A three-game set in a hitter's park ended up with Finer Things Club (Chad East) taking two of three from Army of Steamrollers (Scott East) in a trio of pitching duels.
Game 1: Finer 4, Army 2
W-Westbrook (4-1), L-Sonnastine (1-3), S-Chamberlain (3)
Frank Thomas hit his 10th home run of the season, and Jake Westbrook danced around his five walks in 5 1/3 innings as the Club escaped a winner. Scott Downs was the game's hero, going 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Steamrollers' lefty-dominated lineup while striking out five. Army managed just four hits.
Game 2: Finer 4, Army 3
W-Verlander (7-4), L-Bedard (3-6), S-Betancourt (11)
Justin Verlander and Erik Bedard matched each other with 10 strikeouts apiece, but the Verlander allowed fewer runs in a pitcher's duel. Finer jumped out early with Mike Lowell's two-run single in the first, and Thomas later added his 11th homer of the year. Bedard-killer Robinson Cano batted 3-for-3 and scored twice for FTC. Franklin Gutierrez made it interesting, going deep off Downs in the eighth in a pinch-hitter spot for Curtis Granderson to cut it to 4-3. But part-time closer Rafael Betancourt worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save.
Game 3: Army 6, Finer 3
W-Guthrie (8-3), L-Halladay (7-4), S-Wolfe (2)
Granderson hit a pair of ballpark two-run homers (each on 1-8 rolls), helping Army avoid the sweep. The game got very interesting in the ninth, when Finer loaded the bases with two out in a 6-3 game, but Brian Wolfe got all-or-nothing pinch-hitter Raul Casanova to tap out to end the game.
Up next:
Bob Loblaw (26-28) at Finer Things Club (34-20)
Surly Nausicians (27-24)* at Army of Steamrollers (28-26)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wild card drama ahead ...
We've got a heckuva wild-card race going on. The new rule to include the best two non-division winners (rather than both division runners-up) has created some drama that surely will continue to unfold over the next 30 or so games.
In the East, Finer Things Club (32-19) has pulled in front by three games and the Big Hebs (30-21) have a two-game edge out West despite Greg missing the Ganza. Biv's Harrison Cougars (29-22) have the best non-leading record. Let's look at the standings for the wild cards (top two advance):
Team .......................... W-L .... GB
Harrison (Biv) ................... 29-22 .... --
Hawaiian (Chad) ............... 28-23 .... 1
Surly (Brian) ..................... 26-22 .... 1.5
Army (Scott) ..................... 25-23 .... 2.5
Bob (Paul) .......................... 26-25 .... 3
Santa Poco (Biv) ................ 25-26 .... 4
Clean-Sweep (Kyle) .......... 23-28 .... 6
At least two of these teams will notch a playoff spot by season's end, and even the division leaders are not safe by a long shot. The team to watch right now is the Surly Nausicians. Seemingly riding a wave of good health and good fortune, Brian's lone squad has won eight in a row behind the beastly performance of David Ortiz (league-leading 17 homers and 45 runs scored).
Meanwhile, the Clean-Sweep Kinnicks have taken a turn for the worse and need to rebound soon. Kyle, already playing against a stacked deck by being in the West, got off to a fast 13-6 start and hung on to be 16-10 and in first place at one point. But since, the Kinnicks have slipped considerably, winning just seven of their last 25 games -- including a sweep last night at the hands of the red-hot Hebs, who have won five in a row and 10 of their last 11.
The Hebs were 11-13 after the Ganza, but an even-worse 7-12 at one point -- but have gotten their players out of the hospital and onto the diamond and are a stirring 23-9 since.
Another team on the downturn is the Santa Poco Amigos, who are 7-14 in their last 21 (.333).
Some big out-of-division games in Rounds 19-20 will surely be huge in crafting the wild-card push ... will a West team actually rise into the mix? Or will we get two East teams as expected? A big series between Army and Surly is scheduled for Wednesday night. A sweep by either one of them could present a worthy East challenger to FTC and Harrison.
Also: In the words of Frank "The Tank" Ricard .... "Keep on truckin'."
We're on a really nice pace now, so let's not lose it. I think we can tidy up this AL season by early July with some good effort, which means getting our NL season started in mid- to late-July, which puts us on target for a November finish. Keep scheduling your series one or two steps ahead so we don't get caught in any ruts. Great job so far.
Who's with me? Can we get this done?
Leistikow teams rebound, win 2 of 3
You won't hear much complaining from me, except in the heat of the moment, because HAL has always been looking kindly upon my teams. But for a stretch, HAL was taking me behind the woodshed.
Chad-owned teams lost their ninth game out in 10 on yet another unbelievable roll -- a 1-19 "safe" roll that was missed with a 20, followed by a 1-14 "safe" roll for blocking the plate that came up 15 -- but finally bounced back to get on track with the Hawaiian Organ Donors (Chad West) taking the last two from Santa Poco Amigos (Biv West) and two of three with Finer Things Club (Chad East) vs. Bob Loblaw (Paul East).
Game 1 West: Amigos 3, Donors 2
W-Garland (5-4), L-Escobar (6-3), S-Soria (5)
Let's go straight to the bottom of the ninth, where Joakim Soria continued into his third inning of work with a 3-2 lead. Paul Konerko led off with a single for the Donors, and Luis Terrero (a 1-14 runner) was beckoned to pinch-run. Billy Butler, another piano-carrying runner, then executed a hit-and-run to put men on the corners with none out. That brought up newly acquired Josh Fields, who produced a flyball RF(b)?. That made the speedy Terrero a 1-19 prospect to score and Butler a 1-7 chance to move up if the throw was cut. The Donors decided to hold Butler at first, which is when the 20 was rolled ... giving Kurt Suzuki an improbable chance to block the plate. But, only 30% effective on plate blocks, Suzuki managed to secure the ball and make the tag for a 9-2 double play. Danny Richar flew out to center to end the contest as Soria notched a 2 1/3-inning save.
Game 2 West: Donors 11, Amigos 3
W-Baek (3-0), L-Grienke (4-3)
Cha Seung Baek continued his sparkling efforts as a limited starting pitcher. Despite a card ERA of 5.15, Baek improved to 3-for-3 in starts, going the distance for an 11-hitter. Konerko his hit eighth homer for Hawaiian, who got the benefit of playing against a very banged-up Amigos squad which got even more banged-up for Game 3. Baek has one start remaining in his Hawaiian season.
Game 3 West: Donors 5, Amigos 2
W-Baker (5-4), L-Garza (2-2), S-Jenks (14)
As Biv said after the series, "I was just lucky not to get swept." Consider these lineup anomalies for the Amigos' starting nine: Marco Scutaro was batting fifth behind Justin Morneau, and the last two hitters were minor-league scrap-heapers in Adam Melhuse (3B) and light-hitting Josh Rabe (DH). Konerko went deep again to help the Donors' cause, and Michael Young had three hits. Travis Buck was Santa's star, going 3-for-4 and upping his BA to .322.
========
Game 1 East: Finer 3, Loblaw 1
W-Halladay (7-3), L-Wakefield (3-4), S-Chamberlain (2)
Roy "K-a-day" Halladay pitched well, going seven innings with three Ks, and Joba Chamberlain locked up his first save since being lit up for two homers by the Surly Nausicians in his last appearance. Mike Lowell's two-run homer in the first was all that FTC needed -- that and several missed homer rolls from Bob, including a 1-14 shot for Miguel Tejada.
Game 2 East: Loblaw 5, Finer 3
W-Schilling (4-6), L-Ohka (0-1), S-Delcarmen (13)
Tomo Ohka was called up to make a spot start for FTC, and it was likely his last. He scattered 10 baserunners in five innings, and Bob took advantage with five runs and it could've been much worse. Bob got four in the first, and Curt Schilling coasted after giving up a homer to leadoff man Jorge Posada.
Game 3 East: Finer 7, Loblaw 6
W-McGowan (4-3), L-Tavarez (5-4), S-Betancourt (10)
Sorely missed B.J. Upton returned from a four-game injury -- a span in which FTC went 1-3 -- and got on base four out of five times to spark Finer's series victory. Posada (10th) and Lowell (7th) homered for the winners, while Brian Roberts had a homer (8th) and three RBIs for Bob, which suffered another hard-luck loss with two unearned (cheap) runs.
Up next:
Hawaiian Organ Donors (28-23) at Huge Mistakes (14-34)*
Big Hebs (30-21) at Santa Poco Amigos (25-26)
======
Army of Steamrollers (25-23)* at Finer Things Club (32-19)
Long Ball Larry (17-34) at Bob Loblaw (26-25)
Chad-owned teams lost their ninth game out in 10 on yet another unbelievable roll -- a 1-19 "safe" roll that was missed with a 20, followed by a 1-14 "safe" roll for blocking the plate that came up 15 -- but finally bounced back to get on track with the Hawaiian Organ Donors (Chad West) taking the last two from Santa Poco Amigos (Biv West) and two of three with Finer Things Club (Chad East) vs. Bob Loblaw (Paul East).
Game 1 West: Amigos 3, Donors 2
W-Garland (5-4), L-Escobar (6-3), S-Soria (5)
Let's go straight to the bottom of the ninth, where Joakim Soria continued into his third inning of work with a 3-2 lead. Paul Konerko led off with a single for the Donors, and Luis Terrero (a 1-14 runner) was beckoned to pinch-run. Billy Butler, another piano-carrying runner, then executed a hit-and-run to put men on the corners with none out. That brought up newly acquired Josh Fields, who produced a flyball RF(b)?. That made the speedy Terrero a 1-19 prospect to score and Butler a 1-7 chance to move up if the throw was cut. The Donors decided to hold Butler at first, which is when the 20 was rolled ... giving Kurt Suzuki an improbable chance to block the plate. But, only 30% effective on plate blocks, Suzuki managed to secure the ball and make the tag for a 9-2 double play. Danny Richar flew out to center to end the contest as Soria notched a 2 1/3-inning save.
Game 2 West: Donors 11, Amigos 3
W-Baek (3-0), L-Grienke (4-3)
Cha Seung Baek continued his sparkling efforts as a limited starting pitcher. Despite a card ERA of 5.15, Baek improved to 3-for-3 in starts, going the distance for an 11-hitter. Konerko his hit eighth homer for Hawaiian, who got the benefit of playing against a very banged-up Amigos squad which got even more banged-up for Game 3. Baek has one start remaining in his Hawaiian season.
Game 3 West: Donors 5, Amigos 2
W-Baker (5-4), L-Garza (2-2), S-Jenks (14)
As Biv said after the series, "I was just lucky not to get swept." Consider these lineup anomalies for the Amigos' starting nine: Marco Scutaro was batting fifth behind Justin Morneau, and the last two hitters were minor-league scrap-heapers in Adam Melhuse (3B) and light-hitting Josh Rabe (DH). Konerko went deep again to help the Donors' cause, and Michael Young had three hits. Travis Buck was Santa's star, going 3-for-4 and upping his BA to .322.
========
Game 1 East: Finer 3, Loblaw 1
W-Halladay (7-3), L-Wakefield (3-4), S-Chamberlain (2)
Roy "K-a-day" Halladay pitched well, going seven innings with three Ks, and Joba Chamberlain locked up his first save since being lit up for two homers by the Surly Nausicians in his last appearance. Mike Lowell's two-run homer in the first was all that FTC needed -- that and several missed homer rolls from Bob, including a 1-14 shot for Miguel Tejada.
Game 2 East: Loblaw 5, Finer 3
W-Schilling (4-6), L-Ohka (0-1), S-Delcarmen (13)
Tomo Ohka was called up to make a spot start for FTC, and it was likely his last. He scattered 10 baserunners in five innings, and Bob took advantage with five runs and it could've been much worse. Bob got four in the first, and Curt Schilling coasted after giving up a homer to leadoff man Jorge Posada.
Game 3 East: Finer 7, Loblaw 6
W-McGowan (4-3), L-Tavarez (5-4), S-Betancourt (10)
Sorely missed B.J. Upton returned from a four-game injury -- a span in which FTC went 1-3 -- and got on base four out of five times to spark Finer's series victory. Posada (10th) and Lowell (7th) homered for the winners, while Brian Roberts had a homer (8th) and three RBIs for Bob, which suffered another hard-luck loss with two unearned (cheap) runs.
Up next:
Hawaiian Organ Donors (28-23) at Huge Mistakes (14-34)*
Big Hebs (30-21) at Santa Poco Amigos (25-26)
======
Army of Steamrollers (25-23)* at Finer Things Club (32-19)
Long Ball Larry (17-34) at Bob Loblaw (26-25)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Amigos Get Back To .500
In the unprecedented second Strat competition in one weekday for Biv, the visiting Santa Poco Amigos took the first and last games to claim a series victory over Clean-Sweep Kinnicks.
Game 1: Santa Poco 10, Clean-Sweep 8
W-C.Bootcheck (2-1), L-O.Perez (5-2). S-J.Putz (13)
Before the game even started, two comments were made:
- Kyle: "I can't beleive that Odalis Perez's ERA is that low."
- Biv: "This team is really awful offensively since Jack Cust is injured."
Things started to settle in when with two runners on in the bottom of the 6th, Joakim Soria entered the game to escape the jam. But HAL decided to show his ugly face again when Soria became fatigued with two outs in the 9th and allowed three straight doubles, making the score 10-8. J.J. Putz had to be called on to record the final out.
Game 2: Clean-Sweep 7, Santa Poco 2
W-M.Myers (1-0), L-E.Santana (3-4), S-S.Casilla (1)
A 2-2 tie in the 7th inning was blown open by two Amigos errors, the first by Alex Cintron and the back-breaker by Scott Podsednik. Boof Bonser's quality start helped the Kinnicks to victory while Shannon Stewart had three hits.
Game 3: Santa Poco 7, Clean-Sweep 0
W-G.Meche (3-4), L-J.Santana (5-4), S-J.Putz (14)
This pitchers duel featured Gil Meche scattering 4 hits over 6 2/3 innings versus Johan Santana's six strikeouts over the first 7 frames. But the 1-0 game came unraveled in the 8th after Shannon Stewart's error allowed two runs to score. Three batters later, Mark Grudzielanek hit a three-run homer to make the game seem more lopsided than it really was.
Next up:
Santa Poco Amigos (24-24) vs. Hawiian Organ Donors (26-22)
Clean-Sweep Kinnicks (23-25) vs. Big Hebs (27-21)
7 Is The Winning Number In Harrison Victory Over Loblaw
In a rare weekday series for Biv, the winning team scored seven runs in each game as Harrison took two of three Loblaw.
Game 1: Bob 7, Harrison 3
W-J.Tavarez (5-3), L-C.Durbin (1-1), S-C.Janssen (3)
Cougars starter Chad Durbin should have taken a seat after a season-high 7 innings, but instead took the hill for the 8th and provided the stage for Loblaw to seal the game. Vernon Wells two-run double highlighted the three-run 8th frame and the Loblaw CF also homered earlier in the game. In a strange twist, light hitting defensive specialist Rocco Baldelli committed a critical error in the 2nd inning which allowed two runs to score, but did go 3-for-4 at the plate including his 1st HR.
Game 2: Harrison 7, Bob 1
W-D.Cabrera (7-1), L-E.Jackson (0-1)
Daniel Cabrera pulled into a tie for the league lead in wins with a complete game six-hit performance, striking out 8 Bobs. The required run support was required by Pudge Rodriguez, who (despite his paltry .219 batting average) clubbed his team-high 8th home run, a three-run shot in the 2nd inning. Edwin Jackson went the distance for Loblaw in defeat, finishing with an appropriately round ERA of 7.00.
Game 3: Harrison 7, Bob 5
W-A.Burnett (6-4), L-C.Sabathia (5-5), S-J.Lewis (1)An early Harrison hit barrage proved to be enough to withstand a late inning rally by Loblaw in the rubber match. The Cougars pounded 15 hits off Loblaw ace C.C. Sabathia in his 6 2/3 innings, while Harrison starter A.J. Burnett took a no-hitter into the 5th. But Burnett got into trouble in the later innings, as back-to-back homers by Alex Rodriguez and Delmon Young in the 8th cut the margin to 2 runs. With a desire to save the innings of closer Rafael Perez and a slew of right-handed bats due up, Biv called on reliever Jensen Lewis to make his JKSA debut. The gamble worked, as Lewis worked around two base runners to finish the game and earn the save.
Next up:
Harrison Cougars (28-20) vs. Long Ball Larry (14-31)*
Bob Loblaw (25-23) vs. Finer Things Club (30-18)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Big Hebs - Livin' on a Prayer
How does a team with a mediocre .250 batting average, a rather pedestrian 4.63 team ERA, who has spent the better part of the season under siege with injuries manage to post a 25-20 record? I humbly believe it's not all good luck, but really more a combination of solid defense and timely hitting. The team's leading RBI man, Vladimir Guerrero, hasn't posted numbers that would set the world on fire (.297-9-40), but what the stat sheet doesn't show is his affinity for the big hit. Having won five games in his team's final at-bat this year, Guerrero seems to personify a team that has found its way to the big hit on countless occasions.
After the Big Hebs' fabulous dramatics, perhaps the team's biggest story this year has been a crippling amount of injuries. Just off the top of my head, I can think of ten occasions in which a Heb player has been lost for three games or more, including three times by Gary Matthews Jr and two stints of seven games-plus for Jared Saltalamacchia and Jack Hanahan.
The Big Hebs' pitching staff has been anything but spectacular, but much like their hitting counterparts, have seemed to find a way to get that big out when they need it the most. Brian Bannister leads the staff in wins and ERA among starters (6, 4.13), helping to overcome disappointing first halves from would-be ace Jered Weaver (4-2, 5.32) and would-be closer Joaquin Benoit (1-3, 7.03).
How the Big Hebs have done it so far is unclear. Whether it's fate, fortune, or amphetamines is not what's important. What is important is whether they can keep it up for another 35 games...and if so, will they have enough high drama left in the tank to make a difference in the playoffs?
Offensive Leaders - through 45 games
Batting Average - Jim Thome (.356)
At-Bats - Orlando Cabrera (198)
Hits - Vladimir Guerrero (49)
Runs - Orlando Cabrera (27)
Doubles - Vladimir Guerrero (12)
Triples - Three with 2
Home runs - Vladimir Guerrero and Jim Thome (9)
RBI - Vladimir Guerrero (40)
K's - Jose Guillen (36)
Stolen Bases - Jerry Owens (16)
Errors - Three with 4
Defensive Leaders - through 45 games
Wins - Brian Bannister (6)
Losses - Four with 3
ERA; Starter - Brian Bannister (4.13)
ERA; Reliever - Boone Logan (1.46)
Complete Games - Kevin Millwood and Brian Bannister (4)
Strikeouts - Kevin Millwood (52)
Saves - Justin Speier (5)
After the Big Hebs' fabulous dramatics, perhaps the team's biggest story this year has been a crippling amount of injuries. Just off the top of my head, I can think of ten occasions in which a Heb player has been lost for three games or more, including three times by Gary Matthews Jr and two stints of seven games-plus for Jared Saltalamacchia and Jack Hanahan.
The Big Hebs' pitching staff has been anything but spectacular, but much like their hitting counterparts, have seemed to find a way to get that big out when they need it the most. Brian Bannister leads the staff in wins and ERA among starters (6, 4.13), helping to overcome disappointing first halves from would-be ace Jered Weaver (4-2, 5.32) and would-be closer Joaquin Benoit (1-3, 7.03).
How the Big Hebs have done it so far is unclear. Whether it's fate, fortune, or amphetamines is not what's important. What is important is whether they can keep it up for another 35 games...and if so, will they have enough high drama left in the tank to make a difference in the playoffs?
Offensive Leaders - through 45 games
Batting Average - Jim Thome (.356)
At-Bats - Orlando Cabrera (198)
Hits - Vladimir Guerrero (49)
Runs - Orlando Cabrera (27)
Doubles - Vladimir Guerrero (12)
Triples - Three with 2
Home runs - Vladimir Guerrero and Jim Thome (9)
RBI - Vladimir Guerrero (40)
K's - Jose Guillen (36)
Stolen Bases - Jerry Owens (16)
Errors - Three with 4
Defensive Leaders - through 45 games
Wins - Brian Bannister (6)
Losses - Four with 3
ERA; Starter - Brian Bannister (4.13)
ERA; Reliever - Boone Logan (1.46)
Complete Games - Kevin Millwood and Brian Bannister (4)
Strikeouts - Kevin Millwood (52)
Saves - Justin Speier (5)
Long Ball Larry - aka Hot Carl and the Shits
Long Ball Larry was a team named in relation to the moniker Leon Black gave Larry David in the most recent season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, but halfway through the 2007 season, it's looking like this group hasn't been appropriately named. Built for speed and power, this is a team that has a plethora of shortages and would probably be more aptly titled Hot Carl and the Shits. See, 42 games into the season, fans of LBL have been treated to the star power of LF Carl Crawford, but after his exploits, really just a bunch of smelly, under-performing fecal matter.
Through 42 games, Crawford has led the team in hitting (.351), runs (30), doubles (13), triples (7), extra-base hits (24), and stolen bases (26), but is legitimately alone in terms of regular starters who have lived up to the billing their STRAT card promised. Behind him, not only in the lineup, but also in performance, are Gary Sheffield (.227), Carlos Pena (.250), Bobby Abreu (.264), Dustin Pedroia (.262), and Corey Patterson (.208), all of whom are hitting substantially lower than they did in the actual 2007 MLB season. But beyond the vexing lack of hitting, the most frustrating and befuddling part of this team has been its year-long struggles with the 20-sided die. Despite having two AA and two A stealers in the regular lineup, LBL has managed to only successfully nab 42 bases in 79 attempts (53%). Patterson has been the ring-leader of this gang of unsuccessful smugglers as he has found a way to be "caught like a thief in the night" an amazing TEN TIMES in FIFTEEN ATTEMPTS! Beyond that, of the six players who have attempted a steal this season, only Hot Carl has a SB% higher than 50 percent.
As bad as the hitting has been for LBL, the pitching staff has likely under-performed every bit as much. Mike Timlin (0.63) and closer Jon Papelbon (1.17) have been the lone bright spots of the pitching staff, but thanks to putrid starting pitching and the lack of offensive success, they have been largely hidden under a bushel. Papelbon has been pretty much unhittable, yet has only three saves and one victory in nine outings. LBL's ace, Scott Kazmir, while having pitched below expectations (4.33), certainly has performed better than his amazing 1-9 record would indicate. Kazmir and occasional starters Roger Clemens and Kenny Rogers have combined to post an unbelievable 1-19 record!
Even the most positive of politicians and witch doctors couldn't spin LBL's 2007 in any kind of positive light as they will spend the final 13 series playing out the string. With only the role of spoiler left to gain, the last question that remains is whether any team will be the victim of said spoiler and find themselves on the business end of a juicy Hot Carl and the Shits.
Offensive Leaders - through 42 games
Batting Average - Carl Crawford (.351)
At-Bats - Carl Crawford (185)
Hits - Carl Crawford (65)
Runs - Carl Crawford (30)
Doubles - Carl Crawford (13)
Triples - Carl Crawford (7)
Home runs - Carlos Pena (11)
RBI - Carlos Pena (27)
K's - Troy Glaus (50)
Stolen Bases - Carl Crawford (26)
Errors - Troy Glaus (7)
Defensive Leaders - through 42 games
Wins - Sean Marcum (5)
Losses - Scott Kazmir (9)
ERA; Starter - Phil Hughes (3.86)
ERA; Reliever - Mike Timlin (0.63)
Complete Games - Scott Kazmir (6)
Strikeouts - Scott Kazmir (77)
Saves - Jon Papelbon (3)
Through 42 games, Crawford has led the team in hitting (.351), runs (30), doubles (13), triples (7), extra-base hits (24), and stolen bases (26), but is legitimately alone in terms of regular starters who have lived up to the billing their STRAT card promised. Behind him, not only in the lineup, but also in performance, are Gary Sheffield (.227), Carlos Pena (.250), Bobby Abreu (.264), Dustin Pedroia (.262), and Corey Patterson (.208), all of whom are hitting substantially lower than they did in the actual 2007 MLB season. But beyond the vexing lack of hitting, the most frustrating and befuddling part of this team has been its year-long struggles with the 20-sided die. Despite having two AA and two A stealers in the regular lineup, LBL has managed to only successfully nab 42 bases in 79 attempts (53%). Patterson has been the ring-leader of this gang of unsuccessful smugglers as he has found a way to be "caught like a thief in the night" an amazing TEN TIMES in FIFTEEN ATTEMPTS! Beyond that, of the six players who have attempted a steal this season, only Hot Carl has a SB% higher than 50 percent.
As bad as the hitting has been for LBL, the pitching staff has likely under-performed every bit as much. Mike Timlin (0.63) and closer Jon Papelbon (1.17) have been the lone bright spots of the pitching staff, but thanks to putrid starting pitching and the lack of offensive success, they have been largely hidden under a bushel. Papelbon has been pretty much unhittable, yet has only three saves and one victory in nine outings. LBL's ace, Scott Kazmir, while having pitched below expectations (4.33), certainly has performed better than his amazing 1-9 record would indicate. Kazmir and occasional starters Roger Clemens and Kenny Rogers have combined to post an unbelievable 1-19 record!
Even the most positive of politicians and witch doctors couldn't spin LBL's 2007 in any kind of positive light as they will spend the final 13 series playing out the string. With only the role of spoiler left to gain, the last question that remains is whether any team will be the victim of said spoiler and find themselves on the business end of a juicy Hot Carl and the Shits.
Offensive Leaders - through 42 games
Batting Average - Carl Crawford (.351)
At-Bats - Carl Crawford (185)
Hits - Carl Crawford (65)
Runs - Carl Crawford (30)
Doubles - Carl Crawford (13)
Triples - Carl Crawford (7)
Home runs - Carlos Pena (11)
RBI - Carlos Pena (27)
K's - Troy Glaus (50)
Stolen Bases - Carl Crawford (26)
Errors - Troy Glaus (7)
Defensive Leaders - through 42 games
Wins - Sean Marcum (5)
Losses - Scott Kazmir (9)
ERA; Starter - Phil Hughes (3.86)
ERA; Reliever - Mike Timlin (0.63)
Complete Games - Scott Kazmir (6)
Strikeouts - Scott Kazmir (77)
Saves - Jon Papelbon (3)
Friday, May 9, 2008
PHIL guides suddenly fortunate Big Hebs to surprising sweep
As a perpetual doormat for Chad's teams, he and I have often joked of HAL's disdain for me when our teams meet. Whenever a rare dose of positive fate falls upon my team, we jest that the more Detter-friendly PHIL has momentarily wrested away the controls of the master Strat board in Glen Head, NY. If this is true, a steroid-laced PHIL made a surprise appearance at Strat headquarters tonight and kicked sand in the face of his more dominant counterpart, guiding the Big Hebs (Detter West) to a shocking sweep of the homestanding Hawaiian Organ Donors (Chad West). The Big Hebs were forced to come from behind in every game, and in doing so, pulled into a two-way tie with the Donors for first place in the AL East. Now for the quick report:
GAME 1: HEBS: 2 DONORS: 1
WP: Jer. Weaver (4-2)
LP: M. Buehrle (1-5)
Sv: J. Benoit (2)
Jack Hanahan remained red-hot by blasting a solo homer in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1, but the decisive blow in this one was delivered by Orlando Cabrera's two-out RBI single a few batters later. Jered Weaver, again not exactly treated to a cornucopia of runs, earned his fourth win of the season, going 7.1 strong. Joaquin Benoit twirled the final 1.2 in shutout fashion to pick up his second save. Chad missed two HR 1-5 or out rolls in the game's final innings that would have made the game much different.
GAME 2: HEBS: 6 DONORS: 3
WP: B. Bannister (6-3)
LP: J. Gobble (1-1)
Four Big Heb long balls accounted for all six of their runs in a game in which they erased an early 3-0 deficit. Starter Brian Bannister permitted three runs in as many innings to start the game, but settled in and enjoyed the onslaught en route to his team-best sixth victory. Vladimir Guerrero erased the entire deficit in the fourth with the first of his two homers in the game, this one a three-run shot off of Donors starter, Kelvim Escobar. The game remained knotted into the eighth when southpaw reliever Jimmy Gobble was called on to face Jim Thome, who promptly led off the Big Heb half of the frame with a clean homer. Guerrero followed with his second shot of the game, and later that same inning, Jared Saltalamacchia dialed long distance as well. Bannister went the distance, allowing just three hits along the way.
GAME 3: HEBS: 3 DONORS: 2
WP: D. Oliver (2-1)
LP: P. Neshek (3-1)
Sv: J. Speier (5)
In a series that saw all the breaks go the route of the Hebs, this was the cheapest win of them all. With two outs in the top of the ninth of a tie-game, the Hebs scored the tie-breaking run on back-to-back LF-X plays gone awry. The first of which, an error on Mark Teahen, put Mark Ellis on second base, leading to the second, yet another game-winner for Vladimir Guerrero. Darren Oliver's 2.2 innings of scoreless work earned him the win, while Justin Speier retired the game's final batter with two on and two out for his fifth save.
GAME 1: HEBS: 2 DONORS: 1
WP: Jer. Weaver (4-2)
LP: M. Buehrle (1-5)
Sv: J. Benoit (2)
Jack Hanahan remained red-hot by blasting a solo homer in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1, but the decisive blow in this one was delivered by Orlando Cabrera's two-out RBI single a few batters later. Jered Weaver, again not exactly treated to a cornucopia of runs, earned his fourth win of the season, going 7.1 strong. Joaquin Benoit twirled the final 1.2 in shutout fashion to pick up his second save. Chad missed two HR 1-5 or out rolls in the game's final innings that would have made the game much different.
GAME 2: HEBS: 6 DONORS: 3
WP: B. Bannister (6-3)
LP: J. Gobble (1-1)
Four Big Heb long balls accounted for all six of their runs in a game in which they erased an early 3-0 deficit. Starter Brian Bannister permitted three runs in as many innings to start the game, but settled in and enjoyed the onslaught en route to his team-best sixth victory. Vladimir Guerrero erased the entire deficit in the fourth with the first of his two homers in the game, this one a three-run shot off of Donors starter, Kelvim Escobar. The game remained knotted into the eighth when southpaw reliever Jimmy Gobble was called on to face Jim Thome, who promptly led off the Big Heb half of the frame with a clean homer. Guerrero followed with his second shot of the game, and later that same inning, Jared Saltalamacchia dialed long distance as well. Bannister went the distance, allowing just three hits along the way.
GAME 3: HEBS: 3 DONORS: 2
WP: D. Oliver (2-1)
LP: P. Neshek (3-1)
Sv: J. Speier (5)
In a series that saw all the breaks go the route of the Hebs, this was the cheapest win of them all. With two outs in the top of the ninth of a tie-game, the Hebs scored the tie-breaking run on back-to-back LF-X plays gone awry. The first of which, an error on Mark Teahen, put Mark Ellis on second base, leading to the second, yet another game-winner for Vladimir Guerrero. Darren Oliver's 2.2 innings of scoreless work earned him the win, while Justin Speier retired the game's final batter with two on and two out for his fifth save.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pitchers rule in Block 4 debut
Finer Things Club (Chad East) took two of three from the Harrison Cougars (Biv East) in a late-night battle of the top two teams in the division.
The brisk 50-minute series featured fine pitching all around:
Game 1: Finer 3, Harrison 2
W-Verlander (6-3), L-Burnett (5-4), S-Chamberlain (1)
Justin Verlander took a shutout into the ninth, where the Cougars, down 3-0, made it interesting. With two outs and a man on second, Jorge Velendia delivered a pinch-hit double to make it 3-1. Joba Chamberlain entered to face pinch-hitter deluxe Timo Perez, but the hitter stroked an RBI single off his card for a 3-2 score. But Joba got Matt Stairs to roll out to short to end the game. FTC's three runs came in the third in cheap fashion. B.J. Upton converted a 1-6 single, Jorge Posada reached on a curious infield hit to Placido Polanco (2e0) and Frank Thomas rolled low on a ballpark homer (1-7) for a three-run shot against A.J. Burnett.
Game 2: Finer 6, Harrison 3
W-Halladay (6-3), L-Shields (2-3), S-Downs (3)
Marcus Thames launched a clean three-run shot in the second, and leadoff man Upton followed with a (clean) solo smash (his team-high 12th) to give FTC all it needed. But the game got tense before Scott Downs entered to record the final five outs for his third save. Interesting stat: The top eight hitters in the Cougars' lineup each had at least one hit, but only Polanco (two) had more than one.
Game 3: Harrison 3, Finer 0
W-Matsuzaka (5-1), L-McGowan (3-3)
This one was all about Dice-K, who went 8 2/3 scoreless innings for his fifth win. Harrison got all three of its runs in the sixth, with the big blow a two-run double by Sean Casey. Rafael Perez retired Ryan Garko, who represented the tying run, on a flyout to center to end the game and record his JKSA-best 14th save.
Up next:
Surly Nausicians (18-20)* at Finer Things Club (30-15)
Harrison Cougars (26-19) at Bob Loblaw (22-20)
The brisk 50-minute series featured fine pitching all around:
Game 1: Finer 3, Harrison 2
W-Verlander (6-3), L-Burnett (5-4), S-Chamberlain (1)
Justin Verlander took a shutout into the ninth, where the Cougars, down 3-0, made it interesting. With two outs and a man on second, Jorge Velendia delivered a pinch-hit double to make it 3-1. Joba Chamberlain entered to face pinch-hitter deluxe Timo Perez, but the hitter stroked an RBI single off his card for a 3-2 score. But Joba got Matt Stairs to roll out to short to end the game. FTC's three runs came in the third in cheap fashion. B.J. Upton converted a 1-6 single, Jorge Posada reached on a curious infield hit to Placido Polanco (2e0) and Frank Thomas rolled low on a ballpark homer (1-7) for a three-run shot against A.J. Burnett.
Game 2: Finer 6, Harrison 3
W-Halladay (6-3), L-Shields (2-3), S-Downs (3)
Marcus Thames launched a clean three-run shot in the second, and leadoff man Upton followed with a (clean) solo smash (his team-high 12th) to give FTC all it needed. But the game got tense before Scott Downs entered to record the final five outs for his third save. Interesting stat: The top eight hitters in the Cougars' lineup each had at least one hit, but only Polanco (two) had more than one.
Game 3: Harrison 3, Finer 0
W-Matsuzaka (5-1), L-McGowan (3-3)
This one was all about Dice-K, who went 8 2/3 scoreless innings for his fifth win. Harrison got all three of its runs in the sixth, with the big blow a two-run double by Sean Casey. Rafael Perez retired Ryan Garko, who represented the tying run, on a flyout to center to end the game and record his JKSA-best 14th save.
Up next:
Surly Nausicians (18-20)* at Finer Things Club (30-15)
Harrison Cougars (26-19) at Bob Loblaw (22-20)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Finer Things Club melts Snow
Finer Things Club (Chad East) piled up 34 runs and 52 hits in a key four-game series, winning three against After The Snow (Scott West).FTC jumped to the league's best mark, at 25-13, and built its home-run total to a JKSA-leading 55.
The series wrap:
Game 1: Finer 5, After 3
W-R.Betancourt (2-1), L-Contreras (2-2)
Frank Thomas and Hideki Matsui homered, Joba Chamberlain bailed out starter Jake Westbrook by getting two big outs, and Rafael Betancourt got the final eight outs to get credited with the win.
Game 2: Finer 12, After 4
W-Verlander (5-2), L-Lackey (3-4)
Matsui had four of FTC's 19 hits, which included long balls from B.J. Upton and Jorge Posada, and Justin Verlander racked up his fifth win. Snow starter John Lackey was fatigued via a five-run second.
Game 3: After 5, Finer 4
W-Haren (3-3), L-R.Betancourt (2-2), S-Sherrill (3)
Snow rallied from a 4-0 deficit, scoring twice each in the seventh and eighth innings to win. Brad Wilkerson homered (1st) and lifted the go-ahead sac fly.
Game 4: Finer 13, After 3
W-Halladay (5-2), L-Washburn (4-3)
Jarrod Washburn's ERA inflated from 2.81 to 4.02 as FTC stroked 17 hits and rolled. Ryan Garko was 4-for-4 and Ryan Raburn drove in four runs for the winners.
Up next:
Finer Things Club (25-13) vs. Clean-Sweep Kinnicks (20-18)
After The Snow (19-19) vs. Surly Nausicians (18-20)
Teahen cycle, series sweep cap 12-2 surge for first-place Organ Donors
The Hawaiian Organ Donors (Chad West) could be renamed Smoke and Mirrors after its recent surge into first place in the AL West.The Donors won 7 of 8 games over the weekend -- winning three from Long Ball Larry (Greg East) and sweeping Bob Loblaw (Paul East) -- to make it 12 of 14 overall and build a three-game lead in the West. This despite a season ledger of 194 runs scored and 203 runs against (-9).
A 13-6 mark in one-run games has been the difference, with Bobby Jenks logging 13 saves while burning well over half his available innings before the All-Star break.
Quick game summaries:
Game 1: Donors 7, Larry 4
W-Neshek (3-0), L-Rogers (0-3), S-Jenks (9)
Michael Young had three hits and Mike Napoli's three-run double keyed Hawaiian's five-run first.
Game 2: Donors 4, Larry 3
W-Escobar (5-2), L-Kazmir (0-8), S-Jenks (10)
David DeJesus, Young and Paul Konerko hit back-to-back-to-back doubles in a four-run third that proved to be enough to keep Scott Kazmir winless.
Game 3: Larry 9, Donors 0
W-Wang (4-3), L-Buehrle (0-4)
Chien-Mien Wang spun a four-hit shutout, and Larry finally got some stolen-base rolls (going 6-for-7) to take out some frustration. LBL's Carl Crawford laced four hits.
Game 4: Donors 4, Larry 3
W-DiNardo (1-0), L-Hughes (2-1), S-Jenks (11)
Chone Figgins' two-run single in the sixth put Hawaiian ahead, and Bobby Jenks went two perfect innings for his third save of the series. Figgins had four hits.
=============
Game 1: Donors 5, Loblaw 4
W-J.Wright (2-1), L-Tavarez (4-3), S-Jenks (12)
Konerko's two-out, two-run double in the eighth was the difference. Kendry Morales blasted two solo homers for the winners in a rare start at DH.
Game 2: Donors 4, Loblaw 3
W-F.Hernandez (3-4), L-Tallet (1-1), S-Jenks (13)
Felix Hernandez went eight strong innings, striking out 10 in his final performance for Hawaiian. He is being traded to Huge Mistakes (Paul West). Jenks, who entered despite being fatigued with two outs in the ninth, notched his fifth save in six games.
Game 3: Donors 5, Loblaw 2
W-Escobar (6-2), L-Sabathia (5-4)
Kelvim Escobar's fourth complete game of the season notched his sixth win. DeJesus roped two doubles with two RBIs.
Game 4: Donors 11, Loblaw 5
W-Buehrle (1-4), L-Schilling (3-6), S-J.Wright (1)
Mark Teahen hit for the cycle -- with a three-run double in the first, a two-run homer (1st) in the third, an RBI single in the fifth and a triple in the seventh -- and finished with six RBIs. Young added four more hits from the 3-hole, giving the shortstop 56 for the season.
Up next:
Big Hebs (22-20) at Hawaiian Organ Donors (25-17)
Bob Loblaw (22-20) at Army of Steamrollers (20-18)*
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