RIGHT FIELD FOG

It took until Aug. 2 – the second-to-last day of the regular season – for the Bourne Braves to score double-digit runs in a game. They did it again the next day.

And Saturday night, they did it when they needed it the most.

Bourne rallied from  4-0 and 7-3 deficits and stayed alive in the Cape League championship series with a 13-7 win over Brewster in game two. The win sets up a decisive game three this afternoon in Brewster.

Offensive production was not Bourne’s strong suit for most of the year. The team batting average was near the bottom of the league and there weren’t many extra-base hits to make up for it. But since those late-season blowouts, offense hasn’t really been a problem for the Braves, who own the second-best batting average in playoff action and the second-best slugging percentage. Some of the hottest hitters in the postseason are in their lineup.

Those deficits, then, didn’t mean much, especially against a taxed pitching staff.

The first rally came in the third inning when Jared Triolo (Houston) doubled in a run and Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) hit a two-run homer.

After Brewster restored its four-run lead, the Braves put together a stunning eight-run fifth inning. Hannah and Tyler Fiztgerald (Louisville) had RBI singles and Andy Atwood (Oregon State) drove in two with a base hit. Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) had an RBI double, Lyle Lin (Arizona State) plated a run on a fielder’s choice, then Triolo and Hannah were at it again with RBI singles.

In all, Bourne sent 13 men to the plate and logged eight hits. Brewster didn’t help much, walking two and making no errors. The Braves simply mashed the ball.

Bourne added insurance runs in the sixth and the bullpen made the lead stand up. P.J. Poulin (UConn), Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) and Nick Johnson (Rhode Island) teamed up for four shutout innings of relief.

Now it all comes down to Sunday. It will be the 53rd game of the year for Brewster, which has gone to three games in each of its three playoff series.

The first Cape League championship series game ever played at Stony Brook Field was worth the wait. Brewster won a back-and-forth series opener 5-4 over Bourne on a walk-off hit by pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The Whitecaps are now one win away from their first Cape League title since 2000.

Bourne took an early lead in game one before Brewster went ahead 3-1. The Whitecaps then led 4-2 into the ninth, when the Braves scored two runs to tie it up.

In the bottom of the 10th – with darkness looming – the Whitecaps loaded the bases on two walks, a fielder’s choice and an intentional walk. With two outs in a 1-2 count, Chandler Taylor (Alabama) was hit on the foot by a pitch and Brewster celebrated.

Hunter Bishop (Arizona State) hit a three-run homer to give the Whitecaps the lead. It’s now five straight games with a homer for Brewster. Nick Dunn (Maryland) had a hit and scored two runs. Seven players had at least one hit as Brewster continues to get up-and-down the lineup production.

Tony Locey (Georgia) allowed two runs in five innings, but the game came down to bullpens. After Bourne came back in the ninth, Shane McDonald (Southern New Hampshire) and Troy Miller (Michigan) combined for a scoreless 10th, leaving runners on first and third.

Bourne’s postseason standouts continued to hit, with Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) notching three hits and Jared Triolo (Houston) and Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) getting two each. Lyle Lin (Arizona State) was the ninth-inning hero with a two-run double.

It’s the first playoff loss for the Braves, who had swept their series with Cotuit and Wareham. Bourne went 7-4 in one-run games this season, but interestingly, Brewster has now won three one-run games against the Braves.

What to Watch

Bourne hosts game two tonight at 6. Eli Kraus (Kent State), who allowed two runs in 5.1 innings in his first playoff start, will get the ball for the Braves. Paul Milto (Indiana), who surrendered five runs in four innings of game three against Y-D, is due to start for Brewster.

Marty Costes was 4 years old, Kyle Datres and William Tribucher were 3 and Connor McNamara was about to turn 2 when the Brewster Whitecaps won the 2000 Cape League championship. That was the franchise’s most recent trip to the finals until those toddlers-turned-baseball players took the Whitecaps back Thursday night.

Costes and Datres homered and McNamara and Tribucher combined on a gem as the Whitecaps continued their unlikely playoff run with a 2-1 upset of top-seeded Orleans in game three of the East Division finals. Brewster, the No. 3 seed in the East, will face its third-seeded counterpart from the West, Bourne, in the Cape League championship series.

Brewster lost game one of its series with Orleans, and the top seed – with the best pitching, offense and defense in the league all year – seemed poised for a finals trip. Instead, the Whitecaps stayed alive Wednesday and rode the wave Thursday.

After giving up a run in the first inning, McNamara (Marist) – a late-season addition – settled in for seven strong innings and didn’t allow another run. In the meantime, Datres (North Carolina) homered to tie the game in the fourth.

The game stayed deadlocked until the eighth, with neither side blinking. Nobody made an error and the pitchers shined. But Costes (Maryland) broke the tie with one swing of the bat in the eighth. It was his second home run of the playoffs, with the other coming in the clinching win over Y-D. He hit this one off dominant Orleans closer Josh Hiatt (North Carolina).

Armed with the lead, Tribucher (Michigan) came out of the bullpen four days after starting the team’s game two win over Y-D. He struck out one in the eighth and fanned the side in a dominant ninth inning to send Brewster to the championship.

It was a tough ending for Orleans, the league’s best team. Just as it was for so many other No. 1 seeds over the last few years, the playoffs proved to be a minefield.

The Whitecaps had the longest title series drought of any team in the league. But it’s over now.

What to Watch

Brewster will have home field advantage for the best-of-three title series by virtue of a 3-1 record in head-to-head games. The series opener is set for today at 4 p.m. at Stony Brook Field. It will be the first championship series game in the field’s history, since Brewster only moved there in 2006.

It’s been a dream of a summer for Blake Whitney (South Carolina Upstate) and Wednesday night, he had a big hand in sending the Bourne Braves’ summer into dream territory, too.

A late reinforcement who had a dominant season in the NECBL, Whitney tossed six shutout innings to send the third-seeded Braves into the Cape League championship series with 2-0 win that capped a sweep of Wareham.

Whitney, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound junior, had a 5.50 ERA in the spring but did lead his team with 82 strikeouts. He’s continued to pile up the Ks this summer, and everything else has fallen in line. Pitching for the North Adams Steeple Cats, he racked up 80 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched and finished with a 2.07 ERA. The 80 Ks led the league by a wide margin. The next-best total was 51.

Bourne scooped Whitney up when North Adams’ season ended. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in his lone regular season outing.

Wednesday, Whitney drew the ball for the potential series clinched and kept doing his thing. He scattered four hits – all singles – and struck out six over six dominant innings. Not only was it exactly what the Braves needed, it was a ground-breaking performance for Bourne’s pitching staff.

End 6: Braves 1, Wareham 0. In his 1st start, Blake Whitney has gone 6 scoreless. No Braves starter had gone 6 innings in the first 47 games

— Justin Gallanty (@JustinGallanty) August 10, 2017

Bryan Hoeing (Louisville) and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) finished off the shutout.

The Braves got all the offense they needed from a Lyle Lin (Arizona State) home run and a Jared Triolo (Houston) RBI. Wareham got two hits from Willie MacIver (Washington) but couldn’t get on the board and saw its surprising run come to an end.

Bourne is in the title series for the first time since winning the 2009 championship.

Brewster 8, Orleans 3

Brewster will not go away. With their pitching staff taxed and Orleans trotting out another all-star hurler, the Whitecaps blasted three home runs and racked up 12 hits in a game two victory. Nick Dunn (Maryland), Chandler Taylor (Alabama) and Julian Infante (Vanderbilt) all went deep, while Mickey Gasper (Bryant) tripled and Darius Hill (West Virginia) doubled. Brewster scored four runs off Orleans starter Joey Murray (Kent State) and continued to add on against the Firebirds bullpen. The game shaped up as a slugfest early, but Brewster reliever Joe DeMers (Washington) put a clamp on Orleans’ part in the back-and-forth with three scoreless innings. Ryan Cyr (Kansas) and Troy Miller (Michigan) finished it off. Orleans got a home run from Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) but managed just one run over the final seven innings. The top seed has now been pushed to a game three in both of its East Division series.

What to Watch

Brewster and Orleans return to Eldredge Park tonight for game three of the East finals.

Momentum doesn’t seem to mean much when you’re facing the Orleans Firebirds pitching staff.

Chatham was feeling good after its game two win in the division semifinals and Ryan Rolison (Ole Miss) stopped the Anglers cold with six one-hit innings. Brewster was riding high after its dramatic upset of three-time defending champ Y-D, but the Whitecaps were shut down, too. Brett Daniels (North Carolina) struck out eight and allowed one run on three hits in six innings as Orleans took a 1-0 series lead in the East Division finals.

Daniels has pitched mostly as a reliever this summer – 10 appearances out of the bullpen and three starts – but he was up to the task against the streaking Whitecaps. He allowed a third inning home run to Hunter Bishop (Arizona State), but it was a solo shot and it would be Brewster’s only extra-base hit of the day. Daniels allowed two other hits – both singles – and didn’t walk a batter.

Cody Deason (Arizona) was even more dominant out of the bullpen, striking out five of the eight batters he faced over two scoreless innings. Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the postseason.

Orleans staked its pitchers to an early lead with a run in the first inning and two in the second. Jimmy Herron (Duke) had three hits and scored two runs. Niko Decolati (Loyola Marymount), Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt) and Jeff Houghtby (San Diego) each drove in a run.

Orleans is one win away from its first title series since 2013.

Bourne 3, Wareham 2

Early this summer, Bourne was making a living off winning close games. Why would the West Division finals be any different? Seeking their first championship appearance since 2009, the Braves scored three runs in the fourth inning and held off Wareham for another one-run win. Jared Triolo (Houston) led the big inning with a two-run double and Tyler Fitzgerald (Louisville) had an RBI infield single. From there, four pitchers protected the lead. Starter Daniel Bies (Gonzaga) allowed one run in 4.2 innings and P.J. Poulin (UConn) surrendered an unearned run in two innings of work. Kyle Marman (Florida Atlantic) then worked two scoreless innings. With the tying run on third in the ninth, Jared Skolnicki (Kent State) came on and induced a pop-out to end the game.

What to Watch

Orleans visits Brewster at 4 p.m. and Bourne travels to Wareham for a 7 p.m. first pitch.

The Y-D Red Sox still had their playoff magic.

Brewster was simply undeterred.

The Whitecaps ended Y-D’s three-year reign in the Cape League with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings Monday night in game three of their East Division semifinal series.

The Red Sox had taken game one Saturday with a stunning five-run ninth inning, capped by a Carlos Cortes walk-off home run that seemed like a sure sign of the magic’s return. But Brewster – on a good streak to end the season and with a strong core in its lineup – came back in impressive fashion Sunday with a 6-1 win.

Then came Monday, with more magic brewing. Brewster led 7-5 in the ninth inning when Y-D scored two runs to tie the game. Cortes was up with the winning run on third base, but there would be no deja vu. Ryan Cyr (Kansas) induced a ground ball to first base, and the Whitecaps escaped.

In the top of the 10th, Brewster got a two-out single from Zack Gahagan (North Carolina), a second-year Whitecap who had come on as a pinch hitter. A.J. Graffanino (Washington) – another second year player in Brewster – cracked an RBI double to score the go-ahead run.

Cyr then worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th and the Whitecaps celebrated.

It’s the first series win for Brewster since its league championship run in 2000. It’ll be a tough road from here, but a hot team can always do damage in the Cape League playoffs.

For Y-D, Red Wilson Field will go quiet early. For perspective on its title run, consider that the playoff MVP the last time someone other than the Red Sox won it all is now playing center field for the Cleveland Indians. Bradley Zimmer led Cotuit to the 2013 title.

It was another strong year for the Red Sox, but there won’t be a four-peat.

Orleans 3, Chatham 1

The top-seeded Firebirds brought the best – and most intact – pitching staff in the league into the playoffs, and it showed when the chips were down Monday. Ryan Rolison (Ole Miss) tossed six innings of one-hit, shutout baseball as the Firebirds edged the Anglers in game three of their East Division semifinal series. Rolison, who had a 1.92 ERA in the regular season, saved his best for the postseason. He struck out seven, walked one and didn’t allow a hit until a fifth-inning double by Fabian Pena (Manhattan). In the meantime, Orleans grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) RBI fielder’s choice and made it 3-0 in the fourth on an RBI single by Groshans and an RBI groundout by Lars Nootbaar (USC). Chatham scored a run in the eighth off reliever Jake Wong (Grand Canyon) and threatened for more with top hitter Johnny Aiello (Wake Forest) at the plate and two men on. But Wong struck him out to end the inning. Josh Hiatt (North Carolina) then tossed a scoreless ninth to finish off the win. While Orleans moves on, the Chatham loss marked the end of a legendary career for manager John Schiffner.

What to Watch

Division finals get underway tonight. Orleans – the lone No. 1 or No. 2 seed still alive – hosts Brewster at 7 p.m. Bourne welcomes in Wareham at 6.

Since the Cape League playoffs expanded to eight teams, the No. 4 seed in the West Division has beaten the No. 1 seed more times than it’s lost. There were bigger upsets in terms of records.

Even still, this one comes as a major surprise.

Wareham lost 10 of its last 12 games in the regular season, the last three by a 37-10 margin. Along the way, significant roster attrition left the Gatemen without their best pitchers, the league batting champ and several other contributors.

But they’re heading to the West Division finals.

After a 10-5 win over Falmouth Saturday, the Gatemen finished off the sweep with a 4-3 triumph Sunday. It’s the sixth time the No. 4 seed has beaten the No. 1 seed in the West division first round over the last eight years.

To close out the sweep, the Gatemen turned to the one dominant pitcher still in the fold. Noah Zavolas (Harvard), who had shined since jumping into the rotation from the bullpen, allowed a first-inning run Sunday but didn’t surrender another over six innings of work. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter. The Commodores made a push against the bullpen, but Darrien Raigins (Kaiser University) – a Gateman for all of six days – struck out Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and Austin Langworthy (Florida) with the tying run on second base to end the game.

Jake Anchia (Nova Southeastern) followed up his two-hit, four RBI performance in game one, with two more hits and three RBI. Willie MacIver (Washington) also drove in a run. Joe Drpich (Siena) scored a pair.

Falmouth out-hit the Gatemen 13-10, but the usual slugging was limited to three doubles. And with that, the league’s most powerful team – which had won four games in a row to end the regular season – was done.

Wareham advances to the West finals for the first time since 2012, when it won the Cape League title.

Bourne 6, Cotuit 3; Bourne 4, Cotuit 2

The Braves also completed an upset sweep, finishing off Saturday’s suspended game with a win and then taking the series in the nightcap. The teams picked up where Saturday’s game left off in the 10th and Bourne grabbed the lead with three runs in the top of the 11th inning. Two of the runs came home on an error and Jared Triolo (Houston) added an RBI single. Jared Skolnicki (Kent State) – making his first Cape League appearance – struck out two in the bottom of the 11th to seal the win. In game two, Cotuit tallied a run in the top of the first, but the Braves answered with three in the bottom half and led the rest of the way. Triolo, Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) and Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) knocked in runs for the Braves. Eli Kraus (Kent State) allowed two runs in 5.1 innings for the win. Sean Leland (Illinois) and Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) finished it off.

Chatham 3, Orleans 1

The upsets were the surprise in the West. In the East, it’s the fact that both series will head to three games. Chatham stayed alive Sunday with a 3-1 win over top-seeded Orleans. Austin Bergner (North Carolina) – certainly an ace in the hole for the Anglers – struck out six and allowed one run in five innings. Adam Wolf (Louisville) then tossed three scoreless innings of relief and Jack DeGroat (Liberty) closed out the win in the ninth. Josh Stowers (Louisville) and Nick Patten (Delaware) drove in one run each for the Anglers, who took the lead in the fifth and held it from there. Orleans had 10 hits but left 10 runners on base.

Brewster 6, Y-D 1

Making just his third start of the summer after spending much of the season in the bullpen, William Tribucher (Michigan) went 7.2 strong innings, striking out six and allowed one run on four hits for the win. Nick Dunn (Maryland) led the Brewster offense with two RBI, while Kyle Datres (North Carolina), Mickey Gasper (Bryant) and AJ Graffanino (Washington) had one each. Y-D was held to four hits on the day.

What to Watch

A pair of game threes are on tap in the East as Brewster visits Y-D at 4 p.m. and Chatham heads to Orleans for a 6 p.m. start.

It took until the final day of the regular season, but the Cape League’s wild West Division race has finally been settled. Cotuit lost to Y-D Thursday afternoon, which secured the title for Falmouth. The Commodores promptly went out and made it a little more decisive with a 9-7 win over Hyannis.

The Commodores have been my pick for the West’s best in the Right Field Fog Power Rankings for much of the summer, but they had their ups and downs and couldn’t break free in the standings until the last few days. They’ve won four games in a row and seven of their last nine. They’ll be the West’s top seed in the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The offense stayed hot in the win over Hyannis. Trevor Larnach (Oregon State), Adley Rutschman (Oregon State) and Hunter Steinmetz (Missouri State) drove in two runs each. Clayton Daniel (Jacksonville State) and Joshua Breaux (McLennan CC) knocked in a run apiece.

It was a staff day on the mound, with Ian Koch (Western Illinois) – the third of seven pitchers – earning the win. Breaux, who pitched a little for McLennan in the spring and made two short appearances earlier this summer, pitched the ninth and struck out the side around a walk.

Falmouth will enter the playoffs in a tie for the most runs scored in the league and with the highest mark in home runs, doubles and slugging percentage.

Brewster 11, Harwich 10

Brewster won a wild slugfest with Harwich to claim the No. 3 seed in the East Division. The teams combined for 24 hits, but Brewster had a little more, going ahead 9-6 in the fifth and 11-6 in the eighth before holding off a final charge from Harwich for the crucial win. Michael Curry (Georgia) homered, while Mickey Gasper (Bryant) and A.J. Graffanino (Washington) drove in two runs each. Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) had two hits and scored two runs. Late roster addition Conor McNamara (Marist) went 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for the win. Brewster has won five of its last seven games, a stretch that includes a win over Y-D, its first-round playoff opponent. Harwich, who had already been eliminated from playoff contention, got back-to-back home runs in the ninth from Josh Smith (LSU) and Cobie Vance (Alabama) but the comeback ended there. Smith finished 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI.

Bourne 12, Wareham 5

Two games against a depleted Wareham pitching staff was just what the doctor ordered for the Braves. After losing five in a row, they ended the season with 25 runs in two wins over the Gatemen. Jared Triolo (Houston) went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the latest onslaught. Grant Williams had three hits and scored three runs. Jameson Hannah (Dallas Baptist) – red hot the last two weeks – stretched his hitting streak to 13 with a 2-for-4, two RBI day. Richard Palacios (Towson) also drove in two. Wareham, which has had a ton of late roster turnover, got home runs from newcomers Joe Drpich (Siena) and Giovanni Dingcong (St. Thomas Aquinas). Dingcong set the career NECBL home run record earlier this summer. The Gatemen hit the playoffs with a 2-8 record in their last 10 games.

Y-D 12, Cotuit 4

The Red Sox blasted four home runs and rolled past Cotuit, ending a string of three losses in their last four games. Carlos Cortes (South Carolina), Luke Miller (Indiana), Carter Pharis (UAB) and Nicholas Quintana (Arizona) all went deep for Y-D, with Cortes also hitting a triple and finishing 4-for-4 with four RBI. Tommy Henry (Michigan) struck out six in three innings of relief for the win. Cotuit, which settles for second place in the West, got home runs from Terrin Vavra (Minnesota) and Luke Alexander (Mississippi State).

Orleans 6, Chatham 4

With Brewster winning earlier in the day, Chatham locked in to the No. 4 seed, making its finale a playoff preview, as well. The Firebirds won it to finish with a record of 29-15, the best mark in the league. Chatham led 3-0 but Orleans scored three runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh to jump in front. Jaxx Groshans (Kansas) and Austin Hale (Stetson) homered to lead the Orleans attack. Joey Murray (Kent State) was credited with the win with two scoreless innings of relief and J.T. Hintzen (Florida Southern) picked up the save.

What to Watch

A day of rest today before the playoffs open Saturday. We’ll have the final edition of the power rankings posted later today.

Two of the Cape League’s major honors were handed out to Cotuit players Wednesday as Greyson Jenista (Wichita State) won the league MVP and Griffin Conine (Duke) was named the Top Prospect. Then a red-hot young gun upstaged his award winning teammates. Then the Kettleers won to keep alive hopes of a division title.

It was a big day at Lowell Park.

Jenista became the first Cotuit player to win the MVP award since Justin Smoak in 2006. I was a bit surprised that Jenista was the MVP pick considering the kind of season his teammate Conine has had, not to mention the campaigns of Jimmy Herron and Jenista’s college teammate, Alec Bohm. But take nothing away from the year Jenista is putting together. Honored before the game, he promptly went 3-for-4 and is now hitting .317 with three homers and 16 RBI.

Conine is fourth in the league in hitting, tied for the lead in home runs and fourth in RBI. Nick Senzel won both the MVP and top prospect award in 2015 and Conine certainly had a case for both, but I’m sure he didn’t mind seeing his teammate take one.

While Jenista went 3-for-4 and Conine had a hit in the game that followed, it was a younger teammate who starred again for the Kettleers in their win over Y-D. UCLA rising sophomore Michael Toglia – one of the most intriguing rising soph bats in the league – hit his fourth home run in four days as part of a 2-for-4, two RBI night. Toglia now has six home runs on the year, tied for fifth in the league.

Cotuit also got two RBI from Gian Martellini (Boston College). Chase Cohen (Georgia Southern) earned the win with three strong innings of relief and Brian Rapp (Boston College) picked up the save.

The win kept Cotuit two points back of Falmouth, who also won. If the Commodores lose in their finale tonight, the Kettleers could move into a tie for first place with a victory. Having won the season series against Falmouth, Cotuit would then be the top seed in the West.

Orleans 3, Chatham 2

The Firebirds walked off with the division title as Ethan Paul’s RBI single in the ninth gave Orleans a 3-2 win and clinched first place in the East Division. Y-D’s loss earlier in the day opened the door for Orleans to seal the crown and the top seed. It wasn’t easy, but the ninth inning rally did the trick. After Chatham had tied the game in the top of the ninth, Orleans came back on a leadoff single by Lars Nootbaar (USC). Paul then singled to left field for the game-winning hit. Nootbaar and Paul both finished with three hits. The top team in the league for most of the summer – but with Y-D always at its heels – Orleans is now officially a top seed.

Falmouth 7, Hyannis 6

The Commodores stayed a step ahead of Cotuit and did Wareham a favor, as the Hyannis loss clinched the final playoff spot for the Gatemen. Marty Bechina (Michigan State) and Cameron O’Neill (Holy Cross) drove in two runs each for the Commodores, while Joshua Breaux (McLennan CC) and George Janca (Texas A&M) had two hits apiece. The 7-6 score was already on the board by the fifth inning, and three Falmouth relievers kept it from changing. William Ethridge (Ole Miss), Derrick Adams (Jacksonville State) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Kansas) closed out the win.

Bourne 13, Wareham 4

While the Gatemen are in the playoffs thanks to the Hyannis loss, they were on the wrong end of a blowout against Bourne, as the Braves snapped a five-game skid in impressive fashion. Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored to lead a 19-hit barrage. Kevin Radziewicz (Fairfield) had three hits and late addition Anthony Prato (UConn) had three hits and scored three runs. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit. Grant Williams (Kennesaw State) chipped in three RBI and Lyle Lin (Arizona State) had two.

Harwich 7, Brewster 4

Brewster had beaten second-place Y-D and first-place Orleans in consecutive games but couldn’t keep the win streak going against last-place Harwich, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the win. Cobie Vance (Alabama) and Matt Vierling (Notre Dame) each had two hits and an RBI to lead the Mariner offense. Tyler Baum (North Carolina) put in impressive work out of the bullpen and may have sealed several spots atop final league leaderboards with just one game left. Baum picked up his league-best fifth win, moved into a tie for the league lead with 41 strikeouts and put his ERA at a Cape-best 2.72.

What to Watch

Two things still up for grabs on the final day of the season – the top seed in the West and the No. 3 spot in the East.