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BradC · 05-09-2013, 02:27 PM

The first round of the OOTP Grand Championship League playoffs saw its share of drama, with PEBA, MLB Pro, and Asahi2 all needing six games to get past their opponents, ULB, Play at the Plate, and BML, respectively. (Federal International disposed of WWBL in five games.) In game six of its series against Play at the Plate, MLB Pro mounted a dramatic five-run eighth inning rally, highlighted by slugging right-fielder Fred Rogers’ three-run homer with two outs, to win the game, 9-8. ULB was the only division winner eliminated in round one.

The next round of semi-final series now has MLB Pro taking on PEBA, with Federal International battling Asahi2. Both series are currently deadlocked at two games apiece, with the pivotal Game 5 to be played today. The winners of those series will meet in the finals.

MLB Pro vs. PEBA

“It’s time for a change,” said MLB Pro GM Dave Lockar, whose powerhouse club has managed to score only seven runs through the first four games. “We need to shake things up, or else we’ll be heading home in two games. We’ve been brutal at the plate, but I promise a big change, and more runs, next game.”

Lockar is counting on a stellar performance from left-handed starter Miguel Venegas (14-2, 2.70 ERA in the regular season) in Game 5. He sparkled in Game 1 of the series, throwing 6.2 innings while striking out nine batters en route to a 2-1 victory.

“We’re going to put out the same lineup against left handed pitchers that we have all year,” commented PEBA GM Aric Kinast. “We had a .714 winning percentage against left-handed pitchers and feel like that lineup is the best we have.”

He added: “Veneges is going to be very tough no matter what we do but we actually had a lot of scoring opportunities in Game 1. Veneges was dominant and had nine strikeouts but we did have some scoring opportunities. We left 18 men on base and actually stranded a baserunner on 3rd base in the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th innings of that game. We only lost by one run and had a chance to win. That is all we can hope for against the top seed in the playoffs and one of the best pitchers in the league.”

PEBA will counter Veneges with right-hander John “Prophet” Ross, who threw 7.2 strong innings in the team’s 6-2 win in Game 2. During the regular season, Ross was 11-5 with a 3.31 ERA.

Asahi2 vs. Federal International

Meanwhile, Asahi2 will put Ed “Goat” Slaughter on the mound for Game 5 as the team tries to bounce back from a 5-3 loss in Game 4. He last pitched in Game 1′s 5-4 loss to Federal International. Slaughter was 12-7 with a 3.30 ERA during the regular season.

“All the season long, Asahi2 has been able to count on two pitchers: ‘Goat’ Slaughter and ‘Grinder’ Yamamoto (25 GS, 11-6, 3.69 ERA),” said team GM Phil Barrett. “At the ages of 36 and 35, respectively, I asked those long-time lockdown bullpen arms to anchor a starting staff that was short on starting pitchers following the GCL draft. Both men have done just that with only two pitches.” Yamamoto was brilliant in the team’s 1-0 win in Game 3, going the distance while allowing just two hits and three walks and striking out four batters.

Barrett added: “Asahi2 has a simple philosophy for their converted bullpen arms : ‘Throw strikes and let your defense do the rest.’ The vaunted and stylish Asahi2 defense will take the field behind Slaughter in Game 5 of the Championship Series. Should the contest extend to a Game 7, Yamamoto will take the hill.”

He concluded: “The question is, can a team that didn’t draft a single starting pitcher during the first two days of the draft actually make it to the finals?”

Federal International GM Caleb Henstein has seen his team run hot and cold this series, scoring five runs in Games 1 and 4 but being shutout in the middle two contests. “I may switch up the lineup a bit based on whose hot and whose cold, but the changes will only be slight, as I feel the cold bats are now behind us,” he said. “I’m expecting my team to come back and put some crooked numbers on the board the next few games to counteract the poor offense in Games 3 and 4.”

He added: “I am very happy with how my pitching has performed this series. We’ve been able to keep them in check the entire series, and hopefully that will continue the rest of the way. Can’t wait for tomorrow!”

05-09-2013, 02:27 PM	#7
BradC All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: northern CA Posts: 1,885	Both OOTP GCL Playoff Semi-Final Series Deadlocked at 2-2 The first round of the OOTP Grand Championship League playoffs saw its share of drama, with PEBA, MLB Pro, and Asahi2 all needing six games to get past their opponents, ULB, Play at the Plate, and BML, respectively. (Federal International disposed of WWBL in five games.) In game six of its series against Play at the Plate, MLB Pro mounted a dramatic five-run eighth inning rally, highlighted by slugging right-fielder Fred Rogers’ three-run homer with two outs, to win the game, 9-8. ULB was the only division winner eliminated in round one. The next round of semi-final series now has MLB Pro taking on PEBA, with Federal International battling Asahi2. Both series are currently deadlocked at two games apiece, with the pivotal Game 5 to be played today. The winners of those series will meet in the finals. MLB Pro vs. PEBA “It’s time for a change,” said MLB Pro GM Dave Lockar, whose powerhouse club has managed to score only seven runs through the first four games. “We need to shake things up, or else we’ll be heading home in two games. We’ve been brutal at the plate, but I promise a big change, and more runs, next game.” Lockar is counting on a stellar performance from left-handed starter Miguel Venegas (14-2, 2.70 ERA in the regular season) in Game 5. He sparkled in Game 1 of the series, throwing 6.2 innings while striking out nine batters en route to a 2-1 victory. “We’re going to put out the same lineup against left handed pitchers that we have all year,” commented PEBA GM Aric Kinast. “We had a .714 winning percentage against left-handed pitchers and feel like that lineup is the best we have.” He added: “Veneges is going to be very tough no matter what we do but we actually had a lot of scoring opportunities in Game 1. Veneges was dominant and had nine strikeouts but we did have some scoring opportunities. We left 18 men on base and actually stranded a baserunner on 3rd base in the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th innings of that game. We only lost by one run and had a chance to win. That is all we can hope for against the top seed in the playoffs and one of the best pitchers in the league.” PEBA will counter Veneges with right-hander John “Prophet” Ross, who threw 7.2 strong innings in the team’s 6-2 win in Game 2. During the regular season, Ross was 11-5 with a 3.31 ERA. Asahi2 vs. Federal International Meanwhile, Asahi2 will put Ed “Goat” Slaughter on the mound for Game 5 as the team tries to bounce back from a 5-3 loss in Game 4. He last pitched in Game 1′s 5-4 loss to Federal International. Slaughter was 12-7 with a 3.30 ERA during the regular season. “All the season long, Asahi2 has been able to count on two pitchers: ‘Goat’ Slaughter and ‘Grinder’ Yamamoto (25 GS, 11-6, 3.69 ERA),” said team GM Phil Barrett. “At the ages of 36 and 35, respectively, I asked those long-time lockdown bullpen arms to anchor a starting staff that was short on starting pitchers following the GCL draft. Both men have done just that with only two pitches.” Yamamoto was brilliant in the team’s 1-0 win in Game 3, going the distance while allowing just two hits and three walks and striking out four batters. Barrett added: “Asahi2 has a simple philosophy for their converted bullpen arms : ‘Throw strikes and let your defense do the rest.’ The vaunted and stylish Asahi2 defense will take the field behind Slaughter in Game 5 of the Championship Series. Should the contest extend to a Game 7, Yamamoto will take the hill.” He concluded: “The question is, can a team that didn’t draft a single starting pitcher during the first two days of the draft actually make it to the finals?” Federal International GM Caleb Henstein has seen his team run hot and cold this series, scoring five runs in Games 1 and 4 but being shutout in the middle two contests. “I may switch up the lineup a bit based on whose hot and whose cold, but the changes will only be slight, as I feel the cold bats are now behind us,” he said. “I’m expecting my team to come back and put some crooked numbers on the board the next few games to counteract the poor offense in Games 3 and 4.” He added: “I am very happy with how my pitching has performed this series. We’ve been able to keep them in check the entire series, and hopefully that will continue the rest of the way. Can’t wait for tomorrow!”