Now That’s Better

(click on chart for larger image)

Game 126: Bulls 10, Knights 2
Season: 70-56
Games Left in Season: 18; Home Games: 8
Wrap, Box, Indy Week

After all my complaining yesterday, seems only fair to try to make a picture out of last night. The purpose of the chart is to show the sharp ups and downs during this series. Remembering that the shorter the blue line the better, pitching was great last night, even better than Tuesday, and so was the hitting (although the OPS includes all the walks given up by Charlotte, and there were a bunch of them, 9 to be precise).

I wasn’t able to get to the game, so watched it on cable. That perhaps made the exceptional length of the game more endurable, but I certainly don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about such a decisive win. Everybody got on base except for Fernando Perez, and he got a RBI and made a brilliant running catch in the 6th. Aki Iwamura got a startling three walks and a single as dh. John Jaso got four RBIs, one on a bases-loaded walk, and three when he hit a bases-loaded double. Like Adam Sobsey over at Indy Week and Neil Solandz on the radio/tv, when I watched Weber’s home run go over the monster, I was thinking another double would be nice. On the other hand, 2 RBIs is a good thing at any time. And a trot around the bases in front of your family is a really good thing. About that bat that went in the direction of the dugout though …

Between them Hellickson, Bateman, and Abreu only faced 33 batters, struck out 17 (!), and gave up only 3 hits and 3 walks. Now that’s some pitching.

Tonight the new guy from Tampa Bay, Jeff Bennett is starting. Not sure what role he’s going to assume with the Bulls, since this is Carlos Henandez’s spot in the rotation and the last two times Montoyo has gone with his “committee” approach. Guess that we’ll see.

Webworld:

• The Rays Party takes a look at the Bulls employing a bunch of those sabermetrics that I don’t quite have a handle on. And, as is usual with Rays blogs, focuses on “prospects” when it comes to individuals.
• The Bulls site has an interesting article on Jeremy Hellickson.