Cordero

Game 2: W. Rodriguez @ Arroyo

Bad pitchers. Wandy looked worse, giving away a leadoff triple to McCutchen to start the bottom of the first before eventually falling behind on a Hunter Pence three-run masterpiece. Los Padres added two more, one in the third and one in the sixth, with Ibanez and Razor Ramon Hernandez driving in Pence and Ibanzez, who both reached base on doubles. The Reds fought back, getting solo jobs from A-Ram and Joey Votto, respectively, before Bellasario came out of the bullpen to turn out the lights in the ninth. Arroyo pitched a strong eight, giving up only the two runs.

Keith wins, 5-2
WP - Arroyo
LP - Rodriguez
S - Bellisario

Game 3: Zimmerman @ Gallardo

Prince Albert (remember him?) led off Game 3 with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first, came back in the 3rd to knock his buddy Andy McCutcheon in from 3rd (following his leadoff triple) and called it a day after collecting 6 RBI's when he drove in McCutcheon and Lopez in the 5th and Ludwick in the 8th. The Reds tried, scoring Victorino after a leadoff double in the 6th and getting 3 more runs following a Chris Dickerson bases-clearing triple in the 7th. Not enough though, as Betancourt and Co-Co closed out a game that appeared to be getting away from Gallardo.


Keith wins, 9-5
WP - Gallardo
LP - Zimmerman


Keith wins series, 3-0
Again, this thing was full of guys no one gives a rip about doing things. Butler is not tanking, I assure you, he's really that bad.

Ah Ah Ah Ah...stayin alive, stayin alive

Carlo and I hooked up last night for a fun little PTP Series. I won the closely fought series 2-1 and still have a glimmer of hope (I said glimmer) for the playoffs. True, Matt and Carlo would have to really fall apart down the stretch, but hey, stranger things have happened.

The potentially playoff-bound Carlo also lost his lead off hitter, Chris Coghlan, for 15 games (the remainder of the regular season). I am absolutely fed up with Chipper Jones...I benched him and won the last two games. He will not play the rest of the year, bahleed dat.

GAME ONE:
After starter Matt Cain pitched an excellent seven innings, Nick's quick-to-the-pen approach coast him another win. Casey McGehee and Andre Ethier each hit solo homers off Angel Guzman and his (2.95 ERA and 1.03 WHIP). In his first at bat, the lauded Colby Rasmus launched a homer for Nick. The youngster added another RBI later in the game on a base shot.
Carlo 4, Nick 3
WP - LeBlanc L - Guzman SV - Fogg

GAME TWO:
Hanley Ramirez went 3 for 3 and hit two homers to help Nick secure a 4-3 win. The Reverend Randy Wells went seven strong innings, striking out 8 batters, while securing the win. In the loss, Carlos Gonzalez and Casey McGehee (again) hit solo homers.
Nick 4, Carlo 3
WP - Wells L - Dan Haren SV - Broxton

GAME THREE:
Nick's statistically superior yet under-performing offense finally got loud in game three. Ryan Howard hit a two run shot, while Craig Counsell and Han-Ram each added two RBI and three hits apiece. John Maine went 8 strong, earning the win while giving up just four hits. After Coghlan went down with an injury, backup Josh Willingham bopped a dinger to score the lone run of the game for Carlo. In one of the weirder stat lines, losing pitcher Josh Johnson gave up eight runs in four innings yet he managed to strike out 8 batters.
Nick 8, Carlo 1
WP - Maine LP - Josh Johnson

That's all...

Let's keep this season rolling. I am only three games (vs Matt) from done...

Colby Rasmus: Ice Cold Killa

With his season in the balance, Nick signs top-tier prospect Colby Rasmus for the remainder of the year. The injury to the struggling Nate McLouth opens a spot for cocky Colby to produce immediately. To make the playoffs, Nick must go 6-0 in his final six games. Nick is the winner of the NL Championship just a year ago, has appeared in two world series and has never missed the playoffs, so this development is shocking the entire league to its core.

Stay tuned!

Evan Turner doesn't have anything on PTP

Carlo and I hooked up for a Saturday morning tilt on the Southeast side of Janesville. A playoff atmosphere was apparent, with all games very tightly contested:

Carlo at Fish

Game 1: J. Johnson vs. C. Carpenter
Chris Coghlan continues frustrate the Astros as he had in the previous series. He leads the game off with a lead of single and scores in the 1st with a Brian McCann sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the second, Derrick Lee hit the longest home run (solo) in Minute Maid Field, a 500 ft (and then plus 10 with carry) home run over the hill in center field, landing on the train tracks. However, Carlo would keep chipping away with runs in the first five innings to drive Chris Carpenter from the game. He put the game away with a three run home run in the top of the eight from Casey McGehee.
Final Score: Carlo 8 – Fish 4
Winning Pitcher: J. Johnson
Losing Pitcher: C. Carpenter
Home Runs: Lee, Furcal, Hawpe, McGehee

Game 2: U. Jiminez vs T. Hansen
The Astros came out with bats in hand, scoring 4 in the bottom of the 1st with contributed by a base hit from Bourn, walks from Castillo, Lee, and a three run double from Brad Hawpe. Tommy Gun Hansen was pitching a gem until the 5th inning, when his arm started to fall off – he gave up 4 runs in the frame, including a three run blast by Brian McCann. Furcal scored in the bottom of the 5th after reaching base on a Prado error, which proved costly. Carlo would score again in the top of the 7th, however Trevor Hoffman would be able to close out the one run game in the ninth.

Final Score: Fish 5 – Carlo 4
Winning Pitcher: U. Jiminez
Losing Pitcher: T. Hansen
Save: T. Hoffman
Home Runs: McCann

Game 3: R. Nolasco vs. R. Oswalt
The game started out well for the Astros in the first inning with a leadoff double from Michael Bourn and was drove in on a Derrick Lee triple. Roy Oswalt was cruising into the 4th inning, when Carlo’s team opened up the flood gates – 6 hits and five runs, with nearly everyone in the order getting a hit and/or scoring a run. Carlo added another run from the Beretta Ianetta, solo run job in the top of the 6th. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, after Nolasco gave up back to back singles with no one out, Dan Meyer entered the ball game to face a pinch hitting Cody Ross, who went yard for a three run shot. Another run was added in the frame to tie the game going into the 9th. Carlo was able to score a run in the top of the 9th off of Hoffman, when McCann walked and was driven home by Coghlan. However, in the bottom of the 9th, after lead off hits by Bourn and Castillo (who advanced on a fielder’s choice), Cody Ross hit a ground ball to Theriot who booted it to allow both runners to score.

Final Score: Fish 8 – Carlo 7
Winning Pitcher: T. Hoffman
Losing Pitcher: D. Meyer
Home Runs: Beretta Ianetta, Ross

That's Some Hot Shit

After starting the season slow, Andy McCutcheon is now one of the hottest players in the league. That, and I've been biding my time to post his pic since this blog started...

Fish at Keith: Molinas Collide!

Greetings boys. We had a doozy up in Madison this evening - here's the details for you hard-core mugs still following along:

Game 1: Oswalt vs. Gallardo
Well-pitched ballgame...for awhile. Ryan Braun's two-run job in the 3rd put Fish up 2-0 until the bottom of the 5th, when Andy McCutchen came in following a leadoff triple to make the score 2-1. Things got real bad after that, as Fish drove in 7 runs in the final four innings to drub Keith 9-1. Mid-season pickup Willie Harris led the way for Fish, surprisingly, with 3 RBI's.


Fish wins 9-1
WP - Oswalt
LP - Gallardo

Game 2: Kuroda vs. Cueto
Here's a couple of pitchers who won't be getting a call from the Hall of Fame anytime soon. Fish jumped out to a 3-1 lead after 3, scoring a run in each inning - highlighted by a Benji Molina solo jack to lead off the 2nd. My squad warmed up from there, however, knocking in 3 runs each in the 4th and the 5th led by Ryan Zimmerman (HR in the 4th, 1B in the 5th) and the red-hot Andy McCutcheon (3B in the 4th, HR in 5th). Kuroda fell apart, Ryan Madsen came in and was promptly shelled.

Keith wins 8-5
WP - Cueto
LP - Kuroda

Game 3: Hammel vs. Santana

I know we hate lefties, but you had to like Santana going into this one. He pitched well, but things got weird before it was all said and done. Keith took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd on a Zimmerman double, a Hunter "is he wearing any under-" Pence triple and a Yadie Molina RBI. A Pujols "don't forget about me" solo job in the bottom of the 6th gave Keith a 3-0 lead before Fish raised hell in the top of the 7th, driving in 4 runs to take the lead by one. Keith came back with three more runs - both teams playing station-to-station NL baseball at this point - sending it to the top of the 8th 6-4.

Things got nuts in the 8th, with Fish bringing in 2 runs in the midst of a punches-thrown, bench-clearing brawl ignited by Yadie Molina and Brad Hawpe (both ejected). The two runs was enough to tie the game, however, and fans got themselves a little free baseball after neither team was able to score in the remainder of the 8th and throughout the 9th.

Rubber bands, glue and mirrors allowed this game to go 15 innings, despite Fish leaving Furcal on 3rd in the 11th, Hammel (yeah, his 6th pitcher) on 3rd in the 13th, and Keith having Pence gunned down at the plate and leaving Ibanez on 3rd in the 13th. The game finally ended, 7-6, with Brendan Ryan driving in Ibanez in the bottom of the 15th.

Keith wins 7-6
WP - Moylan
LP - Thatcher

Keith wins series 2-1

SWEEEEEP! Takin' a broom in the Pujols - Torto vs. Keith series update

No - this series didn't take place in Johnson's Creek, despite the title of this post.  Nope, the venue was Morry's Bar in Beaver Dam. And it was the dreaded third time I would have to face the monstrous bat of Albert Pujols, thanks to the blockbuster trade at Lake Lawn.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't irritated that I would have to see the best active player in baseball again this season. I had kept him in check vs. Butler, but for a third series?  Didn't like my chances.  Nothing I could do about it though, so roll the dice we did. 

Game 1:  J.Santana at J.Vasquez

Team Torto jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, on a Jason Werth 2-out double, scoring the speedy Juan Pierre.  Keith stopped the inning from getting worse by gunning down Werth at the plate while he tried to score on a Carlos Lee single. 2 more runs on a Jayson Werth 2-run shot in the 3rd extended the lead to 3-0.  Keith tied it up in the top of the 4th on a 2-RBI Raul Ibanez double, and an RBI ground out from Ramon Hernadez.  I counter punched with a 2-run bottom of the 4th, on Juan Pierre and Toddfather Helton RBI-singles.  That ended up being all that was needed to secure the win, but an insurance run was tacked on in the 7th to help.  Javy Vasquez cruised from the 4th on, retiring 16 of the next 17 batters, and getting the complete game.

Torto wins 6-3

WP - J.Vasquez;  LP - J.Santana

HRs - J.Werth (11)

Player of the Game - J.Vasquez 9 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 14K, 3 ER, CG

Game 2:  A.Harang at C.Billingsley

A pitchers duel this time around, with both Harang and C-Bill going 8 frames deep.  I got on the board first scoring the ole Skippy Schu on a 2-out RBI single from the KF Panda.  Keith tied it up in the 3rd on a Andrew McCutchen solo shot.  I took the lead back on a solo dinger from a 'D-power' deep drive from Pedro Feliz (courtesy of the plus-40' carry at Coors Field).  Top of the 7th, Keith tied it again on a Harang sac bunt RBI.  Bottom of the 9th drama here folks - The Toddfather led off the inning with a single, and Sandoval singled Helton over to 2nd.  Werth grounded out (killing them) softly, but moved the runners over.  Angel Pagan dragged a bunt, but Keith was ready and and got the lead out, gunning down Helton at the plate.  With 2-outs and men on the corners, The Righteous Randy Winn stepped up and slapped a game-winning single to walk the game off.

Torto wins 3-2

WP - G.Mota; LP - J.Bellisario

HRs - A.McCutchen, P.Feliz (2) 

Player of the Game - Randy Winn 1-3 with GW RBI single

Game 3: B.Arroyo at R.Dempster

Runs all over the place in this one. Dempster finally came off the DL, and it was clear it was rushed.  Keith jumped out big, getting 9 runs in the first 6 innings, in part from a 2-run HR from Yadier Molina, and several RBI-singles from Brendan Ryan and Hunter Pence.  I got a couple back in the 3rd on a Toddfather RBI groundout double play, followed by Panda solo HR.  Werth cut the lead to 9-3 in the bottom of the 6th on a RBI-double, but things seemed grim after the 7th inning stretch. But then Arroyo got into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the seventh giving up 4 runs. Koko Kordero came in to deal with the remaining base runners and got Keith out of the 7th, with a 9-7 lead. After that, Koko had little interest in getting batters out.  In the 8th, he gave up 4 consecutive singles, then walked the next batter. That was it for Koko, but the damage was done, and the lead was yielded,  10-9 Torto.  Huston Street made it interesting in the top of the ninth, yielding 2 singles after retiring Pujols and Zimmerman, before striking out Ibanez to close out the win.

Torto wins 10-9

WP - G.Mota; LP - F.Cordero; S - H.Street

HRs - P.Sandoval (11), Y.Molina

Player of the Game - P.Sandoval 2-3 w/ HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Torto take series 3-0

Series MVP - Jason Werth 5-12 w/ HR, 2 2Bs, 6 RBI 

Overall a very tightly contested series, but with Keith just seeming to come up short in the close games.  Pujols got his hits, but was kept in check due to his teammates not setting the table for him. 

Nick's team: good at stats, bad at baseball

Hey, yall...

So, I have actually been accumulating my stats. I still need one series from Torto (who is sending me my stats) and two from Butler (who never sends me my stats), so I am missing five games. Regardless, I have a few notables for the leaders...

• Ryan Howard has ten homers (and I think at least two more in the missing series)

• Howard has 31 RBIS.

• Most surprising is Howard's .356 batting average.

• Nyjer Morgan was batting .347 before his injury.

• Hanley Ramirez has five steals (good for first place)...Nyjer Morgan had three...and I don't even like stealing bases...

All gag-reflex team:

• Chipper Jones just has just not worked out on my team. His batting average is .218 and he's had at least ten errors on the year.

• The other dead-spot in my lineup this year has been Nate McLouth. I'm kinda glad he is injured for the year. He is batting a paltry .152 on the season. Yuck...I have had terrible luck with Braves.

Wednesday Action

More details are to come but last night at Casa de Rockwell

Carlo beat Spencer 2-1

- spencer lost Matt Holliday the rest of the regular season (6 more games)

Keither beat Nick 2-1

-nick has officially "thrown in the towel"

-  Keither now 7-2 since the trade for Pujols