Bayer 04 Leverkusen - A european baseball Dynasty

[Griever20]

7.8.1961 clnews.com

Meet the Borussia Dortmund pitching staff

The ace


The six pitch guy


The 212 game winner


The iron man

[Griever20]

13.8.1961 clnews.com

He prayed for that one on this Sunday! Jovanovic hurls No-No

[Griever20]

14.8.1961
GM Patrick Kehl

Week 19 Notes(August)

3@ Hamburger SV(49-60), 4vs AS Monaco F.C.(37-70)

We will most likely see the 3-5 starters from Hamburg, with their ace out we should be able to at least take 2/3 from them to get back on track. We need strong outings by our starter to let the pen catch some breath.

Ulrich goes strong in the Hansestadt Hamburg, K's 10 over 8 innings
Bayer 04 – Hamburger SV 4-1 Win
W: Ulrich(14-3) 2.31ERA
SV: Prignano(29) 1.16ERA 51 saves streak
We got the quality start that we needed. Ulrich got us some zeroes on the board, and a core lineup featuring Ioli for Riberio, Padilla for Leo Moreno and Arthurton for Pinto managed to get four on the board to win it. Prignano came in to get the save after throwing 24 pitches over two innings yesterday.
Valentín Moreno 2-4 2DB R
Player of the Game: SP Paul Ulrich(14) 8IP 5H 1ER 1BB 10K 111PI

Rodríguez matches Ulrich for 8 innings, Derr homers in the first and got all three RBI's
Bayer 04 – Hamburger SV 3-2 Win
W: Rodríguez(17-3) 3.15ERA
SV: Eldjárn(3) 2.01ERA
Rodríguez masterful pitched around trouble today. He gave up 11 hits, but 2 big double plays turned by Nannini, Riberio and Derr put out the fire two times, so he only allowed two runs. Offensively it was the Lorenz Derr show tonight, who went 1-2 with a 2-run homer and a sac fly. We only got 5 hits tonight, but they were enough thanks to him. Eldjárn got the save so that Prignano could take the day off.
Sergio Rodríguez 8IP 11H 3ER 1BB 6K 98PI
Player of the Game: SP Olaf Meissen(HSV) 8.1IP 5H 3ER 2BB 3K 108PI

Sweeping fun in the 9th, Heesemans 2-run bomb starts comeback win
Bayer 04 – Hamburger SV 8-5 Win
W: Eldjárn(3-3) 1.99ERA
SV: Prignano(30) 1.13ERA 52 saves streak
We were down 3-5 in the 9th, after Hamburg's manager decided to start their #1 starter Kubweza(70,26y) on four days rest to avoid the sweep. Esparza had a good outing until he gave up a RBI-triple and a RBI-single in the 8th. We got the 'Headhunter' Imre Yurek(74,25y) in the ninth, and rallied against him with doubles by Cerny and Val Moreno, and Heesemans big shot. Prignano came in for the save and we got the sweep.
Zbynek Cerny 3-5 2R RBI 3SB(61)
Player of the Game: SP Seghada Kubweza(HSV) 7IP 4H 3ER 3BB 5K 98PI

Now that we won 3 against Hamburg, we are coming home to face Monaco, the whipping boy in France. They were bad last month, and they are 1-7 this month. Pichon, Valera,Ulrich and Rodríguez are scheduled to pitch in the series, and we hope that Pinto, who is in a terrible 4-25 slump can turn things around against Monaco.

Shuffeling around! New Leverkusen batting order strikes for four against Pograjac
AS Monaco – Bayer 04 1-5 Win
W: Pichon(8-3) 4.29ERA
Prior to the game i sorted Pinto down in the order due to his struggles. He got two his and two runs, as Santos drove him in two times. Pichon was brilliant tonight with only 5 hits and 9K over 7, and van Leeuwen shut the door with two no-hit innings.
Gabriel Pinto 2-3 BB 2R TP
Player of the Game: SP Hervé Pichon(3) 7IP 5H 1ER 1BB 9K 102PI

Monaco can't score more than one again, the Moreno's both homer tonight to cap 17 hit effort
AS Monaco – Bayer 04 1-7 Win
W: Valera(11-4) 4.06ERA
SV: van Leeuwen(2) 2.51ERA
Valera battled through 5.2 innings and left with one earned, and van Leeuwen once again came in to pitch 3.1 brilliant innings of 1 hit ball. Monaco's pitching couldn't get a break today, as we scored in 5 different innings and tagged them for 17 hits.
Player of the Game: DH Valentín Moreno(6) 4-5 1R BB 3RBI HR(25)

From one to none, Ulrich 5-hits Monaco through 8 and Ivanichev finishes the shutout
AS Monaco – Bayer 04 0-4 Win
W: Ulrich(15-3) 2.20ERA
Pinto drove in in Cerny in the first, and Riberio drove in Nannini in the 4th. Another sac fly by Pinto later, we had a 3-0 lead. Val Moreno homered in the 8th and made it a non-save situation, so Prignano sat down and Ivanichev closed the book on Monaco tonight.
Player of the Game: SP Paul Ulrich(15) 8IP 5H 0ER 1BB 7K 95PI

Arthurton's first major league hit is a walkoff homer in a pinch hit appearance!
AS Monaco – Bayer 04 4-5(13) Win
W: Eldjárn(4-3) 1.85ERA
A day Dominic Arthurton won't ever forget. Called up when Torres went down, he only played three games so far and was without a hit in 6 AB's. When Roadley summoned him to pinch hit for Pinto in the 13th, he looked scared a bit, but he saw a hanging 1-2 sinker, and drove it over the left field wall for the win. Earlier to that, Rodríguez yielded 4 runs over 7, but our bats once again rallied of the other teams closer for three runs to tie it at 4. José Santos got himself a 3-run bomb of Fallingborg, and according to rumors he was later invited to dinner by Rodríguez for that one.
Leonardo Moreno 3-6 2R RBI HR(20)
Player of the Game: SP Sébastien Hardy(ASM) 8IP 6H 1ER 3K 100PI

Standings
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: 85-29
Bundesliga: 1st, 20 game lead over Dortmund
This Week: 7-0
This Month: 9-4
Power Ranking: #1

Random Notes:
Atlético Madrid's SP Erasmus Wirtz(49,32y) pitched a 4-hit shutout against Porto.

Lille's SS Dimitrios Habitsov(63,30y) has his 20 game hitting streak snapped by ManU.

Juventus C Hyuk Han(73,28y) named POTW with .579 5HR 10RBI 6R.
Arsenal's C Robbie White(61,27y) named POTW with .550 2HR 4RBI.

[Griever20]

16.8.1961 clnews.com

Spectacular waiver wire trade finished, 213-game winner Ramírez to Barca!



What a trade! While Ramírez is pitching very good again this season, Dortmund seem to be reluctant to keep him, as in 1.8IP his $22.000.000 for next season will be executed. According to my scouts, he hasn't regressed as much as expected for a 36-year old. The return is decent, but i would've rather tried to get a bigger prospect for Ramírez instead adding a mediocre CF

[Griever20]

21.8.1961
GM Patrick Kehl

Week 20 Notes(August)

3vs FC Schalke 04(39-75), 3vs Borussia Dortmund(65-49)

Schalke hasn't finished higher than 3rd since 1956, and is on pace to finish dead last this season. We won't see their highly rated rookie SP Ernesto Sánchez, the third pick of the 1958 draft. Their pitching ranks last in the EL, while especially the upper half of their batting order in Egreja, Hidalgo and Krusse can so serious damage, but they will only get as far as their pitching will carry them.

The Chick beats Leverkusen for just his 6th win, 5 hits and Mendoza's homer were enough
Schalke 04 – Bayer 04 2-1 Loss
L: Esparza(11-5) 6.1IP 6H 2ER 1BB 11K 109PI 3.68ERA
Schalke's Hewitt 'Chick' Sturms(73,30y, 5.94ERA) masterfully pitched around trouble tonight, and only allowed a RBI-single by Heesemans in the third, making it a 1-2 score. Esparza looked strong tonight with 11 strikeouts, but still collected the loss.
Player of the Game: SP Armando Esparza(5) 6.1IP 6H 2ER 1BB 11K 109PI
Our SP prospect Dagobert Lippelt got into the news tonight, whiffing 15 at rookie Potsdam against Viareggio.

Dautzenberg taggs Prigano for the win after 10, Schalke gets series win early
Schalke 04 – Bayer 04 5-4(10) Loss
L: Prignano(5-1) 1.22ERA
Both starters left the game after 6.1 with a game tied at 3. Neither closer was a hero tonight, as Tim Izzard(80,29y) blew the save in the 9th, and Prignano gave up the game winning RBI on a double by pinch hitter Sigifrid Dautzenberg(26,29y).
Valentín Moreno 3-4 2RBI
Player of the Game: SS Raúl Torres(S04) 3-3 BB 2R 2RBI HR(13)

Leverkusen rallies in the ninth to avoid sweep, Ioli gets mobbed once again
Schalke 04 – Bayer 04 5-6 Win
W: Eldjárn(5-3) 1.79ERA
Valera had another bad outing, as he gave up way to many hits to Schalke's bottom of the order. Van Leeuwen end Eldjárn kept it close out of the pen, and a three single + E6 rally in the 9th got us another close win.
Thomas Riberio 3-3 R SB(60)
Dominic Arthurton 3-4 2R
Player of the Game: MR Carl van Leeuwen 2IP 0H 0ER 1BB 4K 18PI

Not our best series. Coming up is Dortmund once again, and we are sheduled to see their ace bin Naif and García again, with their game 3 starter not yet decided.

bin Naif and Carmona complete 3-hit shutout of Bayer 04, while Dortmund only got 2 knocks
Borussia Dortmund – Bayer 04 1-0 Loss
L: Ulrich(15-4) 8IP 2H 1ER 2BB 8K 117PI 2.15ERA
A great pitching duel between Ulrich and bin Naif, that was won by a pair of doubles in the 6th by Dortmund.
Player of the Game: SP Faisal bin Naif(BVB) 8.1IP 2H 0ER 1BB 7K 94PI

Padilla delievers walkoff heroics in the 10th, Carmona's ERA is up to 6.66
Borussia Dortmund – Bayer 04 3-4(10) Win
W: Eldjárn(6-3) 1.71ERA
Rodríguez matched García tonight, and we jumped early on him, getting a 3-0 lead after 4. New "Borusse" CF Michel Nimtz(47,27y), who got the only RBI yesterday started off the 6th with a double in a inning that tied up the game. The BVB pen and Rodríguez and our pen matched zeroes until the 10th, when backup catcher José Padilla skyrocketed a fastball by closer Jorge Carmona into our pen for the win.
Player of the Game: SP Sergio Rodríguez(8) 8IP 8H 3ER 1BB 7K 113PI

Gallardo clinches series win for Dortmund, Esparza cannot hold early 3-0 lead
Borussia Dortmund – Bayer 04 6-3 Loss
L: Esparza(11-6) 3.84ERA
We jumped early on them, getting a 3-0 lead highlighted by a two run homer by Pinto. But we couldn't plate another run, while Dortmund did against Esparza tonight.
Gabriel Pinto 2-4 1R 2RBI HR(30)
Player of the Game: SP Gustavo Gallardo(BVB) 7IP 7H 3ER 1BB 5K 107PI

Standings
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: 87-33
Bundesliga: 1st ,19 game lead over Dortmund
This Week: 2-4
This Month: 11-8
Power Ranking: #1

Random Notes:
AS Roma's 1B Jovan Mitevic(52,27y) has his 23 game hitting streak snapped by Barca.

PSG LF Costantino Beltrametti(71,26y) has hit for the cycle with 3RBI against ManU.

Ajax Amsterdam's 1B Pepe García(32,28y) named POTW with .444 4HR 15RBI.
PSG LF Costantino Beltrametti(71,26y) named POTW with .464 3HR 9RBI

[Griever20]

21.8.1961 clnews.com

Champions League 120-game mark



With Barca and Bilbao still head to head in the League BBVA, and 'Los Blancos' only 1/2 game behind, all experts are expecting a tight race till the finish for the national championship and the wildcarts. Ramírez got his first win yesterday, and former batting champ Obradovic had his best month this season so far, but is still way of from his pre-injury form.
One of the biggest talents in the CL, 2B Sin-young Kim is having a breakout season in Bilbao so far, hitting 363/423/561/985 with 28 stolen bases and 6.0WAR.

The AS Roma is slugging their way to first place in the Serie A, being 2nd in homers in the WL, and 7/9 players in their starting lineup have 14+ homers so far. Their new ace Jimmy Sjo is 14-3 with a 3.56 ERA, and looks like a serious steal considering his $8.000.000/season.
AC and Inter Milan are both 7 behind and will have to look to get a wild card spot stolen from the spanish teams.

With everybody healthy in Istanbul, Galatasaray showed their talent the last two month, going 26-17 and leaving the rest of the internationals in their rear mirror. They could once again be the dark horse in this year's playoffs.

The surprise in england is, that the Gunners are on their way to get the title, and their only challenger is not Man United, but Man City. Arsenal was predicted to have a 78-84 season, but could be underway to win 88 instead. They feature a balanced offence with 3B Theodorich Nadel(64,30y) once again hitting .329, and 5 players with 10+ homers. Their pitching is a concern, with only Fallon Trail(76,27y) having a sub 3 ERA.

Both Leverkusen and Lille are practically a lock for their national titles, and will be fighting for the #1 seed the rest of the way.



Cerny and Ramírez once again battle for the overall batting crown, but should win their leagues if Maskell doesn't get hot even more. Øvretveit hasn't slowed down much compared to the 80 game mark, and it's a shame Lazio Rom isn't in contention with a fine bat like him. Cerny and Riberio are fighting for the stolen base crown in something that could lead to a new stolen base record.
Lille got two players with 100+ RBI going at the moment, and once again could be the favorite going into the postseason.



Beltrametti and Ulrich lock like a lock for the Pitcher of the Year Award, and Beltrametti actually has a chance to win the WL pitching triple crown.

[Griever20]

21.8.1961

GM Patrick Kehl

120-game report Bayer 04 Leverkusen



Starting Rotation
The rookies have come down to earth, and are around 4.x ERA right now. That's what i hoped them to be, and they slotted in nicely for the old rotation we had before. While Rodríguez slowed down a bit since his hot start, Ulrich keeps dominating everybody and it's a good feeling to have him take the ball every five starts.

Bullpen
Is doing good i would say. With Prignano and Eldjárn being their usual self, and Ivanichev pitching stable, the innings 7,8,9 are quite save. van Leeuwen is having a strong season since coming over, and callup Accornero has really found his groove in AAA. Mrdja and Fuentes have lowered their ERA over the last 40 games, but Mun is tearing up hitting in AAA and will join the pen for Mrdja.

Infield & DH
The only position that really bothers me still is first base, as Santos hasn't really hit the cover off the ball. But with a 243/279/493/772 with 7HR 21RBI over 36 games is not shabby, and the power he features is very valuable compared to Mubaadar.

Outfield
With Torres still out for 2-3 weeks, Heesemans is doing ok in right field, as he once again has a .354 OBP and decent slugging if he makes contact. Pinto is having a nice season so far, and is just 3 homers shy of his career high with a lot of ball to play.

Prospects and minor league overview
Sahnine took the demotion to S A Kettershausen well, and responded with 5 HR and a .324 avg over 46 games. Pitching prospect Sgattoni is slowly picking it up, but still as a ugly 5.63ERA afer 12 starts in R Ulm. Zoric is looking like he wants a piece of the AAA rotation or even the major league rotation next season, tho his changeup is still work in progress so far.

MR Ergot Rotholz is 0-2 with a 2.38ERA and 5SV in AAA so far, and Seung-ook Mun is 2-0 with 1.20 ERA and 9 SV, so Mun will return to the show for now.

[Griever20]

28.8.1961
GM Patrick Kehl

Week 21 Notes(August)

3@ FC Schalke 04(43-77), 3@ FC Bayern Munich(65-56), 1vs Manchester City F.C.(65-56)

Another three game set against Schalke.We will see top prospect SP Ernesto Sánchez in game 1, and then once again square up against Sturms and Burman.

Pichon battled control and Schalke but got the win, Sánchez and Ramos couldn't stop the rally
Bayer 04 – Schalke 04 5-4 Win
W: Pichon(9-3) 7.0IP 7H 4R 3ER 6BB 6K 110PI 4.26ERA
SV: Prignano(31) 1.16 ERA 53 saves streak
Pichon really had some problems finding the strikezone early, and that resulted in a 3-0 Schalke lead after two. Sánchez showed, why hes regarded as a top pitching prospect early, pitching 4 no-hit innings against us. His confidence took a hit when Derr went deep off him in the 5th, and he couldn't get out of the 6th. Val Moreno and José Santos got him for RBI-doubles, and pinch hitter Pippo Ioli got the game winning RBI's on a double off reliever Javier Ramos.
Zbynek Cerny 2-4 2R DB
Player of the Game: SP Ernesto Sánchez(S04) 5IP 5H 2ER 1B 5K 82PI

35 hits for the night, Leverkusen wins it on a painful day for pitching and defense
Bayer 04 – Schalke 04 18-11 Win
W: Valera(12-4) 6.7IP 7H 3ER 2BB 9K 105PI
What a game. We got 23 hits tonight and scored in bunches of Schalke's pitching. Would've been a perfect game, if not for Fuentes allowing 3ER over 0.1IP and us allowing a total of 5 unearned runs on errors by Harith and Heesemans.
Leo Moreno 3-5 2R 3RBI DB
José Santos 3-5 3R 5RBI DB HR(13)
Player of the Game: 2B Thomas Riberio(4) 4-5 5R RBI BB DB 2SB(62)

Leverkusen's defense rebounds, Schalke's doesn't. Bayer puts 21 hits on the board
Bayer 04 – Schalke 04 12-1 Win
W: Ulrich(16-4) 6.2IP 3H 1ER 1BB 9K 89PI 2.12ERA
Ulrich and Fuentes pitched a four hit affair against Schalke, and we had no errors tonight. That allowed our bats to win it easily, as we got four-hit games out of both Moreno's.
Val Moreno 4-5 BB 2R 2RBI
Leo Moreno 4-6 2R 3RBI HR(21)
Player of the Game: SP Paul Ulrich(16) 6.2IP 3H 1ER 1BB 9K 89PI

Bayern is tied with ManC for the 2nd wildcard spot right now, and is having kind of a rebound season after finishing 4th in the Bundesliga last year. They won their last series agains Hamburg 3-1, and feature a strong bullpen and a potent middle of the order.

Derr homers in the 8th to break it open, Riberio steals three and scores two
Bayer 04 - FC Bayern 7-4 Win
W: Rodríguez(18-3) 7IP 4H 3ER 2BB 6K 106PI 3.27ERA
We and Bayern traded blows in the early going, and they scored first on a 3-run homer by left fielder Norbert Rothstein(49,26y), but we answered back quickly in the next two innings to make it 4-3. Val Moreno and Riberio had 3-hit days, and Riberio lighted up the basepaths once again.
Lorenz Derr 2-4 R 4RBI HR(24)
Thomas Riberio 3-3 2R 2BB RBI 3SB(66)
Player of the Game: SP Sergio Rodríguez(9) 7IP 4H 3ER 2BB 6K 106PI 3.27ERA

Tellez and Thomsen homer back up Foa for the win
Bayer 04 - FC Bayern 2-3 Loss
L: Esparza(11-7) 7IO 7H 3ER 1BB 9K 110PI 3.84ERA
Esparza pitched fine, and only gave up two mistakes that unfortunatly left the yard. We manufactured two runs on great baserunning and timely hitting, but Bayern's Foa(62,29y) was sharp enough to not allow more.
Player of the Game: SP Federico Foa(FCB) 6.1IP 7H 2ER 11K 107PI

The Oil Can didn't leak tonight, pitched around trouble to beat Bayer 5-2
Bayer 04 - FC Bayern 2-5 Loss
L: Pichon(9-4) 6.1IP 6H 4ER 5BB 6K 96PI 4.34ERA
While Bayern once again hurt us with the long ball, and Pichon hurt himself with 5 walks, our bats weren't able to cash in with runners in scoring position. We cashed in for 13 base hits, but only one double. Riberio stole two and Heesemans one, but we need our power bats to come to the game to win.
Thomas Riberio 3-4 R DB 2SB(69)
Player of the Game: SP Walter Pfaff(FCB) 8IP 11H 2ER 1B 6K 113PI

We get a visit from another contending team in ManC for a four game set. In game one wee will see our old friend Mario Stadlober starting against us, and i hope we knock him around for good. They normally aren't that much of an offensive threat, and life from their pitching, so we will see if we can get hot against them.

ManC wins in Stadlober's return to Bay-Arena, only Val Moreno showed up for Bayer tonight
Manchester City – Bayer 04 5-3(11) Loss
L: Ivanichev(5-2) 4.19ERA
A close game that saw Stadlober only give up a solo-shot to Val Moreno, and the ManC pen give up another 2-run homer to him. That was enough to tie the game at three until the 11th, when Ivanichev was left in too long in relief and gave up three consecutive singles that cost us the game.
Player of the Game: DH Valentín Moreno(7) 3-4 BB 2R 3RBI 2HR(28)

Standings
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: 91-36
Bundesliga: 1st, 18 game lead over Dortmund
This Week: 4-3
This Month: 15-11
Power Ranking: #1

Random Notes:
Olympique Lyon's C German Charykov(63,29y) has his 20-game hitting streak snapped by Dortmund.
AS Roma's 2B Shaun Fewings(43,29y) has his 23-game hitting streak snapped by Galatasaray.

Two time championship winning manager Riley Hickman was fired in Monaco with a 39-82 record this season. He won it all two times as Valencia C.F. manager in 1954 and 1955, but couldn't find his magic in Monaco the last four years.

Barcelona loses LF Nebosja Obradovic(70,29) for the season with a broken kneecap. He collided with Atletico Madrid second baseman Hartmann Grunwald on a force play at second. Grunwald is listed day-to-day, but Obradovic, who only played 52 games so far, will have to look for the 1962 season.

Inter Milan C Axel Christ(77,27y) will miss 5 weeks with a hamstring strain. Inter is 4 games behind a wildcard birth right now, and only 4th in the Serie A.

Feyenoord's LF Enok Any(79,21y) named POTW with .522 1HR 9RBI.
Bayer 04's 1B/DH Valentín Moreno(77,26y) named POTW with .469 2HR 7RBI.

[Griever20]

30.8.1961 clnews.com

Nannini out for the season, Cruz called up again!



I decided to call up Cruz once again. He still is quite bad offensively, but can play defense. Harith will play at short for now, and i hope he can get hot.

[Griever20]

1.9.1961 clnews.com

August 1961 Roundup



Hottest Month:
Real Madrid C.F. .720 18-7
Real is now one game behind Barcelona in the League BBVA. Niklas Håpnes(77,26y) had an incredible August, hitting .417 wuth 5 home runs and 25 runs scored. SP Eloi Jeszenak(66,31y) let the league feel his veteran presence, and was 3-2 with a 2.75ERA last month.

Coldest Month:
Zenit St. Petersburg 7-21 .250
With their ace Guy David(74,31y) on the DL, their starting is brutally bad. They have a staff 6.38ERA this season, and a 5.15 bullpen ERA. Their offense is in the middle of the pack in the Western League, but without solid pitching they won't have a chance the next years.

Pennant race update:

[Griever20]

4.9.1961
GM Patrick Kehl

Week 22 Notes(August)

3vs Manchester City F.C.(68-59), 3vs Hamburger SV(58-70)

Ulrich's magic wasn't there today, Bayer's losing streak is at 4!
Manchester City – Bayer 04 5-4 Loss
L: Ulrich(16-5) 4.7IP 7H 5ER 1BB 6K 80PI 2.31ERA
We simply are having a bad stretch, as i hoped that Ulrich can put a stop on ManC today. Instead, he got slapped around and got taken out after a 2-run homer by Ivano Pinchuk(71,29y). Van Leeuwen and Mun pitched 4.2 scoreless bullpen innings so keep us in the game, and Cerny and Riberio both went 3-4 today, but were only driven in 2 times by Val Moreno.
Zbynek Cerny 3-4 2R 2SB(66)
Player of the Game: LF Micah Burt(MANC) 3-5 1R 2RBI

Flip the switch, the power is back! Bayer sluggs four homers to carry Rodríguez to the W
Manchester City – Bayer 04 5-9 Win
W: Rodríguez(19-3) 6IP 7H 5R 4ER 1BB 9K 3.36ERA
SV: Ivanichev(4) 3IP 2H 0ER 1K 3.97ERA
ManC's Ehrnsperger said that he loves to pitch back home in Germany. He surely didn't enjoy it today, has he left in the third in a 6-4 game, after two 2-run homers by Santos and Cerny, and a big RBI-triple by Nannini. Rodríguez looked like he wasn't awake the first four innings, but he and Ivanichev kept them down enough to snap the streak.
Zbynek Cerny 2-5 2R 2RBI HR(10) SB(67)
Player of the Game: MR Feliks Ivanichev(1) 3IP 2H 0ER 1K

Bayer wins the game, but loses Nannini for the season. The Moreno's belt three
Manchester City – Bayer 04 1-11 Win
W: Esparza(12-7) 7.2IP 4H 1ER 1BB 7K 97PI 3.72ERA
Val and Leo Moreno were logged in, and combined for 4 RBI and 3HR tonight. Logged in aswell was Armando Esparza, as he shut ManC down at four hits and one run. Nannini going down on a hit by pitch really got things boiling, but instead retaliating by throwing at them, we scored runs in bunches. Nannini's replacement Luqman Harith got the spot-start in right field tonight and went 2-3 with 2RBI and a stolen base.
Zbynek Cerny 3-4 R RBI
Leo Moreno 2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR(23)
Player of the Game: SP Armando Esparza(6) 7.2IP 4H 1ER 1BB 7K 97PI

So, Hamburg is visiting us for three games. We will see the middle part of their rotation, but not their ace in Kubweza. They seriously lack home run power, but can hit for average and steal a base. Our former outfielder Jung-heum Kim will play left field for them this series. He is hitting .370 since getting traded by Atlético to them at the end of July.

Pichon finds his control today, dominated Hamburg through 7. Cerny collects 4 knocks.
Hamburger SV – Bayer 04 1-9 Win
W: Pichon(10-4) 7.1IP 6H 1ER 3BB 8K 111PI 4.15ERA
Finally a great start by Pichon again, and a great day by our bats once again. Cerny looked scary once again, and upped his average to .395! Val Moreno hit #30 today, and Pinto collected 4 hits himself. Harith was 2-4 with 2RBI, a run and a stolen base.
Gabriel Pinto 4-5 R RBI
Val Moreno 2-4 R 2RBI HR(30)
Player of the Game: LF Zbynek Cerny(8) 4-5 2R 3RBI DB 2SB(69)

"Die Hanseaten" rally against Leverkusen's pen, but fall short one run
Hamburger SV – Bayer 04 7-8 Win
W: van Leeuwen(2-2) 2.28ERA
SV: Prignano(32) 1.43ERA 54 saves streak
Valera left after 7.1 with a 6-4 lead over Hamburg's Valdemar Zabel(45,29y). Then our pen nearly blew it away once again. Ivanichev and Mun allowed two in the 7th, and Prignano another run while trying to get the save. He could try that because we scored two runs in the bottom 8th of Scripps on a bases loaded wild pitch and a bases loaded walk.
Luqman Harith 2-3 R 2RBI SB(14)
Thomas Riberio 2-3 2R RBI BB
Player of the Game: SP Bartolo Valera(9) 7.1IP 8H 4ER 0BB 8K 105PI

September Callups Bayer 04 Leverkusen:
MR Ergot Rotholz 0-2 2.17ERA 9SV at AAA Düren
MR Gavrilo Mrdja 2-0 2.57ERA at AAA Düren
I want another look at them to have a clue who to carry as a middle reliever in the playoffs.

Emerson delivers game winning double in the 15th, Bayer wastes 9 inning bullpen effort
Hamburger SV – Bayer 04 5-4(15) Loss
L: Eldjárn(6-4) 1.64ERA
Hamburg wore out Ulrich after 5.2 innings, and we went to the pen trailing 2-3. Derr scored on a balk in the 7th to tie it, and there the game stayed until the 15th. Eldjárn walked Brierley and Emerson drove him in later and scored himself to make it 5-3 Hamburg. Cerny homered in the bottom 15th, and the tieing & go ahead runs were on second and first with one out after a Riberio double and Pinto's walk. But Arthurton struck out, and Leo Moreno was the final out on a first pitch flyout.
Player of the Game: SP Ki-hyeuon Yi(HSV) 8IP 6H 3R 2ER 2BB 8K 114PI

Pedro Torres comes off the DL will play right field again. Dominic Arthurton was sent down to AAA.

Standings
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: 95-38
Bundesliga: 1st, 19 game lead
This Week: 4-2
This Month: 1-1
Power Ranking: #1

Random Notes:
Real Madrid's RF Niklas Håpnes(77,26y) named POTW with .654 1HR 7RBI.
Bayer 04's LF Zbynek Cerny(74,25y) named POTW with .552 2HR 8RBI.