L.I. Ducks: Flock Rolls Another Nine

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long Island Ducks: Early Struggles Against Bridgeport Bluefish Becoming a Distant Memory.  Flock Takes Lead in Ferry Cup Series.

Fishing for Ten: Ducks Post 2nd Nine Game Winning Streak of June

Long Island started the season just 1-6 against Bridgeport.  They were outscored 47-25 in those first 7 games.

A series split against the Patriots back in May certainly didn't hurt the Ducks' standing.  That's why one might argue that within their initial poor play against Bridgeport this season lies the reason Long Island is not in first place today.

With Sunday's 8-3 victory, the Ducks have since defeated the Fish six straight times, and now lead the season series 7-6 heading into Monday night's series finale.  The Ducks have additionally turned the tables, and outscored the Fish by a 71-68 margin in the season series.

Sunday's win was Long Island's 9th straight victory, which marks their second such streak this month, and gives them a near perfect 19-1 record in June.  They improved to 38-17 for the season.

Ironically, it was the Fish who handed the Ducks their only loss this month, which halted their 10 game winning streak on June 11th.

Ruffling Feathers:

The league's #1 offense erupted for 12 runs against the Fish Saturday, and for another 8 runs on Sunday.  They have outscored Bridgeport this series by a 26-11 margin.

Catcher Jose Morales and DH Randy Ruiz provided most of Saturday's lumber, combining on 2 doubles, a home run, and 7 RBI.  Jon Griffin drove in a pair on Saturday, and another on Sunday to raise his season total to 39 RBI.

Bryan Sabatella returned to the lead-off spot on Sunday, going 2 for 5 with a runs scored, while Reegie Corona went 3 for 4, with 2 RBI.

There's presently no Ducks player hotter than Dan Lyons.  In his last 6 games, the Ducks shortstop is 8 for 17 (.470), with 2 home runs and 8 RBI.  His average up to .312 which now rates him 4th in the league, and his 31 RBI rank him 3rd behind team mates Lew Ford and Jon Griffin.

In fact, the Atlantic League leader board is covered in Ducks feathers.  Lew Ford still leads the circuit in hitting, and as noted, Ford, Griffin and Lyons lead the league in RBI.  Delta Cleary Jr. now has enough at-bats to qualify for 3rd in the circuit with a .323 average.

On the mound, John Brownell tops the league in strikeouts and is second in wins, while Mickey Jannis leads the circuit in ERA.

4th of July Weekend Showdown: T-Minus 11 Games

Despite losing 3.5 games in the standings to the Ducks since June 1st, the Somerset Patriots continue to set the pace in the Liberty Division race.  They are 8-2 in their last 10 games.  With yet another victory over the Sugar Land Skeeters on Sunday, Somerset became the first Atlantic League team to reach 40 victories this season, and thus retained their diminishing 1.5 game advantage over Long Island.

After Monday night's series finale against Bridgeport, the Ducks will migrate westward to Sugar Land, Texas, where they'll engage the Skeeters in a crucial 6-game series.  After which, they'll return home to host the Lancaster Barnstormers.

The Somerset Patriots will close out their series with Sugar Land Monday night, then travel to Lancaster to play the Barnstormers beginning Tuesday.  They'll return home to host the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs then head down the turnpike to visit the Camden Riversharks.

On Friday, July 3rd, the Somerset Patriots and Long island Ducks will open a 3-game series at Bethpage Ballpark that seemingly will determine the season's first-half Liberty Division champ.




Mike

L.I. Ducks: The Flock's Waddle is Strong

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LIBERTY DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) Somerset        37-16

2) Long Island   35-17

Long Island Ducks: Flock swat Sugar Land Skeeters to gain their latest series sweep; improve record to 16-1 in June.

The Long Island Ducks remain the Atlantic League's hottest team.

With Thursday night's victory over the Sugar Land Skeeters, the Flock completed their third series sweep in their last four, extended their most recent winning streak to 6 games, and improved their record to 16-1 in June after opening the month with a 10-game winning streak.

On June 1st, the Ducks lay 5 games back of the Liberty Division leading Somerset Patriots.  By close of business Thursday, Long Island cut Somerset's lead to just 1.5 games.  There are just 18 games remaining in the season's first half, and the teams are just 15 games away from what could prove to be a decisive head-to-head showdown for the first half crown.

Despite the Ducks torrid month of June, the Somerset Patriots have remained no less relentless.  They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, and 13-5 in June.  They just split 4 games with the Bridgeport Bluefish, and still lead the circuit with a 37-16 record.

Long Island will now host the Bridgeport Bluefish, whom given the Ducks quite a bit of trouble this season.  The Bluefish lead the season series by a 6-4 margin.  The Ducks were swept in their first meeting, and the Bluefish took 2 of 3 games in their second encounter.  Last weekend, the Ducks rebounded after losing the series opener to sweep the final 3 games.  On Friday they open a 4 game series at Bethpage Ballpark.

The Patriots will open a weekend series against the Sugar Land Skeeters in Somerset.

Ducks win series over Skeeters 3-0

I - LID 4; SLS 1

II - LID 3; SLS 1

III - LID 2; SLS 0

Mickey Jannis toed the rubber Thursday night for Long Island, and was opposed by Sugar Land's Roy Merritt.  The two dueled for 7 innings.

Jannis faced 24 batters and threw 94 pitches, with 55 going for strikes.  He allowed no runs on just 3 hits, walked 3 and fanned 5 batters before exiting on the winning side of a 2-0 game.

Merritt faced 25 batters and threw 91 pitches with 62 going for strikes.  Ducks DH Randy Ruiz hit Merritt's only mistake of the evening over the left field wall to give the Ducks their 2-0 margin of victory.   Lew Ford, who previously singled, scored.  Merritt otherwise limited the Ducks to 5 hits, walked none, and fanned 3 batters.

Mickey Jannis improved his record to 5-2, lowered his league leading ERA to a 1.31 mark, and now boasts the league's lowest (.183) batting average against.  He is also 4th in the league behind his team mate John Brownell with 49 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched, and owns a .950 WHiP.

Randy Ruiz's double in the second game of Wednesday's double-header proved to be the game winning RBI, as did his 2-run clout on Thursday.

Delta Cleary Jr., has batted lead-off the last 2 games, while Bryan Sabatella nurses a leg injury incurred during the first game of Wednesday's double-header against the Skeeters.  He went 3 for 4 in Wednesday's first game while batting the second slot, but went 0 for 7 in 2 games batting lead-off and watched his average dip from .339 to a .319 mark.

Lew Ford, however, is tied for the league lead with a .340 average, and still leads the circuit with 44 RBI.  First baseman Jon Griffin remains right behind him with 36 RBI.

Dan Lyons went 3 for 7 with 3 RBI in 3 games against the Skeeters.  He is now 6th in the league with 26 RBI, and kept his average hovering at the .300 mark.

On the mound, pitcher Andrew Barbosa continues providing the Ducks with high quality starts.  He started in Wednesday's first game of a double-header, pitched 6 innings, allowed no runs on just 3 hits, walked 3 and fanned 7 batters en route to his 3rd victory of the season.  He is 3-0 since joining Long Island with a 1.96 ERA.  Moreover, the Ducks are 6-0 in games he pitched.

Closer Ryan Kussmaul earned a save in each Long Island's 3 victories over Sugar Land, which included a pair during Wednesday's double-header.  He has a 2-0 record with a 2.03 ERA, and a league leading 16 saves.  He has struck out 23 batters in 26.2 innings pitched.

The Ducks offense have scored the most runs in the Atlantic League to date.  They also own the league's best team slash with a .279/.349/. 384 mark, and have stolen the most bases.

On the mound, Somerset and Long Island are running first and second in team ERA, batting average against, slugging against, and team WHiP.  However, Patriots pitchers have tossed 5 complete games, while the Ducks have tossed none.



Mike

L.I. Ducks: The Wednesday Swim; Battle of the ERA Kings

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

NEXT

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS

FROM

Underneath 

Ben Franklin Bridge Park 

Long Island Ducks: Somerset's Sean Bierman and the Flock's Mickey Jannis continue tossing gems; both lead Atlantic League with top ERA's.

After closing out the York Revolution on Tuesday, the Ducks packed their bags, locked up the Pond, and headed south to Camden, New Jersey, in preparation for Thursday's start of their 4-game week ending series against the Riversharks.

The Somerset Patriots, however, were far from idle.  On Wednesday, they increased their lead over the 2nd place Ducks to 5.5 games with a victory over the struggling, nonetheless defending Atlantic League champion Lancaster Barnstormers.

Lancaster starter Matt Packer pitched well enough to win on any other night, just not this particular night against the Patriots.  Packer lasted 7 innings, and allowed just one earned run on 5 hits and a walk, with 4 strikeouts.  He left the game on the losing side of a 1-0 game.

That's because in the bottom of the 2nd, who else but Chris Marrero led-off with a single, and soon came around to score on Robert Andino's 1-out RBI single for the game's only run.

In his last start, southpaw Sean Bierman dueled Long Island's Mickey Jannis.  Sean pitched 8 shut out innings, allowed 6 hits, walked one and fanned 4 batters, but exited to a no-decision as it took the Patriots 12 innings to gain a 1-0 victory.  Jannis pitched brilliantly as well, matching Bierman inning for inning.  He allowed no runs on just 3 hits, walked none and fanned 8 batters before likewise exiting to a no-decision.

• On Tuesday, Mickey Jannis brought the Ducks to within 5 games of the Patriots with 7.2 innings of no-hit baseball and 9 strikeouts en route to a 3-0 victory over the York Revolution.

In Wednesday's start against the Barnstormers, Somerset's Sean Bierman (indirectly) demonstrated to Long Island just how tough their quest of toppling the Patriots will be.  Bierman tossed a 3-hit, complete game shutout, while issuing just one walk.

Bierman lowered his ERA to a league leading 1.46 mark.  Mickey Jannis owns the league's 2nd best mark with a 1.55 ERA.

The Patriots 1-0 win over Lancaster stretched their lead over Long Island back to 5.5 games, with 32 first half games remaining on the schedule.




Mike

L.I. Ducks: Mickey Jannis Tosses One-Hitter Over York

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long Island Ducks: Mickey Jannis Loses No-Hit Bid After 7.2 Innings Pitched; Flock Win Rubber Game Over York.

On an atypically dank night for June baseball, Long Island Ducks right hand starter Mickey Jannis toed the rubber at Bethpage Ballpark in Tuesday's rubber game against the York Revolution.

The Ducks needed a win in order to keep pace with Somerset, whom won earlier in the day to extended their 1st place lead over Long Island by 5.5 games.

The Ducks promptly gave knuckle-baller Jannis a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning with help from opposing starter Rommie Lewis, whom walked in 3 straight runs with the bases loaded.  He issued 5 walks overall and 4 hits before being relieved after 5 innings

Meanwhile, Mickey Jannis enjoyed a far better experience.  He allowed no runs and no hits over his first 6 innings pitched, issued 3 walks and fanned 7 batters.  He walked 2 in the opening frame and another in the 2nd, then gained control, and struck out the side in the 5th.

Jannis walked his 4th batter in the top of the 7th, but remained untouched for a hit after 25 batters faced.

Mickey returned to the hill for the 8th inning already having exceeded 105 pitches for the night.

He quickly fanned York's first batter, third baseman Steve Proscia, to tie his season high of 8 strikeouts.  Next, number nine hitter and center fielder Sean Smith drew the 5th walk issued by Jannis.  Back to the top of the order, right fielder Shannon Wilkerson popped out foul to first baseman Jon Griffin.  Ironically, shortstop Wilson Valdez then grounded a weak tapper to short that left Dan Lyons little chance for throwing out the speedy Valdez.  Unfortunately, he indeed legged out an infield hit to spoil Mickey Jannis' no-hit bid.

Jannis then fanned his 9th and final batter of the evening to establish a season high.  He departed on the winning side of a 3-0 game, after having faced 30 batters, and tossing a stellar mix of 134 pitches, of which 84 (63%) went for strikes.

• Mickey Jannis is now 3-2 and leads the Atlantic League with a 1.55 ERA and a .189 BAA.  He is 4th with 38 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched, and owns a 0.970 WHiP.

Ryan Kussmaul entered the game to close out the 9th in relief of Jannis, and earned his league leading 10th save of the season.

The victory gives the Ducks a series win over York, lifts their record to 21-16, and gets them back to within 5 games of the 1st place Patriots, whom won Tuesday over Bridgeport.

Long Island has 32 games left with which to close the gap with Somerset before the first half expires.


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

L.I. Ducks: Somerset Patriots deliver key blow in pivotal Game Three

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Showdown in Somerset

Patriots lead series 2-1

I - LID 7; SOM 6

II - SOM 1; LID 0

III - SOM; 3; LID 0

Game Four

Long Island Ducks

vs.

Somerset Patriots

FROM

Noo Joisey

Long Island Ducks: Somerset delivers key blow in Game Three. Flock needs win in series finale just to get back where they started from.

Mother Nature, nor six Patriots runs against Ducks ace John Brownell in the 4th inning of Wednesday's series opener could deny Long Island from striking a crucial first blow in their Liberty Division showdown in Somerset.

Storms rumbled through the area delaying the game for 53:00 minutes.

Lew Ford promptly plated Bryan Sabatella for the game's opening run in the 1st inning.  Cody Puckett and Jon Griffin then combined to create a pair of runs in the top of the 4th.

After retiring the first 9 batters he faced, John Brownell took the mound in the bottom of the 4th staked to a 3-0 lead.  He surrendered a lead-off single, then a 2-run home run to Scott Cousins.  David Vidal singled home another run.  With the bases jammed, Brownell walked home the Patriots 4th run. Another 2-out, 2-run single by Jonny Tucker suddenly gave Somerset a 6-3 lead.

In the 5th, runs batted in by Sabatella and Cody Puckett brought the Ducks within a run.  In the 8th, Reegie Corona and Lew Ford drove in two more, making a winner of reliever Patrick Crider, whom pitched a scoreless 7th.  Ryan Kussmaul pitched a scoreless 9th for his 8th save of the season.

At the time, the victory brought the Ducks to within 3 games of the 1st place Patriots, whom had finally suffered their 10th loss of the season.  They were the last team boast single-digits in the loss column.

*         *

In Game Two, the Ducks failed to maximize on a great effort by starter Mickey Jannis.  He and Somerset's Sean Bierman dueled for 8 scoreless innings.  Jannis allowed just 3 hits, walked none and fanned 8 before departing the game to a no decision.  Bierman likewise allowed 6 hits, walked one and fanned 4 before exiting to a no decision.

Into extra innings they went.

In the 12th, reliever Amalio Diaz broke a cardinal rule of baseball - he walked lead-off batter Jonny Tucker, whom then stole second base.  In his first game back after getting hit by a pitch earlier in the week, Aharon Eggleston singled to plate Tucker with the winning, and game's only run.

*         *         *

Then came Friday's Game Three.  After Thursday's stingy 12-inning performance, Somerset continued demonstrating why they lead the league in pitching.

Starter David Harden faced 18 batters, and threw just 60 pitches with 40 going for strikes.  In 5 innings of work, he allowed no runs on just 4 hits and a walk, and fanned a pair upon exiting on the winning side of a 3-0 game.

Shortstop Robert Andino's RBI off Long Island starter Billy Buckner opened the scoring in the 2nd.   Somerset's main slugging threat, clean-up hitter Chris Marrero then connected off Buckner with a 2-run home run in the 3rd that gave the Patriots their eventual 3-0 margin of victory.

Four Patriots relievers combined to keep Long Island silent.  They allowed just one hit, walked one and fanned 3 batters over 4 innings pitched.  Former Duck John Hunton earned his 6th save.

The Ducks are now forced to win Game Four on Saturday in order to get back where they started from - meaning 4 games out of first.



Mike

L.I. Ducks: John Brownell Dominates Camden Riversharks; Flock Takes Series Opener

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long Island Ducks: Can't Rain on Flock's Parade.

If not for a very questionable decision made by the umpiring crew to play through Monday's tempest in Lancaster, the Ducks could very well be winners of 6 in a row this evening.  They'll settle for 5 in a row instead, with a suspended game, I'm sure.

Flock Thwart a Struggling Revolution; Sweep Series.

5/19 Game 1 - L.I.D 4; York 1

• Coach Baez really out-did himself in this one.  After starter Andrew Barbosa exited after just 3 innings pitched, the Ducks skipper summoned 8 relievers from the bullpen.  Eric Neisen earned the win, and Amalio Diaz earned the save.  Lew Ford drove in all four Long Island runs, going 3 for 4 with a home run.

5/20 Game 2 - L.I.D. 11; York 9

• Coach Baez wasn't done, although, this was a wild one.  After starter Mark Rogers allowed back to back home runs in the very first inning, Coach Baez made the call for 9 more relievers. First in, Matt Soren fared no better, allowing a 2-run homer in the 2nd, and yet another 2-run homer in the 3rd as part of a 3-run inning.  The Ducks went 16 for 41 (.390) at the plate, led by Jon Griffin's 3 RBI, and a pair each from Lew Ford and Dan Lyons.

5/21 Game 3 - L.I.D. 6; York 1

• Newly signed Billy Buckner, 31, started for Long Island, pitched through a neat 2 innings.  He allowed no runs on 3 hits, walked one and fanned a pair.  Mickey Jannis then entered in the third, and pitched masterfully for the next 7 innings.  He allowed just a run on 6 hits and 2 walks, and fanned 6 to earn his 2nd victory of the season.  He owns a 2.45 ERA over 29.1 innings this season.  Playing in just his 8th game for the Ducks, center fielder Delta Cleary jr. went 3 for 3, with a double and 2 RBI.  With a 2 for 3 game, Jon Griffin posted his 7th multi-hit game in his last 8 played, and raised his average up to a .283 mark.

John Brownell Pitches Gem Over Camden Riversharks:

Ducks lead series 1-0

I - L.I.D. 10; CAM 1

Saturday Twin Bill

Camden Riversharks

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

The Pond

Back in the Pond, Long Island rolled to a 10-1 victory over the now .500 Camden RiverSharks. Starter John Brownell turned in a brilliant performance over 8 innings of work.  He faced 27 batters, and threw 109 pitches with 66 going for strikes.  He allowed one earned run on just 2 hits and a walk, and tied his career high with 12 strikeouts.

Jon Griffin and Lew Ford continue punishing A.L. pitching.  The surging Griffin was 2 for 3, with a home run and 3 RBI, and the white hot Lew Ford was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.  Ryan Sabatella also erupted for a 3 for 4 night, with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Lew Ford is now 2nd in the circuit in batting, and tops the league with 31 RBI.  While John Brownell now leads the Atlantic League with 4 victories, and 34 strikeouts.

What a Difference a Week Makes:

The 2nd place Ducks are presently in the midst of a 5 game winning streak, and have improved their record to a 15-12 mark.  The Somerset Patriots, however, still maintain a 4 game lead over Long Island in the Liberty Division standings.  The Patriots are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and are the only team remaining with single digit losses.

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