Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Milwaukee 7 | Houston 5 |
Michael Bourn 1 | Jim Edmonds 0
Often you hear about the game within the game. It was never more evident when the irony of irony happened early in the battle between the Brewers and the Astros. With the score at goose-eggs for both sides, up steps Jim Edmonds, one time considered *THE* premiere centerfielder in the MLB. Taking a page from days of yore when he was a feared hitter, Edmonds took a Brett Myers fastball offering and smashed it to dead center. Cue today’s premiere centerfielder, Houston’s own Michael Bourn. Running with his back to the infield, trying to track the flight of the ball as he ran, Bourn made one final adjustment and at the last minute extended the glove out and made what can only be described as a spectacular over the shoulder catch.
All that was left is for Bourn to smile, nay laugh out loud (Yes, the proverbial LOL personified), as he ran back to his normal position. It’s great when you see Bourn amuse himself with his exploits, but it’s just that much more enjoyable when it is done against a player who often times had the penchant to make the spectacular out of the routine to frustrate opponents. That laugh is going to be a highlight of this miserable season just because it is so much fun to replay over and over again.
Now for the game itself. What can be said other than if you allow four flyballs to get out of the park, then you don’t give Bourn and his outfield friends to help you. Brett Myers had a horrible start in this game, allowing five runs early all to score on Brewer round-trippers. One of them against his opposing pitcher too. It is to the credit of the Astros that they did not mail it in after those five went on the scoreboard. It is as if both Milwaukee and Houston decided to play AL ball, no pitching, all offense. The final score says that the Astros were too little too late to pull out a win, but in the end, you can take Myer’s opinion and shake your head in agreement:
“My job, when we score runs, is to go out there and not let them score,” he said. “I wasn’t able to do that tonight. Everything felt fine and everything looked fine coming out, but you make bad pitches and good pitches and they were hitting them. They had a good approach tonight.”
Thank you Mr. Myers, how refreshing to read someone take accountability for their own performance. Day game today to see who take the rubber game of the series.