Champions League

Kazmir’s got the Bedard syndrome this year. These two once-proud lefties have been pummeled to a pulp during this strange season. The Hogs are the latest to give the man a beating. They pounded him for 11 hits and 4 runs in 6.2 innings, with Byrnes and Polanco collecting 3 hits apiece. Not even 5 outs on the basepaths for the Hogs could keep us down in this one. Starter Gabbard pitched 4.1 innings of 2-hit ball, and then Delcarmen pitched another 4.1 innings of 2-hit ball in relief for the Hogs.

In game 2, the Hogs continued to run themselves out of opportunities on the basepaths. ANOTHER FIVE outs on the basepaths thwarted rally after rally. But fortunately starter Burnett was throwing BB’s for me out there. He pitched a 4-hit, shutout, 6.1 innings. Mauer and Polanco each had RBI hits for me. Hairy pinch hitter Ethier struck out to end the game as the tying run was on. Hogs sweep, despite getting caught stealing 8 times in the 2-game series. An inglorious record for that category?

SrSly.  Have a look.  Wild Card is looking interesting to Jerry with 8 human games in front of him.

It was a split, and it was awesome.

First game I won, uneventful.  Bullpen rocked, got hits when I needed them.

Second game I got rocked with like 7 straight hits to start the game and was down 5-3 in the 9th.  Kendrick doubled with 2 men on and 2 out to tie it all up.  Extra innings baby!

Then Greg Zaun HR’d to win in the bottom of the 14th and all 1,435 fans went crazy.

Game 1- We both only get 6 hits, but they get 2 runs and I get 0. It’s the 9th time in 32 games that I’ve scored 1 or less in a game (28% of the time). Oddly, they pulled Vazquez after he pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, having only allowed 3 hits. Guerrier, Hoffman, Zumaya, and K-Rod go the next 4.2, only allowing another 3 hits and another 0 runs. Bannister starts for me and pitches great, going 6.2, allowing 6 hits and no walks, and just 2 runs, but gets the loss with no run support out there.

Game 2- Bedard gets killed AGAIN. Amazing, really. He goes to 0-5 on the year after allowing 9 hits and 7 runs in 4.1 innings. Scutaro and Reyes each get 3 hits in the game, with Scutaro going yard and getting 4 RBIs. They jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind Meche’s starting pitching (why are all these scrubs continually outpitching Bedard, EVERY GAME?) He goes for 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits and a run. Like every starting pitcher this year has had almost that identical line against me. How many can I win continually doing that?) (10 of 32 is the answer to that question, by the way). I do mount a comeback attempt late, however. My only hot guy, Adrian Gonzalez, goes deep for me, and we creep back. In the 9th, I have 3 guys come to the plate as the potential tying run and they go strikeout, popup, strikeout. Swept.

Game 1 - Burnett goes for me, and does ok - 3 earned runs on 5 hits in 7 innings. We go into the 8th down 3-1, though, because they threw Shields at me, as he came in with a sub-2 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP, and was doing more of the same to me in this one. In that bottom of the 8th, though, still against Shields, Byrnes singled, stole 2nd, then scored on a Polanco single. Only down a run now. Then Anderson singled, 2 on. Then, with two outs, and death (well, at least a loss) on the line, Adrian Gonzalez hits a 2-RBI double down the line for the 4-3 Hogs lead! Then, in the 9th, with the tying run on 3rd, my workhorse reliever Herges gets a McCann groundout for the save in this fun, comeback win.

Game 2 - Escobar comes in against me with his weak 6+ ERA, but he throws bb’s my way all night, only allowing 4 hits and a run in 6 innings. Wilson and Pena relieve him and throw 3 scoreless innings. My lineup is impotent, getting just 6 hits, only 1 for extra bases, in the game. My starter Guthrie gets his 3rd loss on the season, with only 1 win, even though he’s got a respectable 3.65 ERA on the year. Johnson, their 1st baseman, kills me in the series, going 4-8 with a double and a homer, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs.

The Hairys
The Crows
The Wheelers

.500 for most of the season, the race gets hotter as games become fewer.

The first game was awesome, I totally came back in the late innings to tie, then in extra innings to win with a walk-off double.

Second game was tight, with my starter going 6.1 and allowing 1 hit.  Shawn Green has been a monster and is now hitting .370.

On a brighter note, I think this could shape up to be maybe the greatest get-to-playoff battle we have ever seen.  Check out the second to last game played.  Millar, walk off.

This split series featured two of the most dominant pitching performances I can remember. Game 1 was all about Scott Freaking Kazmir. Kazmir was absolutely unhittable - literally. He took a no-hitter into the 8th inning when Kahlil Green finally broke it up with a WEAK infield single. That would be the only hit of the night - Kazmir gets the complete game 1-hitter while striking out 7. Not that they needed any, but the Hairys get serious offense from the middle of their lineup as their 3-7 hitters combine for 11 hits, including 5 doubles. Hairys win 6-0 as Wheeler Escobar gets pwned.

Game 2 was the exact opposite - literally. The Hairys catch Cole Hamels on a bad night as he is pissing vinegar and striking people out like his mother’s life is at stake. Hamels gets the complete game shut-out allowing 3 measley hits and striking out 12 hapless Hairys. El Duque gets pounded as per usual. And, of course, gives up a homer. I believe I’ve discussed the difference between he and Hamels in that regard. Annoying.

Things started out great in this series. Felix Hernandez, my most reliable starter (think about THAT for a second), went complete game in Game 1 which was a breeze. Hairys get 6 runs thanks to contribution across the board (5 different guys had RBI’s). The highlights were a Youk solo bomb wrapped around the foul pole and a Raul Ibanez TRIPLE. Six stolen bases didn’t hurt, either. The Sox offense came courtesy of Mark Teahen who hit a solo shot of his own and also tripled then scored. Thankfully, those 2 runs were not as many as my six, so I won the game.

Game 2 was not nearly so fun. It started out bad as Chris Young gave up a run on singles by Zaun and Francoeur (both righties, of course). This would be the only run Young would give up, but his control was bad again and with 98 pitches, he didn’t make it out of the 6th inning. Thankfully, at that point the Hairys had turned a 1-0 defecit into a 2-1 lead thanks to an RBI double by Jones and an RBI single by Markakis. Things would stay 2-1 as the Rafael’s pitched shut-out ball into the 9th. In the 9th, freaking Teahen strikes again for his 2nd bomb in 2 days against me (he has 3 all year) and the game is tied. I can’t do crap against Sox relievers and eventually Ian Kinsler (.230 avg vs R) wins it with 2 outs in the 10th as, naturally, he laces an RBI double off my righty. Whatever.