Friday, March 26, 2004
Bret Boone singles in the bottom of the 13th with the bases loaded to win game 1 for VORP. VORP leave 18 men stranded before finally coming through.
In the second game Jerry's Kids quickly knocked Esteban Loaiza around for 10 hits and 6 runs in 4.2 innings to even the series at a game apiece.
In game 3, VORP struck first on a 2 run Barry Bonds blast. However the Kids once again took it to the VORP starting pitcher, knocking out Vazquez in 3 and 2/3rds innings reaching him for 7 hits, 4 walks and 3 runs. Vazquez can credit his defense turning 2 double plays from making his line much worse. The bullpen came to the rescue for VORP with 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball thrown by Mike Timlin and maligned Eddie Guardado. VORP came back from a 3-2 deficit with 2 runs in the 6th on a Trot Nixon bomb and single runs in the 7th and 8th courtesy of a Bond's triple followed by an Edmonds sac fly and a solo shot off the bat of Magglio Ordonez.
VORP send BH Kim to the mound next, opting to pass over starter Mark Mulder after a sub par season. Mulder is available to pitch in long relief should Jerry's Kids continue their tradition of sending Kings of VORP starters to the showers early.
In the second game Jerry's Kids quickly knocked Esteban Loaiza around for 10 hits and 6 runs in 4.2 innings to even the series at a game apiece.
In game 3, VORP struck first on a 2 run Barry Bonds blast. However the Kids once again took it to the VORP starting pitcher, knocking out Vazquez in 3 and 2/3rds innings reaching him for 7 hits, 4 walks and 3 runs. Vazquez can credit his defense turning 2 double plays from making his line much worse. The bullpen came to the rescue for VORP with 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball thrown by Mike Timlin and maligned Eddie Guardado. VORP came back from a 3-2 deficit with 2 runs in the 6th on a Trot Nixon bomb and single runs in the 7th and 8th courtesy of a Bond's triple followed by an Edmonds sac fly and a solo shot off the bat of Magglio Ordonez.
VORP send BH Kim to the mound next, opting to pass over starter Mark Mulder after a sub par season. Mulder is available to pitch in long relief should Jerry's Kids continue their tradition of sending Kings of VORP starters to the showers early.
Post season breathes new life into Bagwell!
After a thoroughly disappointing season in which he struggled to climb over .200 batting, being relegated to a versus left specialist, Jeff Bagwell came through when it counted yesterday. In the second game of the Sounders series against the Bashers, manager Willingham expressed his confidence in the slumping first baseman, by sending him to the plate as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 12th with a runner on and the game knotted at 4 runs apiece. Bags repaid that confidence by launching a 1-2 fastball off of loser Heredia into the left field bleachers for a 1-out 2-run walk-off homerun.
"It feels great" said Bagwell. "This is the sort of at bat that can make a whole disappointing season dissolve into a distant memory."
Of course it was only the second game of a 7-game series. The Sounders went on to get crushed in the third game of the series by a 14-6 count, and now lead the series two games to one.
After a thoroughly disappointing season in which he struggled to climb over .200 batting, being relegated to a versus left specialist, Jeff Bagwell came through when it counted yesterday. In the second game of the Sounders series against the Bashers, manager Willingham expressed his confidence in the slumping first baseman, by sending him to the plate as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 12th with a runner on and the game knotted at 4 runs apiece. Bags repaid that confidence by launching a 1-2 fastball off of loser Heredia into the left field bleachers for a 1-out 2-run walk-off homerun.
"It feels great" said Bagwell. "This is the sort of at bat that can make a whole disappointing season dissolve into a distant memory."
Of course it was only the second game of a 7-game series. The Sounders went on to get crushed in the third game of the series by a 14-6 count, and now lead the series two games to one.
What happens with pitching in the next series? Do us teams that got a bye in the first round benefit by having our opponents rotation out of order or do we just start the series with both teams #1 starter?
Monday, March 22, 2004
And quite a play-in game it was!
Pueblo Runyans defeating the favored Southend Kitties on the strength of a grand slam in the eighth inning of what had been a pitcher's duel between Greg Maddux and Jason Schmidt.
Maddux left after 6 with a one run lead which was held by Nelson in the 7th. After Schmidt kept the Kitties scoreless in the bottom half of the 7th, Parrish came in a little shaky allowing a walk and a single to the first two batters faced. First baseman Palmeiro then booted a routine grounder off Pudge's bat to allow the Runyans to load the bases with nobody out.
Parrish was kept in the game (after a visit to the mound by Manager Baxter, no doubt), and settled down to strike out the next two batters. But for the error the inning would now be over. In steps Vladimir Guerrero, and launches a 3-2 pitch into the stands for 4 unearned runs, and a 5-2 lead for the Runyans. The Runyans added 3 more runs in the ninth to make the game look far more lopsided than it really was.
Pueblo Runyans defeating the favored Southend Kitties on the strength of a grand slam in the eighth inning of what had been a pitcher's duel between Greg Maddux and Jason Schmidt.
Maddux left after 6 with a one run lead which was held by Nelson in the 7th. After Schmidt kept the Kitties scoreless in the bottom half of the 7th, Parrish came in a little shaky allowing a walk and a single to the first two batters faced. First baseman Palmeiro then booted a routine grounder off Pudge's bat to allow the Runyans to load the bases with nobody out.
Parrish was kept in the game (after a visit to the mound by Manager Baxter, no doubt), and settled down to strike out the next two batters. But for the error the inning would now be over. In steps Vladimir Guerrero, and launches a 3-2 pitch into the stands for 4 unearned runs, and a 5-2 lead for the Runyans. The Runyans added 3 more runs in the ninth to make the game look far more lopsided than it really was.
