Los Angeles Lakers (6-2, On Road: 3-1) @ Montreal Impact (6-5, At Home: 5-1),
Game 5, Series tied 2-2
While I wanted a stroll through the Parc du Portugal to be the daily ritual that carried me through a 3-game sweep and series win over the Montreal Impact, I’m forced to abandon it after being gutted in extras last night. So, instead, I head out for a stroll through Mount Royal Park with Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain blasting through the ol’ earbuds. By the time the opening bars of “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks” starts to play I’m starting to get some go in my step again, and when “Super Stoopid” drops, I’m ready to get my swerve on – head back to the park and let the chips fall where they may. I’m resolved to go in expecting the best, but fearing the worse… With Brisk and his 7.00 ERA on the mound, it can be difficult to shake the evil that was his last performance and think positive. The Brightside, I suppose, is that after only going 2 innings in his last start, a completely disastrous performance, he should be well-rested. When I arrive in the clubhouse to find him preening in front of a mirror, I tell myself that he’s over that start and ready to start anew. We’ll also need Otto to break out of his 2-game mini-slump and go gonzo in this one, we’ll need Ethan to improve upon his already good .281 average, and we’ll need Pepper to be a lot better than the .188 batter he’s been lately. This one is a must-win – a game where we need to play Laker baseball set the tone, and dictate the pace. If we don’t, we’ll need all that plus a little bit of luck to represent the NL in the 2075 World Series.
Michael Brisk (1-1, 7.00) @ John Aivazian (1-0, 5.40)
Brisk deals a leadoff walk then fails to hold Cleveland Hunter at 1st two pitches later – and just like that we have no outs and a man in scoring position… Nehemiah Jenkins gets us on the board in the top of the 2nd – his RBI single to the gap brings Zarate home, Clay Daniels follows it up a couple of batters later with an RBI Sac Fly that brings Kyle Weaver home – a nice 2-run inning that will hopefully provide a good enough cushion for Brisk to settle into this one. We’d add some padding to the cushion when Newman, getting slotted in at leadoff for the first time this series, hits a 381ft solo shot to right field – 3-0 lead now… Ruben, with a little of that rinse, wash, repeat action, hits a 398ft bomb in the top of the 6th to put us up 4-0 – we are getting it done in fits and starts against Aivazian today. Montreal would break through in the bottom of the frame – Sammie Fregoso hits a nice RBI single before Brisk gets himself out of the jam – why’d I trade that guy again? We go up 5-1 on an INSIDE-THE-PARK home run for Zarate – his 2nd of the game, in the top of the 8th – WOW – a great day for Mr. Zarate – get that man some poutine! We’d pull Brisk in the 7th after he gave us a 1-run, 6-hit effort and hand it off to, umm, Kawka – who, to his credit, mows them down and gets two K’s during the bottom of the 8th. Ethan breaks out of his mini-slump with a solo shot in the top of the 9th to put us up 6-1, and Skip elects to leave Josiah out there to close it out in the bottom of the frame. GULP. He walks the first batter – I’ve bitten my fingernails down to the quick – there is a lot riding on this… the game, our season, my ability to ever listen to Maggot Brain again… Next batter, Fregoso, hits a double – runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs, 5-run lead… Furst drops one in over the head of our second baseman – RBI Single, 4-run lead now… still no outs – Skip yanks Josiah, I guess I don’t need to stab him with my swiss army spork in the clubhouse after the game – unless the replacement, Adrian Bae, manages to mess this up. He gets a line drive for out #1, a K for out #2, and an easy pop out to close the show. Adrian Bae is getting his number retired and Ruben never pays for a meal in LA again. Don’t like it? Fight me.
