6/7/10 Pawtucket Red Sox 7, Louisville Bats 2

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
(Game 4 of 4)

The Bats try to close the 4-game series with the Paw Sox with a Win, but that just didn't happen. Still, a wonderful evening for baseball, augmented by our unseasonal heat wave; tonight I was joined by my youngest daughter Chihiro. Our first Bats game together (as a family) ended too soon for her when she fell in the bathroom between innings and had to get stitches. This meant she missed the fireworks; the Bats were generous enough to reward us with tickets to another game, but the Bats lost and no fireworks. Many years later, she returns - no Win, but no trip to the hospital this time!

PAW 7 9 0
LOU 2 9 0

Unlike the first Chapman outing I witnessed...his performance tonight was a complete and concise study in uncontrol; 7 earned runs in 2 innings and I felt like Rick Sweet waited far too long to give him the hook.

Led by the effective delivery of Felix Doubront, the Bats were cold tonight - Castillo managed to drive in a run with a bases-loaded single; Alonso responded in the 6th with a solo HR to center field. The Paw Sox had the Bats' number with 3 consecutive innings (1-2-3) that consisted their runs scored for the evening...every single run was charged to Chapman. That pretty much means the number they had was 1-800-AROLDIS.

Chapman delivers!


Reviewing Bat Chat before the game, to my surprise I found that former Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry has found a place on the Paw Sox staff. Better than that, former Royal Tug Hulett was in the lineup as DH. A couple of old farts sat down behind us, one with a Royals shirt, and with glee I honored the presence of a fellow Royals admirer. Unfortunately, he wasn't as thrilled as I was...I thought I could at least get a 'hey now' when I excitedly informed him that Tug Hulett would be playing in the game, and again, all I received was a complacent shrug. This yahoo and his companion proceeded to watch a Jonas Brothers concert they had recorded on their cellphone during the middle innings. I guess a Royals shirt doesn't automatically guarantee class!

Tug Hulett's 2-run HR pitch...


Yonder Alonso AB, Doubront fires


Alonso at 1B, holding Lars Anderson


Tonight's promo was Baseball Bingo...lotsa fun, Chihiro was only one number away from winning (I didn't do so well). I'm sure lots of parks do this, but this was my first time at LSF or anywhere else.



Just for yucks, I picked up an extra scorecard for Chihiro, a rather inexpensive memento of our visit (besides the obligatory souvenir soda purchase)...in a flattering moment of pleasing her crazy dad, she decided to score the game along with me...I can't express how proud I was of her, especially hearing how much fun she had scoring when the game ended!

Chihiro is scoring the game!!!


We balanced our scoresheets together upon returning home; and her scorecard is displayed proudly in our family room today.




Chihiro's completed Scorecard:



Official Scorecard and Bat Chat

5/27/10 Gwinnett Braves 0, Louisville Bats 6

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
(Game 1 of 4)

Here it is, fellow Baseball fans...my first 'live' Aroldis Chapman game. The last time I 'saw' him pitch was his disastrous performance for Cuba versus Japan during the WBC. In the flesh, I can report not very much improvement. My friends Bill and Don were at this game with me, they tried to lead the crowd with a rousing rendition of "Wild Thing" but didn't get much response.

GWN 0 5 1
LOU 6 10 0

Chapman was somewhat impressive, but my vote for 'player of the game' went to the catcher Wilkin Castillo. You have to have arms that move 5 feet away from the strike zone, in any direction, at 100mph if your pitcher is sending bullets at that speed in those same random directions, and Castillo was marvelous at this. Forget the holiest of Catcher defensive skills (throwing from the knees), Castillo can grab just about anything from the crouch. First Braves batter to face Chapman was last year's Braves rookie phenom Jordan Schafer; you could see his knees knocking from the grandstand. I suppose there is no fear in the Minor Leagues greater than facing Chapman.

But, let's be fair about Aroldis - this really was a good outing for him.


5 IP, 3H, no Runs, 1 BB and 7 K (only one of them called) and 2 WP. Time will tell if he's going to 'get the call' for the Reds, as many speculate, but this guy is no Stephen Strasburg and if I was a Reds fan I would be very, very afraid of that phone ringing for him this year, no matter how well the season is going (or NOT going) for them at any point in time.

Combined, the Bats pitching staff held the Braves scoreless. The Bats scored all but 2 of their runs in the first inning against Jo Jo Reyes. The start of the game was delayed until 7:46 due to lingering light rain.

I charged the Braves' Mitch Jones with a throwing error on Balentien's extended single but the Official Scorer did not.




Official Scorecard, and Bat Chat

5/23/10 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 1, Louisville Bats 5

Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
(Game 2 of 4)

A great day for baseball, hotter than the dickens for this time of year but what a preview of the SUMMER (oh please oh please, arrive SOON!) and hey...boiling alive at a game is better than freezing!!!

My eldest daughter Kei and I headed for this day game as Travis Wood took the mound for the Bats (Travis pitched in the last Bats game I attended, the home opener). Curtis Granderson was starting in his second rehab game for the Yankees.

SWB 1 7 1
LOU 5 10 0

Quite an exciting rout as Todd Frazier knocks back-to-back HR in back-to-back AB, and Wilkin Castillo joined Frazier in back-to-back HR in the 4th inning.

Yonder Alonso at bat, facing Jason Hirsh


Wood was great last time I saw him; even better today: 6IP, 4H, ER, 3BB, 5K, and 3 BLS (Broken Louisville Sluggers - Golson, Corona, and Montero; none were broken-bat singles). With the offense backing him up, this game belonged to the Bats by the end of the 4th.

Travis Wood FIRES IT UP!!


Wood really does have great stuff - not Justin Lehr-type great, but good enough to retire batters in order and bring back a self-imposed inning-getting-out-of-hand with minimal damage. Alonso went 2 for 4 with an RBI, Drew Sutton also drove in a run, and Zack Cozart racked up 2 SB (one for a run). Bats pitchers in relief Jesus Delgado and Jared Burton held the Yankess scoreless for the remainder of the game.

For the Yanks, Granderson went 1 for 2, with a K and a BB - he was lifted in the game in the bottom of the sixth. Eduardo Nunez drove in the Yankees' only run and went 2 for 4.

I managed to keep score, *almost* catch a few foul balls up in the club level, take a few camera-phone shots, and also post pics and tweet game updates!! Multi-tasking in my old age!!!

The sunburn testifies: I LOVE baseball season, nothing beats a day at the park - this park is one of the best!! We had a great time and can't wait until our next outing!!




Official Scorecard Cover and Gameday Stats (Bat Chat)