The bizarre start to the AB’s season continued on last evening in Linglestown as the Wahoos finally broke spring camp, hopped aboard their rocket ship and ‘crash’ (ok, maybe the AB’s did the crashing) landed in Rascal’s litter box…. BTW, Rascal greeted his company with purrs and a kicking dump!!!

And away we go….

Game 1
Hamels v Cole… In the bottom of the first Joe Panik and Kevin Pillar crash into each other and Panik is killed for the series while Pillar gets to continue on.  So the AB’s play with a 24-man roster for the final 35 innings of the series!!!  The game is scoreless until the 5th when the AB’s get a Pillar single followed by a stolen base.  Forsythe walks; and with 2 outs, Trout reaches on an error by Soler plating Pillar.  Agone follows with an RBI single only to be outdone by a Ginger Jesus 3-run jack to cap off a 5-run inning for the AB’s.  Fowler hits a solo shot in the bottom of the frame and Edwin would double home Eaton in the 8th.  But Cody Allen comes on with 1 out in the 9th to save the win for Hamels while Cole takes a tough luck loss.  5-2 AB’s.

Game 2 delayed by Mother’s Subs.

Game 2
Scherzer v Kluber… Again the game is scoreless until the 5th when the Wahoos bust out with a Blanco walk, Crawford single, a McCann 2-RBI double, Eaton singles in a run but is later cut down at home by a Trout to Andrus to Swihart hook up…. But it’s a 3-0 lead until the top of the 8th…which didn’t end until the bottom of the 8th was over.  Look, I said it bizarre.  With two outs we forgot to have Kluber have his 5 point bump for 7 consecutive innings, so what was the final out by Parra with runners on 1st and 3rd became an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-1.  Up steps Bret Gardner who rolled a 33-0 followed by a 2nd column 7, which plated only 1 run instead of possibly two.  The AB’s went 1-2-3 in the 9th as Andrew Miller saved it for the winner Kluber as Scherzer took the loss.

Game 3
Miller v Burnett… The scene shifts to the AB’s home park and bizarre takes on a new meaning… again.  The Wahoos plate a run in the first on a lead off double by Fowler and RBI single by Abreu.  They had a BB and another hit in the inning but somehow only managed 1 run.  Trout led off the bottom of the 1st with a single and later scored on a 1st and 3rd comebacker to the pitcher by Big Papi.  In the 2nd a foul pop over by the AB’s dugout became another crash test for dummies as Agone ran over Russell Martin…. Agone left the game while Martin was done for the series.  AB’s go the rest of the game with a 22 man roster (remember Panik?).  With 2 outs in the 2nd, the Wahoos load the bases on walks; and with Arenado up, a ball bounds away from Swihart who hustles after the ball and fires to Miller covering the dish for the final out.  In the 4th Blanco leads off with a walk and tries to score on a double by Crawford, but this time it’s Trout to Russell to Swihart as Blanco is gunned down at the plate.  In the 6th, Blanco hits a 2-out double and again tries to score–this time on a single by Crawford–but is gunned down once again by Trout (3rd OF assist of the series).  In the bottom of the 6th Big Papi gets a HR turned back (+31).  But in the bottom of the 7th Kevin Pillar hits a 2nd-column solo HR for the 2-1 AB’s lead to make a winner out of Matt Thornton with a save for Wade Davis.  Burnett takes a tough luck loss.

Game 4
Salazar v Iglesias… Once again the teams remain scoreless until the 5th when the Wahoos break through with back-to-back HR’s by Soler (a -12 gift HR) and Dozier for a 2-0 lead.  In the bottom of the 6th the AB’s load the bases with a BB, BB, E3…, but the Wahoos turn a rare play double play to limit the AB’s to only 1 run in the inning.  The game remains 2-1 until the bottom of the 9th when Forsythe leads the inning off by getting plunked by Miller.  Andrus follows with a hit and run 63 single to put runners on the corners with no one out.  Trout rolls an 11-1 and Miller fails to turn it back as Mike drops his dice and makes a beeline for Rascal for comfort.  AB’s walk off with a 4-2 win to make Matt Thornton the winner again as Miller suffers the loss.

The AB’s stretch their record to 10-6… and may look for an opponent for next week.

Like I said the bizarre continued…the injuries, the rare plays, 4 Wahoos cut down at the plate in the series, and 3 timely home runs for the AB’s that basically won the series in a total team effort for the walking wounded.