Liveblogging: KC at Detroit
Tigers win 11-2 in a big way. Dmitri Young leads early AL MVP balloting ;-). I don't think I'll be liveblogging an afternoon game, as it might run into my poker game for the evening. Will talk more about the highlights from the first day of the season later tonight or tomorrow.
Current innings will be at the top of the post. Hit refresh to see the most current action every few minutes or so.
Top of the ninth
Troy percival comes in to get some workl with the game already decided. He goes up 0-2 on Berroa before inducing a fly out to center. The also mention Detroit has got subs in at short and catcher, so Guillen and Rodriguez are done for the day. Buck gets frozen looking on an 0-2 pitch for out number two. Then Teahen brings his bad day to a close by grounding out to Pena to end the game.
Bottom of the eighth
Mike MacDougle comes out to become the fifth Royal pitcher on the day. Mac was their closer two years ago, but spent most of last season injured. Had one of the best baseball nicknames for a closer - Mac the Ninth. He walks Guillen to open the inning then gets Rodriguez to fly out to medium center. Ordonez pops out to second to take the collar for the day. I notice I misread the score on the Brewers and Pirates. Perez is losing bad. Didn't even last six for Pittsburgh. He'll bounce back.
Mac is pitching Young like Babe Ruth. Out, out, out and he's down 3-0. Then he comes back with a fastball to 3-1, before getting Young to foul one off his foot to run full. So what happens? He turns on a MONSTER shot to right to give Dmitri three homers in one day. What the hell? Gives him five ribbies on the day. Not the day KC wanted. Logan grounds out to end the inning. But this gives me one more chance to point out Logan's first name is Nook. Nook Nook Nook.
Top of the eighth
Ugueth Urbina comes in to pitch the 8th. Gets Sweeney to flyout to right, but facing Pickering he gives up a fly ball that doesn't come down. HR makes it 9-2. Stairs works Urbina full before grounding out to second. Two away. Urbina then shows he's settled down and mows down Berroa on a 1-2 fastball to end the inning. The broadcast crew is talking about how Ugie is trade bait. My bet: the Cubs make the move if Hawkins stinks up the joint closing in Borowski's stead.
Bottom of the seventh
Shawn Camp comes out of the stretch to take the mound for KC. He gives up a first pitch single to Young up the center, making Young perfect for the day so far. On a 1-0 to Rondell White, he hits one on the ground to the left side that glances Teahen's glove. This time Berroa can adjust to the carom and makes the out at second. Nook Logan pinch runs for White at first (there's a great baseball name) and moves to third on a single to right by Pena. Monroe follows up with a sharply hit ball to third on a 1-2 pitch that hits Teahen right in the hands and he drops it, can't make the play at first. E5. Teahen's having one of those days at third. Inge with one out hits a sharp ball in the hole that Berroa makes a strong play on and gets the out at second. The relay to first is wide and late leaving runners at the corners with two out. Infante finally puts KC out of their misery, striking out on a 2-2 away.
Top of the seventh
Bonderman does come out for another inning. He falls behind Buck 2-1 before getting a shallow pop out to right. Teahen then hits a drive to deep left center. Monroe has a long way to run to get there but he makes the catch and the out. Almost thought I saw Rondell making a motion as if to say "Yeah...I would have gotten that one...but...yeah..."
DeJesus picks up a first pitch single to center.
I didn't know Bonderman was just a high school JUNIOR when he was drafted. Apparently got his GED to be eligible earlier. He battled dyslexia in school (rumor at the draft was that he couldn't read or write, which just shows how rumors can get out of hand). He's come a long way. And he's only 22.
Bonderman makes one of his few mistakes today, throwing a ball away trying to pick DeJesus off first. David moves to second on the throw. Then on a full count to Gotay, Bonderman gets him to hit one down to Inge and third. Long throw in time, and Jeremy gets his seven full in. Farnsworth should be coming in to work the 8th.
Bottom of the sixth
Field works a second inning for KC. He gets Inge to fly out down the right field line to Stairs. Then Infante gets a lucky hit, glancing off Teahen's glove as he tried to make the play to his left, and the deflection squirting by Berroa at short. Guillen follows with a clean single to right putting runners on first and second. "Pudge" falls behind 0-2 before fighting back to get two balls out of Field. But Ivan goes down swinging to become the second out of the inning. Ordonez then hits a sharp chopper to Field and ends the inning.
Top of the sixth
Bonderman is still going strong. Gets Pickering to ground out to first, Pena making the play unassisted. Glancing at Brewers Pirates, looks like Oliver Perez is winning a duel with Ben Sheets. Actually a solid pitching matchup for the day.
Stairs works the count full then draws a walk on an outside breaking ball.
The broadcast team for ESPN2 is going off on how Ivan doesn't need any help calling a game so why is he getting so many signals from the dugout. Come a long way from his days in Texas when there were questions about his ability to call a game. Guess catching a World Series champion staff in Florida will do that for you.
Stairs moves to second, as Berroa hits a chopper to third that Inge had to come a long way on to make the play. Hell of a throw gets Berroa out by three steps. Then Long lines out to left on a 2-1 pitch to end the inning. Doubt Bonderman gets seven. He's losing some of his stuff, and there's a big lead. Detroit will probably let the pen finish this out.
Bottom of the fifth
Guillen hits an 0-1 deep to right that becomes an adventure for Stairs because of shadows that are covering part of the warning track. One away. Then Sisco gets IRod to ground out to second. So far Sisco has been a little wild but has some good looking stuff. Hitting 94-96 on the gun consistently. Just walked Ordonez on four straight.
They just cut to Pedro giving up a three run shot to the Reds' Adam Dunn. Welcome to the Mets Pedro, graveyard of high priced aging free agents.
Now Sisco follows up the walk to Ordonez with a 1-0 fastball that runs in and hits Young. The crowd gets angry, but I don't think it was deliberate. Sisco doesn't have great control is all. But both dugouts are warned. Looks like the umps are trying to avoid a scene on the opening day of action. As it is, Tony Pena pulls Sisco. So we wait for the pitching change.
New pitcher is Nate Field who goes 1-1 on Rondell White, before White has a little excuse me check swing that makes contact and puts the ball on the ground in no man's land between third and the pitcher. All runners safe with two out. Bases loaded for Pena, who's hitting .370 lifetime with the sacks full. Pena draws the full count walk to drive in his first run of the year. On an 0-1 pitch, Monroe laces a single to left driving in two, but on the throw in from left to home, they come back to second to catch Pena overrunning the bag, out 7-2-6. Detroit is piling it on.
Top of the fifth
Buck lines a long single to left center on his first pitch. He lumbers as catchers do. Teahen hits a little nubber back to Bonderman, but Buck was running on the pitch, and advances to second on the out. Then DeJesus grounds a single under a diving Sweeney to score Buck. 1 run in against Bonderman, but they need a lot more than that. DeJesus gets forced at second on a fielder's choice to Guillen on a 0-1 ball hit by Gotay. Have to figure Gotay was happy just to get a ball in play. Then Sweeney flies out to left, and Bonderman is cruising. 5 innings with 7 K's is a nice way to start your season.
Bottom of the fourth
Lima didn't even get 4 in. Pulled in favor of a Rule 5 draft pick named Andy Sisco, making his MLB debut. He gets Carlos Pena, getting ahead of him 0-2 before inducing a liner to left. Then he walks Monroe on 4 straight and goes 2-0 on Inge before coming back to get strike Inge out on an inside fastball. Then Infante pops out in foul ground to Sweeney, and Sisco has his first inning in the books.
Top of the fourth
Sweeney pops up to center on a 1-2 pitch. Monroe has some trouble tracking the ball. The wind looks like it's swirling some in center. Pickering gets frozen on a 2-2 fastball knee high right over the plate. Bonderman could make some fantasy league owners very happy this year. He's kept the ball down and hit his marks. He gives up back to back first pitch singles Stairs and Berroa to center with two outs, but then bears down on Long and gets him to ground weakly to second on a 0-1 to end the inning. I'd think Bonderman is looking at 6-7 innings strong at this rate.
Bottom of the third
Guillen ground out to short to start the inning. One out. Then Ivan comes up and gets his second hit with a double to the gap in left center. With the extra weight off, he does show a good motor. He's amost as fast as when he swiped 25 bags in 1999. Lima struggles a bit with Ordonez, but gets a 3-2 liner to left that makes it two outs and keeps Ivan at 2nd.
None of it matters though. Dmitri comes up and turns on an inside fastball and parks it in the cheap seats again. Anyone tell him that the steroid controversy means fewer balls are supposed to jump out?
White grounds out third to first to end the inning. Lima will be lucky to get five full in today.
Top of the third
Mark Teahen hits a sharp lined to center that Monroe gets a bad jump on but runs down. DeJesus takes an 0-1 pitch to left that is an adventure for White but he runs it down on the warning track. Gotay then strikes out for the second time on some nasty heat down the middle.
Bottom of the second
Now the offense comes out. Dmitri Young leads off with a 2-0 homer to right center, maybe the deepest part of the park. Rondell White grounds out 5-3 to be the first out of the inning. Then Carlos Pena singles to center. Monroe flies out to right, not deep enough to advance the runner, but Brandon Inge makes it moot by jacking one out to left making it 3-0 Tigers. You'd think they won the series the way the crowd reacts. Infante flies out weakly to center to end the inning, but the damage is done.
Top of the second
Calvin Pickering swings weakly at a 2-2 offering to be the first out of the 2nd. Matt Stairs follows with a single to center on the first pitch. Berroa works Bonderman to a full count before drawing the walk on a check swing. Bonderman sucks it up sets down Terrance Long looking and John Buck swinging to end the inning. Bonderman has 5 K's through 2 innings.
Bottom of the First
Infante starts out whiffing on a breaking pitch from Lima. Limatime looks to be on early today. Lima then gets Guillen to pop out to short. Pudge Rodriguez comes up looking not like Pudge. They said he's listed at 210 but carrying more like 190. And no one speaks of the steroid elephant in the room. He lines a single down the left field line on a 1-2 pitch. Then new acquisition Magglio Ordonez whiffs swinging on a 1-2 fastball.
Top of the First
DeJesus starts out with a full count liner to left field. Gotay follows up by looking foolish chasing some 0-2 heat from Bonderman. Then Sweeney whiffs on 1-2 cheese to end the inning. Bonderman has some live stuff early. Hitting 93-94 on the radar.
posted by Hankblog @ 4/04/2005 12:24:00 PM
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