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.