Game one got of to a rough start for Spahn and Sain when starting pitcher Chuck James was injured on the ninth pitch of the game and will be out two weeks. Adding insult to injury, Derrek Lee hit that pitch for a solo HR to put Royale on the board. Juan Gutierrez took over on the mound for the injured James and surrendered six more runs over five innings of work. The big blows being a three run HR by Barry Bonds in the second and a solo shot from Chipper Jones in the third. Spahn and Sain would stay in the game with four in the second and another in the fifth off Royale starter Micah Owings to make the score 7-5 after five innings. Royale would plate three more in the sixth and Spahn and Sain would answer with single runs in the sixth and seventh to make the score 10-7 going to the bottom of the ninth. Rafael Soriano got the first two outs easily, but Spahn and Sain wouldn’t go down without a fight. JJ Hardy hit a solo HR to make it a two run game and Brian Fuentes was brought in to finish things off. A walk to Luke Scott and a single by Geoff Blum brought the winning run to the plate in Brian McCann, but Fuentes struck him out to end the game. Royale won 10-8.
With the Spahn and Sain bullpen depleted from game one, Royale with Cheese won game two easily 8-4. Manny Parra pitched brilliantly allowing two runs through five and a third innings before leaving with an injury that will likely cost him the rest of the season. The Royale bullpen was up to the task though with Aaron Heilman and Anthony Reyes combining to allow two runs through the final three and two thirds innings to preserve the win.
Spahn and Sain was able to avoid the sweep by salvaging a win in game three 6-4. Royale’s Brandon Webb was touched up for six runs in six and a third innings while Orlando Hernandez allowed only two hits and three runs over six with Derrek Lee’s three run HR being his only big blemish. Luke Scott was the hitting hero for Spahn and Sain with a single, a triple and three RBIs.
Spahn and Sain next hosts Eight Men Out while Royale With Cheese returns home to face Whitey Ball.
