Brumous
Game 35: May 12, 2006
Rangers (19-17), 6
Red Sox (21-14), 0
W: Kameron Loe (2-3)
L: Matt Clement (3-3)
6 innings
Life, Thomas Hobbes noted, is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short, just like last night’s game. Matt Clement was not the beneficiary of the healthy run support he usually enjoys and pitched in atrocious weather conditions. Clement was also prickly about being shuffled in the rotation in favor of Tim Wakefield, and his inactivity may have manifested itself in his six inning performance of six hits, four earned runs, two walks, four strikeouts, and a Hank Blalock home run.
Several times in the course of the game Clement lost his footing in his follow-through and was attended to by Red Sox trainers and coaches. Hopefully the rotation has not lost another pitcher to injury.
Kameron Lowe looked like Derek Lowe reincarnate on the mound, inducing nine ground outs compared to just two fly outs. Loe notched a complete game shutout with a line of five hits, a single walk, and four strikeouts. Remarkably, Wily Mo Peña was not one of those who struck out. So far this month Peña’s OBP is .405, up from his March/April percentage of .340.
One of the only things of interest was the copious use of products to keep the infield in somewhat playable condition. On the the postgame show, Gary DiSarcina mentioned two different products, Diamond-Dry and Turface.
The product Diamond-Dry carries the same name as as its company of manufacture. The company is located in Atlanta, Illinois and has been in business since 1977. It claims that it has four times the absorption capability of Turface. They have a money-back guaranty promising that Diamond-Dry will outperform any other infield conditioner. Although Diamond-Dry’s site doesn’t specifically state what its active ingredient is, based on the company’s claims I think it is a diatomaceous earth product. Diatoms are the fossilized remains of microscopic organisms. Their hollow structure allows it to hold water. Crushed diatomaceous earth is also used in animal feed or powders. The sharp edges of the fossils pierce the exoskeletons of insects and other parasites that plague various domesticated animals. The protective covering of the pest insects is thus compromised, resulting in dehydration and eventual death.
Turface is a calcined clay-based infield conditioner, but claims that there is tremendous difference between it and other calcined clay products.“Calcined” refers the process of heating clay until all moisture is removed, enabling it to retain water. Compared to non-processed clays, when calcined clay is exposed to water, it resists compaction and does not stick to cleats. Turface boasts a recommendation by the head groundskeeper of Coors Field, which is akin to having Barry Bonds endorse one’s self help book.
Consider these handy facts on the science of infield maintenance a temporary replacement for Dave’s Diegesis this week. He has been feeling a bit under the weather.
