C's and Hops Announce Pitching Rotations
(Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, B.C.) - Vancouver Canadians manager John Schneider and Hillsboro Hops manager J.R. House announced the projected pitching rotations for the upcoming Northwest League Championship Series set to get underway on Saturday, September 6th at 7:05pm in Vancouver.
Game One - Saturday, September 6th, 2014
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
RHP Chase Mallard (4-3, 2.75) vs. RHP Ben Eckels (3-1, 2.66)
The Canadians chose RHP Chase Mallard to pitch at Nat Bailey Stadium because he has owned the hallowed grounds at 33rd and Ontario Street all season long. Is ERA is 0.53 in 17 innings north of the border with 17 strikeouts and just three walks to register a 1-0 record in four starts.
In his past two outings, Mallard has gone 11 2/3 innings of work allowing eight hits and just one earned run with 13 strikeouts against just four walks.
Right-handers are managing to hit a paltry .193 (22-for-114) against Mallard with 32 strikeouts.
In his only outing against Hillsboro (July 24), Mallard went three scoreless innings allowing just two hits while striking out a pair in a 5-2 victory over the Hops out at Nat Bailey Stadium.
Hillsboro counters in Game One with RHP Ben Eckels who managed an early season victory over Vancouver back on June 23rd out at Ron Tonkin Field. In that 4-0 shutout victory, Eckels was dominant going 6 2/3 innings allowing just three hits while striking out eight.
Away from Hillsboro, Eckels is 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA suffering his only loss of the season in Boise (July 9).
In his last four outings heading into this Game One start, the right-hander has gone 15 scoreless innings allowing nine hits while striking out 22 against just three walks.
Game Two - Sunday, September 7th, 2014
Hillsboro, Oregon
LHP Matt Smoral (2-0, 2.70) vs. RHP Felipe Perez (3-0, 2.14)
Game Two will pit a pair of undefeated pitchers with Matt Smoral meeting Felipe Perez in what will be a potential clincher for either the Canadians or the Hops.
Smoral, 20, has all the ability in the world to provide a knockout punch, if he can harness his ability.
In his past two outings, the 6'8" left-hander has given up just three earned runs over 10 1/3 innings of work, but doesn't help himself out with a 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (9/9) over his past two efforts.
Smoral has only pitched away from Nat Bailey Stadium once this summer (Aug 26) and fared well as his Canadians defense played well on the turf of PK Park in Eugene, OR on a surface very similar to the one offered out at Ron Tonkin Field. He buries hitters into the ground with his height and pitching trajectory, so the even surface awaiting Smoral in Hillsboro should benefit the burly lefty.
The Hops counter with Anaheim, California native Felipe Perez who in just four outings has already amassed an impressive 3-0 record. Wins in Salem-Keizer and Eugene combined with a victory at home over Spokane have many buzzing about the 20-year old out of Fairmont Prep Academy who is in his second professional season after going 7-5 with a 4.55 ERA in 2013 with Missoula of the Pioneer League.
Not an overpowering strike out pitcher, Perez is known as an arm that induces ground balls and with the sure-handed Hops defense behind him that could make for some quick innings.
Game Three - Monday, September 8th, 2014
Hillsboro, Oregon
LHP Ryan Borucki (1-1, 1.90) vs. RHP Marcus Solbach (2-1, 2.57)
It may be a match-up that never comes to fruition, but if it does, then fans of both the Canadians and Hops should like their chances respectively.
LHP Ryan Borucki has dazzled for Vancouver since his arrival on August 2nd as the Mundelein, IL native keeping Northwest League hitters to a .159 batting average over his five regular season starts with 22 strikeouts and just three walks.
Borucki has pitched on the road twice this season and gone 1-0 allowing just four hits over 10 2/3 innings of work with 10 strikeouts and one free pass.
His bulldog mentality was evident in Game One of the North Division Final when he went seven scoreless innings vs. Spokane avoiding early trouble with the help of some stellar defense.
Of all the cards in Canadians manager John Schneider's deck, Borucki is the ace.
Three of Marcus Solbach's four outings in the Northwest League have been at home for Hillsboro as the right-hander from Germany just doesn't offer up many walks with just one in 21 innings. Opposing hitters have struggled against Solbach managing a stubborn .203 batting average while hitters leading off an inning are 1-for-20 with six strikeouts. The lone hit? A solo home run.
Get to Solbach early in the game as the right-hander has not allowed a run this season after the third inning going 12 scoreless frames, striking out 11 and walking not a soul.
Solbach has pitched at three levels this season if you include Hillsboro. With Missoula (Pioneer League), he went 2-2 with a 5.33 ERA before finding his way to South Bend (Midwest League) where the numbers got a little better (2-3, 3.96) in 28 1/3 innings.