This is It!!! The Two Big Series that will Decide the USA Division
We have our rotation set for these games. We would like to get the playoff spot clinched before we head into our final last 6 games on the road. It would be nice to clinch the division so that we can rest players and while trying to have the best overall record, health is more important to me.
For the Toledo series we will have Joe Johnson, Cliff Simpson and Jose Cedeno lined up to face the Neptunes. We can go a long way towards wrapping up a playoff spot with a sweep here, but the goal in these games is not to get swept ourselves in either series. With 3 and 6 game leads over Duluth and Toledo, we can afford to stub our toe, but not break them in getting swept in either series.
On the season we are 12-9 against the Neptunes but they just swept us at their place 2 weeks ago. We are 10-11 against Duluth on the year. In a marketing move we have raised our ticket prices from $33 to playoff pricing $38 for these games. Our owner is still mad that we are not making money this year so every little bit helps. If we get into the playoffs we can make $10-16 million in extra revenue that would turn our finances around to a slight profit. Of course he wants extreme profit so he won’t be happy. But he gave me the budget for this year and I used it. We slightly overspent it by a couple of hundred thousand.
Toledo Neptunes 74-58 3rd place in the US vs Chicago Architects 80-52 1st in the US
Monday August 30th through September 1st 2055
At Chicago’s Pier IV Grounds
Game #1 - Monday August 30th, 2055
A - 39,636
RHSP Christopher Bouchard 6-8 3.52 vs Joe Johnson 6-3 3.77
In the fourth, Chicago’s Pedro Farrulla walks with the bases loaded. Then Matt Graves hits a grand slam. Toledo batters have no luck against Chicago starter Joe Johnson (5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K). The Neptunes score some late runs against the Tects bullpen, but it’s too little, too late. Huge win for the Architects as they go up 7 games in the standings over 3rd place Toledo and are that much closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Chicago 8, Toledo 5.
SP J Johnson 5.1IP 3H 0R 0BB 8K’s, LF M Graves 2-5 HR SB, R, 5RBI’s, RF T Stone 2-4 DB 2R SB, CF C Lambert 3-3 2R, 2RBI, 2SB, Sac Fly, C S White 2-3 DB 2R BB
CH HR - LF M Graves (10)
Game #2 - Tuesday August 31st, 2055
A - 39,632
RHSP Wally “Magoo” Townsend 11-7 4.09 vs Cliff Simpson 1-2 4.14
Chicago’s Reagan Osborn is a top MVP candidate, and he helps his case today. Osborn hits a two-run home run in the first and an RBI double in the third. SP Cliff Simpson (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K) wins his second game of the season and holds the Neptunes down. LF Matt Graves again steps up with 3 hits, including a triple and scores 3 runs. It’s a big win for Chicago as they move ahead of the Neptunes by 8 games and inch closer to clinching a berth in the GLBL playoffs.
Chicago 7, Toledo 1.
LF M Graves 3-4 TRP, 3R RBI, SB (56 on the season), 1B R Osborn 2-4 HR R 3 RBI’s,
CH HR - 1B R Osborn (29)
Game #3 - Wednesday September 1st, 2055
A - 39,854
RHSP Nick “Tangles” Keddy 15-4 2.45 vs Jose Cedeno 9-9 4.22
Chicago takes a 3-1 lead into the eighth, where Toledo scores seven. Ken Armour and Gray Dijkstra both doubled in their first at-bat of the inning and single in their second. Xing-Fu Sen’s double drives in two. The Neptunes keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Toledo claws back to 7, but they are 4 ½ behind 2nd-place Duluth who beats Detroit again.
Toledo 8, Chicago 4.
1B R Osborn 2-4 R, DH J Gomez 2-4 R, RBI
CH HR - None
Summary - So we met our objective and did not get swept taking 2 out of 3. Winning the last one would have been a nice bonus, but we are feeling good heading into the showdown with Duluth. We have an off-day while Duluth will be playing a game against Detroit today. If the Sea Gulls win they will be 2 games out before we start play.
The Sea Gulls swept Detroit so they are indeed coming into town with a chance to take over the division lead by sweeping us. Duluth has been a pain in our side ever since I started with Chicago in our first two seasons. And here they are again just waiting with an opportunity to rain on our parade. With the off-day we have on Thursday we have reshuffled our rotation to ensure that Jose Cedeno will pitch on Sunday. We will have Joe Johnson pitch on short rest Friday after having pitched a gem on Monday. Then we will give Val Imbert a start on Saturday. Maybe we should have gone with Imbert on Friday who was fully rested and given Johnson another day, but we are looking beyond just this series.
This is our last 3 home games of the season……Let;s at least clinch a playoff spot and hopefully take a step closer to our first outright division title.
Duluth Sea Gulls 80-55 2nd place in US vs Chicago Architects 82-53 1st in the US
Friday September 3rd through Sunday 5th 2055
At Chicago’s Pier IV Grounds
Game #1 - Friday September 3rd 2055
A - 39,720
RHSP Will McNeely 9-10 4.38 vs Joe Johnson 7-3 3.60
The Gulls come into this three-game series trailing the Tects by two games. A sweep would put the Gulls in first place. The Gulls take a 3-1 lead into the seventh, where the Tects score four. Those runs scored on four singles, an error, a wild pitch. Duluth’s Will McNeely (6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) takes a no-hitter into the fifth but ends up with the loss. The calculated risk with Johnson only going 4.1IP works even if he wasn’t sharp giving up the 3 runs. The alarming issue is 3B Travis Arnaud left the game in pain in the 5th inning. More on that after the trainer gets a chance to look at him. The victory gives Chicago a 3 game lead over Duluth and they could clinch a playoff spot tomorrow.
Chicago 5, Duluth 4.
2B W Dunse 2-4 3RBI, 3B J Lambert 2-2 2SB R,
CH HR - None
Trainer’s report
Friday, September 3rd , 2055 - Chicago Architects:
3B Thomas Arnaud was injured in a collision at a base. The Diagnosis: strained rib cage muscle. This is a day-to-day injury expected to last 2 weeks.
Not what we wanted to see. The decision to shut down Arnaud and fill in with Larry Davis, Miguel Toledo and Cruz Torres is an easy decision to make. We want to rest Arnaud and hope he is ready for the playoffs. 2B/U John Lambert was also hit by a pitch in this game and left the game in the 8th. Fortunately it's just a bruised ankle and he will be ok.
The question entered my mind if Duluth was purposely trying to injure our players……
Game #2 - Saturday September 4th 2055
A - 39,966
RHSP Mike Normore 9-5 5.66 vs Val Imbert 9-9 4.44
A well rested Val Imbert (8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K) pitched a brilliant outing and Pat Wright (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) finished off the shutout of Duluth for his 28th save. RF Prowler Ashley and SS Cristo Sandoval homer. For the 21-year-old Sandoval, that is not just his first major-league home run, it’s his first major-league hit. Congrats, Cristo! The win gives the Tects a four-game lead with seven to go. With the win and Toledo’s loss on Friday, Chicago has clinched its 2nd straight playoff berth.
Chicago 3, Duluth 0.
LF/RF T Stone 2-4 2SB, RF J Ashley 204 HR, R RBI, SS C Sandoval 1-3 HR R 2RBI
CH HR - RF J Ashley (27), SS C Sandoval (1)
Game #3 - Sunday September 4th 2055
A - 39,692
RHSP Chris "Gator" Collier 5-8 3.71 vs Jose Cedeno 9-9 4.21
Perhaps the best pitching duel of the season takes place in the Windy City today. The two teams combine for just five hits. Duluth’s Chris Collier (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K) strikes out the side in the first and retires the first 11 batters he faces. The first batter to reach base reaches on an error by the shortstop. The next batter doubles, but Reagan Osborn is unable to score. He then retires 10 of the last 11 batters he faces, walking one. Collier gets a no-decision.
Chicago’s José Cedeño (8.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K) also gets a no-decision. He strikes out the side in the seventh, and takes a one-hit shutout into the ninth. There, in the ninth, he gave up two singles either side of a strike out. He gets pulled, and Pat Wright (9-3) strikes out two batters either side of an intentional walk. Duluth leaves the bases loaded. In the bottom of the ninth, Matt Graves doubles—just Chicago’s second hit of the game. A sac bunt moves him to third, and a Prowler Ashley line drive to left is deep enough that the speedy Graves scores easily.
Chicago 1, Duluth 0.
CH HR - None
Summary - Wow what a series as we unbelievably sweep Duluth. With that sweep we are now 5 games out in front of Duluth with 6 games left to play. Thunder Bay seems to have righted their ship and have matched us win for win over the last 6 games. We remain with a 2 game edge for the overall home field advantage.
SP Jose Cedeno who is just 9-9 on the season but will finish the regular season with a 4.02 ERA. He has come on like gangbusters in the 2nd half and while his won/loss record is not impressive, his ERA since June 1st is 3.02 and he has been among the top 2-4 in WHIP and WAR all season. I am feeling better about the commitment made to Cedeno for the next 6 seasons.
With that edge I now feel like we can perhaps work in a lot more rest days in these last 6 games on the road. Of course we still need to win at least 2 games to clinch (if Duluth goes 6-0) but our magic number is just 2.
John Lambert is ok and will be seeing lots of action in the last week of the season. We will continue to rest 3B Travis Arnaud and primarily use Larry Davis at 3B.