The Legionaere and Untouchables face off in the German Bundesliga Championship starting Saturday in Regensburg. The top two teams from the regular season, it has all the makings of a great series; top pitching, deep lineups, and lots of hustle on both sides.
Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg (South Champ) vs. Untouchables Paderborn (North Champ)
The Legionaere have home field advantage in the finals and they will host the first two games of the series and should be able to convert that into a lead. Expect a big crowd out on Saturday to see the games, and lets break down both sides of the ball and see who has the edge.
Pitching:
Regensburg pitchers Mike Bolsenbroek, Justin Kuehn, and Boris Bokaj sit atop most of the positive pitching statistics for the playoffs, although it’s hard to say they faced a strong hitting team in first round opponent Dortmund. Nonetheless, the Legionaere bullpen is the toughest and deepest in the country, and as long as they continue putting up great combined statistics such as the 1.05 team ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and .196 opponents average, then the team will be raising the trophy again this year.
Paderborn isn’t far behind in the statistical rankings, with a 2.08 team ERA. They have two starters they can rely on in Eugen Heilmann and Brian Fields, but after that, they have reason to be worried. Daniel Hinz was stellar out of the bullpen this year, but he’s the last line of defense, and if it goes past him, who knows who will pitch for the Untouchables.
The advantage in starters goes slightly to Regensburg, but the advantage in the pen goes in their favor completely.
Hitting:
Paderborn leads the playoffs with a team batting average of .343, so its not a surprise to hear they lead their division in the regular season with a team batting average of .340 and most of the rest of the statistical categories as well. The team is very aggressive on the basepaths, racking up 15 stolen bases in the post season up to now. That can be a curse, however, as they’ve also lost seven runners due to over-aggressiveness. The Untouchables will look for continued production from the bottom half of the lineup, which has been nearly as impressive as the middle of their order. Eight players have notched an RBI, and seven have reached base by walk, showing their ability to execute.
The lineup for Regensburg might not be as deep, but they pack a much bigger punch in the middle of the order. Lead by Evan LeBlanc, Ludwig Glaser, Petr Cech, and Matt Vance, each is a constant threat to leave the park, regardless of the pitching they are facing. With the pieces surrounding them allowed to swing freely, they move baserunners more than just station to station. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team hit .400 in the series, but they’re also known for overconfidence, and the offense could disappear for a game or two.
Advantage goes slightly to Regensburg, although you know exactly what you’ll get from Paderborn each game. The Legionaere have more firepower, but its unknown if that firepower will show up.
Fielding:
The Untouchables have a solid infield, and lead the playoffs in fielding percentage. Seeing an error when this team is on the field is as rare as it gets. The Legionaere are just as strong, but they have been known to get flustered in long innings, and will being to press. In the outfield, Regensburg has the better arms, but the Untouchables are quicker.
Behind the plate, Paderborn uses Michael Franke and Björn Schonlau, who have allowed just one stolen base in the playoffs. For Regensburg, it will be the duo of Chris Howard and Petr Cech. Cech is the stronger of the two, both on offense and on defense, and it’s likely he’ll be given the start in game one. If they lose, he’ll be back there for game two.
It’s a push who will benefit more, since both teams are strong at the key positions up the middle.
Summary:
All signs point to a Regensburg repeat, but it won’t be easy. Paderborn had a tougher test to get to this point, and they’ve shown they can turn things on when needed. The Untouchables should give the Legionaere a hard game each time out, but the boys from Bavaria will take it in four games or less.
Comment by tobias
September 8, 2011 | 11:17 pm
Regensburg does in fact have home field advantage as a possible game 5 would take place in Regensburg.
Its game 1 and two this weekend. Game 3 and 4 next weekend in Paderborn and Game five on the 24th in Regensburg again