Power Pros Forum

I suppose so. I'll change that to you in the last post.

I'm not interested, at least not yet. If he starts out strong then I'll take him

Oh, heh, I'll change it back then.

And that might not be a bad idea. Colyer's slider is incredible and Allen will be on a short leash with him on the roster.

Series Preview: Sacramento Dolphins(0-0) vs. Honolulu Gunmen(0-0)
April 2nd-3rd

Already playing against Preston... I suppose it's only appropriate.

Key Players:

Sylvester Coddmeyer III - CF
C, A, C, D, D, D, VS Lefty 4, Power Hitter, Slugger
Coddmeyer is an incredible power hitter, and in his younger days was referred to as "The Kid Who Only Hit Homers". Now, at the age of 24 and after breaking several college records, he is ready to take on the Majors. He could present a problem to Brendan Bikowski, a lefty.

Skeeter Miracle - DH
B, B, E, E, F, G, Spray Hitter, Hot Hitter, Tough Out, Error Prone, Slugger, Aggressive HTR
An absolute butcher in the field, Skeeter is likely to never touch it again; however, he is a dynamic hitter who hits well to all fields and consistently hits for both average and power.

Danny Walker - SS
C, C, D, B, B, B, Throwing 4, Gold Glover, Barehand CTH, Pivot Man
Walker is a solid hitter, but his real talent lies within his fielding. Experts say he'll be a gold glove candidate throughout his career, and his ability at shortstop is only overshadowed by veterans such as Adam Everett, Omar Vizquel, and David Eckstein.

Projected pitching match-ups:

Game 1
Eddie Cicotte (0-0, 0.00), vs. Brendan Bikowski (0-0, 0.00)

This game will likely be an intense, low-scoring affair with these two junkballers on the mound. Cicotte (90, B, A, SCB[2], KN[6], CHG[3]) has an incredible knuckleball that will present a challenge to the young Gunmen hitters. All of his breaking balls are stellar (Spin 4) and he disguises his pitches well (Gd Delivery). His fastball is not to be underestimated, however (Fastball Life 4).

Game 2
Koby Caplin (0-0, 0.00), vs. Charlie Huff (0-0, 0.00)

Koby Caplin (97, C, A, 2SFB[1], CB[2], CHG[3]) is an excellent #2 behind Cicotte. He was a phenom in high school and has only grown in popularity since college (Star). He racks up strikeouts with great frequency (Dr. K) and has one of the bets fastballs around (Fastball Life 4).

Love the format, the "Series at A Glance" type thing. It's similar to PPJ's Slayers series preview, both his and yours are done well.

Yeah, the Slayers were my inspiration for this format.

April 2nd, 2015

Sacramento Dolphins(0-0) vs. Honolulu Gunmen(0-0)

Opening Day against the Dolphins. Judgement Day has finally arrived...

At least, that's what Greene claimed it was when he called me before the game. I tried to tell him it was just one game, but he was having none of it.

"This game will determine who the best really is."
"Um, okay... good luck today, Preston."
"Hmph."
*click*

At around 12:15, Steve Bernard told me he wasn't feeling too good. I asked him if he could still play second, and he responded by puking. Well that's not good, I thought. I found Matt MacKenzie, who was listening to his iPod and playing long toss with Roy Schapp, and when I finally got him to turn his music down, I told him he was starting at second.

"Really?! I LOVE YOU!"
"Uh, yeah."

Finally, game time rolled around. I headed out onto the field to exchange pleasantries with the umpires and the opposing manager, Johnathan Grey. We shook hands, gave our lineup cards to the umpire, and headed back to our respective dugouts. Terry Delaney, leadoff hitter for the Dolphins, took warm-up swings as our starters ran out to take grounders and take catch. Brendan Bikowski began to throw, and he was looking incredible. I had a good feeling.

Recap

The first pitch in the history of the Gunmen was a strike, as Bikowski tossed a beautiful curveball over the low-inside corner. He followed up with a fastball, and caught Delaney fishing for a palmball on 0-2. He hit a ground ball to second, and MacKenzie fielded it cleanly for an out. Shortstop Danny Walker grounded out to Medrano, and first baseman Skeeter Miracle struck out to end the top of the first.

"Nice pitching," I told Brendan upon his return to the dugout. "You're looking real good today."
"Thanks, skip."

Jose Medrano came up to the plate against Eddie Cicotte and ripped a single to left-center field on the first pitch. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Marcus McElroy and Juan Hernandez each struck out looking before Matt McCarthy came up to the plate. He took a few pitches before taking a curveball to right field, scoring Medrano and, with him, the Gunmen's first run in history. Derek Wayne grounded out to end the inning.

It was the top of the fifth when I noticed something; Bikowski got Dolphins catcher Jody Sinclair to roll a grounder to third, and the some-30,000 fans at the game absolutely erupted with cheer. I was confused, as the game was just half over, but when I nonchalantly glance at the scoreboard I noticed something.



You've got to be kidding me, I thought. I looked over to where Brendan was sitting alone at the end of the bench. I knew the rule: Nobody say a damn thing. I left the man to his thoughts.

After a 1-2-3 bottom half, Chico Romez hit a ground ball up the middle to start the 6th. The crowd collectively held its breath. Medrano ranged to his left. He reached out with his glove hand, exchanged quickly, and gunned the ball to Hernandez. Hernandez stretched as far as I've ever seen a first baseman stretch. The umpire emphatically pumped his arm, and the stadium exploded with cheers. Bikowski's face had a wry smile as Hernandez tossed him the ball.

All eyes were on Brendan. A strikeout and a flyout came next. End of inning.

Cicotte had really settled in since the first and was pitching a gem, as we were held scoreless in the bottom of the 6th, but no one paid him any mind.

Out of the corner of my eye between innings, I saw Grey chatting on a telephone. Cicotte's doing fine, I thought. Who could he be talking to? After nodding and hanging up, he whispered something to Delaney. Delaney gave him a look, as if he'd just been told to commit a crime.

No... it can't be.

On came the 7th. Terry Delaney came up to the plate. Bikowski wound up, threw a fastball, and Delaney dropped down a nearly perfect bunt.

"Damn it Greene!" I shouted in a fit of rage. "Come on Donnie!"

Wilde ran as fast as I'd ever seen him run, picked up the ball with his bare hand, and fell over as he threw to first.

"Yer out!"

Donnie pumped his fist. And Bikowski glared at the Dolphins dugout as he tossed the rosin bag up and down. The crowd booed, and finally Brendan stepped back onto the mound to face Danny Walker. The count quickly filled up, but Bikowski got him swinging with a lethal palm ball. Skeeter Miracle then fell behind 1-2 and also struck out.

21 down.

The 8th inning, arguably the hardest, was up next. Brendan would need to take down the heart of the order. Sylvester Coddmeyer III, an incredible power hitter, hit a rocket of a ground ball to Wilde at third, but thankfully, right at him. 22 down.

And then it came.

Yuri Dotzen was at the plate. He turned on a fastball and laced a grounder down the first base line. Hernandez dove in vain, and Yuri pulled into first with a single. Bikowski looked down at his shoes, but the crowd got on their feet for this player they hardly knew. Brendan looked up, gave a slick smile, and tipped his cap to the crowd before receiving the ball from MacKenzie.

The focus then turned to the actual game. It was still 1-0, and Brendan was pitching to win. Jody Sinclair lifted a soft single to center, but Chico Romez hit into a double play to end the threat and keep the shutout alive. MacKenzie and Raines responded with back-to-back singles, and Medrano made it three in a row. With the bases loaded, Marcus McElroy managed to work the count full, but he grounded into a fielder's choice at the plate. Hernandez hit into a 4-6-3 double play, and we headed to the 9th. I sent Bikowski back out, but made a call for Rick Allen and Adam Wilson to get loose.

With one out, Bikowski gave up a run-scoring double to Terry Delaney, and I called for time. I motioned to the bullpen, and Adam Wilson came charging out. I took the ball from Brendan, congratulated him on a great performance, and turned it over to Adam. He got Danny Walker to fly out and Skeeter Miracle to roll a grounder to short.

Cicotte came back out for the 9th inning, but he was looking a little tired. Unfortunately, his knuckler was as nasty as ever, and we were forced to head into extra innings. Wilson gave up two hits, so I put in Rick Allen, who somewhat miraculously worked out of it. Cicotte finally came out after 9.1 innings, and he was replaced by Joey Gallagher. Matt MacKenzie slapped a base hit and stole second (on his own, mind you). Colin Raines bounced one off Gallagher for an infield single, and MacKenzie moved to third as the winning run. Medrano popped out.

Marcus McElroy quickly fell behind 0-2, and things weren't looking quite as great as before. Gallagher threw a changeup, but McElory stayed back and pulled it to left. The ball fell in front of Delaney, and MacKenzie sprinted home, scoring the winning run easily. McElroy was mobbed near first, and the crowd roared with excitement. The team finally managed to calm down enough to shake hands and head back into the dugout, but they soon found the Gatorade and dumped it on McElroy during his interview.

Final Score:
Sacramento Dolphins - 1
Honolulu Gunmen - 2

Box Score

Win: Rick Allen (1-0)
Save: None
Loss: Joey Gallagher (0-1)
HR: None

J. Medrano - 2-5, R
M. McElroy - 1-5, RBI, K
J. Hernandez - 0-4, K
M. McCarthy - 1-4, RBI, K
D. Wayne - 1-4, K
P. Warr - 0-4
D. Wilde - 1-4, K
M. MacKenzie - 2-4, R, SB
C. Raines - 2-4

B. Bikowski - 8.1 IP, 4 H, 6 K, ER
A. Wilson - 0.2 IP, 2 H
R. Allen - 1 IP, W

April 3rd, 2015

Sacramento Dolphins(0-1) vs. Honolulu Gunmen(1-0)

Bernard is back in the lineup today. Let's hope this game is a little less exciting than yesterday's...

Final Score:
Sacramento Dolphins - 3
Honolulu Gunmen - 6

Box Score

Win: Charlie Huff (1-0)
Save: Rick Allen (1)
Loss: Koby Caplin (0-1)
HR: Juan Hernandez (1, 2); Sylvester Coddmeyer III (1)

J. Medrano - 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, R, K, E
M. McElroy - 1-5, R
J. Hernandez - 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K
M. McCarthy - 2-4, RBI, K
D. Wayne - 0-3, K, BB
PR - D. Millwood - 0-0, R
P. Warr - 1-2, 2 BB
D. Wilde - 2-4, RBI, K
S. Bernard - 0-3, BB
C. Raines - 0-3, R, BB

C. Huff - 6.2 IP, 2 H, 9 K, 2 BB, 2 ER, W
A. Wilson - 1.1 IP, 2 H, K, R, HLD
R. Allen - 1 IP, SV

________________________________________________________________________

We swept the Dolphins! It was only a 2-game series, but oh well. Claire and I celebrated by going out for burgers (somehow she wound up picking...). Tomorrow, the Chicago White Sox come into town for a three-game set. Hopefully we can use the momentum from this series to take them down as well.

Dayummmmmmm

A perfect game would've been an exciting first game for a franchise

I like the manager's name.

It reminds me of Jonathan Gray, the running back.

Series Preview: Chicago White Sox vs. Honolulu Gunmen
April 4th-6th

Key Players:

Tim Illard - DH
2, A, B, E, F, D, D, Contact Hitter, Bases Clearer, Walk-off HTR, Pull Hitter, VS Lefty 2, Cautious STL
Illard will be turning 38 in August, and this fact has been represented by the fact that his power numbers have decreased gradually; that's not to say he's not still an incredible hitter. Luckily for us, Akinori Otsuka, who will be starting game one, is a lefty, and Illard's biggest weakness is left-handed pitching. We'll have to really watch out for him in games 2 and 3 though.

Paul Konerko - 1B
4, C, A, E, C, C, B, Power Hitter, Hot Hitter, Intimidator, Throwing 4, Durability 4, Consistency 4, Barehand CTH, Star, Patient Hitter, Cautious STL, Aggressive FLD, Gd Eye
Konerko has been a staple of the White Sox offense for years, and will probably continue to be through the end of his career. He possesses tremendous power which overshadows his excellent fielding abilities. He's also right-handed, so he may present a problem for Otsuka in the series opener.

Orlando Cabrera - SS
2, C, C, C, C, B, C, Clutch Hit 4, Gd IF HTR, Consistency 4, Base Running 4, Barehand CTH, HD 1st Slide, Error Prone, Slap Hitter, Agressive RUN, Aggressive FLD
An above-average contact hitter and an above-average fielder - Orlando Cabrera is everything you need in a shortstop.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Jose Contreras (0-0, 0.00) vs. Akinori Otsuka (0-0, 0.00)

Otsuka (89, E, A, SLD[1], CUT[1], SCB[3], V-SLD[2], KN[1], SC[2], SHU[2] recently moved from Japan, where he played professionally for 2 years. He has honed a large number of breaking balls (Spin 4), but struggles with his command and has a below-average fastball. He remains very calm on the mound (Poise 4, Poker Face) and retires lefties especially well (VS LH Batter 4).

Although Contreras (95, C, A, 2SFB[2], SLD[3], CHG[4], SPLT[4]) is a good pitcher on paper, his fastball gets hit for power regularly (Fastball Life 2) and he allows a lot of stolen bases (Release 2). Look for guys like Matt McCarthy and Juan Hernandez to jump all over him at the plate, and for Jose Medrano and Colin Raines to do so on the basepaths.

Game 2
Gavin Floyd (0-0, 0.00) vs. Johnny Rivera (0-0, 0.00)

The White Sox rotation really dips off after the #3 starter, as does the Gunmen's. Floyd (93, D, B, DCB[3], CHG[1]) is merely okay, and Rivera (92, C, B, 2SFB[1], ORIG-SLD[2], CB[2]) has a solid fastball (Fastball Life 4) but struggles with runners in scoring position (w/RISP 2).

Game 3
John Danks (0-0, 0.00) vs. Michael Davis (0-0, 0.00)

A battle of each team's 5th starters. Michael Davis (93, D, B, SLD[2], CHG[2]) is only 20 and has good potential, although he is plagued by inconsistency (Consistency 2). John Danks (90, D, B, SLD[1], CHG[2] is young as well, just 22 years old, but is presently a liability to the Sox pitching staff.

April 4th, 2015

Chicago White Sox (2-0) vs. Honolulu Gunmen (2-0)

Our game was at noon today, so I headed to the field at around 10:00. Otsuka was there, cool as a cucumber, calmly stretching. Many other players were taking batting practice, and most of the bullpen either hadn't arrived yet or was sitting around.

The lineup was set about an hour later, and it was made official at 11:45 at the meeting between the managers and the umpires. I noticed the crowd was fairly sparse, maybe about 10,000 people. I assumed more would show up in the next 30 minutes, but the number was still quite low compared to the Opening series against Sacramento.

Recap

The first batter of the game, Orlando Cabrera, hit a high chopper up the third base line that resulted in an infield single. Nick Swisher followed that up with a seeing eye single to put runners on 2nd and 3rd to start the game. Tim Illard lifted a line drive just over Steve Bernard's head for a single, and Derek Wayne was unable to throw out Cabrera at the plate. McCarthy called for time, gave Otsuka a little pep talk, and trotted back behind the plate. After that, he settled in and retired the next three batters to get out of the inning.

"Good pitching," I told him when he walked into the dugout, "those were some lucky hits."
He nodded and walked away.

We were held scoreless in the bottom half of the 1st, and Otsuka did the same to the Sox in the 2nd. Then, however, Patrick Warr hit a two-run shot, over 400 feet, to right field to score Matt McCarthy and give us a 2-1 lead.

In the 3rd, everything fell apart for Otsuka. He allowed 3 straight singles before an RBI double that gave the Sox the lead. As if that wasn't bad enough, Jermaine Dye crushed a 3-run homer to make it 6-2. Otsuka didn't show his frustration, but it was clear that he was upset as Manny Cortés went to talk to him. He finished the inning without any more problems, so I decided to let him go until he got into trouble again.

Steve Bernard got our scoring going again in the 4th with a single, but Contreras ended the rally by retiring Colin Raines.

Otsuka got through the 6th, and I decided to go to the bullpen for the final three innings of the game. I had Paul Casey come in.

"You might need to go 3 tonight. You up for that?"
"Always."

He retired the next three batters on just eight pitches.

During the 7th inning stretch, I lectured the team on patience. Contreras' pitch count was at a ridiculously low 34; it was like we were swinging at everything out there. Donnie Wilde apparently took my advice to heart, as he went out and worked Jose for five pitches before slapping a single. Bernard swung at the first pitch, but it landed for a base hit. I signed for a base hit bunt by Colin Raines, but was given a hit and run instead. Wilde was thrown out feebly attempting to retreat to second.

You've got to be kidding me, I thought. Raines hit into a double play.

Casey wound up being perfect in his 3 innings of relief, but other than an absolute bomb of a solo shot from Juan Hernandez in the 8th, our offense hardly put up a fight the rest of the game.

Final Score:
Chicago White Sox - 6
Honolulu Gunmen - 4

Box Score
Win: Jose Contreras (1-0)
Save: Bobby Jenks (2)
Loss: Akinori Otsuka (0-1)
HR: Juan Hernandez (3), Patrick Warr (1), Jermaine Dye (2)

J. Medrano - 0-4, .357
M. McElroy - 1-4, K, .214
J. Hernandez - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .250
M. McCarthy - 1-4, R, .333
D. Wayne - 1-4, R, .182
P. Warr - 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .200
D. Wilde - 3-4, CS, .500
S. Bernard - 2-3, RBI, .333
C. Raines - 0-3, .200

A. Otsuka - 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 K, L, 9.00
P. Casey - 3 IP, 2 K, 0.00

April 5th, 2015

Chicago White Sox(3-0) vs. Honolulu Gunmen(2-1)

Johnny Rivera is on the mound today. Hopefully he can lead us to victory so we can avoid a losing streak.

Final Score:
Chicago White Sox - 6
Honolulu Gunmen - 3

Box Score
Win: Matt Thornton (1-0)
Save:
Loss: Johnny Rivera (0-1)
HR: Matt McCarthy (1), Nick Swisher (1), A.J. Pierzynski (1)

J. Medrano - 1-4, RBI, K, SB, .333
M. McElroy - 0-4, K, .167
J. Hernandez - 1-3, R, BB, .267
M. McCarthy - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, .375
D. Wayne - 0-4, 2 K, .133
P. Warr - 1-4, 2B, .214
D. Wilde - 1-4, R, SB, E, .438
S. Bernard - 1-4, SB, .300
C. Raines - 1-3, 2B, BB, .231

J. Rivera - 7.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K, L, 2.45
A. Wilson - IP, 3 H, BB, 4 ER, 2 K, 12.00
E. Lorrier - 0.2 IP, H, K, 0.00

April 6th, 2015

Chicago White Sox(4-0) vs. Honolulu Gunmen(2-2)

We can't get swept... that would be awful. Also, Danny Millwood is going to be making his Major League debut today in place of Marcus McElroy. John Danks is a lefty, and that's his specialty, so he should be good.

Final Score(10):
Chicago White Sox - 7
Honolulu Gunmen - 8

Box Score
Win: Evan Lorrier (1-0)
Save:
Loss: Scott Linebrink (0-1)
HR: Danny Millwood (1), Derek Wayne (1), Patrick Warr (2), Juan Uribe (1)

J. Medrano - 2-5, RBI, R, 2 K, .348
D. Millwood - 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB, .500
J. Hernandez - 1-5, 2 K, .250
M. McCarthy - 2-5, RBI, R, 2 K, .381
D. Wayne - 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, K. .200
P. Warr - 1-5, HR, RBI, R, 3 K,
D. Wilde - 2-4, R, .450
S. Bernard - 1-3, R, K, BB, .308
C. Raines - 0-4, 2 K, .176

M. Davis - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 ER, K, 11.10
E. Lorrier - 4.1 IP, 10 K, 0.00

This game was incredible; Davis gave up 6 runs in the 6th inning, putting the Sox ahead 7-5. We score 2 in the bottom of the 6th to tie it up, and Evan Lorrier held the Sox scoreless through 4.1, not surrendering a single base runner and striking out an incredible 10 batters. In the 10th inning, Patrick Warr came up to the plate, hitting a walk-off homer to straightaway center field for our second walk-off already this season. He was mobbed at the plate, and we celebrated by shoving his face with shaving cream pies on three separate occasions.
_________________________________________________________________

Tonight, we fly to Sacramento to face the Dolphins at Panpaka Park.

I imagine Greene will have some choice words in regards to our first series.

Millwood scored a run in the 2nd game...

Thus, not debut.

Welp, didn't see that.

Oh well, it was his hitting debut.

Series Preview: Honolulu Gunmen (3-2) vs. Sacramento Dolphins (0-5)
April 7th-10th

We'll be flying out to Sacramento for a 4-game series against the Dolphins. Greene is not going to be happy with his team at 0-5...

Key Players:

Sylvester Coddmeyer III - CF
.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B
4, C, A, C, D, D, D, VS Lefty 4, Power Hitter, Slugger
Bio: Coddmeyer is an incredible power hitter, and in his younger days was referred to as "The Kid Who Only Hit Homers". Now, at the age of 24 and after breaking several college records, he is ready to take on the Majors.
Analysis: Through 5 games, Coddmeyer has been steady, picking up 6 hits and slugging an above-average .556. He will face lefties twice in this series, against Bikowski in game 2, and Otsuka in game 4.

Skeeter Miracle - DH
.133, 0 HR, 1 RBI
B, B, E, E, F, G, Spray Hitter, Hot Hitter, Tough Out, Error Prone, Slugger, Aggressive HTR
Bio: An absolute butcher in the field, Skeeter is likely to never touch it again; however, he is a dynamic hitter who hits well to all fields and consistently hits for both average and power.
Analysis: Skeeter has stumbled out of the gate, but is always one to watch out for.

Danny Walker - SS
.200, 2 RBI
C, C, D, B, B, B, Throwing 4, Gold Glover, Barehand CTH, Pivot Man
Bio: Walker is a solid hitter, but his real talent lies within his fielding. Experts say he'll be a gold glove candidate throughout his career, and his ability at shortstop is only overshadowed by veterans such as Adam Everett, Omar Vizquel, and David Eckstein.
Analysis: Walker's batting average is low, but he has collected 2 RBI's and has been fantastic in the field thus far.

Yuri Dotzen - 1B
.412, 1 SB
3, C, B, D, E, D, E, Clutch Hit 4, Error Prone
Bio: Born in Russia, Yuri immigrated to the United States around the age of ten. He quickly became an avid baseball fan, and despite some struggles in the field, has developed into a solid first baseman. He is known for being able to pick up the clutch hit and has a good overall bat.
Analysis: Although it's very early, Yuri's team-high batting average of .412 is worth noting. He may struggle to pick up RBI's this season, batting after Miracle and Coddmeyer, but he will likely bat over .280 with 20+ homers.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Cesario Castillo (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jimmie Todd (0-0, 3.38)

Todd (91, F, B, 2SFB[1], CHG[2], CNK[2]) is remarkably similar to Castillo. He is by far the worst Dolphins starter and often displays overconfidence despite this.

Game 2
Brendan Bikowski (0-0, 1.08) vs. Koby Caplin (0-1, 9.00)

Caplin (97, C, A, 2SFB[1], CB[2], CHG[3], Fastball Life 4, Dr. K, Star) was knocked around fairly well by the Gunmen his last time out, giving up 4 runs in 4 innings; however, Caplin has one of the best fastballs in the league and will likely perform better this time out.

Game 3
Charlie Huff (1-0, 2.70) vs. Eddie Cicotte (0-0, 0.96)

Cicotte's performance against the Gunmen on Opening Day was somewhat overshadowed by Bikowski's near-perfect game, but the 26-year old end up going 9.1 innings and allowing just a single run in the first. He's getting an extra day's rest, too; as you can see, Caplin will be going before him.

Game 4
Akinori Otsuka (0-1, 9.00) vs. Bill Bailey (0-0, 1.42)

Bailey (97, C, B, SLD[3], CUT[2], CHG[3], VS LH Batter 4, Battler) is a fiery young lefty who, despite has height (5'10"), throws a mean fastball. The Gunmen hitters will need to be on top of their game in order to score a significant amount of runs off him.

April 7th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (3-2) vs. Sacramento Dolphins (0-5)

Steve Bernard was feeling ill again today, so I gave MacKenzie another start. Also, since Jimmie Todd is a left-hander, I put Danny Millwood in center field over Colin Raines.

Recap
(Click the [H] for a video highlight)

The first few innings flew by, neither pitcher giving an inch. Within 20 minutes, it was the bottom of the third inning, but that's when trouble arrived for Castillo. Chico Romez hit a weak single to right field, and Stan Martin followed that up with a double. Bobby Canfield then knocked in the game's first run with an RBI groundout, but Castillo danced out of danger by retiring Terry Delaney and Danny Walker on fly outs.

After Marcus McElroy was robbed by Walker on a liner to shortstop to start the 4th, Juan Hernandez got things going with a double to center field[H]. He advanced on an 0-2 passed ball to McCarthy, and was able to scramble back to third on a grounder to short. McCarthy was safe at first. Derek Wayne popped out, but Patrick Warr came up to the plate with a determined look in his eye. He took the first pitch he saw to right-center field for a base hit[H]. McCarthy was thrown out retreating to second after a big turn, but the damage had been done; it was a tie ballgame.

The bats on both sides fell silent again until the bottom of the 6th, when Cesario Castillo gave up singles to the Dolphins' 1, 2, and 3 hitters to start the inning. I promptly pulled him for Viet Trieu, who would be making his first appearance of the season.

"they r goin dwn"
"Uh, just get me some outs, Viet."
"o i will"

Sylvester Coddmeyer III ripped a 1-1 fastball to right field for a run, but Yuri Dotzen struck out. C'mon... I thought as Viet pitched to Jody Sinclair. He got ahead with a sinking fastball, but Jody jumped all over an inside fastball, singling to left field and scoring two runs[H]. I hunched over the railing on the edge of the dugout, hands holding my head up by the side. I figured things couldn't get much worse, and Trieu managed to get the next couple hitters out.

Paul Casey gave up another run in the 7th, although more would have scored had it not been for a double play.

After a scoreless 8th, the top of the 9th arrived, and Jimmie Todd, miraculously, was still on the mound. Juan Hernandez kicked off the inning by singling and advancing to second on a Coddmeyer error in center. Matt McCarthy flew out to right field, advancing Hernandez, and Derek Wayne hit a sacrifice fly to center[H]. The run would ultimately prove meaningless, as Patrick Warr flew out to end the game.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 2
Sacramento Dolphins - 5

Box Score
Win: Jimmie Todd (1-0)
Save:
Loss: Cesario Castillo (0-1)
HR:

J. Medrano - 1-4, .333
M. McElroy - 1-4, .182
J. Hernandez - 3-4, 2B, 2 R, .333
M. McCarthy - 0-4, K, .320
D. Wayne - 0-3, RBI, SF, .174
P. Warr - 3-4, RBI, .304
D. Wilde - 0-3, .391
M. MacKenzie - 0-3, .286
D. Millwood - 0-3, .286

C. Castillo - 5+ IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 K, L, 7.20
V. Trieu - IP, 2 H, K, 0.00
P. Casey - 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 1.80