The Brooklyn Trolley Blogger: Matt Den Dekker

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Tuesday, June 11, 2019

L.I. Ducks: Rival Somerset Patriots Invade The Pond

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LIBERTY DIVISION

SHOWDOWN

SOMERSET PATRIOTS

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

FROM

THE POND

The Long Island Ducks enter Tuesday's action with an Atlantic League best 27-15 (.643) record.

They presently hold a precarious 1.5 game lead over the Somerset Patriots, who on Sunday won their sixth straight. The two rivals will be facing each other nine times over the next twenty days beginning with Tuesday's series opener at Bethpage Ballpark. After taking two of three this past weekend from the Ducks, the High Point Rockers enter Tuesday's action just 2.5 behind the leaders. After Long Island wraps up this coming series with Somerset, they'll be heading down to High Point for another four game weekend series against the Rockers. With 27 games left before the break, it appears to me the first-half winner of the Liberty Division flag will very likely distinguish itself over the remaining weeks of June.

PITCHING PLUNDER CONTINUES:

As expected, starting pitcher Sean Nolin last week had his contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners organization. At the time he was leading the circuit with six victories and ranked fifth with 45 strikeouts. He made eight appearances this season for the Ducks posting a perfect 6-0 record with a stellar 1.10 ERA and 0.927 WHiP through 41 innings pitched.

The departure of Sean Nolin makes him the eighth starting pitcher this season plucked from the Flock's fold. Congratulations to Jon Niese; Tim Melville; Darin Downs; George Kontos; Bennett Parry; Tim Adleman; Jose Cuas.

Thus Alec Asher was pressed into making his sixth start of the season against the Rockers on Saturday. He allowed three earned runs through five innings on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts in a losing effort.

Despite Sunday's 5-3 loss against the Rockers, Long Island's newly acquired right-hander Travis Banwart (signed as a free agent via the Mexican league) pitched seven strong innings allowing just one run on four hits and one walk with eleven strikeouts. He threw 118 pitches to 27 batters with 73 (65%) going for strikes. The now 33-year old is largely a product of the Oakland A's system, with time spent in the Cleveland Indians organization. He's otherwise a 13 year professional of affiliated minor league, international, and independent baseball with a career 4.18 ERA over 996.2 innings pitched.

The Ducks also signed St. Louis Cardinals product, 24-year old free agent right-hander Mike O'Reilly. He started the season making five relief appearances for the Cardinals AA affiliate where he posted a 7.94 ERA over just 11.1 innings pitched. Otherwise he owns a 20-13 record and 3.44 ERA and 1.106 WHiP in 305.2 innings pitched over four full minor league seasons. He appears to keep walks at a minimum and owns a 7.7 K/9 average.

Former Met Hangs Em Up:

Off-season acquisition Matt den Dekker decided to hang up his spikes and retire from the game. In 29 games for the Ducks the 31-year old outfielder slashed .268/.336/.446, with 12 doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI, and four stolen bases.

Monday, April 29, 2019

L.I. Ducks: Quack Attack Ends Three Day Siege of York

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

DUCKS SWEEP SERIES 3-0

I - LID 12; YRK 3

II - LID 14; YRK 0

III - LID 8; YRK 4

Flock Opens Season With Series Sweep of York Revolution.

Long Island's triumphant siege of the York Revolution has mercifully come to an end. To the victors go the season opening series spoils: three games in the win column.

To say the Ducks regular season is off to a resounding start is putting it mildly. With eight more runs in game three, Long Island outscores York in the series by a commanding 34-7 margin.

Matt den Dekker and Ivan DeJesus Jr. led Long Island's barrage with three hits apiece. Matt went 3 for 5 with two doubles; DeJesus was likewise 3 for 5 with two RBI. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was 2 for 4 with another two RBI. The Ducks batted 16 for 40 (.347) for the game, and were 7 for 16 (.437) with runners in scoring position as part of an overall 16 hit, eight run attack.

Darin Downs started the game but did not qualify for the victory. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts before exiting after four innings pitched. Tim Adleman followed, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts through two innings en route to his first relief victory of the season.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

L.I. Ducks: Potent Quack Attack Too Much For York Revolution

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

SEASON OPENING SERIES

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

YORK REVOLUTION

Long Island Ducks: Flock open their 20th season of baseball with resounding victory over York Revolution.

Lead-off batter and center fielder Rey Fuentes set the pace going 3 for 5 with a walk, double, a run scored, and four RBI. Second baseman Steve Lombardozzi was 3 for 4 with two walks, and two RBI. Meanwhile Matt den Dekker goes 2 for 5 with two RBI playing in his first independent league game with the Ducks.

The visiting Flock jumped out to a one run lead on Steve Lombardozzi one-out triple to right, who with two outs scored when Lew Ford reached safely on an error charged to York shortstop Ryan Dent. However, Long Island's lead was short lived. Tabbed with the season opening start, Bennett Parry surrendered a three run home run off the bat of Dent in the bottom of the second.

That's the way things stayed for both starting pitchers whom each put in five innings of work. York's Ross Detwiler exited on the winning side of a 3-1 affair after allowing just the one unearned run on three hits, no walks, and four strikeouts. Long Island's Bennett Parry exited on the hook having surrendered three earned runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. But wound up earning the victory as both team's fortunes then changed on a dime in the sixth. With the game placed in the hands of the respective bullpens, Long Island struck right away for six runs getting RBI hits from Rey Fuentes and Steve Lombardozzi, and a two run home run off the bat of Matt den Dekker. York helped the Ducks along on third baseman Nate Coronado's throwing error, and a wild pitch unleashed by reliever Julio Perez.

Rey Fuentes plated two more runs with a hit in the eighth. Then for good measure, the Ducks struck for three more runs in the ninth. With the bases loaded, York reliever Trevor Reckling issued consecutive walks to Rey Fuentes and Steve Lombardozzi setting up Kirk Nieuwenhuis' hit which plated Long Island's final run of the game giving them a 12-3 final margin of victory.

Ducks relievers Joe Iorio, Jose Cuas, and Tucker Healey, joined together on four scoreless innings, allowing four hits, no walks, and striking out three.