Outlaws handle Miners enroute to another tight series win
In the preseason press, the top two teams in the Ozzie League, the Joplin Miners and the Flagstaff Outlaws, faced off in a series that featured four one-run games and strong pitching for at least three of those games.
Game 1: Verlander v. Sale – With the series starting off in Flagstaff, Joplin strikes first by loading the bases in the top of the first inning with one out. James McCann drives a ball deep to right, but Aaron Judge catches it at the wall and Charlie Blackmon easily trots home. Looking to get out of the jam with just the one run, Chris Sale gets a little anxious and uncorks a wild pitch that allows Buster Posey to score and Sale is in a 2-0 hole after a half inning.
However, Sale would calm down and put up six scoreless innings after that.
George Springer starts the comeback with a leadoff homer in bottom of the first. In the third, Paul Goldschmidt starts the inning off with a double and meanders home when Khris Davis goes deep and Flagstaff takes a 3-2 lead through three.
From there, Justin Verlander puts up zeroes through six innings. The bullpens comes in a do their collective jobs and Flagstaff takes the opener by that 3-2 score.
Sale would end up with 14 strikeouts in his time, tying a franchise record.
W: Sale (3-1)
L: Verlander (0-1)
Sv: Parker (6)
HRs: JPL – none; Springer (5), Davis (4).
Game 2: Kershaw v. Greinke – The Outlaw crowd was presented with a masterful pitchers’ duel in this one. The hometown ace put up seven innings of work with just a lone run on a David Peralta RBI single.
However, Clayton “Asswipe” Kershaw would do him one better over his first seven innings, striking out none and scattering four hits and four walks.
The problem is, Kershaw went out in the eighth and gave up a leadoff double to Springer. After getting Elvis Andrus to line out, Goldschmidt stepped to the plate and lefty-killer Kike Hernandez was on the hole. Kershaw intentionally walked Goldy to set up a twin-killing and Craig Kimbrel trotted out of the Miners bullpen.
But Kimbrel didn’t have it as pinch-hitter Daniel Nava tied the game with a single, moving Goldy to third. Then Judge hits a ground ball to Jed Lowrie, but the Miners double-play combo can’t turn it and Goldy scores, giving Flagstaff a 2-1 lead.
Jake McGee and Blake Parker team up in a perfect ninth and Flagstaff escapes with a home mini-sweep, 2-1.
W: McGee (1-0)
L: Kershaw (2-1)
Sv: Parker (7)
HRs: JPL – none; FLG – none.
Game 3: Wood v. Morton – The series shifts to Joplin and run continue to be sold at a premium. For the third straight game, the Miners score first, this time on a second-inning RBI double from Nick Ahmed.
Flagstaff continues to struggle early, but Judge picks out a fastball and drives the Charlie Morton offering into of the left field bleachers in the fourth inning to put Flagstaff on top.
That would be the only scoring attributed to Morton through five innings of work. Alex Wood would also keep the status quo through six frames.
As has been the case, the bullpens do their job and Blake Parker earns his third save of the series, working around a Charlie Blackmon single to strike out the side and give Flagstaff a 2-1 victory.
W: Wood (3-0)
L: Morton (1-2)
Sv: Parker (8)
HRs: FLG – Judge (6); JPL – none.
Game 4: Wacha v. Tanaka – Another game, another early Joplin lead. Matt Carpenter double in a run and scores on a Jose Iglesias sac fly to put Michael Wacha into a 2-0 hole.
Another game, another Flagstaff rally. Goldy homers in the third and Springer adds an RBI double in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.
But Jed Lowrie adds his own RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and Joplin retakes the lead, 3-2.
But then the Flagstaff Outlaw offense wakes up. Judge hits a 2-run bomb in the fifth and Springer adds a 2-run jack in the sixth off of Sergio Romo. Then in the seventh, Davis adds a solo shot to put the Outlaws up 7-3 after six and half.
Looking to save some innings in the pen, Flagstaff turns to Kirby Yates to try and soak up an inning or more. Lowrie greets him with a solo homer. Posey would add an RBI single and Blackmon would tie the game with a 2-run shot, knotting the score at 7-7 after seven.
The bullpens would continue to do their job with each side pitching four scoreless innings each. In the 12th, the Miners get another scoreless effort, but luck runs out for the Outlaws.
Parker had gotten the final two outs on strikeouts in the 11th. After a walk to Carlos Santana, he got two more Ks. But with no one but fifth starter Collin McHugh in the bullpen, Parker is pushed. Lowrie walks and Iglesias bangs a ball off the left field wall to walk off the Miners, 8-7, in 12 innings, preventing what would have been a rough sweep.
W: Devenski (2-1)
L: Parker (2-2)
Sv: None
HRs: FLG – Goldschmidt (2), Judge (7), Springer (6), Davis (5); JPL – Lowrie (2), Blackmon (5).