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).

Sugar Bears roll to 8th in row

With a playoff spot already locked up, the Newark Sugar Bears have their sights set on the Hanover Division. Yesterday's 6-0 blanking of D.C. was their 8th win in a row, giving them a magic number of 7 to clinch the division. James Shields held the O-Bombers to only 5 hits and 3 walks in gaining his 12th win of the year. Manny Ramirez (3) and Jack Cust (2) drove in 5 of the 6 runs for Newark.

Meanwhile, nothing much changed in the Morris Division. Carolina dropped an 8-7 decision to Vancouver and Hillsborough was shellacked by Arkansas 14-4, so the Cats remain 2 games out of first. Philly edged Blue Ridge 6-4 to remain 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. The Falcons' win evens their record up at 72-72, but they remain 5 games out of 6th.

John Danks improved to 17-6 on the season and Mariano Rivera saved his 29th in a 3-2 Mighty Men victory over Hoboken. Danks held the Cutters to 4 hits in 8.2 innings, allowing only 2 runs (1 earned) and striking out 6. Aaron Cook, who went the distance, pitched well as well, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs in his 8 innings of work, but ended up with a hard loss.

Last place teams take first prizes

Sardine City doesn't have too much to be proud of offensively this year. The team is second to last in team OPS (.710) and has the third fewest runs scored in the league. But for one week at least, they get to brag about having the JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week. Carlos Quentin has battled back from a brutal start to the season and an injury that shelved him for the good part of a month. This week, Quentin batted .419 with a .538 OBP and .839 slugging. He also hit 4 homers, scored 9 runs and drove in 9 runs.

A close runner up to Quentin is Philly's Albert Pujols, who also hit .419 but with a .486 OBP and .935 slugging, also hit 4 homers and scored 9 runs, but drove in 14 runs. Other notables: Amityville's Alex Rodriguez (.400/.500/.667, 7 R), Newark teammates Ramon Vazquez (.478/.538/.609) and Mike Fontenot (.370/.452/.741, 3 HR, 7 R), and Philly's Michael Cuddyer (.500/.571/.667).

Although they may be in last place, that doesn't mean that Team Buddah is packing it in. Kevin Slowey, after spending several weeks on the disabled list, returned with a vengeance and takes this week's Museum of Bad Art Pitcher of the Week Award. This week, Slowey was 2-0, with a 1.23 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 2 starts, striking out 14 batters in 14.2 innings.

Las Vegas had two great candidates for this week: Rich Harden (1-1, with a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and 21 K in 14 IP) and Derek Lowe (1-1, 1.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP). Other top pitchers: Amityville's Chris Volstad (1-1, 1.76, 1.11 WHIP), Jeremy Guthrie of Hoboken (1-1, 1.35), Sardine City's Josh Johnson (2-0, 2.65, 1.00 WHIP) and Philly's Hiroki Kuroda getting his act together (1-1, 2.45, 0.89 WHIP, 13 K).

Philly Phantastic

Do the Philadelphia Endzone Animals still have a shot at the post-season? After winning four out of their last five, they're just 1 1/2 games out of the final playoff berth. The 7th place Animals kicked off a three-game series against the Blue Ridge Bombers with a 12-1 win -- and chewed up the Bombers bullpen, requiring them to use eight pitchers in the losing effort. If the Animals are going to reach the post-season, they'll need some help as they don't have any games left against four of the six teams ahead of them in the standings. (On the positive side, that means 14 of their remaining 20 games are against teams with losing records!)

The team they're chasing in the standings, the 6th place Vancouver Iron Fist, were just swept by the 1st place Newark Sugar Bears in a three-game series -- their fourth straight loss overall. The Iron Fist had a much needed day off Sunday afternoon before starting a five-game road trip. They have 19 games left in the season, and it's a much tougher road than the Animals face -- they've got five games against the Carolina Mudcats, two against the Hillsborough Hired Hitmen and two against the Sugar Bears, three teams they've gone a combined 6-23 against so far this year! Vancouver's magic number to clinch a playoff spot stands at 18.

The Sugar Bears, by the way, became the first team to clinch a 2009 playoff berth with today's 8-1 win over the D.C. O-Bombers. The Sugar Bears are guaranteed no worse than a wildcard seed; their magic number for the Hanover Division title is down to 8, and for the Commissioner's Cup, it's 10.

It's still very much a race in the Morris Division standings, however, where the Mudcats have pulled to within 2 games of the Hitmen. The Mudcats had their seven-game winning streak today against the Amityville Ant Slayers, 3-1. But their remarkable 17-4 record over the last three weeks has put tremendous pressure on the Hitmen, who dropped a tough 6-5 game today against the Sardine City Straphangers. Each team faces a brutal end to its season, with the Mudcats facing the Sugar Bears six times in their final nine games; the Hitmen, meanwhile, close it out with seven against the 5th place Las Vegas Rat Pack and three against the 8th place Arkansas Golden Falcons, a team they've gone 1-7 against this year.

Carolina's hot streak has landed them in a flat-footed tie for the top wildcard seed with the Marietta Mighty Men, who have dropped 3 out of their last 7 games. The Mites were neck and neck with the Sugar Bears for the best record in baseball for most of the season, but the dog days of August have seen them fall all the way to 10 1/2 games off the pace. Marietta will look to get healthy next week as they have a six-game home stand with three against the 10th place Hoboken Cutters and three against 12th place Blue Ridge. The Mudcats and Mighty Men each have a magic number of 11 to clinch a playoff berth. Hillsborough's magic number for the division title is 18; for the playoffs, it's 9.

Las Vegas took the first of a three-game set in Sardine City on Sunday with a 9-7 win that also put young gun Joba Chamberlain on the shelf for the rest of the regular season. After the Straphangers, the 5th place Rats come home to the desert for a 13-game home stand. The Pack has a magic number of 12 to reach the playoffs.

The Golden Falcons still have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs -- they're 5 games behind the Iron Fist, and 1 game under .500. They got the ball rolling Sunday with a 4-3 win over the Rat Pack before beginning a stretch where they'll play 10 out of 12 games on the road, including seven games against teams with winning records. Their tragic number for elimination from post-season consideration stands at 15.

The O-Bombers, who have dropped three in a row, are 2 games behind the Golden Falcons and 5 games under .500; their tragic number is 12.

Hoboken is the only other team with a chance to have a winning record this year -- and they'd have to run the table to do it! The Cutters have won back-to-back games to stave off their 81st loss. Their tragic number is 7. Amityville sits 3 behind them, with a tragic number of 4.

Blue Ridge still has a chance! But their playoff hopes will officially be extinguished with their next loss or Vancouver's next win. The end has come for Sardine City, who could win out and still finish no higher than 7th place.

That leaves just last-place New Jersey Team Buddah, whose 4-3 win over D.C. is somehow their third straight (and fifth win out of their last eight games). The Buddahs were long ago eliminated from post-season consideration, and have a 4 1/2 game "lead" for the worst record in baseball. The only thing they can play for is to avoid the ignominy of a 100-loss season; they'd have to go 13-7 to do it.

Let's Go Streaking!

Lots of teams have been getting their streaks on recently, and the standings have been shaken up as a result!

The hottest team at the moment are the Carolina Mudcats, who won their seventh in a row today to snatch the top wildcard seed. It seems like all year the top three spots have been occupied by Hanover Division teams, but a seven-game winning streak (and 11 out of your last 12!) is guaranteed to move you up in the standings. Today's 1-0 win over the Amityville Ant Slayers definitely wasn't textbook -- Mudcat starter Dice-K Matsuzaka lasted just 2 innings before getting injected after plunking Torii Hunter, but the bullpen kept the Slayers scoreless. Meanwhile, Amityville starter Jon Lester also prevented a run until the bottom of the 8th, when he gave up a lead-off home run to Xavier Nady, the only run of the game.

The Newark Sugar Bears beat up the Vancouver Iron Fist, 13-3, for their fifth straight win. The Sugar Bears now have a magic number of 2 to clinch a playoff berth, 11 to clinch the division, and 13 for the best record in baseball. The Morris Division-leading Hillsborough Hired Hitmen also have been hot, winning their second straight game (and 7th out of their last 10) after out-slugging the Sardine City Straphangers, 13-11. The Hitmen have a magic number of 19 to clinch the Morris Division title and 10 for a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Endzone Animals won their third in a row with a 10-4 win over the Marietta Mighty Men, while the Las Vegas Rat Pack made it back-to-back wins over the Arkansas Golden Falcons, 4-1.

For Amityville, it was their fourth loss in a row; it was three straight defeats for the Iron Fist and Straphangers; and two in a row for the Mighty Men and Golden Falcons.

In non-streak related games, the New Jersey Buddahs overcame the D.C. O-Bombers, 3-2, while the Blue Ridge Bombers won a wild 3-2 game over the Hoboken Cutters. After Blue Ridge starter Edwin Jackson left in the 3rd with an injury, the Bombers used eight more pitchers to finally win it in the bottom of the 9th on a solo home run by Nate McLouth. The Cutters, on the other hand, used only starter Matt Garza.

Mudcats cruising toward first

The red hot Mudcats kept their streak alive by pounding the Straphangers 12-5. Dustin Pedroia was 3-5 with 3 RBIs and Magglio Ordonez was 3-5 with 2 RBIs for the Cats. Carolina scored 8 runs in the 7th inning to take the lead away from Sardine City, who was leading 5-4 at the time. It was Carolina's 5th straight victory, moving them to 2 games behind Morris Division frontrunner Hillsborough.

The Hitmen took a bit of a pounding themselves, 10-4 at the hands of the Endzone Animals. Albert Pujols and Josh Willingham each 4 RBIs as the Animals scored all their runs in the first 4 innings. To add injury to insult, Wandy Rodriguez, who was replacing C.C. Sabathia in the rotation, was lost for the next two weeks.

The Cutters had 4 errors in their game against Amityville and only managed 5 hits against the Ant Slayer pitchers, but somehow managed to win their game anyway. Starter Armando Galarraga had shut down the Cutters offense, allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits in 7 innings, and left with a 4-2 lead after 7. In the 9th inning, reliever J.J. Putz walked the first two batters, then gave way to John Grabow. After striking out the first batter, Grabow gave up a base hit to Ryan Church to bring the score to 4-3. The next batter, Hank Blalock, took Grabow deep, hitting a 3-run homer to win the game for the Cutters.

Buddahs stun Vegas, take 2 of 3

New Jersey stunned Las Vegas in a 5-1 victory, taking 2 of 3 from the Rat Pack. Although the Rats are almost a lock to make the playoffs, dropping a series to last place New Jersey can't help when it comes to positioning. With the loss, the Rats fell into 5th place overall, 1/2 game behind the Mudcats and 3 1/2 ahead of 6th place Vancouver. They're still not in any real danger of falling out of a playoff berth - they are currently 9 1/2 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia.

Carolina inched one game closer to first place with an 8-4 victory over Arkansas. Carlos Zambrano allowed 2 unearned runs and 7 hits in 7 innings of work to improve to 13-8 on the season. Grady Sizemore, subbing for the injured Vernon Wells, was 2-5 with 3 RBIs.

The Hired Hitmen fell to D.C. 7-3. Another injury replacement, this time Howie Kendrick playing for Felipe Lopez, was 3-4 with a double in leading the O-Bomber offense. David Bush continues his resurgence for D.C. Before joining the O-Bombers, Bush was 6-8 with a 6.17 ERA for Philly and Sardine City. He's been 2-2 with a respectable 4.61 ERA since D.C. signed him, including 3 straight quality starts.

Vancouver's Ben Sheets pitched a 9-hit shutout against former teammate Hiroki Kuroda and the Endzone Animals. Sheets struck out 8 and walked 1, improving his record to 11-8. Meanwhile, Kuroda has struggled since being acquired by Philly, but facing Newark twice in 4 starts will do that to you. Yesterday's outing against the Fist was his best yet since changing uniforms - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 7 K.

Hamilton cycles in defeat to Newark

The battle between Newark and Marietta hasn't gone the Mighty Men's way, losing the first two, including yesterday's 10-9, extra inning loss. But they have one thing up on the Sugar Bears - most cycles. Yesterday, Josh Hamilton managed a rare feat, hitting for the cycle. Overall he was 4-6 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs. Hamilton started his day by hitting a leadoff double in the 2nd inning, then followed that up with a single in the 3rd. The two easiest components of the cycle were out of the way. In the 5th inning, Hamilton hit a two-run homer that gave the Mighty Men a temporary 6-5 lead. Lest you think that the extra innings gave Hamilton some extra opportunities, he hit his triple in the 7th inning, again breaking a tie and giving the Mighty Men an 8-7 lead. After that, he was done, though the game wasn't... Hamilton would bat two more times, striking out in the 8th and flying out in the 10th. For the curious folks, the last cycle was hit by Vladimir Guerrero last year, then with Blue Ridge against Las Vegas on June 17.

In another extra inning affair, Carolina topped Arkansas 4-3. The Falcons took an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning on a 3-run David Wright homer. Carolina finally tied the game up in the 8th with a 3-run inning. It seemed like no one would score until the 14th inning, when Arkansas got into trouble giving up back to back singles with one out. After intentionally walking the bases loaded, Aramis Ramirez came through with the game winning single. Amazing that the game was so close considering that the Mudcats outhit the Falcons 18-7 in the game, leaving 19 baserunners stranded throughout the game.

Justin Verlander held the O-Bombers to only 2 hits in 8 innings, earning his 9th win in a 12-2 blowout. Freddy Sanchez hit two home runs and drove in 4 runs in the game and Russell Martin was 2-3 with 3 RBIs. The Hitmen maintain a 4-game lead over the red hot Mudcats.

Josh Johnson pitched a complete game, holding the Cutters to 2 runs on 6 hits in a 7-2 Sardine City win. Johnson had struggled this season before an injury sidelined him for a month, then struggled in his first two starts. But he turned things around in his next start against Arkansas and now pitched this gem against Hoboken. Johnson's record was 3-13 before going on the DL and he is now 5-15.

Wright, Felix take top honors

The Falcons looked pretty dead only a few weeks ago, but have recently come back into the playoff race. Tied with Philadelphia for 7th and 6 games out of the final playoff spot, the Falcons still have a (admittedly long) shot at a wild card slot. Leading the charge for the Falcons this week is David Wright. The third baseman hit .429 this week with a .568 on base percentage and .750 slugging. He also hit 2 homers, scored 8 runs, and drove in 10. Wright is this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week.

His competition this week: Carolina's Xavier Nady (.455/.486/.758, 7 R, 11 RBI), Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez (.435/.500/.913, 3 HR, 6 R), Newark's Manny Ramirez (.458/.536/.708, 7 RBI), Amityville's Dioner Navarro (.417/.440/.792, 8 RBI), and Sardine City's Ryan Braun (.400/.438/.733, 2 3Bs, 6 R).

It looks like Hillsborough has taken a comfortable lead in the Morris Division, despite Carolina's efforts to reclaim the division title. The Hitmen's pitching has come on lately, with young phenom Felix Hernandez assuming the ace role this week. King Felix was 2-0 this week with a 1.15 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He struck out 22 batters and walked only 2 in 15.2 innings. Hernandez is this week's Handerpants Pitcher of the Week award.

The rest of the best: Amityville's Dallas Braden (1-1, 1.08, 0.84 WHIP), Las Vegas' A.J. Burnett (0.64, 0.86 WHIP, 15 K) and Josh Beckett (1-0, 2.35, 16 K, 0.65 WHIP), D.C.'s David Bush (1-1, 2.30, 0.89, 12 K), Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd (1-0, 2.30, 0.83) and Carolina's Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.50).

Ut-Oh, It's Magic

There's about a month left in the DMBL regular season! With most teams having between 25 and 30 games to go, let's take a look at magic numbers.

The Newark Sugar Bears have a magic number of 23 to clinch the Commissioner's Cup and the Hanover Division title. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 10.

The Hillsborough Hired Hitmen have a magic number of 24 to clinch the Morris Division title, and 17 to clinch a post-season appearance.

The Marietta Mighty Men are 4 1/2 games behind the Sugar Bears for the Hanover Division title (and the best record in baseball), and 3 1/2 games up in the race for the top wildcard seed. Their magic number to print post-season tickets is 16.

The Las Vegas Rat Pack are in 4th place, 8 games behind the Sugar Bears in the Hanover Division and 3 1/2 behind the Mites for 3rd. Their magic number for a wildcard berth is 20.

Two games behind the Rats, and 4 1/2 behind the Hitmen for the Morris Division lead, are the 5th place Carolina Mudcats. Their magic number for a wildcard slot is 21.

Hanging onto 6th place are the defending World Champions, the Vancouver Iron Fist. The Fisters are 8 games behind the Hitmen for the Morris Division lead. They're exactly between 5th place and 7th place, with 3 1/2 games seperating them in either direction. Their magic number to secure the final playoff berth is 25.

Battling it out for 7th place are the Arkansas Golden Falcons and the Philadelphia Endzone Animals. The Falcons are currently a half-game up, 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff berth, leaving the Animals at 4 games out.

The surprising D.C. O-Bombers were in the post-season race until dropping 8 out of their last 10 games. The slump dropped them to 7 1/2 games out of the wildcard and 5 games under .500. Their magic number for elimination from the post-season -- aka their "tragic number" -- is 21. For elimination from the Morris Division race, the tragic number is 13.

The Hoboken Cutters are 12 1/2 games out of the playoffs; a more realistic goal might be finishing above their franchise record for futility (72-90). A recent hot streak, winning four out of their last six, leaves them exactly on pace to tie the record. Their tragic number is 16 for the post-season, and 2 for the Hanover Division race.

Like most new teams, the Amityville Ant Slayers are having a rough inaugural season. The 11th-place Slayers are 16 1/2 games behind the Iron Fist for the final playoff berth. They're already mathematically eliminated from the Hanover Division race, but their tragic number for elimination from the post-season is 13.

Battling it out for 12th are the Blue Ridge Bombers and the Sardine City Straphangers. The Bombers are 19 games out of the post-season, and the Hangmen are a half-game behind them. Blue Ridge's tragic number for the Morris Division title is 3; for the post-season, it's 11. The Hangmen have already been eliminated from the Hanover Division race, and have a tragic number of 9 to officially end their post-season dreams.

Bringing up the rear are the New Jersey Buddahs, with a 6 1/2 game "lead" over Sardine City for last place. They were eliminated awhile ago from the Hanover Division race, but they still have hope! Their tragic number for elimination from the post-season is 4. That means if they run the table and win all 30 of their remaining games, they can still catch the Iron Fist for 6th place -- provided the Fisters go 3-25 over the same stretch.