Bullpen sputters but Hopatcong clinches first finals appearance

It took another 13 innings to settle the other Game 6 semi-final. The Vancouver bullpen put up a valiant effort and was rewarded with a 9th-inning rally to force extras but Hopatcong finally closed it out in the 13th for a 6-5 win.

This time, it's Hopatcong that holds on, taking Game 3

Second-seeded Hopatcong aimed for the same formula as their Game 1 win: 6 innings out of their starter and let the bullpen do the rest.

Strasburg, bullpen lead Fish to Game 1 win

Stephen Strasburg and three Hopatcong relievers combined to retire 12 of the final 13 Vancouver batters to lead the No. 2 Floating Fish to a 5-3 win on Monday night.

Santana throws 20th no-hitter in league history

Ervin Santana was one walk away from the first perfect game in DMBL history but settled for the second no-hitter in a week and the 20th in league history.

2017 Mitchell Award winner: Miguel Cabrera

In one of the closest votes in recent memory, Miguel Cabrera picked up the first Kevin Mitchell Award of his 14-year career, edging Gary Sanchez, playing in his first DMBL season, by just three points.

2017 Mitchell Award candidates

Here are 12 candidates, and then some, who could be worthy of your support on the ballot for the annual Kevin Mitchell Award honoring the league's most valuable batter.

2017 batting leaders

Two rookies polished off historically good years in 2017 amid the usual stalwarts in the league's batting leaders while the batting race saw a dark horse take over down the stretch.

Relievers rise to the occasion

After all the offense in the early weeks of the season, relievers were bound to get noticed sooner rather than later.

Ross faces the minimum in 3-0 shutout

Livingston's Tyson Ross faced the minimum 27 batters Thursday night but it didn't turn out to be a no-hitter. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as Mike Fiers' recent bid for the league's first-ever perfect game either.

The 28-year-old was cruising along when Dustin Pedroia innocuously singled to shallow left with one out in the sixth. Charlotte's second baseman was erased when the next batter, Jean Segura, grounded into a double play and Ross quietly remained in control, leading the Lords of Swing to a 3-0 win over the Webbs at Livingston Stadium.

Ross finished with 8 strikeouts in his near-perfect one-hitter, tossing 71 of his 109 pitches for strikes. Only six of the 27 outs were via fly balls. It was his second complete game of the year and his first career shutout. He got all the offense he would need early with Livingston's three-run first inning, including Robinson Cano's two-run double.

Ross improved to a team-leading 6-4, lowered his ERA to 3.14 and his WHIP to 0.98 (now fourth in the league). He now stands eighth in the league in strikeouts (85), and second in trio of categories: batting average allowed (.193), slugging percentage allowed (.280), and hits per 9 innings (6.2).

Last season, his first in the DMBL, Ross went 12-9 in 30 starts for Livingston.

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.

A Duel For Batting Title Heading Into Final Weekend

It's been almost a foregone conclusion for some time that a Bridgewater Maller or a Rowdy Roddy Piper will go home with the 2012 batting title. For the last few weeks, the top three batters in the league hail from those two squads, as well as four of the top five and six of the top 10.

Bridgewater DH/catcher Victor Martinez holds the edge at the moment, batting .333 (160-480, .333333) followed by veteran Michael Young of Rowdy, hitting .331 (220-664, .331325). Each have two games to play after yesterday's off day. Martinez has started 49 games at catcher and 67 at DH while Young has started 159 (of Rowdy's 160 games) at third base.

Assuming Young gets 8 at-bats in the final two games versus St. Louis, 4 hits would push him into an even tie with Martinez at .333333 -- if Martinez were to not get any at-bats, that is. A sizzling 5 hits over two games (assuming the 8 ABs) would mean a .334821 batting average for Young and time for Martinez to start looking over his shoulder. Anything less than three hits in 8 ABs (which would lift his average to .331845) and Young will have to hope for Martinez to swing and miss regularly.

Martinez tends to sit against lefties, though he's hit them well in only 78 at-bats (.372/.424/.500). Tonight's scheduled starter for Philly is Travis Wood, potentially leaving just one start for Martinez, or 4 at-bats out of the cleanup spot. Should he go hitless, he would finish at .331 (.330578), a 1-for-4 night would leave him at .333 (.332644), while 3-for-4 would essentially put the crown out of reach for Young at .336776. Of course, if V-Mart comes off the bench, there's always the pinch-hit opportunity, which would mean an additional at-bat, maybe two.

It's Young who's likely to finish as the league leader in overall hits, now sitting on 220, leading Bridgewater's Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano of Hopatcong, both at 206.

Young broke in with Vancouver in 2003 as a part-time player, secured a full-time gig in 2005 and went on to play three consecutive 162-game seasons. He hit a career-high .331 with 237 hits in 2006. Though he's never hit above .300 or gotten 200 hits otherwise (198 in '05), Young has been a model of consistency, entering this season with a career .286 average. He joined Carolina (now Rowdy) last year where he started 162 games. He's started no fewer than 140 (2010 with Hoboken) since those early days in Vancouver.

Another longtime Iron Fister, Martinez spent his first five seasons in Vancouver (2005-2009). He hit for a career-high .306 in 2006, eclipsed .300 again in 2009 (.301), and like Young also entered 2012 with a .286 average.

As for other batting categories, Kevin Mitchell Award contender Prince Fielder of Rowdy has overtaken the league lead in the RBI race in the past two weeks, with 131, ahead of Hopatcong's Joey Votto (138), who enjoyed an 8-RBI night last week. Fielder also passed Jose Bautista of Hoboken in the home run race, holding a 51-49 advantage.