2009 PLAYOFF PREVIEW
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Lynchburg Hillcats won more games than any other team in Minor League Baseball during the season's first half (45), as they raced away with the CL North first-half crown. In the campaign's second half it was Wilmington who became the dominant club, as the Rocks captured 46 wins on their way to a second-half title. This is the second season the Carolina League has employed a best-of-five format in the opening round. Previously, the respective divisional series were best-of-three ventures. The Mills Cup Championship Series is also a best-of-five format, but while the divisional round sports a 2-2-1 format, the finals work in 2-3 fashion with home field alternating between divisions on an annual basis. This year, the South will have home-field advantage. The Carolina League has also announced that the suspended-game rule will not be in effect during the postseason. Any game that is rained out before it becomes official will be replayed from its beginning the next day.
Series Schedule:
Game One: Wednesday, September 9 at Lynchburg City Stadium, 7:05 p.m.
Game Two: Thursday, September 10 at Lynchburg City Stadium, 7:05 p.m.
Game Three: Friday, September 11 at Frawley Stadium, 7:05 p.m.
Game Four: (if necessary): Saturday, September 12 at Frawley Stadium, 6:05 p.m.
Game Five: (if necessary): Sunday, September 13 at Lynchburg City Stadium, 6:05 p.m.
Series Rotation:
Here are the starting pitching matchups for the series (Wilmington's starter is listed first):
Game One: RHP Eduardo Paulino (10-6, 3.63) vs. LHP Justin Wilson (6-8, 4.50)
Game Two: LHP Danny Duffy (9-3, 2.98) vs. LHP Rudy Owens (1-1, 3.86)
Game Three: LHP Michael Montgomery (4-1, 2.25) vs. LHP Jeff Locke (5-8, 4.59)
Game Four: (if necessary): RHP Alex Caldera (5-10, 4.77) vs. TBA
Game Five: (if necessary): TBA vs. TBA
WILMINGTON'S PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Blue Rocks are four-time Carolina League champions and have punched a postseason ticket in all but three seasons of operation dating back to 1993. The Rocks were last crowned champions in 1999 when they shared the title with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans after Hurricane Floyd forced the cancellation of a decisive Game Five. This decade, the Blue Rocks have twice been to the Mills Cups finals, but have twice been denied a title. In 2001, Salem defeated the Rocks in five games and, in 2004, Wilmington squandered a 2-0 series lead and fell to the Kinston Indians in five games. The Blue Rocks won their first CL title in just their second year of existence (1994) when manager Mike Jirschele's bunch won a franchise-best 94 games and swept Winston-Salem in three games. In 1996, John Mizerock guided the Blue Crew to a championship, as the Rocks beat the K-Tribe in four games. Wilmington garnered its third crown in 1998, as series MVP Paul Phillips led the Blue Rocks to a four-game triumph over Winston-Salem. Recently it has been more of a struggle however. Wilmington has lost seven consecutive postseason games dating back to 2006, and 10 of its last 11 since 2004. During that stretch, the Rocks have dropped four one-run decisions, and have failed to score more than two runs on nine occasions. In its three-game sweep at the hands of Potomac last year, Wilmington went 11-for-83 (.133) at the plate during 25 innings over the first two games. Then in Game Three, the Blue Crew stranded 12 men on base in a tantalizing 1-0 setback at Frawley Stadium.
MEET THE BLUE CREW: The Wilmington Blue Rocks finished the 2009 campaign with the best record in the Carolina League at 84-55. They ended the second half in a virtual tie for second place with the Potomac Nationals, and then controlled the second half, winning 46 games, and finishing four games clear of the P-Nats. Much of Wilmington's success can be attributed to its spectacular pitching staff. The Rocks led the CL with a team ERA of 3.10, which was almost seven-tenths of a run lower than second-place Potomac. Wilmington starters Eduardo Paulino and Danny Duffy each finished in the top 10 in ERA and the top five in wins. Paulino led the squad in victories with 10, and finished the season red-hot. The right-hander went 8-0 with a 2.17 earned run average over his final nine starts. Duffy ended the year with one less win at nine, but the southpaw also was third in the league with 125 strikeouts. Michael Montgomery and Alex Caldera round out the rotation. Montgomery joined the team in late-July, and went 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in nine starts. He claimed the circuit's final Pitcher of the Week award on Tuesday. Caldera was the team's Opening Day starter and although he struggled through a tough campaign, the right-hander was excellent against Lynchburg. Caldera managed a 2-1 mark with a 2.91 ERA against the Hillkitties. In his last start against Lynchburg, at City Stadium, Caldera took a no-hitter into the seventh. The bullpen was anchored by left-hander Brandon Sisk, who led all Wilmington relievers with 78 strikeouts (11.5/9.0 IP), and finished second in the Carolina league with 21 saves. At the plate, Wilmington featured a balanced lineup that used its speed as an advantage, but also boasted a little power. Post-season Carolina League All-Star Derrick Robinson broke the Blue Rocks record for stolen bases in a season for the second consecutive year with his 69 swipes in 2009. But the switch-hitter also found a power surge in the season's final month. After failing to hit a home run in his first 895 at-bats as a Blue Rock, Robinson hit five in August alone. His power total still paled in comparison to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who became the first Blue Rock to hit 16 home runs in a season since 1999. While Moustakas topped the team in homers, Clint Robinson led the way with a .298 average, which was good for second in the league. All three have had tons of success against Lynchburg, batting .297 or better. In terms of scoring runs Johnny Giavotella paced the unit with 84 tallies, which was second in the league. The second baseman also finished top five in the loop in triples and walks. Other dangerous sticks in the lineup included Eric Hosmer, Jamar Walton and Nick Van Stratten.
LYNCHBURG'S PLAYOFF LINEAGE: The Lynchburg Hillcats have not captured a Mills Cup Championship since 2002. That year the Hillkitties beat the Kinston Indians three games to one to bring home the title. Lynchburg's only other championship since becoming an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates came in 1995, as the Hillcats toppled the Frederick Keys and the K-Tribe again on their path to the crown. Overall they have won five league titles, capturing three as an affiliate of the New York Mets in 1978, 1983 and 1984. The 1983 squad was widely regarded as the best of the bunch. That team won both halves of the Carolina League North, finished with an 81-54 record, and featured the CL Pitcher, Player, and Manager of the Year. Former Phillie and Met Lenny Dykstra was the Player of the Year, while Dwight Gooden was the fire-balling Pitcher of the Year, and former Orioles skipper Sam Perlozzo was named Manager of the Year. Perlozzo's son Eric actually spent time in 2009 as a Carolina Leaguer with the Frederick Keys.
LOOKING AT LYNCHBURG: In the season's first half, no team in Minor League Baseball found more ways to win than the Lynchburg Hillcats. The 'Cats won 45 games, including an incredible 15-7 record in one-run games. Led by players like Miles Durham and Pedro Alvarez, Lynchburg had the look of a team of destiny. But thanks to promotion near the All-Star break, things slowed down in the season's second half. The Hillkitties' close-game magic wore off as they managed just 10 wins in 12 opportunities during one-run decisions, and overall they limped to a 28-42 mark (tied for worst in the CL.) Offensively the current incarnation of the team is led by catcher Kris Watts. Entering 2009, Watts was a career .250 hitter, but he enjoyed his best season, finishing third in the league with a .291 batting average. Watts set the tone early by hitting a blistering .444 in the campaign's opening month. Infielder Chase d'Arnaud is another player with tons of talent. Since joining Lynchburg, he has split time between shortstop and second base, but he showed enough glimpses of greatness to the Pirates' brass that he was selected to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. Elsewhere, the Hillcats feature only two players on the current roster who have had significant success against the Rocks. Speedster Jose De Los Santos batted .323, scored seven runs and stole eight bases in 15 games against the Blue Crew, while outfielder Jamie Romak managed a .333 average in seven games versus the Blue Crew. First baseman Matt Hague had three homers in 20 games against Wilmington, but managed only a .240 average. Lynchburg did add some reinforcements late, as left-handed pitcher Rudy Owens joined the squad in August. Owens did not face the Blue Rocks, but was stellar in his time in the South Atlantic League, where he was named that circuit's Pitcher of the Year. Catcher Tony Sanchez, the Pirates' 2009 first-round pick, and outfielder Sterling Marte also joined Lynchburg in the season's final weeks, as the Hillcats looked for a little extra pop offensively. Marte, however, has been hobbled by injury and will begin the playoffs on the disabled list. On the mound, Lynchburg's most steady hurler has been starter Matt McSwain who finished the season 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA, and was named the team's Pitcher of the Year. The bullpen endured a late blow, however, when closer R.J. Rodriguez left Lynchburg to join the Puerto Rican team in the World Cup of Baseball. Rodriguez, who was Lynchburg's Reliever of the Year, led the CL with 27 saves.
ON THE YEAR: The Wilmington Blue Rocks dominated the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2009. The Blue Crew won the season series, 15-5, including victories in the teams' last nine meetings, and 12 of 13. Twice Wilmington shut Lynchburg out, and the Rocks took seven of 10 from the Hillcats in Lynchburg's City Stadium. The Blue Rocks outscored the Hillcats 81-55 (4.1-2.8/game).
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?: This is the third postseason meeting between the Wilmington and Lynchburg franchises, and in each of the previous two tries, Wilmington came up short. In 2002, the Rocks took the opener of a best-of-three series, but then dropped the next two in a series defeat. The next season, the Rocks lost a pair of one-run decisions as their season came to an end in disappointing fashion. Lynchburg is the only Northern Division team Wilmington has never beaten in a postseason series.
DEADLY DEFENDERS: Wilmington's Ryan Eigsti led the league in caught stealing efficiency, gunning down 43% (58-of-135) of would-be base stealers. As a team, the Rocks trailed only the Potomac Nationals in efficiency, but still boasted the highest number of men caught (72). Lynchburg logged the league's second-best fielding percentage (.976) and turned a CL-best 141 double plays. The Blue Rocks ranked fourth in fielding percentage (.973) and third in double plays turned (125). Lynchburg's Matt Hague led all CL first basemen in fielding percentage (.995) and catcher Kris Watts led all backstops with a .997 mark.