Down Under----Last year’s winningest BARB club, the Darwin Finches, were blindsided today by the fickle hand of fate—yet still pulled out a 1-0 pitcher’s duel against last year’s wild card-winning Brooklyn Moabs with a franchise-record 16 strikeouts by young lefthander Clayton Kershaw.
Before the game, the Finches learned that the troubled Milton Bradley would be placed on the ‘unable-to-perform’ list due to emotional problems. Bradley, the starting right fielder, would be joined by lefty setup man Franklin Morales and backup IF Maizer Izturis, seriously cutting into Darwin’s bench strength.
But, realistically, the way Kershaw (3-3, 2.87) pitched on Game Day 30 it wouldn’t have mattered who the offensively-challenged Finches would’ve put out there. The southpaw was completely dominant in a duel with Scott Baker, taking advantage of Brooklyn’s lefty-laded lineup, fanning struggling (.163) 2B Chase Utley and backup C Alex Avila three times apiece. Control often a problem for Kershaw, was no issue this time: the only walk was a two-out job to Shane Victorino, but Darwin’s starter promptly picked Victorino out to end the third.
With 105 pitches in the game, the youngster finally allowed a loudly-hit ball, as Mark Teahen banged a double over the head of Josh Hamilton with two down. But Victorino agaiin obliged Kershaw, slapping an 0-1 breaking pitch right to Ben Zobrist to end the eighth inning. Not known for his durability, Kershaw was nevertheless allowed to come on in the top of the ninth, having long since outlasted Baker. As a sign of his dominance, Kershaw finished with a flourish, keeping the game scoreless by striking out the side!
In the bottom of the ninth, the Finches finally gave Kershaw something to cheer about, as well. Billy Wagner (1-2, 1.80) hit pinch-hitter Miguel Olivo to open the inning. 1B James Loney struck out trying to advance pinch-runner Aaron Rowand, and on the next pitch Wagner picked Rowand off....but Ryan Howard’s relay to Utley went into center field! David Ortiz’s bid for a double landed in Andrew McCutcheon’s glove instead for the second out, but with his back to the infield he had no shot at Rowand, who clipped over to third. Wagner’s control failed him again, as he bounced a slider away from Avila, and Rowand scored the game’s only run on a WILD PITCH......Darwin wins, 1-0!
In other BARB action:
LOS ANGELES 6, ARIZONA 5 (11 innings)
WP: Jason Motte (1-0, 8.03)
LP: Andrew Bailey (1-1, 1.29)
SV: Downs (3)
Luke Scott, on the bubble to keep a roster spot despite the parent club’s thin bench, drilled a two-run shot in the top of the eleventh, then tagged out Howie Kendrick for the final out in the bottom of the frame to key the Flyers first extra-inning win of the season.
POTTSYLVANIA 7, ST. FRANCIS 6
WP: Armando Gallaraga (1-2, 7.13)
LP: Jason Vargas (0-1, 15.75)
SV: Delcarmen (1)
The Creepers scored six runs in the first three frames against young Jason Vargas, but would need a solid ninth from, of all people, Manny Delcarmen to hold off a late rally keyed by long balls by Ben Zobrist and Carlos Quentin. Journeyman Armando Gallaraga made the most of his fourth start of the year, allowing just four runs in six-plus frames in his bid to replace traded Yovanni Gallardo as the club’s fifth starter.
YUMA 2, WORCESTER 1 (10 innings)
WP: Francisco Cordero (2-1, 5.40)
LP: Philip Hughes (1-1, 2.57)
Nick Markakis had three hits and drove in both of the Firebirds runs, including the winner with two out in the bottom of the tenth with an RBI single, as the defending world champs dropped the visiting Eliminators to below .500 (11-12) and continued their early-season heroics in extra frames, improving to 4-0 in contests that went ten or more innings. What a contrast with last season, when Yuma started slowly and was six games out in late May due to bullpen problems!
BLACK MESA 7, FROSTBITE FALLS 6
WP: Jonathan Papelbon(1-2, 3.95)
LP: Nick Masset (2-1, 2.45)
SV: Rosa (2)
Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer to knock out Paul Maholm, and Ian Kinsler smacked his second of the year off reliever Nick Masset to bail out an uneven Jonathan Papelbon, as the Anomalies won their first series of the year by taking two of three from the always-competitive Squirrels.
WEIRD STAT OF THE MONTH, SO FAR
The East has always been the dominant division in this league, and yet . . .
Yuma has two of the last three world championships.
Darwin had posted the league’s winningest mark in two of the last three seasons, and used to be in the Eastern Division.
Madtown, at 18-12, is two years removed from back-to-back titles in the Central, albeit with mediocre records, and they are arguably this year’s surprise team.
Even Black Mesa, with four wins in their last seven, have been hot.
And how have they done against the East? So far, the Western Division clubs are a combined 9-2 against the East, which is 46-41 against everyone else. What does this mean? This early, probably not that much, but it is pretty weird to look up at the end of May and see the East with a combined 48-50 mark against the rest of the league.
Go figure!
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