Standings wrapup

D.C.'s 5-1 win over Sardine City yesterday was their 6th straight, vaulting the team back into contention. The O-Bombers sit just 3 games under the .500 mark, but still 7 1/2 games behind the final wild card spot. The Morris Division has become quite a logjam, with Philly at 52-52, Arkansas 1/2 game behind them, followed by D.C. The only team that looks out of it at this point, is Blue Ridge, who lost their 7th straight yesterday, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Sugar Bears.

Vancouver took a 3-1 victory over Marietta yesterday, winning 2 of 3 against the Mighty Men. The Iron Fist are now tied for 2nd place in the Morris Division, just one game behind the slumping Mudcats. Vancouver, with 59 victories, actually has the most wins in the division, but with 47 losses, they are statistically in third place.

In the Hanover Division, the Sugar Bears hold a more comfy lead, now up to 3 1/2 games over second place Las Vegas. The Sugar Bears have now won 4 in a row and 7 of their last 9. Vegas has been keeping pace, winning 7 of 10 and have actually moved into 2nd place, but have to wait for the Sugar Bears to come back down to earth. With their loss, the Mighty Men have dropped to third. The rest of the Hanover Division should already be thinking about next season.

Quentin making up for lost time

Remember when Carlos Quentin was struggling for the Sardine City Straphangers, barely hitting over the Mendoza line? Yeah, the same Carlos Quentin who missed several weeks with a seemingly minor injury. Well since returning from the disabled list, Quentin has been a top contributor in the mostly anemic Sardine City lineup. He's raised his average to a respectable .265 with an .883 OPS, 18 HRs, and 46 RBIs. This week, Quentin may have had his hottest week yet - hitting .448 with a 1.416 OPS, 4 HRs, 7 R, and 12 RBIs. Needless to say, Quentin is this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week.

His competition: Arkansas' David Wright (.565/.600/1.087, 3 HR, 6 RBI), Hoboken's Miguel Cabrera (.400/.464/.920, 4 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI), Las Vegas' Carlos Pena (.444/.565/.722), Marietta's Josh Hamilton (.452/.485/.677, 10 RBI), Philly's Alex Rios (.484, 6 R), and New Jersey's Elijah Dukes (.438/.591/.563).

This week, the two best pitchers were on the same team. The Newark Sugar Bears were 5-2 this week and 3 of their wins came from these two pitchers. Chien-Ming Wang has had a great season for Newark so far. He's leading the league in wins with 15 (against only 2 losses) and has a nice 3.13 ERA and solid 1.22 WHIP. This week, Wang was 2-0, with a 1.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 15 IP. His teammate, Justin Duchscherer, recently acquired from Blue Ridge, has been a solid contributer in the Newark rotation. This week, Duch was 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. Being teammates, we're sure that they won't mind sharing this week's Flip Flop Fly Ball Pitcher(s) of the Week Award.

Other notables: New Jersey's Andy Pettite (2-0, 0.61), Hoboken's Jeremy Guthrie (1-0, 1.93, 1.07 WHIP), D.C.'s Erik Bedard (0-0, 0.00 in 11.1 innings, 1.06 WHIP), and reliever Frank Francisco (1-0, 1 save, 0.00 ERA in 4 appearances).

Litsch trying to forget about dreadful start

Arkansas continued their mastery over division rival Hillsborough, sweeping the Hitmen after a 3-2 final. The Falcons got on the board early in the first inning on a sac fly by Rick Ankiel, but the Hitmen tied it up in the 6th on a Billy Butler single. Carlos Lee gave them the lead the next inning with a solo home run, but the Falcons tied it up in the bottom half on a sac fly. In the 8th inning, David Wright hit a double that scored Jody Gerut, giving the Falcons the 3-2 lead. Joakim Soria pitched the 9th for his 15th save. The win was Arkansas' 6th straight and the Falcons now stand only one game below the .500 mark and 6 games behind idle Vancouver for the 6th playoff spot.

Ben McDonald favorite Tim Lincecum pitched a complete game victory over the Sardine City Straphangers to improve to 14-1 on the season. Lincecum held the Sardines to 2 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. Carlos Quentin drove in both runs for the Straphangers and had 2 of the 3 hits.

Lincecum is now tied with Newark's Chien-Ming Wang for the league lead in victories after Wang picked up his 14th in a 10-4 drubbing of D.C. Wang's outing (6 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 5 K) was far less impressive however. Newark spread out the offense as all 9 starters got at least one hit in the game.

New Jersey's Jesse Litsch picked up his 5th victory, improving to 5-10 after an 8-3 win over the Ant Slayers. Listch, as you may recall, got off to a disastrous start. After a 7-4 loss to Newark back in May, Listch's stat line read 1 win, 10 losses, 8.11 ERA. With a schedule looming ahead that included games against Vancouver, Las Vegas and Hillsborough, things didn't look like they'd change any time soon. But Team Buddah stood by him faithfully and are now being rewarded. After two solid starts against Vancouver (and 1 win to show for it), Litsch's confidence appeared to be returning. He got roughed up against the Rat Pack, but bounced back with another W against Hillsborough. Since that forgetable day in Newark, Litsch has gone 4-0 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 8 starts. He's averaged more than 7 innings per start, giving the bullpen a much-needed break.

Kazmir flirts with no-no

Scott Kazmir held the Blue Ridge Bombers hitless for 8 innings in yesterday's 3-1 victory. After retiring the side in order in the 8th, Kazmir looked like he would cruise into the history books. But an errant fastball was crushed in the 9th inning as Jed Lowrie launched one into the stands, breaking the no-hitter and the shutout in one swing. Frank Francisco came in to relieve Kazmir and Blue Ridge did manage one more hit, but that was all they would get. Kazmir did walk three batters, but also struck out 6 and improved to 8-5 on the season.

Vancouver and Carolina were scoreless after nine, so the two headed into extra innings in a 0-0 tie. With one out in the 10th, Troy Tulowitzki grounded one by pitcher Billy Wagner, reaching on an infield hit. Wagner stretched to get the ball, but ended up pulling a muscle, forcing him out of the game. Bengie Molina, the next batter, took Matt Capps deep, breaking the tie, and giving the Cats a 2-0 lead. But the damage caused by Capps was not finished yet. Capps gave up a hit to Vernon Wells, then plunked Dustin Pedroia. That was enough for Capps. But Russ Springer didn't improve the situation, instead bobbling an easy ground ball and scoring Wells. Magglio Ordonez sac flied in another run to make it 4-0. The Fist didn't put up much of a fight in the bottom of the 10th, as the Cats completed the shutout. For the Cats, Tim Hudson pitched 6.1 innings of shutout ball, giving up 5 hits and 4 walks, while Jake Peavy pitched 8 shutout innings, yielding 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5.

Arkansas won their 5th straight, a 9-3 rout of Hillsborough. David Wright was 3-5 as the Falcons tallied 15 hits. All but Yadier Molina collected at least one hit, with 6 batters having at least 2. Cliff Lee earned the win, despite walking 5 batters in 6.1 innings.

Playoff picture shuffles into focus

Philadelphia dropped their 6th straight yesterday, a 4-3 extra-inning heartbreaker to Blue Ridge. Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo walkoff homer in the 10th to win the game for the Bombers. The loss puts the Endzone Animals 5 games under .500 and 8 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Vancouver won their 5th straight, a 5-1 victory over first-place Carolina. The Fist are now 1 1/2 games out of first, but still sit in the 6th overall spot. The good news for Fist fans is that they appear to be distancing themselves from the rest of the herd. Looks like the only playoff races will be for positioning and division titles. The Falcons beat Hillsborough 6-5, keeping the Hitmen in a tie with the Mudcats. The Falcons remain 7 1/2 games out of 6th place.

In the Hanover Division, all three top teams lost their matchups. Marietta was pounded by Hoboken 11-3 as Mike Napoli hit his 29th and 30th home runs of the season. Sardine City beat Las Vegas by an 8-3 final. The Sardines scored 5 runs in the final two innings to put the game out of reach. D.C. 4-hit the Sugar Bears despite starter Erik Bedard's mysterious exit from the game in the 4th inning. D.C.'s bullpen allowed only 1 hit over the final 5 2/3 innings.

Berkman, Sheets take honors

This week's top batters were all clustered around a few teams - Las Vegas, Carolina, and New Jersey in particular, but it was a Falcon that took the prize. This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week is Lance Berkman, who batted .500 (12-24) this week, with a .600 OBP and 1.000 slugging, plus 8 runs. Berkman's teammate Skip Schumaker (.500/.542/.773) also had a good week. Las Vegas really mad eout well in their recent trades - John Baker (.524/.621/.762, 9 R, 8 RBI) and Dan Uggla (.478/.586/.957, 3 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI) both had tremendous weeks.

Other top hitters: Carolina's Mike Aviles (.429/.429/.714) and Magglio Ordonez (.417/.444/.708), New Jersey's Fernando Tatis (.545/.615/.909, 8 R), Jhonny Peralta (.458/.440/708, 9 RBI), and Elijah Dukes (.412/.500/.647), and Newark's Ramon Vazquez (.526/.591/.789).

This week's Josh Womack Pitcher of the Week Award goes to Vancouver's Ben Sheets. Sheets was one of only two pitchers to go 2-0 this week (Las Vegas' Rich Harden was the other), while posting a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings, and striking out 11. Sheets, who has yet to live up to his potential, is enjoying perhaps his finest DMBL season yet. Speaking of Harden, our runner up posted a 1.80 ERA, while striking out 13 in 15 innings.

Other top hurlers: Hoboken's Mark Buehrle (1-0, 2.57), Marietta's Mike Mussina (1-1, 1.93) and Jon Danks (1-1, 2.53, 14 K), Newark's James Shields (1-0, 2.25), and Hillsborough's Jose Arredondo (1-0, 0.00, 6 K, in 6.1 IP).

Mussina now 6th all-time in wins

Mike Mussina notched his 11th win of the year on Sunday in a 7-4 win over Blue Ridge. With the victory, Mussina moved past John Smoltz into 6th all-time in wins with 172, and now only trails the five pitchers who have won 200 games (Schilling, Pedro, Clemens, Johnson, Maddux).

Though he didn't factor in the decision, Hillsborough's C.C. Sabathia struck out 9 Sugar Bears in a 4-3 loss on Sunday to become the 31st pitcher in DMBL history to reach 1,000 strikeouts. The eight-year veteran, now with his third team, had career highs of 192 strikeouts and 205 2/3 innings pitched last season and is on pace to set new career marks this season. He has 138 2/3 IP and 129 strikeouts in 20 starts.

Halladay passes Appier, Colon

Roy Halladay went 7 innings in nabbing the win in Carolina's 3-2 victory over New Jersey on Saturday. The Mudcats' ace passed Kevin Appier to move into 12th all-time in innings pitched with 1,848 2/3.

It was also Halladay's 274th career start, passing Bartolo Colon and moving into a tie with Andy Benes for 15th all-time in games started.

Maholm, Lilly battle in 1-0 struggle

Paul Maholm outduelled Ted Lilly yesterday as the Iron Fist blanked the Bombers 1-0. Maholm was called in for an emergency start when Hiroki Kuroda was used in extra innings the day before. Maholm had won a roster spot after spring training but lost it first to Kuroda, then to Greg Maddux. Meanwhile, Maholm pitched 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball, striking out 10 and walking three in his return start. Lilly went the distance for Blue Ridge, holding the Fist to only 4 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 5. The sole run scored in the 6th when Victor Martinez doubled in Curtis Granderson to break the 0-0 tie.

Arkansas and D.C. once again went into extra innings, this time Arkansas won it 9-8 in 12. With a 5-5 tie in the 10th, D.C. scored three runs, but the Falcons came back, tying the score on a 2-run Ivan Rodriguez home run. Finally in the 12th, Skip Schumaker drove in Rodriguez on a single over the shortstop's head.

Newark won its 6th in a row behind a 2-hit shutout by Chien-Ming Wang. Wang improved to 13-2 on the season in the 4-0 victory. Ramon Vazquez was 3-3 in the game for Newark.

First half, ROY review

A losing record probably kept Sardine City’s Joba Chamberlain off the all-star team, but the '09 Listach Award may be in sight for the 2008 first-rounder. Drafted as an ineligible third overall, he ended the first half leading the league in K/9 at 11.1 and led all rookies with 116 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA, through 94 1/3 inning. But Joba managed only a 5-7 record despite 9 of 16 quality starts and a 1.35 WHIP.

Chamberlain's competition for the Listach may not come from any fellow starters or first-round picks. This year's first round featured a bumper crop of starters, but many have struggled through the first half. Ricky Nolasco of Arkansas leads all rookies in IP with 114 2/3 but was 4-9 with a 4.87 ERA in 17 starts (8 QS). Likewise, New Jersey's Edinson Volquez, taken third overall (the first pitcher), has made 8 of 17 quality starts and cracked 100 IP but was just 4-7 with a 5.19 ERA. Amityville's Chris Volstad stood at .500 (6-6) and made 9 of 16 quality starters, but would have to bring his 4.42 ERA and 1.40 WHIP down some to make a run in the second half. You have to get to the second round to find a starter above .500 and thats Jair Jurrjens of Arkansas, who was 8-4 in the first half despite a 5.21 ERA, with 6 of 15 starts quality. He leads rookies with 3 CG and 2 SHO.

Hoboken's Clayton Kershaw, an ineligible 4th round pick in 2008, made only 7 starts in the first half after supplanting fellow rookie Nick Blackburn in the rotation but he was impressive, notching 5 quality starts while going 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.

Could the Listach be swiped by a reliever? Newark’s Joey Devine leads all rookies with 15 saves (2^nd in the league) in 27 games, along with a 2-1 mark. The 2009 first-rounder also has a tidy 2.10 ERA to go with a 1.17 WHIP. He would be only the second relief pitcher to win Rookie of the Year (John Rocker, 1999).

A few batters have played prominent roles in their team’s lineups during the first half and might well be on the inside track for the ROY hardware. Chris Davis leads all rookies, playing in all 82 games for Las Vegas mostly at DH with a smattering of 1B and 3B. He’s also tops in HRs (18), RBIs (58) and an eye-popping 112 strikeouts. Jay Bruce of DC was second to Davis in HRs (17) and RBIs (50), with both on pace to drive in 100 as rookies.

Shin-Soo Choo has helped pace Hillsborough’s league-best offense, leading rookies in batting average (.298), and slugging (.545), as well as doubles (23), while getting into 67 games for the Hitmen. Hillsbrough’s rookie backstop, Kelly Shoppach, has split time with Russell Martin behind the plate and made the most of it, with 19 doubles, 10 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage at the break.

New Jersey’s Elijah Dukes got an all-star nod thanks to his impressive first half, that include a rookie leading 47 runs scores, and along with Choo, a rookie-best .382 on-base percentage. He’s also knocked in 37 runs with 14 home runs and 16 doubles to make for a .536 slugging percentage. second among rooks.

There’s not much pop behind Denard Span, but he made all 80 starts in center field for Hoboken while stealing 6 bases and scoring 43 runs. Along with Philly’s Fred Lewis, Span leads all rookies with 6 triples in the first half and his 83 hits are just ahead of the 81 compiled by Davis and Carolina's Mike Aviles. Lewis and Aviles also lead rookies with 10 SBs.

Newark, Amityville capitalize on lackluster bullpens

Newark won its 5th straight and Hoboken lost their 5th straight as the Sugar Bears defeated the Cutters 8-5. The Cutters actually held a 5-3 lead entering the 9th inning, but their bullpen fell apart. Ramon Vazquez singled in a run after reliever Chad Bradford had put two of the first three batters on base, followed by four straight run-scoring singles, giving the Sugar Bears an 8-5 lead. It could have been worse for the Cutters, as Manny Ramirez was retired with the bases loaded for the final out. Bobby Abreu was 3-5 with 3 RBIs and Vazquez finished 3-4.

Speaking of comebacks, Amityville mounted a nice little come-from-behind win against the Rat Pack, when Trevor Hoffman failed to hold on to a 4-2 lead. Hoffman entered in the 8th with runners on first and second and promptly gave up a three-run shot to Eric Hinske. Hoffman fell to 1-7 on the season and now sports a spiffy 9.56 ERA.

Hillsborough scored 7 runs in the 2nd inning to propel the team to a 13-3 blasting the suddenly ice cold Mighty Men. Kelly Shoppach was 3-5 with 4 RBIs, Mike Lowell was 2-3 with 3 RBIs, and Brad Hawpe was 3-5 with 2 RBIs to lead the Hitmen offense. Mighty Men starter Ryan Dempster was blasted for 7 runs in 1.1 innings as the Mighty Men dropped their 4th straight.

Justin Morneau homered in the 9th to send the D.C.-Arkansas game to extra innings. But it was all for naught, when Hideki Matsui gave D.C. the lead back for good in the 13th. But that wasn't the longest game of the evening. Vancouver and Blue Ridge went 16 innings before Chris Ianetta broke the tie in the bottom of the inning to give the Bombers a 6-5 victory.

First half, pitching review

Though he didn’t start the all-star game, it’s tough not to call Tim Lincecum of Las Vegas the first half’s Ben McDonald Award winner, especially after closing out the first half with a near-perfect game. Lincecum is the league’s leader in ERA (2.96), wins (11), winning percentage (.917), quality starts (13) and strikeouts (136). In fact, Rat Pack pitchers ranked 1-2-3 in strikeouts at the break: Lincecum, Haren (125) and Burnett (118). But teammate Josh Beckett had a worthy first-half as well, earning the starting nod in the all-star game. Just 6-4 at the break, Beckett was right behind Lincecum in most every pitching category. Even if Lincecum slows down in the second half, it could be a Rat Packer going home with the McDonald this year.

But if this year’s winner doesn’t come from Las Vegas, a safe bet could be placed on the Carolina Mudcats, whose rotation boasts three pitchers in the top 10 in the league in ERA: Roy Halladay (3.31), Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.31) and Carlos Zambrano (3.50). Halladay ended the first half as the league’s leader in complete games (7) and innings pitched (127 2/3) while Matsuzaka had the lowest batting average against (.170). It’s no surprise that Carolina (3.66) and Las Vegas (3.87) finished the first half ranked 1-2 in team ERA.

Newark’s Chien Ming-Wang could make a case for the trophy, matching Lincecum for the league lead in wins (11-2), and right behind Halladay in innings pitched (125). Hoboken’s Jeremy Guthrie finished second to Dustin Pedroia in Pat Listach Award voting last year and also has followed it up with a solid sophomore, ranking 3^rd in ERA (3.28). His 7-6 record could look better if not for a shaky Cutters bullpen.

It’s unclear whether the Mighty Men get their name from their fearsome batting lineup or their impressive starters, three of whom have nine wins at the break: Mike Mussina (9-4), John Danks (9-2) and Ervin Santana (9-6). Or perhaps it’s the bullpen that makes Marietta so mighty, led by future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s league-leading 18 saves and rookie Brad Ziegler’s league-high 11 holds at the break.

Cliff Lee of Arkanas hit the all-star break on the DL, but a strong second half might put the lefty hurler into the mix for the McDonald. Only 7-6 at the break, Lee still had an ERA of 3.70 with 101 strikeouts.

Youngster John Lester has been a workhorse, logging 118 innings in the first half with a 3.51 ERA but just a 6-5 record to make a forimidable lefty-right, 1-2 punch in Amityville. Teammate Roy Oswalt finished the first half strong after a slow start, going 9-4 with two shutouts.

Greg Maddux has experienced a resurgence in Vancouver, coming off the bench for the Iron First and starting 10 games in the first half, including three complete games. The all-time league leader in starts, wins, and innings pitched, Maddux may only be 3-3 at the break but he sports a 3.36 ERA with eight quality starts. It must be rubbing off, as Zach Greinke is 8-5 with four complete games and a 4.09 ERA.

Marietta, Carolina, bounced from top spots

Vancouver swept Marietta yesterday after a 4-1 decision, knocking the Mighty Men out of first place. Ben Sheets pitched 8 innings, giving up only one unearned run, while striking out 6. The Mighty Men doubled the Fist's hit output (12-6), but could only bring one run across the plate thanks to an error by Sheets in the 2nd. Mike Mussina went the distance in the loss, falling to 10-5 on the season.

Taking over the #1 slot in the Hanover is Newark, who completed a three game sweep of Blue Ridge that saw the Sugar Bears outscore the Bombers 33-9. J. D. Drew and Bobby Abreu each had 4 RBIs in the Sugar Bears' 15-5 rout.

Hillsborough jumped atop the Morris Division yesterday with a 7-6 12-inning edging of Hoboken. Hillsborough rallied to tie the game up in the 8th after blowing their own lead the inning before. Hoboken took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th on a Jason Bartlett double, but the Hitmen tied the game on an error by Ryan Madson, then won it on a double by Carlos Lee.

Carolina was knocked out of the first spot by Las Vegas, who beat the Mudcats 5-4, despite a rally that almost brought the Cats back in the late innings. John Baker was 3-4 for the Rats, while Derek Lowe took the win, evening his record to 6-6. To add injury to insult, the Cats lost starter John Maine for at least 2 weeks when he was attacked by a flock of deranged seagulls.

Two young hurlers who had been struggling battled it out in Philly yesterday. Neither Armando Galarraga nor Johnny Cueto factored into the decision but both only gave up one earned run (and one unearned) in their time (Galarraga in 7 IP, Cueto in 8). Cueto struck out 10, but his team lost 3-2. Jose Lopez's solo home run in the 9th against his former team was the difference in the game.

Chipper passes Thomas, Gonzo

The Sugar Bears routed Blue Ridge 10-1 yesterday. In the game, Chipper Jones hit his 14th and 15th homers of the season, passing Frank Thomas and tying him with Juan Gonzalez for 8th all time with 385 in his career. Sunday, his teammate, Manny Ramirez passed Sammy Sosa and is 4th all-time with 447.

The Rat Pack evened their series with Carolina with an 8-2 drubbing of the Mudcats. Ichiro Suzuki was 3-4 and Rich Harden pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball, to improve to 9-6 on the season. Vegas is now 3 games behind Marietta for first place, while Carolina maintains a 1/2 game lead on second-place Hillsborough.

Sardine City picked up a 5-4 win in 13 innings over D.C. as Brandon Morrow pitched 4 hitless innings to earn the win. Miguel Montero and Alex Ramirez each had 3 hits for the Sardines.

The Endzone Animals rallied in the bottom of the 9th to take a 5-3 decision against Amityville. The Ant Slayers led 3-1 as late as the 8th inning, but the Animals were poised to come back. Alex Rios hit an RBI single in the 8th to narrow the lead to one-run, then Albert Pujols smacked a 3-run walkoff homer in the 9th to win the game. The win puts Philly one game over the .500 mark.

Finally, Greg Maddux continues his finale tour with a strong 8-inning effort in a 4-2 Vancouver win over Marietta yesterday. Maddux pitched 8 innings and held the Mighty Men to 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk to improve to 4-3.

Anybody else want these? Or should I just give him the keys to the store...

You know we really wanted to give this to someone else. We tried, but you guys have to step it up! Ok, sure the high averages (Dioner Navarro - .464 and Placido Polanco - .462) are nice, but we're going to need a little more. Lance Berkman, nice try with the 12 RBIs and 3 homers, but no cigar. Jack Cust and Casey Blake's 4 home run each are pretty nice, but not exactly eye-popping. Really, guys, he hasn't even finished the last box of cigars we gave him, but we really have no choice but to award this week's JR Cigar's Smokin' Batter of the Week to Aubrey Huff. Yeah, here you go, you greedy bastard, enjoy your Tabantillas. Here's why we couldn't help but to give Mr. Huff the prize: .591 average, .667 OBP, 1.136 slugging, 3 homers, 15 RBIs, 6 runs...and it goes on and on.

Other batters of note: Arkansas' Skip Schumaker (.438/.471/.563, 10 R), Hoboken's Joe Crede (.370/.433/.741, 3 HR), Marietta's Kevin Youkilis (.409/.444/.636) and Sardine City's Miguel Montero (.455/.478/.955).

It was really a two-horse race for the pitcher's prize this week, and yes, both would be repeat winners. Hey, we try to spread the love here at DMBL News as much as anybody, but well, take a look at the stats... Our first contender is Sardine City's rookie extraordinaire, Joba Chamberlain, who was 1-0 on the week with a miniscule 0.67 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, while striking out 18 in 13.1 innings. Contestant #2 is Las Vegas' phenom Tim Lincecum, who also was 1-0, with a tiny 0.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, striking out 22 in 14 innings. How the heck do you decide between those two? Well there are no rules against splitting the prize right? And since our sponsor is all about family and togetherness, aw hell, let's give them both the Awkward Family Photos Pitcher(s) of the Week Award! Now if we can just get a nice photo of the two of you hoisting the trophy...

Other notable pitchers: Carolina's Roy Halladay (1-0, 1.08, 0.96 WHIP), D.C.'s Braden Looper (2-0, 2.63, 0.80), Hillsborough's Dan Haren (1-0, 2.57, 1.00), Amityville's Chris Volstad (2-0, 1.42, 0.95), and Philly's Scott Kazmir (2-0, 2.20, 0.86).

Vancouver implodes in spectacular fashion

Vancouver seemed to be cruising, entering the 8th inning with a 6-1 lead over Arkansas, but manager Darren Daulton thought starter Greg Maddux had one more inning in him... Things looked good at first - Maddux retired the first two batters, but then it all fell apart. The next two batters singled, then Lance Berkman drove them in with a double. David Wright singled next, then Rick Ankiel hit another to drive in Berkman. That was enough for Maddux, and closer Billy Wagner was brought in to preserve the 6-4 lead. Wagner gave up a single to his first batter that made it a one-run game, then served up a 3-run homer to J. J. Hardy, losing the lead. The Falcons scored 7 runs in the inning and won the game 8-6 as the demoralized Iron Fist were sent down in order in the 9th.

Carolina got revenge on Hillsborough and evened their series with a 5-4 victory. Magglio Ordonez and Xavier Nady each had 2 RBIs and Dustin Pedroia was 3-5. John Maine improved to 9-3 on the season with a solid 6.1 inning effort. The Cats are now 1/2 game out of first.

Marietta's 10-game winning streak came to an end, smashed to bits in a 12-5 Sardine City victory. The Straphangers scored 7 runs in the 4th inning, then 4 more in the 5th to seal the deal. Starter Jon Danks gave up 8 runs, though only one was earned. Orlando Hudson's error in the 4th opened the floodgates and allowed Sardine City to extend the inning. The Sardines only managed 11 hits and one walk, but were extremely efficient, leaving only 2 men stranded in the game.

D.C. won their 7th game 13-6 against Blue Ridge. Jose Reyes was 4-5 with 3 RBIs, and almost hit for the cycle, but decided to get an extra triple instead. Reyes leads the league with 14 triples. Brian McCann also was 3-5 with a homer and 5 RBIs and Matt Kemp was 2-5 with a homer and 4 RBIs.

First half, batting review

At the halfway point of the 2009 DMB season, let’s take a look at potential award winners and some of the surprises from the first half:

Batting

Hillsborough's Aubrey Huff got off to the league’s fastest start and has managed to keep up the pace. He’s putting together what could be the strongest case for the Kevin Mitchell Award for the league’s most valuable batter. Huff went into the break as the league’s leader in batting average (.352), slugging (.673) and runs scored (77), while ranking second to Philly’s Mark Teixeira in OBP (.420). He also is second in HRs (26) and eighth in RBIs (65). If not for teammate Ryan Howard's massive power numbers (a league leading 30 HRs and 80 RBIs), it's possible we'd be talking triple crown potential for Huff. Both have been driving home youngster Nick Markakis, who has a team-high 29 doubles, along with 75 runs scored.

Only the Hitmen and Newark ended the first half with more than 500 runs scored. The Crunch with Punch has relied on the old faithful to pace the offense. Longtime Sugar Bear Manny Ramirez has enjoyed a resurgence this year with a team-high 23 HRs and 77 RBIs, and he’s joined by Jack Cust and JD Drew who both have 21 HRs while Jason Giambi, in his return to Newark had 19 first-half dingers.

If Philly can stay in the playoff race, Teixeira might be Huff's stiffest competition for the Mitch. The Animals’ DH ranks in the top five in just about every batting category except slugging (6th) and home runs (9th).

Marietta sits atop the standings (ending the first half on a nine-game winning streak), powered with an offense led by an impressive crew of batters. The only drawback to the Mighty Men’s success might be that a first-half Kevin Mitchell Award ballot could be split among several batters. Marietta is not represented among the top 10 in home runs, however, Josh Hamilton ranks second in batting (.348) and fifth in RBIs (68), backed up by Kevin Youkilis’ 61 RBIs. Milton Bradley is the league leader in doubles and along with Brian Giles is top 10 in runs. With Hamilton and Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez makes it three Mighty Men among the top 10 in the league in slugging.

Carolina’s strength lies in its starting rotation but the team’s offensive fireplug is Dustin Pedroia. Last year’s Listach Award winner went into the break as the league leader in hits (122), is second in doubles (29), and third in batting (.339).

Ryan Ludwick’s power numbers have lifted Arkansas to within striking distance of a postseason spot. Like Marietta, Arkansas has several cogs to its offense with David Wright, Skip Schumaker and Lance Berkman. But it’s Ludwick who’s among the league leaders in home runs (23), RBIs (67), slugging (.601), runs (60). Only Huff has more extra base hits than Ludwick (49).

DC and Hoboken are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs but they’re both surprisingly led by their catchers. Brian McCann of the O-Bombers and Mike Napoli of the Cutters rank 3-4 in slugging and OPS. McCann also is fourth in the league in batting (.336). Any conversation about the Cutters usually starts with Miguel Cabrera but this year, it's Napoli who's carried the offense for the Cutters. He's blasted a team-high 26 HRs in the first half (3rd in the league) and is on pace to challenge the franchise record set by another catcher of Italian descent named Mike (Piazza hit 51 in 2002).

Cutters shut out again

Tim Lincecum improved to 12-1 after pitching 7 shutout innings in the Rat Pack's 17-0 dismantling of the Cutters. Lincecum allowed only 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 11. Joe Mauer was 3-3 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs in the game. That's now back to back shutouts against the Cutters. They'll try to cross the plate today against Rich Harden.

The Sugar Bears' 5-game winning streak came to a close at the hands of the Ant Slayers in a 5-2 decision. Chris Volstad pitched 6 strong innings and limited Newark to one run on 5 hits. Alfonso Soriano's 3-run homer in the 7th was the difference maker. Ryan Garko also hit a two-run shot earlier in the game to account for the club's other 2 runs.

Hillsborough picked up a game on 2nd-place Carolina in the first game of the series between the two contenders. Aubrey Huff hit his 27th home run and drove in 5 runs en route to a 7-5 victory.

Newark bullpen stifles Cutters

Newark shut out the Cutters last night on three hits, mostly thanks to their bullpen. Starter Chien-Ming Wang left the game after 2 innings after a torrential downpour delayed the game for almost an hour. The key performer was Manny Delcarmen who pitched a perfect 3 innings and struck out 4. Jason Giambi and J.D. Drew drove in all of the runs on home runs in the 4th inning. It was Newark's 5th in a row.

Another red-hot team is D.C., who took their 6th straight in a 9-4 win over Arkansas. Ryan Zimmerman was 3-5 with a homer and 4 RBI and Jose Reyes contributed a triple and a home run. D.C. still has a ways to go as the club is still 8 games under .500 and 6 games behind Vancouver, who occupies the final playoff spot.

Speaking of Vancouver, Hiroki Kuroda, pitching in the place of injured Jake Peavy pitched a complete game shutout of Blue Ridge, holding the Bombers to 5 hits and striking out 2. It was Kuroda's first career victory in the DMBL. Peavy will miss another one or two starts, but after that, will the Fist keep Kuroda in the rotation? He was an early season replacement for Paul Maholm, but he was injured after his second start, replaced by Greg Maddux, who has since been the Fist's most effective starter. Will another injury bring Kuroda back into the mix? Stay tuned.

Lincecum this close to perfect

Wow, how about that game from Tim Lincecum? The Las Vegas Rat Pack starter nearly had the DMBL's first perfect game until that jerk Jermaine Dye decided to break things up with a single in the 9th inning. It was the only baserunner the Falcons would get in the 2-0 defeat. Meanwhile, Lincecum struck out 16 batters and improved to 11-1 in perhaps the league's most dominant start ever.

Well, we're going to do awards today, since it's a short week. Let's start with the batters. This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week goes to Marietta's Orlando Hudson, who hit an impressive .433 (13-30) with 10 runs scored and 7 RBIs. Hudson carried a .455 on base percentage with a .767 slugging. Enjoy some smooth Villars during the break, Orlando!

Hudson's teammate Brian Giles had an odd line this week - the outfielder had a decent week, .324, with a .900 OPS, scoring a whopping 16 runs. However, for some reason, Giles only had one RBI during the last week and a half. Other top performers: D.C.'s Brian McCann (.400/.462/.771, 3 HR, 10 RBI), Hillsborough's Freddy Sanchez (.400/.404/.511, 10 R) doing a bang up job replacing Ron Belliard, then winning his job; Hoboken's Hanley Ramirez (.406/.472/.531), Amityville's Dioner Navarro (.429/.447/.629) and Newark's Chipper Jones (.375/.458/.688, 10 R, 15 RBI).

Well, looking over the past week+ and really, yesterday's start just seals the deal for Las Vegas' Tim Lincecum. Lincecum was the only 3-0 pitcher over the period and put together a 0.72 ERA, while striking out 31 in 25 innings and allowing 13 baserunners for an 0.52 WHIP. Yeah easy call to give him this week's Literal Videos Pitcher of the Week Award.

A few pitchers seemed on the path to rejuvenating their struggling seasons - Arkansas' Johan Santana (2-0, 0.56, 0.69), D.C.'s Todd Wellemeyer (2-0, 1.26), and Hillsborough's Felix Hernandez (1-1, 1.20). Other top performers: Hoboken's Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 1.29) and Mark Buehrle (1-0, 1.80), Amityville's Jon Lester (1-0, 1.13), and Newark's Joe Saunders (2-0, 1.80) and Chien-Ming Wang (2-0, 1.88). The top reliever of the week was Marietta's Mariano Rivera, who closed out 5 games with 5 saves and held a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings.

Endzone Animals begin fire sale

We're almost at the halfway mark and it looks like Philadelphia seens to be packing it in for the season. The Endzone Animals announced this morning that several of their players were up on the auction block. It didn't take long for the moves to start being made. The Animals shipped off catcher John Baker and reliever Huston Street to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for their 4th round pick next year. Shortly after that, the Animals sent starter Shawn Marcum to Marietta for their 5th round pick. It doesn't seem that they're quite done either, as several other players have been rumored to be available, including star third baseman Alex Rodriguez. The Animals are 40-42 and sit in 8th place overall.

We forgot to mention that Sunday, in a 5-3 win over Las Vegas, D.C.'s Jose Reyes tied the record for career triples with 77, held by Kenny Lofton. The next active players on the triples chart are Carl Crawford (58) and Carlos Beltran (57), so Reyes has a bit of a cushion.

The All-Star voting results should be up some time tonight. We had an extremely good turnout this year in terms of votes!

Chipper moves up the HR ladder

Mark Buehrle pitched a 2-hit shutout of the Bombers yesterday. He struck out 6 and walked 3 in the effort. It was his 30th career complete game (tied for 20th all-time). Adam Dunn hit a home run and was 2-3 in the 5-0 victory. Both Bomber hits were by Michael Young.

Chipper Jones' 5 RBI led Newark to a 13-6 victory over Vancouver. Jones hit his 382nd career home run, passing Sugar Bear alum Mark McGwire for No. 11 all-time. Jones is now one behind Vlad Guerrero, who is currently on the Rat Pack's disabled list, but expects to be activated for the second half. Watch for Chipper (and Vlad) to also pass Frank Thomas (384) and Juan Gonzalez (385) and the number 9 and 8 spots, respectively.

How about those Mighty Men? After winning their 8th straight yesterday, an 11-3 blowout of the Endzone Animals, the Mighty Men have opened up a 3-game lead on the Sugar Bears in the Hanover Division. Adrian Gonzalez and Orlando Hudson each had 4 RBIs in the game, with Hudson hitting 2 homers. He now has 4 on the season.

John Maine improved to 8-3 with a decent 6-inning effort in Carolina's 6-5 squeaker over Amityville. Since being left for dead by Philly, Maine has been 8-2 for Carolina with a 4.15 ERA.