Series 9: Ducks Go After Clients in Safeco Series

Scott Boras Clients visited Seattle this week for a 3-game series against the Budd Bay Buffleheads in a matchup of second-place teams. The Clients picked up a 2-1 victory in Game 1 behind the stellar work of starter Ben Sheets.  Sheets loaded the bases in the first with two walks and a single, but got Wilson Betemit to ground to first to end the threat.  The Buffleheads didn’t threaten again until the fifth, when they picked up their only run on a walk and two singles. Rich Harden served up a two-run homer to Geovanny Soto in the first, but allowed only another single through five innings for the Ducks. Harden picked up his first loss against four wins, while Sheets moved to 4-0 on the year despite allowing six walks in 7.1 innings to the patient Buffleheads’ hitters.

The Buffleheads struck for seven against phenom Cole Hamels en route to a 7-4 victory in Game 2. Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run homer and Adam Jones had a two-run single in the 2nd. Three more scored in the 6th after Asdrubal Cabrera reached on an error by the Clients’ second baseman Richie Weeks. A double by Brad Wilkerson, a triple from Jones, and a single from pinch-hitter Frank Catalannotto accounted for the damage. With Barry Bonds nursing an injury on the sidelines, Geovany Soto’s 2-run homer in the 4th was all the Clients could muster off Ducks’ starter Phil Hughes (2-1). Hamels fell to 3-3 on the year and saw his ERA rise to 5.66.

Game 3 featured a pitcher’s duel between two crafty southpaws, the Clients’ Ted Lilly and Andy Pettitte of the Buffleheads. Pettitte, feeling emancipated after emerging as perhaps the only sympathetic figure from today’s Congressional hearings in Washington, DC, allowed six hits in 7.2 innings, striking out six and walking two. Khalil Greene’s solo homer in the 7th was the only damage allowed by Pettitte, who picked up his first win after starting the year with three consecutive defeats. Adam Jones drove in all three Buffleheads runs with a two-out infield single in the 4th and a two-run long ball in the 6th off Lilly (1-4). Jon Papelbon got four outs for his 5th save.

The Buffleheads, now 18-9 on the year, play host to Whitey Ball after an off-day Thursday, while the Clients (15-12) visit the City by the Bay to take on the Ivy Dwellers.

Series 8: Royale Cools Off Buffleheads

Royale With Cheese won the first two games of an action-packed, three-game set against the Budd Bay Buffleheads at Wrigley Field this weekend.  Budd Bay’s 8-game winning streak came screeching to a halt in Royale’ opening game, 8-4 victory.  Barry Bonds’ walkoff, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth sent Royale fans home delirious after Game 2.  The Buffleheads took out their frustrations in a 15-8 victory in Game 3 in which Roy Halladay took a no-hitter into the 7th inning.

Game 1:  Royale 8, Buffleheads 4.
Royale Halts Buffleheads 8-game Win Streak
Royale With Cheese scored five runs in the fifth off beleaguered Budd Bay Buffleheads’ starter Andy Pettitte (0-3) en route to an 8-4 victory.  Pettitte, who arrived Friday morning from Washington where he was deposed by Congressional investigators looking into his admitted HGH use, gave up a solid single to Chris Coste to start the inning and then walked Chase Utley.  The normally sure-handed Mike Lowell booted an easy grounder from Derrek Lee to load the bases, and Pettitte walked Barry Bonds for the third time to force in a run and give Royale a 2-1 lead.  Pettitte then induced grounders from the next four batters, but three of them found holes and just like that Royale was up 6-1.  Royale scored two more in the 7th off Tim Wakefield on a single by Coste, a double by Utley, and a single by Bonds in his only official plate appearance.  Royale starter Brandon Webb (3-0) walked seven, but allowed only two hits and two runs in 6.2 innings.  Webb’s
start *increased* his league-leading ERA to 1.15.  Wilson Betemit hit his 5th home run for the Buffleheads, and J.D. Drew connected for his first homer of the year.

Game 2:  Royale 9, Buffleheads 7.
Bonds’ Walkoff Blast Sends the Fans Home Happy
Game 2 looked more promising for Budd Bay, as an injury to Ted Lilly forced Royale to start reliever Oscar Villareal.  The Ducks touched Villareal for four runs in the second on four singles and two walks, but the home team struck back for 6 in the bottom of the frame off Ducks’ starter Jered Weaver.  Brian McCann and Troy Tulowitzki each hit two-run bombs and Chipper Jones’ drove in a run with a triple and scored on a sac fly by Darryle Ward to stake Royale to a 7-4 lead.  In the fifth, a walk by Frank Catalanotto and a single by David DeJesus put two men on with two out against Bobby Howry.  Mike Napoli then doubled to right-center to bring the Ducks to within one.  The score remained 7-6 until the top of the ninth, when Carlos Pena greeted Royale closer Jose Valverde (2-0) with a majestic home run to right to hush the crowd.  But Felipe Lopez opened the bottom of the inning with a single off Rafael Perez (0-2) and Bonds’ blast gave the French
fast food their 4th consecutive victory.

Game 3:  Buffleheads 15, Royale 8
Halladay, Pena Power the Buffleheads to Victory
Looking to extract some revenge after losing the first two games of the series, the Buffleheads pounded Manny Parra and three relievers for 15 runs on 15 hits and nine walks.  The Buffleheads jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on four consecutive singles, but Royale struck back for two of its own without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the inning.  Buffleheads starter Roy Halladay walked two and then uncorked a wild pitch to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs.  Two infield grounders brought both runners home to even the game at 2-2.  The Bufflehe22ads broke through for five in the 4th off Parra (1-4).  The trouble started when Parra walked the first three batters of the inning.  Jhonny Peralta’s single gave the Buffleheads the lead and a sacrifice fly by Travis Hafner made it 4-2.  Carlos Pena then hit a three-run bomb, his ninth of the year to put Budd Bay up 7-2.  The Ducks picked up three more in the fifth off Parra and
reliever Ryan Madson, capped by Pena’s two-run double into the right field corner.  Meanwhile, Halladay (3-0) did not allow a hit until Ryan Ludwick’s RBI double into the gap in left-center finally with two outs in the 7th.  The usually partisan fans at Wrigley acknowledged Halladay’s effort with a nice round of applause.  Pena drove in five runs for the Buffleheads to give him 25 on the year, and Mike Lowell drove in four.  Brian McCann came off the DL to drive in four for Royale.

Series 7: Buffleheads Sweep Money Ball

Game 1:  Buffleheads 12, Money Ball 2
The Buffleheads jumped out to a 9-1 lead with three runs in each of the first three innings and never looked back on a sunny afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Money Ball starter Aaron Laffey (0-3) recorded two quick outs, but the wheels fell off as he allowed five consecutive hits and was yanked without completing the inning.  Reliever Billy Buckner didn’t fare any better, allowing three in the second on a walk, three singles and two sacrifice flies and three more in the third on a double by David DeJesus and a two run blast by Travis Hafner.  Alan Embree finally stopped the bleeding for Money Ball with four innings of one-run relief, striking out five and walking only one.  Brad Wilkerson drove in 5 for the Ducks on a single, double, sac fly and a home run, and Hafner was 2-for-6 with three RBIs.  Roy Halladay threw eight strong innings to give the Ducks’ tired bullpen a rest, allowing just two runs on five hits to move to 2-0 on the year.

Game 2:  Buffleheads 7, Money Ball 5 (10 innings)
Game 2 started off very differently, as Buffleheads’ starter Rich Harden staked Money Ball to a 5-1 lead by walking five and uncorking two wild pitches.  Consecutive doubles by Robinson Cano and Magglio Ordonez plated two in the first, and Ordonez scored on a two-out single by Sean Casey that just made it under the outstretched glove of shortstop Jhonny Peralta.  Beane’s gang got two more in the third on three walks, a single and a passed ball.  Meanwhile, the Buffleheads were putting plenty of men on base against Money Ball ace Fausto Carmona and finally broke through with a four-spot in the 5th to tie the game.  J.D. Drew singled to open the inning, and after two quick outs Carlos Pena walked, Frank Catalanotto hit a two-run double and Wilson Betemit followed with a long home run to right.  Relievers Brian Wolfe for Money Ball and Justin Speier for Budd Bay kept the lid on until the top of the 10th when the Buffleheads went on top on a freak play.
Sean Green (0-2) allowed a one-out single to Jhonny Peralta and, one out later, walked Travis Hafner.  Carlos Pena worked the count full, and Green uncorked a wild pitch over the head of Pena all the way to the backstop.  Money Ball catcher Kenji Johjima lost sight of the ball and by the time he could retrieve it, Peralta had scored the go-ahead run all the way from second.  Mike Lowell then singled up the middle to cash Hafner, and Jon Papelbon finished up with a second inning of work to record his second victory on the year against no defeats.

Game 3:  Buffleheads 6, Money Ball 5
The Buffleheads came from behind again in Game 3, this time behind a three-run bomb from Mike Lowell in the top of the 8th.  The first four innings went by quickly as starters Phil Hughes of Budd Bay and Joe Blanton of Money Ball were throwing seeds.  Money Ball drew first blood in the bottom of the 5th with on a triple by Chone Figgins and a sac fly off the bat of Corey Patterson.  Sean Casey opened the 6th with a solo homer, and Magglio Ordonez doubled and scored on a single by Kenji Johjima to give Beane’s Boys a 3-0 lead.  Mike Napoli’s two-run double in the top of the 7th brought the Ducks to within one, but Money Ball got the runs back in the bottom of the frame on consecutive doubles from Duck hunters Casey and Ordonez off Tim Wakefield.  But disaster struck again for Money Ball in the 8th, this time in the form of a tired Alan Embree.  Embree, who had thrown 57 pitches mopping up in Game 1, gave up a one-out single to pinch-hitter Franklin
Gutierrez and walked Travis Hafner before retiring Carlos Pena.  With right-hander Brian Wolfe ready in the bullpen, Money Ball manager Jim Hurley elected to stay with Embree to face Lowell, who immediately made him pay with a towering, three-run drive to left-center.  Wilson Betemit followed with a line shot into the bleachers in left to give the Buffleheads the winning margin.  Mariano Rivera finished up for his second save behind winner Wakefield (3-0).  Embree, who fell to 0-2 on the year, suffered a bruised pitching hand after punching the dugout wall, but was not expected to miss any time.

Series 6: Buffleheads claim Seattle bragging rights with sweep of Hilljacks

The Budd Bay Buffleheads made a statement in the first interleague series, sweeping the pre-season favorite East Dayton Hilljacks in three nail-biters.  The Buffleheads have now won five straight and 8-of-10 to run their record to 12-6 on the year.  The Ducks didn’t have to travel far to meet the Hilljacks, as both teams play their home games in Safeco field, and the home cooking fueled a stellar performance against a formidable Hilljacks squad.

Game 1:  Buffleheads 4, Hilljacks 2
The Hilljacks got on the board first in Game 1 with solo homers from David Wright in the first and Russ Branyan in the 4th off Ducks’ starter Rich Harden.  The Ducks put two men on in the first and again in the 3rd of Ben Sheets, but couldn’t get a clutch hit.  The Jacks loaded in the bases on three walks sandwiched around two strikeouts in the 5th, but Harden got Adam LaRoche for this 10th K to end the threat.  The Buffleheads finally broke through with one out in the 6th when Carlos Pena curled a fly ball just inside the right field foul pole to chase Sheets.  Reliever Brett Myers promptly allowed a single to Mike Lowell and walked Mike Napoli.  One out later, Jhonny Peralta lined a double into the gap in left center, scoring Napoli all the way from first to give the Buffleheads a 3-2 lead.  Relievers Justin Speier, Rafael Perez and Jon Papelbon made the lead hold up, combining for four innings of no-hit ball.  The Buffleheads got an insurance run in the top of the 9th when Franklin Gutierrez singled, stole second, advanced to third when Russ Martin’s throw sailed into center field.  With the infield playing back, David DeJesus laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt in front of third baseman Wright, whose only play was to first as Gutierrez scored easily.  Papelbon finished off the Jacks with a perfect ninth for his third save.  Harden moved to 4-0 on the year, while Myers (0-1) took the loss for the Hilljacks.

Game 2:  Buffleheads 4, Hilljacks 3
Game 2 started off in similar fashion to Game 1, with Russ Martin putting the Hilljacks up 1-0 with a solo blast off Andy Pettitte in the bottom of hte 2nd.  The Ducks tied the game in the top of 4th when Mike Lowell doubled and scored on a single off the bat of Wilson Betemit.  But East Dayton regained the lead in the bottom of the frame when Matt Kemp singled, stole second, and scored on a long double to right-center by Ramon Castro.  The two teams traded goose eggs until the top of the 7th when Budd Bay took its first lead.  Frank Catalanotto doubled off Greg Maddux and scored on a triple into the gap in right center off the bat of David DeJesus.  Justin Hampson relieved and got J.D. Drew to ground weakly to second baseman Brandon Phillips, but with the infield playing back Phillips had to go to first while DeJesus pranced home with the go-ahead run.  Buffleheads relievers Phil Hughes and Hideki Okajima kept East Dayton in check, and the Buffleheads picked up an insurance in the top of the 9th when East Dayton again chose to play the infield back with runners on first and third and none out.  Jhonny Peralta’s grounder to second plated Mike Napoli to give the Ducks a two-run cushion.  The extra run immediately proved crucial when pinch hitter Adam LaRoche went yard off Mariano Rivera to lead off the bottom of the ninth.  But Rivera calmly retired Lastings Milledge, Hanley Ramirez and Lance Berkman to pick up his first save.  Rivera, not accustomed to the setup role he’s been forced to play with the Ducks, pumped his right fist and glared menacingly into the Hilljacks’ dugout after Berkman grounded to second to end the game.  Phil Hughes was credited with his first against one defeat for the Buffleheads, while Maddux fell to 2-2 on the year for the ‘Jacks.

Game 3:  Buffleheads 8, Hilljacks 7 (12 innings)
Game 3 was a seesaw affair that lasted four and a half hours, with the Buffleheads finally prevailing on a solo homer from Brad Wilkerson in the top of the 12th.  Jhonny Peralta led off the game with his 4th home run off ‘Jacks starter Randy Johnson, but Hanley Ramirez answered with a leadoff homer of his own off Jerer Weaver.  Carlos Pena put the Birds ahead 3-1 in the top of the third with a towering, two-run blast off the Big Unit, but the Hilljacks answered with three of their own in the bottom of the inning to move ahead 4-3.  Hanley Ramirez led off the inning with his second longball of the game off Weaver.  David Wright and Adam Dunn followed with consecutive singles, each moving up a base on a swinging bunt by Lance Berkman.  After Weaver retired Adam LaRoche on a popup to third, Russ Martin came through with a clutch double, plating Wright and Dunn.  But the Ducks came right back as Asdrubal Cabera tied the game in the top of the 4th with a solo shot off Johnson that barely cleared the wall in left.  The Hilljacks took a 6-4 lead in the 6th on a two-run blast off the bat of Russ Branyan, but again the lead would not hold as the Buffleheads scored three in the bottom of the frame for a 7-6 lead.  Hilljacks’ relievers issued three walks and hit a batter in the inning.  Mike Lowell’s sacrifice fly brought home Peralta to pull the Ducks to within one, and Cabrera drove in his second and third runs of the game with a single to right center.  But the Hilljacks tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Adam Dunn singled, took third on a single to right from Berkman, and scored when J.D. Drew throw sailed over Lowell’s head.  Four relievers kept a lid on the scoring until Wilkerson, hitting .only 118 on the year with 20 Ks in 46 at-bats, hit his blast off Manuel Corpas (0-1).  Jon Papelbon pitched two scoreless innings to win his first decision for the Buffleheads.  Buffleheads’ manager Arne Olson said he considered pinch hitting after Wilkerson had looked lost at the plate while striking out four times earlier in the game.  But Olson stayed with Wilkerson because “I was too lazy to make the change,” and Wilkerson came through with the clutch hit.

Series 6: Minions of Jobu sweep Margo Adams Fan Club

Trouble brewed for Margo’s men in Milwaukee in a matchup of the two division leaders, as the young Minion starters doused Margo’s hot bats and extinguished the visitors’ 13-game winning streak while running their own string of victories to five straight. It didn’t look like that would be the case early, as a three-run home run by Nick Markakis off Matt Cain gave Margo a 4-0 lead after half an inning of play Friday. But the Minions responded with a Corey Hart grand slam in the bottom of the first, after Margo rookie phenom Clay Buccholz walked the bases loaded. In the fifth, a Russell Martin single and an Orlando Cabrera error plated two more Minions, giving Jobu’s gang a 6-4 lead. Cain was dominant after his first-inning struggles, giving up but one single the rest of the way. He left with two one and one out in the eighth, but Rich Hill coaxed pinch hitter Alexis Rios to ground into a double play, and Jose Valverde closed out the 6-4 win in the ninth.

On Saturday, Minions jumped out to a 7-1 lead after five against a struggling C.C. Sabathia, while Yovani Galardo pitched a quality start despite bouts of wildness against Margo’s patient hitters. Chase Utley’s two-run home run in the fourth and Jeremy Hermida’s three-run job in the fifth accounted for the bulk of the damage. Margo scratched out single runs in the sixth and the seventh, but Heath Bell and, after Bell was injured, Manuel Corpas proved dominant in preserving the 7-3 Minions win.

Minion starter Chris Young lasted just three-plus innings before leaving with an injury on Sunday, but the Minion bullpen once again proved up to the challenge, blanking Margo’s suddenly impotent bats. Joe Saunders wejnt the distance for the visitors in the losing cause, but was victimized by Utley’s single scoring Ryan Theriot in the third. He gave up two more runs in the fourth on Corey Hart’s homer and Theriot’s rbi single, which scored Matt Kemp. But the insurance proved unnecessary as the Minions finished off the sweep.

Series 5: Buffleheads take two out of three from Eight Men Out

The Budd Bay Buffleheads won their fourth consecutive series this week at SafeCo, taking two out of three from Eight Men Out, Arne reports. The latter-day Black Sox ran wild against Jered Weaver in the opener, riding the legs of Willy Tavares and the arm of John Maine to a 7-2 victory.  Tavares led off the game with a single up the middle, stole second, and after shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera dropped a foul popup off the bat of Shawn Green, scored on a Green’s single to right.  After a walk to Adam Dunn, Eight Men Out executed a double steal with Green swiping third and Dunn swiping second.  Green then scored on a sacrifice fly from Scott Hatteberg.  The Bufflheads struck back in the bottom of the frame when Mike Lowell’s sac fly drove in leadoff man J.D. Drew, but couldn’t do anything else until Maine tired in the 8th.  Eight Men Out chased Weaver with three more in the 5th on two walks and two singles.  Weaver walked six in the game while giving up five earned runs to fall to 2-1 on the year.  Green and Dunn connected for consecutive homers against Phil Hughes in the 9th to complete the scoring.

The Buffleheads’ Wilson Betemit hit a three-run bomb with two outs in the first off Carlos Zambrano to start off Game 2, and Jhonny Peralta added another run with a solo shot in the 2nd, his third of the year.  Eight Men Out got two back in the 6th off Ducks’ starter Tim Wakefield on a walk, two singles and two stolen bases, but Green was thrown out trying to advance to second on a play at the plate and Wakefield struck out Adam Dunn and Scott Hatteberg to end the inning.  Eight Men Out threatened again in the 8th when Luke Scott singled off Mariano Rivera and was sacrificed to second by Tavares.  Singles by Michael Bourn and pinch hitter Ryan Zimmerman brought home Scott, but Bourn tried to take third on the play and was nailed by David DeJesus.  Dunn then grounded out to first to end the threat.  Jonathan Papelbon finished up in the 9th for his third save.

Hoping to sneak away with a series win, Eight Men Out brought back ace John Smoltz on short rest for Game 3 to face the Bufflheads’ Roy Halladay.  The move backfired as Smoltz could not make it out of the first, allowing four singles, two walks, a hit batsman and Carlos Pena’s 5th home run. Yusmeiro Petit came on with two outs and the bases loaded to get J.D. Drew to fly to right.  The Ducks got three more in the 2nd, two in the 3rd and one in the 4th off Petit to turn the game into a laugher.  Betemit doubled twice and drove in four runs, and Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera and Frank Catalanotto each collected two hits for the home team.  Meanwhile, Halladay cruised through 6.2 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs to go with six strikeouts and one walk to pick up his first win after three no-decisions.

The Buffleheads move to 9-6 on the year and were aiming to make up some ground in the standings with division leaders Margo Adams playing host to #2 Spahn and Sain.  They pay a visit to East Dayton this weekend to take on the dangerous Hilljacks, while Eight Men Out takes on Money Ball in Wrigley Field after falling to 5-10.

Series 5: Margo Adams Sweeps Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain

Spahn and Sain bolted to a 7-1 lead half-way through the opener, as Luis Gonzalez, J.J. Hardy, Luke Scott all dialed long-distance out of Phone Booth Park at the expense of homerrific Margo starter C.C. Sabathia. But Margo got three back in the fifth as Kevin Youklis went yard on Yovani Gallardo and one more in the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-5. Spahn reliever Joe Beimel got two quick groundball outs in the eighth, but with lefty killer Alex Rios coming up, gave way to recent bullpen reinforcement Juan Gutierrez. Rios went 3-for-4 with 3 runs and 2 rbis after subbing for Grady Sizemore, who was hurt legging out a double in his opening at-bat. Rios’ up-the-middle single off Gutierrez opened the door to a 5-run Margo inning that would culminate with Jorge Posada’s three-run shot into the cove beyond right field. Francisco Rodriguez started Margo’s ninth with a three-run lead, and sandwiched an out between a Marcus Giles single and a Moises Alou triple to bring Carlos Beltran to the plate with the tying run. Margo closer Jonathan Papelbon entered and promptly gave up a ninth-inning game-tying blast for the second game in a row. After one team came back from a six-run deficit and the other erased a three-run shortfall in the ninth, we went into the extra frames tied 10-10. Spahn and Sain loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, but Rafael Betancourt got Moises Alou to pop up to short left and then struck out Beltran to end the threat. Manny Corpas got two quick outs in the bottom of the tenth, but then tired and walked the bases loaded with help from emergency replacement El Duque. The latter then gave up a routine groundball single to Nick Markakis to plate the winning run.

Spahn and Sain held a 3-2 lead through five on Saturday as El Duque returned to hold the hosts at bay. But he tired in the sixth: homer-walk-walk-strikeout

-double and see you later, and Michael Wuertz allowed two more runs in the 8-3 defeat.

The marquee matchup Sunday featured Santana vs. Jake Peavy, and they didn’t disappoint. Travis Hafner’s first-inning two-run jack was the only blot on Peavy’s record through the first seven frames. Santana had a no-hitter going through 4 2/3, but lost the no-hitter, shutout and the win when Luke Scott homered on the last pitch he threw before leaving the game with an injury that’s expected to sideline him for the first half of the month. Scott Downs, Francisco Rodriguez and Raffy Betancourt proceeded to allow one hit and one walk the rest of the way, while Carlos Pena took Peavy deep in the eighth for an insurance run.

Series 4: Hilljacks Cuff Whiteyball in Brawl-Marred Grudge Match

Rich reports from Safeco:

The East Dayton Hilljacks hosted Whiteyball for a three-game series over the weekend in Seattle, their adopted home until a Major League stadium can be built in East Dayton, rumored to be sometime after hell freezes over. The match-up was the first in a long homestand for the ‘Jacks. East Dayton continued its climb toward respectability by winning its third consecutive series, 2 games to 1.

Game 1 was dominated by Jake Peavy, who struck out 13 and walked none while yielding just 3 hits in 8 innings of work. Russell Branyan’s second inning home run was all the scoring the ‘Jacks would need on a night when Peavy would not be denied.

Game 2 proved to be a marathon affair, the second 13-inning contest in just 3 days for Whiteyball. With the roof closed on this rainy day in Seattle, the field resembled a pressure cooker, and though it took 10 innings for it to happen, the figurative lid would indeed be blown off of this one. With the game tied in the 10th inning after a clutch 2-out HR by Adam Dunn, Carlos Marmol showed his frustration by drilling Lance Berkman, who had homered earlier in the game, and touching off a melee at the mound that saw both players ejected. The damage was particularly pronounced for Whitey, as both Jeff Keppinger and Josh Phelps would emerge from the pileup bloodied and unable to continue the game. Brandon Phillips, who was on deck when Berkman was hit, said after the game that Marmol had taunted Berkman while he was doubled over, shouting, “Get your fat — down to first base, Elvis.” Rather than doing so, Berkman instead made a beeline for the mound where he and Marmol flailed wildly at one another before tumbling to the turf and disappearing under a sea of players. Neither Berkman nor Marmol would comment after the game. In any case, Jeff Francoeur’s single in the top of the 13th plated Cody Ross with what would prove to be the game winner in a quite literally hard-fought 6-5 victory for Whitey.

With the umpires on red alert for game 3, order was maintained and no serious incidents were reported. Lance Berkman, still simmering after yesterday’s brawl, betrayed the old adage that revenge is a dish best served cold by clubbing 2 HR’s to lead the ‘Jacks to an 8-4 victory in the rubber match.

While these two teams won’t see each other again until very late in the season, one can’t help but wonder if more hostilities await. Time will tell. As of press time, there was no word yet from the Commissioner’s Office regarding suspensions.

Series 4: Margo Sweeps Eight Men Out, Runs Win Streak to 10

Margo’s boys arrived for their home opener riding a seven-game Netplay winning streak and a two-game Paige division lead for what proved to be a tough and entertaining series against Dennis’s game Eight Men Out squad.

The crowd’s festive mood elevated a notch when ace Johan Santana took the mound, but Wily Taveras quickly quieted things down as he legged out an infield hit, stole second, moved over to third on yet another infield single and scored on Ryan Zimmerman’s sacrifice fly.

Margo answered in the second as Carl Crawford’s high chopper plated Jorge Posada ahead of Khalil Greene’s throw to the plate. With the sacks full later in the inning, Grady Sizemore made it 4-1 with a bases-clearing double into the gap. But the lead didn’t last long as Adam Dunn made it 4-4 in the third with a three-run splash into the McCovey Cove.

Both starters settled down thereafter, Zambrano pitching into the sixth inning and Santana leaving with two outs in the seventh. Rafael Betancourt took over with two runners on and gave up an absolute screamer to Rafael Phillips that Grady Sizemore somehow snared in the air after all-out dive in deep center.

That seemed to turn the game, even though Joe Beimel got two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh after Sizemore’s acrobatics. But Kevin Youkilis then doubled and scored on a bloop single to right by Carlos Pena, who took second on the throw. Pena then scored on Travis Hafner’s bloop single, which raised the tourney average of Margo’s designated hitter to .132. Hafner also rumbled into second on a late throw home, and scored when Jorge Posada (3-4) collected yet another cheapie off Beimel. Margo’s pen took over thereafter, as Rafael Perez and Francisco Rodriguez closed out the 7-4 win.

Game 2 Saturday began with a surprise, as fifth starter Joe Saunders took the mound for Margo. There was speculation in the press box that Sabathia had been pushed back so that he and Santana would both face Spahn & Sain & Pray for Rain in the series starting Monday.

At any rate, Saunders justified his skipper’s faith with five scoreless innings of four-hit, no-walk ball. Eight Men starter John Smoltz did not perform to expectations, giving up six (!) walks and seven runs in his five frames. Jorge Posada went 3 for 3 with 3 rbis and Carlos Pena added two doubles in a 7-0 Margo win.

Game three would prove to be the most exciting of the series as Pedro Martinez squared off again Clay Buchholz. Margo scratched out a run against Pedro in the first as Posada’s single knocked in Pena. The home team went up 2-0 in the fifth as Orlando Cabrera earned first base the hard way, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on Placido Polanco’s single.

Pedro pitched well, striking out eight in his six innings. By the time he left, his team’s deficit had been cut in half as Mark DeRosa reached on a Kevin Youkilis error, moved over to second on Yorvit Torrealba’s sacrifice bunt and then scored when Youkilis hurried his throw trying to get the speedy Willy Taveras and threw the ball away.

The bullpens held things there into the ninth inning, when with two out and Jonathan Papelbon on the mound a sweep appeared to be at hand. But Shawn Green lofted a Papelbon fastball into the Pacific Ocean, sending the ballgame into extra frames.

Papelbon redeemed himself with a scoreless tenth, though, and in the bottom of the inning Hafner continued to shake his slump with a gapper that scored Youkilis with the winning run.

Margo next hosts Spahn & Sain while Eight Men Out travel up the coast to tangle with the Buffleheads at Safeco.

Series 3: Buffleheads vs Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain

Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain hosted the Budd Bay Buffleheads in a three-game series at Jacobs Field this week, losing two out of three to fall a half game back in the division race, pending the results of the Margo/Ivy Dwellers series.  The Buffleheads won the first game of the series by an 8-1 score, as Spahn’s pitchers combined to give up 9 hits, 11 walks and a hit batsman.  Jason Varitek had a single, a double, two walks and three RBI and Mike Lowell and Wilson Betemit hit solo homers for the Ducks.  Rich Harden struck out six and walked only one in 7.1 innings, with Miguel Cabrera’s third long ball accounting for Spahn’s only run.

Spahn struck back in Game 2 behind the hitting of Luis Gonzales and Brian McCann and the pitching of rookie Yovani Gallardo.  Gonzales walked, doubled and homered in four trips to the plate and McCann singled and hit a two-run jack in the bottom of the 7th to stake Spahn to a 4-0 lead.  Gallardo allowed only four hits in seven shutout innings, striking out 11 and walking two.  Jhonny Peralta made things interesting with a three-run bomb off Michael Wurtz with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Manual Corpas came on to retire Brad Wilkerson for his second save.

Budd Bay took the rubber match by a score of 8-5.  The Duckies scored four in the top of the fourth off starter Orlando Hernandez on a solo homer from Carlos Pena, his fourth, and a three-run blast from Jhonny Peralta.  Mike Lowell singled in two in the fifth, and Peralta drove in his 8th run of the series with a double down the third base line in the seventh.  Spahn and Sain pulled to within three with a four-spot in the 6th on a Geoff Blum homer and four singles and loaded the bases with two out in the 8th off Mariano Rivera.  Closer Jon Papelbon came on and walked Luke Scott to force in a run, but got pinch hitter Tony Graffanino to fly to center to end the threat and retired Spahn in order in the ninth for his second save.

The Buffleheads return home to Seattle for a three game series against Suicide Squeeze this weekend, while Spahn plays The Ivy Dwellers at Jacobs Field.