WORLDS COLLIDE, WORCESTER TAKE REINS 
Casselton-----Boasting the loop's best record through 80 games with a 50-30 mark, the Central Division-leading Horned Toads hosted a three-game set against Eastern frontrunner Worcester,only to see the visiting Eliminators exploit their biggest weakness en route to a series sweep!
In the opener, ace Adam Wainwright (8-3, 3.91) took the hill for the Eliminators, but would not figure in the decision when a throwing error by Jason Bay helped trigger a four-run sixth, and give J.A. Happ (1-1, 4.56) a 4-3 lead after seven innings. But Worcester's powerhouse offense(more on that later) scored four times in the top of the ninth off the Casselton pen, including a bases-loaded double for Hanley Ramirez and a game-clinching, save-blowing two-run single off Bobby Jenks by Mark Teixeira. In the bottom of the frame, the great Mariano Rivera came on to collect his 20th save of the year, sending Ramon Ramirez (1-2, 4.80) and his Casselton teammates to a 7-4 loss!
In the second game, Brandon Morrow (7-4, 5.90) struck out nine in outdueling veteran Johann Santana (7-4, 4.26), but it was only 2-1 going into the sixth, where this time it was Joe Mauer who tormented the Casselton pen. Mauer hit his second HR of the game against reliever Dennis O'Day, one of three round-trippers ultimately surrendered late in the ballgame, and Morrow and the Elims would go on to win rather handily, 7-1!
With the second win, Worcester not only guaranteed a series win, but also moved ahead of Casselton in terms of total wins with 51....a sweep would move them to 52, and send a powerful message to the rest of the league that the club that had led BARB in wins for much of 2009 was back on all cylinders.
And that, in fact, is just what happened! This third game matched up Ryan Dempster (9-5,4.05) with John Danks (6-4, 3.99). Just as in other games, this affair stayed close thanks in part to solo HR by Casselton stars Jose Lopez and Justin Upton. But, in the top of eighth, Ramirez hit an RBI double off Brad Ziegler to provide a 3-1 edge. Rivera was summoned yet again after Lopez hit his blast with two out in the bottom of the eighth, and he retired the last four hitters to collect his 21st save and seal the deal for his red-hot club: WORCESTER 3, CASSELTON 2!
ELIMS, TOADS EYE EACH OTHER'S ROSTERS
No club is hotter on offense right now than Worcester, with four of the top ten regulars in batting being Eliminators: C Joe Mauer (.347), 2B Robinson Cano (.328) and SS Hanley Ramirez (.313) are all forces to be reckoned with, and LF Carl Crawford has recently ridden a BARB-leading 21-game hitting streak to a .344 average. The recent promotion of OF Delmon Young has also given the club a significant boost....and yet insiders remain concerned.
Casselton-----Boasting the loop's best record through 80 games with a 50-30 mark, the Central Division-leading Horned Toads hosted a three-game set against Eastern frontrunner Worcester,only to see the visiting Eliminators exploit their biggest weakness en route to a series sweep!
In the opener, ace Adam Wainwright (8-3, 3.91) took the hill for the Eliminators, but would not figure in the decision when a throwing error by Jason Bay helped trigger a four-run sixth, and give J.A. Happ (1-1, 4.56) a 4-3 lead after seven innings. But Worcester's powerhouse offense(more on that later) scored four times in the top of the ninth off the Casselton pen, including a bases-loaded double for Hanley Ramirez and a game-clinching, save-blowing two-run single off Bobby Jenks by Mark Teixeira. In the bottom of the frame, the great Mariano Rivera came on to collect his 20th save of the year, sending Ramon Ramirez (1-2, 4.80) and his Casselton teammates to a 7-4 loss!
In the second game, Brandon Morrow (7-4, 5.90) struck out nine in outdueling veteran Johann Santana (7-4, 4.26), but it was only 2-1 going into the sixth, where this time it was Joe Mauer who tormented the Casselton pen. Mauer hit his second HR of the game against reliever Dennis O'Day, one of three round-trippers ultimately surrendered late in the ballgame, and Morrow and the Elims would go on to win rather handily, 7-1!
With the second win, Worcester not only guaranteed a series win, but also moved ahead of Casselton in terms of total wins with 51....a sweep would move them to 52, and send a powerful message to the rest of the league that the club that had led BARB in wins for much of 2009 was back on all cylinders.
And that, in fact, is just what happened! This third game matched up Ryan Dempster (9-5,4.05) with John Danks (6-4, 3.99). Just as in other games, this affair stayed close thanks in part to solo HR by Casselton stars Jose Lopez and Justin Upton. But, in the top of eighth, Ramirez hit an RBI double off Brad Ziegler to provide a 3-1 edge. Rivera was summoned yet again after Lopez hit his blast with two out in the bottom of the eighth, and he retired the last four hitters to collect his 21st save and seal the deal for his red-hot club: WORCESTER 3, CASSELTON 2!
ELIMS, TOADS EYE EACH OTHER'S ROSTERS
No club is hotter on offense right now than Worcester, with four of the top ten regulars in batting being Eliminators: C Joe Mauer (.347), 2B Robinson Cano (.328) and SS Hanley Ramirez (.313) are all forces to be reckoned with, and LF Carl Crawford has recently ridden a BARB-leading 21-game hitting streak to a .344 average. The recent promotion of OF Delmon Young has also given the club a significant boost....and yet insiders remain concerned.
A season-ending injury to CF Grady Sizemore has been the only blip on the health department so far, but the system lacks depth throughout. Other than 1B Ike Davis, the club has no blue chip prospects to deal and their bench is thin. If a regular player goes down for any length of time, that could trigger a domino effect through their lineup. It was not hard to imagine club officials looking across the way at Casselton's bench and coveting versatile players like Michael Cuddyer or Jorge Cantu.
Meanwhile, Casselton's 50-33 mark is no fluke. They are clearly playing better than the rest of their rivals in the Central, and barring a historic collapse, seem likely to earn their first-ever playoff spot this year after the recent flurry of 'white flag' trades from rival Central clubs. But they, too, have a key weakness highlighted by this series: outside of heavily-used setup man Mike Adams, their bullpen has become a demilitarized zone. Bobby Jenks, despite a sub-3.00 ERA, is no longer dominating opposing clubs and he has a total of just 8 saves. What might this club's management be willing to do to acquire a player like Heath Bell, currently playing setup man for Mariano Rivera but very able to close?
SUZUKI WHEELED OUT AGAIN
"Oh, for crying out loud!" The sound of Kurt Suzuki's normally soft-spoken voice crackled through Oakland's clubhouse, where it had just been announced that Suzuki (who began the year in a Los Angeles uniform) has been swapped for the second time in less than two weeks.
Oakland's 'catcher of the future' is now just another former backstop, having been acquired by the Madtown Murlocs along with pitching prospect Mike Leake. Murlocs GM Jeff Braga immediately assigned Leake to AAA and issued a press release indicating that Suzuki would displace the out-of-favor Chris Ianetta as backup to starter Ramon Hernandez, and that Ianetta would join Leake in AAA. To acquire Sukuki, the Murlocs have sent a pair of young pitching prospects (LHP Madison Bumgardner and RHP Tim Alderson) to the Oakland ballclub.....which immediately began discussions behind the scenes to acquire yet another catcher.
Suzuki wasted no time in leaving Oakland's clubhouse or so much as hugging a teammate, as it was doubtful he was there long enough to learn everyone's name, much less forge a relationship. Suzuki hit .286 (4-for-14) in four games with United, including a two-run double against Brooklyn. "I just can't believe this is happening," muttered the departing catcher. "I just got a real estate agent...! Now what???!?!"
In other BARB action:
FROSTBITE FALLS 3, ST. FRANCIS 0
WP: Paul Maholm (2-4, 4.94)
LP: Bronson Arroyo (4-6, 4.70)
Paul Maholm, who once twirled a postseason shutout, came up big again as the Squirrels fifth starter, going all the way to blank host St. Francis....but he wasn't the story! The big news was losing pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who took a no-hitter into eighth despite trailing 1-0. Arroyo gave up a single to Adam Lind leading off the eighth and was taken out of the game the losing pitcher, yet received a standing ovation from the crowd for his effort.
Albert Pujols came on in the third and hit a two-run HR off Pedro Feliciano to ice the game for Maholm. It was the 1B's team- leading 28th HR of the season.... and the 133rd blast of the season for a Squirrels batter. Frostbite Falls, unsurprisingly, leads all BARB clubs in round-trippers.
ARIZONA 10, OAKLAND 2
WP: Steven Strasberg (3-2, 3.82)
LP: Derek Lowe (5-9, 5.92)
Andre Ethier hit two of the five home runs collected by the Thunder in annihilating Derek Lowe and the visiting United ballclub. Adrian Gonzalez (26), Alex Rodriguez (24) and Miguel Montero (5) also added bombs to back the six shutout offerings of rookie Steven Strasberg, who continues to impress with high 90's heat after being added to the Thunder rotation.
YUMA 9, BLACK MESA 5
WP: Brian Matusz (1-1, 6.00)
LP: Erwin Santana (2-6, 6.75)
SV: Thornton (4)
Joey Votto had three hits, including a three-run HR (his 15th of the year), and the Firebirds added two more boundary belts off disappointing Anomalies starter Erwin Santana before the club finally pulled the ineffective righty off the mound in the fourth. Rookie Brian Matusz, getting a start with Jake Peavy sidelined, helped his own cause with a pair of singles in three trips to earn his first-ever BARB triumph.
Meanwhile, Casselton's 50-33 mark is no fluke. They are clearly playing better than the rest of their rivals in the Central, and barring a historic collapse, seem likely to earn their first-ever playoff spot this year after the recent flurry of 'white flag' trades from rival Central clubs. But they, too, have a key weakness highlighted by this series: outside of heavily-used setup man Mike Adams, their bullpen has become a demilitarized zone. Bobby Jenks, despite a sub-3.00 ERA, is no longer dominating opposing clubs and he has a total of just 8 saves. What might this club's management be willing to do to acquire a player like Heath Bell, currently playing setup man for Mariano Rivera but very able to close?
SUZUKI WHEELED OUT AGAIN
"Oh, for crying out loud!" The sound of Kurt Suzuki's normally soft-spoken voice crackled through Oakland's clubhouse, where it had just been announced that Suzuki (who began the year in a Los Angeles uniform) has been swapped for the second time in less than two weeks.
Oakland's 'catcher of the future' is now just another former backstop, having been acquired by the Madtown Murlocs along with pitching prospect Mike Leake. Murlocs GM Jeff Braga immediately assigned Leake to AAA and issued a press release indicating that Suzuki would displace the out-of-favor Chris Ianetta as backup to starter Ramon Hernandez, and that Ianetta would join Leake in AAA. To acquire Sukuki, the Murlocs have sent a pair of young pitching prospects (LHP Madison Bumgardner and RHP Tim Alderson) to the Oakland ballclub.....which immediately began discussions behind the scenes to acquire yet another catcher.
Suzuki wasted no time in leaving Oakland's clubhouse or so much as hugging a teammate, as it was doubtful he was there long enough to learn everyone's name, much less forge a relationship. Suzuki hit .286 (4-for-14) in four games with United, including a two-run double against Brooklyn. "I just can't believe this is happening," muttered the departing catcher. "I just got a real estate agent...! Now what???!?!"
In other BARB action:
FROSTBITE FALLS 3, ST. FRANCIS 0
WP: Paul Maholm (2-4, 4.94)
LP: Bronson Arroyo (4-6, 4.70)
Paul Maholm, who once twirled a postseason shutout, came up big again as the Squirrels fifth starter, going all the way to blank host St. Francis....but he wasn't the story! The big news was losing pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who took a no-hitter into eighth despite trailing 1-0. Arroyo gave up a single to Adam Lind leading off the eighth and was taken out of the game the losing pitcher, yet received a standing ovation from the crowd for his effort.
Albert Pujols came on in the third and hit a two-run HR off Pedro Feliciano to ice the game for Maholm. It was the 1B's team- leading 28th HR of the season.... and the 133rd blast of the season for a Squirrels batter. Frostbite Falls, unsurprisingly, leads all BARB clubs in round-trippers.
ARIZONA 10, OAKLAND 2
WP: Steven Strasberg (3-2, 3.82)
LP: Derek Lowe (5-9, 5.92)
Andre Ethier hit two of the five home runs collected by the Thunder in annihilating Derek Lowe and the visiting United ballclub. Adrian Gonzalez (26), Alex Rodriguez (24) and Miguel Montero (5) also added bombs to back the six shutout offerings of rookie Steven Strasberg, who continues to impress with high 90's heat after being added to the Thunder rotation.
YUMA 9, BLACK MESA 5
WP: Brian Matusz (1-1, 6.00)
LP: Erwin Santana (2-6, 6.75)
SV: Thornton (4)
Joey Votto had three hits, including a three-run HR (his 15th of the year), and the Firebirds added two more boundary belts off disappointing Anomalies starter Erwin Santana before the club finally pulled the ineffective righty off the mound in the fourth. Rookie Brian Matusz, getting a start with Jake Peavy sidelined, helped his own cause with a pair of singles in three trips to earn his first-ever BARB triumph.
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