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

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 6, 2015 -

We've won 4 of our last 5 including a sweep of Cleveland. Now, I'm starting at home vs the Royals. They are still barely alive in the WC chase with a 72-63 record although the Yankees are going to be hard to catch.

Struck out Flores with a high 0-2 fastball to start the 2nd inning. Struck out Alex Gordon with a 2-2 low fastball.

Struck out Flores with a 1-2 fastball to end the 4th inning.

Quentin with a RBI double in the 4th and then Aybar knocks him in. 2-0 lead.

Struck out Shealy with a 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 5th.

Struck out Olivo with a 2-2 slider to start the 6th. Crisp draws a walk as my change just misses the zone. So frustrating as I shatter Collazo's bat but the ball flares just over Whaley's head for a single to right field. Butler up with men on 1st and 2nd. Butler hits the 1st pitch, a slider, into a 3-6-1 DP!

Flores starts off the 7th inning by hitting my first pitch to right center for a homerun. 2-1 game. Struck out Shealy with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 7th. A 3-2 slider gets away from me (as did a few other pitches) and I walk Avila.

Mike decides 103 pitches and my wavering control is enough. He gives the ball to Quezada who gets out of the inning. Velasquez piches a perfect 8th. Groniga strikes out the side in the 9th! That is his 33rd save. His ERA is 0.90 now. We win the game 2-1.

My record rises to 9-12. 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 11, 2015 -

We swept Oakland and had a 5 game winning streak before losing a game tonight to the Tigers. Mike decided to start a rookie and he was lit up for 8 runs in the 1st 2 innings as we lost 12-7. Part of the reason he did that is our pitchers are banged up. All of the following pitchers are out right now:

Chris Young (torn finger ligament), he's been out for at least a month and will be out a few more weeks.

Kuo just pulled a hammy. He'll be out a few more weeks.

Jenks still has a few months to rehab from his injury. He only played in 6 games this year before being injured (didn't realize he was hurt so early.)

German tore his hamstring 4 weeks ago and is done for the year.

Hernandez tore his ACL and has been out for the entire year.


I have a start tomorrow night and probably 3 more after that. Hopefully, I can keep this good streak going and get above .500.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 12, 2015 -

Tonight I start at home vs the Tigers. They are 54-87 and are struggling offensively outside of Cabrera and Granderson. We are 64-76.

Struck out Chone Figgins with a 1-2 slider to start the game. I hit the 2nd batter with a slider that got away and then Cabrera gets an infield single as it bounces off a diving Alexei's glove. Granderson flies to deep center moving the runner to 3rd. Kubel flies to deep left but Carlos barely catches up to it at the track. Big sigh of relief there.

Whaley with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st. 2-0 lead.

Bloomquist starts off the 3rd with a single, takes 2nd on a sac fly to deep right and is knocked in with 2 outs by a single from Cabrera.

Struck out Bloomquist for the first out of the 5th with an inside 2-2 fastball. Bumgarner with a RBI to right field. Men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and Cabrera up. He fights off a few pitches before hitting a 2-2 fastball over the right field wall. Down 5-2. I strike out Granderson with a 2-2 change for the 2nd out of the 5th. I get out of the inning but that was horrible.

Mike pulls me after that inning. We score 2 in the 5th and 3 in the 9th to win it 7-6 on a walkoff 3 run homer by Carlos Quentin. That was his 39th of the year.

5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 17, 2015 -

Tonight I'm starting on the road vs the Rangers.

I strike out Joaquin Arias with a 3-2 change to begin the game. With a 2-2 outside fastball, I strike out Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the 2nd out of the 1st. 1-2-3 1st.

A 3-2 change misses badly and Corey Patterson gets a walk to start the 3rd. Patterson steals 2nd and then after a popup, he steals 3rd too. Arias hits a bounce back to me. I look back Patterson before throwing out Arias. I strike out Jarrod with a 0-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Burnitz is starting at 2nd for us tonight and he gets a RBI single in the 4th inning. 1-0 lead.

Trouble in the 4th as Scot Olson (who is leading the AL in avg) hits a single to right center and then Thomas Hargrove drives a 1-2 change hard down the right field line for a double. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs and Buddy Theriot at the plate. Theriot with an infield single. Tied game and men on 1st and 3rd with 0 outs. I strike out Sandoval with a low 1-2 fastball for the 1st out. Ronny Cedeno with a single to center but Owens guns down Theriot attempting to go to 3. Down 2-1. I strike out Patterson with a low 1-2 fastball to end the inning.

I strike out Arias looking with at a 3-2 fastball at the knees to end the 5th.

Dunn and Alexei each with an RBI in the 6th. 3-2 lead.

Olson starts off the 6th with a single up the middle. Ronnie throws him out attempting to steal on the 1st pitch. After 9 pitches, I strike out Hargrove with a 2-2 outside fastball.

Sandoval gives me a scare as he hits the first pitch of the 7th to deep right, but Dunn catches it at the wall. Cedeno hits a slider hard to left field for a double. Mike decides it is time to go the pen. He brings in Denny Bautista

I don't believe it, Bautista only allowed 1 hit and got out of the inning. Richard pitched a strong 8th inning. Groniga had a horrible 9th giving up 2 runs but we had scored 2 in the 8th, so we hold on to win 5-4. Groniga gets his 38th save. I get my 10th win


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

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 23, 2015 -

We've won 4 of our last 5 including last night against Cleveland in the 1st game of this series. Tonight, I'm starting at home. We are 71-79. The Indians are 86-64.

Wow. A rare sight as Owens races in but misses a low catch of a flare to center. It's scored a single for Corey Hart. I keep their 3 big sluggers from hitting it out of the infield to get out of the inning.

Whaley with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 1st. 2-0 lead. That was his 30th homer of the year.

They get runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out in the 2nd. Pablo Sandoval at the plate. Sandoval hits it weakly to Ty. We are just a second late turning the 5-4-3. Run scores with Sandoval at 1st. Up 2-1.

Corey Hart fights off an inside fastball to shallow center for a single to start the 3rd. Lorenz hits into a 4-6-3 DP. Lorenz argues the call and he is ejected!

Quentin with a 3 run homer in the 3rd. That was his 101st RBI. We score 4 in the inning to take a 6-1 lead.

Travis Hafner hits the 1st pitch of the 3rd to VERY deep right. That is his 30th homer of the year. 6-2. I strike out Dittfurth looking with a 2-2 slider at the knees. I strike out Pablo Sandoval with a 2-2 low fastball to end the inning.

1-2-3 5 pitch 5th inning.

Sizemore pops up the first pitch of the 6th. I strike out Travis Hafner with a 1-2 low outside fastball. Dittfurth pops up the first pitch to Ty.

Jhonny Peralta starts off the 7th with a single up the middle. Ground ball to 1st, but I'm late covering first preventing the 3-6-1 DP. I get the next 2 batters to fly out to center.

1st pitch of the 8th is popped up to Whaley by Hart. I strike out Hall with a 97 MPH fastball on the outside corner for the 2nd out of the 8th. Sizemore draws a 7 pitch walk. Hafner flies out to left to end the 8th.

I've thrown 103 pitches, so Mike decides to go to the pen for the 9th. Richard pitches a scoreless 9th. We win the game 6-2.

My record rises to 11-12. 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 28, 2015 -

This is my 2nd to last start of the year. Tonight, we are at home vs the Twins. They are 72-84. We are 74-81. I'm hoping to have my 3rd quality start in a row. Wow. We have a HUGE crowd of almost 51,000 here tonight.

I strike out Miller with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st. That brings up Morneau. I strike him out with a low 0-2 fastball.

Carlos Quentin with his 41st homer of the year, a solo shot in the 1st. 1-0 lead.

With men on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Juan Uribe hits a hard grounder down the 3rd base line for a RBI double. I walk the bases loaded. Gardner grounds out to Alexei to end the inning. Gardner is only hitting .192 on the year (but is an excellent defender.)

I strike out Miller with a 2-2 outside fastball to start the 3rd. Morneau hits the 1st pitch to deep center but Owens has it. 1-2-3 3rd.

I strike out Gardner with a 0-2 outside fastball to end the 5th.

I strike out Miller with a 2-2 outside fastball to start the 6th. That's his 3rd of the game. Morneau hits a 1-2 outside fastball weakly to 3rd for a ground out. A 2 out single by Cuellar is followed by a RBI double to right center by Urdaneta. Cuellar beat the throw by just a microsecond. Alexei just misses a ground ball and that scores Urdaneta.

We've been 1 hit going into the bottom of the 6th.. We score 1 in the bottom of the 7th on a RBI by Ramirez and then 1 in the 9th on a RBI by Ty. We win it 4-3 in the 12th when Ramirez scores.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 3, 2015 -

My final start of the year is against the Orioles in Baltimore. The crowd boos me lustily as I take the field.

Dunn with a RBI single in the 1st to make it 1-0.

Ty with 2 excellent defensive plays to start the game. Lacey lines out to Getz to end the 1st.

Saucedo with a hard groundball for a single to start the 2nd. Wow. Saucedo steals 2nd as the throws is offline. I stirke out Betemit with a 1-2 low fastball. Helms grounds to Getz and moves Saucedo to 3rd. Pie pops it up behind the plate to end the inning.

Ty knocks in Chavez in the top of the 3rd. 2-0 lead.

I strike out Daniel Murphy with an outside 0-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 3rd. Chris Duncan with a 2 out 2 run homer. He just hit a good low fastball. That was his 17th of the year. Tied at 2.

Saucedo draws a 9 pitch lead off walk to start the 4th. Betemit hits a little chopper down the 1st base line and there is confusion between myself and Ronnie. Ronnie finally fields it but everyone is safe. I get Helms to pop up to 1st. Pie hits a ball to center and Endy Chavez just misplays it. Wow. They call it a single. Bases loaded with 1 out. Kevin Frandsen hits it hard right back at me. I throw home and we get the 1-2-3 DP!

I strike out Murphy with a 2-2 high inside fastball for the 2nd out of the 5th. I strike out Chris Davis with a 2-2 splitter. I've definitely got a lot of work to do on the pitch this offseason, but it is improving.

Lacey starts off the 6th with a line drive to left for a single. Saucedo hits the 1st pitch almost the exact same spot. Men on 1st and 2nd.

NO! Wilson Betemit catches a 3-2 fastball (that was higher than I wanted) and hits it into the 3rd row of right center. 5-2. Mike pulls me after that. I'm not going to get to .500 this year.

If I just could have gotten through that inning, I could have had the win. We scored 8 in the top of the 7th! We win the game 10-5. Denny Bautista gets my win.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

Sep 5, 2015 -

We turned around our horrid start and finished the year 80-82, but it isn't nearly good enough to get into the Playoffs. The Yankees get the Wild Card with a 98-64 record. The division winners are:

Phillies 95-67 (my top choice if I do become a FA.)
Reds 93-69
Dodgers 91-71

NL WC Chicago 91-71

Red Sox 104-58
Cleveland 92-70
Angels 105-57

The Angels beat the Yankees, then the Red Sox, and then the Phillies in the World Series. They won in 5 games.

Albert Pujols was the World Series MVP. He hit .412 with 2 HR's and 7 RBI's.

Carlos Pena, TB, won the AL MVP. He hit .313 with 44 HR's and 131 RBI.

Ben Sheets, Boston, won the AL Cy Young with a 3.36 ERA and a 18-3 record.

Jonathan Papelbon won the Rolaids Relief Award with 56 saves for the Angels.

Thomas Hargrove, Texas, won AL Rookie of the Year with .280, 23 HR's, and 94 RBI.

Boston had 6 Gold Glovers. Maybe they will be my top target (especially if the Phillies don't offer me.)


My final stats on the year:

11-12, 4.05 ERA, 33 GS, 18 QS, 200 IP, 214 H, 98 R, 90 ER, 16 HR, 44 BB, 140 K, 1.29 WHIP, .288 vs RH, .257 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 1, 2015 -

Notable retirements:

Ty Wigginton
Wilson Betemit, Bal
Julio Lugo, Bos
Edgar Renteria, Bos
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Scott Rolen, Toronto
Brian Buscher, Minn (due to career ending injury)
Albert Pujols, Angels
Todd Helton, Seattle
Carlos Beltran, Mets
Luis Castillo, Mets (they had 8 guys retire.)
Troy Glaus, Phillies (they had 12 guys retire including 3 starting pitchers.)
Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
Barry Zito, Giants


My agent explains that I do not have 6 years of MLB service time yet, so I can either sign a 1 year deal or go to Arbitration if the White Sox decide to offer me that.


Nov 6, 2015 -

The club re-signed Hong-Chih Kuo to a 5 year deal worth 15 million.

The Angels gave Jake Peavy 40 million for 2 years.


Nov 14, 2015 -

A bunch of my teammates became FA's including:

RP Franklyn German, RP Brad Thompson, CF Jerry Owens, LF Endy Chavez, CF Charlton Jimerson, and SP Chris Young.

There are a bunch of big name FA's out there. I wonder how many will switch clubs?


Nov 17, 2015 -

The White Sox have offered me a 2 year deal worth 37 million. I love the money, but I really want to be able to test FA next year if I don't like the direction the team is taking. However, I do like the fact that they have told me they are committed to a 140 Million dollar payroll.

Still, I want to preserve my FA years if I don't like their direction. So, I counter with 1 year for 19 million. I'm delighted when they accept!

[Eaglesfan27]

Nov 18, 2015 -

The Red Sox re-sign Brandon Webb for 5 years and 92 Million. They also re-sign Ben Sheets to 6 years and 72 million.

My club re-signed Whaley to a 2 year deal worth 15 million avoiding arbitration. They also signed FA RP Joey Devine to a 3 year deal worth 12 million. I hope he is good. Looking forward to meeting him in spring training.

The Indians re-sign Grady Sizemore to a 2 year deal worth 31 million.


Nov 28, 2015 -

The Orioles re-signed Saucedo to a 7 year 53 million dollar deal.

The Yankees re-signed CF Willy Taveras to a 5 year deal worth 50 million.

The Indians signed Closer Matt Capps to a 4 year deal worth 20 million.

The Cubs re-signed Aramis Ramirez for 2 years and 24 million.

The Dodgers re-signed Matt Kemp for 3 years and 32 million.

The Giants signed the first big FA move - Ryan Braun for 5 years and 85 million.


Dec 5, 2015 -

The Red Sox make the next big FA signing. They get Francisco Rodriguez to close for them for 6 years and 75 million.


The Yankees re-signed Vlad for 2 years and 20 million. They also signed 2B Brandon Phillips for 4 years and 35 million. I wonder where Utley is going to play?

YES! We signed 2B Robinson Cano for 4 years and 20 million. I hope he still has some range left. He definitely will be an offensive upgrade, as much as I like Getz.

The team also re-signed Chris Young for 2 years and 21 million.


The Twins re-signed Carlos Zambrano for 4 years and 50 million.

The Angels land a big FA as they sign Miguel Cabrera to replace the retired Pujols. They give him 85 million for 5 years.

The Braves sign FA SP Fausto Carmona to a 5 year deal worth 55 million.

The Cubs re-signed Adrian Gonzalez for 55 million over 3 years.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dec 20, 2015 -

Yes, we re-signed a bunch of guys today. Most importantly, we re-signed Jerry Owens to a 2 year deal for just over 4 million. We also signed 2 role players in catcher Colton Luke and 1B Radhames Coco.


Feb 1, 2016 -

I can't believe I'm 25 already. Only a few weeks until spring training starts. A look back at the last month shows a few more encouraging moves by the club:

They picked up veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz as a steady backup. However, no other big name splashes. They did sign 5 AAA type guys.


Feb 25, 2016 -

A look at the key components of the roster this year:

I'm 25 now and most experts are picking me to have a breakout year.

Whaley's 30 homers last year were a career high. Most experts are predicting a bigger year from him this year.

RP Bobby Jenks appears recovered from his injury. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a huge part of our pen.

SP John Denks led the team with 14 wins last year. He is expected to have another very good year.

SP Chris Young - injuries hurt him last year but he still had a very respectable year.

SP Edinson Volquez had a career high 186 K's but was the victim of poor run support and finished 8-11. He's expected to be even better this year.

LF Carlos Quentin is 32 now and is in the prime of his career. He had a career high 43 HR's and 112 RBI last year. I expect him to do better on the RBI's with Cano setting the plate.

2B Robinson Cano is 32 and is still in the prime of his career. He is a free swinger but he has excellent plate coverage. He is a solid defender as well. He hit a career high .288 last year with 18 HR's and 84 RBI.

CP Markus Groniga had 42 saves in his first full season with a 1.83 ERA. He has a nasty 4 seam fastball, a very good sinker, and an excellent cutter.

Hong-Chih Kuo had over 100 K's and a sub 3 ERA. We have a great pen if he and Jenks can both stay healthy.

Our projected opening day lineup:

CF Jerry Owens - I love his speed and defense but he needs to get on base more.

2B Robinson Cano - Should be a very good #2 hitter.

1B Whaley only hit .256 last year. He needs to improve on that, but I think he will.

RF Adam Dunn - At 35, I worry about him starting to slow down. He had a career low .254 avg last year and struck out way too much. Then again, he did have 35 HR's and 83 RBI's.

LF Carlos Quentin

SS Alexei Ramirez - He hit a career high .294 with 27 HR's and 103 RBI (both career highs.) If he can come close to duplicating that again, I'll be very happy.

3B Gerard Burnitz is a natural 2B, but he can play 3B fairly well. This will be his first full year but the job is his to lose. He is projected to be a fairly good fielder with little speed, good contact, and some decent pop. He is projected to get much better in the future.

DH Owen Budde - I'd like to see us upgrade here. Budde has not impressed in limited action. He hit .246 last year.

C Ronny Paulino - He only hit .234 last year, but there are few catchers I would trade him for. He has a quality arm and got me out of many jams last year.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 1, 2016 -

We started out very hot in Spring Training but ended up 9th in the Cactus League. Not very encouraging. Hopefully, I can get us off to a good start in the opener in a few days.

The good news is that I was absolutely dominating this Spring with a 1.54 ERA. I've finally got my slider to where I want it. It's now an elite pitch along with my fastball. If I had to grade my pitches I'd say:

Fastball A+
Slider A+
Change B+
Curve C
Splitter C

Hopefully, I can work hard with the pitching coach this year to improve my splitter and really keep guys off balance.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 4, 2016 -

We get thrown right into the fire with a 4 game series in New York. I'm starting the Season Opener at Yankee Stadium against Joba Chamberlain. They have a strong lineup even with A-Rod retired:

SS Jose Reyes
2B Chase Utlet
3B Mark Teixeira
C Orlando Figueroa
LF Chase Headley
RF Vlad
3B Rico Estrada
DH Brandon Phillips (ahh, that is why they signed him)
CF Melky Cabrera

Our Lineup is only slightly different than I projected. Another rookie 3B won the job (for now) in spring training. Jose Ferreira is a natural 3B who is a better defender so I'm glad he won it, as long as he can hit some. He is hitting 8th and Budde is hitting 7th.


We start off the game with a single by Cano and then a 2 run homer by Whaley! That is encouraging! Strong wing blowing out to center today at 22 MPH.

Jose tries to bunt for a hit to start the game but our Jose makes a great play to charge it, barehand it, and throw the speedy runner out. I strike out Utley with a 3-2 slider for the 2nd out. I strike out Mark with a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

Jose dives and catches a hard liner by Orlando to start the 2nd inning. With 2 outs, Vlad with a hard grounder that just gets by Cano. Estrada hits my first pitch to him to deep left center for a RBI double. After I walk Phillips, Melky grounds to 1st to end the inning.

Darn. My first pitch in the 3rd, a slider, gets away from me and hits Reyes in the ribs. He steals 2nd. I strike out Utley with a 3-2 fastball on the outside corner. A passed ball allows Reyes to advance to 3rd, but the next pitch is a 2-2 slider that strikes out Mark. Orlando draws a walk on a 3-2 slider that misses outside. Headley grounds to Cano to end the inning.

Sheesh. Estrada gets me again, this time a solo homer to right center. I guess I better start pitching him like he is A-Rod.

I strike out Utley for the 3rd time to start the 5th. This time with a 0-2 outside fastball. A 2-0 slider gets away from me and hits Mark in the ribs. Orlando hits a 2-2 fastball off the left field wall for a double. Headley hits a bullet groundball past Cano for a RBI single. 3-2. Crap. Vlad hits the first pitch, a low slider, to deep right for a 3 run homer. So much for my great start to the year. Mike pulls me right after that. He brings in Taylor Osborn for long relief.

We lose the game 6-4 as Whaley had another RBI in the 7th and Owens also had a RBI in the inning.

4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 8, 2016 -

Terrible start to the year as the Yankees swept us. They won 16-10, 10-2, and 4-3 in the other 3 games of the series. At least, we won our first game against the Angels tonight as we beat them 5-3.

Oh yeah, the bright spot is that Jose Ferreira is hitting well early. He's batting .368 with 3 HR's and 7 RBI's after 5 starts. However, the word on the team is that he is a much worse defender that I anticipated. He has had some bad games already, but I like what he did behind me.

Cano, Owens, Quentin, and Whaley are all hitting well very early.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 9, 2016 -

Tonight I'm starting against the Angels at home. They are 2-2. We are 1-4. We have just over 50,000 fans here tonight.

They have a strong lineup:

3B Wilson Cotts
LF Carlos Lee
1B Miguel Cabrera
CF Josh Hamilton
DH Delmon Chance
2B Michael Cuddyer
RF Placido Cavazos
C Bobby wilson
SS Cesar Izturis

Our lineup is the same except Tony Gwynn, Jr. is starting in center and leading off tonight.

Dunn with a RBI single in the 1st and Quentin right behind him hits a 2 run homer. 3-0 lead after 1.

I strike out Placido with a 2-2 fastball for the 1st out of the 3rd.

Dunn with a solo homer in the 3rd. 4-0 lead.

My no-hitter/perfect game is broken up in the 4th when Cabrera hits it to the right-center wall for a 2 out double. A 2-0 slider gets away from me and hits Josh in the ribs. He is pissed off. Chance grounds out to Cano to end the inning.

Cano with a 3 run homer in the 4th! 7-0 lead.

I strike out Cuddyer with a 1-2 fastball to start the 5th. Jose with an error that keeps the 5th going. Men on 1st and 2nd with Cotts at the plate. Cotts with an infield single to load the bases with 2 outs. Carlos Lee draws a walk as a 3-2 fastball just misses the corner. I can't believe I walked in a run. Cabrera grounds to Jose to end the inning.

1-2-3 6th as Gwynn made 2 solid plays out in center.

My control is faltering as I walk Wilson with 1 out in the 7th. Jose lets a grounder by Cesar go through his legs. I can't believe that isn't called an error. It was a hard grounder, but easily should have been a double play ball. I get Cotts to hit into a 3-6-1 DP to end the inning!

Mike is very happy with my work but pulls me since I've thrown 112 pitches. Devine pitches 2 scoreless innings to end the game.

We win the game 8-1.

My record is now 1-1. 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 15, 2016 -

It's been very disappointing to see our club lose our last 4 games including being swept by the Royals. They beat us 6-2, 6-3, and 7-2 in our 3 games. I need to break the losing streak tonight as we travel to play Texas on Jackie Robinson Day.

The Rangers' Lineup:

2B Scot Olson
RF Trammell
3B JC Siegel
1B Thomas Hargrove (last year's rookie of the year)
LF Buddy Theriot
SS Joaquin Arias
DH Ronny Cedeno
CF Corey Patterson
C Chris Stewart

I'm disgusted to see we are starting Owen Budde in center. That could be a disaster. I don't know why Mike is doing that and using Owens as a DH. That makes zero sense to me. Also, he is batting Carlos Quentin 9th!?! Our lineup tonight:

CF Owen Budde
SS Alexei Ramirez
1B Whaley
RF Dunn
2B Cano
C Paulino
DH Owens
3B Jose Ferreira
LF Quentin


Budde with a nice catch in center to start the 2nd. I'm pleasantly surprised with the quick reaction on that play.

Alexei with a solo homer in the 3rd. 1-0 lead.

I strike out Patterson with an outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 3rd.

I stirke out Olson with 3 straight fastballs to start the 4th. Trammell with a 1 out double in the 4th that is my first hit given up today. A fly to center moves the runner to 3rd. Hargrove grounds out to Jose who bobbles the ball but recovers and throws a laser to beat Hargrove by a step.

I strike out Arias with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 1st out of the 5th. I strike out Cedeno with a low 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out.

Cano starts the 6th by throwing the ball into the stands! That puts Olson on 2nd with 0 outs. I strike out Trammell with a 3-2 change, Olson barely beats the throw and steals 3rd. A 2-2 slider gets away from me and is a wild pitch allowing Olson to score. I strike out Siegel with a low fastball on the next pitch. Tied at 1 after 6.

Whaley with a 2 RBI triple in the top of the 7th knocking in Budde and Alexei. We lead 3-1.

I strike out Theriot with a 1-2 outside fastball to start the bottom of the 7th. I strike out Arias with an outside 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out. Cedeno with a 2 out double down the left field line. Patterson flies to the right center cap but Budde does a good job of getting there.

1-2-3 8th as they all hit routine flyballs.

Mike turns to Groniga for the 9th. Groniga hurts himself with 2 outs Kuo comes in and gets the save. I hope it isn't too bad. We win the game 3-1.

My record rises to 2-1. 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

April 16, 2016 -

The docs say that Groniga isn't hurt bad and should be available again in a few days.


April 20, 2016 -

After my last start, we went on a 5 game winning streak! Hopefully, I can keep it going. We swept the Rangers by winning 6-2 and 8-4. Then, we won the first two in Oakland with a score of 2-1 (on a gem by Chris Young) and 6-3.

April 21, 2016 -

Tonight, I try to finish the sweep of Oakland. They are starting Scott Olsen. Erick Aybar has taken over for us at 3B after Jose kept making errors. I wonder if the kid will get another chance. Budde is getting the start in center again as Owens will DH.

Oakland's lineup:

LF Chadwick Lovallo
C Kurt Suzuki
3B Garrett Atkins
RF Jack Cust
DH Young-ho Chung
1B Lazaro Gomez
2B Jeff Baker
CF Titus Crudale (former Rookie of the year who had an off year last year.)
SS Paul Janish

Powerful wind blowing out to center today.


Aybar knocks in Alexei in the 2nd. 1-0 lead.

Cust crushes a 1-0 fastball to deep center to start the 2nd inning. That is career 297th homer.

Budde misplays a line drive by Gomez and it turns into a 1 out triple. Dunn misplays the next hit and it is a RBI triple for Baker. Budde with a good play in center to catch a shallow liner but Baker just beats the throw home. 3-1 after 2.

I start off the 3rd by striking out Chadwick with a 2-2 slider. I don't believe it, a 2 out single followed by a 2 run homer down the right field line by Cust! Down 5-1.

I strike out Janish looking with a 0-2 fastball on the corner to end the 4th.

Mike pulls me after 5 innings. We lose the game 7-1.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

April 24, 2016 -

We win 2 of 3 at Cleveland! They are leading the division and that was a critical showing. We won 3-2 and 3-0 on another gem by Chris Young.

April 25, 2016 -

We beat the Orioles 9-8 at home to keep our win streak going. Aybar had a 3 run homer in the 6th that gave us the lead for good.


April 26, 2016 -

I'm starting at home against Baltimore tonight. We are 10-10 and only 2.5 games behind the Indians who lead the division. Baltimore is 9-11. Their offense is in the top 10 in most categories. Their pitching staff is in the bottom 5 in most categories.

CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis - .281 with 4 HR's.
3B Lacey - .387 with 6 HR's.
C Saucedo
SS Flores
DH Murphy
2B Ruben Gotay
1B Josh Whitesell
LF Greg Golson

We are starting Budde in center again with Owens DH'ing. Aybar is starting at 3rd again. We have a very strong wind blowing in from center tonight. We are wearing throwback jerseys tonight.

Saucedo and Flores start off the 2nd with singles. Wow. Saucedo tries to steal 3rd and almost makes it, but Paulino gets him by a hair. Gotay hits into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.

Struck out Golson with a 2-2 splitter for the 1st out of the 3rd. Struck out Jone with a 2-2 inside fastball for the 2nd out. Markakis with a hard grounder past Whaley. That puts men on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and Lacey up. Lacey grounds out to Alexei to end the inning. I've worked out of a few jams tonight already.

Saucedo hits a 0-2 splitter just past Aybar for a single to start the 4th. Paulino throws him out attempting to steal 2nd. I strike out Murphy with a 1-2 outside fastball to end the 4th.

We've been no-hit through 4.

Sheesh. Gotay hits a 1-2 outside fastball by stretching out with 1 hand and it slices down the left field line barely fair for a double ot start the 5th. Whitesell grounds to Whaley moving Gotay to 3rd. Whaley reaches over the dugout railing to catch a pop for the 2nd out! Alexei with a good play to end the inning.

Budde breaks up the no-hitter in the 6th, but we fail to score. Scoreless through 6.

Sheesh. I walk Flores on 4 pitches to start the 7th. Gotay gets a 1 out grounder past Whaley. Men on 1st and 2nd with Whitesell at the plate. He is hitting .168 this year but he has a single tonight.. he hits a 0-2 fastball hard, Cano dives to his left and snares the line drive! Cano handles a grounder to end the inning. Not my best night, but I continue to work out of jams.

We still only have 1 hit through 7 full innings.

I strike out Markakis with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 8th. 1-2-3 8th against the top of their order. The heart of our order is coming up..

YES! Quentin with a solo homer and then Budde knocks in Alexei. 2-0 lead. Mike lets me start the 9th...

Saucedo starts off the 9th with a double to left center. Mike goes to the pen.. who is going to close? He gives it to Jenks who is closing until Groniga is back. Come on Bobby!

Bobby allows the inherited run to score, but we win it 2-1. He gets his 6th save of the year and I get my 3rd win.

8 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 1, 2016 -

We finish the month with a 13-12 record but are in 4th place as the AL Central is doing well early. The Indians and Tigers are both 15-10. The Royals are 13-12 and the Twins are 10-15.


We are 26th in team batting average (.251), 13th in HR's (28), 25th in runs (103), last in SB's (10), last in walks (66), 23rd in strikeouts (148), last in .OBP (.306).

We are 13th in staff ERA (4.18), 3rd in blown saves (only 2), 5th in walks allowed (80), 4th in strikeouts (159 - I'm 4th as Volquez has 31, Young 27, and Danks 25.)


Despite my 2 very rocky starts, my stats for the first month aren't bad as I had 3 very high quality starts:

3-2, 3.34 ERA, 5 GS, 3 QS, 32.1 IP, 28 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 8 BB, 21 K, 1.11 WHIP, .243 vs RH, .216 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 2, 2016 -

Tonight, I start against Justin Verlander and the Tigers at our place. This is game 1 of a 2 game series and a nice chance for us to gain ground on them.

3B Ian Stewart
2B Terrance Bumgarner
LF Mario Richar (.336 with 4 HR's.)
CF Curtis Granderson
RF Jason Kubel (hitting .301 with 5 HR's.)
DH Rosman Zapata
1B Conrad Clifton
SS Valentino Valentine
C Robinzon Diaz

We are going with an intresting lineup tonight that gives us our best defense in the outfield:

CF Owens
2B Cano
1B Whaley
LF Quentin
SS Ramirez
DH Budde
3B Aybar
C Ruiz
RF Gwynn

There is a strong wind blowing out to right.

I strike out Terrance with a 3-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st.

Porter Callahan robs of me of 2 calls and I have a leadoff walk to Granderson. I strike out Kubel with a 3-2 fastball after starting off 3-0 to him. I get the next batter to pop up to 3rd and the last one grounds out to Cano.

Valentine starts the 3rd with a double to left field. Gwynn with a very nice defensive play on a line drive by Diaz. He then makes a strong throw to keep the runner at 2nd. Stewart hits a 1-1 fastball into shallow left center for a RBI single.

Oh my!! Owens with a LONG run to the warning track in right center and jumps against the wall catching the ball hit by Granderson. Pumped up, I strike out Kubel on 3 pitches, the last being a low fastball. 1-2-3 4th.

Cano starts the 5th with a diving catch. Cano with an error that continues the 5th allowing Diaz to get on 1st. Stewart hits a 0-2 fastball weakly to left for the 3rd out.

In the 6th, they get Bumgarner on 3rd and Granderson on 1st with 1 out and Kubel at the plate. Ruiz throws out Granderson at 2nd on the steal attempt! Kubel flares a 3-1 slider into left field for a RBI single. Down 2-0. I strike out Zapata with a 2-2 change to end the inning.

Mike pulls me after 6 innings. We lose the game 3-0, very disappointing.

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 6, 2016 -

The Tigers swept us. At least, we bounced back by sweeping the Royals in a 2 game series. Then, we won tonight at Minnesota.


May 7, 2016 -

Tonight, I'm starting at Minnesota. They are going with Carlos Zambrano who is 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA. We are 16-14 (and 2 GB from the Indians.) They are 12-18. Their only truly dangerous offensive weapon is Morneau although Wiki Macias can be dangerous as well.

Their lineup:

CF Brett Gardner
3B Tory Miller
1B Morneau
RF Wiki Macias
DH Chris Iannetta
LF Oswaldo Urdaneta
C George Kottaras
SS Matt Tolbert
2B Ambiorix Betancourt

Jose Ferreira is getting another chance at 3B tonight. Gwynn is starting in LF for Quentin who is getting a night off.

Gardner draws a leadoff walk as a 3-2 slider barely misses the corner. Struck out Miller with a 1-2 fastball. Gardner steals 2nd. I'm going to be much more careful with Morneau now. Morneau hits a low 3-0 slider to short for the 2nd out but Gardner advances to 3rd. I strike out Macias with a 2-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Owens with another great long running catch, this time right before the wall in center field to start the 2nd inning. Iannetta with a hard grounder past Jose for a single. Kottaras hits it hard at Cano who starts the 4-6-3 DP.

Jose with a throwing error in the 3rd. That puts Betancourt on 2nd with 1 out. Betancourt gets to 3rd on a fly to left field. Gwynn just couldn't get enough on the throw. Struck out Miller with a 2-2 splitter to end the 3rd.

Struck out Macias with high heat for the 2nd out of the 4th. That was a 99 MPH fastball. Gwynn with a very nice play in left on a line drive to end the 4th.

Tolbert with a 2 out double down the left field line in the 5th. Cano with a great over the shoulder catch in shallow right for the 3rd out.

Miller argues a call at 1st in the 6th and he gets ejected. That was the 2nd out of the 6th. Morneau fights off an inside fastball for a single to shallow center. I strike out Macias with a 3-2 change to end the inning. That was my 3rd K on him tonight.

Still scoreless in the bottom of the 7th as I take the mound. I strike out Iannetta with a 2-2 change to start the inning. I strike out Urdaneta with a 3-2 splitter to end the inning.

Tolbert starts off the 8th with a grounder that gets past Whaley for a single. NO! Mike pulls me after that. I had something left. At least he gives it to Devine who has been incredible so far. 2-0 record with 0.56 ERA in 11 innings.

Devine pitches a perfect 8th, but he gives up a homer in the 9th. We lose the game 1-0.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

May 8, 2016 -

I'm starting to think I'm an offensive jinx. We beat the Twins 12-0 tonight as Danks pitches 7 scoreless innings.

May 10, 2016 -

We start an important series against the Tigers with a 8-4 win thanks to a grand slam in the 11th inning by Alexei who had 6 RBI's in the game.

May 11, 2016 -

Chris Young continues his impressive start. We win the game 8-0.

May 12, 2016 -

We lose 8-7 as Escobar has really struggled in the 5th spot this year. We are now 19-16 and just 2 games behind the Indians. Our offense is finally picking it up. Hopefully, that will continue tomorrow night for me.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 13, 2016 -

Tonight, I start against the Mariners at our place. I definitely have to watch out for Adrian Beltre. Carlos is hurt and Gwynn will start in left field tonight.

I leave a 1-0 change too high and Larry Gates hammers it for a solo homer in the 2nd inning.

In the 3rd, Carl Crawford hits a 1-1 slider down the right field line for a double putting men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Jose Lopez hits a 1-1 fastball to deep left for a sac fly. Giovanni Valquez fights off a first pitch fastball down the right field line, Whaley runs back and catches it over his shoulder for a spectacular catch! Beltre with a RBI single past Jose at third. I let a big sigh out as I get out of the inning. Rough start. Down 3-0 after 3 innings.

Chris Shelton starts off the 4th by hitting a perfectly located fastball into right field for a single. I strike out Huston Enfield with a 2-2 change for the 1st out of the 4th. I strike out Carl Crawford with an outside fastball for the 2nd out.

I strike out Vizquel with a 2-2 change to start the 5th. A slider hangs a bit and Beltre hits it to the right field wall, but Dunn catches it. I strike out Gates with a 0-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

We only have 2 hits through 5 innings. What happened to our rejuvenated offense?

I strike out Shelton with 3 straight fastballs for the 2nd out of the 6th. I strike out Enfield with a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

Depite being strong the last 3 innings, Mike pulls me after 6. We lose the game 4-2.

My record drops to 3-4. 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 19, 2016 -

The offense has been anemic the last 5 games but we have won 2 and lost 2. We are now 21-19 and 3 games back. Tonight, I start at home vs the Angels who lead their division with a 23-17 record.

Cotts with a nice job of hitting a well placed 1-2 fastball down the 1st base line for a leadoff single. Josh Hamilton steps to the plate. He hits a very hard grounder that bounces off Aybar's chest and is an infield single. Cabrera with a RBI single into left. Horrid start. Mike Napoli hits into a 5-4-3 DP. Carlos Lee hits a 3-2 change weakly to Cano for the 3rd out.

I stirke out Nelson Cruz with an inside fastball for the 2nd out of the 2nd. Strike out Cuddyer with a 2-2 change to end the inning.

Carlos Quentin with a solo homer in the 2nd. Tied at 1.

I strike out Cotts with a 1-2 inside fastball for the 1st out of the 3rd. Key play as they drew a leadoff walk. Hamilton moves the runner to 2nd with a slow dribbler in front of the plate. 2 outs. I pitch around Cabrera with the open base. NO! A hard grounder by Napoli must have hit a rock as it suddenly bounced over Alexei's head! RBI single. (Kind of cool to see this rarely - first time I've seen it in many hours of gameplay.) I jam Carlos Lee and he hits it weakly to Whaley for the last out.

I strike out Cruz with a 0-2 outside slider for the 2nd out of the 4th.

I strike out Josh with a 0-2 change to end the 5th.

I hit Cabrera to start the 6th, but comeback by striking out Napoli with a 0-2 outside slider. Delmon Chance with a 2 out double down the left field line. Men on 2nd and 3rd. Cruz is at the plate, I've struck him out twice. I shatter his bat with the first pitch but it is a dribbler that no one can get to in time. 3-1. Aybar with a good defensive play to end the inning. Come on offense...

We lose the game 3-1. Disappointing.

6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. I'm now 3-5.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 23, 2016 -

A few big injuries have been noted by our team. While I feel bad about them, I can't help but think they will help our chances to win a division title:

Detroit - Jeremy Bonderman tore his rotator cuff and is done for the year.

Cleveland (currently leading the division) Starting 3B Bill Hall tore his ACL and backup 3B Jules Dugan dislocated his ankle and is probably done for the year.


Other notable injuries:

Ronny Cedeno, Rangers, tore his MCL.

2B Sean Rodriguez, Yankees, tore Achilles Tendon and is done for the year.

3B Pablo Bocachica, TB, tore his ACL.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 24, 2016 -

Tonight, I'm starting in Cleveland vs Brandon Morrow who is 0-4 with a 4.80 ERA.

Cleveland's Lineup:

RF Corey Hart
LF Armand Lorenz
CF Grady Siremore
DH Donald Davila
C Kelvin Dittfurth
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Travis Hafner
2B Rob Schartner


Struck out Hart with a 1-2 fastball to start the game. 1-2-3 1st.

Gwynn with a 2 RBI double for us in the 2nd. 2-0 lead.

Struck out Davila with a 2-2 splitter to start the 2nd. 1-2-3 2nd.

Dunn with a solo homer in the 3rd. That is his 10th of the year. 3-0 lead.

Sandoval starts off the 3rd with a single by Aybar who is playing at 2nd today. Rob with a 1 out single. Men on 1st and 2nd. Hart grounds out to 1st, but we can't turn the 3-6-1. Lorenz bounces it back to me to end the inning.

Ramirez with a grand slam in the 4th! Owens also had a RBI. 8-0 lead.

Sizemore starts the 4th with a single up the middle. Davila hits a 1-0 fastball to left field for a no doubt 2 run homer. Dittfurth draws a walk and the pitching coach comes out to calm me down. Owens with a catch at the center field wall for the 1st out of the inning. Struck out Hafner with a 1-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Hart with a 0-2 slider to start the 5th. Struck out Lorenz with a 0-2 fastball on the outside corner.

Struck out Dittfurth with a 1-2 fastball to start the 6th. After I give up 2 2 out walks, Rob gets his 3rd hit off me, a RBI double. Hart with a 2 RBI single up the middle. I can't believe that I gave up those walks to the bottom of the order and how badly they cost me. 8-5 at the end of 6.

Mike goes to the pen for the 7th. We win the game 9-5.

I'm now 4-5. 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

May 29, 2016 -

We've lost our first 3 games of this series vs Tampa Bay. I need to salvage this series slightly tonight.

Dunn with a 3 run homer in the 1st to give us a 3-0 lead.

Upton and Pena with 2 out singles and then Bay hits a 3 run homer off me. Tied at 3.

Whaley with a grand slam in the 4th inning. Quentin with a solo homer right behind him. 8-3 lead.

We bat around in the 5th, including a grand slam by Quentin! 13-3 lead.

They touch me for 2 more runs to start the 6th and Mike pulls me.

We win the game 15-6.

5-5 record. 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 B, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 1, 2016 -

We are 27-26, 3.5 games behind the Indians.

We are 27th in batting average with a .263 avg despite Owens and Quentin each hitting over .300. We are 25th in runs scored with 234. We are 15th in homers with 56.

We are 7th in team ERA with a 3.80. We are 2nd in strikeouts with 338.

My statistics after 2 months:

5-5, 3.82 ERA, 11 GS, 7 QS, 68.1 IP, 67 H, 32 R, 29 ER, 7 HR, 17 BB, 53 K, 1.23 WHIP, .248 vs RH, .258 vs LH.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 3, 2016 -

Today we host the Oakland A's. They are 20-35. We've won the first 2 games of this series.

Owens with a beautiful long running diving catch for the 2nd out of the 1st!

Struck out Jeff Baker with a 3-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 2nd. Struck out Titus with a 2-2 low fastball to end the inning.

Both sides with no hits through 3.

Titus Crudale breaks up my no hitter with a single up the middle to start the 5th. A few seconds later, I pick him off. Struck out Parker Ensberg with some high heat for the 2nd out.

Aybar knocks in Ferreira in the 5th. 1-0 lead.

Jose airmails a throw into the stands. Garrett Atkins is on 2nd with 1 out and Cust at the plate as a result. Cust grounds to Whaley moving Atkins to 3rd. Ruiz lets a 2-1 change get away from him and the runner scores!

Whaley with a 2 run homer and Quentin with a solo shot in the 6th. 4-1 lead. That was the 12th homer for both of them.

With 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd in the 7th, Suzuki comes to the plate, I get him to hit a weak grounder which Jose makes a good play on to end the inning.

1-2-3 8th.

Mike gives it to Joey Devine who gets his 3rd save of the year as we win it 4-1.

I'm now 6-5. 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 8, 2016 -

Our 9 game winning streak just came to an end. We are now 33-27 and only 1 game back behind the Indians. They are 4-6 in their last 10 while we are 9-1. The entire team is feeling good right now.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 9, 2016 -

Tonight I'm starting in Kansas City. They are starting Jon Bell who is 4-3 with a 5.94 ERA.

CF Coco Crisp
3B Alex Gordon
DH Billy Butler
C miguel Olivo
1B Ryan Shealy
LF Enrique Manley
RF Mark Teahen
SS Felipe Lopez
2B Tony Pena Jr.


Coco Crisp starts off the game with a 10 pitch at bat before he grounds out to Cano. Gordon with a 1st pitch liner to Jose for the 2nd out. Butler with a 2 out single up the middle. Olivo with a walk. Sigh. Ryan hits a 2-2 fastball just past Alexei's reach. RBI single. Enrique pops it up to end the inning.

Struck out Lopez with an outside 1-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 2nd.

Struck out Pena with a 0-2 slider to end the 4th.

Budde with a solo homer in the 5th. Tied at 1.

Budde with another solo homer in the 7th! 2-1 lead.

Owens covers a lot of ground for the 1st out of the 7th in left center. Cano throws the ball away and allows Teahan to get to 2nd. Mike pulls me after that and gives it to Groniga who is now setting up..

Groniga gives up the inherited run and 1 more on a homer by Crisp. We lose the game 3-2.

6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 15, 2016 -

Tonight, I start the 2nd of a 3 game series at Pittsburgh. We are 35-30 (2 GB.) They are 34-33. I'm starting against Zach Duke who is 5-3 with a 4.91 ERA.

Their lineup:

RF Will Venable
3B Brian Goff
LF Ernesto Pedroza (hitting .320 with 16 HR's)
CF Brandon Moss
1B Zack Salazar
2B Ryan Raburn
SS Josh Barfield
C Nathaniel Grubbs
P Zach Duke

1-2-3 1st.

Quentin with a solo homer in the 3rd. 1-0.

Struck out Grubbs with a low 1-2 fastball to start the 3rd. 1-2-3 3rd.

Struck out Moss with a 0-2 outside fastball to end the 4th. 1-2-3 4th.

Struck out Barfield with a 3-2 slider to end the 5th.

I'm up in the 7th with bases loaded and 1 out. They have brought in a new pitcher, Chone Whitting.. He strikes me out with a 100 MPH fastball. Not so fun facing that. He had a nasty slider too. Still a 1-0 game as I take the mound in the bottom of the 7th.

Goff leads off the 7th with a single and Mike pulls me. I wish he had pinch hit for me if he was going to do that. He gives the ball to Kuo. Kuo gets us out of the 7th without any damage.

We win the game 3-0 and Bobby Jenks gets his 14th save on the year.

My record is now 7-5. 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 20, 2016 -

We've swept the Pirate and the Astros. We are currently on a 7 game winning streak. We are now 40-30 and 1 game back behind the Indians.

The Tigers have now lost Curtis Granderson for the year to a broken ankle.

My next game will be at home vs the Cardinals who are starting TJ North due to injuries to their normal starters. He is 0-1 with a 6.50 ERA. They are 33-36.

[Eaglesfan27]

June 21, 2016 -

The Cardinals Lineup:

2B Orlando Hudson
C Ryan Doumit
3B Tuan McGuire (hitting .344 with 19 HR's)
CF Rick Ankiel
RF Hunter Pence
SS Khalil Greene
LF Columbus Deleon
1B Casey Kotchman
DH Yadier Molina

Struck out Ankiel on a check swing that he couldn't stop at a 2-2 high fastball for the 1st out of the 2nd inning. Struck out Greene with a 2-2 outside slider to end the 2nd.

Paulino, Budde, and Owens with RBI's in the 2nd. 3-0 lead.

Struck out Kotchman with a 0-2 fastball away for the 2nd out of the 3rd.

Ankiel has the 1st hit of the game off me in the 4th, but I get Pence to pop out to 2nd to end the inning. Tonight, I've had the best control of my curve that I've ever had.

Owens with another RBI in the 4th. 4-0 lead.

Struck out Doumit with a 2-2 splitter for the 2nd out of the 6th.

Struck out Pence with a 0-2 slider to start the 7th. I feel like I'm still in complete control today, some of my best stuff of the year. 1-2-3 7th.

Struck out Molina with a 3-2 inside fastball for the 1st out of the 8th. Struck out Hudson looking at a 3-2 fastball that caught the inside corner.

I get the chance for the complete game, but I'm going to need to retire the heart of their order.

Struck out McGuire with a 1-2 slider to start the 9th. Struck out Ankiel looking at a 3-2 changeup that was across the outside corner. Pence grounds a 2-2 curve to Jose for the final out! Complete game shutout! My confidence is soaring now.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

June 26, 2016 -

We've won 8 of our last 10 and are now 43-32. We are in 1st place by a game over the Indians! Tonight I start on the road vs the Reds who are 35-39. Their offense is in the top 10 in most categories but their defense/pitching is in the bottom 5 in almost every category.

Their lineup:

LF Chris Dickerson
CF Tyson Cirillo
SS Hanley Ramirez
1B Joey Votto
2B Winfred Elam
3B Rocco Copley
RF Brian Anderson
C John Buck

Struck out Tyson with a 3-2 splitter for the 2nd out of the 1st.

Paulino with a RBI in the 2nd. 1-0 lead.

Struck out Anderson with a 3-2 change to end the 2nd.

Cano with a RBI in the 3rd. 2-0 lead.

Struck out Hanley with a 0-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 4th. Jose with a 2 out error allows Votto to get to 1st. Cano with a very good defensive play to dive, get up, and throw out Elam.

In the 5th, with 2 outs Buck hits a 0-0 fastball to deep left for a solo homer. 2-1. That is his 100th homer of his career. Jose with an error to allow the pitcher to get to 1st. A 0-1 fastball gets away and drills Dickerson in the back. Fortunately, I get Cirillo to bounce it back to me to end the inning.

Darn. Hanley starts off the 6th with a single, steals 2nd and then Votto fights off an inside fastball for a RBI double down the left field line. Tied at 2 and I still have a man at 2nd with 0 outs..

Elam grounds back to me, I look the runner back and throw out Elam. Copley grounds to Jose who looks back the runner and makes the throw for the 2nd out. Anderson's bat explodes on the first pitch and I make a good play to catch the little bloop that was going to land just fair on the first base line.

I start off the 7th with a grounder through the middle! Aybar knocks me in! 3-2 lead.

1-2-3 7th.

Struck out Ramirez with a 2-2 slider for the 2nd out of the 8th. 1-2-3 8th.

Mike pinch hits for me to start the 9th. We win the game 3-2.

Jenks gets his 18th save of the year. I get my 9th win!

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

[Eaglesfan27]

July 1, 2016 -

We just swept the Mariners 3-1, 3-1, 3-2 as our pitching is really shining now. We are 47-32 and 2.5 games ahead of the Indians.

We are 26th in team batting average at .262. We are 26th in runs scored with 340. We are 9th in homers with 90. Whaley leads the team with 22. We are 29th in walks with 225.

Our staff leads MLB in ERA with a 3.34 team ERA. We are 2nd in Complete Games with 3. We are 4th in saves with 31. Jenks has 20 now. We are 5th in blown saves. Groniga has all 8 of them which is how he lost his closer role. We are 2nd in HR's allowed. Chris Young has only allowed 3 on the year. We are 5th in walks allowed. We are 4th in strikeouts with 487.


Chris Young leads our team with a 10-2 record and 2.01 ERA, but I'm not far behind him:

9-5, 2.73, 16 GS, 12 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 105.2 IP, 87 H, 37 R, 32 ER, 8 HR, 22 BB, 74 K, 1.03 WHIP, .223 vs RH, .213 vs LH. Our pen is absolutely amazing:

Joey Devine has a 0.36 ERA. Kuo with a 2.40 ERA. Groniga with a 1.05 ERA. He's doing great as our 8th inning guy. Jenks with 20 saves, 0 blown saves, and a 1.44 ERA.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 2, 2016 -

Tonight, I get the start in Detroit. Hopefully, I can continue this hot streak. We are wearing our throwback uniforms today.

Struck out Chone Figgins looking at a 2-2 backdoor slider to get the 1st out of the game. 1-2-3 1st.

Guy Harville hits a 2-1 fastball for a solo homer to left to start the 2nd. Down 1-0. After getting into 2 out trouble, I strike out Dicky Alvarez with a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

Chone Figgins starts the 3rd with a single and then a stolen base. I strike out Bumgarner with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 1st out of the inning. Figgins steals 3rd with Richar at the plate. Richar hits a dribbler to 3rd that scores the run. Down 2-0 after 3.

Kubel with an infield single to start the 4th. Kubel goes to 3rd on a 1 out single to left field. Clifton hits a hard grounder that gets by Alexei. I think that should have been a double play. Instead, it is a RBI single. Figgins with a 2 out RBI single into right field. I strike out Bumgarner with a slider to end the inning. There go my All-star chances I think. Down 4-0.

We are being no hit through 5 innings.

I allow a 2 out double to Kubel and a single to Zapata and Mike pulls me in the bottom of the 5th. These throw back uniforms are horrible luck for me.

We actually come back and take the lead in the 8th inning, but Groniga gives up a 3 run homer. We lose the game 8-6.

4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 8, 2016 -

We are now 49-36 and tied with the Indians for the division lead. Tonight, I start at home vs the Twins. They are 35-51. Owens is injured and we are starting a rookie in center, Terrell Kelsey. He doesn't seem to have much range

Their lineup:

LF Brett Hardner
DH Tory Miller
C Jamison Gary
1B Justin Morneau (hitting .284 with 14 HR's)
3B Chris Iannetta
CF Jason Pridie
SS Juan Uribe
2B Matt Tolbert
RF Hector Luna

Struck out Gary with a 2-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the inning. Struck out Morneau with a 0-2 outside fastball to end the inning.

Struck out Juan Uribe with a 3-2 change to end the 2nd.

Struck out Miller with a 2-2 low fastball to end the 3rd.

Dunn with a solo homer in the 4th. That was his 19th of the year. 1-0 lead.

Struck out Tolbert with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 5th.

Alexei knocks in Paulino in the 5th. 2-0 lead.

Bad start to the 6th as I walk Miller and then Gary hits a single down the left field line that advances Miller to 3rd. Morneau up with 0 outs.. he fights off a 1-2 inside fastball and it barely lands inches fair for a RBI double down the left field line. Dunn catches a ball in shallow right for the 1st out. Then, Pridie hit it to shallow right, Dunn dove, and had it bounce off his glove. RBI single. Tied game at 2. Uribe with a ground out to 3rd that gets another run in as we fail to turn the double play. I get Tolbert to ground to 1st to end the inning. Down 3-2.

Mike pulls me after 6 innings.

It all went so well until that 6th inning, but that inning cost me the win. We did tie it in the 6th. Kuo gave up 2 runs in the 7th and Jenks gave up 2 more in the 8th. We lose the game 8-4.


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

[Eaglesfan27]

July 11, 2016 -

I thought those last 2 starts would cost me this opportunity, but I've been selected to the AL All-Star team! I was one of 5 starting pitches selected:

My teammate Chris Young was voted the starter: 10-2, 2.16 ERA, 89 K.

Rocky Murrant, Yankees, 11-2, 3.13 ERA, 31 K.

Joba Chamberlain 9-5, 3.34 ERA, 128 K.

Me 9-5, 3.09 ERA, 83 K.

Armando Galarraga, Tigers, 9-5, 3.31 ERA, 63 K.

Joey Devine was selected a reliever. He has a 4-1 record, 3 saves, 45 K, and a 0.66 ERA.

Bobby Jenks was selected as a closer. He has a 1-0 record, 20 saves, 34 K, and a 1.95 ERA.

Alexei Ramirez was selected at SS. He is hitting .281 with 12 HR's and 43 RBI.

The All-Star game is at Fenway Park this year. I hope I get in the game..

[Eaglesfan27]

July 12, 2016 -

I'm so exicted to be getting into the game. I've been told that I will pitch the 3rd inning at least. We are up 2-0.

Chris Young pitched 2 hitless innings and I feel the pressure to match him.

1st up is Marcus Grbavac. He hits my first pitch right back up the middle for a single. Next up is Jeramy Booker. He is hitting .315 with 17 HR's. I get him to pop to right for the 1st out. Next up is Hanley Ramirez. Saucedo throws out Grbavac on a steal attempt. I get him to ground a 3-2 change to 3rd for the out. I wish I had gotten a strikeout or 2, but it was still thrilling to throw a scoreless inning in my 1st All-star appearance.

The AL wins the game 3-2 in 11 innings.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 17, 2016 -

The bad news is that we lost our last 3 games before the All-Star break and now we have lost our first 3 games after the break. We are now in 2nd place and 3 GB behind the Indians. Tonight, I start on the road vs the Orioles.

Whaley suffered an injury in the 1st. Hopefully, it isn't serious

Before he was hurt, he hit a 2 RBI double. We are up 3-0 as I take the mound for the first time.

Terrell just misses a diving catch in center field and Adam Jones starts off the game with a double. Markakis with a RBI single to left. Lacey with a single up the middle that moves Markakis to 3rd. What a horrid start. Saucedo hits a grounder to 2nd that scores another run and then he beats out the DP. Greg Golson hits into a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning. Up 3-2. I need to pitch much better the rest of the way.

1-2-3 2nd.

I strike out Whitesell on 3 straight fastballs to start the 3rd. I strike out Jones looking at a 1-2 fastball on the outside corner. 1-2-3 3rd.

Budde with a solo homer in the 4th to make it 4-2 lead.

Struck out Saucedo with a 2-2 fastball to start the 4th.

Quentin with 2 RBI's in the 5th. 6-2 lead.

Whitesell strikes out on a 2-2 change to start the 6th. Adam Jones with an infield single, he steals 2nd, takes 3rd on a groundout by Markakis and then scores on an error by Aybar at 3rd. Dunn with a nice play in right to end the inning on a deep fly ball by Lacey.

1-2-3 7th.

We make the lead 7-3 in the 8th.

Ruben Gotay strikes out looking at a 0-2 slider to start the 8th. 1-2-3 8th.

Devine pitches a perfect 9th. We win the game 7-3 and I get my 10th win of the year.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

July 18, 2016 -

NO! Whaley tore his ACL and is done for the year.

Owens has suffered a dislocated shoulder and is also done for the year hence the rookie playing in center.

Last week, Jose suffered a broken bone in his hand and is out for about 2 months.

Wandy Segovia, our natural backup 3B has broken a bone in his leg and is done for the year.


The only good news is that Mike assures the club that the staff is working hard to try to trade for some pieces for a playoff push..

The club is saying that Radhames Coco, who will be our replacement 1B is a young power hitter with real plate discipline issues. He strikes out a lot and really isn't ready for The Show yet. He is also horrible defensively while Whaley was above average.

Meanwhile, I've seen enough of Terrell Kelsey to form my opinion on him. He isn't ready yet. He is a decent contact hitter with no power or speed. He is bad in center field. It's a miracle he is hitting .270 right now as he is never beating out an infield single. I wish that Mike would start Gwynn in center instead.

[Sun Tzu]

Grats on making the AS team.

[mrkilla22]

Congrats! What's your team's current record now?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

Congrats! What's your team's current record now?

I'll have to double check in a day or two when I can get on the game again, but I believe we are 50-42.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 22, 2016 -

We are 53-42 and today I'm pitching at home as we take on the Royals who are 48-50. Gwynn is starting in center field today!

Terrible start to the came. First, Coco Crisp with a first pitch to left field for a single. Then, Fidel Collazo hits a 2-0 change to deep left field for a homer. Bounced back by striking out Billy Butler with a 3-2 fastball. Struck out Olivo with a 3-2 fastball as well. Struck out Alex Gordon with an outside 0-2 fastball to end the inning.

We bounce back as Gywnn and Cano start the game with singles before Alexei hits a 2 RBI double. Quentin knocks him in to make it 3-2.

Struck out Shealy with a 1-2 slider to start the 2nd inning. 4 strikeouts in a row. Struck out Manley on 3 straight fastballs. A batter finally hits one of my pitches, but he hits the 1-2 slider weakly back to me for the 3rd out of the 2nd.

Big 2nd inning as Budde hits a 2 RBI double and Ramirez hits another 2 RBI double, again scoring both Gwynn and Cano. 7-2 lead.

Alexei with a throwing error to allow a leadoff runner in the 3rd. Coco draws a walk to put men on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Fidel pops it to shallow right, Coco runs back there. Makes a good catch and then the runner tests his weak arm and beats it to 3rd. On the weak throw, Coco Crisp takes 2nd. I get Butler to pop up to Aybar at 3rd for the 2nd out. Olivo grounds out to 1st to end the inning.

Struck out Gordon with a 3-2 slider to start the 4th. Struck out Manley with a 2-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 4th after allowing Shealy to get a single.

Cano with an error in the 5th that puts Crisp on 1st with 1 out. Collazo hits a 3-2 change just out of Aybar's reach for a single. I've owned Butler and that continues as I strike him out with an outside 0-2 slider. Olivo grounds to Cano to end the inning.

I strike out Gordon with a 2-2 outside fsatball to start the 6th. 1-2-3 6th.

Gwynn with a nice play in center for the 1st out of the 7th. Fairley with a 1 out double in the 7th. Crisp bounces it back to me for the 2nd out. Collazo hits my first pitch for an RBI double. I spoke too soon about Butler, I think he just got his first career RBI against me. He hit it to center for a RBI single. I comeback to strike out Olivo with a low 1-2 fastball. That was my 10th strikeout of the night.

Mike turns it over to the pen for the 8th inning. Kuo gives up 1 in the 8th, but Groniga pitches a perfect 9th for his 5th save of the year. 8-5 win.

Gwynn was the player of the game as he went 3 of 5 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 double, and 2 SB's. Hopefully, Mike will be smart and play him more.

I get my 11th win of the year. 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 10 K.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 28, 2016 -

We are hanging in there and by all accounts our team is trying hard to make a trade to get us some help. It's just a matter of if they have the right pieces to get an impact player. We are 56-44 and 5.5 games behind the Indians who have been torrid lately since they got Pablo Sandoval off the DL. He's been hitting .293 for them 12 homers. Their entire lineup is hitting very well right now, especially Sizemore who is batting .333 with 27 HR's and 76 RBI's. As a result, the Indians are 5th in team batting average, 1st in runs scored with 586 (Sizemore has 85.) 3rd in doubles, 3rd in triples, and 9th in homers. Their pitching staff is in the 15th-20th range in most categories.

[Eaglesfan27]

July 29, 2016 -

Tonight, I get the start against the Twins at their place.

Dunn with a solo homer and Paulino knocks in Quentin for a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning.

Struck out Alexi Casilla with a 1-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 2nd inning. Ramirez with a 2 out error puts Jason Pridie on 1st. Aybar with a good defensive play, but he throws it away for a 2nd error this inning. Men on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Juan Uribe at the plate.. I get him to pop up a 2-1 slider to end the inning.

Quentin knocks in Ramirez in the 3rd. 3-0 lead.

Struck out Pridie with a 100 MPH outside 0-2 fastball for the 2nd out of the 4th. That was my 100th of the year.

Trouble in the 5th as Morneau draws a 1 out walk, Gary hits a single, and then Wiki Macias hits a RBI double to center field. Iannetta with a ground to short to drive in another run. 3-2 with 2 outs. Casilla hits a 3-2 fastball into center for a RBI single. Darn. I finally get a strikeout with a 0-2 slider against Pridie to end the inning.

My teammates pick me up in the top of the 6th with 2 RBI's by Cano and another by Ramirez. 6-3 lead.

1-2-3 6th.

I get Macias to hit into a 5-4-3 DP by using a hard splitter to end the 7th.

We win the game 6-5 as Kuo gives up 2 in the 8th but Groniga pitches a perfect 9th for his 7th save. I get my 12th win of the year.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 3, 2016 -

We won 3 in a row, but I think the guys were just a bit demoralized when the trade deadline went by with no movement. We lost our next 3 games. We are now 59-46 as we host the Rays who are 47-59.

They are suffering since they lost Longoria. I'm glad to see Gwynn back in center today.

Struck out Darnell Buscher with a 0-2 outside fastball for the 2nd out of the 1st. 1-2-3 1st.

Struck out Pena with a 2-2 slider to start the 2nd. Struck out Matt Joyce looking with a 1-2 slider on the corner.

Paulino knocked in Coco to give us a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd.

Struck out Pena with a 2-2 outside fastball for the 1st out of the 4th. Cano with a great play on a hard grounder by Joyce to start a 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.

Struck out their young hitter, Lott, with a 1-2 slider to get the 1st out of the 6th after allowing a leadoff single.

Pena draws a leadoff walk to start the 7th. That 3-2 fastball barely missed the corner. Mike decides to pull me after allowing that walk. Jenks comes in and pitches a perfect 7th and 8th inning. Groniga pitches a perfect 9th and we get the 1-0 win! I get my 13th win.

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

[Eaglesfan27]

Aug 3, 2016 -

I really couldn't have asked for too much more out of the first 4 months of this critical season. Of course, I'm completely committed to the White Sox, but I can't help but think how attractive this is going to look to the various FA pursuers:

13-5, 3.06 ERA, 22 GS, 16 QS, 1 CG, 1 SO, 144.1 IP, 125 H, 55 R, 49 ER, 10 HR, 29 BB, 106 K, 1.07 WHIP (Leads AL), .241 vs RH, .211 vs LH.

While I'm focused on my current year, I've thought a bit about what I want in a team and who I think will meet that criteria:

1) The ability to win due to either outstanding defense, great run support, or both. Teams who I think may meet this criteria include:

The Indians (#1 in runs scored, great defense up the middle led by Sizemore.)

The Yankees (#1 in Batting average led by Teixeira, Brandon Phillips, and Chase Utley.)

The Red Sox (Top 5 in most offensive categories led by Jacoby Ellsbury who also provides excellent defense.)

The Angels (In the top 10 in most offensive categories and defensively solid at most positions.)

The Phillies (Offense is bad but their defense is good at most positions.)

2) Money - Being willing to offer it to me and just as importantly to other players to keep talent around me.

- The Yankees are spending by far the most money. They have 2 of the few 20 million dollar guys in Jose Reyes and Mark Teixeira. They almost certainly will reload as their older guys (and they have quite a few right now) age and retire.

- The Red Sox have 11 guys making over 10 million including 4 starting pitchers, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia. Only the Yankees outspend them and I know they will do what it takes to restock as talent ages.

- The Phillies have spent a ton of money on a few starts, but are going cheap outside of their top 6 or so guys. They are right about 100 million.

- The Angels have consistently been spending 140-150 million on their roster.

- The White Sox have spent most of their money on pitching, but they are spending a lot of money this year.

- The Dodgers aren't going too cheap at many positions. They are spending over 100 million.

3) Home Town Preference:

Phillies were always my team growing up. That being said, I think the top 4 teams for me are the Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, and then Philly. I also like Cleveland and the White Sox. Of course, that could change in the next few months if we pull together as a team and do something special in the playoffs.