Tropic Times Vol. XI (May 10 - May 20 '98)

[EchoesIE]

Honolulu, HA -- The Tropics continue to rock the island with their baseball skills. Hawaii went 5-4 over the last 9 games including some thrilling finishers. 1B David Smurf provided a walk-off winning homer on May 11th, then the Tropics came from behind and scored 6 runs in the top of the 9th on the May 19th game. The Tropics improved their overall record to 28-16 (.636 WP).

May 11
Hawaii 2, California 1
The game that was on on a walk-off homerun saw SP Freddy Bilbao pitch a great 7 innings, but couldn't keep the pace going with 128 pitches through 7. MR Mark Dewey pitched the final 2 frames and earned his 6th win of the season. The offense was relatively quiet with only 1B David Smurf]1B David Smurf[/url] providing an extra base hit.

May 12
Hawaii 2, California 4
The Tropics lead 2-0 going into the 7th inning when SP Remington Little gave up a 2-run homerun. SS Tim McGraw had a decent 2 for 4 day with an RBI and a double. CF Clark Devereaux had 1 hit in his 2 at-bats but made it count as he cruised into 3rd with a stand-up triple. Devereaux was injured in the 4th inning after straining his left pectoral muscle while making a diving catch.

May 13
Hawaii 5, Vancouver 7
The Tropics started a 4-game homestand against the Vancouver Mounties which saw the Tropics split the series with 2 wins and 2 losses. 3B Robb Wells went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and a double. RF Silas Camarena had a 2 for 4 day, and CF Mark Gosselaar had the best day offensively, going 2 for 3 with a homerun. SP Todd Swader couldn't find his form, giving up 10 hits in 6 IP. Swader picked up his 4th loss of the season to even his record at 4-4.

May 14
Hawaii 5, Vancouver 1
SP Steve Cooke had an excellent outing, pitching in 8 innings and allowing just the single run from Vancouver. 2B George Gutowski went 2 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. RF Silas Camarena continued his hot streak, going 2 for 4.

May 15
Hawaii 5, Vancouver 10
Both teams combined for 26 hits on the evening, Hawaii with 11. LF Daniel Fabiano was the highlight of the Tropics offense -- Fabiano went 3 for 4 with a homerun in the 9th inning as the Tropics tried to mount some sort of comeback. C Robin Larker made his single hit of the afternoon worth it, blasting it out the park as part of a 2-run homerun. SP Alam Hammer was plain horrible, letting 11 hits go past in just 6.2 innings of work. MR Angel Miranda wasn't too much better, letting 4 runs across while getting only 2 outs before being yanked.

May 16
Hawaii 5, Vancouver 1
SP Freddy Bilbao had some offense to work with after he put up excellent numbers in 7 IP. Bilbao allowed 6 hits, while striking out 9. RF Silas Camarena shone in the lead-off spot...going 3 for 4. CF Mark Gosselaar and 3B Robb Wells both added with 2 hits a piece. LF Daniel Fabiano added a homerun to his tally (2) with a 3-run shot.

May 17
Hawaii 8, Greenville 6
SP Remington Little wasn't excellent, but it didn't matter with the Hawaii offense. 8 of the 9 starters each had at least 1 hit, and there were 4 players with 2 or more hits. 1B David Smurf knocked a ball out of the park for his 13th of the year. C Robin Larker had 1 hit, but plated 3 players with his triple.

May 18
Hawaii 2, Greenville 5
SP Todd Swader was less than stellar, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. SS Tim McGraw was one of the lone stars in the Tropics lineup. McGraw went 2 for 4 with a double and a triple.

May 19
Hawaii 6, Greenville 3
RF Silas Camarena went 2 for 4...but had a homerun and double in his hits. C Robin Larker had just 1 AB as part of a pinch-hitting performance, but tripled and gained 2 RBI. SP Steve Cooke did a decent job on the mound but got the no-decision in the end. MR Ralph Desjardin was credited with the win despite pitching less than a full inning. CL Leo Lopez struck out 1 on his way to the 11th save of his season.

Offense Player
SS Tim McGraw
McGraw went to the plate 33 times and got a base hit 13 times for a .393 average. McGraw hammered out 6 doubles, a triple and 6 RBI.

Pitching Player
SP Steve Cooke
Cooke wasn't magnificent, but adequate in his recent starts. Cooke pitched 15.1 innings, allowing 15 hits but only 4 ER.

[KCCardinalFan]

McGraw has quietly put together a nice career, the .450 OBP this season is eye-popping. Smurf is also putting together a decent season, not a bad signing at this point.

[recte44]

McGraw has been overlooked. He actually helped to spark a feature im working on.

[EchoesIE]

Yeah I always see McGraw as the quiet veteran who gets paid his share and puts up numbers worthy of the salary and face of the franchise.