Week 2 2056 Season
The Earlier Wackiness of a Long Season
After dropping the first game of the series against Toledo, we were hoping to get a bounce back. Heading into game 2 of the series both clubs were 4-3 and surprisingly in a 4-way tie for first place with of all teams the Traverse City Bears and the Detroit Thunderbirds. All 4 clubs were 4-3 and pre-season favorite Duluth was off to a slow 2-5 start with the usual cellar dweller Milwaukee in 5th just a game off the pace.
Big games and here they are
Game 2- Saturday April 15, 2056
Chicago 4-3 @ Toledo 4-3
Val Imbert 1-0 3.18 vs LHSP Harvey Moore 0-1 9.53
A - 33,700
The Neptunes scored five runs in both the third and the fourth. In the third, Mark Waddell doubled with the bases loaded, clearing them. In the fourth, Carlos Montaño doubles in two. Elsewhere in the game, Waddell adds an RBI single to his ledger. Montaño adds another RBI single and an RBI triple. Both players drive in four.
Toledo 13, Chicago 7.
DH J Asley 2-4 HR, 2R RBI SB, CF C Luna 2-4 DB 2RBI's
HR's - CH 2B J Lambert (2) DH J Ashley (2), Tol none
POTG - Toledo SS Carlos Montano
Game 3- Sunday April 16, 2056
Chicago 4-4 @ Toledo 5-3
Joe Johnson 0-0 13.50 vs RHSP Christopher Bouchard 0-0 3.60
A - 33,785
The Neptunes sweep the Architects, and they do so in convincing style. Christopher Bouchard (8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K) pitches into the ninth and gives up just one run. Toledo’s Xing-Fu Sen goes 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and five RBIs. Philippe Labbé and Mark Wadell also homer.
Toledo 11, Chicago 1.
Just 6 hits so nobody deserving of any mention
HR - Tol 2B X Sen (1) 1B P Labbe (2) RF M Wadell (3), CH none
POTG - Toledo 2B Xing-fu Sen
Summary - Talk about not showing up. We gave up 24 runs and neither starting pitcher looking like they deserved to be on the mound. This is a typical Toledo game where they win by 5+ runs, the problem was the won the 1-run game in game 1. The Architects started out losing the first 3 against Toledo and 5 out of 6 before turning it around to win 13 of the last 18. We hope this will be the same pattern this season.
For whatever reason 1B Reagan Osborn has not shaken out of his slump 9 games in. He is hitting a very un-Osborn like 134 with no home runs and only 4 RBI's. He has to heat up at some point....right?
It's early so we won't get too alarmed about our pitching. The bullpen has been torched so far this season to the tune of a 7+ ERA. The starters outside of Jose Cedeno have been rather lackluster, but they are only 2 times around for them (except for Bill Lutz who has just gone once as the #5 SP).
Chicago Archiects (4-5 T-4th USA) @ Detroit Thunderbirds (5-4 T-2nd)
Monday April 17th - 19th 2056
Thunderbirds Park in Detroit
So the Architects are licking their wounds after suffering a tough 3 game sweep at Toledo. They are looking up at a lot of teams that likely won't be in front of them when the season ends, but for now its just time to get to work.
Detroit is off to a good start behind their top 2 pitchers, Bill Clary, and Joo-seok Kim. Those guys have kept the runs down to a minimum early and given the T-Birds hitters a chance to win some games.
Detroit is led by last season rookie of the year 1B Mal Johnston (459 2-8), RF Stan Gillis (300 0-2) and LF Melvin Akerval (354 2-10)
Game #1 - Monday April 17th 2056
Chicago Architects (4-5) @ Detroit T-birds (5-4)
Bill Lutz 0-1 4.76 vs Brian "Hotwire" Xian 0-0 4.05
A - 21,592
The Tects scored three in the fifth and three in the sixth. Cris Luna’s two-run home run and David Kenney’s solo home run scored those three sixth-inning runs. It wasn't a thing of beauty but the Architects break their 3 game losing streak. DH David Kenney stated "Any win is a good win."
Chicago 8, Detroit 5.
SP Bill Lutz 5.2 4H 2R 2BB 3K W 1-0, LF S Amsden 2-4 HR R RBI, BB C J Duran 2-5 DB RBI, DH D Kenney 2-5 HR R RBI, CF C Luna HR 2R 2RBI
HR - CH LF S Amsden (1), CF C Luna (1), DH D Kenney (1), Det HR CF F Bernier (1)
POTG - Chicago Cris Luna (2)
Game #2 - Tuesday April 18th 2056
Chicago Architects (5-5) @ Detroit T-birds (5-5)
Jose "Pongo" Cedeno 2-0 2.25 vs RHSP Bill Clary 1-0 1.59
A - 20,108
Chicago’s José Cedeño (8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K) retires the first nine batters he faces. A single breaks up the no-hitter, but a double-play quickly erases that base-runner. He walks a runner in the fifth and the sixth, but both of those are also erased on double plays. He faces the minimum through six. In the ninth, he gives up a one-out double before finally getting pulled. Detroit’s Bill Clary (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 5 K) pitches pretty well himself, but he gives up two runs in the fifth. The first scores on a hit batsman, a sac bunt (with the runner safe at first), a wild pitch, and a sac fly. A Rodeo Leroy single plates the second run. This game was all about Cedeno!!!!
Chicago 2, Detroit 0.
2B J Lambert 2-4 BB R 2SB
HR - None
POTG - Chicago SP Jose Cedeno (3)
Game #3 - Wednesday April 19th 2056
Chicago Architects (6-5) @ Detroit T-birds (5-6)
Julio Castro 0-0 4.22 vs RHSP Joo-Seok Kim 0-0 1.80
A - 18,816
The T-Birds strike first, scoring four times in the second. Dai-Lin Tah hits a two-run single, and Trace Brunel hits a two-run double. Joo-Seok Kim (6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K) strikes out the side in the fourth and takes a one-hit shutout into the seventh. He gets pulled after giving up a second hit, a single. Rodeo Leroy then promptly doubles off the bullpen arm to drive in the Tects first run of the game. Chicago scores three more times, and Detroit takes a 5-4 lead into the ninth. A single and two walks load the bases. A pop out to short and a strike out put the T-Birds one out from victory. Samuel Amsden steps to the plate. He works a full count, and then…… he raps a single to left! The runners were going with the pitch. The tying run scores from third. The winning run easily makes it home from second.
Chicago 5, Detroit 4.
CL P Wright SV (4) 1IP 1H 0R )BB 0K, LF R LeRoy 2-3 2DB 2R RBI BB, PH S Amsden 1-1 DB 2RBI
HR - None
POTG - Detroit SP Joo-seok Kim
Summary - So we slip and slide our way out of Detroit with a 3 game sweep that puts us back into sole possession of 3rd in the USA just 1 game behind Toledo and 1/2 behind the upstart Bears.
Thank God for SP Jose Cedeno. He has certainly done his share in the early season with 3 starts and 3 Player of the Game nods. On the season Cedeno is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA giving up just 10 hits in 20.1IP.
1B Reagan Osborn has managed to drop his average even further to 130 and is still looking for his first home run of the season. Knowning Osborn he will rebound and by seasons end he will hit 330/400/900+ with 25+ home runs and 90+ RBI's. But it would be nice if we could see some of that now instead of later.
DH Jose Aranda was doing well on his rehab assignment, but took a knock on his shoulder diving into 2nd base. He was hitting 280 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI's in 7 games and we were preparing to bring him up for the Duluth series. We will have to give him another week off and then see where he is, but that will put his return after the Duluth and Canadian teams 2 2-game series at best.