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I appreciate that, sir.

April 11th, 2015

Los Angeles Angels (6-3) vs. Honolulu Gunmen (5-4)

Recap

On the first pitch of the day, Johnny Rivera tossed a fastball that grooved over the center of the plate. Chone Figgins was clearly ready for it, as he took it to deep center field for a leadoff double. After advancing to third on a Howie Kendrick groundout, Chone scored on a Garret Anderson chopper to short. Jose Medrano made the play, but Garret Anderson had picked up his 14th RBI of the season and put his Angels in the lead.

Things weren't looking great for the bottom of this first inning after back-to-back groundouts from Medrano and Marcus McElroy, but Juan Hernandez clobbered a 1-1 fastball to deep right field for a home run. I saw Weaver kicking at the dirt, and I knew we were going to have to upset him if we were to have a chance. McCarthy either read my mind or was just swinging for the fences as always, because he took Weaver's first pitching to left-center field. The crowd, the dugout, and myself all erupted when we saw the ball just barely clear Torii Hunter's head in center field. We had ourselves a 2-1 lead.

Things went smoothly for Rivera in the 2nd, and Steve Bernard and Colin Raines were each unable to cash in Patrick Warr after a single and sacrifice bunt, so we headed into the third inning. Johnny retired the Angels 1-2-3, and Jose Medrano started the bottom half with a single. After Marcus McElroy popped out, Juan Hernandez came to the plate.

Juan's at-bat went slowly; it seemed like Weaver was trying to delay the inevitable. With the count at 3-2, he attempted to fool him with the slider, but Juan saw it coming and jumped all over it. The ball went high and deep to right-center field, and my first thought was an off-the-wall double, but sure enough it just barely cleared the fence. Weaver was steaming and cussing at himself as Juan humbly rounded the bases and returned to the dugout.

"'Atta boy, Juan," I said when I saw him. He smiled back at me blankly.

I was feeling good with our 4-1 lead, but hopes of an uneventful game fell flat quickly. Rivera gave up doubles to Garret Anderson and Raul Alcarez before Casey Kotchman belted a two-run homer to straightaway center to tie the it at four. I went out to calm him down a bit, and thanks to Jose Medrano's fantastic range, we escaped the inning without another run.

Although Rivera seemed to have settled in, a Donnie Wilde error, and infield single, and a solid base hit to center resulted in the Angels taking a 5-4 lead. I called time and motioned to the bullpen, from where Evan Lorrier trotted out.

"Just looking for me to get the lefty?" he asked as I handed him the ball. I shook my head.
"No, I need more from you today," I told him. "Two, maybe three innings. We're a little shorthanded."
He nodded. "You've got it, Skip," he said confidently.

Evan took care of Casey Kotchman to end the inning, and Jered Weaver managed to avoid allowing a third home run to Juan Hernandez in the bottom half. Neither team was able to get much of anything going in the 6th or 7th, but Casey Kotchman slugged an opposite field home run off of Evan Lorrier in the 8th, extending the Angels' lead to two. I planned on letting him get the final two outs of the inning, and he almost did, but Torii Hunter doubled and Mike Napoli blooped a single to center field, and I called for time. I motioned for Devin Edwards to come onto the field.

"Sorry coach," Evan apologized, rubbing his beard.
"It's all right Evan. It's my fault for trying to push you through a third inning."
Devin arrived at the mound.
"Just get us out of this," I told him, and he assured me he would. Sure enough, Maicer Izturis chopped a grounder to first base for an easy out.

We were held hitless in the 8th, and Devin did the same to the Angels in the 9th, so we headed into our final at-bats down by three. Onto the mound came Francisco Rodriguez, the Angels' 26-year old All-Star closer and force on the mound. Even I felt nervous, and I wasn't even the one trying to hit him. Matt McCarthy grounded out to second base and Derek Wayne singled to left to set up a runner on first situation with one out for Patrick Warr. Warr swung wildly at a fastball and hit it deep to center field. Wayne ran hard and was just rounding second as the ball settled into Torii Hunter's glove. It seemed as if everyone in the ballpark collectively screamed, "BAAAACK!", but it was no use. Hunter's throw was right on target and beat Wayne to the bag by a step.

Final Score:
Los Angeles Angels - 7
Honolulu Gunmen - 4

Box Score
Win: Jered Weaver (2-0)
Save: Francisco Rodriguez (2)
Loss: Johnny Rivera (0-2)
HR: Juan Hernandez (4, 5), Matt McCarthy (2), Casey Kotchman (3, 4)

J. Medrano - 1-4, R, .273
M. McElroy - 1-4, .162
J. Hernandez - 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, E, .317
M. McCarthy - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, K, .293
D. Wayne - 1-4, .179
P. Warr - 2-4, .286
D. Wilde - 0-2, SH, E, .371
S. Bernard - 0-3, .192
C. Raines - 0-3, .233

J. Rivera - 4.2 IP, 7 H, K, 5 R, 4 ER, L, 4.50
E. Lorrier - 3 IP, 5 H, 3 K, 2 ER, 2.25
D. Edwards - 1.1 IP, 0.00

Eh tough loss, Hernandez was very happy to contribute with his 4th and 5th homers though.

I'm disappointed that both Matt MacKenzie and Viet Trieu got no playing time.

Also, I'm very happy to see this back. One of the few good logs left. (no offense to anyone)

April 12th, 2015

Los Angeles Angels (7-3) vs. Honolulu Gunmen (5-5)

Matt MacKenzie started at second base today, giving Steve Bernard a day of rest and a day to regroup, as he is batting just .192. Let's hope Michael Davis can improve upon his last start, which resulted in seven earned runs in just five innings.

Final Score:
Los Angeles Angels - 7
Honolulu Gunmen - 3

As the rain poured down in Honolulu, both pitchers struggled to keep the ball in the park. After a solo homerun from Garret Anderson in the first and a pair of homers from Matt McCarthy and Patrick Warr in the second, Casey Kotchman slugged his fifth homer of the year in the fourth, a three run shot that put the Angels back into a 4-3 lead. Michael Davis ultimately lasted just 3.1 innings and the ball was given to Devin Edwards with the score at 5-3. Edwards was unable to strand the runner that Davis left, giving up the Los Angeles' sixth run of the game. Edwards, and later Viet Trieu, pitched well in relief, but the Gunmen offense fizzled and was unable to push across even a single run despite accumulating a total of ten hits.

Box Score
Win: Joe Saunders (1-0)
Save:
Loss: Michael Davis (0-1)
HR: Matt McCarthy (3), Patrick Warr (3), Garret Anderson (2), Casey Kotchman (5), Torii Hunter (3)

J. Medrano - 1-4, SB, .271
M. McElroy - 0-1, .158
PH - D. Millwood - 0-3, .214
J. Hernandez - 0-4, .289
M. McCarthy - 3-4, HR, RBI, R, .333
D. Wayne - 2-4, 2B, R, .209
P. Warr - 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .308
D. Wilde - 1-4, .359
M. MacKenzie - 0-3, .182
C. Raines - 1-3, SB, .242

M. Davis - 3.1 IP, 7 H, 2 K, 6 ER, 2 HR, 13.0
D. Edwards - 2.2 IP, 4 H, K, ER, HR, 2.25
V. Trieu - 3 IP, 2 H, K, 0.00

April 13th, 2015

Los Angeles Angels (8-3) vs. Honolulu Gunmen (5-6)

Hopefully Cesario Castillo can keep the Angels offense contained...

Final Score:
Los Angeles Angels - 3
Honolulu Gunmen - 1

The offense was just terrible in this one... so many strikeouts...

We fly out to Chicago tomorrow for a three-game set with the Chicago White Sox.

Box Score
Win: John Lackey (1-2)
Save: Francisco Rodriguez (3)
Loss: Cesario Castillo (0-2)
HR: Chone Figgins (2)

J. Medrano - 1-4, R, 2 K, .269
M. McElroy - 1-4, K, .167
J. Hernandez - 1-4, .286
M. McCarthy - 2-4, RBI, .347
D. Wayne - 0-4, 2 K, .191
P. Warr - 2-4, 2 K, .326
D. Wilde - 1-4, K, E, .349
S. Bernard - 0-4, 2 K, .167
C. Raines - 0-3, 2 K, .222

C. Castillo - 5.1 IP, 3 H, 8 K, BB, 3 ER, HR, L, 6.10
E. Lorrier - 2.2 IP, H, 5 K, 1.69
A. Wilson - IP, H, K, 6.14

SOLID DAY MATT MACKENZIE 0-3 NICE JOB

Hernandez! Wha? what?

Series Preview: Honolulu Gunmen (5-7) vs. Chicago White Sox (9-3)
April 15th-17th

Key Players:

Tim Illard - DH
.320, 1 HR, 7 RBI
2, A, B, E, F, D, D, Contact Hitter, Bases Clearer, Walk-off HTR, Pull Hitter, VS Lefty 2, Cautious STL
Bio: 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, however.
Analysis: As expected, Illard's power numbers aren't great, but his batting average is excellent as always and he is second on the team in on-base percentage.

Paul Konerko - 1B
.309, 5 HR, 21 RBI,
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
Bio: 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 sometimes overshadows his excellent fielding abilities.
Analysis: Konerko has been hitting the ball with authority this season, and is, as always, a force to be reckoned with at the plate.

A.J. Pierzynski - C
.326, 5 HR, 14 RBI
3, D, B, E, E, D, C, Bases Clearer, Throwing 4, Consistency 4, Trash Talk, Gd Block, Gd Catcher, Gd Rain, Clutch Hit 2, Timely Whiff, Aggressive HTR, Cautious STL
Bio: A bit of a controversial player, Pierzynski is widely disliked throughout the league and is known for attempting to unsettle hitters with trash talk. His arm is fairly weak while his bat certainly is not, although he strikes out quite a bit and sometimes can get rattled in clutch situations.
Analysis: Pierzynski is currently tied with Paul Konerko for the team lead in home runs and is second to Jermaine Dye in batting average. This White Sox lineup as a whole has six players batting above .300, so we'll have to watch out.

Jermaine Dye - RF
.442, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .837 SLG%
4, D, B, E, D, C, B, Power Hitter, Hot Hitter, Tough Out, Consistency 4, HD 1st Slide, Gd Day Game, Gd Rain, Slugger, Aggressive FLD
Bio: Dye is an impressive power hitter with above average fielding abilities. He tends not to strike out very often, and hits 30+ home runs yearly. And if it's raining at a day game... God help us all.
Analysis: Dye's average speaks for itself, and his slugging percentage isn't too shabby either.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Brendan Bikowski (0-0, 2.92) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-0, 4.97)

Buehrle (89, C, A, 2SFB[2], SLD[2], CUT[4], CB[3], CHG[4]) is an excellent breaking ball pitcher in the prime of his career. He will be chasing his third win of the season in the series opener against Brendan Bikowski, who has allowed just four runs in 12.1 innings this year and has struck out 13 batters.

Game 2
Charlie Huff (1-0, 2.63) vs. Gavin Floyd (0-1, 5.59)

Charlie Huff is currently our leading pitcher in terms of ERA. He certainly has a good match up, going up against the White Sox' second weakest pitcher, Gavin Floyd (93, D, B, DCB[3], CHG[1]).

Game 3
Akinori Otsuka (1-1, 3.60) vs. John Danks (1-0, 9.00)

Akinori Otsuka will look to neutralize lefties Tim Illard and A.J. Pierzynski in this as he goes up against John Danks (90, D, B, SLD[1], CHG[2]), who has pitched poorly this year despite being 1-0.

<33333 just for this quote

April 15th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (5-7) vs. Chicago White Sox (9-3)

Recap

With left-hander Mark Buehrle on the mound for the White Sox, I decided to sub in Danny Millwood in for Patrick Warr at DH. Patrick wasn't to happy about this, but Danny was ecstatic. I slid him into the 2-hole and moved Marcus McElroy down to the 7-hole.

The game started promptly at 8:10, and Jose Medrano led things off with a single; however, my supposed ringer, Danny Millwood hit into a double play, and we were right back where we started. Juan Hernandez was robbed on a nice play by second baseman Juan Uribe, and we headed into the bottom half.

Brendan Bikowski seemed to be a little shaky from the get-go, and with two outs and two on, Jermaine Dye pulled a palm ball over the left field wall for a home run. If that wasn't bad enough, Marcus McElroy was injured after colliding with the wall in an attempt to rob it; I shifted Derek Wayne over to left field and sent Roy Schapp out to make his second appearance of the year in right field.

When Marcus returned to the dugout, I went up to him.
"How's it feeling?"
"Hurts."
"Bad?"
He shook his head but with a pained look on his face. I cursed under my breath and went to watch as the game resumed. Brendan struck out A.J. Pierzynski and our players headed back into the dugout, looking rattled.

"C'mon guys, let's go!" I shouted.

At first it appeared my encouragement had fallen on deaf ears, but with two outs in the inning, Donnie Wilde reached on a single. Shortly thereafter, Roy Schapp yanked a 346 foot home run to left field, narrowing the gap to 3-2. Not only that, but it was his first career hit, home run, and RBI. I tried not to smile while the rest of the guys gave him the silent treatment upon his return to the dugout. After Steve Bernard took a called strike, they mobbed him at the bat rack.

Bikowski allowed a fourth run in the second inning, but it came off of a misplayed ball by Derek Wayne and a pair of groundouts, so I let it slide. He served up a two-run homer to Paul Konerko in the following inning, so I then decided to make a call down to the bullpen and ordered Devin Edwards and Paul Casey to get loose. He retired the next five batters fairly handily, though, so I had them take a seat again.

I suppose it was the team's official "first career home run" day, because Colin Raines of all people blasted a 440 footer in the top of the fifth, bringing the score to 6-3. Bikowski finally seemed to have settled in, shutting down the White Sox' 2-3-4 hitters in order and picking up his 7th strikeout in the process. In the sixth, Hernandez contributed with an opposite field home run that careened off the left field foul pole, and McCarthy blasted a 420-foot bomb to center field soon after. With the score suddenly at 6-5, the team had taken on a whole new life. They were cheering for one a another and really getting involved in the game. They were acting like they were in the lead, even.

Unfortunately, Brendan Bikowski allowed the White Sox to score another run off a single-wild pitch-double combo. I subbed in Paul Casey, who was unable to strand Carlos Quentin at second, effectively cancelling out the runs we had scored in the inning. We headed into the 7th inning down 8 to 5 and in need of yet another spark. But alas, it was not meant to be, and we were ultimately were shut out by the White Sox bullpen.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 5
Chicago White Sox - 9

Box Score
Win: Mark Buehrle (3-0)
Save:
Loss: Brendan Bikowski (0-1)
HR: Paul Konerko (6), Jermaine Dye (5), Juan Hernandez (6), Matt McCarthy (4), Colin Raines (1), Roy Schapp (1)

J. Medrano - 1-4, .268
D. Millwood - 0-4, .167
J. Hernandez - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .283
M. McCarthy - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .340
D. Wayne - 1-4, .216
D. Wilde - 2-4, R, .362
M. McElroy - 0-0, .167
Sub - R. Schapp - 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .200
S. Bernard - 0-3, .152
C. Raines - 1-3, HR, RBI, R, .239

L: B. Bikowski - 5.1 IP, 9 H, 8 K, 8 ER, 2 HR, 6.11
P. Casey - 1.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 1.69
D. Edwards - IP, 1.80

April 16th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (5-8) vs. Chicago White Sox (10-3)

I spoke with Marcus before the game.
"How's the shoulder?"
"Better."
"Can you play?"
"Absolutely."
He looked to be in pain as he played catch with Colin Raines, but I trust my players, so I put him back into the starting lineup.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 6
Chicago White Sox - 2

Charlie Huff pitched very well in this game, allowing just a pair of runs in 7.1 innings, and the offense did more than enough to get him the win. Adam Wilson also picked up his first career save, pitching the final five outs of the game as we managed to snap our four game losing streak.

Box Score
Win: Charlie Huff (2-0)
Save: Adam Wilson (1)
Loss: Gavin Floyd (0-2)
HR: Jermaine Dye (6)

J. Medrano - 1-5, 2 R, SB, .262
M. McElroy - 2-5, 2 RBI, .191
J. Hernandez - 2-5, RBI, K, .293
M. McCarthy - 2-5, R, .345
D. Wayne - 3-4, 3B, RBI, R, .255
P. Warr - 1-4, R, .319
D. Wilde - 0-4, .333
S. Bernard - 2-4, R, SB, .189
C. Raines - 2-3, 2 RBI, SH, SB, .262

W: C. Huff - 7.1 IP, 7 H, 5 K, 2 ER, HR, 2.57
SV: A. Wilson - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 5.00

April 17th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (6-8) vs. Chicago White Sox (10-4)

I decided to give Millwood another shot today against lefty John Danks. He's starting in left field and batting second, and Marcus McElroy will DH and bat sixth.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 3
Chicago White Sox - 9

Ugh.

Box Score
Win: John Danks (2-0)
Save:
Loss: Akinori Otsuka (1-2)
HR: Jermaine Dye (7), A.J. Pierzynski (6), Jose Medrano (1), Derek Wayne (2)

J. Medrano - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .262
D. Millwood - 1-4, .182
J. Hernandez - 0-4, K, .274
M. McCarthy - 1-4, R, K, .339
D. Wayne - 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .254
M. McElroy - 1-4, 2B, K, .196
D. Wilde - 1-3, .333
S. Bernard - 0-3, .175
C. Raines - 1-3, .267

L: A. Otsuka - 3.2 IP, 6 H, K, 5 BB, 7 ER, HR, 6.27
P. Casey - 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3.00
E. Lorrier - 3 IP, 3 K, 1.32

Gotta love the Whitesox eh?! Hernandez liked hitting a homer but hated going 1-8.

Series Preview: Honolulu Gunmen (6-9) vs. Los Angeles Angels (9-6)
April 18th-20th

Sheesh... could our April schedule get any more repetitive? We've only played three teams so far...

And the travel times are ridiculous. An eight hour flight from Honolulu to Chicago, then three and a half to Los Angeles, then five hours back to Honolulu after our day game. I'm not one to make excuses, but the team seems awfully sluggish. Whose idea was it to put a team in Hawaii, anyway?

Key Players:

Garret Anderson - LF
.327, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .393 OBP
3, C, B, E, F, D, B, Hot Hitter, 2nd Position 4, Timely Whiff, Aggressive HTR, Cautious STL
Bio: Garret Anderson is a seasoned veteran and long-time Angel who continues to supply plenty of pop in the middle of the lineup. His fielding and base running, however, have taken a dive over the last couple seasons.
Analysis: Garret's stats have only gotten better since we saw him a week ago.

Torii Hunter - CF
.246, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .526 SLG%
3, D, B, D, B, A, C, Gd IF HTR, Throwing 4, Consistency 4, Spider Catch, HD 1st Slide, Timely Whiff, Stealing 2, Pr Rain, Aggressive FLD
Bio: Torii Hunter, at age 32, is a perennial Gold Glove candidate who still hits the ball pretty well. Expect very few cheap singles to center, and precisely zero triples from the Gunmen offense.
Analysis: Although his average is a little low, Hunter's slugging percentage is excellent.

Raul Alcarez - RF
.232, 1 HR, 7 RBI
3, B, B, D, C, D, B, Clutch Hit 5, Hot Hitter, Tough Out, Gd IF HTR, Rally Hitter, Throwing 2, Durability 2, Star
Bio: The 32-year old Raul Alcarez has been one of the most popular players in Los Angeles throughout his entire big league career. Perhaps he isn't the most graceful, as his proneness to injuries show, but he certainly holds his own at the plate and always seem to come through when it matters.
Analysis: Raul's batting average is steadily improving, and this early in the season I'm not ready to write him off just yet.

Casey Kotchman - 1B
.208, 5 HR, 12 RBI
3, C, B, E, D, D, C, Barehand CTH, Base Running 2, Patient HTR, Gd Eye
Bio: Casey Kotchman is a run-of-the-mill first baseman, with good power and an average glove.
Analysis: In case you've forgotten, Kotchman belted three home runs against us in our last series... ugh.

Francisco Rodriguez - CP
4 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV
97, C, E, SLD[5], CB[5], CHG[2], Poise 4, Spin 4, Recovery 4, Dr. K, Intimidator, Star
Bio: Francisco is only 26, but he is already one of the top closers in the MLB. In fact, I might even rank him first, but many analysts still prefer Mariano Rivera.
Analysis: Rodriguez shut us down in the ninth inning of every game last series, picking up two saves. I wouldn't count on any late-inning comebacks with him out there.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Johnny Rivera (0-2, 4.50) vs. Ervin Santana (1-1, 14.7)

Ervin Santana (96, D, B, CB[2], CHG[2]) has made two starts this season and has given up 12 runs in just 7.1 innings. Somehow, he managed to work out a win, but his opponent batting average of .314 tells the real story. His breaking pitches are weak and there are only two of them, so we should be able to get the bats going in this one.

Game 2
Michael Davis (0-1, 13.0) vs. John Lackey (1-2, 4.43)

Lackey ((95, C, A, 2SFB[2], H-SLD[3], CB[4], CHG[3]) was struggling until he pitched against us, allowing just one run in seven innings of work.

Game 3
Cesario Castillo (0-2, 6.10) vs. Kelvim Escobar (1-1, 3.57)

The 32-year old Kelvim Escobar (95, C, A, H-SLD[3], CB[3], CHG[4], SPLT[3]) is a good #2 starter behind Lackey with a good fastball and good breaking pitches; however, he tends to struggle against left-handed batters, something that our lineup has no shortage of.

April 18th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (6-9) vs. Los Angeles Angels (9-6)

The pressure was on early in this one, as Johnny Rivera allowed the Angels to quickly load the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, and who should come up to the plate? Casey Kotchman. I buried my face in my hands; I could already see it: 4-0 Angels in the first. But to my surprise (and probably everyone else's), Rivera forced Kotchman to ground a fastball to shortstop, which Medrano fielded and tossed to first, and Bernard gunned to first. Well I'll be damned, I thought.

When Rivera stepped back into the dugout, I spoke to him.
"If I've got gray hairs in the morning," I said, "it's your fault."
He smiled sheepishly and I patted him on the back as he walked to the bench.

By the time the fourth inning rolled around, Rivera and Ervin Santana each still had shutouts going. Jose Medrano was able to break up the no-hitter with a single, but Marcus McElroy brought us back to square one with a double play. Juan Hernandez wouldn't let us go down without a fight once again though, as he hit a bomb to center field that just barely cleared the wall for his seventh home run of the year. Gunmen 1, Angels 0.

Our 1-run lead held until the bottom of the 7th inning, when Garret Anderson yanked a 350 foot home run to right field that tied it up. Rivera bounced back quickly, though, and got the next three batters on a fly out, a strikeout, and a ground out. After we went down quickly in the 8th, I told him that it would be his last inning; he promptly went and got three consecutive ground outs to end his night on a positive note. I made a call to the bullpen and ordered Mike Colyer and, on the off chance we took the lead, Rick Allen to warm up. It wasn't long, though, before we had been retired and Allen sat down once again.

I felt my gut wrench as Mike allowed two singles, one infield and one seeing eye, to Chone Figgins and Howie Kendrick. He then struck out Garret Anderson on three straight sliders (or xliders [pronounced "zlider"], as he calls them). With a 2-2 count on Raul Alcarez, it was clear that he was expecting another one of Mike's signature pitches. Mike saw this and threw a fastball, which Raul barely fought off. Donnie Wilde charged it, fielded it on the second hop, and fired to first. The runners each advanced, but there were two outs. Mike went back to the xlider for strike on against Casey Kotchman. The next pitch was a change-up that missed, low and away. Colyer wound up and threw again, a fastball over the middle of the plate at the knees. Kotchman read it and pulled a line drive to right field... directly at Derek Wayne.

To extra innings we would go.

I couldn't believe my eyes as Ervin Santana trotted out to the mound for a tenth inning of work. I instructed my players to be patient; he had to tire out eventually. I should've known that was a tall order for Juan Hernandez and Matt McCarthy, who worked three and one pitches, respectively. Derek Wayne went against my wishes again, swinging at each of the first two pitches, but the second one rocketed off his bat and landed in right-center field. Wayne rounded first and pulled into second base with a stand up double. Patrick Warr, unfortunately, grounded out to end the inning.

I sent Mike Colyer out for another inning of work, and he only threw one pitch, which Torii Hunter blasted over the right-center field wall for a walk-off home run.

Final Score(10):
Honolulu Gunmen - 1
Los Angeles Angels - 2

Box Score
Win: Ervin Santana (2-1)
Save:
Loss: Mike Colyer (0-1)
HR: Garret Anderson (3), Torii Hunter (4), Juan Hernandez (7)

J. Medrano - 1-4, SB, .261
M. McElroy - 0-4, .182
J. Hernandez - 2-4, HR, RBI, R, K, .288
M. McCarthy - 0-4, .318
D. Wayne - 1-4, 2B, .254
P. Warr - 0-4, .294
D. Wilde - 0-3, .316
S. Bernard - 0-3, .163
C. Raines - 1-3, .271

J. Rivera - 8 IP, 5 H, 3 K, ER, HR, 3.15
L: M. Colyer - IP, 3 H, K, ER, HR, 9.00

April 19th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (6-10) vs. Los Angeles Angels (10-6)

I'm starting Danny Millwood at DH over Patrick Warr today.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 6
Los Angeles Angels - 3

This was a well-played game for us. Michael Davis pitched pretty well, although he did tightrope out of a few dangerous situations, and the offense totaled 14 hits. I'd like to be able to take credit for Danny Millwood's two home run performance, but I honestly just started him at random. He hit the go-ahead homer in the 8th, and then we picked up two insurance runs in the top of the 9th, courtesy of RBI singles by Marcus McElroy and Juan Hernandez. Rick Allen gave up a hit in the 9th but promptly ended things with a double play ball.

Box Score
Win: Devin Edwards (1-0)
Save: Rick Allen (3)
Loss: John Lackey (1-3)
HR: Gary Matthews Jr. (2), Derek Wayne (3), Danny Millwood (2, 3)

J. Medrano - 1-5, R, SB, .257
M. McElroy - 3-5, RBI, R, .217
J. Hernandez - 1-5, RBI, K, .282
M. McCarthy - 0-4, .300
D. Wayne - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, K, .254
D. Millwood - 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, .269
D. Wilde - 1-4, .311
S. Bernard - 2-4, .191
C. Raines - 2-4, 2B, R, SB, .288

M. Davis - 6 IP, 11 H, K, 2 BB, 3 ER, HR, 9.60
W: D. Edwards - IP, 1.50
H: A. Wilson - IP, H, 4.50
SV: R. Allen - IP, H, 0.00

April 20th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (7-10) vs. Los Angeles Angels (10-7)

I can't bench Millwood after his performance yesterday, so he's starting at DH again. Patrick wasn't happy, but he understood. I promised he'd get back in the lineup by next game.

Final Score:
Honolulu Gunmen - 1
Los Angeles Angels - 6

This was not a good game for really anyone involved. We struck out 12 times as a team and hit into two double plays.

It's really remarkable how we manage to strike out and draw walks far more often in the last game of each series. It's almost like something you'd see when simulating a video game rather than playing it...

Box Score
Win: Kelvim Escobar (2-1)
Save:
Loss: Cesario Castillo (0-3)
HR: Garret Anderson (4)

J. Medrano - 1-5, 2 K, .253
M. McElroy - 2-4, SB, .234
J. Hernandez - 0-4, K, .267
M. McCarthy - 1-4, 2 K, .297
D. Wayne - 1-3, R, BB, .257
D. Millwood - 1-4, 2 K, .267
D. Wilde - 2-4, 2 K, .323
S. Bernard - 1-3, 2 K, BB, .200
C. Raines - 0-3, K, BB, .273

L: C. Castillo - 5 IP, 7 H, 2 K, BB, 4 ER, 6.46
D. Edwards - 2 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 2 ER, HR 3.38
E. Lorrier - IP, 1.23

Just started following. Generic names for the wins. Since I'm a little late, can I get a list of some of the draft picks that have come out in the past couple of years?

He's still in the first year of this log.

And Hernandez liked that homer.