04-25-2008, 06:50 PM
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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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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-26-2008, 05:01 PM
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#282 (permalink) |
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2083 Final Standings
Code:
National League Standings West Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run San Jose 96 66 .593 - 94- 68 2 47-34 49-32 11- 3 27-11 San Diego 90 73 .552 6.5 94- 69 -4 38-44 52-29 7- 7 21-24 Sacramento 89 74 .546 7.5 89- 74 0 45-36 44-38 5- 1 18-23 Los Angeles 79 83 .488 17.0 79- 83 0 35-46 44-37 1- 7 17-23 Phoenix 76 86 .469 20.0 71- 91 5 38-43 38-43 4-14 21-16 Portland 65 97 .401 31.0 63- 99 2 33-48 32-49 9- 8 20-23 Northeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Pittsburgh 100 62 .617 - 99- 63 1 55-26 45-36 8- 4 34-25 Rochester 99 63 .611 1.0 92- 70 7 50-31 49-32 9- 7 32-19 Hartford 81 81 .500 19.0 78- 84 3 39-42 42-39 11- 8 31-24 Buffalo 77 85 .475 23.0 86- 76 -9 37-44 40-41 8-11 27-30 New Jersey 68 94 .420 32.0 73- 89 -5 34-47 34-47 5- 5 17-34 Harrisburg 53 109 .327 47.0 58-104 -5 22-59 31-50 5- 8 10-23 American League Standings Southeast Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Miami 104 58 .642 - 102- 60 2 53-28 51-30 7- 2 23-17 Nashville 84 78 .519 20.0 85- 77 -1 41-40 43-38 5- 7 16-21 Knoxville 81 81 .500 23.0 86- 76 -5 41-40 40-41 8- 4 18-20 Washington 81 81 .500 23.0 75- 87 6 39-42 42-39 6- 5 22-14 Atlanta 73 89 .451 31.0 73- 89 0 37-44 36-45 5- 5 21-18 Charlotte 54 108 .333 50.0 52-110 2 27-54 27-54 5- 8 22-27 Central Division Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run Denver 114 48 .704 - 115- 47 -1 59-22 55-26 7- 6 17-17 Tucson 90 72 .556 24.0 92- 70 -2 46-35 44-37 7- 8 24-22 Grand Rapids 84 78 .519 30.0 86- 76 -2 43-38 41-40 8- 9 27-21 Memphis 75 87 .463 39.0 75- 87 0 38-43 37-44 2-10 16-27 Kansas City 70 92 .432 44.0 68- 94 2 37-44 33-48 3- 3 21-14 Green Bay 62 100 .383 52.0 64- 98 -2 27-54 35-46 8- 4 15-24 Despite losing their final six games, Pittsburgh clinched the Northeast Division because Rochester dropped its final two games against New Jersey(10-5) and Hartford(7-5). In the West Division, the second place playoff spot came down to a one game playoff between San Diego and Sacramento. On the final day of the regular season, with both teams tied, Sacramento pummeled Pittsburgh 9-2, while an unlikely hero stepped up for San Diego. Christian Crane, owner of a 6+ ERA and 14 losses, threw a 6-hit shutout against Harrisburg, and the Padres hammered the Capitals 10-0. That gave both the Kings and the Padres a final record of 89-73, and necessitated a playoff to decide who would reach the postseason. Taking the mound for the Kings was Raymond Labat, winner of 14 games and owner of a 3.68 ERA. The Padres' ace Carlos Lozoya pitched for San Diego. Lozoya led the National League in both wins and ERA this season. It was everything that a do or die game should be. Scoreless through three innings, Sacramento drew first blood in the fourth inning. Shortstop Alberto O'Campo hit a solo homerun, his 32nd of the season. In the sixth inning, left-fielder Gregorio Ruiz and first-baseman George Canales hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game at one. In the bottom of the eighth inning, San Diego third-baseman Adam Chilson singled in pinch-runner Melchor Preciado to give the the Padres a 2-1 lead. That lead held up, and the Padres are going to the playoffs. Labat surrendered 2 runs on 9 hits in 8 innings. He struck out 6 and walked 2. Lozoya gave up 6 hits and 3 walks in 8 innings, and allowed just the one run. He struck out 4 batters. Reliever Dario Pena pitched a scoreless ninth for San Diego. The first round playoff matchups will pit Nashville against Denver, Tucson against Miami, San Diego against Pittsburgh, and Rochester against San Jose. Three of those matchups are rematches from last season. There is only one different playoff team from last season's group- Rochester instead of Buffalo. Next up: The final league batting and pitching statistics.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-26-2008, 05:19 PM
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#283 (permalink) |
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2083 Final League Batting and Pitching
Code:
National League Batting
West Division
Team AVG HR R AB H 2B 3B BB K OBP SLG OPS SB
San Jose .273 177 905 5703 1557 332 43 544 715 .337 .439 .776 142
San Diego .270 215 889 5683 1535 258 40 658 1031 .349 .443 .792 206
Sacramento .259 226 829 5500 1424 285 25 557 943 .329 .443 .772 70
Los Angeles .269 183 816 5671 1528 293 42 445 1010 .326 .433 .758 109
Phoenix .280 197 891 5737 1609 330 39 555 1059 .345 .455 .800 105
Portland .239 162 730 5601 1341 284 40 557 1164 .311 .391 .702 117
Northeast Division
Team AVG HR R AB H 2B 3B BB K OBP SLG OPS SB
Pittsburgh .280 198 1008 5797 1622 303 35 767 1095 .365 .447 .812 91
Rochester .279 237 940 5721 1597 250 49 568 941 .347 .464 .811 71
Hartford .291 189 929 5794 1688 360 45 498 858 .350 .467 .817 155
Buffalo .275 181 853 5783 1592 260 46 541 1145 .339 .430 .769 100
New Jersey .275 219 851 5739 1579 296 47 461 1067 .332 .458 .789 163
Harrisburg .257 225 833 5657 1456 269 45 580 1304 .329 .440 .769 101
Total .271 2409 10474 68386 18528 3520 496 6731 12332 .338 .443 .781 1430
American League Batting
Southeast Division
Team AVG HR R AB H 2B 3B BB K OBP SLG OPS SB
Miami .281 230 1028 5695 1599 364 40 645 764 .356 .480 .836 18
Nashville .280 184 974 5723 1601 284 31 716 1030 .363 .437 .799 115
Knoxville .274 246 950 5732 1570 392 35 611 1188 .346 .483 .829 130
Washington .264 188 808 5630 1484 309 23 537 936 .331 .427 .757 69
Atlanta .269 238 931 5620 1509 368 43 640 1122 .345 .476 .822 63
Charlotte .249 177 751 5665 1412 339 25 482 1075 .312 .412 .724 96
Central Division
Team AVG HR R AB H 2B 3B BB K OBP SLG OPS SB
Denver .304 225 1078 5852 1777 371 43 681 683 .379 .497 .876 145
Tucson .282 178 953 5694 1605 320 43 691 1091 .361 .447 .808 148
Grand Rapids .268 234 947 5683 1521 356 35 712 1187 .353 .466 .819 62
Memphis .254 170 770 5587 1418 287 29 487 767 .317 .407 .724 144
Kansas City .273 199 907 5661 1545 303 41 575 922 .341 .446 .788 51
Green Bay .250 197 820 5626 1406 313 24 605 1332 .326 .419 .745 85
Total .271 2466 10917 68168 18447 4006 412 7382 12097 .344 .450 .794 1126
Code:
National League Pitching
West Division
Team ERA S IP HA R ER HRA BB K OAVG CG SHO
San Jose 4.46 40 1454.0 1487 774 721 197 445 1078 .262 11 6
San Diego 4.26 37 1466.2 1536 765 694 148 453 984 .268 20 3
Sacramento 4.27 41 1439.0 1480 755 683 156 535 1040 .264 11 3
Los Angeles 4.64 41 1434.0 1443 835 740 211 655 1123 .261 7 0
Phoenix 5.80 34 1448.1 1633 1008 933 242 602 970 .284 10 2
Portland 5.14 34 1463.2 1457 916 836 208 691 1073 .257 19 4
Northeast Division
Team ERA S IP HA R ER HRA BB K OAVG CG SHO
Pittsburgh 4.53 36 1462.2 1594 799 737 129 444 1046 .276 12 5
Rochester 4.64 50 1461.2 1503 817 754 185 518 918 .266 16 2
Hartford 5.47 41 1458.1 1544 961 886 217 711 1173 .271 11 1
Buffalo 4.54 33 1469.1 1406 799 742 204 577 1148 .251 8 2
New Jersey 5.38 29 1442.2 1663 937 863 253 482 877 .287 17 1
Harrisburg 6.41 25 1440.2 1782 1108 1026 259 618 902 .302 7 0
Total 4.96 441 17441.0 18528 10474 9615 2409 6731 12332 .271 149 29
American League Pitching
Southeast Division
Team ERA S IP HA R ER HRA BB K OAVG CG SHO
Miami 4.38 44 1449.1 1444 787 705 149 493 1073 .256 22 9
Nashville 5.27 42 1449.1 1471 928 848 206 637 1028 .261 14 4
Knoxville 5.07 41 1447.2 1458 897 815 214 735 995 .260 14 3
Washington 5.16 47 1443.1 1483 870 828 266 538 1076 .261 20 3
Atlanta 6.04 33 1426.2 1649 1022 958 180 779 986 .289 21 1
Charlotte 6.32 30 1443.0 1695 1086 1014 221 759 898 .292 11 2
Central Division
Team ERA S IP HA R ER HRA BB K OAVG CG SHO
Denver 3.89 42 1457.0 1459 691 630 161 335 1107 .259 20 11
Tucson 4.77 40 1446.1 1535 834 766 209 519 1027 .270 27 6
Grand Rapids 5.21 42 1446.0 1549 895 837 205 633 984 .273 12 2
Memphis 4.64 37 1449.0 1491 832 747 165 586 1109 .263 28 8
Kansas City 6.22 31 1424.2 1634 1066 985 256 662 885 .286 31 2
Green Bay 5.89 23 1437.1 1579 1009 941 234 706 929 .277 21 1
Total 5.23 452 17319.2 18447 10917 10074 2466 7382 12097 .271 241 52
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-27-2008, 05:04 PM
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#284 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round Preview: Nashville vs. Denver
The Nashville Predators (84-78)
 The Denver Broncos (114-48)  Quick Facts: -Denver and Nashville faced each other in last year's Divisional Round. The Broncos prevailed in seven games. -This is Nashville's second straight playoff appearance. Before last season, the Predators hadn't made the playoffs since 2044. -This is Denver's third straight division title, and the Broncos' 11th consecutive playoff appearance. -The Broncos won 11 of their 14 meetings with the Predators this season. The average score of their games was 7.2 to 3.4. The Broncos scored double digits in five of the games. -Despite ranking only 17th in homeruns, the Predators were the fourth highest scoring team in the league. They were 7th in batting average and second in walks drawn, giving them the third highest team on base percentage. On the pitching end of things, Nashville ranked 16th in both ERA and runs allowed, easily the worst of any of the playoff participants. -The Broncos ranked 1st in runs scored, 1st in batting average, 1st in on base percentage, and first in slugging percentage. They ranked 2nd in doubles and 7th in homeruns, and drew the 5th most walks. Denver's pitching staff had the league's best ERA and allowed the fewest runs. They walked the fewest batters and ranked 5th in strikeouts. Batting and Pitching stats for Nashville and Denver: Nashville Batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS C. Lei 3B 155 621 186 40 0 20 103 103 40 98 .300 .353 .461 15 2 H. Marzano RF 154 589 166 21 2 19 97 94 69 43 .282 .357 .421 10 2 C. Romero CF 155 562 179 32 6 35 132 135 106 90 .319 .426 .584 17 11 R. Perkins LF 146 559 174 25 2 5 75 90 54 57 .311 .374 .390 8 7 J. Hise 1B 157 549 166 24 0 3 78 76 86 91 .302 .396 .362 1 0 D. Vogl 2B 152 540 148 17 1 13 92 67 36 86 .274 .322 .381 0 1 D. Rosier SS 142 532 124 27 14 36 100 134 108 163 .233 .370 .539 39 8 D. Lane C 132 472 158 23 0 27 99 98 91 86 .335 .443 .555 2 0 E. Fudge C 85 233 63 21 3 4 37 39 28 42 .270 .350 .438 9 6 A. Wolfe 2B 78 191 46 12 1 5 22 23 18 37 .241 .310 .393 6 1 D. Lopez 3B 58 140 38 5 1 6 23 26 17 46 .271 .362 .450 3 0 R. Steele RF 62 133 27 5 0 1 11 14 11 30 .203 .262 .263 0 0 J. Miller SS 55 124 27 10 0 2 20 14 12 35 .218 .285 .347 2 1 A. Vazquez 1B 41 121 33 5 0 1 10 16 7 17 .273 .313 .339 1 0 F. Casler CF 43 50 5 1 0 0 6 15 11 15 .100 .274 .120 1 1 K. Lillibridge LF 15 29 2 1 0 0 0 3 1 12 .069 .100 .103 1 0 T. Sullivan Jr. RF 9 26 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 13 .077 .143 .077 0 1 C. Eberhart C 6 12 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 4 .167 .231 .250 0 0 M. Estell SS 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 0 K. Ables 3B 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Nashville Pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH M. Urick 36 36 23 5 0 2.64 252.0 165 80 74 54 223 4 2 R. Romero 31 31 10 14 0 4.70 195.1 195 110 102 67 146 5 1 M. Nuņez 33 33 9 14 0 6.29 177.1 190 133 124 102 148 1 1 C. Pasley 68 0 2 8 4 7.00 117.0 135 99 91 50 68 0 0 S. Campana 19 15 8 3 0 3.97 113.1 113 54 50 30 40 4 0 R. Coy 18 17 6 5 0 6.14 104.0 129 79 71 68 74 0 0 J. Mather 57 0 4 2 3 4.79 88.1 97 54 47 27 61 0 0 S. Snow 19 17 4 8 0 6.98 86.1 87 69 67 65 55 0 0 C. Schulz 60 0 5 4 1 7.13 83.1 115 72 66 36 40 0 0 M. Tsumemasa 57 0 1 7 30 3.92 82.2 72 42 36 52 69 0 0 E. Braley 57 0 6 2 2 5.40 68.1 74 53 41 24 45 0 0 F. Margolis 10 10 4 4 0 7.83 56.1 59 53 49 39 40 0 0 P. Zena 21 0 2 1 2 6.64 20.1 27 15 15 16 13 0 0 M. Hewitt 3 3 0 1 0 23.83 5.2 13 15 15 7 6 0 0 Denver Batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS R. Thomas CF 148 624 233 32 1 20 99 120 51 36 .373 .424 .524 19 4 E. Bolling 1B 151 617 171 52 7 38 159 129 85 93 .277 .362 .569 1 1 A. Vasquez LF 149 616 200 26 0 42 141 110 44 87 .325 .372 .571 13 1 R. Diaz DH 140 563 172 23 1 31 118 99 52 49 .306 .367 .515 4 0 A. Fuentez RF 135 535 169 42 10 15 68 124 72 28 .316 .405 .516 54 17 J. Rumfelt 2B 143 529 151 35 1 7 76 72 64 36 .285 .363 .395 5 0 L. Chappel C 132 526 180 61 2 29 113 123 74 34 .342 .424 .631 7 0 M. Phillips 3B 142 500 137 26 0 13 78 96 97 48 .274 .399 .404 2 0 B. Romero SS 127 430 109 18 11 4 49 69 45 102 .253 .329 .374 25 3 M. Lore RF 76 249 82 21 0 6 46 35 27 41 .329 .395 .486 3 0 A. Mingo SS 76 211 52 10 7 2 29 33 34 25 .246 .351 .389 2 2 M. Shunji LF 70 166 46 10 2 12 24 28 18 47 .277 .348 .578 3 0 G. Lauritsen C 40 124 37 7 0 2 11 16 8 29 .298 .338 .403 0 0 A. Navarro CF 48 93 25 5 2 0 16 14 11 12 .269 .343 .366 8 3 A. Elbert LF 9 28 6 2 0 2 4 3 2 12 .214 .267 .500 1 0 E. Ashlock SS 13 27 7 3 0 1 3 4 2 8 .259 .310 .481 1 1 K. Christner C 8 23 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 .174 .174 .174 0 0 G. Leal 2B 7 19 5 1 0 0 3 2 1 1 .263 .364 .316 0 0 T. Teika 1B 6 17 5 2 0 1 1 2 3 5 .294 .400 .588 0 0 R. Naughton 3B 6 16 3 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 .188 .188 .375 0 0 T. Melton 3B 5 16 4 1 0 1 3 2 0 4 .250 .250 .500 0 0 J. Fuensanta 3B 4 13 3 0 0 1 2 3 0 4 .231 .231 .462 0 0 J. Gonzalez CF 4 11 3 0 0 1 3 4 2 5 .273 .385 .545 0 0 K. Alva RF 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 .250 .000 0 1 Denver Pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH C. Kirk 30 30 16 7 0 4.33 224.1 237 116 108 46 152 6 3 G. Buentello 31 31 16 6 0 3.46 213.0 210 90 82 58 133 1 1 R. Lockridge 31 31 18 8 0 3.64 212.2 208 98 86 35 176 3 2 R. Mcnett 30 30 19 5 0 3.84 206.0 191 94 88 44 167 2 0 K. Pillsbury 29 29 21 4 0 3.09 203.2 193 77 70 40 161 7 4 J. Virgen 51 0 9 9 18 3.87 79.0 74 35 34 16 60 0 0 R. Gomez 49 0 4 3 18 2.84 63.1 48 24 20 11 70 0 0 L. Waltz 23 4 3 1 0 3.41 58.0 54 28 22 20 39 1 1 F. Lemire 37 0 2 2 2 4.56 47.1 50 28 24 18 41 0 0 O. Lopez 28 0 1 0 2 3.12 40.1 47 18 14 3 19 0 0 L. Gwinn 28 0 1 0 1 7.75 38.1 55 33 33 2 36 0 0 R. Soto 8 0 1 0 1 3.00 12.0 13 5 4 2 2 0 0 R. Marquez 2 2 1 1 0 6.35 11.1 16 8 8 7 14 0 0 V. Mcgurk 2 2 0 2 0 9.82 11.0 14 12 12 10 9 0 0 D. Weingartner 3 0 0 0 0 6.00 3.0 3 2 2 4 1 0 0 J. Whitchurch 2 0 0 0 0 0.00 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Thoughts: A year ago, Nashville backed into the playoffs, barely finishing above .500. The Predators had a mediocre offense and a pitching staff that was almost completely dependent on one man: Mose Urick. They went up against a Denver team that had the league's best offense, and one of its best pitching staffs. It seemed like a big mismatch, but Nashville took Denver to seven games before finally succumbing. A year later, the Predators' pitching staff isn't very different than last year's. Urick is still the horse, and no one else really stands out that much. Youngster Rene Romero did improve significantly from last year's 7.94 ERA, but the 24 year old is still only a slightly better than league average starter, and no-name Sung Campana somehow gave Nashville around 10 pretty good starts before falling apart and getting booted to the bullpen in the final month. The 32 year old has a career ERA over 6.00, and has made only 61 big league appearances, so the success this season was likely nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Nashville's offense is significantly better this season, and indeed, one of the best in all of baseball. The free agent addition of catcher Daniel Lane was a big help, as was guys like Carlo Romero and David Rosier having bounce back seasons. Romero has a career OPS well over .900, but managed just a .788 OPS last year. This year, he posted a 1.009 mark. Rosier has a career OPS over .800, but had posted back to back seasons under .800, including a pedestrian .755 mark last year. This year, Rosier has posted a .910 OPS. Denver, meanwhile, has gone from having one of the best pitching staffs, to having the best in all of baseball. No team can rival the Broncos' fivesome of Pillsbury, Lockridge, McNett, Buentello, and Kirk, and the tandem of Virgen and Gomez in the bullpen is as good as almost any other team has. The offense remains the best in the league, although Miami's could certainly be considered as good, once one considers the ballparks that the two teams play in. What does this mean for the series? Both teams are better than they were last year, but the Broncos are without a doubt the best team in the league. And what about the Lee Chappel factor? Chappel isn't expected to return until the fifth game at the earliest. His absence diminishes the superiority of the Denver offense. One other thing to consider: Nashville's offense is driven primarily by batting average and walks. Denver's pitching staff allowed the fewest walks in baseball and had one of the lowest opponent's batting average. Prediction: The Broncos in six games.
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2081: Desperation in Denver Last edited by jamus23; 04-27-2008 at 05:09 PM. |
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04-27-2008, 06:50 PM
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2083 Divisional Round Preview: Tucson vs. Miami
The Tucson Diamondbacks (90-72)
 VS. The Miami Dolphins (104-58)  Quick Facts: -These two teams met in the Division Round last year, with Miami winning in seven games. -This is Tucson's fourth straight postseason appearance. They last reached the World Series in 2080, but have not won since 2038. They have been to the World Series five times since winning in 2038. -The defending champion Miami Dolphins extended their own league record for consecutive playoff appearances to 39 this season. This is also their 11th straight division title. -Miami won the World Series last year, beating San Diego in six games. -Miami won 9 of 15 meetings against Tucson this season. The average score was 5.3 to 4.6 -Tucson scored the fifth most runs in baseball this year. The Diamondbacks don't hit many homeruns(they ranked just 20th) but they get a lot of hits(3rd in AVG) and walks(4th). Their .361 OBP ranked fourth in all of baseball. Tucson's pitching staff allowed the 10th fewest runs, and sported the 11th best ERA. -Miami scored the second most runs in baseball, which is all the more impressive given that they play in one of the more hitter-unfriendly ballparks in the entire league. It is a pretty balanced offense that the Dolphins have, as well. They were 4th in batting average, 5th in on base percentage, and 3rd in slugging percentage. They hit the fourth most doubles, the fifth most homeruns, and drew the seventh most walks. The only thing the Dolphins don't do well is steal bases, ranking last in all of baseball in stolen bases by a wide margin. Miami's pitching staff allowed the fifth fewest runs, and had the 4th best ERA. Batting and Pitching stats for Tucson and Miami: Tucson Batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS R. Billips RF 158 583 151 43 10 30 112 127 80 94 .259 .349 .521 29 15 R. Vega 3B 152 557 139 23 1 33 113 97 106 141 .250 .367 .472 11 3 E. Giancola 2B 155 552 143 18 3 23 95 88 74 112 .259 .349 .428 13 0 T. Stallman 1B 143 521 146 28 2 25 103 92 94 100 .280 .396 .486 0 3 J. Osborn C 143 494 144 24 2 11 69 82 92 133 .291 .404 .415 0 0 J. Constantino LF 127 480 156 24 5 6 64 75 39 63 .325 .377 .433 18 4 S. Riva SS 154 453 120 21 3 2 57 71 69 119 .265 .362 .338 39 15 D. Guzman 2B 117 437 148 22 3 14 67 63 22 57 .339 .365 .499 8 5 C. Diemer C 120 313 106 24 0 4 66 41 17 24 .339 .376 .454 0 1 J. Ruelas CF 110 283 72 18 0 16 57 39 15 70 .254 .293 .488 1 2 C. Troutt 3B 91 257 59 24 1 6 34 36 33 65 .230 .314 .401 0 1 E. Lafferty LF 79 181 51 9 3 2 20 36 10 22 .282 .328 .398 6 4 L. Hawn SS 50 67 14 4 1 0 4 9 8 22 .209 .293 .299 1 0 R. Takanori LF 17 30 7 3 0 0 1 7 2 3 .233 .273 .333 1 0 J. Evans 2B 37 24 6 1 0 1 5 13 2 8 .250 .308 .417 6 0 O. Santos RF 6 9 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 .333 .333 .556 0 0 F. Shimizu 3B 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Tucson pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH P. Boughner 34 34 15 11 0 4.83 261.0 312 146 140 46 109 12 1 W. Bergan 34 34 15 10 0 3.43 238.2 223 104 91 77 168 2 1 P. Reyes 34 34 14 11 0 5.22 234.2 253 149 136 88 238 8 2 W. Braun 32 32 13 8 0 4.68 219.0 209 118 114 78 144 3 1 K. Landon 26 25 7 12 0 5.60 154.1 159 114 96 88 132 2 1 B. Schrupp 34 2 2 3 0 6.09 75.1 107 56 51 35 47 0 0 O. Yother 63 0 8 5 39 2.88 68.2 67 26 22 20 73 0 0 R. Ugarte 23 0 1 3 0 4.40 45.0 34 23 22 33 33 0 0 B. Johnson 33 0 2 2 0 3.79 35.2 26 18 15 1 10 0 0 W. Winningham 44 0 3 2 0 4.84 35.1 31 19 19 14 25 0 0 B. Guertin 7 1 1 1 0 12.41 12.1 18 18 17 5 6 0 0 P. Padilla 8 0 2 0 0 9.82 7.1 12 8 8 5 2 0 0 A. Melendez 1 0 0 0 0 21.61 1.2 6 4 4 0 0 0 0 N. Parrino 1 0 0 0 0 9.00 1.0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Miami batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS R. Springs CF 149 609 185 27 6 36 132 119 49 75 .304 .361 .545 0 1 A. Shorts 1B 138 570 159 53 1 16 84 108 79 41 .279 .364 .460 1 0 T. Fuentes Jr. 3B 145 550 159 32 1 28 122 97 64 88 .289 .368 .504 0 4 B. Tovar SS 141 519 139 22 3 8 69 62 34 40 .268 .316 .368 1 0 F. Alvarez 2B 138 503 115 14 4 15 57 64 30 127 .229 .275 .362 6 0 E. Mcgurk C 131 473 123 18 9 41 109 127 90 72 .260 .376 .596 0 2 J. Foss C 117 453 142 38 0 27 96 105 66 73 .313 .398 .576 1 0 A. Chichester RF 113 443 151 44 4 15 95 88 35 56 .341 .403 .560 1 3 D. Fernandez LF 120 431 107 48 5 19 87 80 74 34 .248 .356 .515 0 5 B. Reid LF 95 329 93 14 3 14 71 45 22 51 .283 .324 .471 1 0 D. Armas RF 85 294 88 15 0 6 22 47 45 36 .299 .395 .412 1 0 T. Alder 1B 56 207 69 13 2 5 29 32 6 13 .333 .349 .488 0 0 L. Twigg CF 74 189 52 14 3 1 19 28 19 28 .275 .352 .397 18 2 F. Elliott 3B 56 146 40 6 1 1 13 24 21 36 .274 .365 .349 1 0 C. Cortes SS 40 119 22 11 0 0 11 12 13 12 .185 .274 .277 4 3 G. Esqueda C 25 82 18 4 0 1 8 12 6 11 .220 .270 .305 0 0 W. Mcalpine LF 28 64 15 5 1 0 9 13 6 15 .234 .296 .344 3 1 D. Bahena 3B 12 42 9 2 0 0 3 5 4 7 .214 .277 .262 0 0 R. Tejada 1B 19 31 8 4 0 2 9 8 8 2 .258 .400 .581 0 0 D. Roque C 9 27 8 2 1 0 1 5 2 2 .296 .345 .444 0 0 J. Zabala LF 11 26 8 3 0 0 1 5 0 8 .308 .308 .423 0 0 E. Abadia RF 7 21 3 1 0 1 3 2 5 6 .143 .296 .333 0 0 E. Lasa RF 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .200 .200 .200 0 0 Miami pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH C. Hokusai 33 32 20 6 0 3.05 227.1 179 78 77 41 197 4 1 J. Caceres 33 33 19 5 0 3.76 222.1 166 100 93 119 154 3 3 R. Baston 29 27 19 7 0 3.81 205.1 205 98 87 71 175 7 1 J. Brashears 25 25 10 12 0 4.93 173.1 183 103 95 73 87 5 3 M. Prior 26 25 12 6 0 4.17 172.2 186 90 80 60 154 1 1 J. Miller 13 13 5 6 0 7.32 78.2 104 70 64 24 41 2 0 S. Fierros 43 0 8 4 13 3.91 73.2 83 38 32 18 71 0 0 E. Morris 30 0 3 4 1 4.02 53.2 51 32 24 23 30 0 0 G. Carolan 31 0 2 0 1 4.66 48.1 57 32 25 11 21 0 0 J. Carpenter 39 0 1 1 5 2.85 47.1 37 17 15 4 36 0 0 J. Seder 30 0 3 1 4 5.56 34.0 45 31 21 7 25 0 0 C. Lain 28 0 0 1 19 3.20 25.1 14 9 9 11 23 0 0 J. Strahan 17 0 0 0 0 5.70 23.2 30 15 15 6 16 0 0 K. Hinkle 3 3 1 2 0 4.74 19.0 17 13 10 8 11 0 0 A. Ibaņez 6 2 0 2 1 17.00 18.0 49 34 34 6 15 0 0 J. Bohorquez 3 2 0 0 0 4.91 7.1 6 4 4 4 4 0 0 D. Hasson 4 0 1 0 0 9.95 6.1 13 9 7 2 2 0 0 C. Speakman 4 0 0 0 0 9.00 6.0 8 7 6 2 6 0 0 E. Salcedo 3 0 0 0 0 2.25 4.0 3 1 1 2 3 0 0 J. Matthews 2 0 0 1 0 13.50 4.0 8 6 6 1 2 0 0 Thoughts: In some ways, this series is a reversal from last year's matchup. Last year, Tucson came in as a balanced team, able to score a lot of runs while also getting great pitching, while Miami came in with a tremendous pitching staff but a lackluster offense. This year, however, Tucson, while still having a good offense, has seen its pitching diminish, largely due to the losses of Scott Council and Cleveland Lauria to free agency, and a poor season by Paul Reyes. Miami, on the other hand, enjoyed bounce back years from guys like Thomas Fuentes, Jr. and Dennis Fernandez, while also getting breakout years from Edmond McGurk and Albert Chichester. That kick-started the Dolphins' offense into becoming the second highest scoring team in the league. As for Miami's pitching, while guys like Jim Miller and Joseph Brashears showed their age, the emergence of Ramon Baston picked up the slack and kept the Dolphins' pitching staff among the best in the league. As it is, these are two very good teams. Like last year, this one could easily go to seven games. Miami seems like they might be just a little bit deeper. Prediction: The Dolphins in seven games.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-28-2008, 07:16 PM
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#286 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round Preview: San Diego vs. Pittsburgh
The San Diego Padres (90-73)
 VS. The Pittsburgh Pirates (100-62)  Quick Facts: -This is the third rematch from last season's divisional round. San Diego upset Pittsburgh last season in a seven game series. -This is the Padres' third straight postseason appearance. They reached the World Series last year, but lost in six games to Miami. Their last World Series victory was in 2073. -This is the Pirates fifth straight division title and sixth straight postseason appearance. The Pirates won back to back World Series in 2080 and 2081. -San Diego won 10 out of 15 games against Pittsburgh this season. The average score was 5.9 to 4.7 -The Padres ranked only 14th in runs scored, which is the lowest total of any of the playoff teams. It is somewhat surprising that they rank so low, because they ranked 8th in on base percentage, 10th in homeruns, and 6th in walks. San Diego also led all of baseball in stolen bases, and were the only team to eclipse 200 in that category. Making up for their ordinary offense was an excellent pitching staff. San Diego allowed the third fewest runs and had the 2nd best ERA. They gave up the second fewest homeruns and walked the fourth fewest batters. -Pittsburgh finished with the third most runs scored in baseball. Driving the Pirates' offense was their ability to wear out opposing pitchers. The Pirates ranked first in all of baseball in walks drawn and had the second highest on base percentage. Pittsburgh finished sixth in runs allowed and sixth in ERA. The Pirates allowed the fewest homeruns and the second fewest walks. -Pittsburgh led all of baseball with 34 1-run victories. The Pirates' 25 1-run losses were the third most, which means that they played in a league-leading 59 1-run games. -San Diego was only 38-44 at home, but 52-29 on the road, giving the Padres the second best road record in all of baseball. Pittsburgh's 55-26 home record was the second best in baseball. -Pittsburgh lost its final six games, and 7 of its final 10. -The last time a one game playoff had to be played to determine who would get a playoff spot was in 2075. San Jose and Los Angeles tied for second in the NL West(San Diego finished first), and the Sharks defeated the Dodgers to advance to the postseason. The Sharks then upset a 102-win Padres team in the first round before getting stomped by the eventual World Series winner, Pittsburgh, in the NLCS in five games. Batting and pitching stats for San Diego and Pittsburgh: San Diego batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS G. Matos CF 154 579 163 22 5 39 107 123 92 135 .282 .383 .539 32 14 A. Burdick 2B 158 574 190 21 2 34 110 126 105 84 .331 .438 .552 45 12 G. Canales 1B 157 573 153 19 2 25 90 90 99 57 .267 .378 .438 11 5 A. Chilson 3B 155 565 163 16 4 25 112 74 44 90 .288 .339 .464 16 2 G. Ruiz LF 156 562 158 40 1 37 112 102 67 135 .281 .360 .553 0 0 S. Alvarez C 153 541 139 23 8 21 86 86 74 38 .257 .349 .445 3 4 M. Alarcon SS 143 442 122 35 8 5 55 82 37 84 .276 .334 .425 46 6 C. Prime RF 143 417 131 15 0 18 68 61 38 68 .314 .373 .480 10 0 A. Alemany SS 105 251 70 13 2 2 32 42 23 69 .279 .345 .371 28 10 M. Saldana CF 95 224 51 11 4 2 19 29 21 19 .228 .303 .339 4 0 M. Preciado RF 109 215 53 7 1 2 19 23 17 30 .247 .315 .316 7 6 A. Tester LF 91 158 60 10 2 0 16 16 11 26 .380 .420 .468 1 0 C. Threatt C 91 156 37 11 0 2 19 17 15 12 .237 .302 .346 1 0 C. Lozoya SP 36 102 15 6 1 0 6 6 3 37 .147 .170 .225 1 0 E. Nieves SP 30 82 8 2 0 1 3 4 1 34 .098 .108 .159 0 0 C. Greene SP 35 79 3 2 0 0 2 2 2 41 .038 .062 .063 0 0 D. Spicher SP 28 67 7 1 0 1 4 2 4 30 .104 .155 .164 0 0 C. Crane SP 28 63 11 4 0 1 3 3 3 28 .175 .209 .286 1 0 E. Padilla SP 9 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 .000 .000 0 0 D. Peņa RP 71 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 .000 .000 0 0 W. Martin RP 46 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 0 0 L. Ruvalcaba RP 58 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 .250 .000 0 0 A. Geren RP 25 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 J. Lis RP 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 L. Salguero RP 43 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 0 0 J. Donato RP 36 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .500 .000 0 0 B. Padilla RP 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 S. Eye RP 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000 .00O .000 0 0 San Diego pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH C. Lozoya 36 36 24 4 0 1.77 265.0 181 57 52 76 222 3 1 C. Greene 35 35 12 11 0 3.55 218.0 246 96 86 23 132 2 0 E. Nieves 30 30 14 9 0 5.00 210.2 232 128 117 63 113 5 0 D. Spicher 28 28 10 9 0 4.10 197.2 231 106 90 26 95 6 1 C. Crane 28 28 8 14 0 6.28 176.1 214 134 123 97 124 4 1 D. Peņa 71 0 4 4 3 2.66 94.2 81 29 28 36 91 0 0 L. Ruvalcaba 58 0 5 8 31 4.61 56.2 62 32 29 8 29 0 0 W. Martin 46 0 3 2 0 5.59 48.1 46 32 30 27 32 0 0 J. Donato 36 0 3 4 0 7.04 46.0 57 36 36 24 35 0 0 L. Salguero 43 0 4 5 1 5.36 45.1 50 28 27 19 33 0 0 E. Padilla 9 6 1 2 1 5.57 32.1 34 23 20 13 18 0 0 S. Rodriguez 31 0 2 0 0 4.45 28.1 29 16 14 21 29 0 0 A. Geren 25 0 0 1 1 10.96 23.0 41 34 28 15 13 0 0 S. Eye 9 0 0 0 0 3.29 13.2 16 5 5 3 13 0 0 J. Lis 3 0 0 0 0 0.00 7.0 4 0 0 1 3 0 0 B. Padilla 2 0 0 0 0 16.20 5.0 12 9 9 1 2 0 0 Pittsburgh batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS J. Rael 3B 153 583 171 30 3 44 158 132 123 50 .293 .417 .581 3 0 J. Harmer Jr. LF 144 572 200 50 7 10 63 132 108 94 .350 .454 .514 2 0 R. Able 2B 150 558 166 27 6 17 90 114 111 132 .297 .412 .459 34 6 A. Quijada C 138 551 169 23 5 22 104 106 90 127 .307 .406 .486 3 0 A. Oatman CF 148 536 153 20 6 22 96 74 47 110 .285 .353 .468 5 2 J. Sequeira RF 136 505 139 19 1 27 111 75 18 24 .275 .301 .477 0 0 D. White SS 142 500 142 19 4 2 57 60 42 109 .284 .342 .350 1 0 J. Arruza 1B 138 430 117 25 0 11 67 55 64 86 .272 .366 .407 4 0 T. Francois RF 122 367 91 25 3 19 72 72 44 62 .248 .328 .488 26 10 R. Triado LF 64 162 49 14 0 4 28 28 11 35 .302 .349 .463 1 0 M. Robinson 3B 59 162 40 13 0 7 30 24 14 23 .247 .309 .457 1 0 R. Chapa C 54 131 32 6 0 0 15 26 30 9 .244 .380 .290 1 0 M. Santos RF 61 114 27 4 0 5 16 17 5 25 .237 .275 .404 3 0 T. Swarthout SS 58 85 17 3 0 0 6 23 20 17 .200 .352 .235 0 0 A. Fajardo SP 34 79 12 3 0 0 3 10 9 33 .152 .236 .190 3 0 D. Malone SP 32 78 19 2 0 0 6 12 8 24 .244 .314 .269 1 0 S. Council SP 26 74 22 2 0 0 7 9 8 30 .297 .361 .324 2 0 J. Marrone SP 28 64 4 3 0 0 5 4 3 27 .063 .104 .109 0 0 G. Otero SP 29 63 10 4 0 0 6 5 3 23 .159 .197 .222 0 0 E. Peņa 3B 22 58 23 7 0 4 23 14 2 11 .397 .417 .724 0 0 F. Medina 1B 22 38 7 1 0 1 7 5 3 7 .184 .238 .289 0 0 H. Yosuke C 5 11 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 5 .182 .231 .182 0 0 N. Garcia SP 5 10 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 5 .100 .100 .400 0 0 M. Ybanez SP 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 .000 .000 0 0 J. Odonoghue RP 64 7 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 3 .143 .333 .286 0 0 B. Cousin RF 6 7 3 0 0 1 4 1 0 2 .429 .429 .857 0 0 B. Ringer SP 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000 .000 .000 0 0 D. Kenzo SP 2 7 2 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 .286 .286 .571 0 0 C. Reardon RP 31 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 .000 .000 .000 0 0 S. Garcia 1B 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 .250 .250 0 0 M. Tenney RF 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 E. Westgate SP 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 .250 .250 0 0 S. Pointer SS 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 0 0 J. Vega RP 35 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 0 S. Gerst 1B 2 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 .333 .333 1.333 0 0 M. Farner 2B 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 .000 .333 .000 1 0 G. Benny SS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 Pittsburgh pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH A. Fajardo 34 34 14 14 0 4.27 225.2 261 120 107 51 156 1 0 D. Malone 31 31 14 5 0 4.02 199.1 173 95 89 60 145 1 1 S. Council 26 26 17 1 0 3.12 190.1 159 73 66 39 163 6 2 J. Marrone 28 28 12 9 0 5.86 176.2 235 127 115 85 122 2 2 G. Otero 29 29 10 10 0 6.45 167.1 225 126 120 84 108 1 0 J. Odonoghue 64 0 18 4 19 2.11 119.1 87 30 28 17 98 0 0 C. Reardon 31 0 1 1 2 2.35 61.1 60 19 16 6 30 0 0 J. Vega 35 0 4 3 2 3.58 60.1 57 24 24 21 48 0 0 R. Chavez 33 0 2 1 1 5.29 51.0 67 34 30 8 34 0 0 R. Melendez 38 0 5 3 11 1.93 46.2 40 14 10 6 37 0 0 B. Hinerman 31 0 0 3 1 7.04 46.0 64 36 36 15 25 0 0 N. Garcia 5 4 2 2 0 5.33 27.0 29 16 16 8 23 0 0 M. Ybanez 3 3 0 1 0 6.86 21.0 32 17 16 4 17 0 0 B. Ringer 3 3 0 2 0 10.42 19.0 31 22 22 8 9 0 0 D. Kenzo 2 2 0 2 0 10.80 15.0 22 19 18 14 12 1 0 E. Westgate 2 2 1 1 0 6.75 12.0 14 9 9 8 5 0 0 F. Rubalcaba 8 0 0 0 0 4.50 10.0 14 8 5 3 8 0 0 K. Nampo 7 0 0 0 0 8.22 7.2 13 7 7 5 1 0 0 D. Martinez 5 0 0 0 0 5.40 5.0 8 3 3 1 3 0 0 M. Garcia 3 0 0 0 0 0.00 3.0 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 Thoughts: After last season's playoff run, San Diego was expected to be the next dominant National League team. With a powerful offense and a strong rotation led by the emerging Carlos Lozoya, the Padres were supposed to overtake a San Jose team with a mediocre rotation and an aging Pittsburgh team. Early in the year, it seemed like that's what was happening. While Pittsburgh was still the leader in the Northeast, San Jose was hovering near the bottom of the West and San Diego was sitting at the top. But struggles in June knocked the Padres out of first, and slowly, the Sharks crept back in the race. By the time the month of July was over, the Sharks were back in first, and San Diego was fighting to stay in second place. By the end of the year, San Jose had cruised to another division title, Pittsburgh had outlasted Rochester to win the Northeast, and San Diego was forced to play an extra game just to get into the playoffs. So what happened? Well, that powerful offense from last season slumped considerably. A year ago, the Padres scored the second most runs in baseball, and had an offense that rivaled that of the Denver Broncos. But this year, almost every San Diego starting position player saw his numbers drop off a little bit from last year, and the Padres' offense finished only 14th in the league in runs scored. Still, coming into this series, the Padres might have been considered favorites by some, except for one thing. Third starter Delbert Spicher was injured at the end of September and is not expected to be available for this series. While Spicher is not a star, he is a fairly capable pitcher, and would have allowed the Padres to match up well with the Pirates' starting pitchers. But without Spicher, San Diego will have to turn to either Eusebio Nieves or Christian Crane, which changes the odds in Pittsburgh's favor. Crane, especially, is a poor matchup against Pittsburgh, as his biggest weakness-walks- is Pittsburgh's biggest offensive strength. Worse, because Lozoya was the starter in the one game playoff, he isn't likely to pitch until Game Three. This gives Pittsburgh a little bit of an advantage in the respective pitching matchups. While San Diego saw its offense decline dramatically from last season, the Pirates saw theirs go the other way. Last year, the Pirates were only 12th in runs scored, but this year, they shot up to 3rd. They were the highest scoring team in the National League. Much of this was due to a monster year by third-baseman Javier Rael, and a breakout year by second-baseman Robert Able. Outfielder Tony Francois also improved significantly from last season. On the pitching side, while last year's Cy Young and ROTY winner, Andreas Fajardo, had a disappointing season, free agent acquisition Scott Council was a huge success, and kept the Pirates' rotation decent. Meanwhile, relief ace Joe O'Donoghue had one of the most terrific seasons by a reliever ever. His 18 wins led the team, and ranked fourth in the entire National League. Pittsburgh balanced an inconsistent rotation with a very good bullpen to give them one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Prediction: The Padres in seven games.
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2081: Desperation in Denver Last edited by jamus23; 04-28-2008 at 07:55 PM. |
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04-28-2008, 07:51 PM
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#287 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round Preview: Rochester vs. San Jose
The Rochester Rhinos (99-63)
 VS. The San Jose Sharks (96-66)  Quick Facts: -After five straight playoff appearances from 2077 to 2081, Rochester missed the playoffs last year en route to a 4th place finish. It was the first time the Rhinos had finished lower than third since 2068. Rochester last reached the World Series in 2078, and defeated Memphis in five games. Four players from that team are still with the Rhinos: 1B Rick Ahn, 2B Sergio Salo, SP Segundo Narbaiza, and closer Nathaniel Owen. -This is San Jose's 4th straight division title and 9th straight postseason appearance. The Sharks last won the World Series in 2072, beating Tucson in six games. They reached both the '76 and '79 World Series, but lost to Knoxville(5 games) and Miami(5 games), respectively. Only 1B Ugo Momoru, SP Benito Ortiz, and reliever Anselmo Ortiz remain from the '72 team, although 3B Isaias Hernandez, who was a rookie that season, saw a bit of action for the Sharks this year after getting released by Nashville. -San Jose won 10 of 16 games against Rochester this season. The average score was 5.8 to 4.7 -San Jose was one of only two teams to not have a losing record against any other team (the other was Denver). Unlike Denver, who finished .500 against only one team(Knoxville), the Sharks finished with a .500 record against four teams. -San Jose and Rochester were the two best teams in the entire league in 1-run games. San Jose was 27-11(.711 winning percentage) and Rochester was 32-19(.627). San Jose also tied for the league lead in extra inning victories with 11(Hartford also won 11). They had the second highest winning percentage in such games(.786), with Sacramento's .800(5-1) being the highest. -Rochester ranked 8th in runs scored. The Rhinos' offense was largely driven by homeruns, as they ranked 3rd in that category. Rochester led all of baseball with 49 triples, but finished last in baseball with only 250 doubles. Rochester also ranked 8th in runs allowed and 9th in ERA. -San Jose ranked just 12th in runs scored, 21st in homeruns, and 17th in walks. The Sharks allowed the 4th fewest runs and had the 5th best ERA. They walked the third fewest batters in the league. Batting and pitching stats for Rochester and San Jose: Rochester batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS G. Manrique RF 155 601 141 12 2 38 91 110 83 55 .235 .327 .451 7 3 R. Ahn 1B 157 578 162 37 3 28 99 100 84 147 .280 .373 .500 0 1 G. Schuyler CF 154 577 185 18 11 18 92 85 41 77 .321 .370 .484 5 2 S. Salo 2B 156 573 156 23 2 20 79 118 93 94 .272 .382 .424 0 0 A. Champ SS 155 558 190 16 9 21 109 88 37 31 .341 .388 .514 0 0 L. Guerriero 3B 138 555 173 55 5 31 98 108 54 135 .312 .378 .596 8 6 P. Bibbs C 152 551 170 23 2 26 111 91 57 32 .309 .375 .499 3 1 N. Colin LF 132 462 139 15 8 27 79 77 29 55 .301 .345 .543 32 8 A. Costner LF 107 228 67 11 0 5 25 27 16 29 .294 .339 .408 0 0 D. New CF 77 126 33 4 0 5 21 22 15 24 .262 .343 .413 1 0 R. Crawford C 54 124 28 10 0 8 28 19 15 33 .226 .305 .500 0 0 J. Gonzalez 1B 65 89 26 2 2 0 6 13 4 18 .292 .344 .360 6 0 G. Lasseter SP 32 88 17 5 1 0 9 7 2 40 .193 .209 .273 0 0 D. Philson SP 34 86 22 1 0 0 7 6 6 35 .256 .301 .267 0 0 C. Vandyne SP 35 70 5 3 0 1 3 5 4 27 .071 .122 .157 0 0 S. Narbaiza SP 35 65 7 2 0 0 3 2 1 23 .108 .118 .138 0 0 J. Plazas 2B 30 56 4 0 0 1 2 5 4 14 .071 .133 .125 0 0 J. Strickland SP 23 50 8 3 0 0 2 4 0 19 .160 .157 .220 0 0 J. Shenk LF 49 44 11 2 0 0 10 9 5 3 .250 .314 .295 1 0 A. Stansel SS 19 24 3 0 1 1 3 2 2 7 .125 .192 .333 0 0 R. Caulkins 3B 14 24 7 1 0 1 5 5 0 7 .292 .292 .458 0 0 H. Rao SP 6 13 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 .154 .154 .154 0 0 E. Casarez SP 9 9 1 1 0 0 2 1 4 5 .111 .385 .222 0 0 B. Montalvo RP 71 8 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 4 .125 .222 .375 0 0 D. Digennaro RP 61 8 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 .000 .000 .000 0 0 N. Owen RP 66 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .000 .000 .000 0 0 F. Maldonado SP 5 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .143 .143 .286 0 0 J. Vivier RP 44 4 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .500 .500 .500 0 0 L. Luna RP 89 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 0 A. Martinez SP 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 J. Rafter RF 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 .500 .500 2.000 0 0 Rochester pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH D. Philson 34 34 14 9 0 4.49 238.1 223 124 119 51 184 5 1 G. Lasseter 32 32 17 7 0 3.36 235.2 209 103 88 70 172 9 1 S. Narbaiza 35 35 15 5 0 2.81 230.1 212 78 72 44 128 1 0 C. Vandyne 35 35 10 7 0 5.26 220.2 232 140 129 111 152 2 0 J. Strickland 23 23 6 11 0 7.40 125.1 155 108 103 83 68 0 0 L. Luna 89 0 9 3 7 3.21 101.0 89 37 36 16 34 0 0 B. Montalvo 71 1 6 4 3 3.83 87.0 87 41 37 43 71 0 0 N. Owen 66 0 4 6 34 3.24 72.1 59 32 26 32 58 0 0 D. Digennaro 61 0 14 0 1 4.54 69.1 76 41 35 33 40 0 0 J. Vivier 44 0 3 1 0 5.80 49.2 58 38 32 14 18 0 0 H. Rao 6 6 1 2 0 7.23 37.1 52 31 30 20 23 0 0 E. Casarez 9 5 1 2 1 5.03 34.0 43 26 19 20 19 0 0 H. Crosley 40 0 2 3 4 9.74 32.1 54 35 35 19 14 0 0 F. Maldonado 5 5 1 2 0 10.80 20.0 29 24 24 13 12 0 0 A. Martinez 3 2 0 1 0 11.42 8.2 19 12 11 4 5 0 0 San Jose batting: Code:
Name POS G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG SB CS U. Momoru 1B 147 570 154 25 3 34 101 116 77 29 .270 .352 .504 6 0 O. Escobedo SS 146 561 155 19 4 43 116 98 30 62 .276 .317 .554 0 0 J. Lumsden RF 144 561 179 50 5 20 109 98 44 33 .319 .365 .533 3 0 C. Seaver C 140 538 152 24 2 23 106 87 61 32 .283 .358 .463 0 0 S. Martinez LF 139 480 146 45 13 10 60 110 97 85 .304 .424 .515 54 20 A. Cisneros 3B 128 451 124 34 2 5 51 48 35 26 .275 .324 .392 2 4 G. Ormiston CF 130 450 142 34 3 6 80 76 46 53 .316 .382 .444 5 1 V. Zurcher 2B 114 404 100 24 2 15 64 61 33 59 .248 .308 .428 1 3 R. Clear 2B 111 352 97 19 3 9 51 53 34 57 .276 .340 .423 14 5 W. Natali LF 77 247 77 11 2 1 30 39 8 29 .312 .336 .385 32 5 E. Alexander CF 97 235 83 12 1 3 35 40 4 38 .353 .364 .451 18 4 F. Conde CF 72 137 38 5 1 1 16 14 19 8 .277 .365 .350 3 0 R. Isenhour C 40 112 32 8 0 1 16 11 9 6 .286 .341 .384 0 0 R. Salazar SP 33 88 11 5 1 0 7 9 6 23 .125 .181 .205 0 0 J. Rubino SP 34 83 3 0 0 0 3 0 4 31 .036 .080 .036 0 0 S. Mchenry SP 31 78 7 5 0 0 3 9 5 33 .090 .143 .154 0 0 B. Ortiz SP 17 38 2 1 0 0 1 3 3 19 .053 .122 .079 0 0 B. Gowen SP 17 36 2 1 0 0 0 3 5 11 .056 .171 .083 0 0 D. Hardeman 1B 10 29 5 0 0 0 1 3 2 6 .172 .226 .172 0 0 J. Myatt SP 11 25 4 3 0 0 5 1 2 9 .160 .214 .280 0 0 T. Richmond SP 13 23 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 14 .043 .083 .043 0 0 W. Gammill 1B 16 22 4 0 0 1 4 1 4 7 .182 .296 .318 0 0 B. Cano 2B 7 22 6 0 0 0 1 5 1 2 .273 .304 .273 0 0 G. Parker RP 30 9 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3 .222 .222 .667 0 0 I. Hernandez 3B 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 0 L. Stec 2B 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 .125 .000 0 0 G. Molina SP 3 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .167 .167 .167 0 0 R. Tibbs RF 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .400 .400 .400 0 0 P. Mcgaha 3B 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 C. Cape SP 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 G. Loewen LF 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 .333 .333 0 0 S. Torres Jr. C 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 A. Fiore C 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .000 .000 .000 1 0 J. Holliman Jr. C 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 W. Ramirez SP 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 0 0 B. Frisch RP 47 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 C. Blanton RP 42 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 A. Ortiz RP 33 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 0 0 L. Farnum RP 28 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 L. Kohn RP 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 1.000 .000 0 0 San Jose pitching: Code:
Name G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER BB K CG SH J. Rubino 34 34 14 13 0 3.72 237.1 222 106 98 71 209 4 2 R. Salazar 33 33 20 8 0 4.33 232.2 235 116 112 38 122 4 2 S. Mchenry 31 31 17 8 0 4.38 217.2 182 110 106 81 187 0 0 B. Ortiz 17 17 6 7 0 5.11 111.0 144 67 63 43 62 1 1 B. Gowen 17 17 3 7 0 5.48 106.2 146 72 65 38 65 1 1 J. Myatt 24 14 7 4 0 5.22 101.2 122 59 59 36 93 0 0 T. Richmond 13 13 4 5 0 7.02 74.1 100 64 58 37 46 1 0 B. Frisch 47 0 9 2 13 2.96 73.0 41 25 24 26 84 0 0 C. Blanton 42 0 6 3 13 2.65 71.1 61 21 21 8 51 0 0 G. Parker 30 0 8 1 3 3.17 54.0 51 21 19 7 37 0 0 C. Ehret 28 0 1 2 1 6.00 48.0 56 38 32 29 22 0 0 L. Farnum 28 0 1 0 1 5.09 46.0 47 26 26 20 31 0 0 C. Saari 23 0 1 1 0 4.39 41.0 50 26 20 10 30 0 0 A. Ortiz 33 0 1 4 10 2.31 35.0 30 14 9 13 34 0 0 J. Turner 22 0 0 0 0 7.24 32.1 27 26 26 14 28 0 0 G. Molina 3 3 1 1 0 5.00 18.0 15 13 10 3 11 0 0 L. Kohn 7 0 0 0 0 10.80 11.2 19 14 14 11 3 0 0 C. Cape 2 2 0 1 0 8.71 10.1 25 13 10 3 5 0 0 W. Breeze 2 0 0 0 0 3.60 5.0 6 2 2 3 3 0 0 W. Ramirez 1 1 0 1 0 3.60 5.0 8 2 2 1 4 0 0 P. Duran 2 0 0 0 0 0.00 3.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thoughts: Rochester's playoff run came to an end last year largely because ace Segundo Narbaiza spent a good portion of the year on the disabled list. His absence caused the Rhinos to slip and allowed teams like Buffalo and Hartford to fill the void. In this year's season preview, I said that if Narbaiza went down to injury again, Rochester wouldn't be able to compete, but that if he stayed healthy, the Rhinos might have a chance. I also pointed out that veteran starter George Lasseter was a career underachiever, and Dennis Philson, who had performed respectably last season, was nonetheless not a reliable starting pitcher. Well, Narbaiza stayed healthy and made 35 starts. While not as dominant as he once was, he still managed to finish second in the NL in ERA, and he moved into a tie for third place on the all time wins list. He and Robert McComas have each won 321 games. Lasseter, meanwhile, had a career year, going 17-7 with a 3.36 ERA. He had never before had an ERA under 5.00. Dennis Philson, who had managed a surprising 4.68 ERA last year, actually managed to improve upon that, posting a 4.49 mark, while also striking out a career-best 184 batters. Combine that with a good offense and a pretty good bullpen, and it is no surprise that Rochester was able to bounce back from last season's 77-85 record. San Jose has had one of the more topsy-turvy seasons. Early in the year, established stars Ugo Momoru and Charles Seaver were struggling badly, and solid starters like William Natali and Alberto Cisneros were also contributing very little. The starting pitching was mediocre as had been expected, and relief ace Bill Frisch was lost for a month and a half with an injury. Consequently, the team struggled through the early part of the year. At the end of April, they were only a game out of last place. At the end of May, they were still closer to last place(3 games) than they were to first place(7 games). It wasn't until June that they began to recover, and by the end of July they were in first place. With a seeming knack for winning close games, the Sharks managed to survive the wildest and most competitive division race. Time after time, they seemed to do just enough to pull out games despite looking like an average team. Rochester would seem to have the advantage in this series, both in terms of hitting and starting pitching. Additionally, Rochester is one of the few teams that has a bullpen nearly as good as San Jose's. Still, the Sharks have seem to be able to find a way to win a lot, and the Rhinos will be without the services of third-baseman Louis Guerriero for this series, as he is on the disabled list with a strained back. Prediction: The Rhinos in six games.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-29-2008, 05:52 PM
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#288 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game One
The Nashville Predators (84-78)
AT The Denver Broncos (114-48) Falling behind against Mose Urick is never a good idea, and it didn't take long for the Broncos to do just that. Nashville's Angelo Vazquez hit a solo homerun with one out in the first inning, giving the Predators a quick lead. In the second inning, Clarence Lei pushed that lead to 2-0 with a run-scoring single. Denver got on the board in the fourth with a run-scoring single from Alexis Vazquez, but that was all they would muster. Nashville secured Game One with another run in the ninth inning, getting an RBI single from Douglas Vogl to cap the scoring at 3-1. The Broncos were helpless against Urick, managing only 3 hits in the game. Nashville leads the series, 1 game to none. Around the league: Tucson took control early in its game against Miami, and led 4-1 heading into the sixth inning. Although Albert Chichester hit a 2-run double to make it 4-3, it looked as though the Diamondbacks would escape with no further damage. However, a 2 out error by second-baseman Elmer Giancola allowed two base-runners to score. That gave the Dolphins the lead, but Miami wasn't done. Consecutive RBI doubles by Francisco Alvarez and Aaron Shorts made it 7-4 . Miami would hang on for an 8-5 victory. Miami leads the series, 1 game to none. Solo homeruns by Augustine Oatman in the second inning, and Aaron Quijada in the third inning gave Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead against San Diego. Gaby Matos delivered a solo shot in the fifth inning, but Javier Rael's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth made it 3-1 Pittsburgh. Andrew Burdick homered in the eighth inning, but once again, the Pirates responded. Oatman hit an RBI double with 2 out in the bottom of the eighth, and Michael Robinson hit a pinch-hit RBI double in the same inning to give Pittsburgh a 5-2 victory. Scott Council whiffed 9 Padres in eight innings, including slugger Gregorio Ruiz four times. Pittsburgh leads the series, 1 game to none. Segundo Narbaiza was masterful in Game One against San Jose, tossing a 4-hit shutout. Catcher Paul Bibbs provided most of Rochester's offensive firepower in a 4-0 victory, hitting an RBI single in the first inning and a 2-run homerun in the eighth inning. Nicolas Colin also hit a homerun- a solo shot in the fifth inning. Rochester leads the series, 1 game to none.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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04-30-2008, 10:15 PM
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#289 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Two
The Nashville Predators (84-78)
AT The Denver Broncos (114-48) Losing to Mose Urick in Game One was not exactly a surprise, but losing the first two games of this series certainly was. Having been throttled by Urick in the previous game, the Broncos needed to get off to a quick start in Game Two. They managed to do just that, getting a first-inning sacrifice fly from Ellis Bolling. But the 1-0 lead didn't last long. In the third inning, Nashville's David Rosier ripped a two-run homerun to give the Predators the lead. In the bottom of the third, Bolling tied it up with a run-scoring ground-out. After that, it was all Nashville. In the fifth inning, Hugh Marzano hit an RBI double to make it 3-2. In the sixth, Douglas Vogl hit a 2-out, two run double to make it 5-2. Daniel Lane hit a solo homerun in the seventh inning, and Jerry Hise capped the scoring with a homerun in the eighth. The final: Nashville, 7-2. A year ago, Nashville won the first two games in the Divisional Round against Denver, before the Broncos rallied and won in seven games. Now Denver has to try and do that again. After a 114 win season, this is certainly not the situation the Broncos expected to find themselves in. Nashville leads, 2 games to none. Around the league: Having dropped Game One, the Tucson Diamondbacks hoped to even the series. They struck quickly, with 2 runs in the first inning. But just as quickly, that lead evaporated. Jake Foss and Edmond McGurk each belted homeruns in the bottom of the first; Foss' was a two-run blast and McGurk's a solo shot. A two out, RBI double by Elmer Giancola in the top of the fourth inning tied the game at three. But like the Diamondback's erstwhile lead, the tie score did not last long, either. In the bottom of the fourth, Aaron Shorts and Foss hit back-to-back RBI doubles to give Miami a 5-3 lead. Shorts added another RBI double in the eighth inning to complete the scoring in a 6-3 Dolphins' victory. Jake Foss had 3 hits and 3 RBI in this game, while Dolphins' starting pitcher Jose Caceres punched out 10 batters in seven innings. Miami leads the series, 2 games to none. San Diego had better luck than Tucson in its attempt to even its series. The Padres jumped on Pittsburgh for four first inning runs. Salomon Alvarez hit a 2-run double and Chet Prime hit a 2-out, 2 run single. They pushed it to 5-0 when Manuel Alarcon led off the second inning with a homerun. The Pirates got on the board in the bottom of the second, getting a solo homerun from Robert Able, but couldn't generate any more offense until Augustine Oatman homered in the eighth inning. That produced a final score of 5-2, in favor of the Padres. San Diego's Eusebio Nieves tossed a complete game, allowing only 6 hits. Pittsburgh's Douglas Malone managed 11 strikeouts, despite the five runs allowed. The series is tied 1-1. It was a battle of catchers in the Game Two matchup between San Jose and Rochester. After getting shutout in Game One, the Sharks were determined not to get held scoreless again. In the first inning, Ugo Momoru smacked an RBI double, and catcher Charles Seaver smashed a two run homerun. George Ormiston ripped an RBI double in the second inning, giving San Jose a 4-0 lead. Rochester catcher Paul Bibbs got the Rhinos on the board with a second inning homerun of his own. Rochester picked up another run in that same inning on a sacrifice fly, cutting San Jose's lead to 4-2. And then the Sharks offense exploded. In the fourth inning, Victor Zurcher hit a solo homer to make it 5-2. In the fifth, James Lumsden hit a run-scoring single to make it 6-2. Momoru made it 7-2 with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Seaver followed with his second homerun of the game, a three run bomb, to make it 10-2. Bibbs responded with his second homerun of the game in the bottom of the sixth, a two run blast, making it 10-4. Nicolas Colin hit solo homer for Rochester in the ninth inning, but it was too little, too late in a 10-5 Sharks victory. The series is tied 1-1.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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05-01-2008, 09:50 PM
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#290 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Three
The Denver Broncos (114-48)
AT The Nashville Predators (84-78) Down two games to none against Nashville, the Broncos simply could not afford to lose in Game Three. They needed to start fast and not let up. Greg Lauritsen struck with a two out RBI double in the second inning. Marvin Lore delivered an RBI single in the third. Booker Romero followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 3-0 Denver. Lauritsen then hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. Nashville got on the board in the fourth inning with a two out RBI single from Hugh Marzano, but Booker Romero got the run back with an RBI double in the fifth inning. Jack Rumfelt led off the sixth inning with a solo homerun to make it 6-1 Broncos. And then everything went straight to hell. Carlo Romero hit an RBI double with nobody out in the sixth. 6-2. Daniel Lane hit a 2 run homerun. 6-4. The Broncos managed to escape the sixth with no further damage. It remained 6-4 through the seventh and eighth innings. But with nobody out in the ninth inning, Robert Perkins slashed a two run triple to tie the game at six. Lane followed with a sacrifice fly. 7-6. Game over. The Predators lead, 3 games to none. Around the league: Like the Broncos, Tucson was desperate for a victory after having dropped its first two games to Miami. For their part, the Dolphins were eager to bury the Diamondbacks and push them to the brink of elimination. What followed was one of the best playoff games ever. Tucson's Peter Boughner and Miami's Ramon Baston were simply brilliant. The two pitchers matched each other, inning after inning, goose egg after goose egg. Neither team could score. For nine innings, both pitchers held their opponents at bay. Baston surrendered 6 hits, and struck out 8 batters. Boughner surrendered 6 hits. In the 10th inning, both pitchers turned the game over to their bullpen. It remained scoreless. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th inning, Tucson's Joseph Osborn delivered a run-scoring single to win the game, 1-0. The Dolphins lead the series, 2 games to 1. With their series tied at a game apiece, San Diego turned to ace, Carlos Lozoya. He dominated Pittsburgh's batters, blowing away 12 in a nine-hit complete game. While Lozoya made the Pirates look foolish, Manuel Alarcon hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and Michael Saldana hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Pirates managed one run in the eighth, but that was all in a 2-1 defeat. In addition to his masterful pitching, Lozoya doubled and scored a run. The Padres lead, 2 games to 1. After getting embarrassed 10-5 by the Sharks in Game Two, the Rhinos decided to return the favor. Gerald Schuyler hit an RBI single in the third inning. Anthony Champ hit a 2-run single in the fourth inning. Pitcher Dennis Philson an RBI triple in the sixth inning. Gustavo Manrique hit an RBI single in the seventh inning. Rick Ahn hit an RBI double in the ninth, and Manrique capped the onslaught with another RBI single. The final: Rochester 7 San Jose 0. For the second time in the series, the Sharks had been shutout. Segundo Narbaiza in Game One, and now Philson went the distance on them, allowing only 6 hits. The Rhinos lead the series, 2 games to 1.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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05-01-2008, 10:52 PM
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#291 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Four
The Denver Broncos (114-48)
AT The Nashville Predators (84-78) Well, this was it for Denver. Do or die. Win, and they fight another day. Lose, and they go home. One would think that would be enough motivation to come out firing. Ellis Bolling, a non-factor so far, belted a two out solo homerun in the first inning. Ruben Diaz led off the second inning with a homerun. That would be the highlight of Game Four for Denver. Douglas Vogl hit a two out RBI single in the fourth inning. 2-1. Daniel Lane hit an RBI double in the fifth. 2-2. Carlo Romero followed with an RBI double. 3-2. Angelo Vazquez hit an RBI double in the sixth inning. 4-2. That would be the final score. First in runs scored. First in runs allowed. A deep rotation. A balanced lineup with on base guys and power guys. Guys who can steal bases. Some good fielders at important defensive positions. 114 regular season wins. What did all that get the Broncos? Getting swept in the first round of the playoffs. They couldn't even stay alive long enough to get Lee Chappel healthy and back in the lineup. Who is to blame? Try almost everyone. Three of their four starting pitchers allowed at least 4 runs. Of the vaunted lineup, only Ruben Diaz(.837) and Marvin Lore(1.400 in 5 at bats) managed an OPS above .700. Sure, not having Chappel hurt, but a sweep? Ridiculous. Frustrating and ridiculous. Around the league: Game Four in the Tucson-Miami series was a complete reversal of Game Three. After the two teams combined for a single run in 11 innings in the previous game, they couldn't stop scoring in the fourth game. In the first inning, Tucson got a solo homerun from Jonathan Constantino and an RBI single from Danny Guzman. Miami responded in the third inning. Aaron Shorts hit an RBI double and Jake Foss hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game up. Then Roy Springs smashed a 2-run homerun to give the Dolphins a 4-2 lead. Francisco Alvarez led off the fifth inning with a homerun to make it 5-2. Thomas Fuentes, Jr. drove in a run in the sixth inning with a base hit, and seemed to give the Dolphins a commanding 6-2 lead. Charles Troutt delivered a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. 6-3. Robin Vega hit an RBI single in the seventh. 6-4. Guzman single in another run in the seventh. 6-5. Troutt hit a 2 run double in the seventh. 7-6. In the eighth inning, Thomas Stallman drove in a run, Vega drove in 2, Troutt drove in one, and Sabas Riva drove in one. 12-6. Alvarez hit his second homerun of the game with two outs in the ninth inning. Too little, too late in a 12-7 Tucson victory. The series is tied at 2 games apiece. Pitcher Jay Marrone got Pittsburgh on the board in Game Four against San Diego, with a run-scoring groundout in the second inning. Before the inning was over, Tony Francois had driven in a second run, and Aaron Quijada had smacked a 2-run double to make it 4-0. The Padres crept back in the game, getting an RBI double from Gregorio Ruiz in the third inning and a two out, two run homerun from Salomon Alvarez in the fifth inning. They wouldn't get any closer, however. Matias Santos drove in a run with a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning, and James Sequeira and Robert Able each drove in runs in the eighth inning to give Pittsburgh a 7-3 victory. The Pirates did, however, lose center-fielder Augustine Oatman to an injury when he was hit by a pitch. He suffered a broken finger and will be out for four weeks, which essentially means the rest of the season. The series is tied at 2 games apiece. In Game One, San Jose was shutout. In Game Two, the Sharks scored 10 runs. In Game Three, they were shutout again. Guess what happened in Game Four? That's right. Although Rochester drew first blood in the first inning, the Sharks tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when Simon Martinez scored on a wild pitch by Segundo Narbaiza. The Rhinos retook the lead in the third inning when Paul Bibbs belted a 2-run homerun. San Jose tied it up again. George Ormiston singled in a run in the third inning, and Alberto Cisneros singled one in in the fourth. Once again, Rochester took the lead. Gustavo Manrique doubled in a run in the fifth inning. And yet again, the lead did not last. In the bottom of the fifth, James Lumsden hit a 2-out, 2-run double to put San Jose on top, 5-4. In the sixth inning, the Sharks blew the game open. Victor Zurcher hit a sacrifice fly. 6-4. Ormiston hit a two run single. 8-4. Ugo Momoru blasted a 2-run homerun. 10-4. In the eighth inning, Allen Costner hit a pinch-hit RBI single to make it 10-5. The resulting play at the plate injured San Jose catcher Charles Seaver. He suffered a broken hip and will not return this season. Rochester got one final run when Robert Caulkins scored on a wild pitch, but the Sharks prevailed 10-6. The series is tied at 2 games apiece.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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05-02-2008, 06:08 PM
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#292 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Five
While the Nashville Predators got to enjoy a few days of rest after their shocking sweep of Denver, the rest of the playoff field was not so lucky. Each of the other first round matchups were tied at 2 games apiece....
Having blown a 2 games to none lead, the Miami Dolphins turned to their ace, Christian Hokusai, to regain momentum. That is precisely what he did. Backed by a solo homerun from Thomas Fuentes, Jr. in the fourth inning, and sacrifice flies from Roy Springs in the fifth and Bill Tovar in the eighth, Hokusai spun a 3-hit shutout, and Miami defeated Tucson by a score of 3-0. The Dolphins lead the series, 3 games to 2. Pittsburgh and San Diego traded runs in the second inning in their Game Five matchup, and they remained deadlocked through the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Finally, in the eighth inning, Pittsburgh broke the tie, getting a sacrifice fly from Tony Francois. In the ninth inning, the Pirates grabbed three more runs, and emerged with a 5-1 victory. The Pirates lead the series, 3 games to 2. So far, the Sharks had been shutout twice and scored 10 runs twice in a back and forth series with the Rhinos. Game Five would prove to be just as topsy-turvy, as both teams were desperate to gain the advantage in the series. George Ormiston hit a solo homerun in the first inning to get San Jose on the board. In the third inning, Ugo Momoru ripped a 2-run homer to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead. His homerun was immediately followed by a solo shot from James Lumsden, and the score was 4-0. It remained that way until the seventh inning, when Rochester's Rick Ahn hit a leadoff homerun. Still in the seventh inning, but now with two outs, David New delivered pinch-hit 2-run homerun to cut San Jose's lead to one. Immediately after New's blast, Nicolas Colin hammered a game-tying homerun. San Jose retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh, when Orlando Escobedo hit a two out solo homerun, but that lead didn't last long. In the eighth inning, reliever Bill Frisch balked in a run, and then Gustavo Manrique gave Rochester its first lead with an RBI single. But with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Simon Martinez crushed a 3-run homerun, giving San Jose an 8-6 lead that it would not relinquish. The Sharks lead the series 3 games to 2.
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2081: Desperation in Denver |
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05-02-2008, 06:45 PM
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#293 (permalink) |
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Six
Three teams were in a position to clinch their series with a victory: Miami, Pittsburgh, and San Jose. How did they fare?
Determined not to go quietly, Tucson got on the board first in Game Six. Danny Guzman smacked a 2-run homer in the second inning to give the Diamondbacks the early lead. They didn't hold the lead for long. In the bottom of the second, Bill Tovar hit an RBI single and Francisco Alvarez hit a 2-run single to put Miami on top, 3-2. Tovar drove in another run in the sixth inning, making it 4-2 Dolphins. With two outs in the eighth inning, however, Miami relief pitcher Salvador Fierros issued back to back bases-loaded walks, allowing Tucson to tie the game at 4. The score remained tied through the ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings. With one out in the twelfth, the Dolphins' Dennis Fernandez ended the game and the series with a solo homerun. The Dolphins win the series in six games. The defending NL champion San Diego Padres fared much better than did the Diamondbacks in their quest to avoid having their season brought to a close. The Padres scored twice in the first inning, getting RBI singles from George Canales and Salomon Alvarez. In the bottom of the first, Jerry Harmer, Jr. scored when San Diego center-fielder Gaby Matos dropped a fly ball with two outs, and Pittsburgh was on the board. In the second, though, Andrew Burdick hit a grand slam, and the Padres led, 6-1. With the score 7-1 in the sixth inning, the Pirates' Dean White scored on a wild pitch, but the Padres got that run back, plus another, in the seventh inning, making it 9-2. Javier Rael led off the ninth inning with a solo homerun to complete the scoring in a 9-3 Padres' victory. The series is tied at 3 games apiece. Nicolas Colin, who has had himself a pretty good series, led off Game Six for Rochester with a solo homerun. It remained 1-0 until the fifth inning, when Rhinos' pitcher Dennis Philson drove in a run with two outs. Ugo Momoru got San Jose on the board with an RBI double in the sixth inning, but the score remained 2-1 until the ninth inning. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Sharks' backup catcher Roy Isenhour, now the starter with Charles Seaver injured, hit a run-scoring double to tie the game up. It was all for nought, however, as Rochester's Sergio Salo hit a game-winning, two-run homerun with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-2 Rhinos' victory. The series is tied at 3 games apiece.
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05-02-2008, 07:10 PM
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2083 Divisional Round: Game Seven
Although the first couple of games in the San Diego-Pittsburgh series had been close, the later games began seeing wider margins of victory. Pittsburgh won Games 4 and 5 by a combined 12-4, while San Diego routed Pittsburgh in Game Six by a score of 9-3. This trend continued in an anticlimactic Game Seven.
In the first inning, Pittsburgh's Aaron Quijada ripped a 2 run homerun. Robert Able added an RBI double, and the Pirates led 3-0. Pitcher Andreas Fajardo got into the act with an RBI single in the fourth inning. 4-0. In the same inning, Jerry Harmer, Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk. 5-0. Still in the fourth, Javier Rael delivered a 2 out, 2-run single to make it 7-0. Harmer capped the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Fajardo tossed a 4-hit shutout and the Pirates won the game, and the series, 8-0. The Pirates win the series in 7 games. James Lumsden hit an RBI single in the first inning for San Jose, but Rochester quickly took control of Game Seven. Anthony Champ hit a run-scoring triple in the third inning. Later in the third, Rick Ahn belted a 2-run homerun. In the fifth inning, Paul Bibbs, who has had a fantastic series, crushed a 2-out, 2-run homerun, giving the Rhinos a commanding 5-1 lead. And then, the sixth inning happened. Lusmden ripped a two run homerun. 5-3. Simon Martinez delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly. 5-4. Roy Isenhour hit an RBI double. 5-5. Eric Alexander hit an RBI single. 6-5. Clinging to that one run lead, the Sharks blew open the game in the ninth. Alberto Cisneros hit a sacrifice fly. 7-5. Robert Clear hit a 2-run double. 9-5. Simon Martinez hit an RBI single. 10-5. Rochester was unable to rally in the bottom of the ninth, giving San Jose the game and the series. The Sharks win the series in 7 games.
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05-03-2008, 06:06 PM
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#295 (permalink) |
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2083 American League Championship Series Preview
The Nashville Predators (84-78)
VS. The Miami Dolphins (104-58) History: This will be the first time that the Predators and the Dolphins meet in the playoffs. This is not really surprising, for two reasons. Firstly, because of the playoff format. From the time the Dolphins entered the league in 2038 to the year of the second expansion and the expanded playoffs in 2064, only the division winners could reach the postseason. Since Miami and Nashville both occupy the Southeast Division, it would have been impossible for them to both reach the playoffs. The second factor is related to the struggles of the Nashville franchise. I touched on this in Nashville's season preview, but the Predators' history can be divided up into two distinct eras. The first era lasted from the beginning of the league(2003) until 2038/2044(I'll explain this shortly), and the second era lasted from 2039/2045 until, perhaps, last season. Nashville was one of the most successful American League teams right from the get-go. The Predators won the very first World Series in 2003. From 2003 to 2036, they won 13 division titles(5 in a row from 2022 to 2026), reached 10 World Series('03, '11, '15, '22, '23, '25, '26, '31, '34, and '36), and won 3('03, '25, and '31). From 2003 to 2038, they had a total of 23 seasons over .500, and from 2003 to 2044, they had 26. They won 100 games four times, including three years in a row from 2023 to 2025. They finished above .500 every year from 2022 to 2034. Although the Predators had struggled a bit in the early '10s, with three last place finishes in four seasons(2013, 2014, and 2016), those struggles had long been forgotten as they dominated in the '20s and early '30s. So few were especially bothered by Nashville's hiccup in the late '30s. Nashville had never lost 100 games in a season before, but in 2039, they lost 100 on the nose, and the following year, they lost 103 and finished in last place for the first time in 21 years. But the Predators bounced back. They won 85 games in each of the next two seasons, and then after slumping to 77 wins in 2043, they won 96 in 2044, reached their 11th World Series, and emerged victorious for their 4th World Series victory. Thus endeth the first era in Nashville's history. As I said, one could call those hiccup years the start of the second era, but I would prefer to include the '44 championship in the first era, and have the second era begin in 2045. Following that championship, Nashville slipped to just 80 wins in '45, and then only 76 wins in 2046. And then in 2047, the Predators embarked on the longest stretch of last place finishes by any team in league history. For the next 11 seasons, Nashville brought up the rear of the Southeast Division, finally escaping the cellar in 2058. Although Nashville's emergence from last place took place prior to the '64 expansion, the Predators remained, at best, a mediocre team, and still occasionally drifted to the bottom of the division, finishing in last in 2064 and 2069. Throughout the '70s, the only thing that kept them out of last was the recently added Charlotte team. Nashville finished in fifth place, just ahead of the Panthers, every year from '72 to '77. It wasn't until last year that Nashville finally reached the postseason again, and just barely, at that. Thus, in the 20 years that the playoffs have been expanded, this year is only the second time that Nashville has reached the postseason. Quick Facts: -Miami won 12 out of 16 games against Nashville this season. The only team that the Dolphins won more games against this year was Green Bay(14). The average score of the Dolphins-Predators matchups was 6.1 to 4.1 in favor of Miami. Miami reached double digits twice, blowing out Nashville 12-0 on April 7, and 17-6 on August 27. Nashville's biggest win was a 9-1 triumph on April 6. Four of the games were decided by one run, with each team winning two. One of the games went to extra innings, with Miami winning 1-0 in 11 innings on June 16. -Miami's Christian Hokusai made 3 starts against Nashville and had a 2.84 ERA. He struck out 18 and walked 3 in 19 innings pitched. Jose Caceres had a 4.50 ERA in 3 starts and had a 12/15 K/BB in 18 innings pitched. Ramon Baston had a 2.74 ERA in 3 starts, and a 23/14 K/BB in 23 innings pitched. Mark Prior had a 3.21 ERA in 4 starts and a 30/11 K/BB in 28 innings pitched, however those numbers are inflated a bit by one start. In the extra-inning victory that Miami had, Prior pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings and recorded 12 strikeouts. Thus, in his other three starts, he had only a 5.09 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings pitched. -Roy Springs hit .343 with 6 homeruns and 24 RBI against Nashville. The homeruns tie for his most against any team and the RBIs are his highest against any team. Thomas Fuentes, Jr. hit .224 with 0 homeruns against Nashville. They were the only team he didn't hit a homerun against, and that is his lowest AVG against any team. Edmond McGurk hit just .204 with 2 homeruns against Nashville. Dennis Fernandez hit only .170 against Nashville, his lowest batting average against team. -Mose Urick faced Miami only twice during the regular season, posting a 2.63 ERA in 13 2/3 innings pitched. Rene Romero had a 6.19 ERA in three starts against the Dolphins. Marco Nunez faced Miami 4 times and took the loss in all four games, posting an ERA of 8.20. -Carlo Romero hit .292 with only 1 homerun against Miami. The single homerun is his fewest against any team. Robert Perkins hit just .204 against the Dolphins, his lowest AVG against any team. David Rosier hit only .156 against Miami. Daniel Lane batted .298 with 9 RBI against the Dolphins and had 5 hits in the Predators' July 21st loss to Miami. Jerry Hise hit .333 against the Dolphins, but drove in only 3 runs, which tied for his fewest against any team. Thoughts: On the surface, it seems obvious that Miami should win. They have a powerful offense, and a strong, deep rotation. Nashville can score runs, but aside from Urick and possibly Rene Romero, the pitching is suspect. Still, I said the exact same thing with regards to Denver, and the Predators swept them aside with very little difficulty. Shockingly little difficulty, I should say. So what does that mean for this series? Honestly, I have no idea. Unlike Denver, Miami isn't missing its best hitter, so that would be a plus in the Dolphins' favor. Miami's ballpark, one of the tougher places to hit in the American League, is especially hard on left-handed power hitters, which doesn't bode well for David Rosier and Daniel Lane, both switch-hitters, and Hugh Marzano, a lefty. Prediction: Miami in six games.
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05-03-2008, 06:27 PM
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#296 (permalink) |
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2083 National League Championship Series Preview
The San Jose Sharks (96-66)
VS. The Pittsburgh Pirates (100-62) History: Unlike the American League matchup, the National League Championship Series provides a matchup steeped with history. Pittsburgh and San Jose have faced off in the playoffs a total of 16 times, including 13 NLCS battles. At one point, the two teams faced each other six consecutive years in the NLCS(2058 to 2063). Pittsburgh has won 9 of these series, including the most recent- the 2080 NLCS. That series was decided in seven games, with the Pirates winning the seventh game by a final of 3-1. Jerry Harmer, Jr. had 4 hits in that game and Javier Rael drove in 2 runs. Rael drove in 17 runs in the series, while Aaron Quijada drove in 15. San Jose catcher Charles Seaver, who will not play in this year's series due to injury, hit .434 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in the 2080 series. Five of the postseason matchups between the two have gone to seven games, while only one has been a sweep. Pittsburgh swept San Jose in the 2059 NLCS en route to a third straight championship. That stretch of championships(57-59) has generally been considered the third Pittsburgh dynasty, with the first two being, roughly, 2008-13 and 2033-36. Another fun little fact is this: From 2053 to 2064, the National League representative in the World Series was either Pittsburgh or San Jose. The two teams combined to win 6 out of 12 World Series in that stretch. Ultimately, the emergence of San Jose as a power in the mid-50's has proved to be a nice counter-balance to Pittsburgh's dominance. Until that point, few teams in the National League had been able to challenge the Pirates' supremacy. But after the third Pittsburgh dynasty came to an end with a loss in the '60 World Series, the Pirates' grip in the National League was loosened. While the Pirates appeared in only one World Series between the years 2061 and 2073, the San Jose Sharks made seven appearances and won four championships. Although the Pirates remained strong and experienced a resurgence in recent years, it seems unlikely that they will ever dominate the National League to the extent that they did for so long. San Jose has played a large role in altering the balance of power. Quick Facts: -San Jose won 9 out of 16 games against Pittsburgh this season. The average score was 4.8 to 4.6 in favor of the Sharks. There were three double digit scores. San Jose had victories of 10-2 and 15-2, while Pittsburgh had a 13-4 victory. There were two shutouts: San Jose had a 1-0 victory and Pittsburgh had a 5-0 victory. Seven of the games were decided by one run; San Jose won six of those. -Pittsburgh's Scott Council made 2 starts against San Jose and had a 2.81 ERA. Douglas Malone made 2 starts against the Sharks and had a 0.53 ERA. One of those starts was a 5-hit shutout. Andreas Fajardo was 0-3 in 4 starts with a 5.33 ERA. Jay Marrone was 0-3 in 5 starts with an 8.89 ERA. -Javier Rael hit just .222 with 2 HR and 9 RBI against the Sharks. Jerry Harmer, Jr. hit .340 with 2 HR. Aaron Quijada hit .189 with 0 HR and 3 RBI. Those were his worst numbers against any team. 39 year old shortstop Dean White hit .333, and his 20 hits against San Jose were the most he had against any team. Tony Francois' 4 HR against the Sharks were his most against any team. -Justo Rubino made 5 starts against Pittsburgh and had an ERA of 3.50. He tossed a 6-hit, 10 K shutout against them. Roger Salazar made two starts against the Pirates. One was a complete game 6-hitter in which he only allowed 2 runs. The other was a 6 inning disaster in which he surrendered 14 hits and 11 runs. Steven McHenry made 3 starts and had a 4.13 ERA. His 17 walks allowed were his most against any team. James Myatt made one start against Pittsburgh, and allowed 6 hits and 1 run in 7 innings pitched. -Although James Lumsden hit .311 against Pittsburgh, they are the only team he didn't homer against. Likewise with Orlando Escobedo, who hit .362 against the Pirates but failed to hit a homerun. Simon Martinez hit .356 against Pittsburgh. Eric Alexander hit .354 against the Pirates and drove in 12 runs- his highest RBI total against any team. Alexander was also 7 for 9 in San Jose's playoff series against Rochester. Thoughts: This is a tough one to call, given that I thought both would lose in the first round. Pittsburgh is probably the better team all around, but San Jose has a bulldog mentality. They sort of hang in there, hang in there, hang in there until finally they've beaten you. The loss of Charles Seaver was a big blow, certainly more so than Pittsburgh's loss of Augustine Oatman. Pittsburgh has a slightly better rotation which might give them just enough of an advantage to win. Prediction: Pittsburgh in six games.
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05-04-2008, 05:18 PM
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#297 (permalink) |
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2083 League Championship Series: Game One
ALCS Game One:
  When aces like Mose Urick and Christian Hokusai go head to head, everyone expects a pitcher's duel. That's exactly what the fans got to see in Game One of the American League Championship Series. Both pitchers shut down the opposing lineups, inning after inning. In the eighth inning, Miami's Hokusai blinked first, giving up a pinch-hit RBI single to Nashville's Reginald Steele. That's all the Predators needed, as Urick twirled a 1-hitter. He also struck out 7 and walked 3. Hokusai surrendered 5 hits and a walk, while striking out 5 batters. Nashville leads, 1 game to none. NLCS Game One:   Jerry Harmer, Jr. drew first blood for Pittsburgh with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. In the fourth inning, San Jose tied the game with an RBI double from James Lumsden, and took the lead when Ugo Momoru scored on a wild pitch by Scott Council. The 2-1 lead did not last very long. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Pittsburgh's Jose Arruza ripped a 2-run homerun to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The Pirates added to the lead with an RBI single from Aaron Quijada in the seventh inning, and a bases-loaded walk by Dean White in the eighth inning. They hung on for the 5-2 victory. Pittsburgh's Council allowed just 3 hits in 7 innings and struck out 8 batters. San Jose's Justo Rubino gave up 4 runs in 7 innings and struck out 10 batters. Pittsburgh leads, 1 game to none.
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05-05-2008, 07:02 PM
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2083 League Championship Series: Game Two
ALCS Game Two:
Following the great pitcher's duel between Urick and Hokusai, Nashville's Rene Romero and Miami's Jose Caceres tried to recreate it in Game Two. For five full innings, neither team could get a run across. Finally, in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dolphins' Jake Foss delivered a sacrifice fly. Miami added to the lead when Dennis Fernandez belted a 2-run homerun in the seventh inning. And that was it. Miami hung on for a 3-0 victory. Romero pitched 8 innings and gave up just 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. Caceres tossed 7 shutout innings, gave up 5 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 6. The series is tied at 1 game apiece. NLCS Game Two: San Jose struck quickly in Game Two. In the first inning, James Lumsden hit a sacrifice fly, Orlando Escobedo hit an RBI single, and Robert Clear hit an RBI double, giving the Sharks a 3-0 lead. Jerry Harmer, Jr. led off the bottom of the first with a solo homerun to make it 3-1. Clear came through again for San Jose, ripping a 2 out, 2-run double in the third inning to make it 5-1. In the blink of an eye, though, that lead would evaporate. Javier Rael and James Sequeira opened the fourth inning with consecutive homeruns, and later in the inning, pitcher Douglas Malone cut the Sharks' lead to one run with a run-scoring fielder's choice. In the sixth inning, Tony Francois tied the game at 5 with a sacrifice fly. The game remained tied through the seventh inning. And the eighth. And the ninth. In the tenth inning, Ugo Momoru drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single. The lead held up, and the Sharks won 6-5. San Jose's George Ormiston had 4 hits and scored 3 runs in the game. The series is tied at 1 game apiece.
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05-05-2008, 07:28 PM
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Chappel Signs Extension
October 20, 2083 Al Vincent Staff Writer While the Broncos' season is now at an end, it doesn't mean that general manager John Mounts is lacking for things to do. Priority number one was getting catcher Lee Chappel signed to a long-term contract before he could enter free agency. Today, that was accomplished. Reportedly, Chappel has inked a six year deal worth $9.88 million per year. That will make the 32 year old Chappel, who was previously making $7.3 million per year, the highest paid catcher in the league, surpassing Nashville's Daniel Lane, who is making $8.3 million per year. It is an expensive deal, to be sure, but one that Mounts felt was imperative to keeping the Broncos among the best teams in the American League. "Lee is the best catcher in the game, and our best hitter, period," Mounts said. "When you have a player of his caliber, you don't let him get away," he continued. Chappel won the 2073 Rookie of the Year award, has gone to seven All Star games, won the 2081 Silver Slugger Award, and is a front-runner to win the award again this season. His 1.055 OPS this year led all of baseball. Chappel, who was drafted by Denver in 2071 and has never played anywhere else, was glad to get the contract done. "I think I speak for everyone on this team when I say that we have unfinished business," he said, "I don't intend to leave Denver without a championship." Two other important players are in a position to become free agents in the upcoming offseason: right-fielder Asbel Fuentez and relief pitcher Fred Lemire. When asked about them, Mounts said that discussions were going on, but neither had agreed to a new contract yet. He did seem hopeful that Fuentez's contract, at least, would be taken care of soon.
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05-06-2008, 08:20 PM
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#300 (permalink) |
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2083 League Championship Series: Game Three
ALCS Game Three:
The dominant pitching continued in the ALCS. Nashville struck for two runs in the second inning, getting RBI singles from Clarence Lei and Douglas Vogl. After that, though, no one else could score, and the Predators prevailed 2-0. Nashville's Marco Nunez allowed only 2 hits in 8 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out 5 and walked 3. Miami's Ramon Baston pitched 8 innings, gave up 4 hits and 6 walks, and struck out 5 batters. Nashville leads the series, 2 games to 1. NLCS Game Three: San Jose starting pitcher Steven McHenry has one main weakness: the longball. Pittsburgh took advantage of that weakness early and often in Game Three. Javier Rael hit a solo homerun in the first inning. Aaron Quijada ripped a 2-run homer in the third inning. Jose Arruza made it 4-0 with an RBI single in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, Robert Able belted a solo homerun, the third that the Pirates hit off of McHenry, to make it 5-0, Pittsburgh. The Sharks got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting an RBI double from Simon Martinez and an RBI single from James Lumsden to make it 5-2. Pittsburgh got one of the runs back in the seventh inning when Jerry Harmer, Jr. hit an RBI double. San Jose attempted a rally in the ninth inning, getting one run from a Roy Isenhour single and another when George Ormiston scored on a Robert Able error, but they couldn't any get closer in a 6-4 defeat. Although he gave up 11 hits, the Pirates' Andreas Fajardo gave up only 2 runs in 8 innings pitched. Pittsburgh leads the series, 2 games to 1.
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