Landis Preview

[nverhoev]

Well i'm scrambing to make my PP total so I jumped on this. I stole a previous previews format. My opinions only.

Vancouver Mounties vs. Las Vegas Hustlers

In a nutshell

This is a matchup of two of the more recently successful teams in the MBWBA and a rematch of the 2006 final which saw Las Vegas win a close 7 game battle. The Vancouver Mounties are in the playoffs for the sixth season in a row (9th time in past 10 seasons). Back to back winners in 1999 and 2000 the Mounties haven’t been able to win the Landis since then. The Las Vegas Hustlers, well let’s face it, have been the standard by which teams of the MBWBA measure themselves against with recent championships in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006.

The Mounties scored 734 runs good for 8th in the Johnson League. The Mounties 624 runs against were good for 2nd best in the JL. Vancouver with 94 wins would have won both the Atlantic and Midwest divisions settled for the wildcard behind 106 game winner Hawaii.

The Hustlers won the Frick Pacific by 3 games over Long Beach. Their 852 runs scored were good for third in the Frick league. Las Vegas, known for its pitching depth, allowed the fewest runs in the Frick (and entire MBWBA) with 587.

A quick look at the stats says that this will be a low scoring battle as both teams boast excellent pitching and deep pitching staffs. The question will be if Vancouver can muster enough offense at the right times?

Keys to the Series

Three Vancouver Keys

1. Can Vancouver score enough to win?

Veteran Arturo Gutierrez lead the Mounties with 28 homers and 97 RBI’s. If he can hit a few out of the yard it will help Vancouver win some close games. Going through the Mounties lineup it is somewhat surprising that the team hasn’t been better on offense. Douglas Newhouseis a star player and continues to rack up stolen bases. Jeremy Finchis also one of the games more dangerous players at the plate. The key to me is the lesser players in the lineups. The Mounties need the lower half of the lineup to chip in and push some runs across. If Shannon Osborne and Rick Dalycan have a good series Vancouver will have a much better chance of success.

2. Can Gary Jones keep winning?

After a ridiculous 20-4 regular season young hurler Gary Joneshas continued his run with a 3-0 playoff record. Jones has a promising future in Vancouver. I hate to say it but it’s hard to find an advantage in matchups against the Las Vegas rotation and this might be the closest they have so Vancouver has to hope that Gary Jones can continue his magic.

3. Can they find success in the underdog role?

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Vancouver is the underdog in this one. The last time a wild card has one the Landis was back in 2003 when, yup, Las Vegas won. The Mounties are a balanced team with some good veteran experience. In a seven game series anything can happen and usually does. If the Mounties can keep it close, play smart, and can manufacture some runs (paging Douglas Newhouse) they can win.


Three Las Vegas Keys

1. Can they play up to their potential?

The way I see it Las Vegas has an advantage on offense. I also see them as having an advantage in each of the starting pitching matchups, although, that is much closer. Las Vegas should probably be the favourite. If they play the way they’ve been playing all season they have a great chance to win the Landis again. The important thing is that the games still have to be played. Let’s see how the Hustlers handle the pressure.

2. What happened against Des Moines?

It’s worth noting that the team struggled to a .235/.288/.374 line in the Cartwright Cup Series against Des Moines. With a smaller margin for error against Vancouver they will need to be better than this. Roman Empire hit .208 and Josh Carrothers, Donald Noboru, Roark Dempsey, and Tim Wallaceall hit under .200. Las Vegas shouldn’t give up a lot of runs but you can’t win if you don’t score any yourselves.

3. Will Chris Stoller be Chris Stoller?

Over his regular season career (388 starts) Stoller has pitched to a 3.02 ERA. During the playoffs when the competition supposedly gets better Stoller (40 starts) has impressively pitched better posting a 2.83 ERA. He’s probably the best pitcher in the game and a big reason why the Hustlers have had so much playoff success. With Stoller on the mound this team is tough to beat. Matching up against Robbie Sargentis a touch assignment for anyone but if Stoller can get two wins in this series I don’t think there’s any question Las Vegas will win.


My prediction:

You can probably tell I’m leaning towards Las Vegas in this one. I’m still predicting a lot of close games. I think the biggest thing for Vancouver is when they score their runs. If the Mounties can produce at key times they have a good shot. As good as Las Vegas rotation is they did struggle a bit on the back end. The Hustlers bullpen posted a 4.03 ERA while Vancouver posted a 2.89 ERA. If the games are close Vancouver might find their edge in the bull pen. Should be a good series.

I’ll take Vegas in seven.

[felipe]

Booooo!

Go van!

jL representin'!

[Al-Hoot]

Great preview!

[trmmilwwi]

good stuff! Should be a great matchup!!

[scottsdale_joe]

LV is a huge favorite, in my mind.
Still, we'll give it our best.

[Greeney03]

I think LV will win, but I'm rooting for Joe.

[recte44]

Anything can happen in the postseason. As long as I have my Big 3 starters, Las Vegas could win the LMS any given year depending on how things shake out.

These two teams are built very similarly.

[bigmike13]

Nice write up