World Series
Greensboro vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils welcome the Grasshoppers from Greensboro for the World Series, a familiar participant and Champion, and they showed why! There was a program glitch in the first attempt at the Series and the games were disregarded and replayed with the correct lineups used.
Gm #1
deGrom vs. Bibee. The Dust Devils scored single runs in the first two innings, one on a Perez throwing error and the second on a Gomes RBI H&R 2B. J-Rod (1) tied it with a 2R shot in the 3rd. Then in the 4th, after two walks, Walker (1) went yard and the Grasshoppers were off to the races! Seager ripped a bases clearing triple in the 7th only to be driven in by Albies for a 9-2 Greensboro advantage! Schwarber (1) had a meaningless solo shot in the 8th and the visitors take the opener, 9-3.
GRE 002 300 400 9 8 1
ARZ 110 000 010 3 8 1
W deGrom (1-0)
L Bibee (0-1)
Gm #2
Quintana vs. Rasmussen. Torkelson, in for the injured Sal Perez after getting plunked (out for 9 games), scored on an Ohtani double in the 3rd. J-Ram (1) ripped a 2R shot and Betts scored on a Sanchez single as the Dust Devils went up 3-1 after 6. The previously mentioned Torkelson drove in Nootbaar on a double after his double in the 7th, 3-2 ARZ. With Graterol on the hill for the save, Nootbaar (1) and Torkelson (1) go BTB for a 4-3 Grasshoppers lead in the 9th. Ohtani steals second after reaching on a J-Ram error and Seager singles him in for a critical insurance run. Carroll (1) solo not enough as Arizona leaves 2 runners on to end the game as they fall short, 5-4 GRE. Torkelson, filling in for Perez, went 3-3, 2R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, HR!!! Quintana hurt his shoulder in the 4th and is out the rest of the series as well. Phillips was ejected with two outs in the 9th after plunking Mookie.
GRE 001 000 103 5 8 0
ARZ 000 003 001 4 7 1
W France (1-0)
L Graterol (0-1), BS 1
S Hamilton (1)
Arizona heads to Greensboro down 2-0.
Game 3 - Verlander continued his 2024 dominance as he held the Dust Devils to 3 hits till the seventh. Saalfrank and Middleton then maintained the lead. 5-1 Hoppers. Ohtani (1), Noot (2), and Bell (subbing for the injured Salvy) homered.
Game 4 - Shohei almost replicated Verlander's game 3 efforts as he held Arizona to 4 hits into the seventh inning. Martin Perez and Evan Phillips then closed it out, 3-1. Unlikely hero Josh Bell (Salvy's 1B sub) homered again. Dust Devil starter Bibee did very well, only relinquishing 3 Hopper hits, but 2 of them (J-Rod's and Seager's) produced RBI.
Hoppers sweep for the Championship, a surprising performance for a team that surely did not have the pitching past Hopper teams had.
Congratulations to Denny on an excellent season, and on a very challenging Series.
Championship Series
Greensboro vs Coney Island
Oct. 16 - Traditional rival Coney arrives for the 2-game set. They open with Kikuchi against Verlander. The Hoppers pull it out with 3 in the eighth to take the opener, 4-3. Ohtani, Seager, and Noot homer for the Hoppers, and Happ hits one for the Coneys.
Oct. 17 - This one goes 10 before Shohei's blast puts it in the win column for Greensboro, 4-3. It's Ohtani's second of the 2 game series. Trout also goes yard.
So Greensboro's up 2-zip as the teams head north to Brooklyn where (based on prior history) Coney will sweep the 3 games there.
2 of the last 3 times these teams met in the postseason it was a sweep, 1 by each team. The other time, 4-3 Greensboro. Berger predicts it's going to go to at least 6 games - but he's already got the 2 game lead winning 2 1 run games (1 in 12 innings) - both games were LATE scoring victories, but they were still Greensboro wins. Cyclones are decidedly the underdog, but they are scrappy. If they get any help from the starters, they have a chance, but of course, the bats have to be active.
Game 3 - Ohtani vs. Silseth
Jhouly Rodriguez opens the game with a home run (1) - not the kind of thing the Cyclones want to see. Silseth then fans 3 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd, where did that come from. Devers then leads off the bottom of the 2nd with a tape measure shot (1) to tie the game. Game remains tied through 5 1/2 - Silseth giving up only 2 hits (and 3 walks) and fanning 8, but keeping his team in the game. Bottom of the 6th, Happ leads off with a walk, moves to 2nd on a Marte groundout. Solano up, Happ steals 3rd. Infield back, but it didn't matter as Ohtani fires one way outside - missing Contreras and Happ scores, 2-1 crowd goes wild.
Thornton in to start the 7th and K, flyout and K. Bottom half, Ohtani still on the hill and with 1 out, Rizzo uncorks a homer (1) to get the Cyclones a 3-1 lead! Crowd erupts.
But, these are the Grasshoppers and they don't roll over. Thornton continues pitching in the 8th and gives up a leadoff double to Salvy Perez. Rodriguez then grounds out moving Perez to 3rd. Ohtani up and Cyclones bring in Wandy Peralta and he fans Ohtani!! 2 down, Peralta is pumped. Peralta then gets Seager to fly out to Laureano in RF - WAIT, he drops it!! He drops it!, Perez walks home to make it 3-2. Adams comes in to pitch for Coney Island and he gets Contreras to ground out to end the inning, but it's a 1 run game. Happ leads off the bottom half with a single, but the Cyclones are blanked by Phillips who comes on to end the threat and keep the Grasshoppers close.
Mayza - who mysteriously was awol in games 1 and 2, is called on for the 9th. Albies leads off an flys out to Laureano in RF - oh was he sure to catch it. Arenado fouls one off his foot, then misses strike 2 and finally grounds out to Rizzo at 1st. Walker up, it's a long fly to CF - Happ is going back, back, back - he reaches out...and makes the catch. Cyclones hang on to win it 3-2!
GRE 100 000 010 2-3-1 LP Ohtani (0-1)
CIC 010 001 10x 3-4-1 WP Silseth (1-0) S Mayza (1)
HRs: GRE - Rodriguez (1); CIC - Devers (1), Rizzo (1)
Game 4 - France vs. Kikuchi
3 straight 1 run games, does it get any better? Well Ohtani draws a 1 out walk in the 1st and then Contreras singles with 2 outs and Ohtani's speed takes him all the way around the bases to score and Greensboro again starts off with a 1-0 lead in the 1st. Bottom half and Happ draws a leadoff walk and steals 2nd. Solano grounds him to 3rd where he sits with 2 outs. Devers then singles to drive him home and the game is tied 1-1 after 1. Bottom of the 2nd, Arcia leads off with a double (good to see him making contact after a dry division series). 1 out and Narvaez hits a dying quail rbi single to put Coney Island up 2-1.
Well - the game might as well have ended there. Kikuchi was strong - scattering 5 hits over 7.2 innings, 7 ks and no more runs. Ferguson comes on for the final 4 outs, 1 hit was it. Cyclones added a run in the 5th and then iced it with 2 more in the 8th and for the first time in the series we don't have a one run game. Cyclones win it 5-1! The series is tied.
GRE 100 000 000 1-6-0 LP France (0-1)
CIC 110 010 02x 5-8-0 WP Kikuchi (1-0)
Game 5 - Quintana vs. Mahle
Who will have the 3-2 lead? Lots of tension for this one. Mahle pitched well in game 2, but left early with a lead, but the bullpen couldn't hold it (12 inning game). How will he look today?
He gives up a walk in the 1st and the 2nd but that's it. Quintana does even better with 6 up, 6 down.
Nootbar starts the 3rd lining a single for the 1st hit of the game but he's erased by a Rodriguez DP. But Ohtani draws the walk and steals 2nd but then Seager unloads - this was a tape measure job (2) and the Grasshoppers grab an early 2-0 lead.
Greensboro extends the lead to 3-0 in the 5th when Walker leads off with a double and Nootbaar singles - but it looked like the Cyclones were in for luck as Laureano guns down Walker at home. Mahle then walks Rodriguez, but fans Ohtani for the 2nd out. So with runners on 1st and 2nd, Seager comes up and singles into no man's land scoring Nootbar, Rodriguez heads to 3rd, Seager heads for 2nd on the throw home, but the throw is cut off and Seagers out, but Grasshoppers did get 1 and it's 3-0 after 5.
If you are a Cyclones fan (and you should be!!) it gets worse. Albies gets a 1 out single in the 6th and Perez follows with a 2 out 2 run homer (1) and that makes it 5-0 after 6! But wait, there's more, in the 7th Rodriguez hits one out (2) over the CF wall and it's 6-0 and the crowd is all but comatose. Well, they are making their way to the beer lines - not much else to enjoy.
Bottom half and the Grasshoppers bring in Trevor Megill. He walks Laureano but Delay grounds into FC. Happ then doubles Delay to 3rd. But Marte Ks. Solano up and he bloops one down the LF line - it drops in and 2 runs score on the double. Cyclones at least get a couple of runs for respectability. 6-2 after 7.
Bottom of the 8th - the locals are well lubricated, so they are cheering, fearing this is the final game at home this year. Greensboro brings in Middleton. So what takes place is, well, somewhere beyond believable.
Rengifo leads off and singles. Rizzo fans (3rd time). Arcia lines one off Middleton's glove for a fluke infield single. Rivas in to PH for Laureano and he's HBP, bases juiced, 1 out. Delay 1 pitch away for a DP but instead lines one hard to RF for a 2 run single. 6-4! Rivas safe at 3rd. Middleton leaves, Ian Hamilton in. Happ greets him with a 1 hopper to the wall for his 2nd double of the game Rivas scores, Delay is sent home - he scores - TIE GAME! Crowd has changed their tune! Marte up - he's been silent at the plate, but with 1 out, he's still a major threat so the Grasshoppers walk him. Good Move? Maybe - Solano whiffs, 2 down. Devers up. He grounds one behind first and it's through - Happ scores, Cyclones have the lead! Marte at 3rd. Hamilton leaves - Phillips comes in to quell this mess. But Rengifo has other ideas as Devers takes off, Renfigo fists one to the hole that opens up and Marte scores and Devers ends up on 3rd. 8-6 Cyclones and Rizzo then grounds out and the harvest is in. But the Cyclones score an amazing 6 runs and totally flip a blowout into an 8-6 lead! 3 outs to go.
Mayza is called on to close out the 9th and he gets the job done fanning Perez and Walker and getting Nootbar to fly (way deep) out to CF to end the game! Cyclones win 8-6 and grab a 3-2 lead heading down I95/85 to Greensboro
GRE 002 012 100 6- 8-0 LP Hamilton (1-1) BS (1)
CIC 000 000 26x 8-12-0 WP Jackson (1-1) S Mayza (2)
HRs: GRE - Rodriguez (2), Seager (2), Perez (1)
Well - Berger was right! I don't want to make any predictions, these teams like home cooking! But it's another great Grasshoppers/Cyclones series - wow!
And so it comes down to the final 2 games, and it sure seems like we've been here before (we have, more than once).
Oct. 23 - The Psyclones open with Silseth against Verlander, but this time it winds up not exactly as close as the fans expected. The Hoppers jump out to a 4-zip lead through the first 4, but Schindel's Warriors come back with 5 in the 5th to take the lead as they chase Verlander. (If Bill was managing at home this no doubt would've been the end.) In the bottom of the inning, however, the Hoppers retake the lead, 6-5, and then they proceed to plate 2 each in the 7th and 8th innings. 10-5, Greensboro. Devers hits his 2nd of the series, and Shohei hits his 3rd. Albies blasts 2, his first 2 of the series.
Oct. 24 - To no one's great surprise it comes down to a seventh game. Shohei faces Kikuchi, and it's a blowout (kidding!). The contest goes ten innings before the Hoppers finally prevail, 5-4. The unlikely hero is reliever Martin Perez who initially blows the Save in the seventh, as the Coneys tie the score at 4 apiece. It remains at 4 till the bottom of the 10th when Seagar scores lightning-fast Salvy with the winner.
Great series, and it could've easily gone the other way. Congrats to Senior Schindel on getting the most of his roster.
Northwest vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils welcome the Indians from Northwest in League Championship Round playoff action.
Gm #1
Steele vs. Bibee. After a Lindor walk, Torres delivered him with a double in the 4th. In the home 5th, Fry (1) and Ramirez (1) deliver 2R HR for a 4-1 Arizona lead. A Ramirez error allowed an Indians run in the 6th and Lindor singled in a run in the ninth, but a Gimenez (1) solo in the 7th accounted for the other Dust Devils run as they take the opener 5-3.
W Rasmussen (1-0)
L Alcantara (0-1)
S Graterol (1)
Gm #2
D. May vs. Rasmussen. A 2-out 2R double by Gomes jumpstarted the Arizona offense in the 2nd. With 2 outs in the 3rd, 2 walks and 2 singles opened up a 4-0 lead. Jung delivered a 2-out RBI 2B in the 6th to close the deficit to 4-1. An RBI single by Ramirez and a 2R shot by Mookie (1) added 3 runs in the 7th and a Gomes (1) solo and an RBI single by Olson closed out the scoring for the Dust Devils as they take the first two games at home with the 9-1 victory.
W Rasmussen (1-0)
L D. May (0-1)
Arizona heads back to Northwest with a 2-0 series lead.
I Tried to not get swept.
Arizona 10 Northwest 5 in game three.
It was T. Walker vs. Strider.
Game 3 - first inning - Schwarbomb to start. JRam walk and Olson dinger,
Carrroll walk, Henderson FC, Raley homerun. 3 dingers in the first for a
5-0 lead reducing Strider.
In the 3rd inning Belton solo shot for Northwest
In the 4th inning with 2 outs Hays homered, Jung doubled, and Benson
homered again making it 5-4 Arizona.
In the 5th, Lindor doubled and Duran relieved
In the 6th Betts homered making that four off of Strider.
In the 7th Gomes singled and V. Gonzalez relieved and Gimenez greeted
him with a 2-run blast making it 8-5 Arizona.
That was basically it for the game, D.L. Hall allowed a homer to Lowe
for the Indians and Arizona added 2 more runs in the 9th.
Foley closed it out for Arizona getting the side in the 8th and 9th 1-2-3.
Arizona 8 Northwest 6 in Game 4
In Game 4 - It was Bibee vs. Steele. First inning, Lindor lead off with
a homer, Duvall homered, Guerrero singled, Torres base hit, Heim RBI
single for the early 3-0 lead.
In the 3rd inning Guerrero single, Hays walk, 2 out Jung single,
Guerrero was ruled out at home trying to score but error by Sanchez
allowed the run. 4-0, NW.
In the 4th back to back doubles by Olson and Betts scored a run and then
back to back wild pitches plated Betts. 4-2.
Arizona tied it up in the 5th when Gimenez singled, Schwarber hit into a
FC, Ramirez singled and Olson tripled them home.
In the bottom half Northwest grabbed the lead again when a Heim single
and walk to Hays brought up E. Rodriguez pinch hitting for Jung
who singled home Heim but Hays was ruled out initially at third but
Ramirez couldn't keep the ball contained and was charged with an error
allowing the run.
That made it 6-4, Northwest.
But in the 7th inning with N Martinez pitching for Northwest Gimenez
singled, Holton relieved and walked Schwarber.
Then Jose Ramirez hit the back breaking Baltimore Special. That sure
made up for the error earlier.
Arizona added an insurance run on a Henderson homer making it 8-6.
The Dust Devils bullpen shined in the finale, shutting down Northwest
after Bibee departed.
Congats to Denny! Great season and series.
Division Series
Chappaqua vs Coney Island
Long time rivals Coney Island and Chappaqua square off in the NL Division series. These rivals have never played each other in the postseason (at least not since Manager Bill returned to WIBL with Coney Island - after starting off with the Myrtle Beach franchise long ago.
The Comets are making their first postseason appearance since 2022. They last went to the LCS in 2019. The Cyclones made it to the LCS last year and were in the World Series in 2020 and 2021, winning it all in 2020.
Shea Stadium is the scene for Games 1 and 2
GAME 1 CHA 5 CIC 2
The Comets jump out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Harrison Bader and a 2 RBI double by Kim. Coney Island comes back with 2 in the 4th as Luis Rengifo singles in two runs. The Comets answer right back in the bottom of the frame as Garrett Cooper singles in a run to make it 4-2 Chappaqua after four.
Yusuki Kikuchi, Coney Island's starter, leaves with 2 outs in the 5th, having allowed 8 hits and 4 runs with 4 walks and 7 strikeouts. Four Cyclone relievers combine to shut out the Comets over the final 3.1 IP but the damage was done.
Comet ace Sonny Gray pitched into the 8th, allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs, with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts. He walked two with two on and nobody out in the 8th and an obviously tiring Gray left in favor of ace closer Chris Martin. Martin, a late season acquisition from Brooklyn, came through as he struck out Anthony Rizzo to end the threat. Martin then pitched a hitless 9th to get the 4 out save as the Comets won the opener of the series.
GAME 2 CIC 8 CHA 6 (12 innings)
An instant classic as Coney Island evens the series. Its Tyler Mahle for the Cyclones against Bailey Ober for the Comets. And its Coney Island that starts fast- scoring three in the top of the first on a 2 run HR by Ketel Marte and an RBI single by Rizzo. Chappaqua gets one back in the bottom of the frame as Yanier Diaz doubles in a run.
Coney Island increases the lead to 5-1 with an unearned run in the 3rd (throwing error by 3B Matt Chapman) and a solo HR by Marte- his second dinger of the game!
Then, in the 5th the wheels come off for the Cyclones. Conor Joe singled in a run to make it 5-2. Josh Lowe then doubled in two to make it 5-4. That was also for Marte as Wandy Peralta came in to face Diaz. The Comets catcher came through with an RBI single and the game was tied 5-5!
In the bottom of the 6th, Chappaqua's rookie 2B Jordan Westburg had the hit of his life - a solo HR off Peralta - and Chappaqua took the lead 6-5!
Ober had struggled through 6 innings, allowing 6 runs and after he walked Marte leading off the 7th, his day was through as Yennier Cano replaced him. Cano was the closer until Chappaqua acquired Martin and it was his job to bridge the gap now to Martin. Two out and two on and Rengifo at the plate - and Rengifo came through once again - with an RBI single to TIE IT AGAIN. 6-6!
In the top of the 9th, with Martin now pitching for Chappaqua, Ian Happ hit one deep to left. It looked like it was on its way out but Josh Lowe leaped and robbed Happ of a HR. Marte then singled. Solano sent him to third with a hit and run single. 1st and 3d one out - and Rafael Devers at the plate. The Comets move the infield in. And Martin STRIKES OUT DEVERS! Two down. The dangerous Rengifo is up and Martin gets him to ground out to second.
Tim Mayza comes in to pitch for Coney Island in the 9th and he sets the Comets down in order. And we go to extra innings. Martin sets the Cyclones down in order in the top of the 10th. Coney Island then brings in their SEVENTH pitcher of the game, Jameson. The Cyclones bullpen is now empty and the Comets look like they are in good position to win it. But Jameson is tough. In the 11th, Conor Joe doubles with 2 out but Jameson comes back to strike out Lowe.
We go to the top of the 12th. Clay Holmes had replaced Martin at the start of the 11th. Holmes gets into trouble immediately as Coney Island puts runners on 1st and 2d with no out. Rengifo is up - and he does it yet again - an RBI single for his FOURTH RBI of the series! 7-6 Coney Island. Arcia's sac fly makes it 8-6 before Matt Moore relieves Holmes to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 12th, a plainly tired Jameson is on the mound. He somehow finds the strength to strike out Diaz and then Chapman. Two out nobody on. Cooper draws a walk. Westburg is up as the tying run. He's homered earlier. Can he doe it again. No - its a lazy fly to CF Laureano settles under it - and the Cyclones have tied the series in a game for the ages.
Marte was 3-5 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs, plus a walk. Solano was 3-6. Devers (2-5) scored three runs. Rengifo (2-5) drove in two and had a walk.
For the Comets, Joe was 3-6 with a double and 2 runs scored. David Peralta was 3-5. Aaron Judge sat out the game as the wear and tear of the season apparently got to him. The Comets stole four bases, two by Jazz Chisholm. With three SBs in Game 1, the Comets have 7 so far in the series.
Jameson got the win pitching 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit and walking only 1 with 3 Ks. Holmes took the loss
The series now moves down the Saw Mill River Parkway (and the BQE) to Coney Island for Games 3,4 and 5.
Tidewater vs Greensboro
Greensboro rips Tidewater in 2 games.
Gm,1 GRE 7-1
Greensboro struck for 6 runs in the first two innings and Tidewater never recovered. Seager and Trout drove in runs in the 1st and Contreras sent 3 runners home in the 2nd. They coasted from there. TID got 8 hits but could not push any runs across.
Gm.2 GRE 7-0
Verlander's game. 9 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 8 K's. What can I say? TID stunk. GRE did not. J.Rodriguez was 3-5 with a double and a HR to pick up 4 RBI.
On to Greensboro to face a quick elimination.
Oct. 9 - Logan Gilbert faces deGrom. Jake (apparently still not recovered from his injuries) just doesn't have it, and the Tides clobber him for a 10-5 win. Duran and Bichette homer for the Drillers, and Shohei goes yard for the Hoppers.
Oct. 10 - Oviedo and France in game 4. Very exciting contest until Soto's 3-run blast off Austin Pruitt puts the Drillers ahead for good, and they hang on for the 7-6 win as Greensboro leaves the potential tying run at second in the bottom of the ninth.
Oct. 11 - Max tries to prevent the sweep as he faces Josiah Gray. The Greensboro bats finally come alive as they take it, 8-2. Freeman (batting .375 for the series!) homers for the Drillers, and Shohei, Albies, and Contreras all go long for the Hoppers.
Greensboro up 3 games to 2 so far.
Back to Tidewater for the finale!
Greensboro wins in game 6 to take the series as Tidewater pitching totally collapses and the hitting failed to hold up.
GRE 9 - 11 - 1
TID 6 - 8 - 1
Ohtani gets blasted early, giving up 5 runs after 1.2 innings. BUT, he makes up for it in the 6th by crushing a grand slam to put GRE ahead 7-6 and TID could not get anything after the 4th inning.
GRE - Walker 3-5 with 3 RBI Ohtani 1-4 4 RBI on a Grand Slam Rodriguez 2-5 with 1 RBI
TID - Freeman 3-3 with 2 RBI Davis 1-4 with 2 RBI
Arizona vs Tulsa
The Arizona Dust Devils welcome the Roughnecks from Tulsa in Division Round playoff action.
Gm #1
Senga vs. Bibee. Noda (1) led off the 4th with a blast to give the Roughnecks an early 1-0 lead. Carroll led off the 5th with a double and promptly stole third. Henderson singled him home but was stranded on second. Bibee went 6 and Senga 7 not allowing another run. Both pens shut down the others offense until the bottom of the 9th when the Tulsa defense was their downfall. With Bednar on the hill, Ramirez reached on a Mauricio error and stole second. Olson was plunked to put runners on 1st and 2nd for Mookie. He topped the ball to the left of the mound. Bednar tried to get Mookie at first and threw it into right field allowing Ramirez to score the game winner! ARZ 2-1.
TUL 1 3 2
ARZ 2 4 1
W Graterol (1-0)
L Bednar (0-1)
Gm #2
C. Sanchez vs. Rasmussen. The Roughnecks led off the 3rd with BTB doubles by Nola and McKenna to lead 1-0. After a Raley lead off single in the bottom half, with Raley going with the pitch, Henderson (1) hit the flagpole for a 2-1 Dust Devils advantage. Gunnar (2) smoked another big fly after Sanchez had walked to open the 8th for critical insurance runs. Duran ceded a long ball to Stewart (1) to lead off the 9th but retired the next 3 batters in order to secure the 4-2 victory and the home field advantage in the series.
TUL 2 6 0
ARZ 4 3 0
W Rasmussen (1-0)
L C. Sanchez (0-1)
S Duran (1)
Arizona heads to Tulsa with a hard fought 2-0 series lead.
Tulsa wins game one 6-4 and then Arizona storms back and wins the next two 11-4 and 10-3 to take the series 4-1.
Northwest vs Mad Town
The two power houses of the East meet at Northwest and split the two
game series.
10/6 - NW 10 MT 7. Eflin vs. Steele. Early runs remove Eflin;
Guerrero's 3 run homer and a 2 run shot by Hays gave the Indians an
early 5-1 lead.
The Indians added 5 more runs in the 5th and cruised to the finish
despite Minter and May allowing 5 runs out of the 'pen.
For the Zephyrs, Bellinger and Machado hit home runs and accounted for 5
RBI's.
10/7 - MT 9 NW 3. Gallen vs. Strider. Wade, Garver, and Bellinger
spread out the dingers and the 9-3 lead held as Mad Town ties up the series
and heads back home even up. Bellinger on fire for Mad Town, going 5 for
5, 8 for 10 so far, 2 homers and 6 RBI's in the two games!
Northwest comes to Mad Town to continue their heart stopping series. These games were not for the faint of heart.
Game 3
Alcantara (0-1) and Kirby (1-0) had a pitching duel for seven. That man Bellinger (3) put up the only run.
1-0 MTZ
Game 4
In the bottom of the 4th, with the bases loaded, Bogaerts tripled. Bellinger doubled him in for a 4-0 Zephyrs lead. In the 5th inning, Torres (1) jacked a 3 run shot narrowing the lead to 1. Lowe singled in Hays to tie it up. Garver (2) responded with a 3 run shot of his own to reclaim the lead. But is was short lived as Grichuk (1) and Duvall (1) helped unleash a 7 run 8th to turn out the lights on the home team.
13-7 MTZ
Game 5
Steele and Eflin put on another show. After 4 innings there were no hits. After a walk, Hays (2) erased the no-hitter. In the bottom of the 9th, Casas walked and Crawford doubled him home. Berti doubled in Crawford for the tie. In the 10th, Jung singled in Benson for the lead. Kirk (1) tied it up in the bottom half. In the 12th, Lindor doubles and JUng brings him home. 4-3 Indians. In the bottom half, Casas singles and Crawford's double walks it off! Whew
5-4 MTZ
Zephyrs send it back to the Indians
The final two games are exactly the way Ted predicted! Bottom of the 9th
and 7th game.
He called the shot! What a series!
G6 - NW 6 MT 4. Gallen vs. Strider. This could not have started out
worse for Northwest. The Z's hit three dingers and Wade, Casas, and
Franco put 4
on the board before the Indians came to bat. I figured fuck it, I'm
done, let Strider get pounded, he'll probably walk five guys now. But, no,
after that it seemed Strider found it, fanning 11 and no walks. In the
6th the Indians tied it up and scored another pair in the 7th to put it
away.
G7 - NW 3 MT 2. Kirby vs. Skubal. Madtown took a 2-0 lead into the 8th
inning based on an RBI single by Kirk and another run scored on
a double play ball by Wade. Benson's 2 run homer tied it up in the 8th
setting the stage for the 9th inning. In the top half, Iglesias relieved
Skubal after
he allowed a walk to Machado. Bellinger was called on to pinch hit and
hit a GDP, and Crawford flied out. In the bottom half with Abreu pitching
the Indians got a lead off walk to Guerrero and Wiemer was sent in to
pinch run. Heim moved Torres over on a ground out and a tired Velazquez
was called on to pinch hit, but was intentionally walked by Abreu. Lowe
was called on to bunt but fouled off two attempts and was given the
green light
and lined a single to right scoring Wiemer to plate the winning run in
the bottom of the 9th!
Lou
Ted- great season and series, I knew it would be tight, but wow!
Week ending October 4
Freeport vs Gulf Breeze
GM1
G 0 4 0
F 6 13 0
W- Manning (4-1)
L- Gomber (7-19)
HR- F- Urshela (3), Siri (20)
GM2
G 5 9 0
F 8 14 1
W- Perdomo (1-0)
L- L. Garcia (0-1)
S- Alzolay (16)
HR- G-Frazier (17)
F- N. Jones (16)
GM 3 (10 innings)
G 7 12 0
F 8 11 0
W- T. Scott (5-6)
L- DeSclafani (3-10)
HR- G - Tapia (6), Carpenter (6)
F- Yoshida (11), Stephenson 2 (14)
INJ- F- Hoerner (2 days)
GM 4
G 4 9 1
F 5 8 3
W- N. Anderson (6-1)
L- Y. Garcia (2-1)
S- Alzolay (17)
HR- F- Yoshida (12), Bailey (7)
GM 5
G 3 7 0
F 1 5 0
W- Flaherty (6-8)
L- Butto (2-4)
S- Bry. Wilson (24)
Bandits finish the season winning 4 of 5 from the Rebels
Stamford vs Durham
Game 1 ( 12 innings)
Durham 6-11-0
Stamford 5-9-1
WP R Pressly 5-5 LP R Nelson 1-1
A see saw game which had several leads changes. The game is tied at 3 when Durham pushes across a run to take the lead. Jays tie game in bottom of the 8th. Again Durham takes 1 run lead in top of the 9th but a Murphy homer ties game in bottom of the 9th. A Suwinski single drives in winning run for Durham. Santander and Adames homer for Durham while Murphy goes deep for Stamford.
Game 2 ( 11 innings))
Stamford 5-13-1
Durham 4-9-1
WP F Bautista 8-5 LP G Anderson 0-1
A Reynolds single in the bottom of the 11th gives the Jays a walk off win. Adames and Suwinski homer for Durham.
Game 3
Stamford 9-12-1
Durham 7-11-0
WP T Gonsolin 1-2 LP T Blach 0-2
A slugfest which features Durham homers from Mancini – 3 run blast and Melendez. Bouchard ( 4 RBIs) and Murphy homer for the Jays.
Game 4
Stamford 6-9-0
Durham 5-11-4
WP R Nelson 2-1 LP G Anderson 0-2
Durham takes a quick 5-0 lead after 3 innings. The Jays close gap scoring 2 in the 4th; 2 more in the 5th and take the lead when they score two in the 7th. Kwan has 4 hits for Durham and Odor belts two run homer. Bouchard goes deep for Stamford.
Game 5 ( 10 innings)
Stamford 4-8-0
Durham 3-3-0
WP C Bassitt 14-11 LP R Pressley 5-6
A Nimmo single drives in Duffy and gives the Jays a walk off win. Off the injury list Jays starter goes the distance giving up 3 hits while fanning 9 and walking 5. Durham starter is also effective fanning 11 over 8 innings. Encarnacion belts two run homer for Durham and Kirilloff goes deep for the Jays.
Stamford finishes with a 90-71 with one rain out for 3rd in the NL East while Durham finishes with a 62-1000 for 4th place in the NL East.
Wait till next year. Good luck to all in the playoffs.
East Coast vs Arizona
Gm #1
Lopez vs. Cecconi. The visitors were very rude how they treated their hosts as the Rockies clobbered Arizona 9-2. Springer (13), Davis (9), Riley (37) and Candelario (23) all enjoyed downtown trots. ECR 9-2.
W Lopez (14-10)
L Cecconi (0-1)
Gm #2
Cease vs. Nola. Things turned out more to the hometown fans liking as Nola throws a CG, scattering 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 12. A Candelario (24) solo leading off the 7th the only blemish on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Nola got support from J-Ram (25), Betts (34) and Carroll (29) to prevail 6-1.
W Nola (15-9)
L Cease (11-9)
Gm #3
Peralta vs. Abbott. East Coast pushed across 6 runs in the 3rd featuring 3R HRs by Springer (14) and Robert (43). Robert (44) tacked on a much need insurance run in the 5th as the DDs made a game of it but fell short 8-6. J-Ram (26), Betts (35) and Carroll (30) all go yard again but to no avail. Peralta had 12 K’s in his 6 innings of work.
W Peralta (10-11)
L Abbott (8-3)
S Chavez (11)
Gm #4
Littell vs. LL Ortiz. Now it was the Dust Devils turn to put up a big number as they push across 5 in the 3rd after another J-Ram (27) blast in the 1st. Olson (55) and Betts go BTB and after a walk to Carroll, Henderson (30) deposits one in the cheap seats for a 7-2 lead. Polanco (17) and Robert (45) go yard but not enough as Arizona wins 7-4 and secures home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
W LL Ortiz (2-0)
L Littell (10-8)
S Graterol (26)
Gm #5
Kopech vs. Rogers. Riley (38) and Vaughn (17) go yard for the Rockies and the sound you heard was another Schwar-bomb (36) exploding in the desert as the home team rested most of their starters and ECR won 10-2.
W Maton (12-10)
L Rogers (0-4)
Northwest vs Antelope
Antelope denies the clinch. Northwest takes the series, 3-2.
Playing the final two games was an absolute juggle of who was left
available for both teams.
9/30 - ARC 4 NW 3. Lyles vs. N.Martinez. JD Martinez solo shot in the
8th broke a 3-3 tie.
10/1 - NW 3 ARC 2. Steele vs. Williamson. Steele tossed a CG 2-hitter,
but it was a Velazquez pinch hit homer in the 9th that decided it.
10/2 - NW 7 ARC 0. Strider vs. Medina. Strider tossed a CG SHO and
Velazquez, Heim, and Jung hit home runs.
10/3 - NW 5 ARC 4. Eleven Innings. Bubic vs. Alcantara. An early 3 run
lead for the Cats went by the boards when a Hays 2-run homer tied it up
in the 7th
and Haggerty's double plated Guerrero in the 11th.
10/4 - ARC 4 NW 2. Nobody available as a starter for the River Cats, so
Kimbrel was the substitute starter vs. German. It stayed tied
until the 9th when Raleigh's 2-run homer decided it.
Antelope played every game tough and except for the Strider shutout this
series was as close as it gets.
On a different note, I used Mlodzinski and Borucki in relief in the last
game because their MBF had not yet been reached even though they showed
Wornout.
Their grades were still available so I used them but was then hit with
long injuries for both afterward. Seems a bit harsh doesn't it? I need
those guys.
Week ending September 28
Antelope vs Shenandoah
Game 1 - SHP 3 ARC 0 - Maeda (3-15) tosses a shutout against Antelope....good lord!
Game 2 - SHP 7 ARC 6 - River Cats blow 6-1 lead as bullpen sucks again!
Game 3 - SHP 5 ARC 2 - Bullpen blows again giving up 4 in the 8th!
Game 4 - ARC 6 SHP 1 - No chance for pen to waste another one...Medina? with CG 1 hitter.
Game 5 - ARC 11 SHP 1 - Cats pound 18 hits to win big in the finale.
Pandas take series 3-2 over Antelope. Shenandoah hosts Mad Town to end the season and Antelope heads to Northwest to take a season ending beating from the Indians!
Mad Town vs Northwest
The Indians and Zephyrs had their series delayed as the grandkids came in Thursday for an extended stay.
Game 1
Eflin (15-8) pitched 7 solid innings and Casas (24) and Machado (25) each had 2 run shots
4-1 MTZ
Game 2
Strider and Gallen each went 7 with no runs. Franco (23) 2 run shot in the 8th was only scoring
2-0 MTZ
Game 3
This game belonged to Nate Lowe(5). He tied in the 4th with a 2 run double and won it in the 7th with a solo shot
3-2 NWI
Game 4
The Indians ran away with this one behind Jung (10) and Guerrero (24)
8-4 NWI
Game 5
Taveras (9) got things started with a 2 run blast in the first. The Z's kept pounding in this one
8-2 MTZ
Arizona vs Jonesboro
Gm #1
Gaddis vs. Sandoval. Jonesboro opens the scoring with BTB doubles by Smith and Pederson and a Meneses single for a 2-0 lead in the 4th. Gomes ties it in the 7th with a 2 RBI double. We go extras and in the 10th with two outs, Schwarber walks and PR Walls steals second. Ramirez bounces one up the middle for the game winner as the Dust Devils take the opener 3-2.
W Neris (8-4)
L Santos (3-5)
Gm #2
Teheran vs. Abbott. Again, the Crackers get on the board first with a 2R Bauers (10) HR. Arizona ties it in the 6th on a walk and two singles. Betts (33) rips a 2R dinger in the 7th and the DD bullpen shuts down the Crackers allowing no hits the last 4 innings as Arizona wins 4-2..
W R. Walker (2-3)
L Floro (0-2)
S Duran (4)
Gm #3
C. Irwin vs. Nola. It was a matter of who had the biggest single inning and the Dust Devils prevailed 6-5. Walls (3) hit a 3R HR to cap the Devils inning and 4 singles, a double, a walk and 2 errors accounted for the 5 Crackers runs.
W Nola (14-9
L C. Irwin (5-6)
S Graterol (25)
Gm #4
J. Irwin vs. LL Ortiz. Arizona batters hit a single and then a true cycle with another single, then double, triple and a Raley (17) 2R HR which provided Ortiz with all the runs he needed as Ortiz pitched a CG SHO allowing 1 hit and a walk while striking out 10. ARZ 7-0
W LL Ortiz (1-0)
L J. Irwin (5-1)
Gm #5
Zerpa vs. Sandoval. Bauers (11) hits a GS for a quick 4-0 Crackers lead. Sanchez (18) hit a solo in the second and Fry (3) and Schwarber (35) in the 7th along with an Olson RBI single to tie things up. Meneses doubled in PR Mastrobuoni in the 8th for a 5-4 lead . Carroll (28) tied it up in the bottom half and the Dust Devils won it in the ninth on a Ramirez RBI double.
W Graterol (8-1)
L Santos (3-6)
Arizona sweeps Jonesboro. Next up, Arizona hosts East Coast Rockies and Jonesboro stays on the road as they travel to Westchester to close out the season.
q
Gulf Breeze vs Louisiana
The final series of the year at home (thankfully) as the dreaded Cajuns come to visit. In what is seen around here as an impossible result, the good guys took 4 of 5.
Gm 1: 7-3 Lou Oh boy. Rebels didn't score until the 9th as Carrasco (3-7) dominated. Outman (15) and J.Diaz (11) had long balls. Teams combined for 5 double plays
Gm 2: 7-3 GB Tables turn with a 4 run 3rd doing the damage. Jeffers (8) and Short (6) left the building, Slater drove in 3. Castillo (17-12) grabbed the victory. Only 4 DPs today
Gm 3: 6-1 GB Braxton Garrett (8-11) was sharp with no runs in 8 innings, and Margot was 3 for 4 with 3 rbi. Once again, 5 DPs combined. Abreu soloed (4) in the 9th for Lou
Gm 4: 15-6 GB Ugly game with Martini coming on to finish it off. Short was 0 for 1 with 4 BB and Tapia notched a grand slam (5)- driving in 7 on the day. Rodon (1-0) wins it
Gm 5: 3-2 GB Take that Cajuns! Short's rbi 2 bagger and a Jeffers FC in the home 7th makes a winner of Flaherty (5-8). Tim (what happened to him?) Anderson was 3 for 4
Next week- we finish it off with a trip to Freeport while the Cajuns head home to entertain Tulsa.
Chappaqua vs Stamford
CHAPPAQUA COMETS TAKE THREE OF FIVE FROM STAMFORD JAYS
Game 1 CHA 6 STA 3
Sonny Gray (14-9) pitched 7 solid innings, allowing only 3 hits, to get the win. Ryan Braiser got the two inning save (2). Aaron Judge hit #47 and Yennier Diaz (21) and Matt Chapman (16) also went yard for the Comets. Sean Murphy homered (12) for the Jays.
Jordan Montgomery (16-8) was the starter and loser, allowing 6 runs in 4.1 IP
Game 2 CHA 8 STA 1
H. Kim led the way going 2-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs as Bailey Ober (9-6) cruised to victory with 6 strong innings. The Jays had 11 hits but could score only one run as Ryan Thompson pitched the final three innings for CHA to get his 1st save. Tony Gonsolin (0-2) was the loser, giving up 5 runs in5.2 IP
Game 3 STA 11 CHA 6
The Jays win in a rout, taking an 11-2 lead before the Comets scored 2 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th. TJ Friedl (10) and Jeff McNeil (9) homered for STA and Nick Loftin was 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBIs. T. Rogers (3-3) got the complete game win. Kyle Gibson (12-6) was the loser, giving up 9 runs in 6 innings.
Judge added to his league leading HR total as he belted #48 in the losing cause. Kim (24), Seth Brown (13) and Willi Castro (17) also homered for the Comets
Game 4 STA 5 CHA 4 11 innings
The Jays even the series. The Comets tied it, 4-4, in dramatic fashion with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th as C Doval had his 5th blown save of the year. But the Jays broke the tie in the 11th, defeating Comets closer Chris Martin (2-4) who suffered his first loss since coming over in a trade from Brooklyn. Friedl (11) and Bryan Reynolds (21) homered for the Jays. Judge did it again - a solo blast - to give him 49 on the season. Ryan Nelson (1-0) was the winner in relief.
Game 5 CHA 9 STA 2
The Comets take the rubber game as Judge hit his 4th HR of the series and his 50th of the season. Kim (25), Diaz (22) and Jazz Chisholm (11) all homered as well. Kim was 2-3 with a double, HR and 3 RBIs. The beneficiary of all this offense was Chappaqua starter Ranger Suarez (15-3) who pitched 8 strong innings. Andrew Wantz (2-3) was the loser, giving up 6 runs in 5.1 IP. Friedl homered (12) for the third time in the series.
Chappaqua improves to 99-58 and remains in first place in the NL East. With Greensboro taking 4 of 5 this week from Durham, the Hoppers pick up a game in the standings and now trail the Comets by a single game. The Division title will be decided next week when the Comets travel to Greensboro to play the Hoppers. If Greensboro takes 4 of 5 they win the Division. If the Comets win 3, they take it and if Greensboro wins 3 there will be a tie for first place.
Stamford falls to 86-70, third in the NL East. The Jays fall short of a wild card slot as the wild card will go to whoever does not win the Division as between Chappaqua and Greensboro
East Coast vs Westchester
The Rockies host their last series of the year and beat Winchester 3-2 for a series win. The Wombats must have had the Keystone Cops playing the infield in Game 4 in the 6th inning as they committed 3 errors and allowed the Mets to score 6 unearned runs.
GAME 1: ECR 5-7-0 WES 3-6-2
Paredes a SF in the 1st. He homers in the 4th, 2-0. In the bottom half Riley singles and scores on a Robert 3 run bomb, 4-2. Polanco goes deep in the 5th, 5-2. Sosa a PH RBI single in the 8th. Lopez (13-10) gets the win and Burnes (12-10) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 7-10-0 WES 3-8-0
Candelario swats a solo shot in the 2nd. Greene blasts a 2 run HR in the 3rd, 3-0. Contreras a 2 run single in the 5th, 5-0. In the 6th Sosa a RBI GO and Diaz a RBI double, 5-2. Correa singles in a run in the home half, 6-2. Hicks puts one in the seats in the 7th and Contreras singles in a run in the bottom half. Cease (11-8) gets the win and Morton (11-14) the loss.
GAME 3: WES 1-6-0 ECR 0-4-0
Arraez singles in a run in the 5th for the only run of the game. Pivetta (7-6) pitched well for the win and Peralta (9-11) gets the hard luck loss.
GAME 4: ECR 10-8-0 WES 4-9-3
In the 3rd DeJong singles in a run and McCormick a SF. Votto wallops a HR in the 3rd. In the bottom half Springer a RBI FC and Polanco ties the game with a 2 run single. Ramirez singles in a run in the 5th and the Rockies tie it in the home half with a Robert SF. In the 6th Contreras and Vaughn collide and both leave with injures. Contreras is done for the year. After Paredes and Votto errors, Candelario a RBI walk and 2 runs score on Paredes seond error fo the inning. Robert follows with a 2 run double and scores on a Polanco single. 3 errors in the inning and 6 unearned runs. Cabrera (2-0) gets the win and Peguero (1-1) the loss.
GAME 5: WES 5-12-0 ECR 2-5-1
Rogers singles in a run in the 1st. Alvarez ties the game at 1 with a single in the 3rd. Riley a RBI walk in the 5th. In the 7th Paredes and Arraezeach single in runs and Hicks a 2 run double, 5-2. Rogers (5-2) gets the win and Marquez (3-4) the loss.
Greensboro vs Durham
Sep. 24 - Hunter Brown and J.P. France. This one's a real battle, as Durham leaves the go-ahead run in scoring position in the ninth before falling short. 3-2 Hoppers. Backup catcher Danny Jansen blasts 2 homers (#2 and #3) to provide the Hopper offense.
Sep. 25 - Shohei and Chase Anderson in this one. Anderson tosses a 6-hit 2-zip CG as Durham takes it.
Sep. 26 - Martin Perez faces Falter. Falter is injured after only one inning, and the Durham pen is unable to contain the Hopper offense as JRod (#33), Lars (#12), Arenado (#18), and Salvy (#21) go yard. Greensboro, 8-4.
Sep. 27 - Josh Fleming against Taj. Hoppers, 6-4. Salvy's 22nd is the big hit, but the Hopper pen performs sloppily until Evan Phillips closes it out (#27). Jake Meyers hits his 13th for the visitors.
Sep. 28 - In the finale it's John Schreiber for Durham, and Miles for the Hoppers. It takes 10 before Greensboro prevails, 3-2. Walker hits his 16th for Greensboro, and Adames hits his 20th for the visitors. Miles tosses a neat 9 innings before Pruitt takes the ball (and the win!).
Durham heads north to face the Jays as Greensboro takes 4 of the 5, and now await the Comets for the season's final series.
Week ending September 22
Antelope vs Mad Town
Game 1 - MTZ 13 ARC 1 - Zephyrs pound Ray and Chafin for 20 hits in the ass whooping.
Game 2 - MTZ 3 ARC 2 - Medina with the shutout thru 8, but Kimbrel blows it...shocking!
Game 3 - ARC 9 MTZ 4 - Cats get to Kirby for 6 runs in 4.2 innings and go on to win it.
Game 4 - ARC 5 MTZ 2 - Antelope gets 2 in the 8th to make it 5-2 and Diaz closes it out.
Game 5 - ARC 11 MTZ 2 - River Cats blast 4 HRs to turn the tables on Zephyrs for game 1.
After dropping the first two, Antelope wins the last 3 to actually win a series. Miracles do happen!
Antelope stays home to face Shenandoah next and Mad Town returns home to take on Northwest.
Westchester vs Jonesboro
The Westchester Wombats splt a 6 game series, 3-3.
Game 1-Wombats win 5-0. Pivetta(6-6) gets the win, Kelly(8-11) takes the loss. Ramirez(6), McCormick(16), and Diaz(20) homer the Bats.
Game 2-Crackers blows a 5-1 lead and loses 11-5. Lively(1-0) is the winner, Sandlin(3-6) absorbs the loss. McCormick(17), Paredes(27), Sosa(7) and Ramirez(7) homer for the Wombats. Menseses(13) for the Crackers.
Game 3-Crackers win 3-0. Teheran(4-7) is the winner, Burnes(12-9) takes the loss. Meneses(14) homer for the Crackers.
Game 4-Crackers win first game of double header 4-2. Irvin(5-5) is the winner, Morton(11-13) takes loss.
Game 5-Crackers win game 2 of the doubleheader 8-2. J. Irvin(5-0) takes the win, Lively(1-1) the loss. McCormick(18) goes deep for the Wombats. Mullins(21) and Ozuna2(37) homer for the Crackers
Game 6-Bats win 12-8 in game that was tied at 8 after 6. Peguero(1-0) picks up the win, Pallante(0-1) the loss. Paredes2(29) and Diaz(21) homer for Westchester, Ozuna(38), Smith(17) and Bauers(9) for the Crackers.
Next up Jonesboro heads to Arizona and Westchester travels to East Coast
Freeport vs Louisiana
Some late inning heroics propel the Cajuns to a 3-2 series win over the Bandits
G1 (10 innings)
L 4 10 1
F 3 7 0
W- Wesneski (9-7)
L- Hicks (3-3)
HR- L- Acuna (45)
G2 - A pair of homers in the ninth Propel the Cajuns to the win
L 2 5 0
F 1 7 1
W- Giolito (10-11)
L- Alzolay (2-5)
HR- L- Outman (14), Witt Jr. (27)
G3
L 4 6 0
F 11 18 1
W- N. Anderson (5-0)
L- Toussaint (3-18)
HR- L- Witt Jr. (28)
F- Yoshida (9)
G4
L 5 8 1
F 6 13 2
W- Francis (3-2)
L- Severino (3-6)
S. T. Scott (26)
HR- L- Thomas (28), Witt Jr (29), Gelof (16)
F- Soler (16)
G5
L 4 6 0
F 3 11 0
W- Lynn (9-11)
L- N. Anderson (5-1)
S- Wesneski (1)
HR- L- Acuna (46)
F- Hoerner (9)
Both teams are on the road next week Freeport at Tulsa trying to keep the Roughnecks from clinching the Central. Cajuns are at Gulf Breeze.
Coney Island vs Mokena
The Cyclones final homestand of the season sees them clinging to a slim lead in the NL West (wonders never cease) and of course, the final 3 weeks will see us facing Mokena twice and Tampa in between. Quite the fun finish as the teams try to keep healthy pitchers on mound.
Game 1 - A 5 run 6th breaks open a close contest and propels the Cyclones to an 11-6 win in the series opener. Mokena make all their runs by the long ball off Cyclone starter Alexander (W 2-4). Miller (7) a 3 run shot, and Harper (22) a 2 run shot and McCutchen (11) a solo job. Harper and McCutchen does theirs in the 4th and Owen in the 7th. Meanwhile 9 of the 9 Cyclone batters pound out hits in a 18 hit attack - Ketel Marte goes 4 for 4, 2tih 3 runs and Arcia (14) homers, gets 2 hits and drives in two to help Alexander get the win (he needs LOTS of support).
MOK 6- 8 -1 LP Lambert (1-3)
CIC 11-18-0 WP Alexander (2-4)
Game 2 - A tight game, 1-0 heading into the 8th sees Mokena grab a 3-0 lead when Ruiz doubles in 2 insurance runs. Rizzo (9) homers in the bottom half but Long hangs on for the save. Long comes in in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs and Manea tossing a 4 hit shutout with 13 Ks - fortunately for Manea and Mokena, Long only gives up 1 hit (the Rizzo homer) and the Roozys even the series. Tough loss for Manoah and the Cyclones
MOK 3-5-0 WP Manea (3-4) S Long (2)
CIC 1-5-0 LP Manoah (12-12)
Game 3 - Once again, the pitchers are the stars in this one - Fernando Cruz tosses his 3rd complete game of the season - and his 3rd shutout. He fans 9, gives up 5 hits (and 5 walks). However, when the he came off the field after getting the final out, he told the team - he's done for the season. If we make the post season, I'll be back, but right now "I got nothing left." They got more than expected from him this year!
Meanwhile, Rodriguez pitches a brilliant game for Mokena, 7 innings, 5 hits and 1 run (in the 2nd). Kilian comes in for pitch the 8th - 3 waks, 1 hit, 2 runs as the Cyclones get some insurance.
MOK 0-5-0 LP Rodriguez (10-8)
CIC 3-6-2 WP Cruz (7-8)
Game 4 - Mokena scores 2 in the 4th, 1 on a Harper rbi single and the other as the result of some fielding blunders. Kikuchi gave up nothing else, and the bullpen held strong the rest of the way, but still it was 2-0 heading to the bottom of the 9th. Long came on to pitch in the 7th and he's still going strong - but in the 9th with some walks he got to the point of 2 on, 2 out and Ketel Marte up (already 2 for 3) - well, he homers (21) for 3 runs and ends the game in walk-off fashion!!
MOK 2-3-2 LP Long (1-1) BS (2)
CIC 3-5-1 WP Ferguson (5-4)
Game 5 - This one was close to a carbon copy. Fernando Tatis was all over the Cyclone pitching with 2 homers (28) and 3 rbis and the Roozys take a 3-1 lead into the 9th when Tatis hit's his 2nd homer making it 4-1. Kilian on the mound as the bottom of the 9th starts - but then he falls prey to some bats and a walk. In comes Underwood with 2 on, 2 out - score 4-2. Underwoods gives up a hit, it's 4-3, but then he gets Marte (pinch hitting) to end the game. Oh a homer would have been nice. But alas - it didn't happen.
MOK 4-10-1 WP Hendricks (9-7) S Underwood (1)
CIC 3- 6-0 LP Whitlock (7-9)
So - after all that, the Cyclones take a 3-2 series and hope they can do OK on the road. Next week, we're in Tamps, the Roozys cross the country to San Diego.
Stamford vs Greensboro
Game 1
Grasshoppers 10-12-0
Jays 2-6-1
WP j Verlander 20-4 LP C Bassitt 13-11
Greensboro makes easy work of the Jays. They score 4 runs in the 2nd and 6 more in the7th. Perez homers and drives in 3 for Greensboro and Arenado also drives in three. Jays lose another player as starter Bassitt injured in the 3rd and is out for 14 days.
Game 2
Grasshoppers 7-12-2
Jays 3-8-0
WP S Ohtani 13-6 LP R Vasquez 3-2
Ohtani goes 5. 2 innings for the win. Albies drives in 2 for Greensboro..
Game 3
Jays 7-8-0
Grasshoppers 3-6-0
WP J Codero 3-1 LP J France 12-9
The Jays lose two pitchers through ejections as they hit two different Grasshoppers batters. The Jays however hang and take the game. Seven different Jays batters drive in runs.
Game 4
Grasshoppers 1-4-0
Jays 0-4-0
WP M Scherzer 13-5 LP V Velaquez 2-4
Scherzer goes 8 strong innings fanning 12 for the win as he yields 4 hits. A Ohtani homer accounts for the solo run of the game.
Game 5
Jays 5-10-2
Grasshoppers 2-9-1
WP A Wantz 2-2 LP M Perez 8-7
Starter Wantz goes 6 innings yielding 2 runs for the win. Ohtani belts two run homer to account for the Grasshoppers runs. Duffy goes deep for the Jays.
Game 6
Grasshoppers 9-15-0
Jays 2-8-0
WP J Verlander 21-4 LP J Wicks 0-3
Verlander is masterful as he holds Jays to just 4 hits while fanning 8 over 7 innings. Ohtani homers again and Remillard also homers for the Grasshoppers.
Next Grasshoppers host Durham and the Jays travel to Chappaqua.
Chappaqua vs Durham
CHAPPAQUA COMETS SWEEP DURHAM LUCKY STRIKES AS THE COMETS MAINTAIN THE LEAD IN THE NL EAST
GAME ONE
CHA 10 DUR 4
Trailing 3-0 after 2, the Comets rally to win it with 2 in the 3rd, 3 in the 6th and a big FIVE RUN 7th. Sonny Gray (13-9, 3.03) gets the win. Hunter Brown (1-6) is the starter and loser. Billy McKinney (6), Conor Joe (7) and Emmanuel Valdez (3) went yard for the Comets. Joe had 3 RBIs
GAME TWO
CHA 6 DUR 5
Once again, the Comets came from behind. This time they trailed 4-1 going to the 6th when they exploded for FIVE runs to take the lead for good.
Yannier Diaz (3-5) hit his 20th HR and drove in 3. Gabriel Moreno hit #9. Kirk Gibson (12-5) went 7 innings and got the win despite allowing FIVE runs. Recently acquired Chris Martin got his 18th save. Chase Anderson (0-1) was the starter and loser.
GAME THREE
CHA 5 DUR 4
This time it was the Comets who took the lead: 5-0 after four. The Lucky Strikes rallied with one in the 6th, one in the 7th and two in the 9th but the comeback fell short as Chris Martin closed out the 9th, after Matt Moore got into trouble. Martin got his second save (19) in as many days.
Marcus Stroman (12-7) was the winner, pitching 6 solid innings. Ty Blach (0-1) was the starter and loser. Aaron Judge and Matt Chapman each had three hits and a HR, #45 for Judge, #15 for Chapman.
GAME FOUR
CHA 6 DUR 4
Durham takes the early lead with a FOUR run first off Adrian Houser. Willy Adames hit a 3 run HR in the frame (19). Chappaqua rallied with 2 in the first and 3 in the second to take the lead for good. John Schreiber (1-2) started and took the loss, allowing five runs in 1.2 IP.
Josh Lowe was the hitting star for the Comets going 2-4 with a HR (20) and FOUR RBIs. Houser (7-3) settled down after a rocky start to get the win. Yennier Cano got his 23rd save with a 1-2-3 9th
GAME FIVE
CHA 7 DUR 5
Comets took a 2-0 lead into the 6th when Durham put FIVE on the board to take the lead. But the Comets rallied with 1 in the 6th, 1 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th to get the series sweep. Judge hit #46 and Willi Castro also homered (16). Jazz Chisholm had his 20th stolen base - he has not been thrown out. Ryan Braiser (2-1) was the winner in relief. Chris Martin pitched a hitless 9th to get his 3rd save of the series and 20th of the year. Durham closer Ryan Pressly (4-4) took the loss as he blew the save (4).
Chappaqua improves to 96-56 and now lead Greensboro by 3 games pending the results of this week's 6 game series between Greensboro and Stamford. The Jays trail in the wild card race by 7.5 games and they will need a big series against Greensboro to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
Next week Chappaqua hosts Stamford while Greensboro hosts Durham. The season will end the following week with the Comets travelling to Greensboro to play the Hoppers in a series that may decide who wins the NL East. The defending World Champion Hoppers have won the Division ELEVEN YEARS IN A ROW! The last time Greensboro failed to win the Division was in 2012 when none other than Chappaqua took the title. Will this be the year that Greensboro's incredible streak comes to an end? Stay tuned.
East Coast vs Arizona
The playoff bound Arizona DustDevils visit the East Coast Rockies in a series that has decided the division leader then last several years. East Cost takes the first 2 games and Arizona bounces back taking the next 2. The Rockies hold court at home and win the rubber game for a 3-2 series win. Ramirez and Olson each slammed 3 HRs apiece and Ramirez plated 8 runs. Polanco paced the Rockies with 3 HRs and 7 RBIs. The series was hotly contested series with many ejections and injuries because of HBPs. Arizona hit 9 Rockies batters (4 in 1 game) and had 3 ejections resulting in 2 injuries. The DustDevils were only plunked twice but each resulted in an injury and a third player was injured during play with only 1 Rockies player ejected.
GAME 1: ECR 7-9-2 ARI 4-8-0
In the 1st Betts leaves the game for the rest of the day after a HBP. Alvarez goes deep with a man on in the bottom half. Henderson homers in the 2nd. Polanco crushes a 2 run HR in the 2nd after after Beck hits his second batter of the 8 he faced he was ejected. Correa singles in a run in the 3rd, 5-0. Lopez is ejected in the 5th after knocking Raley out of the game. Ramirez swats a 2 run HR and Olson goes BTB with a solo job and a 5-3 game. Correa homers in the 6th, 6-4. Polanco connects for the second time in the 8th. Thomson (3-0) gets the win and Abbott (8-2) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 8-9-0 ARI 5-7-1
In the 2nd Vaughn singles in a run and 2 runners score on a Henderson error. Davis adds a 2 run single, 5-0. Henderson blasts a 3 run HR in the 4th, 5-3. In the bottom half Davis and Polanco go BTB with RBI doubles and Riley adds a SF, 8-3. Olson homers in the 6th. Hilliard goes deep in the 9th. Cease (10-8) gets the win and Sandoval (13-8) takes the loss.
GAME 3: ARI 10-10-0 ECR 7-13-2
Riley smashes a 2 run HR in the 1st. In the 2nd Henderson singles in a run and then Springer drops a fly ball third out and allows Henderson to score, 2-2. Springer singles in a run in the 4th. In the 5th Alvarez is knocked out for 5 days and Contreras scores on a SP, 4-2. In the 7th Gomes a RBI single, Raminre3z a 3 run double, and Olson a 2 run bomb, 8-4. Polanco homers in the home half, 8-5. In the 8th Gomes homers and Hilliard a RBI single. In the 9th Carlson is plunked and done for the year as Saucedo is ejected and Polanco adds a 2 run single. Foley (7-6) gets the win and Hader (3-4) the loss.
GAME 4: ARI 8-11-0 ECR 3-5-0
Ramirez puts one in the seats in the 1st. In the home half Carroll tries to run thru the outfield wall and leaves the game with an injury. Springer a 2 run HR in the 2nd. Betts ties it in the 3rd with a FC. Schwarber launches a long HR in the 4th, 3-2. In the 6th Larnach singles in a run and Walls connects for his second HR of the year a 2 run job, 6-2. In the 7th Ramirez launches a 2 run shot and in the home half Greene a SF. T Walker (13-6) gets the win and Hader (3-5) his second loss of the series.
GAME 5: ECR 3-6-1 ARI 2-8-0
In the 2nd after a Herrera error BTB RBI doubles by Gimenez and Hilliard. In teh bottom half Correa ties the game with a long 2 run shot. In the 7th Correa blasts a solo HR and a 3-2 lead. Marquez (3-3) goes 9 for the win and R Walker (1-3) takes the loss.
Week ending September 17
Antelope vs Northwest
Game 1 - NWI 5 ANT 4 (11 Inn.) - Massey HR wins it??
Game 2 - NWI 5 ANT 2 - 3 HRs for Northwest.
Game 3 - NWI 13 ANT 9 - N. Velazquez 3 HRs for NWI....really?
Game 4 - NWI 3 ANT 2 - Game winner scores in the 9th.
Game 5 - ANT 6 NWI 5 - Antelope with 3 in the 9th to avoid the sweep....who cares....
Another great showing at home for Antelope...boy, we suck...and not much hope for the future.
East Coast vs Jonesboro
Jonesboro and East Coast, 2 teams playing the season out match up with the Rockies taking 4 of 5 at home for the series win. The Crackers were shut out twice on 2 and 3 hits.
GAME 1: ECR 6-8-0 JON 4-6-1
Springer a 2 run bomb in the 2nd. Ozuna a SF in the 3rd. Alvarez homers in the home half, 3-1. In the 5th Ozuna doubles in a run and scores on a Bauers 2 run blast, 4-3. In the 6th after a Abrams error Vaughn singles in a run to tie and Candelario a PH SF, 5-4. Robert putsone in the seats in the 8th. Thompson (2-0) gets the win and Stratton (6-5) the loss.
GAME 2: JON 6-13-0 ECR 1-5-0
In the 1st Smith a RBI single and Bauers a RBI FC. In the 3rd Ozuna a RBI GO and Smith a SF, 4-0. Bauers singles in a run in the 5th, 5-0. Pederson singles in a run in the 6th and Lopez and Herrera go BTB with doubles in the 7th. Gaddis (3-2) gets the win and Cease (9-8) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 1-3-0 JON 0-3-0
The only scoring was a long ball from Polanco in the 2nd. Peralta (9-10) goes the distance for the shutout win and Teheran (3-7) gets the hard luck loss. Peralta goes 9 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, and 14 K's with a GS of 95.
GAME 4: ECR 6-9-1 JON 5-11-1
Vaughn smashes a 2 run HR in the 2nd. Schoop scores on a DP in the 3rd. Jukes gets the lead with a 2 run dinger in the 4th, 3-2. Meneses a RBI GO in the 5th, 4-2. In the 7th Robert scores on a Abrams error and Springer ties the game with a single. In the 8th Julks doubles in a run, 5-4. Robert wallops a 2 run HR in the bottom half. Maton (7-3) gets the win and Floro (0-1) the loss.
GAME 5: ECR 5-5-0 JON 0-2-0
In the 3rd 3 walks jam the bases full and Polanco unleashes a 3 run double and Greene adds a RBI single, 4-0. Vaughn homers in the 7th. Perez (6-4) a complete game shutout and Gausman (11-13-) take the loss. Perez foes 9 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 16 Ks, and a GS of 97.
Mad Town vs Shenandoah
The Pandas and Zephyrs got together for 5 entertaining and close games. The Zephyrs outscored the Pandas 17-13 in the 5 games.
Game 1
Biggio got things started in the first with a run-scoring double. He singled in another in the 5th for a 2-0 Panda lead. Maeda was almost flawless the first 5 innings. The Zephyrs got to him in the 6th behind Casas (23) and Taveras (8) 2 run shots. The bullpen held
4-2 MTZ
Game 2
Wheeler(6-15) and Gallen (14-7) had a nice duel going for 7 innings. Mad Town didn't get a hit until the 3rd inning. But it was a Kirk (8) 2 run shot. Maile (5) closed the gap in the 6th,spoiling Gallens's shutout. Once again, the bullpen held
2-1 MTZ
Game 3
Biggio singled in Waters in the first. Berti tripled in Bogaerts to tie it up in the bottom half. Muncy (27) put the Pandas back in front in the 2nd. In the 3rd, Crawford (7) and Bogaerts (20) went back to back. Crawford's was for 3. The Zephyrs bullpen held again.
5-3 MTZ
Game 4
Sabol (13) 2 run blast gave the Pandas the lead in the 2nd. Garver (12) put the Z's in front 3-2 in the 3rd. Lowe (16)added insurance in the 6th and doubled in another in the 8th.
5-3 MTZ
Game 5
Valdez (8-15) was in top form for game 5. Mad Town could not get a hit until the 6th. Valdez went 7.2 IP 6H 0 ER. A Pena error accounted for Mad Town's run
4-1 SHP
Mad Town takes 4 of 5
The Zephyrs go on the road to Antelope
The Pandas head home to await Northwest
Stamford vs Chappaqua
Game 1
Comets 2-5-0
Jays 0-4-1
WP S Gray 12-9 LP C Bassitt 13-10
A two-run homer by Brown in the 2nd are the only runs of the game. Gray goes 7 strong innings yielding 3 hits for the win. Bassitt also pitches well in losing cause. Comet relievers Holmes and Cano are thrown out of the game for hitting Jays batters.
Game 2
Comets 7-14-0
Jays 3-7-1
WP B Ober 8-6 LP J Montgomery 16-7
Judge belts solo homer in the 2nd and a 3-run homer in the 4th to lead the Comets. He also drives in another run with a double. Comets get 4 innings of shutout ball from the bullpen. Murphy hits two run homer for the Jays.
Game 3
Jays 3-8-1
Comets 05-0
WP V Velasquez 2-3 LP K Gibson 11-5
The Jays score two quicks in the 1st and add a solo run on a WP in the 5th. Starter Velasquez goes 7 strong innings fanning 8 for the win. Rogers throws two innings of shutout relief for the save.
Game 4
Comets 4-7-0
Jays 1-4-0
WP J Topa 5-8 LP S McClanahan 9-6
The game is tied at 1 through 8 innings but in the top of the 9th Moreno belts a two-run homer and Castro adds a solo homer for the Comets. McClanahan throws complete game fanning 8 in losing effort.
Game 5
Comets 9-9-0
Jays 8-14-2
WP R Suarez 14-3 LP J Wicks 0-2
A quiet game through 5 innings with the Jays leading 1-0. In top of the 6th the Comets score 5 runs, 3 more in the 7th and a solo run in the 7th to take a 9-2 lead. However, in bottom of the 8th the Jays bats come alive as they tally 6 runs to close the gap to 9-8. The Jays threaten in the 9th but fall short.
Next Comets host Durham and the Jays host Greensboro.
Arizona vs Westchester
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Westchester Wombats in Week 29 action.
Gm #1
Pivetta vs. Bibee. Mookie (31) led off the second with a big fly and JRam (21) ripped a 2R shot in the 3rd which proved to be more than enough as the Dust Devils take the opener behind a strong performance by Bibee, 4-1.
W Bibee (9-3)
L Pivetta (5-6)
S Graterol (23)
Gm #2
Sandoval vs. Canning. This one turned into a laugher as Sanchez (17) and Olson (50) blasted 3R HR late in the game as the Dust Devils secured an 11-1 victory.
W Sandoval (13-7)
L Canning (9-14)
Gm #3
Burnes vs. Nola. McCormick (15) gave the Wombats a quick 2-0 lead. Schwarbs (32) led off the bottom half with a bomb of his own. Arizona knocked out Burnes without retiring a batter in the 3rd. Schwarber doubled, JRam walked before Olson (51) went yard. Mookie walked and Carroll (27) followed with another blast before a Henderson single knocked out the ace. 2- out singles by Schwarber and JRam completed the scoring in the third. Mookie (32) kept pace with Schwarber with a 3R shot in the 5th as the DDs beat the Wombats 11-4.
W Nola (13-9)
L Burnes (12-8)
Gm #4
Morton vs. T. Walker. All runs scored were by the long ball. Diaz (19), H. Ramirez (5) and Paredes (26) provided the Westchester 5 runs and the lonely Schwarbomb (33) accounting for the single Arizona run as Morton tames the Dust Devils sticks in their 5-1 win.
W Morton (11-12)
L T. Walker (12-6)
S Ginkel (11)
Gm #5
Henry vs. Bibee. Bibee and 3 relievers shut out the Wombats 1-0. The lone run scored when Olivares knocked the ball out of Diaz’s mitt when trying to score from third on a Carroll GO in the 7th. Arizona ends up taking 4 of 5 in the series.
W Duran (9-2)
L Henry (3-10)
S Graterol (24)
Next up, Arizona hosts the East Coast Rockies and Westchester will travel to fellow division foe Jonesboro.
Week ending September 11
Coney Island vs Tampa
NL West Showdown - Tampa arrives at Coney Island trailing the Cyclones by 1 game in the NL West battle - the prize for 2nd place is downstairs in the ladies room, so the winner is the only winner. 20 games left after this week, all against NL West teams and Mokena is still in the race.
Boy, if you could combine the Tampa starters with the Cyclones bullpen, you might have a powerhouse. Alas, both teams have some glaring weaknesses and it revolves around pitching.
Game 1 - Tampa gets the easy win when starter Max Fried goes 7 innings, 2 hits, 6 ks NO RUNS. Brennan drives in 3 runs, 3 hits and Thomas smacks a homer (2) as the Stingrays build a 5-0 lead after 3. An attempt at a comeback was made in the 8th when the Cyclones plated 3, but by then it was 6-3 and the Stingrays held on.
TAM 6-9-1 WP Fried (4-2) S Gibaut (14)
CIC 3-8-1 LP Alexander (0-4)
Game 2 - Cyclones come back and get 5 solid innings out of Manoah - he gives up 9 hits, leaves with 2 on in the 6th and yielded only 1 run in the 3rd - and rbi double by Castellanos. Cyclones bullpen does the rest, blanking Tampa the rest of the way. Cyclones score 3 in the 5th and another in the 7th and get 2 rbi days from both Happ and Laurenano.
TAM 1-10-1 LP Detmers (2-11)
CIC 4- 8-0 WP Manoah (12-11)
Game 3 - Bit of a wild one here. Tampa plates 4 runs in the 1st as the 1st 4 batters get hits, then a SF and finally an rbi double from Rutschman ends the fray and it's 4-0 before the home team bats. Fernando Cruz stays on the mound and blanks Tampa for the next 4 innings. Cyclones get 1 back in the 4th and 5th, then a 3rd in the 6th and then Orlando Arcia belts a grand slam (10) in the 6th (5 run inning) and the Cyclone grab a 7-4 lead. Well, the Cyclones bullpen shuts out the Stingrays in the 6 through 9th and that's the final, 7-4 good guys.
TAM 4-7-1 LP Rodriguez (13-7)
CIC 7-8-2 WP Jameson (2-2) S Mayza (26)
Game 4 - Cyclone magic continues this time they grab the early lead with 3 in the 1st on a Rizzo (8) homer. Another in the 4th and 5th and they are up 5-0. Stingrays attempt a comeback in the 6th when Jimenez belts a 2 run homer (10) but that was it. Kikuchi goes the distance and FANS 16!! Bad news however is Laureano goes down with a 10 day injury, ouch!
TAM 2-5-0 LP Snell (9-9)
CIC 5-7-0 WP Kikuchi (12-5)
Game 5 - Coney Island looks to vanquish another ace as they score 2 in the 1st of Gerritt Cole. However Cole says that's enough, pitches 8 innings, fans 12 and gives up nothing else. Meanwhile Burger (2 homers (37), 4 rbis), Verdugo, 3 hits, 2 doubles, 3 rbis and Alonso (homer, 39) give Cole all the support he needs. Even a 9th inn Arcia homer (11) wasn't enough to make it close, 8-3 Tampa to get the bookend win.
TAM 8-9-0 WP Cole (15-7)
CIC 3-6-0 LP Ferguson (4-4)
So, Cyclones manage a 3-2 series win, lose Laureano for a series, and see their miniscule lead jump to 2 games. Now we head west to San Diego while Tampa moves on to Mokena.
Jonesboro vs Arizona
Jonesboro takes 3 of 5 from Arizona
The high flying Arizona Dust Devils visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set with the Crackers surpringly taking 3 of 5.
Game 1-Crackers win a 1-0 pitching duel.Kelly(8-10) goes the distance striking out 13. Walker(12-4) takes the loss.
Game 2-Crackers win another 1 run game 6-5. Zerpa(1-0) gets the win, with Foley(6-6) absorbs the loss.
Game 3-Devils snap back with a 7-3 win. Sandoval(12-7) is the winner, Teheran(3-6) takes the loss. Betts(30) and Sanchez(16) homer for the Devils.
Game 4-Devils win 6-3. Nola(12-9) is the winner, Irvin(4-5) the loser. Olson2(49) and Henderson(27) homer for the Devils. Langeliers(8) goes deep for the Crackers.
Game 5-Crackers take the rubber game 6-0. Gausman(11-12) gets the win, stking out 10 of 15 batters before being tossed for a hit batter…or two. Walker(12-5) is the loser. Smith(16) homers for the Crackers.
Next up the Crackers hit the road to East Coast and Arizona hosts Westchester
Gulf Breeze vs Freeport
Gulf Breeze played their best series of the year when it matters the least in taking 4 of 5 from the Bandits.
Gm 1: 11-8 GB Bandits got out top a 4-0 lead on some long balls (Hoerner 7, Yoshida 5) then allowed 11 over the next 2 frames with 3 errors costing them big time. Marsh (7) and Peterson (4) went deep in building the lead, and a lousy but effective start by DeSclafani (2-8) was enough. Hoerner wound up with 2 HR for the visitors and the top 3 in the lineup were 9 for 14. But the Breeze picked up 7 BB on the day and that allowed them to overcome the 13-6 advantage Freeport had in hits. Eovaldi (7-7) allowed 6 ER in 2 innings.
Gm 2: 5-2 Fre A Short solo (2) got the Rebels out to the lead, and Soderstrom followed with his 3rd on the campaign. But today would be the Bandit day as Suzuki (16), Soler (15), and Yoshida (7) all contributed HR the rest of the way- Soler's 2R shot in the 8th being the back breaker. Brash (3-1) in relief wins, Scott saves #25. Gomber another loss (6-17)
Gm 3: 2-0 GB Castillo (15-11) dominated through 8 allowing just 3 hits and Bryse Wilson saved #17. Peterson's SF and Matt Carpenter's solo blast (5) was all the scoring on the day. Marsh was hurt and will miss 11.
Gm 4: 2-0 GB de ja vu all over again as today Braxton Garrett (6-11) was sharp for 7 and Wilson again cleaned up (18). Heyward and Canha had the good guy rbi.
Gm 5: 7-2 GB 3 game winning streak for the home team as they plated 6 over the first two frames and coasted thereafter. Bello (12-11) was clobbered and after a Jones HR (14) for the visitors, it was game on with Frazier launching a large 2R jack (16). Flaherty (4-8) was okay through 5 and 4 relievers closed it out.
Next week, Gulf Breeze heads to the bayou while the Bandits will entertain division leading Tulsa.
Greensboro vs Stamford
Greensboro vs Sep. 7 - Bassitt faces Ohtani in the opener. It's a nail-biter, as the Hoppers cling to a 3-2 lead to take the first game. Ohtani blasts 2, and now has 40 on the season. Salvy hits his 19th. Key to the contest was Bassitt's 5th inning ejection.
Sep. 8 - Lefties in this one: Montgomery facing Martin Perez in what looks to be a lopsided contest. No big surprise, as the Jays beat the Hoppers, 4-2. Light-hitting Tyler Freeman hits 2 homers (#4 and #5), as Monty wins his 16th.
Sep. 9 - Vince Velasquez for the Jays, and Max for the home team. Another close one, and the Jays take it 2-1. The Hoppers leave the potential tying run at second in the bottom of the 9th. McNeil hits his 8th for the Jays. Key to this game: Ohtani and J-Rod are both caught stealing.
Sep. 10 - Jordan Wicks and Quintana in a southpaw battle. The Hopper bats come alive as they pound the Jays, 9-2. Stott hits his 11th for the Jays, and J-Rod and Albies each hit their 32nd. Noot hits his 9th.
Sep. 11 - In the finale it's Gonsolin opposing Mikolas. Mikolas is on, as the Hoppers take the finale, 4-2. Reynolds (#20) and Garcia (#5) go yard for Stamford, as Mikolas goes to 8-3.
The Hoppers take 3 of the 5, and now head east to Durham. Stamford heads back north to face Chappaqua.
Gulf Breeze vs Freeport
Gulf Breeze played their best series of the year when it matters the least in taking 4 of 5 from the Bandits.
Gm 1: 11-8 GB Bandits got out top a 4-0 lead on some long balls (Hoerner 7, Yoshida 5) then allowed 11 over the next 2 frames with 3 errors costing them big time. Marsh (7) and Peterson (4) went deep in building the lead, and a lousy but effective start by DeSclafani (2-8) was enough. Hoerner wound up with 2 HR for the visitors and the top 3 in the lineup were 9 for 14. But the Breeze picked up 7 BB on the day and that allowed them to overcome the 13-6 advantage Freeport had in hits. Eovaldi (7-7) allowed 6 ER in 2 innings.
Gm 2: 5-2 Fre A Short solo (2) got the Rebels out to the lead, and Soderstrom followed with his 3rd on the campaign. But today would be the Bandit day as Suzuki (16), Soler (15), and Yoshida (7) all contributed HR the rest of the way- Soler's 2R shot in the 8th being the back breaker. Brash (3-1) in relief wins, Scott saves #25. Gomber another loss (6-17)
Gm 3: 2-0 GB Castillo (15-11) dominated through 8 allowing just 3 hits and Bryse Wilson saved #17. Peterson's SF and Matt Carpenter's solo blast (5) was all the scoring on the day. Marsh was hurt and will miss 11.
Gm 4: 2-0 GB de ja vu all over again as today Braxton Garrett (6-11) was sharp for 7 and Wilson again cleaned up (18). Heyward and Canha had the good guy rbi.
Gm 5: 7-2 GB 3 game winning streak for the home team as they plated 6 over the first two frames and coasted thereafter. Bello (12-11) was clobbered and after a Jones HR (14) for the visitors, it was game on with Frazier launching a large 2R jack (16). Flaherty (4-8) was okay through 5 and 4 relievers closed it out.
Next week, Gulf Breeze heads to the bayou while the Bandits will entertain division leading Tulsa.
Northwest vs Madtown
Zephyr: A gentle breeze...
The Mad Town crew came to town for a six game set and took the first
four games before Northwest could get it going in the double header.
9/7 - MT 6 NW 1. Eflin vs. Strider. Casa's opening shot in the 1st with
the early lead proved to be a precursor for the series. Eflin allowed
only 2 hits through 7 innings
and Bellinger and Franco also went yard.
9/8 - MT 6 NW 2. Gallen vs. Steele. Wade opens it up this game with the
1st inning shot, and for the second game in a row the aces get hit hard.
Berti was 3 for 4 and homered for Mad Town. Gallen was up to the task,
going 7 innings and allowing just the 2 runs.
9/9 - MT 6 NW 5. Ten Innings. Kirby vs. Skubal. The Northwest early 4-0
lead slipped away in the 8th when Holton blew his 2nd save this season.
Franco tripled
and hit a home run for 3 RBI's and Bellinger blasted a homer in the 10th
to win it.
9/10 - MT 5 NW 4. Taillon vs. May. Bellinger was 3 for 5, HR, 2 RBI's
and Taillon cruised through 7 innings allowing just 4 hits and Harvey
and Leclerc closed it.
9/11 - NW 12 MT 2. Heaney vs. Alcantara. The Indians unleash their
frustrations in the first 4 innings, scoring 9 runs. Lindor, Palacios 2,
Velazquez.
9/11 - NW 13 MT 6. Schmidt vs. Strider. The second game of the double
header looked like the first game score after 4. Benson, Velazquez 2, Adell.
Bogaerts hit a grand slam for the Zephyrs.
The Mad Town Zephyrs gain 2 games on Northwest heading into the stretch.
Up Next - Mad Town hosts Shenandoah and Northwest visits Antelope.
Week ending September 5
Mad Town vs Antelope
Game 1
With two outs in the first, Bogaerts' error put Martienz on first. Tucker (21) brought them both home. Wacha 10-5, was in control going 6innings allowing 0 runs and only 2 hits. There were only 3 men on base the last 4 innings for both teams.
2-0 ARC
Game 2
The Zephyrs used a 5 run 4th to erase a 1-0 River Cat advantage. Casas(21) and Machado 2 (23) accounted for 7 runs.
11-4 MTZ
Game 3
Kirby 14-6 went 7 and the bullpen held, allowing no base runners the final 2 frames. A Wade single and Benintendi SF put 2 on the board
2-0 MTZ
Game 4
In the bottom of the 6th, Berti pinch hit double scored Benintendi and put Wade on 3rd. A passed ball scored Wade. Bellinger's sacrifice made it 3-0. Martinez (28) narrowed the margin to 1 in the 8th. Abreu picked up his 31st save setting the Cats down in order
3-2 MTZ
Game 5
Machado (24) got things started in the 2nd with a 3 run blast. The Z's scored 3 more with singles and 2 walks for a 6 run second. The Cats scored 4 in the 5th to narrow the lead. In the 6th, Lowe cleared the bases with a double to extend the lead
9-4 MTZ
Mad Town takes 4 of 5 and goes on the road to face Northwest
Antelope stays on the road to Shenandoah
Jonesboro vs East Coast
The East Coast Rockies visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set and took 3 of 5
Game 1-Rockies win 3-2, plating the winning run in the 8th. Lopez(12-10) takes the win and Kelly(7-10) the loss.
Game 2-The Crackers snap back winning 9-1. Gaddis(2-1) is the winner and Cease(9-7) takes the loss. Ozuna(35) homers for the Crackers.
Game 3-Rockies win 4-2. Lucchesi(4-1) is the winner, Teheran(3-5) absorbs the loss. Greene(5), Riley(34) and Vaughn(14) homer for Rockies and Julks(6) for the Crackers.
Game 4-Rockies win 10-5. Hudson(2-2) gets the win and Irvin(4-4) the loss. Alvarez(26) and Robert(38) homer for the Rockies and Bauers(7) for the Crackers
Game 5-Crackers win in a 1-0 pitching Duel. Gausman(10-12) takes the win and Perez(5-4) the loss.
Next up the Rockies stay on the road at Westchester and the slumping Crackers host Arizona
Coney Island vs San Diego
In the NL West there is a battle for 1st place - primarily because no one is really very good - except maybe Tampa, but really this year we;re all a bit toward mediocre (sorry guys in the NL West but let's face it, if we weren't playing each other we'd be in a lot more hurts).
This week the Cyclones host the Armillos and hope to take them for a ride!
Game 1 - not so fast, the teams swap runs in the 1st including a Laureano lead off homer (4). They swap runs again in the 6th (Altuve tripe and Garcia rbi). Speedy Tellez also triples for Coney Island and scores. But then the Armadillos get a 2 run single from France in the 7th and it's 4-2. Cyclones get 1 in the 9th, but that's all Vest gives up.
SDA 4 CIC 3
WP MeGill (4-5) S Vest (19)
LP Weather (0-2)
Game 2 - Starting pitcher Alek Manoah for the Cyclones gives up 10 hits and 2 walks in 6.2 innings - but only 2 runs! Both runs came in the 3rd, one of them on Grandl solo homer (6). All told, the Armadillos bang out 13 hits (3 more than the Cyclones) and get 3 walks - but they leave 11 LOB!! And boy that was the difference. Coney Island knocks 10 hits and gets 2 walks and they score 9 runs and leave 4 on base. Devers (32) hits a 3 run shot, Rizzo (7) gets 2 hits including a solo homer.
SDA 2 CIC 9
LP Darvish (4-11)
WP Manoah (11-11)
Game 3 - Another big day for the Cyclones, 15 hits, 7 walks, 14 runs! Happ (16), Marte (18), Pache (1) all homer - Pache goes 2 for 3, 3 rbis, 2 runs! Again the Armadillos get double digit hits (11) and yet only score twice (10 LOB)!
SDA 2 CIC 14
LP Glasnow (5-7)
WP Cruz (5-8)
Game 4 The run scoring theme continues as the Cyclones put up 9 runs in the first 5 innings and bang out 14 more hits. Happ (17) and Marte (17) homer again, Happ had nice 3 fer day before leaving the game. Arcia (9) also homers. This time San Diego is more productive with their hits (at least percentage wise). They get 6 hits and manage 2 runs - and leave 7 on base (there were 2 Cyclone errors and 2 walks!). Julien (14) homers for San Diego in the losing cause.
SDA 3 CIC 9
LP Freeland (5-12)
WP Kikuchi (11-5)
Game 5 - Here's one of those times we wished we could have saved some of the runs from the last 3 games for this one. But Ashcraft (8 ip, 7 hits, 1 run, 0 Ws and 6K) and Vest (1 ip, 0 hits, 1 k) kept the Cyclones at bay. Only 1 run - and that was early in the 2nd. But on the other side, Garrett Whitlock was looking even better - until Garcia (41) homered in the 6th and Grandl (7) in the 7th - to flip it San Diego's way and Vest's scoreless 9th saves the game for the Armadillos.
SDA 2 CIC 1
WP Ashcraft (7-12) S Vest (20)
LP Whitlock (7-8)
A series that was close to a sweep ends up as a 3-2 Coney Island win. Well that's about par for the course.
Next week we host Tampa - should be fun. Of course we are all playing each other the last few weeks and we end the season with 2 weeks on the road! Not looking good. San Diego goes to Mokena!
Calgary vs Tidewater
Calgary comes to Tidewater and flexes their muscles.
Gm.1 TID 6-5 Kelly's 3-run HR in the 7th ties it for TID and Kelenic's HR in the 8th puts them ahead. Homers by Kiermaier and Alvarez had CAL up 5-1 in 7th.
Gm.2 TID 6-5 McMahon's 2-run HR gave CAL a 3-0 lead. TID went up 4-3 in the 2nd and Soto's 2-run single in the 6th seals it for TID.
Gm.3 CAL 13-7 CAL erupts to crush TID. 17 hits including HR's by Diaz, Gorman and Alvarez who was 4-4 with 4 runs and 2 RBI. Diaz 3-5 with 4 RBI, Allen 3-4 3 RBI.
Gm.4 CAL 9-0 Webb went 8 innings of 4-hit ball and Bird threw a 1-2-3 9th. Six HR's for CAL, Gorman 2, Hernandez 2, Diaz and Rooker 1 each,
Gm.5 TID 4-3 A 2-run single by little used Barrera led to Soto's walk off hit in the 9th as TID salvaged a series win against a tough CAL team.
Northwest vs Shenandoah
The Shenandoah Pandas were swept at Northwest 5-0.
9/1 - NW 2 SHE 0. Maeda vs. Smyly - The Indians tossed a 4 hit shutout,
Heim got both RBI's, Holton notched Save 26.
9/2 - NW 8 SHE 1. Cuas vs. Strider - The old opener trick, Cuas removed
after one inning. Strider and Martinez combined for the one hitter for
Northwest. Strider was perfect through six innings.
9/3 - NW 5 SHE 4 - Ten Innings - Weaver vs. Steele - Both starters were
equal after six, Winker and Wisdom went yard as did Guerrero and Grichuk.
Guerrero's sacrifice fly in the 10th was the winner.
9/4 - NW 8 SHE 0. Bido vs. Alcantara. Not the starter I was expecting,
the Pandas were held to just one hit for the second time. Alcantara
pitched the CG SHO. Duvall, 8, and Heim, 18, HR.
9/5 - NW 5 SHE 4. Valdez vs. German - E. Rosario's bases loaded double
gave the Pandas an early 3-0 lead but Valdez was unable to hold it. German
was able to pitch into the 7th with Holton getting the Save, 27. Biggio,
7, for the Pandas, Guerrero, 22, for the Indians.
Up next - Shenandoah hosts Antelope and Northwest hosts Mad Town
Gulf Breeze vs Tulsa
Gulf Breeze vs In a closer than expected series, Tulsa grabbed 3 wins to the Rebels' 2
Gm 1: 7-3 Tul Homer parade as both sides hit 3, Yaz hitting #16 and walking 3 times. Blackmon (12) and Velazquez (11) also go deep. Senga (13-7) over Paxton (3-19)
Gm 2: 6-0 Tul Drury goes deep twice (13) and Seth Lugo (10-9) coasted through 7. Drury also doubled and finished 4 for 4 with 3 rbi. Jeffers injured and will miss 10- yikes!
Gm 3: 4-1 GB Castillo (14-11) turns things around with a nice effort and Mountcastle launched #14 while driving in 2. Bryse Wilson came on for the nail biting save (14)
Gm 4: 5-2 GB Good guys even the series with Garrett (5-11) tossing 8 solid frames. Turner (17) and Blackmon (7) are the visitor offense. Escobar with HR #4 for GB
Gm 5: 4-3 Tul Best game of the set as Tulsa got ahead 4-0, then Marsh's rbi single in the 5th and a 2R Frazier blast in the 6th made it a one run game, but the Tul BP came thru
Next week, the Breeze takes on Freeport while Tulsa heads home to battle Louisiana.
Greensboro vs Chappaqua
A battle between long time rivals with the Hoppers holding a 3 ½ game lead over the Comets for first place coming into the series
GAME 1 CHA 4 GRE 1
Jazz Chisholm hit a GRAND SLAM off Shojei Othani in the second inning and that was all the Comets needed. Sonny Gray (11-9) pitched a great game for the Comets going 8 innings, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run. Recently acquired Chris Martin pitched a 1-2-3 9th in his first appearance for Chappaqua and got his 15th save.
GAME 2 CHA 7 GRE 6
Hoppers take a 4-0 lead highlighted by a solo HR by Isaiah Kiner-Falefa (5) and a 2 run HR by Salvador Perez (16). The Comets close within one on a 3 run blast by Matt Chapman (13). Trailing 4-3 in the 5th, the Comets take the lead on an RBI single by Willi Castro and a RBI ground out by Yanier Diaz. Hoppers come right back with 2 in the 6th to regain the lead as Nolan Arenado doubles in the tying run and Josh Bell singles in the go ahead run. 6-5 GRE after 6. In the 7th, the Comets tie it on an RBI double by Diaz. In the 8th, Conor Joe hit a solo HR (6) off reliever Trevor Megill (2-3) to break the tie and give CHA the win.
Justin Topa (5-8) got the win in relief as Martin had another 1-2-3 inning for his second save in a row and 16th of the year
GAME 3 CHA 2 GRE 0
Kyle Gibson (10-4) pitches a complete game 5 hit shutout as the Comets win their third straight. A 2 run HR by Kim provided all the scoring. Kim’s HR came off Justin Verlander (19-4) who lost his bid for his 20th win, despite striking out 13 over 7.2 innings.
Justin Lowe stole his 26th consecutive base. Chisholm had steal #18
GAME 4 CHA 3 GRE 2
The Comets move into first place by ½ game with their fourth straight win, this time beating Max Scherzer (12-5). Willi Castro’s double gave the Comets a 1-0 lead after one. Greensboro comes right back with 2 in the second on an RBI single by Perez and a sac fly by Julio Rodriguez. In the 5th, Matt Chapman hit another big HR (14) to tie it at 2-2. With Scherzer still on the mound in the 8th, backup OF Billy McKinney hit a dramatic HR (5) to give CHA the lead. Yennier Cano completed 2 perfect innings in relief to get the win (8-3)
GAME 5 CHA 2 GRE 1
Comets complete a stunning sweep of the Hoppers. As Ranger Suarez improves to 14-1 allowing only 2 hits over 6 innings. Cano followed with 2 hitless innings and Martin then came on to get his 3rd save of the series (17) after allowing an unearned run for Greensboro’s only score.
JP France (10-9) was the hard luck loser as he gave up a leadoff HR to Kim (23) and an 8th inning HR to Aaron Judge (39)
Comets now lead Greensboro in the NL East by 1.5 games. Chappaqua will host Durham next week before going on the road to play Stamford. Greensboro hosts Stamford next week and then plays Durham in Durham. The division race is on!
Week ending August 31
Northwest vs East Coast
Northwest visits East Coast and the Home team Rockies win the Indians taking a 3-2 series win.
GAME 1: ECR 3-10-2 NWI 2-7-1 ( 11 Innings )
Lindor is HBP and leaves the game in the 1st with a 1 game injury. In the 3rd Hays and Jung go BTB with doubles. Greene ties it in the home half with a SF. Polanco singles in a run in the 4th. In the 5th after Springer and Polanco collide and both leave injured, Springer for another day and Polanco for 14 days (YUK). Heim scores on a DP, 2-2. Peguero a walk off 2 out RBI single in the 11th. Munoz (4-4) gets the win and Borucki (4-3) the loss.
GAME 2: NWI 6-12-1 ECR 4-9-0
In the 1st Duval triples in a run and scores on a WP. Jung homers in the 2nd. In the 3rd Torres swats a 2 run HR, 5-0. In the bottom half Alvarez singles in a run. Benson homers in the 5th. In the 6th Vaughn a RBI FC and Davis a SF, 6-3. Davis a RBI GO in the 8th. May (3-3) gets the win and Cease (9-6) the loss.
GAME 3: NWI 7-11-0 1-3-1
In the 1st Guerrero singles in a run and Heim wallops a GRAND SLAM, 5-0. In the 2nd Lindor a solo shot and Vaughn a solo shot in the home half, 6-1. In the 5th after a Lopez error Heim singles in a run. Strider (14-5) gets the win and Peralta (8-9) the loss.
GAME 4: NWI 11-11-0 ECR 1-3-1
The Indians clobber 6 HRs to control this game, 2 by Weimer, Velasquez, and Torres. In the 1st Velasquez smashes a 2 run HR. In the bottom half Alvarez launches a 2 run shot to tie the game and Riley goes BTB with a solo dinger and a 3-2 lead. Weimer ties it in the 3rd with a HR, 3-3. Torres homers in the 5th, 4-3. Torres goes deep for the second time in the game in the 8th and Guerrero adds a SF, 6-3. In the 9th Weimer a 2 run shot (his second) and Velasquez wallops his second HR of th game a 3 run shot. Steele (16-3) gets the win and Perez (5-3) the loss.
GAME 5: ECR 8-12-1 NWI 1-7-0
In the 3rd Alvarez puts one in the seats with a man on. Littell is injured in the 4th, 20 days. Contreras a 2 run shot in the 5th, 4-0. Contreras a 3 run triple in the 6th and he scores on a Carlson single, 8-0. In the 7th after a Perguero error Torres scores on a DP. Thompson (1-0) goes 5 1/3 for the win and Alcantara (15-7) the loss.
Stamford vs Coney Island
Game 1
Jays 9-11-1
Cyclones 2-8-0
WP J Codero 2-1 LP R Weathers 0-1
Jays take over the game scoring 4 runs in the 2nd to take the lead and never look back. Jays get 2 RBIs from Isbel, Garcia and Amaya. Jays suffer another injury as Friedl goes down for 5 games. Jays starter Bassitt is thrown out of game for hitting a batter but Jays get 5 innings of shut out ball from the bullpen.
Game 2
Cyclones 1-2-2
Jays 0-1-1
WP A Manoah 10-11 LP J Montgomery 14-6
Pitching duel as Montgomery no hits Cyclones through 6 innings, He yields solo run of the game on a Solano single. Cyclones starter Manoah goes 8 innings fanning 8 and just gives up one hit. for the win.
Game 3 (14 innings)
Cyclones 4-12-1
Jays 1-6-1
WP L Jackson 4-1 LP R Vasquez 2-1
A three-run homer by Rengifo in the top of the 14th gives the Cyclones the extra inning win.
Both teams pitching staffs strike out 17 batters. The Jays pitchers yield 9 walks.
Game 4
Cyclones 7-8-0
Jays 4-5-2
WP L Jackson 5-1 LP B Miller 9-10
The Jays take a 4-2 lead into the 8th but sloppy fielding allows the Cyclones to break open game as they score 5 runs. Happ belts two run homer and Arcia has a bases clearing triple in the inning.
Game 5
Cyclones 6-11-0
Jays 3-11-0
WP W Peralta 4-1 LP V Velasquez 0-3
Cyclones score two in the 6th and 2 more runs in the 9th to take control of the game. Arcia drives in two more runs for the Cyclones and the Cyclones bullpen throws 5 innings of shutout ball.
Next Cyclones host San Diego and the Jays travel to Durham.
Arizona vs Louisiana
Gm #1
Kaprielian vs. T. Walker. Schwarber led off the game with a walk and 3 singles later he scored for a quick 1-0 lead. After that, it was all Louisiana as they lambasted the Arizona pitching staff in their 12-3 victory. T. Turner (24), Acuna (36), and Outman (12) went deep for the Cajuns. Arozarena enjoyed a 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B game and Acuna drove in 4 as he went 2-3, R, BB, HR. Kaprielian went 7 allowing the one run. Arizona tagged Phillips for two solos in the ninth by Olson (41) and Carroll (22) in a futile comeback attempt!
W Kaprielian (1-0)
L T. Walker (11-3)
Gm #2
Giolito vs. Nola. Louisiana must have declared war on Arizona as 2 Cajuns hurlers were ejected as 4, yes 4, Dust Devils were clunked, with Carroll being a victim and lost for 2 games. The game was 2-1 going into the 8th until Schwarbs (28) goes upper deck for a 3R HR and seals the 6-1 DD win. Nola went 7+ striking out 12 Cajuns along the way.
W Nola (10-9)
L Giolito (9-8)
Gm #3
Severino vs. Bibee. In a see-saw affair featuring 5 Arizona long balls, they prevailed 9-8 despite committing 3 errors. Louisiana jumped out to a 4-0 lead after their first two innings, but a Gimenez RBI single and a Larnach (13) 3R shot tied it up after 2 complete. Henderson committed his 26th error and Arozarena singled Turner home after he stole his 28th base, all with two outs. Gomes (10) tied it up after 4. Louisiana pushed across single runs in the 5th and 6th. Arizona promptly answered with Schwarbs’ (29) solo, a Ramirez (19) solo and Olson’s (42) 3R blast to go up 9-7 after 7. The Cajuns had a run across and had the tying run on 3rd with two outs in the 8th but grounded out, 9-8 ARZ.
W Graterol (7-1)
L Marinaccio (3-3)
S Foley (8)
Gm #4
Lynn vs. Sandoval. Olson (43) drove in Raley after Thomas gunned down Ramirez trying to advance to 3rd on his single. After Abreu (2) ripped a 3R shot and Sosa (4) followed with one of his own it was 4-2, LOU after 5. Gelof (14) smoked a 2R laser the next inning proving to be the game-winner as Raley (14) and Betts (29) hit solos to close out the Cajuns 6-4 comeback and evened the series. Lynn hung in and went 8 innings to pick up the win.
W Lynn (7-11)
L Sandoval (11-6)
Gm #5
Carrasco vs. T. Walker. Olson (44) once again staked the Dust Devils to 2-0 lead in the 1st, driving in his 122nd run for the year. The Cajuns went up 3-2 after 4 only to have the DD’s explode for 6 runs in the 5th featured by Henderson (23) and Gimenez (8) home runs. There was a Schwar-bomb (30) leading off the 6th as Arizona doubled up on Louisiana 14-7 to take the 3-2 series win. Acuna (37) and Sosa (5) ripped solos for the Cajuns.
W T. Walker (12-3)
L Carrasco (2-5)
Louisiana heads home to host Freeport and Arizona awaits Westchester next week.
Chappaqua vs San Diego
CHAPPAQUA COMETS TAKE THREE OF FIVE FROM SAN DIEGO ARMADILLOS
The pesky Armadillos stunned the Comets by winning the first two games before Chappaqua stormed back to win the last three
The Comets made a big move this week, acquiring Chris Martin to be their new closer, as they try to catch the Hoppers for first place and stave off Stamford for the wild card
Game 1 SDA 14 CHA 13
An insane game as the Comets take an 8-1 lead after two innings. With Sonny Gray on the mound it looked like an easy Comets win. But the Armadillos roared back with 5 in the third against Gray to make it 8-6. After the Comets increased the lead to 10-6 after three, San Diego poured it on with 3 in the 4th and 2 in the 5th- sending Gray to an early shower – and taking an 11-10 lead after five. The Comets tied it in the 7th only to see San Diego score 2 in the 8th to take a 13-11 lead. And then the Comets came back yet again to tie it 13-13 after 8 innings. Then, in the 9th,the Comets left Clay Holmes in rather than bring in the newly acquired Martin or the high leverage (former closer) Yennier Cano. Holmes gave up a 9th inning run (to go with 2 allowed earlier). Will Vest came on to save it for San Diego and the Armadillos had an incredible win in the series opener.
Eduardo Julien was 4-5 with a double and 3 RBIs for San Diego. Michael Taylor was 2-3 with TWO HRs (17) and FIVE RBIs. Adonis Garcia was 4-5 with a double, HR (38), SB and 4 runs scored.
The Comets hit four HRs - two by Aaron Judge (36) and one each by Yainier Diaz (18) and H. Kim (21). Judge (2-4) had FIVE RBIs. Kim was 3-6 with a double, HR and 3 runs scored. The Comets also had four stolen bases, two by Valdez (6) and one each by Josh Lowe (23) and PR Harrison Bader (15).
Tyler Megill started and gave up 7 runs in 1.1 IP. Eli Morgan, the 5th of 6 SD pitchers, got the win (2-2) despite blowing a save. Sonny Gray had his worst performance of the season, giving up 9 runs in 3.1 IP. Holmes (3-6) allowed 3 runs in 2.2 IP
Game 2 SDA 2 CHA 1
For the second day in a row, the Comets manager made a head scratching move, bringing Matt Moore into pitch the 10th in a 1-1 game, rather than using Martin or Cano. The move did not work as Moore (4-1) gave up the winning run on an RBI single by E. Duran.
Eli Morgan (3-2) got the win for the second straight day as Vest got a save (18) for the second straight day.
Unlike the first game, this one was a great pitchers duel between San Diego’s Tyler Glasnow (8 IP, 6 H 1R, 3 W, 11 K) and Chappaqua’s Bailey Ober (9 IP, 6 H 1R, 2W, 9 K). The Comets broke a scoreless tie on an RBI single by Willi Castro in the 6th. Ober took a shutout into the 8th but an RBI single by Luis Garcia tied the game at 1-1 – setting the stage for the 10th inning victory.
Game 3 CHA 11 SDA 4
The Comets asserted their dominance in this one, as they routed Yu Darvish (4-10) (1.2 IP, 7 R) and this time, after taking a 7-0 lead after two, cruising to victory. Judge (37) and Matt Chapman (12) homered for the Comets as the red hot Judge (2-4) drove in FOUR more runs. Jazz Chisholm,returning from an injury had an RBI triple (2-5) and a SB (17).
Kyle Gibson restored order (9-4) getting the win with 7 solid innings (4 R, 9 H, 6K). Justin Topa pitched two perfect innings in relief to close it out
Game 4 CHA 15 SDA 4
The Comets win in another rout. Judge hit his fourth homer of the series (38) and the fourth consecutive game in which he homered. He drove in three runs to give him 12 RBIs in the series. Josh Lowe (2-4) also homered (18) and drove in three runs. Harrison Bader (2-3) had a stolen base (16).
For San Diego, Willie Calhoun hit a 2 run HR (4) to give San Diego an early 3-2 lead. The Armadillos led 4-2 after 4 ½ but a 4 run Comets 5th , followed by 3 in the 6th and 4 more in the 7th turned the game into a rout.
Kyle Freeland (5-11) was the starter and loser. Marcus Stroman (11-7) gave up 12 hits (4 runs) over 6.1 to get the win as Cano and Will Smith pitched 2.2 IP of one hit shutout ball to close it out.
Game 5 CHA 9 SDA 4
The Comets take the series with another resounding offensive performance. Jordan Westburg, in his only start of the series, went 2-4 with a HR (6) and 3 RBIs. Graham Ashcraft (6-12) was the starter and loser, giving up 10 hits and 7 runs in 6.2 IP. Ranger Suarez continued his sensational season, going 7 strong innings, to improve to 13-1 on the year! Cano had 2 perfect innings to close it out.
Adolis Garcia hit #40 for the Armadillos
Chappaqua improves to 80-52, two games behind Greensboro in the NL East, pending the results of this weeks Hoppers games. Chappaqua is also 3.5 games ahead of Stamford for the wild card – also pending the results of Stamford’s games this week.
Next week – a HUGE series as the Comets host Greensboro, in a series that may go a long way to deciding the division title.
San Diego drops to 54-78 and plays Coney Island next week in an important series for the Cyclones who are battling Tampa for the NL West title.
Mad Town vs Freeport
Mad Town entertains Freeport for 5 games. And entertaining they were. The first three were nail biters that could have gone either way. Mad Town flexed their muscle in the last two, taking 4 of the 5.
Game 1
Franco (20) got the scoring started in the second. In the 3rd, Schneider doubled and Boagerts doubled him in for a 2-0 lead. That was all Kirby(13-6) needed as he went 7ip 2 walks, 6 Ks and 1 hit and 0 runs.
2-0 MTZ
Game 2
In the second, Elder walked Bogaerts and Lowe. Machado's bases clearing triple put the Zephyrs up 2-0. In the top of the 3rd, Stephenson singled and Harris narrowed the margin with an RBI triple of his own. In the bottom half, Crawford (6) said 'Goodbye Mr Spalding!) 3-1 Zephyrs. In the 5th, Suzuki doubled in Harris as the Bandits creeped closer. In the top of the 6th, the Bandits loaded the bases. Vesia came in and struck out Rodgers to maintain the lead. In the 8th, with Urshela on 1st, Stephenson blasted one off the wall. Urshela ran through the stop sign at 3rd and was thrown out at home. The Bandits again had the tying run on in the 9th but Abreu got Suzuki to pop out to end it.
3-2 MTZ
Game 3
The Bandits jumped to a 3-0 advantage behind Vierling(6) and Merrifield(9). Casas(20) closed the gap to one in the 5th. 3-2. The Zephyrs could manage only 2 base runners out of 12 plate appearances in the last 3 innings as the Bandit bullpen held
3-2 FRE
Game 4
The Zephyrs used their favorite second inning to score 3 thanks to Benintendi (6) Baltimore Special. In the 4th, the Bandits got on the scoreboard when Hoerner tripled and Harris doubled him in. The Bandits committed 3 errors in the 6th and 7th allowing 6 runs for the Z's. Lowe (14) added another in the 8th.
11-1 MTZ
Game 5
Soler (14) got the first hit of the game in the 3rd. It was a 9 mile blast. 1-0 Freeport. Mad Town's first hit was a Machado 2 (21) two run shot in the 5th. 2-1 Mad Town. Lowe (15) and Machado went back to back in the 7th as Mad Town pulled away. Again, aided by 2 Freeport miscues scoring 3 runs. Gallen (12-7) went 7 striking out 13.
9-2 MTZ
Week ending August 25
Gulf Breeze vs Westchester
Westchester came to Gulf Breeze for a 5 game set this week and grabbed 3 of the 5.
Gm 1: 6-4 Wes Down 3-2 in the 7th, a 2R Varsho single and a following E2 gave the visitors the lead and eventual win. T.Rogers (3-1) over Paxton (a ghastly 3-17)
Gm 2: 4-1 Wes Once again GB blows a late lead. Ahead 1-0 after 7, 3 straight XBH give the bad guys a lead and a 2 out Paredes blast (19) in the 9th ices it.
Gm 3: 5-0 GB Luis Catsillo (12-11) was sharp for 7 frames and a large Margot 3R blast (6) was the big blow of the game in the 6th. Corbin Burnes lost it (10-6)
Gm 4: 5-2 Wes After an E5, E.Diaz rapped a 2R HR (16) in the 4th to make it 3-0, and GB had no meaningful response. Charlie Morton (9-11) with the win.
Gm 5: 4-3 GB H.Ramirez 2R double in the 5th tied things at 3, but Tom Murphy responded with a solo blast (7) in the 6th as the game winner. Flaherty (2-7) wins
Next week, Gulf Breeze heads to Shenandoah while Westchester heads home to entertain Antelope.
Coney Island vs Cowtown
As the season hits the dog days of August, the Cyclones are finding their top starters are wearing out (and "Top starters" is very relative, not very strong). So what happens the rest of the way should be interesting (and not necessarily pretty).
But at least our hitters and hobnob pitcher were able to squeak out a 3-2 series win this week!
Game 1 - Cyclones win 7-6 as they take advantage of 2 unearned runs. Vargas (3), Renfroe (14) and Bethancourt (2) homer for Cowtown and Vargas and Bethancourt drive in 2 little doggies with their blasts. Devers and Arcia drive in 2 each for the good guys.
COW 6-10-3 LP Cortes (2-8)
CIC 7- 9-1 WP Manoah (9-11) S Mayza (21)
Game 2 - Drovers rebounds and grabs game 2 with a big 3 run 6th - Renfroe (15) with the 3 run homer to spark the win. Wallner (16) also homers. Sheehan manages a decent 5.2j innings and 3 relievers finish it off with Ottavino giving up a 9th inning homer to Devers (31) as their only blemish for the relief corps. 4 walks by starter Cruz didn't help anything (except the Drovers offense).
COW 6- 5-1 WP Sheehan (3-1) S Ottavino (6)
CIC 4-10-1 LP Cruz (4-8)
Game 3 - Home team rebound time and Kyle Harrison responds well - last start for him this year, pitch count shuts him down as the rookie was pretty decent at times. Today was one of those times, 8 ip, 6 hits, 1 unearned run, 7 ks! The unearned run came in the 1st on a Marte error. Good guys get that one back in the bottom of the 1st and then add another run 6th and 2 more in the 8th to secure the win. Call, single, double, run and 2 rbis lead the way.
COW 1- 8-0 LP Urias (15-10)
CIC 4-11-1 WP Harrison (6-7) S Mayza (22)
Game 4 - Kikuchi tries to match his teammates performance and goes 8.1 inning, 6 hits, 2 runs (1 unearnded) and 9 ks. But it wasn't enough as Mitch Keller and Bradford team up for 7 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits. However, Bradford's 1 hit in the 7th did allow the Cyclones to tie the game at 2-2. Cowtown scored 1 in the 4 and another in the 7th - with no RBIS! Cyclones get 2 n the 7th.
So we go to the bottom of the 9th tied 2-2. Rengifo doubles with 1 out, Solano gets the IW. Arcia flies out, Renfigo tags and goes to 3rd. And then the unlikely Omar Narvaez strokes the walk-off single when he fists one to RF!
COW 2-6-0 LP Stephenson (4-4)
CIC 3-7-1 WP Peralta (3-1)
Game 5 - In the finale, Logan Allen goes the distance, giving up 6 hits, 3 walks and a lone run - in the bottom of the 9th, for the win. Helping along the way was a 3 run Bregman homer (22) in the 6th. That was the only mistake by Garrett Whitlock - and it shouldn't have happened at all, but Ian Happ made his 1st error of the year when he boots a Volpe flyball with 1 out. Ugh! Might have been 1-0 Cyclones instead, but it didn't work out that way.
COW 3-5-1 WP Allen (4-11)
CIC 1-6-1 LP Whitlock (7-7)
That's it, 3-2 Cyclones. Cowtown wins a trip home to face the red hot Greensboro Grasshoppers while Coney Island takes a week on the road to Stamford as August comes to an end.
Freeport vs Shenandoah
GM1- Maeda and Eovaldi hook up in a pitchers duel. Nolan Jones 2Run Homer in the 6th puts Freeport ahead to stay. Nico Hoerner had two hits for Freeport.
S 1 3 1
F 2 8 0
W- Eovaldi (6-5)
L- Maeda (2-11)
S- Alzolay (12)
HR- F- N. Jones (12)
GM2
Bandits get five in the first and chase Ronel Blanco early. Pandas fight back but fall a bit short. Seiya Suzuki had three hits for Freeport. Josh Donaldson had three hits for Shenandoah, who lost Blake Sabol for 11 days.
S 7 12 1
F 8 13 1
W- N. Anderson (4-0)
L- Blanco (0-6)
S- Alzolay (13)
HR- S- Morel (23), Wisdom (14), Muncy (23)
F - Yoshida (4), Suzuki (14), Siri (14)
INJ - S- Sabol (11 days)
GM3
All Shenandoah in this one. Pandas hit 4 homers and Zach Wheeler strikes out 11 over 6 innings. Chris Morel homered twice and drove in six for the Pandas. Jose Siri hit a grand slam for Freeport.
S 11 11 1
F 6 7 1
W- Wheeler (6-12)
L- Butto (1-3)
HR- S- Morel 2 (25), Wisdom (15), Donaldson (9)
F- Siri (15)
INJ - F- H. Greene (23 days)
GM 4
Bandits take advantage of some sloppy Panda defense as they scored early and often to cruise to a 10-0 win. Bryce Miller allowed just 2 hits and struck out 11 over 7.2 innings to get the win. Nolan Schanuel went 3-3 and Siri homered for the third straight game for Freeport.
S 0 2 4
F 10 12 2
W- Bry. Miller (8-8)
L- Kluber (0-7)
HR- F- Siri (16), Schanuel (2)
GM 5
Freeport chases Framber Valdez with 4 runs in the 4th inning and cruised to a 6-1 win in the series finale. Bryan Bello allowed just one run over 6.2 innings. Seiya Suzuki had a pair of doubles and drove in 2 to pace the Freeport attack. Chris Morel and Josh Donaldson each had two hits for Shenandoah.
S 1 5 1
F 6 12 0
W- Bello (12-9)
L- Valdez (7-12)
HR- None
Bandits win 4 of 5 and will Travel to Mad Town next week. Shenandoah hosts Gulf Breeze.
Tulsa vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Central division-leading Tulsa Roughnecks in Week 25 action.
Gm #1
Senga vs. Sandoval. Vogelbach (14) deposited one in the cheap seats leading off the 2nd. Henderson hit a SF driving in Carroll after his triple (6) to tie in the bottom half. Turner (15) hit a Baltimore Special in the 5th and Arizona answered with a two spot thanks to some Roughnecks generosity. Olson (39) tied it with his leadoff blast in the 6th. Tulsa put the game away in the 7th when Drury (10) and Vogelbach (15) hit solos and added another run in the 9th on three singles. Final 7-4 Tulsa.
W Senga (12-7)
L R. Walker (1-2)
S Bednar (22)
Gm #2
Lugo vs. Nola. Yastrzemski (15) ripped a shot off the foul pole in the 1st. Arizona countered with 2 in the bottom half on a 2 RBI double by Ramirez (45). Olson (40) added two with his bleacher-reacher in the 3rd and Henderson (21) touched one off in the 4th for a 5-1 advantage. Mauricio (2) cut the deficit in half with his pinch-hit homer in the 8th but that was all the scoring as Arizona won 5-3.
W Nola (9-9)
L Lugo (9-9)
S Graterol (19)
Gm #3
Javier vs. Rogers. Larnach (12) ruined a stellar pitching performance by Javier 5H, 2 BB, 10 K with his shot in the 7th. Tulsa answered with a 2 RBI triple by Turner after two walks and he scored on a SF by Noda as the Roughnecks went up 3-1 in the 8th and held on for the win.
W Javier (8-9)
L Rogers (0-3)
S Bednar (23)
Gm #4
Boyd vs. Abbott. Turner doubled in Ortega for a quick 1-0 lead. Schwarber (26) tied it in the 2nd. Ramirez (18) did his version of the Baltimore Special and Olivares added the eventual game-winner with his RBI single in the 7th as Arizona jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Tulsa countered with a Baddoo RBI single in the 8th. Things got interesting in the 9th. Velazquez, the #9 hitter, drew his second walk after singling earlier in the game, to lead off the inning. Yastrzemski singled knocking out Beck and bringing in Duran. Drury greeted him with a triple and was driven in by a two-out Mauricio single. Jankowski flew out to the track to end the game as the Dust Devils escaped with a 6-5 victory.
W Abbott (7-1)
L Boyd (0-2)
S Duran (3)
Gm #5
Junis vs. Sandoval. Schwarber (27) lead off the home half of the first with a solo blast. Henderson (22) added a 3R shot later in the inning as the DDs jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Arizona added 2 in the 3rd and had solos from Carroll (21) and Gomes (9) to close-out the 8-0 whitewash in the rubber game.
W Sandoval (11-5)
L Junis (8-5)
Next up, Arizona hosts Louisiana and Tulsa plays host to Jonesboro.
Chappaqua vs Tidewater
CHAPPAQUA COMETS TAKE THREE OF FIVE FROM TIDEWATER DRILLERS
Game 1 CHA 1 TID 0
Sonny Gray (10-9) pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout with 9 Ks outpitching Logan Gilbert (13-7) in an old fashioned pitchers duel. Conor Joe’s RBI double in the second inning was the game’s only run
Game 2 TID 9 CHA 4
Drillers even the series belting FIVE HRs: two by Freddie Freeman (26) and one each by Bo Bichette (15), Andy Ibanez (8) and Wilmer Flores (21). Adrian Martinez (1-0) got the win in relief with Tom Cosgrove getting his 24th save. Kim (20) and Judge (32) homered for the Comets
Game 3 TID 8 CHA 6
After CHA took a 6-4 lead after two, the Drillers rallied to win it as Juan Soto (27) and Wilmer Flores (22) went yard. Duran was 4-5 with 3 stolen bases. Bernardino (3-2) won it in relief with another save from Cosgrove (25). Clay Holmes came on in the 7th, in relief of Kirk Gibson, with the Comets ahead 6-5. Holmes proceeded to blow the save and take the loss (3-5).
Game 4 CHA 3 TID 2
Comets even the series. After blowing a 2-0 lead in the top of the 6th, the Comets got the winning run in the bottom of the frame. Adrian Houser (6-3) was the starter and winner. Yennier Cano got his 22nd save. Jon Gray (14-7) was the starter and loser. Matt Chapman, back from injury, had a solo HR ( 11 ) for the Comets
Game 5 CHA 7 TID 5
Ranger Suarez improved to 12-1 as the Comets took a 7-0 lead after four and held on for the win. Aaron Judge hit two HRs to give him 34 on the season and Seth Brown (10) also homered. Freddie Freeman was 4-5 for the Drillers. Clay Holmes redeemed himself with a save, his 4th of the year. Jose Oviedo (12-6) was the starter and loser.
Chappaqua improves to 77-50 and remains 2 games behind NL East leading Greensboro – and ahead of Stamford for the wild card. Next the Comets host San Diego
Tidewater improves to 83-44, the best record in the NL. Next week the Drillers go to Durham.
Greensboro vs Tampa
Aug. 21 - Fried faces Verlander in the opener. The Hopper bats handle Fried as Albies (30) and Tork (15) each blast 2, and Jordan Walker (13) hits a solo. Greensboro, 6-2. Verlander's now 18-3.
Aug. 22 - Detmers and Max. Greensboro clobbers the Stingrays, 16-4. Jake Burger (he spells it wrong) hits his 32nd. JRod (26), Shohei (35), Seager (16), and Walker (#14, a grand slam) go yard for the Hoppers. Max wins his 12th.
Aug. 23 - Grayson Rodriguez faces Shohei in game 3. The Rays take this one, 4-2. Burger (33) and Alonso (37) provide the offense. JRod (27) and Walker (15) homer for the Hoppers.
Aug. 24 - Tough matchup for the Hoppers, as Snell starts for the Rays. He'll face Quintana. Snell bests Q., 3-1, despite Albies 31st.
Aug. 25 - In the finale it's Tampa ace Gerrit Cole against... Martin Perez. Perez and Cole each give up 11 hits, but the Hopper pen, led by Greinke, keeps Tampa in check for the rest of the contest. A really close one, as Greensboro needs 12 innings to pull it out, 6-5. Salvy(15) hammers 2, and Corey Seager hits his 17th off Waldichuck for the bottom-of-the-twelfth winning run.
Greensboro takes 3 of the 5 in a hard fought series. They now head out to Cowtown while the Stingrays head north to Brooklyn.
Northwest vs Jonesboro
Northwest takes the series 5-0 over Jonesboro with great pitching
performances.
8/21 - NW 4 JON 2, Eleven innings. Kelly vs. May. Torres hit the walk
off homer, Abrams had both RBI's for Jonesboro.
A bullpen game that was a theme for the entire series.
8/22 - NW 6 JON 1. Gaddis vs. Strider. Northwest scored all six runs in
the first 3 innings aided by 3 home runs.
Same injury-collision for NW catcher and first baseman as last month.
Zunino out for 34 days - that's a wrap.
8/23 - NW 9 JON 1. Teheran vs. Steele. The Indians get 4 home runs, 2
off Teheran, making for an early exit.
8/24 - NW 3 JON 1. Irvin vs. Skubal. Jung's 2 run homer in the first
inning held up, Mullins solo shot for the Crackers
the only run for the second game in a row.
8/25 - NW 4 JON 1. Gausman vs. Alcantara. Northwest turned 2 clutch
double plays with Jonesboro threats early and
Victor Gonzalez was great in relief again, tiring in the 9th. Jonesboro
lost their catcher Smith for 8 days to injury.
Week ending August 19
Coney Island vs Stamford
This series had runs (57), close games (2 1 run games and a 2 run game) and even good pitching (well maybe one game of that) and 1 extra inning game - and that was the 1st one. And lots of come backs.
Game 1 -
STA 004 030 000 1 8-10-3 WP Bautista (6-5) BS Helsley (2)
CIC 000 003 220 0 7- 8-0 LP Ferguson (4-3)
HRs - STA: Kirilloff (8), McNeil (7); CIC - Happ (13), Arcia (8)
Jays took off early, built a 7 run lead and the home fans groaned. Then some sloppy play and timely hitting gets the Cyclones back in it,but then in the 10th Ferguson runs out of gas - shouldn't have tried to stretch it, but bullpen innings are scarce. And Kirilloff tags one out of the park for what becomes the winning run. McNeil accounted for 5 rbis and 2 runs on a 2 for 5 day
Game 2 -
STA 020 002 000 4-12-1 LP Rogers (2-3) BS (2)
CIC 100 020 30x 6-11-0 WP Thornton (7-0) S Mayza (20)
HRs - STA: Knizer (14); CIC - Happ (14), Devers (30)
Jays take a 2-1 in the 2nd on Knizer's 2 run homer but the Cyclones manage 2 comebacks to grab the lead and the game as Thornton keeps working his limited magic and newcomer Mayza saves another one.
Game 3 -
STA 221 200 000 7-11-0 WP Clevinger (9-5) S Bautista (8)
CIC 000 400 000 4- 5-0 LP Harrison (5-7)
HR - STA: Nimmo (15)
Jays dominate scoring all 7 runs in the 1st 4 innings with Nimmo driving in 3 and Reynolds, Young and Amaya mashing 2 hits each. Then Cyclones fashion 4 runs in the 4th, Laureano doubling in 2 of them, but the Jays parade a bunch of relievers (4 of them) for the final 3 scoreless innings - and the win!
Game 4 -
STA 203 002 000 7-11-0 WP Miller (9-9)
CIC 000 000 001 1- 6-2 LP Harrison (5-7)
HRs - STA: Reynolds (16). Knizer (15)
Jays get 2 run Reynolds homer in 1st and then 3 unearned runs in the 3rd and another 2 run homer off the bat of Knizer in the 6th. But the big item, Miller tosses a 3 hit shutout for 7 innings (8 ks) for best player of the game honors - if there were any.
Game 5 -
STA 400 002 000 6- 9-1 LP Cordero (0-1)
CIC 600 000 01x 7-11-0 WP Mayza (6-3) BS Adam (3)
HR - STA: De La Cruz (5)
Jays stun the Cyclones with 4 in the 1st including a 2 run De La Cruz homer. But spot starter Andrew Wantz was so itchy he couldn't even hold that lead - 4 hits, 2 walks a Reynolds error and the Cyclones put 6 runs on the board, Laureano driving in 2 of them. Kikuchi settled in but in the 6th De La Cruz singles in his 3 rbi and Young follows with a game tying single off Adam. Relievers then take charge with Stamford's crew holding Coney scoreless through 7 and Mayza comes in in the 8th and blank the Jays through 9. Bottom of the 8th, Laureano singles (2nd hit), steals 2nd and 3rd and scores on an Arcia double off Cordero and that turned out to be the winner!
Hoping for more, but the rotation is near non-existent and the bullpen is limited, so 2 out of 5 is probably better than expected. Coney stays home to host Cowtown while Stamford stays in the NL West to face Mokena.
Chappaqua vs Calgary
In a series featuring a wild 14 inning game and lots of HRs, the Comets prevail 3 games to 2 over Calgary
Game 1 CAL 6 CHA 1
Joe Ryan (9-6) pitched a complete game 3 hitter with 10 Ks (6 walks) as the Outlaws take the opening game of the series.
Francisco Alvarez clubbed two HRs (21) and Kevin Kiermaier one (8) to lead Calgary. The loss was costly for the Comets as CF Jazz Chisholm was injured and may miss two or three weeks.
Sonny Gray (9-9) started and took the loss, allowing 5 runs in 7 innings
Game 2 CHA 9 CAL 8 14 innings
An instant classic as the two teams slugged back and forth before the Comets prevailed in the bottom of the 14th on a walk off double by Conor Joe. Calgary led 3-2 after one and 5-2 in the 4th before the Comets tied it 5-5 in the bottom of the frame. After CAL took a one run lead in the top 6th, the Comets came back with 2 in the bottom 6th to take a 7-6 lead. That lead held up until there were two out in the 9th inning when Paul Goldschmidt hit a dramatic 2 run HR off Matt Moore to tie it up. Each team scored in the 11th, as Aaron Judge homered to tie it for Chappaqua.
The Outlaws had FOUR HRs, two by Goldschmidt (21,22) and single HRs by Yandy Diaz (17) and Ryan McMahon (22). Goldschmidt had 4 RBIs. The Comets hit FIVE HRs, THREE by Aaron Judge (29,30,31) and TWO by Kim (18, 19). Each of them had FOUR RBIs.
Nate Pearson, the 7th and last of Calgary’s pitchers took the loss. He’s 2-2. Clay Holmes (2-4) got the win pitching 2/3 inning in the top of the 14th. Yennier Cano pitched three scoreless innings before turning things over to Holmes
Game 3 CHA 6 CAL 5
Calgary jumped out to a 3-1 lead after four before the Comets tied it in the 6th. The Outlaws then took a 5-3 lead after 8. In the 9th Yennier Diaz doubled with the bases loaded scoring three runs for the walk off win.
Teoscar Hernandez hit TWO HRs (16) for CAL. Conor Joe (3) and Josh Lowe (17) homered for CHA
Calgary starter Trevor Richards struck out 12 in 6.2 IP
Chasen Shreve (1-4) took the loss in relief as J. Webb blew the save giving up the bases loaded, game winning, hit to Diaz
Clay Holmes (3-4) got the win for the second straight day, in relief of Kyle Gibson
Game 4 CAL6 CHA 3
Goldschmidt hit #23 – a three run blast in the 7th that cemented the win. Jake McCarthy (2) also homered while stealing his 19th base of the season. Logan Webb (11-7) got the win. Jake Bird got the save.
Seth Brown (9) and Conor Joe (4) homered for the Comets. Adrian Houser (5-3) was the starter and loser.
Game 5 CHA 13 CAL 5
Calgary took a 2-0 first inning lead and increased the lead to 5-2 in the third before CHA scored 3 in the bottom 3rd to tie it. The Comets broke open a close (7-5) game with a FIVE run outburst in the 8th.
Conor Joe (3-4) hit his third HR of the series (5) and Kyle Higashioka (3-4) also went yard (2)
For Calgary, Goldschmidt hit his FOURTH HR of the series and 27th of the year.
Mark Leiter (1-9) was the loser in relief of Jose Luzardo. CHA starter Ranger Suarez improved to 11-1, despite giving up 5 runs in 6 innings. Justin Topa and Ryan Thompson pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief for the Comets
The Comets are dealing with a lot of injured and tired players but still managed to improve to 74-48, second in the NL East 1 game behind Greensboro pending the results of Greensboro’s home series this week against San Diego . The Comets also lead Stamford by 4.5 games for the wild card pending the Jays series this week on the road in Coney Island
Calgary is now 53-69, third in the NL Central
The Comets next host AL Central leading Tidewater while Calgary hosts Durham
San Diego vs Greensboro
Aug. 15 - Tylor Megill faces Verlander. Greensboro plates 7 in the first, and then coasts to a 9-2 win. Duran hits his 8th for the Arms, and Shohei blasts his 34th for the home team. Verlander is now 17-3.
Aug. 16 - San Diego ace Glasnow opposes J.P. France in this one. San Diego and Glasnow return the favor, clobbering the Hoppers, 9-2. Garcia (#6), Taylor (#13), and France (#12) go yard for the visitors, as Glasnow improves to 4-6.
Aug. 17- Darvish and Miles. Greensboro, 8-4. Mikolas wins his 6th. Salvy's 13th is the big blast. Garcia (34) and Taylor (13) go long for the 'Dillos.
Aug. 18 - Hopper rookie Taj Bradley makes his debut against vet Kyle Freeman. Not exactly a pitcher's duel as Greensboro blasts San Diego, 18-7. Mateo hits his 9th for the visitors, and Seager hits his 15th for the Hoppers, as young Taj wins his 1st.
Aug. 19 - In the finale it's Graham Ashcraft against Zach. This is a tight one as Zack holds on for his first win of '24. Hoppers, 5-3. Marcano (#1) touches Zach for the only San Diego homer. Albies hits his 28th for Greensboro.
Greensboro takes 4 of the 5, and now awaits Tampa's arrival, hoping for some payback after dropping a recent series there. The Armadillos head north to Flatbush.
Tidewater vs Durham
TID takes the series from DUR 4-1
Gm.1 DUR 3-2 Suwinski's 2-run blast in the 6th gives DUR a 3-2 win over TID as 3 relievers hold TID hitless for 3 innings.
Gm.2 TID 5-0 E.Cabrera improves to 4-0 as he twirles a 2-hit shutout. Flores gets a 2-run double and Freeman a solo homer.
Gm.3 TID 15-9 Bats come out with 32 hits (20 for TID). DUR-Estrada 4-5 HR, Santander 1-2 HR (then INJ). TID-Flores 4-5 HR, Kelenic 3-5 5 RBI, Soto 4-5.
Gm.4 TID 7-3 Soto (3-4 HR 2 RBI) and Freeman (3-5 HR 4 RBI) for TID. Adames rips a 2-run homer for DUR.
Gm.5 TID 10-1 Oviedo improves to 12-5. Flores continues to rake going 2-3 with 2 BB's, 3 RBI and his 20th HR. Kwan goes 2-4 for DUR with the RBI.
Flores goes 8-17 .471 7 RBI 3 BB Double and 2 HR to lead VIR in the series.
Week ending August 8
San Diego vs Brooklyn
Two teams looking like they're NOT headed to postseason.
San Diego with two key players out for two weeks.
Game One
A 4 pitcher shutout and 3 hitter. 4-0 Brooklyn
Game Two
San Diego pulls out a win in the bottom of the ninth on a Kris Bryant single 3-2 San Diego
Game Three
Lots of runs with the game taken easily. Injuries abound. San Diego loses Bryant for two weeks to add to Altuve and Doyle already on IL. Brooklyn loses two, also, to injuries. 11-5 Brooklyn
Game Four
Garcia's homerun for two runs leads the Armadillos to the hang on win. 2-1 San Diego
Game Five
Calhoun, up from the minors and subbing for a regular, hits game winning homerun in the bottom of the 10th. 7-6 San Diego
Jonesboro vs Freeport
The Freeport Bandits visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set. The Crackers take 3 of 5
Game 1- Game 1 went to the Bandits 7-5. The Crackers led 3-1 till the 5th when Freeport pulled away for a 7-5 win. Eovaldi(5-5) was the winner, Kelly(6-9) took the loss. Harris2(13) homered and rove in 4 for the visitors. Stephenson(8) also went deep for the Bandits. Smith(15) and Bauers(4) for the Crackers.
Game 2- Went to the Crackers 7-1. Gaddis(1-0) wins his first start, Elder(6-10) takes the loss. Ozuna(30) homers for the Crackers.
Game 3-Went to the Crackers 6-3. VerHagen(2-3) was the winner, Assad(5-8) takes the loss. Abrams(13) and Menseses(11) homers for the home team
Game 4-Went to the Crackers 6-2. Miller(6-8) takes the loss, Teheran(3-3) is the winner. Ozuna(31) goes deep for the Crackers.
Game 5-Bandits snap back for a 5-2 win. Gausman(9-10) is the loser, Bello(11-8) the winner. Harris(14), Suzuki(11), Soler(130 homer for the Bandits.
Next Up the Bandits host Arizona and the Crackers host Madtown
East Coast vs Tulsa
The Tulsa Roughnecks visit the East Coast Rockies and in a fun series the Rockies take the series 3-2 by winning two of their games in the 9th inning.
GAME 1: TUL 5-14-0 ECR 2-4-0
In the 1st Turner singles in a run and in the 3rd he doubles in 2 runs and scores on a Yastrzemski single, 4-0. In the 8th Lopez triples in a run and scores on a Grisham SF. Tauchman homers in the 9th. Senga (10-7) gets the win and Lopez (9-10) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 2-8-0 TUL 1-3-0
Baddoo swats a solo shot in the 4th. In the home half Robert and Vaughn go BTB with doubles, 1-1. Correa walks it off in the 9th with a bases loaded single. Maton (6-3) gets the win and Milner (2-1) the loss
GAME 3: TUL 8-9-0 ECR 3-6-0
Calhoun smashes a 2 run HR in the 2nd. Noda homers in the 4th. Yaz doubles in 2 in the 5th, 5-0. In the 8th Calhoun singles in 2 and Polanco blasts a 2 run HR, 8-2. In the 9th Tauchman and Riley swap solo shots. Lugo (9-7) gets the win and Peralta (6-8) the loss.
GAME 4: ECR 4-2-2 TUL 3-9-1
Guillorme singles in a run in the 2nd. In the 5th Drury scores when Carlson drops the third out. 2-0. In the 8th after a Vaughn error Guillorme singles in a run. Javier has a no hitter going thru 8 innings but 2 walks and then Riley wallops a 3 run HR to tie the game. Robert follows him to the plate and launches the winning drive into the seats. Only 2 hits for the Rockies, both HRs. McHugh (1-0) gets the win and Javier (7-8) the complete game loss.
GAME 5: ECR 6-9-2 TUL 3-4-0
In the 2nd Turner scores on Alvarez dropped third out. In the home half RBI singles by Vaughn, Davis, Lopez, and Springer make it 4-1. Velazquez goes deep in the 3rd, 4-2. Robert a 2 run blast in the 7th. In the 8th Tauchman scores when Alvarez drops another fly ball. Littell (9-6) gets the win and Junis (2-1) the loss.
Stamford vs Calgary
Game 1
Jays 8-12-0
Outlaws 3-3-1
WP K Funderburk 1-1 LPM Leiter 1-8
The game is scoreless through 5 innings. Outlaws score two in the 6th and Jays tie game at 2 in bottom of the 6th. Jays add 3 more in the 7th and 3 more runs in the 8th to take control of the game. Nimmo drives in three for the jays
Game 2
Jays 6-13-1
Outlaws 2-4-1
WP C Bassitt 11-8 LP B Singer 6-11
Starter Bassitt goes 8 strong innings fanning 10 for the win. Jays get homers from Nimmo and Isbel. McMahon and Gorman homer for the Outlaws.
Game 3
Jays 6-11-1
Outlaws 3-7-0
WP J Montgomery 13-5 LP J Bird 3-4
A two run homer by Gorman in the 1st gives the Outlaws a quick lead. Jays score in the 2nd, 3rd and the 4th inning to take control of the game The Jays get 3.2 innings of shutout ball from their bullpen.
Game 4
Jays 3-5-1
Outlaws 1-5-1
WP K Funderburk 2-1 LP L Webb 10-7
A pitcher’s duel; as the game is tied at 1 through 8 innings. Reynolds belts two run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give the Jays a walk off win. Starter Webb goes the distance in losing effort.
Game 5
Jays 9-15-1
Outlaws 4-10-2
WP B Miller 8-9 LP J Luzardo 7-10
Jays score runs in the 2 through 8th innings. Stott and Dubon each have 3 hits to lead the Jays. Starter Miller fans 8 over 6 innings for the win. Alvarez belts two homers for the Outlaws.
Next Outlaws travel to Chappaqua and the Jays travel to Coney Island
Northwest vs Westchester
Overtime series, Northwest manages a 3-2 series win.
8/9 - NW 6 WW 2. Lindor was 4 for 4, 3 runs, 2 solo shots and Torres 3
for 5, 2 runs, solo homer for Northwest.
8/10-WW 8 NW 5. 14 Inning game that so both teams score single runs in
the 10th and 11th innings with the Wombats
finally prevailing in the 14th. It was a NW error and Marlowe's clutch
2-out bases loaded triple that won it.
8/11 - WW 3 NW 2. 12 innings. This game and the previous game seemed to
blend into a long triple header that was a
roller coaster ride all the way. Both teams stranded runners in this one
when it seemed like runs were in order. Hicks and Paredes
hit solo home runs for Westchester and both bullpens were worked overtime.
8/12 - NW 9 WW 1. Alcantara scattered 6 hits, (Arraez 3, Carpenter 3)
in a CG effort to improve to 14-5. Lindor HR.
8/13 - NW 9 WW 1. Nick Martinez allowed 4 hits and Lindor, Torres, and
Guerrero homered.
Next up: Westchester hosts Louisiana and Northwest hosts Gulf Breeze.
Week ending August 8
San Diego vs Durham
Battle of the bottom!
Game One
San Diego hits 6 homeruns enroute to the laugher win. San Diego 16-4
Game Two
Profar's 3 RBIs and homerun lead the Lucky Strikes to the win. 3-2 Durham
Game Three
Darvish and Morgan throw the 5 hit shutout. 3 more homeruns from the Armadillos. 6-0 San Diego
Game Four
San Diego gets 7 runs in the first two innings and still manage to throw the game. They also lose Altuve and Doyly for about two weeks! 8-7 Durham
Game Five
Rea goes 8 strong innings for the win 6-0 Durham.
Northwest vs Arizona
Gm #1
Skubal vs. Sandoval. Both starting pitchers were ejected early as a beanball war erupted with 2 Indians relievers ejected as well as one Dust Devil. A total of 2 Indians were nicked but 4 Dust Devils got nailed in the game. Each team lost a player – Duval for 11 days and the hometown Gary Sanchez out 13 days. The game itself was a blowout early. After a one-out walk and, of all things, a HBP, preceded the first Schwarbomb (19) of the game. Olivares (3) followed that up with a blast of his own. Northwest answered in the 2nd with an RBI 2B by N. Lowe and a 2R single by Tovar to make the score 4-3. After a walk and a HBP resulted in Skubal being ejected. Skubal hit 2 of the first 10 batters he was allowed to face! Olson singled in a run for a 5-3 advantage. Sandoval hit Duvall and knocked him out 11 days the next inning. Beck relieved and got the next two batters only to snip one of his own resulting in his ejection from the game. Two ejections in one inning!!! Another Schwarbomb (20) started the bottom half and Raley was plunked resulting in Martinez being ejected. Gunner (17) went yard on the first pitch from Covey to increase the lead to 8-3. Sanchez is popped the next inning and lost for 13 days. Naturally Covey was asked to leave. So, in addition to the ‘normal’ warmup before an inning, there were FIVE relievers allowed to take as much time as they needed to get ready after the ejections. Needless to say, the concessions saw a big uptick in business. The game ended without further departures. Arizona put up a 4 spot in the 6th featuring an RBI 2B by Olivares and 2-RBI 3B by Raley. The final 12-3 ARZ.
W Beck (3-2)
L Skubal (3-6)
Gm #2
Strider vs. T. Walker. Grichuk (13) and Hays (13) hit solos and Vlad singled in a run and it was 3-0 after 4. Torres (17) hit a solo and Lindor doubled in another and it’s 5-0 NWI. There’s another explosion with a runner on as Schwarber (21) ignites again. Remains 5-2 until the 7th when the Indians relievers had difficulties getting the ball over the plate. Raley was plunked by Strider to begin the inning. Walls pinch-ran and scored on a double by PH Olivares off of Minter to close the gap to 2 runs. Gomes singled him in and went to 2nd on a Ramirez single. Olson walked to load the bases. Martinez relieved and, after a fly-out, issued 3 consecutive 2-out walks to tie and then give the Dust Devils a 7-5 early Christmas present.
W Hentges (3-2)
L Minter (2-2)
S Graterol (15)
Gm #3
Smyly vs. Nola. Northwest greeted Nola rather rudely to begin the game as Benson (6) led off with a big fly and after Torres singled, Lindor (24) hooked one inside the pole to stake Smyly to a quick 3-0 lead before he threw a pitch. Olson (32) ripped a shot into the bleachers after Ramirez walked in the bottom half to cut the deficit to one. Ramirez (13) tied it in the 3rd and took the lead in the 5th on a bases-loaded walk to Betts. Mookie (28) added an insurance run in the 7th. Velazquez (10) closed the gap to 5-4 in the 8th and tied it with a SF in the 9th. Holton was left in for a 2nd inning to start the 9th. Gomes walked and, after striking out Schwarber, Ramirez doubled him to 3rd. Olson blooped a single over Lindor’s head for a walk-off 6-5 Arizona victory.
W Duran (7-2)
L Holton (1-3)
Gm #4
Alcantara vs. Bibee. The Dust Devil batters continue to act like magnets as two more are HBP, with Raley being injured for 5 days. Alcantara was ejected after plunking his 2nd hitter in the 3rd. Northwest scored on a WP in the first. Olson (33) hit a 2-run homer to give Arizona a 2-1 lead in the first. He singled in a run in the 3rd and scored on a FC for a 4-1 lead. Olivares (4) had a 2R HR in the 5th. Lindor (25) soloed in the 6th. After Olson (34) hit his second 2R HR of the game for an 8-2 lead, Tovar had a 2R single to close out the scoring in the 9th for an 8-4 Arizona win.
W Bibee (7-3)
L Alcantara (13-5)
Gm #5
Steele vs. Sandoval. Steele shut down the Dust Devils as he allowed only 4 hits in his 6.2 innings of work. Olson (35) stayed hot as he accounted for the only Arizona run. Jung singled in Torres in the 1st and Torres (18) went yard in the 5th. The Indians added 3 runs in the 9th to squelch any Arizona comeback thoughts as Tovar had a 2R 2B and Hays doubled him in. Final, 5-1 Northwest, to avoid the sweep.
W Steele (13-3)
L Sandoval (9-5)
Next up, Arizona heads to Shenandoah and Northwest hosts Westchester.
Gulf Breeze vs Mad Town
Gm 107: 4-3 GB Three GB HR did the trick- including a 2R Refsnyder and solo Heyward blasts in the 5th. Wilson saves (11) for Paxton (3-14) Matt Carpenter also homered
Gm 108: 14-3 MT Ouch. Three HR and a nice outing by Schmidt (7-6) in this one. Bogearts and Wade both drive in 3. Gomber shellacked (6-12) and 2 GB pitchers downgraded
Gm 109: 10-1 MT More fun with the MadTown offense. Bellinger is 4 for 5 with 3 runs, 5 rbi, and his 17th HR. Eflin allowed just one unearned in 7 (9-7). 3 GB errors didn't help
Gm 110: 2-1 GB Don't see decent GB pitching often, but Braxton Garrett had a good one, with Miller winning it (1-3) and Wilson saving (12). MT left 2 on in the 9th.
Gm 111: 7-3 MT 2 out, 3R Baltimore Special in the 9th made a close game not so much. Wade (10), Franco (17) and Machado (17) all homer, Heaney (10-3) wins
Stamford vs Stamford
Stamford faces off against Tidewater in a close 5 game series.
Game 1
Drillers 4-9-1
Jays 2-6-1
WP L Gilbert 12-5
LP S McClanahan 9-5
Gilbert goes 6 innings fanning 7 for the win. Duran ( 3 hits) and Steer homer for Drillers. Jays get homers form Garcia and Knizner.
Game 2 ( 11 innings)
Drillers 3-6-1
Jays 2-5-1
WP J Alvardo 7-1 LP K Funderburk 0-1
A Steer sac fly in the 11th drives in winning run for the Drillers. Freeman homers for the Drillers. Drillers pitching strikes out 10 Jays batters.
Game 3 ( 11 innings)
Jays 4-10-0
Drillers 3-8-0
WP K Jansen 2-2 LP B Bernardino 2-2
A solo homer by Knizner, his second of the game in the 11th gives Jays a walk off. Win. Game begins as a pitcher’s duel as each starter fans 9 batters.
Game 4
Jays 5-5-1
Drillers 0-3-1
WP M Clevinger 8-5 LP J Gray 13-6
Clevinger goes 8 innings fanning 9 for the win. He is helped with homers by Friedl and Murphy’s 3 run blast.
Game 5
Jays 4-7-0
Drillers 3-6-0
WP B Miller 7-9 LP J Oveedo 11-5
Miller goes 8 strong innings fanning 6 for the win. Friedl homers for the Jays.
Next Stamford hosts Calgary and Tidewater hosts Mokena
Greensboro vs Coney Island
Aug. 4 - The Cycs ("Psycs"?) open with southpaw Tyler Alexander against Shohei. Greensboro takes the opener, 7-2, as Shohei wins his 10th. Ex-Hopper Marte provides the oppo offense, blasting his 14th in inning one. Walker (#12), Albies (#26) and Salvy (#10) homer for the hometeam.
Aug. 5 - Coney starts another lefty, Kyle Harrison, in game 2. He faces Justin Verlander. 7-1 Hoppers, as Verlander departs after five with the win. He's now 16-2 on the season. Marte again gets some revenge for the trade, as he hits another (#15). Shohei hits his 30th for Greensboro.
Aug. 6 - Silseth and France. This is a really close one. It goes ten before the Hoppers can prevail, 9-8. Happ hits his 11th for the Coneys, and Shohei blasts 2 (#31 and #32), J-Rod hits his 23rd, and Salvy hits 2 (he now has 12).
Aug. 7 -Whitlock and Martin Perez in game 4. Another close one as Greensboro comes back from an early 3-zip deficit to prevail, 8-6. Happ (#12) and "Guess Who" (#16) go long for the Coneys. Albies (#27), and J-Rod (#24) go yard for the Hoppers.
Aug. 8 - In the finale it's Kikuchi and Max as the Hoppers rest Seager, Trout, and Albies, a big tactical risk intended to avoid injuries. The Cycs salvage the getaway game, clobbering the Hoppers, 11-1. Marte (again!, #17) and Devers (#25 and #26) homer to lead the offense.
Marte almost makes Greensboro management regret trading him until they remember they used that pick for a guy named "Ohtani."
Greensboro takes four of the five, and now head south to Tampa. Coney Island drives east to Durham.
Week ending August 2
Antelope vs Louisiana
Louisiana wins game five 14-10 (despite being outhit 19-17) to take series at Antelope 3-2.
Lyles stays in to take the beating for Cats (6 inn. 17 hits 14 runs). Season spiraling downhill in a big way for Antelope.
Cajuns host Jonesboro next; Antelope on the road to East Coast for another beat down!
Mokena vs Chappaqua
CHAPPAQUA TAKES THREE OF FIVE FROM MOKENA AS PITCHERS DOMINATE
GAME 1 CHA 10 MOK 0
Sonny Gray (8-8.2.86) pitched 7 shutout innings allowing only 2 hits, with 9 Ks as the Comets routed the Roozys. Yannier Diaz (17), Matt Chapman (9) and Jordan Westburg (4) homered for CHA. Diaz (2-4) had 3 RBIs and scored 3 Runs.
Matt Strahm (4-6, 3.50) was the starter and loser
GAME 2 MOK 2 CHA 0
Eduardo Rodriguez (8-6, 2.31) ( 7 IP, 3 H) and two relievers combined to shut out the Comets. Bailey Ober (6-5, 4.00) was the hard luck loser, pitching a complete game with 10 Ks. The game was scoreless through 7 before Fernando Tatis homered (16) to break the tie. Jesus Sanchez hit a solo HR (2) in the 9th for an insurance run
GAME 3 CHA 1 MOK 0
Another shutout, this time Marcus Stroman (9-6, 3.93) and Yennier Cano (S, 18) combined to win it for the Comets. Stroman scattered 5 hits and struck out 10. Jose Berrios started for MOK and pitched 6 shutout innings. Kyle Nelson (3-4) was the loser giving up the game’s only run on an RBI single by Kim.
GAME 4 MOK 5 CHA 3
The Roozys even the series as Tatis (17) goes yard for the second time in the series. Andrew McCutchen goes 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. Kyle Hendricks (6-6, 4.17) is the winning pitcher, going 5 innings before four relievers pitching four scoreless innings with Pete Fairbanks getting his 24th save. Kim (16) homered for the Comets
GAME 5 CHA 4 MOK 3
Harrison Bader hit a dramatic PINCH HIT THREE RUN HR in the bottom of the 7th to give the Comets a 4-3 lead that they never relinquished. Bader’s blast came off reliever Kyle Nelson (BS 2) (3-5, 5.47) who took the loss. The game featured a matchup between two hot pitchers. Dale Dunning for the Roozys had won 5 in a row while the Comets starter, Ranger Suarez, had won 8 straight.
Mokena took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th on the strength of THREE HRs - by Bryce Harper (20) and back to back dingers by Owen Miller (6) and Zack McKinstry (3).
Willi Castro stole 2 bases for CHA and now has 22 on the season
Suarez improved to 9-1 (4.47) pitching 7 innings,allowing 3 runs on 8 hits with no walks and 7 Ks. Matt Moore, Clay Holmes and Yennier Cano (S 19) pitched 2 hitless and scoreless innings to close it out.
The Comets improve to 66-41 and remain in first place in the NL East, two games ahead of Greensboro, pending the results of Greensboro’s series this week against Brooklyn. Mokena falls to 52-55 and with Coney Island sweeping Calgary this week, the Roozys now trail the Cyclones by 6 games in the NL West.
Next: Chappaqua travels to Calgary while Mokena hosts Brooklyn
Calgary vs Coney Island
South of the Border for Calgary and the unexpected happens! 2 1 run games, 1 2 run games, 1 Extra inning game, 1 Shutout, 4 close games!! After finishing the recent road trip on a high note in San Diego, the Cyclones roll back across the country to host the Outlaws!
Game 1 - Cyclones up 3-2 after 6 - Teoscar Hernandez homers twice (14) for the Outlaws to get then runs - but Rowdy Tellez matches his 2 homers (13) but drives in 4 runs with them. And 4 runs is what Coney Island scores in the 7th to blow the game open.
CAL 3-7-1 LP Ryan (7-6)
CIC 7-9-0 WP Ferguson (4-2)
Game 2 - 5 homers, 25 hits 17 runs - and free baseball, what more can you want. Well a win would be nice! Sparked by a 4 run 7th the Outlaws take an 8-4 lead into the 9th. And then - Laureano (3) hits a 3 run homer! Really. Yes but of course, the left the Cyclones a run short, but Happ singles and so do some others and they get the tying score. A Tellez leadoff single in the 12th gets Arcia on the bases as a PR. Rengifo follows with a walk-off double and the Cyclones grave the win.
Kiermaier (7), Rooker (12) and Alvarez (16) homer for Calgary - Rooker with 3 rbis and 2 hits. Devers (24) adds a homer for Coney Island.
CAL 8- 9-1 LP Person (2-1) BS Leiter (4)
CIC 9-16-1 WP Adam (2-3) BS Okert (2)
Game 3 - A Nate Allen GIDP scores 1 for Calgary in the top of the 4th. A Call 3 run homer (5) for Cyclone in the bottom half made it 3-1 Cyclones. And those 3 runs came on just the one hit. Cyclones only get 2 hits in the game as Wells is great and goes 8. But Whitlock is the Grade 3 wonder that seems to be around in every season - as he goes 8.1, 7 hits, 10 ks (6 walks) but only the 1 Unearned run.
CAL 1-8-0 LP Wells (7-8)
CIC 3-2-1 WP Whitlock (7-3) S Mayza (17)
Game 4 - Another couple of great pitching efforts. Logan Webb goes 7.1, 2 hits, 7 ks and just 1 run - A Ketel Marte rbi double in the 3rd. However, Webb was outdone by Fernando Cruz who goes the whole way for his 2nd shutout of the season!!
CAL 0-6-0 LP Webb (10-6)
CIC 1-3-0 WP Cruz (4-7)
Game 5 - In an unexpected position, the Cyclones are going for the sweep. They get 1 in the 1st, but the Outlaws come back for 3 in the 2nd - a 2 run homer by McMahon (19) and the back-to-back solo shot from O'Neill (4). However, the Cyclones get to Luzardo for 2 in the 3rd to tie it up and 2 more in the 4th to go up 5-3. And then nothing by either team the rest of the way - and Cyclones get the win and the sweep.
CAL 3-8-0 LP Luzardo (7-8)
CIC 5-8-1 WP Kikuchi (9-5) S Mayza (18)
Wow - exciting week, but next week we head down 95 to 40 to Greensboro and they are looking for payback from their trip Cyclone land earlier in the season. Calgary heads home to host Chappaqua - no easy task.
Arizona vs Gulf Breeze
The Dust Devils rolled in to Gulf Breeze this week for a 5 pack played on Teamviewer. The Rebels were competitive at least, but dropped 4 of 5 to the big bullies.
Gm 1: Az 5-4 A PH Henderson 2 out rbi double in the 8th gave the visitors the lead, then Marsh was caught stealing with 2 outs in the 9th to end it. Hey- you try things....
Gm 2: Az 9-2 Sandoval (9-4) has a nice one and HR by Olson (31), G.Sanchez (15) and Schwareber (19) make it a laugher.
Gm 3: Az 4-3 More late inning Az heroics- this time an Olson base knock in the 6th grabbing the lead, and Graterol saving his 14th. Anderson out at third on fly out to end it
Gm 4: GB 2-1 There was much rejoicing. Braxton Garrettl (2-10) with his best outing of the year and Tapia's solo (4) set up Jeffers rbi single in the 8th for the win.
Gm 5: Az 7-2 Tied at 2, Az makes 2 outs in the 6th, the 5 straight reach base and the end result was a 7-2 Dusties win. Henderson with a D, T, and HR, but couldn't get the 1B
Next week, Arizona returns home to take on Northwest while the Breeze stays put to take on Mad Town.
Northwest vs East Coast
Northwest wins 4 of 5
7/29 - NW 3 EC 1. Lopez vs. Strider. Close game made interesting by
poor base running by both teams. East Coast center fielder L.Robert
threw out two players at home for a DP on his only two chances while
East Coast ran them selves into a DP on a base hit. Lindor scored in the
1st
on a double, fly ball, and Torres ground out RBI. Heim solo shot in the
5th, and Wiemer's walk and a double RBI by Lindor in the 6th.
7/30 - EC 11 NW 2. Cease vs. German. East Coast bats broke it open
early with 5 runs in the 2nd inning. The Rockies slammed 4 homers and
had 13 hits to go along with 9 walks and 2 HBP in this blow out.
7/31 - NW 3 EC 0. Marquez vs. Smyly. Smyly allowed only 3 hits but
escaped jams due to 7 walks and a hit batter. The 9th inning was made
interesting when with one out N.Martinez was brought in and allowed a
hit, Mlodzinski was brought in and allowed a hit, now closer Holton
was brought in and hit Contreras, his 2nd time HBP, but with the bases
loaded Riley hit a GDP to end it.
8/1 - NW 10 EC 1. Peralta vs. Alcantara. Lindor and Hays homered in
this one sided game and Alcantara went the distance.
8/2 - NW 11 EC 3. Lodolo vs. Steele. Riley and Robert went back to back
for East Coast in the 4th to take an early lead but Lodolo was hit
hard and removed in the 4th inning. Hays, Heim, and N.Lowe homered for
Northwest.
Next up: East Coast will host Antelope and Northwest heads out to Arizona.
Week ending July 27
Jonesboro vs East Coast
The East Coast Rockies visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set, with the Crackers taking 3 of 5
Game 1-Crackers win 5-1. Miley(8-4) gets the win, Lopez(9-7) absorbs the loss. Riley(24) homers for the Rockies
Game 2-First of 2 one run games the Rockies win. Rockies win 2-1, scoring runs in the 8th and 9th for the win. Clase(2-2) gets the win, Santos(3-4) the loss. Bauers(3) homers for the Crackers, Greene(20) and Correa(24) for the visitors
Game 3-Rockies win 6-5. They Jumped out to a 3-1 lead after 3. Game was tied after the 8th inning 5-5. Rockies score 1 in the 9th to take a 6-5 lead. Crackers had bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 9th and couldn’t score. Clase(3-2) gets the win, Stratton(4-2) the loss. Roberts(30 for Rockies and Meneses(10) for the Crackers homer.
Game 4-Offense gets wild as the usually punchless Crackers win with win long ball hitting 4 homers> Ozuna2(21) and Abrams2(11) supply all the fireworks for the home team. Springer(10) homers for the Rockies. Peralta(6-5) is the loser, Gallegos(1-1) gets the win
Game 5-More fireworks as the Crackers hit 4 more dingers. Ozuna 2(23), Abrams(12) and Urias(2) go yard, Candalerio(17) homer for the Rockies. Lodolo(0-2) is the loser, Gausman(9-8) gets the win
Next up Jonesoro takes a 60 mile ride To Mad Town, and East Coast stays on the road heading to Northwest
Freeport vs Louisiana
G1
L 7 12 0
F 9 12 2
W- Brash (1-1)
L- C. Phillips (0-1)
HR- L- Thomas (21), Witt (18)
F- M. Harris (9), N. Jones (10)
INJ - Hoerner (1 day), S. Suzuki (5 days)
G2 (10 innings)
L 6 10 0
F 7 11 0
W- T. Scott (4-4)
L- Wisneski (6-5)
HR- L- Witt (19), Thomas (22)
F- Vierling (5), Soler (10), Pinto (2), Merrifield (6)
G3
L 3 3 0
F 7 13 0
W- Elder (6-8)
L- Giolito (7-7)
HR- L- Witt (20)
F- Merrifield (7)
G4
L 3 5 0
F 1 13 1
W- Severino (3-1)
L- Assad (4-7)
S- T. May (4)
HR- L- Y. Gurriel (5)
F- Siri (12)
G5
L 8 10 0
F 3 8 2
W- Lynn (4-10)
L- Bry. Miller (4-7)
S- Bachman (1)
HR- L- T.Turner (19), Acuna (29), Gelof (11), Moncada (6)
EJ- F- Bry. Miller
G6 (11 innings)
L 5 11 0
F 6 9 1
W- N. Anderson (3-0)
L- Scholtens (1-4)
HR- F- Siri (13)
Freeport wins 4 of 6.
Greensboro vs Stamford
Stamford hosts the Greensboro Grasshoppers
Game 1
Grasshoppers 3-7-0
Jays 2-8-0
WP J France 8-7 LP F Bautista 5-5
A solo homer by pinch hitter Ohtani breaks open a 2-2 tie and the gives lead and winning run to Grasshoppers. Bell hit two run homer for the Grasshoppers. A Knizner homer and an RBI single by Nimmo accounts for the Jays runs.
Game 2
Grasshoppers 7-10-0
Jays 2-6-0
WP M Perez 5-4 LP C Bassitt 9-8
Grasshoppers get homers from Ohtani (2), Perez and Albies (3 run homer) Perez goes 8 innings for the win. Nimmo belts homer for the Jays.
Game 3
Jays 7-10-0
Grasshoppers 0-5-2
WP J Montgomery 11-5 LP M Scherzer 10-3
Jays’ bats come alive as all but one batter gets hits. Nimmo belts two run homer and Knizner also homers. Starter Montgomery goes 8 strong innings for the win.
Game 4
Grasshoppers 5-7-0
Jays 3-8-0
WP J Verlander 15-2 LP M Clevinger 6-5
Starter Verlander holds Jays in check as he goes 8.2 innings fanning 7 for the win. Rodriguez belts two run homer for the Grasshoppers. Jays score two runs in the 9th to make game close.
Game 5
Jays 10-13-0
Grasshoppers 9-11-2
WP R Vasquez 2-0 LP K Middleton 2-1
Down 9-4, the Jays rally and score 6 runs in the 7th. The highlight a three-run homer by Reynolds. Jays also get 3 RBIs from Garcia and Amaya. Trout and Albies homer for the Grasshoppers.
Next Grasshoppers travel to Brooklyn and the Jays travel to Tampa.
Northwest vs Antelope
Northwest takes series 4-1.
7/23 - NW 10 ARC 5. Wacha vs Strider. Antelope hammered 4 homers to
account for all 5 runs, Tucker 2(16), Semien(16) and Edman(9). Both
grade 14 starters
were ineffective and were removed early. Jung(5) homered for Northwest
and 7 walks and 2 hit batters added to their offense.
7/24 - NW 5 ARC 3. Kremer vs. N.Martinez. The Northwest bullpen
combined for a 4-hitter but wildness and walks made for an early exit
for Martinez.
7/25 - NW 15 ARC 8. Williamson vs. Smyly. Antelope hammered 4 homers
again, Gurriel 2(14), JD Martinez(19), and Edman(10). Tovar had 2 (5)
for Northwest and
the 15 hits and 11 walks for Northwest kept the runs coming.
7/26 - ARC 9 NW 4. Medina vs. Alcantara. The Antelope pitching was wild
again and walked 8, but Northwest stranded 11 this game. Dingers by
Taylor(5), Gurriel(15), and Semien(17) added to the 14 hits and 5 walks
and 2 HBP, Antelope even stranded 11 runners.
7/27 - NW 9 ARC 4. Lyles vs. Steele. Northwest got to Lyles early
making for a quick exit. Lindor(22), Torres(16), and Wiemer(5) went yard
for Northwest. Semien got his 18th home run
for Antelope.
Next up - Antelope hosts Louisiana and Northwest hosts East Coast.
Week ending July 22
Mad Town vs Tulsa
Mad Town and Tulsa had their games moved to the Smokey Mountains
Game 1
Turner (13) got things started in the first with a 3 run dinger. Cabrera(2) upped the lead to 4-0 in the second. Benintendi singled in Lowe for the Zephyrs' first run. With the bases loaded, Casas(12) hit a Grand Slam for the lead. The bullpen held
7-4 MTZ
Game 2
The Roughnecks ran away with this one
11-3 TUL
Game 3
The Zephyrs used small ball to score 3 in the first. Kirk (6) added another in the 4th and that was all Gallen needed. He had 10 Ks in 7 ip
5-1 MTZ
Game 4
Kirby took a perfect game into the 4th and that's where the wheels came off. Baddoo(8) and Vogelbach (11) put up 3 for the Roughnecks. Matz 8-5, was masterful: 7 ip 2 hits 1 run
6-1 TUL
Game 5
The Z's bats came alive in this one. Franco (13) Garver (6) and Lowe(8) went deep. Heaney 9-3 pitched 7 with 13 Ks and 1 run allowed
11-1 MTZ
Mad Town takes 3 of 5 and heads to Shenandoah for 6
Tulsa heads home to await Gulf Breeze
East Coast vs Gulf Breeze
A battle of two teams in Wilmington played via Team Viewer. East Coast hosted the Gulf Breeze Rebels and we had 3 one run games and 2 not so close games. The biggest difference were the HRs. The Rebels knocked one out of the park in the 4th game of the series and that was it. The Rockies rocked the Rebel pitching to the tune of 12 long balls, 6 in the first game. This is one of the reasons the Rockies won the series 4-1. It wasn't all offense, the last game was decided by a solo HR in the 7th inning. Both starting pitchers threw a complete game.
GAME 1: ECR 10-11-1 GBR 0-4-1
Candelario starts the HR barrage with a first pitch bomb in the 1st. Robert adds a 2 run shot later, 3-0. In the 2nd Davis blasts a 2 run HR and Springer adds a solo HR and a 6-0 lead. In the 5th Vaughn singles in a run. In the 7th Springer goes yard for the second time in the game, 8-0. Davis finishes up the scoring by homering for the second time in the game in the 8th, another 2 run shot. Lopez (9-6) gets the win and Paxton (2-13) the loss
GAME 2: GRB 8-14-2 ECR 7-12-1
This game the Rebels jump out to a big lead. In the 1st Canha doubles in two and Mountcastle plates a third run. In the 2nd Heyward a RBI GO, Canha a RBI GO, and Mountcastle another RBI single, 6-0. In the home half Vaughn homers, Alvarez swats a 2 run HR and Robert singles in a run, 6-4. In the 4th Mountcastle doubles in a run. Candelario gets the run back with a SF in the bottom half, 7-5. In the 7th Canfdrelario scores on a Mountcaslte error and Vaughn doubles in the tying run. Slater doubles in the winning run in the 9th. Yates (3-1) gets the win and Munoz (3-3) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 11-16-1 GBR 6-12-0
In the 2nd Escobar a 2 run triple and he scores on a Peterson single. In the 3rd Riley singles in a run and scores on a Vaughn 3 run dinger, 4-3. In the 4th Alvarez swats a sol HR and Springer singles in a run, 7-3. In the 5th after a Greene error Margot and Tapia each single in runs and Canha adds a RBI double to pull within one. In the 7th Vaughn singles in a run, Alvarez a SF, and Robert a 2 run single, 11-6. Perez (5-2) gets the win and Castillo (9-8) the loss.
GAME 4: ECR 3-9-1 GBR 2-7-0
Riley doubles in a run in the 1st. Frazier ties it in the 2nd with a single. Correa singles in a run in the 4th, 2-1, Vaughn wallops a HR in the 6th, 3-1. Murphy a PH HR in the 8th. Peralta (6-4) gets the win and Garrett (1-10) the loss
GAME 5: ECR 1-5-0 GBR 0-9-0
Great pitching duel between Littell and Flaherty. Then only damage was a Correa solo shot in the 7th. Littell (8-6) gets the win and Flaherty (0-3) takes the loss
Jonesboro vs Shenandoah
The Shenandoah Pandas visted Jonesboro for a 5 game set, with the Crackers taking 4 of 5.
Game 1-Crackers take the opening 6-2. Miley(7-4) is the winner, Maeda(1-8) takes the loss.Rojas(3) and Langeliers(6) homer for the Crackers. Andrus and Wisdom were injured for multiple games for the Pandas.
Game 2-Crackers win a 12 inning marathon 1-0. Kelly has a no-hitter for 7. Cuas(0-1) absorbs the loss
Game 3-after a 1-0 defensive struggle, the Crackers win 10-2. Valdez(5-8) takes the loss, Tehera(2-1) gets the win. Muncy(18) homers for the Pandas, Ozuna2(19) and Bauers(2) for the Crackers.
Game 4-Crackers win Crackers win 4-1. Muncy(19) homers again for the Pandas, Pederson(10) hits a slammer for the Crackers. Irvin(2-2) goes the distance, Liberatore(2-8) gets the loss.
Game 5-Pandas win 8-1 behind an onslaught of homes. Muncy(20) goes deep for thd third game in a row,Pena(5), Ford(11) and Smith(3) with Smith’s being a grand slam. Wheeler(5-9) is the winner, Gausman(8-8) the loser.
Shendandoah now hosts Mad Town, while East Coast Travels to Jonesboro.
Arizona vs Antelope
The Arizona Dust Devils host the River Cats from Antelope in Week 19 action.
Gm #1
Wacha vs. T. Walker. 2R HRs were the feature of the Dust Devil offense as they blasted 4 of them en route to the 10-5 opening game victory. Olson (28) had two of them along with Schwarber (16) and Henderson (12). Raley and Gomes had RBI doubles accounting for the other two runs. The Antelope big blow was a JD Martinez 2R 2B.
W T. Walker (10-2)
L Wacha (7-4)
Gm #2
Kremer vs. Bibee. Tucker (13) opens the scoring with a solo shot in the first. Arizona counters with a 4 spot featuring a Ramirez (9) 2R HR and a Gimenez 2R single. Gomes singled in a run in the 4th and Ramirez added his third RBI on a single in the sixth. Henderson had an RBI single in the 7th and Larnach (8) closed out the scoring with a 3R blast in the 8th giving the DD offense 10 runs in the first two games. Meanwhile, the River Cats pushed across 2 runs in the 8th as Arizona won 10-3.
W Bibee (5-3)
L Kremer (2-8)
Gm #3
B. Williamson vs. Abbott. Raleigh (16) opened the scoring for Antelope with a solo shot in the 2nd. Edmond singled in their second run in the 5th. Betts (21) tied it up in the bottom half and G. Sanchez (14) added his own 2R shot in the 6th to put the DD’s ahead 4-2. J-Ram had an RBI GO in the 7th with Arizona taking the first 3 games, this one, 5-2.
W Neris (5-4)
L B. Williamson (5-7)
S Foley (6)
Gm #4
Medina vs Nola. The River Cats scored early and often as they outscored the Dust Devils 9-7 in securing their first win of the series. Tucker (14) and Raleigh (17) went deep in the 1st and a Semien RBI single and Suarez’s 2R single added 3 more in the 3rd. Semien (15) ripped a 2R HR in the 5th to push the lead back up to 4 after Arizona got to within 2 in the 4th. Henderson (13) had a solo shot in the 2nd. Betts (22) had a solo shot in the 5th but the River Cat pen held on as they win 9-7.
W C. Perez (3-6)
L Nola (6-8)
S Kimbrel (4)
Gm #5
Lyles vs. T. Walker. A walk-off 3R HR by Mookie with 2 outs in the 9th catapulted the DDs to a dramatic 8-6 win in the finale. Olson (30) ripped a 2R shot in the first and 3 successive singles followed for a 3-0 Arizona lead. Raleigh (19) was a one-man wrecking crew as he smoked a solo shot in the 2nd and a GRAND SLAM in the 3rd to give the River Cats a short-lived 5-3 lead. Carroll (17) tied in the bottom half with both pens allowing no runs until the 9th. Gurriel ripped an RBI double with 2 outs in the top half only to see Mookie (23) do his thing in the bottom half!
W Foley (5-3)
L Dominguez (0-1)
So, Arizona takes 4 of the 5 games. Next up, Arizona heads out to Westchester for 6 games and Antelope travels to Northwest for some interdivision play.
Freeport vs Westchester
G1
W 0 4 2
F 2 9 0
W- Manning (1-1)
L- Burnes (10-5)
S- T. Scott (16)
G2
W 9 13 1
F 5 12 1
W- Morton (6-10)
L- Elder (5-8)
S- K. Kelly (4)
HR- W- McCormick (10), DeJong (8)
INJ- F- Hoerner (1 day)
G3
W 10 15 0
F 1 5 1
W- Canning (6-6)
L- Butto (1-2)
HR- W- E. Rivera (1), Paredes (15), Carpenter (7), E. Diaz (11)
INJ- F- P. Bailey (11 days)
G4
W 4 6 2
F 1 4 0
W- R. Olson (6-7)
L- Bry. Miller (4-6)
S- K. Kelly (5)
G5
W 8 17 0
F 1 7 1
W- Pivetta (3-2)
L- Bello (10-6)
HR- W- E. Diaz (12)
INJ- F- Schanuel (20 days)
Wombats dominate series winning 4 of 5, outscoring the Bandits 30-10 and holding
the home squad without a homer in the series..
Greensboro vs Tidewater
July 18 - The NL Central first-place Drillers open with Logan Gilbert against Martin Perez. They take the opener, 9-4. Steer hits his 13th for the visitors, and Shohei blasts his 24th for the home team.
July 19 - A close one - the Hoppers take it, 2-1, as Max notches his 10th.
July 20 - Hoppers, 7-5, as Ohtani wins his 9th. Duran (#5) and Flores (#16) homer for the Tides.
July 21 - Greensboro, 9-3, despite another Flores homer (#17), and Soto's 18th. Trout (#15) and J-Rod (#20) go yard for the Hoppers. Verlander wins his 14th.
July 22 - The Drillers hang on to take the 5-4 finale. Duran hits his 6th, and Oviedo wins his 10th.
Greensboro takes 3 of the 5, and now head north to face the Jays. The Tides head to Cowtown.
Coney Island vs Chappaqua
Always a hot ticket item as the Comets flare their way down river to the Cyclones land - promises to be a roller coaster series - or does it. [Caution lengthy report - and game 5 has a twist]
Chappaqua riding high in their stunning season start currently topping the NL East over the might Grasshoppers - and sporting the 2nd best NL record. The Cyclones on the other hand are riding the low path in the midst of a major rebuild - some stars - but limited pitching - but scrappy! Can we hang with the big boys? And will Judge get to swing?
Game 1 - Gray vs. Silseth
Nothing in the 1st although the Cyclones got their 1st two batters on but a DP killed it. A DP by the Cyclones wiped out a 2nd inning chance for the Comets (Chapman opened with a double and Brown 1 out walk - but Moreno ended it). Coney Island draws 1st blood in the 2nd on back to back doubles by Bleday and Rivas, 1-0!
Things heated up in the 4th when Judge worked a leadoff walk and Lowe followed with a big blast (13) over the LF wall for a 2-1 Chappaqua lead. But that wasn't the end of the excitement. Brown recharges the threats with a 2 out double. Moreno then smashes one to the right center gap, Call chases it down, Brown turns the corner for home, the throw, the tag.....OUT! (Should have paid attention to the red light!) So 2-1 Comets. The lead only lasts until the bottom of the 5th when Marte singles with 1 out, Solano singles him to 3rd and then Devers doubles scoring Marte - Solano saw the red light and stopped at 3rd - but he was stranded their as Gray (after a walk) fans Rivas and Judge races to the wall on an Arcia drive - but he snares it. 2-2 after 5.
Well Judge leads off the 6th with a single and Lowe follows with ..... a double, Judge holds at 3rd. Diaz pops out. But Chapman then gets a snapping bat single scoring Judge and Lowe follows him home BUT this time it's Bleday's throw that nails a Comet at the plate. So just 1 run scores, but it gives the Comets a 3-2 lead. However, the lead is flipped to 4-3 Coney Island in the bottom of the 7th when Gray walks Rivas with 2 outs (his 7th walk of the game!) and Clay Holmes comes in to shut down the threat. WRONG! Arcia greets Holmes with a 2 run blast (7) for the Cyclones lead! Are you kidding me?
So can we get a bit more excitement? How about Lowe leading off the 8th with a double (his 2nd of the game to go with his homer) and Okert leaves and Luke Jackson comes on. He gets Diaz but then Chapman gets his 2nd single of the game and Lowe flies around 3rd and he's testing Laureano's canon - and he loses as he's cut down at home - 3rd time this game the Cylones nail a runner at the plate!! Only problem then for the home team is Jackson gives up an infield hit to Brown followed by an rbi single by Moreno as Chapman beats the throw to the plate and the game is tied 4-4! Then the pitchers finally seem to get the upper hand. Pick offs after walks, Major shutdowns after walks (Mayza) and we get to the 11th still knotted at 4-4!
Top of the 11th - Wandy Peralta in for his 2nd inning and he gets the 1st two but then Judge steps up. Ah, he grounds to Rivas at 1st to end the inning, except for just a moment it looked like Bill Buckner playing first. Ball goes between Rivas's legs, Judge is safe. Brings up Lowe - the combo of Judge on 1st and Lowe up has been a killer all game - Peralta digs, fires STRIKE THREE! Bottom half, Brasier on for his 3rd inning and he walks Happ to start the inning. Marte steps in, Happ takes off, and the Marte hits one through short, vacated by Kim. Runners on the corners. Marte then steals 2nd and Solano then hits a poor quail who dies in RF and the game is over, CYCLONES WIN!! Whew what a game - those 3 nails at the plate were huge!
CHA 4-12-1 LP Brasier (1-3) BS Holmes (2) 11 innings
CIC 5-12-1 WP Peralta (2-1) BS Jackson (1)
Game 2 - Stroman vs. Harrison
Can't say this one was as exciting as the 1st, but it was enjoyable as Harrison pitches a brilliant game. He goes 8 innings, 7 hits, 4 Ws, 9Ks and NO RUNS! Ferguson continued the mastery of the Comets with scoreless 9th. However, it was a tight game for most of the way and again it was the big arms (or slow running) from the Cyclones OF that kept it scoreless for so long.
1st inning Chapman laces a 1 out double, but he tried to make it a triple but Call nails him at 3rd! 5th inning Judge comes up with the bases juiced, 2 outs, and homers - well in his mind he did, but it was a K! 6th inning Diaz leads off with a walk then Lowe trickles one in CF for a single, Diaz to 3rd BUT another great throw from Call nails him!
Bottom of the 7th, Stroman has been top notch, 1 out and Call walks. Fortes singles him to 2nd. Tellez in to PH - WP, runners move up. He then singles to the left center gap and both runners score when Tellez heads for 2nd and the throw is cut off and he's out, but it's 2-0 Cyclones! Top of the 8th, Judge just misses the RF foul pole for a strike, but then flies out. But Diaz follows with a double. Lowe then gaps one to right center and Diaz flies past the red light at 3rd and once again CALL nails a runner, this time at home to preserve the shutout and end the inning! That's 3 assists for him this game! AND then in the bottom of the 8th with Cano pitching, Solano doubles and Devers gets the IW with 1 out. Cano hits Rivas to load them up for ..... yup, CALL. And he comes through big time with a bases clearing double to make it 5-0 Coney Island! What a game for Call!
CHA 0-7-0 LP Stroman (8-6)
CIC 5-6-1 WP Harrison (4-5)
Game 3 - Gibson vs. Cruz
Cruz has been an interesting inning eater this year, tossing some great games and a few not so great games, still he's a needed cog. Gibson has been hot for Chappaqua, coming into the game with a 7-1 record and an era just north of 3. And he sports that best of C grade 8 rating! Comets are hoping his form continues as they need to get off the schneid!
Well, Willy Castro flies one to Call in CF with 1 out in the opening frame that knuckles its way over his head and Castro ends up a 3rd - standing! Judge then walks and a Joe fly to RF is just enough to score Castro for a 1-0 Comets lead. Then Cruz buckles down, and Gibson pleases the Comets bench as he is nearly untouchable. Bleday doubles inthe 2nd - stranded. 3rd inning after Narvaez walks, Gibson picks him off! 4th inning Cyclones threat when Tellez singles and Devers doubles him to 3rd with 1 out. But Gibson fans Bleday and gets Rengifo to ground out.
Gibson was hoping for a bit more support and in the 6th he gets it. Chisholm leads off with a walk (5th for Cruz - it gets worse - 7 by the time he leaves). Jazz steals 2nd, Chapman then singles and Chisholm rounds 3rd, heads for home, the throw, well it's cut off to try and get Chapman going for 2 - he's out, but the run scored and it's 2-0 Comets! Gibson stays in for 7 innings - 6 hits, 3 Ks, no run! Moore pitches the 8th and gives up an rbi single to Call and the game intensifies. Cruz actually goes 8 innings, gives up only 5 hits (but 7 walks) but only 2 runs. So it's 2-1 in the 9th, Okert in to pitch. Starts off walking Brown, but then he fans Kim. Castro flies out to CF, 2 down. Judge up, 1st pitch, Brown takes off, steals 2nd - his first SB of the year. So, with 1b open, Judge is given the IW (his 3rd of the game!). Strategy works as Joe whiffs to end the inning - but Chappaqua still has the lead, 2-1.
Moore, who pitched the 8th comes out to open the bottom of the 9th. Tellez flies out, 1 down. Devers up, takes on deep, deep, Bader after it, but it drops in for a double. Bleday up, but with Moore on the mound, Delay comes in. Moore remains and Delay grounds to Chapman, who juggles the high hop, but he gets Delay at 1st, Devers moved to 3rd. Rengifo up, 2 outs, tying run on the 3rd - he walks. That bring Alex Call to the plate - this week a near 1 man wrecking crew - and he delivers with a single to RF, moving Rengifo to 3rd and driving in Devers. 2-1 Comets, 2 outs and NOW they bring in the closer Clay Holmes. 1st batter up, Arcia and he runs the count to 3-2 before drawing the walk to load the bases - WAIT A MINUTE - the ump called it strike 3! The game is over, Comets win. Oh, there's a beef going on, but the guys in blue just exit the field. You can imagine the crowd reaction. But Holmes gets the save and Chappaqua gets the win!
CHA 2-5-1 WP Gibson (8-1) S Holmes (2)
CIC 1-9-0 LP Curz (3-7)
Game 4 - Suarez vs. Kikuchi
When you look at the final score, you'd think this was a blowout, but NOPE - it was as tight as could be for the longest time. Game does start quickly when Judge is allowed to hit in the 1st and, well, he connects for a way-back there sole homer (24). Won't be the last Comets homer. In fact, Diaz goes back to back with his own solo homer (15). Cyclones quickly tie it when Happ leads off with a double, scores on a Marte single. Solano then singles Marte to 3rd and Devers gets a SF to tie the game 2-2 after 1. Then in the 2nd with 2 outs, Bader pulls one hard to left and it just clears the wall for a solo homer (3) and a 3-2 Comets lead. Bottom of the 3rd and Happ leads off with a single. Solano then connects for a 1 out double and Happ comes around to score to tie the game, 3-3 after 3.
Then things got quiet as Suarez and Kikucki take control. Suarez goes 6 before he's lifter - 9 hits, the 3 runs, 5 ks and he leaves with the game tied. Kikuchi goes 7, 6 hits, 3 runs, 6 ks and it's 3-3 when he exits.
Top of the 8th, Thornton pitching for Cyclones, Judge leads off - THE WHIFF. Diaz grounts out, then Lowe steps in, crap. He launches one, it's going, going, going to be caught as Happ leaps and snares it as it was above the wall. 3 outs! Whew!! Holmes in to pitch the bottom of the 8th Laureano singles to lead off the inning. He steals 2nd. So Holmes is instructed to walk Rengifo. Rivas in PH for Rojas - fans, 1 down. Call up and and on a 3-2 pitch, he checks his swing and it's called ball four, bases loaded. Holmes is done, Will M. Smith is in. Bleday is up - man - he swings hard, but missed, K - Smith is pumped. 2 outs. Just get the batter and we go to the 9th still tied. Happ up and he tags one to straightaway CF, Bader running back, looks like trouble, maybe double, NO - it's GONE, Grand Slam and it's suddenly 7-3 Cyclones! Smith obviously shaken, thought he had it afte the Bleday K - and he walks Marte, then Solano gaps one for a single, Marte holds at 2nd. Devers up, grounds a hard one down the line past a diving Cooper at 1st, rolls to the corner, Marte scores and Solano says, test Judges arm and he scores on the 2 run Devers double. 9-3!
Thinking it's over, Okert comes in for the 9th and gets Cooper to pop out Then Okert looks hurt, but he stays in the game and of course Moreno then doubles. Westburg makes it 9-4 when he follows with a double. So Mayza is called on to get the last two outs, which he does and the Cyclones have won their 3rd game of the series.
CHA 4- 8-1 LP Holmes (1-4)
CIC 9-14-0 WP Thornton (6-0)
Game 5 - Cano vs. Manoah
Schedule starter Houser was not quite rested (or ready) to start the finale after his 38 batters faced game last week against Jonesboro - so Cano was called in from the bullpen to make the emergency start - no starters on the teams were ready by game 5! Turns out Cano, even downgraded to an 11 was an upgrade over Houser. How will he react, how long will he pitch?
Well his teammates worked to come to his rescue. Kim starts the game with a walk. He steals 2nd with Judge up and 1 out. Judges gets the IW (it's been a working strategy). But Manoah is not the best guy to have with runners on base this year. Lowe up, bases loaded and he smacks a 2 run double and the Comets take a 2-0 1st inning lead before Cano throws a pitch. And pitch he does and does well! He gives up an rbi single to Arcia in the 2nd, making it 2-1 but then nothing else through the 7th. Yes he pitches 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 9ks! But he won't be available to pitch the next 3 games (at least not in a fatigued status).
He also got some more support when Judge singles in a run in the 4th making it 3-1. In the 2nd a tough break happens to the Comets. With Devers on 1st, 1 out, Tellez flies so deep to CF that Chisholm makes the grab just before slamming into the wall. He hangs on, but he's down. Judge gets it in, Devers advanced to 2nd (and scored on the Arcia double). But Chisholm is helped off the field and will be out for 11 days (at least).
How does this one finish? Well Brasier (8) and Holmes (9) combine to pitch the 8th and 9th. Brasier made it exciting in the 8th, but Holmes got through the 9th giving up just a walk and gets the save and the Comets salvage a better week than it might have been.
CHA 3-6-0 WP Cano (7-3) S Holmes (3)
CIC 1-5-1 LP Manoah (8-10)
So - the series was a good one, better than hope for, but not quite the earth shaker it might have been. Outlook still bleak, Silseth has maybe 1 more outing, then it's all junk (except for Kikucki, who is just a bit above junk). ON the road to San Diego for a 6 pack including a double header. Chappaqua heads to Durham.
Week ending July 17
Coney Island vs Northwest
Coney Island finishes an interleague stint hosting the Northwest Indians, looking to gain some traction on Mokena - but the Indians are a big foe!
Game 1 - After the 3 day break, the game starts out slow with the pitchers in control until Adell hits his 1st homer of the season - a solo shot in the 3rd - to give the Indians the 1-0 lead. But then Strider gets a bit wild and he hits a number of Cyclone bats in the 4th and when the dust settled, the Cyclones scores 6 runs! Marter a 2 run triple the biggest blow. But Strider's line for the day was ugly:
3.2 ip, 4 hits, 5 walks, and 6 runs. Silseth on the other hand was masterful for 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 6 ks. Things got a bit tense in the 9th however. Ferguson starting his 3rd relief innings gives up his 1st hit. Thornton in and he gives up a hit. Adam comes on and he gives up a walk to load the bases! Okert comes in and gets a groundout FC with out at home. Then new Cyclone Mayza comes in induces a pop up and groundout to close out the 9th with no runs given up!
NWI 1-5-1 LP Strider (9-5)
CIC 6-7-2 WP Silseth (4-3) S Mayza (14)
Game 2 - The teams swap 2 run innings in the 2nd (Northwest) and 3rd (Coney Island) but then the Indians get unburdened from what had been a dismal start to the series and score 3 in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th for a big 7-2 lead. Big gun - Palacios who hammered two homers (6) and a double and drove in 4 runs! Marte racked up 3 hits (and another triple) but he couldn't do it alone as Steele was flining iron (7 ip, 6 hits, 9 Ks!).
NWI 8-12-0 WP Steele (9-3)
CIC 2- 7-1 LP Harrison (3-5)
Game 3 - Well if Rizzo hadn't taken his 7th beaning and another long term injury, this game would have been totally sweet! Benson (4) hits a solo homer for Northwest in the 3rd, but the Cyclones get 2 in the bottom half. In the 6th they add 2 more and Cruz cruises through 7.1 innings before letting Ferguson and Mayza close it out. Rizzo had driven in 2 in the 3rd before having to leave.
NWI 1-5-0 LP May (2-3)
CIC 4-6-0 WP Cruz (3-6) S Mayza (15)
Game 4 - Kikuchi gives up 10 hits in 7.1 innings - but only 1 run, a Heim (10) homer (1 of 3 hits for him). Then in the 9th, Hays (9) homers for Northwest, but thanks to a 3 run 8th, the Cyclones were leading 6-1 at the time. And they hang on for the 6-2 win. Home town fans were delighted with homers form Happ (7), Marte (12) and Devers (20) - Marte bangs in 3 runs in the 8th!!
NWI 2-11-0 LP Skubal (3-5)
CIC 6- 9-0 WP Kikuchi (8-5)
Game 5 - Cyclones hoping to pull off a major series upset get that door slammed shut emphatically when the Indians plate 2 runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th boosting them to an 8-2 lead, which they hang on too with no difficulty. Gleyber Torres has a big day, 2 homer (15) and 3 rbis. Velazquez (9) also goes the distance for 2 runs. Miller goes 5 innings for the win and 3 relievers close it out in grand fashion.
NWI 8-9-0 WP Miller (1-1)
CIC 2-5-1 LP Manoah (8-9)
So instead of big series win, we get a smaller 3-2 series win. We'll take it. Northwest stays on the road next week heading to Louisiana while the Cyclones host the high-flying, hard charging Comets from up the river in Chappaqua!
Stamford vs Westchester
Game 1
Jays 11-8-0
Wombats 2-5-2
WP C Bassitt 8-7 LP C Burnes 10-4.
Jays jump all over the Wombats as they bat around in the 1st. A costly error by 1b Ramirez prolongs the innings. Friedl belts grand slam in the inning, Wombats get run on a Hicks 2 run homer,
Game 2
Jays 10-13-0
Wombats 1-5-1
WP J Montgomery 9-5 LP C Morton 5-10
Jays continue hot hitting as they score 5 runs in the 3rd and 3 runs in the 4th. Jays get homers from Reynolds and McNeil. Freeman adds 3 RBIs. Again, errors hurt Wombats; this time starter Morton makes the error. Jays lose starter Montgomery to injury for 5 days.
Game 3
Jays 12-19-2
Wombats 5-12-0
WP M Clevinger 6-4 LP G Channing 5-6
Jays score runs the first four innings on the way to a win. Hitting stars are Dubon- 2 homers and 5 RBIs; Freeman 2 RBIs and McNeil’s 4 hits. Clevinger goes 6.1 innings for the win.
Game 4
Wombats 2-6-0
Jays 1-7-0
WP R Olson 5-7 LP B Miller 5-9
Jays score quick run in the 1st on a Nimmo single. Wombats tie game up on a Delong homer and take lead as a run scores on a double play. Jays threaten in the 9th but Murphy is thrown out at the plate to end threat.
Game 5
Wombats 9-10-0
Jays 7-13-0
WP N Pivetta 2-2 LP S McClanahan 8-4
A grand slam homer by Rogers ( his second homer of the game) breaks open 3-3 tie and propels Wombats to the win. Paredes hits two run homer for the Wombats and DeJong belts solo blast.
Wombats pitching fans 11 Jays. Jays get homers from Murphy, McNeil, and Bouchard. Again, a Jays runner is thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the 9th ending a possible rally.
Next Wombats travels to Freeport and the Jays travel to Brooklyn
Tidewater vs Gulf Breeze
Gm.1 TID 8-0 Gilbert throws a 3-hit shutout. Davis, Steer, Bichette and Soto hit homers for TID.
Gm.2 TID 2-0 Starter Josiah Gray Injured at game start and TID pen throws a combined 4-hit shutout. Bichette homers and drives in both runs.
Gm.3 TID 6-1 Steer and Davis go deep and 4 relievers hold off any attempt at a comeback.
Gm.4 TID 5-0 Jon Gray tosses 4-hit shutout as GBR bats just aren't working. C.Kelly hits 3-run HR, his 1st of year.
Gm.5 TID 7-2 A 5-run 1st is all TID needs. Bichette, LeMahieu and Kelly get 2 RBI each. K.Pillar hits solo shot for GBR.
TID outscores GBR 28-3 as GBR bats couldn't get runs across the plate.
TID takes series 5-0.
Chappaqua vs Jonesboro
CHAPPAQUA COMETS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO EIGHT GAMES BEFORE DROPPING ONE TO JONESBORO AS THE COMETS TAKE FOUR OF FIVE FROM THE CRACKERS
GAME 1
CHA 2 JON 1
Yainer Diaz hit a walk off HR (13) to give Yennier Cano (6-2) the win in relief. Aaron Judge’s solo HR (22) accounted for Chappaqua’s other run. Wade Miley and three relievers held the Comets to only 3 hits but the 2 HRs were the difference. Comets starter Sonny Gray pitched 7 2/3 and allowed only 1 unearned run, lowering his ERA to 3.05. Gregory Santos (2-2) was the loser in relief.
GAME 2
CHA 12 JON 5
Comets get 16 hits. Matt Chapman goes 4-4 with a double and RBI. Seth Brown (2-5) drive in four runs and hits his 6th HR of the year. Kim goes 3-4 with a double. Bailey Ober (6-4, 4.19) gets the win, pitching 7 innings with 11 strikeouts. Merrill Kelly (6-7, 4.14) is the loser as he is routed for 10 hits and 7 runs in 3.2 innings
GAME 3
CHA 9 JON 6
Comets make it 8 in a row as Diaz once again hits a walk off HR (14), a 3 run blast off Santos (2-3). Diaz’s heroics came after the Crackers had tied the game with 2 in the top of the 9th against Comets reliever Justin Topa. In addition to Diaz’s blast,Chappaqua hit 2 HRs by Kim (14) and Brown (7). Josh Lowe was 3-5. For Jonesboro, Joey Meneses was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Cedric Mullins hit a solo HR (11)
Matt Moore (4-0) got the win in relief.
GAME FOUR
JON 7 CHA 6
Jonesboro snapped the Comets 8 game win streak when Joey Meneses (2-4) hit a 2 out HR in the 9th off Comets closer and loser, Cano (6-2, BS 6), to give JON a dramatic come from behind win.
Comets scored SIX in the first against Cole Irvin and were then held to ONE hit an no runs the rest of the way by four Crackers relievers. Santos struck out the side in the bottom of the 9th to get his 13th save as reliever Jordan Romano (4-4) got the win.
Will Smith (12) also homered for Jonesboro, as a pinch hitter. Jordan Westburg had the big blow for CHA, a 3 run HR (3) in the six run first.
GAME FIVE
CHA 10 JON 5
Adrian Houser (4-1,3.15) makes a rare spot start and goes 8 innings for the win. The red hot Sean Brown goes 3-4 with FOUR more RBIs as he hits two doubles and his THIRD HR of the series (8). Judge hit his league leading 23rd and Jazz Chisholm (3-4) belted TWO HRs (9). Kevin Gausman (8-7, 2.95) was the loser as he gave up 6 runs in 3.1 innings.
Chappaqua takes 9 of 10 from their AL West opponents and improves to 58-34, maintaining their four game lead over Greensboro who took four of five this week against the AL West Rockies. Next week- the Comets start a two week road trip, traveling down the Major Deegan to the Belt Parkway as they take on the Cyclones in Coney Island, while Greensboro hosts NL Central leader Tidewater
Jonesboro is now 49-42, third in the AL West, 6.5 games behind Arizona pending the results of this week’s games. Next week the Crackers host Shenandoah.
Greensboro vs East Coast
Trying to get this series in before Debby does Greensboro...
July 13 - Pablo Lopez opens for the Rockies against Max and the Hoppers (also the name of a doo-wop group). Max wins his 9th, as the Hoppers take the opener, 3-zip. Ohtani blasts 2 (#20 and #21).
July 14 - Greensboro coasts to a 9-2 win, as Shohei wins his 8th. Luis Robert hits 2 for the Rockies (#26 and #27). J-Rod (#18), Shohei (#22), and Salvy (#5) go yard for the Hoppers.
July 15 - Another blowout as Verlander goes to 13-2. Lars (#8), J-Rod (#19), Shohei (#23), Albies (#23), Arenado (#12), and Walker (#10) hammer the visitors for 6 homers.
July 16 - The Rocks get some revenge, winning game 4 by an 8-1 score. Alvarez (#19), Robert (#28), Polanco (#10), and Davis (#2) homer, as Hopper reliever Zach Greinke is clobbered for 5 runs in 3 innings of relief.
July 17 - In the finale it's a close one, with Greensboro plating the decider in the bottom of the 9th. 5-4 Hoppers. Arenado (#13) and Trout (#14) go yard.
Greensboro takes 4 of the 5.
The Hoppers now await Central leading Tidewaters' arrival, while the Rockies to the coast to face Gulf Breeze.
Week ending July 9
Coney Island vs Antelope
OK - wild rare play (one of the rarest in game 1 - and it's personally fun as I'm in the PBP!)
Game 1
Well I get into the action in the 3rd on that bases loaded Balk Rare play!!
So there you have it - my 15 seconds of ABPA fame!
Rest of the game - Rizzo homers (misses grand slam due to balk). Cyclones pitchers hang on, although Chris Taylor has run triple in 3 run 7th for Antelope. Devers (18), Rizzo (4) and Tellez (10) homers for Cyclones.
ANT 3- 7-2 LP Boyle (0-2)
CIC 8-11-0 WP Silseth (3-3) S Thornton (8)
Game 2 - Gurriel smacks 2 run homer (12) in 1st for River Cats, Solano doubles in 2 in bottom half to tie. Teams trade runs in the 2nd and Coney Island plates 1 in 4th. Then the scoring stops as Harrison and Thornton shut down the Cats.
ANT 3-6-0 LP Kremer (2-7)
CIC 4-9-0 WP Harrison (3-4) S Thornton (9)
Game 3 - River Cats again score 2 in 1st, O'Hoppe 2 run homer (3) but Cyclones counter with 3 in bottom half including Devers 2 run homer (19). Antelope then regains the lead with single runs in the 3rd and 4th including and India homer (4). But the Cyclones score single runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th (including a Rizzo (5) homer) and retake the lead 6-4! But in the 9th, Antelope responds, Semien (4) homers, 6-5, but Peralta then holds them off for the save.
ANT 5-8-1 LP Kimbrel (6-4)
CIC 6-6-0 WP Ferguson (3-2) S Peralta (8)
Game 4 - Arcia doubles in 2 in the 1st as Cyclones score 1st. River Cats tie it in 3rd ona Clemens homer (3). Coney scores 1 in bottom half to regain the lead, 3-2, but Cats retie it in the 5th on a Perdomo rbi single. But the Cyclones score 3 inthe 6th to retake the lead for good - Arcia gets his 3rd rbi, Solano gets 4 hits in the game! O'Hoppe homers (4) in the 9th to cut the score to 7-4, but that was it.
ANT 4-9-0 LP Medina (1-5)
CIC 7-8-0 WP Kikuchi (7-5) S Thornton (10)
Game 5 - Jordan Lyles starts for Antelope, we should do well! NOPE - Lyles tosses a 2 hitter for 7 innings giving up run in the 2nd. His offense scores 2 in the first on a Clemens 2 run double. Clemens singles in another run inthe 3rd and that's the final, 3-1 as Antelope avoids the sweep!
ANT 3-9-0 WP Lyles (6-4) S Mayza (13)
CIC 1-2-0 LP Manoah (8-8)
So - Coney Island takes the series 4-1 to get back to .500 for the season. Antelope moves to 44-43. Antelope moves on to Mokena next week and Coney Island gets Northwest!
Greensboro vs Jonesboro
July 5 - Jonesboro ace Wade Miley in the opener for the Crackers, and Miles Mikolas for the Hoppers. Miles delights the hometown crowd as he tosses a 4-hit, 3-zip complete game. Seager hits his 12th.
July 6 - Merrill Kelly and Martin Perez. Ex-Hopper Joc Pederson's 2-run blast (#8) in the 12th makes the difference, as Jonesboro takes this close one, 5-3. Smith (#11) also goes yard for the visitors. J-Rod hits his 17th for the hometeam.
July 7 - Julio Teheran faces Jake in this one. deGrom and the Hopper pen combine on a neat 4-zip, 6-hitter.
July 8 - Cole Irvin and J.P. France in the penultimate contest. 7-2 Hoppers. IKF's 3-run blast (#2) is the big one for Greensboro, as France wins his 7th. Hopper alum Joc Pederson hits his 9th for the only 2 Cracker runs.
July 9 - Two aces in the finale: ex-Hopper Gausman for the Crackers, and Verlander for Greensboro. Greensboro coasts to a 9-2 win as Trout (#13) and Walker (#9) homer. Verlander goes to 12-2 on the season, as Greensboro takes 4 of the 5.
After the break, the Crackers will head north to face the Comets, and Greensboro will face the Rockies.
Chappaqua vs East Coast
CHAPPAQUA SWEEPS THE EAST COAST ROCKIES AS THE SURPRISING COMETS REMAIN IN FIRST PLACE IN THE NL EAST
Game 1
CHA 3 ECR 1
Sonny Gray (7-8) pitched 8 solid innings, allowing only 1 run on 5 hits, with no walks and 6 strikeouts, to get the win. Yannier Cano got his 16th save. Pablo Lopez (8-5) was the hard luck loser
Game 2
CHA 7 ECR 1
Bailey Ober (5-4) pitched 6 innings allowing only1 run on 6 hits (1 W, 5 K) to get the win. Aaron Judge (2-4) hit #19 for CHA. Willi Castro had 3 hits. Dylan Cease (7-3) was the starter and loser, giving up 5 runs in 4.1 innings
Game 3
CHA 3 ECR 2
Josh Lowe broke a 2-2 tie with a solo HR (12) to win it for the Comets. Judge also homered (20) and had 2 RBIs. Jazz Chisholm stole his 11th base of the year. Kyle Gibson (7-1) pitched 7.2 solid innings as Cano got his second save of the series and 17th of the year. Emmanuel Clase (1-2) was the loser in relief.
Game 4
CHA 7 ECR 4
Judge (21) and Yannier Diaz (12) homered to lead the Comets to their fourth straight win. The Rockies hit 3 HRs of their own by Yordan Alvarez (18), Austin Riley (23) and Jorge Polanco (8).
Marcus Stroman (8-5) pitched 7 solid innings to get the win, allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs. Justin Topa got the save (4). Zack Littell (6-6) was the starter and loser.
Game 5 (12 innings)
CHA 4 ECR 3
Matt Chapman hit a solo HR (6) in the 9th against Josh Hader (BS,1) to tie the game and then hit a walk off double in the 12th to give the Comets the win and the series sweep.
Will Smith (3-0) got the win in relief. Anthony Munoz (3-2) took the loss.
Ha-seong Kim homered (13) for CHA. Polanco went yard (9) for ECR.
Comets improve to 54-33, first in the NL East with Greensboro trailing in second place. East Coast drops to 50-37, tied for third in the AL West, only 3 games out of first and only 1.5 games out of the wild card, pending the results of this week’s other games.
Next: After the All Star Break, Chappaqua hosts ECR’s division rival, Jonesboro, while the Rockies go to Greensboro to play the Comets arch rival Hoppers
Stamford vs Arizona
Stamford hosts the Arizona Dust Devils
Game 1
Dust Devils 6-5-1
Jays 4-9-1
WP T Walker 8-2 LP C Bassitt 7-7.
Dust Devils jump off to quick 3 run lead in the first on an Olson two run homer and a Henderson RBI single. Jays’ ties game when they tally three runs in the 5th Dust Devils retake lead on a two-run homer by Carroll and add to the lead on a Larnach solo homer, Jays threaten in the 9th but leave bases loaded as game ends.
Game 2
Jays 5-10-0
Dust Devils 4-8-2
WP J Montgomery 8-5 LP A Nola 5-6
Jays score two runs in the 1st but Dust Devils tie it on solo homers by Sanchez and Carroll. Jays retake lead scoring two in the 4th and add a run in the 6th, Dust Devils cuts lead as they score two in the 8th. Jays reliever Stewart comes in and shuts down Dust Devils Montgomery goes 8 innings for the win.
Game 3 ( 11uinnings)
Dust Devils 9-12-0
Jays 6-7-2
WP T Rogers 2-2 LP B Graterol 4-1
A bases clearing triple by Betts in top of the 11th breaks open 6-6 tie and give s lead and game to the Dust Devils. Betts had earlier hit solo homer. Jays took early 4-0 lead after two but could not hold onto the lead. Schwarber belts two run homer for the Dust Devils and Reynolds hits two run homer for the Jays.
Game 4
Dust Devils 4-7-0
Jays 2-7-0
WP T Bibee 4-3 LP B Miller 5-8
Dust Devils score two in the7th to take a 4-2 lead and behind three innings of shut-out relief takes the win. Kirillofff hits two run homer for the Jays. Miller fans 12 in losing effort.
Game 5
Jays 5-10-0
Dust Devils 4-7-1
WP S McClanahan 8-3 LP T Beck 2-2
A three-run homer by Nimmo in the 4th puts Jays ahead and behind pitching of McClanahan and two relievers, the Jays take the series final game. Dust Devils gets homers from Henderson and Sanchez.
Next Arizona travels to Durham and Stamford hosts Westchester.
Week ending July 3
Jonesboro vs Westchester
Jonesboro sweeps the Westchester Wombats.
The Westchester Wombats visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set. The Crackers treated the Wombats rather rudely, sweeping the 5 game set.
Game 1-Crackers win 7-6, in 10 innings. Jax(1-2) takes the loss, Sandlin(1-2) the win. Ward(8) homers for the Bats.
Game 2-Crackers win 4-0. Kelly(6-6) is the winner and Henry(3-8) takes the loss. Smith(10) and Meneses(7) homer for the Crackers.
Game 3-Crackers win again 4-0. Teheran(1-0) gets the win going 9 innings. Morton(4-9) absorbs the loss.
Game 4-Crackers win 2-1. Gausman(8-5) gets the win, Ginkel(0-6) the loss.
Game 5-Goes to the Crackers 6-3. Irvin(2-0) is the winner, Pivetta(0-2) takes the loss. Langeliers(5) homers for the Crackers.
Next up Jonesboro heads up I-85 to take on the dreaded Hoppers and Westchester heads to Durham.
Stamford vs Durham
Stamford hosts the Durham Lucky Strikes
Game 1 (11 innings)
Jays 2-8-1
Durham 1-4-3
WP F Bautista 5-4 LP R Pressly 2-2 .
An infield single by Dubon in the 11th drives in Kirilloff and gives the Jays a walk off win. An Adames singles drives in Durham only run. A Reynolds single drives in a Jays run in the 8th. Starter Bassist fans 8 over 8 innings.
Game 2
Durham 3-6-0
Jays 0-5-0
WP C Rea 4-8 LP J Montgomery 7-5
Durham scores two quick runs in the first and add a third on a Santander solo homer. Starter Rea goes the distance on a 5hitter fanning 7.
Game 3
Jays 7-13-0
Durham 2-7-1
WP M Clevinger 5-4 LP P Blackburn 2-7
Jays get big games from Stott 3RBIs and 2 RBIs including a homer from Reynolds. Starter Clevinger goes 7 innings yielding 5 hits over 7 innings for the win.
Game 4
Jays 3-6-1
Durham 1-4-0
WP B Miller 5-7 LP D Robertson 5-4
A three- run homer by Dubon in the 7th gives the Jays the lead and the margin of victory. Starter Miller goes 7 innings giving up 4 hits for the win. Adames solo homer accounts for Durham run.
Game 5
Durham 9-10-0
Jays 6-10-0
WP J Winckowski 6-2 LP R Helsey 2-1
Adames second three run homer in the 9th puts Durham ahead and on to the win. Adames first three homer in the 8th also put Durham ahead but in the bottom of the 8th McNeil’s second homer gave the lead to the Jays. Bouchard also homers for the Jays while Wallach goes deep for Durham.
Next Durham hosts Westchester and Stamford hosts Arizona.
Mad Town vs Antelope
River Cats and Zephyrs get together for a 6 game series. The Cats always give the Z's fits and this was no different.
Game 1
Semien(12) got the scoring started in the 3rd with a Baltimore Special. Bogaerts (11) tied it in the bottom half with a special of his own. 3-3 after 3.
Bogaerts tripled in the 5th and Berti singled him home for a 4-3 advantage. In the 7th Raleigh (15) hit a Grand Slam to seal the deal
8-5 ARC
Game 2
Antelope took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd behind Suarez double. Heaney did not allow another hit until the 7th. Casas (10) tied in the 3rd. He was 2 of 3, with a run scored and 4 rbi. Adding a triple to go with his homer. Taveras (4) put Mad Town up 4-2 and the bullpen held
5-2 MTZ
Game 3
Wade (5) got things going in the 2nd for a 1-0 lead. Lowe extended the lead in the 3rd with a 2 out rbi single. Naylor doubled in Martinez to narrow the lead in the 6th. Edman singles in Taylor to tie it up in the 7th. In the bottom of the 8th, Bellinger (9) put the Zephyrs back in front.
4-2 MTZ
Game 4
In the bottom of the 4th, Machado (11) put the Z's up 2-0. Tucker (10) tied it in the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th, Berti singled in 2 to reclaim the lead.
Harvey set the Cats down 1,2,3 in the 9th striking out 2
4-2 MTZ
Game 5
Martinez 2 (16) put Antelope up 2-0 in the first. He extended the lead to 3-0 in the 6th. Tucker (11) added another in the 8th. Meanwhile, Mad Town is thrown out 3 times at home plate and picked off 3rd.
4-0 ARC
Game 6
Mad Town was never in this one. Antelope had 6 HR and 16 hits leading to a runaway.
11-1 ARC
Mad Town to Tampa next and Antelope to Coney Island
Tidewater vs Calgary
Gm.1 TID 6-3 Kiermaier and Goldschmidt combine for a 5-8 day with 3 RBI but Freeman 2-4 with a Homer and 3 RBI gives TID the win.
Gm.2 CAL 4-2 Goldschmidt does it all. 3-4, 2 runs, a Homer and 3 RBI to help break a 6th inning tie.
Gm.3 CAL 6-2 Singer holds TID to 3 hits over 7 innings and the pen finishes. Rooker 2-4 with 4 RBI including a 3-run blast.
Gm.4 TID 13-2 TID cranks out 14 hits including 3 HR's. Bichette 4-5, 3 runs and 5 RBI including a 3-run shot.
GM.5 TID 6-5 After getting 4 in the 1st, TID trailed 5-4 in the 7th when the TID's Flores cracked a 2-run go ahead Homer.
Gm.6 TID 8-2 With 13 hits led by Duran with 4 and Freeman with 3, TID got homers from Freeman (plus 4 RBI) and Bichette.
TID takes the series 4-2 to increase their lead in the NL Central.
Gulf Breeze vs Freeport
It's a well known fact that if your team is playing poorly, you just need to get Gulf Breeze on your next week schedule. This week it's Freeport that gets the positive schedule as they bash Gulf Breeze 5 games to 1.
Gm 1: 12-6 Fre Incredible 24 hit attack for the visitors with both N,Jones and Hoerner notching 4 hits. 21 of those hits were singles. Eovaldi (3-5) wins it.
Gm 2: 4-1 Fre Solid Elder start (5-6) and the pen polished it off for the Banditos. Harris (6) goes yard and was 3 for 3.
Gm 3: 4-3 Fre Escobar HR gave the good guys a 3-2 lead, but in the 7th a 2R Yoshida double turned the tables and that was enough. R.Lopez (3-3) wins it- Suzuki was 3 for 5
DH 1: 4-3 Fre Not a misprint from game 3. Freeport plates 3 in the 1st with Hoerner leaving the building (5) then hold on late with Scott saving his 12th for Butto (1-1)
DH 2: 6-0 GB Hooray! James Paxton (2-12) with obviously his best game of the year and Jason Heyward's 3 fopr 4, 2 rbi day paced the offense. B.Miller (4-5) the loss
Gm 6: 4-1 Fre Back to the usual with Bello (9-4) in complete control and N.Jones mashing his 8th HR. Azolay saves his 10th.
Next week, the Breeze heads to Brooklyn while Freeport heads to Calgary.
Greensboro vs Chappaqua
June 29 - The Division rival Comets, much improved from last season, arrive to face the Hoppers. Chappaqua opens with their ace, Sonny Gray. He'll face the recently reinstated oft-injured Jake deGrom. Greensboro plates 3 in the bottom of the 9th to comeback for the 5-4 win. Judge hits his 17th, and McKinney hits his 2nd. Julio (#16) and Trout (#12) homer for the Hoppers.
June 30 - A reverse of the opener, as the Comets score the winner in the 10th to take it by the same 5-4 score. Castro's 2 homers (he now has 12 on the season) make the difference. Salvy blasts his 3rd for Greensboro.
July 1 - Bailey Ober and the top-notch Comet pen (also the name of a lesser known Fifties doo-wop group) shutout the Hoppers, 3-zip. Lowe (#11), Higashioka (#1), and McKinney (#3) provide the runs.
July 2 - Greensboro pounds ex-Hopper Stroman for 5 runs in 2 1/3 innings. The Hoppers coast to an easy 11-3 victory. Judge hits his 18th. Albies connects for 2 (#21 and #22).
July 3 - In the finale it's Greensboro again, this time by a 7-5 score. McKinney continues to hammer the Hoppers, blasting his 4th. Chisholm hits his 7th. Greensboro goes homer-wild, as Shohei (#19), Contreras (#15), Salvy again (#4), and IKF (his first) all go yard.
The Hoppers take 3 of the 5 in a tough close series, a likely preview of what's to come in the second half.
Next up for Chappaqua is a trip to East Coast while Greensboro awaits Jonesboro's arrival.
East Coast vs Arizona
A divisional matchup between the first place Arizona Dust Devils and the second place East Coast Rockies. The Devils hold a light 1 1/2 game lead. The series was very close and competitive with the Rockies winning one game in their last AB and the Dust Devils winning 2 games in their last AB. East Coast tightens up the standings by taking a 3-2 series win leaving Arizona with a razor thin 1/2 game lead,
GAME 1: ECR 2-3-0 ARI 1-6-0
Ramirez triples in a run in the 3rd and Lopez ties the game in the home half with a single. In the 9th with 2 outs Candelario swats a walk off solo HR. Banks gets the win and Duran the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 4-7-0 ARI 2-6-2
Carroll doubles in a run in the 1st and 3rd, 2-0. In the bottom of the inning Riley blasts a 2 run HR to tie the game. Vaughn doubles in 2 runs in the 4th. Lucchesi gets the win and Abbott the loss.
GAME 3: ARI 5-10-1 ECR 4-8-0 ( 11 Innings )
In the 1st Betts doubles in a run and scores on a Carroll 2 run dinger. Candelario single in a run in the 3rd. Gomes doubles in a run in the 4th. Robert belts a solo shot in the 6th, 4-2. Vaughn doubles in 2 runs in the 9th to tie the game. Gomes singles in a run in the 11th. Duran gets the win and Maton the loss. Raley is injured for 5 days.
GAME 4: ECR 2-6-2 ARI 1-4-0
Riley singles in a run in the 1st. Correa clubs a solo HR in the 2nd, 2-0. In the 8th after a Davis error Betts singles in a run. Perez gets the win and Sandoval the loss. The Rockies lose Alvarez for 5 games and Candelario for 7 games to injuries.
GAME 5: ARI 6-11-1 ECR 5-6-0
In the 1st Lopez singles in a run and scores on a Robert 2 run bomb, 3-0. Gimenez a SF in the 2nd and a RBI triple in the 4th, 3-2. In the 5th Schwarber ties it with a long HR and Sanchez adds a SF, 5-4. In the home half Riley ties it with a single and Vaughn doubles in the go ahead run, 5-4. Gimenez ties it in the 8th with a double and Carroll the game winner in the 9th a RBI single. Foley gets the win and Hader the loss.
Week ending June 28
Antelope vs Shenandoah
Shenandoah visits Antelope in a match up of the two bottom teams in the AL East. Most of the games low scoring and very close.
Game 1 – Kluber faces Kremer in the opener and both have great outings. Kluber is the tough luck loser as Antelope gets single runs in the 1st and 2nd to hold on for the 2-1 win.
WP – Kremer 2-6 LP – Kluber 0-3 S – Mayza (9)
Game 2 – Wheeler and Woo in game 2. Pandas get the go ahead run in the 5th and eke out a 4-3 win.
WP – Wheeler 4-6 LP – Woo 3-4 S – Poche (7)
Game 3 – Maeda vs. Williamson for game 3 and it’s another close one. River Cats get 1 in the 6th, one in the 7th and the bullpen closes out a 3-1 victory.
WP – Williamson 4-5 LP – Maeda 1-7 S – Mayza (10)
Game 4 – Valdez and Lyles in this one with Lyles (3 rated starter) tossing a gem as he goes the distance giving up only 2 hits, one of them a solo HR in the 9th as Antelope cruises to a 9-1 win.
WP – Lyles 5-4 LP – Valdez 4-7
Game 5 – In the finale, it’s Bido against Avila and in another low scoring affair, the River Cats win it 3-0 behind 8 strong innings from Avila, who gives up only 4 hits.
WP – Avila 3-2 LP – Bido 1-2 S – Mayza (11)
Antelope wins 4 of 5 in a mostly low scoring close series. Shenandoah returns home to face Northwest and Antelope hits the road to take on division leading Mad Town.
Tidewater vs Brooklyn
Gm.1 VIR 5-4 LeMahieu's 2-run HR in the 1st starts it and Buxton's solo HR in the 13th ends it. Swanson and Senzel homerd for BRO,
Gm.2 VIR 9-5 Flores wins this one. 3-4, 3 runs, a grand slam and a 2-run shot for 6 RBI's. Swanson 2-3, Pasquantino 2 RBI for BRO.
Gm.3 VIR 1-0 Crawford goes 9 innings 0 runs. Flexen goes 7 innings 0 runs for BRO. But Soto's single walks it off for VIR in the 10th. Santana 2-4 BRO.
Gm.4 VIR 9-1 VIR raps 18 hits. Flores once again, 3-4, 3 RBI, 2 HR's. Swanson homerd for BRO.
Gm.5 VIR 5-3 BRO led 3-0 after 6. VIR comes back in the 7th with a Soto 2-run HR. Then in the 8th, Payamps is victimized again as Bichette ties it with a homer and Flores hits a 2-run HR to put VIR up 5-3. Vargas 2-3 for BRO.
TID with the sweep
Louisiana vs Gulf Breeze
Gm 1 -- Carrasco makes 1st start of 2024 and shuts down old rival GB, 8-1 on CG
Gm 2 -- Michael King goes distance for 4-3 win
Gm 3 -- GB and four pitchers shut out LOU, 3-0
Gm 4 -- Toussant goes distance with 10-1 blowout
Gm 5 -- GB wins the finale, 5-4 in 11
Freeport vs Tulsa
G1 - Yastrzemski 2 run homer in the 9th steals victory for Tulsa. TUL 4-3
G2 - Freeport bullpen implodes for the second straight game. Guillorme and Tachmann combine to drive in 5. TUL 6-4
G3 - Bandits Japanese connection Suzuki and Yoshida combine to drive in 6. Assad allows 1 run over 7. FRE 7-1
G4 - Bryce Miller allows 4 hits and strikes out 12 in 8 scoreless innings. Stephenson and Canario drive in all the Freeport runs. FRE 2-1.
G5 - Patrick Bailey drives in four including a walk off double. FRE 6-5
Bandits win 3 of 5 from the Roughnecks.
Arizona vs Jonesboro
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Crackers from Jonesboro in Week 15 action.
Gm #1
Miley vs. Sandoval. Carroll (12) went deep in the 4th and Abrams hit an RBI GO in the 5th to tie it up. Schwarbs hit an RBI single in the 6th for the game-winner. 2-1 ARZ.
W Sandoval (8-2)
L Miley (6-3)
S Graterol (12)
Gm #2
Kelly vs. Bibee. Arizona used 3 walks and 2 singles to grab an early 2-0 lead. Will Smith (9) cut the deficit in half in the 4th. Henderson scored on a FC in the bottom half. Carroll gets HBP and is out for 2 days. Grossman (6) gets one run back to maintain a 3-2 DD advantage after 6. Schwarber (13) opened things up with a 3R shot in the 8th as Arizona won 6-2.
W Bibee (3-3)
L Kelly (5-6)
Gm #3
Williams vs Nola. This was a marathon game that went 16 innings with no dingers and a total of 26 LOB. Mookie allowed Abrams to score on his error in the 1st and Abrams’ RBI triple in the 5th put Jonesboro up, 2-0. Henderson's RBI double in the 7th and an Olson RBI single tied things up in the 8th. Each pen did not allow a run until the 16th. Julks singled, stole 2nd and scored on Smith’s single. Arizona countered when Fry led off with a single. Hilliard pinch ran and stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on Smith’s throwing error. Gimenez singled him in and stole 2nd. Walls sacrificed him to 3rd and Raley walked it off with a single. Each team had 14 hits. The final, 4-3 ARZ.
W Beck (2-1)
L Gallegos (0-1)
Gm #4
Bielak vs Walker. An Olson RBI single and a Raley SF give the Dust Devils an early 2-0 lead. Olivares stroked a 2R double for a 4-0 lead after 3. Schoop 2R single halved the lead after 4. The Crackers get another on a Madrigal SF in the 7th. The DDs put up a 3 spot in the bottom half in part due to a clutch 2-out 2R double by Raley putting Arizona up 7-3. Julks (4) goes yard for 2 runs the next inning and Arizona answers with 2 runs on Hilliard’s RBI single and a Ramirez double. Jonesboro scored 2 more in the ninth on an Olivares error and left the tying run on base as the Dust Devils escaped with a 9-7 victory and look for an improbable sweep.
W Walker (7-2)
L Bielak (7-4)
S Beck (1)
Gm #5
Gausman vs Sandoval. Gary Sanchez (9) drove in all 3 Arizona runs with his 2R HR and RBI single. Meanwhile, the Crackers went ahead on a Mullins 2R double and Abrams (9) added an insurance run as Jonesboro salvaged the finale 5-3.
W Gausman (7-5)
L Sandoval (8-3)
S C. Irvin (2)
Next up, Arizona heads out to East Coast and Jonesboro hosts Westchester.
Northwest vs Mad Town
Mad Town came to visit Northwest and the 4 game series between the
Zephyrs and Indians was a split, 2-2.
6/24 - NW 3 MT 0. Eflin vs. Skubal. No walks in this game, no errors,
just 8 hits total. Four doubles by Northwest got to the Z's starter.
6/25 - MT 7 NW 4. Gallen vs. Strider. Strider wild again like he's got
a W. The NW bullpen was equally wild and Bellinger's bases loaded double
in the 7th inning put it away for Mad Town.
6/26 - MT 6 NW 2. Kirby vs. Steele. The first two hitters for Mad Town,
Casas and Bogaerts go yard in the first inning, back to back. Steele exits
early and the Zephyrs sport three deuces for the win.
6/27 - NW 4 MT 2. Schmidt vs. D. May. All 6 runs came in the first
inning. Guerrero's 2 run homer was the difference.
Next up: Mad Town hosts Antelope for a 6 game series and Northwest
visits Shenandoah for another 4 game set.
Chappaqua vs Stamford
A big series between long time division rivals. The Comets are first in the NL East with the Jays 4 games behind in third place. The two teams met earlier this year in Stamford with the Jays winning that series 3 games to 2.
GAME 1 STA 5 CHA 2
Shane McLanahan continued his outstanding season as he improved to 7-3 with a 1.85 ERA. The ace lefty pitched 5 innings, allowing only 2 runs and 4 hits, with five strikeouts. Trailing 2-0 after Josh Lowe hit a 2 run HR (9) in the first inning, the Jays stormed back with 2 in the third on a Brian Reynolds double and 3 in the fourth on a three run HR by catcher Andrew Knizner (8). Sonny Gray (6-8) gave up all five runs and took the loss. Three Jays relievers, Doval, Bautista and Stewart combined on four shutout innings to close the door on the Comets. Stewart picked up his 13th save.
GAME 2 CHA 6 STA 0
All Comets in this one as Kyle Gibson (6-1, 3.49) pitches a 5 hit shutout with 1 walks and 6 Ks. Stamford’s Chris Bassitt (7-6) took a no hitter into the 5th when Josh Lowe broke it up with a double. Lowe then came into score on a single by Seth Brown. Emmanuel Valdez singled in the second run of the inning before Jazz Chisholm belted a 2 run HR (6). In the 8th, the Comets got two insurance runs when Aaron Judge hit his 12th dinger of the year.
GAME 3 CHA 8 STA 7 10 innings
An instant classic and an incredible comeback win for the Comets. Stamford took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the 7th behind a 3 run HR by Brandon Nimmo (8) and a 3 run 7th that sent Chappaqua starter Bailey Ober to the showers. Chappaqua got 3 back in the bottom of the 7th on a 2 run HR by Garrett Cooper (6) and an RBI single by Willi Castro. In the 8th, Matt Chapman went yard (5) driving in two to make it 7-5. Then in the bottom of the 9th, Castro singled in two runs to tie the game! Yennier Cano (5-1) pitched a hitless 10th to keep it tied. Felix Bautista (3-4) came on in the bottom of the 9th to face lead off hitter Aaron Judge. AND THERE IT GOES. Judge hits a solo HR (13) – his second in two games to walk it off and give the Comets an emotional victory. Cano got the win and Bautista took the loss. Brock Stewart blew the save in the 9th, only his second blown save in 15 opportunities.
GAME 4 CHA 6 STA 4
The Comets take a 3-1 series lead jumping out to a 5-0 lead after two innings against starter and loser Mike Clevinger (4-4). After Kim singled in a run to make it 3-0 in the second, Judge did it again—with a two run HR (14) his third in three games, to make it 5-0. In the 5th, Judge DID IT AGAIN- a solo shot (15) his second of the game and FOURTH IN THREE GAMES! Trailing 6-1 in the 7th, the Jays got back in it when Bryan Stott hit a 3 run HR (7) to make it 6-4. But that was as close as Stamford would get.
Marcus Stroman (7-4) started for the Comets and got the win, going 6.2 innings and allowing the four runs. Justin Topa got the saveng save (3), with two perfect innings in relief.
GAME 5 – 1G DH CHA 8 STA 3
The Comets keep on rolling in the first of a twin bill. Stamford took a 3- 0 lead after three as Stott doubled in a run and then drove in two more with his second double of the game. Rookie Bobby Miller (4-7) could not hold the lead however. In the 4th, Lowe hit a 2 run HR (10) to make it 3-2. Then in the 6th, who else but AARON JUDGE tied the game as the Comets slugger hit yet another HR (16) – his FIFTH HR of the series, all in the last four games. Then the dam broke as Miller and reliever Doval combined to give up three more runs in the frame as Castro singled in a run and David Peralta doubled in two more.
Ranger Suarez (7-1, 4.38) continued his outstanding season going 7 1/3 allowing 3 runs with no walks and 6 Ks. Miller took the loss.
GAME 6 2G DH STA 8 CHA 4
Trailing 4-3, down to their last out and about to lose 5 of 6 games in a crucial series, the Jays came to life when Sean Murphy PINCH HIT A GAME TYING SOLO HR (7) with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, off Comets ace closer Cano. And after Murphy’s dramatic HR, the flood gates opened as the Jays added FOUR more runs against Cano and an ineffective Clay Holmes. Maikel Garcia got what proved to be the game winning hit with an RBI single off Holmes, to make it 5-4. Kyel Isbel followed with a 3 run HR (2) to put things out of reach for the Comets.
Randy Vasquez pitched a perfect 9th to close it out and insure the win for reliever Felix Bautista (4-4). Cano (5-2) took the loss and had his FIFTH blown save.
It was quite a game as it was the Jays who blew a 3-1 lead in the 8th. With Bautista on in relief of Rogers, the Comets LOADED THE BASES FOR AARON JUDGE. Judge drew a walk to make it 3-2 – and then Gabriel Moreno got a huge 2 out RBI single to make it 4-3 Comets. Bautista had his first blown save of the year. Cano came on to start the 9th for the Comets – but pitching in both games of the doubleheader proved to be too much for the Comets closer, as the Jays mounted a dramatic come from behind win to salvage the final game of the series.
The Comets improve to 47-30, and remain in first place in the NL East pending Greensboro’s series this week. Stamford drops to 40-35, now 6 games behind Chappaqua.
Next week: another big series as the Comets travel to Greensboro to face the perennial division winning Hoppers. Stamford will host Durham
Week ending June 22
Arizona vs Shenandoah
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Pandas from Shenandoah in Week 14 action.
Gm #1
Kluber vs. T. Walker. Shenandoah takes the opener in a slugfest 13-10 as Gomes drops a throw to the plate and the Pandas tally 3 unearned runs in the 9th after the Dust Devils fought back from a 5-run deficit to tie it in the 8th on an Olson (21) 2R blast, his second homer of the game. Ford (8) also smacked 2 dingers along with a Sabol (7) contribution for the visitors. Gomes (6) aided the valiant comeback only to commit the costly error. Olson and Ford led their respective teams with 4 RBI.
W Moll (3-0)
L Duran (4-1)
S Poche (6)
Gm #2
Wheeler vs. Sandoval. Rosario (9) solos twice for the 2 Pandas runs as Arizona uses Henderson's double and a Gomes RBI single twice to counter. Olson and Carroll each singled in a run in the 6th to take the lead and 4 singles and 2 walks added 4 insurance runs in the 8th as Arizona could finally exhale in an 8-2 breather. Gomes enjoyed a 3-4, 4 RBI game.
W Sandoval (7-2)
L Wheeler (3-6)
Gm #3
Maeda vs. Abbott. Ford (9) rips one down the line just inside the foul pole with 2 outs in the 9th ruining Abbott’s bid for CG SHO as the Dust Devils prevailed 5-1. Olson (22) flexed for a 2R shot to open the Arizona scoring and Schwarbs (12) added a solo shot to aid the cause. Abbott allowed 4 hits while striking out 10 and only walking one batter.
W Abbott (4-0)
L Maeda (1-6)
Gm #4
Fujinami vs. Nola. Arizona ties it on another Olson (23) long ball after RBI singles by Andrus and Sheets had given the Pandas an early 2-0 lead. Olson singled in the go-ahead run in the 4th. Gary Sanchez (7) helped in the insurance department with an RBI double and solo shot for two of the runs. ARZ 9-2.
W Nola (5-5)
L Fujinami (2-7)
Gm #5
F. Valdez vs. T. Walker. Ford (10) socks another one over the fence in the 2nd only to see Gary Sanchez (8) tie it with one of his own in the bottom half. Betts singled in the go-ahead run in the 5th and BTB doubles by Raley and Olson plus an RBI Henderson single helped boost the lead to 5-2. Betts (19) closed out the scoring with his 2R shot the next inning as Arizona takes the final 4 games with this 7-3 victory.
W T. Walker (6-2)
L F. Valdez (4-6)
Next up, Arizona hosts their inter-division foe, the Jonesboro Crackers, and Shenandoah heads to Antelope for Week 15 action.
Freeport vs East Coast
Freeport travels to East Coast and it was a hot and cold series. Freeport was cold the first 2 games and red hot the last 3 games for a 3-2 series win. The pitching for the Bandits was good allowing only 19 runs in 5 games but also allowed only 27 hits. Freeport knocked out 57 hits and that is with Lopez limiting them to only 1 hit in Game 1.
GAME 1: ECR 3-4-0 FRE 0-1-1
In the 2nd Vaughn a SF and Correa a RBI single. In the 6th after a Urshela error Robert a RBI double. Lopez goes 9 allowing 0 runs, 1 hit, 3 walks, and 9 punch outs, with a GS of 91. Lopez (8-3) gets the win and Eovaldi (2-5) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 6-7-0 FRE 5-8-1
In the 2nd Suzuki homers, Merrifield singles in a run, and Shanel scores on a PB, 3-0. Riley wallops a 3 run HR in the 4th to tie the game at 3. Yoshida singles in a run in the 5th. Polanco ties it in the home half with a single. In the 6th Riley goes deep for the second time in the game and Robert adds a RBI single, 6-4. Soler a solo shot in the 9th. Clase (1-1) gets the win and Hicks (2-2) takes the loss.
GAME 3: FRE 11-18-1 ECR 2-4-2
In the 1st Suzuki and Yoshida each single in runs and Cron adds a 2 run double. Candelario leads off with a HR in the bottom half, 4-1. In the 2nd Robert blasts a solo HR, 4-2. In the 3rd Merrifield doubles in a run, 5-2. In the 6th after a Correa error Hoerner singles in a run and then Riley commits another error and Suzuki follows with a 2 run double and Harris scores on a PB, 9-2. In the 8th Jones swats a solo HR and Vierling singles in a run. Greene (5-3) strikes out 11 for the win and Peralta (5-3) the loss
GAME 4: FRE 8-15-0 ECR 3-5-0
In the 2nd Merrifield singles in a run and Vierling smashes a 3 run HR, 4-0. Riley singles in a run in the 4th. In the 8th Cron and Vierling go deep for a 6-1 lead. In the home half Springer belts a 2 run HR, 6-3. Cron a 2 run double in the 9th. Miller (3-4) strikes out 12 for the win and Littell (5-5) takes the loss.
GAME 5: FRE 10-15-1 ECR 5-7-0
Bailey blasts a 3 run HR in the 2nd. In the 4th Rodgers a RBI double, Bailey a RBI GO, Hoerner a RBI double, and Vierling a RBI single, 7-0. Springer does deep in the home half with a man on, 7-2. In the 9th Siri homers and Urshela launches a long 2 run HR. In the bottom half Carlson scores on a WP, Candelario singles in a run, and Davis a RBI GO. Bello (8-4) strikes out 10 for the win and Lodolo (0-1) takes the loss.
Stamford vs Cowtown
Stamford hosts the Cowtown Drovers
Jays 4-8-0
Drovers 1-1-0
WP S McClanahan 6-3 LP L Allen 0-6.
Starter McClanahan goes 7 innings of 1 hit ball for the win. Stewart picks up his 12th save. Murphy goes 3-3 including a homer and 2 RBIs for the Jays.
Game 2
Drovers 2-5-1
Jays 1-4-2
WP D Williams 2-2 LP C Bassitt7-5
A costly error by OF dela Cruz allows the Drovers" Volpe to score the go ahead run. Mitchell had earlier belted solo homer for the Drovers. Nimmo drives in Jays only run..
Game 3
Drovers 5-6-0
Jays 0-2-0
WP J Urias 9-5 LP J Montgomery 7-4
Urias goes the distance on a 2-hitter fanning 6. He is helped by Rafale’s 3 hits including a homer and 2 RBIs from Renfroe.
Game 4 (13 innings)
Jays 4-7-2
Drovers 3-3-1
WP R Helsley 2-0 LP S Armstrong 1-2
A de la Cruz single in the bottom of the 13th inning drives in Stott and gives Jays a walk off win. Jays pitching holds the Drovers to three hits while fanning 16. Drovers pitching fans 13 Jays batters. Garcia belts two run homer for the Jays.
Game 5
Rain out
Next Cowtown hosts Calgary while Stamford visits Chappaqua.
Jonesboro vs Antelope
The Antelope River Cats visited Jonesboro for a 5 game set and the Crackers were one bad inning from a surprising sweep.
Game 1- River Cats win 5-3, scoring 3 in the 9th as the Crackers bullpen imploded. Romano(3-4) takes the loss, Kimbrel(6-2) gets the win. Mullins(10) homers for Jonesboro.
Game 2-Crackers take a tight 2-1 game with Kell(5-5) going the distance for the win. Perez(2-1) is the loser. Abrams(7) hits a walk off for the win.
Game 3-Crackers win 5-3. Williams(6-3) gets the win, Williamson(3-5) the loss. Raleigh(13), Edman(8) homers for the Cats. Smith(6) and Abrams(8) for the Crackers.
Game 4-Crackers win 7-2. Gurriel(8) goes deep for the River Cats, Smith2(8) for the Crackers. Lyles(4-4) is the loser, Bielak(7-3) takes the win.
Game 5-Crackers win 7-3. Gausman(6-5) is the winner, Avila(2-2) the loss. Gurriel(9) and Suarez(5) homers for the Cats, Ozuna(17) for the Crackers.
Next week Jonesboro packs for Arizona and Antelope hosts Shenndoah.
Week ending June 16
Antelope vs San Diego
San Diego visits Antelope for five, winning the bookend games very easily. But Antelope wins the three middle games in very close fashion.
Game 1 – Kershaw and Kremer in game one. It's 4-2 until SD gets six in the 9th for a 10-2 win. Armadillos with 4 HRs.
WP – Kershaw 6-5 LP – Kremer 1-6
Game 2 – Civale vs. Woo and it's 2-2 after nine. J. Naylor walks it off in 10th with a solo shot.
WP – Diaz 3-0 LP – Yarbrough 1-2
Game 3 – Darvish against Williamson. This time, 3-3 after nine. We go to the 13th and Raleigh with the walk off knock for a 4-3 Cats win.
WP – Mayza 3-3 LP – Curry 5-7
Game 4 – Ashcraft (5) faces Avila (2) and they both pitch like aces! SD gets one in the 9th to tie it at two. In the bottom half, Straw steals third and PH Noelvi Marte scores him with a single for the 3-2 Antelope victory.
WP – Mayza 4-3 LP – Ashcraft 3-7
Game 5 – Freeland and Lyles in the finale with SD smoking the River Cats 9-3 in this one.
WP – Freeland 2-4 LP – Lyles 4-3
Antelope wins the series 3-2 to stay a few games above .500. They hit the road to take on Jonesboro next and San Diego hosts Tidewater.
Durham vs Jonesboro
The Durham Lucky Strikes made a rare trip to Georgia, winning 3 of 5 with 4 games decided by 1 run.
Game 1- Crackers win 2-1. Gausman(5-4) was the winner, with Rea(3-70 taking the loss.
Game 2- Lucky Strikes win 3-2 in 10 innings. Sandlin(0-2) is the loser with Winckowski(5-2) taking the win. Mancini(2) homers for Durham
Game 3-In the only “blowout” Jonesboro wins 7-4. Crackers tie the game in the 8th on a throwing error. Abrams hits a 3 run walk off homer in the 9th. Estrada(3) homers for Durham. Abrams(6), Mullins(9) and Meneses(6) for the Crackers. Ramirez(1-1) takes the loss, Stratton(3-1) gets the win.
Game 4-Durham wins 3-2. Kwan(17) homes for Durham, Ozuna(14) for the Crackers. Bieber(4-6) gets the win, Bielak(6-3) the loss
Game 5-The rubber game goes to Durham 5-4) in a back and forth game. Encanacion2(5) homers for Durham, Ozuna2(16) and Rojas(2) for the Crackers.Farmer(2-1) is the winner, Gausman(5-5) the loss
Next up Jonesboro hosts Antelope and Durham heads to Tampa
East Coast vs Stamford
Stamford visits East Coast and the series felt like 2 separate series. The first 2 game everything went right for the Rockies and the last 3 game everything went right for the Jays and wrong for the Rockies resulting in a Stamford 3-2 series win. The Rockies defense was uncharacteristically very erratic and led to many unearned runs.
GAME 1: ECR 4-8-0 STA 3-2-1
Vaughn homers in the 5th. In the 6th Alvarez scores on a PB and Springer adds a RBI single, 3-0. Candelario doubles in a run in the 7th. Reynolds connects for a 3 run blast with 2 outs in the 9th. Lopez (7-3) gets the win and McClanahan (5-3) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 10-13-1 STA 8-15-0
In the 1st Contreras smashes a 2 run HR and Springer adds a RBI double. In the 3rd Knitzer and Friedl go NTN with double, 3-1. DeLaCruz homers in the 4th. Vaughn singles in a run in the bottom half, 4-2. In the 5th Knitzer and Friedl repeat with BTB doubles, 4-3. In the home half Springer singles in a run and Polanco belts a 2 run HR, 7-3. In the 6th Loftin a PH RBI single and Friedl a RBI single, 7-5. In the 7th Springer a 2 run double and Correa a SF, 10-5. In the 9th after a Davis error DeLaCruz a 3 run triple. Cease (7-2) gets the win and Bassitt (7-4) the loss.
GAME 3: STA 6-11-0 ECR 2-3-0
Five HRs highlight the game for the Jays. Kirilloff homers in the 2nd. Stott homers in the 3rd. Nimmo a 2 run shot in the 5th and Reynolds foes BTB with a solo HR, 5-0. Contreras a 2 run dinger in the 6th. DeLaCruz a solo HR in the 8th. Montgomery (7-3) gets the win and Perez (3-2) the loss.
:
GAME 4: STA 5-9-0 ECR 2-5-1
Alvarez puts one in the seats in the 1st with a man on. Loftin a PH RBI single in the 6th. In the 9th after a Contreras error Freeman squeeezes in the tying run and Dubon wallops a 3 run HR. Bautista (3-3) gets the win and Hader(2-2) the loss.
GAME 5: STA 6-12-0 ECR 3-7-2
Kirilloff a SF in the 1st. Riley swats a 2 run HR in the 4th, 2-1. In teh 6th Loftin ties it with a PH SF, Friedl scores on a Munoz error, and Freeman single in a run, 4-2. Murphy blasts a 2 run HR in the 7th, 6-2. Candelario homers in the 8th. Miller (4-6) gets the win and Littell (5-4) the loss.q
Arizona vs Chappaqua
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Comets from Chappaqua for some interleague play in Week 13 action.
Gm #1
S. Gray vs. Nola. Lowe’s RBI double plated Joe in the first. Two doubles, a single and a triple pushed the Dust Devils up 3-1 after 2. Each team scores another run as Arizona takes the opener 4-2.
W Nola (4-4)
L S. Gray (5-7)
S Graterol (10)
Gm #2
Ober vs. Sandoval. Gomes (5) ripped 2 dingers, one a slam, for all 6 of the Arizona runs. Judge (6) solo shot the game-winner in the ninth. Kim (12), Bader (2) and Castro (9)(10) contribute to the Comets power surge. CHA 7-6.
W Brasier (1-0)
L Neris (4-4)
S Cano (13)
Gm #3
Gibson vs. Bibee. Judge (8) continued his home run assault by homering his first two ABs and Cooper (5) tied it up at 5-5 in the third. Betts (18) home run a part of the early DD runs. We go extras and Sanchez (6) walks it off with a 3R blast in the 10th.
W Graterol (3-1)
L Brasier (1-1)
Gm #4
Stroman vs. Abbott. Olson (19) rips 2-2R HRs to supply all the runs necessary to lead the Dust Devils to a 7-3 victory. Cooper sliced a 2R triple for the Comets.
W Abbott (3-0)
L Stroman (5-4)
S Graterol (11)
Gm #5
R. Suarez vs. Nola. Judge (10) continued his assault on the Arizona pitching staff blasting his 4th and 5th long balls of the series as the Comets scored early and often as Lowe (8) and Westburg (2, slam) helped Chappaqua to the 8-3 win. Henderson (10) only DD HR.
W R. Suarez (5-1)
L Nola (4-5)
Next up, Arizona hosts the Shenandoah Pandas and Chappaqua heads to Brooklyn for Week 14 league play.
Freeport vs Brooklyn
Freeport struggles continue as they fail to score for the first 24 innings of the series and drop 3 of 5 to the Codgers. Brooklyn's Royce Lewis hit a pair of pinch hit homers and Michael Busch went deep three games in a row.
G1
B 5 10 0
F 0 4 0
W- Lorenzen (2-3)
L- Eovaldi (2-4)
HR- B- Longoria (3), Busch (3)
G2
B 4 9 0
F 0 6 0
W- Cobb (5-4)
L- Elder (4-6)
HR- B- Busch (4)
G3
B 4 11 0
F 1 7 0
W- Flexen (2-7)
L- Alzolay (1-3)
S- Martin (11)
HR- B - Lewis (6), Busch (5)
INJ - B- J. Smith (10 days)
G4
B 2 3 2
F 4 7 0
W- Alzolay (2-3)
L- Wainwright (1-10)
S- T. Scott (8)
HR- B- Lewis (7)
F- Suzuki (7)
INJ- F- Hoerner (3 days)
G5
B 4 6 0
F 5 12 2
W- Bello (7-4)
L- Corbin (2-7)
S- T. Scott (9)
HR- B- Swanson (6)
F- N. Jones (6)
Mokena vs Mad Town
NO HITTER ALERT!
Mokena visited Mad Town for 5 games.
Game 1
Bogaerts 2(7) got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the 4th to put Mad Town up 1-0. Walker(8) tied it in the 6th. Bogaerts 2nd homer reclaimed the lead. Lowe*6) and Machado (8) put up 5 runs in the 8th to pull away
7-2 MTZ
Game 2
The Zephyrs ran away with this one. Tatis (10) for the Roozys and Franco (11) and Kirk (2) for the Z's
11-4 MTZ
Game 3 NO HITTER!
Zac Gallen tossed 9 innings facing 29 batters and striking out 12. Wade (3) two run shot in the 3rd was all he needed
3-0 MTZ
Game 4
Ruiz(11) put the Roozys up 1-0 in the second. He doubled in Harper in the 4th to make it 2-0. Lowe tripled in 3 in the bottom half to put the Zephyrs ahead 3-2. In the bottom of the 5th, Zephyrs got 3 in with 3 singles
6-2 MTZ
Game 5
Harper (10) got things started in the 2nd for a 2-0 advantage. And the hits kept coming. Hendricks and the bullpen kept the Z's off the scoreboard.
7-0 MOK
Mad Town stays hot and takes 4 of 5. Gallen's No No was the highlight.
Mad Towns goes on the road to Louisiana
Mokena heads home to await Greensboro
Coney Island vs Shenandoah
Coney Island takes 3 of 5 at Shenandoah
Coney Island 11, Shenandoah 3
Shenandoah 3, Coney Island 0
Coney Island 9, Shenandoah 5
Coney Island 8, Shenandoah 7 (10)
Shenandoah 11, Coney Island 1
Northwest vs Tampa
The Indians edge Tampa in the 4th of July series, 3-2. Not much in the
way of fireworks except for Tampa's left fielder Castellanos in game 4.
6/12 - NW 2 TAM 1. Snell vs. N.Martinez. Hay's solo shot broke the 1-1
tie in the 6th inning. Burger homered for the Stingray run.
6/13 - TAM 5 NW 2. Cole vs. Skubal. Alonso for Tampa did damage in a
big way this game, going 2 for 4 with a double, home run and all 5 RBI's.
6/14 - NW 6 TAM 1. Detmers vs. Strider. This game was a bit closer than
the score would indicate. Guerrero and Torre hit homers and Northwest
got to
the Tampa reliever, Brebbia in the 8th inning for 5 runs.
6/15 - TAM 7 NW 4. Ten Innings. G.Rodriguez vs. Steele. This game was
back and forth until Castellanos hit his second Baltimore Special of the
game in the 10th.
6/16 - NW 2 TAM 0. Lynch vs. Alcantara. Alcantara tossed a CG SHO to
improve to 9-3. A sac fly by Tovar and Vlad's solo shot were the runs.
Next up for Tampa - Durham comes to visit
for Northwest - Tulsa hosts the Indians.
Tulsa vs Calgary
The Tulsa Roughnecks host the Calgary Outlaws. The Outlaws jump out to a
2-0 series lead on back to back shutouts to start the series. Tulsa bounces back
to win the next three games to win the series 3-2.
R H E
Calgary 4 4 1
Tulsa 0 4 0
R H E
Calgary 6 6 0
Tulsa 0 4 2
R H E
Calgary 4 5 1
Tulsa 8 12 2
R H E
Calgary 3 6 2
Tulsa 4 5 0
R H E
Calgary 4 10 0
Tulsa 9 9 1
Week ending June 10
Arizona vs Greensboro
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Grasshoppers from Greensboro in Week 12 action.
Gm #1
Scherzer vs. T. Walker. All Max as he tossed a CG allowing only a J-Ram (5) solo shot and he received plenty of support from Contreras (14) 3R shot and an Arenado (11) 2R shot in their 6-1 victory. Kiner-Falefa out 5 days.
W Scherzer (7-1)
L T. Walker (4-2)
Gm #2
Quintana vs. Abbott. Olson (17) and Betts (17) go deep for the Dust Devils and Albies (15) and Julio (12) for the Grasshoppers with Julio’s the game-winner. GRE 6-5.
W Mikolas (2-3)
L J. Jimenez (2-1)
S Phillips (8)
Gm #3
Ohtani vs. Sandoval. Albies (16) flexes again and Seager’s 2R 2B the GW in the 4-2 Grasshopper win.
W Ohtani (5-3)
L Sandoval (6-2)
S Phillips (9)
Gm #4
Verlander vs. Bibee. What is it with these elderly gentlemen? The aged one throws a CG 1-0 SHO allowing 4 hits as the GW scored on a DP!
W Verlander (8-2)
L Bibee (2-3)
Gm #5
France vs. T. Walker. A 5R second inning featuring 3 BB and 3 singles opened the scoring for the Dust Devils and a 3R Seager (9) blast is the only Greensboro scoring as Arizona captures the finale, 8-3.
W T. Walker (5-2)
L France (5-4)
Next up, Arizona hosts Chappaqua and Greensboro heads to Westchester.
Antelope vd Tampa
Tampa comes to Antelope for five....and there were a few wild ones!
Game 1 – River Cats get 5 off Tampa ace Snell after 1.2 (he gets tossed in the 2nd), but Stingrays score 6 in the 3rd! Move to the 8th and Tampa goes up 10-8. Not to be outdone, Cats get 3 in the bottom half to tie it. Antelope walks it off in the 12th....final 11-10.
WP – Kimbrel 5-2 LP – Soto 1-2
Game 2 – Antelope jumps on another ace (Cole) for 9 runs in five innings and cruise to a 12-1 victory. Woo gives up 2 hits, 1 run in 8 innings to get the win.
WP – Woo 3-3LP – Cole 5-5
Game 3 – We are knotted at 6-6 going to the 14th. Stingrays get 3 and it looks like the game is over.....but no, Antelope scores three in the bottom of 14 to tie it up again 9-9. Estevez holds Tampa in the 15th and Antelope with three straight hits to win it 10-9, Naylor plating India with the game winner.
WP – Estevez 2-0 LP – Wilson 1-1
Game 4 – This one just an old fashioned ass whooping as Tampa wins it going away 11-3 hammering Antelope starter Avila for 12 hits and 10 runs (8 earned).
WP – Rodriguez 5-4 LP - Avila 2-1
Game 5 – River Cats lead 6-1 after six and hold on to win 6-4 as Lyles
(3 z) continues to pitch way better than he should going 7 innings with 3 earned runs.
WP – Lyles 4-2 LP – Lynch 0-4
Antelope with a rare series win thanks to a couple lucky wins....could have easily been 4-1 the other way.
River Cats with 14 HRs in the series (Semien with five of those). Antelope stays at home to take on Stamford; Tampa stays on the road to face Northwest.
Jonesboro vs Stamford
Interleague play begins as the Stamford Jays visit Jonesboro for a 5 game set. The Jays treat the home team rudely taking 3 of 5, with all games being close.
Game 1-Jays win 2-0. Gausman(4-4) absorbs the loss, McClanahan(5-2) is the winner.
Game 2-Jays win 2-0. Kelly(4-5) takes the loss, Bassitt(7-3) the winner.
Game 3-Jays win 4-1. Montgomery(6-3) is the winner, Williams(5-3) the loser.
Game 4-Crackers win 5-4 in a marathon 15 inning game. Jansen(1-2) is the loser, Irvin(1-0) the winner.
Game 5-Crackers win 2-1. Miller(3-2) absorbs the loss, Miley(6-2). Ozuna(13) hits the winning homerun. Surprisingly that was the only dinger of the series.
Next up Jonesboro hosts Durham and Stamford stays on the road at East Coast.
Gulf Breeze vs Calgary
Only one game was a blowout as Calgary took 3 of the 5 at Gulf Breeze.
Gm 1: 2-0 GB Ryu (2-1) tossed 8 solid frames and Bryse Wilson closed it out for his 5th save. Power hitting Ahmed went deep (2). Outlaws tossed 16 Ks in 8 IP.
Gm 2: 10-1 Cal Joe Ryan (5-3) tossed 7 scoreless and Teoscar Hernandez was 3 for 6. Gorman homered (8) and drove in 4. Paxton (1-9) was hit hard, Rebs whiff 12 times
Gm 3: 6-4 GB Mountcastle had a pair of solo blasts (9) and went 4 for 4 with 3 runs. Luis Castillo (5-5) was just adequate. Kiermaier homered for the visitors (3)
Gm 4: 4-3 Cal Kiermaier homered again (4) and Goldschmidt also connected (8) but it was Campbell who saved his 7th despite allowing a 9th inning run. T.Wells (4-5) wins it
Gm 5: 3-1 Cal L.Webb dominated through 7 and Leiter closed it out for his 4th save. Trevor Story was 2 for 4. Braxton Garrett loses again (0-8).
Next week, Cowtown comes to Gulf Breeze while Calgary heads off to Tulsa.
East Coast vs Durham
Durham visits East coast and the hitting was good on both sides of the diamond but the pitching was poor at best except for Game 1 and Rea threw a complete game shutout allowing only 1 hit in the 1st inning, 1 walk, 9 Ks, and a GS of 93. Great game. The Lucky Strikes were paced offensively by Jack Suwinski who was 10/19 with 6 runs scored, 4 RBIs, 3 doubles, and 2 HRs. And about half of those ABs were against a left handed pitcher. Avery interesting series as both teams tried to give the win away in the last 4 games with the Rockies winning the series 3-2.
GAME 1: DUR 6-9-2 ECR 0-1-0
Melendez goes deep in the 4th with a man on. Melendez and Adames go BTB doubles and Batten a SF in the 7th. Estrada singles in a run in the 8th and Encarnation in the 9th. rea (3-6) gets the win and Lopez (6-3) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 8-9-0 DUR 5-7-0
Suwinski blasts a 2 run HR in the 1st. In the home half Riley singles in a run and Robert doubles in one to tie the game. Reyes singles in a run in the 2nd. Contreras ties it in the 3rd with a solo shot. Santander singles in a run in the 4th. In the 5th the Rockies could not knock out Musgrove but he injured himself and then the flood gates opened. Candelario smashes a 3 run HR, 6-4. Kwan scores on a PB in the 7th. Robert a 2 run dinger in the bottom half. Cease (6-2) gets the win and Englert (0-1) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 8-10-1 DUR 5-10-1
Robert wallops a 3 run HR in the 1st. In the 2nd after a Hudson error Encarnation scores on a DP, 3-1. Candelario blasts a GRAND SLAM in the 4th, 7-1, to put the game away, maybe. In the 5th Odor doubles in a run and Kwan a 2 run double, 7-4. Davis single in a run in the home half. In the 6th Melendez doubles in a run. Hudson (1-2) gets his first win and Winchowski (4-2) the loss. Lopez is injured for the Rockies.
GAME 4: DUR 7-16-2 ECR 6-10-0 ( 10 Innings)
In the 1st Odor commits an error and Alvarez launches a long 2 run HR. In the 7th all with 2 outs Kwan singles in a run, Santander clears the fence with a man on, and Adames adds his own 2 run big fly and a 5-2 lead. In the 8th Mancini and D'Arnaud go BTB with doubles. Peguero makes it a tight game with a 3 run HR in the home half, 6-5. In the 9th Springer scores on a Castro error to tie the game. D'Arnaud homers in the 10th. Ramirez (1-0) gets his first win and Munoz (3-1) his first loss.
GAME 5: ECR 8-11-1 DUR 6-11-2
Estrada a 2 run dinger in the 1st. In the 2nd Polanco a RBI walk and 2 runs score on a Melendez error, 3-2. Robert smashes a 3 run HR in the 3rd, 6-2. Suwinski a 2 run shot in the 5th, 6-4. D'Arnaud doubles in a run in the 6th, 6-5. Adames ties it in the 7th with a double. In the 8th Candelario doubles in a run and Riley singles in another. Hader (2-1) gets the win and Englert (0-2) the loss.
Tidewater vs Freeport
Bandits win the first and last. Drillers get the three in the middle.
All games were decided by 2 runs or less. Drillers lose Jarren Duran for 15 days.
Bandits lose Michael Harris for 5.
Coney Island vs Mad Town
The Cyclones and Zephyrs got together for 5 exciting and close games.
In the back and forth series,the Zephyrs outscored the Cyclones 22-21 in the 5 games. Each team had runners thrown out at home. Mad Town picked off 2 Coney Is base runners. Each had a disastrous error.
Game 1
Solano doubled and Devers singled him in to get things started in the first. Mad Town answered with 2 in their half. Casas (7) extended the lead in the 3rd and Kirk (1) increased it more. The bullpen held
7-3 MTZ
Game 2
Coney once again scored first in the first on a SF. Franco singled in Schneider in the 4th for the tie.Schmidt got into a bases loaded jam in the 6th. Vesia came in and put out the fire. I had to let him go one more inning. Bad mistake. With 2 outs Rengifo (6) creamed one over the fence. The Coney Island bullpen allowed one base runner the remainder of the game.
2-1 CIC
Game 3
Rengifo singled in Arcia for the first run in the second. Fueled by Casas (8) 2 run shot and Wade's rbi single, the Z's scored 3 in the 3rd. Gallen went 7 striking out 11 and allowing 3 hits
3-1 MTZ
Game 4
This was one of the wildest games I have ever played. 4 lead changes. Mad Town had to tie it in the 10th before Schneider (3) walked it off in the 11th. He was 3 of 4, 3 runs scored, 2 rbi and home run
6-5 MTZ
Game 5
The Cyclones scored 5 in the 5th and 4 in the 8th to take this one. The Zephyrs stayed with them until that 8th.
This game belonged to Rafael Devers. 3 of 4, 2 runs scored, 6 rbi and HR (13)
10-5 CIC
Mad Town stays home to entertain Mokena
Coney Island stays on the road to Shenandoah
Tulsa vs Cowtown
The Tulsa Roughnecks host the Cowtown Drovers and take the series 4-1.
The Tulsa bullpen was dominate as they allowed 0 runs on only 5 hits in 16 2/3 innings.
R H E
Cowtown 4 7 2
Tulsa 7 6 0
R H E
Cowtown 3 8 0
Tulsa 12 15 1
R H E
Cowtown 2 6 0
Tulsa 1 5 2
R H E
Cowtown 2 7 0
Tulsa 4 8 2
R H E
Cowtown 3 5 1
Tulsa 5 8 1
Northwest vs San Diego
San Diego drops 4 of 5 at the Northwest UCLA center. (Upper Canton,
Lower Akron).
Welcome back Armadillos! Come and tour the Football Hall Of Fame this
time while you're here!
6/6- NW 2 SD 1. Kershaw vs. N. Martinez. The Northwest bullpen was
tested from the start and the difference between the two teams in the 'pen
made all of the difference in the 5 game set. San Diego got their run on
a solo blast by E. Duran and despite E. Hernandez tossing out 2
Northwest base runners at home, the Indians got a pair of runs to hang
on to win the opener.
6/7- NW 5 SD 4. Civale vs. M. Miller. The Northwest starter was hurt
and lost for 34 days in the 3rd inning, so the Indians were blessed with
back to back bullpen games. Duvall blasted a 3-run homer to take a 4-2
lead in the 8th inning only to see Altuve tie it up with a 2 run shot in
the 9th.
The Indians replied with a walk and a couple of hits to pull this one
out in the bottom half.
6/8- SD 5 NW 2. Darvish vs. Strider. Strider was needed for some
innings pitched, but was wild again, walking 7 batters and losing the
game in the 9th.
France hit a pair of solo home runs and Grandal also homered for San
Diego. Strider was asked to go a little bit more than he should have and
it didn't go well.
Darvish however, was up for the task tossing 8 innings and allowing but
5 hits and 2 runs. He got his first win, (1-5), 4.58 ERA.
6/9- NW 9 SD 8. Ashcraft vs. Steele. With a 7-2 lead after 6 innings,
Northwest turned it over to the bullpen. However, the Armadillos worked
over them
in the 7th and 8th to the tune of 6 runs to grab an 8-7 lead. Tovar's
solo shot tied it in the 8th and 3 straight hits to start the 9th ended it.
A. Garcia had a great day for San Diego going 3 for 5, 2 runs, a double,
homer, and 4 RBI's.
6/10- NW 12 SD 5. Freeland vs. Alcantara. Northwest erupts with 23 hits
and a drubbing in the finale. Everybody had at least one hit, and
Guerrero was 5 for 5.
Triolo was injured for 18 days on a HBP for the San Diego third baseman
late in the game.
Next up: San Diego visits Antelope, same as last time around. Northwest
hosts Tampa, same as last time around.
Week ending June 4
East Coast vs Jonesboro
A divisional matchup of the second and third place teams was very competitive. Neither bullpen was sharp in this contest. The Rockies outlast the Crackers and win the series 4-2 at home.
GAME 1: ECR 4-7-0 JON 0-2-1
Peralta (5-2) throws a 2 hit shutout and strikes out 12 for the complete game win. Guasman (4-3) takes the loss with a little bit of wildness in the 4th as he issues 5 walks and the Rockies score twice without the aid of a hit. Polanco and Riley each go deep in the 6th.
GAME 2: JON 9-10-0 ECR 2-5-1
Pederson puts the game away with a GRAND SLAM in the 7th to end a 7 run inning. Riley accounts for the 2 Rockie runs with a HR. Miley (5-2) gets the win and Lopez (6-2) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 8-12-0 JON 6-8-0
Lopez doubles in a run in the 2nd. Madrigal scores on a WP to tie the game in the 6th. Correa doubles in a run, Contreras singles in a run, and Alvarez a bases clearing 3 run double in the 7th, 5-1. The Crackers come back with 4 in the 8th to tie the game. Rojas singles in a run and Abrams a 3 run double. In the home half Springer and Lopez go BTB with doubles, Greene a RBI single, and Alvarez a RBI HBP, 8-5. Madrigal and Urias go BTB with doubles in the 9th. Munoz (3-0) gets the win and Verhagen (1-3) the loss.
GAME 4: ECR 9-13-0 JON 5-10-1
Meneses homers in the 3rd. In the bottom half Polanco ties the game with a single and scores on a Candelario single, 2-1. Meneses gets the lead back with a 2 run double in the 4th, 3-2. Robert rounds the bases on a Pederson 4 base error in the 6th, 3-3. Abrams foes deep in the 7th, 4-3. In the home half Correa ties it with a solo shot, Robert a 3 run double, and he scores on a Springer single, 8-4. In the 8th POlanco and Candelario go BTB with double. Abrams singles in a run in the 9th. Littell %-3) goes 9 for the win and Sandlin (0-1) takes the loss.
GAME 5: JON 5-8-2 ECR 3-11-0
The Rockies get all of their runs on HRs by Riley, a solo shot in the 4th and a 2 run blast in the 9th. The Crackers get all of their runs in the 5th which started out with power hitting Julks and Kemp going BTB with solo HRs, Smith added a 2 run double and Abrams a RBI single. Bielak (6-2) gets the win and Hudson (0-2) the loss.
GAME 6: ECR 2-4-1 JON 1-2-0 ( 10 Innings )
Pitching duel between Perez and Miley. All the runs were scored via solo HRs. Alvarez hits the first pitch of the game in the seats in the 1st and he hits the last pitch of the game in the 10th in to the seats for the Crackers. Grossman smashed a HR in the 8th to send the game into extras. Perez goes 8 and whiffs 14. Hader (1-1) gets the win and Stratton (2-1) the loss.
Mad Town vs Shenandoah
Shenandoah and Mad Town got together for 5 games.
Game 1
We arrive in the 7th with Mad Town ahead 4-0 and Eflin spinning a 1 hitter. Sheets 2 (7) homered for the 2nd hit. The bullpen took over in the 8th and this time Sheets hit a Grand Slam! Taveras (2) and Benintendi (1) for Mad Town
5-4 SHP
Game 2
The Zephyrs unleashed a 7 run 3rd and ran away with this one
11-3 MTZ
Game 3
Gallen struck out 11 in 7 and the bullpen held. Bellinger (8) Franco (10) and Garver (8) provided the runs
3-0 MTZ
Game 4
The Pandas loaded the bases in the 7th and 8th but came away with only 1 run
3-1 MTZ
Game 5
We arrive in the bottom of the 9th tied 3-3. With 2 outs--naturally--and runners at the corners, Bellinger pinch hit single walks it off
4-3 MTZ
The Zephyrs survive a scrappy Panada team taking 4 of 5
Mad Town stays home and awaits Coney Island
Shenandoah goes home to entertain Mokena
Coney Island vs San Diego
Two teams with stellar starters (sarcasm galore - although Kershaw and Civale actually are decent or better starters) - no telling who will come out on top. All depends on if the bats make contact.
Game 1 - Kershaw made sure that the Cyclone batters did not make much contact. CG 3 hit shutout with 9ks! Altuve (3) homers for 3 runs in the 3rd and then singles in a 4th run in the 5th. That was the offense.
SDA 4-7-0 WP Kershaw (5-4)
CIC 0-3-1 LP Harrison (1-2)
Game 2 - Civale keeps the Cyclones pretty much in check through 7 - but so did Cruz (5 ip, 1 run) for Coney Island. Cyclones scores 1st with a run in the 3rd but a Duran single in the 5th ties it up. Then Tellez homers (5) in the 7th to pull the Cyclones up 2-1. However, the Armadillos bullpen is not so strong, so Civale stays in for the 8th. He gets 2 outs, but gives up 3 runs - unearned after an Altuve error. Okert (1.1 ip} and Ferguson (2.2 ip) close out the game with 4 scoreless innings.
SDA 1-7-1 LP Civale (3-5)
CIC 5-6-2 WP Ferguson (1-0)
Game 3 - lots of excitement and free baseball. Marte (8) and Call (4) each hit 2 run homers, Marte in the 1st, Call in the 2nd. Cyclones and Kikuki are cruising until the 6th when A.Garcia slugs a 2 run homer (10). Then in the 7th with 1 on, Thornton comes on in relief and he gives up 2 run homer (10) to Julien - tie game after 7. Then all zeroes in the 8th and 9th and top of the 10th. Bottom of the 10th, Curry comes in and hits Solano (2nd time in the game). Bleday comes in to PR and steals 2nd. He then scores when Rengifo PHs for Call and hits a walk off single.
SDA 4- 6-1 LP Curry (5-4) 10 innings
CIC 5-11-3 WP Jackson (2-0) BS Thornton (1)
Game 4 - Coney Island gets single runs in the 1st, 2nd and 4th BUT, Duran homers (2) for 1 in the 6th and France singles in another and the Armadillos cut the score to 3-2. However, in the bottom half the Cyclone double their score to 6-2 and feel comfortable again. Manoah feeling good (and giving the Cyclone bullpen a break) pitches into the 8th but gives up a walk and a 2 run homer to Calhoun (2) and he leaves. Peralta gives up 2 hits, so Okert comes in to get the 3rd out and then blanks San Diego in the 9th for the save. Coney Island got 2 more runs in the bottom of the 8th to get comfortable again!
SDA 4- 9-0 LP Ashcraft (3-6)
CIC 8-10-0 WP Manoah (4-6) S Okert (2)
Game 5 - Tellez clubs a 2 run homer (6) in the 1st, but San Diego gets 1 back in the 2nd on a Grandal rbi double. Cyclones get 2 more in the 3rd on a Marte rbi single and a Grandal PB. Grandal then singles in his 2nd rbi of the game in the 4th making it 4-2 Coney Island. Then the pitchers take over and we get 5 innings of goose eggs!
SDA 2-5-0 LP Freeland (1-3)
CIC 4-8-1 WP Whitlock (5-3) S Thornton (4)
Well we managed squeezing out 4 games!! Now we head to the AL East and Mad Town!
Greensboro vs Stamford
May 31 - Stamford opens with their ace, southpaw Shane ("14") McLanahan. The Hoppers counter with their half-ace, Martin ("7") Perez. Greensboro plates 6 in the second, and they hang on for a 7-3 win. McNeil hits his 2nd for the Jays, and Jordan Walker blasts his 6th for Greensboro.
June 1 - Chris Bassitt and Max. 5-2 Hoppers, as Walker (#6), Shohei (#10), and Contreras (#12) go yard.
June 2 - Yet another ace for the Jays, this time Jordan Montgomery. The Hoppers go with Shohei.The Jays take this one, 6-5 in ten, as pinch-runner Young steals home for the winner. Bryan Reynolds (#6) homers for Stamford, and Walker (#7), Arenado (#10), and Albies (#13) homer for the home team.
June 3 - Mike Clevinger faces J.P. France in this one. J.P. goes the route, winning 5-zip. Reynolds (#7) homers again for the Jays, and William Contreras hits his 13th for the Hoppers.
June 4 - In the finale it's Bobby Miller against Verlander. Greensboro pounds the Jays, 15-3, to close out a tough series. Knizner (#6 and #7) hits 2 for the Jays, and Trout (#11), Albies (#14), Salvy (#2), and Bell (#1) leave the park for Greensboro.
The Hoppers take 4 of the 5, and now head west to take on the division-leading Dust Devils while the Jays head south to Jonesboro.
Tidewater vs Cowtown
Tidewater hosts 2nd place Cowtown.
Gm.1 TID 3-1 Gilbert goes 7 innings throwing 2-hit ball and Freeman hits his 13th homer.
Gm.2 TID 3-2 Palacious puts TID ahead with a 2-run blast. Farmer ties it with his own 2-run shot. Davis' 2 out SF in 8th gives TID the win.
Gm.3 COW 4-2 Flores' solo HR in 2nd puts TID up. Bohm answers for COW with his 1st HR of the year (a 3-run blast) in a 4-run 5th as COW gets a win.
Gm.4 TID 7-5 Soto put TID up 3-2 with a HR in the 6th. Bohm answered with a 3-run shot in the 7th for COW. Freeman's RBI double and Bichette's 2-run HR in bottom of 7th give enough for TID to win it
Gm.5 TID 3-2 A 2-run 1st gave TID a start, but, Bohm (What a great series!) tied it with his 3rd HR in the 6th. 4 innings later de la Cruz walked it off with a RBI triple.
TID remained in 1st winning 4 of 5 but all the games were close.
Gulf Breeze vs Tulsa
In a surprisingly competitive series, Tulsa grabbed 3 of the 5 at Gulf Breeze.
Gm 1: 2-1 GB A double steal in the 5th won this one. Ryu (1-1) over Senga (4-3).
Gm 2: 7-0 Tul C.Sanchez (7-2) in control and Drury paces the offense with a bomb (7).
Gm 3: 5-2 GB Luis Castillo (4-5) finally has a decent start and Margot notches a Baltimore Special (2). Lugo loses (4-3
Gm 4: 12-2 Tul No contest- Matz (4-3) is excellent and all 9 Tulsa batters had at least one hit. Yaz (6) and Noda (5) go yard
Gm 5: 5-2 Tul Roughnecks score 2 in the 8th and 2 more in the 9th for the win. Noda again (6) and D.J.Stewart (7) leave the building.
Next week, Calgary comes to visit Gulf Breeze while Cowtown will try and take down Tulsa at Tulsa.
Week ending May 29
Arizona vs Mad Town
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Zephyrs from Mad Town in Week 10 action.
Gm #1
Eflin vs. Rasmussen. Mookie (16) led off the 2nd with a skyscraper and Schwarbs lined one off the right field fence for a double. Raley popped out to center before Gunner (8) reached the seats for a quick 3-0 lead. The Zephyrs got to within one in the 5th after two outs. Manny (6) homered and a rare Gimenez (3) error allowed Taveras to reach. Singles by Berti and Benintendi brought him around. They tied it the next inning on BTB 2-out doubles by Schneider and Bogaerts. The Dust Devils did some two-out scoring of their own in the bottom half when Raley got plunked, his first of two, and stole second. Henderson singled him home for his 3rd RBI of the game, knocking out Eflin, and plating the game-winner as the pen shut down the high-powered Mad Town offense for 3.1 innings to claim a 4-3 victory.
W Foley (3-3)
L Eflin (4-4)
S Graterol (9)
Gm #2
Schmidt vs. Bibee. Garver (4) led off the 2nd with a moon shot. Arizona tied things up when Gimenez got plunked, a common occurrence by the visiting throwers, stole second, and scored on an Olson single. A 2-out double by Garver was followed with a booming triple by Tavares in the 4th for a 2-1 lead. Schwarber (10 & 11) plated 5 runs with bombs in the 6th and 7th to put the good guys up 4 entering the 8th inning. The previously mentioned DD pen fell on their face in this one. The Zephyrs tied things up on 3 doubles and 2 singles in the 8th forcing extra innings after the Dust Devils left the bases loaded in the 9th. Neither team made a whimper until the 12th when a Ramirez error allowed Wade to reach with one out. Singles by Crawford and Casas put the Zs up one. Beck relieved Graterol and served up a big fly to Bellinger (6) to provide unnecessary insurance runs as the visitors stormed back for a 10-6 demoralizing victory.
W Weems (1-0)
L Graterol (2-1)
Gm #3
Gallon vs. T. Walker. Arizona is up 3-0 after 5 thanks to an Olson (13) solo blast and RBI singles by Ramirez and Betts. Casas (6) led off the 6th for the Zephyrs with a solo blast of his own for their only run as Arizona prevailed 5-1. Raley got nailed in the ribs and is out 6 days as the Dust Devils provide targets for the Mad Town hurlers, getting nailed for the 4th time in 3 games, with no ejections!!! Hmmmm.
W T. Walker (4-0)
L Gallon (3-5d)
S Foley (4)
Gm #4
Kirby vs. Sandoval. Tavares led off the game with a single and advanced to second when Garver was HBP. Bellinger (7) took care of the Zephyrs' offense as his single plated Tavares in the first and a 2R shot in the 8th accounting for the game-winner. Gomes's RBI single was all the DD scoring. Amazingly enough, Carroll got hammered (not the drinking kind!) and, having inefficient body armor, is out 3 days…with no ejection! Mad Town committed 4 errors with none of them scoring. 3-1 MTZ.
W Harvey (1-0)
L Hentges (1-2)
S Abreu (11)
Gm #5
Heaney vs. Rasmussen. The rubber game turned into putty as the visitors sealed up a 9-3 series clincher, clobbering 16 hits and getting stellar pitching from Heaney as he provided 7 innings of 5-hit 2R baseball. Berti got a taste of beanball as he was plunked for the first time, as was Gimenez again for Arizona as they lost this statistic as well, 6-3 while sustaining 2 injuries in the process.
W Heaney (6-1)
L Rasmussen (2-1)
Next up, Arizona hits the road again and travels to Westchester and Mad Town hosts Shenandoah.
Freeport vs Antelope
Freeport's struggles continue as they win the first and last games of the series but drop the other three.
Luis Garcia made his first start of the season and committed 3 errors in the game. For Antelope, Jordan Lyles, a grade 3 starter allowed one earned in 7 innings and improved his ERA to 3.20.
Tim Mayza blew saves in games 1 and 2 including allowing a grand slam to CJ Cron in game 2.
Mayza would get the save in game 4.
Coney Island vs Durham
Lucky Strikes head north to Coney Island - hope they enjoyed the hot dogs because they weren't pleased with the baseball.
Game 1 - Only bad note for Cyclones in this one was Laureano getting decked and he'll miss 23 days! Other than that, Chase Silseth was strong in one of his spot starts - 3 hits, 9 ks, no runs in 6 innings! And Okert pitched 2 hit shutout ball for the other 3 innings. Loads of Cyclone offense with Marte (7) and Devers (11) going deep in the 10 hit, 8 WALK 8 run attack.
DUR 0- 5-0 LP Blackburn (0-1)
CIC 8-10-0 WP Silseth (2-0) S Okert (1)
Game 2 - Cyclones take a 8-1 lead into the 7th but the Luckys Strike for 4 runs. Encarnacion goes 3 for 5 and 2 rbis on the day, Santander doubles in two, Durham adds another in the 8th, but so do the Cyclones as they prevail 9-6! Cruz started the game itchy and a GRADE 1 but was brilliant until the 7th - but it was good enough for the win. He manages 16 ks in 6.2 innings!
DUR 6-11-0 LP Rea (2-6)
CIC 9-14-0 WP Cruz (2-3) S Peralta (7)
Game 3 - It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Lucky Strikes - they explode for 14 hits (and 5 walks) in this one and score 3 runs in the 1st AND 2nd and then 2 more in the 7th and 9th for a big 10-3 win. Kwan, Melendez and d'Arnaud each have 3 hits with d'Arnaud driving in 4 and homering (2). Santander (9) and Suwinski (7) also homer. Musgrove toss 6, 2 hits, no runs!
DUR 10-14-0 WP Musgrove (3-5)
CIC 3- 6-1 LP Kikuchi (6-2)
Game 4 - Durham off to another slow start but the Cyclones are whipping it up. 3 in the 2nd and 7 in the 5th propel them to a big 12-5 win. McClain (5) homers and drives in 2 for Durham but Brito takes a beating and one for the team giving up 13 hits and 11 runs in 6 innings. Happ (3), Arcia (4) and Bleday (4) homer for the good guys with Arcia (2 hits) driving in 3 and Bleday (2 hits) driving in 4.
DUR 5-13-0 LP Brito (5-2)
CIC 12-16-0 WP Manoah (3-6)
Game 5 - Finale was the closest final score (2 run difference) and after 4 1/2 the Lucky Strikes were leading 3-1. But then a 1 run 5th and 4 run 6th carried the home team to a nice win in the final game. Suwinski (3 for 4) was the big Lucky Striker and homered (8) and drove in 4. Santander (10) homered to drive in their 5th run. Rengifo had 2 hits and 4 rbis and his 3 run jack (5) was huge in the 6th. Arcia (2 runs/hits/rbis) also homered (5).
DUR 5- 8-0 LP Bieber (3-6)
CIC 7-11-1 WP Whitlock (4-3) S Thornton (3)
Coney Island returned home from a rough road trip (facing mostly the leageus better teams) and enjoyed their time here. Next week we host San Diego!! Durham heads home to play the hot streaking Chappaqua Comets!
Shenandoah vs Westchester
Shenandoah takes 3 of 5 from Westchester
Westchester 8, Shenandoah 2
Shenandoah 3, Westchester 1
Westchester 5, Shenandoah 4
Shenandoah 3, Westchester 0
Shenandoah 3, Westchester 2 (10)
Tulsa vs East Coast
The East Coast Rockies head to Tulsa and start the series off with back to back shutouts to take a 2-0 series lead. The Roughnecks offense gets rolling in games three and four to even the series at 2-2. East Coasts wins the final game to take the series 3-2.
R H E
East Coast 6 12 0
Tulsa 0 5 0
R H E
East Coast 3 6 0
Tulsa 0 2 0
R H E
East Coast 7 11 1
Tulsa 9 11 2
R H E
East Coast 1 7 0
Tulsa 10 14 0
R H E
East Coast 11 11 0
Tulsa 2 5 2
Jonesboro vs Gulf Breeze
The home standing Crackers hosted the Gulf Breeze Rebels, with the Crackers taking 4 of 5.
Game 1-Crackers bat come alive for a 11-2 win. Gausman(4-2) takes the win while Ryu(0-1) absorbs the loss. Mullins(7) and Meneses2(4) go yard for the Crackers.
Game 2- Miley(4-2) goes the distance for a 3-0 shutout. Mullins(8) homers for the 2nd game in a row.
Game 3-Crackers win 7-4. Miley(4-4) is the winner, Castillo(3-5) the loser. Ozuna(12) and Grossman(4) homer for the Crackers
Game 4-Rebels thwart the attempt at a sweep with a 3-0 shutout. Gomber(4-6) is the winner, Williams(5-2) the loser. Tapia(1) and Mountcastle(7) home for the Rebels
Game 5-Crackers snap back for a win. Crackers won 4-3 in 10 with the winning run coming in the bottom of the 10th on a throwing error. Puk(0-3) is the loser, Stratton(2-0) the winner. Smith(5) and Pederson(6) homer for the Crackers.
Next up the Crackers head to East Coast and the Rebels host first place Tulsa.
Chappaqua vs Tampa
SURPRISING CHAPPAQUA COMETS STAY HOT WINNING FOUR OF FIVE AGAINST TAMPA
The Comets played without a number of key players who were injured, including Connor Joe and Aaron Judge. Despite a thin bench and a number of Tired players, Chappaqua somehow still managed to win the series.
GAME 1 TAM 4 CHA 0
Blake Snell (3-2, 2.10) allowed only 2 hits over 7 innings as three Stingrays pitchers combined on a 3 hit shutout. Mickey Moniak hit a 2 run HR (5) for Tampa. Sonny Gray (3-6, 3.94) was the starter and loser.
GAME 2 CHA 3 TAM 2
Comets took a 3-1 lead after three and hung on for the win. After Pete Alonso’s solo HR (14) made it 3-2 in the 6th, Tampa threatened in the 8th against a tiring Bailey Ober (3-2). With a man on first and none out, lefty Matt Moore came on in relief to face Moniak. Moore retired him and then got Jake Burger to ground into a DP to end the threat.
Ober got the win, with 7 strong innings. Yennier Cano pitched a perfect 9th for his 10th save (0.75 ERA). Gerrit Cole (11 Ks in 6 IP) was the hard luck loser (5-3).
GAME 3 CHA 4 TAM 3
Comets win another one run game, rallying to tie in the 8th when PR Harrison Bader stole second (7) and came around to score on a clutch RBI single by Emmanuel Valdez (2-3). The Comets won it in the bottom of the 9th on a leadoff, walkoff, HR by David Peralta (2).
Will Smith (2-0) won it in relief. Gabe Speier had his 3rd blown save of the year and Soriano (2-3) was the loser facing one batter – Peralta who send the Comets fans home happy
GAME 4 CHA 5 TAM 2
Comets win their third straight as Willi Castro (8) and Gabriel Moreno (4) homer. The Comets add three stolenbases to their league leading total. Marcus Stroman (4-2) goes 7.1 for the win. Cano gets his 11th save and lowers his ERA to 0.70. Ken Waldichuck (6-2) takes the loss.
GAME 5 CHA 7 TAM 2
Stuart Fairchild’s 3 run HR (1) in the first inning capped a 4 run frame and Chappaqua never looked back. Ranger Suarez (4-1) got the win with 8 solid innings. Bader swiped his 8th base of the season. Nick Castellanos (15) and Alek Thomas (1) homered in the losing effort. Daniel Lynch (0-3) was the starter and loser.
Chappaqua improves to 31-19 and remain in first place in the NL East, pending Stamford’s series in Calgary. Tampa (26-24) continues to lead in the AL West pending the results of Coney Island’s series with Durham and San Diego’s with Cowtown.
Next week: The Comets begin a four week road trip with a 6 game set against division rival and much improved Durham. Tampa will host division rival Mokena.
Northwest vs Louisiana
The Louisiana Cajuns came to play and mash the baseball at Northwest.
The Indians took 3 games in a close series.
5/25- LOU 5 NW 4. Ten Innings. Giolito vs. German. Close contest, both
teams stay tied through 8 innings and both scored in the 9th.
Gurriel homered in the 10th to win it for Louisiana. King blew the save
but got the win.
5/26- NW 6 LOU 4. Lynn vs. Skubal. Acuna, Thomas, and Moncada hit
homers off Skubal that gave the Cajuns a 4-1 lead through 5 innings.
J. Scholtens was called into relief right from the start for Louisiana
since Lynn had to leave with a forearm strain, out 5 days. Northwest's
G.Torres hit a 3-run homer
in the 7th and Northwest added a run in the 8th.
5/27- NW 6 LOU 2. Toussaint vs. Alcantara. Northwest got to Toussaint
early and he was relieved in the 5th inning. Alcantara pitched a
complete game and Grichuk
homered for the Indians.
5/28- LOU 11 NW 2. Woodruff vs. Strider. The Cajuns bat around and
hammer Strider, May, and Minter all in the 6th inning, scoring 10 runs.
This was a laugher
and Woodruff went the distance, allowing only 5 hits.
5/29- NW 6 LOU 1. Wesneski vs. Steele. Lindor and Hays hit homers and
Steele and the 'pen held the Cajuns to 5 hits in the finale.
So, I guess you need 6 runs to beat these guys.
Next up - Louisiana returns home to host Freeport and Northwest goes on
the road to Antelope.
Greensboro vs Brooklyn
May 25 - Fulmer against the struggling Max. The Hoppers finally recover some of their offense as they clobber the Codgers, 12-2. Trout blasts 2, one of them as Grand Salami, and he now has 10 on the season, despite only playing half time.
May 26 - Mike Lorenzen against Miles. This one's close as the Brooklyns leave the potential tying run at 2nd in the 9th, as they drop the contest, 5-4. Conforto hits his 5th for the Codgers, and Shohei (#8), Contreras (#9), and Seager (#7) homer for the Hoppers.
May 27 - Pat Corbin and Verlander in game 3. Greensboro takes it, 7-1, as Seager (#8), Contreras (#10), and Tork (#11) go yard.
May 28 - Wainwright faces Shohei. Ohtani wins his 4th as he and reliever Megill combine on the 2-hit, 7-zip shutout. J-Rod hits his 10th.
May 29 - In the finale it's Flexen for the Codgers, and J.P. France for the home team. Hoppers, 9-3, as they complete the sweep. Shohei (#9), J-Rod (#11), and Contreras (#11) go long.
Brooklyn now heads home home to host Calgary, and the Hoppers await the arrival of the Jays.
Week ending May 24
Antelope vs Tulsa
Game 1 - Antelope comes back from 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 getting the game winner in the 9th.
Game 2 - 3-3 after one, but all Tulsa after that...final score 8-5.
Game 3 - 2-2 after five, but once again it's 8-5 Tulsa.
Game 4 - Tulsa up 3-0 after one and they hold on to win 3-2.
Game 5 - Antelope up 5-3 after seven; add 4 in the 8th to take the finale 9-3.
Antelope drops yet another series at home to fall to 16-19. We will really suck when we start playing all those road games which start next week at Freeport! Tulsa back home to face East Coast.
San Diego vs Calgary
Game One
San Diego gets 2 in the third on a double from Mateo, a single from Garcia and another single from Bryant. They get another on an error from Hernandez in right field and take the game 3-1.
Game Two
Another low scoring game. San Diego, down 2-1 into the bottom of the ninth. The old fatigue buggaboo shows up and the Armadillos are forced to play mostly subs. Added to that, catcher Campusano was hit by a pitch in game one and is out for 33 games (!!) forcing Grandal to play (only available) for the rest of the series. France leads off with a single and takes third on a double from Garcia. Hernandez follows with a single for the win. 3-2 Armadillos.
Game Three
The Outlaws pound out 14 hits off Darvish and two other pitchers to take the game. The Armadillos get only 5 hits. 7-3 Calgary.
Game Four
The Armadillos hit 4 homeruns, but they were all solo shots, by Duran, France and 2 by Garcia. The Outlaws kept coming back but in the end San Diego took the game 6-5.
Game Five
A 3 hit shutout by Webb, who went the distance. Only 2 runners made it to second base for the Armadillos. 3-0 Calgary.
Mokena vs Durham
Mokena wins the last game to take the series 3-2 over Durham. In game 2, won by Mokena 17-0 the Durham GM was seen arguing about something with the Durham manager.
Durham's manager may be taking a long vacation soon.
East Coast vs Shenandoah
The Shenandoah Pandas visit the East Coast Rockies and take the first game of the series but the home team wins out and takes the series 4-1. Morel had 3 HRs and 6 RBIs for the Pandas and Robert had 3 HRs for the Rockies.
GAME 1: SHP 4-5-0 ECR 2-8-1
Contreras singles in the 1st. Polanco singles in a run in the 2nd. In the 5th 2 walks are followed by a Morel 3 run blast, 3-2. Brujan scores on a Contreras error in the 8th. Liberatore (2-5) gets the win and Peralta (3-2) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 3-4-1 SHP 2-7-0 ( 15 innings )
Morel homers in the 1st. Polanco ties the game with a single in the 3rd. In the 6th after a Riley error Sheets a RBI double. Robert ties the game in the 7th with a solo shot. Robert wins the game in the 15th with his second HR of the game. Maton (3-2) gets the win and Bauman (0-1) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 4-7-1 SHP 3-6-0
Morel doubles in a run in the 3rd. Sabol homers i the 4th and Wilson in the 5th, 3-0. The Rockies had no base runners thru 5 innings. Then Candelario singles in a run in the 6th. Grisham singles in a run in the 7th and Robert wins his second game in a row with a 2 run dinger in the 8th. Maton (4-2) gets his second win of the series and Thielbar (0-1) the loss
GAME 4: ECR 9-10-0 SHP 1-8-0
Riley wallops a 3 run HR in the 1st and Polanco adds a RBI walk, 4-0. Springer clears the fences in the 2nd. In the 4th Correa homers and Riley launches his second HR of the game a 2 run shot, 8-0. Morel breaks up the shutout with s solo shot in the 5th. Alvarez singles in a run in the 7th. Littell (3-3) gets the win and Fujinami (1-4) the loss.
GAME 5: ECR 4-8-0 SHP 3-10-0
In the 1st Springer singles in a run and Contreras a SF. Correa singles in a run in the 2nd, 3-0. In the 3rd Sheets plates 2 with a single and Morel scores on a PB to tie the game at 3. Candelario singles in a run in the 5th. Marquez (2-2) gets the win and Valdez (3-4) the loss.
Stamford vs Tampa
Game 1
Jays 5-5-0
Stingrays 2-5-3
WP F Bautista 2-3 LP G Spier 1-3.
Tampa takes early lead when Brennan hits leadoff homer. Jays tie game on an Amaya single in the 4th. Tampa retakes lead on Thomas RBI single in the 7th. Tampa starter Snell is taken out of the game and Jays jump over reliver Spier as they score 4 runs in the 8th. The highlight a three-run homer by backup catcher Amaya.
Game 2
Stingrays 2-3-0
Jays 1-6-0
WP G Cole 5-2 LP C Bassitt 6-1
Alonso belts two run homer in the 1st and Reynolds singles in Young in the bottom of the 1st. The game is scoreless for the rest of the way. Starter Cole goes the distance on a 6-hitter fanning 8.
Game 3
Stingrays 13-14-0
Jays 8-8-0
WP G Rodriguez 4-3 LP J Montgomery 4-3
Stingrays use long ball to take game 3. They get back-to-back homers in the 2nd from Jimenez and Burger. Burger belts another homer. A Castellanos grand slam homer in the 9th puts the game our of reach. The Jays do rally and score 4 runs in the bottom to make the game closer than it was. Stott hits three run homer for the Jays.
Game 4
Stingrays 5-10-2
Jays 3-10-1
WP K Waldichuk 6-1-1 LPM Clevinger 4-2
Tampa gets RBIS from five different players to take game 4. Alonso homers for Tampa.
Game 5
Jays 4-11-1
Stingrays 3-4-0
WP B Miller 3-3 LP D Lynch 0-2
Tampa opens the scoring with 2 runs in the 3rd. Jays then get homers from McNiel and Isbel in the bottom of 3rd. The Jays score single runs in the 4th and the 5th on RBIs singles from Isbel and
dela Cruz. Relievers Stewart and Baustista throw three scoreless innings to save game for the Jays.
Next Tampa travels to Chappaqua and Stamford visits Calgary.
Northwest vs Gulf Breeze
Northwest came to Gulf Breeze this week and had little trouble disposing of the Rebels in a 4-1 series win.
Gm 1: 8-0 NW Vlad Jr goes 3 for 5 2ith 2 D and 3 rbi. Nick Martinez (2-2) with 7 IP allowing just 2 hits
Gm 2: 4-1 GB Castillo (3-4) is sharp for 7 frames and Tim Anderson has a big 2R jack (2)
Gm 3: 6-0 NW Strider for 7 and a cast of thousands with hits. Torres (6) and Grichuk (5) leave the building, Jung with 3 rbi
Gm 4: 11-8 NW GB goes back to back HR three stinkin' times and still lost by 3. Lindor with a 3R 1st inning blast and Indians were up 8-1 before the BTB stuff
Gm 5: 4-2 NW 4th game in a row with a NW homer in the first. Vlad homers twice (8) and Lindor (13) once. Mlodzinski with the 2 inning save (2)
Next week, the Rebels Breeze into Jonesboro while Northwest heads home to entertain Louisiana.
Chappaqua vs Brooklyn
SURGING CHAPPAQUA COMETS TAKE FOUR OF FIVE FROM BROOKLYN
The Codgers travel across the Throggs Neck Bridge to visit Chappaqua…..
GAME 1 BRO 7 CHA 0
Alex Cobb (4-3) and two relievers shutout the Comets scattering 9 hits with only 1 walk. Ryan O’Hearn was 2-5 with a HR (6) to lead Brooklyn to the opening series win. Sonny Gray (3-5) was the starter and loser.
GAME 2 CHA 5 BRO 4 14 INNINGS
An instant classic as the Comets came back from a 4-1 deficit with two in the 8th and one in the 9th to tie it, before winning the game in the 14th. Ryan O’Hearn once again led the way for the Codgers as he went 3-6 with a double and HR (7) with 3 RBIs. For the Comets, Stuart Fairchild entered the game as a pinch hitter and had himself quite a day, going 4-4 with an RBI. Gabriel Moreno was 3-6 with a double and a triple and 2 RBIs. David Peralta had a solo HR (1) for the Comets.
Yannier Cano (4-0,0.78) got the win with 3 hitless innings in relief. Comets relievers pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits as Clay Holmes pitched 3 hitless innings right before Cano. Jake Diekman (0-2) took the loss.
GAME 3 CHA 8 BRO 2
It was all Comets in this one as CHA exploded for SIX in the 4th sending Patrick Corbin (2-3) to an early shower. Harrison Bader (3-4) and Garrett Cooper (2-4) each homered for the Comets. Kyle Gibson (5-1) pitched a complete game 7 hitter for the win.
GAME 4 CHA 7 BRO 0
Marcus Stroman (3-2, 3.05) pitched a 4 hit complete game shutout as CHA won its third straight. Adam Wainwright (1-7, 8.12) continued to struggle and took the loss. Cooper (3-4) homered (4) for the second straight game. Josh Lowe (2-4) also went yard (6) and drove in FIVE runs. Jazz Chisholm had his 8th SB of the year.
GAME 5 CHA 5 BRO 0
The Comets get their second straight shutout as Ranger Suarez (3-1, 5.55) pitches a one hit gem. The only hit was a 9th inning double by Danby Swanson, who broke up Sanchez’s bid for immortality. Chris Flexen (1-6) was the starter and loser. Rookie Jordan Westburg (2-4) hit his first WIBL HR.
The surprising Comets improve to 27-18, ½ game behind division leading Stamford pending the results of Stamford’s series against Tampa. The defending world champion Grasshoppers find themselves in unfamiliar territory (24-22), third in the NL East while a resurgent Durham team (21-20) is in the thick of the race in what so far is WIBL’s toughest division. The Codgers drop to 16-30.
Next week Chappaqua will host NL West leading Tampa whle Brooklyn travels to Greensboro
Greensboro vs Tidewater
Greensboro takes series 3-2.
Gm.1 Down 11-6, TID erupts for 10 runs in the 8th. Freeman goes deep twice for 6 RBI in the game.
Gm.2 GRE returns the favor scoring 7 runs in the 8th Arenado goes 3-5 with a homer and 5 RBI.
Gm.3 GRE continues to rip and shuts out TID behind 6 innings of shutout ball from Ohtani. Ohtani also 4-4 a homer and 4 RBI. Arenado 2-4 a homer and 5 RBI.
Gm.4 GRE pitching hold TID to 1 run while Ohtanie goes 2-5 with 2 RBI and Albies smacks a 2-run bomb.
Gm.5 TID comes back down 4-2 to score 5 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th. Freeman leads the way going 3-5 with a homer and 5 RBI.
Week ending May 18
East Coast vs Antelope
East Coast takes series at Antelope 3-2.
Game 1 - Antelope 4, ECR 3 - WP- C. Perez 1-0 LP- Chavez 0-1 S- A. Diaz (1)
Game 2 - ECR 8, Antelope 7 - WP- Chavez 1-1 LP- Mayza 2-2 S- Hader (7)
Game 3 - Antelope 2, ECR 1 - WP- Lyles 1-1 LP- Cease 5-2 S- KImbrel (1)
Game 4 - ECR 10, Antelope 6 - WP- Littell 2-3 LP- Woo 2-2
Game 5 - ECR 4, Antelope 2 - WP- Marquez 1-2 LP- Williamson 2-2
Antelope continues their typical slide after a good start.
Gulf Breeze vs Mad Town
Rebels and Zephyrs get together for 5. And the winds were blowing.
Game 1
The Zephyrs get things started with 4 back to back doubles in the first for a 4-0 advantage. The Zephyrs would finish with 7 doubles. Heyward doubles in 2 in the 3rd and Jeffers (3) ties it up after 3. 4-4. In the bottom of the 3rd, Marte and Machado SF in 2 for 6-5 Z's lead. The Rebels tie it up in the 5th and go ahead 7-6 in the 7th behind Anderson rbi single. In the bottom of the 8th, Bellinger (4) and Bogaerts (5) scored 5 for the home team. Bllinger was 4 of 5, 2 runs scored, 4 rbi and HR. For the Rebels, Heyward was 4 of 5 , 2 runs scored and 2 rbi
11-7 MTZ
Game 2
The Zephyrs score 4 in the first aided by 3 doubles. They would finish with 5. 12 doubles in 2 games. Schneider drove in 2 more with his 2nd double in the 5th for a 6-0 advantage. Gallen in arguably his best outing was cruising with a 4 hit shutout until the 7th when Tapia and Marsh scored 2 on doubles of their own.
6-2 MTZ
Game 3
Jeffers(4) put the first runs up with a solo shot in the 2nd. Machado and Benintendi doubled in 2 to take the lead in the 3rd. Casas(5), Bellinger (5), Franco (6) and Machado (3) helped Mad Town runaway.
6-1 MTZ
Game 4
Garrett and Heaney put on a pitching show for 6 innings. 7Ks for Garrett and 12Ks for Heaney through 6. Kirk doubled in Benintendi for a 1-0 Mad Town lead. Mountcastle (5) tied it up 1-1. Schneider (2) solo shot was the difference
2-1 MTZ
Game 5
Mountcastle (6) got things started with a 2 run shot in the 2nd. Heyward 2 (4) solo shot extended the lead 3-0 in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 3rd, Taveras doubled and Machado singled him home. With 2 outs, Franco (7) 3 run dinger put Mad Town up 4-3. In the 5th Heyward's 2nd HR put Gulf Breeze up 5-4. In the bottom of the 5th, Garcia loads the bases and walks in the winner
6-5 MTZ
The Zephyrs bats came alive and took all five.
Mad Town goes on the road to Westchester
Gulf Breeze heads home to entertain Northwest
Jonesboro vs Northwest
The Northwest Indians were on the warpath as they visited Jonesboro, taking the series by winning the last 3 games.
Game 1-Jonesboro wins 3-0.Gausman(3-2) pitches a complete game. May(1-2) absorbs the loss.
Game 2-Jonesboro wins 6-5. The Indians score 3 in the 9th to tie the game at 5. Crackers plate 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Romano(3-1) is the winner, Holton(0-1) takes the loss. Hayes(1) homers for the Indians
Game 3-Indians win 8-5. Kelly(3-3) is the loser, Covey(1-1) takes the win. Lindor2(10), Hayes(4), Heim(4) homer for the Indians, Langeliers(4) for the Crackers
Game 4-Indians win 7-6. Borucki(3-10 picks up the win. Romano(3-2) the loss. Lindor(11) and Torres(4) homer for the visitors.
Game 5-Indians win 7-6, in 11 innings.Minter(1-0) is the winner, VerHagen(1-2) takes the loss. Torres(5) homers for the Indians, Pederson(5) and Ozuna(11) for the Crackers.
Next up North West heads to Gul Breeze, and Jonesboro visits Freeport
Arizona vs Freeport
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Bandits from Freeport in Week 8 action.
Gm #1
Eovaldi vs. Nola. The Bandits must have infused lead into their pitches as Raley gets plunked in the 2nd and is out for 7 days! Gomes (1) made them pay with a 2-out blast and Gimenez followed with one of his own. After a Hoerner single in the 3rd, Gunner booted a DP ball putting runners on first and second. Harris (4) tied things up with a long ball. Arizona went up one in the 6th on a Gunner RBI triple. Suzuki tied things up in the 7th with a 2-out single scoring Vierling after his leadoff double. Between the hits, Merrifield was plunked and injured for 3 days. (We found our own lead mine!) The game went extras and at one point the Freeport pen struck out 7 of 8 hitters to get there. Mookie (13) led off the 11th with the long ball the doctor ordered as the DDs took the opener 5-4.
W Duran (2-0)
L Alzolay (0-2)
Gm #2
Elder vs. Bibee. Ramirez (3) and Olson (10) go BTB to give the Dust Devils an early 2-0 lead. Sanchez was nailed in the ribs and will be on the mend for 12 days! (That makes them 2 for 2 in knockouts) The Bandits cut the lead in half on another error by Gunner (12). Bailey (2) ties things up in the 5th. Betts walked to lead off the 6th. After a GO and a PO, 2 walks loaded the bases. Gimenez singled in 2 and Carroll (5) found the swimming pool to make the final score 7-2.
W Hentges (1-1)
L Elder (3-4)
S Jimenez (1)
Gm #3
Assad vs. Sandoval. Sandoval was the beneficiary of 2 homers from Larnach (5), one a grand salami, and the 7 RBI they generated as well as an RBI double by Ramirez allowed Sandoval to remain undefeated as Arizona won 8-4.
W Sandoval (6-0)
L Assad (2-2)
Gm #4
Manning vs. T. Walker. Schanuel’s RBI single in the 2nd and a Hoerner (3) solo in the 3rd gave the Bandits a quick 2-0 lead. Gunner (4) 3-run shot put the Dust Devils ahead after Ramirez singled in Gimenez in the bottom half for a 4-2 advantage. Another Gunner error was significant in allowing Freeport to tie things up in the 4th. The Bandits went up one in the 7th on an RBI double by Harris. Gimenez threw him out trying to advance on a grounder but Jones, in for the injured Vierling (5 days), stole second to reset the same scenario. Schanuel grounded out to end the threat. Gomes doubled in pinch runner Walls to tie the score in the 9th. Suzuki nailed Gimenez at the plate representing the winning run with 2 outs to extend the game into extras. Gunner (5) led off the 11th with his second home run of the game to give the Dust Devils the comeback 6-5 victory.
W Duran (3-0)
L Francis (0-1)
Gm #5
Bello vs. Nola. Carroll (7) led off both the 1st and 2nd innings with big flies to propel the DDs to a 14-5 blowout win and sweep of the visiting Bandits. Olson (11) and Larnach (6) went deep for Arizona and Siri (5) for Freeport.
W Nola (2-3)
L Bello (4-2)
Next up, Arizona hits the road again and travels to Louisville and Freeport hosts Jonesboro.
Stamford vs Mokena
Game 1
Jays 4-6-0
Roozys 0-3-1
WP C McClanahan 41 LP M Strahm 1-2
Starter McClanahan goes 7 innings of shut out ball fanning 11 yielding 2 hits and surviving 6 walks for the win. Back up OF Young drives in two for the Jays.
Game 2
Jays 4-9-1
Roozys 1-5-2
WP C Bassitt 6-0 LP K Bradish 4-2
Starter Bassitt goes 7 innings fanning 4 and giving up 5 hits for the win. Nimmo and Murphy homer for the Jays. Helsley gets his 3rd save.
Game 3
Jays 4-6-1
Roozys 0-7-0
WP J Montgomery 4-2 LP E Rodriguez 1-4
Another stellar pitching performance; this time by Montgomery. He goes 8 innings of 6 hit ball and fans 5 and no walks. De La Cruz drives in 2 for the Jays. They score 3 in the 8th to take control of the game.
Game 4
Roozys 7-8-0
Jays 1-4-0
WP T Kahle 1-0 LP F Bautista 1-3
Mokena breaks open 1-1 close game by scoring 3 runs in the 8th and add 3 more in the 9th. Jays’ reliever Jansen is very wild in the 9th as he walks 4 and hits a batter. Mokena steals 5 bases while the Jays steal 4. Both teams leave 8 batters on base and Jays lose catcher Murphy again to injury for 22 days. Walker belts two run homer for Mokena.
Game 5
Jays 13-17-2
Mokena 4-8-0
WP B Miller 2-3 LP K Hendricks 1-4
Jays bats come alive as they pound Mokena pitching for 17 hits. Nimmo has 4 hits and 3 RBIs while Reynolds has 3 RBIs including a homer. Miller goes 7 innings for the win. Jays lose Kirilofff to injury and McNeil to injury. Mokena has two relievers thrown out of game for hitting Jays batters. .
Next Mokena travels to Durham and Stamford hosts Tampa.
Tulsa vs Westchester
Tulsa gets bottom of the 9th walk-off wins in games 1 and 4 to get a 5-0 series sweep against the Wombats.
R H E
Westchester 3 9 0
Tulsa 4 5 0
R H E
Westchester 3 5 1
Tulsa 6 8 0
R H E
Westchester 0 3 0
Tulsa 7 6 1
R H E
Westchester 1 5 2
Tulsa 2 3 0
R H E
Westchester 2 9 1
Tulsa 11 12 0
Tidewater vs Coney Island
Tidewater gets unlikely sweep of Coney Island.
Gm.1 De La Cruz homers in the game and then scores winning run on Kelenic's walkoff single in the 9th. Rizzo had 2 hits and Laureano 2 RBI for CIC.
Gm.2 TID explodes for 5 homers, 2 by Kelenic who collects 5 RBI. Rizzo's 2 RBI single was the offense for CIC.
Gm.3 A HR by Laureano and RBI's from Marte and Solano in the 9th falls short in a CIC comeback. Bichette goes 4-4 and Palacios HR for TID.
Gm.4 TID goes deep 3 more times. Bichette 3-4, HR, 3 RBI for TID. Devers 3-4 for CIC.
Gm.5 LeMahieu goes 2-3 with a HR and 4 RBI for TID. Solano goes 2-4 with a HR for CIC.
Tidewater out homers Coney Island 11-2 as they lived on the longball.
Week ending May 12
Gulf Breeze vs Shenandoah
Gulf Breeze won their first series of the season by beating Shenandoah 3 games to 2, but GB still holds the crown of worst team in the history of the WIBL.
Gm 1: 2-1 GB A J.Peterson rbi single and following SF would be all that Y.Garcia (1-0) would need in relief of a nice Paxton effort. Maeda lost it (0-2) & J.Pena homered (2)
Gm 2: 9-3 She If fell apart late as the Pandas plated 4 in the 9th. Muncy (9), Morel (6), and Donaldson (4) all left the building and Wheeler (2-3) was adequate for 6.2 frames
Gm 3: 2-0 GB Surprising Gomber CG victory (3-4) as he allowed just one hit and one walk while punching out 11. Kluber was injured and Weaver (1-4) took the loss.
Gm 4: 9-6 She Tied at one after 5, the offenses errupted and the Pandas scored 8 over the final 4 frames for the easy win. Biggio (2) & Sheets (5) homer, Fujinami wins (1-2)
Gm 5: 4-3 GB (10) A 2 out Muncy rbi double in the 8th sent us to overtime where a 2 out Escobar blast (2) won it. Yates (1-0) over Poche (1-2)
Next week, Gulf Breeze heads to Mad Town while Shenandoah heads home to entertain Louisiana.
Tulsa vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils visit Tulsa and take the series 4-1 by winning three of the games by one run. The Dust Devils only outscored the Roughnecks 25-24 as Tulsa outhit the visitors 49-35.
R H E
Arizona 7 9 2
Tulsa 6 11 0
R H E
Arizona 4 4 1
Tulsa 8 17 2
R H E
Arizona 3 6 1
Tulsa 2 10 1
R H E
Arizona 6 6 0
Tulsa 2 5 0
R H E
Arizona 5 10 0
Tulsa 4 6 0
Freeport vs Northwest
The Freeport Bandits take 3 of 5 at Northwest in style
5/8 - FR 1 NW 0. Eovaldi vs. M. Miller. Eovaldi was great on this day,
allowing only 3 singles through 7 innings. Alzolay and Scott, S 4
wrapped it up.
5/9 - FR 4 NW 3.Elder vs. Smyly. Northwest can't get the hit when they
need it, strand 8, and the Freeport bullpen closes it out again.
5/10 - NW 7 FR 1. Assad vs. Strider. The Northwest bats come to life in
game three, Heim's 3 run homer broke a 1-1 tie and Wiemer also went yard.
5/11 - NW 3 FR 2. B. Miller vs. Steele. Miller was hurt after one
inning pitched, will miss a few weeks. The bullpen held a 2-1 lead for
Freeport until
the 8th inning when a walk to Lowe and 2 hits set up the passed ball
that allowed the go ahead run.
5/12 - FR 9 NW 1. Bello vs. Alcantara. The Bandits slam 4 homers,
Harris, Bailey, and Yoshida 2, and route Northwest in the finale to take
the series.
The bandits had 13 hits and Bello allowed only 5 hits through 7 innings.
So there was a laugher for both teams and 3 very tight close games. Next
up, Freeport visits Arizona and Northwest heads out to Jonesboro.
Greensboro vs Cowtown
May 8 - The slumping Hoppers, still without Trout and resting Ohtani, open with the oft-injured deGrom's first '24 start. He opposes Logan Allen. deGrom pitches well, into the 8th, but the Hopper pen doesn't do its job, and Greensboro winds up on the short end of a 6-2 loss. Volpe and Frelick each hit their 2nd, and Julio hit his 6th.
May 9 - Urias and the returning Ohtani in game 2. Shohei just doesn't have it, and the Hoppers drop this one 5-1. Frelick (#3) and Bergman (#5) go yard for the visitors off Shohei, and Lars hits his 4th for the home team.
May 10 - Varland faces Martin Perez as Greensboro attempts to salvage the series. It's not to be, as Greensboro leaves the tying run at second in the bottom of the 9th, as they drop yet another close one to Billy Martin's boys, this time by a 4-3 score.
May 11 - Brad Keller for the Drovers, as Max tries to get on the board for the Hoppers. Max does finally win his first of the season, as the Hoppers hang on for the 7-6 win. Wallner hits 2 (#6 and #7), and Walsh hits his 1st for Cowtown. Albies hits his 7th for Greensboro. Cowtown's Donovan faces an 11-game injury.
May 12 - In the finale it's Keller (again), this time against Quintana. It's a seesaw contest until Tork blasts a dramatic grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to give Greensboro the 9-5 win.
The Drovers take 3 of the 5 as Bill Martin outmanages the Berger and the Hoppers (also the name of a doo-wop group).
Cowtown heads home to host the Armadillos as the slumping Hoppers head west to face Calgary.
Week ending May 6
Antelope vs Westchester
Game 1 – Henry and Wacha in the opener and Wacha gives up only 1 hit in seven innings in the 7-0 River Cats win. HRs for Edman (4) J. Naylor (5)
WP – Wacha 5-0 LP – Henry 0-2
Game 2 – Burnes & Kremer in game 2 with the Wombats coming out on top 7-4. HRs - Anderson (2), McCormick (3), DeJong (4), Votto (2) for Wombats, Tucker (2), J. Naylor (6) for Antelope.
WP – Burnes 3-2 LP – Kremer 1-3 S – Ginkel (3)
Game 3 – Morton faces Woo for game 3. We go to the 9th tied at four and Wombats get 2 with 2 outs to lead 6-4. Not to be outdone, River Cats score 3 in the bottom half to win 7-6. HRs Votto (3), Diaz (4) for Wombats, Suarez (3) for River Cats.
WP – Mayza 2-1 LP – Ginkel 0-2
Game 4 – Canning against Williamson in this one as Antelope gets 4 in the 8th to seal up an 11-4 victory. HRs Rogers 2 (6) for Westchester, Semien (4), Raleigh (8), Taylor (1) for Antelope.
WP – Williamson 2-1 LP – Canning 0-3
Game 5 – Olson matches up with Medina and this one is awful. Medina getting hammered in top of first and manager refuses to pull him! (Not really sure why I did that other than he sucks!) He ends up giving up 14 runs in first and going 5 innings with 5 HRs & 17 runs given up. Final score 19-4. HRs Arraez (1), McCormick (4), Carpenter (1), Haninger 2 (2), Mervis (1) for Wombats, Tucker (3) for Antelope.
WP – Olson 2-3 LP - Medina 1-4
Antelope wins the series 3-2 and continues a long homestand as they will face Jonesboro next. Westchester stays on the road to take on Louisiana.
East Coast vs Louisiana
Louisiana travels to East Coast and it was a tale of 2 different series. The first 3 games were controlled and won by the host team and the last 2 games were dominated by Louisiana for a 3-2 Rockies series win. In Game 4 the Rockies lost both of their active Catchers for multiple games and had to play with a position player behind the plate.
GAME 1: ECR 6-6-0 LOU 2-6-1
All the Rockies runs were from HRs. Robert a GRAND SLAM in the 1st, Greene a solo shot in the 2nd, and Vaughn in the 8th. Grissom had a SF in the 5th and Acuna went deep in the 8th. Peralta (3-0) gets the win and Giolito (2-4) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 5-10-2 LOU 3-9-0
Thomas singles in a run in the 3rs and Witt a RBI FC in the 5th. Gurriel a RBI double in the 6th after a Contreras error. In the bottom half Riley singles in a run, Alvarez scores on a DP, and Vaughn a 2 run blast, 4-3. Riley homers in the 8th. Lopez (4-1) gets the win and Lynn (1-2) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 3-5-1 LOU 2-8-0
Two of the runs scores by the Rockies were on bases loaded walks. Davis in the 2nd and Alvarez in the 5th. Gelof smashed a 2 run HR in the 3rd. The winning run was scored by Candelaria on a DP. Cease (4-1) gets the win and Toussaint (0-4) the loss.
GAME 4: LOU 14-17-1 ECR 1-5-0
Both Catchers for ECR were injured in this game. Acuna had 4 hits, Thomas 3 hits, and a trio of hitters had 2 (Realmuto, Gelof, and Moncada). Thomas had 5 RBIs with a HR and Gelof a pair of 2 run HRs with 4 RBIs. Woodruff (4-1) gets the win and Littell (1-2) the loss.
GAME 5: LOU 4-10-0 ECR 0-1-0
Outman singles in a run in the 2nd. Thomas clears the f3ences in the 6th. In the 8th a pair of solo shots by Acuna and Thomas again make it 4-0. Wesnewski (2-3) gets the win with 13 strikeouts and Marquez (0-1) suffers the loss.
Gulf Breeze vs Jonesboro
Jonesboro came to Gulf Breeze this week and the Crackers grabbed 3 of 5 in week 6 action.
Gm 1: 6-3 Jon Lots of new faces for the Crackers w/ Julks (2 for 4, D, HR) & Daza (rbi 1B) leading the attack. Meneses was 2 for 4 with 3 rbi, D, & HR (1) Gausman (2-2) wins it
Gm 2: 4-0 GB Luis Castillo (2-2) tossed 7 and Canha's blast (2) was most of the offense. Margot chipped in a 2 R double. Miley drops it (2-2)
Gm 3: 5-1 GB Austin Gomber tossed his best game in like forever (2-4) and a 4 run 5th won it for the good guys with Soderstrom (1) and Carpenter (3) leaving the building
Gm 4: 6-5 Jon Best game of the lot. Crackers take a 4-0 lead in the first with Pederson blasting one (3) but the Breeze kept on chipping away falling one short in the 9th. In a record of some type, GB used 3 relievers named Garcia. They walked 4 in 3 innings so time to rethink this. Gavin Williams (4-1) over Braxton Garrett (0-4)
Gm 5: 8-2 Jon Actually a close game until the 7th and the Crackers posted 6 tallies over the final 3 frames. Ozuna 2 for 5, T, HR (7) with 4 rbi leads the way. Bielak (4-2) wins
Next week, Jonesboro stays on the road, heading to Antelope while Shenandoah comes calling to Gulf Breeze.
Freeport vs Mad Town
G1
M 5 11 1
F 4 10 0
W- Sims (1-0)
L- Brash (0-1)
S- Abreu (4)
G2
M 1 4 0
F 4 7 0
W- Elder (2-3)
L- Gallen (1-4)
S- Alzolay (6)
HR- F- Harris (2)
G3
M 3 4 0
F 8 14 2
W- Assad (2-0)
L- Kirby (3-3)
HR- M- Bellinger (3)
F- S.Suzuki 2 (4), Chavis (2)
G4
M 6 10 1
F 4 10 1
W- Taillon (2-1)
L- Butto (0-1)
S- Abreu (5)
HR- F- Siri (2)
G5
M 0 5 0
F 3 4 0
W- Bello (3-1)
L- Eflin (2-3)
S- Alzolay (7)
HR- F- N. Jones (3), Siri (3)
Bandits win 3 of 5 from the Zephyrs.
Coney Island vs Greensboro
A Rivalry that has few (if any rivals) as these teams have battled for the NL title many times! Or one or the other seems to occupy the top throne. Greensboro has been the dominate WIBL team as of late - though not always winning the big cheese, but usually being THE team to beat. And lets see - they ARE the current WIBL World Champions!!
And we get to face them after suffering a devasting 5 game sweep at Chappaqua last week. Oh boy!
Well - STOP THE PRESSES! We don't get swept again! In fact, we win more than one game.......how many more?
Game 1 - Scherzer vs. Whitlock
Ever have a game decided on a stolen 3rd base? Well, if the throw goes into LF it could happen.
Cyclones get off to 2-0 lead in the 1st on a Devers (6) 2 run homer. But Seager ties it in the 3rd with a 2 run single. But Fortes (1) homers for Coney Island in the bottom half to regain the lead, 3-2. But the Grasshoppers are the Grasshoppers and Rodriguez ties it up again in the 6th with a solo homer (5). Head to the 9th after Okert and Thornton keeps us in the game and Devers leads off with a double off Phillips. Happ (who had the day off) comes in to PR. Laureano up, Happ takes off and steals 3rd but Contretas makes a high throw into LF and Happ just slides in and back up on heads for home - score - a walk off steal and error. 4-3 Cyclones take the opener.
GRE 3-10-1 LP Phillips (0-1)
CIC 4- 5-0 WP Thornton (3-0)
Game 2 - Ohtani vs. Alexander
I did mention this was Greensboro, right? 4 doubles, 3 homers, 16 hits! And yet, it was only 6-5 Grasshoppers after 6! But then a 4 run 7th basically sealed the deal.
Albies hits a 3 run homer (6) in the 1st. Trout a solo shot (4) - he did get 3 other hits (singles) and scored 2 more runs). And then Arenado (6) belts a 3 run shot in the 4 run 7th (he had 5 rbis in the game).
The final was 12-6 Greensboro - but the batting was the only fireworks (Cyclones got 12 hits and 2 HRs as well). The game featured 22 Ks (10 Cyclones whiffed, while 12 Grasshoppers swung at air). 4 total walks BUT there were 4 Hit Batsmen - 3 Grasshoppers and 1 Cyclone got beaned. Laureano of the Coney Island suffered the worst and will miss 10 days. Walker for Greensboro will miss 5. Ohtani (GRE), Alexander (CIC) and Ferguson (CIC) were all ejected!
GRE 12-16-0 WP Middleton (2-0)
CIC 6-12-2 LP Alexander (0-2)
Game 3 - Quintana vs. Cruz
2nd inning Quintana gives up a solo homer (2) to Arcia and RBI singles to Bleday and Fortes as Coney Island grabs a 3-0 lead. Crowd buzzing!! The buzz lasted until the 6th inning - once Cruz got upgraded he must have gotten stupid - or that 3rd time through the roster....Ohtani doubles in 2, Seager singles in 1. Then with the bases loaded, Okert is called on to relieve - NO OUTS. Big inning for Greensboro coming up. NOPE - 2 ks and a ground out, kills the threat. So we stay tied at 3-3. Meanwhile there were some more batters getting plunked - I'm thinking retaliation as Call and Bleday are taken out by Greensboro and Albies gets hit by the Cyclone staff. Fortunately no injuries!
Okert is relieved in the 8th by Peralta and he blanks the Grasshoppers in the 8th and 9th. Mikloas comes in to close out the 8th and stays in for the 9th. He gets Rizzo leading off the inning but then Call blasts one off the wall in right center and ends up at 2nd. Bleday then gets the IW to face Nick Fortes. Fortes already had 2 hits and a rbi in this game but Greensboro saw him as a weakness and a DP possibility. Well, he hits it hard to 1b - it gets through - and all the runners just keep going. The throw to the plate - it was close - but he was SAFE! Cyclones win it 4-3 again in the bottom of the 9th.
GRE 3- 8-0 LP Mikolas (0-3)
CIC 4-12-0 WP Peralta (1-0)
Game 4 Verlander vs. Kikuchi
Ace vs. Ace and they are tagged for a combined 5 homers. Greensboro gets on the board 1st and it's in the 1st on a Rodriguez single, SB and Seager rbi single. The lead doubles in the 4th when Arenado leads off with a big homer (7). But the Cyclones tie it in the bottom half on a Devers (7) 2 run homer! Cyclones grab a 3 run lead in the 6th on an RBI double by Devers and a two run jack by Tellez (3)!
But those Grasshoppers - Kikuchi can handle just a bit more, right? Top 7th, Salvy opens with a single up the middle. One more hit and Kikuchi will go. IKF - flies out. Torkelson - touches off a big 2 run bomb (5) and the game is now a 1 run game 5-4 as the Cyclones lead dwindles. Get one more out (or batter) - wrong again. Trout follows with a solo blast (5) to tie the game. So the 3 run lead Coney Island got in the bottom of the 6th goes away in the top of the 7th. Thornton in, Grasshoppers go down. Move on. Greinke on the mound for Greensboro, Thornton for Cyclones. Scoreless in the 8th we head to the 9th 5-5.
Top 9 - IKF, Torkelson and Trout go down 1-2-3. Bottom half, Arcia leads off with a walk. Bleday in to PR. Fortes up - Bleday steals 2nd. Fortes then follows with a slow roller up the middle into CF and Bleday is green lighted and he beats Rodriguez's throw at the plate and once again the Cyclones get a 9th inning win and Fortes the walk-off RBI! Now we get the series win as we are up 3-1.
GRE 5- 9-0 LP Greinke (0-1)
CIC 6-12-0 WP Thornton (4-0)
Game 5 - France vs. Manoah
1st inning Rengifo hits a SF giving Coney Island a 1-0 lead. In the 3rd he hits a 2 run homer (3) for a 3-0 lead. But the Grasshoppers get back with a 2 runs in the 5th on a lead off Torkelson (6) homer and an Albies SF. Manoah faced 2 in the inning. From there, the Cyclones bullpen did a big number through 8 holding off anymore Grasshoppers. Still 3-2 Coney in the bottom of the 8th when Phillips comes on - and there is that Rengifo guy again, touch off another 2 run homer (4) (5 rbis in the game) and giving the Cyclones a 5-2 lead heading into the 9th. Peralta called on to close it out and well....Trout fans to lead it off. Torkelson then walks. Nootbar follows with an infield single. Then Rodriguez fans and Ohtani pops out, game over! Cyclones win 5-2.
GRE 2-8-1 LP France (2-3)
CIC 5-9-2 WP Adam (1-1) S Peralta (6)
Oh boy - a 4-1 series win. We were hoping for 1, maybe 2, but got 4. Better not get too thrilled however, we aren't that good. Next week CIC goes across town to face the Codgers while Greensboro heads home to host Cowtown.
Shenandoah vs Tulsa
Shenandoah 4, Tulsa 3 (10)
Shenandoah 8, Tulsa 0
Tulsa 5, Shenandoah 3
Tulsa 4, Shenandoah 0
Shenandoah 14, Tulsa 3
Tidewater vs Stamford
Gm.1 Gilbert went 6.2 innings of 3 hit ball and bullpen finished. Nimmo homered for STA but Kelenic and de la Cruz get 6th inning RBI's to give TID the win.
Gm.2 Reynolds and Murphy homer to lead a 13 hit STA attack to easily take the win.
Gm.3 Murphy homers again for STA but Freeman answers for TID with a homer and Ibanez doubles in the go ahead run in the 8th for TID.
Gm.4 Freeman goes 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI while Bichette goes 2-4 with a triple and 4 RBI as TID cruises to the win.
Gm.5 TID holds STA to 1 run while TID gets homers from Freeman, Palacious and de la Cruz. They combine for 5 hits and 7 RBI.
TID takes the series 4-1
Northwest vs Arizona
The Dust Devils visit to Northwest was shaped by close games with a
slight 3-2 edge to the Indians.
5/2 - NW 5 AZ 4. Nola vs. Skubal. Arizona used a pair of homers by M.
Betts and a solo shot by Olson to account for their 4 runs.
The 7 walks to the Indians proved costly for Arizona.
5/3 - NW 6 AZ 4. R. Walker vs. Smyly. Olson and Walls home runs off
Smyly put the Dust Devils in front 4-3 after 5 innings. A bullpen game
was the plan for Arizona, removing Walker in the 2nd inning. But the
Indians chipped away and 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th aided by walks
won it.
5/4 - AZ 2 NW 1. 13 Innings. Bibee vs. Steele. A real pitchers duel,
the Dust Devils got to Steele in the 8th to tie it and the Arizona
bullpen was great,
tossing 6 innings of 2-hit shutout baseball.
5/5 - AZ 7 NW 2. Sandoval vs. Strider. Strider was unable to throw
strikes early and was removed after 4 innings. Sandoval, the former
Indian was dealing,
improving to 4-0. And again, the Dust Devils bullpen shut 'em down.
Betts hit his 11th homer of the season and was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI's for
Arizona.
5/6 - NW 6 AZ 5. Nola vs. Alcantara. The Indians blast 3 homers off
Nola in the 1st inning to buld a 4-0 lead. It was short-lived, Arizona
put up a 4-spot
of their own in the 4th. But it was the 2-run shot by Weimer in the
bottom half that decided it. Skubal tossed 2.2 innings of relief and
Holton notched save 6.
Week ending April 30
Antelope vs Arizona
Game 1 – Sandoval and Wacha in the opener and it's locked up at 3-3 after six. In the bottom of the 15th (yes that's not a typo), Kody Clemens scores Perdomo with the game winner!! 4-3 Cats. HR Schwarber (5)
WP – Estevez 1-0 LP – Beck 0-1
Game 2 – Bibee vs. Kremer in game 2 and it's extra innings again! Tucker singles with 1 out in the 11th and scores all the way from first on a Naylor H & R base hit. Antelope wins it 2-1
WP – Mayza 1-0 LP – Hentges 0-1
Game 3 – Rasmussen against Woo and Woo is tossed in the 2nd after plunking two. This one is a laugher as Devils take it 10-1. HRs Ramirez 2 (2), Betts (8)
WP – Rasmussen 2-0 LP – Woo 2-1
Game 4 – Walker and Williamson for game 4 and Antelope leads 4-3 after seven. Arizona ties it in the 8th, and goes up 5-4 in the 9th. India solo shot ties it again at 5, but Olson HR in 10th wins it for Dust Devils. HRs Sanchez (2), Olson (5), Raleigh (7), India (1).
WP – Graterol 2-0 LP – Mayza 1-1 S – Foley (1)
Game 5 – Sandoval and Medina in the finale and another blowout for Arizona, 11-3 as they blast six HRs, three of them in the 9th!
WP – De Jong 2-0 LP – Wisler 5-2 S – Swanson (9)
Antelope wins the series 3-2, but could have done better after taking the first 3 games of the series. The River Cats finally hit the road to take on Freeport after playing 35 of their first 45 at home. Beantown returns home to face East Coast.
Stamford vs San Diego
Game 1
San Diego 2-4-1
Jays 1-7-1
WP C Kershaw 1-2 LP F Bautista 0-1
A pitchers’ duel as Kershaw gives up 7 hits over 8.2 innings fanning 10. McClanahan yield 4 hits and fans 10 over 7 innings. A costly error by SS Rocchio in top of the 9th allows Garcia to score the winning run. Garcia had hit solo homer in the 2nd and stole 2 bases. Jays has chances but leave 11 men on base.
Game 2
Jays 4-6-2
San Diego 1-3-0
WP C Bassitt 4-0 LP A Civale 1-2
The Jays score three runs in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie to take the lead. Murphy homers and has 3 hits for the Jays. Bassitt goes 8 strong innings fanning 7 for the win.
Game 3
San Diego 6-9-1
Jays 2-6-0
WP T McGill 1-1 LPJ Montgomery 3-2
San Diego gets homers from Cronenworth, Garcia and Doyle to lead their attack. San Diego loses starter Glasnow to in jury ( 36 days) in the 4th inning but three relievers hold Jays in check for rest of the game. Murphy homers again for the Jays.
Game 4 ( 13 innings)
San Diego 3-10-0
Jays 1-5-0
WP Z Curry 3-1 LP B Stewart 0-1
San Diego scores a run in the1st and the Jays tie score in the7th for the only scores until the 13th.. San Diego scores two runs off of Jays reliver Stewart in the top of the 13th to take the lead.. Jays cannot take advantage of San Diego starter Darvish’s 6 walks. Jays leave 13 men on base while San Diego leaves 11.
Game 5
Jays 7-9-2
San Diego 5-8-0
WP B Miller 1-1 LP C
Jays score a run in the 1st and 3 in the 3rd and 4th innings to take a commanding7-2 lead. San Diego climbs back tallying 2 runs in the 6th and a solo run in the 7th. Starter Miller goes 6 innings for the win. San Diego starter Ashcraft is thrown out of the game after he hits his 3rd Jays batter.
Next San Diego hosts Chappaqua and Stamford travel to Tidewater.
Freeport vs Northwest
G1
N 3 7 0
F 1 3 1
W- D. May (1-1)
L- Eovaldi (1-3)
S- Holton (2)
G2
N 3 9 1
F 1 6 2
W- Smyly (2-1)
L- Elder (1-3)
S- Holton (3)
HR- N- Velazquez (5), Heim (2)
G3
N 8 13 1
F 5 8 1
W- Borucki (1-0)
L- T.Scott (1-1)
S- Mlodzinski (1)
HR- N- Lindor (7), G. Torres (2), Guerrero (6)
F- Siri (1), Pinto (1)
G4
N 8 11 0
F 3 7 2
W- Strider (3-0)
L- Bry. Miller (2-3)
HR- N- R. Palacios (2), N. Velazquez (8)
F- S. Suzuki 2 (2)
G5
N 1 2 1
F 2 6 0
W- Bello (2-1)
L - Alcantara (4-1)
S- Alzolay (5)
Northwest wins the series 4 games to 1
Mad Town vs Westchester
Westchester visits Mad Town for 5 games.
Game 1 Henry/Gallen
Gallen--0-3, as the entire Zephyr team, is off to a slow start. He held the Wombats hitless for 3.2 innings. The Zephyr's put 6 on Henry and he was gone after 2. Wade(1) opened the floodgates with the first pitch as 5 were scored in the first. Machado (2) added insurance with a 2 run shot in the 7th. Ward (4) and Rogers (3) broke up the shutout.
9-3 MTZ
Game 2 Burnes/Kirby
Rogers (4) put the Wombats up 2-0 in the first. Wade (2) tied it in the 5th. Machado had an inside the park homer aided by a Varsho error to put the Z's in front 3-2. Dejong (3) tied it in the 8th and Taveras (1) reclaimed the lead
5-3 MTZ
Game 3
Franco (5) put the first run up in the 4th for a 1-0 advantage. Bogaerts and Benintendi each singled in a run in the 5th and 6th. Taillon went 7 scoreless and the bullpen held
5-0 MTZ
Game 4 Canning/Eflin
Bellinger singles in Bogaerts in the first for a 1-0 Mad Town lead. It stayed that way until Diaz doubled in Arraez in the 9th for the tie. McCann walked it off with a 10th innings double.
2-1 MTZ
Game 5 Olson/Heaney
Heaney fired 7 scoreless and Lowe(3) led the way.
6-2 MTZ
Mad Town won their first series and it was a sweep! The just about giddy Zephyrs go on the road to Freeport
Westchester stays on the road to Antelope
Jonesboro vs Tulsa
Crackers take 3 of 5 from visiting Tulsa.
The Tulsa Roughriders visited Jonesboro for the first time, and the Crackers took 3 of 5.
Game 1-Crackers win 4-0. Senga(4-1) absorbs the loss, and Gausman(1-2) the win. Grossman(3) and Ozuna(40) homers for the Crackers.
Game 2-Tulsa snaps back with a 4-1 win. Sanchez(3-1) is the winner Miley(2-1) takes the loss. Drury(2) and Noda(2) goes deep for the Roughriders.
Game 3-Crackers win 4-2. Lugo(1-1) takes the loss and Kelly(2-1) the in. Vogelbach(2) homers for the Riders. Ozuna2(6) and Langeliers(3) for the Crackers
Game 4-Crackers win 5-4 in 10 innings. Baddoo(3), Vogelbach(3)Calhoun(1) homers for the Riders, Urias(1) for the Crackers. Bednar(1-2) takes the loss and Verhagen(1-1) picks up the loss
Game 5- Riders win 3-0. Matz(2-2) is the winner and Bielak(3-2) gets the loss. Game was hard for both teams due to injuries and fatigue
Next up the Crackers head to Gulf Breeze and Tulsa visits Shenandoah
Chappaqua vs Coney Island
BREAK UP THE COMETS! The struggling boys from Chappaqua upset their long-time rival, Coney Island, sweeping five games. The series was closer than the result indicates as three games were decided by one run, including an extra inning battle.
Game 1 CHA 3 CIC 2
Yanier Diaz hit a 2 run HR (5) and Willi Castro doubled in a run as CHA scored three in the 4th and held on for the win. Sonny Gray (2-3), after an 0-3 start, bounced back with another strong outing. Justin Topa got his first ever WIBL save. Tyler Mahle (0-1) was the starter and loser. The Comets were held to four hits (CIC had 6) and they made the most of them to get the opening series win.
Game 2 CHA 10 CIC 4
Comets win in a rout as Castro (4) and Garrett Cooper (2) go yard. Castro was 3-4 with 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. Cooper was 2-3 with 2 walks and FOUR RBIs. Harrison Bader was 2-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 SBs. CHA stole four bases in four attempts, giving CHA 6 for 6 in SBs in the first two games. Bailey Ober (2-2) pitched 7 solid innings to get the win. Tyler Alexander (0-1) started and took the loss, giving up 5 runs in 2 innings.
Game 3 CHA 5 CIC 4
Trailing 4-2 in the 6th, the Cyclones tied it before CHA won it with a run in the bottom of the 8th. Cooper stayed hot going 2-3 with 2 RBIs. The Comets stole three more bases (no CS) including 2 by Kim. CIC blasted three HRs, one by Ketel Marte (3) and two by Rafael Devers (5). Both Marte and Devers went 3-4 with Devers driving in THREE. Cyclones SS Miguel Rojas was 4-4.
Yennier Cano (1-0) got the win in relief with 1.1 hitless IP. Jason Adam (0-1) was the loser in relief.
Game 4 CHA 5 CIC 4 11 innings
Another nailbiter goes to the Comets. Trailing 3-1 in the 8th, CHA rallies for 3 to tie it as Caleb Ferguson blows the save (BS1). CIC ties it in the 9th as Cano blows a save for the second time this season. Matt Chapman (2-5) got the game winning single in the 11th off reliever Steve Okert (0-1) who took the loss. Cano got the win (2-0) for the second straight day. The Comets stole two more bases, giving them 11 in 11 tries in the series. SS Kim stole a base and now has 10 SBs on the year.
Game 5 CHA 4 CIC 1
Ranger Suarez (2-1) scattered 7 hits over 6.2 IP, allowing only 1 run to get the win. Topa got his second save of the series and the season.
Alex Manoah (2-3) started and took the loss. Ketel Marte was 4-5 with a double for CIC and is now the club BA leader at .329 (Devers is at .322). Cooper was 2-3 with a walk for the Comets, lifting his BA to .289. Kim stole another base giving him 11 on the year as CHA stole 12-12 in the series.
CHA is now over .500 for the first time this season, at 13-12. The Comets remain in third place in the NL East but have catapulted themselves back into contention for the wild card and even possibly the division title. CHA now trails GRE by 2.5 and STA by 5.5 in the Division, pending the results of the STA-SDA series. The Cyclones drop to 15-11 and now trail Tampa by ½ game in the NL West.
Comets now go on the road for three weeks starting with San Diego. Coney Island will host Greensboro in a rematch of last year’s NLCS (won by Greensboro)
East Coast vs Gulf Breeze
I can't tell you how much fun it was to host the East Coast Rockies this week. The Rebels amassed 7 runs on 19 hits in the 5 games in a truly ugly performance. In the 50 innings of play, they were outhit 50-19 and outscored 30-7. Forgive me when I didn't want to listen to the East Coast management on how poor their offe3nsive team was.
Played on TeamViewer:
Gm 1: ECR 5-0 Freddy Peralta (2-0) spun the CG shutout allowing just 3 hits and Correa had the big hit- a 2 out, 2R single. Riley left the building (5) in the 7th after a big 8-2 DP for the visitors in the 5th. Paxton (1-4) lost again.
Gm 2: ECR 5-6-0 GB 0-0-3 For those of you scoring at home, now a 20 inning GB scoreless streak. But hey- look at the line score- a no hitter by the Rockies! Not only that, but Jones replaced Pablo Lopez (3-1) in the 9th unaware that he had a no-no. Oh well, too bad- Candelario homered (9) and 3 GB errors accounted for all 5 runs to be unearned.
Gm 3: GB 3-1 Tom Murphy homered (1) and doubled in his 3 for 4 day and Austin Gomber (1-4) was adequate through 5. The bullpen rotation worked, though the last 3 relievers allowed hits to keep things interesting. Littell (1-1) lost it. Correa was 3 for 4 for the Rocks.
Gm 4: 6-4 ECR (14 inn) Kevin Pillar (yes- he's still in baseball) had 2 HR and drove in 4 in regulation, but in overtime, Robert (6) and Davis (1) went back to back to ruin our day. Three more GB errors are concerning and today made 2 of the runs unearned. Munoz (2-0) saved by Chavez (3). Puk loses (0-2). Candelario finished 3 for 6.
Gm 5: 13-0 ECR Nothin to see here if you want to skip this part. Robert had 2 HR batting in the 9th slot (8), Riley (7) and Polanco (4) also left the building. One of Robert's blasts was a grand salami. 5 of the runs were unearned.
Next week, Gulf Breeze stays put to battle Jonesboro while East Coast will be home to Louisiana.
Tidewater vs Tampa
TID takes the serie 3-2
TAM 4-1 Snell throws a 4-hitter and Fraley and Castellanos go deep.
TID 3-2 Castellanos goes deep twice but TID counters with longballs from LeMahieu and Steer and then De La Cruz walks it off with a RBI single.
TID 3-2 Same score same outcome. Flores goes 3-3 with a solo shot.
TAM 6-4 Alonso get 2 hits and 2 RBI and TAM get 2 runs in 10th to win it.
TID 6-5 Tid pulls it out in the bottom of the 9th to take the rubber game and the series.
Greensboro vs Calgary
April 26 - Greensboro is without a couple of key (Lars and Shohei) as southpaws face-off in the opener - Luzardo and Quintana. Bad sign for the Hoppers: Seagar is ejected after the first 2 batters. Easy 7-2 win for the Bandits, as the Hopper bats are silenced. McMahon hits his 5th, and Albies blasts his 3rd, as Quintana drops his first.
April 27 - Ryan and Verlander. Greensboro leaves the potential tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bandits hang on for the 3-2 win as Verlander issues a very uncharacteristic 5 walks.
April 28 - Brady Singer faces J.P. France. Greensboro finally takes one, 5-3, as Albies' 3-run homer (#4) is the big hit. Rooker hits his 2nd for the Bandits.
April 29 - Tyler Wells against Martin Perez. Hoppers, 9-5. Goldy hits his 3rd for Calgary, and Julio (#4) and Albies (#5) homer for Greensboro. Martin Perez goes to 3-0.
April 30 - In the finale, hobbling to the end of the series, the Hoppers face Logan Webb. Miles Mikolas gets the nod for Greensboro. Greensboro makes a futile comeback attempt, but they drop the finale, 8-6. Teoscar Hernandez' 2 homers (#4 and #5) are the big blows for Calgary. Seager's #3, and Contreras' 7th are Greensboro's big hits.
Calgary takes 3 of the 5, and they now head home to host Tampa. Greensboro heads north to Coney Island as they eagerly anticipate the return of Shohei and Lars.
Week ending April 25
Antelope vs Freeport
Game 1 – Eovaldi and Wacha matchup in the opener. River Cats with four in the 3rd and three in the 5th to take it 7-3. Jones with HR and 3 RBI for Bandits...J. Naylor with HR and 3 RBI for Antelope.
WP – Wacha 4-0 LP – Eovaldi 1-2
Game 2 – Elder faces Kremer in game 2. Both teams with only 4 hits, but Freeport makes them count with solo runs in 2nd & 8th to win 2-0.
WP – Elder 1-2 LP – Kremer 1-2 S – Scott (1)
Game 3 – Assad against Woo and Antelope leads 4-3 after six. Bullpen blows it giving up 3 in the 7th as Bandits go on to 7-4 victory. Soler (2), Merrifield (1) and Chavis (1) with HRs for Freeport; Martinez (8) and Raleigh (6) go deep for Cats.
WP – Assad 1-0 LP – Graveman 0-1 S - Scott (2)
Game 4 – Miller and Williamson face off and it's 3-3 after 5 1/2. Antelope scores 5 in the bottom of six with 2 outs to go up 8-3. Not to be outdone, Bandits get a 3 run shot from Soler to make it 8-6. In the bottom half, Edman matches him with a 3 run bomb of his own and Antelope holds on to win 11-6. Soler and Edman each with HR #3.
WP – Kimbrel 3-1 LP – Miller 2-2
Game 5 – Bello and Medina for the finale in a low scoring game. Freeport wins it 3-1 as Soler hits HR #4 for the season.
WP – Bello 1-1 LP – Medina 1-2 S – Scott (3)
Freeport takes the series 3-2 in a fairly even matchup: Freeport 21 runs, 37 hits; Antelope 23 runs, 41 hits. E. Suarez 1 for 14 with 10 Ks for Antelope!! River Cats remain at home to take on Arizona next and Freeport returns home to face Northwest.
Coney Island vs Tidewater
Tides vs. Cyclones Early season division leaders. Tides look for real - overly solid bullpen and some potent bats. Cyclones firing on a lot of offensive cylinders, but pitching, well, it's a big committee but suspicious.
Game 1 - Chase Silseth stymies the Tides big bats and the little ones. 2 hitter for 8 innings, 10 Ks, NO runs. A Rowdy Tellez homer (2) in the 2nd gets Coney Island on the board. But Logan Gilbert keeps it a 1-0 game until Alex Call unloads for a 2 run shot (2) in the 7th. Extra insurance run in the 8th runs the final to 4-0.
TID 0-2-0 LP Gilbert (3-1)
CIC 4-6-0 WP Silseth (1-0)
Game 2 - Two 3 run innings allow Cyclones to double up on the Tides, 8-4 as Kikuchi goes 7, 6 hits, 9 ks. He gives up solo homers to Kelenic (3) and LeMahieu (2) but hangs tough. Ramon Laureano goes wild - 3 for 5, 2 runs, 4 rbis, double and homer (1). Happ 4 for 5, 2 runs/rbi, lead the attack. Call hits his 3rd of the year.
TID 4- 8-1 LP Josiah Gray (2-1)
CIC 8-11-1 WP Kikuchi (4-0)
Game 3 - We knew it couldn't last and Kutter (who names their kid Kutter - must have known he'd pitch) Crawford humbles the Cyclones through 7. And while that was going on, his offense collects 4 runs including a big 2 run smash by Ibanez (1) in the 4th. 4-0 in the 8th when Happ unloads with 1 out for a 3 run homer. Problem with homers, they kill rallies and the bullpen has no problems keeping the Tides in the lead. Hoffman and Cosgrove get it done for Tidewater.
TID 4-10-0 WP Crawford (2-1) S Cosgrove (4)
CIC 3- 4-1 LP Harrison (1-1)
Game 4 - this time there is no breakdown at the end. The Tides get a couple early and then 3 runs in the 5th. Even hitting into 4 DPs they score 5 times on 9 hits and 6 walks. Alek Manoah had some control issues!! However, the day belonged to Jon Gray. He pitches a ONE-HITTER! Never out of control, never threatened. Game, set, and match - well at least GAME!
TID 5-9-0 WP Jon Gray (2-1)
CIC 0-1-0 LP Manoah (2-2)
Game 5 - Tie-breaker for the series and Tidewater gets on the board 1st with a Duran rbi single in the 3rd scoring Barrera. But the Cyclones come out in the bottom half scoring 3 times on an Arcia homer (1). Then another in the 4th and 3 more in the 5 (Solano 2 run double the big hit). That was more than enough as the fans held their breath every inning to see if Whitlock could hold off the Tidewater bats. He did - 4 hitts, 2 walks, 8 ks for 7 innings. Young gives up 1 hit in 2 innings of relief.
TID 1-5-1 LP Oviedo (3-1)
CIC 7-7-0 WP Whitlock (2-1)
Fun 5 game series - when bats worked, we had a chance. Tidewater will be tough if they get the lead (and they should be able to do that a lot).
Stamford vs Brooklyn
Game 1
Codgers 8-12-0
Jays 4-10-1 1-2-00
WP A Cobb 1-2 LPS McClanahan 3-1
Starter McClanahan holds Codgers in check until the 6th when he yields homers to Yelich and Vargas and the Codgers take the lead. They add two more in the 9th on Vargas’s second homer. Four Codgers relievers hold Jays in check over the last three innings. McClanahan does fan 8 in losing effort.
Game 2
Jays 6-10-1
Codgers 3-6-0
WP R Helsey 1-0 LP T Stephan 0-2
The Codgers take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 4th .In the 4th the Jays score two and tie game on a single run in the 5th. The Jays take the lead on runs in the 7th and 8th. Jays are led by Stott who belts a two run homer.
Game 3
Jays 3-10-1
Codgers 0-6-0
WP J Montgomery 3-1 LP P Corbin 0-2
Starter Montgomery throws 8 innings of shut out ball fanning 7. He gets support from Garcia who hits solo homer.
Game 4
Jays 3-10-1
Codgers 2-5-1
WP M Clevinger 3-0 LP A Wainwright 1-2
Jays score first on a Reynolds sac fly in the 1st. The Jays add a run on a Kiriloff solo homer. Codgers tie up game in the 6th at 2 on a Swanson single and an infield out. Jays takes back lead in the 7th on two singles and an error by the Codgers. Clevinger goes 7 innings for the win.
Game 5 ( 16 innings)
Jays 5-14-1
Codgers
WP K Jansen 1-0 LP S McGouggh 1-2
A McNeil double in bottom of the 16th drives in Stott and gives Jays a tough walk off win. Game begins with a rain out. Jays strike first on a Nimmo triple and infield out in the 2nd. Codgers tie score in the 5th as Smith drives in two. They take lead on a 2 run double by Cave in the 7th. Jays cut lead on a Nimmo homer in the 7th and ties game on a Dubon single in the 8th Codgers use 7 pitches and Jays use 6 and yield 9 walks.
Next Codgers host Mokena and Jays host San Diego
Tulsa vs Madtown
The Mad Town Zephyrs visit Tulsa to face the Roughnecks in a well-played close series where all but one game was decided one or two runs. Tulsa takes the series 3-2, their fourth straight 3-2 series win.
R H E
Mad Town 3 7 0
Tulsa 5 9 3
R H E
Mad Town 2 6 0
Tulsa 3 8 1
R H E
Mad Town 6 13 1
Tulsa 4 6 0
R H E
Mad Town 0 4 0
Tulsa 5 6 0
R H E
Mad Town 8 10 0
Tulsa 6 11 0
Chappaqua vs Cowtown
CHAPPAQUA TAKES THREE OF FIVE FROM COWTOWN
Game 1 CHA 3 COW 2
Before the season, these two teams made a big trade with Cowtown sending their ace starter Sonny Gray to the Comets in a deal for Chappaqua’s #1 draft pick, Cole Ragans. Gray got off to an 0-3 start but found his groove against the Drovers as Sonny pitched a complete game win (1-3), allowing only 2 runs and 6 hits with no walks and EIGHT Ks. Rookie Logan Allen (0-2) was the hard luck loser, pitching a complete game of his own.
Game 2 CHA 5 COW 3
Yainier Diaz (4) and Matt Chapman (1) homered for CHA as the Comets take their second straight. Bailey Ober (1-2) pitched 7 strong innings for the win, beating Jose Urias (2-2). Ragans pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Drovers
Game 3 COW 6 CHA 5
Trailing 5-0 after four, Cowtown rallies to win it as Hunter Renfroe (2) and Nick Gordon (1) go yard for the Drovers. Ragans (1-0) got the win in relief. Justin Topa (0-2) was the loser in relief. Willi Castro (3) and Gabriel Moreno (2) homered for CHA.
Game 4 COW 5 CHA 1
Cowtown evens the series as Brad Keller (6 IP) and Shawn Armstrong (3 perfect IP) combine on a 2 hitter. Alec Bohm (3-4, 2B and RBI) and I. Vargas (2-4, 2B, 2 RBIs) led the Cowtown attack. Marcus Stroman (1-2) was the starter and loser.
Game 5 CHA 8 COW 7 12 innings
Comets win in dramatic fashion. Trailing 7-2 in the 8th, Chappaqua scores 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th to tie it and then win it in the 12th when Will Castro (3-6) doubled, scoring Conor Joe from first with the game winning run. The Comets blasted four HRs, two by Josh Lowe (4) (3-5, 3 RBIs) and single HRs by Jazz Chisholm (2) and Seth Brown (1). Cowton got HRs from rookie Rafaela (1) and catcher Zavala (2). Alex Bregman was 2-3 with a triple and THREE walks.
Cowtown’s ace closer, Devin Williams blew the save giving up 2 HRs and 3 runs in 1.2 IP. After Ragans pitched .2 scoreless innings, Robert Stephenson (0-1) came on with two out in the 11th and was the losing pitcher when Castro got the game winner. Matt Moore (1-0) got the win in relief with 1.1 perfect innings, after rookie Yannier Cano pitched 2.2 scoreless IP in relief.
Comets improve to 8-12, third in the NL East while Cowtown is 7-14, second in the AL Central. Next week, the Comets will host long time rival AL West leading Coney Island while Cowtown hosts Durhamqq
Gulf Breeze vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils host the Rebels from Gulf Breeze in Week 4 action.
Gm #(1)
Paxton and Nola open the series on the hill for their respective clubs. Arizona starts the scoring without the benefit of an at-bat! Carroll walks, steals second, and advances to third on a Jeffers throwing error. On the very next pitch, the veteran Paxton buries a curve ball and allows Carroll to score on a wild pitch. Short doubles in Anderson in the second. Arizona goes ahead on an Olivares single in the 4th only to see Gulf Breeze tie it on a Short squeeze in the 6th. Betts singles in Ramirez in the bottom half to put the DD’s up 3-2. Solos by Gimenez (3) in the 7th and in the 8th Olson (3) and Mookie (7) go Back-To-Back to push the lead to 6-2. Carpenter (1) hits one of his own in the ninth to close out the scoring as Arizona takes the opener, 6-3.
W Graterol (1-0)
L Paxton (1-3)
Gm #(2)
L. Castillo and Pablo Sandoval oppose each other in game 2. Olson (4) and Raley (5) hit 3R HR’s to power the Dust Devils to a 6-4 victory. Gulf Breeze outhit the Devils, 12-7.
W Jimenez (2-0)
L Puk (0-1)
S Neris (1)
Gm #(3)
Gomber for the Rebels and T. Walker for the Dust Devils are the starters. After an intentional walk to Mookie, Schwarber (4) makes them pay with a 3R shot in the first inning and the DD’s never look back in this 8-2 laugher. Frazier (2) and Carpenter (2) account for the Rebels two runs in the 9th. March slammed into the wall making a spectacular catch of a Schwarber extra-base bid and is out for 5 days.
W T. Walker (3-0)
L Gomber (0-4)
Gm #(4)
In a matchup of young southpaws, Garrett takes the hill for the visitors and the good guys counter with Abbott. The Rebels jump on top in the 2nd on a Tim Anderson (1) 2R shot (his total for his MLB season!!!). Olivares (1) hits a 2R HR and a Ramirez SF closes out the DD scoring in the 7th to go up 5-3. Margot (1) tosses in his inaugural home run but Arizona hangs on to win 5-4, much to the delight of the home crowd.
W Neris (2-3)
L Garrett (0-3)
S Graterol (6)
Gm #(5)
DeSclafani and Nola take the hill for their teams as the Dust Devils try to sweep the Rebels. Heyward singles in Frazier in the 1st and Raley (6) homers in the 2nd and the score remains tied until the 9th. Frazier (3) leads off the ninth with a blast and 3 singles produce two more runs to put the Rebels up 4-1 to the bottom half. Carroll (3) leads off with a blast of his own and the Dust Devils have the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs only to see Miller strike out Raley to end the game. GBR 5-4.
W B. Wilson (1-2)
L Foley (0-2)
S S. Miller (2)
Arizona begins a 3 series road trip, heading to Antelope. Gulf Breeze goes home to start a 3 series homestand, beginning with East Coast.
Week ending April 19
Arizona vs Mad Town
Game 1
Bogaerts(2) put the Zephyrs up 1-0 in the 1st. Hillard scored on a wild pitch to tie it up in the 7th. Betts(4) put the Devils up 2-1 in the 8th. A Franco (2) blast put the Zephyrs up 3-2 in the 8th. Abreu picked up his 3rd save
3-2 MTZ
Game 2
Mad Town raced to a 5-0 advantage behind Franco 2(4) and held on
5-2 MTZ
Game 3
Schwarber(2) and Henderson (1) went back to back in the 6th for the first- and only-run.
3-0 ARZ
Game 4
Carroll (2) won it in the 12th
5-4 ARZ
Game 5
Schwarber(3) got things started in the 1st and Arizona ran away with this one
7-1 ARZ
Arizona takes 3 of 5 and heads home to await Gulf Breeze
Mad Town goes on the road to Tulsa
Louisiana vs Jonesboro
Louisiana takes 3 of 5 from Jonesboro
The Louisiana Cajuns invaded Jonesboro and took 3 of the 5 games from the Crackers
Game 1- Series started with promise as the Crackers in 8-3. Gausman(1) is the winner, Gioloito(1-1) takes the loss. Grossman(1) homers for the Crackers and Outman(3) for the Cajuns.
Game 2-Cajuns bounce back to win 7-3. Miley(1-1) is the loser, Lynn(2-1) the winner. Pederson(3) homers for the Crackers.
Game 3-Crackers in a squeaker 4-3 as Ozuna2(2) homers twice and Bauers(2) also goes yard for the Crackers. Outman(4) homers for the Cajuns. King(1-1) is the loser, Santos(2-0) gets the win.
Game 4-Cajuns win 8-1. Woodruff(3-0) is the winner, Williams(1-2) the loser. Arozarena3(3) homers 3 times, Bauers(3) for the Crackers.
Game 5-Cajuns take the rubber game 3-2. Wesneski(1-1) is the winner and Bielak(1-2) takes the loss. Pederson(4) homers for the Crackers. Thomas(2) and Witt(2) for the visitors.
Next up Jonesboro heads to Shenandoah and Louisiana hosts East Coast.
Tidewater vs Chappaqua
Chappaqua 4-6 visits Tidewater 9-2
Gm.1 TID 5-1 A 2-run double by Duran in the 1st and a 3-run double by Flores in the 8th tips the scales for TID as Gilbert scatters 6 hits over 8 innings for the win. Juge's single accounts for the only CHA run.
Gm.2 TID 5-4 J.Lowe sends one over the wall for a 2-0 CHA lead in the 1st. J.Davis counters for TID with a 3-run shot in the 2nd. S.Brown's RBI double in the 4th ties it. Buxton gets into it in the bottom of the 4th and ties it with his 3rd homer of the year and Soto follows in the 5th with his 4th homer. Buxton's error gives CHA their last run and then TID's pen covers the last 2 innings with 6 up 6 down.
Gm.3 TID 5-2 TID got all 5 runs in the first 3 innings on their way to 12 hits. A.Ibanez was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. J.Duran had 2 hits and a RBI and J.Palacios 2 hits and a RBI ro lead the way. The pen finished the last 2 innings giving up 1 hit. CHA was led by G.Moreno who went 1-4 with 2 RBI.
Gm.4 CHA 4-0 This was a pitchers game. CHA shut TID down allowing but 1 measly single A.Houser went 7 innings giving up the only hit of the game. The bullpen faced 6 batters in the next 2 innings and struck out 5 of the 6. Y.Diaz provided the offense with a 3-run homer in the 5th.
Gm.5 TID 5-4 F.Freeman had a bases loaded double, Bichette a RBI single and Soto a GO RBI,...all in the 2nd inning for a total of their 5 runs in the game. J.Lowe and E.Valdez had RBI doubles to make the score 5-2 heading into the 8th. Y.Diaz came off the bench for CHA in the 8th and sent a longball over the wall to make it a 1-run game, Once again, however, the pen came through as Cosgrove picked up Save #3 and preserved the win for TID.
This could have gone either way as the games were close and a hit here or there could have made a difference. TID escapes with a 4-1 series win.
Greensboro vs Mokena
April 15 - The Roozys, with much improved starting pitching, open with Bradish against Verlander. Mokena takes the opener in a close one, 3-2. McKinstry (#1) and Tatis (#2) homer for the visitors, and Shohei hits his 4th for the Hoppers.
April 16 - Eduardo Rodriguez faces Martin Perez in game 2. Perez tosses a CG gem, winning 10-zip as the Hopper bats come alive. Julio blasts his first 2 of the season, and Trout (#3), and Albies (#1) also homer for Greensboro.
April 17 - Dunning and Max. Greensboro comes from behind to take it, 9-5. The injured Max wins his 2nd, but he does not pitch well, relinquishing 4 walks and 4 earned runs in 7 innings.
April 18 - Berrios faces Ohtani. This one is really exciting, and very close. It takes 10 innings before the Hoppers make another in-game comeback, plating the winner in the 9-8 contest. Lots of long balls in this one, including four for Mokena: Walker (#2), Harper (#3), Moustakas (#2), and Trejo Lars (#2), Contreras (#6), and Tork (#3) for Greensboro.
April 19 - In the finale it's Kyle Hendricks opposting Quintana. This time Mokena comes from behind, as they take the finale, 2-1. Pham hits his 2nd, and Ohtani hits his 5th.
Greensboro takes 3 of the 5 in a very tough series.
The Hoppers now head west to San Diego, as Mokena heads home to host Durham.
Antelope vs Gulf Breeze
The Antelope River Cats were the opposition in series #3 at Gulf Breeze and the visitors obliterated their hosts- winning in every facet of the game in a 5-0 series sweep.
Gm 1: 9-2 Ant Two in the 4th and 4 in the 5th would be all the Cats needed in this one- Wacha (3-0) was sharp and both Semien & Martinez (3 rbi) were 3 for 5.
Gm 2: 5-2 Ant Tied at one in the 9th, I brought on Bryse Wilson. Bad move. 2R HR by Gurriel (3) & Edman (2) won it. GB out hit Antelope 10-5. Kimbrel with the win (2-1)
Gm 3: 12-5 Ant Down 1 in the 9th, I thought I'd use my 20 reliever. Another bad mnove- It went D, WP, rbi 1B, BB, 1B, rbi BB, 3R triple. My 20 reliever now with a 16.20 ERA. HR bt Martinez (6), Raleigh (5) and Suarez (2). Woo (2-1) over Gomber (0-3, 10.80).
Gm 4: 5-0 Ant Williamson (1-1) was great- just 3 singles allowed in 7 frames and Martinez (7), Semien (3), and Tucker (1) all left the building.
Gm 5: 3-1 Ant For those of you scoring at home- GB went 18 frames without a run, getting a SF in this one in the 9th to break the string. Yay! Too bad Antelope scored 3 tims in the 4th with Edman & Straw notching back to back rbi singles. Medina (1-1) over DeSclafani (1-1).
For the series- Antelope had 24 XBH, including 8 HR. GB had 5 XBH- all doubles. Yeeesch.
Next week, the Breeze heads to Arizona to battle the Dusties while Antelope heads home to host Freeport.
Coney Island vs Brooklyn
Two teams with very weak rotations meet up - who can get the hotter bats (and near no-hitter happens along the way).
Game 1 - Busch homers (1) for Brooklyn in 5th, Cyclones get a 2 run Rivas double in bottom half. But Young comes in to pitch the 6th and Swanson gets a tying rbi single. Then the bats go silent and bullpens get tough! Free baseball sees Pache draw a walk in the 10th, Laureano in to PR - works his way to 3rd and scores on a Pereza walk-off single against a drawn in infield.
BRO 2-5-0 LP Diekman (0-)
CIC 3-4-0 WP Jackson (1-0) BS Young (1)
Game 2 - Crazy game as Codgers score 6 times in the 1st culminated by a 3 run Yepez (1) homer (those homers kill rallys!!). But Harrison struck out the sides in the 1st for a "fast start"!! But actually he settles down well after that and goes 5 more innings - scoreless. And the Cyclones get him back in the game in the 3rd scoring 5 times - no homers. And then 2 more in the 4th to take the lead! 8 WALKS helps in the comeback. Well - Harrison got the Cyclones through 6 and then Adam and Peralta continue the dominance and blank Brooklyn the rest of the way. Good for Cyclones since they didn't score again after the 4th but their comeback was enough!
BRO 6-6-2 LP Corbin (0-1)
CIC 7-7-1 WP Harrison (1-0) S Peralta (5)
Game 3 - Brooklyn again gets off to early lead with 3 in the 2nd on a 3 run Santana homer (3). Swanson drives in 2 more in the 4th and another in the 5th gets them up 6-1. And this time, the pitching holds up. Why? Adam (grade 3) Wainwright on his farewell tour looked like Wainwright of old! 7 innings, 6 hits 1 ER and 7 Ks. Swanson ends up with 3 hits.
BRO 6-10-1 WP Wainwright (1-1)
CIC 2- 7-0 LP Cruz (1-1)
Game 4 - Lots of early scoring, most of it by the Cyclones. 2 in the 1st, 3 in the 3rd and 4 in the 4th (Marte grand slam (2). Devers knocks out 3 hits including a homer (2) and 4 rbis - Cyclones score 3 more in the 7th. Santana slugs a 2 run homer (4) in the 2nd (tied the game at the time) and Haase adds a solo shot (1) late, but that didn't make a dent in the score as Coney Island breezes to a big 12-4 win.
BRO 4-10-0 LP Flexen (0-2)
CIC 12-14-1 WP Manoah (2-1)
Game 5 - Here comes the near no-hitter. Conforto sneaks a single through the infield in the top of the 7th - Yelich singles in the 9th with 1 out. That and 3 walks was the Brooklyn offense. Garrett Whitlock was all over his stuff. CG, 2 hits, 11 ks! Rafael Devers provided way more offense than needed, 4 for 4, walk, 3 doubles and a homer (3) and 7 rbis!!! Everyone in the home dugout had fun as Cyclones took advantage of a roster issue as a non-roster player tried sneaking into the rotation. The replacement, McGough, didn't fare well. 5 hits, 3 walks in 1.1 ip and 7 runs.
BRO 0- 2-2 LP McGough (1-1)
CIC 15-14-0 WP Whitlock (1-1)
Cyclones continue the hot (unexpected) start - but reality will most likely begin to set in next week as they face a tough, tough Tidewater team. Big bonus!! We avoided an injury this week!!!
Northwest vs Tulsa
The Tulsa Roughnecks edge the Northwest Indians 3-2 in the 5 games.
4/15-TUL 11 NWI 4. Senga vs. Gore. Senga improved to 3-0, allowing just
3 hits in 6 innings. Homers by Stewart, Ortega, and Drury for Tulsa.
4/16-NWI 2 TUL 0. Sanchez vs. Steele. Steele improved to 3-0, allowing
only 2 hits in the CG SHO.
4/17-TUL 7 NWI 4. Lugo vs. Strider. The Roughnecks, shut out on 2 hits
through 6 innings, down 4-0, slam the Indians bullpen for 7 runs in the
last 3 innings.
A bases loaded triple by Baddoo was the big blow, solo shot by Turner.
4/18- NWI 6 TUL 1. Matz vs. Alcantara. Alcantara improved to 3-0,
allowing 5 hits through 7 innings. Duvall 's 3 run homer the big blow
for Northwest.
This game had a bad collision between Drury and Ortega, both injured for
5 days and 31 days respectively.
4/19- TUL 2 NWI 1. Javier vs. German. This nail biter was a good one,
the Roughnecks edge by with Stewart doing the book ends hero home run.
Massey injured for the Indians on a hit by pitch, out 5 days.
Week ending April 13
San Diego vs Tampa
Season's going for the Armadillos much as I expected only this series was worse than series 01!
Game one between Snellzilla and Kershaw (achoo!!) went as expected. Both mowing them down into the 8th inning. Tied into extras, this one 16 innings before a homerun from Burger won the game.
The rest of the series was taken rather easily by the Rays as the Armadillos now on a 7 game losing streak.
Looking like there might be a fire sale somewhere down the road.
East Coast vs Westchester
An interesting series between the visiting Westchester Wombats and the host East Coast Rockies. here were 52 runs scored in the series and the Rockies come away with a 5-0 sweep. The ball bounced our way and the hitters came up with the hit they needed at the right time. The Rockies won 3 of the games with their last at bat and had to come from behind in 4 of the five games.
GAME 1: ECR 9-11-1 WES 8-9-1
Paredes goes deep in the first with 2 aboard. In the home half Alvarez hits the first pitch of the game into the seats and Candelario follows 2 batters later and a 3-2 Wombat lead. Vaughn dies it in the 2nd with a double. Alvarez blasts a 3 run HR in the 4th, 6-3. In the 6th Arraez triples in a run, Carpenter a PH RBI single, and Varsho tags a 3 run HR and a 8-6 lead. Alvarez wallops his third round tripper of the game in the home half, 8-7. Springer knocks in 2 with a single in the 7th. Littell (1-0) gets the win and Kelly (0-1) the loss.
GAME 2: ECR 3-6-0 WES 0-2-0
P Lopez pitches a gem. Allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks with 10 punch outs. Contreras singles in a run in the 1st. Polanco a RBI GO in the 5th and Candelario homers in the 8th. Lopez (1-1) gets the win and Morton (1-1) the loss.
GAME 3: ECR 4-10-1 WES 3-5-0 (10 Innings)
Carpenter a SF in the 1st. Riley ties it in the 3rd with a single. Varsho smashes a solo HR in the 5th, 2-1. Votto swats a HR in the 6th, 3-1. In the 8th Greene a PH 2 run double ties the game at 3. Greene a 2 out RBI double in the 10th. Munoz (1-0) gets the win and Jaz (0-1) the loss
GAME 4: ECR 3-5-1 WES 1-3-1
In the 1st after a Correa error Ramirez plates a run with a single. Riley tiues it in the 6th with a solo shot and in the 8th Vaughn a SF and Springer a RBI single. Maton (1-1) gets the win and Nardi (0-1) the loss.
GAME 5: ECR 11-15-0 WES 10-19-0 (11 Innings)
A big game for Sosa. In the 2nd Sosa singles in a run and Varsho blasts a 3 run HR, 4-0. Vaughn singles in a run in the home half. In the 3rd Riley launches a GRAND SLAM and a 5-4. Candelario a SF in the 4th, 6-4. Varsho a RBI single in the 6th. Polanco doubles in a run in the bottom half, 7-5. In the 7th McCormick a RBI GO and Sosa adds a 2 run single and a 8-7 lead. Vaughn reclaims the lead in the home half with a 2 run double. Diaz ties it in the 8th with a solo HR, 9-9. In the 11th Sosa a 2 out RBI single for a 10-9 lead. In the bottom half Riley ties the game with a single and Greene walks it off with a single. Maton (2-1) gets the win and Kelly (0-2) the loss.
Antelope vs Mad Town
Antelope hosts Mad Town for their first home series of the season.
Game 1 – Good pitching matchup in the opener with Gallen facing Wacha. Cats get 2 in the first and a solo shot from J. Naylor in the 4th to win it 3-0. Wacha with complete game 1 hit shutout.
HR - ARC - J. Naylor (2)
WP – Wacha 2-0 LP – Gallen 0-2
Game 2 – Kirby faces Kremer in game 2 and Antelope leads 4-1 after three. Zephyrs get 3 in the fourth and hold on to win 6-5. J. Naylor injured for 5 days.
HR - MTZ - B. Lowe (2) ARC - Perdomo (2) Raleigh (3)
WP – Kirby 1-1 LP – Kremer 1-1 S – Abreu (2)
Game 3 – Eflin and one of the new Antelope additions in Woo for game three. Cats get 3 in the and that is enough as Woo goes 8 plus giving up 1 unearned run in the 9th. Mayza comes on to get the save as the Cats take it 3-1. Suarez injured for the day.
HR - ARC - J. Martinez (3)
WP – Woo 1-0 LP – Eflin 1-1 S - Mayza (1)
Game 4 – Two lefties in game 4 with Heaney against another new River Cat, B. Williamson. Antelope is up 5-4 after seven, but Zephyrs tie it in the 9th as Mayza walks Bellinger and Franco doubles him home. Mayza strands Franco at 2nd and Cats can't score in bottom half. No score in 10th for Mad Town. In bottom of 10, Straw reaches on an infield hit with 2 outs, steals second, B. Naylor awarded 1st on catcher interference and E. Suarez drives in Straw with a gapper to LC for a wild 6-5 Antelope win. Machado injured for six games.
HR - MTZ - Casas (1) ARC - J. Martinez (4)
WP – Diaz 1-0 LP – Vasquez 0-1
Game 5 – Taillon and Medina in the finale and it is all Mad Town after 6 1/2. Antelope gets 2 back on a Raleigh big fly in the 7th to make 5-2. Bottom of 9th, Edman walks, but next two batters retired. Semien doubles in Edman, Perdomo scores Semien with a single to left, and J.Martinez crushes one to left for another 6-5 walk off win for Antelope.
HR - MTZ - Franco (1) ARC - Raleigh (4), J. Martinez (5)
WP – Kimbrel 1-1 LP – Abreu 0-1
Antelope with all the luck on their side as they take the series 4 games to 1. J. Martinez with 3 HRs and 9 RBI for the series. Mad Town returns home to face Arizona and Antelope travels to take on the Rebels of Gulf Breeze.
Stamford vs Chappaqua
Stamford opens 2024 season against Chappaqua Comets.
Game 1
Jays 5-8-0
Comets 1-2-00
WP S McClanahan 2-0 LPS Gray 0-2
Comets open scoring in the 1st as Judge doubles and is driven home by Diaz. Jays counter in bottom of the 1st on a Kirilofff three run homer. Jays adds two more in the 8th on a Reynolds double. McClanahan pitches 8 innings of 2 hit ball fanning 11.
Game 2
Jays 7-10-1
Comets 2-5-0
WP C Bassitt 2-0 LP B Ober 0-1
Comets again score first on a Chisolm single in the 2nd. Jays score a run in the 2nd and in the 3rd, Kirilofff belts another 3-run homer. Jays add two more in the 5th on a Friedl homer. Comets score one on a Reynolds error. Comets reliever Holmes hits Knizner 8th and an argument ensues and both players are thrown out. Jays however lose Knizner for 14 days; their second catcher lost to injury in the early going. Bassitt goes 7 innings for the win.
Game 3
Comets 3-5-1
Jays 2-4-2
WP K Gibson 2-0 LP J Montgomery 1-11
Comets use the bat of Judge to propel them to a win. Judge belts solo homer in the 6th and drives in two more in the 7th on a double. Kirilofff continues hot hitting with solo homer. Nimmo drives in Jays other run on a sac fly. Gibson goes 6.1 innings for the win. Comets also steal 4 bases.
Game 4
Jays 5-13-0
Comets 1-5-1
WP M Clevinger 2-0 LP M Stroman 1-1
Jays get big games from Stott 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Reynolds 3 hits including a homer. Clevinger goes 6 innings fanning 6 for the win. Three Jays relievers shut downs Comets over last three innings each fanning 2. Castro hits solo homer for Comets only run.
Game 5
Comets 12-14-1
Jays 4-10-0
WP R Suarez 1-0 LP B Miller 0-1
Comets takes finale of the series as they break open game scoring 5 tuns in the 6th. Comets pound Jays pitching for 14 hits. Judge homers and drives in 2, while Chapman drives in 3 and Chisholm also drives in 3 and belts homer. Starter Suarez is in command as he 5 hits Jays over 7 innings fanning 8.
Next Comets travel to Tidewater and the Jays goes on the road to Cowtown.
Freeport vs Gulf Breeze
Division Rivals face off as Freeport hosts Gulf Breeze.
G1
G 4 9 1
F 6 10 0
W- Eovaldi (1-1)
L- Paxton (1-1)
S- Alzolay (2)
HR- G- Heyward (2)
F- Soler (1)
G2
G 5 11 1
F 0 4 1
W- L. Castillo (1-1)
L- Elder (0-1)
S- B. Wilson (1)
HR- G- Jeffers (1), Escobar (1)
G3
G 4 7 0
F 7 11 1
W- Bryce Miller (2-0)
L- Gomber (0-2)
S- Alzolay (3)
HR - G- Jeffers (2)
F- Cron (2)
G4
G 3 6 0
F 5 7 2
W- Hicks (2-1)
L- B. Wilson (0-1)
S- Alzolay (4)
HR- G- Mountcastle 2 (2)
G5
G 9 11 1
F 7 11 1
W- J. Jackson (1-0)
L- Rey. Lopez (0-2)
S- S. Miller (1)
HR- G- Mountcastle (3), Canha (1)
F- Vierling (1)
Freeport wins three of five.
Jonesboro vs Arizona
The Arizona Dust Devils visited Joneboro for the Crackers home opener. Indicators point to a long Cracker season as the Devils take 3 of 5
Game 1-Arizona wins 4-3. Neris(1-1) is the winner and Graterol(2) gets the save. Romano(1-1) absorbs the loss. Raley(4), Giminez(1) homer for Arizona, Mullins(1) for the Crackers.
Game 2-Crackers snap back for a 4-2 win. Miley(1-0) is the winner with Romano(1) picks up the save. Bibee(1-1) takes the loss. Olson(1) goes deep for Devils, Abrams(1) for the Crackers.
Game 3- Crackers win 6-4. Neris(1-2) takes the loss, Stratton(1-0) is the winner and Romano picks up save #2. Schwarber(1) homers for the Devils
Game 4-Crackers lose 4-3. Abbott(1-0) is the winner and Graterol(3) gets the save. Betts(2), Olson(2) homer for the visitors. Mullins(2) goes deep for the home team.
Game 5-Another close game as the Crackers lose 6-4. Rasmussen(1-0) is the winner, Graterol(4) gets another save. Bielak(1-1) is the loser. Betts(3) and Giminez(2) homer for the Crackers. Abrams(2) goes yard for the Crackers.
Next up the Dust Devils head to Mad Town and the Crackers host Louisiana.
Northwest vs Shenandoah
The annual six game set kicked off the home season for the Northwest
Indians, and they didn't disappoint, taking 5 of 6.
4/9 - NW 5 SH 3. Liberatore vs. Smyly. Game one of a two for Tuesday
matinee double header. Mostly solo shots accounted for all of the runs
in this contest, setting a tone for the entire series. Andrus, Muncy,
and Sabol for Shenandoah, the latter a pinch hit shot. Lindor, Grichuk,
and Guerrero a 2-run HR.
4/9 - NW 5 SH 0. Blanco vs. Gore. M. Gore tossed a CG SHO allowing only
4 hits. Lindor was 3 for 4 with 3 runs and a solo homer.
4/10 NW 4 SH 2. Wheeler vs. Steele. Solo homers for the Shenandoah
runs, Ford and Sheets. Wheeler allowed 3 solo shots, Endy Rodriguez,
Tovar, and Lindor. Northwest knocked out 14 hits total, stranding 9.
4/11 NW 6 SH 4. Valdez vs. Strider. Shenandoah hit back-to-back homers
in the 2nd and 9th innings to make this one memorable, but again, solo
homers. Torres, Velazquez, and Lindor homered for Northwest.
4/12 NW 16 SH 8. Weaver vs. Alcantara. This was home run derby folks.
13-5 after only 3 innings. Weaver never made it to the 2nd inning.
Alcantara wasn't much better, allowing 11 hits and 5 dingers in 7
innings pitched. Northwest had 22 hits and 6 homers, Lindor with his 5th
game in a row. Shenandoah had 11 hits and 5 homers. Dingers derby by
Muncy, Wisdom 2, Morel, Sabol for the Pandas. Lindor, Guerrero 2, Hays,
Grichuk 2 for the Indians.
4/13 - SH 5 NW 0. Liberatore vs. Skubal. Muncy's 2-run homer was all
Liberatore needed in tossing 7 innings of 3-hit shutout baseball. The
Tribe hitters were limited to but 4 harmless singles.
So Shenandoah avoids the sweep and heads off to Westchester next for a
series with the Wombats while Northwest will host Tulsa.
Coney Island vs Mokena
Weird results! Mokena wins big, Cyclones win small, Cyclones manage more wins......
Day 1
Game 1 - Nelson vs. Kikuchi
Nelson in the classic "starter" role gets lifted in the 2nd after 4 batters - he had 2 ks and gave up but 1 hit. But he was up 1-0 when after a Wendle rbi double in the top half of the 2nd. Cisnero comes in for Nelson and specializes in hitting bats and over the next 1.1 innings, he faces 10, gives up hits, a walk and 3 run! We like Cisnero!! But gets pulled with 2 outs in the 3rd. Law comes on and we get him for 1 run in the 4th and another in the 5th including a Call (1) solo homer. But the solo homer in the 5th came after Walker unloaded for a 2 run homer (1) in the top half. So after 5, the Cyclones are clinging to a 5-3 lead. It becomes 5-4 in the 8th on a Harper solo homer (2) - but Ferguson comes on for a 5 out save to take game 1 of the Double Header.
MOK 4- 8-2 LP Cisnero (2-1)
CIC 5-12-0 WP Kikuchi (2-0) S Ferguson (2)
Game 2 - Bradish vs. Silseth
Silseth up for the double header wishes he weren't. He goes 6, fans 5 but then there is that bad stuff. 10 hits, 6 walks, 2 homers and 8 runs!! He pitched the 1st two innings well and was up 2-0 after 2 on a Tellez homer (2). But then the 3rd happened - and SIX (6) Roozys cross the plate. 4 of them on a Stallings (1) grand slam!! Which followed a 2 run shot by Tatis (1). 2 more runs in the 4th and that was all the scoring as the pitchers took over control on both sides. But 8-2 is a big convincing win for Mokena and after day 1 and the double header split, the teams are still locked in a 1st place tie! (yeah, yeah, it's only week 2 - but it might be all we have.....)
MOK 8-12-0 WP Bradish (1-0)
CIC 2- 3-0 LP Silseth (0-1)
Day 2, Game 3 - E. Rodriguez vs F. Cruz
Hospital wagon was in use today!
3rd inning Ketel Marte is HBP - and gone for the rest of the series! Arcia in to PR and he scores when Solano rips one into the corner. 1-0 Cyclones! Then the part time starter Fernando Cruz takes over. He scatters 3 hits and 4 walks and combines that with 14 Ks and 2 DPs to blank the Roozys for the surprise win. Surprise win because the Cyclones only manager 4 hits off Rodriguez and Kahnle. And Rodriguez hits a 2nd batter - Rizzo - and he goes down for 3 weeks and a day (22 days)! Ouch.Concussion protocul.
MOK 0-3-0 LP Rodriguez (0-1)
CIC 1-4-1 WP Cruz (1-0)
Day 3, Game 4 - Dunning vs. Manoah
Dramatic PH turns the tide in this one. Manoah starts out strong and is up 2-1 after 4. But then the Roozys find some life in the 5th plating 3 runs for a 4-2 lead. Cyclones cut it to 4-3 in the bottom half and it stays that way until the 7th. Top half, Manoah had been doing well but allows the 1st two batters to reach base. Ferguson in for Cyclones, gets 1, then loads the bases. Pham in to PH - GRAND SLAM! (1) and suddenly a close game is 8-3 Roozys. Cyclones manage 1 in the bottom half but Roozys quiet the Coney bats and win it big, 8-4!
The bad news for Mokena - Caballero crashes into a wall and will miss 3 weeks and a day!
MOK 8-11-2 WP Dunning (1-1)
CIC 4- 7-2 LP Manoah (1-1)
Day 4, Game 5 - Berrios vs, Whitlock
Back to a 1 run game! Whitlock was staked to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd and looked on his way to his 2nd big win but in the 6th a bit of control and WP allows Miller to score the tying run. Game stays deadlocked at 1 until the bottom of the 9th when Ian Happ strokes a short fly to RF that scores slow poke Miguel Rojas with the winning run! Game feature 9 walks (4 for MOK, 5 for CIC) and 18 Ks - 7 Roozys batters and 11 Cyclones bit the dust.
MOK 1-3-0 LP Fairbanks (1-1)
CIC 2-7-0 WP Thornton (2-0)
Day 5, Game 6 - Hendricks vs. Kikuchi
Should be a high scoring Roozys game but through 5 it was 0-0. And Ian Happ batting a whopping .079 gets tossed after a close play where he's called out. Frustration mounting after his slooooow start.
Top of the 6th and Kikuchi suddenly losses his control. A few walks and the Roozys grab a 2-0 lead! So, with the 2-0 lead, Hendricks' day is done according to Foreman and Law comes into pitch the bottom of the 6th. He struggles, gives up 2 walks, 2 hits and 3 runs. Kahnle in for 7th and Devers (1) takes him yard for his 1st dinger of the year and a 4-2 Cyclone lead. Chapman in for the 8th, 3 walks - yup, he loads them up and then we get a Wendle error, 2 runs driven in by Fortes and a SF. Rather messy 8th for Mokena. So instead of them winning the big run scoring finale, the Cyclones take it. But they almost blew it in the 9th as some weaker pitchers had some issues before Peralta comes in with 2 outs and the bases loaded and gets the final out (and a cheap save).
MOK 2-4-1 LP Law (1-1) BS (2)
CIC 7-7-2 WP Kikuchi (3-0) S Peralta (4)
Is the NL West going to be a mystery again??
Cyclones grab 4 of 6, and suffer big injury hits. And pitchers are working over their heads. But hey, it's still just mid-April!
Greensboro vs Durham
April 9 - The much improved Lucky Strikes, Greensboro's neighbor to the east, arrive in town for the Hoppers' Opening Day twin-bill (is it just me, or does it seem to you all that last season ended a few days ago?). Durham opens with Bieber, against Shohei. The Hoppers take the opener, 6-1, as Shohei wins his 2nd of the young season.
In the nightcap, it's Blackburn facing Verlander. It's a much closer contest, but the Hoppers hang on for the 3-2 win, thanks to 2 Shohei homers (he now has 3 on the young season).
April 10 - Colin Rea opposes Martin Perez. Another close one, as the Hoppers come from behind to take it, 8-6. Walker and Arenado each hit their 2nd, and Contreras blasts his 2nd and 3rd.
April 11 - Durham ace Musgrove faces Max. It looks bad for the home team against Musgrove till they finally get to Durham's relievers, plating 6 in the bottom of the 8th, and taking this one handily, 11-3. Contreras (#4) and Arenado (#3) homer for Greensboro, and Reyes and Sewinski each hit their first for Durham.
April 12 - Brito and Miles M. in this one. Durham takes it, 5-2, as Greensboro leaves the potential tying runs in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth. Torkelson hits his 2nd, as Brito wins his debut.
April 13 - In the finale it's Colin Rea against J.P. France. J.P. goes the route, tossing a 4-hit, 5-zip beauty to even his '24 record at 1 apiece. Contreras hits his 5th, as the Hoppers take 5 of the 6 contests.
Next up for Durham is a home series with Tampa, and next up for Greensboro are the Roozys.
Week ending April 7
Westchester vs Jonesboro
sorry for the delay, on Disney Cruise with kids and grandkids, so games had to be relocated from Wombat Field in Rye, NY to Mickey's Stadium at Castaway Cay. Such are the hardships of life! Speaking of hardships, looks like another long season for the Wombats. Decent pitching and no hitting. ERA for the series was 3.30, but only scored 9 runs.
Game 1: jonesboro 3, Westchester 1, 10 inn
Springs pitches well on opening day and Wombats have 1-0 lead after 8. Kelly and Ginkel (our new closerk ;-( blow it in the 9th and 10th,
W-Santos (1-0); L-Ginkel (0-1)
Game 2: Jonesboro 4, Westchester 3
Wombats lead early 2-0 and Burnes looks strong, but caves in the 8th giving up three run homer to Joc Pederson Diaz homers in the 9th to get one back, but that's it.
W-Romano (1-0); L-Burnes (0-1)
Game 3: Westchester 5, Jonesboro 2
Wombat bats finally wake up. Homers by Varsho and Paredes give them two runs on the 4th and 3 in the 7th and Jonesboro never is in the game
(W-Morton (1-0); L-Lelly (0-1)
Game 4: Jonesboro 4, Westchester 0
Williams, Stratton and Irving shut out the Wombats on two hits.
W-Williams (1-0); L-Olson (0-1)
Game 5: Jonesboro 3, Westchester 0
This time Bialek et al shut out the Wombats on 4 hits. homers by Bauer and Pederson do the damage
W-Bialek, (1-0), L-Canning (0-1)
so a good start for jonesboro and not so good for Wombats. Next Jonesboro opens at home against Arizona and Westchester travels to East Coast.
Mokena vs San Diego
Played the games while watching the White Sox/Braves Games. Looks to be a little cool there with rain on the way and lots of hoodies and blankets in the crowd. A few masks on some players too!!
Our games went the way I expected the Armadillos to go this season.
Game one
well pitched game between starters Kershaw and Bradish. Coyotes took it 2-1 with a homerun from Wendle and a single from Monasterios. Garcia homerun for the Armadillos.
Game Two
Extra innings game taken by Wiley in the 10th on an error by the San Diego pitcher Curry. Another homerun for Garcia and one by rookie Julien. 6-5 Wiley.
Game Three
a two run shot by another rookie, Doyle, powers the Armadillos to the win 3-1.
Game Four and five
The Coyotes come back and take both games 4 and 5 from San Diego
Wiley takes the series 4 games to 1.
Gonna be a LOOOOONNNNGGG season for the Armadillos!
Mad Town vs Northwest
Game 1
Velazquez's homer in the 2nd broke up a Gallen no-hit bid. 1 run was all Steele needed as he went the distance shutting out the home team.
NWI 2-0
Game 2
In a home run fest, Duvall,Jung and Heim got the best of Machado and Lowe. Strider went 6.1 allowing 1 hit (HR Lowe) and was pulled. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded with Machado at bat. Swing and a miss and that's all
NWI 5-2
Game 3
A Berti Grand Slam in the 7th broke the tie and the bullpen allowed only 1 base runner the last 10 at bats
MTZ 6-1
Game 4
The bullpen again allowed only 1 base runner the last 3 innings and held
MTZ 3-2
Game 5
The Zephyrs raced to a 4-0 advantage behind Bogaerts' blast. The Indians kept coming and a 3 run 9th clinched it. Velazquez was 3 of 5, 2 runs scored, 5 rbis and 2 HR
NWI 8-5
Indians take the series 3-2 and head home to await the Pandas.
Mad Town takes to the road at Antelope
Tulsa vs Freeport
Tulsa opens the season at home with a 3-2 series win over Freeport. It was a very competitive series with all games close and low scoring except for game four which was a back and forth slugfest where of the both teams bats were hot.
Game 1: Tulsa 4 – Freeport 2
Game 2: Freeport 3 – Tulsa 2 (12 innings)
Game 3: Freeport 1 – Tulsa 0
Game 4: Tulsa 12 – Freeport 9
Game 5: Tulsa 6 – Freeport 5
Arizona vs East Coast
The Arizona Dust Devils played host to the East Coast Rockies to open the season. The series was a six-gamer, with the doubleheader on day 4 of their visit.
Gm #1
Lopez vs. Walker. For the first time since the current regime took over the franchise, Arizona hosted the opening series. Taijuan Walker got the opening day nod and pitched a gem. He went 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and a walk along with 7 strikeouts. Neris and Graterol finished up, with a Springer (1) 2-out ninth inning blast the only run the Rockies would score as the Dust Devils took the opener 2-1. Arizona scored their two runs in the 5th on singles and stolen bases by Gimenez and Carroll and a Mookie 2-out RBI single plating Carroll with the game-winner. East Coast could not capitalize on the 3 Arizona errors, 2 by Gunnar Henderson.
W Walker (1-0)
L Lopez (0-1)
S Graterol (1)
Gm #2
Peralta vs. Nola. It took 10 innings, but the home team sent their fans home with a win as Mookie (1) walked it off with his bleacher reacher following a Ramirez walk for the 6-4 final. Candelario (2) hit two home runs accounting for three of the Rockies’ runs. Correa singled in the other run. First-round pick Luke Raley (1) got the DDs within one with his 2-out 2R shot in the 6th. After a Sanchez walk, PR Walls stole second and scored on a Ramirez 2-out double the next inning to tie things up. The Arizona pen didn’t allow a run in their 5 innings of work.
W J. Jimenez (1-0)
L Maton (0-1)
Gm #3
Cease vs. Sandoval. Three straight singles to open the bottom half of the first inning along with a PB and another 2-out RBI, this on a single by Raley, accounted for the Dust Devils; first 3 runs. A Carroll (1) 3-run shot doubled their total the next inning. BTB home runs by Alvarez (1) and Candelario (3) (who is this guy?) got two back in the 3rd and a Contreras (1) solo shot and a Carlson double drove in their last two runs. A Larnach (1) long ball closed out the scoring as the Arizona pen threw another 4 innings of no-run ball. ARZ 7-4. Betts was injured by slamming into the wall on a catch in the 4th inning. Robert was the very next batter and was HBP. He too was injured. Both are out one day, which happens to be a DH, which actually means two games!!!! Argh, from the both of us!!!
W Sandoval (1-0)
L Cease (0-1)
S Duran (1)
Gm #4 (Gm 1 of DH)
E. Perez vs. Bibee. Alvarez singled in Greene to open the scoring in the first inning. Three errors by the Rockies and a walk allowed the Dust Devils to take the lead 2-1, in the bottom half. The game turned into a laugher. Raley (2) followed a Henderson single to open the 4th with a long ball. After two outs, a common theme throughout the series, three straight walks by Perez and an Olson single plated two and the other runner scored on yet another East Coast error! Schwarber doubled him in for his first RBI of the season and an 8-1 DD lead. Gimenez doubled in Raley to account for the final run in the 9-1 gift-wrapped victory. The Arizona pen threw another 4 shutout innings.
W Bibee (1-0)
L E. Perez (0-1)
Gm #5 (Gm 2 of DH)
Lucchesi vs. Abbott. Candelario (4) followed a Springer double with yet another dinger in the first. Carroll doubled in a run in the third. Two walks, an error, and a Correa single plated two in the 4th. Polanco doubled in Candelario in the fifth for a 5-1 advantage. The home team ties it up in the 6th. Olson rips a 2R triple followed by a Sanchez (1) big fly! The tie is short-lived, as a walk, double, walk, double, single and a Greene 2R triple soared the Rockies to an eventual 12-6 blowout victory and put an end to their season-opening 4-game skid. Polanco (1) and Riley (1) hit solos to close out the ECR scoring. Foley was tagged for 5 ER and Beck another 2 as the DD pen didn’t fare too well in this game. The hopes of an undefeated season are up in smoke! HA!
W Lucchesi (1-0)
L Foley (0-1)
Gm #6
Cease vs. Walker. Both starting pitchers are working on short rest as they ramp up after spring training. After two outs, an Olson double and three straight singles produced the first two runs of the game. Polanco(2) tied it and Gunnar misfired to allow the go-ahead run in the 3rd. Raley (3) put the Dust Devils ahead with his 2R shot in the 4th. Alvarez (2) tied it in the 5th. Polanco drove in the go-ahead run with a double for his third RBI of the game. A Contreras (2) solo and a Springer single drove in Robert with some insurance runs. Arizona could only muster one more run as they fell, 7-5.
W Cease (1-1)
L Neris (0-1)
S Clase (1)
Next up, Arizona heads to Jonesboro and the East Coast Rockies will host fellow division foe Westchester.
Coney Island vs Tampa
1 game short of the getting to the World Series last year - it was a big surprise. Don't expect anything like that this year, but do expect a fun season as the Cyclones begin a rebuild - and it should be an interesting player management as well. But still expect to produce runs (not sure we can prevent too many).
Fans are excited even if the prognostications are slim. Here comes Tampa!
Game 1 - Cole vs Kikuchi
Starting the season against Cole - with Blake Snell in the wings for the next game - oh boy. Yet, the home team scores first when Alex Call knocks a SF in the 2nd. But the Stingrays get it right back in the 3rd on a Brennan rbi double (1 of his 2 hits in the game). In the bottom half a leadoff walk to Happ results in another Cyclone run when Devers doubles him home. Then Cole buckles down, fans 7, 6 hits total no more runs. However, Kikuchi gives up no more runs scattering 7 hits in 7 innings and fanning 9. Then Ferguson, Thornton and Peralta close it off for a surprising 2-1 opening day win!!
TAM 1-8-0 LP Cole (0-1)
CIC 2-6-0 WP Kikuchi (1-0) S Peralta (1)
Game 2 - Snell vs. Mahle
Moniak (1) hits a 1 out solo homer for Tampa in the 1st but a Devers rbi double in the bottom half ties it up. Then Verdugo (3 singles in the game) and Moniak drives in runs in the 3rd for a 3-1 Tampa lead. Cyclones cut it to 3-2 in the 6th only to see Tampa regain the 2 run lead when Castellanos drives in a run in the 7th. Bottom of the 8th, Goriano comes in to replace Snell and he has some control issues walking Laureano with the bases loaded for 1 and then power hitter Miguel Rojas slugs a grand slam (1) and the Cyclones flip the score and take a 7-4 lead into the 9th! Pete Alsonso leads off with a solo homer (1) off Thorton so Peralta is called on again and he gets 3 straight outs to preserve the shocking win, 7-5.
TAM 5-8-1 LP Soriano (0-1) BS (1) (4 walks in 1 inning pitch)
CIC 7-4-1 WP Young (1-0) S Peralta (2) recipients of 7 walks!
Game 3 - Detmers vs. Manoah
This game featured a batter hitting for the cycle, also featured the Stingrays outhitting the Cyclones again. And 5 runs in the 1st. Jake Burger launches a 3 run homer (1) in the 1st. Cyclones get back 2 - the 1st a direct result of a single, a dropped fly ball and then a wild pitch and then a SF. Game is tied in the 3rd on a Rengifo homer (1), his 2nd hit of the game.
Cyclones break the game open in the 5th when Call draws a bases loaded walk and then Rengifo triples driving in 3 for a 7-3 lead! But the game is not over - top of the 6th Kepler steps to the plate pinch hitting for Neto and singles in 2 runs to cut it to 7-5. Then the Cyclone bullpen comes to the rescue and shuts down the Stingrays for the final 3.2 innings. And Rengifo comes up again and doubles to complete the cycle (and the single in the 1st was an infield hit).
TAM 5-10-2 LP Detmers (0-1)
CIC 7- 8-0 WP Manoah (1-0) S Ferguson (1)
Game 4 - Rodriguez vs. Whitlock
Finally, the Cyclones outhit the Stingrays and get started in the 1st on a Marte (1) homer, 1-0. Then Verdugo ties the game with an rbi single in the 3rd. Then in the 5th, the Stingrays tag some shots off Whitlock. Espinal takes Laureano deep down the line in right, 1 down. Neto then hits one to the gap that Laureano races to catch up to an snares it in the webbing. Then Verdugo takes one to the wall, Laureano catches it, slams the wall and the ball pops out of his glove. Verdugo just kept running and scores for a 2-1 Tampa lead. But Whitlock maintains his poise giving up just 2 hits and those 2 runs (1 uneraned) and fanning 8 in 6.1 innings. But he does leave in the 7th with the bases loaded as his control vacated him. But Young and Jackson keep Tampa from scoring anymore. BUT - the Marte homer in the 1st was the only score the Cyclones could muster against Rodriguez, 6 hits,1 run, 7.1 innings. And the Speier finishes the game getting the 5 out save! Tampa wins, 2-1.
TAM 2-3-0 WP Rodriguez (1-0) S Speier (1)
CIC 1-6-1 LP Whitlock (0-1)
Game 5 - Urquidy vs. Harrison
WIBL debut for Harrison doesn't go as hoped. He lasts 5 innings and gives up 10 hits, 2 walks and SEVEN runs. Harold Castro has a big game - 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 rbis. His 1st single drives in the games 1st run in the 2nd, Tampa 1-0. Then the top of the 4th - things came unglued. A 1 out HBP on Burger starts things. But Kepler fans, 2 outs. BUT Castro muscles a double, Burger scores! Rosario doubles, 3-0. Brennan singles, Rosario scores, 4-0. Brennan goes to 2nd. Rutschman then hits the slow roller to CF to make it 5-0! Cyclone offense however comes to the rescue when Rizzo gets the IF single with runners at 2nd and 3rd, 5-1. Call then doubles off the wall, 5-2. Laureano singles up the middle, 5-3. Then he's picked off. And Rojas flies out - so 5-3 after 4, Tampa in control.
Alonso leads off the 5th with a homer (2), 6-3 Tampa. That's it until the 6th when Castro leads off with a single, Harrison's debut is mercifully over. Adam in and Rosario greets him with an rbi double and Tampa has a 7-3 lead!
Bottom of the 7th Wilson in to relieve Urquidy (6 ip, 4 hits, 3 run). Starts with a HBP on Laureano. Arcia in to PH for Rojas and after a SB, Arcia doubles scoring 1. Cyclones scores a 2nd run on a 2 out Marte triple but he is stranded at 3rd so after 7 it's 7-5 Tampa! Jameson and Thornton then blank Tampa in the 8th. Soto comes on for the bottom of the 8th. Devers opens with a single. 1 out, Call is beaned. Laureano then bounces into FC with Devers moving to 3rd. Arcia up, fists one to RF, Devers scores, Laureano goes to 3rd. Delay up - deep to CF, off the wall, Laureano scores, Arica is being waved in - he scores, Cyclones gain the lead 8-7! Soto leaves - too late.9th inning, Peralta in. Rutschman grounds out. Castellanos, whiff. Alonso ropes ones hard to RF, Laureano races to the line, dives, looks like a trap, he's holding it up, the umpires thumb goes up! Out, replay confirms, out, game, Cyclones win, 8-7 on big comeback!
TAM 7-12-0 LP Soto (0-1) BS (1) again they outhit the Cyclones
CIC 8- 9-0 WP Thornton (1-0) S Peralta (3)
Surprising opening series as Cyclones manufacture runs as bullpen fof Tampa fails to hold a few games. Next week we host Mokena for SIX (CIC all set). Tampa flips coasts and goes to San Diego.
Shenandoah vs Antelope
Shenandoah takes 3 of 5 from Antelope
Game One, Antelope 9, Shenandoah 4
Gerardo Perdomo has three hits and scored twice to lead the River Cats to the opening day win. Michael Wacha limited the Pandas to only four hits, but one was a three run shot by Patrick Widsom. Eight different Cats scored at least one run.
Game Two, Antelope 18, Shenandoah 8
The River Cats hit five first innings homers off of Romel Blanco in route to an 11 run inning. The River Cats finished day with a total of eight homers, and had 51 total bases. Both Lourdes Gurriel and J.D. Martinez went deep twice. Starting catcher Austin Hedges was the most effective pitcher for the Pandas, with two shutout innings to close out the game.
Game Three, Shenandoah 5, Antelope 4
Patrick Wisdom broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo homer off of Cat reliever Craig Kimbrell to send the Pandas to their first victory. The Pandas scored all of the runs on the long ball, including a two run shot by Christian Morel.
Game Four, Shenandoah 10, Antelope 4
The Pandas bats game alive with a 13 hit attack that chase Cats starter Brandon Wiliamson after only 2/3 of an inning. The Pandas batted around in the first, scoring five runs and put Framber Valdez on easy street for his first win of the season. Max Muncy had the big blow in the first, a three run homer that forced Antelope to tax their bullpen to stay in the game.
Game Five, Shenandoah 7. Antelope 2
Luke Weaver allowed only three hits and one earned run on eight innings of work. Again the Pandas used a pair of long balls, from Eddie Rosario and Patrick Wisdom to give themselves another big inning, a five run third. The River Cats bats never came alive until Cal Raleigh hit a solo homer in the ninth.
Gulf Breeze vs Louisiana
The new look Cajuns came to Gulf Breeze to kick off the 2024 season and as usual outplayed their hosts in winning 3 of 5. But this Cajun squad had something other Cajuns haven't had- speed. They stole 14 bases and were not caught in the 5 games. Add in the usual 8 HR in 5 games, and the Breeze was lucky to stay relevant.
Gm 1: 6-2 GB Opening Day is always exciting and today was that day. Down 2-1 in the 6th, both Anderson and Escobar had rbi base knocks and the bullpen got it done. Paxton wins, Giolito doesn't. Every GB batter but the 9 hole had at least one base knock. Realmuto homered for Louisiana, Marsh & Heyward connected for the good guys.
Gm 2: 3-2 Lou Best game of the set. Lynn walked 7, and allowed 7 hits, but hung in with T.May and King (save 1) closing it out. The game was truly decided in the home 5th with the routing 9-2-6 DP to quell a Rebel rally. Moncada left the building for Lou.
Gm 3: 11-7 Lou Cajuns stole 7 bases on the day and the final score was closer than it should have been. Outman, Acuna, and Witt all homered for our guests and Marinaccio wound up the winner. It was 10-0 Lou before the Breeze plated 6 in the home 5th, but that would be as close as they'd come. Gomber with a solid outing- 4 IP with 8 ER.
Gm 4: 5-0 Lou 161-1 is still a possibility for the Cajuns as Woodruff tossed a sweet 2 hitter and Realmuto homered twice (3).
Gm 5: 5-1 GB Breeze responded with a solid DeSclafani outing and the bullpen pitched the final 3 2/3 without a baser runner allowed. Marsh had a pair of doubles in a 3 for 5 day, and Tom Murphy finished 3 for 3 with a walk. Wesneski was hit hard in the loss.
Next week, Gulf Breeze heads to Freeport while the Cajuns hear to Tulsa.
Chappaqua vs Greensboro
ITS OPENING DAY AND THE START OF ANOTHER GREAT WIBL SEASON AS THE NEW LOOK CHAPPAQUA COMETS HOST THE DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
The Hoppers have won the NL East Division title TEN YEARS IN A ROW! The Comets, who last won the Division in 2012, are hoping that this is the year when the Hoppers finally come back to earth. After winning a record 132 games (!!) last season, what can Greensboro do for an encore? Well based on the results of the opening series, it looks like it will be another great year for the Hoppers – as the Comets (along with the Jays and Lucky Strikes) try their best to dethrone the reigning champs
Home Runs were flying out of the park throughout the series, as the Hoppers won the first two, the Comets the next two and the Hoppers the finale in a tense, exciting, TWELVE inning contest
GAME 1
Sonny Gray v Shohei Otahni
GRE 7 CHA 0
A classic matchup as the Comets new ace, Sonny Gray, goes up against the great Ohtani. Gray was acquired in a pre season trade when Chappaqua traded its #1 pick Cole Ragans and promising young OF Matt Wallner to Cowtown for Gary and 1B Nick Pratto.
With Gray anchoring the rotation, the Comets are hoping they can finally match up with the tremendous starting rotation of Alan Berger’s boys from Greensboro. Well it was not to be today.
In real life, in the regular season, Gray gave up only FOUR HRs --- Greensboro matched that total today in the first SIX INNINGS!
Mike Trout, Corey Seager, Wilson Contreras and Jordan Walker all took Gray deep as Greensboro got the easy win. Ohtani was, well Ohtani, as he pitched 6 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 7. He also went 1-4 as the DH. Seager had 3 hits and the rookie sensation, Walker had two (including a double together with his HR). The only negative for the Hoppers was star CF Julio Rodriguez was HBP and will miss the rest of the series.
Miles Mikolas pitched three shutout innings for the save. Gray took the loss, as he allowed 12 hits and SEVEN RUNS in 7 innings.
GAME 2
Bailey Ober v Justin Verlander
GRE 4 CHA 2
Greensboro throws out another ace and gets another win as the veteran, Verlander, pitches 8 innings allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits, with 7 Ks.
No easy win for the Hoppers this time as they had to come from behind to pull it out.
GRE scored first when Walker (2-4) continued his hot start with an RBI single. Trailing 1-0, the Comets took their first lead of the season in the 4th when Willi Castro hit a 2 run bomb. The game remained 2-1 going to the 7th. In the 7th Ober got into trouble and Will Smith came on to get Nootbar (4-5) out. But then Jordan Walker singled to drive in a run and tie the game at 2-2.
Rookie Justin Topa took the mound for CHA in the 8th and retired the side in order. Topa, the #3 draft pick for CHA, is expected to be a key part of a rebuilt bullpen- but not today. Starting his second inning of relief, in the 9th, Lars Nootbar homered off Topa to break the tie, the solo shot making it 3-2. Then Ohtaini went deep to make it 4-2. Topa, who had given up only 4 HRs in real life all season, had just given up 2 in one inning!
Evan Phillips pitched a shutout 9th for GRE for the save. Ohtani was 3-5. 1B Seth Brown was 2-2 with 2 walks for CHA
GAME 3
Kyle Gibson v JP France
CHA 6 GRE 4
France was Greensboro’s #1 draft pick this season but his debut was not a good one. The Comets raked him for 7 hits and 5 runs in 4.2 IP and he left trailing 5-4. After the Comets scored one in the first, Greensboro took the lead in the second on a 2 run HR by Mike Trout against Gibson. Conor Joe tied it with a solo HR in the bottom of the frame. In the third, the Comets took the lead as Kim hit a solo HR and Matt Chapman doubled in a run.
GRE got 2 back in the 5th on a 2 run HR by Seager(2) to tie it at 4-4. CHA came right back and regained the lead in the bottom 5th on a solo HR by Josh Lowe, sending France to the showers. In the 6th, Joe tripled and Castro doubled to make it 6-4 Comets, the final score.
Gibson got the win, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings. Three relievers, Matt Moore, Clay Holmes and Yennier Cano each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Cano, the Comets second round pick in this year’s draft, got his first WIBL save.
The loss was costly to the Hoppers in more ways than one as Seager was HBP and is expected to miss two weeks. GRE’s offense is so deep however that even without Seager and Rodriguez it is still one of the most potent, if not most potent, offenses in WIBL.
GAME 4
Marcus Stroman v Max Scherzer
CHA 9 GRE 4
Greensboro’s parade of aces continue as Mad Max takes the mound. But this is not his day as the Comets knock him out in the second inning, after Max gave up 7 hits and 5 runs. Kim lead off with a HR (2) making it 1-0 after one. In the second, David Peralta (with Judge resting) singled in a run, the red hot Joe doubled in two and Gabriel Moreno singled in another. 5-0 CHA after 2. In the 4th, Moreno hit a 2 run HR to make it 7-0, the HR coming off the veteran Zack Greinke who will mainly pitch out of the pen this season.
Nolan Arenado and Salvador Perez hit solo HRs as the Hoppers tried to crawl back into the game. But whatever chances they had were ended in the 8th when lefty reliever Matt Moore struck out Ohtani with the bases loaded and two out.
Moreno, the second year catcher who is expected to have a breakout season, was 3-5 with 3 RBIs (single, double, HR). Willi Castro also had 3 hits.
Marcus Stroman went 7.1 IP to get the win, allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs with ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS and no walks.
GAME 5
Adrian Houser v Jose Quintana
GRE 8 CHA 7 12 innings
With the series tied, it was only fitting that the final game would be a close extra inning affair. What a game! In the third inning, Greensboro took the lead on a 2 run HR by Trout, his second of the series (3-7 on the day, .316 for the series). CHA tied it in the bottom of the frame when Kim walked with the bases loaded and Judge grounded into a bases loaded DP with a run scoring. In the 5th, GRE scored three to take a 5-2 lead but again the Comets came right back in the bottom of the 5th. Judge (1-6, .200) doubled to drive in two and Yainier Diaz (another up and coming second year catcher) singled in a run to tie the game at 5-5.
In the 7th, that sensational rookie, Jordan Walker did it again, singling in another run, his SIXTH RBI of the series! 6-5 GRE Greensboro took the one run lead into the 8th as Ian Hamilton, another 2023 draft pick, took the mound- following a brief rain delay. Diaz greeted him with a solo HR to tie it at 6-6. Then Garrett Cooper hit another solo HR and CHA had the lead 7-6 going to the 9th.
In the 9th, after lefty Will Smith retired Ohtani for the first out, rookie closer Yennier Cano came in to pitch. He walked Albies and then Contreras executed the hit and run perfectly singling to right putting runners on 1st and 3rd with one out. The next batter, Arenado singled and the game was tied at 7-7. Walker was then HBP to load the bases but Cano got Isiah Kiner-Falefa (in for the injured Seager) to ground into a DP.
The game went to extra innings as both bullpens took over. Clay Holmes started his second inning of relief for CHA in the 12th. Second year player Spencer Torkelson homered (only the second of his WIBL career) and the Hoppers led 8-7. Trevor MeGill set the Comets down in order in the bottom of the 12th and Greensboro had a come from behind win in a thriller – and took the series 3 games to 2.
Evan Phillips and Megill (the winning pitcher)combined for four shutout innings in relief, allowing only 1 hit, no walks and striking out 5. Holmes was the loser. Cano had his first career Blown Save.
Diaz and Cooper each went 3-5 for the Comets, with Cooper scoring 3 runs. For GRE, Albies was 4-6 with a double, an RBI, and 3 runs scored.
The rookie, Walker, was 2-5 and hit .381 for the series. Centerfielder Lars Nootbar was 1-4 with 3 walks and ended the series batting .444
Given Greensboro’s fire power, the Comets felt lucky to get 2 wins in the 5 games.
Next: The Comets travel to Stamford to play the Jays, who made the playoffs last season and should pose a threat to Greensboro’s dominance in 2023. Greensboro will host Durham in a six game series, that begins with a doubleheader.
Baseball is back!