THE METS ARE NOT DEAD. Winners of four straight...

(After finally getting away from the negative influences of Jose Reyes (above),
David Wright above has found it much easier to "breath" on the new look Mets.)

GAME ONE:
Nick's new-look lineup didn't take long to gel, as the Mets hit three homers and scored 10 runs. Prince Fielder, Omar Infante (overall, 3x5 on the day) and baseball jaw David Wright each went yard. Andre Ethier added three RBI on three hits. Roy Oswalt, coming into the game winless, finally got a win. Oswalt tossed a complete-game, 2 run, six-hitter. Always a gamer, Troy Tulowitski hit two solo homers and went 3x4 in the loss.
NICK 10, CARLO 2

GAME TWO:
Game two was nip-tuck until the bottom of the eighth, when David Wright handsomely launched a 400 foot grand slam off the hapless Edward Mujica. The Heisman added a base-clearing double off Carlo's bewildered reliever. Kyle McClellen fell into his first win of the year. Andre Ethier, suddenly red-hot, smashed a two-run homer. Carlo's bullpen collapse, ruined an otherwise strong outing for Ryan Dempster, who tossed 6 strong innings. Tulo launched another HR, his third of the series, in the loss. Aubrey Huff added two rbis
NICK 9, CARLO 5

GAME THREE:
The quintessential teammate and citizen, Vicente Padilla, hurled 6 strong innings, striking out 8 enroute to his second win of the year. More importantly, the team-first Padilla secured a sweep for the once-struggling Mets. Strassy Mollasey earned a hold, laser-beaming two scoreless innings, before turning things over to Luke Gregerson (who notched his fourth save of the young season). Andre Ethier added another HR in the win, while Omar Infante had another multi-hit game. Carlo's lone run came on a Fukudome double that scored Adrew "Mc-clutch-en."
NICK 5, CARLO 1

NICK SWEEPS SERIES, 3-0!

My team's new lineup really got everyone in the offense kick-started. Omar Infante scored 6 runs and was 8 for 14. Andre Ethier hit 2 HRS and drove in 8 RBI, while "The Heisman" Chris Heisey went 6 of 12 in the series.

Marlins get back on track by sweeping up Dodger Stadium

Billy celebrates the 3-game sweep with a sexy rendezvous in the basement storage area of Dodger Stadium

Eager to get back on track after losing 4 of their last 6 to Fish and Mario, my Marlins busted out of their batting slump in a big way.  After hitting just 2 HRs in the last 6 games, I had a feeling my boys were due.  And were they ever, much to Goldy's dismay.

Game 1: J.Cueto @ L.Hernandez
Weird start to game one, as Utley was tossed from the game after arguing a called 3rd strike in the top of the first.  After that, things got ugly early, as Livan 'didn't have his good stuff, giving up 3 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd, 4 in the 4th, and 6 in the 5th. **record alert - most ERs given up in a game, 14 in 5 IP**  Not much else to say other than my guys were hitting the ball all over the place, and out of Dodger Stadium.  Ben picked up 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th on a 3-run Jayson Werth HR, but by then it was already 15-3.  Cueto went the distance, despite being tired the last entire inning.  The Marlins bashed 5 HRs in this one (two off the fat deep drive zone of one Ted Lily) - Heyward, Zimmerman, A-Gone, Stanton, and Cueto. Yup Cueto, add another pitcher to our HR archives.  He hit a deep drive down the left field line (with F-power), and had just enough distance to get the rare 'robbed' option to come up.  The left fielder couldn't pull back in, and Cueto circled the bases.
Torto wins 16-3
**pitcher Johnny Cueto hits HR down LF line with 'F' power**

Game 2: J.Garland @ J.Sanchez
The bats settled down a bit for this game, but the Marlins got out to an early lead and never looked back.  A-Gone hit a 2-run jack in the top of the first, but the Dodgers cut that lead in half on a Dick Weeks triple and Jayson Werth RBI-single.  Zimmerman hit a solo shot in the 4th to bring the score to 3-1.  Then in the 6th, with Utley on 2nd and 2-outs, the skipper decided to put A-Gone on the empty base, and take his chances with Big Mike Stanton.  Stanton made him pay with a 3-run blast, boosting the lead to 6-1.  The Dodgers grabbed 2 runs back in the 8th, but it was too little too late, as Mike Adams slammed the door in the 9th.
Torto wins 6-3

Game 3: C.Billingsley @ M.Pelfrey
Another weird start to this one, as Werth got plunked by Billingsley in the bottom of the first and got into it with John Thole.  Benches cleared and both Werth and Thole got ejected.  The Dodgers then jumped on C-Bill, grabbing a 4-0 lead off a solo shot in the 3rd by Dick Weeks, and a base-clearling double in the 3rd by young Chris Young. This would chase Billingsley from the game.  The Marlins cut the lead in half on a junk RBI slow roller in front of the catcher that out 'ranged' him, followed by a sac fly by Jason Heyward.  The top of the 8th rolled around, and Nick Masset walked Ryan Zimmerman.  A-Gone proceeded to lift a deep drive out of the stadium to tie the game 4-4.  Not to be outdone, Mike Stanton proceeded to bash the ball into the seats as well (no deep drive needed for that one).  Lead 5-4, Torto.  Ben was now thoroughly disgusted with my ridiculous rolls all game (rightly so).  The Dodgers made some noise in the 8th after lefty specialist Madison Bumgarner handled the first two lefty bats in front of him, only to give up a single to Melvin Mora.  Nearly leaving Bumgarner in to face lefty basher, Gaby Sanchez, Torto ran out to the mound and handed the ball to Sergio Romo, who proceeded to get Sanchez to ground out, and then sat the 1-2-3 hitters down in the 9th.
Torto wins 5-4
Torto wins series 3-0 

This was one of those series, where it seemed like every other roll I made came up with a red-1.  Tough one for Goldy to sit through, but he soldiered on. 

**Fun with Stats - the Marlin Midpoint**
-Jayson Heyward has walked 26 times already this season, only 10 shy of the all-time record of 36, set by Fish's Barry Bonds.  He also has a 0.455 OBP, while only batting 0.267

-Mike Stanton is batting only 0.211 in 71 AB, but has belted 8 HRs, including 3 time in back-to-back sequences with A-Gone.

-Chase Utley has been picked off 4 times this season, and stole only 1 base

-As a team, only 5 errors committed

Mario treats Torto to drinks at the Iron Horse... ...and a pair of losses.

Swanky atmosphere, antique motorcyles, and Crown and Coke were a winning combo for Mar

Last weekend, Mar and I met up for dinner, drinks, and PTP.  The evening started out well enough for me, with a great dinner at Pitch's.  We then proceeded over to the Iron Horse Hotel bar to grab some cocktails and roll some dice.  We were surprisingly undisturbed, despite the hoppin' crowd.  And with my 1-2-3 going in a home series, I liked my chances to come out winning 2 of 3.  But that's why we play the games...

Game 1: J.Santana @ C.Billingsley
A pitchers' duel in this one, both Johan and C-Bill were dealling in this one.  My guy gave up only 3 over 9, and ordinarily that would be easy enough for my battery of sluggers to overcome, but it was not to be.  Mario got RBI hits from Carlos Ruiz, Justin Upton, and Martin Prado, while I could only muster a pair of runs. 
Mario wins 3-2

Game 2: C.Zambrano @ R.A.Dickey
Negative from the get go about starting Big Z, Mario's negativity got to the big guy, and he gave up 5 runs in the second, the majority of which came on a bases loaded 2-out triple from Dexter Fowler.  Torto added runs in the 5th and 7th, but Mario patiently chipped away, scoring 4 by the 8th (including a Casey McGehee HR), and making the score 7-4.  Dickey didn't have his sharpest outing, but didn't need it to get his 4th win. Things got a little dicey in the ninth, but Sergio Romo finally settled in for his 6th save.
Torto wins 7-4

Game 3: J.Chacin @ W.Rodriguez
Another pitchers' duel in game 3.  Wandy pitched a gem into the bottom ninth, with the only run given up a solo shot to Casey McGehee.  Torto climbed out of the 1-0 deficit in the 7th, on a Chase Utley 2-RBI single.  With a 2-1 lead, going into the ninth, the game was mine to lose.  Wandy got himself officially 'tired' on a lead off walk, so in came Romo again to save the day.  Not this time.  Mario ripped off 4 straight hits, then another walk, to plate 5 runs, making it 6-2.  Torto picked up a meaningless run in the bottom of the ninth, but still lost the series on the Romo blown save.
Mario wins 6-3
Mario wins series 2-1

Tough to lose the series that way, but Mar earned it.  He kept my big bats at bay, and my clutchy-ness came up empty.  Mar's team might not have the bats to score big most games, but his pitching (Zambrano excluded of course) is solid enough to surprise some.

APD Set - Tort Fort confirmed March 11/12

Paws and Torto say "Come to this APD, it'll be Grrrrrrreat!

Its official - the Tort Fort is open for use the weekend of March 11th.

Let's plan on a Friday afternoon/evening arrival, as many games as we can cram in that night, then broomball Saturday AM (ice permitting), and afternoon games as folks see fit.  I'll leave it to the commish to develop our schedule.

Of course, Big Ten Tourney games will be mixed in throughout.

Gaming Alert!!

Hey friends:

Just a general heads-up that I intend to head over to Mario's Sunday morning to roll some dice. Anybody interested, give one of us a holla ASAP so we can get the morning scheduled...

Dodgers vs. Mets - The Black Bean and Garlic Tostito Series

East Troy was the location as the Ben Goldsworthy led Dodgers took on the Nick Ewoldt led Mets in a battle of two dudes rolling 10-sided die and looking at cards and charts to see what happens. Nick was the gracious host for this series and provided a bowl of Black Bean and Garlic Tostitos which could be call "the shit". Those things were good and should be the staple of any PTP matches in the future. Cans of Supper Club beer were also appreciated. In other news, Nick started 3 righty starters, meaning the Dodgers have now faced 12 righty starters in 12 games. On to the games where the Dodgers were the home team:

Game 1 - Padilla @ Pelfrey - A tight game that featured a solid pitching duel. Ben grabbed an early lead with a Hunter Pence Underpants home run in the bottom of the 4th but Nick immediately answered with an Omar Infante solo shot in the 5th to tie the game. A big moment occurred in the bottom of the 5th. Stevie Drew led off and reached base on an out of place Logan Morrison error. Chase Headley followed that up with a roll that had a red 1 a blue 2 and the white was leaning against the side but was almost completely on the 8. Not really paying much attention, Ben tapped the box the wrong way and the 8 became a 4 and opposed to a two run bomb, Chase hit a single and Nick got out of the inning without giving up a run. Going into the bottom of the 9th, the game was tied at 2. Brian McCann reached on a walk and Drew followed that up with an Outfield Range. The ball got over Eithier's head in right and the fleet footed McCann came around to score the winning run. Ben wins 3-2.

Game 2 - Kennedy (possibly Jewish?) @ Hudson - Another good pitchers battle. Dick Weeks continued his torrid hitting with a 3-4 performance including a solo shot to get the scoring started in the 1st. Votto also hit a solo shot in the 8th to give Ben a 4-0 lead going into the 9th. Tim Hudson was rolling with the shutout, but gave up a lead off single followed by a 2-run shot from Prince. Hudson recorded an out but then gave up a single and was lifted for K-Rod. Nick brought the lead run to the plate but K-Rod struck out Soriano to get the save. In the Dodgers 6th win of the year Hudson picked up the first win by a starting pitcher. Ben wins 4-2.

Game 2 - Bailey @ Hamels - Nick jumped out to an early lead against Hamels and Ben was never able to mount a serious threat against 4 Met pitchers. David Wright hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd to get the scoring started. The highlight of this game was Strasburg pitching 3 strong innings including 5 straight strike outs. Nick wins 4-1.

APD Alert??

Boys:

Any interest in getting an APD on the calender in the next few weeks? At the risk of being too bold, I'll start the chatter by throwing out a few possbilities that work for me...let's see if we can get some momentum. Maybe we can secure the Tort Fort or the Mario Mancave??

Sunday, Feb 27
Saturday, March 12
Sunday, March 13

If there's no love for an APD, consider my dice ready to roll on these dates if anyone wants to play....

Let's Play Two.....

Hey dudes. Carlo and I got together Sunday and ripped off six games while our Mrs. Got massages (likely by dudes who look like Dan Uggla). Here’s the short and skinny…

Game 1: Kershaw @ Kuroda

We started the day off with a wild and crazy game. Carlo built himself a commanding 6-1 lead in the top of the 8th based largely on the strength of Tulo and Kelly Johnson. Things unraveled for him in the bottom of the 8th, however, thanks to a 3 run inning coming off 4 doubles (Carlo has some holes in the outfield ya’ll). I set the noose firmly around my neck Brooks Hadley-style when McCutcheon showed some rare power, leading the top of the 9th off with a homerun for Carlo and extending his lead to 7-4. I managed to rally in the bottom of the 9th though, thanks to a leadoff double by Garrett Jones, homerun by Han-Ram, and a two-out double by Holliday, and triple (on a bizarre, no less) by Drew Stubbs. The game went to the bottom of the 11th before Hanley knocked his second homerun in a row to send the fans home happy.

On a side note, Carlo’s catcher Ramon Hernandez was hit by a pitch in the 8th and injured for 15 games, leaving him with some problems behind the plate for a few series.

Keith wins 8-7 (11)

Game 2: Arroyo @ Sanchez

Keith took a 3-1 lead into the top of the 7th before Carlo blew the hell up, highlighted by 3 RBI’s by Neil “Sky” Walker and two by the veteran Kelly Johnson.

Carlo wins 9-3

Game 3: Dempster @ Westbrook

Tulo led off the game with a HR before Keith rallied back in the 5th on a 2-run single by Holliday and a 3-run bomb-ski by Adam Dunn-ski. Car grabbed two of those runs back the following inning on a Tulo’s 2nd HR of the game, leaving Keith nursing a 5-3 lead going into the 9th. Poor bullpen management (and one too many Hinterland Luna Stouts) delayed Brian Wilson’s entry into the game, and Carlo resiliently clawed back with a 3-run 9th to shock the San Diego faithful and steal a 6-5 win.

Carlo wins 6-5

Carlo Wins Series 2-1

Game 1: Halladay @ Nolasco

Neither pitcher would last long in this one. Han-Ram and Corey Hart homered in the top of the 1st for Keith, and Halladay was chased after 4 in a game that saw 3 homeruns, 2 triples and 6 doubles. When the dust cleared, Corey Hart had collected 5 RBI’s and the Big Donkey had 4.

Keith wins 13-8

Game 2: Jimenez @ Lincecum
Now here was a pitching matchup. Ubaldo helped his own cause by sacrificing Yadier in the top of the 2nd, and a Big Panda HR matched a Johnson RBI single following a Tulo leadoff triple and a Neil Walker RBI. Freddy “Mole Face” Sanchez knocked in the game-winning RBI in the top of the 9th and Jimenez pitched the complete game.

Keith wins 3-2

Game 3: Kuroda @ Kershaw

Keith smelled a sweep heading into Game 3 of the second series, but the big lefty was having none of it. Car’s southpaw pitched a complete game shutout, getting plenty of offensive support as Carlo ended the day with a no-doubter and a series salvaging butt-whoopin.

Carlo wins 7-0

Keith Wins Series 2-1

Dan Uggla – The Most Timely Hitter in all of PTP - Bad Taste in T-Shirts

Torto at Fish

Game 1
W. Rodriguez at M Latos

Fish jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Carlos Beltran hit a single with the base loaded, scoring Dan Uggla, however Al Pujols was nailed at the plate for the 3rd out (put out by Jason Heyword). From there the bats would be held quiet until the bottom of the 8th when Nyger Morgan singled, Chipper Jones walked, and Colby Rasmus scored Morgan on a base hit; Hanigan then loaded the bases with a walk, and Danny Uggla blew open the doors with a base hit scoring two runs. Sean Marshall surrendered a two run home run to Zimmerman in the top of the 9th, and Billy Wagner came on for a one out save. Fish wins 4-2.
Winning Pitcher – Latos
Losing Pitcher – Rodriguez
Save – Wagner
HR’s – Zimmerman

Game 2
J Cueto at T Wood

Torto scored in the top of the 1st when a fielder’s choice got Fowler on base, then was scored by a Ryan Zimmerman double. In the bottom of the 3rd, Travis Wood had a leadoff double and was scored by Ryan Hanigan to tie the game. In the top of the 5th, four straight batters would get on base: Cueto (FC), Utley (double), Fowler (single and an RBI) and Zimmerman (single and an RBI). The lead was cut to 3-2 in the bottom of the 5th when Hanigan doubled and was scored on a base hit by Uggla. The bottom of the 6th was Torto’s undoing; with the left hander Baumgardner in the ball game, he proceeded to give up back to back doubles (Edmonds and Reyes), and was pulled before retiring a batter. Nyjer Morgan would squeeze in Reyes to take the lead. Marmol would come on to close out the game for a save. Fish wins 4-3.
Winning Pitcher – Franklin
Losing Pitcher – Baumgardner
Save – Marmol


Game 3
J Garland at C Silva

Pitching would again be at a premium in this game. With the usual early exit by Silva in the second (he had to go eat lard and Keith’s coleslaw in the clubhouse) the game was turned over to Peralta. Mike Stanton would make Peralta pay in the top of the 4th, with a two run home run. On the next batter, Peralta’s arm stiffened up on him and was put on the shelf for 10 games. Dan Uggla would come back in the bottom of the frame to hit a solo home run. He would hit another solo home run in the bottom of the 6th to tie the score. The score would remain tied until the top of the 9th when Thole walked and Castillo tripled off of Billy Wagner to take the lead. Bliele came on for the save in the 9th. Torto wins 3-2.

Winning Pitcher – Romo
Losing Pitcher – Wagner
Save – Bliele
HR’s – Stanton, Uggla (2)
Injuries – Peralta 10 games

Dan Uggla Stole Paynter's Shirt!

Looking for a reliever not named Frazor