Game 33 Recap: Ten Hits, Two Different Outcomes
Ballers Manage One Run, Dropping 6-1 to Roadsters
by Roberto Santiago
Baseball has seen a parade of rule changes in recent years. Some are welcome additions, others strike at the heart of the game like an arterial blockage. Banning the shift instead of forcing hitters to hit well, a three-batter rule for relief pitchers, the ghost runner in extra innings as if the game were a sandlot and you were playing with only seven players on your team, and of course, the ABS strike challenge, which to this writer has been delightful. While these changes have been debated widely, it seems there’s nothing too out there for someone in the baseball community to suggest. So: the Ballers may want to get in on the rule change fad by proposing that we don’t start keeping score until the fourth inning. If the league doesn’t go for it, maybe have the Oakland starters pitch a three inning simulated game before the actual first pitch. All this is a long way of saying that the Ballers early-inning woes plagued them again last night.
In all, it was a gutsy performance from Oakland starter Charlie Hurley (1-2). Hurley was able to give the team five tough innings with his only real trouble coming in the first inning when he allowed a two-run home run to the red-hot Max Handron and an RBI single to B’s killer Bryce Cannon. Hurley limited damage in what could have been a big second inning for the Roadsters. With the bases loaded and one out, Hurley induced a sacrifice fly from Kingston Liniak before getting a ground out by Jacob Lojewski to end the threat. Hurley walked the tightrope again in the fourth. With runners at first and second and one out, manager Aaron Miles called for Hurley to intentionally walked Handron to load the bases. The gambit worked, as Hurley got the next two outs on a pop up and a fly ball to escape the jam. Hurley was followed by Hunter Day, making his Ballers debut (Day-but?). Day threw one scoreless inning in front of Jacob Petersheim who finished out the contest. In all, the staff gave up 10 hits which Modesto was able to convert into six runs by way of two sac flies and a run scored on an error. How would the Oakland offense respond?
The odds are, you saw the box score and know that the usually high-octane B’s offense had (another) rare off night. Credit goes to Modesto starter Omar Serrano who leads the league in strikeouts. In his last outing against Oakland, Serrano went seven innings with ten strikeouts but was let down by his bullpen in the Roadsters loss. On Thursday, he again went seven innings, scattering 9 hits while allowing only one run on a first inning homer by Esai Santos. Though Serrano saw traffic on the base paths for four of the next six innings, he was able to get outs when he needed them most. The Ballers only had more than one runner on base in two innings while Serrano was on the mound. The B’s managed one more hit but no additional runs against the Modesto bullpen, unable to convert their 10 hits in the same way as the home team.
Odds & Ends
Opening Day closer Braydon Nelson was traded to Cleburne of the American Association for a player to be named later. Nelson was second on the team in ERA and fourth in WHIP. The trade was made as part of the Ballers commitment to moving players along to higher leagues whenever possible.
Brady Chavez joins Day as a newcomer to the bullpen. Day is replacing Derek Murphy who is still listed on the active roster but will be removed soon. Chavez is the team’s designated 26th man. Chavez is strictly a reliever who has no starts on his ledger over the last three seasons.
Petersheim started for Oakland on Sunday and came out of the bullpen Thursday. That could set him up to start again on Tuesday, but leaves some questions about the rotation in the near term. The last time a pitcher was used in a similar pattern was Nick Bautista, who was traded a couple days later.
The Ballers return home to Raimondi tonight for Phish Night at 6:35 PM against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds. It will feature the baseball debut of former English National Team Cricket player Liam Plunkett in a to-be-determined role.
Photos by Dan Silvert.
Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.
