Season Log: Iowa City Country

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:59 pm

8/15 – 17/2008: Iowa city country at the Cleveland Indians

Summary: country survive two tight games decided in the final inning and sweep the Indians

Game one: Country come back in the ninth inning to win wild shootout, 13 – 12

Country Bourgeois (90 DC SL – two, CU – four, CB – three) versus Indians Cliff Lee (92 DB CU – four, DCB – two, CH – two)

Lineup changes: the country continue to rest third baseman hart and catcher Huisen

The first few innings was a pitchers duel, and the Country's Bourgeois looked particularly impressive, striking out only one, but keeping the Indians off balance with four shots tapped meekly right back to the pitcher. In the top of the fourth, it looked like Cliff Lee would continue to shut out the country, but things changed when he walked Dan Johnson on a six pitch at-bat with two outs. Lee then threw two wild pitches to Jack Cust that allowed Johnson to reach third and then cust laced a two – two cut fastball to right field for a double, scoring Johnson. After narrowly missing a home run wide right, Harris singled up the middle scoring cust. Bourgeois, again dominated the Indians in the bottom of the fourth, with the first batter gently tapping the ball right back to Bourgeois for the out of first, and then Hafner and Martinez striking out. End of 4, country two, Indians zero

In the sixth, the country first made the Indians pay for leaving Cliff Lee in too long, with Jack Cust hitting a homerun over the centerfield fence after Spilborghs doubled. Then, after putting runners on first and second, the country made the Indians pay for Casey Blake's error at third base. Blake overthrew the 1st baseman and, instead of recording the last out of the inning, the Country had the bases-loaded for the MLB base hits leader, Lastings Milledge, who promptly singled and extended the country's lead to 6 – 0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Indians stormed back in the bottom of the six, with catcher Victor Martinez doubling with the bases loaded, his ball hitting the outfield wall on a fly, and right-field DeLucci (E power) hitting a two run homerun against reliever, Deardorff. End of six, country six, Indians five.

The country threatened in the top of the seventh, but with runners at second and third with one out for Brandon Harris, who is hitting over 300, but seems to be hitting hard shots at people in pressure situations, lined the ball to the second baseman who doubled up cust, unable to get back to second in time. The Indians continued to pound away in the bottom of the seventh, including a second homerun by the low-powered right fielder. End of seven, country – 6, Indians 11

Amazingly, the Country were able to tie the game the top of the 9th when Jack Cust hit his second homerun of the game – this time a three run homerun to pull the country within one run, and then, when the Indians Kobayashi was inserted, Harris singled, and Harris' pinch runner, Sweeney, scored all the way from first on a double by Schrager. The country were definitely helped on the play by strong-armed Sizemore's decision to throw from deep right center field all the way to third base, overthrowing the cut off man. That long through helped Sweeney beat the relay throw home, tying the game. McCurdy then put the country ahead with an RBI single to center. A deep single by Milledge allowed Mccurdy to get to third, and then McCurdy scored on a soft single to center from Erdos. The country brought in Chamberlain to start the ninth inning and protect their 13 – 11 lead. Chamberlain gave up a one out solo homerun to Travis Hafner, but overmatched Kelly Shopich, striking out the backup catcher on three pitches, and inducing Blake to pop out to the catcher, saving the country's 13 – 12 victory

Notable offense: Jack cust's line today – 4/5, 2-2b, 2HR, 6RBIs, 3R. The country's back up third baseman and catcher had the following, combined line – 7/10, 2b, 2 RBI, 5 R

Notable pitching: Bourgeois pitched an excellent five innings, giving up no runs with four strikeouts, but allowed four runs and his final 2/3 of an inning. Chamberlain came back strong after his blown save the prior evening: 1 IP, 1H, 1R, 1SO

AL Central scoreboard:

Game two: Country on top in another wild ride decided in the 9th

Country O'Connor (89 EA SL – two, CB - 1, CH – two) versus Indians Hirsch (94 DB SL – two, CB – one, CH – two)

Lineup change: the country's starting third baseman and catcher continue to be rested, replaced by Schrager at third and, this time, JR towles (GEEBCC) behind the plate

the country started off with a "bang," as Milledge stole second successfully for the first time in his last five attempts and came home on a single by Erdos, and after Spilborghs hit a sharp single to right field, Dan Johnson hit a three run homerun – his 40th of the season – over the right-field wall. The Indians' Hafner hit a three run homerun over the right-field wall, bringing the Indians to within in a run heading into the second inning

The Indians pulled ahead in the third inning when DeLucci (the RF with E power) hit a three run homerun – his third home run in the series so far. End of three, Indians six, country four.

The country pulled ahead in the top of the fifth when Milledge, again, singled, stole second (but this time went to third on the overthrow by the catcher) and then scored on an Erdos single. After Spilborghs singled, Cust hit an RBI double and, with runners at second and third, two out, Schrager singled home both runners. Schrager went to second on the throw home and scored on White's single against relief pitcher, Sowers. In the bottom half of the inning, DeLucci, again, came up with runners at first and second, but instead of a 3-run homer, he grounded into an inning-ending double play. End of five, country nine, Indians six

Country starter O'Connor pitched well into the seventh inning. He did get into a little trouble, and was pulled after recording the second out, leaving Indians on first and third. His line for the day was 6 – 2/3 IP, 6R, 2HR, 13 H, 3K. He was relieved by Brown (94 DE SL – three, CB – one, CH – four). Brown gave up a three-run homerun on an outside changeup that 3B Blake pushed into the right field bleachers, tying the game.

The country threatened, but did not score in the top of the eighth, when Schrager singled, was bunted over to second and went to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, milledge lined a two – two slider right at the Indians leftfielder for the final out of that half inning. The Indians however did score, with Johnny Peralta hitting a solo homerun just over the left-field fence. End of eight, Indians 10, country 9

In the 9th, Dan Johnson, who seems to have a penchant for coming up to bat in game-winning situations, approached the plate with runners at first and second no out. After working the count full he let the next pitch go and started towards 1st, but the inside slider was called strike 3 by the homeplate umpire. Fortunately, Cust batted next and promptly went the other way on the second pitch thrown, scoring Erdos to tie the game and leave runners at first and second for Brendan Harris. Harris singled up the middle bringing home the go-ahead run, and Cust took third. A Schrager double and a white ground out brought home two more runs and sent the game into the bottom of the 9th with the country ahead, 13 – 10.

Chamberlain came in to face the heart of the Cleveland lineup and immediately induced Hafner to hit a ground ball to second that white bobbled, allowing Hafner to reach first on an error. Martinez then hit a sharp single to center. With runners at first and second, no one out, Chamberlain struck out third baseman Blake, bringing up DeLucci, as the tying run who had previously hit a three-run homerun earlier in this game and in yesterday's game. While the Cleveland crowd donned their rally caps, DeLucci softly hit a one – two pitch to the second baseman who, this time, turned a double play ending the game.

AL central scoreboard:

Game three: Country finish off the Indians with 4 run seventh

Country Stratton (85 DC SL – three, CD – three, FO – three) versus Indians Westbrook (93 CA CU – two, CD – three, CH – three, HSK – four)

Lineup changes: hart returns to third-base, although he reported in blue today, and JR towles mans the catching position again. The country made some roster moves today sending down a number of pictures who are still recovering from their last start and recalling several minor-league middle relievers, several of whom have made prior MLB appearances. In addition Huisman, the starting catcher who continues to be purple, was also sent down and Sean Riggins takes his roster spot to serve as the backup catcher

The country threatened, putting runners in scoring position in each of the first 3 innings, but failed to score. The Indians, on the other hand, did not put a runner in scoring position at all until the third inning, but they made it count, and entered the fourth with a one – zero lead. In the top of the fourth, after the Indians Westbrook struck out Dan Johnson on an inside fastball, Jack Cust took the second pitch – a fastball on the outer half the plate - and hit an opposite field home run, tying the game

The top of the fifth would serve as another example in futility, as the country had runners at first and second with no one out and later had runners at first and third, 2 out but failed to score. The country did break the one – one tie in the top of the sixth when Dan Johnson led off the inning with a towering homerun to right field, but the Indians Blake matched it with a home run off a fastball that was right down the middle by a relief pitcher.

The country pulled ahead in the top of the seventh when Erdos got his first base hit of the day – a bases clearing 2-run scoring double into the rightfield gap that chased the Indians starter from the game. Johnson doubled home Erdos and then Cust singled home Johnson, giving the country a six – two lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The country, who pinch-hit for the light hitting catcher towles in the top 1/2 of the inning with backup 3b Schrager, used a double switch when they took the field, with Schraeger due up 9th and playing 3rd and Riggins behind the plate and batting 6th while relief pitcher Murray (89 DC SL – one, KCB – three, FO – two) began his third inning on the mound and retired the second, third and fourth batters in order, striking out the dangerous Indians catcher, Victor Martinez, and protecting the six – two lead heading into the 8th.

The country extended their lead in the top of the ninth when milledge singled, stole second, and came home on a soft single by Spilborghs. The country used a couple of pitchers to finish off the game, but preserved the seven – two victory, sweeping the Indians

Notable: milledge continues his torrid batting, going 4/5 and raising his batting average to 376; milledge's steal in this game put him in a tie for the most steals in MLB this season with Ichiro at 38; Cust hit his 30th homerun of the season; hart, in his first game back, hit two doubles, but had no RBIs or runs scored. The two pitchers called up from the minor leagues yesterday who played pitched a combined three – 1/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits with three strikeouts

Country awards: for the week ending 8/17/2008, milledge (613 with seven RBI) and Jack cust (444, five HR, 14 RBI) were both named players of the week. It is the first time this season that both AL players of the week came from the country. Milledge was also player of the week last week.

A L central scoreboard:

AL Central standings:

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:57 am

While things can certainly change, right now the Tigers are playing excellent baseball, sweeping the Angels after splitting, but winning the last few series' against the As and Blue Jays, while the Twins have been floundering a bit - playing 500 baseball recently against the As and Mariners.

The White Sox and Indians have also been up and down recently, though both teams have enough offense and the White Sox have the pitching to make a strong push for the playoffs.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:00 am

Anyone advise on how to post photos on an iPad or iPhone? I think I know how I could do it by getting the photo on my computer, but I don't use my computer for these posts.

AgentP · **Posted:** Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:40 am

You would have to post it on the Internet then link to it.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:10 pm

Since the AL Central race is in full swing and "pitching wins championships," we are going to look at the starting and closing pitchers (based on "innings pitched" and the number of saves) for each of the teams battling for the AL Central division – the white sox, the twins, and the tigers

Name ERA WINS/LOSSES ABILITIES

White Sox Starters

Starter comments: the only team that can match the Tigers in terms of ERA; they all can reach 90 mph on the radar gun, 2 can get mid-90s, but except for Contreras and Buehrle, none have any lvl 4 offspeed pitches.

Closer comment: you can't quibble with his results, but how can he be 17 for 17 with an ERA over 7?

Rank: 2, though we have to wonder if this group, and especially their closer, is using smoke and mirrors and will have a let down at some point

Twins Starters

Starter Comments: overall, the Twins have the worst breaking pitches in the Central and nothing in particular distinguishes this group

Closer comments: Nathan is a solid closer with a strong fastball and quality breaking pitches

rank: 4

Tigers starting pitching:

Starter comments: Dontrelle Willis seems to have the best stuff in the Central; if we discount their 6th starter, this team also has the lowest starter ERA; despite mediocre pitches, Kenny Rogers has the most wins and the best winning percentage of all these teams

Closer comments: Jones has good stuff and has been almost 100% in save opportunities this season

rank: 1

Country starters:

Starter comments: every starter except #6 has a level 4 breaking pitch; how do you explain the 75% winning percentage of the #5 and 6 starters when starters 1-4 have only a 40% winning percentage? This group, collectively has the least stamina, and will need to rely more on middle relievers than the other teams.

Closer comments: the lowest ERA of the bunch, but the lowest save percentage of the group

rank: 3

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:19 pm

8/19 – 21/2008: Iowa city country host the Oakland As

Game one: country score early and cling on for the win

[sorry viewers but after getting down my whole report of this game and shutting things down, I lost my document. Here's what I remember]

Country players Milledge and Hart sat the game out, reporting to the clubhouse in purple condition. They were replaced by Sweeney in center and Schrager at third. Numerous players, including Erdos, Cust, and both catchers on the MLB roster reported in blue condition. Erdos batted first instead of his usual number two slot and Schrager batted second. Most of the rest of the order was the same, except that Harris was moved up to number six in the order, followed by Sweeney, white, and then Towles.

The Country got off to an early start with Spilborghs hitting a solo homerun in the bottom of the first, and Harris hit a three run homerun later in that same inning. The A's scored one run in the first, second and 3rd innings. The Country scored three runs in the fourth inning and the A's used base hits to chop away at the lead inning after inning while the Country failed to score. At seven – five in the eighth inning, Country reliever Brown gave up a homerun before finishing the 8th, but Chamberlain took the ball in the 9th, facing the meat of the As order. Frank Thomas flied out to right on a fastball that Chamberlain grooved right down the middle. Chamberlain then struck out the number five-hitter, Emo Brown, and the number six hitter meekly grounded to the third baseman who threw to first to close the game and preserve an eight – seven win.

This was the first time the former A's, Jack Cust and Ryan Sweeney, faced their old team. Both went 2/4. Cust hit a double and scored a run, while Sweeney had an RBI and a run scored.

AL central scoreboard:

With those three teams losing, the Country pick up a game in the AL Central race. They are now tied with the Twins for second place in their division, two games behind the Tigers

Game two: Country win pitching duel, four – two

Country's Lannan (89 EB SL – two, CB – four, CH – two) versus A's Condry (90 DC CU – two, SL – one, CB – two)
Lineup: Sweeney replaces Milledge in center field and is batting first; Schrager is filling in for Hart at third, but instead of taking Hart's number six spot, Schrager bats seventh and Harris moves up from the seven slot to number six. Huisman returns to the lineup and starts at catcher.

The A's scored first in the top of the third inning, set up by their number seven and eight hitters getting base hits. One out later, Ellis knocked in the first run of the game. The Country lead off their half of the inning with a double by White, who moved to third on a short single by Sweeney and then scored on a soft single to right field by Erdos (Sweeney moved to third on that single). A fielders choice by Spilborghs brought home white, and the country took a two – one lead into the fourth inning

Frank Thomas led off the 4th with a game tying solo home run, And the game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth when singles by Huisman, Sweeney, and Erdos gave the country a three – two lead entering the sixth.

In the sixth, Johnson led off with a single to center and then proceeded to injure himself diving back to first when Cust flied out to left. He was replaced by Sanchez. The Country did not score in the sixth, and neither team scored again until the bottom of the eighth when Huisman singled home Harris who moved up to second on a single from Schrager. In the 9th, Lannan, who pitched a very strong game (8 IP, 2R, 8H, 2K) gave way to Chamberlain, charged with protecting the two run lead. Chamberlain looked electric, getting Frank Thomas to pop out to right on an 0-2 curveball, striking out Emo Brown, and then inducing a meek ground ball to first, closing the game.

Injury report: it appears that Johnson merely jammed his finger when returning to first and will not be missing any future games.

A L central scoreboard:

Since the Twins also won and the Tigers lost, the Country remained tied with the Twins for second place in the division, but each gained a game on the division leading Tigers, whose tenuous lead is, but a single game.

Game three: Country sweep as they cruise to a six – two win

Country's James (91 CB SL – two, CH – three) versus A's Loaiza (93 FB CU – two, CCH – two, HSK – two)
Lineup: the Country have their standard starting lineup today. We are told that Milledge would have been held out an additional game, as he is still feeling purple, except that back up OF Sweeney also reported in purple condition today.

The As threatened in the top of the first, putting runners at second and third with two out, but Harris made a nice grab, ranging over to the second base side on a slow roller to throw out Emo Brown and prevent a run from scoring.

In the bottom of the second, consecutive doubles by Johnson and Cust, followed by a single by Hart, gave the country a 2 – 0 lead entering the third. In the bottom of the fourth, Johnson's second double of the day brought home Spilborghs, who had doubled in his at-bat. Johnson moved to 3rd on a sharp single by Hart and then scored on a Harris sacrifice fly. On returning to 1st, Hart requested medical attention, and was seen clutching his wrist. This same problem arose in the 2nd inning when Hart dove back to 1st, so Hart was replaced by Schrager as a precaution even though he was cleared to continue playing by medical staff. End of four, Country four, A's zero

For the second time today, Johnson narrowly missed a homerun when his ball hit the top of the wall, settling for single, and driving in Erdos and Spilborghs, who previously singled. End of five, country six, As zero

The A's registered on the scoreboard in the 6th when Frank Thomas hit a two run homerun with Eric Chavez on base. The score remained six – two into the ninth inning when James finally tired and came out of the game having allowed two runs over eight innings, allowing 10 hits with 4K. He was relieved by Shawn Green with runners on 1st and 2nd, no out. Green struck out the number eight hitter, retired the ninth hitter on a fly ball to left, and the number one batter on a ground out to the first baseman.

Notable offense: Dan Johnson went 3/4, 3 – 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R; milledge was hitless in four at-bats

Notable pitching: this was James' best outing of the season, both in terms of innings pitched and runs allowed.

AL central scoreboard:

After today's games, the Country, Twins, and Tigers are all tied for first in the AL Central at 65 – 59. The White Sox are in fourth place, four games behind the number one trio. A wild-card spot still seems to be a long shot since the second place team with the lowest record in the East (the Red Sox) are six games ahead of the Central division leader and the second place team in the West (the Mariners) is five games ahead of the Central division leader.

AgentP · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:41 pm

Wow, that's pretty cool to move from 3rd to tied for 1st in one series! Nice job!

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:49 pm

AgentP wrote:

Wow, that's pretty cool to move from 3rd to tied for 1st in one series! Nice job!

It is pretty exciting. The Twins had a strong hold on 1st and sort of collapsed this month, allowing the Tigers to catch up and take the lead, and now the Tigers get swept by the Mariners while I sweep the As.

My next series is against the Angels while the Twins and Tigers play each other. I'm hoping I can take 2 of 3 and that neither the Tigers nor Twins sweep.

This is the 4th team I'm playing, and with the other 3, I've played a total of 5 seasons, but Ive never been in a penant race like this - it's awesome wanting to get past the end of game screens to go check the scoreboards!

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:46 am

8/22 – 24/2008: Iowa City Country host Anaheim Angels

Game one: Country make Angels pay for starting middle reliever, win 8th in a row, 8-5

Notable lineup changes: Milledge is replaced by Timpner, recalled from the minor leagues the day prior; Hart is out, replaced by Schrager; Sanchez is replaces White at second base. Coaches tell us the removal of White for Sanchez is done to add a little more offense to make up for the loss of Milledge & Hart.

Summary:with all the Angels starters either unavailable or purple, the Angels started a young pitcher with poor control and stamina, and the Country took advantage, scoring in each of the 1st 4 innings and enjoying a 7-0 lead at that point. Some shaky middle relief made the game exciting, but the Country never seemed at risk for losing this one.

Offense

Pitching

AL central scoreboard:

The Twins and Country are tied for the division lead with 66-59 records. The Tigers are 1 game back; white sox are 5 games back.

Game two: Country Score 2 in the 7th to Take Game 2

Country's Borgeois (90 DC SL – two, CU – four, CB – three ) versus Angel's Lackey (95 CA 2SF – two, HSL – three, CB – four, CH – three )
Lineup changes:Milledge continues to rest, replaced by Timpano, starting his second ML game; Schrager plays third base in place of Hart. Erdos moves up from the number two hole to bat leadoff and Schrager takes his spot at number two. Harris moves up to Hart's number six position, followed by Huisman, White, and Timpano. Spilborghs, Johnson, and Cust remain at their usual three – five slots

The Angels were retired quickly in the first inning, but exploded for four runs on seven hits, including two infield singles, in the top of the second inning. The Country came back with four of their own when Cust led off with a double, and then the next five Countrymen singled to bring the Country within a run and leave the bases loaded for Ryan Spilborghs. Spilborghs smashed the ball right at the SS, but it was so hard that the SS dropped the ball and was too stunned to retrieve it in time to record the out. End of two, four – four

That game remained tied at four, with both teams threatening at times, but no one scoring until the seventh inning when Spilborghs hit a solo homerun (his 12th of the season) just over the left center field wall. One out later, Cust hit his 31st home run over the centerfield wall, giving the country a six – four lead entering the eighth inning

Shawn Green pitched a solid one, two, three 8th inning, and was left in to start the ninth. After recording the initial out, he was pulled after allowing runners to reach first and third base. At this point Chamberlain was brought in to face the Angels numbers four and five hitters. Their number four-hitter popped out the catcher and he struck out the last batter to record his 22nd save of the season.

Pitching comments: O'Connor, who relieved Borgeois in the fourth inning, pitched a very solid four innings, shutting out the Angels on four hits and recording two strikeouts.

AL Central scoreboard:

Tigers beat Twins, five – four
With the Tigers and Twins splitting their series so far, and the Country taking the first two games against the Angels, the Country now stand alone in first place of the AL Central, ahead of the Tigers and Twins by one game and ahead of the White Sox by five games.

Game three: Country completes sweep of the Angels with eight – one blowout

MY NOTES GOT DELETED, SO HERE'S MY RECAP BASED ON MEMORY

Country spot starter, O'Connor, started this game and pitched what may be the best game of any Country starter this season, allowing one run on 10 hits over 8 – 1/3 innings. Coupled with O'Connor's relief performance in the prior game, O'Connor pitched 12-1/3 innings - almost 1/2 the innings in this series - allowing 1 run on 14 hits. The Angels, meanwhile, struggled as they used five relief pitchers with all of their starters still recovering from prior starts.

The Angels scored first in the second inning when Tori Hunter led off the inning with a solo home run. The Country matched that run when Harris singled home Hart, who doubled in his at-bat. Then, in the third inning, the Country took the lead for good when they scored 4 runs on seven singles, and tacked on another 2 runs in the sixth inning on a Harris homerun, and a final run in the 7th.

While Harris was the offensive of player of the game (3/4, HR, 3 RBIs, R), Sweeney, filling in for Milledge who was sent to the minors to recover from his purple condition, may have been the player of the game (after O'Connor). He went 3/4 with two RBIs, and at least 6 catches in the outfield, including 2 potential momentum-changers when he ranged far to his left to track down a deep flyball from the Angels number 4 batter and then making an over the shoulder grab of a deep fly ball to dead center field by Hunter.

Cust did not play. He reported in purple condition but was not sent down to the minors.

AL Central scoreboard:

Tigers beat Twins, five – one
This puts the Country in first place, the Tigers in second place by one game, and the Twins in third place (behind the Vountry by two games)

Next up: the Country travel to Oakland for a three-game series against the team they swept last week, before closing out the month of August by hosting the Western division leading Mariners for a four game series

AgentP · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:17 am

Nice!

I didn't know you had Timpner! I call being his agent!

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:13 am

AgentP wrote:

Nice!

I didn't know you had Timpner! I call being his agent!

You're a fan of Timpner? Must be something about his real life stats. Anyway, following is an excerpt from my post on 5-30-2012, taking place in the game on 6-23-2008:

Transactions: Country and Giants swap minor leaguers. Country trade for CF Clay Timpner (EEEEDE); trade away P Lunar (83 EC sl-2; fk-2). Said Country GM: we view both these players as people who will need time to develop, and frankly, we are more willing to allow Timpner to develop slowly over his 6 year contract than we were with Lunar and his remaining 5 years. In general, it is easier to pick up major league level pitching talent from the draft than position-player talent, and Lunar's 83 mph top speed and low E control made us less patient with him."

OK, I'll make sure to keep you updated on him, but once my OF are back to good health, he's going back to the minors, and he won't be making the post-season roster. I'm carrying 5 OF - my 3 starters, my DH Cust, and Sweeney as my backup

AgentP · **Posted:** Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:01 pm

That's fine with me!

(He won't be making it unless someone gets hurt...)

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:47 pm

We are taking a moment to analyze the nine game winning streak enjoyed by the Iowa City Country in which they swept the Cleveland Indians, Oakland As, and Anaheim Angels. The Country won their first eight games in their streak by an average margin of less than three runs per game (2.6 RPG) and once we add in the 8–1 final game blowout of the Angels, that increases to barely above 3 runs per game (3.1 RPG).

Part of what is so interesting is the different ways they are winning. Not always offense; not always pitching; not all comebacks; not all early leads. The scores of those 9 games and comments on how they won them:

As you can see, there is no set, consistent way that they are winning these games. Specifically, the Country...

This lack of consistency is a beautiful thing - it means the Country are a dangerous team that can win in a number of ways - pitching duels, power-hitting, small-ball, stars carrying the team, or unexpected players coming through in a pinch. Right now, the right players are stepping up at the right time, with pitchers pitching strongly in the games when the offense doesn't click, and the offense rescuing pitchers from poor performances

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Fri Aug 03, 2012 9:30 pm

8/25-27/2008: Iowa City Country at Oakland Athletics

Game one: Country edge out Athletics, six – four; 10 wins in a row

Brendan Harris scored the first run when he hit a solo homerun in the top of the second. The Athletics set the table nicely in the bottom of the third when their number eight hitter singled, and a hit and run with the number nine hitter resulted in runners at first and third with no out. The Country played their standard defense and gave up the tying run in exchange for a double play on Mark Ellis. The Country coach later explained "in general, we will take the sure out. In our minds, we want to avoid giving up the big inning and if we went home and the runner was safe, we would have a tie game with runners at first and second, no out, and a chance for a big inning, so we are happy to let up the run in exchange for two outs." End of three, one – one

The Country grabbed the lead in the top of the fifth when Harris singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a softly hit single from Erdos. They further extended their lead in the top of the sixth when Sweeney singled and was able to go to third on a single from Shrager. A base hit by Spilborghs, a Hart double, and a Harris single resulted in two runs scored and one runner thrown out at the plate. End of six, Country four, Athletics two

Stratton pitched very well until the seventh inning when he allowed a leadoff homerun to Frank Thomas and was replaced, having pitched six full innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one strike out. He was replaced by Andrew "fireman" Brown (94 DE SL – three, CB – one, CH – four). Brown allowed a single before striking out the next batter and getting 2 infield groundouts to end the seventh inning, preserving a four – two Country lead.

In the 8th, Dan Johnson seemed to put the game out of reach when he hit a double with runners on first and second, allowing both runners to score as the ball hit right center field wall on a fly. In the bottom of the inning, Brown allowed a single to the number nine hitter, but a double play seem to end the threat; however, when the next batter singled and went to third on a single by Chávez, the Country intentionally walked Frank Thomas and then brought in Shawn Green to face Imo Brown. Brown hit a split fingered fastball off of his fists into the opposite field, scoring two runs before the inning ended on a groundout to third baseman Hart. End of eight, six – four, country. Green remained in the game for the ninth inning, and closed it out on three groundouts to the infield.

AL Central scoreboard

Game two: complete game shut out yields 11th win in a row, three – zero

Hart started the scoring in the top of the second, hitting a solo home run off of a three – one circle change. Harris followed with a double off the right centerfield wall, and then scored on a single by White. The score remained two – zero until the top of the eighth inning when Timpner singled, moved to second on a sacrifice by Sweeney, move to third on out by Huisman and then scored on a Spilborghs double to left center field

Notable: the Country have to like what they see from Clay Timpner. The third string CF went 3/3 with a run scored and a stolen base. He was the only country player to have more than two base hits. Lannan pitched an excellent game, shutting out the Athletics on six hits with 6K.

AL Central scoreboard:

Game three: Country wait until top of the 9th to complete sweep against Athletics

The Athletics scored first, as Frank Thomas led off the bottom of the second inning with an opposite field solo homerun. The Country tied the game in the top of the following inning when, with two out, Sweeney singled, stole second, and scored on a Schrager single up the middle. The Athletics regained their one run lead in the bottom half of the inning when Chavez doubled home an Athletics baserunner.

With the Athletics starting pitcher visibly tiring, Spilborghs launched a two – one fastball into the left-field bleachers, tying the game at two in the 6th, and the game remained tied until 3 singles in the 9th brought home the winning Countryman.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sun Aug 05, 2012 3:40 pm

8/28-31/2008: Iowa city country host Seattle mariners for 4 games

Game one: Country battle the Mariners, pull ahead in extra innings

Lineup change:

Depablos pitched a strong first inning, giving up a single to Ichiro Suzuki (the only MLB player listed by his first name), who was later picked off of first, and allowing another runner, but struck out 2 to retire the side. The Mariners made the Country pay for some sloppy fielding in the top of the second, when it appeared that second baseman White and then third baseman Hart allowed balls to get by them that they would normally make. With the bases loaded and nobody out, catcher Johjima doubled in all three base runners. Ichiro Suzuki singled Johjima home, but was then thrown out on a steal attempt. The Country scored a run in the bottom 1/2 of the inning when Hart singled, moved to second on a single by Harris, and came home on a single by White. End of two, Mariners lead four – one

In the bottom of the fifth, the Country scored another run when Milledge reached base on a fielder's choice, stole second, and then scored on a two-out single from Sweeney. After Spilborghs singled, putting runners at first and second with two out, Dan Johnson tattooed an 0-1 cut fastball and put it in the right-field stands for his 42nd homerun of the season, putting the Country up five – four.

The Mariners tied the game two batters later when Wilkerson double home Ibanez. But the Mariners did not stop then, loading the bases with no one out for Ichiro Suzuki. In response, the Country went to their bullpen for the second time, this time using Andrew "fireman" Brown, who normally does not enter the game until the seventh or eighth inning. Brown allowed a runner to score on a ground out before striking out the next batter and ending the inning on a ground out to first base. End of 6, Mariners lead six – five

In the bottom of the seventh, the Country tied the game when Sweeney singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out base hit by Dan Johnson.

The score remained tied at six until the bottom of the 11th inning, when, with two outs, White singled, Millage moved him to second with his first single of the game, and then Sweeney singled him home on a soft liner to left field

Pitching stats.

AL Central scoreboard:

Game two: Mariners end Country's win streak at 13 with a blowout!

Lineup:

The Country put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Dan Johnson launched a split fingered fastball into the right-field stands with Milledge on base from a six pitch walk.

Brad Wilkerson hit a solo homerun in the top of the second, and then a Richie Sexton 2 run homerun in the top of the third gave the Mariners a three – two lead. The Country took back the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Spilsborgh lead off with a double and one out later, Cust homered over the left center field fence, giving the Country a four – three lead

The Mariners threatened in the top of the sixth, putting Brad Wilkerson on third with Ichiro Suzuki at bat. The Country intentionally walked Suzuki, but the Mariner's number two batter made the Country pay, hitting a soft single to center that tied the game at four. The Mariners did not stop scoring, including two runners scoring when the normally-sure handed Towles dropped a pop fly and a home run later in the inning by Brad Wilkerson, ultimately scoring eight runs in the top of the sixth. The Country kept fighting and put three runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Hart homered with Johnson and Cust on base. End of 6, Mariners lead 11 – 7.

The Country threatened in the bottom of the seventh after Felix Hernandez was replaced, putting runners at first and second with one out and second and third with two out, but Dan Johnson flied out to the right fielder ending the inning, and then, after being retired in order in the bottom of the eighth, when Mariners catcher Johjima hit a three-run homerun in the top of the ninth, it all but insured the end of the Country's amazing win streak. Still, the Mariners made it a certainty with several more hits and homeruns, and entered the bottom of the 9th with an 18 – 7 lead. The Country scored two runs before yielding to Mariners closer Putz, 18-9

AL Central scoreboard:

[/b]Note: [/b]Iowa City Country's 13 game winning streak is the longest winning streak in MLB this year. The Rays have the second longest winning streak (11) and the Marlins have the third longest winning streak (10) in MLB

Game three: with King Felix off the mound, Country win as usual

Lineup:

The Country scored in the bottom of the first, when a Spilborghs double drove home Erdos all the way from first base. Johnson then singled Spilborghs home. End of one, Country lead 2 – 0

Starting pitcher O'Connor seemed to be in trouble when the top of the third began with the Mariners eight, nine, and one batters all reaching base with no out. The Mariners did score 2 runs before O'Connor was able to close out the inning, trying to game at two.

The Mariners started off similarly in the top of the fifth, with the numbers nine and one hitters reaching first and second with no out, but an infield pop out and a double play to the second baseman ended the threat. In the bottom half of the inning, Spilsborgh hit a two run homerun, his 14th of the season, to grab a four – two lead. After Johnson and Cust grounded out to third, Hart singled and then Harris hit his 17th homerun of the season over the right-field wall. End of six, Iowa City leads six – two

In the bottom of the eighth, Cust hit his 33rd home run of the season, this one a solo homerun over the opposite field fence, giving the Country a seven – two lead entering the ninth. O'Connor seemed intent on pitching his best inning yet, striking out the first two batters in the night, but tired quickly, allowing two singles before ending the game on a groundout by Ichiro Suzuki to first base

O'Connor's pitching line: 9 IP, 2R, 12 H, 9K. He held the Mariners four – seven hitters to 2 hits in 16 at-bats.

AL Central scoreboard:

Game four: Country lose heartbreaker, split series 2 – 2

Lineup:

The Country came out attacking in the bottom of the first, with Milledge singling, stealing second, and moving to third on a Sweeney ground out. When Spillborgh's flyball was too shallow to score, Johnson came through, hitting a double off the centerfield wall. Cust then singled Johnson home, moving to second on the throw up to the plate. Hart doubled Cust home, but injured his wrist on his slide into second base. He was pinch run for by Schrager, who remained in the game at third. End of one, Country lead three – zero

In the top of the fourth, the Mariners broke the ice when Sexton, after hitting a ball just foul of the homerun pole to left field, launched the next pitch into the right-field bleachers for a solo home. Beltre hit his own solo homerun two piches later, and after Wilkerson grounded out the first, catcher Johjima homered to left field tying the game.

The Mariners took the lead in the top of the 5th on back to back doubles by Beltre and Wilkerson. A solo shot from Jack Cust tied the game in the bottom of the sixth.

The Mariners appeared ready to take back their lead against Country reliever Dierdorf in the top of the seventh when they put runners at first and third with one out. Dierdorf used a six pitch at-bat to strike out Adrian Beltre, and used a curveball to get Wilkerson to pop out to the catcher, ending the inning without a run scored. The Country threatened in the bottom half of the inning, putting runners at first and second with one out and then first and third with two out, but came up empty, as well.

The Mariners pulled ahead by three runs in the top of the eighth when they loaded the bases on a base hit and two infield singles, and then a Beltre double allowed all three runners to score. When Dan Johnson and Jack Cust meekly grounded out to infielders in the bottom half of the inning, things did not look promising for the Country, but Schrager opened the door with a softly hit single and then Harris hit his 18th homerun over the left-field bleachers to pull the Country to within a run and force the Mariners to call in there closer in the eighth inning.

In an unusual move, the Country pinch hit for their left-handed second baseman White (EF), putting in the right-handed Sanchez (DE) even though JJ Putz is a right handed closer. Even more unusual, in response to that move, the Mariners pulled Putz in place of rookie southpaw Lombard (91 DC SL – one CB – one) to face the right-handed Sanchez.

After all the maneuvering, Sanchez singled, followed by Huisman, pinch-hitting for Towles. Huisman is a switch hitter, but seems to bat better from the right-hand side against lefties and he promptly singled up the middle, putting runners at first and second with two outs for the MLB leader in base hits, Milledge, 2/4 so far on the day.

Milledge lined out to the second baseman, ending the threat. End of 8, Mariners lead seven – six

In the bottom of the ninth, the Country again waited until they had two outs before mounting an attack with singles by Johnson and Cust, bringing up Schrager (who replaced Hart when he injured his wrist), who softly flied out to the second baseman, ending the game with a loss, seven – six

Notable: in setting their potential postseason roster, the only surprise was at backup catcher where the Country will use the strong armed JR Towles in place of rookie draft pick, McCurdy, a better offensive player with a C rated arm. Said the Country manager, in some situations where we have a pitcher throwing low 80s and the opposing team has some speed, we will value Towles' B rated arm over the offense provided by our starting catcher as well as the offense offered by Mccurdy. Also, Towles' CC defense make him a viable emergency 3rd baseman or SS option, too.

Jack Cust was awarded player of the month of August, hitting 417 with 14 home runs and 37 RBIs in that span

Hart's injury was not serious and he is not expected to miss any game time

AL Central scoreboard:

Next up: the Country are in the middle of a grueling 24 game stretch without a day off. They have 10 games left in that stretch before that much-needed day off and in those 10 games, they travel to Anaheim to play the Angels, then north to Seattle to play another four game series against the Mariners, before going to Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers.

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Season Log: Iowa City Country

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