SABATHIA'S GEM, TEXAS'S GM

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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.