Pedro Figueroa is becoming reliable.

Last year, The Fig was about as reliable as a Ford motor vehicle (though slightly less expensive to feed), scratching together a 4.30 ERA over 17 games. But this season it’s becoming very clear that Figaro Figaro Figaro is legit.

Too legit to hit, in fact. Just as long as you forget his first inning tonight.

Fig Newton opened the bottom of the first with a plunk on Daniel rodriguez (which sucked) but then drew Joseph ‘Fresh’ Ayers into a barely catchable hit to center. Thankfully, Mitch LeVier has no damn fear, so he not only snagged the fly on the charge, he also gunned down Rodriguez who had come too far off the bag in expectation that LeVier had no chance of reeling in the hit.

So how did Vancouver’s pitcher respond? By hitting another batter (which, again, sucked). Then he ended the inning with a fly-out (which ruled).

Safely out of the first inning, The Ficus would never have to worry about runs being scored against him again.

Ryan ‘The Journeyman’ Jernigan drove in another run for the C’s in the 2nd, when his single knocked in Rodney Rutherford, and that seemed to be a codeword for Gettin’ Figgy With It to start throwing nuclear warheads dressed up as baseballs.

Second inning: ground-out and two strikeouts. Third inning: pop-out and two strikeouts.

With Dr Figglesworth making it easy on the defensive end, it was up to the C’s to start making with the offense, and who knew that WAAAALT! Correa was about to explode?

Big swing to left, solo shot over the outfield wall, and the C’s have themselves a big ol’ curly number.

The C’s conspired against themselves in the 5th, with Jernigan walking, Nunez sac bunting, and No Fear singling, before LeVier got himself stuck in a rundown. JD Pruitt drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Jason ‘The Fundamentalist’ Christian forgot a few fundamentals and went for the grand slam, striking out swinging.

Still, at the other end, Vote Pedro was turning into some kind of superhero, striking out the side in the Bears 5th inning, but he came a little unstuck in the 6th when a Joe ‘Fresh’ Ayers triple drove in Gerardo ‘Bustamove’ Bustamante and Daniel Rodriguez.

To Figaro’s credit, Fresh didn’t move off third base for the final two outs of the inning, but the C’s and Bears were now level, and Pedro’s potential win was now defunct.

When the bottom of the 7th came around, Figueroa was given the hook in favour of reliever Trey Barham,  and the tray of pub meats was in trouble quickly.

An Andrew Fie walk was quickly killed via a double play, but Barham gave up a single, a walk, a stolen third base, and an RBI single in the pitches that followed. To his credit, Barham picked off Bustamove to end the inning, but the go-behind run was all his.

As Da Bears took Jason Durst off the mound in the 8th inning and replaced him with Ariel ‘Little Mermaid’ Brea, the C’s trailed by a single run but looked unimpressed about it.

A pair of walks to JD Pruitt and The Fundamentalist led things off, and a sac bunt from Wild Wild West had the desired result of moving both runners into scoring position. Rod Rutherford then singled weakly to third base, but had no troubles beating out a throw, because the runners weren’t about to take off with the ball rolling towards them, and the defense man wasn’t about to toss the ball to first when he had runners to hold.

Brian Woodall replaced the Little Mermaid on the mound for the Teddies, and he went straight to the ‘OMG book of tactical misfires, hitting Walt Correa to score JD Pruitt (shocker), and then watching the go-ahead run score on a weak grounder to short.

All that was left was for closer, Jose ‘Goose’ Guzman, to end it, and he did that in no uncertain terms, striking out two on his way to a clean inning of work.

C’s win, 4-3, and that means there’s no point buying lottery tickets tonight… our good luck is all used up.

	June 23, 2008
	Final    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9      R   H   E   Vancouver   0   1   0   1   0   0   0   2   0      4   4   0   Yakima   0   0   0   0   0   2   1   0   0      3   5   1  Recap | Box | W: T. Barham (1-0, 9.00); L: A. Brea (0-2, 13.50); SV: J. Guzman (2) HR: VAN: W. Correa (1).

NOTES:

JD Pruitt went 0-2 today. And walked three times. Without getting crowned by a pitch. Holla.