L.I. Ducks: The Final Twenty Game Countdown Begins

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Ducks lead series 1-0

I - LID 6; LAN 2

TUESDAY

Long Island Ducks

vs.

Lancaster Barnstormers

FROM

Clipper Magazine Stadium

Despite MLB's continued pilfering of the Ducks, Long Island somehow keeps winning.  Infielder J.T. Rivera (WAS) and closer Michael Tonkin (ARZ) are only the latest to have their contracts recently purchased by a major league organization.  Yet the Ducks enter Tuesday's action against Lancaster with a league best 72-48 record.  They're fresh off a sweep against the struggling Somerset Patriots, and are now winners of four in a row after taking Monday's series opener against the Barnstormers.

Long Island goes 18-12 in August and are the first team this season to achieve 70 wins.  The first-half Liberty Division champs presently lead the second-half race by a 4.5 game margin over the second place High Point Rockers with twenty games remaining on the schedule.  The Ducks are 6-10 versus High Point this season.  The two clubs close out the regular season with a three game series at Bethpage Ballpark.  Until then the Ducks will continue facing Freedom Division opponents.

It's rather remarkable considering how an entire staff worth of pitching has been purchased away from the Ducks that they should still maintain the league's third best team ERA and WHiP.  They've yielded the second least home runs, and not only lead the Atlantic League in strikeouts but are the only staff to date to exceed 1,000 strikeouts.  They're also tied for the league lead with eleven shutouts and forty saves.

Recent Acquisitions:

• rhp - Ismael Cabrera
• lhp - Felix Carvallo
• rhp - Scott Richmond
• rhp - Anderson Leon
• rhp - Brandon Beachy
• lhp - Brandon Sherman
• lhp - Brian Matusz

Where would the Ducks be without season long constants Darin Downs and Joe Iorio?  Downs is second in the league with a 2.71 ERA.  He is sixth among league starting pitchers with a 1.12 WHiP, with only 82 hits allowed and a third best 123 strikeouts in 99.2 innings pitched.  Joe Iorio ranks fourth in the league with a 2.84 ERA.  He owns a 5-3 record through 17 starts and 27 appearances, allowing 101 hits with 82 strikeouts through 111.0 innings pitched.  Through 210.2 combined innings pitched the two have walked just 56 batters.

At the plate the Ducks are middle of the pack:

• #5 Runs Scored; second to High Point within the division.
• #4 Home Runs; to date are one of four teams to exceed 100 home runs.
• #5 Total Bases; second to High Point within division.
• #4 Team Batting
• #7 OBP
• #5 Slugging

That being said, the ageless one Lew Ford is in the midst of a rampage.  He has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .518 over his last 56 at-bats with four doubles, two home runs, and eleven runs batted in.

• ATLANTIC LEAGUE

Like I said ... what the Ducks are achieving is pretty damn remarkable.