UCB Progressive Game Blog…The Eighth Inning

Intangiball was proud to participate in a UCB tradition, covering the eight inning in the annual Progressive Game Blog. Unfortunately, the results on the field were not what we had all hoped for when the day began, but the exercise itself was a blast. Be sure to check out the complete coverage at UnitedCardinalBloggers.com. A unique and comprehensive look at a  Cubs-Cards game from some great Cards writers.

There is something special about the eight inning. A 4-0 score demonstrates this perfectly.

A sterling day for Carlos Silva comes to an end as Sean Marshall appears in relief. To ring up Cardinals hitters for 11 K’s can hardly be considered novel in this 2010 season of free swinging, but with 7 innings pitched, no walks, and only 2 hits, the big right-hander was brilliant. As a matter of fact, save for one Matt Holliday, Silva was perfect.

But the eight inning is a rare frame where only hope resides. For both sides. For the team with a lead, it represents a significant milestone near the coveted destination. It is the best kind of tension, culminating as a win comes into clear view.

David Freese grounds out to his counterpart, Mike Fontenot. 1 out.

Depending upon the intestinal fortitude of the group, this realization can either cause the club leading to hone in on the task of 6 outs, or to relent to pressure and the fear of failing to finish what appears to be firmly within grasp.

Yadier Molina singles to left.

Short of a blowout, the element of chance becomes real. The most precarious illusion, a sense of control, drifts into the imaginations of the side with leverage as exactly what it is…an illusion.

Pinch hitter, Brendan Ryan, bloops a fly ball onto the right field grass in front of Kosuke Fukudome. Molina to third base.

But at this level, a lead in the eighth will generally stand up. Few big league teams are without the competitive focus required to close out a game at this stage.

Carlos Zambrano enters the game to face another pinch hitter in Nick Stavinoha. On an 0-1 count, Stavinoha grounds into a double play. 3 outs.

For a team trailing, even after missed opportunities in the offensive half, a glimmer of hope remains. The game is not over. The eternal optimist of an athlete, all of whom having witnessed stranger things, dies hard. Even the most staunch realist must acknowledge that when backs are pinned against a wall, there is no choice but to cleanse one’s self of mental dialogue and fight for survival. So often, this is when magic unfolds.

On an 0-2 count, Mike Fontenot is hit by a Blake Hawksworth pitch.

For a young pitcher, however, the mind resists this brand of clarity.

Starlin Castro singles to right fielder Ryan Ludwick on the first pitch he sees. Fontenot to 2nd.

Fear-based actions, driven by the desire to not dig the hole any deeper, are counterproductive.

Koyle Hill singles on a pop bunt to Hawksworth. Fontenot advances to 3rd, Castro to 2nd.

With nowhere to put a base runner, fear is supplanted with survival instincts. The pace of the game quickens with the pulse of the struggling pitcher. The hitter’s ambitious swings suddenly becoming less effective, as he realizes that he is no longer the antagonist.

Tyler Colvin grounds to Hawksworth who throws to Molina for a force out at home. One out. Castro to 3rd. Hill to 2nd. Colvin to first.

But at this point, there is no longer any margin for error.

Fukudome out on a sacrifice fly to center. Castro scores. Hill to 3rd. Two outs. STL 0, CHC 5

With a loss appearing imminent and therefore little left to lose, the pitcher again ruthlessly attacks the plate.

Ryan Theriot grounds out to David Freese. 3 outs.

Optimism tempered by missed opportunities and the additional damage done, the ninth inning casts its shadow over an unlikely rally.