Shooting Stars II vs. Arrogant Bastards

Game 1  DeGrom vs. Hamels

First four innings have hits scattered and only threat from the Stars in the first, but no ones scored. Santana with a triple, but stranded there in the third.

Top of five, Kemp lead-off homer turned back into a double. McKenry says, “OH NO YOU DON’T” and smacks a two-run shot that holds up. 2-0 Stars until the bottom of the inning in which the Bastards get two runs on a Turner double scoring Longoria and Santana to tie it up.

Morneau sacrifice fly in the 7th scores Pence for a Stars one-run lead. Bottom of the 9th, two outs: solo shot by Longoria puts us into extra innings.

Top of ten, Morneau hits a HR, TURNED back into a double.  Carpenter sacs him to third. Pedroia tries a sac attempt but a fielder’s choice results. Runner out at home for the second out. CUDDYER says that doesn’t work. Signal is given for the hit-and-run with Pedroia on first. He smacks a double scoring Pedroia and the Stars shut down the Bastards 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Stars win 4-3.

Game 2 Fiers vs. Roark

Stars bats are cold in this one with the only scoring threat in the first with two on and one out. No run production at all. Roark and bullpen scatter 6 hits and 8 Ks for the win.

Ortiz scores two runs, hits a double and a homer.  Bastards only other run was scored in the 7th by McDonald pinch-running for Panik.

Bastards Win 3-0.

Game 3 – GAME OF THE SERIES

Stars come home for the next two games. Fister and the entire bullpen are used in this 16-inning classic. The Bastards use 6 pitchers as well.

Stars get a run in the first inning with Crisp scoring on Cervelli’s fielder’s choice. Pedroia rips a HR in the 5th to make it 2-0 Stars.

Bastards get a run in the 8th to cut the lead to 1. Then with 2 outs in the 9th, Suzuki gets a single to tie the game.

Top of 11th with TWO outs AGAIN, Bastards get an unearned run to take the lead. However, the Stars tie it in the bottom of the inning with two singles by Pagan and Morneau.

Bottom of 12, PENCE hits game winning HR. WAIT, TURNED BACK. He does not score on lead-off double.

13th, 14th, 15th were non-eventful. In the 16th, the Bastards get two runs  on doubles by Suzuki and Turner and a single by Santana. Stars get a double play to end the long game.

Bastards WIN the classic in 16 innings, 4-3.

Game 4 – Stars home again – Hammel vs. Lynn

Stanton blasts a HR for the Bastards in the 2nd, but they only muster 3 hits the rest of the game. Stars get a two-run shot by Morneau and Pagan knocks home a third run scored by Kemp in the 4th.

Lynn goes 8 innings. Chapman comes in to the 9th and SLAMS the door.

Stars win 3-1.   Series all tied up going to game 5.

Game 5 – REMATCH of STARS ON THE ROAD – DeGrom vs. Hamels

Stars waste no time in this game. Cuddyer rips a solo shot in the first, followed by a double by Peralta and a TWO RUN SHOT by the “TODD FATHER”.

McKenry leads off the second with a double and later scores on a sac by Holt. Stars get three singles the next three innings and bats go ice cold.

Stanton rips a HR in the 4th to cut the lead to 4-1. 6th inning, Turner leads off with a double. Two walks later, bases loaded. Putnam records the final out by Martin and the threat ends.

Bastards get a one-out HR in the 8th. Wait, turned back, but he scores on a Stanton double. Ortiz K’s to end the 8th.

Hughes comes in to the 9th and closes it out 1-2-3 to retire the Champs’ season and record the first Wild Card Series Win for the Shooting Stars.

Stars win 4-2.

This series is the best series I have played for a long time and ranks up there with the WORLD SERIES against the Asian Tsunamis.

Both teams score 14 runs. Stars hit 8 HRs with 3 turned back; one, a game winner in Game 3. Bastards hit 5 HRs with one turned back.

Fun fact: 3 of 4 HRs turned back scored anyway. The one that did not was a game winner.

Bastards had 19 additional extra-base hits not including the HRs; Stars had just 10.
Stars K’d 45 times; Bastards 47.

Birds of Pray at Unhinged Wahoos

With a possible playoff spot in the balance, the Birds invaded Wahoo Park for an important series.

G-1 Birds jump on top in the 3rd on RBIs by Springer & Cabrera. Wahoos got one back in the 4th on a Fowler single. The game stayed 2-1 until the 9th, when the Birds’ closer took over.  With 1 out, Fowler tripled and Eaton followed with a 2-run walk-off homer giving the Wahoos a 3-2 win. Huston Street’s record fell to 0-5 with 5 blown saves.

G-2  Birds go up 2-0 in the 3rd on a G. Springer homer. Wahoos tie in the 4th on back-to-back doubles by Mesorosco and Arenado. Birds get an 8th inning run on a Prado SF for a Birds 3-2 win. After Cole hit 2 Birds in Game 1, Carrasco hit 2 Wahoos in Game 2 and Kluber hit 1, causing benches to empty. There were no ejections.

G-3  After scoring an unearned run in the 2nd, the Wahoos lead off the 4th with back-to-back homers by Encarnacion and Abreu. Wainwright gave up 4 hits & K’d 9 in a CG 3-0 Wahoos win. Wainwright allowed 2 base runners in the final 6 innings.

Birds of Pray at Eliminators

G-1  Eliminators broke up a 1-1 tie in the 5th, scoring 4 runs. The Eliminators got 3 consecutive RBI singles, from Harrison, Lucroy & McCutchen. (1st and 3rd, rolled 3 straight fielding 3 12’s!) Gausman went 7 innings, 7 hits, 1 run in Eliminators 5-2 win. C. Headley hit his 9th homer in the 9th.

G-2  Eliminators broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th with Uribe’s 2out, 2-run homer to lead Eliminators to a 4-3 win. Birds made it close with a C. Davis 2-run homer (#9) in the 9th.

G-3  Eliminators got 3 2-out runs in the 1st on RBIs from V. Martinez & Puig (2). Pineda went 8.1 innings in Eliminators 7-3 win and series sweep. Martinez drove in 2 & Puig 3. Cabrera went 3-4 with his 10th homer for the Birds.

The Birds were swept for the 3rd time in period 3.

ABs at Birds of Pray

G-1  The Birds took advantage of 2 errors in the 2nd by the Bastards to score 4 runs. G. Richards and the pen made them stand up as the Birds got a 5-1 win. Aybar had a 2-run 2nd inning double.

G-2  Bastards take a 2-0 lead on Martin and Ozuna RBIs. But the Birds fight back on Cruz and Aybar RBIs. Birds then get back-to-back-to-back 6th inning doubles from Gennett, Molina and Cruz for a 4-2 lead. Birds hold on behind Ross and the bullpen for a 5-2 win.

G-3 Bastard bats exploded for 5 runs in the 5th and 6th innings off Teheran and the pen, batting 9 men in the 5th. Trout drove in 2 with a 6th inning homer in the Bastards 6-1 win.

Ryan Gennett went 7-11 with 3 doubles & 2 RBIs for the Birds in the series.

Birds of Pray at Asian Tsunamis

Mired in a 1-8 slide with 6 straight losses, the Birds have announced the resignation of hitting coach Alan Wiggins, effective immediately. The Birds averaged 1.2 RPG during that stretch. As the Birds prepared for a road trip to the Tsunamis, they also announced that Billy Ripken was named interim hitting coach.

G-1 Y. Molina hit a 2-run homer, and R. Gennett had a pair of SFs to lead the Birds to a 5-2 win. Teheran pitched 5.2 and the pen went 3.1 innings of 1-hit ball. W.Ramos hit a 2-run homer for the Tsunamis.

G-2 C. Davis and Melky Cabrera went a combined 6-10 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs to lead the Birds to an 8-4 win. Davis and Cabrera hit back-to-back homers in the 2nd. Grandal had a 2-run double and Seager doubled & homered for the Tsunamis.

G-3 E. Aybar homered to open the first and V. Worley went 8 IP, 8 hits 3 BBs & 8 Ks to lead the Birds to a 4-1 win and series sweep. The Tsunamis scored in the 8th on a 2-out Rollins single.

Birds claw back to 44-44.

Starting Lineup