World Series 2 - Game 7

SEA 5

CLB 3

WP: Iago Lewis (2-0)

LP: Arhur Swift (0-1)

SV: Geraldo Morales (1)

POG: Troy McMurtry (1-5, 2 RBI)

Summary:

Game 7 definitely did not disappoint the masses this season. Columbus struck first with an RBI double by LF Jerry Fischer and an RBI single by 1B Arthur Boyd to put them up 2-0 after 1. An RBI single by 1B Mitch Harris cut the deficit in half in the top of the 4th. Seattle's 3B Reid Brooks tied the game at 2 with a tape-measure job to LCF in the top of the 6th. LF Ross Anderson made the score 3-2 with a single to RCF in the top of the 8th. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, Seattle's chances looked good, until they made another error (8 in the last 4 games) and allowed Piper Cambridge to score to tie the game at 3. Going into extra innings, Seattle strings together 2 hits and an intentional walk when McMurtry came to the plate to deliver his career-defining single to put the Pilots in the lead, 5-3. Geraldo Morales came on to secure the victory.

Seattle wins, 5-3.

Seattle wins the series 4-3.

Series MVP: Brandon Good (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K)

Congratulations to Seattle!!

Season 2 World Champions!!

World Series 2 - Game 6

SEA 4

CLB 7

WP: Harry Caballero (3-2)

LP: Jumbo Masato (1-1)

POG: Harry Caballero (9.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)

Summary:

Looking to force a game 7, Columbus chooses game 2 loser, Caballero while Seattle runs game 3 winner Masato to the mound for the clincher. Scoring started early for Columbus with home runs by P Harry Caballero, 3B Philip Chase, 1B Arthur Boyd, and SS Bernie Mendoza in the 3rd to put the Aeros ahead, 6-0. They chose to play small ball in the 4th, with a single and a stolen base by CF Dean Crawford. 2B Piper Cambridge hit a sac fly to move Crawford to 3rd, where Chase knocked him in to put the Aeros up, 7-0. Seattle C Stretch Lloyd hit a lead-off home run to CF in the 7th to make the score 7-1. Caballero got into a little trouble in the top of the 9th, walking the leadoff hitter and giving up a double to 3B Reid Brooks and a home run to RF Hal Thompson to make the score 7-4. Caballero settled down to get back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out to end the game.

Columbus wins, 7-4.
Series tied, 3-3.

World Series 2 - Game 5

CLB 6
SEA 1
WP: Kevin Kohlmeier (1-0)

LP: Nolan Gabriel (2-2)

POG: Kevin Kohlmeier (6.0 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 7 K)

Summary:

Yet another "must-win" game for the Aeros ended in disappointment for Seattle fans. The scoring began in the top of the 5th when, with 2 outs, C Scott Kraemer singled to LCF to knock in a run and CF Dean Crawford followed that up with an RBI single to RCF to give Columbus the lead, 2-0. Seattle answered to cut the deficit in half on the strength of a single by 2B Troy McMurtry and a double by 1B Louie Guiel. Columbus put the game out of reach in the 8th, scoring 4 runs with 2 outs on the strength of a triple by 2B Piper Cambridge, and singles by 1B Jerry Fischer, RF Eddie Black, and an error by McMurtry.

Columbus wins 6-1.
Seattle leads series, 3-2.

World Series 2 - Game 4

CLB 6

SEA 2

WP: Victor Duran (1-1)

LP: Geraldo Morales (0-1)
POG: Victor Duran (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

Summary:

Facing elimination, the Aeros stormed back in grand fashion, assisted by 5 errors committed by the Pilots. CF Dean Crawford (2-5, R) reached on an error to open the game, stole 2nd base and came around to score on a double by 3B Philip Chase (1-5, 2B, R, RBI). 2B Piper Cambridge (1-5, R, RBI) singled to score Chase. Cambridge stole 2nd, then advanced to 3rd on the C's throwing error. A single by Jerry Fischer (2-3, RBI, BB) scored Cambridge. The Pilots answered in the 2nd with a homer by Mitch Harris (2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) to lead off the inning. Seattle's Geraldo Morales (3.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K) didn't last long for a starter and was relieved by Jason Minor (4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, ER, BB) who was also let down by his defense. Aeros' 1B Nolan Hammonds (2-4, HR, R, RBI) homered in the 4th to make it 4-1, Seattle. Harris answered with his 2nd homer in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-2. Columbus scored twice more in the 6th to wrap up the scoring, 6-2.

Columbus wins, 6-2.

Seattle leads the series, 3-1.

World Series 2 - Game 3

CLB 2
SEA 6
WP: Jumbo Masato (1-0)
LP: Russell Herrmann (1-1)
SV: Jim Phillips (4)

Summary:
The Columbus Aeros are in a bad way now, having fallen behind 3 games to none to the Seattle Pilots, a team I gave no shot of even winning game this series. 3B Philip Chase (1-4, 3B, R) opened the scoring with a triple in top of the 3rd and scored when 2B Piper Cambridge (1-4, RBI) singled to left to give Columbus their first lead of the World Series, 1-0. This didn't last too long as Seattle's 1B Louie Guiel (1-4, HR, R, RBI) homered in the bottom of the 4th to tie the game at 1. The wheels fell off for Aeros' starter Russell Herrmann (4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) in the 5th. He walked 3 of the first 4 batters he faced to load the bases. Pilots' LF Ross Anderson (1-4, R, RBI) singled to left to drive in the first run of the game. RF Hal Thompson (1-2, HR, R, 4 RBI) followed that up with a wall-scraping grand slam to left-center to break this game wide-open, 6-1. Roy Jones (3.2 IP, H, BB, 5 K) made sure that no further damage was done by the Pilots for this game. Meanwhile, Jumbo Massato scattered 5 hits over 6 strong innings, striking out 8. His only mistake was the run in the 3rd. The Seattle bullpen did its job, pitching 3 innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball to preserve the win.

Seattle wins, 6-2.
Seattle leads the series, 3-0.

World Series 2 - Game 2

SEA 7
CLB 1
WP: Nolan Gabriel (2-1)
LP: Harry Caballero (2-2)
SV: Bengie Tavarez (1)
POG: Ross Anderson (3-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI)

Summary:
Columbus had better do something about their offense, and do it quickly or they risk making this pundit look like a fool. MVP runner-up Harry Caballero (6.0 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 5 K) was hit around pretty good and it started in the first inning. A ground-rule double to 3B Reid Brooks (4-5, 2B, 3 R, RBI) was followed two batters later by a home run to left field by LF Ross Anderson. Caballero was an out away from escaping the 4th inning unscathed when, with 2 on, C Stretch Lloyd (1-4, R, RBI) singled to LCF to score 2B Troy McMurtry (1-4, R), who had led off the inning with a single. Brooks singled into CF to score CF Ricardo Fransisco (1-3, R). A walk to RF Hal Thompson (2-4, BB) loaded the bases. Anderson walked to score Lloyd, and then Harris walked to score Brooks before McMurtry grounded out mercifully to SS to end the inning. The Pilots' Nolan Gabriel held the Aeros to 3 hits and 0 runs over the 6 innings he pitched, striking out 7 and only walking 2 before he was pulled for Bengie Tavarez (3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K) who managed to pick up the save. It took Columbus 16-2/3 innings before they finally cracked the scoreboard. A single by LF Nolan Hammonds (1-1) in the bottom of the 8th, followed by a strikeout and a fielder's choice put a runner on second for 3rd place MVP 2B Piper Cambridge (1-4, RBI) who managed to double in RF Eddie Black (1-3, R) for the only run of the game for the Aeros. Of course Seattle was not finished as 3 straight hits yielded a run in the top of the 9th.
Seattle wins 7-1.
Seattle takes a 2-0 lead.

World Series 2 - Game 1

SEA 6
COL 0
WP: Jason Minor (1-0)
LP: Rob Barker (0-1)
POG: Troy McMurtry (2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)

Summary:
Once again proving that I know not of what I speak, the Pilots dominated the Aeros to the tune of 6-0. A solo HR by 2B McMurtry in the 3rd opened up the scoring for the Pilots. In the top of the 4th, 1B Louie Guiel (1-4, R) led off the inning with a single to right and 3B Reid Brooks (1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI) followed that up with a 2-run shot to RF. 3 batters later, McMurtry hit his 2nd homer in as many innings well over the left-center field fence to give Seattle a 5-0 lead after 4. Seattle's Troy O'Donnell (3 H, 3 BB, 5 K) succumbed to a torn forearm after facing one batter in the 5thand gave way to Jason Minor (5.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 3 K) in the 5th. Columbus' Roy Jones (2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) pitched the 8th and the 9th walked in the 6th run in the top of the 9th. He replaced a largely ineffective Rob Barker (7.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 3 HR) who picked up the loss.

Seattle defeats Columbus, 6-0.
Seattle leads the series, 1-0.

World Series Preview Season 2

Seattle Pilots (92-70) vs. Columbus Aeros (114-48)


Seattle Pilots - gerald007
The Pilots saw their record get worse, but still managed to win their second straight AL West title as well as their second straight AL Pennant.

Offense (.260 Avg – 12th; 704 RS – 14th)
The Pilots had 1 player hit over .300 (Ross Anderson) and didn’t have a single player knock in more than 100 runs. Offensively-challenged, they did have 4 players hit 20+ home runs and had 7 score 55+ runs during the course of the season. All-Star RF Hal Thompson did the heavy lifting for this offense as he batted .288/.363/.572 while hitting 39 home runs and knocking in 98 runs and scoring 99 times (led the team in all 3 categories).

Pitching (3.36 ERA – 2nd; 1.22 WHIP – 2nd)
Led by Cy Young candidate, Alex Vizcaino (19-10, 236.2 IP, 2.47 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), this team relied on their pitching to carry them. In a crushing blow to their chances, Vizcaino suffered a torn labrum in Game 6 of the ALCS. Nolan Gabriel (17-11, 214.1 IP, 4.03 ERA) and Troy O'Donnell (16-10, 200.0 IP, 3.74 ERA)are going to have to carry this team. Going with mostly a 4-man rotation (with a rotating 4th), they had 3 players with 38+ starts and 16+ wins, while pitching 200+ innings. Averaging just over 5 innings per start, their bullpen was led by All-Star closer Jim Phillips (3-9, 35/39, 78.0 IP, 56 G, 2.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) among others. Nap O’Connor, Rudy DeRosa, and Brandon Good all pitched 94+ innings without ever starting a game (a combined 3.38 ERA).

Defense (.987 Fldg – 3rd; 409 DP – 11th)
Their only gold glover was C Stretch Lloyd, but they still managed to be the third-best team in fielding percentage. CF Ricardo Franscisco was nothing short of sensational recording 19 great plays during the season and contributing 6 assists.


Columbus Aeros – anml34
After qualifying for the playoffs on the strength of the wildcard last season, the Aeros dominated the opposition, securing best record in the world by game 150 to win their first division title.

Offense (.273 Avg – 1st; 851 RS – 1st)
With 3 offensive All-Stars and 2 MVP candidates, is it a wonder that this team dominated the statistical standings on the offensive side of the diamond? MVP candidate #1 1B Jerry Fischer (.328/.409/.622, 48 HR, 163 RBI) was just dominant during the season, nearly cracking the 200 hit mark. MVP candidate #2 2B/3B Piper Cambridge (.316/.377/.508, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 24/36 SB) was pretty good as well. 8 players hit double digit homers, 6 scored 60 or more runs, and 6 had 22 or more doubles.

Pitching (3.34 ERA – 2nd; 1.24 WHIP – 2nd)
With 3 all-stars and 2 Cy Young candidates, this team is stacked pitching-wise as well. 6 pitchers had 12+ wins during the season. They were led by Cy Young candidates Harry Cabellero (20-6, 241.2 IP, 2.98 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) and Ezdra Cruz (17-5, 192.0 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). Their bullpen was led by Fireman of the Year Arthur Swift (1-4, 48/51, 61.2 IP, 65 G, 2.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP), Pasqual Romero, and Rob Barker.

Defense (.989 Fldg – 2nd; 460 DP – 1st)
3B Philip Chase was the Aeros only Gold Glove winner this season, but that didn’t stop them from putting up some solid numbers. SS Bernie Mendoza made 21 great plays while having a hand in 114 double plays. In a ridiculous manner, the team as a whole made 102 great plays against 9 poor plays. They were also #2 in the NL in throwing out would-be basestealers.

Even before the Vizcaino injury, this was going to be a tough series for Seattle. With the injury it is looking like a lost cause. In order for Seattle to make this into a series, their offense has to produce better than it has in the postseason and the pitching has to be better too. I believe, that for Columbus to win this, they only need 2 of the 3 components mentioned above to produce like they did in the regular season. Seattle's only chance is for their pitching to shut down the Columbus offense and Columbus' pitching to fail to perform.

Prediction: Columbus in 4.

Division Series' Odds by tk21775

With the S2 Divisional Championship Series ready to get underway, the sports books have had a flurry of wagering activity going on. Lines going into the evening are:

American League
El Paso Sluggers +250
Philadelphia Freedom -300

Seattle Pilots +150
New Britain Rock Cats -200

National League
Ottawa Outlaws +110
Columbus Aeros -120

Las Vegas Bookies +120
New Orleans Zydeco -130

To Win World Series:
El Paso Sluggers +2000
Las Vegas Bookies +1500
New Orleans Zydeco +1400
Seattle Pilots +1200
New Britain Rock Cats +1000
Philadelphia Freedom +950
Ottawa Outlaws +400
Columbus Aeros +250

What Division Will Win World Series:
AL: +150
NL: -200

Record-Breakers

HITTING STREAK (Tied)
Jerry Fischer (CLB) batted .408 during his record-tying, 25-game hitting streak this season. He had 6 doubles, 1 triple, and 13 home runs during this period while knocking in 41 and scoring 21 runs himself.

Publish Post

ERA & WHIP
Kenshin Ogawa (PHI) recorded a 2.04 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 255.1 innings pitched. He won 15 games while losing 7 and struck out 183 batters against 65 walks.

Playoff Update (through 154 games)

NL North
Columbus Aeros (109-45) - clinched #1 seed; 1st division title

NL East
New York Highlanders (83-71) - 2nd straight division title

NL South
New Orleans Zydeco (85-69) - 1st division title
Currently the front runner for the #2 seed, New Orleans' magic number is 7

NL West
Las Vegas Bookies (83-71) - 1st division title

NL Wildcard
Ottawa Outlaws (96-58) - clinched wildcard (magic number is 4 for wildcard #1)
Cincinnati Battlin' Redlegs (91-63) - clinched wild card

As it stands now...
#6 Cincinnati vs. #3 Las Vegas
#5 Ottawa vs. #4 New York
#1 Columbus
#2 New Orleans


AL North
New Britain Rock Cats (96-58) - magic number is 4 for their 2nd division title
Magic number is 7 for the #1 seed

AL East
Phladelphia Freedom (94-60) - magic number is 2 for their 1st division title

AL South
El Paso Sluggers (75-79) - magic number is 5 for their 1st division title

AL North
Seattle Pilots (86-68) - magic number is 1 for their 2nd division title

AL Wildcard
Rochester Redbirds (91-63) - clinched wildcard (magic number is 5 for wildcard #1)
Florida Tropics (87-67) - clinched wildcard

As it stands now...
#6 Florida vs. #3 Seattle
#5 Rochester vs. #4 El Paso
#1 New Britain
#2 Philadelphia

**Just a quick note, but in the wildcard rounds in both the NL and AL, the lower seeds are likely to be favored in the series.**

American League Playoff Picture (through 142/143 games)

AL North

New Britain Rock Cats (19) 88-55

Currently fighting toe-to-toe with Rochester for their second straight division title, they are also fighting with Philadelphia for the top seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage. Should be a lock to make the playoffs, but could end up as a #1, #2, or #5 seed.

AL East

Philadelphia Freedom (11) 88-55

A 9.5 game lead over Florida means that the Freedom will likely win their first division championship and make their second straight playoff appearance. The only question is whether that will be with home-field advantage or not.

AL South

El Paso Sluggers (20) 68-74

Jackson Mallards 68-75

Texas Wildcats 67-76

Montgomery Mavericks 62-81

This is an ugly, ugly division. El Paso finished second last season, and Montgomery went 81-81 to win it. This season could see the winner of the division at well below .500. At least the winner isn't likely to make the playoffs instead of a team with a winning record.

AL West

Seattle Pilots (9) 81-61

Last season's #1 seed is unlikely to earn a bye this time around, but with a magic number of 9, it's only a matter of when, not if they clinch a second straight division title. The road to the World Series is tougher this season.

AL Wild Card

Rochester Redbirds (4) 86-56

The Redbirds look to be a lock to make their second straight playoff appearance. They still have a shot at their division as they trail New Britain by only a game and a half.

Florida Tropics (12) 78-64

Despite being 9.5 games out of first in the East, Florida has a 9 game lead in the race for the second wild card spot. Should see them in the playoffs for the second straight year.

The story this season is the fact that there will likely be a team that is below .500 make it to the playoffs. The only positive is that they will not make it over a team that is above .500 since, as of press time there were only 5 teams with a better than .500 record in the AL.

National League Playoff Picture (through 142 games)

NL North

Columbus Aeros (8) 101-41

After a wildcard appearance last season, the Aeros appear to be well on their way to winning the division. They have a 12.5 game lead on Ottawa and should win the NL's best division. They have all but clinched the best record in the NL and a first round bye.

NL East

New York Highlanders (14) 76-67

The Highlanders have a 6.5 game lead over Louisville and should very well earn their second straight division championship. They trail New Orleans by 2 games in the bid for the second bye. Barring a dramatic run by Louisville, you will see the Highlanders in the playoffs.

NL South

New Orleans Zydeco (6) 78-65

The smallest magic number of all the division leaders belong to the Zydeco. They have already matched their win total from last season and hold a nearly insurmountable 14 game lead over Little Rock and should earn the first playoff appearance in the franchise's history.

NL West

Las Vegas Bookies (13) 77-65

The Bookies have an 8.0 game lead over Anaheim as they attempt to reach the playoffs for the first time in their history. A magic number of 13 with 20 games to go means that they should be in the playoffs...the only real question is whether or not they will have a first-round bye.

NL Wildcard

Once again, the NL North provides half of the playoff field in the NL.

Ottawa Outlaws (1) 89-54

A victory clinches Ottawa's second straight playoff appearance as the defending world champion is likely to improve upon last season's record, but need the wild card bid to get into the playoffs.

Cincinnati Battlin' Redlegs (7) 83-60

Cincinnati is going to make an appearance into the playoffs for the second straight year. They didn't get out of the first round, will have a better record than last season, yet need the second wild card to get in.

The National League race is all but decided, with seedings and byes all that are left to be determined. The National League currently have just 6 teams above .500 but only one team below .400. Ottawa would be leading every other division in Billy Beane but will likely finish 10+ games behind Columbus. Cincinnati would be leading 5 of the other 7 divisions, but will have to settle for the second wild card.

Single Season Batting Record Watch (through 131 games)

BATTING AVERAGE .374

Stretch Lloyd (SEA) .286

CONTENDERS

Morris Evans (CLE) .378

NOTES

There is a very good chance that this record could fall. Evans has the talent and is a catcher, so he’ll likely get another 15-20 games. The only question is if he has enough plate appearances at the end of the day to qualify.

75%

HOME RUNS 59

Yorman Chavez (RIC) 22

CONTENDERS
Ching-Lung Dong (FLA) 43

Ronn Estes (CIN) 41

Jerry Fischer (CLB) 41

Manny Raben (NB) 40

Mark Casey (TEX) 40

NOTES

With only 31 games left in the season, I don't see any breaking this record.

0%

RBI 168

Morgan Johnson (OTT) 74

CONTENDERS

Jerry Fischer (CLB) 138

NOTES

Fischer is really the only guy with much of a shot to break this record. He would need 30 RBI in 31 games. While possible, it’s unlikely.

5%

HITS 219

Philip Chase (PIT) 116

CONTENDERS

Glen Monroe (NB) 173

R.A. Summers (ARI) 169

Stephen Risley (SYR) 168

Jerry Fischer (CLB) 166

Lonny Bolivar (PIT) 165

Luther Bichette (TOR) 165

NOTES

These guys are facing an uphill fight to break this record. It's possible, but to do so, they would have to hit better than .370 over the remaining 31 games...provided they get 124 ABs during those 31 games.

5%

STOLEN BASES 81

Andres Hernandez (MNT) 43

CONTENDERS

R.A. Summers (ARI) 67

NOTES

14 more stolen bases in 31 games while playing for a team that likes run should leave little doubt that I expect this record to be broken. As long as Summers continues to make his plate appearances and get on base, this should be a foregone conclusion.

85%

HITTING STREAK 25

Philip Chase (PIT)

CO-RECORD HOLDER

Jerry Fischer (CLB) 25

NOTES

Jerry Fischer has tied this record, but his streak is over. I don't see this record falling since the longest streak right now is 12. There isn't anything telling me that any of the players with double-digit streaks now will keep it going for at least 14 more games.

5%

Single Season Pitching Record Watch (through 129 games)

WINS 26
Willie Oliva (NB) 11-5; 28 GS
CONTENDERS
Dan Henry (LV) 17-8; 28 GS
Pep Huang (ROC) 17-4; 26 GS
NOTES
Both guys are 9 wins away with about 7-8 starts left. Unless something spectacular happens as far starts are concerned, this record will be around for another season.
0%

ERA: 2.16
Valerio Nunez (CIN) 3.11
CONTENDERS
Kenshin Ogawa (PHI) 1.95
Andre Jennings (NY2) 2.24
Ezdra Cruz (CLB) 2.39
NOTES
Ogawa, Jennings, and Cruz are all involved in the playoff race. This means they will get some chances to break this record in the near future. All three teams hold at least a 7 game lead, so their chances may come down to competition for seeding in their league.
85%

WHIP: 0.94
Andre Jennings (NY2) 1.10
CONTENDERS
Kenshin Ogawa (PHI) 0.90
Wayne Roosevelt (NO) 0.99
NOTES
In addition to Roosevelt and Ogawa, there are four players with a WHIP under 1.10. Jennings has a good chance at being #3 on the list come the end of the season. Roosevelt’s Zydeco’s are in the process of trying to hold onto the number 2 seed in the NL, while the Freedom are trying to get the number 1 seed in the AL.
75%

K’s: 270
Valerio Nunez (CIN) 193
CONTENDERS
None
Notes:
No chance here. He’s not even going to come close to breaking his own record.
0%

SAVES 49
Jim Phillips (SEA) 29/31
CONTENDERS
Arthur Swift (CLB) 41/43
Logan Putnam (ROC) 36/42
Vic Pena (NY2) 35/40
NOTES
With 33 games remaining and Columbus winning at a record-setting pace, Swift has a very good chance to break this record, and potentially shatter it. Phillips should remain #2 after this season, but Putnam and Pena could give him a run for his spot since both teams are still alive in the postseason race.
90%