Now we really are Gambling (Late-May) 2005-5

[Fat Nige]

May 21st, 2005

Round-up : The last 10 games delivered a 4-6 record for ATC and a feeling of what might have been. The Gamblers produced a fair amount of offence but came up against a rack of opponents that produced more.
In the Long Beach series ATC started off well as Mike Williams and three pitchers behind him kept the Surfers to just two hits, shutting them out 5-0. Long Beach though hit back in the second game, found their offence and were 7-1 up after two innings. Gamblers never really recovered and three errors didn’t help as they were out-hit 14-7 and outscored 10-7. Nick Machiavelli surrendered a 2-run homer in the first innings of the final game of the series and that took all the wind out of Gambler’s sails. Although they knocked out several hits Gamblers couldn’t string enough together to get back at Surfers and 3-run homer from Heredia confirmed a 6-1 win for Long Beach.
Against New Orleans the Gamblers started off well again, plating nine runs without reply in the first five innings, going on to win 11-3. Once more though their offence was spent in the second game and although Herman Mitchell kept the Crawdads to a sixth innings solo homer it couldn’t last and an eighth innings’ 3-run shot by Morales opened the flood gates and four runs in both the eighth & ninth gave the Crawdads a comfortable 9-0 shutout. Gamblers actually won the series when they snapped a 4-4 tie in the eighth by batting around and driving home six of the ten batters that came to the plate. Mike Williams must have had a crick in the neck from watching the three solo homers fly out but former EBA set-up man Jonathan O’Neill came on to steady the ship and complete the 10-4 win.
Seattle again failed to match Atlantic City’s first game enthusiasm and it took that fateful eighth innings again to get them on the board as Dave Crocker masterminded a 6-2 win. Gamblers really fancied themselves in the second game as they gave Machiavelli a four run lead before he even took the mound but it wasn’t enough. He gave three back in the first two innings and three hits and a double in the sixth drove home three and sent Machiavelli to the showers. The Storm wouldn’t surrender the lead again and ran out 8-5 winners. Gamblers failed to show much spark in the final two games of the series and went down 7-5 & 6-3.

Starmen : Pitcher – Jonathan O’Neill came into three games and snapped the door shut. Although none were save situations he pitched a total of two innings and no-one got a hit off him as he retired all six batsmen he faced.
Batter - Fredrick Simon once more confirmed his billing as the Gamblers superstar. He launched five homers and recorded a slash-line of .325/.400/.725

News & Notes : At 18-27 the Gamblers still remain two games ahead of last placed Kraken in the Atlantic Division but will look with some trepidation at the final two games of the Seattle series and the three games upcoming with Des Moines. Brooklyn continue to go well in Triple-A, their 22-15 record puts them 3.5 back and Long Island have rallied from their 10 game losing streak to win eight on the bounce to stand at 18-19.