Gladiator + Nellie = Intensity
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is nothing like a bus ride with a baseball team. There are points of hilarity, peace and restlessness all balled into one unique experience. On the way back yesterday, the first of those things overshadowed the rest.
After finishing our first movie, some of the guys were throwing out suggestions for the second one. A few were suggested, but Burlington manager Nelson Liriano had it picked out already: Gladiator.
Nellie was getting pumped for this movie. He offered a few fake evil laughs and said, “This shows you life is tough,” while continuing his laugh a few times. Even though it was one in the morning, Nellie seemed like he was ready for a tripleheader.
Everyone, myself included, got a huge laugh out of it. And the Royals skipper was excited all the way until the bus pulled into Burlington.
Now, I will try to pump you up with the daily version of the Bullets.
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BURLINGTON BULLETS:
- The Royals have a chance to match last year’s win total this evening against Burlington. Last season was a struggle to be sure, and Liriano notices a different feel within the locker room in 2010. “I see this team having better starting pitchers and better defensive players,” Liriano said. “This team has a better mentality and a better approach for the game every day.”
- Two guys who have provided great defense all season long are second baseman Luis Piterson and center fielder Alex Llanos. Lately, both of them have gotten on a roll offensively. Piterson has hit safely in his last five games (7-for-17) with a home run and three RBIs. “In the last couple of games, he is swinging the bat better,” Liriano said.
- Llanos has also been hitting just shy of .300 (6-for-21) in his last six games. Last night, the former sixth-round selection had one of his biggest hits of the season — a two-run triple that pushed Burlington ahead 4–1 in the seventh. Llanos has had to switch from the leadoff spot to the sixth spot, which is not an easy thing to do. “Most of the time, it takes a little bit of time to adjust to a different spot in the lineup,” Liriano said. “No matter where you hit, you have to try to do the same thing.”
- Daniel Hernandez made his first appearance since July 1 last night, and he had a problem finding the zone. He allowed two walks and a single and was removed because he was only slated to pitch one inning and had already thrown close to an inning’s worth of pitches. “I told him after the game, ‘When you are out that long, that will happen’,” Liriano said. Physically, everything felt fine according to Liriano, which is the best (and most important) development.
- In back of Hernandez, Chas Byrne rolled through the Cardinals in his hometown of Johnson City, Tenn. When asked about Byrne’s effort last night, and really throughout the season (he has a 0.88 ERA in 30.2 innings), Liriano laughed and said, “Good players make good managers.” If Byrne could pitch every night, Liriano would have no equal in the Appalachian League.
- Jon Keck’s third start was his best, going five strong innings against the league’s best offense last night. He notched his first win and stranded four men in scoring position. “He looked really shaky in the first inning, but he got out of that,” Liriano said. “After that, he had good command and he got out from a couple of tough innings because he threw some quality pitches.”
- The 2010 All-Star Team ballots have gone out to all ten teams in the Appalachian League. The ballots must be submitted by August 25. The team consists of the following: 1 catcher, 1 first baseman, 1 second baseman, 1 shortstop, 1 third baseman, 1 utility infielder, 4 outfielders, 1 designated hitter, 1 left-handed pitcher, 1 right-handed pitcher and 1 relief pitcher. Also included on the ballet are the pitcher, player and manager of the year. I have a vote, as does Burlington General Manager Steve Brice and Burlington Times-News beat writer Bob Sutton. Voters cannot nominate players from the team that they primarily cover. I will reveal my votes on the blog when I send in my ballot.
Our pre-game coverage begins at 6:30 with the “Royals Series Report,” with the Pre-Game Show brought to you by Best Western at 6:45. Then it is game time at 7 live on burlingtonroyals.com. As always, we are e-mail accessible throughout the broadcast at burlingtonroyalsradio@gmail.com. Enjoy the broadcast!
- Brian
