[pauwoo]

Seattle Metros (18-20, .473, 4th AL West) @ Los Angeles Leopards (23-14, .621, 1st NL West)
After missing the playoffs in 2077, Seattle went to their 8th postseason in 9 seasons last year, reinserting themselves into the perennial contender conversation, and righting the wrongs of the fateful tricentennial campaign. And, after winning it all in three of their last 8 postseason appearances, it’s safe to say that the Metros are looking to extend their run as a playoff boogeyman as long as possible. So far this season, their prospects for doing so look slightly grim as their offense has sputtered off the line, currently ranked at 7th in the American League with a 10th ranked OBP, OPS, and in Home Runs. If their offense can find a way to solve our top-rated staff over these next three games, or, really, just find a way to play at the level of their own staff (ranked 4th in the AL), then they might look back on this series as the turning point in what has, thus far, been a ho-hum campaign.

38 of 162: Pappy Kincaid (0-0, 0.00) @ Masaya Nakagawa (2-0, 1.17)
Win, 9-3. Clinging to a 5-3 lead heading into the last couple of frames, Otto, superstar that he is, would put this one well out of Seattle’s reach with a GRAND SLAM during the bottom of the 8th that widened our margin to an insurmountable 6 runs. In total, Isaac went 2-for-4, with that SLAM, 5 RBI, and a couple of runs of his own. We’d round it out with 3 doubles for the club, a solid, 5-inning, 3-earned night from our starter, and another rabble-rousing victory in front of the hometown faithful. Seattle’s Lonzo Gonzo was their lone bright spot – 3-for-4 with a solo shot and a run for the fastest guy to never have led the league in steals… they really need to turn him loose while they still can.

39 of 162: Thomas Ortega (2-4, 2.70) @ Dwight Beasley (3-2, 3.66)
Win, 8-2. Here we’d transform into a double machine with run-scoring doubles for OH HONG, DOM, PEPPER, and Ono coming in at an Oprah-esque frenzy (EVERYONE GETS A DOUBLE!) and bury the Metros before they’d even have a chance to make a game of it. Dwight put together a quality start – 7.1 innings of work, 1 hit, 2 runs (a 2-run blast, courtesy of Norris Flaherty muddied up his clean sheet), 7 K’s and his 4th win while Armendariz closed the show, allowing 1 additional run on 3 total hits during his 1.2 innings of work. Turns out that this set will most assuredly not be the turning point Seattle hoped it would be.

40 of 162: Nick Rich (0-0, 0.00) @ Stephen Estevez (4-0, 0.99)
Loss, 5-2. Nick Rich cashed in on a great pitching performance – 6-innings, 5 hits, 2 earned, and 6 K’s – to lead his beleaguered Metros to a much-needed victory and capitalized on our inability to take advantage of the opportunities we afford ourselves as we let another potential sweep slip from our grasp. Errors for Holmes and Weaver played right into Seattle’s hands, Estevez allowed a season-high 4-earned over 6-innings, and we’d leave 10 stranded as the Seattle staff were able to settle into the game, keeping us off-balance throughout.

Record: 25-15, .625, 1st NL West
Up Next: We’ll spend the next 4 days in Austin, Texas enjoying the local music scene, the BBQ, and locking horns with the Grackles at Dell Stadium.