AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR

In a tightly-played Game 153 for a playoff spot, the four-time world champion Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels managed to hold off the Moabs in 3-2 victory that saw Squirrels ace Tim Lincecum edge fireballer Justin Verlander.

Brooklyn was at home, taking advantage of their superior divisional record in the East and winning record against Frostbite Falls. Verlander was superb early, as he and Lincecum had identical lines after three frames: just one hit allowed for each ace, with four K's apiece.

But, in the fifth, Verlander allowed a leadoff double to Michael Young, getting a start at 2B over Rickie Weeks. League RBI leader Albert Pujols then slashed an 0-1 pitch from Verlander past a diving Chase Utley, and Young (running on the play) scampered over to third to put runners at the corners. LF Adam Lind then lifted the first pitch he saw out to the warning track in left, a sac fly that easily scored Young.

That might've been the end of things, but with C Victor Martinez batting, normally sure-handed Moabs backstop Brian McCann allowed a 2-1 slider to get away from him, and Pujols trotted over to second. Perhaps losing concentration, Verlander hung the 3-1 pitch where 'V-Mart' could handle it, as Frostbite's receiver drove the ball DEEP over the wall in right, a two-run HR....and, more importantly, a 3-0 Frostbite lead!

Verlander settled down after that, and Tim Lincecum stayed effective until allowing back-to-back doubles to SS Troy Tulowitzki and McCann to start the seventh. McCann's frozen rope hit the wall on one hop, easily scoring 'Tulo' for Brooklyn's first run. 1B Ryan Howard walked on a 3-1 pitch, and with nobody out, the Frostbite pen began to churn. 2B Chase Utley rolled a ball very slowly to Young at second, who nearly threw the ball away but was saved by Pujols. Still, the out was productive, as both McCann and Howard moved into scoring position. RF Corey Hart then dinked a ball to Young, who recorded the out, but not before McCann could score.

The Moabs then pinch-hit for 3B Brandon Inge to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two down, but Lincecum reached back and fanned Manny Ramirez on three pitches to end the threat: after seven innings, Frostbite was clinging to a 3-2 lead! That was key, because Jon Lester had come on in the sixth for Verlander and done a credible job, fanning four of the eight hitters he faced to keep the game close.

A defensive substitution in the seventh paid off big for the Squirrels in the eighth, with Brian Schneider coming in to don the tools of ignorance, and solid starter Felix Hernandez making a rare relief appearance on the mound. Victor Martinez, whose 16th HR had given Frostbite the big early lead, would watch from the dugout as Schneider gunned down Shane Victorine moving on a 1-2 pitch for that inning's final out, preserving the 3-2 lead!

Frostbite Falls attempted to add to their lead in the ninth, but impressive rookie Neftali Felix worked around a two-out walk to Carlos Beltran. That brought up Joakim Soria, the Squirrels' closer this season with Joe Nathan out for the year. Soria fanned Tulowitzki and got McCann to fly out for the second out. Howard then singled with two down to extend the game, and Soria's next pitch hit Utley leaning out over the plate!

The winning run was on base, and Corey Hart at the plate. Hart topped a sinker....

....right at Albert Pujols! Pujols tags the bag! Frostbite Falls wins Game #85....and a playoff spot!

With the win, Frostbite Falls will travel to play a best-of-five series with last year's champs, the Yuma Firebirds, who finished with a league-high 90 wins. With ace Tim Lincecum unavailable, the wild-card-winning Squirrels would have to decide between 'King' Felix on short rest, or either Cole Hamels or Matt Garza to being their season with Yuma.

Meanwhile, two well-rested squads (East champion Worcester and Central winner Casselton) will also meet in a best-of-five, with games being played this Saturday...at BHS, Room N-63!

TOUGH LOSS FOR MOABS

What a wild year Brooklyn has had! A pre-season favorite of many analysts, the Moabs seemed to have the depth that every system would envy, certainly more than their divisional rivals. Through June, Brooklyn had the upper-hand with rookie Neftali Feliz and closer Francisco Rodriguez seemingly unbeatable in the late innings.

But then the wheels fell off: Rodriguez suffered injury and disgrace. LHP Billy Wagner filled in capably, but starting IF Troy Tulowitzki, 2B Chase Utley and 1B Ryan Howard all missed significant time with injury. 3B Brandon Inge had to be recalled from a AAA contract to play the hot corner when other candidates failed miserably. RHP James Shields and Scott Baker regressed, and the club got little production from its outfield. Worcester, which had started slowly after losing CF Grady Sizemore, caught its rhythm and simply began bludgeoning foes with one of the league's best offenses. By August, it was the Eliminators, not the Moabs, leading the East.

Then, cashing in part of their depth, Brooklyn made the year's biggest splash. The Moabs acquired RHP Yovani Gallardo to fill a rotation spot and picked up OF Vernon Wells, OF Corey Hart and DH Manny Ramirez from Arizona GM Ronald Melkonian. The Moabs played winning ball again, but it was never able to catch the leaders, and it took a strong finish in the final two weeks of play for them to hold serve with Frostbite Falls, which had surged back into contention with the return of Evan Longoria. Brooklyn won two of their last three games with the Squirrels to force the one-game playoff....but despite beating Frostbite Falls 15 times in the regular season (major ownage), they came one run short in the season's extended finale.

"It doesn't get much closer than that," commented veteran Commissioner Scott Hatfield to no one in particular. "The only way it could've been more of a nail-biter would've been if the thing had gone scoreless in extra innings. My congratulations to GM Andrew Haynes, and a rueful shrug to GM Eric Caskey, who had a great season fall just short of post-season glory."

V

AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE!

Office of the League Commissioner---It’s happened before, so don’t look shocked, but as the regular season played out, as usual there were multiple teams in the East still in contention, along with a strong finish from West contender Madtown. The result was that, with a week left to play before Christmas, there were four teams with a legitimate shot at earning a wild card berth into the playoffs...and Moabs C Brian McCann was going to have a say about who that club was!

Madtown’s elimination on Game Day 150 (see below) seemed to set the stage for Frostbite Falls, which had an arguably easier finish against Oakland United (who finished 65-87, 12th in scoring and 13th in runs allowed)….while injury-riddled Brooklyn would need to take a series against sibling rival Worcester, which had already clinched a playoff berth.

But, as it turned out, Oakland rallied at home to score five runs in the late innings on the final game of the year, with pinch-hitter Tony Abreu slashing a two-run single with one down in the seventh to best a previously-unhittable Brett Anderson (6-5, 4.28), and Ben Zobrist added a three-run boundary belt in the eighth off reliever Chris Perez to put the game out of reach. Edison Volquez struck out 10 in five-plus innings but got a no-decision for the United ballclub, which held on to win, 5-2, sealing the regular season record for Frostbite Falls at . . . .84-68, which would guarantee a playoff spot....IF Brooklyn could not manage an upset on the road in Worcester.

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT IS MCCANN

Things had not begun well for Brooklyn in the first game of that series, with the Eliminators pasting them by a 10-4 score to back Adam Wainwright (13-8, 4.13) in what was, essentially, a pennant-clinching victory by the home team. That put things on the back of Justin Verlander in Game 2, who in his previous start against Worcester had been knocked out in the second inning. This time Verlander (13-8, 3.00) was stronger, fanning eight over five-plus. Still, the Moabs trailed 1-0 after five frames until C Brian McCann hit his 26th HR of the season, a three-run shot, off the inconsistent Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 5.34). 2B Robinson Cano made things interesting with his 28th bomb of the campaign off sensational setup man Neftali Felix, but despite some interesting moments, veteran closer Billy Wagner held things down with a two-inning save, his ninth of the year.

That set up a must-win for Brooklyn on Game Day 152 if they wanted a shot at the playoffs. With the division title locked up, the Elims (following the example of Yuma and Casselton) did not bring back either Ryan Dempster or Phil Hughes on short rest, but starter Johnny Cueto. Cueto (8-11, 5.79) was shellacked and gone by the fourth, after surrending yet another three-run bomb to McCann (his 27th of the year), as well as Ryan Howard’s 49th blast of the year, which (as it turned out) would allow Howard to share the league’s HR crown with Pottsylvania masher Carlos Pena.

Howard’s poke also gave the Moabs an 8-0 lead after four innings, ensuring an early exit (and rest) for Jon Lester, and (irony of ironies) guaranteeing that Worcester closer Mariano Rivera would not be in line for a save, and thus miss a chance of setting a new BARB record for games saved. Rivera’s 36 would lead the loop, but would not surpass the previous mark of former Frostbite closer Joe Nathan.

Thus, after 152 games…..a tie in the East between a pair of 84-68 clubs. A one-game playoff would needs be arranged to set up the final matchups, with the winner (at 85-68) traveling to face Western Division champion Yuma (90-62), while Worcester (85-67) would host Central champ Casselton (82-70).

LOWLY ANOMALIES FINISH STRONG, ELIMINATE MURLOCS

Black Mesa---Despite posting a loop-leading 96 losses, the Black Mesa Anomalies had a strong finish to avoid the century mark in reversals, winning their final four games, including three straight against the wild-card contending Murlocs to knock Madtown out of the postseason chase in the 151st game of the year.

Madtown ace Jered Weaver (12-10, 3.60) struck out eleven Black Mesa hitters in his final start of the year, but couldn’t get out Curtis Granderson, who hit a run-scoring triple in the second and scored on a fly ball to give Black Mesa an early 2-0 lead. The Anomalies would go on to win 3-1, making a winner of inconsistent lefty (10-11, 4.64) Wandy Rodriguez.

In the finale, it was all Ian Kinsler: Black Mesa’s power-hitting 2B drove in all five of his team’s runs with a pair of HR (15,16) giving Ricky Romero (5-13, 6.00) a rare win at the expense of mid-season acquisition Jason Vargas (4-11, 5.20) as part of a 5-3 Black Mesa win.

Despite the strong finish and the likelihood of drafting first in the 2011 Draft, Black Mesa has serious issues to overcome: who to play at 2B (Kinsler or Dustin Pedroia), which slugging OF to keep and which to deal and (most importantly) improving a bullpen in the first half was clearly the league’s most underachieving. As for Madtown, their long summer of contention and mid-range draft position sets them up for another run at perennial titlist Yuma.


In other BARB action:

ST. FRANCIS 7, LOS ANGELES 4

WP: Clayton Richard (6-3, 4.40)
LP: Tim Hudson (11-13, 3.89)

Team captain Casey Blake got a bittersweet sendoff by pumping his team-leading 26th HR of the year in his final start, making a winner of Clayton Richard in relief, while hard-luck pitcher Tim Hudson lost yet another quality start for the Flyers.

YUMA 3, DARWIN 2

WP: Rafael Soriano (7-3, 2.80)
LP: Sean O’Sullivan (4-4, 5.92)
SV: Kuo (3)

Benchwarmer Adam Jones hit a pinch-hit home run off long man Sean O’Sullivan, and the defending world champs finished with a league-leading 90 wins. Rookie Brian Matusz started as Yuma continued its practice of resting their regular starters in the final weeks of play.

CREEPERS DONE, THUNDER NEARLY SO

CREEPERS DONE, THUNDER NEARLY SO

Down in Arizona, Roy Halladay (16-9, 3.47) outlasted new Thunders starter Gavin Floyd, and Ryan Zimmerman whacked his 19th long ball of the season as the Western champion Firebirds geared up for the playoffs, holding off sibling rival Arizona by a 4-3 score and in the process sending the Thunder (four games back in the Central) to the point of elimination.

Floyd (9-15, 3.69) pitched OK (6 IP, 3 ER), but Halladay proved why he’s an ace among aces, enduring long enough to earn the win with help from the bullpen-by-committee used so effectively by the Firebirds.

With just four games remaining, Arizona GM Ronald Melkonian will need a sweep of the rest of his schedule plus a collapse of the Central-leading Horned Toads to earn a playoff spot, as their loss on Game Day 148 eliminated them from the wild card race.

By the way, Ryan Zimmerman's secret is....muscle!




MADTOWN HANGS TOUGH

Meanwhile, in the crazy world of Madtown, the Murlocs scored seven times in the first two frames against Fausto Carmona (4-8, 5.69), sending the visiting Pottsylvania Creepers to their 75th loss of the year, and (more critically) removing any hope of a playoff berth for last year’s Central champs.

Pottsylvania was unable to hang on in the pennant race because Hideki Kuroda (17-7, 3.48) went all the way, a complete game and a tie of the league lead in victories. Kuroda was given the option of going long (he would need 123 pitches) because of the heroics of reserve IF Alex Gordon (who had three hits in a rare start) and Dan Uggla’s 24th HR of the season. With the win, Madtown (81-68) has three games left on the schedule, hanging by a thread in the wild card chase.

FINCHES ELIMINATED

Darwin---Mark Reynolds’s 40th HR of the year, a team record, was also a grand slam off Scott Kazmir (0-1, 12.00) as part of visiting Los Angeles’s seven-run fourth, a one-sided affair and the last straw for the desperate Finches, who were officially eliminated from any possibility of post-season play with four games left in the regular season.

Every Flyers starter drove in at least one run in the affair as Los Angeles built an 8-0 lead, more than enough run support for Scott Downs (7-4, 3.22), who got the win with two-plus innings of scoreless relief for Tom Gorzelanny, and the Flyers would go on to win 10-5 despite some late fireworks from C Ryan Doumit, who doubled and homered to spark a seventh-inning rally.

Darwin (76-72) is guaranteed at least a .500 finish, but will finish at least eight games out in the West behind Yuma, and at least four games off the wild card chase still in play for Brooklyn, Frostbite Falls, Madtown and Worcester. That there could be two teams from the East moaning about ‘what might’ve been’ is news in and of itself, as the wild card winner usually comes from this super-competitive division.

But, beginning last year with Darwin and this year with the Murlocs, things haven’t been the cakewalk that the West-dominating Yuma Firebirds are used to. While GM Chris Melkonian’s club has clinched yet another divisional title, it took until the final month of play for them to put distance between themselves and two of their divisional rivals.



NEXT TIME: RESOLVING THE EAST?

CLASSIC DUEL IN OAKLAND, A CLINCHER AND A COLLAPSE

CLASSIC DUEL IN OAKLAND, A CLINCHER AND A COLLAPSE
Oakland—In one of the most memorable games in BARB history, Moabs starter Yovanni Gallardo and Oakland ace Danny Haren took a scoreless duel into the ninth, part of a no-hit bid that would go into extra innings on the road against Oakland United!

Gallardo was surpassingly brilliant, facing the minimum 24 batters through eight innings of work, perfection in action. Acquired as part of a blockbuster mid-season trade with Arizona, the former Pottsylvania prospect fanned nine, induced seven ground balls and five easy fly balls as part of his work. Gallardo's only threat came on a screamer off the bat of Marco Scutaro that slick-fielding 3B Brandon Inge had to dive for, but speared a foot off the turf.

While hardly unhittable, Oakland starter Danny Haren was also impressive. Haren also struck out nine while scattering singles to Inge, Troy Tulowitzki and Manny Ramirez, all without a walk, in lowering his ERA to 3.77. In the ninth, with a perfect game in the works, the Moabs elicited boos by electing to pinch-hit for Gallardo, and boos became louder as Shane Victorino flew out to Nelson Cruz for the first out in the ninth. Haren would finish up with nine innings of shutout ball!

Brooklyn setup man (and likely future closer) Neftali Feliz came out to start the bottom of the ninth, and was similarly dominant. Nine innings of perfection! That took things to extra innings, with Haren (having thrown 122 pitches was removed) in favor of Oakland's sagging bullpen. Chris Ray (1-6, 5.85) promptly gave up two singles. Jeremy Affeldt relieved and struck out Ryan Howard, but walked Ramirez on four pitches to load them up for Corey Hart. Aging closer Trevor Hoffman came on, but walked Corey Hart on a full count to force in the game's first run. Inge followed with a bases-clearing double, and before Matt Capps could bail out the side, five runs had scored.

With the score 5-0 in the top of the tenth (and Feliz removed in favor of pinch-hitter Jimmy Rollins), the only drama remaining was whether Brooklyn's veteran closer Billy Wagner could finish the perfect game, or at least with a no-hitter! Wagner would preserve the win for Feliz (10-3, 1.93), but walked Andruw Jones to lead off the bottom of the tenth. There went the perfect game! Brandon Philips, an unlikely candidate to be doubled up, nevertheless grounded sharply to Utley, and Tulowitzki's strong throwing arm completed the DP! Could a no-hitter be in the cards?

Sorry, no! Oakland 3B David Wright finally snapped the string with a solid line drive over short, breaking up the bid at immortality. Scutaro hit into a force play to end the game, a combined one-hitter, and a 5-0 win for Brooklyn. It was the seventh straight win for the Moabs, moving them a half-game ahead of Frostbite Falls in the ever-tightening Eastern race, and also gave them the lead in the wild card race.

"An amazing game," commented Commissioner Hatfield. "To take a pitcher out with a perfect game, in a pennant race, remarkable. But that's how it played out!"


YUMA CLINCHES!

St. Francis—Joey Votto drove in runs in each of his first three at-bats, including his team-leading 25th boundary belt of the year, and the Yuma Firebirds became the first BARB team this year to clinch a division title and a playoff berth, claiming their fifth Western crown in eight seasons and seventh playoff appearance overall with a convincing 13-9 slugfest over host St. Francis and their ace, RHP Roy Oswalt.

Oswalt (8-10, 4.47) had one of his worst outings of the year in his final start of 2010, giving up six runs in three-plus frames, surrendering an RBI single and an RBI double to Votto as part of a 6-2 lead that eventually burgeoned to 13-2 after seven innings, more than enough run support for reliever Rafael Soriano (6-2, 2.90), who officially ‘earned' the win after David Price was removed in the fifth with his club far ahead.

The Friars would score seven late runs in what amounted to a ‘tuneup' for left-handed relievers Hong-Chih Kuo and Matt Thornton, as veteran C Jason Varitek continues his remarkable late-season push with another pinch-hit HR, but this game's outcome was never in doubt. For much of the year, Yuma has underperformed on offense, but in the last two months they have hit their stride due to the resurgence of DH Vladimir Guerrero and the emergence of rookie C Buster Posey.

At 87-58, the Firebirds have also clinched the loop's best record and will be the #1 seed in this year's playoffs, a testimony to the club's depth and the patience of talent evaluator (and GM) Chris Melkonian. Winner of two world titles already (including last year), the defending world champs will be looking to add a third flag to their trophy case. But who will they face? You'll have to keep checking this blog to find out!

CHAPMAN ELECTRIFYING, BUT POTTSYLVANIA IMPLODES

Creepers 1B Carlos Pena, leading all of BARB with 49 home runs, was ejected from the game with his club trailing 5-2 after being called out on strikes, and the sagging Creepers would lose for the seventh time in their last ten games despite another thrilling outing by rookie Aroldis Chapman, dropping them to .500 (74-74) and officially eliminating them from the playoffs, ending any thought of repeating a Series berth with just four games left in the regular season.

It was a disappointing turn of events, with late-season acquisition Fausto Carmona (4-7, 5.30) not being able to build on recent strong outings, opening the third by loading the bases in what would become a four-run Darwin innings. Pena struck out with men aboard vs. a wild (6 BB) Max Scherzer, who nevertheless improved to 9-7 with a 5.56 ERA by denying the Creepers again, leading to their slugger's ejection.

As for the mercurial Chapman, the left-handed smoke machine entered the game with the Creepers down 6-3, having allowed just two hits and striking out 15 in his first eight BARB innings. But, as the crowd ‘oohed' and ‘ahhed' over his triple-digit fastball, the Unnatural Selections became the first person to touch the phenom, who gave up a leadoff excuse-me, I'm-just-trying-to-protect-the-plate accidental double to David Ortiz, then unraveled and loaded the bases. Three more runs would score against Chapman and rookie Tony Pena, and the rout was on. Journeyman Sean O'Sullivan, to add insult to injury, had arguably his best outing of the year in long relief, going four innings to pick up the save while allowing just one run.

In other BARB action:

WORCESTER 4, FROSTBITE FALLS 3

WP: Ryan Dempster (14-10, 4.07)
LP: Felix Hernandez (13-10, 3.54)
SV: Rivera (34)

In a critical Eastern matchup, the host Eliminators took over the divisional lead by the slimmest of margins, with closer Mariano Rivera striking out Squirrels superstar (and league RBI leader) Albert Pujols with Jose Reyes in scoring position.

Victor Martinez and Jason Heyward had smacked back-to-back long balls off Worcester starter Ryan Dempster leading off the sixth to erase a 3-1 deficit, but Joe Mauer (who had four hits in the game, including his 30th HR of the season) scored the game-winner when the Elims successfully played ‘small ball' in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Cano sacrifice and a solid single from Delmon Young.

It was the fourth straight loss for the Squirrels against divisional rivals after clinging to the East lead for nearly two weeks down the stretch, but despite the setback the Squirrels still have a favorable schedule, just one game back and six of their final nine vs. sub-.500 Oakland.

ARIZONA 4, BLACK MESA 2

WP: James Shields (8-11, 4.47)
LP: Erwin Santana (5-13, 6.01)

Mid-season acquisition James Shields saved his best BARB start of 2010 for the final week of play, winning a duel with another underachieving pitcher (Santana), and going all the way on 111 pitches, 75 for strikes, as the Thunder snapped a six-game losing streak to improve to 74-70, still mathematically alive in the Central behind division-leading Casselton. The big difference in this game came from Alex Rodriguez, who smacked his 28th long ball of the season with a man aboard in the first and made three outstanding plays to take hits away from Black Mesa.

MADTOWN 6, CASSELTON 4

WP: Jeff Niemann (14-12, 4.78)
LP: Joe Saunders (5-15, 5.75)
SV: Wilson (21)

Corner OF Hunter Pence and Matt Holliday both homered off Joe Saunders, and middle man Dan Wheeler bailed out an ineffective Jeff Niemann to get the lead to Brian Wilson in the ninth, where the Murlocs won for the eighth time in their last 10 games to stay in the playoff hunt.

While being eliminated from the division race on the same day, GM ‘Chops' Braga and company remain alive for a post-season berth by virtue of being only one game back (80-66) in the wild card standings behind Brooklyn and Frostbite Falls. They are only one of six teams guaranteed a plus-.500 finish, which is nice work for a club that was an abandoned doormat last season, and even more impressive when in the same division as two clubs that both went to the playoffs last season. So, regardless of the final outcome, a great season for Madtown in their first full campaign with their new GM!

As for the Horned Toads, despite the loss, their magic number for clinching the Central is down to ‘3' with five games to play. Already assured of their club's first plus-.500 finish as well, it would take a historic collapse with some losses to sub-.500 clubs to deny them a berth.



CLASSIC DUEL IN OAKLAND, A CLINCHER AND A COLLAPSE

FINCHES: NO REPEAT IN THE WEST

FINCHES: NO REPEAT IN THE WEST


ST. FRANCIS----On a bittersweet note, veteran Friars 3B Casey Blake put on a one-man show against visiting Darwin, smacking three long balls to lead St. Francis’s 11-hit attack and mathematically eliminate any possibility that the visitors could repeat as Western Division champions.

Blake hit a two-run HR in the first to get the scoring started against Darwin starter Jonathan Sanchez (6-13, 5.09), then added a solo shot in the third and a two-run pop against long man Sean O’Sullivan for the third round-tripper. Blake hit a ball to the wall in left off Luke Gregorson in his final at-bat that was reeled in by Ryan Doumit, playing the outfield regularly with Josh Hamilton sidelined.

The Unnatural Selections had played reasonably well after losing their superstar CF to shoulder problems, and they expected him back for the final week of play, but how much he could contribute was uncertain. One thing was for sure: Bronson Arroyo (9-7, 3.56) had their right-handed journeymen eating out of their hand, and by the sixth the rout was on, with the host Friars going on to win, 10-2.

In 2009, the injury-riddled Finches took things to the wire against perennial powerhouse Yuma, and eventually won their division by just one game despite losing their last three games. In the playoffs, the Darwinians showed ‘zero fitness’, being ax-murdered by Central-winning Pottsylvania in a three-game sweep. Since that time, the club’s once-powerful lineup of switch-hitters has been decimated by free agency (Lance Berkman), injuries (Chipper Jones) and personal troubles (Milton Bradley). Despite one of the better BARB rotation and an upgraded bullpen, the Finches

FRIARS: BYE, BYE, BLAKE?

Despite his big day, Blake was somber in the clubhouse. The veteran BARB infielder and St. Francis franchise leader in games played, HR and RBI was informed earlier in the week that his contract for 2011 would not be picked up, making him a free agent despite good numbers this season (.266, 25 HR, 89 RBI). “I’ve had a good run here,” said the 35-year-old Blake, “but I can’t say what the future holds.”

Veteran C Jason Varitek, who has notably taken more of a leadership role since being added to the team, commended Blake: “The guy is a pro’s pro. He prepares every game. He takes ground balls, he takes fly balls in case he’s asked to do that, he scoops it at first, he starts the 5-4-3 as well as anybody. He takes care of his business.” For more info on the future of the Friars, see their blog.

In other BARB action:

BROOKLYN 6, FROSTBITE FALLS 4 (1st game of DH)

WP: Justin Verlander (12-7, 2.79)
LP: Cole Hamels (9-10, 4.65)
SV: Feliz (1)

BROOKLYN 6, FROSTBITE FALLS 3 (2nd game of DH)

WP: Jon Lester (12-7, 3.84)
LP: Brett Anderson (6-4, 4.27)
SV: Feliz (2)

Justin Verlander and Jon Lester both took leads into the seventh, backstops Brian McCann and John Buck both took Frostbite starters deep, and dominant setup man Neftali Feliz gave a banged-up Billy Wagner a break, earning saves in both halves of a double dip on the road against East-leading Frostbite Falls, finishing up a three-game sweep.

By taking the set, the Moabs (who looked out of it just a week ago) pulled within one game of first in the tightening East with their fifth straight win, in large part due to the outstanding play of recently-activated SS Troy Tulowitzki, who has been on a late-season tear, hitting .455 with 4 HR in his last eight games.

However, with six of their remaining ten games against cellar-dwelling Oakland, the Squirrels would seem to have the edge for at least claiming a wild-card spot. Brooklyn, meanwhile, must face their sibling rivals in Worcester six times, plus four games against cellar dwellers. One thing’s for sure: there will be at least one team in the division to win 80 or more games that won’t make the playoffs, or even (if Western runner-up Madtown gets hot) even two!

YUMA 4, CASSELTON 2

WP: Matt Cain (13-11, 3.69)
LP: Carlos Zambrano (8-6, 3.94)
SV: Street (3)

The loaded Firebirds lowered their ‘magic number’ for clinching the West to just three games with yet another brilliant outing by Matt Cain, who has allowed just two earned runs in his last three starts for (how typical is this) two no-decisions and a win. Cain was aided by the deep and underrated Yuma bullpen, which collected three holds before handing things over to Huston Street.

Casselton, whose ‘magic number’ in the Central is down to just six games, managed to get a pair of runs by the long ball—including the 36th of the year from unlikely power source Jose Lopez. The Horned Toads second-sacker is tied with teammate Derek Lee for the team lead, and is among the top 10 in long balls in all of BARB. Their chief rival (the Arizona Thunder) trails them by two-and-a-half with just eight games remaining....albeit two, head-to-head, to end the season.

BLACK MESA 9, ARIZONA 8

WP: Carlos Rosa (4-6, 4.96)
LP: Jon Rauch (3-3, 3.52)
SV: Linebrink (1)

Adam Dunn homered twice for the visiting Anomalies, and the Thunder experienced possibly the worst loss of the season, blowing 5-2 and 6-3 leads after knocking Ricky Romero out of the game in the second, and despite another three-hit day from leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki! The remarkable Asian superstar now has 223 safeties and seems likely to set a BARB record for most hits in a season at the age of 35.

Suzuki helped make things interesting in the ninth by slicing a two-out double off Jonathan Papelbon over the head of Alberto Callaspo to score Elvis Andrus, but in what may be a sign of things to come Papelbon was lifted in favor of journeyman Scott Linebrink, who finished the inning by getting Andre Ethier to pop out to Dunn.

Papelbon, who for three years had combined with Takashi Saito to anchor one of the loop’s strongest pens, has fallen on hard times in 2010 and leads all of BARB with 11 blown saves.


WORCESTER 11, OAKLAND 4

WP: Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 5.59)
LP: Edison Volquez (5-4, 3.13)

Joba Chamberlain worked five scoreless innings of long relief after visiting United plated four in the first against Johnny Cueto, and SS Hanley Ramirez drove in four runs with a pair of long balls to pace Worcester’s 13-hit attack in a key game for the Eliminators.

The win completed a three-game sweep of the since-eliminated Oakland club, but more importantly it vaulted Matt Caskey’s club into a first-place tie with Frostbite Falls. And, since the Squirrels are their next opponent, this makes their next three games a critical matchup. A sweep by either club would probably eliminate the loser from contending for the divisional title with Brooklyn also in the equation, just one game back.

Also, in this scenario, the Eliminators have an edge: of Worcester’s final 10 games, seven are at home....(3) hosting Frostbite Falls, (3) on the road vs. the Moabs, some days off, a one-game makeup game at home vs. Central-contending Arizona, and then three to end the season vs. sibling rival Brooklyn.

In other words, serious drama remains!

FINCHES: NO REPEAT IN THE WEST

JUST 11-15 GAMES LEFT!

BROOKLYN 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 2

WP: Scott Baker (1-3, 5.36)
LP: Tim Lincecum (14-10, 3.99)
SV: Wagner (7)

Tim Lincecum struck out 10 and took a 2-1 lead into the seventh, but previously-winless Scott Baker punched a soft single under Lincecum's glove as part of a two-run rally, and Billy Wagner fanned pinch-hitter David DeJesus and Michael Young in the ninth to complete a 'six-out save' as the Moabs hung on to win a must-have game on the road in Frostbite Falls.

It was a big moment for Baker, who has been largely forgotten after the club had acquired Yovani Gallardo, and the hoopla attending the revival of Francisco Liriano's career. But, in this spot start, Baker not only held Andrew Hayne's club to two runs, he got the game-winning ribbie off 'The Freak'....how unlikely is that?!?!?

The Squirrels still boast the East's best record (79-61) and, with 12 games left to play, have lined up a pair of lefties (Cole Hamels and Brett Anderson) for their next two jousts with third place (76-64) Brooklyn.

WORCESTER 6, UNITED 5

WP: Heath Bell (9-7, 3.22)
LP: Chad Qualls (2-2, 4.66)

Carl Crawford set a BARB record by collecting six, count 'em, SIX singles in a ballgame, two of the infield hit variety....but, it was Robinson Cano's third hit of the ballgame, a sharp single off Chris Ray, that plated Billy Butler in the bottom of the 10th for a walkoff win that keeps the Eliminators (77-63) not only right in the Eastern race (two games back), but gives them the lead for the wild-card spot.

Crawford's big day lifted the Elims LF to a .332 batting average, one of six regulars in Worcester's lineup hitting .300 or better, and fourth in the league overall. When it comes to batting average, Worcester is king. Will that be enough to ensure them of a playoff berth?

DARWIN 7, CASSELTON 6

WP: Kevin Gregg (2-0, 6.87)
LP: Dennis O'Day (6-2, 2.69)

In the space of four minutes, Ryan Doumit and David Ortiz homered back-to-back off in the eighth to turn a 6-4 loss into a 7-6 score, and eventual Darwin win, as the Unnatural Selections became the latest team to expose the soft underbelly of Casselton's bullpen. Doumit connected one pitch after Yadier Molina had led off the inning with a single vs. Joe Saunders. W

ith no available lefties, Dennis O'Day was brought in for the gassed (115 pitches) Saunders with the score tied, but it didn't stay that way long, as Ortiz hit his 23rd of the year out to give the Finches (70-67) barely alive in the West....12 games out, and 15 to play!

ST. FRANCIS 6, BLACK MESA 3

WP: Randy Wells (5-9, 4.04)
LP: Erwin Santana (5-12, 6.11)

The Holy Cows got on the board early courtesy of Shin Shoo-Choo and Aubrey Huff, and Randy Wells settled down after giving up a 2nd-inning RBI to opposing pitcher Erwin Santana, eventually working into the ninth. Losing at home and likely to finish with the league's worst record, the Anomalies heard lusty booing when 1B Miguel Cabrera's fielding error led to another run.

With the win, the Friards staved off elimination, being ten-and-a-half games back with just 11 to play!

YUMA 1, ARIZONA 0 (12 innings)

WP: Rafael Soriano (5-2, 3.07)
LP: Mike Gonzalez (6-7, 5.43)
SV: Madson (4)

Gavin Floyd pitched brilliantly, scattering four hits in nine innings but had to settle for a 'no-D' in what eventually turned into a heartbreaking loss for the host Thunder, as Nick Markakis and the Yuma Firebirds manufactured a run in the top of the 12th and made it stand up for their BARB-leading 82nd win of the year!

Long-time rivals, GM Ronald Melkonian's squad appeared dazed, for they had just endured a three-game sweep at Yuma's hands and have lost five straight after a brilliant stretch of play had put them just one game behind Central-leading Casselton. With their seventh straight win, the Firebirds have lowered their 'magic number' to single figures. Arizona, meanwhile, is pretty much out of the wild card picture due to their losing streak and must pin their hopes on winning the division outright. A long shot, but they do end the season with a brief two-game joust with
the division leaders....!

OAKLAND DISUNITED, CREEPERS AND FIREBIRDS IN MARATHON TILT

OAKLAND DUMPED FROM PENNANT CHASE
OAKLAND DUMPED FROM PENNANT CHASE

Oakland----The East-leading Squirrels swept their hosts in a three-game set, making official what fans of the United ballclub had known for months: that, despite some obvious talent, there was simply not enough healthy hurling to hang with the 'big boys' in the ultra-competitive East.

Once again, Danny Haren (12-11, 3.93) would pitch just well enough to lose, taking a 4-3 lead into the seventh before he and (the soon to retire?) Trevor Hoffman combined to permit a three-run uprising, the big blow being Adam Lind's 26th boundary belt of the year. It was just the latest in a series of failures of the overworked (and, frankly, over-the-hill) Hoffman, whose changeup is largely indistinguishable from his fastball these days.

Thanks to Lind's poke, Squirrels reliever Chris Perez earned his first win against five losses, and Jason Frasor picking up his seventh save of the year....and Oakland was eliminated in the East, continuing recent trends for a ball club that as recently as 2008 was a playoff club. With only 3B David Wright and 2B Brandon Philips remaining as regulars from the club, and with injuries to aces like Josh Beckett and Brandon Webb, Oakland has fallen on hard times. In fact, if the United club would need to sweep their final 13 games in order to finish at .500.

The Squirrels, meanwhile, are sitting pretty atop the East. They not only have a three-game lead with thirteen games left to play, but due to the unbalanced scheduled they will have a stretch off, allowing them to juggle their rotation for the final week of play. Through 135-odd games, here are the standings:

ROTATION JUGGLES, STUMBLES IN MARATHON

In the final weeks of play in the 2010 BARB season, many clubs fiddled with their rotations, and none more desperately so than the Pottsylvania Creepers.

Eager to defend their 2009 crown, Creepers GM Jeff Moore laid down the law: games against divisional rivals, but especially Central-leading Casselton, would get as much of Pottsylvania's two aces (Cliff Lee and Chris Carpenter) as possible....even if that meant extreme rotation juggling, to the point of short rest!

On Game Day 135, however, that strategy was put to its toughest test as the Creepers (71-67)hosted the West-leading Yuma Firebirds (77-55) with stormy weather in play. Lee started for Pottsylvania, but was spiked at first base by a hustling Denard Span and had to leave after one inning for precautionary evaluation. A cascade of relievers followed for Pottsylvania, while Yuma had the luxury of Matt Cain on the mound, who was unhittable in the first five frames.

In the sixth, however, with a 1-0 lead, Cain gave up a one-out single and (perhaps losing concentration on the loss of the no-hitter) walked the next two batters. DH Hideki Matsui then hit a fly ball deep enough to score Matt Kemp, and the game was tied, 1-1.

So it would remain for.....the next four-plus innings, as Yuma and Pottsylvania played extra innings. Yuma took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 11th after Vladimir Guerrero delivered a two-run single with two out. Hong Chih-Kuo had two lefties to get out, 1B Carlos Pena and Matsui. In the bottom of the 11th, the home-town Creepers pinch-hit righty-swinging Ryan Garko to face Kuo, but the Korean fanned him, then got two strikes on Matsui....who punched a single the opposite way. Yuma summoned Huston Street to retire Aaron Hill, but with two out Street gave up a soft single to Ryan Ludwick. Kelly Shoppach hit for Benji Molina, and the backup delivered a sac fly to make it, 3-2, Yuma.

Aramis Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs, allowing Street to face the less-dangerous Erick Aybar. Aybar came through, however, tieing the ballgame with an RBI single, the first time that Street had blown a save this year in a Yuma uniform. Rafael Soriano retired Kemp, but the damage was done: the game was tied, 3-3, after 11 innings.

And then.....the pitchers dominated. Pottsylvania took the wrappers off hard-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman, who fanned two Firebirds. Soriano worked two frames for Yuma, and then Rafael Betancourt used 40 pitches over three innings! Not to be outdone, Creepers reliever Tony Pena worked four-plus innings, and despite walking five batters, none of them scored, with Fausto Carmona (4-6, 5.14) bailing him out with the bases juiced to end the 15th.

Yes, the 15th! And then, 16 innings....17 innings....and, finally, the 18th. Denard Span put the pressure on with one out against Carmona, beating out a bunt single. Ryan Braun went the other way for a soft safety, and Joey Votto was walked with one down, putting the winning run just 90 feet away. But both Zimmerman and Guerrero topped sliders softly back to the infield to deny the scoring threat!

In the bottom of the 17th, Yuma's sixth pitcher of the day (Matt Thornton) unraveled: Kemp singled with out out and Felix Pie (who had gotten into the affair in the 12th as a pinch-hitter) drew a walk. Garko hit a ground ball to second that was too slow to force either Kemp or Pie, and (playing the hero once more) Hideki Matsui sliced a sharp single to score Kemp, a walkoff hit to end a marathon affair: POTTSYLVANIA 4, YUMA 3!

A bizarre game like this leaves a box score that has to be seen to be believed....

In other BARB action:

MADTOWN 9, ST. FRANCIS 3

WP: Kevin Correia (6-5, 4.20)
LP: Brett Myers (3-3, 4.97)

Murlocs star Prince Fielder is used to hitting long balls, but not swiping bags. The bulky ball-blaster did it all in this game however, starting a rare 3-5-3 double play, smacking his team-leading 39th home run and (in the first inning), stunned veteran C A.J. Pyrzinski with a steal attempt...that was successful, as the throw was late!

The mouthy Pyrzinski argued that OF Hunter Pence had interfered with him at the plate, and in an unusual move, the starting catcher was taken out of the game by, of all people, a player rather than a coach or a manager! Backup C Jason Varitek, a recent addition, walked out with a lineup card and made a double switch, apparently on the orders of someone in the dugout, and the game continued with Pyrzinski screaming into the showers. What is going on with this ball club?


ARIZONA 7, DARWIN 1

WP: Tommy Hanson (8-7, 3.74)
LP: Max Scherzer (8-7, 5.45)

Tommy Hanson needed 96 pitches to go all the way against visiting Darwin, and the Thunder (led by rookie Jose Tabata) scored plenty against Scherzer and reliever Sean O'Sullivan, keeping their late-season pursuit of Central-leading Casselton in play.

Arizona has won 8 of their last 9, with GM Ronald Melkonian putting his confidence in Tabata in the two-hole, while C Miguel Montero has cinched the starting role over prized phenom Matt Wieters.

CASSELTON 3, BLACK MESA 2

WP: Sergio Romo (2-3, 7.20)
LP: Luis Perdomo (5-4, 6.25)

Barry Zito put up six scoreless frames and left with a 2-0 lead, but Casselton scored solo runs in the 7th, 8th and (in walkoff fashion), the ninth, with J.J. Hardy leading off the bottom of that frame with a solo HR off reliever Luis Perdomo.

With the win, Casselton snapped an eight-game losing streak and held hard-charging Arizona at bay for one more day.

LESS THAN 20 GAMES REMAIN! . . . .

BROOKLYN 1, OAKLAND 0

WP: Billy Wagner (6-4, 4.68)
LP: Wade Davis (3-6, 2.17)
SV: Putz (1)

A staggering Moabs club held on to win a nail-biter after seven scoreless innings from Justin Verlander, with the only run coming with two down in the eighth on a wild pitch from reliever Jeremy Affleldt, allowing Ryan Howard to score. Despite the win, Brooklyn has seven of their last ten games and continues to have trouble scoring against clubs with good left-handed pitching.

WORCESTER 7, FROSTBITE FALLS 4 (1st game of DH)

WP: Philip Hughes (7-4, 3.04)
LP: Tim Lincecum (14-9, 3.98)

WORCESTER 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 2 (2nd game of DH)

WP: Johnny Cueto (7-10, 5.07)
LP: Felix Hernandez (13-9, 3.50)
SV: Rivera (33)

Mariano Rivera worked both halves of a double dip, picking up his BARB-leading 33rd save, and Delmon Young continued to wield a hot stick, driving in runs in both tallies, as the Eliminators(76-61) moved to within a half game of first by sweeping a pair from their hosts in Frostbite
Falls.

POTTSYLVANIA 2, DARWIN 1

WP: Cliff Lee (15-6, 3.32)
LP: Zack Greinke (10-9, 2.82)
SV: Broxton (26)

Cliff Lee became the loop's third 15-game winner with eight solid innings, and Matt Kemp hit the gamer in the eighth off reliever Fernando Rodney, with a (wild) Jonathan Broxton striking out Miguel Tejeda to knock the reeling Finches (67-61) seven games behind West-leading Yuma.

YUMA 10, ST. FRANCIS 1

WP: C.C. Sabathia (10-7, 2.98)
LP: Roy Oswalt (7-9, 4.29)

Joey Votto hit a grand slam, Denard Span added three hits and C.C. Sabathia flirted with a shutout as the Firebirds overpowered St. Francis with a pair of four-run innings. The Friars, now 11 games back, will no doubt be eliminated from the wild card chase mathematically by the weekend and will become the third BARB club to acknowledge 2010's futility.

ARIZONA 6, BLACK MESA 4

WP: Andrew Bailey (6-2, 2.02)
LP: Carlos Villanueva (0-4, 6.27)

Adrian Gonzalez's second HR of the game, his team-leading 37th, came with one out in the tenth and helped lift the Thunder to a badly-needed win in the competitive Central. This came after Octavio Dotel and Andrew Bailey had combined to allow three runs in the bottom of the ninth, just the second blown save of the season for Arizona's closer.

CASSELTON 10, MADTOWN 7

WP: Mike Adams (8-2, 1.41)
LP: Jon Garland (6-3, 6.25)
SV: Romo (4)

Casey McGehee hit a pair of Casselton's season-high six HR, but it was a gutty two-plus innings of relief from Mike Adams that stabilized things for the gassed Horned Toads staff, as the Murlocs made it a game early with a five-run third against an ineffective (2.2 IP, 7 ER) Carlos Zambrano. Murlocs starter Jared Weaver gave up four of the boundary belts, including three in a disastrous third inning.

ANOMALIES ELIMINATED: WILL TOADS CROAK?

ANOMALIES ELIMINATED: WILL TOADS CROAK?

Arizona--The revived Thunder won their fourth straight game to improve to 67-62, just a game and a half out of the lead in the Central after sending Casselton to its season-high eighth straight loss despite a tremendous game by rookie Carlos Gonzalez.

In the process, GM Ronald Melkonian's club knocked out division rival Los Angeles, ending the PF Flyers gallant late surge (seven straight wins). James Shields (7-10, 4.75) got the win with seven strong frames, and rookie Ryan Raburn homered in each of his first two at-bats versus Horned Toads starter Joe Saunders (5-14, 5.76), and Arizona went on to win 9-6, with five of the Toads runs coming in 'garbage time' in the last two frames as the Thunder rested their regulars.

Carlos Gonzalez missed hitting the cycle by a single, stole two bases and made a spectacular grab at the wall to deny Raburn extra bases in his third at-bat. Overall, 'Car-Go' is hitting .394 with 13 HR and 37 RBI since being called up to play the outfield regularly, and has easily been his club's brightest spot down the stretch.

However, the Horned Toads fan base has to be concerned about the recent play of their team, with ace Johann Santana lost for the year, closer Bobby Jenks day-to-
day with injuries and ineffectiveness and setup men Mike Adams and Darren O'Day showing signs of fatigue. But, heh, it is a pennant race . . . .the only question is, will either Arizona or Pottsylvania play well enough in the next 16 or so games to make a race of it?

In other BARB action:

LOS ANGELES 4, ST. FRANCIS 3

WP: Tim Hudson (11-9, 3.56)
LP: Randy Wells (4-8, 4.20)
SV: Lidge (13)

The PF Flyers were eliminated despite winning their seventh game, their best stretch of play all year, including a three-game sweep of Central-leading Casselton....but it was a case of too little, too late. Arizona's win the same day versus the Horned Toads guaranteed that at least one team would finish second in the division with a better record, eliminating any hope of a wild card berth for the Flyers. In the game itself, Tim Hudson continued his strong second half, making only one mistake (a solo HR to Paul Konerko) while otherwise holding the Friars down.

BROOKLYN 1, FROSTBITE FALLS 0

WP: Ubaldo Jiminez (15-7, 3.21)
LP: Cole Hamels (8-9, 4.63)
SV: Wagner (6)

Cole Hamels pitched well, but made one mistake: a flat slider that Ryan Howard drilled out of the park in the 5th, his team-leading 42nd boundary belt. Jiminez, meanwhile, fanned 14 batters through eight innings and Billy Wagner came on to retire the side in the top of the ninth to help the Moabs win the first game of an important three-game set with Eastern-leading Frostbite Falls in Brooklyn. The Moabs are currently tied with the Madtown Murlocs, one game out of the wild
card position held by division rival Worcester.

DARWIN 9, ST. FRANCIS 1

WP: Sean O'Sullivan (3-3, 6.23)
LP: Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 3.93)

The Finches received bad news that star CF Josh Hamilton would miss much of the final two weeks due to bruised ribs. This was the latest blow to an offense that has seen Chipper Jones incur a season-ending knee injury while another switch-hitter, Milton Bradley, essentially was reduced to a bench player.

Starter Max Scherzer did not finish the fourth inning due to a lengthy rain delay in this contest, but swing man Sean O'Sullivan came on to allow only one run (unearned) in two-plus frames to earn the win. The Unnatural Selections are still in the hunt for a wild card spot despite Hamilton's loss, and their starting pitching would make them respectable in a short series. Getting into the big dance? That's another story.

ANOMALIES ELIMINATED: WILL TOADS CROAK?

TOADS RUN LOSING STREAK TO FIVE AS FLYERS STAVE OFF NEXT YEAR

TOADS RUN LOSING STREAK TO FIVE AS FLYERS STAVE OFF NEXT YEAR

Los Angeles—Facing elimination at the hands of the Central-leading Casselton, the PF Flyers (48-82) put up a solid homestand, sweeping a three-game set with their division rivals to postpone an end to their pennant chase for yet a few more games.

Flyers ace Tim Hudson (10-9, 3.65) won the opener of the series by outdueling Joe Saunders (5-13, 5.47) with help from bullpen mates Scott Shields and Brad Lidge, winning 5-2 on rookie Logan Morrison's third boundary belt of the campaign.

In the second game, backup catcher Mike Redmond drove in two runs to help his batterymate Trevor Cahill (4-5, 4.90) edge A.J. Happ (4-3, 3.95) in a tight 4-3 ballgame, with Lidge again earning a save, his 11th.

In the finale, it was again Morrison who went yard, this time a solo shot with two out in the bottom of the 10th, a walkoff job to beat Claudio Vargas (2-2, 3.68) and give situational lefty Rafael Perez (1-2, 3.89) his first ‘W' of the year.

All in all, Los Angeles only scored 14 runs in 28 innings, but it was enough to send the visiting Horned Toads (70-59) to their fifth straight loss. Despite the setback, Landon Bolt's club still boasts a four-game lead in the Central over defending titlist Pottsylvania and upstart Arizona.

In other BARB action:

DARWIN 8, WORCESTER 2

WP: Jonathan Sanchez (6-10, 4.79)
LP: Ryan Dempster (13-9, 4.19)

Yadier Molina hit a pair of home runs, threw out Hanley Ramirez twice, and the Finches sealed the win with a late rally after a two-hour rain delay to improve to 66-53, their third straight win and (for now) keeping them in contention against West-leading Yuma.

OAKLAND 3, YUMA 0

WP: Edison Volquez (5-2, 2.81)
LP: Matt Cain (12-11, 4.02)
SV: Penny (2)

Unlikely hero Brad Penny came on with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and bailed out an exhausted United pen, and in the process saved a victory for an erratic Edison Volquez, who only gave up one hit but walked an incredible NINE Yuma hitters in six-plus innings...yet somehow combined with Penny and two other relievers on a two-hit shutout. Emerging star Colby Rasmus hit an RBI triple off Matt Cain and later scored to lead the United attack.

BLACK MESA 8, BROOKLYN 3

WP: Ted Lilly (5-8, 4.17)
LP: Jon Lester (11-6, 3.66)

Ian Kinsler hit two of his club's four round-trippers in his first two at-bats against Jon Lester, and other than a three-run mistake pitch to Brandon Inge, veteran Ted Lilly pitched well enough to hang around and eventually collect the win. The loss to the already-eliminated (and cellar-dwelling) Anomalies was a tough pill for the Moabs (71-61), who continue to lose ground to a hot Frostbite Falls club, with less than a month to play.

MADTOWN 9, FROSTBITE FALLS 7

WP: Brian Wilson (5-0, 2.42)
LP: Chris Perez (0-5, 5.56)

Brian Wilson's remarkable unbeaten streak remained unsullied, as the Murlocs reliever won his fifth without a loss, despite another mediocre start from Jason Vargas (3 HR alowed) Wilson also has 18 saves, as he has played a star role in 23 of his club's 69 wins, while losing none. Hunter Pence was the hitting hero of the game, driving in five runs, including the gamer with two down in the bottom of the eighth on a double-play ball that scored what turned out to be the winning run.

ELIMINATORS FIRST TO ELIMINATE!

ELIMINATORS FIRST TO ELIMINATE!

Black Mesa—On the road somewhere in the American southwest, the Worcester Eliminators (73-57) lived up to their namesake, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to beat the host Anomalies 5-4, denying them any chance at a division title! Yuma's win earlier in the day against Frostbite Falls gave them 71 triumphs on the year, and Black Mesa's loss guaranteed they could, at most, win 70 games (assuming they swept their final 30 contests of the season).

As for the Elims, the win kept them in a virtual tie (73-57) for first in the East with hard-charging Frostbite Falls. Heath Bell (8-7, 3.95) got the win in relief after Derek Jeter scored on a Nolan Reimold single in the top of the eighth to snap a 4-4 tie, and Mariano Rivera made it stand up with a scoreless ninth for his BARB-leading 32nd save of the season.

Rivera's save total could soon approach historic levels for a baseball simulation, as their save totals tend to be deflated regardless of the software. The highest save total ever seen by your Commissioner in 18 seasons of running such simulations was 36 (Trevor Hoffman, 1994) and the highest ever seen in BARB's seven campaigns was the 35 collected by Joe Nathan during Frostbite Falls' 2008 run.

Worcester's win also eliminated Los Angeles from the wild card chase, but the PF Flyers remain mathematically alive in the Central due to the recent poor play of the division's top three clubs.

In other BARB action:

POTTSYLVANIA 4, ARIZONA 2

WP: Mark Buerhle (13-7, 3.65)
LP: James Shields (6-10, 4.91)

Buerhle scattered four singles and allowed only one earned run in going the route against host Arizona, and Matt Kemp had a two-run double to put the Creepers up for good in the seventh and keep the Creepers six games out of the wild card race.


ST. FRANCIS 11, CASSELTON 7

WP: Francisco Cordero (4-6, 4.65)
LP: Ramon Ramirez (1-3, 6.00)

Mike Adams allowed a tieing single in the eighth, and pinch-hitter Neil Walker hit a grand slam off Ramon Ramirez in a walkoff win, as the sizzling Friars won for the eighth time in their last ten games. Jason Varitek worked a walk to load the bases to start the rally for the Friars in the eighth, and was intentionally walked to get to pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and continues to get lots of praise for the stability he brought the club since being reactivated.


YUMA 3, FROSTBITE FALLS 2 (11 innings)

WP: Rafael Soriano (3-2, 3.18)
LP: Chris Perez (0-4, 4.98)

Soriano and Hong-Chih Kuo boasted three scoreless innings between them, and Nick Markakis scored on leadoff man Darnell Span's single with no out in the bottom of the 11th, a walkoff win that helped eliminate division rival Black Mesa from contention. Matt Garza (10 K) had outdueled Halladay through seven frames, but Joakim Soria blew the 2-1 lead by walking Chone Figgins with two out in the top of the ninth and the bases loaded, his sixth shortcoming of the season.


OAKLAND 9, DARWIN 2

WP: Danny Haren (11-10, 3.79)
LP: Max Scherzer (8-6, 5.69)

Colby Rasmus stuck a dagger into Darwin's increasingly-thin playoff hopes with a 3-HR, 9-RBI performance just days after complaining about a lack of playing time vs. veteran Andruw Jones. Jones, who also homered in the contest, could only shake his head over Rasmus's big day: Rasmus raised his season totals to 21 HR and 60 RBI in just 427 at-bats, and has seemingly cemented his hold over the CF job after hitting a three-run shot and a grand slam in his first two at-bats versus Max Scherzer.

FRIARS WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT

FRIARS WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT
St. Francis----In their longest stretch of the year, the lowly (59-68) Friars took a step toward respectability, rattling off a six-game winning streak, including a 3-1 win over the staggering Horned Toads, handing the division leaders a loss in a game that saw mid-season free agent signing Paul Konerko go 4-for-4 to raise his season average to .372 while unheralded journeyman starter Randy Wells improved to 4-7 with a 4.19 ERA.

Wells allowed only five hits, but one was a single to red-hot (20-for-his-last 47) OF Carlos Gonzalez for the Toads' only run of the game. At 12 games back, and two clubs above them with less than a month to play, no one on the Friars roster is getting all that excited....with the possible exception of C Jason Varitek. The veteran, sent over from Pottsylvania while on the DL as a throw-in, has emerged as a team leader since making his way back into the lineup. Despite hitting below .200, Varitek has had several clutch hits as part of the current streak and to a man, every person in the organization raves about his leadership. And that was certainly true in this game, as Varitek doubled and scored to hang the loss on John Danks (9-6, 3.51)

"Let's not get too excited," snapped acting GM ‘Trader' Jack McKeon when questioned by reporters. "I didn't ask for Varitek to have him sit on the bench. I think he can still play a little, and I want him around—if the price is right----so that I can have an old hand around for my young catchers to talk to. Sure, Jason's a winner....but it's going to take a lot more than a hot streak by an old guy to turn this franchise around. I remember back in 1986, the year the Mets won it all, and the Atlanta Braves were the WORST team in baseball...by far, the only real stinker in the league. But, one weekend in June, the Mets came into Atlanta and they were swept by the Braves! So, let's not get too excited. Every dog has its day, and we still have a lot of work to do with this club!"



In other BARB action:

LOS ANGELES 9, POTTSYLVANIA !

WP: Jeff Francis (2-1, 3.61)
LP: Armando Gallaraga (7-12, 6.91)

Rookie Mike Stanton had three hits, Nick Swisher slugged his 27th HR with two men aboard and Jeff Francis worked eight solid innings to keep the struggling Creepers around .500 (64-63) in the Central Division.

FROSTBITE FALLS 8, YUMA 2

WP: Felix Hernandez (13-8, 3.31)
LP: Matt Cain (12-10, 4.06)

Adam Lind's 21st bomb of the year, a three-run shot, capped a five-run first against Matt Cain and a butter-finger defense, Vladimir Guerrero kicked a ground ball that Buster Posey threw into the outfield attempting to gun down Jose Reyes. The Squirrels won their fifth straight, and with less than a month of games to play, have managed to catch Worcester in the ‘win' column and take the narrowest of leads in the ultra-competitive East.

BLACK MESA 8, WORCESTER 3

WP: Ted Lilly (4-8, 4.30)
LP: Ryan Dempster (13-8, 4.02)

Ted Lilly had a pair of hits, an RBI and used 120 pitches in seven workmanlike innings to give the Anomalies enough for a win, knocking the Eliminators out of first place for the first time in over two months, helped by four hits (including his 3rd HR of the year) from Bobby Abreu. With Jack Wilson and Justin Morneau seemingly out for the season along with Dustin Pedroia, the incredibly-thin Anomalies infield is...get this....playing Miguel Cabrera at the hot corner, while the admittedly-skilled Adrian Beltre plays......(wait for it)......short..!

(In other words, expect this last place club's record to get even worse)

MADTOWN 5, BROOKLYN 2

WP: Hideki Kuroda (14-6, 3.74)
LP: Ubaldo Jiminez (14-7, 3.36)
SV: Wilson (17)

Ramon Hernandez and Matt Holliday both went deep for the Murlocs, and Hideki Kuroda managed to get the win despite Jiminez fanning 10 Murloc hitters, to keep ‘Chops' Braga's club three-and-a-half games behind Yuma and just two games out in the wild card hunt.

FINCHES LOSE GAME, ACE

Brooklyn---On the road against some pretty tough customers, Josh Johnson and the Darwin Finches got a lead, then lost pretty much everything in their toughest setback of the season, as Brooklyn rallied to win in their final at-bat against a Darwin staff that had just seen Johnson (arguably their club's top pitcher) go down with what seemed likely to be a season-ending injury.

A playoff team in 2009, the Finches this season have managed to stay close in the West with a 62-53 mark based on the strength of their pitching staff. As the weather has heated up, so have the left-handed bats of David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton. But all of that momentum came to a crushing halt on Game Day 124, as Johnson (10-9, 3.71) grabbed his lower back after fanning B.J. Upton with two down in the fifth and a 4-2 lead. Johnson had to be helped off the mound, and after the game it was confirmed that he had incurred a serious shoulder injury that, barring a miracle, would sideline him for the year.

As the saying goes, 'bummer'. Meanwhile, the trailing Moabs got a run that inning courtesy of a solo HR from 1B Ryan Howard (his club-leading 41st of the year) to make things interesting. In the bottom of the ninth, the Moabs got some unexpected production from the bottom of their lineup: 3B Brandon Inge (a mid-season addition from the minors) singled to lead off the inning against Ryan Franklin (1-5, 4.53). IF Chris Davis (a throw-in from a late summer trade with Arizona) punched the first pitch he saw over the head of Milton Bradley for a ground-rule double to put runners at second and third with no out.

With a vote of 'no confidence', the Finches brain trust lifted (last-name) Franklin the right-hander for (first name) Franklin Morales...the left-hander. Got that? Morales was supposed to fan pinch-hitter B.J. Upton, but Upton got enough of a low slider to loft it out to left for a sac fly, with Inge scoring the tying run. Vernon Wells then weakly rolled a ball to first, but Ortiz muffed the exchange, and Chris Davis scored on the play from third base....GAME OVER!

Ortiz, not a regular 1B by any stretch of the imagination, could only shake his head at this turn of events, which made Brooklyn setup man (and future closer) Neftali Feliz (9-3, 1.86) an unlikely winner in relief. First, to lose Johnson, then the game! At four games out, Darwin still has time to get back in the playoff spot, but it wasn't immediately clear how it might even be possible to replace a rotation stalwart like Josh Johnson. Darwin had clearly suffered its most devastating defeat of the year!

In other BARB action:

BLACK MESA 8, FROSTBITE FALLS 2

WP: Barry Zito (8-11, 4.66)
LP: Felix Hernandez (12-8, 3.32)

Adrian Beltre had four hits, including a pair of RBI singles, and Barry Zito outpitched 'King' Felix on the road, at Frostbite Falls, thus keeping the Squirrels (68-54) a game back in the ultra-competitive East.

MADTOWN 2, OAKLAND 1

WP: Hideki Kuroda (13-6, 3.79)
LP: Derek Lowe (8-11, 5.47)
SV: Wilson (16)

Hunter Pence did it all, smacking his 20th HR of the year for the game's first run, stealing a pair of bases and making a run-saving catch in the fifth to propel the Murlocs (65-54) to their first win in nearly a week, keeping pace with the Firebirds in the West.

ST. FRANCIS 7, POTTSYLVANIA 0

WP: Randy Wells (3-7, 4.37)
LP: Armando Gallaraga (7-11, 6.49)

Starter Randy Wells and reliever Brandon Wells combined on a five-hit shutout to send the host Creepers (62-60) to another tough loss, seven-and-a-half games behind Central-leading Casselton. The Friars got four hits from LF Johnny Damon, who was not traded nor claimed on waivers, but has largely been relegated to the bench as St. Francis auditions new players.

ARIZONA 5, LOS ANGELES 1

WP: James Shields (6-9, 5.01)
LP: Trevor Cahill (3-5, 4.93)

Unsung heroes kept the Thunder (62-57, six games back) afloat for another day in the
competitive Central Division: Ryan Raburn, Martin Prado and Miguel Montero all had two hits, including an RBI single, to back a solid five-plus frames from former Brooklyn starter James Shields. Having played a few games less than other clubs, the Thunder enjoys a two-game lead in the loss column compared to the Creppers.

YUMA 5, WORCESTER 4

WP: Matt Cain (12-9, 3.87)
LP: Anibal Sanchez (9-9, 4.08)
SV: Soriano (4)

Rafael Soriano worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the ninth when pinch-hitter Billy Butlerlined a ball right at Joey Votto for a game-ending double play! Worcester had taken a 3-1 lead on Joe Mauer's 27th HR of the season, but Ryan Braun tied the game at 3-3 with his second HR of the contest, and an inning later reliever Heath Bell gave up a go-ahead single to doom Sanchez. Despite the loss, the Eliminators (70-54) still boast the loop's overall best record.

TRADES, TRAGEDY IN CENTRAL

SANTANA WINS GAME, LOSES S

SANTANA WINS BATTTLE . . .BUT LOST FOR THE WAR!

In a key game against a division rival, the Casselton Horned Toads prevailed 2-0 over the Arizona Thunder, but lost ace LHP Johann Santana to an eighth-inning elbow injury that will sideline him for the rest of the year, and perhaps require surgery.

Casselton (67-51) won their third straight as Santana (10-5, 4.19) won his 24th start of the year, but when the southpaw grabbed his elbow with one out in the eighth, it was clear that they had suffered a bigger blow than just a loss to Arizona. MRI's after the game confirmed what was feared: Santana would miss the rest of the regular season, and the post-season as well.

With the highly-paid Carlos Zambrano still on the roster, the Horned Toads would have no problem fleshing out the rotation, but it was the latest in a series of setbacks for Santana, once regarded as one of the top 10 starters in all of BARB. At the time of his injury, the lefty was shooting for his first complete game of the season, which had so far eluded him. That in itself was a sign that he was not himself: Santana had led all of BARB with 11 complete games in 2007 while pitching for Frostbite Falls, and had managed 8 route-going exercises last season while pitching for Casselton, and a total of 22 over the last three seasons.

Newly-acquired starter Gavin Floyd (see article below) took the loss despite a solid outing (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) to fall to 7-12 with a 3.92 ERA, the big blow being a two-run bomb by Toads 2B Jose Lopez to snap a scoreless tie in the 6th.

In other BARB action:

LOS ANGELES 4, ST. FRANCIS 3

WP: John Maine (2-1, 6.58)
LP: Frank Francisco (2-5, 6.59)
SV: Lidge (9)

Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana homered as part of a three-run eighth off Frank Francisco, and John Maine struck out two of the three hitters he faced in 104-degree heat to nail down a comeback win for the host Flyers (43-77).

YUMA 6, OAKLAND 0

WP: C.C. Sabathia (8-7, 3.09)
LP: Wade Davis (2-5, 2.57)

Ryan Zimmerman drove in four runs with a first-inning HR (his 15th) and a two-run single in the fifth, while C.C. Sabathia went all the way for his first shutout (and fourth complete game) of the season, to help the warming Firebirds (65-48) win for the ninth time in their last ten games.

FROSTBITE FALLS 5, MADTOWN 2

WP: Tim Lincecum (12-8, 4.11)
LP: Jason Vargas (2-8, 5.68)
SV: Soria (19)

Ricky Weeks (#21), Michael Young (#17) and Victor Martinez (#9) all went deep against Jason Vargas, and Tim Lincecum overcame a shaky first inning to fan 11 Murlocs and keep the Flying Squirrels (67-53) within one game of idle Worcester in the East.

BROOKLYN 6, BLACK MESA 3

WP: Justin Verlander (11-7, 2.83)
LP: Erwin Santana (2-10, 7.92)
SV: Wagner (5)

Former Moabs 3B Miguel Cabrera connected off Justin Verlander in the fourth, but otherwise the hit parade was one-sided, led by Ryan Howard's 40th poke of the year and three-hit effort from Utley, including his 15th. Brooklyn stays within a game-and-a-half of Worcester in the Eastern Division logjam, with 31 games to play!

CENTRAL CLUBS MAKE...OR DON'T MAKE MOVES

At the TRADE DEADLINE . . . .there was little more than a blip, as BARB clubs for the most part adopted a 'stand pat' stance toward their rosters. The one exception (gasp!) was the Arizona Thunder, whose GM (the peripatetic Ronald Melkonian) adopted an 'about-face' in a bid for a playoff spot.

As recently as mid-September, the Thunder was seen by most observers as out of the race. Their GM had said as much, by dealing away supposed staff ace Yovani Gallardo to the Brooklyn Moabs along with veteran slugger Manny Ramirez and CF Vernon Wells. This was widely perceived by the media (and an angry clubhouse) as a 'white flag' trade, especially when Melkonian was quoted in the Arizona Republic as saying that the traded players were "unable to help the team reach their goal of winning a pennant this season" and that they were now going to "focus on . . . future plans for contention."

A funny thing happened on the way to rebuilding: the team got healthier (notably Alex Rodriguez), the bullpen kicked it up a notch and (perhaps most critically) neither Casselton nor Pottsylvanis has played well enough to pull away from the Thunder. So it was that the club found itself in contention, and with an eye on the shaky health of Ricky Nolasco, picked up St. Francis RHP Gavin Floyd for a player to be named.

WHAT DID THE OTHER CONTENDERS DO DOWN THE STRETCH?

In a word, not much. Brooklyn, of course, had already shot its bolt, dealing (among others) RHP James Shields and several prospects to get Gallardo and company from Arizona. A playoff team last year, their hopes on another playoff berth pretty much depend on the roster they have outplaying Frostbite Falls and Worcester down the stretch.

Casselton, despite losing Santana, despite the injuries which slowed 1B Derek Lee, despite a series of meltdowns by closer Bobby Jenks, did nothing to shore up any of those holes. Is this a message of confidence for those struggling, or is it simply a vote of no-confidence in rivals like Pottsylvania and Arizona? Unless either gets hot, the Horned Toads will make their first playoff but it remains to be seen if they will be any threat once getting there.

Frostbite Falls had hoped to get a boost with the return of CF Carlos Beltran, but held on to their most tradeable commodity (2B Rickie Weeks) due to injury concerns with 3B Evan Longoria and SS Jose Reyes. The multiple (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008) BARB champions will try to add 'one for the thumb' with the hand they've been dealt.

Madtown had extra SP to give, which would've made them everyone's favorite in spring training. But, since the Murlocs are very competitive, some of their potential trading partners were rivals (Yuma, Darwin) or else couldn't afford to deal the sort of full-time catcher with a solid bat that Madtown might've liked to have added to their mix.

Pottsylvania: the 2009 Central Division champs have had a lot of injuries to key personnel, and they have to hope that 3B Aramis Ramirez can pull out of his season-long funk in the next four weeks. LHP Brian Fuentes was dangled, but there were no bites. Team leader Jason Varitek was traded away, and CF Matt Kemp was a lightning rod for media criticism. The club just doesn't have a lot of extra talent it can dangle. Hard-throwing LHP Aroldis Chapman could make some noise in September...

Worcester was approached by more than one club with interest in 2B Robinson Cano, but the Eliminators (saddled with heavy payroll) lacked the flexibility to take on salary and in any case probably were wise to reject lowball offers where Cano was concerned.

Yuma had originally hoped to shore up its rotation by offering a significant package for St. Francis RHP Roy Oswalt, but saw the deal fall apart when Oswalt put together a hot streak for the Friars.

'ZORILLA' GOES APE, HOMERS THREE TIMES AGAINST ANOMALIES

'ZORILLA' GOES APE, HOMERS THREE TIMES AGAINST ANOMALIES

Black Mesa----Weird things happen regularly at the Black Mesa facility, as research scientist Gordon Freeman can attest. But few things were weirder that the spectacle of former Friars utility man Ben Zobrist driving in seven runs while "going yard" three times, as the Oakland club won a slugfest sparked by their biggest trade acquisition of 2010.

Zobrist (.290, 31 HR, 91 RBI) hit a three-run blast in the first against Erwin Santana and a two-run shot against Luis Perdomo in the second as the visiting Oaks seven times in the first three innings. But the slugging Anomalies kept pace, scoring six times in the same amount of time against Danny Haren and aging former relief star Trevor Hoffman. Chad Qualls worked three innings of one-hit ball in relief of Hoffman, but when Chris Ray (1-4, 5.45) was brought in, the Anomalies promptly scored four runs against him to take a 10-9 lead after seven innings.

Not to worry, though. Carlos Villanueva (0-3, 5.37) was in the zip code. Andruw Jones led off the top of the eighth with his second circuit shot of the contest, and three batters later Zobrist finished him off with his second two-run blow and third overall. Incredibly, a four-run eighth to answer Black Mesa's rally, enough to make Ray a winner of the 'vulture' variety.

Zobrist's heroics are all the more striking when you consider that at the time he was traded to the Oakland ballclub he was leading the Friars in HR and RBI. In the 38 games he has played for United since being acquired, Zobrist has more HR (15) and RBI (45) than any other Oakland player, including the hot-hitting Andruw Jones. If Zobrist was on a contending club, he could arguably be an MVP candidate, which is not what you would expect from anyone who has been a utility player much of his career.

Conversely, if Oakland was to deal Zobrist right now, his value might arguably be at its peak!

TRADE DEADLINE IMMINENT

Current standings as of 'August 30th' in game time are shown above. As of this moment, 9 of the league's 13 teams are still at .500 or above and mathematically contending for a playoff spot. Our condolences to (in alphabetical order) Black Mesa, Oakland, Los Angeles and (sigh) St. Francis. Because so many are still contending, we haven't had as much trade activity in the second half as we usually do. Still, after August 31st in 'game time' no trades will be permitted. If you have a deal that's been percolating for 'later', now is the time.


In other BARB action:


POTTSYLVANIA 6, CASSELTON 1

WP: Mark Buerhle (11-6, 3.57)
LP: Joe Saunders (5-10, 5.24)

Mark Buerhle allowed a one-out solo homer in the first to Jose Lopez, but only two hits over the next eight frames in going the distance as the Central-leading Horned Toads lost for the eighth time in their last ten games, with another meltdown from their bullpen (O'Day and Ziegler) with an overworked (and increasingly-ineffective) Bobby Jenks suddenly an issue. With the win, the Creepers (58-56) kept themselves in the conversation for a playoff spot, but remain five games back.

ST. FRANCIS 6, ARIZONA 3

WP: Bronson Arroyo (6-6, 4.14)
LP: Javier Vazquez (5-7, 4.61)

Aubrey Huff and Casey Blake took Thunder starter Javier Vazquez deep, and A.J. Pierzynski added a big two-run double to help the Friars clinch a series win against Arizona, which helped the Cloistered Ones with a pair of errors in a big four-run fourth. Despite the loss, the Thunder is seven games over .500, and the club has played a division-best 25-20 since July 1st (league time).

DARWIN 12, FROSTBITE FALLS 4

WP: Zack Greinke (8-8, 2.75)
LP: Matt Garza (8-6, 4.62)

David Ortiz had three hits, including his 15th boundary belt of the campaign, and Zack Greinke posted seven scoreless innings in a one-sided affair against Garza and the Squirrels bullpen to keep themselves close in the Western Division. Despite the loss, Frostbite Falls has the loop's most wins since the All-Star Break, and is just a half-game out in the competitive Eastern Division.

YUMA 3, BROOKLYN 2

WP: Roy Halladay (11-8, 3.72)
LP: Justin Verlander (10-7, 2.80)

Halladay's BARB-leading 6th complete game of the season was just the tonic the host Firebirds needed to cool the left-handed bats of the Moabs, who got Ryan Howard's 38th bomb of the season but little else, trailing pretty much the entire way after Joey Votto's 19th of the season capped a three-run first. With the win, Yuma's fourth straight, the Firebirds stayed in an effective tie with Madtown for the lead in the West.


MADTOWN 8, WORCESTER 1

WP: C.J. Wilson (3-1, 3.62)
LP: Heath Bell (6-7, 3.65)

Little-used veteran C Ramon Hernandez made his first HR of the 2010 BARB season a big blow, hitting a grand slam as part of a seven-run eighth against Heath Bell and the rest of the Worcester pen, blowing out a game that had been a pitcher's duel between Jared Weaver and Johnny Cueto.

Hernandez got to bat against lefty reliever Craig Breslow after Bell had already allowed a sac fly by Scott Rolen and an RBI single by Cesar Izturis, and he clubbed a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left for his first boundary belt of the year. It was a nice moment for the veteran, who had first dealt with injuries, then was blocked by charismatic free-swinger Pablo Sandoval and the younger (but underperforming) Chris Ianetta.

TRADE DEADLINE IMMINENT

SQUIRRELS' STREAK REACHES EIGHT: FROSTBITE TAKES OVER EASTERN LEAD

SQUIRRELS' STREAK REACHES EIGHT: FROSTB
ITE TAKES OVER EASTERN LEAD

Office of the League Commissioner---As all of the Eastern clubs were on the road in the West, one club (the Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels) chose this time to get hot, winning nine of ten and eight straight thanks to solid starting pitching, allowing GM Andrew Haynes's club to catch, then "overtake" their slugging rivals in Worcester with a 65-46 record....though, to be fair, the Eliminators still held an advantage in the 'W' column with a 66-48 mark.

Still, after spending most of the summer in third behind both Worcester and Brooklyn, the Squirrels have hit their stride, posting back-to-back 3-0 shutouts of the reeling Black Mesa Anomalies as part of a dominant doubleheader. In the opener, Tim Lincecum (11-7, 3.95) shrugged off talk of 'What's wrong with Timmy?' with a 12-K effort, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, and combining with three relievers on a four-hitter as they got all the offense they needed from rookie Jason Heyward's 15th HR of the year off losing pitcher Barry Zito (7-11, 5.02). In the nightcap, it was 'King' time as Felix Hernandez (12-7, 3.19) combined with Jason Frasor to bamboozle the Anomalies further, with Albert Pujols launching his club-leading 36th bomb of the year off Ted Lilly (3-7, 4.47) to seal the triumph.

The double dip sweep gave the Squirrels a two-game lead in the 'L' column and a half-game overall, as things did not go their rivals way in Yuma. The Firebirds (57-47) have are the defending world champs and boast one of the loop's best rotations, but their offense has come up second this season to the surprising Murlocs, who continue to be the itch that the Arizonans just can't quite reach: Madtown's sweep of Oakland improved them to 60-48, while Yuma would need an epic ninth inning at home to escape with a win against visiting Worcester.

And it was epic! Trailing 7-4 entering the frame, Yuma would score four times to win in walkoff fashion against Craig Breslow (1-3, 3.38), with the clincher being Denard Span's two-run single off the great Mariano Rivera, only the Panamanian's fourth blown save of the year. The rally made a winner of Rafael Betancourt (2-0, 4.15) and kept the club from falling two games behind the hot Murlocs.

In other BARB action:

POTTSYLVANIA 3, CASSELTON 1

WP: Armando Gallaraga (7-10, 6.57)
LP: John Danks (8-5, 3.67)
SV: Fuentes (2)

Carlos Pena hit his BARB-leading 39th circuit shot of the season and fifth starter Armando Gallaraga took a shutout into the seventh before yielding a run as the Creepers (57-55) won their third straight to move two games over .500 for the first time since mid-summer.

ARIZONA 4, ST. FRANCIS 3

WP: Tommy Hanson (5-7, 4.13)
LP: Randy Wells (2-7, 4.50)
SV: Dotel (4)

Andre Ethier's 22nd blast of the season capped a third inning in which the Thunder scored all the runs they would need, rapping out four scores at the expense of Randy Wells, who allowed three straight run-scoring hits to seal his doom.

OAKLAND 4, MADTOWN 3

WP: Derek Lowe (7-10, 5.83)
LP: Hideki Kuroda (12-5, 3.85)
SV: Capps (5)

Matt Capps bailed out a shaky Trevor Hoffman to help preserve a rare win for Derek Lowe, and part-time OF Andruw Jones hit a pair of home runs off Hideki Kuroda as the United squad won on the road in 'Madtown'. Oakland was able to do what so many other BARB clubs of late have not been able to do: get a lead early against a Murlocs starter. The Madtown club is an amazing 56-1 when leading or tied after seven innings, a testimony to their unheralded bullpen.

SQUIRRELS' STREAK REACHES EIGHT: FROSTBITE TAKES OVER EASTERN LEAD