Tonight’s game was the season opener for both teams.  One of the perks of being a season ticket holder in the Florida State League is that you can gain admittance to any FSL park when your team is playing.  I took advantage of that tonight and sat about 10 feet from Charley Manuel.  Cool.  Cooler still, Dunedin posts pitch speed on their scoreboard.

Matt Boyd, the left-handed starter for Dunedin, put the Threshers down in the top of the first in only 7 pitches.  He threw 7 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits while striking out 5 and walking none.  Boyd set up many Threshers with pitches in the 77-72 MPH range before busting in on them at 91-92 quite effectively.  He gave way to two relievers who retired the Threshers the rest of the way on 2 hits.

Offensively, Logan Moore was the offensive star going 2 for 3 with a ground single up the middle and a line drive single to right.  Both hits were off left-handed pitchers.  Pete Lavin also collected 2 hits in 4 at bats, grounding singles to center and right, also off left-handed pitchers.  Harold Martinez had an infield single in 4 at bats.  KC Serna also beat out two infield singles in 3 at bats;  however the second hit was a generous scoring decision on a ball hit to the shortstop.  Only 5 other balls reached the outfield, none hit very hard.

Colin Kleven got the start.  He pitched into and out of trouble in the first inning allowing only one run.  He threw 8 pitches at 92 MPH and reached 93 on one other (however that pitch struck a batter).  Unfortunately he had to throw 26 pitches to get through the inning.  His adrenaline must have subsided in the second as he needed only 11 pitches, most in the 88-91 range, to retire the Jays in order.  Kleven threw 4 innings allowing 7 hits and 6 earned runs with 2 walks, 3 strike outs, and 1 hit batter.

Mike Adams pitched the fifth inning.  He allowed one hit but needed only 13 pitches to record 3 outs, 2 by strike out.  The only stolen base of the game occurred while Adams was on the mound.  The runner got a big jump on Adams and just barely beat Moore’s strong throw.  I’m not very familiar with Adams.  He hit 90MPH only once,  89 four times, 88 three times, 87 twice, 85 twice, and 81 once.  He had good movement on his pitches, except for the solid single to left he surrendered with one out and the final out which was recorded on a well hit fly ball to the wall in left.

Lino Martinez pitched three strong innings in relief allowing 2 hits and a walk with 2 strike outs. The one unearned run he surrendered came after an error and another questionable scoring decision on an “infield single”.

Defensively, Pete Lavin made a great catch going back for a ball in centerfield.  Aside from the one error that the team was charged with, there was some sloppy defensive play that needs to be corrected to help the pitchers.  As it was, Kleven had to throw 82 pitches to get thru 4 innings.  He threw considerably more strikes than balls 49:33.

I was seated right behind home plate.  I thought that both pitchers were squeezed by the umpire.  I also thought he was inconsistent with the hitters too.  Batters on both sides were rung up on pitches that hadn’t been strikes earlier in the game.  It seemed that the strike zone expanded quite a bit when a batter was behind 0-2 and 1-2.  The base umpire was no better.  The Threshers got a break on a call at second where the shortstop appeared to be well off the bag on a relay to first.  I thought the proximity play was being called more closely this year.

Tomorrow night, the home opener against the same team.