L.I. Ducks ~ The Webbed Nine Take a Bite Out of Camden

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Open Road Trip With 8-0 Blanking of River Sharks.


Mike Loree pitched like the Ducks' ace of old Monday evening in Camden.  He hand-cuffed the Sharks over seven innings, allowing a mere three hits and no runs.  He walked none and struck out five, before giving way to Dan Meyer and Conner Graham, who took care of the eighth and ninth innings to end Camden's night.  Long Island pitching held the River Sharks to five hits.

After a pair of rocky starts, and a few no decisions, Mike Loree pitched, by far, his best game of the season over five starts so far, and picked up his second win in the process.  Mike also lowered his ERA to a 3.18 mark.

Long Island got on the board right away against Camden starter, Mike McGuire.  Kraig Binick led off the game with a walk, and later came around to score for a 1-0 lead.  In the fourth, Long Island used power and took advantage of shoddy defense to score three more runs.  Ray Navarrete led off the inning with a home run.  Then two River Sharks' errors led to two more runs for the Ducks, and a 4-0 lead.

Bryant Nelson led off the fifth with a single, then scored on a Ray Navarrete sac-fly.  In the eighth, Ried Gorecki launched his first home run of the season; a solo shot, to give the Ducks a 6-0 lead.  Then in the ninth, Long Island tacked on two more for good measure.  Matt Esquivel and Ray Navarrete hit back to back doubles, for a 7-0 lead.  Shawn Williams' sac-fly to center scored Navarrete, and capping the Ducks scoring at eight.

That's the Ducks' third win in a row.  They are now the first team to reach twenty wins this season.  Long Island has also opened up a 4.5 game lead over the Bridgeport Bluefish, who lost at home to the Revolution.  Only the Sugar Land Skeeters are a hotter club than the Ducks over the last ten games of the season.

Armando Benitez, signed by the Ducks on May 24, is yet to appear in a game.





Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ Continue Home Cooking Against Somerset

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

L.I. Ducks

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  The Webbed Ones Continue to Dominate The Pond.

Game One ~Friday Final:
Somerset       7
Long Island  9

Pond Sweet Pond.  Back from Sugar Land, Texas, after splitting a six game series with the Skeeters, the Ducks returned to The Pond and continued their home winning streak that began on Opening Day.  After last night's opening series win over the Somerset Patriots, the Ducks are now winners of seven in a row at home.  Also winners of seven of their last ten, the Ducks will enter tonight's second game against the Patriots 1.5 games in first place ahead of their Liberty Division rivals.  And in spite of last night's loss, the Somerset Patriots are still tied for first in the Freedom Division along with the Lancaster Barnstormers.

The Ducks have been marching on without their former renaissance man; Lew Ford, who was purchased by the Baltimore Orioles.  Previous to Ford's departure, Ryan Garko's sizzling bat was purchased by the Tampa Bay Rays.  That's a bunch of offensive production the Ducks will have to somehow make up for.  Compounding the Ducks line-up issues, heavy hitting Brandon Sing last played on May 11th.  And in one another transaction, the rights to Javier Colina were traded to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for a player to be named later.

To bolster the roster, Long Island welcomed back Matt Esquivel, who started last night's game as the team's DH.  Last night, Ray Navarrete played first base in Brandon Sing's continued absence.  Jake McOwen was in left where Lew Ford often patrolled.

Last night, Ducks' starter, and ace, Mike Loree, struggled through a second consecutive rough start.  Only this game, he suffered a little more than usual.  He was accidentally hit in the head by his catcher, Josh Johnson, on an attempted throw down to second base in the third inning.  Mike stayed in the game, but was removed the following inning.  He lasted four innings, and surrendered three runs; two earned; on five hits.  He walked three and struck out three before giving way to reliever Jason Monti.

Ray Navarrete's RBI single put the Ducks up by one after the first.  Somerset tied the game in the top half of the third, only to give the run back in the bottom half of the inning when Jake McOwen doubled home Kraig Binick with the go ahead run.

Mike Loree encountered trouble in the fourth.  After two runs and three hits, his day was done with the Ducks behind 4-3 at the time.  In the sixth inning, Somerset pounded out three more runs against Jason Monti.  The Patriots scored on a two run triple, and plated another run on a dropped strike three by Josh Johnson, for a 7-3 lead.

After a good crowd stretch, the Ducks stormed back with four runs in the home half of the seventh.  Bryant Nelson had an RBI single.  Ray Navarrete's bases loaded base hit drove in two more, and Shawn Williams scored the fourth run on a wild pitch.

After Somerset scored one run in the top of the eighth, the Ducks took their turn again, and scored three more.  Dan Lyons had an RBI single.  Bryant Nelson doubled Lyons home.  And Jake McOwen followed with a single to plate Nelson.

Connor Graham, Jeremy Hill, and Jon Meloan combined to pitch the final three innings and preserve Ducks' victory number thirteen on the season in their twentieth game played.


SPECIAL NOTE:
Earlier this season, nine year Somerset Patriots veteran, Jeff Nettles, became the Atlantic League's All-Time Career Hits leader.  Atlantic League Story Link





Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ First Taste of Sugar Land Not So Sweet

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Skeeters Outlast Long Islanders in First Ever Meetings Between Teams.


First Ever Final:
Ducks     1
Skeeters  2


For the Ducks, it was hello Texas, and good-bye six game winning streak.  Long Island's first taste of Sugar Land wasn't so sweet.  Locked in a 1-1 battle, the Skeeters walked off with their first ever win over the Long Island Ducks with a game winning base hit in the ninth.  And for the Skeeters, who just came off a dreadful road trip, it guess it was just good to be home.


Lew Ford scored the only Long Island run of the night in the second inning on James McOwen's rbi single.  Sugar Land tied the game in the fifth, off a Dan Lyons error.


Otherwise, starting pitcher, Randy Keisler, surrendered only two hits over five innings pitched.  He walked one, struck out five, and allowed no earned runs.  Eric Niesen pitched a perfect sixth.  Jeremy Hill took care of the seventh and eighth innings allowing only a hit.  The Skeeters rallied against Connor Graham in the ninth.


Because of the travel involved, Friday night's game was only Game One of what will be an unconventional six game series in Sugar Land between May 11th through May 16th.

TONIGHT

GAME TWO of SIX

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

Sugar Land Skeeters

From

CONSTELLATION FIELD

in BIG TEXAS

Mike.BTB

L.I. Ducks ~ The Pond Hurlers; 2012 Ducks Pitching

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long Island Ducks

2012 Positional Players - Preview

Long Island Ducks; Gearing Up For Another Run at Title

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  The Ducks' Ace Pitcher and 2011 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year, Returns for a Second Season in the Pond.



Last season, if there were questions regarding the Ducks' pitching, it centered around Mike Parisi and Mike Loree.  And the question was - How long would they last?  With the fine seasons both were having, it was only a matter of time before affiliated baseball came seeking their services.  And sure enough, Mike Parisi was the first to go.  Mike Loree followed.  Only, Mike Loree came back for the playoffs, and pitched Long Island into the championship round against York.


After Mike and Mike, the Ducks were desperately thin at starting pitching last season.  But Long Island possessed a rather remarkable bullpen that over came many deficiencies in the starting rotation.  In the end, Long Island's pitching held up.  It was the offense that disappeared against the York Revolution in the Finals.


That's all behind us now.  The 2012 season is here.



Last season's Atlantic League Pitcher of the Season; Mike Loree; returns to the Long Island Ducks for his second season.  He won the League's pitching triple crown last season with 14 wins, 131 strikeouts, and sported a league low 1.98 era.  Mike will start the season off against the Somerset Patriots this evening.


Gustavo Chacin will most likely serve as the number two starter behind Loree.  In 2005, he went 13-9 with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Over 58 major league starts, the 31 year old owns a 27-17 overall record.  Last year, he split time between AAA-Buffalo, and Oklahoma City of the Pacific Coast League.


Jason Monti returns to the club after pitching in 20 games out of the bullpen for the Ducks last year. He did not start a game last season, but in his two previous seasons; one with Somerset, and one spent in the Frontier League, he made 36 starts in 45 appearances.


Eric Niesen is no stranger to me.  Drafted by the New York Mets, he played his first season in Brooklyn with the Cyclones; A-NYPL.  Raised through the Mets' system as a starter, in 2011, he appeared in 51 games, all in relief.




Randy Keisler is a 36 year old lefty.  He played for Long Island in 2010, and is a veteran of 13 seasons mostly in AAA.  Last season he played in the L.A. Dodgers organization.  He made 19 starts and posted a 7-7 win/loss record.


Joe Esposito started 14 games for Reading of the Eastern League last season.  But the 33 year old is most likely headed for the Ducks' bullpen.  In 375 career minor league innings pitched, he has amassed 405 strikeouts.


Connor Graham spent the last two seasons playing for the Cleveland Indians' affiliate in AA-Akron.  He appeared in 43 games last season; 39 came in relief.  In 79 innings, he struck out 65 batters, and posted a 3.43 era.



Jeff Lyman started the 2011 season playing Rookie Ball, and eventually made his way to AA-Springfield.  The 25 year old made 35 appearances, all in relief.  In 49 innings pitched, he struck out 39 batters, but also walked 32 batters as well.


Jon Meloan comes to the Ducks with loads of AAA experience.  This may be Long Island's closer this season.  Over 372 innings pitched in his 6 year minor league career, he has amassed 433 strikeouts, while issuing 180 base on balls.


Dan Meyer will be another potential high strikeout pitcher.  But he walks far too many batters.  He has 103 games, and 113 innings pitched worth of MLB experience.


Travis Minix appeared in 11 games for the Somerset Patriots last season.  He also pitched for Somerset's 2008 and 2009 championship teams.  He has 6 seasons of AAA experience.


Retuning from last season to bolster the bullpen once again, will be the dependable duo of Jeremy Hill and Bob Zimmerman.  Hill, the ten year baseball veteran posted an 8-2 record with a 2.91 era for the Ducks out of the pen last season.





Mike.BTB