The first place Long Island Ducks (17-6) continue to play amazing
baseball amassing a 5-1 record over the last week and increasing their
first place lead to four and a half games over the Newark Bears.
Three game series: Road Warriors @ Ducks Opening game (7/31/07) Ducks 2, Road Warriors 0 Levittown native Randy Leek threw a three-hit complete shut out as the Ducks defeated the Warriors 2-0. Leek (4-1) brought a no-hitter into the sixth inning; he also didn’t allow a runner to second base until two reached in the ninth inning. This was easily the best pitching performance of the year for the Ducks as it was the first shut out of the season and tied their season high in strikeouts with eight. Edgardo Alfonzo added an RBI double in the fourth which amounted to the game-winning hit.
Middle game (8/1/07) Ducks 9, Road Warriors 8 The Ducks started August with a bang defeating the Warriors, 9-8. They fell behind 7-0 but rallied with two in the fifth, five in the sixth, and two in the seventh. A game-winning two-run home run from Carl Everett iced the game.
Errors killed the Ducks early on. They had three in the first five innings which allowed seven runs to score off Jon Halama, only two of which were earned. All nine runs for the Ducks were scored on home runs. They tied the Ducks record for most home runs in a game with four. Norm Hutchins had a 3-run home run in the sixth which made the score 8-5 and the Ducks didn’t look back from there. Danny Graves came in and closed the door with a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.
Final game (8/2/07) Ducks 6, Road Warriors 2 The Ducks won their fourth in a row as they swept the Warriors 6-2 at Citi Bank Park. Ed Yarnall (4-2) threw seven shut-out innings for his fourth win of the season and Hutchins continued his hot hitting going 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and his fifth home run of the season. Everett just continued to drive in runs as he added two RBIs as well. The Ducks are 14-1 against the Warriors this season, the best record against one single opponent in Ducks history.
Three game series: Bridgeport Blue Fish @ Ducks Opening game (8/3/07) Ducks 4, Blue Fish 2 The Ducks opened a three game weekend series against the last place Blue Fish and showed why they’re in last place by defeating them 4-2. Donovan Osborn (6-5) threw six strong innings and the bullpen added three scoreless innings for the win. Everett once again drove in a run with a game tying RBI single in the fourth inning and Ray Navarrete added a solo home run in the sixth, giving the Ducks a 3-2 lead. The bullpen came in and allowed only a single base runner over the final three innings. Graves got his 24th save of the season.
Middle game (8/4/07) Blue Fish 8, Ducks 2 The Blue Fish scored seven runs in the final five innings to beat the Ducks, 8-2. Lance Davis took his first loss of the season going five and two-third innings allowing nine hits and five runs. Alfonzo was 0-for-4 and his season average dropped to .248 which is the lowest mark for any starter on the Ducks. On the plus side, Jose Offerman led of the game with a home run, his sixth of the season and Hutchins added an RBI single for the Ducks’ only other run of the game. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak.
Final game (8/5/07) Ducks 8, Blue Fish 7 For the second time in a week the Ducks came back from a seven run deficit, this time up-ending the Blue Fish, 8-7. Five Duck errors help the Blue Fish put up three in the first inning and then four in the fifth. Leek, who was so great last time out, threw six innings and allowed seven runs, only one earned. The Ducks rallied with a five spot in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh, capped off by a two-out P.J. Rose RBI single which gave the Ducks the lead. Ben Grezlovski threw a scoreless seventh inning for the win and Graves worked out of some trouble in the ninth for his league leading 25th save.
Weekly Notes: -Rose has a 13-game hit streak -The Ducks team ERA is now at 4.80, down almost half a run from the start of the second half -Everett had has seven RBIs in the last five games and is now second with 71 -Overall, including the first half, the Ducks have the best record with a 52-34 mark
Week Ahead: The Ducks travel to Camden for a mid-week three game series against the Riversharks. Then travel home for a weekend three game series against the Newark Bears with an off day on Monday.
