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Chappel Injured Again, Will Miss Start of Postseason
October 3rd, 2083
Al Vincent
Staff Writer
For the third time this season, Lee Chappel has gotten hurt. In June, he missed two weeks with some bruised ribs. At the end of August, he was out for four days with a bruised hip. In yesterday's 2-1 loss to Grand Rapids, the Denver catcher suffered a strained Achilles tendon after hitting a run-scoring double to tie the game at 1 apiece in the sixth inning. Chappel is not expected to return for about two weeks, which means he will miss the beginning of the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Depending on how the series goes, Chappel may miss the first round entirely. Manager John Wilkerson just shrugged his shoulders and said, "We'll make do. We have to." The pressure will now be increased on Denver's other big hitters, like Alexis Vazquez and Ellis Bolling. Bolling, especially, will be in the spotlight, as he has traditionally struggled in the playoffs, mustering only a .697 OPS in 330 career postseason at bats.
News Around the League
With two games remaining in the regular season, three teams have clinched their divisions: Denver in the Central, Miami in the Southwest, and San Jose in the West. Only in the Northeast Division is there still uncertainty.
Pittsburgh seemed to be in control in that division, especially after bludgeoning Los Angeles in two straight games by a combined 37-9, to end the Dodgers' playoff dreams. But suddenly, things began to unravel for the Pirates. They have dropped four straight games, while at the same time, Rochester has won eight in a row. The Rhinos are now just one game out of first place. While Pittsburgh can clinch with a win and a Rochester defeat, the odds are not in their favor. The Pirates face San Diego and Sacramento in their final two games, and those two teams are battling it out for the second place playoff spot in the West Division. Meanwhile, Rochester faces New Jersey and Hartford, both of whom currently sport losing records.
As for the second place playoff spots, the American League has already seen those spots decided. Tucson took second without much difficulty in the Central, while Nashville fought off late charges by Knoxville and Washington to secure the second spot in the Southeast. In the National League, of course, the loser of the Pittsburgh-Rochester battle will take the second spot in the Northeast. In the West, San Diego and Sacramento are tied for second. Both teams will have one tough game and one easy game. The Padres close against Pittsburgh and Northeast bottom-feeder Harrisburg, while the Kings finish against Portland, the cellar-dweller in the West, and Pittsburgh.
The last two days of the season should be very exciting in the National League.
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