Power Pros Forum

People are repeating things in D-tiger's log and PPFan's log.

I must not break this combo.

It's true. That's kinda neat.

Oh my gosh. My head hurts from this deja vu.

Mine doesn't.

Hey guys. Just a non-duplicated comment strolling by. Don't mind me

Series Preview: Honolulu Gunmen (22-19) vs. Seattle Mariners (16-25)
May 16th-18th

Key Players:

Erik Bedard - SP
5-2, 2.82 ERA, 45 K
97, C, A, 2SFB(2), CUT(2), CB(3), CHG(2), VS LH Batter 4, STR Finisher, Dr. K, Consistency 4, Choke Artist
Bio: A 29-year old in the prime of his career, Bedard is a lefty who consistently shuts down opposing hitters with his blazing fastball and solid curve. Acquired from the Orioles in a February 8th trade, he has since become the undisputed ace for the Mariners.
Analysis: With our lefty heavy lineup, Bedard's game one start may spell trouble. I'll have to get the bench involved if we hope to win.

Ichrio Suzuki - CF
.295, 17 2B, 10 SB
2, A, E, A, A, B, B, Clutch Hit 4, Contact Hitter, Push Hitter, Hot Hitter, Gd Bunt, Grt IF HTR, Throwing 4, Durability 4, Base Running 4, Spider Catch, Cannon Arm, Gd Rain, Pr Day Game, Star, Slap Hitter, Aggressive STL, Aggressive RUN, Aggressive FLD
Bio: The pride and joy of Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki has dominated the majors since his transition from the NPB in 2001. He may be getting on in years, but he is still easily the best leadoff man in the game.
Analysis: When Ichiro inevitably gets on base, Matt McCarthy will have to be ready to gun the ball down to second quickly if we have any hopes if nabbing him.

Bryan Thomas - 1B
.262, 5 HR, 15 RBI
2, B, D, D, C, A, A, Throwing 4, Gold Glover, Barehand CTH, Star, Slap Hitter, Aggressive FLD
Bio: Thomas definitely deviates from the typical first baseman, but that doesn't mean he's any less of a superstar. Like his teammate Ichiro, although to a lesser extent, Thomas focuses on singles and doubles rather than home runs. Despite his relatively large stature, he rarely hits more than 25 home runs. He's also the best fielding first baseman in the AL, and regularly wins the Gold Glove award.
Analysis: A great fielding first baseman can make his entire infield better, so Jose Medrano and Colin Raines will have a tough time getting infield hits.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Cesario Castillo (2-3, 4.43) vs. Erik Bedard (5-2, 2.58)

Game 2
Charlie Huff (3-2, 4.50) vs. Miguel Batista (3-2, 3.04)

Game 3
Brendan Bikowski (2-2, 4.19) vs. Carlos Silva (0-4, 6.00)

Bedard is the ace over Hernandez?

May 16th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (22-19) vs. Seattle Mariners (16-25)

With the lefty on the mound, I'm starting Danny Millwood over Marcus McElroy and Roy Schapp over Derek Wayne.

Honolulu Gunmen - 0
Seattle Mariners - 2

All in all, this game was pretty uneventful and could've been much worse. We give up 8 hits between the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, but our relievers did a good job stranding their inherited runners.

Our only scoring opportunity came in the 2nd when Schapp and Bernard hit back to back singles and advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch, but Colin Raines grounded out to first to end the inning. Other than that, we never had more than one hit in any given inning.

I thought we might have a chance when Matt MacKenzie slapped a pinch hit single with one out in the 9th, but Matt McCarthy grounded into a double play to end the ballgame, giving Erik Bedard the complete game shutout.

On the bright side, we did only strike out twice.

Box Score
Win: Erik Bedard (6-2)
Save:
Loss: Cesario Castillo (2-4)
HR:

J. Medrano - 0-4, E, .318
D. Wilde - 1-4, .297
J. Hernandez - 0-3, .306
PH - M. MacKenzie - 1-1, .240
M. McCarthy - 0-4, K, .253
P. Warr - 0-3, K, .269
D. Millwood - 1-3, .300
R. Schapp - 1-3, E, .194
S. Bernard - 2-3, .285
C. Raines - 0-3, .267

L: C. Castillo - 5+ IP, 7 H, 2 K, 2 R, ER, 4.15
E. Lorrier - 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0.83
V. Trieu - IP, 2 H, 4.38
P. Casey - 0.2 IP, 6.64



Yeah, Hernandez didn't really hit ace status until 2009.

Er, I mean he won't hit ace status until 2016.

May 17th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (22-20) vs. Seattle Mariners (17-25)

Honolulu Gunmen - 3
Seattle Mariners - 0

The bats came alive somewhat in this game, but the real story was Charlie Huff, who pitched the first shutout of his young career by allowing just six Mariners to reach base all game. He also only faced 15 batters in the last five innings, as the only man to reach during that time was thrown out stealing second.

Box Score
Win: Charlie Huff (3-0)
Save:
Loss: Miguel Batista (3-3)
HR: Juan Hernandez (14), Patrick Warr (9)

J. Medrano - 1-4, R, K, SB, .316
M. McElroy - 1-4, RBI, .293
J. Hernandez - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .304
M. McCarthy - 2-4, 2B, .259
D. Wayne - 1-4, .333
P. Warr - 1-4, HR, RBI, R, K, .268
D. Wilde - 0-4, .289
S. Bernard - 2-3, .293
C. Raines - 0-1, K, 2 SH, .265

W: C. Huff - 9 IP, 6 H, 6 K, 3.67

May 18th, 2015

Honolulu Gunmen (23-20) vs. Seattle Mariners (17-26)

Honolulu Gunmen - 2
Seattle Mariners - 1

Like Charlie Huff before him, Brendan Bikowski completely dominated the Mariners' lineup, going 7+ innings and striking out five en route to his third victory of the season. Both of our runs came on a Marcus McElroy single in the 5th which scored Colin Raines and Steve Bernard. Bikowski got into a bit of trouble in the 8th, but Steve Colyer got out of the inning without a run scoring, and Rick Allen nabbed his 14th save of the year with a 1-2-3 9th.

With today's win and the Dolphins' loss, we've officially moved up to second place in the AL West at 24-20.

Box Score
Win: Brendan Bikowski (3-2)
Save: Rick Allen (14)
Loss: Gio Cruz (0-1)
HR:

J. Medrano - 0-4, .309
M. McElroy - 1-4, 2 RBI, K, .292
J. Hernandez - 1-4, .303
M. McCarthy - 0-4, K, .253
D. Wayne - 1-4, .331
P. Warr - 2-4, 2B, .275
D. Wilde - 2-3, BB, .296
S. Bernard - 1-2, R, BB, .295
PH - D. Millwood - 0-1, .293
2B - M. MacKenzie
C. Raines - 1-3, R, SB, .266

W: B. Bikowski - 7+ IP, 7 H, 5 K, BB, ER, 3.70
H: S. Colyer - IP, H, K, 3.60
SV: R. Allen - IP, 6.61

May 19th, 2015
7:30 PM
Honolulu, HI

Ah, it's been too long since I last had a day off.

Never before had I been so satisfied with not doing anything at all on a given day, despite having spent several years doing just that. The plane left Seattle for Hawaii not long after our 2-1 victory and landed in Honolulu around 11:00 (8:00 Honolulu Time). I immediately headed home and slept for a solid ten hours before getting up and leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee while perusing the newspaper. I had spent the entire day relaxing and didn't plan to change that until I went to bed.

Just as I settled in for another episode of whatever the hell I was watching (I honestly had no idea), the doorbell rang. I sighed and went to the door.

"Who is it?"
"Claire!"

I paused for a moment.

"Uh... why?"
"We're going out!"
...
"Uh... why?"
"For fun! And burgers!"

My stomach, full of frozen lasagna, groaned at the thought.

"I already ate."
"C'mon, Matty!"

I walked back towards the couch, and Claire didn't say anything else. I assumed she'd left and returned to watching TV.

Moments later, the door opened. Claire walked in.

"What the hell? How did you get in? Did I leave the door unlocked?"

Claire said nothing, instead holding up hairpin. I got the message.

"Claire... you can't just go around picking locks and walking into people's houses."
She ignored this. "You need to get out of the house once in a while, Matty!"
"I'm out of the house every day! I need to get in the house every once in a while!"

She grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. I didn't bother resisting, and she led me to her car. Opening the door and gesturing for me to get in. I thought about running for it (and making sure to get the chain lock this time) but decided not to bother. The weather's nice at least.As Claire drove, I realized I still didn't really know my way around the city.

"Where are we going again?"
"You'll see."

Eventually, Claire parked at a place called Dino's. I followed her inside, but stopped as soon as I got past the door.

"I-I thought we were going for burgers..."

Claire gave me a confused look, then realized what I was talking about. She laughed.

"Oh, well, I'm sure if you ask for a menu you can find a burger. Jeez, Matty, don't you ever think about anything but burgers?"

I wasn't sure if she was trying to be ironic, and if anyone could be that blatantly hypocritical, it was Claire. I stayed standing in front of the door.

"Well come on, Matt, over here! It's like you've never been in a bar before."
I stared. She smiled.
"It was a joke! I'm sure you were quite the party animal in your heyday!"

I didn't move. Claire moved closer, grabbed my arm, and pulled me to a spot near four others, two guys and two girls.

"Here you go, Todd! I told you I knew him!" she said to a tall guy standing a bit off to the side. He looked at me, then back to Claire.
"I guess I should've believed you," he said. Turning to me, he extended his hand to shake. "Todd Bennett. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Weaver."
I was kind of in a fog, but I eventually managed to shake his hand. "Call me Matt," I told him.
Claire interjected. "Hey, you always tell me to call you Mr. Weaver!"
Funny, I thought, with the way she ignores that, I'd assumed she just never heard it.
"Can I buy you a drink, Mr.- er, Matt?" Todd asked.
"What? Oh, uh, no thanks... I-I don't drink."
"You don't drink?" Claire asked. "Why not?"
I felt like I was being put on the spot. "I... I just don't like the taste is all," I lied.
They seemed to accept this answer, and I was thankful for that.

Claire then introduced me to her other friends. Katie, who stood to Todd's left, was short, about 5'2", and had light brown hair. She smiled and shook my hand, but stayed pretty quiet after that. To her left was Emily, a taller girl with dark hair and blue eyes. Her demeanor was friendly and kind, and she was quick to laugh. She sort of reminded me of- nevermind.

Next to her, leaning up against the bar, was Emily's boyfriend Garrett. He was tall, but not as tall as Todd, who was at least 6'3". Standing at maybe 6'0", he had brown hair a similar shade to Katie's and brown eyes. He seemed to be a bit quieter than his girlfriend, who seemed to be the leader of the two. He admitted he wasn't all that interested in baseball, preferring football and basketball, so I didn't talk to him much.

Eventually, while Claire talked to Emily and Garrett and Katie sort of watched, I was left talking with Todd. In contrast to Garrett, he was extremely interested in baseball and the Gunmen. Apparently, he'd already been to two games. We talked about the team, he asked me what I thought of the players and what it was like working with them, and what I thought we would need to do to make the playoffs. After about thirty minutes of Gunmen talk, I decided I was tired of it. Claire was clearly not about to leave anytime soon, so I decided to change the subject.

"Enough about me," I said, "what do you do?"
Todd's eyes shifted. "Actually, believe it or not, I'm a baseball player."
My eyebrows raised. "Really? For who?"
"I play for the Hawaii Stars of the PAPBC." I must have looked confused, because he elaborated. "The Pacific Assocation of Professional Baseball Clubs."
I acted like I knew what that was. "I see. So how's that going?"
His eyes shifted towards his right arm and back to me. "Eh... not so good at the moment. I'm due for Tommy John in a week. That's why I'm here in Honolulu instead of with the team in Hilo."
I didn't really know how to respond, and I wasn't particularly good at faking sympathy, so I just kind of went quiet and looked down at my glass of water. Todd continued.
"I was having a pretty good season too. At the risk of bragging, I'd have to say I was our ace."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. In three starts, I was 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA in 25.2 innings."
"Damn, that is good."
There was a bit of an awkward silence, and suddenly Claire had jumped in.
"Hey, Matty, you ready to go?"

An hour ago I'd have been out the door in a heartbeat, but I'd enjoyed talking to Todd. I quickly grabbed my copy of the bill- wait, how did I end up with the- ah, forget it. I grabbed my copy of Claire's drink bill and scribbled my phone number on the back. I handed it to Todd.

"Best of luck in your surgery next week. You should keep in touch."
Todd looked surprised by the offer but nodded. "Yes, sir, Mr. Weaver."
"Matt," I corrected. "Give me a call, let me know how rehab goes. Maybe there'll be a spot for you in the organization someday," I said with a wink.

Todd nodded, and Claire and I left the bar. She drove me back to my place, and before stepping out of the car, I turned to her.

"Please never pick the lock to my front door again."

She smiled deviously, and I headed inside, making sure to get the chain lock this time.

How does that make any sense?

I dun gettit

Regardless, lovely update as usual, dtigers

I wonder if Todd will actually make it onto the team *winkwink*

it's okay shhhhhhhhhhh

n-nice update man!

Series Preview: Kansas City Royals (21-23) vs. Honolulu Gunmen (24-20)
May 20th-22nd

Key Players:

Zack Greinke - SP
3-1, 3.63 ERA, 44.2 IP, 58 K
96, B, A, 2SFB(2), SLD(3), SCB(3), CCHG(3), w/RISP 4, Fastball Life 4, Dr. K
Bio: At the ripe age of 24, Greinke is already one of the best pitchers in the game. With a mid-90's fastball, a sharp two-seamer, and three solid out pitches, he has established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the game for years to come.
Analysis: We got to Greinke pretty good in the last series. Here's hoping we can do so again.

David DeJesus - CF
.354, 13 2B, 5 3B, 10 SB
2, D, D, B, D, B, C, Spray Hitter, 2nd Position 4, Throwing 4, Base Running 4, Gd Rain, Aggressive RUN, Gd Eye
Bio: DeJesus, age 28, is an often overlooked but steady center fielder. His speed and base running ability make him a great leadoff man, even if his hitting is nothing more than average. He also plays an excellent center field, with great range and hands.
Analysis: David has started the season with a bang, as he is second on the team in batting average (Mark Grudzielanek, .359) and first in doubles, triples, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and stolen bases.

Ross Gload - 1B
.311, 6 HR, 34 RBI
2, D, C, D, C, C, D, Clutch Hit 4, VS Lefty 5, Bases Clearer, Gd Pinch HTR, Barehand CTH, Consistency 2, Pr Rain, Aggressive FLD
Bio: At age 32, Ross has settled in as a solid seven hitter in the Royals lineup. His hitting and fielding skills are each slightly above average, and he hits lefties remarkably well, being one himself.
Analysis: With just six home runs, Gload leads the Royals in that category. This is a very lackluster offense that relies on small ball to score runs and win ballgames. If our offense shows up to play (unlike in Seattle...) we should be able to sweep the floor with the Royals again.

Projected Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1
Akinori Otsuka (2-1, 6.34) vs. Luke Miller (0-2, 11.00)

Game 2
Johnny Rivera (1-2, 3.29) vs. Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.63)

Game 3
Michael Davis (4-0, 3.60) vs. Gil Meche (1-4, 4.19)