Horrible, Awful, Terrible

6/20/09 Redhawks vs. Nashville Sounds

Because the Redhawks have been so bad defensively this year, when Julio Borbon made a diving catch on a line drive from Jason Bourgeois in the first play of the game, I took that as a good omen and I thought surely I would be watching a good game. Instead of putting my faith in omens like a pagan, I should have thought scientifically. The starting pitcher, Elizardo Ramirez, came into the game with a modest ERA in the low 4.0's but he had been relieving a lot lately and, as a reliever, he had an ERA of 11.05. Plus, though Borbon had made a great play, Bourgeois had hit the ball on a hard line in front of the outfielder, who just happened to make a great play. And this happened on the first pitch of the game. So I might have taken this first play (a hard hit ball caught by a quick center fielder) as a bad sign rather than a good omen.

In fact, Ramirez would hit the next batter (one of three batters hit by Redhawks pitchers in the game) and go on to allow five runs on five hits in a first inning that saw all nine Nashville batters. Ramirez would ultimately go 4+, allowing 9 runs (all earned) on 10 hits (2BB, 1HB, 1K).

And the horrible pitching didn't end there. OKC native Mike Hinkley allowed no runs of his own but allowed the final two on Ramirez's line to score when he gave up a double to Cole Gillespie that scored both his inherited runners.

The streaky Luis Mendoza would then come in and allow five runs of his own on five hits in an eighth inning in which he faced ten hitters. (Note: the official scorer and I are in disagreement on one of Mendoza's runs. Brendan Katin scored in the eighth after reaching base on a broken bat, grounder to SS Joaquin Arias that Arias dropped. It was initially scored an error but changed later in the game, I assume because the scorer decided to give Arias the benefit of the doubt and thought he was distracted by the shard of bat flying through the infield. I kept the error in my score book).

Before all was said and done, every single Nashville hitter had at least one hit. Three (or four according to the official score keepers stats) had three hits games. Another three (or two) had two hit games. Redhawk pitching allowed ten extra base hits - 7 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run. By contrast, Redhawks hitters hit only one extra base hit, a double by Greg Golson in the second inning. Sounds pitching scattered eight hits across the game, allowing three runs, two of which came in a rainy ninth inning. Chris Cody, the Sounds starter, went 8+, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and now has a 1.69 ERA with Nashville.

It may have been the worst pitching I have ever seen in person. And things get tougher today as Bryan Corey (3-2 4.75) faces Mike Burns (7-2 2.69). But I am holding out hope because Corey has been getting better over the season, as he is in the middle of being converted from a reliever to starter. His outing have been getting longer and cleaner as the season has progressed. He has allowed only four runs in three starts this season. In his last outing, he beat Cubs superstar prospect Jeff Samardzija, pitching seven scoreless innings in which he surrendered five hits and struck out four while walking only one.