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Saturday - May 3, 2008

Game 47: Baylor at Texas

Sigh. I was so hoping the last two games were signs that the Horns had turned the corner. Did they? Current indicators make you wonder. Here's the line for today's game:

Austin Wood got the nod for the Horns. I was surprised at this news...until I realized the change was most likely made to give Kenn Kasparek an extra day of rest so he could start tomorrow. Austin and the Horns did very well into the 6th. The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th were 1-2-3 innings. Very nice. Through the 5th, he only gave up 2 hits (a double to lead off the game and a 2-out single in the 4th) with no additional runners reaching base. Alas, he got into a bit of trouble in the 6th, giving up back-to-back singles after getting the first batter of the inning to ground out to ss. After a visit to the mound by Skip Johnson, Austin coaxed a 1-6-3 double play out of the next batter. Very nice play...all around. I was rather surprised to see Austin return to the mound in the 7th. Sadly, he gave up a solo shot and hit a batter to start the 7th. After getting an out, he gave up a towering 2-run shot. Which finally prompted a pitching change. Relief pitching was not very helpful, alas. Stayton Thomas went in and walked two. Brandon Workman then went in and walked another before giving up a sac fly and finally ending things with a pop out to ss. Texas down 0-4 in the blink of an eye. In the 8th, the Bears went: ground out to ss, single, 4-6-2 double play. Not bad. In the 9th, after two quick outs, Brandon hit a batter and then walked another. After two quick outs. I did mention that, right? So, Pat McCrory went in. Pat hit a batter (1st pitch), gave up a 2-run single, and then walked a batter. So, Keith Shinaberry went in and got the final out. The Horns played error-free defense but did not appear to make smart decisions with respect to pitching changes. Sigh.

On the offensive side of things, the game was just miserable. The Horns loaded the bases in the 1st and failed to score. They stranded a runner at 1b in the 2nd. They stranded two (at the corners) in the 3rd. They went 1-2-3 in the 4th. In the 5th, like the 3rd, they stranded runners at the corners. In the 6th, they left one at 2b. They left one at 1b in the 7th. They loaded the bases in the 8th with no outs and only managed to get one across. And, then went down 1-2-3 in the 9th. Double sigh.

Texas loses 1-6.

I did take my camera to the park today, so, some photos...

Coaches Harmon and Garrido watch Baylor take infield practice:

Prevailing conditions as the coaches met with the umpires prior to the start of the game:

The wind was blowing in hard for most of the game. Of course, when Hornung hit that homerun to lf in the 7th, the wind was nowhere to be seen. It was 68 deg. F at the start of the game and warmed up to 73.

Austin Wood warming up on the mound before the game started:

Travis Tucker laying down a sac bunt in the 1st:

In the 2nd, the throw got to Brandon Belt before Ben Booker could get to 1b:

My friend Liz made it onto the "Fan Cam" on the scoreboard in the middle of the 2nd and didn't have a clue:

Jordan Danks laying down a sac bunt that moved Travis Tucker to 2b in the 3rd:

We watched this napkin fly up into the air, dance around, and then fly over the roof of the stadium:

Wind. Wind. Wind. It was windy. I included that photo for Bob, by the way. Hi, Bob!

Jordan Danks dives safely back to 1b in the 5th:

Russell Moldenhauer singled in the 8th:

The Eyes of Texas:

And, one last thing. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some steel posts had been installed over the rf wall. And, I figured the folks in charge weren't satisfied with all the advertising already adorning the stadium. Here's a shot of things a couple of weeks ago as Kyle Russell was catching a fly ball in rf:

Here's how things looked today:

So, yeah: not enough advertising before today. You don't suppose this is how they're gonna get rid of the busses over the rf wall, do you? They're starting at the rf corner and will slowly move their way around to lf? What? Me? Cynical? No way. That's not in the plans. Uh-uh. I'm being completely ridiculous. Right? I guess we'll see.

Posted by Joanna at 10:26 PM