1,000,000 innings: All runs courtesy of home runs.

Granted, it was electrifying.

Alex Avila worked a walk, then Nick Castellanos a home run yard for the 2-0 start. In the very next at-bat, waiver claim call-up Krauss drilled one to right, a 3-0 lead. However, all those runs were undone by former Tiger Austin Jackson’s grand slam.

And we continued to trade bombs. But this is the problem: the greater quantity of runs is not resulting from the swinging for the fences: NO. It’s because of the amount of snarfs on base. We hit 4 home runs for 4 runs last night, then scored 8 more on essentially singles. Why? Because it drains your opponent, and as they say, hitting is contagious.

I loved watching Avila tie it on a 2-run shot, then Yoenis Cespedes the same with a solo blast to center in the 8th. It was electrifying. I loved it. But I can’t take losing with all this talent because we forget how to manufacture runs. It’s about a balance, about combining the power and small ball in conjunction.

A 6-6 game dragged through extras with all 12 runs coming from homers. Neither team knew how to put a 7th run across. Victor Martinez was pulled in the late innings after smacking a leadoff double, but his effort’s were squandered when we failed to lay down a bunt. And our catcher failed, even though he’s a solid bunter. But as oldschool once said, you can’t just reach up on the shelf and try and manufacture a run on demand, you need to be consistently pulling it down from the shelf in order for it to work.

Keep hitting home runs, G’s – but don’t forget about my main man Small Ball.