Press Release Australian Baseball League
SYDNEY, NSW — It’s difficult to believe that the 2016/17 Australian Baseball League season is fast approaching its midpoint.
This week’s action pits teams with potent pitching against teams with aggressive offences. Which is stronger? Only time (and 12 games of baseball) will tell.
ADELAIDE (4-4) at CANBERRA (4-4)
Both the Bite and Cavalry enter the third round of the season after crucial series wins in Round 2 that brought their respective records back to .500 on the season. The two teams split last year’s season series 8-8, and they’ve followed relatively similar paths in 2016/17 so far. Will that continue this weekend?
Boosted by their dominant performance in the Wollongong Classic, the Cavalry currently lead the ABL in both team runs scored (48) and team batting average (.299). On the other side of the coin, the Bite rank last in team runs scored (29, tied with Melbourne) and second-to-last team batting average (.235, five points above Melbourne). However, as meek as the Bite offence has seemed this season, the team’s pitching has put up opposite numbers, with a 3.10 team ERA (second) and 1.19 team WHIP (first). Though middle of the pack in most team categories, Canberra pitchers have the dubious distinction of leading the league in walks allowed (43), meaning that if the Bite can show patience at the plate and a little timely hitting, they have a chance to score big.
The two teams also offer a firsthand look at the future of Australian pitching, in the form of Canberra’s Brodie Vassalakis and Adelaide’s Jack O’Loughlin. At 16, O’Loughlin has already signed an MLB contract with the Detroit Tigers, and it’s easy to believe the same will be true of Vassalakis in the near future. Watching the two of them face off on the mound this weekend will be like looking into a crystal ball, except the crystal ball is just there for decoration and the future is now and shiny.
Players to watch: Brodie Vassalakis (CAN), Mike Reeves (CAN), Jack O’Loughlin (ADE), Mitch Dening (ADE)
Probable starters
Thursday: Steven Chambers (0-1. 0.93) at Lee Sosa (1-0, 2.00)
Friday: Greg Mosel (0-0, 0.00) at Scott Cone (0-0, 13.50)
Saturday: Taylor Hawkins (1-0, 3.48) at Josh DeGraaf (1-0, 2.00)
Sunday: Jack O’Loughlin (1-0, 3.52) at Sean Guinard (0-0, 2.57)
MELBOURNE (4-4) at BRISBANE (5-3)
Brisbane and Melbourne enter Round 3 after a series split and a series loss. The Bandits won last year’s season series 9-3.
The key to Brisbane’s success this year and last year is their consistency. On offence, they rank in the top three in team batting average (.267 – second), team on base percentage (.371 – first), and team runs scored (43 – third). The Bandits are just as strong on the mound, with a team ERA of 4.37 (third), team WHIP of 1.34 (second), and 68 strikeouts (second).
Despite the series loss, the Aces’ pitching remains overall fairly strong. They hold an advantage of more than a run over the Bandits in team ERA (3.07 to 4.37) and lead the league in the category. However, their offence is one of the weakest in the league right now, posting a league-worst team batting average (.227) and sit tied for last in team runs’ scored (29). The latter number is in part due to their approach at the plate, which has yielded the fewest walks (24) and third-most strikeouts (63).
The Bandits’ bullpen showed a rare weak spot last weekend, allowing the Heat to rally and win late in the game. Brisbane needs to stay consistently strong, but if they falter, Melbourne need to be ready to capitalise. Fact: the Bandits are nearly unbeatable at home and the Aces struggle to win on the road. Both teams have had their ups and downs this year, but Brisbane has the clear upper hand this weekend.
Players to watch: Ronald Acuna (MEL), Keisuke Honda (MEL), Logan Wade (BRI), Daniel Nilsson (BRI)
Probable starters
Friday: Mark Hamburger (1-0, 1.80) at Rick Teasley (1-0, 3.86)
Saturday, G1: Keisuke Honda (1-0, 0.73) at Kramer Champlin (0-1, 5.91)
Saturday, G2: Dushan Ruzic (0-1, 2.45) at Justin Erasmus (0-0, 4.00)
Sunday: Jon Kennedy (0-1, 9.95) at Daniel Nilsson (0-0, 2.00)
PERTH (3-5) at SYDNEY (4-4)
Two teams in search of a rebound round after losses last week clash in Sydney this weekend. The Blue Sox and Heat faced each other eight times last year, and each won four games.
Phase 1 of the Heat’s trek back to the top began last weekend, when the Happy Heaters tied the ladder-leading Bandits at home. Both wins came in the style of the Perth teams we’re used to seeing: a late comeback and a walk-off win. Perth remain in the ladder cellar, but there’s reason to believe they can keep climbing this weekend. On the home side of the ball, the Blue Sox dropped a road series to the rival Cavalry. They scored double digit runs twice, but couldn’t win more than one game.
On offence, both teams are fairly comparable and middle of the pack, hitting .246 (Sydney) and .242 (Perth). However, they differ drastically when it comes to run production. The Blue Sox rank second in the league in runs (47), while the Heat are second-to-last in the same category (31). Sydney have continued to put together excellent at bats, walking the most times (46) while striking out the fewest times (57).
Players to watch: Joey Wong (PER), Conor Lourey (PER), Jacob Younis (SYD), Shane Kelleher (SYD)
Probable starters
Friday: Mike Lee (0-1, 7.71) at Trevor Foss (0-1, 7.59)
Saturday, G1: Nick Veale (0-2. 16.50) at Luke Wilkins (1-1, 0.71)
Saturday, G2: Tom Bailey (0-0, 4.09) at Craig Anderson (2-0, 1.80)
Sunday: Daniel Schmidt (0-1, 10.00) at Aaron Sookee (0-1, 15.00)