Arkansas' Curt Schilling pitched a brilliant 2-hit complete game against D.C. yesterday as the Falcons won 7-1. One of the two hits was a Carlos Beltran solo homer. Meanwhile Arkansas' injury plague continues as the Falcons lost Orlando Cabrera for at least a week. He joins Roger Clemens, Chris Coste, Bob Wickman, and Eric Hinske in the infirmary. Clemens might actually be able to still make his start Friday thanks to an off day Wednesday.
Chad Billingsley pitched another solid game, but the Vancouver pen couldn't hold the lead for him and ended up losing 5-3 to the Mudcats. Billingsley had pitched six innings and allowed only two runs but Chad Gaudin gave up two solo homers to start off the eighth inning. Joel Peralta gave up another solo shot in the ninth to Grady Sizemore to add insult to injury.
The first wave of callups has begun.
Newark recalled Matt Stairs, Dave Bush, Kevin Millwood and James Shields. Stairs may see some pinch hitting action, but the pitchers will most likely only be used in extreme situations where the rest of the pen is tired. It is possible that one of them will get a spot start to rest the regular starters for the playoffs toward the end of the month. Newark is close to clinching so they may not have much left to play for anyway.
Vancouver has recalled Jose Guillen and Manny Corpas. Corpas will see some time in the bullpen, likely at the expense of Chad Gaudin, who has been horrible. Guillen will serve as an emergency bat off the bench.
Hillsborough added reliever Matt Guerrier to their roster. Guerrier spent some time earlier with New Jersey and will give the Hitmen some more bullpen depth.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Playoff picture begins to take shape
Marietta's streak finally came to an end at ten games after dropping the first game to Sardine City yesterday. Tom Glavine pitched a solid game to earn his 8th win of the season. Offensive heavyweights Juan Pierre and Josh Barfield each had three hits to break Sardine City's own little five-game losing streak. Marietta has put some distance between themselves and the rest of the wild card pack - Marietta now stands five games ahead of fourth-place D.C.
While the top half of the playoff order seems pretty much set, the bottom half looks to be a little more contestable. D.C. won two games to hold onto the fourth spot yesterday. Against New Jersey, the Bushslappers slapped out 20 hits in 14 innings, including a 4-run 14th to win 11-7 against the Buddahs. The Slappers also scratched out a 3-2 win over the Falcons after trailing most of the game.
Hillsborough is holding on at number five after splitting yesterday's games. J.D. Drew went 3-4 with 5 RBIs to lead Philly to a 9-3 victory over the Hitmen, but Hillsborough overcame the loss with a 7-3 beating of Honolulu. Carlos Delgado drove in four and C.C. Sabathia won his 10th.
Vancouver split two close games yesterday to remain in sixth. The Fist dropped the first game, 5-4, to South Boston, after the Gang scored runs in each of the last three innings to win the game. But in a nailbiter later in the day, Vancouver edged the Mudcats in ten innings, 9-8, thanks to a huge day from David Ortiz (4-6, 6 RBIs, 3 HR).
The last two teams fighting it out are Honolulu and Hoboken. Honolulu beat Hoboken early in the day yesterday, only to lose to Hillsborough later. Hoboken went on to drop their second game to Marietta. As it stands now, Honolulu is one game out of the last playoff spot and Hoboken is 1 1/2 behind Honolulu. Carolina and Arkansas are still somewhat alive, but need to get on the ball quickly.
Tuesday is roster expansion day as all teams rosters can expand to the full 30 player limit. While some teams have a slew of inelligibles, others will benefit from an increased bench and/or bullpen. We'll take a look at some of the callups on Wednesday.
While the top half of the playoff order seems pretty much set, the bottom half looks to be a little more contestable. D.C. won two games to hold onto the fourth spot yesterday. Against New Jersey, the Bushslappers slapped out 20 hits in 14 innings, including a 4-run 14th to win 11-7 against the Buddahs. The Slappers also scratched out a 3-2 win over the Falcons after trailing most of the game.
Hillsborough is holding on at number five after splitting yesterday's games. J.D. Drew went 3-4 with 5 RBIs to lead Philly to a 9-3 victory over the Hitmen, but Hillsborough overcame the loss with a 7-3 beating of Honolulu. Carlos Delgado drove in four and C.C. Sabathia won his 10th.
Vancouver split two close games yesterday to remain in sixth. The Fist dropped the first game, 5-4, to South Boston, after the Gang scored runs in each of the last three innings to win the game. But in a nailbiter later in the day, Vancouver edged the Mudcats in ten innings, 9-8, thanks to a huge day from David Ortiz (4-6, 6 RBIs, 3 HR).
The last two teams fighting it out are Honolulu and Hoboken. Honolulu beat Hoboken early in the day yesterday, only to lose to Hillsborough later. Hoboken went on to drop their second game to Marietta. As it stands now, Honolulu is one game out of the last playoff spot and Hoboken is 1 1/2 behind Honolulu. Carolina and Arkansas are still somewhat alive, but need to get on the ball quickly.
Tuesday is roster expansion day as all teams rosters can expand to the full 30 player limit. While some teams have a slew of inelligibles, others will benefit from an increased bench and/or bullpen. We'll take a look at some of the callups on Wednesday.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Edge of Your Seat Thursday
Arkansas edged the Sugar Bears in 10 innings yesterday, 4-3. The Sugar Bears took the lead in the top of the 10th, but the Falcons tied it up on a Lance Berkman RBI single and won the game on a Barry Bonds RBI single. Berkman had three of the four RBIs in the game and Bonds and Orlando Cabrera each had three hits.
D.C. almost lost another game to the last-place Rat Pack, but a four-run ninth gave the Bushslappers the victory. It started with a two-run Frank Thomas homer that cut the lead to one. George Sherrill was brought in to replace starter Joe Blanton. After loading the bases, Sherrill gave up the walkoff double to Alfonso Soriano giving D.C. a 7-6 victory. D.C. won despite getting out hit 13-8 by Vegas and walking seven batters. The Rats left 13 batters on base in the game.
Hillsborough beat New Jersey 4-3 to complete the trifecta of one-run games. Unlike the other two games, all the runs were scored early in the game. Jeremy Bonderman improved to 13-9 and Ryan Howard drove in 3 runs.
Honolulu and Philadelphia played a close game, but alas, it was a 2-run game with a wild ending, although it was extra innings. The Sharks finally won a game against the Animals after losing four straight. Jermaine Dye led off the inning with a double and Jason Giambi reached base on an infield single...yes the same speedy Jason Giambi we all know and love. Two batters later, Francisco Rodriguez threw a pitch in the dirt that advanced Giambi to second. With two outs after striking out the next batter, Frank Catalanotto lined a single that scored both runners, giving the Sharks the lead. Rodriguez threw yet another wild pitch to advance the Little Cat, but Ryan Freel struck out to end the inning, the third Shark strikeout of the inning. Tom Gordon sent the Animals down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning to preserve the game. By the way, Jason Giambi passed the 1000 career RBI mark in the game, becoming the 19th player to reach the mark.
Finally, in the day's biggest blowout, Vancouver destroyed (relatively speaking) Hoboken 5-2. Chad Billingsley continues to impress with six shutout innings, striking out six Cutters and improving to 2-2. Billy Wagner picked up his 30th save and Moises Alou hit the 200th home run of his career.
D.C. almost lost another game to the last-place Rat Pack, but a four-run ninth gave the Bushslappers the victory. It started with a two-run Frank Thomas homer that cut the lead to one. George Sherrill was brought in to replace starter Joe Blanton. After loading the bases, Sherrill gave up the walkoff double to Alfonso Soriano giving D.C. a 7-6 victory. D.C. won despite getting out hit 13-8 by Vegas and walking seven batters. The Rats left 13 batters on base in the game.
Hillsborough beat New Jersey 4-3 to complete the trifecta of one-run games. Unlike the other two games, all the runs were scored early in the game. Jeremy Bonderman improved to 13-9 and Ryan Howard drove in 3 runs.
Honolulu and Philadelphia played a close game, but alas, it was a 2-run game with a wild ending, although it was extra innings. The Sharks finally won a game against the Animals after losing four straight. Jermaine Dye led off the inning with a double and Jason Giambi reached base on an infield single...yes the same speedy Jason Giambi we all know and love. Two batters later, Francisco Rodriguez threw a pitch in the dirt that advanced Giambi to second. With two outs after striking out the next batter, Frank Catalanotto lined a single that scored both runners, giving the Sharks the lead. Rodriguez threw yet another wild pitch to advance the Little Cat, but Ryan Freel struck out to end the inning, the third Shark strikeout of the inning. Tom Gordon sent the Animals down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning to preserve the game. By the way, Jason Giambi passed the 1000 career RBI mark in the game, becoming the 19th player to reach the mark.
Finally, in the day's biggest blowout, Vancouver destroyed (relatively speaking) Hoboken 5-2. Chad Billingsley continues to impress with six shutout innings, striking out six Cutters and improving to 2-2. Billy Wagner picked up his 30th save and Moises Alou hit the 200th home run of his career.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Mighty Men streak into Wild Card lead
The Mighty Men kept rolling along yesterday with a 5-2 win over Carolina. Mike Mussina contributed a solid eight innings, surrendering only two runs on five hits. Milton Bradley hit a three-run homer in the third to give the Mites the lead and that proved to be enough for Moose. The win was the eighth in a row for the Mighty Men. Marietta has now opened up a 4 1/2 game cushion on D.C.
Speaking of which, D.C. fell victim to the classic "revenge factor" when El Duque Hernandez threw a gem against the Slappers. Duque surrendered only one run and five hits through seven and struck out nine. Hernandez was cut March 31st by D.C. after only one appearance - a disastrous mopup appearance where Duque gave up five runs in 1.1 innings. El Duque finally got his revenge and his first win on the season as the Rat Pack won 8-4 Wednesday.
Vancouver has made a late season revival, winning three of the first four in a crucial series with Hoboken. This time it was Ben Sheets, limiting the Cutters to one run in seven innings. Scott Spiezio got his first start since joining Vancouver and went 3-5. Vancouver is now sitting in sixth place overall, a half game ahead of Hoboken and one game ahead of the Sharks.
Arkansas and Newark battled it in a 10-inning contest. Newark jumped out to a 6-0 lead early, but the Falcons came right back with a huge 6-run third inning. The Sugar Bears went up 8-7 in the top of the tenth after a Manny Ramirez solo shot to lead off the inning. Orlando Cabrera made things interesting in the bottom of the tenth when he reached base on a single and stole second with only one out, but Cabrera got greedy and was thrown out trying to steal third.
Speaking of which, D.C. fell victim to the classic "revenge factor" when El Duque Hernandez threw a gem against the Slappers. Duque surrendered only one run and five hits through seven and struck out nine. Hernandez was cut March 31st by D.C. after only one appearance - a disastrous mopup appearance where Duque gave up five runs in 1.1 innings. El Duque finally got his revenge and his first win on the season as the Rat Pack won 8-4 Wednesday.
Vancouver has made a late season revival, winning three of the first four in a crucial series with Hoboken. This time it was Ben Sheets, limiting the Cutters to one run in seven innings. Scott Spiezio got his first start since joining Vancouver and went 3-5. Vancouver is now sitting in sixth place overall, a half game ahead of Hoboken and one game ahead of the Sharks.
Arkansas and Newark battled it in a 10-inning contest. Newark jumped out to a 6-0 lead early, but the Falcons came right back with a huge 6-run third inning. The Sugar Bears went up 8-7 in the top of the tenth after a Manny Ramirez solo shot to lead off the inning. Orlando Cabrera made things interesting in the bottom of the tenth when he reached base on a single and stole second with only one out, but Cabrera got greedy and was thrown out trying to steal third.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Reyes races toward record
Only four games in the DMBL yesterday, so let's get to it.
Arkansas finally got a win against Newark yesterday, scraping out a 6-5 win as the series shifted to the Natural State. Newark held the lead until Lance Berkman hit a three-run homer to tie things up. Berkman was brought in to pinch-hit for catcher Henry Blanco. The game ended as Cla Meredith hit Chris Coste with the bases loaded in the ninth to end the game. A walkoff hit by pitch? "He was crowding the inside of the plate and I own the plate" said Meredith after the game. "I don't care if we lost as long as he got the message."
Derek Jeter and Matt Diaz each had three hits and Wily Mo Pena drove in 3 RBIs as Marietta breezed by the Mudcats 7-3. Woody Williams earned his second straight win after a dismal start. "My first three starts are really a test" said Williams. "If the team sticks with me after three bad games, then I start to pitch well." Vancouver benched Williams after three dreadful starts and later traded him to Marietta. Williams' ERA now stands at 7.43 for the season. Marietta has now won seven straight.
Kelvim Escobar and the Bushslappers had no problems with the Rat Pack yesterday, easily winning 7-1. Escobar contributed 8 innings en route to his 12th win of the season. Jose Reyes hit his 20th triple of the season and continues to ascend the all-time mark. In only his third season, Reyes is already eighth on the all-time chart with 51, only 24 shy of the all-time mark of 75 set by Deion Sanders. "I must erase the stain of Deion from the record books" said Reyes.
South Boston pounded out a 12-2 win over the Straphangers yesterday. Garrett Atkins, Prince Fielder, and Vladimir Guerrero each had three RBIs in the victory.
Arkansas finally got a win against Newark yesterday, scraping out a 6-5 win as the series shifted to the Natural State. Newark held the lead until Lance Berkman hit a three-run homer to tie things up. Berkman was brought in to pinch-hit for catcher Henry Blanco. The game ended as Cla Meredith hit Chris Coste with the bases loaded in the ninth to end the game. A walkoff hit by pitch? "He was crowding the inside of the plate and I own the plate" said Meredith after the game. "I don't care if we lost as long as he got the message."
Derek Jeter and Matt Diaz each had three hits and Wily Mo Pena drove in 3 RBIs as Marietta breezed by the Mudcats 7-3. Woody Williams earned his second straight win after a dismal start. "My first three starts are really a test" said Williams. "If the team sticks with me after three bad games, then I start to pitch well." Vancouver benched Williams after three dreadful starts and later traded him to Marietta. Williams' ERA now stands at 7.43 for the season. Marietta has now won seven straight.
Kelvim Escobar and the Bushslappers had no problems with the Rat Pack yesterday, easily winning 7-1. Escobar contributed 8 innings en route to his 12th win of the season. Jose Reyes hit his 20th triple of the season and continues to ascend the all-time mark. In only his third season, Reyes is already eighth on the all-time chart with 51, only 24 shy of the all-time mark of 75 set by Deion Sanders. "I must erase the stain of Deion from the record books" said Reyes.
South Boston pounded out a 12-2 win over the Straphangers yesterday. Garrett Atkins, Prince Fielder, and Vladimir Guerrero each had three RBIs in the victory.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Smoltz racks up 2000th
Newark's John Smoltz picked up strikeout number 2000 for his career Monday. Smoltz pitched eight innings to earn his 13th win of the year against the Falcons, 8-4. Bobby Abreu was 4-5 with 2 stolen bases and 3 RBIs.
Nate Robertson pitched a 6-0, complete game shutout of the Sardine City Straphangers to earn only his second win of the season. Robertson held the Sardines to five hits and two walks. Garrett Atkins and Vlad Guerrero each had three hits and hit their 27th homers of the season.
Jacques Jones hit a two-run walkoff homer to give Team Buddah a 5-4 win over Hillsborough yesterday. Ichiro Suzuki and Shea Hillenbrand both had four hits in the win.
The Rat Pack spoiled the sweep for the Bushslappers yesterday. D.C. had a 4-2 lead in the eighth, but Joe Mauer and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back doubles to give the Rats a 5-4 lead. Frank Thomas hit two homers in a losing cause, though he did move into fifth all-time with 1285 RBIs.
Erik Bedard shut down the Sharks yesterday 5-0. Bedard held the Sharks to four runs over 7.2 innings and J.J. Putz completed the shutout. The Animals were held to only six hits as well, but four of them were home runs, including two by Scott Rolen.
Nate Robertson pitched a 6-0, complete game shutout of the Sardine City Straphangers to earn only his second win of the season. Robertson held the Sardines to five hits and two walks. Garrett Atkins and Vlad Guerrero each had three hits and hit their 27th homers of the season.
Jacques Jones hit a two-run walkoff homer to give Team Buddah a 5-4 win over Hillsborough yesterday. Ichiro Suzuki and Shea Hillenbrand both had four hits in the win.
The Rat Pack spoiled the sweep for the Bushslappers yesterday. D.C. had a 4-2 lead in the eighth, but Joe Mauer and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back doubles to give the Rats a 5-4 lead. Frank Thomas hit two homers in a losing cause, though he did move into fifth all-time with 1285 RBIs.
Erik Bedard shut down the Sharks yesterday 5-0. Bedard held the Sharks to four runs over 7.2 innings and J.J. Putz completed the shutout. The Animals were held to only six hits as well, but four of them were home runs, including two by Scott Rolen.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Sunday wrapup
Vancouver has now won five straight after a two-month long slump and are now tied for sixth overall. The Fist have taken the first two from Hoboken over the weekend behind solid pitching efforts from Greg Maddux and Jake Peavy. Vancouver took game one after Juan Rincon couldn't hold the 2-1 lead in the ninth. Moises Alou hit a two-run single to take the lead from the Cutters. Game two also required some late inning heroics from Vancouver. John Garland was cruising behind a 2-0 lead in the seventh when Mike Lowell hit a three-run homer to give Vancouver the lead. Jake Peavy limited the Cutters to five hits and two runs over seven innings for the win, striking out 11.
The Honolulu Sharks dropped their last two games to Philly and now have fallen into a sixth-place tie with Vancouver. Philly's Johan Santana struck out 11 in 8.1 innings en route to his 14th win of the year. Jose Lopez was 3-3 with a homer run in the first game and 2-4 with 2 RBIs in the second. Brandon Webb pitched 8 solid innings to give the Animals a 4-2 win. David Ross added two solo home runs in the victory.
Marietta is now sitting comfortably atop the wild card standings after winning five straight. Trevor Hoffman held off a late Mudcat rally in the ninth to preserve an 8-7 win for the Mighty Men. Derek Jeter moved into 10th on the all-time hits list. Newly-acquired B.J. Ryan was a key part to the game two victory, pitching three perfect innings, striking out five and earning his first victory as a Mighty Man. Ryan has now pitched seven innings for Marietta and has not allowed a single baserunner. He has also struck out 11.
D.C. pounded away on Las Vegas in game one, then were lucky to escape with a victory in the second game. Jose Reyes went 4-4, leading the way for the Bushslappers 20-hit, 13-3 win over Vegas in game one. Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb was the only Slapper to not get a hit. Game two took 10 innings, but D.C. pulled off the victory anyway, 3-2. The game was tied in the early innings and the two bullpens were taking turns shutting each other down. Jose Reyes finally broke the tie in the 10th with a triple that scored Carlos Beltran. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect 10th to earn the save.
Blog bits... Mike Piazza hit his 2000th career DMBL hit in New Jersey's 7-5 win over Hillsborough. He's the seventh player to do so in the history of the league. In the same series, Alex Rodriguez passed Barry Larkin for #14 on the hits list...Newark's Chipper Jones tied Sammy Sosa for number 9 on the RBI list with 1237.
The Honolulu Sharks dropped their last two games to Philly and now have fallen into a sixth-place tie with Vancouver. Philly's Johan Santana struck out 11 in 8.1 innings en route to his 14th win of the year. Jose Lopez was 3-3 with a homer run in the first game and 2-4 with 2 RBIs in the second. Brandon Webb pitched 8 solid innings to give the Animals a 4-2 win. David Ross added two solo home runs in the victory.
Marietta is now sitting comfortably atop the wild card standings after winning five straight. Trevor Hoffman held off a late Mudcat rally in the ninth to preserve an 8-7 win for the Mighty Men. Derek Jeter moved into 10th on the all-time hits list. Newly-acquired B.J. Ryan was a key part to the game two victory, pitching three perfect innings, striking out five and earning his first victory as a Mighty Man. Ryan has now pitched seven innings for Marietta and has not allowed a single baserunner. He has also struck out 11.
D.C. pounded away on Las Vegas in game one, then were lucky to escape with a victory in the second game. Jose Reyes went 4-4, leading the way for the Bushslappers 20-hit, 13-3 win over Vegas in game one. Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb was the only Slapper to not get a hit. Game two took 10 innings, but D.C. pulled off the victory anyway, 3-2. The game was tied in the early innings and the two bullpens were taking turns shutting each other down. Jose Reyes finally broke the tie in the 10th with a triple that scored Carlos Beltran. Joe Nathan pitched a perfect 10th to earn the save.
Blog bits... Mike Piazza hit his 2000th career DMBL hit in New Jersey's 7-5 win over Hillsborough. He's the seventh player to do so in the history of the league. In the same series, Alex Rodriguez passed Barry Larkin for #14 on the hits list...Newark's Chipper Jones tied Sammy Sosa for number 9 on the RBI list with 1237.
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