FINAL DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON...NOT!

MOABS, SQUIRRELS TO MEET ONE LAST TIME
MOABS, SQUIRRELS TO MEET ONE LAST TIME

Office of the League Commissioner—The surging Moabs, in a must-win situation, won their sixth straight to sweep their final meeting of the year with the sibling rivals in Worcester, eliminating a club that had led the East for most of the year, while Frostbite Falls made short work of the Regulators, leaving two clubs tied atop the division with identical 81-63 marks.

A red-faced Commissioner Hatfield admitted, “This wasn’t what I was hoping to see. Last-minute drama is more work, and in these circumstances, I really want the owners to have as much control over their own destiny as possible. The only way to really address that is to have a one-game playoff, rather than decide this on the basis of run differential or won-loss record against.”

“Although if you must know,” Hatfield said slyly, “if it had been on run differential, the two clubs have scored essentially the same number of runs (Brooklyn 733, Frostbite 734), while the Squirrels have allowed 44 more runs. So...advantage, Frostbite. On the other hand,” and here Hatfield could not suppress a smile, “if we did it on won-loss record, the Moabs were 12-6 against the Squirrels and 34-20 against the East as a whole, best in the division. So...advantage, Brooklyn. How do I choose one metric over another? I just think it’s best to let the two clubs duke it out, though given the Moabs record, I do think they will be the home team in what I’m half-seriously calling ‘a best of one series’.”

Those are raw facts over how the post-season will start: Frostbite Falls visits Brooklyn. The winner of that game will host Yuma in a best-of-five series, while Pottsylvania will travel to Darwin. The winner of those series will meet in a best-of-seven World Series. As to how the clubs met their fates on the final day, well...read on.

BROOKLYN 4, WORCESTER 3

WP: Scott Baker (10-4, 3.58)
LP: Jair Jurrjens (8-7, 4.24)
SV: Rodriguez (33)

Ryan Howard committed two errors, Brad Hawpe and Jason Bay each hit solo shots, but despite a solid effort from rookie Jair Jurrjens, the Eliminators couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it and missed the post-season by one game, a crushing disappointment for a club that led their division almost the entire season.

The victory was a team effort from the Moabs, who got no big flies but timely hitting from Mark Teahen (who tripled and scored), Jermaine Dye (RBI single), and Miguel Cabrera (RBI single). Brooklyn led 1-0, 2-0, 3-1, then 4-2, picking up the last tally when Hanley Ramirez could not cleanly pick a ball off the bat of Shane Victorino with runners on in the sixth. Worcester answered in the seventh when Bay led off the inning with his 41st HR, but it was a solo shot that made the score 4-3.

And no farther! Rookies Daniel Bard and Jose Mijares, who have become the ‘bridge’ to closer Francisco Rodriguez, came in and did what they have been doing since the Moabs traded Jeremy Affeldt...get outs. In the ninth, Rodriguez walked Teixeira, then allowed a soft single to Bay to put the go-ahead runs on with the bottom of Worcester’s lineup. Dioner Navarro scorched a line drive...right into the mitt of Chase Utley! Jorge Cantu struck out. Robinson Cano hit into a force play, and Rodriguez had picked up his BARB-leading 33rd save of the year. The Moabs had won their sixth straight ‘do-or-die’ affair in the final week of play, and earned a trip back to the post-season!

Jason Bay, forced at second, could take one small consolation. As a potential free agent, a big payday looms for a hitter who has played for every team in the East and finally had a superstar season with Worcester, so much so that his home run on the season’s final day would end up leading all of BARB, a likely MVP candidate. But, having tasted the postseason with both Brooklyn and Frostbite Falls, it had to be a real letdown.

FROSTBITE FALLS 9, FRESNO 5

WP: Felix Hernandez (11-9, 3.56)
LP: Hideki Kuroda (1-2, 6.01)
SV: Nathan (33)

‘King Felix’ worked into the eighth, Joe Nathan tied Francisco Rodriguez for the BARB lead in saves, and the Squirrels scored six times in the fifth inning to essentially put the Regulators (71-73) out of their misery, ensuring that a club that won its division last year would finish below .500 in a game that was only competitive for four frames. Every Squirrels starter had at least one hit, and Albert Pujols hit his 32nd home run, giving him a BARB-leading 77 extra-base hits. Gee...just the way perennial contender Andrew Haynes seems to script these things.

Anyway, the Regulators added two late runs (both unearned) off Hernandez courtesy of errors by Longoria and DeRosa, but the outcome was never really in doubt. It finished a season where the Frostbite Falls beat Fresno 12 times, the most wins for Squirrels against any competing squad. Now they will travel to Brooklyn, where the Moabs will try to extend their Cinderella season and post their seventh straight ‘must-win’ game. Insiders expect that Frostbite Falls, which was just 6-12 against Brooklyn in the regular campaign, will counter with Tim Lincecum on short rest to put their best foot forward and return to the playoffs.

DARWIN LIMPS (BARELY) INTO POST-SEASON

The record book will show that the Darwin Finches (83-61) finished first in the Western Division with the best regular-season winning percentage in the 2009 BARB season. But a closer look reveals a club that has been treading water for weeks, with a bullpen of question marks and a roster that has been decimated by injury (Josh Hamilton, John Smoltz, Tim Wakefield), personal demons (Milton Bradley), fatigue (Chipper Jones) and season-long slumps (David Ortiz, Chad Billingsley).

“We’re not playing like a contender,” conceded former closer Kevin Gregg, who lost his job to the imported Fernando Rodney. “We can’t keep playing this way and expect to advance.” On the final day, when a win really mattered, the Finches instead dropped their third straight to a sub-.500 club that had managed to lose their previous ten games. But, faced with a chance to play spoiler, the visiting Tornadoes played an inspired road series, sweeping Darwin. The finale saw rookie Derek Holland outlast vaunted Finches hurler Zack Greinke, who started on short rest with Darwin’s pennant chances in doubt.

It was not to be: Greinke (17-6, 3.10) had just been taken off the hook when Brandon Inge tripled and scored to tie the contest 4-4 in the sixth. But Darwin’s ace faltered when sent out in the seventh to protect the tie, as the Tornadoes got back-to-back RBI doubles with one out and never looked back. Holland (5-7, 4.71) worked a scoreless seventh, then watched his teammates six more insurance runs in the eighth off Gregg and Chad Billingsley. The latter’s ERA soared to 5.01 as a result, a clear sign that the Finches could not count on him in the post-season. The final? TEXAS 13, Darwin 5. The mood in the Finches clubhouse? Not what you associate with a champion.

YUMA ALSO CHOKES!

With the Finches having lost on the last day, a win by Yuma would see the season end in a two-way tie for first, necessitating a one-game playoff to see who would take the division crown and who would have to settle for the wild card slot. The Firebirds seemed perfectly positioned with their ace, Roy Halladay, on the mound. But neither Halladay or recently-acquired Flyers hurler Edwin Jackson would figure in the final meeting of the year between Los Angeles and Yuma! Halladay was uncharacteristically prone to the long ball, giving up a two-out belt to Jim Thome in the first, a solo shot from Orlando Cabrera in the third, and a two-run dong to Mike Lowell in the fourth!

Startling and definitely not what one expects from a pitcher of Halladay’s character, but the Firebirds had gotten a three-run shot from Nick Markakis in the bottom of the third, and a two-out double from Joey Votto tied the score in the fifth. Jackson did not come out to pitch the bottom of the sixth, and Yuma quickly tallied a pair against former Creepers setup man Randy Flores, and with a 6-4 lead needed just nine more outs to force a one-game playoff against Darwin.

But when they needed some help most from their pen, it did not come. Yuma relievers traded three-spots with the Flyers bullpen in the seventh, with Mark Reynolds clubbing his 19th homer of the year off Ryan Madson and Thome rifling his second shot of the game off Hong Chih-Kuo. In the eighth, with Yuma still nursing a 9-7 lead, the Flyers loaded the bases with two out for Stephen Drew. The enigmatic Drew tied into a Jose Arredondo pitch ....a GRAND SLAM! The Yuma fans, increasingly impatient, were silenced as Drew sprinted around the bases. The humble (51-92) Flyers, with the worst record in the league, had shocked the Firebirds at the worst possible time. LOS ANGELES 11.....Yuma, 9!

Chris Melkonian’s troops still had a shot in the ninth, though, with the inconsistent Brad Lidge summoned to protect the lead. Ryan Braun grounded out, but Joey Votto got new life when Drew, racing toward the left-field line, dropped a foul popup on the first pitch. Votto then lined an 0-2 pitch to right, and took third when Lance Berkman fisted a ball into the left-center gap, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Asdrubal Cabrera pinch-ran for Berkman and pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski hit a slow roller to second to score Votto and get the tying run to second base. The LA braintrust then had Lidge intentionally walk the left-handed hitting Nick Markakis to get to the less-threatening Yunel Escobar.

Playing their last big card, the Firebirds sent up former cleanup man Travis Hafner, now a bench player, to bat against the right-handed Lidge with two on, the go-ahead run on base and the game in the balance. Hafner PULLED the ball sharply...but it was flagged on one hop by a staggered Jim Thome, who nevertheless was able to lumber to the bag and beat the chunky slugger. Lidge had saved a game for once, Los Angeles had ended their sour season on a high note, and the Firebirds had blown a chance to get an edge in the playoffs.

It was a disappointing finish to a strong second half for the Firebirds. Yuma has been playing better than Darwin of late, and getting healthy, too, after a run of injuries had slowed them in mid-summer. The Firebirds had gone 40-29 since the All-Star Break, tied with Pottsylvania for the second-best record during that stretch and five games better than the Finches over that span. With seemingly all the momentum going their way in the final week of play, the Yuma clubhouse could’ve been forgiven for being confident that they would find a way to pull out another flag in a division they have dominated since entering the league.

But Darwin’s hot pitching staff had helped the Finches post a league-best 48-30 mark in the first half, and when push came to shove in the final week, that was just a bit too much for the Firebirds to overcome, including this final game.

WOW

UMGLAUBLICH

(click on the....sigh....graphic for a bigger image)

BROOKLYN 7, WORCESTER 3

WP: James Shields (11-10, 3.75)
LP: Adam Wainwright (8-8, 4.68)

Jason Bay tied the ballgame up in top of the 4th with his BARB-leading 40th home run of the year, but the host Moabs broke the game open in the bottom half of the frame, scoring three runs and loading the bases to knock out Adam Wainwright. Mark Lowe ended the long inning by getting Brian McCann to fly out softly to left, but the damage was done: the Moabs led, 5-2! GM Eric Caskey’s club added a pair of runs with one out in the bottom of the seventh, with the big blow being an RBI triple by Ryan Howard. Phil Hughes came on to stop the bleeding, but Brooklyn now led 7-2!

The Eliminators would not go quietly, however. Mark Teixeira tripled to start the top of the ninth, and Jason Bay added to his team-leading RBI total with a sharp single to make the game 7-3! While not a save situation per se, the Moabs brought on ace closer Francisco Rodriguez to finish things off for James Shields. Brad Hawpe grounded sharply to Ryan Howard, who scooped it just fair, then started a 3-6-3 double play. Jorge Cantu drew a walk, but with two down Robinson Cano lunged at a Rodriguez fastball, smacking a one-hopper to short. Tulowitzki’s flip to second not only nipped Cantu, but ended the ballgame!

There were high-fives all around for the Moabs, given up for dead four games back two weeks ago but the winners of five straight and 12 of their last 17, tops in BARB in the final stretch. With the win, Brooklyn found themselves in a three-way tie (80-63) with Frostbite Falls and Worcester for the final playoff spot. For the sibling rivals which are Eric and Matt Caskey, the season comes down to one game: win, they play again; lose, and miss the playoffs by just one game!

FRESNO 4, FROSTBITE FALLS 1

WP: Josh Beckett (11-10, 4.15)
LP: Cole Hamels (11-10, 4.00)
SV: Street (10)

The defending world champs missed a chance to take sole possession of first in the penultimate game of the season, dropping a tough one to the already-eliminated Fresno Regulators, who stretched out Josh Beckett (8 IP, 9 H, just 1 ER) and got a tie-breaking two-run homer in the fifth from Bobby Abreu, the veteran RF’s 16th tater of the campaign.

Frostbite Falls looked like they might blow the game wide open with three singles to start the first, but the hot-hitting J.J. Hardy rolled snake eyes, lining the ball back to the pitcher Beckett, who started an easy double play with the runners going, and so the Squirrels would get only one run after a promising start.

IF Marco Scutaro continued his surprising season as a starting infielder by singling home the tying run in the 3rd for the Regulators, but the big story was Beckett, who allowed just four hits over the next seven innings, bobbing and weaving to keep his club close. Eventually, Abreu gave Beckett and the Regulators the lead, and Huston Street worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the ninth for his tenth save, getting Evan Longoria to smoke a liner into the glove of Brandon Philips for the game’s final out.

For the Squirrels, their season finale (Game Day 144) thus becomes a ‘do-or-die’ situation. Win, and they are in----but that will also bring up another ‘must-win’ scenario in that they would have to prevail over the winner of the Brookyn/Worcester series to win the division. Two Eastern clubs with a lot of talent will miss the post-season after many assumed that the wild-card team would come from the East. As it turns out...not so.

TEXAS 7, DARWIN 0

WP: Mat Latos (1-8, 5.62)
LP: Scott Kazmir (3-8, 5.25)

Previously-winless rookie Mat Latos had his best outing of the year, combining with rookie Martin Perez on a five-hit shutout of the reeling Darwin Finches, who were once again shut out without an ailing Chipper Jones in the lineup. Veteran Miguel Tejada, given a start at 1B against the lefty Scott Kazmir, did much of the damage, lining an RBI single and chipping in with his fourth home run of the year. Rookie catcher Mat Wieters also slashed a pair of RBI doubles and by the ninth it was definitely no save situation. A win by the Finches would’ve clinched the Western Division, but they will now have to send out Zack Grienke on short rest and hope for the best.


LOS ANGELES 10, YUMA 7

WP: Leo Nunez (2-0, 0.00)
LP: Rafael Soriano (4-4, 4.24)
SV: Dotel (5)

The Firebirds, given an opportunity to move back into a tie for the division lead, instead lost their next-to-the-last game of the season and remain one game back after squandering a go-ahead rally in the seventh. Leading 7-5 after Russell Martin’s two-run single off Cory Wade, the Firebirds gave the ball to Rafael Soriano as a seventh-inning ‘bridge’ to Francisco Cordero....but that bridge was never crossed!

Jim Thome smacked his 28th boundary belt of the year, a solo shot, to narrow the Firebirds lead to one run with one out in the seventh. Ryan Sweeney and Howie Kendrick walked and the Yuma pen began to work, but not before Mark Reynolds had slashed a two-run double for an 8-7 PF Flyers lead. Los Angeles added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run, ‘excuse me’ swing from Mike Lowell.

And that was pretty much it. Pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-out single to bring the tying run to the plate against Octavio Dotel, but Martin flied out to left for the game’s final out, and the club with the loop’s worst record (51-92) had played the role of spoiler to the hilt.

For Yuma, having already clinched a playoff spot, one wonders if the urgency is there to catch the Darwinians. As always, if they want to have a chance of doing that, they need to win their final game. The next post in this league blog will reveal the final day of league play, and who’s in, who’s out....(gulp)

YUMA CLINCHES PLAYOFF BERTH: EAST UNDECIDED

YUMA CLINCHES PLAYOFF BERTH: EAST UNDECIDED

Jake Peavy (9-3, 3.99) combined with two setup relievers on a six-hit shutout of visiting Los Angeles, as the Firebirds (82-60) stayed just one game behind the West-leading Finches. In the process, Yuma clinched a playoff berth, as they will finish at least one game ahead of Brooklyn and one other Eastern contender (Frostbite Falls or Worcester).

Rookie Brett Cecil (1-9, 6.08) was tagged for yet another loss for the PF Flyers (50-92) further cemented their death grip on the first selection in the 2010 Draft, still a far cry from where the cerebral management team seems pointed. Cecil was not helped by the play of fellow rookie Mark Reynolds, who is second amongst BARB freshmen in home runs with 18 in only half a season, but whose glove work needs...well....work.

Reynolds failed to handle a low throw with two on and two out in the third, and this gave Ryan Zimmerman a chance to hit with runners on. Zimmerman delivered a three-run poke, his 19th of the season, and the Firebirds never looked back. Nick Markakis added a solo shot of his own in the fourth, and while Jake Peavy was gone by the end of the fifth, the Flyers were unable to mount any offense against lefties Rafael Perez and Matt Thornton.

ZOBRIST: LAST IN THE ALPHABET, FIRST EVERYWHERE ELSE

St. Francis Friars utility man Ben Zobrist put an exclamation point on his 2009 BARB season on Game Day 143 when he appeared at least one inning at every spot on the field in a publicity stunt for ‘Fan Appreciation Day’. In the process, Zobrist also hit his team-leading 29th HR, a solo shot off Black Mesa reliever Scott Eyre leading off the sixth en route to a 6-3 Friars win over the visiting Anomalies.

Stretch-drive acquisition Carlos Quentin also added a boundary belt, his 17th of the year in a injury-plagued campaign, part of a strong finish that encourages the Friars to believe that they have gained a run producer for years to come. Gavin Floyd (8-14, 4.84) picked up the win in his final start of the year while Ted Lilly (9-7, 5.02) took another tough loss due to costly errors by Rafael Furcal and Vernon Wells with runners on. The off-season for Black Mesa, whose roster is offense-rich but pitching-starved, may critically turn on which players to keep, and which to deal, with Wells a likely target of other clubs.


BROOKLYN ON FUMES

The path for the Moabs advance in the post-season now depends on a sweep of their final two games with Worcester and at least one loss by the defending world champion Squirrels! With both Yuma and Darwin clinching a playoff berth and Pottsylvania the Central champ, the only questions outside the East are who wins the division, and who earns the wild card. Here are the scenarios for the East, though:

#1 Frostbite Falls and Worcester both sweep their final two games and end in a 82-60 tie for the division. The eliminated Moabs would finish two games out, and a one-game playoff would determine whether the Squirrels or the Eliminators win the division. The loser of that playoff would be eliminated, since either Yuma or Darwin would be guaranteed a better winning percentage in the wild card chase. Owch!

#2 Worcester sweeps its final two games, eliminating Brooklyn. A Frostbite Falls loss causes the Squirrels to miss the playoffs, as either Yuma or Darwin would get the wild card.

#3 Worcester splits its final two games, eliminating Brooklyn. Frostbite Falls wins two straight against Fresno to win the division, Worcester misses the playoffs. If Frostbite falls splits, then again a one-game playoff, lose goes home.

#4 Brooklyn sweeps Worcester in their final two games, eliminating the, um, Eliminators. Frostbite Falls sweeps, Brooklyn misses the playoffs. Frostbite Falls splits, the Moabs and the Squirrels meet in a one-game playoff, loser goes home. Frostbite Falls loses its last two games, Brooklyn wins the East outright.

My head is spinning.

In other BARB action:

CASSELTON 8, MADTOWN 4

WP: Sergio Romo (4-6, 2.81)
LP: Brian Bannister (4-4, 7.24)

Torri Hunter raised his season average over the .300 mark with a three-hit effort, and Orlando Hudson had a pair of run-scoring doubles to help guarantee that the previously-eliminated Horned Toads would finish at least ten games above .500 (77-66), a solid achievement for a second-division club in 2008. Rookie A.J. Happ was gone by the fifth, but his work in the final week of the season suggests that GM Landon Bolt has found a young lefty to add to his already-impressive stable of starting pitchers. The 2010 Draft will likely catapult the Toads to favorite status in a division that is starting to match up with the East in overall talent.

AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE . . .

...teams vying for the three remaining playoff spots!

Because, on their final day of play, the Pottsylvania Creepers returned to the winner’s circle, using ace Cliff Lee to quell the Anomalies in Black Mesa while their rivals in Casselton fell to the Firebirds on the road in Yuma. The Horned Toads loss guaranteed that they could finish no better than a game behind the Creepers despite having three games left in their season. Pottsylvania had clinched!

And so, with that, the Creepers were winners of the competitive Central for the second time in the last four years, and the celebration began in earnest, hours after their game had actually ended and the results of Casselton’s contest with Yuma became known.

Things could’ve gone differently! Lee (15-9, 2.86) allowed back-to-back singles to open his final start of the 2009 regular season, and when Rick Ankiel airmailed a throw over the glove of relay man Erick Aybar, he and his teammates trailed 1-0 after just half an inning. But Lee scattered five singles the rest of the way, and a two-out double by Matt Kemp led to a run after a clutch hit by Ryan Theriot tied the score in the fifth. Anomalies rookie Ricky Romero started the seventh was some juice still left in his arm, but allowed two on with two out. Carlos Gomez pinch-hit for the slumping (.144 his last 29 games) Rick Ankiel, and delivered a two-run go-ahead single to knock Romero (3-4, 5.24) out of the box and give the Creepers a 3-1 lead!


After that, it was all Lee, who was particularly effective at denying the club’s hottest hitter down the stretch, OF Vernon Wells. Lee induced four straight grounders to short off the Toads run producer, one of them a double-play ball, and one of them part of a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the victory. Pandemonium ensued in the visitor’s locker room, which by becoming the first team to clinch will have a little extra time to think over how they will approach a five-game playoff matchup with one of the other division winners.

POTTSYLANIA SCOUTING REPORT:

Certainly, their lineup offers a little of everything (all numbers from the simulation):

Lineup:

IF Ryan Theriot (.257 20 sacrifices)
RF Rick Ankiel (.236, 28 HR, 98 RBI)
LF Ryan Ludwick (.307, 38 HR, 101 RBI)
3B Aramis Ramirez (.235, 11 HR in 96 G)
DH Aubrey Huff (.293, 27 HR, 91 RBI)
CF Matt Kemp (.354, 16 HR, 17 SB)
1B platoon (Garko/Tracy)
IF Erick Aybar (..259, 51 runs scored)
C Kelly Shoppach (.226, 50 RBI in 108 G)

Bench: OF Carlos Gomez, C Kenji Johjima, Garko and Tracy)

Rotation: LHP Cliff Lee (15-9, 2.86), RHP Chris Carpenter (11-3, 3.03), LHP Mark Buehrle (14-5, 3.61), RHP Yovani Gallardo (11-10, 4.19). And, oh year, an insurance policy in Pedro Martinez (2-2, 4.09 in five starts)

Bullpen: Rafael Betancourt, Jonathan Broxton, Manny Delcarmen and Carlos Marmol are a solid setup crew (7-9, 2.45 in 124 appearances) to left-handed closer Brian Fuentes, who has struggled at times (1-7, 3.28 ERA, 17 saves in 52 appearances).

On the bubble: veterans Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse, rookie Sean West, minor-league insurance policies like OF Felix Pie and IF Blake DeWitt A healthy Ramirez and a productive Huff helped in the second half, but the team’s hottest hitter is Matt Kemp (nearly .425 in the last month of play). Kemp will probably be bumped up in the lineup to take advantage of his speed, while the slumping Rick Ankiel (.144 in the last month, and four throwing errors in the final week) will be dropped in the order, or maybe even assume a platoon role with Carlos Gomez. Lee and Carpenter are sure things to start in a short series, but whether or not the club takes Pedro Martinez could depend on the likely matchup. A foe with many left-handed sluggers would probably have a harder time digging in against Mark Buehrle than the 38-year-old Pedro....

In other BARB news:

TEXAS 6, DARWIN 0

WP: Tommy Hanson (4-5, 3.03)
LP: Clayton Kershaw (4-5, 3.41)
SV: Miller (2)

Andre Ethier, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada all hit solo jacks in the seventh to pad a 3-0 lead against rookie Clayton Kershaw, and Tommy Hanson and Andrew Miller combined on a seven-hit shutout to snuff out what little offense the slumping Finches have to end a ten-game losing streak on the road in Darwin.

The Finches nevertheless clinched at least a playoff berth by the failure of any Eastern club to win on Game Day 142, making it a certainty that the Unnatural Selections would finish no worse than the second-best overall record to division rival Yuma.

The Finches will send out the unreliable Scott Kazmir the next game and (if they need a win), ace Zack Greinke on short rest for the season finale. The rebuilding Tornadoes will counter with some combination of Mat Latos, Derek Holland or Colin Balester for the final two games.

BROOKLYN 13, WORCESTER 5

WP: Jon Lester (12-10, 3.71)
LP: Ryan Dempster (11-8, 3.32)

Miguel Cabrera, slumbering for much of the second half, went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs (#20 and #21) while driving in four to lead a 16-hit attack as the Moabs (dead last in the wild-card race) won a must-win game to stay within one game of the Squirrels and Eliminators. The latter dropped into a tie for first after allowing their host rivals to score seven times in the first three innings.

Brooklyn, though, still hangs by a thread despite winning four straight, because their only sure path to the postseason with two games left is to win the division: The only scenario that could see them qualify otherwise would be if Yuma drops its final three games, forcing a one-game playoff for the wild card.

Toward that end, the Moabs will go to the mat with inconsistent James Shields and a well-rested Scott Baker versus Worcester ace Adam Wainwright and (if needed) rookie Jair Jurrjens.

FROSTBITE FALLS 3, FRESNO 2

WP: Tim Lincecum (14-9, 2.75)
LP: Jeremy Affeldt (2-8, 4.26)
SV: Nathan (32)

Tim Lincecum’s final start of the regular 2009 BARB campaign was just good enough to get the ball to Joe Nathan in the eighth, and the loop’s top closer claimed the last five outs to force a tie with Worcester (80-62) with two games remaining. SS J.J. Hardy, who lost his job at mid-season after being nearly sent to the minors, continues to play well with Michael Young nursing an injury. He lifted his stretch drive average to .376 and had a go-ahead RBI single and a sac fly to lead the Squirrels offense against a surprisingly-stingy Mike Pelfrey.

The Squirrels will send out Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez for their final outings of the season, while the Regulators will counter with Josh Beckett and Danny Haren, a pair of marquee matchups if there ever was one.
AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE . . .
AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE . . .

FRIARS SNUFF FINCHES, BUT FIREBIRDS CAN’T CAPITALIZE

FRIARS SNUFF FINCHES, BUT FIREBIRDS CAN’T CAPITALIZE

Down Under----Justin Verlander pitched his best game of the year in the heat of a pennant race to help the St. Francis Friars play the role of ‘spoiler’ to the hilt, as the big righthander went all the way to hold the Western-leading Darwin Finches (81-58) to just four hits to win a 1-0 shutout on the road in Australia.

Verlander (9-11, 3.98) fanned nine, including seven through the first four innings, and got an early run when Scott Hairston doubled in Ben Zobrist with two down in the second. The Friars ace got into a jam in the fifth, allowing a single to Aaron Rowand and a four-pitch walk to Brandon Inge to start the inning. Jeff Francouer hit an absolute smash to Casey Blake, though, that kicked right off Blake’s mitt to rookie Alexei Ramirez, who flipped the ball to Felipe Lopez at second to nip Rowand, just your typical 5-6-4 force play (yawn)...as if! Yadier Molina and Cristian Guzman then both flied harmlessly out to right-center.

That was nearly the entire Darwin offense, other than a leadoff double in the ninth by Adam LaRoche. An overpowering Verlander just reached back and blew away Rowand and a pair of pinch-hitters, and the Friars had sent Scott Kazmir (3-7, 5.67) a tough-luck loss despite mustering only three hits themselves against Darwin pitching.

A prime opportunity for Darwin’s Western rival, the Yuma Firebirds, to pull into a tie for first in the division....but it was not to be. Joe Saunders (7-10, 4.10) took a shutout into the sixth against the Yumans, and the Casselton Horned Toads began their game against Matt Cain (8-12, 3.69) with four straight hits to put the host Firebirds into an early 3-0 hole. Ryan Zimmerman would hit a two-run bomb off with one down in the eighth off Sergio Romo to narrow the score, but Casselton cashed in an error by Nick Markakis that allowed Kendry Morales to reach with two out, and Bobby Jenks retired the last five hitters to make the 4-2 lead stand up and collect his 21st save of the year.

WILD, BUT EXASPERATING FINISH

With five games left in the West, Yuma and Darwin are separated by one game. The runner-up could still earn a playoff spot....or not.

With three games left with the Eastern contenders, Brooklyn, Frostbite Falls and Worcester are separated by just two games. Any of the three could win the division, make it on a wild card, or fail to make the cut.

In the Central, Pottsylvania’s ‘magic number’ is down to two with two games left....but Casselton, the longest of long shots, still has five games left on the schedule to just a pair oft he Creepers. So, if the Horned Toads sweep their final five contests, and Pottsylvania drops a pair....well, you get the idea...nothing is set in stone.

In other BARB action:

MADTOWN 14, TEXAS 2

WP: A.J. Burnett (10-10, 4.21)
LP: Javier Vasquez (7-13, 5.79)

Surging Prince Fielder hit his 34th and 35th home runs in the first two games of the final series between the Murlocs, and capped the series finale with a three-hit, 5-RBI game to send the staggered Tornadoes to their season-high tenth straight loss. Chris Davis, Scott Rolen and Pablo Sandoval also had three hits apiece in a very one-sided affair that saw Texas use (or is that use up) seven pitchers. With the win, the Murlocs ensured they would avoid a last-place finish, ceding that ‘honor’ to either Los Angeles or Texas.

FRIARS SNUFF FINCHES, BUT FIREBIRDS CAN’T CAPITALIZE

YUMA HOLDS WILD CARD LEAD

YUMA HOLDS WILD CARD LEAD

YUMA 4, TEXAS 0

WP: C.C. Sabathia (14-7, 3.58)
LP: Tommy Hanson (3-5, 3.21)

C.C. Sabathia scattered six hits in his team-leading fourth shutout of the year, Joey Votto tripled and scored twice to lead the office and the sagging Tornadoes committed three errors in a game that was scoreless in the sixth before the Firebirds (79-58) broke through against their sibling rival.

It was a big win for Yuma, which needed to get some relief for a pen that has struggled to protect leads, and it keeps the Firebirds just a game behind West-leading Darwin and in the lead for the wild card spot. With seven games left on the schedule, Yuma’s ‘magic number’ for clinching a playoff spot is down to four....

Meanwhile, the Tornadoes have provided no competition at the end of the schedule for anyone, dropping eight straight to all but clinch the loop’s second-worst record. “Ay, not implying anything,” said RHP Javier Vasquez, who leads the team with seven wins and is the grizzled ‘veteran’ of 31 in the rotation. “The GM, I would not say, he would never intentionally tank things, but it really hurt us, lose Valverde, lose Rodney. We don’t have much room for error as starters, and our young are having to learn on the job.”

By ‘young’, Vasquez was no doubt referring to the likes of Colin Balester, Mat Latos and other twenty-somethings who have not smelled a win in weeks. And more green hands are on the way, if GM Ronald Melkonian is to be believed, essentially anointing Andrew Bailey the closer by dealing away Rodney and pushing Jason Hammel and others into setup roles. And, can the fabled arm of recent acquisition Steve Strasberg be very far behind?

In other BARB action:

DARWIN 5, POTTSYLVANIA 3

WP: Jonathan Sanchez (1-1, 4.57)
LP: Mark Buerhle (14-5, 3.61)
SV: Rodney (15)

Jonathan Sanchez scattered just one hit in three-plus innings of sparkling relief, Brandon Inge hit a pair of run-scoring doubles, and the Finches just held off a late Creepers rally to keep the loop’s best record (80-57) and their lead in the West intact. Pottsylvania’s defeat with six games left in the Central means that their ‘magic number’ for eliminating the Horned Toads remains at three, despite another big home run (#37 on the year) for Ryan Ludwick and a solid outing by Buerhle.

ST. FRANCIS 13, MADTOWN 6

WP: Gavin Floyd (7-14, 5.03)
LP: Ian Snell (2-12, 7.43)

Casey Blake drove in five runs with three hits, including a pair of circuit shots (#9 and #10) in the fourth inning, as the Friars (59-79) scored a season-high ten runs in one frame against Murlocs pitching. The big outburst assures St. Francis of finishing out of the cellar in the Central Division. Blake played first so new acquisition Andy LaRoche could play 3B for the Friars, and LaRoche also homered in the record-setting fourth.

BLACK MESA 8, LOS ANGELES 3

WP: Ted Lilly (9-6, 4.99)
LP: Dana Eveland (7-13, 4.93)

Vernon Wells hit a sac fly and a two-run home run (#23 on the year), and Ted Lilly pitched into the ninth for the first time in nearly two months to help the Anomalies (68-70) keep their hopes of finishing above .500 this season in play. Mark Reynolds, getting regular playing time down the stretch, his his 18th HR of the year in a losing cause, part of a power surge that has seen him crush ten round-trippers in just 38 games.

YUMA HOLDS WILD CARD LEAD

WITH A WEEK TO GO . . .

WITH A WEEK TO GO . . .

POTTSYLVANIA 5, YUMA 1 (1st game of DH)

WP: Chris Carpenter (10-3, 2.97)
LP: Matt Cain (8-11, 3.70)


POTTSYLVANIA 5, YUMA 3 (2nd game of DH)

WP: Pedro Martinez (2-1, 3.29)
LP: Joe Blanton (9-13, 4.55)
SV: West (1)

The Central-leading Creepers dropped their ‘magic number’ of clinching the division to four by taking the last two games of a three-game series from visiting Yuma, getting great pitching from two veterans many had given up for dead at the beginning of the year. Hard-luck case Matt Cain hurt himself with six walks in the opener, and mid-season acquisition Joe Blanton finally lost a game in a Firebirds ‘uni’ after three great starts by coughing up Ryan Ludwick’s team-leading 36th home run.

With the win, the Creepers are 76-62 with a three-game lead over rival Casselton with just six games to play in the Central, and they may very well become the first team to clinch a playoff spot in a final week that saw each division still up for grabs!

*

Pottsylvania’s rivals in Casselton, meanwhile, dropped a game in the standings when they split their double dip with the East-leading Finches. John Lackey (10-7, 4.42) pitched eight solid innings to beat the Darwinians 3-1 in the opener, but in the nightcap Aaron Rowand drove in four runs and Ricky Nolasco (3-6, 4.62) coughed up a go-ahead single to Yadier Molina in the top of the tenth, and the Finches held on with another 1-2-3 inning from new closer Fernando Rodney.

With the split, Darwin is 79-56, but still just two games ahead of Yuma (77-58) with nine games left on the books and a schedule that favors the Firebirds the rest of the way. Darwin still has a three-game road series in Pottsylvania before returning for six games against Texas and St. Francis. Whereas Yuma has a road series with Texas (which has lost six straight), then six games at home versus Casselton and Los Angeles.

*

Meanwhile, in ‘salary drive mode’, Madtown 1B Prince Fielder drove in ten runs in a three-game sweep of Los Angeles that saw them score seven runs or more in each of their drubbings of the Flyers....Wandy Rodriguez twirled a shutout, Kevin Youkilis homered twice and (playing 1B for the injured Justin Morneau) OF Raul Ibanez hit his seventh HR of September to spark a three-game sweep of the visiting Tornadoes, who have now lost six straight and 11 of their last 15 down the stretch....The recently-eliminated Fresno Regulators are playing the ‘spoiler’ role to the hilt, sweeping three from Worcester and now spending their last six games of the year hosting Brooklyn (3) and playing road warriors against the Squirrels (3). The latter pair of clubs also each have one last three-game set against the division-leading Eliminators.

In other words, the next few days are critical to who makes the playoffs, and who doesn't!

WITH A WEEK TO GO . . .

FRESNO SWEEP NOT ENOUGH TO STAY THE HANGMAN

FRESNO SWEEP NOT ENOUGH TO STAY THE HANGMAN

Fresno—Down a run in the sixth, the home team rallied for their fourth straight win and a sweep of the visiting Worcester Eliminators, but it was not enough to prevent the Regulators (70-68) from being formally eliminated from the pennant race with six games left in the Eastern Division schedule, as the defending world champion Flying Squirrels blanked the Moabs in Brooklyn.

Josh Beckett (10-10, 4.27) evened his record with a gutty seven innings that saw him surrender 12 hits, including a pair of bombs by Eliminators SS Hanley Ramirez (#25 and #26). His teammates gave him second life with two out in the bottom of the sixth: David Wright and Adrian Gonzalez singled, and Bobby Abreu followed with his 14th jack of the season, a three-run poke off Jeremy Guthrie (7-11, 4.90) that made the score 5-3.

After each team exchanged a run in the seventh, Fresno’s bullpen got the last six outs without allowing a baserunner. Fresno had won, 6-4....but soon enough, the sigh of relief was crushed by the news from Brooklyn: Felix Hernandez (10-9, 3.56) had gone all the way on a seven-hit shutout of the Moabs, while his teammates (led by Nate McLouth’s 19th circuit shot of the year) put together three runs. This dropped Brooklyn (75-63) two games behind the Squirrels (77-61) and four off the wild card....as well as eliminating the Regulators, a playoff team in 2008 whose hopes this year were dashed early by the injury to ace Brandon Webb.

Just seven teams remain in the hunt for four playoff spots:



In other BARB action:

YUMA 7, ST. FRANCIS 1

WP: Roy Halladay (15-6, 2.51)
LP: Jamie Moyer (6-13, 4.80)

Ultra-efficient Yuma scored single runs in each of their last six times at bat to slowly strangle the expansion Friars and keep the rival Finches lead in the West to just one game. Roy Halladay pitched another complete-game gem, needing only 93 pitches to set down the St. Francis lineup four times.

DARWIN 7, LOS ANGELES 1

WP: Zack Greinke (17-5, 2.95)
LP: Dana Eveland (7-12, 4.89)

Zack Greinke got a rare ‘gimme’ win as his teammates took advantage of Eveland’s early wildness, with both Aaron Rowand and Jeff Francouer lining two-run singles in a four-run first. Greinke took a shutout into the seventh en route to notching his BARB-leading 17th victory. The Finches best hope in the final two weeks, clearly, is to start the league’s likely Cy Young as many times as possible....if they get there, that is.

CASSELTON 10, BLACK MESA 7

WP: Bobby Jenks (3-5, 4.48)
LP: Jonathan Papelbon (5-7, 2.51)

BARB phenom Mike Napoli snapped an 0-for-27 stretch with a pair of homers off the longball-prone Ted Lilly, but it was Alex Rios who made overworked Anomalies closer Jonathan Papelbon pay for a mistake pitch in the eighth following an error by Kevin Youkilis, smacking his 14th of the year, to keep the Horned Toads (72-63) in the hunt for the Central pennant.

Napoli’s pair of belts give him a BARB-leading 40 home runs to go with a declining batting average (.219, down sixty points since the All-Star break) and 112 RBI. Yes, yes, yes. Mike blankety-blank Napoli. I can't make this stuff up.

STRETCH DRIVE ACTION

FROSTBITE FALLS 10, BROOKLYN 9

WP: Joe Nathan (5-5, 1.40)
LP: Jose Mijares (3-1, 1.19)

J.J. Hardy hit a pinch-hit home run to snap a 9-9 tie in the top of the ninth, and Joe Nathan got second life after his sixth blown save of the campaign to lift the Squirrels (76-61) one game ahead of the host Moabs in the wild card chase behind Darwin, Worcester and Yuma. Miguel Cabrera had three hits, including his 19th HR of the year, in a losing cause for Brooklyn, which saw rookie reliever Jose Mijares lose for the first time this season.

MADTOWN 4, POTTSYLVANIA 2

WP: A.J. Burnett (8-10, 4.36)
LP: Cliff Lee (13-9, 3.07)
SV: Wood (3)

Prince Fielder doubled in a run and Chris Davis followed with a three-run poke, the rookie’s 28th of the campaign, as the Murlocs scored all the runs they needed in a four-run fourth off Cliff Lee. Aramis Ramirez, off the DL and playing regularly, slammed a two-run shot off Burnett in the eighth to spoil the righthander’s shutout bid. It was small consolation for the Creepers, who have lost four straight, keeping their ‘magic number’ for clinching the division to double figures...and keeping Casselton in the race!

FRESNO 9, WORCESTER 8

WP: Jeremy Affeldt (2-7, 4.33)
LP: Jason McDonald (0-3, 5.40)

Brandon Philips hit a two-out walkoff double in the bottom of the tenth to score Bobby Abreu with the game’s winning run, as the Regulators handed the sagging Eliminators their seventh loss in two weeks. Worcester’s ‘magic number’ for clinching a playoff spot is down to five games, but observers wonder if their lackluster showing in the final month of play will carry over to a postseason. DH (!) Derek Jeter, though, is finishing strong, hitting nearly .400 in the last two weeks.

YUMA 3, ST. FRANCIS 1

WP: David Price (4-2, 2.65)
LP: Kyle Davies (3-11, 7.20)

Rookie David Price took a shutout into the ninth against the expansion team lineup, and Ryan Braun, Lance Berkman and Yunel Escobar all hit RBI doubles to chip away at Davies and the offensively-challenged Friars. Yuma (75-56) moved within one game of West-leading Darwin, their 18th win against 7 losses this month, tops (by far!) in BARB down the stretch. Price might have well had a shutout, but with one out, Felipe Lopez’s grounder was misplayed by Escobar, allowing Ben Zobrist to score from third.

LOS ANGELES 11, DARWIN 3

WP: Edwin Jackson (8-11, 4.71)
LP: Chad Billingsley (8-4, 4.72)

Howie Kendrick hit a pair of doubles to lead a 14-hit attack, as every PF Flier in the lineup had at least one hit against Darwin pitching, sending the West-leading Finches (76-55) to yet another stretch drive loss, keeping their ‘magic number’ for a playoff spot in double figures. While Darwin’s overall pitching depth remains considerable, they are but 15-14 since the end of August due to a lack of offense.

CREEPERS AND FINCHES SPLIT DOUBLE DIP

CREEPERS AND FINCHES SPLIT DOUBLE DIP

Darwin—With both clubs locked in tight pennant races, the Central and Eastern division leaders hooked up in a doubleheader down in Australia whose net effect was to see both clubs lose ground against their hard-charging rivals. With less than three weeks of game play remaining, the Creepers and Finches battled to maintain their tenuous hold on a playoff spot!

In the opener, Mark Buerhrle (13-4, 3.52) drew the unenviable task of matching zeroes with Darwin’s ace, Zack Greinke. And he was equal to the task! The Finches bunched three singles in the bottom of the first, getting a run home on Aaron Rowand’s ground ball up the middle....but that was it for the Darwin offense. Buehrle would load the bases in the fourth, but Brandon Inge (playing LF for the offense-challenged Finches) hit into a double play. The closest the Finches got to scoring again was a leadoff double by Rowand in the eighth.

The Creepers, meanwhile, chipped away at Grienke. Rick Ankiel tied the game in the fourth with a leadoff HR on a 2-1 pitch, his 28th of the year, and then in the fifth with two down Ankiel added an RBI single to give Pottsylvania the lead. Greinke (16-5, 3.02) would end up going all the way and allow just two more hits, but he would take the loss, as Brian Fuentes slammed the door in the ninth for Buehrle for his 16th save!

In the nightcap, Josh Johnson (13-6, 3.14) would take the ball against Yovani Gallardo (11-8, 4.03), hoping to earn a split . . . but neither starter would figure in the decision. Aubrey Huff’s 26th boundary belt of the season gave the Creepers a 4-2 lead over Johnson in the middle innings, but Inge hit a solo shot leading off the sixth and Jeff Francouer followed with an RBI double to chase Gallardo. Rowand then punched a two-run double off Jonathan Broxton to give Darwin the lead.

But the Finches pen couldn’t hold it! Kelly Shoppach nearly blew it with one down, bunting into a potential double play off Kevin Gregg with two runners aboard. Huff was gunned down at the plate, but the relay to first to nail Shoppach was dropped by Aki Iwamura covering. Matt Kemp then singled sharply off Gregg to tie the game . . and, eventually, force extra innings. Gregg was superb for the next two frames, but eventually departed for new Finches closer Fernando Rodney, who would pitch into the 13th. Again, Ankiel was Darwin’s demon, hitting an RBI single to give the Creepers a 6-5 lead in the 11th. But, Fuentes, working the second game of the double dip, put two runners on for Aaron Rowand, who delivered a game-tying RBI single. Rodney would retire the next six hitters he faced, setting up the bottom of the 13th, where Ryan Freel (who had come in as part of a double switch in the eighth) hit a walkoff single off Carlos Marmol to make a loser out of Rafael Betancout (0-2, 3.38), who had walked Adam LaRoche to start the inning. Darwin had won, 7-6 . . .but they had to be troubled that they could only mount eight runs of offense in 22 innings.

The net result of the split was that Pottsylvania and Darwin both lost a half-game to their respective rivals (Casselton and Yuma). With just a couple of weeks to play, nine teams remain in the running for some kind of playoff spot, an ever-tightening spiral of excitement . . .!

In other BARB action:

YUMA 8, TEXAS 2

WP: Roy Halladay (14-6, 2.57)
LP: Colin Balester (5-6, 6.11)

Brian Roberts and Joey Votto each had three hits, and Roy Halladay took a shutout into the ninth before needing a little bullpen help, as the Firebirds (72-55) picked up a half-game in the standings on the stagnating Finches. Rookie Travis Snider had three hits in a losing cause for the visiting Tornadoes and is now hitting .305.

MADTOWN 10, ST. FRANCIS 7

WP: David Aardsma (2-5, 8.13)
LP: Yusmeiro Petit (4-2, 2.56)

Hot-hitting Prince Fielder homered for the third straight game against the gassed Friars, his 31st of the year, one of four bombs dropped by the Murlocs on visiting St. Francis in their final series of the 2009 campaign, helping to overcome pummeling of chronic underachiever Zach Duke, who yielded six runs in the first two innings.

BROOKLYN 4, FROSTBITE FALLS 3

WP: Ubaldo Jiminez (5-3, 4.44)
LP: Tim Lincecum (12-9, 2.83)
SV: Rodriguez (29)

Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run bomb in the first off Tim Lincecum, and Chase Utley added a solo shot, his 29th of the year, to help make the Moabs lead stand up as host Brooklyn (75-61) edged the visiting Squirrels to open the final three-game meeting of the season between these two Eastern Division rivals. In the process, the Moabs pulled into a tie for second place in the East, just four games behind their sibling rival in Worcester.

FRESNO 12, WORCESTER 3

WP: Danny Haren (14-6, 3.66)
LP: Philip Hughes (1-1, 5.21)

Danny Haren took a shutout into the eighth before needing some help, Carlos Lee had four hits and Adrian Gonzalez made his 27th boundary belt of the season a GRAND SLAM off rookie Philip Hughes as part of an eight-run third given up by the Eliminators staff, sending Worcester (70-57) to a loss in the opening game of their final series of the year with Fresno.

CREEPERS AND FINCHES SPLIT DOUBLE DIP

GAME DAY 130 ACTION

ACTION:

BLACK MESA 7, POTTSYLVANIA 2

WP: Ricky Romero (2-2, 5.31)
LP: Cliff Lee (13-8, 2.99)
SV: Papelbon (27)

Raul Ibanez, only in the lineup because of injuries to All-Star 1B Justin Morneau, began the 2nd with a leadoff single, then capped the inning eight batters later with a two-run double as the visiting Anomalies slapped seven runs on a shocked Cliff Lee en route to the club’s seventh win in their last ten games. Pottsylvania (72-57) failed to gain any ground on the Horned Toads.

ST. FRANCIS 7, DARWIN 5

WP: Jason Vargas (6-2, 1.85)
LP: Scott Kazmir (2-6, 6.99)

The Unnatural Selections blasted three homers, including Chipper Jones’s 20th of the season, but it was the expansion Friars batting around in the fourth that had the huge offensive showing, getting six runs off starter Scott Kazmir and dropped the Finches (73-53) one game closer to winning Yuma. In a further piece of bad news, the Finches were forced to put All-Star CF Josh Hamilton on the ‘unable to perform’ list. It seems likely that the injury-plagued Hamilton will miss the rest of the season.

YUMA 7, CASSELTON 2

WP: Joe Blanton (9-12, 4.37)
LP: Carlos Zambrano (7-8, 5.49)

The Firebirds beat their former teammate with a big game from LF Ryan Braun, who hit his 24th HR (a solo shot) in the first against Zambrano, an RBI groundout in the fourth vs. J.A. Happ and a sac fly in the seventh. Joe Blanton won for the second time in as many starts since being acquired by the Firebirds down the stretch.

ACTION:

SABATHIA'S GEM, TEXAS'S GM

gggggg
DARWIN DUMPS TORNADOES

GM Ronald Melkonian and his Texas Tornadoes became the latest team to be formally eliminated, as two former Tornado regulars did the damage in a sloppy affair won by their recent trade partner, the Darwin Finches. The Unnatural Selections got a big game at the plate from recently-reactivated IF Aki Iwamura, who went 4-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored to lead his ballclub.

Iwamura scored in the first on Chipper Jones’s 18th homer of the year, a shot off Javier Vasquez, then doubled in Cristian Guzman the next inning to knock out Vasquez and hand Josh Johnson, a 15-game winner, a 5-0 lead. But Johnson couldn’t stand prosperity, surrendering seven hits and two walks over the next two frames to allow the Tornadoes to tie the score.

The game then became a battle of the bullpens, with neither side allowing a run for four innings. But, in the eighth, Delmon Young lost a fly ball in the lights that turned into a double to send Andrew Miller (1-4, 8.33) to the showers, and Iwamura and Adam LaRoche both hit RBI singles off new Texas closer Andrew Bailey to key a four-run inning and make a winner out of former Tornado closer Jose Valverde (4-0, 1.59), while another former Texas fieldhand, Fernando Rodney, retired the last five hitters in a non-save situation. Darwin wins, 9-5...and Texas was eliminated.

But, if the loss meant the end of the line as far as contention was concerned, the Tornadoes (51-75) seem poised to make a major move next year with a young, talented lineup (OF Andre Ethier, Delmon Young and Travis Snider, C Matt Wieters, SS Elvis Andrus) sandwiched by superstars like Ichiro and A-Rod. “This is just one guy’s opinion,” said Commissioner Scott Hatfield, “but I think this has really been Ronald’s best year as a GM.”

YUMA ONE-HITS LOWLY FLYERS

WP: C.C. Sabathia (11-7, 4.06)
LP: Edwin Jackson (7-11, 4.87)

For the second straight outing, former St. Francis starter Edwin Jackson pitched well but lost, as Firebirds ace C.C. Sabathia took advantage of the Flyers’ replacement lineup by twirling a one-hitter, his only tight moment coming when he walked about Mark Reynolds and Mike Lowell with one out. This brought the tying run to the plate, but Sabathia got Ryan Sweeney to pop up and C Kurt Suzuki to fly out.

Jim Thome, who had the only hit against Sabathia, stopped short o f praising the lefty for his effort. “We kind of did ourselves in, having bad at-bats against a guy who was spotting the ball where he wanted to. It’s kind of like triple-A here right now, and we’ve got to get more consistent next year. Who know if I'll be a part of it, or not?”

In other BARB action:

WORCESTER 6, BROOKLYN 2

WP: Jair Jurrjens (8-5, 4.48)
LP: Scott Baker (8-4, 3.70)

Rookie Jair Jurrjens flirted with a shutout before coughing up Chase Utley’s 28th dong in the ninth, and Derek Jeter (filling a DH role!) drove in three runs with a sac fly and a pair of RBI singles to lead the East-leading Eliminators to their BARB-leading 79th triumph of the year. Worcester’s magic number for clinching the division is now in single figures and they seem assured of a playoff spot regardless . . .

FRESNO 5, FROSTBITE FALLS 1

WP: Derek Lowe (10-9, 5.11)
LP: Matt Garza (12-9, 3.54)

Adrian Gonzalez crushed his 26th with a man aboard to put the Regulators up 4-0 in the sixth, and Derek Lowe flirted with an unlikely nine-hit shutout before surrendering a run in the ninth on a pair of singles and a groundout, as the recently-eliminated Fresnans dropped the visiting Squirrels one game behind Yuma in the hunt for a wild card spot.

MADTOWN 8, CASSELTON 6

WP:David Aardsman (1-4, 8.13)
LP: Bobby Jenks (1-5, 4.75)
SV: Rivera (27)

The Murlocs scored two in the ninth to tie it and two more in the tenth to win it, spoiling a strong outing by Joe Saunders (7IP, 2 ER, 8 K) and getting a small measure of satisfaction after being recently eliminated by the same club. Mariano Rivera, whose streak of appearances without a blown save had been snapped by the Horned Toads, pumped his fist at the final out and high-fived DH Chris Davis, who had hit the go-ahead bomb in the top of the tenth off Bobby Jenks.

CASSELTON RALLIES, BUT THREE OTHER CLUBS ELIMINATED

ELIMINATION TIME?

HORNED TOADS DRAMATIC COMEBACK

Improbable league leader Mike Napoli slugged his BARB-leading 38th homer off Mariano Rivera, as the Horned Towns (down 5-1 in the eighth to the visiting Murlocs) rallied for four runs in the ninth to hang the previously-unblemished Madtown closer with his first blown save of the 2009 season and nearly his first in BARB play in a full year. Rivera (2-2, 1.33) had been 24-for-24 in save situations this year, and until August had not even been hung with a loss, but he came up short this time, making a winner of Sergio Romo (3-5, 2.55) in relief of starter John Lackey.

Napoli had a similar streak going the other way, an 0-for23 slump, but came up big in the ninth. Derek Lee started the inning with a single, and one out later Torii Hunter singled to put runners at the corners. Alex Rios doubled home a run, but Orlando Hudson grounded out slowly to short, Lee scoring. So with two down and two on, the Horned Toads turned to the slumping Napoli, but Rivera left a cutter up, and Napoli hit it out.

It was a big win for the Horned Toads, since a loss would’ve dropped them more than three games behind Central-leading Pottsylvania with 17 to play. The Murlocs, meanwhile, had to be shaking their heads after getting circuit shots from Dan Uggla, Prince Fielder and in general controlling this game for eight innings. To make matters worse, the loss made it official: at 48-74 (and 22 games back), new GM ‘Chops’ Braga and his club were officially eliminated from post-season play. But they were not alone! Read on:



YUMA 8, LOS ANGELES 6

WP: Roy Halladay (13-6, 2.59)
LP: Trevor Cahill (1-11, 7.89)
SV: Cordero (23)

Los Angeles scored three late runs on errors against Roy Halladay, but the hard-charging Firebirds still improved to 69-53, just two games back of West-leading Darwin, as they got a rare HR from SS Yunel Escobar and lots of gift-wrapped RBI situations (8 walks) from the chewed-up Flyers pitching staff. The loss officially eliminated the Flyers (46-82) from post-season play.

BLACK MESA 2, ST. FRANCIS 0

WP: Ted Lilly (7-6, 4.91)
LP: Jamie Moyer (6-12, 4.67)

Ted Lilly scattered just five hits in whitewashing the Friars, who got a good start (just one earned one) from 46-year-old Jamie Moyer in what might prove to be his swan song with St. Francis, who was frustrated that they were unable to peddle Moyer or fellow southpaw Randy Johnson in the stretch drive. Equally frustrating, though, for the Anomalies: the loss of 1B Justin Morneau to a season-ending condition requiring surgery.

In an unrelated move, the Friars formally competed a previously-agreed upon deal with the Brooklyn Moabs, sending backup C Ronnie Paulino to fill the spot of injured backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia in return for a player to be named.

TEXAS 5, DARWIN 4

WP: Colin Balester (5-5, 5.58)
LP: Zack Greinke (16-4, 3.07)
SV: Gonzalez (6)

Alfonso Soriano hit a grand slam off Zack Greinke in the third, then left the ballgame complaining of arm pain, to put a damper on what turned into an exciting contest in the final innings. The Finches made it interesting in the last two frames, scoring two runs against the new anointed Texas closer (Andrew Bailey), before Mike Gonzalez got Josh Hamilton to meekly ground out to ‘A-Rod’. Jonathan Sanchez worked five scoreless innings in relief of Greinke.

BROOKLYN 7, WORCESTER 2

WP: James Shields (9-10, 3.85)
LP: Adam Wainwright (8-7, 4.53)

Jason Bay’s team-leading 37th round-tripper made things interesting in the seventh with his club down 3-2, but the Moabs batted around against the Eliminators bullpen to take it to their sibling rival, improving to 74-60, just one game out of the wild-card picture thanks to an effort by James Shields that saw the Moabs starter reach the ninth before needing pen help

FROSTBITE FALLS 7, FRESNO 5

WP: Paul Maholm (11-10, 4.48)
LP: Andy Pettite (4-8, 5.79)
SV: Nathan (29)

Joe Nathan collected his BARB-leading 29th save of the season, Jayson Werth hit his 18th dong of the campaign, and Mark DeRosa and Albert Pujols each had three hits to lead Frostbite’s 14-hit attack on the road in Fresno. 3B David Wright, just off the DL, had four hits of his own in a losing cause for the Regulators, who at 66-68 were officially eliminated from post-season play.

ELIMINATIONS

CONTENDERS: INJURIES, MOVES

CONTENDERS: INJURIES, MOVES



BROOKLYN:

The Moabs have to be concerned with the health of their starting rotation. After Jon Lester (who is clearly now one of the best hurlers in the league), there are questions about Roy Oswalt and Scott Baker being available to pitchi in the post-season. Much will depend on rookies Chris Volstad and Ubaldo Jiminez, not a good sign. On the flip side, other than IF reserve Jed Lowrie and backup C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Moabs seem the picture of health in their regular lineup, and they are scoring runs. Will it be enough, though, to catch both Frostbite Falls and Worcester?

CASSELTON:

In a major blow, the Casselton Horned Toads have learned they will be without the leadership of ace LHP Johann Santana. Santana was not only tied with young John Danks for the team lead in wins (14), but had compiled a 3.39 ERA in 24 starts, eight of them complete games, to help keep the heat off a young pitching staff.

Veterans John Lackey and Joe Saunders will join just-activated RHP Carlos Zambrano in filling the void left by Santana's injury, but there can be no doubt this is a serious blow to the Horned Toads and their quest for a Central title: this has been a team that has gotten most of its mileage out of its pitching, rather than an average offense.

DARWIN:

The Finches have all but given up hope for OF Josh Hamilton having any impact this season, and switch-hitters Milton Bradley (clubhouse issues) and Chipper Jones (age, nagging injuries) don't inspire as much confidence now. Darwin, frankly, is having a hard time scoring runs and their bullpen has been a mess, wasting the team's best strength, starting pitching depth. And they have some tough decisions to make, with so many major-league eligibles getting healthy in the final two months: to play, bench, trade, release the mercurial Bradley, the troubled Khalil Greene, the aging Tim Wakefield and John Smoltz, the versatile but unproductive Mark Loretta?

Now, wading into this mess comes a trade with the Texas Tornadoes, and perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel for the Finches: for the price of two premium prospects (Steve Strasberg and Justin Smoak), Darwin has plucked closer Fernando Rodney, 1B James Loney and reliever Jose Valverde.

As usual, Texas GM Ronald Melkonian has his own take: "Texas has again boasted a young, upcoming pitching staff by adding Strasburg, who is being labeled as the best pitching prospect to ever to arrive through the draft. If Strasburg defies history, he will join a budding rotation which features: Javier Vazquez, Tommy Hanson, Mat Latos, and Derek Holland... With even young LHP Martin Perez waiting in the wings...in acquiring Smoak as well, he joins the rare, featured ranks of C Matt Wieters, SS Elvis Andrus, and OF Travis Snider in Texas, whose core of young, premium talent should carry this team to many championships down the road."

Certainly Valverde (3-0, 2.12 ERA in 15 G) and Rodney (9 saves in 28 G) are a bit of an upgrade for Darwin, and Loney is a nice player. But, again, three guys who have to be on a big-league roster, and not enough spots to go around. There are some players who are going to go by the waysides in the next few days, it seems . . .

FROSTBITE FALLS:

The Squirrels lost erratic LHP B.J. Ryan for the rest of the season, and are crossing their fingers on the health of IF Michael Young (knees). At the same time, they have been looking to dump 3B Edwin Encarnacion, OF Corey Hart and LHP Dennys Reyes. To plug the hole vacatated by Ryan's troubles, GM Andrew Haynes has called up relievers Chris Perez and Eric O'Flaherty, as well as OF David DeJesus. The Squirrels have also mulled taking Paul Maholm out of the rotation and going with four starters down the stretch, but so far have not made that move.

YUMA:

Concerned about the health of Jake Peavy and (especially) Kevin Slowey, The Yuma Firebirds dealt Slowey to Los Angeles along with RHP Jason Motte, LHP Cole Rohrbaugh, and prospect 1B Eric Hosmer. In exchange, the Birds picked up RHP Joe Blanton and LHP Leo Nunez.

"I'm tired of these god-forsaken injuries. We just can't shake this damn bug," said frustrated GM Billy Beane. Even though insiders have speculated that owner Chris Melkonian was never a huge Blanton fan, the team felt it was necessary to pick up the burly righty, who will pitch in the fourth spot behind Cain, bumping rookie Clay Buchholz out of the rotation. Nunez will be sent to AAA and with righty Chad Qualls having knee discomfort, Nunez might not be too far away from the show.

After an excellent spring, Motte pitched his way out of the organization, and with the acquisition of Votto and Butler's, Hosmer became expendable. Slowey's injury coupled with the rise of several top prospects (Matusz, Crow, Davis) made him expendable. The team will really miss the lefty Rohrbaugh though, "We liked him a lot. He's had problems with injuries and throwing strikes, but he's young with great stuff. We felt like he will be a dominant reliever in the near future," said Beane.

As for the Flyers, they feel that a healthy Slowey will be more than equal to the task of replacing Blanton in their rotation once his rehab is completed, and that Motte's high-90's gas could step right into their pen. According to GM Brian Chae, "the team sees him as a potential closer of the future, but he will serve as the primary right-handed set up man" for the time being. The Flyers were also high on Rohrbaugh, who has battled injuries, and on Hosmer, who was a 'can't miss' prospect in high school.

In other BARB action:

BROOKLYN 7, FROSTBITE FALLS 5 (1st game of DH)

WP: Matt Lindstrom (7-2, 4.04)
LP: Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.55)
SV: Rodriguez (26)

BROOKLYN 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 5 (2nd game of DH)

WP: Chris Volstad (8-11, 4.74)
LP: Felix Hernandez (8-9, 3.93)
SV: Rodriguez (27)

Miguel Cabrera went 6-for-8 with two doubles, a HR and 5 RBI in a twin bill on the road in Frostbite Falls, and Francisco Rodriguez worked an inning in consecutive ballgames for his BARB-leading 27th save, as the visiting Moabs swept host Frostbite Falls to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

DARWIN 8, LOS ANGELES 2

WP: Gil Meche (9-8, 4.06)
LP: Trevor Cahill (1-10, 7.63)

Josh Hamilton hit an RBI single and a two-run HR in his first two at-bats off the disabled list to lead the offense-starved Finches to eight runs in the first four frames, more than enough to seal the deal against the Flyers. One shadow on the silver cloud, though, was the fact that Gil Meche had to leave after just five innings with a strain, and may need to be placed on the DL.

WORCESTER 8, FRESNO 5

WP: Grant Balfour (8-1, 1.74)
LP: Andy Pettite (5-7, 5.48)
SV: Bell (10)

Joe Mauer, hitting .342, singled in the go-ahead run as part of a five-run eighth against Huston Street and the Regulators pen, and Mark Teixeira added his 30th bomb of the year to cap a rousing comeback against the visiting Regulators. Worcester (75-54) has now pulled back into sole command of the East race.

MADTOWN 5, POTTSYLVANIA 4

WP: Kerry Wood (6-4, 3.12)
LP: Jonathan Broxton (2-3, 3.29)
SV: Rivera (24)

Pinch-hitter Jason Kubel hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the eighth off a shocked Jonathan Broxton and the legendary Mariano Rivera made it stand up with a 1-2-3 ninth to best the Central-leading Creepers. Rivera is an incredible 24-for-24 in save situations this season, without a single blown save: how many more could he have tallied for another ball club?

BLACK MESA 8, CASSELTON 4

WP: Ted Lilly (6-6, 5.01)
LP: Ricky Nolasco (3-5, 5.43)
SV: Papelbon (25)

Justin Morneau homered twice, Vernon Wells added three hits and hard-luck pitcher Ted Lilly overcame a pair of errors by his teammates to help the Anomalies finish off a three-game sweep of the Horned Toads.

MARKAKIS GOES DEEP, SABATHIA GOES LONG AND YUMA PASSES DARWIN

MARKAKIS GOES DEEP, SABATHIA GOES LONG AND YUMA PASSES DARWIN

Yuma----Nick Markakis hit a pair of homers and was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in a six-run seventh, as the Yuma Firebirds backed ace C.C. Sabathia’s route-going performance with 17 hits in Yuma’s 12-3 shellacking of visiting Brooklyn, the sixth-straight triumph for the red-hot Firebirds.

It was a game with huge consequences: not only had the Firebirds finally caught and passed Darwin in the West, but they had dealt a terrible blow to Brooklyn by sweeping the series. After just edging the visiting Moabs by 4-3 scores in each of the first two games, Yuma brought out the whipping stick to drop Eric Caskey’s troops to five back in the East, and four back in the wild card race.

Sabathia (10-6, 4.46) came within two outs of getting his sixth complete game of the year, but needed help in the ninth after pinch-hitter Jacoby Ellsbury drove in a run. Other than that, though, this day belonged to him and Markakis, who had six ribbies on the day with a two-run shot off Roy Oswalt (11-7, 3.87), a bases-loaded plunking from Justin Masterson and a three-run poke courtesy of Micah Owings. Markakis left the game in the eighth still smarting from the drilling he’d received, with veteran Vladimir Guerrero coming off the bench (!) to play a little defense.

If Yuma (67-47, and winner of nine of their last ten) can keep up the pace, the prediction of GM Chris Melkonian of raising another flag will no doubt come true. The Finches, despite a great deal of pitching depth, have had problems scoring runs while the return of Guerrero and rookie sparkplug Denard Span has Yuma’s lineup hitting on all cylinders.

In other BARB action:



POTTSYLVANIA 7, TEXAS 2
WP: Mark Buehrle (11-4, 3.73)
LP: Colin Balester (4-5, 5.83)

Mark Buehrle went all the way for the fifth time this season, and got boundary belts from Garko, Huff and Ramirez to send the visiting Tornadoes to their sixth straight defeat as the audition for next year continues in Texas. The Creepers (67-53), for their part, swept Texas and GM Ronald Melkonian, but were only able to maintain a one-game lead in the Central over hard-charging Casselton.

ST. FRANCIS 4, LOS ANGELES 1
WP: Jamie Moyer (6-11, 4.86)
LP: Joe Blanton (7-12, 4.44)
SV: Sipp (1)

Rookie Tony Sipp notched his first-ever BARB save, Hank Blalock hit his 18th circuit shot of the year and 46-year-old Jamie Moyer went seven strong innings. With the trade deadline approaching, the veteran lefty has drawn no interest despite indications that the Friars would let him go for virtually nothing...so, perhaps, his future is closed.

FROSTBITE FALLS 9, BLACK MESA 2
WP: Tim Lincecum (12-8, 2.78)
LP: Wandy Rodriguez (5-16, 6.65)

Chris Iannetta drove in three runs and threw out two Anomalies baserunners to lead the Squirrels (72-54), who remain just one game back behind BARB-leading Worcester in the East race in total wins, and are effectively tied with Darwin for the wild card slot. Anomalies starter Wandy Rodriguez earned the unenviable distinction of being (by far) the loop's losingest pitcher, for a club that has just days to make a move on the trade market for next year.

DUNN A DILLY, JAX A DONE DEAL

DUNN HAS CAREER DAY AT FRESNO’S EXPENSE
DUNN HAS CAREER DAY AT FRESNO’S EXPENSE

Black Mesa—Adam Dunn homered in each of his first three at-bats, and just missed a fourth in the eighth, settling for an RBI triple off the wall in right-center to lead the Anomalies over the visiting Fresno Regulators, 12-5!


Dunn, mired in a season-long slump that saw him not hitting his weight, raised his average 15 points with four hits and 15 total bases, one of the best-ever single-game performances in league history! Dunn hit his first shot in the first to put Danny Haren (12-6, 3.70) down 3-0 without having recorded an out. Dunn then drew a walk leading off against Haren in the third, smacked a solo shot off Huston Street in the fifth and a two-run poke off Jeremy Affeldt in the seventh. In the eighth, Dunn’s bid for a fourth circuit shot fell just shy off going out, when he capped a three-run inning against Matt Capps with a triple to score Justin Morneau.

All in all, not a bad day’s work, making an easy winner of Glen Perkins (3-8, 4.73) and raising his overall numbers this season to .205, 18 HR and 53 RBI. Would Black Mesa consider moving Dunn or one of their other bats in a pennant race? Little is certain other than time is running out for BARB teams to make a move for the stretch!

ST. FRANCIS WINS GAME, LOSES JACKSON ON ROAD

Edwin Jackson, St. Francis’s usual ‘road warrior’, acquitted himself well in his 14th start on the road, besting the contending Casselton Horned Toads 5-3, but found himself headed for the airport instead of the showers: moments after being lifted by the Friars, Jackson was traded to the Los Angeles PF Flyers along with OF prospect Dexter Fowler for OF Carlos Quentin, OF Lastings Milledge and 3B Andy LaRoche.

Jackson (7-9, 5.04) has a fat ERA, but he has only had nine starts at home and a heavy workload in part to blame. Jackson has been asked to pitch in the 7th inning in more than half of had starts and has worked the 8th 11 times . . . and on top of that, has also worked twice in relief. Of regular starters, only a similarly-overtasked Joe Blanton (also with the Flyers) can point to such regular usage.

Meanwhile, the big name in the trade for St. Francis was Quentin (.229, 13 HR, 43 RBI), who has made only 72 starts in an injury-plagued year but is viewed by some scouts as a middle-of-the-order run producer whose best days are ahead of him. LaRoche (.120, 0 HR) and Milledge (7-for-20) have been odd-men out unable to win regular jobs with the Flyers despite once being highly-regarded prospects. They will get one last chance, in all probability, to establish themselves with an expansion team as woeful as the Pirates in ‘reality’.

As for Quentin, he scored twice in his final game in a Flyers ‘uni’, as Jim Thome hit a bases-loaded double off Chris Carpenter (8-2, 2.33) to back Joe Blanton’s (7-11, 4.51) complete-game effort in Los Angeles’s 5-2 win over visiting Pottsylvania. It was the first loss in eight starts and only the second loss in 17 outings for Carpenter, who has clearly reemerged from injuries as the ace of the Creepers.

In other BARB action:

YUMA 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 4
WP: C.C. Sabathia (9-6, 4.53)
LP: Tim Lincecum (11-8, 2.81)

C.C. Sabathia went all the way for his fifth complete game of the year, and Ryan Braun drove in four runs by the fourth with a sac fly and a HR, his 22nd of the season, to best hard-throwing Tim Lincecum and keep the Firebirds (62-47) within two games of West-leading Darwin.

DARWIN 8, WORCESTER 3
WP: Hideki Okajima (4-5, 3.69)
LP: Joba Chamberlain (10-10, 3.09)
SV: Gregg (14)

Chipper Jones had a pair of RBI singles off Chamberlain, and long-neglected David Ortiz came off the bench to hit a three-run pinch-homer off reliever Mark Lowe to send the Eliminators (69-52) down in defeat and keep Worcester in a tie for first in the East with Frostbite Falls.

DUNN DEAL