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Weekly Recap: Bananas Bash the Bacon and Split with RedWolves

Written by Biko Skalla:

 

The Bananas entered the week 22-3 on the summer, 3-0 in the second half, and riding a 5 game winning streak. The boys would stay RED HOT, destroying the Bacon 3 times and splitting a home and away mini series with the RedWolves. It all got underway on July 4th, with the Nanners traveling to Macon for only their second Sunday game of the summer. I know I put it in last week’s Weekly Recap too, but I love the video so much and it was a July 4th drop, so I feel like I can sauce it in here too just to make sure we jump off on the right foot…

Chills. What a beautiful video. Okay okay, back to the action.

The real game on July 4th got out of hand incredibly quickly for the Bacon. Jesse, Georgia Southern Just Got the Best Leadoff Hitter on the Eastern Seaboard, Sherrill, walked, got to 3rd on a very wild pitch, and then was driven in on an RBI single from Danny, No Reason to Mess Around on America’s Birthday, Oberst. It never feels good when you’re losing 2 batters into the game, and unfortunately for Macon this was just the beginning. Livan, Let’s Pour it On, Reinoso, drove Danny in with a liner to left. Tristan, The Best Canadian Line Dancer in Chatham County, Peters, brought Livan home with a single to right. Bill, We Don’t Have No Salukis in Perkins, Georgia, Knight, stroked a single up the middle to bring home Bryson, We Don’t Have to Talk About How I Got On Base, Bloomer. Nick, I’m a Couple At-Bats Away From a Trip to the Deli, Clarno, capped the big 1st inning with a base hit to the left side to bring home Tristan. When all was said and done, the Bananas led 5-0 on 5 RBI singles in the 1st inning. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good!

Zane, My On-Base Percentage is Gonna be InZane, Denton, drove in Peters with a 2-out, RBI double in the 3rd, as the Bananas would take a 6-0 lead into the 4th inning, which is when the you know what really hit the fan for the Bacon.

It was the greatest leadoff hitter this side of the Mississippi getting it going once again, as Jesse chopped an infield single over the pitchers mound and then Danny cranked a single up the middle. The fellas double stole 2nd and 3rd before Livan walked to load the bases and Bryson walked to push home Jesse. Eduardo sacrificed his bat for a flare single to right bringing home Danny and then Tristan put another ball through the right side to bring home Livan. Zane took the 2nd bases loaded walk of the inning, bringing home Bryson and then Clarno came to the plate, and this happened…

The Nanners were already up 10-0, so this was just the stamp of dominance on the Independence Day drubbing. I do have to say though, nobody hitting this grand slam in such a blowout could have brought me as much pure joy as Clarno doing it. And in typical Clarno fashion he didn’t even realize it was a grand slam until he saw he had 3 guys waiting for him at home plate. Here’s what he had to say about hitting his first career Bananas home run:

“It felt really good because it goes to show the high and in tee drill that Dan showed me is f$%#&@g working, but also I just closed my eyes and said a prayer on that one.”

Truly illuminating stuff. So that was the 9th man to hit in the inning, and it wasn’t even close to the end of the action. Back at the top of the order, Jesse laced a single to left-center, Danny lined a single to left, Livan roped a 2-run double down the left field line, Eduardo ripped a double down the left field line bringing in Livan, and Tristan lined a single to right before all was said and done. When the dust settled, it was a 17-0 Bananas lead after the 11 run, 10 hit, 16 batter 4th inning.

On the other side of the ball, Tyler, The Team is Doing so Well Because of Their Reginade Only Diet , Gillum, and Corey, I Would Have Been the Best Dressed if I Was Here for the Fashion Show, Pye, turned to Tom, The Power of Rice Compels You, Vincent, for the start. Tom was phenomenal as per usual, only allowing an unearned run over 4.2 innings while striking out 5. Davis, Can Someone Please Find Me a Better Celebrity Comp Than the Hunter from Open Season, Hare, came in and only gave up one earned run over 2.1 innings of relief.

The Nanners added a couple more runs on a Jesse groundout in the 6th and then a Jesse single in the 7th as they took down the Bacon 19-3.

I threw these stats in the game recap from Sunday, but they’re too good not to throw in here too:

Jesse Sherrill: 3-5, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

Danny Oberst: 3-4, RBI, 3 R, 2 SB (to improve to 16 of 17 in stolen base attempts this summer).

Livan Reinoso: 3-5, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R

Eduardo Malinowski: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Tristan Peters: 3-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB

Zane Denton: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Nick Clarno: 2-3, HR, BB, HBP, 5 RBI, R

You know it’s a Banana Pants bonkers game when 7 of the 9 starters put up stat lines that would make you the player of the game 9/10 times throughout the season.

The boys then got Monday off, which was a great opportunity to hit the beach, chill out at their host family’s house, or possibly come over to mine for a little practical joke action (again, sorry that you didn’t go home and see your family Andrew, but also your welcome for the funny story).

On Tuesday, the boys packed up the bus and shipped up to Florence to take on the RedWolves.

Jesse once again put the pressure on immediately as he laid a perfect bunt down the 3rd base line for a single to leadoff the game. Zane lined a single up the middle and Jesse went full Green Light Special towards 3rd drawing a wild throw that allowed Zane to take 2nd base as well. Livan, did his job with a grounder to 2nd, bringing home Jesse and moving Zane over to 3rd. Tristan mashed a ball to left-center but got robbed of extra bases on a full-extension catch by Brody Hopkins, as Zane trotted home on the sac fly to make it 2-0.

Nathan, Good Luck Finding Someone More Fired Up to be a Ring Dude Than Me, Dettmer, got the start for the Nanners. He stranded a man on 3rd in the 1st inning, and then did it again in the 2nd inning when Carson, Talk About a Good Introduction, Falsken, started a nifty 4-6-3 double play to get Dettmer out of the jam, the second really solid play he had made in his Bananas debut. Nathan would just give up 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 4 RedWolves in 5 innings of work, ballooning his ERA all the way up to 0.78 as his earned run total doubled to 2 in 23 innings on the mound. Also, he took the league lead in ERA amongst qualified pitchers (guys who have thrown an average of .8 innings per game), and he became 6-0 on the season, holding 2 more wins than anyone else in the league still on Sunday. What was the key to success for Dett?

“Andrew, Tom, and I went to the beach last night,” Dettmer said, “and we watched the stars, had a meditation sesh, and vibed after Paula Deen’s house. Just got me in the right mindset for the start.”

While Dettmer was munching on the bump, the boys scored 2 more in the top of the 3rd on a Peters RBI double to bring home Zane and then a bases loaded hit-by-pitch by Carson pushing home Livan. Andrew, Jesse Couldn’t Understand My Last Nickname so This One is Much Shorter, Armstrong, came in and scattered 3 hits and a walk over 1.2 scoreless frames. Nolan, You Know They Don’t Just Let Anyone Into Purdue, Daniel, came in for the final out of the 7th inning, stranding two of Andrew’s men on base.

The Nanners were back at it again in the top of the 7th, as Livan brought home Jesse with a towering double to dead-center. A few batters later, Ty, I Think I’ve Earned Myself a Vacation by Now, Jackson, beat out a soft ground ball to 3rd for an infield single driving in Livan to make it 6-1. Jesse walked and then scurried around the bases on 2 wild pitches to make it 7-1 in the 8th. Florence scored a couple runs on 2 walks and 2 hits in the bottom of the 8th but then had to face Dylan, Lookout for My Dad in the New Will Smith Movie, Cunningham, in the 9th. DC gave up a couple 2-out hits but then struck out Brody Hopkins, to end the game and leave the tying run on-deck, securing a 7-3 win for the Nanners.

The offense was paced by Jesse who went 1-3 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored and Livan who went 2-5 with a double, 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.

The Bananas returned home to take on the Bacon, but before the game they received a special present for achieving all three of the goals Gillum had set before the previous weekend (they technically only needed one of them to earn the big present)…

https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas/status/1413257380381462531

The team’s been so good we needed Alex to rollout some custom merch! That’s some good stuff, as Reggie says.

After taking BP in their new “Tap In” tanks, the fellas were ready to rock and roll from the jump once again. Ryan, I Have a Specific Set of Skills and I Will Hunt You Down Joe, Kennedy, tossed a scoreless top of the 1st, setting the table for another early offensive explosion. Eduardo, I Cannot Wait for My Postgame Interview, Malinowski, got nailed with a heater and Danny laced a single up the middle. The dynamic duo stole 2nd and 3rd, and Livan ripped a single to left to bring home Eddie. Zane walked to load the bases, and Bryson, This Game is Over, Bloomer, promptly unloaded the bases with a 3-run double off the left field wall. Bryson would then swipe 3rd, and come home on a Bill Knight sac fly to deep centerfield. 5-0 Savannah in the blink of an eye, and if you’re keeping track at home, yes that’s 12 1st inning runs so far this week.

The guys would strike for a couple more runs in the 3rd, as Bill walked with 2 outs and was brought home on a booming double off the right field wall for Carson’s first hit as a Banana. Drew, I’ll Literally Play Anywhere, I Just Wanna Hit, Yniesta, drove in Carson with a line drive single to left to make it 7-0 Bananas.

While the guys were running circles around the bases on offense, Ryan was preventing any such action from the Bacon. Kennedy threw 5 scoreless innings, only giving up a pair of hits while walking 4 and striking out 9, to push his season total to 23.2 innings tossed without allowing an earned run. Not too bad!

The guys pushed 2 more runs across in the bottom of the 6th on a smattering of walks, wild pitches, and passed balls. Matthew, I Wouldn’t Trade Being a Saluki for the World, Steidl and Quinn, There’s Nothing Better Than Being a Cornhusker, Mason, each threw 2 shutout innings of relief to lock up the 9-0 victory.

After the win, I joined Eduardo for a quick interview in the shower…

https://twitter.com/TheSavBananas/status/1413494144752816131

I always feel like I get the best info in that shower, I can’t believe more journalists aren’t doing this too.

The Nanners headed out to Macon on Friday, and even though they had scored 40 runs in the last 23 innings against the Bacon, the matchup looked to be a pitchers duel on paper. Macon’s starter Fred Wilson threw 7 terrific shutout innings against the Bananas the only other time he had faced them. The Nanners opposed him with the CPL strikeouts leader, as well as the man in 3rd place in the league with his 1.45 ERA coming into the game, Joe, I’m Honestly Not a Big Whipped Cream Guy, Miller. Joe held up his end of the bargain, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk over 5 innings of 10 strikeout ball, becoming the first man in the CPL to reach 50 strikeouts on the summer.

“I felt really good and Nick called a tremendous game back there,” Joe said. “We were going after guys all night, and the strikeouts just happened to come with that. All I’ve gotta say is good luck striking out 12 tomorrow Kyle, and Ryan you’ll never come close to catching me.”

Fred was solid until the 3rd inning when Bill Knight worked a leadoff walk and stole 2nd base setting the table for Ty who knocked him in with a line drive single to left. Ty swiped 2nd and 3rd, and Jesse then stole 2nd himself, and when the throw went down to 2nd Ty decided to complete the holy trinity and steal home. Jesse got to 3rd on a wild pitch and Eduardo sent home Sherrill with a grounder to short.

The Nanners took the 3-0 lead into the 4th, when Bill singled and Carson sent a 2-run line drive homer to left for his first Bananas home run in just his 3rd game of the summer.

“I mean I swung at a pitch in my eyes so I thought he was gonna go down with the next one,” Carson said, “and I don’t know what it was, maybe a change up, but I was just trynna get bat on ball with 2 strikes and it just happened to be good bat on ball.”

The beatdown continued in the 5th, as Danny reached on an error and then stole 2nd and 3rd (I know it’s getting crazy, just wait until you hear how many bases the team stole in total), and then scored on an infield single from Bryson. Bloomer was then pushed home as Bill, Carson, and Ty all walked to force in the team’s 7th run. Jesse slapped a single through the left side to bring home Bill and Carson, as the game truly became another blowout.

Princes Potassia’s Very Qualified Backup, Jared Beck, came in for the 6th inning and gave up only his 3rd run of the summer in his 16th inning pitched on a rather bogus balk call. The boys on offense obviously had to return fire with some insurance in the top of the 7th, as Ty scored Clarno on a single to right and Jesse brought home Carson with a double down the left field line. DC threw a perfect 7th and Davis threw a perfect 8th. Christian, The Deer Man, Dearman, walked the first man in the 9th and then got the next 3 Bacon hitters out in order to secure the 11-1 victory.

Ty had the biggest night at the dish, going 3-4 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI, a run scored, and 3 steals. Carson had a strong evening too, going 1-2 with the 2-run homer, 3 runs scored, 2 walks and a hit-by-pitch. Bill was all over the place, going 2-3, with 2 walks, 3 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. And last but certainly not least, Jesse went 2-5 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI’s, a run scored, and a steal. All in all the Bananas were 12-12 in stolen base attempts, taking a firm hold of the league lead with 80 on the summer.

The Bananas last four games against the Bacon were pretty bonkers, as the guys out scored Macon 51-4 with their victories of 12-0, 19-3, 9-0, and 11-1. Oooweee!

The boys got stay at home on Saturday as the RedWolves came to town, and with some extra time to plan their outfits they got a little runway action as they rolled into the locker room…

The fellas were hunting their second 10-game winning streak of the summer and turned to their 4-year vet, Kyle, Where’s My Documentary, Mil?, Luigs, on the mound. Now to be frank, things did not go the Nanners way on Saturday, and it all started with the RedWolves getting a flat tire that delayed them at least 3.5 hours, quite possibly more, who’s to say. By the time Florence showed up, (a pinch before 8:30), the guys had been hard at work for 3 hours entertaining a crowd that mostly stayed through the rain for the shenanigans, and I was pushing past the 2 hour mark of my pregame show (I know, I know, woe is me, Biko you’re such a hero for going live at 6:30, thank you, I appreciate the kind words everybody).

Anyhow, once the game started the RedWolves jumped on Kyle for 4 unearned runs in the top of the 1st on 3 very clutch 2 out singles. The Nanners failed to bring any runs home themselves through 4 innings, while Kyle kept them in the game, striking out 5 over 4 frames without ever giving up an earned run. In the top of the 5th Tom Vincent came in from the pen, and after a single and an error, Lukas Polanco hit the summer’s first opposing home run in Grayson Stadium, a 3-run blast for some solid insurance for the RedWolves. Andrew Armstrong came in and threw a very solid 2.1 innings of relief, just allowing one run while striking out 3. Nolan Daniel came in for the final 1.1 innings of work and struck out a pair without while keeping Florence off the board.

The theme of the night for the Nanners was runners left on base (which has been quite rare this summer), as they stranded 12 men, 9 of them in scoring position, and were shutout for the first time this season.

So in the final game against the RedWolves this summer, Florence was able to salvage one, with the Bananas taking the season series 3-1. The Nanners’ winning streak was haunted at 9 games, as they dropped to 26-4 on the summer, 13-2 both at home and on the road.

All in all, it was another really strong week for the guys, as they went 4-1, and dominated every game until the odd 8:45pm start, 7-inning affair to close it out. They get their second 3-day break of the summer, perfectly aligned with the MLB Draft, as it will be really fun to see if any of the guys have their names called throughout the 3-day draft. We’ll make sure to send updates out to the world on social media if any Bananas past or present are selected, so keep a close eye out for that. It will be incredibly interesting to see what the team looks like on Wednesday, as the guys welcome the Lexington County Blowfish into town, and look to start up another winning streak!

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