Showdown Series Wrap Up

Four huge series with pennant implication wrapped up this AM. Here's what went down.

Las Vegas swept the Cheyenne Seminoles bringing them to within a game of the NW West Lead. Moose Gates was stellar for 5 innings in Game 1 before allowing a crucial 3-run shot in the 6th to Livan Suarez. Game two saw the Double Downs overcome a 4-2 deficit to win 7-4. A 5-run 4th inning propelled the DD's to the sweep in Game 3.

Mexico City took 2 of 3 from Memphis propelled by 8 shutout inning by Brian Jung in the middle game.

The floundering San Juan Crownrificos righted the ship taking 2 of 3 from Nashville including a thrilling 4-run 9th to force extra innings in Game 1. The 'Rificos won on a bloop single in the 11th by Wil Curtis. Willard Hitchcock powered them to a win in the rubber game with a 3-run homer.

Finally, the Helena Hound Dogs swept the lifeless Sioux Falls Dakota. The Dakota could not find a clutch hit leaving 5 in scoring position in 3-0 loss to Matt Martin in game. Despite getting to ace Rafael Aguilera for 4 runs in game 2, the Dakota staff couldn't hold and 4 more were left in scoring position. Game 4 was more of the same as 5 hit day from D'Angelo Castillo paced a 17-hit attack that propelled the Hound Dogs to the sweep.

The race looks like this right now (1 game later):
NL North - Helena leads Sioux Falls by 2 games
NL East - Burlington has clinched and will get a bye (still fighting for #1 seed)
NL South winner will get the other bye. San Juan leads Mexico City by 1 with Nashville 7 back and Memphis 10 back with 13 to play.
The NL West lead is back to 2 for Cheyenne after Vegas couldn't build on the sweep.

NL Silliness

The NL playoff picture must have been taken with one of those cameras like Fred Flintstone used because it is BLURRY. Three of four divisions are currently within 3 games. Seven teams are within 3 games of a wild card spot. And there are only 27 games remaining.

In order of probability, you're contendors.

LOCKS
1. Burlington leads the NL East by 13 games and couldn't miss the playoffs if they tried. This will be a 7th straight division title for the defending WS champs. Burlington has the 3rd best pitching/D in the league and the 5th best offense.

2. San Juan has just a 3 game lead over Mexico City in the NL South, they're 7 ahead losing the wildcard. An arm injury has taken out staff ace Billy Hoffman causing a recent slide. Still, their 31-16 record in 1-run games makes them a dangerous, gritty team.

Looking Good
1. Mexico City leads the wild card race and trails San Juan by just 3 games. They've won 8 of 10 and have 10 games remaining against non-playoff contenders.

Leaders at the top of the Stretch
1. Sioux Falls holds just a 3 game lead in the division, and would be 1 up on the 2nd wild card spot. The recent loss of Mac Stevens raises a specter of doubt about a 13-th consecutive division title. The Dakota host Helena in a huge 3-game series starting 9/22.

2. Cheyenne leads the NL West by 2 games over arch rival Las Vegas. They've lost 10 of 14 extra inning games, but are the stingiest staff around. The Seminoles face perennial doormat Pawtucket for the next 7. They must travel to Sin City 3 starting 9/22 however.

3. Nashville is chasing its 4th wild card birth (they've never won the division), but face a brutal 17-game road trip that includes stops in San Juan (80-55), Toledo (65-70), Arizona (66-69), and Mexico City (77-58). They own the worst run differential of teams currently set to reach the playoffs (+53).

The Chase Group
1. Memphis has the poor luck of playing in the deepest division in Second City. They sit just 1 game out of the wild card. Creative management has started 11 different pitchers. The schedule is not kind as they face just 1 sub-.500 team the rest of the way.

2. Las Vegas has been to the playoffs 10 times in 12 seasons, but an impossibly bad 12-22 record in 1-run games reveals a team that hasn't come through in the clutch. They face potential rivals Cheyenne and Sioux Falls at home so a hot finish could find them with an 11th birth.

3. Helena is 3 out of the division and 2 out of the wild card. Three-time defending Cy Young Rafael Aguilera has struggled (by his standards). Helena plays their last 10 and 13 of their last 17 on the road. Of the contenders, only San Juan and Cheyenne have scored fewer runs.

4. Augusta faces a tall order. Of all the teams in the race, they're the only 1 without any shot at a division title. Augusta would have to make up 3 games and leap 4 teams to earn a wild card berth. They have 16 road games remaining, but they're strangely 15 games over .500 on the road and 10 under at home.

The Pretenders
1. Toledo is 9 games out of the North and 8 games out of the wild card. Not looking good.

2. Arizona is 7 games out in the West and 7 games out of the wild card. They face only 1 team under .500 the rest of the way so, no matter what, they will impact this race.

Playoff Position

Well as the season approaches the home stretch there is very little drama left in the AL and gobs of drama in the NL.

Let's start with the boring part. Kansas City is a lock to win the AL North. Monterrey is a heavy favorite to win the AL South. In the AL West, San Francisco holds a 3 game lead over Colorado. Colorado is also 3 games out of the wild card, where Scranton holds the final spot.
(Richmond leads Baltimore by 4 games in the AL East with the runner-up a veritable shoe-in for the wild-card. That means only 1 spot remains up for grabs with Scranton battling the AL West runner-up for the last spot.

Scranton has 7 games remaining with SF (3 road, 4 home), but does not meet Colorado again. Colorado and San Francisco meet by the bay for a 3 game set in the next-to-last series of the season.

Pennant Race update

A quick update on the pennant races. All but 2 participants are decided. In the AL, Ottawa leads Kansas City by 2 games and Tacoma by 4 with 4 to play. That puts their magic # at 3.

In the NL, a crazy wild card race is shaping up. Las Vegas and Cheyenne are tied atop with West with the runner up likely to earn the top wild card (3 up with 4 to play). The 2nd wild card spot is a free-for-all with Arizona (won 6 of 10), Toledo (won 7 of 10), and Helena (lost 7 of 10) all tied at 86-72. San Juan trails them all by 2 games with 4 to play. Only 1 of those 4 teams will make the playoffs.

Chase to the playoffs

As the season approaches its end, a number of tight races remain. A recap and brief preview follows.

In the AL North, Ottawa (79-73), Kansas City (78-74), and Tacoma (74-78) are locked in a tight battle, with just 4 games separating the teams. The Ottawa franchise has won the division 7 of the last 8 years, so the strong challenge bodes well for KC. KC remains 10 games out of the wild card.

In the AL East, the three best records in the AL are fighting it out. Scranton has a commanding 7 game lead on Richmond and 8 games on Baltimore. It appears likely that the runners up will win both wild cards, so this battle won't truly be decided until the playoffs. Richmond has made 6 consecutive playoff appearances and that streak does not appear likely to end.

In the AL South, Monterrey (83-69) holds a precarious 4 game lead over Texas with 10 to play. The teams meet in Texas for a 3-game set in the next-to-last series of the season. If Texas can narrow the margin, that series figures to decide the division which Monterrey has won 6 times while missing the playoffs just once. Texas is the defending division champ.

In the AL West, Salem and San Francisco are separated by just two games. Salem is one of only 2 franchises to have won their division in every season, so the streak is very much non the line. Despite their 81-71 record, the Salamies are actually 2 games UNDER .500 at home where they meet SF on the final weekend of the season.

Sioux Falls has a 5 game lead over Helena in the NL North with 10 to play as they attempt to extend their division championship streak to 11 years. Helena is in a 3-way wild card tie with Las Vegas and Cheyenne at 85-67. Three other teams, including Toledo from the North, are within 4 games.

Burlington has stomped the rest of the NL East, leading by 27 games and long ago clinching their division. This will mark the Bulldogs 5th consecutive division crown and they appear likely to receive the 2 seed and a first round bye.

Mexico City once again has the best record in the NL at 102-50. They've also clinched their 5th straight division crown. Fellow Southerns San Juan is 4 games out of the wild card, placing their 10 season playoff streak in jeopardy. Nashville needs a ton of help to make the wild card for the 4th time in its history.

Las Vegas and Cheyenne are deadlocked at 85-67. Whoever loses the division is well-positioned for the wild card. Arizona (82-70) sits three games back of both the division and the wild card. Lucky for the Isotopes, they close with 17 consecutive home games, including their final six against Las Vegas and Cheyenne. Las Vegas recently took 2 of 3 from Cheyenne and are done with them in the regular season. They face defending champion Sioux Falls 4 times followed by their showdown with a hungry Arizona team. The Double Downs narrowly missed out on wild card berths while losing the division to Cheyenne in each of the past two season.