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luckymann · 06-10-2021, 08:25 AM

Virginia Fury (40-42) @ Washington Grays (41-41)
Capital Field – Washington, D.C.; 7.05 pm
WASH: Camilo Pascual (6-3, 3.29)
PORT: Bob Caruthers (2-7, 3.95)

Good evening one and all, welcome to PBLTV’s Game of the Week, I’m your host Nik Hill coming live to you from Capital Field in Washington, D.C.. It’s sure nice to be back.

An East Division top-of-the-table clash for your viewing pleasure tonight as the Washington Grays host the Virginia Fury, a rivalry they have already tagged as “The Civil War Part 2”. Tonight will be the 11th time these two teams have met this season, and the contest is split five apiece. More to the point, the Grays hold a one game lead over the Fury after a tight and hard-fought 3-2 win last night in the division that is proving easily the tightest of the four.

Two extremely different pitching styles on show in this one as the hard-throwing Cuban Camilo Pascual takes on the guileful Bob Caruthers. Pascual has been good so far this year, going 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA, while Caruthers has struggled to get it going and I’m sure he’ll be looking to turn that around tonight. Interestingly, despite their diametric approaches these two pitchers both have 46 strikeouts in the season so far, which goes to show there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat.

Our on-field reporter Juliana Scott is back as well, and she’s got Grays skipper Dusty Baker with her. Jules, over to you.

Juliana Scott Thanks Nik, indeed I do have Dusty Baker with me, thanks so much for giving of your time.

Dusty Baker: No problem whatsoever.

JS: Your team had a fantastic first month and looked ready to street the other three sides in your division, but you’ve cooled off considerably since and now find yourselves in a divisional dogfight. What did you have back then that you seemed to have lost now, and how do you get it back?

DB: Ahh, therein lies the great mystery of baseball management, Juliana. If I could figure that out this gig would be the easiest job in the world (laughs). The way I see it, the worst thing that can happen for a young group is early success. You just start thinking it’s all too easy when that happens. Look at the Fury now, they had a terrible time of it early and now they know how hard it is to win one ballgame, let alone enough to take the division and beyond. Our boys are learning that now, and I guess all I can do is try to make sure they do so in as short a time as possible.

JS: How do you go about doing that?

DB: It’s all about getting the right attitude and going about your business in a way that’s going to increase your chances of success. Like I said, that’s something we are learning, but it takes time. Time and practice. Crawl before you walk before you run, if you know what I mean.

JS: A lot is being made of the rivalry between yourselves and the Fury, how if at all does that come into your preparations for these games?

DB: I’ll be straight with you, Juliana, I’m not a fan of the whole Civil War reference—I think that is a part of our history that is best forgotten. But sport is just about the most tribal thing there is outside of war itself, so I understand the need to make it seem that way. We know that both history and geography but us in direct opposition with the Fury more than any other team, and that as a result there’s going to be heightened emotions involved when we face each other. But aside from that, I look at them as just another team who wants what we want and is standing in the way of us getting it.

JS: It’s fair to say your pitching is causing you more problems than your offence. You’ve got a bunch of really good prospects currently being deployed in your bullpen. When do you flick the switch and put someone like a Schilling into a starter role?

DB: That’s another really challenging part of this whole caper. You want to be competitive at all times, but what our franchise is more interested in is prolonged success. Putting some of these guys in before their time is just the wrong move. I’m not even sure it would improve us in the short term, but I am certain it would hurt us in the long. We’ve got certain guidelines within our program for developing these guys at what we believe is the right pace to develop them to their full potential, and we’re determined to stick with them, even if we are struggling in these first few seasons. It isn’t just pitching, either. We’ve got perhaps the best prospect in the entire league in young Ruth, but he’s hitting a buck and change. So increasing his gametime isn’t going to help him as much as it could hurt him. So we’re happy to nurture him and others like him so that in a couple of years they are ready to roll.

JS: Thoughts on tonight?

DB: Caruthers is due a good one. He’s been pretty unlucky from what I’ve seen. So we’ll need to be patient and wait for our pitches, and we need to be better in the clutch. We outhit them 15 to 5 last night and still needed 12 innings to sneak home.

JS: Great, thanks again Dusty and best of luck for tonight.

DB: Thanks Juliana.

JS: Back to you, Nik.

Thanks Jules, and thanks Dusty. I agree that Caruthers has been a bit hard done by to this point. I think we’re in for a tight tussle tonight. Back in a minute to see if I’m right.

TOP 1ST
No runs on one hit for the visitors.

BOTTOM 1ST
Caruthers starts with a 1-2-3 frame.

TOP 2ND
A two-out hit by Spalding leads to nothing.

BOTTOM 2ND
Singles to Bonds and Dihigo and a sac fly by Yaz get the hosts a run to pen the scoring.
Washington 1, Virginia 0

TOP 3RD
Pascual is lucky as he gives up a walk and two singles but the Fury fails to cash in.

BOTTOM 3RD
Caruthers gives up a two-out hit to Wheat who then swipes second, but he fans Rose to get out of the inning.

TOP 4TH
Three up, three down for Virginia.

BOTTOM 4TH
Nothing doing for the home team. Both hurlers looking strong so far.

TOP 5TH
A great defensive play in RF by Gwynn robs the Fury of a certain run.

BOTTOM 5TH
Caruthers sets them down in order.

TOP 6TH
The pitching duel continues as Pascual records a clean inning.

BOTTOM 6TH
10 retired in a row now for Caruthers, but his side needs a run. Preferably more.

TOP 7TH
The Fury mounts a two-out rally putting men at the corners, but pinch-hitter Buddy Bell can only ground out to short.

BOTTOM 7TH
Yet another 1-2-3 inning for Caruthers, who has allowed just three hits.

TOP 8TH
Pascual rides his luck again as, after Beltran rolls into a DP to cancel out Kinsler’s leadoff single, Damon doubles for the 20th time this season but is stranded there when Murray grounds out to first.

BOTTOM 8TH
16 down in order now for Caruthers, but his side has just three remaining outs to avoid wasting his fine effort.

TOP 9TH
And waste it they do, as Pascual finishes off an 8-hit shutout with a clean inning and the Grays take the win.

BOTTOM 9TH
X

Washington 1, Virginia 0 (final).

WP: Camilo Pascual (7-3)
LP: Bob Caruthers (2-8)
POTG: Camilo Pascual 9 IP / 8 H / 0 ER / 3 K.

Well there’s no justice in baseball sometimes is there? She can be a cruel mistress indeed. Caruthers pitched a gem tonight, but his teammates’ bats had frostbite and he is forced to cop a tough loss. Pascual was fantastic as well, but there’s no doubt if this was a boxing match Caruthers would have won it on points.

We get to see more of the Fury next week, this time as they travel to face the Kansas City Blues at Easton Ballyard. Hope you can join us then, have a fantastic week in the meantime. On behalf of Juliana Scott and myself, goodnight and thanks for watching.

06-10-2021, 08:25 AM	#214
luckymann Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 13,715	Game of the Week – Sunday, July 2 1961 Virginia Fury (40-42) @ Washington Grays (41-41) Capital Field – Washington, D.C.; 7.05 pm WASH: Camilo Pascual (6-3, 3.29) PORT: Bob Caruthers (2-7, 3.95) Good evening one and all, welcome to PBLTV’s Game of the Week, I’m your host Nik Hill coming live to you from Capital Field in Washington, D.C.. It’s sure nice to be back. An East Division top-of-the-table clash for your viewing pleasure tonight as the Washington Grays host the Virginia Fury, a rivalry they have already tagged as “The Civil War Part 2”. Tonight will be the 11th time these two teams have met this season, and the contest is split five apiece. More to the point, the Grays hold a one game lead over the Fury after a tight and hard-fought 3-2 win last night in the division that is proving easily the tightest of the four. Two extremely different pitching styles on show in this one as the hard-throwing Cuban Camilo Pascual takes on the guileful Bob Caruthers. Pascual has been good so far this year, going 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA, while Caruthers has struggled to get it going and I’m sure he’ll be looking to turn that around tonight. Interestingly, despite their diametric approaches these two pitchers both have 46 strikeouts in the season so far, which goes to show there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat. Our on-field reporter Juliana Scott is back as well, and she’s got Grays skipper Dusty Baker with her. Jules, over to you. *Juliana Scott Thanks Nik, indeed I do have Dusty Baker with me, thanks so much for giving of your time.* Dusty Baker: No problem whatsoever. JS: Your team had a fantastic first month and looked ready to street the other three sides in your division, but you’ve cooled off considerably since and now find yourselves in a divisional dogfight. What did you have back then that you seemed to have lost now, and how do you get it back? DB: Ahh, therein lies the great mystery of baseball management, Juliana. If I could figure that out this gig would be the easiest job in the world (laughs). The way I see it, the worst thing that can happen for a young group is early success. You just start thinking it’s all too easy when that happens. Look at the Fury now, they had a terrible time of it early and now they know how hard it is to win one ballgame, let alone enough to take the division and beyond. Our boys are learning that now, and I guess all I can do is try to make sure they do so in as short a time as possible. *JS: How do you go about doing that?* DB: It’s all about getting the right attitude and going about your business in a way that’s going to increase your chances of success. Like I said, that’s something we are learning, but it takes time. Time and practice. Crawl before you walk before you run, if you know what I mean. *JS: A lot is being made of the rivalry between yourselves and the Fury, how if at all does that come into your preparations for these games?* DB: I’ll be straight with you, Juliana, I’m not a fan of the whole Civil War reference—I think that is a part of our history that is best forgotten. But sport is just about the most tribal thing there is outside of war itself, so I understand the need to make it seem that way. We know that both history and geography but us in direct opposition with the Fury more than any other team, and that as a result there’s going to be heightened emotions involved when we face each other. But aside from that, I look at them as just another team who wants what we want and is standing in the way of us getting it. JS: It’s fair to say your pitching is causing you more problems than your offence. You’ve got a bunch of really good prospects currently being deployed in your bullpen. When do you flick the switch and put someone like a Schilling into a starter role? DB: That’s another really challenging part of this whole caper. You want to be competitive at all times, but what our franchise is more interested in is prolonged success. Putting some of these guys in before their time is just the wrong move. I’m not even sure it would improve us in the short term, but I am certain it would hurt us in the long. We’ve got certain guidelines within our program for developing these guys at what we believe is the right pace to develop them to their full potential, and we’re determined to stick with them, even if we are struggling in these first few seasons. It isn’t just pitching, either. We’ve got perhaps the best prospect in the entire league in young Ruth, but he’s hitting a buck and change. So increasing his gametime isn’t going to help him as much as it could hurt him. So we’re happy to nurture him and others like him so that in a couple of years they are ready to roll. *JS: Thoughts on tonight?* DB: Caruthers is due a good one. He’s been pretty unlucky from what I’ve seen. So we’ll need to be patient and wait for our pitches, and we need to be better in the clutch. We outhit them 15 to 5 last night and still needed 12 innings to sneak home. *JS: Great, thanks again Dusty and best of luck for tonight.* DB: Thanks Juliana. *JS: Back to you, Nik.* Thanks Jules, and thanks Dusty. I agree that Caruthers has been a bit hard done by to this point. I think we’re in for a tight tussle tonight. Back in a minute to see if I’m right. TOP 1ST No runs on one hit for the visitors. BOTTOM 1ST Caruthers starts with a 1-2-3 frame. TOP 2ND A two-out hit by Spalding leads to nothing. BOTTOM 2ND Singles to Bonds and Dihigo and a sac fly by Yaz get the hosts a run to pen the scoring. Washington 1, Virginia 0 TOP 3RD Pascual is lucky as he gives up a walk and two singles but the Fury fails to cash in. BOTTOM 3RD Caruthers gives up a two-out hit to Wheat who then swipes second, but he fans Rose to get out of the inning. TOP 4TH Three up, three down for Virginia. BOTTOM 4TH Nothing doing for the home team. Both hurlers looking strong so far. TOP 5TH A great defensive play in RF by Gwynn robs the Fury of a certain run. BOTTOM 5TH Caruthers sets them down in order. TOP 6TH The pitching duel continues as Pascual records a clean inning. BOTTOM 6TH 10 retired in a row now for Caruthers, but his side needs a run. Preferably more. TOP 7TH The Fury mounts a two-out rally putting men at the corners, but pinch-hitter Buddy Bell can only ground out to short. BOTTOM 7TH Yet another 1-2-3 inning for Caruthers, who has allowed just three hits. TOP 8TH Pascual rides his luck again as, after Beltran rolls into a DP to cancel out Kinsler’s leadoff single, Damon doubles for the 20th time this season but is stranded there when Murray grounds out to first. BOTTOM 8TH 16 down in order now for Caruthers, but his side has just three remaining outs to avoid wasting his fine effort. TOP 9TH And waste it they do, as Pascual finishes off an 8-hit shutout with a clean inning and the Grays take the win. BOTTOM 9TH X Washington 1, Virginia 0 (final). WP: Camilo Pascual (7-3) LP: Bob Caruthers (2-8) POTG: Camilo Pascual 9 IP / 8 H / 0 ER / 3 K. Well there’s no justice in baseball sometimes is there? She can be a cruel mistress indeed. Caruthers pitched a gem tonight, but his teammates’ bats had frostbite and he is forced to cop a tough loss. Pascual was fantastic as well, but there’s no doubt if this was a boxing match Caruthers would have won it on points. We get to see more of the Fury next week, this time as they travel to face the Kansas City Blues at Easton Ballyard. Hope you can join us then, have a fantastic week in the meantime. On behalf of Juliana Scott and myself, goodnight and thanks for watching. Attached Images __________________ HISTORICAL DO-OVERS A'S RED SOX DODGERS CUSTOM SAVES ECLIPSE LEAGUE MOON SHOT LEAGUE EVERYMAN LEAGUE LGB USBA Last edited by luckymann; 06-10-2021 at 08:38 AM.