Jackson Holy Cows 99-63 vs. Batavia Muckdogs 109-53

 

Batavia wins series 4-0

Game 1 – In a rematch of last year’s NLDS, the Holy Cows in route to win it all had a tight series versus the feisty Muckdog club who took them to 7 games in the series. This year the tables are turned as the Muckdogs are the best record in the league with the Holy Cows as the wild card. Manager Mark Landhuis stated in the presser prior to the start of the series, ‘if the Holy Cows have a lead late, their bullpen is so tough we will be in trouble. We need to score early and often to defeat them in this series.’ Game 1 saw a match of two of the best pitchers in the league, Scherzer for the Cows and Gallen for the Muckdogs. The first two innings are uneventful except when Higashioka threw the ball into center field on a Nolan Jones steal, but Jones was stranded at 3rd. The top of the third Gallen found himself in a small jam with Carroll double and Arozareana walked but cleanup hitter Raley could not get a 2 out hit to take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Gimenez pulls a 2-0 pitch from Scherzer into the right center bleachers for a 1-0 Muckdog lead. In the fourth, Garcia tweeked something after a monster swing in striking out and had to leave the game. He should be available in the game tomorrow but Votto replaces him in this game. In the bottom of the 4th, Scherzer has some self inflicted damage by following two singles to Jones and Trout with hitting Estrada and walking in a run to Schwarber. But he escaped major damage by inducing a double play ball from Moreno. Scherzer bears down in his final inning bygetting through the 5th in order. Gallen, meanwhile, then retired the next 10 of 11 with allowing a walk to Votto. Both bullpens then shut down each other with 2 hits and a walk a piece in the last three innings. Jensen closed the game for a save in the 2-0 win for the Muckdogs. Game MVP Gallen had a line of 6.2IP 4H 3BB 8K induced a crucial DP.

Game 2 – Globe Life Field – The ‘Cows and Dogs square off again in Batavia with another great pitching matchup, Verlander for the Jackson squad and Wheeler for the Muckdogs.  Jackson jumps out to a 2 run lead in the top of the 1st on 2 miscues by the Muckdogs Estrada and Trout and a double by Arozarena.  The Cows add another run in the top of the 2nd on a Bogaerts HR.  Velazquez gets a run back on a HR in the bottom of the 2nd.  Verlander then retires 9 of the next 11 batters only allowing a single and a walk.  But in the 5th the Muckdog bats string together back to back doubles by Moreno and Caballero.  Caballero advances on a ground out and scores on a WP tying the score 3 a piece.  Joe Kelly enters in the bottom of the 7th after a clean inning from Victor Gonzalez.  Kelly strikes out PH Gimenez but then walks PH Jones.  Jones advances on a WP and scores the go ahead run on a single by Moreno.  Minter comes in to close out the inning keeping the one run lead by the Muckdogs, 4-3. Meanwhile Wheeler retires his last 17 of 18 batters to finish his day with a line of 7IP 2H 1BB 8K.  The Muckdogs bring in lefty Yarbrough to face the bottom three in the lineup for the Cows.  Yarbrough, not normally a strikeout pitcher, gets PHs Carpenter and Maldonado on Ks.  But #9 hitter batting lefty on lefty, Gorman drives the 1-0 pitch into the seats to tie the score at 4.  Yarbrough recovers by getting McNeil to pop up to end the inning.  Minter stays in to start the bottom of the 8th and walks PH Schwarber.  Minter then gets Trout to fly out.  Manager Mark Landhuis brings in lefty killer Grichuk to bat against Minter but the Holy Cows counter with bringing in RH Assad.  The Muckdogs decide to stick with Grichuk to bat against Assad.  But Assad commits a mental error to balk, sending the slow-footed Schwarber to second and scoring position for the winning run.  Assad bears down and strikes out Grichuk.  The Cows then walk Solano to face Gimenez.  Assad gets Gimenez to swing through on a breaking ball in the dirt to get out of the jam with the game still tied.  The Muckdogs leave Yarbrough to face Carroll with righty Moreta waiting to come in.  Carroll gets the base knock to put the potential go ahead run on with no outs.  Moreta enters the ballgame and Carroll attempts a steal on his first pitch, Moreno fires a beautiful throw to get Carroll on a close play at second.  Moreta then plunks Arozarena to put a runner back on first. Moreta then focuses to strike out both Raley and Garcia to preserve the tie.  Assad is a long reliever, only had pitched 12 pitches and the game is tied, Manager Louis Landhuis leaves Assad in to face the Muckdogs in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Nolan Jones steps to the plate.  Assad get Jones to a 2-2 count but then hangs a curve ball that Jones sends to the seats and everyone home happy with a walk off homer.  The Muckdogs will take their surprise 2-0 series lead to Jackson, where the Holy Cows are very tough in low offensive ballpark this season. The complete boxscore is available at https://swba.us/playoffs/nl_div_1.

Game 3 – T-Mobile Park – The series shifted to Jackson for Game 3.  The pitching matchup has two lefties taking the hump, Montgomery for the ‘Dogs and Matz for the Cows.  Matz finds himself in trouble as the Muckdogs’ Jones singles and two batters later Schwarber takes him deep for a 2-0 Muckdog lead before the Cows pick up their bats.  Trout goes deep in the second to make it 3-0.  Montgomery found himself in a jam in the bottom of the first when Arozarena singles with 2 out and Garcia walks.  But Montgomery recovers by striking out Gorman to close out the threat.  Matz blanked the visitors for two innings.  But Ramirez leads off the 5th with a single when Moncada drops the ball when he collides with Bogaerts and has to leave the game.  Matz gets Jones to ground into a force play, but Matz’s day was done and Manager Lou Landhuis brought in Assad to face lefty killer Garrett.  The Muckdogs counter with a PHer for Garrett.  PHer Velasquez greets Assad with a HR down the LF line extending the lead to 5-0. Montgomery baffles the Cows for the next 5 innings by retiring the next 14 of 16 batters, with the Votto HBP in the 5th erased by a DP.  The injury bug hits again in the 6th when Carroll comes up lame after a long fly ball, Carroll and Moncada will miss the next two games.  Montgomery starts the 7th inning but starts to show some fatigue when Garcia hits a warning track fly ball, Gorman singles, PHer Carpenter hits another warning track fly ball.  Manager Mark Landhuis decides to leave in LHP Montgomery to face LHB Votto.  Votto takes him deep just inside the fair pole for a 2 run shot, 5-2.  Crawford in his first relief appearance of the year enters the game, he walks Higashioka but gets Bogaerts to line out to short to close the inning.  Both Assad and Crawford finish the last two innings of the game strong, but the damage was already done and the Muckdogs take a 3-0 series lead.  The Cows have their backs against the wall and want to prevent the sweep in game #4.  They have to do so without key players Carroll and Moncada and it makes it tougher to manage with a short bench as well.

Game 4 – T-Mobile Park – Game 4 in this series finds the Muckdogs in position to sweep, extract revenge for last year’s exit from the playoffs and continue on their quest for a championship.  The Holy Cows have their proverbial backs against the wall.  The Muckdogs send Clevinger against Butto in Jackson.  The game is a pitching duel for the first 5 innings – Clevinger 0R 1H 1BB 5K Butto 0R 0H 5BB 5K.  Minter enters for the tired Butto in the top of the 6th.  He is greeted with a single by Trout and Velazquez homer (his 3rd for the series), Muckdogs 2-0.  Gonzalez relieves Minter in the 7th after Minter gives up a double to Moreno and strikes out Caballero.  He walks Ramirez and strikes out PHer Schwarber.  But Trout plates both Moreno and Ramirez on a base clearing double, 4-0 Muckdogs.  Meanwhile Clevinger continues into the bottom of the 7th where he gives up a homer to Raley.  Clevinger closes his day 7IP 1R 3H 1BB 7K.  In the top of the 8th, Harvey walks Garrett and Estrada goes yard to extend the Batavia lead to 6-1.  In the bottom of the 8th, the confident Muckdogs sent out Feltner to pitch.  He has a 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th inning.  In the 9th, Batavia tacks on 1 more run with 2 walks, a WP and SF vs Lange, 7-1.  Feltner continues in the bottom to close out the series.  Well, the Cows have other ideas.  McNeil, Raley and Garcia single to load the bases, then Feltner plunks PHer Carpenter.  Manager Mark Landhuis has enough of Feltner and calls Kahnle from the BP.  Kahnle gets the second out but then walks light hitting Maldonado scoring Raley, 7-3 with bases still loaded.  Closer Kenley Jensen gets up in the BP in the suddenly tight contest with tying run at the plate.  However, Kahnle has to face his required third batter in the form of the slugger Gorman.  Gorman promptly singles to plate another run to bring Bogaerts to the plate as the winning run.  Jensen now enters to get the last out.  He gets Xander to 0-2 count and is on the brink of clinching the series.  Bogaerts lines a single into right center and Carpenter scores and sloth footed Maldonado challenges strong armed Jones to score the 6th run for the Cows.  Now the Muckdogs are letting this one slip away with good hitting McNeil stepping up to the plate to win it for the Cows.  McNeil in his second AB in the inning, works a full count against one of the best closers in the NL.  Kenley Sets, Checks the runners, Pitches, McNeil Swings, McNeil connects, RF Jones drifts back to the wall, . . . and hauls it in to clinch the series sweep and the revenge to last year’s exit from the playoffs. Congrats to the Jackson Holy Cows who entered the playoffs with one of the best pitching staffs and a very efficient offense.  They were able to win 99 games with the second worst BA in the league.  The Muckdogs await the winner of the Dobson Ranch – Kentucky series, both excellent hitting and pitching teams.