Minnesota Timberwolves (17-29, .370, 6th NL West) @ Los Angeles Lakers (30-17, .638, 1st NL West), Game 3.
We arrive at the ballpark with the unique opportunity to sweep the Minnesota Timberwolves twice in a row – the first coming in the confines of their ballpark back in April. This is good – it’d be a nice feather in my cap and something that I can hold over Shawna throughout the remainder of the season, assuming we continue to dominate her club after this set – there is always the possibility that whatever trash I talk could backfire with a stretch of poor play or those dreaded injury woes. Either way, this should add some complexity to what is already a complicated relationship – Shawna and I are friends, rivals, and enemies – with each of those designations often creeping up in the span of a single conversation. We talk trades that never materialize, discuss metaphysics (well, she does at least), and both share a love for seafood – but what do I really know about her? What does anyone know about her? The answer, really, is… not much. Like her club that has stayed more than an arm’s length away from winning since she moved them, Shawna is a master of keeping a safe emotional distance – she’ll make you believe you are tight and then go in for the kill. You just can’t sleepwalk through anything when she is involved – and, as the owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, that means you can’t sleepwalk your way into a sweep against these guys. This is no sure thing – we’ll need to be focused here if we are to get the job done.
But first a trade… We reached a deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy today – after a ton of back and forth – where we receive SP Lee Meyers, Reliever Declan Bennett, 1B prospect Oh Hong, and SS low-key prospect Kwaku Kwaku for SP Case Tunnell, Pitching Prospects Trevor Dotson & Jared Dewan, and minor league SS Renfrew Chaille. I get a serviceable starter and a reliever I can slot into my bullpen rotation but have to give up a fan fave in Case and a pitching prospect I felt pretty good about to do so. The bonus kicker here is Oh Hong who has an outside chance of developing into something special.
48 of 162: Gregory Highman (3-2, 612) @ Michael Brisk (4-3, 2.89)
Win, 8-3. The team recovered from the news that Case was traded to our crosstown rival quickly today as we exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the second – a stretch that included a 3-run ding-dong for Joshua Newman for his second hit of the game. The good times kept rolling in the bottom of the 3rd when Dontrell Gay hit a 2-run triple that puts us up by a score of 7-0 with a ton of runway left… Ethan adds to the tally in the bottom of the 4th with a solo homer – his 8th of the season (27 RBI’s too… he’s giving Otto a run for his money this season). Minnesota would save a little bit of face before we closed the book on this series when PH Hunfredo Tavares hit a 2-run HR off of Brisk – it seems that we left him in a bit too long tonight. He went 8 innings with 5 hits, 3 earned, 5 K’s – but gave up two homers in the eighth (3B Louis Lackey drew first blood in the first at-bat of the frame). Gay & Newman each contribute 3 RBI, Ethan & Newman hit balls out of the park, Otto got a double (his only hit), and we get a hard-earned sweep as we continue to completely dominate the T’Wolves. I’ll be sending my first braggadocious text message to Shawna in 3… 2…. 1….
City of Compton… SP Newton Wiser, one of our top prospects, saw his record drop to 2-7 on the season today as our Raiders dropped a game in Seattle to the Supersonics by a score of 3-1. Newton continues to pitch well – we just can’t get him the support he needs at the plate – and went 8 strong innings where he allowed 8 hits, 3 earned and recorded 6 K’s. Sonics LF Justin Burton (who my scouts tell me is a so-so prospect with a bush league ceiling) brought in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning off a 1-run double. Thinking that a shake-up of my development staff may be in the mail – I’m not seeing my prospects develop at a clip that I’m comfortable with.
Elsewhere… Fresh off of shutting the UAA Seawolves in the final four, the University of Kentucky were at it again – this time in the final against the formidable California Golden Bears… Kentucky dominated on their way to the championship during their 6-0 win where they got a complete game shutout performance from Senior Joel Sletten and a clutch hit from the highly touted SS Toddrick Carr whose 2-run triple in the 1st gave Kentucky all the cushion they would need. This is Kentucky’s first NCAA Championship in 15 tourney appearances.
Another home set for the La La’s in on tap next as we’ll welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to town – they arrive on a 4-game losing streak and with LF Tony Voorhis in a foul mood & looking to do some damage.