Richard Gallardo – Picture by Todd Johnson

Yesterday, I said that the look of this daily recap and awards post could be different from day-to-day. That is exactly what happened today. 

For me, it was a lot of fun to go to an opening day game, even if it was an away game for South Bend. The weather was actually about 7° warmer in Davenport than it was at my house south of Rockford. When the game started, I was focused on Kevin Alcantara, Haydn McGeary, and Kevin Made at the plate. 

After the lineup turned over in the second inning, I moved behind the plate to get a better look at Richard Gallardo and exactly what it was he was throwing.

Starting Pitcher of the Day

The biggest takeaway from watching Gallardo pitch was that he was throwing his fastball around 95 to 96. The slider shape was very inconsistent. He gave up a couple of deep fly balls that probably would’ve been out in the summer but the wind was blowing in tonight. But when he puts pitches in the zone, the Quad Cities hitters seemed to struggle in the lower half of the zone. Overall, when the slider shape was tight, he looked pretty good when he commanded his fastball down in the zone. That carried him for innings 2 through 5. For the night, 5 IP, 0 Runs, 4 Ks.

Richard Gallardo – Picture by Todd Johnson

Hitter of the Day

While yesterday had three hitters of the day, there was only one tonight and his name was Andy Garriola from Myrtle Beach who had himself a game as he drove in six runs, including a grand slam, which , strangely enough, was not the dinger of the day. 

Noteworthy Dudes

Honorable mention goes out to Parker Chavers of the Pelicans. Yesterday, I wondered why Buddy Bailey didn’t put him in the lineup. Today I got my wish as Chavers went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI, including a homer. Other honorable mentions include pitchers Brody McCullough and Kevin Valdez, who combined for 6+ innings of shutout ball and 7 Ks for the Pelicans.

Meanwhile, in Iowa, they lost their first game of the year despite an outstanding start from Riley Thompson, who went four innings and struck out six. He did give up one run, but was not the pitcher of record. I’m really ecstatic he did so well in his first start at Triple-A this year!

The Comeback of Comebacks and the Dinger of the Day

As for the Smokies, skipper Michael Ryan had to be close to pulling his hair out after two games because his team did not look like the bangers we thought they would be…until the bottom of the ninth tonight. The Smokies scored five runs to win 10 to 9. Pablo Aliendo had a walk-off home run to seal the victory. For his efforts, Pablo gets today’s Dinger of the Day!

Quirky Stat of the Day

Starting Pitcher Jordan Wicks gave up four runs in 3.2 innings but none of them were earned. 

Web Gem of the Day

I was there and I just threw up my hands because that throw was on a rope. His arm is just plain special. 

I will be back with a slideshow in the morning from last night’s South Bend Game.