I Am Still Alive...

Much to Alec's disappointment, I'm sure. The posts have been scarce lately first because of finals, then because of a housing issue, and then because I began a summer-long road trip to attend a game in all 30 major league baseball stadiums. But I can't continue to neglect the blog, because DYFS will eventually come and take it away from me if I do.

One of the lovely things I've seen so far is the self-destructive nature of the Blue Jays' bullpen. Some bullpens, like the Phillies and Mets, essentially constitute throwing gasoline on the fire. What I observed from the Jays' pen on Wednesday wasn't just gasoline, I think it was more along the lines of an entire oil refinery being dumped on a fire. Highly amusing, though. In fact, our games so far have been an exercise in god-awful bullpen outings. Only the first game, in Fenway on Friday 5/22, did not feature some kind of grisly bullpen freak show on par with the finest ones Shea Stadium ever saw.

5/24 Phillies at Yankees
Brad Lidge 1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 1 K
This one was absolutely fantastic. Lidge blew the save in the 9th in ALMOST THE EXACT SAME FASHION as he had lost the game the day before. Robinson Cano single, a steal of second (this time by PR Ramiro Pena, but still), and then a Melky Cabrera single to plate the run. I honestly could not stop laughing.

5/25 Nationals at Mets
Bobby Parnell 1/3 IP 1 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 1 K
Just a generally attractive line. Good thing he was facing the Nationals, who got so confused at the concept of a late-inning rally that after Parnell was pulled, Adam Dunn went to the plate with his batting helmet on backwards and wet his pants in the batters box.

5/26 Marlins at Phillies
Chad Durbin 1/3 IP 1 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 0 K
Scott Eyre 0 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K (only batter faced reached on an error)
Brad Lidge 2/3 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K
This was horrible. You would think that sending Chad Durbin out to the mound in the 9th inning of a game you are leading 5-0 to face John Baker, Dan Uggla, and Cody Ross shouldn't be that dangerous of a move. Unfortunately, "you" would have been horribly, terribly, awfully wrong. And of course Lit Up Lidge had a role in this, allowing an inherited runner to score and walking a batter of his own. All in all, this game was a refreshing reminder of what it's really like to be a Phillies fan, i.e. all of those pre-2008 Phillies teams whose bullpens were always wonderfully combustible.

5/27 Blue Jays at Orioles
Jesse Carlson 1/3 IP 3 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 1 K 1 HB
Brian Wolfe 0 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 0 K
Watching the Jays blow an 8-3, 8th inning lead to the Orioles was lots of fun. Watching them give the game away after they had taken the lead in the top of the 11th was even more fun. Carlson's line was part of that spectacular 8th inning meltdown, and Wolfe's line was part of the 11th inning final collapse. Until this game, I had never realized that the reason why pitchers are usually in the bullpen is that they aren't actually all that good. Apparently the way baseball works is that the really good pitchers start the game, and the kinda-not-as-good guys pitch later. I never would have guessed.

Next game is Giants at Nationals 6/3/09...going to see Randy Johnson take a crack at #300. If Johnson can stay in the game long enough for the Nationals' starter to be gone, I like his chances- right now the Nationals' bullpen is so unsightly, they actually think that Mike MacDougal will IMPROVE their bullpen. That isn't a typo.

Also, right now Matt Wieters' major league debut is being delayed by rain. Looks like even the Apocalypse can be rained out.