August 27

It was overcast on Saturday morning, Jenny and Helen were with me as we headed to the ballpark for the doubleheader. When we arrived we found out that the day/night format had been scrapped in favor of a straight twinbill. The latest forecast indicated the rain would arrive sometime in the afternoon so the idea was to get in and out as quickly as possible. We got started at 1:05, the R-Phils defeated Portland in the opener by a count of 6-2. Derrick Mitchell had two hits and three RBI, Carlos Rivero had an RBI hit, the other two runs scored on a double play and a fielder's choice. J.C. Ramirez pitched five innings for the win, B.J. Rosenberg finished it for the save. The second game started shortly before 4:00, most of it was played in a steady light rain. The R-Phils could not complete the sweep as the Sea Dogs salvaged a 4-2 win. Michael Spidale had three hits and an RBI, Derrick Mitchell picked a ribbie on a fielders choice. Derrick Loop made the spot start and took the loss, Jake Diekman and Mike Cisco pitched in relief. We were done shortly before 6:30, with the rain falling it was clear the proposed evening game would have never happened. This day concluded the home portion of the schedule, the final mark at home was 36-36 (one extra home game thanks to the May rainout in Portland), the overall record is 68-66. The ballclub is still in contention for the postseason, what happens with the eight games left on the road will tell the story. After a supper stop we headed south into Lancaster County as the rain and wind picked up in intensity. With it all I walked through my front door at 8:30 and was damn glad to be there. The weather is supposed to improve sometime Sunday, time will tell. Take care, thanks for reading.