P-Town Advances with Game 7 Win vs. Providence

For the first time in three years, the P-Town Axemen returned to the playoffs after cruising to the Frey Division title in the Mason-Dixon Tabletop League. With a record of 94-68, the Axemen earned a first-round bye in this year's playoffs. 

Eventually, the Providence Greys prevailed over the Frey Division rival Fargo Pirates to set up the showdown with P-Town. Providence, managed by Patrick Freaney, came into the series with a 100-62 record, finishing second in the Freaney Division to the Walthall Warriors, who posted a record of 105-57. 

Game 1 - Seth Lugo (BYZ) vs. Gerrit Cole (AXZ)

As they would throughout the series, Providence jumped out to an early lead as Max Muncy smacked a 1st-inning home run against Cole. Meanwhile, Lugo quieted the Axemen bats until the bottom of the 6th, when Kerry Carpenter walked. After Brandon Lowe struck out, Cal "Big Dumper" Raleigh blasted a 2-out, 2-run homer to put P-Town up 2-1. 

The Greys tied it in the 8th following a 2-out double by Alex Verdugo. Joey Votto then walked, followed by an infield single by leadoff hitter J.D. Martinez. With bases loaded, Wander Franco made it 2-2 with another single before Muncy flew out to right field. And that's the way it stayed til the bottom of the 9th inning. 

Braxton Garrett (CYZ) in relief struck out the side in the top of the 9th and it looked like Lugo might do the same in the bottom of the 9th, striking out Ryan McMahon. However, Jake McCarthy followed with a walk. And with one out and one on, shortstop Ezequiel Tover crushed a 2-run home run for the 4-2 walk-off win in Game 1. Garrett got the win for P-Town while Lugo took a complete-game loss. 

Game 2 - Nathan Eovaldi (BY) vs. George Kirby (BYZZ)

Once again, Providence struck first in Game 2. After a leadoff triple by Verdugo in the 3rd inning, Votto drove him in with a sacrifice fly. In the 4th, Muncy lead off the inning with his second home run of the series, staking the Greys for a 2-0 lead. Brandon Nimmo followed with a single, and came around to score two batters later on Jeff McNeil's double. The Greys continued to pound Kirby in the 5th, with a 2-out 3-run home run by Jose Siri to make it 6-0.

Luis Robert kept it from being a shutout with a 2-run HR in the bottom of 8th inning. But Caleb Ferguson came in to close out the game. Providence wins 6-2; Eovaldi earning the win and Kirby taking the loss. Series tied at 1-1. 

Game 3 - Kyle Bradish (BYZ) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (BY)

Back at home, Providence jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a pair of 2-run home runs -- in the 1st inning by Nimmo and in the 2nd inning by Alejandro Kirk. Jeimer Candelario walked with one out in the 3rd inning, advancing to third on a double by Nimmo, and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Starling Marte, making it 5-0 and chasing Bradish. 

In the top of the 4th, however, P-Town began chipping away -- Jarred Kelenic singled, and after a strikeout by Richie Palacios came around to score on a 2-out double by Raleigh. While Dumper had to hold at third on a single by Ryan Noda, he plated the Axemen's second run on a single by McMahon, cutting the lead to 5-2.

With P-Town's relief ace Bryan Abreu (ACK) holding the Greys in check, the Axemen went back to work in the 5th inning. After two quick outs, Robert was drilled by Rodriguez and advanced to third on a single by Kelenic, who promptly stole second base. Palacios followed with a 2-run double, and Dumper tied the score at 5-5 with a double to drive in Palacios. 

With both starters now toast, the bullpens shut down the opposition until the top of the 9th inning. Robert got things started with a one-out double. Called upon to relieve, Taijuan Walker (C) got Kelenic to meekly ground out, advancing Robert to third. Then Walker walked Palacios and Raleigh to load the bases. Providence brought in Sean Manaea, hoping to close out the inning. However, pinch hitter Carpenter drilled a 2-run single with Raleigh scooting to third. Carpenter then stole second. McMahon then nailed the next pitch, driving in two more runs with a triple, extending the lead to 9-5.

With Abreu still cruising, Providence couldn't put anybody on base in the bottom of the 9th, securing the 9-5 win and a 2-1 series lead for P-Town. Abreu got the win; reliever Taylor Rogers took the loss. 

Game 4 - Logan Gilbert (CYZ) vs. Max Scherzer (CXZ) 

Providence put this one away early, batting around in the 1st inning and taking a 4-0 lead on a leadoff homer by Martinez, a double by Franco, a run-scoring single by Muncy and a 2-run home run by Candelario. While Gilbert somehow avoided fatiguing until the 7th inning, the Axemen could never close the gap. Edmundo Sosa singled and scored on a double by Jake Cronenworth in the 7th inning, but Candelario answered for the Greys in the bottom of the frame with his second home run of the game, making it 5-1. 

The Axemen managed to make the home crowd anxious in the top the 9th inning, with Palacios and Lowe walking to lead off the inning. After Robert flew out as a pinch hitter, Ha-Seong Kim came on to pinch hit, drawing a walk to load the bases. Reliever Cole Ragans got pinch hitter Raleigh to hit a ground ball fielder's choice that scored Palacios. Next up, Tovar hit a double off the wall, scoring Lowe, but Dumper had to hold at third. Ragans finally gave the home team reason to exhale, getting McCarthy to strike out to end the game. 

Providence evened the series at 2-2 with the 5-3 victory, with Ragans getting the save and preserving the win for Scherzer. Gilbert took the loss. 

Game 5 - Cole (AXZ) vs. Lugo (BYZ)

For the second game in a row, Martinez lead off the bottom of the 1st inning with a home run, staking the Greys to another quick 1-0 lead. Martinez continued to torment Cole in the 3rd inning, with a 2-run double scoring Verdugo and Kris Bryant. Martinez then scored on a single by Muncy, making it 4-0 Greys. P-Town's Kim made it 4-1 in the 4th inning, scoring on a wild pitch. But in the bottom of the 5th, Martinez drove Cole from the game, hitting his second home run, extending the lead to 5-1.

P-Town showed some signs of life in the 8th inning, with Kim scoring again on a double by Robert. However, the rally fizzled after Carpenter singled and Robert was gunned down at the plate by a perfect throw from center fielder Bryant! Ferguson then shut down P-Town in the 9th, earning the save behind Lugo's 2-hit effort for the win. With the 5-2 win, Providence took a 3-2 series lead -- one win away from advancing as the teams headed back to P-Town. 

Game 6 - Eovaldi (BY) vs. Kirby (BYZZ)

Two words -- George Kirby. Kirby tossed a 3-hit shutout in the elimination game, striking out 7 batters, walking none, while hitting back-to-back batters in the 3rd inning! P-Town provided all the support Kirby would need in the 4th inning. After a flyout by Robert, Carpenter reached on a single. However, he was quickly erased on a fielder's choice by Kelenic, who just beat the relay throw to first. Palacios then scored Kelenic with a double in the gap, though Palacios then was stranded on a warning-track fly to center by Raleigh. And that was it. 

Although nearly matching Kirby pitch for pitch, Eovaldi allowed only 3 hits in taking the complete-game loss, 1-0, setting up Game 7.  

Game 7 - Rodriguez (BY) vs. Bradish (BYZ)

Robert brought the hometown crowd to its feet early, smashing a 1st-inning solo HR to give the Axemen a rare early lead. It didn't last long. Siri made it 1-1 with a solo slam in the 2nd inning. And that's the way it would stay until the bottom of the 6th inning, when the Greys defense would let them down. 

Cronenworth reached on an error by Trevor Story to lead off the bottom of the 6th. He scored all the way from first on Tovar's double. Tovar then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kim struck out before Robert sent a routine fly to right. Unfortunately for Providence, Nimmo misplayed the ball, allowing Tovar to score, making it 3-1. Rodriguez closed out the inning but the damage had been done. 

After Bradish allowed a leadoff double to Francisco Mejia to lead off the top of the 7th inning, Abreu came on to strike out 6 of the next 10 batters. Meanwhile, Story's troubles at short continued in the 7th, as Raleigh reached first on another error to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a double by McMahon. Ferguson came on in relief of Rodriguez, striking out Michael Conforto. However, the next batter, Cronenworth, drilled a triple to clear the bases and put the Axemen up 5-1. 

Down to its last inning, Votto gave the Greys hope with a leadoff walk. However, Abreu then struck out pinch hitters Muncy and Martinez. Candelario kept hope alive with a 2-out double, scoring Votto. With Abreu finally out of gas, Kenley Jansen made his first appearance of the series, getting Nimmo to ground the ball back to the pitcher for the final out of the series. Bradish earned the win in the 5-2 victory; Jansen got the save; and Rodriguez took the loss. P-Town takes the series, 4-3.

With P-Town's balanced hitting up and down the lineup, the series MVP was reliever Bryan Abreu, who pitched in 5 games, 15 1/3 innings, giving up only 6 hits, 3 runs and striking out 17 batters. 

P-Town moves on to face Culpepper in the next round.

-rp-

Minutemen Take Down Axemen in Game 7 Playoff Classic

Just when it seemed the Axemen were set to advance to the next round of the 2021 MDTL Playoffs, Culpeper got a two-out double by Cesar Hernandez to keep them alive in the top of the 10th. Next up, late-inning defensive sub Byron Buxton to face P-Town closer Brad Hand.

Byron Buxton

With Hernandez taking his lead against the P-Town left-hander, Buxton deposited Hand's next pitch over the outfield fence, giving the Minutemen a 6-4 lead in Game 7 of the back-and-forth classic that the Axemen had looked to wrap up just an inning before.

Alas, James Hoyt closed out the Axemen after Trevor Story reached on an error, a fielder's choice and a double-play grounder by Eric Hosmer. The win sent Culpeper onto the next round, where they will face the County Road Rebels.

The late-inning triumph gave Culpeper a 4-3 series victory, and concluded P-Town's season. A familiar late-season surge had propelled P-Town to a 95-67 record and the top spot in the Frey Division of the Mason-Dixon Tabletop League, now in its 49th season. 

Anthony Rendon

As Axemen fans silently exited P-Town Stadium, GM/Manager Rob Priewe could utter but a single word to sum up the series versus Culpeper, "Wow." 

(Click here for complete P-Town stats.)

With the squads trading off series victories, the difference proved to be Culpeper's 21-14 edge in home runs, including dingers from Buxton, Mitch Moreland, Anthony Rendon and Anthony Santander in Game 7. 

Here's Culpeper Manager Mike McClurg Jr.'s fine summary of the series:

Game 1

                 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 8 | 11 | 0 |

P-Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 4 | 4 | 0 |

WP: Lamet LP: Plesac

HR: CM - Walsh, Betts, Moreland, Santander  PT - None

Culpeper gets 3 runs in 2nd inning on Betts 3R HR.  CM adds another run in 3rd when Dalbec doubles to score Locastro, Culpeper takes a commanding 6-0 lead in 4th on back-to-back HR's by Santander and Walsh. CM goes up 8-0 in 6th with a Moreland 2R HR.

PT finally gets on the scoreboard with 4 runs in the 7th, McNiel has an RBI double and Grisham a bases-loaded double.

Game 2

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |   |  | 1 | 4 | 0 |

P-Town | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |   |  | 6 | 6 | 0 |

WP: Cole LP: Kim

HR: CM - Buxton  PT - Grisham, Moncada

PT gets 2 runs in first when Hosmer hits a 2R double, scoring Verdugo and McNiel.  PT gets 2 more in 2nd on a Moncada 2R HR. 

Culpeper finally gets a run in 7th to make it 4-1 on Buxton HR.  PT jumps back on CM for 2 runs in bottom of inning

with a solo HR by Grisham and an RBI double by Story.

Game 3

                | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

P-Town | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 4 | 8 | 0 |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |  |  | 10 | 11 | 0 |

WP: Sanchez LP: Bundy

HR: PT - Story 2, Upton  CM - Walsh, Dalbec, Castro, Betts, Rendon, Buxton

PT gets 2 runs in first inning for 2nd game in a row on Story's 2R HR.  CM gets 3 in 2nd with a Rendon 3R HR. 

PT ties game in 3rd on Story's 2nd HR in the game.  Castro makes it 4-3 with a solo shot in 4th.

Culpeper blows open game in the 5th with 4 runs on Walsh solo HR, Dalbec solo HR, and a 2R HR by Betts.  Culpeper cruises to a 10-4 win.

Game 4

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | R | H | E |

P-Town | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 0 |

Culpeper | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 |

WP: Pressley Save: A.J. Cole LP: Urias

HR: PT - Story, McNiel, Stassi, Grisham  CM - Walsh, Hernandez, Suarez

Marathon  game going 16 innings.  P-Town scores in the 1st inning for 3rd game in a row with 4 runs powered by Stassi 3R HR.  Culpeper cuts it to 4-3 with 3 in the 2nd on a 2R HR by Hernandez and a solo shot by Suarez. 

McNiel hits a solo HR in 3rd to make it 5-3.  PT gets a unearned run in 5th on a steal of 3rd and a throwing error by Perez.  Walsh hits a solo HR in bottom of inning to make it 6-4. 

Pitchers hold both teams scoreless for next 3 innings.  Culpeper rallies to tie game in 9th on an RBI double by Rendon and then Walsh singles him home. 

Game goes scoreless until 14th, when Cronenworth hits a solo HR but Culpeper ties game in bottom of inning on a Walsh RBI double. 

PT blows open game in the 16th inning for the win with 4 runs powered by 2R HR's by Grisham and Story.

Game 5

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |

P-Town        | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 1 | 2 | 0 |

Culpeper      | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 5 | 6 | 0 |

WP: Kim LP: Cole

HR: PT - None  CM - Santander, Rendon, Rosario

Culpeper finally holds PT scoreless in 1st inning and gets a run in bottom of inning on Santander solo HR.  CM goes up 3-0 in 3rd on Rosario 2R HR. 

PT gets on scoreboard in 4th when McNiel doubles in Verdugo. 

CM gets 2 insurance runs in 7th on Rendon's 2R HR. 

Kim gets CGW for Minutemen, allowing only 2 hits.

Game 6

                    | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  |  | R | H | E |  

Culpeper     | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |  | 0 | 4 | 0 |

P-Town        | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |  |  | 5 | 8 | 0 |  

WP: Bundy LP: Sanchez

HR: CM - None  PT - Cooper 2

P-Town scores in 1st inning for the 4th game in the series on Cooper's 2R HR.  Verdugo doubles in Moncada in 3rd to make it 3-0.  PT adds 2 insurance runs in 8th on Cooper's second 2 run HR of the game. 

Bundy cruises to complete game shutout for the Axemen. 

Series is now tied 3 games each.

Game 7

                 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |  | R | H | E |

Culpeper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |  | 6 | 7 | 0 |

P-Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |  | 4 | 8 | 0 |

WP: Hoyt LP: Hand

HR: CM - Santander, Rendon, Moreland, Buxton  PT - Cronenworth, Cooper

Game is a pitchers' duel between Plesac and Lamet until Culpeper gets back-to-back Home Runs by Santander and Rendon in 6th. 

PT is held scoreless for 7 innings but rallies for a 3-2 lead in the 8th. Cooper starts the rally with a pinch-hit 2-run HR and Hosmer singles in Grisham who was on second base with a double. 

The 9th inning starts quietly for Culpeper with Plesac quickly retiring the first 2 batters in the inning.  Betts then hits a single and then Moreland hits a 2-run HR to put Culpeper up 4-3.  Cronenworth quickly ties game on back-to-back dice rolls of 11 and the Axemen crowd erupts after having their hearts ripped out in top of inning. Verdugo then hits a double but is stranded at second base when Grisham grounds out to end the inning and send game to extra innings.

Hand strikes out Suarez to start the 10th, then Hernandez hits a double and then Buxton, who had entered game in the 9th for defense, hits a 2-run HR to put Minutemen up 6-4. 

Story leads off bottom of inning, reaching base on a Correa error but after a fielder's choice by McNiel, Hosmer hits into a game-ending double play and Culpeper wins the series.  Hoyt gets the win.

 

Buxton and Rendon are co-MVPs for the Minutemen.

Buxton -- AB 20 H 6 R 4 RBI 5 HR 3 ... Series-winning home run

Rendon -- AB 21 H 8 R 5 RBI 8 HR 3

--

Note: Word leaked during the series that several P-Town players might be traded after the season, which definitely may have impacted performances by McNiel, Hosmer and Gurriel ...

Update: Indeed, within hours of the series end, McNiel, Hosmer, Gurriel, Kiermaier and several others were dealt as P-Town quickly began retooling for 2022 ...

rp

-- 66 --

Discovering the Baseball Art of Graig Kreindler ... Just, Wow!

Johnny Vander Meer

If you haven't seen Graig Kreindler's work ... you really must ...

The artist's homepage: www.graigkreindler.com 

A very cool 5-minute video: https://youtu.be/fih3vaEPwlA 

I learned about it today listening to one of the latest installments of Ben Lindbergh's "Effectively Wild" baseball podcast on Fangraphs.

Enjoy.

rp

-- 66 --

Loggers 2021: Ugh! Better Luck Next Year ...

Given how many of its star players had "off" years, it shouldn't have been surprising that the P-Town Loggers slumped to such a sad finish of its 2021 season in the Sunrise Baseball Association. 

Loggers MVP Bryce Harper.

Nevertheless, who could have predicted the team would lose 12 of its final 13 games and once again miss the playoffs. The Loggers finished 74-88, putting them in fifth place in their division, 31 games behind Jerry Conca's Yankees squad, which would go on to win this year's SBA Championship. (Congrats to Jerry on his first SBA title!)

Although this year's edition of the Loggers scored a few more runs (771 vs. 757) than in 2020 they allowed way more (820 vs. 703)! Yikes! And that pretty much sums up this dismal season, though things were looking pretty good at midseason at 50-48.

So not everyone sucked ... 

Bryce Harper (.246/.346/.504) led the offense, scoring 104 runs, driving in 130, smashing 40 HR's and stealing 21 bases. It helped that he walked a team-high 92 times. 

Leadoff guy Brandon Nimmo scored 115 runs and hit a whopping 30 home runs. His .356 OBP was driven by 88 walks and 27 HBP's. 

Starling Marte (.269/.329/.408) also contributed mightily in the two hole: 113 runs, 45 doubles, 28 stolen bases. 

Chris Taylor just missed the century mark in RBI, driving in 99, scoring 77 runs and hitting 25 home runs, though he also lead the team in whiffs with 175 and errors with 37, mainly at second base, where he is rated a 7. 

In part-time duty, Edwin Rios contributed 27 HR's, 38 doubles and 70 RBI. 

On the flip side, the Loggers suffered from down years by its perennial MVP Nolan Arenado (.209/.246/.372), whose pandemic slump resulted in only 20 HR's and 64 RBI. Likewise, shortstop Brandon Crawford could manage only a .195 batting average, though he did hit 29 dingers.

The pitching is where things really went off the rails, with Gerrit Cole (BXZ) avoiding losing 20 games, barely, finishing 10-19 with a 5.55 ERA! (He had gone 19-10 the year before ...)

Antonio Senzatela (BRZ) led the starters with a 12-15 record, 3.56 ERA and 10 complete games and 5 shutouts. Other starters were: Zach Eflin (7-12, 5.08); Lance McCullers (8-11, 5.34); rookie Triston McKenzie (8-6, 5.14); and Drew Smyly (5-6, 4.04). 

Fan fave Josh Hader.

The bullpen was equally below par, though Yimi Garcia (A&BX) led the team with 25 saves and a 2.23 ERA. Grant Dayton (AY) contributed a 9-7 record, 4 saves and an ERA of 4.50. Sadly, the team's most popular player, Josh Hader (CXYW), only pitched 23 innings with an 8.87 ERA. Ouch!

The team ERA was 4.66, compared to 3.91 the year before. (Click here for all team stats.)

As noted, the team hit about the same as the year before ... .230/.305/.426 compared to .228/.303/.435, though home runs were down to 230 from 255 in 2020. 

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season, though there is definitely hope for the year ahead with strong bounce-back years for Arenado, Crawford and Hader. Harper, of course, earned the NL MVP and we're looking forward to rolling for his 1-1-0-0-0-10 APBA card. 

(BREAKING NEWS: Next year's offense will have some more pop with the addition of Polar Bear Pete Alonso and his 1-1-0-0 card, though the Loggers waved goodbye to Starling Marte, who along with Arenado, Cole and Crawford have been the foundation of the Loggers lineup all these years.) 

Who knows? Maybe get a few better arms in the draft to go with all those home runs and things are already looking up for 2022. (rp)

-- 66 --

Loggers finish even; come up short in SBA playoffs race

The P-Town Loggers limped to season's end with a disappointing 1-5 homestand vs. Mike MacNeill's Myrtle Beach Bombers, wrapping up their season with an 81-81 record.

The 2020 season split left the Loggers needing a miracle to return to the playoffs in the Sunrise Baseball Association. And it didn't happen. They finished five games behind Rick Burton's Gamblers and six behind Pete Oddo's New York Doubledowns. 

The Loggers' lack of luck was best shown by outscoring their opponents 757-703, which according to Bill James' "Pythagorean Win Expectation" formula translates to a record of 87-75 (.537 expected win percentage), which would have qualified P-Town for this year's postseason.

While the Loggers may have come up short as a team, individual players again exceeded expectations, especially third baseman Nolan Arenado, rightfielder Bryce Harper, first baseman Eric Thames, starter Gerrit Cole and closer Josh Hader. 

Team MVP Arenado slugged 52 home runs, scored 116 runs and drove in 121; Harper followed with 39/109/88; and Thames contributed 36/93/106. 

Rookie second baseman Keston Hiura torched opponents for 20 homers, 55 runs and 50 RBI in half a season. Steady leadoff man Starling Marte contributed 23 HR's, 86 runs and 51 RBI, while leading the Loggers in stolen bases with 22.

As a team, P-Town set a franchise record with 255 home runs, and as a team batted .228, with an on-base percentage of .303 and .428 slugging percentage. (Click here to see season stats.)

On the bump, Gerrit Cole went 19-10, coming up just short of becoming P-Town's first 20-game winner. He set a new team record with a stunning 429 K's in 281 innings. He compiled 23 complete games and an ERA of 3.19. The rest of the Loggers rotation included James Paxton (10-15); Tanner Roark (11-9); Wade Miley (11-16); Adam Plutko (8-7) and Adrian Houser (6-6).

In the bullpen, closer Josh Hader led the team with a 2.84 ERA and 23 saves. He ended with a 5-8 win-loss record. The relief corps was rounded out by Matt Barnes, Tyler Clippard, Hector Rondon and Tommy Kahnle. 

  

Loggers Looking for Second-half Surge in Sunrise Baseball Association

Nolan Arendo

The P-Town Loggers of the SBA are looking for a return to the playoffs this season but it's going to take more than splitting their remaining schedule.

The Loggers sit at 46-46 as they enter the second half of the season in the Sunrise Baseball Association, several games out of the final playoff spot. While the Loggers are stronger this year than their recent past, they're going to have to step it up if they hope to play extra games this season.

"I've been waiting all season for this team to get on a roll," said P-Town Manager/GM Rob Priewe. "Not sure we can wait a lot longer..."

Gerrit Cole

Since arriving in P-Town five years ago, the Loggers as always are led by Nolan Arenado, who's having another stellar season. The all-star thirdbaseman leads the team in runs with 65, RBI with 66 and home runs with 31. He's backed up by the Loggers' power-hitting firstbaseman Eric Thames, who has 62 runs, a matching 66 RBI and 25 HR's. Bryce Harper has been setting the table for his fellow sluggers, scoring 59, driving in 52 and clubbing 22 homers. The top of the Loggers lineup is rounded out by Starling Marte and Keston Hiura.

On the mound, the Loggers are anchored by Gerrit Cole, whose record stands at 12-8. He's struck out a whopping 309 batters already in 188 innings! James Paxton and Wade Miley each have eight wins. The bullpen is highlighted by Josh Hader, who has figured in nine decisions with a 3-6 record and 12 saves. (Click here for team stats.)

The Loggers will begin their stretch run later this week versus the defending SBA champions, the Babylon Tight Lines, managed by Rob Jordan. Babylon stands at 34-41 heading into the matchup.

P-Town sputtered on their way to wrapping up last year, finishing with a record of 78-84. The only good part about that finish, it gave them the third spot in the league draft, which they turned into Harper and Hiura. Onward!

-- 66 --

Axemen 2020 Update: "Timber!" Returns to MM-MDTL

Nelson Cruz

Timber! Boom! The Axemen bats are back in 2020!

Three months into the season and the P-Town Axemen are back in first place, atop the Howard Frey Division of the Mike McClurg Sr. - Mason Dixon Tabletop League.

With a record of 36-25, the Axemen are doing it with their bats, already booming 131 home runs in their first 61 games.

"I knew we needed some fresh lumber this season," said P-Town Skipper Rob Priewe, now in his third year. "I just hope they can maintain this pace through the rest of the season."

Nelson "Boomstick" Cruz is leading the way with 19 round-trippers, followed by Trevor Story (17), Yoan Moncada (14), Yasiel Puig (12) and Gary Sanchez and Hunter Pence (11 each). With the power resurgence, the Axemen are averaging nearly six runs per game, a two-run improvement over the year before. (Click for stats.)

Gerrit Cole

On the mount, Gerrit Cole is off to a 10-1 start to lead the staff. Newcomer Spencer Turnbull is 7-4 and Zack Greinke stands at 6-5. In the pen, Aaron Bummer has taken over the closer role, going 4-2 with eight saves.

Although the team ERA has ticked up to 4.49, it's still early, Priewe said, and the offense has given the pitching staff some breathing room.

While some of the offensive mainstays are familiar -- Story, Cruz, Puig, Sanchez -- the retooled lineup  includes Moncada getting his shot at third, along with Jeff McNeil at second and Eric Hosmer at first (acquired during the offseason for Josh Donaldson and Joey Votto). The outfield got a boost in the draft with the addition of Pence, Mike Tauchman and Alex Verdugo.

While some of the pitchers are still finding their stride, Priewe has no complaints about the offensive firepower demonstrated so far.

"We'll need all the runs we can get this year in a very competitive league," he said.

-- 66 --