Actually, I’m assuming the Memphis Redbirds flew in for their 3 game visit to Round Rock, the first of which ended with a 10 inning, 5-4 victory for the hosts, snapping their 7 game losing streak. Jason Lane scored the winning run when Humberto Quintero singled past the drawn-in infield with none out in the home 10th, Memphis reliever Kelvin Jiminez taking the loss.
Earlier in the evening, Troy Percival (above) pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th for the Cards’ PCL affiliate, striking out one, walking one, and drilling Round Rock’s Cody Ransom in the ribs. Percival hit 93 on the radar gun a few times, and other than a long, line drive out off the bat of Josh Anderson, the Express hitters seemed a tad overmatched. At this point, I’d wager Pervical will be back in the majors before Rick Ankiel (0 for 5 tonight, with a terrific running catch in left field), though the latter is at least as deserving of a roster spot as Preston Wilson.
I’ll say this much for the Express : they are perhaps the only franchise in North America that considers a pitching appearance by Chan Ho Park to be the sort of thing that might improve ticket sales.
Proving that their parent club aren’t alone in being stymied by a pitcher with a limited resume, the New Orleans Zephyrs were one-hit last night by Royals prospect Billy Buckner, as Omaha took a 3-1 decision.
It would appear as though live blogging the College World Series is actually a-ok with the powers that be, just so long as there’s not an attempt to provide a formal play-by-play. If Gregory Hines was alive to see this sort of frantic tap dancing, he’d surely close his eyes.
The Royals and Cards are tied at 6 in the 14th inning, and America’s Greatest Baseball Fans are either a) disguised as empty seats or b) trying to get a drink at Mike Shannon’s before closing time.