Week 9 - May 23, 2005

Pouring Some Sugar

To paraphrase Def Leppard, the Newark Sugar Bears are hot, sticky, sweet -- from their head to their feet, yeah! The defending world champions went a league-high 7-1 this week to recapture the game's best record. Newark's hot streak was enough to add two games to their division lead over the Honolulu Sharks, who went 4-3 to hang onto the league's third-best record... The Las Vegas Rat Pack climbed above the .500 mark for the first time all season after going 4-3, including three straight wins to close out the week... The Stanhope Mighty Men continue to fade from contention, going 3-5... The Hoboken Cutters bounced back from last week's five-game losing streak, going 5-3... The Phoenix Dragons had the worst week of any team, going dropping seven out of eight, and are now just a half-game ahead of the Westwood Deductions, who went 2-4 this week, for the league's worst record.

In the Morris Division, the Arkansas Golden Falcons had their worst week of the season, going 3-5 and suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Sugar Bears. Believe it or not, it's the first three-game losing streak the Falcs have had this season... The Philadelphia Endzone Animals picked up 2½ games on the division leaders after going 5-2 this week, and are just a half-game behind Honolulu for the top wildcard seed... The Columbia Rattlesnakes now have sole possession of 5th place overall after going 5-3 this week, but the red-hot Vancouver Iron Fist are breathing down their necks. The Fisters went 5-2 this week, and have won seven out of their last nine. They were in 10th place, two games under .500, just two weeks ago... The Carolina Mudcats aren't swimming in the right direction yet, but at least they stopped sinking: they went 3-3 this week, their first non-losing record since Week 6... Battling for the bottom, the Hillsborough Destroyers lost six out of seven, including a league-high four-game losing streak, while the Tijuana Banditos dropped three out of four.

Spanked! Two of the biggest beat-downs of the year were handed out this week: On Wednesday, the Golden Falcons defanged the Rattlesnakes. The Falcs scored 13 runs on 18 hits -- but all but one were singles -- and got some help from the hapless 'Snakes, who gave up three errors, two wild pitches and two hit batsmen... Two days later, the Sugar Bears mauled the Mighty Men, 17-2. The Sugar Bears blew it open in the first inning, scoring eight runs and sending 13 men to the plate. In addition to their 18 hits, the Sugar Bears also drew 12 walks. The 15-run margin of victory ties for second-biggest of the season.

Joltin' Johan

Philly's Johan Santana had another impressive week, picking up two wins while yielding just 3 runs, 9 hits, 6 walks and striking out 12 in 14.0 innings. The wins were especially big for 4th-place Philly, as they came against 5th-place Columbia and 3rd-place Honolulu. The double-whammy performance earned Santana his second Pitcher of the Week Award, this time sponsored by the good folks at Capoeira Fighter... Santana, who also won the award in Week 3, has to be one of the leading contenders for the Ben McDonald Award, as he now leads the league in ERA (2.38), runners per 9 IP (8.9), winning percentage (.889), quality starts (11), quality start percentage (.786) and OPS allowed (.584); he also is 3rd in innings (94.2), 4th in wins (8-1) and 5th in strikeouts (96)... This week's other two-start winners both won ugly: Newark's Randy Johnson (2-0, 4.80 ERA, 13.2 R/9, 18 K in 15.0 IP) and Vancouver's Jake Peavy (2-0, 5.40 ERA, 14.2 R/9, 13 K in 13.1 IP).

Talk about a bad beat: Arkansas's Roger Clemens pitched a complete game against Columbia, giving up just 3 hits, 2 walks and 1 unearned run -- and took the loss in the 1-0 defeat. Philly's Zack Greinke (2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 8.0 IP) and Tijuana's Bronson Arroyo (2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K in 5.2 IP) also were tough-luck losers.

Philly's Armando Benitez was nearly perfect this week, giving up just two hits (0 R, 0 BB, 4 K in 4.1 IP) while recording four saves in five appearances, but Columbia's Joe Nathan continues to lead the league in saves, picking up three in five appearances (0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 6 K in 4.0 IP)... Other top relief performances: Hillsborough's J.C. Romero (1 W, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K in 2.0 IP); Honolulu's Danny Kolb (1 W, 1 SV, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K in 4.1 IP); Stanhope's Yancy Brazoban (1 SV, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K in 5.0 IP); Tijuana's Eric Gagne (0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 K in 4.1 IP) and Mike Timlin (1 W, 0 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K in 5.2 IP); and Westwood's Braden Looper (1 SV, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 6.0 IP).

Rat Pack Attack!

Las Vegas had just three hitters over .300 this week, and one of them was Chad Tracy (1-for-3). But two players picked this franchise up, put it on their shoulders and finally carried it above the .500 mark: Melvin Mora and Carlos Beltran. Without those two in the lineup, the Rats hit a putrid .204 (37-for181) with a .271 OBP and .342 SLG (.613 OPS). But the terrific twosome terrorized opposing pitchers, as Beltran hit .481 with a .548 OBP and an amazing 1.259 SLG (2 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR) for 8 R and 7 RBI, and Mora hit an even .500 (13-for-26) with 5 doubles and two homers for 7 R and 7 RBI. The two ranked 1-2 in slugging percentage, extra base hits, OPS and TB+BB rate; they also each ranked in the top five in batting average, on-base percentage, total average and hits. Both had amazing weeks, but the OmahaSteaks.com Batter of the Week Award.award has to go to Mora, who also is riding the longest hitting streak of the year at 20 games... Beltran and Mora weren't the only dynamic duos. Other teams with one-two punches this week: Arkansas's Barry Bonds (.440, 1.445 OPS, 3 HR, 9 R, 8 RBI) and Adrian Beltre (.429, 1.359 OPS, 5 HR, 9 R, 9 RBI); Hoboken's Dmitri Young (.438, 1.750 OPS, 4 HR, 7 RBI) and Omar Vizquel (.364, .824 OPS, 5 R, 2 SB); Stanhope's Todd Helton (.387, 1.210 OPS, 2 HR, 7 R) and Mike Lowell (.393, 1.293 OPS, 4 HR, 8 RBI); and Vancouver's Moises Alou (.370, 1.043 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and David Ortiz (.333, 1.042 OPS, 2 HR, 8 RBI).

Which Newark batter hit .346 with a 1.028 OPS? Actually, that was the team average! The Sugar Bears roared for 74 runs this week, getting huge numbers from just about everybody: Bobby Abreu (.324, 1.101 OPS, 3 HR, 8 R); Chipper Jones (.483, 1.445 OPS, 3 HR, 12 R); Bill Mueller (.519, 1.215 OPS, 4 2B, 7 RBI); J.T. Snow (.375, 1.033 OPS, 13 BB, 12 R); Jim Thome (.393, 1.149 OPS, 2 HR, 14 RBI)... The guy who is probably the Sugar Bears' MVP so far, Carlos Guillen, hit .364 (1.258 OPS, 4 2B, 7 R) this week -- which actually lowered his league-leading batting average by 6 points! On the season, Guillen is hitting .414 with a 1.205 OPS, not bad numbers for a shortstop.

Snakebit

The Rattlesnakes' drive for their first-ever winning season took a blow this week with the loss of two outfielders. First, Rocco Baldelli (.263, .742 OPS) announced he has ophidiophobia -- the fear of snakes -- and is refusing to put on his team uniform. "It's too freaky, man. I put up with it when I was a rookie last year but I just can't do it anymore. I want us to go back to being called the Crusaders or at least the Rattlesnizzles." Meanwhile, teammate Scott Podsednik has been so cold at the plate (.200, .537 OPS) that he's actually developed frostbite. "I've never seen anything like this," team hitting coach Rusty Staub said, "but then again, I had a career batting average of .279." Podsednik hopes to be back before the close of the week, as do Vancouver 2B Jeff Kent and Hoboken C Miguel Olivo.

Newark's overzealous fans continue to try to preserve their team's league-best record. After allegedly kidnapping Tijuana's Orlando Hudson in Week 6, fans of the Brick City Bombers are suspected of being at it again. Aramis Ramirez, hitting .303 with an .890 OPS and leading the team with 16 HR and 49 RBI, will likely miss next week's series against Newark after someone stuck a rabid ferret down his pants. Witnesses said the suspect walked away singing, "Can't get enough of that Golden Crisp, it's got the crunch with punch."... Speaking of When Animals Attack, Tijuana will be without starting pitcher Josh Beckett for at least three starts after he was mauled by bears at the local petting zoo. "We're re-thinking our policy of having grizzly bears," Tijuana Petting Zoo officials said in a statement. Beckett and the petting zoo might be unhappy about the savage attack, but it could be a blessing in disguise for the Banditos: Beckett was 0-8 with a 7.29 ERA, 15.7 R/9 in 13 starts this season... Meanwhile, Newark and Arkansas's three-game match-up claimed a couple casualties. Arkansas OF Larry Walker and Newark RP Orber Moreno were facing off during Saturday's game when they were bathed with a strange greenish light that observers described as "out-of-this-world." Whatever it was, the two are out until early-to-mid June.

Comings and goings: Most of this week's transactions came courtesy of the Disabled List. Westwood got Royce Clayton back from injury, but after taking another look at his numbers on the season (.197, .505 OPS in 158 PA), released him... The Sugar Bears, needing bullpen help after losing Orber Moreno, signed Matt Wise... Las Vegas cut Rafael Palmeiro, releasing him after activating Sammy Sosa... Tijuana activated Orlando Hudson and dumped Austin Kearns... After getting word that Larry Walker will be out for at least two weeks, Arkansas signed  Juan Rivera, but then cut him after just the minimum three days to sign Bobby Kielty... A similar move was made by the Endzone Animals, who cut prospect Joe Blanton to make room for pitcher Daniel Cabrera, but dumped him before the end of the week, along with prospect Horacio Ramirez, to pick up Dustin Hermanson and Wes Obermueller... The only other non-injury-related move this week was made the Destroyers, who signed Jay Gibbons and cut Termel Sledge.

TWIB may have Ozzie Smith, but we have the better Smith! Zane Smith, former pitcher for the San Antonio Slingers and Sacramento Seahawks, now writes this column exclusively for the Diamond Mind Baseball League. Click Here for past articles.