L.I. Ducks Clinch 2019 First-Half Liberty Division Flag

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

FIRST-HALF

LIBERTY DIVISION CHAMPIONS

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

Despite losing game two of their weekend series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at Bethpage Ballpark, the Long Island Ducks emerge as this season's first-half Liberty Division champion.  The Flock close out Saturday's action with a league best 42-26 (.618) record and a 1.5 game lead over the Patriots.  Long Island has two games in hand and own the tie-breaker over Somerset, whom only have one game in hand.  The High Point Rockers 3-2 victory over Somerset at North Carolina on Saturday essentially clears Long Island's way.

I'm more impressed than surprised by what the Ducks have thus far accomplished.  Long Island this season has had upwards of nine pitchers pilfered from their staff by MLB organizations - good pitchers too - and therefore I'm thinking they'd be in big trouble as early as mid May.

Instead, Darin Downs posts a 3.08 ERA through ten starts and 49.2 innings.  Joe Irorio chips in with nine starts with a 3.08 ERA through 61.1 overall innings pitched.  Bennett Parry owns a 3.38 ERA through five starts and 26.2 innings pitched.  However Jake Fisher has struggled this season posting a  4-6 record with an unsightly 4.99 ERA.  Which leads me to ask where would the Ducks be without Travis Banwart?  He has been a godsend posting a 3-1 record with a 1.91 ERA through 37.2 innings and an 0.96 WHiP since joining the Ducks.

The (first-half) Ducks are just one of three teams with a staff ERA below four.  Their 3.94 ERA is third behind Somerset's league leading 3.26 mark.  Long Island also places third with a 1.30 WHiP.  The Ducks and Patriots finish first and second respectively in strikeouts.  But Somerset leads the circuit with 31 saves with the Ducks second with 21 saves.

• Ducks Slash: .252/.324/.403/.727, with 64 home runs, 310 runs scored, and 58 stolen bases.
• Patriots Slash: .264/.337/.374/.711, with 38 home runs, 290 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases. 

David Washington leads the Ducks with 18 home runs and 47 RBI, not to mention a team high 13 stolen bases.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis is second with 11 home runs and 41 RBI.  L.J. Mazzilli is batting .283 and leads the team with 18 doubles.

• Steve Lombardozzi is presently injured.
• Local kid from Bronx and former Mets infielder J.T. Rivera joins the Ducks.

The first-half Liberty Division presently features four teams playing at or above the .500 mark.  By Saturday evening, the New Britain Bees had dropped to 34-34 on the season.  Participating in their first Atlantic League campaign the High Point Rockers end the day with 41-29 record, just two games behind the Ducks.  Meanwhile the Freedom Division leading Sugar Land Skeeters are just one game over .500, and are the only team playing above par.  Second place York is a game under yet trail the Skeeters by one game in the standings.

The Ducks and Blue Crabs play the rubber game of their series on Sunday.

L.I. Ducks Open High Point Series With Victory Over Rockers

From the desk of:  THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Ducks Lead High Point; 1-0

I - LID 5; HPR 3

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

HIGH POINT ROCKERS

FROM

North Carolina

The Flock Tightening Grip on Liberty Division.

After taking two of three from the Patriots, a confident Flock migrate to North Carolina where they turn back the division's third place competitor in the opening game of a crucial four game weekend series against the High Point Rockers.

Remarkably, Long Island continues getting strong pitching from the proverbial next man up.  Having had seven starters pilfered by MLB organizations, recently acquired Travis Banwart climbed the hill making only his second start as a member of the Ducks.  After allowing just a run on four hits en route to a seven inning no-decision during his first appearance with Long Island, Banwart turned in another seven inning effort in which he blanked the Rockers on just three hits and two walks with three strikeouts to earn his first victory.  Making only his fourth appearance for the Ducks, Josh Lueke earned his fourth save of the season.

David Washington drove in his league leading 38th RBI of the season with his league topping 16th home run of the season.  Ezequiel Carrera was 3 for 4 and hit his first home run of the season.  L.J. Mazzilli went 2 for 4 with two RBI and is hitting .321 for the season.

With Friday's series opening victory the Ducks improve to a league best 30-16 record, and open a 4.5 game lead over the Rockers.  Somerset defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to stay within 2.5 games of the Ducks.  All four Liberty Division competitors are presently playing above the .500 mark.  The same can not be said of the Freedom Division where only the Sugar Land Skeeters are playing above par.

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.

• BaseballReference
• LIDucks