This Is Next Year: Play-Off Edition

 Thomas Pannone gave them seven shutout innings on Labor Day for a 4-0 win over Salem to get back on the winning track heading into the first round of the playoffs. That mattered little as they dropped the first of the best-of-three set with Potomac 7-0, mustering just two hits. Matt Esparza lasted just 3 1/3 allowing three runs on three walks and seven hits.

On Thursday the Hillcats clung to their playoff lives with a 6-5, 14 inning win to even the series. Potomac scored one in the 12th to take a 5-4 lead but Yonathan Mendoza‘s two out RBI double re-tied the game. Sort of bizarrely, Lynchburg had a runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the 14th. Potomac chose to walk Francisco Mejia (reasonable idea given his offensive season), but also walked Anthony Santander to load the bases (with two outs, so force anywhere was in play but they just needed an out). Perhaps the force anywhere enticed them or getting a strikeout of Bobby Bradley seemed easier. He doubled to even the series at 1-1.

Sean Brady pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings on Friday and four relievers closed out a 3-0 series win over the P-Nats to send Lynchburg into the next round. Dorssys Paulino provided a sac fly in the fourth and Yu-Cheng Chang‘s two run homer in the eighth put the game on ice. They’ll play Myrtle Beach (Cubs) in the Carolina League championship in a five game series now.

by Gavin Potter
Without question, the 2016 season was a roller coaster ride for the Akron RubberDucks. Early in the season, the team was one of the hottest in all of baseball, but an ice cold summer left their playoff hopes in doubt. However, a strong August push and a four game winning streak to end the year allowed Akron to clinch the regular season Eastern League Western Division title last week. Currently, the Ducks are up on the Altoona Curve 2-1 in five game playoff series for the Western Division Championship.

Many of the usual suspects have been big for Akron during their playoff push and subsequent playoff series: Nellie Rodriguez is 9 for 21 in the past week with three doubles and two walks, while Greg Allen is 6 for 24 with 3 walks, a home run and a stolen base in the same stretch. However, Akron’s best player during this crucial stretch comes as a surprise. After posting a medicore .738 OPS in the regular season, outfielder Mike Papi has gone 10 for 23 with four home runs and two walks to three strikeouts in the past seven days. Surprisingly, Akron had to overcame two shaky starts from their ace Rob Kaminsky, who allowed seven earned runs in 12 innings of work last week.

Akron will look to clinch the Western Division Championship Saturday night in Akron. With a win, they will head to the Eastern League Championship, to face either Trenton or Reading. A match-up against Trenton could league to the Ducks facing former Indians’ farmhand Justus Sheffield.

by Mike Melaragno

Game 3 of the first-round Governor’s Cup playoff series against the Gwinnett Braves on Friday just wasn’t the Clippers’ night. The Braves jumped on Shawn Morimando for five runs in the first two innings, and Chris Ellis shut down the Clippers on three hits over seven shutout innings in an 11-1 win.

The Braves finished with 12 hits, including four from Mel Rojas, Jr. and two each from Ronnier Mustelier and Reid Brignac plus Tyler Moore‘s grand slam to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Bradley Zimmer has been in the International League only six weeks and has gone through the trials and tribulations of being a triple-A rookie. He struck out in 37 percent of his AAA plate appearances during the regular season. When he did put the ball in play, his average was an astounding .423.

Game 2 of a Governors’ Cup semifinal playoff series against the Gwinnett Braves was more of the same for Zimmer, and it translated to a 6-4 victory for Columbus on the strength of his two-out, line-drive grand slam in the seventh inning.