Now that the season is under way, we’ll switch to recapping by series or day rather than game by game.
Jack Bauer Squared took a 4-2 record into Wrigley Field for a three-game series and promptly lost a 5-4 decision in the opener. 24 Hours at Wrigley never trailed, but we had opportunities to tie or take the lead in the 7th and 9th innings. Both times Bobby Murcer could not deliver the clutch hit. Kal Daniels continued his hot start with a 4-for-4 day and raised his average to .500.
The second game of the series featured another surge of offense. We used a 4-run 9th inning to blow open a close game and then held on for a 10-7 victory. The wind picked up in the bottom of the 9th as 24 Hours at Wrigley hit three solo homers off Rod Beck before Bob Woodward came in for his 2nd save. Daniels hit his 3rd homer, and Rafael Ramirez homered and drove in four runs to raise his average to .387.
Our chance to win a third straight series to open the season went awry as we fell behind 7-0 before coming up short, 7-5. We had the tying runs on base with one out in the 9th inning, but a pair of ground outs ended the rally.
Our first series loss put us at 5-4 and tied for 1st place in the division. Our next series takes us to Royals Stadium for three games against Royal Gamers, who are also 5-4 thus far.
Royal Gamers are second in the league in runs scored so far with 56, and we are right behind at 55. Both pitching staffs have been vulnerable to home runs as well, giving up 13 each, tied for second most in the league. It’s pretty early, though, so I won’t be surprised if pitching comes up big.
