Blazing Glory: A RTTS Dynasty (MLB 09: The Show)

[Eaglesfan27]

August 4, 2009 -

A few weeks ago, I was being considered for a promotion to our Triple A team and was sure to be named to the Eastern League (AA) All Star Team. Then, I felt the twinge in my arm as I threw that curveball. Suddenly, I found myself on the DL for 15 days and then another 15 days. I couldn't stand being idle so I decided to start this journal which will track my career highs and lows. I'll put down my monthly totals/season totals in here as well as the big moments. It's early August and my team, the Altoona Curve is in 1st place and since I'm coming back from this injury, my manager is using me from the bullpen for the first time in a month. I'm 9-2 with a sub 2.00 ERA coming into this game. Hopefully, this first performance back is as good as my last few where I had a 6 game win streak going.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 6, 2009 -

I'm starting to wonder if the skipper didn't really mean it when he told me to take as long as I needed to recover from that injury. I don't think he is trying to work me back into the rotation after all. I seem to be relegated to the bullpen after being so successful as a starter. My first apperance back didn't go well as I allowed 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings which raised my ERA to 1.64. Hopefully, this appearance will go better. I'm coming into the game in the 5th with no outs and men on 1st and 2nd.

My heater got me out of trouble as I struck out 2 and popped up the 3rd batter. My pitching coach says I rely on it too much, but when I get it cranking up to 97mph, it is hard not to rely on it. Coach says that my arm will get stronger too since I'm only 18. He also tells me I need to really work on my control of my changeup and curve.

Maybe coach is right, guys smacked my heater around the next inning. I just don't have the movement I had on it before the injury. Hopefully, it comes back to life soon. After giving up 2 runs this inning, it is my last. 2 At least I didn't get the loss and our team came back to win it. Maybe coach is right about the need to develop my other pitches.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 9, 2009 -

Not the most glamorous outing, but I got my 10th win today in my 3rd consecutive relief appearance. This time I pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing 2 runs but my team scored 6 while I was in the game and we won it 9-5. I struck out 2 and walked 1. My ERA has now risen up to 1.94 after being in the 1.4 range pre-injury. I hope I can get my mojo back.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 12, 2009 -

My first loss in months as I pitched my best game yet of the month, but gave up 2 runs in 4 innings from the pen. Portland beat us 2-1 as a result. If Johnny, my catcher, hadn't allowed 2 passed balls, I never would have given up those runs. He is the only guy playing really bad defense on the team and I'm hoping we get a new guy back there soon. I did so much better when I was a starter, I'm going to talk to the skipper and see if he'll move me back into the rotation. He agrees to get me back into the rotation. Hopefully, that will get me back on track.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 18, 2009 -

Starting today against the Harrisburg Senators. They have one of the best power hitters in the league, so I'll have to be careful against Mario. A nice 1-2-3 inning in which I didn't let them hit it out of the infield. Good start, it feels good to be back in my natural role.

A great throw from my right fielder and an excellent tag by Johnny prevents them from scoring in the 2nd. A rough inning, but I got out of it unscathed.

In the 3rd inning, I got my 2nd hit of the year, but my teammates failed to knock me in. After an uneventful 3rd, I give up 2 runs in the 4th on 1 hit to deep right. That ties the game at 2. Embarassingly with 2 outs, I let the pitcher get a hit that gives them the 3-2 lead.

Things starting going well, until Mario burnt me for the 2nd time today with a another 2 run double in the 6th. Not a good start for me today as I only lasted 5 2/3 and gave up 5 runs. Only 3 of them were earned. Still, I get my 4th loss for a 10-4 record now.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 24, 2009 -

I'm back! My first career complete game and my first career shutout! I didn't get a bunch of strikeouts today with only 2 K's, but I listened to coach and really worked guys with my curve and changeup to just get them off balance. Coach tells me this was the lowest percentage of Fastballs thrown since my 1st 2 starts of the year. I only allowed 5 hits and induced 4 groundball double plays today. I only threw 93 pitches and my arm feels great. Guess we'll see how it feels tomorrow. The Baysox lost the game 7-0. We are now 3 games up.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 29, 2009 -

Woody Keller pissed me off today. He was calling bullshit behind the plate. He robbed me on too many calls to count. He personally helped get guys on 1st and 3rd with no outs in the 2nd with 2 BS ball calls that allowed 2 men to get on base. I struck out the next 2 batters before a flare off the end of the bat drove in a run. While I was stewing about that, the next hitter got a strong drive into the gap to bring in a 2nd run. I got the next guy to pop up to my 2nd baseman.

He continued to call BS balls in the 3rd, but I didn't let that stop me from striking out 2 more guys. But, then he called some more BS balls and I walked another guy. He isn't giving me any of the corner calls. Still I kept myself under control and got the next guy to ground out. In hte top of the 4th, my teammates got a 3 run homer to give me some breathing room.

My guys got me a bigger lead, 5-2, going into the 6th. I started feeling the burn in my arm during the 6th, but I had an uneventful inning. In the 7th, it was really burning and I knew I didn't have much left but I retired the side in order. A strong 7 innings pitched when my manager called it a day for me. I tied my career high with 7 strike outs, but I also set a new career high with 4 walks. I allowed 2 runs on 5 hits.


The team is now 78-55, 4 games ahead of the Senators.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 3, 2009 -

Today, I pitched against the Akron Aeros. We had already clinched a playoff birth. They have 2 of the best sluggers in the league. Last game, I got 3 of my strikeouts on changeups and I'm really starting to trust it now.

Started off the game with 4 perfect innings and I could feel my blood starting to really pump. My heart leaped when Honus Foreman, the team's leading HR hitter, hit one that was deep enough but barely wide of the left foul pole. I struck him out on the next pitch with a knee high fastball. 5 perfect innings..

Struck out 2 and popped up the last guy for a perfect 6th. It felt hard to breathe at this point. In the bottom of the 6th, my guys finally got me 2 runs.

First pitch of the 7th, Inoue, my third baseman, with a diving catch to stop a line drive down the line! Struck out the 2nd hitter in the 7th with an inside fastball. Inoue with a solid play to get the 3rd out. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest at this point.

2 routine ground balls to start the inning. 2 outs.. 2 strikes.. 2 balls.. I decided to try to sneak the back door curve in.. and he laced it to left field for a single. So deflating.

Got the next guy to ground out to 2nd.

With a 2-0 lead, the skipper told me to pitch a 1-2-3 9th. I did it with 8 pitches that didn't get hit out of the infield! My teammates mobbed me as this win clinched the division title. It was a disappointing game in one aspect, but still a thrilling result and my best career start even though I only struck out 4.

[Eaglesfan27]

The regular season is over. We won the division with a 84-58 record. We'll be playing the Harrisburgh Senators in the 2nd round.

My 13 wins was 2nd in the Eastern League. I didn't pitch enough innings apparently to qualify, but my ERA would have been 1st. The highest qualifier had an ERA of 2.45. Mine was 1.90 in 132 IP. My 2 shutouts were tied for the league lead as was my 2 complete games. My 73 strikeouts were tied for 48th.

My full statline on the year:

1.90 ERA, 13-4 record, 124 hits, 132.1 IP, 73 K, 13 BB, 1 HR allowed (note: I'm playing All-Star level and have power for Human and CPU hitters bumped up a notch along with pitching control down 3 notches and reliever endurance down 3 notches, and pitch consistency down 1 notch), WHIP 1.04, avg vs LHH of .217, vs RHH .268, 28 ER, 38 R, 26 GP.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 10, 2009 -

We were down 2-0 in the series as I took the mound for the 3rd game in the series. In the 3rd inning, Inoue bobbled a double play ball and it cost us a run as we went down 1-0.

Got into trouble in the 5th when I allowed a flare and then a hard hit into the gaps to get men on 2nd and 3rd. Tried to strike the next guy out, but he got good wood on the fastball and drove it to deep left field for the sac fly. Struck out the next batter with my best fastball of the night that hit 97MPH.

Started relying too much on my fastball in the 6th and gave up a leadoff double. Got the next batter to hit a screaming line drive to Brian, our shortstop, and he turned it into a double play.

Skipper pinch hit for me in the 7th. We lost the game 6-0. Such a disapponting first playoff appearance. That loss eliminates us from the playoffs.

I pitched 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, and had 2 strikeouts.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 2009 -

I just finished watching the Yankees win the World Series. They did it behind a MVP season/post season from Mark Teixeira. They beat the Phillies in 5 games. He hit .308 this year with 44 HR's and 152 RBI's. Cliff Lee of the Indians won the Cy Young. I will win that one day. The Pirates were a horrific 51-111, so maybe I'll get called up next year.

Time for the offseason to work on my strength and conditioning. My pitching coach thinks he can get a bit more speed out of my fastball if he makes some minor adjustments to my mechanics. I plan on working hard on improving my other pitches as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 24, 2010 -

I don't know what to make of the news that I'm not being invited to spring training today. The GM sent me a cryptic message that said I shouldn't worry about this, but this seems like a step down from last year. Of course, I wouldn't mind if I'm not in the Pirate's plan, as long as I get to play somewhere else.


April 4, 2010 -

I was worrying for nothing apparently. My agent just called me to tell me that I'm being promoted to the Pirate's AAA affliate as well as being given a raise to 75k a year. They are very impressed with my progress and my agent thinks I could be in the majors by the time I'm 20.

I'm now pitching for the Indianapolis Indians as their #4 starter. Time to get to know my new teammates. The best player on the team is 1st basemen Chad Tracy. He should put up some good numbers for the club this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 11, 2010 -

My first start of the year was against the Louisville Bats. My new team has made me change my number to 34. Hopefully, I can get 27 back at some point.

Struck out my 1st guy in AAA with a 97 MPH fastball. A perfect 1st inning and I'm feeling good about myself again.

Walk their cleanup hitter with 4 straight balls, and coach chews me out. Struck out the next 3 batters on fastballs. Getting it up to 97 much more consistently now. First time I've ever struck out 3 batters in an inning.

I get my first hit on a drag bunt that loads the bases with no outs. That leads to us scoring 2 runs in the top of the 3rd.

My heart catches in my throat when I allow a deep hit ball in the 4th, but it is near dead center and Kelvim Cardenas catches up to it at the wall for the 3rd out. I've allowed 1 hit over 4 innings.

I still had only allowed 1 hit over 7 innings and my arm was still feeling good. I found myself hoping I'd be allowed to go for the complete game.

Leadoff hit up the middle to start the 8th that worried me. I had to dig deep now. Struck out the next guy with the changeup after 2 fastballs. Struck out the 3rd guy with a 94 MPH fastball on the outside corner that he missed.

Skipper let me hit with a man on 2nd in the 9th.. love this guy. Got wood on the pitch, but it was a weak fly to the second baseman. Now, I just needed to focus to get my first complete game of the year.

BS ball call on a 3-2 fastball on the corner. It wasn't a good way to start the inning. Then, my curve got away from me and turned into a passed ball. Skipper still let me keep working with the 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, the next pitch was laced into right field for a RBI single. That was it for me. My jubiliation at the strong start turned to anger as Deon Fernandez allowed my runner to score and then 2 more costing me the win. We came back and won it in the 10th, 5-4, but no decision for me.

8 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned run, 6 strikeouts, and 2 balls. Terrible without the win.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 16, 2010 -

I had a rough 1st inning today against the Toledo Mudhens giving up 3 hits and a run before I struck out the next 2 batters and got the last one to ground out to short.

After the rough start, I was in complete control with just 2 more hits occurring over the next 4 innings and plenty of K's. Too bad, my teammates were being no hit. Skipper thought I threw too many pitches and took me out after I allowed a leadoff in the 6th. Pissed me off. I only had thrown 83 pitches. We lost the game 3-0 as they 2 hit us.

5 innings pitched, 6 hits, 1 R, 1 ER, and 9 strikeouts.


April 22, 2010 -

Tonight I pitched at home vs the Louisville Bats and it was freaking cold. Somewhere around 35 degrees. In the 4th inning, I gave up my first homer in what feels like forever. The wind was blowing out to center at 12 MPH and I left my 1-2 changeup over the middle of the plate for the 2 run homer. Still, I had a 4-2 lead and knew I had to settle down. I got the next 2 batters out, but then gave up another homer on a solo shot to right center.

A 1-2-3 5th was just what I needed to calm my nerves. Allowed a 2 out double in the 6th to the guy who had hit the 2 run homer, but got the next batter to fly out to second.

I was surprised Skipper let me hit in the bottom of the 6th. I knew I needed to go out there and pitch a strong 7th. First up was Nate Spivey who had hit the solo shot against me.

A perfect changeup got him to ground to 2nd and it went right through my second basemen's legs. I get pulled after the error! Horseshit. Fortunately, my bullpen picked me up and we won the game 7-3. I'm now 1-1. 6 IP, 4 hits, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 strikeouts.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 26, 2010 -

Another game vs the Mudhens today. We are on a 2 game losing streak, so I needed to step up big. A rough 2nd inning as the cold was wrecking my control of my pitches. First a 4 pitch walk and then a 0-1 fastball that got away and drilled their guy in the hip. Got the #7 hitter out, but the #8 hitter hit it back up the middle to score a run. I was pissed that I didn't get any calls on that first batter where there were a few clear strikes. Their #9 hitter, laced a good inside fastball to left field to score another run. After that, I calmed down and worked out the inning.

Down 2-0 going into the 3rd, I knew I couldn't allow any more mistakes. After getting the 1st guy out, Michael Barrett, their catcher, drilled a double to left center. I walked the next hitter while nibbling. My catcher failed to handle a fastball in the dirt and suddenly they were on 2nd and 3rd. I was rattled bad. On a 3-0 pitch, my 98 mph fastball got out of hand and drilled their guy in the back to load the bases. It was a blur, but I worked my way out of it only allowing 1 more run. This ump is killing me with his small strikezone.

It was laborious, but I pitched a 1-2-3 4th inning. Things got much better when my team gave me a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 4th.

The 5th inning, I was screwed again on ball calls, but I got out of a jam without allowing any runs.

I allowed a single to right field in the 6th, but quickly got the ground ball for a double play. It was still 4-3 going into the 7th.

To lead off the 7th, I struck out my 1st batter of the day on a 96 MPH high fastball. I love when I get them to chase the high heat. I allowed the next hitter to single up the middle and Skipper decided to go to the pen. NO! The ben gives up a 2 run homer to the 1st batter. I lose my win and the team loses the game 7-6 in the 9th.

A terrible day for me with 6.1 IP, 8 hits allowed, 4 ER's, 2 BB's, and 1 K. So much for cruising through AAA ball.


May 1, 2010 -

My first start against the Scranton/WB Yankees. They have a big time hitter in Nick Swisher who is batting cleanup for them.

Love my teammates, they got me a 3-0 lead before I ever took the mound. Plunked Ramon Hernandez and had to face Swisher with the man on 1st and 2 outs. He already has 4 homers this year so I wanted to be careful. Got a 97 MPH fastball by him to get him in a 0-1 hole, but he laced a 1-1 pitch into right field. Worked my way out of the jam with a groundball to 1st.

Leadoff batter in the 2nd hit one further than I've ever been hit, 462 feet. I thought I'd keep guys in the park as well as I did last year. Struck out the next guy and quickly retired the side. Felt good to maintain my composure there.

Ramon with a single to left field with 2 outs in the 3rd. Time to face Swisher with a man on again. Wow. The andrenaline is pumping and my fastball just hit 99 MPH. Got him in an 0-2 hole, but he worked it to 2-2. Then, I tried to blow him away with the slightly high heat but he caught up to it and pulled it down the right field line for a 2 run homer. Another rough night. Got the next guy out to try to calm myself down.

No one but myself to be mad at for what happened in the 4th. I struck out 2 guys before losing focus and allowing a single, a stolen base, and then a hit to left field to score the run.

My team picked me right back up and got me a 6-4 lead going into the bottom of the 5th. A 1-2-3 5th although Swisher gave me a scare with a deep hit to right that was barely foul.

A leadoff double that was almost a homer followed a by a single by Raul Medina and my night was done. My worst performance of my career. I just hoped that my teammates could hold on and get me the win as I went and hit the shower. I later found out they crushed our pen and we lost 12-8. 5 IP, 7 hits allowed, 6 ER. 2 BB's and 3 K's. I need to do much better if I'm going to have any shot of a callup any time soon.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 6, 2010 -

Time to face the Yankees again. Hopefully, I can do better today.

The first 3 innings went well, but I allowed men on 1st and 3rd with no outs in the 4th and Nick Swisher coming to bat. I couldn't afford to pitch around him like I did in the 2nd. Got him to ground out but we couldn't turn 2. 1-0 with 1 out. Got the next batter to hit into a double play. A solid job getting out of trouble and I was feeling good.

Still down 1-0 as I started pitching in the 7th. A leadoff double off the top of the left field wall had me wandering if I was done but I was given a chance to work out of another jam as I had done all game long. I struck out the next batter on 3 straight pitches. Got the next to ground out to 2nd (moving the runner to 3rd), and the last guy hit a fly to deep center.

Still no runs by my team as I took the mound to start the 8th. A lead off line drive by their 8th hitter was the end of my night. A solid 7 innings but I'm mad that I didn't get the win.

7 IP, 8 hits, 1 run, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, and the loss drops my record to 1-2.


May 12, 2010 -

Today we go against the Buffalo Bisons who are 9-24. We are 19-14. Hopefully, this will be an easy win for us.

A disaster of a 5th inning. Benito, the RF, dived and missed a line drive that turned into a triple, but I thought it would be no problem with 2 outs and the pitcher up. I got 2 quick strikes with fastballs and almost had him chase a curve. Then, I tried to blow him away with inside heat on a 1-2 pitch and he managed to get a broken bat bloop to right field for a single that drove in the run. Down 1-0.

In the bottom of the 6th, we tied it at 1.

I struck out the last batter of the 7th with a 94 MPH high heater.

Then, I came up to bat with 0 outs and men on 1st and 2nd. After missing 2 bunt attempts, I decided to try it with 2 strikes anyway and fouled it off for the strikeout. Unfortunately, that killed the inning and we never got any runs. Still tied at 1 going into the 8th.

A 1-2-3 8th in which I struck out 1 and got the other 2 on deep flies. That was it for me as my arm was shot. We won it 2-1 in the 11th. If I just could have gotten that sac bunt down, we might have won it when I was still in the game.

8 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's. My ERA is now 3.18.

[RPI-Fan]

I'm reading...

[JetsIn06]

I'm reading...

+1. This got me in the mood to start a RTTS dynasty, myself. Keep it up, EF27.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 17, 2010 -

Today I'm going to start against the Norfolk Tides. They have 2 very good hitters at the top of the order in RF Jamey Medley ad CF Hyman Rasner.

Medley started off the game by drawing a 8 pitch walk then Hyman hit a liner back up the middle to get me into an early jam. The next guy hit a comeback right at me. I got my glove up but was slow making the throw to 2nd, so we only got 1. I struck out the clean up hitter with some low heat. However, the next batter flared a 1-1 inside fastball towards left field for a RBI. A good changeup got the next guy to hit a weak ground ball to 3rd.

A 1-2-3 2nd in which I struck out the last guy.

Chad Tracy with a solo homer to tie it at 1 going into the bottom of the 3rd as Medley led off the inning. He laced the first pitch into right field for a single. I let out a deep breath after Hyman hit it to the left field wall, but it stayed just inside the park for the fly out. Great throw by my catcher to get Medley on a steal attempt. That was his first throw out all year while I was pitching. I then struck out the batter to end the inning in style.

A lead off double to start the 4th, but my catcher threw out the attempt to steal 3rd. I got Medley to pop up on a broken bat fly towards 1st during the end of the 5th.

In the top of the 6th, my teammates got me the 2-1 lead. Just gotta hold it now. I was robbed on a perfect 1st pitch. I don't know how he could have called that a ball. Next pitch is lined into right by Hyman. No! Hong-Chih, our shortstop, bobbled a sure double play ball. Men on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Got the next guy to hit a deep fly to right field that advances the man on 2nd to 3rd. 1st pitch, I got him to ground to 1st for a 3-6-1 double play!

Skipper wants me to go work the 7th. My arm is starting to really ache. First pitch is hit down the 3rd base line for a single. Skipper is replacing me. Come on T.J., hold onto this lead. YES! Win #2 for me as the guys keep the 2-1 score as a final.

6 IP, 8 hits, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 22, 2010 -

The Pirates just traded away one of their bullpen pitchers for a LF. There is talk that they may call one of us up soon. It won't be me today. I'm about to start against the Charlotte Knights. I need to watch out for Gregory, their RF, he is a big homerun threat batting 2nd today.

In the 1st inning, I struck Gregory out looking with a low inside fastball. A very generous strike zone today. 1-2-3 1st.

In the 4th, I get a 2-0 lead thanks to a 2 run homer by Chad Tracy.

2 scares in the 4th as consecutive foul ball miss being homers by inches, but a 1-2-3 4th. I've only allowed 1 hit so far.

A leadoff double to deep left center to start the 5th. I just left that fastball too high and over the middle of the plate. Struck out the next batter with a nasty 99 MPH fastball on the outer edge of the plate. A ground out advance the runner to 3rd. SS just misses a play he should have made and it turns into a RBI to left. Got the next guy to ground out to 3rd. Still have a 2-1 lead after 5.

A 1-2-3 6th. Going into the 7th, my lead is expanded to 5-1. Good job, guys.

Broken bat weak hit towards 3rd, I run over and there bobble the catch allowing him to get on 1st. A single to right. My arm still feels good, but this is a bad start to the inning. Struck the next guy out on 3 straight pitches including the last one, a 95 MPH fastball that was outside but he chased it. Next pitch induces a nice easy groundball to 3rd, but Hemphill bobbles it! Bases loaded with 1 out now. I get their ninth hitter down 0-2.. then he hit it into center field. Not too deep. Kelvim catches it and throws home but it is just too late. 5-2 with 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd. I get the next guy to fly out to left field with a changeup.

Up 6-2, as I start the 8th. Gregory hits it deep to left center and it bounces off the wall for a double. Sheesh. Lott, their DH and #3 hitter, manages to foul off 8 straight pitches before I leave a 3-2 fastball too far over the plate and he hits it to deep right center for a triple. I'm out of gas. I take a seat homing T.J. can get the next guy out. He doesn't, but he got the guy after that out. We added 4 more runs in the 9th as I got my 3rd win of the year.

7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO. My ERA is now 3.24.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 27, 2010 -

This should be a very tough game against the Durham Bulls. Their most dangerous hitter is LF Seth Smith. He is hitting just over .300 with 4 homeruns. Gabe Kapler is also very good.

Bottom of the 4th, we finally got a run on the board. I've only allowed 2 hits through 4 innings.

SOB! After allowing a weak liner to right to the lead off hitter, I used a changeup to get a perfect double play to 2nd, but Ellsworth let it roll right between his legs. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs. A deep fly ball scores the run. Tied at 1. Worked my way out of the inning with 2 groundballs.

1-2-3 7th. Skipper thought my arm was done and pulled me after that inning as I had thrown 91 pitches. Fortunately, the guys got me the lead the next half of the inning and I got the win! 2-1 win for the team.

7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against the Gwinnett Braves. Their CF Lozano and 1B Currie are both dangerous hitters. Lozano is hitting just under 300 with 14 HR's. Currie is hitting .261 with 10 HR's. They are batting 3rd and 4th respectively.


Max Stafford was behind the plate today.

Got into trouble in the 3rd inning when I gave up back to back 1 out singles, the 2nd one to Lozano. It got bad when I threw a nasty outside fastball that Currie managed to drive to the gap in deep right center for a 2 run triple. I got the next guy out, but then Hemphill, hands of stone, misplayed a line drive at him and it bounced off his glove into left field to drive in the run. I started losing my composure at that point and gave up another double right up the middle. Finally got a pop up to shallow right field that Chad ranged back and got.


Fuck! Ellsworth, the 2nd basemen, misplayed a routine grounder from the pitcher with 1 out in the 4th. Followed that up with a 2 out line drive down the left field line that drove in the run all the way from 1st. I just lost it today. Got out of the inning when I popped up Lozano. Skipper pulled me after 4 innings. My worst outing of the year.

4 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER (which I disagree with), 1 K. That raises my ERA to 3.38 and my record drops to 4-3 after a 3 game winning streak.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 6, 2010 -

We dropped the next 3 games to the Braves as well. We are now 33-24 and 1.5 games behind the Clippers. Today, I'm starting against the Durham Bulls again. Hopefuly, I can get a result like my last start against them.

Wally Hughes was behind the plate today.

A 1-2-3 1st and the team got me a run in the top of the 2nd.

Got 3 more runs in the top of the 4th. I'm in control with a 4-0 lead.

They got me 1 more run the next inning.

A rough start to the 5th inning as I allowed a single up the middle to the 1st batter and then drilled the 2nd batter in the back. Struck out the next batter and then got the number 8 hitter to ground to 2nd for the inning ending double play.

7-0 lead for me as I took the mound in the 6th. I worked out of early trouble and struck out the last 2 batters of the inning. I'm getting better movement on my fastball since coach made some minor adjustments to my grip.

8-0 lead as I took the mound in the 7th. Got the 1st guy to fly out deep to center, but a single to center ended my night. Javier Franco came in to finish the game.

6.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, and 4 K's. We won the game 10-5. My record rises to 5-3.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 12, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against the Pawtucket Red Sox. They are 38-24. We are 35-27. They have decent power hitters scattered throughout the lineup. The best overall hitter is their catcher Josh Bard who is batting .330 with 5 homers.

Mike Marquez was behind the plate tonight.

Got a 1-0 lead going into the 2nd.

I was coasting into the 5th thanks to a generous strike zone, but got into trouble with men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 5th. Got the next batter to fly out to center advancing a runner to 3rd. Fastball got away from me and hit their guy with a 96 MPH fastball on the hip. I felt bad about that one. With bases loaded, I had their relatively weak hitting shortstop up. Got him to chop it weakly in front of the plate and the catcher threw him out.

I'm feeling good after 6 shutout innings. Tracy has knocked in the only run so far today.

Bard lead off the inning and I get him to weakly ground to 1st with a 1st pitch changeup. I used my changeup today more than I have in any other game this year.

1-2-3 7th, all groundball outs.

In the 8th, with 1 out, Rocco Baldelli pinch hits and drives it into the left field for a single. That is the end of my night. I walk off in disgust hoping T.J. (Beam) will hold the lead for me. T.J. gets the job done and we get a 2-0 win!

I'm now 6-3. 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 13, 2010 -

Skipper just told me that there is a lot of chatter now about calling me up to the Pirates! They just want me to get a bit more seasoning.


June 17, 2010 -

Today I'm pitching against the Rochester Red Wings. They have a bunch of guys who are hitting very well including RF Delarosa, 3B Buscher, 2B Bonifacio, and C Stafford.

My team gave me a 1-0 lead before I even took the mound.

Raleigh McClure is behind the plate today.

Delarosa with a 2 out hit to right field in the 2nd inning. Struck out Stafford to end the inning. I was working for strikeouts today and I thought I was on pace to break my career high early.

2-0 lead to start the 3rd.

Amezaga worked me for a 10 pitch at bat before doubling to left with 2 outs in the 4th. The next batter doubled my first pitch to left to make it 2-1. Delarosa took a 0-1 fastball that was down low to left field for another RBI. Tied at 2. Lost control of my curve and hit Stafford to put men on 1st and 2nd. Got the next batter to fly out to left to end the inning.

Love my teammates as they scored 2 more runs in the top of the 5th to give me the lead back.

After a few strikeouts early, none in the 3rd through 5th innings, but I did have a 1-2-3 5th.

5-2 lead as I took the mound in the 6th.

1-2-3 6th thanks to 2 very good plays by Ellsworth, my 2B.

To leadoff the 7th, Delarosa hits a 1-2 fastball to left field for a double. He has 3 hits off me tonight. Stafford with a single to right and I leave the game with men on 1st and 3rd. I walk off hoping that T.J. will hold the lead again. He has done well lately. T.J did it! We win the game 5-2. I have my 7th win.

6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 K's (all in the first 2 innings), 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 22, 2010 -

We are 41-30 and 1/2 game in the division lead. Today we face the Red Sox again. Rocco Baldelli is starting in center and batting cleanup for them today.

Porter Callahan is behind the plate today.

My team got me 2 runs in the 2 top of the 2nd.

Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the 2nd. Popped up their #8 hitter on 1 pitch. I caught the high fly to the mound. Got the #9 hitter to ground out to short.

Chad Tracy with a 3 run homer in the 3rd!

Bad curve to start the inning is drilled into right field for a double. Ground to me and a strikeout had 2 outs with the man still on 2nd when Rocco came up. He hit my heater hard but to dead center for the fly out.

7-0 lead as I took the mound in the 4th.

The ump is giving me the high strike.

In the 5th, I had 2 outs and men on 1st and 3rd as Rocco came to bat. I challenged him with the big lead and he laced an inside fastball to left field for a single. Josh Bard with a single to center to drive in another run. My arm felt good, but I was getting hit hard right. A ground ball down the 3rd base line drove in another run. I needed to get one more out to make sure I got the win.. Got the next guy to ground out to 3rd. 7-3 lead through 5.

My fastball was wild to the first batter, but I got him to ground to short on a 3-1 pitch over the middle of the plate. That calmed down and I worked a 1-2-3 6th.

Struck out the leadoff hitter in the 7th, but the 2nd batter hit it past my shortstop. Rocco up with 1 on and 1 out. He lined a 1-1 fastball into deep left field for a RBI double. That was it for me. I silently screamed as Chris Bootcheck came into to relieve me. He had been horrible in some of his appearances this year. Sure enough, he didn't pitch well, but we held on for a 8-7 win and I got win #8.

6.1 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 K's, 2 Hit batters.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 27, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against the Louisville Bats. This is their worst pitcher starting against me today.

I take the mound in the bottom of the 1st with a 1-0 lead.

In the 2nd, I bunted perfectly to move a runner to 3rd who was eventually knocked in to give me a 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd, Nate Spivey with a 2 out triple. I got Jose Molina to ground right back to me and threw it to 1st for the out.

In the 3rd, I sacrifice again as we have a 3 run 3rd. Up 5-0 now.

In the 5th, I get screwed on multiple ball calls that lead to a leadoff walk and the next batter getting a single. After a fly out to left, I threw a curve that gets away and allows the runner to advance to 2nd and 3rd. A ground ball to short allows the run to score, but we get the 2nd out. Get the last batter to ground out to 2nd.

The top of the order gets me another run. 6-1 as I tke the mound in the 6th. A nice calm 6th and 7th innings.

Skipper lets me hit in the 8th and I get one in the gap between short and 3rd for a single. I ended up scoring to make it 7-1.

To end the 8th, I strike out their #3 hitter with a 3-2 changeup!

My arm was feeling like jelly in the 8th, so no complete game for me. We win the game 7-1 and I get my 9th win.

8 IP, 7 K, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 2, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against the Toledo Mudhens.

Before I even take the mound, my team got me a 2 run lead.

Dallas Hodges behind the plate today.

In the 2nd, I let Barrett get a leadoff single and then hang a curve to Zapata who hits a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Time to get some strikeouts..

I struck out the 1st guy, but the 2nd batter hit a fly to shallow right that was just deep enough to have the runner beat the throw. YES! My changeup gets away from the catcher, but he recovers quickly enough with me covering home to scare the runner and get him in a run down to end the inning.

My team gets me a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the 5th.

In the 6th inning, I struck out the side in order for the first time in my career! I really mixed up my fastball and changeup well that inning.

My team got me a 7-1 lead going into the bottom of the 7th.

Allowed a 2 out rally with 2 singles and then an RBI single to make it 7-2. A changeup got away from the catcher and they scored on the passed ball. 7-3. Finally got the next batter to ground out. That ends my night. We win 7-4 and I get my 10th win of the year.

7 IP, 6 HR, 3 ER, 4 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 7, 2010 -

We are now 52-34. Today, we play our top rivals, the Columbus Clippers who are 51-35 and battling us for the division lead. They have 2 true sluggers in SS Andy Cannizaro and 1B Delmon Chance. They have 20 and 22 homers respectively.

Mike Marquez is behind the plate today, calling the balls/strikes.

2 very good defensive plays behind me to start the game. In the 1st inning, I throw the slider that I've been working on for the first time in a game. It is too far outside and is a ball. That sets up a high inside fastball that just catches the corner for strike 3.

Struck out the last batter in the 2nd with a low outside slider! Used the slider to set up the high inside fastball to strike out another guy in the 3rd. The 9th hitter ruined my perfect game with a single between 1st and 2nd.

4 scoreless innings. Struck out the last hitter in the 5th with a 99 MPH fastball low in the zone.

In the 6th, "Dak", our starting shortstopm goes down with a hamstring injury trying to make a play in the field and Hong has to come into the game :( I need to strike guys out more now..

I don't get a fastball that was clearly over the edge of the plate called a strike. Next play, they ground to short and Hong boots the play ruining the double play and getting no outs. 1 out with men on 1st and 2nd and their best power hitter at the plate.. I feel my heart thumping against my chest. Chance with a deep fly to center. That is 2 away. Cannizaro is up now and I'm going to be careful with the open base.. A 3-1 fastball gets a little too high.. he hits it to Hong.. who throws it away. I feel like strangling him. A fly out to left ends the inning. Down 1-0 now.

Skipper decides my arm has had enough and takes me out after 6!?! Sheesh, I had another inning in me. We lose the game 2-0 and my record drops to 10-4.

6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 9, 2010 -

The Pirates traded RP John Grabow to the Phillies for LF Buddy Theriot. I wonder if they are making room to move me up soon?


July 10, 2010 -

As expected, I've been chosen to represent the International League in the AAA All-Star Game!

July 14, 2010 -

I didn't get into the All-Star game. I'm annoyed, but at least I was selected and my arm is good to go for my next start.

July 16, 2010 -

Today we play the Syracuse Chiefs. They have a very dangerous hitter in Richie Sexson. He has 21 homers on the year.

My team gets me a 1-0 lead before I even take the mound.

I was thrilled as I struck out the side to start the game including a 3 pitch strikeout to Sexson.

Struck out the cleanup hitter with a back door slider that he swung and missed. On the 5th batter, I feel something in my wrist just give. Excruciating pain. My best start in terms of strikeouts is ruined as I have to leave the game.

1.1 IP, 4 K's. We win the game 8-0 and only allow 3 hits.

Now, I'm sitting here waiting to get to the test results.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 17, 2010 -

Good news! It is just a mild sprain. They think I can pitch through it. I guess fear just magnified the pain.


July 21, 2010 -

I'm starting today against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Andy Tracy is their most dangerous hitter with 17 HR's and 66 RBI's.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 21, 2010 -

Struck out the 1st batter of the 2nd with a high inside changeup. Sheesh, Hong has 2 errors already as he lets a routine groundball go between his legs. Struck out Adam Eaton, their pitcher, with an outside slider.

In the 4th, I allowed guys to get on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Got a groundball double play, 6-4-3.

Got out of a trouble in the 5th by striking out their number 8 hitter with a man on 2nd and 2 outs.

In the bottom of the 5th, my sac bunt got our #8 hitter to 3rd and he eventually scored to give us a 1-0 lead.

In the 6th, my slider hangs and is hit for a double. Then, they hit a flare to shallow center that Cardenas dives and misses allowing that to turn into a RBI single to tie it at 1. Next play, I get a ground ball to short that turns into a double play.

Great bottom of the 6th, gets me a 3-1 lead.

Rhett Shannon was starting at third for us today and he has been good all day long, but this time after making a great diving stop he throws it away and they get a leadoff hitter on 2nd as a result. I almost got out of trouble with a popup to me, a ground to short, but with 2 outs, a 1-1 fastball was flared into right field for a RBI single. Skipper pulled me after that. Disappointing. At least, it was T.J. that was coming into the game.

T.J. got the job done and we won the game 10-4. My record is now 11-4.

6.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 K's, and 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 25, 2010 -

It's finally happened! I've been called up by the Pirates! I didn't think it would happen so soon, even though the Pirates have been bad and there was some speculation about it. I need to get my stuff packed quickly, they expect me to be ready to pitch tonight!

I get my bags packed and quickly get on the flight. John Russell calls me into his office right away and tells me that I'm there because Phil Dumatrait suffered a fracured forearm and is out for the rest of the season. He says he will give me opportunities to prove that I belong here and that I should be ready to be used in a variety of roles.

The club is currently 33-67.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 29, 2010 -

It's been decided that I will start tonight! We are hosting the Rockies. They are 62-39. We are now 36-68. Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins are their most dangerous hitters, but honestly I'm feeling nervous about facing all of these guys. At least, I should have a real defense behind me.

I almost throw up as my 1st pitch is hit to the left wall by Scott Podsednik but Brandon Moss catches it and I've got my 1st major league out.

Charlie Sawyer screws me over on a fastball that was clearly strike 1 to Todd Helton. A 3-2 fastball that was just inside is called ball 4.

Sawyer screws me over again with a ball 1 call to Garrett. Atkins flies out to center on a curve ball inside.

Next up is Brad Hawpe who is batting .320 with 22 homers. Got him to ground out to 1st on an inside 2-2 fastball. No hits through the 1st.


Starting the 2nd facing Troy Tulowitzki. He is batting .325 with 10 homers. Breathing a bit easier, as Phillips, my first baseman, battled in Vazquez, the third baseman, to give me a 1-0 lead.

A 3-2 low fastball is hit weakly to center for the first out. Finally, a weaker hitter, Carlos Gonzalez is batting under .200. He grounds a 1-2 fastball weakly to 1st. Clint Barmes is up next. He is hitting .244 with 8 homers. He hit a weak liner to right that I thought was going to drop, but Kearns got there for the catch.

1 out in the bottom of the 2nd as I step up for my 1st major league at bat against Ubaldo Jimenez. I ground a 1-1 fastball weakly to the pitcher for the out.

Start the 3rd, facing their catcher, Yorvit Torrealba, who is batting .279.

Wow. A great diving catch and then recovery and throw by Jason Wood at 2B. Terrific catch by Moss in foul territory to get me the 2nd out of the inning. Podsednik gets a 2 out single to right field which is my first major league hit allowed. Great throw by Ryan Doumit catches him trying to steal 2nd.

I get Helton to ground out to 2nd to start the 4th. Garrett grounds out to 1st. Hawpe gets a 1-1 fastball and drives it to deep right center and off the wall. 2 out double with Troy up to bat.

A leaping catch by Andy Phillips at 1B to prevent what surely would have been an RBI double down the line.

I have the 1-0 lead going into the 5th. Carlos back up to bat. He grounds an outside slider weakly to 3rd. Clint fouls off a bunch of pitches before hitting a 3-2 fastball right back at me. I caught it and threw him out. My first major league strikeout! I get Torrealba with a 2-2 inside fastball that he swings and misses to end the 5th.

1-0 lead going into the 6th and Jimenez is remaining in the game and batting. Got a little extra juice going with a 99 MPH fastball to get strike 1. He grounded the next fastball to short where the play was made. Time to face Podsednik again. 1st pitch was grounded to 1st. I covered for the throw. Helton laced a liner that was just missed by Wood who dove for it. I leave my 0-0 changeup to Garrett much too high and he drills it to right field to move Helton to 3rd. I decided to be very careful to Hawpe with men on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs..

96 MPH fastball on the inside corner to get strike 1. Ball 1 with an outside fastball. Changeup is grounded to 1st! 6 shutout innings!!

Going into the top of the 7th, I now have a 2-0 lead as Austin Kearns knocked in Doumit. Got Troy to strike out swinging on a high 2-2 fastball! Carlos with a weak fly to left of a 0-1 changeup. Sigh. Barmes, caught all of a hanging curve to drive it over the left field wall. 2-1. Torrealba drew a walk after being down 0-2 early in the count and that was it as Russell pulled me.

I watch nervously from the dugout as Burnette gets the next batter out, but Capps blows the save in the 9th. No win for me. NO! Bootcheck who also was called up gets the win in the 10th with 1 IP. I can't stand that guy. At least I didn't get the loss and I had an impressive debut.

6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO. 1.35 ERA.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 9, 2010 -

It looks like they are just using me for spot starts despite my strong 1st showng. However, I'm finally starting again. This game is also at home vs the Cubs. They are 64-47.

A look at their lineup:

SS Ryan Theriot - Batting .257
RF Milton Bradley - .308 avg 21 homers
3B Aramis Ramirez - .285 with 34 homers (gulp)
LF Alfonso Soriano - .298 wit 30 homers
1B Derrick Lee - .303 with 17 homers
2B Aaron Miles - Limited action this year, hitting .333
C Mike Redmond - .284
CF Kosuke Fukudome - .287 with 7 homers
P Carlos Zambrano

Wally Hughes is behind the plate.

1st batter laces a liner right to my 3rd baseman. Milton pops up to me. Aramis with a line drive up the middle just over my head. Alfonso with a line drive to left field for a single. Men on 1st and 2nd as I start hyperventilating just a bit. Lee pops up to shallow right and Freddie Sanchez ranges back and catches it over the shoulder.

Sanchez drives in Wilson for our 1st run in the bottom of the 1st.

Struck out Miles with a nice curve. Redmond flies out to left. Shit! Fukodome hits it to deep left center, McLouth who is usually great in center dives, misses it, and it becomes an inside the park home run! I get Zambrano to hit a weak grounder to 1st.

My first at bat is with a man on 1st and 0 outs. I can't get either of the first 2 bunt attempts down against Zambrano's nasty stuff. I swing at a 1-2 fastball and ground it to 2nd for a double play. Russell is not happy with me. Despite my gaff, we put together a 2 out rally and score 3 runs. 4-1 as I take the mound in the top of the 3rd.


My first pitch gets away and I drill Theriot in the back. Bradley crushes the ball and McClouth catches it at the wall in deep center. Oh my, another fastball gets away and drills Aramis in the back. I get Soriano to ground to 3rd for a double play with a nice low slider.

Got Miles to strike out on a curve again! 1-2-3 4th. I panicked as I had to go take the batter's box. I wondered if Zambrano was going to plunk me. He brushed me back with the first pitch, but then just threw nasty stuff over the plate. He popped me up to shallow center.

5-1 lead as I took the mound in the 5th. Fukudome worked from a 0-2 count to a walk. They took out Zambrano for Melvin Mora to pinch hit. Got him with a nice changeup to ground to 3rd for a double play.

Got through 5 feeling good.

Got Aramis to strike out on 3 straight plays including an outside slider! Men on 1st and 2ndafter Soriano lined to left. Got a double play ball to get out of the 6th.

8-1 lead as I started the 7th inning. Miles with a line drive of a changeup up the middle to start the inning. That ends my nght. Russell is going to Thaddeus Waite. The crowd gave me a nice round of applause as I left the game. I felt secure that I had gotten my first major league win and I was right as we won 8-5.

Matt Capps with his 24th save of the year. I'm now 1-0 in the Majors.

6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 K's, 1 BB, 2 HBP.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 15, 2010 -

Apparently, the organization was impressed with my last effort. For now, I'm getting more regular starts. Tonight, I'm starting at home vs the Dodgers. They are 66-52. We are 43-75. Chad Tracy has been called up and is starting at 1B tonight. :)

Their lineup:

SS Rafael Furcal - .294 with 16 homers
1B James Loney - .261 with 15 homers
CF Matt Kemp - .290 with 18 homers
3B Jose Bautista - .290 with 5 homers in part time duty
RF Andre Ethier - .301 with 7 homers
C Russell Martin - .306 with 6 homers
LF Gabe Gross - .251 with 7 homers
2B Delwyn Young - .253 with 2 homers
P Luke Stout

Ed Coleman behind the plate today.

Struck Kemp out with a high fastbal on a 3-2 count to end the 1st.

McClouth with a diving catch to prevent a sure triple in the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd with the last batter flying out to center.

We get 1 run in the bottom of the 2nd despite me grounding out to end the inning.

I've been perfect through 3.

Got a 2-0 lead as I take the mound in the 4th. Furcal leads off the 4th with a single up the middle. Furcal steals 2nd and then Loney knocks him in with a line drive to left-center. Struck out Kemp with an inside fastball to start working out of this inning. Struck out Bautista with an inside low fastball on 2-2 that he just missed. Ethier fights off a pitch and flares it out to right which gets me a visit from the pitching coach, Stynes. Got to get Russell Martin.. he grounds a 1-0 changeup to third for the out.

Gross hits a 3-1 fastball over the center field wall. Sigh. I just left it up too much. Tied at 2. A 1-1 fastball gets away from me and hits Young around the knees. After the pitcher lays down a sac bunt, I strike Furcal out on 3 fastballs. SOB, Loney with a line drive to left-center for a RBI single. Down 3-2. Struck out Kemp for the 3rd time today, this time with an outside slider.

YES! McLouth with 2 RBI's and suddenly I have a 5-3 lead after a big inning by my teammates.

Wilson with an error at short and that allows the 1st batter to reach base to start the 6th. Need to strike out Ethier. Better yet, with a 1-0 changeup, he grounds it to 3rd for a double play. Bottom of the 6th, I ground into a double play but a run is scored on the play.

Up 6-3 as I take the mound in the 7th. Gross hits me hard again, this time a 2-0 fastball that he drives into deep right but Kearns keeps it a single. That is all Russell is going to let me do. I leave hoping that they can hold my lead.

We get the win 6-4. Capps gets his 27th save and I get my 2nd win. 2-0.

6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K's, 0 BB's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 20, 2010 -

My first road start. The crowd here in Los Angeles greets me with a chorus of loud boos. Ethier is leading off this game. He pops up to 3rd.

Chuck Price behind the plate tonight.

Russell Martin batting 2nd. He grounds an 0-2 slider weakly to 2nd. Kemp batting 3rd, flies out to right.

1-0 lead as I start the 2nd. Bautista hits a 1-2 hanging slider back up the middle. Casey Blake is batting 5th. He grounds to 3rd but a bad bounce eliminates any double play chance but we get the batter at 1st. Gross is up next. I feel my heart jump into my throat as he hits it very hard, it is barely off the top of the left field wall. RBI double.

Young is up next. He lines it to center, it is too shallow for McLouth to get. RBI single. The LA crowd is going crazy and I'm feeling the pressure. Brad Ausmus is up now. He hits a little liner to shallow center, but McLouth throws out Young who went for 3rd. Luke Stout, the pitcher, with a linedrive to left that moves the runner to 3rd. Men on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. I have to get this next batter, Ethier..

NO. A good 0-2 fastball is grounded to 3rd but Ramon Vazquez throws it way over Chad Tracy's head. Error allows the run to score and men to advance to 2nd and 3rd. A line drive to second gets me out of the inning.

Kemp with a single to start the 3rd. A high fastball strikes out Bautista swinging. I needed that. I was getting really rattled. Strike Young with a high fastball to end the inning.

McLouth with a solo homer makes it 3-2, we are still down as I start the 4th.

Ausmus starts the 4th with a single to left. They get men on 1st and 2nd at one point, but I work my way out of the trouble with 2 pop-ups and a grounder.

Despite some very questionable ball calls, I have a 1-2-3 5th and 6th innings. Russell decides that is it for me. Disappointing performance tonight as I get my 1st major league loss. We lose the game 3-2.

6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 26, 2010 -

We are now 48-80. Today, I'm starting at home against the Reds who are 60-66. The Reds Lineup:

CF Willy Taveras - .256 with no homers.
SS Jerry Hairston, JR - .271 with 10 homers
1B Joey Votto - .274 with 19 homers
RF Jay Bruce - .280 with 30 homers
C Mike Jacobs - .208 with 9 homers
2B Brandon Phillips - .267 with 17 homers
3B Emile Main - .283 with 7 homers
LF Jonny Gomes - .245 with 7 homers
P Aaron Harang

Mac Harvey is behind the plate.

The 1st 2 batters go down easily, but Votto absolutely crushes my 1st pitch a high fastball and it sails over the right field wall. 1-0. I recover to get a groundball to get out of the inning.

Struck out Jacobs on 3 straight fastballs.

I've only allowed the 1 hit/homer through 5. Too bad, we only have 1 hit and no runs as I come to bat with a man on 1st and 2 outs. I surprise myself by making good contact and hitting it fairly deep to left but it is a routine fly ball.

The 6th started with a leadoff single that was sac bunted to 2nd, then took 3rd on a ground out to 2nd. Then Hairston, JR hit a liner to right for a single RBI. Down 2-0 with our offense showing no signs of life and Votto up at the plate. He crushes my curveball but it is caught in very deep center field.

Down 2-0 as I took the mound in the 7th. Get the 1st 2 guys easily, but Phillips hits a line drive down the left field line for a double. A weak liner to shallow center by Main drives the run in. Down 3-0 and that is it for me. No chance for a win here today. Bootcheck comes into the game. Hopefully, he won't let that 4th run score. He doesn't, but we lose the game 6-2.

My record drops to 2-2.

6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HR.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 1, 2010 -

Today I'm starting at home vs the Astros. They are 59-72. We are 50-83. Their lineup:

2B Kazuo Matsui - .303 with 11 HR's
RF Hunter Pence - .288 with 16 homers
1B Lance Berkman - .305 with 42 homers (will be pitching around him)
LF Carlos Lee - .309 with 20 homers
CF Darin Erstad - .215 with 1 homer
3B Geoff Blum - .254 with 11 homers
SS Aaron Boone - .220 with 3 homers in only 36 games (regular shortstop is hurt)
C H. Quintero - .227 with 0 homers
P Brian Moehler

Wally Hughes behind the plate.

Sheesh. A 0-1 fastball just got away from me and got up in the zone and Berkman CRUSHED it to deep center. 465 feet for the homer. Only hit allowed in the 1st.

In the 2nd, I was still rattled from that homer and the fastball gets away from me and drills Boone in the back. Otherwise, a smooth 2nd inning.

Struck out Matsui swinging on an outside fastball.

Starting the 4th, my pitching coach is telling me to pitch around Berkman. Shit. A 1-1 fastball gets up on me again and he crushes it to center again. This time 425 feet. No other problems in the inning and I struck out Blum with an inside fastball.

My teammates get 2 in the bottom of the 4th on a homerun by Wilson.

Huge bottom of the 5th gets me a 7-2 lead as I come to the plate with 2 outs and a man on 2nd.

With 1 out in the 6th, Berkman comes up to the plate. I'm determined not to let my fastball get away from me. I get him to 1-2 but can't finish him and end up walking him. Carlos Lee with a great job of fouling off pitches until a 2-2 curve gets away and Berkman advances on the passed ball. Ersted ends up knocking him in to make it 7-3. Blum drills my changeup to deep left over Nyjer Morgan's head and it turns into an RBI double. 7-4.

I have to get Boone to end the inning. He pops a changeup to shallow left for the out.

Up 7-4 as I start the 7th. The catcher grounds it between the SS and 3B for a single and that is it for me. Bootcheck comes in, and I start hoping that he doesn't blow another win for me.

He does give up a run, but it's charged to him and we win the game 8-5.

My record is now 3-2. 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 K's, and 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 2, 2010 -

I check MLB's website to see who is leading in various categories in the National League:

Hits: SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida - 178
HR's: Manny Ramirez, NY Mets - 46
RBI's: Manny Ramirez - 120
SB's: Willy Taveras, Reds - 55

Wins: Adam Wainwright, Cardinals - 16
Saves: Chris Perez, Cardinals - 46
ERA: Dan Haren, Arizona - 2.45 (Lincecum is 2nd at 2.75.)
Shut Outs: Johan Santana, Mets - 3
Strikeouts: Tim Lincecum, SF - 202
Complete Games: Santana - 4
IP: Santana - 188
WHIP: Phil Maholm, Pitt - 1.17

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 6, 2010 -

Today I'm starting on the road vs the Astros and hoping my 2nd road start goes much better than the 1st.

Mac Harvey behind the plate today.

My teammates get me a 3-0 lead before I even take the mound.

Mac doesn't call a 1-2 strike on the outside edge to Berkman and then Berkman hits the next pitch to left field or a single.

In the 2nd, Erstad gets a single and then gets knocked out round to 3rd base with 2 outs. J.R. Towles is the catcher today and came up to the plate. Got him to line a 1-2 slider right at Sanchez.

Got Berkman to ground out to 1st to end the 3rd.

With 0 outs and a man on 2nd in the 5th, I popped up a bunt attempt, but we still got 2 runs in the inning. 5-0 as I take the mound in the 5th.

With no outs and a man on 1st, I get my first strikeout of the day against Towles with an inside fastball that he swings and misses. Carlos Lee, the PH, grounds into a double play to end the inning.

To start the 6th, Matsui has a 10 pitch walk. Just couldn't stop him from fouling off pitches. Whew. Berkman hit one all the way to the right center wall but McLouth made a great play on it to get the 2nd out of the inning. The 3rd out is much easier. 6 shut out innings and I'm feeling great.

Feeling good after an easy 7th inning.

With men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out, I strike out Jason Tyner on 3 straight fastballs including a 97 MPH high swinging strike for the out. Now, I have to face Berkman..

He hits a grounder that Sanchez stops, but it made him range too far to his right and he can't get enough on the throw as Berkman beats it out. The run scores. I get Pence to fly out to right to end the inning. I feel ok after 8, the arm is getting a bit tired. Russell decides it was enough and I don't get the complete game.

I do get my 4th win as we win the game 5-1.

8 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 K's, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 12, 2010 -

I'm so excited, I'm pitching at home against my hometown team, the Phillies. They are 76-66 and have a fearsome lineup.

SS Rollins - .270, 17 HR's, 30 SB
LF Ibanez - .263, 15 HR
1B Howard - .274, 40 HR's
2B Utley - .317, 31 HR's
CF Victorino - .284, 7 HR's
C Coste - .270, 16 HR's
RF Werth - .292, 24 HR's
3B Feliz - .285, 14 HR's
P Jose Contreras

Doc Bryant behind the plate today.

Ibanez with a grounder just past Chad Tracy at 1st.

Howard grounds weakly back at me, and I try to get the out at 2nd and we end up getting nothing. Kicking myself for that play. However, I feel much better after Utley hits into a 3-6-1 double play.

A 3-2 fastball to Victorino gets away from me and I give up a leadoff walk in the 2nd. Victorino steals 2nd. Coste hits a 1-1 changeup to deep left and it is just over Andy Phillips head for an RBI double. I'm hyperventilating again and know that I need to strike out Werth. Instead, I get him to weakly pop-up a fastball to Sanchez.

SOB. I get a 2 strikes on Feliz who had terrible swings, but a 1-2 fastball is drilled to deep right center and McLouth can't catch up to it. RBI double. Terrible start. Strike out Contrera on 3 pitches for the 2nd out. Struck out Rollins after he fouled off a bunch of pitches.

My teammates pick me up with a 2 run bottom of the 2nd.

After popping up Ibanez, the pitching coach tells me to pitch around Howard. Glad to do it. Get him to hit into our shift perfectly and Wilson, the SS, behind 2nd base gets it and throws him out. 1-2-3 3rd against the heart of their order has me feeling good.

Shit. A 1-2 changeup is drilled to left field by Werth to get men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. I should have blown him away with the high heat. I get Felizto pop up to short for the 2nd out. SOB! I let Contreras hit a 3-1 fastball down the left field line for a 2 RBI single. Rollins flies out to center to end the inning.

My teammates get 1 in the bottom of the 4th, but still down 4-3.

After getting the leadoff hitter out in the 5th, I'm told again to pitch around Howard by Russell. He hits an inside fastball to shallow center where McLouth makes the play.

I get my 1st major league hit to start the bottom of the 5th! A little linedrive to shallow right field. That starts a 3 run inning as Phillips hits a 3 run homer! I score my first major league run! We are up 6-4 as I take the mound in the 6th.

No problems in the 6th inning. They pinch hit for me in the bottom of the 6th and we score 1 more run that inning, but the bullpen blows it over the next 3 innings. Danny Bautista gave up the winning run in the 11th inning as we lose 9-8.

6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 K's, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 18, 2010 -

We are 56-92 and today I'm starting at home vs the Cardinals who are 85-62. They have a great power hitting lineup:

RF Skip Schumaker - .314, 17 HR's,
3B Joe Crede - .281, 18
1B Albert Pujols - .302, 38
LF Ryan Ludwick - .306, 38
CF Rick Ankiel - .248, 20
SS Troy Glaus - .307, 25
C Yadier Molina - .259, 11
2B Adam Kennedy - .244, 1 (only has 45 AB's on the year)
P Chris Carpenter

Max Stafford behind the plate tonight.

Despite a man on 1st and only 1 out, I'm told to pitch around Pujols. I get him to hit a very weak fly to 1st on an inside fastball. I get Ludwick to ground to Sanchez. A nice 1st inning.

Adam Kennedy is my first strikeout victim today on a 1-2 inside fastball that he swings and misses. Darn. Kearns misplays a ball to shallow right and I suddenly have men on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs and Pujols coming to the plate.

2 fastballs are fouled off by Albert. He lines a 1-2 slider out to left field and the throw is barely late at the plate. 1-0.

2 straight fastball to Ludwick has him in an 0-2 count.. on the 8th pitch with a 2-2 count, I strike him out swinging on a low outside fastball.


Ugh. First I let Ankiel line it to right and then Glaus hit a 2-0 changeup (that hung on me) over the left field wall. 3-0. Molina with a ground between LaRoche and Wilson for a single and I still don't have any one out in the 4th. Wilson with a spectacular play to get to the ball and then he manages to start the double play. 2 outs with the pitcher up. A grounder to Wilson to end the inning. That play saved me as I was starting to lose my focus.

Darn. Kicking myself after an 0-2 fastball gets away from me and hits Crede in the leg. Definitely didn't want to do that with Albert coming to bat. I walk him on 5 pitches. I felt great after I got Ludwick to ground to short for a double play to get out of the inning.

I felt even better when my team scored 3 in the bottom of the 5th. Tied at 3 thanks to a 2 run double by McLouth.

Wow. In the bottom of the 6th, I draw a 4 pitch walk. Too bad, it didn't lead to any runs. Tied at 3 as I take the mound in the 7th.

A 1-2-3 7th has me feeling thrilled. I feel even better after the team gets a run in the bottom of the 7th.

Russell turns to the pen to start the 8th and Bautista quickly gives up a hit and a homer to wipe out my win chance. SOB. I'm starting to really dislike Bautista. We lose the game 5-4.

7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 24, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against Arizona in Arizona. They have a young lineup:

RF Justin Upton - .263, 16 HR
SS Stephen Drew - .286, 18 HR
LF Conor Jackson - .290, 15 HR
1B Mark Reynolds - .251, 18 HR
3B Akinori Iwamura - .298, 2 HR
CF Chris Young - .235, 17 HR
C Miguel Montero - .210, 6 HR (only 53 starts)
2B Augie Ojeda - .194, 1 HR (only 55 starts)
P Doug Davis


Earl Hendricks behind the plate.

1-2-3 1st on only 6 pitches.

Crud. A 0-2 fastball isn't quite far enough inside and Reynolds just barely gets it over the left field wall. 376 feet. 1-0. Reynolds follows that up with a ground rule double that McLouth dived and missed and then a RBI single by Montero. Down 2-0 and I'm starting to panic. Struck Ojeda out with a low 97 MPH fastball.

Early in the 3rd, I come to bat with 2 men on and 0 outs. I successfully get the sacrifice bunt down and that leads to 1 run scoring. Still down 2-1.

98 MPH fastball gets away from me and hits Upton in the back to start the 4th. Upton steals 2nd on a 1-1 pitch. I get Drew to fly out to left on a 1-2 pitch. Conor Jackson hits a 1-0 fastball down the left field line for a RBI single. 3-1. I'm kicking myself as I give up a 2nd homer to Reynolds on a fastball that just isn't inside enough again. 5-1. My worst outing of the year, I think. I'm starting to get worried about being sent back down when Phil gets healthy and my control is getting bad.

The next batter lines it to center. Finally get a ground ball double play to get me out of the inning.

I feel a bit better after a 1-2-3 4th against the bottom of the lineup. Skipper pinch hits for me to start the 5th and my night is done. My shortest outing of the year and definitely my worst. We lose the game 6-1.

4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 30, 2010 -

Today I'm starting against the Cubs in Chicago. They have Rich Hill pitching. We are 59-99. I do not want to be the pitcher who gets the club's 100th loss this year.

Terrible start as I walk Theriot and then Miles grounds into the gap where Sanchez was as he was covering for a steal attempt. Perfectly executed run and hit. After getting Aramis to pop up, I lose a fastball inside and it plunks Soriano to load the bases as Derrick Lee steps up to the plate.

A 0-1 slider gets him to ground to short and we get the double play!

Struck out Hill to start the 3rd.

Scoreless through 4 and my arm feels great.

Fukudome with a leadoff double down the left field line. 9 pitch strikeout of Theriot to get the 2nd out with Fukudome still at 2nd. Got Miles to ground out to 1st to end the inning.

Got Aramis to strikeout with a low fastball to start the 6th. However, trouble began after that when I walked Soriano. Lee then hit a single up the middle. Got the next batter, but Mora hit a RBI single to right to score the first run of the game. It became worse when Fukudome hit a liner to left for another RBI. Struck out Rich Hill to end the inning.

Russell pulled me after 6th and the bullpen let it get completely out of hand, but I got the loss. 7-0 loss. I'm now 4-4 as that was certainly my last appearance of the year.

6 IP, 7 HR, 2 ER, 4 K's, 3 BB. Hopefully, I did enough this year to merit not being sent down.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 3, 2010 -

The Pirates finish the year 61-101 and in last place. I reflect back on my stats from the year:

AAA 11-4, 2.74 ERA, 20 GS, 13 Quality Starts, 124.2 IP, 121 H, 42 R, 38 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 68 K, 1.09 WHIP, .241 avg vs RH, .274 avg vs LH.

Pirates: 4-4, 4.08 ERA, 11 GS, 8 QS, 68.1 IP, 73 H, 31 R, 31 ER, 9 HR, 13 BB, 26 K, 1.26 WHIP, .245 avg vs RH, .322 avg vs LH.

Now, I just have to hope I can improve enough during the offseason that they won't send me back down to start next year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 4, 2010 -

I look up the Leaders in the NL in a variety of categories and see the following:

Average: Hanley Ramirez, Florida - .349
Hits: Hanley Ramirez - 216
Doubles: Jose Reyes, Mets - 48
Triples: Jose Reyes - 12
HR: Aramis Ramirez, Cubs - 52 (Manny with 51 and Berkman with 50.)
RBI: Aramis Ramirez - 142
Runs: Hanley Ramirez - 125
SB: Jose Reyes - 71
BB: Albert Pujols - 100
SLUG %: Manny Ramirez, Mets - .642

Wins: Dan Haren, Arizona - 19
Losses: Haren - 3
Saves: Chris Perez, Cardinals - 54
ERA: Dan Haren - 2.50
HR allowed: Jonathan Sanchez, SF - 11
Shut Outs: Johan Santana, Mets - 3
Strikeouts: Lincecum - 243
Complete Games: Santana - 5
IP: Santana - 228
WHIP: Greg Smith, Colorado - 1.14

[Eaglesfan27]

October 29, 2010 -

The Cleveland Indians beat the Cubs 4-1 in the World Series. Jhonny Peralta was the MVP of the World Series with a .615 avg, 2 HR, and 10 RBI.

Aramis Ramirez, Cubs won the MVP of the NL.

Dan Haren won the Cy Young.

Hanley Ramirez won the Silver Slugger.

Chris Perez won the Rolaids Relief Award.

Marcellus Grbavac of SD won rookie of the year.

Hanley Ramirez won the Hank Aaron Award.

Derek Lowe won the Gold Glove for pitchers.


November 1, 2010 -

The most notable retirements are some of my heroes such as John Smoltz. Other notable retirements include Troy Percival, Frank Thomas, Brad Ausmus.

November 8, 2010 -

The Pirates have offered me a 6 year deal for just under 3.6 million total to be a starting pitcher. I feel like they are lowballing me and I don't think I want to remain with them when I can become a free agent. I turn down the deal and ask for a million over 1 year. They counter with 2.7 million over 4 years.

Nov 12, 2010 -

I count their offer asking for 1.9 million over 2 years. They refuse and counter with 2.85 million over 4 years. My agent points out that I'm going to have to put in my time with the Pirates and this isn't too bad of a deal. I ask for 3.1 million over 4 years. They lower their offer to 2.74 over 4 years. Those assholes. We finally come to an agreement on 2.85 million over 4 years.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 27, 2011 -

It was a relaxing offseason. I enjoyed my 20th birthday party. Now, I start my first spring training game against the Tigers and Jeremy Bonderman. I'm going to work harder to get more strikeouts this year and the pitching coach has made some adjustments to give my fastball some more movement.

Hmm. Not the start I was hoping for. Curtis Granderson hit my 2-0 curveball to deep right for a homer. 1-0 after facing 1 batter. Sheesh. After getting the next 2 batters to ground out, Magglio Ordanez hits a fastball over the left field wall. 2-0. At least it is only spring training. Struck out Trammell to end the inning.

In the 3rd, with men on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, I struck out Magglio and it felt great. Got Trammell with a broken bat fly to 3rd to end the inning.

That is all I got to pitch today.

3 IP, 4 H, 2ER, 3 K, 0 BB. We lost the game 9-0.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 4, 2011 -

Today i get to start against a very good Tampa Bay Lineup. My agent hears rumbles that I might get sent to AAA if I'm not impressive this spring, so I need to do better than I did the last start.

Terrible start. First I induce a routine groundball to short that is booted. Then, on the steal attempt, my catcher throws it into centerfield. Now, I've got a man on 3rd through no fault of my own. A deep fly to right knocks in the run. 1-0.

After giving up a single to Longoria, got Pena on an inside fastball for my first strikeout of the day. Get myself out of the inning with just the 1 run scoring.

With bases loaded and 1 out in the 3rd, I give up a deep fly ball to center by Pena that drives in a run. A 1-2 high fastball is lined to left by Durham to make it a 3-0 game. Finally get out of the inning.

Not a good 3 inning start. 3 IP, 5 HR, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K, and 0 BB. We lose the game 6-1 and I have 2 spring start losses.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 10, 2011 -

Today I get the start against the Twins in spring training. They are 4-9 in spring training. We are 3-11.

After I struck out the 1st batter, Buscher hits a 1-1 hanging changeup to deep right center for a homer.

In the 3rd, Gomez gets a single, steals 2nd, and is knocked in by Buscher with a linedrive to left field. 2-0. Sheesh. Nothing is going right for me this spring. Moreaneu hits a 3-2 inside fastball down the right field line for a 348 foot 2 run homer. Down 4-0.

After 4 innings, I'm done for the day.

We lose the game 4-1.

4 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 15, 2011 -

A start against the Yankees today. Let's hope I can actually keep the ball in the park. They have signed Willie Taveras to lead off. I promptly hit him (accidently) to start the 1st. Taveras steals 2nd. Jeter lines a 2-2 inside fastball to left field for an RBI single. Sheesh, the Yankees have Vlad now too. He is batting 3rd and playing RF for them. I get him to ground to 2nd, but he beats out the double play. A-Rod with a deep drive to left center for a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out now.

A LEAPING catch against the wall by Kearns to catch a deep fly to right by Posada that ends the inning. GREAT play by Kearns.

Furthermore, my teammates get me a run in the top of the 2nd. Feeling good as I step up to face the bottom of the Yankees lineup. First, Johnny Damon.

With 1 out, Matsui lines it to cente for a single. Then, Cano moves him to 3rd with a run and hit. He blisters the ball down the left field line but great play by my guy to cut it off and make it only a RBI single.

I have to get Jeter here. 1 out, men on 1st and 2nd. 1st pitch fastball is higher than I wanted and he hits it hard to deep center by McLouth catches it. Now, facing Vlad with 2 outs and men on 1st and 3rd. He gopher balls a very low 1st pitch fastball into center for an RBI single.

Now, I have to get A-Rod. They have an insane lineup. BS!!! A 3-2 fastball was just over the outside corner but I don't get the call. Bases loaded for Mark. I get him to ground to 1st to finally get out of the inning.

I'm still feeling rattled, so it was great that McLouth made a diving catch of the 1st pitch drive to right center by Posada.

The 3rd inning was going well until I gave up a single to Matsui with 2 outs and then Cano hit a ball to right center for an RBI double. An error by Wilson allows another run to score on a Tavares hit through the shortstop's legs. Down 5-1 at the end of 3 and my confidence is very shaky right now.

Vlad starts off the 4th with a liner to shallow center for a single. Struck out A-Rod swinging with a 96 MPH inside fastball! I finally get through an inning without allowing a run.

A scoreless 5th as well as I got the double play ball after hitting Matsui with a pitch. I drop to 0-4 as we lose 11-1.

5 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 K, 1 BB.

My ERA for the spring is now 7.20 :(

[nfg22]

More pls...keep it up...

[Eaglesfan27]

More pls...keep it up...

I probably won't get to play again until Thursday night, but I'm hoping I might get to sneak in a game or two before then. This game has me more addicted than any console sports game since College Hoops 2k8 (which I still plan on playing some this weekend.) As I posted in the Show thread, going back to when Earl Weaver was out or Tony LaRussa, my favorite part of any "action" baseball game was just pitching. I wanted hitters to bat according to their ratings and ditto for fielders. This mode is the perfect mode for me and I'll be writing a lot more in this dynasty :)

[nfg22]

I probably won't get to play again until Thursday night, but I'm hoping I might get to sneak in a game or two before then. This game has me more addicted than any console sports game since College Hoops 2k8 (which I still plan on playing some this weekend.) As I posted in the Show thread, going back to when Earl Weaver was out or Tony LaRussa, my favorite part of any "action" baseball game was just pitching. I wanted hitters to bat according to their ratings and ditto for fielders. This mode is the perfect mode for me and I'll be writing a lot more in this dynasty :)

Good. Also, if not too much work can we get Bi-monthly updates on your stats? or somthing to base your progress on? Thanks!

[Eaglesfan27]

Good. Also, if not too much work can we get Bi-monthly updates on your stats? or somthing to base your progress on? Thanks!

Sure. You're talking about my performance stats and not my ratings, right?

[nfg22]

yes performance....and I also like the random speeds thrown in. That lets me know how well your doing...

[Eaglesfan27]

March 21, 2011 -

I have to pitch better today against TB as I'll only get 1 or possibly 2 more starts after this and there is serious talk of sending me down due to my poor spring performance. Without a doubt, Evan Longoria is the player I have to be most careful of today.

Start off with Max Stafford squeezing me on 2 calls that result in a 5 pitch walk to start the game. A grounder by Xavier Nady past Wilson has me in trouble as Longoria steps to the plate. Thankfully, he helps me out by swinging at a high inside fastball that he pops to shallow center where McLouth makes the play and holds the runners. A groundball to third is barely beat out to prevent an inning ending double play. A groundball to short by Durham gets me out of the inning without any runs scoring.

99 MPH fastball just off the plate inside gets Kapler swinging to start the 2nd. That starts a 1-2-3 inning.

SOB. Got 2 strikes on Brett Myers before a fastball just got away from me and nailed him in the leg. Upton with a hard groundball that gets past Wilson to get men on 1st and 2nd. I got Nady to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. 2 outs with a man on 3rd so I'm going to be very careful with Longoria. I walked him on a high 3-2 fastball.

NO! Pena with a 3 run homer on a 1-2 fastball that just drifted over the plate. He hit it 356 feet barely over the left field wall.

The 3rd isn't much better after a leadoff single, steals 2nd, moves to 3rd on a passed ball, and then is driven in with a deep fly to left. Down 4-0. My confidence is completely shaken as I face Myers with 2 outs in the 4th but I struck him out on 3 straight pitches.

Upton starts off the 5th with a hard swing at my first pitch, a curve that hung a bit and he pulls it down the left field line for a 362 foot homer. Down 5-0 and I can't help but think I'm going to get stuck in AAA to start the year. The rest of the inning went well including striking Pena out on 3 straight fastballs.

That is it for me as Russell pinch hits for me in the bottom of the 5th. We lose the game 11-6.

5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 22, 2011 -

My stats for the spring are horrible: 0-5, 7.65 ERA, 34 H, 12 K, 4 BB, 20 IP. My ERA is the worst on the staff this spring and I can't help but dread getting the call that I'm going to AAA for some more seasoning.


March 27, 2011 -

I've got to try to turn it around today and it's not my lucky day as I'll be facing most of the Yankee starters and C.C. Sabathia.

After a scoreless 1st, Posada with an RBI double to start the 2nd inning. 2 deep flies move him to 3rd and then home. I find myself feeling shaky at this point but I get the last out.

Struck out Taveras to start the 3rd. I'm relying on my fastball much more today. Jeter takes a 0-1 fastball on the outside corner to right field and Kearns dives and misses allowing Jeter to get a 1 out triple with Vlad coming up to bat. SOB. A very high fastball is just jackhammered by Vlad to deep centerfield for a 431 foot 2 run homer. Back to back homers as A-Rod turns on an inside curve and takes it deep over the left field wall.


The 4th has a bad start as well as Cano hits a 0-0 slider to deep right for a homer. Down 6-0. I get the next 2 batters and then Kearns just kills me with another dive and miss for a triple by Jeter. Russell has seen enough, he yanks me early. :(

3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 K, 0 BB. We lose the game 13-2.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 29, 2011 -

After my short appearance the other day, I'm being asked to pitch the 6th against the Reds. We are down 2-0 as I enter the game. Should have been a 1-2-3 6th, but Sanchez boots a routine ball to 2nd. Still, I get the next batter for a scoreless 6th.

I start off the 6th with a single to left off Bronson Arroyo. I score in a 4 run inning! Odd. After getting the 4-2 lead, Russell pulls me. I get my 1st win of the spring from that 1 winning of work.

1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 2, 2011 -

Russell pulled me early last game because he wants me to pitch this final game of Spring ball against Minnesota.

Although Morneau got a 2 out single, I pitched a scoreless 1st inning.

Struck out Alex Casilla with an inside changeup that was called a strike. Coach told me that I was overthrowing my pitches this spring, and I needed to ease up a bit and I really see what he meant today. 1-2-3 2nd.

Struck out Michel Hernandez, their catcher, to start the 3rd inning with a 1-2 curve that was a bit low but he swung over. Struck out Gomez on a 99 MPH fastball that he swung and missed despite it being very low. Now, that I'm throwing some fastballs with a little less umph, it really surprised him to see that one come in so quickly. Coach is praising me between innings for taking his advice. I've got much more control of the fastball and haven't let any go too far from where I've wanted.

OH NO! I overthrew a 1-2 fastball to Cuddyer trying to blow him away and it got away from me and hit him in the head at 98 MPH. He's down and out. :( Young with a double to get guys to 2nd and 3rd. Casilla with a 2 run single on a 2-2 fastball. Got the next batter to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the 4th, we've gotten 2 runs to tie it and I'm up with 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd.. but I grounded out to short.

A 1-2-3 5th after Morgan has a spectacular diving catch in left field in foul territory.

Russell decides that is enough for me today in this final tuneup. We win the game 6-2 and I get my 2nd win of the spring.

5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 0 BB.

I review my final spring stats as I wait for Russell to meet with me after the game to let me know where I'm starting the year:


2-6, 7.58 ERA, 29.2 IP in 8 Games (7 starts, 1 relief appearance), 17 K, 4 BB. 46 H, 27 R, 25 ER, 9 HR, 1.69 WHIP, .338 avg vs RH and .362 avg vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 2, 2011 -

Even though everyone is healthy, Russell tells me that I'll be the 4th starter in the rotation! My first start is projected to be April 8, 2011 against the Reds. Here is our rotation now: Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, Wilfredo Ledezma, me, and Phil Dumatrait (who I replaced when he was injured.)

Our projected starting day lineup:

LF Nyjer Morgan
SS Jack Wilson
2B Freddy Sanchez
C Ryan Doumit
CF Nate McLouth
1B Andy Phillips
RF Austin Kearns
3B Andy LaRoche

Time to get to work on preparing for the Reds.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 8, 2011 -

We are 1-2 as I take the mound for the first time in the 2011 season. I'm facing the Reds on the road. They have Johnny Cueto on the mound.

1st up is Brandon Phillips. Struck him out swinging with a low 98 MPH fastball. Next up is Jerry Hairston, JR. Got him to ground to 2nd on a 2-1 fastball that was inside a bit. 3rd up is Joey Votto who homered against me last year. A 1-0 fastball is a bit too high in the zone and he pulls it to rightfield for a home run. Next up is Jay Bruce. He grounds to LaRoche for the out.

To start the 2nd, I'm facing Charlton Jimerson, their center fielder. He hits a curve weakly back at me for the out. Next up is 3B, Brian Ma. He hits a 0-2 fastball weakly to 2nd for the out. Jonny Gomes is up next. He grounds the 1st pitch to LaRoche.


In the top of the 3rd, I come to bat with a man on 1st and 0 outs. I sacrifice bunt him to 2nd but we fail to score in the inning.

Clint Sammons with a line drive to left field for his 1st hit of the year. He is sac bunted to 2nd. Phillips with a line drive to center for an RBI single.

NO! Hairston with a 2 run homer to right center on the 1st pitch, a high fastball. 4 R, 4 H through 3 innings and I'm starting to feel very panicky.

I feel a bit better after my teammates pick up 2 runs in the top of the 4th on 2 run homer by Doumit.

Gomes with a 1 out RBI double in the bottom of the 4th. He took a 1-2 slider to deep left field and off the wall. Phillips with a 2 out RBI single as he flared a very low fastball to left field for a shallow hit. The inning continues as Hairston hits a 2-2 fastball to left field for another RBI single. Down 7-2. What has happened? I finally get Votto to line out to deep left to get out of the inning.

As I come to the plate in the 5th, Russell puts in a pinch hitter. We lose the game 9-6. I didn't come close to getting the job done today.

4 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 K, 0 BB. I need to further develop my changeup and slider so I can use them more effectively to mix in with my fastball.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 14, 2011 -

We are 2-6. Hopefully, I can turn it around after that last horrid start. Today, I'm at home and I love the energy of this park. We are facing the Brewers today. They are 6-4.

Their lineup:

RF Corey Hart
2B David Eckstein
LF Ryan Brayn
1B Prince Fielder
SS J.J. Hardy
CF Mike Cameron
3B Bill Hall
C Angel Salome
P Yovani Gallardo


Struck out the 1st batter looking on a 1-2 low outside fastball. Generous call :) Eckstein with a triple off a hanging slider. Braun flies to shallow right for an out but Kearns' throw is offline allowing Eckstein to score. 1-0. Struck Prince out swinging on a high 2-2 fastball.

Struck out their pitcher on 3 pitches to start the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Braun with a 2-2 changeup to start the 4th. 1-2-3 4th.

My teammates get 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th and I'm up with a man on 1st and 2 outs. He struck me out on 3 pitches. Still, I'm feeling great with a 4-1 lead.

I walk Cameron on 4 straight pitches as I just couldn't get my fastball to go anywhere that I wanted it. He advances on a passed ball, but I get the next 2 guys to pop up and then the pitcher hits a weak fly to right.

I worry a bit as Hart starts the 6th with a single up the middle. Struck Eckstein out with a 97 MPH fastball at the knees. Braun with a single to right and Kearns throws out Hart trying to take 3rd. Prince grounds a changeup to short to end the inning. 6 strong innings has me feeling great.

A strong 7th inning in which I allowed a 2 out single but quickly finished the inning on the next pitch.

In the 8th, my arm is burning and a fastball gets away from me and hits Hart with 1 out. Fortunately, I get Eckstein to hit into a 6-4-3 double play with a low changup.

Russell knows that is it for me and I leave hoping that Capps can get his 3rd save which he does. I get my 1st win with a real gem and I am named the Player of the Game.

8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB.

[nfg22]

Nice...finally a good start

[Eaglesfan27]

April 20, 2011 -

Today, I'm starting at home against the Cardinals. First up is Orlando Hudson. Struck him out on 3 straight fastballs. Next up is Skip Schumaker. He grounded to 1st. Batting 3rd is Rick Ankiel. He is hitting .356 with 4 homers. Got him to ground a 2-2 fastball to 2nd base for the out.

Joe Crede batting 4th today as Pujols is out with a minor injury. He hits a double to deep right field off a 3-2 fastball. Yadier Molina up next. He lines the first pitch to shallow center to drive in the run. Joe Mather playing at 1st today and batting 6th for them. Conor Gillaspie, my 3B, lets an easy grounder get by him for a single. Adam Kennedy up with men on 1st and 2nd. Time to work for the strikeout. A 3-2 fastball misses just outside and he gets the walk to load the bases.

Brian Barton is up next. He pops up a 0-2 fastball to 1st. I get the pitcher to fly out to left but that drives in a run. Hudson lines to right to drive in another run. Terrible start and I'm really feeling the pressure now. I finally struck out Schumaker to end the inning. Rough 2nd inning.

My teammates get 2 runs on the board in the bottom of the 2nd.

Kennedy draws another 3-2 walk to start the 4th. Shit. Barton hits a perfect groundball to Sanchez that should have been a double play but he lets it get through his legs. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Struck out the pitcher on a 1-2 fastball. Hudson with a line drive to right field that is a sac fly. I get a groundball back at me to get out of the inning.

Down 4-3 as I take the mound in the 5th. Ankiel starts off the inning by hitting a 0-1 fastball to deep center, McLouth misplays it and it hits off the top of the wall for a triple. Crede with a ground ball up the middle to score the run. I give up a weak single to 3rd that is misplayed and men are on 1st and 2nd. That's it. Russell has seen enough of me.

4 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 K, 2 BB. A terrible start. We lose the game 11-5.

After the game, we get the news that Russell is fired! Ozzie Guillen has been hired to be our new manager!

[Eaglesfan27]

April 21, 2011 -

Ozzie Guillen calls me into his office and tells me that I'm pitching like crap. He yelled a ton and ton and told me that he's benching me for my next start and if I don't get things straightened out soon I'll be sent down to AAA.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 25, 2011 -

Odd. Apparently, he's changed his mind and I'm starting against the Padres today in San Diego. We are both 7-11 and we are on a 3 game winning streak. Their lineup:

LF Angel Pagan
CF Jody Gerut
1B Adrian Gonzalez
RF Scott Hairston
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
2B Eddy Cramm
C Edwin Bellorin
SS Chris Burke
P Kevin Correia


With 2 outs and a man on 3rd, I struck out Hairston with an inside fastball to end the 1st.

In the top of the 2nd, I'm up to the plate with men on 1st and 3rd and 1 run having already scored. 1 out. YES! I lace an outside pitch to shallow right for an RBI single.

Up 2-0 as I take the mound in the 2nd.

3-0 lead as I take the mound in the 3rd. NOOO! I feel sharp pain in my shoulder as I throw a 1-1 fastball to the first batter in the 3rd.

We win the game 4-0, but I only pitched 2 innings so no decision for me.

2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

Now, I have to fret all night waiting for the MRI results tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 26, 2011 -

I'm told by the team doctor that there is no structural damage and I'm cleared to pitch in my next start if I can manage the pain. I know that I'll manage the pain.

April 30, 2011 -

Today I'm starting at home against the Phillies. We are now 10-13 as we've had a resurgence under Ozzie. The Phillies are 13-10 and have a potent lineup still:

SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
1B Ryan Howard
2B Chase Utley
LF Ibanez
RF Jai Miller
3B Pedro Feliz
C Ronny Paulino
P Contreras

1-2-3 1st including Howard grounding to 1st. He is hitting over .400 so far this year with 6 homers so that felt good.

After Utley got a single to start the 2nd, I struck out Ibanez with a 1-2 low inside fastball.

In the 2nd, they get men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, so I pitch carefully to the #8 hitter before walking him. I get Contreras to ground weakly to 2nd with a low 0-2 fastball.

Rollins leads off the 3rd with a grounder past Phillips at 1st and then Victorino with a line drive past LaRoche at 3rd. Men on 1st and 2nd with no outs and Howard up..

With the huge shift, Howard hits into a 4-5-3 double play. I walk Utley on 4 straight pitches. Ibanez grounds a changeup right to 1st for the out to get out of the inning.

I give up 2 singles to start the 4th, but get Paulino to hit into a double play and then Contreras hits a weak grounder to short.

In the bottom of the 4th, my team finally gets 2 runs on the board thanks to a 2 run homer by Sanchez.

Struck Rollins out swinging on a VERY high fastball to start the 5th. On 1-2 count, I try to get Victorino on a low slider but it hangs and he hammers it to right center for a homerun. Up 2-1.

Howard hits it hard towards 2nd and the deep shift gets the ball, but a very bad throw results in Howard getting to 2nd. A 0-2 high fastball pops up Utley to 3rd. SOB. A 0-1 changeup just hangs too high on me and Ibanez homers over the right field wall. Down 3-2. Struck out Miller with a 2-2 fastball to end the inning.

A 1-2-3 6th against the bottom of their order. The heart of our lineup is up. I sit in the dugout hoping they can score in the bottom of the 6th as I know I don't have much more time in the game. We get a run in the bottom of the 6th and Guillen decides to turn it over to the pen.

We lose the game 5-3 as they have a 2 run 8th.

6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 1, 2011 -

A rough start to the season. Guillen doesn't seem to like me and I wouldn't be shocked if I got sent down by him. I need to pitch much better to avoid that. My stats so far this year: 5 GP, 1-2, 5.63 ERA, 2 QS, 24 IP, 29 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 7 BB, 13 K, 1.50 WHIP, avg vs RG .357, avg vs LH .250.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 5, 2011 -

There is a buzz going around the team. We've promoted our young star C/1B Kenneth Blake and while his fielding at 1B is spotty, his hitting is impressive so far. I'm starting in Chicago today against the Cubs. Aramis Ramirez remains their most dangerous hitter. The aforementioned Blake is directly responsible for both of the runs our team scored in the top of the 1st.

I take the mound with a 2-0 lead.

Terrible start as Miles starts with a single up the middle and then a 2-2 fastball gets away from me and hits Ryan Sweeney in the back. 0 outs as I face Ramirez who is hitting .226 with 5 homers so far this year.

He flies to deep center and then McLouth throws out Miles at 3rd!! Struck out Soto with a 0-2 changeup to end the inning.

Struck out Lee with a 1-2 outside slider to start the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd. 1-2-3 3rd as well. 1-2-3 4th. Everyone is hitting weak grounders and popups in the infield. A smooth 5th as well. Still up 2-0.

My teammates get 2 more runs (again Blake scores) to start the 6th.

Charlie Sawyer screws me on 2 different calls that lead to a walk and a single and then Aramis Ramirez hits a single up the middle with 2 outs to drive in their first run of the game. Soto with a single to shallow center drives in another run but McLouth with another great throw guns down Ramirez who was trying to go to 3rd to end the inning. Up 4-2.

Lee with a single to right to start off th 7th. McLouth with 2 very good plays in center to get 2 outs. I get Cora to ground weakly back to me to end the 7th.

McLouth scores in the top of the 8th to make it a 5-2 lead as I take the mound in the bottom of the 8th. My arm is almost dead, but I get a 6-4-3 double play to end the 8th.

We win the game 5-3.

Capps gets his 8th save and I get my 2nd win of the year.

8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 11, 2011 -

We continue to play much better under Ozzie. We are now 15-18. Today, I'm starting at home vs the Rockies who are 15-19. Their lineup:

CF Scodd Podsednik
RF Brad Hawpe
3B Garrett Atkins
C Chis Iannetta
1B Todd Helton
SS Troy Tulowitzki
2B Frank Catalanotto
LF Carlos Gonzalez
P Jason Marquis

I'm disappointed that Blake isn't starting for us today. Instead, we have the following lineup:

CF McLouth
SS Wilson
2B Sanchez
C Doumit
3B Conor Gillaspie
RF Kearns
1B LaRoche
LF Brandon Moss
P Me


1-2-3 1st in which I struck out Hawpe.

McLouth set the table early and we got a 3 run 1st that featured a 2 run homer by Doumit.

Struck out Helton in the 2nd on a 99 MPH fastball. 1-2-3 3rd. 1-2-3 4th. Despite allowing 1 hit earlier in the 2nd, I've faced the minimum 12 so far.

Helton with a 1 out double in the 5th. He took it just past LaRoche down the right field line. I get the next two batters to fly to 1st and the catcher.

Back to back singles to start the 6th with the top of the order coming up. Podsednik with a RBI single to right. My arm still feels good, but I'm getting hit hard right now. I need to dig back and get some strikeouts.

Wow. I put something extra on it and got Hawpe to strike out with a 99 MPH fastball low and inside. Atkins hit a fast chopper right at me, I turned and threw to 2nd starting the double play to get out of the inning.

Up 3-1 as I take the mound in the 7th. Ianneta hits a 1-1 fastball to deep left for a solo homerun. Helton with a line down the right field line and my night is done. I just hope my pen doesn't blow it for me..

Burnett comes in and gets out of the 7th, but Lopez gives up 2 runs in the 8th to cost us the game. 4-3 loss.

6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 0 BB.

[nfg22]

Are you mainly relying on your fastball or are the changeup and curve being mixed in a bit?

[Eaglesfan27]

May 17, 2011 -

Austin Kearns is among the top 3 in homeruns in the NL so far this year. McLouth is tied for 4th and we continue to show signs of improvement. We are now 18-20 as I take the mound today against the Brewers in Milwaukee. I'm glad to see Blake starting at 1B today.

Struck out Mike Cameron to start the game using a 2-2 changeup.

Ryan Braun is leading the NL in homers at 13. With a 0-1 inside fastball, I get him to hit a weak liner at Blake who makes the play at 1st.

Struck out Hardy with a 98 MPH outside fastball in the 2nd. Struck out Francisco with a fastball down below his knees to end the inning.

Struck out Bill Hall with an outside 2-2 changeup in the 3rd inning. Struck out their pitcher with a 2-2 slider to end the 3rd. 3 perfect innings so far and I'm feeling excited.

Darn. A 2-1 fastball just gets away from me and hits Cameron in the leg. The next hitter hits into 3-6-1 double play. Braun flies to left and I still have the no hitter going with the minimum number of batters.

I come to bat in the top of the 5th with men on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs. We are now up 1-0. He strikes me out with a slider. At least, we got the run.

Struck out Prince looking with a 97 MPH fastball at the knees that just catches the inside part of the plate to start the 5th. 1-2-3 5th.

1-2-3 6th all on groundballs.

Struck out Cameron with a 0-2 fastball to start the 7th. I let out a deep breath as Morgan catches a fly to left field at the wall. Another deep breath as Braun hits it all the way to the right field wall but Kearns has room and gets it.

Still a 1-0 game as I take the mound in the 8th. A fastball gets away from me and drills Prince Fielder in the back to start the inning. Hardy pops up a 0-2 curve to 1st for an out. They bring in a pinch runner and then Ben Francisco grounds the ball into the gap at 2nd on a hit and run. Ozzie pulls me after that. I cringe when Ozzie calls for Denny Bautista to enter the game. He has cost me too many games..

Ozzie actually gave me a very friendly pat on the back as I come out of the game. Denny gets out of the inning. Capps gets the save and I get the victory as we win 1-0! I'm named player of the game.

7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB. My best start of my major league career! I'm so happy right now. I'm feeling more confident in my changeup after tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

Are you mainly relying on your fastball or are the changeup and curve being mixed in a bit?


I tend to fall in love with the fastball and overuse it. This last game, I really mixed up my pitches well.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 22, 2011 -

My last game started a 4 game winning streak before we lost last night. We are 22-21 and Ozzie is in a good mood. Tonight, I'm pitching in Colorado against the Rockies. Hopefully, the infamous thin air doesn't get me.

Blake started off the game with a homerun and we are up 1-0.

Atkins with a flare that Sanchez barely misses in shallow right for a 2 out single in the 1st. A 1-0 fastball is much higher than I meant and goes right over the heart of the plate.. Hawpe drills it to very deep right for a 2 run homer.

We are down 2-1 in the 2nd. With a 0-1 count Clint Barmes hurts himself swinging at my inside fastball. Catalanotto comes into the game as a pinch hitter for him. Struck out Torrealba on a 2-2 high inside fastball. Got the pitcher to ground to 2nd for the 3rd out in the inning.


Struck out Gonzalez with a 2-2 changeup to start the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

In the top of the 4th, I successfully sac bunted guys to 2nd and 3rd but we failed to score. Still down 2-1.

Struck out Jason Marquis with a high fastball in the 5th. Blake catches a Helton bullet with no problem to end the inning.

1-2-3 6th.

They pinch hit for me in the 7th inning but we fail to score. A 2-1 loss.

My record drops to 3-3.

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 27, 2011 -

We've are on a 6 game losing streak. We are now 22-26. I need to turn it around. Tonight, we are hosting Arizona.

Struck out Upton on a 0-2 curveball to start the game.

Struck out Upton with a high fastball in the 3rd inning. The next 2 hitters, Stephen Drew and Conor Jackson get singles to get men on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Mark Reynolds is at the plate. Struck him out with a 99 MPH fastball on a 3-2 count.

On an 0-2 count, I get a bunt down to move a runner to second. He later scores to give us a 1-0 lead as I take the mound in the 4th.

Sanchez with a spectacular dive and recovery to throw out the leadoff hitter. Struck out Snyder with a 1-2 changeup in the 4th.

Terrible start in the 5th as I walk the #8 hitter and then a passed ball allows him to advance to 2nd. At least, a nasty fastball causes the pitcher to pop up his bunt attempt. Upton grounds to 2nd moving the runner to 3rd and then I walk Drew on 4 pitches. A 1-2 96 MPH fastball to Conor Jackson that is a bit high and inside gets called a 3rd strike and I'm out of the inning.

Still a 1-0 game as I take the mound in the 6th. A 0-2 curve strikes out Reynolds to start the inning.

I step to the plate with 1 out, a man on 2nd, and we have already scored 2 runs. I bunt the runner to 3rd as instructed.

3-0 lead as we enter the 7th. The leadoff hitter hits a 2-2 curve into right field for a single. They bring in Reed Johnson to pinch hit. I pop him up to the catcher with an inside fastball. Upton hits into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.

A 3-2 fastball gets away from me and walks the leadoff hitter, Stephen Drew, in the 8th. Conor Jackson flies out to shallow right for the first out. Darn, I get Reynolds into an 0-2 count despite my fastball losing its zip, but then the 0-2 curve gets away from me and hits him in the back to put men on 1st and 2nd. Ozzie pulls me after that pitch.

I'm happy to see that my pen got us out of the jam and we won the game 3-0. That is my 4th win of the year and I'm named player of the game.

7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, and 2 (or 3 HBP.)

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2011 -

A tough road game against the Mets today. We are now 23-29. They have so many dangerous hitters:

SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
LF Manny Ramirez
1B Carlos Delgado
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
2B Luis Castillo
C Ramon Castro
P Mike Pelfrey


McLouth knocks in Blake (who is catching today) to start the 1st inning to give us a 1-0 lead.

Sanchez with a brilliant dive, recovery, and throw but David Wright beats it out for a single. Manny hits the first pitch to deep right but Kearns catches it at the warning track to get the 2nd out of the inning. Delgado grounds softly to Sanchez and the 1st is over.

I come up to the plate with 0 outs and Moss at 1B, I sac him to 2nd and he later scores on a sac fly to give us a 2-0 lead.

In the 2nd, Church hits a ball to deep center over McLouth's head for a 1 out triple. A deep fly on a 3-2 changeup gets the run in. I get Castro to ground to 3rd to end the inning.

A 1-2 fastball at the knees gets Reyes looking in the 3rd. Struck out Wright with a 3-2 changeup to end the inning.

After Manny reached on an error, I got Carlos Delgado to ground sharply back to me and started the 1-6-3 double play. Struck out Beltran with a low 2-2 fastball.

1-2-3 5th.

Struck out Pelfrey with a 1-2 changeup to start the 6th. Wright with a 2 out single to right. I get Manny to hit a 0-2 changeup right back at me and make the throw to 1st to end the inning.

Still up 2-1 in the 7th. Beltran with a 1 out single to right field. Ozzie pulls me after that. I think it is too early. If we blow this lead, I'm going to tell Ozzie so after the game. Sean Burnett comes into the game. Burnette gets the job done, but that a-hole Chris Bootcheck gives up 2 runs in the 8th that cost us the win. We lose the game 3-2.

6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2011 -

My teammates try to talk me out of going to Ozzie's office as they are afraid it will piss him off, but I do it anyway. Ozzie agrees that I had something left and says he will probably leave me in longer next time.

I reflect on my stats so far after 2 months:

11 GP, 4-3, 3.05 ERA, 11 GS, 8 QS, 65 IP, 57 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 6 HR, 11 BB, 38 K, 1.05 WHIP, .252 avg vs RH, .232 avg vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 7, 2011 -

Today I'm pitching against the Cubs in Chicago. The wind is blowing out to right at 10 MPH. We are 25-32. They are atop the division at 37-20.

Struck out Theriot with a 0-2 changeup to start the game. A 4-0 walk to Sweeney is not good. My 1st pitch, a fastball, to Ramirez gets away and hits him on the hip. Soriano with a RBI single in which Sweeney barely beats the throw home. Struck out Bradley with a 0-2 curve to get the 2nd out. Soto flies out to left to the inning.

Struck out Lilly on 3 straight fastballs to end the 2nd inning.

Struck out Soriano with a fastball low and inside to end the 3rd.

Struck out Lee with a low fastball to end the 4th.

In the top of the 5th, I hit a single to shallow right center to lead off the inning. Unfortunately, we didn't score. Still down 1-0 in the bottom of the 5th.

Struck out Lilly on 3 straight fastballs in the 5th for the 2nd out.

Ryan Sweeney starts off the 6th with a single to left field. After I get Aramis out on a pop up to 2nd, Soriano hits a hard grounder between 1st and 2nd that advances the runner to 3rd.

Soriano steals 2nd on the 1st pitch. I get Bradley to hit a grounder right back to me. I look the runners back and then throw to 1st for the out. Sanchez makes a good play on a grounder to his right and throws out Soto to end the inning.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the 7th. We get 3 runs out of the move. However, Burnett and Baustista combine to cough up the lead and we lose the game 4-3. Another solid effort by me that gets wasted.

6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 9, 2011 -

What is management thinking? They just traded our "#1 pitcher" Satchel Morris to the Brewers for CF Mike Cameron. Do we really need another CF? I guess if he can play left, I'm glad we made this move.


June 10, 2011 -

Ozzie meets with me and tells me that with Satchel gone, he expects me to be the staff's ace pitcher now! He says he likes my moxie and thinks I've got the talent to be a #1 for many years.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 12, 2011 -

We are 26-36. Today, we host the Detroit Tigers who are 29-34. We have been starting Cameron in left field the last few days and he has done well, although tonight Cameron is starting in center with McLouth in left. A look at both starting lineups:

CF Curtis Granderson
2B Placido Polanco
1B Miguel Cabrera
RF Magglio Ordonez
LF H. Trammell
C Geral Laird
3B Brandon Inge
SS Adam Everett
P Dontrelle Willis

LF Nate McLouth
C Kennedy Blake
2B Freddy Sanchez
CF Mike Cameron
SS Jack Wilson
RF Austin Kearns
3B Andy LaRoche
1B Brandon Moss (worried about his defense there.)


Granderson hits the first pitch, an inside fastball, over the right field wall.

Struck out Cabrera with a 3-2 fastball. That was a 9 pitch at bat. Cameron with a spectacular catch in center to end the inning.

McLouth with an amazing catch of a deep fly in left. These guys are going to cover a lot of ground between them :) 1-2-3 2nd.

My defense is killing me in the 3rd. An error by Wilson to allow Everett to get on. Then, the catcher fumbles a bunt attempt by Dontrelle. Then, Sanchez fumbles a sure double play ball and we only get 1. Now, 1 out and men on 2nd and 3rd. I need to strike out Polanco.

Instead, a 1-0 fastball gets away and I plunk him to load the bases for Cabrera. He hits a hard grounder down the left field line for a 2 RBI double. A ground out to 2nd by Magglio knocks in another run.

CRUD. Trammell turns on a good 1-2 low inside fastball and pulls it down the right field line. 6-0. Inge with a RBI single to deep left to make it 7-0. I'm not handling my ace status very well today. My worst inning ever as I give up 7 and let them bat around in the 3rd.

That is it for me. Ozzie has seen more than enough. Amazingly, despite the 7-0 hole I dug them, my team wins 10-9 thanks to a 6 run 5th and a 3 run 7th.

3 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 18, 2011 -

Today, I'm getting the start against the Minnesota Twins at home. We are 29-38. They are 25-44. Morneau is the only really dangerous hitter in their lineup today. Today, McLouth is getting some rest and isn't starting for us. We are starting Travis Page in left field and Cameron in center.

Morneau hit a 2-2 hanging slider to deep left center with 2 outs to put them up 1-0. I need to stop throwing that slider until I get better command of it.

Morneau with a 2 out RBI single in the 3rd inning.

Still down 2-0 as I take the mound in the 5th. My team is being no hit.

With men on 1st and 2 and no outs, I struck out Casilla with an inside fastball. Next pitch, Morneau hits a low fastball to deep right for a 2 RBI double. Pridie with a single just past LaRoche and down the left field line for a RBI double. 5-0 and I've had another terrible outing. Brandon Harris with an RBI single and Ozzie yanks me.

4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

Our team takes the lead in the 7th, but Chris Bootcheck blows it in the 8th. We lose the game 11-7.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 24, 2011 -

We are now 30-42 and 18.5 games behind the Cubs. Today, I'm starting against the Royals in Kansas City.

As I take the mound, we have a 2-0 lead. :)

Leading off is Coco Crisp. He hits a 1-1 changeup down the 3rd base line for a single. Next up is Alex Gordon. He hits a 1-2 slider, that I wanted to be very low but ended up sailing over the heart of the plate, into deep left center for a RBI double.

Billy Butler is up next. He grounds out to Sanchez, but the runner goes to 3rd. Clark Kirkpatrick is up next. He hits a deep fly to left for the sac fly. Tied at 2. Aubrey Huff is up now. He grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Mark Teahan leads off the 2nd inning. He grounds to short. Miguel Olivo batting 7th. He hits a hard shot into deep left for a double. Felipe Lopez is up next. He grounds to short for the out. Esteban German is the #9 hitter. Struck him out with a 3-2 changeup.

Yes. We have a 5-2 lead as I take the mound in the 3rd. :)

Start the 3rd with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner to strike out Crisp. Struck out Gordon looking too with a 2-2 inside fastball at the knees. 1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Kirkpatrick with a 2-2 changeup to start the 4th. Struck out Huff with an inside 3-2 fastball. After Teahan walked, I struck out Olivo on the 12th pitch, a 3-2 high inside fastball.

In the 5th, Crisp with a double that Kearns just misses making a diving catch on. That puts men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Alex Gordon is up. I get him to hit to 1st, rather than tagging the bag, he throws it home and throw is late. 5-3, 1 out. Butler up to the plate with men on 1st and 3rd. The 1st pitch gets away and hits him in the head. Butler is down! I hold my breath. I hope he is ok. He is going to the hospital to get checked out.

Bases loaded with Kirkpatrik up the plate. I get him to ground to 1st for a 3-6-1 double play to get out of the inning.

In the 6th, Teahan has a 10 pitch at bat before hitting a 3-2 to deep right that Kearns barely catches at the warning track. Olivo with a first pitch line drive to shallow left center. McLouth with the throw to 2nd.. he got him! But, the ump calls him safe. I want to argue with the ump but can't risk the ejection. McLouth with a great catch in center to get me out of the inning.

My arm is dead. Ozzie and I both know it. That is it for me. Time to hope the pen can hold onto my lead.

They do. Capps gets his 19th save and I get my 5th win of the year. Now, I'm 5-3.

6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 24, 2011 -

After the game, I hear that Butler has a concussion and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks. At least, he wasn't hurt worse. I need to get better control of my fastball.


June 29, 2011 -

Tonight, I'm starting in Houston. Lyle Overbay is their most dangerous hitter in the lineup tonight. The lefty has 11 homers on the year. We are 34-43. They are 35-43.

Great start to the 1st inning for our hitters as we put up 5 runs on a grandslam by Moss!

After the leadoff hitter gets a single to shallow center, the first pitch to the 2nd hitter is a comeback which I turn into a 1-6-3 double play. Pence grounds to Sanchez to end the inning. An uneventful 2nd inning.

In the 3rd, they got men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out, but I got Jason Tyner to pop up a fastball to me. Pence grounded out to short to end the inning.

Struck out Overbay with a 2-2 changeup to start the 4th.

5 shutout innings pitched so far.

Struck out Overbay with a 0-2 changeup to start the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

I'm allowed to bat to start the 7th, I hit a shallow liner to center. The center fielder makes a spectacular diving catch, by Ozzie runs out arguing it was a trap. He argues my case, but it's still called an out.

After allowing a leadoff single in the 7th, I get Towles to fly out to center. Carlos Lee comes in as a pinch hitter. He also flies out to McLouth. Last batter grounds out to Sanchez. 7 shutout innings and my arm feels good.

1 pitch ground out to short by Tyner to start the 8th. 1 pitch to Pence and he grounds out to 1st. Struck out Overbay on a 1-2 changeup! He is the only guy in their lineup I have managed to strike out today.

I'm being allowed to hit in the top of the 9th with a man on 1st and 2 outs.. I ground out to 3rd to end the inning.

Struck out Luna on a 2-2 fastball to start the 9th. That was my 100th pitch. McDonald with a drag bunt down the third base line to get on 1st. 1st pitch to Rivas I explode his bat and the ball is popped weakly to 1st for the 2nd out. Towles is up now.. on the 7th pitch, a 96 MPH 2-2 fastball over the inside edge of the plate strikes him out swinging. My first complete game and 1st shutout of the year! We win the game 5-0.

9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2011 -

I doubt I'll make the All-Star team, but I'm happy with my stats so far 3 months into my 1st full major league season:

16 GP, 6-3, 3.27 ERA, 11 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 93.2 IP, 89 H, 42 R, 34 ER, 9 HR, 15 BB, 57 K, 1.11 WHIP, vs RH .254, vs LH .259.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 4, 2011 -

Starting on the 4th of July at home is exciting. Tody, we are hosting the Mets and their dangerous lineup. We have one of our biggest crowds of the year, just under 24k. The Mets are 50-32. We are 36-46. The Mets are using the same lineup as the last time I faced them. No Cameron today playing behind me, as Travis Page is starting in left for us.

Wright takes a 3-2 fastball to right field for a single with 1 out. Manny has 20 homers as he takes the plate. I walk him on 4 straight pitches. Delgado with 15 homers as he steps to the plate. Sanchez misplays a strong grounder at him and it scores a run. 1-0. Beltran up now. He has 17 homers on the year. Struck him out looking on a 0-2 99 MPH fastball on the outside corner (and a bit high.) Church up with 2 outs. I get screwed on 2 straight ball calls and walk Church. Bases loaded with 2 outs in the 1st.

Luis Castillo is up now. He grounds to 1st for the out to end the inning.

Reyes legs out a grounder to short to get on with 2 outs. Then, he steals 2nd. Great catch by LaRoche in foul territory as he practically falls into the crowd catching Wright's popup to end the 2nd.

I jam Manny to start the 3rd as he flies weakly to left. Delgado grounds a 1-1 changeup weakly back at me for the 2nd out. Beltran grounds to 2nd to end the 2nd.

I hit a grounder past Wright to start the 3rd for us. Too bad, my teammates didn't knock me in. Still down 1-0 as I take the mound to start the 4th.

Luis Castillo with a 1 out single and then Ramon Castro hits a 1-2 fastball just past Sanchez. Men on 1st and 3rd with the pitcher up and 1 out. He grounds a 1-2 changeup right back at me and I start the 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Reyes fouls off 4 pitches before I finally throw a 3-2 fastball too low and he walks to start the 5th. Caught him stealing with a pitchout. It takes 9 pitches, but I finally strike out Wright swinging on an 2-2 inside fastball. Crud. A 1st pitch curve hangs and Manny crushes it to deep left. Down 2-0. Manny is 1 homer away from 600 now. Delgado flies out to McLouth to end the inning.

With 0 outs, I sacrifice guys to 2nd and 3rd in the 5th inning and it turns into a 2 run 5th! Tied at 2 as I take the mound in the 6th.

Struck out Church on a 0-2 fastball well outside to get the 2nd out in the 6th. 1-2-3 6th. I've thrown almost 100 pitches and they pinch hit for me in the bottom of the 6th. Unfortuantely, we fail to score.

Bautista pitches a good 7th inning but Bootcheck gives up 3 runs in the 8th and we lose 5-2.

6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 10, 2011 -

My last start before the All-Star game which is just 2 days away. Today, we host the Brewers. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are by far their most dangerous hitters. They are 36-55. We are 38-49. I have Cameron in left and McLouth in center as the best defenders behind me today.

1st pitch is grounded to Sanchez for the 1st out.

What was I saying about Cameron? He tries to throw out Rivera at 2nd and overthrows him allowing Rivera to get to 3rd with 1 out. I decided to pitch carefully to Braun after that. Braun walks as the 3-2 changeup is called a ball by Doc Bryant, but I thought it was a strike at the knees. Fielder up now. He leads the league with 25 homers on the year. Braun is 2nd with 24.

Fielder hits a 0-2 changeup sharply up the middle but Sanchez dives which traps it, flips it to Wilson who throws out the slow Fielder just before he reaches 1st to end the inning.

After getting into trouble with the leadoff runners on 1st and 2nd, I get a 3-6-1 double play and then I strike out Bill Hall with a 2-2 changeup to end the 2nd.

We get 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd thanks to a 2 RBI double by Page who is playing in RF over Kearns tonight.

Struck out Rivera looking with a 0-2 fastball on the outside corner to end the 3rd.

1-2-3 4th as I got Braun and Fielder to chase outside pitches for ground outs.

With 2 outs and my men on 1st and 2nd, I struck out on a 2-2 changeup to end the rally.

Braun with a 2 out single to center in the 6th. I get Fielder to ground a low changeup to short for the 3rd out.

I walk Francisco for the 2nd time this game with 1 out in the 7th. He fouled off 2 3-2 pitches before I missed inside with the fastball. Eckstein hits a hard deep fly to left center but McLouth makes the play easily. Love him having out there. Struck out Bill Hall with a 1-2 slider to end the 7th.

After the pitcher leads off the 8th with a bloop to left field, I get Hart to strike out on a 3-2 changeup. He forced me to throw him 9 pitches. Rivera chops the first pitch hard up the middle for a single, but the pitcher goes for 3rd and McLouth throws him out by at least 3 feet.

Braun hits a 0-1 fastball hard to right field. Travis dives for the sinking liner and just barely misses it. He quickly recovers and holds the men at 2nd and 3rd. That is it for Ozzie. He pulls me and brings in Thaddeus Waite who has been the most effective reliever outside of Capps.

Unfortunately, Waite doesn't get the job done this time. He allows bot of my inherited runs to sore on a single by Fielder. We lose the game in the 11th when Bootcheck allows 2 runs. How does he keep a job?

7.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 3 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 12, 2011 -

As expected, I did not make the All-Star team. Cole Hamels was the starting pitcher and he got the win as the NL beat the AL 4-3. Matt Capps did make the team as did McLouth.

[nfg22]

At least your improving...if you got on a better team your record would be closer to 10-3.

[Eaglesfan27]

At least your improving...if you got on a better team your record would be closer to 10-3.

Very true. I can't wait to leave the Pirates. Hopefully, I'll get to go the Phillies, but we'll see who offers the most money and the best situation to pitch in when the times comes.

[Young Drachma]

EF, this is awesome and more relevant to me now that I've begun playing RTTS mode this week and with this new guy last night.

You've got a good model here and I like how descriptive you are about the game and such alike. I'm sure I'll be cribbing your model a bit as I evolve my dynasty a bit.

I'll be following for sure. Looks like you've turned a corner too, so I hope you get out of there and someplace you want to be when free agency rolls around.

[Eaglesfan27]

EF, this is awesome and more relevant to me now that I've begun playing RTTS mode this week and with this new guy last night.

You've got a good model here and I like how descriptive you are about the game and such alike. I'm sure I'll be cribbing your model a bit as I evolve my dynasty a bit.

I'll be following for sure. Looks like you've turned a corner too, so I hope you get out of there and someplace you want to be when free agency rolls around.

Thanks. I'm enjoying following your dynasty as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 18, 2011 -

Today I'm starting on the road against Washington. The Nationals' most dangerous hitters are Lastings Milledge and Ryan Zimmerman who both have 11 homers.

Our team gets a 1-0 lead early in the game on a Kenneth Blake homerun. Blake is being talked about as National League Rookie of the Year. I was hoping that would be me getting that talk, but I like the kid and am happy for him. Interesting choice by Ozzie today as he has starting Travis Page in center and McLouth in left. I don't really understand that move, but hopefully it will work.

Struck out Milledge to start the game looking on a 99 MPH outside fastball at the knees that just got the corner of the plate.

A 1-1 fastball to the next batter gets away from me and drills him in the back. Blake throws him out attempting to steal on a 2-1 pitch. Struck out Zimmerman with a 2-2 changeup to end the inning.

Struck out Josh Willingham swinging on a 99 MPH fastball to start the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd.

To start the 3rd, I sac bunt our #8 hitter to 2nd for the 1st out of the inning. We fail to knock the runner in.

Struck out Jesus Flores for the 2nd out in the 3rd with a 99 MPH fastball. My control of it is getting better and I'm painting the corners right now. 1-2-3 3rd.

Milledge starts off the 4th with a single that just gets past Jason Wood (who I have no idea why he is starting at short instead of our usual starter who easily would have made the play.) Oh well, there goes the no hitter. Cotts laces a 1-2 slider into right field and Milledge barely beats the throw into 3rd. Men on 1st and 3rd with Zimmerman up and no outs. I need some of those strikeouts now...

Cotts steals 2nd on a 2-0 pitch. I walk Zimmerman to load the bases with no outs. A deep fly to center scores their 1st run of the game. Page with a solid play out there. Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out now. Gotay hits a line drive just past the short stop. Again, that would have been a routine play for Wilson. Down 2-1 with men on 1st and 3rd.

Darn. I get a routine grounder to 2nd that should have been a double play ball but Sanchez bobbles it and gets none. Down 3-1 now with men on 1st and 2nd. I get Corey Patterson to ground back softly to me, but my throw to 2nd is just too late and we don't get any. Finally, I get the catcher to ground to 3rd for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The pitcher hits a weak flare to short left field that a competent short stop could have gotten. Milledge hits the first pitch, a changeup, down the 3rd base line for a single. It was all going so well, but now I'm completely rattled. Cotts hits a sharp liner into the left field corner for 2 RBI double. Down 5-1. Zimmerman with a deep fly to center moves the runner to third. Willingham hits a curve to deep left for a RBI double. I can't believe I was thinking no hitter not that long ago. Down 6-1 and Ozzie is yanking me now. We lose the game 7-3 and I fall to 6-4.

4.1 IP pitched today, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 21, 2011 -

The hitting coach said that I'm becoming a semi-competent hitter against left handed pitchers after today's batting session in which I hit my first homerun down the left field line.


July 24, 2011 -

Today I'm pitching at home vs the Cardinals. Before the game, I was perusing MLB.com and I noticed that the Pirates are 30th in runs scored :( The Cardinals are 55-42 and are 8th in runs scored. Good news as Pujols isn't playing today. Better news is that I have every starter I expect playing defense behind me today including McLouth in center and Cameron in left.

1-2-3 1st.

Ankiel was batting .329 with 19 homers coming into this game, but I strike him out with a 0-2 fastball that was well outside to start the 2nd.

With men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 3rd, I get Schumaker to ground to Sanchez for a 4-6-3 double play.

Wow. In the 4th, I just had my fastball clocked at 100 MPH for the first time ever on a 1-1 pitch to Crede that was just too far inside. 1-2-3 4th.

On a chopper to start the 5th, I overthrow the 1st basemen for an error that sends the lead off runner to 2nd. I get Molina looking on a 0-2 fastball at the knees to get the 1st out. Next up is Mather, who I get swinging at a 2-2 fastball at the knees. I get the pitcher to ground weakly to 3rd for the 3rd out of the inning.

Still scoreless as I take the mound in the 6th. I get Schumaker to strike out swinging on a 1-2 changeup for the 2nd out of the inning. 1-2-3 6th.

Ankiel starts off the 7th with a hard grounder up the middle. I get Crede looking with a fastball on the outside corner. Cameron with a spectacular play on a hard hit ball to deep left for the 2nd out. Out of inning with a little chopper in front of the plate.

Still a 0-0 tie as I take the mound to start the 8th. I get Hudson looking with a 0-2 fastball at the knees to end the 8th. I've got some great movement on it now.

They pull me for a pinch hitter in bottom of the 8th. The move pays off as we finally score off Lohse! In fact, we score 6 runs! We win the game 6-0.

I'm the player of the game. 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 30, 2011 -

Today, I'm starting against the Phillies in Philadelphia. They are stating Jose Contreras. They have a bunch of dangerous hitters.

We are up 1-0 as I take the mound in the bottom of the 1st. Sanchez with a BRILLIANT dive to rob Rollins of a hit. Struck Victorino out with a 0-2 changeup. Howard is batting .319 with 25 homers. He hits a 2-2 changeup all the way to the right field wall but Moss catches it against the wall.

Utley starts the 2nd off with a double when Cameron barely misses a diving catch. Ibanez hits a first pitch strike to left center and it barely clears the wall for a 2 run homer. Down 2-1. :(

I get the next 3 batters out without incident.

1-2-3 3rd.

Struck Howard out with a low 1-2 fastball to start the 4th. Utley draws a 8 pitch walk on a low 3-2 fastball. Struck out Ibanez swinging with an inside fastball. A single by Miller and then an RBI single by Pedro Feliz on a shot right back up the middle. Down 3-1 now.

NO! I get Paulino to hit a very weak grounder at 1st except Phillips fumbled it away! That allows the run to score to make it 4-1. Struck out Contreras with a fastball at the knees to end the inning.

I draw a leadoff walk to start the 5th! But, it doesn't lead to any runs.

Victorino draws 12 pitches before I finally get him to ground out to 1st on a 3-2 fastball in the 5th inning.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the top of the 6th and we get a 4 run 6th! The pen holds the lead and I get the win as we win it 5-4! Capps gets his 26th save. I get my 8th win as my record is now 8-4.

5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER (how the heck are all of them earned!?!), 1 BB, and 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 1, 2011 -

I reflect back on my stats as the trade deadline has just passed:

21 GS, 8-4, 3.39 ERA, 14 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 124.2 IP, 121 H, 56 R, 47 ER, 11 HR, 23 BB, 78 K, 1.16 WHIP, vs RH .267, vs LH .253.



August 5, 2011 -

Today I'm starting on the road against the SF Giants. Their most dangerous hitter is Aaron Rowand who is batting .265 with 19 homers. Everyone I'd expect is in for defense except that Moss is out in right field, but he is decent there.

I have a 1-0 lead before I even take the mound. Cameron with a very nice play on the 1st hit ball of the night. Sanchez with a very nice play on a sharp grounder to get the 2nd out of the night. 1-2-3 1st.

Zito strikes me out in the top of the 2nd on a 1-2 changeup.

After walking the leadoff batter, I strike out Garko on a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner. Darn. With 2 outs, Clay Timpner hits a 1-1 fastball to deep right surprising everyone and it is over Moss' head for a RBI triple. I get their catcher to flyout to McLough to end the inning.

To start the 3rd, I throw a fastball for a strike to Zito that hits 100 MPH. Struck Zito out with a 99 MPH fastball. With men on 1st and 2nd, I strike out Sandoval with a fastball on the outside corner to end the 3rd.

LaRoche with a throwing error to put Garko on 1st to start the 4th. I get the next 3 guys on routine plays.

1-2-3 5th. Still tied at 1.

We get a run in the top of the 6th to take a 2-1 lead.

Rowand hits the first pitch down the left field line but Cameron cuts if off quickly. Sandoval hits a 3-2 changeup to Sanchez for the 4-6-3 double play.

Sanchez with another great play to get the 3rd out in a 1-2-3 7th.

1-2-3 8th against the top of their lineup.

Ozzie decides to go to Capps in the 9th which is fine with me as my arm was definitely tiring. He gets his 27th save and I get my 9th win. 2-1 win for us. Zito drops to 2-7. I'm the player of the game.

8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 10, 2011 -

We are on a 5 game winning streak. We are now 49-63. Today, we are hosting the Nationals who are 41-70. Only 11,716 fans here today :(

McLouth with a nice play in center to start the game. And another very nice play by McLouth to get the 2nd out of the inning. 1-2-3 1st.

Doumit with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st to put us up 2-0.

On the 6th pitch, I get Willie Harris to strike out with a 1-2 outside fastball. 1-2-3 2nd.

Men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out as I step to the plate in the 2nd. I ground out to short but it gets the run home!

1-2-3 3rd.

McLouth with a spectacular diving catch of a Milledge liner to left center. 1-2-3 4th.

1-2-3 5th.

Wilson with a spectacular diving catch of a line drive to short. The ball never leaves the infield in the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

4-0 lead as I take the mound in the 7th.

LaRoche with a diving stab, recovery, and throw in time to get Milledge to start the 7th! Willingham hits a 2-2 fastball hard to the right of Sanchez and he dives... and just can't get to it. Goodbye no hitter.

Zimmerman with a linedrive to center, it falls in front of McLouth.. he throws to 3rd and gets Willingham by at least 3 feet. Konerko walks on a 3-2 fastball that was barely inside. Struck out Willie Harris with an inside fastball to end the inning.

Big bottom of the 7th for us and now we have a 9-0 lead.

My arm is tiring and I walk the leadoff hitter in the 8th. Ozzie pulls me right after that.

We win the game 11-2. I get my 10th win of the year!

7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 15, 2011 -

Today I'm pitching in Colorado where I always worry about extra homeruns. We are now 51-66.

First up is Carlos Gonzalez. First pitch is a strike that hits 100 MPH. Struck him out with a 1-2 outside fastball. Next up is their power hitter, Brad Hawpe. He hits a hard line drive into right center but McLouth gets there for the out. Garrett Atkins batting 3rd today. He grounds a 0-2 curve weakly to Sanchez for the out.

Chris Iannetta starts off the 2nd. He grounds out to LaRoche at 3rd. Ryan Spilborghs is up next. He grounds the 1st pitch to Phillips at 1st. Frank Catalanotto is batting 6th for them. He hits a 3-0 fastball hard to right and Dan Ortmeier make a nice play out there to catch up to it.

To start the 3rd, I get a single in the gap between short and 3rd, but it doesn't lead to a run.

Clint Barmes starts off the 3rd for them. He hits a hard liner right at LaRoche. Omar Quintanilla is up now. He grounds an 0-1 fastball to Sanchez. Jason Marquis is the pitcher and 9th batter today. He grounds weakly to Sanchez.

I come to bat in the 4th with men on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs. I ground out to short, but we scored 2 on a home run by Doumit.

Gonzalez starts off the 4th with a line drive to left that Nyjer Morgan can't quite catch. Hawpe and Atkins hit fly balls to right and left field for 2 outs and then the catcher grounds to short.

Struck out Ryan to start the 5th with a 2-2 fastball at the knees. Frank with a single past LaRoche when the ball hits a rock or something and gets a huge bounce over LaRoche. Barmes hits into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

An easy 6th inning and my arm still feels good.

Chris with a single past Wilson with 1 out in the 7th. Ryan grounds a 0-1 changeup to LaRoche who starts the 5-4-3 double play that ends the inning.

Still a 2-0 game as I take the mound in the bottom of the 8th.

It took 9 pitches, but I got Frank to finally ground to 1st on a 2-2 changeup. Barmes grounds a 1-1 fastball to Sanchez. Omar hits a flare into shallow left field that gets him a double. Todd Helton comes in as a pinch hitter. He hits a 3-2 fastball back up the middle and the run scores. 2-1 game and Ozzie goes to the pen. Yes, he is going to Javier Lopez who has been great this year.

Javier gets the job done but Capps with a rare blown save and the loss in the 9th as he gives up a 3 run homer. We lose the game 4-2. Only if I could have gone the distance.

7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 20, 2011 -

Today I get the start in Arizona. They have 5 hitters with at least 15 homers.

Cameron knocked in Morgan to start the 1st inning. I'm disappointing to see Moss in center field today for us. Morgan in left and Cameron in right as McLouth gets a day off. Even worse, Wood is at 2nd instead of Sanchez. I hate Wood's lack of range.

Terrible start to the game as my first pitch plunks Upton in the leg. Drew hits the 0-1 fastball to 1st for a 3-6-1 double play. I struck out Nomar Garciaparra looking with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner.

Mark Reynolds hits a line drive to left center. I can't help but think McLouth would have caught it. Instead, it becomes a double. The next batter grounds to short. Then, a grounder to 1st that advances the runner to 3rd with 2 outs. Chris Snyder fights off an inside 1-1 fastball and hits it to shallow right for a RBI single. Newton Winkelsas, their center fielder who is hitting .170, catches a fastball up in the zone and drives it down the left field line for a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and the pitcher up. He grounds out weakly to LaRoche.

We get a run in the top of the 3rd on a solo homerun by Cameron.

Nomar with a with 2 out single to left field, but Reynolds flies out to center to end the inning.

Struck out Chris Snyder with a 2-2 slider to end the 4th.

Upton with a 2 out single in the 5th. Stephen Drew grounds a 0-1 curve to LaRoche for the easy out.

In the top of the 6th, we extend the lead to 3-1 on a RBI by Phillips.

1-2-3 6th as the ball never leaves the infield.

Newton gets me again in the 7th as hits a line drive to center to put en on 1st and 3rd. It's a hot day in Arizona and Ozzie thinks I'm fatiguing. He goes to the pen. Crap. He's going to Denny Bautista.. Bautista lets both of those runs score and it is a tie game at 3. Bootcheck gives up 3 more in the 8th and we lose the game 6-5.

6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 26, 2011 -

Today we play the Marlins at home. They are 66-63. We are 52-75. Only barely over 10,000 fans here today. Dan Uggla and Hank Blalock are their most dangerous hitters.

Struck out Omar Infante to begin the game with a 3-2 changeup. Uggla has 32 homers on the year. He gets a 2 out single up the middle. Cantu's bat explodes from my fastball running in on him and Ortmeier catches the resultant weak pop to 1st.

Struck out Blalock with an outside fastball to start the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd.

Shit. Brandon Moss tries to make a spectacular catch in left to start the 3rd, but he allows Rubelo to get a double instead. At least I get the pitcher to pop up the bunt attempt with a high fastball. Infante grounds to short keeping the runner at 2nd. Gomez pops to 1st to end the inning.

1-2-3 4th.

The 6th went smoothly until Uggla got on base with a 2 out error by Wilson. Cantu than got on base thanks to an error by LaRoche. I was getting upset and tried to strike out Blalock but he hit a 2-2 fastball into center for an RBI single. It got even worse as Young hit a 0-1 curve over the right field wall for the 3 run homer. No one to blame but mself for that pitch. I was completely rattled and the next hitter laced a single to left. Ozzie saw enough and yanked me. Man, if I could have just worked out of the inning I could have gotten a win. We scored 3 in the 6th and 2 in the 8th to get the 6-4 win.

5.2 IP, 4 R, 0 ER, 7 H, 2 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 31, 2011 -

Today we host the Cubs who are 91-41. We are 54-78. Seems like I'm going to need to be perfect today to get us a win as Ted Lilly has been pitching great. They have 3 hitters with over 30 homers. Crap, we are going with one of our weaker defensive alignments today. Why is Ozzie doing this to me? Ortmeier in center field? Wood at short. Sheesh. I'm going to need to strike out a lot of guys.

After 2 quick outs, Aramis Ramirez hits a low inside fastball over the left field wall. That was his 42nd homerun of the year. Soriano grounds a 3-2 slider to 2nd to end the inning.

BS Call on a 3-2 fastball that gives Bradley a walk. That was over the inside corner. I want to argue but just shake my head. The next pitch, Soto hits a fastball to deep right field for a 2 run homer. That was his 24th homer of the year.

Derrek Lee with a double to left center that McLouth would have caught. A 3-2 fastball is grounded to 3rd by Miles for the 1st out of the inning. Lilly up now. He grounds a 0-0 fastball past Wood for a RBI single. Wilson would have easily had that. I get Theriot to hit into a 5-4-3 double play with a 0-1 changeup. Down 4-0 early.

Struck out Aramis with a 1-2 outside fastball in the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

I hit a 1-1 fastball by Lilly all the way to the right field wall, but it is still just a long fly out. He has a no hitter through 3.

Soto with a single in the 4th and then Lee with a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Miles is up and I desperately need a strikeout. I get screwed on a 0-1 fastball that was clearly across the corner of the plate. He screws me again on a 2-2 fastball that was right at the knees. And again on a 3-2 fastball that was across the inside corner of the plate. Mac Harvey is pissing me off! Ok, at least the double play is set up with Lilly at the plate. Darn. He manages to get some lift on a low 2-2 fastball and flies out to left for the sac fly. 5-0. Theriot grounds to 3rd to end the inning.

Aramis with a double in the 5th and Ozzie pulls me. Thaddeus Waite comes into the game. We lose the game 8-3. My record falls to 10-5.

4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 6, 2011 -

Pitching on the road today against Houston. Ozzie is screwing with me again, starting Dan Ortmeier in left, Brandon Moss in center, and Cameron in right. At least the infield is our best one.

I have to watch out for Hunter Pence and Aaron Boone today.

Struck out Jason Tyner with a 2-2 fastball in the 1st inning for the 2nd out. 1-2-3 1st.

LaRoche knocks in Phillips for a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd.

LaRoche with a great play to get the last out of the 2nd.

I start off the 3rd inning with a linedrive to left field for a single but they fail to knock me in.

Struck out Tyner with a 1-2 outside fastball in the 4th. Struck out Boone with a 2-2 fastball at the knees to end the inning.

With men on 1st and 2nd and 0 outs, I successfully bunt them to 2nd and 3rd in the 5th. That leads to a 3 run inning. Up 4-0.

Sanchez with a great play to get the 2nd out of the 5th. 1-2-3 5th.

Terrible start to the 6th. First a walk to Rivas. Then, Carlos Lee, the pinch hitter hits a ball to deep right that bounces off the top of the right field wall. Cameron misplays the carom and it turns into a RBI triple.

A 3-1 fastball gets away from me and I walk the Joey Gathright who is a true burner on the bases. Tyner with a grounder past LaRoche and it's now 4-2 with men on 1st and 2nd and no outs.

Hunter Pence at the plate. I fail to get a 1-2 fastball called a strike and then Pence hits the next pitch to deep center to move the runner from 2nd to 3rd. Struck out Boone with a 2-2 curve! A fastball gets away from me and drills Rob Quinlan in the leg to load the bases with Toby Hall up to the plate.

Darn. He hits a 1-0 fastball hard down the 3rd base line and past LaRoche for a 2 RBI single. I get the next batter to ground to short to end the inning. Tied at 4 at the end of 6.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the 7th. We score 2 in the 8th to win it 6-4. Thaddeus Waite gets the win. Capps gets the save, his 35th.

6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 K, 3 BB, and 1 (or 2) HBP.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 16, 2011 -

Ozzie is pissing me off. He skips my turn in the rotation with no explanation at all. Today, I'm starting in Milwaukee. I'm happy with most of the guys behind me except him inexplicably using Wood instead of Wilson at SS.

A terrible start to the game as a 1-0 fastball is hit by Corey Hart over the centerfield wall for his 11th homer of the year.

In the 2nd with a man on 1st and 0 outs, I get Ben Francisco to chase a high fastball that hit 100 MPH for the strikeout. The next hitter tries a hit and run but lines to Sanchez for an easy double play.

Struck Hart out in the 3rd with a 100 MPH 0-2 fastball down the middle (I wanted it to be low) of the plate that he just swung and missed. 1-2-3 3rd.

In the 4th with Braun on 1st, I struck out Fielder with a very low 1-2 fastball. Struck out Hardy next as he swung on a 1-2 fastball that was well outside. Struck out the side as I got Gamel to swing at a high 2-2 fastball.

A 2 run homer in the 5th by Sanchez gives us a 2-1 lead.

Struck out Capuano on a 2-2 high fastball to end the 5th. That was my 100th strike out of the year.

Struck out Braun with an outside 2-2 fastball to end the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

Struck out Hardy with a 2-2 outside slider for the 2nd out in the 7th. I'm getting a bit better control of that pitch and finally feel comfortable throwing it in games. 1-2-3 7th.

Still a 2-1 game as I start the bottom of the 8th. Wood with a fielding error at short to allow the first runner to reach. Ozzie comes out. WTF, that asshole is removing me because of Wood's error. Thaddeus Waite will come in to pitch. My arm still feels good. I plan on talking to Ozzie about this if we lose..

Waite gives up 2 runs in the 8th and we lose the game 3-2. Waite is charged with the loss.

7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB.


I go into Ozzie's office after the game. He tells me that he shouldn't have taken me out that soon and he'll let me go longer next time.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 21, 2011 -

Today, I get the start against the Reds in Cincinnati. They have about 4 guys who are dangerous hitters, Bruce, Dickerson, Votto, and Hairston, JR.

My first pitch is lined by Dickerson into center for a single. I get Hairston to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. I'm surprised Wood made that play, but it was hit right at him. Out of the 1st having faced only 3 batters.

Gomes starts off the 2nd with a line drive to center field for a single. After 8 pitches, I strike out Encarcion with a high 2-2 fastball. Get the next 2 to fly out and ground to end the inning.

Dickerson with a 2 out single to left center. Struck out Hairston on the 8th pitch of the at-bat with a 2-2 fastball that was outside.

Wood knocks in McLouth to score a run in the top of the 4th.

Morgan catches a deep fly at the left wall wall to start the bottom of the 4th. Gomes, the next batter, gets around on an inside 2-2 fastball and drives it over the left field wall for a 385 foot homer. Tied at 1. Encarcion makes it back to back homers with a nice swing on a 0-1 changeup that he took 407 feet. I get the last the next 2 hitters to fly out to center.

Cameron with a catch on the run in right center for the 1st out of the 5th. 1-2-3 5th.

Gillaspie (playing 3rd today) with a 2 run homer to put us up 3-2 in the top of the 6th.

1-2-3 6th punctuated by a 0-2 fastball on the outside corner to strike out Gomes.

Struck out their center fielder with a 1-2 changeup at the knees for a called 3rd strike.

Ozzie decides I've thrown enough pitches and pulls me after that batter. Gobble pitches a scoreless 8th and Capps pitches a 3 strikeout 9th to get his 39th save.

We win 3-2 as I get my 11th win on the year.

7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 27, 2011 -

It's possible this will be my last start of the year as I prepare to face the Astros in front of our home fans. We have over 17,000 fans today. We are 64-92. They are 67-89. Lyle Overbay is their most dangerous hitter on the field today. I'm happy to see our "A" team defense out there today.


Overbay hits a liner to center for a single with 1 out in the 1st. Carlos Lee with a hard ground ball between short and 3rd for a single. The ball gets to Cameron so quickly that we keep the runner at 1st and 2nd. Hunter Pence up now. Struck out Pence on a 1-2 very low fastball. Moreno grounds out to Sanchez to end the inning.

Struck out Hall with a 1-2 outside slider in the 2nd.

Struck out Towles with a 2-2 fastball in the 5th. Struck out McDonald with a 2-2 fastball on the outside corner. 1-2-3 5th.

Matsui with a bunt for a hit to lead off the 6th. Struck Overbay out with a 2-2 fastball at the knees for the 1st out of the inning. Got into trouble with men on 1st and 3rd, but got a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Cameron knocks in Sanchez in the top of the 7th to give us a 1-0 lead.


My heart catches in my throat when Moreno crushes my 1-1 fastball but it dies at the warning track and Cameron catches up to it. I give up a 2 out single in the 7th to Towles and Ozzie yanks me! My arm still felt good. I can't wait to get away from him. At least, it is to get a good lefty into the game as he goes to Javier Lopez who has a sub 2 ERA. He gets us out of the 7th.

Freaking Thaddeus Waite blows it in the 8th giving up 2 runs. We lose the game 2-1.

6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 2, 2011 -

I'm getting to start our last game of the year which is at home. We are 65-96. We are playing the Padres. They are 64-97. I'm glad to see all of our good defenders behind me today.

Wilson bobbles a hard hit grounder to start the game and then throws it away over Chad Tracy's head. As a result, Angel Pagan is on 2nd with 0 outs. Jody Gerut up now. Struck him out with a 1-2 fastball that was outside. Adrian Gonzalez is up now. He grounds to 1st for the out but the runner moves to 3rd. Marcellus Grbavac is up now. He lines it into left field for the 1-0 lead.

Struck out Lowrie to end the 2nd inning with a 2-2 changeup down low.

1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Gonzalez with a 2-2 fastball inside. Darn. I hang a 2-0 changeup and Sanchez homers to right field for a 2-0 lead.

I sac bunt with 0 outs in the bottom of the 4th and we end up scoring 3 runs in the inning. 3-2. Morgan, Sanchez, and Gillaspie all had RBI's that inning.

Sanchez with a brilliant dive, recovery, and throw to end the 5th inning.

I come to the plate in the bottom of the 5th with the bases loaded and 1 out and I'm facing a left handed pitcher...

I hit a liner deep enough in right to get the run in!

4-2 lead as I take the mound in the 6th. 1-2-3 6th thanks to some very nice plays by McLouth in center.

5-2 lead as I take the mound in the 7th. Struck out Sanchez with a 2-2 changeup at the knees to start the inning. Struck out Blanco with a 2-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Lowrie starts off the 8th with a hard line drive that deflects off Gillespie's glove and rolls into left field. Micah Hoffpauir comes in as a pinch hitter. Struck him out with a 0-2 fastball that was outside. Angel Pagan hits a 0-1 fastball into leftfield for a single. Ozzie goes to the pen after that. He turns to Javier Lopez. Javier gives up 2 runs (1 charged to me) but he gets out of the inning. Capps pitches a scoreless 9th for the save. We win the game 6-4.

I get my 12th win of the year.

7.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 3, 2011 -

As I clear out my locker and start mentally preparing for my night out with my friends next week to celebrate my 21st birthday, I think back on my stats this year:

12-5 record (led the club in wins), 3.01 ERA (led all of the starters), 32 GS, 22 QS (led the club), 1 CG, 1 SO, 197.2 IP (led the club), 175 H, 83 R, 66 ER, 18 HR (tied for lowest among starters), 33 BB (lowest among starters), 117 K (2nd behind Snell who had 138), WHIP 1.05 (led all pitchers on the team), 5-2 record at home, 7-3 record on the road, avg vs RH .236, avg vs LH .247.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 4, 2011 -

The Awards are announced and neither myself nor Blake won the Rookie of the Year. That went to Monty Brantley of the Cardinals. He hit .298 with 9 HR's and 26 RBI's.

Aramis Ramirez won the NL MVP with .303 avg 48 HR's and 126 RBI.

Johan Santana won the Cy Young with a 24-3 record and 2.50 ERA.

Francisco Rodriguez won the Rolaids Relief Award with 64 saves.

No teammates won any awards this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

The Angels beat the Cubs 4-2 in the World Series. Mike Napoli, the catcher, won the MVP of the World Series by batting .476 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.


The Notable Retirements in 2011:

1B David Ortiz
P Mariano Rivera
1B Jim Thome
SS Omar Vizquel
P Pedro Martinez
LF Raul Ibanez
1B Derrek Lee

[Eaglesfan27]

November 15, 2011 -

Had a great 21st birthday. However, now I'm very upset to see that the Pirates allowed some of our best players to become free agents including: SS Jack Wilson (if they allow Woods to become the SS I'm finding a way to demand a trade), C Ryan Doumit (at least Blake is a good replacement), and most importantly closer Matt Capps (Great, I can look forward to many more blown saves.)

Decemeber 16, 2011 -

The club signed RF Ryan Church to a 2 year deal for just over 5 million. Not a bad move at all. If they re-sign Capps, I won't demand a trade, but otherwise I'm moving in that direction.


January 10, 2012 -

Today, they re-signed Jack Wilson to a 3 year deal for just under 12 million. Whew. Now, if we can just get Capps signed.


January 12, 2012 -

Matt signs with the Rays for 2 years and 9 million :( I can't blame him, they are a heck of an organization.

Chad Tracy signs with the Yankees for 4 million over 3 years.


Feb 2, 2012 -

The organization never signs a closer, apparently, they are planning on turning the job over to Johan Vega who had a good year in AAA this past year.

I decide to stick with the club for now, but I will ask for a trade sometime in the next year if they don't make some better moves.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 22, 2012 -

I was watching Peter Gammons compare the movement of my fastball to Cole Hamels earlier today, except he said I had much better velocity to go with the movement. He also said that my fastball is one of the best ones in MLB and is the best among the young pitchers in the game. Today, I start the 1st day of spring training as the home pitcher against Hamels and the Phillies.

They have all of their starters in today, but I hope this lineup isn't what Ozzie plans on using for the regular season. I don't like the fielding skills of our left fielder or 3rd baseman today. Here is our lineup:

CF Nate McLouth
C Kennedy Blake
2B Freddy Sanchez
LF Ernesto Pedroza (big bat but terrible fielding skills in the youngster from what I've heard and seen so far)
3B Rex Chaney (nice bat but ditto on the fielding skills.)
CF Mike Cameron
SS Jack Wilson
1B Andy Phillips


Since I know I'm only working 3 or 4 innings today, I'm working on striking out everyone.

Struck out Rollins with a 2-2 inside fastball to start the game. Struck out Utley with a low 2-2 changeup to end the inning. I've developed much better command of that pitch over the last year.

Struck out Feliz with a 3-2 fastball on the outside corner to end the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd.

Struck out Rollins with an outside 3-2 fastball to get the 2nd out in the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

I fly out to right off Hamels and that ends my day. We lose the game 6-4 in the 10th.

3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 25, 2012 -

Ozzie asks me to go throw an inning or 2 of relief today in this spring training game. We are up 2-0 against the Astros.

Struck out Pence with a 1-2 fastball low to get the 2nd out of the inning after allowing a man to get on 1st. Ozzie pulls me after I pitch a scoreless inning. We lose the game 4-3 when Bautista fails to save it in the 9th and gives up 3 runs. If he becomes our closer, I'm demanding a trade ASAP. I still can't believe we let Capps go.

1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 27, 2012 -

I feel like this is odd usage by Ozzie. He puts me in the 4th, presumably to pitch an inning or two at the max. We are tied at 2 with the Tigers.

Emilio Bonifacio is playing short for us today and he throws it away to allow the first runner to reach 1st. I get the next hitter to hit a comeback for a 1-6-3 double play. Ozzie pulls me after the 1 inning.

1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB.

We lose the game 8-4.

[Eaglesfan27]

Feb 28, 2012 -

Ozzie lets me start this game against the Reds.

1-2-3 1st to start the inning during which the ball never leaves the infield.

Struck out Hairston (jr - they have 2 Hairston's now) with a low 0-2 fastball to end the 2nd.

1-2-3 3rd.

Ozzie pulls me after 3 perfect innings.

3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

We win the game 6-3 and Johan Vega gets his 1st save of spring training (and it was our 1st win as a team.)

[Eaglesfan27]

March 2, 2012 -

Ozzie brings me in for the 4th inning against the Twins. We are up 6-0.

Struck out Cuddyer with a 0-2 fastball very low to start the inning. 1-2-3 4th. I get to work on sac bunting before Ozzie pulls me for the day.

1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB.

We win the game 11-0. McLouth had 5 RBI's today and 3 Runs scored. Ryan Church had 2 home runs and 3 RBI's.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 3, 2012 -

I start the game against the Twins. WOW. Call me brain dead, but I just realized we traded LaRoche in the offseason! He's on the Twins now and starting for them. I guess I may be stuck with Chaney as my 3rd basemen.

LaRoche lines my 1st pitch into centerfield for a 2 out single. Men on 1st and 2nd now. I walk the bases loaded as I'm suddenly losing my touch on my other pitches. Cuddyer with a hard grounder past Chaney for a 2 RBI single. I get the next batter to ground to Sanchez to end the inning.

WOW. We score 11 runs in the 2nd inning! Maybe I won't demand that trade just yet ;) Our new LF, Pedroza, had a 2 run homer during the inning. He has 3 in this spring. Almost everyone battled someone in and scored that inning.

Pedroza makes his first play for me. He catches a routine fly in deep left.

Carlos Gomez with a solo shot to left with 2 outs in the 2nd. It barely cleared the wall. After the next batter gets a double down the right field line, Morneau with a 2 run homer way out of here in right field. So much for my dominant scoreless spring. Struck out LaRoche with a 1-2 fastball at the knees to end the 2nd. 11-5 after 2.

Chaney handles a routine play at 3rd for the 1st out. Struck out Cuddyer with a 0-2 outside fastball. Struck out Casilla with a 2-2 inside fastball to end the inning. 1-2-3 3rd.

In the 4th, with 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd, Pedroza misplays a catchable ball and it turns into a 2 RBI double. That should have been an error IMO. 11-7. LaRoche grounds to Sanchez to end the inning.

Ozzie pulls me after that inning.

4 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 3 K, 3 BB. I just didn't have command of my pitches today.

You gotta be kidding me. Vega coughs up a 3 run 9th and we lose the game 14-13.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 5, 2012 -

My ERA has ballooned from 0 to 4.85 for the spring.


March 9, 2012 -


Today I'm starting against Contreras and the Phillies. Victorino with a 1 out single to center after fouling off multiple pitches on a 2-2 count. Blake guns out Victorino stealing and then I get Howard to pop up to Chaney at 3rd to end the inning.

Chaney handles a hot grounder at him for the 2nd out in the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd.

Pedroza with a good running play at the warning track to get the 1st out in the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Victorino with a 2-2 slider. Howard hits right into the shift for the 3rd out of the inning. Ozzie pulls me after that.

4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

We lose the game 1-0.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 10, 2012 -

I thought Ozzie was going to start using me reasonably, but he puts me in for the 5th inning against the Yankees. We are down 6-2.

Vlad lines a 2-1 fastball down the right field line for a double. Struck out A-Rod with a 0-2 fastball low and inside. Struck out Posada with a 1-2 fastball below the knees to end the inning. Ozzie pulls me after that.

1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB.

We lose the game 9-2.

I know spring training is supposed to get my arm in shape, but Ozzie continues to piss me off. I think the only thing stopping me from asking for a trade right now is the fear that I'll go to a worse club.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 11, 2012 -

Ozzie brings me in to pitch the 5th against Tampa Bay. We are up 4-0.

First batter, Xavier Nady, takes a 2-2 changeup to left field for a homerun. Struck out Buscher with a low 2-2 fastball. Struck out Gary Sheffield with a 2-2 fastball at the knees.

That is it for me. Pedroza had 2 home runs in the game as we won 8-3. Not sure why I didn't get the win today since I pitched the 5th, but it doesn't matter. Pedroza has 5 homers this spring and Chaney also got his 5th this game.


1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 0 BB.



March 13, 2012 -

Now, Ozzie tells me I'm starting on short rest!?! We are 9-11 this spring after a 0-5 start. Today, I'm pitching against the Twins.

Gomez hits a 0-2 slider right towards Sanchez, but it tips off the top of his glove. They call that a hit?!? Buscher with a deep drive to right center and McLouth can't get to it. RBI double. Struck out Morneau on the 5th pitch with an 0-2 outside fastball. Uribe flies out to right and the runner advances to 3rd. I get Delmon Young to ground to Sanchez to end the inning.

Blake and Pedroza each have an RBI in the bottom of the 1st to make it a 2-1 lead for us.

They get runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Blake allows a routine fastball to get by him to advance both runners. I strike Gomez out with a 1-2 fastball that is outside. Darn. A 1-2 fastball gets away from me and hits Buscher in the leg. Bases loaded with Morneau up. He hits a 3-2 fastball to left field, Pedroza lets it bounces past him.. 3 RBI double. Dude can mash, but he is a horrible left fielder. Struck out Uribe with a 3-2 fastball to end the inning.


Struck out Young with a 0-2 fastball inside and at the knees to get the 2nd out of the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

Pedroza with a 2 RBI double in the 3rd and Phillips with another RBI and I'm up with 2 outs and a man on 2nd. I ground out to the pitcher to end the inning. We lead 5-4. I wonder if Pedroza's net run contribution is going to be positive or negative?

Sanchez boots the ball to start the inning. Gomez with a 1 out bunt with a man on 1st. I get the ball and throw it over Phillips head. The error allows a run to score from 1st and Gomez goes to 3rd. Tied at 5. I'm exhausted but Ozzie leaves me out there. I walk the next batter and then Morneau hits a RBI single off me. Where is Ozzie now? My 2-1 changeup gets away from me and hits Uribe to load the bases. Finally Ozzie goes to the pen.

3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 K, 2 BB. I think we have established that I don't start well on short rest.

I get the loss as we lose 8-6.


Ernesto Pedroza leads the team this spring in multiple categories: Avg of .351, 12 runs scored, 6 Homeruns, his 11 RBI's are tied for 2nd, and his 6 SB's are tied for the lead. If the dude can steal, why can't he cover more ground in left. slugging % .667. His 91% fielding percentage is worst on the team. Not to mention all of the balls he isn't even getting a glove on for them to be called errors.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 14, 2012 -

I tell Ozzie I feel well rested and ask him to let me rest for the last 2 weeks of spring ball. (In reality, I sim the rest of spring training.)


April 2, 2012 -

It's the season opener and our home opener and I've achieved one of my dreams by being the starter for it. Today, we host the Braves who are starting Jair Jurrjens. We have a sell out crowd today and the air is electric.

Our lineup:

Ok, I'm completely confused. Maybe I saw another LaRoche on the Twins' lineup and became confused. Apparently, Andy was just sitting all spring, but he is starting at 3B tonight. In fact, we have a strong defensive alignment today:

LF Nyjer Morgan (isn't great in the field but is better than Pedroza)
C Kennedy Blake
2B Freddy Sanchez
CF Nate McLouth
RF Ryan Church
SS Jack Wilson
1B Andy Phillips
3B Andy LaRoche
P Me



Their lineup:

RF Denard Span
2B Martin Prado
C Brian McCann
CF Jeff Francoeur
SS Yunel Escobar
LF Matt Diaz
1B Casey Kotchman
3B Kelly Johnson
P Jair Jurrjens


Struck out Span with a low 1-2 changeup to start the game. McCann with a 2 out single past LaRoche. Struck out Jeff with a 2-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Morgan with a leadoff double and Blake knocks him in for our 1st run of the game in the bottom of the 1st.

Struck out Escobar with a 0-2 slider that was outside. The pitching coach worked with me a lot this offseason and I'm getting above average movement with it now. Struck out Diaz looking on a 1-2 fastball that was at the knees and on the outside corner. 1-2-3 2nd.

McLouth with a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 3rd. We now lead 4-0.

Struck out Diaz on the 10th pitch of the at-bat with a 3-2 inside fastball to start the 5th inning. 1-2-3 5th.

Wow. In the 6th, I lose my command and walk the pitcher on 5 pitches.

Nyjer Morgan dives for a foul fly in left field and hurts himself. Brandon Moss comes in to replace him. Wow. I walk Span with a 3-2 fastball just off the outside corner. Struck out Prado with a 97 MPH 1-2 fastball below the knees. Struck out McCann with a 0-2 changeup. Jeff grounds a 1-2 fastball to Sanchez to end the inning.

With a man on 1st, I strike out Kotchman with a 2-2 changeup to get the 2nd out of the 7th. I finish the 7th with the shutout still going, but my arm is definitely feeling the strain.

Ozzie lets me start the 8th. The pitcher hits a tapper back to me but I overthrow Phillips and he gets to 2nd. Span with a hard line drive into the right field corner for a RBI double. Ozzie goes to the pen.

We win the game 5-3 as Carlos Aramboles gets the save. I get my 1st win of the year and am named player of the game.

7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

It turns out that Vega is being given another year of seasoning at AAA which is a good thing. Ditto for both Ernesto Pedroza and Rex Chaney. They both should be good players one day if they can improve their defense. Kearns and Cameron are also in AAA this year, although one of them is certain to be called up with the injury to Morgan which is a dislocated shoulder that could sideline him for 3 months.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 4, 2012 -

Cameron is called back up and starts in left. The team wins the 2nd game in the series 12-4 behind a 3 run homer by Blake and 6 RBI's by Wilson! We are 2-0 and I'm starting to feel good about our chances this year.


April 8, 2012 -

We are 4-1 as I prepare for my 2nd start of the year. Today, we host the Reds at home. We've beaten them 3-1 and 4-0 in the first 2 games of the series. Today, I'm going against Aaron Harang who is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA. We have just over 31,000 fans here today.

Their lineup:

2B Brandon Phillips
SS Jerry Hairston, JR
1B Joey Votto
LF Jonny Gomes
3B Edgar V. Gonzalez
CF Scott Hairston
C Matt Treanor
RF Fernando Perez
P Harang

Today, we have are starting all of the same starters except Brandon Moss is in left field, and Emilio Bonifacio is getting the start at short.

Struck out Phillips with a 3-2 inside fastball to start the game. Votto draws a 8 pitch walk with 2 outs. Sanchez almost makes a spectacular play on a grounder by Gomes but it bounces off his glove for a single to put men on 1st and 2nd. Gonzalez grounds out to Sanchez to end the inning. Threw a ton of pitches in that inning.

McLouth knocked in Sanchez to score a run in the bottom of the 1st.

Treanor with a 1 out double in the 2nd, but I respond by getting Perez to strike out with a 0-2 fastball almost in the dirt. McLouth with a diving catch of a shallow liner by Harang to end the inning.

Struck out Phillips with a 0-2 changeup to start the 3rd. Struck out Hairston with a 3-2 changeup. 1-2-3 3rd.

Gomes lines a 3-1 fastball to center for a single to start the 4th. Pop up Gonzalez to 1st for the 1st out. Hairston with a single down the left field line to move the runner to 3rd. Struck out Treanor looking with a 1-2 slider that catches the outside corner. Perez with a drag bunt RBI single down the third baseline. Blake was just too slow to respond to it. Harang grounds to 3rd to end the inning.

Hairston and Votto with 1 out singles in the 5th. Struck out Gomes with a 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the inning. Struck out Gonzalez with a 0-2 fastball at the knees.

Struck out Scott Hairston with a 0-2 fastball that was just a bit inside. 1-2-3 6th.

1-2-3 7th that is ended with a strikeout by Hairston, Jr. Got him with a 1-2 fastball at the knees. My arm is feeling exhausted though and I let Ozzie know that I'm done.

He goes to Bautista in the 8th and he gives up 2 runs. We lose the game 3-2.

7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 9 K (a career high I believe) and 1 BB.

[RPI-Fan]

There are two LaRoche's in MLB - Andy and Adam.

[Eaglesfan27]

There are two LaRoche's in MLB - Andy and Adam.

Gotcha. That is what I get for not really paying attention in spring training.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 14, 2012 -

We are now 5-5 thanks to losing 2 of 3 game against the Cubs and the opening game of this series to the Cardinals. I've got to go against Adam Wainwright on the road today. No Albert Pujols today who continues to battle injuries. Their most dangerous hitters are my former catcher Ryan Doumit, Rick Ankiel, and Ryan Ludwick, although the top 6 hitters are all good. They are also 5-5 coming into this game.

Orlando Hudson starts off with a 9 pitch at bat before grounding out to 1st. Struck out Ludwick with a 0-2 fastball to end the 1st.

I make two 2 out mistakes to put Troy Glaus on 3rd and Khalil Green on 2nd. I get Mather to hit it to Wilson, who bobbles it and that allows the run to score. I guess they are saying it was so sharply hit that it didn't deserve to be an error. Struck out Wainwright to end the inning.

Orlando Hudson with a leadoff double in the 3rd and then Schumaker hits a line drive to left field and Hudson barely beats the throw home. Struck out Ludwick with a 3-2 changeup to get the 1st out of the inning. Struck out Doumit with a 2-2 fastball to end the inning. 2-0 ball game so far.

Struck out Mather with a 1-2 fastball outside to end the 4th. 1-2-3 4th.

Down 2-0 still going into the bottom of the 5th. Wainwright has only allowed 2 hits so far.

Wainwright with a lead off single back up the middle to start the bottom of the 5th. Hudson hits into a 4-6-3 double play.

Cameron with a 2 run homer in the top of the 6th to tie it at 2.

I get into trouble with in the 6th when Doumit and Greene get singles, but I get Mather to pop up to 1st to end the inning.

I don't have much left, but I take the mound with the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the 7th. Wainwright leads off the inning with by hitting a 1-2 fastball to shallow center for a single. Ozzie pulls me after that. I hope he goes to Javier. He does bring in Javier Lopez who hasn't allowed a run yet this year.

Javier pitches a scoreless 7th. He goes to your young pitcher Jimmy Gobble in the 8th and Gobble gives up a run that is the deciding factor. We lose the game 3-2.

6 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 5 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 19, 2012 -

We lost 3 straight to the Cardinals before taking the last game of the series. Now, we are on a 3 game winning streak having beating the Brewers the first 2 games of this series. It's up to me to finish the sweep of the series. I'm pitching on the road against Edmund Isringhausen, a young starter, who has struggled in 2 of his first 3 starts. We are 8-7. They are 7-7. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are by far their 2 most dangerous hitters.


We start off the top of the 1st with a solo homer by McLouth and an RBI by Church. Sanchez is getting a day off and Bonifacio is playing 2nd. A young player Emilio Alcantara is playing 1st today and batting cleanup for us.

Struck out Mike Rivera, their catcher, for the 2nd out of the inning with an 0-2 fastball on the outside corner.

LaRoche with a solo homer in the 2nd to make it a 3-0 lead.

Struck out Ryan Raburn with a 2-2 slider to end the 2nd.

Struck out Trot Nixon with a 1-2 100 MPH fastball that was high and outside to start the 3rd. Their pitcher is scouted to be one of the worst hitting pitchers I've ever seen, even worse than myself. I strike him out on 3 straight fastballs for the 2nd out of the inning. 1-2-3 3rd.

Speaking of which, in the top of the 4th, I hit the ball hard to deep center field but it is caught.

Dutch Nelson with some bad calls contributes to a walk to Ryan Braun in the 4th. Struck out Fielder with a 0-2 changeup. Struck out Gamel with a 1-2 changeup to end the inning.

Alcantara with a 2 RBI double in the top of the 5th. We are now up 5-0.

Struck out Velez, the pinch hitter, with a 1-2 fastball outside to end the 5th.

I bunt over a runner to 3rd with 0 outs and Jack Wilson knocks him in to make it 6-0 in the 6th.

2 1 pitch outs in the 6th before Braun hits a line drive to left center for a single. Popped Fielder up with a 0-2 changeup to end the inning.

Mat Gamel with a leadoff double to right center to start the 7th. Ben Francisco grounds back to me, I look the runner back to 2nd and then throw out Francisco. Raburn grounds to Wilson for the 2nd out. Trot Nixon has given me problems tonight and he works a 10 pitch at bat before he laces a 3-2 fastball to shallow left for a RBI single. Struck out Tyoshi (sp?) Nomura, the pinch hitter, with a 2-2 fastball to end the 7th.

Struck out Alcides Escobar with a 0-2 fastball to start the 8th. Rivera fights off about 10 pitches before he hits a 3-2 fastball back up the middle for a single. Braun with a deep fly to left for the 2nd out. Fielder with a single down the right field line to move Rivera to 3rd. Gamel hits it very hard to LaRoche who makes the play to end the inning.

Those long at bats cost me my chance at the complete game. Ozzie pulls me after 8. We win the game 6-1. Bootcheck pitched a scoreless 9th.

My record rises to 2-0.

8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

After the game, Ozzie chews me out because I missed a bunt signal in the 7th inning. He makes some vague threats about sitting me if I ever do that again.

April 23, 2012 -

We win 2 of 3 against Washington. I feel like our offense has finally started showing up. Of course, tonight the Cards shut us down in a 6-2 loss. I'm pitching tomorrow night at home vs them against Wainwright again.

Wow. I thought the Cardinals were still dealing with injuries to Pujols in the lineup. I guess I need to pay closer attention to Baseball Tonight and the newspapers. He actually left them in the offseason before last season and signed a FA deal with the Angels for over 100 million as he helped them win the World Series last year.

Well, now I just need to get ready for my start tomorrow.

[nfg22]

Thats at least 2 or three starts this year where you were robbed of wins...get out of there...to a good team...like the...Twins?:)

[Eaglesfan27]

Thats at least 2 or three starts this year where you were robbed of wins...get out of there...to a good team...like the...Twins?:)

Yep, I've been robbed twice now. I feel like the Pirates are showing some potential with Sanchez, Blake, and McLouth as keystones, but I agree that it is time to start pushing for a trade. How else am I ever going to get to 350 wins?

Edit: Hopefully, it doesn't backfire and lead to me going to an even worse team.

[nfg22]

Nah...the Twins have been talking to me about you...they say your are going to be the conerstone of their franchise...

[Eaglesfan27]

April 24, 2012 -

Today I get the start at home against the dangerous Cardinals lineup. They are 12-8. We are 11-9. I'm going to need to be nearly perfect with Wainwright pitching. Sanchez is resting tonight, but the rest of my star defenders are behind me. It is in the low 40's as the game starts tonight.

Trouble right away as Schmaker walks, Ankiel beats out a single to third, and then Glaus hits it past Bonifacio for a RBI single. Bonifacio hurt himself diving so Sanchez will replace him.

A 2-0 fastball gets away and I hit Khalil Greene to load the bases with 1 out. Yadier Molina forces a 12 pitch at bat before I pop him up to 1st with a 3-2 fastball. Mather lines to left field and Cameron catches it to end the inning. Lots of pitches, but I'm very glad to get out of the inning without more damage.

Struck out Morales with a 0-2 fastball below the knees to start the 2nd inning. Hudson with a 2 out walk and then Schamaker with a single that just gets by LaRoche. Struck out Ankiel on a check swing to end the inning.

My control is just terrible today. I drill Glaus high in the back with a 98 MPH fastball to start the 3rd inning. Greene with a single to get men on 1st and 2nd. Molina hits into a 6-4-3 double play. I've been getting killed all game on the calls by Woody Keller. He gets me into a 3-0 count against Mather before he fouls off a fastball, a changeup, and then strikes out on an inside fastball to end the inning.

Wainwright with a 1 out double in the 4th as he crushed a changeup. Schumaker with a 2 out single to right but Wainwright holds up at 3rd. Ankiel with a 2 RBI double to deep right center that McLouth just couldn't quite catch up to. 3-0 ball game. Glaus grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Greene starts off the 5th with a routine grounder to LaRoche, but he throws it away allowing Greene to get to 2nd. Ozzie pulls me as I've thrown a ton of pitches. Terrible start.

He turns to Lenny Dinardo. We lose the game 8-0. I get my 1st loss of the year.

4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB, 2 HBP.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 30, 2012 -

The pressure is on today as we start in New York against the Mets and Johan Santana. Another team with a killer lineup and another game where I don't expect my teammates to score many runs. We are now 12-13.


To my amazement, I get to bat in the 1st inning. We've already scored 3 runs against Santana and I'm up with 2 outs and bases loaded. He strikes me out when I can't hold my swing on a low 1-2 fastball.


1-2-3 1st against Reyes, Castillo, and Wright.

Manny flies out to deep right, but Church handles it as he was playing him deep. Beltran who is batting over .400 a month into the season gets a 1 out double down the left field line. A routine fast ball gets by Blake to allow Beltran to get to 3rd with 1 out. Delgado with a hard grounder to Sanchez to knock in the run. Up 3-1 at the end of 2.

Struck out Santana with a fastball to start the 3rd. Reyes with a standing double down the left field line. Castillo tries to bunt and pops it up for the 2nd out. No! Wright hits a 3-2 fastball to the opposite field for a 2 run homer. Tied at 3.

Despite being rattled, I strike out Manny with an inside 2-2 fastball to end the 3rd.

After allowing 2 out singles to their #7 and 8 hitters in the 4th, I strike out Santana with a 1-2 changeup.

Reyes bunts for a hit to start the 5th, but I quickly pick him off (my first career pick off!) Castillo with a single and then Wright with a double to right center. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and Manny up at the plate. He laces a low 3-2 fastball past Phillips for a 2 RBI single down the right field line. I shouldn't have tried to strike him out. I get Beltran to fly to center and Delgado to ground out to end the inning.

Ozzie pinch hits for me but it doesn't help. We lose the game 8-3 and I get my 2nd loss of the year.

5 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 1, 2012 -

A look at my stats after the first month: 6 GS, 4 QS, 2-2, 3.16 ERA, 37 IP, 46 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 37 K, 1.41 WHIP, avg vs RH .261, avg vs LH .343.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 5, 2012 -

Today I get the start at home vs the Astros as we attempt to sweep them. They are 9-23, we are 14-16. Their most dangerous hitter is Lyle Overbay.

McLouth with a solo homer to give us a 1-0 lead after 1.

Struck out Matsui with a 2-2 changeup to start the 3rd inning. Overbay with a 10 pitch walk. Blake throws out Overbay attempting to steal 2nd. Still 1-0 after 3 innings.

Struck out Fernando Nieve with a 0-2 slider in the 5th. Matsui and Overbay with 2 out singles. Carlos Lee grounds out to LaRoche to end the inning.

Percy Madden, their young catcher, with what should have been a routine single to left, but Cameron misplays it and it turns into a double. Delarosa grounds out to Sanchez, moving Madden to 3rd. Aaron Boone with a deep fly to center ties the game at 1.

Ozzie decides my arm is shot and he goes to the pen for the 7th. We win the game 2-1 in the 10th as Bootcheck gets the win.

6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB. I just haven't been able to strike guys out the last few games.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 11, 2012 -

Our pitching staff is 7th in ERA. Too bad that our offense is 26th in runs produced. Today, I'm pitching on the road vs Arizona and Dan Haren is starting for them.


I'm happy as I take the mound in the 1st with a 2-0 lead.

Struck out Drew with a 2-2 changeup to start the game. Jason Tyner with a single. Then, he advances to 2nd when my pick off attempt goes over Phillips head. With 2 outs, Mark Reynolds with a double down the left field line to knock him in. Struck out Reed Johnson with an outside fastball to end the inning.

Sheesh. Cameron is losing it. He misplays a ball with 1 out in the 2nd and it turns into a ground rule double for Montero. Sanchez doesn't make a play that he usually does and Dan Haren has a single past him. Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and I'm becoming very frustrated. Stephen Drew hits the 1st pitch, a fastball that wasn't quite far enough inside down the right field line for a 3 run homer.

My guys get 1 run back in the top of the 3rd. Down 4-3.

1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Haren looking with a 3-2 slider for the 2nd out in the 4th.

Sanchez with a solo homer in the 5th to tie it at 4.

Struck out Reed Johnson with a 0-2 fastball with men on 1st and 3rd. That was the 2nd out. I got Whitesell to ground to Sanchez to end the inning.

After the leadoff hitter, LaRoche gets a double, I bunt him to 3rd for the 1st out of the inning. Sanchez knocks him in and we have a 2 run inning. 6-4 lead as I take the mound in the bottom of the 6th.

Struck out Montero with a 2-2 changeup to start the inning. Drew with a 2 out walk and then Tyner with a single up the middle. I'm surprised Ozzie didn't yank me at that point. Conor Jackson with a single to shallow center for an RBI. 6-5. I strike out Mark Reynolds with a 0-2 changeup to get out of the inning.

Ozzie pats me on the back and goes to the pen for the 7th. Things look good until our closer, Carlos Aramboles, gives up a grandslam in the 9th. We lose the game 10-7.


6 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 6 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 17, 2012 -

Not a good outing today, but I get my 3rd win anyway. 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, and 2 strikeouts as we beat the Marlins 8-6.

May 22, 2012 -

It's time to pitch at home against the Cardinals and Adam Wainwright yet again. Hopefully, this meeting will go better than the last few. We are 19-26. They are 21-24.

Darn. A 0-2 fastball get away from me and hits Orlando Hudson to start the game. Struck out Ludwick with a 0-2 fastball to get the 2nd out of the inning. Ankiel flies out to right to end the inning.

Struck out Greene to end the 2nd inning with a 1-2 changeup.

1-2-3 3rd.

McLouth with a solo homer in the bottom of the 3rd. We are up 1-0.

Struck out Schumaker with an outside low fastball to start the 4th. After Ludwick walks, Ankiel with a double to get men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Doumit grounds out to Phillips to score the run. Tied at 1. Struck out Glaus with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner to end the inning.

McLouth and LaRoche each with an RBI in the 4th to make it a 3-1 game.

1-2-3 5th.

Church and Cameron with RBI's in the bottom of the 5th. 5-1 game now.

1-2-3 6th. I've still only allowed 1 hit.

Khalil Greene hits the 1st pitch of the 8th inning, a curve over the left field wall. 5-2 game. The next 3 batters all ground out to end the inning.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the bottom of the 8th. We win the game 5-2 as Aramboles gets his 11th save of the year.

My record rises to 4-2. 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 28, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting in Houston vs Fernando Nieve who has struggled this year (as have the Astros.) We are 21-29. They are 17-35.

Phillips knocks in Sanchez to begin the game with a 1-0 lead.

After Matsui gets a leadoff single, I struck out Overbay with an outside low fastball. Blake throws out Matsui attempting to steal 2nd. Jorge Posada (I wonder how he got to the Astros) hits a routine ball to Wilson, but he throws it into the stands to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs Victor Delarosa with a very hard comebck at me but I put up my glove in self-defense and catch it to end the inning.

Sanchez allows a ground ball to go right between his legs with 1 out in the 5th. Sanchez starts the 4-6-3 double play on the next ground ball to end the inning.

Still a 1-0 game as I take the mound in the 6th. John McDonald pinch hits for Nieve. Struck him out with a 0-2 fastball on the outside corner.

In the 7th, I struck out Delarosa with a 97 MPH fastball on the outside corner.

Ozzie pulls me in the 8th after I allow a 1 out single to right. I'm mad about this one as I still have something left tonight. At least, he goes to Javier Lopez who has been our most consistent lefty in the pen.

Javier gives up a run in the 8th and Bootcheck gives up 1 in the 9th. We lose the game 2-1. I'm tired of this bullpen.

7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.


After the game, I have a "discussion" with Ozzie regarding his pulling me too early. He says, "I'm sure you could have gone another inning at least, next outing I'll keep you in longer."

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2012 -

A look at my stats after almost 2 months:

11 GS, 7 QS, 3.50 ERA, 4-2, 69.1 IP, 77 H, 29 R, 27 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 54 K, 1.33 WHIP, .241 vs RH, .327 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 2, 2012 -

My agent calls me and tells me that he has heard from reliable sources that I'm on the trading block without even being asked! Those A-Holes! I call up the GM and demand to be traded.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 2, 2012 -

Tonight I get the start at home against the Brewers. I try to put the call from my agent out of my mind and concentrate on the game. Both clubs are 24-31.

I start off the game striking out Tony Gwynn, Jr. with a 0-2 changeup. 1-2-3 1st.

Fielder starts off the 2nd by hitting a 1-0 Fastball just over the right center field wall. I thought McLouth was going to make a highlight catch. That was Fielder's 16th of the year. I bounce back by striking out Velez with a 2-2 fastball just below the knees.

Struckout their pitcher on 3 straight fastballs to start the 3rd. Struck out Gwynn with a 2-2 changeup.

To start the 4th, Braun hits a low 1-2 fastball to left center for a homer. That is his 12th of the year.

Struck out Ransom with a 1-2 fastball outside for the 2nd out of the 5th.

Gwynn bunts to start the 6th. I play the bunt perfectly, but throw it into right field to allow Gwynn to get to 2nd. Gamel hits a 2-2 fastball to deep left and off the wall for a RBI double. Braun with a shot back up the middle for a RBI single. 4-0 at the end of 6.

Struck out their pitcher with a 1-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 7th. Ozzie pulls me after a 1-2-3 7th.

We lose the game 10-2 as Braun hit 2 more homers off our pen.

7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 K, 0 BB.


I can't wait to get traded out of here.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 3, 2012 -

My agent tells me the rumor is that the Giants are interested in me. However, Johan Santana and Adam Wainwright are also on the trade block and they are also interested in them.


June 8, 2012 -

Today I get the start at home vs the Chicago WhiteSox. Jermaine Dye and Adam Dunn are their most dangerous hitters.

Wilson and Bonifacio with RBI singles in the 1st to give us a 2-0 lead.

Sanchez with an error to start the 2nd. Ty Wigginton follows that with a single to right to get men on 1st and 3rd with no outs for Pierzynski at the plate. Struck him out with a 1-2 outside 99 MPH fastball to get the 1st out of the inning. Belliard with a line drive to Wilson for the 2nd out. Struck out Russell Branyan with a 2-2 fastball low and outside to end the inning.

Trouble in the 3rd as Gardner and Quentin get singles to start the inning. Men on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs as Dye steps to the plate. A 3-2 changeup just misses and Dye walks to load the bases. Dunn with a shallow line drive to right field to score 2 RBI's. Diaz, our backup catcher, lets a curve get by him to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd.

Wow, an unusual nice play as the batter hits a weak chopper to LaRoche who tags the runner going by him and then throws to 1st for a double play! Wigginton pops up to LaRoche to end the inning.

In the top of the 4th, Nyjer Morgan with a solo homer to give us back the lead, 3-2.

Bottom of the 4th starts bad as A.J. and Ronnie Belliard both get leadoff singles. Men on 1st and 2nd for Russell. Struck him out with a 2-2 outside fastball. Gardner hits to LaRoche and barely avoids a double play. Quentin grounds to Sanchez to end the inning.

Alcantara, playing 1st, with a RBI single in the top of the 5th to make it 4-2.

Struck out Alexei Ramirez with a 0-2 slider to end a 1-2-3 5th.

Struck out Wigginton with a 1-2 inside fastball to start the 6th. Struck out A.J. with a 2-2 fastball outside. Shit. After Belliard beats out an infield single with 2 outs, Branyan connects big time with a 0-2 fastball and hits it over the right field wall for a 2 run homer. No one but myself to blame for losing this win.

YES! Alcantara knocks in Wilson in the top of the 7th to make it 5-4! Ozzie pulls me after that, but I get the win as our pen holds them scoreless. Bautista, Lopez, and Aramboles each pitch a scoreless inning. Aramboles struck out the side for his 18th save.

6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 6 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 14, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting against the Nationals at home. We are 29-36 coming into this game.

Ryan Zimmerman and Paul Konerko with 2 out singles. I jam Josh Willingham who hits a weak pop to Sanchez to end the inning.

I strike out Adam Saarloos, their young catcher, for the 2nd out in the 3rd with a 2-2 slider.

I start off the 3rd, with only my 2nd hit of the year, a line drive to left field. They fail to knock me in. Still scoreless through 3.

Scoreless through 5.

Struck out Anderson Hernadez with a 2-2 fastball at the knees to end the 6th. I'm allowing some hits, but still scoreless through 6.

1-2-3 7th.

Saarloos starts off the 8th with a single past Sanchez. Ozzie goes to the pen after that and to my chagrin I see Denny Bautista come into the game. I had more in the tank. Bautista allows the inherited run and 1 more to score and I get charged with the loss. 2-0 loss.

7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 0 BB. My record drops to 5-4.

I complain about being pulled after the game and Ozzie tells me that he is suspending me for my next start for insubordination.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 26, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting at home vs the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw, a young had throwing pitcher is starting for them. He has 85 K's already this year. I've got 68 on the year. They are 47-30. We are 35-40. Their most dangerous hitters are Matt Kemp, Pat Burrell, and Russell Martin.

Burrell with a 2 run homer to deep center on a 1-1 fastball. That was his 18th of the year.

Struck out Martin with a low 0-2 fastball to start the 2nd. Struck out Cubillan with a 1-2 fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Kemp looking with a 2-2 fastball on the outside corner to end the 5th.

In the 6th with 2 outs, Burrell gets on thanks to an error by LaRoche and then Andre Ethier hits a 2 run homer off a 1-1 curve that hung. Down 4-0. Martin hits a single off me and then Ozzie yanks me.

We lose the game 6-1. My record drops to 5-5.

5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2012 -

The trade rumors are really heating up. The Yankees were going to dump salary a few weeks ago as they were underperforming, but they are back in it and have pulled their guys off the trade block.

The top players on the block are: SP Felix Hernandez (8-5 3.46 ERA - Giants are interested), SP Rich Harden (9-2 2.23 ERA - Giants are interested), Johan Santana (9-4 2.72 ERA - Giants are interested), Roy Oswalt (5-5 3.90 ERA - Giants are interested), Me (5-5 3.51 ERA, Giants are interested), and Adam Wainwright (7-8 4.18 ERA - Giants.)

The top position player on the block is Adam Everett who doesn't draw much interest since he is 34.

My stats on the year: 15 GS, 5-5, 9 QS, 3.51 ERA, 95 IP, 105 H, 42 R, 37 ER, 9 HR, 17 BB, 71 K, 1.28 WHIP, .251 vs RH, .301 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2012 -

Today I get the start against the Astros at home. I need to put these trade rumors out of my mind and pitch better. The Astros are 29-56 and we are 37-43. Definitely a winnable game for me today.

Struck out Overbay with a 1-2 changeup to end the 1st.

Terrible 2nd inning. First Aaron Boone who is hitting below .200 starts off the inning with a double. Then, he gets to 3rd on a passed ball. Then, I walk Hector Luna. Then, Edwin Maysonet who is hitting .220 hits a 2 RBI double to deep left center. Down 2-0. Since Roy Oswalt is starting for them, I don't expect too many runs in support today. Struck out Oswalt with a 1-2 changeup for the 2nd out in the inning. Joey Gathright with a single right back up the middle for an RBI. Down 3-0 before we finally get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the 2nd, I come to bat with bases loaded and 2 outs. I actually get great wood on a 0-1 fastball but it doesn't sink fast enough and the left fielder catches it in left center.

McLouth with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd. Down 3-2.

In the 4th, Oswalt drills me with a fastball in the back. That puts men on 1st an 2nd with 0 outs but we fail to score.

Struck out Overbay with a 2-2 changeup to end the 5th.

Struck out Boone with an outside 1-2 slider to start the 6th.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the bottom of the 6th.

We lose the game 4-2. My record drops to 5-6.

6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 3, 2012 -

The Giants acquired SP Al Everett from the Mariners in exchange for RP Jared Burton. I wonder if they are still interested in trading for me?

July 4, 2012 -

Watching Baseball Tonight, I see the hot rumor now is that either I or Adam Wainwright is going to the Orioles. I guess we'll see.


July 6, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting against the Braves in Atlanta.

I gave up a 2 run homer to their 3rd basemen, Johnson, in the 2nd inning.

In the 6th, an error by LaRoche allows Francouer to get on 2nd. Diaz with a single. Then, Kotchman knocks them both in. Down 4-0 and Ozzie pulls me at that point.

We lose the game 6-2.

My record falls to 5-7. 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 9, 2012 -

I get just over 100k votes for the All-Star team. Javier Vazquez is the leading vote getter among starting pitchers with 400k. He has a 10-3 record with a 2.47 ERA for the Brewers and will be the starting pitcher for the NL.

Nate McLouth is the lone Pirate to make the team this year.

The AL beats the NL 3-0 in the All-Star game

[Eaglesfan27]

July 14, 2012 -

Today, I get the start at home against the dangerous Cubs lineup. They are 51-39. We are 41-49. I've got to get another win.

Theriot starts off the game with a fly to shallow center and it is just too shallow for anyone to get to it. Struck out Ryan Sweeney with a 99 MPH fastball. Struck out Aramis Ramirez with a 100 MPH high fastball. Soriano grounds out to end the inning.

After Bradley gets a leadoff single, I struck out Soto with a high inside fastball. Miles hits a 0-1 fastball to deep left and Nyjer Morgan can't catch up to it, it bounces over the wall for a ground rule double. Quinlan pops up a 3-2 fastball for the 2nd out. Dempster grounds out to end the inning.

I draw a 5 pitch walk to start the bottom of the 3rd. I score on a double by Morgan! 1-0 after 3.

A solo homer by Church makes it 2-0 after 4.

Struck out Sweeney with a 0-2 changeup to end the 5th.

Struck out Theriot looking with a 3-2 changeup to end the 7th. My arm is definitely tired. Ozzie leaves me into hit with 2 outs and no one on in the bottom of the 7th. I ground out to Aramis.

2-0 at the end of 7 with the heart of their order coming up.

Sweeney hits the ball to very deep center but McLouth catches it. Aramis grounds to Wilson for the 2nd out. Struck out Soriano with a 93 MPH 3-2 fastball on the outside corner. That was my 120th pitch in the game, a new career high for me.

Church with a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 8th to give us the 5-0 lead, so Ozzie lets me try to go for the complete game shutout.

Bradley hits a 0-2 changeup to deep center but McLouth gets it. My command is becoming horrible, but I strike out Soto with a 2-2 high inside fastball, I was aiming for a low inside fastball. I also had a change go far from where I wanted it to. LaRoche with a diving stab, gets up, and strong throw for the out! Complete game, shutout!

9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Career high 136 pitches.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 20, 2012 -

No trade yet. Tonight, I start against the Brewers and their most effective pitcher this year, Yovani Gallardo. We are both 44-51 and Milwaukee is trying to unload some of their more expensive players.

We've lost Blake, who was having a nice year, to a broken bone in his foot and I'll have Robinzon Diaz, another young catcher, behind the plate tonight.

Struck out Ryan Raburn with a 1-2 change to start the game. Rivera and Ryan Braun with singles. I get Fielder to pop up. Then, a passed ball on the 1st pitch, a routine change allows the runner to advance to 2nd and 3rd. I get 2 strikes on Gamel, but he hits a 1-2 fastball back up the middle for a 2 RBI single. I strike out Ben Francisco looking with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner.

Church and McLouth with RBI's to tie it at 2 in the top of the 2nd.

LOL! Fielder tried to steal 2nd after getting a single to start the 3rd. Diaz gunned him down by 3 steps.

In the 4th, struck out Rivera with a 2-2 very high fastball to get a 2nd out with a man on 3rd. But, Braun comes up next and he gets a single that knocks in a run to make it 3-2. Fielder with a RBI single to make it 4-2.

Struck out Gamel with a 2-2 high fastball to start the 5th. Struck out Francisco with an outside 1-2 fastball. 1-2-3 5th.

Struck out Velez with an outside 2-2 fastball to start the 6th. Struck out the pitcher with 3 straight fastballs. 1-2-3 6th.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the 7th. We lose the game 6-2. My record drops to 6-8.

6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 7 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 25, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting at home against Arizona and Dan Haren is pitching which means I should expect a low scoring game. They are 52-49. We are 45-55. Sanchez is out with a hamstring injury. Pedroza has been called up because he was tearing up AAA and will start tonight in LF. I just hope his fielding has gotten better. Emilio Bonifacio is starting at 2B. Cameron has been recalled and is starting in right tonight.


In the 2nd, Cameron misplays a ball allowing a leadoff double to Conor Jackson. With 1 out, Whitesell with a hard shot past LaRoche down the left field line fo a RBI double. I get out of the inning without any more damage with a grounder to Bonifacio and a grounder to Wilson.

Struck out Nomar Garciparra with a 0-2 high fastball. Struck out Reynolds witha 1-2 changeup to end the 3rd.

I start the bottom of the 3rd with a line drive that is just barely over the shortstop's head. However, we fail to score.

Struck out Conor Jackson looking with a 3-2 fastball on the corner.

Andy LaRoche with a brilliant play to start the 5th on a hard ground ball down the line. 1 out.

Still 1-0 after 5 innings. Haren has 10 stikeouts today so far.

Nomar gets a single to left field in the 6th off me. That is his 2000th career hit. Struck out Conor Jackson looking with a 99 MPH fastball at the knees. That was the 2nd out of the 6th.

Pedroza with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 6th! He is 2 for 3. We are up 2-1 as I take the mound in the 7th.

Whitesell with a very hard shot to right field, Cameron keeps it to a single. Ozzie pulls me after that hit. Hopefully, the pen can hold on. I groan as Denny Bautista comes into the game.

Bautista does the job, but Aramboles gives up 4 runs in the 9th. I miss Capps. We lose the game 5-2.


6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 30, 2012 -

No trades made by any teams in the last 2 weeks. Tonight, I start against the Brewers at home. They are starting Jeff Supan who has struggled all year. They are 50-54. We are 46-59.


We are definitely working our young stars into the lineup. Today, Rex Chaney is getting the start at 3B. I hope his defense doesn't cost me LaRoche is playing 1st. However, no Pedroza in left as Nyjer Morgan is there today. Cameron in center as McLouth gets a day off.

Raburn starts the game with a single past Chaney. I wonder if LaRoche would have made that play. 4-6-3 double play on the 1st pitch to the next batter! Braun with a hard shot to left for a double. Struck out Fielder looking with a 3-2 fastball that tails back over the inside corner of the plate.

Chaney handles a hard grounder at him to end the 2nd.

Church with a solo homer in the 2nd to make it 1-0.

Chaney gets 2 assists and a putout on a popup in the 3rd. I guess his defense is adequate.

A mistake in the 4th as I walk Rivera to lead off the inning, but Braun hits into a 6-4-3 double play to get me out of the trouble.

Struck out Francisco with a 2-2 changeup to start the 5th. Bonifacio with a great defensive play to end the 5th.

1-2-3 6th. We are still up 1-0.

1-2-3 7th as Chaney makes a nice play on a hard shot by Fielder.

I bunt Diaz to 3rd in the bottom of the 7th and Nyjer Morgan gets an RBI single to make it 2-0.

My arm is getting tired and my command is fading. I walk Ransom with 2 outs in the 8th, but the next batter grounds to LaRoche who tags 1st for the out.

Ozzie is going to let me try for the complete game shutout. First 2 batters ground out to Chaney. The home crowd is going crazy.. 2-2 to Rivera.. and he fouls off 4 pitches, before swinging at and missing a high fastball! Another complete game shutout!

9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 1, 2012 -

I'm disappointed. No trades by any teams except a few minor trades early in the month of July. I'm stuck with Pittsburgh for at least another few months.

August 5, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting in Colorado. Most likely, I'll get my 100th strike out of the season in this game as I currently have 97. Hopefully, I'll also even my record at 8-8. We are starting Pedroza in left field. Sanchez is recovered from his injury and is back at 2B. McLouth has a minor injury so Cameron is starting in center. Bonifacio is starting at SS.


Troy Tulowitzki starts off the game with a single to left. Helton grounds out but advances Troy to 2nd. Garrett Atkins with a hard liner to left field for a RBI single. The next two batters popup to end the inning.

In the 2nd inning Church throws out a runner at home!

Troy starts off the 3rd with a double down the left field line. Helton hits a hard grounder past LaRoche for a RBI single. WOW! Pedroza with a BRILLIANT play in left field to catch a shallow line drive. I never expected to see play like that from him. Maybe no one else would have made it look so hard, but I'm just glad he made it. Struck out Spillbourgh with a 0-2 changeup to end the inning.

LaRoche wth a great defensive play for the 2nd out in the 4rd. Struck out Greinke with a 0-2 slider to end the 4th.

Struck out Brad Hawpe to end the 5th with a 0-2 high fastball. That was my 100th strikeout of the year.

Pedroza with a solo homer in the top of the 6th. He is 3 for 3 today. We are still down 2-1.

Fred Lewis, their LF, starts off the bottom of the 6th by hitting a solo homer off a hanging slider. 3-1.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the top of the 7th, but we fail to score. We lose the game 9-1.

My record drops to 7-9.

6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 6, 2012 -

My stats 4 months into the season:

22 GS, 7-9, 3.16 ERA, 14 QS, 2 CG, 2 SO, 142.1 IP, 144 H, 57 R, 50 ER, 10 HR, 32 BB, 100 K, 1.24 WHIP, .238 vs RH, .289 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 10, 2012 -

Today I'm starting against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels is pitching, so I don't expect much run support.

Victorino with a solo shot in the 1st.

Pedro Feliz knocks in Werth with 2 outs in the 2nd.

In the top of the 7th, Rollins gets a single and Ozzie pulls me. Bootcheck allows Rollins to score. Down 3-0.

We lose the game 8-2 as Burnett gives up 5 runs in the 8th.

6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 16, 2012 -

Stupid computer ate a long post. Brief summary. Colorado is in the wild card lead and I'm starting against them at home. They have Greinke on the mound who is 12-6 with a 2.42 ERA coming into the game, so I don't expect much run support. Ozzie is screwing with me again I think, he has McLouth starting in left and Pedroza in center!?!

2 big strikeouts in the 2nd inning and then a fly ball to McLouth in left to end the inning. Mac Harvey was squeezing me early and I have 2 walks already including the leadoff walk in the 2nd.

Crap. A 1-0 slider hangs and Catalanotto homers to right. 1-0. Struck out the next 2 batters to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 6th, Diaz with a leadoff double. My bunt attempt is a pop up to the 3rd baseman and we fail to score.

1-2-3 7th. Hopefully, the heart of the order can get us a few runs here.

LaRoche does knockin Church in the bottom of the 7th to tie it. Ozzie pinch hits for me, but we fail to score any more runs. In the 8th, we score another and Bootcheck gets the win as we win it 2-1.

7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 22, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting in Wrigley field. The Cubs are starting Ryan Dempster who is 9-6 with a 3.34 ERA. I'm 7-10 with a 3.13 ERA. We are 52-73. They are 67-58. The Reds lead the division at 74-52.

Pedroza is starting in center again. Last game, no balls were hit to center and McLouth caught 3 in left field, so maybe there is a method to the madness.

We start off the game with a double by McLouth and a RBI single by Wilson to take a 1-0 lead in the 1st.

Pedroza with a 2 RBI double in the top of the 3rd. 3-0 lead!

Wilson with a bad throw allows Sweeney to get to 2nd to start off the 4th. I walk Ramirez to set up the double play opportunity. A 1-1 running fastball shatters Soriano's bat and causes a popup to Phillips for the 1st out. Melvin Mora grounds a changeup and it becomes a 5-4-3 double play.

Sanchez with a solo homer in the 5th. 4-0 lead.

Pedroza catches a deep fly to end the 5th. I have a no hitter going.. more amazingly, no strikeouts today.

The pitcher flies out to McLouth. Theriot with a grounder past Wilson to end the no hitter. Sweeney with a line drive to center. Runners on 1st and 3rd and Aramis is up. He hits a line drive into left. 1 run scores. Men on 1st and 2nd. Diaz allows a 1-1 changeup to get away from him and the runner advances to 3rd. Soriano flies out to center, Pedroza catches it, strong throw, but the runner barely beats it. 2 outs with a man on 1st. The inning goes from bad to worse as Melvin Mora hits it into the right field corner and Church just misses a diving attempt allowing a RBI triple. 4-3. Finally, I get Kelly Shoppach, their catcher today, to ground out to Wilson to end the inning.

In the top of the 7th, I bunt Diaz from 1st to 2nd and then McLouth knocks him in. 5-3.

Struck out Miles with a 0-2 changeup to begin the 7th. Struck out Theriot with a 0-2 high fastball to end the inning. Ozzie pulls me after that.

Yes, the pen held the lead! We win the game 5-4. Aramboles gets his 32nd save. I get my 8th win of the year.

7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 27, 2012 -

Today, I'm starting at home vs the Reds. They are 77-53. We are 55-75. They have a 7 guys who can go yard at any time. Another interesting defensive alignment today: Pedroza in left, Nyjer Morgan in center, and Church in right field. Wilson gets a day off as Bonifacio starts at SS.

Sanchez knocks in Morgan to start the 1st. 1-0 lead.

Struck out Hairston with a 1-2 slider for the 1st out of the 2nd.

In the 5th, I get Hairston looking with a 1-2 slider on the inside part of the plate.

In the bottom of the 5th, I hit Mark Buehrle's first pitch down the third base line for a RBI single! 2-0 after 5.

In the 6th with 2 outs, Votto with a hard hit to the left field corner. Pedroza plays it well, but it is a RBI double. Bonifacio with a GREAT play at short on a hard ground ball by Gomes to get the 3rd out.

Sanchez boots a routine grounder to start the 7th. Ozzie pulls me after that. BS!! Worse, he brings in Denny Bautista whose ERA is hovering around 5.

Not surprisingly, Bautista messes it up for me. He gives up 2 runs, we tie it in the 8th, and then Aramboles blows it in the 9th. 4-3 loss.

6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 2, 2012 -

So many lost opportunities this year. Here are my stats with a month to go in the season:

26 GS, 8-10, 3.10 ERA, 18 QS, 2 CG, 2 SO, 168.1 IP, 163 H, 66 R, 58 ER, 12 HR, 38 BB, 114 K, 1.19 WHIP, .228 vs RH, .283 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 2, 2012 -

A good opportunity for a win today at Washington. We have our best defensive lineup behind me and not too many good hitters on the Nationals.

Phillips with a 2 RBI double in the top of the 3rd to give us a 2-0 lead.

After giving up a leadoff walk in the 4th, I strike out Elijah Dukes with a 0-2 changeup. I strike out Willie Harris as well. The next batter hits it deep to left field, over Morgan's head. He catches up to the ball, strong throw, relay by Wilson who guns out Konerko at home!

In the 5th, I come up after we have already scored 2 and I have men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Ozzie gives me the go ahead to swing and I get a fastball right over the middle of the plate.. I turn on it and hit it hard down the left field line.. RBI double! That turns into a 8 run 5th inning! We are up 10-0!

Phillips with a diving catch over his shoulder in foul territory after I shatter their catcher's bat for the 2nd out of the 5th.

Wow, in the 6th I get another hit, a single up the middle. I guess all of the time in the batting cage is finally paying off. I believe this game doubles my hit total on the year.

McLouth with a gun of an arm to gun down Milledge trying to go from 1st to 3rd on a shallow liner to center. That ends the 6th.

Ozzie pulls me in the 7th after I give up a hard hit to deep center by Willie Harris. For once, I don't mind as I just can't imagine us losing this lead.

We win the game 10-1.

My record raises to 9-10.

6.1 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 7, 2012 -

Today I start on the road vs the Brewers. We've got our best defensive lineup behind me again. I've got to watch out for Braun and Fielder.

Wow. I'm on a hit streak. First at bat in the 2nd, I flare a single to shallow right field.

Big mistake as I hit Jeff Supan with 2 outs in the 2nd to put men on 1st and 2nd. I get Francisco to fly to Church to end the inning.

In the 4th, I come to bat with a man on 3rd and 2 outs.. I hit a 1-0 fastball to deep left field.. the fielder is chasing it and barely catches up to it.

No! Francisco catches a 0-2 changeup in the 5th and hits it barely over the left field wall. 1-0 game. That was only the 3rd hit I've allowed.

My teammates pick me up with a 2 run homer by Church in the top of the 6th.

Tense moment in the bottom of the 6th as I walked 2 guys with 2 outs, but I got Velez to fly to McLouth in center.

After I give up a 1 out single to Trot Nixon in the bottom of the 7th, Ozzie pulls me. He goes to Denny Bautista which compounds my frustration. Bautista does a good job, but they let Bootcheck try to save it and he blows it with a 3 run homer!

6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 K, 3 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 12, 2012 -

Today, I get the start at home vs the Cardinals and Wainwright. Pedroza is starting in left and we are going with Gillaspie at 3rd.

5 scoreless innings on both sides which is highlighted by me striking out Ankiel twice.

In the 6th, we score 2 runs on a homer by Church.

Ozzie pulls me in the 7th, when Ankiel gets a hard hit double with 2 outs. He goes to Gobble who allows the inherited run to score, but keeps my lead.

Aramboles with an impressive 2 inning save in which he struck out 4. He has 35 saves and I have my 10th win of the year!

6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 18, 2012 -

Tonight I start against the Reds on the road. Pedroza is starting in left again and Gillaspie is at 3rd.

Cirillo with a RBI off me in the 1st inning.

Hairston, JR with a RBI in the 4th inning.

Down 2-0 in the 7th when Ozzie decides to go to the pen. We score 2 in the top of the 7th to tie it. Gobble gives up a run in the 8th and we lose the game 3-2.

6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 23, 2012 -

Tonight I'm starting on the road vs the Cardinals who are starting a rookie pitcher in his major league debut, JC Regilio. Hopefully, this will give us a big night offensively and give me a good shot at getting win #11. Pedroza is starting in left and we are using Austin Kearns in right for the first time in a very long time. I need to watch out for Ankiel who leads the team with 45 homers. Ludwick and Glaus each have 31.


McLouth robs Doumit of a homer to start the 2nd inning! I will miss McLouth when I eventually get out of Pittsburgh.

In the 4th, I popped up to end a rally, but we scored 3 runs in the inning on a 2 run homer by Wilson and a RBI double by Pedroza.

Ludwick hits a 2-1 fastball to deep center and it is just over McLouth's glove and the wall. 3-1 game. I strike out Ankiel with a 100 MPH fastball to bounce back.

Trouble in the 5th as I Khalil Greene gets a single to right, steals 2nd, and then I walk Mather with 1 out. The pitcher sac bunts the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Then, Orlando Hudson hits the 1st pitch to right center for a 2 RBI single. Tied at 3. I get Schumaker to fly to Pedroza to end the inning, just 1 batter too late.

Key strikeout of Ludwick with a 99 MPH inside fastball to start the 6th. Struck out Doumit with a high fastball to end the inning. Key strikeouts to regaining my confidence.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the top of the 7th, but we fail to score.

We win it in the 10th as Bautista gets the win. 4-3 win on a homer by Pedroza.

6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 29, 2012 -

My final start of the year. Will it be my final start as a Pirate? Today, I'm pitching at home vs Mark Buehrle and the Reds. They have clinched the division and are resting a few of their starters. Hopefully, that will assist me in getting the win today.

In the 2nd, I come to bat with men on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, I lace the 1-0 fastball down the left field line! 2 RBI double! My work in the cage is really paying off.

In the 3rd, I strike out the side throwing almost nothing but heat!

In the 4th, I strike out Dickerson with a 2-2 changeup.

In the 5th, I get Gomes with a 0-2 fastball below the knees.

In the 7th, I strike out Dickerson and Cirillo with fastballs.

In the 8th, I get Votto to chase an outside slider.

Gomes leads off the 9th with a titanic shot off a 2-0 fastball. I'm shocked that Ozzie leaves me out there but he does. I get Encarcion to ground to Wilson. Phillips pops up to Sanchez. Hairston, Jr. grounds to LaRoche! Complete game win!

We win the game 2-1. I get my 11th win of the year.

9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 2, 2012 -

My final stats on the year:

32 GS, 11-10, 2.85 ERA, 24 QS, 3 CG, 2 SO, 208.2 IP, 188 H, 74 R, 66 ER, 15 HR, 51 BB, 138 K, 1.15 WHIP, .228 vs RH, .248 vs LH.


My stats throughout my career to this point:

2009 (AA) 13-5, 1.95 ERA, 18 GS, 12 QS, 2 CG, 2 SO, 138.1 IP, 13 BB, 75 K, 1.03 WHIP, .271 vs RH, .213 vs LH.

2010 (AAA) 11-4, 2.74 ERA, 20 GS, 13 QS, 124.2 IP, 15 BB, 68 K, 1.09 WHIP, 241 vs RH, .271 vs LH.

2010 (MLB) 4-4, 4.08 ERA, 11 GS, 8 QS, 68.1 IP, 13 BB, 26 K, 1.26 WHIP, .245 vs RH, .322 vs LH.

2011 (MLB) 12-5, 3.01 ERA, 32 GS, 22 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 197.2 IP, 33 BB, 117 K, 1.05 WHIP, .236 vs RH, .247 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

Summary of 2012 -

NL MVP - Ryan Howard with .307 55 HR's and 135 RBI's.

Cy Young - Greg Smith, Colorado with 14-3 record and 2.34 ERA.

Rookie of the Year - Freddy Church, SD .300, 15 HR, 76 RBI.

No Pirates won any awards.

Boston beat the Dodgers 4-2 in the World Series.

LF Carlos Guillen was the MVP of the WS for Boston with .500 avg 3 HR, and 5 RBI.


Notable Retirements after the season:

2B Freddy Sanchez! Ok, now I really want to get out of Pittsburgh.

SS Jason Wood (good riddance)

P Chris Bootcheck (ditto)

C Bengie Molina, Boston
SS Rafael Furcal, Boston


CF Johnny Damon, Yankees
2B David Eckstien, Yankees
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees
LF Hideki Matsui, Yankees

C Jorge Posada, TB
LF Gary Sheffield, TB

SS Miguel Tejada, Cleveland (retired early due to career ending injury)

1B Jason Giambi, Oakland

1B Carlos Delgado, Mets

P Roy Halladay, Phillies
P Brad Lidge, Phillies

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 2012 -

The GM is trying to convince me to want to hang around for a long time. He is telling me their committment to winning. He signed Austin Kearns and Mike Cameron to 2 year deals this week. Kearns got 3 million and Cameron got just under 8 million.

CF Nate McLouth became a free agent! :(


January 5, 2013 -

I meet with the GM to re-iterate my trade demands. He responds, "You are a vital asset to this club that is under contract. You aren't going anywhere."


Jan 16, 2013 -

Nate McLouth signed a 2 year for 17 million total with the Cubs :(

Feb 1, 2013 -

The Pirates do not sign any new players of any substance. How depressing.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 1, 2013 -

I've been so depressed here in Pittsburgh that I haven't written for a while. I had a good spring and I've been directing my energies into working out. I've gotten stronger and quicker. I'm fielding the ball much better.

On the positive side, Ernesto Pedroza had a good spring. He's not a great fielder, but he has become adequate, and he can really hit! He is projected to be our #3 hitter this year. Rex Chaney isn't the fielder that LaRoche is, but he is projected to start for us at 3B and bat cleanup. He has big time power potential. Maybe this year won't be so bad?

Time to get ready for the season opener which is also our home opener against the Astros. I'll be pitching against Roy Oswalt. I hope the kids are up to hitting his stuff.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 1, 2013 -

The park is filled to capacity for the opener and that has my juices flowing. I'm sure I'll remember every minute of tonight.


Our starting lineup:

CF Mike Cameron
C Kenneth Blake (his hitting is progressing nicely)
LF Ernesto Pedroza (best power hitter we've had since I've been here)
3B Rex Chaney (almost as good as Pedroza, so he'll start)
RF Ryan Church
SS Jack Wilson
1B Andy Phillips (being pushed hard there by LaRoche and a young player)
2B Emilio Bonifacio (the best defensive option at the position.)
P Me

The Astros' lineup:

LF DElmon Young
2B Ruben Gotay
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Hunter Pence
1B Lyle Overbay
3B Cleveland Demaria
SS Rocco Copley
C Humberto Quintero
P Roy Oswalt


Young starts off the game with a single just over my head on a 2-2 fastball. Gotay hits a very hard grounder to Chaney who starts the 5-4-3! Milledge pops up to Phillips to end the inning.


Pedroza and Chaney each hit 2 out singles before Church hits a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 1st! Not a bad start at all!

So much for my improved reflexes, Pence hits a grounder just by me for a single. Struck out Overbay with a 1-2 outside fastball that he chases. DeMaria hits a liner to center that I know McLouth would have caught. Cameron merely cuts it off. Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Copley with a sac fly to Cameron. Quintero grounds out to 2nd to end the inning.

Struck out Oswalt with a 1-2 slider to start the 3rd. Chaney handles a hard grounder to get Young out. Wilson handles a grounder for the 3rd out of the 3rd.

Chaney handles a hard grounder by Milledge to start the 4th. Bonifacio catches a liner for out number 2. Pedroza catches a fly ball to end the inning.

Chaney with a diving stab of a hard shot by Demaria, but after getting up he throws it away. Demaria gets to 2nd easily. Rocco hits a 1-2 slider hard to right. Church catches it, but the runner advances to 3rd.

Quintero hits the 1st pitch into the gap on the right side of the infield. RBI single. 3-2 game with Oswalt at the plate. Oswalt bunts and it is misplayed. He gets a single. Young catches a 1-0 high fastball and homers to right. 5-3 and I'm rattled a bit.

Struck out Gotay with a 2-2 changeup. It takes 10 pitches, but I finally get Milledge to ground out to Bonifacio. I can't believe I blew the lead.

My guys pick me up big time in the bottom of the 5th! First, Chaney hits a 3 run homer. Then Church hits a solo shot! 7-5 lead!

Struck out Pence on the 7th pitch with a low fastball. Overbay grounds to Wilson for the 2nd out. Demaria grounds out to Chaney to end the top of the 6th.

Ozzie pinch hits for me in the bottom of the 6th. We get 3 more runs in the bottom of the 6th as a result when Pedroza hit a 3 run homer!

Wow. I think I might just end up being glad that I didn't get traded. This could be a fun place to be for until I can hit free agency. We win the game 10-7. I get my first win of the year despite not pitching that great.

Pedroza went 2 of 3 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI's, 1 homer, and 2 walks.

Chaney went 3 of 4 with 2 runs scored, 3 RBI's, 1 homer, and 1 walk.

Church went 2 of 4 with 2 runs scored, 4 RBI's, 2 homers, and 1 walk. Not a bad start for the heart of our lineup.

6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 4, 2013 -

We sweep the Astros to start the year! We win the 2nd game of the series 3-1 on a 3 run homer by Pedroza. We win the 3rd game of the series 10-2 on homers by Cameron, Pedroza, and Bonifacio. Cameron hit a 3 run shot, Pedroza's was a 2 run shot, and Bonifacio's was a 2 run homer.

April 5, 2013 -

We win our 4th game of the year thanks to a 5 run 8th and a 5 run 9th! We beat the Reds 11-5 to go 4-0. Phillips hit a grand slam in the 8th. Cameron with a solo shot in the 9th. Chaney had 2 double and 2 RBI's. Chaney is hitting over .400 early.

April 6, 2013 -

Our first loss of the year. I knew it had to come, but was hoping it would be after I got my 2nd win. Santos our #5 starter gave up 4 runs early, and Mark Buehrle kept our hitters off balance all night long. We lose the game 4-1. Pedroza had our sole RBI as he knocked in Blake. I'm looking forward to starting tomorrow night in Cincinnati to at least take 2 out of 3.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 7, 2013 -

Today, I get the start against Aaron Harang and the Reds. Harang pitched 7 shutout innings in his 1st start of the year.

Our lineup today has LaRoche at 1st and Diaz catching, but everyone else is the same as my 1st game. The Reds have multiple dangerous hitters including Votto, Bruce, and Hairston.

LaRoche with a great play at 1st for the 2nd out of the inning. Struck out Hairston with a 2-2 outside slider to end the inning.

Encarcion gets drilled by my fastball that got away from me to start the 2nd inning. Struck out Corey Sullivan with a 0-2 changeup for the 2nd out of the inning. Matt Treanor with a single past Chaney that drives in the run. 1-0. I should have been more careful with him since there was an open base and the pitcher was up next. Harang grounds to Chaney to end the inning.

Brandon Phillips with a solo shot to left field to start the 3rd. He hit a 1-0 fastball. Jay Bruce follows that with a ball that gives me palpitations before it hits off the center field wall just below the line. Cameron with a good play to keep him at 2nd base. Struck out Hairston with a 0-2 very high 100 MPH fastball.

Down 2-0 at the end of 3. So far, Harang is pitching a no hitter and he has 5 strikeouts already.

Corey Sullivan hurts himself swinging at my fastball. Fernando Perez comes in for him with a 0-2 count. I strike out with the next pitch, a high fastball. Struck out Treanor with a 2-2 fastball at the knees.

Struck out Phillips after 8 pitches with an inside fastball. With 2 outs, Bruce catches an inside fastball and hits it a ton. No doubt about that one to right center. Down 3-0 at the end of 5.

Ozzie pinch hits for me to start the 6th which sort of annoys me off since I only threw 64 pitches and was doing ok. We fail to score in the 6th. We lose the game 6-2.

My record drops to 1-1.

5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 6 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 13, 2013 -

The team has lost 4 of our last 5 and we really need a big performance from me to pick us up. Tonight I start at home vs the Brewers and Yovani Gallardo who has been nasty in his first two starts but doesn't have a win for his efforts. At least, I don't have to face Prince Fielder who was the big FA signing this past year. He signed a big contract with the Padres.

Nyjer Morgan is starting ahead of Pedroza tonight, otherwise it is the same lineup as my last start.

I walk Braun with 2 outs in the 1st. No reason to get careless with him. Frank Keppinger, their cleanup hitter, flies out to center to end the inning.

LaRoche knocks in Church in the bottom of the 2nd to give us a 1-0 lead.


Struck out Gallardo with a 2-2 changeup for the 2nd out in the 3rd. Chaney with poor range that allows Martin Prado to get a single for the first hit of the night off me. Rivera grounds out to Wilson the end the inning.

Struck out Keppinger with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out in the 4th.

In the 5th, Velez crushes a 2-0 changeup to right field. Tied at 1. Only my 2nd hit given up tonight. The next batter gets a single past Chaney. No doubt that LaRoche would have had that. Things fall apart as I hit Gallardo with a high fastball as he attempts to bunt. A 0-2 fastball to Prado is laced to left field for a RBI single, but Gallardo is gunned down attempting to take 3rd. Finally, I strike out Rivera with an outside fastball to end the inning. My control was all over the place that inning.

I lead off the bottom of the 5th with a single up the middle. They fail to knock me in.

Sheesh, my control hasn't been this bad in years. My 1-1 fastball just completely gets away from me and drills Braun in the ribs. Crap! Braun steals 2nd on the first pitch, a changeup. Keppinger moves him to 3rd with a ground out to 2nd. I get Gamel to pop up to Chaney for the 2nd out. Francisco grounds back to me and I make the play to end the inning.

The heart of our order is up in the bottom of the 6th. We fail to score. Ozzie goes to the pen to start the 7th.

We score 3 in the 7th thanks to a 3 run homer by Pedroza who pinch hit in the 7th. That gives us a 4-2 lead. However, the pen gives up 10 runs between the 8th and 9th inning. Burnette gave up 6 runs and Lopez gave up 4. We lose the game 12-4.

6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 18, 2013 -

After a rough stretch, we've won our last 3 games thanks to some big hitting from the heart of our lineup. Hopefully, I can stretch the streak to 4 today at home vs San Diego that is starting their new pitcher Ryan Dempster. We are 8-7 so far. They are 6-9 despite some significant talent infusions.

Their most dangerous hitter is Prince Fielder. Pedroza is hitting well lately and is starting in left today.

Church with a gun of a throw to get a runner going from 1st to 3rd for the 1st out of the 2nd inning. I struck out Darrell Granderson with a 1-2 slider on the outside corner for the 2nd out. Struck out Jed Lowrie with a 2-2 changeup to end the inning.

Chaney's limited range hurts me on back to back plays. First he misses a ball for a single that puts runners on 1st and 2nd. Then, he misses another hard hit down the line, that turns into a RBI single. Now, I have men on 1st and 2nd with Fielder at the plate and no outs.

Fielder pops up to Chaney for the 1st out. Jody Gerut with a fly ball drives in a 2nd run. Bonifacio is unable to make the play on a hard grounder by Granderson and that leads to a 3rd run. Struck out Lowrie to finally end the 3rd. Rough inning.


I'm getting rocked tonight. Freddy Church, their leadoff hitter, with a long drive to left field that is over Pedroza's head for a double. After getting a 2nd out, I choose to pitch around Fielder, but I make the mistake of not getting my 1st pitch far enough outside and he reaches it and slaps it into right center for a RBI single.

Down 4-0 after 4, and the heart of our lineup is up. I need them to score but Dempster retires them in order.

Ozzie pulls me after the leadoff hitter in the 5th gets an infield single to Chaney.

Just a terrible effort from me today. We lose the game 6-5. Pedroza hit a 3 run homer in the 7th and we scored 1 in the 8th and 9th, but it wasn't enough.

4 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 23, 2013 -

Tonight, I'm starting against Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers on the road. I need to get on track or this is going to be my worst April.

Not a good start. Martin Prado is up and I get squeezed on 2 calls before Prado drives a 2-0 fastball right by Wilson. Struck Velez out with a 0-2 high fastball for the 1st out. Braun who has 8 homers already, hits a hard ground ball past Chaney. Guys on 1st and 2nd. Struck out Gamel with a 0-2 high fastball for the 2nd out. Francisco grounds back to me to end the inning.

On a 1-0 fastball that gets me my 1st out of the 2nd, I feel a twinge in my leg. Ozzie decides to not take any chances and he pulls me from the game. We lose the game 1-0, but the pen gets the loss.

1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 24, 2013 -

The MRI was clear. I've been diagnosed with a pulled quad and could possibly start my next scheduled game.


April 27, 2013 -

I feel completely better. I've been cleared to start on the 29th in New York against the Mets.


April 29, 2013 -

We are now 12-13. Today, we are playing against the Mets who have Johan Santana starting. He has been back to dominant this year and is already 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA. This will be a tough matchup for our young hitters.


Reyes starts the game with a first pitch hit to right field. Blake guns him down on a 1-0 fastball. Struck out Castillo with a 1-2 changeup.

I come to the plate in the top of the 2nd with men on 1st and 2nd with no outs. I bunt them successfully to 2nd and 3rd. Disgusting! Wilson strikes out, Blake pops up, and Chaney flies out.

Manny with a leadoff double to start the 2nd inning. My changeup just hung too much. He moves to 3rd on a ground out to 2nd by Beltran. Jose Guillen with a sac fly to center to knock Manny in.

Struck out Wandy Segovia to start the 3rd inning. Struck out Reyes with a fastball at the knees to end the inning.

Beltran with a leadoff double to right field to start the 5th. Guilled hits it hard to short, and Wilson throws it into the stands allowing Beltran to score.

Ozzie pinch hits for me to start the 7th inning. We fail to score. Santana goes 7 scoreless innings and Francisco Rodriguez gets his 12th save. 3-0 loss.

6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 0 BB. (I don't get how both of those runs were earned.)

[Eaglesfan27]

May 1, 2013 -

My stats for the first month have been terrible:

6 GS, 1-3, 2 QS, 5.08 ERA, 28.1 IP, 32 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 3 BB, 21 K, 1.24 WHIP, .317 vs RH, .261 vs LH.

Pedroza has played decently in left field and he had 6 homers and 17 RBI's in April. He is hitting .242.

Chaney has 5 homers and 16 RBI's and is batting .257. His defense is definitely a step down from LaRoche.

LaRoche in more limited bats has 1 homer and 9 RBI's. He is batting .257.

Church has hit .281 with 4 HR's and 17 RBI's.


Hopefully, I can turn it around in May.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 4, 2013 -

Today I get the start at home vs the Giants. They are 14-17. We are 14-16. Here is their starting lineup:

2B Emmanuel Burriss
1B John Bowker
CF Aaron Rowand (batting .313 with 6 homers)
3B Pablo Sandoval
SS Edgar Renteria (only batting .217 with 1 homer)
RF Adam Loewen
C Steve Holm
LF Brandon Boggs (14 game hitting streak)
P Kelvim Escobar

We are going with LaRoche at 3B (yes!) and Renaldo Avila in center (and batting 8th.) Brandon Moss is playing 1st base today. Pedroza is batting 3rd.

Struck out Renteria to start the 2nd inning.

LaRoche and Avila with RBI's in the bottom of the 2nd inning. 2-0 lead.

Struck out Bowker with a 2-2 slider to start the 4th. Bonifacio with a fielding error that allows runners to get to 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Loewen with a single up the middle for an RBI. After walking the bases loaded, I struck out Boggs with a high 0-2 99 MPH fastball to end the inning.


Struck out Escobar with a fastball to start the 5th.

LaRoche with a diving stop on Rowand to get the 1st out of the 6th. Pablo Sandoval gets ejected for arguing a call at 1st base in which Bonifacio threw him out by a step. LaRoche with a very good defensive play to end the 6th. I have no doubt that Chaney wouldn't have made the 1st play, and probably not the 2nd one either.

LaRoche with the 1st assist of the 7th as well on a hard grounder right at him. 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, likely ending Boggs 14 game hit streak.


Still a 2-1 game as I take the mound in the top of the 8th. For reasons I don't understand, they leave a relief pitcher in the game to bat leadoff against me in the 8th. I strike him out on 4 pitches. Wilson barely misses a liner by Burriss and Ozzie pulls me as a result. Don't blow it guys!

He brings in Thaddeus Waite who has a 3.00 ERA. Waite gets the job done! Aramboles pitches a perfect 9th for his 8th save of the year! We win the game 2-1.

7.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 10, 2013 -

Tonight I pitch against the Astros who are 11-24. We are 16-19 and we are once again near the bottom in most offensive categories and in the top half in most pitching categories. The Astros are worse in both areas. We are going with LaRoche at 3rd again tonight as he has been hitting well and playing excellent. Pedroza is batting 3rd and Emilio Alcantara, a good hitting young 1st baseman, is batting cleanup for us. Roy Oswalt is pitching for the Astros.

Struck out Delmon Young with a 2-2 fastball to begin the game. Struck out Overbay with a 1-2 fastball at the knees. Barely missed with a 3-2 fastball to Milledge. Blake guns out Milledge trying to steal 2nd.

In the 2nd, I come to bat with bases loaded and 2 outs. The first pitch is a fastball down the middle, I crush it.. right at Hunter Pence in right field.

Hunter Pence hits a hard grounder at Wilson who bobbles it and then throws it away. Pence is on 2nd to start the 2nd. Demaria with a fly to right field advances the runner to 3rd.

I thought I was going to finish off Rocco Copley, but he hits a good inside 2-2 fastball past LaRoche for a RBI single. Luna with a single to left field. After a passed ball advances the runners, I strike out Hernandez with a 97 MPH fastball on the outside corner. Oswalt grounds out to Bonifacio to end the inning.

Blake guns out Milledge attempting to steal 2nd to end the 3rd.

Pedroza with a long running catch in left center for the 1st out in the 4th. There is zero doubt in my mind that he wouldn't have caught that ball in the 1st spring that I saw him. He's still not good out there, but he is sufficient now. Struck out Hernandez to end the inning and leave men on 1st and 3rd stranded.

Wilson with a throwing error allows men to get to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Milledge with a single scores 1 of the runs. The bad inning continues as Pence hits the 1st pitch, a low outside fastball, to right field for an RBI single. 3-0, 1 out, men on 1st and 2nd.

DeMaria pops up to me, but Copley with a single to shallow left for the RBI. Finally, I get a grounder to Wilson to end the inning.

Ozzie pulls me after 5. We lose the game 4-2 as Cameron hit a 2 run homer in the 7th. That was Oswalt's 1st win of the year.

5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 16, 2013 -

Today, I get the start at home against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals. He is 5-2 with a 2.78 ERA. They are 21-19. We are 17-23. Their most dangerous hitter is Rick Ankiel who leads the NL with 15 homers. LaRoche is getting the start at 3rd for us tonight as Chaney has been injured in the past week. We have the same lineup as my last game:

CF Cameron
C Blake
LF Pedroza
1B Alcantara
RF Church
SS Wilson
2B Bonifacio
3B LaRoche
P


Terrible start. Hudson draws a walk and then Schumaker hits a hard grounder down the 3rd baseline. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Ludwick grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. 1-0. Ankiel lines out to 1st.

Big strikeout on Yadier Molina with a 2-2 changeup. Men are on 1st and 2nd, so it was key to get that 1st out. Morales grounds into a 5-4-3 to end the inning!

In the 3rd, Blake guns out Hudson trying to steal 2nd! His arm has really developed nicely. Struck out Schumaker with a 1-2 fastball below the knees to end the inning.

I get a single on a little flare over the 1st basemen's head in the 3rd, but we fail to score. I got the 1st hit of the game off Wainwright.

Struck out Ludwick with a 100 MPH fastball to start the 4th.

Khalil Greene starts the 5th with a single that was just out of Wilson's diving range. Molina follows it up with a hard liner to right. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs and Kendry Morales at the plate. He hits into a 5-4-3 double play. 2-0.

Bad 6th inning. With 1 out, I hit Schumaker and then Ludwick hits a first pitch changeup barely over the right field wall. 4-0. Ozzie pulls me after that. We lose the game 4-0 as Wainwright pitches a 2 hitter.

My record drops to 2-5. 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 22, 2013 -

We've lost 7 of our last 8 games. The team is starting to snipe at each other, and it is not a fun place to be right now. Today, I'm starting against the Brewers and Gallardo again. Interesting lineup behind me as we have Pedroza in left, Nyjer Morgan in center, and Brandon Moss in right. At least, I have LaRoche at 3rd. The wind is blowing out to center at 21 MPH tonight.

What is happening to me this year? Rivera and Braun with back to back singles and then Frank Keppinger hits a 1-1 changeup to deep right field for a 3 run homer.

Struck out Gamel with a 1-2 inside fastball for the 2nd out. Needed that as my confidence is very shaky right now. Ground ball to 3rd to end the inning.

The 2nd inning doesn't go any better as Velez hits a 2-0 fastball to right center for a solo shot. I just can't locate any of my pitches right now. Struck out Raburn with a 1-2 fastball at the knees to end the inning.

My woes continue in the 3rd. Singles by Rivera and Keppinger and then Gamel who I usually can get out easily lines it to rightfield for a RBI single. 5-0 in the 3rd with 1 out and men on 1st and 3rd. Bad luck as I get a good ball hit to Bonifacio but the Francisco beats out the play at 1st to prevent the inning ending double play. Now 6-0. I give up another single and Ozzie pulls me.

My shortest (non-injury) outing of my career. Just a horrible start to this year. :( We lose the game 6-2.

2.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 K, 0 BB. My record drops to 2-6.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 27, 2013 -

Management has let me know they are unhappy with my start and I better turn it around soon. Tonight, I'm starting at home on Memorial Day vs the Dodgers. They are starting Eric Stults. They are 27-22. We are 20-30.

Their lineup:

CF Matt Kemp (batting .320 with 5 homers)
1B James Loney
SS J.J. Hardy
2B Dicky Cubillan
RF Andre Ethier
LF Sandy Phelps
C Russell Martin
3B Casey Blake
P Eric Stults

Our Lineup:

SS Jack Wilson
RF Ryan Church (first time batting 2nd all year)
LF Ernesto Pedroza
CF Cameron
2B Bonifacio
1B Moss
3B LaRoche
C Robinzon Diaz


An 0-1 fastball gets away from me and hits Kemp. Not a good start as he is a dangerous base stealer. With 1 out, Kemp steals 2nd on the 1st pitch. Struck out Hardy with a 100 MPH fastball on the inside corner. Dicky grounds to short to end the inning.


In the 3rd, Casey Blake with a leadoff single to left that turns into a double when Pedroza misplays it. Stults bunts him to 3rd and then Kemp grounds to 2nd to drive in the run.

I'm absolutely livid when I get squeezed on a 2-2 slider that was over the corner clearly and called ball 3. The next pitch, I lose my concentration and Loney hits it to the right field wall for a double. Hardy grounds out to Bonifacio to end the inning. 1-0 after 3.

Struck out Sandy Phelps with a fastball near the dirt to end the 4th.

Struck out Blake with a 3-2 fastball just inside to get the 1st out of the 5th. Needed that after a leadoff single.

Our offense finally scores in the bottom of the 5th with a solo homer by LaRoche. Tied at 1. That is our only hit of the night.

Struck out Russell Martin with a 2-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 7th.

The heart of our lineup is up in the bottom of the 7th.. come on Pedroza..

We fail to score in the 7th. Ozzie pulls me in the 8th. We score 3 in the bottom of the 8th and win it 4-1. Denny Bautista robs me of the win.

7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB.

I talk to Ozzie after the game, and he agrees that he should have let me try to pitch the 8th.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2013 -

It's been a rough start to the season and my confidence has been hurt:

11 GS, 4 QS, 2-6, 4.53 ERA, 55.2 IP, 64 H, 33 R, 28 ER, 7 HR, 8 BB, 39 K, 1.29 WHIP, .315 vs RH, .267 vs LH.

Hopefully, I can bounce back with a spectacular June.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2013 -

Tonight I start at home vs the Cubs and Rich Hill. He is also having a rough year and is 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA. Hopefully, our bats can get it going. Pedroza had a very quiet May as did most of our offense.

The Cubs are 34-22 and are 1st in homers hit. We are 22-33 and are 29th in every major offensive category except steals where we are 15th.

Their lineup:

2B Ian Kinsler
1B Adrian Gonzalez (batting .340 with 11 HR's)
3B Aramis Ramirez (.249 with 11 HR's)
LF Alfonso Soriano
C Geovany Soto
SS Mike Fontenot
RF Ryan Sweeney
CF Nate McLouth (sick that he is batting 8th for them, batting .270 with 8 homers)

Soriano starts the 2nd inning with a double. Soto barely hits it off Wilson's bat, but the runner holds up at 2nd as a result. Fontenot hits a 3 run homer that barely stays fair inside the right field pole. I hit Sweeney with the next pitch. McLouth hits it hard over Pedroza's head. RBI double. Down 4-0.

Struck out Rich Hill on a 0-2 bunt attempt for the 1st out of the 2nd. Bonifacio with a brilliant diving stop, recovery, and throw to get me out of the 2nd on a hard hit by Gonzalez.

Struck out Soriano for the 2nd out of the 3rd. I get a desperately needed 1-2-3 3rd.

1-2-3 4th. The bad news is that we only have 1 hit through 4 innings.

Ozzie pulls me after the 5th inning. We lose the game 7-4. Church hit a 3 run homer in the 7th inning.

5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. My record drops to 2-7.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 2, 2013 -

I'm fed up with this team, and I'm fed up with Ozzie's usage of me. Although, I have had a bad start, I blame him for some of it. I go into the GM's office and demand a trade. He no longer feels I'm a vital part of the team after this terrible start and he works a trade within 24 hours as the Orioles trade me for RP Jim Johnson.

Time to pack my bags and go get to know my new teammates!


June 3, 2013 -


The first thing I notice is that I'm the ace of a more talented group of starters. Chris Young and Jeremy Guthrie are good solid pitchers. Despite that, I'm told by the GM that he expects me to be the ace of this staff.

The pen is a bit of the mess with the best pitcher being their young closer, Reinaldo Cortez who has 12 saves on the year with a 6 ERA!

My impressions of the projected lineup:

2B Brian Roberts - Gettiong up there in age, but he is a speedy leadoff man with decent fielding ability. He is hitting .266 this year with 4 HR's.

RF Nick Markakis - Decent fielder, very good hitter with some pop. Hitting .356 with 11 HR's and 42 RBI's both more than any of my previous teammates.

3B Quinton Lacey - He might drive me crazy. Very limited range, but the young hitter is very good with the bat. Hitting .332 with 7 HR's.

C Florentino Saucedo - Good hitting young catcher. Batting .319 with 6 HR"s and 35 RBI's.

LF David Murphy - The veteran should be better than Pedroza in the outfield, but he isn't as powerful of a hitter. Still, he is hitting over .300 (.303) with 8 HR's.

CF Adam Jones - Not a good fielder. He might make me miss Cameron :( He is a decent hitter and he does have good speed which might make up for his instincts being bad.

1B Alexis Elez - The young hitter has a great eye and should develop power with time. He is hitting .333 with 5 HR's.

DH Daniel Murphy - I think he should be out in LF. He's a better fielder than David. Decent contact hitter batting .270 this year.

SS Wilson Betemit - More of a natural 3B. I worry about his lack of range. On the plus side, he is hitting .320 with 6 HR's.

Best Bench player is LF Felix Pie who is a tremendous fielder and speed guy. I hope we get him into the game some.

Adam Kennedy is a veteran guy off the bench who can play decent second base for us.

The Orioles are 24-34. The Red Sox and Yankees are atop the division. I'll be facing a bunch of big power hitters in this division. Hopefully, it won't end up hurting my performance even more. On the plus side, I should be getting a ton more offensive support. The Orioles lead MLB in team batting average. They also lead MLB in runs scored despite being 18th in homers. They are 4th in SB's. Overall, I think I'm happy to be here. Looking forward to my next start which will be at Texas on June 4th if my arm feels good.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 4, 2013 -

YES! Felix Pie is in center for my debut game against the Rangers which is at their stadium.

A quick look at both lineups:

Orioles:

2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Quinton Lacey
C Florentino Saucedo
LF David Murphy
1B Alexis Elez
DH Daniel Murphy
SS Wilson Betemit
CF Felix Pie

Rangers:

2B Scot Olson
DH Jc Siegel
3B Michael Young
RF Stanley Mudd
C Taylor Teagarden
1B Joe Mather
SS Ronny Cedeno
LF Oswaldo Urdaneta
CF Greg Golson

Their best power hitter that is playing today is Young.


YES! The team welcomes me the right way with a 5 run top of the 1st! Lacey with a solo homer, Murphy with a 3 RBI double, and Betemit with a RBI. They batted around.

Strike out Young looking with a 1-2 fastball at the knees to end the 1st.

Struck out Cedeno with a 1-2 slider to end the 2nd.

Struck out Urdaneta with a 1-2 changeup to start the 3rd.

Alexis with a very nice play to stop a hard grounder for the out to start the 4th. Struck out Mudd with a 0-2 100 MPH fastball to end the 4th.

The guys execute a perfect 5-4-3 double play to end the 5th.

Struck out Urdaneta with a 1-2 fastball at the knees to start the 6th.

Alexis with another very nice play to end the 7th. Still 5-0.

Struck out Cedeno with a 0-2 slider for the 2nd out in the 8th.

With a 3 hit shutout going, I'm allowed to start the 9th. My arm feels very good.

Roberts can't quite get to a grounder and it goes for a single to start the 9th. Olson hits into a 5-4-3 double play! David Murphy with a very good running catch to end the game. Complete game shutout! Nice debut as an Oriole.


9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 9, 2013 -

Today I get the start at home against the Nationals. They are starting Michael O'Connor who has a ERA of 7.94! Hopefully, our guys can tee off on him. We have a sold out crowd! We are 28-37. They are 26-38. Camden Yards is truly a glorious park.

Our Lineup:

2B Brian Roberts
DH David Murphy
3B Quinton Lacey
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
1B Alexis Elez
LF Felix Pie
SS Cesar Izturis
C Jeff Mathis

Their lineup:

SS Willie Harris
RF Randy Winn
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Paul Konerko
DH Rick Gomez
CF Elijah Dukes
2B Alberto Gonzalez
C Paul Phillips
LF Roger Bernadina


Willie Harris starts the game by hitting a 2-2 slider down the left field line for a double. Winn grounds to 2nd and moves the runner to 3rd. Zimmerman hits a come back right at me. I look the runner back to 3rd before throwing Zimmerman out. Lacey handles a hard shot down the line and throws out Konerko to end the inning.

David Murphy with a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st to give me a 1-0 lead.

Struck out Gomez looking at a 1-2 fastball at the knees to start the 2nd. Elijah Dukes homers on a 0-1 fastball. Tied at 1. Pie with a very good play to get the 2nd out.

Willie Harris with another double, this time to right field with 1 out in the 3rd. Struck out Winn with a 2-2 outside fastball. Struck out Zimmerman with a 0-2 fastball close to the dirt to end the inning.

Struck out Dukes with a low 0-2 fastball to end the 4th.

Alberto Gonzalez hits the first pitch of the 5th, a high fastball to left field for a homer. 2-1. Where is our offense against this bad pitcher?

Roberts with an error on a ground ball hit by Phillips. Struck out Bernadina with a low 0-2 fastball for the first out of the 5th. Despite me trying to be careful, Willie Harris hits another double! This time, it was down the left field line. Runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. I get Winn to pop to short for the 2nd out. Struck out Zimmerman with a 1-2 low fastball to end the inning.

Cesar with a brilliant dive to stop a hard grounder in the 6th, but he throws it away. Gomez gets to 2nd with 1 out. With 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd, Roberts has a routine ball hit to him that he handles perfectly, but then he throws it away! That allows a run to score and now men are on 2nd and 3rd. Bernadina hits the first pitch, a low fastball to centerfield for a 2 RBI single. Down 5-1.

Lou Pinella pulls me after that. Come on offense, pick me up. Mitchell Whitaker comes out of the pen. Darn. We lose 5-4. If I just could have held it together after that error, I could have gotten another win.

5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 15, 2013 -

Tonight, I'm starting against the Mets. With a good outing, I could lower my ERA under 4. Hopefully, I can get win #4 tonight.

Our lineup:

2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
3B Quinton Lacey
C Saucedo
LF David Murphy
1B Alexis Elez
SS Wilson Betemit
CF Felix Pie
P Me

Their lineup:

SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Jose Guillen
C Miguel Montero
1B Wandy Segovia
P Mike Pelfrey


Struck out Castillo with a 1-2 fastball near the dirt for a key first out with Reyes on 2nd (single and stolen base.) Reyes takes 3rd on a passed ball and Wright draws a walk. 100 MPH inside fastball pops Manny up behind the plate for the 2nd out. Beltran connects on a low 1-1 fastball and drives it into right center for a 2 RBI double. Guillen laces a 1-2 fastball into left field for a RBI single. Both of those were good pitches that just got hit by good batters. I'm rattled and I give up a double to Montero with a sloppy high fastball. Finally, Segovia grounds to short to end the inning.

Struck out Pelfrey with a 0-2 slider for the 1st out in the 2nd. Reyes bunts for a hit. He steals 2nd on a pitch out. Castillo hits a tap back to me, I look Reyes back and throw out Castillo. Reyes advances again on a passed ball when Wright is at the plate. This time, I strike out Wright with a low fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Beltran with a 0-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 3rd.

Struck out Pelfrey looking with a 0-2 slider on the outside corner for the 2nd out of the 4th. Reyes with a double to left field, he is such a pest. After I walk Castillo, Wright gets a chopper to die in front of the plate and no one can get to it fast enough. Bases loaded for Manny...

Pie with a brilliant catch of a long drive to left center!

Beltran with a single and then Guillen hits a hard grounder that gets past Alexis. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Pinella pulls me after that. Darn. He turns to Jim Miller. We lose the game 4-3.

4 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 5 K, 2 BB. Pinella is in my face after the game. He definitely isn't happy about tonight's performance.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 21, 2013 -


Tonight I get the start at home against the Braves. Hopefully, I can avoid my 10th loss tonight. They are 40-32. We are 32-43.

Their lineup:

RF Denard Span
SS Yunel Escobar
DH Joe Mauer
C Brian McCann
LF David Dejesus
1B Casey Kotchman
2B Kelly Johnson
CF Valentine Rivas
3B Eugenio Velez


Trouble in the 3rd as I walk Rivas. With 1 out, Span hits it down the left field line for a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd. I walk Escobar to load the bases. Mauer grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning!

That translates into a good bottom of the 3rd as Lacey hits a 2 run homer. He's not much of a third baseman in the field, but he can mash. That is his 12th homer and 50th RBI of the year.

Struck out McCann to start the 4th with a 2-2 fastball. Very good range by Adam Jones in center to catch a ball in the right-center gap for out number 2. Jones throws out Kotchman who tried to advance from 1st to 3rd for the 3rd out of the inning.

David Murphy with a solo shot in the 4th. That is his 10th homer of the year. We are up 3-0 after 4.

A bad start to the 5th as I give up singles to Rivas and Velez. I need to strike out Span.. Saucedo throws out Rivas attempting to steal 3rd! Span grounds out to 2nd after Velez had already stolen 2nd. Velez is on 3rd with 2 outs. Escobar hits a 1-2 slider to left field for a RBI single. Struck out Mauer with a 2-2 high inside fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Kotchman with a 99 MPH 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 6th.

My arm is tiring and I give a leadoff single to Rivas in the 7th. Saucedo throws him out attempting to steal 2nd with 1 out. Struck out Span with a low 2-2 fastball to end the top of the 7th.

Pinella pulls me after that inning. I threw 104 pitches. Some things never change as the pen blows my lead in the 8th inning. Elez with a 2 run homer to win it in the 9th, 5-3.

7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 26, 2013 -

We are now 35-45 as we have won 3 of our last 5. Tonight, I get the start at home against Toronto. They are 29-51.

Their lineup:

RF Alex Rios
2B Kazuo Matsui
1B Lance Berkman
DH Mike Jacobs
LF Adam Lind
SS Cristian Guzman
CF Vernon Wells
3B Scott Rolen
C Teddy Nash

Our Lineup:

CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
3B Lacey
C Saucedo
1B Elez
DH Daniel Murphy
SS Adam Kennedy (gulp)
LF Pie
2B Cesar Izturis


1st pitch of the night is homered to left field by Rios. It was a fastball that just stayed up on me. Struck out Matsui with a low 2-2 fastball. Struck out Lind with an outside 1-2 fastball to end the inning.

Lacey picks me right up with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st. That was his 13th of the year and 58th RBI.

SOB. With 2 outs, men on 1st and 2nd, and an 0-2 count, I have a fastball get away from me and drill Rios in the back. I let out a sigh of relief as Matsui grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Big bottom of the 2nd as Markakis hits a 3 run homer! That is his 18th homer of the year and 60th RBI. Pie also had an RBI for a 4 run inning. Up 6-1 now.

A hard grounder by Berkamn gets by Lacey for a single to start the 3rd. Darn. After getting 2 outs, Adam Kennedy boots what surely should have been the 3rd out and then throws it away to move the runner to 2nd. I'm rattled by the play and it is compounded when I leave a 1-1 fastball over the heart of the plate and Vernon Wells hits it to deep left field for a 2 run homer.

The inning goes from bad to worse as Scott Rolen hits a shot to left field that Pie dives and misses. That turns into a double and then Nash with a single past Lacey for a RBI single. 6-5. Finally, Markakis with a nice play to end the inning.

What is happening to me? I give up a leadoff double to Matsui, walk Berkman as ordered, and then Jacobs with a RBI single to shallow center to tie the game. Men on 1st and 3rd and 0 outs. Lind hits a 3-2 fastball to deep right for a 3 run homer! My strikeouts just aren't coming when I need them.

My fastball gets away from me and I walk Guzman. Pinella pulls me. What a disaster. I can't believe I blew this lead. The crowd is booing loudly at my crap performance.

3 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Lou is absolutely livid with my performance and is laying into me in the club house. I get my 10th loss of the year as we lose the game 11-6.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2013 -

June was definitely my worst month of my career and this is the worst start I've ever had:

17 GS, 6 QS, 3-10, 4.43 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SO, 89.1 IP, 108 H, 56 R, 44 ER, 13 HR, 17 BB, 64 K, 1.40 WHIP, .291 vs RH, .313 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 2, 2013 -

Our offense continues to lead the Majors in multiple categories. Our pitching is last in every major category. We are 37-48. Tonight, we are playing in Toronto. They are 30-54. This turf is some odd looking stuff.


Struck out Lind with a 2-2 high fastball to start the 2nd inning. Struck out Guzman with a 0-2 fastball at the knees.

Struck out Nash with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 3rd inning. With men on 1st and 2nd, I struck out Berkman with a high inside 1-2 fastball.

WOW! Pie with a VERY long run and diving catch in foul territory for the 1st out of the 4th.

Roberts with a RBI single in the top of the 5th to give us a 1-0 lead.

Vernon Wells hits the 1st pitch of the bottom of the 5th to the right field wall, but Markakis with a running leaping catch at the wall! Struck out Rolen with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out.

Struck out Nash looking with a 3-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 7th.

Still 1-0 after 7.

Lacey knocks in Roberts in the 8th. 2-0 lead.

Bottom of the 8th starts by Lacey showing horrible range to let a slow grounder by Matsui get past him for a single. I get Berkman to ground out to 2nd, but we can't turn the double play. Jacobs flies out to Pie. Lind with a hard line drive to deep left center for a RBI double. That is it for me. Lou goes to Matt Albers to try to finish the inning.

Albers gives up the inherited run and my lead. Markakis with a 3 run homer in the 10th wins the game for us, 5-2.

7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 7, 2013 -


My first start at Fenway is the last game before the All-Star break. I'm feeling scared about how hard their fearsome lineup is going to pound me:

CF Jacoby Ellsbury
1B Kevin Youkilis
2B Dustin Pedroia
LF Marcus Thames
3B Mike Lowell
DH Nick Johnson
RF Rocco Baldelli
C Josh Bard
SS Julio Lugo


My team makes things a bit easier by giving me a 2-0 lead before I even take the mound. Murphy and Elez with RBI's.

Jacoby starts off the game by hitting a 1-1 curve to left field for a double. He steals 3rd. Youkilis draws a walk. A 1-0 fastball gets away and drills Dustin in the back to load the bases with 0 outs..

WTF!?! I throw a 1-2 slider that gets away from me and is a wild pitch. The run scores as all men advance. Struck out Thames with a 3-2 fastball at the knees. Lowell grounds to 2nd for the 2nd out but the game is now tied. Struck out Nick to end the inning.

The other Murphy with a RBI double to make it a 3-2 game in the 2nd inning.

Struck out Rocco looking with a 2-2 curve over the inside corner to start the 2nd inning. Lugo with a double off the Green Monster with 1 out after a single by Bard. Men on 2nd and 3rd with Jacoby at the plate. Jacoby with a 2 RBI single to center. Sheesh. I'm getting run support, but am just pitching like crap. Down 4-3 after 2 innings.

Lowell with a leadoff double off the monster. Nick knocks him in with a single to right. Struck out Rocco with a 0-2 inside fastball. 6-4-3 double play to get out of the 3rd.

Struck out Lugo with a 2-2 changeup to start the 4th.

In the 5th, Rocco hits a 2-2 changeup down the right field line and barely inside the pole (and barely over the fence) for a short homer. Lou pulls me after that. Another terrible outing. I need to figure out what is going wrong and fix it.

4.2 Ip, 10 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

My record drops to 3-11. Zack Greinke gets his 10th win of the young season.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 17, 2013 -

Today I get the start at home vs the Tigers. I've worked a lot with the pitching coach this last week and he has pointed out that I'm relying on my fastball too much. He thinks if I mix up my pitches more, I can turn around this season. He also helps work on some mechanics on my slider to make it more effective.

The Tigers' Lineup:

3B Chone Figgins
RF Magglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
DH Mario Richar
CF Curtis Granderson
LF Hemanth Trammell
2B Placido Polanco
C Gerald Laird
SS Gil Velazquez

Struck out Magglio with a 2-2 changeup in the 1st. Markakis with a great throw to get Cabrera going from 1st to 3rd to end the inning!

Saucedo with a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd. That was his 10th of the year and 45th RBI. 1-0.

Roberts with a RBI single in the 3rd. 2-0.

Struck out Polanco with a 2-2 changeup for the 2nd out in the 4th.

Adam Jones with a RBI single in the bottom of the 4th. 3-0.

Lacey with a 2 run homer in the 5th. That was his 14th of the year and 65th RBI this year. We are up 5-0.

WOW! Lacey with a diving stab, recovery, and throw to prevent runs from scoring as he got the 3rd out in the 7th and stopped men on 2nd and 3rd from scoring.

Placido grounds out to 2nd for the 1st out of the 9th. Laird draws a walk as my 3-2 changeup misses low. Gil lines to 2nd and Roberts with a leaping catch! Figgins grounds a 3-2 slider to Roberts to end the game! 5-0 complete game win!

9 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. I'm now 4-11.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 20, 2013 -

Baltimore traded Alexis Elez today to the Mets for 1B Lemuel Griffey. We have been on a 6 game winning streak.


July 22, 2013 -

Today I'm starting in Seattle against Jarrod Washburn who has been struggling with a 6.46 ERA. The Mariners have a talented lineup at the top:

LF Carl Crawford
RF Ichiro
3B Adrian Beltre
C Orlando Figueroa
DH Leroy Hammer
2B Jose Lopez
1B Chris Shelton
CF Franklin Gutierrez
SS Kevin Frandsen

We are starting Wilson Betemit at 1st and not even using our new acquisition tonight.

Struck out Crawford with an outside 0-2 fastball to start the game. Ichiro with a single. Markakis guns down Ichiro going from 1st to 3rd on a hit to right. I'm loving his play.

In the 2nd, I manage to load the bases with 0 outs. A 3-6-1 double play hit into by Gutierrez gets me 2 outs but a run scores. I get Kevin to ground to Lacey to end the inning.

Struck out Lopez with a 1-2 fastball inside to end the 4th.

Struck out Shelton with an outside 0-2 fastball to start the 5th. Struck out Gutierrez with a 2-2 inside fastball. Struck out Kevin with a 0-2 changeup to end the 5th.

We still only have 3 hits as we go into the 6th down 1-0.

I don't understand why I was pulled after 6. I definitely had something left.

We lose the game 2-0 as Washburn changes his bad luck this year. I drop to 4-12.

6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

[Ironhead]

Man, rough start. Hopefully you can bounce back in the 2nd half.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2013 -

Tonight, I get the start in Oakland. Their best hitter is Joe Crede.

Kotsay with a 2 run homer in the 2nd when I leave a 2-2 slider hanging a bit.

Struck out Suzuki in the 3rd with a 1-2 changeup.

2-0 after 5 when Pinella unexpectedly yanks me! We lose the game 5-0.

5 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. My record drops to 4-13.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 4, 2013 -

I'm starting at home vs Boston tonight. Definitely have to be careful of a few of their hitters, most notably Dustin Pedroia. They are 71-39. We are 48-62.

Jacoby with a leadoff drag bunt. Then, he gets 2nd on a passed ball. I regain focus and strike out Kevin with a 1-2 inside fastball. Thames hits a 0-2 slider (that was supposed to be more outside) to straight center field for a 2 run homer!

Jacoby starts the 3rd with another bunt for a hit. Saucedo throws him out attempting to steal 2nd. Struck out Pedroia with a 1-2 fastball at the knees. Struck out Lowell with a 0-2 slider almost in the dirt.

Struck out Rocco with a low slider to start the 5th.

We are being no hit through 5.

Lou pulls me in the 6th after I allow a leadoff hit to Jacoby and a walk to Kevin. He gives the ball to Jim Miller. We lose the game 3-0.

5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. My record drops to 4-14 as Jon Lester 2 hit us.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 10, 2013 -

We are on a 7 game losing streak as we face Toronto tonight at their ballpark.

Saucedo with a solo homer, his 18th, and Murphy with a RBI single. 2-0 as I take the mound.

Struck out Matsui with a low 2-2 slider to start the 1st. Struck out Jacobs with a high 2-2 fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Lind looking with a 0-2 slider at the knees for the 2nd out of the 2nd. After 10 pitches, I strike out Vernon Wells with a 3-2 fastball.

Trouble in the 3rd, as an error by Santana (who is a new guy playing 1st) and a single plus a walk load the bases with 1 out. Berkman comes to the plate. A 1-2 fastball gets away from me and drills Berkman in the back to force in a run. Huge strikeout of Jacobs with a 2-2 outside fastball. Rios grounds to short to end the inning and I let out a big sigh of relief.

CRAP! I walk Guzman with 2 outs in the 5th and then give up a 2 run homer to dead center to Berkman. Down 3-2.

Pie with a great job of covering a ton of ground to prevent Rios from getting a double to start the 6th. Still, the leadoff single is enough for Pinella who apparently has a quick hook. I was so sure I was going to get my 5th win. Such a disappointment.

We lose the game 4-2 and my record drops to 4-15.

5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 16, 2013 -

We are now on a 4 win game streak. I need to keep it going tonight and end this horrible slide. I'm starting at home vs the Angels. They are 66-55. We are 53-67. Albert Pujols and Carlos Lee are their 2 most dangerous hitters and they are batting 3rd and 4th.

Struck out Howie Kendrick with a 2-2 changeup for the 2nd out in the 1st. Albert is hitting .340 with 37 HR's and 93 RBI's. He hits the first pitch to deep center, but Pie is there to catch it.

Struck out Juan Rivera with a 0-2 100 MPH fastball for the 1st out of the 2nd inning.

A leadoff walk and then a single in the 3rd have men on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. OH MY!! Carlos Ruiz with a line drive to shallow-mid center, Pie charges it, catches it, and throws the runner out at home! I love having Pie in center!

Struck out Kendrick with a 1-2 high fastball. I walk Pujols, mostly intentionally. Crud. Carlos Lee with a single and then with 2 outs Delmon Chance hits a 3 run homer (off a changeup) to right center.

Carlos Lee starts off the 6th with a solo shot to left field. Down 4-0 as Lou pulls me. We lose the game 10-2.

5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. My record drops to 4-16. I can't believe it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 20, 2013 -

Lou had a long talk 2 days ago about how disappointed he is in in my performance. I need to do better soon. Tonight, I get the start at home vs Toronto. They are 50-76. We are 53-72.

Markakis just misses getting to a drive in right center and it is a double to start the game by Matsui. Inglett grounds to 1st to move the runner to 3rd. I intentionally walk Berkman to set up the double play. It fails to pay off as Jacobs comes up with a RBI single. After runners advance on a passed ball, I strike out Rios for the 2nd out. After loading the bases with a walk, I struck out Guzman to end the inning.


Murphy with a 2 RBI double and Santana with a RBI in bottom of the 1st to make it 3-1.

Bases loaded with 1 out for Berkman in the 2nd. Struck out Berkman with a 0-2 slider! Berkman has owned me so that was a huge one. Jacobs flies out to left to end the inning.

Murphy with a 2 run homer in the 3rd! 5-1 lead now.

Berkman with a 2 out RBI single in the 4th.

Markakis with his 26th homer of the year, a solo shot, to make it 6-2 in the 5th.

Struck out Wells with a 0-2 slider to start the 6th.

Lou pulls me after 7 good innings. We win the game 14-2 as we have a 8 run 8th inning! David Murphy with 8 RBI's and 2 homers tonight.

7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. I'm now 5-16.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 27, 2013 -

Tonight, I'm starting in Texas. Josh Hamilton is on their team now and healthy. He has 36 HR's and 103 RBI this year.

He comes to bat with 2 outs and a man on 3rd so I intentionally walk him. I accidently walk the next batter, but Ronny Cedeno grounds to Lacey to end the inning.

Markakis with a brilliant defensive play in the 2nd to cover a ton of ground and then make a diving catch along the line for the 1st out of the inning.

Struck out Chris Davis with a 0-2 fastball in the 3rd. That was my 100th strikeout of the year. That brings Josh Hamilton to the plate with 2 outs and a man on 1st. Going to pitch him very carefully. He hits an outside fastball weakly to left for the 3rd out.

Lacey with a RBI double in the 4th to make it 1-0.

JC Siegel hits the 1st pitch, a fastball, of the 4th down the left field line and it actually clangs off the foul pole for the homer. 1-1. That was only his 3rd homer of the year.

Struck out Greg Golson for the 2nd out of the 4th with a 1-2 fastball. Struck out Chris Stewart with a 2-2 fastball.

Struck out Hamilton with a 3-2 slider to start the 6th. Lacey with an error that allows Siegel to get to 1st.

No! After another error by Lacey, Greg Golson hits a 2 out 3 run homer off a 2-2 slider that just hung on me a bit. The next hitter gets a single and I'm pulled. We lose the game 4-3.

5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. My record drops to 5-17.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 1, 2013 -

I'm sinking into such a depression that it is hard to write. I'll post brief recap for now.

We lose 8-1 as I pitch badly again giving up 5 runs over the 4th and 5th innings. 4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. I drop to 5-18.


Sep 6, 2013 -

I suffer a shoulder injury in the 1st inning, but not before I give up a 2 run homer. We lose the game 6-5 and I get my 19th loss.

1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.



Sep 11, 2013 -

My confidence has just been shot most of the season and it's a spiraling pattern that I can't get out of. I earn my 20th loss in a 9-3 loss to Tampa Bay.

5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.


Sep 17, 2013 -

Finally, another strong outing as I only give up 2 runs to Boston. Unfortunately, Lester only gave up 1 run. We lose the game 3-1.

6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.


Sep 22, 2013 -

Another good outing for me, until I fall apart in the top of the 7th against the Mariners. A 2 run homer causes me to lose my 4-2 lead. We lose the game 6-4 when our pen gives up 2 more runs in the 8th.

6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.


Sep 28, 2013 -

I have another strong outing against Boston, but it isn't enough against Lester. We lose in 11 innings 6-3.

6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K.


Sep 30, 2013 -

We finish the year 69-93. I finish the year with a miserable record. Not at all what I imagined when I was pitching in H.S. and was striking everyone out. Hopefully, I can regain my confidence during the offseason because I'm not feeling any of it right now.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 1, 2013 -

My final stats on the year, almost every category is a career worst:

33 GS, 5-20, 4.38 ERA, 12 QS, 2 CG, 2 SO, 178.2 IP, 214 H, 102 R, 87 ER, 23 HR, 56 BB, 123 K, 1.51 WHIP, .288 vs RH, .309 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oct 27, 2013 -

Boston beats the Cards in 7 games in the World Series. Kevin Youkilis is the MVP of the WS with .500 avg, 2 HR's, and 8 RBI's.

I get a shock as I'm named a Gold Glove winner! I didn't think my fielding was that good, although it is improving.

Josh Hamilton won the MVP with a .316 avg, 51 HR's, and 147 RBI's.

Josh Beckett in Boston won the Cy Young with a 2.85 ERA, 19 wins and 5 losses.

Delmon Chance of the Angels won Rookie of the Year with a .330 avg, 25 HR"s and 90 RBI's.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 1, 2013 -

Notable retirements:

LF Carlos Guillen, Yankees
CF Torii Hunter, Angels
RF Ichiro, Mariners
P Derek Lowe, Braves
LF Manny Ramirez, Mets
P Chan Ho Park (no more threads on him), Phillies
CF Ryan Sweeney, Cubs (due to career ending injury)
SS Nomar Garciaparra , Arizona

Nov 15, 2013 -

Lots of great FA's on the market, the best of them being Josh Hamilton. Chase Utley is a very good one as well.

Shane Victorino signed a 4 year 60 million dollar deal to remain with the Phillies

Detroit signed Curtis Granderson to a 6 year 60 million dollar deal.

The Phillies signed Cole Hamels to a 3 year deal worth almost 60 million.


Nov 30, 2013 -

The Yankees signed Chase Utley to a 5 year 65 million dollar deal.

The Orioloes gave Lacey a 1 year 9 million dollar contract avoiding arbitration.

The Yankees signed Joba Chamberlain to a 6 year deal for 106 million dollars.

The Dodgers signed Johan Santana to a 6 year deal for 122 million.

The Yankees signed Jose Reyes to a 4 year deal worth 90 million.


The Phillies signed Troy Tulowitzki to a 5 year deal worth just over 70 million.

The Angels signed Josh Hamilton to a 6 year deal worth just under 100 million.

The Angels signed Geovany Soto to a 3 year deal worth just over 15 million.

The Phillies signed John Lackey to a 3 year deal worth 33 million.

The Angels signed SS Cesar Izturis to a 2 year deal worth 10 million when the Orioles were unwilling to re-sign him.

The Red Sox signed Brian Roberts to a 2 year deal worth 14 million when the Orioles were unwilling to re-sign him.

The Orioles are doing nothing to improve themselves. I'm asking for a trade again.

[Eaglesfan27]

March 31, 2014 -

I've had a good spring. As Mike reminded me, I'm only 23 and I have my whole career ahead of me. He thinks I'm ready to turn the corner this year and become a dominant pitcher. I hope he is right. I'll have a big test right off the bat as we face the re-tooled Yankees and C.C. Sabathia on our opening night at home.

A look at their lineup:

SS Jose Reyes
2B Chase Utley
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez
RF Vlad
LF Chase Headley
DH Robinson Cano
CF Melky Cabrera
C Ramon Hernandez

Our lineup:

CF Adam Jones
SS Gustavo Flores (a young guy who should still be in the minors in my opinion. I think he is going to be a disaster and nowhere near Cesar's ability, not that Cesar was that good.)
3B Lacey
C Saucedo
RF Markakis
1B Wes Helms (a new signing for under a million.)
LF David Murphy
DH Josh Whitesell
2B Kevin Frandsen (another kid who should still be in the minors in my opinion.)


Jose grounds out to short for the 1st out. Struck out Utley with a 2-2 fastball at the knees. Mark grounds to 1st to end the 1st.

A-Rod with a line drive to right center for a double to start the 2nd. Vlad flies out to right, moving A-Rod to 3rd. Headley grounds to 2nd for the 2nd out but the run scores. Cano with a 2 out double down the left field line. Melky flies out to center to end the inning.

After Ramon flies out to center, Reyes bunts for a 1 out single in the 3rd. Utley lines to center, but Adam throws out Reyes going to 3rd! Struck out Mark with a 0-2 fastball to end the 3rd.

Struck out Vlad with a very high 2-2 fastball to start the 4th. Kevin with a nice defensive play to end the 4th.

In the 5th, Melky with a double and then Ramon with a RBI single down the 1st base line. Struck out Reyes with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 5th.

Chase Headley with a leadoff double to right center to start the 7th inning. Mike Smith, our new manager, pulls me after that.

Hennessey gives up the inherited run and we lose the game 6-2.

My record drops to 0-1, but I feel like I pitched a quality game today.

6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 6, 2014 -

I feel good today as we prepare to take on Tampa at home. We are 3-2. They are 2-3. We've got our best defensive outfield out there today. I have to be careful of the heart of their order with Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Jason Bay.

Struck out Longoria with a 0-2 slider to end the 1st inning.

Struck out Pena with a 0-2 changeup to start the 2nd inning. Adam Everett at short today and he has an error of a simple grounder by Bay. Struck out Matt Joyce with a 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the inning.

YES! Pie with a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 2nd.

Struck out Chavis looking with a fastball on the inside corner for the 2nd out of the 3rd. B.J. Upton puts a fastball into the 4th row in left field. Wow. Xavier Nady follows that with a deep blast off a changeup. Finally, I get the 3rd out of the 3rd when Pena grounds to 1st.

Struck out Bay with a slider to start the 4th. Struck out Joyce looking with a 2-2 slider at the knees. Back to back bad plays (just lack of range) by Everett allow men to get on 1st and 3rd. Everett with another play where he shows no range and a RBI single gets by him. Tied game. Finally, I get Upton to ground to 1st to end the inning.


YES!! Lacey with a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 5th! 6-3 lead.

Saucedo's passed balls are terrible, he allows one to get by him in the 6th with 2 outs that moves a runner to 2nd and then the run scores on a liner by Chavis to left center. After walking Upton, I strikeout Nady with a 1-2 high fastball.

Lacey with a RBI single in the bottom of the 6th. 7-4 lead.

Longoria with a leadoff double down the left field line. Mike pulls me after that. He turns to Kameron Mickolio who has a 3.38 ERA so far this year. Kameron gives up the inherited run, but gets out of the inning.

We win the game 7-6. I get my first win of the year.

6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 12, 2014 -

We are on a 6 game winning streak, including a sweep of Tampa and a win vs Boston in the first game of this series. Tonight, I'm pitching in Fenway trying to keep the streak going. They have Ben Sheets pitching.

Struck out Jacoby with a 1-2 slider to start the game. The rest of the inning is rough. Felix Pineda with a single. Pedroia draws a walk and then Justin Upton with a RBI single to center. After I get a 2nd out, Mike Lowell with a RBI single past Adam Kennedy at 2B. Finally, a ground out to 1st ends the inning.

(Darn, just saw my first bad glitch of the game - a run crossed home and counted despite the 3rd out being made at 1st on the play.)

Adam Jones with his first RBI of the year in the top of the 3rd.

Struck out Brian Roberts to end the 3rd.

Kevin Youkilis with a RBI double in the 5th to put them up 4-1 (sigh.) After that, I throw a 0-2 wildpitch fastball that was just too high. Kevin advances to 3rd with 1 out. Struck out Lowell looking with a 1-2 slider at the knees. Brian Roberts with a 2 out RBI single to right.

I'm pulled after that. We lose the game 7-1.

I drop to 1-2. 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 17, 2014 -

Tonight, I'm starting against the White Sox at home. They are 7-8. We are 10-5. Their most dangerous slugger is young hitter Tyron Whaley, their 1B.

Struck out Ty Wigginton to end the 1st inning.

Wigginton hits the 1st pitch, a fastball, over the left field wall to start the 4th inning. Struck out Adam Dunn with a 100 MPH fastball for the 2nd out in the 4th.

In the 5th, Kevin with a great diving catch at 2nd! However, he hurt his leg on the play. Adam comes into the game.

The team finally scores in the 6th, and they score big putting 4 up on the board. 2 run homers by Lacey and our new catcher, Mathis.

In the bottom of the 6th, Whaley hits it to deep left for a sac fly that is the 2nd out of the inning. Sheesh. Why can't I protect my leads? I give up a 2 run homer to Alexei Ramirez that ties it at 4. I get out of the inning and cross my fingers that the bottom part of our order can give me the lead back..

Tied at 4 as I take the mound to start the 7th. Darn, Doc is absolutely screwing me on the ball/strike calls. 4 ball walk. That does it and I'm yanked from the game.

We score in the bottom of the 7th too and win it 5-4. If I just could have gotten through that inning, it would have been my win.

6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 22, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start against Texas. Stanley Mudd, their RF, is their most dangerous hitter. We are 14-6 and I'm determined to get my 2nd win tonight. They are 7-12.

Lacey is improving. Very nice defensive play to start the game. Struck out Taylor Teagarden with 3 straight fastballs.

Markakis knocks in Jones to start the bottom of the 1st. 1-0 lead.

Struck out Golson with a 2-2 fastball to endt he 3rd.

My no hitter is broken up and shattered in the 4th, as they manage to load the bases for Arias who hits a 2 RBI single up the middle. Ronny Cedeno with a RBI single before I finally get 2 ground outs to end the inning.

Saucedo with a solo homer to make it 2-3 in the bottom of the 4th.

Struck out Teagarden with a 2-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 5th. Struck out Davis with a 1-2 fastball outside to end the 5th.

I pitch a 1-2-3 6th and then Smith decides to go to the pen. We win the game 6-3, but we didn't score until the 9th.

6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 28, 2014 -

We are 1st in the AL East! We are 18-7. Tonight, I'm pitching in Tampa Bay.


We start off with 4 runs in the top of the 2nd. Flores had a 2 RBI double, Mathis had a RBI, and we scored 1 on an error.

Terrible 2nd inning. After a single, I field a chopper along the 3rd baseline and throw it into right field which allows a run to score and a runner to advance to 3rd. A 2nd run scores on a groundout to 3rd.

Longoria leads off the 3rd with a double and then scores on a RBI single to left. Mathis allows a passed ball that allows the runner to advance to 2nd. I respond by striking out Dioner Navarro with a 2-2 outside fastball.

Pie with a RBI in the top of the 4th to give me a bit more breathing room.

Struck out Almegza to start the 4th. Jeff Salazar tries to get to a ball in deep left center and dives, but it hits off his glove and is a triple for Upton. I pop up the next 2 batters to get out of the inning.

Whitesell with a solo homer in the 5th to make it 6-3.

Struck out Upton with a 0-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 7th.

We get another run to make it a 7-3 lead in the top of the 8th.

Struck out Longoria with a 1-2 fastball to start the 8th. Struck out Bay with a 0-2 slider. Darn. I give up a single and then a homer (by Navarro) to right field. 7-5 game. Smith pulls me after that.

They turn to Matt Albers who has a 3.12 ERA. Matt gets the job done and Reinaldo Cortez gets his 8th save of the year. We win the game 7-5.

My record rises to 2-2. 7.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 1, 2014 -

We are on another 6 game winning streak! With a 21-7 record, we are in 1st place by 4.5 games over the Yankees. We are 1st in batting average, 3rd in runs scored, (interestingly the Pirates are 2nd and 4th in those categories as their young hitters are developing), 6th in homers, 4th in walks drawn, 7th in slugging %, 2nd in On base percentage.

We are 4th in ERA as a staff, 8th in hits allowed, 2nd in walks, 24th in strike outs (I lead the team).

My stats after a month:

6 GS, 2-2, 2 QS, 5.35 ERA, 37 IP, 47 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 5 HR's, 5 BB, 25 K, 1.41 WHIP, .306 vs RH, .300 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 3, 2014 -

Today, I'm starting against Chien-Ming Wang and the Yankees at home. We lost the series opener yesterday and I need to come up with a great game today to help preserve our lead over them.

Reyes had an incredible April and is batting .400 with 8 HR's and 30 RBI's. He starts off the game with a single and then quickly steals 2nd.

Utley is batting .385 with 5 HR's and 22 RBI's. He hits a double off the left field wall to make it 1-0.

Mark Teixeira is batting .295 with 7 HR's and 20 RBI's. He hits a RBI single into left field.

A-Rod is batting .240 with 3 HR's and 10 RBI's. He pops up to me.

Vlad is hitting .270 with 1 HR and 11 RBI's. He flies out to Markakis.

Headley is batting .260 with 3 HR's and 14 RBI's. I strike him out with an outside fastball to end the inning. Not a good start.

Struck out Robinson Cano with a high fastball to start the 2nd.

Struck out Mark with a 3-2 fastball to start the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

1-2-3 4th. We are being no hit so far.

Lacey with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 4th! That is his 6th of the year and 20th RBI.

Reyes beats out an infield single to deep short. That is his 3rd hit of the game. But, I get out of the inning by popping up Utley and getting Mark to hit a line drive right at Markakis.

Struck out Vlad with an inside fastball for the 2nd out of the 6th. Headley with a double to right center. Struck out Cano with a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

Struck out Jason Kendall with a 0-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 7th. Reyes with a little dribbler towards Lacey, Lacey tries to barehand it and misses it! Reyes goes for 2nd, Lacey recovers and barely throws him out at 2nd.

Despite pitching 7 strong innings, skipper thinks that my arm is done.

Kameron Mickolio gives up a homer to Utley in the 8th and that is the final margin. 3-2 loss. I think I was definitely pulled much too early. Only 80 pitches thrown.

7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 9, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start in Kansas City. We were swept by the Yankees and have lost 4 of our last 5, so we desperately need a win tonight.

Murphy with a 2 RBI double in top of the 1st.

First up is Coco Crisp who is batting .306 with 2 homers and 14 RBI's. Got him with a fly ball to right. Billy Butler is batting 3rd. He is hitting .324 with 3 HR's and 13 RBI's. 1-2-3 1st.

Mark Teahan is batting 5th with a man on 1st. He is hitting .233 with 3 HR's and 13 RBI's. Mathis throws out Fidel Collazo on the attempt to steal 2nd. Struck him out looking with a 1-2 fastball at the knees over the inside corner.

Lacey with a solo homer in the top of the 3rd. 3-0.

Struck out Tony Pena, Jr. with a low 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 3rd.

Murphy and Markakis with RBI's in the 4th. 5-0 lead.

Struck out Butler with a high fastball for the 2nd out of the 4th.

Struck out Matt Tupman with a 3-2 fastball for the 2nd out in the 5th. Struck out Esteban German to end the 5th.

Tony Pena, Jr. starts off the 6th with a double. Coco Crisp with a bunt single. Enrique Manley hits into a 6-4-3 double play but they score a run.

Struck out Pena looking with a 2-2 slider at the knees for the 2nd out of the 8th.

I'm feeling it tonight and Mike is going to let me pitch the 9th..

That ends when I give up a double off a 1-1 fastball to start the inning. Smith turns the ball over to Matt Albers who has a 3.05 ERA. I threw exactly 100 pitches tonight in my best outing of the season. We win the game 5-3.

My record is now 3-2 after that win.

8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 15, 2014 -

We've lost our last 2 games to the Yankees and they have taken over the division lead. Tonight, I pitch the final game in the series at their stadium. I'm going against Erik Bedard who is 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA so far.


WOW! Markakis with a solo homer, Lacey with a 2 run homer, and Whitesell with a RBI single in the 1st inning. 4-0 lead before I even take the mound.

Reyes, who is batting .400 with 9 HR's, is up first and I strike him out looking with a 1-2 fastball just below the letters. Headley and Utley follow that up with singles. Then, A-Rod with a RBI single down the third base line. Cano grounds to third for the 2nd out, but a run scores. Melky with a line drive to right to drive in A-Rod. Struck out Ramon Hernandez looking with a 100 MPH fastball on the corner.

Adam Kennedy with some horrible range at 2nd. 3 Ground balls by him in a row to drive in a run to tie the game at 4. 1 out, Utley up with runners on 1st and 3rd. Utley hits a 3 run homer to left. Sigh.

Struck out A-Rod for the 2nd out of the 2nd, but it is too late. Down 7-4 after 2 innings.

Lacey with a solo homer in the top of the 3rd. 7-5.

The 3rd starts with 2 more grounders that easily get by Adam. A line drive to right scores a run and puts men on 1st and 3rd. WOW. Adam actually starts a double play. It scores another run though. 9-5 after 3.

In the 4th, A-Rod hits a 2 run homer. I can't believe how bad I'm getting hit today. Dwon 11-5 after 4.

I finally get pulled. We lose the game 14-6.

4 IP, 14 H, 11 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. My ERA balloons as my record drops to 3-3.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 21, 2014 -

I try to forget the last start as I prepare for Toronto at home. They are 16-32. We are 27-18 and still only 2.5 games back from the Yankees. Big crowd tonight to see me and the team.

Struck out Lance Berkman with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st. A 1-0 fastball is too high and Mike Jacobs hits a 2 run homer. That was his 8th homer of the year.

Saucedo knocks in Jones in the bottom of the 1st. 2-1 game.

Struck out Mike Morse to end the 2nd inning.

Sheesh. Alex Rios with a solo shot in the 3rd. He caught a fastball that missed its spot. That was his 5th homer. I need to stop overthrowing my fastball. I bounce back to strike out Lind.

Saucedo, Betemit, and Kennedy with RBI's in the 3rd. We are up 4-3.

In the 4th, Jones hits a 2 run homer. 6-3 game.

Struck out Paul Janish to end the 4th inning.

Once, I stopped trying to throw my fastball as hard as I could, everything became so much easier. I just need to remember that at the beginning of every game. Flores bobbles the ball costing us the 3rd out in the 7th. 2 out, men on 1st and 2nd with Mike Morse at the plate. I get him to ground to Lacey to end the inning. 6-3 after 7 innings.

Mike turns to the pen for the 8th. We win the game 6-3.

My record rises to 4-3.

7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 26, 2014 -

We've lost 2 of 3 vs the Tigers. Tonight, I get the start at home in the last game of the series. Justin Verlander is starting for them. He is 3-4 with a 5.47 ERA on the year. We are now 29-21 and 2 games out of 1st.

A bad start to the game as I walk Chone Figgins. Now, I have to get Magglio who already has 10 homers. I get Magglio to hit into a 6-4-3 DP. I get Cabrera looking with a 1-2 slider that caught the inside corner.

I get Trammell to hit into a 5-4-3 DP in the 2nd inning. Struck out Polanco with a 0-2 outside slider.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Wes Helms knocks in Adam Kennedy. 1-0 game.

In the top of the 4th, I throw a fastball right where I wanted it, in on his hands, but he turns on it and crushes it to left field. 1-1.

Wow. Adam with 2 good defensive plays in the 4th. Where has this been all year?

Struck out Trammell to start the 5th.

Struck out Laird looking with a 96 MPH fastball on the outside corner. 1-2-3 6th.

We score 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th - Saucedo, Markakis, and Flores with RBI's.

3 singles to start the 7th, and they score a run. Smith pulls me after that. I hope the pen can stop those runs from scoring..

No! They bring in Brad Hennesey who has a 5.65 ERA..

He gives up a run, but then Mickoloio comes in gets out of the 7th. Sarfate pitches a perfect 8th and Cortez gets his 16th save. We win the game 4-3 as I get my 5th win of the year!

6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Note to self:

Do not throw the ball as hard as possible. Easing up on the delivery was critical to my success tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 30, 2014 -

SOB! The Orioles are reportedly shopping me around. The good news is that the Cubs and Twins are both reportedly interested. The Twins are 2nd in their division and the Cubs are 1st in theirs.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start against the Angels in Anaheim. Josh Hamilton is batting 2nd tonight. He is hitting .335 with 19 HR's already. Albert Pujols is batting 3rd and batting .341 with 13 HR's. They are the 2 most dangerous hitters in a lineup filled with power.

We get a run in the top of the 1st as Saucedo knocks in Jones.

Struck out Cavazos with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner at the knees to start the game. Flores with a nice leap on a Josh Hamilton line drive for the 2nd out. Struck out Pujols with a low inside fastball to have a 1-2-3 1st.

In the 2nd with 1 out, I have men on 1st and 3rd and a slider gets away from the catcher, Mathis. I run to cover the plate and he gets the ball in time to throw it to me. I successfully put the tag on Napoli to stop the run from scoring! The next hitter lines hard to Lacey who handles it.

With a man on 2nd and 1 out, I get a much needed strikeout of Cavazos again. The fastball was only 96 MPH but had some great movement. Hamilton grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Markakis catches a ball that was well hit by Soto at the low wall in right field that would have been a homer if he hadn't made that running catch. That was the 2nd out of the 5th.

Saucedo and Murphy with RBI's in the top of the 6th. 3-0 lead.

Struck out Cavazos for the 3rd time in the bottom of the 6th. This time it was a 0-2 slider. Hamilton hits into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.

Flores with an error to start the bottom of the 7th. That allows Pujols to get to 1st. He eventually gets to 3rd with men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. We almost get the 4-6-3 to end the play, but Cotts barely beats it out at 1st. 3-1 game. Struck out Soto with a 2-2 high fastball to end the inning.

Maicer Izturis hits a 2-2 fastball just over Flores head and the ball rolls into the left center gap for a double. Struck out a pinch hitter with a 3-2 slider to get the 1st out. Cavazos avoids a strikeout, but he pops the first pitch to 1st weakly. Hamilton with a 10 pitch at bat before he draws a walk. That upsets Smith who goes to the pen to face Albert.. he gives it to Dennis Sarfate who has a 9 ERA :(


Sarfate gets Albert out! That is his only batter faced and Cortez pitches the 9th for his 17th save of the year. I get my 6th win of the year as we win it 3-1. :)

7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2014 -

Despite a very good month, I'm still not happy with my stats:

12 GS, 7 QS, 6-3, 4.91 ERA, 77 IP, 89 H, 47 R, 42 ER, 10 HR, 11 BB, 54 K, 1.30 WHIP, .236 vs RH, .345 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 6, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start at home against Tim Hudson (5-6, 4.98 ERA) and the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are 32-29. We are 35-25. A sold out crowd today. I feel good going into the game. I definitely have to watch out for Joe Mauer who is batting 3rd. Their lineup is stacked with left handed hitters today.

Struck out Yunel Escobar looking with a 1-2 fastball across the inside corner. Great movement on that pitch.

Struck out Claudio Vargas to end the 2nd.

In the 3rd, an error by Flores costs us the double play and the out. Men on 1st and 2nd with 0 outs. McCann is at the plate. McCann hits a hard grounder that is just out the reach of Flores. RBI single to left as the runner barely beats the throw from Pie. Mauer at the plate. I jam Mauer with the first pitch but he fights it off and it is a bloop down the left field line for a RBI single. Josh Fields fights off a good fastball inside and it is a bloop RBI double down the right field line. Still no outs with men on 2nd and 3rd...

Struck out Escobar with a 3-2 fastball for the 1st out. A sac fly to right scores another run. Struck out Kelly Johnson with a 1-2 outside fastball to end the inning. 4-0 after 3 innings.

Struck out Rivas to start the 4th. Trouble after that as 2 singles and a walk load the bases for Mauer. A 1-2 wild pitch allows a run to score. Mauer with a deep fly to left scores another run. That is it, I'm yanked. So much for my hot streak.

3.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. We lose the game 8-3 and my record drops to 6-4.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 11, 2014 -

Today I get the start against the Mets at our place. We are 37-28 and in 3rd place behind the Yankees and Tampa Bay. We are only 3 games out of 1st. The Mets are 34-31. They had some big retirements this offseason, but they had some big acquisitions and still have a great lineup. Rollins is leading off, Castillo batting 2nd, Wright 3rd, Thames 4th, and Beltran 5th. That is a huge difficult stretch of their lineup.

Rollins draws an opening walk as he holds up on a 3-2 slider. Castillo beats out an infield single to 3rd. Wright flies to deep center to put runners on 1st and 3rd. Thames flies to right to score Rollins. Beltran grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Flores with an error to start the 2nd inning. First pitch, Jose Gullien takes a high fastball to left center for a 2 run homer. Rollins draws another walk to put men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Castillo pops up to Kennedy. Wright grounds out to Lacey to end the inning.

Struck out Thames with a 1-2 slider to start the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.


In the bottom of the 3rd, Saucedo, Flores, and Murphy all have RBI's. 3-3 game.

Markakis with a GREAT throw from the corner of right field to throw out Jose Guillen on what I thought was going to be a leadoff double. Flores with a bad bobble and then a bad throw that allows Smith to get to 2nd base. Smith gets to 3rd on a single and then a passed ball allows him to score, although I almost tagged him out. NO! Luis Castillo hits a 1-1 changeup that hung down the right field line and it clangs off the foul pole for a 2 run homer. Struck out David Wright with a 1-2 fastball at the knees to end the inning.

Struck out Thames with an inside fastball to start the 5th.

Mike pulls me after a scoreless 5th. We get 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th to tie it, and get me off the hook for the loss. The Mets score in the top of the 9th and Francisco Rodriguez gets the save. We lose the game 7-6.

5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 17, 2014 -

Today, I'm starting against the Marlins whose best hitters are Hank Blalock, Hanley Ramirez, and Dan Uggla. They are batting in the 2nd-4th spots.

Struck out Cameron Maybin with a 0-2 slider to start the game. Struck out Blalock with a 3-2 changeup. Hanley Ramirez fouls off a few pitches and then hits a 2-2 fastball into right center for a double. I pitch around Uggla and walk him with 4 pitches. Struck out Jeremy Hermida but a dropped 3rd strike almost lets him get to 1st. Threw him out by a step.

A leadoff double, a sac fly, and a groundout to short score them their first run in the 2nd. Jeff Supan grounds to 2nd to end the inning. Oh yeah, I get to bat today!

I pop up a bunt attempt in the 2nd.

I struck out in the 4th.

Struck out Booker with a 3-2 changeup to start the 5th. Struck out Supan with a 0-2 slider. Struck out Cameron with a 0-2 slider. My 2nd time striking out the side this game!

Struck out Blalock with a 2-2 outside fastball to start the 6th. Struck out Uggla looking with a 2-2 fastball on the inside corner to end the 6th.

Still down 1-0 after 6.

Mike pinch hits for me in the 7th inning. It doesn't work as we get shutout. 4-0 loss. My record drops to 6-5.

6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 23, 2014 -

Tonight I'm pitching at home vs the Red Sox. They are 36-39 and we are 41-34. They have gotten back a few good hitters who were hurt early and are surging back up in the standings. I'll definitley have to watch out for Dustin Pedroia and Justin Upton, not to mention I seem to have fits trying to get out their leadoff hitter, Jacoby Ellsbury.

Jacoby draws a 6 pitch leadoff walk. Mathis throws him out attempting to steal 2nd. Unconventional 1-2-3 inning.

Murphy knocks in Jones in the bottom of the 1st. 1-0.

Struck out Upton with a 3-2 inside fastball to start the 2nd inning. Struck out Dejesus with a high fastball for the 2nd out. My old teammate, Brian Roberts, with a 2 out single to left. Edgar Renteria flies out to center to end the inning.

Julio Lugo flies to center for the 1st out in the 3rd. Josh Bard flies out to right for the 2nd out. Jacoby with a hard shot at Flores who bobbles the ball allowng Jacoby to get a single. Struck out Kevin Youkilis to end the inning.

An 0-2 fastball is too high and inside and it hits Pedroia in the back to start the 4th inning. Upton hits it to deep left, Murphy dives.. and misses it completely. It turns into an RBI double. A fly to left for the 1st out. Roberts flies out to center advancing the runner to 3rd. 2 outs. Renteria draws a walk. Lugo hits a 1-2 fastball into left field for a RBI single. Sheesh, Bard hits a 1-2 fastball on the hands down the left field line for a RBI bloop single. Jacoby grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Struck out Youkilis with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner to start the 5th. Struck out Pedroia with a 2-2 high inside fastball. Upton flies out to center to end the inning.

Brian Roberts with a double in the 6th. Then, Lacey with a great diving stop of a hard grounder towards him. He tries throwing from his knees and throws it away. Runners advance to 2nd and 3rd. Mike pulls me after that.

Mitchell Whitaker does a great job to get us out of the inning without any more runs scoring. However, he gives up 2 runs the next inning. We tie it up in the 8th and 9th before losing it 6-5 in the 11th.

5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 28, 2014 -

Tonight, I go for my 7th win as we face the Rangers on the road. I need to watch out for Chris Davis who is among the league leaders with 20 homers.

I start off the game by striking out Scott Olson with a 1-2 change. Teagarden grounds to Lacey for the 2nd out. Struck out Chris Davis with a 3-2 slider to end the 1-2-3 inning.

After Stanley Mudd gets an infield single to Lacey, I get Joaquin Arias to pop up to Helms at 1st. Struck out Brendan Harris with a high inside 0-2 fastball for the 2nd out. Ronny Cedeno hits a hard liner that bounces off Flores glove into left field. Men on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Corey Patterson at the plate now..

A 3-2 slider just misses the corner and he draws a walk to load the bases. Greg Golson steps up to the plate. He grounds a 1-2 change weakly to 1st to end the inning.

Markakis, Saucedo, and Flores all with RBI's in the top of the 3rd. 3-0 game.

Struck out Harris with a 2-2 slider to end the 4th.

Struck out Olson with a 2-2 outside fastball to end the 5th. 3-0 after 5.

Struck out Teagarden with a fastball on the low outside corner to start the 6th. Struck out Davis with a 2-2 slider in the dirt.

Harris with a leadoff single in the 7th as he hit a 3-2 slider into center. Cedeno hits into a 6-4-3. Golson flies out to left to end the inning. 3-0 after 7.

My arm is starting to really tire, but I start the 8th and get Olson to ground to Lacey after 7 pitches. Struck out Teagarden with a 2-2 slider! Struck out Davis with a 2-2 fastball just barely outside.

I get to start the 9th despite being up to 120 pitches as we now have a 4-0 lead. Mudd is up first..

He grounds a 1-1 inside fastball to Lacey for the 1st out. Joaquin Arias grounds out to Betemit, but a great stretch by Helms at 1st to save the error. Harris flies out to center and I get my first shutout/complete game of the year! My record is now 7-5.

I tie a career high with 9 strikeouts. 9 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. My fastball, slider, and changeup were all working well tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2014 -

I'm not going to make my first All-Star game with these stats through the first 3 months of the season:

17 GS, 7-5, 4.42 ERA, 9 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 106 IP, 120 H, 63 R's, 52 E, 12 HR's, 20 BB's, 84 K, 1.32 WHIP, .237 vs RH, .340 vs LH.

I wonder if there is a pitch that the staff can teach me to help me get out Left handed batters more effectively?

[Sun Tzu]

I just read all of this in the last two days. Definitely a quality dynasty. Regarding left handers, I would think either a strong sinker or screwball...something that trails away from them on the outside corner, or comes back in and catches the inside corder.

[Eaglesfan27]

My running fastball tails away from them which is how I usually get them to strike out, otherwise I would consider a screwball. I'm definitely considering a hard sinker for my final pitch.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 4, 2014 -

Today, I get the start at home vs Toronto. They are 33-55 and really struggling now while we are 45-40.

Terrible start as Rios gets a single up the middle and Lind with a single past Helms at 1st. Men on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Urban hurts his ribs swining at my 1st fastball and has to leave the game. That helps as he was hitting .340. I strike out the pinch hitter, Mike Morse, with a 1-2 low fastball. Jacobs hits a 1-2 slider into center for a RBI single. Struck out Vernon Wells looking with a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner at the knees. Rolen grounds out to Lacey to end the inning.

Saucedo with a solo homer in the bottom of the 2nd to tie it at 1.

Struck out Morse with a 0-2 fastball near the dirt to end the 3rd.

Lacey with a great defensive play to start the 4th inning. He is developing into a solid defensive player and he is leading our team with 21 homers. 1-2-3 4th. The ball hasn't left the infield for the last 3 innings.

Kennedy misplays the ball to start the 5th allowing a single to get by him. Hard hit grounder perfectly played by Lacey for a 5-4-3 DP. Tied at 1 after 5 innings.

Struck out Morse looking at a 0-2 fastball at the knees to end the 6th.

Lacey with another good defensive play to get the 2nd out of the 7th.

Whitesell knocks in Helms in the bottom of the 7th. 2-1 game.

Helms with a very nice dive to his right to secure the 1st out of the 8th as I run over and cover for the toss. Berkman, pinch hitting, tries to take 2 on a hit down the right field line but Marakis guns him down! Paul Janish with a single to center, my arm is definitely tiring. Mike goes to the pen..

NO! He turns it over to Sarfate. He has a 7 plus ERA. Please get out of the inning, Dennis..

He gets the out. Cortez pitches a perfect 9th for his 24th save. We win the game 2-1.

My record is now 8-5.

7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2014 -

C.C. Sabathia gets the start for the A.L All-Star Team. I finish 20th in the voting.

Our closer, Reinaldo Cortez, gets selected onto the team although Frank Francisco was the leading vote getter among RP's.

Quinton Lacey, is the highest vote getter among 3rd basemen. He beat out A-Rod by 50k votes. A-Rod is hitting .271 with 13 HR's and 47 RBI's as his age is catching up to him. Lacey is hitting .320 with 19 HR's and 56 RBI's.

The AL wins the All-Star game.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 14, 2014 -

Tonight, I'm starting on the road vs the White Sox. There is a 25 MPH wind blowing in from center most of the time. Adam Dunn is hitting .330 with 30 homers for them. We are now 47-43. The White Sox have 5 straight coming into this game.

Struck out Endy Chavez with a 2-2 outside fastball to start the game. Struck out Carlos Quentin looking with a high fastball just below the letters and barely across the inside corner. After walking Wigginton, I Struck out Dunn with an outside 2-2 fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Owen Budde with a 0-2 outside fastball to start the 3rd.

Trouble in the 4th as men get on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, but I get Getz to fly out to center to end the inning.

Betemit with a solo homer in the top of the 5th. 1-0 game.

Men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the 5th after Carlos Quentin hits a double to left center. I walk the bases loaded (not on purpose) and end up facing Adam Dunn. Struck out Dunn with a 3-2 fastball. Big sigh of relief there.

Markakis with a solo homer in the 6th inning. That is only his 7th of the year.

Struck out Tyron Whaley (who has 22 homers) to start the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

Lacey, Saucedo, and Betemit with RBI's in the 7th. 5-0 lead.

1-2-3 7th.

Whitesell with a RBI in the 8th. 6-0.

Carlos Quentin pops up a 3-1 fastball to Saucedo. Wigginton hits the first pitch past Lacey. No one could have made that play. Dunn hits it hard to Helm, but we just miss turning the 3-6-1 DP. 2 outs with Dunn at 1st. Whaley hits it to short and Flores ranges far to his right, gets it, and throws it away. Men on 2nd and 3rd. DARN! Mike pulls me after that.

Sarfate allows 2 of my runs to score, but Cortez pitches a perfect 9th.

We win the game 6-2. My record rises to 9-5.

7.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 15, 2014 -

The rumor around the clubhouse is that the team would like to trade to make a real playoff push. They reportedly want more veteran starting pitchers, and my agent hears that they are shopping me to the Cubs.


July 16, 2014 -

The Orioles traded another young starter, Raymond Kohler to the Royals for Ubaldo Jiminez. Ubaldo is 29 and is considered a quality starter. He is 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA this year. He is making 6.9 million this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 19, 2014 -

We are now 49-46 and have fallen into 4th place in the AL East behind the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sxo. Tonight, I get the start against the Red Sox in Boston.

Struck out Felix Pineda looking with a 1-2 fastball across the inside corner for the 2nd out of the 1st. Pedroia with a double off the Green Monster with 2 outs. Justin Upton grounds to Helms at 1st to end the inning.

Struck out Youkilis with an inside fastball to start the 2nd. Struck out Lowell looking with a 3-2 slider at the knees across the outside corner. Brian Roberts with a 2 out double to left field, down the line. Renteria flies out to center to end the inning.

Pedroia starts the 4th with a single to center field. Upton grounds far to Kennedy's left, but he makes the play and gets Upton at 1st. Youkilis with some good discipline, he holds up on the inside fastball and draws a walk. Lowell hits a high chopper, Flores gets it late and decides to get the leadoff runner at 3rd for the 2nd out. Roberts hits a come back to me, and I throw him out to end the inning.

Kennedy with a nice defensive play for the 1st out in the 5th. Struck out Pineda with a 2-2 slider to end the 5th.

Pedroia starts off the 6th with a hard hit past Lacey for a single. Upton hits the grounder I wanted, but it gets past Kennedy for a single. Youkilis flies out to deep right, moving the runner to 3rd. Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Lowell with a hard hit down the 3rd base line for a RBI single. Men still on 1st and 3rd. Roberts hits into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning!

Markakis with a RBI single to tie it at 1 in the top of the 7th.

I pitch a solid bottom of the 7th, but give up a hit and I'm over 100 pitches for the 3rd straight start. Mike goes to the pen.

We win it in 10 as Whitesell hits a solo homer, 2-1 win.

7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 19, 2014 -

After the game, Rusty, the team statistician, tells me that I just went over 500 strikeouts for my career (counting minor leagues)!


July 24, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start against the Royals who are in last place in their division with a 43-57 record. We need to make a strong move now if we are going to have any chance to get into the playoff race. We are 51-49. Time to get my 10th win of the year.

Lacey with a RBI double in the bottom of the 1st. 1-0 lead.

Struck out Tony Pena, Jr with a 2-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 3rd inning.

Whitesell with a 3 run homer in the 5th. 4-0 game.

Murphy tries to dive for a fly ball down the left field line and misses. It turns into a triple for Pena. Lacey tries the hidden ball trick (love this game) but it doesn't quite work. Crisp grounds sharply to Lacey who looks at the runner to keep him at 3rd before throwing it to 1st for the 1st out. A 2-2 fastball is in the dirt and gets passed Saucedo.. he runs back, recovers the ball, and throws it to me, I tag out Pena at the plate!

Adam Jones with a leaping catch at the center field wall to rob a homer to end the 7th inning! Still 4-0.

Back to back doubles for them as German knocks in a run in the 8th. Mike sees that my arm is done and pulls me after that. I'm glad to see Matt Albers come into the game. Come on pen..

Albers gives up the inherited run, but gets out of the inning. Cortez gives up a run in the 9th but gets the save. We win the game 4-3.

I get my 10th win of the year!

7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 29, 2014 -

We just swept the Red Sox to get back into 3rd place in the AL East and make a legit move towards a wildcard. Tonight, I pitch in Detroit. They are 2nd in the AL Central. We are now 55-50. They are 56-49 and are 1 game ahead of us in the Wildcard race (Yankees are 5 games ahead of us.)

Markakis and Kennedy with RBI's in the top of the 2nd. 2-0 lead.

Flores with his 2nd error of the game in the 3rd inning. His first one was with 2 outs and I got the next batter to work out of the inning. This one puts Figgins on with the heart of their lineup coming up..

I get Magglio to pop up to me on a first pitch fastball. 1 out. Miguel Cabrera with a fly to deep left that is a ground rule double. Helm with an error as he allows a grounder to go through his legs. That allows 2 runs to score. WTF? My defense is completely letting me down. Saucedo allows a routine strike to bounce off his glove, the runner who was already stealing 2nd gets to 3rd on the play. I strike out Curtis Granderson with a 2-2 outside fastball. That was my 100th K on the year. I get Polanco to fly to 1st to end the inning. 4 errors in just 3 innings.


Struck out Ryan Freel with a 2-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 4th inning.

Markakis with a 2 run homer and Jones with a RBI double in the 5th. We are up 5-2.

Figgins with a leadoff double to start the 5th. He steals 3rd and then Magglio knocks him in with a fly to left.

Curtis Granderson starts the 6th with a triple to left center. Polanco with a single to right to knock in the run. Barrett hits the first pitch to deep right.. Markakis runs back, dives for it, and has it hit off his glove. That double knocks me out of the game. :(

It's going to take a tremendous effort from Brad Hennessey to preserve my win chance..

Wow. He gets us out of the inning without allowing any more runs to score! Unfortunately, Kameron Micholio gives up a 3 run homer in the 8th. We lose the game 8-5.

5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 1, 2014 -

The Orioles end up keeping me and don't make any further trades. We are 7 games out of the Wild Card spot. A strong month has made my stats respectable:

22 GS, 10-5, 3.72 ERA, 13 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 140.1 IP, 151 H, 73 R, 58 ER, 12 HR, 26 BB, 101 K, 1.26 WHIP, .231 vs RH, .321 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

August 2, 2014 -

Adam Jones just tore a ligament in his finger. His season might be over. Daniel or David Murphy is going to end up playing center most of the year and neither one is as quick as Jones, so I'm expecting some let down.


Aug 3, 2014 -

Tonight, I get the start in Toronto. We've lost a few and are now 57-53. We desperately need a win tonight.

Lacey and Markakis with RBI's in the top of the 1st. 2-0.

Struck out Rios with a 3-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st. Struck out Vernon Wells with a 2-2 fastball to end the inning.

Jacobs with a line drive to left center to start the 2nd. That is a double for him. Rolen pops up to Mathis behind the plate for the 1st out. Nunez grounds to short, Flores looks back the runner, and throws over to 1st. The next batter pops up to me to end the inning.

Struck out Gaby Sanchez with a 2-2 slider to start the 3rd inning. With a runner on 3rd, I strike out Rios with a 2-2 fastball to end the inning.

Murphy with a RBI in the 5th. 3-0 lead.

Nunez with a solo homer off me on the first pitch of the 5th. 3-1.

Struck out Rios to start the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

Scott Rolen with a solo homer to start the 7th. 3-2. Mike pulls me after that. Hopefully, the pen can hold my lead. They get the job done! We win the game 4-3.

My record rises to 11-5.

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 9, 2014 -

Tonight, I start at home against Texas. We are 5.5 games out of the Wildcard spot which is currently held by the Yankees. We are 61-54. The Rangers are 49-66.

Struck out Scot Olson with 3 straight fastballs to start the game. Struck out Teagarden with a 3-2 fastball.

Stanley Mudd hits a hanging curve to deep left to start the 2nd inning. 1-0. I bounce back by striking out Arias with a 1-2 inside fastball.

Struck out Jerald Kotchman with a 2-2 inside fastball to start the 3rd. Struck out Teagarden with a 1-2 slider down below the knees. Struck out Chris Davis with a 3-2 fastball to strike out the side.

Struck out Arias with a 2-2 inside fastball to get the 2nd out in the 4th. I now have 7 K's.

Cedeno with a single to start the 5th and then I get absolutely jobbed on 2 balls that leads to a 3-2 count and my fastball is a bit too high. It is driven down the left field line for a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs..

Kotchman manages to ground a 0-2 low slider to short and drive in a run. 1 out, man on 2nd. Olson grounds to 1st for the 2nd out. A big scare as Teagarden hits a 2-2 change to deep center, but Murphy catches it at the wall.

Struck out Chris Davis with a low 2-2 fastball to start the 6th. Struck out Mudd with a 2-2 outside fastball. After a great 6th, I'm pulled. I think I was taken out too early, tonight. I could have pitched 1 more solid inning.

We get shut out 4-0 by Francisco Liriano. I drop to 11-6.

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 14, 2014 -

We are now 65-55 and 4.5 games behind the Yankees for the Wildcard. The Red Sox are 1.5 games ahead of us. The White Sox are 4 games behind us. Tampa Bay leads the division at 73-47, but we have won the last 2 games against them at their park. Tonight, I take the mound to try to complete the sweep of the series.

Matt Joyce, their right fielder, is among the league leaders in batting average with a .327 average. Most of their top 6 hit for average and power.

Our team has scored well in the first 2 games down here and they give me a 2-0 lead before I take the mound thanks to a 2 RBI double by Betemit.

With 1 out and men on 1st and 3rd, Clint Barmes hits it just past Kennedy for a RBI single in the 2nd inning. Jason Bartlett hits into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.

Lacey and Markakis with RBI's in the top of the 3rd. 4-1 game.

Pie with a great running catch to prevent a bloop hit in shallow left. That is the 2nd out of the 4th.

Struck out Bartlett with a 2-2 slider in the 5th.

Jason Bay with a 10 pitch at bat, before I finally strike him out with a low inside fastball for the 1st out of the 7th. 4-1 after 7 innings.

Whitesell with a RBI in the 8th to make it 5-1. I'm a bit surprised I'm being left in but don't mind at all.

Struck out Upton with a 3-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 8th inning. Nady and Longoria with 2 out singles and I'm pulled from the game.

The bull pen does the job as Matt Albers pitches the rest of the game. We win it 5-1. I get my 12th win of the year tying a career high!

7.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

[Ironhead]

What do you think the big difference is between last year's subpar season and turning it around this year?

[Eaglesfan27]

What do you think the big difference is between last year's subpar season and turning it around this year?

I was overthrowing all of my pitches last year. I fell in love with the radar gun and always trying to get it up to 100 MPH. Now, I'm just throwing it at "normal" strength and I'm getting much better control and movement from my fastball. I'm always mixing pitches better than I have ever done (in part because my slider and changeup are now both well above average pitches.) My curve still need work, but I feel comfortable throwing any of my other 3 pitches in any count and I'm much less predictable.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oh yeah, one other reason for the bad year last year was I was stuck in a "cold streak" the entire second half of the year. I think this game does a great job of modeling when a player gets into a bad mental place from prior bad performances and makes it just a bit harder to hit your spots, make plays, etc.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 19, 2014 -

We are now 68-57 and 2.5 games out of the wild card. The Red Sox lead the Yankees by a half game for the wild card. Tonight, I'm pitcing in Minnesota. They are 60-65. It should be a tough game since they have their ace, Carlos Zambrano starting tonight. The Twins offense is 5th in batting average and 1st in stolen bases. Morneau is 2nd in the league in homers with 38.

Flores with a RBI double in the 1st to make it 1-0.

Struck out Alexi Casilla with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st. Struck out Morneau looking with a 2-2 fastball just below the letters that just caught the inside corner.

I give up a walk, a stolen base, and then a 2nd walk. I get the next 2 guys to pop up, but Juan Uribe hits a ball into the gap of left center and it is just barely missed. 2 RBI double. Pie would have had it if he was out there. I get Nick Punto to ground out to Kennedy to end the inning. Down 2-1.

Flores with a 2nd RBI to tite it at 2 in the top of the 3rd.

Struck out Wiki Macias with an outside fastball to start the 4th. Struck out Chadwick Lovallo with an inside 1-2 fastball.

Lacey with a 2 run homer in the 5th. 4-2 lead.

Struck out Einar Reyes with an outside fastball to start the 5th inning. Struck out Nick Punto with an outside fastball to end the 5th.

Struck out Carlos Gomez with a 3-2 96 MPH fastball to start the 6th. Struck out Morneau with a high fastball to end the 6th. I've only given up 1 hit through 6.

WTF! Mike Smith pulls me after 6! I only threw 80 pitches and I was pitching a gem. The pen barely holds the lead and we win it 4-3. Cortez gets his 42nd save of the year and I get my 13th win, a new career high. As my agent reminded me, this is my contract year, so it is an especially good time to set some new career highs.

6 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 19, 2014 -

After the game, I meet with Mike to complain about him pulling me early. He tells me, "I stand by my decision, you better just concentrate on your next start."


Aug 24, 2014 -

We've won 4 of our last 5. We are now 72-58. We remain 2.5 games out of the Wild Card behind the Red Sox. We are a half game behind the Yankees.

Tonight, I start at home in the final game of a 4 game series against Cleveland. We've won the last 2 games against them. Jermey Sowers is starting for them. He is 7-3 with a 4.59 ERA. The Indians are 78-51 and lead their division comfortably. Grady Sizemore is their most dangerous hitter, but they have power all through the lineup. Sizemore is hitting .324 with 26 HR's and 96 RBI. I'm glad to see we are starting Pie in left tonight.


Struck out Sizemore looking with a 2-2 backdoor slider on the outside corner to end the 1st.

Whitesell with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 2nd. 2-0 lead.

Flores with a 2 run homer in the 3rd. That was his 9th of the year. 4-0 lead.

Kennedy with bad range allows 2 singles to right to start the 4th. Sizemore up with 0 outs and men on 1st and 2nd. Sizemore hits it hard, but Markakis catches it at the wall. That moves the runner to 3rd. Donald Davilla grounds it past Kennedy for a RBI single, but Markakis throws out the runner trying to go to 3rd. Scott with a hard line drive down the left field line, not even Pie can get to that. RBI double. Huge strike out of Mark Derosa looking with a 3-2 slider to end the inning. 4-2 game.

Struck out Travis Hafner with a 1-2 slider at the knees to start the 5th inning. Struck out Bill Hall with a 0-2 fastball just outside. Much needed 1-2-3 5th.

Helms with a Grand Slam in the 5th inning!! That was his 10th homer and 36 RBI of the year. 8-2 lead.

Struck out Kelvin Dittfurth with a 2-2 slider to start the 6th. Struck out Donald Davila with a 2-2 inside high fastball to end the 6th.

Luke Scott starts the 7th with a double to left center. Jhonny Peralta hits a 2-1 changeup to deep center for a 2 run homer. That is his 200th in his career. Mike pulls me after that.

We win the game 9-4. I get my 14th win. That ties me with Sabathia for the AL lead in wins!

6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.


Edit: Darn it. For some reason, my PS3 went to the PS3 main menu right after the game, as I exited the end of game screen. I doubt it saved this latest outing..

2nd edit: Ugh. Last save was after my last game. I hope we still win most of the next 5 games.. wow, this time we end up winning every game up to my start. I don't like re-playing games I just played, so I sim my game.

We win it 8-3, although my stat line wasn't as good: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 7 BB (!), 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 28, 2014 -

Our team just took 2 of 3 from the Yankees while the Red Sox lost 3 straight. We are in 1st place for the Wild Card by 0.5 games over the Red Sox!

Aug 29, 2014 -

Cha Seung Baek who has pitched well for us all year, has a bad game against the last place Mariners and we lose 6-5 and drop back behind the Red Sox. I'm expected to start tomorrow against the Mariners at our place. They are expected to start Jack Cassel who is 3-14 with a 6.85 ERA!

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 30, 2014 -

A critical start against Seattle at home tonight. They are 53-81 and this should be a very winnable game. We are 76-59. I'm 12th on the season strikeout list with 129. Their most dangerous hitters are Aubrey Huff and Orlando Figueroa.

Struck out Huff with a 1-2 inside fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st.

Struck out Figueroa with a 2-2 slider on the outside corner to begin the 2nd. Struck out Jose Lopez with a 97 MPH fastball to end the 2nd inning.

Struck out Reid Brignac with a 2-2 inside fastball to end the 3rd.

Carl Crawford ends my perfect game with a solo homer in the 4th. He hit a 0-1 fastball to right field and it juset barely got over the wall.

Flores knocks in Lacey in the 4th inning. Tied at 1.

With 1 out, Lacey throws away a routine play. Man on 2nd with Adrian Beltre up at the plate. He hits it down the 3rd base line just past a diving Lacey. RBI double. With 2 outs, Brignac hits a grounder past Lacey for a RBI single. Down 3-1 after 5.

Lacey knocked Markakis in during the 6th inning. Down 3-2 after 6.

Struck out Lopez with a 2-2 inside fastball for the 2nd out of the 7th inning.

We take the lead in the bottom of the 7th on RBI's by Lacey and Flores. Mike decides to pull me for the 8th. Albers pitches a perfect 8th, but Cortez blows the save in the 9th. There goes my 15th win.

We win it in 11 innings, 5-4.

7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 4, 2014 -

Boston sweeps us in a 2 game series. That puts us 3 games behind them for the Wild Card.

Sep 5, 2014 -

WTF is management thinking. They start a kid we just pulled up from AAA against the Yankees in an important game. Not surprisingly, he gets hammered for 7 runs in 4 innings. We lose another important game.

Sep 6, 2014 -

This is a must win game for me tonight against the Yankees in NYC. They are starting Erik Bedard who has had some bad luck. He is 7-6 with a 3.14 ERA. Hopefully, this start goes much better than the last time I got hammered by them.

Reyes starts off the game with a single that drops just in front of Murphy. Adam would have had that. Mark hits a 3-2 slider to left field for a single. Men on 1st and 2nd with A-Rod up and 1 out. Struck him out with a 0-2 outside slider! Vlad grounds out to Kennedy to end the inning.

Struck out Chase Headley with a 0-2 outside fastball to start the 2nd inning. Struck out Melky Cabrera with a 1-2 low changeup to end the inning.

Mark with a leadoff single to left in the 4th. I get A-Rod to pop a 1-2 fastball up weakly to shallow right field for the 1st out. A run-and-hit with Vlad hitting it up the middle moves Mark to 3rd. Chase Headley hits a low 3-2 slider into right field for a RBI double. Cano hits it into right field, the first run scores easily, Markakis throws out Headley at the plate! Struck out Cabrera with a 1-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Betemit knocks in Flores to score a run in the 6th. Down 2-1.

Markakis dives for a line drive and misses. Mark gets a double to start the 7th. Great recovery by Markakis. A-Rod with a deep fly to right to move him to 3rd. He manages to hit a very low fastball to 2nd that scores the run. 2 outs. 3-1 game. Struck out Cano with a low fastball to end the inning.

Mike goes to the pen for the 7th inning. We lose the game 5-1.

My record drops to 14-7.

6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 11, 2014 -

Things don't look good. After losing 3 of our last 5, we are now 5.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card. Also, we have the Yankees ahead of us by 3 games. Tonight, I pitch against the very talented Tampa Bay team that is starting their ace, Justin Duchscherer. He is 16-4 with a 2.97 ERA.

Darnell Buscher with a RBI single to right off me in the 2nd inning with 1 out. Now, they have men on 1st and 2nd. Clemente Nieves with a RBI single down the 1st base line. That was his first major league hit. Finally, I get a needed strike out, this time on Doug Mientkiewicz on an outside 2-2 fastball.

Xavier Nady with a RBI single to right with 2 outs in the 3rd. I bounce back by striking out Matt Joyce to end the inning.

Matt Joyce can't quite stop his wrists from breaking the plane on a 0-2 fastball near the dirt for the 3rd out of the 5th. Still down 3-0 after 5.

Mike pulls me after 6 innings. I wish he would have let me go 1 more inning. Not that it ends up mattering as Justin was nasty. We lose the game 5-2.

My record drops to 14-8 and our Wild Card chances continue to dim.

6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.