2019 Ben McDonald candidates

There was no 20-game winner in 2019. There was no historic season by a relief pitcher. It seems like the race for the Ben McDonald Award is much more wide open than in years past.

Lester comes within four outs of his second no-hitter

Jon Lester came within four outs of throwing the league's third no-hitter in as many weeks as Blue Ridge blanked Allentown, 4-0, on Wednesday night.

Draft history was made last week

It was bound to happen sooner or later. For the first time in DMBL history, an ineligible player was selected No. 1 overall in the annual draft.

2017 McDonald Award candidates

There was only one 20-game winner in the DMBL this season but wins aren't a measure of a pitcher like they once were, as SABRmetrics and other numbers have taken a more prominent place in evaluating a pitcher's season.

Opening week review

Grand slams galore and a six-player trade highlighted the opening week of the 2017 regular season.

R.I.P. Jose Fernandez

The DMBL recently lost a budding superstar in Jose Fernandez, who was killed in a boating accident in September.

ASG ballot: Diamond starters

At one point after All-Star Game ballots were released, the Diamond Conference featured nine of the top 10 league leaders when it comes to ERA. With only five spots on the ballot, there could be the potential for a few snubs in the Diamond Conference's rotation.

San Francisco's Chris Sale was humming along, leading the league in ERA (1.33), K/9 (11.5), shutouts (4), and second in several other categories, until he left Sunday's outing after 7 innings with an injury. The lefty is expected to land on the DL for the second time this season, this time for almost three weeks. Voters may have to overlook his 11 starts, five fewer starts than most hurlers in contention.

Teammate Henderson Alvarez looked like he could challenge Sale for the starting nod after a torrid start to the season, jumping out to a 9-1 mark. But his ERA has ballooned to 3.16 after returning from the DL and getting bombed in Sunday's start. Yet another SF starter can make a case, as Anibal Sanchez was tied for the league lead in wins with a 10-2 record.

Meanwhile, Marietta's Phil Hughes was the first to 10 victories and followed that up with a 12-strikeout complete game on Sunday. He improved to 11-4, a league high in wins, extended his league lead in K/BB (9.6), and matched three others with a league-best 5 complete games (to go with a league-high 38 doubles allowed). Michael Pineda may not have the wins (6-5) that Hughes does for Marietta, but he's still spinning an all-star caliber first half, with a 2.42 ERA (5th in the league) and 0.91 WHIP (3rd in the league).

There are plenty of new faces to consider for the All-Star ballot too. Hillsborough's Garrett Richards, acquired from Hoboken at least year's deadline, consistently has been atop the league leaders in ERA (2.12), to go with a 7-2 record in 16 starts and a 1.13 WHIP. He pairs with Julio Teheran to form a solid duo for the Hit Men, with both logging a league-high 13 qualify starts. Teheran improved to 9-3, trails Richards in ERA (2.31) but also boasts 3 complete games and 2 shutouts along with a top 10 WHIP (1.03).

Several first-round picks have made an impact and could make the mid-season squad. After a slow start, Hopatcong's Mike Fiers has been on fire, including a near perfect game. He leads the league in WHIP (0.87),  is tied for the lead in complete games (5), and is first in batting average against, runners and hits per nine innings, to go with a top 10 ERA (2.68). El Paso first-rounder rookie Jacob deGrom is only 4-3 but has been consistent through the first half, sporting a top 10 ERA (2.85). A 2014 first-round pick as an ineligible prospect, Masahiro Tanaka of El Paso has paid dividends with an 8-3 record, to go with a 2.69 ERA and 12 quality starts.

Another candidate to earn the starting nod could be Tucson's Jake Arrieta, who has a league-leading 13 quality starts and is top five in strikeouts (124), WHIP (1.00) and ERA (2.35). He's 7-3 and now is joined in the rotation by another potential all-star. Tyson Ross spent most of the first half with Livingston, nearly throwing a no-hitter, before getting dealt. Combined, he's 8-4 with a 1.04 WHIP (5th in the league). The Scorpions can also boast one of the top lefties in Madison Bumgarner, who's quietly tossed 12 quality starts with a 3.16 ERA, although his 1.35 WHIP could be one reason why it's a quiet 9-1 record.

Ross left behind Felix Hernandez to anchor Livingston's rotation. He's trying, with 121 Ks (tied for 2nd in the league), and 2 complete games, but the 5-8 record belies his 3.80 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He and former teammate Andrew Cashner have both logged 10 quality starts. Cashner was leading Diamond starters -- before being dealt to the Micro Conference's Vancouver Iron First -- with 122.2 innings and 4 complete games heading into the break, despite a 4-9 mark. Chris Archer leads The Lords of Swing with a 9-3 record and a respectable 3.19 ERA but an iffy WHIP of 1.45.