NEWS

3. Beers (18-9-3) vs. 6. Warhawks (11-17-2) - Randall's Island Field 46, 10 am 

NYC Warhawks-  They are the first team ever in MABLNYC history to start off with a 4-13-1 record to clinch the playoffs. As predicted the Warhawks went 9-3 in their last 12 games. The Warhawks did receive the help needed by Los Bravos getting swept. The Warhawks recent success has been Yeifri Valerio, Victor Leroux and Luis Moronta. These 3 are combined with 43 rbis, .358 batting avg and 47 runs scored. The Warhawks pitching will be something to watch out for as they are the deepest staff in the league. It will be interesting to see who manager Joel will go with this Sunday. This past season the Warhawks went 1-2-1 against the Beers. Their only victory was the come back win last weekend as #3 starter Joel Cabrera got the win by going 7 innings, 6 earned runs and striking out 6. In both games, Victor Leroux went 5 for 8 in the twin bill against the Beers. However, it will not be an easy task for the Warhawks as they will more than likely face hard throwing cy young award winner Ryan Smith. Ryan Smith can be hittable when he is not locating the zone and has surprisingly pitched below 30 innings this year. The last time around, the Warhawks scored 2 runs against Smith. If the Warhawks can score 3 runs with their deep pitching staff coming late in games, i can see them stealing one. 

NY Beers-  The Beers this year were projected to finish 5th in the standings. They have been one of the surprising teams in the league thus far in 2019. The Beers were always known to have a lack of offense. In 2019 the beers as a team are hitting .328 with their top hitters Regan and Weber doing most of the damage. Regan and Weber are combined 44 rbis with 33 runs scored. The Beers pitching other than Smith still remain a question. Not so fast as they say because the Beers #2 hurler Eric Weber has pitched solid with a 2.39 era in 5 games started and having a decent walk to strikeout ratio. In fact, the Beers pitching in terms of ERA is still bottom 3 in the league with 5.64. On the flip side, its obvious to say Smith will get the ball in a one 9 inning playoff game. Smith is already used to big stage as he is looking to strikeout 15 free swinging Warhawks squad. This Season the Beers matched well against the Warhawks by scoring 31 runs in 4 games. The Beers will have the advantage with Ryan Smith going deep into the 7th or 8th inning if he is cruising. If the Beers salvage to get this victory, they will face the Marlins in the second round in a 3 game series.

Prediction: Beers win 4-2 and move onto the next round 

4. Gotham City Bats ( 13-13-2) vs. 5. Diamondbacks- (12-17-1)- Randalls field 42, 12 pm 

Diamondbacks-  It has been a tough season for the Diamondbacks this season. This past weekend the Diamondbacks almost witnessed the worst collapse in MABLNYC history. The Diamondbacks lost 3 of 4 vs. the Marlins as they were missing most of their regulars. With John Showtime being sidelined all year long, he came in relief to get some work. When its playoff Showtime, he is unstoppable as he dominated last years playoff wildcard game by striking out 16 Indians. The question remains will manager Chris go ahead and take the risk in starting showtime? John Showtime's record against the Bats are spectacular as he might possibly have his favorite catcher Sosa behind the dish. In fact, if Showtime is not able to start, other options are either Victor Rivera or Cheyenne Berges. As mentioned in the beginning of the season the Diamondbacks can be very dangerous in a playoff game as they will more than likely have their full squad. The players to watch out are Waldo Acosta who ended his season with .567 with 3 hr and 22 rbi's. Also another player to watch out for is Rodney Newell who finished his season with 2 home runs and 31 rbi's. The Diamondbacks went 2-2 vs. Gotham Bats as this game on Sunday will determine who is the better team and possibly either face the Marlins or the Riders in the next round. 

Gotham City Bats- The only team in the league with the worst player attendance all season long. The Gotham City Bats have somewhat been a disappointment as they were projected to be one of the top 3 teams in the league. For most of the season, the Bats have been playing with 9-10 guys. Gotham City Bats best hitter Tyler Durr has been the man to look out for. Durr is having a solid year by finishing his regular season with .553 avg, 2 hrs and 19 rbi's. The advantage of the Gotham Bats go to their pitching staff. The twin towers dominant duo of Lisle and Strack will be full course in winning this playoff game come Sunday. Lisle leads the league in 92 strikeouts with 53 2/3 innings pitched. It will be more than likely that Lisle gets the ball against a hard hitting Dbacks Offense. If Lisle is able to control his rhythm by throwing strikes, he should go 7 with Strack closing out the 8th and 9th inning.

Prediction: Gotham Bats win 7-4 to advance to the next round