Randy had a chance to take in a Blue Wahoos game in Chattanooga earlier this week. He sent along a some videos and pictures, but I will share those over the weekend as I simply didn’t have time to edit any of them yet for the website. Here is a write up that he had for the game he was able to take in:
A glimpse at a game in Chattanooga: Blue Wahoos vs. Lookouts Monday June 25th.
The good news is the Blue Wahoos had 11 hits and only gave up 3 runs. The bad news is that the pitching staff gave up nine walks and one more run than the bad guys. J.C. Sulbaran displayed why we love him with fingers crossed. When he hits the strike zone, he can be dominant. When he misses (and, boy, did he miss) he hurts his chance to move up the ladder and play with the big club some day. Home plate was dancing all night for him. None of his pitches was very consistent. One mistake pitch to the Lookouts 3-hole hitter after, of course, giving up a walk (and one blown call at home plate three innings earlier) was all the difference in the game. The Lookouts won by one run, 3-2. (side note: I HATE that the Reds are gone from my hometown, but I digress).
In all Sulbaran, Drew Hayes, Wirfin Obispo and Chris Manno pitched for Pensacola. Only two balls were hit hard all night. The first hit of the game for the Lookouts came in the 4th from the pitcher Roemer on an infield bleeder to the right side that Brodie Green missed on a diving play that I can’t help but think that DatDude would have vacuumed up and fired to first for an out. Unfortunately the speed gun was not working at AT&T Field, so I worked my way towards the scouts and players with their guns. I was fortunate enough to sit by Kyle Lotzkar (more about him later) and he was kind enough to keep me updated. As far as velocity, Sulbaran was around 92mph through his 5 innings, Hayes was up to 95mph, Obispo was 91 to 94 and Chris Manno was…well…. very deceptive………I just didn’t even ask Kyle.
The Blue Wahoos had chances in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th with runners in scoring position but left a whole lot of runners on the bases. In the 7th inning alone two runners were gunned down at home plate for Pensacola. One on a tag up from 3rd for a sacrifice fly (Peacock single and two base error) and the other sent home on an RBI single with Stephen Hunt (as a pinch hitter on with a walk) being thrown out at home after scoring Fellhauer. The game ended with Gregorious grounding out to second base with the tying runner on base.
Here are some game notes:
Josh Fellhauer was an impressive sub, coming in for the injured P.J. Phillips (hurt running into the left field foul wall on a fly ball out in the first inning). Initially out of the line-up with a tough lefty on the mound (Chris Reed, hitting 93 with other good stuff). Didn’t matter to Fellhauer. He was the most impressive hitter tonight for the Blue Wahoos, consistently hitting the ball hard all night and getting on in the 9th only to see the next two hitters strikeout (Yordanys Perez and Ryan Lamarre) and DiDi Gregorious grounding out to end it. His double off Reed was a pure hustle speed double, never stopping and sliding in to 2nd base head-first to beat the throw.
David Vidal, although he went 0-4 (I still don’t know why you get an “out” for an at bat that the other team makes an error on you) flashed some good leather and a very good arm (especially for your non-prototypically sized third baseman). He made a tremendous play in the 6th to save a run almost pulling Beau Mills off first base but Mills tippy-toed the throw into an out.
Good Sulbaran, starts off the 2nd inning with two swinging strikeouts to the Lookouts 5th and 6th hitters and Bad Sulbaran then proceeds to walk the bases loaded, including the pitcher Reed. A wild pitch brought in the runner from 3rd but the throw from Peacock clearly beat him home with Sulbaran covering (you know he’s out when the home fans even called him out).
Ryan LaMarre looked good at the dish. His first hit was a drag bunt beauty, had a nice line drive in the 7th and hit a headhunter in the 3rd that Reed saved face with a “look-what-I-found” lineout.
Didi Gregorious hardly had the ball hit to him all night at shortstop. Tough to judge him on his defense but he made the one play his way and making the right decision on a soft grounder with a runner on first. He went to first to get the sure out in the 3rd inning. Kinda tough to make too many plays when your pitching staff gives up 9 walks and only 7 groundouts all night. At the plate, Gregorious got robbed on a liner in the 3rd otherwise he would have went 2-4.
Drew Hayes had a good fastball-slider going tonight and seems to be adjusting very well as the season progresses along at the AA level. He could be a potential bullpenner for the Reds a year from now if he continues to adjust. He has very good stuff.
I learned an interesting fact about Brodie Green during his days at Texas A&M. Sitting behind the Dodger pitchers charting for the Lookouts, one of those guys relayed a story about two hitters he saw during his college days being hit in the face with a pitch. One of them was Brodie Green. His jaw was broken but came back later to play that year. That’s one tough dude if that story is true.
I got to shake hands with one of my second base heroes (I played a lot of 2nd base in high school). Billy Doran came down the steps to speak with Lotzkar. After he was done speaking, I leaned over and said I was a second baseman too and I was very happy when he came to the Reds (I think from the Astros, right long time fans).
Oddity, Nick Buss for the Lookouts played the entire game, but not one credited at-bat. He walked the first 3 times up (shocker, huh?) and then sacrificed a runner to 2nd in the 7th.
Chris Manno, although he does not throw hard, just gets hitters out. He’s as deceptive as David Blaine in a crowded square on the mound and I saw why. He throws with his glove hand coming down the same pitch path as his left arm. It was just plain funky. Even Lotzkar stated he wouldn’t want to hit off him. Righties and lefties have a very hard time picking the ball up. Lotzkar said that Cingrani does the same thing. Very interesting!
Big thanks out to Randy for the update. As I said, I will add some pictures and videos that he shot over the weekend when I get a chance to edit them for the website.