Off Topic
Pen Throws Pair of Shutouts
ARE THEY MEETING THE HYPE?
April 20, 2065: BIKINI ATOLL— “It’s all fine, you know? If we can get the game to them,” said starter Arturo Meza after giving his bullpen a break by posting the Bikini Krill’s first complete game of the season, a seven-strikeout, four hit, 101 pitch gem that saw his team defeat the ball team from Sacramento by a 7-2 score. This was last Monday, the 13th. It evened the Krill’s record at a cool 6-6, which was not exactly what the pundits were expecting.
They were also not expecting the debacle that the bullpen had been in the club’s first dozen games. The relief corps was supposed to be precociously perfect, powerful in every way. And, yet, they were not.
A day off seems to have worked wonders, though, because since that complete game, it’s like the world has had the blinders ripped off them and are seeing the sun for the first time.
April 14 – Bikini 3, Sacramento 2
Paul Glass struggled through a rough 26-pitch first inning, but settled to blank the Mad Popes the rest of his stint. Rookie Andy Pedley picked up where Glass left off, and Winston Morris and Enrique kept throwing blanks until fellow rookie Pedro Alvarado drew an 11th inning walk, Ramón Sánz doubled him over to second base, where Alvarado scored on Juan Ramos’s walk-off sac fly.
Bullpen Total: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 15 – Bikini 2, Brook Park 1
Starter Nate Williams made it into the 6th inning, allowing only a single run on 97 pitches. The team needed it, too, as he left with a 1-0 deficit. Rookie Ted Myatt took over and was brilliant in dealing the Brownies two more shutout innings, striking out four in his 25 pitches. He was around long enough to allow Iván Quintana and Agatone Louganis to deliver a pair of run-scoring singles in the 8th. When Enrique Villarreal threw a double-play aided goose egg in the 9th, Myatt had earned his first big league victory
Bullpen Total: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 16 – Bikini 7, Brook Park 1
Vicente Liriano touched Bikini rookie José Guevara for a solo homer in the first, but otherwise, Guevara was sharp as a laser blade, throwing seven innings earning his second win on the year. Fellow rookie Ray Ayotte carried the ball for a scoreless inning and a third, and Brain Capps closed out the game, allowing two hits before striking Juan Orquiz out swinging to end the game.
Offensively, the bottom of the order won the day, highlighted by Pedro Jiménez and Keith Williams who both went 2-4 day, with a homer each (Jiminez’s was a three-run shot).
Bullpen Total: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 17 – Bikini 9, Brook Park 6
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
| P. Worboys | 3 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 3.32 |
| J. Saucedo | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 1.42 |
| B. Capps | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 4.50 |
| A. Pedley W (2-1) | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 4.15 |
| E. Villarreal H (2) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7.88 |
| W. Morris SV (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2.84 |
Paul Worboys fell victim to poor defense, and allowed six runs in his three innings, though only two were earned. “It’s not their fault,” he said after the game. “I wasn’t good today. It happens.” Worboys’ self-assessment was fair enough, he allowed seven hits and a homer in his 70 pitches. “Maybe if I were on my game those errors never happen, you know?”
Regardless, the bullpen swang into action, with rookie Jesús Saucedo dropping an inning and a third scoreless to stop the bleeding. Then a string of Capps, Pedley, Villarreal, and Morris (remember Winston Morris?), followed suite. The bats got hot, and newly-activated Manuel Martínez hit a 3-run dong in the 7th that brought the Krill home as 906 winners.
“Our bullpen is pretty good,” Worboys said to finish his press briefing. “We’ve always got a chance.”
Bullpen Total: 6 IP, 5 H, 10 K, 4 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 19 – Bikini 3, Chicago 2
Meza followed his complete game with another solid outing, pitching into the seventh on 97 pitches, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits. Pedley followed with a scoreless brace, and Morris matched him, picking up his fifth save on the year. The Krill offense led by a surging Dave Ackerman (who has hit five homers in the last six games), managed to score just enough to take home that 3-2 victory.
Manager Kate Fiscus was happy afterward. “The Black Sox team is a good outfit. When you get three runs and win, it’s a good game.”
Bullpen Total: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
# # #[/center]
So, yes, the bullpen had a coming out party of sorts this week. Krill faithful are pleased. When we add it all up, the relief corps put up these collective numbers:
That’s effectively throwing two shutout baseball games as a collective. It’s a very long season, of course, and one hot streak does not win a Pacific pennant. But these are the things of dreams, eh? So Krill fans can be forgiven enjoying them while we can.
ARE THEY MEETING THE HYPE?
April 20, 2065: BIKINI ATOLL— “It’s all fine, you know? If we can get the game to them,” said starter Arturo Meza after giving his bullpen a break by posting the Bikini Krill’s first complete game of the season, a seven-strikeout, four hit, 101 pitch gem that saw his team defeat the ball team from Sacramento by a 7-2 score. This was last Monday, the 13th. It evened the Krill’s record at a cool 6-6, which was not exactly what the pundits were expecting.
They were also not expecting the debacle that the bullpen had been in the club’s first dozen games. The relief corps was supposed to be precociously perfect, powerful in every way. And, yet, they were not.
A day off seems to have worked wonders, though, because since that complete game, it’s like the world has had the blinders ripped off them and are seeing the sun for the first time.
April 14 – Bikini 3, Sacramento 2
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Glass | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 93 | 3.78 |
| A. Pedley | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 5.14 |
| W. Morris | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 3.38 |
| E. Villarreal W (1-2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9.45 |
Bullpen Total: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 15 – Bikini 2, Brook Park 1
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. Williams | 5.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 97 | 3.45 |
| T. Myatt W (1-1) | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 3.60 |
| E. Villarreal SV (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8.22 |
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
Bullpen Total: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 16 – Bikini 7, Brook Park 1
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Guevara W (2-0) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 96 | 2.89 |
| R. Ayotte | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0.00 |
| B. Capps | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5.4 |
Offensively, the bottom of the order won the day, highlighted by Pedro Jiménez and Keith Williams who both went 2-4 day, with a homer each (Jiminez’s was a three-run shot).
Bullpen Total: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 17 – Bikini 9, Brook Park 6
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
| P. Worboys | 3 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 3.32 |
| J. Saucedo | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 1.42 |
| B. Capps | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 4.50 |
| A. Pedley W (2-1) | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 4.15 |
| E. Villarreal H (2) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7.88 |
| W. Morris SV (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2.84 |
Paul Worboys fell victim to poor defense, and allowed six runs in his three innings, though only two were earned. “It’s not their fault,” he said after the game. “I wasn’t good today. It happens.” Worboys’ self-assessment was fair enough, he allowed seven hits and a homer in his 70 pitches. “Maybe if I were on my game those errors never happen, you know?”
Regardless, the bullpen swang into action, with rookie Jesús Saucedo dropping an inning and a third scoreless to stop the bleeding. Then a string of Capps, Pedley, Villarreal, and Morris (remember Winston Morris?), followed suite. The bats got hot, and newly-activated Manuel Martínez hit a 3-run dong in the 7th that brought the Krill home as 906 winners.
“Our bullpen is pretty good,” Worboys said to finish his press briefing. “We’ve always got a chance.”
Bullpen Total: 6 IP, 5 H, 10 K, 4 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
April 19 – Bikini 3, Chicago 2
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Meza W (3-0) | 6.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 97 | 3.14 |
| A. Pedley H (2) | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 3.60 |
| W. Morris SV (5) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2.45 |
Meza followed his complete game with another solid outing, pitching into the seventh on 97 pitches, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits. Pedley followed with a scoreless brace, and Morris matched him, picking up his fifth save on the year. The Krill offense led by a surging Dave Ackerman (who has hit five homers in the last six games), managed to score just enough to take home that 3-2 victory.
Manager Kate Fiscus was happy afterward. “The Black Sox team is a good outfit. When you get three runs and win, it’s a good game.”
Bullpen Total: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 0 HR, 0 Runs
# # #[/center]
So, yes, the bullpen had a coming out party of sorts this week. Krill faithful are pleased. When we add it all up, the relief corps put up these collective numbers:
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PI | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18.2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 260 | 0.00 |
That’s effectively throwing two shutout baseball games as a collective. It’s a very long season, of course, and one hot streak does not win a Pacific pennant. But these are the things of dreams, eh? So Krill fans can be forgiven enjoying them while we can.