PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #18

Mexico City wins the series over Detroit 4 games to 3.

6 closed games as Ft. Worth sweeps California

Janesville heads into the Windy City for a 5 Game Series.

Roger Clemens (7-9 2.03) is masterful Striking out 12, Walking 1, allowing only 3 hits & 1 Earned Run.
Final Score: Chicago 2 – Janesville 1

Janesville puts a hurting on the Demolition. Danny Tartabull has 5 RBI’s & Rob Deer has 4 Singles in 5 trips.
Final Score: Janesville 12 – Chicago 2

Chicago suffers a major injury when Gary Carter runs into George Brett & Carter goes down for 17 games. Chicago gets 2 RBI’s from Jeff King & Wade Boggs to help their cause.
Final Score: Chicago 7 – Janesville 5

After a day off during the Series, Janesville gets on track. Jack Armstrong (2-11 4.58) goes 7 Innings allowing only 2 Runs.
Final Score: Janesville 5 – Chicago 2

Rheal Cormier (7-12 4.07) picks up the win in the 5th game to take the series for the Juggernauts. Danny Tartabull’s 3 Run Bomb in the 9th of Arthur Lee Rhodes (Who was left out to dry after facing 40 batters) was the final push that got Janesville by Chicago.
Final Score: Janesville 7 – Chicago 3

Janesville walks out with a 3 games to 2 Series Win.

Blarney Drive travels to Michigan for a 5 game series.

Blarney Drive 4 Michigan 0
Blyleven is dominating as he throws a complete game – 3 hitter.
Lenny Harris drives in 2 runs. Sutcliffe drops to 1-8.

Michigan 6 Blarney Drive 0
Michigan gets revenge with their own shutout. Tanana throws a 5 hit shutout. Palmeiro hits a 2 run homer. Hoiles adds 2 RBIs. Tanana is now 3-5.

Michigan 4 Blarney Drive 3
Cal Ripken hits a walkoff 2 run homer in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a Michigan victory. Henneman gets the win in relief. The Bandits hit 3 solo homers, but fall short.

Michigan 5 Blarney Drive 0
Charles Nagy goes to 13-4 as he tosses a 5 hit complete game shutout. Orsulak hits a homer, and Damion Easley hits a grand slam. Erik Hanson loses his 12th game.

Michigan 2 Blarney Drive 1
Bernie Williams hits a 2 run homer in the 1st. The Bandits get a run in the 3rd on a Eddie Murray RBI. Neither team scores the rest of the way.

Michigan wins 4 of 5 from Blarney Drive

Valdosta plays host to the last place Skeeters of Sugar Land.

The Bombers offense continues to sputter as they drop 5 of 7 to Sugar Land and their less than stellar pitching.

Long Beach takes the series 4 games to 3.

Stockton comes into Corktown and takes the series 4 games to 3.

Nearly every game was a close one… but in a must-win series for Steel City, they bend like tin and drop 4 of 7 to Winnepeg. The division is all but out of reach, and the Sluggers are currently out
of Wild Card position. Look for some big names to hit the trade market to shake up the races…

Missouri Black Bears (52-49) come to the Big Apple in 2nd place in the AL East to take on the Gas Hornets (58-43) in 1st place – Bears trying to gain ground, Manhattan seeking separation.

Bielecki vs. Reed – 1st inning Cordero cracks a 3 run homer (2), then leaves the game. Rookies….. Bonds gets the Bears right back in it with a 2 run HR (15) in the 3rd. Reed settles down and Huson
(3 hits in the game) drives in a run in the 6th with a triple. Turns out to be the game winner – Bonds doubles in another run in the 8th, but it’s 1 short.
MBB 3- 9-0 LP Bielecki (6-3)
MGH 4-10-0 WP Reed (7-2) S D.Jones (19)

Burkett vs. Pichardo – Van Slyke doubles in a run in the 1st. Then he singles in another in the 3rd for a 2-0 Bears lead. Yount triples in 1 in the 4th to cut it to 2-1. Burkett however is strong – goes 7
innings, 4 hits and 1 run. He leaves up 3-1 with Gonzalez driving in 1 in the 7th. Wetteland comes in, gives up run but holds the Gas guys in check and Walk closes them down in the 9th for the save. The Black Bears even up the series.
MBB 3-8-1 WP Burkett (10-5), S Walk (5)
MGH 2-6-2 LP Pichardo (3-5)

Gross vs. Morris (Jack going against Missouri, he’s won 151 games pitchingin a Black Bears uni, ouch). Gas Guys get 2 in the 3rd on a Magadan rbi single and Tino GIDP. Morris gives a little back to his old mates when he throws a WP in the 5th that actually allows Gross to score from 3rd. And folks, that’s all the scoring. Morris leaves after 7 (6 hits) and Howe and Jones shut down the Bears.
MBB 1-6-0PLP Gross (4-6)
MGH 2-6-0 WP Morris (10-5), S D Jones (20)

Rasmussen vs. Stewart – Galarraga gets 3 hits including a 2 run HR (9) and drives in 3. That was plenty for Rasmussen as he goes the distance giving up 4 hits, fanning 3 and shutting out Manhattan.  Bonds collects 2 hits and an rbi (2 doubles) in the 5-0 win.
MBB 5-11-0 WP Rasmussen (4-4)
MGH 0- 4-1 LP Stewart (10-8)

Portugal vs. Hershisher – series noted at 2-2 and again we have a tight low scoring game. Black Bears get one on doubles by Van Slyke (3 hits in the game) and Galaragga (rbi). Portugal stays strong
going 7 innings, 3 hits no runs. He’s lifted for a PH in the 8th. Questionable results – Bears don’t get any runs in the 8th, Whiteside comes in to pitch and Alicea connects for an rbi triple to tie the game. And Cordero pinch hits, gets a single to plate the winning run. Howe comes in to seal the deal in the 9th.
MBB 1-6-0 LP Whiteside (0-4) BS (2)
MGH 2-6-0 WP Hershiser (9-8) S Howe (1)

Belcher vs. Reed – and the no (I mean low) runs continue. Reed goes 8 innings giving up 6 hits and no runs. Belcher goes 7 giving up none, but he then pitches the 8th and with 1 out Yount and Dave Martinez hit back to back doubles plating a run. That was the scoring in this one.
MBB 0-6-0 LP Belcher (1-11)
MGH 1-4-1 WP Reed (8-2) S Howe (2)

In a 7 games series that saw a total of 29 runs between the two teams (128 innings worth of trying) the Gas Hornets manage to win 5 of the 7 games to create a bit of separation (gotta prepare because the NL West kills us). Gas Hornets head back out on the road for 7 at Valdosta then 7 at Missouri. Missour goes to Michigan this week before returning home to take on these Gas Hornets.

Division battle between Portland and Flossmoor.

Mavs take game one by a score of 3-2. Hill with a strong start for the win for Portland. Poor defense leads to the multi-run inning that does in the Squirrels.

Flossmoor bounces back with a win in game two behind a solid start from McCaskill and a big homer from Bagwell before he was tossed from arguing balls and strikes. FFS 5 Portland 2 final.

Greg Hibbard tosses 8 strong innings for the Flying Squirrels and they blow it open in the 8th to take it 7-3.

Greg Maddux gives up a homer in the first to Will Clark, then allows only one more hit through 8 innings. Meanwhile the Flossmoor offense backs him up with 7 runs and the Squirrels cruise to the win 7-1.

Another great pitching performance for Flossmoor, this time it’s David Cone tossing 8 shutout innings before giving way to Gregg Olson to lock down the shutout. Squirrels win it 3-0.

New game, same story. Hill and Key matchup in another pitchers duel but this time it’s Key getting the best of it. Jimmy goes 7+ innings allowing one run, the Squirrels get three in the bottom of the 8th to give themselves some breathing room and win it 5-1.

Flossmoor holds a 4-1 lead headed to the 9th after another brilliant start before the bullpen totally implodes and walks in three runs. The home side gets the tying runs aboard in the bottom of the 9th but Gant and Puckett come up empty. Mavs get a big comeback win 6-4.

Flossmoor takes 5 of 7 but once again has a bullpen meltdown in the 9th that costs them the chance at a huge series. However, with the series the Flying Squirrels move ahead of Portland into 2nd place in the West and move above .500 for the first time this year. They remain however, well out of playoff range.