2023 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #11

Well so much for an SHO chance – Jax get a run in 2nd and then an rbi single off the bat of CJ Cron gives them a 2-0 lead and extends his streak to 16 which is now 3rd longest this year…Falcons meanwhile cant hit shit off Hicks – we are flailing at everything and askign the umps to check his glove, belt, hat, behind his ears for spider Tac caus ethe spin rate on his ball is way above his average…they of course cant see anything which also explains why the strike zone is so freaking big. Nevertheless we couldnt score and were shutout but the Hicks Peralta combo. Here is an interesting stat…we gave up 3 runs only and all 3 were earned despite committing 5 errors..yes 5 – no way we dont take over complete control of the worst fielding in the league. POR 3 – PRA 0

Jax outhit Falcons 10-8 but when you leave all those guys on base it means nothing. Prairie gets a 2 run homer from Trevor Story and then a Grand Slam from Where in the world is Oswaldo? If not for a 9th inning 2run homer by Serven this would have been a table flipper from Game 2…CJ Cron was held hitless in his 3 at bats before micro manager bench him for such a poor performance at the plate. PRA 9 – POR 2

CJ Cron was pissed after being pulled after a 0-3 game for the first time in 16 games…he promptly has 3 hits including a 467 ft ding dong. Jax bring out the lumber as they score 9 times on 3 homers Robert and Suzuki were the other two. Freeland was dominant in his 7 shutout innings and Hernandez and Gott sealed the fate of the Falcons in this 9-0 beatdown. POR 9 – PRA 0

And the Lumber Jax definitely know Victorias and Kubers secrets as they pummel him again for 12 hits and 6 runs..Cron and Serven both had chances at Inside the parkers but were held up by a conservate 3B coach just to tally a mark in the triples column. Meanwhile Marquez was not on his A game – he also gave up 6 runs on 7 hits 3 walks in less than 3 innigns. Jake Hold the Pickles Burger took him yard to boot. Heading into the 8th and it was 8-6 Falcons but Torres and Seiya Suzuki drove in runs and this game would be all knotted up and very suspiciously in the Lumbers favor. But Bryce Elder statesman then settled down and tossed 3 scoreless innings while Eflin Peralta and then Gott did the same and in the bottom of the 11th 2 outs a car came into the drive thru and order a Burger to go…and he got what he came for a solo walk off and his 2nd of the game PRA 9 – POR 8 (11 innings)

Can of whoop Ass was shook up and opened as the Jax take a 9-0 lead after 5…thanks to 3 dingers one each by Torres, Serven and Matt Duffy. Mahi Mahi went a fine 6 innings for his 3rd win and Hernandez tossed the final 3 innings for a Save – WTF? what did you save the Jax from they were up 9-1 and in the process you give up a 2 run dinger to Trent Grisham after beaning Jake Burger in the elbow and now he has to hit the DL as he is injured for 19 games..so much for walking it off in back to back games. Falcons were not happy with that inside pitch and may have found their NL Rival….POR 9 – PRA 3

Things get interesting in the seventh. Cedric Mullins leads off the inning with a single off of Fremont starter Sandy Alcantara but gets thrown out trying to steal second base by Joey Bart. Isiah Kiner-Falefa gets on with an error, then successfully steals second. Pinch-hitter Wander Franco draws a walk, then both runners go for the double steal. Kiner-Falefa is thrown out at third, but Franco makes it to second. Another pinch-hitter, Luis Torrens steps up to the plate, and sends it over the fence to give the Bottle Rockets the 3-1 lead. Tijuana adds an insurance run in the eighth as Nick Senzel scores on a grounder to second to make it 4-1.

Daniel Bard comes in to close it out for Tijuana, but gives up a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani and then allows a homerun to Teoscar Hernandez to bring it to 4-3. Bard buckles down and strikes out the side to win it 4-3 for Tijuana. Spencer Strider struck out 12 in seven innings, allowing just an unearned run. Teoscar Hernandez went 3-4 with a homer and two doubles.

W: Spencer Strider (5-3)
L: Sandy Alcantara (8-5)
S: Daniel Bard (14)
HR: TIJ- Luis Torrens (2); FRE- Teoscar Hernandez (10)

On the other side, Tijuana starter Alek Manoah is cruising, keeping the Cannons hitless through six innings. With one out in the seventh, Fremont finally collects a base knock, with Shohei Ohtani tripling. Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounds one to second, and Ohtani beats the throw home to cut the lead to 4-1. Cedric Mullins steals second and is driven home by Garret Hampson in the eighth to cushion the lead 5-1. The Ohtani triple is the only hit the Cannons will see (in fact, they also fail to collect a base on balls the entire game), and they fall 5-1 to the Bottle Rockets. Manoah only strikes out 5 but limits the baserunners in the win.

W: Alek Manoah (6-5)
L : Austin Voth (4-4)
HR: TIJ- Nick Senzel (3), Garrett Hampson (2); FRE- none

Byron Buxton leads off the sixth with a solo homer, then a walk to Teoscar Hernandez brings the hook for Sears. A sac bunt advances Hernandez, who then scores off a Javier Baez single to make it 5-1 Fremont. Back-to-back doubles by Nick Senzel and KeBryan Hayes in the eighth cuts it to 5-2. Tijuana gets two on but Isiah Kiner-Falefa lines out to end the threat. Robert Suarez gets the Bottle Rockets to go 1-2-3 in the ninth, and Fremont picks up their first win of the series 5-2. Byron Buxton goes 3-4 with a homer and double, and Carlos Rodon strikes out 9 in the win.

W: Carlos Rodon (8-4)
L: J.P. Sears (3-4)
S: Robert Suarez (4)
HR: TIJ- KeBryan Hayes (4); FRE- Shohei Ohtani (12), Byron Buxton (9)

Meanwhile, through six innings Fremont starter Shohei Ohtani has yet to give up a hit. With one out, Ian Happ takes a walk. The next batter, Isaac Paredes, is drilled in the head but is able to stay in the game. Dan Vogelbach then walks to load the bases. A sac fly by PH Wander Franco brings in a run, then Ohtani is able to strike out Tucker Barnhart, as the Bottle Rockets score a run without the aid of a hit. Fremont then goes and picks up three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, with a Jace Peterson triple leading the way.

With just six outs to go, Tijuana finally gets to Ohtani with a Josh VanMeter run-scoring triple. Ohtani is promptly pulled after the loss of the no-hitter, and Cedric Mullins brings home VanMeter for a consolation run. Fremont wins 9-3. Ohtani allowed only one hit but also five walks in his seven innings, striking out eight.

W: Shohei Ohtani (6-1)
L: Framber Valdez (4-5)
HR: TIJ- none; FRE- Joey Bart (5)

Tijuana can’t get anything going, as Alcantara tries to surpass Ohtani’s effort from the previous game. Alcantara gets through seven innings without a hit allowed, then gets three groundouts in the eighth. Three outs away from a no-hitter, Alcantara strikes out Josh VanMeter for the first out in the ninth. The next batter is Nick Senzel, who whistles one into right to break up the no-no. Alcantara leaves to an ovation from the crowd, and Giovanny Gallegos closes out the one-hitter for the 4-0 Cannons win. Alcantara strikes out five and allows four walks to go with the one hit allowed.

W: Sandy Alcantara (9-5)
L: Luis Gil (1-2)
HR: TIJ- none; FRE- none

That’s all they would need as the Fremont pitching staff shuts out the Bottle Rockets for the second straight game, winning 5-0. Tarik Skubal goes 6.1 IP with 3 hits and 2 walks allowed, striking out 9. With another woeful effort, Tijuana has 13 hits total over the last four games.

W: Tarik Skubal (5-5)
L: Spencer Strider (5-4)
HR: TIJ- none; FRE- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (14)

Tijuana gets right back at it in the third with two runs from a Cedric Mullins double and Isiah Kiner-Falefa single. The Bottle Rockets take the 5-2 lead into the sixth inning, when a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. two-run homer cuts the lead to 5-4. The score stays that way into the bottom of the ninth with Daniel Bard on to close it out. With two outs, PH Nolan Gorman grounds it to Kiner-Falefa but he boots the ball. Josh Rojas follows up with a ball down the right field line, and Gorman scores to tie it 5-5. Bard gets Carlos Correa to fly out to strand Rojas on third.

Ian Happ leads off the tenth inning with a HR off of Giovanny Gallegos to put the Bottle Rockets up 6-5. Tijuana then gets runners on first and second but can’t bring them home. Steven Wilson is Tijuana’s man for the tenth inning. Facing Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Byron Buxton, he’s able to close it out for the 6-5 Bottle Rockets win in 10.

W: Daniel Bard (2-0)
L: Giovanny Gallegos (1-2)
S: Steven Wilson (1)
HR: TIJ- Ian Happ (7), Cedric Mullins (9); FRE- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (15), Austin Hays (8)