Virtual Baseball Season/Franchise Updates

Believe it or not I decided to end my co-dependent and abusive relationship with The Show.  Looking at the list of all the things I'd like to accomplish this year, the hours I keep putting in trying to both make sense  of why what happens happens in this game as well as derive some fun from it just aren't worth it.  Alas!

Started 2009 last night with a 3-game set at defending East Champ Toronto.  All games were interesting.

In the opener, Lafayette Pierce had some bad luck (key error, pop fly HR off foul pole) and we fell behind 5-0.  Then in the sixth, with two out, Victor Martinez got a key two-run single and Frank Jones (our second year first baseman -- good hitter, but no power) followed with his first career HR and it was 5-4!  We tied it 5-5 in the top of the 8th, but Joe Mays who had pitched three innings of shut-out relief gave up an HR and we lost it 7-5.

Game two featured the best pitching duel I have ever seen in High Heat Baseball.  Shawn Chacon had his best game yet for us by far -- 8 innings, 2 hits, nobody close to scoring.  On the other side Brad Shea -- the #2 starter for the Jays, has a 100 MPH tailing fastball and a mean splitter -- was also awesome.  We loaded the bases with no outs in the 4th on 2 singles and a walk, but a pop-fly and then an untimely Pitcher-Home-First DP ended the threat.  We had no further threats, and it was 0-0 going to the 9th when Sean Casey delivered a Homer!  In the last of the ninth, closer Colby Lewis walked a guy and got two outs, so JD Drew was up with a man on 2nd.  Normally I would go lefty-lefty, but Drew has beaten us with walk-off hits at least twice before so I left Lewis in and he got a pop-up to end it!!  It was the first 1-0 win I can remember in this franchise!!  Only 5 hits, and only 2 for the Jays!!

Game three was also pretty good -- we went up 3-1 early with our hard-luck starter Stan Kelly pitching well.  As usual, he pitched well but just couldn't get a win.  He lasted 6.2 and only gave up 2 ER, but it was 3-3 when he left.   Our now-utility IF Wally Clark had his first 2 ABs of the season late in the game and had a Homer and a Double to put us up 6-3 going to the last of the 9th.  Lewis came in to close it out and promptly gave up a walk and Homer to make it 6-5.  Another man got on, but Lewis then got the three outs and we held on for the 6-5 win!!

OK, 2-1, 1 Game Back of Tampa, and the next three games are in Tampa.  We'll see how it goes, but so far so good -- and already a heck of a lot better than our 1-15 start in 2008!! :-)

Yes you can do the either-side-of-the-rubber thing, but I don't so I don't remember the controls.  I will try to look it up when I next play.  Glad you're having fun with the franchise so far.

My team is now 3-3 in 2009 after losing two of three to the first-place Rays.  We came all the way back from a 5-0 deficit to win the first 7-6, got shut down in a 4-1 loss despite a good performance by Mark Mulder, then came back from 4-0 down again only to lose 6-5 in the final game of the series.  Our starters aren't pitching up to snuff yet, but our bullpen has been great and the hitting has been too. 

I looked it up for you last night but you beat me to it!  Glad you figured it out.

Tough two game set with the White Sox last night.  Lost the first 4-3 despite a good outing from Shawn Chacon, then got ripped in the second, 7-4.  Pat Burrell had 3 HR in the 2 games for the White Sox and was a difference maker.  This leaves us at 3-5 and on a 4 game losing streak going into a long homestand that starts with 2 games against first-place Tampa.  Our starting pitching just hasn't been good enough yet.

The injury bug is in full effect early on in my season.  First Ichiro out for months, now David Ortiz out for months as well with a torn tricep.  In Ichiro's case, J.D. Drew was able to step in (but it still threw my batting order into chaos), while todd Zeile does not exactly inspire confidence as Ortiz's replacement.  Jake Peavy also collapsed in the 2nd inning last night with an ankle problem, but he's day-to-day.  There's no one in AAA ready to help and we're already over payroll, so I've got no maneuverability.  It's like the Mets!