I haven't posted since October 22. At the time, we were 2-1 and looking good. I've been a little busy since then - Moving. Hosting my extended family for Thanksgiving. The Rest of the Holidays. And it didn't help that Team BS went into tailspin - after that win we tied the next week and have since lost six in a row. Not like this team, yet there it is. The offense and the pen dried up.
And of course my leg/back situation kept getting worse and worse until I found a doctor who said shut it down for at least the winter. It's not the worst pain I have ever endured, but it just keeps coming back over and over again, and now I know what is like to live with pain. And worse, I felt like I was hurting the team, since I couldn't push off to hit, and in the field I could barely get to first base to cover the bag.
Enough about me. This is about how Johnny Gutierrez picked the best time to enjoy a great game (to get ink!), even if we lost a heartbreaker by a run, 17-16 (because I am finally calling out the highlights). There have been a lot of great individual performances in the last seven games, but they got neglected by this pundit. I apologize deeply to you who have starred in the interim.
Johnny and I have a running conversation about when to throw to the lead base to try to get a runner, and when to just "keep the force on" and not let runners move up. Play it safe (we also argue about how deep to play various hitters but that's for another time). Well today, he won the argument in spades. He threw out two runners at third base who foolishly tested his arm. I had no idea what a cannon he has. And but for a tough skip on a ball that barely eluded Helen Kostoff at second, he would have had a third. Nice game Johnny! Oh and he was 2-2 plus two walks at the plate.
Those plays were not the only ESPN highlights. Dave DeWitt went into a full dive from right center after calling Steve Rousso off in shallow right field to rob a hitter. He went back on a ball playing left center later and caught it falling down, and nearly concussed himself but hung on. Dave also started a double play from right center, flinging the caught ball to Reymundo Aguilera at the mound who wheeled around and nailed a would be run at the plate.
All in all we turned five double plays. The other two were nearly identical - hard shots up the middle to Steve, who stepped on second and fired to first, leaving no doubt about the outcome.
And Dan May made a couple of diving stops in the 5-6 hole at SS to get outs.
All in all, not a bad day in the field, and it should have been enough. But we just couldn't finish, and didn't score in the last two innings to salt away the game when we had momentum from coming back twice to take a lead.
The team's defense was not the problem and in general has been relatively good compared to the other teams'. There were some offensive highlights, just not enough. Art Minor collected three RBIs on a two run homer in the first that set the tone (if not for long) and a sac fly. But the Big Clutch was a two out bases loaded bases clearing monster shot by David Thompson over the right fielder's head in the bottom of the seventh. At the time, Team Blue had just scored their first five run inning to take a 15-11 lead. Big Dave's bomb gave us our only five run inning and the lead back at 16-15. It gave us the momentum back, but unfortunately we shut down the rest of the game.
DeWitt was 4-4. May, Aguilera, and Kostoff pitched in three hits apiece. Rousso set a personal high by walking three times.
Nothing stood in the way to have the best post game of any of the teams, and that's what I love about this team. All we can do is say we will get them next week or next time!
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