ROUND TEN PREVIEW: PERTH, THEN UP FOR GRABS
Heat all but assured of top spot, five others fighting
Alex Maestri and Brisbane are just two games out from a playoff spot and three from second place
SYDNEY, 10 January – The Heat used Round Nine to extend their lead over the rest of the league, winning their series against Brisbane and topping last season’s win total in the process. The Cavalry, playing their most important series so far, swept Sydney to catapult themselves back into second place. These two will meet in the capital city beginning on Thursday. Elsewhere in this tight playoff race, the Blue Sox will host the Bite and the Aces will travel to Brisbane to take on the Bandits, with each team’s playoff hopes on the line.
Canberra “UberGlobal” Cavalry (17-18) vs. ‘Alcohol Think Again’ Perth Heat (26-9)
Facing the streaking Blue Sox, the Cavalry played their most complete series of the season, winning all five games at “The Fort.” Suddenly back in second place, they face another tough visitor as the league-leading Heat come to town. Perth has already set the ABL wins record and can clinch the top playoff seed with just two more victories but lost four of five against Canberra in early December. This series commences Thursday night at 7:00PM.
The Cavalry offence will continue to rely on infielders Kody Hightower and Brian Burgamy, who rank first and second in the league in batting average. Hightower, who is hitting .383 overall, has been nearly unstoppable at home this season, batting .434 with three home runs and 12 RBI at Narrabundah Ballpark. Burgamy, who earned Round Nine Player of the Week honours, has raised his season batting average to .372 this season in going 13-for-22 (.591) over his last six games, with four home runs and nine RBI during that stretch.
Canberra’s pitching staff features one of the league’s most dominant starters in right-hander Mike McGuire, as well as left-handed relief pitcher Steven Kent, who is tied for the ABL lead with five wins and six saves. McGuire, who leads the league with 54 strikeouts, tossed seven shutout innings last time out, his fourth scoreless start of the season. Kent, who has been dynamic out of the bullpen all year, appeared on three consecutive days against the Blue Sox, earning two saves and a win.
The Heat batters have been a dominant unit throughout the 2011/12 campaign and will hope to continue that success on this road trip. Outfielder Tim Kennelly leads the league with 34 RBI and has crushed the ball of late, batting .412 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in the last 10 games. The Heat like to put pressure on opponents by running the bases aggressively, as they feature five of the league’s top 10 base-stealers, led by James McOwen, who has 14 swipes. Perth’s pitching staff has been just as successful, with Warwick Saupold winning his second Pitcher of the Week honour in Round Nine. On Saturday night, he threw seven scoreless frames against Brisbane, earning the win in the Heat’s record-setting 25th victory. Out of the bullpen, Cameron Lamb is tied for the league lead with five wins and has struck out 25 in 23.1 innings. He has allowed just one run in 13.0 innings on the road.
Sydney Blue Sox (16-19) vs. Adelaide Bite (16-19)
In this battle of two teams headed in the wrong direction, each will be trying to reverse course. The Blue Sox, who sat in second place just a week ago, were swept in five games by the Cavalry in Round Nine. The Bite have spent a good portion of the season near the top of the standings themselves but have now lost eight of ten to slip into a third-place tie. Each club will try to change its luck when this series begins Wednesday at 7:30PM.
The Sydney bats went quiet in Canberra, scoring two or fewer runs on three occasions. They will be counting on catcher Pat Maat and outfielder Brandon Barnes to get them going again. Maat has been on a tear since claiming the starting job behind the plate, mashing five home runs and 12 RBI in the last seven games. Barnes, who was named Round Eight Player of the Week, leads the team in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in despite appearing in only 19 games thus far. These two will need to remain hot to spark the Blue Sox.
The Sydney pitching staff has allowed an average of over eight runs per game during the team’s six-game losing streak, and they will need stronger performances to get back into the win column. Left-hander Craig Anderson is the expected starter in game one and, despite struggling in two consecutive starts, remains an important arm for the Blue Sox. He turned in a strong start in 24 November at Adelaide, allowing just two runs through six innings, striking out five.
The struggling Bite will also rely on key personnel to return the team to form, including first baseman Stefan Welch and outfielder Denny Almonte. Team Australia’s Welch, who made his season debut in Round Eight, has driven in 11 runs in his first 11 games and will need to keep his powerful bat hot to protect Almonte. The American outfielder struggled mightily against Melbourne, picking up only one hit and failing to drive in a run. Still tied for the league lead in home runs and ranking second in RBI, he will need to return to form to snap Adelaide out of their slump.
The Bite have struggled to find success on the mound this season, ranking last in the league with a 5.35 team ERA. Their steadiest arm has been that of left-hander Paul Mildren, whose presence will be important in restoring order to the rotation. The veteran Mildren appeared twice against Melbourne, coming out of the bullpen in game one to earn the win before getting the start in Saturday afternoon’s loss. Although he earned the loss in his previous start this season versus Sydney, he surrendered just three runs through eight strong innings, a performance he’ll strive to duplicate this time around.
Brisbane Bandits (14-21) vs. Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces (16-19)
The Bandits currently find themselves at the bottom of the ladder but are still within reach of the final playoff spot. A series win against the Aces would go a long way toward securing their first postseason appearance. Melbourne, coming off a series win over Adelaide, will look to continue on their current four-game winning streak when this series begins Wednesday evening at 7:00PM.
Pitching success will be essential in this series if Brisbane hopes to come out on top, with Alex Maestri and Justin Staatz leading the way. Maestri, who was named the top pitcher of Round Eight, has been reliable all season. He has allowed just one run and six hits in his last 15.0 innings and ranks second in the league with 46 strikeouts. Staatz, a newcomer in Round Eight, has made a great impression with his first two starts. He has allowed just five hits and one earned run in 13.1 innings, proving a capable replacement for the departed Yohei Yanagawa.
Offensively, the Bandits have hit the fewest home runs and scored the fewest runs in the ABL. The Aces, however, have allowed 41 homers in 35 games, so this is a good opportunity to get the bats warmed up. Josh Roberts and David Sutherland are the team leaders in RBI, with 24 and 22, respectively, and have also combined for seven of Brisbane’s 23 home runs, so they’ll be relied upon heavily to provide enough scoring to support the pitching staff.
Melbourne’s starting pitchers were outstanding in their series win over Adelaide. Jason Hirsh, Ben Knuth, and Kevin Reese each had scoreless starts, pitching at least five innings apiece and combining for a 2-0 record. Knuth has been an important addition to the team over the last two rounds, going 2-0 in his two starts with a 1.80 ERA. If these right-handers continue the same success against Brisbane, the Aces can expect to appear in their second consecutive postseason.
Elliot Biddle has been the hottest hitter for the Aces over the last two weeks, batting .395 with three home runs, 13 runs batted in and 13 runs scored in 10 games. He now leads the team in RBI for the season and is an important bat in a line-up that features MLB veterans Justin Huber and Brad Harman. Paul Weichard has also provided an excellent complimentary bat in recent games, batting .390 with five home runs and 14 RBI in the last two rounds.