EHSPN: 2008 Playoffs Round 1 Recap

Weymouth closer J.J. Putz put up two saves and a scoreless set of innings to help push Shaddupu past the Quebec City Piglets. Meanwhile, Rakeville closed out the Green Monsters to make it an all Eastern Division semi-finals.


East Coast Bias
By Max Powers, EHSPN


Week 1 of the 2008 playoffs brought fans everything they expected. Excitement, torture, and upset. With the wild card round now behind us fans can get pumped up for the real test. A test that will give just two teams a shot at the crown. One team will be fighting for their first, where another will be looking to tack on to championship total. One thing is for sure, the champion will represent the Eastern Division as all Western Division teams have been eliminated after the first week. Let's take a look at how the semi-final round match ups shaped up the way they did.

(4) RAK def (5) WS; 6-3

The Monsters kept their streak alive in 2008, losing their 3rd straight playoff appearance. The Monsters, who have never made it past the 1st round, had a lot of promise in 2008. They made quite the run at the end of the regular season, catapulting themselves into the 5th seed, the highest regular season seed the organization has ever had going into the playoffs. They were met by a retooling Rakeville squad which has always been known for its pitching, has been reworking their offense all season in an effort to compete for a chance at a championship.

Rakeville's newest offensive threat, Manny Ramirez, and long time Rocket third baseman Miguel Cabrera helped propel their team into the 2nd round with 5 home runs and 18 RBI's between them against a struggling Winston-Salem rotation. Roy Oswalt also stifled Monster hitters. His two wins gave the Rockets the category and also helped solidify Rakeville's hold on strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

The Rockets proved to the rest of the league that their team has become one of the most well rounded rosters in the league and should be able to take any category in any given week. They travel on to Bridgewater to take on their Eastern Division rival Weasels in the semi-final round. The two teams have met twice before in the playoffs, once in 2005 when the Weasels beat the Rockets int he semi-final round, and once again the following year when Rakeville defeated Bridgewater in the first round. Rakeville battled Bridgewater during the 2008 season for the Eastern Division crown, a battle that the Rockets ended victorious.

(6) WEY def (3) QC; 5-5 by ERA tie-breaker

How many times can it be said - "It all comes down to pitching." For the second year in a row, the number 6 seed defeated the number 3 seed by a score of 5-5 by way of the EHCC ERA tiebreaker. The Piglets were the clear favorite going into the match up, regardless of how they finished the regular season. They defeated team Shaddupu twice in the regular season, including the most recent match up in the final week.

Quebec City was plaqued by not only injuries to their infield, but also by a string of bad outing by their record breaking pitching staff. Piglets' starters Randy Johnson, Ted Lilly, and Justin Verlander all had arguably their worst starts of the season. Such woeful starts that even masterful performances by starters Derek Lowe, Paul Byrd, and Chris Young could not dig Quebec City out from. Funnily enough, the Quebec City offense was the strongpoint for the team this week, taking 3 of the 5 categories from a struggling Weymouth line up, and even fought through the very last pitch for a 4th thanks to a pair of Carlos Delgado home runs. Unfortunatly for the Piglets' fans, the team fell one home run shy of winning the week.

Shaddupu now travels from Canada to the desert of Las Vegas where they will face off against their Eastern Division rival, the Doggs. The two teams have faced each other 4 times, with Weymouth being the victor in 3 of those match ups, including 2 semi-final round victories and 1 championship round victory. The Doggs have never beaten team Shaddupu in the semi-final round of the playoffs, their lone playoff victory coming in 2004, when the Doggs beat Shaddupu for the EHCC Championship. The two teams haven't met in the playoffs since 2005.

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This is the 2nd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round have been representing the saem division. The last time it happened was 2005, when the same four teams, and same two match ups, made the semi-final round.

This is 3rd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round were once of the original EHCC 6 teams. The only other seasons in which this was true was 2005 and 2001.

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2008 Playoff Preview

Not many expected to see Quebec City in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, as the dominated along with Bridgewater for most of the season, but Las Vegas forced the Piglets into a first round rematch with their Week 22 opponent Weymouth, a team they've faced plenty of times in previous playoff appearances.


2008 EHCC Playoff Preview By Max Powers of EHSPN writing for Baseball Tri-Weekly

Going into the final week of the season everyone knew who would be playing for a chance at the 2008 EHCC championship but no one knew who exactly they'd be facing off against. Now that it's finally all settled, let's take a look at the match ups that present themselves and who will come out on top.

Round 1

(3) Quebec City vs (6) Weymouth

Quebec City is has been tattered and tortured over the last week or so. Injuries have plagued their infield, taking hard hitting third baseman Evan Longoria and EHCC All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler of of the Piglets' line up. Even with the injuries, the Piglets managed a 5-3 win over Shaddupu in Week 22. That along with their decisive 9-1 victory in Week 11, and the first round home field advantage, makes them the clear favorite in this first round match up.

Weymouth, who contemplated dismantling their entire squad at the trading deadling, lost some big production when they traded away long time outfielder Manny Ramirez to Rakeville. With all the pressure on Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton to keep the Weymouth offense on top, it should be a long week for team Shaddupu.

The Piglets have not lost to Weymouth in the playoffs since 2004, and have never lost in the first round of play against team Shaddupu. This will be the third straight year that the two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Quebec City: 3-6 (2-1 vs WEY)
Weymouth: 12-3 (1-2 vs QC)

Prediction: QC 7, WEY 3

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(4) Rakeville vs (5) Winston-Salem

Rakeville earned themselves the Price Trophy last week, and deservingly so. They had been a formidable match up for any Eastern Divisional rival in 2008 and now they hope to bring that domination into the playoffs. The Rockets have everything going for them: momentum (they've won their last 4 match ups of the regular season by a combined score of 28-7, including a 9-1 win against top seeded Bridgewater and a 6-1 victory in the final week against the defending EHCC Champion Arlington Warriors), experience (the Rockets have only missed the playoffs once since the EHCC was created in 2001), and production (sat in the top 5 of four of the five offensive categories in the 2008 regular season). Chase Utley and company will need to compensate however for the ailing Rockets' pitching staff. With ace Josh Beckett and closer Billy Wagner on the shelf, look for starter Roy Oswalt to return to form and help set the example in the first day of play for the rest of the staff.

Winston-Salem's offense has been streaky all season. One week they seem like they'll be unstoppable against any opponent and others they seems as though they're all taking the week off. They'll have to turn it on this week if they wish to stay competitive against a strong Rockets' line up. Grady Sizemore and Carlos Quentin are the strong point in their line up and should provide the Monsters with the fire power they'll need to stay with Miguel Cabrera and the rest of the Rakeville bats. The Monsters will have to take advantage of the ailing Rockets' pitching staff this week. With Zack Grienke being their only scheduled two-start pitcher, they will have to rely of finesse to push past the first round.

This is the Monsters' third trip to the EHCC playoffs since being introduced to the league in 2004 and first since 2005. They have never made it past the first round. Rakeville has made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs in each of the past 3 years. Rakeville and Winston-Salem have never faced off in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Rakeville: 2-5
Winston-Salem: 0-2

Prediction: RAK 6, WS 3

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Round 2

(1) Bridgewater vs (4) Rakeville

Bridgewater has dominated all season. They've beaten every team in the league at least once (most of them twice) with the notable exception of Rakeville. They've faltered down the stretch, coming close to losing their number 1 seed to Las Vegas, but pushed through and should face off against the Rockets in the second round of play. The Weasels didn't sit on top of any single category this season, but overall were very well-rounded. Their bats came alive at opportunistic times during the season and, with the exception of starter Chien-Ming Wang, their arms in their rotation have been durable enough to endure the long season. They showed chinks in their armor in the final few weeks of play, faltering against two playoff teams (Las Vegas and Rakeville), and they'll be hoping that their poor play doesn't carry over into the playoffs.

Rakeville has done well against Eastern Division opponents all season and Bridgewater is no exception. They have not lost to them in their two match ups during the regular season, a statistic they won't be looking to change in the playoffs. Their pitching staff hasn't been as dominate as past seasons but should be able to hold off the majority of the Bridgewater hitters especially with three scheduled two-start pitchers, while Rakeville bats should be swinging away at a rusty Bridgewater staff that will have a week off before facing off against the Rockets' potent lineup.

The same match up came about in the 2005 season, with the seeds being reversed. Bridgewater, then the 4th seed, upset the Rockets, who were dominate all throughout the regular season. Look for a similar outcome this year.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Bridgewater: 6-7 (1-1 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 3-5 (1-1 vs BRW)

Prediction: RAK 5, BRW 4

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(2) Las Vegas vs (3) Quebec City

The Doggs are the story of the second half of the season. They ended up making up enough ground to push them from 8th place to 2nd by the end of the regular season, giving them the 1st round BYE all Doggs' fans thought they needed. The Doggs have made the playoffs every season since the EHCC was created but both of their championships came when they had a 1st round bye. Going into the playoffs, the Doggs have been arguably the best team in the league, defeating 10 of their last 11 opponents by a combined score of 73-23. Their only loss in that time coming at the hands of a 8-2 beating by Winston-Salem in Week 18. They stand in the top 5 of every offensive category, including top honors in Home Runs and RBI, and second in Runs and Stolen Bases. Their resurgent pitching staff has helped catapult them into the conversation of most improved staff since the beginning of the season. They ended the season with a top three finish in each pitching category except total Wins, where they finished in the middle of the road (6th). Many feel that the week off will hurt the Doggs' momentum but the players have all stated that they'll use the time off wisely.

Quebec City, hurt the most by the Doggs' second half domination, lost out on the first round bye but should find themselves an opportunity to avenge themselves in the second round against Las Vegas. The Piglets' pitching staff, the best in the league, should have little trouble against Doggs' hitters. The problem will arise if/when the Doggs' decide to bring in multiple free agents specialists to battle against the Piglets' dominate staff. The Piglets' hitters will have to step up against the Doggs' pitchers, an area that many feel as though the Piglets are simply just overmatched. If the Piglets are to win this match up they'll do it on the mound.

The Piglets have only made it to the final tound once since being brought into the EHCC in 2002, while the Doggs have been to the finals 3 times, winning the EHCC crown twice, both times with the first round bye. Quebec City and Las Vegas have never met each other in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round prediction)
Las Vegas: 7-5
Quebec City: 4-6
Prediction: LV 7, QC 2

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2008 EHCC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

(2) Las Vegas Doggs vs (4) Rakeville Rockets

These two teams, the top two teams in the East, are probably two of the most evenly matched teams in the EHCC. Both teams finished the regular season by winning their final four match ups. Both organizations have plenty of playoff experience. Both have above average hitters and rotations. This should make for an entertaining two weeks to say the least.

Las Vegas may have the edge in a tie breaking situation, finishing a whole 0.30 points above the Rockets in team ERA in the regular season.

The Doggs and Rockets have met twice before in the post-season. In 2003 the 3rd seeded Doggs defeated the 6th seeded Rockets in the 1st round of play. In the second round, Las Vegas was then beaten by a far superior Weymouth club who went on to win their 3rd straight championship. In 2006, 1st seeded Las Vegas defeated 4th seeded Rakeville in the second round on route to their second EHCC title.

According to my previous predictions, the 2008 playoffs look a lot like the 2005 version, with the number 2 seed facing off against the number 4 for the championship. I can't see it finishing off much differently.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Las Vegas 8-5 (2-0 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 4-5 (0-2 vs LV)

Prediction LV 6, RAK 4 MVP - David Wright (3B-LV)


Disagree with Max Powers' predictions? Post your own on the comments page.

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EHSPN: Monsters Big Pick Up

Rejoice! Monster fans, your favorite team didn't make any moves at the deadline, which I'm sure everyone is so surprised, what the team did do is hang on to Francisco 'Lights Out' Liriano. Who is poised to be the biggest pick up of this trading season.

After an abysmal start to the year, posting an 11.32 ERA in 3 starts, Liriano was sent down to regain the confidence he once had prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery. After correcting his problems in the minors, posting a 3.43 ERA and striking out 121 in 123 innings, Liriano has been called up to the big club, and is poised to help a staff who has been mired in mediocrity.

I thought I was ready, and during spring training I started to doubt I'd ever get back to where I was in 06. That doubt in my head was all it took for me to be unsuccessful.

With all doubts cleared, and Liriano's first start this Sunday, the Monsters are hoping he is to be the biggest pick up of the 2008 season, and can ride his coattails all the way to the playoffs, and do some damage in a top heavy season this year.

Throughout the year, the Monsters have exemplified inconsistency, only taking winning streaks to a 2 week maximum. Hoping this call up can right the ship for the last few weeks of the season, the Monsters are pinning all their hopes on the last 5 weeks for their team to pick up the pace and close out the season with a bang.

GM Wally Bachman's stingy approach to raising home grown players, has raised numerous questions to his baseball IQ, as well as his sanity. He hopes that it all comes together, and people can start to understand what his intentions were.

I know all our fans were calling for us to make a trade, to improve our pitching staff, but we just felt like teams were asking far too much for rental players, and unproven rookies with little upside.

So the Monsters will begin their trek towards the ultimate prize, with a focus, and a rejuvenation that will help them finally get over the hump.

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Baseball Tri-Weekly: ATB Week 22

Winston Salem's Kason Gabbard pitches during a game against Arlington. Gabbard and company were pounded by Warriors pitching, and now the Green Monsters find themselves on the outside looking in.



Around the Bases: Week 22
By Listen Deplayohs, Baseball Tri-Weekly

August has been a month of horrors for the Green Monsters, and a new dawn for the farm dwellers. A return of the status quo for Weymouth, and a return to brotherly curse that grips the Rockets.

Winston-Salem had been flying high at the end of July, securely in a playoff spot and quietly eyeing a bye and the division crown. After a brutal east coast swing, the Monsters swept through three Western Division teams, beating Tijuana, Golden and Santo Domingo by a combined 25-4. Things looked bright for the nicotine kings.

Conversely, their lone remaining rival hiccuped their way back into the playoff picture. The Piglets looked dismal in their East Coast trip. They lost terribly to Rakeville and Weymouth. After a few trades, they showed signs of a turnaround, only to squeak out a tie against poor Golden club. The momentum heading into the pivotal division matchup was clearly in Green Monsters favor.

“The team was down,” said Piglets pitcher Jake Peavy. “I had never seen it this bad. Guys were hanging their heads in the first inning. It was tough to go out there and pitch when the team behind me as already defeated.”

Somehow, Peavy overcame the despair. Instead of collapsing under the weight of failure, he stepped up and pitched two stellar games for Quebec City, earning two wins, 10 strikeouts while only giving up two runs.

“It was huge to see Jake carry this team on his back,” said fellow pitcher Justin Verlander. “He left it all on the field that game. After seeing that, the rest of the team found new energy.”

Three Piglets, Cain, Kazmir and Marcum, threw shutouts. Newly aquired pitcher Tim Lincecum struckout 16 batters and Greg Maddux posted a .67 Whip. Combine, Quebec City had one of the best pitching games of the season, earning a 2.26 ERA and a 1.12 Whip, netting them four of five pitching categories.

Winston-Salem’s staff tried to fight back, but an overwhelmed Daniel Cabrera, and Paul Maholm were battered by the late revival of Piglet bats.

“It was a turning point for our team,” said Peavy. “It was our first must win of the season. It was really the only game that was really all or nothing. We had to win. We had to come together.”

The win sent both teams careening in different directions. Winston Salem Then travelled to Bridgewater, but were no match for the Weasels. Next was a game with national exposure against the Arlington Warriors.

“I can’t imagine what was going through their heads when we beat them,” said Warrior infielder Derrick Jeter. “You could see how angry they were. I would have felt the same way. After being so strong all season, to let go at the end must have been devistating.”

The 7-2 loss sent the Green Monsters below the yellow line, and allowed Quebec City, who destroyed Arlington the week before and clinched the division in a win over Tokyo, into the playoffs.

Out east, the team everyone expected to be floating around the yellow line was suddenly back in the race. Weymouth meandered to a tie against Tokyo, and looked dead in the water in their matchup against Las Vegas to start the month. Yet, a record-breaking week from the Shaduppu bats quickly turned the tide in their favor. Miguel Tejada, Josh Willingham and Bobby Abreu drove in 26 runs combined on the way to 57 total RBIs. The Doggs stuck with their strengths, and found themselves on the losing end of a 7-3 game.

Weymouth kept rolling, beating Tijuana and Santo Domingo elbowing out a half-game lead for the fourth spot.

“We weren’t kidding when we said we were going to earn a home game,” said Shaduppu pitcher Carlos Zambrano. “These teams we are playing are not as good as us. It is a joke that we were not winning games. That has changed. We have changed. Nobody will want to face us now.”

A team that wouldn’t hesitate to face Weymouth is Rakeville, if it meant they wouldn’t have to play Bridgewater. The Rockets were one win away from gain a shot at Las Vegas for the Eastern Division crown, but the furry little beasts that have plagued them for the past three seasons struck again. Up 6-3 in the last day, Bridgewater surged back thanks to five Rakeville players missing the game to see a movie. In the end, Rakeville was one point in batting average away from a playoff game and their second division crown in three years.

Since 2005, Rakeville has a slight edge on the brother-series, going 3-2-1 against Bridgewater. Still, The Weasels dashed the Rockets championship dreams in 2005 with a second round win in the playoffs, and now they’ve kept them from winning the Price Trophy.

“At some point you just want to beat them with your baseball bats like Jose Offerman,” said Ian Snell. “Snell likes beating, not losing.”

Matchups

Only Rakeville has clinch it’s spot in the playoffs. Las Vegas and Bridgewater are in a dog fight for the final bye spot, and Arlington, Weymouth and Quebec City are hoping they don’t have to take on the loser of that battle in the first round.

The best of the east and west square off in the final game of the season, and the implications will certainly effect the playoff seeds. It is hard to believe that even with a big loss Quebec City will find themselves out of the playoffs, considering Winston-Salem’s opponent (Rakeville), but they will definitely see the most difficult route to the playoffs if they can’t pull off a win.

Las Vegas is a game and a half out of the bye and every Dogg understands the value in having a weeks rest. In their two championship runs, Las Vegas held the top spot in the regular season, and every championship appearance was coupled with a bye. Even worse, the Doggs have gone 1-3-1 against the three teams below them, meaning a first round appearance could very well mean a first round upset.

I suck at making predictions, but I pick the Piglets to win. I have no doubt they will prove me wrong though.

Their first match up ended in a 4-4 tie, and both teams wouldn’t mind a similar result if they can’t pry away a win. Weymouth is looking down at Arlington who has a relatively easy game against Tokyo. I doubt Shaduppu can outplay Bridgewater enough to hang onto the fourth spot, but as long as they don’t blow this game they should stay in the sandwich playoff game rather than face Bridgewater or Las Vegas again.

The Weasels are in the same boat as the Green Monsters, riding high all season only to find themselves playing until the last day to stay alive. Bridgewater haven’t lost a game in a month, but two close wins and two close ties have them walking a tight rope. With Alex Rodriguez’s surge no longer carrying them to easy wins, they will have to use their entire roster. They haven’t been pitching well, yet set a season record for wins. Weymouth will have to take there shots there if they want to win.

The big question here is who will make it the most obvious? Peoria and Santo Domingo square of in the most disappointing match up of the season. The White Devils lead the league in inactive players, while Peoria has the most productive bench in the EHCC. What player will have a surprisingly good game and fuck over the rest of his team?

My money is on Peoria losing this one. Not only are they unashamed of their poor play, but they are also incredibly skilled at starting the worst possible players. Because of Santo Domingo’s thin bench, it is hard for them to make the moves needed to lose.

Transactions

-- A big surprise for everyone in the media was Bridgewater’s signing of Josh Barfield. “We didn’t see the press release until after he was signed.”

League Notes

-- Midway through their game with Tijuana, the Peoria events crew set off fireworks to celebrate the injury of Cole Hamels. The party went on well after the 6-3 loss, with fans burning down the Chris Shelton Robot and replacing it with a wooden sculpture of Hamels in a cast.

-- The Quebec Freeze Press reported that Josh Barfield has a drug problem, but the Brockton Enterprise conducted a sting operation soon after his arrival to Bridgewater. “We offered him every drug he could find, but he turned us down. He likes titties though.”

-- In an effort to bring a more diverse crowd to the ball park, Tijuana has installed skate ramps in the area around the team’s ballpark. Nelly Furtado was the first to use the ramp, but the singer fell and broke her leg.

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EHSPN: Panic Sets In...

Rich Harden was recently named the DL Queen, but he leads a band of injured aces on the Green Monsters disabled list.



Panic Sets in...
By EhSPN

Winston Salem, NC - Panic sets in in Winston Salem as the Green Monsters have yet to solidify a pitching rotation because of injuries. The injury bug has hit on many of their pitchers including Kenny Rogers, Rich Harden, Francisco Liriano, and Gustavo Chacin.

After pitching 5 innings of hitless ball, SP Shawn Hill went down with a sore shoulder only expecting to hit the DL as well. Hill said he's "99 percent sure" he will go on the disabled list, according to the Associated Press. He will have an MRI exam, Monday, May 14, and will be shut down for a week to 10 days, according to team doctor Ben Shaffer.

As for Chacin (shoulder), he threw off flat ground Saturday May 12th, however he is still three weeks from returning. He has been out since April 30, and it is likely he will not return until close to the end of the month.

Acquired via trade SP Rich Harden has also been injured since early in the season. As of April 16, he has been on the DL due to a right shoulder strain. He was seen throwing a side session earlier this week, but no details of when his return will be have been released.

With so many injuries on the pitching staff, look for the Monsters to seek the help of free agency. They have been weighing their options and have been leaning heavily on some of their less seasoned staff members.

Winston Salem's outspoken, and heralded ne'er-do-well GM Wally Bachman had this to say,

"I'm not really sure what we will do, but we're hoping the rehab programs work out and we can get some relief from some of our other guys who have been filling in for our downed heroes. We'll see where we go from here, and we hope that the grass is greener on the other side. But I'm pretty sure that once we get these guys going again, we'll be flying high, and achieving the goals we set out for the beginning of the year. You can't count us out, its a marathon not a sprint!"

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Baseball Tri-Weekly: May Cover

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