DMBL Mirror League wrap-up 2009

The king of the Mirror League, Hillsborough, continued their streak, winning their 4th straight Mirror League title. The Hitmen fell just one game short of making their first World Series appearance this year. With the Mirror League victory, the Hitmen once again have great expectations for next season. "If the Mirror League is a reflection" said owner Brent Campbell, "then that means we will have victory in the DMBL next year as well!" Coming in second is the Las Vegas Rat Pack. The Pack was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Hillsborough and almost gave up on the DMBL. But the Pack is back with a vengeance and looking forward to coming back even stronger in 2010.

The third place team was a bit of a surprise. The second-to-last place Sardine City Straphangers will hope to combine a favorable draft position with a solid keeper list to truly contend for the first time in their short history. Philadelphia and Vancouver, two of the usual playoff contenders, rounded out the 4th and 5th positions. Despite this, Vancouver seems to be on a rebuilding program, though Philly does seem to be a contender again in 2010. Hoboken sits in 6th place (what would be the final playoff position for a typical DMBL season) and hopes to reverse their fortunes from a forgettable 2009 season.

Sitting at the bottom are the Morris Division champion Carolina Mudcats. The Cats fell to the Mighty Men in the second round of the playoffs and look destined to rebuild next season. The other two teams near the bottom are the Amityville Ant Slayers (13th) entering their sophomore season and New Jersey Team Buddah (12th) who seems to be stuck near the bottom every year.

Just to show how much this means, according to the Mirror League last season - out of the top 6 finishers, 4 made the playoffs. Arkansas, who finished 3rd, just barely missed out, and Sardine City, finishing 6th, was the second worst team in the league. 12th place Carolina, as noted before, won their division.

Trades keep rolling in...

Sardine City and Blue Ridge confirmed a deal today that sent infielder Alexei Ramirez to the Bombers in exchange for their 4th round pick. Ramirez was a much-criticized first round pick from last year's draft. But Ramirez struggled for the Straphangers, hitting .246 with a .607 OPS. The Bombers hope to improve on the young Ramirez's hitting.

Draft Lottery results posted

As mentioned yesterday, the Draft Lottery results were published a couple of days ago. Amityville, Arkansas, and Philadelphia all moved up one spot in the order, while Blue Ridge fell one and D.C. fell two spots. Both New Jersey and Sardine City, which sent threatening letters to the commissioner's office for the past two months, have their spots in the order secured. The squad of mercenaries and various mafioso types that have been hanging out in front of the Commish's office have been recalled to their respective home bases. Meanwhile, the D.C. office plans to put the "bomb" in "O-Bomber" after their less than favorable results. But don't worry about them - the O-Bombers already have an extra draft pick in the first round, and are fishing for more.

By the way, amazingly enough, it appears to be favorable to sit in the 7th spot as that team has never once in the history of draft lotteries picked in that position. 5 times out of 7 they've moved up in the order, to as far as the 4th overall slot.

Busy day of deals

Teams are wasting no time in making deals.

Las Vegas and Philadelphia agreed to a deal in which the Endzone Animals get veteran reliever Trevor Hoffman and Vegas gets their 4th round pick back. Hoffman had a very rough year last year for the Pack, going 1-8 with a 9.21 ERA and 7 blown saves, but the Animals believe he can bounce back. Philadelphia wasn't done dealing though and dealt away pitchers Brandon Webb and Scott Kazmir along with outfielder Michael Cuddyer to Vancouver for catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez mostly played a platoon role for Vancouver this year, but Philly intends to give him a fulltime gig. "It was tough to leave the Pacific Northwest" said Martinez in a tearful press conference, "but it'll be good to get another chance at another ring." Martinez had been with Vancouver since 2004. Webb was acquired by Philly in 2006 from Westwood and has been a fixture in the rotation since, but suffered an injury at the end of the season and will miss the entire 2010 campaign. Kazmir was another acquistion, nabbed from Hoboken last offseason. Vancouver hopes to work with Kazmir to find his groove again.

The results for the Lottery have been posted. More to come on that...

More trades

Seems as though Newark and D.C. have broken open the floodgates.

Immediately following the other day's Abreu deal, D.C. has acquired shortstop Erick Aybar from Vancouver for their 3rd round pick in 2011 and prospect Cameron Maybin. Aybar was a trade deadline pickup for the Fist this past season, but his solid play earned him the main part of a platoon role down the stretch. However with young Elvis Andrus as the apparent shortstop of the future for Vancouver, Aybar was deemed expendable. Maybin has been a hot prospect for a while now, even had a stay in Vancouver's farm two years ago. The Fist hope that maybe he'll finally put it all together and live up to the hype.

Today, the third deal of the offseason was consummated between Philadelphia and Hillsborough. The Hitmen traded lefty C.C. Sabathia to the Endzone Animals for their 1st and 5th picks in 2011 and reliever George Sherrill. Sabathia was 14-9 with a 3.92 ERA for the Hitmen this season and has been a solid starter for most of his career (though the 3.92 ERA was his career low). Sherrill had a rough 2008 season, but he should be a good candidate for a bounceback in '09.

Newark executes first trade of offseason

The final drops of champagne weren't even out of the bottle before Newark pulled the trigger on the first deal of the offseason. After the Series was over, an irate Butch Garretson pulled Bobby Abreu into his office and went on a 20 minute tirade. Apparently, the veteran outfielder had been playing video games in between innings of Game 7. "No wonder he went 0-4" said Garretson. Abreu, who had been with the team since 1999 was swiftly dealt to D.C. for first baseman Nick Johnson, second baseman Howie Kendrick, and D.C.'s 6th round pick. Johnson, a former Mitchell Award winner, had played with the Sugar Bears from 2005-2007. Johnson missed the entire 2008 season, forcing Newark to make a difficult decision to release him. But D.C. took a chance on Johnson in the 2009 draft and is now able to cash in. "Now Nickie Boy, that's a fine young lad who wouldn't be playing Call of Duty in between pitches" said Garretson.

Your 2009 champions: The Mighty Men!

The Mighty Men put everything on the back of veteran Mike Mussina and the old horse came through with a gem. Mussina pitched a 9-inning shutout in game 7, limiting the vaunted Sugar Bears offense to only 2 hits and 3 walks, and securing the 2009 Championship for the Mighty Men. Moose was named the World Series MVP and awarded the Bud Black Trophy. The tearful Mussina announced in the postgame press conference that he would retire now. "Really what else can top this?" he said. Mussina has spent the last 6 years with the franchise and looks like a serious candidate for the Hall of Fame. But back to the game...

The Mighty Men jumped on the Sugar Bears right off the bat as Kevin Youkilis led off the game with a double. Youk would score shortly after on a two-run Milton Bradley home run. Meanwhile, Mussina carried a no-hitter into the 5th inning, when the no-no was broken up by a J.D. Drew single. The Mighty Men tacked on another run in the 8th on an Adrian Beltre single with two men on. Newark would get their only other hit in the 9th - a weak blooper up the middle by Mike Fontenot - but he was doubled off by Manny Ramirez to end the game.

It's on

Tonight...for all the marbles. Saunders vs. Mussina

Deja vu all over again

Newark has tied their series with Marietta, forcing a decisive game 7 in Newark Friday evening. Newark jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning yesterday as Shawn Marcum walked the first three batters, then giving up two singles. Marietta scored one in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1. Then in the bottom of the 3rd, Kevin Youkilis hit a single that tied the game up at 3. In the 4th, the Mighty Men took a one-run lead on an Orlando Hudson single. It was short-lived, however, as Manny Ramirez tied it up with a solo home run in the next inning. The score remained 4-4 until the 7th when Asdrubal Cabrera hit an RBI single to give the Sugar Bears the 5-4 lead. Newark then extended the lead in the 8th on a Jason Giambi solo home run. Time was running out for the Mighty Men, but their first two batters in the 9th hit singles. Milton Bradley put the kibosh on that with a double play grounder - although Nick Punto managed to score on the play to make it 6-5. Brian Giles hit a single in the next at bat, leaving Newark closer Joey Devine sweating with big time slugger Adrian Gonzalez due up. Unfortunately for Marietta, Gonzalez struck out, ending the game.

Mighty Men take one step closer to the title

The Mighty Men took a 4-2 decision against Newark last night and now are just one game away from winning their second title in franchise history. Then again, the Mighty Men are standing in the same exact spot as the Hillsborough Hired Hitmen stood not that long ago.

The Mighty Men jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first two innings, then padded the total to 4-0 after a 2-run 5th. It was a good thing too, because the Sugar Bears managed to score two more runs during the rest of the game, but ended up short. John Danks earned the win by pitching 6.1 innings and giving up only an unearned run on 6 hits. Brian Giles was the star on offense, going 3-4 with a run and an RBI. An interesting little tidbit, or not, but out of the 6 total runs scored in the game only 2 runs were earned. Both teams committed a pair of crucial errors that led to runners crossing the plate. Orlando Hudson's error in the second with 2 outs continued the inning that led to Marietta's 2nd run, then J.D. Drew's error in the 5th on a single allowed both runners to advance an extra base. Both runners would score easily on a Kevin Youkilis double. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter's error in the 5th allowed Newark to score their first run and Newark's other run scored a runner that reached base on Josh Hamilton's miscue in the outfield.

The teams are off today and resume their series on Wednesday.

Series tied up yet again

Marietta once again knotted the series after falling down 2-1 over the weekend. But the Mighty Men battled back to bring the series back to Newark on even footing. Things looked bleak for Marietta as the Sugar Bears rolled out to a 9-2 lead. In the 8th, Marietta rallied to pick up 3 runs, but were still down by a 9-5 margin. With Newark's vaunted bullpen, things looked bad. But in the 9th, the inexplicable happend. Adrian Beltre led off with a single and Milton Bradley followed up with a single, but the next two batters were retired, leaving the Mighty Men down 4 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Geovany Soto came up and singled in Beltre. He was followed by Jason Bay, who hit a 3-run homer to tie the game up. Newark brought in their clutch closer Joey Devine to try to get out of the inning, but he walked the first two batters. Frustrated, Newark manager Don Mattingly brought in veteran lefty Randy Johnson to face Kevin Youkilis. Johnson, who was told he was on the roster basically for "moral support", was surprised to be brought into the game, but Newark was in panic mode. Unfortunately for them, the move did not pay off as Johnson served up a 3-run homer to Youkilis, ending the game. "So much for moral support" said a demoralized Joe Saunders who would have been in line to pick up the W in the game.

The series resumes tonight in Newark...

Marietta evens it up

It was looking pretty bad for the Mighty Men there for a while. Newark and Chien-Ming Wang were holding the Mighty Men scoreless for the first 7 innings, but the Mighty Men came through. The Sugar Bears got on the board first when Manny Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the 6th. Chipper Jones would get a base hit in the inning, but it was the last hit Newark would get in the game. Yes, they did walk a few more times, but the Sugar Bears also hit into two crushing double plays.

In the 8th inning, the Mighty Men made their move. Chipper Jones' error allowed Brian Giles to reach base with one out. Adrian Gonzalez then singled. Josh Hamilton hit a sac fly to score Giles, making the score 2-1 in Newark's favor. Kevin Youkilis then came through with a two-run home run to give the Mighty Men the lead. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless 9th to pick up his 4th save of the playoffs.

The series resumes Saturday in Marietta. Newark, so far, is undefeated on the road in the playoffs. They'll be sending Justin Duchscherer to the mound against Mike Mussina.

Game 1 goes to Newark

Both the Mighty Men and Sugar Bears sent lefties to the hill in game one and both were doing well for 4 innings. The score was 0-0 until the bottom of the 5th when the wheels fell off for John Danks and the Mighty Men. J.D. Drew started things off with a one-out single, followed by a Manny Ramirez base hit. After the next batter popped out, it looked like the Mighty Men might escape unscathed. But Asdrubal Cabrera came through with a double, scoring two runs and giving the Sugar Bears the lead. Cabrera would score on an Edgar Renteria single and soon Newark had a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Mighty Men could not figure out Saunders, who retired 10 straight at one point. Finally in the 8th, Geovany Soto came through with a 2-run homer to bring the Mighty Men to within one run, but Newark came back with 3 more runs in the bottom half. The Mighty Men managed to get two runners on the bases in the 9th, but their two big guns - Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton - failed to plate anyone. Final score: 6-2 Newark.

The Mighty Men were held to just 3 hits in the game by Joe Saunders, who pitched 8.1 innings to earn the win. J.D. Drew was the offensive hero for Newark, going 4-4 with 2 runs scored. The two teams resume later today with Chien-Ming Wang taking the mound for Newark and Marietta counters with Shawn Marcum.

More World Series previewing...

Marietta and Newark kick off the 2009 DMBL World Series today. Marietta will send John Danks to the mound and Newark assigns Joe Saunders for the task in a battle of lefties. Let's take a closer look at the two teams.

Offense

Newark is well-known as an offensive juggernaut, but that is probably more a carryover of their days in the old stadium. Make no mistake, however, the Sugar Bears are still a lethal force with the bat. The Sugar Bears tied for the league lead in OPS (.834 with Hillsborough) and led the league in runs scored (966). The Sugar Bear lineup features such offensive studs as Chipper Jones (.307/.408/.448), Manny Ramirez (.288/.345/.548), and Bobby Abreu (.285/.372/.447), but it's the unheralded no-names that have been the traditional hallmark of the franchise. This year it's not different with the likes of Mike Fontenot (.290/.364/.447) and Ramon Vazquez (.276/.359/.422) playing big roles in the lineup. Newark is also well known for maximizing their platoon capabilities. Edgar Renteria and Asdrubal Cabrera have made the most of their limited at bats. If there is a weakness in the lineup, it's probably in the first base/designated hitter platoons. Jason Giambi, and Jack Cust have posted poor batting averages, but have delivered with a mean power stroke, hitting 78 homers between the two of them.

Marietta's offense is nothing to laugh off however. Josh Hamilton has been a beast (.321/.374/.558) in the lineup and Adrian Gonzalez (.297/.352/.554) and Kevin Youkilis (.288/.353/.520) have also been great contributers. First round pick Milton Bradley has been a mild disapointment, but has been good in the playoffs (.356/.453/.689). Catcher has been a black hole for the Mighty Men as neither Geovani Soto nor Kurt Suzuki have showed much with the bat.

Pitching

Newark and Marietta were 3rd and 4th respectively in team ERA and 2nd and 4th in team WHIP.

Newark's pitching staff was anchored by Chien-Ming Wang, who had a career year with a 21-4 record, 3.32 ERA, and 1.26 WHIP. Justin Duchscherer has been solid since his acquisition from Blue Ridge, but the rest of the staff has been merely adequate. Again, Newark's strength lies in its bullpen, particularly rookie Joey Devine, this year's Eckersley Award winner. Newark's pen featured 7 relievers, 5 of which had ERAs less than 3.00.

John Danks anchors a solid, if unspectacular Marietta staff. Danks finished 19-6 with a 3.46 ERA, but no other pitcher finished below a 4.38 ERA. Marietta is another team that prides itself on a great bullpen. Anchored by future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera (8-3, 1.73, 29 saves), the Mighty Men bullpen stacks up very well against the Sugar Bears' staff.

So does anyone want to post some predictions?

DMBL World Series matchup

So it looks like it should be a pretty good matchup this year between the Mighty Men of Marietta and Newark Sugar Bears. As we already noted this is a rematch of the 2007 World Series, but how did the two stack up against each other this season?

Although Newark holds the home field advantage, the Mighty Men actually won the season series between the two 7 games to 6. The teams split the 6 games in Marietta, but the Mighty Men won 4 out of 7 in Newark. Hillsborough already proved that the Sugar Bears are vulnerable at home, so this is good news for the Mighty Men's chances. Newark outscored the Mighty Men in total runs in the 13 games, but it was only by one run - 69-68.

The Sugar Bears won their first two meetings against the Mighty Men way back in March, but the Mighty Men took game three. The three games had a series sandwiched in between, so game three was actually played 4 days after game 2, allowing the Mighty Men to face James Shields twice in three games. Shields was on the reserve roster for Newark, so it's doubtful that they'll see him in the Series.

The next series between the two took place in April, and Newark seemed to pounce all over the Mighty Men with a 9-0 game one. But, the Mighty Men won an extra innings game in game two (another Shields start) and rode the momentum to take game 3. The series was now deadlocked at 3-3 with the remaining games to be played in Newark.

Newark finally hosted the Mighty Men in the beginning of June, but got swept as the Sugar Bears stubbornly sent out James Shields for game one once again. Toward the end of July, the two played a two-game set. Marietta took the first game in extra innings once again, while the Sugar Bears won the second. Shields amazingly did not pitch in the series.

The most recent two games were played in August and Newark took both games, including an extra inning 10-9 slugfest. Going into the World Series, Newark has the momentum in their matchups with the Mighty Men, winning their last 3 games in head-to-head battle.

2009 Series: Marietta vs Newark

The Mighty Men finished off the Mudcats Saturday in 6 games by a 6-3 score. Adrian Gonzalez was 3-4 with 4 RBIs, including a key 2-run homer that gave the Mighty Men the lead in the third. The Mighty Men took a shot and sent veteran Mike Mussina to the mound instead of lefty Francisco Liriano and it paid off. Moose pitched 8 innings, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits.

Meanwhile, the Sugar Bears finally snapped their home losing streak and defeated the Hitmen 3-1, winning their series in 7 games. Justin Duchscherer pitched an impressive game in his third start for the Sugar Bears, earning his 2nd win of the series. Hillsborough starter C.C. Sabathia went the distance for Hillsborough, but ended up with the loss.

The Newark-Marietta faceoff is a rematch of the 2007 Series in which the juggernaut Sugar Bears defeated the Mighty Men in 6 games. It marks the third time that the Marietta franchise has appeared in the finals (they won in 2000 when they were the Jerusalem Rabbis).

Marietta pushes Mudcats to the brink

The Mighty Men took a 3-2 lead in their 7-game series with the Mudcats, after once again prevailing in extra innings. The Mighty Men struck early in the first, but the Mudcats tied the game up at 1-1 on a Grady Sizemore single. The score remained tied until the 6th when Brian Giles doubled in Milton Bradley, giving the Mighty Men a 2-1 lead. The Cats tied it up again in the 7th when pinch-hitter Cody Ross came through with an RBI single. At the end of 9 innings, the game was still deadlocked at 2. In the top of the 10th, the Cats got into trouble, walking the first two batters, but the Mighty Men left their runners stranded. Carolina once again walked the leadoff batter in the 11th and this time it burned them as Josh Hamilton and Kevin Youkilis hit back-to-back doubles, giving the Mighty Men a 4-2 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, veteran Mariano Rivera was brought in to preserve the lead, and he was able to retire three of the four batters to nail down his second postseason save. The series will resume Saturday when Marietta will send Mike Mussina to the mound, while Carolina has Carlos Zambrano scheduled.

Today, Hillsborough will try to take Newark out of the playoffs, as they play host to the Sugar Bears holding a 3-2 series lead. The Hitmen will start John Lackey and the Sugar Bears will go with Chien-Ming Wang.

Battle of the Road Warriors

For the fifth straight time in the Newark-Hillsborough series, the road team has won - that's bad news for Newark, who has the home field "advantage" in this series. The Hitmen were all over the Sugar Bears in yesterday's game, pounding Newark for an 8-3 final score. Billy Butler was the star on offense, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 4. Overall the Hitmen only had one more hit than Newark (11-10), but they had 7 extra base hits compared to Newark's 2. Dan Haren pitched a solid game for Hillsborough, giving them 7 innings of one-run ball, striking out 7 and walking 2. The two teams travel back to Hillsborough for game 6 on Friday. Will the road teams' luck hold out and keep Newark alive? Or will Hillsborough reverse the trend and play in their first ever World Series?

Marietta and Carolina resume their series today in Carolina where we'll see a rematch of Game 1. As you may recall, the Mudcats shellacked the Mighty Men 11-0 in that game behind Roy Halladay's 4-hit performance. The Mighty Men will be hoping for a different result, no doubt.

Mudats even series at 2

Both series are now evened at 2 games apiece after yesterday's 4-1 defeat of Marietta at the hands of the Mudcats. Daisuke Matsuzaka held the Mighty Men to only 2 hits, one of which was a solo Jason Bay home run, in 8 innings, while striking out 9. Dustin Pedroia and Grady Sizemore each had 2 hits and Xavier Nady had 2 RBIs in the contest for the Mudcats. The two teams take the day off and resume their series in Carolina tomorrow.

Meanwhile, it's back to Newark today, as the Sugar Bears send Joe Saunders against Dan Haren and the Hired Hitmen in a rematch of Game 2. Hillsborough took that game by a 9-7 final, in case you were interested.

Sugar Bears even series, Mighty Men take lead

Just like that the Hired Hitmen's big 2-0 series lead evaporated. The Sugar Bears once again flexed their offensive muscle in an 8-1 rout of Hillsborough yesterday. Starter Justin Duchscherer held the Hitmen to just 2 hits over 5.2 innings and Asdrubal Cabrera went 2-5 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Both teams will take a breather before resuming the series in Newark on Wednesday. Newark will try to reverse the trend that has seen the road team win in each game of this series - a certain recipe for doom for the Sugar Bears.

The Mighty Men hosted Carolina yesterday in game three of their series, once again pulling off a one-run victory, 5-4. Both teams got most of their production in the 3rd inning. The Cats started things off when Alex Rios hit a two-run homer, then scored another two runs later in the inning, taking an early 4-0 lead. But the Mighty Men came right back and scored three runs. With the Cats clinging to a 4-3 lead entering the 9th, Carolina brought in closer Brian Fuentes to finish the job. With one out, Adrian Beltre hit a double, then the Mudcats intentionally walked Milton Bradley and struck out Brian Giles. Carolina was now one out away from taking the series lead, but pinch hitter Nick Punto came through with a base hit to tie the game. Josh Hamilton then hit a liner up the middle to win the game 5-4. Marietta will send Ervin Santana to the mound for game 4, while Carolina will go with Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Newark finally wins, Mighty Men even series with Cats

The Sugar Bears took game 3 by a resounding 13-5 final, notching one in their column in the 2-1 series. The Sugar Bears took no chances, coming out of the gates and scoring 10 runs in the first 3 innings. Before the Hitmen could even blink, they were down 10-2. The Sugar Bears chased starter Justin Verlander early in the second. Verlander finished with 1 IP, 7 ER and 7 hits allowed. Manny Ramirez went 3-6 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs and Jack Cust was 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Chien-Ming Wang earned the victory for Newark, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings. Justin Duchscherer and C.C. Sabathia take the mound for the teams today, both pitching on 3 days' rest.

Meanwhile, Marietta will host Carolina in game 3 of their tied series with Shawn Marcum and Tim Hudson taking the mound for their respective teams. The Mighty Men evened their series Saturday in an 11-inning win. The teams both finished deadlocked at 5-5 after 9 innings, when Adrian Gonzalez gave the Mighty Men a 6-5 lead on an RBI single, but the Mighty Men rally died with two runners stranded as Edwar Ramirez retired the final two batters of the inning. The Mudcats came back in the bottom half when Bengie Molina singled home Carlos Delgado. The Cats also stranded two runners in the inning. Jason Bay led off the next inning with a triple and scored on a Nick Punto base hit. After an error put Punto on second, Adrian Beltre came through with a single, but Punto was called out at home. Reliever Brian Fuentes then walked Milton Bradley and got Brian Giles to fly out, ending the inning. Carolina was once again forced to come from behind to keep the game going, but their first two batters were quickly retired. Mariano Rivera hit the next batter and gave up a single to Randy Winn. With the tying run on third base however, Vernon Wells struck out, ending the game.

Hitmen strike first

The Hitmen won a huge 4-3 game against Newark in their best-of-7 series opener. Newark was first on the board when Chipper Jones drove in Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning, but Ryan Howard tied it up with a solo homer in the second. Hillsborough took their first lead on a sac fly in the third, then scored 2 more on back-to-back RBI singles in the 4th. Manny Ramirez made it a 4-3 game with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 4th, but Edgar Renteria ended the rally by grounding out. Things were going smoothly for the Hitmen, retiring 9 straight Sugar Bears going into the 9th. Closer Mike Gonzalez walked leadoff hitter Carlos Guillen, then gave up a single to Bobby Abreu. The Sugar Bears were threatening to take the lead back, but Cabrera hit into a double play, severely deflating the Sugar Bears. Gonzalez struck out Ramon Vazquez to end the game, giving the Hitmen a 1-0 lead in the series. Dan Haren will square off against Joe Saunders in today's game 2.

Marietta and Carolina start their series today. Marietta sends lefty John Danks to the mound, while Carolina has opted to go with veteran Roy Halladay.

Hillsborough goes on, Newark next

The Hired Hitmen shutout the Rat Pack 7-0 to take the decisive game 5 and advance to the second round. Three Hitmen pitchers combined to hold the Rats to 6 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 13. Ryan Howard was 3-4 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs and Aubrey Huff and Nick Markakis were also 3-4 each. The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then tacked on 4 runs in the third, including a 2-run Ryan Howard home run. Howard then came through again in the 7th with another 2-run shot off Derrek Lowe. The Hitmen will face Newark in a best-of-7 series starting Thursday.

Second half pitching review

The first half of the season was not one to remember for most of the Class of 2009 first-rounders, especially on the pitching side.

Chris Volstad of Amityville was the lone success story, storming in the second half with an 11-5 mark and a 3.44 ERA. He was about the only ‘09 first-rounder to turn his season around after the break: Sardine City’s Josh Johnson was 5-6 with a 6.19 ERA, New Jersey’s Edinson Volquez was 2-5 with a 5.29 ERA, and Ricky Nolasco of Arkansas was 6-5 but had the worst ERA of the bunch at 7.11.

A handful of starters did a Jekyll and Hyde routine in the second half and would’ve been all-stars if they’d put together these numbers in the first half:
Sardine City’s Cole Hamels was among five pitchers with double-digit wins, going 10-3 with a 3.61 ERA in 112½ IP. He was one of the few bright spots in a league-worst 29-51 second half record. New Jersey’s Andy Pettitte had a league-high three shutouts, including one in the season finale, and had an impressive 9-3 record with a 4.19 ERA. Yet another lefty, CC Sabathia of Hillsborough, was sharp, with a 3.70 ERA and 7-3 mark, including 2 shutouts.

Newark had four starters win at least 8 games to help them to a league-best 58-21 record in the second half. Veteran Randy Johnson was 8-1 in 11 starts with a 3.23 ERA. Justin Duchsherer was 8-4 after being acquired midseason and James Shields went 8-5.

Josh Beckett and Tim Lincecum of Las Vegas were neck and neck at the break, with the starting nod in the all-star game all but a coin flip. That’s where their seasons diverged. Lincecum continued his impressive year, going 8-2 in the second half with a 3.38 ERA and 110 strikeouts. Beckett also had 110 strikeouts and somehow managed to go 7-5 despite an ugly 5.51 ERA. Teammate AJ Burnett was 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA.

Vancouver had a trio of starters who nose-dived in the second half. All-star Zack Greinke likely would not have made a second-half All-Star squad. He was an even 6-6 but had an ERA of 5.65, which somehow was better than teammate Chad Billingsley’s 5.79 though he went 6-5. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux cooled off after entering the rotation during the first half, going 4-5 with a 5.82 ERA. Hoboken’s Jeremy Guthrie, an all-star, had a solid 3.35 ERA but only went 6-6.

Other pitchers who would rather forget the second half of 2009: Hoboken rookie Clayton Kershaw had an impressive first few starts; in fact, he had 5 quality starts in 7 opportunities and ran his record to 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA at the break. It was enough to win a rotation spot in the second half. That’s when he spit the bit, going 0-5 in 12 starts with a hideous 10.07 ERA. The lone bright spot might’ve been his 46 strikeouts in 44.7 IP.

Johan Santana of Arkansas has been among the winningest pitchers in DMBL the last few season but 2009 was among his worst, especially his second half. He went 2-9 with a 5.84 ERA. Amityville’s John Lester led the league in second-half losses, going 2-10 but still gutted out 3 CGs and 110 IP. Philly’s Scott Kazmir won 10 games despite a 4.59 ERA. Among the ugliest second halves was had by Blue Ridge’s Francisco Rodriguez, who had a manageable 4.34 ERA in 41 games, but a dreadful 1-7 mark.

Second half pitching leaders

ERA

Halladay, CAR 2.09

Danks, MAR 2.70

Bedard, DC 2.96

Wang, NWK 3.07

Rjohnson, NWK 3.23

Burnett, LV 3.23

Wins

Volstad, AMI 11-5

Wang, NWK 10-2

Danks, MAR 10-4

Kazmir, PHI 10-4

Hamels, SAR 10-3

IP

Halladay, CAR 120.7

Duchscherer, NWK 114.0

Lackey, HIL 113.3

Webb, PHI 113.0

Hamels, SAR 112.3

Strikeouts

Halladay, CAR 113

Lincecum, LV 110

Beckett, LV 110

Kazmir, PHI 107

Haren, HIL 106

Saves

Soria, ARK 16

Papelbon, DC 15

Fuentes, CAR 15

Mgonzalez, HIL 14

Jenks, NJ 12

Games

Papelbon, DC 45

Rhodes, AMI 45

Bell, AMI 42

Crain, BR 42

Frodriguez, BR 41

Mighty Men advance, face Carolina

John Danks once again stymied the Iron Fist, this time blanking the 2008 champs on 3 hits in 8 innings. Ben Sheets did better his second time around, pitching 6.1 innings and yielding only 2 runs on 4 hits, but it was enough to finish off Vancouver and send the Mighty Men to round two. All the scoring in the game came in the 7th inning. Jason Bay started things off with a single after the first batter was out. Kurt Suzuki singled next chasing Sheets in favor of reliever Russ Springer. Springer got Nick Punto to ground out, catching Bay trying to score, but Orlando Hudson came through with a 2-run double that cleared the bases. And that was it. Marietta managed only 6 hits but that was double what Vancouver could gather.

Tonight, Hillsborough hosts Las Vegas in their decisive game 5 matchup, pitting Dan Haren against Tim Lincecum. The winner will face the Newark Sugar Bears on Thursday.

First rounds both head to decisive game 5

We're back from hiatus, just in time as both first round playoff series head to a decisive game 5. Hillsborough evened up their series with Vegas yesterday. The Hitmen offense came alive and scored 7 runs in the third inning off starter A.J. Burnett to force the series to return to New Jersey. Nick Markakis was 3-4 and Russell Martin was 3-4 with 2 RBIs for the Hitmen. Ronnie Belliard also went 2-4 with 4 RBIs for the Hitmen. The series resumes Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is in Marietta, as their series climaxes with Ben Sheets and John Danks on the mound for their respective teams. This is essentially a rematch of game one that saw the Mighty Men destroy the Iron Fist 9-1, holding the defending champs to a dismal 4 hits. The Mighty Men also benefitted from 9 walks issued by Vancouver pitchers. Will it be a repeat?

The first round of awards were issued over the weekend, as winners for the Rintel and Eckersley awards were issued. Voting for the three top prizes is already underway and Gold Glove winners will be announced soon.

Batting leaders of the second half

Albert Pujols of Philly is a perennial all-star and his second half of the 2009 season was an all-around monster. He was on the second-half leaderboard in just about every offensive category -- if he wasn’t leading it -- slugging .684 with an OBP of .396, 101 hits, 26 doubles, 27 HRs, 67 runs and 77 RBIs.

Aubrey Huff of Hillsborough, who probably had the best first half of any batter, cooled off but not all that much: 16 Hrs, 64 RBIs and 64 runs. Nick Markakis also proved to be a key cog in the lineup, scoring 60 runs and hitting a league-best 30 doubles.

David Wright of Arkansas had an all-around great second half, with 19 HRs and 68 RBIs, slugging .573 and an OBP of .394. Vancouver’s Chase Utley was solid, hitting 19 doubles, 16 HRs, 51 runs and 64 RBIs. Wright’s teammate Skip Schumaker, a 9^th-round pick this year, won the second-half batting title but fell percentage points short of catching Carolina’s Dustin Pedroia for the 2009 batting crown.

Carlos Quentin rebounded with 21 HRs, 59 runs and 61 RBIs for Sardine City. Hoboken’s Adam Dunn also salvaged his 2009 season with a productive second half, smacking 21 HRs, with 48 RBIs and “only” 77 strikeouts while hitting .290 and slugging .598. Hoboken catcher Mike Napoli was a model of consistency, smacking 26 HRs in both the first and second halves of the season (and taking the 2009 home run title). He did have 103 strikeouts but no one could touch Newark’s Jack Cust in that category, with 124 Ks (though he did smack 21 HRs).

Las Vegas was powered by Carlos Pena who smacked 19 HRs and hit .332 to go with a ridiculous .465 OBP and .712 SLG in 63 games. Veteran Brian Giles of Marietta swatted 29 doubles and hit .319 along with an outrageous 51 BBs against just 28 Ks.

Marietta’s Milton Bradley, the top pick in the ‘09 draft, had a solid if unspectacular second half, with 19 doubles, 12 HRs, 57 runs and 102 strikeouts against 53 BBs. Teammates Jason Bay and Adrian Gonzalez provided the power for the Mighty Men with 18 HRs each.

As always it seems, Jose Reyes of DC led the league with 9 second-half triples.

Some second-half numbers that might surprise: Eric Hinske’s 16 HRs and 51 RBIs to complement Torii Hunter’s 18 HRs and 50 RBIs for Amityville. Perennial home run king, and ’09 All-Star starter, Ryan Howard of Hillsborough hit just .229 with 13 HRs.

Hillsborough’s Shin-Soo-Choo continued to make his case for a batter to take the Listach award, hitting 28 doubles, 22 HRs, 55 RBIs and 57 runs. His competition for the hardware, Chris Davis of Las Vegas started all 82 games in the first half and led rookies with 18 HRs and 58 RBIs. To say he tailed off would be an understatement, losing his job and finding his way into only 44 games where he had just 2 HRs and 19 RBIs. Fellow rookie Jay Bruce of DC continued to hit, with 16 HRs in 68 second-half games, and a .291 average.

Second half batting leaders

BA

Schumaker, ARK .354

Pedroia, CAR .337

Wright, ARK .334

Pujols, PHI .332

CPena, LV .332

H

Pedroia, CAR 111

Wright, ARK 108

Pujols, PHI 101

MOrdonez, CAR 99

CJones, NWK 98

HR

Pujols, PHI 27

Napoli, HBK 26

Choo, HIL 22

Dunn, HBK 21

Quentin, SAR 21

Cust, NWK 21

RBI

Pujols, PHI 77

MRamirez, NWK 70

Napoli, HBK 70

JHamilton, MAR 69

Wright, ARK 68

Huff, HIL 64

Utley, VAN 64

R

Pujols, PHI 67

Huff, HIL 65

Napoli, HBK 61

Berkman, ARK 60

Markakis, HIL 60

2B

Markakis, HIL 30

Giles, MAR 29

Choo, HIL 28

Rollins, PHI 26

Pujols, PHI 26

SB

Rollins, PHI 19

BUpton, SAR 18

Reyes, DC 13

BRoberts, PHI 13

Kinsler, HBK 12

Season ends quietly, playoffs to start next week

The start of the first round of playoffs is tentatively set for Wednesday. Marietta will host Vancouver and then Thursday, Hillsborough will host Las Vegas. Newark and Carolina have secured the first round byes.

For Carolina, it's the first divisional title in the team's history. The closest they came to winning it before was in 2004 when they finished 2 games behind the Falcons. That was also their best season, percentage-wise, when they won 98 games. Newark, of course, has won 9 Hanover titles in a row.

Marietta makes their 10th playoff appearance. The Mighty Men missed the playoffs last year, but made it to the postseason five consecutive times before that.

Hillsborough returns for the second straight year - last year they were the 6th seed. It's the fifth playoff appearance for owner Brent Campbell, who had three straight playoff teams with Louisiana from 1996-1998, before departing on hiatus.

Las Vegas also makes their second consecutive playoff appearance. Last year, the Rats came within one game of the World Series, but lost to Vancouver. It's the third overall postseason berth for the Rat Pack.

Finally, Vancouver squeaks in on nearly the last day to defend their title. The Iron Fist have never been lower than a 3rd seed in the playoffs until this year.

Vancouver clinches, Carolina one step away

Vancouver made it official with a 13-8 victory over Sardine City, becoming the final team to clinch a playoff spot. David Ortiz was 3-4 with 5 RBIs and Chase Utley was 2-3 with 4 runs in the contest. Vancouver jumped out early against starter Ubaldo Jimenez, chasing the righthander out of the game with one out in the 2nd after giving up 8 runs. The defending champions will take on Marietta in the first round no matter how everything else shakes out.

Meanwhile, Carolina clinched at least a tie for the division lead with a 9-7 victory over Newark. Dustin Pedroia was 3-4 with 4 RBIs and Xavier Nady was also 3-4 as the Mudcats dealt a big blow to Chien-Ming Wang's Ben McDonald Award hopes. Wang had pitched himself into the driver's seat before this game. Nevertheless, Wang still leads the league in wins (21) and is 3rd in ERA (3.32), so he still has a good shot at the prize. With another Carolina win or a Hillsborough loss, the Mudcats will clinch their first ever Morris Division title.

It'll be tough for the Hitmen to win both of their remaining games, considering they'll be taking on Las Vegas. If the Hitmen don't miraculously win the division, they'll be playing Vegas in the first round. Yesterday, the Hitmen lost 5-1 to Tim Lincecum and the Rats to put them 2 games out of first place. Lincecum, Wang's toughest competition for the McDonald, improved to 19-3 with 6.2 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball. Lincecum struck out 9, giving him a total of 246, top in the league. Lincecum is also second in ERA with 3.15, behind only Carolina's Roy Halladay (2.72).

Vancouver clinches tie

Vancouver missed a golden opportunity to clinch the final playoff spot yesterday, but instead had to settle for clinching a tie. The Fist dropped a 6-4 decision to Sardine City, leaving the defending champions 3 games ahead of Arkansas and Philadelphia with only 3 games left to go. Arkansas lost 5-3 to Marietta on Brandon Phillips' grand slam in the 5th. Meanwhile, the Endzone Animals were smoked by Hoboken 12-4. Aaron Cook took a shutout into the 9th but gave up two two-run homers in the innings.

Hillsborough gained a 1/2 game on Carolina in a 7-5 defeat of the injury-ravaged Rat Pack. Ryan Howard was 2-4 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs in the contest. Hillsborough is now 1 game behind Morris Division leader Carolina and 2 games ahead of Las Vegas in the wild card standings. This series is looking more and more likely to continue on into the post-season - as of now, if the season ended, the Rat Pack and Hillsborough would meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Rollins, Pettitte claim this week's honors

Even with his team teeter-tottering on the brink of playoff contention, Jimmy Rollins can still produce a clutch performance. Rollins, this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week, hit .452 (14-31) this week with a stellar .514 OBP and .903 slugging percentage. Rollins also drove in 11 runs, hit 5 doubles and 3 home runs, scored 5 runs, and stole three bases.

Rollins had a lot of competition this week: New Jersey's Shane Victorino (.480/.536/.720) and Ian Stewart (.400/.500/.880, 8 R), Arkansas' Justin Morneau (.400/.444/.720, 8 R, 6 RBI), Carolina's Alex Rios (.424/.444/.606, 7 R, 6 RBI), Hillsborough's Shin-Soo Choo (.379/.419/.862, 10 RBIs, 3 HR), Blue Ridge's Prince Fielder (.393/.514/.714, 3 HR), Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez (.391/.440/.913, 3 HR, 10 RBI), and Hoboken's Hanley Ramirez (.407/.484/.852, 10 RBI, 3 HR).

Special mention goes to Hoboken's Mike Napoli, who hit 5 home runs this week and leads the league with 51 home runs on the season. Napoli broke the Cutters' single season team record for home runs, previously held by Mike Piazza.

With all those big offensive weeks, you know that the pitching is going to be thin this week. We still managed to find out diamond in the rough, and this week, the rough is in New Jersey. Andy Pettitte had a superb week, though he only could win one game. Pettitte's first game was a no-decision against D.C. where he pitched 7.2 innings and gave up only 2 earned runs, but in his second outing, he pitched a complete game shutout against Amityville. Pettitte allowed only 6 hits in the 17-0 victory. He takes this week's Let Them Sing it For You Pitcher of the Week award.

The best of the rest: Carolina's Roy Halladay (1-0, 1.98, 1.24 WHIP, 13 K), Hoboken's Jeremy Guthrie (1-0, 2.77, 0.92, 15 K), Las Vegas's A.J. Burnett (2-0, 2.70, 0.97, 13 K), and Vancouver's Jake Peavy (1-0, 2.70, 15 K).

Sugar Bear streak ends at 17

With the new win streak record already in hand, the Sugar Bears let down their guard yesterday and lost 6-2 to Carolina, officially ending their 17 game winning streak. John Maine held the Sugar Bears in check for 6.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 6. Bengie Molina was 3-5 with 2 RBIs as the Mudcats piled on in the middle innings. The Mudcats remained 1/2 game up on Hillsborough.

Meanwhile, the Hitmen took game 2 against Las Vegas in a possible playoff preview. Dan Haren and Josh Beckett duelled in a scoreless game for 8 innings. Then in the top of the 9th Kelly Shoppach hit a 2-run double off Hideki Okajima to break the tie. After retiring the first two batters in the bottom of the 9th, Mike Gonzalez got into some trouble after giving up a single and a double to Rats batters, but left both stranded to preserve the shutout.

Vancouver edged Sardine City 4-3 behind a solid performance from Ben Sheets (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 9 K) and gained a game on their playoff pursuers. Philadelphia lost a tough one to Hoboken, 7-6. In the bottom of the 9th, the Animals held a 6-5 lead, but Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer to tie the game up and send it to extra innings. In the 10th, Ian Kinsler won the game for Hoboken with a walkoff single. Arkansas had a tougher challenge, taking on the wild card leader, Marietta. But Marietta's offense was alive and well Thursday night and took the game 7-4, knocking the Falcons 3 games behind the wild card, with 8 games to go.

Sugar Bears break record, win 17th straight

The Sugar Bears beat Carolina 5-4 yesterday to break the record for longest winning streak. Are they done? It's up to Carolina right now. Some interesting streak notes:

• The Sugar Bears have won their last three games all by the same 5-4 score, including a 14-inning victory against Vancouver.
• Since the streak began, the Sugar Bears have won 4 extra-inning games and 8 one-run games.
• The Sugar Bears have defeated seven teams, five of which are either playoff teams or still alive in the playoff race.
• During the streak, Newark has only had one shutout and has only scored in double digits twice.
• Only four of the 17 games were played on the road.
• The Sugar Bears played Vancouver in two series during the streak, and won 3 of the games by that magical 5-4 margin
  

With D.C.'s loss yesterday, Hillsborough and Las Vegas officially clinched a playoff spot. Only one playoff spot remains. Vancouver added a little breathing room by picking up a game on both Philadelphia and Arkansas. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 7.

Newark ties streak record

Newark snuck by Vancouver 5-4 yesterday to win their 16th straight game, tying the record held by Arkansas and Vancouver. Newark will try to break the record against Morris Division-leading Carolina. The last time Newark took on the top of the Morris Division they swept Hillsborough right out of the top spot. Of course that sweep made it possible for the Cats to move into first place. This time Hillsborough will be waiting in the wings to try to make up their 1/2 game difference. It won't be easy for the Hitmen as they will face the Rat Pack.

Carolina and Marietta both clinched playoff spots with wins yesterday. The Cats defeated Amityville 4-3, while Marietta pounded Philadelphia 13-2. Las Vegas and Hillsborough have both clinched at least a tie for a playoff spot. One of them will clinch tonight, depending on who wins their head to head matchup, while the other can clinch with an Arkansas loss to Marietta. Meanwhile, the final wild card team, Vancouver, hasn't even clinched a winning record, as they prepare to take on Sardine City. Vancouver is only one game up on Arkansas with Philadelphia trailing by only 2 games. All other teams are mathematically eliminated, except D.C., who will be officially out with their next loss or Vancouver's next win.

Sugar Bears close in on streak record

The Sugar Bears won their 15th straight game yesterday, a 5-4, 14-inning marathon against Vancouver. The Sugar Bears are now only one game shy of tying the record for longest winning streak, currently shared by the 1996 Vancouver Iron Fist and the 1993 Arkansas Golden Falcons. Newark will have to do it tonight again versus the Fist, who have now lost 5 straight and are in serious danger of losing their wild card status.

Hillsborough and Carolina meanwhile continue their battle atop the Morris Division. Both teams entered yesterday tied for the lead. Hillsborough blanked the Straphangers 10-0 on John Lackey's 2-hitter. Lackey struck out 7 and walked 1 in winning his 12th. The Cats also took care of business, taking a 7-3 decision against Amityville. Dustin Pedroia was 5-5 for Carolina. The Cats continue their series against the Ant Slayers today, but the Hitmen have the day off.

Both playoff hopefuls Arkansas and Philadelphia dropped their matches against Hanover playoff teams. The Falcons lost an 8-5 heartbreaker as the Rat Pack scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to come back and win. Chris Davis hit the walkoff grand slam to win it for Vegas. Meanwhile, Philly also lost a close one to Marietta - a 10-inning, 4-3 loss. With the Animals winning 3-2 in the 9th, Josh Hamilton came through with a game-tying single to send it to overtime. In the 10th, pinch hitter Kurt Suzuki came through with the game winning base hit.

Ludwick, Shields, lead their teams to playoff push

Just about 2 weeks remains in the season, that means we'll probably have about two more weeks worth of awards to give out. This week, a box of Maria Guerreros goes out to Arkansas' Ryan Ludwick, our JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week. Ludwick's Arkansas Falcons have turned on the heat this week and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the wild card. For the week, Ludwick batted .407/.529/.852 with 3 homers, 11 runs scored, and 6 RBIs.

Other contenders for some stogies this week: Newark's Manny Ramirez (.452/.500/.613, 10 RBIs) and Chipper Jones (.462/.529/.538, 7 R), and Philly's Mark Teixeira (.393/.541/.750, 7 R).

Newark clinched their 9th consecutive Hanover Division title over the weekend. Leading the way is their clutch pitching staff. Chien-Ming Wang won his 21st game Friday and Joey Devine is in the driver's seat for the Eckersley Award. But this week's What Stormtroopers do on their Day Off Pitcher of the Week Award goes to James Shields. Shields won both his starts this week, while giving up only one run on 9 hits and 5 walks in 16 innings (0.56 ERA and 0.67 WHIP). Shields also struck out 15 batters and pitched a complete game shutout against D.C.

Other top pitchers: D.C.'s Todd Wellemeyer (1-0, 2.77, 1.23), Amityville's Armando Galarraga (2-0, 1.98, 0.95) and Jamie Moyer (1-0, 2.08, 0.87), Marietta's John Danks (1-0, 1.06, 0.59), Philly's Matt Cain (2-0, 1.32, 1.10), and Sardine City's Cole Hamels (2-0, 1.29, 1.07). Another pitcher of note, Las Vegas' Tim Lincecum went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA this week and improved his record to 18-2.

Wang stymies Hitmen, aims for McDonald

Chien-Ming Wang won his 21st game as Newark rolled to their 11th straight victory. Wang shut out the Hired Hitmen on 3 hits and lowered his ERA to 3.00, good enough for second in the league. Meanwhile, Hillsborough lost their 5th straight and stand only one game up on Carolina atop the Morris Division.

Jason Bartlett drove in 5 runs in leading Hoboken to a 9-2 win over D.C. Bartlett was 2-4 with 3 runs in the game. Miguel Cabrera who also was 2-4, added another 3 RBIs. Jeremy Guthrie went the distance, allowing 7 hits and improving to 11-12 on the season.

Rookie Chris Volstad held the Iron Fist in check and preserved a 4-2 victory for Amityville. Volstad improved to 15-10 and lowered his ERA to 3.92.

Las Vegas pounded Philadelphia 12-2, preventing the Animals from gaining any ground on Vancouver. Vlad Guerrero was 2-4 with a homer and 5 RBIs and Alex Gordon had a 3-run homer to lead the Vegas offense.

Marietta edged Blue Ridge yesterday 3-2 in 12 innings when Adrian Gonzalez came through with a walkoff single that scored Milton Bradley. However, Marietta lost future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera for the rest of the regular season when he was mauled by vampires in the team's locker room. Rivera, now wearing a necklace of garlic cloves, plans to make it back by the playoffs.

Playoff positioning

Last week, it was Vancouver and Marietta limping toward the finish line and it looks like this week, it's Carolina and Hillsborough's turns. Both teams, still atop the Morris Division, have now lost 4 straight. Hillsborough's loss is a little easier to explain. They're facing the top team in the league, the Sugar Bears, who have now won 10 in a row. The Hitmen gave them a bit of a fight, coming to within one run of tying the game up. But Joey Devine closed the door in the 9th to pick up his league-leading 33rd save. Meanwhile, the Mudcats were shamefully defeated 10-7 by the last-place Team Buddah. The Buddahs scored 8 runs in the 6th to overcome a 6-2 deficit. Casey Blake hit two home runs and drove in three runs and pinch hitter Matt Joyce hit the three-run homer that put them over the top.

Vancouver seems to have righted the ship, winning three straight after snapping a 4-game losing streak. Jake Peavy pitched a complete game, holding the Ant Slayers to 2 runs on 5 hits, and striking out 7. The Fist won the game 6-2. The Mighty Men also won, 5-2 against Blue Ridge, but have not put together back-to-back victories in about 2 weeks now. Ryan Dempster gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in 6.2 innings to get the win and Derek Jeter was 3-3 with 2 RBIs in the match.

Philadelphia stayed hot on Vancouver's tail with a 5-4 win over Las Vegas yesterday. The Animals were held to only 2 hits in the entire game, yet were able to score 5 runs thanks to the Rat Pack staff surrendering 5 walks and some very timely hitting. The Animals scored their first 3 runs after two runners walked and Mark Reynolds hit a 3-run homer. The same formula worked again in the 9th when the Rats walked the leadoff runner only to watch Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run homer. Lest you think the Rats were too unlucky in this game, the Pack only collected 6 hits in the game, though they walked 5 times. Philly remains 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

Sugar Bears streak hits 9

The Sugar Bears extended their win streak to 9 games, but this time it was a nailbiter. D.C. took a 3-2 lead in the 9th when Carlos Beltran singled in the go-ahead run. But Jonathan Papelbon couldn't hold it down for the O-Bombers, giving up an RBI single to Melky Cabrera in the bottom half of the inning. Reminiscent of his long All-Star Game performance, Papelbon remained in the game for almost 4 innings before giving up a single in the 12th to Miguel Olivo. Kevin Gregg then replaced him and promptly gave up back to back singles, including the game winner to Manny Ramirez. The loss was D.C.'s 5th straight. Newark's magic number for clinching the Hanover is now 5.

Arkansas defeated the Hitmen for the second straight time, taking a 6-4 contest yesterday. Ricky Nolasco pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only 1 run, while striking out 6 to claim his 10th victory of the year. The Falcons held off a late 8th inning rally by Hillsborough, then tacked on an insurance run to preserve the lead. Joakim Soria nailed down the 9th for his 25th save.

Edwin Encarnacion, in his first game back from a lengthy injury, went 5-6 with 2 RBIs and led the Bombers to a 6-5, 12th inning upset of the Endzone Animals. Encarnacion's double in the 12th was a key in moving the eventual game winning run over to third base (the slothlike Jason Kendall could not leg it out and score on the play). The loss dealt a blow to the Animals' playoff hopes, as they fell out to 3 1/2 games back of the final playoff spot. The Bombers had suffered through one of the worst injury stretches in the DMBL this year, at one time having 4 players on the shelf, so Encarnacion's return is just in time.

Amityville recently signed the 86-year old Jamie Moyer to fill in for several injuries in their rotation. Fresh from being cut by Team Buddah, the Ancient One held his former team to 1 run on 5 hits in 8 innings in picking up his 2nd win of the season (against 8 losses).