Mister Baseball

With Solingen and Heidenheim representing Germany in their respective European Cup tournaments this weekend, the rest of the league continues the playoff chase in both the north and the south. Paderborn and Bonn got a chance to replay a rainout on Thursday, and the Untouchables continue on the weekend against Dohren. Hamburg and Dortmund will be a matchup to watch, as the Wanderers want to jump back into a playoff spot by downing the Stealers.In the south, the Munich Derby will have Haar hosting Gauting, while Mainz hosts Bad Homburg in their first night game at the new stadium under the lights on Friday night.

North:

HSV Stealers vs.Dortmund Wanderers

Hamburg has had a swoon of late, getting swept the last two weekends and hurting their shot to hang with the standings leaders. Dortmund on the other hand has won three in a row, and is now just a game back of the Stealers in the standings. Given Matt Kemp’s track record and Hamburg’s inability to hit in the second game each weekend, all eyes turn to Dennis Stechmann, who will take the mound for the hosts in the first game. The 21-year-old had a tough start to the season, as his team lost his first five starts, but he scattered just 11 base runners against Berlin in winning his latest start.  If Dortmund can keep up with the HSV offense, then they’ll have a good chance of picking up a sweep and displacing Hamburg from the last playoff spot. The Stealers should see the importance of the matchup, and put up some big offense before rolling over to Kemp in his start. Mark it a split, and Dortmund will be happy not to lose ground in the standings.

Berlin Sluggers vs. Pulheim Gophers

The Gophers have faded from playoff contention, but the results from Dortmund could impact whether a late season winning streak makes Pulheim relevant. They’ve seen the majority of their problems on offense, but they have a chance to get hot against a Berlin team that doesn’t overpower from the mound. The Sluggers have just two wins this season, and are also two games behind the 7^th place team. If they aren’t able to find some inspiration and knock off a couple teams, their stay in the Bundesliga will be brought to an unceremonious end. Pulheim sweeps, as they try to keep up with Dortmund and Hamburg.

Dohren Wild Farmers vs. Untouchables Paderborn

This matchup will be all about Paderborn, as they have been on such a roll that Dohren won’t be able to keep up. Bats and pitching have been hot for the Untouchables, and they’re surely starting to turn an eye to the playoff race in the south to see which of the three teams in the race will take the last spot in the standings and travel to Paderborn. The hardest part of the schedule is over, so you can expect them to try and mercy rule as many teams as possible to give pitching a break. They won seven games by 10+ runs in the first half, and odds are they’ll keep that up and do the same to Dohren.

South:

Bad Homburg Hornets vs. Mainz Athletics

On Friday night, Mainz will play their first night game in their new stadium, joining Regensburg and Heidenheim as the teams in the division to have the advantage of playing home games over two days. They weren’t able to hold on against Heidenheim last weekend and dropped both games in their home opener, and should be nervous of the result from the Hornets last game, when Peter Wiggins shut out Mannheim. Previously mentioned was the Bad Homburg goal of staying ahead of Gauting in the standings and hurting the playoff chances of their opponents. If they go in to Mainz and steal another one, they will have done a great job of mixing up the standings and built a nice lead over Gauting. The Mainz offense has covered for the injuries to the pitching staff, but Bad Homburg has nothing to lose and can play relaxed. The Hornets put the sting on the Athletics and earn a split.

Gauting Indians vs. Haar Disciples

The US Consul General Conrad Tribble will throw out the ceremonial First Pitch in Haar on Saturday, kicking off the derby festivities. Host Haar is drooling at the matchup; their offense used Gauting pitchers as a springboard towards a great first half, and putting themselves in good playoff position. For Gauting, the two blowout losses set a different tone, and the Indians sit at the bottom of the standings way out of contention. The first game Saturday might end up the highlight, as national team members Nils Hartkopf and Dominik Hartinger are scheduled to pitch against each other. Hartkopf has put his stamp on the Disciples season, hitting .442 and sporting a 3.74 ERA in 5 appearances. His all-around impact for the Disciples has stabilized a slumping lineup.The Disciples may not put up 32 runs again, but they should sweep with ease.

Buchbinder Legionaere Regensburg vs. Mannheim Tornados

Mannheim went into Regensburg and stole a win at the beginning of the season, but since then has been unable to come away with any big wins. They struggled to splits against Gauting and Bad Homburg, and have fallen into a tie for 4^th place. The toughest part of their schedule is coming up, and they’d like to take another win from Regensburg in order to stay in contention for the playoff race. The Legionaere have overcome some early upset start, and thanks to the addition of SP Mike Bolsenbroek, are able to command the first game each weekend on their way to a sweep. With their offense finally clicking again, they should brush aside Mannheim and take home two wins.

Time	Div.	Home	Visitor	Field
Dates and Times are subject to change! In case of doubt check with the responsible national federation!
Friday, June 03 2011
19:00	South	Mainz Athletics	Bad Homburg Hornets	Ballpark HartmÃ...
Saturday, June 04 2011
13:00	South	Haar Disciples	Gauting Indians	Ballpark Eglfin...
14:00	South	Mainz Athletics	Bad Homburg Hornets	Ballpark HartmÃ...
16:00	North	Dortmund Wanderers	HSV Stealers	Hoeschpark Dort...
Sunday, June 05 2011
13:00	North	Pulheim Gophers	Berlin Sluggers	Gophers Ballpark
13:00	North	Paderborn Untouchables	Dohren Wild Farmers	Ahorn-Ballpark ...
13:00	South	Mannheim Tornados	Buchbinder Legionäre	Roberto-Clement...

Standings North

Standings South

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