PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #14

Series Summary

Detroit takes series 4-2 over Pittsburgh; In game 3 Pittsburgh is No-Hitting Detroit but for some odd reason Tony Soprano changes pitchers to start the 9th so we have a combined no-hitter.

       New York Outlaws @ Sacramento Capitals

Series Summary

Last place Sacramento Capitals and first place New York Outlaws split the six-game set, as several Outlaws received some rest down on the farm.

Southbend Lynx @ Elyria Indians

Series Summary

Split series.

Camarillo Quest @ Selkirk Steelers

Series Preview

Carmarillo is in the thick of things Selkirk is not

Stauffer blows it giving up 3 runs late and in extra Carmarillo wins it on a Hairston homer. 5-4 in 13

CJ Wilson struck out 17 Steelers! allowed a run with two out in the 9th.  Batista has a big game Carm 9 Sel 1

Bautista hits 2 more homers. Cam 6 Sel 2

Bautista homers again and Moss hits 2 more. Cam 6 Sel 1

The close ones went to the better team so it was a 5-1 series win for the visitors.

Iron City Yinzers @ Clovis Wheat Kings

Series Preview

Clovis and Iron City in a rematch from the series just before the break.  In the first series at Iron City the two clubs split. Clovis clings to a slim one game lead over Camarillo.

Series Summary

Different city, same result. Clovis and Iron City split the six gamer.  Clovis has gone 14-6 over the last twenty, but Camarillo has been hitting on all cylinders for a blistering 18-2 pace over the same stretch to move into first place and drop the Wheat Kings into second.

       Long Beach Dirt Bags @ Valdosta Snappers

Series Preview

Long Beach @ Valdosta in a battle of second division teams.

Game #1:

Valdosta 7-1. Zeke Spruill made his ML debut a good one as he pitched 6 and allowed just 1 run. John Mayberry, Jr added 3 doubles to the offensive attack. Brad Peacock (2-2) took the L.

Game #2:

Long Beach 7-2. Dirt Bags use 3 HR’s to power past the Snappers as Phil Hughes drops to 2-12.

Game #3:

Valdosta 11-2. Kevin Correia (9-5) with the CG as the Snappers win easily.

Game #4:

Valdosta 5-1. Julio Tehran (8-7) threw 7 2/3 of shutout ball and Kimbrell notches his 22nd save.

Game #5:

Valdosta 3-2 (11 Innings). Snappers sneak by with a 1 run victory.

Game #6:

Long Beach 8-5. Spruill was not so good this time out as he allows 7 runs and takes the loss.

Series Summary

Snappers win 4-2 and move over .500 for the year.

       Bethesda Bandicoots @ Tijuana Bottle Rockets

Series Preview

Coming out after the break, both teams are pretty tired. This did not allow for very many games with both teams playing their best lineup. After being swept at home before the break, Bethesda looks for revenge on the road.

Series Summary

Many close games that were dictated more by who gets the rest rather than who gets the win, Tijuana takes the series 5-1

Motor City Muscle @ Columbus Explorers

Series Preview

After the break the Motor City Muscle and Columbus Explorers meet again to continue their series. Last week at Motor City the Explorers took the series 5 games to 6 winning the last five. Can that streak continue.

Game #1:

The Muscle break the 5 game skid – but not with Muscle, well not much.  Chris Young hits a solo shot (8) in the 3rd and the arm of Leake takes them the rest of the way for 1-0 victory. Leake, CG, 5 hits, 3 walks and 9 Ks for the win (4-9). Oberholtzer, in one his best outings, goes 7 innings, 4 hits, but no run support and takes the loss (3-3).

Game #2:

Explorers bounce back in game 2 on 12 hits and score 7 runs for 7-2 victory. Axelrod had the game under control until his wheels feel off (get it) in the 7th – giving up 4 straight hits (he only game up 5 in the game) and 2 runs. He left, but Dunn, LeCure, Perez, Belisario and Chen nailed it down.

Injuries for the Muscle – Perez (2) and Castellanos (1) in a collision and Ramos (sore wrist – rest of game).

WP Axelrod (3-2), LP Locke (5-9)

HRs: Col – Victorino (10), De Aza (14) – they each had 3 hits.

Game #3:

Motor City regains the series control with 6-4 victory, getting the 3-2 lead after 3, but they falling behind 4-3 in the 4th, they fought back for 2 in the 5th (Perez 2 run HR – #11). WP Hunter (2-4) in relief, S Rondon (2). LP Tepesch (5-3).

Game #4:

Taking a 3-1 lead in the series, Motor City lashes 10 hits enroute to 7-4 victory. 2 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd and it was no contest. Well no contest until the Explorers plated 4 in the 7th to make it 5-4. But Chen couldn’t keep it close yielding 2 in the 9th for the 7-4 margin.

WP Straily (7-8) S Chavez (3)

LP Milone (7-2)

HRs: MCM – Sanchez (3); COL – Blackmon (4)

Sanchez, despite being tired goes 2 for 5 with HR and 3 rbis to pace the offense.

Game #5:

Down 3 games to 1 the Explorers needed something to happen, and they got it, but certainly not what they expected. J.A. Happ starts and goes the distance scattering 5 hits, fanning 9, walking 3 – EXACTLY what Leake (MCM) did in game 1 – and the final was EXACTLY the same only Columbus wins 1-0! A Zimmerman SF in the 1st produced the only run.

ODD fact – Motor City starts Morton goes 7 innings, gives up 4 hits – just like Explorer game 1 loser Oberholtzer did.

Game #6:

With the series at 3-2 Motor City, the fatigue in the Muscle dugout must have kicked in as they go another game without scoring a run – although they did double their hit total from the previous game with 8.

This time Oberholtzer got some run support and gets the win (4-3) going 7 innings again, 7 hits, NO walk and 9 Ks. Dunn and Varvaro blank the Muscle in the 8th and 9th.

Meanwhile Leake (LP 4-10) was not quite as strong as in game 1 – but almost. He goes 6 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs (but only 1 was earned).

Explorer offense – De Aza solo HR (15) in the 2nd, Carpenter 2 hits and rbi and some junk.

Series Summary

Series ends up as a 3-3 split, 3 shut outs (2 of them 1-0)!

Motor City came to town with an extremely fatigued team (with a farm that wasn’t too bad). As a result they leave the series with 1 guy WORN-OUT, 3 guys BUSCHED (I mean bushed, not tanked on beer) and 3 guys TIRED. 3 of those fatigued players have short injuries to boot.

       Dallas Cougars @ Virginia Sluggers

Series Preview

A rematch from last week.

Game #1:

VIR 7-1 Lyles pitches well. Stanton 2-2 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. Santana and Walker go deep.

Game #2:

VIR 9-2 3 more hits and runs for Stanton. Tillman scatters 5 hits.

Game #3:

DAL 7-3 D.Kelly is 3-3 with 2 RBI to support Lackey. Blanco also with 2 RBI.

Game #4:

VIR 4-2 Chatwood throws a gem with 8 K’s. Laird has 3 hits and a RBI.

Game #5:

VIR 9-2 Archer too tough and Walker goes 3-4, 3 runs, 2 RBI.

Game #6:

VIR 6-5 Walker’s 3 RBI leads way but Bourn’s walk-off RBI in 10th is game winner.

Series Summary

VIR loses A.Ramirez for almost a month but wins the series 5-1.

Roseville Thorns @ Jersey Nor’easters

Series Preview

A solid Roseville team travels to the Garden State for a series with the slumping Nor’easters.

Game #1:

Mr. Lucky, aka Hyun-Jin Ryu pitches a very unusual game. He throws a complete game 10-hit shutout, seven of those hits coming in the first two innings. Jersey scratches across 2 runs and Mr. Lucky wins the game 2-0.

Game #2:

Roseville dominates with Lonnie Chisenhall hitting 2 homers. Roseville 9-3.

Game #3:

This was a devastating loss for the Jersey Nor’easters. With the Nor’easters leading 1-0 Jose Quintana takes a no-hitter to batter #27, that would be 2 outs in the 9th. Roseville’s Michael Brantley homers to tie the game and Roseville wins it in the 10th 3-1.

Game #4:

Wily Peralta throws a complete game 4-hit shutout for Jersey.  Jersey 1-0.

Game #5:

Chris Capuano goes 7 scoreless innings for the Nor’easters and combines with 2 relievers for a 9-0 Jersey win.

Game #6:

Roseville comes back to take the final game 4-3. Hunter Pence hits his 27th double of the season for Roseville in this game. Jersey’s newly acquired Lucas Duda goes down for 14 games with an injury.

Series Summary

The series is split. All three of Jersey’s wins were by shutout.

Tempe Tempers @ Manhattan Project

Series Preview

Tempe– best record in MWBL– comes to Manhattan to continue last week’s battle. Manhattan won last week’s series. This week, Manhattan batters are staggering the fine line between available and tired.

Game #1:

Tempe 2-0

Had to be one of the fastest games ever played.

Both Bartolo Colon and Yu Darvish pitch CGs.

Beltre scores in the 2nd on Cabrera’s RBI single.

And not another run by either team until Tulowitzski’s iceing-on-the-cake HR in the 9th.

WP=Colon

LP=Darvish

Game #2:

Tempe 1-0

Same script as Game 1—batter up, batter down.

Gonzalez scored on Beltre’s RBI out in the 1st inning—and that was the only run scored in the game.

Two shutout games in a row for the Temp!

WP=Hale

LP=Fernandez

SV=Crain

Game #3:

Tempe 6-2

Tempe batters pound Alfredo Simon for 6 runs in the first 4 innings, then coast the rest of the way.

Manhattan scores 2 early again and is rudely shut down the rest of the way.

WP=Cain

LP=Simon

Game #4:

Manhattan 3-2

The same close margin characteristic of most of their games!

Good pitching by both Chacin and Medlen, game is locked tight until Howell gives Seager a solo HR in the 8th—the winning run.

WP=Rzepczynski

SV=Fien

LP=Howell

Game #5:

Tempe 3-0

Manhattan held scoreless for 3 games out 5!

Manhattan only get 4 hits (and 4 walks) off Iwakuma—fail to get past 2nd base.

WP=Iwakuma

LP=Porcello

SV=Holland

Game #6:

Tempe 7-0

Yes, Bartoto blanks Darvish again—only this time he hypnotizes him into giving up 5 runs in the first inning.

Manhattan manages three scattered hits.

WP=Colon

LP=Darvish

Series Summary

Tempe wins 5-1

Four shutouts in 6 games!!

       Coconut Creek Crushers @ Traverse City Crusaders

Series Preview

The second half is on it’s way and the Traverse City Crusaders made (yet) a few more trades at the mid-season break. Brett Gardner will make his Crusaders debut sometime during the series, as the Crusaders lost a close series with the Crushers (4-3) in Coconut Creek — hopefully they can do better than that at home in Traverse City, this time.

Game #1:

Tony Cingrani looked sharp through 6 innings, giving up 2 runs (none charged to Cingrani), while striking out 8 & walking one. David Phelps was lousy through 4 innings, leaving the game at a 7-0 deficit.

Dominic Brown of the Crushers had a big game, going 4-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, with 2 runs. Michael Cuddyer added 3 hits, with 2 doubles & a RBI.

Cingrani improves to 5-1, as Phelps falls to 1-13! Ben Francisco hit a solo HR for the Crusaders.

Final Score: CRUSHERS 10, CRUSADERS 4

Game #2:

Both Matt Garza (CCC) and Travis Wood (TCC) would go eight strong innings, but both teams’ offenses could not do much. Crushers would end the game on 7 hits (leaving 8 on base), while the Crusaders could only manage 3 hits (2 of them from Yan Gomes).

Mark Melancon comes in for his 22nd Save of the season, Mitch Moreland hits solo HR in 5th to help Crushers.

FINAL SCORE: CRUSHERS 2, CRUSADERS 0

Kohn would allow another two-run HR to Michael Cuddyer in the 8th, Holliday would add insult to injury with a solo HR off of Heath Bell in the 9th.

The game was closer than it looked in the box scores, as the Crushers score 7 of their 8 runs, the last 3 innings, all off of Traverse City’s bullpen.

Ervin Santana was strong through 7.1 innings, despite only 2 K’s, allowing 4 hits & 2 walks, 2 ER’s (one solo HR by Dozier). Gallardo (TCC) allowed 4 hits & only 1 ER through 5 innings — as Gallardo was left scratching his head on this one.

FINAL SCORE: CRUSHERS 8, CRUSADERS 2

FINAL SCORE: CRUSHERS 8, CRUSADERS 2

Yonge Street Stalkers @ Fremont Cannons

Series Preview

Fremont starts off the the second half hosting the Stalkers of Yonge St.

Game #1:

Fremont manages little offense, and settles for dropping the DH after Colvin’s ejection to allow its players to recuperate. YSS wins 5-1 allowing only 4 hits.

Game #2:

Fremont gets even less from its offense, managing only Dayan Viciedo’s 4th inning single for a CGSO, one-hitter for Mat Latos. Stalker win 4-0.

Game #3:

Fremont makes a game of this one, with 2 home runs by Justin Morneau,  including the game tying shot in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Zunino’s single in the top of the 10th wins it for Yonge St., 5-4.

Game #4:

Yonge St takes another 4-0 victory, with all of the runs coming from three YSS HR. Freddy Garcia drops to 3-26 since the start of 2013.

Game #5:

If you like bad defense, this was the game for you. The Stalkers 2 errors were easily surpassed by Fremont’s 6, leading to 6 unearned runs. Tyler Colvin managed two on the same play. Stalkers win 7-3.

Game #6:

Fremont finally gets a win in the series behind rookie Jarred Cosart, winning 4-2.

Series Summary

Yonge Street takes the series easily 5-1.

       Chicago Mobsters @ Hollywood Werewolves

Series Preview

Hollywood vs. Chicago

Series Summary

Hollywood takes 4 of 6 with 2 blowouts vs. Sir Felix and Adam Wainwright. Kershaw was ridiculously good in giving up only 1 run in 2 starts (17 innings)