Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty: The Pale Hose

[cknox0723]

With Rule 5 Pick Justin Jones on the mound for the final game of our series, I'm sure everybody on the bench is ready to get the bats going. Sort of like a pack of lions closing in on a wolf, I would think. Except, of course, that our lineup is about as ferocious as a hamster, so we immediately put runners at first and second and don't score. Heck, Lugo and Young don't even budge off their respective bases until the inning's in the books.

With that job well done, Jon Garland (who, coincidentally, is rated lower than Justin Jones, at least according to the "Pregame Show". East coast bias!) sets out on his own mission. Of course, his three-up, three-down inning just reminds me of DePaula's fine start yesterday. But the second inning is similar to the first for both sides, except for the fact that we don't hit the ball. Oh well. We have the top of the order again in the third, and amazingly enough, both Lugo and D.Y. lace singles -- again. No way we can screw this up again, right? Well...

RF Magglio Ordonez
Flies out to shallow left-center.

1B Frank Thomas
Base on Balls.
J. Lugo to third.
D. Young to second.

And then something you don't see every day...a passed ball, scoring Lugo. Uh, we've got the lead, I think. Mike Piazza then grounds out, scoring another run, and Joe Borchard lines out to first. It doesn't feel as if we're up two to zip.

I guess that's because we don't normally have leads, and we definitely aren't too adept at holding on to them. But we do, despite all of the hiccups and sputters and hemming and hawing from Jon Garland. To wit: He walks the bases loaded in the fourth (all with two outs, by the way) and is only saved when the pitcher Justin Jones grounds out to short. But at least he's holding down the fort.

Some backup comes in the form of Dmitri Young in the top of the fifth, when he leads off the inning by looping a liner into left field, and unlike most of our primadonnas, hustles the entire way. After Rondell White bobbles and botches the ball a few times, his wild throw can't prevent D.Y. from taking second. He moves up on a Magglio Ordonez ground ball and scores on a ground out to short by The Big Hurt. Who says that our old, slow, generally clumsy team can't manufacture runs?

That brings us to the bottom of the fifth, and I'm painfully aware that it's the same inning where things went into the crapper for Jorge DePaula yesterday, so in all my brilliance, I get both Mr. Zero and The Kiko-Man loosening up. But Garland sets the top of the Tiger order down in, well, order, with the only possible worry a shot to the fence by Nook Logan that nestled into a nook in the glove of Magglio Ordonez.

So I've still got that in my head (see how well this flows?) when the pitcher's slot is due up with two outs and (surprise!) no one on base. I figure that Brad Fullmer would probably just ground out, so I let Garland take his hacks and he fouls out. That's a little weird, but I let it slide. It's tougher to let doubles by Pudge slide, but Garland had just struck out Rondell White. I take a deep breath, leave him in to pitch to left-handed Carlos Pena, and watch as Garland gets a tapper right back to him. Five pitches after that, Junior Spivey, too, has bounced out, and that's all for the sixth.

In the seventh, Julio Lugo (what in the heck has gotten into him?) raps a single, and after The Italian Stallion robs D.Y. of his fourth hit, Mags is intentionally walked. That's the last batter for the 21 year old Rule 5 selection Jones, who sees Franklyn German and his electric stuff trot in from the bullpen. But The Live Wire is crackling, and walks The Big Hurt on four pitches. Of course, he then makes Mike Piazza look silly on a 2-2 split-finger, which puts everything squarely on The Best Quarterback in Chicago.

"And this could be the turning point of the game right here. Three balls, two strikes, two outs here in the top of the seventh, and the bases are full of White Sox. Lugo at third, Ordonez at second, and Frank Thomas is at first. Joe Borchard waves the bat around as Franklyn German stares in. The Dominican native tugs on his cap and comes to the set. He kicks up his leg and fires a fastball right on the...NO! It's called ball four by home plate umpire Tim Welke, and that will force in a run to make it four to nothing in favor of the White Sox!"

Joe Crede flies out, and the damage isn't too bad, but a 4-0 hole is a pretty tough task against the vaunted White Sox bullpen.

OK, just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. But much as I didn't want it to come down to the bullpen, it has to, because Garland is obviously gassed after the seventh inning stretch, giving up singles to The Italian Stallion and somebody named Wilton Reynolds. That leads me to beckon Shingo Takatsu from the 'pen, and he quickly gets Reed Johnson to fly to left, Nook Logan to meekly pop up to first, and Adrian Beltre (who's hitting near .100, by the way) to bounce to second. Fear not, mere mortals, Mr. Zero is here to save the day!

And more or less, that's what he did, because Kiko Calero is lights-out in the eighth, and we put the game away in the top of the ninth by scoring a whole bunch of runs off of the dregs of the Detroit bullpen. We eventually cobble together three outs in the bottom half, and now we know what it's like to win a series.

CHW 8 DET 1

WP: J. Garland (1-0) - 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K
LP: J. Jones (0-1) - 6.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K

Game Ball Goes To... Garland, who might actually make me think he's decent if he keeps pitching like this. Plenty of good hitting performances as well, and a sharp contrast to yesterday's sh*tstorm. That's the beauty of baseball.

Craig

[Vris]

wow.....Chicago wins a series.....when will they win The Series? Only time will tell....



And The Hacktastic One is doing too well. I think it's time to bench him. Who needs a shortstop anyway?

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by Vris
wow.....Chicago wins a series.....when will they win The Series? Only time will tell....

And The Hacktastic One is doing too well. I think it's time to bench him. Who needs a shortstop anyway?

The Series? Pfft...this year, I'm telling ya...

I don't know what the heck has gotten into Lugo and Uribe. I actually got a trade offer from the AI to get us a second baseman. It was the Angels, offering Adam Kennedy, and all they wanted in return was A-ball "prospect" Rob Valido (who hit about .240 last year). Kennedy isn't much, and he'd actually be a worse option than either of the dynamic duo, at least the way they're playing right now.

But Frank Thomas? A whole 'nother story.

Craig

[Vris]

I couldn't bear to see this on the second page. Just a friendly *bump* so we can get an update on the South Siders. (Or is it North Siders? I actually have no idea what side of the city they play on. And they call me a baseball fan.....)

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by Vris
I couldn't bear to see this on the second page. Just a friendly *bump* so we can get an update on the South Siders. (Or is it North Siders? I actually have no idea what side of the city they play on. And they call me a baseball fan.....)

Thanks for the bump, Vris - I've had some things on my plate recently, but I think they're cleared and I should be able to get back to a more normal schedule for these updates. Which is great for everyone, of course!

And I think we play on the South Side...well, I remember typing that in one of the reports, so I sure hope so.

Should have an update or two coming tonight...

Craig

[cknox0723]

Hey, the schedule makers must have decided to reward us after that long, rough series in Detroit, because we've got an off day. Good thing, too, since our pitching's shot and Mike Piazza's tired. So while everyone on our club takes a nice, long nap (yeah, right!), I get a chance to catch up with the rest of the league.

Back on April 4th, in his second game of the year, The Man That Makes A Fella Proud To Be An Astro hit his 500th career home run. Take this career , add two more years of 2003-type numbers, and you've got Bagpipes as his career has played out in our little alternate reality. As the game's news story has it, Bagwell is a "lock for the Hall one day", or something similar. I can't disagree, since he had a 5-6 year peak in the mid-90's where he was one of the top 2-3 hitters in the game. But is it the 500 homers that makes him (or anyone) a lock? Considering this era, I don't think so - it's not easy for anyone to hit 500 home runs, even if they're in Coors Field, but there has to be some distinction between a long, above-average career and a HOF'er. Even looking at the career of another 500-homer guy like Fred McGriff, whose peak wasn't really in the 'Roids Era (as the 90's will ultimately be misnomered), that's not an inner circle Hall of Famer, even considering all of the long balls. Jeff Bagwell has much more than a bunch of home runs - he is a Hall of Famer because his career OBP is over .400 and his isolated power was over .250, not because he reached some magic number of home runs.

Remember those crazy Indians, who signed a whole bunch of guys that used to play for us? Well, on the 5th, they traded one of them away. Paul Konerko was apparently expendable since the Clevelanders still had Ben Broussard kicking around. While this begs the question of why they signed him in the first place, the short answer is that of course they knew that they could get goodies from the Giants after that club realized that Rule 5 Pick Graham Koonce was not the answer. The loot for Konerko was overpaid but talented reliever Brian Meadows and apparently timid prospect Matt Cain. Meadows will help a shaky bullpen, even though I don't quite comprehend why he'd ever be making over $6 million, and I like Cain, who's posted an aggregate ERA of about 3.00 at AA the past few years and is still just 21 years old. The Indians, who are off to a strong 7-2 start, might just win the division since this trade addresses their biggest weakness. But they're also limiting themselves greatly, and probably won't be able to add much payroll down the stretch this year or even in the offseason.

Seattle has the league's fourth highest payroll, so it makes sense that they'd be trying to cut whatever payroll they can. But in the process, they're absolutely destroying their depth, specifically in the infield. First it was Willie Bloomquist that was cut, and on the 10th, it was Scott Speizio. They're down to Ramon Santiago and three or four guys below replacement-level, including one on their major-league roster in (Michael "I Have A Famous Brother" Garciaparra). If, for example, 37 year old injury-prone Bret Boone were to go down for an extended period of time, they'd be in a real bind. Guys like Bloomquist and Spiezio won't win you any pennants, but not having anyone like them could lose you one, and Bill Bavasi and Co. don't seem to see that. But the M's are 9-0, so maybe I'm just talking out of my rear.

We arrive in Maryland to commence a three-game set with the Orioles shortly after learning that Cleveland, Kansas City, and Detroit all lost. Sweeet...only 2.5 games back. And the Orioles are pretty lousy, too - a decent pitching staff led by the likes of Erik Bedard, Mo Rivera, and Bartolo Colon, but nothing much in the hitting department. In fact, they're hitting a league-worst .213 as of this writing, and only have 8 home runs, so they're not a bunch of take-and-rake hitters. The best of the lot include the usual suspects in Tejada and Javy as well as... Karim Garcia and Carl Crawford, I guess. No wonder they're 1-9...it's this year's team, but two years ahead of time. It's that basic Orioles rebuilding disaster.

Craig

[cknox0723]

A day off means that we're back to the top of the rotation, right? Well, not quite. Mark Buerhle's last start wasn't great (5 IP, 13 baserunners, 5 R), and he has already had some shoulder stiffness crop up, so despite being fully tested and ready...err, rested...he won't pitch until tomorrow. For today, we throw Nate Cornejo to the lions, and while the Orioles' lineup isn't too scary, his counterpart on the mound, Erik Bedard, is, at least somewhat. So I don't expect too much from today, but I also won't think playoffs if we win. It's just one game, right?

That's the prevailing thought as we strand Magglio Ordonez at second in the first inning. To be more precise, that's the prevailing thought as Frank Thomas, who's pushing the Beltre Line (a .100 batting average), strands Magglio by grounding out to short. But Nate the Great gets through the first fine. There's a long rain delay in the middle of our half of the second, but neither Cornejo nor Bedard immediately look much worse for the wear. Eventually, though, that delay is bound to wreack havoc, and its effects begin to show in the bottom of the third. Perhaps, though, it's just Nate Cornejo's general lack of talent. Whatever the reasons may be, a Javy Lopez double followed by yet anothererror by The Festering Suck give the Orioles a real big threat. The pitcher Bedard sacrifices, and that puts runners at second and third for the top of the order. I decide to pitch to their leadoff hitter, Brian Roberts, who's under the Mendoza Line. Whoops - sample size. He lines a two-run single to left-center, and we're in a hole. It strikes me that it might be a hole that we can't dig out of.

We're not, but it's not a surprise, since we've got two guys in the lineup hitting above .250. Fittingly, Dmitri Young and Magglio Ordonez are our only batters with base knocks through five. The Orioles only have a few more hits, but Nate Cornejo has also issued a bunch of free passes. He collapses again in the fifth, but strikes out Carl Crawford and induces a bouncer off the bat of Brian Daubach to escape a huge threat with only one runner crossing the plate.

Cornejo is lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth, but nothing comes of that. Jon Adkins pitches a strong sixth, and it looks like one of our typical rallies when Magpipes leads off the seventh with a double. But three fly balls later, Erik Bedard has pitched his way out of trouble.

Adkins gives up Miggy Tejada's first homer of the year in the seventh, and we're down 4. In the eighth, the bottom of the order is due up, and I just want to get through the inning without anyone breaking an ankle. But Juan Uribe actually manages to get on base, albeit due to an error by the pitcher Bedard. Then resident poet laureate c.f. chen pinch-hits, mostly because he's right-handed whereas Jeremy Reed is not. Somehow, he walks, but that brings up Julio Lugo. Without a suitable pinch-hitter, I'm forced to let the bum hit. Thankfully, incredibly, he doesn't hit into an inning-ending double play. Instead, he flies out. But we've only got one out left to burn in the inning, and D.Y. is due to have a bad AB once in a while. The regression to the mean happens here, as he fouls out, and that fouls up whatever chance we might have had. The southpaw dominates us in the ninth, capping off his shutout with successive strikeouts of formerly good players in Frank Thomas and Mike Piazza. What did I say about the Orioles being 1-9?

CHW 0 BAL 4

WP: E. Bedard (1-1) - CG shutout, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, Game Score of 83
LP: N. Cornejo (0-2) - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

Game Ball Goes To... I normally give this to a hitter because they don't get called "winners" and "losers" and therefore normally don't get their stats printed in my reports, but Erik Bedard was absolutely dominant. As expected,the Orioles didn't hit much, so it was on Bedard's shoulders to get his team their second 'W'. Since we managed all of six baserunners, I'd say he did his job.

Craig

[NYJuggalo45]

when you said Eric Bedard was scary in the pre-game I thought you were joking, since he never progresses to a back of the rotation starter in any of my sims. But then he goes out and throws a CG shutout, and you look like a fortune teller.
i know its very early, but is there anyone down on AAA who is close to being ready to give the offense a shot in the arm

[Vris]

I like the off-day report. It's good to know what else is happening in the rest of the league. Bagwell has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, just a pure hitter's hitter.

It also looks like Thomas and Piazza are, well, done. Without much of a future, it would be my suggestion to dump them on their sorry behinds and focus on what should be a bright future (or at least that is what we all hope).

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by NYJuggalo45
when you said Eric Bedard was scary in the pre-game I thought you were joking, since he never progresses to a back of the rotation starter in any of my sims. But then he goes out and throws a CG shutout, and you look like a fortune teller.
i know its very early, but is there anyone down on AAA who is close to being ready to give the offense a shot in the arm

Bedard has developed pretty nicely - ERA under 3.00 in AAA in 2004 which gave him a shiny 12-5 record, and then a decent rookie year last year - 4.26 ERA, over 200 innings (lousy 7-15 record - guess he forgot how to win over the offseason ). He's nothing great, even though the scouting report lists calls him "very consistent", but as long as he has a decent defense, he should be serviceable.

Clint King or Brian Anderson are the best prospects we have in AAA, but they're outfielders and are more tools guys than anything. King is hitting .419 down in Charlotte, so he'll certainly be up at some point, but I don't hold a lot of hope in either one. I've been exploring the possibility of trading some lower-level prospects (Ryan Sweeney, specifically) for someone who can hit a little, even if it's only for some depth at AAA.

Craig

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by Vris
I like the off-day report. It's good to know what else is happening in the rest of the league. Bagwell has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, just a pure hitter's hitter.

It also looks like Thomas and Piazza are, well, done. Without much of a future, it would be my suggestion to dump them on their sorry behinds and focus on what should be a bright future (or at least that is what we all hope).

Glad you liked the writing about the off-day. I didn't want to cut-and-paste anything - it always seems very clunky to me - so I just wrote about what I thought was interesting. I didn't mean for it to get quite as long as it did, but que sera...sera.

Thomas and Piazza are making things very hard for me. Having them in the middle of the order is killing off a lot of rallies, but there aren't many guys I can move up. Heck, there aren't even many options to replace them - Olivo would be Piazza without the rare home run (though admittedly with a better arm), and my best option to replace Thomas would be Brad Fullmer, who's 0-8 in pinch-hitting duty. And there's nothing in the minors, either. At least there are some options out there on the trade market - without that, we'd be in a whole lot of trouble.

Craig

[cknox0723]

Remember how Jack Cust, the stathead favorite, had a bunch of hits against us much like the rest of the Anaheim lineup? Well, Cust started off and actually remained with Baltimore until the trading deadline last season, where he was dealt for today's starting pitcher, Bartolo Colon. There's not much I can say about Colon except that he's a svelte 225 pounds and most of that is due to a fondness for eating innings. Mark Buerhle's chances to avoid his third consecutive loss don't look too promising...but it's the Orioles. They're 2-9 for a reason, right?

I guess so. But whatever that reason is, they're not showing it. The Svelte One makes short work of the top of our lineup in the first, and Melvin Mora cracks a double to make things happen for the O's. A Miguel Tejada sacrifice fly brings him home two batters later, and Baltimore quickly has a one-zip lead.

We're definitely in one of our funks, as we're hitless through three. Meanwhile, Mark Buerhle gets into a heap of trouble in the bottom half of the third frame, putting runners at the corners for the cleanup hitter. Thankfully, the cleanup hitter is Greg Colbrunn (really? he's still kicking around?), and he stares at strike three. That's why Buerhle's the ace, folks.

In the fourth, Brad Fullmer ends Colon's no-hit bid as well as his own bid to go hitless for the season. But we get nothing out of it, and it seems for a next few innings that Buerhle is going to get another hard-luck loss. But that doesn't account for the benefits of hacking away.

"One out here in the sixth, and the right-handed Julio Lugo marches in to face Colon. Lugo has been one of just two Chicago baserunners today, reaching on an error in the first. Colon arches his back and finally stares in. The big Dominican nods, and here's the offering...and Lugo swings and drives a high flyball to deep right-center. Back goes Garcia...to the track...that ball is really carrying...to the wall...he leaps...and it's outta here! The wind carries the Julio Lugo fly ball over the fence for his second home run of the year, and we're all tied up at one."

D.Y. then marches up and lines a sizzling single back up the middle to raise his batting average to a league-leading .442, but Magglio Ordonez hits a tailor-made double play ball. I guess even a guy worthy of being appellated Magpipes can have an off day. But at least we're tied.

And it stays that way for quite some time, as Buerhle retires seven in a row through the middle frames. But come the eighth inning, his pitch count is up over 100, and he's second due up in the order, so I reluctantly get the bullpen up and ready. Meanwhile, I'm hoping The Aliens That Inhabit Juan Uribe can get themselves together enough to get on base for Jeremy Reed to have a chance to drive the lead run home. Um, here's to hoping...

"So the Venezuelan right-hander Jorge Julio is still having some trouble adapting to working the earlier innings, and tonight is no exception, as the former O's closer has fallen behind three-and-one to the young eighth place hitter for Chicago, Juan Uribe. Julio sets on the rubber and begins the delivery...here's the pitch...fastball, and it is crushed to dead center! Crawford stops near the wall and can only look up and admire that one! Juan Uribe emphatically hits his first home run of the year, and the White Sox have a 2-1 lead!"

Surprisingly enough, Julio then makes quick work of Jeremy Reed and Julio Lugo. And yes, I know, the latter flying out is not a surprise, but he does have two home runs this year! Anyhow, D.Y. then doubles into the gap, but Magglio Ordonez continues a horrific game by grounding out to strand his third runner. It seems like more, though.

Japanese superhero Shingo Takatsu comes in, and quickly retires Tejada and Colbrunn, the latter continuing an ineptitude only previously seen by someone called The Big Hurt. Javy Lopez then gives the ball a nice ride, but it nestles in Magglio Ordonez's glove some 300 feet from home plate, and we're three outs away.

Jorge Julio has really settled down after Juan Uribe (???) embarassed him, and that continues through the top of the ninth. So the Orioles have last licks, and I don't know what the heck to do (so much for my vaunted managerial skills!). We need a relief ace to call on for these situations, but we don't have one! The Orioles pinch-hit Brian Roberts to start off the ninth. Flummoxed, I summon P.J. Bevis from the bullpen, mostly because I want him to get another save. Base hit. Crap. Up steps Karim Garcia. I strongly consider going to Kiko Calero, who is supposedly stronger against lefties. But instead I chew on my nails as the count runs to two and two. Then...whoosh, 91 mile an hour heat, strike three. Next is left-handed Larry Bigbie. Again, I think about doing something, but don't. And again...a sizzling mediocre fastball that goes for strike three. Interesting. That brings up the pitcher's slot, and Lee Mazzilli calls on Carlos Guillen, whose stats don't look too good. But it's a 1-1 count when the action happens, so of course I worry. But Guillen stays true to the predictive nature of statistics and hits a can of corn to Joe Borchard. Continuing the onomatopoeia...Bang! The door has been slammed shut.

CHW 2 BAL 1

WP: M. Buerhle (1-2) - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 107 pitches, Game Score of 70
LP: J. Julio (0-2) - 2 innings of dominance, save one pitch
S: P.J. Bevis (3) - 1 high-leverage inning, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts

Game Ball Goes To... Who else could it be but Juan Uribe? Never thought I'd be typing those words... In his unique, blundering fashion, he struck out twice and would've made an error but for a favorable scoring decision (in other words, his typical game), but did he ever redeem himself.

Craig

[Vris]

And the Aliens come through. Wow. Your middle infield is really starting to...dare I say?...come together? Both homered, and the vaunted White Sox bullpen came through in the clutch. A very good game for a young manager. You gotta love winning those nailbiters.

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by Vris
And the Aliens come through. Wow. Your middle infield is really starting to...dare I say?...come together? Both homered, and the vaunted White Sox bullpen came through in the clutch. A very good game for a young manager. You gotta love winning those nailbiters.

I agree - it was a fantastic win. It almost makes it worth putting up with those 10-2 losses that we'll see weekly. It's shocking that almost every one of our supposed weak links - the 'pen, the middle infield - contributed to the victory, and I suppose over 162 games, you'll have weird games like that, but it's so close to bordering on illogical that it makes me think that we might have something. After all, these guys can't be that bad if we can win like that, right?

Craig

[Dargone]

Great thread

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by Dargone
Great thread

Even moreso now that you've commented, Mr. Dargone - thanks very much.

Standing between us and a .500 record is Sir Sidney Ponson. He's not a bad pitcher, but has had a rough year thus far - 3 losses in his first eleven innings pitched. He's never been a big strikeout guy, either, but he's due for a good outing. Come to think of it, so is the Baltimore lineup, and Lee Mazzilli's doing just about anything to shake it up. Today, Miguel Tejada is riding the pine and Carlos Guillen is playing short. Oh, and Carl Crawford, who set a career high with 9 home runs last year, is batting cleanup. I don't get it, but think about our lineup for a second. Doesn't make much sense, either, and that's not the AI.

This seems like one of those games that'll remind us that we are, in fact, just another team, and that's only reaffirmed by Jeremy Reed flailing at strike three to start the game off. D.Y. taps to short, Magglio Ordonez swings and misses, and we're not off to the greatest start in the world.

But a goose egg is a goose egg, and Esteban Loaiza, now in his fourth year with our club, is certainly used to them. So the lack of run support doesn't faze him, and he gets through the bottom half of the first painlessly enough. However, the same can't be said for the second inning. After we go down in order, Greg Colbrunn unloads on a 2-1 changeup, and it clears the left field wall. It really is, as the game's version of Hawk Harrelson says, "incredible". But we've been due to get victimized by the Colbrunns of the world, and if this is going to be the day, so be it.

It appears it will be, as Colbrunn's solo home run is followed by a Javy Lopez double to the left-center field gap. Eventually, the O's load the bases, and Loaiza uncorks a wild pitch that scores a run. It's a pitch that further reaffirms what the constant 3-2 counts didn't - Loaiza's normally stellar control isn't there. His veteran presence still is, and he somehow manages to escape the inning with just one more run scoring. It's easy to attribute that to the Orioles' lack of talent, though, and a 3-0 deficit isn't exactly beans, either.

But as always, things start to move towards normalcy. Loaiza gets through a rocky third inning and settles down after that. Concurrently, we end Ponson's no-hit bid, though any chance for a run in that inning (the fourth) is curtailed when Javy Lopez throws out Jeremy Reed trying to steal. In the fifth, we even threaten, putting two runners on with one out. But I can only watch helplessly as Joe Crede and Juan Uribe hit harmless ground balls to quash our chance at runs. Same situation, different faces in the sixth, as Loaiza of all people leads off with a single, but Jeremy Reed of all people hits into a double play. In the seventh, it's Mike Piazza doing the honors and ripping out my heart. By this time, I'm despondent, and so I leave Loaiza out there in the seventh to give up a hail of hard-hit shots. But he induces Jay Gibbons to tap a grounder to second with one out and runners at the corners. Inning-ending double play, right? Nope, Julio Lugo bobbles the feed from Juan Uribe and can't turn two, so the run scores. After Loaiza loads the bases, Jon Adkins comes in and gives up a two-run single to Carl Crawford. He gets out of it right after that, but now it's 6-0. Have we scored six runs in a game yet this year?

Probably - but in two innings? Well, that's about as likely as Joe Crede hitting a home run. Except...

"One out here in the eighth, and the right-hander Woodard, working his first inning, winds and deals to right-handed hitting Joe Crede. And it's a high fastball, swung on and belted to right! Back goes Gibbons, he's at the wall, he leaps...and that ball is...over his glove and out of the ballpark! A solo shot for Joe Crede, his first of the year, and the Sox are on the board - it's six to one!"

Juan Uribe then gets a base-hit, and that brings up the pitcher's spot. I bring in our only decent bat on the bench (since Reed is starting) in Brad Fullmer, fully expecting the old, slow positionless one to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. But he singles, and that brings up Mr. Clutch. But he flies out, and D.Y. hits a ground ball, and the ninth inning is only a formality. Like I've said - this is just another dynasty about your garden-variety lousy team. Doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it - just that some games are more fun than others.

CHW 1 BAL 6

WP: S. Ponson (1-3) - 7 shutout innings, game score of 71
LP: E. Loaiza (1-2) - 6.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 120 pitches

Game Ball Goes To... Ponson, mostly because the Orioles really dinked and dunked their way to six runs. Trust me, it's not a huge deal to shut us out. Everyone that's asked about offensive help? It's time to find some.

Craig

[NYJuggalo45]

glad your gonna address the offenseive woes of the chisox. despite the losing, glad to see your stilll doing exellent posts.

quick question....if the team is really out of it later in the year, are you still doing game-by-game or will you start simming chunks of the season

[cknox0723]

Originally posted by NYJuggalo45
quick question....if the team is really out of it later in the year, are you still doing game-by-game or will you start simming chunks of the season

Excellent question - I'm curious as to what you (and anyone else) would prefer to see - I like playing the games out one by one, but when the time comes, it would probably be best to not die a slow, painful death. Hopefully, though, I wouldn't have to make that decision.

Craig

[cknox0723]

It's Monday, April 17th, and we're 5-7. You know what our Pythagorean record is? 3-9. This is either a sign of my genius or our impending doom. You decide which.

It seems that many people have found the AI to be rather not-so-stellar after the recent 6.02a patch. But I haven't seen it. Immediately following my installation of the patch, there were a flurry of roster moves, and since I've only moved about three or four days in the game since that time, I imagine there are still more to come. But it hasn't been anything that seems out of the ordinary. In fact, Jim Hendry would probably be proud.

I'm much more rational now than I was immediately after that pivotal loss to Baltimore. But all threats aside, the offense does need to be improved, and the best place for it would be at the infield corners. I'll start giving more serious consideration to playing Brad Fullmer more, and the possibility is still there to slide Dmitri Young in at third base. It'd kill our defense, but it still might be worth it. Of course, I'm more likely to wait than anything. It's just my nature.

You know that typical spiel about how "every game counts the same in the standings"? Does the same go for a series against a team? For example, we're now heading home to face the division-leading Cleveland Indians. Were this September, and we the same 2.5 games back (yeah, that's gonna happen!), it'd be called "do-or-die" or whatever. I'm not sure what I believe about the veracity of that, but I do feel that this is an important series for us, even though it's April. Let's face it, Cleveland is hitting .232 as a team and they've got a bunch of young pitchers. They're obviously not clutch enough, and I think we can take 'em. I sure hope so - I wouldn't want to be 5-10 or something after this series, because that'd pretty much shoot down my pipe dream of winning the division. And I'd rather my dreams not be dashed until at least page 10. You know, creative inspiration and all that.

Craig

[cknox0723]

It's good to be home. But it's not quite as good when you're greeted by an opposing starter who won 16 games last year, especially when that starter has "every tool needed to be a number one starter". But that's what we've got facing Cliff Bartosh, so we'll need to bring the lumber today. Realizing that, I hand the catcher's mask to Miguel Olivo. Piazza could use a rest, right?

Regardless of the catcher, Jorge DePaula is simply who he is, with all the caveats that apply. So when he gets into and out of trouble in the first, I know that it's just a matter of time, no matter how foolish he makes the bottom of the Cleveland lineup look. So Jody Gerut's RBI double in the fourth (preceded by Kenny Lofton's second hit, a single) isn't really a surprise. What does surprise me is the ease with which he proceeds, really settling in afterward. I've got enough confidence to leave him in when his spot comes up in the bottom of the fifth (he flies out), and DePaula rewards my faith with a strong sixth inning. But the top of our order can't capitalize on a leadoff single by The Hacktastic One, and both DePaula and Bartosh continue to carve apart their opponent's lineup in their own unique way. For Bartosh, his excellent control leads him to ground out after frustrating ground out, and DePaula, for once, has his tricky change-of-pace pitch working, lending well to the off-balance pop-up or ground out to second base.

In the eighth, with my hope waning and the score still 1-0, the bottom of our order is due up. Miguel Olivo, starting strictly for his lefty-mashing abilities, grounds out. And as Juan Uribe lines a base hit, I call on another lefty-masher, Brian Buchanan. But something in me says, "Uh oh...double play time", and I call for the hit-and-run on a whim. Of course, Buchanan swings and misses and Uribe is gunned out by Josh Bard. Some big brain I have, huh? There goes our shot at a rally...

"Two balls and one strike on the pinch-hitter Brian Buchanan. Bartosh, with the bases empty, can now go to the full wind, and here's the big leg kick and the pitch...and it's lined down the left field line! It's a fair ball and it'll roll all the way into the corner! Buchanan will breeze into second with a stand-up double, and the White Sox have the tying run at second with two outs!"

Still, this brought up Julio Lugo with two outs. No way he could get a hit, right?

"Bartosh looks like he's tiring - he's fallen behind three consecutive hitters, and though there are two outs, he's flirting with danger. The count is three and one to Julio Lugo, and Brian Buchanan is on second. There's a smattering of boos from the hometown crowd as Bartosh steps off the mound to wipe the sweat off his brow, but now he's ready. He nods at Josh Bard's signal, and toes the rubber. And here's the 3-1...fastball, lined into right-center field! And that's a base hit! Buchanan rounds third and he will score without a throw! The Sox get two consecutive hits with two outs, and the Julio Lugo single ties the game at one!"

Next came Dmitri Young, who's been the team's best hitter this year, but mired in an 0-7 slump. Notice the past tense?

"An excellent at-bat for Dmitri Young, as he's worked Bartosh to a full count over ten pitches. He steps out for a moment and rubs his ungloved hands in the dirt just in front of home plate. Now he steps in to the encouragement of third-base coach Dan Pasqua, and Bartosh glares in at him. Here comes the 3-2 payoff pitch...off goes Lugo...and it's swung on and ripped into the left-center field gap! That will roll all the way to...no, what a great play by Ryan Ludwick to cut the ball off! But his throw to second will be much too late to get the hustling Young, and Lugo, off with the crack of the bat, scores easily! It's a ribbie double for Dmitri Young, and the White Sox have their first lead of the game, 2-1!"

Unfortunately, Magglio Ordonez ends the inning with a ground ball to third. But we have the lead, something that would have seemed impossible to me before the start of the inning, what with Bartosh rolling along like he was. I'm surprised they stuck with him, but the Indians' strength isn't really their bullpen. Anyway, now that we've got this lead, we've got to preserve it. Piece of cake, right?

Well...Kiko Calero comes in to protect the one-run lead in the ninth, but walks leadoff hitter Jody Gerut on just five pitches to bring the lead run to the plate. Eric Wedge calls on Ray Durham to pinch-run, and I'm starting to think that I maybe should have gone to P.J. Bevis. Too late now, but as Calero falls quickly behind Ben Broussard, I'm wondering what I could have possibly been thinking.

"And that high fastball is taken by Broussard for ball three, and Olivo calls time and jogs out to the mound to speak to Calero. He says a few words, pats him on the butt, and proceeds back to the catcher's box. Olivo drops a few fingers, Calero squints in and nods, and Broussard digs in. Here comes the 3-0 pitch, Broussard swings and hits a screaming ground ball...right at Lugo, who gloves it cleanly and flips it to secon