OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty, Year 2: One Flew Over the Pale Hose

cknox0723 · 05-29-2006, 07:27 PM

The day of this swap of a future All-Star for a current one, the ballgame with Detroit seems almost secondary, but I guess the boys in Pale Hose missed the memo. The twenty-five year old right-hander Rich Harden has been an ace caliber pitcher ever since being acquired on July 31, '04, for a trio of prospects who have since flamed out, but he has slammed into the wall hard this year. Velocity is down, control is a bit off, and his sharp breaking pitches are as much a dullard as the inimitable ______ ______ whom I work with. This game, this outing is no different. Ramon Vazquez leads off with a single to right, Adam Kennedy strikes with a three-bagger to right-center, and Magglio Ordonez bashes a double. Just nine pitchers to only three batters, but there's a quick two runs. We add a slower two by the end of the inning and never look back behind the always-outstanding Mark Buehrle, who allows three runs over 84 pitches, only significant because nominal ace Harden allowed six runs and ten hits in three-and-a-third, half the time. Predictably, digging yourself such a hole ain't a great way to win a ballgame, and a spirited comeback against recent call-up Fabio Castro falls just a few miles short. 8-5, White side.

The next ballgame is another exercise in futility, as this time the Tigers try to win a game without scoring any runs. It fails...miserably. We don't scratch more than a few hits off over eight strong innings from another young right-hander in Beltran Perez, who had excellent command of the changeup on this afternoon delight. But we found our baby in the top half of the first inning when Adam Kennedy whacked a one-out double to right and Vernon Wells smacked a two-out ribbie base-knock over short. Jon Garland held onto her tight, tossing seven scoreless frames. How? When it's right, it's right. Perhaps any old reliever could close out a two-run lead against the clawless Tigers, but why wait until the middle of a cold dark night for the dynamic duo of Aki Otsuka and Joe Roa? They close the books on the two-zip ballgame and everything is a little clearer in the light of day, at least on this day.

We know the night is always gonna be there anyway, but maybe night will never fall on this team. Dynamic outfielder Podsednik and veteran infielder Cordero (whose 15 home runs would lead the team) and pitcher Miller meet the team back in the Second City, where the Royals are in town for a trio. Esteban, the singularly-named veteran right-hander, quickly disposes of the visitors in the first half-frame and then it is time for the new lineup to make hay against 35 year old Todd Ritchie, once a half-decent pitcher who now has a good shot at losing 17 for a second consecutive season.

So maybe that is why Ramon Vazquez draws a walk to start the home half and then ideal leadoff man Podsednik, batting second, triples into the right field corner in his first American League at-bat, making it one-nothing. Yes, it is because of the pitcher, not Magglio Ordonez, that our #3 man hits a long fly ball out to right-center to plate "Pods." And Eric Munson's four-bagger a dozen pitches and an out later ain't because he's a blue ox-man, but because the right-hander on the mound is movement-shy and gopher-prone.

Munson's prodigious two-run blast with two outs in the fifth that puts the game on five-nothing ice is certainly because of his massive biceps, though. It helps that this Ritchie fellow offers us extra helpings of hard fastballs right down center street...but these Pale Hose fellows are winning at a rate you would have scoffed at last year because they can play:

7/1/2007: L 5-4 @ TOR - RHRP J. Roa (4-3) blows one-run lead provided by PH E. Munson's eighth-inning firecracker (#13)
7/2: W 4-2 vs. TB - A third inning rain delay wreaks havoc on The Cell; we emerge victorious thanks to three strong innings from RHRP Bevis (1-2)
7/3: L 5-1 vs. TB - One pitcher allows nine hits in six innings and the other allows one, but Joe Roa (4-4) melts down in the seventh and 1B Phelps's grand slam ignites the fire.
7/4: W 5-3 vs. TB - OF Raul Gonzalez hits a third inning home run to erase a 3-1 deficit and LHRP "Wild Thing" Ankiel gets the win by tossing scoreless frames four and five.
7/6: W 4-3 vs. MIN - INF Branyan (now in AAA due to a .113/.284/.208 line in 53 AB) hits his only HR this year off of RP Beltran in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.
7/7: W 5-1 vs. MIN - Esteban carries a no-hitter into the sixth and a shutout into the ninth. He falls short once and then twice, but RF "Buddha" Ordonez's 3-run HR (12) in the fifth is enough compensation.
7/8: W 4-3 vs. MIN - Ryan Franklin, age 35, 20 starts and an 8-6 record in the last two seasons, matches the six strong innings from 29 year old Ben Sheets, 54 starts and an 18-16 mark. Rule 5 pick Beltran blows another one despite the nice ~2.50 ERA - this time the run is inherited, as PH Olivo doubles off left-hander Fultz to plate Catalanotto with one out in the eighth.
7/9: W 5-3 vs. TB - CF Wells smashes a three-run sixth-inning double in his first game with the club.
7/10: W 3-1 vs. TB - 26 year old RHSP Nannini was throwing AAA this time two months ago, but he throws a complete game, two-hit shutout and strikes out nine Devil Rays on this warm night. RHSP S. McClung is his usual wild self - this year, it has been effective (7-7 W-L, 3.11 ERA); last year he was 8-18. Three hits, four walks and three runs over six just wasn't enough this time.
7/11: W 3-0 vs. TB - They can't hit Nannini. You really think they're going to hit LH Ace Buehrle, with a career record thirty games above .500?
7/12: OFF
7/13: RHRP Calero (not pictured) went to the All-Star game and I hope he had a good time watching. CF Wells got to play a little bit, but having only three games with our club at this point, he was really a representative for Toronto. Maybe if he'd gone three-for-three and not oh-fer, I would claim him, too.
7/14: BURNISHED
7/15: day after previous
7/16: L 3-1 vs. BAL - Ace Buehrle, still miffed about missing the grandiose ballgame a few days prior, throws up a real stinker - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 R. Somehow he ends up on the losing side anyway.
7/17: W 6-3 vs. BAL - SUCK ON THAT MARYLAND ******S
7/18: W 4-3 (11) vs. BAL - And this one, too. The club's six (6) defensive changes in the eighth inning did not help down the stretch. But RHRP Bauer should not have thrown a fat one to #3 hitter Ordonez with the winning run at third in the bottom of the eleventh.
7/19: W 5-4 @ DET - RHSP Ryan Franklin (5-3, 2.97) scatters seven hits over five; RHSP Suppan (9-7, 2.76) is not so lucky - SS Vazquez's two doubles and LF Catalanotto's tater (6) were the guilty parties. LH"RP" Ankiel gets cuffed around but RHRP Roa sneaks out of the eighth with the lead and mo's 'em down in the ninth.
7/20: W 4-1 @ DET - Yet another good outing from this Nannini guy (5-2, 2.75) - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 R. 1B Catalanotto brings home two on a first-inning triple and smacks three hits in the four at-bats that follow.

Add on the few paragraphs at the beginning and you've reached the present, 7/24/2007. We are an astounding 15-3 in this July month and are six games up in the division, and a half-game above the Empire for the best record in all of baseball.

This is not a .592 team, not when they have had 18 more games at home than on the road and not when they lost 93 last year. But this is not that same lousy ballclub, either, so it would be one hell of a miserable fiasco if the threads unraveled down the stretch.

05-29-2006, 07:27 PM	#774
cknox0723 All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: NJ Posts: 1,957	first The day of this swap of a future All-Star for a current one, the ballgame with Detroit seems almost secondary, but I guess the boys in Pale Hose missed the memo. The twenty-five year old right-hander Rich Harden has been an ace caliber pitcher ever since being acquired on July 31, '04, for a trio of prospects who have since flamed out, but he has slammed into the wall hard this year. Velocity is down, control is a bit off, and his sharp breaking pitches are as much a dullard as the inimitable ______ ______ whom I work with. This game, this outing is no different. Ramon Vazquez leads off with a single to right, Adam Kennedy strikes with a three-bagger to right-center, and Magglio Ordonez bashes a double. Just nine pitchers to only three batters, but there's a quick two runs. We add a slower two by the end of the inning and never look back behind the always-outstanding Mark Buehrle, who allows three runs over 84 pitches, only significant because nominal ace Harden allowed six runs and ten hits in three-and-a-third, half the time. Predictably, digging yourself such a hole ain't a great way to win a ballgame, and a spirited comeback against recent call-up Fabio Castro falls just a few miles short. 8-5, White side. The next ballgame is another exercise in futility, as this time the Tigers try to win a game without scoring any runs. It fails...miserably. We don't scratch more than a few hits off over eight strong innings from another young right-hander in Beltran Perez, who had excellent command of the changeup on this afternoon delight. But we found our baby in the top half of the first inning when Adam Kennedy whacked a one-out double to right and Vernon Wells smacked a two-out ribbie base-knock over short. Jon Garland held onto her tight, tossing seven scoreless frames. How? When it's right, it's right. Perhaps any old reliever could close out a two-run lead against the clawless Tigers, but why wait until the middle of a cold dark night for the dynamic duo of Aki Otsuka and Joe Roa? They close the books on the two-zip ballgame and everything is a little clearer in the light of day, at least on this day. We know the night is always gonna be there anyway, but maybe night will never fall on this team. Dynamic outfielder Podsednik and veteran infielder Cordero (whose 15 home runs would lead the team) and pitcher Miller meet the team back in the Second City, where the Royals are in town for a trio. Esteban, the singularly-named veteran right-hander, quickly disposes of the visitors in the first half-frame and then it is time for the new lineup to make hay against 35 year old Todd Ritchie, once a half-decent pitcher who now has a good shot at losing 17 for a second consecutive season. So maybe that is why Ramon Vazquez draws a walk to start the home half and then ideal leadoff man Podsednik, batting second, triples into the right field corner in his first American League at-bat, making it one-nothing. Yes, it is because of the pitcher, not Magglio Ordonez, that our #3 man hits a long fly ball out to right-center to plate "Pods." And Eric Munson's four-bagger a dozen pitches and an out later ain't because he's a blue ox-man, but because the right-hander on the mound is movement-shy and gopher-prone. Munson's prodigious two-run blast with two outs in the fifth that puts the game on five-nothing ice is certainly because of his massive biceps, though. It helps that this Ritchie fellow offers us extra helpings of hard fastballs right down center street...but these Pale Hose fellows are winning at a rate you would have scoffed at last year because they can play: 7/1/2007: L 5-4 @ TOR - RHRP J. Roa (4-3) blows one-run lead provided by PH E. Munson's eighth-inning firecracker (#13) 7/2: W 4-2 vs. TB - A third inning rain delay wreaks havoc on The Cell; we emerge victorious thanks to three strong innings from RHRP Bevis (1-2) 7/3: L 5-1 vs. TB - One pitcher allows nine hits in six innings and the other allows one, but Joe Roa (4-4) melts down in the seventh and 1B Phelps's grand slam ignites the fire. 7/4: W 5-3 vs. TB - OF Raul Gonzalez hits a third inning home run to erase a 3-1 deficit and LHRP "Wild Thing" Ankiel gets the win by tossing scoreless frames four and five. 7/6: W 4-3 vs. MIN - INF Branyan (now in AAA due to a .113/.284/.208 line in 53 AB) hits his only HR this year off of RP Beltran in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie. 7/7: W 5-1 vs. MIN - Esteban carries a no-hitter into the sixth and a shutout into the ninth. He falls short once and then twice, but RF "Buddha" Ordonez's 3-run HR (12) in the fifth is enough compensation. 7/8: W 4-3 vs. MIN - Ryan Franklin, age 35, 20 starts and an 8-6 record in the last two seasons, matches the six strong innings from 29 year old Ben Sheets, 54 starts and an 18-16 mark. Rule 5 pick Beltran blows another one despite the nice ~2.50 ERA - this time the run is inherited, as PH Olivo doubles off left-hander Fultz to plate Catalanotto with one out in the eighth. 7/9: W 5-3 vs. TB - CF Wells smashes a three-run sixth-inning double in his first game with the club. 7/10: W 3-1 vs. TB - 26 year old RHSP Nannini was throwing AAA this time two months ago, but he throws a complete game, two-hit shutout and strikes out nine Devil Rays on this warm night. RHSP S. McClung is his usual wild self - this year, it has been effective (7-7 W-L, 3.11 ERA); last year he was 8-18. Three hits, four walks and three runs over six just wasn't enough this time. 7/11: W 3-0 vs. TB - They can't hit Nannini. You really think they're going to hit LH Ace Buehrle, with a career record thirty games above .500? 7/12: OFF 7/13: RHRP Calero (not pictured) went to the All-Star game and I hope he had a good time watching. CF Wells got to play a little bit, but having only three games with our club at this point, he was really a representative for Toronto. Maybe if he'd gone three-for-three and not oh-fer, I would claim him, too. 7/14: BURNISHED 7/15: day after previous 7/16: L 3-1 vs. BAL - Ace Buehrle, still miffed about missing the grandiose ballgame a few days prior, throws up a real stinker - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 R. Somehow he ends up on the losing side anyway. 7/17: W 6-3 vs. BAL - SUCK ON THAT MARYLAND ****S 7/18: W 4-3 (11) vs. BAL - And this one, too. The club's six (6) defensive changes in the eighth inning did not help down the stretch. But RHRP Bauer should not have thrown a fat one to #3 hitter Ordonez with the winning run at third in the bottom of the eleventh. 7/19: W 5-4 @ DET - RHSP Ryan Franklin (5-3, 2.97) scatters seven hits over five; RHSP Suppan (9-7, 2.76) is not so lucky - SS Vazquez's two doubles and LF Catalanotto's tater (6) were the guilty parties. LH"RP" Ankiel gets cuffed around but RHRP Roa sneaks out of the eighth with the lead and mo's 'em down in the ninth. 7/20: W 4-1 @ DET - Yet another good outing from this Nannini guy (5-2, 2.75) - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 R. 1B Catalanotto brings home two on a first-inning triple and smacks three hits in the four at-bats that follow. Add on the few paragraphs at the beginning and you've reached the present, 7/24/2007. We are an astounding 15-3 in this July month and are six games up in the division, and a half-game above the Empire** for the best record in all of baseball. This is not a .592 team, not when they have had 18 more games at home than on the road and not when they lost 93 last year. But this is not that same lousy ballclub, either, so it would be one hell of a miserable fiasco if the threads unraveled down the stretch.