10.27.2015

FINAL DAYS DEVOID OF DRAMA

Clinches on October 1st, 2nd cause “meaningless” last day of season; set playoff schedule

Entering the final three-game set of the season, the Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels and Brownsville Cutters believed they had a chance. For the Squirrels, a mathematical shot at the playoffs despite trailing the Brooklyn Moabs by two games. The Cutters also trailed by two, but they had clinched a playoff spot and eyed the New England Yankee Stompers’ perch atop the Grapefruit Division (and first-round playoff bye).

Complicating matters for Frostbite was the schedule. They would travel to Santa Barbara (from where they moved after their 2003 BARB inaugural season championship) to face the Angels, a wild-card threat most of the season and owners of a mid-year 15-game winning streak. Brooklyn, meanwhile, was taking on the hapless Pottsylvania Creepers (who, coincidentally, had won two of three from the Squirrels in the days leading up to October to help bury Frostbite).

James Paxton, who had been on the disabled list for the bulk of the season, was the scheduled starter for Frostbite Falls. After two innings, Squirrels fans were left hoping for Brooklyn to lose all three. Paxton was bombed for five runs in a first inning that saw the Angels bat around without the help of an extra-base hit. Paxton was removed after Paul Goldschmidt led off the second inning with another solid base knock. Phil Hughes relieved and allowed the inherited runner to score, but he and the rest of the bullpen (John Axford, Al Alburquerque) combined for seven scoreless innigs.

The 6-0 lead allowed Angels ace Jacob DeGrom to cruise. The big righty pitched into the ninth inning, allowing just one run (Jose Reyes’ 8th-inning RBI double) on six hits and striking out six.

The Squirrels solemnly filed into the clubhouse after their deflating loss and had their hopes raised by the sight of a 1-1 score one state over in Reno. Brooklyn had struck first as Robinson Cano knocked in David Wright with a third-inning groundout, but ageless Bartolo Colon was keeping the clamps on the 2004 champs otherwise.

Sonny Gray was besting Colon’s effort until rookie sensation Carlos Correa sent a first-pitch fastball into orbit over the left field fence in the sixth.

Alas, Colon fell apart in the eighth. Christian Yelich lined a one-out triple and scored on a Cano single. A walk and fielder’s choice brought up Matt Adams, who had just returned from what, originally, was thought to be a season-ending quad injury. Adams took advantage of Colon’s 111th pitch and dumped a changeup into shallow center for a 3-1 lead.

Gray and Zach Britton finished off the Creepers, and Brooklyn’s squad rushed the field to celebrate their clinching of the Cactus Division’s second wild card. The Frostbite clubhouse was silent and nearly empty by that point—the players headed back to the hotel to reflect on a season labeled, at first, a neck-and-neck race with Yuma for the division crown, and team owner Andrew Haynes sitting in the visiting owner’s box pondering already-rumored trade talks for high-salaried, long-tenured Squirrels.

The season-long roller coaster battle for the Grapefruit Division title was decided on October 2nd. Both New England and Brownsville won their games on October 1st, meaning Brownsville needed two wins and two Yankee Stomper losses for a bye.

New England fell in their game, 6-3 to fellow playoff participant St. Francis, as Cole Hamels lasted only four innings in his final tune-up and rookie Steven Matz K’d nine over 5.2 frames for the Kansans. Matt Garza took the loss after allowing three runs in the top of the ninth.

The Cutters were in Riverside to face the division doormat Rum Runners and ace Clayton Kershaw. The lefty was his usual dominant self, striking out 10 and allowing just two runs over eight innings. Brownsville’s two runs in the third actually put the visitors up, but Corey Kluber was rocked by a five-run fifth. Kershaw didn’t give up the three-run lead, wrapping up his season with a 16-13 record and 2.42 ERA despite his team losing 100.

PLAYOFFS
With the final two spots cemented, the league now moves on to post-season and the eventual crowning of its 13th champion. A day off follows the regular season and leads into the two wild-card series. The first wild card in the Cactus and Grapefruit Divisions (Carolina and Brownsville, respectively) will travel to face their runners-up (Brooklyn and St. Francis) for game one. Each series then shifts to the high seed for game two and, if necessary, game three. There will be no days off during the wild card round.

Division champs Yuma and New England enter the fray by hosting the opposite division wild card winner for a 2-2-1 division series. The winners of that advance to a best-of-seven BARB World Series.


What can we expect in the wild card round? Both wild card hosts are in the postseason for the first time, so we’ll see if the bright lights affect their focus. Carolina was 8-5 against Brooklyn in the regular season, while St. Francis flipped the script with an 8-5 season record versus the Cutters.

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