Long Island Ducks Playoff Preview: Showdown Versus Somerset

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Atlantic League Playoffs: The Final Four

Back on September 15th, Long Island toppled the Revolution in York, while the Patriots overran the Bluefish at Harbor Yard.  The combination earned the Ducks their 10th playoff berth in the last 12 years.

The Somerset Patriots, meanwhile, posted an Atlantic League best 89-50 overall record this season, bulldozing their way to both first and second half Liberty Division flags.

The Patriots and Ducks were the only teams to post 80-wins or better this season, as Long Island went 80-59 to qualify for this year's Wild Card.

The Pond will host the first two games of this long simmering Liberty Division feud, after which the series will come to a head in Somerset for Games Three through Five, if necessary.

Lancaster Barnstormers Poised to Defend Title

After a poor first half, the Lancaster Barnstormers rolled to a second half title, thus earning the right to defend their crown.  They closed out the season with a 7-game winning streak and won 8 of their last 10 games.

They'll host the first half champ Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for Games One and Two of the Freedom Division semi-final series.  The Blue Crabs will then host Games Three through Five, if necessary.

Long Island Ducks Playoff Preview

LIBERTY DIVISION PLAYOFF

GAME ONE

Somerset Patriots

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

THE POND

LONG ISLAND WON SEASON SERIES 

OVER SOMERSET 10-7

ICYMI:
Long Island Ducks Season Preview: Championship Series or Bust

The entrance gates at Bethpage Ballpark were locked early last year - certainly earlier than Long Island fans had grown to expect.  Autumn instead ushered in a sense of loss, as the Flock failed to qualify for post-season play in 2014, and thus surrendered the right to defend their Atlantic League crown.

Previous to that, the Ducks appeared in three straight championship series, while winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, marking their second and third Atlantic League championships in the organization's history.

• After failing to make the playoffs during their first four years of existence, the Flock lifted their first trophy back in 2004.

General manager Michael Pfaff now has The Flock back in position to win a fourth. He joined old reliable veterans and crowd favorites with fresh new faces whom together produced the league's second best record.  It required mining new talent the old fashioned way, however, panning and sifting for bits of gold in places where the competition was not.

So make no mistake, getting the Ducks in this position was no easy task.  Division realignment forcing the Patriots to join the Liberty Division two years ago made sure of that, while roster picking exemplified by Lew Ford's brief departure to Mexico only compounded Long Island's troubles.  On that note, Coach Baez deserves credit for keeping his team together in the face of losing their top producers.

Those factors, however, only held some sway with regards to Long Island's own general missteps along the way.  As the first half wound down, a poor showing during an extended series in Sugar Land rendered Long Island's end of half series finale against the first place Patriots an inconsequential matter.

The Ducks then followed up with a sub-par 34-35 second half record, finishing 5 games back of Somerset.

Moreover, they went on to lose their last 5 games of the regular season since clinching a spot in this year's tournament, which includes getting swept by the defending champion Lancaster Barnstormers in the season series finale.

The Patriots didn't exactly end their season on a great note either.  They dropped their final two games, and went 6-4 in their last 10 games.

OFFENSE COMPARISON/Atlantic League Rank:

• Hits - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #6
• Runs Scored - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #2
• Team Average - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #7
• Doubles - Patriots #1 vs. Ducks #2
• Home Runs - Ducks #4 vs. Patriots #5
• Total Bases - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #5
• OPS - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #5

With Lew Ford having spent time in Mexico, and Jon Griffin on the disabled list since August 19, veteran shortstop Dan Lyons wound up leading the team with 11 home runs and 73 RBI.  Lew Ford ended with 63 RBI, despite being a triple crown threat upon his departure.

Sean Burroughs played 37 games for the Ducks and batted a robust .366 in 145 at-bats since being acquired from Bridgeport. His combined .340 batting average led the league.  Lew Ford otherwise led the team with an non-qualifying .364 average.

Somerset's lefty swinging Michael Burgess leads either team with 15 regular season home runs, and  drove in 59 runs. Team mate David Vidal led the team with 63 RBI and clubbed 12 home runs.  And Thomas Neal led the team with a .290 average.

PITCHING COMPARISON/Atlantic League Rank:

• ERA - Patriots #1 vs. Ducks #3
• Average Against - Patriots #1 vs. Ducks #2
• WHiP - Patriots #1 vs. Ducks #2
• Least Hits Allowed - Patriots #1 vs. Ducks #2
• Strikeouts - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #7
• Least Walks - Patriots #2 vs. Ducks #7
• Saves - Ducks #1 vs. Patriots #2

Starter John Brownell tied for league lead with 12 victories, and led the circuit with 146 strikeouts in 175.2 innings pitched.  Ian Marshall's season waned, finishing 7-7 with a 4.38 ERA over 143.2 innings pitched, with 92 strikeouts.  August acquisition Billy Buckner went 8-3 with an even 4.00 ERA over 69.2 innings pitched, with 73 strikeouts.

Despite top pitcher Sean Bierman getting picked off the roster back in July, Somerset is still well armed.  Matt Zielinski went 8-4 with a 2.86 ERA.  Mickey Storey tied John Brownell with 12 victories, and posted a 2.53 ERA over 106.2 innings pitched, and lefty starter Ray Merritt, a late August acquisition from the Sugar Land Skeeters, boasts a 2.88 ERA.

Long Island Ryan Kussmaul finished the season third in the league with 28 saves and a 3.42 ERA.   Amalio Diaz kicked in with 14 saves and a 2.77 ERA.  Patriots closer and former Duck, Jon Hunton finished second in the circuit with 32 saves, and posted a 3.09 ERA.

Let the games begin!

Go Ducks.

L.I. Ducks: First Half Hopes Derailed in Sugar Land

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

First Half Final

46-23  .667

2nd place

Long Island Ducks: Sugar Land Skeeters intercept Flock's migration towards a potential first half title; Ducks drop 5 of 6 in Texas rendering anticipated showdown against Somerset Patriots meaningless.

July 8, 2015, Wednesday - Atlantic League All-Star Game

What more could they have done?

The Ducks posted two 10-game winning streaks in June, en route to the finest first half in their organization's history, yet, are left lamenting their costly slip against the Sugar Land Skeeters, and the resulting failure of not capturing a 1st half flag.

The Ducks started June five games out of 1st place.  They won their first 10 games of the month, then after losing a series opener to the Bluefish, proceeded to win another 10 in a row, right up until their dreadful encounter with the Skeeters.

The Ducks lost 5 of 6 games in Sugar Land.  Meanwhile, the Patriots continued playing relentless baseball.

Long Island then swept 4 games from Lancaster, and took 2 of 3 from the Patriots to end the first half.  As it turned out, the Ducks finished second in the Liberty Division, 3.5 games back of the Somerset Patriots.

What could have been....?

Not much else to say, really.

Only thing left is to give credit where due - the Somerset Patriots played phenomenal baseball over the season's 1st half.  They posted their own 10-game win streak in June en route to setting an Atlantic League record 50-20 first half mark.

If Ducks fans really want to ruffle their own feathers, they should additionally blame the league's division realignment..., again.  Had things stayed they way they were, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs would have finished 4-games back of the Ducks.  Instead, the Blue Crabs captured the Freedom Division 1st half flag.

Seems like everyone is benefiting except Long Island, hmm?

It gets worse..., in a manner of speaking.

The Long Island Ducks will start the second half of the season without what was the Atlantic League's pitching triple crown contender, Mickey Jannis.  The knuckler's contract was purchased by the New York Mets on July 1st.  Upon his departure, he was leading the league with 67 strikeouts and a 1.18 ERA, and was third in the circuit with 6 victories against just 2 losses.

Good luck to Mickey Jannis, of course.  I'm look forward to watching him rise through the Mets system.  He reported to (A+) Port St. Lucie.

However, losing Jannis is a big blow, as Long Island's starting rotation really hit its stride once Andrew Barbosa signed on.  The Ducks and GM Michael Pfaff are now left scrambling to minimize any recurrent instability this may cause.

If you remember, usual reliever Eric Niesen opened the season in the starting rotation.  That did now work out well, and Niesen was ultimately moved to Bridgeport on May 31st (completing an earlier transaction).  Starter Mark Rogers also started the season in the rotation, and likewise struggled this season.  He was similarly dealt to the Bluefish on June 30th.

Michael Pfaff wasted no time though.  On the same day, the Ducks signed 39-year old southpaw J.C. Romero, whom last pitched in the majors for St. Louis and Baltimore during the 2012 season.  He spent the 2013 season pitching AAA baseball in the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians organizations.  In 2014, he made 20 appearances during the Puerto Rican winter league season.  This year, Romero made 5 appearances for Puebla of the (AAA) Mexican circuit prior to signing with the Ducks.  So far, he has thrown 3.2 innings in 3 appearances.

*   *   * 2015 *   *   *

ATLANTIC LEAGUE 

ALL-STAR GAME

WEDNESDAY

Freedom Division

(Blue Crabs - Skeeters - Barnstormers - Revolution)

vs.

Liberty Division

(Patriots - Ducks - Riversharks - Bluefish)

FROM 

the Ballpark at Harbor Yard 

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Lew Ford is participating in the Home Run Derby.

2015 Long Island Ducks ~ Atlantic League All-Stars:

• SP - Ian Marshall - 12 starts, 71.0 inn, 3-4 record w/ 3.04 ERA, 43 strikeouts
• RP - Ryan Kussmaul - 31 games, 33.1 inn, 3-0 record w/ 2.70 ERA, *22 Saves
• 1B - Jon Griffin - .239/.312/.389, 9 HR, 45 RBI
• SS - Dan Lyons - .327, 5 HR, 38 RBI
• 3B - Cody Puckett - .274, 4 HR, 24 RBI
• OF - Lew Ford - *.361/*432/*.556, *96 Hits, *26 Doubles, 8 HR, *58 RBI
• OF - Bryan Sabatella - .302, *54 runs, *20 Stolen Bases

• *  Leads Atlantic League

Lew Ford, who turns 39-years old in August, is an obvious choice for 1st half Atlantic League MVP. His .361 batting average is 34 points better than the league's 2nd leading hitter and team mate, Dan Lyons.

In fact, the league's top four hitters play for the Long Island Ducks.  Delta Cleary Jr. is 3rd in the circuit with a .326 mark, and Reegie Corona is 4th with a .325 average.

While Jon Griffin's slash appears light, he has nonetheless provided the pop expected of him.  He is part of a pack tied for 2nd in the circuit with 9 home runs.  Griffin's 45 RBI are second only to Lew Ford, whom leads the league by a wide margin with 58 RBI.

Shortstop Dan Lyons wielded a particularly lethal bat in June.  As the customary #9 batter in the order, he is 2nd in the league in hitting, and 4th in the league with 38 RBI.

The table setter, Bryan Sabatella (.302/.360) is 4th in the league in doubles, 3rd in hits, and leads the Atlantic League in runs scored and stolen bases.


Let's Go Liberty Division..



Mike

L.I. Ducks: Look What Bridgeport Did to the Flock, Again

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Bridgeport leads Ferry Cup Series 6-1

I - BPT 10; LID 2

II - BPT 9; LID 0

III - BPT 7; LID 6

IV - LID 5; BPT 2

V - BPT 7; LID 3

VI - BPT 9; LID 7

VII - BPT 3; LID 2
VIII - Friday Night

Long Island Ducks: Bridgeport Continues Giving Flock the Bunker Fish Treatment.

Not hear; not tonight; the Bluefish said ten was enough.

After sweeping a pair of four game series from the Camden Riversharks and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the Long Island Ducks had their league high 10 game winning streak snapped by the Bluefish Thursday night at the Ballpark at Harbor Yards.

A costly error by Lew Ford in the 5th inning of Thursday's series opener provided Bridgeport's margin of victory.

Not incidentally, it was Lew Ford who opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st.  Reegie Corona then scored on DH Randy Ruiz's ground ball to give the Ducks an early 2-0 lead.

Bridgeport got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd.  A lead-off single by shortstop Matt Wessinger off Ducks starter Ian Marshall, and a 1-out single by third sacker Sean Burroughs set up right fielder Welington Dotel's RBI sac-fly.  In the 4th, second baseman Luis Rodriguez led-off with a double off Marshall, and shortly scored on left fielder Jake Luce's ground ball put-out, tying the game at two.

In the fateful 5th, first baseman John Alonso stroked a 1-out single of Marshall.  With 2-outs, Lew Ford misplayed DH Frazier Hall's hit for a 2-base error.  Alonso scored the go ahead, and inevitably the winning run on the play.

Starting pitcher Ian Marshal battled himself over 6.2 innings pitched walking 6 batters, but otherwise allowed a pair of earned runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts.  He now owns a 3-2 record in 8 starts, with a 2.54 ERA (10th in the Atlantic League).

The Ducks fell to the Bluefish for the 6th time in 7 meetings this season.

With Thursday's victory, the 3rd place Bluefish improved their record to a 19-26 mark.  They've scored the 2nd least runs in the Atlantic League this season, yet are 2nd in team batting and feature 10 of the league's top 10 hitters.

They especially love hitting against the Ducks.  In their 7 games thus far, the Bluefish have nearly doubled Long Island's output, outscoring them by a 47-25 margin, or, 6.7 runs per game against just 3.5 runs per game for the Ducks.

Bridgeport's staff owns the league's 3rd worst ERA, and the 2nd worst WHiP.  Just don't tell the Ducks.  In 3 of their 7 losses against the Fish, Long Island was shut out once and held to just 2 runs on two other occasions, including Thursday's game.

This all means the Ducks had better get the Bluefish figured out, and quick.  Long Island has 7 more games remaining against Bridgeport prior to what's shaping up as their first-half ending showdown against Somerset over the 4th of July weekend.

Long Island's 10 game winning streak nevertheless cut the Somerset Patriots lead to just 2.5 games (down from 5 games back) in the standings.  However, Somerset defeated the Barnstormers Thursday night to reset their division lead at 3 games over the Ducks.

FLOCK FRACKERS:

Lew Ford still leads the Atlantic League with 16 doubles and 39 RBI.  He's 3rd with a .511 slugging mark, 4th with a .324 batting average, and 5th with a .403 OBP.   Jon Griffin is 2nd behind Ford with 36 RBI, and is 2nd in the league with 8 home runs.  Ford and Griffin are the only two league players to surpass 30 RBI so far this season.

Setting the table for them is lead-off batter Bryan Sabatella.  He tops the the league with 200 at-bats, 61 hits, 39 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases.  He presently sports a .305 average and .359 OBP.



Mike

L.I. Ducks: Salvage Split Against Somerset Patriots.

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Ducks and Patriots split series 2-2

I - LID 7; SOM 6

II - SOM 1; LID 0

III - SOM 3; LID 0

IV - LID 3; SOM 0

LIBERTY DIVISION

1) Somerset       23-11

2) Long Island  19-15

Long Island Ducks: Flock enters the second leg trailing the Somerset Patriots by 4 games.  After Saturday's performance, Andrew Barbosa appears poised to help close the gap,

Starter Andrew Barbosa delivered a message Saturday, which Somerset heard loud and clear.  His Game Four performance boldly proclaimed - Careful how you proceed forward, the Ducks can pitch too!

Andrew Barbosa's signing allowed Eric Niesen, whom struggled as a starter, to return to his customary reliever role.

Making his third appearance as a Duck, Barbosa out-dueled Somerset starter Matt Zielinski for 7 innings.  He allowed no runs on just 4 hits, walked 2 and fanned 10 Patriots batters.  He exited on the winning side of a 3-0 game.

His opponent threw 7 innings as well, but allowed 3 earned runs on 9 hits.  He walked none and fanned 4 batters before exiting on the losing side.

Jon Griffin put the Ducks ahead with a 2-run home run in the top of the 4th, and Mike Blanke's base hit in the top of the 7th scored Reegie Corona to give the Ducks their 3-0 margin of victory.

Ryan Kussmaul earned his league leading 9th save.

The Ducks are now 19-15 for the season, and with a series split in Somerset they've gotten back within 4 games of the 1st place Patriots again.

While starter Mark Rogers continues trying to straighten himself out, Andrew Barbosa joins John Brownell, Mickey Jannis, and Ian Marshall to form an effective quartet as the Ducks try and chase down Somerset in the second leg of their race for a first half flag.

These teams will meet again over the 4th of July weekend.  The series also closes out the first half, and might even decide who captures the first half flag.

The Ducks second leg starts Sunday against the visiting York Revolution.  The Patriots head to Bridgeport for an encounter with the Bluefish.

Mike

Long Island Ducks Look to Close Out Camden Before Showdown Against Patriots

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Last tune up before showdown against Somerset Patriots.

Long Island Ducks: Calm Before The Storm - Flock Needs a Good Game in Series Finale Against Camden to Set Tone for Showdown Versus Somerset Patriots.

Game One: John Brownell Dominates Riversharks in Series Opener

Sunday

Camden Riversharks

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

The Pond

The Ducks and visiting Camden Riversharks split a double-header Saturday, thus ending Long Island's 6-game winning streak.

In the opening game, Coach Baez tabbed Sergio Perez for another short start.  He tossed 2 innings, allowed no runs and no hits, walked 3 and fanned two before giving way to Bruce Kern.

Kern in turn, threw 3 innings, allowed no runs on just one hit, walked one and fanned 3 to earn the victory.

Camden's lone run came in the 6th inning off reliever Patrick Crider.

Delta Cleary Jr. was one man show in the 3rd inning as Long Island rallied for 3 runs off Riversharks starter Zachary Clark.  Cleary singled home Dan Lyons and Bryan Sabatella, then stole second base, and scored on Cody Puckett's RBI single.

After leading off the 4th with a base hit, Jose morales eventually scored the Ducks' 4th run on a wild pitch.  In the 5th, Cody Puckett drove in Delta Cleary Jr. for a second time to give the Ducks their final 5-1 margin of victory.

In the night cap, Camden roared back to post their 15th victory of the season, and snap Long Island's winning streak at 6 games.

Ian Marshall made 109 pitches in a conventional start for Long Island, but battled with control issues. He lasted 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and an untenable 7 walks, while fanning 5 batters.  Eric Niesen entered the game in the 6th in relief of Marshall and surrendered another 3 earned runs, but the damage had already been done.

Long Island only managed a run in the 4th, and an unearned run in the 9th, in bowing 7-2 to the Riversharks.  Dan Lyons and Mike Blanke delivered the run scoring hits.

Lew Ford Tracker:
4th in batting - .351
3rd in OBP - .434
2nd in slugging - .577
1st in RBI - 31

The Ducks and Riversharks conclude their 4-game series this afternoon.  After which they'll get 2 days off, then head to Somerset for a 4-game showdown against the 1st place Patriots.

This will be the team's first meeting of the season.

Somerset remains the hottest team in the league.  They're the lone Atlantic League team left with single-digit losses.  They enter today's action with a 20-8 record, and are winners of 8 of their last 10 games.  The Ducks are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and enter this afternoon's game in 2nd place of the Liberty Division with a 16-13 record, 4.5 games back of 1st, and with the Bridgeport Bluefish also on hot on their tail feathers.




Mike

L.I. Ducks: Bridgeport continues dominance over Flock

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Bridgeport Bluefish 

win second straight series over 

Long Island Ducks

Bluefish Lead Ferry Cup Series 5-1

I - BPT 10; L.I. 2

II - BPT 9; L.I. 0

III - BPT 7; L.I. 6

*

IV - L.I. 5; BPT 2

V - BPT 7; L.I. 3

VI - BPT 9; L.I. 7

Long Island Ducks: Bridgeport Responsible For Half Of Flock's Losses.

After getting swept by the Bluefish in Bridgeport last week, the Ducks tried exacting their revenge, albeit unsuccessfully, against the Bluefish beginning with Tuesday's game at the Pond.

Long Island took series opener behind the pitching of John Brownell, and the hitting of Lew Ford.

Brownell faced 28 batters over his 7 innings pitched, and threw 98 pitches, with 63 (64%) going for strikes.  He allowed a pair of earned runs on 6 hits and one walk, and fanned 4 batters to join the league leaders with his third victory of the season.

Closer Ryan Kussmaul earned his league leading 6th save of the season.

Lew Ford was Tuesday's hitting star.  He went 4 for 4 at the plate, with a double and 3-run home run in the 3rd inning to help push the Ducks passed the Bluefish by a 5-2 final.

In Wednesday night's game, Ian Marshall made the start, and was opposed by Bridgeport's Scott Maine.

Marshall allowed earned runs in the 3rd and 4th innings, and exited to a no-decision after 5 innings pitched.

In the bottom of the 4th, Cody Puckett led the Ducks off with a double.  Jon Griffin and Jose Morales both singled to load the bases.   With 1-out, DH Blake Davis was hit with a Scott Maine pitch to force a run across the plate.  Then with 2-outs, Dan Lyons drew a walk to tie the game at two.  The Ducks, however, left the bases loaded.

The Bluefish then went on to tally 5 more runs against Long Island's bullpen.  Except for a Lew Ford home run in the 7th, the Bluefish bullpen locked down the Ducks for a 7-3 victory, and series split.

In Thursday's rubber game, neither starting pitcher fared well.  Eric Niesen toed the rubber for Long Island.  He faced 27 batters and threw 93 pitches, with only 56 (60%) going for strikes.  In 5 full innings pitched, he allowed 7 runs (5 ER) on 10 hits and a pair of walks, with 4 strikeouts.  He exited on the losing side of a 7-6 game.

Niesen was opposed by Bridgeport's Cory Riordan, whom only lasted 4.2 innings.  He allowed 6 earned runs on 10 hits and a walk, with one strikeout.  He earned a no-decision for his efforts.   Reliever Erik Braxton pitched to a pair of batters in the 5th, to earn the victory.

Despite 3 home runs and 14 hits by the Ducks, they found themselves on the short side on a 9-7 game.  Jon Griffin was 3 for 4 hit 2 home runs, and now has 4 for the season.  Dan Lyons was 3 for 5 with a double and RBI, and improved his average to a .290 mark.  At the top of the order, Bryan Sabatella and Reggie Corona combined to go 4 for 6 with 2 runs scored.

Lew Ford leads the circuit with 18 RBI.

Is Eric Niesen pitching out of his element?  Prior to this season, he made 312 career appearances, but only 76 as a starter.  The former reliever was pressed into the starting rotation this season.  He is 0-2 after 4 starts this season.  In 19 innings pitched, he has allowed 13 earned runs on 27 hits and 10 walks, with 20 strikeouts (4th most in Atlantic League).  In Thursday's game, his ERA grew from 5.14, to a 6.16 mark.

NEXT

Long Island Ducks

@

Lancaster Barnstormers

The Ducks are now 4-7 in their last 10 games, and leveled out at 10-10 for the season.  They presently trail the 1st place Somerset Patriots by 3 games.



Mike

L.I. Ducks: The Monday Swim - 5/11/15

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

5/11/15

Liberty Division Standings:

1) Somerset  9-6

2) Camden   10-7

3) Bridgeport  8-7

4) Long Island  9-8

Long Island Ducks: Wading in crowded waters.

After getting swept by the Bridgeport Bluefish, the Ducks turned their fortunes around by taking 3 of 4 games from the defending Atlantic League champions.

Long Island hosted the Lancaster Barnstormers for a weekend series.  On Friday, the teams engaged in a wild affair.  Jon Griffin, who's been struggling at the plate, connected on a game winning RBI double in the bottom of the 9th to give the Ducks an 11-10 victory.

They played a twin bill on Saturday.  The Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd, and held on for a 3-2, 7-inning final.  Making his first appearance as a Duck, Nick Struck pitched 2 innings in relief of starter Bruce Kern to earn the victory.  Reggie Corona was 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Dan Lyons drove in his 6th run of the season.

• Nick Struck, 25, spent his first 4 seasons as a pro in the Chicago Cubs system.  He then spent most of last season with the L.A. Dodgers AA affiliate.  He has 36 appearances and 179 innings pitched at the AAA level.  He has 678.1 total innings pitched in his minor league career, with a 4.26 ERA, a 1.426 WHiP, and a 6.1 K/9 average.

In Game Two, the Ducks cruised to a 6-1 victory behind the hitting of Lew Ford and Cody Puckett, and a brilliant performance from (reactivated) starter Mark Rogers.  Batting 3rd and 4th respectively, Ford and Puckett combined to go 5 for 7, with 3 runs scored, and 4 RBI.

• After a pair of sub-par outings, Mark Rogers earned his first win of the season.  In 6 innings pitched, he faced 20 batters, threw 76 pitches, with 48 (63%) going for strikes.  He allowed no runs, on no hits, walked one, and fanned 8 batters.

On Mother's Day, the Barnstormers salvaged the series finale with a 4-3 win.  Starter Mickey Jannis got touched up for 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits over 6.1 innings pitched.  He walked a pair and fanned a pair in suffering his second straight defeat.

The Ducks nevertheless climbed back above .500 again, improving their record to a 9-8 mark.

NEXT

THE REMATCH

Bridgeport Bluefish

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

from

THE POND

As the Ducks learned first hand, the Bridgeport Bluefish are presently the best hitting team in the league.  For the moment, they boast four of the league's ten .300 hitters.  As a team, they lead the league with a .267 mark, and lead the league with 78 runs scored.  In their last meeting, the Bluefish outscored the Ducks by a 26-8 margin.

The Ducks .242 batting average and their .346 slugging both rank sixth in the league, yet, they are third with 71 runs scored.  They are fourth in the league with a .314 OBP, and lead the league with 19 stolen bases.

Long Island additionally has the distinction of leading the Atlantic League with 141 strikeouts, with no one creating more wind than Jon Griffin.  He has fanned 25 times in 61 at-bats, for a rate of 41%.   Evan Crawford and Bryan Sabatella aren't too far behind with 19 whiffs each.

There are several Ducks wielding very productive bats though.  Second baseman Reggie Corona is second in the Atlantic League with a .383 average, while his .420 OBP and .532 slugging both rank fourth.  Cody Puckett's 4 home runs are tied for second in the circuit.  He and Lew Ford are both tied for second in the league with 12 RBI.

On the hill, the Ducks 3.17 ERA, 1.24 WHiP, and .228 average against, are all third best.  Long Island pitchers are tied for the league lead with 130 combined strikeouts, however, they've issued the third most walks.

John Brownell, Mickey Jannis, Ian Marshall, and Mark Rogers, have all made 3 starts, and all have ERA's below three:

• Brownell - 2.25
• Marshall - 2.25
• Rogers - 2.63
• Jannis - 2.76

In the bullpen, closer Ryan Kussmaul is in a three way tie for the league lead with 5 saves.

Recent Transactions:

• Catcher Mike Blanke sold to Boston.  
• Reliever Hector Ambriz sold to Washington.  
• Mark Rogers reinstated.
• Signed pitcher Nick Struck.

Mike

L.I. Ducks: The Monday Swim - 5/4/15

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

The Ducks began the 2014 with a 5-5 record, 

en route to a 41-29 first half record.

Long Island Ducks: John Brownell, Cody Puckett, and Ryan Kussmaul, lead Flock out of the starting gate.

The Atlantic League was off Monday.

The Ducks have posted a 6-4 record in their first 10 games of the season.  They kicked off the year in York and took 2 of 3 games from the Revolution, then split four games in South Maryland against the Blue Crabs.

Long Island hosted their home opener on May 1st against the Sugar Land Skeeters.  The Ducks dropped the series finale on Sunday, but took 2 of 3 games in the series.

That's two series victories and a split to start the season.

However, by virtue of one less game played and one less loss, the Somerset Patriots have slipped into 1st place of the Liberty Division, a 1/2 game ahead of both the Camden Riversharks and Long Island Ducks.

Despite dropping 2 of 3 to the Ducks over the weekend, the Sugar Land Skeeters lead the Freedom Division by one game over last year's A.L. champions, the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Lew Ford and Cody Puckett lead the Ducks in hits and average.  At present, they are the team's two .300 hitters.  Cody Puckett also leads the team and the Atlantic League with four home runs.  Both Ford and Puckett are tied with 7 RBI.  The Ducks have hit 8 home runs as a team.

Newcomer Jon Griffin is off to a rough start, batting .152 with one home run and 6 RBI, and leading the team with 13 strikeouts.  As the lead-off man, Bryan Sabatella is only batting .244, but at least boasts a .333 OBP, with 3 doubles, 3 stolen bases, and 8 runs scored.

On the mound, starter John Brownell has been nothing short of excellent.  In 2 starts and 15.0 innings pitched, he is yet to surrender a run, allowed a mere 6 hits, walked 3 and fanned 9 batters.  Ian Marshall joins Brownell with a 2-0 record.  In 11 innings pitched, he also is yet to allow a run.   He has walked one thus far and fanned 5 batters.  In a change of roles, Eric Niesen has made 2 starts, and leads the team with 11 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.

Closer Ryan Kussmaul has appeared in 5 games, and so far has posted 4 saves.  He has not given up a hit, or run to this point, has walked a pair, and struck out 6 batters.

NEXT

Long Island Ducks

vs.

Bridgeport Bluefish

from

HARBOR PARK

The Long Island Ducks will visit Bridgeport to begin a 3 game series against the Bluefish on Tuesday.  The Connecticut Nine strike me as a better team than their early record may indicate.

On May 1st, the Long Island Ducks acquired outfielder Prentice Redman from the Bridgeport Bluefish for a player to be named later.  He was originally drafted by the Mets in the 10th round of the 1999 June draft.  He made his MLB debut in 2003, and participated in 15 games.  

Redman is 4 for 10 in 2 games for the Ducks so far.  He will turn 37-years old in August.  He played the last four seasons with Bridgeport.  In 2012 at age 32, he played 131 games, and hit 39 doubles, 21 home runs with 82 RBI, and slashed .282/.366/.489 in 503 at-bats.  Last season, he batted .270, with 16 home runs and 65 RBI.

Marking the first Pond casualty of the 2015 season, starter Mark Rogers was placed on the inactive list on May 2nd.  He struggled in two starts for the Ducks, allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in 7.2 innings pitched, with 5 strikeouts and a 4.69 ERA.

The Ducks will get their first look at the defending champions, when they host the Lancaster Barnstormers next weekend.  The Bluefish will then visit the Pond.



Mike