2052 Geoghegan Preview: Lumberjacks vs River Monsters (Best of 5)

[neugey]

The BBA Playoffs are here!

The Portland Lumberjacks find themselves in the postseason still stained with sweat and breathing hard. They had to play a 163rd game and eliminate the Des Moines Kernels to make these playoffs. The Lumberjacks barely prevailed, needing 12 innings in a tight 4-3 win to overcome Des Moines.

Had the Kernels prevailed, that would have setup an intriguing match-up between two Heartland division rivals and created an intriguing I-35 playoff series. But instead, the stories center around the Lumberjacks, who will sneak into the playoffs to try and avenge their championship failure in 2051 to the Crawdads.

Though the Lumberjacks have much more postseason experience, Las Vegas (the sportsbooks, not the team) has thus installed the new-kid-on-the-block River Monsters as a huge favorite in this series. That's not surprising, given that Portland has the lowest winning record of any team in the 2052 BBA playoffs.

The River Monsters are probably the biggest success story of 2052 in the BBA in general. This is the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2045, and the team improved their record by 20 wins under new manager Alan Ehlers. The unexpected turnaround of the River Monsters was previously chronicled a few months ago, and though the Bluebirds have reasserted themselves at the top of the Heartland lately, the River Monsters are still primed for postseason play and that's all that counts.

The River Monsters' offense caught fire in 2052 and scored more runs than any other team in Frick. Leading the charge was DH Pedro Guzman, who posted a .300 average and 137 RBI's, playing in all but one regular season game. Another big contributor was veteran RF David Simpson, who hit .308 and recorded a pretty 1.013 OPS, by far his best season in at least 5 years. Twin Cities' pitching is quite stout, ranking in the upper quadrant of the Frick statistically. The trio of starters Jose Martinez, Eric Brooks and Curt Fields all managed 13+ wins and kept their ERA's under the 4.00 level. But alas, the Achilles heel of Twin Cities is probably their defense, which showed poor efficiency and committed more than their fair share of errors in 2052.

The Lumberjacks had a middle-of-the-road offense in 2052. Portland can probably credit their postseason berth to a suddenly hot bullpen and the presence of staff ace Ken Sparks. Sparks posted several strong outings after the All-Star break and ended up leading the Frick with an impressive 3.05 ERA. The offense was powered by "Short Circuit" Donadoni, with the first baseman cranking out 50 homers and 134 RBI's. LF Jiao-Long Ma also impressed with a .308 average and 33 homers. This is an above-average BBA team, but they will have their hands full trying to match the sheer run output generated with regularity by the River Monsters.

Final verdict: The River Monsters have recently announced that Brooks will take the mound for game 1. That could spell doom for Portland. The Lumberjacks will struggle in this match-up against a superior opponent, but still have enough fight left in them to take a game. The most likely outcome is a matchstick series, with the River Monsters prevailing 3 games to 1 and advancing.

[Jwalk100]

We need more of these. Keep 'em coming.

[ae37jr]

Good preview. Our defense is definitely awful. I think this matchup comes down to our offense vs Portland's pitching.

[Dington]

I predicted Portland because defense and pitching are usually superior in the playoffs.

[7teen]

Twin Cities in 3.

[CTBrewCrew]

Hmmmm last I remember Portland was the 6th seed they made it to the Brewster

[7teen]

Hmmmm last I remember Portland was the 6th seed they made it to the Brewster

And we had to play a heavily favored Heartland team in the first round... But that's long been forgotten. This Portland team is toast.

[CTBrewCrew]

Come on now, @@7teen we all know Folgers Coffee is the best part of waking up, (Next to a Portland win in Round 1).



We're back Baby!!!

[bschr682]

Hmmmm last I remember Portland was the 6th seed they made it to the Brewster

And we had to play a heavily favored Heartland team in the first round... But that's long been forgotten. This Portland team is toast.

I’m rooting for you so we can both complain how we have no chance against each other. It’ll be fun