Francisco Liriano was a bit shaky last night, but the Marietta pen pulled it off and evened their series with Newark. Marietta won for only the second time in the post season at home.
The Mighty Men went up 1-0 in the first on a Matt Diaz RBI-single, but the Sugar Bears crept back and established a 3-1 lead. But in the bottom of the fourth, the wheels came off. The Mighty Men rallied for seven runs on two three-run homers from Ray Durham and Jim Thome, taking an 8-3 lead. Both teams' bullpens held their opposition scoreless throughout the rest of the game. It was the second 8-3 victory for the Mighty Men in the series.
Now the series goes back to Newark for a pivotal game five. The Sugar Bears have to be sweating, thinking of the same hex that plagued the 2002 Falcons and 1997 Iron Fist. To mess with their heads even more, Marietta will have Phil Nevin of the 2002 Falcons and Jay Buhner of the '97 Fist throw out the first pitch in game six. "We're going to psych out those cheating bastards" said owner/GM David Landsman.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Marietta to go with Liriano on short rest
Although Marietta broke the Sugar Bears' unbeaten streak over the weekend, they're still feeling a bit of panic after Sunday's loss. Maybe it's because Jeremy Sowers has gotten spanked by D.C. and Philadelphia and they don't want to make what they've imagined the Sugar Bears would do to him into reality. So with that in mind, the Mighty Men have decided to throw out Francisco Liriano on 3-days rest against the Sugar Bears.
It's odd that the Mighty Men would toss Liriano out there when this isn't an elimination game. Consider that Liriano was roughed up by the Sugar Bears in game one, so maybe he's not Marietta's best bet anyway. It's not like they had many alternatives though. Other than Sowers, the Mighty Men could have tossed in Woody Williams or Gil Meche, but it's doubtful that any of those would have done any better than Sowers. So it looks like the Mighty Men will trot out Liriano in game four, hoping for the best and then cross their fingers and pray that Mike Mussina repeats his game two magic against the Bears.
Well, that's why they play the games...
It's odd that the Mighty Men would toss Liriano out there when this isn't an elimination game. Consider that Liriano was roughed up by the Sugar Bears in game one, so maybe he's not Marietta's best bet anyway. It's not like they had many alternatives though. Other than Sowers, the Mighty Men could have tossed in Woody Williams or Gil Meche, but it's doubtful that any of those would have done any better than Sowers. So it looks like the Mighty Men will trot out Liriano in game four, hoping for the best and then cross their fingers and pray that Mike Mussina repeats his game two magic against the Bears.
Well, that's why they play the games...
Friday, October 5, 2007
Dropped the ball
Sorry folks. For some reason, I can't explain I thought the World Series started on Friday instead of Thursday. I'll play game two on Saturday instead and then catch backup on Sunday. DMB will still treat today's game as Thursday and tomorrow's game as Friday so the off days will still be intact.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Looking at a likely game one matchup
Francisco Liriano is the likely starter for Marietta in game one against Newark. Newark started Randy Johnson in game one against Honolulu, so chances are we'll see the Unit once again Friday.
Liriano has had two starts against the Sugar Bears this year. The first outing, at Newark, he held the Sugar Bears to three hits in seven innings, surrendering two runs and two walks, while striking out six. The second outing, in Marietta, Liriano got injured in the second inning, but not before striking out three Sugar Bears in 1.2 innings. It's a small sample size, but it's got to give hope to the scores of Mighty Men fans.
Johnson has only faced the Mighty Men once, in Newark as well. He got the win, but the start was mediocre. Johnson gave up four runs, three earned in six innings, while allowing seven hits and four walks. Johnson only struck out three Mighty Men. Then again, with their offense, the Sugar Bears don't need much better from their starters.
According to the early polls so far, most believe that the Sugar Bears will win in five games, though a few hopefuls are still holding out for a Mighty Men victory. But that's why they play the games!
Liriano has had two starts against the Sugar Bears this year. The first outing, at Newark, he held the Sugar Bears to three hits in seven innings, surrendering two runs and two walks, while striking out six. The second outing, in Marietta, Liriano got injured in the second inning, but not before striking out three Sugar Bears in 1.2 innings. It's a small sample size, but it's got to give hope to the scores of Mighty Men fans.
Johnson has only faced the Mighty Men once, in Newark as well. He got the win, but the start was mediocre. Johnson gave up four runs, three earned in six innings, while allowing seven hits and four walks. Johnson only struck out three Mighty Men. Then again, with their offense, the Sugar Bears don't need much better from their starters.
According to the early polls so far, most believe that the Sugar Bears will win in five games, though a few hopefuls are still holding out for a Mighty Men victory. But that's why they play the games!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Preview: Marietta vs Newark
Look for a new This Week in the DMBL and a World Series preview coming later tonight.
After Newark's historic season, most people are expecting a cakewalk for the Sugar Bears. History hasn't favored the historic teams so far, so it's far from a sure thing. Let's see how the teams stack up position by position:
Catcher: Gregg Zaun, Newark vs Jorge Posada, Marietta
Both catchers are in platoons - Zaun with Michael Barrett and Posada with Bengie Molina, so we'll take the tandem in consideration. Zaun has had a very good year, batting .305 with 17 HRs and 97 RBIs, but then again everyone on Newark's team has had a good year. Posada has had another solid season (.979 OPS with 19 HRs and 70 RBIs) and Molina has mashed lefties to a tune of a 1.097 OPS. Barrett has been average for Newark.
Advantage: Marietta
First Base: Nick Johnson, Newark vs Todd Helton, Marietta
Johnson, the current Kevin Mitchell award winner, is having another great season (1.034 OPS, 112 RBI) and Helton has been solid as well (.853 OPS, 96 runs, 92 RBIs). Helton's power has fallen a bit from a perennial 30-HR threat to a 20-HR threat, but he still gets the job done. This is a close one but...
Advantage: Newark
Second Base: Marlon Anderson, Newark vs Ray Durham, Marietta
Anderson platoons with fellow retread Mark DeRosa - both of which have had stellar years for the Sugar Bears. But Ray Durham, who's had a solid DMBL career, has surpassed anything he has done. Durham is one of the offensive leaders of the Mighty Men and has been continuing to excel in the playoffs (.452 average, 4 HRs, 7 RBIs).
Advantage: Marietta
Third Base: Mark Teahen vs Wes Helms
Another tough choice here as both Teahen and Helms have come up huge for their respective teams. Helms, who is a typical Sugar Bear journeyman who has a career year, is lining up for the Mighty Men. Helms has led his team in triples (24), doubles (50), runs scored (120), extra base hits (101) and RBIs(118). Teahen, meanwhile, had a .608 slugging with 33 HRs and 110 RBIs. Tough call, but we have to adjust for home parks...
Advantage: Marietta
Shortstop: Carlos Guillen vs Derek Jeter
A battle of the underrated Carlos Guillen against the very much rated Derek Jeter. Well, I didn't want to say "overrated", since Jeter has had a very good year for the Mighty Men. Jeter hit .324 with a .391 OBP, 30 stolen bases and 119 runs scored. But Guillen batted .359 with 164 runs scored, 139 RBIs, 1.059 OPS and 32 homers. Even with the home park discount...
Advantage: Newark
Left Field: Bobby Abreu vs Matt Diaz
Diaz had a good start to his DMBL career (.292 AVG, 85 runs in 162 games), but he's not in Abreu's class just yet. Abreu scored 160 runs, with a .448 OBP, and 28 stolen bases. This one is the first position battle that is not even close.
Advantage: Newark
Center Field: Jim Edmonds vs Brian Giles
Edmonds was in Giles' position as recently as last year - seemingly washed up on the scrap heap. But Newark rolled the dice and signed the veteran and were rewarded with a career year out of Edmonds. Edmonds batted a league-high .390 with a 1.155 OPS, 39 homers, and 144 RBIs. Giles, a shell of his former self, batted .288 but only managed 10 homers and 45 RBIs. Giles splti time with Milton Bradley, but this one also isn't close.
Advantage: Newark
Right Field: Manny Ramirez vs Wily Mo Pena
Wily Mo has had a breakout season in '07 - 31 homers, 126 RBIs - but those 225 strikeouts will hurt the team against pitchers like Randy Johnson and John Smoltz (if he plays). Meanwhile, Manny is being Manny with his usual productive season. Hey, Manny is no slouch when it comes to strikeouts either (175), and his other numbers match up well with Pena - 41 HRs, 139 RBIs. But Manny obliterates Pena when you compare their OBPs - .391 for Manny and .322 for Wily Mo. If Pena learns to take a walk (not looking good 15 Ks to zero walks in the postseason so far), then he might have a chance to match Manny, but for now....
Advantage: Newark
Designated Hitter: Chipper Jones vs Jim Thome
It's the Clash of the Titans! Jim Thome, a former Sugar Bear, has come back on the rival squad. Thome has put up a typical, Sugar Bear-level season - 1.062 OPS, 39 homers, 115 RBIs. Jones, who joined Thome in the Sugar Bears' inaugural year, is also putting up a career year - 1.128 OPS, 44 homers, 140 RBIs. Both have had great seasons and it's hard to choose between the two. The difference between the two though? a .373 batting average for Chipper vs .293 for Thome.
Advantage: Newark
Starting Pitching:
Marietta certainly has the edge if we're only comparing the staff ace. Francisco Liriano may win the Listach and the McDonald awards this year. But if we look at staff depth, then the battle is much closer. A.J. Burnett and Mike Mussina have played solid second fiddles to Liriano. You may remember Mussina's memorable one-hit shutout of Philly in game two of the semis. But Newark's rotation is no slouch either. Randy Johnson, Chien-Ming Wang, John Smoltz, Javier Vazquez and even Joe Saunders are all capable of getting the job done. Especially when they only need to keep the opposition below five or six runs. Marietta's in trouble once you get past the big three. Jeremy Sowers has been average over the regular season and a disaster in the playoffs. Liriano gives the Mighty Men a fighting chance, but the depth of the staff gives the advantage to Newark.
Bullpen:
Now here is a battle for the ages. Future DMBL Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman are joined by B.J. Ryan in Marietta's formidable bullpen. The trio has only given up two runs in almost 20 innings in the playoffs so far. But what about Newark's pen? Not too shabby either although they lack the star power of the Mighty Men. Cla Meredith and Scot Shields anchor a very solid and deep corps of relievers.
Advantage: Marietta
Overall, it would be hard to find someone that would pick the Mighty Men over the Sugar Bears, but we've all seen crazier things happen. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Sugar Bears sweep this series, but Liriano gives the Mighty Men a chance to steal a few games from Newark. We're hoping for the upset here, but reluctantly pick the Sugar Bears to win the series in five games.
After Newark's historic season, most people are expecting a cakewalk for the Sugar Bears. History hasn't favored the historic teams so far, so it's far from a sure thing. Let's see how the teams stack up position by position:
Catcher: Gregg Zaun, Newark vs Jorge Posada, Marietta
Both catchers are in platoons - Zaun with Michael Barrett and Posada with Bengie Molina, so we'll take the tandem in consideration. Zaun has had a very good year, batting .305 with 17 HRs and 97 RBIs, but then again everyone on Newark's team has had a good year. Posada has had another solid season (.979 OPS with 19 HRs and 70 RBIs) and Molina has mashed lefties to a tune of a 1.097 OPS. Barrett has been average for Newark.
Advantage: Marietta
First Base: Nick Johnson, Newark vs Todd Helton, MariettaJohnson, the current Kevin Mitchell award winner, is having another great season (1.034 OPS, 112 RBI) and Helton has been solid as well (.853 OPS, 96 runs, 92 RBIs). Helton's power has fallen a bit from a perennial 30-HR threat to a 20-HR threat, but he still gets the job done. This is a close one but...
Advantage: Newark
Second Base: Marlon Anderson, Newark vs Ray Durham, Marietta
Anderson platoons with fellow retread Mark DeRosa - both of which have had stellar years for the Sugar Bears. But Ray Durham, who's had a solid DMBL career, has surpassed anything he has done. Durham is one of the offensive leaders of the Mighty Men and has been continuing to excel in the playoffs (.452 average, 4 HRs, 7 RBIs).
Advantage: Marietta
Third Base: Mark Teahen vs Wes HelmsAnother tough choice here as both Teahen and Helms have come up huge for their respective teams. Helms, who is a typical Sugar Bear journeyman who has a career year, is lining up for the Mighty Men. Helms has led his team in triples (24), doubles (50), runs scored (120), extra base hits (101) and RBIs(118). Teahen, meanwhile, had a .608 slugging with 33 HRs and 110 RBIs. Tough call, but we have to adjust for home parks...
Advantage: Marietta
Shortstop: Carlos Guillen vs Derek Jeter
A battle of the underrated Carlos Guillen against the very much rated Derek Jeter. Well, I didn't want to say "overrated", since Jeter has had a very good year for the Mighty Men. Jeter hit .324 with a .391 OBP, 30 stolen bases and 119 runs scored. But Guillen batted .359 with 164 runs scored, 139 RBIs, 1.059 OPS and 32 homers. Even with the home park discount...
Advantage: Newark
Left Field: Bobby Abreu vs Matt Diaz
Diaz had a good start to his DMBL career (.292 AVG, 85 runs in 162 games), but he's not in Abreu's class just yet. Abreu scored 160 runs, with a .448 OBP, and 28 stolen bases. This one is the first position battle that is not even close.
Advantage: Newark
Center Field: Jim Edmonds vs Brian Giles
Edmonds was in Giles' position as recently as last year - seemingly washed up on the scrap heap. But Newark rolled the dice and signed the veteran and were rewarded with a career year out of Edmonds. Edmonds batted a league-high .390 with a 1.155 OPS, 39 homers, and 144 RBIs. Giles, a shell of his former self, batted .288 but only managed 10 homers and 45 RBIs. Giles splti time with Milton Bradley, but this one also isn't close.
Advantage: Newark
Right Field: Manny Ramirez vs Wily Mo Pena
Wily Mo has had a breakout season in '07 - 31 homers, 126 RBIs - but those 225 strikeouts will hurt the team against pitchers like Randy Johnson and John Smoltz (if he plays). Meanwhile, Manny is being Manny with his usual productive season. Hey, Manny is no slouch when it comes to strikeouts either (175), and his other numbers match up well with Pena - 41 HRs, 139 RBIs. But Manny obliterates Pena when you compare their OBPs - .391 for Manny and .322 for Wily Mo. If Pena learns to take a walk (not looking good 15 Ks to zero walks in the postseason so far), then he might have a chance to match Manny, but for now....
Advantage: Newark
Designated Hitter: Chipper Jones vs Jim Thome
It's the Clash of the Titans! Jim Thome, a former Sugar Bear, has come back on the rival squad. Thome has put up a typical, Sugar Bear-level season - 1.062 OPS, 39 homers, 115 RBIs. Jones, who joined Thome in the Sugar Bears' inaugural year, is also putting up a career year - 1.128 OPS, 44 homers, 140 RBIs. Both have had great seasons and it's hard to choose between the two. The difference between the two though? a .373 batting average for Chipper vs .293 for Thome.
Advantage: Newark
Starting Pitching:
Marietta certainly has the edge if we're only comparing the staff ace. Francisco Liriano may win the Listach and the McDonald awards this year. But if we look at staff depth, then the battle is much closer. A.J. Burnett and Mike Mussina have played solid second fiddles to Liriano. You may remember Mussina's memorable one-hit shutout of Philly in game two of the semis. But Newark's rotation is no slouch either. Randy Johnson, Chien-Ming Wang, John Smoltz, Javier Vazquez and even Joe Saunders are all capable of getting the job done. Especially when they only need to keep the opposition below five or six runs. Marietta's in trouble once you get past the big three. Jeremy Sowers has been average over the regular season and a disaster in the playoffs. Liriano gives the Mighty Men a fighting chance, but the depth of the staff gives the advantage to Newark.Bullpen:
Now here is a battle for the ages. Future DMBL Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman are joined by B.J. Ryan in Marietta's formidable bullpen. The trio has only given up two runs in almost 20 innings in the playoffs so far. But what about Newark's pen? Not too shabby either although they lack the star power of the Mighty Men. Cla Meredith and Scot Shields anchor a very solid and deep corps of relievers.
Advantage: Marietta
Overall, it would be hard to find someone that would pick the Mighty Men over the Sugar Bears, but we've all seen crazier things happen. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Sugar Bears sweep this series, but Liriano gives the Mighty Men a chance to steal a few games from Newark. We're hoping for the upset here, but reluctantly pick the Sugar Bears to win the series in five games.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Marietta books trip to Newark
Marietta swept all the road games, and remained undefeated on the road in the playoffs. Of course their terrible home record (1-4) will need some improvement if they want to steal this Series from the Sugar Bears.
Philly hung in there for a lot of the game. The Animals took a 3-1 lead in the second inning after an Adam LaRoche homer and a Jimmy Rollins RBI double. Brandon Webb was holding the Mighty Men to only one run through the first six innings, but Webb ran out of gas in the seventh. The Mighty Men scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead. A.J. Burnett, meanwhile was on cruise control. After the rough second inning, Burnett only allowed one hit and one walk through the next six innings. The Mighty Men piled it on in the final two innings, scoring nine runs, but the Animals' heart was already ripped out.
Ray Durham was selected as the MVP of the series. Durham batted .429 (12-28) with a 1.110 OPS and 5 RBIs. Marietta will make its second World Series appearance, the first since they moved from Jerusalem after their 2000 championship.
Philly hung in there for a lot of the game. The Animals took a 3-1 lead in the second inning after an Adam LaRoche homer and a Jimmy Rollins RBI double. Brandon Webb was holding the Mighty Men to only one run through the first six innings, but Webb ran out of gas in the seventh. The Mighty Men scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead. A.J. Burnett, meanwhile was on cruise control. After the rough second inning, Burnett only allowed one hit and one walk through the next six innings. The Mighty Men piled it on in the final two innings, scoring nine runs, but the Animals' heart was already ripped out.
Ray Durham was selected as the MVP of the series. Durham batted .429 (12-28) with a 1.110 OPS and 5 RBIs. Marietta will make its second World Series appearance, the first since they moved from Jerusalem after their 2000 championship.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Philly-Marietta finale tonight
So the Endzone Animals came through and swept the road games in their series but have yet to win a home game against Marietta. Will the trend continue or will the Animals finally be the first team to win at home? Both teams are going with their rotations rather than send their aces out on short rest. Brandon Webb, who pitched so brilliantly in game three, will start for Philadelphia. A.J. Burnett is Marietta's pick. Burnett pitched well in game three as well, though he ended up with a no-decision. It'd be nice to see another 1-0 pitchers duel, but the way these things end up, it'll probably be a 13-11 slugfest.
The start date for the DMBL World Series will be this Thursday instead of Wednesday. It's been rescheduled because the Cereal Bowl was slightly damaged during a Sonic Youth concert over the weekend.
The start date for the DMBL World Series will be this Thursday instead of Wednesday. It's been rescheduled because the Cereal Bowl was slightly damaged during a Sonic Youth concert over the weekend.
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