We were
mostly good, but far from great, in Game 1 - secured the W, in less than dominant fashion. There was some bad as well - two late fielding flubs, some really poor at-bats, a strikeout where Pepper put so much torque in his swing that he spun around before falling to one knee - so, we have some work to do here. A 1-0 lead off of a pedestrian - and, at times workmanlike - performance against a club we should dominate. A club that earned their bid to the 2nd round, who is playing in their finest form of the year... against a Laker club that needs to improve everywhere if we are to get on that smooth-fielding, power-bat, lights-out pitching form required to win it all. We’ll happily take a Game 2 W, but we need a Game 2
shellacking.
St. Louis Rams @ Los Angeles Lakers, Game 2 (LAL leads 1-0)
Max Harrington (19-8, 3.54) @ Dejuan Burns (16-7, 3.42)
Bottom of the 1st, second verse, same as… Otto opens the scoring on an RBI double for the early 1-0 lead. Cooke gets in on the action in the 3rd, RBI single – 2-0 lead for the La La’s – we’re not bringing a lot of heat, just a couple of quick, short bursts. Burns holds St. Louis hitless until the 5th – his command is on point early, and he’s aggressive, not afraid to make his living inside. Huge bottom of the 5th for the La La’s – 7-runs – Otto opens it up with a 2-run double, Cooke hits a run-scoring double (bring Otto home), and Mullens, Weaver, Jenkins, and Pepper all get an RBI in the frame. Dejuan carries a 1-hit shutout to the 8th – 2 get across for St. Louis on a well-hit double for STL’s Jack Riffle in a PH situation. La La’s win, 9-2… it’s mostly the Otto/Dejuan show – Ethan goes 3 for 5 though, and Cooke had himself a little bit of a game. Dejuan was Brills Murray – that’s a fact, jack – he kept the Rams off balance for the majority of this one, before fading a bit in the 8th. Great win to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Brooklyn Citizens @ Montreal Impact, Game 2 (MTL leads 1-0)
Isaiah Zuno (15-14, 3.22) @ Norm Rodriguez (14-9, 3.23)
Montreal takes a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, Zuno was sharp – a fielding error did him in. This was a closely contested affair – no one player really stands out. Montreal’s Jax Malagon, Harlem Peterson, and Joseph Furst all hit doubles off of Zuno, with Furst bringing in the only run that would be charged to Isaiah’s account. Fregoso, former well-liked Laker, went 0 for 4 with a BB and a run… Impact
win, 4-2.
