Phoenix Suns (19-20, .487, 5th NL West) @ Los Angeles Lakers (24-16, .600, 1st NL West)
Taking a floundering franchise with a suspect developmental program to the playoffs while restocking said AAA system to the degree that it is shortly thereafter ranked at the top of the class is enough to pay the bills - if you build it they will come - it just might not be enough to satisfy the outlandish margins that the former owners son demands. Phoenix is still my team. Any offseason changes made by the new regime were immaterial and now they just have to wait for the players I stocked them with to mature. Or they could mess it up... who knows? The only thing that is certain is that the new regime isn’t interested in my trade offers and while they still take my calls, they are no longer waiting for me to finish before they say no. In LA things are different - same amount of sunshine, but with a light ocean breeze - the checkbook is open, ownership interference is minimal, and expectations were low. I’ve brought in top-flight talent, improved the developmental program, delivered a desirable product, and even installed a top of the line Nespresso machine in my office without the top brass taking notice. Things are good - much better than they are in Phoenix where the Suns are off to a poor start. At 19-20 for the season and without key contributing starters Patrick Keith & Evan Frasier, the Suns find themselves last among NL pitching staffs and are mired in the unfortunate circumstance of being forced to call Al Van Wilder their de facto Ace. This will be a rough stretch for the Eggplant Purple and Burnt Orange’s faithful – and it should be, they deserve it.
41 of 162: Del Miller (2-2, 5.28) @ Merl Crawford (3-3, 4.05)
For five innings, Del was our marionette – we did whatever we wanted to do with his pitches – 11 hits, 5 runs, 2 homers, 3 doubles, a walk. By contrast, Merl went the other way – 7 innings of pinpoint control allowing only 4 hits and 1 run in our 6-1 opening game victory over the Suns. Otto went 1 for 3 where the one was a 2-run HR, Mullens hit a triple, Pepper scored, and we fielded 3 double-plays on the day. 12 total hits with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. Complete team effort here – a good dismantling of Phoenix and all that they stand for.
42 of 162: Al Van Wilder (2-3, 4.72) @ Michael Brisk (5-3, 3.64)
We get to Van Wilder early, but the Suns get to Brisk late and rally for the 6-5 win. Jacob Wells finished 3 for 3 with a run-scoring double that put Phoenix up for good, and Luca Milbrandt scored twice to help the cause. Zarate gets a double and 2 RBI for us, but it’s not enough in this one – a tough loss for the good guys here as the ball bounced Phoenix’s way.
43 of 162: Ash Newman (2-3, 6.92) @ Case Tunnell (2-1, 3.99)
Case comes through – his 8 innings of 2-run baseball gets the job done and assures us a series split against the Suns by a score of 3-2. Tunnell finished with 9 K’s and only allowed 5 hits. Guzman picks up his 11th save, and Kumar, Mullens, and Newman get an RBI each. Pepper went 0 for 3 and Otto had the night off.
Elsewhere (City of Compton): Weiser was dominant for 7 innings in his last start only allowing 1 run and 4 hits with 8 K’s – Compton lost Sugar Land by a score of 3-2 despite the performance.
44 of 162: Shiro Nakamura (3-2, 4.97) @ Josiah Kawka (5-2, 2.85)
An early 7 run deficit against Phoenix proves to be too much for us to overcome in a frustrating 8-3 loss for the Lakers. Kawka was out there throwing BP for 6 innings allowing 13 hits and 7 runs across. Fregoso finishes 2 for 4 with a couple of RBIs, but we don’t get much from anyone else – the club is dragging after 13 games straight with three more left before a day off. Jake Wells, Cash Crouch, Preston, Homer, and Jess Alford all get 2+ hits for the Suns. I ain’t even mad – those are all still my guys.
Elsewhere: The NCAA Playoffs are set and the annual tournament is upon us. The odds-on favorites are Tennessee & St. John’s with MIT, Notre Dame, and Cal among the most popular dark-horse picks. Some interesting match-ups in the first round to look out for… Blue Mountain State @ Binghamton, Ridgemont Community College @ Troy, and Texas Tech @ Notre Dame.
