Gameday Results, 5/15: Poolside Park - Ottawa Lake, MI

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GAMES 1 & 2 12:00 PM FIELD A
(1-5) FLYING SQUIRRELS (5-1) WICKED ACES
GAME 1
0	LP: Skinner (0-3)	1	WP: A. Bischoff (2-0)
GAME 2
0	LP: Brown (0-2)	2	WP: Bortmas (2-0)
AVG: .203 SLG: .432 RpG: 6.8 ERA: 6.63 WHIP: 2.53 K/6: 12.3 3  •   All-Time Regular Season H2H Wins   •  Ties: 0 9 The Squirrels have scored 1 run in their games facing ace pitchers this season, and 26 runs against teams' second (or third) arms. That's a huge disparity and a tough breakdown when looking down the barrel of Austin and Bortmas coming at you in a series. There really isn't a weak link in the Squirrels' lineup, numbers-wise. One of only three lineups hitting over .200 at this point, and honestly they aren't far off their group career numbers of a .230 AVG and .437 SLG. This seems obvious when you look at how they beat up on twos and threes, but Nick Braden is the only one who's damaged a number-one so far this year. They'll need to dig out a few more productive hits against a higher tier of pitching to scratch out enough runs to top the Aces. Castle nailed the Aces situation in his Power Rankings blurb: "I still don't know who's on their roster or who's coming on a week-to-week basis, but whoever it is, they'll manage." Rookie Brendun Deer is the only Ace to play in both series so far. Would you be surprised if Sunny (the dog) suited up one week? Austin's girlfriend almost assuredly will get in a game or two. It almost doesn't matter who the role players are, because the pitching core on any given day gives them a chance. They are the only team with an ERA and WHIP below 1.00 at this point. Little E along with Deer and a fill-in from MLW Schultz Field held their own, surrendering only 1 run. Austin will be back in action at Poolside Park, and he's clearly started off the season on a mission. Bortmas may not be as dominant as he once was on the bump, but he looked sharp in his 2016 debut (0 RA, 2 H, 1 BB and 7 K over 3 IP). We can probably go ahead and just keep two running polls: 1) Who'll bat third in the Aces lineup today? And 2) Who'll be the player that steps up this week? Ineligible Pitchers  1 Game:  Brown   E. Bischoff 2 Games:    AVG: .140 SLG: .326 RpG: 2.75 ERA: 0.70 WHIP: 0.82 K/6: 15.4

GAMES 3 & 4 2:30 PM FIELD A
(3-3) HOLY BALLS (2-6) FLYING SQUIRRELS
GAME 1   (9 inn)
2	WP: Fisher (1-1)	0	LP: Skinner (0-4)
GAME 2
0	LP: Paquin (1-1)	2	WP: Brown (1-2) HR: Brown (1), N. Braden (2)
AVG: .287 SLG: .562 RpG: 5.75 ERA: 4.80 WHIP: 2.30 K/6: 15.6 4  •   All-Time Regular Season H2H Wins   •  Ties: 0 6 Paquin delivered a fantastic, shut-out pitching performance week two against El Diablos: striking out 13, while giving up 3 hits and walking just 2. Expect the team to put the ball back in Chris' hands for at least one game at Poolside to see if he has again tapped into the magic of his 2014 season. The Holy bats sit atop the league in most categories including AVG, SLG, OBP, and HR, thanks in large part to piling it on during back-half games against weaker arms. But that's not to take away from this team's ability to hit. Pearson's going to hit bombs, that's a known commodity. Their nice is surprise is Kreza. As a rookie he has already displayed some clutch hitting skills against top-tier pitching, including a 105' shot into the gap at the Coffee Grounds off Kujawa, then following that up with a poke for the game-winning single last week against Chandler Phillips. Hitting shouldn't be a problem while they work to lock down that number-two pitcher spot. The Squirrels need to keep running Skinner out there, even while he's struggling to find his touch this season. Meanwhile, the good news is two-fold for them: Adams was able to provide a promising start in limited innings last week against the Wolves. Also, Brown has been very good in his 2 appearances this season… so long as conditions stay dry. Outside of a rain-soaked, stat-inflating 1/3 of an inning pitched, Brown has allowed only 1 run in 8 IP this season. Having these two ready in the pocket should provide some comfort for a rotation dealing with a struggling ace. Ineligible Pitchers  1 Game:  Pearson   TBD 2 Games:    AVG: .203 SLG: .432 RpG: 6.8 ERA: 6.63 WHIP: 2.53 K/6: 12.3

GAMES 5 & 6 5:00 PM FIELD A
(3-5) HOLY BALLS (7-1) WICKED ACES
GAME 1
1	LP: Pearson (1-2)	9	WP: A. Bischoff (3-0) Bortmas (3,4,5), A. Bischoff (4)
GAME 2
0	LP: Fisher (1-2)	3	WP: Bortmas (3-0) A. Bischoff (5)
AVG: .287 SLG: .562 RpG: 5.75 ERA: 4.80 WHIP: 2.30 K/6: 15.6 2  •   All-Time Regular Season H2H Wins   •  Ties: 0 10 Pearson's first start of 2016 was very solid: 1 RA on 1 H and 5 BB in 5 IP. This showed signs of his great 2011-12 seasons. Unfortunately, his second start looked more like the last couple years: 13 RA on 1 H and 20 BB in just 3 IP. Regardless, some of Dennis' best games in recent memory have come at Poolside Park. Over his last two seasons at Poolside, Pearson has a 2.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 12.5 K/6, and 1-1 record. It'll be wise to shrug off last week's rough start and give Dennis the ball in Ottawa Lake, as odds are he'll give you one of his best outings of the season. Fisher will almost certainly ask for the ball against Austin in this series in what would be his first opportunity to throw against his original team and captain on their home turf. The Balls did take the first game at Poolside from the Aces last year, 4-3. The Aces responded with an 11-0 bashing, and proceeded to post a 7-4-1 record at the friendly confines on the season. This season, the Aces' 5 HR as a team are tied for second in the league; the impressive stat here is those 5 bombs account for 42% of their team hits. All of those shots have come off the bats of Bortmas and Austin; the two veteran Aces expected to play the most games are already putting their best foot forward in a big way. Ineligible Pitchers  1 Game:  TBD   TBD 2 Games:    AVG: .140 SLG: .326 RpG: 2.75 ERA: 0.70 WHIP: 0.82 K/6: 15.4