I Can't Think of a Title That Doesn't Include "Grinding" :(

LAST GAME RESULTS

29TH ST 29ERS

8

OAKLAND BEERS

3

RECAP: I'm all jacked up on coffee and for some reason, I just haven't been able to even *try* to be funny on this thing anymore.  Solid starting pitching, somewhat questionable and then solid relief pitching, PAT, good plate discipline up and down the order (8 walks, 2 Ks), serviceable defense.  And just a smattering of unfortunate Beers baserunning.  That's how it happened.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Lennen.  Another triple with the bags loaded.  Another "make-em-throw-it-to-third-as-I-scurry-around-the-bases" that led to him actually scoring.  Again.  I don't think any of us want to ever take this guy for granted, and the stats just prove it, but you watch what he does at the plate and just expect this sort of stuff.  99% of the time he hits the ball hard and he always hustles.  Or does something even more than hustling I'm not sure there's a word for yet.  "Pat-ing"? "Lennen-ing"? Help.  He added on another RBI single in the sixth just for good measure.

Pat earning player of the game and my getting to describe his triple conveniently opens up the . . .

DRIVE OF THE GAME: . . .for Will Buss.  No, it didn't knock a run in, but it was an opposite field hustle double for a guy that has largely struggled at the plate but who displays tons of heart and drive.  I slump, too.  It sucks.  When you make good contact and almost aren't expecting it, sometimes it catches you off guard and you don't know what to do.  Will always busts out of the box, and I was impressed he saw the opportunity to get into second and took it.  He scored 2 runs, too.

HONORABLE MENTION: Louie's clean line drive into right that knocked in a run in the third was pretty.  Check out that Package Deal getting it done.  Gonna miss you guys this weekend.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Sometimes early on in a game, you really want that first groundball, flyball, whatever, just to get it out of the way.  You'll hear Kuiper talk about it sometimes.  It's unnerving going into the 8th inning and you haven't gotten any action.  After that first ball that comes at you, you sort of settle down and remember that you know how to handle yo shit.  This is all a preface to the top of the third.  Two outs, full count, bases loaded.  Runners are moving with the pitch (but you knew that, right?).  Ricky had the cool calm collectedness to field the well-struck groundball that came at him and take a breath before throwing to first for the out and get us out of the inning with no harm done.

Sometimes you don't want that sort of ball to be the first one at you, but . . . anyway, well done, RR.

STATS

NEXT GAME

This one's a biggie.  If we can beat The News on Saturday, we will have a 4 game lead in the standings with only 5 games left to play. You can bet they've done the math as well.  We lose, it's a 2 game lead with the same amount of games remaining.

That means it's big.  And we want to finish first.  This would get us a whole lot closer.

SATURDAY 27 JULY

1PM

WILLARD PARK, BERKELEY

2730 Hillegas Ave

nasty?