Suns lose decisive Game Five

Before we start, I likely will not be doing a post on Ohio State's 66-0 blasting of Kent State.
Since Saturday was so busy (more next week), I didn't see the game as I badly needed the rest and considering the score, I doubt if I watch the tape,

The Hagerstown Suns had a chance to give the hometown "crowd" a rarity-as in not just a championship, but a title on home ground.
The Suns fell short in the decisive game five as they lost to the Asheville Tourists 4-1 at the Muni.
This post will cover the three home games at the stadium, where the Suns lost two of the three (winning game four, but losing the third and fifth games).
I am planning a post soon that looks back at the season with some scouting reports on players and maybe some memories from the season.
But that's for later.


1) I was decidedly unimpressed with the umpiring in this series throughout all three games.
It didn't decide the series on one play, but they were consistently missing calls for both teams every night and don't get me started on the strike zones.
If this is the best crew that the league could assemble, I wonder how bad some of the others were throughout the season...

2) OK, Get me started on the strike zone.
I would make a real case that this series was decided in game three when the Tourists defeated Reynaldo Lopez in large part because Lopez lacking his best stuff simply could not get any call on his curve.
That changed the game as Lopez had to become fastball dependent and gave up three runs including a long homer to Jordan Patterson.

3) The Lopez loss then meant the Suns were in a position of having to win back to back games started by Travis Ott and Nick Pivetta and that was simply unlikely to happen against a team the quality of the Tourists.
Ott pitched passably enough in game four in his two and two thirds even he did allow two homers, but he did work his way out of a bases-loaded situation in the second without allowing a run.

4) The Sun's bullpen had been an Achilles Heel all season, but in the three games here, the Suns' relievers allowed just one run and that was a run allowed in game three by Nick Lee after the Tourists already had a sizable lead.
Excellent work by an often questioned unit.

5) Jake Johansen's outing in game four in relief of Ott was the underrated point of that victory,
The hard-throwing, but erratic Texan fired three and two-third innings and allowed just one hit in keeping the Suns close as the team teetered close to elimination.
Johansen may have had a disappointing season, but he showed the potential to have a future in the bullpen and came up huge when the Suns needed it most.

6) I've been to a lot of games at the dreary and crumbling Muni and most of the time, it's the same regulars watching the game, but I have never heard a roar like I did when Cody Dent's three-run homer to right field cleared the wall.
The old stadium was trembling from a nice, but not packed crowd and it was the moment that I want to remember from the 2014 season.

7) As excited as I was to have game five and a chance to win the series, I was not confident by any means.
That was mainly because Nick Pivetta was getting the start.
I know some think Pivetta is a prospect because he made the All-Star team, but Nick Pivetta is the prototype reason that smart baseball people don't look at wins as a top pitching statistic.
When Pivetta pitched this season, you had to count on scoring four (and usually five) runs or more to win the game.
I don't consider a pitcher like that in the South Atlantic League to be a prospect.
Pivetta did what he usually did (four runs in five innings) and on this night- the Hagerstown offense could not pick him up.

8) I mentioned this point earlier in the series, but I still never understood the reasoning behind starting club handed Carlos Lopez at first and the usually dependable Jimmy Yezzo at DH.
Lopez made some errors during the series and not that Yezzo is Mark Grace at the sack, but he was far superior to Lopez around the bag.
When you could flip the pair's position and still had the same lineup, I wonder why that was done.

9) When you have four umpires, you shouldn't miss a home run call.
In-game three, the umpires did just that in the ninth inning as Wilmer Difo's shot cleared the first level of the fence for a homer and yet the call was a double.
At the right-field wall at the Muni, the wall is separated so the visiting team's relievers can walk under the wall to reach their bullpen, If the ball hits above that point,, the ruling is supposed to be a home run. It did and it wasn't and I might have been the closest fan to the play.

10) Craig Manuel returned to the team to catch the final two games after Spencer Kieboom injured himself stealing a base in game three.
Rather attempting to steal a base that is as the slow booted Kieboom was out by the proverbial country mile, was injured on the play and then was removed from the game for Austin Chubb after the play and Manuel for the series.
As much as I like Craig Manuel personally, Spencer Kieboom is the superior bat, even if he may be the inferior defensive catcher.
Offensively, the Suns certainly took a hit in the batting order without Kieboom.

11) I picked Asheville to win the series because of their superior sticks, but give their arms some credit too.
Konner Wade beat the Suns twice and never allowed a run in either start, while Zach Jemiola came into game three with a plus-five ERA and definitely the B-Side to Reynaldo Lopez and fired a gem over eight and one-third innings.
When Lopez was not as his usual form and the absence of Lucas Giolito (more on that soon), the Sun's advantage on the hill for the season disappeared and they were never going to have the hitting edge not with...

12) Patrick Anderson's insistence of playing David Masters at shortstop was basically giving Asheville an out each time at the plate.
Anderson often used Wilmer Difo at short during the season with Brennan Middleton at second.
Now Middleton is not a prospect or exactly Robinson Cano (.253 O HR's) in the lineup, but compared to the anemic bat of Masters (.182 O HR's), the Suns gave some outs away during this series.
When the casual fans are groaning each time that Masters name was announced, you know you have problems.
It almost came across as the Nationals brass wanted to see Masters play and told Anderson so.

13) I did like Anderson's handling of the pitching staff in the series.
He didn't leave a pitcher in that was getting hammered and wasn't afraid to go to the pen early either.
Anderson's removal of Travis Ott in game four after allowing two homers and a 3-0 deficit saved the game for the Suns in the third inning.
Anderson's decisive decision kept his team in the game before things got out of hand, which it seemed was precariously close to happening.

14) Now to the big question-Lucas Giolito.
Would the Suns have won this series with the righthander making the start?
Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say yes, but you have to think a Giolito start rather than two Nick Pivetta starts would have increased their chances.
I'll get into the whys and wherefores on the Nationals in my season-ending Suns review, but the parent club's cap of Giolito at 98 innings was ridiculous.
I see no correlation in injury between 98 innings pitching and 108 for a season even considering Giolito's past Tommy John surgery.
They could have easily told Patrick Anderson that he could have Giolito for ten innings in the playoffs (Greensboro and Asheville) to be used at his discretion, Whether he wanted to use them in two five-inning starts or a shorter mix from the bullpen.

15)   Finally, the better team won.
Asheville just has more talent as their top six hitters in the batting order last night all are of super to decent prospect status-I really like Jose Briceno's arm behind the plate, David Dahl is putting things together off an injury-plagued 2013 and Raimel Tapia looks to have plenty of tools for a 20-year-old.
In comparison, the Suns really had just three in Rafael Bautista, Wilmer Difo (who was my surprise of the season) and Drew Ward (so young playing the entire year at 19 that I might even return him to Hagerstown to start next year) and frankly I might take any of the Rockies six over any of the three Suns as prospects.
The Suns needed to outpitch Asheville and get some luck, they just couldn't get enough of either...

Back later with the New Orleans Saints in Cleveland...

Suns crushed in Asheville

I was going to wait on a post on the SAL championship series between the Hagerstown Suns and Asheville Tourists and just post a short review of the game from the radio from the two games in North Carolina.

However,considering that the Tourists slammed their way to a 14-0 lead and eventually cruised to a 16-7 win and a one game to nothing lead,I'll pass on a review,but I will add some thoughts on the series which features the best two teams in the SAL.
Editor's Note;Most of this article was written before the Asheville 16-7 win on Monday.
That isn't always the case in minor league playoffs as teams that win first halves often aren't the same team by seasons end after promotions and injuries take their toll.

The Asheville Tourists were the top overall team in wins this season in the SAL South and made a key move late in the season that upgraded their lineup and might have tipped the scales in any potential series-They demoted David Dahl back to Asheville after Dahl performed well there earlier this year.
Dahl performed reasonably well at High A Modesto,but was demoted in a surprising move.
Parent clubs rarely give that much credence to minor league playoffs,let alone care enough to drop a player of Dahl's talent,so I was surprised that the Colorado Rockies did that.
The Rockies also kept top prospects in the SAL all season in Ryan McMahon,Raimel Tapia,Jose Bricano and Correlle Prime when a valid case could be made that any or all could have been moved higher in the system and Colorado even quickly accelerated the movement of 2014 first rounder Kyle Freeland to Asheville as well.
So these Tourists are talented,can the Suns hang with them in a best of five?

Short answer? Yes.
The pitching for the Tourists is good not great and it will depend on that.
Asheville has their own phenom or their Reynaldo Lopez,if you will in Antonio Senzatela and he could possibly pitch in either game 4 or 5 as would the aformentioned Freeland.
Game one features Asheville's Connor Wade vs Nick Pivetta and that's an even match,
Game two might be the most interesting and pivotal matchup as the Tourists throw their Pivetta in Johendi Jimenan (lots of wins,average ERA) against the erratic Wander Suero.
Despite the home field advantage,I firmly believe the Suns need to win one game in North Carolina to win the series.
Hagerstown sends Reynaldo Lopez against Zach Jemiola (9-10 ERA over five) in game three,so you have to think the Suns look good there.
No starters have been announced in the event of a 4th or 5th game.

Prediction time.
I like Asheville.
I'd love to pick the Suns and I'll be rooting hard for them,but Asheville is the better hitting team and without Lucas Giolito,the pitching is closer than it was during the season.
Go ahead and hate me,but I like Asheville in 4.
Hope I'm wrong....

Suns win SAL North on an old time night!

The Hagerstown Suns traveled to Greensboro needing to earn one win on two games to move on and reach the South Atlantic title series for the second season in a row.
Hagerstown did the job in one as the Suns broke a 2-2 tie with one run in the eighth and then three more in the ninth for a 6-2 win.
Reynaldo Lopez struck out ten over six innings to befuddle the Greensboro sticks and left the game with a 2-0 lead,which the Hagerstown bullpen gave back in the seventh,
Hagerstown will move on against either Asheville or Savannah in the next round.
Asheville leads that series one game to none and leads game two 2-1 in the eighth inning in a game suspended from last night.
That game will be completed today at four o'clock.
If Asheville holds on,the series ends there,if Savannah can come back and win that game,a deciding game three will follow tomorrow night...

However,the more interesting thing about last night was a throwback to the past last night.
When you are my age,you tend to look back fondly on the days of untelevised games with a bit of nostalgia and in a day that sees almost everything on television,it was pretty quaint to have to follow a game via the ear.

Don't get me wrong,there are few more enthusiastic fans of the television packages than I,but occasionally it's quite a blast to listen to a game like the old days.
It wasn't that Eli Pearlstein was like listening to Vin Scully or Marty Brennaman or anything and it was not like this game was the shot heard round the world either,but I had forgotten what it was like to listen to a game at home.
Now I enjoy listening to a game in the car and sometimes I listen to a West Coast game at work,but at home there are so many alternatives to pass the time as you listen.
I spent the time working on the Browns preview that I put up earlier tonight,played some baseball on the ps3 and hunted all over the house for a Shawn Armstrong All-Star card (don't ask),but I could have done even more.
I could just see myself practicing a putting stroke,filing some cards away on the floor or even lying on my old bedroom floor tossing a ball into my battered Chris Chambliss first baseman's mitt.

Radio is the true home for baseball fans because the game is made for it.
All the things that the casual or non-fan of the game complain about on television is exactly what makes it a perfect fit on radio or whatever version that you use in this day and age.
Complaints that the game is too slow,takes too long and drags along is exactly what makes it so great to listen to.
Imagine kicking back on a cool summer night on a back porch listening to your game of choice and doing something,anything as you do it?
Now I couldn't enjoy that because of my previously noted nitwit of a neighbor,but I could in the past.
I remember quite a few nights in the past at the old apartment,dragging a sleeping bag out and spreading it out on the back terrace (trust me,it wasn't half as ritzy as that sounded) with a radio set up in Ryan's bedroom window (it was right behind the "terrace") to the Oriole game,so we could root against the evil locals.

Last night was kind of a return to those nights.
Cherie was in and out of the living room,listening here and there and Rachel was listening in her own room (As I saw on Twitter) and that made me feel good knowing she cared enough to listen.
 I must admit I remembered listening to games with two others and it was a nice memory of listening to games growing up with my brother and then later with Ryan as he grew up.
Talking the game,arguing about sports and who was better than who and generally spending time together,getting to know each other better and bonding through a game.
Few things are better than that....

Back tomorrow with the review of the Ohio State game against Virginia Tech....

Agony to Ecstacy! Hagerstown wins game one!

For eight and an half innings,the evening at aging Municipal Stadium the mood was ill mannered.
Bad lineup decisions,a severe lack of clutch hitting,oily politicians showing up and a fielding error at the wrong time all contributed to the Suns trailing 2-0 and down to their final two outs.

But before we go to the end,let's set up the deficit as Greensboro scored two runs in the fifth on a single,a dropped ball by first baseman Carlos Lopez,a strikeout that turned into a base off a passed ball and then another hit.
The Hoppers looked ready to rip this game wide open,but a sacrifice bunt moved runners to third and second with a out
Brian Anderson was intentionally walked (first one of those I've seen this year) to put lefty Justin Thomas against lefty swinger Felix Munoz.
Munoz hit a shallow fly to left fielder Narciso Mesa,who threw out the tagging J.T. Riddle at the plate and keep the game manageable at 2-0.
That play might have been what saved this game for the Suns.

A leadoff routine fly by Carlos Lopez saw me turn to Cherie and say "one down" until centerfielder Yefri Perez misplayed it for a three base error.
Lopez was plated with the Suns first run after a Jimmy Yezzo chopper to first,but the Suns still faced being behind by one run and down to their final two outs with light hitting David Masters to the plate with his three strikeouts on the evening.
Masters somehow worked Tyler Bremer to a walk and Wilmin Rodriquez drove a double over the head of left fielder Mason Davis,who was not playing a no doubles defense with Masters scoring the tying run from first base.
Rafael Bautista then knocked a grounder through Bremer right up the middle with Rodriguez,who was running on the pitch,scoring easily with the game winner!
David Napoli was the winner after a scoreless ninth,with Bremer getting the defeat.
Hagerstown now needs only a split in Greensboro to move onto the SAL Championship series.

A few bullet points from the game

1) Wondering why Patrick Anderson started Carlos Lopez at first base and Jimmy Yezzo at DH?
Yezzo is the better defender of the two and spent more time at the position this season.
This was a thought before the game and after mentioning it to Bill Cover,a few innings later Lopez dropped a ball thrown right to him and that runner scored an unearned run...

2) I know David Masters worked a walk and scored the tying run,but he looked overmatched in the three at bats before (all strikeouts) and I wondered why he wasn't pinch hit for.
Worked out in the end,but why Masters and not one of Brennan Middleton or Cody Dent?
When you look at the Suns and how they have used infielders at multiple positions this season,that change could have easily been made.

3) The Suns were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position before the game winning hit by Rafael Bautista and stranded runners at third in the seventh and eighth with both of them being the leadoff batter in the inning.
Better late than never when it comes to clutch hitting....

4) I've often been critical of the Suns bullpen,but on this night,the pen kept the team in the games with five scoreless innings of work.
Justin Thomas threw the first three and worked his way out of two jams that could have essentially ended this game early.
Very nice work.

5) I had noted in my preview that I was afraid of the starters returning to the 2012 series between these two teams and for most of this game,my worries were warranted as Esteban German was outstanding in allowing four hits and no runs over his six innings.
German looks to be quite a prospect and what most impressed me was his changeup,which had the Suns baffled and often way out in front.
Keep that name in mind....

6) The night didn't start wonderfully as Mayor Dave Gysberts threw out the first pitch and danced around in Rocky fashion with his arms waving.
I'm not a fan of politicians at games anyway,particularly those that worked so hard to smooth the trail for the team to leave town.
If you work against the team,please have the courtesy to stay the hell away from the stadium...

7) In closing,the few hundred fans left received a memory that they won't forget with the ending of this game.
We made the old field rock tonight and I'm proud of that.
Hagerstown,you don't know what you have missed in the last two seasons.
I'm pretty lucky to have taken part.....