[pauwoo]

Miami United (74-77, .490, 4th NL East) @ Philadelphia 76ers (83-69, .546, t-1st NL East)
Four days in Philly, for our final away games of the season, feels like a mean-spirited joke courtesy of the league office. Four games played in front of the MLBs rowdiest fans, against MVP-candidate and all-around stud, Palmer Parker, at a time when they seem to be playing their best baseball during their most meaningful stretch. Tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the NL East, gunning for a 1st round bye, and playing some of their best baseball, the 76ers are primed for destruction - we’re unlucky enough to be in their sights, and barring some Miramar dogfighting trickery, they’ll happily take us down below the hard deck if necessary - rules be damned. For our part, we’re on a hot-streak too - coming off consecutive road sweeps, the mood in our clubhouse is, dare I say it, boisterous... we’re too young to act like we’ve been here before, to green to not get too high with highs, and too cocksure to truly understand the gravity of the task at hand. And really, why should we be? We’re not supposed to be here, on the brink of a playoff berth, playing a tip-top brand of baseball, hitting the cut-off man, and throwing frozen ropes from the outfield. When Yan and I announced our intent to take our talents to South Beach, it was met with a chorus of snickers and guffaws - internally we told ourselves that the 2079 campaign had little bearing on our long-term future, that it would get worse before it got better - yet, here we are, on the precipice of low-key greatness, with an opportunity to rise above our station and smack the baseball bourgeoisie in the mouth on our way to the top. Okay, I may have gotten a bit excited there - this, really, is just an opportunity to come in on our promise a bit early, at the detriment of our draft plans. This unexpected late-season success, while fun, will force a slight pivot in our offseason plans, but, look, as a new club in a new town - building the fan base now will, hopefully, pay budgetary dividends in the not-too-distant future. Onward and sideways, my friends.

152 of 162: Radoslav Borovsky (10-9, 3.45) @ Grimm McGowan (15-11, 3.68)
Win, 4-3. I’m not sure what is happening right now – so, we just roll with it… 7 wins in a row, all on the road, despite an uneven, 7-inning, 7 hits, 4 walks, 3 earned performance from Radoslav. We got 4 runs driven in by 4 different guys, 2, two-baggers from OH HONG, a HR from Verne Morey (his 2nd), and a stolen bag from a guy who doesn’t do much of that (Donavan Taylor – 8 on the year). We even survived a profane and pervasive chorus of ugliness from the Philly Faithful and a 34-minute rain delay in the 3rd inning. We’re playing with loaded dice here, folks, let’s hope we don’t get spotted by the pit boss.

Elsewhere: Seattle fans celebrated as word of a signing became reality. Aitor Cubas won't be pulling up stakes anytime soon, as he has signed a 3-year extension at a pay rate of $43,000,000 per annum. Since he is widely seen as an integral part of the club, Seattle officials had to keep Cubas from jumping ship. This year Cubas is hitting .331 with 176 hits, 42 home runs, 115 RBIs and has scored 121 runs.

153 of 162: Kordell Littles (10-12, 4.70) @ Vin Uhlman (11-12, 5.60)
Win, 6-5. Kordell did enough to get the win – well, more accurately, our offense, led by Early Felger’s 4 for 5 day (with a 2-run HR and 3 runs) gave him the cushion required to comfortably eke out a W despite coming up short on his good stuff (he walked FIVE batters). OH HONG drove one in, Homer drove in 2 more, and Palmer Parker hit his 33rd HR of the 2079 campaign in the losing effort. We’ve discovered the secret to keeping the Philadelphia fans quiet during the game here – basically, you just put it on them, in their park, two days in a row. Also, Oliver Woodard was suspended for 4-games, along with Philadelphia’s Tom Gage, after a scuffle at the mound – Oli took exception to a brush-back pitch, Tim disagreed, and… fisticuffs. The rumor goes that they only got the 4 games because they both fight like girls… hair was pulled, hammer fists were rained down from bizarre angles, and, somehow, not a single significant punch was landed.

Elsewhere: The Louisville Bats ousted the Calgary Flames 4 games to 1 in the opening round of the International League playoffs while the Long Beach Titans dispatched the Orlando Solar Bears (fixed it) by that same margin. Louisville will face the Hartford Whalers in the 2nd round, while the Titans advance to face the Huntington Beach Bombers. And, the Charleston Shiners defeated the Amarillo Armadillos 4 games to 2 in the Continental League’s Championship Series to win their first title after losing in the CLCS last season to the Arlington Stars.

154 of 162: Thomas Deane (7-12, 4.78) @ Wilson Pena (10-5, 3.03)
Loss, 12-1. Snapped back to reality… Palmer Parker went 1 for 5 with 3 K’s and Philly still destroyed us – the Cheesesteaks, without their soloist filling in the gaps, stayed the course and played like the tightly wound rhythm section their fans have come to expect… Cody Keenan went 2 for 3 with a double, a homer, FIVE RBIs, and 2 runs, Jason Spears finished 4 for 5 with a 2-run two-bagger, and Wilson Pena struck out 9 batters in only 6 innings of work. Thomas Deane lasted a scant 2.1 innings and accomplished the dubious feat of giving up 8 earned runs in near-record time. Yikes.

Elsewhere: Otto Isaac (LAK) went 3 for 4 with TWO HOMERS, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs in LA’s 6-2 win over their most hated of hated division rivals, the Phoenix Suns. Otto is still only hitting .211 since his return, but he has managed to put 8 balls out of the park while driving 21 runs home.

155 of 162: Ricky Reyman (0-0, 2.08) @ Logan Maldonado (16-8, 3.24)
Win, 3-2. And… we’re back! Ricky Reyman, in his first start of the season, gave us 7 innings of work and only allowed two little piggies to make it all the way home, and Kyle Weaver brought in the game-winning run in the top of the 9th on a run-scoring single. Look, we’re supposed to be down & out right now, out of it, booking vacation plans, and looking to get the heck out of dodge. But, we’re not. Instead, we find ourselves 2 ½ games up on the Brooklyn Citizens for the final wildcard slot in the National League. Baseball is a funny, funny game, man. You never know how this thing will shake out…

Elsewhere: Philly and Pittsburgh have both secured a playoff spot – but, the division is still up for grabs. Phoenix and LA are in – Phoenix hasn’t clinched it, but they will win the NL West. Golden State has officially won the AL West and, so far, Portland has secured an opportunity to join them in the 2079 Playoffs. And, outside of the Chicago Fire, who are guaranteed a spot, the AL East is still trying to figure things out.