Salt Lake Alpines (18-12, .600, 2nd AL West) @ Portland Pioneers (19-11, .633, 1st AL West)
With ourselves and Salt Lake picked to finish in the rear with the gear by the preseason punditry, that we both find ourselves at the top of the pops, the class of the AL West with the first full month of the 2085 campaign already in the rearview, is something of a surprise. So, if those BNN predictions are to be believed, then we’re both living on borrowed time, and this set could go a long way in determining which one of us gets to keep borrowing it for a bit longer.
Here are the projected pitching matchups, our pitchers listed first:
RHP W. Macomber (3-1, 2.61 ERA) vs LHP W. Winston (2-1, 3.25 ERA)
RHP D. Hornbrook (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs RHP Q. Sieg (1-3, 6.07 ERA)
RHP H. Wilson (2-2, 4.91 ERA) vs LHP B. McElheny (3-0, 1.27 ERA)
#31: Loss, 8-9… our 2-run rally during the bottom of the 9th fell just short as Alpines Reliever, Troy Green, managed to dial it in for the save after giving up a 2-run TANK to Leo Bullock. Wyatt Raphael hit one out and tallied 4 total RBI but we’d not have enough to overcome a poor start from Macomber, who allowed 7 earned over just 3.1-innings of work.
Elsewhere: Mexico City’s
SP Patrick Torres went the distance against Austin, tossing a complete game, 3-hit, 2 earned start with 13 K’s as his Jaguars dispatched the Grackles by a score of 3-2… Austin Starter,
Alfred Adcock, went 8-innings for the Grackles, allowing only one earned run with 8 K’s before CL
Noah DiMaio blew it for him.
#32: Loss, 1-5… it would seem that whatever good fortune and luck has led us here has come due and that we’re behind on the karma payment plan. Here our suddenly beleaguered staff would come undone during the top of the 4th when Salt Lake’s LF
Bakari Konate hit a GRAND SLAM off
Hornbrook, dismissing him early after just 3 complete innings with 5 bad ones charged to his account. Even our 3 DP’s wouldn’t be enough here as our starter just couldn’t keep it in the park, allowing 2 homers on the day.
Elsewhere: 1B Paulo Legna, a 1x Boyce Rigg winner who’s posted 200+ hits in a season twice in his career, secured his 2000th hit during a 2-for-3 day that included 1 RBI during what would be recorded as a 5-3 loss for his Pittsburgh Pipers against the Philadelphia Liberty. The 10-year vet who went to the Bush League after going undrafted has quietly amassed some great career numbers. Oh, and speaking of the Bush League – both the BL and the Western Bush started their season’s on the first…
RF Shock Vaugn, currently putting in work with the
Lackawanna Lickers of the BL, went 4-for-8 with 4 solo homers during a tilt against the Naperville Nibblers. His club would eke out a 7-5 win on the back of that
otherworldly performance. Shock’s 4 HR game is the 3rd in BL history with the last one coming nearly 40 years ago when a guy called
Isaak Thursby did it.
Isaak was a good little player – spent most of his career in Dallas, made 5 all-star teams, before becoming a Bush League legend over a 6-year period.
#33: Win, 8-5… we’d get some sweet, sweet revenge on the back of a near-miraculous 5-run, bottom of the 9th punctuated by a 3-run walk off homer courtesy of
Leo Bullock that sent the hometown faithful off into the night, buoyed for their journey home by that satisfying feeling of seeing your hometown club snatch victory form the jaws of defeat.
Angel and
Frodo each hit two-baggers, we secured a well-fielded,
Raphael-Alford-Marino DP, and would get 3, 2-out RBI in this one coming through in the clutch to get it done.
Elsewhere: Our own
SP Waldo Long, currently plying his trade with the 3A Eugene Ducks, twirled a complete game masterpiece, allowing just 1 hit and 1 BB while fanning 10 during a 4-0 victory over the Windsor Whistlers. Like, he’s ready now – I just don’t have the room. I might look to move
Bernal Sanchez or
Hank Wilson… maybe for low-key catching prospect or a couple of arms for the development system.
Record: 20-13, .606, 2nd AL West
Up Next: We’ll await the arrival of the Seattle Metros for a 3-game set in Pendleton Park.