PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #22

Michigan (75-56, 2nd Place NL East) vs. Manhattan (84-43, 1st place NL East) – the teams have split the previous 14 games. Michigan seeks to turn around last weeks debacle at Missouri (who the week before did the same thing to Manhattan)!

Higuera (11-8, 2.65) vs. Welch (21-4, 2.21)
Big game for Schofield (2 for 3, 2 runs, 2 rbis, double) as he sparks a 3 run 2nd and more in the 6th as Gas Hornets takes the opener 6-2. Higuera goes 5.2 giving up 6 hits and 4 walks and 5 runs. Ripken unloads a 2 run shot (20) in the 3rd.

MIC 2-7-0 LP Higuera (11-9)
MGH 6-10-0 WP Welch (22-4)

DeShaises (12-5, 2.51) vs. Harris (8-7, 2.85)

DeShaies is 2-0 in 4 starts vs Manhattan (team is 3-1 in those games. Harris is 2-0 in his 2 starts vs. MI. Scorewise, game 2 was a replay of game 1 as Gas Hornets ride the stellar pitching of Harris to another 6-2 win. 4 run Manhattan 5th opened the scoring, it included a 3 run Yount homer (12). Samuel drove  in 2 runs in the 7th with a double.
MIC 2-5-0 LP DeShaies (12-6)
MGH 6-10-0 WP Harris (9-7)

Langston (13-5, 3.43) vs. Magrane (5-11, 3.95).

Magrane making his 1st start against Michigan as a Gas Hornet , 1 start this year vs. MI came when he was with Missouri, not pretty, a 15-3 loss in which he lasted 3 innings and gave up 6 runs. Mauraders woes continue as Magrane tosses a 2 hitter over 7 innings and Gas Hornets plate 4 runs in the game  including a 3 run 5th to win 4-0. Steve Sax goes 5 for 5! Brooks injured for 2 days via the HBP.
MIC 0-4-0 LP Langston (13-6)
MGH 4-11-0 WP Magrane (6-11)

Knudson (9-10, 4.24) vs. Leary (8-9, 4.38).

Knudsen has won twice vs. Manhattan this year in close games and lost twice in blowouts. Mauraders finally turn things around behind the 3 hit pitching of  Knudson (never know who will pick you up). He was supported by a 7 hit attack that included a Nokes HR (8), 1 of 2 hits for him in the game.
MIC 4-7-1 WP Knudson (10-10)
MGH 0-3-1 LP Leary (8-10)

Gullickson (14-11, 2.89) vs. Welch (22-4, 2.23)
Welch showed early that he didn’t have much stuff today. Jackson (32) knocks a 2 run shot in the 1st, Randolph (3) gets a solo blast in a 2 run 2nd quickly propelling the Mauraders to a 4-0 lead. However, the Gas Hornets began to chip away at that lead in the 5th with 2 run, 2 more in the 7th and the game winner was scored in the 8th – this one a solo HR (9) from Chris James. McReynolds also had a solo earlier in the game (19).
MIC 4-10-0 LP Gueterman (5-3)
MGH 5-8-0 WP Henke (9-3)

Higuera (11-9, 2.84) vs. Scott (11-5, 2.80 and 1-2 vs. the Mauraders)

Michigan however was not through in for the series. They again, apparently, needed to toss a shutout to win a game and Higuera (and Williamson) were eager to oblige. Good thing, because the only run in the game came on Brunansky triple in the 1st followed 2 batters later by a Brooks SF as Michigan wins 1-0 erasing a stellar outing from Mike Scott (3 hits, 1 run).
MIC 1-4-0 WP Higuera (12-9), S Williamson (25)
MGH 0-6-1 LP Scott (11-6)

Manhattan dealt a severe blow to Michigan’s NL East hopes and dropped their magic number from 23 to 13. Next week it’s Sugarland coming to Manhattan and Valdosta goes to Michigan.

The Cedar Park Bears visit the Janesville Juggernauts for a seven game series.

Moore for the Bears is masterful in pitching a complete game shut out, winning 1-0. He scatters five hits and strikes out 7 in winning his fifth game of the season.

Cedar Park raps out 14 hits in winning game two 7-5.

Janesville wins game three 6-3 as Anderson wins his seventh game of the season.

Game four is all Cedar Park as they erupt for six runs in the second inning and run away with the game 14-1.

Janesville loses the lead again and loses game five 5-2.

Another close game, but Cedar Park prevails scoring 3 runs in the 8th to win game six 7-6.

The third one run game again sees the Bears on top, taking the final game of the series 4-3.

A few games could’ve went the other way, but Cedar Park prevails 6-1 in the series. Next up for the Bears is the California Quakes at home, while the Juggernauts hit the road versus Detroit.

Detroit wins the series over Mexico City 4-3.

Panthers win 3 against division leading Chicago. Abbott had a complete game shutout in game 3 then Ft. Worth had two walk offs in extra innings. A three run home run in the bottom of the 12th in game 4 and a solo shot by Winfield in the bottom of the 10th in game 6.

NL West showdown as first place Steel City heads to 2nd place Clovis for a 7 gamer.

Clovis 6 Sluggers 4 as Cougars grab the opener behind Wells.

Sluggers 10 Cougars 5
Sluggers put a whooping on Johnson as Hurst shuts down Clovis.

Clovis 4 Steel City 1
Cougars stun Tudor with a 4 spot in the 6th and McCaskill and the bullpen do their job.

Sluggers 5 Cougars 2
Belcher improves to 8-1 as Sabo knocks a pair out of the park for Steel City.

Clovis 4 Steel City 2
Greenwell blasts a three run shot in the first to give surprise starter Smiley enough cushion to ride it out.

Steel City 7 Clovis 5
Sandberg and Fisk knock in 9th inning runs to snap a 5 all tie. Fisk, Sabo, and Dunston all homered for the Sluggers as teams continue to trade wins.

Sluggers 5 Cougars 4 in 10 innings.
Reynolds singled home Boston in the tenth to give Steel City the game and the series,

Close series but in the end visiting Steel City takes four of 7 from Clovis.

Long Beach scored 2 unearned runs off Finley in the 4th and won 2-1. Young outdueled Finley to improve to 9-5. Gleaton and Hartley closed out the win.

Germantown built an early 3-0 lead keyed by a Martinez 2 run 2B. Long Beach came back and took a 4-3 lead in the 3rd on an Incaviglia 3 run HR. That was the end of the scoring as Robinson pitched in the 7th and 4 relievers finished off the 4-3 win.

Smoltz and Boyd kept the game scoreless until the bottom of the 9th when Justice hit a grand slam off Aguilera to give Long Beach a 4-0 win.

Long Beach rolled to a 10-0. Incaviglia had 3 hits and 4 RBI to lead the offense while Tomlin threw 7 shutout innings to pick up the win.

Long Beach scored 5 runs in the 3rd knocking out Morgan on their way to a 6-1 win. Fielder hit a 3 run HR and Viola helped his own cause with a 2 run 1B as he improved to 14-5.

Young pitched 6 strong innings in the Titans 4-1 win. Pecota’s 2 run 1B in the 4th broke a 1-1 tie. Gleaton picked up his 17th save.

Germantown took an early 3-0 lead and won 4-1 to avoid a sweep. Mulholland gave up 2 hits over 6 innings to pick up the win.

Long Beach won 6 of 7 to keep contact in the wild card race.

Battle of last place teams Winnipeg and Sugarland

WGE behind Stottlemyer wins 2 to 1

Winnipeg and Glavine win 3 to 1 over sugar land

Jamie Moyer gets a shutout wins 7-0 for Winnipeg.

McGwire homers and Benes walks 6 but still wins 5 to 1.

Winnipeg completes the sweep as Guthrie was great through 8 but the pen almost blew it as Winnipeg holds on 4-3

Winnipeg swept Sugarland a series that showed Winnipeg has some hear left.

A battle of second division teams as the Bombers host the Black Bears.

Valdosta 6-5 (12 Innings).

Tim Wallach homered twice to power the Bombers just past the Black Bears.

Valdosta 6-1.

Trevor Wilson makes his first start of the year and was effective for 6 innings of 2 hit ball. Sid Bream added a rare HR to his resume as the Bombers cruise.

Missouri 11-7.

The Bombers scored 6 of the Bears pen but the story was SP Jack Morris. He went 7 and scattered just 4 hits as he improved to 11-6. HR’s from Bonds and Williams provided the power for the Black Bears.

Valdosta 4-1.

Tom Browning got a rare win (7-15) with 6 scoreless IP. He came out with a blister and the pen held up for the Bombers. Franco with his 11th save.

Missouri 10-6.

Bombers got 3 in the 9th to make it look better but the Black Bears were in control all the way. John Burkett improved to 12-7.

Missouri 7-2.

Leibrandt was solid for 6 IP and improved to 12-6. Candiotti lost his 2nd game of the series and drops to 8-12.

Valdosta 2-1.

Trevor Wilson wins again and Candy Maldonado and Jim Presley homered for the Bombers only runs of the game.

Bombers go 4-3 somehow.

California Quakes @ Stockton Wings for 7 games

CAL 9 – STO 3

WP: A. Fernandez
LP: Milacki

HR: Olerud (2), O’Neill, Downing, Thompson (2)

CAL 6 – STO 3

WP: S. Farr
LP: Combs
SV: Harris

HR: none

CAL 6 – STO 2

WP: Saberhagen
LP: Kiecker

HR: Borders

STO 3 – CAL 2

WP: Blair
LP: McDonald
SV: Schooler

HR: none

STO 6 – CAL 4

WP: Schooler
LP: Berenguer

HR: Olerud, Canseco, Jefferies, Pagliarulo, Hrbek

CAL 10 – STO 0

WP: Bolton
LP: Johnson

HR: Jefferies, Sasser

CAL 6 – STO 5

WP: Frey
LP: Ojeda

HR: none

California takes the series 5 games to 2

Montana tries to keep their playoff hopes alive as they take on Traverse City in a 5-game series.

Montana opens the series with a win thanks to a 2-run HR from Hal Morris and a 3-run HR from Franklin Stubbs.

FINAL – MCT 6 TCT 3

Montana runs away from Traverse City. Joey Cora and Brian Harper lead the way with 3 hits. Harper added 2 RBI and Cora scored 3 times. Hal Morris added 2 hits and 3 RBI.

FINAL – MCT 9 TCT 4

Joey Cora gets his second consecutive 3 hit game and Marianno Duncan and Paul Sorrento hit HRs. Dennis Cook and 3 relievers hold Tigers to 6-hits and 2 runs.

FINAL – MCT 7 TCT 2

Greg Maddux and 3 relievers pitch Traverse City to the win. They combine to hold the Cutthroats to 4-hits and 2 runs. Joe Carter hits a big HR for insurance.

FINAL – TCT 4 MCT 2

Montana closes out the series with the win. A Franklin Stubbs 2-run HR gives Montana the lead for good. Cutthroats pitching holds the Tigers hitless over the final four innings.

FINAL – MCT 5 TCT 1

Montana wins the series 4 games to 1. The Cutthroats have taken advantage of this part of their softer schedule with an 8-2 record over the past ten games versus the bottom two teams in the AL West.