Miami United (53-55, .491, 4th NL East) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (57-48, .543, 1st NL East)
We will play 19 of the 25 games we have scheduled in August on the road and, when we do finally make it home mid-month, we’ll be welcoming the Golden State Warriors to town. This month could be a tough one – four of the seven clubs we’ll lock horns with have a winning record, two of the remaining three are ranked above us, and then there is Montreal. Starting with a 2-game quickie in Pittsburgh, who are currently ranked 1st in the NL East by 1 ½ games, we’ll have a chance to get off on the good foot. We’re 8-4 in head-to-head matchups so far this year and with Tom Franzone out for 4 more weeks, this injury-depleted version of the Steelers should put up even less resistance than normal. We’re both 4-6 in our last 10, we’re coming off a win (over Montreal), and they’re coming off a loss (to Philadelphia) … the timing looks right, I feel good about our chances here. Well, maybe good isn’t the right word, I feel okay about our chances – on paper Pittsburgh is our superior in every demonstratable way – they are ranked no lower than 8th in any single statistical category (runs scored, stolen bases, base running) and have one of the best pitching staffs in the National League while we are in double digits nearly everywhere and are particularly bad offensively. Great pitching versus a lineup that is as impatient as it is power-starved… this looks like a recipe for disaster.
109 of 162: Kordell Littles (6-9, 4.37) @ Gregory Morgan (10-8, 4.57)
Loss, 6-2.
Morgan registered 7 K’s and only allowed two runs in 7 innings of work and a
Tad Monroe, 2-run double in the bottom of the 2nd followed by a solo dinger for
Remildo Puente did just enough damage to put the Steelers up for good in this one. Our offense continued to sputter, we managed to crack 10 hits, but only two were doubles, we still left 7 runners on, and outside of
Kyle Weaver’s SAC FLY, everyone seemed to be batting for themselves, as if to try and pad their individual stats instead of staying within the game plan. This is frustrating, an exercise in futility… it’ll be a miracle if
Elvira keeps me around at the end of the season – I hope she does, I like my houseboat.
Elsewhere: It’s been a tough campaign in 2079 for
Ethan Mullens. He signed with Seattle in the offseason, finally stepping out of
Otto’s sizable shadow, and suffered an injury that kept him out of action for a month and a half three days into the season. Well, if tonight was any indication, he’s back on form, finally, and ready to make his mark – he went 3 for 4 with a two-bagger, 2 dingers, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs in Seattle’s hard-fought 8-7 win over the Golden State Warriors.
Frodo Gonzales secured the win for Seattle in the top of the 13th on a run-scoring single – it was his only hit in 6 attempts for the game.
110 of 162: Thomas Deane (6-7, 4.64) @ Beau Skrivan (4-5, 3.29)
Loss, 9-1.
Thomas Deane only retired one batter in the bottom of the 1st. One. He also allowed 7 hits, 8 runs, and a walk during that frame – it was so bad that we had to put
Rad on in relief (he, by the way, did swimmingly – 4.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 K’s, and nothing else). We’re the victims of a mini-sweep, were outscored 15-3 on aggregate, and leave town having been thoroughly dismantled by the Steelers.
This is going to be a rough slog through August…