Minor League Discussion & Boxes 7-9-05

[JC]

Grant Johnson:

 

Johnson (L, 1-3) 4.2 6 7 1 3 3 1 4.71

[Jon]

Grant Johnson:

 

Johnson (L, 1-3) 4.2 6 7 1 3 3 1 4.71

Glad to see them take away that second earned run. I was wondering why they charged it to him when all of the runs scored after that 2-out error.

[Laura]

A disaster 5th inning for Grant.

 

Johnson was hit hard, but (obviously) he could have been out of that inning ... Anthony Granato had just an absolutely brutal game defensively (2 errors at 3B, and one I'm still not sure what the heck happened) and on the basepaths. Johnson had said after his first win (3 starts ago, now) that it had been the first time he had been really locating and getting movement on his slider. Just hope that he'll work back to that; he really looked slammed after that 5th inning.

 

Tangential: Chiefs wore '45 style Cubs jerseys that were auctioned off for JDRF. Johnson's jersey was constantly getting completely untucked. My friends (not huge baseball fans) asked, "why isn't he wearing a uniform that fits?"

 

1B D. Larsen 0/3

SS J. Simokaitis 0/3, BB, R, SB (2)

 

Larsen was hit by a pitch for the 17th time this season (franchise record is 23).

 

Simokaitus was later credited with a hit in the 8th. Granato had been on 1B; Granato beat the throw to 2B but came off the bag and was then tagged out (disputed call).

[Laura]

 

Larsen was hit by a pitch for the 17th time this season (franchise record is 23).

 

There's an amusing article about Larsen's HBP Count in the July 3 Peoria Journal-Star.

 

Larsen grew up as a fan of Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, baseball's beanball king.

 

Unlike Biggio, Larsen wears only a small pad on his elbow.

 

"But he leans in," Larsen said of the well-padded Biggio. "I'm actually trying not to get hit."

 

Larsen was hit 22 times in 608 professional at-bats coming into the season. After adjusting his batting style, the rate actually increased.

 

"I used to crowd the plate, but this year I moved off the plate," Larsen said. "I've been hit more this year than I did last year."