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 . . .