The Thunderchickens got the best pitching in a series in recent memory. We still lost six out of nine. John Lackey and Scott Olsen both pitched shutouts for two of our wins. In Game 2, Jeff Niemann gave up three runs to the Bamm Beanos in the second inning but he and Mark Hendrickson kept them scoreless for the rest of the game. We lost that frustrating game 3-2. Manny Parra advanced from a D to a B in Game 9 but again we lost 3-2.
But the ultimate was Game 8. Tommy Hanson pitched the best game of his young career. For 10 innings, he kept the Beanos scoreless allowing just three hits. It wasn’t till the 11th when Matt Kemp came up with a runner on base did he give up the fourth hit that made a difference… a two-run game-winning homerun.
As good as our starters were, our bullpen was just as good. Hendrickson, Jesse Carlson and Chris Perez (Jose Mijares, our A*, was out for the series) did not allow a run in 10 innings and only gave up three hits.
Nice job, pitching staff. I wish the offense could catch up with you.
Speaking of pathetic offense…
In Game 3, Casey McGehee got a hit, a pinch hit game winning homerun. It was his first hit of the season. Casey had 21 hitless at-bats before his heroic homerun. He’s now 1 for 28.
Geovany Soto probably had the best offensive game of any T-Chick against the Beanos. In Game 7, he drove in four runs on a double and a homerun. He was due. Coming into the series, he just had one hit. He is now 3 for 41 with a .073 batting average.