Suffice it to say this was a long week. Outside of my Big Baseball Trip coming up though this might be the last full week of baseball I take in. I’m going to try to start working in some nights at home, or maybe just go to the Revs game that night instead, which gets me home at around 9 PM. In general I don’t get as much sleep over the warmer months but the cats become very active when daylight comes and become very annoying when they are hungry, so I am being woken up at about 6 AM regardless of when I get home. I have spoiled those two rotten, so it’s my fault really.
Oh, and I know that all of you wait on every update to my beer bottle collection, which I promised to be monthly. It is growing but I think my camera has broken and needs to be taken out back and shot. I was hoping to get it through one last baseball trip but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. I’m not surprised, it was starting to have trouble focusing. It’s an expense I don’t need right now and I may just take all pictures now with my new smartphone. Guess I’ll need to take my laptop with me to dump the photos at the end of the day.
Game #35. The mighty Somerset Patriots came to York, taking Atlantic League Team #6 off of the board. I am going to be trying to attend more of these games through the year. It makes for a nice easy night, I can get dinner at my parent’s house, have a beer downtown and take in the game, all while getting home at a reasonable hour. These games also tend to be sparsely attended, which increases my chance of getting a foul ball but I did not try tonight since I had cut grass all morning and was a bit tired. Also made a stop at Gift Horse downtown before coming to the game. Ross Detwiler started for the Revs against Rick Teasley for the Patriots. Judging by ERA this looked like a pitcher’s duel but the baseball gods had other ideas. Or maybe the home plate ump, the Revs staff were yelling at him a lot and that means they didn’t like his strike zone. You don’t really see Somerset’s players or coaches do that. But then when you are the Yankees of the Atlantic League you get some leeway. Somerset did the usual dink and dunk offense but the Revs brought their power bats today hitting 4 homeruns! Unfortunately only one had a runner on base but that was only enough to tie the game after 9 and Somerset broke through to win the game in the 10th 7-6, snuffing out another comeback attempt in the 10th. Detwiler was signed on Thursday by the White Sox.
Game #36. Up to Allentown to pick up a Cole Irvin Game of Thrones Bobblehead. You know, I may be the only person in my age demographic that has not seen one second of the show. Will this bobblehead be valuable? Probably not, but I like bobbleheads in case you haven’t figured that out yet and it was being listed for $30 on eBay. They took on the Durham Bulls in this one. Ricardo Pinto went for Durham against Tyler Viza for Lehigh. It was also Game of Thrones Night, which did generate more interest than Major League Night a few weeks ago. Now last year Game of Thrones Night wound up being rained out but when I arrived it was sunny and warm with a chance of rain a bit later. As the game began the skies to the north began to get darker. As Durham took a 1-0 lead it was getting even darker and as it moved into the third you could see lightning. As the 3rd finished the grounds keeper came out to confer with the ump and shortly thereafter the grounds crew began unrolling the tarp. It was not raining yet but since I had wi-fi I could see what was coming and decided to cut my losses and left. It began to rain as I walked out of the gate and in the 100 yards it took to get to my car it began to pour. This was a nasty storm! Of course thanks to good timing by the grounds crew the game could be resumed but Durham wound up winning 4-3 after a nearly 2 hour rain delay. If the Iron Pigs have another Game of Thrones Night we’ll see if it rains then too and they may just want to stop it.
Game #37. Down to Baltimore for what I assumed before the season would be a butt-whoopin’ but the Red Sox have hardly been setting the world on fire this season. Oh well, team #13 is off of the board, not that they won’t be back. The struggling Chris Sale went for the Bo Sox against the soon-to-be trade bait Andrew Cashner for the Orioles. Well, Sale did not struggle and outside of hitting 2 batters he mowed the Orioles down. Cashner was good, hardly efficient, but he only gave up one run through 6 on a Mookie Betts solo shot. The problem was that Sale did not give up a hit until the 6th, but Joey Rickard singled and then Trey Mancini brought him home to tie it on a double. Sale wound up striking out 14, tied for the second most I’ve ever seen in a game with Stephen Strasburg. For the record on that I was at Max Scherzer’s 20 strikeout game a few years ago. But the Sox offense was cold and this game went into extras before the Oriole bullpen cracked with Andrew Benintendi hitting a solo shot in the 12th. Boston wins 2-1.
Game #38. Up early for a drive to Scranton to watch the Riders take on the Pirates’ AAA team, the Indianapolis Indians at a 10:30 game. Made it through rush hour traffic in Harrisburg quicker than expected and outside of the major construction zones on 81 I made it up in good time. Alex McRae started for Indy against David Hale for Scranton. Indy got on the board thanks to center fielder Matt Lipka misreading two balls hit in his direction and a double that missed being a homerun by about 3 inches. McRae was not dominant but he took a perfect game into the 6th but lost his no-no in the 7th as he was running out of gas and gave up a hit with 2 outs. I saw the immortal Jerome Williams take a no-no the same length when he was with the Nationals back in 2006 and now McRae made it that far as well. I also saw Roy Halladay take one to one out in the 7th when he was with the Blue Jays, but he only got one out. Anyway Scranton did manage to plate two runs off of McRae’s relief but Indy added a run on Patrick Kivlehan’s solo shot to cement an Indianapolis 4-2 win.
Game #39. It’s a nice drive back to York from Scranton and in this case the Senators happened to be home, so I stopped. Also made a stop in at Susquehanna Brewing to pick up some wares also stopping at Troegs and Appalachian. I also was able to get free parking on City Island thanks to a clothing donation before watching them take on the Tim Tebow-less Rumble Ponies. Yep, Binghamton does not have the huge following they did last year and certainly no one will be standing in a downpour to try to get any of their autographs. Ben Braymer went for the Senators against David Peterson for the Ponies, who seem to have Harrisburg’s number this year, especially with their own no-hitter against the Sens the night before. Both pitchers were good with a shutout going until the 6th when Harrisburg plated a run on a sacrifice fly. Binghamton came right back to tie it. I left after that, it was a long day and I wanted to get home. Both teams scored in the 8th and the 10th before Binghamton plated 2 in the 11th to win 5-3 to sweep the Senators at home.
Game #40. Down to Baltimore for team #14, the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim, Orange County and Barrow, Alaska), despite the threats of thunderstorms on this night. Trevor Cahill went for LA against Dan Straily for the Orioles. As I was driving into Baltimore the hosts on 105.7 said there would be a lot of baserunners in this one, and they were half right. Cahill gave up a home run to Trey Mancini and later an RBI single to Chris Davis. The problem was that Straily blew up. A good portion of the damage came from Mike Trout with a 2-run shot (Kevin Trivia! Did you know that I saw him hit his first big league dinger?) and an RBI double in a 5 run 5th that chased Straily. By that time the game was in hand and lightning was beginning to become visible so I decided to head out. Darn good timing on my part if I don’t say so myself. It started to drip when I got to the Light Rail platform and by the time the train arrived 5 minutes later it was a steady rain. By the time I got off of the train at North Avenue it was pouring and I was drenched in the 90 seconds it took to get to my car. The game had not resumed by the time I got home but they did wind up getting it completed. Los Angeles wins 8-3.
Game #41. Another spot on the circuit off the board as I headed out to Altoona to pick up a Ke’Bryan Hayes bobblehead. Also made a stop at Olde Bedford Brewing before making the trek to Altoona. Only 3 teams left to get off of the board in the Eastern League now that Erie is off. Scooter Hightower went for the Curve against Matt Manning, Detroit’s 1st rounder in 2016. I do also appreciate the 4 PM start time. Gets me back home at a reasonable hour and in this case it worked well with the weather. Hightower was good keeping Erie off of the board. Manning struggled early but found his groove, but Altoona got to him for one run in the 5th. At that point it was raining and it was cold, 51 degrees cold. I cut my losses at that point and headed for Railroad City Brewing for a beer before heading home. Both teams plated one run the rest of the way but Tate Scioneaux nailed down the save for an Altoona 2-1 win.
So how does this son spend his Mother’s Day? I was going to go up to Allentown to watch the Indy Indians take on the Iron Pigs. With 50 degree temps and forecasted rain all day I decided not to and the game wound up being PPD anyway. So, a second straight Sunday at home being smothered with love from the cats, who finally forgave me for forgetting to fill their food dish last night. I figured that was why the one was waking me up at 4 AM. I had to get out, went down to Collusion for a beer.
On the docket for next week:
May 13 – Trenton @ Harrisburg for a double header
May 14 – sitting at home
May 15 – New York @ Washington (Trea Turner Bobblehead)
May 16 – Milwaukee @ Philadelphia
May 16 – Frederick @ Wilmington
May 17 – Salem @ Frederick
May 18 – Chicago @ Washington
May 19 – TBD
