Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

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Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by ThePreyingManta » Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:58 pm

When we last heard from the Metro Stars, almost two months ago, they were narrowly leading the Bancroft League while fending off the Bucharest Impalers and Jerusalem Hebrew Hammers. Since July 21, Mumbai has gone 30-19 (.612), right in line with their season winning percentage of .615. Meanwhile, Jerusalem has gone 25-24 to effectively drop out of the Bancroft League race. This leaves Mumbai and Bucharest to battle it out for the final 3 weeks of the season. Bucharest sits only two games behind Mumbai, as they have for much of the season. While both teams appear almost certain to make the playoffs, home field advantage could be a big factor. Mumbai especially has played much better at home than while on the road, going 50-22 in India and only 38-33 outside the subcontinent. Let’s take a quick look at how the Metro Stars have maintained their division lead since all the way back on April 22.

Robert Gowron was a surprise signing for the Metro Stars, as they just barely squeezed his contract in under the salary cap. The 32-year-old BBA washout has found a home in the UMEBA. After posting only 2.6 WAR in 10 seasons in the BBA, Gowron has almost topped that in 61 games with Mumbai. Gowron has hit 25 home runs in those 61 games, the best rate of anyone with at least 200 plate appearances. Gowron hasn’t been a great fit in the outfield, but he has formed a deadly duo with Toshio Taguchi in the middle of the Mumbai lineup. This has been especially important for the Metro Stars as first-half star Jose Olivarez has yet to rediscover what made him so dangerous in April and May. Elsewhere on offense, 1B Juan Parra has been streaky but a big improvement over Roberto Perez. Parra has hit 17 home runs since joining the club, helping the Metro Stars to post the most home runs in the league over that stretch. Jose Romero has taken over behind the plate, hitting .299 with a 117 OPS+ in 39 games. LF Daniel McDaniel has also been a valuable piece of the offense, with 9 stolen bases to go along with a 120 OPS+ and solid defensive metrics.

The real story of the past few months has been the pitching. The Metro Stars have finally found a group of reliable starters to throw out night after night with the discovery of Kevin Hicken and the reemergence of Mike Manning as a viable option. It will be tough for the team to pin down a group of starters for the playoffs, since all of the starters have been good but none have truly stood out. The bullpen has been a bit confusing as of late, with Aurelio Fernandez, Motoichi Fujita, and Leon Gonzalez pitching great and Rafael Cruz and Martin Bacardi crashing back to Earth after great starts to the season. After struggling mightily early on in the rotation, Stanford Chase has become a dominant option out of the bullpen. In 51 innings pitched out of the pen, Chase has a 2.29 ERA while only allowing 0.2 HR/9.

With the season coming to a close soon, the Metro Stars still have two series against their arch nemesis, the Bucharest Impalers. These series will very likely decide the league champion and home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Also on the horizon for Mumbai are two series against Jerusalem and Beirut. The Metro Stars have a chance to put away the Hammers once and for all this week, as any combination of eight Mumbai wins and Jerusalem losses will eliminate the Hebrew Hammers from a chance of winning the Bancroft.
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Re: Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by handaspencer » Thu Aug 22, 2019 2:22 pm

Winning a UEMBA title would be pretty cool before you transition into the BBA with Madison. Rooting for you to pull that off.

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Re: Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by Fat Nige » Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:19 pm

Meanwhile the Chariot Archers have the opposite problem with the rotation, it will be hard to find a decent rotation as the current five have been pretty inconsistent. Hopefully both teams will get it together though for the playoffs
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Re: Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by RonCo » Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:42 pm

Haven't really paid attention, how will the playoffs get seeded?
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Re: Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by bschr682 » Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:47 pm

Perhaps you could do me a favor and lose 6 straight while I win 6 straight. That would pucker up some buttholes...
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Re: Metro Stars' Magic Number Down to Eight (2039 - #16)

Post by ThePreyingManta » Thu Aug 22, 2019 6:49 pm

RonCo wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:42 pm
Haven't really paid attention, how will the playoffs get seeded?
I believe that the #1 team in each league will get home field advantage against the #2 team in the same league and the winners will play each other in the championship.
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