The Rookie

The kid was nervous as he threw his first couple of pitches to the peskiest pest in baseball, David "Hold still!" Eckstein. You could see it in the way he was jumping around the mound, firing in pitches as soon as he received the ball back from the catcher and walking The Annoying One. The fearless first baseman came over to tell him to settle down, and he proceeded to get Luna, Sir Albert, and Encarnacion for three outs, only a poor throw and a poor scoop cost the kid the third out and his concentration. Suddenly the score was 3-0 after Jim "I am Frustration" Edmonds crushed his fourth longball of the year, and was it long! The second baseman in leftfield proceeded to dive for a ball that should have been caught, allowing a baserunner to get to third. Finally, a popup to shallow left found the leather of the shortstop's glove, and the kid got out of his first Major League inning, one of many pitchers to have fallen victim to the powerful Deadbirds.

The kid did alright, though. Without that error, the score would have been 0-0. Five innings, 3 hits, no earned runs, 2 Ks. The 4 walks were a little high, but overall, Michael O'Connor did well. He was, unfortunately, the bright spot in a dark game, another victim of pathetic defense and a very sick offense.