Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty: The Pale Hose

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by gordyhulten

Craig, I'll be curious about the moves you make to re-build, and see what technique's you'll use that'll be different from what I might do. Winning is fun, but it's a lot more fun when you can win with the players and team you built yourself. There's nothing like the feeling of your extraordinary patience with a young player finally paying off, two seasons later than you thought it would.

Keep up the great writing, and keep your chin up!

Thanks for the encouragement, Gordy - keeps my morale up.

And actually, a lot of what you said resembles my initial thoughts when starting this dynasty. I wanted to use it as a sort of testing grounds for some of the ideas that I've kicked around, like the bullpen-by-committee thing that's sort of worked. I've got further plans with this team, but some of them will have to wait until the offseason. Or the upcoming amateur draft.

And if I've still got this going in 2008 (real time or game time? either?), it'll be an absolute joy to see some of "my guys" on the big league squad. Or, more likely, Francis Beech winning the Cy Young. But that's something, at least.

Craig

[cknox0723]

Detroit. At home. Finally a series we can win, right? Well, I'm no fool, so I won't make any sort of proclamation -- but yeah, we can beat these guys. At least once, you know?

The first game of our three-game set at The Cell (also known as US Cellular Field or, as I've been prone to calling it, Comiskey Park) features our slumping ace, Mark Buerhle, against a fellow southpaw in Mark Redman. Buerhle is an innings-hog even when struggling, but he's pushing that limit, surrendering 18 runs in his last three starts. Meanwhile, a trip to the DL worked wonders for Redman, whose rough start was apparently caused by a pulled elbow ligament. He returned on the first of May and hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since. Let's hope for the two Marks to pitch to their true talents today against a couple of goofy lineups.

Buerhle throws 15 pitches in a perfect first inning, striking out Wilton Reynolds to start the game off and following that with a pair of soft ground ball outs. Redman looks sharp, too, but only against Hacktastic Julio. But then Redman provides the rope by flubbing a grounder hit right back at him by D.Y. (welcome back, Mad Russian!) and two pitches later, hangs himself by throwing a meatball to Magglio Ordonez, who punctuates his return to the lineup with a two-run home run to left field. Buchanan and Crede end the inning with shallow fly balls, but we have the lead, which is certainly out of the ordinary.

While I start sweating bullets every time there's a three ball count, Mark Buerhle works an excellent second inning, sandwiching a ground ball to second in between a pair of strikeouts. We only manage one baserunner in the bottom of the second, and the score's the same entering the third.

Carlos Pena breaks up the perfect game with a leadoff single to left-center, but two pitches later, Ramon Martinez hits a hard grounder right at Julio Lugo that goes for a double play. Buerhle fans Redman, and the minor threat is vanquished. The top of our order manages but three ground balls in our half, and the book's closed on the first third of the game.

Buerhle issues a leadoff walk to Wilton Reynolds in the fourth. Despite the pitch being pretty close, I go into convulsions as Rondell White digs in, and a bouncing ball through the right side gives the Tigers an actual threat. But Junior Spivey hits a can of corn to center, and Reed Johnson bounces into a 4-6 force. Two outs, and maybe we'll get out of the inning. But in the box is Some Pudgy Catcher Who OPS'ed 1076 Against Lefties Last Year. I fret, but do nothing, and Buerhle responds by blowing a 3-2 heater past him. Inning over.

Buchs works an 0-2 count all the way to a full count by fouling off a couple of pitches, and then takes ball four inside. Bravo, Mr. Buchanan. Joe Crede follows, takes a few pitches from an obviously frustrated Redman and with a 2-0 count, swinging for the fences. Fortuitously, he makes contact, and the ball ends up in the cheap seats. It's just our second hit, but it gives us a 4-0 lead. We proceed to go down in order, but so do the Tigers in the top of the fifth despite every bat forcing a full count. And after four-and-a-half, I'm thisclose to dancing a jig in the dugout. This is the team that had been hiding for the last week and a half!

D.Y. gets our third hit in the bottom of the fifth, but no point in making much ado about it, as nothing comes of it.

I'm surprised to see Redman lead off the sixth for Detroit, but his pitch count isn't especially high and he's obviously pitched quite well save for the two quadrangles. He grounds out, but Wilton Reynolds follows with the third Tiger hit. And I begin to think about getting some action going in the bullpen when Buerhle falls behind Rondell White two-and-oh, but Rondell is hacking at the next pitch and bounces into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Buchs singles to start off the sixth and get our hits evened up with our runs, but the next three musketeers pop up, and we come up empty.

And in the seventh, Buerhle's really starting to show his fatigue, again falling behind 2-0, and being forced to throw a pitch that Junior Spivey can poke into right for a base hit. Reed Johnson is the next batter, and he lines a 1-2 slider through the left side for a hit. By now, I've got The Japanese Contingent warming up (Otsuka and Takatsu, for those scoring at home), and I'm seriously starting to fret. But I needn't, as The Buerhle One gets ahead of Pudge 1-2, and DIPS comes into play, as I-Rod swings at the fourth pitch of the at-bat and hits yet anotherhardgrounder, but it's right at Julio Lugo, who starts yet anotherDP, effectively killing the inning. But Adrian Beltre follows with a single that scores Spivey, and then left-handed Carlos Pena lines an 0-2 pitch for a base hit. And with two outs, up comes eighth place hitter Ramon Martinez, representing the tying run.

"Buerhle's ahead of Martinez oh-and-one with two on and two down here in the seventh. The right-handed hitting shortstop digs in, Buerhle nods at Olivo, and his pitch is lined right back at him and he snared it! Oh, Martinez was all over that slider and hit it right on the nose right back through the box, but Buerhle was able to stick up the glove, and now he can dance all the way to the dugout, as the inning and very possibly his night are done. It stays 4-1 Sox."

Juan Flipping Uribe leads off the bottom of the seventh by just going with an 0-1 fastball on the outside half, and Reed Johnson doesn't even fake the trot back to warning track and wall. Somehow, it's the third home run of the year for The Out-Sucking Machine. I can now remove Buerhle with ease since the lead's back to four, and though we don't add to it, it's not a problem as Aki Otsuka pitches a perfect eighth and gets help from a Willie-Mays style catch from Joe Borchard in the ninth. Goodbye, seven game losing streak. Told you we could beat this lot!



DET 1 CHW 5

WP: M. Buerhle (5-4) - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K (the buerhle one was in his filthy mode today, and despite seemingly running three-ball counts on every batter, never got himself into trouble until he tired. and he only threw 108 pitches in the end.)
LP: M. Redman (1-3) - 6.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 HR

Game Ball Goes To... Our 1 pitcher, no A or anything else. Except a W. If we ever become good, Buerhle is one heck of a horse to ride.

Craig

[Vris]

*round of applause

Congratulations Craig! I bet that takes a huge load off your team. And the bullpen actually held a lead!!!

[gordyhulten]

That's an encouraging performance from Buerhle. Nice win, but if this is a turning point for him, that'll mean even more.

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by gordyhulten

That's an encouraging performance from Buerhle. Nice win, but if this is a turning point for him, that'll mean even more.

Excellent point. I was absolutely shocked to learn that his ERA had crept over 5, and even after this last start, it's still at 4.78. I look at his numbers from last year - 16-9, 2.84 ERA, 250 innings - and I don't see how he'll get there this year. But I'll take a slightly lesser performance if he's going to give us 250 innings year in and year out. One of my goals before this season concludes is to long him up long term - Magglio Ordonez is already signed through 2009, but Buerhle and Dmitri Young are every bit as important to this team. Buerhle will reach six years of MLB service by the end of the year, and if you'll recall, D.Y. signed a one year deal in spring training. I think it's imperative that both remain in the black and white if we're to actually be in this thing come next May.

Craig

[cknox0723]

After our victory in game one of our series, it's a bit of a letdown to see Esteban Loaiza starting game two, if only because his ERA's still over six despite a good outing last time out. But there's hope; Josh Fogg's numbers (3-3, 3.13 ERA) are much better, but he's gopher-prone and Josh Fogg, after all. Our lineup's a bit strange - Jeremy Reed batting fifth, Enrique Wilson starting at third base - but why not?

Loaiza looks good in the first inning, giving up but a single to I-Rod and getting his outs on weak grounders and a forward K of Tony Giarratano. We go down in order in the bottom half, but Loaiza is unaffected and gets through the second despite a throwing error from Hacktastic Julio. A Brad Fullmer single to start off the second leads to absolutely nothing, and we enter the third inning still scoreless. Loaiza gets me worried when Josh Fogg, of all people, leads off the inning with a line-drive base hit, but the Tigers don't get the ball out of the infield and fail to move Fogg around.

And, as it would be, the Tigers' first nine outs were all made in the comfort of the infield. That's dominance, folks - and the hits haven't been shots, either. Maybe Loaiza's turning it around?

That aside...aside, it's irrelevant if we can't score. I guess our heroes realized this, because the bats wake up quickly in the bottom of the third. It's all started by Enrique Wilson, lining a one-out single to right. Most baseball minds would say to bunt with the pitcher Loaiza following, but his .267 average this year made me think twice. A quick check of the stats showed me that he was a career .200 hitter (not too bad for a pitcher, right?), so I let Good Bahn take his hacks, and lo and behold...base hit over a leaping Giarratano at short. Top of the order up, and Ramon Vazquez gets a favorable two-one count. And then the right-hander Fogg tries to hit a spot on the inside half, but instead hits Vazquez in the shoulder. Bases loaded for D.Y..

And a frazzled and flustered Fogg falls behind the big left fielder and then on a 3-1 count, misses by a good six inches with a 92 mile per hour fastball. That forces in Wilson, and loads the bases for Magglio Ordonez. Fogg falls behind him, too, and Magglio's got the green light on 3-0. He's all over the mediocre heater that Fogg's forced himself to offer, and Mags lines it right back through the middle, scoring both Loaiza and Vazquez. The inning ends quickly when Brad Fullmer and Jeremy Reed both hack away instead of letting Fogg get himself into trouble, but we've given ourselves a three-run cushion.

Loaiza, a strike-throwing machine today, works a nine pitch perfect fourth inning to run his totals through four innings to 53 pitches thrown, 37 for strikes. We go down in order, and it's back to work for Loaiza in the fifth. But something's just a bit different, as Carlos Pena leads off the inning with a line-drive single to left-center, the first ball Loaiza's given up that's really gotten out of the infielder. The right-hander recovers enough to retire the weak 8th and 9th place hitters (slap-hitting second baseman Jason Alfaro and the pitcher Fogg), and perhaps we'll get out of the inning. Loaiza, with two outs, runs the count full on the center fielder Nook Logan. And the payoff pitch is just a bit off. That's apparent because Logan ends up in a home run trot after swatting a fastball right down Broadway into the left-field seats. Tony Giarratano strikes out on a breaking ball for the second time to end the inning, but the lead's down to one.

I let Loaiza take his hacks in the bottom of the fifth (I say that as if there's another option; no, I never considered going to the bullpen. With our "relievers", would you?), but he grounds to third. Still, we get a threat going when Ramon Vazquez and D.Y. proceed to line consecutive singles into the outfield, but Magglio Ordonez hits a tailor-made double play ball to second, and the Tigers head to the sixth with the momentum decidedly in their favor.

And Loaiza's unable to right the ship against the heart of the Detroit order. He's able to retire Ivan Rodriguez on a fly ball to center field, but the mere sight of a ball actually reaching the outfield indicates that the Good Bahn of the first three innings is but a distant memory. And the next batter, Rondell White, digs that knife a little deeper by swatting a hanging curve into the left field bleachers. Just like that, the game's tied. Loaiza, oddly, settles back down after that, striking out Adrian Beltre and retiring Carlos Pena on a ground ball to shortstop to end the inning. Maybe Loaiza can't handle the pressure of a lead?

Brad Fullmer leads off the bottom of the sixth with his second hit, a single to right field. And when Josh Fogg falls behind Jeremy Reed two-and-oh, you just know something wild's about to happen. It's been most apparent in this game, but it's actually one of baseball's unwritten rules. 2-0 counts = chaos.

"The left-handed Reed steps back in to the box and sets himself while awaiting the 2-0 pitch from Fogg. The right-handed Massachusetts native glances at Fullmer on first, turns back to the plate, and comes to the set. Here's the kick and the pitch, and it's a hanger driven to deep center! Back is Logan, to the track, and he leaps towards the wall, but it bounces off the wall and rolls away! Fullmer's rounding third and will score, and Reed's going to go for third - and the relay from Giarratano will be late! It's a run-scoring triple off the bat of young Jeremy Reed, and the White Sox have re-taken the lead, 4-3!"

Julio Lugo grounds a one-two pitch to second base and is thrown out easily by Jason Alfaro, but it's enough to score Reed and stretch the lead to two. Jack Cressend comes in and after retiring Miggy Olivo, surrenders a two-out walk to Enrique Wilson, but I decide to leave Loaiza in and he grounds out to end the inning. Now it's time to see if he can pitch with a lead.

And Detroit's number eight hitter, Jason Alfaro, lines Loaiza's first pitch of the 7th inning and 91st of the game into right field for a base hit. Gah. Wilton Reynolds pinch-hits as Mike Gallo and Shingo Takatsu begin to warm up in the 'pen. Reynolds works the count full, and I can scarcely watch the payoff pitch. But I needn't fear, as Loaiza hums a heater right by him for the first out. However, two pitches later, Nook Logan singles to right, and Junior Spivey follows with a pinch-hit walk to load the bases for Pudge. I'm no fool, and it's obvious Loaiza's gassed, so I call on Mr. Zero. He falls behind 2-1, and leaves a sinker up. And Pudge cracks a shot to the wall in left-center, scoring three and giving Detroit the lead. Rondell White follows with a double to score Pudge, and I quickly yank Takatsu for Mike Gallo. But he, too, is ineffective, and by the time P.J. Bevis is able to get out of the inning, the game's out of reach.

The last two and a half innings are a mere formality, and it's yet another disappointing loss, but at least one with some positives that can be taken out of it. Unfortunately, one of those is not Esteban Loaiza.

DET 13 CHW 6

WP: J. Cressend (2-2) - 0.2 IP, 0 R
LP: E. Loaiza (2-6) - 6.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 8 K (special mention should be made for relievers Gallo and Takatsu who each gave up two runs without recording an out)

Game Ball Goes To... Nook Logan, who was apparently concerned that his .330 batting average was overshadowed by his goofy name. He added 13 points to that with a 3-5 day that included a pair of home runs.

Craig

[DAL 9000]

Wow, Nook Logan hit a home run? Nook Logan hit TWO home runs? I'm sorry, but Nook Logan is on steroids, and I really like to say Nook Logan's name. Nook Logan.

Originally Posted by cknox0723

Game Ball Goes To... Nook Logan, who was apparently concerned that his .330 batting average was overshadowed by his goofy name. He added 13 points to that with a 3-5 day that included a pair of home runs.

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by DAL 9000

Wow, Nook Logan hit a home run? Nook Logan hit TWO home runs? I'm sorry, but Nook Logan is on steroids, and I really like to say Nook Logan's name. Nook Logan.

And would you believe that his given name isn't something like Percy Millard Logan, but Exavier Prente Logan? Some guys just get all the goods...

Craig

[DAL 9000]

... it is NOT. I mean, I looked it up and it's /true/, but I still refuse to believe either you or the evidence I found. Exavier Prente Logan? That's some name.

[cknox0723]

I still don't understand how you could possibly get "Nook" out of that.

According to dictionary.com, though, a nook is:

1. A small corner, alcove, or recess, especially one in a large room.
2. A hidden or secluded spot.

I knew that, of course. But it's also of supposed "Scandinavian or Norwegian" origin. That's better circumstantial evidence to tie him to BALCO and evil 'roids than anything the media's dredged up on Messr. Bonds, no?

Craig

[cknox0723]

The third and final game, the rubber match of our home series with Detroit, is the first with a pitching matchup that seems even. And Jorge DePaula versus Jeff Suppan isn't the matchup to make announcers swoon, but at least we both have a reasonable chance to win. However, I'd much prefer Good Jorge to show up for the fifth straight time.

A leadoff single by Jermaine Dye makes me think otherwise, but the 1-2 count on which it occured proves to be a much better indicator, as DePaula proceeds to strike out both Omar Infante and Pudge. He puts the inning to rest by inducing Rondell White to hit a weak grounder to second base, and we head to the bottom of the first.

And the game moves into The Twi-Night Zone, where up is down, down is up, and Jeff Suppan strikes out Jeremy Reed and Magglio Ordonez. Mericfully, the whiffs are sandwiched around a single by D.Y., and a four pitch walk to Brad Fullmer gives us a true Twi-Night Zone threat. Of course, Joe Crede flies out to right to end the inning, begging the question of whether or not we're actually in an alternate reality.

And it remains unanswered in the second inning. DePaula starts off strong by getting Adrian Beltre to top a slider and bounce to the left side, but Joe "I'm Going To Screw Up In Every Way Imaginable" Crede throws the ball into the stands, and instead of an out, there's a Tiger on second. Reed Johnson bounces to second, moving Beltre to third, and Carlos Pena works a six pitch walk to put runners at the corners with one out for Jason Alfaro. He bounces out to the drawn in infield, and it appears we'll get out of it. But The Possessed Bat of Jeff Suppan hammers a 2-0 changeup off of the left-center field fence, and all of a sudden we're down two. Jermaine Dye flies out on the next pitch to end the inning, but it's cold comfort.

The bottom of the order does its best in the bottom half of the inning, but a screaming shot from Ramon Vazquez and a couple of hits by A Sandwich and A Hacker all end up as a big '0' when Jeremy Reed grounds out to second to end the inning.

DePaula, obviously, seems pretty dejected about the way things are shaking out, and he takes the out to the mound with him for the third inning. Predictably, Omar Infante cracks a shot on DePaula's first pitch of the inning, but Ramon Vazquez makes a diving stop and throws a strike to first to rob the shortstop of a base hit. Renewed, DePaula strikes out Pudge and gets Rondell to ground out. It seems we've gotten some momentum. It seems to carry over into the bottom half, as Fullmer and Ordonez get on base after D.Y. grounds to short, but Joe "I'm Throwing The Game" Crede hits into a 5-4-3 double play and I need a hug.

The emotionally unstable DePaula gets a couple of ground balls to, of all people, Joe Crede to get the first two Detroit hitters out in the fourth, but then three straight Tigers line base hits, undoubtedly because Crede is tipping the pitches. The third of those hits is the second of the game by the pitcher Suppan (?), and it plates Carlos Pena to make it three to zilch. Jermaine Dye gets a 4-pitch free pass, and when DePaula falls behind 2-1 to Omar Infante, I know something's seriously wrong. His next pitch is lined into center field, scoring two. Pudge grounds out to second two pitches later to surprisingly end the inning, but now it's 5-0.

The game should be over, but Suppan continues to insist on giving us opportunities. He surrenders a two-out single to Hacktastic Julio and proceeds to walk the pitcher DePaula on five pitches. Jeremy Reed works a full count, but I fully expect him to strike out. He indeed stares at strike three, right on the inside corner, but umpire Dana DeMuth disagrees and calls it ball four. That loads the bases for D.Y.. He promptly takes two strikes, fouls off a slider, and then takes a huge cut at a fastball only to ground it to first. That'd end the inning, but Carlos Pena forgets to actually catch the ball, allowing everyone to reach base and Lugo to score. Of course, just as I'm starting to think that something might be going right, Magglio Ordonez strikes out to end the inning. But we've got a run, so that's something.

DePaula gives up a couple of long fly balls to start off the fifth, but both end up enrobed in leather. And a Reed Johnson walk proves meaningless as Carlos Pena strikes out on three pitches, the third being a fastball over his head, to end the inning.

And Suppan sees the bottom of the fifth as the perfect time to let us close the deficit a bit. He starts off the inning by missing badly with his first two pitches, and then hangs a slider. Brad Fullmer puts it into the right field seats for his first longball of the year, and it's 5-2. The next batter is the lovely Joe Crede, who tries to make an out, but his soft liner makes its way into the outfield. Ramon Vazquez follows with a solid single over shortstop, and we've got a threat. Except our next two batters are Mike Piazza and Julio Lugo, and they both make outs. We end up with runners at the corners and two outs with the pitcher's slot due up, so I call on The Big Hurt. He pushes Suppan's pitch count up over 100, but flies out and we come away (relatively) empty.

Joe Roa comes in for the sixth and fans Jason Alfaro, but of course Jeff Suppan not only hits for himself but singles to center. But against non-pitchers, Roa is fine, as he fans Jermaine Dye on three pitches and gets Omar Infante to fly out to end the inning. And The Twi-Night Zone returns in the bottom of the sixth as a fatiguing Suppan still manages to set down the top of our order without breaking a sweat. The Ground-Ball Machine of Roa keeps us in it through the seventh, and on comes Jack Cressend to pitch for Detroit in the pivotal bottom of the seventh inning.

Joe "Sax's Revenge" Crede grounds out to first to start the seventh, but Ramon Vazquez singles to give us a baserunner. Mike Piazza follows, and I consider a stolen base, hit and run, or plain old pinch-hitter. I do nothing, fully expecting an inning-ending double play. And that's just what Sausage, Peppers, And Onions does, but Jason Alfaro tries to make the flip to second before he has the ball, and instead bobbles it. Everyone's safe, but all that does is give Julio Lugo his own chance to end the inning with a double play. Cressend gets a 2-2 count on him, but bounces a slider, presumably assuming Hacktastic Julio would chase it. He doesn't, and the ball bounces by Pudge, a rare passed ball that is absolutely huge, allowing both runners to move up and eliminating the rally-killer. With the pressure off, Lugo hits a sacrifice fly on the next pitch to make it 5-3. Joe Borchard pinch-hits for Roa, but grounds out to short to end the inning.

I bring in Shingo Takatsu, but for the second straight day, he struggles, giving up a single, a bunt single, and after falling behind 2-0 to pinch-hitter Junior Spivey, a two-run double. By the time the inning reaches an end, it's 10-3. Joe "I Just Suck" Crede strikes out with two men on to end a minor threat in the eighth, and after two straight hits by Detroit to start off the ninth, I mutter a few choice words and bring in Enrique Wilson to pitch. And he retires the next three batters in order.

We fail to come back in the ninth and lose 11-3, meaning that Detroit's taken two out of three from us despite the series taking place in Chicago. Disappointing, but I'm more interested in Enrique Wilson's pitching success. His ERA in two appearances this year? 0.00. Hmmm....

DET 11 CHW 3

WP: J. Suppan (2-3) - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 116 pitches, 3-3, 3 RBI (a perfect example of why ERA can sometimes be a SOC -- Suppan pitched pretty poorly today, and that's being kind -- but his ERA dropped!)
LP: J. DePaula (2-5) - 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R. 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (new nickname - Shafted Jorge - since his record is a complete miscarriage of justice)

Game Ball Goes To... Joe Crede, hahahaha. Just kidding. Certainly not Shingo Takatsu, either - he gave up six runs and got three outs. I'll begrudgingly give it to Carlos Pena, who had three hits and scored three runs.

STANDINGS, BECAUSE THIS IS JUST SO INTERESTING

Kansas City Regal Ones....24-23 (--)
Minnesota Twinbills.......24-23 (--)
Cleveland Tribe...........25-24 (--)
Detroit Felines...........19-28 (5 GB)
Chicago Pale Hose.........15-31 (8.5 GB)

And Barry Zito of the Minnesota club is out for a month and a half or so with a pulled bicep muscle. Uh, does this mean we can still make a run??

Craig

[cknox0723]

A series at home with Cleveland gives us an opportunity to finally have an impact, even if it's only a minor one, on the divisional race. It also gives our "normal" lineup versus right-handers (2B Vazquez-LF Young-RF Ordonez-1B Thomas-CF Borchard-3B Crede-SS Lugo-C Piazza, since it hasn't been particularly apparent) an opportunity to take the field together for the first time in quite some time. Jon Garland faces a pivotal start, as his numbers have recently begun the inevitable regression towards last year's disaster (remember? 4-15, 5.56 ERA last year?), so he'll try to right that ship. The lineup will face a young pheenom in Jake Dittler, whom the scouts love, but the 23 year old's ERA is right near five. Hopefully we can capitalise on his inexperience. We'll have nearly 20,000 on hand at The Cell to watch, so there's more significance than the normal home game for a 15-31 team.

And the fans get a treat in the first inning, as Jon Garland works a scoreless frame, ending the inning by inducing a ground ball to short that leaves Kenny Lofton stranded on second base. But oddly, Julio Lugo manages to hurt himself while making that play, and he's got to come out. Fan favorite Enrique Wilson comes in to play the '6', and we head to the bottom of the first. Dittler pitches a perfect frame, and we're scoreless through one.

Jhonny Peralta, The Tribe's light-hitting third sacker, changes that in the second by stroking a two-out single to left, plating Angel Berroa. I thought about walking Peralta intentionally before deciding against it, especially since first base was open, but Cleveland's lineup isn't half bad, and I don't think it's worth wasting a spot in the lineup that more often than not is an out. Hindsight, foresight, oh well. We'll have to score anyway, and Frank Thomas nearly does just that on the first pitch of the bottom of the second, but he gets just under a ninety mile an hour heater, and Ryan Ludwick tracks down the long fly at the wall. Borchard and Crede go down quietly, and we're down 1-0 after two.

Rain begins to fall from the heavens in the third, but Garland, apparently plant-like, is reinvigorated and pitches a scoreless frame, ending it with a ground out to short that Enrique Wilson doesn't hurt himself on. And then Wilson, typifying the Hard-Hat Wearing Utilityman, leads off the third with a solid single to center. I consider bunting with Mike Piazza since he's an automatic out, but let him hack. And instead of hitting into a DP, he hits one "pretty well" to left, but Ryan Ludwick makes his second catch within ten feet of the fence. The rain stops, somewhat fortuitously, as Jon Garland executes a sacrifice, putting Enrique in scoring position with two outs for Ramon Vazquez. And as always, our left-handed hitting second baseman comes through, lacing a line drive down the right field line that just gets by a diving Ben Broussard. The hustling Vazquez dives into second base just ahead of a strong throw from Jody Gerut, but that's secondary to Enrique scoring and tying the game. It becomes important, though, because D.Y. steps in next, and he lines a base hit to right in front of Gerut. Because of his hustle on the previous play, Vazquez is able to score easily, and all of a sudden, we've got the lead. Predictably, young Jake Dittler's pretty crestfallen, and he loses his composure and gives up line-drive singles to Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas, allowing D.Y. to score, before retiring Joe Borchard on a comebacker to end the inning.

Our old friend Ryan Ludwick hits a solo shot on a 2-0 meatball from Garland, but Jon Moo is otherwise fine in the fourth and we enter our half of the inning still up a run. Enrique Wilson lines another one-out single, but with Piazza following him in the lineup, I don't expect much. But Dittler's 1-2 offering to Sausage, Peppers, and Onions bounces in front of the plate and gets past Victor Martinez, so the inning-ending rally-killer is eliminated. Piazza grounds to short, though, and with two outs in the fourth, even I won't remove Jon Garland. Of course, Dittler falls behind him two-and-oh and has to throw a strike. He throws a fastball right down the heart of the plate, and Garland jumps all over it, lining it into the gap in left-center field. He ends with a stand-up double and a familiar two-run lead. We fail to add to that because Ryan Ludwick makes a nice grab of a looper hit by Ramon Vazquez, but I'm satisfied, if not particularly confident.

And as always, it's quickly apparent why. Garland strikes out Jhonny Peralta on three pitches to start the fifth, but then inexplicably loses it. The pitcher Dittler doubles down the left field line. Ray Durham draws a walk, and then I barely can restrain myself from running out to the mound and pummelling Garland when he throws a 3-2 fastball up to Kenny Lofton. Unsurprisingly, the veteran outfielder crushes it, and it's hit high enough to clear the fence in left. It's a three-run shot, and after all that, we're down a run. Before the inning ends, there's a sudden rain shower and then delay and four different baserunners for Cleveland, but they only add one more run. And as deflating as that inning was, we're still in it, only down two.

Dittler somehow plows right through the middle of our order in the bottom of the fifth, but Garland pitches a perfect sixth, so I can't be too dissatisfied. Joe Crede gets his first base knock with a liner to right to begin the sixth, but a couple of fly balls off the bats of Wilson and Piazza are tracked down. Brad Fullmer, pinch-hitting for Garland, draws a walk to give us hope, but Ramon Vazquez strikes out on a two-two heater to end the frame.

Mike Gallo is our new pitcher in the seventh, and the southpaw dispatches the trio of lefties batting second, third, and fourth, Lofton, Gerut, and Broussard, with ease. Brian Meadows pitches a perfect seventh against our side, and after P.J. Bevis gets through the top of the eighth, Meadows does the same in that inning, mostly because of DIPS. (i.e., we hit the ball hard, but at-'em balls) Akinori Otsuka gives us a perfect ninth inning for the first time in seemingly a long time, and we enter the bottom of the ninth having played a solid game, but still down two. David Riske comes on to pitch and we're unable to do so much as get the ball out of the infield. Wins, losses - shoot, this game built character. Still a tough loss, though.

CLE 6 CHW 4

WP: J. Dittler (4-4) - 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K
LP: J. Garland (2-4) - 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K
S: D. Riske (12)

Game Ball Goes To... I don't particularly care for Kenny Lofton, so I'd much rather reward Enrique Wilson for a game in which he had two hits and scored two runs despite not expecting to play.

Craig

Late Addition: Hello to UngratefulDead, who happened to be reading the thread as I was posting this. I'd give you a T-shirt, but...well, you'll have to settle for this. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week for the next edition of Random Reader Spotlight , hosted by yours truly!

[UngratefulDead]

Sweet Jesus. I didn't know you could check who was reading the post and I had just began writing a mention of you in my Rockies dynasty when I came across you mentioning my name. I was pretty close to having a friggin' heart attack. Like finding out a mysterious phone call was coming from in your own house..

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by UngratefulDead

Sweet Jesus. I didn't know you could check who was reading the post and I had just began writing a mention of you in my Rockies dynasty when I came across you mentioning my name. I was pretty close to having a friggin' heart attack. Like finding out a mysterious phone call was coming from in your own house..

Whatever you do, don't go upstairs!!!

Actually, the first time I believe I stumbled across that feature was when I noticed the esteemable Mr. Hulten's name at the bottom of the page after a post. I like seeing who's reading this and figure that posting their name is my way of showing thanks. Wreaking havoc is only secondary. Really.

Craig

EDIT: How's it going, pschwalb?

[Goodsox]

Great writing as always Craig. I was away from the boards for a while and now have gotten caught up on my dynasty reading. Keep up the great work.

[cknox0723]

Originally Posted by Goodsox

Great writing as always Craig. I was away from the boards for a while and now have gotten caught up on my dynasty reading. Keep up the great work.

Thanks GS - glad to have The True Sox Fan back on the boards and even moreso that you're still interested in reading this. Y'think I should trade Jeremy Reed for Freddy Garcia?

Craig

[cknox0723]

Cliff Bartosh is perceived as an "exceptional pitcher" by my scout Quent Moore, and the numbers bear that out this year - he's made the leap from 'average' to 'ace' by cutting down on the walks and long balls, and inching up the strikeout rate. He's been a bit "hit-lucky" this year, giving up a few less than you'd expect, but his 5-2 mark and 2.69 ERA are not particularly misleading. Opposing Cleveland's left-handed ace, we have Jon Rauch, or as NYJuggalo once called him, The Guy That Could've Been In The NBA. While he and Mark Hendrickson are both part of an interesting club, Rauch isn't a particularly good pitcher, and he's making his first major league start at age 27 not based on any real merit, but because we really don't have anyone better. But humans are capable of surprising you from time to time, and the same goes for pitchers. 6'10" pitchers? I guess we'll see.

Rauch falls behind two-and-oh to the leadoff hitter, Ray Durham, after a long standing ovation just prior to the first pitch. (Never mind that the standing 'O' was for former Pale Hose second sacker Durham - Rauch doesn't need to know that) "Wonderful," I think to myself, "It's Brian Whitaker or Marc Kaiser all over again." But there's one difference between Rauch and The Bumbling Stumblebums. Rauch is not a stumblebum, but an ogre, and he's got a changeup. That's what his 2-0 pitchto Durham is, and off-balance, all the second sacker can do is get on top of it. The ball one-hops into Rauch's glove, and his throw to Brian Buchanan is straight and true. One out, and this time, the cheer from the crowd is for the gawky right-handed pitcher. Baseball at its finest.

I fully expect Rauch to fall apart after that, and a walk to Kenny Lofton only leads to some of my ignominious pacing. But Rauch doesn't overthink, to use an insider's term, and gets Ben Broussard to just gape at a 2-2 changeup. Two outs, and Kenny Lofton immediately tries to rattle Rauch by taking off for second. He beats Miggy Olivo's throw down, but Rauch focuses on cleanup hitter Matt Lawton, and gets him to try to pull a 1-2 breaking ball. That leads to a mighty bounce out to Juan Uribe, and Jon Rauch has given us an inning of scoreless ball. Bravo.

Cliff Bartosh gets three ground ball outs in the first, but it's encouraging that the first two, batted by Hacktastic Julio and D.Y., are both hit pretty hard. But it's a bit too quick of an inning for me, and I have a feeling Jon Rauch's nerves are probably worse than mine.

And Angel Berroa seems to confirm my suspicions by lining Rauch's third pitch of the second inning back up the middle for a single. So how does Rauch respond? Well, he gets the ball back, steps on the rubber, nods at Miggy Olivo's finger-waggling...and whirls and picks Berroa off of first. I have a feeling I could end up liking this kid...err...guy. But then Victor Martinez proceeds to work the count full, but bounces the 3-2 pitch right back to Rauch...who can't get a clean handle on the ball, allowing Martinez to reach base. Oh boy. But a diving stop by Juan Uribe turns a Coco Crisp single into a 4-6 force, and with two outs, I'm certainly aware of yesterday's mistake pitching to an eighth place hitter, so I tell Rauch to be careful with Mark Bellhorn. After a six pitch battle, he finally relents and gives him a free pass, and that brings up Cliff Bartosh. And all I can think of is Jeff Suppan as Rauch hangs a 1-0 breaking ball to the Freaking Pitcher and it gets crushed to left-center. But D.Y. has one of those Amorosian moments and makes a superhuman running grab, crashing into the left-center field fence. And guess what? It's still scoreless.

Brian Buchanan (why am I not surprised?) lines Bartosh's second pitch of the second inning up the middle for a base hit, and Joe Crede follows with a hard-hit single. Joe Borchard, of course, stares at a 1-2 slider on the inside corner because...well, because he doesn't know how many strikes make an out, I guess. Miggy Olivo works the count full, but swings right through a two-seamer, and The Cesspool Of Suck flies out to center, so we enter the third having squandered the same chance as the Indians, more or less.

It'd seem logical for Rauch to get hammered in the third inning by the top of the Cleveland order after having so much trouble in the second against the guys bringing up the rear. But baseball, as is the case with life in general, isn't always logical, and Rauch's third inning proves to be Case #43,782 in favor of that point. Ray Durham and Kenny Lofton manage but weak bouncers to third and second, respectively, and a two-out single by Ben Broussard proves fruitless as Matt Lawton raps a 1-0 slider right back to The Hypothetical Power Forward.

Rauch makes contact in his first major league at-bat, but only bounces it to second base. Two pitches later, on the exact same count, Hacktastic Julio does the same thing, but this time Durham takes his eye off, and Hustling Julio beats Durham's hurried throw to first. Sensing a chance to actually do some good, I call for a hit-and-run, and D.Y. pulls it off to perfection, rapping a grounder right through the right side. With runners at the corners, there's no one I'd rather have up than Magglio Ordonez, but Bartosh gets the best of him by inducing a soft liner to center field hit too shallow to allow Lugo to tag. With that sudden shift in momentum, I'm not surprised to see Brian Buchanan ground out to third to end the inning. Time to once again worry incessantly.

And Rauch, maybe overcome by some of the cataclysmic feeling that struck me last inning, doesn't look at his sharpest in the fourth. He gets a 2-2 count on shortstop Angel Berroa, but leaves a changeup up in the zone. And Berroa takes one of his huge, looping swings, gets the fat part of the bat on the ball, and drives it to deep right-center. But it hangs up just enough to allow Magglio Ordonez to track it down near the wall. Inspired, Brian Scalabrine...err, Jon Rauch... retires Victor Martinez and Cocoa Puffs on pop-ups, and it's still scoreless through three-and-a-half.

Bartosh, of course, nearly strikes out the side in the bottom of the fourth, dispatching Joe Crede and Joe Borchard pretty quickly before running the count full on Miguel Olivo and settling for an inning-ending fly ball.

That brings us to the fifth, and leadoff batter and statheadzz favorite Mark Bellhorn has me worried. But he bounces Rauch's second pitch to first base, where Brian Buchanan gloves it and flips it over to Rauch for out number one. The pitcher Bartosh allows me to keep my lunch in my stomach by bouncing harmlessly to short for the second out, but Ray Durham hits a somewhat predictable two-out single. After a pitchout to ensure that Durham doesn't swipe second, Rauch doesn't look entirely comfortable, and falls behind 3-1 to Kenny Lofton. Forced to throw a strike, he goes with a fastball, and Lofton's all over it, hitting a screaming shot to the right side. But in one of those bang-bang plays that you can't believe anyone could make, Juan Uribe dives to his right, somehow gloves the ball, and scrambles to his feet and throws out Lofton at first to end the inning. Web. Gem. The heart of the order's up next inning, but another standing ovation, again for someone actually on the Sox, is definitely in order.

Uribe strikes out to commence the bottom of the fifth, and I agonize for a good five minutes before deciding to let Rauch end his day on a positive note. Five innings, three hits, two walks, a strikeout, and a zero in the 'R' column. He may not get the win, but that's a fine performance. I pinch-hit with The Big Hurt, and proceed to watch Major League IV: Back To Chicago commence right in front of my eyes.

"One-and-oh on Frank Thomas, pinch-hitting for the rookie Jon Rauch, who pitched five scoreless innings in his major league debut. Thomas waves his bat slowly as Bartosh looks in to Martinez. Finally, the left-hander nods and begins his windup. The leg kick...and the pitch...fastball, driven deep down the left field line! If it's fair, it's go---and it's a fair ball and a home run! Frank Thomas hits his third round-tripper of the season, and it gives the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the fifth!"

Bartosh, rattled, manages to achieve the rather dubious feat of throwing two consecutive balls to Julio Lugo. His third pitch is at ankle-level, but Hacktastic Julio swings anyway. And promptly lines it down the third base line for a double. Whatever. D.Y. and Magglio follow with weak ground outs, though, and we fail to capitalise on the rare two-bagger by Lugo, but Jon Rauch is in line for the win. Wow.

With the lefty-centric heart of Cleveland's order due up in the sixth, I call on LOOGY Mike Gallo, who fans Ben Broussard on three pitches and gets Matt Lawton to bounce his fourth offering right to Joe Crede. In comes Joe Roa, who quickly gets ahead oh-and-two on Angel Berroa, but then he leaves his splitter up just a bit too much, and Berroa goes with it to right for a single. But Roa stays cool, nearly picking Berroa off first and then retiring Victor Martinez on a bouncer to first.

The southpaw Bartosh does an excellent job in the bottom of the sixth, retiring Mashers Buchanan and Crede on pop-ups before striking out Joe Borchard for the third time.

Short on pitchers, seemingly like always, I leave Roa out there for the seventh. Waffle Crisp bounces out harmlessly to second, Mark Bellhorn is retired on a nice stop-and-laser by Joe Crede, and Eric Wedge leaves Cliff Bartosh in to it, and he strikes out on three pitches. Entering, quite literally, the home stretch, we're up 1-0.

After the atypical shenanigans, Miggy Olivo digs in against the southpaw Bartosh, still under 90 pitches. And Olivo falls into a 2-2 count, and I start thinking about the eighth with Uribe et al. following, but Bartosh's 2-2 offering is a slider that hangs up in the zone. The Olive slices it down the third base line past Mark Bellhorn, hustles around first, and slides safely into second with a double. I tell Frigging Uribe to bunt, but of course he's incompetent and can't get it down. Faced with an 0-2 hole of his own making, he does a great job of standing there while Bartosh throws three balls, and faced with a 3-2 count, Uribe then does what he does best. He hacks at a fastball in the dirt, but through sheer luck, he makes contact. But he raps it right to Mark Bellhorn and of course, not advancing the runner. Grrr. Where is his veteran leadership and ability to hit behind the runner? With few options on the bench, I pinch-hit Jeremy Reed for Roa, and am only mildly surprised when the left-handed outfielder strikes out on a two-two slider from the left-hander Bartosh. Julio Lugo hits a hard ground ball to short, but Angel Berroa throws him out from deep in the hole, and that's all for the inning.

Superfluous Kiko Calero is pretty much our only well-rested guy, so he gets the ball in the eighth. And I immediately fret when he falls behind two-and-oh to Ray Durham. But his next pitch is my favorite -- the changeup -- and Durham hits a can of corn to Magglio Ordonez. But Kenny Lofton gets all of a 1-0 slider, and rips a resounding double off of the right-field fence. Jody Gerut follows as the pinch-hitter, and I send pitching coach Jamison Bryan out to the mound to waste time, while I think of what to do. But it's pretty easy - I'm not going to let a guy with an OPS of 1001 against northpaws last year beat us. I walk Gerut intentionally, and say a few Hallelujahs as pinch-hitter Ryan Ludwick digs in. And somehow, he bounces a one-oh curve to third base. Joe Crede gets the force at third for one, but his throw across the diamond is late, and now it's Angel Berroa's chance to beat us. I tell Crede and Buchanan to guard the lines, fearing a guy that knocked 44 two-baggers last year, but on a 1-2 count, Berroa does something else he does frequently.

"Runners at first and second, one ball and two strikes on Berroa. Calero, from the stretch, checks the runners and looks in to Olivo. The Santurce native nods his head, comes to the set, and here comes the pitch...swing and a miss, strike three as Berroa chases a slider in the dirt! Calero gets out of trouble with a big K, and the White Sox cling to a 1-0 lead as we head to the bottom of the eighth!"

I'm absolutely shocked to see Bartosh come out for the eighth, though he's obviously pitched very well today. But D.Y. proves me right, sort of, with a leadoff double down the left field line, our third such hit of the game, I believe. Magglio Ordonez is walked intentionally -- putting two men on base for Brian Buchanan. And Eric Wedge leaves the left-handed pitcher in. Bartosh runs the count to three-one, and throws a pitch on the outside corner for strike two. Tim Welke calls it ball four, though, and Bartosh is visibly upset as Buchanan jogs 90 feet to load the bases for Joe Crede. But incredibly, Bartosh keeps his emotions in check and strikes out Joe Crede (1029 OPS vs. southpaws last year) on a 1-2 slider. But at 118 pitches, that's his swan song, and Bartosh departs in favor of another left-hander, Scott Stewart. Joe Borchard's 6-51 against lefties this year (that's a .118 batting average, by the way), but with Reed already having pinch-hit, there's no one to play center field. So I let Borchard hit, and on a 2-1 count, he not only puts the ball in play but hits a fly ball deep enough to score D.Y. from third. That'd be plenty for me, but Miggy Olivo follows with a line-drive over shortstop, a base hit that scores Mags Ordonez to make it 3-0. The Out-Sucking Machine hits the ball five feet and gets thrown out by Victor Martinez, but that's OK. Even we can't blow this one. Right? Right?

I leave Superfluous Kiko Calero in for the ninth, but he falls behind Victor Martinez three-and-one. His fifth pitch is a fastball right on the outside corner, but it's the same spot as the pitch to Buchanan last inning, and Tim Welke calls it ball four again. That gets me worried, and I nearly sob when Koko Krispies lines a single to center field to put the runners at the corners and bring up Mark Bellhorn to the plate representing the tying run. I call on Shingo Takatsu, not wanting to see Calero blow the game. And he walks Bellhorn on five pitches to load the bases. Oh, sweet mercy, no. No, no, no, no, no. Josh "The Score" Bard pinch-hits. Come...on...Mr...Zero!

"One ball and one strike on the backup catcher Bard, pinch-hitting for Stewart. Takatsu steps off the mound to wipe his brow and compose himself. Obviously, this is the biggest batter of the game. Takatsu steps back on the rubber, takes a quick look at all of the runners, and looks in towards Olivo. Bard wags the bat a bit, Taktsu comes to the set, the runners get their leads, here's the 1-1...and it's a sinker, popped up into right field. Ordonez settles under it some 200 feet from home plate and squeezes it, but he won't even attempt to throw out Victor Martinez tagging from third, instead firing it in to Lugo to hold Crisp at second. It's a sacrifice fly for Josh Bard, and the Chicago lead is down to two, but the number of outs they need is down to the same number."

Ray Durham's next. The Chicago White Sox -- we know drama.

"Taktasu's fallen behind Durham, two balls and no strikes. Olivo jogs out to the mound to say a few words to Takatsu, though the language barrier is at least one reason why Tim Welke didn't have to break up the little conference. Olivo squats back down behind the plate, and Takatsu finishes staring down Coco Crisp and looks in towards home plate. Durham rubs his hands together, looks down at the bat, and digs in. I presume he'll be swinging. Taktasu sets in, starts the slide step, and his 2-0 pitch is a fastball, and it's popped up into shallow center. Joe Borchard takes five or six steps in, settles under it, and squeezes it with both hands. Crisp bluffs toward third base, but Borchard's throw in is accurate, and the runners will hold. Cleveland's down to their final out."

Should I even bother trying to segue?

"Takatsu's fallen behind a hitter two-and-oh for the second consecutive time, and the still-dangerous veteran Kenny Lofton represents the lead run. The veteran waves the bat around, crouches slightly, and digs into the left-handed batter's box. Takatsu looks in, nods slightly towards Olivo, looks back at Coco Crisp, and turns his head quickly. Here's the kick of the leg and the pitch and it's popped up! Ordonez is under it in shallow right field and he...makes the catch! That's the ballgame, and what a thriller it was for the Chicago White Sox! A 3-1 victory for the Sox, and Jon Rauch gets the win in his first major league start, aided by four strong innings from the bullpen. And the Sox have their sixteenth victory of the season!"



CLE 1 CHW 3

WP: J. Rauch (1-0) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 78 pitches, 60 game score (Wow. Just...wow.)
LP: C. Bartosh (5-3) - 7.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 8 K (reminds me of Andy Pettitte in his heyday, but better, I'd say.)
S: S. Takatsu (1) - three fly balls and one walk in the ninth

Game Ball Goes To... While I'm absolutely amazed at the performances of the bullpen, Frank "Clutch Veteran" Thomas, and D.Y., it's got to be Jon Rauch. I know, I know, it's all of one start, but man. This was just a fantastic combination of things going well, all at the same time. A GM's dream, if you will. This game makes it apparent why it's been worth playing out all of these games, even through the 25-1 losses and interminable losing streaks. Awesome. Just awesome.

Craig

[DAL 9000]

High five, Craig! Good W, and "the rather dubious feat of throwing two consecutive balls to Julio Lugo" made me laugh.

[pschwalb]

Hey Craig,

I truly enjoy reading your posts. I can count on laughing out lound with each of them. I think that the worst is over, then again I don't have to sit through every game with your "challanged" team.

Perry

[gordyhulten]

More great writing, and a big win. Maybe your guys are, in the words of the immortal Rick Sutcliffe, finally "learning how to win?"