Subscribe
Community
Blue Crabs win Liberty Division first-half title, in the playoffs
Camden never given a pulse in four-game series of pennant contenders
Saturday, July 3, 2010
|
See related video
|
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DALLAS COGLE
Shortstop Travis Garcia (right) and third baseman Patrick Osborn celebrate the Blue Crabs' division title Friday night amidst a festive post-game clubhouse, as players drenched each other with fizzy beverages, after beating Camden, 7-1. Garcia smacked a two-run homer in the sixth to cement the victory, giving the Blue Crabs a 6-0 lead.
|
E-Mail This Article
Posted at 2:25 p.m. Saturday
Manager Butch Hobson, sporting his swimming goggles to keep the burn out of his eyes, was converged upon.
Then team leader Jeremy Owens absorbed his turn, followed by an array of other players and team staff, including general manager Chris Allen – all mostly at the prodding of an overjoyed Hobson.
Indeed, there was more intrigue about who was going to be doused next with a champagne shower and beer bath amid all the toasting, dancing and jubilant celebrating in the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs' postgame, plastic-lined clubhouse Friday night than the first two contests to the four-game series on the field that never reached its thrilling billing to conclude the first half of the season in the Atlantic League.
The drama was over in the series before it ever began. Needing no less than a split in the series to win their second straight Liberty Division first-half title, the first-place Blue Crabs (41-27) accomplished the task in the shortest time possible at Waldorf's Regency Furniture Stadium.
The league's best team impressively won for the 19th time in the last 25 games as they breezed by second-place Camden (37-31) on Friday in a 7-1 triumph after opening the series Thursday with a 3-1 victory, claiming the division and clinching a repeat playoff berth come September.
While fans were enjoying a fireworks show after the game as part of the Blue Crabs' red, white and blue weekend, the team was setting off a joyous batch of their own during a raucous clubhouse atmosphere overflowing with man love.
"The sooner you can clinch the better for sure. You can kind of relax now knowing we're going to be in the playoffs," said Blue Crabs designated hitter Matt Craig, who extended his team-high hit streak to 18 games by pulling a monstrous three-run home run to right field in the fifth Friday to cushion the lead to 4-0. Craig is batting .336, third in the league. "It's a good feeling. It's huge. You don't want to leave [clinching the division and playoff spot] up to that last day. Anything can happen in this game. [We wanted to] nip it [in the bud] early, and that's what we did. We're all pretty excited.
"We just need to go out and keep playing like we can and get ready for the playoffs."
The blistering Blue Crabs have turned the final first-half games, 6:35 tonight and 7:05 p.m. Sunday, into nothing more than glorified exhibition games.
The second half of the season starts next Thursday after the three-day All-Star break in Long Island. The reigning league runner-up Blue Crabs are in the playoffs, which begin Sept. 22 with the divisional series, no matter how they finish in the second half.
The Blue Crabs' penchant for hitting the long ball – especially since the beginning of June when their hot ways began – was in full display through the first two games of the series against Camden.
Newly acquired Jason Lane, Eric Crozier and Kody Kirkland connected on solo shots to account for all the Blue Crabs runs Thursday. Crozier's homer was of the rare inside-the-park variety – the first such in Regency Furniture Stadium history.
Then Friday, Travis Garcia slammed a two-run liner over the left-center field fence in the sixth, serving as the backbreaker of Camden to up the Blue Crabs lead to 6-0.
"Very important," Garcia said about the Blue Crabs clinching the division and playoff spot as soon as possible in the series without giving Camden a pulse. "Butch [Hobson] made that known from the get-go, [saying], ‘Let's get it done early. Let's win all four but one at a time.' It's definitely a big deal. From pitch No. 1, it just seemed like it was another day at the ballpark with us. There was no anxiety, no panic button. Everybody was just, ‘Let's get it done.'"
"I've been fortunate, I've been on some good teams throughout my baseball career and I can't really remember a team playing this well in all phases – pitching, hitting, defense," added Patrick Osborn, whose leadoff double in the fourth Friday led to the Blue Crabs' first run when Crozier singled him in. "The biggest thing is we've started to become consistent with the bats. That's a good team on the other side, they've been there all year. So it could've been a nice [playoff-caliber] series, but we got it done.
"And it feels great. It'd be nice if [the playoffs] started now, but this celebration signifies what we set out to do from Day 1 of spring training and that's win the first half."
Owens said about the euphoria the Blue Crabs felt late Friday, "That's the way our clubhouse is put together. That's why we go out there and play for each other, and that's why we win as much as we do. [Camden] has been playing really well, and a team that's hot, you don't want to give them any sort of momentum."
Not overlooked by the Blue Crabs' pivotal wins Thursday and Friday was the continued success of their league-best pitching staff, sporting a collective 3.19 ERA – almost a full run better than the next-best team.
Thursday, Blue Crabs starter Craig Anderson improved to 4-0 this season with a stingy 1.27 ERA after he blanked Camden through his six innings, allowing just two hits.
Friday, Connor Robertson kept the Blue Crabs' dominance on the mound intact, going seven shutout innings with five strikeouts while scattering seven Camden hits.
"Tonight, especially in the third, fourth and fifth innings, I started getting first-pitch strikes on sliders and curveballs," Robertson said. "That made a difference and kept them off-balanced a little bit and allowed me to use my fastball more."
"We wanted to come out early and get on the scoreboard and let our pitchers work," Craig added. "They've done a great job all year and thankfully they've carried everybody all year, that's for sure. We're pretty fortunate to have them."
Camden entered the series trailing the Blue Crabs by two games and needing to win three of four to steal the division. But once the Blue Crabs wrestled the division lead from Camden in June, they never gave it back.
"The better team finally won [the division]," Camden manager Von Hayes said amid a sullen clubhouse Friday. "Butch has got a solid team over there. They deserve everything. Their celebrating over there for a reason."
Hobson added, "The goal is to win the first half and make it to the playoffs. The goal is to win the second half too, but this gives you a little breathing room and gives other guys a chance to get more playing time and give your key guys some rest.
"I'm just real proud of my guys."
Thursday
Blue Crabs 3, Camden 1
Camden 000 000 100 – 1 5 1
Blue Crabs 010 001 10x – 3 8 0
WP Anderson (4-0), LP Davis (2-4), Save Warden (11)
Extra-base hits: 3B – Osborn (BC); HR – Burgamy (C, 10), Crozier (BC, 10), Lane (BC, 1), Kirkland (BC, 5)
Friday
Blue Crabs 7, Camden 1
Camden 000 000 010 – 1 9 1
Blue Crabs 000 132 01x – 7 10 1
WP Robertson (4-2), LP Chick (4-3)
Extra-base hits: 2B – Walker (C), Osborn (BC); HR – Craig (BC, 9), Garcia (BC, 10)
