by Riccardo Schiroli
The Italian Baseball League plays the last weekend of the first half of the season and it’s pretty easy to preview some excitement. The best teams of the first six weeks (Telemarket Rimini, the leader with a 14-4 record, and Fortitudo Bologna, trailing by one game) meet each other.
The series takes off Thursday in Rimini, with the pretty anticipated pitching duel between Bologna’s Jesus Matos (the king of the pitchers in Italy since 2004) and first year hurler Rafael Garcia, who has posted so far an impressive 0.68 ERA for the Rimini Pirates. Both pitch in the 90ies and are able to dominate an offense. What makes even more exciting the series is the fact that Rimini and Bologna do have the best line ups in the IBL.
It would have been fun to watch the game on TV, but the “Gianni Falchi” stadium in Bologna is undergoing maintenance for the September IBAF World Cup and it would have been unwise to send a crew under these circumstances.
Rai Sport Più (starting 9.30 PM CET) and their web site www.raisport.rai.it (starting from first pitch at 9 pm) will telecast the series opener in Parma between Cariparma and De Angelis Godo. For Parma it is a great chance to get closer to the top teams. After sweeping Reggio Emilia last week end, the parmesans are alone in fourth place and with another sweep they may be ready to face the series with Bologna and Rimini that will make their fans nervous for the next couple of weeks. Godo is not playing well and they are going to miss third baseman Fuzzi for the whole week end and probably won’t be able to start left hander Camardese (sore arm) in game 2, but right hander Ulloa is a tough pitcher to beat. So, most of the danger for Parma arrives from the series opener.
The defending champions T&A San Marino lost the series against Nettuno last week end. What really hurt their week end was the poor performance by relievers in game two. Team Italy’s Tiago Da Silva left the game after seven (5 hits, 10 Ks) with the team leading 1-0. Relievers Crudale, Gregorius and Orta managed to get the first out only after allowing eight runs!
San Marino will play at home Montepaschi Grosseto that was swept by Fortitudo Bologna (without even having a chance to win one) and is slowly fading from the picture of the post season contenders. Another sweep could get them definitely out.
Grosseto has at least one reason to be optimistic. Right hander Riccardo De Santis has come back to action after undergoing the so called “Tommy John Surgery”.
Danesi Nettuno has a pretty good chance to get closer to Bologna and Rimini. They play on the road in Reggio Emilia against Palfinger a team that has experienced poor pitching lately. Left hander Abe Alvarez seems to experience some fatigue after an awesome start. But what really hurts the first year team is bullpen. Especially in game three, Lacopini, Bertolini and Porco do not even seem able to throw strikes.
{mrb-schedule:2009-05-21|2009-05-23|IT}
{mrb-standing:italy-2009}
Photo: © Ferrini/FIBS