Arizona Fall League Live-Blog 2: Surprise at Mesa
Okay, this time I should miss less of the game (hopefully, I'll catch the whole thing). Let's do this properly this time:
Starting Pitchers:
Surprise: Matt Harrison (3-0, 1.93 ERA)
Mesa: Steve Hammond (1-1, 6.75 ERA)
Lineups (bold font indicates Red Sox prospects):
Surprise:
Dickerson (CF)
Maddox (2B)
Duran (SS)
Kaaihue (1B)
Mayberry (RF)
Aubrey (DH)
Johnson (C)
Lubanski (LF)
Rodriguez (3B)
Mesa:
Fuld (CF)
Lowrie (2B)
LaPorta (LF)
Marti (RF)
Palmisano (C)
Hamilton (1B)
Lansford (DH)
Heether (3B)
Manzella (SS)
Interestingly enough, both teams are trying the leadoff technique the Sox used to great success in the latter ALCS games and the World Series - batting the center fielder first and the second baseman after him. If it works for Jacoby and Dustin, it works for everyone!
Top of the first: Steve Hammond faces Chris Dickerson to start the game off. Dickerson pops up the second pitch and is retired. Marc Maddox comes to the plate and walks, bringing up German Duran (who has a really cool name, by the by). Duran works a full count, and he, too, walks. Kila Kaaihue (another person with a really cool name!) comes up, and he pops out to third in foul territory for the second out. John Mayberry takes a ball, after which there is a coaching visit to the mound. He flies out to center on the next pitch to end the inning.
Hammond got lucky. His control just wasn't there that inning. We'll see if he settles down in the second. Some pitchers take longer to settle in than others.
Bottom of the first: Sam Fuld leads things off for Mesa against Matt Harrison. He grounds out to second to start the inning. Now it's Jed's turn, yay! He works a full count and walks. (Jed's noted for his patience at the plate by professional scouts.) Matt LaPorta steps to the plate to try to drive him in, but he flies out to right. Amaury Marti comes up to the plate, but Jed is picked off (damnit!) before he can do anything.
Top of the second: Hammond faces Michael Aubrey now. After six pitches, Aubrey walks to kick off the inning. Ben Johnson (no relation to the playwright) is now up. He grounds out to get Aubrey to second for Chris Lubanski, but Lubanski lines out to first. Sean Rodriguez comes to the plate and lines out to right on the tenth pitch of his at-bat (six of which were fouled off). Hammond has thrown 41 pitches in two innings.
Bottom of the second: It's Amaury Marti's turn for real now, but he strikes out on four pitches. Lou Palmisano then flies out to bring up Mark Hamilton with nobody on and two outs. Hamilton strikes out swinging to end the inning. (Boy, that was a quick one!)
Top of the third: Surprise is back to the top of their order, Dickerson. He singles for the first hit of the game. Maddox, who comes after him, also singles, moving Dickerson to third with no outs. Duran is out on a sacrifice fly, but Dickerson comes in from third for the first run of the game. Kaaihue comes to the plate and flies out to center for the second out. John Mayberry knocks a two-run homer, increasing Surprise's lead. Aubrey follows him with a single to bring up Johnson. Johnson swings and misses at three pitches in a row to end the inning. Hammond is at 60 pitches through three. 3-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the third: Let's see if Mesa can answer. Josh Lansford lines out to short, and he is followed by Adam Heether, who flies out to center. Tommy Manzella, the third batter, grounds out to end the inning. Harrison is at 34 pitches through three.
Top of the fourth: Surprise's first batter this inning is Lubanski, who is to face Jimmy Barthmaier (1-1, 6.23 ERA). Barthmaier has the same number as Josh Beckett (19), and he throws a lot like him, hammering the strike zone and eventually getting Lubanski to ground out to Jed (YAY!) on the sixth pitch.
Okay, maybe he doesn't throw like Josh. He walks the next batter, Rodriguez, on six pitches. Dickerson is now up. Rodriguez steals second during the at-bat. He probably didn't have to, though, because Dickerson triples, bringing him in. Maddox comes up to try to bring him in, and he succeeds with a single. He is forced out at second when Duran hits a grounder. Duran steals second, but it doesn't matter, as Kaaihue strikes out swinging. 5-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the fourth: Sam Fuld strikes out swinging to start Mesa's half of the inning. Now it's Jed time (yaaay!), but he flies out to right (argh!). Matt LaPorta comes to the plate with two outs and nobody on, and he strikes out to end the inning.
Top of the fifth: Mayberry lines out sharply to center to kick things off for Surprise in the top of the fifth. Aubrey, the next batter, walks with one out. Ben Johnson then singles to move him up to second. Lubanski triples, bringing them both in. Luke Gregerson (0-1, 108.00 ERA) comes in to replace Barthmaier. Rodriguez strikes out swinging, which lowers Gregerson's ERA to 54.00; Gregerson then proceeds to strike out Dickerson to lower it even further to 36.00. 7-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the fifth: Tyler Lumsden (1-0, 3.86 ERA) replaces Harrison, and he gets Amaury Marti to ground out to second for the first out. Palmisano flies out to right for the second out. Hamilton doubles (this is Mesa's first hit of the game - believe it!) to keep the inning alive for Lansford, but Lansford will have none of it and he grounds out on the first pitch to end the inning.
Top of the sixth: It's Gregerson vs. Maddox to get this inning going, and Maddox singles to keep up Surprise's offensive barrage. Duran follows him with a single of his own, advancing Maddox to second with no outs. Kaaihue singles, as well, bringing in Maddox and depositing Duran on third. (Gregerson's ERA goes back up to 45.00.) Gregerson strikes out Mayberry on three pitches for the first out, dropping his ERA down to 33.75. Aubrey hits into a double play to end the inning, and Gregerson gets his ERA down to 22.50. 8-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the sixth: Lumsden faces Heether, who is hoping to get something going for Mesa here. He works a walk on eight pitches. Manzella strikes out, but Sam Fuld singles to move Heether to second and to bring up...yes, Jed Lowrie. (grins) He flies out, but he does advance Heether to third, thus contributing. Matt LaPorta is the last hope for Mesa this inning, and he singles to bring Heether in, moving Fuld to second. Marti singles, as well, bringing in Fuld and advancing LaPorta to second. LaPorta and Marti advance to second and third on a wild pitch by Lumsden. Palmisano pops out, though, and the inning is over. 8-2 Surprise.
Top of the seventh: Jason Motte (2-0, 3.86 ERA) comes in for Gregerson. He strikes out Ben Johnson for the first out, then retires Lubanski on a grounder. Rodriguez flies out to center, and Motte has a 1-2-3 inning, Mesa's first since...well, since the game began.
Bottom of the seventh: Devon Lowery (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is in now, pitching to Hamilton. Hamilton walks to kick off the inning for Mesa. Lansford and Heether both pop out to the catcher in foul territory, though, leaving things up to Manzella, who strikes out on three pitches. Two innings to go.
Top of the eighth: Motte faces off with Dickerson to begin the inning. Dickerson flies out to left to bring up Maddox. Maddox reaches on a throwing error, and Duran follows him with a single to advance him to second with one out. Kaailue pops out in foul territory for the second out, and Mayberry comes up to the plate. He flies out to center to end the inning.
Bottom of the eighth: Nate Hoelscher (1-0, 1.50 ERA) replaces Lowery. He is to face Sam Fuld to start the inning. Fuld singles, and JED LOWRIE is up. He doubles to bring Fuld in! (YES, JED, YES!) LaPorta comes up with no outs and Jed on second. He strikes out swinging, bringing up Marti.
...dinner. Why can't my friends have different schedules? I missed the rest of the eighth and the entire ninth. The final score was Surprise 10, Mesa 3.
...I really need to start doing night games instead.
Starting Pitchers:
Surprise: Matt Harrison (3-0, 1.93 ERA)
Mesa: Steve Hammond (1-1, 6.75 ERA)
Lineups (bold font indicates Red Sox prospects):
Surprise:
Dickerson (CF)
Maddox (2B)
Duran (SS)
Kaaihue (1B)
Mayberry (RF)
Aubrey (DH)
Johnson (C)
Lubanski (LF)
Rodriguez (3B)
Mesa:
Fuld (CF)
Lowrie (2B)
LaPorta (LF)
Marti (RF)
Palmisano (C)
Hamilton (1B)
Lansford (DH)
Heether (3B)
Manzella (SS)
Interestingly enough, both teams are trying the leadoff technique the Sox used to great success in the latter ALCS games and the World Series - batting the center fielder first and the second baseman after him. If it works for Jacoby and Dustin, it works for everyone!
Top of the first: Steve Hammond faces Chris Dickerson to start the game off. Dickerson pops up the second pitch and is retired. Marc Maddox comes to the plate and walks, bringing up German Duran (who has a really cool name, by the by). Duran works a full count, and he, too, walks. Kila Kaaihue (another person with a really cool name!) comes up, and he pops out to third in foul territory for the second out. John Mayberry takes a ball, after which there is a coaching visit to the mound. He flies out to center on the next pitch to end the inning.
Hammond got lucky. His control just wasn't there that inning. We'll see if he settles down in the second. Some pitchers take longer to settle in than others.
Bottom of the first: Sam Fuld leads things off for Mesa against Matt Harrison. He grounds out to second to start the inning. Now it's Jed's turn, yay! He works a full count and walks. (Jed's noted for his patience at the plate by professional scouts.) Matt LaPorta steps to the plate to try to drive him in, but he flies out to right. Amaury Marti comes up to the plate, but Jed is picked off (damnit!) before he can do anything.
Top of the second: Hammond faces Michael Aubrey now. After six pitches, Aubrey walks to kick off the inning. Ben Johnson (no relation to the playwright) is now up. He grounds out to get Aubrey to second for Chris Lubanski, but Lubanski lines out to first. Sean Rodriguez comes to the plate and lines out to right on the tenth pitch of his at-bat (six of which were fouled off). Hammond has thrown 41 pitches in two innings.
Bottom of the second: It's Amaury Marti's turn for real now, but he strikes out on four pitches. Lou Palmisano then flies out to bring up Mark Hamilton with nobody on and two outs. Hamilton strikes out swinging to end the inning. (Boy, that was a quick one!)
Top of the third: Surprise is back to the top of their order, Dickerson. He singles for the first hit of the game. Maddox, who comes after him, also singles, moving Dickerson to third with no outs. Duran is out on a sacrifice fly, but Dickerson comes in from third for the first run of the game. Kaaihue comes to the plate and flies out to center for the second out. John Mayberry knocks a two-run homer, increasing Surprise's lead. Aubrey follows him with a single to bring up Johnson. Johnson swings and misses at three pitches in a row to end the inning. Hammond is at 60 pitches through three. 3-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the third: Let's see if Mesa can answer. Josh Lansford lines out to short, and he is followed by Adam Heether, who flies out to center. Tommy Manzella, the third batter, grounds out to end the inning. Harrison is at 34 pitches through three.
Top of the fourth: Surprise's first batter this inning is Lubanski, who is to face Jimmy Barthmaier (1-1, 6.23 ERA). Barthmaier has the same number as Josh Beckett (19), and he throws a lot like him, hammering the strike zone and eventually getting Lubanski to ground out to Jed (YAY!) on the sixth pitch.
Okay, maybe he doesn't throw like Josh. He walks the next batter, Rodriguez, on six pitches. Dickerson is now up. Rodriguez steals second during the at-bat. He probably didn't have to, though, because Dickerson triples, bringing him in. Maddox comes up to try to bring him in, and he succeeds with a single. He is forced out at second when Duran hits a grounder. Duran steals second, but it doesn't matter, as Kaaihue strikes out swinging. 5-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the fourth: Sam Fuld strikes out swinging to start Mesa's half of the inning. Now it's Jed time (yaaay!), but he flies out to right (argh!). Matt LaPorta comes to the plate with two outs and nobody on, and he strikes out to end the inning.
Top of the fifth: Mayberry lines out sharply to center to kick things off for Surprise in the top of the fifth. Aubrey, the next batter, walks with one out. Ben Johnson then singles to move him up to second. Lubanski triples, bringing them both in. Luke Gregerson (0-1, 108.00 ERA) comes in to replace Barthmaier. Rodriguez strikes out swinging, which lowers Gregerson's ERA to 54.00; Gregerson then proceeds to strike out Dickerson to lower it even further to 36.00. 7-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the fifth: Tyler Lumsden (1-0, 3.86 ERA) replaces Harrison, and he gets Amaury Marti to ground out to second for the first out. Palmisano flies out to right for the second out. Hamilton doubles (this is Mesa's first hit of the game - believe it!) to keep the inning alive for Lansford, but Lansford will have none of it and he grounds out on the first pitch to end the inning.
Top of the sixth: It's Gregerson vs. Maddox to get this inning going, and Maddox singles to keep up Surprise's offensive barrage. Duran follows him with a single of his own, advancing Maddox to second with no outs. Kaaihue singles, as well, bringing in Maddox and depositing Duran on third. (Gregerson's ERA goes back up to 45.00.) Gregerson strikes out Mayberry on three pitches for the first out, dropping his ERA down to 33.75. Aubrey hits into a double play to end the inning, and Gregerson gets his ERA down to 22.50. 8-0 Surprise.
Bottom of the sixth: Lumsden faces Heether, who is hoping to get something going for Mesa here. He works a walk on eight pitches. Manzella strikes out, but Sam Fuld singles to move Heether to second and to bring up...yes, Jed Lowrie. (grins) He flies out, but he does advance Heether to third, thus contributing. Matt LaPorta is the last hope for Mesa this inning, and he singles to bring Heether in, moving Fuld to second. Marti singles, as well, bringing in Fuld and advancing LaPorta to second. LaPorta and Marti advance to second and third on a wild pitch by Lumsden. Palmisano pops out, though, and the inning is over. 8-2 Surprise.
Top of the seventh: Jason Motte (2-0, 3.86 ERA) comes in for Gregerson. He strikes out Ben Johnson for the first out, then retires Lubanski on a grounder. Rodriguez flies out to center, and Motte has a 1-2-3 inning, Mesa's first since...well, since the game began.
Bottom of the seventh: Devon Lowery (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is in now, pitching to Hamilton. Hamilton walks to kick off the inning for Mesa. Lansford and Heether both pop out to the catcher in foul territory, though, leaving things up to Manzella, who strikes out on three pitches. Two innings to go.
Top of the eighth: Motte faces off with Dickerson to begin the inning. Dickerson flies out to left to bring up Maddox. Maddox reaches on a throwing error, and Duran follows him with a single to advance him to second with one out. Kaailue pops out in foul territory for the second out, and Mayberry comes up to the plate. He flies out to center to end the inning.
Bottom of the eighth: Nate Hoelscher (1-0, 1.50 ERA) replaces Lowery. He is to face Sam Fuld to start the inning. Fuld singles, and JED LOWRIE is up. He doubles to bring Fuld in! (YES, JED, YES!) LaPorta comes up with no outs and Jed on second. He strikes out swinging, bringing up Marti.
...dinner. Why can't my friends have different schedules? I missed the rest of the eighth and the entire ninth. The final score was Surprise 10, Mesa 3.
...I really need to start doing night games instead.