Zeroes

Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They're one win away from the title. — Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They’re one win away from the title.

Matt Hall (Missouri State) delivered one of the better Cape League championship series pitching performances you’ll ever see for the Falmouth Commodores last night, striking out 12 in 6.2 innings.

And he lost.

That tells you all you need to know about how good the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox were.

Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) tossed eight shutout innings and the offense steadily chipped away against Hall, scoring all its runs with two outs, as the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the championship series with a 5-0 victory at Guv Fuller Field.

The shutout is Y-D’s fourth in seven postseason games and it was the first championship series shutout since 2010, when the Red Sox themselves were held scoreless twice by Cotuit.

The Buehler-Hall match-up shaped up as a special one. Buehler was stellar in limited duty for the Red Sox, after helping Vanderbilt to the national championship. Hall was a mainstay all summer for Falmouth, tying for the league lead in strikeouts.

Pregame impressions were confirmed quickly – very quickly – when the first two innings took about 15 minutes. It was one of those games where you consistently found yourself looking at the innings box on the scoreboard and saying, “Already?”

Hall seemed a little better than Buehler in the early going, facing the minimum through three and stranding a runner on second in the fourth. He strike out the side in the fifth, but he also fell behind. Josh Lester (Missouri) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After two strikeouts by Hall, Marcus Mastrobuoni (St. John’s) doubled to deep left field, plating Lester for the 1-0 lead.

Hall came back with two K’s in a scoreless sixth, but Lester doubled with one out in the seventh. After Hall struck out T.J. Wharton (Catawba), the Red Sox delivered more two-out magic, by the skin of their teeth. Hall and the rest of the Commodores thought he had a strikeout of Joey Armstrong (UNLV) when he dropped in a 2-2 curveball that must have been a little low. On the next pitch, Armstrong smacked an RBI double to make it 2-0.

Mastrobuoni followed with a single and Armstrong beat the throw home. After Hall departed to a rousing ovation, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) reached on a ground ball that got past third, allowing Mastrobuoni to score.

It was a hard-to-swallow inning for Hall and the Commodores, who had nearly escaped with the score still 1-0.

But it may not have mattered anyway.

Buehler was on cruise control. He gave up three hits in eight innings and walked only one. If not for three hit batsmen, Falmouth would have scarcely had runners on base.

Buehler’s best work came as the lead grew. After his team’s three-run seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff double to Jake Madsen (Ohio) in the bottom half. He got Shaun Chase (Oregon) on the first pitch, then struck out Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) and Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) without throwing a ball to either of them.

In the eighth, Falmouth sent its middle of the order to the plate. Buehler got Steven Duggar (Clemson) to ground out then struck out Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (LSU) looking. That’s batting champion Kevin Newman and league RBI leader Conner Hale. And they were frozen.

With that, Buehler departed, giving way to William Strode (Florida State). With one more insurance run courtesy of a homer by Mastrobuoni – who had a single, a double, a homer and three RBI – Strode cruised through the ninth. He worked around a two-out walk to finish off the victory.

The teams will now get set for game two, slated for 4 p.m. today in Yarmouth. It should be another terrific pitching match-up with Kevin Duchene (Illinois) going for Y-D and Kevin McCanna (Rice) trying to keep Falmouth alive. Duchene struck out 12 in 7.1 innings of one-hit ball in his previous playoff start, Y-D’s game three win over Orleans. McCanna, a two-year Commodore, allowed one run in eight innings in a playoff start against Hyannis.

Notes

How about the bottom of Y-D’s lineup? Mastrobuoni – the eighth place batter -was the hitting star of the night with the single, the double and the homer, and two of those came against Hall. Armstrong, batting seventh, had two hits and an RBI and ninth-place hitter Simcox had a hit and an RBI.

Walker Buehler’s performance is about as good as it gets in a Cape League championship series game. The last one I remember that was this good was in 2010, when Matt Andriese tossed a complete-game shutout for Cotuit.

Buehler now has a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 postseason innings. Obviously, it’s a remarkable stat, and it holds up historically as well. Going back to 2000 – the oldest archives on the Cape League’s web site – you can find plenty of 0.00 playoff ERAs but not a single one that was earned over that many innings. Buehler has been fantastic.

Y-D didn’t need to use Phil Bickford Thursday night, and that’s bad news for Falmouth. If Duchene gets Friday’s game to the seventh with his team in the lead and Bickford takes the mound, I would not be optimistic if I were a Commodore fan.

Shout-out to Mrs. Right Field Fog an outstanding scorekeeping performance. She brought her A game for the playoffs.

Great crowd of almost 3,000 in Falmouth last night. I would bet on an even higher number jamming into the bandbox at Red Wilson Field today. Get there early.

July 26, 2014July 26, 2014

Deadlock

It’s a three-team race.

In the same week that saw Harwich finally lose its nearly season-long grip on first place in the East, that spot got even more crowded Friday night. With Y-D knocking off Orleans 6-3 and Harwich falling to Falmouth 5-3, three teams – Y-D, Orleans and Harwich – are tied for first place with 44 points each.

Y-D’s surge was chronicled yesterday and it continued last night in a key match-up with Orleans. Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) delivered his best start of the summer, allowing just one hit and an unearned run while striking out eight in five innings of work. He left with his team up 6-1. Orleans made a little run, but William Strode (Florida State) and Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) didn’t let it continue. Strode struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving him 20 strikeouts in 10 appearances this summer, while Bickford struck out the side in the ninth for his league-leading seventh save.

Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense, while recent arrival Timothy Wharton (Catawba) had a hit for the fifth straight game since his debut. Wharton drove in two runs and has now driven in six in his five games. For Orleans, David Thompson (Miami) hit his fourth home run.

With that result in the books, Harwich had a chance to reclaim first place but a grand slam in the seventh inning by Falmouth sealed a 5-3 victory for the Commodores.

James Mulry (Northeastern) allowed one run in 5.1 innings but Falmouth got to the bullpen with one swing of the bat. Falmouth trailed 3-1 in the seventh when Shaun Chase (Oregon) smacked a grand slam to give his team the lead in one fell swoop. Kevin Mooney (Maryland), Nicholas Cooney (Wesleyan) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) ran with the lead, combining to allow not a single hit in the final three innings.

Falmouth improved to 21-15-1. Harwich is 21-14-2, the same mark as Orleans. Y-D has one more win and is 22-15.

Hyannis 15, Bourne 6

Hyannis had seven hits in a seven-run fifth inning and cruised over West-leading Bourne 15-6. The rally was a merry-go-round of singles as Hyannis sent 12 men to the plate. It was part of a big offensive day overall, as Hyannis finished with 20 hits. John La Prise (Virginia) had four of them, to go with three RBI. Donnie Dewees (North Florida) and Cam Gibson (Michigan State) had three hits each, while Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) had two hits and three RBI. Chris Lanham (Yale) got the win with four innings of relief. He allowed one earned run. Nick Bates (St. Louis) finished the job in dominant fashion, striking out five of the eight batters he faced in two scoreless innings. For Bourne, Zander Wiel (Vanderbilt) homered for the third time in his 15 Cape League games. The Braves have lost two in a row, while Hyannis has held steady over its last 10 as it tries to secure a playoff spot. It has a seven-point lead on Wareham for the fourth and final spot.

Chatham 8, Brewster 3

Chatham is a ways off the pace of the trip atop the East, but the Anglers scored early and often to beat Brewster for their second straight win. Chatham scored five runs in the first, two in the second and one in the third and cruised from there. Justin Jones (UNLV), who didn’t have a hit since arriving on July 21, hit a three-run triple and a solo home run to power the fast start. Ty Moore (UCLA) and A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) added two hits each. P.J. Conlon (San Diego) allowed two runs in four innings before Jerry Keel (Cal State Northridge) allowed just one run over the final five innings to pick up the win.

Wareham 6, Cotuit 2

In a game that featured more errors than hits, Wareham took advantage of six Cotuit miscues to score six runs on only two hits and win 6-2. John Bormann (Texas San Antonio), Anderson Miller (Western Kentucky) and Willie Calhoun (Arizona) each drove in a run for the Gatemen. Wareham scored five runs in the sixth inning and Cotuit made five errors in that frame alone. Anthony Kay (Connecticut), who relieved starter Drew Harrington (Louisville) after just an inning, ran with the opportunity and allowed just one earned run on two hits in eight innings of work.

What to Watch

Yesterday, I mistakenly said the All-Star Game was Saturday. It is, in fact, on Sunday, so today is the final day of action before the festivities. Eldredge Park will feature a rematch of last year’s Cape League championship series, when Cotuit faces Orleans at 7 p.m.

July 7, 2014July 7, 2014

Power Pack

Ty Moore hit a grand slam Sunday for his second homer in as many games.

The Chatham Anglers had the best record in the league last summer and picked up where they left off in their first game this year, blowing past Orleans 10-2. It’s been an interesting ride in the weeks since, not quite as smooth as last year. The Anglers scored four total runs in their next four games, looking punchless after their big debut. They’re still sorting out a solid pitching rotation. They’ve generally been pretty up-and-down.

But one thing has stabilized. The Anglers are not punchless.

Chatham won for the fourth straight time on Sunday, topping Hyannis 9-3. It was also the team’s fourth straight big night at the plate. Chatham has scored at least seven runs and hit at least one home run in each of the four victories.

The Anglers lead the league in runs scored, rank second in hits, second in home runs and third in batting average.

And they’ve got a core group that’s consistently delivering.

A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) went 2-for-3 last night, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games. Nine of the 11 have been multi-hit games. Murray is making a strong case for league MVP honors at this point. He’s third in the league in hitting, tied for first in home runs and tied for second in RBI. He has a 1.042 OPS.

And Murray isn’t alone. Chris Shaw (Boston College) went 2-for-5 last night. He hit home runs on back-to-back days last week and is tied with Murray for the league lead. Ty Moore (UCLA) has been hot too. He hit a grand slam on Sunday, giving home runs in consecutive games, and he’s now hitting .284.

Throw in a solid leadoff man in Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) and some big hitters who have had their moments, and it’s no wonder the Anglers are scoring. Pat Mazeika (Stetson) added two hits Sunday and Robert Baldwin (Yale) had three.

In the win over Hyannis, the pitching came through, too. Charlie Dant (Dayton), who was on a temporary contract but is now full-time, gave up three runs and struck out eight in five innings for the win. Bryan Goossens (Siena) pitched two scoreless innings and Kyle Davis (USC) delivered his seventh scoreless appearance in 10 tries to finish it off.

Chatham is now 12-9-1, one point back of Orleans for second place and just two behind Harwich for first.

Orleans 5, Wareham 1

The other budding offensive powerhouse in the East won its second straight with a strong performance against Wareham. David Thompson (Miami) led the way with a homer and four RBI. David Fletcher (Loyola Marymount) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and is now on an eight-game hitting streak after a slow start to the summer. R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) added an RBI. On the mound, Nathan Bannister (Arizona) made his first start after long relief stints in his first three appearances and responded with six strong innings. He struck out six and allowed one run. The Firebirds are 4-0 in games in which Bannister has pitched. Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) picked up his fourth save.

Falmouth 9, Bourne 3

The Commodores picked up their third straight win and knocked off the Western Division leader in the process. Falmouth is now only three points out of first place. Kevin Newman (Arizona) went 4-for-6 to lead a strong offensive performance. Newman now has seven hits in three games since returning from Team USA trials. Shaun Chase (Oregon) added a home run and three RBI, Conner Hale (LSU) had two RBI and Jake Madsen (Ohio) and Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) had two hits each, with Costello also homering. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) allowed three runs in five innings before the bullpen cruised through the last four innings. For Bourne, Blake Davey (Connecticut) hit his third home run.

Harwich 5, Cotuit 5 (10 innings)

Harwich and Cotuit played 10 innings at Lowell Park but still couldn’t settle things before darkness fell as they finished in a tie. Grant Kay (Louisville) and Ian Rice (Chipola) each had four hits to lead a 15-hit Cotuit attack. Jake Fincher (NC State) had three hits for the third consecutive game, raising his average from .375 to a league-best .453. On the mound, Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) kept Harwich off the board over the final two innings. For Harwich, C.J. Hinojosa (Texas) and Matt Winn (VMI) had two hits each. Zack Erwin (Clemson) pitched 5.1 innings of one-run relief.

Y-D 3, Brewster 2

Y-D got a strong start from Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara) and a dominant bullpen effort made a one-run lead stand up in a victory over Brewster. Jacome struck out six and allowed two runs in five innings for his third good start of the summer. William Strode (Florida State) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) took over and did his usual. Bickford struck out four of the eight batters he faced in 2.2 scoreless frames. Bickford, an unsigned first-round pick last year, has three saves and has given up one total hit in those outings. At the plate, Y-D got two hits from Rob Fonseca (Northeastern). League RBI leader Hunter Cole (Georgia) tacked on one more and Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) also drove in a run. For Brewster, Gio Brusa (Pacific) had three hits, including a home run.

The East’s hottest teams and the highest scoring teams in the league will meet at Veterans Field when Chatham hosts Orleans. Two Cape League veterans who were once high draft picks out of high school are scheduled to square off. Andrew Chin (Boston College), a fifth-round pick in 2011 and a 15th-rounder this year, will make his 11th career Cape League start for Chatham. He’s had two tough outings in a row after a good start. For Orleans, 2012 third-rounder Kyle Twomey (USC), who’s made nine relief appearances after a full summer in the bullpen last year, is scheduled to make his first start of the 2014 season. He has a 2.84 ERA.