We have made it to the last week of the affiliated minor league regular season. It has been a long ride this year and I’ve gotten to see a lot of new places and visit a lot of new breweries thanks to the minors. I will be cutting back next year but that is a part that I will miss. I just am not as excited about seeing games as I was even at the beginning of the season. Getting older I guess. This week is always a melancholy week as something that I enjoy comes to an end. But, all good things must come to an end and the 2019 season nearly has. So, how do I fit in all of the nothing that I want to enjoy?
Game #137 My beloved Pirates have turned a mediocre season into a train wreck. Fortunately the Phillies haven’t been doing much better lately despite their expectations so I decided to turn up for one of the games in this series. Haven’t been to Philly in awhile and I might make it back for a September game. I am a glutton for punishment after all. That and I have never seen Joe Musgrove take the hill for the Bucs. OK, so I had a few reasons. Musgrove was opposed by Jason Vargas for the Phillies. This was a perfect night for baseball weather wise with cool temperatures. Both pitchers were good but not terrific. Musgrove made one mistake that Brad Miller put into the left field seats and Vargas responded by giving up a RBI single to Musgrove, his second career RBI. That was until Vargas wore out in the 7th and he and 2 Phillies’ relievers combined to give up 3 runs to give the Bucs the lead. But, as has happened so many times, the Pirate pen snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Richard Rodriguez (why are the Pirates still trotting him out in these situations?) gave up 3 runs to give the lead back to the Phillies. All seemed lost but Josh Bell hit a solo shot off of Phillies’ closer Hector Neris to tie it and the game went into extras. In the 11th Sean Rodriguez, most famous for beating the crap out of a water cooler when he couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn against the Cubs in the Wild Card game a few years ago, walked it off for the Phillies. Philadelphia wins 6-5.
Game #138 A big game in York as the Sugar Land Skeeters come to town to do battle for first place in the division and what could be a potential playoff spot. Stopped at Gift Horse for a cold one before the game. Duke von Schamann took the hill for the Revs against Troy Scribner for the Skeeters. It seems like von Schamann is the only Revs starter I get to see anymore. Outside of a game a few weeks ago where Mitch Atkins started I can’t remember the last time I saw anyone else. He has a good record and good ERA but his games always seem to follow a pattern and tonight was no different. He was fine the first time through the lineup only giving up a solo shot to Cody Stanley. The Revs got that run back and more on 2-run shots from Angelys Nina and (surprise, surprise) Telvin Nash (who tied the single season club record for dingers with that shot). Then von Schamann followed his pattern allowing the Skeeters to score 4 times in the 5th and not being able to finish the frame. That was all Scribner needed as he shut down the Revs’ bats from there and the Skeeters piled on. I think von Schamann should be a reliever but what do I know? We might just not have anyone else to plug in there and the chances of finding someone else are slim at this point. I doubt Ross Detwiler is coming back since he’s in the bigs. Sugar Land wins 11-4. And of course the Pirates had to win in Philly tonight too…
Game #139 I was going to go to Morgantown to see the West Virginia Black Bears for a nice morning game, which would have gotten me back home to enjoy the evening but when I pulled up the team webpage it said that the game was sold out. So, at least I didn’t make the 3 hour drive there to find that out instead. Whew! Headed down to Aberdeen instead to watch them take on the Brooklyn Cyclones. Nate Jones took the hill for the Cyclones against Dan “Don’t call me Sledge” Hammer for the Ironbirds in an important game for both teams. Every team in this division is within 1.5 games of each other so these games are big. It didn’t start well for Sledge who spotted the Cyclones 2 runs in the 1st but it didn’t matter. Jones couldn’t get through the first and the Cyclones surrendered 8 runs in the first. Aberdeen added 2 more in the next frame and 2 more in the 6th. This one was over by the time the first inning ended and the only question after that would be would Aberdeen’s Jaylen Ferguson hit for the cycles. He led off the game with a homerun, hit a bases-clearing triple later in the frame and a double in the third. But he would never get that elusive single. So close and yet so far. Aberdeen wins this one 12-3.
Game #140 Realizing that I want to make it out to Morgantown for a game I decided to bite the bullet and make the trip today. Don’t really have any other options to get this in so sorry Wilmington, I’ll see you next year. It was a long and frustrating drive as traffic on I-70 was extremely heavy. I-68 wasn’t so bad but there isn’t much to see besides mountains and Cumberland, Maryland until you get into West Virginia. Didn’t even have time to visit a brewery. Austin Roberts took the hill for the Black Bears against Andrew Miller (not the big league reliever) for the Muckdogs. You know, I have never seen the Muckdogs before. It’s a cool nickname. Both starters were good, Roberts gave up one run over 6 and Miller did not surrender a hit through 4, but did walk 5 batters. The Black Bear offense though struggled with only West York’s (a defensive replacement to boot) Brett Kinneman getting a hit (I consider it good mojo since I drove by West York High School on my way out). That was like my 4th one hitter of the season. So close and yet so far once again. Batavia pounded Black Bear reliever Denny Roman and Batavia wins a crucial game. West Virginia was one game behind Batavia, but not so much. Batavia wins 4-1. Got home at about 1 AM, very late for me but at least they played the game at a good pace.
Game #141 Up to Scranton for the second to last bobblehead of the year and the one that completes the SWB legends set. Made a stop at Conyngham in Conyngham (outside of Hazleton) and North Slope in Dallas before heading into Scranton. Nick Nelson started for the Railriders against Clayton Richard for the Bison. Nelson started well while Richard struggled giving Scranton a 3-0 lead with Ryan McBroom hitting a 2-run shot. Why is that important? He was traded after the game for international bonus slot money. He’s 27, so I hope he is getting his shot in the bigs. But, with one Yankee fan near me wondering why the big club doesn’t call up Nelson based off of 2 good innings, he surrendered 3 runs in the 3rd and another in the 5th. Well, Buffalo then melted down giving up 5 runs in the bottom of the 5th with Gosuke Katoh landing the big blow with a no-doubt grand slam. At that point it was getting chilly and Weenie Boy was starting to shiver. It was only in the low 60s and I was good but this one was over. Scranton wins a crucial game for them (as they were tied with Syracuse for the division lead) 9-4.
No game on Sunday, my aunt has a Labor Day picnic at her place. Free food and I can go swimming in her indoor pool. I can skip a game for that. I didn’t even have to drive there. After the past few days I am very happy about that.
On the docket for next week (weather permitting)
September 2 – Altoona @ Harrisburg (Affiliated Minor League finale)
September 3 – Long Island @ Lancaster
September 4 – Trenton @ Reading (Game 1 of the Eastern League Playoffs)
September 5 – Texas @ Baltimore
September 6 – Bowie @ Harrisburg (Game 3 of the Eastern League Playoffs)
September 7 – St. Louis @ Pittsburgh (Marvel Superhero Bobblehead)
September 8 – Texas @ Baltimore (anticipating the Bowie/Harrisburg series to be over).