L.I. Ducks: Jarret Leverett's Gem Forces Game Five

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LIBERTY DIVISION FINALS

Series tied 2-2

I - SOM 3; LID 2*

II - SOM 10; LID 0

III - LID 7; SOM 1

IV - LID 2; SOM 0

*11 innings

GAME FIVE

Somerset Patriots

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

THE POND

Long Island Ducks: Flock win second straight; force decisive Game Five Sunday at Bethpage Ballpark.

Home is where the wins are.

Long Island and Somerset have now won two game apiece on their home grounds.  The resurgent Ducks hope to continue putting their home field advantage to work on Sunday during the fifth and deciding game of the Liberty Division series from Bethpage Ballpark.

On Saturday, Ducks starter Jarret Leverett made a decisive Game Five possible by allowing six scattered hits over six scoreless innings, issuing one walk and fanning five batters to gain a do-or-die victory for Long Island.  He faced 28 batters, and threw 98 pitches with 67 going for strikes.

Relievers Amalio Diaz and Todd Coffey pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to close out Long Island's 2-0 victory.

First baseman Tyler Colvin led off the bottom of the third with a double to left off Patriots starter Shaun Garceau.  With one out, left fielder Anthony Vega connected off Garceau for a two run home run.

Otherwise, Shaun Garceau limited the Ducks to only four hits.  Somerset, on the other hand, stroked eight hits off Ducks pitching which yielded no runs.

Pitchers John Brownell and Will Oliver are tentatively scheduled to start Sunday's game on four days rest.  Each earned no-decisions for their efforts during Game One in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The Ducks and Patriots have now played 24 combined regular season and playoffs games this season, with both winning 12 games apiece.

Game Five ... here we go again

John Brownell also started last year's Liberty Division series finale, but only lasted 4.2 innings before receiving the hook.  He allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk, with just two strikeouts in taking the loss.  Roy Merritt pitched a complete game for the Patriots, limiting the Ducks to just four hits and a walk, while fanning three for the clinching victory.

The Ducks and Patriots split the first two games of that Liberty Division series at Bethpage Ballpark.
Long Island then took a 2-1 series lead in Game Three at TD Bank Ballpark.  The Patriots, however, stormed back in games Four and Five, turning back the Ducks in back-to-back shutout performances and advancing to the championship series.

In the championship series, Somerset bowed in Game One to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, then rolled to three consecutive victories and capturing their sixth Atlantic League championship.

The Patriots and Long Island Ducks are the league's two most successful franchises.  As such, they have now played 24 combined regular season and playoffs games this season, with both winning 12 games apiece.

L.I. Ducks: The Flock Strike Back

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LIBERTY DIVISION FINALS

Patriots lead series 2-1

I - SOM 3; LID 2*

II- SOM 10; LID 0

III - LID 7; SOM 1

IV- @ Long Island

GAME FOUR

Somerset Patriots

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

BETHPAGE BALLPARK

Central Islip, L.I.

Long Island Ducks: Pond Sweet Pond; Flock Stave Off Elimination with 7-1 Victory in Game Three.

With pitcher Nick Struck providing the Ducks a much needed proverbial shot in the arm, Long Island was able to stave off elimination, and force Saturday evening's Game Four at Bethpage Ballpark.

They say necessity is the mother of all invention...

Long Island's starting rotation suffered a series of major blows back in July when the contracts of Mark Blackmar, Jack Snodgrass, Darin Downs, and Jim Kern were all purchased away.  Nick Struck, therefore, was transitioned out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation by Aug. 9, when he pitched five innings in a winning effort against Somerset.  In nine regular season starts, Struck went 4-3 with 2.50 ERA, allowing 15 runs, 48 hits, and 19 walks, with 43 strikeouts over 54 innings pitched.

Friday evening in Game Three, Struck limited the Patriots to one run on just four hits and two walks, while fanning three batters for the must-have victory.  In facing 25 batters, he threw 95 pitches with 63 going for strikes.

Reliever Amalio Diaz struck out the side in the eighth inning, and Todd Coffey closed out Long Island's first victory of the series with a scoreless ninth.

Playing without top slugger David Vidal, Somerset's lone run of the game came in the seventh inning on a lead-off home run by Bryan LaHair.  Nick Struck then retired the next three batters to complete his final inning of work.

Ducks batters, however, struck for seven runs on 12 hits off Somerset starter Alexis Candelario and reliever Randy Boone.  Both Lew Ford and Tyler Colvin went yard.  Fehlandt Lentini went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI, while Long Island's four, five and six hitters combined on 6 for 12, with three runs scored and three RBI.

Starter Jarret Leverett will tow the rubber for Long Island at Bethpage Ballpark in Game Four, and will be opposed by the familiar Shaun Garceau for Somerset.

• Southpaw Jarret Leverett was acquired from the New Britain Bees, and finally shipped over on Aug. 28 to complete an earlier trade.  He squeezed in four regular season starts for the Ducks, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA, allowing 11 runs on 23 hits, with 18 strikeouts over 22 innings pitched.  In 28 appearances and ten starts for the Bees, Jarret compiled a 4-7 record and 3.55 ERA, with 68 strikeouts over 93.2 innings pitched.  

• The Patriots acquired Shaun Garceau from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs early in the season.  He made 25 combined appearances and 24 starts this season, including 19 for Somerset.  Shaun went 4-6 in the regular season with a 4.97 ERA.  He allowed 128 hits and fanned 74 batters over 132.2 innings pitched.

FREEDOM DIVISION FINAL

After winning the first two games of the Freedom Division finals in Sugar Land, the Skeeters completed their three game sweep of the Revolution on Friday with an 8-6 victory in York.  Sugar Land returns to the Atlantic League finals for a second time.  They were swept by the Lancaster Barnstormers in the 2014 finals.

Long Island Ducks: Atlantic League Playoff Preview

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

*  2016  *

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Freedom Division Series

YORK REVOLUTION

vs.

SUGAR LAND SKEETERS

This year's Freedom Division series opens Tuesday evening, and features the first-half champion York Revolution facing off against the second-half champ Sugar Land Skeeters.  The series opens in Sugar Land, then shifts to York for games three through five (if necessary).

• Finishing the season with the league's second most victories, York last won back-to-back Atlantic League titles in 2010-2011.

• Two short years after Sugar Land's founding, the Skeeters were swept in the 2014 A.L. championship series by the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Liberty Division Series

FLOCK at the GATES..!!

Long Island Ducks

vs.

Somerset Patriots

FROM

TD Bank Ballpark

Bridgewater, N.J.

On Wednesday, old time rivals resume hostilities when the defending Atlantic League champion and this year's second-half Liberty Division winner Somerset Patriots host the first-half champ Long Island Ducks.

• Finishing the regular season with the league's best record, the Somerset Patriots are chasing their seventh ever Atlantic League championship.  They've also lost four championship series along the way.

• After losing to York in the 2011 championship series, the Ducks rebounded to win back-to-back titles in 2012-13, then failed to qualify for the 2014 post-season.  They were then eliminated in the first round of last year's playoffs.

Overall Record

Patriots  77-63

Ducks    72-68

These rivals last faced off on August 11, with Somerset gaining a 7-4 victory at Bethpage Ballpark.   

However, these teams could not be more evenly matched.  The Ducks and Patriots met 20 times in the regular season, with each claiming ten victories.  

The Patriots opened the regular season by sweeping four games from the Ducks.  But despite posting a 7-3 first-half record against Long Island, it was the Flock that would capture the first-half crown.  

In an ironic reversal of fortune, the Ducks kicked off the second-half with a three game sweep of the Patriots, en route to a 7-3 record over Somerset.  However, Somerset ensured themselves the opportunity of defending their league title by capturing the Liberty Division second-half flag.

If only marginally, Somerset seemingly enters these playoffs the hotter club.  The Patriots posted an 11-8 record in September, but finished 5-5 over their last ten games of the season.  Long Island posted an 8-10 record in September, but finished 6-4 over their final ten games.

The Patriots seemingly own a slight offensive advantage over the Ducks.  Long Island's pitching, however, seems to enjoy the edge over that of Somerset's.

At The Plate

Team Slash

• SOM - .272/.349/.401
• LID - .270/.334/.388

Runs

• SOM - 694
• LID - 635

Home Runs

• SOM - 116
• LID - 84

Total Bases

• SOM - 1,933
• LID - 1,808

Stolen Bases

• SOM - 166
• LID - 124

Long Island's MVP candidate Fehlandt Lentini is the only Atlantic League player to score over 100 runs this season.  He additionally leads the circuit in total hits and doubles, places second in stolen bases, fifth in both batting average and RBI, and leads the Ducks with a .455 slugging average.

With a .321 batting average, the Ducks Delta Cleary Jr. ranks third.  Aharon Eggelston batted .310 and Eric Farris batted .301 this season for the Patriots.  Eggelston is fifth in the League with a .388 OBP, while Ruben Gotay ranks ninth and leads the Ducks with a .372 mark.

Anthony Vega is sixth in the league with 75 runs scored, while Somerset's Farris and Eggelston are ranked seventh and tenth respectively.

The Patriots' David Vidal is second in the league with 26 home runs.  Anthony Vega leads the Ducks with eleven, while catcher Mike Blanke has ten.  Fehlandt Lentini, however, leads either team with a .455 slugging average, while Carlos Guzman leads Somerset with a .408 mark.

Bryan LaHair leads the Patriots and ranks second in the league with 86 RBI.  For Long Island, Fehlandt Lentini drove in 75 runs, and Cody Puckett is sixth with 73 RBI.

Ducks outfielder Lew Ford spent considerable time on the disabled list this season due to a strained hamstring, but is expected to be a regular starter during the playoffs.  Originally injured on May 28, he remained out through June 24.  After just five games back, he was sidelined again on June 30 through August 23.  Ford finally returned to action on August 24, and has remained on the field since.

On The Mound

ERA

• SOM - 3.90
• LID - 3.87

WHiP

• SOM - 1.29
• LID - 1.33

Average Against

• SOM - .256
• LID - .256

Slugging Against

• SOM - .392
• LID - .382

Strikeouts

• SOM - 1,080
• LID - 1,084

Base on Balls

• SOM - 361
• LID - 394

There's a good reason why the Ducks finished the second-half in last place with a 32-38 record.  The month of July took a ruinous toll on their pitching staff.  The contracts of Mark Blackmar, Jack Snodgrass, Darin Downs, Bruce Kern, and others, were all purchased away.

Mainstay John Brownell remains, giving the Ducks a fighting chance.  The usually reliable Bobby Blevins endured a rough season.  The Ducks will instead be looking to Matt Larkins, Jarrett Leverett, Daniel Hererra, and Nick Struck to get them through.

Long Island batters will be opposed by Will Oliver, Nik Turley, the familiar Shaun Garceau, and perhaps Efrain Nieves.

Patriots closer Jon Hunton led the Atlantic League with 37 saves, while posting a 3.76 ERA over 50.1 innings pitched.  Ducks closer Todd Coffey registered 27 saves with a 3.08 ERA over 44 innings pitched.

The best of five series shifts to Long Island's Bethpage Ballpark for games three through five (if necessary).

L.I. Ducks: Monday Swim 7/18; Mark Minicozzi Genrating Needed Power

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Ducks Sweep Series vs. Patriots 3-0

I - LID 6; SOM 3

II - LID 7; SOM 0

III - LID 7; SOM 5

Long Island Ducks: Bruce Kern Just What the Doctor Ordered.

No Jack Snodgrass; no Mark Blackmar; no problem ... Bruce Kern stepped out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation to back fill the void.

Phew!

On Sunday, Kern made his 17th appearance, and 10th start of the season in this weekend's series finale against the Somerset Patriots.  He completed 5 full innings and exiting on the winning side of a 6-2 game after allowing a pair of earned runs on two hits and two walks, with four strikeouts.  He faced 19 batters, and threw 72 pitches with 41 (57%) going for strikes.

The eventual 7-5 Ducks victory improved Kern's record to 4-1, with a 2.39 ERA.

In two seasons with the Ducks, Kern has made 57 regular season appearances and 23 starts, posting a 13-7 with a 3.12 ERA, 47 walks and 158 strikeouts.

Coach Baez utilized four relievers the rest of the way, giving them all an inning apiece.  Todd Coffey pitched the ninth, allowed three hits and a run, but nonetheless registered his 15th save of the season.

Long Island Power Surge

Cody Puckett's three run home run in the fourth inning gave Long Island a 6-0 lead at the time, but Somerset would not be denied, climbing back to within 6-4 in the top of the eighth off the bullpen.

• Puckett had four RBI for the game.

First baseman big Mark Minicozzi's lead-off home run in the bottom of the frame, however, provided the Ducks all the insurance they'd need en route to a 7-4 victory, and weekend sweep over their chief rival Somerset Patriots.

• Minicozzi, 33, is 9/33 (.273) with 4 four home runs and seven RBI in nine games since joining the Ducks.  Two home runs came against the Patriots.

• The Ducks hit six home runs in three games against the Patriots.

Transactions

General Manager Michael Pfaff has been busy reinforcing the pitching staff since losing Snodgrass and Blackmar.

7/13 - Ducks trade Frank de Jiulio Jr. to Bridgeport for rhp Scott Shuman.

7/15 - Ducks sign relief pitcher rhp Kyle Hansen.

7/15 - Ducks sign relief pitcher rhp Danny Burawa.

L.I. Ducks: John Brownell outlasts Somerset in series opener

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Long time Atlantic League rivals

resume antagonisms at Bethpage Ballpark

Ducks lead series 1-0

I - LID 6; SOM 3

II - SATURDAY

Somerset Patriots

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

The Pond

Long Island Ducks: Flock plant flag back atop first place.

Not a bad way to resume play...

Previous to Friday, the Ducks and Patriots hadn't faced each other since May 20-22 at Somerset.   Minus a head-to-head match up through the rest of the season's first half, each team was instead left to wrestle through common opponents in order to win a division flag.

A tight race to the end, Long Island prevailed to win the first-half pennant over Somerset - which hasn't always been he case since the Patriots were realigned into the Liberty Division a few years back.

With the Atlantic League All-Star game out of the way, and their place in this post-season secured, the Long Island Ducks resumed play on Friday.

Opening a weekend series at Bethpage Ballpark, John Brownell outlasted Somerset's Will Oliver for his seventh victory of the season, but not without a little help from his friends.

Patriots starter Will Oliver exited on the winning side of a 3-2 game after out-dueling Brownell through six full innings pitched.  Long Island's ace nevertheless persisted through a scoreless top half of the seventh.

Leading off the bottom of the frame, Ducks first baseman Mark Manicozzi promptly greeted Somerset reliever Jeremy McBryde with a game tying home run.  Ruben Gotay then followed with a double.  Shortly thereafter, catcher Mike Dowd connected on the Ducks second home run of the inning giving the Ducks a 5-3 lead, and an eventual 6-3 victory.

Making his 14th start of the season, John Brownell allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts over seven laborious innings in high humidity.  He faced 30 batters, and threw 96 pitches with 67 (69.7%) going for strikes.

Closer Todd Coffey recorded his 14th save of the season.

The now first place Ducks lead Somerset by one-half game in the second half standings.

Not a bad way to resume play indeed.

L.I. Ducks: No Place Like Home

From the desk of: THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Saturday Twin-Bill at Bethpage Ballpark

TODAY

Lancaster Barnstormers

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

THE POND

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: A sweep of the Bees, and even a five game winning streak still barely enough to distance themselves from Somerset Patriots.

Heading into Saturday's double-header against the Lancaster Barnstormers, the Ducks are winners of five in a row, and remain undefeated during their current home stand.

By virtue of one more loss in the Liberty Division standings, the relentless second place Patriots are similarly 7-2 over their last nine games, and enter today's action against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs a mere half game behind Long Island.

Including today's double-header, the Ducks have 14 games remaining in June, then 10 games to go in July before the first half expires.

Flock Rock

The indefatigable Lew Ford continues leading the Atlantic League with a .348 average, while Fehlandt Lentini is still third with a .345 mark, and is 7th in the league with 31 RBI.

Three Ducks starting pitchers rank among the league's top six in ERA.  Mark Blackmar leads all with a stellar 1.94 ERA; Jack Snodgrass is fourth with a 2.97 mark; John Brownell is heating up and now rates sixth with a 3.09 ERA.

Meanwhile, Jack Snodgrass leads the circuit with 67 strikeouts, with Darin Downs a close second with 62 strikeouts.

In his last three starts, John Brownell has only allowed five earned runs through 23 innings pitched, while fanning 24 batters and only walking four.  On June 11, he struck out double-digit batters for the second time this season.

M*A*S*H

Tyler Colvin and Sean Burroughs are in the midst of serving a 7-day stint on the disabled list, with shortstop Dan Lyons ailing from a strained hamstring as well.

New Kids in the Pond

General Michael Pfaff signed two players during the week that was.

• Pitcher Dustin Richardson, 32, gained 29 games of MLB experience between the 2009 and 2010 seasons with Boston.  Drafted by the Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2006 amateur draft, he additionally went on to serve in the respective systems of Florida, Atlanta, L.A./Anaheim, and the L.A. Dodgers.  Now an 11 year minor league and independent circuit veteran, he formerly pitched for the Sugar Land Skeeters during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.  At all levels, he boasts a career 46-36 record and 4.35 ERA through 776 innings pitched.  He owns a career 1.394 WHiP, and a 9.5 K/9 average covering 378 games, and 84 career starts.

• Second baseman Carlos Hughes, 27, was reacquired, after appearing in 35 games for the Ducks last season.  He previously played for the Sussex County Miners of the CanAm League, and for the Camden RiverSharks.  In 2014, he also played for the Las Vegas Train Robbers(!) of the independent Pecos League.

Last Licks

Revisiting a favorite pet peeve of mine  -  had the Atlantic League not realigned the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and Somerset Patriots, the Ducks could presently be leading the Liberty Division by six games over second place New Britain.  In fact, we could even be speaking of a mini dynasty were it not for Somerset's division presence over the last few seasons... perchance to dream.

Just gotta play the game...

By The Way...

Nice appearance by Long Island closer, and eight year major league veteran Todd Coffey on MLB Network last week, giving the Atlantic League and the Ducks a lot of exposure.

L.I. Ducks: Jack Snodgrass hurls gem over Somerset Patriots

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Patriots @ Ducks tied 1-1

I - SOM 4; LID 1

II - LID 1; SOM 0

Game Three

Somerset Patriots

vs.

Long Island Ducks

FROM

The Pond

Long Island Ducks: Jack Snodgrass tosses gem to snap five game losing streak against Somerset Patriots.

Ducks three games back of 1st place.

Somerset got the better of the Ducks during Tuesday's series opener at Bethpage Ballpark.  The 4-1 loss to the Patriots brought Long Island's eight game winning streak to a screeching halt.

Starter Bobby Blevins lasted 5.2 innings in a losing effort.  He allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts.  Long Island's lone run came on Mike Blanke's solo shot in the 7th inning.

In Game Two, the Ducks took an early lead in the 2nd on Mike Dowd's 2-out RBI single.
After which, the Ducks required a gem from their starting pitcher, and got just that en route to a 1-0 whitewashing of the Patriots.

Jack Snodgrass won his third straight decision in impressive fashion, fanning 12 Patriots batters over 6 scoreless innings of 2 hit baseball, while issuing just one walk.  He now sports a 3-1 record and 3.27 ERA, with 33 strikeouts over 22 innings pitched.

Reliever Todd Coffey faced the minimum during a scoreless 9th for his 3rd save of the season.

• The Ducks are presently the hottest team in the Atlantic League, having gone 9-1 over their last 10 games.  After stumbling out of the gate with a 1-6 record, the Ducks have gone 10-1 since.

• After starting the season 13-0. the first place Patriots have cooled off of late, with just a par 5-5 record over their last 10 games.

After the Patriots retreat upon conclusion of Thursday's series finale, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs will move in for a four game weekend series.

L.I. Ducks: Sweet and Sour Start

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

OPENING DAY

Blue Crabs   4

DUCKS         6

FINAL

GAME TWO

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

(LHP - Scott Snodgrass)

vs.

Long Island Ducks

(LHP - Jack Snodgrass)

YOU READ THAT RIGHT...

FROM

THE POND

Long Island Ducks: Anxiety Over Poor Start Eased by Opening Day Victory.

Opening Day was a success.  Long Island Ducks fans were treated to a 6-4 victory over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the season's first game at Bethpage Ballpark.

Starter Bobby Blevins pitched 5 innings in posting his first win of the season, and Todd Coffey registered his first save.  Delta Cleary Jr, and Sean Burroughs led offensively with 2 RBI apiece.

Okay, terrific...

Unfortunately, Thursday night's Opening Day victory was only their second of this very young season, and merely tied them with these very same Blue Crabs for the worst start among this season's Atlantic League members.

For both Long Island and Southern Maryland, their respective 2-6 records gives this four game weekend series all the context we need.

With regard to the Liberty Division standings, the Ducks now trail the undefeated (8-0) Somerset Patriots by six games.  The Patriots swept Long Island in the opening series of the season at Somerset.  The migrating Flock then proceeded to drop 2 of 3 games in Connecticut against the newly minted New Britain Bees.