Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Astros 3
Royals 4
W: Soria (2-0) | L: Fulchino (2-3) | S: Bale (1)
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As a backdrop to the final game of college baseball this year, the Astros found themselves stuck in a pitcher’s duel that crapped out late for the loss. Oswalt pitched a solid six innings of one-run ball, working around some traffic and striking out eight.
The Royales screwed themselves out of a likely run in the 3rd, when Maier clubbed one over Bourn in dead center, and it rolled to the base of the wall at the top of the hill. Maier cruised into third, where the base coach decided it would be a strong plan to go for it with zero outs in the inning. The throw beat Maier by plenty enough for Pudge to have time to dive back inside the line for the tag. Score that one as a triple with an error charged to the parts of Dave Owen’s brain that evaluate risk/reward scenarios, time estimation and spatial relationships.
KC did manage to scratch out a run in the 6th on a Hulett single, taking a 1-0 lead before Roy got himself out of a bases-loaded mess without further damage. Hochevar had held the Good Guys hitless until Lee singled in the 5th, but in the bottom half of the 6th, Matsui wound up in scoring position after a throwing error, and Erstad came on to hit for Roy. On a 2-1 count, he found a fastball that tailed back over the plate, and mashed the shit out of it, clanging off the face of the right field upper tank for the one-run lead and his first tater of the year.
That’s where it stayed until the top of the 9th, with El Loco Ponche on the hill to close out the win. With one out, Maier hit a routine grounder to Fat Elvis, who thoroughly Buckner’d it to allow the tying run aboard. Jacobs then smacked one a mile in the air over towards the boxes, and it looked like trouble. Michaels eased around the side wall and out of view of the cameras, where he made the catch with absolutely no room to spare, and heaved it in to double up Maier, who was standing on third (lesson learned). Unfortunately, the umps chatted and got the call right, ruling that the ball had glanced off the wall before Michaels caught it. Great play and sales pitch, regardless. With runners on the corners and one down after the error and the near miss, DeJesus predictably singled in the tying run before Valverde got out of it with a grounder and a lazy fly.
The bottom of the 9th produced nothing, and KC struck first in extras, with Pena going yard to right off of Byrdak for a 3-2 lead. Pudge lead off the bottom half with a single against Soria, and moved into scoring position on a bunt from Kaz. Kata pinch hit for Byrdak, and came up huge with a solid knock to right, scoring Pudge after what seemed like an impossibly long run from second. They could’ve run a couple of commercials and still cut back to the game in time to see him slide in for the tie, bless his stumpy little legs. Bourn flied out to the track, Kepp walked, and Miggy came up empty on a swinging ponche to finish it out.
In the top of the 11th, Fulchino came on for Byrdak, providing me an opportunity to talk up his performance this year to the guy next to me who had never heard of him. I was just about to sing the praises of his rich, full-bodied flavor – with a hint of mocha and cinnamon – when Olivo blasted his first pitch four-hundred-something feet off the gas pump for the eventual game winner. So yeah, I guess that one is partially on me. My bad. From then on, I referred to him only as a cocksucker and a generally worthless piece of crap. My heart wasn’t really in it, but this still seemed to work better, as he struck out two and finished the inning with no additional scoring. The damage was done, though, and Michaels, Twinkie and Thunderpants went quietly against Bale to end the game.
Sweep avoidance mode is in effect shortly today, with an impending Businessman’s Special at 1:00. Do your part to uphold the antiquated theme by dressing nattily in a suit pulled from the wardrobe rack of Mad Men, and enjoying a few Martinis and filterless Lucky Strikes while closing that big deal.