Ruggiano Takes Bulls to 50 Wins

Game 85: Bulls 8, Braves 3
Season: 50-35
Wrap, Box

From time to time we watch the last couple of innings from the top of the Blue Monster. From there you get a great view of the game, but it’s also easy to sort of lose track of things. For example, last night …

Grass is beginning to look a bit parched out here in center field, and not too many fans today. Nice kids out here though. Sure hope I’ll be able to toss them a ball sometime tonight. The Bulls are ahead of us by 5-3, but we can get that back. Particularly if I keep banging the ball off that wall to my left. I’ve got two doubles so far, and I’ve scored two of our three runs. Joyce really nailed me with that throw last inning and even though I hammered him, Jaso didn’t drop the ball. Maybe I can get another hit the next time I’m up and we’ll be back in the game, even with that old man pitching for us since Reyes left. That kid, Rhine Hughes in on first. No problem there. Mateo’s up. Here it comes. Let me just drift off to the left and get under it. Yeah, I’ve got it. Just toss it up to the kids and trot in. Wonder why nobody else is heading for the dugout? How come that kid Hughes is being signaled to take third? Damn! How many outs are there? Just two?

Interesting night at the DBAP, and it’s gonna be fun to razz Reid Gorecki the rest of the time Gwinnett is here.

Sonnanstine pitched a decent game, even if he had a bit of trouble the first two innings, he seemed to have things well in hand through the 7th. Nice long start. Ruggiano, even with his K in the 2nd, seems to have sorted himself out. And he hit his twelfth homer, a 3-run shot in the 5th to push his RBIs up to a team-leading 48.

A very, very pretty throw from Joyce to Jaso in the 5th. Jaso blocked the plate perfectly and Gorecki could only try crashing into him to try to shake the ball loose. Didn’t work.

Blunder by Gorecki in 6th gave us a run. Poor performance by Braves reliever Gunderson in the 8th gave us 2 more. Good night.

Nice to see Charlie Montoyo back and to know that his son came out of surgery OK.

Odds and Ends:

• Winston Abreu had an inauspicious beginning with the Indians last night. Came on in the bottom of the 7th against the White Sox. Walk, homer, strike out, single, homer, pulled from the game; that’s 1/3 inning, 3 hits, four earned runs, 1 walk. His ERA ballooned up to 11.25. On the other hand, he hadn’t pitched since June 23rd.