L.I. Ducks: 2019 Atlantic League Championship Series Preview

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME ONE

Sugar Land Skeeters

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

THE POND

The much anticipated rematch between Long Island and Sugar Land is on.  This marks the second straight Atlantic League championship series meeting between clubs, and their third confrontation in the last four years.  Sugar Land defeated the Ducks in 2016 to win their first ever league title.  Last season they again defeat Long Island in five games for their second title in three years.  The Skeeters are making their fourth ever championship series appearance in only their eighth year as an Atlantic League member club.  The Long Island Ducks are of course celebrating their 20th anniversary season.  This marks their eighth ever championship series appearance, and fourth in a row.  The bad news is since 2016 they've lost three straight championship series.

• 2016: Sugar Land defeats Long Island
• 2017: York defeats Long Island
• 2018: Sugar Land defeats Long Island

Sugar Land wins the Freedom Division first-half championship with a 35-35 record.  In the second-half they finish second to York with a 37-31 record.  Overall the Skeeters finish with a 72-66 record.  The Skeeters defeat York in the Freedom Division championship series, three game to one.

Long Island sweeps the Liberty Division regular season, winning pennants in both halves with identical 43-27 records.  Their 86-54 overall record sets Long Island's all-time single season record for wins.  They defeat the High Point Rockers in the Liberty Division championship series three games to none.

The Ducks win 14 of 20 regular season games this season against the Sugar Land Skeeters, but only narrowly outscore them by a 91-88 margin.


SCOUTING THE SKEETERS

• RF - Denis Phipps: 448 AB (.261/.350/.458) 21 HR; 81 RBI
• LF - Zach Borenstein: 360 AB (.267/.347/.447) 16 HR; 67 RBI
• 3B - Juan Silverio: 488 AB (.293/.358/.447) 14 HR; 68 RBI

• SP - Troy Scribner: 3.68 ERA in 122.1 INN; 1.32 WHiP; 127 K
• SP - Dallas Beeler: 3.86 ERA in 144.2 INN; 1.52 WHiP; 97 K

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

RUNS:            S.L. #2; L.I. #5
TEAM AVG:    S.L. #3; L.I. #5
OPS:               S.L. #4; L.I. #5
HR:                 S.L. #3; L.I. #4

ERA:               L.I. #2; S.L. #4
WHiP:             L.I. #2; S.L. #4
Strikeouts:      L.I. #1; S.L. #2
Saves:            L.I. #1; S.L. #5


DUCKS STARTERS vs. HIGH POINT ROCKERS

• Darin Downs:  6.1 INN; 2 ER; 3 H; 3 W; 7 K
• Vin Mazzaro:  8 INN: 0 ER; 2 H; 4 W; 10 K
• Seth Simmons:  7 INN; 1 ER; 2 H; 2 W; 9 K