Chillicothe 3, Butler 2
This game featured many interesting moments, and forgive me for saying this, but I can't recall some of those interesting moments, but what I can recall would be moments like Paints first baseman Cory Maguire snatching a short fly ball in mid air to save it from going to the outfield. I can also recall the times where the Paints at least tried to turn two (a double play) in probably the hardest ways imaginable. Plus, I do recall the moment towards the end of the game where the Butler BlueSox started to lose it emotionally and two of their guys got tossed from the ballgame by the home plate umpire, with one of them being a good friend of mine, BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel.
The Paints made things quick and easy early on in the game when it came to the offense. The pitching started off a bit slow but it picked up at the right time. The Paints got in three runs early, and thankfully for the home team, three would be all the runs that they really needed.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He took the mound on the friendly confines of V.. Memorial Stadium and would pitch six innings deep, giving up no runs at all off of two hits and a walk allowed. That was basically it by a pitcher who had previously seen alot of action coming from the bullpen this year. Mascarello struck out four batters, and I have to say that he looked pretty solid in each of those four strikeouts. He had a good day and he kept his team in the game, holding onto that 3-0 lead throughout his start.
Mark Williams pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two hits, a walk, and a run. He struck out a batter. Tony Davey came into the ballgame and pitched an inning of relief, giving up only a hit. Stephen Shackleford would pitch the rest of the game, going 1 and 1/3 innings, and would get the job done for the Paints, getting the save and sealing the victory for the home team. He gave up a hit, a walk, and a run while striking out a batter.
For the offense, they may have cooled down compared to the other night, but they still did a good job of getting those timely hits in. There's nothing that they did really wrong here. They got in those hits, and they made those hits count. They did what they could in playing situational baseball, and I think they made the most of it even with three runs.
DH Kyle Gendron, batting second in the lineup, had an infield single. First baseman Cory Maguire had a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single and a double. Right fielder Eian Banks got an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Catcher Andrew Marshall had a single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had two singles. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base.
This was another good game played by the Paints. They seemed to have a better jump to their steps as they were fiedling each ball and they clearly made better use of the situations that they were given. This team is getting back to the early days of the year when they were just hitting left and right. I mean, if you look at what's been happening lately at the V.A., then you would know that they're feeling it when they play now.
The BlueSox gave the Paints their best shot, and kudos to Butler for giving us good games throughout the year. They have been keeping us in check along with Slippery Rock and NorthCoast when it comes to extra important games on the schedule. The Paints are inching their way closer to end of the year, and the chances of seeing one more home game at the V.A. is looking better by the day. Stay tuned, folks. This is going to get interesting soon.
By the way, I won the Best Seat In The House promotion tonight, so that meant that I got to have some Papa Johns pizza as a reward. Obviously, I enjoyed the pizza, and I had three good slices, and I gave the other fives away to other Paints fans who were delighted to have some pizza. Hey, I just couldn't finish it, so I think it was a nice thing to do to be a team player for the loyal fans of the Paints and give out some free pizza.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Hottest Game On Turf
Chillicothe 11, Butler 3
This was a great game.
That's how I would sum up this ballgame. Everything that the Chillicothe Paints had to do to win this game went right into place. I simply loved how this game played out. You could take in a game like this because the Paints were clicking on all cylinders. Things just worked. When you're getting into a home stretch kind of schedule for the end of a season, things just happen to pick up a bit. The Eastern Division standings are fairly tight, and knowing that they were up against a hard charging Butler BlueSox team, the Paints handled this beautifully.
Let's start with the pitching and get that out of the way. For the Paints, Eric Heckaman made the start, and I have to say this right now. This had to be one of the best, if not, then probably the best, start I've seen from him this year. Heckaman was firing lasers from the mound against Butler here, and he just continued to take the batters down once he got into a groove. It was fun seeing him get to work.
Heckaman would pitch five innings deep in his start, and he would have trouble when it came to the walks. He gave up one run off five walks and a hit, but thankfully, that was all the damage that he gave up, and considering what the offense would do to help him, it was more than enough for Heckaman to have a good night. He would end up striking out five batters, so there's nothing really wrong at all to point out. He was just great. He was just solid. Good job, Eric.
Brad Schnitzer would be the only relief pitcher who would see action for the Paints in this game, so he would pitch the other four innings fo the game, and he had a good time overall. Schnitzer would give up two hits and two runs, but he would strike out two batters, and he did his job. He got the batters out and never let the BlueSox get back into this game.
Now let's get to the really interesting part of this game...the offense.
In the second inning, shortstop Ben Allen went all the way around the bases for an inside the park homerun, getting a ball hit out to the big gap made by Butler's defense out in right center field. I admit it, I was yelling out loud while Ben was rounding third base and heading for home. I just can't help it because those types of plays are just too exciting not to raise your voice about.
DH Kyle Gendron would have a single and a double. First baseman Cory Maguire would have a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a great night with the bat. He had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had an immense night with the bat. He had an RBI single and then he came back in teh fourth inning and he just ripped a pitch for a three-run homerun shot past left field.
Catcher Andrew Marshall, coming back from nagging leg injuries, had two singles and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a good night. He had two singles and an RBI. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. This night just took me back to the nights where this was kind of common for Paints baseball. This was a nice trip down memory lane, and I'm aware that I talk about the Frontier League Paints, but hey, this night was just one of those nights. I was thrilled about this game, and with each passing day, there will be a better chance of the Paints actually being there at the end.
This was a great game.
That's how I would sum up this ballgame. Everything that the Chillicothe Paints had to do to win this game went right into place. I simply loved how this game played out. You could take in a game like this because the Paints were clicking on all cylinders. Things just worked. When you're getting into a home stretch kind of schedule for the end of a season, things just happen to pick up a bit. The Eastern Division standings are fairly tight, and knowing that they were up against a hard charging Butler BlueSox team, the Paints handled this beautifully.
Let's start with the pitching and get that out of the way. For the Paints, Eric Heckaman made the start, and I have to say this right now. This had to be one of the best, if not, then probably the best, start I've seen from him this year. Heckaman was firing lasers from the mound against Butler here, and he just continued to take the batters down once he got into a groove. It was fun seeing him get to work.
Heckaman would pitch five innings deep in his start, and he would have trouble when it came to the walks. He gave up one run off five walks and a hit, but thankfully, that was all the damage that he gave up, and considering what the offense would do to help him, it was more than enough for Heckaman to have a good night. He would end up striking out five batters, so there's nothing really wrong at all to point out. He was just great. He was just solid. Good job, Eric.
Brad Schnitzer would be the only relief pitcher who would see action for the Paints in this game, so he would pitch the other four innings fo the game, and he had a good time overall. Schnitzer would give up two hits and two runs, but he would strike out two batters, and he did his job. He got the batters out and never let the BlueSox get back into this game.
Now let's get to the really interesting part of this game...the offense.
In the second inning, shortstop Ben Allen went all the way around the bases for an inside the park homerun, getting a ball hit out to the big gap made by Butler's defense out in right center field. I admit it, I was yelling out loud while Ben was rounding third base and heading for home. I just can't help it because those types of plays are just too exciting not to raise your voice about.
DH Kyle Gendron would have a single and a double. First baseman Cory Maguire would have a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a great night with the bat. He had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had an immense night with the bat. He had an RBI single and then he came back in teh fourth inning and he just ripped a pitch for a three-run homerun shot past left field.
Catcher Andrew Marshall, coming back from nagging leg injuries, had two singles and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a good night. He had two singles and an RBI. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. This night just took me back to the nights where this was kind of common for Paints baseball. This was a nice trip down memory lane, and I'm aware that I talk about the Frontier League Paints, but hey, this night was just one of those nights. I was thrilled about this game, and with each passing day, there will be a better chance of the Paints actually being there at the end.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Great Hitting at McBride
Chillicothe 9, Richmond 2
The Chillicothe Paints did a much better job of executing their gameplan in Richmond than they did the other night at Lorain. The team was much more aware of what was going on, and while they did still have a bump or two in the road when it comes to defensive plays, and that's to be expected, they did what they had to do to win. Listening to this game through the internet, I felt like I was reminded of the time that the season just started that the Paints were playing like this, and oddly enough, they got off to a great start against these same River Rats.
One thing I want to note before I get into the game would be that the names of these teams can be confusing, to say the least, so you have to bare with me when I mention some team names. I can often assume some things when it comes to those technicalities. I have been so used to calling the Richmond team as the River Rats, with it being two words, because I felt like that made more sense to me. I don't mean any harm by that, it's just that I become amazed at how the teams are actally named. I guess when you play in a league that features two Sliders teams, a team with a similar color scheme, and teams with combined names, then you'd understand why I'd get just a bit confused.
Anyway, as for the game, Clayton Schulz made the start for the Paints, and when he took the mound at McBride Stadium, the mound wasn't very friendly at first because there was trouble when it came to the softness of the mound. It was too soft, meaning that the mound was wet. The Paints have had a history of getting into trouble with the mound at Richmond for whatever reason, but it just happens.
Schulz would pitch six innings deep in his start, giving up four hits and four walks, and overall, he would only give up one run. He struck out three batters, and I have to say that Schulz has continued to be impressive for me because while he hasn't been overly dominant in his starts, and mind you, he's a year younger than me in age, Clayton has been doing such a splendid job whenever he has been given the ball. He's a gamer, and he might be a guy who could be there for the long haul for any affiliated minor league team in the future if he continues to do well over time.
For the offense, the batters did a great job of getting the timely hits in. Like I said before, the Paints were getting in hits, but they weren't getting in the timely hits. They weren't rising to the occasion when it came to situational baseball. In this game, though, the Paints did a great job of getting the runs in, and at the right times.
Kyle Gendron played at shortstop in this game, and he had two singles and an RBI. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a big 2-RBI double in the third inning. Catcher Kris McDonough, from Ohio University, went deep for a homerun that gave him three RBI's. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a double and an infield single.
This was a much needed win for the Paints because this will help them out in the standings, and don't look now, ladies and gentleman, but the Prospect League is already at their home stretch of the regular season. Looking at the standings, I can pretty much guarantee you, barring a big collapse by them, that the Quincy Gems will indeed represent the Western Division in the Prospect League Championship Series. As for the East, the Paints are still hanging onto the lead, and this upcoming series against the Butler Blue Sox will prove to be the biggest series of the first Prospect League year.
Game time for the Paints and Blue Sox game at V.A. Memorial Stadium will be at 7:05 PM. Be there of be something like a square.
The Chillicothe Paints did a much better job of executing their gameplan in Richmond than they did the other night at Lorain. The team was much more aware of what was going on, and while they did still have a bump or two in the road when it comes to defensive plays, and that's to be expected, they did what they had to do to win. Listening to this game through the internet, I felt like I was reminded of the time that the season just started that the Paints were playing like this, and oddly enough, they got off to a great start against these same River Rats.
One thing I want to note before I get into the game would be that the names of these teams can be confusing, to say the least, so you have to bare with me when I mention some team names. I can often assume some things when it comes to those technicalities. I have been so used to calling the Richmond team as the River Rats, with it being two words, because I felt like that made more sense to me. I don't mean any harm by that, it's just that I become amazed at how the teams are actally named. I guess when you play in a league that features two Sliders teams, a team with a similar color scheme, and teams with combined names, then you'd understand why I'd get just a bit confused.
Anyway, as for the game, Clayton Schulz made the start for the Paints, and when he took the mound at McBride Stadium, the mound wasn't very friendly at first because there was trouble when it came to the softness of the mound. It was too soft, meaning that the mound was wet. The Paints have had a history of getting into trouble with the mound at Richmond for whatever reason, but it just happens.
Schulz would pitch six innings deep in his start, giving up four hits and four walks, and overall, he would only give up one run. He struck out three batters, and I have to say that Schulz has continued to be impressive for me because while he hasn't been overly dominant in his starts, and mind you, he's a year younger than me in age, Clayton has been doing such a splendid job whenever he has been given the ball. He's a gamer, and he might be a guy who could be there for the long haul for any affiliated minor league team in the future if he continues to do well over time.
For the offense, the batters did a great job of getting the timely hits in. Like I said before, the Paints were getting in hits, but they weren't getting in the timely hits. They weren't rising to the occasion when it came to situational baseball. In this game, though, the Paints did a great job of getting the runs in, and at the right times.
Kyle Gendron played at shortstop in this game, and he had two singles and an RBI. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a big 2-RBI double in the third inning. Catcher Kris McDonough, from Ohio University, went deep for a homerun that gave him three RBI's. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a double and an infield single.
This was a much needed win for the Paints because this will help them out in the standings, and don't look now, ladies and gentleman, but the Prospect League is already at their home stretch of the regular season. Looking at the standings, I can pretty much guarantee you, barring a big collapse by them, that the Quincy Gems will indeed represent the Western Division in the Prospect League Championship Series. As for the East, the Paints are still hanging onto the lead, and this upcoming series against the Butler Blue Sox will prove to be the biggest series of the first Prospect League year.
Game time for the Paints and Blue Sox game at V.A. Memorial Stadium will be at 7:05 PM. Be there of be something like a square.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Not In Sync
NorthCoast 3, Chillicothe 2
It's amazing, isn't it?
I find it amazing that the Chillicothe Paints did many things that just weren't working for them in this game, and yet in spite of all the miscues, the Paints still found themselves with a chance of leaving the Pipe Yard in Lorain, Ohio with a win. Nonetheless, the Paints were just not into this game when it came to overall execution. There was a great lack of execution by the team, and understandably so, the Knights took advantage of the Paints' miscues here. It's just one of these games where the ball just didn't bounce right for the Paints, and I guess that you can always go back to drawing board and fix something else up for the next game.
Officially, it may look like that Paints starting picther Tony Davey gave up two runs, but in reality, Davey could only watch as he saw one bloop hit that never really should've hit the outfield turf. There was a great miscommunication between outfielders Andy Brouse and Zach Frentsos on this bloop single. The confusion allowed the ball to drop in and continue the inning for the Knights, and just like I mentioned, the Knights took full advantage and got in two runs after that miscue. For Davey, he would pitch six innings deep into his start and would give up seven hits along with a walk. On the side of this dish, he was called for a balk. He recorded four strikeouts in this game.
Blake Mascarello was the only other pitcher who saw action for the Paints on the mound. He would pitch the other two innings in relief of Davey and would give up the game-winning run to the Knights in the bottom of the eighth inning, He gave up three walks and two hits. Things just got tough for the pitching here. I can't really explain it well enough because road games have most likely been this way for the Paints. You're just not on your familiar turf, and suddenly, for some reason, you find yourself having to come back in an environment that favors the other team. This organization has been there a whole lot of times, and I can't even count how many.
For the offense, the hits did come for the Paints, but once again, there just weren't enough timely hits for the Paints. There weren't enough hits that counted. Shortstop Ben Allen had a great game considering everything that happened. Allen had four singles. He was so consistent with his approach here. Ever since he's been put into the top of the batting order, Ben has made some noise as a leadoff hitter, and it's surprising for some because keep in mind that Ben Allen had started the season batting as low as ninth in the order, so he's come a long way.
Third baseman Zach Leonard had two singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had three singles. First baseman Cory Maguire had a 2-RBI single. Right fielder Eian Banks had a double. Catcher Brandon White had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single. Don't get me wrong, I know that the Paints have been hitting many balls past the infield, and they have been getting guys on, but the main problem here is that they have been unable to get those guys in. That has been a reoccuring problem for some time now, off and on. There's a thing to be said about consistancy, but the Paints didn't have that here, unfortunately.
We had an off night, but we played a very tough team that plays just upstate in Northern Ohio. This was the same team that were going after us in the standings not too long ago, as they challenged us for the top spot in the Eastern Division back at the V.A. I don't look past the NorthCoast Knights at all because they're much like the Slippery Rock Sliders, a team that can put the hurt on us whenever they can. We just have to be prepared to step up and stand up to these guys because they are taking it to us, giving us their best shot, and well, the Knights do have my attention right now.
It's amazing, isn't it?
I find it amazing that the Chillicothe Paints did many things that just weren't working for them in this game, and yet in spite of all the miscues, the Paints still found themselves with a chance of leaving the Pipe Yard in Lorain, Ohio with a win. Nonetheless, the Paints were just not into this game when it came to overall execution. There was a great lack of execution by the team, and understandably so, the Knights took advantage of the Paints' miscues here. It's just one of these games where the ball just didn't bounce right for the Paints, and I guess that you can always go back to drawing board and fix something else up for the next game.
Officially, it may look like that Paints starting picther Tony Davey gave up two runs, but in reality, Davey could only watch as he saw one bloop hit that never really should've hit the outfield turf. There was a great miscommunication between outfielders Andy Brouse and Zach Frentsos on this bloop single. The confusion allowed the ball to drop in and continue the inning for the Knights, and just like I mentioned, the Knights took full advantage and got in two runs after that miscue. For Davey, he would pitch six innings deep into his start and would give up seven hits along with a walk. On the side of this dish, he was called for a balk. He recorded four strikeouts in this game.
Blake Mascarello was the only other pitcher who saw action for the Paints on the mound. He would pitch the other two innings in relief of Davey and would give up the game-winning run to the Knights in the bottom of the eighth inning, He gave up three walks and two hits. Things just got tough for the pitching here. I can't really explain it well enough because road games have most likely been this way for the Paints. You're just not on your familiar turf, and suddenly, for some reason, you find yourself having to come back in an environment that favors the other team. This organization has been there a whole lot of times, and I can't even count how many.
For the offense, the hits did come for the Paints, but once again, there just weren't enough timely hits for the Paints. There weren't enough hits that counted. Shortstop Ben Allen had a great game considering everything that happened. Allen had four singles. He was so consistent with his approach here. Ever since he's been put into the top of the batting order, Ben has made some noise as a leadoff hitter, and it's surprising for some because keep in mind that Ben Allen had started the season batting as low as ninth in the order, so he's come a long way.
Third baseman Zach Leonard had two singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had three singles. First baseman Cory Maguire had a 2-RBI single. Right fielder Eian Banks had a double. Catcher Brandon White had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single. Don't get me wrong, I know that the Paints have been hitting many balls past the infield, and they have been getting guys on, but the main problem here is that they have been unable to get those guys in. That has been a reoccuring problem for some time now, off and on. There's a thing to be said about consistancy, but the Paints didn't have that here, unfortunately.
We had an off night, but we played a very tough team that plays just upstate in Northern Ohio. This was the same team that were going after us in the standings not too long ago, as they challenged us for the top spot in the Eastern Division back at the V.A. I don't look past the NorthCoast Knights at all because they're much like the Slippery Rock Sliders, a team that can put the hurt on us whenever they can. We just have to be prepared to step up and stand up to these guys because they are taking it to us, giving us their best shot, and well, the Knights do have my attention right now.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Paints win again at The Jack
Chillicothe 5, Slippery Rock 2
It's amazing, isn't it?
What I find amazing is that the Chillicothe Paints and the Slippery Rock Sliders have pretty much matched each other when it comes to their games against each other, especially when they happen to be the road teams. I don't think I've seen anything quite like this, with the road teams being the more dominant team whenever two certain teams play against each other. More often than not, the road team has left the field victorious, and that really sums up what's been going on between the Paints and the Sliders. Once again in this game, with the Paints on the road at Slippery Rock, defeated the Sliders in a pretty exciting game.
A.J. Achter made the start for the Paints in this game, and he did really well here, going five innings deep in his start, and only giving up a pair of runs. He didn't have a one-two-three inning in any of his five innings pitched, as he gave up four walks that were spread out throughout his start, but still, things were just fine with Achter. He also gave up four hits, but he didn't do anything that was costly, and that's a good thing for the Paints.
Mark Williams would put in three innings of relief for Achter, and he did a solid job overall. Williams hasn't been in much action on the mound lately for the Paints, but here he did see some action, and he made the best of it. Williams would give up only one walk and he would proceed to strike out a pair of batters. Stephen Shackleford pitched the ninth inning for the Paints, and he would end up sealing the deal for the Paints, getting the save. Just like Greg Bigam said on the radio broadcast, nothing really comes easy for the Paints late in the game, but even so, the Paints found a way to get the win, and over a very game Slippery Rock team to boot.
So how's the lumber factory doing? Third baseman Zach Leonard would get an infield single. Left fielder Andy Brouse would get an infield single. First baseman Cory Maguire would get a single and an RBI double. Right fielder Eian Banks would have three hits in this game, and he would get a bunt single, a double, and then an RBI single. Center fielder Zach Frentsos had an infield single. Catcher Kris McDonough would get an RBI off a groundout. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck would get two singles and two RBI's.
Overall, this was a great game played by the Paints. There were points where things were going slow for them, as in the Sliders were just chopping down at the pitching, but the Paints held up. It was more like a bend but don't break kind of approach. I always like that kind of approach if you need to pick yourselves up as a team. The Paints did a good job of not letting the Sliders get to them because sometimes I feel that there are mental things playing into these games against the Sliders. I can't put my finger on what it could be, but the Sliders are a well rounded team when you go over their roster, and I think it's important to get these wins over a team like the Sliders just to boost up their morale.
It's amazing, isn't it?
What I find amazing is that the Chillicothe Paints and the Slippery Rock Sliders have pretty much matched each other when it comes to their games against each other, especially when they happen to be the road teams. I don't think I've seen anything quite like this, with the road teams being the more dominant team whenever two certain teams play against each other. More often than not, the road team has left the field victorious, and that really sums up what's been going on between the Paints and the Sliders. Once again in this game, with the Paints on the road at Slippery Rock, defeated the Sliders in a pretty exciting game.
A.J. Achter made the start for the Paints in this game, and he did really well here, going five innings deep in his start, and only giving up a pair of runs. He didn't have a one-two-three inning in any of his five innings pitched, as he gave up four walks that were spread out throughout his start, but still, things were just fine with Achter. He also gave up four hits, but he didn't do anything that was costly, and that's a good thing for the Paints.
Mark Williams would put in three innings of relief for Achter, and he did a solid job overall. Williams hasn't been in much action on the mound lately for the Paints, but here he did see some action, and he made the best of it. Williams would give up only one walk and he would proceed to strike out a pair of batters. Stephen Shackleford pitched the ninth inning for the Paints, and he would end up sealing the deal for the Paints, getting the save. Just like Greg Bigam said on the radio broadcast, nothing really comes easy for the Paints late in the game, but even so, the Paints found a way to get the win, and over a very game Slippery Rock team to boot.
So how's the lumber factory doing? Third baseman Zach Leonard would get an infield single. Left fielder Andy Brouse would get an infield single. First baseman Cory Maguire would get a single and an RBI double. Right fielder Eian Banks would have three hits in this game, and he would get a bunt single, a double, and then an RBI single. Center fielder Zach Frentsos had an infield single. Catcher Kris McDonough would get an RBI off a groundout. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck would get two singles and two RBI's.
Overall, this was a great game played by the Paints. There were points where things were going slow for them, as in the Sliders were just chopping down at the pitching, but the Paints held up. It was more like a bend but don't break kind of approach. I always like that kind of approach if you need to pick yourselves up as a team. The Paints did a good job of not letting the Sliders get to them because sometimes I feel that there are mental things playing into these games against the Sliders. I can't put my finger on what it could be, but the Sliders are a well rounded team when you go over their roster, and I think it's important to get these wins over a team like the Sliders just to boost up their morale.
Rockford moving to the Northern League
It's official: the Rockford RiverHawks will move to the Northern League beginning in 2010. You can read the article in the Rockford-Register Star here.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Riordan sets career wins record
Congratulations to Kalamazoo Kings manager Fran Riordan. With the Kings' win over the Sliders tonight, Fran passed Greg Tagert to for most wins by a manager in Frontier League history.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Rock 'em Sock 'em Baseball
Butler 4, Chillicothe 2
This game just wasn't the type of game for the Paints to get into a flow. All night long, it was basically well played baseball by the opposing team and the Paints just weren't able to get anything going. Hits were hard to come by in this game, and in the grand scheme of things, the Paints weren't doing a good job of focusing when it came to tight situations such as 3-2 counts, and I mean that for both offensively and defensively. The Paints did make this game fairly close and within striking distance, but it wasn't enough to overcome the first four runs cored in the game.
Rex Ingham wasn't really feeling it in this start. He made the start for the Paints, and he wouldn't have so good a day, getting in only four innings of work. Ingham gave up four runs on six hits and two walks allowed. He would strike out two batters but that would be it for him. Butler got to the pitching staff of the Paints fairly easily. I use the word "fairly" alot because I think that's appropiate. I wouldn't say that Butler made like gangbusters right off the bat, but it also didn't take too long for them to get their hits in against Paints pitchers.
Eric Heckaman would get in two innings of work for his relief appearance, and he would have an okay night, giving up three walks, with one of them being an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs, just to get the force play. Heckaman would strike out two batters and would keep Butler off the scoreboard. Butler would only score four runs all game, but still, that would be enough to pick up a much needed win for them. Krist Linster and Tony Davey would each pitch one inning of relief, and they did okay jobs as well. They held Butler down the best way they could.
I would like to note something before I dive into the statistics for the offense. I believe the offense has been a roller coaster for these past few weeks. I've been feeling that for some time now. There has been numerous shuffles of the lineup, and while I am definitely and advocate of shuffling up your lineups just to get something going, you can't overdo it as well. Sometimes you just have to stick with a lineup if you know that lineup is working the best for you. If you have a lineup that's clicking, then stick with it until it starts to fizzle out. All players are different when it comes to batting order. Maybe one guy is comfortable batting fifth in the lineup and he just doesn't feel good batting second. That's one of the things you have to consider.
Now let's get to the offense. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI single. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had a single. Right fielder Eian Banks had the most interesting night out of any Paints batter. Banks had two doubles, and at least one of them played a big role into scoring a run for the Paints. Unfortunately, he also got caught trying to steal second base to end the sixth inning, but still, he had a great day overall. DH Zach Frentsos had an RBI double and a single.
Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single and advanced to third base on a very interesting defensive blunder made by Butler. A throw apparently sailed past the infielders and found its way to the backstop. I also have to note that there were miscues in this game, but most of them were just the usual miscues that you could normally see a player make. This blunder just happened to be the bizarre mishap defensively. Defense is a pretty critical thing. You have to be as alert as you possibly can be when you're trying to prevent the other team from scoring runs. Many things change when you're on defense. You can be so stellar with the bat on offense, but you'd still need some help on defense.
Overall, this loss shouldn't be anything worry about. True, it is beginning to be crunch time, but considering what's going on around the Prospect League, I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes for both divisional races. The Quincy Gems are just rolling in the Western Division, and I apologize for not really keeping track of what they're doing, because they will be important to talk about if the Paints do happen to face them in the final round. The Eastern Division is pesky, and that would be the best word to describe this race right now. All five teams are still within reach. The Butler BlueSox have pulled within two games of the Paints for the lead, and they have been in a three-way tie for third place, so if anything, nothing has been decided yet.
This game just wasn't the type of game for the Paints to get into a flow. All night long, it was basically well played baseball by the opposing team and the Paints just weren't able to get anything going. Hits were hard to come by in this game, and in the grand scheme of things, the Paints weren't doing a good job of focusing when it came to tight situations such as 3-2 counts, and I mean that for both offensively and defensively. The Paints did make this game fairly close and within striking distance, but it wasn't enough to overcome the first four runs cored in the game.
Rex Ingham wasn't really feeling it in this start. He made the start for the Paints, and he wouldn't have so good a day, getting in only four innings of work. Ingham gave up four runs on six hits and two walks allowed. He would strike out two batters but that would be it for him. Butler got to the pitching staff of the Paints fairly easily. I use the word "fairly" alot because I think that's appropiate. I wouldn't say that Butler made like gangbusters right off the bat, but it also didn't take too long for them to get their hits in against Paints pitchers.
Eric Heckaman would get in two innings of work for his relief appearance, and he would have an okay night, giving up three walks, with one of them being an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs, just to get the force play. Heckaman would strike out two batters and would keep Butler off the scoreboard. Butler would only score four runs all game, but still, that would be enough to pick up a much needed win for them. Krist Linster and Tony Davey would each pitch one inning of relief, and they did okay jobs as well. They held Butler down the best way they could.
I would like to note something before I dive into the statistics for the offense. I believe the offense has been a roller coaster for these past few weeks. I've been feeling that for some time now. There has been numerous shuffles of the lineup, and while I am definitely and advocate of shuffling up your lineups just to get something going, you can't overdo it as well. Sometimes you just have to stick with a lineup if you know that lineup is working the best for you. If you have a lineup that's clicking, then stick with it until it starts to fizzle out. All players are different when it comes to batting order. Maybe one guy is comfortable batting fifth in the lineup and he just doesn't feel good batting second. That's one of the things you have to consider.
Now let's get to the offense. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI single. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had a single. Right fielder Eian Banks had the most interesting night out of any Paints batter. Banks had two doubles, and at least one of them played a big role into scoring a run for the Paints. Unfortunately, he also got caught trying to steal second base to end the sixth inning, but still, he had a great day overall. DH Zach Frentsos had an RBI double and a single.
Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single and advanced to third base on a very interesting defensive blunder made by Butler. A throw apparently sailed past the infielders and found its way to the backstop. I also have to note that there were miscues in this game, but most of them were just the usual miscues that you could normally see a player make. This blunder just happened to be the bizarre mishap defensively. Defense is a pretty critical thing. You have to be as alert as you possibly can be when you're trying to prevent the other team from scoring runs. Many things change when you're on defense. You can be so stellar with the bat on offense, but you'd still need some help on defense.
Overall, this loss shouldn't be anything worry about. True, it is beginning to be crunch time, but considering what's going on around the Prospect League, I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes for both divisional races. The Quincy Gems are just rolling in the Western Division, and I apologize for not really keeping track of what they're doing, because they will be important to talk about if the Paints do happen to face them in the final round. The Eastern Division is pesky, and that would be the best word to describe this race right now. All five teams are still within reach. The Butler BlueSox have pulled within two games of the Paints for the lead, and they have been in a three-way tie for third place, so if anything, nothing has been decided yet.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Paints Win Critical Game
Chillicothe 2, North Coast 1
This was a game that the Chillicothe Paints absolutely needed. Why was that? Well, it's because of the fact that the Paints are being hunted down by the second place team in the Eastern Division, the North Coast Knights. The Knights have been playing exceptionally well going into the All-Star break. They have had alot of momentum going into this game, and they had the opportunity to take first place away from the Paints here. This game was as close as you thought it would be. When you have two big bulls or two big time competitors on the same baseball field, you're going to have a great game played, most likely.
Clayton Schulz took the mound for the Paints in this game, and he wasn't bad at all when he pitched. He did get a few hits against him that didn't look so good, especially with that game-tying homerun by the Knights later on in his start, but Schulz was with it again. He was on the ball, and he didn't really drop it. When he left the game, the score was tied 1-1. Schulz would give up just one run on five hits and a walk allowed. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz recorded three strikeouts.
I think I should mention this about Clayton Schulz. I always seem to feel comfortable whenever Clayton does take the mound. He has been one of the more effective pitchers for the Paints' staff. I think he does have such great potential in the future. He's already doing a great job this year. He will still have his shaky starts from time to time, but overall, he's very reliable and I would love to see more of him when next season rolls around for the Prospect League Paints.
Mark Williams only faced two batters in his relief appearance. He was taken out in favor of Blake Mascarello, and Blake would get in two innings of work for his relief appearance. He would strike out two batters. Stephen Shackleford would end up sealing the deal for the hometown team as he came in with a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning. He did a great job of shutting down the North Coast Knights at the right time. I just have to hand it to the pitching staff for this game. This was so well played out by the young men. You always have to like tough and gritty performances.
Now for the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had an infield single and a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse went deep for a solo homerun shot past left center field, and he would also get a stolen base. Eian Banks had an infield single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a double and an RBI single. The offense didn't get in many hits, but with the hits they did get in, they made those hits count. Give credit to the North Coast Knights, as they did everything they possibly could to shut down the Paints from the mound, and if anything, they hung in there with the home team.
The weather for this game didn't start out as good baseball weather. It was raining and pouring before the game began, and it looked as if there would be some sort of delay, but thankfully, there was only a five minute delay, so that wasn't anything to put a big stamp on. Like I said in past Paints reports, the weather here in Ross County can get a bit crazy. It's not always crazy, but it will get into a crazy period where you don't know what the weather will be like the very next day. Overall, the weather did cooperate, as it was only as bad as cloudy skies, but the teams did get to play, and that's the main thing.
This was a game that the Chillicothe Paints absolutely needed. Why was that? Well, it's because of the fact that the Paints are being hunted down by the second place team in the Eastern Division, the North Coast Knights. The Knights have been playing exceptionally well going into the All-Star break. They have had alot of momentum going into this game, and they had the opportunity to take first place away from the Paints here. This game was as close as you thought it would be. When you have two big bulls or two big time competitors on the same baseball field, you're going to have a great game played, most likely.
Clayton Schulz took the mound for the Paints in this game, and he wasn't bad at all when he pitched. He did get a few hits against him that didn't look so good, especially with that game-tying homerun by the Knights later on in his start, but Schulz was with it again. He was on the ball, and he didn't really drop it. When he left the game, the score was tied 1-1. Schulz would give up just one run on five hits and a walk allowed. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz recorded three strikeouts.
I think I should mention this about Clayton Schulz. I always seem to feel comfortable whenever Clayton does take the mound. He has been one of the more effective pitchers for the Paints' staff. I think he does have such great potential in the future. He's already doing a great job this year. He will still have his shaky starts from time to time, but overall, he's very reliable and I would love to see more of him when next season rolls around for the Prospect League Paints.
Mark Williams only faced two batters in his relief appearance. He was taken out in favor of Blake Mascarello, and Blake would get in two innings of work for his relief appearance. He would strike out two batters. Stephen Shackleford would end up sealing the deal for the hometown team as he came in with a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning. He did a great job of shutting down the North Coast Knights at the right time. I just have to hand it to the pitching staff for this game. This was so well played out by the young men. You always have to like tough and gritty performances.
Now for the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had an infield single and a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse went deep for a solo homerun shot past left center field, and he would also get a stolen base. Eian Banks had an infield single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a double and an RBI single. The offense didn't get in many hits, but with the hits they did get in, they made those hits count. Give credit to the North Coast Knights, as they did everything they possibly could to shut down the Paints from the mound, and if anything, they hung in there with the home team.
The weather for this game didn't start out as good baseball weather. It was raining and pouring before the game began, and it looked as if there would be some sort of delay, but thankfully, there was only a five minute delay, so that wasn't anything to put a big stamp on. Like I said in past Paints reports, the weather here in Ross County can get a bit crazy. It's not always crazy, but it will get into a crazy period where you don't know what the weather will be like the very next day. Overall, the weather did cooperate, as it was only as bad as cloudy skies, but the teams did get to play, and that's the main thing.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Those Crazy Umpires...Prospect League Edition
Slippery Rock 4, Chillicothe 2
It's one thing when you have to contend with the other team on a baseball field, trying to do what you can to win a ballgame, but it's a completely different thing when you have also have to look over your shoulder to see a home plate umpire who does not put his ego aside and just call a game properly. For one thing, you're getting pressure from the opposing team, and they're focused on catching up with you in the standings, and when you come across an umpiring crew that does not relent when it comes to even the easiest issues, you'll find yourself struggling to move around in the game.
If I have to be very honest when it comes to the home plate umpire who called this game between the Slippery Rock Sliders and the Chillicothe Paints, then I have to say that I completely agree with hometown radio announcer Greg Bigam that this home plate umpire needs to be evaluated by Prospect League officials after the season ends because this had to be one of the most unprofessional performances that a home plate umpire could have. In all my time listening to Paints baseball, both the Frontier League and the Prospect League versions, I have never really heard of such an off day by an umpire before. He was said to be shouting at a few of the fans who were heckling at him during the game, handling it badly.
Check the ego at the door and don't try to be Mr. Perfect on the baseball field, or else you won't make friends with either team, nor with the fans who are watching the action.
For the game itself, the Paints did what they could to keep this game within reach, and it wasn't a blowout, but the clutch hits didn't come for the Paints. The team did get in a bunch of hits, but none of them were timely, and most of them weren't stringed together. Take into account that the Slippery Rock Sliders did a good job of executing their own gameplan. They deserve credit for the great plays that they made when they were on defense. The lineup for the Paints was tweaked a bit for this game, and here's how it went.
Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles and an RBI. After he struck out to end the fifth inning, he was ejected because he was arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire. Of course, I wasn't there to see what happened, but Kyle must have said something really serious that warranted an ejection. Whatever the case, the tone wasn't as good as it should have been at this point.
Catcher Andrew Marshall had a single. Andy Brouse had a single and a double. Eian Banks had a single and an infield single. Kris McDonough had an RBI single. Steven Mirizzi had a single. Overall, the good thing about this is that the Paints are still getting hits in, but the not so good thing about this is that they're not making these hits more valuable. I guess you can say that we need more quality in the hits we make rather than the quantity of them.
For the pitching, A.J. Achter made the start for the Paints. He took the mound, and coming off a start in Butler where he was kind of shaky, Achter was a bit shaky here, unfortunately. He went 5 and 1/3 innings deep in his start, and he would end up surrendering four runs to Slippery Rock's offense, giving up 6 hits and a pair of walks as well.
He would strike out two batters, but for this start, this was as effective as he could be. Things were just tough for A.J., but some hits did involve hitting the natural grass surface of Jack Critchfield Park, and on the third base side, balls can really bounce bad on that side for whatever reason. Defensive miscues were bound to happen on a few plays around that area, in all honesty.
Rex Ingham, Chadd Steinborn, and Blake Mascarello would each get into the game to make relief appearances, and none of them would give up any more runs to the Sliders. To review the game, it was the kind of game where you just have to dust yourself off and shrug. Just say "Oh well. It happens.
The Paints will finally return home to Chillicothe and will resume play at V.A. Memorial Stadium on Thursday, July 23rd. They will host the North Coast Knights at 7:05 PM.
It's one thing when you have to contend with the other team on a baseball field, trying to do what you can to win a ballgame, but it's a completely different thing when you have also have to look over your shoulder to see a home plate umpire who does not put his ego aside and just call a game properly. For one thing, you're getting pressure from the opposing team, and they're focused on catching up with you in the standings, and when you come across an umpiring crew that does not relent when it comes to even the easiest issues, you'll find yourself struggling to move around in the game.
If I have to be very honest when it comes to the home plate umpire who called this game between the Slippery Rock Sliders and the Chillicothe Paints, then I have to say that I completely agree with hometown radio announcer Greg Bigam that this home plate umpire needs to be evaluated by Prospect League officials after the season ends because this had to be one of the most unprofessional performances that a home plate umpire could have. In all my time listening to Paints baseball, both the Frontier League and the Prospect League versions, I have never really heard of such an off day by an umpire before. He was said to be shouting at a few of the fans who were heckling at him during the game, handling it badly.
Check the ego at the door and don't try to be Mr. Perfect on the baseball field, or else you won't make friends with either team, nor with the fans who are watching the action.
For the game itself, the Paints did what they could to keep this game within reach, and it wasn't a blowout, but the clutch hits didn't come for the Paints. The team did get in a bunch of hits, but none of them were timely, and most of them weren't stringed together. Take into account that the Slippery Rock Sliders did a good job of executing their own gameplan. They deserve credit for the great plays that they made when they were on defense. The lineup for the Paints was tweaked a bit for this game, and here's how it went.
Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles and an RBI. After he struck out to end the fifth inning, he was ejected because he was arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire. Of course, I wasn't there to see what happened, but Kyle must have said something really serious that warranted an ejection. Whatever the case, the tone wasn't as good as it should have been at this point.
Catcher Andrew Marshall had a single. Andy Brouse had a single and a double. Eian Banks had a single and an infield single. Kris McDonough had an RBI single. Steven Mirizzi had a single. Overall, the good thing about this is that the Paints are still getting hits in, but the not so good thing about this is that they're not making these hits more valuable. I guess you can say that we need more quality in the hits we make rather than the quantity of them.
For the pitching, A.J. Achter made the start for the Paints. He took the mound, and coming off a start in Butler where he was kind of shaky, Achter was a bit shaky here, unfortunately. He went 5 and 1/3 innings deep in his start, and he would end up surrendering four runs to Slippery Rock's offense, giving up 6 hits and a pair of walks as well.
He would strike out two batters, but for this start, this was as effective as he could be. Things were just tough for A.J., but some hits did involve hitting the natural grass surface of Jack Critchfield Park, and on the third base side, balls can really bounce bad on that side for whatever reason. Defensive miscues were bound to happen on a few plays around that area, in all honesty.
Rex Ingham, Chadd Steinborn, and Blake Mascarello would each get into the game to make relief appearances, and none of them would give up any more runs to the Sliders. To review the game, it was the kind of game where you just have to dust yourself off and shrug. Just say "Oh well. It happens.
The Paints will finally return home to Chillicothe and will resume play at V.A. Memorial Stadium on Thursday, July 23rd. They will host the North Coast Knights at 7:05 PM.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Cookies and Milk on the road
Chillicothe 10, Slippery Rock 3
While the Chillicothe Paints were taking the All-Star break to get some much needed rest, I was taking a break of my own the other day. This is, of course, not important information, but I figured I may as well explain myself as to why there wasn't a report made for the road game between the Paints and the Butler Blue Sox. I was away just enjoying myself, and getting some much needed fresh air. I was spending some time with my family, and I was putting in some physical education as I was out to the bowling alley for a few games, and later on in the day, I was running around on the tennis court hitting some tennis balls a bit too hard. Needless to say, I felt somewhat sore after all that.
What does that have to do with Paints baseball? Well, that might actually point out that athletes who are gifted in one sport will try out other physical activities in their spare time, mainly during the offseason. Bowling four games at the bowling alley, and running around working out your mobility on the tennis court for about an hour will do just the thing to keep athletes well conditioned. Athletes should stay active doing something, and I'm sure that at least 90% of commited athletes are out and about doing many physical activities.
Now without further a do, here's your regularly scheduled report about Paints baseball.
Overhearing what Greg Bigam was talking about from the radio broadcast of this game, I found out that Paints manager Brian Mannino had something special planned for his players. Here's the scoop, if the players did anything good during this game, then Mannino would give those players at least one smiley face cookie that he got along the way to Slippery Rock. I find that to be a fun tidbit, and that's great material to type down, because stories similar to this pretty much made up that one great book about the Paints called "Everything Happens in Chillicothe." You know, that book that featured the one-eyed umpire Max McCleary and his stories involving the Paints.
The cookies are going to be a good reward for our hometown batters, because here's what they did.
Shortstop Ben Allen had a single, a stolen base, and an RBI. Right fielder Brandon White had an RBI double. Zach Frentsos had a single. Andy Brouse had two singles. Third baseman Kyle Gendron had two doubles and an RBI. Center fielder Eian Banks had a great power night, as he had an RBI triple in the extensive fourth inning, and he simply crushed a pitch for a three-run homerun shot in the seventh inning. Catcher Kris McDonough had a breakout game, getting a double and a pair of RBI's. Second baseman had a single, a double, and a stolen base.
Well, with offensive statistics like that, Brain Mannino might have to go get a few more extra cookies. I don't know, but that's just a thought.
Tony Bertucci took the mound as the starting pitcher for the Chillicothe Paints. He took on a resurgent, and that may be putting it mildly, lineup in the Slippery Rock Sliders on their home turf at Jack Critchfield Park. Bertucci's start ended up being pretty quiet, but he did a great job. There's not much to say when it comes to the stats that involved Tony, but he only gave up four hits and struck out a batter. The best thing is that he didn't give up a single run. This start can be classified as quiet, but solid.
Krist Linster, Blake Mascarello, and Brad Schnitzer all went out to the mound coming from the bullpen. Linster and Schnitzer were kind of wild in this game, but not overly. Linster gave up a hit, a walk, and a run in one inning fo work. Schnitzer pitched the last two innings of the ballgame, and while the eighth inning wasn't anything very spectacular for him, Schnitzer came back in the ninth and shut the Sliders down for good, sealing the victory for the visting Paints. He gave up three hits, a walk, and two runs. He would strike out a batter.
Overall, the Paints have jumped out of the gates very well. In the game that I wasn't able to report to my readers, the Paints did a great job at Butler Pullman Park to down the Blue Sox 9-6. That game involved 18 Paints hits, while this game featured 12. I believe it was only rest that was needed for the Paints. Eventually, it does get tiring when you have to keep going out day after day to the field and trying to concentrate when your body may not be at the same level concentration, and not to mention, the fatigue is a critical factor.
However, there's only about 15 games left for the Paints in this young and early Prospect league season, so there won't be a long stretch after this All-Star break. Things are looking very good for where Ross County's own team might be headed. Stay tuned...and have a cookie while you're at it.
While the Chillicothe Paints were taking the All-Star break to get some much needed rest, I was taking a break of my own the other day. This is, of course, not important information, but I figured I may as well explain myself as to why there wasn't a report made for the road game between the Paints and the Butler Blue Sox. I was away just enjoying myself, and getting some much needed fresh air. I was spending some time with my family, and I was putting in some physical education as I was out to the bowling alley for a few games, and later on in the day, I was running around on the tennis court hitting some tennis balls a bit too hard. Needless to say, I felt somewhat sore after all that.
What does that have to do with Paints baseball? Well, that might actually point out that athletes who are gifted in one sport will try out other physical activities in their spare time, mainly during the offseason. Bowling four games at the bowling alley, and running around working out your mobility on the tennis court for about an hour will do just the thing to keep athletes well conditioned. Athletes should stay active doing something, and I'm sure that at least 90% of commited athletes are out and about doing many physical activities.
Now without further a do, here's your regularly scheduled report about Paints baseball.
Overhearing what Greg Bigam was talking about from the radio broadcast of this game, I found out that Paints manager Brian Mannino had something special planned for his players. Here's the scoop, if the players did anything good during this game, then Mannino would give those players at least one smiley face cookie that he got along the way to Slippery Rock. I find that to be a fun tidbit, and that's great material to type down, because stories similar to this pretty much made up that one great book about the Paints called "Everything Happens in Chillicothe." You know, that book that featured the one-eyed umpire Max McCleary and his stories involving the Paints.
The cookies are going to be a good reward for our hometown batters, because here's what they did.
Shortstop Ben Allen had a single, a stolen base, and an RBI. Right fielder Brandon White had an RBI double. Zach Frentsos had a single. Andy Brouse had two singles. Third baseman Kyle Gendron had two doubles and an RBI. Center fielder Eian Banks had a great power night, as he had an RBI triple in the extensive fourth inning, and he simply crushed a pitch for a three-run homerun shot in the seventh inning. Catcher Kris McDonough had a breakout game, getting a double and a pair of RBI's. Second baseman had a single, a double, and a stolen base.
Well, with offensive statistics like that, Brain Mannino might have to go get a few more extra cookies. I don't know, but that's just a thought.
Tony Bertucci took the mound as the starting pitcher for the Chillicothe Paints. He took on a resurgent, and that may be putting it mildly, lineup in the Slippery Rock Sliders on their home turf at Jack Critchfield Park. Bertucci's start ended up being pretty quiet, but he did a great job. There's not much to say when it comes to the stats that involved Tony, but he only gave up four hits and struck out a batter. The best thing is that he didn't give up a single run. This start can be classified as quiet, but solid.
Krist Linster, Blake Mascarello, and Brad Schnitzer all went out to the mound coming from the bullpen. Linster and Schnitzer were kind of wild in this game, but not overly. Linster gave up a hit, a walk, and a run in one inning fo work. Schnitzer pitched the last two innings of the ballgame, and while the eighth inning wasn't anything very spectacular for him, Schnitzer came back in the ninth and shut the Sliders down for good, sealing the victory for the visting Paints. He gave up three hits, a walk, and two runs. He would strike out a batter.
Overall, the Paints have jumped out of the gates very well. In the game that I wasn't able to report to my readers, the Paints did a great job at Butler Pullman Park to down the Blue Sox 9-6. That game involved 18 Paints hits, while this game featured 12. I believe it was only rest that was needed for the Paints. Eventually, it does get tiring when you have to keep going out day after day to the field and trying to concentrate when your body may not be at the same level concentration, and not to mention, the fatigue is a critical factor.
However, there's only about 15 games left for the Paints in this young and early Prospect league season, so there won't be a long stretch after this All-Star break. Things are looking very good for where Ross County's own team might be headed. Stay tuned...and have a cookie while you're at it.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
new website content
Hey all! I'm still here. On vacation this week, back from a trip, and adding some new content to the website.
I've just edited the Midwest Sliders and Lake Erie Crushers pages with ballpark photos. I'm working on a Normal CornBelters page, and after attending the Frontier League all star game tomorrow I have a whole bunch of memorabilia from this season to add.
See you at the ballpark!
I've just edited the Midwest Sliders and Lake Erie Crushers pages with ballpark photos. I'm working on a Normal CornBelters page, and after attending the Frontier League all star game tomorrow I have a whole bunch of memorabilia from this season to add.
See you at the ballpark!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Still Sliding Down
Richmond 7, Chillicothe 1
It's getting tough at this point in the season.
That's the one sentence summary of what I would say is happening to the Paints right now. Everything is getting pretty tough for the team, and perhaps since we're entering the all-star break in the Prospect League, the Paints could afford some time off. At least for most of them of course because some of the Paints players will be making the trip to Springfield, Illinois for the All-Star game. The Paints as a unit aren't getting in the right hits. They're getting in hits, but not the right, timely hits.
The Chillicothe Paints got a bit of a bad break early on when starting pitcher Stephen Shackleford had to come out of the ballgame due to the fact that he got right in the face with a groundball up the pitcher's mound. Somehow, the ball managed to get up on Stephen and it left a cut somewhere on his face, and I won't get into any more details than that because not many people know what this cut really is. As for Stephen, he would pitch 1 and 2/3 innings in his outing and would give up two runs total. He would give up three hits and one walk.
Rex Ingham would fill in for Shackleford for the rest of the way, and truthfully, things did not get any better when he got into the game. He gave up 5 hits and a walk while striking out one batter. Rex would end up surrendering 4 more runs to Richmond. He would go 3 and 1/3 innings deep in his outing. Mark Williams and Brad Schnitzer would each get into the game, but the damage was done once again for the third night in a row.
As for the offense, Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI, but he made an obvious baserunning blunder in the fifth inning that got the Paints out of it. Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. Kyle Gendron had a single. DH Cory Maguire had a single. Zach Leonard had a single. Zach Frentsos had a single and a stolen base. Here was the main thing to note about this display of offense for this game. The hits that the Paints made for this game were not stringed together.
These hits did not produce runs. These hits did not put any pressure on Richmond's defense at most points in the game. When you're on offense, you have to bring pressure to the opposing defense. You only score runs with your offense, so you'll make the most noise on offense while you leave the stopping up to your defense and the pitching on the mound for your team.
I really don't know what it could be, but consider that since this is a collegiate wooden bat league, there's a little (note the word "little") more room for error in a team's performance, but nonetheless, you still have to bring what you got onto that field. You have to have a sharp mind when you're on the basepaths, and you have to know the situation when you're in the batter's box. The Paints just haven't shown that in nearly a week, so the all-star break should be used for them to put their focus back on the fundamentals.
It's getting tough at this point in the season.
That's the one sentence summary of what I would say is happening to the Paints right now. Everything is getting pretty tough for the team, and perhaps since we're entering the all-star break in the Prospect League, the Paints could afford some time off. At least for most of them of course because some of the Paints players will be making the trip to Springfield, Illinois for the All-Star game. The Paints as a unit aren't getting in the right hits. They're getting in hits, but not the right, timely hits.
The Chillicothe Paints got a bit of a bad break early on when starting pitcher Stephen Shackleford had to come out of the ballgame due to the fact that he got right in the face with a groundball up the pitcher's mound. Somehow, the ball managed to get up on Stephen and it left a cut somewhere on his face, and I won't get into any more details than that because not many people know what this cut really is. As for Stephen, he would pitch 1 and 2/3 innings in his outing and would give up two runs total. He would give up three hits and one walk.
Rex Ingham would fill in for Shackleford for the rest of the way, and truthfully, things did not get any better when he got into the game. He gave up 5 hits and a walk while striking out one batter. Rex would end up surrendering 4 more runs to Richmond. He would go 3 and 1/3 innings deep in his outing. Mark Williams and Brad Schnitzer would each get into the game, but the damage was done once again for the third night in a row.
As for the offense, Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI, but he made an obvious baserunning blunder in the fifth inning that got the Paints out of it. Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. Kyle Gendron had a single. DH Cory Maguire had a single. Zach Leonard had a single. Zach Frentsos had a single and a stolen base. Here was the main thing to note about this display of offense for this game. The hits that the Paints made for this game were not stringed together.
These hits did not produce runs. These hits did not put any pressure on Richmond's defense at most points in the game. When you're on offense, you have to bring pressure to the opposing defense. You only score runs with your offense, so you'll make the most noise on offense while you leave the stopping up to your defense and the pitching on the mound for your team.
I really don't know what it could be, but consider that since this is a collegiate wooden bat league, there's a little (note the word "little") more room for error in a team's performance, but nonetheless, you still have to bring what you got onto that field. You have to have a sharp mind when you're on the basepaths, and you have to know the situation when you're in the batter's box. The Paints just haven't shown that in nearly a week, so the all-star break should be used for them to put their focus back on the fundamentals.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Riding The Slippery Slide
Slippery Rock 2. Chillicothe 1
Compared to the other game between the two teams at V.A. Memorial Stadium, this night really wasn't as bad when you think about it. Thankfully for me, I wasn't at the 10-1 slide ballgame the other night, so I didn't miss much then. This game wasn't nearly as bad. True, the Slippery Rock Sliders still came out triumphant, but at least the Chillicothe Paints can say that they were in this game and that they had some chances to make this game interesting. I still can't tell what it is about these two teams when they play each other. Whenever the Paints go to Slippery Rock, they do win pretty often, and that's the same for the Sliders when they come to Chillicothe. They come here, and they win pretty often, too.
Tony Bertucci made the start for the Paints. He took the mound and he did a good job early on, but as the game nearly got into the middle innings, he was getting in trouble with the opposing offense, and he would give up some hits that would ultimately determine the result of the ballgame. Bertucci would go 7 innings deep, giving up 6 hits and a walk. He would give up a pair of runs. He would strike out 5 batters.
Overall, he was in there to get his work in, and rightfully so because of the rules and regulations set forth by the Prospect League. He hung in there and didn't give up any more runs than those two, so the defecit wasn't that impossible to overcome for the good guys.
Krist Linster and Chadd Steinborn would each put in an inning of relief each, and they would do just fine and dandy, as they used to say. Linster pitched an inning and struck out a batter. Steinborn pitched an inning and struck out a batter. The going was actually quite easy for the bullpen in this game, and they did what they could to keep the Paints in the game. One thing that I have noticed in most Prospect League games is that the games in this league are very well even sliced. You have a close margin between two teams, and there are equal opportunities to climb back into games and actually win some of those tight games.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had only one at-bat, and that was in the first inning. He was pulled in favor of Steven Mirizzi, and Mirizzi would play the rest of the game at center field. Speaking of Mirizzi, he only had a stolen base and he grounded into two fielder's choice plays. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had an infield single. DH Brandon White had a single.
The offense just wasn't enough for this game. Only run was scored for the Paints, and that's how you could sum up the game's progress. There wasn't enough done on the field in this game. The team did do some good things, and they definitely had their eyes on the ball compared to the other night, but the Slippery Rock Sliders did it again.
They did what they had to do to win. They performed exceptionally well here. Both teams put in solid efforts, but obviously, one team can walk off the field victorious. The Paints were basically batting balls over to places that just weren't favorable for their liking. In other words, the balls found their way into the Sliders' gloves.
First baseman Cory Maguire made his return to the Paints starting lineup in this game. The reason for his absence was because of an injury that he sustained a while back. It has taken Cory some time to recover from those injuries, but he's getting back into the thick of things, and what's better is that the Paints will get back a certified first baseman back into their everyday routine.
Plus, I managed to talk to Cory Maguire before the game, and he was upbeat and optimistic as always. He's a good guy to have a discussion with. I could tell that he was happy to have that Paints jersey on and know that he would be back on the playing field doing what he loves to do. That's what baseball players do. They enjoy the moments when they're out on the field. I know that it's a great feeling. Getting your opportunity to do what you can do is very much satisfying and it helps measure you up against the rest of the league and playing time shows you how you need to improve your skills.
Compared to the other game between the two teams at V.A. Memorial Stadium, this night really wasn't as bad when you think about it. Thankfully for me, I wasn't at the 10-1 slide ballgame the other night, so I didn't miss much then. This game wasn't nearly as bad. True, the Slippery Rock Sliders still came out triumphant, but at least the Chillicothe Paints can say that they were in this game and that they had some chances to make this game interesting. I still can't tell what it is about these two teams when they play each other. Whenever the Paints go to Slippery Rock, they do win pretty often, and that's the same for the Sliders when they come to Chillicothe. They come here, and they win pretty often, too.
Tony Bertucci made the start for the Paints. He took the mound and he did a good job early on, but as the game nearly got into the middle innings, he was getting in trouble with the opposing offense, and he would give up some hits that would ultimately determine the result of the ballgame. Bertucci would go 7 innings deep, giving up 6 hits and a walk. He would give up a pair of runs. He would strike out 5 batters.
Overall, he was in there to get his work in, and rightfully so because of the rules and regulations set forth by the Prospect League. He hung in there and didn't give up any more runs than those two, so the defecit wasn't that impossible to overcome for the good guys.
Krist Linster and Chadd Steinborn would each put in an inning of relief each, and they would do just fine and dandy, as they used to say. Linster pitched an inning and struck out a batter. Steinborn pitched an inning and struck out a batter. The going was actually quite easy for the bullpen in this game, and they did what they could to keep the Paints in the game. One thing that I have noticed in most Prospect League games is that the games in this league are very well even sliced. You have a close margin between two teams, and there are equal opportunities to climb back into games and actually win some of those tight games.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had only one at-bat, and that was in the first inning. He was pulled in favor of Steven Mirizzi, and Mirizzi would play the rest of the game at center field. Speaking of Mirizzi, he only had a stolen base and he grounded into two fielder's choice plays. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Second baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had an infield single. DH Brandon White had a single.
The offense just wasn't enough for this game. Only run was scored for the Paints, and that's how you could sum up the game's progress. There wasn't enough done on the field in this game. The team did do some good things, and they definitely had their eyes on the ball compared to the other night, but the Slippery Rock Sliders did it again.
They did what they had to do to win. They performed exceptionally well here. Both teams put in solid efforts, but obviously, one team can walk off the field victorious. The Paints were basically batting balls over to places that just weren't favorable for their liking. In other words, the balls found their way into the Sliders' gloves.
First baseman Cory Maguire made his return to the Paints starting lineup in this game. The reason for his absence was because of an injury that he sustained a while back. It has taken Cory some time to recover from those injuries, but he's getting back into the thick of things, and what's better is that the Paints will get back a certified first baseman back into their everyday routine.
Plus, I managed to talk to Cory Maguire before the game, and he was upbeat and optimistic as always. He's a good guy to have a discussion with. I could tell that he was happy to have that Paints jersey on and know that he would be back on the playing field doing what he loves to do. That's what baseball players do. They enjoy the moments when they're out on the field. I know that it's a great feeling. Getting your opportunity to do what you can do is very much satisfying and it helps measure you up against the rest of the league and playing time shows you how you need to improve your skills.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A lazy night at home
Slippery Rock 10, Chillicothe 1
The majority of this game just wasn't good at all.
That's not all I have to say about this game, but whether you were at the ballpark or if you were listening to the game on the radio, you could tell that this was going to be a long, long night for the home team as it turned out. The Chillicothe Paints weren't on their A-game here, and they were having some problems trying to get the right plays made on defense. This isn't what I would call a well managed game by the players, but after all, you do have to realize that these things are just going to happen, and you have to expect long days or nights in a summer college wooden bat league like this one.
Give credit to where credit is surely due. Let's take a moment to congratulate a player from the other team. Pitcher Andy Young pitched a wonderful game for the visiting Slippery Rock Sliders. He kept the Paints in check for most of the ballgame. He got into the ballgame only after the original starting pitcher, Corey Mazzoni, couldn't get back out to pitch the second inning for the Sliders due to an injury.
For Andy Young, from the second inning to the eighth inning, he did exactly what he had to do when he had a big lead being his cushion. He went 7 innings deep in his outing, and he would give up only 6 hits and a pair of walks, striking out four Paints batters. The most important part is that he didn't give up a single run.
On the flip side, the Paints were just hurting from the off balanced defense. This wasn't a good night to be in a white home jersey as the Paints commited three errors on defense for the game. Errors are never a good sign, no matter how many of them you commit. Having three errors on the scoreboard would be big trouble for the Paints as those errors played a part in getting the Sliders some of the ten runs that they would score.
For the offense, Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse was the only batter for the Paints to drive in a run, getting an RBI double in the first inning to give the Paints a very brief 1-0 lead in the ballgame, but that was all the offense that the Paints could muster, unfortunately. Zach Frentsos came off the bench to replace Eian Banks, and Frentsos had a base hit. DH Brandon White had a bunt single. Kris McDonough had a single. Tim Krofcheck legged out a bunt single. Overall, the Paints would get in 8 hits for this game, but the total number of runs are the key thing, and the Paints didn't have nearly the same amount of runs as the Sliders.
Blake Mascarello had it rough for this night. At the beginning of his start, it looked as though he would be in business, but from the third inning on, he would have a tremendous amount of problems, and it turned out that it wasn't meant to be for this game. For the record, Mascarello would go 3 and 2/3 innings deep in his start, and he would give up 6 runs while also giving up 7 hits and a walk. He would record 6 K's, as that was the only bright spot in his start. The going was too tough here, and it's understandable. You're going to have games like these, it's just that you don't know when and where these off games are going to happen for you. When it happens, it will happen, but players will pick themselves up after the bad games are done with. That's pretty much the cycle, and kind of like the anatomy, of a baseball season.
Eric Heckaman would pitch 4 and 1/3 innings of relief once Mascarello was taken out of the game, and Eric would give up a trio of runs himself, giving up four hits and two walks in the process. He would strike out a pair of batters. Brad Schnitzer would also get into the game and he would pitch for an inning, even though the damage was already done at this point in the game.
Now let's get to more positive news concerning the Paints organization. Mainstay shortstop Travis Garcia has been signed by the Seattle Mariners organization and he has reported to their Double-A team, the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, located in Jackson, Tennessee. Travis Garcia is finally getting his second chance at affiliated ball, and he's once again on track to chase his dream of being in the big leagues. I am personally extremely happy for Travis, as you know him and I go a ways back. I wish Travis well, and Travis, if you are reading this, I have a good article planned for you, I promise. I just don't know when yet.
The majority of this game just wasn't good at all.
That's not all I have to say about this game, but whether you were at the ballpark or if you were listening to the game on the radio, you could tell that this was going to be a long, long night for the home team as it turned out. The Chillicothe Paints weren't on their A-game here, and they were having some problems trying to get the right plays made on defense. This isn't what I would call a well managed game by the players, but after all, you do have to realize that these things are just going to happen, and you have to expect long days or nights in a summer college wooden bat league like this one.
Give credit to where credit is surely due. Let's take a moment to congratulate a player from the other team. Pitcher Andy Young pitched a wonderful game for the visiting Slippery Rock Sliders. He kept the Paints in check for most of the ballgame. He got into the ballgame only after the original starting pitcher, Corey Mazzoni, couldn't get back out to pitch the second inning for the Sliders due to an injury.
For Andy Young, from the second inning to the eighth inning, he did exactly what he had to do when he had a big lead being his cushion. He went 7 innings deep in his outing, and he would give up only 6 hits and a pair of walks, striking out four Paints batters. The most important part is that he didn't give up a single run.
On the flip side, the Paints were just hurting from the off balanced defense. This wasn't a good night to be in a white home jersey as the Paints commited three errors on defense for the game. Errors are never a good sign, no matter how many of them you commit. Having three errors on the scoreboard would be big trouble for the Paints as those errors played a part in getting the Sliders some of the ten runs that they would score.
For the offense, Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse was the only batter for the Paints to drive in a run, getting an RBI double in the first inning to give the Paints a very brief 1-0 lead in the ballgame, but that was all the offense that the Paints could muster, unfortunately. Zach Frentsos came off the bench to replace Eian Banks, and Frentsos had a base hit. DH Brandon White had a bunt single. Kris McDonough had a single. Tim Krofcheck legged out a bunt single. Overall, the Paints would get in 8 hits for this game, but the total number of runs are the key thing, and the Paints didn't have nearly the same amount of runs as the Sliders.
Blake Mascarello had it rough for this night. At the beginning of his start, it looked as though he would be in business, but from the third inning on, he would have a tremendous amount of problems, and it turned out that it wasn't meant to be for this game. For the record, Mascarello would go 3 and 2/3 innings deep in his start, and he would give up 6 runs while also giving up 7 hits and a walk. He would record 6 K's, as that was the only bright spot in his start. The going was too tough here, and it's understandable. You're going to have games like these, it's just that you don't know when and where these off games are going to happen for you. When it happens, it will happen, but players will pick themselves up after the bad games are done with. That's pretty much the cycle, and kind of like the anatomy, of a baseball season.
Eric Heckaman would pitch 4 and 1/3 innings of relief once Mascarello was taken out of the game, and Eric would give up a trio of runs himself, giving up four hits and two walks in the process. He would strike out a pair of batters. Brad Schnitzer would also get into the game and he would pitch for an inning, even though the damage was already done at this point in the game.
Now let's get to more positive news concerning the Paints organization. Mainstay shortstop Travis Garcia has been signed by the Seattle Mariners organization and he has reported to their Double-A team, the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, located in Jackson, Tennessee. Travis Garcia is finally getting his second chance at affiliated ball, and he's once again on track to chase his dream of being in the big leagues. I am personally extremely happy for Travis, as you know him and I go a ways back. I wish Travis well, and Travis, if you are reading this, I have a good article planned for you, I promise. I just don't know when yet.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Paints Defeat Bombers In The Stretch
Chillicothe 5, Dubois County 4
This was a well managed game by the hometown team. This was just another tip of the mill type of win that the team can feel good about. The Chillicothe Paints welcomed the Dubois County Bombers into the V.A. for this night, and unlike the time where they played at the Bombers' place, there weren't any doubts as to who was who. You could tell which team was which by looking at the jersey colors. The Bombers wore red and the Paints wore their home white jerseys. Like I said before, this was a game that the Paints can feel good about because mainly, they got the win.
When it comes to defensive plays, the Paints made more stops than the Bombers did, and what's more interesting is the fact that the Bombers made four errors in this ballgame. That's a lot to give up in a span of a game, and that's where you know where things aren't really going right for the team when plays are being messed up here and there. Hey, it happens, and I just want to note that the Bombers didn't give up in this game. They battled to the very end, and that was evident because of the top of the ninth inning that gave the Paints some kind of concern.
Tony Davey made the start for the Paints. He gave up 6 hits, two walks, and only one run as he would pitch 6 innings deep in his start. From my point of view, I would have to say that Davey had many things going right for him. He had good control of his pitches for the most part. True, a few pitches did get away from him, but that's true for just about every pitcher in the Prospect League. Those things just happen. However, Davey had a good start and he kept the Dubois County offense in check. Davey didn't get rattled at all even when he did get into a little bit of trouble.
Mark Williams and Stephen Shackleford did get into a bit of trouble in both of their outings, but they weren't so bad when you stop and think about it. Williams would get into the game from the seventh inning on and would pitch an okay relief outing, going two innings deep and giving up four hits and a walk. He gave up one run in total. He put in a strikeout in the middle of all that. Again, nothing too bad at all. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and would give up a hit, commit and error, and would throw a wild pitch. He would give up two runs, but he still shut the door on the Bombers, and that's all that matters.
Going to the lumber factory, Kyle Galbraith would see action both in center field and at third base, and he would get a double to start the hitting for the Paints in the first inning. Shortstop Ben Allen would get an RBI off a groundout. First baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles, and I am glad to say that he did a great job manning first base in this game. He was very in tune with what was going on when on defense. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had an infield single. The ever so speedy second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single.
Now let's get to the All-Star Game selections. The Paints will bring a total of 11 representatives to Springfield, Illinois.
Manager: Brian Mannino
1B: Cory Maguire
3B: Kyle Galbraith
SS: Ben Allen
UTIL: Kyle Gendron
OF: Andy Brouse
C: Andrew Marshall
RP: Chadd Steinborn
RP: Blake Mascarello
SP: Clayton Schulz
SP: A.J. Achter
Congratulations to all of these guys, both the players and Chillicothe's skipper for accomplishing this first feat in the Prospect League. This has been a wonderful season so far, and it gives me good pleasure to applaud these guys for their hard work throughout the first part of the season. I appreciate all of the Paints for what they do, and I hope for the best from the rest of the guys, but just for these guys alone, I wish them well in Springfield, and I want them to just enjoy themselves and have some fun. They have earned it, after all.
There were some interesting highlights to note here. Before the game even started, Ronald McDonald was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and he even sung the National Anthem, which he did a splendid job in singing it. He had a very good sounding voice for singing. He was at the V.A. for McDonald's I'm Lovin' It Night, one of the promotions that the Paints organization does during the season. Unlike the We Be Clowns, who are great to have at the ballpark no doubt, the appearance of Ronald McDonald didn't bring any rain to the ballpark, much to the fans' delight.
This was a well managed game by the hometown team. This was just another tip of the mill type of win that the team can feel good about. The Chillicothe Paints welcomed the Dubois County Bombers into the V.A. for this night, and unlike the time where they played at the Bombers' place, there weren't any doubts as to who was who. You could tell which team was which by looking at the jersey colors. The Bombers wore red and the Paints wore their home white jerseys. Like I said before, this was a game that the Paints can feel good about because mainly, they got the win.
When it comes to defensive plays, the Paints made more stops than the Bombers did, and what's more interesting is the fact that the Bombers made four errors in this ballgame. That's a lot to give up in a span of a game, and that's where you know where things aren't really going right for the team when plays are being messed up here and there. Hey, it happens, and I just want to note that the Bombers didn't give up in this game. They battled to the very end, and that was evident because of the top of the ninth inning that gave the Paints some kind of concern.
Tony Davey made the start for the Paints. He gave up 6 hits, two walks, and only one run as he would pitch 6 innings deep in his start. From my point of view, I would have to say that Davey had many things going right for him. He had good control of his pitches for the most part. True, a few pitches did get away from him, but that's true for just about every pitcher in the Prospect League. Those things just happen. However, Davey had a good start and he kept the Dubois County offense in check. Davey didn't get rattled at all even when he did get into a little bit of trouble.
Mark Williams and Stephen Shackleford did get into a bit of trouble in both of their outings, but they weren't so bad when you stop and think about it. Williams would get into the game from the seventh inning on and would pitch an okay relief outing, going two innings deep and giving up four hits and a walk. He gave up one run in total. He put in a strikeout in the middle of all that. Again, nothing too bad at all. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and would give up a hit, commit and error, and would throw a wild pitch. He would give up two runs, but he still shut the door on the Bombers, and that's all that matters.
Going to the lumber factory, Kyle Galbraith would see action both in center field and at third base, and he would get a double to start the hitting for the Paints in the first inning. Shortstop Ben Allen would get an RBI off a groundout. First baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles, and I am glad to say that he did a great job manning first base in this game. He was very in tune with what was going on when on defense. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had an infield single. The ever so speedy second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single.
Now let's get to the All-Star Game selections. The Paints will bring a total of 11 representatives to Springfield, Illinois.
Manager: Brian Mannino
1B: Cory Maguire
3B: Kyle Galbraith
SS: Ben Allen
UTIL: Kyle Gendron
OF: Andy Brouse
C: Andrew Marshall
RP: Chadd Steinborn
RP: Blake Mascarello
SP: Clayton Schulz
SP: A.J. Achter
Congratulations to all of these guys, both the players and Chillicothe's skipper for accomplishing this first feat in the Prospect League. This has been a wonderful season so far, and it gives me good pleasure to applaud these guys for their hard work throughout the first part of the season. I appreciate all of the Paints for what they do, and I hope for the best from the rest of the guys, but just for these guys alone, I wish them well in Springfield, and I want them to just enjoy themselves and have some fun. They have earned it, after all.
There were some interesting highlights to note here. Before the game even started, Ronald McDonald was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and he even sung the National Anthem, which he did a splendid job in singing it. He had a very good sounding voice for singing. He was at the V.A. for McDonald's I'm Lovin' It Night, one of the promotions that the Paints organization does during the season. Unlike the We Be Clowns, who are great to have at the ballpark no doubt, the appearance of Ronald McDonald didn't bring any rain to the ballpark, much to the fans' delight.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Collapsing Late In The Game
Butler 7, Chillicothe 3
For this game at Butler Pullman Park, the Chillicothe Paints and the Butler Blue Sox were going at it for quite some time, but when things got going, the Blue Sox kept up with the pace, and the Paints weren't able to respond. When it comes to the field surfaces of Pullman Park, the two separate surfaces did play some sort of factor in this game, though I must admit, it didn't play a huge factor. The main factor was that the pitching didn't come up with the stops for the Paints when they needed to have them. It's hard to really describe it because this game was back and forth until the seventh inning.
Starting pitcher A.J. Achter was battling all throughout his start. He was being such a competitor out there doing whatever he could to keep the Paints in the game, but there came a time where everything was just dropped like a net full of dodge balls in a school gym. Once again, I'm not very good at making analogies, but I guess you could say the weight was beginning to be too much for Achter once he got deeper into his start.
It also didn't help that the umpiring for this game was once again below par. I try not to get picky these days because of the fact that this is just a collegiate baseball league, and the atmosphere is kind of toned down, but I still have to say that the umpires need to stop changing the strike zone for the teams who are playing. It almost seems like they switch from one strike zone to another for different teams. I'm not saying that they intentionally do this, but I don't think they're aware that they're doing this.
As for Achter, he did a good job for the most part until the chaotic seventh inning. He pitched 6 innings deep into his start, and he would give up 5 runs off 6 hits allowed. He would also give up 4 walks. It was just an up and down start for Achter, as in there were times that he was looking really good, but then he would start to struggle at other times. Give the Blue Sox credit here. They did what they had to do to get to Achter, and if I may say so, they picked the greatest time to get to Achter because they were down 3-2 to the Paints after Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun.
Krist Linster got rocked in his outing, going 2/3 of an inning and giving up three hits and a walk. He would give up two runs. Brad Schnitzer would also get into the game in relief, but he got in at a time when the smoke was clearing. The 5 run rally made by the Blue Sox in the seventh inning was all that mattered when you talk about the final score.
Now with the offense, Kyle Galbraith had three singles and an RBI. Ben Allen scorched a sacrifice fly that would drive in a run. Andrew Marshall would get in two singles. Kyle Gendron had a single. Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun shot in the top of the seventh inning, and this solo homerun was special in that it cleared the left field fence. The left field foul pole is listed at 347 feet, so it's not short by any means. The very fact that Eian Banks cleared that long distance is an interesting feat for sure. I was amazed to hear the call from Greg Bigam at first. It was really surprising. When was the last year the Paints had to deal with a foul pole that was deeper than 335 feet?
I could tell that strategy was at work for this game. Blue Sox manager Jason Wuerfel did a great job of directing traffic for his own pitching staff. Jason has experience from being a coach with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, and I believe that he's going to do great things for the Butler Blue Sox in the future. I can't blame my hometown manager Brian Mannino for questioning the calls made by the umpires. He had every right to question the calls because he had very good views of the strike zone himself. This hasn't been the first time that Mannino has questioned umpire calls. He has done this throughout the year.
For this game at Butler Pullman Park, the Chillicothe Paints and the Butler Blue Sox were going at it for quite some time, but when things got going, the Blue Sox kept up with the pace, and the Paints weren't able to respond. When it comes to the field surfaces of Pullman Park, the two separate surfaces did play some sort of factor in this game, though I must admit, it didn't play a huge factor. The main factor was that the pitching didn't come up with the stops for the Paints when they needed to have them. It's hard to really describe it because this game was back and forth until the seventh inning.
Starting pitcher A.J. Achter was battling all throughout his start. He was being such a competitor out there doing whatever he could to keep the Paints in the game, but there came a time where everything was just dropped like a net full of dodge balls in a school gym. Once again, I'm not very good at making analogies, but I guess you could say the weight was beginning to be too much for Achter once he got deeper into his start.
It also didn't help that the umpiring for this game was once again below par. I try not to get picky these days because of the fact that this is just a collegiate baseball league, and the atmosphere is kind of toned down, but I still have to say that the umpires need to stop changing the strike zone for the teams who are playing. It almost seems like they switch from one strike zone to another for different teams. I'm not saying that they intentionally do this, but I don't think they're aware that they're doing this.
As for Achter, he did a good job for the most part until the chaotic seventh inning. He pitched 6 innings deep into his start, and he would give up 5 runs off 6 hits allowed. He would also give up 4 walks. It was just an up and down start for Achter, as in there were times that he was looking really good, but then he would start to struggle at other times. Give the Blue Sox credit here. They did what they had to do to get to Achter, and if I may say so, they picked the greatest time to get to Achter because they were down 3-2 to the Paints after Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun.
Krist Linster got rocked in his outing, going 2/3 of an inning and giving up three hits and a walk. He would give up two runs. Brad Schnitzer would also get into the game in relief, but he got in at a time when the smoke was clearing. The 5 run rally made by the Blue Sox in the seventh inning was all that mattered when you talk about the final score.
Now with the offense, Kyle Galbraith had three singles and an RBI. Ben Allen scorched a sacrifice fly that would drive in a run. Andrew Marshall would get in two singles. Kyle Gendron had a single. Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun shot in the top of the seventh inning, and this solo homerun was special in that it cleared the left field fence. The left field foul pole is listed at 347 feet, so it's not short by any means. The very fact that Eian Banks cleared that long distance is an interesting feat for sure. I was amazed to hear the call from Greg Bigam at first. It was really surprising. When was the last year the Paints had to deal with a foul pole that was deeper than 335 feet?
I could tell that strategy was at work for this game. Blue Sox manager Jason Wuerfel did a great job of directing traffic for his own pitching staff. Jason has experience from being a coach with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, and I believe that he's going to do great things for the Butler Blue Sox in the future. I can't blame my hometown manager Brian Mannino for questioning the calls made by the umpires. He had every right to question the calls because he had very good views of the strike zone himself. This hasn't been the first time that Mannino has questioned umpire calls. He has done this throughout the year.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Red Hot Pitching at The Jack
Chillicothe 5, Slippery Rock 0
The competitive fire was burning for the Chillicothe Paints in this game, and so much so that the pitching staff especially showed some amazing fire from the mound, as the three pitchers who took that mound all did remarkable jobs in doing what they needed to do to help get the Paints a win here. Rest assured, I try not to exagerate anything because I know that the Slippery Rock Sliders were competing as well. I even tip my cap to those guys as they have really given the Paints tough times during this year, but thankfully for Paints fans, this game wasn't a rough time for the Paints.
Let's start with our starter Clayton Schultz. The youngster who is playing for North Florida University, had a great start. I believe that I can type this down with great assurance that this had to be one of Schulz's best starts so far this year. This win happens to be his fifth win of the year, so he's now 5-1 on the season.
Now if you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Schulz was definitely a catalyst for bringing the proverbial heat. He went 6 innings deep and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the best thing is he didn't surrender a single run. Lest we forget about the strikeouts, Clayton Schulz had 9 of them here. I have to say that ever since I first saw him, I have been very impressed by the way Schulz can manage a game from the mound. He has that certain poise about himself that comes along with being an all-around gamer. When you develop as an athlete, and in this case, a baseball player, it's really good to know having someone like Schulz be impressive thus far this year
Now let's go to Eric Heckaman. Now Heckaman, on the other hand, has been on a roller coaster of sorts when it comes to the quality of his appearances. He has been on and off, to be more specific. Heckaman gave the team two innings of work, and he only gave up one hit. He would strike out a trio of batters, and the best thing is that he did his job. If you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Eric Heckaman did his part as well, being the second catalyst of the group.
Finally, here's Stephen Shackleford. Now of course, his first name and my first name are spelled differently, but that's nothing to worry about at all, since we're both pulling for the same team, and he's playing on it. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and he just flat out blew away the Slippery Rock Sliders almost like a leaf blower does against a pile of leaves on the ground. He struck out the side with three consecutive strikeouts to secure the win for the Paints. Overall, the pitching staff had one of their best games this year, bar none. Again, I can type that statement down with great assurance.
Don't forget about the offense because you need some hitting to help get you to victory as well. Center fielder Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI bunt single in the sixth inning. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had a single and got an RBI off a sacrfice fly in the second inning. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly of his own in the fourth inning.
This game was amazing to listen to. True, it may not have been a no-hitter kind of game, but it doesn't need to be anything like that to be amazing. This was exciting, and I have to give a ton of credit to all facets of the Paints for making this game that good entertainment wise. I liked what I heard and it reminded me of those simpler times that I had when I was at the V.A. in late 2005. Those were great times, and I guess you could say that slowly, but surely, we're getting back to those times. This is beginning to get more special, folks.
The competitive fire was burning for the Chillicothe Paints in this game, and so much so that the pitching staff especially showed some amazing fire from the mound, as the three pitchers who took that mound all did remarkable jobs in doing what they needed to do to help get the Paints a win here. Rest assured, I try not to exagerate anything because I know that the Slippery Rock Sliders were competing as well. I even tip my cap to those guys as they have really given the Paints tough times during this year, but thankfully for Paints fans, this game wasn't a rough time for the Paints.
Let's start with our starter Clayton Schultz. The youngster who is playing for North Florida University, had a great start. I believe that I can type this down with great assurance that this had to be one of Schulz's best starts so far this year. This win happens to be his fifth win of the year, so he's now 5-1 on the season.
Now if you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Schulz was definitely a catalyst for bringing the proverbial heat. He went 6 innings deep and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the best thing is he didn't surrender a single run. Lest we forget about the strikeouts, Clayton Schulz had 9 of them here. I have to say that ever since I first saw him, I have been very impressed by the way Schulz can manage a game from the mound. He has that certain poise about himself that comes along with being an all-around gamer. When you develop as an athlete, and in this case, a baseball player, it's really good to know having someone like Schulz be impressive thus far this year
Now let's go to Eric Heckaman. Now Heckaman, on the other hand, has been on a roller coaster of sorts when it comes to the quality of his appearances. He has been on and off, to be more specific. Heckaman gave the team two innings of work, and he only gave up one hit. He would strike out a trio of batters, and the best thing is that he did his job. If you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Eric Heckaman did his part as well, being the second catalyst of the group.
Finally, here's Stephen Shackleford. Now of course, his first name and my first name are spelled differently, but that's nothing to worry about at all, since we're both pulling for the same team, and he's playing on it. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and he just flat out blew away the Slippery Rock Sliders almost like a leaf blower does against a pile of leaves on the ground. He struck out the side with three consecutive strikeouts to secure the win for the Paints. Overall, the pitching staff had one of their best games this year, bar none. Again, I can type that statement down with great assurance.
Don't forget about the offense because you need some hitting to help get you to victory as well. Center fielder Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI bunt single in the sixth inning. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had a single and got an RBI off a sacrfice fly in the second inning. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly of his own in the fourth inning.
This game was amazing to listen to. True, it may not have been a no-hitter kind of game, but it doesn't need to be anything like that to be amazing. This was exciting, and I have to give a ton of credit to all facets of the Paints for making this game that good entertainment wise. I liked what I heard and it reminded me of those simpler times that I had when I was at the V.A. in late 2005. Those were great times, and I guess you could say that slowly, but surely, we're getting back to those times. This is beginning to get more special, folks.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Paints Lose A Tough One
Hannibal Cavemen 2, Chillicothe Paints 1 (10 innings)
The Hannibal Cavemen went to Chillicothe, Ohio to take in their very first game at V.A. Memorial Stadium, and while there may have been bumps in the road for them in this ballgame, the Cavemen stuck in there and got the victory in the only extra inning of the game. For both teams, it was close. There weren't many runs scored and the competitive juices were definitely flowing for the Cavemen and for the Paints.
The key word for this game has to be "competitive." Both teams showed the resiliency needed to keep battling away. This was a game that had to be enjoyed by the hometown fans in spite of the less than great result to it. The crowd for this game was just wonderful. I could hear it all around the place that the crowd was into this game, and for good reason. The simple fact that the promotion for this game was Dime-A-Dog Night really brought out the masses. Once again, a new record was set at V.A. Memorial Stadium for the most hot dogs sold in a game. There were over 4,700 hot dogs sold. That just goes to show you that when you have a successful promotional pitch, you would know that you will keep that promotion.
Myself and other family members were on hand to watch this game, and we had so much fun, like always. Rex Ingham tookthe mound for the start. Rex went 8 innings deep in his start, giving up 7 hits and no walks at all, while recording four strikeouts. He only gave up one run in this game, and it was only a solo homerun shot early on. He looked to have great command of his pitches. He did establish some kind of a presence beacuse he did fool a few Cavemen batters during some of their at-bats.
Chadd Steinborn pitched in relief of Ingham and he did a marvelous job in the ninth inning. He struck out a pair of batters and gave up no runs at all. There was a point that seven consecutive pitches thrown by Steinborn in his outing were indeed strikes. In comparison, Mark Williams struggled in his outing in the tenth and final inning of the game. He gave up three hits and the eventual winning run to Hannibal. Of course, this was something that the people of Chillicothe may not have liked to see, but the situation was getting tough, especially for a game in the Prospect League, as we're all aware by now.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith, making his first appearance back at third base since a while ago, did a good job in this game. He had an RBI double, a single, and a stolen base. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, with one of them being of the infield variety, and a stolen base. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. To be pretty honest, the lineup was like a roller coaster here. There were some really bright moments for the offense, and then there were at least fairly dull moments for the offense. As hit and miss as they were, the offense did try to get things going in this game, it's just that some of the execution wasn't there.
Now I would like to inform the readers that the Prospect League All-Star Game is just around the horizon, with the horizon being a whole week full. I have been wondering recently about which Paints players should be on the Eastern Division all-star team. I think it's a tough one to call because not many players have pulled away from the pack. I seem to take note of Ben Allen, Clayton Schulz, and Andrew Marshall a great deal during my reports, so I have to believe that those three players will be in the conversation. I hope for the best for our team, because all I want is representation. That's really the only thing I'm looking for. More details about the all-star break are sure to be on the way.
The Hannibal Cavemen went to Chillicothe, Ohio to take in their very first game at V.A. Memorial Stadium, and while there may have been bumps in the road for them in this ballgame, the Cavemen stuck in there and got the victory in the only extra inning of the game. For both teams, it was close. There weren't many runs scored and the competitive juices were definitely flowing for the Cavemen and for the Paints.
The key word for this game has to be "competitive." Both teams showed the resiliency needed to keep battling away. This was a game that had to be enjoyed by the hometown fans in spite of the less than great result to it. The crowd for this game was just wonderful. I could hear it all around the place that the crowd was into this game, and for good reason. The simple fact that the promotion for this game was Dime-A-Dog Night really brought out the masses. Once again, a new record was set at V.A. Memorial Stadium for the most hot dogs sold in a game. There were over 4,700 hot dogs sold. That just goes to show you that when you have a successful promotional pitch, you would know that you will keep that promotion.
Myself and other family members were on hand to watch this game, and we had so much fun, like always. Rex Ingham tookthe mound for the start. Rex went 8 innings deep in his start, giving up 7 hits and no walks at all, while recording four strikeouts. He only gave up one run in this game, and it was only a solo homerun shot early on. He looked to have great command of his pitches. He did establish some kind of a presence beacuse he did fool a few Cavemen batters during some of their at-bats.
Chadd Steinborn pitched in relief of Ingham and he did a marvelous job in the ninth inning. He struck out a pair of batters and gave up no runs at all. There was a point that seven consecutive pitches thrown by Steinborn in his outing were indeed strikes. In comparison, Mark Williams struggled in his outing in the tenth and final inning of the game. He gave up three hits and the eventual winning run to Hannibal. Of course, this was something that the people of Chillicothe may not have liked to see, but the situation was getting tough, especially for a game in the Prospect League, as we're all aware by now.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith, making his first appearance back at third base since a while ago, did a good job in this game. He had an RBI double, a single, and a stolen base. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, with one of them being of the infield variety, and a stolen base. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. To be pretty honest, the lineup was like a roller coaster here. There were some really bright moments for the offense, and then there were at least fairly dull moments for the offense. As hit and miss as they were, the offense did try to get things going in this game, it's just that some of the execution wasn't there.
Now I would like to inform the readers that the Prospect League All-Star Game is just around the horizon, with the horizon being a whole week full. I have been wondering recently about which Paints players should be on the Eastern Division all-star team. I think it's a tough one to call because not many players have pulled away from the pack. I seem to take note of Ben Allen, Clayton Schulz, and Andrew Marshall a great deal during my reports, so I have to believe that those three players will be in the conversation. I hope for the best for our team, because all I want is representation. That's really the only thing I'm looking for. More details about the all-star break are sure to be on the way.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Paints Cruise By Rats
Chillicothe 5, Richmond 2
First off, let's get to saying that this weekend featured patriotism to the greatest extent. This happened to be the 4th of July weekend, and for all of us Americans, the meaning for this weekend was simple. The 4th of July marked the birth date of the country that we currently live in today. The songs that were sung before the game and during the seventh inning put it to perspective. The National Anthem and God Bless America hit it home for us. We should be thankful for what we have and the opportunities we have to just live our lives. That's one important thing that unfortunately some people forget along the way. You have to tip your cap to the soldiers who are currently fighting overseas.
Now let's get down to business. Let's talk about the game that was played. This game was just great, and it was fitting for what the Paints could do. The Paints were once again back to their fundamental executing ways, being the Southern Ohio Stampede that they have been for most of this year. I saw a lot of good plays made by the defense. I saw a lot of good timely hitting by the offense. I saw good bunting when it was absolutely needed. I saw clutch pitching from the mound. I saw a packed crowd at V.A. Memorial Stadium cheering on their hometown team. This was a good day for baseball, simply put.
Tony Bertucci took the mound for the Paints. In his start, Bertucci went 6 and 1/3 innings deep, and gave up only two runs. He gave up four hits and a walk in this game, but he came back to shut down Richmond's batters, striking out five. This was a great day for Bertucci. He was rolling for a little bit at one point. It was great to see him do what he does best. He looked pretty comfortable out on the mound, too. He was challenging the opposing batters and he was holding his own. Tony didn't have many problems aside from a few.
I have to say that even though he's playing for the other team, I really like Richmond catcher Tyler Bullock. He has been impressive at the plate, much to the joy of Richmond fans of course, but even I can say that he's going to be something special if he becomes a mainstay for the River Rats for the next few years. Of course, college elligibility is almost always 4 years long, but still, Bullock has become fun to watch as an opposing player.
In fact, I have even given him a nickname to boot, and I hope if he's reading this he likes the nickname. I call him the "Big Pickup Truck". I don't know why Bullock reminds me of a truck, but I feel that's a good nickname, and this is all in good fun anyway.
Let's get back to the Paints, and to their offense. Kyle Galbraith had a single. Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse had a bunt single. Eian Bamks had an infield single and a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single and a two-RBI double. Kyle Leonard had a single off a hit and run attempt. DH Brandon White had an RBI single. Time Krofcheck had a single. Overall, this was a great day for the offense. Things were just clicking, Execution was definitely the key here. I loved the bunt attempts because they were very appropiate for the situations at hand. I always like it when small ball is played, but I think when you guys read my other articles, you would know that already.
We are approaching the halfway point of the very first Prospect League season, and it seems to me like the Chillicothe Paints are in a pretty good spot right now considering all of the bumps in the road that the team may have run into. The Paints are currently leading the Eastern Division by a couple of games, and the fight for second place in that division seems to be gathering more debate than the race for first, but that's not out of the question for any teams in the Eastern Division. In the Western Division, the Quincy Gems have unsurprsingly been on a roll this year, continuing from their great success in the previous college wood bat league, the CICL. They have a more comfortable lead out in the wild, wild Western Division.
First off, let's get to saying that this weekend featured patriotism to the greatest extent. This happened to be the 4th of July weekend, and for all of us Americans, the meaning for this weekend was simple. The 4th of July marked the birth date of the country that we currently live in today. The songs that were sung before the game and during the seventh inning put it to perspective. The National Anthem and God Bless America hit it home for us. We should be thankful for what we have and the opportunities we have to just live our lives. That's one important thing that unfortunately some people forget along the way. You have to tip your cap to the soldiers who are currently fighting overseas.
Now let's get down to business. Let's talk about the game that was played. This game was just great, and it was fitting for what the Paints could do. The Paints were once again back to their fundamental executing ways, being the Southern Ohio Stampede that they have been for most of this year. I saw a lot of good plays made by the defense. I saw a lot of good timely hitting by the offense. I saw good bunting when it was absolutely needed. I saw clutch pitching from the mound. I saw a packed crowd at V.A. Memorial Stadium cheering on their hometown team. This was a good day for baseball, simply put.
Tony Bertucci took the mound for the Paints. In his start, Bertucci went 6 and 1/3 innings deep, and gave up only two runs. He gave up four hits and a walk in this game, but he came back to shut down Richmond's batters, striking out five. This was a great day for Bertucci. He was rolling for a little bit at one point. It was great to see him do what he does best. He looked pretty comfortable out on the mound, too. He was challenging the opposing batters and he was holding his own. Tony didn't have many problems aside from a few.
I have to say that even though he's playing for the other team, I really like Richmond catcher Tyler Bullock. He has been impressive at the plate, much to the joy of Richmond fans of course, but even I can say that he's going to be something special if he becomes a mainstay for the River Rats for the next few years. Of course, college elligibility is almost always 4 years long, but still, Bullock has become fun to watch as an opposing player.
In fact, I have even given him a nickname to boot, and I hope if he's reading this he likes the nickname. I call him the "Big Pickup Truck". I don't know why Bullock reminds me of a truck, but I feel that's a good nickname, and this is all in good fun anyway.
Let's get back to the Paints, and to their offense. Kyle Galbraith had a single. Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse had a bunt single. Eian Bamks had an infield single and a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single and a two-RBI double. Kyle Leonard had a single off a hit and run attempt. DH Brandon White had an RBI single. Time Krofcheck had a single. Overall, this was a great day for the offense. Things were just clicking, Execution was definitely the key here. I loved the bunt attempts because they were very appropiate for the situations at hand. I always like it when small ball is played, but I think when you guys read my other articles, you would know that already.
We are approaching the halfway point of the very first Prospect League season, and it seems to me like the Chillicothe Paints are in a pretty good spot right now considering all of the bumps in the road that the team may have run into. The Paints are currently leading the Eastern Division by a couple of games, and the fight for second place in that division seems to be gathering more debate than the race for first, but that's not out of the question for any teams in the Eastern Division. In the Western Division, the Quincy Gems have unsurprsingly been on a roll this year, continuing from their great success in the previous college wood bat league, the CICL. They have a more comfortable lead out in the wild, wild Western Division.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Long Ball Isn't Enough
Richmond 7, Chillicothe 4
Here's how you can make a summary of this game between the Chillicothe Paints and the Richmond River Rats; the Paints were the team who made the big noise at the start, but the River Rats were the team who made the big noise at the end. Rest assured, the start of this game was very promising for the hometown crowd at the V.A. as the Paints made like gangbusters early, but the gangbusters were gone as it got closer to the end. The middle innings were where the River Rats started to take over momentum-wise.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He would go 5 innings deep in his start, giving up a pair of runs off of 6 hits allowed. He would give up three walks and would strike out a pair of batters. Mascarello did a good job for the most part. There were some pitches that were off but they weren't too hazardous for Blake. He began to lose steam when he got closer to the end of his start.
Eric Heckaman was brought in to face the team that has previously given him the most trouble this year. Heckaman did not fare well again when he pitched to Richmond batters. You could say that he was just out there for too long. When you know that your relief pitcher is not up to his tip-top shape in performance, then you have to know what's going on score-wise, and you also have to know if the other team "gets it" against that relief pitcher. It looked as if all of teh above happened, and Heckaman didn't get the support he needed. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 4 runs in total while also giving up two hits and four walks.
Brad Schnitzer and Krist Linster would also see some action in this ballgame, but I believe the main thing that I have to note would be this.
The umpiring.
The strike zone calls, to be more exact.
I have no idea what was going on there, but throughout this game, you could tell that something just wasn't right with the strikes and balls being called for the Paints. Maybe in some cases, the River Rats were getting hurt on these same calls as well, but still, the Paints were really getting shafted on a few calls that could've gotten either way, and also on some pitches that looked good enough to be called strikes. The strike zone was a bit too outside for my liking, and that of course is just my personal opinion, folks. Needless to say, I just wasn't happy with the umpires in this game.
Let's get to the offense, and let's just say that they did provide early fireworks in the form of two big homeruns to center field and to left center field. Credit the fireworks display to two players, catcher Andrew Marshall and Andy Brouse. Marshall went deep for a two-run homerun. Brouse went deep for a solo homerun, and both of those came in the first inning. The last run the Paints would score for this game would come off a bases loaded walk in the third inning. Eian Banks had an infield single and Brandon White had a single coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. Steven Mirizzi had a pair of stolen bases. Tim Krofcheck had one stolen base.
This game was just tough to watch towards the end. It got dicey, and the dice just didn't roll the right way for the Paints. Oh well, we have to look towards the next game, and besides, this day was filled with patriotism since it was Independence Day. I wish all of you people a Happy 4th of July no matter where you are. Stay safe and have fun the best way you know how, and just maybe, you went to a baseball game!
Here's how you can make a summary of this game between the Chillicothe Paints and the Richmond River Rats; the Paints were the team who made the big noise at the start, but the River Rats were the team who made the big noise at the end. Rest assured, the start of this game was very promising for the hometown crowd at the V.A. as the Paints made like gangbusters early, but the gangbusters were gone as it got closer to the end. The middle innings were where the River Rats started to take over momentum-wise.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He would go 5 innings deep in his start, giving up a pair of runs off of 6 hits allowed. He would give up three walks and would strike out a pair of batters. Mascarello did a good job for the most part. There were some pitches that were off but they weren't too hazardous for Blake. He began to lose steam when he got closer to the end of his start.
Eric Heckaman was brought in to face the team that has previously given him the most trouble this year. Heckaman did not fare well again when he pitched to Richmond batters. You could say that he was just out there for too long. When you know that your relief pitcher is not up to his tip-top shape in performance, then you have to know what's going on score-wise, and you also have to know if the other team "gets it" against that relief pitcher. It looked as if all of teh above happened, and Heckaman didn't get the support he needed. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 4 runs in total while also giving up two hits and four walks.
Brad Schnitzer and Krist Linster would also see some action in this ballgame, but I believe the main thing that I have to note would be this.
The umpiring.
The strike zone calls, to be more exact.
I have no idea what was going on there, but throughout this game, you could tell that something just wasn't right with the strikes and balls being called for the Paints. Maybe in some cases, the River Rats were getting hurt on these same calls as well, but still, the Paints were really getting shafted on a few calls that could've gotten either way, and also on some pitches that looked good enough to be called strikes. The strike zone was a bit too outside for my liking, and that of course is just my personal opinion, folks. Needless to say, I just wasn't happy with the umpires in this game.
Let's get to the offense, and let's just say that they did provide early fireworks in the form of two big homeruns to center field and to left center field. Credit the fireworks display to two players, catcher Andrew Marshall and Andy Brouse. Marshall went deep for a two-run homerun. Brouse went deep for a solo homerun, and both of those came in the first inning. The last run the Paints would score for this game would come off a bases loaded walk in the third inning. Eian Banks had an infield single and Brandon White had a single coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. Steven Mirizzi had a pair of stolen bases. Tim Krofcheck had one stolen base.
This game was just tough to watch towards the end. It got dicey, and the dice just didn't roll the right way for the Paints. Oh well, we have to look towards the next game, and besides, this day was filled with patriotism since it was Independence Day. I wish all of you people a Happy 4th of July no matter where you are. Stay safe and have fun the best way you know how, and just maybe, you went to a baseball game!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Paints Win In Richmond
Chillicothe 6, Richmond 2
The Chillicothe Paints made this road trip count. This road trip did the team a bit of good as they managed to win 3 out of 4 on this road trip. This year, the road has proven to be quite kind to the Paints as they have had hardly any problems in handling their opponents whenever they score a certain amount of runs. They faced a familiar foe, back in the friendly confines of Don McBride Stadium in Richmond, Indiana, the River Rats opposed them once again.
Tony Davey gave up 7 hits and would give up 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Did he have a hard time during his start? Of course, there were some moments where you could pause for concern, but overall, Davey did just fine. He did a good job of getting the River Rats out right when he needed to. Along with giving up just a walk on the side, Davey wasn't too shabby on the mound at all. He had good help in the form of the Paints' defense and even Davey himself made a couple of plays on defense.
Mark Williams was the only other pitcher to see action for the Paints in this game, but no other pitcher would be needed because Williams got the job done in his two innings of relief work. He gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Make no mistake about it, the Paints were on their A-game here, and their A-game has been the most present whenever they have faced Richmond, whether back at home at V.A. Memorial Stadium or at Don McBride Stadium. I guess that's what happens when the ball just bounces in your favor against certain opponents.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had two singles. Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two doubles and two RBI's. Cory Maguire had a single, a double, and three RBI's. Eian Banks had a single. DH Zach Frentsos had a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a double. Both the third and fourth innings were very much explosive in this game, and how fitting I mention that because Independence Day is just around the corner as I type this report down. The Paints were clicking on all cylinders on offense. This reminded me of the opening week or so for the Paints ballclub.
It goes without saying that the Paints have handled themselves well on this recent trip into parts of the Western Division. Rest assured, there were going to be challenges along the way as the Paints faced these clubs, but overall, they will be coming to Chillicothe looking just fine and dandy. I wish I had more to say on this trip. There's just not much material to write about these days. I could talk about the other night against the Hannibal Cavemen that there weren't any phone lines at the Cavemen's ballpark (how ironic), and that I couldn't listen to the game between the Paints and the Cavemen at all. No worries, though. I guess that's just life in a new college wooden bat league for you...when you try to connect the dots about how your new league is going to operate, and then you find out that you have plenty of bugs to sort out. Yeah, you kind of get that feeling in year one.
The Paints return home for the Fourth of July, so get ready for a big celebration!
Also, get ready for a special report I have planned for a certain former Paints player. Stay tuned.
The Chillicothe Paints made this road trip count. This road trip did the team a bit of good as they managed to win 3 out of 4 on this road trip. This year, the road has proven to be quite kind to the Paints as they have had hardly any problems in handling their opponents whenever they score a certain amount of runs. They faced a familiar foe, back in the friendly confines of Don McBride Stadium in Richmond, Indiana, the River Rats opposed them once again.
Tony Davey gave up 7 hits and would give up 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Did he have a hard time during his start? Of course, there were some moments where you could pause for concern, but overall, Davey did just fine. He did a good job of getting the River Rats out right when he needed to. Along with giving up just a walk on the side, Davey wasn't too shabby on the mound at all. He had good help in the form of the Paints' defense and even Davey himself made a couple of plays on defense.
Mark Williams was the only other pitcher to see action for the Paints in this game, but no other pitcher would be needed because Williams got the job done in his two innings of relief work. He gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Make no mistake about it, the Paints were on their A-game here, and their A-game has been the most present whenever they have faced Richmond, whether back at home at V.A. Memorial Stadium or at Don McBride Stadium. I guess that's what happens when the ball just bounces in your favor against certain opponents.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had two singles. Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two doubles and two RBI's. Cory Maguire had a single, a double, and three RBI's. Eian Banks had a single. DH Zach Frentsos had a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a double. Both the third and fourth innings were very much explosive in this game, and how fitting I mention that because Independence Day is just around the corner as I type this report down. The Paints were clicking on all cylinders on offense. This reminded me of the opening week or so for the Paints ballclub.
It goes without saying that the Paints have handled themselves well on this recent trip into parts of the Western Division. Rest assured, there were going to be challenges along the way as the Paints faced these clubs, but overall, they will be coming to Chillicothe looking just fine and dandy. I wish I had more to say on this trip. There's just not much material to write about these days. I could talk about the other night against the Hannibal Cavemen that there weren't any phone lines at the Cavemen's ballpark (how ironic), and that I couldn't listen to the game between the Paints and the Cavemen at all. No worries, though. I guess that's just life in a new college wooden bat league for you...when you try to connect the dots about how your new league is going to operate, and then you find out that you have plenty of bugs to sort out. Yeah, you kind of get that feeling in year one.
The Paints return home for the Fourth of July, so get ready for a big celebration!
Also, get ready for a special report I have planned for a certain former Paints player. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Shriver Dominates Paints
Springfield 3, Chillicothe 1
At certain times, you just can't explain why a certain opposing player has your number. Whenever you face that opposing player, things just happen. Things have happened for the Paints whenever they have faced Springfield Sliders starting pitcher Phil Shriver, but these things are not good things for the Paints. For over 14 consecutive innings played against Shriver, the Chillicothe Paints haven't scored a single run against him. That's exactly what you call domination. You have to tip your cap to Phil Shriver for his masterful work against Chillicothe's offense. This is simply a wonderful job done by him, and there's no doubt that Springfield fans should be happy of his work.
For Clayton Schulz, the starting pitcher for the Paints in this ballgame, it wasn't so much about the hits that he gave up although they all do count just the same, it really had more to do with Schulz giving up two walks to certain batters that lead to a good amount of damage made by the Sliders. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz would give up 3 earned runs and would allow 5 hits. He struck out a couple batters, but compared to the lights out performance by Phil Shriver, Schulz was understandably outdone. Schulz wasn't bad at all in his start, he just wasn't as affective, and it could be noticed.
Brad Schnitzer would pitch in relief of Schulz and would pitch an inning, striking out two batters and giving up no hits at all. This was a solid outing for Schnitzer. Krist Linster would pitch an inning of relief himself, and would give up three hits and a walk, but he didn't give up any runs.
For the offense, they were simply getting dominated by Shriver. It was just a long game for them, but you could understand why. Shriver is executing his gameplan against the Paints, and he's doing it with ease. Shriver would strike out 5 consecutive Paints batters between the first and second innings. Kyle Galbraith batted leadoff and would get in two singles. Galbraith was probably one of few batters who actually saw Shriver's pitches well. Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Catcher Andrew Marshall also had a good game against Shriver, as he had a pair of singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Eian Banks had an infield single.
I know that some of these baseball pills are hard to swallow, and I don't consider myself a doctor when it comes to the game of baseball, but I know that when we were beat, we were beat. It just happened, but it's nothing to get upset about. Everything will settle themselves out soon. Teams will just have these kind of games. Speaking of someone who had a knack for dominating the Paints almost regularly, in the Frontier League, Aaron Ledbetter made it a huge habit of dominating the Paints almost every time he took the mound to face them. I remember thinking to myself sometimes that I should expect it whenever I saw that Ledbetter was scheduled to face us.
However, you know what they say, in baseball, things just happen.
At certain times, you just can't explain why a certain opposing player has your number. Whenever you face that opposing player, things just happen. Things have happened for the Paints whenever they have faced Springfield Sliders starting pitcher Phil Shriver, but these things are not good things for the Paints. For over 14 consecutive innings played against Shriver, the Chillicothe Paints haven't scored a single run against him. That's exactly what you call domination. You have to tip your cap to Phil Shriver for his masterful work against Chillicothe's offense. This is simply a wonderful job done by him, and there's no doubt that Springfield fans should be happy of his work.
For Clayton Schulz, the starting pitcher for the Paints in this ballgame, it wasn't so much about the hits that he gave up although they all do count just the same, it really had more to do with Schulz giving up two walks to certain batters that lead to a good amount of damage made by the Sliders. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz would give up 3 earned runs and would allow 5 hits. He struck out a couple batters, but compared to the lights out performance by Phil Shriver, Schulz was understandably outdone. Schulz wasn't bad at all in his start, he just wasn't as affective, and it could be noticed.
Brad Schnitzer would pitch in relief of Schulz and would pitch an inning, striking out two batters and giving up no hits at all. This was a solid outing for Schnitzer. Krist Linster would pitch an inning of relief himself, and would give up three hits and a walk, but he didn't give up any runs.
For the offense, they were simply getting dominated by Shriver. It was just a long game for them, but you could understand why. Shriver is executing his gameplan against the Paints, and he's doing it with ease. Shriver would strike out 5 consecutive Paints batters between the first and second innings. Kyle Galbraith batted leadoff and would get in two singles. Galbraith was probably one of few batters who actually saw Shriver's pitches well. Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Catcher Andrew Marshall also had a good game against Shriver, as he had a pair of singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Eian Banks had an infield single.
I know that some of these baseball pills are hard to swallow, and I don't consider myself a doctor when it comes to the game of baseball, but I know that when we were beat, we were beat. It just happened, but it's nothing to get upset about. Everything will settle themselves out soon. Teams will just have these kind of games. Speaking of someone who had a knack for dominating the Paints almost regularly, in the Frontier League, Aaron Ledbetter made it a huge habit of dominating the Paints almost every time he took the mound to face them. I remember thinking to myself sometimes that I should expect it whenever I saw that Ledbetter was scheduled to face us.
However, you know what they say, in baseball, things just happen.
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