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Batavia – Washington Divisional Series Preview
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Washington – 96-66, 1<SUP>st</SUP> in Stout<o:p></o:p>
-1<SUP>st</SUP> in Runs Scored (669)<o:p></o:p>
-5<SUP>th</SUP> in Runs Allowed (537)
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Batavia- 91-71, 3<SUP>rd</SUP> in Stout<o:p></o:p>
-2<SUP>nd</SUP> in Runs Scored (647)<o:p></o:p>
-6<SUP>th</SUP> in Runs Allowed (555)
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Washington won the season series, 10-8.
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The Lineups
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The Bats led the IL in runs scored in 2019. They also led the IL in most other offensive categories, including AVG, OBP, SLG, hits, extra base hits and home runs. All the production comes from a very balanced lineup – Washington boasts five hitters with 20+ home runs, while none of the Bats' regular starters finished the season with an OPS+ below 103.
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Batavia hasn’t been quite as prolific as Washington, but the star power in this series comes from the Muckdogs. Perhaps no team in the league can match the foursome of Fred Frederick, Tom Ackers, Stu Stark and Zack Fowler.It’s a terrifying group that more than makes up for some of the other weaker spots in the lineup.
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The Pitching
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A familiar cast of characters led the Bats pitching staff this year. The rotation was led by Dave Lippert and Ron Robertson while Israel Rodriguez locked things down in the 9<SUP>th</SUP>, resulting in a 2.88 team ERA for the Bats – good enough for 3<SUP>rd</SUP> in the IL and leading the league in K’s.Manny Ochoa and JP Lawrence form a formidable setup duo leading into Rodriguez.
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It was all about the bullpen for Batavia this year. The only team with a better bullpen ERA than Washington was the Muckdogs, who posted a ridiculous 2.02 ERA from their relievers this year.Dave Bauer, Terry Krause and Pat Zabriskie lead a lethal array of arms.If the Muckdogs have a lead going into the late innings, it’s practically over.The starters have been a different story, finishing 10<SUP>th</SUP> in the IL in starter’s ERA.Good news for Batavia on that front, however: Most of the damage was done by their 4<SUP>th</SUP>/5<SUP>th</SUP> starters, who won’t play an important role here.Don’t expect Jordan Lopez or Jamie Combs to see much work against Washington.<o:p></o:p>
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Key Players
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WAS- SP Ed Carroll – It’s difficult to pick out a single hitter in the Bats lineup, so a pitcher is the call here.Dave Lippert has transformed from a flame throwing, strikeout machine into a soft-tossing finesse pitcher.So, the Bats will be counting on the much hyped “Dropkick” to carry the rotation.If the lefty Carroll can quiet the heavy hitters in Batavia’s lineup, the Bats could be in good shape.<o:p></o:p>
BAT – 1B Fred Frederick- Who else but the 2019 IL Stout Slugger? The BLB’s new home run king has the ability to change the game every time he comes to the plate.Frederick has been a force all season.He wasn’t a factor in the Muckdogs’ sweep of Windy City, but count on him coming through with some big hits here.<o:p></o:p>
The Prediction
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These two teams met in last year’s IL Championship Series, with Batavia winning game 7 behind a stellar performance from Zack Reeves. He’s gone now, but Batavia still has plenty of star power left, as the young hitters have transformed into monsters since last season.In the end, the Bats can’t match the production that Frederick, Stark and Ackers will provide.
Batavia in 4.<o:p></o:p>
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