BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
21 September 2306
CBO Association Finals Previews
We are down to four teams in the 2306 CBO season. Those four teams hold four of the best five records in the regular season, with Roxbury surprisingly being the fifth team this season. That means we have four really good teams, no underdogs, in the final four.
NCA Finals Preview: #2 Sunshine Tidings Chemists (76-44) vs #1 County Crossing Bloodbugs (78-42)
Season Series
Sunshine Tidings 5, County Crossing 3
April 17-18 @ST: ST 6-5, ST 4-0
June 5-6 @CC: CC 9-4, ST 4-1
June 19-20 @ST: CC 12-9, CC 6-2
September 11-12 @CC: ST 5-4, ST 6-5
Analysis
When the two teams met just two weeks ago in the final week of the regular season, Sunshine Tidings had a chance to control its own destiny for the top seed in the playoffs. After defeating the Bloodugs twice in COunty Crossing, though, the Chemists dropped two of three to Fort Hagen in the final regular season series to fall two games back of the Bugs. Had the teams finished tied for the best record, the Chemists would have won the tiebreaker.
Sunshine Tidings has to feel good to get the proverbial bloodbug off their back after winning their first postseason series in franchise history by sweeping a good Easy Town team. Now, the Chemists get to exact revenge from last season when the #5 seed Bloodbugs swept the #1 Chemists in the NCA Semifinals. It was the only ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs.
The Chemists were not dominant against the Assaultrons, but they did enough to sweep the series, including the 12-5 Game 3 dismantling at Easy Town. Other than Joey Dimes getting roughed up in a no-decision, the Chemists' pitchers did their jobs. CL Cush Baker also gave up two runs in two innings, but he was able to be the winning pitcher twice, both games where Sunshine Tidings scored the winning run in the bottom of the 8th.
If Sunshine Tidings can carry their starters deep, they have a chance to defeat County Crossing in this seven-game contest. In his only start against the Bugs in 2306, SP Mike Rubric pitched a complete-game shutout. SP Eugene Gym started two games against County Crossing, going 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA against them. He will start Game 1 with Rubric scheduled for Game 2.
Some of the most successful on offense for the Chemists against County Crossing were CF Ricky Ticky Laughy (.345/2/5), 3B Ross Merchantman (.333/3/5), and RF Baktu DaWell (.235/2/7).
The Bloodbugs won only 3 of the 8 contests between the two teams, but SP Whip Lashley, who will start Game 3, was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in one start. On the other side, CL Wick Prater (0-1, 13.50) and RP Josh Kish (0-0, 10.12) were both shellacked by Sunshine Tidings. Game 1 starter Gavin Eviritts was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA, and Game 2 starter College Luckyman was 0-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts.
On offense, a few players shined against County Crossing. 1B Babs Rooth hit .400 with a home run and three RBI. Other top performers were 1B Zeldolph Violet (.393/3/8), SS Cy Thompson (.323/2/8), and 3B Taygun Topaloglu (.310/1/3).
Prediction
County Crossing is in its third straight NCA Final and fourth overall; Sunshine Tidings is in its first overall. While the Chemists are a good team that handled the Bloodbugs in the 2306 season by winning the season series, we still think it will be too tough to win this due to not having a history of being here and not having home-field advantage. We think (and hope) this will be a tight series, so we will take the Bugs, 4 games to 3.
SCA Finals Preview: #3 Roxbury Rad Sox (74-46) vs #1 Vault 81 Dwellers (77-43)
Season Series
Vault 81 7, Roxbury 5
June 22-23 @Rox: Rox 8-5, Rox 3-1, Rox 7-2
July 13-15 @V81: V81 3-0, V81 5-2, Rox 8-6
September 7-9 @V81: V81 3-2, V81 3-2, V81 7-0
September 14-16 @Rox: Rox 7-3, V81 7-4, V81 11-4
Analysis
With the Railroad League on the line, both Vault 81 and Roxbury met in the final two weekends to determine the league champion. The result? The Dwellers dominated both series, sweeping the Rad Sox at home and then winning two of three (needing only one win) at Roxbury to clinch first place in the league and association.
Now, the two teams play again for the real stakes: a trip to the Sole Survivor Series. Roxbury is familiar with this drill. The Sox are making their fifth-straight playoffs appearance and their third SCA Finals appearance in the past four seasons. They won their first two appearances and went on to win the Sole Survivor Series in both seasons (2303 and 2304). For the Dwellers, this is their fourth playoff appearance overall and their second SCA Finals appearance. In 2300, they appeared, also as the #1 seed, but fell to Diamond City, which went on to beat Fort Hagen in the Sole Survivor Series. This season also marks the first time that both the Sox and Vault 81 are in the playoffs together, so it is their first playoff meeting.
For Roxbury, they had to rely on their bullpen for 40% of the victories they had against the Dwellers in 2306. Only SP Nuke Laloosh (1-0, 2.31) had a winning record for starters, while CL Andy Helium (2-0, 2 SV, 1 BS, 1.50) had the best overall success. Game 1 starter Urm Rehfeldt was 0-3 with a 5.50 ERA, while Game 2 starter Whokill Poole was 1-2 with a 5.95 ERA.
Offense was not as successful against Vault 81 as they were against most of the CBO, including being shut out twice. There were only two players with a significant number of at bats to bat over .300: 2B Tut Campbell (.353/0/4) and RF Deerlord Fugivmee (.333/1/4). Multiple home run hitters were 3B Donn Mattingley (.261/2/4), LF Young Goodman (.233/2/6), and 1B Duncan MacCready (.217/2/6).
For the Dwellers, everything in 2306 seemed to revolve around the sheer dominance of SP Exxie Summerset. In three starts against Roxbury, Summerset went 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA. He is expected to start Game 2. Game 1 starter, Vince McCort was 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, and Game 3 starter Bruce Iddings was 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. It is a surprise to state it, but the starting pitching favors Vault 81 in this series.
On offense, the Dwellers had six guys overall who had success against the Roxbury pitching. In order of batting average: 1B Mace Pageturner (.372/1/6), SS End Yamada (.341/3/8), CF Stu Gains (.333/0/4), 3B Knud Bather (.300/4/9), RF Joe Rathmann (.289/1/2), and 2B/1B Harry Byrd (.283/3/7).
Prediction
Roxbury was upset by a surprising Egret team in 2305. Now they face another league foe in the worst-to-first story of Vault 81. In 2306, everything points to the Dwellers being the better team and the team best equipped to handle the winner of the NCA Finals series. However, the Rad Sox have been here before and know how to win in this situation. While there has been some roster turnover from two years ago, the core is here with expectations that star additions like CF Ben Pawlak, who has now been to several Association Championships with both the Sox and Fort Hagen will shine in this series. Not even Summerset can help the Dwellers for this one to stop the Roxbury tide. We are going to take the Sox in six, 4 games to two.