Monday, May 7, 2012

GAME OF THE WEEK (Week2)

Our new BLOG feature for 2012, highlighting a non Grisslie game each week.  Click HERE to find when your team is scheduled.  This week's Game of the Week is the Tap Masters Vs the Dislocated Joints.
The Tap Masters and the Dislocated Joints both started the season 1-0.  The Tap Masters played their first ever league game and beat the Beer Bros. 10-6 in a very tidy game.  The Joints probably had the biggest surprise of week one beating the Red Dogs 21-8.

The game started out with the lightening fast Tap Masters lead off hitter, Esau hitting a routine ground ball to Doris at short.  He had no right making it a close a play, but he was out by a step.  It was a sign of things to come for this game.  The Tap Masters were dispatched quickly in the first inning with only captain Tim reaching safely.

The Joints were pretty much the same in their half of the inning with only Stef reaching first.  One inning, 8 batters, no runs, two base runners.  It looked like a good night to be a pitcher.

The Tap Masters would score in the second inning when Jason came around from first on a ringing double from Randy.  That seemed to wake up the Joints as new comer Jeff and veteran Wynnyk each had RBIs when they scored Gyori and Doucet.

After making quick work of the Tap Masters in the third, pitcher Gaudet would score on a key RBI double by McGovern.

The Tap Masters would score again in the 4th when they moved around Geoff Keogh on an RBI double from Tim Osmond.

The score was 3-2 for the Dislocated Joints after four innings.  What became very apparent was that the bats were cold.  This seems to be a bit of theme early in the year.  Granted, there have only been 7 games played so far this year.  But of the 14 team involved, 8 have scored less than 10 runs.  Twice as many as after 7 games last year. We have average 18.28 total runs scored per game so far this year; last year we were averaging 29.57 runs per game at this point.  In fact, last year's Dusty Cleats averaged 18.5 by themselves for the 2011 season.  I know its a small sample size, but its interesting.

As far as small sample sizes go, the last 2 1/2 innings of this game kind of bucked the trend.  Doris led off the bottom of the fifth by splitting the outfielders with a triple to the wall.  He was cashed in with an RBI ground out by Stef.   

The 6th was opened by back to back singles from Routledge and Keogh.  With two on and nobody out, Paul Doyle reached on an infield single to load the bases.  Tim Osmond and Jason Bowers both got their second RBIs of the night; Tim on a fly out to right and Jason with single.  At that point their were runners on the corners with only one out and Randy Rose at the dish.  Randy hit what may have been the hardest ball I've seen so far this year down the first base line.  Wynnyk stabbed it head high and very nearly doubled up Bowers who was diving back to the bag.  This was a play of the game candidate.

Another play of the game candidate would come in the bottom of the inning.  The Joints suddenly found themselves in a 4 - 4 tie in their half of the inning.  It began with McGovern's lead off single which was followed by Gyori's third hit of the game.  Two on and nobody out and Doucet up who had a hit, run scored and line out on the night.  Hit it a ball toward the middle of the diamond that looked like it might sneak through .... but smooth as silk Keogh scooped it up, waved off Shrank on the relay; stepped on second and fired a seed to first for the double play.  Now there was a runner at 3rd with two out, but the Dislocated Joints were not put off by the double play.  Next up was rookie Jeff who singled.  Then Wynnyk, Down Town Billy Brown and Doris would get consecutive RBI hits.  The Joints had 3 runs in the inning, the first time anyone scored more than 2 in one frame, giving them a seemingly safe 7-4 lead heading into the 7th.

The Tap Masters were not ready to give up however.  Rookie Dwayne Comer was rewarded for some earlier bad luck with a lead off single.  Esau Lewin followed with his second hit putting runners at 2nd and 3rd.  Tim Schrank hitt a sinking liner to right center that rookie Emeil Edward caught sliding on his knees.  The sacrifice fly was enough to score Dwayne from 3rd and Esau moved from 2nd to 3rd with some alert base running.  Keogh would drive in Esau to bring the Tap Master back to within one.

However that would be as close as they would get, as the Dislocated Joints would escape with a 7-6 victory.

There were some real standouts in this game.  Starting with the pitchers.  Both Sandy Bell and Derryl Gaudet were on the mark.  The hit the board all night and were playing with depth of pitches keeping hitters feet moving.  There were few really solid hits.

Defensively, Doris and Keogh both played very well at short.  They are two of the best and played like it.  Terry looked good at 2nd starting a double play and getting the lead runner numerous times.  Steve Wynnyk did a bang up job at 1st and Emeil Edwards opened some eyes in the out field.

Wynnyk was 3/3 with a runs scored and an RBI while Paul Gyori was 3/3 and scored a run.

Another close game.  The average margin of victory so far this year is under four runs.  Yes, its ridiculously early, but after 7 games last year the margin of victory was 13.28.  OUCH.  I like the closer games.  Maybe its the green ball.  Or maybe its the cool weather.  Or maybe our pitchers and defense are really good?

What I learned:  The Tap Masters are competitive and defensively sound and so are the Joints.  Congratulations to the Dislocated Joints, our first 2-0 team!

See you tomorrow for the Grisslies and Hurtin' Units! 

Things to check out:

Check out the Donini Three Stars of the game here ==> STARS
Check out the Dislocated Joints game notes from DTBB ==> JOINTS
Check out the Tap Master's game notes from Jason Bowers ==> Tapped Out
Check out the Brew Jays game notes from Rod and Bo ==> Jays Squawk
Check out the Hurtin' Units BLOG ==> Hannibal Lecter
The League's Official Website ==> League

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