Newark Bears: Brick City Season Winding Down; Defeat Worcester

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY NINE

NEWARK BEARS:  The Brick City Nine Are Down to Their Last Ten Games of the Regular Season.  After That, No One Is Sure What Happens Next.


The Newark Bears baseball club is down to their last ten games of the 2012 regular season.  There will be no playoffs for them this year.  Newark has a 3.5 game lead over the last place Worcester Tornadoes.  And over the final stretch of games, that's exactly where the Bears want to keep them.  I guess symbolically, it might mean something; if not cosmetically then; not finishing last.  But no.., there will be no post-season for Newark this Fall; only great uncertainty.


The beginning of the end of the season was played in the now traditional Wednesday matinee game.  Game one of ten left on the schedule, was won by Newark by a 4-2 score today.  This was also the end of a three game series between the Bears and Tornadoes, in which Worcester won the first two.  So the Bears needed this game to keep from getting swept.  They will now host a series against the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.


Pedro Rivera pitched impressively for Newark over 7.1 innings to earn his fourth win of the season against ten losses.  He surrendered seven hits and allowed only two earned runs.  He walked three and struck out six.  Jorge Vasquez pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his nineteenth save of the season.  He allowed but one hit, and struck out two batters.


Worcester jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning.  But the Bears caught up to Tornado's starter, Michael Gedman, in the third inning with four runs.  After an RBI single by Juan Martinez, D'Angelo Jiminez unloaded with a three run home run to give the Bears a 4-2 lead; and final.  That was D'Angelo's fourth home run of the season.  Worcester's Michael Gedman, stayed in the game and pitched all eight innings against Newark.


The Bears are now 31-60 this season.  The Quebec Capitales and New Jersey Jackals have pretty much wrapped up the top two playoffs spots.  The only race left is for first place overall of the CanAm League.  The Capitales hold a 5.5 game lead over New Jersey with ten games left in their respective schedules.


As an operating club, Worcester is still holding on to at least finish out the season.  Once Labor Day rolls around, their future is uncertain, if not doomed.  For the Bears, their future is a little less doubtful.  Or is it?  Until word comes down from ownership, or we see U-Haul trucks pulling up to Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, we'll just have to wait and see.  For now, nine games remain.


Let's Go Bears.




Mike.BTB