Newark Bears ~ Trying To Claw Their Way Back Above .500

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY NINE



NEWARK BEARS:  Even Series With Quebec; Game Three Tonight.


The Bears have played the Quebec Capitales well this season.  And they continued Friday night with a win against Quebec in game two of a four game series up in the Great White North.


After getting shut-out 4-0 Thursday night in the series opener, it took eleven innings to gain victory Friday.  Three runs in the top of the frame sealed the deal for visiting Newark and spoiled things for the home crowd.  Sacre Bleu!  The game was a step in the right direction against a good team, as the Bears are struggling to get above .500 again.  They are currently two games under the mark and perhaps they can get things going in a more positive direction during the rest of this trip in Canada.


I guess you can say; Bears' starter; Alex Smith did it again.  He walked a bunch of batters; which is his custom; but yet, was relatively effective over 5.2 innings.  Quebec scored one time in the second inning.  The Bears staked Alex Smith to a 3-1 lead after five innings on RBI singles by Brad Jackson and Brandon Watson.  Then Alex got into trouble in the bottom of the sixth and surrendered the tying runs.


Newarks' bullpen was stellar and kept the Capitales scoreless in relief of Smith until Quebec scored one time in the bottom of the 11th inning.  Anthony Pluta; TJ Hose; and Matt Fitton; combined on four innings; no runs; two hits; 2 walks; and five strikeouts.  Newly signed Gregory Lane finished the game for Newark.  He allowed Quebec one run, but was credited with the win.


Back-to-back doubles by Brandon Watson and Paddy Matera drove home all three Newark runs in the top of the 11th inning to get the Bears on the winning side.

TONIGHT

Canadian/American League of Baseball

GAME THREE of FOUR

NEWARK BEARS (1-1)

vs.

Quebec Capitales (1-1)

From

North of the Border, Canada

 

MIKE.BTB

Newark Bears ~ Looking To Finish 1st Half Strong

From the desk of:  GROWLINGS FROM BROOKLYN


NEWARK BEARS:  Still Trying To Get A Piece Of
Fourth Place.


The Bears will end the season's first half against none other than the CanAm's first half clincher; Quebec Capitales in a three game series at The Den in Newark.


A hot start by the Bears this season turned into a tail spin which dropped them below .500 at times.  They've been hovering around that mark ever since.  Facing the League's first place club Thursday, the Newark Bears gained an inconsequential game on Quebec, and scratched their way to a game above .500 again.


The Bears tail-spin came on the heals of rising to second place with an 18-11 record.  Since then they have gone 5-11 and currently sit in fifth place; and after tonight, drew within 10.5 games of Quebec.


In game one of this last first half series, Tim Raines Jr. and Daryle Ward both homered, supplying Bears' starter, Alex Smith, with all six runs he'd need tonight.  They gave him an early 2-0 in the first when Tim Raines Jr. hit the Capitales' Matthew Rusch's seventh pitch of the inning out for his 8th home run, scoring Brandon Watson who singled to lead off the game.


In the sixth inning, Daryle Ward blasted a two run homer, scoring Tim Raines Jr., to give the Bears a 4-0 lead.  The lead became 6-0 in the seventh when Daryle Ward drove in two more unearned runs with a single.


Starter, Alex Smith gave Coach Raines what this team has needed so desperately; a starting pitcher who can pitch into the late innings of a game.  Thursday evening, Alex Smith gave his team 7.2 innings against the League's best team.  He walked five batters to give the Capitales hope.  But he surrendered only one hit.  They scored twice off him, but only one run was earned.


The bullpen preserved the Bears' twenty-second victory of the season versus twenty-one losses.


Matt Fitton pitched 0.2 innings following Smith.  He gave up three hits and allowed Quebec's third run of the game.  But Mikey Mehlich was called on to close the game.  After taking a tough loss Wednesday night against New York, he pitched the final 0.2 innings; no runs; no hits; no walks; one strikeout - earning him his seventh Save of the season.


Pittsfield sits 0.5 games ahead of Newark; in fourth place.  The Bears with try and gain way against Quebec again tomorrow in game two of this series, while the Pittsfield Colonials will play at Rockland.  Newark is 2.5 games behind third place Brockton.




Mike.BTB

Newark Bears ~ Whoa Canada

From the desk of:  THE BRICK CITY NINE



NEWARK BEARS:  CanAm League's Top Team Sweeps the Brick City Nine in Forgettable First Trip to Canada.


Last week's CanAm LHP of the Week; Alex Smith of the Bears; couldn't corral the Capitales earlier this afternoon in Quebec.  As a result, Newark lost to the Capitales completing a three game sweep on their Northern road. 


Hoping to go into Canada and close the gap between them and the CanAm League's top club, the Bears wound up losing three more games in the standings and today remain tied for third place with the Pittsfield Colonials.  Both teams have identical 16-14 records; 7.5 games out of first.  New Jersey is solidly in second place.


Poor defense in the first inning dropped the Bears and Alex Smith into an early hole.  Two unearned runs were part of a 3-0 start for Quebec.  On the other side, one of Quebec's many quality starters; Matthew Rusch; took his turn on the mound and started out well before Newark caught up to him also.  And after six innings, both teams were tied at five apiece.

With the game turned over to the bullpens, Newark's T.J. Hose was charged with pitching the eighth inning.  Two singles and a double later, the Bears were trailing by a run again.


T.J. Stanton pitched the ninth inning for Quebec and retired the Bears in order to gain the Save.  Dexter Bobo pitched the eighth inning for the Capitales and was the game's winning pitcher.



BEAR CLAWS:
Daryle Ward ~ 1 for 4; Home Run; 2 RBI.
Danny Santiesteban ~ 2 for 4; Home Run; 2 RBI.



The Bears get a day off Monday to travel back home to The Den where they'll host the Pittsfield Colonials for a four game series starting Tuesday.




Independent League NEWS:

ATLANTIC LEAGUE ~ During the bottom of the fourth inning in a game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and the Somerset Patriots, Lancaster manager; Butch Hobson; argued over a play at first base with the first base umpire .

A heated Butch Hobson then gestured as if to throw the Umpire out of the game.  Well, that bought Hobson an ejection.  Coach Hobson then repeated the gesture throwing the Umpire out of the game again.  He then removed the first base bag out of the ground and took it with him to the dugout, where he retrieved a Sharpie; signed the bag; and gave it to a young fan in the first row.  The home crowd went wild as the game continued without a first base bag.



Mike.BTB

Newark Bears ~ Quebec Shows Who's Boss In CanAm

From the desk of:  GROWLING IN BROOKLYN




NEWARK BEARS: Capitales Flex Their CanAm Might.  Brick City Bows In Opening Game of Series to First Place Club.


Quebec's starter; John Mariotti; was generous when he allowed the Bears two runs over six innings.  However, the Quebec bullpen wasn't as benevolent.  Over three innings they allowed one hit while striking out three.


In my LAST POST,  I said the Bears' starting pitching needed to start supplying the team with some length; that the bullpen was getting overly taxed.  So, Victor Gonzalez took the mound for Newark and lasted exactly 1.2 innings in Friday night's start.  The bullpen was tasked to cover the remaining 6.1 innings.  Kyle Morrison was made to pitch three innings and wound up giving up three runs.


It was a quiet night for the Bears' bats.  They totalled only five hits all game in losing 7-2.


Alex Smith will pitch for Newark Saturday night.  He has to go deep into tonight's game; I'm talking six innings deep with the possibility he can start the seventh.  He is 3-1 this season and hopefully he'll be able to keep his walks allowed to a minimum.  He's pitched as long as seven innings twice before and six innings once in five starts this season.  The Bears very desperately need one of those lengthy starts tonight. 


The Bears are catching a break in a sense as they face Quebec's Karl Gelinas tonight.  He's given up 32 hits in 31 innings pitched and his ERA is a lofty 5.23 in five appearances this season.  So, perhaps he represents the best chances for the Bears to tie this series and force a rubber game tomorrow. 


The Bears have managed to miss Quebec's two top pitching studs; Bryan Rembisz and Matthew Rusch.  But if John Marriotti was any indication of what they can do, then yes indeed, the Bears hit Quebec with the Capitales starting rotation timed just right to optimize their chances against them.


Newark's record dropped to 16-12 but they stayed in third place.  New Jersey remains in second place.  Both teams remain behind the Quebec Capitales who now sport a 21-6 record for the season.

TONIGHT

GAME TWO

 

NEWARK BEARS

vs.

Quebec Capitales

 

 

(Quebec leads series 1-0)

FROM CANADA

CORRECTION:  Tonight's probable starter; Alex Smith; did not start for Newark.  Aaron Kalb was the starting pitcher instead.



Mike.BTB

Newark Bears ~ Brick City Gets Some Northern Exposure

From the desk of:  GROWLINGS FROM BROOKLYN




NEWARK BEARS:  The Brick City Nine Take First Ever Trip North Of The Border To Take On CanAm League's Top Team; Quebec Capitales.

INTERNATIONAL SHOWDOWN

Third Place meets First Place

GAME ONE

NEWARK BEARS

16-11 - 4.5 GB

(SP - Victor Gonzalez)

vs.

Quebec Capitales

20-6 - First Place

(SP - John Mariotti)

From - Land of the Great White North

QUEBEC, CANADA

The road trip of all CanAm League road trips; a visit to the home of our neighbors to the North; the Newark Bears play in Canada for the first time to take on the first place Quebec Capitales.  The New Jersey Jackals suddenly squeezed their way into the race, otherwise, this would have been a true battle between the League's top two teams.


Quebec is the only team left who's loss column is still represented by a single digit.  They are winners of eight out of their last ten games.  The Bears just split a four game series with Worcester and are 5-5 in their last ten.


If the Newark Bears are to gain any ground on the Capitales this series, their starting pitching will have to give them some length.  Newark's bullpen has been the team's back bone so far this season.  They have been carrying a heavy load with Bear starters too often lasting only 4+ innings per start.


Newark's probable starter tonight; Victor Gonzalez is 0-1 in three starts.  He's also made five relief appearances.  He's been hittable and has struggled with control as of late.  In 18.1 innings pitched this season, he's allowed 16 hits, while walking 14 and striking out 14.  He hadn't given up a run in his first four appearances this season.  But he's been touched over his last three appearances.  His ERA ballooned because of six earned runs he allowed New Jersey in two innings the last time they met.


Starting pitching is where the Quebec Capitales have a clear advantage over Newark.  Tonight's probable starter for Quebec; John Mariotti; has the League's fifth best ERA with a 2.57 mark.  Bryan Rembisz is number one in the League with a 1.86 mark.  Second in ERA is Matthew Rusch.  He owns a 1.96 mark.


So, truth be told, as good as they've been, the Bears' hitters will have their hands full against these three.






Mike.BTB