W - Franklin (2-2) L - Day (1-1) S - Rivera (4)
MAX: Franklin: 7 1/3 IP, 0 ER, QS (2)
ZSY: Day: 7 2/3 IP, 2 ER, QS (5)
MAX: Martinez: 1-5, 2B, RBI (16)
MAX: Ashburn: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (15), R
MAX: Rivera, IP, H, 3 K
Ryan Franklin didn't exactly dominate the Z-Slayers; in fact, you could say that in some regards he was out pitched by his rival, control 2 phenom Zach Day. Nevertheless, Franklin managed to get himself out of a few jams without giving up any runs. In characteristic Z-Slayer fashion, the offensive pressure was ratcheted up each and every inning, but Franklin made it so that they fell short of scoring each and every time. On the flip side, Zach Day was somewhat dominant and had a few 1-2-3 innings throughout the night. Nevertheless, excellent base running was absolutely crucial for the Bombers to pull ahead in this one. Richie Ashburn stole second in the third inning, and then was brought home two batters later by and Edgar Martinez double. Martinez has been one of the hottest and consistent hitters in the league right now, with five RBIs over the last four games. Mind you that none of those RBIs are the result of home runs and instead have all come from clutch hitting with runners in scoring position. A similar circumstance followed in the sixth inning when Delino "Delicious" Deshields stole both second and third with two outs. The very gutsy call paid off, as Bengie "Don't Make Fun of My Speed" Molina brought him home next at bat with an RBI single. The Maxion bullpen was as sharp as ever, with Ugueth Urbina making his team leading seventh appearance of the year to earn a hold in the eighth innings. Maxion closer Mariano Rivera made his second consecutive appearance and earned his second save in as many games with a strong close to the game. Incredibly, the Bombers have completed the sweep of the mighty Z-Slayers and have strung together their fourth straight win. With only three games left in the season, the Bombers face a crucial match up next week in a one game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
--------------------------------
MMD - 5 MEL - 0 F
W - Rodgers (3-1) L - Redman (1-3)
MMD: Rodgers: 7 IP, 0 ER, QS (5)
MEL: Redman: 7 2/3 IP, 5 ER
MMD: Chavez: 2-4, HR (7), 3 RBI (14)
MMD: Rowand: 3-3, BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI (10)
MEL: Kennedy: 4-4, 2 2B
This game was perhaps not as lopsided at MMD's previous 5-0 victory in Game 1. This game saw a lot of wasted opportunities and bad rolls for both sides, however Doctor Vindaloo's Marauders clearly got the worst of it. Melmegetian starter Mark Redman just doesn't seem to be the pitcher that he was at the beginning of the season, not earning a quality start in his last three appearances. He actually started off strong in this one but got burned when MMD left fielder Eric Chavez belted his team leading seventh home run of the year, which was good for three scores. Next inning, Redman loaded the bases but was kept in the game since he is an overwhelming ground ball pitcher. However MMD centerfielder Aaron Rowand then belted his second double of the game and brought home an additional two runs. On the other side of things, the Marauders offense certainly had their chances, loading the bases in both the sixth and eighth innings, but walking away in both cases with no runs scored. Neither general manager Doctor Vindaloo nor manager/second baseman responded to comments after the game. Although not technically eliminated from playoff contention, the Marauders will need a lot of help in order to make it. They can't be excited against their one game showdown next week against the Aces; a loss there would make the elimination official. As for Meow Meow Dui, this sweep was exactly what this team needed to get back on track in their own playoff race. They do control their own destiny for the rest of the season, but they might need some help with a difficult next game against the Z-Slayers.
-------------------------------------------
RED - 3 BOB - 4 F/12
W - Plesac (1-0) L - Wagner (2-2) Blown Save - Koch (1)
BOB: Glavine SS: 7 IP, ER, QS (4)
RED: Sheets: 6 IP, 3 ER, QS (5)
BOB: Ichiro: 3-5, BB, 2B, GW RBI (13)
BOB: Lowell: 1-4, BB, HR (4), 2 RBI (12)
RED: Tejada: 2-5, HR (5), RBI (15)
The Bobians jumped out to an early lead in this one, thanks to Mike Lowell continuing his absolutely red hot hitting streak, hitting a two run shot. That makes ten RBI's for Lowell in the last five games, good enough for second most among the Spartans. The Bobians would later rally for another run, but could not stop Red Clay starter Ben Sheets from achieving his fifth quality start of the year. On the other side of things, Tom Glavine SS put up yet another impressive performance but was not quite as dominant as he has been in games past. For the first time this year, he failed to achieve a single 1-2-3 inning. Nevertheless, the Bobians had to be proud of the Cy Young contender in his last start of the season, as he went seven strong innings giving up only one run off the bat of a Paul Konerko solo shot. After the end of seven, the Spartans went to the bullpen and brought in Buddy Groom, who struggled in the top of the eighth and was lucky to escape with only one run given up after he walked in A.J. Pierzinscki with the bases loaded. After Groom, Billy Koch made his very first appearance of the year. Unfortunately for him, he looked a bit rusty and earned a blown save after the tying run was allowed to score in the form of a Miguel Tejada homerun. Tejada was one of the best Red Clay hitters in this series and indeed has been quite good down the stretch. At this point followed the rain delay, which put the gap of a few days between this and the conclusion of the game. Billy Koch somewhat redeemed himself by pitching another two quality innings before handing the game over to Dan Plesac, who also made his first appearance of the year. But in the bottom of the twelfth, the Bobian run manufacturing machine known as Luis Aparicio kicked into high gear; he hit a leadoff double against Aces closer Billy Wagner and then proceeded to steal third. That lead the always reliable Ichiro Suzuki to knock in the game winning run, and secure the Spartans sixth straight victory. A win next week against the Lindsyans will clinch the Division 1 Championship and a first round bye in the playoffs. As for Division 2, there is no longer any team in the Division with a record at or above .500. With four teams breathing down their necks, they absolutely need to pick up an easy win next week against the Melmegetian Marauders.
No comments:
Post a Comment