The Beach Birds are back on the road following up our home stretch. The two opponents for this trip were the Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs.
I made the trip to Port Charlotte last year but this was my first trip to Lakeland since I was backing up GCL games with the Braves in 2014. I threw on Saturday before the trip on Monday which meant that I was ready to roll at any point during the trip. The Flying Tigers have our number apparently because we dropped the first two games of the series and I was told they took the series from us last time. The extent of my action was being told if we take the lead on Tuesday I am in the game.
The real action and first action I had of the trip came on Wednesday in a 8-1 ballgame in favor of the Cardinals. This was a good opportunity for me to build off my success at home and I was we rested with three days off. I also knew that I had one inning to cover instead of holding anything back for multiple outings. The first out in any inning is the most important to me because it sets the tone. In an 8-1 ballgame i wanted to come out and show them that if they were going to come back into the game they had an uphill challenge. I ended up getting the first hitter before the second guy had a nubbed single up the middle. It was a ball that looked like it bounced 20 times and both middle infielders went chasing after it. In my mind I thought okay someone will cover second base no problem and this guy won’t run since they are down seven. Well I was a tad late covering and he was safe at second. In the scheme of the game it didn’t matter and I got the next two hitters out. The game was over. The advice I got after the game was to continue to throw my slider because we were up by seven. It is the perfect time to work on throwing it and getting the feel bad. It isn’t 100% yet but considering where I am it I am happy with it. My fastball strike percentage was 100% which I don’t think I’ve done that before. The Lakeland outing was a good building block.
From there it was on to Port Charlotte. It was my second time being here but I was injured and did not pitch against the Crabs. This was the site of the famous bird guts in the bullpen incident last year. There were no fish harmed during this trip.
The Stone Crabs are in our hotly contested division race for the first half championship. The division we are in appears to be the stronger division currently as four of the five teams are above .500 while three teams on the other side of the division are below .500.
The first game was a wild game that we ended up winning in extra innings. There was a play that our coach said if we would have lost they could have potentially protested the game. The batter appeared to strike out on a foul tip and the team ran off the field. The umpires consulted and decided that it touched the ground so our defense had to come back out and finish the at bat. The hitter struck out eventually but what a crazy play to happen in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent the game to extras. Alex Reyes started the game for us in a rehab appearance and he provided food after the game. It was good eating.
The second game was a great game for pace of play. Our starter had 40 pitches through 5 innings. The Crabs broke through with a two run homer to make it 2-0 in the sixth and would go on to win 2-0 in a game that flew by. A great game for the pace.
My action came in the third game in a 2-1 ball game that we were winning. The call down to the bullpen before the inning started was hey get moving around and lightly tossing. About 15 seconds later the second call came down that said he has the third hitter of this inning. Well that escalated quickly. Then another minute or so went by were the call comes in asking if you are ready. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say they aren’t ready because you don’t want to be that guy so you roll with it. I felt fine and when your heart is pumping before the outing I let the adrenaline take care of it.
I came in with a man on second and one out up 2-1 in the 8th inning. I got a two pitch pop out to right field that kept the runner in place then I got a groundout to third to end the threat. When I walked into the dugout the manager asked if I was tired. I said no I don’t think so why? Do I look tired? He said a little, do you want the next inning? I said yes. He was fired up but I wasn’t sure what he was getting at or maybe he was trying to hype me up. In the end I went to sit at the end of the bench and think about the ninth. Port Charlotte as well as Lakeland, and most places, play a pump up video to get the crowd going and hype the crowd up before the inning. I remember warming up in Lakeland and the Hulk was Hulk smashing something on the video board. I used that to hype me up and act like the video is playing for me.
Our catcher made the last out of the top of the ninth which meant I was throwing to our backup infielder in a helmet only. I thought well this isn’t ideal but hey he knows the risks of me firing it in there and we have a game to win. Just like in Lakeland I wanted to get the first out and take the momentum out of their dugout. It was a five pitch at bat that ended up in a pop up to center. I went on the get another five pitch strikeout and then a three pitch strikeout to end the game. My first save in five years.
It feels good to have the trust of the coaching staff to throw me into a tight game. They have confidence in me to finish out games and believe that I can help us win. I’ve never been the guy that teams turn to in that situation but I am enjoying the moment. It means I will throw more frequently but shorter appearances which I don’t mind. My arm is in the best shape it’s been coming off the rehab process so let’s ride it out and see what happens.
The league has an off day for Memorial Day and then we have a short home series with Daytona Beach. After the three game series with Daytona Beach we head back on the road to my old stomping ground. The Florida Fire Frogs of the Atlanta Braves up in Kissimmee. I didn’t get an opportunity to pitch against them last year and I’m excited to go back to where it all began.
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