Maholm, Lilly battle in 1-0 struggle

Paul Maholm outduelled Ted Lilly yesterday as the Iron Fist blanked the Bombers 1-0. Maholm was called in for an emergency start when Hiroki Kuroda was used in extra innings the day before. Maholm had won a roster spot after spring training but lost it first to Kuroda, then to Greg Maddux. Meanwhile, Maholm pitched 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball, striking out 10 and walking three in his return start. Lilly went the distance for Blue Ridge, holding the Fist to only 4 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 5. The sole run scored in the 6th when Victor Martinez doubled in Curtis Granderson to break the 0-0 tie.

Arkansas and D.C. once again went into extra innings, this time Arkansas won it 9-8 in 12. With a 5-5 tie in the 10th, D.C. scored three runs, but the Falcons came back, tying the score on a 2-run Ivan Rodriguez home run. Finally in the 12th, Skip Schumaker drove in Rodriguez on a single over the shortstop's head.

Newark won its 6th in a row behind a 2-hit shutout by Chien-Ming Wang. Wang improved to 13-2 on the season in the 4-0 victory. Ramon Vazquez was 3-3 in the game for Newark.

First half, ROY review

A losing record probably kept Sardine City’s Joba Chamberlain off the all-star team, but the '09 Listach Award may be in sight for the 2008 first-rounder. Drafted as an ineligible third overall, he ended the first half leading the league in K/9 at 11.1 and led all rookies with 116 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA, through 94 1/3 inning. But Joba managed only a 5-7 record despite 9 of 16 quality starts and a 1.35 WHIP.

Chamberlain's competition for the Listach may not come from any fellow starters or first-round picks. This year's first round featured a bumper crop of starters, but many have struggled through the first half. Ricky Nolasco of Arkansas leads all rookies in IP with 114 2/3 but was 4-9 with a 4.87 ERA in 17 starts (8 QS). Likewise, New Jersey's Edinson Volquez, taken third overall (the first pitcher), has made 8 of 17 quality starts and cracked 100 IP but was just 4-7 with a 5.19 ERA. Amityville's Chris Volstad stood at .500 (6-6) and made 9 of 16 quality starters, but would have to bring his 4.42 ERA and 1.40 WHIP down some to make a run in the second half. You have to get to the second round to find a starter above .500 and thats Jair Jurrjens of Arkansas, who was 8-4 in the first half despite a 5.21 ERA, with 6 of 15 starts quality. He leads rookies with 3 CG and 2 SHO.

Hoboken's Clayton Kershaw, an ineligible 4th round pick in 2008, made only 7 starts in the first half after supplanting fellow rookie Nick Blackburn in the rotation but he was impressive, notching 5 quality starts while going 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.

Could the Listach be swiped by a reliever? Newark’s Joey Devine leads all rookies with 15 saves (2^nd in the league) in 27 games, along with a 2-1 mark. The 2009 first-rounder also has a tidy 2.10 ERA to go with a 1.17 WHIP. He would be only the second relief pitcher to win Rookie of the Year (John Rocker, 1999).

A few batters have played prominent roles in their team’s lineups during the first half and might well be on the inside track for the ROY hardware. Chris Davis leads all rookies, playing in all 82 games for Las Vegas mostly at DH with a smattering of 1B and 3B. He’s also tops in HRs (18), RBIs (58) and an eye-popping 112 strikeouts. Jay Bruce of DC was second to Davis in HRs (17) and RBIs (50), with both on pace to drive in 100 as rookies.

Shin-Soo Choo has helped pace Hillsborough’s league-best offense, leading rookies in batting average (.298), and slugging (.545), as well as doubles (23), while getting into 67 games for the Hitmen. Hillsbrough’s rookie backstop, Kelly Shoppach, has split time with Russell Martin behind the plate and made the most of it, with 19 doubles, 10 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage at the break.

New Jersey’s Elijah Dukes got an all-star nod thanks to his impressive first half, that include a rookie leading 47 runs scores, and along with Choo, a rookie-best .382 on-base percentage. He’s also knocked in 37 runs with 14 home runs and 16 doubles to make for a .536 slugging percentage. second among rooks.

There’s not much pop behind Denard Span, but he made all 80 starts in center field for Hoboken while stealing 6 bases and scoring 43 runs. Along with Philly’s Fred Lewis, Span leads all rookies with 6 triples in the first half and his 83 hits are just ahead of the 81 compiled by Davis and Carolina's Mike Aviles. Lewis and Aviles also lead rookies with 10 SBs.

Newark, Amityville capitalize on lackluster bullpens

Newark won its 5th straight and Hoboken lost their 5th straight as the Sugar Bears defeated the Cutters 8-5. The Cutters actually held a 5-3 lead entering the 9th inning, but their bullpen fell apart. Ramon Vazquez singled in a run after reliever Chad Bradford had put two of the first three batters on base, followed by four straight run-scoring singles, giving the Sugar Bears an 8-5 lead. It could have been worse for the Cutters, as Manny Ramirez was retired with the bases loaded for the final out. Bobby Abreu was 3-5 with 3 RBIs and Vazquez finished 3-4.

Speaking of comebacks, Amityville mounted a nice little come-from-behind win against the Rat Pack, when Trevor Hoffman failed to hold on to a 4-2 lead. Hoffman entered in the 8th with runners on first and second and promptly gave up a three-run shot to Eric Hinske. Hoffman fell to 1-7 on the season and now sports a spiffy 9.56 ERA.

Hillsborough scored 7 runs in the 2nd inning to propel the team to a 13-3 blasting the suddenly ice cold Mighty Men. Kelly Shoppach was 3-5 with 4 RBIs, Mike Lowell was 2-3 with 3 RBIs, and Brad Hawpe was 3-5 with 2 RBIs to lead the Hitmen offense. Mighty Men starter Ryan Dempster was blasted for 7 runs in 1.1 innings as the Mighty Men dropped their 4th straight.

Justin Morneau homered in the 9th to send the D.C.-Arkansas game to extra innings. But it was all for naught, when Hideki Matsui gave D.C. the lead back for good in the 13th. But that wasn't the longest game of the evening. Vancouver and Blue Ridge went 16 innings before Chris Ianetta broke the tie in the bottom of the inning to give the Bombers a 6-5 victory.

First half, pitching review

Though he didn’t start the all-star game, it’s tough not to call Tim Lincecum of Las Vegas the first half’s Ben McDonald Award winner, especially after closing out the first half with a near-perfect game. Lincecum is the league’s leader in ERA (2.96), wins (11), winning percentage (.917), quality starts (13) and strikeouts (136). In fact, Rat Pack pitchers ranked 1-2-3 in strikeouts at the break: Lincecum, Haren (125) and Burnett (118). But teammate Josh Beckett had a worthy first-half as well, earning the starting nod in the all-star game. Just 6-4 at the break, Beckett was right behind Lincecum in most every pitching category. Even if Lincecum slows down in the second half, it could be a Rat Packer going home with the McDonald this year.

But if this year’s winner doesn’t come from Las Vegas, a safe bet could be placed on the Carolina Mudcats, whose rotation boasts three pitchers in the top 10 in the league in ERA: Roy Halladay (3.31), Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.31) and Carlos Zambrano (3.50). Halladay ended the first half as the league’s leader in complete games (7) and innings pitched (127 2/3) while Matsuzaka had the lowest batting average against (.170). It’s no surprise that Carolina (3.66) and Las Vegas (3.87) finished the first half ranked 1-2 in team ERA.

Newark’s Chien Ming-Wang could make a case for the trophy, matching Lincecum for the league lead in wins (11-2), and right behind Halladay in innings pitched (125). Hoboken’s Jeremy Guthrie finished second to Dustin Pedroia in Pat Listach Award voting last year and also has followed it up with a solid sophomore, ranking 3^rd in ERA (3.28). His 7-6 record could look better if not for a shaky Cutters bullpen.

It’s unclear whether the Mighty Men get their name from their fearsome batting lineup or their impressive starters, three of whom have nine wins at the break: Mike Mussina (9-4), John Danks (9-2) and Ervin Santana (9-6). Or perhaps it’s the bullpen that makes Marietta so mighty, led by future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s league-leading 18 saves and rookie Brad Ziegler’s league-high 11 holds at the break.

Cliff Lee of Arkanas hit the all-star break on the DL, but a strong second half might put the lefty hurler into the mix for the McDonald. Only 7-6 at the break, Lee still had an ERA of 3.70 with 101 strikeouts.

Youngster John Lester has been a workhorse, logging 118 innings in the first half with a 3.51 ERA but just a 6-5 record to make a forimidable lefty-right, 1-2 punch in Amityville. Teammate Roy Oswalt finished the first half strong after a slow start, going 9-4 with two shutouts.

Greg Maddux has experienced a resurgence in Vancouver, coming off the bench for the Iron First and starting 10 games in the first half, including three complete games. The all-time league leader in starts, wins, and innings pitched, Maddux may only be 3-3 at the break but he sports a 3.36 ERA with eight quality starts. It must be rubbing off, as Zach Greinke is 8-5 with four complete games and a 4.09 ERA.

Marietta, Carolina, bounced from top spots

Vancouver swept Marietta yesterday after a 4-1 decision, knocking the Mighty Men out of first place. Ben Sheets pitched 8 innings, giving up only one unearned run, while striking out 6. The Mighty Men doubled the Fist's hit output (12-6), but could only bring one run across the plate thanks to an error by Sheets in the 2nd. Mike Mussina went the distance in the loss, falling to 10-5 on the season.

Taking over the #1 slot in the Hanover is Newark, who completed a three game sweep of Blue Ridge that saw the Sugar Bears outscore the Bombers 33-9. J. D. Drew and Bobby Abreu each had 4 RBIs in the Sugar Bears' 15-5 rout.

Hillsborough jumped atop the Morris Division yesterday with a 7-6 12-inning edging of Hoboken. Hillsborough rallied to tie the game up in the 8th after blowing their own lead the inning before. Hoboken took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th on a Jason Bartlett double, but the Hitmen tied the game on an error by Ryan Madson, then won it on a double by Carlos Lee.

Carolina was knocked out of the first spot by Las Vegas, who beat the Mudcats 5-4, despite a rally that almost brought the Cats back in the late innings. John Baker was 3-4 for the Rats, while Derek Lowe took the win, evening his record to 6-6. To add injury to insult, the Cats lost starter John Maine for at least 2 weeks when he was attacked by a flock of deranged seagulls.

Two young hurlers who had been struggling battled it out in Philly yesterday. Neither Armando Galarraga nor Johnny Cueto factored into the decision but both only gave up one earned run (and one unearned) in their time (Galarraga in 7 IP, Cueto in 8). Cueto struck out 10, but his team lost 3-2. Jose Lopez's solo home run in the 9th against his former team was the difference in the game.

Chipper passes Thomas, Gonzo

The Sugar Bears routed Blue Ridge 10-1 yesterday. In the game, Chipper Jones hit his 14th and 15th homers of the season, passing Frank Thomas and tying him with Juan Gonzalez for 8th all time with 385 in his career. Sunday, his teammate, Manny Ramirez passed Sammy Sosa and is 4th all-time with 447.

The Rat Pack evened their series with Carolina with an 8-2 drubbing of the Mudcats. Ichiro Suzuki was 3-4 and Rich Harden pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball, to improve to 9-6 on the season. Vegas is now 3 games behind Marietta for first place, while Carolina maintains a 1/2 game lead on second-place Hillsborough.

Sardine City picked up a 5-4 win in 13 innings over D.C. as Brandon Morrow pitched 4 hitless innings to earn the win. Miguel Montero and Alex Ramirez each had 3 hits for the Sardines.

The Endzone Animals rallied in the bottom of the 9th to take a 5-3 decision against Amityville. The Ant Slayers led 3-1 as late as the 8th inning, but the Animals were poised to come back. Alex Rios hit an RBI single in the 8th to narrow the lead to one-run, then Albert Pujols smacked a 3-run walkoff homer in the 9th to win the game. The win puts Philly one game over the .500 mark.

Finally, Greg Maddux continues his finale tour with a strong 8-inning effort in a 4-2 Vancouver win over Marietta yesterday. Maddux pitched 8 innings and held the Mighty Men to 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk to improve to 4-3.

Anybody else want these? Or should I just give him the keys to the store...

You know we really wanted to give this to someone else. We tried, but you guys have to step it up! Ok, sure the high averages (Dioner Navarro - .464 and Placido Polanco - .462) are nice, but we're going to need a little more. Lance Berkman, nice try with the 12 RBIs and 3 homers, but no cigar. Jack Cust and Casey Blake's 4 home run each are pretty nice, but not exactly eye-popping. Really, guys, he hasn't even finished the last box of cigars we gave him, but we really have no choice but to award this week's JR Cigar's Smokin' Batter of the Week to Aubrey Huff. Yeah, here you go, you greedy bastard, enjoy your Tabantillas. Here's why we couldn't help but to give Mr. Huff the prize: .591 average, .667 OBP, 1.136 slugging, 3 homers, 15 RBIs, 6 runs...and it goes on and on.

Other batters of note: Arkansas' Skip Schumaker (.438/.471/.563, 10 R), Hoboken's Joe Crede (.370/.433/.741, 3 HR), Marietta's Kevin Youkilis (.409/.444/.636) and Sardine City's Miguel Montero (.455/.478/.955).

It was really a two-horse race for the pitcher's prize this week, and yes, both would be repeat winners. Hey, we try to spread the love here at DMBL News as much as anybody, but well, take a look at the stats... Our first contender is Sardine City's rookie extraordinaire, Joba Chamberlain, who was 1-0 on the week with a miniscule 0.67 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, while striking out 18 in 13.1 innings. Contestant #2 is Las Vegas' phenom Tim Lincecum, who also was 1-0, with a tiny 0.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, striking out 22 in 14 innings. How the heck do you decide between those two? Well there are no rules against splitting the prize right? And since our sponsor is all about family and togetherness, aw hell, let's give them both the Awkward Family Photos Pitcher(s) of the Week Award! Now if we can just get a nice photo of the two of you hoisting the trophy...

Other notable pitchers: Carolina's Roy Halladay (1-0, 1.08, 0.96 WHIP), D.C.'s Braden Looper (2-0, 2.63, 0.80), Hillsborough's Dan Haren (1-0, 2.57, 1.00), Amityville's Chris Volstad (2-0, 1.42, 0.95), and Philly's Scott Kazmir (2-0, 2.20, 0.86).