May 24, 2045
by Banjo Jackson
Nashville, TN
The front office in Nashville had seen enough losing in the Frick League. Newly appointed manager Gilberto Pacheco was given his walking papers as the Bluebirds sat in last place in the Heartland with a record of 20-22. The reins were handed over to unknown manager Freddy Díaz.
“Gilberto is a great guy and we enjoyed having him serve as our bench coach for the last several years. When we were forced to look for a new manager this past offseason, we decided to move Gilberto from the shotgun role and put him in charge,” said GM Chad Nason. “Since we passed on other available managers, we were not left with a lot of options, but Freddy really struck a chord with me during interviews. He’s got the type of attitude that resonates throughout the clubhouse and early signs show the players really take to him.”
Manager Freddy Díaz
Pacheco was given word the Bluebirds were going to head in a different direction after Wednesday’s slumpbusting victory versus the Des Moines Kernels. The hunt for a new manager only lasted two days and Pacheco was able to leave on mutual terms and a three game winning streak. Díaz flew to Twin Cities to begin his managerial career in a tough two game series on the road against one of the toughest teams in the Heartland.
Díaz had rookie phenom Scott Bugbie at his disposal in his first game at Twin Cities. The lefty had another remarkable start and lowered his ERA to 2.26, although he only lasted five innings after allowing six walks to the patient River Monsters lineup. Bugbie handed the ball off to recently called up RHP Jorge Ávila with the team trailing 3-1. Díaz’s inaugural contest looked grim going into the 9th inning trailing 4-1 with Juan Cerda on the mound looking to save his eighth game of the season. Doubles by Tony Frost, Martín 'Duck' Marín, and Jesús Yan brought the victory within striking distance with the early favorite for team MVP, Alberto Rodríguez, headed to the plate. Rodríguez was probably the last person Cerda wanted to face, as was apparent from his shaking knees and Rodríguez took an 0-1 pitch and drove it the opposite field for a go ahead two run homer. The win brought the Bluebirds back over the .500 mark.
“When Dington brought me in to help with interviews, I vetted for Freddy to come on board,” said Rodríguez. “I couldn’t let him begin his career with an L so we got fired up heading into the 9th and I told these guys to get me to the plate and we’ll win this game.”
C Alberto Rodríguez
Nashville went on to sweep the two games series with a 10-2 shellacking that saw every batter in the lineup get at least one hit. Chris ‘The Wolf’ Moran pitched splendidly as he is trying to pitch out of a funk. The Bluebirds returned home for another homestand beginning with the Valencia Stars.
Alvin Chartrand took the bump in the first game against Valencia, but didn’t make it out of the 3rd inning after allowing 6 ER. Luckily the Bluebirds bats woke up and they were able to salvage a 12-7 victory much in part by the play of Ernesto Sousa, who appears to have broken out a slump that has lasted nearly a full calendar year. Sousa has now hit safely in 7 of his past 8 games and raised his batting average from .162 to .245 with nine doubles in that span.
“I have tried everything I can think of to fix my swing and I’ve spent hours watching film,” said Sousa. “When Shaman Cerrano visited, I made sure to spend extra time with him before he left. In addition to my bats hanging over the burning maple leaves, he suggested I cleanse my batting gloves and, well, erm, my jockstrap, too. You’ll do anything as crazy as it may seem to break out of a slump, but it looks like I’ll be doing this pregame ritual for the foreseeable future.”
DH Ernesto Sousa
Last night’s matchup was a bullpen game that turned out 3-0 in favor of the Bluebirds. Miguel Angel 'Swami' Garza, Gustavo Muñóz, Charles Fry, and Martin Román combined for a two-hit shutout. Nashville will face Valencia two more times before hosting the Portland Lumberjacks and Omaha Cyclones.
