Mariners 48, Monsters 9
Anybody who thought that the Mariners’ Game One performance was a fluke should think again after the smackdown that they laid on the Monsters this week. What began as a relatively pedestrian, if still winning, game turned into a complete bloodbath when the Mariners had a monstrous fifth inning that scored twenty-nine runs. The Monsters’ infield didn’t avail them at all as the Mariners racked up hit after hit, and kept them coming – the worst day of any Mariner was Alex Rodriguez, who went 3-for-6 with five total bases, and a healthy diet of stolen bases helped propel the Mariners along even further while Amanda Hellerman pitched an excellent shutout game. As for the Monsters, they fared better here than against the Indians, but the extra run potential of Tin Can Alley seemed to be largely balanced out by the Mariners’ killer arms. Chad Koppel pitched an excellent two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts, and the Monsters were able to get a large number of hits, but they couldn’t seem to put all the pieces together and stranded more than half of those runners on base. Even with a perfect cycle by Zena Fromme, things are looking gloomy for the Monsters after two games.
Player of the Game: Brad Radke has thus far performed far above expectations, and was further aided this game by a spectacularly great day that saw him performing Jay Green-level feats. Radke has so far scored every time he’s come up to the plate, and this game went 7-for-7 with two singles, three doubles, two home runs, and eight runs batted in.
Pirates 22, Indians 18
The Indians continued to make their case as strong contenders by putting up another strong game on offense. Helped by the offense-friendly field of Cement Gardens, each Indian was able to get on base at least twice; they were mostly pretty consistent across the team, with six players getting either two or three hits, but Kathy Wolf and Randi Uno both had 5-for-5 games. But the Pirates were also out to show that they meant business, and the Indians’ defense that had so effectively stymied the Monsters didn’t seem to faze them at all. While Pittsburgh’s hits weren’t quite as evenly distributed, four hitters in a row in their lineup got four hits on the game, and those reliable rallies combined with several walks helped the Pirates to get the edge. Meanwhile, the AI offenses of both teams were quiet, as just like in the previous game, both teams recorded shutouts: Jerry Winchell alone for the Pirates, and Nancy Chin with two extra pitches from George Coleman for the Indians.
Player of the Game: Once again, four different players performed very well but very similarly, making a PoTG difficult to choose. But native Pirate Jason Kendall gets the nod here for his six RBIs. Kendall also went 4-for-5 with a single, three doubles, and two runs scored.
Red Sox 49, Twins 4
After a strong debut in the BBL, the Twins were hoping for more success, but instead struggled to score against the Red Sox’s defense. They didn’t have a terrible game by any means: Tom Glass pitching a complete game with just one run allowed, everybody else got at least one hit, five players got at least two hits, and Alexis Weis and Lorelei Ikaye both got a hit on every at-bat. But they weren’t able to translate that into a lot of run production, scoring just 5 runs despite racking up 16 hits on the game. The Red Sox, on the other hand, were seething after their loss to the Brewers, and took it out on the Twins to record this season’s first 50-run effort. At least five times on base for every player and 35 total doubles – it was a slaughter, as the Sox proved that Opening Week’s loss was not a portent of things to come.
Player of the Game: Jeff Bagwell went 7-for-7 with a walk, two doubles, five home runs, and eight each of RBI and runs scored.
Giants 31, Blue Jays 13
The Blue Jays were able to vastly improve over their previous performance, cutting way back on the strikeouts, leaving very few on base to make almost every hit count, and overall looking much more capable than they had on Opening Week. Tiffany Bosworth came off of a perfect game with another complete-game shutout, keeping the Giants to just four hits. However, their effort paled in comparison to the Giants, who put up another very big-hitting game punctuated by a whopping twelve home runs! Despite Bobby Bulgrien not feeling so well, only getting a single hit via a special bat, he was able to pitch a shutout and the rest of the team rallied to fill his gap in the lineup for another monster game.
Player of the Game: First-round pick Marsellus Marx went 6-for-6 with a cycle, also hitting an additional single and home run and batting in 7 runs while scoring 6.
Brewers 33, Melonheads 2
Playing their first home game of the season, the Melonheads were very cold, none of their players seemingly able to hit the ball to the right places. They only recorded 4 hits in the entire game, and Angela Delvecchio did most of the work, with a sacrifice fly for one of their two runs and a solo home run for the other, in addition to pitching the entire game. While the ‘Heads had hoped for their inhospitable home field to dampen the efforts of their opponents, the Brewers seemed completely unaffected, following up their strong first game with an even more brutal showing. With at least three hits for each player and a ridiculous twenty-five doubles on the game, there was no place for the opposition to hide and the Brewers came out looking like the odds-on favorites to take the AL West.
Player of the Game: Jennifer Goodfellow batted in the most runs on the game at 7, going 5-for-6 with three doubles, a triple, and a home run and scoring 4 runs.
Orioles 15, Bombers 3
The Bombers looked preseason to be a team that would be big on offense, but so far haven’t been able to deliver on those expectations. Perhaps it was the Orioles’ staunch defense that held them back, as nobody was able to get more than 2 hits, and struggles to contain the Orioles’ offense cost them half of their run differential. Sonja Hagen by far stood out the most for the Bombers, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and batting in 4 of the Bombers’ 5 runs. Interestingly, however, the AI Bombers were also able to record 5 runs when the Orioles played, the birds’ defense seeming to be just as strong in the hands of the AI. But that hardly mattered compared to the 20 runs that the Orioles put up, as everybody got at least one hit and only four were left on base all game. The Orioles’ ability to stand up to their division rivals the Brewers in a direct contest may be in doubt, but they’re holding their own for the time being.
Player of the Game: Ray Tran went 4-for-5 with two singles, a double, and a triple.
Hornets 36, Mets 3
After a good Game One performance, the Mets were hoping to repeat for Game Two, but instead suffered against the Hornets’ defense. The top five hitters in the lineup fared fine, but the last four hitters were completely unable to accomplish anything, putting a serious damper on the Mets’ production. In the meantime, the Hornets cared not at all for the Mets’ strong defense, hitting away at their home field to put up another scary total in another signature grounderball game, each player recording at least three hits, the majority of those doubles. The Hornets came out of their first divisional game looking like favorites to be runaways.
Player of the Game: Wally Evans went 6-for-6, with two each of singles, doubles, and triples, 3 RBI, and 4 runs.
Braves 18, Rangers 7
The Rangers looked to be a team with the potential to put up some big rallies, but so far they haven’t been able to capitalize on that potential. While their top four hitters combined to go 11-for-16, the other five went just 6-for-17, and a lot of runners were left on base to leave the Rangers with a meager total once again. Meanwhile, expectations were low for the Braves after their poor first game, but this week they proved that they can play for real. Everybody got on base at least twice, and the Braves were able to take advantage of Amir Khan’s lackluster skill at catcher to steal 13 bases, helping to make the most of their bountiful singles. The Braves are clearly built for their home field, and while they may not be likely to do very well on the road, they showed that they’ll be a force to be reckoned with at home.
Player of the Game: Ace Wilson champion Chucky Flinder did his job at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four singles, but he really shined back up on the mound. After a shaky first game he was back in prime shape for this game, facing only one batter over the minimum and striking out seven on the way to a two-hit shutout.
Wombats 10, Expos 5
In the first interdivisional matchup for the NL East, the Expos were hoping to break out after a rough first game, but they largely struggled yet again. While their first five draft picks did all right with two hits each, their last three picks all went hitless to restrict them to a meager run total for a second time. Meanwhile, while the Wombats haven’t been as terrifying as their division rivals the Mariners, they’ve been doing a respectable job of their own. They matched last week’s mark of 14 singles, coupling that with 12 stolen bases and chaining together the hits to score a total that was modest but good enough to get the job done, even though a lack of extra-base hits compared to last week resulted in a lower final score. Frank Thomas sealed the deal on the game with a strong two-hit shutout, giving up only one run while being one of thirteen pitchers to so far pitch every inning for their teams.
Player of the Game: Wing Kwan ran (and hit) like clockwork for the Wombats in this game, going 4-for-4 with four singles and four stolen bases.
White Sox 45, Padres 4
The Padres hoped to ride an Opening Week win to a stronger performance in Week Two, but for the most part, they performed much the same as in their debut. While everybody was able to get on base at least once at their home field of Tin Can Alley, the Pink Sox’s tight defense limited the number of extra bases that the Padres could grab, ultimately causing ten runners to be left on base, and Earl Abbot gave up three runs for the Padres to end with the same run differential that they had in Opening Week. For their part, the Pink Sox had warmed up against the Braves last week and unleashed their full fury on the Padres this week. Everybody got on base at least four times, helped by drawing four walks total, but that looked bad compared to the seven times on base that six different players were able to achieve. It was a full-on blowout, and while they didn’t quite hit 50, the Pink Sox still showed that they are, indeed, one of the most powerful teams in the league this season.
Player of the Week: Ernie Steele is normally more notable for his rock-solid defensive presence, but this week he felt right at home in Tin Can. Steele went 8-for-8 on the game, with a single, seven doubles, and 11 RBI.
Cardinals 14, Tigers 7
After losing to the Melonheads on Opening Week, the Tigers redoubled their efforts, and were successful at improving their on-base rate, recording 19 hits compared to last week’s 10 and doubling their single total to 16, as everybody got on base at least once. However, they weren’t able to turn all of those hits into very many runs, and ended up leaving twelve runners on base, scoring less runs than last week despite getting nine more hits. The Cardinals, undeterred by their loss to the Hornets the week before, went right back out and put forth a second straight 12-run effort to give new but double-teaming coach Jyknight his first victory, with a game that was in many respects very similar to Opening Week’s, but a little more efficient and without the three runs allowed. Whether the Cardinals maintain this consistency, hit a new level of production, or sputter out and fall back remains to be seen.
Player of the Game: First-round pick Lindsy Felgate shined when she got the chance, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run.
Fishes vs. Athletics – Postponed
Unfortunately, logistical issues have prevented the Humongous Fishes from being able to play their second game yet. No penalty or forfeit has yet been announced. Rest assured that BBL News Center will report this game when it does take place.
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