Game # 11 - June 24, 2015 Hurtin' Units win 30-4 Team Record- 6-5-0 Keogh Park- Following our game on Monday night, 8 of the 10 Hurtin' Units players went back to the Legion. Outside the rain was falling heavily and the lightening lit up the sky. We barely got this game in. Inside the Legion there was a quiet confidence, at the Units table, as the frosty jugs of draft were poured in to the chilled mugs for celebratory consumption. This was a very good win for the Hurtin' Units against the Draft Kings.
Kings and Devils... 2 powerful wins.
In the win vs. the Kings, I was lead off in the batting order, for the second straight game, and in this game I went 0 for 5. Not great for the lead off position. In our first game against the Gruesome, I went 3-6, but hit the ball hard the entire game. In the game against the Draft Kings, I went 0 for 5!! I remember saying to myself it's time to change my position in the order. I mentioned this at the Legion, post game with the Kings, and I was really surprised at how many guys said do not to change a thing. I guess if you're winning you can go 0 for 5 and still stay at the top.
Stewie, do you like the 2015 Hurtin' Units?
Let's be a little realistic here, once the game is underway, it really doesn't matter where we bat. What matters is the order in which we are batting, I was at the bottom most of the season and really, isn't that like being at the top?Given there was resistance when I was going to change the order (mostly changing just myself in the order), I will leave the order for this game against the Gruesome and see what happens. I believe Dave Mc. is the ultimate lead off guy on this team, but I was also thinking about moving Vinny up to the top. In our last 3 games (including this game against the Gruesome Devils), Vince is hitting 14-15 at the plate. He has quietly (Vince and quietly sounds like a bit of an oxymoron to me) has been batting extremely well, better than the guy who has been batting lead off for the last 3 games. But let's not go there, I say... This game was our only scheduled 9:30pm game this season. The weather for this game was in the 20s, humid and I think the sky was partially cloudy, but who really knows, it was dark...late game don't ya know.
This devil is not on the team, not gruesome either.
At game time the Units had 10 players warming up, preparing to do battle with the Gruesome Devils for the second time in a week. Dave Mil and Bill S. were the missing bodies on the night. Dave Mc. and Bo shared the vacant outfield position. I went with almost the exact lineup from Monday's game. The umpire for this game was Roman. For only the 3rd time this season the Units were the home team.
In the top of the first inning the Gruesome would score 2 runs highlighted by a Peter H. homerun, a line drive, on a rope, over the left field fence. In the bottom of the inning, I was the lead off and I hit a long, fly ball out to Peter H. playing in left field. Crap!! 0-6 in my last 6 at bats. The Units would rally around my quick out and before the inning was over I found myself at bat again for the second time, this time I would hit the ball up the middle bringing in the seventh run to end the inning. In the top of the second inning, the Gruesome Devils would score another run. In the bottom of the inning, the Units would again go through the batting order, and I found myself in the same situation as the first inning. I would again drive in the 7th run of the inning. After 2 complete innings, the score was Hurtin' Units 14, Gruesome Devils 3. In the the third inning, the Gruesome would score another single run. In the home half of the inning, the Units would score 3 more runs. In the top of the fourth inning is when the Units defense really started to tighten up (not that is wasn't pretty tight already, only 4 runs over 3 innings) and would shut out the Devils for the next 4 innings. The Units offense would continue to hit well. In the bottom of the fourth inning the Units would score 6 more runs. Of the 6 runs, 2 of them were scored on a towering homerun by Hicks (6th of the season) over the LCF fence, banging off the top of the metal shed beside the Boccie courts.
Archie Graham, rookie in Field of Dreams, was told not to wink at the pitcher. I couldn't find any video, I will keep looking.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Units would tack on another 6 runs. I got up to bat twice in the first inning (once flying out and the second driving in 7th run) and in the fifth I would also get up to bat twice. My first at bat in the inning, I would get on and come around to score. My second at bat, I had an opportunity to drive in the 7th run for a third time in the game. With Vinny on second base, I drove the ball to RCF and was caught out, end of inning. I have never had a chance to drive in the 7th run, 3 times in a game, guess it just wasn't meant to be. It would have been cool though. In the sixth inning the Units would score a single run. The Units were the home team and would not bat in the bottom of the 7th inning. Nice game boys!!
Jimmer's left shoulder...stupid gate and sign.
I mentioned in the last posting, that I was the last out in one of the innings, vs the Draft Kings and I walked/crashed in to the gate at Keogh. I have never done that before, until somebody puts a sign on the fence. Stupid Gate!!! The Units played another solid game both offensively and defensively (really liked the defense in this game) and I hope we can keep this going. There were a handful of Unit players hobbling around the bases against the Gruesome Devils and I hope everyone is feeling a little better going in to the game against the Dusty Cleats on Tuesday night. Units Untamed!!
HURTIN' UNITS VS. DRAFT KINGS. " Nothing matters, but the weekend, from a Tuesday point of view, like a kettle in the kitchen, I feel the steam begin to brew, I'm switchin' to glide, I'm switchin' to glide."
These lyrics come from a song... do you know it? If not, scroll down to the bottom of the post to watch the video.
The King drinking draft.
Game # 10- June 22, 2015
Hurtin' Units win 19-7
Team Record 5-5-0
Keogh Park- Up until this game, the Hurtin' Units have played more games at Coventry Park than at Keogh Park. This game marks only the 5th time at Keogh this season. We have 1 win at Keogh this season, 1 close game (loss to Beer Bros. 24-23) and 2 rough losses. This game against the Drafty Kings will be a real test of what the Hurtin' Units are made of. Last time I viewed the standings ( Monday June 22nd) the Draft Kings were sitting in 3rd place with a 6-2-2 record.
The weather, at 5:00pm on game day was muggy, a temperature at 28 degrees (feeling like 30), a slight breeze and a forecast of thunderstorms starting around 9:00pm. We managed to barely get the game in before the heavy rain came down.
ROMAN COULDN'T MAKE IT... he's umping a baseball game.
At game time we had 10 players dressed in Navy and white, all of us eager to get the game going before the rain started. Missing from this game were Bill S. and Dave Mil.
I think this game was the Hurtin' Units crowning achievement, on the season, so far. I mentioned, on the blog, somewhere back in time, that there was going to be a night when the Units offense and defense were going to join forces on the same night. That night has arrived!!
DRAFT QUEEN
For the Henry the 8th time, we found ourselves as the visitors again. The game got off to a slow start for both teams. I put myself in the lead off position again and this time I did not fair as well as I did in our battle with the Gruesome Knights. Here's how my first at bat went: one pitch, one swing, one fly ball and one out. D'oh!! In the first inning, both teams would send only 4 batters to the plate, with not a run. In the second inning, the Units would send 5 batters to the plate, but would strand Todd and Al on base, with no runs scored. In the bottom of the second, the Kings would bat 6 players, score 3 runs and then be taken down 1,2,3 like 3 jugs of draft beer.
"Dang it Dale, you're a hurtin' unit...nice"
In the third inning, neither team would score, this game was starting to look like a low scoring, defensive game. I remember asking someone at our dugout " what happened to the bats from the last game"? I was assured that they would come, and they did, just later in the game. The Units sent 4 batters to the plate and the Kings only 3 in this inning.
The King's court jester.
Scott and Bo lead off the top of the fourth inning and both got out. Holy be-headings!! Units next batter, Mike, got on with a single, which brought Todd to the plate, Todd would catapult a ball over the left field fence. FOUL BALL, called the court jester (umpire Roman), and I swear I heard the voice of Hank Hill in the background say "Dang it Bobby! ya spilled my beer watchin' a foul ball ", but that might have just been the wind blowing. There were a few wide eyes in the Kings courtyard, after the foul ball. Was it just an anomalous hit, by this unknown stranger, or was he capable of doing it again? The King's hurler would pitch in another ball, this time the unknown stranger (Todd) would catapult the ball fair in to the Courts of Bocce, clearing the wall of chain link bringing home all that travel on his quest for runs. Todd of the Units, unknown in Draft Kingdom, had slayed his 5th dragon (hot) dot of the season. The Units of Hurtin' were now on ye ole score parchment. Too Much?? It was a turning point in the game. The Units would score one more run before the third out of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Kings would tack on another run as Sir Stike would come around to score. The score at the end of 4 innings was 4-3 for the Draft Kings. In the fifth inning, the Kings and the Units would both
score 3 runs each. In the top of the sixth inning, the Units of Hurtin' bats, magically came to life, and when the puff of smoke had cleared the score sheet showed 6 runs added to the Units column. In the bottom of the inning, the Kings bats went ice cold, or perhaps the gloves and the positioning of the Units were augmented, the Kings would not score in the bottom of the inning. The score after six complete innings was Hurtin' Units 12, Draft Kings 7.
In the top of the open inning (7th), the Units magic bats would again make an appearance, the Units of Hurtin' would score 7 runs in the inning. In the bottom, the Draft Kings would not score, thanks to the defense of the Units. Bo would make 2 fantastic catches in the outfield and Dave Mc., at short, made an excellent snag, with a throw to second for a force and the final out.
There were a few other things that happened in this game worth a mention. First off, I had enough stuff going on with myself that I have to laugh. I arrived at the park and I was wearing my team shirt, but I also had a sleeveless t-shirt on underneath. After warming up and with the temperature and humidity, I was warm and sweaty, I was going to take off the t-shirt, but decided to wear just the shirt for one inning of pitching. Big mistake...I had to listen to Roman for the entire half inning, about my Hank Hill, uneven tan and other stuff with regards to the sleeveless shirt.
Secondly, I guess there has been some issues with the gate on the diamond, to the point where someone took the time to make a sign to help with the direction the gate opens, in addition they included a Larson cartoon. I have used the same cartoon in the blog several times, with a slight change. So, the other thing that happened to me was I opened the gate the wrong way, when coming off the diamond and walked right in to the gate, giving myself a little gash and a bruise, this has never happened to me at this diamond before...Stupid sign!! On a positive note, I threw to first and home with decent throws. Cookie would have caught my throw at home, if the runner hadn't run in to him and knocked him down, knocking the change out of his pockets. (Who carries change in their pockets when playing baseball?) The runner was called out.
King of beers.
We played a really solid game both defensively and offensively. We turned a double play, the top of the order hit well again (except for me, 0 for 5), Cookie continues to hit the ball hard, our fielding was excellent and well positioned and I thought I pitched a good game. Todd hits well at Keogh and added to his homerun totals. We found a way to close the door again and I think we are getting better at finding a way to do this. Units Unbelievable!! Enjoy the video by the KINGS.
Game # 9 - June 22, 2015 Hurtin' Units win 23-16 Team Record- 4-5-0
Coventry Park- This game marks the 7th away game the Units have played and there is one more before we are the home team again. I know that it really doesn't matter that much who is the home team and who is away. In tournament play, with a coin flip, the winner of the flip will often take the away position just to put pressure on the opposition. I guess, in many cases the top of the order is strongest at the beginning of the game.
In this game, we get the Gruesome Devils (or did they drop the Devil part? no wait, that was Tampa Bay or New Jersey) a team captained by Jens L. and little Stevie D. In the Units first season, Jens L. played for the Hurtin' Units and he was a monster contributor to the Units winning the league.
Drew Miller takes 60 stitches on Gruesome cut.
Since the Gruesome Devils came in to the league in 2012 the Hurtin' Units have not had a very good record. From 2012-2014 the Units have played the Devils 8 times. The Units have played the Devils, 1 time in the playoffs (loss), 2 times in the HTKP tournament (2 losses), and 5 times in the regular season with 4 losses and only 1 win. The Units only have a single win in 8 meetings with the Gruesomes. I would have never guessed such a lopsided win/loss ratio between our teams. It's time for all this to change.
Yvonne De carlo played Lily in the Munsters. Gruesome? I don't think so!!
Up until this game, I have been going on to the T.O.T website and scouting the opponent we would be playing. I have decided to stop doing this because I don't think it has helped me at all. So when it came to this game, I was a little surprised at the awesome talent the Gruesome Devils had in their lineup and where they reside in the standings. But I guess there are teams who look at the 2014 Hurtin' Units roster and say the same thing. On Tuesday morning, at around 6am, the rain was coming down extremely hard and I wondered what kind of pooling was going on at the Coventry diamonds. The rain let up around 10am and the sun started to peek through. At game time the sky was almost clear and the diamonds had dried up to perfection. There was a soft breeze making the weather great for this game. The batter's boxes were just a little damp, but it was actually a little better for grip. At game time we had 9 players in Units garb and 2 subs on hand for the game. I called for 2 subs because Scott was unsure how his knee would hold up and I didn't want to be left shorthanded. Missing from this game were Al, Bill and Dave Mil. We were again the visitors in this game. We picked up John D. (A.K.A Victor) and Cliff T. as subs...Thanks guys. I changed the lineup for this game because we were short some players. I put myself to the top of the order for the first time this season (I've been batting last all season) and I hoped I could spark a good response. I had a decent night at the plate...In fact everyone did.
Gruesome Baseball: Our teammate Mike O. was hit by a ground ball several years ago.
This game was another on our long list of our Coventry Park games and being the visitor for the 7th time this season. We had 11 guys for this game and it warmed the cockles of my heart to see 5 or 6 Hurtin' Unit players stretching along the diamond fence post game. When I saw this going on, I said to Darrell that it reminded me of one spring, when I went on vacation to Dunedin, Florida. I was out jogging and on one of the streets I was on, I came upon the Blue Jays training camp and there they were, about 40 Blue Jay players (or want to be players) all lined up stretching along a fence in the training facility doing the same stretching routine as the Units. Wow! We looked like the pros. Then, just after the stretching session last night, every Hurtin' Unit's player and the subs were all throwing the ball to warmup...an excellent site to see. By now, most of you know I write down or take a picture to assist me in the recording of the game. Last night (probably because of the exciting win), I forgot to do either one of these things..." What the Deuce"? I guess we can go a game without a boxscore for a posting. It's the score on the score sheet that really counts. I titled this posting "Hurtin' Units Grew Some In Win Against Devils" and I really think we grew as a team. We had a few innings where we bent a little, but in this game we fought hard to get ourselves out of jams and we found a way to close it out. I liked that we used some mental tricks to help us through. "How many out"? Only 1, but in fact it was 2, we found a way to get out of some innings. We have to keep working at finding ways to get out of innings with minimum damage against us.
Devils opened Hurtin' Units eyes.
I mentioned that I forgot to get a copy of the scoresheet because of all the excitement of winning this game, but I had also forgot that this game was our 4th win of the season. It was probably a good thing I had forgotten about the 4th win thing, or I might have gotten nervous and walked some batters (oh wait, I did walk some batters). Side Note: I had a discussion with Mike after the last game (Rusty Rebels) and I said I should have walked some guys, in that game, and Mike agreed... walks don't hurt as much, in this league, as most people think...big bats do! I truly believe the Units have the offensive power to win, and I repeat again, we just need to find ways to consistently close down our opponents.
Winner, winner chicken dinner.
This game was game # 9 on our season. Last season, game #9 was played on June 26,2014 and the Units were beaten by the Rusty Rebels by a score of 24-18. That loss would be the Hurtin' Units 9th in a row to start the season. The Units would finally get a win in game #12, but by that time, we were not going anywhere and our confidence was almost non-existent. The Units did manage 2 more wins and a tie on the season. So to win our 4th game, in the 2015 campaign, breaking last season's total, is definitely worth a word or two. Winner, winner chicken dinner!! Nice job Units.
Since our last game, I have spent some time on the internet trying to find some pitching tips to help me help our team get out of trouble. I spent some time in this game working on what I had been learning. There were some times when I struggled, but overall I was pleased with my results and a win doesn't hurt either. Striking out the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh inning really helped to solidify a victory and the thirsty, beer drinking Devils probably looked forward to the Legion. Since I originally published this post, Lou the stats guy sent me a copy of the game sheet, so I can include a couple of stats from the game.
There were a few highlight on the night: Brad M. (Devils) robbed Scotty P. of extra bases on an amazing catch in LCF, Todd made a couple of painful catches, one a line drive, the second were he had to run in on a sore leg, Cookie was hitting the ball hard all night long, Vinny changed bat (it's about time, that other bat was crap) and the top of the batting order was on fire at the plate, providing very few easy innings for the Devils...Units Unleashed!!!
One final note for this week, congratulations should go out to the Chicago Blackhawks and Golden State Warriors on their championship victories.
Game # 8 - June 9, 2015 Hurtin' Units lose 31-12 Team Record-3-5-0
Coventry Park- I really do like weeks where we play 2 games, I think we are more engaged and play better. Last week we had 2 games and came away with a 1-1 split. The last time the Hurtin Units met up with the Rusty Rebels was last year in the round robin portion of the playoffs. The game was a rain soaked affair and runs were hard to come by. The final score was 7-2 for the Rebels. The Rebels would go 4-0 in the round robin and then through the quarters, semis, and finals for the T.O.T championship. Our teammate Dave M. was on that championship Rebel team. Early Tuesday morning, the rain was falling quite hard and there were some doubts if it would let up by game time. But as the day progressed, the sky started to clear and by game time the sun was shining brightly. Yep, the sun was shining right in to the eyes of the players. Over the first couple of innings, the players at first, second, and right fields were looking in to the bright sun, not a good way to start the game. The temperature was in the 20's and no wind. At game time we were only down one player, Scott was down for this game with an injury (knee), but like a good athletic supporter he came out to keep us up.
I really think we are fortunate to have a score like this one, it could have been worse, the Rebels could have played the open inning and who knows what could have happened then. And the 6 runs the Rebels scored in the 5th inning, really should have been 7 runs. 31 or 32 runs really didn't matter, when all we could muster up offensively was 12 runs. I don't remember the Units ever being beat by this many runs in a game. I went back to the archives to see if we have been kicked around this badly before. I found the Hurtin' Units have only lost one other game in franchise history by 30 runs or more. On August 16th, 2014, in game #20, the Hurtin' Units were defeated by the Dogcatchers by a score of 32-11. The worst defeat in team history. So, what does all this mean? Nothing, we give the Rebels some credit for hitting the ball well and all over the playing field. The Rebels sent 47 batters to the plate and made the most of those at bats. The Units sent 42 batters to the plate and did not capitalize on their opportunities. The Units didn't make a huge numbers of errors, the Rebels just hit really well. The Rebels brought the fire power to this game. When I was pitching, I was trying a lot of stuff, trying to find something to slow the Rebels down. The Rebels were hitting everything. I remember I was trying to walk Brad Y., the count was 3-0, I threw a ball pitch and he still hit it. I threw a pitch short of the mat to Ryan (?), he goes down and gets a hit from this pitch...We couldn't get anyone at the bottom of the order either, they were relentless with their attack. Crap!! The Rebels had the highest team batting average going in to this game. The Units got to see it first hand.
I don't think we should be hitting the panic button just yet. And if we did, what can we really do. I like the lineup we have been using, I like the defense we have on the field, I think we just keep playing hard and I think the Units will be just fine. One thing we could do, if things get bad enough, is have a practice. Units Unsettled!! The Hurtin' Units next game is Tuesday June 16th at Coventry Park at 8:15.
HURTIN' UNITS VS. THE SLIDERS. A homerun hitter doesn't know he's a homerun hitter, until he hits some homeruns.
SHORTY!! DON'T GO IN THERE...
Game # 7 - June 4th, 2015 Hurtin' Units win 26-23 Team Record- 3-4-0 Keogh Park- If you were to ask me how the Hurtin' Units have played against the Sliders, over the years, I could honestly say I don't know. I don't ever remember playing against the slippery Sliders. I know we have played, but nothing comes to mind with regards to wins and losses. I will check our records.
Sneaky Sliders.
I believe (don't quote me on this) that the Sliders came in to the league in 2013, captained by Dennis and Lou, and this would be their 3rd season. I say 2013 because I know Dennis (Shorty) played for the championship Beer Bros. in 2012. I have the picture to prove it. I was wrong!!! I went back in to the Hurtin' Units archives and found the end of year standings for 2013...no Sliders in the standings. Which means the Sliders didn't come in to the league until 2014 and they have only been around for one season... It seems longer. I also discovered that the Hurtin' Units have only ever played the Sliders once. That game was played back on July 29th, 2014 and the Sliders would prevail by a score of 20-12. There's a surprise, the Units lost to another team last season.
As far as the picture goes, it was from the 2012 playoffs, when the Beer Bros. won it all. Dennis (Shorty), playing shortstop, made the final out of the game for the win. I caught the shot just as the game ended. I used the picture in the Hurtin' Units blog in one of my mock "Baseball World" magazine covers. I love the raw emotion of the pic. I have made 12 different mock "Baseball World" magazine covers over the years, if you would like to check them out click here BASEBALL WORLD or click on Baseball World in Pages in the left hand column .
Where's Bill?
The weather for this game was again perfect. The temperature was around 21 degrees, with an ever so slight breeze and a sun/cloud mix. At game time we had 11 HU players warming up ready to battle the slippery Sliders. The only missing player was Bill. The Rolling Stones (the rock band, not to be confused with the Flintstones) have a song titled "Winning Ugly" and when this game ended I had that song title in my head. It wasn't the easiest win, but it was a win, an ugly win, and I'll take those every day of the week.
Amazing Offensive Game!!
After a major scoring drought on Tuesday night, this game score was like a flood. 49 total runs in this game, compared to 19 total runs on Tuesday. From start to finish this game was a lot closer than most of us thought. The 26 runs scored ties our highest run production this season, we scored 26 runs against the Son of Pitches on May 12th. The Units were back on the road this game. As the visitors, we had first at bat and I think we took advantage with the new reconfigured, revamped, reconstructed, redesigned, recreated (I think you get the idea), high powered lineup. I mentioned, in the last blog, about changing the order to put speed, power and consistency at the top. So this is what I tried to do for this game.
In the top of the 1st inning, the Units came out bashing, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring 5 runs, highlighted by homeruns by Scotty P. and Todd H. In the bottom of the inning, the Sliders would hit back with 4 runs of their own.
We warned you not to go in there Shorty...
In the top of the 2nd, I lead off and got on for the meat of the order. Dave, Darrell, Scott, Todd and myself would all come around to score. Todd had a 3 run homerun, his second HR on the night. In the bottom, the Sliders would score 2 runs. In the 3rd inning, the Units would tack on another 5 runs with the top of the order leading the way. In the bottom of the inning, those pesky Sliders would score 4 more runs of their own. The score after 3 complete innings was 15-10 for the Units. In the 4th inning, the Sliders would out score the Units. The Units would score 2 runs, the Sliders tacked on 3 runs. The Sliders would also win the 5th inning, Sliders would score a single run and shut down the Units awesome offense. The 6th inning was also a low scoring inning, the Units would score 1 run and we would shut the Sliders out on only 3 pitches. The score after 6 complete innings. 18-14 for the Hurtin' Units.
The 7th inning (open inning) was a wild and crazy ride. I would be the lead off batter again, I would get on and the inning was under way. The Units would score 8 runs before recording an out. Vince, Cookie and myself would all get out to end the inning. The Units were now leading by 12 runs. In the bottom inning, the lead off batter for the Sliders, would fly out to Scotty. We're lookin' good right? The Sliders would go on an incredible run scoring streak, scoring 8 straight runs before the Units recorded the next out, 2 out. The Sliders would score another run and bring a runner to 3rd and another on first, bringing up the tying run to the plate. The batter would hit to Dave Mc (short) and force out the runner coming from 1st base to 2nd base to end the game. Make the final 26-23...Units Win!!
Sometimes Ugly can be a distraction.
It was winning ugly, but it was still a win. On Tuesday we played a solid defense, but had a tough night with the bats. This game we had the bats firing the way we can, but the Units defense was roughed up by some good Slider hitting. There will be nights when the Units will have both going, I look forward to playing on those nights. The Units tied last year's wins record.UNITS UGLY!!
Game #6 - June 2nd, 2015 Hurtin' Units lose 12-7 Team Record - 2-4-0 Coventry Park- Keogh Park was not our friend; we played 3 games there and came away with 3 losses. One game was close, 24-23 with the Beer Bros., one game was not as close, 22-15 against the Tap Masters and the third, definitely not even close, 22-9 against the Master Batters. A bit of a rough patch to start the season. This game marks the second time around for our team and the Sons of Pitches to play each other this season. There are still more teams (most really) that we haven't even seen yet. On May 12th we played the Sons of Pitches and came away with our 2nd win of the season by a score of 26-15. Definitely our most lopsided win so far.
The weather for this game was again perfect. The temperature hovered around 19 degrees and there was a slight breeze that played no role in the outcome of this game. The sun was shining brightly when the game began, but before too long, darkness had set in. At game time (before actually), we had 10 Hurtin' Units warming up to take on the Sons of Pitches. Bo and Bill were the missing persons on the night. I really liked what I saw in this game. The End!! Okay, maybe not the end, but I saw something that made me believe we are better than our record would indicate. We have a strong compete level, and we believe we are never out of a game. It wasn't just this game, we have fought in every game we have played. We have been within a big inning in every game and this is with our bats not firing on all cylinders. I'm looking forward to the firing on all cylinders, 12 cylinders all finely tuned and hitting at the same time. ZOOM, ZOOM!! Our bats have been our Achilles heel since games 2 and 3. Game #2 we scored a ton-o-runs early and coasted to a lopsided 26-15 victory, in Game #3 we got down early and battled back, taking a 23-22 lead in the top of the 7th inning, only to lose on a close play at first base. A total of 49 runs over the 2 games. We know we can "pump it up", we've already shown our power, we just need to get back, get back, get back, get back to where we once belonged. Get back, Bo, Bo. Mike suggested that we go back to our opening night lineup; I don't disagree, but with a few little changes, based on what I've seen from our batting. I really think we should load up with speed, power and consistent hitting at the top. There is good hitting from top to bottom, on this team, sooner or later it's going to show up. With the power we have on this team we should be scoring in bunches and not 7 runs over entire game. Our defense is keeping us in games.
In this game against the Sons, we were again solid defensively, I found a nice groove pitching, and we kept the game close. If not for the solid defense of the Sons of Pitches we might have been right in the thick of things (in the lead) in this game. The Pitches defense really kept us from breaking this game wide open. The Hurtin' Units threw some decent hits at these guys; Mikey Boy hit the ball hard, once to SOPs pitcher Jeff, once to Cambo at Shortstop, both for outs. Dave Mill foul tipped to Rob (SOP catcher) for an out, Paul G. (SOP thirdbase man) caught 2 line drives and knocked down several hard hit balls for outs, the SOP outfield (especially Micah) tracked down and caught multiple fly balls, and Clayton (SOP-2nd base) made a couple of awesome plays. We went 4 innings in a row without a run.
On the score sheet I counted 12 P.Os (popout/flyouts), more than half of our outs were in the air. We just couldn't get anything to drop in. I mentioned our defense was really good and the majority of the SOPs runs came on hard hit, well hit balls that made it through. Vince made a great defensive play, in the outfield, throwing out a runner coming from first on a force play. Mike also made a beauty snag at first for an out.
There was one play made by Scott (or should I say not made) when Scott held up on a fly ball, the ball dropped in, Scott slid on to his ass and the ball rolled by for a SOPs run. All you can do is laugh about this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this game, I really liked the way I pitched (except the first inning) and I thought we played awesome defense. The batting will come, it has to with this lineup. There are still 20 games remaining and I like what I see. Units Understand!!
In the top of the second inning, the Gruesome Devils would score another run. In the bottom of the inning, the Units would again go through the batting order, and I found myself in the same situation as the first inning. I would again drive in the 7th run of the inning. After 2 complete innings, the score was Hurtin' Units 14, Gruesome Devils 3.
