May Day in the German Bundesliga will bring less excitement than Easter weekend, with just three matchups. In the North, playoff aspirants Pulheim and Bonn battle for third place, and in the South Heidenheim hosts Mainz. In another southern matchup, Gauting takes on Bad Homburg in hopes of getting out of last place.
North Division
Pulheim Gophers – Bonn Capitals
Defense and pitching will be the name of the game in Pulheim. The Capitals feel that they’re back on track with a three game winning streak, and the Gophers have been an early surprise, although their losses against Paderborn certainly took some wind out of their sails. Both teams have a chance to gain on the current second place team Solingen, and with the likelihood the teams will be neck and neck at the end of the season, the matchup has tiebreaker and playoff consequences already early in the season. The pitching matchups will be particularly interesting, as Game 1 pitchers Tim Henkenjohann of Bonn and Efthymios Karkatselos for Pulheim have the potential to shut down opposing lineups. The Greek national has been a solid replacement in Pulheim for Markus Solbach so far. Game 2 will pair Bryce Schoening against Ronnie Glunt, meaning if the defenses can hold together, a second low scoring affair could be on tap.
South Division
Heidenheim Heidekoepfe – Mainz Athletics
Last year’s European Cup Runner-Up Heidenheim was tripped up last weekend in their home opener, but they still sit atop the standings as they prepare to take on a young Mainz team wanting to show their road wins in Regensburg and Mannheim weren’t a fluke. The Heidekoepfe got a late start on the season, and have relied on their offense to protect a rotation that isn’t as deep as in years past. Against a Mainz team that has shown grit early in the year, the home team won’t be taking them lightly as the first place spot depends on picking up a sweep. The Athletics are still in the midst of a long road trip, which sees them visiting every other team in the division before they’ll have a chance to get on their new field. They’ve split each series so far, and another split will help them stay in playoff position just before the home stand over the second half of the season.
Bad Homburg Hornets – Gauting Indians
While both teams have had disappointing starts to their respective seasons, there have been flashes of hope for each over their first two weekends. The Hornets have fought through some early injuries, and have been very competitive against good teams. After a long break to recover and work on their offense, they hope to put some distance between themselves and a Gauting team that sits one game behind them in the standings. The Indians were treated like whipping boys over their first 4 games, losing three by 10-Run Mercy Rule. One bright point was the rebound by P Dominik Hartinger in his second start (CG 5H, 8K, 0ER), and who has his sights on earning Gauting’s first win of the season during their trip to ‘der Höhe’.
{mrb-schedule:2011-05-01|2011-05-02|DE}
{mrb-standing:germany-2011}