Speakers vs. Eliminators

Game 1 – Trevor Rosenthal allows a 9th inning 3-run lead to evaporate resulting in a 6-6 tie. The Eliminators get a runner to 3rd in the bottom of the 10th, but fail to score when Jose Reyes grounds out to 1st. The Speakers get a pair of doubles and an RBI single by Andrelton Simmons in the 11th for an 8-6 win. Both teams tally 14 hits.

W – Yoervis Medina (2-1); L – Sean Doolittle; S – Jeremy Affeldt (1)

Game 2 – The Eliminators keep hitting (12) and the Speakers don’t (5) leading to an 8-1 massacre. Adam Jones slugs 2 2-run HRs.

W – Chris Sale; L – Felix Hernandez (5-5)

Game 3 – From the broken record department, the Eliminators keep hitting (11) and the Speakers don’t (5). This time, the Speakers do get closer: 8-2, but continue the same pattern of coughing up a 3 run margin before the 3rd inning.

W – Kevin Gausman; L – Jordan Zimmermann (4-3)

Game 4 – Finally, the Eliminators continue to hit (9) and the Speakers don’t (4). The closer losing margin, 5-1, provides little comfort as the Speakers are held to 4 runs in the final 3 games of the series.

W – Drew Smyly; L – Jesse Hahn (0-3)

Devil Dogs vs. Lymebees

Game 1; Kershaw vs Bumgarner; Bees get 1 run in the 1st and 1 run in the 2nd. Dogs get a solo HR by Philips in the 3rd. Bees get 1 run in the 4th and Bees go on to win 3-1.

Game 2; Strasburg vs Gray; Dogs hit solo HRs by Arcia in the 3rd and Perez in the 9th. Bees get 1 run in the 4th and bat around for 5 in 5th and go on to win 6-2 with both pitchers pitching complete games.

Game 3; Gio Gonzalez vs Shields; Dogs score 1 run in the 2nd on a double by Wright. Bees get a solo HR by Lind in the 4th, a single run in the 5th and a solo HR by Adams in the 9th to win 3-1.

Game 4; Wheeler vs Gallardo; Bees get 1 run in the 2nd. Dogs get 3 runs in the 6th to end scoring as the Dogs win this one 3-1.

Lymebees record now 18-10.

Birds of Pray vs. Unhinged Wahoos

Last years 10th & 11th place teams, both over .500, hooked up for a good series.

G-1 Wahoos got an RBI triple from L. Martin and an Encarnacion SF in the 1st for a 2-0 lead. Birds tied in the 4th on a 2-run N. Cruz homer and took the lead in the 5th on an Altuve single. Wahoos regained the lead in the 5th on L. Martin’s 2-run homer for a 4-3 Wahoos win. A. Miller got the save.

G-2 Wahoos got a 2-0 lead in the 2nd on an A. Eaton single. Birds got 1 back in the 3rd on a R. Gennett single. That was all the scoring as Wahoos win 2-1. A. Miller got another save.

G-3 After both teams scored 1 in the first, both on sac flies, the Birds scored an unearned run in the 4th on a Lagares fielder’s choice & held on for a 3-1 win. Betances got a 4 inning save.

G-4 Wahoos got a 3-run Encarnacion homer in the 1st. The Birds battled back to tie it at 4 in the 6th, with solos from Votto, Altuve & Cruz. Wahoos regained the lead on a 6th inning single by A. Cabrera. A. Miller entered in the 9th with a 5-4 lead & gave up 3 BB, a fielder’s choice RBI by D. Solano and a walk off single by Lagares for a 6-5 Birds win.

Series notes: Birds bullpen 11 IP, 4 hits, 4 BBs, 14 Ks & 0 runs.
Wahoos A. Miller, first 2 saves, 2 innings 0 hits, 0 BBs 3 Ks. Game 4, .2 inning, 1 hit, 3 BBs 1 K, 2 runs.

Devil Dogs vs. Birds of Pray

G-1 The Birds pounded the Dogs ace, Clayton Kershaw, for 11 runs (10 earned) in 6 innings enroute to a 11-5 win. B. McCann hit a grand slam & drove in 5, & N. Cruz hit a 3-run homer & drove in 5. Dogs got a solo from H. Ramirez &a 2-run homer from Arcia.

G-2 Birds scored 7 runs in the first 3 innings & Tanaka scattered 6 hits giving up 0 earned runs in the Birds 7-1 win. N. Markakis was 4-4 with a solo & 3 RBIs. Strasburg gave up 7 runs on 14 hits in 7 innings.

G-3 T. Ross threw a 2-hit shutout & Birds got RBIs from 5 different players. N. Markakis had 2 hits to start G-3, giving him 6 consecutive hits.

G-4 Birds got a 2-run single from McCann in the first. Dogs tied on a 2-run 6th inning single by LaRoche. J. Schafer got a one-out single in the 8th, stole 2nd, then scored the winning run on a 2-out pinch hit single by Melky Cabrera for a 3-2 Birds win.

Arrogant Bastards vs. Speakers

Game 1 – Scott Van Slyke’s 2nd inning double moves Buster Posey to 3rd with no outs. After Howie Kendrick taps out to the mound, Kolten Wong lifts a fly to right that’s deep enough to move both runners. Anthony Rendon follows with a 2-out RBI double for a 2-0 Speakers lead. Van Slyke (3) takes Cole Hamels deep to lead off the 4th for a 3-0 lead.

Evan Longoria gets that one back with his own solo shot to lead off the bottom of the 5th. A rattled Chris Archer then walks Chase Utley and surrenders a hit-and-run single to Elvis Andrus.

Top of the order, Mike Trout hits a sharp grounder to Kendrick, who turns two scoring Utley for a 3-2 game. Russell Martin follows with a single and Archer walks Adrian Gonzalez, but gets Giancarlo Stanton on a pop to short to end the inning.

Anthony Rizzo doubles with 1 out in the Speakers 8th. Pinch runner Jason Heyward scores on Posey’s RBI single for a 2-run margin, 4-2.

Although Marcell Ozuna singles (5 against a 17) to start the bottom of the 9th, Jeremy Jeffress takes over to retire the next 3 ABs.

W – Archer (2-4); L – Hamels; S – Jeffress (2)

Game 2 – By the time the Speakers get to Jason Hammel for 3 runs in the 7th, his mates build an 8-0 advantage over Felix Hernandez. A 5-run bat-around 5th features 6 hits, including Martin’s 2-run HR and Ozuna’s bases loaded triple.

Both Ozuna and Utley finish with a double and triple, yet both were out at the plate following their triples or it could have been worse than 8-3, ABs.

W – Hammel; L – Hernandez (5-4)

Game 3 – The scene shifts to Riegle Park for the remainder of the series and the ABs waste no time getting on the board. Stephen Vogt muffs Trout’s chopper in the 1st. With 1 away, Anthony Rizzo commits 2 errors with Gonzalez batting to easily score Trout.

The Speakers package 3 singles in the 2nd as Albert Pujols’ RBI ties the score at 1-1. Trout and Gonzalez combine again in the 3rd for an earned run: Trout’s single plates a run on Gonzalez’s RBI double.

Rizzo homers (7) to lead off the bottom half to re-tie at 2-2. The ABs get 2 more in the 4th to take a 4-2 lead. Singles by Longoria and Martin set up Utley’s 2-run triple, his second triple of the series. Trout can’t score Utley, however, as he lines a shot into Jordan Zimmerman’s glove for the 2nd out. Andrus fouls out down the line in right to finish the inning.

Longoria boots a Heyward grounder to start the bottom of the 4th. Pujols makes him pay with a 2-run HR, his 3rd of the season. Again, we’re knotted at 4-4.

Across the next several innings, the ABs enjoy 6 hits, never more than 1 per inning, and strand 2 runners in scoring position. Vogt’s 5th inning single is the last Speaker to reach until the 11th when Kendrick singles, but is caught attempting to steal.

Fast-forward to the 13th inning. The ABs go 1-2-3 in the top. Yasiel Puig coaxes a walk by Wade Davis to lead off the bottom. Rizzo’s grounder one-hops Gonzalez at 1st for an error, scoring Puig for a 5-4 final.

Each team commits 3 errors accounting for 3 unearned runs. The ABs go 0-10 with RISP; the Speakers, 1-5. Speakers pitching steal a pair of homers (Gonzalez, Stanton) that do not score.

W – Yoervis Medina (1-1); L – Davis

Game 4 – With depleted pens, both teams hope that Tanner Roark and Bud Norris (and his magical 7.53 ERA) can log many innings today. Each pitches into the 8th, yet the pens become taxed for the second consecutive game anyway.

Puig triples home Danny Santana, who had singled, in the 3rd. Trout guns Puig at the plate on Rendon’s potential sac fly for a double play and a 1-0 Speaker lead.

David Ortiz, who had a quiet series, finally squares up a Norris fastball to lead off the 7th. Once again, we’re tied at 1-1.

The ABs fail with 2-on in both the 8th and 10th. The Speakers follow suit with 1 out in the 8th and 12th.

Once again, we reach the 13th inning. Justin Turner leads off the top half with a single, his 4th hit of the day. With Turner breaking for 2nd, Utley lines a ball to Manny Machado, who easily completes the double play. Brett Gardner whiffs to close the inning for Jeurys Familia.

Santana records his 3rd hit to lead off the bottom half. Manager Gaiski signals for Dan Otero to relieve the fatiguing Mark Melancon.

Otero hits Puig in the leg to put the winning run at 2nd. Rizzo screams a line drive at John McDonald, the 2ndbaseman. With 1 out, Rendon connects (22-0) for a walk-off double. The Speakers squeak by the ABs, 2-1, and win the series, 3-1.

W – Familia (2-0); L – Melancon

Manager Steve notes that the ABs’ pen tossed 18 innings, surrendering just 8 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), no HRs, 3 walks, 1 HBP and 17 Ks, yet comes away 0-2.

Starting Lineup