Game of the Week: Rangers vs. Orioles 8/22/07

Happy Friday! I figured this week I'd give you the textbook definition of an Avocado Beatdown. On a late summer day in Baltimore, the Rangers came to town and smacked up the Orioles to the tune of 30 to 3.

A few records were broken in the process. For Texas, they set the modern MLB record for most runs in a game. However, the all-time record is 36, which was set in 1897. Baltimore set a record for most lopsided victory in franchise history as well as most hits allowed in a game in franchise history (29).

Oddly enough, the O's started the game with the lead, going up 3-0 after three innings. Then the bottom fell out and the Rangers reeled off 30 unanswered. Marlon Byrd hit a grand slam in the 6th, Travis Metcalf - who had been called up from AAA earlier in the day - hit one in the 8th.

Here's the box score of the game and a recap from ESPN.com.

Footage courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Jim Palmer and Jim Hunter with the call.

Biogenesis UnNaturals, Game 1 (at Mariners)

Time to take this show on the road, and it begins in the Pacific Northwest. It was Bartolo and the Gang taking on King Felix and the Seattle Mariners at Safeco. Colon was able to pull off the complete game shutout, giving up only two hits and a walk while fanning six batters. King Felix had a decent day on the mound as well, giving up four hits in six innings of work.

With two maestros on the hill, it came down to run support, and Seattle offered Hernandez none. Biogenesis got theirs in the form of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod went 2-4, including a 2 RBI double in the 4th and a solo jack in the 7th.

So the UnNaturals get their first win in their first game. They will now head south on I-5 to the Bay Area, where they will take on both the Giants and the Athletics.

Biogenesis UnNaturals at Seattle Mariners
Aug 8, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Biogenesis (1-0)	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	3	5	1
Seattle (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
W: Bartolo Colon L: Felix Hernandez

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BIO	SEA
BIO	4	Rodriguez doubled to left. Cervelli scores, Braun scores.	2	0
BIO	7	Rodriguez homered to center.	3	0

Biogenesis UnNaturals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Melky Cabrera, CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Francisco Cervelli, C	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Ryan Braun, LF	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.333
Nelson Cruz, RF	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Alex Rodriguez, 3B	4	1	2	3	0	0	1	.500
Jhonny Peralta, SS	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Jesus Montero, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Yasmani Grandal, C	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.333
Jordany Valdespin, 2B	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
BATTING: 2B: Alex Rodriguez HR: Alex Rodriguez RBI: Alex Rodriguez (3)
FIELDING: E: Bartolo Colon

Seattle Mariners
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Dustin Ackley, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Franklin Gutierrez, CF	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Michael Morse, LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kendrys Morales, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Raul Ibanez, DH	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.333
Kyle Seager, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Michael Saunders, RF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Ronny Paulino, C	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Brendan Ryan, SS	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.000
BATTING: GIDP: Franklin Gutierrez

Biogenesis UnNaturals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Bartolo Colon (W)	9.0	2	0	0	1	6	0	0.00

Seattle Mariners
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Felix Hernandez (L)	6.0	4	2	2	0	3	0	3.00
Shawn Kelley	1.0	1	1	1	0	2	1	9.00
Josh Kinney	2.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
PITCHING: WP: Felix Hernandez

Introducing: The Biogenesis UnNaturals

On Monday, suspensions were handed down by Major League Baseball to thirteen players that were connected to defunct anti-aging clinic Biogenesis of America. Through an investigation by MLB, Biogenesis was found to be distributing performance-enhancing drugs to players, including the thirteen suspended on Monday as well as four others that have already been punished for their involvement.

The seventeen players involved with Biogenesis run the gamut from superstar to impact player to minor leaguer. It made me wonder just how formidable a team of alleged PED users would hold up against their peers. Soooooo, I conducted an experiment of my own, utilizing MLB 13: The Show for the PlayStation 3.

I took all 17 Biogenesis players and placed them on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (you see what I did there?), a AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. While I had 12 position players, I only had 5 pitchers. Since I would only need one starter for this experiment I just filled out the remaining relief spots, using other pitchers that had been suspended by MLB for using PEDs.

After all the maneuvering, I came out with the following roster:

Starting Pitcher: Bartolo Colon
Relief Pitchers: Fautino de los Santos, Sergio Escalona, Daniel McCutchen*, Guillermo Mota*, Jordan Norberto, and J.C. Romero*
Closer: Antonio Bastardo

Catchers: Yasmani Grandal
1st Base: Jesus Montero
2nd Base: Jordany Valdespin
3rd Base: Alex Rodriguez
Shortstop: Everth Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta
Left Field: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Melky Cabrera
Right Field: Nelson Cruz, Fernando Martinez, and Cesar Puello
Designated Hitter: Francisco Cervelli

The three pitchers with asterisks by their name weren't involved with Biogenesis. Daniel McCutchen was suspended back in April for 50 games. Guillermo Mota has been suspended twice; first in 2006 for 50 games then for 100 games in 2012. J.C. Romero was suspended for 50 games in 2009.

The experiment is simple: I play each of the MLB's 30 teams at their home fields and record the results. It will be interesting to see not only how this team holds up against the rest of the majors, but how to other teams will fare without some of their players.

So will the (alleged) cheaters prosper? Results in the coming days.

Game of the Week: Mariners vs. Indians 8/5/01

Just thought I'd switch up this week and give you a baseball game. Ever since my stint announcing home games for my team at school I've really been into baseball. This number comes from the 2001 season, the year in which the Seattle Mariners won an AL-record 116 games. However, one of their 46 losses came on a midsummer night in Cleveland.

Coming in, the Mariners had won 8 of their last 10. This was the third game of a four-game series against Cleveland, with Seattle taking the first two games of the set. For 6 1/2 innings, it looked like they would take this game, too, as they led 14-2 entering the bottom of the 7th.

Then the bottom fell out, as the Russell Branyan lead off the half-inning with a home run to right on the first pitch. The Indians would go on to score 12 runs over the final third of regulation (3 in the 7th, 4 in the 8th, 5 in the 9th) and then eventually win in the 11th on a Jolbert Cabrera walk-off single to left.

John Rocker was credited with the win and Jose Paniagua got the loss. Marty Cordova went 4-5 with a 2-run homer and a double.

Footage courtesy of ESPN, with Jon Miller and Rick Sutcliffe on the call.

Random NBA Player of the Week: Rodney White

Rodney White is a 6'9" forward that was born in Philadelphia, but attended high school in suburban DC. White played collegiately at UNC-Charlotte. He spent one year in Charlotte, averaging 18.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while leading the team to a Conference USA tournament championship and  a run in the NCAA Tournament that ended in the Second Round. He was also named ESPN.com's National Freshman of the Year. Coming off of that great season, he entered the NBA Draft, where he was picked 9th overall by the Detroit Pistons. 

Though he began the season as a role player, Rodney quickly fell out of favor with head coach Rick Carlisle. He would only play 16 games in his rookie year, averaging 3.5 points per game. After one season, White was sent to Denver for Mengke Bateer, Don Reid, and a 2004 1st Round draft pick. Rodney would spend 2 1/2 seasons in Denver, but never became an impact player. In 186 appearances, he averaged 7.9 points and 2.4 per game.

Halfway through 2004-05 White was involved in a Trade Deadline deal that sent him and Nikoloz Tskitishvili to Golden State for Luis Flores, Eduardo Najera, and a 2007 1st Round draft pick. White finished out the season playing 16 games for the Warriors, averaging 3.6 points a game. He was then waived at the end of the season.

Rodney has now moved his career overseas, where he has been quite the journeyman. Since 2005 he has played for 11 teams in Spain, Italy, China, Puerto Rico, Israel, and the Philippines. He last played for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippines Basketball Association.