Jake Fincher and Cotuit will open up the playoffs against Falmouth.
Of the three best teams in the league, one was shut-out six times in the regular season and finished the year on a five-game losing streak (Chatham), one had just the seventh-best ERA in the league (Falmouth), and one allowed more runs than it scored (Hyannis).
Good luck figuring out the Cape League playoffs. The postseason begins today, and the only safe bet is that it’ll be wild.
Match-ups
Eastern Division
No. 1 Chatham vs. No. 4 Y-D
No. 2 Orleans vs. No. 3 Harwich
Western Division
No. 1 Hyannis vs. No. 4 Bourne
No. 2 Falmouth vs. No. 3 Cotuit
Notes
There’s a lot to be said for a hot streak carrying over into the playoffs. Wareham was in the meat of the curve for most of last summer but won four straight to end the regular season and then surged to the league championship. No one is heading into this year’s playoffs with more than two wins in a row, but Orleans finished the year winning 11 of its last 12 games while Falmouth won sixth straight before a loss in its finale.
Of course, being hot isn’t everything. When Cotuit won the championship in 2010, it had lost six straight to end the regular season. Chatham, losers of five straight this year, likes to hear that.
Speaking of the Anglers, when they clinched the division in dramatic fashion, it was looking harder and harder to pick against them – until they didn’t win again. I still think they’ve got a shot and maybe they were just playing out the string once they clinched, but starting pitching is a concern. Lukas Schiraldi and Tommy Lawrence have been terrific, but their rotation-mates have ERA’s over 3.50.
Playoff success in the Cape League is always impacted by roster turnover and who sticks around. A number of teams have taken some hits lately, with Bourne losing starting pitchers Jaron Long and Austin Gomber and Hyannis saying farewell to Jeff Hoffman, Patrick Andrews and Austin Pettibone. Hyannis also suffered a tough break when its top hitter, Skyler Ewing, left with an injury.
If you’re looking for a darkhorse, consider the Bourne Braves. If you like team batting average and team ERA as indicators of success, nobody did both better than Bourne, who finished second in each category. The Braves struggled with production all year and their pitching rotation isn’t what it once was, but they could get hot.
Good pitching match-ups abound on day one of the playoffs, especially in Hyannis and Chatham. Bourne standout Ryan Kellogg will go against Cape League strikeout king Kyle Freeland in Hyannis. Y-D sends ace Daniel Savas to the mound against ERA leader Lukas Schiraldi for Chatham.
Y-D will have a one-two punch of Savas and James Kaprielian in the series with Chatham. Pitching has been a season-long struggle for the Red Sox, but those two are as good as anybody in the league. Looking at the probables, it’s arguably the toughest one-two playoff punch in the league. Tough match-up for Chatham.
Falmouth clearly has the best offense in the league. Can the pitching staff do enough? John Means and Trey Teakell have been the team’s best starters. Brandon Magallones, Daniel Koger and Craig Schlitter have been a little more up-and-down, but if they can pitch as well as they did in their best outings, they’ll give Falmouth a good shot.
The Falmouth-Cotuit series may be the best of the first-round match-ups. The teams were separated by a point in the final standings and they split their season series. They also played each other on the last two days of the regular season, so there aren’t many secrets.
Feel free to share your picks in the comments. I’m not really going out on a limb here, but I’m taking Chatham in the East and Falmouth in the West.
I’m taking Orleans in the East and Falmouth in the West, with Falmouth to win it all.
Hey Will. I’m not sure who to pick, really. Of course, every series is best 2 of 3, so anything can happen, as sub-.500 Wareham winning it all last year showed, so I guess there isn’t really too much logic that needs to be factored in at all.
I don’t think Hyannis or Bourne have the firepower to get past the winner of the Cotuit-Falmouth series, with the players those two teams have lost recently. With all the mashers Falmouth has, they are a strong pick, but I like Cotuit’s pitching. I think the Kettleers win the West.
Out East, I’ll take Harwich, partly because they have the best pitching in the division and partly because I love going to Whitehouse Field and I hope to get 2 or 3 more opportunities to make it out there before I have to go back up to Lowell on Monday.
Thanks for the picks, guys. It’s going to be interesting.
I’m taking Orleans in the East and Falmouth in the West, with Falmouth to win it all.
Hey Will. I’m not sure who to pick, really. Of course, every series is best 2 of 3, so anything can happen, as sub-.500 Wareham winning it all last year showed, so I guess there isn’t really too much logic that needs to be factored in at all.
I don’t think Hyannis or Bourne have the firepower to get past the winner of the Cotuit-Falmouth series, with the players those two teams have lost recently. With all the mashers Falmouth has, they are a strong pick, but I like Cotuit’s pitching. I think the Kettleers win the West.
Out East, I’ll take Harwich, partly because they have the best pitching in the division and partly because I love going to Whitehouse Field and I hope to get 2 or 3 more opportunities to make it out there before I have to go back up to Lowell on Monday.
Thanks for the picks, guys. It’s going to be interesting.