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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 2:48 pm 
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BOBCAT FREE-AGENT SIGNINGS

The 2009 World Series winners were particularly active for a World Series winner, surprising many. Most knew the Bobcats would go after another outfielder, but considering that the team allowed a league low 608 runs scored and were the only playoff team that scored fewer than 700 runs during the regular season, most expected that this small-market team would try to pick up an outfielder with strong offense and defensive skills and keep the status quo with respect to their pitching staff.

    LF Jason Bay, 31 (DCBDAB – three)
    Contract requested $3.96 million/3
    Contract accepted $3.965 million/1

      Comments: Bay was not the most highly regarded outfielder on the market, but it was no secret that the Bobcats coveted his gold glove defense and speed. It is not clear whether their preference for a one-year contract reflects a lack of financial certainty, or if they expect one of their minor-league players to be able to take over the left field position in 2011.

    Jake Peavy, 28 (96 BA 2SF – two, SL – five, CB – three, CH – four, HSK – three)
    Contract requested $4.040 million/1
    Contract accepted $4.045 million/1


      Comments: Peavy's signing was only a mild surprise, as he represented a relative bargain in the current free-agent market, considering his stamina and pitching repertoire.

    Beckett (97 BA 2SF – two, CB – four, FO – five, CH – three, SFB – four)
    Contract requested: $9.17 million/3
    Contract accepted: $5 million/5


      Comments: Comments: this signing sent shockwaves through the league. Beckett remained unsigned after the first two weeks of free agency, which probably had something to do with his willingness to cut his per-season asking price by almost 50%. Said Beckett, "While I am at that the point in my career where I need to go for the big contract, the added years give me some security, and the opportunity to play in such a pitcher's park with the defending champions who put a clear emphasis on defense also made this decision the right one."

Once this move was made, the Bobcats released Kuroda ($13.33 million/3 years remaining), paying a $2,666,000 penalty and Bergman, who they had just signed to a $4.13 million/1 year contract, paying an $826,000 penalty. Kuroda was effective, but not so much more effective than the team's other starters (each earning around $400/450,000) as to warrant the contract of his size.

Said the Bobcats "When we saw that Beckett remained unsigned, we made an offer that would probably have been rejected in the early stages of free agency. If we kept Kuroda for the length of his contract, we would be paying that pitcher almost $40,000,000 over the next three years. Instead, even if we include the release penalty, we are only paying $17,666,000 over that term for Beckett's services. As for Bergman, once we signed Beckett and Peavy, he was going to be pushed to the back end of the rotation and it just did not justify the contract. When we signed him, we knew he was mainly an insurance policy in case we were not able to accomplish what we hoped to accomplish in the free-agent market."

Looking at this deal just for next season, Beckett and Peavy are significant upgrades over Kuroda and Bergman, and the Bobcats reduced their 2010 payroll by $4,926,000, even accounting for the early release penalties.

League Consesus: most viewed the Bobcats as a team that "squeaked by" the postseason to barely win a World Series, and they were not considered a big threat to repeat in 2010, but after adding two aces to their pitching staff and a potential All-Star outfielder, they are serious contenders to repeat. That they made this jump in on-field talent while reducing their 2010 payroll by just under $1 million is astounding.


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:08 am 
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SPRING TRAINING 2010 REPORT

The Bobcats had a relatively productive spring. Following are several highlights:

    1B Erdos (DCCCEC – two) and RF Condrey (DCDCDD – two) each learned the skills necessary to be a "power hitter"

    Third baseman turned right fielder Swanson (ECCDDE – two) learned to be a power hitter and also learned to play left field

    Outfielders Denham (EDBDDD – two) and Rijo (EDBDDE – two) were both unsuccessful in trying to become power hitters. Rijo learned to play leftfield, so both of these OF can play all OF spots and will be vying for a bench position.

    2b/SS Bailey (EEBCCD – two) learned to play third base and first base, and increased his trajectory to level two, as did starting second baseman Dawley.

    SS Grindell (ECCBBC) focused on learning the skills necessary to be a "hot hitter," but was ultimately unsuccessful.

    Minor-league first baseman Cunane (FDCDED), who learned right field last spring, learned to play catcher this spring.

    3rd string catcher Obradovich (EECCCD – two) learned to be a good catcher and is expected to be the primary back up this season

    2009 first round pick, Ruggiano (EDCDCE – one), impressed the team with how quickly he improved his speed to level C before the end of last season. Ruggiano, a SS in the draft, learned to play left field and centerfield, and will be focused on improving his trajectory this season. The Jason Bay signing probably means that Ruggiano will spend the season in the minors.

    2009 rookie free agent middle reliever Sears (94 GC SL – 3, CB – 4, SP – one) had a very productive spring, improving both of his breaking pitches by one level and learning the split fingered fastball

    2008 rookie free agent pitcher Rosato (93 FC SL – two, SP – three, CCH – one, SK – three), who learned the split fingered fastball last spring, learn to throw a circle change after he tried but failed to pick up a drop curveball. Rosato also improved his splitter and sinker by 1 level.

    2009 second round pick Chiasson (93 EC CU – 4, CB – two, FO – 4) failed to learn the two seam fastball, but improved each of his pitches by one

    2008 second round pick Pineta (95 EB SL – four, CU – three, CB – two, PA – one, FO – four), learned the palmball last spring and improved each of his slider, cut fastball, and forkball this spring. Pineta will be vying for a starting spot in the 2010 rotation


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:17 pm 
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APRIL IN REVIEW

RECORD

    With a 20 and 7 record, the Bobcats lead their AL West division by two games over the Athletics, and boast the best record in baseball by two games. They scored 142 runs in April at alloud just 92 runs to score. The only other team in major-league baseball with a similar differential of about 50 run scored are the Colorado Rockies who scored 184 runs while allowing 136. The Rockies went 15 and 12 in the first month.

AWARDS

    Second baseman Dawley was named player of the week for week one of the season. During this week he hit 404 with one homerun, nine RBIs and seven stolen bases

    Third baseman Suárez was named player of the week for week two of the season. During this week, Suárez hit 500 with six homeruns and 10 RBIs.

    Centerfielder Byrns was named player of the week for week three. During this week, Byrns bed at 417 with three homeruns and six RBIs

    Shortstop Grindell was named player of the week for week four, which covers 4/26–5/2. During this week, Grindell hit 500 with two RBIs and numerous stolen bases.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

    4/5/10: The 'Cats seem poised to take this game from the Rangers in the way they won the 2010 World Series, with singles and stolen bases, but poor pitching in the fifth and sixth innings force the Bobcats to play catch up. They tie the game in the fifth and sixth, even pulling ahead by one run in the sixth. A disastrous eighth inning, highlighted by a Rangers three run homerun, puts the 'Cats down by four runs. They failed to score, leaving runners in scoring position in the eighth, but in the 9th, use 7 2-out singles against the Rangers closer to tie and win the game. Final score: 12–11, Bobcats

    4/11/10: With their mediocre starting pitchers all in poor condition, Detroit Tigers trot out their middle relievers to start the game and the Bobcats offense, which has shown more life in the last few games, scores nine runs in the first six innings, highlighted by (1) Jason Bay's second homerun in as many days, (2) Erdos' third homerun in the last two games, (3) and Dawley's (DE) first home run of the season, while starting pitcher Jake Peavy takes a three hit shut out into the seventh-inning and a five hit shutout into the ninth. Peavy lost his shut out when he gave up a solo homerun to Ty Wigington in the nighth, but was able to finish out the game. Final score: nine – one, Bobcats

    4/13/10: A strong pitching effort by Franklin Morales (Six IP, 6H, 2 R, 11 K) is about to be wasted as the Bobcats offense, which scored 36 runs in the last five games, comes to a screeching halt against the Rangers Padilla (96 DB HSL – two, CB – one, CH – two, HSK – two), who stymies the 'Cats through 7 innings, allowing just three hits, but the Bobcats tie the game on a squeeze bunt in the eighth, and then three batters later, C Josh Bard, who has been so hot that the Bobcats moved him from seventh in the batting order to third, hits a three run homerun. Final score: 6–3, Bobcats

    4/15/10: With the game well in hand, thanks to solid pitching by Josh Beckett and 2, 3 run homeruns by Suárez against Rangers ace John Smoltz, relief pitcher Chiasson (94 EC CU – four, CB – two, FO – four) enters the game with runners on first and second and no one out in the eighth inning. After striking out the side to end the threat, he retires the Rangers in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out one, to wrap up the game. Final score: 7–1, Bobcats

    4/20/10: Tigers pitcher Anthony Reyes (93 DB CB – three, CH – four) proves that three runs is enough, as he allows only 1 run on five hits, extending the 'Cats losing streak to three games and four losses in their last six. To make matters worse, Jason Bay has been playing spectacular in the field and at the plate, but was injured while doing a headfirst slide into third base and will miss the next three games. Final score: three – one, Tigers

    4/23/10: Against the Angels Fausto Carmona, the Bobcats are behind by one run as Carmona tires in the eighth. The 'Cats tie the game in the bottom of the ninth against the Angels closer, and the game goes into extra innings. In the top of the 13th, Suárez gets his only hit of the game – a homerun to right center field that the Angels are unable to match. Final score: 4–3 (13), Bobcats

    4/27/10: Things are not looking good for the Bobcats as the Rangers Wandy Rodriguez takes a 3–0 lead and a five hit shutout into the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out, Dawley, Josh Bard, and Suárez each get there first hit of the game, with Suárez' single bringing home Dawley. Byrns, batting 143, steps to the plate and drills a 1–0 changeup for a walk off three run homerun. Final score: 4–3, Bobcats

    4/28/10: As with yesterday's game, the Bobcats seemed poised to waste another solid pitching effort from their starter, this time Josh Beckett, who stood on the losing end, although he only allowed two runs through 8–1/3 innings of work, but the 'Cats could do nothing against Jake Westbrook, save for a solo homerun by Eric Byrns, but in the bottom of the 9th, after a lead-off ground out, the Bobcats loaded the bases and the Rangers brought in there closer, Nick Blackburn (95 EB SL – three, CU – two, CB – four, CH – two). Grindell, who is on the bench in purple condition, entered to pinch hit and promptly drilled a first pitch fastball up the middle that brought in the tying and winning runs. Final score: 3–2, Bobcats

    4/30/10: In the poorest display of clutch hitting so far this season, the Bobcats rack up 15 hits, but only score 2 runs. Final score: 6–2, Rangers

WHO'S HOT

    Rob Morrow (100 DE SL-1, CH-2) seems to have locked down the set up man roll…so far. The hard throwing righty does not have the movement on his breaking balls that the 'Cats prefer, but there's no denying his fastball's effectiveness. Morrow has not shut down opposing teams so much as he has relied on double-play balls to get out of jams. It will be interesting to see what management does if he stops being rescued by the double play.

    Grindell has been very solid at the plate, hitting in clutch situations and moving well around the base paths, while showing an excellent arm and range at SS. This is a significant improvement from his sub- 300 season last year

    Josh Beckett leads the team with a 1.53 ERA, posting a 3–0 record with five starts, while Jake Peavy's ERA of 2.25 is second on the team. Peavy leads the team with 40 innings pitched, has no losses, and won four of his five starts, with two of them being complete games.

    Second baseman Dawley (DEBCCE – two) leads the team with a 398 batting average, followed very closely by SS Grindell's 394, which is good for fourth and sixth best in baseball.

    Suárez is tied with Dan Uggla for the homerun lead (11), followed by Albert Pulhols and Carlos Peña, who each have 10.

    The Bobcats starting lineup also contains the top four base-steelers in baseball. Dawley has 16 stolen bases, Grindell, 11; Byrns and Bay each have 10

WHO'S NOT

    Casey Kotchman was the Bobcats most consistent hitter the last two seasons, and with his developing "power hitter" abilities and bringing his contact level up to level B, much was expected out of the first baseman who has been used mainly as a DH. Instead, Kotchman has struggled with a 258 batting average and only one homerun. Another player on the team who asked not to be named indicated that Kotchman is bothered with being relegated to a DH role, and this unhappiness is hurting him at the plate. That individual believes that Kotchman is bothered because being thought of as a 27-year-old DH could hurt him if he ever hits the market, and he misses the defense of aspects of the game. When we questioned Kotchman, he refused to agree, but did mention that without playing the field, he often feels like a pinch-hitter.

    Call it the curse of the Bobcats "rookie of the year award," but for the second year in a row, their rookie of the year is struggling. Last year, the Bobcats 2008 rookie of the year, RF Rijo, did not make the major-league roster, replaced by a converted third baseman, Condrey. In turn, Condrey won the 2009 rookie of in the year, and although his 311 batting average is respectable, he has struggled with runners in scoring position and has no homeruns this month.

    Pineta (95 DB SPL – four, CU – three, CB – two, PA – one, FO – four), the 'Cats 2008 second round pick, started four games and while his ERA is a respectable 3.98, he simply has not made it through the fifth inning regularly. The team reported that he will be slotted for middle relief in order to log innings and further improve his stamina, with John Lannan taking his place.


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:14 am 
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MAY IN REVIEW

The 'Cats started off strong in the month of May, but their hitting tailed off and by the end of the month, some shaky pitching performances resulted in their losing 9 of their last 11 games, including getting swept by the Mariners and losing a total of 5 of 6 games played against the Mariners this month.

RECORD

The Bobcats went 15 and 13 for the month of May, scoring 143 runs (which is one more than last month) while allowing 104 runs to score. Fortunately, the Bobcats remain in first place in their division, in part because only the Angels had a better May, winning one more game than the 'Cats.

Considering that the Mariners won five out of six games against the 'Cats in May, it is surprising that they were unable to take over 1st place, but the losses the Bobcats sustained to the Mariners seemed to be evened out by the Texas Rangers, who won six of eight games against the Mariners while dropping 12 of 16 to the Bobcats this season and four of five this month.

The 'Cats' 35 and 20 season record is still good for first in the majors, one game ahead of the Orioles and two games ahead of the Cubs and Blue Jays.

AWARDS

Suárez was named player of the week for week five. During this week, the Bobcats third baseman hit 448 with 6 homeruns and 13 RBIs. At the beginning of the week, he was moved from fourth in the batting order to third.

Bobcats pitcher Hughes was named AL player of the week for week six. He pitched and won one game, allowing no runs and striking out 21 batters.

Centerfielder Eric Byrns was named player of the week for week eight. During this time, Byrns batted 444 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.

For the month of May, Jake Peavy was named pitcher of the month. During this month, he posted 4 wins with a 1.08 ERA and 20 strikeouts

HIGHLIGHTS

5/3/10: The 'Cats put on their best offensive performance in their history, blowing out the Texas Rangers 16–2. Highlighted by Jason Bay's three doubles and Suárez' three homeruns, the 'Cats hit six homeruns in total and scored more runs (16) then they had hits (15) due to some fielders choices.

5/4/10: If the 'Cats 16–2 victory over the Rangers that put their record against their intradivision rival at 10–3 left any doubt that the Bobcats own the Rangers this year, knocking Rangers starter Jake Westbrook (95 CA CU – two, CB – three, CH – four, HSK – five) out of the game with only one out recorded in the first inning and six runs crossing the plate (highlighted by a Josh Bard three run homerun and a two run homerun from Erdos) should erase that doubt. Final score: 9-2, Bobcats

5/12/10: Without much run support, 'Cats starter Jake Peavy pitches a complete game seven hit shutout, including an eighth inning strikeout to end the inning and strand a Tampa Bay Ray on third. Final score: 2–0, Bobcats

5/14/10:The Bobcats are stymied by the Red Sox mediocre pitchers, Mike Hampton (92FC CU – one, CB – one, CH – one) and Zach Minor (94 CE SL – two, CB – two, CH – three), with Minor pitching in poor condition. In the ninth, three singles against closer Jonathan Papelbon bring in a run, but a double play prevents the big inning the 'Cats need. Final score: 6–4, Red Sox

5/19/10: Embarrassingly poor hitting against Muskrats pitcher Burger (86 GD SL- one), and Phil Hughes's inability to get out of the third inning doom the Bobcats. Final score: 6–3, Muskrats

5/21–23/10: The 'Cats drop two of three against the Mariners, failing to score more than one run in both losses.

5/25/10: Bobcats closer Kevin Hart allows his first earned runs to score this season, blowing his first save. The 'Cats break through with two runs to the top of the 14th, but an inside the park homerun by Orlando Cabrera ties the game, and an RBI single from Dan Uggla brings in the winning run and ends the game at 5:19. Final score: 9–8 (14), Muskrats

5/27/10: Against Muskrats starter Berg (86 GD SL – one), the 'Cats only manage two hits, until Berg tires in the seventh and allows one run. Final score 3 – 1, Muskrats

WHO'S HOT

3B Suárez (DBCCDD – four), maligned his initial two years due to a lack of power numbers, is playing like the five tool player the 'Cats hoped he would be. He is tied with Josh Bard for sixth in major league baseball with a 362 batting average. He is tied with 2b Dawley for third in the majors with 76 hits. He leads the league with 19 homeruns, three more than Albert Pujols and Dan Uggla. He is tied with Albert Pujols for fourth in the league with 44 runs scored, and he is tied with several other players for 11th in the league with 12 stolen bases. The Bobcats Dawley, Grindell, Jason Bay, and Eric Byrnes are the top four-base-stealers in baseball with 27, 22, 19, and 17 stolen bases respectively.

Jake Peavy has the second-best ERA in baseball, at 1.72, while Josh Beckett is fifth in the majors with a 2.56 ERA. Those pictures are also second and fourth in the league for innings pitched. Jake Peavy also leads the majors with eight wins and four complete games. Josh Beckett is tied for third place with two complete games.

With the "quality starts" statistic, seven pitchers including Jake Peavy have a major-league best eight quality starts, while five, including Josh Beckett, have seven quality starts.

Last years saves leader, the Bobcats Kevin Hart, is tied for fourth place with 12 saves, having converted all but one opportunity this season

WHO'S NOT

The 'Cats other pitchers, both starters and relievers, with the exception of closer Kevin Hart, have been inconsistent this month. In addition, the Bobcats starting position players have all fallen off offensively, with Erdos, Jason Bay, and Eric Byrnes having the biggest drops in production. DH Casey Kotchman has hit better of late, with his average up to a still poor 243, and the Bobcats have seemingly given in to his demands to serve as the primary first baseman, shifting Erdos to DH. The relationship between the management and Kotchman bears watching, as it seems to be deteriorating similarly to how the team's relationship with Stephen Drew deteriorated last season.


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:28 am 
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2010 DRAFT ANALYSIS

Bobcat pics

    The Bobcats owned the last pick in the draft since they had the best record in baseball last season, and according to management, they decided to focus on pitching since all the position players they deemed worthy had already been selected.

    Round 1: P 95 DC 104 CB – three, FO – one, age 19, lefty - one of the hardest throwers in the draft with good stamina and a major-leagueready curve
    Round 2: P 93 GC SL – three, CB – one, age 22, righty - a potentially-solid reliever if a lack of control does not haunt him

First four picks

    Rangers: Catcher (EEECCD – one), age 23: the best catcher in the draft

    Pirates: SS (DEDDDE – one, contact hitter, gold glove), age 22: a tough call between this SS and the one selected by the Phillies

    Tigers: Third baseman (EDEDED – two), age 24: a solid pick that will need some time to develop

    Cardinals: third baseman (FDFEFF – three), age 22: too many shortcomings to warrant a pick this high

Last three 1st round picks (Excluding the Bobcats)

    Astros: Pitcher (93 DB CU – two, SL – one), age 23: the best stamina in the draft

    Dodgers: Centerfielder (FFFEEF – two, spider catch, error-prone, spark plug), age 20: probably should have gone with a pitcher

    Braves : Third baseman (FEFEFF – two), age 24: probably should have gone with a pitcher

Best draft picks– Position players (Excluding the first four draft picks and Bobcat picks)

    Athletics catcher (EEFCCD – one): 2nd best catcher available

    Giants shortstop (EE96DDF – two): good enough to start if he cuts down on his errors

    Nationals shortstop (DE96DEDF – two): solid hitter might make up for defensive shortcomings

    Phillies shortstop (DE99EDDD – two, tough run): a tough call between this SS and the one selected by the Pirates

Best draft picks– Pitchers (Excluding the first four draft picks and Bobcat picks)

    Mariners Pitchers (94 DC SL – two, CB – two): a good foundation to build on, in terms of fastball speed and breaking pitches

    Yankees pitcher (88 EC SL – two, CU – two, SLV – three, CB – two, PA – three): A little too much similarity or overlap between among the breaking pitches for our liking

    Royals Pitcher (91 DC SL – one, CB – one, PA – three, SK – two, spin two, durable four): A nice selection of pitches, one of which is major-league ready

    Dodgers pitcher (88 FC103 SL – two, CB – one, FO – one); A potential starter with a nice selection of pitches

    Cubs pitcher (95 EC SL – three, CB – two): Probably capable of stepping into a middle relief role right now, with a plus fastball and decent breaking pitches

Worst first-round picks

    Diamondbacks first baseman (GDGGFD – three): So-so power on the few occasions that he makes contact, and he will not drop the ball if it is hit to him

    Rays third baseman (FEFEFE – three): A weak-armed third baseman who can't hit

    Braves third baseman (FEFEFF – two): Makes the Rays pick look good

    Mets first baseman (GGFGGE – three): Makes the Diamondbacks pick look good

    Yankees second baseman (EFFEEF – one): his average arm won't make up for his lack of hitting

    Brewers catcher (FFFDFE – two): A decent arm might win him a spot as a backup catcher, he is the best player on this list (the "best of the worst")


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 5:47 am 
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JUNE IN REVIEW

After ending May with five consecutive losses and nine losses in their last 11 games, the Bobcats quickly turned the page and started June with 7 straight wins, including 2 come from behind wins against the Blue Jays in which Eric Byrnes and Suárez drove in the winning runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Record

With a 21 and 5 record for June, the Bobcats followed their May, in which they were barely above 500, with the best June in baseball by 4 more wins than the White Sox, who had the second-best June in the majors.

The Bobcats season record of 56 and 25 leads their division, 9 games ahead of the second-place Mariners. It is also the best record in all of baseball, with the Astros and Orioles following with 8 fewer wins.

Awards

In spite of their fantastic month, the only earned one award this month. Eric Byrnes was named player of the week for week 9, during which he hit 480 with 1 homerun and 9 RBIs

Game highlights

6/8/10: With the Cardinals Francis (90 BA 2SF – two, SL – two, CB – two, CH – two) taking a 5 hit shut out into the 9th inning, the 'Cats rally and push two runs across to win the game. Final score: two – one, Bobcats

6/16/10: After comfortably winning the first game of the series against the Cubs, 7–1, the Bobcats take an early lead in game two, lose, regain and lose that lead again before Dawley gets a walk off base hit in the bottom of the ninth. Final score: 5–4, Bobcats

6/17–19/10: the back end of the Bobcats rotation pitches poorly, with only one starting pitcher in the series going five innings, and the Bobcats drop two of three games to the Astros, losing 9–8 and 4–3 before salvaging the series with a 3–2 win.

6/21/10: a pitching duel between 'Cat Jake Peavy (96 BA 2SF – two, SL – five, CB – three, CH – four, HSK – three) and the Angels Ted Lily (?? CA 2SF – one, SL – two, DCB – four, CH – two) saw the game enter the 8th inning with both teams having three hits and the Angels leading 1-0. The Bobcats Erdos singled and stole second, but was thrown out at the plate on a Condrey single. Condrey moved to second on the throw home and was able to score on a Grindell single to center. The tie game and both starters continued into the 10th, when Lily allowed leadoff singles to Burns and Erdos, putting runners at first and third with no outs. A Grindell sacrifice fly brought in Burns, and Peavy was able to close out the 10th for a 10 inning complete game win, allowing one run on just five hits. Final score: two – one, Bobcats

    Note: with this last complete game, Peavy now has six for the season, and is tied for first among active players for the most complete games ever in a season

6/25/10: The Mets Kyle Lohse (95 CB SL – two, CU – one, CH – two) dominates the Bobcats, taking a four hit shut out into the bottom of the ninth-inning, and finishes the game with a five hit shut out intact. Final score: 2–0, Mets

6/26/10: the Bobcats inability to hit mediocre starting pitching continues, with the Mets Troy Patton (89 FC SL – two, CB – two, CH – one) being the beneficiary, but the 'Cats tie the game and pull ahead against the Mets middle relievers. Final score: 4–3, Bobcats

Who's hot

The Bobcats pitching was outstanding this month, allowing a league low 75 runs scored. To highlight how impressive this statistic is, the second stingiest pitching staff in the majors was the Indians, who allowed 93 runs scored, and the Astros (98 runs scored) and Cubs (96 runs scored) were the only other clubs to allow fewer than 100 runs in June.

Jake Peavy's ERA increased by only .04 percentage points, giving him sole possession of first place among starting pitchers, while Josh Beckett lowered his ERA from 2.56 down to 2.40, currently ranking him third in the majors. Kyle Kendrick pitched very well, and is currently tied for eighth place for league ERA rankings. Peavy also leads the league in innings pitched (Beckett is sixth), wins (12) and quality starts (13). The only important statistic for Cy Young consideration in which Peavy is not 1st is strikeouts.

Closer Kevin Hart is tied for the league lead with 19 saves.

Offensively, Josh Bard and Grindell hit very well, and are currently second and fourth in league batting average with 367 and 361, respectively.

Second baseman Dawley (DEBCCE) and third baseman Suárez (DBCCDD), who generally bat second and third or second and fourth, respectively, have continued to hit well and drive in runs, although Suárez only had one home run the whole month of June.

The team continues to rack up crazy stolen base figures, with Dawley having a league leading 42 stolen bases, followed by Grindell's 35. Eric Byrnes, Jason Bay, right fielder Condrey, and Suárez ranked third, fourth, seventh, and eighth, with stolen base totals ranging from 29 (Burns) to 19 (Suárez).

Who's not

On the whole, the Bobcats offense struggled, scoring just 121 runs this month. An average of 4.65 runs per game is more than sufficient in light of the team's excellent pitching, but it is below average, league-wide.

Jason Bay, Eric Byrnes, and Condrey who's batting averages each fell to the sub 300 level last month, are back over that mark this month, although each of them, and the team as a whole, continues to struggle with runners in scoring position. Casey Kotchman raised his pathetic batting average from 243 up to 261 and he belted a couple of homers last month, but the Bobcats are still displeased with his production and have moved him back to a DH role.

Starting pitchers Phil Hughes and John Lannan have been inconsistent, and currently have 4/5 and 6/4 records with ERAs of 3.47 and 4.5, respectively, to show for it. Middle relief, in general, has been inconsistent.

Backup catcher Obradovich (EECCCD – two), who generally plays when the opposing team has more than two players with speed ratings of C or better, has done very poorly at the plate, with his average dropping from the mid-300s to a mere 284. His playing time will likely decrease since starting catcher Josh Bard is one of the teams most consistent offensive performers


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Thu Oct 23, 2014 10:24 pm 
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All-Star game report

    Bobcats starting catcher Josh Bard was named starting catcher for the AL team, beating out Torrealba and Pierzynski.

    Suárez finished second in voting behind Alex Rodriguez.

    Jason Bay made the starting outfield, alongside Carlos Beltran and Nick Swisher. Eric Byrns made the team, but will not start

    Jake Peavy was named starting pitcher. Josh Beckett and Kyle Kendrick also made the squad.

All-Star Game

    Both Leagues gave up two runs in the second thing, but the AL pulled ahead in the 3rd when Jason Bay hit a solo homerun to left. The American League maintained that lead until the seventh inning when Alfonso Soriano hit a solo shot to tie the game. In the top of the 10th inning, David Lee hit a pinch-hit go-ahead homerun for the American League. Francisco Rodriguez recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the 10th easily and looked ready to record the save, but Grady Sizemore homered off of a changeup to tie the game again. In the bottom of the next inning, the National League won the game when Alfonso Soriano, who earlier hit a game-tying homerun, hit the third single of the inning. Final score: 5–4 (11), National League


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:29 am 
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Potential 2010–11 free agents

UNDERLING: Mr. GM? You asked me to report to you during the All-Star break on potential free agents during the next off-season. Is this a good time?

GM: Yes. What do you have for me? Should it be a strong free-agent market this off-season?

UNDERLING: Yes. With both pitchers and position players, there is some top tier talent that is probably out of our reach, but will probably draw attention from some of the other quality free agents that would be in our wheelhouse.

GM: Well...we already have about $10 million per season invested in our two top starting pitchers, and we will absolutely need to re-sign Peavy unless he collapses in the second half, so I don't know if we're going to devote more payroll to pitching, but what's that look like?

UNDERLING: The prime potential free agents who are likely out of our financial reach probably include Roy Halladay, Ben Sheets, and Dontrelle Willis. John Lackey should be available for around $5 million per season. Justin Verlander and Scott Kazmir may be available for a little less than that. Daniel Cabrera (98 DA SL – one, CB – three, CH – two) is currently earning less than any other pitcher with a mid- to high-90s fastball and A or B stamina ($1.15 million for the season), and may be the bargain of the next off-season.

GM: That sounds great - we will definitely keep tabs on Cabrera and hope he hits the market. What about outfielders?

UNDERLING: We should probably try to re-sign free-agent outfielders Eric Byrnes (309, 15 HR, 65 RBI) and Jason Bay (316, 11 HR, 48 RBI) because they will be the most well-rounded outfielders available. Shane Victorino (DCBFCC) should be available at around $1 million per season, which would save us about $3 to $4 million per season, but he is not as strong defensively as either Byrnes or Bay, and Byrnes is better with his bat.

GM: tying up about $8 million in our outfield might be a tough call, but I see your point. With the expansive outfield of Panpaka Park, we probably need Victorino if we don't sign both Byrns and Bay.

UNDERLING: Well, sir. Our 2009 1st round draft pick would be a drop-off offensively from Bay, Byrnes, or Victorino, but Ruggiano (EDCDCE) would provide similar defense to Victorino.

GM: If we go with Ruggiano next year and it does not work, what will the outfield free-agent market look like in the 2011–12 off-season?

UNDERLING: Well, sir, the outfielders who would probably generate the most interest would be Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones, both of whom will probably command salaries in excess of $18 million per season - well out of our range. There are also a few outfielders that will be looking for $9 or $10 million contracts, and probably the one who would most interest you is Juan Pierre (CDAEBA). There could also be two more affordable options - Emil Brown (DDCDBC) and Matt Diaz (CBBFBC). Matt is currently playing for the league minimum, probably because he tends to strike out a lot and does not hit well with runners in scoring position. For what it's worth sir, in three years, it will likely not be a good time for us to get a solid, affordable outfielder. Hunter Pence is scheduled to be a free agent, but it is hard to believe the Pirates would allow him to hit the market. The only other players of interest currently earning less than $4 million per season is Carl Crawford, who would be a good option, but he would be the only option.

GM: Thank you. Let's talk about potential DHs. It is well known that first baseman Casey Kotchman (BBEDDC), who is having a poor season, is unhappy about not being our regular first baseman, and we are unhappy with his production, and he will assuredly depart at the end of the season.

UNDERLING: well, sir, we do have some internal options for DH that would be the most affordable. First of all, we could shift the productive Josh Bard (DCFEDB) to DH like we did in 2008. I know Obradovich (EBCCCD) is expected to take over the catching position soon, and while he has underperformed offensively this season, he was focusing on being a good plate blocker. If he focuses on his offense for the rest of this season and next off-season, that may be the best scenario. Swanson (ECCDDE – two), who we drafted as a rookie in our 2008 league-wide draft, might also be an interesting option. He served as our DH for much of the 2008 season when Bard was in blue condition. He has the power hitting ability and would give us additional roster flexibility, since he can play third base and both corner outfield spots.

GM: Good points. Bard might not want to be strictly a DH. It is definitely easier to use an older player or somebody who is considered to have poor defensive skills so that we don't run into the same issue as we have with Casey Kotchman. What will be our options if we go outside the organization?

UNDERLING: as with pitching, sir, the top free agents who are likely out of our range should draw attention away from our potential targets. Manny Ramirez, Maglio Ordonez, Lance Berkman, and David Ortiz are each earning more than $12 million per season. The following players may offer a better value for us:

    Chase Utley (BABEDD) might be the perfect candidate, considering his combination of power and speed, and it might just be a matter of how much more than his current $4.2 million salary he is asking

    Matt Stairs, Travis Hafner, and Kevin Youkilis are all DB offensive players earning between $2.3 and $3.2 million. Stairs is about 9 or 10 years older than Haffner and Youkilis.

    If 36-year-old Dimitri Young does not retire, the first baseman with CB offense could likely be signed for about $1 million per season.

GM: interesting. Unless Utley demands a large increase, he is worth a few million more than Stairs, Travis Hafner, and Kevin Youkilis. Young would seem to be a better value than Stairs, Hafner, and Youkilis...

UNDERLING: Yes, sir. There are more options, too. Jack Cust (EA) might not fit our preference for a hitter who makes consistent contact, but he has power that cannot be ignored and might be willing to play for the league minimum. Also, Ryan Church (DBDFDD – three) and Jason Kubel (DBECFD – three) are a pair of DB offensive outfielders who are currently playing for only 400,000 per season, and may be solid, affordable choices.

GM: interesting – it seems that if Cust, Church, or Kubel is available, It won't make sense to go with Stairs, Hafner, or Youkilis. If we lose Bay or Byrnes, and try to replace him with rookie Ruggiano, Church might be more attractive. Utley, Young, Church, and Kubel should be our prime targets for DH this off-season. Thank you, Underling. Good job!

UNDERLING: Thank you, Sir.

WHAT I'LL PROBABLY DO:

Sign Byrnes or Bay to a 2-3 year contract of $5 million or less before the FA period. Bay is probably more valuable because he is a few years younger and his A defense in the Panpaka left field outweighs Byrnes' power and ability to play center and left.

After the 1st week of FA (I don't sign anyone the first week)...

    ...if Chase Utley is available for $5 million or less, sign him and Victorino or Church. If I sign Church and not Victorino, Ruggiano will be an outfield starter.

    ...if Chase Utley is not available for $5 million or less, try to resign Bay or Byrns and Church.

    ...if neither Utley nor Bay or Byrns is available, try to sign Victorino and Dimitri Young.

    If we do not sign Victorino and we lose Bay or Byrns, Ruggiano will probably start in center field. If we do not sign Utley or Young, we will shift Josh Bard to DH and if C Obradovich struggles as a starting player, will shift Bard back to our starting catcher and use Swanson or another internal option at DH.


Also, resign Peavy and sign Daniel Cabrera, if available after week 1.


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:20 pm 
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July in review

The 'Cats had another excellent month, but significantly juggled the order of their pitching rotation after the All-Star break, going from a rotation of Beckett, Morales, Peavy, Hughes, Lannan, and Kendrick to a rotation of Peavy, Beckett, Kendrick, Morales, Hughes, and Lannan. Said management, "we started off the season structuring the rotation in the way we thought would be most effective, slotting a lefty between our two top right-handers and also thinking that since Morales would likely need more relief help than Beckett or Peavy, slotting him in between those two would help our relievers get regular work without being overworked; however, at the midseason mark, we reassessed things and decided to order our pitchers based on the percentage of their games that were quality starts. This statistic was directly reflected in their ERA and wins, meaning the order of our pitchers relates to how effective they've been through the first half of the season."

The 'Cats hitting philosophy also seems to have evolved. Says the team's hitting coach: "When we started the season, we wanted to utilize the additional power we have throughout our lineup so we were focusing more on driving the ball, but on the nights when we didn't drive the ball well, it really hurt us. We realized that if we made ourselves more patient and went deeper into the count, opposing pitchers would tire earlier, there would be more relievers who would tire after two innings, and we might have more opportunities to score off of mistake-pitches. It is still too early to tell, but we recently started a strategy where we will not swing for the fences on our first go round against a starting pitcher – we just try to feel them out, unless you know that they tend to be shaky in the early innings. Also, we generally won't swing at the first pitch of an at bat unless it is a fastball down the middle, or a change up around the middle of the plate, and won't swing at a ball at the corner until we have two strikes. This has not resulted in our getting more hits – in fact, we have actually struck out more since implementing the strategy, but it's forced more deep counts and we've had more opportunities to take advantage of tired pitchers."

Record

The Bobcats went 20 and 5 this month, which was tops in the major leagues by three games over the second most successful team in July, the Baltimore Orioles.

The Bobcats offense scored 136 runs in July, while their pitching and defense allowed only 68 runs to score. This means that the Bobcats scored twice as many runs as they allowed, a statistic in baseball that no other team can come close to for any month in the season.

Only 7 teams had more productive offenses, and only the Orioles and Yankees allowed fewer than 100 runs to score (99 and 98, respectively).

Awards

For the week ending 7/5, Bobcats shortstop Grindell earned player of the week honors. During this week he batted 483 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs

Kyle Kendrick was named pitcher for the month of July. During this month, he was 4–0 with a 1.87 ERI and 25 strikeouts

Game highlights

7/4/10: Against a New York Mets team without many offensive weapons, the Mets used two bloop singles to bring in two runs against the Bobcats Josh Beckett in the first, while the Mets mediocre pitching held the 'Cats at bay until the fifth inning when back-to-back homeruns from Casey Kotchman and Grindell tied the game. Swanson (ECCDDE), their backup outfielder who was in the lineup today, hit what would have been the go-ahead homerun, but Alex Rios jumped up, reaching over the fence to rob him him and end the inning. The game remained tied with both teams stranding runners in scoring position several times. In the 15th inning, against the Mets fifth pitcher of the night, Dawley hit his second single of the afternoon, stole second, and scored when Josh Bard sliced a softly hit ball over the third baseman's head for an RBI single. Casey Kotchman doubled into the right centerfield gap and the pinch runner for Josh Board was able to score all the way from first. Grindell followed with an RBI single of his own, stole second, and then came home on a two-out single from backup outfielder Rijo. Closer Kevin Hart pitched the bottom of the 15th and closed out the game that lasted an official five hours and one minute. Final score: 6–2 (15), Bobcats.

7/5/10: while the Bobcats scored only two runs in the first 14 innings of yesterday's game against the Mets, they jumped on the Athletics starter and scored five runs in the first inning before the Athletics went to their bullpen. By the fifth inning, the Bobcats had scored 12 runs and the Athletics were on their fourth pitcher The surprising offense was needed, however, as Franklin Morales remained in the game but allowed six runs in the second inning. Morales and the relief core did not allow another man to score, but the 'Cats offense could not be stopped, and when the game finally ended after nine innings, the 'Cats had 13 runs on the board, with Suárez and Erdos accounting for two of them, and Kotchman, Byrns, and Condrey each hitting homeruns of their own. Final score: 13–6, Bobcats

7/9/10: The Bobcats inability to score against Kansas City Royals starter Livan Hernandez (88 CA SL – three, CB – three, CH – two, SFB – two) wasted a brilliant pitching effort from 'Cats starter Kyle Kendrick, who held the Royals to one run in the first and one run in the ninth on six hits with 10 strikeouts. Final score: 2–0, Royals

7/14/10: In a tight game against the Athletics, both teams have two runs after two innings and the Athletics take a one run lead in the fifth. The Athletics relievers shut down the Bobcats offense entering the 9th, when closer to Takashi Saito (94 DE 2SF – two, SL – three, CB – two, SP – five) records the first two outs easily before giving up a single to Jason Bay. Jason steals second and then Grindell grounds the ball to the shortstop for what should be the game ending out, but Juan Uribe boots the ball, and Bay scores the tying run in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the 10th, the Athletics next reliever also records the first two outs easily before giving up a double to Suárez. Erdos follows with the game-winning single. Final score: 5–4 (10), Bobcats

7/16/10: The Bobcats often struggle against the Mariners and today was no different, as the Bobcats offense struggled to get in gear while below-par pitching gave Seattle a 4–2 lead entering the bottom of the ninth, when Casey Kotchman hit the game-tying homerun against the Mariners closer with Eric Byrnes on second. The game went into extra innings when the 'Cats reliever gave up a leadoff single to Luis Castillo, an infield hit to Carl Crawford, and then a towering homerun to Alex Rodriguez. The 'Cats were unable to reciprocate. Final score: 7–4 (10), Mariners

7/23/10: One game after comfortably defeating the Rays 4-1 behind a complete game effort by Jake Peavy, limiting the Rays to one run, Josh Beckett took the mound against Mark Prior (95 GB CB – four, CH – three), and fans were treated to a great pitching duel as the only score through six innings was a solo homerun by Casey Kotchman. Beckett needed a big strikeout to avoid allowing a Ray to score in the sixth, as they put runners in scoring position early and had a runner on third with two out due to an error on third baseman Suárez. Todd Helton drove in the tying run in the top of the eighth. Before the inniing was done, the Rays got their fourth hit of the inning and brought a second run across the plate. In the bottom of the ninth, Prior began to tire and Suárez hit a one out single up the middle. Eric Byrnes followed with a double down the left-field line that allowed Suarez to score the tying run all the way from first, and one out later, Erdos drove in the game winning run with a softly hit opposite field single. Final score: 3–2, Bobcats

7/25/10: After a complete drubbing of the Angels (7–0) in which the 'Cats brought in all their reserves in the eighth inning, they suffered their first poor pitching performance since the All-Star break, the victim being Franklyn Morales, who allowed four runs in the first inning while Angels starter, Aaron Harang (95 CA 2SF – one, SL – three, SLV – five, CH – two), started off strong and took a two hit shut out into the third. However, the Bobcats strategy about going deep in the count forced Harang to throw 40 pitches by the end of the third inning. In the fourth, singles by Dawley and Bard sandwiching a stolen base brought in a run. In the fifth, Jason Bay came through with a double that brought in two runs after Condrey and Grindell reached base off of pitches that hung in the middle of the zone. Harang's 81st pitch ended the sixth, and the starter gave way to Kerrey Wood in the eighth. Wood shut down the Bobcats offense, as did the Angel's closer. Final score: 4–3, Angels

7/27–29/10: in sweeping the Athletics in their final series against their intra-division opponent and going 15 and 3 on the year against them, the Bobcats outscore the Athletics 19–5.

7/30/10: the Rangers Wandy Rodriguez (93 CA CH – two, CB – two) attacked the strike zone and keeps the Bobcats offense off-balance until the fifth inning, when he issues one out walks to the Bobcats eighth and ninth batters, followed by singles to Jason Bay and Dawley, the latter of which brings in one run. Bard then steps to the plate and drills a fastball into the right-centerfield gap for a bases clearing double. Bard scored one out later on an Eric Byrnes single. 'Cats starter Jake Peavy, meanwhile, seem to be on cruise control, using his array of pitches to prevent the Rangers from making solid contact, shutting the Rangers out on 5 hits through 7 innings of work, although he only recorded 1 strikeout. The Rangers break through in the eighth when their eighth and ninth batters doubled and singled to bring in a run. The Rangers continued they are rally after Peavy was removed, scoring two more runs until the Bobcats closer, Kevin Hart, was called in and recorded the last out of that inning with a strikeout. Hart retired the Rangers on three consecutive strikeouts, making this his strongest performance of the season. Final score: 5–3, Bobcats


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:58 am 
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August in Review

The Bobcats followed their dominating July performance with a very mediocre August that included losing 10 of their first 15 games, and getting swept by the Twins as part of a five-game losing streak. Overall, the Bobcats went 5 and 1 against a Minnesota Twins team that is 58 and 75 overall. However, the team did snap out of its funk after their fifth consecutive loss to the Twins (ie, in the final game of their 2nd 3-game series), winning their final game of that series, and winning 10 of their last 12 games this month.

Record

At 91 and 42, the Bobcats lead their division by 22 games over the Mariners, and their magic number is 8. Their record is 10 games better than the next best team in baseball, the Orioles, and 16 games better than the National League leading the Houston Astros

The 'Cats went 15 and 12, scoring 127 runs while allowing 91 runs to score. That 3.37 runs allowed average is the lowest in baseball for August.

Overall, the team did not pitch poorly nor did they hit poorly, but they were out of sync for much of the month, with their hitters wasting some fine pitching efforts while pitchers gave up some leads in the later innings. Of their 12 losses, 9 were by 2 or fewer runs

Awards

No one on the team was named player of the week or of the month this month.

Game summaries

8/1/10: Rangers pitcher Lombard (93 EC FO– Four) matches Bobcat starter Franklin Morales in throwing shutout baseball through 5 innings. Lombard allowed only one Bobcat to reach base during that time. In the sixth, Lombard tired, walking leadoff batter and then allowing a base hit up the middle. Lombard induced Jason Bay to ground into a fielder's choice, and then the Rangers reliever kept the shutout intact by recording 2 harmless fly outs. In the eighth inning, Morales allowed a leadoff single to Juan Pierre and then a single by Iwamora allowed Pierre to score after he moved to second base on a wild pitch. That was all the offense either team would muster, as the Bobcats were shut out on four hits. Final score: 1–0, Rangers

8/8/10: The Bobcats, after struggling earlier in the month, got off to a quick start against Royals starter Kelvin Escobar (95 CA HSL – three, CB – three, SP – three, CH – four), with a leadoff double followed by two singles and 2 more doubles. Escobar recovered and retired the next three batters, but four runs had already scored. Escobar retired the Bobcats in order in the second, but struggled, again, in the third, giving up a home run to Suárez. Escobar was removed at the start of the fourth inning, having thrown 51 pitches and being charged with six earned runs. In the meantime, Kyle Kendrick was working on a two hit shutout. Kendrick lost his shutout bid in the fourth, when Tony Clark hit a towering homerun with Chase Utley on first. Erdos matched that with his own two run homerun in the seventh, restoring the 'Cats six run lead. Kendrick finished the game without allowing any more runs. Final score: 8–2, Bobcats

8/10/10: shaky pitching from Phil Hughes and some questionable fielding, including an error on third baseman Suarez, a pop fly falling in an area of foul territory that was unseen by the 'Cats catcher, and a decision to get in easy out at third instead of a probable force out at home, put the 'Cats in a 4–0 hole after 1-1/2, but a lead-off double from Eric Byrnes followed by a one out single from Erdos got the 'Cats on the board. Hughes left the game after allowing singles to the first two batters he faced the sixth inning, one eventually scored, while the 'Cats struggled against another starting pitcher who is not highly regarded – Buddy Carlisle (92 DB 2SF – one, SL – one, CH – one). Final score: 6–1, Twins

The struggles of the Bobcats offense against opposing teams' back-end starters continues to haunt the team, as Twins pitcher Jason Vargas (92 FB SL – three, CH – three) limits the 'Cats to one run on five hits through 8-1/3 innings of work. Final score: two – one, Twins

Who's hot

Although he won't show up on any of the leaderboard's, first baseman/DH Casey Kotchman is finally starting to come around, raising his average to 275, and hitting a respectable 19 homeruns so far this season. Erdos and Suárez continue to be the main offensive forces on the team, with significant contributions from Dawley, Jason Bay, and Eric Byrnes.

Kyle Kendrick had an excellent month, jumping up to second-place on the major-league baseball ERA leaderboards, with a season ERA of 2.53. Jake Peavy continues to lead the league with a 2.14 ERA, while Josh Beckett is fifth with a 2.66 ERA.

Peavy leads the league with 17 wins, although he did suffer his first loss of the season this month. Beckett is second in the league with 15 wins and Kendrick is tied for fifth with 13 wins.

Jake Peavy and Josh Beckett are tied for third with 18 quality starts, behind the cubs Randy Hill and the Reds Johan Santana. Kyle Kendrick is tied for seventh with 16 quality starts. Santana is always pitching very well, leading the league in strikeouts. He and Peavy should be in the mix for pitcher of the year.

Closer Kevin Hart has 31 saves on the season, two behind major league baseball leader Joe Nathan

Suárez joined the 30-30 club this month, and with his 30 steals to go along with 34 homeruns (which ties him with Derek Lee for second place in home runs behind Alex Rodriguez, who has 40), has a chance to join the 40–40 club. He is second in baseball in total hits, 20 hits behind Albert Puljols. Dawley and Bay, who each lead the league in hits at some point this season, have 170 and 168, good for fourth and seventh, respectively

The 'Cats continue to lead baseball in stolen bases by a wide margin, with Dawley (64), Grindell (51), Bay (46), and Burns (41) leading the league, and Suárez and Condrey being tied for 10th place with 30 steels apiece

Though not on the leaderboard's, Erdos (DCCCEC – two) has been an exciting player all year, and with 22 homeruns and 25 stolen bases, has a good shot at joining the 30-30 club.

Who's not

Former rookie of the year, Condrey, continues to struggle, his batting average falling to 287 and only eight homeruns on the season. Word is that he is being shifted down in the batting order, swapping spots with SS Grindel, who has batted consistently all season and currently has a 343 average

Josh Bard had a quiet month at the plate, but he remains on the leaderboards for batting average, tied with Jason Varitek and Yorvit Torrealba for 6th place with a 344 average


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:04 pm 
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September in review
[NOTE: this "September" report includes the last game of the regular season, which fell on October 1]

    The Bobcats clinched their division with and 8–3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on September 7, who were 83 and 57 and in first place in the AL East at the time.

Record

    The Bobcats had their best month of the season in September, going 24 and 5, scoring a season-high 158 runs while allowing 80 runs scored

    This puts the Bobcats season record add an impressive 115 and 47, a full 32 games ahead of the second-place Mariners in the AL West.

    The Cleveland Indians (91 and 71) won the Central division, with the Royals (86 and 76) winning the wild-card spot, while the Orioles won the east with a 95 and 67 record.

    In the National League, the Astros (96 and 66) finished with the best record in their central division and in the entire national league, while the Dodgers (91 and 71) won the west. Fellow Western division rival Rockies (90 and 72) are the wildcard the season, while the National League Eastern representative Phillies (80 and 82) actually are making the playoffs with a losing record.

Awards

    For the week ending September 12, Suárez was named player of the week. During this week, Suárez batted 438 with four homeruns (including his 40th of the season) and 10 RBIs

    Franklin Morales was named picture of the month of September. He collected four wins with an ERA of 1.26 and 25 strikeouts during this month

Who's hot

    With the Bobcats clinching their division very early in the month and the expanded rosters, their bench and minor-league players had some more opportunities. Two players who seem to make the most of their playing time included 3B/OF Swanson (ECCDDD), who showed good patience, contact, and the some power at the plate, potentially putting him in contention to serve as a DH if the Bobcats do not pick somebody up for that role this off-season, and pitcher Borkowski (95 EB 2SF – three, SL – three, CB – three, FO - two), who was considered for a starting spot, along with middle reliever Pineda, but neither made that role due to stamina issues, and Borkowski ultimately lost his spot as a middle reliever because he did not have the movement on his breaking pitches to make batters miss. Borkowski spent his time in the minors improving his offspeed pitches and was very effective this month, making him a potential contender for the fourth or fifth starter next season, or as a long/middle reliever.

    Back-end starter Hughes was inconsistent for much of the season, but picked up his games in September, with Hughes allowing three runs but pitching a complete game with seven strikeouts in the second game of a three-game series against the Yankees, and pitching 8–1/3 innings, while allowing one run on six hits and striking out 13 in the final game of the season against the Athletics.

    The 'Cats offense, as a whole, was very impressive this month, but standouts include Josh Bard who seemed to be solid at the plate day in and day out, finishing with the fourth best batting average in baseball (351), and Suárez, who missed joining the 40–40 club by three steals. Suárez finished tied with Dawley for second most hits (212) in the season, behind Albert Pujols, and also finished tied for second for the major league lead in homeruns – he and Derek Lee finished with 46 homeruns, behind Alex Rodriguez' 48. Suárez' 37 steals put him in a four way tie for 7th place.

    The Bobcats finished with the top four base-stealers in baseball: Dawley (81), Grindell (61), Bay (56), and Byrnes (49)

    Jake Peavy is expected to win the Cy Young award this year, finishing the season with the major league lead in ERA (2.42), wins (21), complete games (eight), and he is tied with Josh Beckett for third most innings pitched (200.2), one full inning behind Johan Santana and 2.1 innings behind Roy Halladay.

    Beckett had another solid month, as expected, but Kyle Kendrick finished off his best season as a professional, finishing with the third best ERA (2.54) in baseball, tying Beckett for the second most wins (17) this season, and leading the league in the number of groundouts recorded (287) and ground ball outs to fly ball out ratio (4.62)

Who's not

    Second baseman Dawley at one time led the league in hits and was in the top 10 batting averages for most of the year, but he has slowly declined since August, with his average dropping about 30 points to a still respectable 318

    John Lannan wasn't consistent all year, although he did pitch a three-hit shutout this month. Expect the Bobcats to re-sign the affordable left-hander, but he will be fighting for his job in the spring


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:49 pm 
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DIVISION SERIES PREVIEW

    The Bobcats will square off against the Kansas City Royals for the division series. During the regular season, the Bobcats won five of six games against the Royals, and are heavy favorites in this matchup.

Offense

    Chase Utley (BABEDD) and Brad Hawpe (DACCEB) lead an offense that should include several other players with level C power and a few players with level C speed, including Shannon Stewart (DCCEED). In general, the Royals outfielders are considered to be below average defensively, except for Juan Encarnacion, which could be a problem for Kansas City in the expansive Pawpaka outfield. In the infield, the Royals are adequate defensively.

    In all, the Royals don't seem to have the offensive firepower to match the 'Cats, and their catchers will probably have trouble throwing out the Bobcats speedy players, so this may come down to a matter of whether the Royals pitching can hold the 'Cats in check.

Pitching

    The Royals pitchers could be a problem for the 'Cats as Kelvin Escobar, Daisuki Matsuzaka, and Ben Sheets all have the high 90s fastball and hard breaking pitches that give the 'Cats trouble, and Livan Hernandez and Cliff Lee are certainly no slouches on the mound, but the 'Cats fared well against those two earlier in the season.

    The 'Cats batters have been extremely patient at the plate and tend to get into the bullpen earlier than most other teams, but the Royals might be better prepared than most for this, as they have three relievers who are probably good enough to close, these being Louis Ayala (95 BE SL – three, CH – two, HSK – two), Jonathan Broxton (99 BE HSL – three, SP – two, CH – two, SFB – two), and Francisco Rodriguez (97 CE SL – five, CB – five, CH – three, intimidator)

Other games

    While the 'Cats battle the Royals, the Indians will face the Orioles to determine who will square off in the AL championship series, while the Rockies and Astros face each other as the Phillies and Dodgers meet.


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:25 pm 
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Bobcats versus Royals

Game one: the Royals started Cliff Lee, and the known "slow starter" allowed two runs and needed 32 pitches to close out the first two innings. The Royals drove in a run in the fourth when Encarnacion singled home Tony Clark, who doubled off the deep left-field fence against Peavy. Peavy was shaky in the middle innings, giving up a game-tying triple to Chase Utley, while Cliff Lee settled down, although he threw his 60th pitch before recording his first out in the fifth inning and began to tire. Lee was pulled with two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the fifth, and Jason Bay singled in that run against the Royals reliever. In the following inning, Suárez hit a two-run home run to dead center field. Peavy pitched a very solid sixth and seventh, and the 'Cats struck again in the seventh, with Dawley (who struck out in his prior two at-bats) hitting a soft single up the middle to drive in Erdos. When Josh Bard got the fourth hit of the inning (an RBI single) against the second Royals reliever – Ayala, the Royals were forced to go to their bullpen to bring out their fourth pitcher of the day. With a five run lead, Peavy seemed to go into cruise control, mowing down the Royals lineup and completing the game with only 73 pitches thrown, allowing two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Final score: 7–2, Bobcats

Game two: the 'Cats jumped on Livan Hernandez, scoring four runs on five hits and bringing all nine batters to the plate in the first inning. Suárez hit his second homerun of the series in the third, and in the next inning, Jason Bay and Eric Byrnes made terrific running catches on deep outfield shots hit by Utley and Hawpe. The 'Cats added a run in the fifth, and forced the Royals to go to their bullpen after Hernandez threw his 78th pitch without having recorded an out in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Josh Beckett took a two-hit shut out into the seventh inning. The Royals finally put a runner in scoring position when Johnny Estrada doubled with two outs in the eighth, but a meek pop fly to second ended the threat. Beckett closed the game out, throwing a complete game three-hit shutout. Final score: 7–0, Bobcats

Game three: as expected, the Bobcats struggled against Daisuki Matsuzaka, and the Royals took their first lead of the series in the top of the third when Chase Utley singled home two batters who moved into scoring position on a double from Willie Harris. The 'Cats scored in the bottom half that inning when Condrey, who was hitless with three strikeouts and looked very overmatched the whole series, singled,stole second, and after Condrey came out of the game when he twisted his ankle sliding into third on a foul ball, his pinch runner scored on a Jason Bay double to left. Matsuzaka held the Bobcats offense in check after that, but threw his 70th pitch to the first batter he faced in the fifth inning. Matsuzaka ultimately walked the first batter, who wound up being the game tying run when Jason Bay and Dawley followed with singles. Matsuzaka started to tire in the fifth inning after throwing his 80th pitch, and Suárez drove in the second run of that inning to give the 'Cats a one run lead. The 'Cats went to their bullpen for the first time in the series when Kendrick allowed to leadoff single for the first two batters in the seventh-inning. After recording too impressive outs, including a big strikeout for the second out of the inning, the Bobcats reliever (Sears – 94 GC SL – three, CB – four, SP – three) allowed the tying run to score when Chase Utley bounced the ball high in front of home plate for an infield single. Neither team threatened and the game went to extra innings. Chase Utley led off the 10th with a triple to right-center field, at which point the Bobcats walked Hawpe and brought in their closer. Kevin Hart struck out the next batter, but then Juan Encarnacion hit a ground ball that was too slow to get a double play, and the Royals pulled ahead by one. The Bobcats tied the game against Francisco Rodriguez when Swanson, who replaced Condrey earlier in the game, singled, stole second, and scored on a double from Jason Bay. Kevin Hart stayed in the game start the 11th, but after recording the first two outs easily, allowed a single and then that runner reached scoring position when Erdos at first base took an odd route to the ball and let what should've been the final out get past him. Chase Utley followed with a double to right center field bringing in another run. In the bottom of the 11th, the Bobcats tied the game, again, against Francisco Rodriguez when they bunched together three hits, including the game-tying RBI single from Swanson, who scored the game tying run in the prior inning. With the runners at first and second, Jason Bay lined the game-winning hit to left field off of Jonathan Broxton. Final score: 6–5 (11), Bobcats


League championship series: Orioles versus Bobcats

Preview: the Orioles took five games to defeat the favored Indians. They are a well-rounded team with solid defenders, including Rafael Furcal (DDBABD), AJ Pierzynski (DBEEDB), David Wright (BADDCC), Brad Hall (DBBADD), and first baseman Sean Casey (CCFBCA) who can hit and field well, and offensive players like Chris Duncan (DBCFFD). They are defensively suspect in their outfield, with their centerfielder being the only one of the three to have as high as a level C in fielding. Their leftfielder has F fielding, which could be a problem in the Bobcats spacious left field

    The Orioles starting pitching falls off after Francisco Liriano (98 CB HSL – five, CH – three), although Barry Zito is still effective, but if the Orioles stay in the game, they do have a strong bullpen, highlighted by Seth McClung (99 DE HSL – two, CB – two, CH – one), Pat Neshek (96 CE SL – four, CH – two, SK – three), and closer Joe Nathan (98 BE HSL – five, CB – four)

Game one: after Jake Peavy retired the first three Orioles in order, Orioles pitcher Great Guillen (91 FB CU – two, CB – two, CH – two) started the game by hanging a change up in the zone and Jason Bay hit a leadoff homerun. Dawley made it to second base with no outs and then he and Josh Bard were on second and third with one out, but the 'Cats could not drive them in. Furcal drove in a run in the third to tie the game. The 'Cats grab the lead in the fourth when Casey Kotchman doubled home Eric Byrnes. The Orioles grabbed the lead in the top of the sixth when Pierzynski doubled in two runs. The Bobcats tied the game when Byrnes singled home Suárez, who doubled off of what would be the last pitch thrown by the Orioles starter. One batter later, Erdos hit an RBI double off of the Orioles Pat Neshek and scored on a single from Condrey. That would be all of the scoring, as Jake Peavy pitched another complete game. Final score: 5–3, Bobcats

Game two: as happened many times during the season, the Bobcats struggled against mediocre starting pitching. This time, the beneficiary was the Orioles Juarez (90 DC SL – three, CB – one). The Bobcats scorde the first run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, when Condrey singled, stole second, and scored on a Jason Bay single. Jason Bay was injured sliding into second and his replacement scored on a Dawley single. Bill Hall homerred in 7th to put the Orioles on the board, but that was the only run Becket would allow in his complete game effort. Final Score: 2-1, Orioles

Game three: The Bobcats Franklin Morales took the mound in place of a still-recovering Kyle Kendrick, squaring off in Oriole Park against Great Shields (92 EB SL – two, CU – two, CH – one). This is the first day that starters Liriano and Zito are available, and Oriole management has been criticized for not putting one of those two up with their team down 2–0 in the series. Suárez got things going in the top of the first by hitting a homerun with Dawley on first. Casey Kotchman led off the second with an opposite field shot. Shields settled down and held the Bobcats in check for the next several innings, but Morales took a three-hit shutout into the seventh inning and the fourth hit Morales surrendered in that seventh-inning was erased on a double play. Shields tired towards the end of the seventh inning, and surrendered an eighth inning leadoff homerun to Condrey. Morales ended up closing out the game on a strikeout of David Wright – his only strike out of the game. His final pitching line: 9 IP, 0R, 5H, 1K. Final score: 4–0, Bobcats

Game four: the Bobcats Phil Hughes faced off against Francisco Liriano. Phil Hughes started off strong, but surrendered a homerun to Chris Duncan in the second. What's more, the usually-patient Bobcats batters allowed Liriano to get through the first two innings on only 10 pitches. While the 'Cats threatened twice in the early innings but failed to score, Hughes kept the Orioles off-balance until the fifth inning when Kevin Frandsen singled in a run. The Bobcats tied the game when an Eric Byrnes single was followed by doubles from Casey Kotchman and Erdos. Two batters later, Jason Bay single in the go ahead run and Pat Neshek entered from the Orioles bullpen and closed out the seventh, but gave up a solo homerun to Suárez in the eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, the Orioles bunched together three singles – two against Phil Hughes that sent him to the showers, and one against lefty reliever Rosado that brought in a run. The Orioles Bill Hall led off the ninth with a double off of Bobcats closer Kevin Hart, and Hart walked Chris Duncan to face AJ Pierzynski. A Pierzynski strikeout followed by a double play ended the game and sent the Bobcats to the World Series. Final score: 4–3, Bobcats


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:05 am 
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2010 World Series preview

    While the Bobcats swept their way into the World Series, the Rockies took the full seven games to reach this point. Following are comparisons showing how the Rockies and Bobcats match up against each other.

Offense (comparing the Rockies lineup to the Bobcats)

    1. Miles (277, 15 HR, 95 RBI, 15 SB) v Bay (317, 17 HR, 78 RBI, 56 SB). Edge: 'Cats
    2. Cora (287, 19 HR, 96 RBI, 20 SB) v Dawley (323, 9 HR, 75 RBI, 81SB) Edge: Rockies
    3. Pujols (397, 40 HR, 161 RBI, 17 SB) v Bard (351, 10 HR, 94 RBI, 0 SB) Edge: Rockies
    4. Markakis (304, 18 HR, 106 RBI) v Suarez (335, 46 HR, 131 RBI, 37 SB) Edge: 'Cats
    5. Patterson (254, 14 HR, 95 RBI, 18 SB) v Byrnes (309, 24 HR, 103 RBI, 49SB) Edge: 'Cats
    6. Hall (288, 18 3b, 2 HR, 74 RBI) v Kotchman (271, 22 HR, 79 RBI) Edge: 'Cats
    7. Crede (236, 6 HR, 89 RBI) v Grindell (335, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 61SB) Edge: 'Cats
    8. Bynum, LF (248, 5 HR, 78 RBI, 15 SB) v Condrey (294, 9 HR, 64 RBI, 35 SB) Edge: Even

Defense (comparing the Rockies expected defensive alignment to the 'Cats)

Position: Name (Speed, Arm, Fielding, Errors)

    Left Field: Bynum (BFFF) v. Bay (BDAB) Edge: 'Cats

    Right field: Markakis (EECC) v. Condrey (DCDD) Edge: Rockies

    Centerfield: Patterson (BDBC) v. Byrnes (CCBC) Edge: Even

    Third base: Crede (ECBB) v. Suárez (CCDC) Edge: Even

    Shortstop: Cora (BCCD) v. Grindell (CBBC) Edge: 'Cats

    Second base: Miles (BDCD) v. Dawley (BCCD) Edge: Even

    First base: Pujols (DDBB) v. Erdos (CECEC) Edge: Rockies

    Catcher: Hall (FDDC) v. Bard (FEDB) Edge: Rockies

Pitching

    After Cole Hamels (96 CA 2SF – two, CB – four, CH – two), who tends to be the type of slow starter the Bobcats have taken advantage of in the past, the Rockies rotation is rather pedestrian, with no other starter having a level A stamina and only one of the other starters having a pitch thrown at level 3 – Doug Davis (88 CB CU – two, CB – three, CH – two). They do have a strong late inning bullpen, featuring Brad Lidge (98 DE HSL – five) and Raphael Betancourt (95 AE 2SF – two, SFB – two, CH – two, CB – three), so they may be able to hold onto a lead if they have one in the late innings.

    The Bobcats have three pitchers who were in the top of the leaderboards all season in terms of ERA and wins, and a 4th starter (Franklin Morales) who is one of the stronger fourth or fifth starters this year. Closer Kevin Hart has led the league or been near the tops in the league in saves for the current and last two seasons, and their middle relief has been solid even though it is not a true strength of the team. The Bobcats middle relief might be more of a question mark than usual because they have not been called upon yet this postseason.

Edge: 'Cats


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 Post subject: Re: The Mohave Bobcats: A New Chapter in MLB
PostPosted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:32 am 
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2010 World Series

Game one: The Bobcats took the lead in the second inning when Kotchman singled up the middle with Byrnes on second. Both pitchers pitched well, but in the sixth inning, Dawley led off with a double and scored on a Byrnes single to left. In the seventh inning, the Rockies starter was visibly tired and gave up a leadoff single to Grindell, bringing up Jake Peavy. To the surprise of several, the Bobcats had Peavey hit away. Said management afterwards," although we had the potential for a big inning there, Peavy was pitching very well and we just did not want to pull him, especially since he had only thrown about 50 pitches at that point". A wild pitch put Grindel on second and then Peavy dropped the ball into centerfield, bringing in Grindell. In the bottom of the inning, Peavy gave up leadoff singles to the first two batters he faced, but a force out at third followed by a double-play ball kept the shutout intact. The Bobcats finally did pinch-hit for Peavy in the 9th inning and brought out Kevin Hart to close out the bottom half, which he did by retiring the heart of the Rockies lineup in order. Final score: 3–0, Bobcats

Game two: with Beckett not fully recovered from his last start, the Bobcats started Franklin Morales on the mound. The Rockies threatened in the first inning, with runners at first and second, but a terrific diving grab of a Pujols deep fly ball by Jason Bay helped the Bobcats escape the inning. In the top of the second, Casey Kotchman hit a one out solo homerun to deep center field. After 2 singles and a hit-and-run put runners at first and third for the Bobcats pitcher, a squeeze play resulted in the Bobcats second run of the inning. A Josh Bard sacrifice fly in the fifth inning brought in another run, as did a second homerun from Casey Kotchman in the sixth that was immediately followed by a homerun from Grindell off of a Rockies reliever. The Rockies finally drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth when Nick Markakis doubled in Albert Pujols, but Casey Kotchman restored the Bobcats five run lead with his third homerun of the day. Two outs later, Erdos came in as a pinch-hitter and homered off the first pitch he saw. Back to back doubles from Bay and Dawley preceded homeruns from Josh Bard and Suárez, resulting in a 6 run inning and a 10 run lead entering the eighth. The Bobcats emptied their bench and inserted their backups in the eighth. In the top of the ninth, back up outfielder Denim homered to left field. Final score: 12 – 1, Bobcats

Game three: Josh Beckett started game three for the Bobcats against the Rockies ace, Cole Hamels (96 CA 2SF – two, CB – four, CH – two), who was reportedly not fully recovered from his last start, but taking the mound anyway. After both pitchers escaped jams early, the Rockies score the first run of the game when Markakis singled home Pujols. In the bottom of that inning, the Bobcats loaded the bases with one out, but were on unable to score. Hamels pitched effectively and efficiently, taking a five hit shut out into the eighth while Becket was impressive and racked up eight strikeouts entering the 8th inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Hamels walked leadoff batter, catcher Obradovitch, who stole second and came around to home on a single from Jason Bay but was thrown out at the plate. Bay promptly stole second and went to third when the catcher overthrew second base. Two infield groundouts closed out the inning with the Rockies lead in tact. Final score: 1–0, Rockies

Game four: Kyle Kendrick started for the Bobcats and got off to a rough start, as the first four Rockies to the plate reached base and Pujols hit a double that brought in two runs. In the bottom of the third, Jason Bay singled in Grindell and then scored on a single from Suárez, tying the game. The Rockies starting pitcher, Doug Davis (88 CB CU – two, CB – three, CH – two) had been hanging curveballs and leaving fastballs over the middle plate all game, and Eric Byrnes finally made him pay with a solo homerun in the fourth. The 'Cats added another run that same inning when Obradovich, starting at catcher since the Rockies stole several bases against Bard in the prior games, hit a shallow single to right field that brought in Grindell. Davis started to tire in the fourth inning and could not get out of the fifth, giving way to the Rockies bullpen after 4–1/3 innings of work. The 'Cats put a run on the board with 3 2-out singles. In the top of the sixth, Eric Byrnes made a diving grab of what would have easily been an extra base hit for Markakis that may have allowed Pujols to score from first. In the bottom of that sixth inning, the bottom of the 'Cats order got things going when Grindell singled and went to third on a double from Obradovitch. Grindel eventually scored on a Dawley single up the middle. Bobcats reliever, Sears, pitched a shutout seventh and eighth and then Hart entered in the ninth even though it was a non-save situation and closed out the game. Final score: 6–2, Bobcats

Game five: Phil Hughes (97 DB SL – two, CB – four, CH – two) started for the Bobcats, squaring off against Jason Marquis (94 CB SL – two, CB – two, CH – two, SFB – one). Hughes was dominant the 1st 2 innings, using a double-play ball from Pujols to erase the only hit allowed – an infield single in the first, and the 'Cats broke through when they drove in Condrey in the third. In the fourth, Kotchman drove in Byrnes, who doubled off the left-field wall. In the sixth, the Rockies scored a run on three consecutive singles and had runners at 2nd and 3rd, prompting the 'Cats to intentionally walk Pujols to bring up Markakis with the bases-loaded and one out. A shallow single to left brought in the tying run and a shallow single from Xavior Nady brought in the go ahead run. The 'Cats went to their bullpen and Chiason induced a ground ball that was too slow to be a double play, allowing a fourth run the score. A third shallow single brought in a fifth run. In the bottom of the inning, Suárez scored all the way from first on a Byrnes double. 2 innings later, against Rockies reliever Raul Bettencourt, the ‘Cats climbed to within a run off an RBI single from Suárez, who then stole second and scored the tying run on a Byrnes single to left. Burns stole second and easily scored when Casey Kotchman doubled into the right center field gap. Kevin Hart started the ninth inning and recorded the first two outs easily before giving up a double to Aaron Miles, but a failed bunt attempt by Alex Cora ended the game and the World Series. Final score: 6–5, Bobcats

MOHAVE BOBCATS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!


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