EAST STILL THE BEAST
YUMA ---The wild-card winning Squirrels took a 2-0 lead in their series with host Yuma, while the East-winning Worcester Eliminators postponed their elimination with a solid win over Central champion Casselton, as Eastern clubs showed why they are still in “the division of death.”
FROSTBITE FALLS 6, YUMA 5
WP: Cole Hamels (1-0, 4.26)
LP: Roy Halladay (0-1, 7.71)
BARB postseason kingpin Albert Pujols added another line to his legend in this league, smacking a pair of home runs off Yuma ace Roy Halladay to spark a twelve-hit attack, and the Squirrels pen held off a late Yuma rally to take a 2-0 lead in their series with the defending world champs.
Pujols was not a factor early, getting hit by a pitch with two down in the first (!). But, in the second, Evan Longoria hit a one-out bomb over a leaping Denard Span for the first run of the game. Jason Heyward and Jose Reyes followed with one-out singles, and Col e Hamels sacrificed the pair into scoring position. Carlos Beltran then plated both with a double over the head of Yuma 2B Brian Roberts.
Pujols added to Frostbite Falls’ total by leading off the third with his first bomb of the game, and his teammates would bunch three singles together to add a run: by the middle of the fifth, the Squirrels led, 5-0. In the bottom of the inning, Yuma finally got some headway against Hamels, who had only allowed a double to Span in the first four frames. Hamels retired Buster Posey (who was hitless in the game), but Markakis and Escobar got ahead in the count and hammered fastballs over the wall, a pair of solo shots. Roy Halladay hit a fastball over the plate for a single, and Span slashed one in the gap that placed Yuma’s ace (hustling all the way) at third base. Roberts then hit a can of corn to Beltran that was deep enough to score Halladay. Ryan Braun flew out, but Yuma had gotten back into the game with a three-run inning:
FROSTBITE FALLS 5, YUMA 3!
As good as Halladay is, however, he couldn’t solve Pujols. ‘Prince Albert’ smacked an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left for his second round-tripper of the contest, and the Squirrels had a 6-3 lead. Nick Masset and Jason Frasor held the fort down for their part in the late innings, setting up a dramatic ninth. Nick Markakis lined a single up the middle to being the ninth, putting the tying run in the on-deck circle and chasing Frasor. Joakim Soria, who had 24 saves in the regular season, relieved Frasor, but was greeted by a bullet double off the bat of Yunel Escobar, sending Markakis to third.
Yuma called up Adam Jones to pinch-hit for reliever Ryan Madson. Jones hit a slow roller to Zimmerman at third, but with Markakis running on contact, the only play was at first. Jones was out, but a run had scored: FROSTBITE FALLS 6, YUMA 4. . .!
Leadoff man Denard Span flew out harmlessly to Werth in left, bringing up Brian Roberts. The banged-up Yuma 2B had hit .253 with virtually no extra-base hits in a season largely lost due to injury, appearing in only 29 games. This time, however, Roberts delivered a solid single, slapping the first pitch under the glove of Soria, scoring Escobar! A one-run game, and Ryan Braun at the plate. On the first pitch to Braun, Roberts took off. STRIKE! Called to Braun, but Schneider’s throw to second tailed away from the runner, Roberts was safe, and the tying run was just 90 feet away.
Soria’s 0-2 pitch…..
…..swung on and missed, strike three! Ball game! The wild-card Squirrels had taken a 2-0 series lead and would now take the series home to Frostbite Falls.
WORCESTER 8, CASSELTON 3
WP: Ryan Dempster (1-0, 3.68)
LP: Carlos Zambrano (0-1, 11.57)
SV: Moylan (1)
Nolan Reimold and Robinson Cano both homered early on, and Ryan Dempster took a shutout into the eighth before needing help from Peter Moylan as the Eastern champion Elims, down two games to none, forced a fourth game on the road in Casselton.
Reimold, who hit just .235 in the regular season, with 11 HR in 125 games, was the unlikeliest of saviors for the Eliminators, who can field a lineup with eight .300 hitters. But through the first three games of the series the rookie RF had two hits in every game and a .667 average. He and Cano both connected on 3-1 pitches from Carlos Zambrano, who would labor into the fifth unable to locate his sinker. Superstar C Joe Mauer ( .352 and a batting title) would knock out ‘Big Z’ for good with an RBI double, and after five innings Worcester led, 6-0.
Dempster, meanwhile, was on cruise control through seven frames, scattering four singles. The Worcester brain trust, having watched Heath Bell struggle in the first two games, were eager to get as much out of Dempster as possible, and sent him out having hurled 97 pitches. But SS J.J. Hardy and Justin Upton both hit 1-0 pitches out of the ballpark to plate three runs, and the Eliminators called upon setup man Peter Moylan with two down in the eighth rather than call early on Mariano Rivera…an interesting call!
As it happened, Moylan made the Worcester saucemakers look like master chefs, getting Torri Hunter and Casey McGeehee with the tying run in the on-deck circle. Worcester LF Carl Crawford helped engineer some insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a walk and a stolen base, and with an 8-3 lead Moylan was allowed to finish the game off rather than burn up Rivera’s arm. Pinch-hitter Jay Bruce hit a ground ball to Hanley Ramirez to double up Mike Napoli, and that was that. Worcester would survive to play another game on the road, getting a chance to perhaps extend the Series and force a fifth game.
YUMA ---The wild-card winning Squirrels took a 2-0 lead in their series with host Yuma, while the East-winning Worcester Eliminators postponed their elimination with a solid win over Central champion Casselton, as Eastern clubs showed why they are still in “the division of death.”
FROSTBITE FALLS 6, YUMA 5
WP: Cole Hamels (1-0, 4.26)
LP: Roy Halladay (0-1, 7.71)
BARB postseason kingpin Albert Pujols added another line to his legend in this league, smacking a pair of home runs off Yuma ace Roy Halladay to spark a twelve-hit attack, and the Squirrels pen held off a late Yuma rally to take a 2-0 lead in their series with the defending world champs.
Pujols was not a factor early, getting hit by a pitch with two down in the first (!). But, in the second, Evan Longoria hit a one-out bomb over a leaping Denard Span for the first run of the game. Jason Heyward and Jose Reyes followed with one-out singles, and Col e Hamels sacrificed the pair into scoring position. Carlos Beltran then plated both with a double over the head of Yuma 2B Brian Roberts.
Pujols added to Frostbite Falls’ total by leading off the third with his first bomb of the game, and his teammates would bunch three singles together to add a run: by the middle of the fifth, the Squirrels led, 5-0. In the bottom of the inning, Yuma finally got some headway against Hamels, who had only allowed a double to Span in the first four frames. Hamels retired Buster Posey (who was hitless in the game), but Markakis and Escobar got ahead in the count and hammered fastballs over the wall, a pair of solo shots. Roy Halladay hit a fastball over the plate for a single, and Span slashed one in the gap that placed Yuma’s ace (hustling all the way) at third base. Roberts then hit a can of corn to Beltran that was deep enough to score Halladay. Ryan Braun flew out, but Yuma had gotten back into the game with a three-run inning:
FROSTBITE FALLS 5, YUMA 3!
As good as Halladay is, however, he couldn’t solve Pujols. ‘Prince Albert’ smacked an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left for his second round-tripper of the contest, and the Squirrels had a 6-3 lead. Nick Masset and Jason Frasor held the fort down for their part in the late innings, setting up a dramatic ninth. Nick Markakis lined a single up the middle to being the ninth, putting the tying run in the on-deck circle and chasing Frasor. Joakim Soria, who had 24 saves in the regular season, relieved Frasor, but was greeted by a bullet double off the bat of Yunel Escobar, sending Markakis to third.
Yuma called up Adam Jones to pinch-hit for reliever Ryan Madson. Jones hit a slow roller to Zimmerman at third, but with Markakis running on contact, the only play was at first. Jones was out, but a run had scored: FROSTBITE FALLS 6, YUMA 4. . .!
Leadoff man Denard Span flew out harmlessly to Werth in left, bringing up Brian Roberts. The banged-up Yuma 2B had hit .253 with virtually no extra-base hits in a season largely lost due to injury, appearing in only 29 games. This time, however, Roberts delivered a solid single, slapping the first pitch under the glove of Soria, scoring Escobar! A one-run game, and Ryan Braun at the plate. On the first pitch to Braun, Roberts took off. STRIKE! Called to Braun, but Schneider’s throw to second tailed away from the runner, Roberts was safe, and the tying run was just 90 feet away.
Soria’s 0-2 pitch…..
…..swung on and missed, strike three! Ball game! The wild-card Squirrels had taken a 2-0 series lead and would now take the series home to Frostbite Falls.
WORCESTER 8, CASSELTON 3
WP: Ryan Dempster (1-0, 3.68)
LP: Carlos Zambrano (0-1, 11.57)
SV: Moylan (1)
Nolan Reimold and Robinson Cano both homered early on, and Ryan Dempster took a shutout into the eighth before needing help from Peter Moylan as the Eastern champion Elims, down two games to none, forced a fourth game on the road in Casselton.
Reimold, who hit just .235 in the regular season, with 11 HR in 125 games, was the unlikeliest of saviors for the Eliminators, who can field a lineup with eight .300 hitters. But through the first three games of the series the rookie RF had two hits in every game and a .667 average. He and Cano both connected on 3-1 pitches from Carlos Zambrano, who would labor into the fifth unable to locate his sinker. Superstar C Joe Mauer ( .352 and a batting title) would knock out ‘Big Z’ for good with an RBI double, and after five innings Worcester led, 6-0.
Dempster, meanwhile, was on cruise control through seven frames, scattering four singles. The Worcester brain trust, having watched Heath Bell struggle in the first two games, were eager to get as much out of Dempster as possible, and sent him out having hurled 97 pitches. But SS J.J. Hardy and Justin Upton both hit 1-0 pitches out of the ballpark to plate three runs, and the Eliminators called upon setup man Peter Moylan with two down in the eighth rather than call early on Mariano Rivera…an interesting call!
As it happened, Moylan made the Worcester saucemakers look like master chefs, getting Torri Hunter and Casey McGeehee with the tying run in the on-deck circle. Worcester LF Carl Crawford helped engineer some insurance runs in the top of the ninth with a walk and a stolen base, and with an 8-3 lead Moylan was allowed to finish the game off rather than burn up Rivera’s arm. Pinch-hitter Jay Bruce hit a ground ball to Hanley Ramirez to double up Mike Napoli, and that was that. Worcester would survive to play another game on the road, getting a chance to perhaps extend the Series and force a fifth game.
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