Mister Baseball

The playoff picture didn’t get any clearer last weekend, as Mannheim narrowed the gap to Haar and Mainz in the south, and Dortmund took over fourth from Hamburg in the north. Regensburg and Paderborn have all but sealed their regular season championships for their respective divisions, but everything beyond that is a tossup. Mainz and Haar will play for third place and try to stay ahead of Mannheim, who is off this weekend. Dortmund will try to hold on to their current playoff spot on the road in Paderborn, while Solingen has a shot at sole possession of second.

North:

Dohren Wild Farmers vs. Bonn Capitals

Bonn looked like the only team who could challenge Paderborn for the top of the standings, but have been caught by Solingen and now both teams sit five games behind the first place Untouchables. Now the Wild Farmers have a chance to do some damage to Bonn’s record, and help their own last gasp effort at the playoffs. It will be a tough chore, they got shut out twice last time the teams met, and gave up 34 runs over two games. Still, they have put together a four game winnings streak, and will need that to continue if they want to make the playoffs. As long as Bonn has their heads on straight, and take two wins home with them.

Berlin Sluggers vs. HSV Stealers

Last weekend, the Stealers from Hamburg lost a lot of air from their playoff balloon by losing two stunners to Dohren, which allowed the Wild Farmers to stay in the playoff picture as well. Now two games out of the fourth and final playoff spot, they can breath a sigh of relief, as they only need to travel to Berlin this weekend and sweep to keep their hopes alive. Berlin needs to win out to stay in the Bundesliga, hoping that their stay will last longer than one season. They might have a chance against HSV, which was watched their offense go from little to even less over the past few weeks. Nonetheless, Hamburg is still stronger than Berlin in the pitching department, and should pick up the two wins needed to make the playoff race come down to the final weekend.

Pulheim Gophers vs. Solingen Aligators

Solingen has been on a roll of late, moving into a tie for second place with a six game winning streak The last three weekends, including these games against Pulheim, will determine whether they finish second or third, as they jockey for position before a deciding matchup against Bonn to end the regular season. Pulheim still has a slim chance to make the playoffs, but would need to win out and catch some big breaks by way of all the teams in front of them losing, which can’t really happen. Either way, Solingen has been too strong, and will put themselves in contention for home field advantage in the playoffs when they sweep Pulheim this weekend, ending the Gophers postseason dreams.

Paderborn Untouchables vs. Dortmund Wanderers

Dortmund has made the race for the playoffs an exciting thing to watch, but one can’t help but wonder if the schedule is going to be their downfall. They have the daunting task of playing Paderborn, Dohren, and Solingen over the final three weeks, and have to cling to a two game lead over Hamburg. Its been a compelling story, one which is far from over. Paderborn looks a lock for first place, as their magic number is now down to two. In game two, they’ll have a tough test in facing Matt Kemp, who has established himself as the MVP favorite this year. His 1.07 ERA and 7 CG have been an anchor for his team,. He’s also second in K’s and IP,  and if his team makes the playoffs, then he will have been a major factor in that success. With a win against Paderborn this weekend, he can keep his team in fourth place. Gotta give some due respect for the Wanderers: they pull off a split.

South:

Mainz Athletics vs. Haar Disciples

Both teams had a chance at securing their place in the playoffs last weekend and came up well short. Mainz’s two losses at home to Mannheim put them into a tie with the Tornados, while the Disciples weak show at home has made it a three-team race for two playoff spots. The team from the Munich suburbs sits just a game ahead of this weekend’s opponent, and while a split helps them more than the Athletics, it plays well into Mannheim’s dreams of third place. In last weeks upset, the Mainz rotation was stirred up a bit, leaving the question open as to which starters the Disciples will face. Will it be Möller and Haugen, or Boldt and Decher? With Mainz struggling, the stage is set for a Haar sweep, but given the lack of offense against Heidenheim they might be happy with a split.

Bad Homburg Hornets vs. Heidenheim Heidekoepfe

The Hornets hoped to stay out of last place this year, but were knocked off by Gauting last week and fell to the bottom. The Heidekoepfe were able to go in to Haar and cement their grasp on second place, so this weekends games mean more for the Hornets than for their guests. With just one series left after this weekend, there isn’t much chance for the Heidekoepfe to move into first and replace Regensburg atop the standings, so they’ll spend a few weeks watching what goes on in the north to see who they’ll play in the first round of the playoffs. Two wins leave Bad Homburg in the Heidekoepfe caravan.

Regensburg Legionaere vs. Gauting Indians

Regensburg is finally back on the field, after a nearly month long break from the Bundesliga schedule. They’ll host Gauting starting on Saturday night, and look to cement their regular season title in the south. Gauting, which has suffered speculation about their ability to finish the season as a whole, was able to pick up a win against the Hornets last weekend and move into a tie with them for sixth. There isn’t much hope in following that up with a surprise victory on the road in the Legionaere’s stadium. Regensburg might be a bit rusty, but that will only mean the games go nine innings instead of just seven. Sweep for Regensburg to be expected.

Time	Div.	Home	Visitor	Field
Dates and Times are subject to change! In case of doubt check with the responsible national federation!
Saturday, July 16 2011
13:00	North	Dohren Wild Farmers	Bonn Capitals	Sportanlage SV ...
13:00	North	Berlin Sluggers	HSV Stealers	Paul-Rusch-Stadion
13:00	South	Mainz Athletics	Haar Disciples	Ballpark HartmÃ...
19:00	South	Buchbinder Legionäre	Gauting Indians	Armin-Wolf-Aren...
Sunday, July 17 2011
13:00	North	Pulheim Gophers	Solingen Alligators	Gophers Ballpark
13:00	North	Paderborn Untouchables	Dortmund Wanderers	Ahorn-Ballpark ...
13:00	South	Bad Homburg Hornets	Heidenheim Heideköpfe	Hornets Ballpark
14:00	South	Buchbinder Legionäre	Gauting Indians	Armin-Wolf-Aren...

Standings North

Standings South

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