DBAP Welcomes Fans

Game 121: Bulls 5, Yankees 4
Season: 67-54
Games Left in Season: 23; Home Games: 13
Wrap, Box

Jeremy Hellickson looked really, really good last night. What a future this guy has. He only gave up two hits in 8+ innings. Unfortunately for his ERA they were both home runs, but that’s OK. In the 8th inning he gave up the second home run to the first batter and then got a popup to Mateo on the next batter. What made that great was that the fans were able to give him the applause he deserved for a fine outing.

Jason Childers managed to scare the hell out of us in the 9th, but Dale Thayer did his fireman thing with great skill. He came in with one out and men on second and third. He closed it out with a popup to short and a grounder to short.

We had an interesting lineup last night. Almost like last April in a way. Going around the horn, we had Michel Hernandez at catcher, Joe Dillon at third, Ray Olmedo at short, Henry Mateo at second, Chris Richard at first, Jon Weber in left, Desmond Jennings in center, and Matt Joyce in right. Aki Iwamura dh’d.

All of our offense was in the 3rd inning, and it was a treat to watch the home runs, single and double as the team batted around.

But the big, big, really big deal of the night was the fans. Not the 9,483 people in the stands (including some noisy Yankee fans). I mean the great big, honking, airplane propeller, Oklahoma plains windmill, turbo-prop FANS. Guy behind me was telling his son, “Heck of a wind tonight, but it’s funny, I can’t tell the direction from the flags out there.” I pointed straight up.

I’m here to tell you those things are big, and they move some serious air around. I’m thinking about bringing some rope and a couple of carabiners to hook myself up to the railing. How big are they? I’m thinking that if they really crank them up they’ll take the entire roof of the DBAP off and fly it away. In the meantime I’m looking through my novels placed in the age of sail for the appropriate quote, something about reefing a stays’l, or battening hatches.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. Just wish that John and Andrea, Bulls fans who’ve now moved away to the swamps of coastal South Carolina, were here to see their dream come true (they’d been pestering Bulls management for fans for years). They’re cool, actually cool, and will be a huge help on the summer nights. Now if they could tweak them just a little bit slower.

Adam Sobsey gives us a rundown on some of the health woes and other locker-room insights over at Triangle Offense. Quick summary: Justin Ruggiano “hyperextended” his elbow. He’s day-to-day. Elliot Johnson has a strained muscle, also day-to-day. Carlos Hernandez has a problem with his wrist, so he won’t make his scheduled start today so we will again do the “committee” thing with bullpen pitchers (really don’t like that, but doubt that Charlie Montoyo does either).

So far we’ve dumped two starters (DeSalvo and Houser) this year, one went on the disabled list back in May (Talbot), and Hernandez has missed a bunch of starts. Time to find out where Jeremy Cummings went to this year?