Tennessee Smokies Wrap -- Game 1 Sept. 15

by Josh77 on Sep 16, 2009 1:29 AM CDT in Minor Leagues Comment 9 comments

It was a topsy-turvey game with a controversial finish, but in the end the Smokies ended up on the wrong end of a 6-5 loss in ten innings to the Jacksonville Suns. The Smokies now trail the best-of-five series one game to none.

Starter Chris Carpenter got off to a terrible start in the bottom of the first inning, giving up a bases-loaded triple that put the Smokies down 3-0. After that he settled down and Carpenter went 4.1 innings, allowing the three runs on four hits. Carpenter walked four and struck out five.

But the Smokies struck back in the top of the second inning, scoring two runs on a double by catcher Welington Castillo. The Smokies would go on to tie the game in the fourth inning when first baseman Blake Lalli and right fielder Tyler Colvin led off the inning with back-to-back doubles.

The score would remain tied at three until the bottom of the eighth, when reliever David Cales allowed a run. A leadoff single ended up on third base with nobody out. after a stolen base and a bad throw by Castillo. A strikeout and a line out made it look like Cales might pitch out of the jam, but a two-out single put the Suns up 4-3.

The Smokies have been fighting back the whole post-season, and tonight was no different. In the top of the ninth, the Smokies tied the score when second baseman Jonathan Mota singled home third baseman Marquez Smith. However, the Smokies failed to take the lead later in the inning when Mota was thrown out trying to score from third on a fly ball to center field. Smokies manager Ryne Sandberg was ejected arguing the call.

Cales pitched 1.2 innings tonight. He gave up one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out two.

The game then went into extra-innings and the Smokies fortunes looked bright when Smith singled home center fielder James Adduci to give the Smokies a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, left fielder Ty Wright was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the same play.

Looking to get his fourth save in as many games, Smokies closer Brian Schlitter struck out the first two batters he faced. But he then fell behind 3-1 to Suns catcher Brad Davis, who deposited the next pitch over the left-center field fence. Schlitter did not retire another batter, allowing singles to the next three batters and ending the game.

The third, game-winning, single was highly-controversial. The batter was initially called out at first base after hitting a slow-roller to third. But after an argument and the Suns manager asking the first base umpire to ask the home plate umpire for help, the call was overturned and first baseman Lalli was ruled to have been off the bag, allowing the winning run to score.

Marquez Smith was the big hitting star for the Smokies, going 3 for 5 with a double. He scored twice and had one RBI. Right fielder Tyler Colvin was 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

The Smokies will try to even the series tomorrow night as Jeremy Papelbon will take the mound against Suns pitcher Graham Taylor, who started at Wrigley against the Chicago Cubs on May 1st and who was almost traded to the Cubs for Jacque Jones two years ago.

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Sandberg

Is this typical managing by Ryno? I would think that using the closer 4 games in a row borders on a abuse. It also sounds as if he didn’t consider removing him after he had lost effectiveness either.

by FrankSereno on Sep 16, 2009 5:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Well Ryno had been ejected

so Tom Beyers and Dennis Lewallyn were running the club. On the other hand, I’m sure that had Ryno intended to not use Schlitter, he would have made it clear that Schlitter was unavailable.

The Smokies did have an off-day the day before, so Schlitter was not pitching four days in a row, just four out of five. But what disturbs me is that the radio broadcasters, during game four of the previous series, had said that Schlitter was available “only in an emergency.” Well, it wasn’t an emergency and Schlitter pitched in his normal closer role in the ninth.

What scares me about Ryno is that he’s cited Jim Frey and Don Zimmer as his managerial models, and neither one was exactly enlightened, even for their era, on the subject of pitching limits. He also likes to bunt a lot, like Zimmer, and that doesn’t make me happy either.

by Josh77 on Sep 16, 2009 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh.

The vast majority of pitcher injuries are because of isolated incidents (eg one bad pitch where the shoulder goes kaput), not long-term overuse. Your best pitchers need to be able to pitch when you need them, and honestly throwing one inning a night isn’t exactly as stressful as we make it out to be these days. We need to stop babying our pitchers. If distance runners trained like pitching prospects, they would run 5Ks to train for a marathon.

by cubsforever on Sep 16, 2009 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is not an attitude

I would endorse in any way, shape or form.

However, I don’t think it was an issue of Schlitter getting himself hurt in this case. You’re right, throwing four innings in five days is not going to injure anyone.

It was an issue of whether or not he was going to be effective with that workload. Schlitter clearly was not effective at the end of that game, even though he probably should have gotten out of that inning with the score tied had his defense played better.

by Josh77 on Sep 16, 2009 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well said

by Slamdog on Sep 16, 2009 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

1st

of all Schlitter had at least one if not two days off, because the Smokies were waiting to see who they were playing and second of all Sandberg wasnt even around to see the finish of the game when he was evicted.

by Slamdog on Sep 16, 2009 7:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Schlitter

had one day off.

by Josh77 on Sep 16, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I listened to the game

and while I almost never criticize umpires impact on the game, last night was different. Unless the Smokies announcer was deaf, dumb and blind, we got jobbed. There were at least 5 plays that were more than questionable. All of the decisions went to the other side.

The play the got Sandberg tossed was a play at the plate where the Smokie got thrown out at the plate in what was said to be not even a close call. Time and again the home team got call after call. BTW, it appears Ryno will not be passive when he feels his team is getting screwed.

If you like Selig's handling of the steroid issue, you'll love his choice for next Cub owner.

by tharr on Sep 16, 2009 1:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ryno

has gotten himself tossed many, many times. He is not a “live and let live” manager.

I wasn’t listening to the end of that game, but it seems really odd that a call got overturned. Now if Lalli was really off the bag, then I’m glad they got the call right. But you would never, never see an umpire in the majors ask the home plate umpire for help on a call at first base.

Now I don’t know where the1st base umpire was on the play, but they had four umpires at that game, so he couldn’t have been far. For him to defer to the home plate ump on the call is, frankly, stupefying.

by Josh77 on Sep 16, 2009 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs