L.I. Ducks: First Place Showdown at Harbor Yard

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

FERRY CUP SERIES

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH

FROM

The Ballpark at Habor Yard

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Flock Migrate Across the Sound for First Place Showdown Against Fish.

Never mind the part about Long Island holding a 10-3 advantage over the Fish in this season's Ferry Cup series.  Bridgeport enters this weekend's series against the migrating Ducks by just a game in the Liberty Division standings.

The Ducks lost their Thursday morning series finale to the Patriots by a 3-1 score in Somerset, leaving the Bluefish just a half game behind.  Bridgeport, however, failed to seize the moment Thursday evening when they bowed to the Sugar Land Skeeters, thus setting the stage for this weekend's first place showdown at Harbor Yard.

These teams last met in July with the Ducks taking two of three at Bethpage Ballpark.

Friday series opener will feature a pair of right-handers.  Bobby Blevins will climb the hill for Long Island and will be opposed by Bridgeport's David Kubiak.

I just might be there, as I embark on my second road trip back into New England for more minor league baseball.  I'm thinking of attending just to kick back with a hot dog before the longer drive ahead, and of course, to cheer on the Ducks in another team's ballpark.

• The Ducks will miss Bridgeport starting pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo who pitched on Aug. 2 against Sugar Land, and whom leads the Atlantic League with 10 victories, and is fourth with 99 strikeouts.

• Long Island's Darin Downs and John Brownell are among those tied for second with eight victories each.

• Delta Cleary Jr. enters the series leading the Atlantic League with a .321 batting average.   Fehlandt Lentini is second with a .309 average.

Somerset Patriots salvage series finale

Ducks win series 2-1

I - LID 4; SOM 2

II - LID 3; SOM 2

III - SOM 3; LID 1

With the Ducks still patching together a solution for a fifth starter, southpaw Dustin Richardson made only his fourth start of the season Thursday morning in Somerset.  He tossed five innings before exiting on the losing side of a 3-1 game and eventual Ducks' loss.

Dustin allowed all three Somerset runs on 10 hits and two walks, with four strikeouts.  He faces 24 batters, threw 89 pitches, with 55 (61%) going for strikes.

The Atlantic League batting leader, Delta Cleary Jr. knocked in the Ducks lone run of the game with a double in the third inning scoring Fehlandt Lentini.

Somerset employed a pitcher by committee, utilizing seven hurlers, who limited Long Island to just four hits all game.  Starter Rudy Owens started, allowed just a hit but walked five batters in 2.2 innings of work.  Six other relievers combined to allow no runs on three hits, no walks, with five strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work.  Former Ducks closer Jon Hunton notched his league leading (tied) 25th save of the season.

On August 1, rhp DJ Mitchell was acquired from Bridgeport for first baseman Sean Burroughs.  He made his first appearance for the Ducks on Aug 3 in Game Two against Somerset.  He threw five innings for the victory, allowing just two earned runs on four hits and four walks, with five strikeouts.

• Mitchell previously made 12 appearances and nine starts for the Fish, posting a 2-3 record with a 4.39 ERA.  He allowed 58 hits and fanned 48 through 55.1 innings pitched.

Staff ace John Brownell was stellar in Tuesday's series opener in Somerset.  He walked off to a no decision, but tossed seven innings, allowed one earned run on five hits and no walks, while striking out eight.

Extra Innings

The dog days of summer are upon us.  Long Island will have one day off throughout the month of August (Monday the 22nd).  Due to a scheduled double-header late in the month against Lancaster, Long Island will wind up playing 30 games in 30 days.

L.I. Ducks: Gone Fishing; Ferry Cup Series 2016

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

FERRY CUP 2016

Bluefish lead all-time series over Ducks 

158-154

The Bridgeport Bluefish last qualified for the playoffs in 2010, when they advanced beyond the first round only to get turned back in the Atlantic League championship series by the York Revolution.  The following season, Bridgeport then lost a Liberty Division play-in game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  The times have been relatively quiet at Harbor Yard since.

The Bridgeport Nine captured their lone Atlantic League title in 1999, but own the distinction of winning the most games all-time of any member club in Atlantic League history.

That said, they have certainly enjoyed better starts in previous seasons.  The Fish are now losers of four straight games after dropping a double-header on Wednesday against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.  They enter this weekend's Ferry Cup series in last place of the Liberty Division with a sub-par 5-9 record.

However, there's seemingly never a dull moment whenever these rivals meet.  This weekend in Bridgeport should be no different.

Six game winning streak

The Ducks have officially put their 1-6 start behind them.  After Wednesday's rain postponement, Long Island won both games of Thursday's abbreviated make-up double-header, completing a series sweep over the Lancaster Barnstormers.

After having won 6 straight games, they'll enter this weekend's series against rival Bridgeport with a 7-6 record.

Bobby Blevins toed the rubber in Thursday's first game against Lancaster.  He threw six scoreless innings, allowed just 4 hits, walked none, and fanned 4 batters, but walked off to a no decision.  The Ducks and Barnstormers traded zeroes right up to the moment Lancaster reliever Scott Gracey walked home the winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning.  Todd Coffey earned the victory in relief.

In Game Two, starting pitcher Jack Snodgrass earned his second consecutive victory of the season.   He hurled 6 innings for a second straight game as well, allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts.  In his previous start against Southern Maryland, Jack allowed just one earned run on 5 hits and 3 walks, with 9 strikeouts.

After being limited to just 3 hits in Game One, the Ducks exploded for 14 hits and 13 runs in the night cap.  Lead-off hitter Fehlandt Lentini was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI.  Delta Cleary Jr. went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

L.I. Ducks: Flock's Last Chance to Reel in Bluefish

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Liberty Division Showdown

GAME ONE

Bridgeport Bluefish

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

THE POND

Long Island Ducks: Hook those Fish! Letting them linger will only cause trouble..

September's arrival still finds the Liberty Division in a tourniquet.

The first place Somerset Patriots own a tenuous 1-game lead over the Bridgeport Bluefish and Ducks - both presently tied for second.

The turning calendar also means Long Island has just 20 more games with which to gain a leg up on a potential second half title.  That's why the Flock can ill afford to let these next three games against the Bridgeport Bluefish become the proverbial big ones that got away.

Long Island had their chance to make the Liberty Division a 2-team race last week, but instead were swept by the Bluefish at Harbor Yard.  This time around, Long Island will host, and must reciprocate.

Meanwhile, Somerset is marching on Sugar Land this week.

Ferry Cup Series Highlights: Lotta Fight in them Fish..

With regards to the Ferry Cup Series, the Fish already clinched this year's victory with last week's aforementioned sweep over the Flock, improving their season record to 14-10 over their Long Island Sound rivals with just these final three, albeit very important games left to play.

• Bridgeport jumped out to an early lead in May, winning 5 of their first 6 games against the Ducks.

• The Ducks roster looked much different in June than it does today.  After a series opening loss in Bridgeport, those Ducks won 7 straight over the Fish which included a 4-game sweep at the Pond.

• Bridgeport, however, waited till the dog days of summer to inflict most of their damage.  Since July, the Fish have posted an 8-2 record against the Ducks, completing a pair of series sweeps and splitting another.

No Pain No Gain: Flex Those Wings..!

Sometimes all this talk of chasing down a division pennant makes Long Island's 13 game lead in the Wild Card standings over Lancaster easy to overlook.

Despite incurring major mid-season roster upheavals, the Ducks still remain one of only two teams playing above the .600 mark.

Somerset leads the circuit with a 77-43 overall season record, while Long Island boasts an impressive 72-48 record of their own.

The next closest team are the Freedom Division leading Southern Maryland Blue Crabs with a 61-58 mark.  I also always find this a good time for reminding how division realignment screwed the Ducks these last 2 seasons.

I digress.

The Flock nevertheless better take their vitamins and do some push-ups in order to strengthen their weary wings.  They have much flying to do en rout to the post-season.

Ten of Long Island's next 13 games are at home, but will then conclude the season with 7 games on the road.

Next: Bye-bye Liberty; Hello Freedom...

This series against Bridgeport is additionally Long Island's final three games against the division.

The balance of the Ducks' season will be played against Freedom Division teams: Blue Crabs, River Sharks, Skeeters, Revolution, and the defending champion Barnstormers in the season's finale at Lancaster.

L.I. Ducks: Going Bluefishing

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

First Place Ducks gotta stomp the Fish while they're down!

Bridgeport leads 2015 Ferry Cup Series 11-10

TONIGHT

Game One

Long Island Ducks

vs.

Bridgeport Bluefish

FROM

Ballpark at Harbor Yard

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Flock can turn Liberty Division into a two team race by filleting the Fish now.

The Ducks split 4 games against the Camden RiverSharks earlier this the month.

Otherwise, they have won every series played in August.  After taking 3 of 4 from the Patriots in Somerset, the Flock returned home over the weekend to gain vindication with a 2 of 3 series win over Camden.

The Long Island Ducks are now 16-6 in August, remaining the hottest team in the league.

With Sunday's 5-1 Long Island victory and Somerset's loss to the Revs, the Ducks enter Monday's action one full game in first place ahead of the Patriots, and 2 games ahead of the Bridgeport Bluefish.

The Fish, in turn, defeated the Skeeters in Sugar Land, setting the stage for the Liberty Division's latest showdown with first place implications - not before a long ride home from Texas however.  On the other hand, the Ducks farthest jaunt this past week was their trip to New Jersey.

The Bridgeport Bluefish will host this time.  They own a slim 11-10 advantage in the season series.

In truth, these teams have taken turns battering each other, with little middle ground.  After the Bridgeport Bluefish won 5 of the first 6 meetings of the season, the Ducks bounced back with a 3-1 series win, and followed that with a 4 game sweep.  The Fish rebounded with a sweep during encounter number five, while the teams split a pair their last time around.

There's No Time Like the Present - The Fish are only 3-7 in their last 10 games, seemingly making this a perfect time for Long Island recapturing control of this season long Ferry Cup Series, and essentially eliminating the Fish from what is presently 3-team race.

L.I. Ducks ~ Salvage Game Versus Bridgeport; At The Game

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE
*Corrected on Tuesday

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  Another Fine Day in The Pond.

The Ducks salvaged a win versus the Bridgeport Bluefish Sunday afternoon in the second installment of this season's Ferry Cup Series.  The Bluefish now lead the benefit series four games to one.  Game Three will be Monday.

Play Ball!  First Pitch

Long Island's starter, Randy Keisler, labored through 102 pitches in six innings.  He was touched for six hits and three earned runs.  And struggled with control, walking four, and struck out three.


Bridgeport took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two run home run by third baseman, Brock Peterson.  But Long Island struck back for three runs in their half of the inning.  Ray Navarrete led off the home half of the fourth with a walk.  Brandon Sing followed with a single.  Then Shawn Williams drove them both home with a one out triple.  Ried Gorecki lofted a fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly RBI, and a 3-1 Ducks lead.  Bridgeport tied the game however in their next at-bat off Randy Keisler.

By the sixth inning, Randy Keisler's day was through.  But not before the Ducks supplied him with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, to put Keisler on the winning side of the game again.  This was Randy's third win of the season against just one loss.


After Shawn Williams led of with another extra-base hit; a double this time; Ried Gorecki drove him home with a single.  Josh Johnson followed with another single to score Gorecki who had previously advanced to second.  Yet another single by Bryant Nelson later delivered Josh Johnson.  A sac-fly by Brandon Sing drove home Kraig Binick, and the fourth Ducks' run of the frame.  An error led to one more Long Island run in the eighth, giving them an 8-3 lead, and eventual final.

Kraig Binick and Ray Navarrete

Brandon Sing

In the lead-off spot, Kraig Binick was 3 for 4 Sunday, with a walk, and two runs scored.  First baseman Shawn Williams, was 2 for 4, with a double, triple, and two RBI.  Ried Gorecki also had two RBI.


After Randy Keisler, Long Island's bullpen took care of the final three innings.  Jason Monti pitched two innings, allowed three hits and two walks, and struck out three.  Jeremy Hill closed out the ninth inning, surrendering a hit, and a walk


The Ducks begin a four set in Camden against the River Sharks Tuesday evening.

My Sixth Inning Foul Ball.

Mike.BTB