The Scouting Report:
Game 1:
The Brewers shut out the Sting in the series opener behind
Sekien Hamasaki, who lasts 7 1/3rd innings (with his recent injury issues it was decided not to push him past 110 pitches in spite of the fact that he was hurling a shutout) not allowing any runs while giving up just 5 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1 batter.
Val Guzman (.317/.406/.521) went 2 for 4 and his 2 hits were both doubles to get him to 32 for the season.
Rich White, experiencing his usual second half of the season offensive decline, did get one hit, a 3-run triple, his 9th of the season.
Game 2:
The Brewers score 5 first inning runs and then barely hold on to get a 1-run win in the middle game of the series.
Jim Atwell got the win, going 6 1/3rd while giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. The big 26-year old right hander also went 2 for 2 at the plate and drove in 1 run.
Atwell had to leave the game prematurely (though he was likely going to be pulled soon) as he was experiencing some back stiffness (it was minor and he won't miss any starts).
Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 27th save.
Jose Figueroa (.333/.353/.390) went 2 for 4, scoring 1 run and driving in another and he picked up his 4th stolen base of the season.
Figueroa will get more starts at third base for a little while as the oft-injured
Jake DiCesare is dealing with a moderate case of knee tendinitis and was put on the 10-day IL.
Game 3:
With veteran right fielder Ricky Salinas (the 1974 SJL MVP) leading the way, the Sting avoided getting swept in Denver by winning a slugfest in the final game of the series.
Steve Green had his worst start of the season, allowing 9 runs on 11 hits over just 3 1/3rd innings. On the brighter side,
Green did hit a home run, the very first in his big league career, which has included 691 plate appearances.
Ben Flynn's pitching inconsistencies continue as he gave up 4 runs on 3 hits over an inning and a third and sees his ERA rise back up to 5.25.
Val Guzman (.319/.406/.526) had another great game, going 3 for 5, scoring twice, driving in 2 runs, and he hit his 16th home run as his power game continues its second half resurgence.
Zacarias Martell (.289/.359/.388) went 2 for 5 and drove in 3 runs, hitting his 5th home run of 1979.
Notes from around the league:
Among the single season individual statistics that might be under threat this season is Cheol-han Lee's shutout mark of 9, which he set in his pre-Denver days as a member of the Milwaukee Cadets back in 1968. Detroit's veteran Japanese right handed starter Kantaro Yasui doesn't have the most impressive basic pitching stats but when he is on he has been very good this year and on Monday he pitched his 8th complete game and hurled his 7th shutout of this season and is on pace at this time to tie Cheol-han's single-season record.
The Detroit Falcons, the surprise first half team in the MGL, seem to have a reversed a bit of a mid-season trend downwards in the standings, and are showing staying power as a contender, currently tied with L.A. in 2nd place in the MGL, 15 games behind the Brewers at 69-54. The Brooklyn Aces (67-56) are 17 games out in 4th place.
Over in the SJL, San Antonio (84-38) has now stretched their lead over Columbus (80-42) to 4 games. The Philadelphia Mud Hens (74-48), trying to move into serious contention, are now 10 games back in 3rd place.