Vancouver, Greinke streak past Buddahs

Vancouver won their 6th straight - a 7-1 win over New Jersey. The two Jones each hit a home run, Garrett's being a grand slam in the 3rd. Meanwhile, ace Zack Greinke continues his stellar season, improving to 7-0 while pitching 8 innings and allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walks. Greinke struck out 6. Greinke also leads the league in strikeouts (62) and is second among starters in ERA (2.04) behind only New Jersey's Rick Porcello.

Sardine City swept their series against Philadelphia and now sit in second place in the Hanover Division and one game over the .500 mark (18-17). Jordan Zimmerman pitched 7.2 innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out 10 to earn the win. The Sardines won the game 2-1.

Jason Bartlett hit a solo home run in the 10th to edge the Rat Pack 4-3 in extra innings. The Bombers outhit the Rats 12-5 in the game, but walked 9 Vegas batters. Gavin Floyd started the game, but lasted only 5 innings despite giving up only 2 hits. Floyd walked 7 batters and ran up 112 pitches in his short outing. A.J. Burnett, intent on matching Floyd, walked 5 in his 5.1 innings, but gave up 5 hits. With the win, the Bombers evened their record at 17 - the 6th team (out of 7 teams) in the Morris Division that have a .500 or better record. Only the Falcons have a losing record in the division.

Scott Feldman went the distance, holding the Hitmen to only 4 hits, and earned the win in a 5-4 victory over Hillsborough. Amityville was trailing 4-3 entering the 9th, but George Sherrill plunked leadoff hitter Rajai Davis. Matt Kemp hit a triple and easily scored Davis. Nelso Cruz came through with a base hit to win the game.

Ryan Rowland-Smith, who had been undefeated in spring training, continues his undefeated streak with a strange win over Marietta yesterday. Rowland-Smith gave up 5 runs in 7 innings, giving up 8 hits and striking out zero batters. Rowland-Smith, despite his record, has an unimpresive 5.24 ERA and only 18 strikeouts in 44.2 innings.

Future aces duke it out in New Jersey

A battle of two possible future DMBL pitching stars took place between Vancouver's Mat Latos and New Jersey's Rick Porcello yesterday. Porcello pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 7.1 innings, but it was Vancouver that escaped with a 2-1 win. Latos pitched 5 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, but he walked 4 and was removed without earning a decision. The Fist won the game in the 8th on a Michael Bourn single, extending their winning streak to 5 games.

Hillsborough kept pace, winning their 4th straight game, a 12-3 drubbing of Amityville. Carlos Lee was 3-4 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs and Kelly Shoppach was 2-5, also with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. Hillsborough remains tied with Carolina and Vancouver for 2nd place in the Morris Division.

Alex Rodriguez made his Rat Pack debut in a game that saw the Rats pummel the Bombers 8-1. And A-Rod's contribution? 0-5 with 3 strikeouts...but he did pitch in $10 towards pizza after the game, so that was nice of him. Meanwhile, Yunel Escobar, Matt Holliday, and Curtis Granderson each had 3 hits to lead the Rat Pack offense. Vegas moved to one game over .500 with the win.

Logjam in the Morris

After yesterday's games, there are five teams within one game of first place. The first place Mallers opened the door by dropping a 2-0 decision to Marietta. Jason Marquis outdueled Josh Beckett with 7 shutout innings and earning his first win of the season.

The Endzone Animals stayed 1/2 a game out of first - and alone in second place - but lost a 12-inning nailbiter to the Straphangers. Philly held a 5-2 lead in the game after a 5-run 4th inning, but the Sardines came back and scored 3 in the 6th to tie the game up. The game remained scoreless until Ryan Braun singled in the winning run in the 12th.

The Mudcats picked up a game on the Mallers by winning 7-5 against the Cutters. Jeff Francouer's two-run homer in the 7th was the difference in the game. Aramis Ramirez was 3-5 with an RBI as 5 other Mudcats had 2 hits in the game.

Hillsborough also gained a game with their 4-2 defeat of the Ant Slayers. Casey McGehee was 3-3 with 3 RBIs and a home run to lead the Hitmen offense, while Justin Verlander held the Amityville offense in check. Verlander pitched 8 innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out 7 to earn his 3rd win of the year.

Finally, Vancouver rounds out our list of Morris Division contenders. The Fist pounded New Jersey 8-2 yesterday as Kevin Millwood won his first game for Vancouver by pitching 8 innings of 6-hit ball and striking out 7. Michael Bourn and Marlon Byrd each had 3 hits for the Fist.

A-Rod gets shipped out again

There was a blockbuster trade announced this morning between the Las Vegas Rat Pack and the Amityville Ant Slayers. The Rat Pack has acquired slugging third baseman Alex Rodriguez and their 6th round pick in next year's draft for Matt Kemp, Jay Bruce, and Jorge Cantu. Rodriguez joins his 4th team in the past 3 years. Amityville acquired Rodriguez midseason last year from Philadelphia, who acquired A-Rod from Arkansas in the offseason that year for Johan Santana. Rodriguez is only batting .221 this season but has 6 homers, 20 runs, and 18 RBIs and a decent .781 OPS. Will A-Rod bounce back in the Vegas heat or will he continue to struggle?

First place Marietta has displayed some chinks in their armor, dropping their third straight yesterday - a 3-2 loss to Vancouver. Despite the losing skid, Marietta still holds a healthy 5-game lead in the Hanover Division.

Season leaders finally honored

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week was a no-brainer. After putting up monster numbers all year, yet never enough to win the prize, Albert Pujols put together one of the biggest week's in the history of the DMBL. Pujols hit .533 with a .622 OBP and 1.467 slugging for a ridiculous 2.088 OPS. Pujols also slammed 9 homers, scored 11 runs, and drove in 14. We're sending Albert not one, but two boxes of cigars this week.

Others of note, but who didn't really have a chance: Arkansas' Martin Prado (.484/.529/.710, 7 R), Carolina's Dustin Pedroia (.448/.529/.690, 7 R) and Aramis Ramirez (1.147 OPS, 8 R, 10 RBI), Hillsborough's Casey McGehee (.429/.447/.657, 11 R, 11 RBi, 5 2Bs), Amityville's Rajai Davis (.417, 8 R, 7 SB), Las Vegas' Joe Mauer (.452/.571/.548, 9 R, 10 BB), and Marietta's Derek Jeter (.480/.536/.720).

This week's PlaidStallions.com Pitcher of the Week was a little closer, but in the end, there was little doubt who deserved it. Vancouver's Zack Greinke is also having a great season and managed to put together a superb week. Greinke was 2-0 in his two starts, including a complete game. Greinke also snuck in a brief relief appearance. Greinke had a 1.04 ERA and 0.69 WHIP this week, as well as 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.

Other top starters: Hillsborough's Justin Verlander (1-0, 1.26, 14 K, 1.12 WHIP), Vegas' Tim Lincecum (1-0, 1.93, 11 K), Philly's Roy Halladay (2-0, 2.87), Blue Ridge's Edwin Jackson (1-0, 1.93), New Jersey's Rick Porcello (2-0, 1.29, 13 K, 1.07 WHIP), and Sardine City's Josh Johnson (1-0, 1.20, 14 K, 1.07 WHIP).

We have to give honorable mention to a couple of relievers: Bridgewater's Jonathan Papelbon (3-0, 1.69, 0.75 WHIP) and Vancouver's Guillermo Mota (3-1, 1.69).

Verlander outduels Buehrle for 1-0 win

Bridgewater took sole possession of first place in the Morris Division after winning their 3rd straight - a 4-1 win over Sardine City. The game was tied up at one as the Mallers batted in the 9th, but Raul Ibanez hit a 3-run walkoff homer to win the game for Bridgewater. Ibanez drove in all 4 runs fro the Mallers. Jonathan Papelbon improved his record to 4-0.

Hillsborough won their 4th straight as Justin Verlander outdueled Mark Buehrle in a 1-0 win for the Hitmen. Verlander pitched 8.1 innings of 6-hit ball, striking out 9 and walking one. Buehrle pitched 7 innings and allowed 6 hits and 4 walks, while also striking out 9. The lone run scored in the 6th on a Gordon Beckham single up the middle.

Also winning 4 in a row are the Las Vegas Rat Pack. The Pack took an 8-6 decision against Carolina yesterday as Dan Uggla and Ryan Hanigan each had 2 RBIs. Dustin Pedroia was 4-4 in defeat.

Newark won a nailbiter - a 4-3 edging of Blue Ridge. Mark Rzepczynski held the Bombers to 5 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings to earn the win and Howie Kendrick was 3-5 with 2 RBIs. The win snaps Newark's modest 3-game losing streak, but the Sugar Bears are still struggling at 3 games under the .500 mark.

Nelson Cruz was 4-5 with 5 RBIs and 3 homers in leading the Ant Slayers to a 5-4, extra inning win over the Endzone Animals. Torii Hunter almost matched Cruz, going 3-4 with 4 RBIs and 2 home runs for Philly.

Three-way in the Morris Division

There's a three-way tie atop the Morris Division as the two leaders fell and the Mallers took advantage. Bridgewater came from behind to defeat Sardine City 4-2 with a 3-run 8th inning. With the score 2-1 in the Sardines' favor, Brian McCann hit a 3-run homer to give the Mallers the lead. Andrew Bailey pitched a scoreless 9th for his league-leading 8th save.

Meanwhile, Carolina was pummeled by Vegas 10-2. Matt Kemp was 2-5 with 3 RBIs and Dan Uggla was 3-4 to lead the Vegas offensive attack, while Tim Lincecum improved to 4-1 with a solid 7 inning performance.

The other division leader, Philadelphia, dropped a 7-3 decision to Amityville as the Ant Slayers scored 4 unanswered runs in the 8th, including three consecutive home runs from Alex Rodriguez, Jason Kubel and Geoff Blum.

John Danks pitched a complete game, 1-hit shutout of Vancouver as the Mighty Men blanked the Iron Fist 8-0. Danks struck out 7 and walked 3. The Iron Fist went through 9 pitchers in the game, including today's probably starter, Kevin Millwood. In case you were wondering, Marlon Byrd got the lone hit for Vancouver in the 2nd inning.

Sardines triumphant in 16 innings

Sardine City and New Jersey battled for a marathon-like 16 innings before the Straphangers took the lead. Both teams scored early - the Buddahs scored 2 in the 1st and the Sardines tied it up in the 3rd, then nothing. Josh Outman gave the Buddahs 7 innings, giving up only 7 hits and striking out 6, while his Straphangers counterpart, Jordan Zimmerman lasted 8 innings and holding New Jersey to only 3 hits. The bullpens held each other in check until the 16th, when Scott Eyre gave up a leadoff double to Marco Scutaro, then Ryan Braun homered to win the game.

Another shorter extra inning game was played between Vegas and Amityville. The Rats picked up a 3-0 lead but the Ants got on the board in the 5th, then tied the score up in the 6th on a Miguel Tejada double. But the Rats would have the last laugh in the 11th when pinch-hitter Travis Hafner hit a solo homer to win the game for the Pack. The Ant Slayers held the Rats to only 5 hits in the game (versus 11 for the Slayers), but two of the hits were home runs.

Clayton Kershaw finally had a decent outing against Newark, lowering his ERA to 10.13 with a 5.1 inning, 6 hit performance. Kershaw gave up one run and struck out 8, but didn't get a decision. That's because the Cutters scored all 7 runs in the final 3 innings to take a 7-1 win against Newark.

Rivera notches another win

Mariano Rivera picked up another victory in Marietta's 11-8 win over Carolina yesterday - his 5th of the year. Down 7-5 in the 8th, Rivera came in to shut down the Mudcats, but promptly gave up a game-tying 2-run home run to A. J. Pierzynski, then gave up the go-ahead run later in the inning, but the Mighty Men stuck with him. The Cats sent in Brian Fuentes to nail down the win, but Fuentes got into trouble soon. Kevin Youkilis tied the game up on a single and then Fuentes fell apart, walking Jason Bay and surrendering a three-run homer to Derek Jeter. Chris Perez came in and struck out the final two batters, but the damage was done. Rivera retired the side in order to preserve his own victory. Things didn't work out too well for Fuente, who not only took the loss and saw his ERA balloon to 12.91, but was issued his walking papers after the game. Carolina picked up C.J. Wilson off the scrap heap to replace Fuentes. The loss was Carolina's 5th straight.

The hot team du jour seems to be Team Buddah, who has now won 7 of their last 10 and beat Hillsborough 9-7 yesterday despite allowing a 6-run rally in the 8th. Highly-touted rookie Rick Porcello allowed only one unearned run in 7 innings while striking out 8 and allowing only 4 hits. All the runs Buddah gave up were unearned, owing to two critical Rafael Furcal errors.

Meanwhile, a team going the other direction is Sardine City, who dropped their 5th straight. Blue Ridge scored 7 runs in the 6th and 7th innings to take an 8-4 win over the Straphangers. The Sardines outhit and outwalked the Bombers, but were unable to capitalize and left 11 men on base in the match.

Mat Latos made an impressive debut for Vancouver yesteday, allowing only 1 earned run in 7 innings and striking out 8, but the Iron Fist bullpen couldn't seal the deal. The score was tied 2-2 entering the 8th when Hoboken began the inning with their first 6 batters reaching base safely. The Cutters were up 6-2 before the first out was recorded. The Cutters would go on to score 4 more runs, capped by a 2-run Hanley Ramirez homer. Ramirez ended the game going 4-5 and Batter of the Week Russ Branyan was 3-5 with 2 RBIs.

After today's games, DMBL will take a hiatus until Monday the 19th.

Rivera, Branyan take top honors

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week is Hoboken's Russ Branyan. Though Branyan is part of a platoon, he still got his atbats in this week, batting .409 with a 1.367 OPS. Branyan smacked 3 homers, scored 6 runs, and drove in 7 runs in 22 at bats. Branyan has never had a full-time gig in the DMBL and has never had a season in which he's batted over .200, but this year he's batting .340 with a 1.131 OPS, 5 homers, and 10 RBIs.

Other contenders for this week's honor: Albert Pujols (1.155 OPS, 5 homers, 8 R, 14 RBIs) and Jimmy Rollins (.471/.500/1.000, 5 RBI, 2 SB in 17 AB) of Philadelphia, Marietta's trifecta of Ichiro Suzuki (.417/.440/.750, 2 SB, 2 HR, 8 R), Derek Jeter (.448/.515/.552, 6 R), and Alberto Callaspo (.423/.484/.769), and Newark's Lyle Overbay (.381/.440/.571, 4 RBIs).

This was definitely the week of the reliever with several outstanding performances. But this week's Star Wars Uncut Pitcher of the Week has to go to Mariano Rivera of Marietta. We already know that Rivera has been having a quirky season, but this week he has racked up 3 saves and one win in 4 appearances. He gave up zero runs, struck out 5 in 4 innings and has an 0.75 WHIP.

Other top relievers: New Jersey's David Robetson (1-0, 5 IP, 10 K, 1.00 WHIP, 6 G), Bridgewater's Andrew Bailey (3 saves in 3 G), Amityville's Angel Guzman (5 K, 0.50 WHIP in 6 IP), and Philly's Trevor Hoffman (1-0, save, 5 K, 4.2 IP, 0.86 WHIP).

The top starters (doing their best to discredit the "DMBL hates lefties" myth): Newark's Ted Lilly (1-0, 2.25, 1.00 WHIP) and Koji Uehara (2-0, 2.92, 1.05 WHIP), Philly's C.C. Sabathia (1-0, 1.69, 14 K, 16 IP, 0.88 WHIP) and Blue Ridge's J.A. Happ (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP).

Buddahs turn losing streak into a winning streak

The Buddahs have bounced back in a big way after ending their 9-game losing streak by rolling off 4 straight against Arkansas. Yesterday Andy Pettitte and the pen held the Falcons to only 1 hit in a 2-0 win. Justin Morneau was the lone Falcon to get a hit, although 2 others reached on walks and one was hit by a pitch. The Buddahs struck out 9 Falcons in the game.

Carolina won their series against the Rat Pack with a 5-3, 11-inning win yesterday. The Cats tied the score at three in the 9th on a Delmon Young double. Then in the 11th, Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer to win the game. Evan Meek earned his first DMBL victory with a solid 4-inning performance, where he gave up only 2 hits and one run and struck out 6.

Sardine City has risen up in the ranks - remember they were the last team this year to earn a victory - and is now sitting pretty in 2nd in the Hanover Division with an 11-7 record. Yesterday the Sardines took a 3-1 decision against Bridgewater. John Lackey pitched 6 innings and allowed only 1 run, while striking out 7 to earn the win.

Rivera continues odd season

The Iron Fist came back from a 4-1 deficit to tie their game up against Marietta yesterday, but Mike DeRosa's solo walkoff home run in the 9th ended their hopes. The winning pitcher of record was Marietta closer Mariano Rivera who is having a bit of an odd season. The future Hall of Famer has struggled to convert saves - Rivera only has one save on the season versus 2 blown saves, but...Rivera is now tied for the league lead with 4 wins. The record for wins by a reliever is 16 by Vancouver's Jeff Zimmerman, set in 2000.

Watch out for the Endzone Animals - Philly's now won 5 straight after defeating Amityville 8-5 yesterday. The Animals are now in 2nd place in the Morris Division at 11-8. The Animals jumped all over starter Randy Wolf yesterady, bouncing the him in the 4th inning after giving up 6 runs. Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter each had a homer and 3 RBIs in the game.

The Mudcats and Rat Pack slugged it out, with the Cats coming out 9-7 victors. Dustin Pedroia was 4-5 with 2 RBIs and Grady Sizemore and A.J. Pierzynski each had 3 hits to lead the Carolina offense. Meanwhile, Yunel Escobar was 4-5 for the Rats. Vegas starter Rich Harden was roughed up for 6 runs in just 1 inning of work.

Gavin Floyd outdueled Javier Vazquez to give the Bombers a 3-2 win over Newark yesterday. Floyd pitched 8 innings and gave up only 1 run on 9 hits and 4 walks. Vazquez only gave up one earned run in his 7.1 innings of work, but it was the unearned run that did him in - even though he wasn't in the game when it scored. Brian Wilson relieved Vazquez in the 8th with Blue Ridge leading 1-0 and a runner on 1st. Facing his first batter, Pablo Sandoval, Wilson took an easy ground ball and threw the ball over the head of first baseman Nick Johnson. Both runners would score later in the inning, securing the win for the Bombers.

Mudcat streak snapped by Rats

Las Vegas snapped Carolina's 7-game winning streak on a walk off single by Dan Uggla that gave the Rats a 2-1 victory. Tim Lincecum pitched 8 innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 8, but didn't get a decision. On the other side, Yovani Gallardo struck out 10 rats in 7 innings, while giving up one run on 4 hits.

Meanwhile, the other first place team, Marietta, won for the second straight day by the same score over Vancouver: 3-2. The Mighty Men took the lead in the 8th when Alberto Callaspo tripled in Kurt Suzuki. Callaspo finished the game 2-3 with 3 RBIs. John Danks and Mike Adams (who took the win) limited the Iron Fist to only 4 hits. The Iron Fist were able to stay in the game by turning 4 double plays in the game, extending their league lead in the category. The Fist now have 31 DPs on the season, 10 more than second place Arkansas.

Russell Branyan hit two solo home runs and Adam Kennedy was 4-5 as the Cutters edged the Hired Hitmen 7-6 in 10 innings. The Hitmen got in trouble right off the bat in the 10th, giving up a leadoff single to Adam Dunn. Though the next batter hit into a fielder's choice, Branyan singled, and Mike Napoli walked to load the bases. With one out, Kennedy came through with a base hit to the left side.

Newark's offense finally woke up, unleashing an 11-4 barrage against Carlos Zambrano and the Blue Ridge Bombers. Nick Johnson was 3-5 with a homer and 3 RBIs, Asdrubal Cabrera was 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 doubles and J.D. Drew hit a triple and a double in the game. It was the first time Newark scored in double digits this season.

One from the top, one from the bottom

The Mudcats have been on a roll of late, notching 7 straight wins as of Monday. Sitting atop the Morris Division, Carolina has the best record in the DMBL at 12-3. And the unlikely leader for the Mudcats this week was catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who batted .550 with 2 homers and 11 RBIs and a smokin' 1.515 OPS, earning him this week's JR Cigar's Smokin' Batter of the Week Award.

Meanwhile, in the Hanover Division, the defending champion Mighty Men are sitting pretty at 12-4, but no fancy-shmancy winning streak, so their top player will have to settle for a book of matches. Ichiro Suzuki led the Mighty Men with his .424 average, scoring 10 runs and stealing 2 bases. Other players of note: Philly's Albert Pujols (.933 OPS, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R), Blue Ridge's Andrew McCutchen (.440/.462/.720, 5 R), and Vancouver's Marlon Byrd (.524/.524/.667, 3 doubles) and Michael Cuddyer (1.231 OPS, 4 HR, 12 RBI).

And on the other end of the spectrum, our Trololo Pitcher of the Week hails from the worst team in the league - Team Buddah. The Buddahs finally snapped their 9 game losing streak with an 8-7 edging of the Golden Falcons yesterday. But maybe there is some hope for the struggling franchise as their prized pitcher Rick Porcello gets this week's top pitcher nod. Sure, Porcello didn't get a win, but he still managed to work 16.1 innings, giving up only 3 runs for a 1.65 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

Other top contenders: Sardine City's Jordan Zimmeran (1-0, 0.73 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 17 K), Las Vegas' A.J. Burnett (1-0, 1.25, 1.05, 14 K), Amityville's Tommy Hunter (1-0, 1.42, 0.95) and Hoboken's Mark Buehrle (2.08, 1.00).

DMBL to use new platform in 2011

Since there have been a lot of complaints about the DMB software not being realistic, I've been forced to look into other, better alternatives. Also since DMB has been sold, it seems as though the new company isn't as passionate about continuing the improvement of the product. So after an exhaustive search, including OOTP and other popular simulations, I've found the perfect platform.


Atari's Home Run baseball. With its slick graphical interface, it is very easy to configure and manage your team. It's realistic portrayal and lifelike portrayal of real baseball will allow our league to evolve in a higher direction. Gone are the days of tedious manager tendencies and lefty and righty lineups. Home Run simplifies the game. No more do we see such useless positions as "catcher" - really, after Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez, there's no one good anyway. The three players in the field really exemplify the teamwork ethic, moving in unison toward all batted balls.

The stats will be kept by me in a handy notebook, just like back in the olden days. If any sport lends itself to being "retro", it's baseball. I'll jot some names down and pretend that the current batter is whoever is in the lineup, then we'll just tally up all the scores at the end and voila, we have a box score.

Now surely the game has a few drawbacks. For example, I won't be able to publish the reports as quickly, so you'll just have to be patient with me. And I'll have to manually do the schedules again. But the hard work and sacrifice are all worth it to make the league more realistic and cut down on complaints. So enjoy DMB while it lasts, 'cause next year, our league is going to hit a Home Run!