Week 10 Marquee & Picks

Four weeks ago the Ducks had one foot out the door on the way to irrelevance. Despite being two games out of the playoffs and having multiple players in races for individual awards at the time, the team themselves did not even seem to have any interest in the season. Well, during the last four weeks a fire has been lit under these Ducks' asses. They have gotten a handle on staying on top of their front-office responsibilities, and are taking the field with the intensity we expected to see all season long. The turnaround started slow: a pair of 1-0 wins over Belgian in week seven. That was followed by a 16-6 mercy and 4-2 victory on the road at the Island the following week. Then, last week in the first set against El Diablos, we finally got the sign that the Ducks are back: a split with El Diablos at Pervis Memorial. It was not just the fact they got the split, either. The first game, won by the Ducks, was a six inningduel between Craig Skinner and Dennis Pearson. 34 of 36 outs were recorded by strike out, no runs were allowed during regulation, and only two hits total. If that bout of vintage Pearson was the marching cadence, then the "shot heard around WSEM" was the three-run home run to deep center field that came in the top of the sixth off that same man's bat - Dennis' league leading thirteenth home run. With all that said about the resurgence of the Ducks, however, El Diablos have all but clinched the Garcia Division pennant. Their win in last week's split reduced their magic number to three. A repeat of that will bring it down to just one. El barrido makes the teal pennant official this week. Nothing less than a split can be expected from El Diablos in the second half of this home-and-home series, either, as their offense had their way with the Ducks new number two pitcher, Phillip Morris, in game two: an 11-1 mercy behind a dominant 3 walk, 1 hit performance by Chandler Phillips on the mound. They outhit the Ducks 7 to 1 inthe second game, including a walk-off home run of their own off the bat of Kyle Tomlinson; his tenth on the season, which puts him third in the league. Kyle is joined in that top five by teammates Dakota LaDouceur (9) and Nicco Lollio (8). As much as it should concern the Ducks not having that second spot in the rotation as secure as expected, the silver lining to the first volley of games in this series is that even when facing a potent offense Pearson is firing on all cylinders and functioning as a true ace at this point. That alone could prove invaluable during the Ducks wild card chase. Before all of that, however, the match-up of he and Skinner is must see TV. Even after the three-run blast, Craig has an ERA of 0.48 and a 0.81 WHIP to accompany his 7-2 record. In fact, that home run is just the second hit he has given up on the season. Dennis' overall ERA and WHIP are still inflated at 4.88 and 2.81, but in his last three starts he has posted a 2.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. He also has a 3-0 record over this stretch, including two shut outs. It may not be for a title or even high stakes, but some of the best heavy weight match-ups are purely for bragging rights. Clear your schedules now (well, once we are told the date and time), this is primed to be one for the record books: Pearson vs. Skinner, round two!

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Field of Make-believe				Reservation				Swamp
6/29		6/29		6/30		6/30		6/30
HB	9|8	WA	7|18	HB	2|16	WA	13|7	EL	5|3
KF	4|3	KF	0|0	WW	4|5	WW	2|0	DU	0|4

Unavailable Pitchers:    1 Game:   Matt (BW),  Morris (DU),  C. Phillips (EL),  N. Braden (HB),  Linebrink (IS),  M. Brannan (KF),  DeTizio (WW),  Hughes (WA)    2 Games:  N/A

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Rough week for the house with every Picker posting at least 50% correct. Let's call it the karma kickback for week six when only one correct pick was made. Chris and Rich both went 4-0, moving them to 23-18 and 27-14 overall, respectively. Alex followed at 3-1, now 14-23 on the season. Even bringing up the rear at 2-2, David was still respectable, and is now 16-24 on the year. Everyone hit on both over/unders, although going over 46.5 total Ks in the Els/Ducks series looked promising before the mercy in game two. The only other pick last week was the point spread in the Balls/Aces series, where HB +6.5 came through with room to spare as the Aces only outscored by 2 in the series. Now, onto a busier week ten: 5 series and 6 teams on the fields. It is also a week where we could see some big movement at the front of the pack, as Rich and Chris are poised for as much as a five point swing.

	David (16 - 24)	Richard (27 - 14)	Alex (14 - 23)	Chris (23 - 18)
@ Total HR: Over/Under 9.5	Over Greg Brannan does a somersault coming home when he hits his 3rd home run of the day.	Under Corbs gives Paquin an underdog on the swingset.	--	Under During the forth inning stretch of game one, Nick Coffee goes to play in the sandbox naked.
@ Robs by tree in RF: Over/Under 2.5	Under But Hollister does his best Greg Brannan impressions over there in right. Carl Coffee finally throws the bat after walking instead of setting it against the K zone.	Under Bischoff throws a perfect game and is carried off the field by kids from the playground.	--	Under The only way the Brannan's get a base is when they tear down the field.
@ Series Result	1 - 1 Split Castle's hot streak is ended and he goes 0-fer	1 - 1 Split	--	Holy Balls Sweep Shore receives the golden sombrero.
@ Series Point Spread: WA -4.5	Warriors +4.5 One game is a perfect game from both starting pitchers for the first 5 innings.	Wicked Aces -4.5	--	Wicked Aces -4.5 Austin with two ding dongs.
@ Series Result	El Diablos Sweep Snap, Crackle, Pop and Lock it! Mark Phillips actually runs out a base hit.	El Diablos Sweep game 1 start delayed for 25 min someone forgot to bring the balls.	--	1 - 1 Split Josh Roberts tries to steal home and everyone laughs hysterically.

Week 9 Marquee and Picks

When these teams met in week three the Aces won 5-3 and 5-2. The games were very different in how they came those results, though. In game one, the Wicked Aces built a 5-0 lead against Brandon Corbett, but the Balls scrapped their way back against Evan Bischoff to make it 5-3 in the fifth before Austin Bischoff came in to close it down. However, in game two it was the Balls who got to Austin first to take a 2-0 lead. The Aces held the Balls scoreless after that, though, and rallied back to tie it in the third, then take the lead in the fourth. Since then, the Aces have kept steady rolling. They made it to 10-0 before being dealt their first loss last week in a split with El Diablos. On the season they are averaging 13.6 RS per series, having managed double digits in four of five series played (excluding forfeit wins over the Ducks). They are second in average as a team, .314, and third in slugging, .514. On the flip side, they have allowed only 9 runs all season. The most surrendered in any series are the five given up to their opponents this week, Holy Balls. At 0.88 their team ERA is best in the league by a staggering 1.82! Their staff is also second in strike outs per game, averaging 12.6, and walks allowed per game, 4.5. Meanwhile, at 1.4, they are first in hits surrendered. Second game of the first meeting. Holy Balls have played this whole season hovering around the .500 mark after facing strong pitching through the first three weeks of the season, culminating with the sweep by Whiteford. This past week saw them finally climb out from that limbo to four games over .500; yes, helped out by two forfeit wins. The Balls are not excited about getting their wins over the Warriors that way, but they are not letting it dampen the mood of the clubhouse either. Fueled by the recent signings of David Castle and Andrew Piasecki, as well as a shakeup in the starting rotation - Nick Braden in, Corbett out - the Balls confidence is soaring. In their five games leading up to the forfeits their offense scored 53 runs, more than doubling their production on the year. Something that has been there all season for Holy Balls is the rock solid pitching of Chris Paquin. His 6 wins are the second most in WSEM. His 1.87 ERA is fourth among pitchers who have thrown in more than two games. He has allowed just 19 BB in 29 innings, and he has managed to defeat the dangerous El Diablos twice. Lockdown pitching is no stranger to the Wicked Aces, either; in fact they have made their name by it. Evan Bortmas and Austin Bischoff are back-to-back in ERA at numbers two and three: 0.31 and 0.56, respectively (Add them together and you are still sub-1.00!). Additionally, both are second and third in KpI, as well. Austin is hurling 2.67 strike outs per inning, while Evan is right on his tail with 2.63. Two of these three are running away with the All-Star voting for pitchers in the Ringler Division; perhaps what we see out of them Sunday could influence who ends up with that starting job in August - you know, in addition to all that stuff about playoff seeding , pennants, etc. The Aces bring in the 2-0 lead in the season series, a two game lead in Ringler (three over the Balls), and have rolled through their season so far with an unfaltering gait. The Balls have come on strong in recent weeks, are out to show they can do more than just hang with the first place Aces, and that they do not need forfeits to climb the ranks. Poolside Park, which has also seen a pair of forfeits this season, finally gets to showcase its real opening day as the venue for these two teams to make their second half statements.

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Field of Make-believe		Pervis Memorial		Poolside Park
6/21		6/23		6/23
IS	2|5	DU	3|1	HB	0|2
KF	12|15	EL	0|11	WA	3|1

Unavailable Pitchers:    1 Game:   Matt (BW),  Morris (DU),  C. Phillips (EL),  Mundel (IS),  M. Brannan (KF),  TBD (WW),  A. Bischoff (WA)    2 Games:  N/A

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A good week for the house in week 8, as the best Pickers broke even at 3-3. Rich and Chris posted that number, but came to the result from opposite ends before their lock. Chris was 1-3, but his lock of Holy Balls minus the 10.5 runs against Belgian pulled him back even. Rich was 3-1, but busted his lock on Mark Brannan over 11.5 Ks against Belgian to lose the advantage. David also got burnt by his lock: 2-2 going in, but doubling down on Belgian +10.5 against Balls has him finishing last at 2-4. Alex gains a tiny step against David by posting a 2-3 record last week; he did not play his lock, and neither bold pick of Aces to sweep El Diablos or over 3 steals in the Westside/Islanders series were kind to him. Two picks of note: 1) Westside @ Balls series result was wiped off the board due to forfeits, and 2) everybody missed in the Ducks @ Islanders series by going with the split. Short and sweet week now in week 9, just three series. Two high Over/Unders set, and both see picks made in unison across the board. The variation comes in where the locks are set and the Marquee series point spread. Common sense may tell you to put your potato chips where Rich and Chris put theirs on that one. David is the only one double-y confident with his pick of Aces to cover in that one, though. Rich is playing his big chips on the over 22.5 runs in the Isles @ Friday series, while Chris and Alex both go big on the under 46.5 Ks in Ducks @ Els.

	David (14 - 22)	Richard (23 - 14)	Alex (11 - 22)	Chris (19 - 18)
@ Series Point Spread: WA -6.5	Wicked Aces -6.5	Holy Balls +6.5 I know better than to count on the balls but I have to make up ground after my horrible last week.	Wicked Aces -6.5	Holy Balls +6.5 Braden takes Austin deep... Again!
@ Total Runs Scored: Over/Under 22.5	Over	Over	Over We're going to light up that crazy field.	Over Everyone scores a run on the Islanders but Linebrink.
@ Total Ks: Over/Under 46.5	Under	Under It's time for the Anas platyrhynchos to nut up or shut up.	Under Lock IT!	Under Sombrero and foul pole falls on Pearson's head.

Week 8 Marquee and Picks

There are a few noteworthy series on the schedule this week: Belgian Wiffles and King Friday meet for the first time since the blockbuster trade between the two; Westside Warriors and Holy Balls also meet for the first time this season in a series that could inevitably decide second place in Ringler, as well as third and fourth place seeding. No offense to these or any of the other six teams playing, but there is only one series this week: Whiteford Wicked Aces and El Diablos. I find it irreverent that other games are even on the schedule, criminal that some dare to occupy the same day. This is first place in Garcia versus first place in Ringler, the bookmakers' odds-on favorite to be a preview of the 2013 WSEM Championship Series. El Diablos have received a lot of pub recently. So, I will just update you on what you need to know. Their offense is still en fuego and it is heating up even more. Els put up 65 runs while going 5-1 this week. 2012 Co-Country Strong HR King Dakota LaDouceur is hitting his stride as he hit 7 HR and knocked in 23 RBI last week. Chandler Phillips and Kyle Tomlinson added three of their own, Nicco Lollio got one of the grand variety, and Craig Skinner finally decided to rejoin the party by going over the wall for the first time since week two. Skinner kept doing exactly what he has done all season on the mound, though. Three more starts and one relief appearance under his belt without surrendering a hit. Prior to the series Tuesday night, he had already struck out 24 and walked only 5. This pending showdown with the Aces' staff is set to be one of the best ever in WSEM. According to sources within the Aces organization, Evan Bortmas is expected take the ball against Skinner. That match-up will now be game two, so Austin Bischoff will likely toe the rubber for the Aces in the first game against Chandler for El Diablos. Three pitchers slated to throw in this series have an ERA below 1.00, and the combined ERA of all four is 1.00. These two teams have now also combined for seven Marquees on the season: this is El Diablos' fourth, and it is the third for Wicked Aces. One of the two has been featured in each of the last six weeks. Unfortunately for the Aces, their last one was tempered by the Ducks forfeits in week six. That seems to have somewhat quieted their stellar 10-0 start to this season. Let me restate that for emphasis: The Aces are off to a quiet 10-0 start to the season. They blasted the Ducks two weeks prior to that Marquee and won two good games (one comeback, one hold) against Holy Balls in week three, but every other win so far seems to be written off as "ho-hum." Perhaps it is due to their more laid-back approach: just show up and do work. Maybe everyone looks at them the way Red Wings fans handle the Wings: they will be in the dance, we will rap about them then. Maybe the rest of the league is just scared to talk about the reigning champions. Not saying there is any truth to the "don't say Bloody Mary" theory, but there is a lot to fear coming out of Whiteford. Case in point: El Diablos offense is highly and loudly touted; they score 8.22 runs per game. Well, the Aces offense averages 8.25 runs per game this season. El Diablos pitching staff strikes out 2.35 batters per inning; the Aces staff gets 2.55 strike outs per inning. Their team ERA is 1.61 points lower than any other team in WSEM at 0.83, and their team WHIP is 0.30 points lower. Individually, by sheer numbers, the Aces power numbers may not seem on the level of El Diablos, however Austin's 6 HR in 8 GP see him hitting a HR every 1.33 games. That is better than the best Diablo, Lollio, who is hitting one every 1.5 games. Inside the park, the Aces extra base is truly standout. Four of five Aces to see the field already have double-digit doubles: Bortmas and Joel Crozier lead that pack with four. Oh, and in case you need yet another reason - other than the best offenses and the best pitchers in the league facing off - to skip your series, head to Southgate and watch this match-up, there is one more remarkable thing these two rosters combine to bring you: five players that make up the 2013 Big Wood team will share the field at Pervis Memorial on Saturday: Austin Bischoff, Joel Crozier, Dakota LaDouceur, Craig Skinner, and Chandler Phillips. How is that not must see Wiffling?

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Pervis Memorial		Holy Grounds				Wiff-Hill Grounds		The Island
6/15		6/15		6/16		6/16		6/15		6/16
WA	0|2	BW	8|1	WW	0|0	KF	12|15	WW	2|4	DU	16|4
EL	2|0	HB	13|17	HB	3|3	BW	0|1	IS	0|2	IS	6|2

Unavailable Pitchers:    1 Game:   Matt (BW),  D. Braden (DU),  Paquin (HB),  N. Coffee (KF),  Shore (WW)    2 Games:  N/A

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Dog bite injury costs us the Sessions over/under 3.5 BB pick, but aside from that oddity last week was a kind turnaround from its predecessor. At least for Rich. He went 5-0 and retook command of things at 20-11 overall. Nobody else was able to clear the .500 mark this week. Buhr was next best at 2-3; he hit on two of the four picks, but busted his lock on the EL -5 spread against HB. Alex went 1-3 as he was slighted his lock with the Sessions pick taken off the board; his correct pick was on the EL sweep of WW. Chris had the worst showing on the week at 1-4, which drops him to 16-15 on the season. His lock of a BW sweep over DU and being the lone pick of WW to sweep EL dug him in a pretty deep hole. Week 8 is a busy one again, though, so lots of opportunity for anyone to change their stars here at the halfway point. Straight series result picks in WW @ HB and WA @ EL could prove tricky and/or fortunate for the guys, as could the series result in DU @ IS: IS may be underdogs, but they did just sweep DU a few weeks ago. There is also a large point spread being laid, along with a few high-ish over/unders set that could give a picker the chance to shine with a bold pick against the grain. Betting against Rich is starting to seeming fool, but you know what they say about gambling on Wiffleball: it is a fool's game! So, who has the luck and the stones this week?

	David (12 - 18)	Richard (20 - 11)	Alex (9 - 19)	Chris (16 - 15)
@ Series Result	1 - 1 Split Wicked Aces suffer their first loss of the season.	1 - 1 Split	Wicked Aces Sweep	Wicked Aces Sweep Austin takes CJ yard and does a Kirk Gibson fist pump while rounding the bases. (Sorry in advance, CJ)
@ Series Result	1 - 1 Split	1 - 1 Split	1 - 1 Split	1 - 1 Split The mayor walks thrice, not before Pearson beans him for such plate discipline.
@ Total Steal Attempts: Over/Under 3	Under	Under	Over I'll steal 4. :)	Under Haffey with a shut-out, still pissed about the recent raping.
@ Series Result	1 - 1 Split	Westside Sweep	1 - 1 Split	Holy Balls Sweep Castle takes all the steals, Paquin gets pissed and gives him a wedgie.
@ Series Point Spread: HB -10.5	Belgian Wiffles +10.5	Holy Balls -10.5	Holy Balls -10.5	Holy Balls -10.5 Lewis gets his first K pitching, then does a Valverde shimmy. Matt gets his mohawk caught in the fence running down a fly ball.
@ M. Brannan Ks: Over/Under 11.5	Over	Over	Under Comes out in the 2nd.	Over Denzil gets Karen Newman to sing the national anthem. She bears all!