NLDS Game Four - Metropolis vs. Parkland

James McDonald took the hill
for Parkland in Game Four.

Fighting for their playoff lives down three games to one, the Parkland Green called on James McDonald to face Metropolis Avenger ace R.A. Dickey in Game Four of the National League Division Series.  McDonald was 11-9 on the season but also had a 5.26 ERA in 29 starts.  Dickey, on the other hand, was one of the best pitchers in all of Brassball and already won Game One in the series, despite being somewhat shaky in his five-innings.

Andrew McCutchen's third homer
of the series tied the game 1-1.

Metropolis scored five runs in the last inning of Game Three and picked up where they left off, as star center fielder Andrew McCutchen hit a two-out homer to stake Dickey to a 1-0 lead.  Dickey, however, looked just as shaky in Game Four as he did in Game One, giving up a walk to Dexter Fowler and a double to Joey Votto to start the game.  After retiring Dustin Pedroia, Dickey walked Nick Swisher to load the bases and give Parkland hope for a big inning.

Left Fielder Coco Crisp lined a hard single that scored Fowler and tied the game, but Votto held at third rather than challenge right fielder Yeonis Cespedes's arm.  It's possible the Votto thought back to Game One, when a Jose Reyes relay from McCutchen nailed him at the plate.  Votto's hesitance may have cost the Green a run, as Jed Lowrie left the bases loaded after grounding out to end the inning.

With the game tied at one, Avenger third baseman David Freese led off the second inning with a double.  Cespedes walked and, two outs later Reyes was awarded first when his bat clipped the glove of catcher Martin Maldonado.  The controversial catcher's interference call loaded the bases for Carlos Ruiz.  The Avenger leadoff hitter worked the count full, but hit an easy ground ball to the Green third baseman Scott Rolen to end the inning, leaving the score knotted at one.

Jonny Gomes's grand slam
put Metropolis up for good.

McCutchen came to bat with one out in the third inning and gave the Parkland fans a repeat performance of his at bat in the top of the first - a solo home run against McDonald.  McCutchen had personally put the Avengers up 2-1 and his second homer may have unsettled McDonald, as he gave up a walk, a double and another walk to the next three hitters, Alex Gordon, Freese and Cespedes.  That was all for McDonald, as Aaron Crow came in and struck out Jose Bautista for the second out of the inning.  Crow missed badly on a pitch in the next at bat, but Jonny Gomes didn't.  Gomes turned on a fastball in the middle of the plate and drove a homer out to left-center field, clearing the bases and putting Metropolis up 6-1.

The Avengers added two more runs in the top of the fourth.  Ruiz singled and Robinson Cano walked to lead off the inning and drive Crow to the showers.  Reliever Pedro Strop came in and McCutchen hit another ball hard, but this was right at Lowrie for the first out of the inning.  Strop then got sloppy and walked Gordon, Freese and Cespedes in a row, plating two runs and increasing the Green deficit to 8-1.

Aroldis Chapman closed out the win and the series,
sending Metropolis to the NLCS

Those three consecutive walks seemed to let the air out of the Parkland crowd and, to some extent, the Parkland players.  The Green did score single runs off Dickey in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings, but they never really threatened the Avengers' lead.  Metropolis pushed across insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings and then trusted Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman to close out the game and the series.  The relievers did just that, with Chapman inducing a Yasmani Grandal double play to end the game.

With the sweep, Metropolis advances to the National League Championship Series for a rematch of the 2012 National League Division Series between Fleetwood and Metropolis.  The Avengers won that series, but only after surviving an epic fifteen inning marathon in Game Seven, which ended 1-0 on a Jose Bautista home run.  The Green turn their attention to the postseason and whether they can afford to resign free agent Dustin Pedroia while staying competitive in the National League East.

BOXSCORE: 2013 Metropolis Avengers At 2013 Parkland Green          10/12/2013

  Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Green              AB  R  H RBI AVG

  C.Ruiz C            6  1  1  0 .211     D.Fowler CF         3  1  1  1 .304 

  R.Cano 2B           5  2  2  1 .235     J.Votto 1B          3  2  3  1 .424 

  A.McCutchen CF      5  2  3  2 .563     D.Pedroia 2B        4  0  0  0 .244 

  A.Gordon LF         3  1  0  0 .222     N.Swisher RF        3  0  0  0 .375 

  D.Freese 3B         4  2  3  2 .353     C.Crisp LF          4  1  2  1 .154 

  Y.Cespedes RF       2  1  1  1 .500     J.Lowrie DH         3  0  1  0 .227 

  J.Bautista 1B       5  0  0  0 .100     S.Rolen 3B          3  0  0  0 .150 

  J.Gomes DH          4  1  1  4 .182   A-W.Middlebrooks PH   1  0  0  0 .429 

  J.Reyes SS          4  0  0  0 .200     Y.Escobar SS        4  0  1  1 .136 

                                          M.Maldonado C       3  0  0  0 .227 

                                        B-Y.Grandal PH        1  0  0  0 .278 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      38 10 11 10                 Totals      32  4  8  4

A-Pinch Hit For Rolen In 9th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Maldonado In 9th Inning

Avengers........ 1 0 5  2 0 0  1 1 0  - 10 11  0

Green........... 1 0 0  1 1 0  1 0 0  -  4  8  2

Avengers (4-0)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

R.Dickey WIN(2-0)         6 2/3   7   4   4   4   6   2   4.63  A1 D2

K.Jansen                  1 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D3 D6

A.Chapman                 1       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D7

Totals                    9       8   4   4   4   7   2

Green (4-7)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

J.McDonald LOSS(0-2)      2 1/3   4   5   5   3   1   2   9.64  A1 B6

A.Crow                    0 2/3   2   3   3   1   1   1   6.14  B7 C2

P.Strop                   0 1/3   0   0   0   3   0   0   3.18  C3 C6

C.Durbin                  3       2   0   0   1   3   0   4.91  C7 D9

W.Wright                  0 2/3   2   1   1   0   2   1   9.00  E1 E4

G.Holland                 1       1   1   1   0   2   1   3.24  E5 E8

E.Frieri                  1       0   0   0   0   3   0   6.75  E9

Totals                    9      11  10  10   8  12   5

ATTENDANCE- 49,676 DATE- Saturday, October 12th 2013 TIME- Day WEATHER- Good

UMPIRES- Jeff Nelson, Mark Carlson, Tim Tschida, Jim Joyce

T- 3:28

LEFT ON BASE- Avengers:10  Green: 5

DOUBLE PLAYS- Avengers: 2  Green: 1

ERRORS- S.Rolen, M.Maldonado

DOUBLES- D.Freese-2(2nd), J.Votto-2(4th)

HOME RUNS- R.Cano(1st), A.McCutchen-2(3rd), D.Freese(2nd), J.Gomes(2nd),

           D.Fowler(1st), J.Votto(1st)

STOLEN BASES- C.Crisp(1st)

WALKS- R.Cano, A.Gordon-2, D.Freese, Y.Cespedes-3, J.Gomes, D.Fowler, J.Votto,

       N.Swisher, J.Lowrie

STRIKE OUTS- C.Ruiz-3, R.Cano-2, A.Gordon-2, Y.Cespedes, J.Bautista, J.Gomes-2,

             J.Reyes, D.Fowler, D.Pedroia, N.Swisher-2, C.Crisp, Y.Escobar,

             M.Maldonado

GIDP- J.Bautista, S.Rolen, Y.Grandal

CATCHERS INTERFERENCE- J.Reyes

WILD PITCHES- R.Dickey

2-out RBI- A.McCutchen, C.Crisp, J.Gomes-4, R.Cano, D.Fowler

RLISP 2-out- N.Swisher-2, J.Lowrie-3, J.Reyes, C.Ruiz-2, M.Maldonado,

             A.McCutchen, J.Gomes-2

NLDS Game Three - Metropolis vs. Parkland

After losing the first two games of the NLDS at Metropolis, Parkland was hoping a few nights in their own beds could turn the momentum in their favor.  The Game Three matchup paired Green lefty Jon Lester (14-7, 4.45 ERA) and Avenger right-hander Doug Fister (12-4, 2.86 ERA). 

Coco Crisp rounds third after his solo home run.

The hometown Green got to work right away, as Dexter Fowler and Joey Votto hit back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the first.  Fister coaxed a double-play grounder from Dustin Pedroia, but Fowler scored the first run as the Avengers let him score in exchange for the twin-killing. 

Things didn’t get any easier for Fister in the second, as Green left fielder Coco Crisp lined a home run and shortstop Jed Lowrie followed with a solo blast of his own.  That put Parkland up 3-0 and everyone in the park felt momentum shift to the home-town team. 

Jed Lowrie's homer put the Green up 3-0.

To start the bottom of the third, Avenger left fielder Yeonis Cespedes misplayed a Joey Votto flyball into a single and a two-base error, putting Votto on third with none out.  Parkland was looking to add to extend their lead, which Pedroia did as he lifted a Fister fastball into center field for a sacrifice fly and a 4-0 Green lead. 

While the Parkland bats were putting up runs, Lester held Metropolis in check.  He was hitting his spots in the early innings and the Avengers failed to put any pressure on him.  Lester's only mistake was to Metropolis right fielder and lefty-masher Franklin Gutierrez.  Gutierrez didn’t miss a changeup that got too much of the plate and he hit it into the right field stands for a solo homer in the top of the fourth. 

Parkland added a run and Lester took a 5-1 lead into the top of the seventh.  He retired Jonny Gomes for the first out but then walked Jesus Guzman, bringing Cespedes to the plate.  Green manager Tom Keenan quickly went to his bullpen, which had been deep and reliable all season.  Ernest Frieri (4-1, 1.75 ERA in 46 innings) got the call but couldn't find the plate.  He walked Cespedes and Jose Reyes and suddenly the Avengers had loaded the bases without collecting a hit in the inning. 

That brought the tying run to the plate and the Green faithful had gone eerily silent as leadoff hitter Carlos Ruiz adjusted his batting gloves.  Ruiz had come to Metropolis in a July trade with the West Hills Bravos and supplanted Reyes as the leadoff man for the National League Division Series.  Ruiz doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff hitter and Frieri was hoping his infield would turn a ground ball into a double play to escape the inning. 

Carlos Ruiz stunned the Green fans with his grand slam.

Ruiz had other plans and hit a Frieri fastball high into left field.  Crisp backpedaled and seemed like he expected to make the catch, but the ball kept carrying in the Parkland night.  The outfielder looked shocked as his path took him to the wall and the ball kept going.  Ruiz made the Green pay for their three walks in the inning and the game was tied, but the inning wasn't over.

That was all for Frieri, but the Avengers now had the momentum.  Robinson Cano singled off reliever Wesley Wright and then Andrew Mccutchen singled off Pedro Strop.  Keenan next called on Aaron Crow in his search for any reliever that could simply get Parkland out of the inning.  Crow did strike out pinch hitter Alex Gordon and coaxed David Freese into a very weak dribbler in front of the plate, which looked like the third out.  Parkland catcher Martin Maldonado quickly pounced on the ball, but twice failed to pick it up as McCutchen was speeding home behind him.  At the same time, Freese was hustling down the first base line and, by the time Maldonado could even think about making a throw, everyone was safe and Metropolis had the lead.  

The Green had been cruising to what looked like an easy win, but they were now behind 6-5 - the victim of three walks, a grand slam and an error on a ball that went less than 20 feet.   With the Avenger hitters giving the team new life, the Metropolis bullpen was not going to led that lead go.  Craig Kimbrel and Raul Valdes easily controlled Parkland in the seventh and eighth innings, each allowing just a single baserunner. 

Jose Bautista's homer capped the Avenger comeback
and sealed their Game Three win.

Joe Nathan came on to start the ninth inning and quickly got the first out, but then the wheels fell off.  Nathan walked Cano and McCutchen and advanced each of them by throwing a wild pitch to Alex Gordon.  He then intentionally walked Gordon and tossed another wild pitch.  After three walks, two wild pitches and a single, Nathan finally gave way to Greg Holland, with two on and Jose Bautista at the plate.  If there had been any hope in the Parkland dugout, Bautista extinguished it when he crushed a Holland fastball for a long, three-run homer and an 11-5 Avenger lead.

Alexi Ogando closed out Game Three by retiring Scott Rolen, Yasmani Grandal and Dexter Fowler in order, giving the Avengers a commanding 3-0 lead and leaving Parkland to wonder what happened in a game they led 5-1 in the seventh inning.

BOXSCORE: 2013 Metropolis Avengers At 2013 Parkland Green          10/11/2013

  Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Green              AB  R  H RBI AVG

  C.Ruiz C            5  1  1  4 .231     D.Fowler CF         5  1  1  0 .302 

  R.Cano 2B           4  2  1  0 .167     J.Votto 1B          2  1  2  0 .367 

  A.McCutchen CF      4  1  3  0 .545     D.Pedroia 2B        3  0  0  1 .268 

  F.Gutierrez RF      3  1  2  1 .600     N.Swisher RF        4  0  0  0 .405 

A-A.Gordon PH,LF      1  1  0  0 .333     C.Crisp LF          4  1  1  1 .114 

  D.Freese 3B         5  0  0  0 .231     J.Lowrie SS         3  2  2  1 .211 

  J.Gomes DH          4  0  0  0 .143     M.Maldonado C       3  0  1  0 .263 

D-A.Dirks PH,DH       1  1  1  2 .750     S.Rolen 3B          4  0  1  1 .176 

  J.Guzman 1B         2  1  0  0 .000     Y.Grandal DH        4  0  1  0 .286 

C-J.Bautista PH,1B    1  1  1  2 .200                                         

  Y.Cespedes LF       2  1  1  0 .500                                          

B-B.Harper RF         2  0  1  0 .125                                         

  J.Reyes SS          4  1  2  0 .273                                         

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      38 11 13  9                 Totals      32  5  9  4

A-Pinch Hit For Gutierrez In 7th Inning

B-Subbed Defensively (RF) For Cespedes In 7th Inning

C-Pinch Hit For Guzman In 8th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Gomes In 9th Inning

Avengers........ 0 0 0  1 0 0  5 0 5  - 11 13  2

Green........... 1 2 1  0 0 1  0 0 0  -  5  9  1

Avengers (3-0)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

D.Fister                  5 2/3   7   5   4   3   5   2   6.35  A1 C7

C.Kimbrel WIN(1-0)        1 1/3   1   0   0   1   2   0   0.00  C8 D3

R.Valdes HOLD(2nd)        1       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D4 D7

A.Ogando                  1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D8

Totals                    9       9   5   4   4   8   2

Green (4-6)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

J.Lester                  6 1/3   7   2   2   1   7   1   8.53  A1 C7

E.Frieri                  0       1   3   3   2   0   1   8.31  C8 D1

W.Wright LOSS(0-1)        0       1   1   0   0   0   0   8.44  D2 D2

P.Strop                   0       1   0   0   0   0   0   3.38  D3 D3

A.Crow                    1 2/3   0   0   0   1   2   0   2.70  D4 D9

J.Nathan                  0 2/3   1   4   4   3   1   0  21.60  E1 E6

G.Holland                 0 1/3   2   1   1   0   1   1   2.45  E7

Totals                    9      13  11  10   7  11   3

ATTENDANCE- 48,866 DATE- Friday, October 11th 2013 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Bill Hohn, Ron Kulpa, Dan Iassogna, Dale Scott

T- 3:17

LEFT ON BASE- Avengers: 7  Green: 5

DOUBLE PLAYS- Avengers: 2  Green: 2

ERRORS- J.Bautista, Y.Cespedes, M.Maldonado

DOUBLES- A.McCutchen(1st), S.Rolen(1st), Y.Grandal(1st)

HOME RUNS- C.Ruiz(2nd), F.Gutierrez(1st), J.Bautista(1st), C.Crisp(1st),

           J.Lowrie(1st)

CAUGHT STEALING- J.Reyes

SACRIFICE FLIES- D.Pedroia

WALKS- R.Cano, A.McCutchen, A.Gordon, J.Guzman, J.Bautista, Y.Cespedes, J.Reyes,

       J.Votto-2, J.Lowrie, M.Maldonado

STRIKE OUTS- C.Ruiz, F.Gutierrez, A.Gordon, D.Freese-3, J.Gomes-2, J.Guzman-2,

             J.Reyes, D.Fowler-4, D.Pedroia, N.Swisher, C.Crisp, Y.Grandal

GIDP- R.Cano, J.Reyes, D.Pedroia, S.Rolen

WILD PITCHES- J.Nathan-2

2-out RBI- S.Rolen, A.Dirks-2, J.Bautista-2

RLISP 2-out- D.Fowler, F.Gutierrez, D.Freese-2, J.Gomes, M.Maldonado, A.Dirks-2

National League Division Series - Metropolis vs. Parkland Games One and Two

After starting the season 10-18 (.357 winning percentage) in April, the Metropolis Avengers righted the ship and went on a five-month tear, going 107-27 (.798) the rest of the way.  That gave them a 117-45 (.722) record and the best record in Brassball.  The Avengers earned a first-round bye and they watched Parkland and Sacramento battle it out in the Wild Card round.  The Green won the deciding seventh game of that series, heading to Metropolis as the Senators went home for the winter.

Parkland played Metropolis close during the regular season, winning three of the seven matchups between the teams.  Despite the close regular season series and the Green's excellent 94-68 record, the Avengers came into the National League Division Series as heavy favorites.  They had the better offense, the best pitching staff in baseball and home field advantage.

Game One

Carlos Ruiz's leadoff homer tied
the game 1-1.

Parkland sent Wade Miley (13-12, 3.88 ERA) to the mound in game one and Metropolis countered with Cy Young candidate R.A. Dickey (21-4, 2.49 ERA).  The Green were ready, jumping to a quick 1-0 lead as Nick Swisher singled home Dexter Fowler after Dickey had walked Fowler and Dustin Pedroia.  Avenger trade-deadline acquisition Carlos Ruiz quickly got the run back for the Avengers, taking a Miley fastball over the wall for a leadoff homer and a 1-1 tie.

Joey Votto was out by a step in the third.

The Green top of the order started another rally in the third, as Pedroia hit a line drive double with two runners on.  The speedy Fowler scored the go-ahead run easily, but slugger Joey Votto chugged around the bases and was nailed by a good-but-not-great Jose Reyes relay throw.  After the game, Parkland manager Tom Keenan defended his third base coach's decision to waive Votto home, "He's our best player and a professional athlete - we all thought he was going to score."

Aroldis Chapman is just one weapon
in the Metropolis bullpen.

Parkland held onto their 2-1 lead into the fourth, when Metropolis finally put together some baserunners.  Andrew McCutchen singled and Franklin Gutierrez doubled, putting two on with one out.  David Freese hit a sharp ground ball, and the Green conceded the run rather than try to throw out the fast McCutchen at the plate.  Outfielder Yeonis Cespedes singled home Gutierrez to put Metropolis ahead 3-2, their first lead of the 2013 postseason.

Dickey completed the top of the fifth and then turned the game over to the deep Metropolis bullpen.  Raul Valdes, Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman and Huston Street combined on four no-hit innings, allowing just one walk and striking out six hitters.  Metropolis added runs on solo homers by Jonny Gomes in the seventh and McCutchen in the eighth and closed out Game One 5-2.

Game Two
Metropolis sent its mid-season pickup Kris Medlen (8-0 2.06 ERA with Metropolis) to the mound to face Parkland's Ryan Vogelsong (14-10, 2.85 ERA).

McCutchen's third inning triple plated the
first two runs of the game.

Medlen dominated the game, tossing a complete-game shutout while scattering just three hits and three walks.  He kept Green hitters off balance all night, inducing weak contact and never getting into real trouble.  From the other dugout, Vogelsong started strong but was stung by an Andrew McCutchen triple and a Jed Lowrie in a four-run third inning.

Kris Medlen gets a hug after his Game Two shutout

Metropolis added insurance runs in a fifth-inning rally and on a David Freese solo homer in the seventh inning.  Medlen retired Green catcher Martin Maldonado to ground out for the last out of the game, giving the Avengers a 2-0 series lead as the NLDS moved to Parkland.

BOXSCORE: 2013 Parkland Green At 2013 Metropolis Avengers           10/8/2013

  Green              AB  R  H RBI AVG     Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG

  D.Fowler CF         3  2  1  0 .343     C.Ruiz C            3  1  1  1 .333 

  J.Votto 1B          1  0  0  0 .375     R.Cano 2B           4  0  1  0 .250 

D-W.Middlebrooks PH,3 1  0  0  0 .450     A.McCutchen CF      4  2  2  1 .500 

  D.Pedroia 2B        3  0  1  1 .324     F.Gutierrez RF      2  1  1  0 .500 

  N.Swisher RF        4  0  2  1 .500   A-A.Gordon PH,LF      1  0  0  0 .000 

  C.Crisp LF          3  0  0  0 .037     D.Freese 3B         4  0  0  1 .000 

  J.Lowrie SS         3  0  0  0 .167     Y.Cespedes LF       2  0  1  1 .500 

G-Y.Escobar PH        1  0  0  0 .111   B-B.Harper PH,RF      2  0  0  0 .000 

  M.Maldonado C       4  0  0  0 .308     J.Guzman 1B         2  0  0  0 .000 

  S.Rolen 3B          3  0  0  0 .091   F-J.Bautista PH,1B    1  0  0  0 .000 

E-C.McGehee 1B        1  0  0  0 .190     J.Gomes DH          3  1  1  1 .333 

  Y.Grandal DH        2  0  0  0 .321     J.Reyes SS          3  0  0  0 .000 

C-L.Cain PR,DH        0  0  0  0 ----                                         

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      29  2  4  2                 Totals      31  5  7  5

A-Pinch Hit For Gutierrez In 6th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Cespedes In 6th Inning

C-Pinch Ran For Grandal In 7th Inning

D-Pinch Hit For Votto In 7th Inning

E-Subbed Defensively (1B) For Rolen In 7th Inning

F-Pinch Hit For Guzman In 7th Inning

G-Pinch Hit For Lowrie In 9th Inning

Green........... 1 0 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  2  4  0

Avengers........ 1 0 0  2 0 0  1 1    -  5  7  1

Green (4-4)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

W.Miley LOSS(1-2)         5       5   3   3   0   5   1   6.23  A1 C2

P.Strop                   1       0   0   0   0   2   0   3.38  C3 C6

E.Frieri                  1       1   1   1   0   3   1   2.08  C7 D2

G.Holland                 1       1   1   1   0   1   1   1.29  D3

Totals                    8       7   5   5   0  11   3

Avengers (1-0)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

R.Dickey WIN(1-0)         5       4   2   2   3   8   0   3.60  A1 C4

R.Valdes HOLD(1st)        1       0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  C5 C7

K.Jansen HOLD(1st)        0 2/3   0   0   0   1   2   0   0.00  C8 D1

A.Chapman HOLD(1st)       1 1/3   0   0   0   0   3   0   0.00  D2 D5

H.Street SAVE(1st)        1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00  D6

Totals                    9       4   2   2   4  14   0

ATTENDANCE- 49,058 DATE- Tuesday, October 8th 2013 TIME- Day WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Gary Cederstrom, Fieldin Culbreth, Jim Reynolds, Tim Timmons

T- 2:43

LEFT ON BASE- Green: 6  Avengers: 4

DOUBLE PLAYS- Green: 0  Avengers: 1

ERRORS- R.Dickey

DOUBLES- D.Pedroia(4th), F.Gutierrez(1st)

HOME RUNS- C.Ruiz(1st), A.McCutchen(1st), J.Gomes(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- C.Crisp

WALKS- D.Fowler, J.Votto, D.Pedroia, Y.Grandal

HIT BY PITCH- J.Votto, C.Ruiz, A.Gordon

STRIKE OUTS- D.Fowler-2, J.Votto, W.Middlebrooks, N.Swisher-2, C.Crisp,

             M.Maldonado, S.Rolen-3, C.McGehee, Y.Grandal-2, R.Cano,

             A.McCutchen-2, F.Gutierrez, A.Gordon, D.Freese-2, J.Guzman,

             J.Bautista, J.Reyes-2

GIDP- C.Crisp

2-out RBI- Y.Cespedes

RLISP 2-out- N.Swisher, M.Maldonado, B.Harper

----------------------------

BOXSCORE: 2013 Parkland Green At 2013 Metropolis Avengers           10/9/2013

  Green              AB  R  H RBI AVG     Avengers           AB  R  H RBI AVG

  D.Fowler CF         3  0  0  0 .316     C.Ruiz C            5  1  1  0 .250 

  J.Votto 1B          4  0  0  0 .321     R.Cano 2B           4  1  0  0 .125 

  D.Pedroia 2B        4  0  0  0 .289     A.McCutchen CF      3  2  1  2 .429 

  N.Swisher RF        3  0  0  0 .455     A.Dirks DH          3  1  2  1 .667 

  C.Crisp LF          4  0  2  0 .097     D.Freese 3B         4  1  3  2 .375 

  J.Lowrie SS         4  0  0  0 .125     A.Gordon LF         4  0  2  1 .400 

  M.Maldonado C       3  0  0  0 .250     J.Bautista 1B       3  0  0  0 .000 

  S.Rolen 3B          2  0  1  0 .154     B.Harper RF         4  0  0  0 .000 

  Y.Grandal DH        3  0  0  0 .290     J.Reyes SS          4  0  1  0 .143 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      30  0  3  0                 Totals      34  6 10  6

Green........... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  3  1

Avengers........ 0 0 4  0 1 0  1 0    -  6 10  0

Green (4-5)              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

R.Vogelsong LOSS(1-2)     2 1/3   6   4   2   1   1   0   4.50  A1 B5

W.Wright                  2       1   1   1   2   0   0   8.44  B6 C5

A.Crow                    2 2/3   2   1   1   0   2   1   3.60  C6 D6

C.Durbin                  1       1   0   0   0   1   0   8.31  D7

Totals                    8      10   6   4   3   4   1

Avengers (2-0)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET

K.Medlen WIN(1-0)         9       3   0   0   3   6   0   0.00  A1

Totals                    9       3   0   0   3   6   0

ATTENDANCE- 49,739 DATE- Wednesday, October 9th 2013 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Larry Vanover, Mike Everitt, Mike Dimuro, Tim McClelland

T- 2:58

LEFT ON BASE- Green: 7  Avengers: 7

DOUBLE PLAYS- Green: 0  Avengers: 0

ERRORS- J.Lowrie

DOUBLES- C.Crisp(1st), A.Gordon(1st)

TRIPLES- A.McCutchen(1st)

HOME RUNS- D.Freese(1st)

WALKS- D.Fowler, N.Swisher, S.Rolen, A.McCutchen, A.Dirks, J.Bautista

HIT BY PITCH- M.Maldonado

STRIKE OUTS- D.Fowler-2, D.Pedroia, J.Lowrie, Y.Grandal-2, R.Cano, A.McCutchen,

             J.Bautista, B.Harper

WILD PITCHES- K.Medlen

2-out RBI- D.Freese

RLISP 2-out- N.Swisher-2, C.Crisp, J.Bautista-2, B.Harper-3, M.Maldonado,

             Y.Grandal

WEB GEMS- Top 6th: Bryce Harper robbed Dustin Pedroia of an extra base hit.

May 2013 - Stats, Stories and Surprises

Brassball month two is in the books.  With that, some interesting stats and stories may be hidden by multiple months of results.  Thanks to Doug, I took a look at the stats for just the month of May to see which players and teams had the most interesting stretch of 28 games.  

• Fleetwood rookie Mike Trout led all of Brassball in hitting (.426), on base percentage (.522) and slugging (.734) and still couldn't win Strat-O-Matic's MVP voting.  He lost a close race to Metropolis's Andrew McCutchen (.333/.389/.642).  McCutchen did have more RBIs, which probably explains the vote.  He had 27 to Trout's 26.
• The Portland Steelheads were not quite ready for May, as they were one-hit by Simi Valley aces Clayton Kershaw and David Price in the first two games of the month.
• Parkland's Casey McGehee had himself quite a month - going .368/.467/.842 and also coming through in the clutch with two pinch hit home runs.
• Brooklyn won a 19 inning marathon game vs West Hills, but that couldn't match the 1-0 pitchers' duel (or batters' failure) that Simi Valley won in 20 innings at Metropolis.  
• Plaza was a scorching 25-3 in May and two of its losses were by a single run.
• Lancaster's Austin Jackson legged out seven triples in May.
• Outlaw Elvis Andrus got his bunting practice in, laying down 13 sacrifices in 14 attempts.  The only other team with more was Cook County, with 16 successful bunts in May.
• Metropolis pitchers and catchers shut down opposing base runners, allowing just one stolen base on three attempts.
• Butte County infielder Joaquin Arias was a threat off the bench, collecting five hits in eight pinch hit at bats.  
• On the other side of the coin, Plaza and California each had only three pinch hit attempts all month.
• Plaza hitters compiled an amazing .307/.373/.522 line on the month in nearly 1100 plate appearances.  
• With a batting line like that, Plaza should probably give up the bunt - they were successful in just half of their 10 attempts.
• Santa Barbara was by far the most reliable team in the field, making only five errors all month.  The next best was the Outlaws' long-time AL rival Cook County, with twice as many.
• The Outlaw bullpen was another key to their 19-9 month, as they allowed just six of 47 inherited runners to score (12.8%).
• Sacramento's Ross Detwiler had a fantastic month, going 4-1 in six starts with a 0.53 in 33 innings.  
• Detwiler didn't even get a vote SOM's Cy Young vote, however.  Plaza closer Wilton Lopez took home the hardware after recording 13 saves in 14 appearances.  
• Several pitchers had four wild pitchers (including staff anchors Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum), but Hophead Jason Marquis uncorked five.  
• On the other hand, no Avenger pitcher threw a wild pitch and the team had only one passed ball.
• SoCal's Ramon Santiago booted the most balls last month, totaling eight errors.
• Not surprisingly, Plaza had the most players on SOM's all-star rosters.Joe Mauer, Alex Rios, Wilton Lopez and CJ Wilson made the first team while Aaron Hill and Jarrod Parker on the second.
• Three batters went 5-5 in a game: Brandon Belt, Craig Gentry and Alejandro De Aza.
• Superior might be in the market for a new baserunning coach after getting thrown out 10 times in just 21 steal attempts.
• Amazingly, Portland was thrown out just once while stealing 24 bases this month.
• Here's a baserunning tip - don't run on Dwayne Wise or Josh Hamilton.  They both gunned down six runners.
• Only once did Metropolis allow more than five runs.  Glen Allen gave up 10 or more runs five times.
• North Georgia's Chris Davis struck out 43 times in just 117 at bats.  If he doesn't turn that around, he might be out of the league by this time next year.
• Latrobe rode their new ace, Justin Verlander, like a horse.  He went 4-2 in seven starts and tossed 60 1/3 innings.  No one else threw even 50 innings.
• Springfield "batters" compiled a .192 average in May, nearly 30 points behind Hessville's .227.

April Stats and Stories

This post may be a little behind schedule, but I hope you enjoy some of the nuggets I was able to dig out of the April Brassball numbers.

.617 - OPS by Springfield hitters.

.879 - OPS by Fleetwood hitters.

0 - Isotope base stealers thrown out.

1 - runs scored minus runs allowed for Metropolis, who still went 10-18 on the month.

1 - successful steals off Superior's Scott Diamond, in six attempts.

1.79 - ERA by Cook County's bullpen.

4 - intentional walks issued to Hop Heads John Jaso and Skip Schumacher, more than most other teams.

4 - the number of ballpark homers Metropolis hitters collected in their 36 chances.

5 - the strikeouts Hanley Ramirez had in eight at bats during a 16 inning game against Simi Valley.

5 - times Latrobe teammates Ben Revere and John Jay were each caught stealing.

6 - California's wins in six one-run games on its way to a 20-8 month.

10 - runners cut down by the arms in Tinley's outfield.

10 - saves for Parkland in ten chances, the only team without a blown save.

10 - runners knocked home by Tinley's Garret Jones against Brew City on April 7.

12 - ballpark home run chances for Cook County, a league low.  

19 - pitches thrown wildly by North Georgia pitchers.

27 - walks by Brew City starter Edinson Volquez, six more than the next pitcher on the list.  (He also led the league in steals allowed.)

31 - league-leading sacrifice bunt attempts by Santa Barbara.

58 - bases stolen off Portsmouth pitchers and catchers.  Compare to the two stolen off Simi Valley.

66 - runs Fleetwood scored in its seven games against Tinley.

129 - Sacramento's magic number, given its six-game lead over Metropolis and North Georgia.

And, the most amazing number:

4 - number of games North Georgia free agent acquisition Tom Gorzelanny lost in the team's first four games of the year.  (He also lost game six, to be 0-5 on April 6.)

2013 Brassball Draft - Metropolis Avengers Recap

Brassball wrapped up its annual draft about last weekend.  I have no doubt that, like every draft, were dozens of bargains and even more busts.  The problem is that no one knows which players fall into which category.  Right now I feel pretty good about my own draft but that could change quickly (at the snap of a ligament) or more slowly (if a few players fail to develop).

My team was pretty well set going into the draft.  I needed a fifth starter (about 28 starts), a lefty reliever and perhaps a utility infielder that could hit lefties.  None were pressing needs and I planned to take the best talent available at every step.  Rather than drafting for 2013 I could draft for 2014 and the future, which made the draft more fun, but also less predicatable.  Drafting for the future lets you dream on projection and prospects, while drafting for the present lets you look at hard numbers and Strat-O-Matic cards.  

On the prospect front, there were lots of guys I liked but no one I really loved.  That, too, freed me up some as I could let minor leaguers (called amateurs in Brassball) get drafted without feeling like I missed out on my guy.  I really think the prospect scouing and drafting in Brassball has improved in recent years, leaving the available amateur pool a little thin.  I had no idea which amateurs I'd end up with, but I was confident that I'd find some I liked. 

Our league permits each team to have eight amateurs on its roster after the draft and I only had one going in - Minnesota second baseman Eddie Rosario.  I had a few graduations last year (Bryce Harper, Yeonis Cespedes), traded a few away (Anthony Rendon, Miguel Sano) and cut a couple (Joe Ross, John Lamb), leaving me with plenty of spots to fill.  Having several amateur slots is a nice problem to have, as there are always talented players available.  The key is, obviously, finding the right guys to pick.

Without further ado, let's see how I did.  Here's who I drafted, who I didn't and a little bit about why. 

Round 1, Pick 24 - None
I traded away this pick last July in the trade for RA Dickey and Craig Kimbrel.  Although it's never fun to be without a first rounder, it's hard to complain too much.  Kimbrel was intregral in my 2012 championship run and Dickey is my ace for 2013.  If I had kept this pick, I would have considered pitchers Carter Capps, Joe Kelly and amateurs Carlos Rodon and Aaron Sanchez.  I likely would have drafted Capps.

Round 2, Pick 40 - Carter Capps, P, Seattle Mariners
I would have taken him at 24 and got him at 40 - can't complain about that,  The bullpen is a strength for me (Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen), but Capps looks like a shutdown reliever and there's always room for another one of those. 

Other Players Considered: None seriously. 

Round 2, Pick 48 - Stephen Pryor, P, Seattle Mariners
I drafted Capps' running mate in my effort to recreate the Seattle bullpen.  Like Capps, Pryor is a MO player that seems to have a job locked down in 2013.  He also has the upside to be a weapon out of the bullpen.

In retrospect, I likely drafted Pryor too early.  He probably would have been available in later rounds and I could have used this pick to draft a highly-ranked prospect, instead.  I had Capps and Pryor high on my pre-draft list, so I just grabbed them both when the time came.  I probably should have given pick more thought before pulling the trigger.

Other Players Considered: None seriously. 

Round 3, Pick 54 - Adalberto Mondesi, SS, Kansas City Royals (Amateur)
I was all set to draft Trevor Story, but a draft glitch caused him to go at pick 53, immediately before my selection.  I'm really happy with Mondesi, but Story is closer to the majors.  It will be interesting to follow these two shortstops over the next few years, as it is easy to compare the guy I have to the guy I thought I had.  I also considered Corey Seager at this spot, but thought Mondesi had more potential (even if he's more of a risk).

Other Players Considered: Joe Kelly, Corey Seager, Pete Kozma.  Kelly could have filled some of my innings at starter this year but I'm not sold on his long-term role or value.  Just two weeks after the pick it looks like he may win the #5 spot in St. Louis, making him more valuable than I imagined.  I think Kozma's 2012 was a bit of a fluke, so I didn't take him despite his fitting my utility infielder role perfectly.

Round 3, Pick 66- Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers (Amateur)
My second prospect, Seager was in the running eight picks earlier.  He seems to have more upside with the bat than his brother Kyle, as well as more defensive value.  It's hard to know what's happening with the Dodgers these days, but if Seager continues to develop, they'll find a spot for him.

Other Players Considered: None seriously

Round 3, Pick 74 - None
Another pick I dealt away.  This one in a deal for catcher Miguel Montero.  I may have over paid for him, sending this pick and Angels prospect Kaleb Cowart.  (Or is it Caleb Kowart?  I can never remember.)  Montero fits my club really well for 2013, with a strong lefty bat and solid defense.  I'm not sure who I would have taken had I kept the pick, but it is likely the same guy I took just four picks later...

Bonus Round, Pick 78 - Slade Heathcott, OF, New York Yankees (Amateur)
My third amateur, Heathcott is an upside pick.  He has a lot of talent but has been injured too often to make real progress in the minors.  I suspect that Heathcott will either break through in 2013 or get cut before the 2014 draft. 

Other Players Considered: Dorssys Paulino (Amateur), Raul Valdes, Andy Pettitte.  I decided against Paulino as I had already drafted two young shortstops in Mondesi and Seager.  Valdes was high on my list as a lefty reliever that can help me in 2013, but I figured he'd be available later.

Round 4, Pick 114 - Andy Pettitte, LHP, New York Yankees
I said I wasn't worried about filling the fifth start spot, but Pettitte isn't just a one-year fix.  He's no youngster, but he should be decent in 2013 for the Yankees and, hopefully, useful for the 2014 Avengers.  Pettitte's making a return to Metropolis, where he won a 2006 championship ring after being acquired in a mid-season trade.  A little veteran leadership can't hurt, right? 

The other option would be to take an amateur prospect.  At this point, there was a large number of amateurs I liked, meaning I could wait another round or two and not worry about them all being taken. 

Other Players Considered: Valdes, Kozma, Irving Falu.

Round 5, Pick 138 - Lance Berkman, 1B, Texas Rangers
Berkman wasn't really on my radar coming into the draft, but as I still had a large number of amateurs I liked, I started to look more at MLB players with this pick.  Given our contract rules, I can give Berkman an inexpensive contract for this year and then see how he plays with the Rangers.  Lucas Duda is my only real first baseman, so it won't take too much for Berkman to have the job in 2014.  He's a wildcard due to age and injury history, but he's certainly capable of hitting well enough to bat in the middle of my lineup.

Kozma, who I would have considered if he was available, went to Santa Barbara with the pick right before me.  That made taking Berkman pretty easy.  I actually wanted Valdes more than Berkman, but I figured I could wait a round or two for him.

Other Players Considered: Valdes, Falu

Round 6, Pick 162 - Jorge Bonifacio, OF, Kansas City Royals (Amateur)
Once again Santa Barbara drafted a player I was likely going to take - Falu.  He would have been a useful utility infielder and pinch hitter off the bench.  I don't really need a good utility infielder, but who doesn't want one?  After I was done cursing the Falu pick, I had to quickly decide on my own selection.

Bonifacio is another high upside amateur pick.  Like both Seager and Mondesi, he has a relative with MLB experience and, like Heathcott, he has the potential to be a top prospect or a draft bust come this time next year.  He has all the tools, but he's a long way from the majors.

Other Players Considered: Valdes.  Immediately after making this pick I was regretting it.  I really wanted Valdes and was afraid I had gotten too cute by not just drafting him here.  I thought I could sneak Falu another round or two, but that didn't work out.  I was going to be really upset if I lost out on Falu and Valdes.

Round 7, Pick 186 - Raul Valdes, LHP, Philadelpia Phillies
Whew.  This was the easiest pick of the draft for me.  Valdes is no youngster, but he was really good in 2012 before getting injured and he'll slot in well as my second lefty in the bullpen.  He has limited innings, but they'll be quite effective.

Other Players Considered: None

Round 8, Pick 210 - Kyuji Fujikawa, RHP, Chicago Cubs (Amateur)
Filling your amateur slots with relief pitchers isn't generally a good idea, but at this late point in the draft, it's nice to take a guy you know will be in the majors right away.  It's impossible to predict what Fujikawa will do, but anyone called the Japanese Mariano Rivera can't be all bad.  That's not true.  He could be terrible.  You just never know.

Other Players Considered: Brian Roberts and a slew of amateurs, such as Lewis Brinson, Heath Hembree, Masahiro Tanaka, Stefan Romero.

Round 9, Pick 234 - Brian Roberts, 2B, Baltimore Orioles
This is similar to the Lance Berkman pick.  Roberts barely played in 2012, but that means I can stash him on a cheap contract for a year and see if he's got anything left in the tank.  The reports are good out of spring training, but he's only one pulled muscle away from the 60 day disabled list.  This pick is also similar to the Andy Pettitte pick, as Roberts was on the 2006 championship club.  We're getting the band back together!  And, no, I never seriously considered drafting Vladimir Guerrero.

Other Players Considered: Brandon Webb and all those amateurs (well, the ones that weren't picked).  Other amateurs I added to the list were Adam Morgan, Marcus Stroman, Roberto Osuna, Kyle Parker, Angelo Gumbs, Victor Roache, Michael Fulmer, Shohei Otani.

Round 10, Pick 258 - Roberto Hernandez, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Fausto Carmona...errr...Hernandez was pretty good a few years ago, but he was hurt and pitched just a handful of innings in 2012.  Like Berkman and Roberts, he'll sit on my roster with hopes of a useful card in 2013.  He's apparently in the running for the fifth starter's job in Tampa, and they seem to know what they're doing with reclamation projects.  We'll see.

Other Players Considered: All the same names from above.

Round 11, Pick 282 - Corey Kluber, RHP, Cleveland Indians
I was still short some starts and Kluber can hopefully do the job without getting hammered.  There's a chance he has a role with the 2013 Indians, so there may be a little future value, as well.

Other Players Considered: All the same names from above.

Round 12, Pick 306 - Wilmer Font, RHP, Texas Rangers
Font was a decent prospect before blowing out his arm a few years ago.  He came back and earned a promotion and a few appearances late in the year.  Seems like a long shot, but he's worth a $100,000 gamble.

Other Players Considered: Same

Round 13, Pick 330 - Stefen Romero, 2B, Seattle Mariners (Amateur)
Another Seattle youngster, Romero has done nothing but hit for several years.  The reports are that his defense isn't great, but the bat seems to be legit.  He's also made it to AA and has a chance to break into the majors with a good 2013.

Other Players Considered: Same

Final Round, Pick 338 - Nathan Karns, RHP, Washington Nationals (Amateur)
Karns wasn't on my prospect list just a few rounds ago, but the more I looked at him the more I liked him.  He has had some injury trouble but, when healthy, has shown great stuff with great results.  I decided to gamble on the high-end talent overcoming injury rather than a safer pick with less upside.  Adam Morgan was likely my other main option here.  Morgan seemed like the safer pick, but he's also a lefty.  Lefty starters tend to get hit hard in Strat, so that and Karns' upside were the deciding factors.  We'll see what happens with those two.

Other Players Considered: Same, with Morgan being the top name.

Final Round, Pick 344 - Travis Hafner, DH, Cleveland Indians
I can't believe no one wanted to claim this contract!  He's now with the Yankees and, given all their injuries, should get regular playing time.  He could well be productive, but he could just as easily miss spend 100 games on the DL with new teammate Brian Roberts.  And Lance Berkman.