STAGE SET FOR SHOWDOWN

Office of the League Commissioner----The 2007 BARB regular season is ending up with a bang, as divisional rivals still in the playoff hunt meet on Game Days 151-153 for final two-game series. In the East, Darwin and Frostbite Falls will face each other in a doubleheader, tied atop the division with identical (and BARB-leading) 89-61 marks. Meanwhile, Worcester (87-64, 2 ½ games out) and Brooklyn (84-67, 5 ½ games back) would meet for a pair. The Moabs’ situation is the most dire: they must win all the rest of their games, and the other clubs play below .500, for any playoff scenario to come to pass.

Things are not quite as tight in the West, where Yuma (83-68) has a 3 ½ game lead over sibling rival Arizona (79-71), but things have been tighter of late, with both clubs barely over .500 over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, as the playoff noose tightens, the Central champions in Las Vegas (80-70) will rest their veterans while tuning up for the post-season.

In BARB action:

BLACK MESA 7, ARIZONA 6

WP: Brett Tomko (1-4, 7.55)
LP: Brandon Morrow (0-2, 14.54)

Curt Schilling had the last of three run-scoring singles in the bottom of the sixth to help the Anomalies take a 5-4 lead, and Brett Tomko would benefit from Justin Morneau’s ninth-inning solo homer, his 31st of the season, after blowing a save and would this time hold on for the win as the Anomalies (73-77) continue to push toward their goal of a .500 season.

WORCESTER 9, OAKEYLAND 3

WP: Doug Davis (3-5, 7.01)
LP: Kevin Millwood (10-12, 3.71)

Nomar Garciaparra hit a go-ahead homer in the 4th, his 12th of the year, and the Elims went on to score seven times against Millwood and ‘Dice-K’ in relief to stop a four-game losing streak and keep themselves within 2 ½ of first in the volatile East.

BROOKLYN 8, LAS VEGAS 5

WP: Joel Zumaya (4-2, 2.11)
LP: Brett Myers (5-7, 5.11)
SV: Rodriguez (32)

Brooklyn loaded the bases in the third and knocked out Brett Myers with back-to-back doubles by Utley and Howard, then held off a Luchadores rally with more offense, raising their BARB-leading total of runs scored to 854 (5.6 RPG). Unfortunately, Brooklyn is also ninth in the loop in runs scored, but (as yet) they are still alive by the slimmest of possible margins with five games to play. . .

POTTSYLVANIA 7, FROSTBITE FALLS 6

WP: Jon Lester (3-1, 2.61)
LP: Brad Penny (10-12, 4.36)

Braden Looper gave up four runs in the last two innings to make this contest uncomfortably close, but for most of the game it was all Creepers, as former Darwin lefty Jon Lester fanned nine in seven frames and DH Matt Murton has four hits. Albert Pujols hit his BARB-leading 53rd homer of the season in a losing cause.