SQUIRRELS ON TOP EARLY

The juggernaut which is Andrew Haynes's club continues to roll, winning for the ninth time in the last ten games, and building a strong early lead in the ultra-competitive East. As the saying goes, you can't win it in April, but you sure can lose it. Brooklyn, Darwin and Worcester are all looking up---again.

FROSTBITE FALLS 10, LEXINGTON 7

WP: Tony Pena (1-0, 4.42)
LP: Francisco Cordero (2-1, 4.05)
SV: Nathan (7)

A Michael Young error on a Luis Castillo grounder triggered a four-run fifth, allowing the Rebels to tie the score, but the Squirrels got the last laugh, scoring four times off Cordero and Ryan Madson to win a battle of the bullpens, joining Yuma as the first BARB club to win 17 games.

YUMA 12, WORCESTER 3

WP: Roy Halladay (1-2, 4.20)
LP: Tim Hudson (0-1, 4.74)

Previously-winless Roy Halladay went all the way, pitching a complete game to spoil Tim Hudson’s debut outing with his new club, as the Firebirds batted around in the second after a costly error by SS Hanley Ramirez. Travis Hafner, hitting below .200, had a big game, scoring three times and driving in a pair with a triple to lead the Firebirds’ 17-hit attack.

DARWIN 5, CASSELTON 2 (1st game of DH)

WP: John Smoltz (3-0, 1.26)
LP: Aaron Harang (0-4, 4.20)
SV: Putz (2)

DARWIN 10, CASSELTON 4 (2nd game of DH)

WP: Oliver Perez (1-0, 3.23)
LP: Barry Zito (1-4, 6.59)

The Finches swept the beleaguered Horned Toads, but got bad news when John Smoltz came up lame in the fifth of the opener, which led to the 40-year-old righthander being placed back on the disabled list having made only four starts, which was still good enough to edge Casselton horse Aaron Harang on DH David Ortiz’s sixth-inning, bases-loaded single.

Interestingly enough, in the nightcap Ortiz did not start and Chipper Jones was the DH, giving just-activated IF Ty Wiggington a start, and Placido Polanco knocked out Zito in the second with a grand slam. Once the Finches got into Daniel Cabrera, the rout was on.

BROOKLYN 7, BLACK MESA 6

WP: Roy Oswalt (3-2, 3.76)
LP: Justin Verlander (2-2, 5.68)
SV: Rodriguez (7)

Brooklyn scored six early runs for Roy Oswalt, keyed by Curtis Granderson’s first homer of the year, a three-run shot, but the Moabs had to hold their breath in the ninth when closer Francisco Rodriguez allowed two runs to score and put two more runners on before inducing a game-ending double-play ball from pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui, as the Moabs held on to win on the road in Black Mesa.

LAS VEGAS 11, S-MART 7

WP: Jered Weaver (2-1, 4.56)
LP: James Shields (1-3, 4.41)

Prince Fielder hit his BARB-leading 12th home run of the season, and was one of six Luchadores who had two or more hits against S-Mart pitching, as the visiting Las Vegans won a slugfest on the road in S-Mart. Andre Ethier had four hits from the leadoff spot in a losing cause to keep things close, but in the end this game came down to power. Vegas has now won seven of their last ten to move within one game of .500.