Biscuits Welcomed in Tennessee, Bud Lively Passes

Indeed the Biscuits did feel welcome

The Biscuit bus returns from its road trip north, and a good trip it was.

A split two-game series in Chattanooga and taking four out of five against the Generals makes for a five win and two loss week. Even the two losses required late-inning comebacks by the opposition, it could easily have been an undefeated trip as the Biscuits look like one of the most dominant teams in the league both at home and on the road.

The road trip was a little longer than the usual, and a two game series to make up for the weird scheduling around July 4th, followed by the usual five-game set results in the pitching staff getting shuffled.

The first pitcher in the rotation no longer will be tossing the first game of the series. Where Jacob Faria was starting game one, when the next series opens at Riverwalk it will be the #3 man in the rotation - probably Kirsch or new starter Taylor Guerrieri.

TAYLOR G.

Taylor G

Guerrieri, the Rays first round draft choice in 2011, comes to the Biscuits after a half season in Charlotte that saw him go 2w-2L with a 2.14 ERA in ten starts.

The numbers are very good but the pitching prospect from Savannah GA has had trouble getting deep into games - just once this season completing five innings in a start.

Likely Taylor will be on a strict pitch count a la Grayson Garvin, with a reliever assigned to piggyback the extra innings. Having a talented starter can be a bonus, but it could also be a strain on the bullpen to have to cover for a guy who can't go five full innings.

GRAPE JELLY SAGA CONTINUES

The Smokies return yet again, for another installment in the 2015 Grape Jelly Series. This is the third and final appearance at Riverwalk for the Smokies this year. The Skitz do get one more round at Smokies Park, but won't be hosting them again this year.

The Biscuits mauled the babybears last time, sweeping the Cubs affiliate in all five contests, and simply out-playing them in every aspect of the game.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Almora Jr.

Look for the Smokies to try to save face. After dropping all five in the last visit to the capitol city, Buddy Bailey will be pulling all the strings he can find to get his team into the win category.

Look for Albert Almora. The star outfielder returns from the Pan Am Games and must step into the leadership role for the Smokies. 

Joel Pineyro

Look for Smokies pitchers to work harder - after the last time out against the Biscuits the Smokies starters were handed losses aplenty. They have struggled to win games on the road.

Look for the Smokies to take their base - Tennessee leads the league in bases on balls.

Look for the Biscuits to score runs in bunches, Montgomery leads the league in Runs score, Home Runs and RBI's. Nine times this month the biscuits have scored six runs or more.

Mortensen

Look for Taylor Guerrieri to make his first Biscuits start, possibly on Tuesday.

Look for Jared Mortensen to make his first home start since June 13th. The Canadian Pan Am Games gold-medalist made four appearances out of the bullpen before returning to the starting rotation last week.

Reginatto

Look for Leonardo Reginatto to continue his clutch hitting. The Brazilian infielder has a talent for hitting the ball on the ground to the left side of the infield and using his good speed to leg out base hits.

SCHEDULE KINDNESS

The Biscuits have the advantage of the calendar, the league decrees that we host the two last place teams in August - the Generals and the Jacksonvile Suns.

The Biscuits trail the North Division leading Barons and control their own destiny by facing the Slagtown Barons twice in the last few weeks of the year, including the season finale at Riverwalk.

BUD LIVELY 

On July 12th of this year, former Montgomery Rebels pitcher Buddy Lively shuffled off this mortal coil.

The Birmingham native played three seasons in the major leagues, from 1947-49 with the Cincinnati Reds.

I was privileged to meet him almost exactly two years ago. Below is what I wrote about that meeting on a rainy summer afternoon at the ballpark.





BISCUITS RAINED OUT.... AGAIN
BUT THE STORY WASN'T ON THE FIELD

It was the closest thing Montgomery has to an Old Timers Day. Of course, the pregame ceremonies dont happen when the tarp doesnt come off the field. That didnt keep former Rebels from signing autographs and meeting fans, however.

The scheduled doubleheader had already been cut down to just one nine inning game. The rain streamed off the roofs and fell on the concourse where usually blue skies have been steadily gray the past month or more. It wasn't long after the gates opened that the figure of an older man in a pale cream jacket and matching driving cap found his way up to the ticket taker. He produced a folded piece of paper that gained him admittance without being scanned and was directed to a nearby table.

He stood by as a group of interns shuffled chairs and pushed his table into a better position to deal with the rainy conditions - its obvious he was an athlete during his younger days. He stands taller than most of the attendants and while stooped with age he seems to be more than aware of his importance and moves well, though slowly. As they arrange his table he inspects the zone with a keen eye, making note of any pitfalls or obstacles. He eventually settles into one of the metal folding chairs and the staff attendants fall away to other tasks as the announcement is made that the game's start will be delayed.

Seated alone, watching as rain falls on the people passing by and simply observing the situation is how I find Bud Lively.

Cramton Bowl 1942, Home of the Rebels

"You must be Bud Lively" I said to him, bluntly. "I understand you were with the Rebels in '42" I continued as I stuck out my hand and was received by the large paw of a man who had obviously been a ballplayer. He shook my hand and replied "Well, I wasnt for very damn long" was his reply, and I knew I liked him. "My dad did too though, had several good years for Montgomery"


I had a chance to talk with Bud, he was very honest and I felt we hit it off well for the simple fact that we were both pretty blunt. He answered all my questions, except for the details of the Rebels uniforms "..that was seventy-one years ago!" and I found him to be all the best things vintage baseball should be. He was crusty but cheerful, he was old but not feeble, had a great smile and bright eyes that looked as young as any of the players waiting to see if the field would dry that night.

Bud Lively with Cincinnati Reds

Bud felt that baseball had fallen off, especially in the south. He talked about how important it was to get young people playing the game, though the players today werent very good and it wasn't much incentive to kids. Bud admitted he wasn't a Rebel long "about two games, one good and one bad" but that he had played in Montgomery many times on visiting teams and always found the city to have appeal.



I asked him about his father, Jack Lively.

Jack Lively

He was able to recount the stops in his dads career easily, including all the years he was with the Climbers and said "Dad and I had very parallel careers. We both spent 11 years in pro ball, both had injuries early in our career and spent a long time trying to get back". Bud didnt mention his own time lost to WW2, his service took him to the European Theater for 19 months.

I asked about his fathers no-hitter against Little Rock, often mentioned in bios for Jack Lively. "Oh yes, he talked about it all the time!" Bud replied. It seems dad was more than a little proud of that one! Bud said he didn't remember the details himself but implied that Jack sure did, in a way that only a family member who has sat through countless retelling can convey!

Bud Lively talked about the state of baseball, that there was alot of work to be done to improve the game to get it anywhere near where it was. "And its a shame the state its in now" was enough of a quote for me to apply to just about everything that annoys fans and players alike.

What can we do about it, I asked him. "Not a damn thing we can do, you and me. Baseball will fix itself, it always has" Bud Lively told me.

Photo Post - Grape Jelly Series Recap

After handling the Tn.Smokies for five games, the Biscuit bus headed north and met defeat at the hands of the lowly Lookouts.

Sure, the Chatts are the first half division champs, but the team had its wheels chocked by repeated callups over the past month or two.

Hopefully the Skitz can avoid a repeat of the Pensacola trip and maintain its fine form over the next week.

Grape Jelly Series Recap

The most recent round of the Smokies-Biscuits matchup was all Montgomery. The good guys just kept getting timely hits and scoring runs late in the game and this is how it happened.... 

Game One
Military Wednesday
score:  4-1
Montgomery Starter Jacob Faria was dominant, again, with eight strikeouts in six innings the young lefty allowed just two hits and picking up the victory.

Faria did walk five men, which kept him from pitching deeper into the game.


The hometown scoring was all in the third inning, a Tommy Coyle homerun plated a pair and two runs were scored later in the frame when Cam Seitzer doubled with two men on to stake the lead to four.

The Bullpen bent, but did not break, Markel allowing one run and new Biscuit Schreiber getting the save.

Joey Rickard stole his 12th base. "Blanco Suave" is always a threat on the basepaths. The Biscuits currently have four players with double digit thefts.

Game Two
 9-2
Thirsty Thursday

Biscuits starter Jamie Schultz ran out of pitches, pulled before he could qualify for the win.

Not to be outdone by Faria, Schultz also tallied eight strikeouts, but surrendered a run on three hits and a whopping seven bases on balls.

Joey Rickard led off the Biscuits first inning with a triple and scored on the next pitch via a sacrifice fly from Leonardo Reginatto and Montgomery would never look back. Adding two runs in the 3rd inning, 4th inning, 5th inning and again in the 6th the home team pounded the Smokies starter for 10 hits in the first five frames.

Johnny Field launched his team leading 12th home run and Patrick Leonard racked up a pair of well struck doubles to lead the Biscuits charge. Dayron Varona drove in a pair of runs, he has 12 while with Montgomery.

Reliever Mark Sappington picked up the Win, the Peculiar native threw a two-and-a-third good innings for the departed Schultz. Kyle McPherson closed out the game with two scoreless innings in the non-save situation. 

Kyle McPherson

Game Three
4-3
Friday Nite Fireworks

Chris Kirsch

New Biscuit Starting pitcher Chris "CJ" Kirsch made his home debut, tossing five innings.

Kirsch allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits and three walks while striking out four. When he left the game he was on the hook for the loss, but the Biscuits would bail him out.

The scoring was opened by the Smokies with a run in the third, Montgomery answered with a run of their own in the fourth inning. After the Smokies put another pair of runs up in the fifth it looked bleak as Cubs prospect Pierce Johnson refused to give up any more than the one early run.

However when the Biscuits 8th inning started with an error, a walk and a Cameron Seitzer single, the stage was set for a comeback. The Skitz would score thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Patrick Leonard, a single from Jake Bauers tied the game and Montgomery took the lead with a Tyler Goeddel sacrifice fly.

The Smokies would appeal the play, saying that Field missed the plate. Appeal denied.

Reliever Brad Schrieber would work his way into and out of and back into trouble again in the 9th inning, working on his best Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams impression. He allowed a single, then got a ground ball double play to put out the fire but the Smokies weren't done.

With two outs the baby Cubs loaded the bases before Schrieber finally got the strikeout - on a foul tip that catcher Justin O'Conner was just able to grasp.

Tyler Goeddel stole his 16th base, which leads the team and ranks 9th in the league.

Patrick Leonard

Patrick Leonard continued his hot streak, driving a frozen rope over the left field wall for his 6th long ball of the season.

Another day, another Dayron Varona outfield assist. This time he gunned down a Smokie trying to take second base on what should have been an easy double down the line. Varona thinks he should have stayed at first.



Relief pitcher Ryan Garton vultured his third win of the year.

Garton

Game Four - 

Star Wars Night

2-1

The Dayron Varona Gun Show

or

The First Rebels Win in Montgomery in 35 Years

Snellzilla

Blake Snell made what would turn out to be his final start as a Biscuit on Saturday, and he showed he was up to the task. The prospect lefty struck out seven and allowed just two hits and walked one on his way to five shutout innings.

The following day we learned he had been promoted to triple-A. Well deserved!


The Skitz scoring broke open in the 6th inning, Johnny Field scoring on a fielders choice. The Smokies would answer with a run of their own in the 7th to knot the score and there it would stay tied, sending the game into extra frames thanks to Dayron Varona.

Dayron Varona gonna cut you down

With a runner at second and only one out Dayron Varona was tested when a sinking line drive was driven into centerfield and created a play at the plate.

The largest crowd of the year Oooh'd and Aaah'd as the scene developed - the Smokies runner streaking round third base as Varona's throw sailed home.



TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
Okay, you caught me. 
It was the Smokies catcher running, so he wasn't exactly streaking. 

tough to see, but it reads Empire v Rebels

Also Varona's throw was a 99-hopper that would have been cut off if the Biscuits first baseman was able to bend over far enough to get it. 

Plus the throw was off the mark, drawing the catcher up the third base line. Its a safe bet that everyone in the ballpark thought the runner would score easily but somehow the orb stuck in the catchers mitt and the tag was applied to the sliding runner in time for the out.


Extra Innings ensue.
Well, okay, you got me again. 
It was Extra Inning. Just one.

Tyler Goeddel

In the bottom of the 10th Johnny Field led off with a ringing double, Pattie Leonard singled and Jake Bauers was intentionally walked. For the second day in a row the game was won on a Tyler Goeddel sacrifice fly, this time it was walkoff style.

Reliever Matt Lollis logged the win after pitching a scoreless tenth.

Johnny Field Jr stole two bases, both on the same trip around the pillows.


Game Five
12-3
Sunday Kids Day

It was like the Oldies Station - the hits just kept on rolling after the rain delayed the start of the game.

Austin Pruitt

Austin Pruitt, making his first home start since tossing a 90-pitch, two hit shutout at Riverwalk on July 8th, was much more hittable but still managed to escape with the win.

Its easy to win when the team scores 12 runs that day, even when "The Bandit" was knocked around for three runs on eight hits and three free passes. Pruitt did strike out five in five innings before giving way to the 'pen.

Varona gets a high five after his homerun

There was plenty of thunder even after the rains had stopped, the scoring capped by Jake Bauers grand slam in the 7th inning.

Outfielder Dayron Varona homered, doubled and singled twice and scored three times on his way to a five hit game. He did not throw anyone out.

The relief corp was exceptional on this day, Garton and McPherson combining for 3.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts, one hit and one walk.

Been There, Grape Jelly Series, What To Look For

We have all done it.
Headed down to Florida for the weekend, thinking it will be fun to get some sun and swim in the ocean, hang out with friends, drink a few beers and maybe flirt with some cutie on the beach.

Then on the way home you realize you stayed too long.

You lost your shoes, spent every dollar in your wallet, got totally sunburned, feel really hungover and vaguely remember making out at the bar with someone who was way below your usual standards.

Biscuits swept by Wahoos

And all your friends were there to see it. Someone probably took a photo to remember the occasion.

Thats about where the Biscuits are, having been embarrassed in Pensacola, getting swept by the worst team in the South Division.


THE END IS NIGH

The sweep wasn't pretty but it wasn't the end of the world. There is plenty of time to vacuum the sand out of the bus, get some new flipflops and forget that beach trip ever happened.

After a deserved day off, the Biscuits are back to work against the North Division rival Tennessee Smokies.

Both the Smokies and Biscuits are 8-9, tied for second in the division behind the Barons.

The Biscuits tend to play at the level of their competition, the Smokies encounter a grumpy Montgomery team and face off in the second Montgomery installment of the Grape Jelly Series.

GRAPE JELLY SERIES

Round One 
At Montgomery
5/21 W
5/22 L
5/23 W
5/24 W
5/25 L

Round Two 
At Smokies Park
7/1 postponed at Tn
7/2 L at Tn
7/3 L at Tn

UPCOMING 
Round Three At Montgomery

7/15 Faria v Pena
7/16 Schultz v Pineyro
7/17 Snell/Kirsch v Johnson
7/18 Stanek v Zastryzny
7/19 Pruitt v Ryan Williams

NEXT TIME
Round Four
At Montgomery
7/28
7/29
7/30
7/31
8/1

ANOTHER ROUND
Round Five
AT Smokies Park
will include doubleheader makeup game from July 1st! 

8/18
8/19
8/20
8/21
8/22

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

O'Conner

Look for Justin O'Conner to continue his good play. O' has been one of the Rays hottest hitters over the past month - after hitting just .204 in the first half the catching prospect has been hitting .340 since the break.

Look for Leonardo Reginatto to enjoy home cooking, the Brazilian infielder is batting over .350 at Riverwalk this year.

Smokies SP Pineyro

Look for tough Smokies pitching. The Cubs affiliate is stingy in allowing baserunners, getting more than one man on base is a rare event against the Smokies.

Look for Rafael Soriano. The former big-leaguer has been the Smokies closer for five games as he works his way back to the form that made him the Nationals closer the past few years.


LOCK UP YOUR WOMEN
 Again I say look for the Smokies flow.

 With the best hair in the minors, FlowBros Pierce Johnson and Rob Z weren't with the team on their last visit here, leaving AllStar Pj Francescon to do most of the work to impress with long locks and the man-bun (or "mun", if you prefer). This time we will see the "Flow-kies" in full effect.


Look for Biscuit starting pitchers to get the team back on track.

JD Faria

Pitcher Jacob Faria has been much better in double-A than he was in Charlotte, posting more than a strikeout an inning through three starts as a Biscuit.

Faria fits right in with the rest of the Montgomery staff, the team leads the league in strikeouts.

Look for Biscuit hits, Montgomery leads the league with a .262 batting average as well as total hits with 754. Also, look for strikeouts aplenty as the Biscuits also lead the league in whiffs.