[jksander]

OOC: Been battling migraines for the last couple days, but finally got back into this today. Hoping not to have the back half of the season drag on too long, since the offseason's going to be where I can really start putting my stamp on this team.

July 18, 2025: Yu Darvish (8-5, 3.63 ERA, 106.2 IP, 101 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) started our first game against the Pirates’ Mitch Keller (7-7, 4.54 ERA, 101.0 IP, 84 K’s, 1.45 WHIP). Unfortunately Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second and we spent the rest of the game chasing them. We scored our only run in the top of the third, a Chase Meidroth sac-fly coupled with an E8 error let Michael A. Taylor tag up and score from third. But the Pirates added on in the fifth and sixth and were able to hold us off with relative ease to win 4-1. Darvish took the loss, despite six innings with six hits, a walk, eight strikeouts, all four runs applying to him, and we were outhit 7-4. Taylor wound up with our only run, and Otto Lopez hit twice but got nowhere.

July 19, 2025: Noah Schultz (4-0, 1.55 ERA, 40.2 IP, 39 K’s, 0.84 WHIP) pitched against Jared Jones (5-6, 3.25 ERA, 83.0 IP, 75 K’s, 1.25 WHIP) in our second game in Pittsburgh, and in the top of the fourth we took the lead with a Meidroth RBI double after three innings of excellent work from our rookie hurler. Meidroth would score thanks to a single by Tauchman, giving us a 2-0 lead midway through the inning. In the top of the fifth Austin Slater hit an RBI double and Michael A. Taylor added a two-run homer to expand our cushion, and Schultzie got us into the eighth unblemished! Shane Smith took over in the bottom of the inning with the five-run lead, and he shut them down efficiently as we locked in with a 5-0 shutout win! Schultz pitched seven innings with two hits, a walk and eight strikeouts as he improved to 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA, and Smith added two innings with a hit, a walk and three strikeouts as his ERA improve to 4.32. We outhit them 10-3, led by Meidroth who had two hits, two walks, a run and an RBI.

JoJo Parker, our first rounder, agreed to his signing bonus of $6,890,000 and he’ll take his spot on our Arizona Complex League rookie team. We’re still waiting on Ryan Reich (44th pick) and Bruin Agbayani (137th pick). Agbayani is destined for rookie league, but Reich, who is playing in the MLBDL right now, has the potential to rise quickly to AA Birmingham.

July 20, 2025: Sean Burke (5-8, 4.78 ERA, 90.1 IP, 89 K’s, 1.37 WHIP) pitched against Braxton Ashcraft (4-5, 4.05 ERA, 86.2 IP, 76 K’s, 1.26 WHIP) in our final game of the Pittsburgh series, and though poor infield defense nearly screwed us in the bottom of the second, Burke managed to keep us in the game early. Joey Gallo scored off a groundout by Kyle Teel in the top of the fourth to put us up 1-0, and Burke struck out the side in the bottom of the inning and got two more K’s in the fifth to give us a chance to build on it. But our bats stayed silent, and Julian Merryweather took over in the sixth, and he promptly blew the save by letting Andrew McCutchen drive in the tying run with a line-drive single. Eisert took over from there, a wild pitch allowing the go-ahead, but in the top of the seventh Teel hit a line drive single into right to tie it up again and an RBI double for Taylor put us back on top 3-2 heading into the stretch. We added on in the eighth when Gallo scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-2 ballgame. Bazardo took the ball in the ninth, and he got three quick outs to secure the 4-2 win as we took the series two games to one. Burke lasted five innings with two hits, a walk and seven strikeouts, but he’s been cold lately so I understand why Guillen replaced him in the sixth. Merryweather got one out and the blown save but Eisert held tough for 2.2 innings and didn’t allow a hit or a walk, notching a strikeout as he improved to 1-3 with a 4.13 ERA. Bazardo got his fifth save, and we outhit Pittsburgh 6-4, led by Teel who had a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs. Miguel Vargas also had two hits, scoring once.

We’ll head to Tampa next, and hope to be able to build on this series win.