RIGHT FIELD FOG

There’s been so much going on with the playoff races and the sprint to the finish line, it’s hard to believe the finish line might be crossed tonight.

Then again, it’s always hard to believe. The season seems so short.

But I’m sure it’s different for the players. While the season marches on and makes itself seem short, the players are the ones doing the marching. This time of the year, they’re ready to head home.

They’ve just got a little business to take care of first.

By virtue of their blowout win yesterday, the Harwich Mariners are one win away from their first Cape League championship since 1987. Three weeks ago, maybe even two weeks ago, I would not have picked them to be in this spot. They’ve been the streakiest team in the league, but I guess the funny thing about streaks is every once in a while, you hit one at the right time.

The Mariners have done that. They won their last four regular-season games, and thus far, they’ve swept through the playoffs. They haven’t lost since Aug. 3.

When it comes to streaky teams, it’s sometimes tough to say what separates good from bad. That’s the way it is for Harwich. In looking back on this winning streak, there isn’t one trend that stands out.

But that’s kind of what the Mariners have been like all season. Their pitching ranked second in the league, but their offense was in the middle of the pack. It took until the last few weeks of the season for them to separate themselves from the rest of the East contenders.

Through it all, though, manager Steve Englert told anyone who would listen that this team had the best chemistry of any he’d ever coached.

This is what happens when a team with good chemistry gets hot. There’s no one trend because on a given day, anybody can step up. Last night, it was Jason Stidham, who almost matched his season RBI total in one game.

If someone steps up big tonight, he’ll lead Harwich to a championship.

Chris Manno might be the one to do it. He’s been the ace of the staff all season and he’ll get the ball tonight. He seems like the kind of kid who relishes a chance like this.

But don’t expect it to be a cakewalk. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cotuit forces a third game. In this season of ultimate parity, that would be fitting, and if any team can do it, Cotuit can. The Kettleers have fought through injuries and won the division despite being a much different team than the one that started the season so hot. They’ll have Nick Hernandez on the mound tonight, and like Manno, he’s the one you want out there.

We’ll see what happens. My gut feeling tells me Harwich isn’t going to let this slip, but I’ve been wrong many, many times.

Either way, enjoy the game, people. It might be the last one.

So much for the pitchers’ duel.

Half of the marguee match-up I mentioned yesterday didn’t turn out as planned, with Harwich’s Michael Morrison getting the start in place of Chris Manno.

The other half didn’t turn out as planned either.

Seth Blair was on the mound for Cotuit, and Harwich lit him up. Blair, who finished second in the ERA race, gave up 10 runs as Harwich cruised to the 11-2 victory.

When I got home from work and checked the very helpful Cape Cod Times live blog, I thought I was reading it wrong.

But I was not.

I guess after getting shut out for 17 innings, Harwich was ready to score some runs. In all, the Mariners had 16 hits. Jason Stidham, who had eight RBI all season, had seven in this game.

And just like that, Harwich is one win away from a Cape League championship, and, seemingly, one punch from a knockout blow. It’s going to be tough for the Kettleers to bounce back from this for tomorrow’s game.

They’ve battled through adversity all season, though, so maybe they’re the team to do it.

Back later with some thoughts on tomorrow.

After the close races and wild finish left most teams shuffling their pitching staffs for the first round of the playoffs, it just so happens that all the shuffling has brought up a pair aces for game one of the finals.

Harwich will send star lefty Chris Manno to the mound tomorrow against Seth Blair and Cotuit. Both pitchers have sub-1.00 ERAs. At 1.55, Blair’s is better, and, in fact it was second in the league. But Manno has more strikeouts, and he also hasn’t taken a loss. He had probably the most impressive outing of any pitcher at the all-star game, and in his one start since then, he helped Harwich clinch a playoff spot with seven innings of four-hit ball.

Blair is no stranger to the big stage, either. He started the second-to-last game of the season for Cotuit, the game that ultimately clinched them a playoff berth. He went seven shutout innings.

So this is quite a match-up, and it’s pretty awesome to see in the championship series. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out like this, and with the season dragging longer and longer, I was afraid this year would be one of those years.

Thankfully, it’s not. I’d expect Manno and Blair to put on a show tomorrow.

Some more notes:

• This championship berth has been a long time coming for both of these teams. Cotuit was last there in 1999, when they beat Chatham. For Harwich, it’s the first time since 1997. That year, the Mariners lost to Wareham.

• This time last summer, league MVP Conor Gillaspie was heading back to school and missing the championship series. We’ll see if there any departures this year, but so far I haven’t heard of any.

• Blair will be on the hill tomorrow for Cotuit, and Nick Hernandez, whom I’d call a co-ace, will get the ball in game two. No game two starter has been announced for Harwich, but I’m thinking it could be J.J. Hoover, just based on the calendar.

• The teams split the season series, with Cotuit taking the last meeting by a 6-1 score on July 28. There’s also a lot of history between these teams and the pitchers they’ll be facing. Hernandez picked up the win in the most recent game, allowing five hits and a run in 6.1 innings. On July 20, when Harwich won 4-3, Manno allowed three runs in 7.1 strong innings. And back on July 16, Blair had his best outing of the summer against Harwich, a complete-game, one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

• Harwich has some bad playoff batting averages, but all those 0-for-7’s probably have something to do with that. Tommy Medica and Joseph Sanders each have three hits to lead the Mariners. Sanders’ three-run home run in game one against Orleans was the team’s biggest hit of the postseason.

• For Cotuit, six players have at least two hits so far in the playoffs. That lends credence to the fact that, top to bottom, Cotuit had the best-hitting team in the league. There aren’t any weak spots.

• Lucky for Harwich that Cotuit didn’t win in two, and that Monday’s game was postponed. The extra days off mean the team actually got to rest after its 18-inning marathon on Sunday. That will be especially big for the bullpen. Willie Kempf should be fine to go. Not sure about Steve Kalush, who will be on two days’ rest after throwing 5.2 innings on Sunday.

• The only problem with the days off: momentum. Sometimes, when you win in wild fashion like Harwich did, you want to keep it going right away.

• Whatever happens, we’re seeing the two hottest teams in the league meeting for the title, which is pretty awesome. Cotuit has won 9 of its last 12 games, with two losses and a tie mixed in. Harwich has won seven of eight.

• I was initially hoping to get over for game one, but since it’s in Cotuit and it’s at 3 p.m., that’s probably not going to happen. If I’m home from work in time, I will be listening and doing a live blog. We’ll see what happens after that. Regardless, it should be fun tomorrow. Enjoy.

They got the game in, and it didn’t even take that long.

Cotuit beat Falmouth 3-2 today in game three of the Western Division playoffs to clinch a spot in the league championship. The Kettleers fell behind 1-0 but then grabbed a 3-1 lead and held it for most of the game. The Commodores got a run in the ninth, but Cotuit held on for the victory.

The Kettleers will take on Harwich in the championship series, which begins Wednesday. Cotuit will host the first game. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.

One first-round playoff series is going three games.

The other kind of already did.

While Falmouth outlasted Cotuit 6-3 to even the Western Division series, Harwich and Orleans staged an epic game in the East. When it was over, 18 innings and more than four hours later, Harwich had a 1-0 victory and a spot in the championship.

Harwich 1, Orleans 0

I almost went to this game, but with a two-hour drive ahead of me after an 18-inning game, it’s probably better that I didn’t.

Except I really wish I’d seen it.

Extra-inning games that get up to the 13th or 14th inning are incredible enough. This one went 18, and it was playoff game, and throughout the game, the score was 0-0. Crazy stuff. There was tremendous pitching, tremendous defense and not-so-tremendous hitting (Shaver Hansen and his 0-for-8 can attest).

In the end, with fog possibly playing a role, Orleans outfielder Angelo Songco charged in on a fly ball from Branton Belt, and with the shortstop and centerfielder converging, the ball bounced off Songco’s glove. Brian Kemp, who was on second base and going on contact with two outs, raced home to give Harwich the victory.

That’s a tough way to end a game, and for Orleans, a tough way to end a season. But everything that came before the ending was the stuff classic games are made of.

• Six pitchers didn’t allow a run. William Bullock went nine shutout innings for the Mariners, followed by 1.1 by Willie Kempf, 5.2 by Steve Kalush and 2 from Sean Black. For Orleans starter Matt Thomson went 7.1 scoreless frames, Adam Wilk went 3.2 and closer Alex Hassan tossed 6.2 dominant innings.

• Orleans left nine men on base, Harwich 13.

• The Cardinals had the game’s best chance to score in the seventh. Songco was hit by a pitch then stole second and third. On a fly ball to left field with one out, Songco tagged up and headed for home, but catcher-turned-outfielder Tommy Medica cut him down at the plate.

• It was the longest game of the season, and it could have gone longer. The 11:30 curfew was waived.

In all, it was a remarkable game, one that a lot of people will remember.

Falmouth 6, Cotuit 3

Starting pitcher Chris Gloor gave Falmouth exactly what it needed, dominating until the sixth inning and setting the stage for the Commodores to tie the series. They scored two runs in the first, one in the third and one in the fifth before Cotuit finally got to Gloor with two runs in the sixth.

But the Commodores never lost the lead. Rex Brothers pitched 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen and Ben Tootle picked up the save, stranding two in the ninth to seal the victory.

Trevor Coleman had a home run for Falmouth, Kevin Nolan went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Michael Thomas went 3-for-4.

Looking Ahead

Chad Bettis, who has been Falmouth’s most consistent starter this year, will get the ball in today’s decisive game three, which will be played at 3 p.m. in Cotuit, as long as the rain holds off. The Kettleers have not announced a starter.

Meanwhile, Harwich will get a well-deserved day off.

The teams that came into the postseason hot stayed hot yesterday on the opening night of the playoffs.

The top-seeded Cotuit Kettleers, who won five straight games at the end of the regular season, made it six in a row with a 6-4 victory over No. 2 Falmouth. Over in the East, the second-seeded Harwich Mariners, winners of four in a row to end the season, beat Orleans 4-3 for the 1-0 series lead.

Cotuit 6, Falmouth 4

I wasn’t surprised to see that Cotuit grabbed its victory. The Kettleers have been playing better than anybody in the league and, yesterday, they had one of their aces on the mound. Nick Hernandez gave Cotuit exactly what it needed, allowing just two runs in six innings. He struck out eight and didn’t walk anybody. Daniel Wolford was strong in relief, while Drew Storen allowed a run in the ninth before picking up the save.

As for the offense, Cotuit continued a recent trend — hits from every spot. Yesterday, eight of nine starters had at least one hit, with Jason Kipnis going 2-for-3 with a home run.

Meanwhile, Falmouth actually out-hit Cotuit 11-10, but the Commodores left 11 on base. They also found themselves in an early hole, with the Kettleers scoring five in the first three innings off Falmouth starter Jorge Reyes.

Harwich 4, Orleans 3

Harwich brought momentum into the game and didn’t waste any time running with it. The Mariners all of their four runs in the top of the first inning, before Orleans could even blink. The Cardinals eventually settled in but couldn’t climb all the way back in.

I don’t blame them. That’s a real tough start to recover from, and it’s impressive to see from the Mariners. I knew they were hot coming into this series, but they’re also a very streaky team, and you never know when the streak is going to end.

Not last night. Shaver Hansen led off the game with a double, and the merry-go-round was quickly at top speed. A three-run home run by Joseph Sanders was the big blow.

Armed with a four-run cushion, J.J. Hoover tossed seven dominant innings, striking out 12 and allowing only one earned run. Willie Kempf and Steve Kalush finished off the victory.

Looking Ahead

The difference between winning in two and winning in three is big, especially for the pitching rotation, so both Harwich and Cotuit will really be hoping to close it out tonight.

Cotuit’s road looks like it will get a little tougher, with Falmouth’s Chris Gloor on the mound against Paul Applebee. Gloor has a 2.59 ERA, a little better than Applebee’s 3.09 mark. Gloor also has a low WHIP, while Applebee has given up more hits than innings pitched.

The Kettleers may also have to contend with Falmouth fireballer Ben Tootle, who didn’t pitch yesterday. If the Commodores get a lead, Tootle will be in there.

Over in the East, Harwich heads home with a chance to clinch. It’ll be a tall task, though, with Orleans ace and all-star starter Matt Thomson on the mound. But the Mariners wil counter with a good starter of their own. In fact, William Bullock allowed one run in 6.1 innings when he beat Orleans on Aug. 2.

Game 1: Saturday at Orleans, 7 p.m.

Game 3 (if necessary): Monday at Orleans, 7 p.m.

The Orleans Cardinals finished the regular season with the best record in the league.

Their record in July is the reason for that. Their record in August might be a reason to worry.

Orleans kind of backed into the playoffs, going 2-5 over the last two weeks of the season. That means the team that was hottest for the longest stretch this season isn’t even as hot as their opponent.

Harwich enters the playoffs having won four straight games. Included in that stretch: two victories over Orleans.

So this series looks a lot more even than it would have in July.

Orleans: 3 wins (3-2, 2-1, 10-5)

Total Runs: Harwich 27, Orleans 22

Last Meeting

Average: Matt Bowman – .277

RBI: Angelo Songco – 26

For a long time, the Cardinals were the worst offensive team in the league. They snapped out of it in a big way to put their streak together, but they’ve hit the skids a little bit since then. Losing Rich Poythress and Cole Figueroa hurt, but the cupboard isn’t bare, and the Cardinals should have enough offense to make a go of it. Bowman is the leading hitter, but there are three other key players hitting in that range. Tim Wheeler is the team’s table-setter, and Songco the run producer.

ERA: Brad Stillings – .82

Strikeouts: Rob Rasmussen – 43

When you go down the list pitcher-by-pitcher, the Orleans staff doesn’t look that impressive. But as a group, the Cardinals have led the league in ERA for most of the season. One of the keys is quality depth. You could go pretty deep into the Orleans bullpen before you hit an ERA over four. As for the starters, Thomson has been very good, but the Cardinals will need big things from Martin Viramontes and Rob Rasmussen if they’re to move on.

Wins: Sean Black, Brian Dupra, Chris Manno and Ryan Quigley – 3

1 Cotuit Kettleers (24-18-2) vs. 2 Falmouth Commodores (23-20-1)
Game 1: Saturday at Cotuit, 3 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday at Falmouth, 7 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Monday at Cotuit

At times this season, the Cotuit Kettleers and Falmouth Commodores didn’t get it done.

But they got it done when it counted.

The Kettleers won their last five regular-season games, which allowed them to break out of the pack and win the Western Division. Falmouth had a hot streak late in the year, hit a few bumps in the road, but bounced back in time to win its final two games when both were do-or-die.

And so they meet today, two teams who seem to deliver when there’s a lot on the line.

After the first two weeks of the season, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Cotuit winning the Western Division. They were riding a powerful offense to the best start in the league. But personnel losses left them looking like a shadow of their former selves.

At least until the last week of the season. Cotuit’s pitching had done enough to keep the team in the mix. The offense came back to life just in time. The Kettleers scored 26 runs in their five-game winning streak, and with players fighting through struggles, the lineup suddenly looks formidable again. It’s not as powerful as it once was, but top to bottom, there aren’t many weak spots.

Falmouth has also had to overcome a big personnel loss, with Jimmy Cesario signing a pro contract after the all-star game. But this team has been hanging in there all along, seemingly without the means to do that, so it’s no surprise that they’ve hung in there again.

Whatever happens, it’s going to be an interesting series.

SEASON SERIES

Six Meetings
Cotuit: 4 wins (9-2, 3-1, 4-2, 3-1)
Falmouth: 2 wins (3-2, 10-6)
Total Runs: Cotuit 27, Falmouth 19

Cotuit won two at home and two on the road. Falmouth won one at home and one on the road.

Last Meeting
Cotuit won 3-1 at home on August 3. Nick Hernandez allowed one run in 7.2 innings. Hernandez is the probable starter for game one.

TEAM CAPSULE – COTUIT

Offensive Leaders
Average: Kevin Patterson – .296
Home Runs: Kevin Patterson and Brett Jackson – 4
RBI: Kevin Patterson – 27

Patterson is the key piece for the Kettleers. Interestingly enough, he’s been batting way down in the order lately, and apparently, that has helped spark the team’s surge. Having Patterson bat that low also highlights the team’s strength. One-through-nine, you’re not going to find an easy out. Other standouts for Cotuit include Jeff Kobernus, Jason Kipnis and Dallas Poulk. Robert Stock has been on fire lately.

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Seth Blair – 1.55
Wins: Nick Hernandez – 6
Strikeouts: Nick Hernandez – 48

Hernandez and Blair make up a pretty formidable 1-2 punch. After them, you’ve got Paul Applebee and Mario Hollands, both of whom have been solid, especially down the stretch. Daniel Wolford, Sam Brown and Drew Storen have been good out of the bullpen.

TEAM CAPSULE – FALMOUTH

Offensive Leaders
Average: A.J. Pollock – .377
Home Runs: Ryan Jones – 8
RBI: A.J. Pollock – 25

For the second straight year, Falmouth rides into the playoffs with an MVP in their lineup. Pollock has been just as impressive as Conor Gillaspie was last year, and he has the ability to carry this team. Jones has provided some pop for the Commodores, while Darin Ruf has been hitting well lately. Much like Cotuit, Falmouth doesn’t have many weak spots. Their team batting average is .261, three points higher than Cotuit’s.

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Ben Tootle – 1.97
Wins: Ben Tootle, Chad Bettis and Jorge Reyes – 3
Strikeouts: Rex Brothers – 48

The fact that the team leaders in wins only have three says a lot about Falmouth’s pitching staff. They’ve found a way, but a lot of times, it’s by trotting a starter out for five innings then cobbling things together with the bullpen. But with Tootle at the back end, they can feel good about doing that. And several of the starters finished strong. Bettis, Chris Gloor and Nate Karns have been solid down the stretch.

WHAT I THINK

I didn’t get to see any of Cotuit’s final games, but the picture in the Cape Cod Times of Brett Jackson celebrating like a maniac in the win over Hyannis said a lot.

The Kettleers want this.

Falmouth does, too, of course, but I get the feeling that the Kettleers are really feeling that momentum right now. They’ve had a lot of adversity this year, and everybody knows that adversity can help forge a stronger team in the long run. I think Cotuit is seeing the benefits of that right now.

I also think the Kettleers have the advantage in the pitching department, so I’m picking them to win the series. In fact, I’m going to pick them to sweep.

It was a different kind of game last night, with a lot more on the line than usual. Players on both sides of the Bourne-Falmouth play-in game responded. The starting pitchers were lights-out, and several players in both lineups delivered key hits.

But two Commodores lifted their games higher than anybody else.

Shaeffer Hall (Kansas), who’s been solid out of the bullpen this year for Falmouth, was much more than solid on this night. He relieved Nate Karns in the fifth inning and proceeded to pitch the rest of the game without allowing a hit or a run. He struck out six and didn’t walk anybody.

Hall’s dominance set the stage for the Commodores to rally from their 2-1 deficit, and they did that thanks to an even more unlikely hero. After Michael Thomas (Southern) knocked in the tying run, Brandon Macias (South Mountain CC), who batted .039 this season, hit a single to bring in the go-ahead run.

And that was that. Hall finished it off. Falmouth won 3-2, and the playoffs were finally sorted out.

Everything gets underway today, with Falmouth visiting Cotuit at 3 p.m. and Harwich traveling to Orleans at 7 p.m.