It was a cool and windy night this evening at The Coke. The Pigs pulled off a a creative win to cap off a 4 game set with the Pawtucket Red Sox.
The Pigs got their first two runs on a sacrifice fly by Frandsen. Yes, 2 runs on a sac fly. It looked as if it would be a routine play, catch made in right field and the runner on third scoring but Barfield got caught in a run down between 1st and 2nd base allowing enough time for Hudson to make a break for home. The Pawsox picked up on it and Catcher Exposito couldn’t handle the throw allowing Hudson to score and Barfield to take 2nd base. The Pigs added their 3rd run in the 5th when, with runners on 1st and 2nd, Barfield grounded in what could have been a double play but a bad throw from Pawtucket’s Drew Sutton allowed Erik Kratz to score. Final line for the Pigs, 3 runs on 2 hits and 1 Pawtucket error.
On the mound for the Pigs was returning Brian Gordon who pitched 3 solid innings allowing 3 hits and one walk. Chapman, Schwimer and Perez came on and didn’t allow a baserunner the rest of the game. Quite an effort for the bullpen day start.
I like what I’m seeing here. The Pigs are now .500 22 games into the season. Riding .500 sounds like a quick way to 3rd place in the Northern division filled with good teams but this is where the Pigs need to be. Off the radar and keeping up. Kind of like that race horse holding back before the final sprint. Keep it at .500 and get a few hot streaks and this team could be playing past September. Let’s hope the Phillies don’t need to pull more of the Pigs up until then.
Tomorrow Buffalo comes to town. Does anyone else feel there will be a concerted effort to stomp all over them?
OinK!
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
The auto-racing fans in my ‘hood know what you mean, sarge. Keep close, and hope the guy in front has a problem.
Thoughts:
great game tonight. Grats to the BP guys who shut ’em out: Gordon, Chap, Schwim, JP…must mention “our guys” who played south of here: ata boys to Worley and Stutes….back to the pigs: splitting with a good team is no problem, gotta get some wins against the weaker teams….on that note: mini-mets coming to town….hope to see Kratz playing every day for now. Nothing against Naughton, but–maybe a start on Tuesday…upside to Phils DL is that we should get some rehabs out of the deal–and that usually works in our favor…..also: new manager seems to be able to coax runs out of very few hits, huh? I’m really enjoying his style. I made Chicago-style hot dogs (thanks, redforkhippie) for dinner tonight in his honor….this weekend begins a bunch of games that I gave away, so I’ll be home smoking ribs (Saturday) and brisket (Sunday) and listening to the @pigsradio call while doing yard work.
OinK
You know with my smoker, Dave’s smoker and now you… we could hold a great BBQ this summer!
Chicago dogs are the food of the gods, man. Heaven on a bun. I think y’all should hold that barbecue sometime around the third week in June. If somebody’ll loan me a food processor, I’ll even make a batch of Southern Illinois-style chow and some Oklahoma salsa to go with it. 🙂
Well, yeah. Here’s the thing: I’d never heard of “Chicago-style” hot dogs before you posted earlier in the season. I’m perfecting things a bit, then had planned to serve them at a tailgate. I even added an IronPigs touch: BACON! Ehh, it was an OK addition, but not as good as I’d hoped. The original is JUST FINE. Google it!
On to smoking: I smoke over hardwood charcoal on a grill custom made for me in Tulsa, OK. That’s right, small world. It’s a Hasty Bake. It was customized for me by someone I know in that company. As far as I know, they are not available on the east coast except by mail order. Visit: http://www.hastybake.com They’re kinda goofy lookin’ but there’s nothing better for charcoal. Unfortunately, no charcoal for tailgates, though, unless we find a property nearby where they don’t care if I play with fire.
Commercial over. The ribs are already on (apple wood). Kids both won their games this morning. Life is good. Enjoy the game tonight!
I have two different “cookers” I have a small upright charcoal/wood smoker for the long haul and also a larger barrel style grill/smoker. I use a mix of charcoal with soaked wood chunks. Do you know of any good (and reasonably priced) suppliers of wood in the area? I usually end up grabbing a bag or two at home depot or kmart… Normally use apple for chicken and for ribs. Mesquite/Hickory mix for brisket and pork shoulders.
Do I smell a “Noise Nation Cook Out Challenge” in the future? 🙂
Not really, on the wood chunks. I’ve been mail ordering for some of it if I can’t find what I want (ie apple, pecan). I’m fairly loyal to Royal Oak charcoal–it’s about the only reason I’ll set foot in a Wal-Mart.
Ah, yes. Hasty Bakes are expensive but last forever. I haven’t bought one yet but will when our little Weber wears out. To continue this game of Six Degrees of Smoking Bacon: I grew up about 20 miles from Murphysboro, Ill. — home of the famous 17th Street Bar and Grill, which is known primarily for its apple-smoked ribs. I have a hilarious baseball shirt (really) from there that says “Nice Rack” right across the bustline.