Mister Baseball

Baseball in Germany returns from a bye week in observance of Pentecost, and the schedule provides some interesting and important matchups. In the north, Bonn and Hamburg offer a matchup of current playoff spot holders, while Dortmund and Pulheim play each other with hopes of moving into fourth if Hamburg should slip. In the south, just three games separates second and fifth, with all of them taking the field this weekend. Mainz will host Regensburg starting Friday night, and Mannheim will host Haar in a battle for fourth place. Gauting travels to Heidenheim in the other series of the weekend, giving Bad Homburg a bye week.

North:

Dohren Wild Farmers vs. Solingen Alligators

Solingen put forward a great effort at the Buchbinder Cup in Regensburg over the weekend, played up to their potential and beyond what they’ve shown so far this summer. The club will most likely fall short of their goals of a repeat championship in the north, but they’re still within reach of second place Bonn. Fortunately for them, the schedule is in their favor, with a string of easy games coming up. If they are able to keep focused and sweep the following weeks, then they will be back in contention for the second spot when it comes down to the wire. For Dohren, things have looked better; last year they were battling for a playoff spot while this year they are only a single game ahead of Berlin and the automatic relegation spot. Unfortunately for them, none of their opponents are in a position to take the games lightly. Solingen should walk through the matchup without any problems, especially given their new motivation and recent success.

Berlin Sluggers vs. Untouchables Paderborn

Paderborn has started to look a bit more human recently. The loss to Bonn ended their bid for a perfect season, and they hoped to make waves in Regensburg at the tournament but didn’t get to the championship. Not that their worried, and they shouldn’t be: the league-best offense and pitching has a comfy four game lead over second place. Given the way they’ve dominated the league so far, it wouldn’t be wise to bet against them. Berlin is fighting to stay in the league, but on this weekend, they can’t match the Untouchables.

Bonn Captials vs. HSV Stealers

HSV dumped their American pitcher after his ERA ballooned in recent weeks, and has brought in a new one to finish out the season. Not that it should help much, HSV has had nil offense in the second games each weekend, meaning anything less than near perfection won’t help. Bonn has been doing their best to catch up with Paderborn, and have done a good job keeping up with the 1-loss team. They need a buffer between themselves and Solingen to keep a grasp on the second spot, so they will come out ready to tear into Hamburg and get both wins. Although the game two starter for Hamburg is a question mark, odds are still on a Bonn sweep.

Pulheim Gophers vs. Dortmund Wanderers

Two games separate these playoff aspirants, but it’s been a different tale for each on how they got here. Pulheim has been consistent in streaks, putting together a nice stretch at the beginning of the year before losing 11 in a row. Dortmund has been a different kind of consistent, riding Matt Kemp who has won 5 of his starts and been the anchor of the team. In a turn of irony, Pulheim will need a game one pitcher after their Greek import returned home for work obligations, and Dortmund has a chance to capitalize by grabbing a win and turning to Kemp for the sweep. Dortmund has looked stronger this year on the field and on paper, despite the narrow lead in the standings. It should be time that they break out against direct competition and get a much needed sweep.

South:

Mainz Athletics vs. Regensburg Legionaere

Despite a 2-2 record at home since opening their new field, Mainz has looked strong at home, playing Heidenheim close in the opener both games. Regensburg has played the favorite to repeat their championship this year, but was tripped up a few times early in the season, including once by Mainz. Without the depth at pitching due to injuries, Mainz will need to rely on a bit more offense to grab another win against Regensburg, but the pitching staff for the Legionaere has four shutouts over the last five series. Regensburg also has the motivation of having Heidenheim staying close on their heels and just a three game lead. Its tough to count Mainz out, but Regensburg is in a league of their own: the Legionaere take both and keep the Athletics nervous for a playoff spot.

Heidenheim Heidekoepfe vs. Gauting Indians

After falling to fifth place just four games ago, the Heidekoepfe put their work in and swept back into second place by knocking off their competition. Now they have the leisure of getting back in action against an easier opponent: a Gauting team whose only hopes are for staying out of last. If there is an equalizer going into the weekend, its that Gauting players were able to see time in tournaments around Germany, and hope to have a beat on Heidenheim before the hosts really get things going. Not likely though, as Gauting hasn’t been able to hold leads large or small this season. Heidenheim will inch closer to a lock on second place with a sweep.

Mannheim Tornados vs. Haar Disciples

Haar takes a long drive to Mannheim on Sunday to defend their current hold on fourth place in the standings, while their opponents will hope to take advantage of other results and try to jump over a few teams into third. The Tornados have had a few setbacks this year with injuries, and their team ERA and AVE are uncharacteristic for this late in the season. Fortunately they’ve picked up a few important wins against Regensburg and Mainz to make up for losses to Bad Homburg and Gauting, keeping themself in the playoff picture. Haar stirred things up against Gauting in their last time out on the field, flipping their lineup completely in an effort to get some production out of a sleepy lineup. P Paco Garcia beat Mannheim last time out, but after a bad outing against lowly Gauting (4ER, 1/3IP), the Disciples could go with someone else.

Time	Div.	Home	Visitor	Field
Dates and Times are subject to change! In case of doubt check with the responsible national federation!
Friday, June 17 2011
19:00	South	Mainz Athletics	Buchbinder Legionäre	Ballpark HartmÃ...
Saturday, June 18 2011
13:00	North	Dohren Wild Farmers	Solingen Alligators	Sportanlage SV ...
13:00	North	Berlin Sluggers	Paderborn Untouchables	Paul-Rusch-Stadion
14:00	South	Mainz Athletics	Buchbinder Legionäre	Ballpark HartmÃ...
Sunday, June 19 2011
13:00	North	Pulheim Gophers	Dortmund Wanderers	Gophers Ballpark
13:00	North	Bonn Capitals	HSV Stealers	Stadion Rheinau...
13:00	South	Heidenheim Heideköpfe	Gauting Indians	Heideköpfe Bal...
13:00	South	Mannheim Tornados	Haar Disciples	Roberto-Clement...

Standings North

Standings South

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