Midas Whale call it ALDS Game 8 all over again. (Royals' Alex Gordon said: "We might have mentioned it a little in the dugout, just joking around). Six outs away from going to 4-2 on the season, Luke Gregerson encountered the following against the Royals:
-Walk
-Single
-Sacrifice
-Double
-Single
-Homer
-Homer
And that's how you waste Dallas Keuchel throwing 7IP, 2H/1ER, 4K:1BB. Springer, Bregman, Altuve, and Correa combined for a 2x14 night.
*Hinch, on Gregerson:
He didn't say much on the bench, but the results are what they are. And that inning was just a bad night for him.
*Gregerson had never allowed more than four runs in an inning in his career.
*Gregerson manned up and left the clubhouse before the media was allowed to enter.
*George Springer is okay after sliding into the wall trying to catch a foul ball.
*Collin McHugh is not okay and will be out for at least another six weeks with a posterior impingement (think: compression of the soft tissue/cartilage) of his right elbow. Hinch:
It's a setback for us, but luckily we came into this season with an extra starter. We believe in the five guys we have out there, so we'll try to get him right and continue to go forward with the guys we have.
*Tyler Kepner writes about the promise of Charlie Morton. Morton likes his chances:
The whole team is strong. I just don't see how we're not set up to win. Just got to stay healthy, that's the biggest thing.
*Derek Fisher is happy to be in Fresno, and Fresno is happy to have him. Manager Tony DeFrancesco:
He's playing with confidence. He's more selective than when he got here last year but real aggressive. It looks like he really has a good idea what he's doing at the plate.
*Ken Rosenthal says the Astros are one of the teams after 19-year old Cuban outfielder Luis Robert, though they have already exceeded their international bonus pool limit.
*The flu is ravaging the Red Sox clubhouse like it's 1918.
On the Farm
Fresno scored the final three runs of the game, including a walkoff by Reid Brignac (who also drew three walks) to beat Reno 5-4. Tony Kemp and Tyler White had two hits each. Brian Holmes threw 5.1IP, 4H/3ER, 4K:2BB while Reymin Guduan, Jordan Jankowski, and James Hoyt held Reno hitless over the final 2.2IP.
Corpus dominated Arkansas with a 6-1 win behind lots of Arkansas batters swinging at the ball and missing said object. Jon Singleton was 3x3 with a homer, walk and 3RBI; SP Dean Deetz struck out eight in 5IP. Deetz now has 25K:4BB in 17IP this season.
Buies Creek improved to 3-0 with a 9-4 win over Winston-Salem. 2B Ryne Birk went 1x2 with a triple, sac fly, walk, stolen base, and 4RBI. Kyle Tucker hit his first homer of the season. "Relief Pitchers" Sebastian Kessay and Nick Hernandez combined for 5.2IP, 1H/0ER, 7K:3BB. Catcher Anthony Hermelyn was 2x4 with 2RBI and a pickoff at 3B.
Quad Cities had a 2-0 lead heading into the 7th and managed to lose 3-2. Starter Brett Adcock went 4.2IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:2BB. Spencer Johnson had three of the River Bandits' seven hits. Daz Cameron was 0x3 and has started his season 1x10.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
