Mules come back for Game 1 win

Allentown twice came back from 2-run deficits before breaking a 4-4 tie in the 7th off Aroldis Chapman to grab a 7-4 win at home in Game 1 of their Wildcard matchup with Philadelphia.

Curious qualifications in batting race

Fewer than 20 games to go in the 2014 season and only a few playoff spots and seeds remain to be determined but a few individual races are still more or less up for grabs.

Heading into Sunday's doubleheader action, Hanley Ramirez currently leads the league in batting at .346, a healthy lead over teammate Matt Carpenter (.335). Outside of Vancouver's Michael Brantley, third in the batting race hitting .330, the rest of the top five consists of San Francisco Experience batters: Brandon Belt (.326) and Joe Mauer (.325).

Ramirez is putting together a serious candidacy for the Kevin Mitchell Award as the league's most valuable batter. In addition to leading the batting race, he also enjoys a commanding lead in the RBI race with 158 to 126 for Livingston's Paul Goldschmidt. Though he's in the top 10 in home runs with 34, Ramirez has a steep hill to climb to catch Goldschmidt, who has a league-leading 45 homers, to truly threaten for the league's first-ever Triple Crown.

Sardine City rookie Christian Yelich has a few points on Ramirez and could very well be a stronger challenger than other Experience batters for the batting crown -- but he lacks enough plate appearances to qualify.

The 2014 first-rounder earned an All-Star selection and had been in contention for the batting race all season. He's currently hitting .352 but has been riding the pine for the past month.

Yelich started 87 games primarily in a platoon, going just 1-for-30 against lefties while batting a scintillating .380 versus right-handers. His last start was Aug. 12 versus Hoboken and he's since been relegated to primarily a pinch-hitting or pinch-running role.

Under Major League Baseball rules, a player must have 3.1 plate appearances in each of his team's games to qualify for a batting title. Yelich heads into Sunday's games with 420 plate appearances, short of the 446 plate appearances he'd need in Sardine City's 144 games. For the season, a player would need a minimum 502 plate appearances in 162 games.

With just 18 games remaining for the Straphangers, Yelich would need to average more than 4 plate appearances per game to reach the 82 necessary to qualify. Otherwise, only Carpenter seems close enough to Ramirez to give him a serious run.

A look at the Diamond all-star ballot

The 2014 all-star ballot is out and the all-star break comes your way after Sunday's doubleheaders. The all-star game will be played Tuesday night in ... Let's look at the potential candidates for the Diamond Conference position players:

DIAMOND Conference
C: Joe Mauer is among three San Francisco Experience at the top of the batting charts and leads the league's catchers in most every category, including hits (100), doubles (27), RBI (38) and runs scored (64). Among his competition is Livingston's Wilin Rosario, whose primary attribute is power with 13 home runs.

1B: Rookie Matt Adams of Durham enjoyed a 17-game hitting streak, the league's second-longest this season to lead Diamond 1B with 93 hits. If it's a slugger you're looking for, Livingston's Paul Goldschmidt has 27 homers, tied for second in the league, to go with 73 RBIs and 91 hits. There's also Empire City's Chris Davis who has pop, with 22 HRs. Marietta's Mike Napoli could garner consideration with his 24 doubles and 48 RBI.

2B: Livingston's recent acquisition of Robinson Cano gives the Lords of Swing the among the top home run hitters of Diamond second basemen. Jed Gyorko has been manning the keystone regularly, bopping 20 dingers -- more than the 16 Cano hit before coming over from Hopatcong. For more traditional 2B candidates, look at Hillsborough's Jason Kipnis (.286/.374/.417) and Durham's Dustin Pedroia (91 hits, 17 doubles). There's also Howie Kendrick of Marietta and his .293/.324/.498 line thanks to 12 homers.

SS: Hanley Ramirez has been putting up Mitchell Award-level numbers in the first half batting in the middle of a murder's row of a lineup in San Francisco. He's led the batting race off and on (.349) and has the league lead in doubles (36), extra base hits (56) and RBIs (91), and with a few games to go until Sunday's All-Star break, he's got an outside shot at 100 RBIs by the break. Livingston's Ian Desmond could be a shoo-in any other year with his 16 HRs, 15 doubles and 44 RBI.

3B: Durham's David Wright has always been a fan favorite and a model of consistency, putting up a respectable first half, with 14 home runs, 51 RBI and 52 runs scored while batting near .300. But it could be back to San Francisco, where Matt Carpenter has been challenging for the batting title all season (.349). Despite just 3 HR, Carpenter has 29 doubles and 67 runs scored thanks to an OBP of .420. Adrian Beltre of Empire City provides defense but also has a leading 91 hits while Livingston's Eric Chavez is batting .300 and slugging .483 with his 87 hits.

OF: Like first base, outfield is always a crowded race with all the big bats and this year is no different. You could make a case for taking multiple players from league leaders Livingston or San Francisco. Carlos Beltran has been hitting whether it was in Bridgewater or Livingston, bashing a combined 17 HRs and 52 RBI. Livingston boasts a second Carlos (Gonzalez) who's got 21 HRs and 46 RBI to go with a .282/.358/.577 line. San Francisco meanwhile has Colby Rasmus patrolling center while also batting an impressive .329/.386/.675, with 22 HRs and 71 RBI. Jayson Werth is among four Experience players with more than 100 hits (103) and also has 17 HRs, 58 runs and 60 RBI. Livingston's Shin Soo-Choo is no slouch with 88 hits, 50 runs and 50 RBIs, batting .317/.407/.493.

You don't want to vote for me?

There are others who could garner consideration, such as Marietta's Brandon Moss with 17 HRs and 54 RBI (.285/.384/.625). Daniel Nava of Hillsborough is right behind him in the RBI department with 53 and there's Empire City's Hunter Pence, with 15 HRs and 41 RBI, with a solid .286/.345/.497.

If it's more speed than power you're looking for, there's Durham's Jacoby Ellsbury and his league-high 17 SBs, which complement his .305 BA, 90 hits and 21 doubles. Or look for Hopatcong's Carlos Gomez who might get lost in the numbers after coming over from Livingston. He's got a league-high 10 triples to go with 12 SBs.

DH: Marietta's Adam Lind has fashioned an envious .311/.400/.545 line in the first half, slapping 13 home runs and 42 RBI. Durham's Pedro Alvarez provides pop too with 18 home runs but it's all or nothing with him, evidenced by his .232/.301/.485 line. The ageless Raul Ibanez also has hit 17 homers for Hopatcong but like Alvarez, is batting closer to .200 than .300.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Micro Conference ballot for position players.

2010 Gold Gloves

Digging through the Subway receipts and old soy sauce packets in a drawer at DMBL headquarters, the 2010 Gold Glove Awards were unearthed as league executives this week presented the belated accolades. Fielding percentage isn't the only indicator of solid leather and to avoid making a mockery of the defensive awards (You listening, Rafael Palmeiro?), all stats were taken into account in the selection process.

PITCHER: Jason Marquis, Marietta
Marquis led all pitchers in assists per game (1.37) and total chances per game (2.10) in his 28 starts.
Honorable mentions to Newark rookie Brad Bergesen, who led all pitchers in total chances (45) and along with Sardine City's Josh Johnson led the league in assists (31). Philly's C.C. Sabathia led all pitchers with 18 putouts, along with Jordan Zimmermann of Sardine City and Carlos Zambrano, who did it despite being cut by Blue Ridge midseason and playing briefly for New Jersey.

CATCHER: Joe Mauer, Las Vegas

Mauer led the league in putouts per game (8.84) and total chances per game (9.17) while throwing out 20 would-be base-stealers for a .697 clip and just six passed balls in 106 starts.

Yadier Molina of Arkansas had impressive numbers as well, trailing only Mauer in most categories while putting up a 1.000 fielding percentage and less than six passed balls, but made fewer starts, despite appearing in 136 games for the Golden Falcons.

Honorable mention also goes to Marietta's Kurt Suzuki, who led the league in baserunners gunned down with 25 (.753); Philly's Victor Martinez, who was tops in putouts (1,122) and total chances (1,164).

FIRST BASE: Prince Fielder, Carolina

Another razor-thin race, Carolina's Prince Fielder edged Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez and Adam LaRoche of Amityville. Fielder led the league in total chances (1,478), chances per game (9.31), putouts (1,834) and putouts per game (8.72) while making 162 starts and sporting a .997 fielding percentage and being in on 162 double plays. Considering his reputation for his girth, you might be surprised that he was even in the running for Gold Glove. Or you might just say it was a long time coming for Prince.

Gonzalez was right behind him in most every category with 1,435 chances (8.95/game) and 1,337 putouts (8.34/game) and a .994 fielding percentage. LaRoche was tops in fielding percentage (.999) but appeared in only 134 games.

Honorable mention also goes to Kendry Morales, who split his year between Blue Ridge and Newark, led the league in assists (119) but also committed 11 errors for a .992 fielding percentage.

SECOND BASE: Dustin Pedroia, Carolina
Not quite the runaway race that shortstop was, but still a wide margin for Carolina's Dustin Pedroia as he led all second basemen in total chances (826/5.17), assists (524/3.28) and double plays (138) and fielding percentage (.995), all while starting 162 games for the Mudcats.

Honorable mentions go to Vancouver's Chase Utley, who was second in most categories including chances (825/5.09) and assists (503/3.10) and double plays (135), but also was second in errors (16), for a .981 fielding percentage. Robinson Cano of New Jersey and Marietta's Alberto Callaspo led the league in total putouts (312) and matched Hillsborough's Ben Zobrist for most putouts per game (2.03).

SHORTSTOP: Troy Tulowitzki, Carolina
This was probably the least suspenseful race because Tulowitzki led all shortstops in every major category: 795 total chances/5.0 per game; 224 putouts/1.41 per game, 559 assists/3.52 per game, and 118 double plays. He was among a number of iron men shortstops, making all 162 starts, while ranking third in fielding percentage (.985) with 12 errors.
Honorable mention: Hoboken's Hanley Ramirez finished second to Tulo is most every category but committed 21 errors, which isn't bad, especially when you look at league leader Miguel Tejada's 37 E's. Vancouver rookie Elvis Andrus also made 162 starts and was among the league leaders in this bunch.

THIRD BASE: Scott Rolen, Vancouver

This was the toughest race to call with Bridgewater's Ryan Zimmerman and Vancouver's Scott Rolen neck and neck in virtually every category. Zimmerman led the league in total chances (407/2.55), just ahead of Rolen (403/2.49), who was tops with 297 assists (1.84) to Zimm's 281 (1.76). Zimmerman also had the most errors (23) and double plays (40).

Evan Longoria of Sardine City and Alex Rodriguez of Las Vegas tied for the lead in putouts (109). Longoria also had the best fielding percentage (.969), just ahead of Rolen (.968). Then you had Adrien Beltre of Blue Ridge and Marietta's Chone Figgins, who got some consideration for their per-game averages but didn't quite make enough starts to warrant the hardware. Beltre qualified for a league-leading 2.62 total chances per game while Figgins was second in assists per game with 1.83.

LEFT FIELD: Franklin Gutierrez, New Jersey

Gutierrez only committed four errors for a .989 fielding percentage, led all left-fielders with 2.55 chances per game and trailed only Matt Holliday in total chances. His 10 assists were fourth-best and Gutierrez patroled New Jersey's left field in 158 games; only three left-fielders played all 162 games.

Honorable mention goes to Marietta's Jason Bay, who led all left-fielders with 16 assists and along with Ryan Braun of Sardine City and Newark's Manny Ramirez finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage.

CENTER FIELD: Denard Span, Hoboken
There's no shortage of speedy center fielders to choose from. New Jersey's Shane Victorino led the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage but it was Hoboken's Denard Span who led all centerfielders by a wide margin in total chances (510/3.22) and putouts (493/3.11) in 162 starts. Despite his 7 errors (third most), he had a .986 fielding percentage and was third with 10 assists.

Andrew McCutcheon of Blue Ridge had the high mark with 13 assists. Honorable mentions also go to Carlos Beltran of Bridgewater, who was second in total chances (420/2.98) and putouts (407/2.89) and Vancouver's Adam Jones and Hillsborough rookie Carlos Gonzalez.

RIGHT FIELD: Hunter Pence, Blue Ridge
Right field is where the arm is, so it would be easy to hand this year's Gold Glove to Nelson Cruz of Amityville, who led the league with 10 assists. You could also go with the wily veteran Ichiro Suzuki of Marietta, who was second in total chances per game (2.52) and putouts per game (2.42). But he made only 124 starts and committed seven errors for a .972 fielding percentage.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's Seth Smith was the only right fielder to start 162 games and he had a sterling 1.000 fielding percentage and was second in total chances (349/2.23), total putouts (340/2.17), and assists.

We went with Pence for his solid .990 fielding percentage (4 errors) while leading all right fielders in total chances (384/2.55) and putouts (378//2.51). Honorable mentions also go to Newark's J.D. Drew and Nick Markakis of Sardine City, who also sported 1.000 fielding percentages.

Injuries pile up

It's been a rough weekend for the DMBL, but a good weekend for the team doctors. Five players went down with injuries that will keep them out for the better of two weeks. Carolina lost first baseman Ryan Garko, but they figure Paul Konerko sounds almost the same and fans will never tell the difference.

Meanwhile Joe Mauer and Yadier Molina collided in the field in a strange play. Molina appeared to bobble a throw home to get Mauer. When Molina went down to pick up the ball, he lunged into a sliding Mauer, causing all sorts of carnage on the field. Vegas manager and owner Eric Wickstrom protested, calling it a cheap shot by Newark's "goon", accusing Molina of purposely taking out Mauer. "It's just more cheating by Garretson's Goons" said Chone Figgins, who was running the bases during the play. "Of course it was a scrub that took out Mauer, not one of the stars! How convenient!" While Molina objected to being called a "scrub", it was pointed out to him that in fact, yes, he was a scrub. "I stand corrected" Molina apologized on the way to the ER.

D.C.'s Shawn Hill will miss at least two starts after leaving in the first inning of Saturday's game against Blue Ridge. Hill will be replaced by Sean Marshall, who was released by the Bushslappers prior to opening day. "We have to keep up our quota of Seans in the rotation" said team owner Jamie Landsman.

Finally, Hillsborough lost first baseman Dmitri Young for two weeks after Young slid awkwardly trying to score. "I saw what [Plunker catcher Kenji Johjima] was doing..." said an irate Young after the game. "He tried to Yadier me." When asked about the play, Johjima said that he definitely did not try to Yadier the first baseman. "I couldn't possibly Yadier him. I'm not a scrub" he stated via translator.