JR Tucker @ Deep Run 4/1/11

I heard this game has some added anticipation thanks to the Gonzalez move to Tucker from some people around the district. True?

And as the original poster said, hope the rain holds off, but it doesn't look like that has a shot of happening.

I guess I don't see anything in the early season results to indicate that this game will be all that close. I can't see JRT really challenging Deep Run right now.

But, that's why they play the game, right?

Not real sure how often you've seen Tucker. While they may only be 2-1 in District, their only loss was to Godwin in a tightly contested 2-1 game with Lees going the distance. If they can hang with Lees and Godwin, its reasonable to expect them to hang with Deep Run. When Tucker throws Engler, its clear they have done real well. He threw vs. Freeman (0 ER n 6IP), then vs. Godwin and gave up 2ER in 6IP.
If Engler were to get in trouble, Gonzales has been consistently effective out of the pen. Added anticipation?? Isn't it being a District Game enough incentive for both teams??
Deep Run has a significant dropoff after their #1 and #2. What I hear in the District, due to DR having such a large squad with so many players having a small to nil role, it seems like that may be causing some dissention, which can ultimatly affect the synchronicity of the team
Not real sure why Godwin didn't use Lees vs. Deep Run. Its reasonable to know that the outcome would not have been similar if Lees had pitched.

What I am hearing, because of the talent on Deep Run's roster it does not appear that they have nailed down their best nine. Because of the depth in several positions the starters as of late could easily be replaced. They have some solid talent waiting to take their place. IMO as for the pitching it is too early in the season to define a rotation.
The "insiders" that I have spoken to indicate that every parent over there seems to think "little Johnny" is #1. No player should be falling asleep behind the plate because their aint no job security in baseball.

"The "insiders" that I have spoken to indicate that every parent over there seems to think "little Johnny" is #1."

You could say this about just about every team everywhere. Ask any HS coach.

Deep Run is fine and every high school has parents that will think their son should be playing. There is no more dissention than there is at any of high school around the country. Deep Run just has a lot of talented baseball players, last time I checked thats not a bad thing. As long as they keep winning, thats all that matters. From what I heard they changed up their lineup a bit mid-game at Hanover the other night and lost so maybe they have had their best nine nailed down, the guys that won the first 3 games.

As for the Hanover game, as I recall the starters that were taken out were at 1st, 2nd and I believe that a hitter was put in for the third base starter. There were no key plays when the subs were in, that caused the runs. I believe that the pitchers and possibly some calls were the primary reasons for the loss.

Tucker too has messed around with the lineup, moving key players to key positions and spots in the lineup.
Engler was the 3rd batter and now is leadoff
Redshaw was leadoff and is now 6th batter.
Chris Lewis has started the last couple games and batted 2nd
And Gonzales has started in the outfield the last couple games and batted 4th

quote:

Originally posted by BaseabllIsLife5:
Tucker too has messed around with the lineup, moving key players to key positions and spots in the lineup.
Engler was the 3rd batter and now is leadoff
Redshaw was leadoff and is now 6th batter.
Chris Lewis has started the last couple games and batted 2nd
And Gonzales has started in the outfield the last couple games and batted 4th

Deep Run will be making some changes behind the plate moving forward. I don't forsee any changes in the outfield especially in center because that position is pretty well nailed down. Stone will remain lead off and most likely the only other change in the batting will be Lane as DH. Expect there to be changes with the relief pitching as the last couple games have provided some valuable insight.

This should be a very goood game. Just checked the weather and its not looking too bad after all. Isn't suppose to rain until about 6ish tonight, and will only last a couple hours, and isn't suppose to rain at all tommorow with mostly sun.

Im sure we will see another colonial pitchers duel

Word is that Deep Run/Tucker is rescheduled for Tuesday.

Maxpreps schedule shows that Tucker already has a game scheduled with Hermitage for Tuesday?!?

If you hit the Maxpreps website, you will see that the Tucker game that was slated for Tues was pushed back to Wed. The Tucker-DR game is now scheduled for Tuesday

The coaches email stated the game was pushed to Tuesday, but now is saying Monday. I think Tucker was supposed to play Hermitage on Tuesday. Coach may have gotten his signals crossed with Tucker. If someone knows the definitive day and time, please post.

According to Highschoolsports.net, it's Monday.

http://www.highschoolsports.ne...cker-HS-Richmond-VA/

Great site to check out last minute schedule changes. You can even subscribe to have texts and emails sent out for particular school schedule changes.

Tucker at Deep Run
Monday April 4th, 6 pm

Looking forward to a great matchup tomorrow night. Just got back from the HR Derby and wanted to say congrats to Stephen Godfrey of Freeman for most home runs!

This game has a lot of added anticipation, seeing as it is a big colonial district game, and Gonzales being a big move to Tucker, and the pitching matchup cannot get much better.

The pitching matchup is Brooks and Engler unless that has changed. Gonzales is generally utilized as a closer. Interested to see if there will be key changes on the field tonight.

yes, i believe you are correct, saying it is Brooks vs. Engler. And it should be very interesting to see what both lineups are tonight.

I will say again--"Added Anticipation??" Wow!! Its a HS baseball game, not the World Series.
You sound like a major drama queen throwing that out there.
Big game in the district with a 3-0 vs. a 2-1 team.
Thats it. Last time I checked, the field has 9 players, not 1.
Both teams will likely throw their #1 starter. Whoever is on will likely win the game.
No need to make it more than it is....

Man, what a buzz kill!

I don't mind people getting revved up for a good game. That's why people come to this board, because they are fans. And after all, "fans" is short for "fanatics"!

I do continue to think that some folks are getting their hopes up a bit too high for this game. But who knows, maybe I'll end up sharing a plate of crow with Dickie V.

ALMOST had to get a plate full of black feathers!

Turned out to be a pretty tight game. Through 4 2/3 innings Tucker was up 5-1. Michael Boyle came in to pitch from the 4th on, and he hit a 3-run HR with 2 outs in the 5th that both drew Deep Run close and seemed to wake them up from what had been a pretty lackluster effort up to that point.

Boyle gave up I think one hit in something like 3 1/3, closing the game out with no runs on his watch. Clearly this kid has established himself as one of the region's top pitchers, and he's just a junior.

Deep Run hit better in the 6th and Tucker helped with some bad defense and it ended up a Deep Run victory, 8-5.

Tucker came out determined. Engler led off by spanking a hit up the middle and Brandon Pierce followed by blasting one out to CF. Wind was blowing out very hard in gusts and I'd say the game's first 3 HR's were wind aided -- well hit, mind you, but those fences at Deep Run are pretty far and it's not a place you'd expect to see a 4 HR game with solid pitchers going on both sides. DR muffed a DP ball and made another E in the first to make it 3-0 Tucker right out of the gate.

DR acted like it didn't want to be there for the first half of the game. Brooks was just having an off night, difficulty locating, then easing up to throw in the zone, and some balls got nailed as a result. DR repeatedly gave away at bats, though Engler had a lot to do with that, too. Through 4 innings I think DR had only one hit, a roped HR to left by Brooks.

The wind played havoc. DR had two balls that started well foul drift back into play and land inside the line in shallow RF. One was their second hit (took until the 5th to get it), the other one Tucker managed to get a force at the plate in the 6th to keep it 5-4 before DR's leadoff guy drove one up the middle for the go-ahead hit.

Each team dropped a fly ball at the track just because the OF's underestimated how far the balls would carry. Both of those led to runs.

In the end, a guy who wasn't even in the starting lineup (Boyle) was the story. There were some college scouts there tonight, and I'm not sure who they came to see, but I'd bet they left with a bunch of notes on the lanky, mid/upper 80's lefty with the nasty breaker.

All in all, if this is a case of managing to win a game despite playing poorly, then I guess you could say that for Deep Run.

But to go far come playoff time, they'll have to play a tighter game than they did tonight. Too sleepy at the plate, too shaky in the field for a team that wants to go far.

Don't give excuses to Brooks, he wasn't having an "off-night" he was just getting hit really hard, he threw the same, just didn't get away with it all. Tucker had this game, and pretty much handed it to them at the end.

Oh, he was definitely having an off night. I saw him in person at Godwin running 86-91 with his fastball, but he did not have that kind of heat going last night. Also he had his best breaker at Godwin, and that was only spotty last night. The main issue was just -- one of those nights where a guy struggles with control. Most power guys are prone to those now and then.

I do agree that Tucker let this one get away. They came out and jumped on top right away and got Deep Run on their heels, then held them there until the 5th. When Boyle HR'ed to make it 5-4, Tucker needed to stiffen to hold on to that. Unfortunately the next inning was aided by some defensive issues, so it went the opposite way.

Might also have been a case of leaving a guy in too long. Engler as always came to compete, but he's a 2-pitch guy, and once he loses a foot on his fastball and hangs a curve or two, it's time to make a change. An earlier move to Gonzales might've allowed them to hang on.

I feel like everyone thinks Boyle is the best pitcher on that team, and he is hitting really well. With that said, I feel like he should start in the field on top of that.

As for Engler, he has pitched really well all year, and was left in a little too long.

Tucker showed a lot of upside though offensively.
2 run homer by Pierce, Solo homer by Gonzales. and just hitting it all over the field helped them jump out, I just feel tucker got too comfortable.

When on, Brooks and Boyle are on the same level. Yesterday Brooks just didn't have his good stuff, it happens. If DR learns to play the first five like they do the last two, they'll be very tough to beat. Seems like they need 1 or 2 times through the order and a sense of urgency to get them hitting.

Deep Run did some curious things with their lineup.

Brooks hit a HR for their first run. Low laser shot that stayed up just long enough to get out, really hit hard but I think the wind might have helped it stay high just long enough.

So when Boyle came in, he entered for Brooks. And Boyle hits a HR as well.

My question: Shouldn't both of those guys be in the batting order at all times? I mean, if Brooks is good enough to be a middle of the order guy, why remove him from the order when he leaves the mound? And hasn't Boyle hit pretty well all season? Why not have him in the starting lineup?

I also thought it was pretty evident pretty early on that it was not going to be Brooks' night. And given that Boyle has just been lights out every time he's been on the hill this year, I thought they almost let this one get away by delaying the pitching change.

Things like this will some day cost them a game. If you're in a dogfight, you don't do things that potentially cost you a run here and there -- not if you want to win, anyway.

exactly. Brooks batted 3rd, hits a homerun, gets pulled pitching, and can't hit again....

Put him at a position, (he plays third) and the person who started at 3rd bats ninth. and then you keep a strong hitter in the game, and at least have Boyle DH if not start in the field.

This team could be a lot better, and that is sad that the spectators have a better lineup then the lineup put out there

There is definitely a lot of grumbling going on in the stands at Deep Run.

Some of it has a lid on it as long as they're winning. Give it a loss or two and it may come to full flower.

Sad to say, in my observations there may be some validity to some of it.

I agree with that deep run could be alot better and those parents wont keep lids on for long I bet

Several valid points here.
Pretty tight ballgame once the 4th came around.
Wind was definitely a factor in the game, but to say it won or lost the game would be inaccurate.
To say that all the HR's were wind-aided is also incorrect.
The Pierce HR was, but that was also to dead center, so he gave it a long ride.
The Gonzales and Brooks homers were a tremendously low trajectory where the wind didn't have a chance to aid them. Its not like they barely cleared the fence. They were both lasers that got out pretty quick. A ball that carries due to the wind does not get out quick.
Its not everyone on this website's job to question the coach's decisions, but it happens frequently as we all see the game differently. In this thread at least, the questionning seems more than justified.
Midlo, among likely many others, thought this was a gimme game for DR, and its likely that few thought JRT would win. In reality, JRT outplayed DR. More hits and better all around play IMO. JRT had some untimely misplayed balls that were not technically errors, but are plays that could've been made.
As far as the lid on the DR parents go, not real sure where most of you sat, but there wasn't a lid where I was. There are numerous upset players and parents. Hope that they can all figure it out at some point, but with a large roster as they have, sounds like a difficult task at a minimum.

Definitely agree with a lot of points in this thread.

When Engler is on the mound for Tucker, they have a good chance of beating anyone. He tired late after DR figured out the first two pitches were heaters.

Boyle is in mid-season form for DR, Brooks seems to still be working into it. Location was a little off, and most everything hit was pulled, they were right on it. He'll get it figured out in due time though.

Wind was definitely a factor. Not only on the homeruns, but it wreaked havoc on a couple of popups in the infield. I think it also affected Brooks to a degree.

And on the parents, of course they're not happy. DR is as talented and deep as any team in the region. Gardner is highly, highly regarded around the region, and he can't crack the lineup with Stone hitting about .600 in the leadoff spot. Then again, it's a long season, and most everyone will get their shots to contribute by the end of it.

I think it's interesting how well the early schedule has set up for DR. In every big game so far, they've been able to go Brooks/Boyle without worrying whose throwing next. Next week and after spring break, those two will split up I assume, and then guys like Gardner, Lane, and Stein will get the relief innings and the at bats if the lineup continues how people have said it has been.

Major props to Boyle. The boy has been a machine thus far, and without him, DR is realistically a 3-2 or 2-3 team at best. Freeman had them beat until Boyle shut them down. Tucker had them beat until a wind-aided couple of plays that should have been made weren't.
DR had 5 hits against Tucker.
DR had 3 hits against Hanover.
8 hits in 2 games does not sound like a team thats just rolling along or dominating anyone.
Its every parents thought process that their kid belongs on the field. For the most part, DR has stayed with the same lineup.
You must consider periodic changes.
Stone is hitting 600?
He must be getting all the hits for a team with a combined 8 hits in the last 14 innings.
How many hits and runs does James River have the last 2 games?
They are much deeper and solid throughout the lineup to even a casual observer.
Allow me to reiterate that both the homers were not wind aided. You don't hit a 340 foot shot that got no higher than 20-25 feet off the ground on a line where it felt like there was no doubt on either shot that it was out.
The Pierce HR was in question from the second he hit it-the other 2 were not to me. I knew they were out as soon as the ball was hit.
I like DR's team-good solid ballplayers, but probably not as deep as you think. If thats the case why are there 4-5 kids that haven't seen the field?
Lastly, how many college D1-D2 commits do they have today?
Plenty of opps for the Jr class with Stein, Lane, Gardner, etc. but those 3 kids rarely play.
How prepared will those 3 kids be for the Summer not getting any innings or at-bats all Spring?
It would be naive to think that these boys will just be able to "turn it on" when they will hit the field against high level competition in 2-3 short months.
Playing against MW and Henrico will not prepare them for this Summer nor the college level.

Not sure the exact stats on Stone, but he's hitting very well. I should have mentioned that.

Don't disagree with you on James River, definitely deeper. Edit: I now see where you went on you got your James River is deeper rant from. I'll change my comment from as deep and talented as anyone in the region to.. as deep and talented as anyone in the region except James River.

Central Region goes James River, then everyone else basically.