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The Tucson Sidewinders played their first game of the season against the Fresno Grizzlies (Giants) in Fresno last night. Ryan Radtke was in great voice as he called the play-by-play, announced attendance, and commented on the weather (slight rain through second half of game). Our Winders took the game, 9 to 5, with only one charged error. Sounds like an impressive win, but it was actually a bit of a mess. There were several hits that could’ve as easily been charged as errors and reliever/closer Bill Murphy walked in the final Fresno run with a called balk (which he disputed, of course. The good thing about that call was that it totally ticked Murphy off - he threw incredible fast balls after that and quickly dispatched the final Grizzlies).
One of the contributing factors to the “messy” play on the field last night came from a different look to the Winders line up. I’ve had a couple Winder Watcher fans comment on the instability of Bill Plummer’s line ups - they wonder if he knows what he’s doing. For my part, I’m just uncertain how much latitude Bill is given. The D-Backs have these players in their Farm system for a reason. And sometimes they ask the Winders to do things that seem counterintuitive because the D-Backs want to look at something different from a player. Last night Plummer had Jamie D’Antona (usually INF) catching, while Matt Morgan (usually C) took his place at 2B. Although both players had played those positions before, neither had done so recently or consistently. Their unfamiliarity with the position showed in their play last night. Neither seemed very comfortable in the new spot. While I’m assuming Plummer (on behalf of the D-Backs) is trying to grow each of them as “utility players,” it’s difficult to watch the team struggle through the growth process. On the plus side, Jamie and Matt’s bats were both in the line up and they continue to do well offensively.
Stately Protocol. Baseball has a number of traditions and protocols that amuse me. For instance, there is a set way teams usually deal with a struggling pitcher. At first, the catcher will run out to the mound and lend encouragement. The next visit will usually be by the pitching coach. If the struggles continue, the manager often is the next visitor and he’s usually there with the hook that pulls the pitcher out of the game. The Grizzlies manager breached protocol last night by being the first visitor to the mound when his pitcher was getting in hot water. When a manager visits his pitcher “out of order” like that, it usually has amazing and immediate results. One can only guess what words the manager shares during these brief exchanges, but it usually works. And did for the Fresno pitcher last night…he buckled down and had several more successful innings.
Earning Frequent Flier Miles. A day after optioning Dustin Nippert to the Sidewinders and after Dustin had already flown back to Arizona (but had not yet reported to the Winders), the D-Backs called him back up to the Bigs to replace Juan Cruz who went on the DL.
The Diamondbacks have also called up our starting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit (a late-spring acquisition). Petit is scheduled to start today’s D-Backs game in San Fran! (Meanwhile, the Sidewinders’ bullpen is looking a little thin!)
(Disclaimer - this posting not reviewed/approved by the Sidewinders, Diamondbacks, PCL, MiLB, MLB, or any other baseball official and represents the views and biases of the author alone)
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