Season Log: Iowa City Country

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:10 am

August in review

August was an absolutely amazing month for the Iowa City Country, as they posted a 22 and 7 record and went from fourth place in the AL Central, seven games behind the division leading Twins, at 51 and 55 on July 31 to first place him in the division, ahead of the second-place Tigers by two games, with a 76 and 61 record on August 31. This absolutely blows away this writer's prior hopes of ending the season with a winning record, as we closed our "July in review" article with the following: "Still, a 500 record does seem to be a realistic goal at this point."

Putting their 22 wins in August into perspective, the next most wins in August were enjoyed by the Boston Red Sox, who had 19 wins. In contrast, the Twins, who fell out of their first place position, went 12 and 16. The Country scored more runs (208) than in any prior month, and scored the most runs in MLB this month.

Pitching. They also allowed more runs (165) than in any prior month; the Country's pitching continues to be average, fourth in the Central in terms of ERA, third in runs allowed, fifth in hits & HRs allowed, third in strikeouts and first in walks allowed. Country pitching is nowhere on the MLB leader boards except in terms of saves, in which Chamberlain is tied for eighth in MLB with 23 saves (Detroit's Jones and the Mets Billy Wagner are the league leaders with 29)

Hitting. But the Country continue to shine offensively, with the most significant difference this month being their surge in home runs and stolen bases. The Country continue to lead the Central in terms of batting average, runs scored, and hits, and while they closed June last in homeruns and stolen bases, they are now second in their division to the White Sox with 165 homeruns and fifth in their division with 82 stolen bases.

Offensively, the Country have several players in the leader boards, as follows:

Country phenom Hart has not had enough at-bats to qualify for any of these batting titles, but his 442 batting average over 33 games and 138 at-bats, over which time he has 22 homeruns, 40 RBIs, 33 runs scored, and a slugging percentage of 978 is quite impressive.

Although not quite as impressive as Hart's short term performance, Spilborghs, who is also ineligible for the leader boards, having only played in 82 games with 277 at-bats, is batting an impressive 397 with 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 60 RBIs, 58 runs scored and seven stolen bases, second most on the team.

August Awards. Country players were named player of the week four times in August. Dan Johnson was given the award in the first week of August, Jack Cust was given the award in the third week of August, and Lastings Milledge received the award in the second and third weeks of August. Jack Cust was also named player of the month of August.

Lets go Mets · **Posted:** Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:28 pm

Good thread.

Also are you from Iowa, or did you chose Iowa City at random? (Sorry if this has been asked already.)

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:57 am

9/1 – 3/2008: Iowa city country at Anaheim Angels

Game one: country win close game against Angels

The Angels struck first in the bottom of the second when Tori Hunter took a slider that slid right over the middle of the plate and put it in the left centerfield bleachers

The Country scored five runs the top of the third, as every runner to get into scoring position ended up scoring. The inning started when Milledge and later Spilborghs singled and each stole second. Spilborghs' single allowed Milledge to score while Johnson doubled home Spilborghs. Cust singled Johnson home and Hart smacked a double into the left centerfield gap allowing Cust to score all the way from first. Harris then singled Hart home before backup catcher, McCurdy, ground out to end the inning. When James retired the Angels, allowing a lead off hit but then striking out the next batter and inducing an inning ending double play, the game entered the fourth inning with the Country enjoying a five – one lead.

Merrill, who played parts of the season as DH in May and June, made a splash in the top of the fourth when he homered over the left-field wall with White on base. In the bottom half of the inning, Hunter hit his second homerun of the game – this one a two run homerun that brought home Vladimir Guerrero, who doubled to lead off the inning. End of four, Country lead seven – three

Merrill also played a big role in the top of the sixth when he doubled home Millage, who singled and stole second. Merrill was, in turn, driven home by Spilborghs. The Angels matched those two runs in their half of the inning when Kerry Kotchman double home Gurrero and Anderson. End of 6, Country lead nine – five.

The Angels tacked on a run in the bottom of the seventh and again in the eighth when they were able to bunch up several singles, and entered the 9th down by 2, 9-7.

When the Country where retired in order, the Angels appeared ready to make a run at this game with their number three hitter, Vladimir Guerrero coming to the plate, but Guerrero was pulled in favor of pinch hitter Willets (DDD) to face country closer Chamberlain. Two ground outs to first base and a strike out of Tori Hunter ended the game.

Notable: Merrill was 3/5 and missed hitting for the cycle by a triple. His three RBIs for the game lead the team and his two runs scored tied with Milledge for the game lead. With his two stolen bases in today's game, Milledge and each Ichiro Suzuki are tied for the MLB lead in stolen bases with 43. Millage, however, has been caught stealing 15 times, the second most out of all the top 10 players in MLB steals this season, behind Chone Figgins (17) and slightly ahead of the Rays' Iwamura (14).

AL Central scoreboard:

Tigers defeat Twins, 16 – 6
Game two: Country shoddy pitching turns blowout into a close win

Lackey's pitches looked very strong, with a sharp brakes on his curveball and hard slider, but the Country put their bats on the ball and made things happen. After Milledge grounded out to second base, Spilborghs singled and went to third on Johnson's single. Spilborghs came home on Cust's single, and then Hart just missed a home run, reaching second base on a double that allowed both Johnson and Cust to score.

In the top of the second, Meryl hit his second homerun in as many games since being called up. In the third, it looked like the Country might miss a golden opportunity to extend their lead, as they had runners at first and second with no out, first and third with one out, and then the bases loaded with two outs when Merrill stepped up to the plate and promptly deposited a changeup into the center field stands for a grand slam. The Angels did not score in the bottom of the 2nd, and the Country did not score in the 3rd, but in the bottom of the 3rd, Vladimir Guerrero doubled home two Angels, and sent the game into the fourth inning with the Country Ieading eight – two

Grindell pitched well but tired of the fourth inning and was relieved after surrendering two runs on back to back infield singles. End of four, Country lead nine – four.

Not to be left out, Cust put the ball over the centerfield fence for a solo homerun with one out in the fifth.

In the top of the seventh, Hart singled home Cost and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hart scored when Harris hit a sharp liner to centerfield. The Angels scored quickly in the bottom of the seventh, with Figgins, Matthews and Guerrero singling and scoring on an Anderson double to right field. End of 7, Country lead 11 – 7

After and uneventful eighth inning, Dan Johnson hit his 44th home run into the right field bleachers, and then Cust did the same, but over the centerfield fence, extending the Country's lead to 13 – 7. When the Angels put together enough hits to score 4 runs and close the gap to two, the Country replaced the reliever recently recalled from the minors with Joba Chamberlain, who allowed an infield hit before closing out the game.

AL Central scoreboard:

Twins beat tigers, 13 – 4

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:27 am

9/1 – 3/2008: Iowa City Country at Anaheim Angels

Game three: Country rely mainly on Milledge and Johnson for series sweep

"Allright. Coach put me in the 2-hole; job is to get on base so I can be driven in," thought Harris when he saw the lineup card. "Milledge is out - up to me to just get on base...bat on ball...bat on ball" thought Harris as he approached the plate and watched the 1st pitch go by for ball 1. "Outside fastball - go with it," Harris thought as he pushed the ball over the 2nd baseman. On his toes at 1st, Harris takes off when he sees the angle of the ball coming off Johnson's bat; turning his head to the right, he sees it fall into the gap and Harris does not stop until he gets to 3rd base, seeing the 3rd base coach give the "stop" sign. Dan Johnson makes it to 2nd. "Go" yelled the 3b coach as he and Harris see Cust put the ball on the ground. The 2b takes the sure out at 1st, Harris scores and Johnson is at 3rd. "All right - 1 AB, 1 run scored!" thinks Harris as he high-fives the players in the dugout. Johnson gets stranded at third when Hart was called out looking at strike three. The Angels threatened in their half of the inning, with Chone Figgins bouncing a ball over the head of third baseman Hart and Guerrero hitting a high chopper for an infield single, putting runners at first and second with one out. Anderson drove home one of the runners with a double that hit the left-field fence on a fly and Hunter singled home another run. End of 1st inning, Angels lead two – one.

The Country tied the game in the top of the second inning when Merrill continued his hot hitting with a double to the left centerfield gap and moved to third on an infield single by McCurdy. With runners at first and third, Sanchez had a deep fly ball that was caught, but allowed Meryl to score. "Allright, Napoli's up - back up into the hole," thght Harris when he saw the coach's signal. "In! In!" Harris said to himself as he came in on Napoli's soft fly ball. "Mine," Harris called out before closing his glove around the fly ball for the out. End of two, two – two tie

3rd inning: "OK, Milledge reached 1st. Gotta take a pitch or 2," thought Harris. Strike one. Ball one - Milledge takes off and steals second. "Allright, time to drive the ball and bring Milledge home," thought Harris. Ball 2. Strike 2. Wild pitch - Milledge to 3rd. "Bat on ball; bat on ball," thought Harris as the 3-2 pitch is delivered. Slamming his bat on the ground in frustration, Harris watches his ball drop softly and easily into the second baseman's mit. Dan Johnson hits a double, driving home Milledge easily. "Well, if I'd have singled, I might have scored again, but at least Johnson picked me up and got the run in," thought Harris as he grabbed his glove when the inning ended and Johnson was, again, stranded in scoring position. The Angels failed to score with runners at first and second and one out when Kendrick lined the ball to third baseman Hart who tagged the runner and then threw to first, completing a double play. End of three, Country lead three – two

5th inning. "All right," I took two pitched and Milledge hasn't gone for 2nd. Time for me to move him over," thought Harris. One more pitch goes by. 2-1. Harris steps out of the box and glances at the coaches. "Modified hit and run - I swing at any fast pitch thrown, but can SE my judgment on a slow pitch," Harris reminds himself. Milledge takes off at the 1st sign of movement - it's a high fastball - Harris swings and grounds the ball to the 2nd baseman who throws to 1st, allowing Milledge to reach second. Harris gets back to the dugout and high-fives a few teammates. Johnson comes through again with a double to right center field, allowing Milledge to score easily. Again, Johnson was stranded at second base. When the Angels were retired in order, the game goes into the sixth inning with the Country leading four – two.

Hart lead off the 6th and put a hanging changeup over the left-field fence. "Man that kid can hit," thinks Harris, who positions himself to high five Hart, even though he is jealous of this rookie's anility to poind the ball and find holes, while Harris' hard hits see, to always find a fielder's glove, earning him the nickname "Hard Luck Harris." On his toes for the pitch to Kendrick, Harris moves to his left, watches the ball into his glove, and throws to first for the out. When the Angels put runners at first and second with one out, the Country go to their pen for the second time today, going with Shawn Green. Green allowed a single to Figgins, allowing a runner score and again putting runners at first and second, but then induced a pop out to the next batter. The Angels, again, removed Vladimir Guerrero in a pressure situation in exchange for a pinch-hitter Reggie Willits (DDD). Green induced a soft ground ball the second baseman, ending the inning and sending the game into the seventh with the Country clinging to a five – three lead

Harris eyed Angels reliever Richie Thompson from the on deck circle – Thompson of the 90 mph fastball and the very slow curve. When Milledge led off the seventh with a softly-hit opposite field single that looped just over the head of the second baseman, everyone in the stadium knew
Milledge would try to steal in spite of of the Angels strong catcher, Mike Napoli. Harris barely moved the bat off his shoulder, as he took the 1st pitch and Milledge took off, just barely beating the strong throw to second. "All right," thought Harris, "swing if it's a pitch I can drive, hold if it's not." Slow curve over the inner-half, Harris swings, but does not hit the ball right, generating a slow-roller to short. Milledge is already passing the SS as he comes up with the ball, but stops and starts back to 2nd as the SS throws to 3rd, the 3rd baseman relays quickly to 2nd, but Milledge has already changed directiona gain and reaches third safely while Harris stands safely at first. Johnson steps to the plate and promptly belted a hanging curve ball over the fence, but foul. Two pitches later he doubled off the right centerfield fence, allowing Milledge to score and leaving runners at second and third with no one out for the hitless Jack Cust. Bouncing on his toes at 3rd, Harris takes off as he hears the coach yell "go" amd sees Cust put the ball on the ground. Harris sees Napoli prepare to catch a throw home and slides, but he is too late, as Napoli catches the ball and tags Harris out. Nack in the dugout, Harris learns that the ball went to the 1st baseman who stepped on 1st before throwing home, so there are 2 out. When Hart popped up a one – two pitch, that made it another time when Johnson was stranded in scoring position. Shawn Green retired the angels in order and send the game into the 8th with the Country up six – three

On his toes, the slow-footed Harris moved as quickly as he could to his left on Harry Kendrick's liner up the middle. "Dive or just reach" flashed through Harris' mind. If he left his feet, there is no way he could get up and make the throw in time, so Harris didn't leave his feet. Ball in his glove, Harris starts his throwing motion "Damn - Kendrick is only 3 steps from 1st," Harris thought, pulling the ball down. Despite that single, the Angels failed to score.

In the top of the 9th, Dan Johnson hit his fifth double of the day and was, once again, stranded when Cust popped out to the shortstop, who had ranged into shallow center field. Entering the bottom of the 9th with a six – three lead, the Country did not hesitate to bring in Chamberlain to face the Angels leadoff hitter, Chone Figgins. Chamberlain completely overmatched the Angels first two hitters, retiring them quickly, but the Angels did make it interesting, getting three hits and scoring two runs before Chamberlain was able to record the third out and his 26th save.

Notable: Johnson was 5 for 5 with five doubles and three RBIs, but no runs scored. This has to be a record for the most number of extra base hits in a game without being driven home. Milledge was four for five with two stolen bases and three runs scored. Harris was 1 for 5 with a run scored.

AL Central scoreboard:

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:31 am

Lets go Mets wrote:

Good thread.

Also are you from Iowa, or did you chose Iowa City at random? (Sorry if this has been asked already.)

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not from Iowa. I decided I wanted to use the cowboy theme and then I chose Iowa. I'm from NY, but moved to sunny (rainy) FLA about a dozen years ago.

AgentP · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:54 am

That was interesting to see the update from Harris' perspective.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:32 pm

REMOVED. Hit "submit" by mistake

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:33 pm

AgentP wrote:

That was interesting to see the update from Harris' perspective.

Thanks for noticing! Something new I wanted to try. In reading some other blogs for ideas, one was titled "a players perspective," and it gave me the idea for this.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:20 am

9/4-7/2008 Iowa City Country versus Seattle Mariners

Game 1: Country Win Offensive Showcase

When Milledge singled off the first pitch of the game, he seemed to distract Washburn, as Washburn threw over to first twice before delivering his first pitch to Spilborghs. Spillborghs made him pay, depositing the ball on the other side of the centerfield fence for a two run homerun. Several singles, including an RBI single from Sweeney, put the Country in an early lead, three – zero. The Mariners stormed back, with Ichiro Suzuki singling and reaching second on an error by Hart, who's throw pulled Sanchez off the bag. Renteria made the Country pay for their mistake, singling home Ichiro and leaving runners at first and second with no one out for their number four hitter. The number four hitter softly grounded to the second baseman, and White chose to go to second instead of 1st for sure out, but his throw did not beat the runner. Sexton and Beltre each singled home runners and the Country starting pitcher was removed and replaced with Andrew "fireman" Brown. The Mariners seemed to try this interesting tactic with Brown: looking for the offspeed pitch all the way and laying off his fastballs until they had two strikes. Brown surrendered a double to Wilkerson, but was then able to shut down the Mariners, but not before they had grabbed a five – three lead.

The Country stormed back in top of the second, with singles from Towles and Milledge, and then a double by Johnson scoring both runners and tying the game. Jack Cust followed with his 37th homerun – this one over the opposite field fence. The Mariners got several hits and had runners in scoring position, although it looked like the Country's third pitcher of the day was going to escape the jam when the ball rolled softly to Harris, but Harris bobbled the ball, allowing a run to score. End of two, Country lead seven – six.

Amazingly, after scoring 13 runs in the first two innings, no runner scored again until the sixth inning, when the Country loaded the bases with one out for Ryan Spilborghs, who blooped a base hit just over the outstretched reach of the second baseman, and two runners scored, leaving runners at first and third with one out for Johnson. A wild pitch allowed Milledge to score and left Spilborghs on second base. A soft liner that should have been out was missed by the Mariner second baseman, allowing Sbilborghs to score and Johnson moved up to second base on the throw home. Cust flew out, but Hart followed with a double to left center field. The Mariners scored two runs on three hits the bottom half of the inning, sending the game into the seventh with the Country leading 12 – 8.

The Country threatened in the top of the seventh when Sweeney reached base on the second error of the game for the Mariner second baseman and then went to third on a hit-and-run in which White singled up the middle, putting runners at first and third with no out for catcher Junge (DEEECD), who came into the game in the last inning when the Country pinch hit for Towles with Merrill. When asked about the move to Junge later, the Country manager reported at that point in the game, the Mariners speedy players were not expected to come to the plate so he wanted to give the team's weakest-armed catcher some time behind the plate. Jumge hit into an unusual double-play – his ball ricocheted off the pitcher on a fly to the second baseman who caught the ball and relayed to third where Sweeney was tagged out.

In the top of the eighth, Spilborghs singled, stole second, and came home when Cust homered to dead center field. Then, after Hart singled , Sweeney hit his third home run of the season over the right-field fence. Not to be outdone, White (EF) followed with his fourth home run of the season over the right-field fence. With that, Junge clearly was swinging for the fences, but ended up popping out to the catcher. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mariners scored two runs, leaving the Country with a still-healthy 17 – 10 lead.

In the ninth inning, the Mariners led off with a Johjima single, but the runner was quickly erased on a steal attempt (or perhaps a hit and run) in a "strike him out, throw him out" double play. When the next batter grounded out, it ended a game with 27 total runs, in which 13 runs were scored in the first two innings, 14 runs were scored in the last four innings, but no runs were scored in innings three – five.

Notable: the Country's first two batters, Milledge and Spilborghs, went a combined 8/12 with one home run, four RBIs, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. Jack Cust made his two hits of the day count, as they were both home runs. The Country used five pitchers today, with Brown being the only pitcher used that is eligible for the post season roster.

With his two homeruns, Cust is now tied for second in MLB for the HR title. He is tied with Alex Rodriguez, one ahead of Paul Konerko. Millage now leads the league in steals by three, 46.

AL Central scoreboard:

Also noteworthy: the Country announced that they just purchased some regular equipment to help with defense training. Said the Country manager: "the front office has made a commitment to field a solid team. I think our record proves that. They're also committed to investing in training equipment. We had thought about delaying our purchases so that we could wait until we could purchase more expensive and potentially better equipment, but in the end decided that we would purchase this regular equipment to help now while we are making our push to the postseason."

Game two: Country edge passed Mariners, take 1st 2 games

Lannan did not look sharp in his first inning of work, allowing three hits that resulted in a run scored. The Country, meanwhile, did not make any offensive threats until Harris' double to right center field with one out in the fourth inning, and didn't have an inning with multiple hits until the fifth, when singles by White, Towles, and Sweeney brought home the tying run.

The Country edged ahead in the top of the sixth when the Mariners allowed Rhodes to pitch when he was clearly tiring and he grooved a fastball down the middle to Cust who knocked it straight over the centerfield fence. Singles by Hart, Timpner, and White gave the Country a three – one lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Although Lannan clearly did not have his best stuff, he pitched well, allowing only three hits between the second through sixth innings. End of six, Country lead three – one

In the eighth inning, the Country gave themselves some breathing room, as Cust hit a tough one and two back door slider into the opposite field for a single and then a visibly tired Mariners reliever served up a homerun to Hart. Lannan was pulled after recording the first out of the eighth inning, having thrown a valiant 7 – 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on six hits with six strikeouts. He was replaced by Shawn Green. Green closed out the inning strong, but had trouble in the 9th, allowing a two run homerun to Sexson before recording an out. With the score 5 – 3, Green was pulled in favor of Chamberlain. Chamberlain allowed a runner to reach base, but closed out the game easily on an outfield fly ball and a 5-4-3 double play.

AL Central scoreboard:

Game three: Country use 4 HRs to edge past Mariners

The Country threatened in the bottom of the first when Merrill and Johnson singled with one out. Cust hit a deep drive to centerfield that was caught, and Johnson, who proceeded all the way to second instead of pausing 3/4 quarters of the way there, was thrown out trying to make it back to first. The Mariners came out swinging and scored when Renteria singled with runners on first and second. At that point, Jimenez seem to find an extra gear and struck out the next two batters before inducing a fly ball to center field for the final out of the inning. End the one, Mariners lead one – zero

A potential Country threat ended, unfortunately, the top of the second also when Hart singled and "hard luck Harris" lined a shot straight up the middle that was deflected from the pitcher right to the shortstop who started a five – four – three double play. Fortunately, the Country's bottom of the order (Timpner, White, and Towles) got consecutive singles that resulted in the Country tying the score and then pulling ahead when Milledge & Merrill singled. The Mariners pulled to within a run when Renteria doubled with two runners on base. End of two, Country lead four – three

Jack Cust extended the Country lead to two runs when he lined an opposite field home run on the first pitch he saw. It is his 40th home run of the season. The Mariners matched that run when Wilkerson singled home Sexson, leaving runners at first and second with no out for Johjima. Jimenez struck out Johjima, but Ichiro's single tied the game and Jimenez was pulled.

The Country went quietly in the fourth, and when Renteria lead off with a double, it appeared that trouble was brewing. Country reliever Dierdorf appeared ready to strike out Sexson, but Sexson worked the count from one – two all the way to three – two, and on that third ball, Deardorff through a wild pitch allowing a run at your score. When he ultimately struck Sexson out and induced grounders from the next two batters, no one celebrated as they entered the fifth inning down five – six.

The Country came on strong in the top the fifth with Dan Johnson, Jack Cust, and Hart each singling up the middle. Unfortunately, Dan Johnson was thrown out at home by Ichiro Suzuki, putting runners at first and second with one out for Brendan Harris. "Hard luck Harris" came through, getting his second hit of the game and Cust was just able to touch home plate before the throw from Suzuki arrived. After Johnson was thrown out at the plate and Cust just barely made it, everyone was surprised when the slow footed Hart rounded third for home on a softly hit single from White, but perhaps the difference was that Ichiro had to run further to pick up White's ball, or maybe it was that Hart had a running head start since there were two outs. Regardless, Hart beat the tag and was the go-ahead run at that point. The Country pinch-hit Junge for Towles, but Junge grounded out to third base. The Mariners tied the game on a very unusual play. With runners at first and second, Lopez hit a slow roller just out of reach of the pitcher. The shortstop Harris started to go to the ball and should have been able to make the play, but he instead came home almost as if to cover home plate. The ball was ultimately retrieved by the centerfielder, as second baseman White refused to move from second base, allowing a run to score and putting runners at first and third with one out and Edgar Renteria at the plate. Renteria was retired on a fly ball, but the next batter doubled down the right-field line, allowing both baserunners to score. End of five, Mariners lead nine – seven

The Country quickly caught up when Johnson hit his 45th home run of the season after Merrill singled. Cust singled up the middle and then Hart took a fastball that was grooved right down the middle of the plate and put it into the left centerfield bleachers. Hard luck Harris lined a shot, but right at the third baseman, and then Timpner singled, triggering a change in the pitcher. Singles by White and Junge added another run, and the game entered the bottom of the sixth inning with the country up 12 – 9. A Mariners leadoff double by Wilkerson seemed like trouble, and he did ultimately score, but that was the only damage in the bottom of the inning. End of 6, Country lead 12 – 10.

Next inning, Johnson got a one-out double to right center, almost being thrown out by Suzuki, and then Jack Cust launched a changeup into the right-field bleachers for his 41st homerun of the season. After Hart popped out to short, Harris actually had a little bit of good luck when he miss-hit a ball that fell into shallow right field for a single. End of seven, Country lead 14 – 10

Neither team scored the rest of the way, and Shawn Green pitched the final inning, preserving a 14 – 10 country win.

Notable: Jack Cust is now only four home runs behind Johnson for the MLB lead. That he is doing this with more than 200 fewer at-bats is utterly amazing. The Country's three, four, and five hitters went a combined 11 for 18 with one double, four home runs, seven RBIs, and eight runs scored.

AL Central scoreboard:

Game four: Mariners avoid a sweep in the 10th inning

The Country scored a run in the first inning when Brendan Harris singled with one out, went to third on Dan Johnson's double, and scored on a fielder's choice hit into by Jack Cust. Dan Johnson stayed at second on that play and attempted to score on a single by Hart but was thrown out at home. The Mariners tied the game when their first three batters singled. Country starter James induced a double play from Beltre and then struck out Sexson to end the inning in a one – one tie.

The Country pulled ahead in the top of the second on three consecutive singles by Spilborghs, Erdos, and White. The Mariners were retired in order, thanks in part to an amazing over the shoulder grab from Clay Timpner in center. Sexson hit what appeared to be an easy double over Timpner's head, but he tracked it down, turning around and jumping just before the ball passed over his head for the first out of that inning. End of two, Country lead two – one

After giving up to leadoff singles the bottom of the third, it appeared that James would avoid giving up a run, as the third batter popped out to short and the fourth flew out to shallow center field, but Beltre singled home a runner, and then Sexson lofted a high fly ball over the outfielders heads for a run scoring double. End of three, Mariners lead four – two

The Country quickly launched an offensive in the top of the fourth, with singles by Spilborghs, Erdos, and White. Timpner singled home one run and then Harris got a big hit, allowing two runs to score. The Mariners tied the game with one out on a double to left center field with a runner on first. End of 4, five – five

In the bottom of the fifth, the Mariners pulled ahead by 1 run on a Renteria double and a Beltre single, and then tacked on another two runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to take an eight – five lead

Jack Cust started off the seventh inning with a bang, putting the first pitch he saw into the upper deck in center field. When Country reliever Stratton retired the Mariners and order, the game went into the 8th inning with the Mariners leading eight – six.

After a scoreless eighth, Seattle closer Putz took the mound to face Harris. Harris popped out on a one – two pitch. Dan Johnson was up next and, clearly looking to just put the bat on the ball, punched it up the middle for a single. Cust took a hard slider for a strike before turning on a changeup and putting it over the fence for the game-tying home run. When the Mariners failed to score, the game entered the 10th inning tied eight – eight

The Country were retired in order and the Mariners led off with a double. Shawn Green got a ground ball for the first out of the inning, but allowed the runner to move from second to third. With Mike Morse (DFD) at the plate, having entered the game as a defensive replacement, the Country played their infield and outfield in, but Morse lofted an 0-2 sinker off his shoe laces and into shallow center field, scoring a run and ending the game, nine – eight Mariners.

AL central scoreboard:

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Fri Aug 17, 2012 11:40 pm

9/8 – 10/2008: Iowa City Country at Detroit Tigers

Game one: Tigers score too little too late; Country win opener 10 – 7

Offensive stats

Pitching statistics:

AL central scoreboard:

Twins beat Indians, 10 – 0

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:21 pm

Hey, folks. Since my last post I had 3 evenings all to myself where I got to play a lot of games, and then I had a few vacations. I figured I'd straighten out my notes grom the games and post them while on vacation, but it didnt work out. On top of that, I lost my notes from games 2 and 3 of this series. Here's all I've got:

Game two: Country lose to Tigers, 10 – 9
Twins lose to Indians, 3 – 2

Game three: Country beat Tigers, nine – six
Twins beat Indians, two – one

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sat Aug 25, 2012 11:58 pm

9/12 – 14/2008 Iowa City Country versus Chicago White Sox

Notable: although the White Sox are all but out of the post season picture, nine games behind the Country, the White Sox have won seven of the nine games played between these two teams so far this season.

Game one: Country win close game with walk off hit

Country James (91 DB SL – three, CH – three) versus White Sox Danks (90 DB SL – one, CH – two). One of the reasons this should be an interesting matchup is that James and Danks are similar style pictures with similar abilities and they each throw the same three pitches
The Country scored quickly when Milledge singled, stole second, moved to third on a flyball by Johnson, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cust. The White Sox waited until the third inning to score, but put three runs on the board as Thome a singled, although it looked like a grounder that should have been picked up by SS Harris, Konerko singled, and then Jermaine Dye launched a pitch over the centerfield fence for a three run homerun. The Country tied the game in the bottom of the third as Milledge doubled over the centerfielder's head and scored when Spilborghs hit a shot that glanced off the shortstop's glove. Then, imitating what they did in the first inning Spillborghs stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Johnson, and came home on a fielders choice hit into by Cust. Hart then put a two – one slider into the left-field bleachers. Mentioned an announcer "it doesn't look like Danks is pitching poorly, but all his breaking pitches seem to be breaking into the middle of the plate, and the Country are taking advantage." End of three, Country lead four – three

The Country added a run in the fourth when Milledge singled, bolted for second and was able to make it to third when Spillborghs blooped a ball into right field, and then came home on a sharp single by Johnson, in which Spilborghs was thrown out in an attempt to reach third-base.

James escaped a jam in the top of the fifth when, with runners at first and second and one out, Jermaine Dye grounded out to the third baseman and then Pierzynsky grounded out to first. The Country threatened in the bottom half, putting runners at first and second with one out, but Erdos grounded into a fielder's choice and Huisman appeared to hit a single, but it was snatched up on excellent play by the White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera. And of 5, Country lead five – three

The White Sox scored in the top of the sixth when, with a runner at first, and after having struck out on two of his prior appearances today, Nick Swisher lofted a ball over the Milledge's head for a double. James came back and struck out Orlando Cabrera to end the top half of the inning. Relief pitcher Murray came in to start the seventh and gave up the tying homerun to Jim Thome. Then, after giving up a single, Jermaine Dye gave his team the lead with a two run homer. In the bottom of the inning, Cust reached base on an error by Orlando Cabrera and then the White Sox relief pitcher who was very effective in the last inning grooved a fastball right down the middle that Hart hit for the game-tying homerun.

[NOTE TO READERS - FEAR IS BEING IN THE TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING IN A TIE GAME, YOUR ROOKIE PICTURE HAS TWO OUTS, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HE THROWS A MISTAKE PITCH RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE TO JIM THOME. Thank goodness he missed it!]

Bottom of the ninth, game tied at seven all. Hart grounds out to short. Harris singles up the middle. Pinch-hitter Schrager singles to right field, putting runners at first and second. Country pinch run Sweeney (D) for Harris (G). Huisman hits a soft liner to centerfield; Sweeney rounds third for home and is thrown out at the plate, leaving runners at first and second with two out for second baseman White (EEE). The Country pinch-hit Merrill (EDE) for White. Merrill hits another soft single up the middle and, just like before, the centerfielder throws home, but this time, Schrager slides in just ahead of the tag and the Country win eight – seven.

Notable offense:

Notable pitching:

AL Central scoreboard:

Notable: with this win, the Country have assured themselves of having a winning record in there inaugural season.

Game two: Country take game two with solid starting pitching and early hitting

Country Jimenez (98 EB CB – one, CH – four) versus White Sox Buehrle (90 CA 2SF – two, SL – two, CU – four, CB – three, CH – four)

Judging by the first inning, it appeared that this might be a pitching duel, but while Jimenez continued to pitch well through the second inning, Buehrle struggled. Base hits by Cust, heart, and an infield single by Harris left the bases loaded with no one out for Schrater (playing the DH position, with cost shifting to left field and Birdo's getting another day off). Trager had a one and two count, but ultimately worked out a walk bringing home a run's Michael and then Huisman pulled the ball over the third baseman for a single, allowing two runners to score, and Sanchez, filling in for white at second, singled home another run. And of two, country lead four – zero

The Country added 2 runs in the fourth when Huisman hit a two-out double into the left-field corner and came home on a Sanchez single, and then after Sanchez moved to second on a wild pitch, millage singled Sanchez home.

The White Sox seemed poised to do some damage the top of the fifth, putting runners at first and second, but Gimenez induced a pop out to the catcher for the next at-bat and then Swisher line the ball to third baseman heart, was able to tag the runner and then throw to first, completing a double play. The country meanwhile made their hits count. Cost hit a one-out single that should have been easily stopped by the centerfielder, but it went right through his legs and cost was able to make it all the way to third base. Part then drove him home when he punch the ball through the middle. Harris continued his hot hitting, hitting a deep single to right field that allowed heart to get to third, so when Schreger hit a short, high single, cost was able to wait a third to determine whether we caught and then, when it was not caught, race home in time. And of five, country lead eight – zero

The White Sox finally broke through in the sixth inning when die singled home Tom May, who double to lead off the inning. The next batter homered to close the gap to five runs.

And the top of the seventh, Joe Creedy singled and we won out, was able to come all away around and score on a double next wish or hit off reliever Jiang. When the country or retired without scoring a run, the game entered the eighth inning with the country sitting on an eight – four lead

The White Sox where retired in ordering the eighth, and the country threatened, putting runners at first and second with no out, but failed to score, sending the game into the night ending with the Country up eight – four. Shawn Green closed out the night with three infield groundouts.

Notable: offensively, this game was won by the seven, eight, and nine hitters, as each of them (Schrager, Huisman, Sanchez) drove in two RBIs and were credited with one run scored; Cust has 10 homeruns in the first 13 days of September

During the series, Milledge lost his hold on the league lead in hits…to Dan Johnson. Dan Johnson currently leads the league with 219 hits and Milledge is second with 217.

AL central scoreboard:

The Athletics won big against the Angels, again, winning 11 – 4. This makes them only three and nine in September, and with the surges of the Central division teams, if the season were to end today, the second wild-card spot would come from the central and the Angels would be left out in the cold.

The current top two teams in each AL division and their records follow:

For all of you National League fans out there, the top records in baseball are enjoyed by the Mets (92/54) and Brewers (87/59).

Game three: Country make it interesting, but can't overcome early deficit

The White Sox came out swinging, getting 2 base hits that set up a Thome three run homerun over the left-field fence. When Lannan then gave up a double to Konerko, it was clear that he didn't have his good stuff, having reported in blue today, and was pulled in favor of middle reliever Oliver (88 DC CU – three, CB – two, SLV – three). Konerko moved to,3rd on a wild pitch. Oliver induced a grounder to second, but instead of going for sure out at first, Sanchez threw home. The runner at third jolted back to third and both runners were safe. Quentin doubled, putting runners at second and third while another run scored, and then the second out was obtained on a slow roller that also allowed a runner on third to score. A soft single by your Uribe and when the half inning finally ended on a groundout the third, the White Sox had grabbed a six – zero lead. When the Country were retired easily in there 1/2 of the first, things did not look good!

Country reliever Oliver seemed ready to escape the second inning unscathed, and the Country manager left him in although he appeared to tire after getting a second out. That apparently was the wrong decision, as Jermaine Dye hit a towering 2 run home run to right field. When the Country were retired, again, after getting only one hit, it sent the game into the third inning with the White Sox enjoying an eight – zero lead.

Country reliever Nolan held the White Sox scoreless for a couple of innings and the Country finally broke the ice in the bottom of the fourth inning when, with two outs, Cust hit a line drive that hit the right-field wall on a fly, traveling so fast he was only able to progress to first. But he was able to come all the way around and score when Hart doubled into the left centerfield gap. End of 4, White Sox lead eight – one

A Swisher double in the top of the fifth knocked in two more runs. The bottom of the fifth started with the bottom of the lineup, and those last three hitters each singled, leaving the bases loaded and no out for Lastings Milledge. Milledge lofted a high fastball over the shortstop's outstretched arm, allowing two runners to score and left runners at first and second. A three run homerun by Dan Johnson changed the White Sox' insurmountable 10 – 1 lead into a possible 10 – 6 lead.

Country reliever Murray was piching a very strong sixth inning, striking out Thome on a six pitch at-bat and then K-ing Konerko, but then gave up a solo homerun to Jermaine Dye and then a harmless single before retiring the next batter on a strikeout. When the country were tired in order, it's sent the game into the seventh inning with the White Sox enjoying and 11 – 6 lead

In the bottom of the seventh, Spilborghs singled, and then Johnson hit his second homerun of the day, this one a towering shot that barely cleared the centerfield fence. Two out singles from Cust, Hart, Harris, and Erdos brought the Country to within a run and sent the game into the eighth inning with the White Sox clinging to and 11 – 10 lead

The Country reliever Jiang struck out the first White Sox to bat, but then Jim Thome hit a dribbler up the middle and Konerko doubled to put runners at second and third with one out. The Country pulled Jiang and inserted Shawn Green to face Jermaine Dye, who had homered twice so far in the game. Dye singled to right field and one runner scored. After getting an out, Quentin drove in another run when he hit a soft single just barely out of reach of SS Harris. In the bottom of the inning, Spillsborgh grounded into a four – five – three double play with Milledge on first to end the inning, the White Sox lead was a more comfortable 13 – 10

Shawn Green ended the top of the 9th quickly, striking out one and inducing harmless pop outs to the SS and 2b, bringing up Dan Johnson to start the bottom of the 9th against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks (100 BE 2SF – one, HSL – three, CB – three). The 9th did not start off well, as Dan Johnson struck out looking when Jenks hit the inside corner on two hard sliders and one fastball and then Cust hit a long fly ball that was tracked down and caught by the centerfielder. When Hart hit a one – one backdoor slider and popped out to short, the game was over.

AL Central scoreboard:

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sun Aug 26, 2012 2:26 pm

9/16 – 18/2008: Iowa City Country at Minnesota Twins

Game 1: Country wait until 9th inning to overcome deficit

Country Depablos (93 DC SL – four, CB – three) versus Twins Eaton (94 DB SL – two, CU – three, DCB – four, CH – two)

The Twins quickly jumped on the offensive in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs when their first 4 batters singled. In the bottom of the second, the Twins, again, scored two runs on four hits. Depablos settled down in the third inning, striking out the side.

The Country offense finally showed up in the top of the fourth when Johnson singled and Cust followed with a towering home run to cut the Twins lead in half.

In the sixth, however, the Twins made those two runs back on a series of singles and a double. The Country meanwhile, continued to hit the ball hard, but right at the gloves of the Twins defenders.

Entering the ninth inning down six – four, things did not look good when the Twins brought in Liriano (98 ?? HSL – five, CH – three), especially so when Harris and Huisman grounded out meekly. But Sanchez hit a soft single, followed by a single from Milledge that allowed Sanchez to go to third, bringing up Spilborghs. Spilborghs singled home Sanchez, putting runners at first and second with two out and the Country down six – five. Johnson hit a double over the head of the Twins centerfielder and when Spillborghs came all the way around from first to score, the Country lead for the first time this game, seven – six. In the bottom half of the inning, Chamberlain came in and retired the Twins numbers two, three, and four hitters easily, earning his 29th save.

AL Central scoreboard:

Wildcard:

Game two: gutsy pitching and solid heading give country and easy eight – one win

After Milledge's single was erased by a Spillborghs double-play, Johnson put an 0 – 1 pitch over the right-field fence for his 49th home run of the season. Grindell escaped a jam in the bottom of the first when, after retiring the first two batters quickly, he allowed singles to the next two batters before inducing a ground out to second base, finishing inning with the Country leading one – zero.

Hart led off the top of the second with his 28th homer on a fastball grooved right down the middle. In the third, Milledge scored after singling, stealing second base, and coming home when Spillborghs singled and got into a rundown for the first out of the inning. Johnson then hit his 50th homerun of the season, again over the right field fence. This one a towering shot that took so long to get out of the park, a fan could have gotten online for a hotdog with all the fixings and made it back to see you go over the fence. Grindell escaped a big jam the bottom of the third when, with runners on first and third, he struck out the next batter, induced a line out to first, and then a grounder to second. End of three, Country lead four – zero

Grindell pitched a full four solid innings before being replaced, shutting out the Twins on seven hits with four strikeouts. He was replaced by the Country's rookie free agent, Stratton. Stratton gave up a leadoff double, which runner moved to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch. End the five, Country lead four – one

There was some major league excitement the top of the seventh when Milledge singled and went to third on a hit and run with Spilborghs. Spilborghs appeared to be picked off at first, but was hustling down the first base line and actually beat the throw as it was hi to the second baseman. During that time, Milledge broke from home and wound up beating the throw home by a foot. Dan Johnson then took two pitches before hitting his third homerun of the day – this time a liner over the right center field fence.

In the eighth, the Twins were lucky to escape with only one run scored, when Harris hit an infield single with one out and then Erdos, Huisman, Sanchez, and Milledge followed with singles. With one run scored, the bases-loaded, and one out, Spilborghs popped out to short and Johnson flight out to right field. The Twins did not score in the eighth or the ninth, and the game ended with a Country win, eight – one.

Notable: in this game, in which Milledge stole two bases, Johnson hit three home runs, Hart homered, and Cust got an RBI in spite of having an off day, it is amazing to think that the players driving this team offensively are a young outfielder thought to have an attitude problem (Milledge), a journeyman first baseman (Johnson), a fourth outfielder for the Athletics (Cust), and a slow footed rookie third baseman who could not play his way out of the White Sox minor leagues (Hart). Not to mention the 4th OF for the Rockies who is batting over 400 out of the 2 & 3 holes and is 2nd on the team in stolen bases (Spillborghs).

AL Central scoreboard:

AL wildcard scoreboard:

Game three: Twins explode in the fifth; avoid sweep

In the first inning, Johnson appeared to hit his first home run of the day (how is that for optimistic!), but it wound up bouncing off the outfield wall for a double. Spillborghs, who singled previously, was able to score from first. Cust singled home Johnson. When the Twins were retired uneventfully, it ended the first inning with the Country leading two – zero

The Country threatened in the top of the 3rd, when Spilborghs singled, stole second, and then moved to third on a fielders choice, but he was ultimately thrown out at the plate on a sharp grounder to shorts from Cust. The Twins failed to threaten in their half of the inning. While Borgeois gave up a leadoff single to Quinto, Gomez, the Twins number nine hitter, hit a sharp liner up the middle that Harris reached and smartly glove – flipped to the second baseman to begin a five – four – three double play. End of three, Country lead two – zero

In the bottom of the 4th, the Twins Mike Lamb led off with a double to right center field. Mauer struck out, and Cuddyer grounded into a fielders choice, but Bourgeois I was unable to close out the inning with his shutout intact, as Justin Morneau singled up the middle. End of four, Country lead two – one

In the bottom of the fifth, the Twins tied the game on singles from Punto, Gomez, and Lamb, and took the lead when Mauer doubled to left center field. The Twins seemed able to put the ball just outside of the Country infielders' reach, as they used several base hits to end the inning with a six – two lead over the Country.

End the top of the seventh, after Sanchez singled with one out, he was pinch run for by JR Towles, the backup catcher who appears to have improved his speed to a D rating, and the starting catcher, Riggins, was pinch-hit for by Schrager, who doubled to left center field. Frustratingly, the Country failed to score, with Spillborghs lining out to the pitcher after Milledge popped out to the catcher.

The Country did score twice in the eighth, on singles by Cust, Harris, Erdos, and Merrill who pinch-hit for Towles, but in the ninth inning, Milledge, Spillborghs, and Johnson were retired in order, ending the game in a six – four loss.

Notable: Spilborghs was the only player to have a notable offensive game, going 3/5 with one run scored and two stolen bases. If you discount the horrible relief pitching by Deardorff (2/3 IP, 5R, 6H, K), this was a well-pitched game by the Country, as the other three pitchers combined for 7 – 1/3 IP, R, 6H, 5K

AL Central scoreboard: Tigers lose to White Sox, six – three

Wild-card scoreboard:

Playoff race: the Country hold a five-game division lead over the second-place Tigers, and their magic number for clinching a playoff spot is down to eight. With the Angels recent string of losses, they are 4 and 12 so far this month, they have all but played themselves out of contention, having fallen behind the Twins and Tigers for the last wild-card spot. The Red Sox are tied with the Mariners for the best record in the AL, and the Yankees and Rays are tied for the first wild-card spot.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:31 pm

9/19 – 21 Iowa City Country at Cleveland Indians

These two teams have played 23 times this season, with the Country winning 13, and the last 5/6 meetings.

Game one: ninth inning drama ends with Country loss

Country Lannan (89 DB SL – two, CB – four, CH – two) versus Indians Westbrook (93 CA CU – two, CB – three, CH – three, HSK – four)

Offensively, the game was quiet until the second inning when Hart hit a one out double and came home on a soft single to center from Harris. The Indians tied the game when Blake singled, stole second, and came home on a double by Delucci that Milledge might have been able to keep to a single, but he tried to take it on the fly and missed. Delucci moved to third on a fielders choice and then scored on an infield single. End of two, Indians lead two – one

The Indians challenged again in the bottom of the third when Hafner reached first on a fielders choice (2 out) and Martinez singled up the middle just out of reach of SS Harris, bringing up the Indians number five-hitter, Blake. Blake split the left and right fielders and Hafner scored on the double. End of three, Indians lead three – one

While Westbrook was keeping the Country hitters off-balance, allowing only four hits through the first four innings, the Indians tacked on another run in the fourth when Garko doubled, went to third on a ground out by Carol and then scored on a bloop single that dropped between SS Harris and leftfielder Erdos.

The Country managed to score twice in the top of the fifth on 2 out singles by Harris, Huisman, White and Milledge. When the Indians put runners at first and second with one out, the Country replaced their starting pitcher with Andrew "fireman" Brown. When asked about using Brown so early in the game instead of his usual 7/8th inning appearance, the Country manager said "he had not pitched in a while, nor had Green and Chamberlain, so we were looking for a place to get him some work and we thought the game might turn on whether we were able to close out this inning without allowing the Indians to extend their lead. That is also why we aggressively pulled our outfielders in a bit with DeLucci (DEB) at-bat." Brown struck out DeLucci, although he threw a wild pitch in the process, allowing runners to reach second and third for Sizemore. When Sizemore lofted a curveball into left field that Erdos was able to settle under easily, it appeared that the entire Country team let out a sigh of relief. And of five, Indians lead four – three

Westbrook continued to pitch well, although he did not seem to be able to throw his hard sinker for a strike, but in the top of the sixth, he retired the Country's "murderers row" of Johnson, Cust, and Hart, in order. A Country reliever entered the game to start the sixth and immediately gave up a homerun to Indians DH Garko. End of six, Indians lead five – three

Westbrook seemed to tire in the seventh inning, but still closed out the inning, allowing just a single to Harris. the Country were equally effective and the score remained five – three, Indians, heading into the ninth inning.

In the 9th, Johnson singled, Cust and Hart flied out, Harris singled and was replaced by pinch runner Towles, and then Erdos got his first hit of the day. Although it appeared that Johnson might have been able to score, the Country played cautiously and held him up at third, bringing up Huisman (2/3 so far) with the bases loaded and two out. Huisman smashed an 0-1 pitch up the middle, but closer Bettencourt extended his arm and deflected it. Fortunately, although it stayed in the infield, Dan Johnson scored and all runners were safe. Huisman was awarded an infield single on the play. At this point, the Country pinch-hit for their number nine hitter, bringing in Schrager with the bases loaded, two outs, and the Country down by a run. Schrager calmly watched the first three pitches go by before lacing a two – one fastball straight at the Indians second baseman, who easily threw to first to end the game, five – four Indians

Notable: Brendan Harris was 4/4 on the day with an RBI and a run scored. Erdos, the first time in a long time, hit the ball with authority, although he was only 1/4 and hit into 2 double plays. Huisman also had a good day at the plate, going 3/4 with an RBI and a run scored. Had the Indians closer not gotten a glove on Huisman's ninth inning hit, it surely would have brought home the tying run.

With their loss to the Twins the previous night, this marks the first time the Country lost two games in a row since August 13 and 14, when they lost two games to the Texas Rangers. That makes 31 games between two game losing streaks

Scoreboard watching:

Game two: Indians go up 2-0 on another game that goes down to the wire

The Country made the manager's decision to keep Spilborghs in the two spot payoff immediately, as Milledge singled, stole second, and then came home on Spilborghs softly hit single to right field, and Spilborghs was able to take second on the throw home. The Indians immediately put themselves in position to tie the game when Michael's singled and went to third on Travis Hafner's double down the right field line. A double by Martinez over the centerfielders head brought both baserunners home, and made the Country feel fortunate when Jimenez struck out the next two batters to close the inning down 2-1.

After putting runners in scoring position, the Country took a risk in the top of third, with Erdos (E speed) hustling all the way around from first on Dan Johnson's double to right center and came home to tie the game with two outs. The Indians took back the lead in the bottom half of the inning on singles from Michaels, Blake, and DeLucci, the last of which seemed to roll just under second baseman, White's glove. With a one run lead, two out, and runners at first and third, Sizemore singled up the middle and Garko got an infield single to load the bases. With the number nine batter up (DEB), the Country went into their aggressive OF positioning and brought their outfielders in shallow, but when the batter punched an 0-2 high, inside fastball over the head of the SS, it dropped in, allowing two more runners to score, and when a bloop hit from David Eckstein dropped just beyond the diving grasp of Dan Johnson, Jimenez was pulled and long reliever Oliver (88 DC CU – three, CB – two, SLV – three) inserted with two outs and runners at first and third. Oliver started off strong, getting two strikes on Michaels and he appeared to easily popout into foul territory by third, but Hart insisted on continuing to cover third-base without trying for the pop fly. Fortunately, Oliver closed the at-bat with a strike out on a curveball, sending the game into the fourth inning with the Indians leading seven – two.

Oliver pitched great, shutting down the powerful Indians offense over 3 – 1/3 innings, during which he only allowed one hit and struck out three batters. Unfortunately, the Country was unable to mount any offense during this time. In fact, the Country did not mount any significant threat until the eighth inning, when singles by Erdos and Johnson and then a fielders choice on a ball hit by Hart resulted in Harris coming up with the bases loaded and one out. With the Indians starter tiring, Harris doubled to left center field, driving home two runs and leaving runners at second and third with one out for Huisman. Huisman's soft single to shallow center allowed Hart to score easily, but Harris was held at third. At this time, the Indians brought in their set up man, Rafael Perez (92 BE SL – two, FISB – three) and the Country pinch-hit for their number nine hitter, bringing in the switch-hitting backup catcher, McCurdy. McCurdy perfectly dropped a soft single in between the shortstop and left fielder, and after Spilborghs singled, the game was tied. In the bottom of the eighth, after the Country long reliever allowed a leadoff single to the Indians number nine batter, he was replaced by Shawn Green. When Indians leadoff hitter, Eckstein, singled, that put runners at first and third with no out, and when the next batter's ball dropped just in front of the charging Spilborghs, the Indians took a one run lead with runners on first and second, nobody out for their leading power hitter, Travis Hafner. Green seemed to reach back for a little something extra and struck out Haffner on four pitches and then the dangerous Victor Martinez on three pitches but he then relaxed against the dangerous Blake, who deposited a one – zero pitch beyond the centerfield bleachers and extended the Indians lead to 11 – 7.

The Country threatened in the ninth inning against the Indians closer, with Cust and Hart making it to third and second with one out, and then Huisman drove both runners home and moved up to second base when Sizemore made an ill conceived attempt to throw out Hart by going straight home, even though his scoring only closed the gap to two runs. At this point, the Country pinch-hit for their backup second baseman, Sanchez, bringing in Merrill. Later, when asked about the move, considering that Sanchez was a starter and one of their top hitters for almost half the season, the Country manager explained "we normally would not have pinch-hit for Sanchez in that situation, but Sanchez was playing with some nagging injuries so we preferred the idea of pinchhitting for him here with Merrill, who looked good in batting practice." It is hard to avoid second-guessing that decision, since Merrill took a first pitch fastball and popped it up to shortstop, ending the game with their third consecutive loss, 11 – 9.

Notable: this is the first time the Country have lost three games in a row since July 25 – 27, when they were swept by the White Sox.

Playoff scoreboard:

Game three: Country finally come out on top, in 3rd close game

The game was scoreless through the first two innings with each team trying unsuccessfully to manufacture offense. Village was thrown out trying to steal second, as was the Indians Eckstein and Sizemore. In the third, Dan Johnson hit a three-run homerun, but that output was actually disappointing, as the country had runners at first and second with no one out, and then first and third with one out and were unable to drive in any runs, except for Dan Johnson's homer. In the bottom half of the inning, Sizemore got a two-out infield single and was then thrown out, again, trying to steal second. And of three, country lead three – zero

In the bottom of the fourth, the Indians seemed always to close the gap, putting runners at first and second with one out for their number five-hitter, Blake, but Blake grounded into fielders choice. The light hitting DeLucci (DE), however, tied the game on a home run over the right-field wall. Unofficially, it appears that DeLucci who has had an amazing 24 homeruns this season, has hit about six against the Country. The Indians then took the lead when Sizemore doubled and went to third when Milledge dived to make the couch and messed, and came home on a single by Garko. End of 4, Indians lead four – three

In the top of the fifth, the Country tied the game when Milledge and Spilborghs singled with one out, Erdos grounded into a fielders choice in which all runners were safe, and then Dan Johnson walked.

The score remained tied at four until the seventh inning when Dan Johnson hit his 53rd home run of the season after Spilborghs and Erdos reached base. When Cust followed with a double, the Indians relief pitcher was visibly shaken and then even more so when Hart hit a one – zero pitch over the left-field wall. The Indians picked up a run on back to back doubles by Sizemore and Garko, and after a double play, a two run homerun by Travis Hafner brought the score to 9 – 8, Country

The Country extended their lead when Spilborghs singled, stole second (although he was not credited with the steal as the Indians threw a wild pitch), moved to third on a sharply hit opposite field single by Erdos and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Johnson. After Shawn Green pitched a solid eighth inning, the game entered the 9th with the Country leading 10 – 8.

After the Country failed to score in the 9th, Green was relieved by Chamberlain, who used fastballs on an overmatched pinch-hitter, and then sliders to induce meek groundouts from Sizemore and the Indians number two batter to save his 30th game of the season and avoid a sweep.

Notable: Dan Johnson was named player of the week for the week ending 9/21. He hit 444 with 5 home runs and 15 RBIs during that time. In the National League, another first baseman was given the same award, Albert Pujols, who batted 455 with four homeruns and 12 RBIs in that timeframe

AL playoff scoreboard:

Next on the schedule: the Country begin another three-game series against the Twins, while the Tigers play the White Sox, the Mariners play the Blue Jays, the Angels play the Rangers, and the Red Sox play the Yankees. For all of you Iowa City fans who are not sure the Country can pull this out on their own, we need to root for the Red Sox over the Yankees, the White Sox over the Tigers, and the Rangers over the Angels in order to give the Country more breathing room so that a last-minute collapse results in a wild card.

ERISA Dude · **Posted:** Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:53 pm

TRADE ANALYSIS

From time to time, we're going to look back at one of the trades made earlier in the season, assess it, and give a score that stands for the likelihood that the trade will stand over time as a good deal for the Country.

6/21: Country receive Spilborghs (DCDDFD) and Jimenez (98 EB CB – one, CH – four) from Rockies for pitcher Morris (90 CA 2SF – two, SIFB – two, CH – two, DCB – two, SL – three). Comments: although Jimenez has not established himself as the clear number one starter on a mediocre Country staff, Morris only held that position by default, and with Spilborghs establishing himself as a consistent, if not dangerous, hitter, batting over 400 with 15 homeruns and 15 steals as of the date of this article, the Country came away big here. Jimenez should improve and mature, while Morris was on the backside of his career. Score: 9/10

Power Pros Forum

Season Log: Iowa City Country

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