GAME DAY 88

DARWIN 9, BROOKLYN 0 (1^st game of DH)

WP: Jonathan Sanchez (1-0, 7.45)
LP: Micah Owings (6-4, 4.74)

DARWIN 7, BROOKLYN 6 (2^nd game of DH)

WP: Kevin Gregg (4-3, 3.43)
LP: Francisco Rodriguez (1-2, 2.20)

Finally given a chance to start after 23 relief outings, rookie lefthander Jonathan Sanchez put up zeroes for seven frames to earn his first-ever BARB victory, partnering with Brandon Lyon on a seven-hit shutout in the first half of a twinight doubleheader on the road in Brooklyn. In the second game, the Finches blew a 4-1 lead after five, but Chipper Jones homered leading off the top of the ninth to tie the game and the Unnatural Selections scratched out a go-ahead run off ‘F-Rod’ when Milton Bradley singled, stole second and scored on a hit-and-run liner off the bat of Cristian Guzman. Kevin Gregg, who had allowed a go-ahead double to Ryan Howard in the bottom of the eighth, ‘vultured’ a win for the sweep. With the win, Darwin (48-34) now leads by the East by 2.5 games.

WORCESTER 4, FROSTBITE FALLS 2

WP: Brandon Morrow (1-1, 8.44)
LP: Joakim Soria (1-4, 3.13)
SV: Bell (6)

Tim Lincecum fanned a season-high 12 and took a shutout into the ninth, but the visiting Eliminators cashed in a rare error by Carlos Pena and an RBI triple by Grady Sizemore to tie the contest in the ninth, then won it in the top of the tenth on a two-run homer off the bat of Hanley Ramirez, his ninth of the season. Worcester (46-37) has a 23-16 mark since June 1^st, the best mark over that stretch for any BARB club.

LAS VEGAS 3, S-MART 1

WP: Jered Weaver (7-5, 3.57)
LP: James Shields (8-5, 4.02)
SV: Gagne (2)

Ramon Hernandez hit a two-run double and Matt Holliday added his 20^th HR of the season, a solo shot, as the Luchadores rallied for three late runs. Las Vegas (44-41) is below .500 since June 1^st, but owns the biggest lead of any division leader (3.5 games) due to the moribund nature of the Central Division.

POTTSYLVANIA 10, OAKEYLAND 9

WP: Brad Thompson (2-1, 6.69)
LP: Bobby Howry (4-1, 3.57)

Brad Thompson worked four innings of one-hit relief for Cliff Lee, Jose Reyes and Ryan Theriot each had three hits and the Creepers collected 15 safeties overall in overcoming a 9-2 deficit in front of the home crowd. Pottsylvania (35-51) thereby kept themselves from falling into the Central Division (and thus, the entire league’s) cellar. The hapless Ballers, seemingly bereft of leadership at the top, have lost 15 of their last 20.

YUMA 9, LEXINGTON 5

WP: Matt Capps (2-1, 2.41)
LP: Jensen Lewis (1-1, 2.93)

Matt Capps blew a save opportunity in the bottom of the eighth, but after his teammates rallied for two runs in the top of the inning, was given a chance to hit and added a two-run single to cap a four-run rally as the Firebirds (47-41) pulled within one game of their arch-rivals in Lexington.

Oddity: if the season were to end today, the Firebirds would not only not make the playoffs, they would have their highest-ever draft position (6^th) since GM Chris Melkonian began his Western reign.