Do that thing for me, Do that thing for me
Flip it up, give it up, I'mma grip it up, while you rip it up
do that thing for me
Two wins, three losses, and that's that.
Buffalo 12 Syracuse 4
Skychiefs get served. Chris Baker got the start and fared poorly. Mike Nannini relieved and fared worse. Jason Arnold resurfaced and produced this line: walk, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, walk, three-run homer, walk, flyout. Basically, not a great night to be any Skychief whose job involves holding a rosin bag.
Offensively, Kevin Barker continues to enjoy Triple-A, mashing a double and a homer to drive in 2 runs. John Hattig continued his hot Syracuse run with a double, walk and run scored, while Anton French banged out two singles. And, well, that’s about it. Let’s never speak of this again.
New Hampshire 9 Erie 2
That’s what I’m talking about. This Ryan Roberts guy, he can hit a little: 2 home runs and a single, driving in 3 runs and scoring 3. That’s 6 homers in 64 at-bats with a .338 batting average as a Fisher Cat, if you’re counting. Five Fisher Cats had 2-hit nights, led by Rob Cosby, who hammered a home run to go with a single. Miguel Negron went 0-for-5 from the leadoff spot. Ismael Ramirez continued his recovery from a slow start, pitching 7 innings of 2-run ball on 7 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. And, well, that’s about it. Let’s remember this moment forever.
Box score
Sarasota 3 Dunedin 2
Who do we single out for the brunt of our unstoppable fan wrath? Should it be losing pitcher Justin James, who walked 2 batters with 2 outs and put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth? Or should it be closer Danny Hill, who yielded the single that drove in the winner? How do you assign a single “L” when two pitchers can each lay claim to contributing to the loss? How do you tell the dancer from the dance? How do you solve a problem like Maria? And so forth. Anyway. Mike MacDonald pitched well, no walks and 5 K’s in 5 4-hit innings, allowing just one unearned run. Shortstop Manny Mayorson singled twice and drove in both D-Jay runs. No one else did anything remotely interesting. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Dayton 3-1 Lansing 2-4
Game One: Continuing from where we left off Thursday, when the rains came, Russell Savickas was not called upon to extend his one inning of work. Excellent news, since Chi-Hung Cheng entered the game in “relief” and punished the foolish Dayton batters who thought they could take him on, striking out 9 and walking none in 5 innings. Unfortunately, he also allowed a 2-run homer, so, yeah, someone could take him on, as it turned out. The loss eventually went to Jordy Templet, who allowed the go-ahead run in the 8th inning. Erik Nielsen and Curtis Thigpen supplied all the Lugnut offence with a pair of solo homers.
But that was then. This is now!! Game Two: Juan Perez pitched effectively! He scattered 4 hits and a walk over 5 shutout innings, striking out 2 batters. Joey McLaughlin closed out for his 4th save. Recently promoted centerfielder Aaron Mathews tripled and walked twice, driving in 2 runs and scoring another 2. DH David Hicks doubled, singled and drove in another run. Hey, check this out: Dayton started a first baseman named Mosby and a third baseman named Key in the nightcap. Think they’ve got a shortstop named Gruber? Maybe Hans Gruber from Die Hard? Naw, that’d be creepy.
Your Three-Star Selection: Yo, it’s hot in herre:
3. Juan Perez, Lansing: 5 shutout innings is star-worthy in this book.
2. Chi-Hung Cheng, Lansing: 9 strikeouts and no walks in 5 relief innings? Uh-huh.
1. Ryan Roberts, New Hampshire: 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and it's on.
