Opening night – not as exciting as opening day, but it’s still a great game – especially after the high from yesterday’s game. When I was driving home from work, I was thinking – HEY – there’s a baseball game on TV in about half an hour. After not having that for 6 months, it was a strangely weird feeling. I love baseball (as I think you know), but the fact that there was a Rangers game seemed strangely odd to me. Still, with Pizza on the way, you gotta love that.
Anyway, the first three innings of the game reminded me a lot of yesterday. Superb pitching from our starter, a big longball to jump out to a nice lead early. Rafael Palmeiro launched a three run monster shot into the upper home run porch (and almost out a walkway – that would have been cool) for a 3 run HR (his first of 2000) in the bottom of the first. Rick Helling looked sharp in the first three. However, that was it. In the top of the fourth, the fiasco started. Rick couldn’t keep the ball down at all in the top of the fourth frame, and gave up three straight doubles, followed by a triple, and two singles – knocking Rick out of the game. A parade of pitchers followed Rick from this point with no one pitching two full innings. Venafro, Cordero, & Munoz followed Rick, and neither was particularly effective, although neither was bad, either. Our last two of the night (Crabtree & Wetteland) both pitched well. Chicago didn’t do much better either, using a total of seven pitchers. Kip Wells, the starter, went 4 1/3, but no one pitcher pitched more than a single inning after that. Overall, an extremely sloppy pitching performance by both sides after the third inning. One of those “fiasco” games (my term), and we slugged it out. Our reputation this season is that we’re not supposed to have games like this, but when we do, it’s nice to come out of them with the W. Although this early in the season, it makes for some silly looking ERA’s. :)
Babe Kapler also continued to smoke this game, going 3-5 on the night. No RBI’s, but he did score a run, and looked good out there. The immediate breakout name of this season, I have no doubt of that. I’m also taking a much greater notice of Rudy Jaramillio this season – everything I’ve read and heard about makes me think he’s the one coach we cannot afford to lose. Our staff has been together now for 6 years without losing anyone. No staff has been together longer, and each year I doubt that we’ll keep it all together. I really think we’ll lose a coach after this season, and I don’t want to to be Rudy. Don’t want to lose anyone, but especially Rudy (or Bucky, either – although Bucky is probably first in line for a managers job from any of our coaches).
