WILDCATS ROAR: MOABS SWEPT OUT OF CACTUS PLAYOFFS

The Carolina Wildcats (98-64 in the regular season) made it an even hundred in a convincing sweep of Cactus rival Brooklyn (91-71), sparked by an epic start from the enigmatic Steven Strasburg (3-2, 4.69) to advance in the 2015 BARB post-season.  Their next foe?   The Grapefruit-winning New England Yankee Stompers.

GAME ONE

The Moabs elected to make their one home start the responsibility of Andrew Cashner (17-13, 3.54 in the regular season), and "Cash" sparkled early on:  while not dominant, he retired the first nine batters he faced.   But Strasburg was not merely effective, but electrifying:  the former Kansan and mid-season acquisition fanned five straight at one point and entered the fourth with seven strikeouts.

Both starters bent, but did not break in the fourth.  Cashner gave up a leadoff base hit in the top of the frame to 2B Jose Altuve, the league's batting champion---but Yasiel Puig's hard smash to SS Brandon Crawford was turned into a tailor-made double play.  In the bottom of the inning, Strasburg yielded a safety with two down to Jason Heyward, but Troy Tulowitzki, with 115 regular-season RBI, flied out harmlessly to end the threat.

Each starter then worked through the bottom of theirDavid Wright and a single from Crawford, there were no serious threats until the seventh, where the Wildcats used sheer hustle to put together a rally.  Puig walked on a 3-1 pitch, and when Cashner fell behind 2-0 to Josh Donaldson, the Carolina 3B lined a shot just inside the first-base line and into RF to put runners at the corners with nobody down.

  Cashner worked the count full to Nelson Cruz before striking out Carolina's left fielder for the first out.   Now, with C Yasmani Grandal at the plate, Cashner's 17th pitch of the inning was drilled at 3B David Wright, who flipped the ball to Robinson Cano to retire Donaldson . . . but the relay from Cano to Matt Adams at 1B was LATE, the catcher Grandal was safe, the speedy Puig scoring just ahead of the tag:

CAROLINA 1, BROOKLYN 0!

With the way Strasburg (8 IP, 2 H, 11 K) was dealing, that was pretty much the ballgame.   Cashner scattered three more singles before being lifted in the eighth, but the Wildcats countered with Wade Davis.   Not only did Davis have 27 saves and a sub-1.00 ERA in the regular season, he was one of seven BARB relievers to strike out 100 or more batters in 2015.  An elite reliever, in other words.   Davis fanned pinch-hitter Jake Lamb to start the ninth, then made things interesting with a two-out walk to Jose Bautista.   When the normally sure-handed Altuve's error allowed Heyward to reach, it put the go-ahead run on base on for Troy Tulowitzki.   But Davis, reaching for the cheese on a full count, overpowered 'Tulo', who struck out for the game's final out.   The Moabs would strike out 20 times in this series.

GAME TWO

Ahead 1-0 in their playoff series and headed home, the Wildcats called on LHP Francisco Liriano (11-2, 2.72), who had made only 17 starts in the regular season.   Brooklyn countered with its other ace hurler, RHP Sonny Gray (14-12, 3.74), but the Moabs knew that if they were going to get back in the series, it would have to begin with scoring runs.

As if following a script, rookie CF Delino DeShields Jr.greeted Liriano's first pitch with a ground ball, under the glove of Gray, and into centerfield.  David Wright walked on four pitches that weren't close to push DeShields to second, and when Liriano's first two pitches to Jose Bautista were also wide, C Yasmani Grandal popped up and ran out to the mound.

Grandal, whose little grounder had led to the only run in Game One, was probably very conscious of his responsibilities. Starter Yadier Molina (.261, 10 HR) had appeared in 146 regular-season games for the Wildcats, but had been largely sidelined in the final month with injuries that would keep him out of the playoffs, and that had placed Grandal in the unexpected role of starter.

In this situation, he demanded aggression from Liriano, who went up the ladder for the three straight strikes to dispose of Bautista!


But Liriano missed in his first offering to Troy Tulowitzki, and his second offering was . . .

. . .DRILLED, a big fly!   LF Austin Jackson drifted for a moment toward the fence, then kicked the turf in disgust as Tulo's ball landed several rows back in left field.   Brooklyn had scored!  Brooklyn had a lead:

BROOKLYN 3, CAROLINA 0!

With his command clearly sub-par, and three runs in, Liriano could only put his head down and continue to battle.   Grandal framed a few borderline pitches his direction to help "steal" a few strikes, and the Wildcats were out of the inning.   But they would need to score some runs of their own to get back in the game against Sonny Gray and the Moabs.

For his part, Gray allowed three soft singles over the first three frames, but walked none and had his power stuff going, at one point fanning three straight Moabs.  But, with one down in the fourth, a chink appeared in Gray's armor...and again it was Grandal in the picture, taking a 3-1 pitch that somehow missed for 'ball four', and walking to first base.   Eric Hosmer JUMPED on the very next pitch, lining a double between Jackson and DeShields that sent Grandal all the way to third base.

Adam Jones then rolled a 1-0 pitch that dribbled between Liriano and C Derek Norris, and when the latter was too slow to pick it, Jones had an infield hit, Grandal SCORING on the play.   Hosmer, a skilled baserunner, had alertly taken third as well, so it was easy for him to score on the very next pitch, when Jackson pushed a slow roller to second base.   Gray retired the #9 hitter, SS Brandon Crawford, for the final out, but had to be scratching his head.   Other than Hosmer's booming double, there hadn't been a hard-hit ball in the inning, yet the Wildcats had two runs and were back in the game:

BROOKLYN 3, CAROLINA 2!

What is confidence, and how can you know, for sure, when a pitcher is losing theirs?   How long can you stay with the guy you got there, with the season on the line?   The answer to those questions played out in the Wildcat fifth, with the Moabs clinging to a one-run lead and getting no traction against Liriano: since putting a 'three spot' up against the lefthander in the first, they would fan manage only two baserunners and strike out nine times.

Leading off the frame, Gray fell behind Jose Altuve, and saw the diminutive second sacker drill a liner out to right, that Bautista had to BANG into the wall to corral!   Gray's first pitch with one down to Yasiel Puig was very wide, and he seemed suddenly mortal.  Someone glanced at the phone to the bullpen, but it was too late to prevent the 1-1 pitch, which the mercurial Puig CRUSHED the other way, up, UP and OUT, a solo shot that tied the game.

The Moabs pen began to work in earnest, as Josh Donaldson hit the first pitch he saw for a double over the head of DeShields, putting the go-ahead run on.   Nelson Cruz attacked the very next pitch, singling the other way to score Donaldson!  In the space of just three pitches, three batters had connected to complete a one-out rally:

CAROLINA 4, BROOKLYN 3!

Gray's head slumped visibly, and after giving up another hit (a single from Grandal to put runners at the corners), he was lifted in favor of lefty specialist Zach Duke.   The former Kansan did his job, stranding two runners, but it would now be the Moabs who would need to rally if they hoped to extend this series.  But Liriano, given the lead, just punished Brooklyn's hitters, getting them to chase sliders in the dirt, and he would strike out five batters combined in his final two frames.

Still, with his 105th pitch at the top of the seventh, Liriano gave the Moabs hope when he walked 1B Lonnie Chisenhall.   A.J. Ramos relieved Liriano, and what happened next was clearly Brooklyn's best chance to get back into the ballgame.  Matt Adams (pinch-hitting for Wilin Rosario) flied out harmlessly for the first out, but Christian Yelich hit a 1-2 pitch the other way to send Chisenhall to second.   With one down, the Brooklyn brain trust called on RF Jason Heyward to pinch-hit after not starting him against the lefty Liriano.  Heyward (making contact!) slapped the ball....at Altuve, who combined with Crawford and Hosmer on a sparkling 6-4-3 double play.

Threat averted, and the Moabs never again hit a ball sharply.  In the ninth, when Chisenhall managed to work a two-out walk out of Ramos, the Wildcats (with Wade Davis in their pen) confidently turned to Joakim Soria to pitch (against 'The Book') to left-handed hitting Matt Adams.   Soria's 2-2 pitch was rolled over to Altuve, whose peg to Crawford forced Chisenhall.

Game over....and what a strange finish for a Moabs team that seemed to underachieve offensively the entire season.   Brooklyn was 9th in total offense despite a lineup including Robinson Cano (.264, 8 HR, 70 RBI) and Jose Bautista (.240, 29 HR, 82 RBI)

STRASBURG TAKES HONORS

2B Jose Altuve hit .444 (4-for-9) in the two-game set, Yasiel Puig's speed and power led to important runs, and Yasmani Grandal had a big impact behind the dish subbing for the injured Molina.

But, at the end of the day, it was the scintillating outing by Stephen Strasburg in the opener that set the tone for the wild-card playoff:  two hits, 11 K in eight shutout innings.  This was exactly the outcome the Wildcats had to be hoping for when they acquired the injured right-hander from (as it turned out) another playoff team, the St. Francis Kansans.   A few more post-season outings like this one, and Carolina could not just be a big winner in this trade, but (perhaps) world champions.


NEXT ROUND OF PLAYOFFS SET:

Carolina (Cactus wild-card, 100-64) vs.  
New England (Grapefruit champion, 94-68)

Brownville (Grapefruit wild-card, 93-71) vs. 
Yuma (Cactus champion, 111-51)