Mike Hessman in his Toledo Mud Hens uniform the all time Minor League Home Run King victimized Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta (James Venes photo 2007)
The Norfolk Tides have dropped their last four consecutive games on their northern road trip. After the last two games of their series against Syracuse including the heartbreaking 2-1 loss on Thursday the Tides have lost two more this time to the Buffalo Bisons the AAA affiliate of the Tides former parent club the New York Mets. With cool weather and blustery winds the two teams faced off at Coca Cola Field and the Bisons took both Friday and Saturday’s games with Mike Hessman the all time minor league home run king victimizing Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta for his 11th and 12th home runs of the season.
On Friday night in front of 5729 with temperatures in the 50s and winds blowing 17 miles an hour the Tides started Chris Tillman (3-4 3.83) who as of late has done quite well. Friday was a different matter. Tillman allowed 5 runs 4 of which were earned runs on 8 hits including two home runs in six innings work. The damage started in the third inning when Tillman allowed a single to Alex Cintron who went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Tejada. Tillman struck out Jason Pridie but then balked which allowed Pridie to advance to third. Jesus Feliciano then bunted for a single to score Pridie before Tillman got out of the inning getting Mike Jacobs to fly out to right fielder Blake Davis.
The Bisons added three more in the 4th inning beginning with Mike Hessman hitting a home run to left to lead off the inning. Valentino Pascucci then popped out and Tillman walked Russ Adams. J R House a former member of the Tides from 2007 who was just signed by the Mets to a minor league contract after playing with the Astros and the Astros organization singled Adams to second. Alex Cintron grounded to Brandon Snyder at first which Snyder misplayed allowing Adams to score and House to advance to third. Meanwhile Cintron attempted to stretch his good fortune but was thrown out at second by right fielder Blake Davis who had fielded the ball after it got away from Snyder. Ruben Tejada then singled to score House before Tillman retired Jason Pridie on a pop up to Justin Turner at second.
The Tides came back to score 3 runs in the top of the 5th. Blake Davis singled to center and went to second on a passed ball. Robert Andino grounded out to second moving Davis to third. Catcher Michel Hernandez grounded out for the second out and Davis had to remain at third. With two out Joey Gathright reached on an error by second baseman Alex Cintron and Davis scored. Gathright then stole second and was driven in by Justin Turner who singled to center. Jeff Salazar then singled to right and Turner went to third. Josh Bell singled to score Turner before Nolan Reimold in his first game with the Tides since being optioned by Baltimore to Norfolk grounded into a force play to end the inning.
It seemed that the Tides were back in the game and that their dormant bats were alive again. However in the bottom of the 6th inning Valentino Pascucci hit a leadoff home run to increase the lead to 5-3. This was not an insurmountable lead but the Tides managed just one more hit the rest of the game going down in order in the 7th and 8th innings and only managing the hit, a single by pinch hitter Michael Aubrey with two outs in the top of the 9th.
In the end the Tides had 3 runs on 9 hits and allowed an error the Bisons 5 runs on 11 hits and 1 error. Tillman (3-4 3.83) got the loss and knuckleballer R A Dickey (4-2 2.23) got the win for the Bisons.
The Tides fared worse on Saturday. Today the Tides would scatter just four hits and only get one runner into scoring position and were shut out by the Bisons 4-0. Jake Arietta (3-2 2.20) took the hill for the Tides going up against Pat Misch (3-0 3.30). Arietta gave up a run in the 1st inning when Mike Hessman who had victimized Chris Tillman on Friday singled to drive in Jesus Feliciano. The Bisons scored another run in the bottom of the 2nd inning after Arietta walked Andy Green to start the inning and Green advanced to third on a single by Ruben Tejada. He would score on a ground ball by Jason Pridie. In the bottom of the third the Bisons scored again when Mike Hessman homered to lead off the inning. Hessman was drafted by the Braves in 1996 and has played 15 years in the minors 9 years at the AAA level getting to the majors in only four seasons for a total of 77 games hitting 13 home runs. Hessman is interesting, he played on the 2008 Bronze Medal US Olympic team has hit 323 home runs in the minor leagues and holds the minor league record for home runs. The shot in the 3rd inning was his 12th of this season.
The Bisons added a final run in the bottom of the 6th inning when Andy Green homered off Arietta. Even though Pedro Viola and Denis Sarfate held the Bisons to no more runs once again the Tides could manage no offense and they fell to the Bisons by the score of 4-0. The Tides final line was 0 runs on 4 hits with one error, the Bisons 4 runs on 5 hits and no errors. With the loss the Tides drop to 15-22 having lost five of the first six games of the northern road trip and into the cellar of the IL South. The Tides and Bisons will square off Sunday afternoon. The pitchers are not announced but the number three man in the Tides rotation Chris George was placed on the seven day DL which could move Troy Patton up in the rotation as the Tides have no real starters in the bullpen. Short reliever Jim Miller was brought back up from Aberdeen.
Up in Baltimore the Orioles who had won their last three games relearned the hard lesson that you have to get 27 outs to win the game. The O’s blew a 2-0 lead to the Cleveland Indians in the 9th inning with Alfredo Simon and Cla Meredith each allowing four runs in an 8 run rally once again denying Brian Matusz his first win of the season.
Peace
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Batlimore Orioles, norfolk tides
“You got to get twenty-seven outs to win.” Casey Stengel
“You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You’ve got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.” Earl Weaver
Corey Patterson seen here with the Norfolk Tides hit his 1st Home run as a Oriole
Brandon Erbe must wonder what is going on. The young prospect was one out from winning his first AAA game when is disappeared like a fleeting cloud on a mid-summer day. However it was not mid-summer and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky when Erbe watched his victory evaporate with two outs in the bottom of the 9th at Alliance Bank Field in Syracuse.
Erbe had pitched his best game of the season. He allowed no runs giving up no hits and 4 walks in 7 innings work. Kam Mickolio came on in relief and had another strong outing and then closer Frank Mata who has been has been solid in relief blew the save and lost the game after getting the first two batters that he faced in the bottom of the 9th out.
The game was a pitcher’s duel all the way. Syracuse starter Andrew Kown went 6.2 innings giving up one run on seven hits. Had it not been for the Chiefs’ two out comeback in the bottom of the 9th he would have taken the loss. Instead he was off the hook got a no decision instead and Jason Bergmann in relief got the win.
Michael Aubrey seen in 2009 had a double and scored the Tides only run
The Tides went ahead in the top of the 5th when Michael Aubrey led off with a double, advanced to second on a ground out by Robert Andino and scored when Michel Hernandez singled. The Tides loaded the bases in the top of the 7th and could not score and left a runner on in each of the 8th and 9th innings.
Usually reliable Frank Mata blew the save and lost the game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th
In the bottom of the 9th Frank Mata who has been almost lights out each time he has come into a game retired the first two batters. With two outs Chris Duncan a .244 hitter batting in the 7th position singled. Eric Bruntlett the third baseman a .219 hitter smacked a triple to right which scored Duncan to tie the game and blow the save. With one out and the runner on third and Mata facing catcher Deven Ivany the unthinkable happened. Mata threw the first pitch in the dirt past Michel Hernandez who could not stop it and Brunlett scored easily giving the Chiefs’ the victory.
It was the kind of loss that tears the heart out of a team, a game that by all means the Tides should have won was lost on two hits by marginal hitters and a bad pitch by a solid closer. For Erbe who has had nothing but trouble this year it seemed that he would have his first win after pitching his best game. Instead of getting a 1-0 win the Tides went down to defeat by a score of 2-1. The Tides had 1 run on 8 hits with 1 error and left 9 men on base. The Chiefs who looked like they were going down in defeat got to celebrate the victory with 2 runs on 6 hits and no errors while stranding seven.
The Chiefs take the series 3 games to one and the Tides travel tonight to Buffalo where they will play the team that used to be the Tides, the New York Mets AAA affiliate the Buffalo Bisons with Chris Tillman (3-3 3.49) going up against Bisons’ knuckleballer R A Dickey (3-2 2.56).
Up in Baltimore the Orioles won their series against the Seattle Mariners by a score of 6-5 doing something that they have not been able to do in a long time by coming back from a four run deficit in the top of the 8th. With recently promoted former Tides outfielder Corey Patterson starting the inning with a solo home run and Luke Scott slammed a grand-slam giving the Orioles the lead Mark Hendrickson got the win and former Tides pitcher Alfredo Simon got his 5th save. The Orioles improve to 11 and 24 and have a two game winning streak going into their three game series at Camden Yards against the 13-9 Cleveland Indians.
Until tomorrow all the best,
Peace
Padre Steve+
Filed under Loose thoughts and musings
Stephen Strasburg pitched no-hit ball for 6 innings against the Tides (AP Photo)
The Norfolk Tides and the Syracuse Chiefs met in the third game of a four game series on Wednesday night and the story was pitching, in particular the pitching of Stephen Strasburg. The high sought rookie and MLB number one draft pick made his second AAA appearance for the Syracuse Chiefs as he is prepared by the Nationals organization for his Major League debut and it was a beauty. Strasburg owned the Tides tonight and went six innings surrendering no runs and no hits, striking out seven and walking just one leaving Norfolk Tides batters wondering just what train hit them.
Strasburg also had a little help from his friends at the plate and in the bullpen. The Chiefs scored four runs in the bottom of the 5th inning and that would be more than enough to roll back the Tides on this cool, cloudy and windy night in front of 6720 fans at Alliance Bank Field on the west side of downtown Syracuse near Lake Onondaga. Drew Storen came on in the 7th inning and pitched and and a third innings giving up a single and two walks. Ron Villone came in with one out in the top of the 8th inning giving up just a hit and a walk.
The Tides started Troy Patton and with two outs in the 5th inning his game came apart. After getting Pedro Lopez to hit into a 4-6-3 double play Patton walked Justin Maxwell. Former Tides outfielder Chase Lambin singled bringing up Kevin Mench who singled to left to score Maxwell and send Lambin to third. Troy then Mike Morse walked on 4 pitches to load the bases. Josh Whitesell took the count to 3 and 1 and then tripled to clear the bases. Patton then retired Seth Bynum on a called third strike to end the inning. Denis Sarfate and Alberto Castillo pitched the final two innings for the Tides allowing no runs on no hits and only a walk surrendered by Sarfate.
The final was the Tides 0 runs on 2 hits and 1 error with 4 men left on base. The Chiefs had 4 runs on 6 hits and 1 error with 7 left on base. Patton (2-4 5.65) got the loss and Strasburg (2-0 0.00) the win. The teams play again to close out the series before most of our lunch breaks beginning at 1030 AM at Alliance Bank Field. Brandon Erbe (0-6 7.20) gets the start for the Tides and will face Andrew Kown (1-2 2.79) who will take the hill for the Chiefs.
Corey Patterson was promoted the the Orioles and singled and scored a run in his fist game with the O’s
There was a personnel move involving the Orioles and the Tides. Second Baseman Paco Figueroa was assigned to the Tides from AA Bowie while Corey Patterson who in his brief time with the Tides earned a place back on a major league roster was promoted to Baltimore and Nolan Reimold who has struggled battling a nagging heel injury that occurred in 2009 that has limited his play and effectiveness was optioned to the Tides.
Alfredo Simon got his 4th save as the Baltimore Closer after serving in a starting role at Norfolk
Meanwhile in Baltimore it was a night for former Tides pitchers. Brad Bergeson after coming back to the O’s from a brief stint with the Tides picked up his third victory in as many starts and Alfredo Simon got his fourth save. Corey Patterson singled and scored a run in his Orioles debut. The Orioles defeated the Mariners at Camden Yards by a score of 5-2.
Until tomorrow,
Peace,
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Batlimore Orioles, norfolk tides
Chris George started the game and got a no decision allowing 2 runs and 2 hits
The Norfolk Tides continued their northern adventure on Tuesday night and defeated the Syracuse Chiefs by a score of 5-3. With tempuratures in the low 50s and high 40s under cloudy skies with winds coming in out of center at 7 miles an hour the teams squared off in front of 3844 fans at Alliance Bank Field. The Tides dominated the night with pitching, particularly relief pitching allowing just three hits during the game. Chris George started the game for the Tides and pitched four innings giving up 2 runs on two hits both runs coming with two outs in the fourth inning when Mike Morse took the first pitch offered to him over the left field wall. George would come out at the end of the inning and was relieved by Armando Gabino. Gabino gave up a walk, a wild pitch and a single to start the inning and then settled down. After that it was lights out on the Chiefs who did not muster another hit during the game. Gabino gave up no more runs or hits in three innings work. Kam Mickolio came on in the 8th and sent the Chiefs down in order in his best outing since his return from Baltimore and Frank Mata got the save despite a throwing error by Robert Andino which put a runner on and a wild pitch which advanced the runner.
Brandon Snyder doubled to lead off the 4th inning and scored a run
The Tides scored two runs in the top of the second when Scott Moore walked and advanced to third on a Robert Andino single. The Tides were then helped by a Syracuse error as on a force play attempt by Chiefs’ third baseman Eric Burnett which allowed Moore to score and put Brandon Snyder on at first and Robert Andino at second. Joey Gathright who has been in a slump then came to the plate and delivered an RBI single which scored Andino.
Kam Mickolio had his best outing since returning from Baltimore
The Tides struck again for two runs in the top of the 3rd inning when Justin Turner doubled and scored when Jeff Salazar singled and advanced to third on a throwing error by Chiefs’ center fielder Justin Maxwell. Josh Bell then drove in Salazar for his 21st RBI on a fly ball to right.
Josh Bell doubled in the 8th
The Tides added an insurance run in the 8th inning when Justin Turner singled and moved to third on Josh Bell’s seventh double of the season. Turner then scored on a fielder’s choice hit to first base by Scott Moore.
The Tides had 5 runs on 9 hits and 1 error and left 6 men on base. The Chiefs had 3 runs on 3 hits but committed 2 costly errors in the loss. Armando Gabino got the win his first of the season and Frank Mata notched his 6th save. Chuck James got the loss. On Wednesday the teams will play again with Troy Patton (2-3 5.50) going up against the number on draft pick in baseball Stephen Strasburg (1-0 0.00) who is making his second start for the Chiefs after being called up from AA Harrisburg.
That’s all for now, Peace
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Batlimore Orioles, norfolk tides
I am guilty yes guilty my friends. I have about a one in a zillion chance of having the dreaded variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease but if your believe those who promote conspiracy theories and unscientific assumptions I am probably something like Typhoid Mary just waiting to unleash death and destruction on millions of unsuspecting God fearing beef eating Americans by donating blood. That is my alleged crime and while it is not a ‘crime’ in the truest sense of the word it might as well be as it ostracizes me and hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of veterans and their dependants from a civic duty that many of us did before all the media hype that surrounded the decision to ban us from being able to give blood. It is discriminatory, exclusionary and for that matter bad public policy.
Now my dear readers what is my crime and the punishment that has been inflicted on me? I was in the military and lived in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s for a period of about four years. That my dear reader makes me ineligible to donate blood even if I am otherwise healthy and willing to give in time of need. However the rule is rather arbitrary in nature. It specifies that living in most of Europe for 6 months or more if you are in the military is enough for a person to be a risk. However the rules tolerate those who go on beef eating and haggis hogging binges for limited amounts of time while wearing kilts in Great Britain. It is an absurd standard to hold anyone to as the fact is simple, if you didn’t eat high risk cattle you have almost no chance of contracting or carrying the disease.
I readily admit that in that time in Europe I did eat beef. Mind you dear reader it was always well cooked and I certainly never ate Haggis. However I am now and have been for many years treated as if I had some exotic and deadly plague like I was infected with HIV or Hepatitis B, diseases that are proven to be transmitted through contaminated blood products. I my friends am the poster child of what it is to be discriminated against based on special interest groups and media fear mongering. That absurd fear mongering got our wonderful Food and Drug Administration and other government regulatory agencies to take draconian measures to stop something that in the scope of infectious disease is rather low on the threat scale. I say that such action is not based on legitimate public health concerns but on a political agenda that uses fear to accomplish what it never could at the ballot box.
Now mind you Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) or the real “Mad Cow” disease is no laughing matter but statistics underlying the incidence of the disease in the United States of vCJD show that if there is a threat it is very limited and that the chances of the Cubs winning the Worlds Series are better than getting this dread disease. Even statistics of a supposed “second wave” of vCJD in Great Britain estimate about 70 persons over a period of years during a “second wave” of vCJD might die, at worst case the number is 600. In fact in Britain only one case of transmission of vCJD though blood products has been confirmed and if all people who had eaten beef lived in and eaten beef in Britain were barred from donating blood the British would likely have to convert oil tankers to bring blood in from around the world. But they are not while people in the United States who lived in Europe, not even Great Britain are banned as a class from donating blood and the vast majority of these Americans are military members and their dependants.
I am a supporter of stringent policies on infectious diseases but if in Britain, the very epicenter of a disease that reared its ugly head in the early 1980s people can and do donate blood and the incidence of the disease is miniscule and is scientifically regarded to having more to do with genetics than eating beef. Yet the Federal Government responding to fear mongering press reports and conspiracy theory maniacs have banned an entire class of people from donating the gift of life to those in need. It is absurd and dishonest and plays into the hands of fear mongering power seeking special interests groups that claim the public good while discriminating against a whole class of people whose only crime was to serve their country. Bill O’Reilly and Steven Colbert do you hear me?
Before this I was almost a religious blood donor I learned it from my dad who I think had his golden bucket from the Delta Blood Bank in Stockton. In fact he took me to donate for the first time and I continued because it was the right thing to do. I donated until I was branded with the scarlet letter of being a potential carrier of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and have been refused ever since. This is also true for hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of healthy military members, veterans and family members who ate a steak in Germany or some other western European country because we might have eaten a significant amount of “Bully” British Beef or perhaps a butt load of Scottish Haggis even though the chances of having these delicacies is significantly lower in good old Deutschland where people would rather eat Argentinean beef than beef from a country that they thought they should own by now and where the vast majority of the beef is well rather “brown-shirted” if you get my drift. If the CDC or FDA has banned a whole class of patriot Americans from donating blood at least do it based on a preponderance of evidence and not speculation and paranoia.
In the United States we often run short of blood but we exclude by default one of the healthiest and giving groups of people in the world from giving. There are times in every major medical center that blood products run in short supply because of supply and demand. Most donations centers have on hand no more than a 3 day supply for normal transfusion needs and if a major catastrophe involving vast numbers of traumatic injuries occurred, the supply would be gone in no time and people would die for the lack of blood. Unfortunately in the world of potential mass casualties caused by terrorism or natural disaster this is a more likely occurrence than a mass outbreak of vCJD. Quite often there is more demand than supply and red blood cells have a short shelf life of 35-42 days at refrigerated temperatures and plasma can be frozen but has a shelf life of only about a year meaning that those stocks are also limited.
So rather than looking at statistics and solid data military members are banned from donating blood unless they choose to dishonor themselves by lying about it. I have never done that as much as I wanted to give blood. Heck we have an Armed Service Blood Center in our very hospital whose outreach director is one of my former Lieutenants from my days as a company commander in Germany. I may be at times “mad” but my “madness” is both genetic as from a bit of PTSD, but my blood is a-okay high test 104 Octane B positive blood and I cannot donate when I want to because the debate is being driven by anti-beef eating, anti-military food Nazis who use this ‘cause’ to spread fear and increase their power relative to the rest of us. Just take a look at their websites which are populated with hyperbole even more hyperbolous than what I spout.
I contend that I and hundreds of thousands of veterans and military members have been damaged by the zealotry of the “Mad Cow” fear mongers and their media accomplices which did its best to spread panic about this incredibly rare disease by showing infected cattle lurching around barnyards. Now it is true that this is a heinous disease but incredibly rare and for the most part has been controlled even in docile cows.
My argument is that there is a terrible need for blood products and a whole group of people are being discriminated against on the basis of media hype and pressure by special interest groups. I know by saying this that it makes me a target and that once this post gets some hits that I will have one of these anti-beef eating, anti-military and national security ignoring bozos will post nasty things about me. So far as they don’t call me a Dodger fan I will be civil despite the fact that they won’t rest until none of us can give blood because we ate beef once in our lives.
I wish that some bold law firm would take this up as a class action suit naming the FDA, CDC and every major television network that spread the fear which drives the decision to bar an entire group of healthy people from giving blood. This may seem callous and insensitive but I say let’s stick it to these guys and let them see the shoe is on the other foot. Let’s kick their vegan asses back to the planet Vegan where they belong. It’s late tonight but tomorrow its cheeseburger time for Padre Steve, pass the condiments please and get my stein ready.
So until the next time I say peace and may the law be with us. Maybe there is a reason that some of my classmates in seminary said that I should have gone to law school. Maybe that’s what I’ll do with my GI Bill when I retire go to law school pass the bar and be a Priest-Lawyer, but not a Canon Lawyer, no money in that is there? So let’s go out and win a billion dollars or so from these oppressors of individual liberty and the common good.
Anyway Peace Out my brothers and sisters, have a burger or steak tonight.
Love ya,
Padre Steve+
Jake Arietta pitched 7 innings but got a no decision
The Norfolk Tides travelled north to Syracuse on faced the Chiefs in the opening game of a four game series at Alliance Bank Field. The Chiefs who are the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals lead the North Division of the International League with a record of 18-11 and are playing very good ball. Even more surprising for the Nationals organization is that the Nationals have an 18-14 record and sit in second place in the NL East trailing the division leading Philadelphia Phillies by two games.
In front of a crowd of 3612 fans who braved temperatures that fell into the 40s as the night wore on and variable winds of 11 miles an hour the teams took the field. Although it was cold the weather was nowhere near as bad as the weekend where two games between the Chiefs and the Gwinnett Braves were postponed due to winter weather including snow on Sunday. The Tides started Jake Arietta who faced Sharion Martis of the Chiefs. Arietta (3-1 1.67) pitched seven innings allowing 2 earned ruins on 4 hits. He gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the 4th inning when after walking Josh Whitesell and then on a 1-1 count hit Mike Morris. This brought up Pete Orr who bunted to Arietta who fielded the ball the throw was late to First Baseman Brandon Snyder but also wild which allowed Whitesell to score on the play. Orr was given a hit on the play but Arietta the error as the throw enabled Whitesell to score and Orr to advance to second.
The Tides scored one run in the top of the 4th inning when Corey Patterson continued his ferocious hitting by launching a triple to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Josh Bell his 20th RBI of the season. The Tides would score again and tie the game in the 6th inning. Corey Patterson walked to lead off the inning and was followed by Josh Bell who popped up to third baseman Pete Orr in foul territory. Scott Moore then singled and Patterson was held at second base. To the plate came Brandon Snyder who had a key role in the Tides win against the Mud Hens on Sunday. Brandon took a called strike from Martis and then fouled tow pitches off before taking ball one. With a 2-1 count Snyder tripled to right to bring both Patterson and Moore home to tie the score. Justin Turner struck out swinging and when the ball got away from catcher Carlos Maldonado Snyder attempted top come home. Maldonado threw to relief pitcher Drew Storen who tagged Snyder out at the plate to end the inning.
Brandon Snider had 2 2 RBI Triple in the top of the 6th inning
The game remained knotted at 3 until the bottom of the 8th inning. Arietta left at the end of the 7th and was relieved by Ross Wolf who has been very effective in relief this year. Wolf faced Kevin Mensch who after working the count to 2-2 by fouling off four pitches took the seventh pitch and doubled to center. Josh Whitesell singled to right fielder Michael Aubrey scoring Mensch. Wolf would work his way out of the inning but the damage was done and the Tides were unable to score in the 9th inning despite a single by Corey Patterson and the Chiefs took game one by a score of 4-2.
Arietta went seven innings and got a no decision giving up 2 earned runs on 4 hits. His problem came due to control; he gave up five walks and hit one batter as well as the throwing error that cost the run in the 4th inning. Ross Wolf (0-2 2.89) got the loss in relief giving up one run on two hits. Chiefs reliever Ron Villone (1-1 9.53) got the win and Joel Peralta (0-0 S8) got his eighth save of the season. The teams meet again on Tuesday with Chris George (1-1 4.50) getting the start for the Tides and Chuck James (2-0 4.85) taking the hill at home for the Chiefs.
The Tides made a number of personnel moves over the weekend sending pitcher Jim Miller and catcher Steve Lerud to Baltimore’s short season “A” team the Aberdeen Ironbirds, and activating pitcher Denis Sarfate and catcher Michel Hernandez from the disabled list. Pitcher Jim Johnson who had been sent down from the Orioles last week was placed on the 7 day disabled list for elbow pain.
Peace,
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Batlimore Orioles, norfolk tides
Dallas Braden celebrating with teammates (Getty Images)
On Sunday Dallas Braden of the Oakland A’s did what only eighteen men had done in the history of Major League Baseball, he pitched a perfect game. However there is more to this story than meets the eye and some that touches me personally.
The setting of Braden’s feat was the venerable Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the “other” ballpark in the Bay Area. Sitting in an area just off of the Nimitz Freeway the coliseum and its surrounding parking lots are in one of the most un-picturesque venues in the Bay area. While one can see the Oakland Hills to the East the Park is just far enough away from San Francisco Bay to lack the ambiance of the San Francisco Giant’s home across the bay AT&T Park which sits on the bay with views of the Bay Bridge and the Skyline of the City of San Francisco. While the ballpark has been the home of multiple World Series Champion A’s teams, numerous League Championship teams and had its share of Hall of Fame players tread upon its natural grass it has never been considered a great ballpark for either pitchers or hitters. The fact that it is a multi-use stadium and the home of the Oakland Raiders football team contributes to un- remarkableness as a baseball venue. All of this said it is a place where magic has occurred before when in 1968, in fact almost 42 years to the day of Braden’s magical win, May 8th 1968 Jim “Catfish” Hunter threw a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins. Like Hunter’s win in 1968 the A’s won the game by a score of 4-0 however Hunter’s win came before the American League adopted the Designated Hitter meaning that Hunter had to hit for himself in the game. That being said he did hit and I mean that he really did hit. Hunter went 3-4 including a double and knocked in 3 of the A’s 4 runs. That was no fluke as Hunter had a .226 lifetime batting average with 6 career home runs and 51 RBIs.
Dallas Braden with Grandmother (Getty Images)
With that little bit of trivia said Braden who is not your typical power pitcher that usually pitches perfect games pitched a solid game which was far different than one year ago when he was hit in his pitching hand with a 109 mile an hour line drive off of the bat of Vernon Wells which left the imprint of the seams on his hand. Braden as I said is not a power pitcher. He has one of the 10 slowest fastballs in the game topping out at a mere 87 miles an hour. Normally an 87 mile and hour fastball is a dish served at a perfect temperature for most good hitters and they eat the pitchers that throw them for lunch. However Braden has a remarkable equalizer, it is not his curve or slider but his change up. I drive faster than his change up on a typical commute to and from work. Braden’s change up comes in at a leisurely 72.9 miles and hour. This pitch is the slowest change up in the league and it baffles batters by making his fast ball seem faster than it is. Batters at the Major League level are not used to this type of ultra-slow deception for a pitcher and it served Braden well but even so coming into the game he had a lifetime record of 18 wins and 23 losses and a 4.49 ERA. He is not the pitcher that one would put money on to throw a perfect game and I’m sure that Jimmy the Greek, Larry the Latvian, Johnny the Walker and even Pete Rose would have wagered against him pulling this off. Yet he did it against the hottest team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays.
Braden’s biggest notice came earlier in the year where he and Alex Rodriguez had an exchange of rather terse barbs following an incident where Rodriguez ran across the pitcher’s mound during the game.
Braden pitched for 5 or parts of 5 years in the minors for 7 different clubs in the A’s organization, the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League, the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, the Arizona Athletics of the Arizona League, the Stockton Ports of the California League, The Midland Rock Hounds of the Texas League and the Sacramento River cats of the Pacific Coast League. This year he has stayed in the majors and now after the win has a record of 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA in 7 starts.
Braden’s story is that of a young man who lost his mother Jodie Atwood in his senior year at Stagg High School in May of 2001. His parents had separated when he was young and his father was estranged from the family. His grandmother Peggy Lindsey took over and helped him through that last year of school providing the stability, love and care that he needed to survive his mother’s loss and not fall into the mire of Stockton’s often violent and crime ridden streets. The story of this young man and the women who raised him is the story of how mother’s day ought to be. Braden had the love and support of his late mother and grandmother during the turbulent times of his youth and as a result still remains closely connected to his grandmother and his home town. In fact he commutes the 67 mile trip daily from Stockton to Oakland which means unlike many professionals, athletes, businesspersons, those in other professional fields to include the military that leave their home town and only make occasion visits home is able to keep himself ground in reality. He does not live in a glamorous town; he plays for a very blue collar city on a very “Green Collar” team. I think that is one of the stories that some people will miss, not all, Jeff Passan mentioned Braden’s connection to home in his column on Yahoo Baseball.
Downtown Stockton
You see there is something about this story of relationship and connectedness that I think may be uniquely Stocktonian. You see for the past number of years Stockton has been ranked number one or at least in the top 5 of the nation’s “Misery index.” This year it dropped to second as it was edged out by Cleveland Ohio, I guess Cleveland does rock. It is routinely in the highest percentage of crime, violent crime and murders in the nation. In the economic downturn and the real estate crash it was hit particularly hard and for a fair amount of time led the nation in foreclosures, or may still I just haven’t checked. It is a town that in many ways has experienced for many years and reflects the reality that many other locations in the country are just beginning to know in today’s economy.
Foreclosure capitol (Getty Images)
All this said there is still something that native Stocktonians appreciate about our city, even those of us that have moved away. We tend to remain in contact with our friends who still remain in town or have moved away. I currently am in contact with over 100 friends on Facebook alone. My Edison High School Class of 1978 still has well attended reunions and is very well connected to each other and the classes that came before and after us. I look at the Stockton Record website every day. I used to read the obituaries until the Record started charging for them. When I go home there is a certain familiarity with the city and though it has grown to a rather sizable city it still has a small town feel to me. I can still go to Arroyo’s Café when I go home and see the same people. The same is true with Donut King, Chucks , Manny’s burgers, the Fox Theater and a bunch of other places. While other cities built huge super-malls Stockton still has Weberstown and Sherwood Mall. Yes they have changed some over the years but they are still much the same. Yes much has changed but much is still the same in Stockton and I think that it one of the things that makes Dallas Braden’s story so remarkable to me he has not forgotten where he came from. He still loves and cares for Stockton. In an age where the really “successful” people move to New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco Braden didn’t cut himself off from his roots. Are there others who have done such as this one that comes to mind is Joe Mauer in Minnesota but why leave if they will pay you more money than God gets in a season?
Another interesting thing that stuck me about Dallas Braden was his mother. She was close to my age and I remember her, I thought it was in Junior High School but I couldn’t find t find her in the yearbooks, it could have been the church youth group when I was in High School but regardless I am sure that I knew her. I mentioned this to my mother today and she remembered the name. Interesting how closely peoples’ lives are linked together.
My Oak Park Little League team back in 1972
I guess what strikes me the most about this game even more than the game itself which I must say that I am in awe of is the story of a man, Dallas Braden who despite pitching in the Major Leagues still remembers home and family and stays connected to them. This is becoming rare in our society and maybe given the state of the nation and how deeply divided we are it is time to return home, maybe not physically but returning to relationships with the people that we grew up with, schools, workplaces, churches and other activities. Maybe Dallas Braden points us to something that matters more to many of us than the achievements of athletes or entertainers but to where we really need to be connected to one another as Americans, friends and families. Yes it is wonderful to succeed and all should strive to be the best at what they feel called to be or do, but if that success destroys and alienates people from family, friends and home is ti really success? Maybe it is the pastoral environment of the baseball field that makes this happen for some of us. Maybe like Terrance Mann played by James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams we can understand that
“The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again.”
Thank you Dallas Braden for helping to remind us what is important as you play this game of baseball. I do hope that you do well in your career and that this perfect game is a foretaste of a great career for you.
Peace,
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball
Corey Patterson Smacked 3 doubles in Saturday’s loss
The Norfolk Tides won their first series of the season taking three of four at Harbor Park from the Toledo Mud Hens. After taking the first game of the series in a slugfest 12-7 on Thursday night, the Tides and Toledo battled into the 12th inning on Friday with the Tides getting a 3-2 win on Josh Bell’s walk off home run with no outs in the bottom of the 12th.
Brandon Erbe took his 6th loss on Saturday
On Saturday in front of 6795 fans in warm and windy weather it would turn out to be a different sort of ball game as the Mud Hens got to Tides starting pitcher Brandon Erbe (0-6 7.20) early and often hitting the young pitcher hard for 6 runs on 9 hits in 5.2 innings. After driving Erbe from the game they continued on getting Pedro Viola for 2 runs on 3 hits in 1.1 innings. They scored another unearned run in the 8th and another earned run off of Kam Mickolio in the 9th. The Mud Hens pounded out 13 hits and were helped by 6 walks and a hit batsman from Tides pitchers and two errors one of which contributed to the run in the 8th inning. Erbe was pasted with the Mud Hens hitting him for 3 home runs, two by Clete Thomas and two doubles. Although Viola only gave up three hits all went for extra bases two doubles and a triple.
On the offensive side the Tides got 11 hits but only put them together to produce runs in the 1st and the 7th innings. In the first Robert Andino led off with a double, Corey Patterson walked and Josh Bell singled to load the bases. Scott Moore sacrificed Andino home for the Tides first run. In the 2nd inning they put the first two men on base but could not get them to the plate. In the 3rd inning Corey Patterson doubled to lead off the inning but was left on base. In the 4th inning Blake Davis tripled with one out and was left on base. In the 7th things started to turn around Robert Andino singled and with one out Corey Patterson nailed his second double of the night to drive him home. Patterson advanced to second on a ground out by Josh Bell and scored on a single by Scott Moore before Michael Aubrey grounded out to end the inning. The Tides went down in order in the 8th and with two outs in the 9th Corey Patterson hit his third double of the night but was left on base.
In all the Tides only brought home 2 of 14 runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Erbe got the loss his sixth loss of the year. Alfedo Figaro (4-1 2.55) got the win for Toledo.
Chris Tillman got his third win with a 4 hit 10 strikeout performance on Sunday
On Sunday Chris Tillman got the start for the Tides and while not quite as sharp as his no hitter he was still very much in control of this game pitching seven innings giving up only 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 10. The run came on a 7th inning home run by Jeff Larish. Alberto Castillo came on in the 8th and allowed a single and two walks before being pulled for Frank Mata. Mata stuck out Danny Worth and got Larish to ground out to end the inning stranding all three Toledo runners. Mata came back out in the 9th and though walking Clete Thomas with two outs then stuck out Caspar Wells to end the game and get his 5th save.
Brandon Snyder blasting his 2nd home run of the season in the 5th inning
The Tides got their first run in the 1st inning when Robert Andino walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on an excellent sacrifice bunt by Joey Gathright. Corey Patterson singled Andino to third and Josh Bell grounded out to score Andino. The score would remain 1-0 until the 5th inning when Brandon Snyder ended his drought by launching a home run way over the deep left center field wall to extend the Tides lead to 2-0. In the 6th the Tides added another run. Joey Gathright singled to lead off the inning and went to second on a missed forced attempt when Will Rhymes and Brent Dlugach could not complete the play Rhymes first bobbling the ball and then Dlugach missing the toss from Rhymes. Josh Bell hit a sacrifice fly to move Gathright to third. Gathright scored when Scott Moore hit a sacrifice fly to center. Toledo then got its only run on Larish’s home run in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the 7th the Tides added their final run as Brandon Snyder singled and went to second on a ground out by Blake Davis. Snyder scored on a single by Robert Andino.
Frank Mata got his 5th save
The game ended with the Tides on top with a final score of 4-1. The Tides have had 4 runs on 6 hits and no errors leaving 5 men on base while the Mud Hens had 1 run on 5 hits and 2 errors with 7 left on base. Chris Tillman (3-3 3.49) got the win and Frank Mata (0-0 S5 1.23) got the save. Toledo starter Ryan Ketchner (0-1 2.77) got the loss.
The Tides are now 14 and 17 and in third place in the International League South 5 games behind the Durham Bulls. The Tides departed today on an eight game road trip to Syracuse and Buffalo. Syracuse could be interesting as the Chiefs and the visiting Gwinnett Braves were snowed out today. The Tides return to Harbor Park on the 18th to face the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Peace,
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, norfolk tides
Troy Patton pitched 6.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits but got a no-decision
Josh Bell did something that has seldom happened at Harbor Park. It was not the walk off home run but it was the feat of having a home run in three consecutive games in a ballpark that is a pitcher’s paradise and a power hitter’s nightmare. Harbor Park opened in 1993 when the Norfolk Tides were the AAA affiliate of the New York Mets. The dimensions of the park are very similar to the Mets’ old home Shea Stadium. The left field line 330 feet, right field 318, and dead center 410 feet. In fact not very many of today’s Major League parks have as deep dimensions as the home of the Norfolk Tides. Not only is it a big yard but the prevailing winds during the season also mitigate against a lot of home runs as does the air which often is heavy with humidity. The winds usually come off the East Fork of the Elizabeth River and blow in knocking down balls hit to right or right center. Typically the leading Tides home run leader since the team has moved to Harbor Park in 1993 hits an average 16 home runs a season and of course many of those come in other parks. By contrast the Durham Bulls have averaged over 25 home runs a season since coming into the International League in 1997 the same is true of the Pawtucket Red Sox who have been in the International League since 1993 and the Toledo Mud Hens during the same period average 26. The Buffalo Bisons average 16 per season for their leading home run hitter over the same time period but face some of the worst weather in the league. The truth is that Harbor Park for its beauty as a ballpark is a pitcher’s paradise and hitter’s nightmare all of which sets the stage for the story of Friday evening’s game between the Tides and the Mud Hens.
Alberto Castillo made his first appearance since returning from Baltimore
With warm and windy conditions in front of a crowd of 5943 the Tides and the Toledo Mud Hens met for the second game of a four game series. This game was dominated by the pitchers and it was a long night for both teams because of how well the pitchers worked. Prior to this game only two teams in the International League had not played an extra inning game and both were on the field Friday. I guess it was destiny that the game would go extra innings how could it not? In 12 innings the two teams pitchers allowed a combined 5 runs only 4 of which were earned runs.
Daniel Schlereth after the wild pitch that allowed Michael Aubry to score
After a scoreless first inning the Mud Hens took a one nothing lead in the top of the second when Max Leon singled to score Jeff Frazier. They extended it to 2-0 in the top of the third when Jeff Frazier singled to drive in Brent Dlugach but after that would manage just three more hits as Troy Patton, Ross Wolf, Frank Mata, Alberto Castillo and Jim Miller shut down a potent Toledo line up allowing no extra base hits.
The Tides offensive production also lagged as compared to the previous two outings where they scored a dozen runs per game. Friday however the Tides hitters were contained by the Toledo pitchers who scattered 9 hits in the 12 innings. The Tides got on the board in bottom of the 3rd inning when Josh Bell singled to drive in Robert Andino. The score would remain 2-1 until the bottom of the 6th inning. Michael Aubrey singled to lead off the inning and then Brandon Snyder stuck out swinging. The Mud Hens then took out starter Enrique Gonzalez bringing in Daniel Schlereth in relief. With Blake Davis at the plate Mud Hens catcher Angel Flores allowed a passed ball which allowed Aubrey to take second Troy Patton the Tides starter allowed two walks which placed runners on second and third. Ross Wolf came on in relief and on his first pitch got Brent Dlugach to pop out to second. The Tides would have a runner on second in both the 8th and 10th innings bit were unable to bring the runner home. In the 11th the Tides threatened again. Blake Davis singled and advanced to second on a very well executed sacrifice bunt by Adam Donachie. Robert Andino hit an infield single which did not advance Davis. Joey Gathright grounded out to advance Davis to third and Andino to second. Corey Patterson the grounded out sharply and the 11th inning ended with the teams still tied at two.
Tides players mob Josh Bell after his walk off home run
Jim Miller came on in the 12th inning in relief of Alberto Castillo who in his first appearance at Norfolk since he was optioned back to the team by the Orioles when Koji Uehara completed his rehab work. Miller put the Mud Hens down in order striking out Diek Scram, getting Angel Flores to pop out in foul territory to Adam Donachie and retiring Will Rhymes on a line drive to left fielder Joey Gathright.
In the bottom of the 12th the Mud Hens sent in Jay Sborz to pitch. The first batter that Sborz faced was Josh Bell who had homered in his last two games at Harbor Park. Bell slammed the ball to deep center and it kept going out of the park. As Bell crossed the plate he was mobbed by his teammates.
Jim Miller got the win and Sborz the loss. The Mud Hens had 2 runs on 9 hits with no errors with 8 men left on base. The Tides 3 runs on 9 hits and no errors with 13 left on base.
The teams met again Saturday night but that article will be posted sometime later Sunday.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers out there!
Peace,
Padre Steve+
Filed under Baseball, Batlimore Orioles, norfolk tides
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