MarVa Conference - Game 3
Game 3: Norfolk Cavaliers @ Balitmore Barons
Pregame News: I have been toying with who I should start in game 3, Hollis, Brown, Pearson, who? Iemochi had solid success agains the Barons in game 2, so shoudl I go with my other lefty Hollis? Not yet. I think I will save Hollis for game 4. I am going to give the ball to playoff rookie Paul Brown. Brown has been amazing the 2nd half of this season and I have faith he will be able to shut down this Barons lineup... The lineup for the Cav's will be adjusted for game 3... Francisco Gallegos will be playing first-base batting 3rd, John O'Donegan will be shifted from the #3 slot to the #6 slot in the order and Bernardo Velez will be batting 9th playing 2B. Reyes and Hamer will not start this game, and Galvez will move from 1B to LF. Trying to find a spark, we need to score some runs. We face off against Mike Pye who we had good success against this season, so hopefully thats a good sign.
Inning 1:
Top: Mike Pye sets us down 1-2-3, the only close call was a Gallegos fly out to deep center. Very routine inning.
Bottom: With two outs, Kent Davis dumps one into LF, but is gunned down at 2nd, by Sergio Galvez.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 0
Inning 2:
Top: 2 ground outs and strike out, another 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom: Taylor walks to lead off the inning, goes to second on a ground out by Collins. Taylor moves up to third on a ground out by King, but is stranded there.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 0
Inning 3:
Top: A strike out sandwhiched around two ground outs, and another 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom: Carpenter walks with 2 outs, then is gunned down trying to steal second.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 0
Inning 4:
Top: With one out, Wally Lambert doubles to right, for the first Cav's hit and baserunner. Gallegos strikes out. Brock reaches first, moving Lambert to third on an error by 1B King. Janchez flies out too center ending the inning.
Bottom: Martinez singles to start off the inning. Davis grounds out moving Martinez to second. A wild pitch moves Martinez to third.
Mike Taylor hits his 3rd HR of the series another blast, 438ft over the left-field wall, scoring Martinez. The next hitters are retired, but the damage has been done.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 2
Inning 5:
Top: O'Donegan walks, but is quickly erased by a Dooley hitting into a DP. Gomez singles to left with two outs. By Velez goes down swinging.
Bottom: Odom leads off with a single up the middle. After 2 K's, Carpenter singles to right, moving Odom to third. Martinez flies out too left.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 2
Inning 6:
Top: Galvez walks to lead off the inning, Lambert grounds out to second on the hit-and-run, moving Galvez to second. Gallegos and Brock strike out.
Bottom: Taylor doubles to right with one out. Brown strikes out the next two.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 2
Pitch Count:
NFK: Paul Brown: 106 pitches, 14 stamina
BAL: Mike Pye: 90 pitches, 12 stamina
Inning 7:
Top: Janchez grounds out...
SUBSTITUTION: Alejandro Diaz hits for O'Donegan... Diaz pops out, Dooley grounds out.
Bottom: Odom singles to right to start off the inning. Duke hits into 4-6-3 DP. Thompson flies out.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 2
Thoughts: We are making Pye look like an all-star, he has good ratings, but we beat him up during the regular season. Maybe if we could get to the bullpen we would have some better luck... Its getting frustrating, becuase I know we are better than a 2 hit per 7 inning team...
Inning 8:
Top: Gomes goes down swinging...
SUBSTITUTION: Pinch-hitting for Bernado Velez is Mauro Candelaria... Candy K's. Galvez pops out.
SUBSTITIONS: Yoo-hyun Kim replaces Paul Brown on the hill. Henry Hamer comes into to play left, Galvez shifts to first, Gallegos sits down. Candy stays in to play 2B.
Bottom: Kim gives up a lead off single to Carpetner. Martinez then doubles, moving Carpetner to third.
Kent Davis singles to right, scoring Martinez and Carpetner. Kim retires the next 3 learing Davis at second.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 4
Inning 9:
Top: Lambert K's...
SUBSTITUTION: John Heath replaces Mike Pye on the hill for the Barons... Hamer grounds out. Brock strikes out. Game set match.
Norfolk 0, Baltimore 4
W: Mike Pye (1-0)
L: Paul Brown (0-1)
HR: Mike Taylor (3)
POG: Mike Pye: 8.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K
My Thoughts: This was an embarrassing game for the Cavaliers and they better be ready to come out and win tomorrow. 2 hits? 4 base-runners? This offense is just awful right now, against an pitching staff that shouldn't mow us down like this. It seems for the third year in a row the Barons are stepping it up and the Cav's are crapping the bed... Janchez .100, O'Donegan .143, Dooley .091... all 3 of these guys should be hitting the ball better, O'D and JJ came into the playoffs "hot"!... Frustration is mounting here in Norfolk, that is for sure... Mike Hollis better have his A-game tomorrow.
Delaware Conference - Game 3
Many experts will be talking about this game for a long time and the Braves Manager Mal Gentry will be questioned with his decisions of going with starter Andres Gonzalez instead of closer Arturo Herrera (42 for 46 in saves this year). For whatever reason, the call came in and they Braves bullpen just couldn't get the job done giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Gonzalez gave up 2 hits and one 1, Will Wilson gave up a hit and a run, and Dennis Marshall gave up a hit and a run... all while closer Herrera sat in the pen anxiously... was it the situation? The 8th inning? Gentry just not ready to bring in their one inning closer? Whatever the reason it back-fired. As the Clippers scored 3 runs with 2 outs in the 8th to take the 2-1 game lead.
W: Hector Santos (1-0)
L: Will Wilson (0-1)
S: Willard Green (1)
HR: LEW: Leonard Davis (1), MLF: Pat Shelton (1)
POG: Jorge Moran (Lewes Braves): 6.0 IP, 3 H, R, 4 BB, 6 K
Gonzalez was charged with a blown save, allowing 2 hits, a run, and an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.
Side Note: Arturo Herrera is nationally and locally "disliked" I have never seen that before, found it pretty funny.