Current state of the Chicago Cubs...
For too many realists, it's hard to admit. But for optimistic people like myself, I see things turning around on the north side of Chicago. It's not happening at a rapid rate like all the die-hard Cubs fans would like, but it is in fact happening.
This weekend's first series back from the All-Star break was a big first step in the right direction. The Cubs swept the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1, 4-1 and 3-1 Friday through Sunday to give itself a 3 game cushion between themselves (36-52) and Houston (33-55), last place in the NL Central. With a 12-4 record since starting their home series with the Mets, the Cubs have caught the eyes of everyone in the rest of the league.
They're getting contributions from everyone in the lineup and intrical parts off the bench. Reed Johnson has started some games in CF in place of David DeJesus because of pitching matchups. Tony Campana gets into a game and steals at least one base, if not more, being one of the fastest in the league. Steve Clevenger gives Geovany Soto a day off here and there or if he's a better bat against a particular pitcher. Jeff Baker is another situational substitution, no matter where it is on the diamond. He's been on a hot streak lately when he appears in the lineup. Since June 25th, Baker is 9-for-25 (.360) with two home runs, six RBI's, four doubles and five runs scored. Luis Valbuena might be what the Cubs need at third base with Ian Stewart on the DL for at least another six weeks and the fact that there have been questions at the hot corner all season. Joe Mather has had streaks of promise and has contributed as expected, a bench type player.
President Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are putting together what they think will be a winner. Building around players like Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Darwin Barney and Bryan LaHair is probably a good thing. None of those players are going anywhere, no matter what rumors have circulated during this 2012 season.
Pitchers Ryan Dempster (5-3, 1.68 ERA this season) and Matt Garza (5-7, 4.02 ERA) are both rumored to be the talks of possibly being traded. It's hard telling which of these two will be sent to another squad for prospects, yes I said prospects. In the end, the Cubs normally wind up trading any prospects that they receive in a trade. There are a few exceptions, like Anthony Rizzo. He's a keeper for quite a while at first base.
For the time being, Dale Sveum has figured out a starting lineup that is working pretty darn well.
CF: David DeJesus (or Reed Johnson)
SS: Starlin Castro
1B: Anthony Rizzo (or Jeff Baker)
LF: Alfonso Soriano
RF: Bryan LaHair
C: Geovany Soto (or Steve Clevenger)
2B: Darwin Barney
3B: Luis Valbuena
SP: Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija, Paul Maholm
The bullpen is really becoming a dependable asset to this ball club. James Russell, Shawn Camp, Jairo Ascencio, Manny Corpas, Scott Maine and believe it or not, Carlos Marmol are beginning to gel with each other and compliment the starting rotation like a bullpen should do.
Yes indeed, things are looking up for the Chicago Cubs. Through 88 games, they're 36-52 (.409) but are playing the best baseball in the major leagues. They are 13.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central on July 15th. There are 74 games left in the regular season and there is plenty of room for much needed improvement throughout the rest of 2012.
We know the middle infield (Castro and Barney) aren't going anywhere. Rizzo should be a Cub for as long as he's got the ability to be on the field everyday. Soto really hasn't had a great season since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2008. Valbuena is at third for the time being and he's producing like he was brought in to do. He's a spark plug for Sveum's crew and you never know exactly when his bat will show up for a multi-hit game. David DeJesus and/or Reed Johnson can platoon center field, as far as I'm concerned. Play them situationally with the opposing pitcher and they'll both be great in the field with their stellar defensive play. LaHair has made a comfortable transition from first base to right field with ease. He's hitting well still and when Rizzo was called up for his bat, LaHair welcomed him to play first and he gladly took up right field. Alfonso Soriano is now hitting with a lighter bat and leading the Cubs hitting attack.
The second half could bring surprises and it could turn out good for our beloved Cubs. They could overtake Milwaukee to at least finish in fourth place in the Central. That wouldn't be a bad thing in year one of the Epstein/Hoyer era. After all, they didn't help guide the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title their first season...
This may not have the star-powered names that the Yankees, Cardinals, Red Sox and other teams that have recently won World Series titles, but they're playing great as of late. These guys are doing what it takes to win ball games at any cost.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The National League won the 83rd Annual All-Star game Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City 8-0 over the American League, winning their 3rd straight "summer classic." It makes a big statement that they came to play and they were once again bound and determined to have home field advantage in the World Series.
During the first half of the 2012 season, the New York Yankees (52-33) and Texas Rangers (52-24) hold the best records in the Major Leagues thus far. The Washington Nationals (49-34) are surprising all in the National League, but the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-37) and right on their heels to lead the NL. These surprises bring up a lot of loaded questions of the could, will, won't, might variety. From the looks of it, if they can sustain their leads, there may be a "changing of the guard" in a couple of divisions.
NL EAST
Are the Nationals going to be able to hold onto their current 4 game lead over the Atlanta Braves (46-39)? Is a rotation with Stephen Strausburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler tops in the East? The Braves have what it takes with their experience. This is Chipper Jones' last go-around before he retires and he's been hitting the ball pretty well leading up to the All-Star break, not to mention guys like Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Michael Bourn helping Chipper provide leadership and production. The N.Y. Mets (46-40) are just half a game behind Atlanta and 4.5 games back of Washington. Dillon Gee possibly being shelved for the remainder of the year won't help the Mets' rotation. It might be tough for Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese and Chris Young to take the boys from Flushing to the playoffs.
NL CENTRAL
Can this be the year the Pirates keep the ship on track and fend off the feisty Cincinnati Reds (47-38) and defending World Champions in the St. Louis Cardinals (46-40)? The Reds are just one game behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis is trailing by only 2.5 games. Cincinnati has just a .248 team batting average. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and company might be able to hit the long ball, but that's not going to get them back to the postseason. The Cardinals, might be in some trouble, but they're within striking distance of Pittsburgh and we all saw them overcome trailing by 8 games last season to win the Wild Card and eventually won the franchise's 11th World Series. Lance Berkman should return from his DL stint when play resumes from the All-Star break this Friday. Clint Hurdle's Pirates hold the best home record in the major leagues at 29-14 so far at PNC Park this season. Playing this well at home is one thing, but tightening up on the road, where they're 19-23, might get the Pirates over the hump and back to being a playoff team.
NL WEST
The West will be won by either Los Angeles or San Francisco, unless Arizona decides it wants to be a dog in this Divisional or perhaps the Wild Card hunt. Matt Kemp comes off the DL on Friday to help aid a fading Dodger offense that's missing another outfielder currently on the DL in Andre Ethier. Pitching depth in the Giants' rotation with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong providing Bruce Boche with a solid 1-5 lineup that can match up with any lineup. It's tough to say how the Arizona Diamondbacks will respond in the 2nd half of the season. Jason Kubel led the desert dwellers with 60 RBIs. Outfielder Justin Upton could possibly be dealt to Atlanta any day now.
AL EAST
The Yankees will more than likely take the East crown with ease, despite having LF Brett Gardner and Closer Mariano Rivera on the DL. Raul Ibanez is a nice fit in left and Rafael Soriano has settled into the closer role pretty comfortably. The Bronx Bombers were 20-7 in June and are 5-3 to start July and have a 7 game cushion on the Baltimore Orioles for the East division lead. This is the tightest division in baseball. Each team is .500 and above and with Boston and Toronto tied for last (43-43), the two are just 9.5 games back from the 1st place Yankees. Tampa Bay usually makes a surge in the 2nd half and I honestly wouldn't put it past Joe Maddon's crew. Evan Longoria should be back at 3B sometime soon, but he's no savior, even though he could help the Rays out on the left side of their infield. Buck Showalter has his Orioles believing that they can catch the Yankees or at least vie for one of the now two Wild Card spots, which isn't totally out of the relm of possibility.
AL CENTRAL
Robin Ventura has the Chicago White Sox (47-38) are coming into their own, now that they gained an extra power bat in the lineup with Kevin Youkilis starting at third base, recently acquired from the Boston Red Sox. I honestly see GM Kenny Williams making a move for a starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline. It would be smart on his part, anyway, if he wants his White Sox to be more than just a division winner this year. The Cleveland Indians are the squad that's really surprised most in the AL, but the Tribe just doesn't have enough power across the board to keep up with the White Sox or even keep the Detroit Tigers from overtaking them for second place in the Central. Detroit has a lot of youth, but Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera are ready to take things upon themselves to possibly lead Detroit on a second half push.
AL WEST
The Texas Rangers couldn't be hungrier than they were after losing the 2011 World Series to St. Louis. Losing their second consecutive World Series makes them want to break out of that spell and win the ultimate prize of that World Title. They've made due with the great talent that they have, even with pitchers Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando all injured at some point this season. Texas signed veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt to help with the absence of those arms. The only competition in the West for Texas are the LA Angels. It took Albert Pujols quite a while to get adjusted to American League pitching and overall style of play. The Angels more than likely won't catch the Rangers if they keep up with a 4-man rotation. It's too long of a season to try to win a lot of baseball games with just four starters. Mike Scioscia is a great manager, but they surely need a fifth starting arm to get back to the playoffs.
Teams have played between 83 and 87 games in the first half. That puts them just a little over the halfway point in their seasons. There's obviously room for a lot of teams to improve on what they've already done and also plenty of time for seasons to implode. I'm a superstitious person, so I won't drop any names to possibly jinx their season(s) and send them down the tubes.
During the first half of the 2012 season, the New York Yankees (52-33) and Texas Rangers (52-24) hold the best records in the Major Leagues thus far. The Washington Nationals (49-34) are surprising all in the National League, but the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-37) and right on their heels to lead the NL. These surprises bring up a lot of loaded questions of the could, will, won't, might variety. From the looks of it, if they can sustain their leads, there may be a "changing of the guard" in a couple of divisions.
NL EAST
Are the Nationals going to be able to hold onto their current 4 game lead over the Atlanta Braves (46-39)? Is a rotation with Stephen Strausburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler tops in the East? The Braves have what it takes with their experience. This is Chipper Jones' last go-around before he retires and he's been hitting the ball pretty well leading up to the All-Star break, not to mention guys like Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla and Michael Bourn helping Chipper provide leadership and production. The N.Y. Mets (46-40) are just half a game behind Atlanta and 4.5 games back of Washington. Dillon Gee possibly being shelved for the remainder of the year won't help the Mets' rotation. It might be tough for Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese and Chris Young to take the boys from Flushing to the playoffs.
NL CENTRAL
Can this be the year the Pirates keep the ship on track and fend off the feisty Cincinnati Reds (47-38) and defending World Champions in the St. Louis Cardinals (46-40)? The Reds are just one game behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis is trailing by only 2.5 games. Cincinnati has just a .248 team batting average. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and company might be able to hit the long ball, but that's not going to get them back to the postseason. The Cardinals, might be in some trouble, but they're within striking distance of Pittsburgh and we all saw them overcome trailing by 8 games last season to win the Wild Card and eventually won the franchise's 11th World Series. Lance Berkman should return from his DL stint when play resumes from the All-Star break this Friday. Clint Hurdle's Pirates hold the best home record in the major leagues at 29-14 so far at PNC Park this season. Playing this well at home is one thing, but tightening up on the road, where they're 19-23, might get the Pirates over the hump and back to being a playoff team.
NL WEST
The West will be won by either Los Angeles or San Francisco, unless Arizona decides it wants to be a dog in this Divisional or perhaps the Wild Card hunt. Matt Kemp comes off the DL on Friday to help aid a fading Dodger offense that's missing another outfielder currently on the DL in Andre Ethier. Pitching depth in the Giants' rotation with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong providing Bruce Boche with a solid 1-5 lineup that can match up with any lineup. It's tough to say how the Arizona Diamondbacks will respond in the 2nd half of the season. Jason Kubel led the desert dwellers with 60 RBIs. Outfielder Justin Upton could possibly be dealt to Atlanta any day now.
AL EAST
The Yankees will more than likely take the East crown with ease, despite having LF Brett Gardner and Closer Mariano Rivera on the DL. Raul Ibanez is a nice fit in left and Rafael Soriano has settled into the closer role pretty comfortably. The Bronx Bombers were 20-7 in June and are 5-3 to start July and have a 7 game cushion on the Baltimore Orioles for the East division lead. This is the tightest division in baseball. Each team is .500 and above and with Boston and Toronto tied for last (43-43), the two are just 9.5 games back from the 1st place Yankees. Tampa Bay usually makes a surge in the 2nd half and I honestly wouldn't put it past Joe Maddon's crew. Evan Longoria should be back at 3B sometime soon, but he's no savior, even though he could help the Rays out on the left side of their infield. Buck Showalter has his Orioles believing that they can catch the Yankees or at least vie for one of the now two Wild Card spots, which isn't totally out of the relm of possibility.
AL CENTRAL
Robin Ventura has the Chicago White Sox (47-38) are coming into their own, now that they gained an extra power bat in the lineup with Kevin Youkilis starting at third base, recently acquired from the Boston Red Sox. I honestly see GM Kenny Williams making a move for a starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline. It would be smart on his part, anyway, if he wants his White Sox to be more than just a division winner this year. The Cleveland Indians are the squad that's really surprised most in the AL, but the Tribe just doesn't have enough power across the board to keep up with the White Sox or even keep the Detroit Tigers from overtaking them for second place in the Central. Detroit has a lot of youth, but Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera are ready to take things upon themselves to possibly lead Detroit on a second half push.
AL WEST
The Texas Rangers couldn't be hungrier than they were after losing the 2011 World Series to St. Louis. Losing their second consecutive World Series makes them want to break out of that spell and win the ultimate prize of that World Title. They've made due with the great talent that they have, even with pitchers Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando all injured at some point this season. Texas signed veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt to help with the absence of those arms. The only competition in the West for Texas are the LA Angels. It took Albert Pujols quite a while to get adjusted to American League pitching and overall style of play. The Angels more than likely won't catch the Rangers if they keep up with a 4-man rotation. It's too long of a season to try to win a lot of baseball games with just four starters. Mike Scioscia is a great manager, but they surely need a fifth starting arm to get back to the playoffs.
Teams have played between 83 and 87 games in the first half. That puts them just a little over the halfway point in their seasons. There's obviously room for a lot of teams to improve on what they've already done and also plenty of time for seasons to implode. I'm a superstitious person, so I won't drop any names to possibly jinx their season(s) and send them down the tubes.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Cubs update: Rizzo getting his "call"? Pitching woes continue...
Is Anthony Rizzo ready for his promotion to Cubs...?
The main question on every Cubs fans' mind these days is this? When will Anthony Rizzo be promoted from Triple-A Iowa?? Supposedly, the 22-year old Rizzo will make his first appearance in a Chicago Cubs uniform for Tuesday night's home game vs. the New York Mets. That's the rumor anyways.
I hate that fans think that he is THE answer to all the Cubs' problems at the plate and in the field. We haven't even see him in action yet at the Major League level and fan and media are already assuming that he'll be a savior and saving grace for Northsiders.
Yes, he is hitting .349 with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs in 68 games for the Cubs' triple-A Iowa Cubs. The young Cubbie prospect also has 18 doubles, a couple, scored 48 runs and has 88 hits in those 68 games so far this season. The one thing that puzzles me is that Rizzo has struck out 51 times in his 252 at-bats (20%). It's obvious that he's a great hitter at the triple-A level and anywhere else he's played in the minor leagues, but will he be able to adjust quickly to major league pitching or will he continue to strike out 20-25% of the time, like Adam Dunn (White Sox) and Mark Reynolds (Orioles) have done in their recent pasts?
I like to think that I'm quite the optimist about a lot of things in life. I'm giving Rizzo a pretty open window of opportunity when he does get the call-up from Iowa. He's the most anticipated prospect to get called-up probably since Mark Prior made his first appearance after being drafted in 2001 by the Cubs out of USC. He'll have a tremendous amount of pressure on him as soon as his move to Chicago happens. At least he won't have to worry about his manager killing his throwing arm like Dusty Baker did over the years to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.
Cubs manager Dale Sveum has tweaked his lineup in recent weeks just to get a feel of where Rizzo would fit once he was called up. Moving David DeJesus to CF to play Bryan LaHair in RF to keep both their bats and gloves on the field once Rizzo joins the team is just one move that will benefit them in the long run. DeJesus started in CF today (Sunday), Reed Johnson patrolling the turf out in RF and Jeff Baker took to the infield dirt at 1B. Joe Mather got the start at 3B, but the hot corner has been shared by a handful of Cubs this season. It's pretty obvious that they're missing the bat and glove of Aramis Ramirez, now in Milwaukee, at third base. But, since he didn't want to accept a one-year deal worth 16-18 million, he took a deal from the Brewers where he's getting paid like he wanted.
It's a really tough task for Cubs president Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer to try to convert the Chicago Cubs into winners as quick as their beloved fans would like. We all know that this kind of thing doesn't happen overnight, but we would at least like to see a valiant effort out of them as management to give the Cubs their best foot forward and not make this fully a "rebuilding" year and consider it a "reloading" act. If only it were that easy.
Pitching, that's another set of woes...
There really isn't one pitcher in the rotationt that can be considered an ace pitcher on the Cubs' staff. Let's be honest, their struggling across the board. With the team at 24-48 overall, it's tough to peg exactly which arm isn't doing it for the rotation. They're all guilty of having bad outings, but things are just getting worse. Here's a look at what the arms that have been in the starting rotation have done so far...
Jeff Samardzija 5-6, 4.34 ERA, 84 K's
Matt Garza 3-6, 4.07 ERA, 72 K's
Paul Maholm 4-6, 5.38 ERA, 49 K's
Travis Wood 1-3, 8.31 ERA, 29 K's
Randy Wells 1-2, 4.91 ERA, 11 K's
Ryan Dempster 3-3, 2.11 ERA, 66 K's (currently on Disabled List)
Chris Volstad 0-6, 7.46 ERA, 24 K's (currently at triple-A Iowa Cubs)
The bullpen is having its struggles as well, but what's new? James Russell, Shawn Camp, Casey Coleman, Jair Asencio, Scott Maine, Manny Corpas and Carlos Marmol are the make up of the current bullpen, but they've had help from others that are either on the DL, have been demoted or retired like Kerry Wood has already this season. This group of late-inning workers has taken its fair share of lumps in the first half of the season and it's turned them into a "save by committee" kind of bullpen.
James Russell 2-0, 2.53 ERA, 26 K's (1 save)
Shawn Camp 2-4, 3.29 ERA, 31 K's (1 save)
Scott Maine 0-1, 8.68 ERA, 15 K's
Carlos Marmol 1-2, 5.85 ERA, 23 K's (4 saves)
Jair Asencio 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 K's
Casey Coleman 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 10 K's
Manny Corpas 0-0, 0.93 ERA, 7 K's
Other bullpen contributors...
Rafael Dolis 2-4, 5.68 ERA, 11 K's (4 saves)
Michael Bowden 0-0, 7.45 ERA, 8 K's
Luis Castillo 0-1, 7.04 ERA, 6 K's
Rodrigo Lopez 0-1, 5.68 ERA, 2 K's
Kerry Wood 0-2, 8.31 ERA, 6 K's (has retired)
Only time will tell on how long it takes for the Cubs' pitching arms to recover and try to salvage something out of this dreadful 2012 season. The Cubs will get on some sort of hot streak and make a little something of this down year.
Getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road this weekend, the Cubs head home to face the New York Mets starting Monday. It's time to turn things around. There are 90 games (24-48) left in the regular season and still a lot of room to make improvements. It all depends on what the front office does to help improve things on the field. Transactions have to be made. Possibly trading for a starting pitcher and/or relief pitcher. Promoting Anthony Rizzo to join the big league team from Iowa for a bat boost and depth in the field. The fans need something to get excited about and I'm hoping it's soon.
The main question on every Cubs fans' mind these days is this? When will Anthony Rizzo be promoted from Triple-A Iowa?? Supposedly, the 22-year old Rizzo will make his first appearance in a Chicago Cubs uniform for Tuesday night's home game vs. the New York Mets. That's the rumor anyways.
I hate that fans think that he is THE answer to all the Cubs' problems at the plate and in the field. We haven't even see him in action yet at the Major League level and fan and media are already assuming that he'll be a savior and saving grace for Northsiders.
Yes, he is hitting .349 with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs in 68 games for the Cubs' triple-A Iowa Cubs. The young Cubbie prospect also has 18 doubles, a couple, scored 48 runs and has 88 hits in those 68 games so far this season. The one thing that puzzles me is that Rizzo has struck out 51 times in his 252 at-bats (20%). It's obvious that he's a great hitter at the triple-A level and anywhere else he's played in the minor leagues, but will he be able to adjust quickly to major league pitching or will he continue to strike out 20-25% of the time, like Adam Dunn (White Sox) and Mark Reynolds (Orioles) have done in their recent pasts?
I like to think that I'm quite the optimist about a lot of things in life. I'm giving Rizzo a pretty open window of opportunity when he does get the call-up from Iowa. He's the most anticipated prospect to get called-up probably since Mark Prior made his first appearance after being drafted in 2001 by the Cubs out of USC. He'll have a tremendous amount of pressure on him as soon as his move to Chicago happens. At least he won't have to worry about his manager killing his throwing arm like Dusty Baker did over the years to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.
Cubs manager Dale Sveum has tweaked his lineup in recent weeks just to get a feel of where Rizzo would fit once he was called up. Moving David DeJesus to CF to play Bryan LaHair in RF to keep both their bats and gloves on the field once Rizzo joins the team is just one move that will benefit them in the long run. DeJesus started in CF today (Sunday), Reed Johnson patrolling the turf out in RF and Jeff Baker took to the infield dirt at 1B. Joe Mather got the start at 3B, but the hot corner has been shared by a handful of Cubs this season. It's pretty obvious that they're missing the bat and glove of Aramis Ramirez, now in Milwaukee, at third base. But, since he didn't want to accept a one-year deal worth 16-18 million, he took a deal from the Brewers where he's getting paid like he wanted.
It's a really tough task for Cubs president Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer to try to convert the Chicago Cubs into winners as quick as their beloved fans would like. We all know that this kind of thing doesn't happen overnight, but we would at least like to see a valiant effort out of them as management to give the Cubs their best foot forward and not make this fully a "rebuilding" year and consider it a "reloading" act. If only it were that easy.
Pitching, that's another set of woes...
There really isn't one pitcher in the rotationt that can be considered an ace pitcher on the Cubs' staff. Let's be honest, their struggling across the board. With the team at 24-48 overall, it's tough to peg exactly which arm isn't doing it for the rotation. They're all guilty of having bad outings, but things are just getting worse. Here's a look at what the arms that have been in the starting rotation have done so far...
Jeff Samardzija 5-6, 4.34 ERA, 84 K's
Matt Garza 3-6, 4.07 ERA, 72 K's
Paul Maholm 4-6, 5.38 ERA, 49 K's
Travis Wood 1-3, 8.31 ERA, 29 K's
Randy Wells 1-2, 4.91 ERA, 11 K's
Ryan Dempster 3-3, 2.11 ERA, 66 K's (currently on Disabled List)
Chris Volstad 0-6, 7.46 ERA, 24 K's (currently at triple-A Iowa Cubs)
The bullpen is having its struggles as well, but what's new? James Russell, Shawn Camp, Casey Coleman, Jair Asencio, Scott Maine, Manny Corpas and Carlos Marmol are the make up of the current bullpen, but they've had help from others that are either on the DL, have been demoted or retired like Kerry Wood has already this season. This group of late-inning workers has taken its fair share of lumps in the first half of the season and it's turned them into a "save by committee" kind of bullpen.
James Russell 2-0, 2.53 ERA, 26 K's (1 save)
Shawn Camp 2-4, 3.29 ERA, 31 K's (1 save)
Scott Maine 0-1, 8.68 ERA, 15 K's
Carlos Marmol 1-2, 5.85 ERA, 23 K's (4 saves)
Jair Asencio 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 K's
Casey Coleman 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 10 K's
Manny Corpas 0-0, 0.93 ERA, 7 K's
Other bullpen contributors...
Rafael Dolis 2-4, 5.68 ERA, 11 K's (4 saves)
Michael Bowden 0-0, 7.45 ERA, 8 K's
Luis Castillo 0-1, 7.04 ERA, 6 K's
Rodrigo Lopez 0-1, 5.68 ERA, 2 K's
Kerry Wood 0-2, 8.31 ERA, 6 K's (has retired)
Only time will tell on how long it takes for the Cubs' pitching arms to recover and try to salvage something out of this dreadful 2012 season. The Cubs will get on some sort of hot streak and make a little something of this down year.
Getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road this weekend, the Cubs head home to face the New York Mets starting Monday. It's time to turn things around. There are 90 games (24-48) left in the regular season and still a lot of room to make improvements. It all depends on what the front office does to help improve things on the field. Transactions have to be made. Possibly trading for a starting pitcher and/or relief pitcher. Promoting Anthony Rizzo to join the big league team from Iowa for a bat boost and depth in the field. The fans need something to get excited about and I'm hoping it's soon.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
NBA Finals: Thunder's odds can be overcome...
The Oklahoma City Thunder might be down 3-1 in the NBA Finals, but I don't think I would count them completely out. I may seem like I'm going out on a limb here, but if there's one team that I think can overcome a 3-1 deficit, it's the Thunder.
Game 5 is in Miami on Thursday night (tonight), which obviously caters to the home team in the Heat, but they can be beaten at home, like most teams in the playoffs this year. The Heat will be pretty hyped up to wrap this NBA Finals in five games. The Thunder are going to do everything possible to keep Miami's "champaign on ice" and steal Game 5. They'd love nothing more than to head home to Oklahoma City down 3-2 with a chance to win two games to pull off the unthinkable task of winning a playoff series after being down three games to one.
I realize that teams leading a series 3-1 are 30-0 in Game 5 of those series all-time, but odds are meant to be defied!
There aren't a whole lot of people that actually want to see LeBron, D-Wade and company win at NBA Championship. The way that they came into being this "Big 3" that they're referred as, just makes sports fans cringe and want to throw up all over. No three professional athletes should put on a display like those fools did a couple years ago when it was announced in a prime time special on ESPN that Lebron James and Chris Bosh would be joining Dwyane Wade as members of the Miami Heat to start the 2010-11 NBA season.
Westbrook might have dropped 43 points on the Heat in an effort to try and help his Thunder in Game 4, but they came up short. Kevin Durant contributed 28, but their 71 combined needed to be that much more in order to make up for what their teammates didn't do. Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, James Harden, Derek Fisher and Nick Collison all six only pitched in for 27 total points. It's no wonder that Miami outscored OKC in the final three quarters.
It's going to take Durant to lead the Thunder with his own 40-plus output. Westbrook needs to play just as smart, if not smarter than he did scoring 43 in Game 4. James Harden needs to start playing again like the Harden who is the 6th Man of the Year. Ibaka, Sefolosha and Perkins have to be more aggressive rebounding at both ends of the court. While they're at it, they might as well contribute an average of 8-10 points each. Nick Collison has to come off the bench like a mad man on a mission to ruin someone's day. He gets a little timid out there among Miami's big guys down low and doesn't play to his potential on the average night. Derek Fisher is as guilty as any coming off the OKC bench. He has 5 NBA Titles with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the Thunder in March. It's almost as if the youth of the Thunder isn't appreciating his veteran presence and his experience in the NBA Finals as much as they should.
The odds of Oklahoma City winning Game 5 at American Airlines Arena in Miami are pretty small. The city of Miami might actually be appreciative enough of their team if they were to win Game 5 for their fourth win in a row in the series and beat the Thunder in five. Or, we could see a surging Thunder team that puts together another three game winning streak in the playoffs. LeBron has had some time to rest his cramping quad muscles since his dramatic scenes from Game 4 and will probably hype of the Heat crowd right away in Game 5.
What I want to happen and what will happen might be two different things come midnight Thursday (tonight). The odds are obviously favoring the Heat to win Game 5 because they're on their home court. Stacking the odds against Durant, Westbook and the Thunder might be a bad idea. It may not matter to these two high octane scorers that they're not playing at home. They will be focused on winning one game at a time to get back home to Chesapeake Energy Arena and make history in front of their fans.
Wishful thinking, I know. Far-fetched yes, I'm well aware of that. Only time will tell, but that's why they play the games. Game 5 is tonight at 9ET on ABC. I'll be watching for sure and hope that OKC can defy all odds for the W.
GO THUNDER!!!!
Game 5 is in Miami on Thursday night (tonight), which obviously caters to the home team in the Heat, but they can be beaten at home, like most teams in the playoffs this year. The Heat will be pretty hyped up to wrap this NBA Finals in five games. The Thunder are going to do everything possible to keep Miami's "champaign on ice" and steal Game 5. They'd love nothing more than to head home to Oklahoma City down 3-2 with a chance to win two games to pull off the unthinkable task of winning a playoff series after being down three games to one.
I realize that teams leading a series 3-1 are 30-0 in Game 5 of those series all-time, but odds are meant to be defied!
There aren't a whole lot of people that actually want to see LeBron, D-Wade and company win at NBA Championship. The way that they came into being this "Big 3" that they're referred as, just makes sports fans cringe and want to throw up all over. No three professional athletes should put on a display like those fools did a couple years ago when it was announced in a prime time special on ESPN that Lebron James and Chris Bosh would be joining Dwyane Wade as members of the Miami Heat to start the 2010-11 NBA season.
Westbrook might have dropped 43 points on the Heat in an effort to try and help his Thunder in Game 4, but they came up short. Kevin Durant contributed 28, but their 71 combined needed to be that much more in order to make up for what their teammates didn't do. Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefolosha, Kendrick Perkins, James Harden, Derek Fisher and Nick Collison all six only pitched in for 27 total points. It's no wonder that Miami outscored OKC in the final three quarters.
It's going to take Durant to lead the Thunder with his own 40-plus output. Westbrook needs to play just as smart, if not smarter than he did scoring 43 in Game 4. James Harden needs to start playing again like the Harden who is the 6th Man of the Year. Ibaka, Sefolosha and Perkins have to be more aggressive rebounding at both ends of the court. While they're at it, they might as well contribute an average of 8-10 points each. Nick Collison has to come off the bench like a mad man on a mission to ruin someone's day. He gets a little timid out there among Miami's big guys down low and doesn't play to his potential on the average night. Derek Fisher is as guilty as any coming off the OKC bench. He has 5 NBA Titles with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the Thunder in March. It's almost as if the youth of the Thunder isn't appreciating his veteran presence and his experience in the NBA Finals as much as they should.
The odds of Oklahoma City winning Game 5 at American Airlines Arena in Miami are pretty small. The city of Miami might actually be appreciative enough of their team if they were to win Game 5 for their fourth win in a row in the series and beat the Thunder in five. Or, we could see a surging Thunder team that puts together another three game winning streak in the playoffs. LeBron has had some time to rest his cramping quad muscles since his dramatic scenes from Game 4 and will probably hype of the Heat crowd right away in Game 5.
What I want to happen and what will happen might be two different things come midnight Thursday (tonight). The odds are obviously favoring the Heat to win Game 5 because they're on their home court. Stacking the odds against Durant, Westbook and the Thunder might be a bad idea. It may not matter to these two high octane scorers that they're not playing at home. They will be focused on winning one game at a time to get back home to Chesapeake Energy Arena and make history in front of their fans.
Wishful thinking, I know. Far-fetched yes, I'm well aware of that. Only time will tell, but that's why they play the games. Game 5 is tonight at 9ET on ABC. I'll be watching for sure and hope that OKC can defy all odds for the W.
GO THUNDER!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
4A Sectional 8 Championship: 4A#5 Zionsville 10, Noblesville 4
Game 6: Zionsville 10, Noblesville 4
Noblesville got their "home" fans excited from the start, despite being the visitor on the scoreboard. Sam Wides walked with a full count to lead off. He found himself at third just after he got to first. Zionsville pitcher Troy Kuhn attempted to pick off Wides at first, but instead threw the ball over Joel Trewartha's head and down the fence toward the field tarp, which allowed Sammy to dive head first into third base. Wides trotted home on Luke Porter's fielder's choice, getting the Miller faithful on their feet.
Zionsville came back with two runs in the bottom of the first to top Noblesville's score. Drew Small walked, but was forced out at second on Ben Kocher's fielder's choice. Kuhn doubled to give the Eagles second and third with one out. Parker Dunshee next hit an RBI groundout to Garrett Christman at second, but scored Kocher. Catcher Ryan Bertram hit an RBI double to left, scoring Kuhn for a 2-1 Zionsville edge after one.
After NHS went 1-2-3 in their half of the 2nd, Zionsville continued its scoring and broke open the scoring just a little.
With one out, Harry Farber singled up the middle. Cam Richey reached on an error at shortstop by Nick Vallier. Small singled just over Christman's head and into right to load 'em up. Kocher hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Farber. Next, Kuhn lined a two-run single up the middle to score Richey and Small. Dunshee joined the hit parade with his two-run double to deep right center. He tried stretching it into a triple, but was thrown out on the play (9-6-5) for the second out. Zionsville had just ultimately frustrated senior starter Kent Williams on the mound. He allowed 7 runs on 7 hits over his short 2.2 inning stint, which would be his final outing of his high school career. Sophomore Trevor Salmon came in with two outs in the bottom of the second and K'd Trewartha for the third out.
Salmon gave Noblesville coach Justin Keever 3.1 innings of relief work and helped calm down the Eagles' bats for a few innings.
The Millers got a couple more runs in the fourth. Andrew Wilson walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Christman walked as well. They both scored in the inning, cutting the Zionsville margin to 7-3 after four innings played.
Two outs in the bottom of the 5th frame and Nick Barrientos singled to keep the inning alive for the Eagles. He advanced to second on a Fansher error at first base. Farber drives Barrientos home with an RBI double. Cam Richey hit Farber in with a double of his own. Zionsville was now up 9-3 and in full command with two innings to go until their first sectional championship since 2007.
Nichols and Vallier struck out to start the sixth. Garrett Welch hit a two-out double, his third extra base hit of the sectional. Welch score to make it 9-4 two batters later on a Steven Jones single.
Zionsville chalked up one more run for good measure in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Dunshee walked and was driven in two hitters later by Joel Trewarth's single down the right field line for the final score of 10-4.
The favorite to win this Class 4A Sectional, Zionsville did just that. Noblesville ends a rough, tough season with a 14-18 record. Zionsville improved to 26-5 and will play in the Lafayette Jeff Regional at Loeb Stadium against Carroll (Allen) (23-7) at around 1:30 Saturday. Fort Wayne South (19-7) plays McCutcheon (24-7) in the first game at 11 a.m.
2012 4A Sectional 8 All-Sectional Tournament Team
P Taran Murphy - Noblesville (5 strikeouts, win)
P Wade Burtron - Westfield (6 strikeouts, win)
P Parker Dunshee - Zionsville (8 strikeouts)
P Trevor Salmon - Noblesville (3.1 IP, 3 strikeouts)
P Seth Parrish - North Central (6 IP, 5 strikeouts)
C Sam Wides - Noblesville (3 runs, 2 doubles)
C Bailey Partlow - Westfield (3 runs, HR, 5 RBIs)
1B Nevin Fansher - Noblesville (2 RBIs, 2B, 12 putouts)
2B Andrew Riley - North Central (2 HRs, 5 RBIs in same inning vs. Fishers)
SS Troy Kuhn - Zionsville (4 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 2Bs)
3B Luke Porter - Noblesville (3 runs, RBI, 2B)
INF Nick Vallier - Noblesville (4 RBIs, 3 putouts, 7 assists)
UTIL Ben Kocher - Zionsville (6 runs, reached base 10 of 13 pl. app., 7 assists)
UTIL Garrett Christman - Noblesville (3 runs, 2 RBIs - both sac. flies)
OF Garrett Welch - Noblesville (2 3Bs, 2B, 3 runs)
OF Harry Farber - Zionsville (3 runs, 3 RBIs, 4 singles)
OF Roman Baisa - North Central (3 RBIs, 3 infield singles, 7 assists)
OF Nick Barrientos - Zionsville (4 runs, 3 RBIs, 4 singles)
OF Cameron VanderBerg - Fishers (4-4, 7 RBIs, 2 HRs, 2 1Bs)
DH Brandon Gray - Westfield (2 runs, 2 RBIs, 3 singles)
Noblesville got their "home" fans excited from the start, despite being the visitor on the scoreboard. Sam Wides walked with a full count to lead off. He found himself at third just after he got to first. Zionsville pitcher Troy Kuhn attempted to pick off Wides at first, but instead threw the ball over Joel Trewartha's head and down the fence toward the field tarp, which allowed Sammy to dive head first into third base. Wides trotted home on Luke Porter's fielder's choice, getting the Miller faithful on their feet.
Zionsville came back with two runs in the bottom of the first to top Noblesville's score. Drew Small walked, but was forced out at second on Ben Kocher's fielder's choice. Kuhn doubled to give the Eagles second and third with one out. Parker Dunshee next hit an RBI groundout to Garrett Christman at second, but scored Kocher. Catcher Ryan Bertram hit an RBI double to left, scoring Kuhn for a 2-1 Zionsville edge after one.
After NHS went 1-2-3 in their half of the 2nd, Zionsville continued its scoring and broke open the scoring just a little.
With one out, Harry Farber singled up the middle. Cam Richey reached on an error at shortstop by Nick Vallier. Small singled just over Christman's head and into right to load 'em up. Kocher hit into a fielder's choice, scoring Farber. Next, Kuhn lined a two-run single up the middle to score Richey and Small. Dunshee joined the hit parade with his two-run double to deep right center. He tried stretching it into a triple, but was thrown out on the play (9-6-5) for the second out. Zionsville had just ultimately frustrated senior starter Kent Williams on the mound. He allowed 7 runs on 7 hits over his short 2.2 inning stint, which would be his final outing of his high school career. Sophomore Trevor Salmon came in with two outs in the bottom of the second and K'd Trewartha for the third out.
Salmon gave Noblesville coach Justin Keever 3.1 innings of relief work and helped calm down the Eagles' bats for a few innings.
The Millers got a couple more runs in the fourth. Andrew Wilson walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Christman walked as well. They both scored in the inning, cutting the Zionsville margin to 7-3 after four innings played.
Two outs in the bottom of the 5th frame and Nick Barrientos singled to keep the inning alive for the Eagles. He advanced to second on a Fansher error at first base. Farber drives Barrientos home with an RBI double. Cam Richey hit Farber in with a double of his own. Zionsville was now up 9-3 and in full command with two innings to go until their first sectional championship since 2007.
Nichols and Vallier struck out to start the sixth. Garrett Welch hit a two-out double, his third extra base hit of the sectional. Welch score to make it 9-4 two batters later on a Steven Jones single.
Zionsville chalked up one more run for good measure in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Dunshee walked and was driven in two hitters later by Joel Trewarth's single down the right field line for the final score of 10-4.
The favorite to win this Class 4A Sectional, Zionsville did just that. Noblesville ends a rough, tough season with a 14-18 record. Zionsville improved to 26-5 and will play in the Lafayette Jeff Regional at Loeb Stadium against Carroll (Allen) (23-7) at around 1:30 Saturday. Fort Wayne South (19-7) plays McCutcheon (24-7) in the first game at 11 a.m.
2012 4A Sectional 8 All-Sectional Tournament Team
P Taran Murphy - Noblesville (5 strikeouts, win)
P Wade Burtron - Westfield (6 strikeouts, win)
P Parker Dunshee - Zionsville (8 strikeouts)
P Trevor Salmon - Noblesville (3.1 IP, 3 strikeouts)
P Seth Parrish - North Central (6 IP, 5 strikeouts)
C Sam Wides - Noblesville (3 runs, 2 doubles)
C Bailey Partlow - Westfield (3 runs, HR, 5 RBIs)
1B Nevin Fansher - Noblesville (2 RBIs, 2B, 12 putouts)
2B Andrew Riley - North Central (2 HRs, 5 RBIs in same inning vs. Fishers)
SS Troy Kuhn - Zionsville (4 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 2Bs)
3B Luke Porter - Noblesville (3 runs, RBI, 2B)
INF Nick Vallier - Noblesville (4 RBIs, 3 putouts, 7 assists)
UTIL Ben Kocher - Zionsville (6 runs, reached base 10 of 13 pl. app., 7 assists)
UTIL Garrett Christman - Noblesville (3 runs, 2 RBIs - both sac. flies)
OF Garrett Welch - Noblesville (2 3Bs, 2B, 3 runs)
OF Harry Farber - Zionsville (3 runs, 3 RBIs, 4 singles)
OF Roman Baisa - North Central (3 RBIs, 3 infield singles, 7 assists)
OF Nick Barrientos - Zionsville (4 runs, 3 RBIs, 4 singles)
OF Cameron VanderBerg - Fishers (4-4, 7 RBIs, 2 HRs, 2 1Bs)
DH Brandon Gray - Westfield (2 runs, 2 RBIs, 3 singles)
4A Sectional 8 (at Noblesville) Semi-finals (Memorial Day afternoon)
Game 4: Noblesville 14, North Central 0 (6 innings)
After North Central proved a lot of people wrong on the first night of the Noblesville sectional, we weren't sure if that same group of Panthers would show up to face the host Noblesville Millers on Memorial Day or not.
Senior Taran Murphy (5-2) took the mound for the Millers and had only one thing in mind. Pitch the Millers to a victory and be one step closer to a sectional championship on their home turf at The Dunk.
The Miller faithful was loud and proud Monday to cheer on their team. They got their chance first to hoop and holler, as Noblesville was the visitor on the scoreboard, despite playing on their home field. The rule is the whichever team receives the bye in the sectional bracket, that team will be the visiting team every game they play.
That didn't matter for the host Millers. After Sam Wides K'd looking, Luke Porter walked on five pitches. He got a free pass to second when Panther pitcher Mac Lozer tried picking Porter off at first and airmailed Ben Breymier. Andrew Wilson gave NHS two runners on with his walk. On the first pitch to Garrett Christman, Porter and Wilson converted the double-steal to put runners in scoring position. Christman's second pitch he saw was a sacrifice fly to left that allowed Porter to score for a 1-0 Noblesville lead.
They tallied another in the second. Garrett Welch smashed a one-out triple to the wall. He was driven home with ease by Nevin Fansher's sacrifice fly to left and it was now 2-0 Millers.
In the third, Wides singled and stole second. Porter drove Wides home on his RBI-double deep to the center field wall. Two batters later, Porter found himself scoring on Christman's second sac fly in as many plate appearances for a 4-0 Miller lead.
Seth Parrish came in to relieve Lozer for North Central in the top of the third. He held the Millers in check for the 4th, but that didn't last more than one inning.
Parrish barely had an ample amount of time to get settled in on the mound before Noblesville hit everything that he threw near the plate in the 5th inning. Shortstop Jensen Kirch allowed Porter on base for his third consecutive time with an error. Wilson singled to left. Christman bunted for a single to load the bags for the DH Mike Nichols. Nichols hit the ball to short and Kirch did the smart thing and threw home to get the lead runner out, leaving the bases loaded with Nichols' fielder's choice. Vallier took a 3-1 pitch straight up the middle and into center field, driving in Wilson and Christman, 6-0 Millers. Welch belted his own 3-1 pitch for a two-run triple to the wall for a 8-0. Fansher nabbed another RBI with a single up the middle that scored Welch from third that put Noblesville up 9-0 after 5 innings.
That wasn't enough for Noblesville and I can't say that I blame them at all. Wides got his second hit of the ballgame, lifting a double to the huge gap in right center and he stole second just one pitch later. Porter dropped a single into shallow left to give the Millers second and third with no outs. Wilson flied out to right, sending Wides home for a comfortable 10-0 cushion. Christman and Nichols both walked to load the bases up with Millers again. Vallier hit his second two-run single in as many innings to put Noblesville up a cool dozen. Welch reached via a fielder's choice, but was substituted on the base path by Brian McLean for running purposes. Vallier was forced out at second for two outs. McLean scored the 14th and final Miller fun on a Justin Holloway pinch-hit double to the left field wall, on one bounce.
Murphy was in complete control on the hill, allowing only four hits from North Central while shutting out the Panthers. Taran struck out five, but more importantly, only allowed five balls out of the infield, just one of those being an actual hit.
Noblesville improved its record to 14-17 on his season and North Central ended 2012 at 14-15.
Game 5: Zionsville 15, Westfield 2 (6 innings)
It wasn't a real shocker that Zionsville took down Westfield in this semi-final tilt, but I didn't think it would get as bad as it got to be.
Easy did it in the top of the first for Z-ville. Ben Kocher walked. Troy Kuhn lined a single right down the left field line, giving the Eagles runners in scoring position. The pitcher Parker Dunshee drove Kocher home for a 1-0 edge. Ryan Bertram hit a sac fly to center to score Kuhn. Joel Trewartha then belted and RBI double to center to score Dunshee for a 3-0 lead for Zionsville after one.
Drew Small and Kocher both singled with one out in the second and were driven in by Kuhn's two-run double down the left field line. Now it was 5-0 after two and Westfield was forced into panic mode. TJ Ehrman got the final two outs of the second, pitching the Rocks out of the jam, somewhat.
Ehrman lasted four-plus innings. The Eagles only got one run in the third. Nick Barrientos scored on an error after he singled with one out.
Zionsville put up another big number on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. A leadoff walk by Kocher, he was driven in by a Dunshee RBI triple. Trewartha walked to get aboard with Dunshee. Barrientos touched them all, if you will, on his three-run triple. The center fielder raced around the bases and was able to head home when Ehrman had overthrown a ball to first, allowing Barrientos to score. The Eagles were up 10-0 through four and a half innings, and the double-digit run rule only counts through six innings, so Westfield had to try and fight through more of this brutality it was facing from the 4A #5 ranked Zionsville squad.
With two down in the fifth, Westfield showed signs of life for really the first time all game long. Alec Nelson drilled a long single directly down the left field line. The next pitch, Bailey Partlow drove a fastball deep over the left center fence for a two-run home run onto State Road 32, bouncing twice before tagging an SUV on the fly.
Zionsville finished their scoring in the sixth, but it took longer than Westfield wanted it to. Kuhn hit a quick grounder up the middle and into center to lead off. Dunshee was hit by an Ehrman pitch. Bertram bunted and was forced out at first on a 3-4 play. Trewartha was intentionally walked without a pitch being throw to him and Barrientos walked. Harry Farber knocked a two-run double and rounded second just a little too far and he was tagged out on a 2-5-4 play for the second out. DH Cam Richey drove in Barrientos with an RBI single just passed Jake Dietz at short. Richey then scored on a Kocher single for the final tally of 15-2, sending Zionsville to the sectional championship to face Noblesville.
4A #5 Zionsville was now heading to the sectional title game with a 25-5 record and Westfield fell to 17-13 to end its 2012 baseball season.
After North Central proved a lot of people wrong on the first night of the Noblesville sectional, we weren't sure if that same group of Panthers would show up to face the host Noblesville Millers on Memorial Day or not.
Senior Taran Murphy (5-2) took the mound for the Millers and had only one thing in mind. Pitch the Millers to a victory and be one step closer to a sectional championship on their home turf at The Dunk.
The Miller faithful was loud and proud Monday to cheer on their team. They got their chance first to hoop and holler, as Noblesville was the visitor on the scoreboard, despite playing on their home field. The rule is the whichever team receives the bye in the sectional bracket, that team will be the visiting team every game they play.
That didn't matter for the host Millers. After Sam Wides K'd looking, Luke Porter walked on five pitches. He got a free pass to second when Panther pitcher Mac Lozer tried picking Porter off at first and airmailed Ben Breymier. Andrew Wilson gave NHS two runners on with his walk. On the first pitch to Garrett Christman, Porter and Wilson converted the double-steal to put runners in scoring position. Christman's second pitch he saw was a sacrifice fly to left that allowed Porter to score for a 1-0 Noblesville lead.
They tallied another in the second. Garrett Welch smashed a one-out triple to the wall. He was driven home with ease by Nevin Fansher's sacrifice fly to left and it was now 2-0 Millers.
In the third, Wides singled and stole second. Porter drove Wides home on his RBI-double deep to the center field wall. Two batters later, Porter found himself scoring on Christman's second sac fly in as many plate appearances for a 4-0 Miller lead.
Seth Parrish came in to relieve Lozer for North Central in the top of the third. He held the Millers in check for the 4th, but that didn't last more than one inning.
Parrish barely had an ample amount of time to get settled in on the mound before Noblesville hit everything that he threw near the plate in the 5th inning. Shortstop Jensen Kirch allowed Porter on base for his third consecutive time with an error. Wilson singled to left. Christman bunted for a single to load the bags for the DH Mike Nichols. Nichols hit the ball to short and Kirch did the smart thing and threw home to get the lead runner out, leaving the bases loaded with Nichols' fielder's choice. Vallier took a 3-1 pitch straight up the middle and into center field, driving in Wilson and Christman, 6-0 Millers. Welch belted his own 3-1 pitch for a two-run triple to the wall for a 8-0. Fansher nabbed another RBI with a single up the middle that scored Welch from third that put Noblesville up 9-0 after 5 innings.
That wasn't enough for Noblesville and I can't say that I blame them at all. Wides got his second hit of the ballgame, lifting a double to the huge gap in right center and he stole second just one pitch later. Porter dropped a single into shallow left to give the Millers second and third with no outs. Wilson flied out to right, sending Wides home for a comfortable 10-0 cushion. Christman and Nichols both walked to load the bases up with Millers again. Vallier hit his second two-run single in as many innings to put Noblesville up a cool dozen. Welch reached via a fielder's choice, but was substituted on the base path by Brian McLean for running purposes. Vallier was forced out at second for two outs. McLean scored the 14th and final Miller fun on a Justin Holloway pinch-hit double to the left field wall, on one bounce.
Murphy was in complete control on the hill, allowing only four hits from North Central while shutting out the Panthers. Taran struck out five, but more importantly, only allowed five balls out of the infield, just one of those being an actual hit.
Noblesville improved its record to 14-17 on his season and North Central ended 2012 at 14-15.
Game 5: Zionsville 15, Westfield 2 (6 innings)
It wasn't a real shocker that Zionsville took down Westfield in this semi-final tilt, but I didn't think it would get as bad as it got to be.
Easy did it in the top of the first for Z-ville. Ben Kocher walked. Troy Kuhn lined a single right down the left field line, giving the Eagles runners in scoring position. The pitcher Parker Dunshee drove Kocher home for a 1-0 edge. Ryan Bertram hit a sac fly to center to score Kuhn. Joel Trewartha then belted and RBI double to center to score Dunshee for a 3-0 lead for Zionsville after one.
Drew Small and Kocher both singled with one out in the second and were driven in by Kuhn's two-run double down the left field line. Now it was 5-0 after two and Westfield was forced into panic mode. TJ Ehrman got the final two outs of the second, pitching the Rocks out of the jam, somewhat.
Ehrman lasted four-plus innings. The Eagles only got one run in the third. Nick Barrientos scored on an error after he singled with one out.
Zionsville put up another big number on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. A leadoff walk by Kocher, he was driven in by a Dunshee RBI triple. Trewartha walked to get aboard with Dunshee. Barrientos touched them all, if you will, on his three-run triple. The center fielder raced around the bases and was able to head home when Ehrman had overthrown a ball to first, allowing Barrientos to score. The Eagles were up 10-0 through four and a half innings, and the double-digit run rule only counts through six innings, so Westfield had to try and fight through more of this brutality it was facing from the 4A #5 ranked Zionsville squad.
With two down in the fifth, Westfield showed signs of life for really the first time all game long. Alec Nelson drilled a long single directly down the left field line. The next pitch, Bailey Partlow drove a fastball deep over the left center fence for a two-run home run onto State Road 32, bouncing twice before tagging an SUV on the fly.
Zionsville finished their scoring in the sixth, but it took longer than Westfield wanted it to. Kuhn hit a quick grounder up the middle and into center to lead off. Dunshee was hit by an Ehrman pitch. Bertram bunted and was forced out at first on a 3-4 play. Trewartha was intentionally walked without a pitch being throw to him and Barrientos walked. Harry Farber knocked a two-run double and rounded second just a little too far and he was tagged out on a 2-5-4 play for the second out. DH Cam Richey drove in Barrientos with an RBI single just passed Jake Dietz at short. Richey then scored on a Kocher single for the final tally of 15-2, sending Zionsville to the sectional championship to face Noblesville.
4A #5 Zionsville was now heading to the sectional title game with a 25-5 record and Westfield fell to 17-13 to end its 2012 baseball season.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Zionsville and Westfield advance to sectional semi-finals (from Saturday)
Game 2: Zionsville 2 Hamilton Southeastern 0
Being postponed to the next day in a scoreless affair is probably one of the more mind-racking things that a high school baseball team and its coaches can go through.
The anticipation was more than likely getting the best of the Zionsville Eagles and Hamilton Southeastern Royals. First pitch on Friday night was slated for 5:30 p.m., but Noblesville athletic director Mike Hasch detected lightning just miles away, delaying the first pitch until 6:00. The actual first pitch was at 6:02 p.m., but we really didn't get too much further. There was another set of thunder at 6:41, followed by some lightning off in the distance that forced the umpires to clear the field.
After 7 different restarts of the 30 minute delay clock, head coaches John Zangrilli (Zionsville) and Scott Johnson (Hamilton SE) were given the choice to make the final decision on the game. Wait for the storm to go through or come back Saturday and continue then. Zangrilli made the good point to all of us in the meeting that he wanted to come back Saturday, so that both teams would have a fair chance at winning the game.
It was a 17 hour and 22 minute "delay," but the Eagles and Royals were back at Dunker Field and ready to fight for a chance to advance to the semi-finals of the Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville.
Prior to the delays on Friday night, Zionsville and Hamilton Southeastern did get 2.2 innings in before play was postponed and moved to Saturday at noon.
The Eagles' starting hurler Parker Dunshee gave way to Mic Richey to finish the remaining 5 innings. Dunshee and Richey combine for a four-hit shutout, yielding just 8 Royals to reach base. Jacob Kowal pitched all seven frames for HSE.
It didn't take much offense by Zionsville to move onto the semi-final round. In the top of the 6th, Ben Kocher got on base with a single to right center and advanced to third on a throw to first to attempt to pick him off, but Kowal's throw sailed over 1B Sean Green's head, giving Kocher two bases to third. A light single by Dunshee into left sent Kocher home for a 1-0 Eagle lead.
Nick Barrientos started the 7th off with a walk. Harry Farber reached on a base hit to shallow right, putting Barrientos at second. Evan Miller came in and pinch hit for DH Cam Richey and hit into a fielder's choice. Miller hit the ball right back to Kowal and he made the smart move and got Barrientos out for the force out at third. Drew Small knocked the other run in for Zionsville on a single to left center for a 2-0 lead. Miller was then doubled up to end the inning on Ben Kocher's fly out to left. LF Chris Irwin gunned Miller down as he was heading to third.
Mic Richey allowed just one hit and left Tre Gantt on base to end the game, advancing Zionsville to the sectional semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Hamilton Southeastern.
4A #5 Zionsville moved its record to 24-5 overall and Hamilton Southeastern ended its season with a 19-11 mark.
Game 3: Westfield 14, Carmel 3
Westfield thought they were playing it extremely smart by putting their pitching ace, Wade Burtron (5-2), on the mound to secure a berth in the seciontal semi-finals. This method worked to get Westfield past Carmel, but it might come back to hurt them when the semi-finals come around Monday on Memorial Day.
Nathan Manworren was hit by the second pitch of the game by Carmel's Ryan Campbell, giving the Rocks a runner aboard right away. The leadoff man got caught in a 1-3-6-3-4 rundown between first and second, trying to steal second, and was finally tagged out by 2B Riley Miller. Freshman catcher Bailey Partlow walked and eventually scored on Burtron's RBI-single down the left field line.
Westfield was back at it in the second inning, right where they left off in the first. DH Brandon Gray singled to left and eventually found his way to third by stealing second. Jacob Robinson raced to an infield single that moved Gray to third, but Robinson was forced out at second on Manworren's fielder's choice, but also scored Gray for 2-0 Westfield lead. Jake Dietz eached on an error by Hounds catcher Clay Morrison. Alec Nelson drove in Manworren with a single to right center. First baseman Nick Saldutti helped complete the Rocks' scoring in the second with an RBI-double, one-hop to the outfield wall, sending Nelson home. A 5-0 cushion could be enough, but this is the sectionals and anything does and will happen.
Carmel got itself on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Riley Miller doubled to deep right center, one-hopping the ball to the wall. Cameron Cruz reached via an error on SS Jake Dietz, scoring Miller.
The Rocks put another run in their line score with an RBI single by the DH Gray, scoring Jake Celleghin for a 6-1 lead.
The Hounds continued to push the envelope in the fifth inning, for the time being. Black Warner singled to center and Alex McManus got on base with a fielder's choice, which forced Warner out at second. Kyle Fiala then smacked an RBI-triple to center (McManus scored) and then Fiala scored on an RBI-double by Miller to cut their deficit to only trailing Westfield 6-3.
Westfield broke open the game that could have been much closer. Tacking on two more in the 6th, Westfield was on a mission in the final two innings. Jake Dietz led off with a base hit to left. Manworren tapped a ball to Jack Thompson at the mound and he overthrew Jack Martin at first. He and Manworren eventually scored on Bailey Partlow's one-hop, two-run single to the left field wall for an 8-3 advantage.
They continued in the top of the seventh against Thompson and JT Ellison, who seemed like they were tossing Westfield batting practice. The Rocks got 6 runs on 3 hits in the seventh to seal their fate for a sectional semi-final matchup with fellow Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe Zionsville in Monday's second second game.
Westfield upped its record to 17-12 and Carmel ended its 2012 campaign 9-21.
Being postponed to the next day in a scoreless affair is probably one of the more mind-racking things that a high school baseball team and its coaches can go through.
The anticipation was more than likely getting the best of the Zionsville Eagles and Hamilton Southeastern Royals. First pitch on Friday night was slated for 5:30 p.m., but Noblesville athletic director Mike Hasch detected lightning just miles away, delaying the first pitch until 6:00. The actual first pitch was at 6:02 p.m., but we really didn't get too much further. There was another set of thunder at 6:41, followed by some lightning off in the distance that forced the umpires to clear the field.
After 7 different restarts of the 30 minute delay clock, head coaches John Zangrilli (Zionsville) and Scott Johnson (Hamilton SE) were given the choice to make the final decision on the game. Wait for the storm to go through or come back Saturday and continue then. Zangrilli made the good point to all of us in the meeting that he wanted to come back Saturday, so that both teams would have a fair chance at winning the game.
It was a 17 hour and 22 minute "delay," but the Eagles and Royals were back at Dunker Field and ready to fight for a chance to advance to the semi-finals of the Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville.
Prior to the delays on Friday night, Zionsville and Hamilton Southeastern did get 2.2 innings in before play was postponed and moved to Saturday at noon.
The Eagles' starting hurler Parker Dunshee gave way to Mic Richey to finish the remaining 5 innings. Dunshee and Richey combine for a four-hit shutout, yielding just 8 Royals to reach base. Jacob Kowal pitched all seven frames for HSE.
It didn't take much offense by Zionsville to move onto the semi-final round. In the top of the 6th, Ben Kocher got on base with a single to right center and advanced to third on a throw to first to attempt to pick him off, but Kowal's throw sailed over 1B Sean Green's head, giving Kocher two bases to third. A light single by Dunshee into left sent Kocher home for a 1-0 Eagle lead.
Nick Barrientos started the 7th off with a walk. Harry Farber reached on a base hit to shallow right, putting Barrientos at second. Evan Miller came in and pinch hit for DH Cam Richey and hit into a fielder's choice. Miller hit the ball right back to Kowal and he made the smart move and got Barrientos out for the force out at third. Drew Small knocked the other run in for Zionsville on a single to left center for a 2-0 lead. Miller was then doubled up to end the inning on Ben Kocher's fly out to left. LF Chris Irwin gunned Miller down as he was heading to third.
Mic Richey allowed just one hit and left Tre Gantt on base to end the game, advancing Zionsville to the sectional semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Hamilton Southeastern.
4A #5 Zionsville moved its record to 24-5 overall and Hamilton Southeastern ended its season with a 19-11 mark.
Game 3: Westfield 14, Carmel 3
Westfield thought they were playing it extremely smart by putting their pitching ace, Wade Burtron (5-2), on the mound to secure a berth in the seciontal semi-finals. This method worked to get Westfield past Carmel, but it might come back to hurt them when the semi-finals come around Monday on Memorial Day.
Nathan Manworren was hit by the second pitch of the game by Carmel's Ryan Campbell, giving the Rocks a runner aboard right away. The leadoff man got caught in a 1-3-6-3-4 rundown between first and second, trying to steal second, and was finally tagged out by 2B Riley Miller. Freshman catcher Bailey Partlow walked and eventually scored on Burtron's RBI-single down the left field line.
Westfield was back at it in the second inning, right where they left off in the first. DH Brandon Gray singled to left and eventually found his way to third by stealing second. Jacob Robinson raced to an infield single that moved Gray to third, but Robinson was forced out at second on Manworren's fielder's choice, but also scored Gray for 2-0 Westfield lead. Jake Dietz eached on an error by Hounds catcher Clay Morrison. Alec Nelson drove in Manworren with a single to right center. First baseman Nick Saldutti helped complete the Rocks' scoring in the second with an RBI-double, one-hop to the outfield wall, sending Nelson home. A 5-0 cushion could be enough, but this is the sectionals and anything does and will happen.
Carmel got itself on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. Riley Miller doubled to deep right center, one-hopping the ball to the wall. Cameron Cruz reached via an error on SS Jake Dietz, scoring Miller.
The Rocks put another run in their line score with an RBI single by the DH Gray, scoring Jake Celleghin for a 6-1 lead.
The Hounds continued to push the envelope in the fifth inning, for the time being. Black Warner singled to center and Alex McManus got on base with a fielder's choice, which forced Warner out at second. Kyle Fiala then smacked an RBI-triple to center (McManus scored) and then Fiala scored on an RBI-double by Miller to cut their deficit to only trailing Westfield 6-3.
Westfield broke open the game that could have been much closer. Tacking on two more in the 6th, Westfield was on a mission in the final two innings. Jake Dietz led off with a base hit to left. Manworren tapped a ball to Jack Thompson at the mound and he overthrew Jack Martin at first. He and Manworren eventually scored on Bailey Partlow's one-hop, two-run single to the left field wall for an 8-3 advantage.
They continued in the top of the seventh against Thompson and JT Ellison, who seemed like they were tossing Westfield batting practice. The Rocks got 6 runs on 3 hits in the seventh to seal their fate for a sectional semi-final matchup with fellow Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe Zionsville in Monday's second second game.
Westfield upped its record to 17-12 and Carmel ended its 2012 campaign 9-21.
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