Morneau, Falcons, come up just short

Hillsborough and Arkansas battled to an 11-10 final. The Falcons held a 10-4 lead after 7, but the Hitmen scored 3 runs in the 8th to bring it to 10-7. The Falcons got in trouble quickly in the 9th when they gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Theriot. Pitcher Joakim Soria walked the next batter then gave up a single to load the bases. After striking out the next batter, Soria gave up the salami to Aubrey Huff, ending the game. Mike Lowell also hit a pair of home runs and drove in 4 runs. On the losing side, the Falcons were almost singlehandedly carried by Justin Morneau, who hit 3 home runs and had 8 RBIs in the contest.

Las Vegas outlasted the Sardines in extra innings yesterday, winning 5-4 in 14 innings. Vladimir Guerrero hit a 2-run homer, his second of the game, in the 14th to take a 5-3 lead. Carlos Quentin answered with a solo shot, but it wasn't enough. Guerrero's two home runs tied Mark McGwire for 10th on the all time list. Next up, Frank Thomas (384) and Juan Gonzalez (385).

Clayton Kershaw earned his first DMBL victory yesterday, a 9-2 blowout against the Mighty Men. Kershaw pitched 7 shutout innings and struck out 7 while giving up only 6 hits.

Roy Halladay outduelled Zack Greinke in a 3-2 Mudcat victory. Halladay pitched 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits with 7 strikeouts. Hard luck loser Greinke pitched an 8-inning complete game and gave up 3 runs on 9 hits. Both pitchers have 7 wins on the season.

Galarraga, back on track, takes prize

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week is Philadelphia's Fred Lewis. Hey wasn't he the guy who played Webster? No, no that's Emmanuel. Lewis is the outfielder that Philadelphia acquired from Carolina earlier this season in the Magglio Ordonez deal. Wait, wasn't he a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles? Chad Lewis. Stay on topic here. Lewis has been on fire for the Endzone Animals of late. This week he hit .458 with a .548 on base percentage and .833 slugging with 2 doubles, 2 triples, a home run, 7 runs scored, and 9 RBIs. Wait, I know, he's that angry comedian guy who's complaining about Aruba's weather or something like that. Ugh, that's Lewis Black. You're way off, try to pay attention. Lewis has been a big part of the Endzone Animals turnaround. When he was acquired from Carolina, the Animals were 7-12. Since then, they've gone 22-9 and are now in 4th place (oh but it's a close 4th place, they are only 1 game behind 3rd place Hillsborough and 2 1/2 games out of first place). OK, so he's the guy that explored the frontiers to the Pacific and all that? I give up.

Other contenders: Lewis' strongest competition came from Newark's J.D. Drew (.450/.560/850, 2 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI) and Amityville's Johnny Damon (.448/.419/.966, 3 HR, 4 2B, 10 RBI, 8 R). Either one could have easily won it, but I wouldn't have gotten to do my little schtick above, so there. Besides no way I'd give it to Damon with an OBP lower than his batting average! That's a big strike against you. More... Elijah Dukes of Team Buddah hit 5 homers and drove in 9 runs; Dustin Pedroia had a solid week for Carolina (.472/.486/.722); Hillsborough's Aubrey Huff (.433/.452/.733) kept up his stellar season; Arkansas' Rick Ankiel (.474/476/.895) and Marietta's Kevin Youkilis (.414/.452/.759) also had notable weeks.

It was an easy pick for this week's Text Messages From Last Night Pitcher of the Week Award. After starting the season 0-7 with a 9.17 ERA, Armando Galarraga, Amityville's 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft, finally won his first game with 7 shutout innings against Hoboken. He followed that up with an excellent effort against D.C. Sunday for his second win. For the week, Galarraga was 2-0 with an 0.60 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. Hey, didn't he used to play first base... We're not doing this again.

It was a good week to be a pitcher in Carolina. Ace starter Roy Halladay was 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.87 WHIP and 14 strikeouts. His teammate John Maine also did well, winning both his starts with a 2.70 ERA and 13 Ks. They were both helped out by closer Brian Fuentes who saved 4 games in his 4 appearances.

Other notables - Zack Greinke of Vancouver won his two starts (2-0, 2.12 0.76 WHIP) and Philadelphia's Brandon Webb was 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

Sugar Bears drop 4 straight

The Sugar Bears are facing unfamiliar territory - a losing streak. The Sugar Bears have dropped four in a row with the latest, a 5-4 defeat to their divisional rivals, Las Vegas. The Sugar Bears could muster only 5 hits in the game, though the 4 walks probably helped a bit. It's the longest losing streak of the year for the Sugar Bears who suddenly find themselves 3 1/2 games out of 1st place.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Men have taken full advantage, winning five straight and taking a 1-game lead in the Hanover. Team Buddah was the latest victim in a 4-2 contest. Scott Baker pitched 7.1 strong innings giving up 2 runs and 7 hits. Josh Hamilton was the offensive hero, going 4-5 with a home run.

In the Morris Division, the Carolina Mudcats have regained the lead after beating the Sardines 4-2. Roy Halladay improved to 5-4 with a solid 8-inning performance, holding the Straphangers to 5 hits in the game. Halladay also had 7 strikeouts in the game, moving him past Chuck Finley to 19th all-time with 1172. Vernon Wells was 4-4 with 2 doubles in the contest. Meanwhile, the Hired Hitmen dropped a 10-6 decision to the Endzone Animals. David Bush was strong for 7 innings, giving up one run on 6 hits and Andre Ethier was 2-5 with 4 RBIs. The Hitmen tried to stage a comeback, scoring 5 runs in the 8th, but the bats went quiet in the 9th when Huston Street struck out the side.

Cutters farmhand dies in tragic accident

Stunning news as Hoboken Cutters farmhand Nick Adenhart was tragically killed in a car accident last night. Adenhart was leaving a minor league game in which he had a superb outing, but his hopes and dreams of reaching the DMBL are now over. The Cutters drafted Adenhart in the 6th round of the 2009 draft. R.I.P.

Todd Wellemeyer and Roy Halladay dueled to a 1-0 final, with the O-Bombers ending the Mudcats' 5-game winning streak. Halladay went the distance in the loss, giving up 7 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7. Wellemeyer didn't make it all the way through, but held the Cats to 6 hits in 8 innings. It was his first win of the season after losing his first 5 decisions. The lone run scored in the 3rd when Dan Uggle doubled in Jay Bruce.
Derek Lowe shut out the Iron Fist on 6 hits last night, sending the defending champions careening out of first place and into third. The Rats only managed 7 hits, but still scored five runs to give Lowe all the run support he'd need. It didn't help that Fist starter Chad Billingsley walked 5 in 5.2 innings. Carlos Pena was the offensive hero, going 2-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

The third shutout of the night belonged to Hillsborough's Felix Hernandez. Hernandez, perhaps finally ready to fulfill some of that promise, pitched 6.1 innings, holding the Bombers to 3 hits and striking out 6. The Hitmen gave him plenty of run support - Aubrey Huff was 3-4 with his 11th home run and 3 RBIs to lead Hillsborough to a 9-0 victory.

Philadelphia is now on a three day transaction streak. It all started Monday when the Animals cut Jeremy Affeldt and signed Jose Veras. The next day, the team felt they needed a bigger veteran presence and signed Ken Griffey and cut Matt Joyce. Yesterday, the club picked up Micah Owings and dumped Joe Blanton. Why? "Just for the heck of it" said club owner/GM Anthony Pucci. "I'm spinning the wheel to see who we can cut tomorrow!"

Player of the week awards for week 1

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week has to be Aubrey Huff of Hillsborough. Huff led the league with 6 homers and a 1.032 slugging percentage. He also led the league in runs (12) and OPS (1.489) while batting .389. He's a big reason why the Hired Hitmen are sitting just 1/2 a game out of first after winning their last three games.

Also in consideration this week were Vancouver's Chase Utley, who was second in the league in batting (.475), third in on base (.500) and third in slugging (.850). Utley's former teammate, Andre Ethier, now with Philadelphia, also had a great week - he led the league in hitting .500 and on-base percentage (.576). Other notables: Blue Ridge's Prince Fielder (.406 with 5 homers), Hoboken's Miguel Cabrera (1.257 OPS, 5 doubles), Philly's Albert Pujols (.353/.463/.765 with 10 RBIs and 4 HRs) and Newark's Jason Giambi. Giambi probably makes the list more for one game - Sunday's 12-5 thrashing of Amityville where Giambi hit 3 home runs and drove in 8 runs.

The easy pick for the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Pitcher of the Week is Roy Halladay of the Carolina Mudcats. The Mudcats were the last standing undefeated team in the league and Halladay did his best to keep it that way. Halladay started the week pitching a 5-hit shutout of the Endzone Animals, striking out 9 and walking 3. But he wasn't done. Halladay also earned a second victory against the Hired Hitmen, pitching 7 strong innings, giving up only one unearned run and striking out 5 Hillsborough batters. Other considerations: Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd (2-0, 1.15), Las Vegas' Josh Beckett (2-0, 3.21, 14 K) and Rich Harden (1-0, 1.50, 14 K in 2 starts), Hillsborough's Dan Haren (2-0, 2.40, 15 K), Newark's Chien-Ming Wang (2-0, 1.20), and Hoboken's Matt Garza (1-1, 1.32, shutout).

Opening Day notes

Carolina shot off to the best start, winning both of their games against Philadelphia. Roy Halladay shut out the Animals in game one, allowing only 5 hits and 3 walks in a complete game, striking out 9. Aramis Ramirez hit a grand slam in the 3rd inning to give the Cats the lead. In game 2, the Animals got on the board, but the Cats still won 7-2. This time it was Dice-K Matsuzaka striking out 9 Animals in 8 innings. Aramis Ramirez hit another home run in the game, though it was only a 2-run shot this time. Carlos Delgado added two solo homers in the game.

Marietta only played one game, but they rank amongst the undefeated teams so far with a 4-3 win over the Hitmen. The Hitmen jumped ahead early in the game with a Russ Martin RBI single in the second, but Marietta tied it up in the late innings, then took the lead in the 8th on an Adrian Beltre double. Aubrey Huff hit a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Hitmen a 3-2 lead, but B.J. Ryan could not hold the lead. Pinch hitting for Jason Bay, fan favorite Nick Punto lined a base hit that scored two runs, winning the game for Marietta.

Another undefeated team is New Jersey after taking a 6-3 decision against Sardine City. Edinson Volquez won his first DMBL game. Alfonso Soriano gave the Buddahs the lead in the first with a grand slam off starter Cole Hamels. Reliever Jimmy Johnson settled in nicely for Hamels in the 4th, pitching 5.1 innings of no-hit ball, walking one and striking out 3.

The last undefeated team is Las Vegas, who spoiled the Amityville Ant Slayers' first game with a 5-1 victory. Rich Harden returned from the dead to earn the win after pitching a solid 6 innings. Jeff Keppinger went 3-4 with an RBI to lead the team.

Burnett no-hits Sugar Bears

You read that right. The mighty Sugar Bears offense, which set all sorts of crazy records last year, were no-hit by Las Vegas' A.J. Burnett. Burnett gave up his first baserunner of the game right in the first inning, walking Jack Cust with two outs, but quickly retired the next four batters. In the third, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a leadoff walk but was left stranded at third base - and that's as close as the Sugar Bears got to scoring. Burnett would go on to strike out 11 Sugar Bears. It was the first no-hitter in the DMBL since July of 2004 when Curt Schilling combined with three Falcon relievers to no-hit the Westwood Deductions and the first solo no-hitter since John Lackey of Phoenix shut down the Hillsborough Destroyers in 2003. Carlos Pena provided the offense for the Rats, going 3-3 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Newark now stands at 19-0 at home, but a paltry 6-12 on the road.

Vancouver's Ben Sheets won his first game of the year by shutting down the Blue Ridge Bombers. Sheets held them to one run on five hits in eight innings, while striking out 10.

Hillsborough rallied from a 4-1 deficit to upend the Endzone Animals. The Hitmen scored a couple of runs in the seventh to come within one then tied the game in the next inning with a Carlos Lee single that scored Mike Cameron. Howie Kendrick then tripled in the next at bat, scoring Lee. Russell Martin brought Kendrick home with a sharp single over Aaron Hill's head. Takashi Saito pitched a perfect ninth for his 8th save.

Roy Halladay won his 99th career DMBL game with a solid eight inning outing yesterday against the Falcons. Chuck James held the Mudcats to only 2 hits, but an Orlando Cabrera error led to 2 unearned runs and saddled James with a no-decision. The Mudcats took the lead when Troy Tulowitzki laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt in the eighth that scored Johnny Estrada. Tulo had three RBIs on the night.

Buddahs drop 9 in a row, Rats lose first

The Buddahs were so full of hope after winning their opening day matchup, but things have gone very sour since then. Team Buddah has now lost their 9th straight game after a 4-3 nailbiter to the Morris-leading D.C. Bushslappers. In the nine game skid, the Buddahs have been shut out three times and have scored more than 3 runs only once. New Jersey faces Hoboken tomorrow - the only team that they have beaten thus far - and then they face Marietta Sunday, so maybe they'll break that slide yet...

Roy Halladay shut out the Falcons yesterday in a 6-hit complete game. For Halladay it was his first win of the season. Halladay moved into the top 10 in career shutouts, tied with Andy Pettitte. Grady Sizemore's 3-run homer in the third gave the Mudcats all the runs they'd need, though they added a few more just for good measure.

Rich Hill of Vancouver had the other shutout of the day, though not a complete game. Hill only pitched six innings, but struck out 7 in the 5-0 victory over the Bombers. Hill had been roughed up in his previous two starts - he had a 17.36 ERA entering the game - so it was good to see the lefty right his ship, at least for one start. Troy Percival pitched a 3-inning save, his first since 2005 when he was with the Phoenix Dragons.

Sardine City's Fausto Carmona returned from injury (perhaps a bit early?) and was rocked by the Mighty Men. Carmona lasted only two innings and gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks. Meanwhile Marietta's Daniel Cabrera was brilliant, picking up his first career complete game and holding the Sardines to one earned run on five hits, while striking out eight. Third baseman Ryan Braun committed his sixth error of the season in the game.

Finally, the Rat Pack was dealt their first loss of the season, an 18-5 drubbing by the Sugar Bears. Jack Cust had two home runs and 6 RBIs and Bobby Abreu was 4-6 with 4 runs and 3 RBIs to help the Sugar Bears remind everyone that they are still the team to beat. The two clubs face each other again today - remember that this week they are offering a free preview of the DMBL Extra Innings package!

Spring Surprises and Disappointments - the Pitchers

Carolina's Roy Halladay has been superb so far in three starts - 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA (1 run in 24 innings). He's looking like his old workhorse self. The real surprise in Mudcat camp has been Barry Zito returning to form. It's only been two starts, but Zito has been solid with a 3.21 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 14 IP. Of course having said that he'll probably get bombed in his next start.

The Straphangers' youngsters have been pretty impressive so far, especially Fausto Carmona (1-1, 1.80) and Phil Hughes (1.69, 0.63 WHIP). Carmona has been interesting - despite the low ERA, he's walked a ton of batters (8 in 15 innings) and only struck out two. On the other side of the fence, Cole Hamels has continued his struggles from last year so far in spring (0-2, 12.96).

Team Buddah has to be happy with their two starters acquired in the Ichiro deal. Oliver Perez is dominating so far (2-1, 1.08 ERA, 0.92 WHiP in three starts) and Joe Blanton has been solid as well (2-1, 3.24 - but 32 hits in 25 innings). In fact, Team Buddah's 2.59 team ERA is second in the league. Only George Sherrill has really struggled so far.

Sitting atop the heap in team pitching is the Las Vegas Rat Pack. Led by Chris Young, who is probably the top pitcher so far this spring. Young is now 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA, 0.81 WHiP and 16 Ks. The Ageless Wonder, Orlando Hernandez has done well (1-1, 2.25) and A.J. Burnett, acquired from Marietta, has been lights out (2-1, 2.59). Rookie Tim Lincecum has looked impressive at times (3.00 ERA, 14 Ks in 18 innings), but the underlying numbers (16 H, 11 BB, 1.50 WHiP) indicate that he's a work in progress.

Bringing up the rear are the Mighty Men of Marietta. With four starters with a 7.00 ERA or higher, the Mighty Men are looking like they won't be returning to the finals this year. Rookie John Danks has been the sole bright spot (1-1, 2.38 in 3 starts).

Pre-Season Opening Day Notes

The mighty Newark Sugar Bears opened spring with a whimper yesterday. Roy Halladay and the Carolina Mudcats held the defending champs to only six hits in an 8-0 blanking. Halladay went the distance and Aramis Ramirez went 3-3 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Number one pick overall Dustin Pedroia also had three hits and scored three runs.

Alex Rodriguez had four RBIs and a homer in his Arkansas Falcon debut. The Falcons pounded away on Blue Ridge 11-4. Josh Beckett continues his DMBL-related struggles after giving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Chris Young opened strong for the Rat Pack by pitching a 2-hit, one-run, complete game agaisnt the Mighty Men. Matt Holliday hit two homers and drove in four runs and Frank Thomas also had a homer in the contest.

Jose Reyes led the D.C. Bushslappers to an 11-2 rout of the Philly Endzone Animals. Reyes was 4-5 with a homer and five RBIs. Johan Santana was roughed up in his spring debut (3 IP, 5 ER). Santana claimed that he was tinkering with some new pitches in the game and was off on his location. "Don't worry, I'll be ready on Opening Day" said Santana in a postgame pres conference. D.C.'s top pick Matt Kemp went 2-4 with an RBI in the game.

Sardine City and Tampa Bay battled it out to a 1-0 final in the Straphangers favor. Fausto Carmona pitched all nine innings, surrendering only three hits, though he walked five. Mark Buerhle (8 IP, 7 H, ER) was the hard-luck loser for the Plunkers.

Division leaders show chinks in the armor

Carolina has now won the first two games against fraternal rival Philadelphia after yesterday's 3-1 victory. Roy Halladay went eight innings and allowed only one run on five hits. Brian Fuentes notched his 19th save on the season. The first-place Endzone Animals have now dropped four straight and have seen their lead shrink to only 4 1/2 games on the D.C. Bushslappers.

Meanwhile the league's hottest team is the Mighty Men of Marietta who eked out their seventh straight victory over South Boston yesterday, 8-7. The Mighty Men were down 6-3 early in the game, but they tied it up with a 3-run Wes Helms homer in the seventh. Edgar Renteria gave the Gang a lead with a solo homer in the eighth, but it wasn't enough. After closer Huston Street had put two men on, Salamon Torres tried to get out of the jam, but gave up a 2-run triple to Ray Durham that gave the Mighty Men the victory.
Barry Bonds hit his 30th homer yesterday in the Falcons' 6-2 victory over the Hitmen. Still on a tear.

How about those Cutters? Hoboken has now taken the first two games against Newark in the Cereal Bowl. The Cutters got to starter John Smoltz early in the game, scoring five runs in the first three innings and never looking back. The Sugar Bears made it close, but not close enough. Both teams had the same amount of hits and the Cutters had one more walk, but it was a costly error by Carlos Guillen and a passed ball by Gregg Zaun that made the difference in the game.

Vancouver got trounced once again, 13-7, making it four of the last five games in which they gave up more than 10 runs. After a bullpen re-shuffling, manager Darren Daulton is at a loss of what to do. "It's like watching a fire burn your house down and all you have in your hands is a can of gasoline" said Daulton. Chris Carpenter, who had been solid in his last two starts, had more than a gas can, he had a bottle of nitroglycerin in his hands. Carpenter surrendered eleven earned runs in 3.1 innings. "Yeah, my bad" said Carpenter after the game.

Tuesday tidbits

Arkansas got a little revenge on Hoboken yesterday with an 8-4 victory over the Cutters. Roger Clemens turned in a solid performance (7 IP, 6 K, 3 ER, 9 H) and Barry Bonds hit his third homer in two games.

Carolina edged the Sharks 8-7, despite giving up 19 hits. The Sharks left a whopping 16 men on base in the game. Roy Halladay gave up 10 hits in 5.2 innings, but still got the victory by holding the Sharks to only one earned run.

Philly salvaged a game against Newark yesterday, 9-1. Erik Bedard held the Sugar Bears to only three hits, but walked six in seven innings. Newark starter Randy Johnson was pounded for six runs in only 1.2 innings.

Vancouver swept Las Vegas and much-maligned closer Billy Wagner saved all three games. Wagner now leads the league in saves (19) by two over Philly's Francisco Rodriguez.

Hit the road, Eck

Today is your last chance to vote for the All-Star game. If you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for?

Hoboken's Vicente Padilla was impressive in a 4-hit shutout of the South Boston Gang. Padilla improved to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.93. Padilla also struck out 9 in the game. Also impressive yesterday was Carolina's Roy Halladay, who also 4-hit the Straphangers. Halladay only managed a mere 5 strikeouts.

Philadelphia activated David Eckstein off the disabled list and promptly handed his walking papers. After trying to trade the shortstop over the weekend and getting no bites, Eck was sent packing. Eckstein was batting a respectable .287, though somewhat empty (.693 OPS), but became superfluous when the club acquired Jimmy Rollins from Newark.

Newark blew a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the ninth when Cla Meredith gave up a three-run walk-off home run to Frank Thomas. In the game, Newark also survived a 6-run seventh inning that chased starter Chien-Ming Wang from the game. Newark felt that someone had to be "punished" for this embarrassing loss. So who would you think paid the price? Wang for giving up 7 runs? Meredith for blowing the lead in the final inning? Nick Johnson or Marlon Anderson for each going 0-5? Nope, it was obviously Tim Wakefield's fault! Wakefield was cut to make room for former Sugar Bear Alex Cora. "What the-- I wasn't even on the active roster?" reacted Wakefield after receiving the news. "It's not Tim" said GM Butch Garretson after the game "we just wanted to get Alex on the team again. That guy is a real sparkplug!"

Spring Opener Notes

Wednesday was a big day for the DMBL's newest franchises. Although they both dropped their opener, the two teams rebounded with a win in their second games.

Team Buddah was spanked by Hoboken in their first game, but shut down Marietta in game 2. Rookie pitcher Tom Gorzelanny pitched eight strong innings, surrendering two unearned runs and 5 hits. Ichiro Suzuki (2-4, 3RBI) and Preston Wilson (2-3, 2 RBI) were the hitting stars in game 2.

Meanwhile the Sardine City Straphangers were pounded by Honolulu 11-2 in their first game, but rebounded nicely in a 5-3 victory over Vancouver. Veteran Tom Glavine, a former Ironfister, pitched eight innings, while two more former Vancouver players, Andruw Jones and Ken Griffey each collected two hits.

All eyes were on Honolulu pitcher Jered Weaver in Sharks camp. The first overall pick gave up five runs in eight innings, but otherwise pitched well. "We're pretty happy with him" said Sharks pitching coach Randy Myers. "He had some jitters that he needed to work out. We expect more from him next time out."

Hillsborough's C.C. Sabathia and Carolina's Roy Halladay each pitched complete game shutouts on opening day. "I think Roy's ready" said Carolina manager Lenny Dykstra.

Arkansas first baseman Justin Morneau collected six RBIs in his game against Philly and now has nine in two games. "I'm looking forward to collecting some steaks this year" said Morneau in reference to Zane Smith's hitter of the week award sponsor.