2012 Franchise Progress Thread

[Juce734]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Playing as the Tigers I have done some deals and brought in Gardner from the Yankees.

Austin Jackson is batting .184 and the Tigers are 20-6. Verlander has 6 wins already and I think 5 complete games. Prince leads the league in home runs with 11. Avila leads the league in batting average .377

Luis Marte was picked up off waivers by the White Sox I think. So that blows!

Been considering letting Victor Martinez go because I actually don't like his stance and have been using Delmon Young or Brennan Bosch as my DH at times.

My typical lineup...
CF - Brett Gardner
RF - Delmon Young or Brennan Bosch
3B - Miguel Cabrera
1B - Prince Fielder
DH - Victor Martinez
C - Alex Avila (Considering moving him to 2nd in the lineup .377 average)
2B - Ryan Raeburn
SS - Jhonny Peralta
LF - Austin Jackson (When he improved he will bat 2nd)

[sink4ever]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread



Pittsburgh Pirates Review - June '12










June 30th Notes

The NL Central is a pretty good division in 2012, led by the Brewers with a 47-30 record. The Reds have closed the gap a bit and the Cardinals haven't given up. The Astros are in the cellar, 20 games under .500. Both the Pirates and Cubs are pretty much out of it, each team more than 10 games back.

The month of June wasn't too kind to Pittsburgh, as they limped to a 10-17 record. Despite hitting 30 home runs, they failed to average even 4 runs per game. The pitching staff performed well, keeping their record from being even worse.

Offensively, the team is led by McCutchen. He slowed a bit in June, his OPS falling about 100 points. Barajas also saw his production fall a bit, but is still one of the more dangerous hitters in the lineup. Walker, usually one of the most consistent players, also went through a slump in June. Nieuwenhuis and McGehee chipped in a bit, both showing some pop. Alvarez has begun to turn his season around, raising his average almost 40 points. McKenry and McLouth continue to do well in limited playing time. Trumbo slid into the cleanup spot, but hasn't really had an immediate effect. Fox has shown some good power when he gets at-bats. Navarro and Gonzalez have been manning the shortstop position since Barmes got hurt and they've been adequate. Abreu will take over for Tabata in RF, he'll likely be gone after the season.

The pitching staff has been led by Burnett and Bedard. Both veterans are getting stronger as the season progressed, lowering their ERA's to 2.94 and 3.10 respectively. Morton has gotten better since his rocky start but Correia is struggling to hold onto that #5 spot. Friedrich has done quite well in the rotation since arriving in Pittsburgh, his ERA still under 3.00. Hanrahan proved he was human after all, his ERA increasing from a minuscule 0.54 to a still-respectable 2.01. Karstens is pretty much only good for absorbing damage in long relief and Grilli is seeing fewer late-inning opportunities due to his propensity for accumulating base-runners. Moskos is the lone lefty, but hasn't done much to show he's a long-term answer. Meek and Resop have been reliable in the 7th and 8th innings while VandenHurk has adapted pretty well to his new home in the bullpen.


Minor League Notes

AAA Indianapolis has some intriguing prospects, especially with the promotion of Gerrit Cole. Offensively, they've been led by Gorkys Hernandez (.269/.301/.371, 17 2B, 12 SB) and Starling Marte (.285, 21 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 9 SB). Marte probably would have been called up in September anyway, but he's pushing for an earlier promotion. Matt Hague (.239/.326/.387, 8 HR) has shown some patience and pop but needs to hit for a higher average while Tony Sanchez (.232/.317/.320) has a lot of room for improvement. He may not be read to compete for a starting spot in '13 after all. Jarek Cunningham (.299, 15 2B, 6 HR, 5 SB, 17 BB, 28 K) has been showing an all-around solid offensive game.

Kyle McPherson (4-7, 3.04 ERA, 109.2 IP, 100 H, 99 K, 28 BB) has been a stalwart in the rotation all year. Jeff Locke (8-6, 4.14 ERA, 104.1 IP, 115 H, 84 K, 37 BB) has been a little up-and-down, but has shown flashes of promise. Recently acquired Parker Frazier (4-2, 4.03 ERA, 38 IP, 41 H, 31 K, 5 BB) has been solid and top prospect Gerrit Cole (1-3, 4.82 ERA, 18.2 IP, 23 H, 17 K, 5 BB) has been struggling a little to adjust to the higher level.

The top hitting prospects in AA Altoona have been coming around a little, but still need to prove themselves. Alex Dickerson (.258/.317/.367, 9 HR, 54 K) needs to be more consistent and cut down on the K's while Robbie Grossman (.266/.337/.373, 15 2B) hasn't quite lived up the hype so far. Evan Chambers (.298/.373/.440, 15 2B, 5 HR, 5 SB), Brock Holt (.311/.396/.441) and Quincy Latimore (.296/.337/.426, 8 SB) have all been somewhat pleasant surprises.

Jameson Taillon (6-5, 3.45 ERA, 99 IP, 105 H, 71 K, 29 BB) is the big name pitching prospect in Altoona now that Cole is gone. He may spend the rest of the season in AA as he works on missing more bats. Zack von Rosnberg (9-6, 3.51 ERA, 95 IP, 106 H, 68 K, 39 BB) has been solid and Brad Lincoln (2-3, 38 IP, 42 H, 16 K, 9 BB) is doing a little better following his demotion. Newly acquired Kevin Quackenbush (0-1, 20 SV, 26.1 IP, 11 H, 25 K, 7 BB) has had a good year so far in the Padres system and he'll get a chance in Altoona to show he's ready for a promotion. Stetson Allie (0-2, 28 SV, 30.1 IP, 30 H, 23 K, 8 BB) is still racking up saves at a ridiculous pace, and his peripheral numbers have been pretty good (especially heartening is the 8 walks in 30+ innings).



Injuries

SS Clint Barmes on 15-day DL with Torn Finger Ligament, out another week or so
RP Duke Welker on 15-day DL with Fractured Wrist, out another 1-2 weeks
RF Josh Bell on 15-day with Torn Calf, out another 2-3 weeks



Trades

See here for a breakdown of a big June trade between the Pirates, Padres, Angels, and Mariners (after the draft recap).


Around the League

Yankees traded RP R Soriano to Rangers for CF J Borbon and SS J Profar
Blue Jays traded RP C. Janssen, C J. Arencibia, and SP H. Alvarez to Dodgers for RP M. Guerrier and SP Z. Lee
Rangers traded RP A. Ogando and C. Y. Torrealba to Nationals for CP H. Rodriguez and 3B M DeRosa
Nationals traded 3B Anthony Rendon to Diamondbacks for CF Willie Bloomquist
Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard on 15-day DL with Torn Finger Ligament, out another 1-2 months
Diamondbacks - SS Stephen Drew on 15-day DL with Torn Calf, out another 1-2 months
Dodgers - C AJ Ellis on 60-day DL with Broken Ankle, out another 1-2 months
Indians - RF Shin-Soo Choo on 15-day DL with Sprained Ligament in Knee, out another 2-3 weeks
Tigers - SP Aroldis Chapman on 15-day DL with Shoulder Tear, out another 2-3 weeks
Tigers - 3B Miguel Cabrera on 15-day DL with Broken Leg, out another 2-3 weeks

[lek]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

That was a very nice post Sinkforever. Really getting a feel for your league.

I did a wrap up of my fictional league after 2011 just to get a history and feel for the top fictional players. My team, the White Sox finished third at 500. The Royals ran away with the division. Hope it is somewhat interesting.

(I did the gold teams to get more of an idea as to top players)

2011 History
WS Champs: St. Louis Cardinals
WS: St. Louis 4 Baltimore 2
ALCS: Baltimore 4 Seattle 3
NLCS: Chicago 2 St. Louis 4
ALDS: Baltimore 3 KC 2 Seattle 3 New York 2
NLDS: Chicago 3 LA 1 St. Louis 3 Atlanta 0


AWARDS
NLMVP- Luis Marquez Chi 312/42/126
NLCY- Larry Weaver Atl 21-6/2.99/125SO
Silver Slugger- Willie Grant SD 350/38/116

ALMVP- Greg Crane KC 20-7/2.73/214SO
ALCY- Greg Crane KC 20-7/2.73/214SO
Silver Slugger- Randall Lowery Min 347/18/85



NL Gold Team:
C- Phil White Arz 285/30/101
1b- Arturo Valentin Atl 304/39/122
2b- Masahiro Okamoto Stl 287/27/124
SS- Alejandro Romero Chi 273/29/86
3b- Willie Grant SD 350/38/116
Lf- Tyler Edwards Atl 336/35/121
Rf- Luis Marquez Chi 312/42/126
Cf- Shaun Clayton Stl 313/21/77

SP- Larry Weaver Atl 2.99/21-6/1.22WHIP/125SO
SP- Ricky Lyon LA 2.85/14-8/1.29WHIP/167SO
SP- Joe Smith Chi 2.94/14-6/1.17WHIP/190SO
SP- Raphael Cote Stl 3.49/19-7/1.1WHIP/199SO

RP- Red Pearson LA 1.82/1-2/52SO/60SV
RP- Rick Randolph Chi 1.75/1-0/57SO/51SV
RP- Mario Vizquel Phi 1.97/1-3/33SO/38SV
RP- Adam Glass SD 2.58/8-0/35SO
RP- Matt Wagner Col 2.87/3-3/59SO

AL Gold Team:
C- Joe Stemle Bal 318/20/86
1b- Clayton Lambert Tex 296/29/94
2b- Cory Daly Bal 277/20/90
SS- Kevin Compton Bos 319/18/85
3b- Tomas Vargas NY 293/27/78
Lf- Mac Harris TB 278/40/109
Rf- Javier Rojas NY 316/38/117
Cf- James Rodriguez LAA 302/37/102
Dh- Jacob Sullivan KC 323/37/122

SP- Greg Crane KC 2.73/20-7/1.20WHIP/214SO
SP- John Moore Bal 3.24/18-5/1.21WHIP/130SO
SP- Lupe Martinez Bos 3.98/19-8/1.39WHIP/204SO
SP- Pai-Ro Chen Bal 3.24/10-3/1.36WHIP/120SO

RP- Steve Johnson Det 1.32/1-0/53SO/49SV
RP- Warren Johnson Min 2.25/0-2/57SO/45SV
RP- Manny Castro KC 2.54/0-2/46SO/44SV
RP- Ken Dickey Tex 2.82/1-3/37SO/43SV
RP- Spence Roberson Chi 2.84/2-1/42SO/40SV

[sink4ever]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Good stuff lek. Those are some impressive numbers put up by the members of the gold teams. Looking forward to seeing how you guys do in '12.

[franch1se]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Started a new franchise but this time I'm using the Tucson Padres (AAA). I am having a blast playing in these Minor League Parks with the farm team. Different uniforms, feel, game feels fresh again. I'm 2-1 through 3. I turned everything to CPU so they make all the roster moves and I have no say, pretty much like a real AAA team. Its cool having the CPU control your team and putting together your roster. I re-did the lineups and rotations with what i was assigned.

Rotation

Andrew Cashner
Joe Wieland
Jason Marquis
Casey Kelly
Mark Hamburger

CL - Brad Boxberger
SU - Miles Mikolas
RP - Nick Vincent
RP - Josh Spence
RP - Neil Wagner
LRP - Ross Ohlendorf
LRP - Micah Owings

Lineup

SS - Everth Cabrera
2B - Alexi Amarista
3B - Jedd Gyorko
C - Yasmani Grandal
1B - Matt Clark
LF - James Darnell
DH - Cody Decker
RF - Sawyer Carroll
CF - Blake Tekotte

Bench

OF - Daniel Robertson
C - Brad Davis
INF - Amadeo Zazueta
INF - Beemer Weems

[Juce734]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Started a new franchise but this time I'm using the Tucson Padres (AAA). I am having a blast playing in these Minor League Parks with the farm team. Different uniforms, feel, game feels fresh again. I'm 2-1 through 3. I turned everything to CPU so they make all the roster moves and I have no say, pretty much like a real AAA team. Its cool having the CPU control your team and putting together your roster. I re-did the lineups and rotations with what i was assigned.

Rotation

Andrew Cashner
Joe Wieland
Jason Marquis
Casey Kelly
Mark Hamburger

CL - Brad Boxberger
SU - Miles Mikolas
RP - Nick Vincent
RP - Josh Spence
RP - Neil Wagner
LRP - Ross Ohlendorf
LRP - Micah Owings

Lineup

SS - Everth Cabrera
2B - Alexi Amarista
3B - Jedd Gyorko
C - Yasmani Grandal
1B - Matt Clark
LF - James Darnell
DH - Cody Decker
RF - Sawyer Carroll
CF - Blake Tekotte

Bench

OF - Daniel Robertson
C - Brad Davis
INF - Amadeo Zazueta
INF - Beemer Weems

I took a guy from my double A team and renamed him, changed his appearance, and everything about him basically except his talent. I play as him in my Franchise at times hoping to get him up to the major league level. Been thinking of doing this with all of my single A team.

[sink4ever]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread




Seattle Mariners Review - June '12











June 30th Notes

The Mariners are only half a game out of first place, but that says more about how weak the AL West is. The Rangers are Angels are tied for first place with .500 records. It's probably safe to say that the Wild Card winner will not come from the West.

Overall, Seattle had a solid June, going 16-11. The pitching struggled a little (4.20 ERA), but the offense hit a robust .285. While 17 HR's in a month isn't all that great, the 37 stolen bases surely helped.

On offense, Ichiro is still doing a solid job of setting the table. Gutierrez and Figgins are rebounding from slow starts, and helping to provide a spark in the #2 spot. Ackley and Smoak are still the most reliable producers in the middle of the line-up. Montero has been a little cold with the bat after becoming the primary catcher. Carp and Stewart have provided solid offensive production but Seager has continued to cool off. Ryan will never been an offensive threat and Gomez hasn't shown much yet after being acquired from the Brewers. Jaso hasn't put up great numbers, but he may see more time at catcher if Montero's numbers don't improve.

Felix bounced back from an average May to once again show why he's considered one of the best in the game. Millwood has come back to earth a bit. Iwakuma has improved his numbers a bit, but hasn't done anything to prove that he deserves a spot in the rotation. Noesi flashes dominance at times, but other games it looks like he's throwing batting practice. Recently called-up Blake Beavan has taken Vargas' spot in the rotation, and so far he's acquitted himself fairly well. Marquez has been decent, but Wilhelmsen definitely had a month to forget as his ERA shot up by 1.70. Luetge and Sherrill have provided the team with a pair of solid lefties. Furbush was called up due to an injury to Heilman (who will probably be cut after he comes off the DL). Samardzija has been pitching well enough and League makes it interesting but usually manages to nail down the saves.


Minor League Notes

In AAA, Tacoma is having a pretty solid season thanks to a solid offense and sound pitching. Donavan Tate, recently acquired from the Padres, should provide a spark at the top of the order (.272/.379/.375, 12 2B, 14 SB). Alex Liddi has shown good pop, but he does need to cut down on his K's (.260, 16 2B, 10 HR, 19 BB, 63 K). Vinnie Catricala (.294/.344/.487, 13 HR) and Chih-Hsien Chiang (.272, 6 HR, 7/14 SB, 24 BB, 34 K) have been heating up while Michael Saunders (.292/.342/.445, 14 SB) is still hitting well and Nick Franklin (.258/.319/.364) is holding his own during his first taste of AAA.

Erasmo Ramirez (5-4, 2.78 ERA, 106.2 IP, 92 H, 66 K, 25 BB) and Mauricio Robles (9-2, 2.24 ERA, 104.2 IP, 89 H, 86 K, 37 BB) have been anchoring the Tacoma rotation. James Paxton (2-1, 3.32 ERA, 40.2 IP, 38 H, 38 K, 9 BB) is handling his promotion well and he's showing that he could be a viable option for '13.
Forrest Snow (2-0, 2.84 ERA, 31.2 IP, 29 H, 25 K, 12 BB) and Steve Garrison (2-5, 2.35 ERA, 38.1 IP, 36 H, 27 K, 13 BB) have been dependable in the bullpen and could be in line for a call-up if a spot opens up in the majors. Stephen Pryor (0-3, 25 SV, 24 IP, 14 H, 15 K, 7 BB) has bounced back from a rough start and has been dominant lately.

In AA Jackson, James Jones (.311, 17 2B, 11 SB) has continued his solid year. Brad Miller (.277/.350/.378, 5 HR, 6 SB) has shown a good bat and has done a little of everything while Darren Ford (.284, 8 2B, 12 SB, 19 BB, 26 K) has shown a knack for getting on base and using his speed. Francisco Martinez (.309/.372/.426 in 68 AB) has finally come off the DL and should provide a good boost to the offense.

Now that Paxton has been promoted, Taijuan Walker (5-6, 2.90 ERA, 105.2 IP, 109 H, 95 K, 26 BB) and Danny Hultzen (7-4, 3.44 ERA, 99.1 IP, 95 H, 80 K, 27 BB) are the only really notable pitching prospects left in AA. Hultzen could get some time in AAA later in the season, but Walker will probably spend the whole year in Jackson.



Injuries

RP Aaron Heilman on 15-day DL with Elbow Tightness, out another two weeks
1B Johan Limonta on 60-day DL with Fractured Foot, out another 1-2 months



Trades

See here for a breakdown of a big June trade between the Pirates, Padres, Angels, and Mariners (after the draft recap).


Around the League

Yankees traded RP R Soriano to Rangers for CF J Borbon and SS J Profar
Blue Jays traded RP C. Janssen, C J. Arencibia, and SP H. Alvarez to Dodgers for RP M. Guerrier and SP Z. Lee
Rangers traded RP A. Ogando and C. Y. Torrealba to Nationals for CP H. Rodriguez and 3B M DeRosa
Nationals traded 3B Anthony Rendon to Diamondbacks for CF Willie Bloomquist
Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard on 15-day DL with Torn Finger Ligament, out another 1-2 months
Diamondbacks - SS Stephen Drew on 15-day DL with Torn Calf, out another 1-2 months
Dodgers - C AJ Ellis on 60-day DL with Broken Ankle, out another 1-2 months
Indians - RF Shin-Soo Choo on 15-day DL with Sprained Ligament in Knee, out another 2-3 weeks
Tigers - SP Aroldis Chapman on 15-day DL with Shoulder Tear, out another 2-3 weeks
Tigers - 3B Miguel Cabrera on 15-day DL with Broken Leg, out another 2-3 weeks

[clevelandsfinest]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

6-11 right now in my A's franchise. Chose the team because I saw Moneyball and was inspired to win with them. I also really like some of the young talent such as Weeks and Cespedes.

After an 0-5 start, I've started winning more recently. I had probably the funnest game ever recently when I beat Cleveland at home 8-7. The lead changed 3-4 times, and I went 4-4 with Scott Sizemore, who had been horrid up to the game. They have been really solid at pitching, but I've struggled getting hits with them. Cespedes already has 5 homers and looks in great position to win AL rookie of the year. Seth Smith and Josh Reddick have hit homers too. But I'm not getting enough rallies with this team. I'm going to start making moves to the minors fairly soon to see if I can make them any better.

[lek]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Great idea franch1se. I never thought about doing a minor league season. Kind of a little like what I am doing with the fictional players. The idea of different stadiums and players is really cool. I also like the fact that you are leaving roster moves to the game very realistic.

[Dienerbird55]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Ugh, just got swept again, by Baltimore this time. Good thing I've got a long season to go. Zack Lee and Ivan Nova pitched well in Games 1 & 3. Carlos Martinez had a bit of a tough time in Game 2 though. I'm hitting the ball well too, just right at people most of the time. Swisher is about the only consistent hitter I have so far. Well, its only 6 games in. Not worried yet.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Got swept by the Red Sox at Fenway, and I've now lost 5 of 6. The Phillies and Nats are taking advantage, closing to within a game of first place. Got to get back on track against the D-Backs.

[franch1se]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Great idea franch1se. I never thought about doing a minor league season. Kind of a little like what I am doing with the fictional players. The idea of different stadiums and players is really cool. I also like the fact that you are leaving roster moves to the game very realistic.

Thanks, it just keeps it fresh. I always want to develop prospects and build around them but I never get deep enough into a franchise where I see them reach the bigs and get to use them. I figure why not just play as a minor league team and see all the teams best prospects and finally use them and develop them myself. I'm 7-3 through 10. Mark Hamburger has been the recipient of tough luck. Start 1 he gave up 2 runs in 7 innings. Start 2 he gave up 1 run in 8 innings. He's 0-2

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

I've been really bad about updating. Hopefully I'll post a comprehensive one here soon.

Just briefly, my Yankees are now 59-39; carrying a 2 game lead over TOR, a 3 game lead over BOS, and a 4.5 game lead over TB. Again, it's a freaking cluster...well, you know. Making me even more nervous is the start of a 3 game set against Boston beginning tonight. Soap opera!!!

I'm currently batting .266 as a team, and recently have been on a pitching tear! Bringing my ERA all the way down to 3.66.

C.C. Sabathia has been the top story. Currently, after 20 starts, his stat line is: 12-1, 138.1 IP, 3 CG, 129 SO, 1.08 WHIP. 1st overall in the AL Cy Young race.

A few weeks ago, I dealt three prospects to COL in exchange for Jorge De La Rosa. Thus far, he's been brilliant. As has Kuroda.

Michael Pineda (struggling), landed himself on the 15 day DL recently, making room for Manny Banuelos to make his Major League debut (where he shined!). Except...SEA did smack him around pretty good in his second start. LOL! Ahhh, growing pains!

Robinson Cano (7th in the AL in BA), leads the Yanks in BA at .315. A-Rod is hitting .272 with 26 HR's and 78 RBI. Texiera is hitting an abysmal .242 but is second in the AL with 81 RBI. Granderson, who's been HOT HOT HOT, is all the way up to .305 with 20 HR's and 55ish RBI.

Soriano, Logan, Wade, Robertson, and Rivera (22 saves) have all been astounding. Aardsma and Hughes, as well as a released Freddy Garcia and a brief attempt on Dellin Betances, have...well...not!

Prince Fielder in DET leads the universe in most offensive categories (HR, RBI, etc...1st in AL MVP). And David Ortiz in BOS just hit his 30th dinger of the year

SEA still leads the AL West by a decent margin over Texas, even without King Felix who's still on the DL.

TOR, just to make my head explode, traded for Manny Ramirez.

DET's pitching has been masterful, as Verlander and Fister finish out the top 3 in the AL Cy Young race.

Up tonight, Daniel Bard will try to tighten up the standings on the road for BOS in Yankee Stadium. The video game version of Bard has actually been good! His ERA is in the 3.70's and already has racked up 126 SO.

It's gonna be a wild finish!

[sportswizard1983]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

Here's an All*Star Break update:


MLB: My O's representatives were: Pyle, Hardy, and Johnson.

Pyle participated in the HR Derby and won with a total of 32.

Pyle went 1-4 with a stolen base and played the entire game in center. Hardy came into the game in the 6th and played short. He went 0-1. The AL won 3-2 with a walk off HR by Curtis Granderson on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth. Jose Bautista was the MVP, going 2-2 with a HR.

AAA: Brian Matusz was a Norfolk Tides representative. He started for the International League, going 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits while walking 2 batters and striking out 4. He also went 2-2 at the plate with 3RBI, a double and a run scored. The IL won 10-7. Royce Whalen, another Tides rep, was the MVP, only batting once but hitting a home run.

[iiamfenix]

Re: 2012 Franchise Progress Thread

I'm using the pirates and made some quick trades. First I traded mcutchen , Neil walker, and McDonald for kemp, billongsley, and Orlando hudson. Then I traded Clint Barnes, Joel haneham, and gerrit cole for starlin Castro. Them I traded Dominic brown for Michael Stanton . Then I traded Matt Hague and tony Sanchez for Brett Myers.
I'm currently sitting at 7-5.
Pedro Alvarez is hot hitting .447 with 5 long ones.
My bull pen has ruined us for our losses.
Charlie Morton had a god awful game agents the cubs. He started looking like cy young pitching 6 perfect innings. Then in the 7th let up 11 runs before I pulled him. What a way to end the perfect game right !
Our most recent game against the cubs was neck and neck for 8 innings before grille blew the save.