2008/8/27 The season winds down
from Scranton
My final line from my August 15th outing against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs was 6 and 2/3 innings pitched, 7 hits and 3 runs allowed, and 3 strikeouts. Since the previous game I was scheduled to pitch in was postponed due to rain, I was pitching in this game on 9 days rest. But, I was still well prepared. In the 1st inning, after getting two quick outs, I gave up a double but got the next batter to fly out to left. The 2nd and 3rd innings went 1-2-3 and I was able to get into a good rhythm from the beginning.
In the 4th inning, with one out and a runner on first, I gave up a homer to the cleanup batter on a 2-2 fastball. After getting one more out, I gave up a homer to the 6th place hitter on a two-seam fastball after a battle that included 5 foul balls. However, I was able to get past this because I felt I had made good pitches in both cases and I didn’t allow any more runs after that.
My final line from my August 21st outing against the Rochester Redwings was 5 innings pitched, 8 hits and 4 runs allowed, and 8 strikeouts. In the first inning, when I tried to throw a change-up, I threw a wild pitch. I started the game in an unstable manner and allowed two hits and one run. Things evened out the more I used my fastball and slider.
Since I hadn’t gotten many strikeouts in the last few games, I focused on getting strikeouts this time. As a result, I had 8 strikeouts by the 5th inning. On the negative side, my pitch count became quite high and I left the mound after pitching the 5th. There are pro’s and con’s, but the optimal situation is one where I’m able to pitch the maximum number of innings in a game where I try to get as many strikeouts as I can.
The final stage of the season is approaching and there are only several games left. Our team’s defense is good so I’m at ease when I pitch. We need to keep playing well and I would like to contribute to the team whenever I take the mound.
