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Streak is 12...Here are the updated stats from a dozen consecutive wins.

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Bus just arrived at Holman Stadium.  Really brief post today, but I wanted to make sure to get the updated streak stats up.  Its 11 in-a-row now.  Incredible.

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The New Jersey Jackals officially clinched the first half title with a win today over the Worcester Tornadoes 11-1.

The Rox will have to win the second half, or finish with one of the top four records to make the playoffs.

Today's main post is below including an interview with Wayne Lundgren (added late) win streak stats, a comment from Manager Chris Carminucci and some MLB notes as well.
 

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Ok everyone, the streak is now ten games long.  The Rox have effectively won ten percent of its entire 2009 schedule in consecutive games, and the team just keeps getting better and better.

RHP Wayne Lundgren's complete game shutout over New Hampshire on Wednesday night was his first professional shutout.  We'll get some thoughts from him to post today at some point (maybe tomorrow).

Caught up with him before Thursday's game.  Here's the audio of the interview.
Brockton has won ten consecutive games and has done so with varying methods.  Last night, the most powerful offense in the league blasted two home runs in the first inning to make sure Lundgren never pitched with less than a five-run lead. 

Consider though, that the Rox have come from behind five times during the streak to get a win.  That's five comebacks in ten games.  The Rox had five total comebacks in 33 games before the streak started!

Here are the updated streak stats:



Look at the number of runs the Rox have scored over the last ten games and compare it to the number of hits the opposition has!

The pitching staff has been out-of-this-world good.  What is really exciting is that the numbers are not too far off from what the staff has delivered all season.  The difference over the last ten games: eight errors and only six unearned runs.  Ok, and two complete game shutouts, we'll concede that was pretty important too.

I posed the following hypothetical situation to Chris Carminucci:

The date is May 20th, 2009.  I (Matt) get John Kelly, Stevie Delabar, Jeff Long, and Bryan Morse.  You (Carminucci) can effectively not have them for the first half of the season.  Ok, you can have four great starts from Long and a couple from Delabar, but that's it.  What's your response?

Carminucci:

"If it had not been my track record in he past I would have told you that we would be in huge trouble. Every season i start off terribly, I always think it is going to change the next season and things will be easy. But it never is and that is ok. I believe the struggles that we go through early makes us better later in the year. We suffered some devastating losses that would have put most teams on there knees but we are fighting through it and getting better every day. You need guys to step up, guys like Robinson and Flores and they have. I still think our team has room for improvement and we are going to work hard every day to get better. Yes we have had a lot of injuries and we still have some that have not healed yet. Good teams fight through adversity and make the best out of what they have while bad teams sit back and blame those injuries and feel sorry for them selves. These guys are out to prove something they take losing personally especially at home. ALL of us were embarrassed by our poor play at home and we are so thankful for all the loyal fans we have that supported us even though we were failing. We still have a long way to go but things are going in the right direction."

The players and coaches vote on a position player and pitcher MVP for each series if the team wins the series.  Last series it was 2B Melvin Falu who was 8-13, with a home run, four doubles, four RBI, four runs, and three walks.  Only five times in 16 plate appearances did Falu not reach base.  This is a game when three hits in ten at-bats is a success!

MLB Stuff Today

16 teams are back in action tonight in Major League Baseball.  That is great news.  There are going to be some really fun division races to watch down the stretch.

Three of four teams are within four games of first place in the AL West.  The Angels are in first place, but Seattle was the best team in baseball at one point during the first half of the season.  Seattle needs to get great pitching from its top three trio of Felix Hernandez, Eric Bedard and Jarrod Washburn.

Mariner's Manager Don Wakamatsu was tossing around cliches about his team's chances, but got serious with some comparisons to the Red Sox.

This is great.  Ichiro Suzuki paid respects to George Sisler by placing flowers at his gravesite in St. Louis while he was in town for the All-Star Game.  On a completely un-related note, now he wants to wear jeans on the Mariner's flights.

Of course the real surprise team in the AL West is the Texas Rangers, who get Josh Hamilton back for the second half of the season.  The Texas pitching staff has lowered it's AL-worst ERA from 5.37 in 2008, to 4.34 in 2009.

The Red Sox three-game lead in the East means just about nothing right now, although being 22-9 against the division is going to be nice down the stretch.

Scott Rolen might be the next member of the Boston Red Sox.




 

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I really enjoyed the All-Star Game last night in St. Louis.  As far as drama goes, it certainly provided us with a good show. 

Here's a really cool 360 degree look at the scene during the National Anthem.

There are some musings on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website about how the President disrespected Stan Musial and the City of St. Louis by wearing a Chicago White Sox jacket to throw out the first pitch (not linking, you'll have to find it yourself).

Why do people have to be so negative? 

The President shook hands with Stan The Man and they chatted briefly on the field.  Who do you think got the bigger thrill out of that?   The President meeting a Hall of Fame baseball player, or a baseball player meeting the President? 

Personally, I thought it was just about as perfect as those rare meetings and moments can get.  The President in jeans and a White Sox jacket throwing out the first pitch.  Can a guy get more "real" than that? 

Remember 2007 when the game was held in San Francisco, and Willie Mays was celebrated in centerfield.  The big ugly shadow of Barry Bonds was all over that moment.  But people want to say that the President of the United States disrespected Stan Musial by wearing a White Sox jacket.

Enough of that.

Carl Crawford had about the most unassuming night ever for an All-Star Game MVP.  Crawford was the first non-pitcher to win the award without an RBI since Willie Mays in 1968.  He made a tremendous catch, on what would have been a home run by Colorado's OF Brad Hawpe off of Jonathan Papelbon.  Papelbon did not have his best stuff, clearly, but got the job done.

Of course one of the main points of contention surrounding the All-Star Game is the fact that the outcome determines home-field advantage for the World Series.  This change was made after the game in Milwaukee in 2002 ended in a tie.  This was the absolute low-point for any All-Star Game.  It had proven that the game was not played at a competitive level, but rather each side was just emptying its bench so that everyone could play. 

The only appropriate place that is T-ball.  This is Major League Baseball.  Arguably the greatest baseball players in the world coming together to go head-to-head for one night.  We should see Albert Pujols face Roy Halladay.  We should witness Florida's SS Hanley Ramirez and Philadelphia's 2B Chase Utley turning double plays.  How about the great late inning matchups we got to see?  Minnesota's closer Joe Nathan against Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.  We may never see that again. 

And the only way we're going to get those matchups and have Nathan throwing gas, and Howard pinch-hitting in that situation is if the game means something.  Do you think Charlie Manuel (Howard's Manager in Philly and the Nat'l League Manager) would have waited until there were two outs in the eighth inning to put his star in the game if he wasn't saving him for a situation that actually mattered?  Philly won the World Series last year and did so without home-field advantage.  You bet Manuel was keeping his ace in his sleeve until the right time to play it in an attempt to play more at home this season if the Phillies get that far.  

And yes, the American League has won the game for the last seven years.  So each of the last seven World Series has been played with an AL home field advantage.  And the National League has won three times out of seven.

YOUR Brockton Rox have won a franchise record nine consecutive games.  Here are some updated stats from the streak:



The Rox remain in second place with four games to play in the first half.  The likelihood of a first-half title is very slim.  The Rox need New Jersey to get swept in a four-game series at Worcester over the next four days, while sweeping four at New Hampshire.  Possible, yes.  Probable, no.

Regardless, The Rox are undoubtedly the best team in the league right now.  Brockton has come from behind to win five of the nine games during the streak, have the league's best team ERA (3.60) and the second best batting average (.290). 

Injury Updates

RHP Jeff Long is scheduled to start on Sunday at home.  It will be his first start since June 16th.  He has been out with inflammation in his elbow. 

3B Phillip Cuadrado is out today and is day-to-day after suffering a bruise on his ankle/shin when he fouled a pitch off of his leg on Monday night.  X-rays were negative Tuesday.

RHP Stevie Delabar just finished throwing a bullpen session.  I will catch up with him today and post an update at some point.  Keep an eye on the game notes as well.

LHP Bryan Morse is taking anti-inflammatories as the Rox hope he is dealing with just tendonitis in his forearm.

Off to New Hampshire. 
 

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