New York Jets (19-18, .514, 3rd AL East) @ Los Angeles Lakers (23-15, .605, 1st NL West)
There was a guy, an underwater guy who controlled the sea, got killed by ten million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey… Which is it anyway? New York or New Jersey? Let’s be honest, folks, those 8 miles make a world of difference. The Jets aren’t average – they’re quite good… when they’re at full strength. Right now, they are not at full strength as their best player, 2B Rich Hamilton, has a couple of weeks left on the IL as he recovers from a fractured wheel. The 5-time Boyce Rigg recipient’s absence has been felt defensively – the Jets are ranked 9th in defensive efficiency without him in the lineup – but, offensively, not so much… The Jets are doing just fine in that department. 1st in runs scored, OPS, wOBA, Ding Dongs, and 2nd in OBP. Where they’ve struggled a bit is in the pitching department where they rank 10th as a unit and only have one starter with a sub-4.00 ERA. They’re treading water here – content to just stay afloat long enough to allow Hamilton to heal before making a run at Chicago & Jacksonville. Let’s not get carried away though, even at full strength it will be a difficult slog to catch up to either of those clubs – but not impossible. They find themselves four games off the pace and in our house against a version of our club that has been sub-par, lethargic, and, at times, just plain out of sync – a good opportunity for New Jersey’s finest to make up some ground in the AL East…
39 of 162: Kevin Hothan (4-1, 6.08) @ Case Tunnell (5-0, 3.91)
Win, 7-6… A slugfest – Zarate is the man of the match with a 2 for 4 performance that includes a homer, an RBI, and three runs, and Larry Williams hit a 2-out Grand Slam in the bottom of the 8th that all but sealed the deal for us. Of course, the deal would not be done until Barbaccia came in to attempt the save – he performed admirably… 13 pitches, a ground out (double play alert!), and a flyout. Good stuff from him. Pepper finished 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI in his return to action – his back is spasm free… finally, and Otto went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a walk (we’ll take it). The not so good – Case gets shelled for 6 runs over 5 innings – he did get 8 K’s though. We survived the rollercoaster ride through and eked out a win – so, that’s cool, we’ll take it. Also… HAMZA ALERT – the man, the myth, the mustached legend finished 1 for 3 with a 3-run homer, 2 walks, and an error… killer ‘stache though.
Elsewhere: Your boy, Adrian Bae, got the start today for the Hagerstown Hummers as they were in Naperville to pay the Nibblers a visit in some Bush League action… it went a’ight – he didn’t exactly light the world on fire, but he did finish with 5.1 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned, a couple of free passes, 6 K’s, and the W… all in a days work. I’m dangerously close to buying out his contract – I can use a guy like him in my bullpen. However, house rules, man… I must let the ballad of Adrian Bae play out the way the OOTP Gods intended with minimal interference. Plus, he really styles that Hagerstown kit, doesn’t he? My man looking CRISP out there.
40 of 162: Ferdie Acker (2-3, 6.39) @ Phillip King (3-3, 2.75)
But first… what kind of name is Ferdie?
From the Spanish Ferdinando, a name of uncertain origin and meaning. It is thought to be of Germanic origin composed from the elements frithu (peace), and fardi (journey), or ferchvus (youth, life) and nanths (courage), nanthi (venture, risk), or nand (ready, prepared). Win, 9-5…
PEPPER!!! 2 for 3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs, and a walk for your boy – stylin’ & profilin’. Ethan went 3 for 5 with a HR, Newman finished 2 for 4 with a double and 3 riblets, Otto scored a couple of times (and stole a bag), we got two DP’s, and only struck out 3 times as a team – all killer, no filler. King pitched well – 5 innings of work, three get across, 6 are sent back to the dugout with their heads hung low – and the bullpen, well, they sucked – they just didn’t suck hard enough to lose this one for us. Don’t get me wrong – they tried, just weren’t successful. Our bullpen is clown shoes… I really need to buckle down and make some trades.
41 of 162: Cliff Slavinski (4-4, 3.41) @ Nat Millard (2-1, 2.86)
Win, 4-3. Nat wasn’t great – I hope he’s not trying to pull a Kawka on me, man. Can’t have that. He went 6, gave up 3, K’d 5… not terrible, but not exactly lights out either. Otto goes 2 for 3 with a couple of runs, Larry Williams drive in two, and NYJ reliever Noah Zuech walks in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th –
SWEEP CITY! Super weird way to get the sweep, but when the broom comes out, do we really care how the dirt finds its way under the rug? The answer is no. No, we do not.
Elsewhere… Today marked the first day of the NCAA tournament… Some teams to watch (of those who won their first-round games)… the University of Alaska Anchorage (just because I went there for a year before transferring elsewhere), Purdue (because they upset a #1 seed (NC State… buh-bye), and the University of Washington (because we want to see them lose spectacularly in their 2nd round match-up against Clemson)… also, Polk Community College (Panthers reppin’ for Al Bundy fans everywhere) are still in it – so, neat…