Week 9 - May 22, 2006

Lift and Separate

The Carolina Mudcats continue to float on top of the Morris Division standings after a 6-1 week that included a nine-game winning streak. The 'Cats have won 10 out of their last 11 games, and over that stretch have opened up a 3-game lead in the Morris, and are now just 1½ games behind for the best record in baseball... The two teams chasing Carolina also had good weeks -- the Vancouver Ironfist went 5-3, while the Philadelphia Endzone Animals went 5-2 -- but each actually lost ground on the division leaders. Still, they were able to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack... Philly's week was good enough to pass the Arkansas Golden Falcons, who went 3-3 to drop from 6th place overall to 7th... The Hillsborough Hired Hitmen (3-4) and South Boston Gang (3-3) continue to be stuck in neutral. Each ended the week riding three-game streaks: wins for the Hitmen, losses for the Gang... The D.C. Bushslappers dropped all six games this week and have now lost eight straight to fall into last place overall.

It was a ho-hum week over in the Hanover Division, where every team but one was within one game of .500.  The Newark Sugar Bears (3-3) and Las Vegas Rat Pack (3-4) remained atop the standings, though for one day the Pack enjoyed a half-game lead for the best record in baseball after beating the Sugar Bears on Tuesday. But Newark came back to win the next two to reclaim the lead and gained a half-game in the standings from last week. The Rats are now tied with the Mudcats for the second-best record in baseball... The Hoboken Cutters held onto 5th place overall after splitting their six games... Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta finally got to .500 and a game out of a playoff spot after a 3-2 week... The Phoenix Dragons continue their rollar-coaster season, posting a division-worst 2-4 record for their second straight losing week, following up back-to-back winning weeks that had them tied for 6th just two weeks ago. Now they're in 9th... The Westwood Deductions split their six games this week, while a 2-3 record by the Honolulu Sharks was enough to climb out of last place into 13th.

The Week Ahead: With no games scheduled over the holiday weekend in observance of Memorial Day, all the attention will be on the weekday games. The Morris Division title will be on the line as Philly hosts Vancouver for two games, then plays two in Carolina. Meanwhile, Marietta hopes to continue its march back into contention with two games in Arkansas and three in Las Vegas. And the battle for the basement begins as Honolulu takes on Westwood.

Flying Fish

It was an odd week as no pitcher really dominated, but several very good performances were turned in -- most of them by the resilient Carolina pitching staff, which went 6-1 with 4 saves despite a ho-hum 4.29 ERA, 13.3 R/9. Starter Tim Hudson exemplified the staff's performace as the only pitcher in baseball to pick up two wins this week, despite a 4.30 ERA, 11.7 R/9 (7 ER, 14 H, 5 BB, 11 K in 14.2 IP). Teammates Barry Zito (2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 7 K in 7.0 IP), Roy Halladay (3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K in 8.0 IP), Carlos Zambrano (5 ER, 8 H, 10 BB, 14 K in 13.1 IP) and Andy Pettitte (2 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 5.0 IP) joined the "just good enough to win" parade. But the secret to the Mudcats' success this week -- and the winner of the coveted Deathstar Explodes Pitcher of the Week Award -- is closer Francisco Cordero, who led the DMBL with 3 saves this week (1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K in 5.0 IP). Cordero may want to share some of the love with Al Reyes, who did some great set-up work (1-0, 1 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K in 5.0 IP). How good were those two? The rest of the Carolina 'pen combined to give up 9 ER, 10 H and 8 BB in 5.0 IP!

On the season, Cordero has 11 saves (2.70 ERA, 12.4 R/9), joining five other closers in a six-way tie for 3rd place. Just three weeks ago, it looked like Marietta's Mariano Rivera was going to run away with this year's Eck Award as the league's outstanding reliever, but after picking up 12 saves in his team's first 35 games, he's had just two in the last 27. Now, in addition to the six guys who are three saves back, Philly's Francisco Rodriguez is just two behind him after picking up a save in two games (0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 2.1 IP). Part of the problem is a resurging Marietta team that scored 11 runs in three consecutive games this week; after sitting unused in the 'pen all week, manager Graig Nettles finally had to use him in a meaningless game on Sunday, pitching a 1-2-3 inning to close out a 9-4 loss.

This week's other top pitchers: Arkansas's Roger Clemens (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 9.8 R/9, 5 BB, 17 K in 12.0 IP); D.C.'s Brendan Donnelly (0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 7 K in 3.2 IP); Hoboken's Carlos Silva (complete game win, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K); .357, 1.258 OPS, 3 HR, 11 RBI); Marietta's Dan Wheeler (0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 5.0 IP); Newark's Randy Johnson (complete game win, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 K); Phoenix's Rafael Betancourt (0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 4.0 IP); South Boston's Chris Carpenter (1-0, 1 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 8.0 IP); Vancouver's Jake Peavy (1-0, 2.87 ERA, 12.1 R/9, 3 BB, 9 K in 15.2 IP); and Westwood's Esteban Loaiza (1-0, 2.77 ERA, 13.2 R/9, 2 BB, 10 K in 13.0 IP).

Bay Watch

After a two-year hiatus from the playoffs, the Ironfist returned to the post-season last year and now they're right back in the thick of the playoff race, thanks to an aggressive rebuilding campaign carried out by Owner/GM Yaro Zajac, who turned one of the oldest rosters in baseball into one of the youngest. Regulars under 30 include 3B Eric Chavez (28), SP Brandon Claussen (27), SS Khalil Greene (26), C Victor Martinez (27), SP Brandon McCarthy (22), SP Jake Peavy (25), SP Ben Sheets (27), 2B Chase Utley (27) and SS Michael Young (29). This week, many of the kids had nice weeks, particularly the aptly named Young (.375, .915 OPS, 7 R, 6 RBI), but the young'un who really stood out is the one some believe may one day the brightest star in the Ironfist constellation: Jason Bay, who hit .400 (1.172 OPS), with 3 2B, 2 HR, 9 R, 9 RBI and is riding a 11-game hitting streak en route to winning the OmahaSteaks.com Batter of the Week Award. Bay is not only one of the team's best young hitters but also is a home-grown product -- he's from British Columbia, making him the only Canadian native on the Vancouver roster. When Zajac took Bay with the fourth pick of the 2005 draft, he set the bar extremely high: "He has a chance to be the best Canadian in franchise history -- and I do remember that Jeff Zimmerman was born in Kelowna!" Bay didn't live up to the perhaps unfair expectations of his owner nor his countrymen in his rookie campaign, hitting just .240 (.748 OPS) with 183 Ks (but 25 HRs) last year. This year, Bay is off to a better start, hitting .271 (.831 OPS) with 11 2B, 13 HR, 56 RBI and 7 SB, while playing flawless defense as the team's center fielder. He still strikes out too much -- 72 Ks in 66 games -- but that just adds to the drama when he's at the plate. If the scouts are right, this could be the first of many steak deliveries to Bay's locker.

This week's other top batters: Arkansas's Coco Crisp (.474, 1.237 OPS, 2 2B, 6 R); Carolina's Aramis Ramirez (.435, 1.157 OPS, 4 2B, 7 R); D.C.'s Matt Holliday (.360, 1.200 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI); Hoboken's Mike Sweeney (.360, 1.160 OPS, 3 HR, 7 RBI); Honolulu's Johnny Damon (.458, 1.125 OPS, 3 2B, 3 R); Newark's Chipper Jones (.435, 1.283 OPS, 2 HR, 8 RBI); Philly's Albert Pujols (.400, 1.000 OPS, 3 2B, 7 RBI); Marietta's Wily Mo Pena (.429, 3 HR, 5 RBI in 14 AB); and Westwood's Derrek Lee (.400, 1.064 OPS, 1 HR, 5 R).

First My Wang, Now My Johnson!

There was just one notable injury this week, but what an injury it was. The league's leading hitter, Newark's Nick Johnson, is joining teammates Chien-Ming Wang and Jeff DaVanon on the shelf. Johnson may be out until the All-Star Break -- a game he almost surely would have started, as he's leading the league in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.450), slugging percentage (.658), OPS (1.108), runs created (72.4), RC/27 (12.2) and total average (1.244). Injuries have always been the problem for "Nick the Stick," who hit .377 (1.043 OPS) for the Sugar Bears last year but got into just 44 games. The 27-year-old Johnson has to stay off his feet for at least a month while rehabbing a dislocated fetlock joint -- oddly enough, the same injury that befell favorite Barbaro in the Preakness Stakes. While he's hobbled, Johnson says he'll do what he can to keep helping the team. "Picking up dry cleaning, running to the store, baking cookies -- anything I can do to help out," he said. In the meantime, the Sugar Bears reached down into their farm system and promoted a couple all-or-nothing sluggers -- Matt LeCroy and Carlos Pena -- in the hope they can pick up some of the slack. A few years ago, the 28-year-old Pena was considered one of the top prospects in baseball -- in fact, he was selected in the 3rd round (#35 overall) by Columbia in the 2003 draft, 11 rounds before Philadelphia took Johnson. But after two spectacular flame-outs in the DMBL (.153, .537 OPS in 72 career at-bats), this could be Pena's last best shot at living up to the hype. "You hate to get an opportunity because someone else got hurt, but of course it's a dream come true to be the starting first baseman for the World Champion Sugar Bears," Pena said. "I can only hope that Nick comes back as soon as possible, and then that somebody else gets hurt."

A Trade Has Been Made

The first trade of the 2006 regular season was consummated this week -- made by the same two teams, Las Vegas and D.C., that made the last trade of the pre-season, swapping picks on draft day. In fact, it's the third trade between the Rat Pack and the Bushslappers, who also made a five-player, two-pick mega-trade on Jan. 11. This week's trade sent OF Carl Crawford and SP Nate Robertson to the nation's capital, and OF Reggie Sanders, SP Chris Young and 3B prospect Ryan Zimmerman to sin city. Sanders was leading the Bushslappers in almost everything, hitting .284 with a .976 OPS (22 HR, 51 RBI), but D.C. is in last place overall and the front office had little interest in keeping the 38-year-old Sanders, who will be a free agent at the end of the year unless someone is crazy enough to pick up his $15 million option. They're much happier with Crawford, who is 14 years younger and is much more in line with the team's "speed kills" philosophy, joining burners Scott Podsednik, Jimmy Rollins and Alfonso Soriano. (And to think, this team traded away Chone Figgins and Luis Castillo!)

It's not a surprise D.C. threw in Young, who certainly hasn't lived up to expectations after getting picked in the 3rd round (#33 overall) of this year's draft (0-5, 6.52 ERA, 14.4 R/9), and will go straight to the minors for Las Vegas. But it is a shocker the Slappers were willing to part with the 21-year-old Zimmerman, who -- despite hitting a rather disappointing .267 (.786) in 161 AB for Triple-A Charleston so far this year, was considered a blue-chip prospect after he was taken in the 6th round (#75 overall) of this year's draft. As for Robertson, he went 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in eight starts for the Triple-A East Newark Vermin. He likely will stay in Triple-A in the D.C. organization, but next year could join southpaws Tom Glavine and Mark Buehrle in the Bushslapper rotation.

So far, Crawford is hitting .263 (.721 OPS) with 1 HR and 2 RBI for the Bushies, while Sanders has 6 hits, no walks, and 11 Ks in his first 24 ABs with the Pack.

Other comings and goings: Arkansas released IF Abraham Nunez; D.C. released SP Victor Zambrano and signed SP Chan Ho Park and OF Eric Byrnes; Hoboken released pitcher Blaine Boyer; Las Vegas released OF Juan Rivera; Newark cut RP Todd Williams and brought back RP Akinori Otsuka; Philly signed 1B/OF Matt Stairs and released OF Shannon Stewart and 3B Edgardo Alfonzo; Vancouver released SP Matt Morris and signed SP Mark Hendrickson.