Rainy Season

I love Jay Rainville. I'd already made up my mind that the Miracle were going to lose last night. Kevin Boles is not Jose Marzan. Marzan would not give up on a one run game. He'd have the guys bunt their way onto base, he'd manufacture the runs, he'd get the win.

Kevin Boles pulls his line ups from a fish bowl and lets them sink or swim on their own. We're not trying to win games here. So must easier to just assume we're going to lose and get on with it.

So I might as well go and enjoy the pitching. It was kind of a comfort thing. Especially with the team on the road most of the start of the season, every time they were home we saw Kyle Waldrop, Ryan Mullins and Ozzie Sosa. Nothing wrong with those three, and I love them all. But not with the kind of passion I adore Mr. Rainville with.

It's been that way since I first saw him pitch. Love at first strike out or something like that. So I finally get Jay at home and went and just settled down with my little camera. The baseball Gods were kind and sent dramatic lighting, which I'd sort of given up on with this new roof they put on the stadium. And Jay pitched.

So there are lots and lots of pictures.



Brian wanted to know if the digital had changed the way I shoot and I said not really. The digital is more of a knock about camera so I get some fun shots off of it, but for the serious work, I still reach for a roll of film and the old Nikon.

In this case, I figured if I walked out with like 50 shots of Jay Rainville, I'd be happy. Everyone else will think I'm crazy, but I'd be happy. So...



The ones of Whit Robbins were only because the light was starting to go and I needed to finish off the roll. Nothing against poor Whit, but he's the last guy on the team that's going to evoke any sort of sense of passion in me.

I suppose on the whole if we wanted to get into it, most of the organization is kind of light weight in that department. I mean, Jay and Anthony Swarzak are probably my two favorite pitchers in the whole organization.

There's really no one in Beloit right now that fits into the mold - not even Jeff Manship, although he does throw quite well. Maybe I will feel this way about Tyler or Bromberg in a couple of years, but right now...



Both Swarz and Rainy came into the organization around the same time and both made the Miracle at the age of 19. They liked loud music and nice cars. They play good old fashion hardball. They're aggressive and they go after hitters. They make the other team take swings.

Swarz played last season had a tremendous year, went up to New Britain and needless to say sort of screwed himself for this season. Jay meanwhile had medical problems that required surgey at the start of last season and which left him sitting out the year. So he's back in Fort Myers this year and maybe doesn't have the fast ball he had.

He's still good though, and the used the time off to good advantage. He's still looking for the 90+ MPH fastballs. He's getting there.



Rainville can pitch, that's for sure. He's got a nice spin on his curveball. He can change speeds, go his change up, come back to the heater. With the time off, he says he learned how to pitch better.

Right now he's just hoping to get back to where he was. Last night wasn't a bad outing. A "quality start" in baseball is defined as completing six innings and giving up no more than three earned runs. Jay went six and gave up three earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. A quality start.

His first of the season, as he'd not gone more than five innings in his past starts. So he's coming around. The rehab is progressing.

Someone, I think it was the one grapher I was talking to Monday night, wanted to know when he was going to New Britain. Not yet, I think, although I'm sure he'd like the chance to pitch at a higher level, I'm not sure he's ready.



And as I told him before the season starts, he's perfectly welcome to spend the whole season here. We're not sending him off anywhere until he's ready. Although he'd probably feel better about the whole situation if the team could find the win column a bit more frequently. After all, more like than not, he's the one that gets saddled with the loss.



In any case, lots of pictures of Jay Rainville, including quite a few really excellent pitching faces too.

Tonight I will see Yohan Pino pitch. He throws quite well too. Looked very good in spring training. But he still doesn't evoke the kind of passion in me that watching Jay Rainville does.

Which also puts me in a bad position come Sunday, as it's Jay's next start, yet the GCL Twins are playing at home against Pittsburgh. Decisions, decisions. Because I really need to watch the Twins.

But man, do I love Jay Rainville.