First off for pictures from this year’s Big Baseball trip click here. The weather was for the most part good but not great but with little rain. I have been extremely lucky in all of my adventures (except for a bit last year) and this was no exception. I got to see some great sights and hit some new breweries too in Brooklyn and on Long Island. It was surprising but there are not many breweries in Manhattan, where I spent two days playing tourist. This was nice, being able to simply ride the subway to where I wanted to go. I am sure the car appreciated this when compared to previous trips and as a bonus I did not find it on stilts with the tires missing or slashed outside of the motel I stated in! Anyway onto the games from the past two weeks.

Game #65 Somerset at Lancaster. Skipped the Monday game. The temperature finally got above 90 and my car even said it made it to 101. I doubt that but if that was 100 outside that wasn’t bad (there was a nice breeze) but sometimes you just want to sit in the air conditioning and drink a beer (or four). Yeah I finally broke down and put the air conditioners in the window. The cats stay downstairs since it is cooler down there but they still perform the vital function of waking me up when the sun comes up so they can get fed. The best alarm clock in the world is a hungry cat’s stomach. I decided to head over to Lancaster on Tuesday instead of Thursday. I will be seeing the Thursday opponent Long Island in a week so I went with something different. Stopped at Lancaster Brewing and Spring House Brewing before the game for a cold one. Steve Johnson pitched for Lancaster against Duane Below for Somerset in a match-up of former big leaguers. It started well for Lancaster as Blake Gailen smacked a 2 run homer before Below recorded an out. Neither pitcher was sharp in the 1st but they settled in, at least for Below. Johnson forgot how to get anyone out in the 5th and Somerset took a 4-2 lead thanks to his wildness. Below by that point was mowing the Barnstormers down, not overpowering at all but forcing light contact. The game could have ended when Johnson was yanked but Somerset continued to tack on as Lancaster’s bullpen was wild and it made this game drag. It was quite nice though having daylight well after 9:00. Somerset wins 7.3.

Game #66 Tri Cities at Aberdeen. Stamp number 4 in the Birdland passport. It’s not a bad drive down to Aberdeen, save when you run into a Sunday driver on 74. It happens and there really isn’t anything you can do about it and I hit several of them on the way down and back. Stopped at Independence Brewing in Bel Air on the way down. First time I have ever been there. This is one of them that I’ve been saying I’ll stop at the next time I come down for an Ironbirds game but it just never happened. Also updated the pictures for Ripken Stadium since the orange wall has been removed. This one had the appearance of being a good game. Both teams started pitchers on major league rehab assignments: Chris Tillman for Aberdeen and Brady Rogers for Tri Cities, the New York-Penn affiliate of the Astros. Those bubbles got burst early. Neither pitcher was sharp and after the first (and 35 minutes later) Aberdeen had a 4-3 lead. The second went much better but then Aberdeen’s pitching imploded in the 3rd. Victor Romero could not get anyone out giving up home runs to Enmanual Valdez and Michael Wielansky and his replacement gave up a few more before he finally got out of the inning. Chad Donato came in for Tri Cities and was dominant striking out 10 in 5 innings. It took an hour and a half to play the first 2 1/2 innings and less than an hour and a half to play the rest of the game. A lot of strikeouts the rest of the way which sped things up, especially with rain which was heavy at times. Tri Cities wins 11-5.

Game #67 Road Warriors at York. Needing a decent night’s sleep before embarking on my big baseball trip I stayed local. New York is only about 3 1/2 hours away so this will be a piece of cake driving wise. I’ve made it to Chicago in a day, to Chattanooga in a day and to Munfordville, Kentucky in a day. In those cases I left early in the morning. This time it will be much more leisurely. This was not a relaxing day, I cut my normal route of grass, did the laundry, went to the grocery store and finished writing out directions before taking in the game. The Road Warriors are not good but when I show up they look good. I don’t think I’ve seen them lose this year and tonight was no different. Revs’ starter Joe Van Meter was not on. Everything that the Road Warriors hit was hit hard. He wasn’t fooling anyone. Felix Baez was a bit better but when the Revs hit the ball hard it was right at someone. Just one of them nights. The Road Warriors singled and doubled Van Meter to death until he was yanked and scored a few extras off of the bullpen for good measure. The Revs made a small comeback in the 6th but in the end it wasn’t close to enough. The Road Warriors win 8-3.

Game #68 Quebec at New Jersey. Time for some hot Can-Am League action. This is my first foray into this league as the teams in the league are just not good enough to justify a 3+ hour drive to see them but here I am nonetheless. Click here for my review of Yogi Berra Stadium. The Jackals actually have a little bit of name power like former big leaguers Mat Latos, Vin Mazzarro, Vic Black and Carlos Triunfel. Mazzarro and Black are former Pirates (I saw Black’s ML Debut) and Triunfel played for the Revs last year and another Jackal Mariel Checo played for the Revs in 2016. There are a few other ex-Atlantic Leaguers here too as well as a few former Oriole and Phillies prospects. Quebec had nowhere near the namepower, only brief former big leaguer Josh Vitters. There were some people who drove down from Quebec and the team played the night before at home, that is a long busride. I heard that they used to have like a 18 wheeler that was tricked out so that the team could sleep but they don’t anymore. Black started for the Jackals and was wild (a former Pirate pitcher wild? Who would’ve thunk?) but only surrendered one run. He went deep into the game but Quebec got to him in the 7th for two runs. Capitales pitcher Arik Sekula was good giving up one run through 6 but the Capitales pen could not hold the Jackals, who scored 3 in the 8th. This was low level pro baseball at its finest, lots of baserunning errors and stupid plays. New Jersey won 4-3.

Game #69 Aberdeen at Staten Island. What a view! Click here for my review of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark. Made the short drive up Bay from Fort Wadsworth and took in a game here for the first time. Stopped at Staten Island Beer Company, Kills Boro brewing and Flagship brewing on the way. Staten Island played as the Pizza Rats to play up a video that went viral of a rat eating a piece of pizza on the NYC subway. The price of pizza was cut in half for this game and every Saturday game that they play will be as the Pizza Rats. For Aberdeen this game started much better. Rat starter Shawn Semple was blowing by the Ironbirds at first but they got to him taking a 2-0 lead. It would have been more if not for one heck of a catch by centerfielder Alex Junior (that catch will be the second nominee for the Kevy for defensive play of the year). The lead was short lived as Ironbird starter Gray Fenter ran out of gas giving up 2 in the fifth and Juan Echavarria who replaced him gave up two more. The Ironbird pen shut the out from there but then so did the Rat pen. For the Ironbirds they were being constantly pestered by kids asking for balls (even kids who already had balls in their hands and in one case multiple balls) and since I was sitting behind the Ironbird dugout it got to be a bit annoying. Anyway Staten Island wins 4-2. On a side note I did get to witness history when Ironbird Gui Yuan Xu became the first mainland Chinese-born player to get a hit in A-ball. He was thrown out trying to steal two pitches later.

Game #70 Lowell at Brooklyn. I’ve been here at MCU Park before but that time it was a Monday day camp day so this was a different atmosphere for sure. The park was pretty well full and Coney Island was in full swing. This game was a pitcher’s duel. Both starters, Brooklyn’s Jaison Vilera and Lowell’s Alexander Montero were dealing. Brooklyn got one run in the third off of a Wagner Lagrange double and that was it for the scoring. Gotta love these games. Crisply played (it can be done in the NYP) in a mere 2:23 with only one error. Had a Nathan’s hot dog and made a stop in at Coney Island Brewing since it is on the ground level of the stadium. I had visited Strong Rope in Brooklyn earlier in the day. (I tried to find Brooklyn Brewing but got lost and wound up on the BQE and just headed to the park). Brooklyn wins 1-0. Of course the fun was just beginning as it took over one hour to get from Coney Island to my motel in Queens. Heavy traffic on the Bay Parkway thanks to roadwork that was not being done on the Marine Bridge and then a lot of rubbernecking at a wreck on the other side. The Van Wyck was also at a standstill for a bit but once I got on the Grand Central it was better though that was for the last mile. Checked into the motel near Citi Field and thankfully found a parking spot right in front of the motel.

Game #71 Pittsburgh at New York. I’ve been here at Citi Field before and I even saw the Pirates here a few years ago. The Pirates have gotten better since then (regardless of the recent sweep at home at the hands of Arizona) and the Mets have been falling flat on their face this year. The Mets are team #16 for the year so we’re moving right along in that regards. This was an absolutely gorgeous day in New York. A nice breeze all day kept it from getting too hot but it was not chilly. Jameson Taillon started for the Pirates against Seth Lugo for the Mets. The Mets dug themselves a deep hole thanks to some sloppy defense from Luis Guillorme who committed two errors in the first 3 innings that led to 2 Pirates runs. Gregory Polanco hit a solo shot and Josh Bell also added a 2 run shot to put the Pirates up 5-0. Taillon outside of a long first inning and a deep shot from Michael Conforto that went just foul was on cruise control until the 7th and that was when the Pirate did what they do best: stink. Taillon gave up two and his relief, Tyler Glasnow couldn’t get an out giving up 2 more along the way. Steven Brault wiggled out of that much to the handful of Pirates’ fans in attendance relief. The Bucs tacked on an insurance run and won 6-4. I finally have seen my beloved Buccos win a stinking game this year! This game also included major league debut #4 for the year, Taylor Bashlor for the Mets.

Game #72 Pittsburgh at New York. Back for more punishment watching the Pirates. Chad Kuhl pitched for the Bucs and did not start well giving up 2 runs in the first. He was not helped by catcher Elias Diaz who committed 2 errors in the innings (only 1 hurt Kuhl). Kuhl settled down after that but something was wrong and he only pitched 4 innings (and was placed on the DL a few days later). Up to that point it did not seem like it would matter and I was getting more entertainment watching the airplanes take off from LaGuardia. Mets starter Steven Matz was dominant but in the 5th the Pirates broke through for their first hits and 2 runs. They took the lead off of Matz in the 7th with a Gregory Polanco solo shot but the Mets came right back with a solo shot of their own by Michael Conforto off of Edgar Santana. It remained tied until the 10th when Wilmer Flores hit a walk off single win it 4-3 for the Mets. By that point I was gone. It was a chilly night and there was a brisk breeze in the upper deck. And I was starting to yawn around 10:00. So much for the one game winning streak.

Game #73 York at Long Island. I’ve been to Bethpage Ballpark before but with the hometown 9 playing here and the Pirates doing what the Pirates do (they actually won that night) I decided for an easier path and took in the Revs and Ducks. It allowed me to see some sights on Long Island and hit a few breweries while I was at it. While this would not be faster getting home it would make for a cheaper day as Ducks tickets are cheaper and parking is free. This game did not start well for the Revs. Starter Joe Van Meter was not sharp and was down 6-0 by the end of the 2nd. He was not fooling anyone on the Ducks with hard hit doubles and a huge homerun by Taylor Ard. Ducks starter Bennett Parry was sharp for the first 3 innings but the Revs did start to get to him in the 4th loading the bases but coming up empty. Van Meter did settle down and the Revs bullpen held the Ducks scoreless for the remainder of the game. The Revs did finally get to Parry in the 6th but I was long gone by then. With a 4+ hour drive and the Revs getting shellacked I left after the 4th. The Revs did add another off of closer and former big league All Star Francisco Rodriguez in the 9th but Long Island won 6-4. Traffic was heavy on the way back but flowed and outside of one deck being closed on the Verrazano Bridge I didn’t come to a halt at all. If only it could be that easy all the time.

Game #74 Seattle at Baltimore. Got back at about midnight from New York. The Orioles played this as a day game so it was conveniently placed and it takes team number 17 off the board. It was good that this was played today as it would have left me high and dry with the Mariners since they’ve already been to play the Yankees and Cleveland. The immortal Jimmy Yacabonis started for the Orioles in his first major league start bringing his 15+ ERA. The Mariners countered with Mike Leake, who I don’t think I’ve ever seen have a good start. Both starters were good through 3 but gave up 2 runs in the fourth. Nelson Cruz his a 2 run bomb for the Mariners and Manny Machado and Chris Davis (who finally seems to have been allowed to get off the pine) hit solo shots for the Orioles. That was the scoring until extra innings when the Mariners used 2 Oriole errors to score 2 in the 10th. Seattle wins 4-2 completing a 4 game sweep. You know, as bad as the Pirates seem to be the Orioles serve as an example that things could be worse.

Game #75 Winston-Salem at Frederick. Picked up my Dylan Bundy bobblehead standing outside of the stadium in the heat for an hour. This game was a slugfest. Neither pitcher, Alex Wells for Frederick and Blake Hickman for Winston-Salem were sharp. Wells was worse surrendering 7 runs over 4 innings. Hickman gave up 7 in 5 innings. The difference was the bullpens with Frederick’s giving up 5 runs and the Dash giving up 3. It seemed like every ball found a hole or carried with 9 doubles and 6 homeruns being hit. Even despite the 37 hits in the game it was played in a little over 3 hours. If this were the Yankees or Red Sox the game might still be going on. Winston-Salem wins 12-10. Only one more team now to see in the Carolina League, the mighty Buies Creek Astros.

Game #76 State College at Williamsport. A very pleasant drive up 11/15. Stopped at Selin’s Grove Brewing for brunch and then Rusty Rail in Mifflinburg to pick up some beer to go. Arrived in Williamsport and got the tickets since the giveaway was a hot item and they do not have a big stadium. While sitting in the stadium lot while my traveling companion bought the tickets I found there is a third brewery in Williamsport and it was just around the corner from the stadium. Bonus! Drove there and picked up some beer to go and then I headed downtown for an early dinner at Boom City. When I was in town last year I walked by there and saw a note that they would be opening soon so I knew they were there. While there my choice of TV was either the FIFA World Cup or one of the ESPN channels that was showing college cornhole. Yep, I wonder if there are scholarship opportunities available for that? Is ESPN running out of programming? Anyway, picked up a Rhys Hoskins bobblehead, my third of him this year. This game was hard at times to watch. State College did not get a single extra base hit in the entire game. That didn’t matter as they stole 2 bases, took advantage of 3 Crosscutter wild pitches and 4 Cutter errors. Had Williamsport not committed those blunders they would have won easily but they did and combine that with a pitcher who couldn’t find the strike zone and it made for a long game. State College used 2 big innings to win 9-7. Saw a shooting star leaving, which my traveling companion thought was an actual star.

Game #77 Los Angeles at Baltimore. This was a day I was glad my seat is in the shade at Camden Yards. It was hot, 94 degrees at the start of the game. One nice thing that the Orioles do is to give free cups of ice out so you can stay cool. Kevin Gausman started for the Orioles, yes the same Gausman that has not won a game since May 11th due to a lack of run support. I’m pulling for him, I got his autograph when he was a Frederick Key. I have also seen him already win 2 games this year, how ’bout buying my next ticket there Kevin? It looked like he might be the victim once again of a lack of run support since he gave up one run in the 1st and the Orioles looked overmatched against Angels’ starter Deck McGuire. Well, that changed in the 4th when the Oriole bats erupted. First Manny Machado finally seemed to give a crap (he half-heartedly ran out a double play ball in his first at bat) and smacked a 2 run shot. It was 2 runs since Adam Jones reached when Angels’ second baseman Ian Kinsler lost a popup in the sun. The Orioles didn’t stop there scoring a total of 6 runs in the frame. 2 more were added the next inning. Now of course one expects the Orioles to blow it but Gausman was on, pitching 8 innings and giving up 2 runs in what turned into a rare Oriole win 8-2. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to see Japanese import Shohei Ohtani who is on the DL. Maybe next year.

On the docket for next week:

July 2 – West Virginia at Hagerstown
July 3- Richmond at Harrisburg
July 4 – Sugar Land at York
July 5 – gonna sit at home
July 6 – Hickory at Delmarva for a Trey Mancini bobblehead (skipping the Bryce Harper Patriotic Bobblehead in DC for this so it better be good)
July 7 – Trenton at Altoona for a Josh Harrison mini bobblehead
July 8 – Harrisburg at Bowie for another Trey Mancini bobblehead

That concludes the first half of the baseball calendar. Right now is a far cry from April when I took in the most miserable game of the year in Philadelphia with a 20 degree wind chill to watch my Pirates get blown out. There’s been a few other lousy games, mostly cold weather games where pitchers can’t get into a rhythm and the game seems to take forever. I’m not complaining about the heat especially after the past winter.