Baseball is back in St. Paul. The Saints were given permission to leave Sioux Falls and return to their home ballpark for the remainder of the season. This is good news for everyone in the league and a step closer to baseball being back to normal.
The Saints ballpark is known around baseball as one of the better ballparks and entertainment venues throughout all of baseball. The success has not gone unnoticed, and the Saints were targeted as a team to leave the independent ranks and join Minor League Baseball. This would be a loss for the American Association but there are no formal agreements in place yet. With that being said, this year is different as far as entertainment and on field theatrics go. The stadium lived up to the hype to a first timer like myself.
This week was a weird one for the schedule as we only had four games scheduled rather than the normal six. The series versus Saint Paul Tuesday-Thursday, then a single game against Winnipeg on Sunday. The culprit behind the weekend off was the Fargo Blues Festival rented out the field. This is why when we play Winnipeg we have two weeks of seven games in six days. I think the double headers are a fair trade off for the two off days around the halfway mark. It gave everyone a chance to reset their minds and bodies before we make our final push into the 29 game finale. It feels like I just got here and now we are already making the sprint towards September.
The St. Paul series didn’t go our way, but we won the last game which means in the second half we are 1-0. The Hawks are hot. The first two games had a bit of a bullpen problem that I contributed to in the Wednesday game. The first night we had a lead going into the 8th inning, and ended up losing that one. The second night same story, different chapter, up in the 8th and losing that one. It is not a good feeling coming into the game knowing that the team has battled all day, then a pitch or two alter your team is down with only the 9th to retake the lead. Before the series started they showed the Saints march to the championship as this was their first game in their stadium. The funny part was the first round playoffs were against Fargo, and the highlight tape was them beating the team from last year three games in a row. I’m hoping that I won’t be on a highlight tape next year, but if it happens then hey I guess pitch better.
The last two outings have been tough for your favorite writer but like I said, 29 games left, can’t hold back now. When I look a the last two outings I thought I threw the ball well, just one or two hittable pitches that turn the tide of the outing. I have to be better when I get ahead of hitters and make sure my execution of pitches when I am ahead puts the hitters away. Also, making sure Dylan and I are on the same page about how we want to attack hitters early and how we want to put them away when I have two strikes. I know I have zeroes in me as we saw after my first night debacle I went on a good stretch, and now the second good stretch is about to be here.
The Sunday Winnipeg game was rained out which means another double header to start week six for the Redhawks. I have never played a double header where the first game the team was the road team and the second game we were the home team but I’ll keep everyone posted on how that goes. Week six we play Winnipeg for four to start, then our final match up against the Chicago Dogs this weekend. If we play the way I know the guys on our team can play when September rolls around we will be in a good spot to make the playoffs. There are rumors and murmurs of expanded playoffs that have four teams in them which means all we need to do is sneak into that fourth position.
The sixth week of Covid season started with a double header against Winnipeg. The old visitors into home double header but wearing grey pants at home double header.
To me, the single Sunday game vs Winnipeg was the start of the second half. I thought that the whole league got two days off to recover and get ready but it was a simpler explanation. Newman Outdoor Field was hosting the Fargo Blues Fest. That is why we played and early double header against Winnipeg, and why in two weeks we have another set of 7 games in 6 days against Winnipeg.
The moon and stars were aligned in my favor against Winnipeg in the first game of the double header. I was excited to get in the game and especially in the first game because I knew that since I threw in game 1, I would be down for game 2. My first true game knowing that I didn’t have a chance of pitching. I pitched a scoreless seventh inning and started the week off on the right foot.
The rest of the games against Winnipeg were nail biters. It seemed like every game we were down 1-2 and they happened to eek out the win. The closer for Winnipeg threw three games in a row against us, and in the third game he earned his 71st save, a new league record for the American Association. I’m not sure about the throwing three days in a row, but that is how Winnipeg rolls.
The starting pitchers on our team have been doing really well and have been carrying the pitching load. The double headers and rain outs shorten the games for the team which allows us to have a well rested bullpen. The last game against Winnipeg our starter, and former Pitcher of the Week, Tomshaw, went complete game which gave the bullpen the day off. Then it rained all night and into the next day which meant Saturday we played a double header against Chicago. There are two days right there for the bullpen to recover.
The rain that started Thursday night continued to Friday evening which cancelled the Friday game against the Dogs. This meant another double header for the Hawks and again the starters can carry a seven inning game. We are 3-3 against the Dogs this year and this is the last time we play them. The first game of the double header on Saturday, Mr. John Anderson threw his first professional complete game in a 6-3 win. I warmed up, had the last hitter if John couldn’t get the out, but I was ready in the bullpen.
The second game of the double header started at 9:00 pm. It was a long day in the office for both teams but again we were well rested going into the game. I wasn’t concerned about warming up in the first game and then warming up again in the second game since I did not pitch game 1. If I pitched I would have been chilling.
The second game was 1-0 Chicago for most of the game until a Drew Ward 2-run homer to put us ahead. I pay attention to all games but when it gets late and we have a lead I am focusing on loosening my body to pitch the ninth. I am still working on my routine for late inning work and this year has been big for me in that part of my development. When we took the lead to go up 2-1 I knew that I’d be called upon at some point soon as it was a seven inning game and it was already the fifth. I came into the game in the top of the seventh and secured the game for the Redhawks. A long day but no time to celebrate as we had a 1:00 pm game on Sunday.
The Sunday game was a 1:oo pm start and we had two starers lined up to pitch. That is music to the bullpens ears because that means we are spectators unless something crazy happens. I know in my role that I need to be ready everyday and a night double header into a day game is no exception. The bats showed up in the Sunday game and broke the game open late. The starters did their job and did their thing to give the pen a break. This was our first time winning three games in a row. Some say the Hawks are hot and playing well down the stretch.
There are 22 games left in 24 days for the Redhawks. I feel like I was just rolling into Newman Outdoor for the first Covid test of the season. Hawks are playing well down the stretch and have a six game affair against Sioux Falls. The first look at the Sioux Falls Canaries, and the first road trip to Sioux Falls all in the same week. After that it is our final seven game set against Winnipeg but that is a while away. I’m excited for the direction that the team is going and we are going to make noise heading into the second half of August.
Thanks as always for reading and I am looking forward to updating the next few weeks of the 2020 summer.
A Baseball Blog 
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