2002 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #26

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
DELGADO,Carlos	CHI AL	.333	.750	6	24	8	2	1	2	5	12	6	2	0	0	0	1

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
BUEHRLE,Mark	HOU AL	1	1	0	0	0.00	9	0	0	2	5	1	0	0	0	0	0

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
ANDERSON,Garret	MGH NL	.346	.923	6	26	9	6	0	3	6	10	4	0	0	0	0	0

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
PEREZ,Odalis	HLW NL	2	2	0	0	0.60	15	1	1	9	13	3	0	0	0	0	0

Fort Worth Panthers @ Castle Rock Hounds
Series Preview:	It’s a battle between the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the AL West, but two teams that are going in different directions as the season winds down. Castle Rock is looking to stay tight with California while Fort Worth is looking forward to 2003.
Game #1:	It’s a fairly close game until Bonds breaks it open with a bases loaded triple in the bottom of the 8th to give Castle Rock a 7-2 lead. The Hounds bullpen is strong, going 3.2 and allowing just a solo HR from Edgar Martinez. Castle Rock gets the 7-3 win in the series opener. WP: Carpenter (5-0) LP: Lopez (7-13) S: Fossum (1)
Game #2:	Castle Rock decides to give the bench players some run in this one as we saw some fatigue creeping in for some regulars, and the subs did not disappoint. Adam Hyzdu delivers 2 homers, while Bobby Estalella and Dave Hansen hit one each. Fort Worth makes it very interesting in the 9th, as they get the tying run to 2nd base with just one out. But, pinch runner Homer Bush is picked off of 2nd and Sasaki gets Shea Hillenbrand to strike out to end the game. The final is 9-8, Castle Rock. WP: Lohse (11-8) LP: Ritchie (3-10) S: Sasaki (23)
Game #3:	Castle Rock gets a 5-run 2nd inning and cruises to a 7-3 victory. Jermaine Dye goes 3-3 with two doubles in the win and the Hounds have a 3-0 series lead. Joel Pineiro gets his 19th win on the season. WP: Pineiro (19-8) LP: Redman (4-11)
Game #4:	Castle Rock puts up three runs in the bottom of the 1st, but Fort Worth gets back to back to back homers from Hillenbrand, Aurilia and Martinez in the top of the 2nd to tie it at 3-3. McGriff and Hillenbrand continue the solo homer barrage with two more in the top of the 3rd. Fort Worth has five runs on five solo homers. It is 5-3 until Wilkerson delivers a clutch, two-out 3-run homer in the bottom of the 6th to give the Hounds a 6-5 lead. And, that is how the game would end, as the Castle Rock bullpen throws 3 innings of shutout baseball. WP: Rogers (18-7) LP: Brown (7-13) S: Benitez (29)
Game #5:	Fort Worth has the clear starting pitching advantage in this first game of a doubleheader as Nomo (14) takes the mound vs. Doug Davis (5). But, anything can happen with this Hounds offense. It is tied at 2-2 going into the bottom of the 5th, when Mike Sweeney takes a hanging curveball deep for a 3-run homer to give Castle Rock the 5-2 lead. The Panthers would get one more run across the plate, but that’s all they could muster. The Hounds bullpen is excellent again, going the final 1.2 IP without allowing a hit. The final is 5-3, Castle Rock as they take a 5-0 series lead. WP: Davis (10-7) LP: Nomo (14-9) S: Benitez (30)
Game #6:	Casey Fossum gets the spot start instead of Carpenter for Castle Rock as they look to close out the series strong. The Hounds jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first with a Bonds homer off of Lima. But, Fort Worth will not go quietly, as Edgar Martinez gives them a 4-3 lead with a home run of his own in the 3rd. McGriff extends it to 6-3 and things are looking good for Fort Worth. Meanwhile, the Hounds can’t figure out Jose Lima after the first inning, as they can’t score another run until Mike Sweeney ties it up with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th, after Bonds was knocked out of the game with a HBP before him. In the bottom of the 8th, Castle Rock gets the go-ahead run to 3rd with one out, but pinch-runner Deshields is caught in a rundown between 3rd and home and Fort Worth keeps it at 6-6 going into the 9th. Armando Benitez walks the bases loaded in the top of the 9th and Fort Worth plates one on an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the 9th, Wilkerson walks but gets picked off at 1st. Borowski does the rest and the Panthers salvage Game 6 with a 7-6 victory to avoid the sweep. WP: Y. Perez (2-0) LP: Benitez (7-4) S: Borowski (14)
Series Summary:	Castle Rock takes 5 out of 6 from the visiting Panthers, and had a chance for the clean sweep, but couldn’t get it done.

Chicago Demolition @ Harper Woods Expos
Series Summary:	Chicago is hanging in there taking a crucial series 4-2.

Flora-Bama Mullets @ Manhattan Gas Hornets
Series Preview:	3 games separate these two with the Gas Hornets on top (for now). 11 straight games to play, 6 here, 5 at the Mullets home. Then Manhattan goes to Baltimore for the final 6. So we get 11 games on the road to finish the season. And they are all tough!
Game #1:	Opening game pits Curt Schillng (20-11) vs. Tim Wakefield (19-3). Well today is was Tim day at the ballpark and he responded with a 3 hitter for 7 innings. He leaves with the score 4-0 in his favor including a solo Garrett Anderson homer (35) – he’s creeping up the all-time single season rbi leader board, but still a long way to the top. But …. FINAL SCORE MGH 4 FNA 0 as Nunez and Kim keep the shutout intact.
Game #2:	Beckett and Halama square off and neither gets 5 ip (4.1 for Beckett, 4.2 for Halama). Mullets move out to a 4-0 lead after 3 with a 3 run 2nd and then single run in the 4th. Flora-Bama does their damage with singles and doubles. Gas Hornets however do their own singles and doubles thing, but rely on WALKS as well to tie up the score with 2 in the 4th and 5th! Beckett walked 4 and then Chris Hammond comes in to quiet things, but he goes wild walking 3, plus 1 hit in his 2.1 innings and he gives up a run on his own in the 7th and Manhattan grabs the 5-4 lead! Things looked good for Manhattan until Gordon walks leadoff batter David Bell in the 8th. Mark Guthrie to the rescue. Mark Grace reaches on FC – Mike Benjamin in to PR. Wilson singles, Benjamin to 2nd. Calvin Murray in to PR for Wilson. Vizquel flies out, 2 down. Kennedy grounds one into the hole at short, Jeter can’t get to it. Benjamin scores, Murray holds at 2nd, tie game! Then Berkman goes vegetable with a pea down the RF line that scores 2 as he ends up on 2nd with a 2 run double. Mullets have a 7-5 lead! Polite (in for Hammond in the 7th) pitches the 8th for the win (6-1), Stewart does the 9th – 1 hit, nothing else, for the save (11). FINAL FNA 7 MGH 5 series at 1-1
Game #3:	You win some, you lose some, reset! Mullets grab the early 1-0 lead in the 2nd on a Vizquel FC. But in the bottom half a 2 out Singleton double plates 2 to give Manhattan the 2-1 lead. In the 4th they expand that lead to 4-1 when Blum hits a 2 run homer (11). Mullets however, work their way back with Greer rbi single in the 5th and a Mo Vaughn homer (24) in the 6th. But that was it as Nunez and Kim (S – 34) close the door. Garrett Anderson adds an insurance homer (36) in the 8th! Morris hung in long enough for the win (13-7) FINAL MGH 5 FNA 3
Game #4:	Well, can the drama keep on coming? 1st inning, Tori Hunter singles with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 run scores. Mo Vaughn then hits a SF and it’s 2 zip Flora-Bama. Bottom half, Ray Durham saves hello to Brian Lawrence when he leads off with his 17th homer of the season. But then Lawrence settles in and blanks the Gas Hornets for 6 innings! Tori Hunter meanwhile, does more, like hitting a 2 run homer (33) in the 3rd and it’s 4-1 Mullets. Meadows (in his final start of the season) finally settles down and pitches 8. It’s 4-1 as we go to the 9th – Tom Gordon keeps it that way into the bottom half. Scott Stewart, in since the 7th, starts the 9th walking Jason Kendall. Garrett Anderson up, ding-dong (37) and it’s suddenly 4-3 Mullets. Blaine Neal gets the call. He gets the 1st batter, but Tino Martinez singles. Blum then reaches on a FC and there are 2 outs. Josh Phelps – the whiff, the game, the save! Mullets prevail and the series is 2-2. FINAL FNA 4 MGH 3 WP Lawrence (18-3) S Neal (3) INJURY in this game was to C Vance Wilson – he’s in the lineup this week to keep Manhattan runners from running. But he will miss 15 days and that means games 5 and 6 of this series!
Game #5:	Double header day – and for game 1 the Mullets have just 1 pitcher (not counting Mark Grace 1) eligible to pitch for this game. (Lots of glue on the bench – no one even went to the bullpen….). It’s Eric Junge and/or bust! Well, he is a 14 starter. Bottom of the 1st, Durham leads off with a single, steals 2nd, with 1 out moves to 3rd on a WP and then scores on a Kendall groundout to short. BUT – with Brian Anderson on the mound for Manhattan, the Mullets have plenty of chance for scoring. In the 2nd, they start with Tori Hunter leads off with a single, Randall Simon then walks. So does Mo Vaugh! Yikes Vizquel up, ball one. Then he grounds, right Jeter, but the only play is at 2nd, and a run scores. Runners on the corners and David Bell singles scoring a 2nd run. Bell ends up on 2nd taking the extra base on the play at the 3rd. Gil then whiffs, but Kingsale walks to load up the bases again. But somehow Anderson gets Kennedy to ground into the inning ending FC. But Mullets flip the score and lead 2-1.Moving to the bottom of the 3rd – Kendall doubles in 1 to tie the game. Garrett Anderson doubles in another (he has 3 doubles in this game) and then Phelps singles him home and it’s 4-2 after 3. Manhattan doubles their score to 8-2 with 4 runs in the 4th! Jeter singles in one and then Anderson doubles in 3 to run his rbi total to 154!8-2 sounds good! Especially with the opposition pitcher dropping grade points! But we still had Brian Anderson pitching. Top of the 5th Grace leads off with a single. Berkman follows with a single. Exit Brian Anderson and Mike Williams comes in. He gets Tori Hunter to pop out. Randall Simon then grounds to 3rd and he fires it right past Tino at 1st and a run scores. Mo Vaughn says adios to the baseball as he launches a big 3 run homer (25) and suddenly the 8-2 scores is 8-6!But Gas Hornets fans, have no fear, your bats are still here (and no relief is in site!). Bottom of the 5th, runners on the corners and Tino Martinez hits one over Hunters head for an rbi double, 9-6! Then in the 6th, Josh Phelps clubs a 2 run homer (19) and the lead is 5 at 11-6. Mercifully for the scorekeeper that ended the scoring and Williams picked up the win (6-1). But Nunez made it a bit nerve racking inthe 9th giving up a couple of hits with 1 out … FINAL MGH 11 FNA 6*
Game #6:	Curt Schilling vs. Rick Reed for the finale, Gas Hornets with the 3-2 lead. Omar Vizquel knocks a 1 out solo homer (12) in the top of the 1st for a quick Mullet 1-0 lead. Chris Singleton ties it up in the 3rd with a SF. Other than that, Schilling and Reed match goose eggs through 8, well almost 8, Chris Hammond was called on to get the last out in the 8th (and he did). Top of the 9th, top of the Mullets order up. Kennedy retired, as is Vizquel. Berkman draws a 2 out walk. And then Tori Stinkin’ Hunter steps up to the plate and takes a Rick Reed pitch way over the wall (34) WHAT!!! NO!!!!! Mullets grab a 3-1 lead. Hammond still on the mound for the bad guys – and he sets down the Gas Hornets in order and wins the game (11-4). It was a great game from a pitching standpoint and a heart-breaker! But it is what it is. FINAL FNA 3 MGH 1
Series Summary:	Series ends up a 3-3 split – which is actually better than we expected, but we would have really liked a 4-2 outcome. We have 11 on the road (5 against the Mullets and 6 at Baltimore) to end the season. And we are down to some Grade 4s for the last 2 series. We are better than we expected, but the next 2 weeks will be tough (very tough). There is a lot at stake for both Flora-Bama and Manhattan – division, wild-card, home field advantages. Should be an interesting finish.

Hollywood Vampires @ Long Beach Titans
Series Summary:	Hollywood takes 4 of 6 from Long Beach.

Iowa Giants @ Corktown Bootleggers
Series Summary:	Corktown wins the series by taking all 6 games. They are doing everything possible to scratch their way back into the postseason. The bootleggers await the results from the divisions top 2 teams.

Hampton Huskies @ Baltimore Blue Crabs
Series Preview:	The Hampton Huskies (43-102), sitting in 4th place in the N.L. East, visit 3rd place Baltimore (82-63)
Series Summary:	Hampton enters the series on an 11-game losing streak. That slide would extend to 16 games before the Huskies prevail in game 2 of the series ending double header. Baltimore takes the series 5-1

Valdosta Bombers @ Michigan Marauders
Series Preview:	First place Valdosta comes to Michigan. This is Michigan’s last home series for the season.
Game #1:	Valdosta 11 Michigan 5 Jeff D’Amico throws a complete game. Wells and Flaherty each had 4 hits. Flaherty had 3 RBI.
Game #2:	Valdosta 7 Michigan 2 Steve Finley and Mark Grudzielnek each had 3 hits. Appier with his 8th win and a complete game.
Game #3:	Valdosta 13 Michigan 3 Yoshii tosses a complete game. The Bombers had 4 homers. Abreu, Chavez, Sexson, and LaRue each hit one.
Game #4:	Valdosta 8 Michigan 0 This time – Jamie Moyer pitches a complete game. He gets the shutout. Moyer has 19 wins. He gives up 3 hits. Balanced hitting attack for Valdosta.
Game #5:	Michigan 9 Valdosta 5 Michigan breaks their losing streak. Patterson goes 5 for 5. Palmeiro with 3 RBI. Orlando Hernandez with his 9th win.
Game #6:	Valdosta 10 Michigan 7 Manny Ramirez with 2 homers and 5 RBI. Steve Finley with a homer and 3 RBI.
Series Summary:	Valdosta wins 5 of 6 from Michigan.

Dondero Oaks @ California Quakes
Series Summary:	California takes 5 of 6 from Dondero.

DeWitt Tigers @ Houghton Penguins
Series Summary:	Houghton takes 4 of 6 from Dewitt.

Monroeville Maulers @ Southlake Stealers
Series Preview:	As Kenny Rogers sang once, “On a train bound for nowhere” we see two teams bound for nowhere. Monroeville and Southlake simply playing for lottery balls.
Series Summary:	Southlake takes 4 of 6. Jason Schmidt throws a gem in game 6 in an attempt to earn pitcher of the week honors.

Winnipeg Goldeyes @ Blarney Drive Bandits
Series Summary:	Blarney sweeps the 6 game set.

Danbury Mad Hatters @ Gladstone Gladiators
Series Preview:	In the dismal NL Central Division, last place Danbury visits 2nd place Gladstone, hoping to play spoiler to the Gladiators’ dim playoff hopes.
Game #1:	The Mad Hatters take the lead in the 2nd and never look back. FINAL SCORE: DMH 4 – GLA 1
Game #2:	Danbury again frustrates the Gladiators, letting them get an early 2-0 lead, then tying it in the top of the 7th, falling behind 3-2 in the bottom, then exploding for 3 runs in the 8th. FINAL SCORE: DMH 5 – GLA 3
Game #3:	Gladstone’s offense finally wakes up and buries the Mad Hatters. FINAL SCORE: GLA 9 – DMH 3
Game #4:	Not content with their Game #3 outburst, the Gladiators put on an offensive fireworks display and beat the Hatters’ pitching staff senseless. FINAL SCORE: GLA 19 – DMH 3
Game #5:	The first game of the doubleheader was a seesaw battle, in doubt until the 9th. Danbury notched 3 in the top of the inning, to take a 7-6 lead. However, Gladstone was up to the challenge and scored a pair to win it in the bottom. FINAL SCORE: GLA 8 – DMH 7
Game #6:	Gladstone had hopes of sweeping the doubleheader and coming away with a series win, having come from a 2 game to 0 deficit to lead the series 3 games to 2. But Danbury had other ideas and silenced the Gladiators’ bats to split the series. FINAL SCORE: DMH 3 – GLA 1
Series Summary:	In the end, the prodigious Gladiators’ offensive output was distributed unevenly, leading to a 3-3 split of the 6 game series, despite outscoring Danbury 41-25 overall. Gladstone can only hope that Valdosta fell even flatter in their divisional matchup.