6/14/2014 Gwinnett Braves 0, Louisville Bats 1

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY

Game 4 of 4

"Homer Bobblehead wouldn't do that."

It's Homer Bailey Bobblehead day at LSF, and yes, I got mine!! Now I can assure you that whatever Homer Bailey does (or doesn't do) in real life, I have tangible evidence in the Dungeon that proves his plastic and resin counterpart would have stood by idly, eternally locked in his peculiar windup.

Chien-Ming Wang, the infamous Taiwanese MLB organizational nomad who signed as a free agent with the Reds in late 2013, has made 13 starts for Louisville this season with mixed success. His 8-5 record and 3.89 ERA is a bit deceiving; out of his 9 previous outings, 8 of those were Quality Starts, and the Bats are 8-5 when he's on the mound...and 6-1 in his last 7 starts. That being said, his record isn't as good as it was with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in  9 starts last season, but really looks more like his work with AAA Buffalo later on that same year.

Toss Braves starter Cody Martin into the mix, who is also good, but not great, and you could never expect a pitcher's duel of any kind. But we got one today, as Wang hurls a gem - 7.1IP, 9 H, 2K, 0 runs...and the Bats bullpen contributes to hold the Braves scoreless, despite allowing a combined 10 hits. Martin stays in for 6 innings, striking out 7, walking 3 and only allowing 5 hits and one earned run...the run that costs the Braves the game. That earned run happened in the very first inning, when leadoff batter Jason Bourgeois (who reached on a BB) actually stole home during a double-steal attempt.

This is also my first live Donald Lutz experience! He was on the roster for my previous visit to LSF a couple of weeks ago, but had been called up to Cincinnati 'real quick' and did not play. 

"Der Brauner Hulk" looked ferocious at the plate, yet saw no action whatsoever in LF...he went 0-for-4 tonight with 3Ks (2 swinging) and a lineout to right field. 

Here he is facing Martin in the 4th inning, when he was called out on strikes.

The sun was ferocious today, and proved problematic to most of my attempts at getting decent photos. But this is a good thing, as the last time I was at a game with my oldest daughter Kei, we went home early with decidedly frozen extremities.

It's Saturday, we got bobbleheads, and I'm wearing my Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs "Bacon Saturday" cap. A fun and unusual game, a great reason to beat the heat with some cool base ball and a Souvenir Soda. No complaints.

For the Mystery Rookie Card game, Kei picks this 2008 Upper Deck Denard Span #718. The price tag is $1.50, so she's kind of a winner. THIS IS DSPAN.

My pick has no price tag, but it sure does have a story. Featured on this 2004 Bowman #263 is one Jeff Allison, who was a first-round pick for the Marlins in 2003 and was a Baseball America top-50 prospect at one time (BA also honored him as the 2003 High School Player of the Year). 

Unfortunately for Allison, his story isn't really your typical "Prospect to Promise to Bust" tale, and you won't see what went wrong for him in any box score or on the back of any of his cards.  Allison will always be remembered for his substance abuse issues (addicted to Heroin and OxyContin) and would always be linked to the similar downward spiral of Josh Hamilton. Allison's struggles were documented in a 2009 feature by Thomas Farragher for the Boston Globe ($), and included episodes of suspensions for non-disclosed reasons (2005), overdoses (2006) and even prison farm assignments (2007). Unlike Hamilton, there was no rubber mattress for Allison to bounce back into pro baseball on, and in 2012 he told Peter Gammons that he was likely to retire, mostly due to a lingering potential elbow injury that would require surgery and rehabilitation...yeah, and all of that other stuff too, I guess.

BONUS CARD: 2013 Allen & Ginter Jose Altuve #AGR-JA, game used jersey. No words. Wait, I have one..."sharp."

My scoresheets, using my new pitch-counting method! Read about it HERE, download the scoresheets for free HERE!

Official Program (featuring Tucker Barnhart) and Scorecard

Ticket (Daniel Corcino, who did pitch for Louisville last year, but has spent this entire season in AA Pensacola)

Bat Chat and Gameday Stats

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4/23/2013 Gwinnett Braves 2, Louisville Bats 3

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
Game 1 of 4

Getting back to the base, for the second time this month, I'm still buzzing about Tony Cingrani's debut at the Bats' Opening Day April 4th (and also Mike Hessman's, wow).  My friends Bill and Marty are with me this evening, and Pedro VillaERAeal is starting for Louisville.  Also, Corky Miller has been called up to Cincinnati recently, so Konrad Schmidt (who started the opener as well) is behind the dish.

Konrad Schmidt Bobblehead night in Reno on September 1, 2012, shouldn't be considered the apex of his career, but for now it's all he's got.  We jokingly call him "Kid K" but not for good reasons.  Schmidt's glory was spent as a spoke in the Arizona Diamondbacks' Minor League wheel for 4 seasons, with only 4 MLB games in his entire career.  Schmidt signed with Arizona in 2007 as an amateur free agent, so it's safe to say expectations on him were low to begin with.  However, his formidable OPS tore up the Cal League, Southern League, and Pacific Coast League respectively from 2009-2012, seeing slight regression.  The Diamondbacks placed him on waivers nearly 2 months following his Bobblehead Night, the Texas Rangers picked him up, and then summarily released him during Spring Training 2013.  His Fu Manchu and spunky attitude make him a formidable complement to Corky in the Bats lineup, so the Reds signed him and Schmidt has struck out 14 times in 35 AB, with 8 HR and 3 BB.

Could he have a night tonight?  Sure, he could...as only Konrad Schmidt himself could muster it up.

For all the grief I afford Villareal (including the nickname I use for him, that I created, yet that he EARNED...get it?) he has had a smooth start so far this season, and so has his counterpart for the Braves, Tim Corcoran.  Pedro handles himself very well, cruising through 6 innings of work with 1ER and 4K.  Corcoran mirrors his efforts with a clean 7IP, 1ER, 3K and 2BB.  Corcoran's only run was courtesy of Henry Rodriguez, who drove in Mike Hessman in the 2nd inning.  Villareal let Joe Terdoslavich get to him in the 4th with a 2-out solo HR on the first pitch he saw in the AB.

Obligatory Billy Hamilton photo!  Billy did not much of anything tonight, he reached base once on a lead-off walk to start the 1st inning, made it to 3B on a Felix Perez Single, then grounded to 1B twise and struck out swinging.  Here is his first groundout versus Corcoran in the 3rd inning.

Bats reliever Nick Christiani, in relief of Villareal, gives up a 1-out solo shot by Matt Pagnozzi in the 7th, and the Braves have a 2-1 lead over the Bats heading into the bottom of the 9th, Louisville's last chance to close this game out in their favor.

The Braves call on Australian side-armer Andrew Russell to stifle the Bats; he retires the first two batters handily on a groundout and strikeout...with one out left, Henry Rodriguez singles for the third time tonight, followed by pinch-hitter Emmanuel Burriss' first hit of the game, another single, on Russell's first pitch and the tension is electric!  2 out, 2 on, and here comes...oh gawd, here comes Konrad Schmidt.

Schmidt is 0-for-3, with a ground out, flyout, and a FIDP following a bizarre play (more on that later).  Against the side-armer, Schmidt finally finds his patience, working a full count plus one fouled back.

On the 7th pitch, he arcs a deep single to right field, scoring Rodriguez...the game tying RBI.  Right fielder Joe Terdoslavich bobbles the ball for an Error, allowing Burriss to score all the way from first base...and that, friends, is a walk-off unearned run!!  The Bats (somewhat miraculously) win this game!!

SCOREKEEPER'S NOTE:
Let's review Schmidt's FIDP a little more in depth, or rather, the events that transpired before it.  Henry Rodriguez reaches on a single (his second of the day).  Denis Phipps strikes out (foul-tip-to-mitt: FTM), one out and one on.  Schmidt enters the batter's box, and on the first pitch (a called strike), Rodriguez is heading for second, Braves catcher Matt Pagnozzi fires to second baseman Corey Wimberly and...drops the ball right as he's tagging Rodriguez!!  Rodriguez is safe, Wimberly is charged with an Error, and (here's the strange part)...Rodriguez is saddled with a "Caught Stealing, No Put Out."  Yes, it's a strange one but it happens, and it's legal.

Referring to THE RULES, specifically 10.07 (f), which states:

Ergo, Pagnozzi gets an assist, Rodriguez gets a CS, and Wimberly gets an E; this is all up to the Official Scorer.  In this case, the Error was ruled later in the game...I had ruled it so immediately following the play, perhaps the O.S. at Slugger Field had to consult his "home rules" first.

At any rate, Schmidt's high fly to shallow right field one pitch later would have only been the second out of the inning, but Rodriguez still had his wheels assembled, tagged up and headed to 3B, and was thrown out by Terdoslavich to complete the double play and end the inning.

The "fun guys," doing work in 211:

All 3 of us played the mystery rookie card game.  I was humbled by my pull; Marty accepted his gracefully, and Bill tried to give me his...which is not how the game is played, ha ha!

I sagged to my seat in erstwhile joy at the sight of this lovely 2002 Donruss Hank Blalock RC.  Maybe it's because he has actually played pro ball quite recently (2010, for the Tampa Bay Rays) but how soon do we forget his bestial baseball prowess!!

Four of his 9 MLB seasons (8 of those seasons as a solid Texas Ranger) found him with an OPS+ over 100, most notably his formidable 2004 campaign, with his second consecutive All-Star selection and 18th place finish in the AL MVP voting.  Blalock didn't fade as terribly as he did quietly, sidelined with multiple injuries for most of 2007 and 2008.

Marty pulled this 2006 Upper Deck John Gall RC.  Here's another player who folks might have been asking "where is he now?" if he weren't an 11th round pick to begin with.

Judging from Upper Deck's wherewithal to grant him a Rookie Card in 2006, based upon his 22 games played for the Cardinals in 2005 (including one AB in the NLDS), perhaps expectations were higher for the outfielder, who was actually pretty good in the Minors.  However, Gall only played 8 MLB games in 2006, and was released by the Cardinals in July of that year, finishing the season in the KBO and signing with the Florida Marlins later that year.  Gall continued his admirable Minor League performance, signed with the Houston Astros in late 2008 (where in AAA Round Rock, he was not as admirable).  After his 2009 season, the entirety of it spent in Round Rock, he was never heard from in professional baseball again.

Bill's pull was stranger yet...maybe I should have accepted it, after all!  This 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter featuring Brandon Allen, as a rookie card, was even more premature as Gall's, and perhaps more posthumous in nature.

Allen was a 5th round pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2004, but as of 2009 had barely broken his AAA cherry with the Charlotte Knights before he was traded in July to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Tony Pena. Indeed, after a month in AAA Reno, Allen made it to the Diamondbacks' MLB roster after never having a chance to do so with the White Sox for all those years.  His 116 games that year weren't really enough to pitch a tent over,  he did better in fewer games with the DBacks in 2010 but only after spending most of the season in Reno.  His service time in Arizona was cut down even more in 2011, when in July he was traded along with Jordan Norberto to the Oakland A's for Brad Ziegler (nice move, Arizona).  Waiver deals and free agency bounced him to the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers respectively (like Blalock, in reverse), in Fukuoka with the SoftBank Hawks for a few weeks, and then back to the A's, then back to the Rays through the end of 2012.  He signed with the Padres in April of 2013, where at Tucson he's hitting .270/.351/.474 and playing all over the damn field as a 27-year old.

My scoresheets, using my new pitch-counting method! Read about it HERE, download the scoresheets for free HERE!

Official Program (featuring new Bats manager Jim Riggleman) and Scorecard

Louisville is finally adding some #sparkle to their season tickets, with several players (and a mascot) featured on different dates...I believe I have one of each this season, so here's tonight's ticket with Buddy Bat (the mascot I was speaking of)

Bat Chat and Gameday Stats

If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter

(I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!

7/14/12 Gwinnett Braves 8, Louisville Bats 10

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
Game 3 of 4

After dropping the opening game of the series, the first and only visit by the Braves to Slugger Field this season, the Bats trolled the Braves big time in the second game, a record-setting effort by the Bats that ended 22-1 in their favor.  There were many heroes in that game, and just as many goats.  Showing up at LSF with my daughter Chihiro, I was more excited about seeing Julio Teheran take the mound than anything else...the way the Bats season has been going, there aren't many chances that they will win tonight, and there aren't very many points of light on the roster...well, OK, there are a few that showed up here recently, but for the most part, it has been Dioner Navarro that has been the picture of offensive consistency for AAA Louisville...and he delivered something special and bizarre at the same time.

Teheran started off coolly, yet ended his night with a thud after 6.2IP and 5R (4ER) that started after a 2nd inning 3-run HR by recent roster addition Xavier Paul.  True, the Braves had their way with Bats RHP Chad Reineke, who worked himself away from the ball after 3.1IP of sweaty disassociation, and 7R (6ER), giving up 2 HRs in the process.

The combined bullpen of Kanekoa Texeira, Carlos Fisher, Travis Webb, and Donnie Joseph held the Braves to only 1 more run, 5 hits, 1BB and 4K in their combined 5.2 innings of relief.  Even still, the Bats entered the bottom of the 9th down by 3 runs, and it looked like RHP Jaye Chapman had their number.  Appearances can be deceiving.

Cody Puckett stuck out swinging to lead off, then PH/3B Mike Costanzo came through with a rocket 0-1 double to deep RF.  Chapman walked Denis Phipps, he and Costanzo are stranded after Didi Gregorius lined out to RF (Gregorius reached base on an exciting wild-pitch strikeout in the 7th, and eventually scored).  Corky Miller (who had been 1B coach all evening) steps up to the plate to pinch-hit, and is walked to load the bases with 2 outs.  Miller's patience was the key to this walk, but Chapman inexplicably walked Neftali Soto with the bases loaded to bring in Costanzo.

What happened next admittedly happened so fast it was difficult for most of us in the stands to understand.  Dioner Navarro takes a 1-0 pitch for what seemed to be a ground rule double, which would have tied the game.  In deep RF, the ball seemed to bounce back into the field once it hit the wall, just missing the yellow goal line.  The account that was published in the 7/15/12 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal recounted the event in this manner:

This was an odd one right down to the end - and beyond.  Navarro...sent a line drive into the right-field corner that kicked back onto the field.  First-base umpire Will Little signaled home run, and the Bats exploded out of the dugout to celebrate...

Gwinnett manager Dave Brundage said his players told him that a fan interfered with the ball in the corner, causing it to bounce back onto the turf.  he pleaded with the umpires, who huddled for a few minutes before upholding the original call.

"My players were arguing that it hit the guy in the arm as he was reaching for the ball," Brundage said.  "I personally couldn't see it because I was in the dugout.  I just saw how it ricocheted.  It would have been a ground rule double."

When Navarro was asked if he thought it was a home run, he said: "I don't know.  I was running.  I saw the umpire (make the home run signal)."

Well, that happened...a walk-off GRAND SLAM.  As for the dugout exploding, well it didn't really happen that way...there was a joyous pilgrimage to the plate by Navarro's teammates, but from where I sat, they seemed as confused as the rest of us.  While the umps were huddling, our friend Jimmy (with his trusty AM radio) relayed the ensuing controversy...when the huddle broke up, the game was over, officially.

Did it really happen?  I wasn't the only one present who thought it was a ground rule double, but as we know in baseball...the umpires have the final say.

1st Inning:

Braves RHP Julio Teheran warming up

Bats CF Denis Phipps faces Teheran

 Bats SS Didi Gregorius faces Teheran

2nd Inning:
Braves 2B Lance Zawadzki faces RHP Chad Reineke

4th Inning:
Braves CF Jose Constanza (the bat-licking guy) faces Reineke

Braves SS Josh Wilson faces Reineke

 ...Jose Constanza at 2B

RHP Kanekoa Texeira takes the mound, in relief of Reineke

Braves LF Felix Pie faces Texeira

Bats RF Xavier Paul faces Teheran

Bats 2B Chris Valaika (who wears sandals off the field) faces Teheran

 #shadows

Bats LF Cody Puckett, looking like he might be featured in the Little League World Series

5th Inning:
Braves C Jose Yepez faces Texeira...I tried to capture his truly sweet swing but the best I could do was frame his most excellent batting stance...

Zawadzki grounds out, 1B Neftali Soto (SOH.......toe) to Texeira

7th Inning:
Gregorius reaches first on a Wild-Pitch strikeout, Corky Miller is the 1B coach

runner going...

RHP Jaye Chapman in relief of Teheran...a few days later, Chapman was picked up by the CUBS

9th Inning:
Swith-hitting Zawadzki on the opposite side of the plate, facing LHP Travis Webb

Bats PH Corky Miller faces Chapman with 2 on and 2 out...he would draw a free pass to load the bases

For today's Mystery Rookie Card game, my pull was kind of surprising...I tend to pick lower-tier prospects who not only never panned out, but that I've never seen play before.  Today was different, as I selected this 2008 Upper Deck Hernan Iribarren RC...we just saw Iribarren barely a month ago, in the Colorado Springs Sky Sox lineup at this memorable game.  Iribarren is a Venezuelan IF/OF with 9 years of Minor League service.  He originally signed as an amateur free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004, and was a fixture in their system through 2007.  He was called up to AAA Nashville in 2008, and played in 12 games for the Brewers in MLB in both 2008 and 2009.  He was selected on waivers by the Texas Rangers in early 2010, playing 128 games and batting .275/.333/.385 for the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks that year.  In January of 2011 he signed as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies, but didn't play professional ball at all that year.  Iribarren re-signed with the Rockies in 2012 and is batting .304/.373/.379 for the Sky Sox, playing the majority of his games in CF and at 2B.

Chihiro's pick was this 2008 Upper Deck Timeline Chin-Lung Hu, who signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 2003.  Hu spent 2003-2010 in the Dodgers farm system, playing a handful of games with the Major League club in 2007-2010, until he was traded to the Mets for pitcher Michael Antonini in December of 2010.  He was granted free agency in late 2011 after playing 22 games with the Mets (.050/.091/.050...ewww, gross) and 13 games with the AAA Buffalo Bisons (.194/.219/.258).  Hu also played Australian Baseball with the Adelaide Bite in 2011, sporting a slightly more impressive triple-slash of .277/.328/.437 while down under.  Without any considerable Major League interest, Hu signed with the Southern Maryland BlueCrabs (of the Independent Atlantic League) in 2011 and is holding his own with .296/.351/.402 in 50 games.

UPDATE: Immediately following the 4th game of the series, the Braves and Reds made a "cross-dugout" trade that swapped IF Paul Janish for RHP Todd Redmond, who started game 1 of the series.  A great move, as Todd's "invisi-ball" is semi-legendary and his sub-4 ERA with Gwinnett in 2011 and 2012 can only mean good things for the Reds and their dangerous vacancy of Major League-ready pitching available for call up from the Minors...did I also mention that Redmond famously threw a no-hitter against Louisville in 2010?  Oh...okay...

Official Program #3, featuring Kristopher Negron

Official Scorecard #3, featuring Corky Miller...and autographed tonight by Corky Miller!!

Bat Chat