Game 10: TCBC 3, Riverside Dodgers 2

So I guess the old adages are true: in Baseball, all things come back around, and the calls even out. Finally, it seemed like the errors didn't totally destroy an inning for Three Cities, and the bad calls didn't knock the team out of the game. . . This time, it was the the Dodgers who ended up on the short end of things, with a costly throwing error in the 6th breathing life to a 3-run inning TCBC and nullifying a solid pitching performance by their starting pitcher.

After breezing through the heart of TCBC's order twice without issue, Chris Miller and John Millin led off the 6th with back-to-back walks, bringing up Matt Willbond, who squared to put down the sacrifice bunt. The ball was fielded cleanly by the Dodger pitcher, but with Tim Zeitz running for Miller, the throw to third had to be rushed, and the combination of a sliding Zeitz and a ball in the dirt knocked the overthrow out of play, scoring Zeitz, and moving Millin to third (and an alert Willbond into scoring position himself). As has happened time and again this season, the top of the Three Cities batting order did not dissappoint, with John Stewart and Lou Gerig knocking in an RBI each and giving TCBC a 3-2 lead in the process. This was enough to put Three Cities on top for good in this game.

Another solid start was put in by Josh Taylor, bringing his record to an even 1-1 on the year and dropping his ERA to an even 3.00 on the season (in 21 IP). In a bit of the old switcheroo, John Toth was credited with the save, and in pitching 3 scoreless innings to close out the game, brought his ERA into the single digits (in a team-leading 24 IP).

Fielding gems were the norm again for Gerig, but new comer Nate Kievman also made his presence known in putting in a good showing at first base, and especially in connecting on a rare 5-3-2-4-3 throw-'em-out tag-'em-out double play with Chris Elliott, Miller and Millin to end a rally in the Dodger 4th.


Here's the Boxscore

Here's the updated season (to date) stats.

Here's the Game Results.

Game This Saturday

This week's game is Saturday at 4pm in Akron at Prentiss Park vs. Riverside Dodgers.

Seems like this is news to everyone I've spoken to, but it's been on the schedule, so I don't know what else to say other than please check your (updated) schedules. Hopefully I'll see you all there!!!

Games 8 & 9 (Different Paths to the Same Destination)

Dunno what to say about these two games other than I wish we'd won them both.

The game a week ago against the league leading A's could be considered one of TCBC's finest defensive showings (despite the score), as gems abounded, errors were few, and John Toth was in control on the mound through 7 innings (Lou Gerig even showed a bit of promise from the hill in the 9th). The 8-2 score sure doesn't tell the whole story. When the 8th inning unraveled, it was almost as though the team had held on for as long as it could, and then, bloodied and bruised (literally), watched the A's take the game from TCBC's hands . . . It'd be difficult to say it was as disappointing of a game as the score might imply.

Here's the boxscore from Week 8

The 7/19 game against the Indians was a different story altogether. Although Josh Taylor put in a good effort in relief, John Toth's trickery and deception just wasn't fooling the Indians hitters to start the affair, and by their second time through the order -- TCBC couldn't buy an out. Offensively, despite cutting down on the 14 K's from a week prior, only 4 players breaking through will always make it difficult to put a tally in the "W" column.

Here's the boxscore from Week 9

Here's the Overall Stats

Here's the Game Results

“What team do you play for?”

The Indians
“Here in Cleveland? I didn’t know we still had a team.”
Yeah, we have uniforms and everything. It's really great.

Heyyyy Buddy, Looks Like You Got Some Sun . . .

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! For the second time in just 3 weeks one of TCBC's own has been named the NEORH Open Division "Player Of the Week!"

This time, it's good ol' number 25, Jimmy Swearingen, who was honored after going 3-5 with a double, a run-scored and an RBI off of the Akron Cardinals in the Three Cities loss this week.

Swearingen has really seemed to respond to a more consistant role as clean-up hitter and third base for TCBC, hitting .500 / .667 / . 583 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored and 6 RBI over the last 3 games. On the year, he leads the club in total bases, average, hits, extra-base hits, RBIs, and stolen bases (tied with 4 others).

Congratulations again Jimmy!



Here's the release from the league:

Here are your Players of the Week for Week #9:
They will be recognized on the NEO Roy Hobbs web site and will receive a certificate in the mail for 24 wings at Scorchers in the Valley (36 winges of they attend in uniform).


28s (Open Division):
Jimmy Swearingen (Three Cities Baseball Clubs) 2b, 2-1b, run, RBI;


38s (Veterans Division):
Gary Galehouse (Kent MudHens Vets) 2-HR, 2-1b, SB, 4-runs, 3-RBI;


Thanks,
Don B

Congratulations again, Jimmy!

Game 7: TCBC 4, Akron Cardinals 5

This was a tough one for sure -- but, oh what a game! Josh Taylor pitched a stellar 6 1/3 innings, only giving up 4 hits and no earned runs, while picking up the tough loss. It was the 4 unearned runs in the 3-error 3rd that tied the game back up for the Cardinals, after TCBC jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a 3-run first and adding another in the 2nd. After the 3rd though, both pitchers really settled down and took control of the game, with no runs plating until the bottom of the 7th, when the Cardinals manufactured a run on a walk, a fielder's choice and an error.

TCBC was not without their own opportunities though -- putting runners on in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th and then loading the bases in the 9th. But just couldn't get that "one more" run home.

Here's the boxscore.

Here's updated stats on the season.

Here's our game results on the year.

Game 6: Colts 22, TCBC 3

Something was just, well, off on Sunday the 14th. There must've been something about the orbit of the moon, or how close the sun was to the earth, or . . . something.

Anything.

Why? Because this happened to the Mets.

And this happened to the Blue Jays, and this to the Red Sox. And this to the Braves. It was like a video game virtual reality out there.

So well, you probably already know what happened to TCBC*:

game06-1

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So take solace in knowing we were not alone. Not on this night.

* I put the wrong game's boxscore up there. The rest is correct. Sorry. I'll fix it later, I swear.†

† Ok, so I'm not going to fix it, but click on this link to see the actual boxscore from the 6/14 game against the Colts.