The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

If you grew up a sports fanatic, which I will go ahead and assume most of you did as you probably wouldn’t be reading this otherwise, you dreamed of being the guy to hit the game winning shot, score the game winning touchdown, or get the walk off hit ensuring victory for your team. That’s just human nature, we’ve all done it. No one is dreaming of being the guy that passes the ball to the open teammate, the guy who sets the block, or the guy who draws the walk, and in turn gives someone else the glory. We dream of being the superstar that everyone talks about and envies, making more money than we could even imagine and thinking about how great our lives would be. We’re sports heroes with deep pockets, fan adulation, and not a worry in the world; what could be better than that? A funny thing happens though on the way to making those dreams a reality. We realize either we aren’t good enough and sports isn’t in our future, or we realize that after having a taste of the good life, we will do anything we can to sustain it. This brings us to the impending investigation and likely suspension of 20 Major Leaguers for their part in a performance enhancing drug scandal.

Guys like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, they’ve had these same dreams as you and I but they are part of the lucky few who actually get to realize the dream and see it become reality. They’ve had people telling them for years how good they are, how talented they are, how bright their futures are going to be. The dream is fulfilled they’ve become big leaguers; but a startling realization sets in. Not everyone is achieving this success and fame naturally. They struggle with the thought of being like everyone else and artificially gaining an edge. They know it’s not the right thing to do and it’s a mistake but then the justification sets in. If they don’t do it, someone else will, and that person could take their spot. Everyone else is doing it, why can’t they? If they don’t do it they won’t be successful and all these dreams they’ve had will never come true. At the same time though, if they get caught, people will crucify and vilify their names, knowing they had the natural talent to get to the mountain top, they didn’t need to take the shortcut. Their Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions sure, but the execution is flawed.

Everyone likes to talk of baseball as if it is the Holy Trinity of sports. It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost all rolled into one. It spans generations, bringing families and people of all backgrounds together because it’s America’s pastime. What everyone fails to realize though is that kind of thinking is just as delusional as the thinking of the athletes using performance enhancing drugs. Steroids have been the elephant in the room for years, we all know it’s there; we just never want to talk about it. We continue to watch and cheer for these guys despite what we know or believe to be the reason for the success. In the end, we as fans are just as much to blame as the athletes are. We drag them down for their bad decision making, even if their intentions are good. We crucify guys for doing something they shouldn’t, when five minutes ago we suspected it and cheered anyway. We want to celebrate championships and milestones by any means necessary because it gives us the bragging rights that our team or our guy is better than anyone else’s. Who cares how we get to Heaven as long as the end result is standing in front of the pearly gates. Just don’t be shocked when God tells you despite your good intentions, Hell is that way.

What Exactly Are We Witnessing?

What Exactly Are We Witnessing?

Transcendent- extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience

Otherworldly- of, relating to, or resembling that of a world other than the actual world

Superhero- a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers

 

Miguel Cabrera has always been one of the best hitters in baseball since his arrival on the scene with the Florida Marlins. However, since the start of last season, he has done things that are unexplainable, supernatural, mythical, etc. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you won’t even read that last sentence and think its hyperbole. The man is not human and does things that others are incapable of.

It all started last season. Cabrera began the year slow by his standards (stats most players would dream of through that point in the season), but then something happened. Cabrera’s abilities shifted into another gear and he went on a tear not seen by mere mortals in ages. Cabrera finished the year with a .330 average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBI, good for both the MVP Award and the first Triple Crown since 1967.

Summer is synonymous with a lot of things but two that stick out for the purposes of this writing are baseball and blockbusters. See, summer is when the movie studios release their big money making movies, and baseball is all about the boys of summer.

Last season the script was simple. Our hero (Cabrera) was faced with a challenge from a rookie the likes of which no one had ever seen. Like our hero, he did things others were incapable of. He also had speed and defensive abilities which no one could argue our protagonist was lacking. This aquatic nemesis known as Trout was not only a threat to the Triple Crown but there were some who felt that he deserved the MVP over our hero. The battle was intense but like all good summer movies, our hero can’t lose in the first installment. He needs to narrowly persevere and face challenges in the sequels.

Now we fast forward to this summer. Blockbuster season and baseball season are upon us again, and believe it or not our hero is on a mission to win the Triple Crown for a second consecutive year. Accomplishing this feat would put our already mythical hero into a stratosphere all his own, but what good is a hero without a villain. This year in the sequel our hero has to take down the powerful Oriole that goes by the name Davis.

The movie is just starting and there’s no telling how it will end, but I will have my popcorn ready, my feet up, and will be enjoying the ride. I recommend all of you do the same because this will be an epic fight with history at stake. My only question is, if our hero succeeds, how the hell are they going to top all of this for the third installment?

Aces Wild in 2013

Aces Wild in 2013

Coming into the 2013 season no one would have batted an eye if guys like Justin Verlander, Matt Cain, and CC Sabathia put up great numbers and led their teams on deep postseason runs. They’ve done it consistently for years now, why would this year be any different? Well, thus far in 2013, all three men are having seasons they would like to forget.

C.C. Sabathia has been an innings horse for the Yankees, and as the ace of the staff that’s exactly what he should be. Coming into this year there was a lot of pressure on Sabathia and the pitching staff because of all the injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Sabathia’s rotation mates, especially Hiroki Kuroda, have answered that call and performed well. The same cannot be said for Sabathia. He is 4-4 with a 3.96 ERA and only has 61 strikeouts. Sabathia has also seen a dip in velocity on his normally overpowering fastball, turning it into less of a weapon.

Matt Cain, while not facing a dip in velocity is also not the same pitcher he was in years past. More contact is being made and hits are finding their way through thanks to a defense that has not played well at all. Marco Scutaro and Brandon Crawford are among the league leaders in errors, coupled with the Kung Fu Panda playing third base with the grace and swiftness of an actual panda. It also doesn’t help that San Francisco doesn’t have an offense the caliber of teams like Texas or Detroit, who can never be counted out of a game.

Justin Verlander to this point in the season has a very un-Verlander like 6-4 record along with an ERA of 3.68. Recently he has been shelled by the powerful Rangers lineup and also hit around some by the pedestrian lineup of the Pirates. Having the Tigers lineup behind him and their ability to provide run support will help as the season wears on, even if Verlander continues to struggle but he, like Sabathia and Cain faces an even bigger problem than dips in velocity or bad defense.

All three of these pitchers, as stated above, are the number one guys in their respective rotations, and these are rotations that have had continued success and made deep postseason runs. The innings being pitched, along with being one year older is taking its toll on their arms. Consistently pitching between 200-300 innings a year catches up with even the best arms in the game. The overpowering nature of their career may very well be over, and only time will tell if their intelligence and ability to adapt can make up for it and allow them to have the continued success they’re used to.

The Seattle Mariners: Where Promise and Offense Go to Die

The Seattle Mariners: Where Promise and Offense Go to Die

Since the 2004 season, the Seattle Mariners have continually been one of the most disappointing franchises in baseball. In that time they have only compiled two winning seasons, and have starved a rabid fan base of a product to get behind. When trying to figure out the reasons behind such dismal performances, many come to mind, but the overall conclusion is that this organization needs a complete overhaul.

 

1.      Development

 

The Seattle Mariners have had the unfortunate honor of drafting at or near the top of the board most years. They’ve gotten to pick from the top players available year in and year out so there should be no reason why these top prospects don’t pan out for them. Also, the team has acquired some top notch prospects in trades when dumping off salary or above average players that they can get something in return for. Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak were supposed to be franchise building blocks, along with Jesus Montero who came over to the club this season. All three guys however have been absolutely abysmal. Ackley is one of the worst hitters among everyday players in baseball, Smoak has never been consistent with the bat, and Montero has been sent down to Triple A because of his inability to handle right handed pitching, along with a poor work ethic and being one of the slowest people to call themselves a professional athlete. Swinging and missing on so much young talent speaks volumes to the team’s ability to develop players. Guys like Mike Zunino, Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin, and Danny Hultzen wait in the wings for their opportunity, and for the sake of the franchise I hope the results are a lot different from what’s become the custom.

 

 

2.      Manager

 

I don’t know Eric Wedge personally, he’s probably a very nice guy, but based on his managerial track record he’s not the guy I want leading my team. Aside from one good year in 2007 when the Indians won the division and made it to the ALCS, Wedge has not been a very good manager. He does not seem like the guy who will hold players accountable and lights a fire under them to get the best results. Now, at the same token, it’s not to say that most other managers would miraculously turn this team around. There’s too much wrong here for that to happen, but a managerial change, preferably to someone who has never managed in the big leagues and has that fire to succeed and get the most out of his players could bring about some positive change for the present and then in turn the future. There’s an old adage that coaches or managers are doing their best with what was given to them, and that rings true here to an extent, but in this instance the players are doing their best with what was given to them also.

 

3.      Front Office

 

In an effort to add more power to his lineup, GM Jack Zduriencik signed Mike Morse and Kendrys Morales in the offseason. This was a huge mistake on his part as these two guys are not the type of players who can succeed at Safeco Field. Yes, Safeco Field is a cavernous desert of a ballpark, so why go about signing guys who are strictly home run hitters? Morse or Morales are never going consistently hit doubles or extra base hits, they can’t hit gap to gap, and there’s too much of a home run or bust mentality with both guys. Add in the fact that Morales has not been the same player since breaking his ankle, and you have a recipe for disaster. The team has to build its roster around the stadium in which it plays and they have done a bad job doing so. The Mariners since 2004 have compiled a .500 record at Safeco Field. While that’s not exactly something to write home about and get excited over, considering the circumstances and the talk of Safeco Field and its dimensions, they should consider themselves lucky. Also, another questionable move was the signing of Jason Bay. This is a guy whose confidence has been shot more times than 50 Cent, there’s probably no situation where he would thrive and provide results. Having watched him in New York he is nowhere near the player he used to be, and shown no signs of being able to shake off that experience and move on.

 

Despite all these problems all hope is not lost in Seattle. It’s a wonderful city that can attract free agents, they have one of the best fan bases in the game, and there are guys who can be built around in Kyle Seager, Michael Saunders, and the best one-two punch in baseball King Felix and Hisashi Iwakuma. There is talent in the minors also, as described above, but with a GM who cannot construct a team to succeed and a manager who isn’t the right fit, all these positives are moot. Change needs to happen, and quickly, if this franchise wants to return to glory.

The Future is in Good Hands...Or Should I Say Arms

The Future is in Good Hands…Or Should I Say Arms

The sports world is never in short supply of budding superstars. Whether it’s the guys who are much hyped and actually live up to their potential or unknown players seizing an opportunity and running with it, there is always new blood ready to capture the attention and love of the fans. Baseball is no different in this regard. Whether it’s a speedy outfielder, a corner infielder with power, or the guys we will be discussing today, the young left handed pitchers, there’s always someone emerging into the spotlight.

This season in baseball, a record number of players (12) are on pace to strike out at least 200 times. Never in history has there been more than one player to do so in a season. Now the odds of all 12 actually achieving this historic feat are pretty slim but we should have a new record after the season when more than one does. The reason for this is obviously that pitching is getting better, but what jumps out is the number of young, quality, left handed pitchers.

Leading the pack is perennial Cy Young favorite and young superstar ace Clayton Kershaw. Not only is Kershaw the best left handed pitcher in baseball but many would argue he’s the best pitcher period. At 25 years old he already has 2 All-Star Game appearances and a Cy Young Award, but the scary part is he is only now beginning to reach his potential. He currently leads the league in ERA and innings pitched and is tied for 3^rd in strikeouts. He is one of the few pitchers in baseball who goes out every five days and doesn’t need much run support to ensure a victory.

Madison Bumgarner is another young left handed starter, and he is a guy who doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. Bumgarner is a two time World Series Champion and is younger than Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, and Matt Harvey, all young pitchers who get much more hype. He’s been shaky his last few outings, but overall he is a top line starter for sure with command of all his pitches. He has an 11:3 strikeout to walk ratio and despite two bad starts has managed to keep his ERA at just above 3.00.

Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays burst onto the scene in 2011, making his second career start in Game 1 of the ALDS, pitching 7 scoreless innings shutting down a potent Texas Rangers offense. He entered last season with all the hype and promise in the world but managed an 11-11 record with an ERA in the high 3.00’s. This year however, it’s been a completely different story. Moore leads the league in wins with 8 and has an ERA under 2.30. With David Price not pitching well and being placed on the DL, Moore has stepped up and staked his claim to keep the Cy Young Award in Tampa.

Finally, when it comes to left handed starters, a name that cannot be left out is Patrick Corbin of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Corbin is tied for the National League lead in wins with 7 and has shown tremendous poise and command this season. He is 7-0 with an ERA of 1.44. He is not a dominating strikeout pitcher despite his performance last night where he struck out 10 Rockies but is providing proof that the future of the DBacks pitching staff is bright with an ace in the fold.

Yankee Dominance Continues

Checking in on one of the Best Teams in Baseball and How They’ve Gotten There

We are almost 40 games into the Major League Baseball season, and just like every season before it, we’ve had surprises, disappointments, rising stars, fading stars, etc. Today however, we will be discussing one of the bigger surprises of the season, the New York Yankees. Now you may be saying to yourself, how exactly are they a surprise? They’ve consistently been contenders for years. Well this year isn’t every other year.

The New York Yankees entered this season with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira all having extended stays on the disabled list. Since the season has begun they’ve added Kevin Youkilis, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, and Joba Chamberlain. So to recap, that’s their starting shortstop, third baseman, centerfielder, first baseman, catcher, replacement at third base, a back end starter, and an important piece from the bullpen. How that doesn’t devastate a team into a tailspin is beyond me. They’ve not only managed to keep their ship afloat, they’re racing ahead of everyone else and watching them get further and further into the distance. So how exactly did we get to this point?

For starters, let’s begin with the starters. The Yankees are in the top 5 of the American League in ERA thanks to a career year from Hiroki Kuroda thus far and a dominant bullpen. Sabathia, Pettitte, Hughes, and Phelps have done admirable work. Pettitte started out well and has slumped as of late and Sabathia started slow but is starting to come on and be the Sabathia Yankee fans love, even if his velocity still isn’t where it should be. Having Mariano Rivera back and as good as ever is a huge deal for this team because now everyone can slip back into the roles they are comfortable with and been successful in. They lead the league in saves thanks to Rivera; they are in the top half of the league in strikeouts, and near the bottom of the league in walks given up. With those stats, they are exactly where teams would like to be, getting outs and not surrendering free passes. Another stat that speaks to the dominance of the bullpen is the Yankees league leading 7-1 record in one run games. They have no trouble keeping a lead once they get it.

Another huge reason for the success of this team is GM Brian Cashman’s continued ability to find guys on the scrap heap or guys not getting the playing time with their team and bringing them on board, and they just put up numbers. Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, and Vernon Wells are this year’s examples. When Hafner was signed Cashman saw a power hitter who could succeed with the short porch in right field, and knowing Hafner’s injury history, told him don’t even bring a glove because we will not have you play the field. Hafner also doesn’t get many starts against left handed pitching, so he’s being put in a situation where it is almost impossible to fail. Lyle Overbay was cut by the Red Sox and quickly scooped up by Cashman for his ability to hit balls into the gap and a defensive prowess that, while it isn’t on the level of Teixeira, there is not a huge dropoff. Overbay thus far has hit 8 doubles, 6 home runs, and driven in 22 runs. Considering the early season slumps that Mark Teixeira is known for Overbay may actually be producing at a higher clip than Teixeira would have thus far. Finally, there is Vernon Wells. Wells doesn’t come cheap as the Yankees are paying 14 million to him this year and next, even after the Angels agreed to pay the majority of his salary just to rid themselves of another outfield option they would really have no use for. With Trout, Trumbo, Bourjos, and Hamilton they knew Wells would hardly ever play so when the Yankees came calling the Angels were willing to part ways with Wells, and boy has it paid off. Wells has done nothing short of resurrect his career since donning the pinstripes. Hitting just under .300 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI, Wells has been the Yankees second best offensive player behind perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano. Speaking of Cano, he could very well win that MVP Award this year as his numbers are where they usually are, and he is the rock and anchor of this team with all the injuries. New York has enjoyed a stellar run so far this year with the Knicks and Rangers both playing into the second round of the playoffs, and with the success of the Yankees to date with reinforcements on the way, there’s no reason for that to change.

Baseball Bonanza

Baseball Bonanza: Tripleheader Running Diary on a Rainy Wednesday

Welcome back everyone to a marathon day of games here on a rainy Wednesday in New York City. Starting off the day will be the Seattle Mariners visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates. We have an ace vs ace showdown as King Felix will be dueling with A.J. Burnett. Expect a lot of strikeouts and not too many runs.

-A.J. Burnett was 4-0 in interleague play last season joining Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg as the only pitchers to accomplish that feat

-Starling Marte is having a phenomenal season so far. He’s not the prototypical leadoff hitter, he doesn’t see many pitches and doesn’t draw walks, but thus far he’s been hitting the ball well.

-Andrew McCutchen who needs to pick up the slack, drives in Marte to get the Pirates on the board first. The Pirates are 10-5 when scoring 1^st.

-King Felix is not looking sharp so far but gets the double play to end the inning.

-A.J. Burnett on the other hand is looking nasty with great movement on his pitches.

-Burnett is perfect through 3 innings and has 5 strikeouts on the day.

-King Felix gets McCutchen swinging on a nasty slider. He may be coming on late with the movement and command. He’s not going to overpower anyone with velocity so the key to his starts is his ability to confuse hitters.

-Burnett with back to back walks to start the top of the 4^th to bring up Kyle Seager. If I were to ask you who led the league in RBIs on the road last year, you would probably guess Miguel Cabrera, and you would be right because let’s face it, the answer is always Miguel Cabrera. However, if I asked you who finished second, you would never guess Kyle Seager. Seager had 60 road RBIs last year, but can’t come through this time.

-Kendrys Morales, who leads the league in double plays grounded into comes up and predictably hits one on the ground towards first base. Garrett Jones couldn’t get a good grip on the ball to try and turn the double play so only the out at first is made. Will this come back to cost the Pirates? 2^nd and 3^rd two outs.

-Michael Saunders scores on a wild pitch by Burnett that almost rolls down the dugout steps and would’ve brought in a second run. Tie ball game. Dustin Ackley ends the inning with a strikeout. That’s a shocker; he’s such a hitting machine. Burnett has 7 strikeouts through 4 innings.

- Jesus Montero, who may be the slowest player in all of baseball, is making Yankees fans forget how mad they were that he was traded. Despite getting nothing out of Pineda, Montero isn’t exactly torching the league.

-Through 5 innings Burnett has 8 strikeouts. Not to take away from Burnett’s numbers but this Mariners offense is putrid. Safeco Field can only be blamed for so long when this team couldn’t score runs on a Little League field.

-Jordy Mercer leads off the bottom of the 5^th with a double. Clint Barmes comes up squaring to bunt WITH THE PITCHER ON DECK!!! What is Clint Hurdle thinking with this call? Barmes needs to be swinging away. Barmes gets two strikes failing to get the bunt down, and then proceeds to fly out advancing the runner. A.J. Burnett strikes out, followed by Starling Marte whiffing as well. Hernandez has definitely found his command and gotten better movement as the game has worn on.

-Both of these teams swing at horrible pitches and are overly aggressive at the plate. I’m not really sure how much credit we can give these pitchers considering the lineups they’re facing. Bad offense may be beating out great pitching today.

-Top 7^th Jesus Montero leading off and he drills one out to center to give the M’s a 2-1 lead. Now Yankee fans have forgotten everything else all year and are furious again that this guy isn’t in pinstripes.

-This game is putting me to sleep it’s such a mess with these hitters.

-There haven’t been any threats by either team to put another run on the board and it’s now the bottom of the 9^th. The Pirates have Travis Snider, Andrew McCutchen, and Garrett Jones coming up.

-Snider and McCutchen get out quickly, followed by a Jones single. All for naught as McKenry comes up and gets out ending the game.

 

Next up we travel to Tampa and the big orange juice carton for Toronto against Tampa Bay. Ricky Romero will be facing off against young phenom Matt Moore, who is 5-0 on the young season.

-Edwin Encarnacion continues his power surge by crushing one to dead center off Moore and giving Toronto a 2-0 lead.

-Tampa Bay comes to bat in the bottom of the 1^st and have 1^st and 3^rd no outs. Romero has absolutely no command as he loads the bases and we’re informed he’s lost 14 of his last 15 decisions. He’s good.

-Evan Longoria comes up and bloops a single to make it 2-1 Toronto. James Loney comes up and singles making it 2-2. Loney has been having a fantastic offensive year so far, and I feel bad for the few Tampa fans out there as he will be crashing down back to Earth soon.

-Edgar Gonzalez warming up for Toronto as Romero is at 25 pitches and only has one out.

-Luke Scott comes up, or as I like to call him, Wolverine. His beard and hair are to be marveled. See what I did there. He singles making it 3-2, and either Tampa is a really slow team or they just think you’re only allowed to go station to station.

-Romero is out after 1/3 of an inning and Gonzalez promptly gets 2 outs to end the inning 3-2.

-Matt Moore, for a left handed pitcher, has an absolutely terrible pickoff move. If he can get to a point where it’s even average he will be even better than he already is.

-Kelly Johnson shows some hustle in the bottom of the 2^nd and slides into 2^nd base after Rajah Davis lollygags on the bloop hit and doesn’t get it in quickly. Comes back to cost the Jays as Zobrist follows with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

-Moore has settled down nicely as we’re shown a stat that Tampa has lost 13 games after having a lead. The normally very good bullpen has been anything but this season.

-Evan Longoria crushes a 2 run home run to left just fair to make it 6-2.

-Moore is over 100 pitches through 5 innings. He isn’t giving up runs but he’s not fooling too many hitters, there’s a lot of contact being made.

-Brett Lawrie makes a phenomenal play to get the speedy Sam Fuld at 1^st.

-Jamey Wright is in for Tampa as Moore’s day is done.

-Joe Maddon gets ejected after a horrible call by an umpire, and funny thing is, it won’t even be the worst call of the night in baseball. Hi, Angel Hernandez. Maicer Izturis pulls out a great acting job making it seem like a ball hit off his foot and the ump agreeing. The ball was nowhere close to his foot.

-Kelly Johnson blasts a towering home run that almost hit the roof of the Trop.

-James Loney hits a double making it 9-2 and I’ll say it again, he’s going to crash and crash hard.

-Wolverine comes up and hits a sac fly giving Tampa a 10-2 lead.

Toronto has put across 2 runs making it a 10-4 game but that’s all they will get as the Jays end the 9^th with no threat.

Finally, to end the day we’re in Dodger Stadium for a matchup of Wade Miley and the Diamondbacks looking for the sweep against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. We get the Diamondbacks announcers tonight, as Bob Brenly and Steve Berthiaume are in the booth. Not getting to hear Vin Scully is a shame but these two guys are pretty good.

-We join this game in progress in the top of the 2^nd as it followed White Sox-Mets on Extra Innings.

-Gerardo Parra hits a 2 out double off Kershaw and he’s another guy who is having a great year thus far. If his bat keeps up and compliments his Gold Glove defense, the DBacks will go to the playoffs.

-The DBacks are making Kershaw work for his outs, as he’s at 58 pitches in the top of the 4^th but has only given up 3 hits.

-Steve Berthiaume just said that Martin Prado grew up in a baseball culture in Venezuela, as his mother cleaned houses and his brother worked at a car wash. I know it’s late and this is the 3^rd game I’ve watched but can someone please explain the correlation there.

-Now Berthiaume is calling Juan Uribe a good defensive player. I take back what I said about him being good and someone needs to call a doctor to check him out.

-Dee Gordon breaks up Miley’s perfect game with a base hit. Keep an eye on him on the bases because he certainly is Flash Jr.

-Nick Punto follows up with a double that Parra didn’t play well, allowing Gordon to score and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

-Adrian Gonzalez makes it 2-0 with another double.

-Juan Uribe swings at the first four pitches he sees, showing how great his patience is.

-Adrian Gonzalez busted his rear end to catch a foul pop up, unable to make the play though on a dive, but he is now out of the game with an apparent injury.

-Dee Gordon follows up a 2 out hit with a pickoff. Thought he had Miley timed but was wrong.

-Gordon continues the stellar play with an error that allows Didi Gregorius to reach. Paul Goldschmidt comes up and ties it at 2 with a home run. Berthiaume channels his inner John Sterling making the call “that ball is goldy, goldy, gone.” Now I really take back everything I said.

-Through 7 innings we’re tied at 2. Kershaw is at 103 pitches while Miley is at 90. Kershaw is taken out for a pinch hitter, Tim Federowicz, who cannot reach base.

-Paul Goldschmidt breaks the tie with his 2^nd home run of the game making it 3-2 and we’re treated to a 2^nd “goldy, goldy, gone” call.

-Top 9 Ronald Belisario comes in looking like Grimace with Rec Specs. He gets the DBacks to keep it 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 9^th.

-Heath Bell comes in to close the game with J.J. Putz being placed on the DL and this should be interesting.

-Skip Schumaker leads off with a double, but Bell gets the next 3 out to close the game and allow DBacks fans to breathe again.

 

Well that’s it for today; hope you all enjoyed the triple coverage. Make sure to follow the blog on Twitter @changingspeeds if you aren’t already.