posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 1:36 AM
by
Jim
Second game, second string
It's a good thing today's game against the Twins is on the road, because I'd feel sorry for fans in attendance.
Try selling this idea:
*Nick Masset! starting against
the team that routinely whips him.
*Toby Hall! in place of A.J. Pierzynski, with a day game after a night game.
*Brian Anderson! taking Paul Konerko's place in the lineup with Nick Swisher moving to first.
*Orlando Cabrera! (although he did snap an 0-for-18 slump
Tuesday night).
*Juan Uribe! and his .160 average.
*Jermaine Dye! in all his post-groin injury glory.
They'll take their hacks against Nick Blackburn, who did a good job keeping the Sox's good lineup in check
the last time.
Anybody want to try predicting the score? I'm going to say 8-2, Minnesota.
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Mark Gonzalez caught up with Alexei Ramirez after
Ozzie Guillen called him out following Monday's non-game, and if you can find reasons for encouragement, please share.
The key quote:
"I'm being aggressive. I'm not going to change the way I've played since Day 1 of spring
training. That pitch was a fastball I was looking for and I missed it.
I'll keep being aggressive."
And the thing is, he should. Right now, it looks like he's approaching major-league pitching like I'd take a multiple choice test in German. If I understand one of the options, and it seems to jive with my comprehension of the question, I'm probably going to go with it, even if I've had five "C"
Antworten in a row.
Likewise, if he gets a pitch he's looking for, even if the situation doesn't call for him to swing, he probably should hack. Somebody with his understanding of the strike zone and big-league breaking balls -- like someone with my severely limited understanding of Deutsch -- probably shouldn't pass up an opportunity when we actually have better than a snowball's chance of getting it right.
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Minor league roundup:- Charlotte 3, Norfolk 1
- Lance Broadway pitched eight strong innings,
with the only run coming on an Alex Cintron solo homer (go figure).
Five hits, no walks, six strikeouts, 13 groundouts to five flyouts.
- Brad Eldred hit a two-run homer, his fifth; Josh Fields went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jerry Owens went 0-for-2 with two walks, but was caught stealing for a third time.
- Potomac 1, Winston-Salem 0 (Game 1, 8 innings)
- Michael Dubee pitched a complete game, with a two-out single to Elijah Dukes ending the night. Six hits, no walks, six K's.
- The Warthogs only had two hits, with Adam Ricks and Lee Cruz owning one apiece.
- Potomac 3, Winston-Salem 2 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- The Warthogs lost a no-hitter. Here's how it went down.
- Matt Zaleski threw five shutout innings.
- Potomac scored three in the sixth on an error, two walks, a wild pitch scoring one, an intentional walk, a walk scoring one, and a fielder's choice.
- Matt Long was charged with all three runs, though one was earned. He didn't retire a batter.
- Sergio Miranda went 2-for-3 with two RBI; C.J. Retherford had two hits, but also the error that started the rally.
- Lakewood 5, Kannapolis 4
- Johnnie Lowe saw a good start spoiled, throwing six shutout innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six.
- Wander Perez was charged with three earned runs without allowing a hit, thanks to two walks and a hit batter.
- Sergio Morales went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles; Christian Marrero and John Curtis had two hits as well.
- Birmingham OFF