Hollywood and Dallas square off in what looks to be a very tough series.  Dallas won 113 games this past season including a convincing 4-2 series win in Hollywood to end the season.

Game #1: Clayton Kershaw (21-7 1.67) vs. Dallas Keuchel (27-2 1.79)
In a battle of Cy Young award winners, 3-time winner (and winner of the 3 of the last 4 AL Cy Young winners) Clayton Kershaw (21-7) takes on expected 2016 TBD winner Dallas Keushel (27-2).  Neither pitcher disappointed…  With 1-out in the bottom of the 3^rd, Nick Hundley steps to the plate and hammers a double to center.  Christian Colon  singles to right field off Kershaw, Carlos Gonzalez gallops for it … he has it … Hundley rounds third…they’re waving Hundley in…here comes the throw to the plate … and he’s … out!…just missed getting in…oh, those, Werewolves … they slay the go-ahead run.. Hundley just doesn’t have the wheels for that.  The game remains scoreless into the 10^th inning.  Travis Plouffe hammers a double with 1 out and is lifted for PR Deven Marrero.  Jarrod Dyson pinch hits for Wellington Castillo.  After failing to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Dyson pulls his bat back on a fake bunt with 2-strikes and hammers a base hit right field…it drops in front of Rasmus … he has to play the long bounce … Marrero rounds third and he scores … as the throw comes in to second … Dyson holds at first with a single.  Hollywood leads 1-0!   Hollywood leaves Javier Lopez on the mound to finish the game.  Jeff Francoeur steps in.  Lopez into the wind … a blast to right … way back … it’s gone! … Jeff ties it up!   Yangervas Solarte singles to right and that’s it for Lopez.  Joakim Soria takes over as Justin Maxwell steps in for Dallas.  After Maxwell puts down a perfect bunt, Nick Hundley steps in.  Let’s listen to the call.  Soria looks back at Maxwell on second … the pitch … looped to right … toward the gap… Gonzalez’s after it … cuts it off on the bounce … Maxwell rounds third….they’re waving Maxwell in…here comes the throw to the plate … and he’s … out by inches! … Cargo does it again!! He has cut off the winning run … and the aggressive base running does not pay off.. The game stays that way till the 14^th.  With 1-out Ian Kinsler doubles.  Marrero singles to right and the runners are at the corner with 1-out.  AJ Ellis steps in.  Infielders back … Kinsler alert at third … the pitch … hit deep to center field…Pollock is racing back … it has double written all over it … Pollock corrals the ball… Kinsler scores … Marrero rounds third and scores as Hollywood takes the lead 3-1.  Drew Storen comes in and shuts the door as Hollywood takes game 1.
Final Score:  Hollywood 3 – Dallas 1 (13 Innings) Continue reading →

After wining the #1 Wild Card seed & taking out the Motor City Muscle 2 games to 1, the Chicago Mobsters take on the American League Central Division Champions the Crime from Detroit.

Game #1: Felix Hernandez (25-4 1.94) vs. Madison Bumgarner (25-5 1.75)

Felix Hernandez didn’t have his best stuff, allowing 8 hits, 3 walks 7 & 3 runs in only 5 Innings.   Chicago’s three relievers allowed 2 more runs over the course of 3 innings.
Kendry’s Morales has a solo shot in the top of the 2^nd to start the scoring off for the Crime.  Morales singled in the 3^rd scoring Manny Machado.
A Kyle Schwarber pinch hit Sacrifce  Fly in the 6^th scored the 3^rd run for Detroit.
Ben Zobrist hits a solo Home Run in the 7^th inning & a Jhonny Peralta solo Home Run in the 8^th inning was all the Crime needed to put this one on ice.
Madison Bumgarner was solid throwing 7 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits, walking 2, while striking out 7 Mobsters batters.   Joaquin Benoit threw the final 2 innings allowing only 1 walk.
Chicago’s bats just couldn’t get started against Bumgarner.
Final Score:  Detroit 5 – Chicago 0 Continue reading →

Sacramento Capitals finished the regular season atop the NL West with an intimidating 120-42 record and would enjoy home e-field advantage in the National League Divisional Playoff against the new-to-winning Bethesda Bandicoots who won their second consecutive NL East title with a 96-66 record.
The two teams met 13 times in the regular season with the edge going to the Capitals who were victorious in eight of those games (but we had the edge in beer consumption).
The Capitals went into the series with a long tradition of winning behind them … Bethesda merely had a long tradition of being behind.
Sacramento Generalissimo George Skiles predicted that given the enormous similarities in the two teams (solid hitting bolstered by very good pitching) that the series would be a close one.

Game #1: Jake Arrieta (17-10 1.66) vs. Zack Greinke (19-8 2.07)
Billed as a titanic struggle between the two best starting pitchers in the National League (Zack Geinke for Sacramento and Jake Arrieta for Bethesda)in 2015 (Zack Geinke for Sacramento and Jake Arrieta for Bethesda), the first game of the series lived up to its billing and more.
Playing the role of the Titanic was Bethesda and playing the role of the ice berg was the entire Sacramento Capitals batting order.
Sacramento got on the board first in the bottom of the 3rd inning where fittingly speedster (who knew) Greinke came around to score from 1st base on Danny Valencia‘s double down the line.
The shrink wrap now removed on the scoring, Giancarlo Stanton manhandled an Arrieta offering the next inning to make it 2-0 Sacramento, but they were just getting started as Albert Pujols punched a hole in the ozone layer with a shot just a couple of batters later and voila … 3-0 SAC and Arrieta’s day was done.
Sacramento added another the next inning on a Texas Leaguer by Corey Dickerson against reliever Brandon Morrow and then it was the Erasmo Ramirez and John Axford (Shit) Show as the two relievers gave up a combined six runs over the rest of the game for a ridiculously easy 10-0 Capitals win.   All Greinke did in the game was pitch seven innings of two hit ball, walking one, striking out 8 and scoring two runs himself. Nice. Dickerson and Pujols each had a couple of hits and 3 RBIs.
Final Score:  Sacramento 10 – Bethesda 0 Continue reading →

National League Division Series #1 Preview – Clovis Wheat Kings (100-62, 2nd place NL West) vs. Columbus Explorers (126-36, 1st NL Central).

It’s the big show and a big showdown between the Wheat Kings and Explorers. Clovis bumped off the “evil emipire” Tempe Tempers in the Wild Card round and now they aim to wipe out another NL Central team – this time the Cinderella Explorers from Columbus who have danced their way to the top record in the NL. And they did it with a patch work group of pitchers – many of which don’t even qualify to start in the post season!

Columbus took the season series, but only by a 7-5 margin. Columbus is a scrappy team with only 138 HRs compared to Clovis who was 2nd in the NL with 220 (behind Tempe’s 224). But Columbus outscored the Wheat Kings by a 766-687 margin. And the Explorers 203 stolen bases was 49 more than the closest team and 150 more than Clovis. But Clovis has a good throwing catching corps in Martin and Castro who cut down about 50% of the runners.

Pitching – The Explorers ranked 2nd (2.59 era and 481 runs) and the Wheat Kings 3rd (2.74 era and 502 runs) so there might not be too much offense – unless those Wheat Kings hitters get some bombs going over the wall.

Columbus fans are excited to be in the post season – Wheat Kings fans are hoping for a final farewell to the MWBL that will be capped with a big title. The two owner, Schindel and Cooper, have met in previous post seasons in MWWL where Cooper’s team was the big underdog and they managed to win 4 straight after dropping the opener – so don’t expect paper to mean a thing in this one.

Game #1: Garrett Richards (14-12 3.63) vs. Tommy Milone (10-5 3.13)
Again the big guns for Columbus (Tomlin and Severino) did not get enough starts to qualify, so they find themselves sitting in the bullpen – but who cares, it’s the playoffs. In fact, Schindel gets nervous when Davis opens the game with a double off the wall and Tomlin quickly enters the game. Good move, he gets the next three without giving up anything. But that quickly changed in the 2nd when Byrd hits a 1 out homer (1) to break the goose eggs and give Garrett the 1-0 lead. Continue reading →